What Jesus did for us is tantamount to a friend going to work and giving you the wages for their labor. Jesus was crucified and buried; He defeated Satan in hell, and was raised from the dead. And God says, "I will divide him a portion with the great..."
Wait a minute...Jesus does all the work, and God is going to divide the profit with someone else? God is going to divide all of the benefits, all the accolades, and all the blessings that came from Jesus' work, between Jesus and somebody else that He calls great?
Well who is it that he called great?
The Lord calls you and me the great. Jesus said in Matthew 11:11: Verily I say unto you, Among them that are born of women there hath not risen a greater than John the Baptist: notwithstanding he that is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he (KJV).
If you've received Jesus as your Lord, then you are in the kingdom of heaven. The Bible says you are heirs of God and joint heirs with the Lord Jesus Christ, and you are the great. And what God calls great, you can't call common. And since God said it first, you can now call yourself great.
Not only did He call you great, He called you strong. If God then called you strong, you can call yourself strong. Didn't He say in Joel 3:10, "let the weak say I am strong"? He didn't say let the weak say I am weak, hoping to get strong.
God calls those things which be not as though they were. That means if you are going to imitate God, you must call yourself what He says you are. Don't call yourself weak, call yourself strong. Don't call your self somebody trying to make it. Call yourself great.
You are not great because of what you did. You are great because of what Jesus did for you. He was numbered with the transgressors. He bare the sin of many and made intercession for you. Jesus made it so that you would be great in the kingdom of God.
Now that's something to shout about.
Scripture Reference: Joel 3:10; Matthew 11:11
Keith Butler has been an ordained minister since 1974. He is a graduate of the University of Michigan and holds diplomas from Canada Christian College and Rhema Bible Training Center.
He serves in ministry with the support of his lovely wife, Pastor Deborah L. Butler, and their children: Pastor Andre Butler (granddaughters Alexis, Angela, and April), Pastor MiChelle Ferguson and husband Pastor Lee (grandson Lucas), and Minister Kristina Jenkins and husband Pastor Joel (grandsons Andrew and Austin, and granddaughter Alyssa).
