How great can anyone be in life? Or let me put it this way; how great do you want to be? Some of us want to be very successful and accomplished, but we don’t have a clue as to what extent we can achieve all of what we desire to be. We often lack a clear picture of what the end state would be.

I also want to be great; but how great can I be in life? Who or what can I consider as a perfect example to mirror the level of the greatness that I want to attain? There are several examples of people who are referred to as great. However, attaining that greatness is defined by those who value and believe in the said achievement. In other words, there may be great magicians; but magic is not something everyone values to the extent of acknowledging magicians or even considering them great. In the same way, we have great athletes like the late Mohammed Ali, and Michael Jordan; great singers like Elvis Presley and Michael Jackson; great politicians like Nelson Mandela, Obafemi Awolowo, and Abraham Lincoln; great activists like Martin Luther King Jr., great warriors like Alexander the Great; and many more. These great men added value to many lives in the various areas of their specialty; they made indelible changes. But the truth is our definition of greatness is not necessarily God’s definition.

God is great. The heavens and the earth are the works of His hand and He is everlasting. How does God define greatness? Admittedly, God has given us the ability to be great, but our greatness cannot extend beyond the grace and ability God has given to us. We can’t accomplish anything by our power or without God’s grace and mercy. So, again, how great can we be?

I will attempt to illustrate what I consider a good framework that could serve as an example of greatness. Nebuchadnezzar was a king that lived in Babylon (present-day Iraq) many years ago. During his reign, he had a dream and needed someone to interpret his dream. In his dream, he saw a tree amid the earth with a great height. The tree grew and became very strong until its height reached the heavens and was visible through the end of all the earth. The fruits of the tree were abundant, and it was food for all. The tree also served as shade for all the animals, and birds lived in its branches.

Daniel, an Israeli captive, interpreted the dream to Nebuchadnezzar and told him the tree in the dream represented the king himself. Daniel further explained to the king that the tree signified the king’s greatness (Daniel 4:19-23). Nebuchadnezzar truly went on to become so great that he was known all over the world. He was actually so great in productivity that the abundance sustained the world.

So how great can an individual be compared to this level of greatness and dominion that was said to reach the ends of the earth? What greatness can go beyond this level? Think about it for a moment. Because this is actually how great God wants us to be; and how great we should all aim to be.

Now let’s lay emphasis on two basic lessons in Nebuchadnezzar’s greatness. According to the bible, he grew into that greatness and never stopped until he was world renowned. The second important point is the purpose of his greatness, as it was reflected in his service and provision for humanity. His greatness was not self-serving.

So if you are still wondering how great you can be in life and to what extent, let me make it clear: you can be so great that your greatness is world renowned. Such greatness is what the heavens and the earth acknowledge. It is another dimension of greatness that connects both the heavens and the earth during your reign.

However, with this level of greatness comes the absolute need for humility in order to maintain it. Nebuchadnezzar paid dearly for not giving God the glory. He thought he had acquired that greatness with his own power, and God debased him until he learned that everything he had came from God.

We have to understand that our greatness is not for personal gratification; but for a purpose bigger than us as individuals. It is to serve God and the people. If we have truly received God’s ability in us to become great in life, we would stretch ourselves to the limit to see this greatness realized. We have an obligation to go above and beyond to become as great as we were created to be. We should be prepared to break through all barriers to reach our limitless height in life.

In conclusion, God’s type of greatness is what we should prepare ourselves for. It extends from the earth and reaches the heavens because it grows and has purpose. When God makes us great, it will surely be beyond all of our expectations. The world is yet to see how great we can be; that is if we are willing and obedient to God’s will for our lives.