Are you familiar with the acronym, G.O.A.T.? The first few times I heard it, all I could think was who would want to be called a goat? I have goats; thirty of them, and I would not want to be called a goat. They are goofy followers, easily swayed creatures, so naturally I thought being called a G.O.A.T. was a put-down.
After seeing the term on a friend's duffel bag, it piqued my curiosity enough to finally look up what those four letters stand for. Boy, was I surprised to find out it means "Greatest Of All Times." That's a nice compliment to give or be given. On the other hand, it is a bold statement to make, so it should be taken lightly.
In reality, there is only ONE person that should be considered the Greatest Of All Times, and that is Jesus Christ. He died for all mankind so we would have a chance of eternal life. His coming to earth to save us is the greatest event of all times, and there is no better time than this coming Easter to celebrate him as the G.O.A.T.
Jesus is actually two G.O.A.T.s. We know He is the Greatest Of All Times because He is the God Of All Truth. His Word is full of promises He keeps when we trust him, yet we as humans tend to put our Living God of All Truth, the Greatest Of All Times, in a box by limiting his ability and pulling him out of the box only when we need him, or we deny He even exists. The Lord created each of us with a purpose to have a deep relationship with him and to glorify him in all things. You would think that would be a simple task to do, praising him and spending time with him, but there is a deceiver that wants to be the Greatest Of All Times in the world, and wants mankind to pursue being the Greatest Of All Times to distract us from the God Of All Truth.
Notoriety and ambition in our society has become a god in our world; how many "Likes" can we get on our social media, attempting to impress others with our words, attractiveness, actions, or purchases. Our desire as a society to walk humbly before the Lord is cratering. What does notoriety bring us? A temporary feeling of happiness? Happiness is what the world believes is our ultimate goal, but happiness is transitory; it is the nature of earthly joy. But the God Of All Truth wants to give us his never-ending joy.
Our spring retreat was just a few weeks ago where we talked about joy. When we trust and obey the Lord, we will find joy. Joy will see us through the challenging times. Joy exudes the light and love of the Lord. Joy is never-ending. As followers of Christ, joy belongs to us.
Since the Lord is the Greatest Of All Times, those of us who are followers of Christ have Him with us at all times. We have the Spirit of the One who is the Greatest Of All Times with us wherever we go, whatever we are going through. That, my friend, is humbling in itself. He loves us with unconditional love, He fights our battles, He protects us, He is our Rock when we trust and obey him. And if the only thing we can do during a time of trouble is say his name, that is enough power to defeat the enemy; just the mention of his name makes a way.
The G.O.A.T. was actually a sacrificial Lamb who came to earth for us. What greater gift can be shared with others? Give those around you the joy of receiving the God Of All Truth, the Greatest Of All Times, Jesus Christ. Blessings to you!
To God Be the Glory
