A favorite pastime for sports fans in recent years has been to argue about who is the G.O.A.T.—the Greatest Of All Time.
Has Tom Brady conclusively claimed G.O.A.T. quarterback status or is it still Joe Montana?
Is Michael Jordan or LeBron James the greatest basketball player?
Did Tiger Woods supplant Jack Nicklaus as the G.O.A.T. golfer?
Muhammad Ali’s proclaimed, “I am the greatest!” but does that make him the G.O.A.T. in boxing?
Since I only follow football, I have an opinion on the G.O.A.T. in football.
I believe Joe Montana is still the G.O.A.T. in football!
When it comes to the G.O.A.T. in the whole universe, the Lord Jesus is in the only category that really matters.
He truly is the Greatest Of All Time.
There are no opponents worthy to even compete with Him; no one in the entire universe can even compete with Him!
In Isaiah 45:22 we read:
“Declare and set forth your case; indeed, let them consult together. Who has announced this from of old? Who has long since declared it? Is it not I, the Lord? And there is no other God besides Me, a righteous God and a Savior; there is none except Me.”
Notice how often Isaiah repeats the phrase: “There is no other” and “no God apart from me” (45:5, 14, 18, 21, 22).
Also, in the book of Isaiah, we see all the evidence that the LORD uses to support His claim to be the one and only God of hosts.
For example, God is the only one who can predict the future with absolute certainty.
He shows this by identifying Cyrus by name more than 100 years before he was born.
This is what separates Him from every so called god, since they are lifeless and can never be omniscient or infallible like Yahweh (41:22–23; 44:8; 45:1–5; 46:10).
Deciding the G.O.A.T. athletes is completely subjective.
However, an examination of God reveals that He is the only One who has given His Son, Jesus Christ, for the salvation of the world and for Him to be the believer’s very life.
This makes Him the Greatest Of All Time!
We read this in Colossians 1:18:
“He is also head of the body, the church; and He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that He Himself will come to have first place in everything.”
The question I ask, is Christ No.1 in our lives?
Christ according to this verse is to have first place in everything!
Does He have first place in our lives, our work, our homes, and our thought lives?
Is Christ our life? Is He living His life through us unhindered?
Are we wrapped up in Him?
The Father gives Him first place in everything.
He has first place in the creation.
In order for this statement to be complete: “that He Himself might come to have first place in everything”, we need to give Him first place in our lives!
May it be true of us!
Blessings!
Pastor Ken Keeler, Director of Church Ministries