--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The biggest obstacle to making Christ…" description: "\"The biggest obstacle to making Christ magnificent is the refusal to make yourself small.\" — James MacDonald" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dd7/james-macdonald-4168_christ_the-biggest-obstacle-to-making-christ-ma_406878.png" --- # The biggest obstacle to making Christ magnificent is the… ![“The biggest obstacle to making Christ magnificent is the refusal to make yourself small.” quote by James MacDonald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dd7/james-macdonald-4168_christ_the-biggest-obstacle-to-making-christ-ma_406878.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dd7/james-macdonald-4168_christ_the-biggest-obstacle-to-making-christ-ma_406878.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dd7/james-macdonald-4168_christ_the-biggest-obstacle-to-making-christ-ma_406878.png) > “The biggest obstacle to making Christ magnificent is the refusal to make yourself small.” [James MacDonald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-macdonald/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Greatness requires humility; refusing to diminish oneself hinders spiritual growth. **In simple terms:** Being humble is essential for greatness. Key Takeaway Practice humility to grow spiritually. Themes humility spiritual growth greatness self‑effacement Mood reflective hopeful Type inspirational spiritual When to use this quote - leadership roles - community service - personal reflection Key Concepts theology personal development faith practice Questions to Reflect On - How does humility enhance your impact? - Can you balance confidence with modesty? A Different Perspective Humility can be mistaken for weakness. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Christ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/christ/) [Obstacles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/obstacles/) ## Related quotes > [The biggest obstacle that stalls leaders' growth is the human ego. When leaders start to think they know it all, they stop growing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-blanchard/the-biggest-obstacle-that-stalls-leaders-growth-is-the-human-ego-when/) [Ken Blanchard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-blanchard/) > [The ego certainly is the biggest obstacle as an artist or performer, so any chance you get to destroy that is really healthy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-van-der-beek/the-ego-certainly-is-the-biggest-obstacle-as-an-artist-or-performer/) [James Van Der Beek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-van-der-beek/) > [The misery that smothers you is temporary...Get your mind right, prioritize your life, and change the way you look at things. Your biggest obstacle…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nishan-panwar/the-misery-that-smothers-you-is-temporary-get-your-mind-right/) [Nishan Panwar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nishan-panwar/) > [I don't really think in terms of obstacles. My biggest obstacle is always myself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-earle/i-don-t-really-think-in-terms-of-obstacles-my-biggest-obstacle-is/) [Steve Earle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-earle/) > [Often the biggest obstacle in meeting life’s challenges is actually our own fear of failure.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daisaku-ikeda/often-the-biggest-obstacle-in-meeting-life-s-challenges-is-actually/) [Daisaku Ikeda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daisaku-ikeda/) > [ A lot of the time \[in the U.S.\], I was thinking about how spending time is always questionable or is always the biggest obstacle… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ai-weiwei/a-lot-of-the-time-in-the-u-s-i-was-thinking-about-how-spending-time/) [Ai Weiwei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ai-weiwei/) > [The biggest obstacle to our happiness is under valuing what we have, and over valuing what others have.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-biggest-obstacle-to-our-happiness-is-under-valuing-what-we-have/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The biggest obstacle I've had to overcome is being a woman in a man's world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zoe-saldana/the-biggest-obstacle-i-ve-had-to-overcome-is-being-a-woman-in-a-man-s/) [Zoe Saldana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zoe-saldana/) > [The biggest obstacle that you can have is all inside your head, so I try every day to be optimistic and keep dreaming about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/omar-chaparro/the-biggest-obstacle-that-you-can-have-is-all-inside-your-head-so-i/) [Omar Chaparro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/omar-chaparro/) > [The biggest obstacle facing girls is education, education, education. There are too many kids who think high school is a pit stop to fame…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-obama/the-biggest-obstacle-facing-girls-is-education-education-education/) [Michelle Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-obama/) > [Biggest obstacle to learning is thinking you already know.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-erre/biggest-obstacle-to-learning-is-thinking-you-already-know/) [Mike Erre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-erre/) > [The biggest obstacle I've had to overcome is loving myself 100%. And that's still a battle. I love myself, but sometimes you can be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-epps/the-biggest-obstacle-i-ve-had-to-overcome-is-loving-myself-100-and/) [Mike Epps](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-epps/) > [The biggest obstacle in life for being innovative is being afraid of making mistakes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dranil-kr-sinha/the-biggest-obstacle-in-life-for-being-innovative-is-being-afraid-of/) [DrAnil Kr Sinha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dranil-kr-sinha/) > [Doubt is probably the biggest obstacle to overcome. Once you rise above doubt, you are on your way to success.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theo-rossi/doubt-is-probably-the-biggest-obstacle-to-overcome-once-you-rise/) [Theo Rossi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theo-rossi/) > [Believe it or not, the biggest obstacle for a business owner with any size business is the internal response to the question - 'Now…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/darren-l-johnson/believe-it-or-not-the-biggest-obstacle-for-a-business-owner-with-any/) [Darren L Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/darren-l-johnson/) ## More by James MacDonald > [Do the things you used to do, and you'll feel the feelings you used to feel.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-macdonald/do-the-things-you-used-to-do-and-you-ll-feel-the-feelings-you-used-to/) [James MacDonald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-macdonald/) > [“Church leaders raised on rationalism lead ministries where the supernatural, the Vertical, is suppressed and where God Himself is at best an observer and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-macdonald/church-leaders-raised-on-rationalism-lead-ministries-where-the/) [James MacDonald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-macdonald/) > [You might not think it now, but if you are one of God's children, you are going to figure it out by the end…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-macdonald/you-might-not-think-it-now-but-if-you-are-one-of-god-s-children-you/) [James MacDonald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-macdonald/) > [What kind of future is in God's plan? A good one which you can look forward to - That's why you can Hope.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-macdonald/what-kind-of-future-is-in-god-s-plan-a-good-one-which-you-can-look/) [James MacDonald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-macdonald/) > [His disposition is kindness. His default action is for your benefit. He's good! And someday you will taste it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-macdonald/his-disposition-is-kindness-his-default-action-is-for-your-benefit-he/) [James MacDonald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-macdonald/) > [“Preachers who pride themselves on never giving a public invitation to be saved, never calling for a response of any kind, reveal not greater…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-macdonald/preachers-who-pride-themselves-on-never-giving-a-public-invitation-to/) [James MacDonald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-macdonald/) > [“The people sang to the Lord, not about Him.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-macdonald/the-people-sang-to-the-lord-not-about-him/) [James MacDonald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-macdonald/) > [“We don’t worship so that preaching will be more impactful for us; we preach so that worship will be more impactful for God.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-macdonald/we-don-t-worship-so-that-preaching-will-be-more-impactful-for-us-we/) [James MacDonald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-macdonald/) > [I will not fail: God is always victorious.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-macdonald/i-will-not-fail-god-is-always-victorious/) [James MacDonald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-macdonald/) > [God looked through eternity past and He saw you and He chose to reach out and redeem you by His own grace. It's hard…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-macdonald/god-looked-through-eternity-past-and-he-saw-you-and-he-chose-to-reach/) [James MacDonald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-macdonald/) > [“to be about helping people discover what they can’t get anywhere else.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-macdonald/to-be-about-helping-people-discover-what-they-can-t-get-anywhere-else/) [James MacDonald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-macdonald/) > [Trust means you anchor your heart in the reality of God's awareness of your situation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-macdonald/trust-means-you-anchor-your-heart-in-the-reality-of-god-s-awareness/) [James MacDonald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-macdonald/) > [Repentance is the key that unlocks the door to all that God has for us, but it is not easy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-macdonald/repentance-is-the-key-that-unlocks-the-door-to-all-that-god-has-for/) [James MacDonald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-macdonald/) > [I want to be a part of the grand plan. Being on board with God's objectives means I understand that this is not about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-macdonald/i-want-to-be-a-part-of-the-grand-plan-being-on-board-with-god-s/) [James MacDonald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-macdonald/) > [Our prayer must be , Father I'm waiting for You because I know You are good in what You do and in when You…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-macdonald/our-prayer-must-be-father-i-m-waiting-for-you-because-i-know-you-are/) [James MacDonald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-macdonald/) [Explore all 115 James MacDonald quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-macdonald/) ## More Christ quotes > [I think, here's what I've realized from interviewing people, and I've been very open about my Catholicism and my love of Christ and I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-mohr/i-think-here-s-what-i-ve-realized-from-interviewing-people-and-i-ve/) [Jay Mohr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-mohr/) > [“I would even go so far as to say that the mythical character of a life is just what expresses its universal human validity.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-g-jung/i-would-even-go-so-far-as-to-say-that-the-mythical-character-of-a/) [C.G. Jung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-g-jung/) > [Set NOT your hearts on the flowers of this world. They shall fade and die. Prize the Rose of Sharon and the Lily of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/set-not-your-hearts-on-the-flowers-of-this-world-they-shall-fade-and/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [When the Lord Jesus Christ became my surety . . . He went to Calvary's cross, and all my guilt was charged against Him.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-allen-ironside/when-the-lord-jesus-christ-became-my-surety-he-went-to-calvary-s/) [Henry Allen Ironside](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-allen-ironside/) > [It's going to be used in the last days to get people to come against Christ, and that's the issue: they come against the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-lahaye/it-s-going-to-be-used-in-the-last-days-to-get-people-to-come-against/) [Tim LaHaye](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-lahaye/) > [May nothing entice me till I happily make my way to Jesus Christ! Fire, cross, struggles with wild beasts, wrenching of bones, mangling of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ignatius-of-antioch/may-nothing-entice-me-till-i-happily-make-my-way-to-jesus-christ-fire/) [Ignatius of Antioch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ignatius-of-antioch/) > [Whoever does not seek the cross of Christ doesn't seek the glory of Christ.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-of-the-cross/whoever-does-not-seek-the-cross-of-christ-doesn-t-seek-the-glory-of/) [John of the Cross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-of-the-cross/) > [It was no accident, no coincidence, that the seasons came round and round year after year. It was the Lord speaking to us all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francine-rivers/it-was-no-accident-no-coincidence-that-the-seasons-came-round-and/) [Francine Rivers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francine-rivers/) > [Christ never preached any funeral sermons.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dwight-l-moody/christ-never-preached-any-funeral-sermons/) [Dwight L. Moody](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dwight-l-moody/) > [The emerging church movement has come to believe that the ultimate context of the spiritual aspirations of a follower of Jesus Christ is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samir-selmanovic/the-emerging-church-movement-has-come-to-believe-that-the-ultimate/) [Samir Selmanovic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samir-selmanovic/) > [ T\]he church is not a place. It's not a building. It's not a preaching point. It's not a spiritual service provider. It's a people… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-dever/t-he-church-is-not-a-place-it-s-not-a-building-it-s-not-a-preaching/) [Mark Dever](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-dever/) > [Bring into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ. Take what I cannot give: my heart, body, thoughts, time, abilities, money, health, strength,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-prentiss/bring-into-captivity-every-thought-to-the-obedience-of-christ-take/) [Elizabeth Prentiss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-prentiss/) > [One thing the young Christian should be taught as quickly as possible after his conversion is that Jesus Christ is all he needs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aiden-wilson-tozer/one-thing-the-young-christian-should-be-taught-as-quickly-as-possible/) [Aiden Wilson Tozer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aiden-wilson-tozer/) > [If you don't plan to live the Christian life totally committed to knowing your God and to walking in obedience to Him, then don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kay-arthur/if-you-don-t-plan-to-live-the-christian-life-totally-committed-to/) [Kay Arthur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kay-arthur/) > [Lord, send Your life throughout the entire church. Visit Your church; restore sound doctrine and holy, earnest living. Take away from professing Christians their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-spurgeon/lord-send-your-life-throughout-the-entire-church-visit-your-church/) [Charles Spurgeon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-spurgeon/) [Browse all 9,006 Christ quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/christ/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The biggest obstacle to making Christ magnificent is the refusal to make yourself small.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "James MacDonald" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-macdonald/the-biggest-obstacle-to-making-christ-magnificent-is-the-refusal-to/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Christ" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-macdonald/the-biggest-obstacle-to-making-christ-magnificent-is-the-refusal-to/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dd7/james-macdonald-4168_christ_the-biggest-obstacle-to-making-christ-ma_406878.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dd7/james-macdonald-4168_christ_the-biggest-obstacle-to-making-christ-ma_406878.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dd7/james-macdonald-4168_christ_the-biggest-obstacle-to-making-christ-ma_406878.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The biggest obstacle to making Christ magnificent is the refusal to make yourself small.” — James MacDonald", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "James MacDonald", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-macdonald/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "The biggest obstacle to making Christ...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-macdonald/the-biggest-obstacle-to-making-christ-magnificent-is-the-refusal-to/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-macdonald/the-biggest-obstacle-to-making-christ-magnificent-is-the-refusal-to/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```