On this day in 1981, Muhammad Ali fought his last fight.

In 1960, 18-year-old Cassius Clay won a boxing gold medal at the summer Olympics in Rome, pummeling a Polish opponent in the final. So proud of his medal, Cassius wore it continually for two days.

After the Olympics Cassius Clay turned pro and boasted, “I am the greatest.” Then he seemed to back up his claim by winning every fight. Before many fights he predicted the round in which he would win, and his predictions proved to be accurate. In 1962 he proclaimed, “I’m not the greatest; I’m the double greatest. Not only do I knock ‘em out, I pick the round” (New York Times). Later Clay changed his name to Muhammad Ali.

Eventually Ali was the three-time world heavyweight champ, defeating Sonny Liston (1964), George Foreman (1974), and Leon Spinks (1978) for the title. He also fought Joe Frazier three times (1971–75), winning twice. Certainly Ali was a great boxer; perhaps even, as he claimed, “the greatest of all time.”

But only one person can truly claim the title of “the greatest.” That person is Jesus, the King of kings and Lord of lords. Not everyone recognizes that fact these days, but eventually everyone will, even Ali. As today’s passage states, “at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, in Heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord.”

Did you get that? Every knee will bow—on earth (all people), in heaven (including angels), and under the earth (including demons).

Knowing this can give us hope and courage. We are following the right leader, the only One who can give us eternal life. Other people may not understand that Jesus is God and the Messiah, but they will eventually. He truly is the greatest.

Because of this, God raised him up to the heights of heaven and gave him a name that is above every other name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father (Philippians 2:9-11).

To Do

Today, listen and watch carefully for the words great and greatest. Every time you hear or read one of those words, think of Jesus and thank God for giving us his Son, “the greatest of all time.”

Also on this day

This is National Noodle Ring Day.

1844—Dr. Horace Wells became the first person to have a tooth extracted after receiving an anesthetic (laughing gas) for the dental procedure.

From Betsy Schmitt and Dave Veerman, 365 Trivia Twist Devotions: An Almanac of Fun Facts and Spiritual Truth for Every Day of the Year (Cincinnati: Standard, 2005). Scripture quotations are from the New Living Translation unless otherwise noted.