As I drove home from church this afternoon I heard a familiar refrain with a twist: "You've got the whole world in your hands." It was set to the tune I used to sing in Sunday School as a lad proclaiming God has the whole world in His hands and all is under His authority. It turned out to the be an ad by ABC Radio promoting a new app that puts the "whole world in your hands."
It occurred to me that this perspective has appeal to people from the beginning. What was the temptation dangled before Eve in the Garden by Satan? "You will not die but shall be like God, knowing good and evil." (Gen. 3:4) From the beginning man has wanted to be like God. We have an insatiable appetite for knowledge and the supposed power it brings. We want to sit in God's judgment seat and do what is right in our own eyes. The false idol of every age has been self. It is not self-hatred but the sin of self-love which ensnared men in its tendrils from the beginning.
Jesus came to this earth and demonstrated love for His heavenly Father and fellow men. Jesus created this world by His words from nothing, and despite His power and authority He became a servant of all. He sacrificed self out of love for others, giving no thought of His own life. If a sinful man was god, he would live quite differently. Jesus could have crushed His enemies with legions of angelic beings and protected Himself, yet He embraced the suffering of the cross and death so we could live through the Gospel. Jesus allowed His body to be pierced with crude Roman nails so His redeemed could be engraved on His hands (Is. 49:16).
This is true power. Jesus was willing to suffer so others could be saved. Knowledge is one thing, but actually following through with a spirit of gentleness and meekness in the face of pain for the good of others is another. I encourage you to read through the Gospels and recognise how differently Jesus responded to opposition, hatred, and betrayal than we naturally do. His self-control, wisdom, and grace is beyond compare. May Christians demonstrate His love, mercy, and strength in our everyday interactions so His name will be praised.
It occurred to me that this perspective has appeal to people from the beginning. What was the temptation dangled before Eve in the Garden by Satan? "You will not die but shall be like God, knowing good and evil." (Gen. 3:4) From the beginning man has wanted to be like God. We have an insatiable appetite for knowledge and the supposed power it brings. We want to sit in God's judgment seat and do what is right in our own eyes. The false idol of every age has been self. It is not self-hatred but the sin of self-love which ensnared men in its tendrils from the beginning.
Jesus came to this earth and demonstrated love for His heavenly Father and fellow men. Jesus created this world by His words from nothing, and despite His power and authority He became a servant of all. He sacrificed self out of love for others, giving no thought of His own life. If a sinful man was god, he would live quite differently. Jesus could have crushed His enemies with legions of angelic beings and protected Himself, yet He embraced the suffering of the cross and death so we could live through the Gospel. Jesus allowed His body to be pierced with crude Roman nails so His redeemed could be engraved on His hands (Is. 49:16).
This is true power. Jesus was willing to suffer so others could be saved. Knowledge is one thing, but actually following through with a spirit of gentleness and meekness in the face of pain for the good of others is another. I encourage you to read through the Gospels and recognise how differently Jesus responded to opposition, hatred, and betrayal than we naturally do. His self-control, wisdom, and grace is beyond compare. May Christians demonstrate His love, mercy, and strength in our everyday interactions so His name will be praised.
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