I was used to being on stage. I was used to being in front of people singing, dancing, acting, and teaching. But here I was, with my heart pounding so loud it could drown the noise of the traffic and all I had to do was talk to one person.
Spotlight
Psalm 2 to the rescue
#lockdownlessons
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He who sits in the heavens laughs;
the Lord holds them in derision. – Ps 2:4
The psalmist is talking about the nations that had been made subject to Israel and were now scheming to free themselves from Israel’s rule. He warns them that their rebellion was not simply against Israel but against God, as God was the ultimate ruler of Israel. And a rebellion against God was doomed to failure since nothing could happen without God’s allowing it.
However, people can’t seem to stop trying to rebel against God. It’s no longer a political rebellion, since the kingdom of God is no longer limited to one nation. Instead we see a cultural rebellion against God’s ways. We now have the term “post-Christian” to refer to the rejection of a Christian worldview in current affairs in favour of atheism or secularism or humanism or some other “-ism”. People think that mankind has advanced to a stage where we no longer need to fool ourselves with stories about the existence of a higher power. We can manage just fine by ourselves.
But God laughs at the idea that we can do life without taking him into consideration. Jesus is Lord over all of creation. The whole earth belongs to him. Opposing him or ignoring him will not really work in the long run. And it’s not just a matter of future judgment. I think the Covid-19 pandemic has shown that we don’t have all the answers. Schemes and plans have been totally derailed. The future is so obviously not in our control.
So the smart thing to do is to submit to Jesus now. Religion is not a crutch for the weak as some people think. Recognising God’s sovereignty and getting with his program is wise. Isn’t it always better to be aligned with the person having the power and authority to turn things to his will? As the Psalm says in closing, “Blessed are all who take refuge in him.”
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The light on a mountain
2021 — “Can I come by and see you tomorrow?” I asked. “Not possible now,” she said. “Are you up for a call?” I pestered. “I’ll call,” she texted.
2020 — “You have handled business worth crores, and you can’t manage to make a simple Gpay transfer of 2000 rupees?” I asked. “Just shut up and do it for me,” she snapped.
I, Crucified
Paul reminds us that all those who have chosen to follow Christ have crucified the flesh, that is their old sinful natures, with its passions and desires. So, we shouldn’t be too preoccupied with what “I” want to do because “I” has been crucified! As Paul says in Gal 2, “I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”
Freedom to fulfil.
In Galatians, Paul repeatedly emphasizes that Christians are freed from the law. He goes to the extent of saying that if you seek to be justified by the law then you are severed from Christ (Gal 5:4). He even talks of having died to the law (Gal 2:19). Yet, here he asks the Galatians to serve one another through love, because by doing that they would fulfil the law! If they were free of the law, why should they care about fulfilling the law?
Peace in Trying Times
When God promises us peace, he doesn’t mean that he will make all our problems go away. In fact, when Jesus told his disciples that he was giving them his peace, he also said, “I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”