Strongholds against God will fall
Every day we're reading or listening to part of the Bible together and sharing thoughts with you. Today it’s Bern Leckie:
What did I like about today’s passage?
While there is mystery in the details here, and we could debate how much has happened in history versus how much is to come, there is a very clear outcome for suffering believers to bear in mind. However much it seems like some are thriving as they oppose God, the final and unmistakable victory will belong to him.
I love that this is a cause for celebration for anyone aware of the destructive power of corruption and “impure spirits”, although a source of massive upset for anyone whose sense of value was rooted entirely in money and materials. This reminds me that we are worth far more than any economic model can show, and that reminds me to see myself and others the way God sees us as we evaluate what to do next in our own time of crisis.
What did it show me about Father God, Jesus or the Holy Spirit?
God is not an idea of ours. He is powerful beyond our understanding, his commitment to change the world for the better is more solid than anything else we have experienced, and his love for us is bigger than we can grasp. He is not leading a debate about how to live slightly better lives, but a revolution against the root causes of evil, and warns us through prophecy that we can expect the biggest, most solid looking things around us to change as a result.
What am I going to do differently as a result?
The old economy is passing away. The new economy, the one that matters, rooted in God’s values, needs me to think less about my trading stuff and more about faith, hope and love which come from God.
Where am I directing my worship? God made the world and saw that it was good, but if I'm putting more worth in God's things rather than God himself, I am going to come very unstuck in this process. The angel who spoke to John made it very clear - worship God!
I don't know if I can - or should - kill off all my interests in work, trade and material stuff which will pass away. After all, God is a worker and we can only trade things he made and still owns. But I do need to invest more into worship and loving relationships.
I also recognise that Christian faith is not a tweak to make the world a bit better, it's a guarantee of life in Christ which starts now, robust enough to survive the total upheaval of every other thing we might rely on. I need to be more confident about sharing that.
Who am I going to share this with?
People I plan with. I’m especially thinking about my school community where people share a love of investment in people. I want to get better at sharing my values and hope there, even as we are physically separated, and invite some to worship and pray with me.