Faith Venture

Again the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. “All this I will give you,” he said, “if you will bow down and worship me.” Jesus said to him, “Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.’ “

Matthew 4

The Hebrew Scriptures, indeed all of ancient history, emphasize stories of power. By the first century, the Romans had perfected power as a cultural device. Everyone sought power over whatever domain they could control.

Unless you are Jesus. He turned the Roman view of the world upside down. It was not power he sought and taught. It was love. Not soft love. Not romantic love. Not erotic love. But a love through God extended to the neighbor out of strength and right attitude.

He turned the world upside down—until the church became part of the Roman Empire. And from the fourth century until today, leaders of the Christian church have faced that temptation of power and lost.

Our question for today’s living—at what point is there anything in my life that reflects what Jesus taught and how Jesus lived? Have I in my personal or political life succumbed to a quest for power? Am I instead living a life that reflects loving God and loving my neighbor?

This entry was posted on June 10, 2021 at 6:30 am and is filed under Disciplines, Love. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.