Last evening I heard a television preacher talking about the powerful spiritual significance of today’s solar eclipse. I was overwhelmed by the self centeredness of his observations. Considering there is a total solar eclipse somewhere on our planet every eighteen days how could this be more meaningful other than it happened in front of him? So often we humans act as if nothing else matters unless it matters to us.
We all know the old observation that goes like this. They came for Jews and I said nothing. They came for the Jehovah Witnesses and I said nothing. Eventually they came for me and there was no one to say anything. I think the moral of the story is that I should speak out in defense of the first group, therefore, defending myself. The logical end would be, if they were not going to come for me someday I need not bother to say anything.
Self is the great human dilemma. I am the center of the universe. My comfort and my safety are paramount. What an amazing contrast this is to the nature of Jesus. Paul wrote in Philippians 2, Jesus, “being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death even death on a cross!”
Oh, to be like Jesus. To care, to really care, regardless of self is the goal.
Written by Roger Bothwell on August 22, 2017
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