Throughout history we find story after story of what happens when an individual or nation decides to exalt themselves above others i.e. self-appointed divinity, who in turn pour out judgement and wrath on anyone and everyone they deem to be beneath them. Destruction, dictatorship, and death ensue.
The Bengali Genocide in the early 1970s resulted in the rape of almost 400,000 women, a death toll in the millions and the displacement of up to 30 million individuals from their homes.(1) The attack of the Russian Empire on the Circassians in the 19th century resulted in an approximate 80% reduction of the population, with a death toll of about 1.5 million men, women and children.(2) 21st Century headlines have continued to deliver shock value for the past twenty plus years. Darfur, Boko Haram, or Ukraine should ring several bells, certainly for anyone considered to be a millennial or older.
THAT WAS THEN AND THEM
When we hear about and read about these horrific events that have taken place in different time periods and different time zones, we pacify our own anxious thoughts with reassurances that WE would never participate in such monstrosities. We completely forget that such grotesque acts occur when Jesus is completely overlooked. How often have you considered yourself, your thoughts, or your desires to be greater than what God has called or directed you to do?
“Now Herod was angry with the people of Tyre and Sidon. So they came to him in a body; and after winning over Blastus, the king’s chamberlain, they asked for a reconciliation, because their country depended on the king’s country for food. On an appointed day Herod put on his royal robes, took his seat on the platform, and delivered a public address to them. The people kept shouting, “The voice of a god, and not of a mortal!” And immediately, because he had not given the glory to God, an angel of the Lord struck him down, and he was eaten by worms and died.” Acts chapter 12 verses 20-23
God does not take kindly to our god-like ideations. Herod Agrippa actively persecuted and killed Christians because he did not acknowledge Jesus Christ as the Saviour and his life essentially ended because of that denial.
We all have a God appointed purpose, Ephesians chapter 2 verse 10 states that very clearly. God positions us strategically to live out that purpose. He places us in the midst of specific family, school, work, and community groups, He assigns to us specific talents and gifts, and He gives us access to specific resources for His glory.
Too often people have perplexed God’s purpose by completely ignoring His nudgings and leadings and by turning the other way when He sends glaring signs of caution. Ignoring God only leads to worries in your life and the lives of those around you.
IT’S NOT THE SAME THING
Consider the following stories…
A school principal who had sacrificed much and impacted many lives in the surrounding communities, decided after many years that he deserved more compensation than he had been getting and began to spend school funding on his home, personal transportation, and family vacations, whilst failing to provide adequate documentation. He was caught during an audit and the entire school board along with his family are now in a position of disgrace.
A pastor's wife lovingly assisted a fellow church sister as she manoeuvres a tumultuous separation from her husband. A few years into it, the couple reconciled but rather than stepping back from the situation, the pastor’s wife comprised and attempted to remind God that the family needed her and how much of a big help she had been. The pastor’s wife and her church sister’s husband were later discovered in a compromising position resulting in the complete massacre of both marriages and chaos within the church.
Earlier this year a prominent pastor in Ontario was arrested and charged with sexual assault.(3) In a public confession he wrote,
“My failure is not a failure of the presence, power, or teaching of Jesus, but an example of the pain someone like me can cause when I ignore his presence and fail to follow his teaching.”
DID GOD REALLY SAY?
This simple question in Genesis chapter 3 verse 1 essentially destroyed paradise.
When God describes Himself as a jealous God and declares to us in His word that His people are to have no other god besides Him, what quickly comes to mind are images of others worshipping statues, trees, animals, celebrities, and cult leaders. We overlook our own self idolising behaviour and the slippery slope that we end up in, during the moment we begin to question God’s authority and directives in our lives, compared to our own ungodly understanding and desires. It only leads to destruction, dictatorship and death in some way shape or form.
References
1) Boissoneault, L. (2016, December 16). The genocide the U.S. can't remember, but Bangladesh can't forget. Smithsonian.com. Retrieved August 2, 2022, from https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/genocide-us-cant-remember-bangladesh-cant-forget-180961490/
2) RICHMOND, W. (2013). The Circassian Genocide. Rutgers University Press. http://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctt5hjc6s. Accessed August 2, 2022
3) “Ontario’s Most Influential Pastor Resigns Following Abuse Investigation.” News & Reporting, www.christianitytoday.com, 10 Mar. 2022, https://www.christianitytoday.com/news/2022/march/bruxy-cavey-meeting-house-resign-canada-anabaptist-abuse.html. Accessed August 6, 2022
Danelle M. Pinnock first emerged as a writer when she began chronicling her journey with God, through a debilitating sickness. Her authentic reflections provided encouragement to many and resulted in her first publication “31 Day Devotional- Quiet Time.”
This full time homemaker, a proud Jamaican, lives in Kingston with her husband Raul and their two children Levi and Zhuri. Along with her freelance writing, she is a worship leader at her church where her husband, a cancer survivor, serves as a deacon.
Follow her on Instagram @danellewritesstuff to learn how God guides a woman with a background in Chemistry, Business Management and Public Health to skillfully pen His methods and His ways through sickness, marriage and parenting.