Are you defended?
“…so that your faith might not rest on men's wisdom, but on God's power"(NIV) 1 Corinthians 2:5
In unfavorable environmental conditions, some organisms such as bacteria produce certain structures that allow them to thrive until conditions become better. A very remarkable attribute of these organisms is their ability to withstand extreme heat so much that they are tagged “enemies to food industry” reasons inherent in their characteristics. Also, it will interest you to know that the sex of the off-springs of animals such as alligator and crocodile are determined by changes in temperature during incubation. These and many other organisms have well developed defensive mechanisms to exist in their habitats and most of them have been well recognized as animals with a very long lifespan.
The world has reached a point where true and comfortable living is so expensive that no amount of money could buy. A lot of unfavorable things are happening today and there are much more to come (2 Timothy 3:1-5). One scary event that the world is experiencing today is how fast time “flies”. Could this be a sign for the world to view things differently? Could this be a message of “thousand years is like a day and vice versa”, or a message of “we are like vapor, not lasting”? The question has been asked several times, “what is happening to us”? Unfortunately, nothing has been done about it simply because nothing can be done. Man is struggling to be the master of his own life, developing machines so sophisticated that to him such machines could do anything. But what can Christians do to live in such a fading world filled with hopeless hopes and faithless beliefs? Do we as a blessed creation of God have something that we can defend ourselves with? How are we responding to such unfavorable conditions? Sadly, the manly paths we choose lead us to endless trouble and pain which are extreme than our initial conditions. One attribute of these animals, as described above, is their conviction that they own their habitats and must do anything possible to keep, control, and thrive no matter the condition. Do we have such convictions as people born of God?
Fortunately, we have similar opportunities but fail to exercise the power thereof. We put our trust in men and their standards. However, God has admonished us not to boast in man, for all things are ours (1 Corinthians 3:21)? He emphasized in his word that the wisdom of this world is folly and that He chooses what is low and despised in the world to bring to nothing things that are (1 Corinthians 1:28). 1 Corinthians 1:25 says “the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men”. Therefore, let us boast in the Lord so that our faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God (1 Corinthians 2:5). That is our defensive mechanism in this unfavorable world. Would you join the Psalmist to sing?
‘The LORD is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer;
my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge.
He is my shield and the horn of my salvation,
my stronghold.’ (Psalm 18:2)