November 3, 2016 (Thursday)
Recently I saw the program, “Nature,” on PBS television, and the episode was about the Congo in Africa. The narrator pointed out that the Congo is located on the Equator. He stood at a designated spot and said, “to my left is the Northern Hemisphere and to my right is the Southern Hemisphere. The Equator is about 25,000 miles long, so there must be a number of spots around the world like the one on the tv show.
There is a spot in our country where you can stand and look into four separate states without taking a step. The Four Corners Monument marks the place in the Southwestern United States where the states of Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah meet. It is the only point in the United States shared by four states. This area is called “the Four Corners region.”
When a person is standing on one of those spots, do you think he or she may have a feeling of being “super”–above it all. Hey, here I am, looking at two hemispheres or four states. Ain’t I somethin’?
When a person starts getting those ideas on his own, prompted by nothing in particular, he’s “cruisin’ for a bruisin’, getting the “big head” and living on dangerous ground. The Bible says, “Let him who thinks he stands be careful lest he fall.” Or, how about that old saying, “Pride goes before a fall.” Sometimes ambition can overcome good judgment, and a person on his way up to the top can hurt a lot of people in his quest for greatness and power.
Jesus said, “Blessed are the meek..” The word he used means “harnessed power,” like a great race horse held back until just the right time to accelerate to the finish line.
Superman has the power to crush a man, but he always uses his power for good purposes. The Christian has potential for hurting others, but under Christ’s control, he helps others.
I may see two hemispheres or four states for amusement, but what I as a Christian need to see is a world without Christ, in need of my help and my witness.