Followers of Jesus should be identifiable by the love they show; love whose source is God and whose effects are visible throughout creation.
Sacrificial, mindful, overwhelming, courageous, beautiful.
How often is this actually the case?
How often does our pride come between our intentions and verbal professions and the actions that show what's really important to us?
We try to disguise it, saying, I'm only using my God-given common sense and freedom of choice but at the root of it is pride, pride that says I know best; I'm going to do it my way and everyone else had better adapt.
In some cases we may in fact be better equipped intellectually and educationally than those making decisions. We see men and women advanced into positions of power and influence who have little talent, skill or insight but great greed, acquisitiveness and desire to promote themselves by the subjugation of others. Promotion beyond one's ability is not limited to any particular country, colour or race but is perhaps more obvious in times of difficulty when vital and swift decisions have to be made and information understood and digested quickly. Sometimes the decisions made make little sense and appear to owe more to a politician's pet hates than a considered policy but unless the law of the land goes against the law of God, as Christians we should endeavour to obey (Romans 13). This doesn't mean Christians should blindly accept authority. Test everything and speak out against what is unjust or could be improved, but do not break the law merely because it curtails what you want to do. We all experience laws that have no apparent justification or benefit and seem basically stupid whilst having a huge effect on the way we live. We see others ignoring them with impunity and think why do I bother?
Pride takes a lot of swallowing.
Surely I have a right to go out to work, meet my friends, wear or not wear what I want? The scientists don't really know what they're talking about. It's still mainly guesswork and why shouldn't my guess be as acceptable as theirs?
Sound familiar?
Christ asks us to lay aside our pride and fierce independence for him. To exchange them for the love which gives up everything and receives so much more.
In our present situation of lockdown for covid19 the human aspect is in danger of being forgotten. We want to stand on our rights, especially in countries where many politicians have done little to deserve the trust of the people, we can be understandably sceptical about the efficacy and unintended consquences of some measures imposed upon society but we must not forget love and compassion.
Following Jesus doesn't mean being a doormat and giving in to everything without thinking. It does mean putting him and others first, following his example in giving up our rights for others, conquering pride and making the choice to show love to others even in ways that may inconvenience ourselves.
