The Journey 130
Read: 1 Samuel 20-26
My attention was drawn to a new movie that was released in US last week named “Avengers”, which is based on the popular comic series, and it is supposedly drawing huge crowds . This is a movie that teams up all the iconic Marvel Super Heroes like the Iron Man, The Incredible Hulk, Thor, Captain America, Hawkeye and Black Widow. The story of the movie revolves around an emergence of an enemy named Loki, who threatens global safety and security, and hence the director of the international peace keeping agency known as S.H.I.E.L.D. forms a team of the six super heroes to pull the world back from the brink of disaster. What caught my attention was the philosophy of the character of Loki. Here is a character who is brought up with the expectation and dreams that he was born to rule. Thus the characters of Thor and Loki in the movies is that they both were born to be kings. But unfortunately there is no kingdom for Loki, so he has to find one. Hence he is coming down to earth to subjugate humanity and rule the human race as their king. Thus it is all about the concept of power, the power to rule others and subjugate them and how one can have authority and the freedom to flout and also display brazen authority to others. Though the character of Loki is pure fictional I feel it represents the mindset of the world today. For many life is all about power and unlimited power. What is the relationship between power and transformation in our life is what we need think.
This week we are meditating on the theme “Transformation in our personal life’ based on the life of David, Saul and Jonathan, based on 1 Samuel 20-26. Here are two individuals who are so different when power is entrusted to them. When David is entrusted power and authority he find it very difficulty to display or to show others the kind of power and might that he has [ His preparation and encounter with Goliath, [1 Samuel 17]. On the contrary when Saul becomes king, he uses his power and authority not only to propagate himself, but also tries to use the same power to subjugate even David who was the close friend of his son Jonathan, and also a person who was the saviour of the people from the power of the Philistines. Thus we find in the scriptures that Saul finding new ways to kill David while David even when he has chances to kill Saul spares his life. But these transforming acts of David does not bring transformation in the life of Saul. He becomes more and more revengeful and this is because of his concept of power. I believe we need to follow the model of our Lord Jesus Christ, whom Paul talks about in Philippians 2: 5-11, how he explains that Jesus though God, relinquishes all authority in heaven and comes to the earth as a human being and for whom power was the power to serve and save people and help them to have transformation in their life.
I think this is what God expects us to do. He gives all of us power and authority in different ways. We need to think whether we use that power to serve others and to bring transformation in their life through the message of the gospel or use power to manipulate people and to cater to our own selfish agenda’s. What God wants us to relinquish our hunger for power and authority and kneel before him so that in the process we can stand before anything.
What is your definition of Power and thin how “powerful” are you?