Isaiah 14

Isaiah 14:5, 10, 16 NIV

The Lord has broken the rod of the wicked,
the scepter of the rulers,

They will all respond,
they will say to you,
"You also have become weak, as we are;
you have become like us."

Those who see you stare at you,
they ponder your fate:
"Is this the man who shook the earth
and made kingdoms tremble,

This chapter talks about the ultimate restoration of Israel. She will be the center of God's blessings to the nations. In the mean time, those who have been her enemy, those who have opposed God, those who have haughtily exalted themselves will be brought down. The one thought in this midst of this that struck me is this: Those we have feared, revered, and held in awe will be nothing in the end.

People have talked of how impressive and intimidating the Oval Office is. I have no doubt they are correct. People seemed awed by movie stars to such an extent that today any well known movie star that speaks out on some issue is somehow considered an expert. Girls swoon over Rock stars, or at least they used to. Entertainment is one of the key topics listed on almost all news readers. Even in the Church world we have developed musical, denominational and pulpit phenoms that we almost revere. In the political world nations and national leaders vie for power and importance. The bottom line is that one day all these will be meaningless.

It is my guess that if there are heroes in Heaven it won't be the people we expect. I'm thinking that when we get there the great pulpiteers and Christian music icons will be sitting at the feet of some obscure believer asking to hear the stories of how God used them in this world. The bottom line is that how we define greatness and how God defines greatness are not the same. Those the world calls great will one day be seen for what they really are, weak and broken.

Father, forgive me for the times I have pursued "greatness" instead of pursuing you. Today may I seek more of you and less of the world.

By His grace,
Rick Weinert
District Superintendent
EFCA Northern Mtn District