Megalomania, Men and God!
History is replete with men who have
strived to be recognized as God. The ultimate power sought by many is to rule
over other men and women and be worshipped by them.
Before Jesus had reached His second
birthday, He had already become the target of an assassination plot by King
Herod, the ruthless and paranoid ruler of Roman-controlled Judea. Joseph and
Mary, prompted by a dream from God, took the baby and fled to Egypt.
Egypt's history was one proud and
glorious procession of kings spanning thirty dynasties and nearly 3,000 years.
Egyptian kings--the pharaohs--were powerful figures and rich beyond
imagination. They wielded wealth like a weapon, built sprawling cities and
commanded huge armies.
Records indicate Egyptian kings
assumed, and were given, supernatural status. The pharaoh was thought to be
responsible for bringing the floods that watered Egyptian crops, and so he
received credit for providing the nation's food. He was idolized in statue,
citizens bowed to his image, and in the ultimate act of pride, every reigning
pharaoh claimed to be the manifestation of at least one god.
Whether it's the ancient pharaohs
demanding the worship of others, or the millions of modern skeptics who reject
God, dethrone Him as Creator, and worship themselves, man's inherent pattern
has always been to exalt himself. Rebellion against God can take no higher form
than self-love; the person who seeks his own interests at the expense of others
and places himself at the center of the universe.
And while history is crowded with men
who would be God, only one God would be man.
Consider for a moment what it meant
for the Lord Jesus to come to earth as a man to secure salvation for mankind.
He left His throne and took a stable for a nursery. The very Son of God was
hunted by a tyrant king and became an infant exile in Egypt. The source of all
wisdom and knowledge was born into poverty and lived without earthly wealth and
luxury. In terms of His character He is holy and without blemish. The King of
creation willingly subjected Himself to all of what it means to be human--pain,
hunger, thirst, sorrow, physical exhaustion, the full range of human
emotions--yet did so without sinning.
And in an unfathomable act of
selfless, sacrificial love, He left heaven's glory to die on our behalf. He
offered mercy to a people who deserved only His wrath. He stooped to accomplish
that which we not only could not do, but also would not do. In love, the God of
the universe stepped from eternity to intervene in human history and save those
wholly unable to save themselves.
The Bible speaks of His mission in
John’s Gospel chapter 3 and verse 16, “For God so loved the world that He gave
His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have
everlasting life”. Selfish ambition may produce megalomania, which leads to
misery, “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were
still sinners, Christ died for us”(Romans 5:8). Reception of such selfless love
through faith in Jesus Christ produces only blessing.
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