The Greatest of All Time

“Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them because greater is He that is in you, than he that is in the world.”  I John 4:4

Mohammed Ali, originally named Cassius Clay, probably the greatest boxer of all time, had a saying, “Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee”, which was how he described his exceptional ability to win in boxing.  Now, I am not a boxing fan.  I don’t particularly like to see one man beat the daylights out of another man, but each to his own.  Ali was also referred to as “The Greatest”, and he was rather proud of that description.  Elvis Presley was known as the king, that is, the king of rock and roll, and he certainly, like Ali, left a legacy in his particular talent.  However, both of them have passed away and have left their worldly titles behind them along with their talent.  Ali claimed to have adopted Islam as his religion while Elvis claimed to be a Christian.  I have no idea where they stood in relation to Jesus Christ at their death, but wherever one stands with the Lord when he or she passes away is how they will appear before God.  There is no second chance to make things right between a person and the Lord after one has crossed over into eternity.  That is something that must be settled during one’s lifetime on earth.  It always amazes me when a celebrity or very well-known person passes away, those who were fans or admirers of them are always shocked that such a famous person could actually die, and the departed are almost always assumed to be in heaven mostly because they were famous.

There are those in our nation who have practically assumed the role of our sovereign God in ruling over our nation.  In assuming this role, what they are aiming for is to eliminate God from our nation.  They, like Ali assumed his self-styled greatness, consider themselves to be the greatest leaders of all time, but their policies and ideas are so far from godliness, it makes me sick at my stomach.  I don’t have to list some of these policies that they are pushing because if you have been keeping up with the news, you are aware of how far they have gone to the dark side.  The way that they try to manipulate the public is by accusing their opposition of doing what they are actually doing.  As has been said many times concerning politicians, “Don’t listen to their words; watch what they do”.  The one who is benefiting greatly from the lies and deceptions is none other than Satan.  The more people who are tricked into believing their lies, the more people who are caught in Satan’s web.  He is not called the “prince of the power of the air” (Ephesians 2:2) for nothing.  It is Satan’s spirit of hate, deceit, and lies which is working “in the children of disobedience”.

William Penn, the founder of the state of Pennsylvania, had many quotes, one of which was, “Those who will not be governed by God will be ruled by tyrants”.  Here’s the thing:  truth never changes.  What was true 250 years ago is still true today.  Sometimes I think that America’s founding fathers were given a vision of America as it is today, hence all the warnings that they gave as they compiled the greatest Constitution of any nation on earth.  This trend toward eliminating God from every aspect of our society didn’t start recently.  It has been going on for many years and is increasing exponentially.  In 2017, it was estimated that 75 percent of the U.S. population claimed to be Christians.  In 2021, that estimate had decreased to 63 percent.  That is still a majority, but even so, how did the U.S get in the shape that it is in?  How did the minority of non-believers manage to swing the pendulum toward a godless society?  Are Christians asleep at the wheel? Or could it be that many of those who say they follow Christ are really only cultural Christians, that is, they grew up perhaps in a Christian home, but they have never really committed their lives to Christ?  Peter said that judgment would begin with God’s people, and if it first begin with us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God? (I Peter 4:17).

There is a solution to all of this turmoil.  Believe that judgment begins at your house and my house which makes us responsible to live circumspectly before the Lord and be a positive example to our neighbors, friends, and family.  Because the Spirit of Christ dwells within our souls, we have a much greater opportunity to be a victor over the ways of the world.  We don’t have to compromise our beliefs, thoughts, or actions in order to live in a world gone mad.  With Christ, who lives within us and who is greater by far than Satan or those that he commands, we can be stable and secure children of God even in the midst of the world’s lunacy.  God will have the final say and one day bring order out of chaos just as He did “in the beginning”.  I live to look for that day.