HANDLING AUTHORITY & POWER

IN 1986 I wrote, 'ARROYA SWEEPS INTO POWER'. Last Saturday she died of Cancer in the Philippians where she had been President. She was 76. She came to power on the wave of Revolution, and the ousting of the MARCOS duo. A couple very like King Ahab and Queen Jezebel!

A 53 year old housewife in a yellow dress, Cory swept to power on a wave of popular euphoria. She served her elected terms and then stepped down in line with the provisions of the Constitution.

COMMENT from Manila over the last few days from those who knew and worked with her, reflect their opinion of her as a woman and a President.

'What a great gift the Lord gave us in her -

and what a great gift she WAS!'

'She was the 'moral compass of the Nation.'

She loved the truth and honesty

when others would not.

A POEM has been put together from quotes from her own public speeches , and I will include here just a few verses from it -

I just do whatever it is that I believe I should do;

Regardless of the risks to my life.

I would rather die a meaningful death,

Than Live a meaningless life.

Faith is not simply a patience

That patiently suffers until the storm is past.

Rather it is a spirit that bears things

With blazing, serene HOPE.

In Cory Arroyo we see a woman of POWER who was not corrupted by it! Yet we have to admit that we have seen many come into power as Heads of State worldwide, and few of them have gone uncorrupted. As Lord Acton, a famous historian of the last century once wrote -

'Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.' This has become a well known maxim, but I wonder how true it is? Certainly the MISUSE of power corrupts, and when power is absolute then its misuse will corrupt absolutely. BUT surely power is not, in or of itself, corrupt? JESUS, for example, had absolute power over all things. It was given to him by God the Father. This Absolute power did not corrupt HIM! There was and is not the shadow or even the suspicion of corruption imputed to Him. WHY? How can this be, if Lord Acton is right in his assumption about power? Obviously it is not POWER that corrupts, but the one wielding it. Power can only tempt an already corrupt mind and heart to GREATER corruption. God is NOT in any sense at all corrupt, and therefor POWER and AUTHORITY in His Hands cannot be used to corrupt ends.

BUT MANKIND IS CORRUPT by reason of his fall from Righteousness. His mind is no longer pure and free from selfish motive but generally given over to it. It is the selfish ego, the fallen nature of Man that is untrustworthy; he can no longer be trusted with power or authority since he is himself self deceived and corrupt. He is not righteous, and will not hold power righteously.

IN THE BOOK OF 1.KINGS chapter 21 there is the story of Naboth, who owned a vineyard (a farm) that King Ahab lusted after. The farm had been in Naboth's family for generations, and he had no wish to part with it, and he refused the King's offer to buy it from him at any price. AHAB was unhappy about it, and sulked and went off his food until his wife - Queen Jezebel - asked him what was wrong. On hearing the whole matter, Jezebel said to King Ahab -

'Dost thou now govern the Kingdom of Israel?'

And she proceeded to tell him how to use his power to obtain from Naboth what he wanted - unrighteously. Thus lies were invented, a trap set, a murder committed - and Ahab got the farm! Does this sound familiar? The KING had ABSOLUTE power. He could fix the Courts, the Judges and Magistrates, and make the LAW say whatever He wanted, even when it was a lie.

Of course we all have power in some way or another. It is in our power to love and to hate righteously or unrighteously. As the Chief Guest of our Parent's Day last Saturday His Honour Mr. C.G. Mbogo asked ' Have I done what is RIGHT - have I acted righteously'. It IS possible to achieve at least some measure, perhaps even a progressive measure, of righteous living in our lives IF Christ has come to LIVE in us. What is impossible for us to achieve ALONE, can be achieved when GOD is with us!. Perhaps then, in some measure, God was with Cory Arroyo? Possibly. Jesus said - you shall know them by their fruit! Was He saying you will know a Christian, a Jew, a Moslem - NO, I don't think so. Jesus was not trying to make comparisons. We can know if a man or woman has something of God in them by what comes out of them. BUT we may not know for sure if GOD owns THEM as His child - his family possession - or not. Many WILL say that they have done godlike or godly things, yet He will declare that He does not KNOW them because they were in effect serving their own interests more than His, even when doing acts of so called good! Something to think about carefully. As our Guest said again on Saturday - 'We should take account of ourselves' To be truly righteous we will have not to go with the crowd, not bend the rules, not compromise with lies and dishonesty. To stand out can be costly.

An Anglican Bishop recently asked -

'Why is it that everywhere the Apostle Paul went they had a Revolution,

but everywhere I go they have a cup of tea?

Paul did not blend in, HE STOOD OUT!

On his first missionary journey, the stoned him and left him for dead.

On his second one they threw him in prison.

How did he handle this?

He prayed and praised God till every door in his prison opened.

Child of God, the word for you today is -

GIVE IT ALL YOU'VE GOD - and KEEP PRESSING ON.

It is RAINING - and School has closed for the August Holiday. A quiet morning. I can hear the children laughing in the garden, and also a few Great Green Ibis having a conversation whilst searching for Worms and beetles. It is cool but not cold today. And now I must seek the Lord for a Word for Sunday. I am speaking this week.

Thinking of you all. Keep in prayer for us. Our daughter Jesse Ronata that lives in Testimony House has been quite down and unwell recently. You may remember that she is HIV positive. Her blood count is good, and she has not seemed affected by the virus in any way, and doctors have not yet felt the need to prescribe special drugs for her. But she has now bee diagnosed with a peptic ulcer. If you have a moment just lift her up in prayer.

Love you all in Jesus Name. Lift up your Head - let the King of Glory IN.

John and Esther