Daily Lent Devotions from Church Street UMC
Thursday, March 25
By Col. Bill Willard, April 1, 1980
Paramount Power
Read: Revelation 21:1
“Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and earth had passed away…”
Last December, Rev. Eldon Moore preached a sermon concerning breathtaking events. It caused me to think back to a lonely beach in the Central Pacific some twenty years ago. The long-awaited detonation of a hydrogen bomb was at hand. I had walked away from the area where most of the observers had assembled and found a secluded spot at the lagoon’s edge. It was 5 a.m. and pitch black. I looked towards Bikini, some 180 miles to the East. At first, there was only a faint glow on the horizon; then the entire sky came alive with a glorious sunrise, not unlike some Easter sunrises I had seen. But gradually the light began to fade and within 30 seconds the total darkness returned. I stood in awe, unable to fully comprehend what I had just witnessed. Man had created a power, albeit brief, to rival the center of our solar system. How he used that power was to become a major concern of civilization from that time forward.
God’s love, as manifested in Christ Jesus, is the paramount power in the universe. How will we use it? Surely, our failure to actively promote this power is one reason for the chaotic state of our world today. God’s love is not abstract. It shines through people who are truly his disciples. Does His love glow through you?
Prayer
May the power of the Living God control and shape our lives, so that we may radiate the truth of Christ to all mankind. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
