The scandals and corruption of human leadership, humanity's plight, and the future hope now and to come

"For to us a child is born,
to us a son is given,
and the government will be on his shoulders.
And he will be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
Of the greatness of his government and peace
there will be no end.
He will reign on David’s throne
and over his kingdom,
establishing and upholding it
with justice and righteousness
from that time on and forever." - Isaiah 9:6-7


All human governments and authoritative bodies from the dawn of time up to the present, have had their fair share of corruption, abuse of power, and scandal. From third-world countries to first-class nations, from democratic to totalitarian, one way or another has tainted it's own hands and wronged it's own citizens.

Its rather difficult for someone to pinpoint the last time that a leader actually cared for his or her own people, who did not have selfish ambitions but put others before themselves, who had in mind the good sake of the people rather than their personal gain, who carried the nation or a an oppressed people group rather than placed heavy burdens on them, who sacrificed themselves for the betterment of those who trusted in them rather than sacrificing the people for their own betterment, who answered the tough questions and did not dance around them.

Of course through out history there have been a fair share of good leaders with the likes of Martin Luther King who worked toward the end of racial segregation and discrimination through non-violent means, Prime Minister Trudeau who helped Canada gain independence, Winston Churchill who led the British to fight against Hitler's regime and led the way to it's destruction, and of course Corazon Aquino who restored democracy to the Philippines from the dictatorship of Ferdinand Marcos.

What these men and women had in common was that they were good leaders who stood for ideals and ethics, cared for the oppressed, and looked at injustice in the face. Another commonality they share is that they are now gone, they had their portion in history but are now sadly replaced by leaders who have no heart, who have no convictions, who lack integrity, and who even oppose what these fallen heroes stood and fought for.

We live in sad times, where one day democracy lives and the next day is murdered, we live in the days where seemingly each successive leadership tends to become more and more corrupt than the last. A friend when asked about the issue of leadership and government throughout history, remarked that the common thread of all who ever held power or influence is "corruption".

Canadians are unhappy with the Harper government, The Obama Administration is struggling, the Middle East is in turmoil, Oppresive regimes still reign, North Korea and South Korea in tense dispute; and to bring it closer to home and my heart, Philippine governmental bodies reek with corruption, fraud, and scandal.

Recently on the news, America has brought itself to deep trouble for the insurmountable debts the nation has accumulated and the nation is now in default. The once-thought savior of America and hope of the world, Obama now appears grey-haired, lacking sleep, and under intense scrutiny. Everyone is holding their breath on how Obama's leadership will pull them out of this dilemma.

If you take a conscious look around you, what you see is bound to tire you, sap out all your optism, and leave you feeling hopeless for the horrible state the world is in, it's deeply corrupted leaders, and humanity's desperate situation. The future is bleak and tommorow looks dark. Can you feel the weight of the plight of humanity? If you don't then you haven't opened your eyes yet.

The point I'm trying to get to is: what is the meaning of all this? Will there ever be another good leader again? Will there ever be peace and resolution in the world? A world free of chaos, war, problems, political corruption and strife?
Where are we headed? And my aim is to answer what is on most people's minds: is there hope for the future?

The answer is yes. There is hope now and hope for the future, and this is not ignorant optism either or wishful thinking, it is reality grounded on the greatest leader: Jesus Christ.

You might be thinking: "what's religion gonna do? I don't think thats what we need right now. and I don't think religion is exempted from the corrupt leadership you've mentioned. they've had their fair share of corruption. Religion won't solve anything"

I'm not talking about religion. I'm talking about a person. And He is Jesus Christ.
He is the leader everyone is looking for but pushed aside. He is the deliverer who everyone has been yearning for but have overlooked. He is the Savior of the world who everyone waits for but has tragically been dismissed.

Jesus is the perfect leader.
He's called Wonderful Counselor, with the implication that He is a ruler whose wisdom infinitely surpasses all human capablities.
He's called Mighty God, no one can overthrow His government because He is infinitely powerful.
He's called Everlasting Father, a beautiful portrayal of Jesus being our benevolent and kind protector who will forever care for us like children.
He's called the Prince of Peace, the ruler whose reign will put an end to tyranny, rape, murder, racism, strife, pain, anguish, hopelessness, hunger, thirst, all evil and suffering and will usher in peace, joy, prosperity, equality, justice, righteousness.

Many politicians and leaders promise to do good to those who follow them yet the next day break their word.
But here is the clear demonstration of God's love for us:

We begin with Jesus who is the Creator of all that exists. Jesus the Creator of us all.
Jesus the one who has every right to be our King and the ruler of our lives, neighborhoods, cities, countries, and world has been dethroned from His rightful place.

You and I have dethroned Him from His respective rank. We kicked Him out and instead we have entitled ourselves the King of our lives. We deliberately declared war against Him and named ourselves His enemies.

We figured we would live our life for ourselves. We figured at one point in our life that we did not need to live by His rules, live under His government, be under His care, and be under His protection.

So we started saying His name with dishonor, we started making fun of those under His rule, we started lying, we started stealing, we started cheating, we started having sex beyond the limits He set, we started killing, we started raping.
We stopped thanking Him for the food, money, shelter, clothing, and life that we enjoy but truly belongs to Him and instead think it rightfully belongs to us.

Now by law, such demonstration of defiance to the King is infinitely punishable. His justice,honor, and Kingdom must punish criminals like us and opposing kingdoms like our lives; a punishment fit for the crime: by eternal death. Blood must be shed for such an insurmountable dishonor.

But yet The King Himself loved us so much that He took off His robe and represented the entirety of humanity, and took the punishment we deserved. His death for the sparing of our lives.

That's a reality. Jesus Christ, the King came to the earth and lived among us. He then intentionally laid down His life on that cross for the crimes we have committed against Him.
Jesus, The King who died for His disloyal subjects so that their lives may be spared from eternal suffering in hell.

On the third day He rose again and went back to His throne. All who would trust in Him as their Savior and King will be exempted from punishment.
That is the hope you and me can have right now. To have our sins forgiven. To have our guilt and eternal suffering punishment taken away, and to have a restored relationship with this King who loves us beyond all measure.

So to answer the question: is there hope for the future?

Answer: Jesus is the hope that sustains us now and for the future.
The Bible tells of a future event when Jesus will come back to earth and usher in a government that is under His rule. A government to end all governments, where all the nations are subjected under His authority, care, provision, and protection, where His reign will stretch to the ends of the earth, and lastly where His Kingship will never end.

Jesus is alive. He is coming back. He is establishing a kingdom of peace, joy, and prosperity. His government is not oppressive. All the nations will be under His rule.
He's is the faithful promise keeper. He is omnipotent. He's able. He's wise. He's humble. He's gentle. He cares for His people. He laid down His life for His people. Most importantly, the good news of it all is that His reign will be forever. His government will never crumble.

Deep down inside we all long for a Savior to save humanity from it's plight and rescue us from our problems.
All these corrupted leaders throughout history are meant to point us to Him and whose purpose is to accentuate the contrast of their corruption and His justice, their evilness and His goodness.
All the good leaders of history pale in comparison to Him. All the commendable traits and amiable dispositions they held are only like a drop in the ocean of God's mercy and grace, like an extra in the play of God's story of redemption, like a tongue of flame in the blazing inferno of His love, and a foreshadowing of the One who is to come.

How can you have the highest joy in a wrathful God?

More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation. (Romans 5:11 ESV)


Romans 5:11 says that we rejoice in God. Keep in mind, this is the same God that Paul talks about in Romans 1 and 2, this is the God of wrath and God of fury and God of Justice and God of righteousness and God of holiness.

This God aint someone you should mess with, this God, Jesus says to fear because He can take send both your body and soul to hell. This is a terrifying God whose reign brings terror to sinners.

There's no celebration in Him but only dreadful fear because He is our enemy and He is infinitely powerful with unmatchable strength, and we are all under His judgment and anger. Therefore, we all expect a day when we are sentenced to everlasting torment with no escape.

Yet, in a few paragraphs later Paul tells us to rejoice in this God? WHAT?! HOW? When I think of Him all I do is tremble and be terrified. Are you nuts Paul? Are you out of your mind? then Paul connects this rejoicing in God: through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we now have received reconciliation. Paul grounds our rejoicing in God on the basis that we are reconciled to Him.
Meaning to say we were once enemies but we are now friends, we were once rivals but now we are allies, we once had strife but now we are in good terms. All this was accomplished in the death and resurrection of Jesus.

WOW what a wonderful news! It's as if you were summoned to appear in court for offending a person, and you know very well that your sentence is a life-sentence. But before the court case, that person comes to you and says, let's reason together, let's talk this out, let's be reconciled..Let's become friends.

The same God of wrath we were terrified in becomes our source of joy! This is the same God who would pour out wrath on us if it were not for Christ. This is the same God who sent His Son to die for our sins so that the wrath and punishment that was meant for us would be inflicted on Jesus. We now have peace with God through our Lord Jesus (romans 5:1) instead of strife and separation.

Romans 5 packs many verses that call us to rejoice in the salvation found in Jesus: "and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us." In other words, God pours His love on us and gives us hope that will not shame us on judgment day.

Lastly, we are given a beautiful portrayal of God's love:

"For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For no one would scarcely die for a righteous person -- though perhaps a good person one would dare even die --- but God shows His love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since therefore, we have now been justified by His blood, much more shall we be saved by Him from the wrath of God. For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of His Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by His life."

That is the most beautiful and glorious message of all! that we need not be terrified of God in fear of condemnation, but on the contrary we rejoice in this God who out of love sent His Son to die and bear the punishment and penalty of our sins.

This God is a God of love and compassion and mercy and grace and benevolence. This God went out of His way to rescue us from eternal torment in hell, an act of something we certainly did not deserve.

While I was yet an enemy I was reconciled to Him by the death of His Son. And may we never stray away from this wonderful and extravagant message that encompasses all awe and wonder.
We are not an enemy of God anymore sentenced for death, but we are now called beloved, child, friend.

I need not dread in terror of Him, but I can rejoice in Him and love Him. So When the day comes when you finally see Him, you will not be seing the face of a wrathful Judge but you would see the face of a dad and a friend.

Come to Christ!

The blessings of reading the Word of God

“The Lord revealed Himself to Samuel at Shiloh by the word of the Lord.” - 1 Sam 3:21

“Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.” - Col 3:16

Tonight, we as God’s people, will commit ourselves to Him, ourselves, and each other by reading the Bible everyday and journaling what God reveals in His words to us.
The benefits and blessings that we will draw from this new commitment to God, each other, and to ourselves far surmounts any expectation that we might have. Indeed we will reap more benefits than we can think of.

Yet we can expect two important benefits in our lives to happen when the word of God dwells richly in us: 1. We will see and enjoy God 2. Christ will abide in us 3. We are enabled to minister to one another.

God reveals Himself to us through the Bible

The fundamental reason that the Bible is essential is that it is mainly the way God reveals Himself to us. And seeing this revelation of God is the foundation of our joy. As it was in the days of Samuel, so it is in our time: “The Lord appeared… at Shiloh, for the Lord revealed Himself to Samuel At Shiloh by the word of the Lord.”

When it says “The Lord appeared,” it says something amazing. God was not seen with the eyes of the head, but with the eyes of the heart, for God is “The King of ages, immortal, invisible, the only God” (1 Tim 1:17). And this seeing happened “by the word of the Lord.” As the Word was heard, the Lord was seen. In this hearing was the seeing. The spiritual hearing of God’s Word becomes the spiritual seeing of God’s glory.

The Lord opens the eyes of the heart to see the glory of Jesus in the Word. God has chosen to reveal Himself to to the world mainly through the incarnate Word, Jesus Christ, by means of the written Word, the Bible.

When we read the Bible, God reveals Himself and we will see Him, not with physical eyes but with the eyes of our heart; and by seeing Him we enjoy Him.

Jesus abides in us when we read the Bible

Jesus said, “If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish and it will be done for you” – John 15:7.


The best way to see what it means for the words of Jesus to abide in us is to look at what Jesus says about abiding a few verses earlier. In verse 5 He says, “Whoever abides in me and I in Him, he it is that bears much fruit.”

Notice the parallel.

In verse 7 He says, “If you abide in me, and my words abide in you,”
and in verse 5 He says, “Whoever abides in me and I in Him…”


I think the point of this switch is to reveal to us how Jesus abides in us, specifically, by His word abiding in us. Meaning to say, when we let the words of Jesus abide in us means letting Jesus Himself abide in us.

The Bible enables christians to minister to each other

When the Word of Christ dwells richly in us, we are enabled to teach, encourage, lift up, and build up one another. When we are immersed in the Bible, we are able to echo the words of Jesus to our fellow Christian brothers and sisters; and when they hear the Word of the Lord, they will see Him and enjoy the beauty and splendor and glory of Jesus.

When we are soaked with the Word of God, we are a vessel that is able to reveal the glory of Christ and we are able love one another by urging each other to a deeper and stronger walk with Jesus.

In conclusion, let the word of Christ dwell richly in you and in doing so, you will reap the reward of seeing and enjoying God, Christ abiding in you, and building up the church. It is a new year of our journey with Jesus, let it count.