2025 Lent Devotional – Day 22

Lent Devotional: Day 22
Christians under CCTV
Rev. Dr. A. K. Lama

Often, people of God might make wrong choices. To arrive on time or arrive early, they may break traffic rules. They may compromise righteous principles to acquire quick and easy success, fame, and wealth. Christian leaders around the world are not free from immoral lifestyles, crimes, and corruption.

We know that the People of God may receive forgiveness and grace from the Lord but not from the World. Rather, the World will magnify their failures because these failures are powerful tools in their hands, not only to defeat us but also to defame the Name of our Lord.

When Sennacherib, the king of Assyria, attacked Jerusalem in 701 BCE during the reign of King Hezekiah of Judah (2 Kings 18–19, 2 Chronicles 32, and Isaiah 36–37), he sent his field Commander to King Hezekiah. He was fully aware of the failures of King Hezekiah, and so he was confident to say, “Look, I know you are depending on Egypt, that splintered reed of a staff, which pierces the hand of anyone who leans on it! Such is Pharaoh king of Egypt to all who depend on him. But if you say to me, “We are depending on the LORD our God”–isn’t he the one whose high places and altars Hezekiah removed, saying to Judah and Jerusalem, “You must worship before this altar”?” (Isa 36:6 – 7) Judah had failed on two accounts. They trusted and joined an alliance with a nation with a bad record. They were not trustworthy. Second, they had compromised their loyalty to Jehovah by altering the focus of their worship. They had become liberal and inclusive in their spirituality.

Do we find similar failures among the people of God today? Who is our priority? Who do we depend on, supreme? We might subtly prioritize the power of money, political alliance, human intellect, and shrewdness. They might be good, but if they make us compromise biblical principles, we are doomed to failure. Jesus warned, “You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot. (Matthew 5:13)

We are constantly under CCTV. Even those who dislike and hate Christians don’t expect Christians to be immoral and corrupt. They put a high value on Christian spirituality. We don’t have to live up to their expectations, but we must live to bring glory to our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. St Peter wrote, “Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us.” (1Peter 2:12)

Dear Lord, increase our faith so that we may trust while walking the path of righteousness. Even when everything seems intangible, please help us to be patient and remain obedient in all circumstances. Amen!