I was having late lunch one early Saturday afternoon when these “nuggets of wisdom” crossed my mind. These ideas are no longer new, and yet I was briefly reminded how they are in stark contrast to one another.

Without wasting a single minute, I grabbed my phone, opened WordPress, and “scribbled” a few of the salient points. This, my friends, is what I love about WordPress.

You don’t have to log in on the internet to be able to write articles. You can write thoughts down the moment they come in, and they are automatically uploaded the next time you go online.

Sadly, gone are the days of a writer’s most famous companions – the pen and the notebook. But personally, I still prefer to keep a journal where I write Bible verses and prayer points during my daily quiet time. Let’s just say I’m a bit old-fashioned.

Going back to the “nuggets of wisdom” I mentioned earlier, what are they exactly? They are none other than the worldly claims debunked by Godly truths as explained further below.

How Godly Truths Can Debunk Worldly Claims

1. The world claims to have no place for the weak; Scripture glorifies human frailty and vulnerability.

“He gives power to the weak and strength to the powerless.” – Isaiah 40:29

“That is why, for the sake of Christ, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” – 2 Corinthians 12:10

2. The world sees arrogance as confidence, power, and authority; Scripture encourages humility, gentleness, and meekness.

And He gives grace generously. As the Scriptures say, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” – James 4:6

“God blesses those who are humble, for they will inherit the whole earth.” – Matthew 5:5

3. The world celebrates the rich; Scripture exalts the poor as coheirs of God’s Kingdom.

“Those who want to be rich, however, fall into temptation and become ensnared by many foolish and harmful desires that plunge them into ruin and destruction. 

For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. By craving it, some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many sorrows.” – 1 Timothy 6:9-11

“The lowly will possess the land and will live in peace and prosperity.” – Psalm 37:11

4. The world satisfies the eyes and the flesh; Scripture feeds the heart and the soul.

“For the world offers only a craving for physical pleasure, a craving for everything we see, and pride in our achievements and possessions. These are not from the Father, but are from this world.” – 1 John 2:16

Jesus replied, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry again. Whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.” – John 6:35

5. The world repays evil for evil; Scripture dictates repaying evil with good.

“Don’t repay evil for evil. Don’t retaliate with insults when people insult you. Instead, pay them back with a blessing. That is what God has called you to do, and He will grant you His blessing.” – 1 Peter 3:9

“But I say to you, Do not resist the one who is evil. But if anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also.” – Matthew 5:39

6. The world idolizes many gods; Scripture reiterates serving only one true God.

“You shall have no other gods before me. You must not make for yourself an idol of any kind or an image of anything in the heavens or on the earth or in the sea.

You must not bow down to them or worship them, for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God who will not tolerate your affection for any other gods. I lay the sins of the parents upon their children; the entire family is affected—even children in the third and fourth generations of those who reject me.” – Exodus 20:3-5

7. The world offers security in material possessions; Scripture offers salvation through Christ Jesus.

No one can serve two masters: Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money. 

“That is why I tell you not to worry about everyday life—whether you have enough food and drink, or enough clothes to wear. Isn’t life more than food, and your body more than clothing?” – Matthew 6:24-25

“For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.” – Romans 6:23

Seeing The World Through His Eyes

These are my lingering thoughts for the past few months. The pandemic might or might not last forever. And yet it caused a massive paradigm shift, a complete turn, wherein the worldly ideals no longer provide the truth and the hope.

It removed the blindfold that has been covering the eyes of many of us and preventing them from seeing the true riches that God has prepared and is now offering to us. What people used to consider essential is now proven useless. And what was considered lowly was now elevated as a priority.

Money, Wealth, & Possessions

Money, though still a tool and a necessity to survive, cannot beat COVID-19. Regardless of the billions in our bank accounts, if we’re hit hard, this stash of money can’t save us.

Flashy clothes, cars, accessories, and some gadgets, are now seen for what they truly are – merely as wants satisfying our worldly cravings and fleeting desires. Now that everybody’s staying at home most of the time, they seem to have little use and of less value.

I, for one, am troubled by the fact that I have several cosmetic products (used and unused) that are expiring in less than a year. I stay at home all the time, and I don’t have Zoom meetings every day so I have no choice but to wear makeup while doing household chores (no kidding).

Essentials vs Non-Essentials

My wardrobe now has 60% of clothing that I won’t be able to wear since I no longer have any use for most of them – outfits for gatherings, social events, travels, etc. The same thing goes for shoes, accessories, and bags.

I’m still finding a way to make good use of my DSLR and capture something interesting here at home. But for the most part? It’s just lying in the corner of my work table eating dust and probably rusting away.

The typical city affairs at night where gambling, drunkenness, and immorality sometimes take place are also gone. The need for temporary pleasures dissipated. Things may resume slowly to how they were before the pandemic. But with the looming threat of COVID-19, which can still strike anytime and anywhere, the freedom to do things normally is never assured.

Now, everyone’s craving for the country lifestyle. Plants became the “Kings and Queens” of every household. From seemingly unnoticed wild grasses, they are now as precious as jewels. The farmer now becomes a celebrated profession, whereas, before COVID-19, it’s a non-glamorous career. The least in the list of professions, I must say.

For The Better 

I just find it amazing and ironic at one point how God can really turn things around in an instant by using only one weapon although it’s a powerful one. It’s as if I can hear God saying, “Enough already. This world has had too much.”

People groaned and demanded that changes must take place. And this is it. It might not be exactly the change we’re looking for, just like how the Jewish people have anticipated a different Messiah, but it did create the change that we all need.

This is the change that we are actually not honest enough to admit that we badly need. Because once again, we were all blinded back then. Now that the Godly truths have been revealed, what transpired in the first three quarters of 2020 can debunk the worldly claims that have made us believe we are living life the right way.

This is the reset. This is a step back from what was to what should be. The truths are already out in the open. Will we believe them or will we remain behind the shadows of the blindfold?

Seeing the Godly truths 20/20,