Week 50—Wednesday Romans 1:4-6
Week 50—WEDNESDAY
FURTHER UNIVERSAL TENDENCIES
We continue to look at “the fundamental tendencies of the universe” which “are in Jesus Christ.”
Third, self-surrender to Something Higher. That is a fundamental tendency of the universe. All life is lifted by surrender to higher life—the mineral to the plant, the plant to the animal, the animal to the human, and the human to God. Self-surrender is the key to rise. That universal tendency is in Jesus Christ supremely—he surrendered himself, gave his life a ransom. When you think of self-surrender you think of the Divine Self-surrender—you think of Jesus.
Fourth, the need to belong. In Conversion I said that psychology in outlining the basic needs of human nature says they are three: the need to belong, to have significance, and to have reasonable security (). The first need is to belong. Where the ant does not belong to the anthill, the bird does not belong to the flock, the animal to the herd, the individual person to the kingdom of God, there is a sense of estrangement, of incompleteness. Bertrand Russell and Dr. Radhakrishnan, the great philosopher, were on a radio together in a debate, one telling why he did not believe in God and the other why he did. At the close Bertrand Russell said to Dr. Radhakrishnan privately, “I feel somewhat incomplete because I’ve not had the comfort and consolations of religion.” In other words he felt a sense of incompleteness because he didn’t “belong.” Jesus said, “Seek ye first the kingdom of God . . . and all these things shall be added unto you” (Matt. 6:33, KJV). Jesus belonged to his heavenly Father and urged people to have as their supreme loyalty the kingdom of God. This universal tendency to belong comes to completion in Jesus and in his urging us to belong—belong to the Kingdom.
O Holy Father, we thank you that you have planted these universal tendencies in the universe as people put strings to lead blind persons in a race. So these tendencies lead us Home—to you. We thank you. Amen.
AFFIRMATION FOR THE DAY: When I belong to Christ, then everything belongs to me—I am mastered, therefore master.