Aug 6th, 2021: Corruption
I had a conversation with a professor from Vietnam recently about her decision concerning her future. She did her Ph.D. overseas and returned to Vietnam to serve her country. However, some of her university leaders have taken intentional steps to quench her vision for her work. That is a pity because the university has failed to appreciate the talents of this young professor.
Corruption can take place in our hearts. A corrupted heart is a deceitful one. Jeremiah 17:9: “The heart is more deceitful than all else and is desperately sick, who can understand it?” Our lack of understanding of who God is and our deception of ourselves define the corruption of our hearts. Its selfish ambition surpasses our ability to fathom it. It has no limit and boundary. It is sick because it brings no life to others.
Corruption can take place in our minds. It is deprived and causes friction among people. It has no desire for the truth, and it prefers darkness as its milieu of operation. It can fabricate a form of godliness and yet deny His power altogether. It has no hope because hope will eliminate its existence. (1 Timothy 6:5) - “And constant friction among people who are depraved in mind and deprived of the truth, imagining that godliness is a means of gain?”
Corruption can dominate our way of life. There is no way to contain the damage of our corruption. It does not just affect us individually. It also impacts our community. The spiritual consequences of our corruption can have long-term ramifications over generations. When we deny God and defile Him, we open ourselves up to a life that is full of unfathomable consequences. (Galatians 6:8) - " For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life."