Special Edition on Object Lesson from HOLLYWOOD, California – After he knocked out Erik Morales the first time on January 26, 2006 in round ten at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas, EMMANUEL DAPIDRAN PACQUIAO delighted viewers by quoting Peter Parker in his post-fight interview: ?With great power comes great responsibility.?
Pacquiao, whose honor and power he gives credit to the Most High, shows that any expression of the gospel without the resulting obedience is, of necessity, a false gospel. Below the surface of his story lies the important issue of obedience and how God seriously takes obedience.
Giving a gift places the “giver” in a position of power and the receiver “owes” the power. And sure, it comes not only with great responsibility but also with great accountability, and Pacquiao must be personally grounded in this principle because misgivings are only going to multiply as the clock of eath’s history winds rapidly down.
Pacquiao may have breezy approach to his profession of faith. He’ll wave it around and point to it and he won’t hide from it. But his advisers and swayers out there, sharpening their arguments and twisting the Scripture to their ends, lead him to feasty gamblings, lack of proper stewardship of financial blessings (such as giving $ 20,000 for ammend his team to get tatoo with asteroid ballmark on the forearm and other unwarranted misusages) and etchetera.
For a discerning viewer, Pacquiao may have misused the power given to him in the realm of politics and even in the sphere of his private life and may have crossed the path of the great heroes of the Scripture: Samson , Solomon, David. They all came to the point of misusing God’s gifts to them.
Receiving God’s glory comes from following his instructions, which now Pacquiao may have fallen short more frequently since the inception he rises from the bondage of poverty. How quickly will such “personal glory” fade as he assimilates into the society of the scoundrels, sycophants and numskull politicians. One way or another, Pacquiao may have become beholden to the latter.
God often works his power through ordinary people. And when Pacquiao’s ordinariness ceases to shine, the same gift of power may diminish through time as by “real surprise”.
Pacquiao may not be the David of old anymore in that he might have transfigured himself as the “Goliath of compromising ways”.
Pacquiao may have been so concerned about saving face than being right. Sticking to the story, just to save face, only compounds the problem.
Will Pacquiao’s defeat come to the world by surprise?
Will his impending battle on November 13 against Antonio Margarito manifests such surprise?
