Mensa Otabil - What Was Meant for Evil Will Bring Glory to God (09/28/2025)
Today is Good Friday; it’s a wonderful day for us to remember the death of our Lord Jesus Christ. It’s a day that has been set aside for us to commemorate that moment. Christians all over the world, although locked down, still remember that two thousand years ago, on a hill called Calvary, a man died—the most unique death ever to occur in human history. He wasn’t dying for himself; he was dying for all of us, so that in Him we might have redemption. His name is Jesus Christ, our Lord and our Savior. This is how Jesus Christ himself described his impending death in John chapter 12, verses 23 and 24: «But Jesus answered them, saying, 'The hour has come that the Son of Man should be glorified. Most assuredly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain.'»
This is a very interesting description; Jesus called his death glorification. In other words, Jesus didn’t see his death as an end but as a means—a process that was leading to something. He didn’t say the time has come for the Son of Man to be humiliated or to be killed, but rather that the time has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. That’s how he wants us to look at life. Sometimes things happen to you, and you think, «Oh, this is my end.» People may say you are finished; there is no hope for you. However, you know God uses all of that for His glory—to glorify you.
So, I pray that whatever you’re going through that makes you feel down can be seen as a time that God has set aside for your glory. Jesus also said that unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground, it abides alone, but when it falls to the ground, it will bear much fruit. He perceived his crucifixion as a means of productivity, of reproducing himself, of making more people like him. What people saw as the end of his life—as the humiliation of his life—he saw as his glory and as his amplification, magnification, and reproduction, multiplying himself.
That’s how we can also see our lives. For the Church of Jesus Christ, we know that whatever was meant for evil for us, God uses for His glory. Remember that whatever was meant for evil for you, God uses for His glory. It is for His glory and for your glorification. I trust that whatever life throws at you that is supposed to put you down and destroy you forever—when people prophesy your end, saying you are finished with no hope—may you bear much fruit. You will be like the wheat that falls to the ground and bears much fruit.
Today, we thank God that Jesus died for us, but we also thank Him that He rose again from the dead to give us new life in Him—as our hope in Him, as our help. May the crucified and resurrected Christ be present in your life throughout this season. God bless you, have a great week, and Pastor Mensa. Shalom, peace, and life to you.