The rise and fall

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The 2015-16 EPL season has certainly sprung a few surprises our way, not least among them is Leicester City. The foxes, as they are otherwise called, survived relegation after a late surge last season. Not many pundits could therefore have foreseen that after 13 rounds of matches the following season, the foxes would be sitting pretty at the top. A string of eye-catching displays, featuring a lot of attacking verve has wowed many, with Newcastle United being the latest to be on the receiving end of their attack.

The prolific form of their star striker, Jamie Vardy has been of huge significance. The league’s top scorer has been in blistering form, spearheading  Leicester's charge  to the top. He recently matched Ruud Van Nistelrooy’s record of scoring in 10 consecutive league fixtures and could better it by scoring against Van Nistelrooy’s former club, Manutd in his next fixture.

This is your real-life underdog story. The premier league leaders were playing in the championship only two seasons ago, while Jamie Vardy was playing non-league football a few years earlier. The foxes are now above Manutd, Mancity, Arsenal in the league. Leicester are really punching above their weight.

On the opposite side of the spectrum, nobody could have predicted the fall from grace of Chelsea. Last season Chelsea were streaks above everyone else. They coasted their way to the league title. This year they are streaks below everyone else, flirting with relegation at 15^th place. Relegation from the top flight is surely improbable but Chelsea’s decline has been shocking.

The whole of last season, Chelsea lost only 3 times, almost halfway through this season they have lost 7!!! They are nine goals away from their overall tally of 32 goals conceded. Hazard, Costa, Ivanovic, Terry, Matic have seen their form nosedive. The champions are really in disarray and Tottenham could pile more misery on the beleaguered blues come this Sunday.

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The stories of these 2 clubs this season mirror the lives of those humble before God and the proud. God loves the humble and elevates them despite their perceived weaknesses while he detests pride and brings the proud crashing down in spite of their perceived strength.

Let’s start with the humble. You can’t talk about humility without starting with Jesus. He stands out the most. Philippians 2:5-11 states, “ Your altitude should be the same as that of Jesus Christ, who being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped but made himself  nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeliness, and being found in appearance as a man he humbled himself and became obedient to death even death on a cross, therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name ,that at the name of Jesus, every knee should bow, in heaven  and on earth and under the earth and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the father.” Jesus was the embodiment of humility.

It doesn’t stop  with Jesus. Gideon was the least of all in his family who came from a clan that was among the least yet God elevated him to a mighty warrior who delivered Israel from Midian with only 300 men.  Even more humbling, was that those 300 men drank water like dogs (Judges 7).David was the last born in his family, the lowly shepherd yet it was he who defeated Goliath and was elevated to the Kingship.

It is through the seemingly low, insignificant people that God uses to do extraordinary things. Woe to the proud though, those are the ones he humbles and causes them to fall. David made the fatal mistake of taking a census in 1 Chronicles 21. In modern times it wouldn’t be such a big deal but at the time, by doing what he did he was depending on his own strength, attributing the victories over his enemies to his own might instead of trusting God. The command to take the census was evil in the sight of God and God intended to punish him using either of these 3 undesirable options; 3 years of famine, 3 months of being swept away by his enemies  or 3 days of a plague.(1 Chronicles 21:1-12) Quite the predicament and the epitome  of being caught between a rock and a hard place. He chooses the plague and promptly 70.000 men take the fall for his pride.

Moral of the story, don't try to take away credit that is reserved for God. Pride was seen in many other men and led to their fall. Nebuchadnezzar had to be driven away from people and eat grass like cattle (Daniel 4:33) Jonah had to stay 3 days in a fish because of his pride. (Jonah 1:17) Herod was put to death in an instant for not giving praise to God (Acts 12:22-23). Saul had to undergo 3 days of blindness (Acts 9:1-9).

Proverbs 27:21 wisely reads “The crucible for silver and the furnace for gold but man is tested by the praise he receives.” Too often, we fail the test. Our heads swell with pride when we achieve something and are praised for it. It could range from graduating to getting a job, being promoted, moving out or getting a car. Suddenly we feel accomplished, we believe our own hype.

We quickly forget that it was God’s grace that got us there not our own strength. Sometimes it may require a fall from grace to put things in perspective. A crushing loss can stop the Sports team from being complacent or overconfident.  An unexpected sacking, being bypassed for a promotion, loss of material possessions could be the fall from grace that sends pride packing, making you aware of your numerous inadequacies and God’s abundant grace.

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I thank God for my falls. Constantly being top of the class made me feel that I was a world-beater only to be the sole person in the class to miss doing an industrial attachment did I sober up. God caused me to rise from that and get a first class degree. Then my head swelled up with pride, and it’s been almost 2 and a half years since and no job, The humbling experience has served me well and made me realize it was God who got me the degree. I will give him glory because he has been my strength. My papers, my internships, my awards were all his doing.

It’s so easy to forget God and think we did it, to chest-thump and take pride in our success. Truth is were it not for God; you would be stuck in a perpetual rut. You can take so much pride in your job and think you are entitled to the position. You conveniently forget the interview you aced to get the job is the very same one you should have missed in the first place for being late but were allowed to do, because on that day the recruiters were patient and just let your lateness slide.

You can take so much pride in your degree, masters or PHD. What of  those many exams that you passed because by God’s grace what you read, came in the paper and the many problematic topics you didn’t study for were absent?

How about the time you had that major presentation to do which got you a promotion.  A power blackout ensured you had to do an oral presentation, something you were far more confident in. Your mediocre PowerPoint  for the presentation, which could have seen you demoted, never saw the light of day.

God has intervened more times than you would care to admit and he deserves the glory. You can get lost in the success and take those saving graces for granted. After much pride we can fall from grace but as David found out after the plague, God is merciful and says, “Enough!” and relents. (1 Chronicles 21:15). Enough and Nebuchadnezzar was restored to his position (Daniel 4:34-36). Enough, and Jonah was out of the fish (Jonah 2:10). Enough and the scales were removed from Paul's eyes (Acts 9:17-18). In your fall you have to wait patiently before he removes you from the slimy pit, the mud and the mire and sets your feet on a rock, and gives you a firm place to stand. (Psalms 40:2). We eventually rise because of his mercy.

Like Isaiah 57:15 says, “I live in a high and holy place, but also with him who is contrite and lowly in spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly and to revive the heart of the contrite.”

Your pride may take you to the depths but when you cry out to him, he is able to revive your lowly spirit and your contrite heart and make you rise again.

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