Ecclesiastes 3: 1 – 8 reminds us, “To everything there is a season, A time for every purpose under heaven: A time to be born, And a time to die; A time to plant, And a time to pluck what is planted; A time to kill, And a time to heal; A time to break down, And a time to build up; A time to weep, And a time to laugh; A time to mourn, And a time to dance; A time to cast away stones, And a time to gather stones; A time to embrace, And a time to refrain from embracing; A time to gain, And a time to lose; A time to keep, And a time to throw away; A time to tear, And a time to sew; A time to keep silence, And a time to speak; A time to love, And a time to hate; A time of war, And a time of peace.”
Everyone has their times and seasons and nothing remains the same always. Hence, it is key for us to do good on a daily basis. It is sad to see the way many, to whom God has given power and wealth, are treating other people, particularly the poor.
NUMBERS
Some see people as numbers and treat them accordingly. Some see people as inferior to them and treat them as such. Some see the poor as disposable and believe that those people are the ones weighing down the globe, while they see themselves as more valuable in the grand scheme of things. Some see the people as pawns in their game to be manipulated and treated with little value. Do we realize how many policies have been implemented to oppress the people rather than seeking to find solutions? They have nothing good to offer; all they present are the unclean things, and promote the undesirable, unedifying things as opportunities for pushing change onto the people.
POWER TO GET WEALTH
Every human being must always remember that it is God who gives the power to get wealth and He is the One Who gives riches and wealth. (Deuteronomy 8: 18 – 19). Furthermore, 1 Chronicles 29: 12 – 16, “Both riches and honor come from You, And You reign over all. In Your hand is power and might; In Your hand it is to make great And to give strength to all. “Now therefore, our God, We thank You And praise Your glorious name. But who am I, and who are my people, That we should be able to offer so willingly as this? For all things come from You, And of Your own we have given You. For we are aliens and pilgrims before You, As were all our fathers; Our days on earth are as a shadow, And without hope. “O Lord our God, all this abundance that we have prepared to build You a house for Your holy name is from Your hand, and is all Your own.” (Read also Proverbs 8: 18)
1 Chronicles 29: 11 – 14 reminds us that every good thing comes from God. So, if every good thing in this life comes from God and He has granted us favor, then we should use those good things and help others; it is the reason He gave it to us in the first place. The person you help today, may just be the one to help you tomorrow. We never know which way life will go, so ultimately, by helping others, you are also helping yourself.
HELP
In fact, the Word of God reminds us that we are not supposed to be helping those who can return the favour, but instead, help those who cannot help us in return. We must treat people the way we want to be treated. We don’t achieve success in life because of our hard work and intellect; we are granted success based on God’s grace and favor. When, for example, someone is in a position of influence – politically or otherwise – God allowed it because He is giving them an opportunity to do good. This is so even if they have entered their position fraudulently. God is acting in the same way towards us when He grants us His grace, favour, mercy, and compassion when we are undeserving of those things.
So, as the song says, “There is nothing wrong with the world, it is the people that are in it” – it’s the heart of man that is the issue.
KEEPING SCORE
We must remember that everything we do in life is like a credit score. Different things that happen (positively or negatively), and the different things you do or don’t do impact that score positively or negatively. The question is, what is your “spiritual credit score?”
Furthermore, there are consequences for the choices made on a daily basis. For example, if you are a policeman or soldier and someone breaks the law and you use lethal force to deal with them, is this how you would want to be treated if the tables were turned? If you are a judge and in executing your duties you give them maximum penalty without mercy, is that how you would want to be treated by man and God as well?
The main fact that we sin daily, yet God shows us mercy should be an example we follow in our daily walk. If a person’s profession is Contract Killer and they coldheartedly murder a person – someone who is a husband, father, son, mentor, and breadwinner – how would they or their family members want to be treated in the future?
Politicians pass laws that would destroy human beings, but how would they want to be treated if one day those same laws are meted out to them? They may not kill with the gun, but they are killing with the pen.
(Since when did the economy become more important than human life?)
CONSEQUENCES
Very soon, these are some of the questions that politicians would need to answer:
- When Administrations change, how would they want to be treated?
- How do they want to be remembered by the next generation?
- Is the economy more important than the families that are broken by bad policies?
- Do they know that every seed they sow – whether good or bad – will bring a harvest?
I remember the story of a lawyer who worked for an insurance company, and he tried to deny all the claims of those who had been hurt and could not work. But change never came until he was hurt and was treated in that same way. That is when his eyes opened.
Mark my words, in this year, some of you will be treated the same way you treat others – you will receive your harvest.