A long way … the wrong way

I applaud the recent effort and interest of the government to mitigate against the supply and consumption of intoxicating liquor at funeral events. It is indeed in the best interest of our nation that we endeavour to sanitise and separate the sacred from the secular.

Notwithstanding the urgency of the matter, we must not ignore the lateness of the hour because the issue at hand is symptomatic of a deeper problem: our nation is rotting at its core. Regrettably, our society has been galloping at break-neck speed towards moral, ethical, and spiritual bankruptcy. We have jettisoned both God-made and homemade values. As such, the consequence is no coincidence.

Lest anyone thinks this is exclusively an indictment against the government, be advised, it is not. It is not nice but necessary that the church, state, and the family work, sometimes together, to assuage against the forces of evil in our land. After all, these are the three God-established institutions. While the government must work fervently and expeditiously to effect change by implementing God-honouring and society-sustaining laws, the home must partner by instilling and insisting that godly values and morals are maintained. On the contrary, too many of our children get everything they want and nothing they need. In fact, most homes are missing the two essentials for parenting: a Bible and a belt. We have come a long way the wrong way.   

As a follower of Jesus Christ, it is my firm conviction, that ultimately, genuine change and repentance in our nation comes from a relationship with Him. I believe the church, which is the citadel of truth, has the message that our nation needs to stop its bleeding. Admittedly, many of us in the Christian community have blurred the message by our behaviour but the message of the Gospel, despite our shortcomings, still maintains its saving and life-transforming power. After all, this is the root of the problem and if it is not addressed, we will merely be dealing with the fruit. It will be analogous to putting a band-aid on cancer.

Therefore, as we lament the societal woes that are plaguing our land, as we watch with disgust and often disdain as iceboxes laden down with alcoholic beverages littered the streets and parking lots of churches and cemeteries, anyone who cares about heaven should be mad as hell because what we tolerate now, future generations will celebrate. Therefore, we should labour not to sanitise funeral proceedings only, but also let us collectively work assiduously to sanitise how our children adorn themselves to go to school, let us sanitise the smutty and lascivious language broadcast through music on radio stations, let us sanitise the music that is played on public transport, and let us sanitise how leaders speak to each other during debates where differences are expressed. 

Consequently, we ask the question, “How did we get here?” Remember, this is what happens when God has been shown the door. Today’s difficulties are a result of yesterday’s disobedience. Our nation is like a Jericho with no Joshua, a Mt Carmel with no Elijah, a Babylon with no Daniel. As such, we must turn to the One who can heal our land and our hearts and allow Him, through His word, to lead us because if the Bible does not lead us, our emotions and desires inevitably will.

Pastor Dexter Kirby  

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