Get rid of all bitterness, passion, and anger.  No more shouting or insults, no more hateful feelings of any sort. Instead, be kind and tender-hearted to one another, and forgive one another, as God has forgiven you through Christ. -- Ephesians 4: 31-32.
The Word of God is so powerful that once we welcome the Word, listen to the Word and act on the Word, there is no space for long sermons, shouting, philosophy or the like.  I have lived long enough to come to the conclusion that the less you say, the more people listen.
The best teacher is one who can get the class' attention.  With the complexity of life and all the added attractions, hardly any time is left for concentration on any one thing.  The television is on, the phone is ringing, texting is going on, the kettle has been whistling for some time, there is chaos and confusion going on among the members of the household and no one is listening to anyone.
Then, there are suggestions coming from every nook and cranny as to the solution for the high crime rate and the excessively incredible number of murders so far for the year among so numerically small a nation such as ours.  Let's march!  Let's pray!  Let's protest!  Let's hang!  Let's change the national security minister and the government!  Let's stay up all night and see if we can catch them!  And the let's go on and on.
But look today in plain and simple language what the Apostle Paul through the inspiration of Almighty Father is saying to us, thus the cure for all that is amiss in our land and indeed the world.  "Get rid of all bitterness, passion, and anger.  No more shouting or insults, no more hateful feelings of any sort.  Instead, be kind and tender-hearted to one another, and forgive one another, as God has forgiven you through Christ."
Bitterness or resentment if not dealt with would follow your every moment as you journey through life.  It should not be toyed with as it leads to rage and constant anger.  It causes change in your facial expression and can turn a beauty queen into an ugly looking witch.
Shouting, screaming and insulting one another drives happiness away.  Any home, job, or nation where there is shouting, screaming and insults hurled at one another lessens the potential of those who have God-given gifts for the betterment of mankind and the good of the nation.
Hate grows with each passing day.  There are many persons who have been hating the same person from kindergarten days and now they are in their twilight years.  What has it done for them?  Turned them into old complainers, grouches, unpleasant to be around and sown seeds for generations in-so-much as it is a generational curse.
For every situation, there is another side, and thank God for all that is happening to the detriment of us all in our land, the solution is here for us in the text: "Instead of the negative let us "be kind and tenderhearted to one another, and forgive one another, as God has forgiven you through Christ."  Jesus Himself admonishes us to love one another.  We must obey God's Word.  Welcome it into our lives and listen to it carefully.
This week in Madrid, Spain the Catholics are celebrating World Youth Day and it is a joy to see the thousands of young people who are welcoming, listening and acting according to the Word of the Lord.  I think I wrote that I enjoy their ministry through EWTN.  What a difference the teachings of a church can make in the lives of those who support the ministry.  We have to forget about who is going to be the starring showman and compel sinners to become saints through the adherence of the Word of God.
You may not want to accept it, but the Word of God makes a difference in the lives of the people of any nation.  Anything short of that is what Psalm 127 proclaims "If the Lord does not build the house, the work of the builders is useless.  If the Lord does not protect the city, it does no good for the sentries to stand guard."
 
E-mail rubyanndarling@yahoo.com, write to P.O. Box 19725 SS Nassau, Bahamas, telephone 394-0376 or 393-7753 with your prayer requests, concerns and comments.  God's Blessings!

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