“You shall have a perfect and just weight, a perfect and just measure, that your days may be lengthened in the land which the Lord your God is giving you.”Deuteronomy 25:15, NKJV.
It is best to deal honestly with your fellow beings and with God. You are dependent upon Christ for every favor you enjoy; you are dependent upon Him for the future, immortal life; and you cannot afford to be without respect unto the recompense of reward.
Those who realize their dependence upon God will feel that they must be honest with others, and, above all, they must be honest with God, from whom come all the blessings of life. The evasion of the positive commands of God concerning tithes and offerings is registered in the books of heaven as robbery toward Him.
No one who is dishonest with God or with others can truly prosper…. The Lord has bought us with His own precious blood, and it is because of His mercy and grace that we may hope for the great gift of salvation.
We are enjoined to deal justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with our God. Yet the Lord declares, “Ye have robbed me, even this whole nation.”
When we deal unjustly with other human beings or with our God, we despise the authority of God and ignore the fact that Christ has purchased us with His own life.
The world is robbing God upon the wholesale plan. The more He imparts of wealth, the more thoroughly do people claim it as their own, to be used as they shall please. But shall the professed followers of Christ follow the customs of the world? Shall we forfeit peace of conscience, communion with God, and fellowship with our brethren and sisters because we fail to devote to His cause the portion He has claimed as His own?
Let those who claim to be Christians bear in mind that they are trading on the capital entrusted them of God, and that they are required to faithfully follow the directions of the Scriptures in regard to its disposal. If your heart is right with God, you will not embezzle your Lord’s goods and invest them in your own selfish enterprises.
Some of my childhood memories revolve around the music I grew up listening to. We all have a soundtrack of our lives that echo the times in which we live.
“What the World Needs Now” composed by Burt Bacharach is a song that was released and made popular by Jackie DeShannon in 1965, but Dionne Warwick sang a contemporary version most resonating to the new age.
The Lyrics go…
Lord, we don’t need another mountain There are mountains and hillsides enough to climb. There are oceans and rivers enough to cross, Enough to last till the end of time.
What the world needs now is love, sweet love It’s the only thing that there’s just too little of. What the world needs now is love, sweet love, No, not just for some but for everyone.
What was true in the sixties is still rings true today.
What the world needs is a little love.
Once again the world is boiling over in unfathomable diseases and infections like coronavirus, pestilences in Africa like locusts, riots, violent protests, racial unrest, hatred and fear. What is needed now is not another press conference, or another tweet from our leaders, or another protest march where people end up dead.
It should be clear to everyone that we do not have the answers to the problems that plague us. There is only one answer. What the world needs now is love.
And “God is love” (1 John 4:8). He’s the only thing that there’s just too little of.
In case we forgot,
Love is patient,
Love is kind.
It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.
It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.
Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.
It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
Love never fails. (1 Cor. 13:4-8).
Let’s do our part to change the discordant soundtrack of our times and allow the music of God’s love to play through us.
What can you do today to show love and care to the world? Let us know your thoughts in the comment box below. 🙂
We know from the Bible that these troublesome events will not cease as we approach Christ’s second coming.
Mark A. Kellner
Kenyan Locust Plague
Rarely since the Exodus of Hebrew slaves from Egypt has the African continent seen such a sight: locusts swarming throughout Ethiopia, Kenya, and Somalia, with South Sudan and Uganda also at risk. Reports indicate that the heavy rains in Yemen and Ethiopia at the end of 2019 created ideal breeding conditions.
According to the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the crop-destroying insects move quickly and cause immense devastation: “Locust adults can eat their own weight every day, i.e., about two grams of fresh vegetation per day. A swarm the size of Bamako, Niamey or Paris will consume the same amount of food in a single day as half the population of Mali, Niger and France respectively.”
In the past, locusts have usually been combated with aerial pesticide—sprayed over infested areas by aircraft. But in Somalia, with its current military situation, that is not a viable solution. Alternative methods are limited and ineffective. As a result, Somalia’s government “has declared a national emergency as large swarms of locusts spread across east Africa. The country’s Ministry of Agriculture said the insects, which consume large amounts of vegetation, posed ‘a major threat to Somalia’s fragile food security situation,’” the BBC reports. It’s feared the locusts might not be brought under control before Somalia’s farmers begin to harvest crops in April.
Another large issue at hand is the cost. Several small planes dropping pesticide in the adjacent countries of Ethiopia and Kenya are not enough to combat against a multiplying horde. The 2003–2005 locust outbreak in Africa, the Wall Street Journal notes, cost $600 million to control, including $90 million of food aid for the affected areas. More than $2.5 billion in post-harvest losses were reported by farmers.
As for Kenya, the locusts are the newest in a growing pile of economic issues. “For Kenya, sub-Saharan Africa’s second-largest exporter of fruits and vegetables after South Africa, the stakes are high. Effects from a 2018 drought followed by flooding last year slashed Kenya’s main grain harvest by around a third, pushing up food prices and stirring unrest in poorer pastoral communities. Economic growth slowed to 5.8 [percent] last year from 6.3 [percent] in 2018, weighed down in part by the decline in agricultural output,” the Journal reports.
An International Threat? An additional article from the BBC indicates that the plague could even spread to another continent: “[T]he problem could get worse as the year goes on. Aside from growing numbers in east Africa, locusts have also been breeding in India, Iran and Pakistan, which could turn into swarms in the spring.”
The Journal additionally quotes FAO director general Qu Dongyu on the crisis: “This has become a situation of international dimensions that threatens the food security of the entire subregion.” Dongyu also cites the need for international funds in order to avert the disaster.
Moreover, the report from AccuWeather.com offers this bleak news: “It’s been 25 years since people in Kenya and Ethiopia have seen swarms of this magnitude and 70 years since Kenya last encountered such an invasion of locusts. FAO officials warn that the locusts are rapidly heading toward Ethiopia’s Rift Valley, known as the country’s ‘breadbasket.’”
What’s behind this? The Associated Press says scientists hold climate change responsible: “Heavy rains in East Africa made 2019 one of the region’s wettest years on record, said Nairobi-based climate scientist Abubakr Salih Babiker. He blamed rapidly warming waters in the Indian Ocean off Africa’s eastern coast, which also spawned an unusual number of strong tropical cyclones off Africa last year. … Even now rainfall continues in some parts of the vast region. The greenery that springs up keeps the locusts [fueled].”
Another Perspective The Bible, however, may offer an important explanation. Scripture tells us that we are living in the last days, and during that period, “nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of sorrows” (Matthew 24:7, 8).
We know from the Bible that these troublesome events will not cease as we approach Christ’s second coming. Famines and pestilences? Sounds like what’s happening in East Africa right now—or what soon may take place. While we pray that such a disaster is limited, if not avoided altogether, we also know from the Bible that these troublesome events will not cease as we approach Christ’s second coming.
The news may be full of dire threats, but God tells us not to let our hearts be troubled (John 14:1). He gives us warnings for the last days not to frighten us, but to prepare us spiritually. No matter what the future brings, God is in control. Consequently, Revelation’s prophecies have two practical purposes: to teach us how to live today and to prepare us for the future.
Also worth considering is Pastor Doug’s message “A Famine in the Land,” which discusses an important preparatory step for all believers: “The Bible tells us there will be famines in the last days, cultural and spiritual famines. If we are prepared, we can weather the famines and storms with God’s help. We need to be storing the Word of God in our minds now.”
Whatever happens in Africa, whatever happens in the world, one thing is certain: Staying close to God and His Word is necessary during the times of trouble that lie ahead!
The Young Adventist 