NOTE: When writing about God and Jesus, The Daily Jot means YHVH as God and Yeshua Ha Mashiach as Jesus–the actual original names and the true nature and character of them.
President Donald Trump is once again facing a firestorm. This time, over his remarks about not wanting immigrants from what he called “S**Thole nations.” The media and his opponents wasted no time in translating his words into the word “racist.” Whether it was taken out of context or not, this President should know by now that every word he says comes under great scrutiny, and most of his words will be twisted and used against him. He should, therefore, curb his word usage and be more intentional about the messages he is sending. Otherwise, his effectiveness will erode. If politicians believe Trump to be racist, they will not want to be seen with him or work with him. The Bible has a lot to say about words.
Christ said in Matthew 7:12, “Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets.” It’s called the Golden Rule. It starts out by treating others the way you would like to be treated. This is how we as Christians need to view the world. It should be a foundation of our life’s philosophy, something etched in our heart. Christ also said in Matthew 15:11, “Not that which goes into the mouth defiles a man; but that which comes out of the mouth, this defiles a man.” No matter how much we want change in this country from the previous ways, we also must not abandon our Christian principles in the process. Accountability is key.
Proverbs says a lot about the words we use. 18:21, “Death and life are in the power of the tongue.” 12:18, “There is that speaks like the piercings of a sword: but the tongue of the wise is health.” 15:1, “A soft answer turns away wrath, but grievous words stir up anger.” 13:3, “He that keeps his mouth keeps his life: but he that opens wide his lips shall have destruction.” 10:19, “He that refrains his lips is wise.” 25:11, “A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in pictures of silver.” 29:20, “See a man that is hasty in his words? There is more hope of a fool than of him.” There are many who believe our President’s harshness is necessary and that some people may deserve it, but scripturally speaking, it cannot be justified.
James 3:5-8 says,”Even so the tongue is a little member, and boasts great things. Behold, how great a forest a little fire kindles! And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity: so is the tongue among our members, that it defiles the whole body, and sets on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire by hell. For every kind of beasts, and of birds, and of serpents, and of things in the sea, is tamed, and has been tamed by mankind: But the tongue can no man tame; it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison.” Curb your tongue, Mr. President. Words mean things and the meaner your words, the meaner you are portrayed, and the less you will be able to accomplish.
Have a Blessed and Powerful Day!
PS. Please use the “Share This Email” link below to pass this on to as many people as you can!
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Ghana: Food + Water = Transformation for the poor
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A water truck being loaded with water from our water system for needy households
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By Pastor William Agbeti
[NOTE: This is an account of just one of many clean water, feeding and clothing programs conducted by The Daily Jot and our ministry partner Redeem West Africa in the rural areas of Ghana, West Africa. Your donations that make this possible–Blessings, Bill W]
A young African mother, holding a plastic bucket in hand, set off this morning on a 5-minutes walk from her little makeshift home to the Redeemer House, with the hope of fetching water.
On arrival, she was told the water system had developed a fault and was being fixed, and would not be ready until probably the next day. Her countenance changed all of a sudden. The joy with which she came, singing all the way, dissipated. Hope was gone. She didn’t know what to do. There was no other place within a short distance to go fetch water. Being poor, buying sachets of water for her household chores was obviously out of the question. She left with sadness written all over her face.
Undoubtedly, lack of clean water would bring along in its trail various forms of water-related stresses for this young mother and her family; not to mention water related diseases and possible deaths over the long term. The family may have to do without cooking of meals, washing of clothes and utensils today. The stress increases when one has to go to town, school or work, without showering in this 100 degrees-plus weather, with high humidity.
The same goes for food – the types of stress the poor deal with when there is no food on the table or in the stomach is unimaginable. A case in point is that of another young mother and her little child of six who came to our free feeding program last month. Both were hungry and desperate for food. As two disposable bowls of cooked food were handed over to them, the mother set one side and ferociously started eating the other with the child, completely oblivious to onlookers. In this part of the world, like elsewhere, hunger and inability to obtain food can create a vicious cycle of stress for many.
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Children line up to fetch free clean water from our ministry faucet
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The situation leads to child labor, child trafficking, juvenile delinquency, child prostitution, child sales, and various other heart-rending conditions. In Ghana, many parents are reported to have sold their children for less than $5 each, in order to put food on the table! Reports reach us from various other poor communities about very young school girls selling their bodies in prostitution for as low as $1 per swing!
In the light of the above and others, we at Redeemer MINISTRIES have come to learn the hard way that Food + Water = Transformation.
“The little food and water we regularly give out to the needy go a long way to help transform individuals and whole communities. Our water project at Amrahia in a rural section of Accra, and our monthly feeding programs deep inside rural areas, bring about hope, change and inspiration to many; even if it’s for a day!”–Pastor William Agbeti
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| Some children waiting to be served with free meals at one of our feeding programs. |
Without these little efforts, the situation could be much worse, with a spill out that could easily affect individuals, families and communities all the way in the US, for instance, through illegal immigration, refugee crisis and human trafficking.
Therefore, anytime you donate towards the provision of food and water to the poor rural folks in Ghana, know that you may be doing it for yourselves – for your own good.
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The Daily Jot is totally reader supported. My wife, Chris, and I do not take a salary or receive any remuneration for this work. Your gifts go directly to assisting us in maintaining this column, the website, outreach, and the Lord’s work we do in Ghana, West Africa. Thank you for your prayers and support.
Have a Blessed and Powerful Day,
Bill Wilson
The Daily Jot
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