Over-Reach
In a poem that I wrote a very long time ago; I included the following two lines:-
“Take heed, he said, all you need do is expand, expand, expand, But where there lies nothing, not a stain upon the ground.”
Our society today is built around the altar of greed. It is one of the watchwords of our political classes of all persuasions. But the fact is that whilst the Earth has enough to satisfy all man’s needs, it does not have enough to cater for all man’s greed. It is not possible to turn on the television without being assaulted by advertisements for get rich quick competitions, but also conversely by those asking for money to be left to them in your will.
Oh, the fear of being left behind, of missing out, or not being part of the smart set. What value have I if I do not conform to the general corruption of the world? – it is such warm and comfortable place to be. And whilst it is a noble aim to want to better ourselves, it must not be at the expense of those who are truly the most vulnerable and defenceless. The whole financial world is descending into chaos as a result of rampant materialism. As recently as 2009 AD, one, Bernie Madoff (a very appropriate name) was arraigned in the Daniel Moynihan Courthouse in downtown Manhattan, accused of stealing 65 billion US dollars. And more or less at the same time in 2008AD, the so-called credit crunch was caused by unwise policy, enacted by a previous Democrat US President gambling with monumental transfers of cash and derivatives to gain the approval of potential electoral supporters. As the Bible says, “the love of money is the root of all evil”.
There is no society that can escape judgement for its sins, at best such judgement can only be delayed for a short term. We, in the west have acted like the prodigal son and are about to enter a period of great economic difficulty. We have lost all sense of reason and perspective. We need to get back to observing and obeying the ten commandments that God provided for us for our protection. Ignoring these precepts leads us into a situation where we are doomed to be fodder for every delusion under the sun. And there are plenty of delusions doing the rounds at the moment.
Our only safe defence is to put all of our trust in the hands of our Lord Jesus Christ, because he is all-wise and all-knowing and understands EVERYTHING, and is willing to import this knowledge to all those who will truly LISTEN. Unfortunately, these are usually in the minority. We have to be as God’s friend Abraham, who obeyed without question and was rewarded with great riches and meaningful purpose. It is that sense of purpose which is our greatest gift and why Solomon initially asked for wisdom when given a choice. Understanding our role in the world is the source of solid satisfaction, security and sanity.
When our Israel nations ran to the divine accord, it precipitated a great increase in every blessing, especially from the time of our great Queen, Elizabeth 1st who reigned from 1558AD to her death in 1603AD. Prior to that time, England was not of any great consequence in the wider world, but she rolled back the dark and oppressive hand of the Roman (Babylonian church (sic)) and was as a result subject to numerous attempts on her life. Because of her the threat of Papist Spain was repelled and our island nation was no longer subject to gross error. But, now owing to the foolishness of our present king who wishes to be all things to all men (much like the last late Pope) we are sliding back into desolation and slavery to alien forces. You must understand that those, whoever they are, who have become slaves have usually become so as a result of their own severe moral delinquency.
Good Queen Bess, as Queen Elizabeth was often known, was under pressure all of her life to marry a royal personage and was deeply troubled by the difficulty of this choice. At one time she was ‘engaged’ to Francis, Duke of Alencon, a Protestant Valois noble and son of King Henry 2nd of France, but in the end, nothing came of this. (Ironically Alencon Link in Basingstoke is the address of the HQ of the British Civil Service Commission). She in the end had to rest on God’s judgement and advice, for on one hand many said that an heir to the English throne was needed along with the security of a husband, whilst she had difficulty in imagining how she could rule without distraction for the benefit of the country unless she focussed all of her attention on this vital mission.
We see in this instance how it is always best to seek God’s guidance in all humility and with a total lack of personal ambition. It is often said that the greatest damage is done by those who seek to save the world (or planet) before they have saved themselves. This is exceedingly prevalent today. This is over-reach and is leading us away from all that is true. However, we are assured by God that if we are patient to the end, that all these unbalanced things will be brought under divine correction.
And then we shall know the Peace of God which passeth all understanding.
Amen
