Of Poverty And Crime
My spirit is stirred within me this morning as I contemplate what goes on in this country. People just do not get it in this country when it comes to crime. It is not destitution that leads to prostitution. It is not poverty that leads to loss of property. Have not poor people heard of George Muller of England who turned to God in PRAYER and established orphanages by PRAYER fed the orphans by PRAYER and supported many other ministries by PRAYER and God who has cattle on a thousand hills (Psa. 50:10) poured him out a continual blessing and neither he nor his orphans ever went without food but received sustenance from God. Is poverty the true cause for crime? As one writer says “It is these excuses that lead to sin.”
PRAYER changes things. Tennyson wrote “More things are wrought by prayer than this world dreams of.” Many say that prayer does not work and rightly so. This is the reason: Psa. 66:18 says “If I regard iniquity [sin] in my heart, the Lord will not hear me.” Prov. 28:9 adds “He that turneth away his ear from hearing the law, even his prayer shall be abomination.” There are conditions to answered prayer but people prefer to be satisfied than sanctified. They prefer to take away the blessings of others than to secure their own. It is this laziness that leads to haziness of values. It is this unkindness that leads to blindness. They prefer the handouts of man than to find the hand outstretched by God to help the righteous – the ones that comply with God’s conditions. Like the prodigal son they prefer to be riotous than righteous. (See Luke 15:13)
When men and women on alcohol kill or bounce each other down people blame the drunk alone. Do not just blame the drunk. Blame the drink that the drunk drank that made the drunk drunk in the first place. (See Prov. 20:1; Lev. 10:9; Isa. 28:7) Just as in the days of Adam and Eve it is the lack of MORALITY that leads to lots of MORTALITY. Too many are turning to ganja instead of Jah (Psa. 68:4). They prefer to be “high” than serve the Most High God. They are living on clouds of smoke instead of serving the Master who cometh with the clouds. Pastors and priests and members of parliament are condoning crime by stating there is an intimate relationship between poverty and crime. If there is any intimate relationship between poverty and crime it is an incestuous one because SIN is the father of both of them.
Turn to Jesus today. Worldly leaders claim to have the plaster for every sore but Jesus has the cure for every sore. The Lord is still my Shepherd I shall not want [lack]. “Today if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts” (Heb. 3:15). “Choose you this day whom ye will serve … but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.”
PRAYER changes things. Tennyson wrote “More things are wrought by prayer than this world dreams of.” Many say that prayer does not work and rightly so. This is the reason: Psa. 66:18 says “If I regard iniquity [sin] in my heart, the Lord will not hear me.” Prov. 28:9 adds “He that turneth away his ear from hearing the law, even his prayer shall be abomination.” There are conditions to answered prayer but people prefer to be satisfied than sanctified. They prefer to take away the blessings of others than to secure their own. It is this laziness that leads to haziness of values. It is this unkindness that leads to blindness. They prefer the handouts of man than to find the hand outstretched by God to help the righteous – the ones that comply with God’s conditions. Like the prodigal son they prefer to be riotous than righteous. (See Luke 15:13)
When men and women on alcohol kill or bounce each other down people blame the drunk alone. Do not just blame the drunk. Blame the drink that the drunk drank that made the drunk drunk in the first place. (See Prov. 20:1; Lev. 10:9; Isa. 28:7) Just as in the days of Adam and Eve it is the lack of MORALITY that leads to lots of MORTALITY. Too many are turning to ganja instead of Jah (Psa. 68:4). They prefer to be “high” than serve the Most High God. They are living on clouds of smoke instead of serving the Master who cometh with the clouds. Pastors and priests and members of parliament are condoning crime by stating there is an intimate relationship between poverty and crime. If there is any intimate relationship between poverty and crime it is an incestuous one because SIN is the father of both of them.
Turn to Jesus today. Worldly leaders claim to have the plaster for every sore but Jesus has the cure for every sore. The Lord is still my Shepherd I shall not want [lack]. “Today if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts” (Heb. 3:15). “Choose you this day whom ye will serve … but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.”