Easter 2019 has come and gone. And so was the Good Friday, the day to remember the vicarious death of our Lord Jesus Christ. Four months ago, we celebrated Christmas, His birth. Babies are born to live but He was born to die. People die because of sickness but He was crucified on the cross. People are executed for the crime they committed, but He, for that of others. May our generation appreciate God for this great sacrifice! May our generation reflect on this great love!
Proverbs 30:11-14, talks about, “A Generation that curses their fathers”. It set me thinking, how someone can curse his dad. It occurred to me then that the cursing may not always be by words. Some fathers are in the grave because of their children. They would have lived longer if their children had listened to them. A father is older than his children. If children know this, they will be listening to their dads, except where sin is involved. In that case, the children will refuse their parents’ bidding without hurting God.
There is a way a child will behave and people will heap blames on his parents for not taking proper care in his upbringing. Imagine a situation, where something is stolen, and the first suspect is the Pastor’s son! “Did Sam come here today?” Some- body might ask. If he did, you may not need to en- quire again, who the thief was. In some cases, he might not even be the per- son that stole it. He has for sure, cursed his parents. Is it not cursing the parents, if a child is known to be an armed robber? Can his dad worth anything again? Can he sleep if he hears that thieves are being paraded by the Police? Can he rebuke any child for any wrong doing?
Last month, we gave a ride to a youth we had never met before. Interview- ing him, we discovered that he is a child of God. “This coming Easter, buy something for your dad,” I told him. He accepted. I remembered immediately that the same Scripture talks also about a generation that does not bless their mothers. I told him to extend the gesture to his mum. I respect women a lot because of my wife. If I travel by public transport,
I offer my seat readily to them. A mum plays more active role in the life of a child than the dad. Imagine a woman, carrying her fellow human being in the womb for nine months! Imagine a lady being compelled or is restrained from doing certain things be- cause of her baby! Think about the labour pain and its wahala, which may result to the lady’s death! Children have no option but to be blessing their mums. May it not be our generation, where children curse their fathers and do not bless their mothers!
The passage above talks also about, “A Generation, pure in their own eyes”. A tragedy! The people are self-righteous and it is the height of fallen man’s depravity. It is interest- ing to note that during the ministry of the Lord Jesus, realizing his depravity, a man asked Him what he could do to have eternal life. The life of the disciples challenges me a lot. They would make out time to ask Jesus certain things that were not clear to them. They did not pretend at all! This is humility. Arrogance makes someone to be pure in his own eyes. Such a man will not grow but remains a dwarf in all aspects of life.
A certain Uncle was reputed to be claiming that he knew everything. He was angry, when corrected for wrong doing. One day, he went to the bush to defecate and did not know that his long flowing agbada had kissed terribly his excreta. When he entered the Church, he was smell- ing, but nobody told him until he discovered why the people were moving away from him. His anger rose to crescendo. Con- fronting friends and family members for not telling him, they reminded him of his posture that he knew all things.
In verse 13, the passage talks about, “A Generation that is lofty in their eyes”. The people are proud. Someone can be proud be- cause of his perceived self- importance, even when he has nothing to show for it. In the primary school, they taught us that ‘Pride goes before a fall’. In my life, I have noticed the fate of proud people. They hardly make it. One of them failed the London GCE [General Certificate of Education]. Pride induced him to lie to his dad and others that he passed. When the result of the School Certificate was released and he failed also, his dad told him to use his GCE and work. He could not. That was where his education ended, a youth that his dad had wanted to be a medical doctor!
There is also, “A Generation that is cannibalistic in nature and by conduct – v.14. They are the instruments of cruelty and they devour the poor with the greatest pleasure. These are the people, if you cross their path, their first consideration is how to kill you. They do not even bother to weigh the penalty they want to mete out with the offence committed against them. What is very painful is that when they inform their colleagues-in-crime of their intended action, nobody gives a counter advice. Blood must flow is their daily desire.
Considering these four types of evil, a Generation that curses their fathers and does not bless their mothers, a generation that is pure in their own eyes, a generation that is lofty in their eyes and a generation that is cannibalistic in nature, I am troubled. God cannot lie. His Word is immutable. There must be such a generation. Look- ing at the ways things are going on today, can it be that this is our generation? God forbid bad thing! May it not be!
There is then, a clarion call for us to wake up from spiritual slumber to ensure that this old prophecy of King Solomon, the privileged son of King David, who goofed but we thank God that he realized his error and came back to God, will not be fulfilled during our generation. All hands must be on the deck. The Ministers of God should be more focused on God’s Word instead of stimulating sentiments that will make their flock to be bringing more money for their [Ministers] flamboyant lifestyle and the fund- ing of their weekend trips abroad. We once, invited a great man of God to minister in our community and when we went to pick him, he had left for a programme in a Church in Warri. When I shared it with one of the big Uncles in this country, he teased me copiously. “Will you give him the Dollars the Church he went to minister in Warri will give him?” he asked. My God!
On the part of the congregation, we should have listening ears, be taking God’s Word serious and will also, be doing them. Like the Berean Christians, we should be search- ing the Scripture daily to confirm the things we hear and read.
For further comment, Please contact: Osondu Anyalechi: 0802 3002- 471; anyalechiosondu@ yahoo.com