LIFE’S INSPIRATIONS: “… The LORD is a God who avenges. O God who avenges, shine forth. Rise up, Judge of the earth; pay back to the proud what they deserve. How long, LORD, will the wicked, how long will the wicked be jubilant?…” (Psalm 94:1-3, the Holy Bible).
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REVAMP AT CUSTOMS WILL MEAN NOTHING: When will Filipinos ever learn? Yes, this question is worth repeating over and over again, in view of mounting calls once more for the “total and complete revamp or overhaul” of the Bureau of Customs after Commissioner Nick Faeldon was sacked by President Duterte the other day in connection with the P6.4 billion shabu smuggling at the Bureau.
I mean, no amount of “total and complete revamp or overhaul” of the Bureau of Customs, or any other government agency for that matter, in the sense of replacing all its officials from top to bottom at anyone given time, can really stop corruption or stealing of government funds.
What is needed for this revamp and overhaul to truly succeed in eradicating wrongdoing at the Bureau and in all other government agencies is the installation of officials and employees who have the Spirit of God in them. Unless and until people who truly fear and love God are the ones appointed or elected in government, there will be no end to plunder, corruption, and a host of other misdeeds hereabouts.
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CHANGE PEOPLE’S MINDS FIRST BEFORE TRUE CHANGE CAN COME: This is what this column had been harping on for quite some time now. I am of the view that the criminal mind among many government officials and employees today, which causes stealing, misappropriating, and plundering among them, has to be changed radically and transformed into a mind controlled by the Spirit of God.
A mind that is controlled by the Spirit of God will not lie, cheat, or steal, as cadets at the Philippine Military Academy are told repeatedly. A mind controlled by the Spirit of God will possess a healthy fear and love of God, one that will endeavor to love God with all that person’s heart, mind, and strength.
It will also be a mind that will compel the person to love his fellowmen as he loves himself. Indeed, a person who has fear and love of God will obey His commands, particularly the commands against stealing anything belonging to another, or coveting the spouse or ox.
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IS THERE A FILIPINO IN WHOM THE SPIRIT OF GOD DWELLS? The question here is, is there a person in whom the Spirit of God dwells? In answering this, we have to realize that the Spirit of God will dwell only with people who know His Word, the Bible, study it day and night, and carefully obey every command that is contained therein.
The problem with many Filipinos now is that, many of us no longer listen to God’s Word, and no longer obey His commands. Many of us no longer read the Bible, nor take time out to study it, much less to obey and fulfill what it ordains, not understanding that God’s curses come to us if we don’t do these things truthfully.
So, is it right to think that there is no longer any solution to corruption and plunder in our country? Yes, there is no longer any, if we rely merely on the officials we have now. However, there is nothing impossible with God. What we should do now is that, we must strengthen our faith by reading and obeying the Bible as sincerely as we can. God will provide a solution afterwards.
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