(a chapter from the section, Inspire the Future, of my book, Heaven on Earth)
I would like for us to make our communities livable in every nation on planet earth. The human issues are first and foremost in my mind. Let us tackle the human issues first. Human issues are those that affect human lives, human living conditions, human working conditions and human relationships with each other, food, energy and climate change.
For those of you that like working long hours in the marketplace, it is time for you to have a heads up and take interest in the world around you. I want to rally all of us together so that we can solve human issues in the home and in the marketplace, in the local community and in the global community, in our personal relationships and in our workplace relationships. We need you to participate in on this in your homes, in your local communities and in your global communities.
If we can look after all the human issues, and have people living alongside their brothers and sisters, celebrating their common interests and appreciating their differences, then I believe that the human potential and capacity that is within us all will be able to take care of the world’s problems.
I would like for all of you to contribute time and effort to heal and rebuild your own home and relationships, your local communities and the nations; and if you are able to, to contribute finances regularly to help those on the ground heal communities and nations in near and distant lands. I would like to thank you warmly in advance for your efforts and your generosity.
I would like for every human being to have:
- The ability to maintain a roof over their heads.
- Enough fresh food and clean water.
- A meaningful job in freedom and non-exploitative circumstances from which they can derive a comfortable living.
- The resources to exercise at least one gift, talent or strength that they have in their quiver in peaceful and non-violent means.
One of the words of wisdom from one who has been there before is as follows:
Change leads to growth, and growth leads to change. – John C. Maxwell, The Winning Attitude
There is positive change and then there is negative change. And then there is the change that we introduce for ourselves or the change that is forced upon us. Any of these types of change can lead to growth. We have to use our wherewithal, our necessary means, to survive and stay healthy through a change. To a certain extent, we have to use our “adaptability” to figure out what we must do in response to that change. I say “to a certain extent” because we might be able to think of quite a number of unprincipled responses to change. Say, if I lose my only means of making a living, then one of the unprincipled responses that I could have is resort to steal for a living. But if my lifestyle is anchored and principled then I might choose not to steal for a living, because I might not feel good about it after I have done the deed, and it is wrong to steal for a living, and there might be some rather nasty consequences for someone who steals for a living.
Principled response to change leads to positive growth. Every moment we breathe is an opportunity for growth. Every step forward is a step of growth.
Principled Lifestyle
Once we decide and choose to live a principled lifestyle, our resolve strengthens with each new principled decision that we make. If we choose to live an unprincipled lifestyle, then our resolve weakens and our conscience gets de-sensitized with each unprincipled decision that we make, and we may have external unsavory consequences if we break the law.
As our age-old institutions of religion, culture and tradition are dismantled through disuse, principled living becomes less accessible. People living in busy cities leading busy lives are pressured to discard principled lifestyles. Treating one another courteously and with respect becomes old-fashioned. I think that the first building block to healing our homes and our communities is to re-instate principled living back into our own lives. Principled living builds trust. Unprincipled lifestyle builds distrust. Principled lifestyle is an extraordinary journey, a high calling and a divine mandate.
Respectful Love
Treat ourselves with respect and respectful love, and treat one another with respect and respectful love.
In life, we may encounter many kinds of different pressures. We sometimes go through some very tough moments, and we need to have the resources within ourselves to handle the situation whilst at the same time respectfully loving ourselves and respectfully loving one another. Teaching our children to respectfully love themselves and respectfully love their parents while they are just about to throw a tantrum is about the hardest thing a parent has to do, but it must be done, so that they are able to handle that same stressful situation when they are grown up. Principled living is best started as a child. But we can change ourselves as we become adults as well, as soon as we learn the difference between right and wrong. Every little step forward is a step of growth. Principled response to change leads to positive growth.
Summary
The first point I would like to inspire us to do is to learn the right from the wrong so that we can consistently choose a principled response to forced change when we are put under pressure. Doing the right thing and choosing the right response will help us see the results of positive personal growth in our lives.
The second point I would like to inspire us to do is to consistently treat ourselves with respectful love and consistently treat one another with respectful love, regardless of our race, our religion, the color of our skin, our disability, our sexual orientation, our gender, our age, our social status, etc., as long as we are a living and breathing human being.
The third point I would like to inspire is the inverse of the second point. Do not abuse ourselves and do not abuse one another no matter how much stress we are put under. Find another way to release that stress. Doing physical exercise is one good and safe way of relieving stress.
These are three of the most important building blocks for healing our homes, and our communities.
May the grace and peace of Abba Father the Lord Jesus Christ be with you.
Thank You, Abba Father, Lord Jesus Christ.
In the Name of Jesus, Amen.
Word Sabre, scribe for Abba Father, LORD GOD, Lord Most High, Lord Jesus Christ.