If you, O Lord, should mark iniquities, O Lord, who could stand? But with You there is forgiveness, that You may be feared. Psalm 130:3-4
I'm not the kind of person who believes thieves ought to get off free.
You probably aren't either. Indeed, most of us believe if a person is willing to do the crime, he has to be ready to do the time (in prison). Apparently Captain Moussa Camara, who has been appointed by Guinea's military junta to fight wrongdoing, has a little different take on the matter.
Knowing violent crime, rape, and thievery are all on the rise, Captain Camara said, "I'm asking you to burn all armed bandits who are caught red-handed committing an armed robbery." Camara then proceeded to explain this dire measure: "Our jails and our correctional centers can no longer take in people and the situation cannot carry on like this."
Nobody can say the good captain doesn't take his job seriously, maybe too seriously.
Of course, if the country follows his urgings, there are probably not going to be many repeat offenders.
When I read that story, which was carried last week by the BBC, I'm thankful the good Lord doesn't think like Captain Moussa Camara.
In so many words, the Psalmist said, "If the Lord would keep a running record of our transgressions, all of us would be condemned to die in the permanent fires of ****."
It would have been a nasty and ongoing end for us.
So we wouldn't be confined to the everlasting barbecue, the Father sent His Son into the world. True Man and true God, Jesus took our sins to Himself. He willingly carried them, and He paid the price for them upon Calvary's cross.
Descending into ****, the crucified Christ showed His victory to the devil and all the forces of evil. On resurrection Sunday, a risen Savior revealed His triumph to the world He had redeemed.
Now, because of Jesus, and with faith in Jesus, there is forgiveness. Why? It's so the Lord might be feared, so the Savior might be praised.
THE PRAYER: Dear heavenly Father, if You were interested in immediately punishing us for our sins of thought, word, and deed, we would be sunk. That we are saved is due to Your grace, the Savior's sacrifice, and the Holy Spirit's call. May we give thanks that with You there is forgiveness. In the Savior's Name. Amen.
A couple of things came to mind reading this devotion -- firstly, I think Sir Capetaine is resorting to a very drastic and harsh measure, esp for thieving. Even JESUS forgave the thief on the cross (Luke 23:43). "For the LORD hears the Poor, and does not despise His Prisoners." (Psalm 69:33)
Another place says those who steal to feed themselves, should be made to repay 2, 4-5 x times what they took (Exodus 22:1 & Ex 22:7). Some of those people may be stealing becuz they are trying (albeit in the wrong way) to feed their families in a very bad economy, in a very poor country. (Proverbs 6:30)
Secondly, that sounds too much like Saddam Hussein who just killed everyone that went into his prisons, regardless of why he put them in there. They went in and just never came out; that also sounds like HITLER, and so does this man ...
YES, THANK GOD, HE sent His only son, JESUS CHRIST, to die on the cross, to pay the penalities FOR ALL OF US, for ALL of our sins, faults, iniquities, wrongs, shortcomings, mistakes, errors, transgressions, and so forth.
JESUS came to show us A BETTER WAY ... FORGIVENESS!!!
AND ... GOD believed that we should be helping our poor, so they wouldn't need to steal (Deut 15:7; Jesus in Matt 19:21; Paul in Ephesians 4:28). Personally, I think they shouldn't fill the prisons with those who commit petty crimes, but use a mix of other consequences like work, fines, community service, repayment, schooling and training, counselling, and so forth. In the bible, they expelled criminals to a secured city/island (Job 30:5 & Zec 5:3). OR keep the jails and prisons for severe and violent offenders like murderers and all of that ilk ...
ANYWAYS, I am sure glad JESUS is gonna be our judge, and not those who have no compassion at all!!! THANK YOU, GOD for your MERCY & GRACE; and THANK YOU, JESUS for your Courage and Love!
Last edited by Justwant2Bhealthy; 06-11-2009 at 02:40 PM.
Daily Devotion 6/10
