“Reform Your Ways And Your Actions…!”

“Reform Your Ways And Your Actions…!”
The antique Presbyterian Church house, Ntanfoang in Bali Nyonga is the first church house in the Grassfields constituting the West and North West regions of Cameroon. This church house was constructed in 1914. Another aspect of its historical importance is that the autonomy of the Presbyterian Church in Cameroon was declared in this building in November 1957.
From Bali we now have imposing church houses all over the North West region. Sunday mornings are quite busy as pedestrians, cyclists and motorists compete on the roads, sometimes crisscrossing as they hurry to one church building or the other.
What a Christian region! But what biting irony! For some weeks now movement of vehicles from and to Ekok, Mamfe, Widikum, Batibo, Bali and Bamenda is not possible! The food market in Bamenda city is amost without fresh food. The price of some basic commodities are skyrocketing.
Apart from rumours of worst days ahead, the telltale signs are obvious and one does not need a seer to know that worst days are truly ahead!
In the midst of all these the Christians still flood the churches, surely confident that “this is the temple of the Lord…” where there is safety and security!
Unfortunately, our zeal to have a place in the house of worship supersedes our zeal for the Object of our worship – the Lord.
Like in the days of old the Lord has told Jeremiah to “Stand at the gate of the Lord’s house and proclaim this message: ‘Hear the word of the Lord all you people..,who come through these doors to worship the Lord…Reform your ways and your actions, and I will let you live in this place. Do not trust in deceptive words and say, “This is the temple of the Lord…!” If you really change your ways and your actions and deal with each other justly, if you do not oppress the alien,the fatherless or the widow and do not shed innocent blood in this place, and if you do not follow other gods to your own harm, then I will let you live in this place…But look, you are trusting in deceptive words that are worthless…you steal and murder, commit adultery and perjury, burn incense to Baal and follow other gods to your own harm, then come and stand before me in this house which bears my name and say, “We are safe” – safe to do all these destestable things? Has this house which bears my Name, become a den of robbers to you? But I am watching!'”(Jer.7:1-15).
Our problem is not lack of religion; our problem is too much of religion without God! God through his Son Jesus Christ can turn our story around if we pay less attention to edifices and denominations, and focus on his worship in obedience to his commands.
Our homelands lie in waste and abandonment. But we can reclaim all that once was ours if as individuals and collectively we obey this simple advice: “Reform your ways and your actions…Do not trust in deceptive words!”
Prayer: Cast me not away from your presence O Lord. Holy Spirit help me to reform my ways and my actions and not to trust in deceptive words. Amen!
Have a blessed day! Peace be with you!