The Rev. Dr. John G. Innis
18 January 2006
(Page 2 of 2)
With a new and pure heart, Liberia, through the power of the Holy Spirit, will be saved. A new and pure heart will move us towards tolerance and peaceful co-existence. With a new heart, we will rededicate ourselves to a national spirit, and move on eagles' wings across the length and breadth of this land.
This new heart will help transform our country into a glorious land, a land of liberty and justice for all. This new heart will move us from despair to hope and inspire us to turn from greed and violence.
With a kind, loving and sincere heart, the things that caused Liberia to be a 'failed state' over the years, will totally be of the past. We will no longer think of the 1979 rice riot which eventually led to the bloody civil war. The consequences today are widespread corruption, bribery, disrespect for the rule of law, justice, and honesty in government, the Church and business transactions.
With a new and pure heart, we must rise to leadership in order to serve and protect our people and country and not ourselves. Too much of selfishness had kept Liberia backward for long. It is about time we put Liberia first. It is about time we focus on the security of Liberia. For too long we have lived in the state of insecurity but God says, "I have given you a new Liberia and I am ready to transform your hearts. And with this transformation, you will totally be free from threats, looting and indiscriminate killing."
In this spirit, Brothers and Sisters, God is urging us never again to be a stubborn people. Stubbornness is an impediment to happy living. With pure hearts, we will hear God's invitation to us in these words, "Come unto me and I will forgive your sin. You are stained red with sin; I will wash you as clean as snow. Although your sins are deep red, you will be as white as wool" (Isaiah 1:18, GNB). That is, God is committed to the process of producing new hearts with sustained peace and unity for our country and neighbors.
Because God desires a new heart and spirit for our land, He says to us, "Give up all the evils you have been doing, and get yourself new minds and new hearts" (Ezekiel 18: 31). Let us heed the word of God, and believe and claim what God has
promised. For He says in Ezekiel 36:25-26, "I will sprinkle clean water on you, and make you clean from all your idols. I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will remove from your hearts of stone and give you a new heart of flesh. I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws."
Brothers and sisters in Jesus Christ, with a new heart for our nation, there must be a genuine commitment to the constitutional responsibility within the three branches of government in order to make the laws of our land to work. This implies that God wants the three branches of government to work together in the spirit of unity, justice, integrity, accountability, transparency, and moral uprightness. Once these virtues are upheld by you, our leaders, then we, the citizens will happily submit to your authority without murmuring. In the words of Paul, as recorded in Romans Chapter 13, verses 1 and 2, comes this admonition: "everyone must submit himself/herself to the governing authority, for there is no authority except that which God has established." Your authority, as our leaders, is established by The God of love, justice and peace. Therefore, you are called to lead and walk humbly with God with new hearts.
A new heart for our nation therefore requires:
1. a demonstration of sorrow and regret for the sins we have committed against God and each other for these many years. We, as Liberians, must grieve over our wickedness in relation to God's standard of righteousness and the power of God's rule in our lives.
2. a demonstration of confession, forgiveness, and reconciliation.
Madam President-elect and Vice-President-elect, elected members of the Legislature, distinguished guests, brothers and sisters of the household of faith, the way forward for Liberia, a country emerging from the ruins of war, is for every Liberian to take on a new and pure heart so that peace, reconciliation and national unity will be the hallmark for restoring the years the locusts have eaten.
With a pure and new heart for our nation, the blessing of God awaits us, as it started with a peaceful free and fair election. We must, however, remember that the inauguration is not an end in itself, but a means to an end. Therefore, God expects us to take advantage of the most important portion of the blessings which is the rebuilding our lives and country. And the rebuild will not be achieved without the participation of all political parties and their supporters. Let us remember that this is everyone's country.
Finally, fellow Liberians, I pray for a faithful and an obedient heart for this country, once called the "Sweet Land of Liberty." For you see, with a faithful and an obedient heart, we can do God's good will and He will abide with us forever. He will heal us. He will guide us. He will empower us to overcome every difficult challenge that is before us. He will embrace us and bring us victory and success. For it is written, "Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord and whose leaders and followers are pure in heart." For when we shall have accomplished our task here on earth, then, we shall see God, as he has promised" and our former relationship with Him at creation will be re-kindled.
I therefore, challenge you, our new leaders in these paraphrased words of caution from John Wesley that you do all the good you can to all your people in all the counties, districts, townships, cities, towns and villages. You are called to lead us with kindness, love, justice and equity. And at the end, Liberia will experience the transformation as a new Nation whose people will exhibit a pure heart.
Kent M. Keith in his book, The Paradoxical Commandments for Christians, adds his voice to John Wesley's Counsel in these words for the work you have been called to do for our nation:
· People are illogical, unreasonable and self-centered.
Love them anyway.
· If you do good, people will accuse you of selfish ulterior motives.
Do good anyway.
· If you are successful, you will win false friends and true enemies.
Succeed anyway.
· The good you do today will be forgotten tomorrow.
Do good anyway.
· Honesty and frankness make you vulnerable.
Be honest and frank anyway.
· The biggest men and women with the biggest ideas can be shot down by the smallest men and women with the smallest minds.
Think big anyway.
· People favor underdogs but follow only top dogs.
Fight for a few underdogs anyway.
· What you spend years building may be destroyed overnight.
Build anyway.
· People really need help but may attack you if you do help them.
Help people anyway.
· Give the world the best you have and you'll get kicked in the teeth.
Give the world the best you have anyway.
JESUS DID IT ANYWAY
In anticipation of this national rebirth, I now invite us to rise, sing and dance the song of hope, joy, happiness, "Liberia! Sweet land of liberty" written by Ambassador Marron Cassell.
Liberia! Sweet Land of Liberty. We prophecy to you, you will rise, you will shine, you will prosper in Africa. Yea, the world.
Liberia, you are lifted, Amen, you are lifted. We prophecy to the world, you are lifted, Amen Alleluia, you are lifted.
"Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God".
IN THE NAME OF THE FATHER, THE SON, AND THE HOLY SPIRIT. AMEN
The Rev. Dr. John Innis is resident Bishop of the United Methodist Church in Liberia, which is headquartered in Monrovia. He has established the Liberia United Methodist Empowerment Foundation to accept contributions for reconstruction of the church's work in post-war Liberia.
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