“If your brother sins against you, go and show him his fault, just between the two of you. If he listens to you, you have won your brother over. But if he will not listen, take one or two others along, so that ‘every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses (Matthew 18:15-17 NIV).
One of the surest ways to stunt your growth and become a stumbling block in the church of God is to be envious of others and their gifting rather than developing yours. As we saw yesterday a building can never stand the test of time if its foundations are not properly laid. A classic example of this is the recent earthquake in Haiti. Our hearts go out to our brothers and sisters in Haiti; however the devastation that we saw was created many years before. Haiti was the first Caribbean country to obtain autonomy when they defeated France in 1791. Because of this humiliating defeat, France along with the USA, who won their independence 50 years earlier, and who are now in Haiti ‘fronting the rescue mission’ decided not to trade with the Haitians. This decision hurt this fledging nation who had just shaken of the shackles of slavery after 10 years of battle with France for independence. To become part of the international League of Nations they had to appeal to France to recognise them as a nation state, but France refused this request. On Haiti’s 21st birthday as an independent state they were recognised by France with the support of the USA. They were a bankrupt state, surviving for 21 years in poverty. To join the world economy France insisted that they pay compensation for the money lost due to their independence for the 21 years. They were on their knees, so they agreed. They were told to pay 150 million gold francs, which they paid from 1825 and finished paying in 1922. This amounted to 70% of their national income.
Haiti was destroyed by the two most powerful nations in the world. The effect of this is that the buildings whose foundations were not properly laid crumbled when the earthquake came in January 2010, this year.
Envy caused the Haitians to be crippled at birth. They were the jewel in the Caribbean in the 18th century now they are one of the poorest nations on the planet in the 21st century. Contrary to what Pat Robertson says about them making a pact with the devil, they were destined to fail when economic stumbling blocks were placed before them by USA and France.
Today as we reflect on how we allow the fruit of the Spirit to grow in us and also what it is to be human, let us pray for and remind France and America that none of us can take the moral high ground. We have all sinned and come short of God’s grace, therefore let us remove all stumbling blocks from our neighbours so that their gifts may develop. Pray for Haiti and all their people who are struggling to come to terms with the calamity that they face. Let us call for USA and France to rebuild their country in light of the wealth that they plundered from them in the past.
Let us pray that people like Pat Robertson who are TV presenters and influential right wing politicians get their facts right and stop making gross assumptions.
As we develop our gifts please ensure that they are predicated by love, and let humility be the cornerstone of our character.
Read Matthew 18:6-20.
