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| Take your cue from the best giant slayer — David |
Chakara Bennett
Guardian Lifestyles Reporter chakara@nasguard.com
Published: Aug 09, 2012
There are “giants of sin” rampaging through the Bahamian society tearing families apart, disrupting unity and peace in communities, encouraging unemployment, poisoning the youth and doing their best to destroy the church and other voices of morality. To combat “giants of sin” it is up to the people who believe in God to do battle against the vices and return order to the country. To guarantee success when facing these tormentors of society and successfully overcoming these monstrous forces as warriors in the army of God and for country, people should take a cue from the best giant slayer — David. That was the crux of the message that Pastor Paul Scavella, head of the Southern Conference of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in The Bahamas recently gave to 300-plus police officers and their families at a service celebrating the Royal Bahamas Police Force Reserve’s 47th anniversary service at the Centreville Seventh Day Adventist Church. The service was held under the theme “Deepening Our Commitment.” Pastor Scavella told the officers that it was important for them to not just be committed to obtaining justice for others, but to also commit to God and let Him work through them. And that defeating the ills the country faces starts with bettering their Christian walk, not increasing numbers of the Police Force or improving training methods. “What you should be aiming toward doing is not just to give your all as law enforcers, but also to pay just as much attention to being men and women of integrity,” said Pastor Scavella during the service. “And in order to do that you have to be willing to put your trust in the Lord as David did so that you can accomplish the ultimate mission — slaying giants in society.” Pastor Scavella charged them to start with themselves in order to improve the crime problem in the country. He said while they desire to work hard and do what they can for their country, making a difference starts from within. He reminded them that David was afraid to take down Goliath on his own, and did not attempt such a feat until he consulted the Lord. And that in doing so, David was able to defeat the seemingly unbeatable giant. The minister said if more officers put God first and let Him guide their thoughts and actions, that there could be a better way that they are not seeing yet to address the crime problem the country is experiencing. The Seventh-day Adventist pastor encouraged the officers to open themselves up to getting help from people around them. He told them that the giants of criminality they face will continue to rise as the offspring or side effect of one giant springing forth to avenge or wreak havoc in its own way. He told them that this was why when David fought the giants that came after Goliath that he did so with the help of an army. He told the police officers that they should be doing the same thing. And that the army can be people in the field of law enforcement as well as those in the community as everyone is affected by giants, so they should have a hand in putting an end to it. He also encouraged the law enforcement officers to get closer to the church. “They need to embrace the church, and doing God’s work because the saying to give unto God what is God’s and unto Caesar what is Caesar’s still stands true. Serving God as you should will overflow into serving country effectively,” he said. The officers were also told that keeping God close to comfort and relax their minds could also assist them from snapping under the pressures of their strenuous jobs. The pastor told them that just as ministers and the church reach out to the members of the force, he encouraged them to reach out for help as well when needed when it came to aspects of their job that they may not always be comfortable with. “To clear your mind, we encourage you to find someone objective to speak your mind to. You need an outlet, and there is no better one than the church,” said the religious leader. The minister told the officers that God has a purpose for them beyond being a part of law enforcement, and that they are only living partially if they are not answering the call God has for them. Pastor Scavella said that in time officers will answer their call and see that there are different ways to tackle the problems in society. That there are giants everywhere and they need to deepen their commitment to defeating them — whether they are in their line of duty or in other aspects of their lives. At the end of the day, he said if they aim to be committed on all fronts of their life a change will start throughout the country. |
