Hello Mi Neighbour | Practise righteousness and watch the right things happen for you!

TAKE IT from me ... no, not from me, from the Creator, “Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people”. The rise or fall of any nation or family, for that matter, is predicated upon the values that that nation/family epouses. If those values are godly, “goodness and mercy shall follow … .”

The nation/family that embraces ungodly values, laadamassi! Let us be wise in our pursuits economically and otherwise. There’s a thing called ill-gotten gain. As attractive as that may appear at the outset, ill-gotten gains, in the long run, only lead to pain and shame. Money does not exalt a people. Righteousness does!

As a people, however financially viable or pleasing our economic activities may seem on the surface, unless the Eternal Father’s stamp of approval is on them, He considers them ill-gotten and displeasing to Him. My siblings would remember Uncle Charlie and the chastisement his son received when he arrived home with an ill-gotten gain. It was an unforgettable chastisement, but it saved him from what could have been more severe chastisement in his later life. Guess if we had a few more Uncle Charlies, our prison population would be fewer. Come on, parents, “train up your children in the way that they should go … .”

Let me go on. So, money is what most people are after, but money can be a ‘robber’! All of us must be engaged in honest money-making activities at one time or another. That’s how we achieve some important goals and meet personal needs. Money is a medium of exchange: give me some of it and I give you a service or a good in return. As important as money is, though, its acquirement is not worth sacrificing all the other essentials of life for it.

That said, let’s itemise some invaluable things that money cannot purchase:

* Happiness: If you don’t practise enough gratitude, self-care, and mindfulness, you may never be happy. Many of the wealthy will tell you that despite their wealth and fame, they are not happy in their relationships and careers, etc.

* Time: Despite one’s financial riches, they cannot reverse or extend time. That realisation, in itself, can produce a lot of misery, inching closer and closer to the inevitable, notwithstanding the scientific and medical advances.

* Love: Try as hard as you may, your money will never be able to purchase an ounce of love, which the world so badly needs, but has so little of despite the millions of songs and books that have been written on the topic. Yet, the heart made available to the Eternal Father can receive an abundant supply of this precious power.

* Health: Health is one of the crucial things in life that money can’t buy. Even if you are a billionaire, you can never trade your money for health. There are many real-life cases where people sacrifice their health to make money then sacrifice their money to regain their health.

To come back to my first paragraph, “righteousness exalts a nation”, highlights the importance of moral integrity, ethics, and values in the prosperity and greatness of a nation or the individual. It suggests that true strength does not lie in financial wealth or material resources but in the character and righteousness of people. A people’s moral foundation is crucial to its well-being and success. Leaders who prioritise righteousness and ethics are on the same page with the Creator and can foster a more just and amiable society: individuals and communities working together to promote right values, compassion, and integrity.

Note: The one who engages ungodly means to acquire wealth may be only robbing himself of important freedoms that the acquired wealth may not help him to regain.

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To help, please call Silton Townsend at 876 649-9636 or 876 884-3866. Email: helloneighbour@yahoo.com. Visit hellomineighbourja.blogspot.com. Townsend exclusively manages the collections and distributions mentioned in this column and is neither an employee nor agent of The Gleaner.