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Covid-19 Devotionals

Delinquent

If you are one who wanted to spend time splashing in the waters down at the beaches along the Garden Route, you would likely feel hard done by because of the beach closures and the Democratic Party’s court case loss to have the beaches reopened. It does seem as though we as a nation generally feel we are being treated badly because of the Covid-19 Protocols the government has put in place … especially if you are someone who would like to enjoy a Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve Party and the curfew put into place prohibits this. The Daily Maverick reported today:

A high court judge today issued a ruling that dismissed former SAA chairperson Dudu Myeni’s appeal against the declaration the judge handed down on 27 May that made Myeni a delinquent director for life.

Judge Ronel Tolmay wrote in her May ruling that Myeni was dishonest, grossly abused her power, was grossly negligent, reckless, and that her actions inflicted substantial harm on SAA.

“She was a director gone rogue,” Tolmay wrote.

In today’s ruling, Tolmay also upheld the enforcement order brought by the Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse (Outa) and the SAA Pilots’ Association (Saapa).

As a result, Myeni will have to abandon all of her directorships, including her role as chairperson of the Jacob G Zuma Foundation and her position as deputy chairperson of Free State electricity distribution company Centlec.

“The order granted will be immediately enforceable, pending the finalisation of all appeal processes,” Tolmay added.

She agreed with Outa that the court would best serve the public interest by ordering swift and effective remedies when maladministration and mismanagement came to light.

The reason I mention this article is because of Myeni being classed as a “delinquent director for life” and “a director gone rogue” by the court. I started writing about Covid Protocols, and then about Myeni as a rogue or delinquent director. So many people are delinquent when it comes to Covid Protocols. Recently I read of a teen girl being locked up in another country for refusing to wear a face mask. I’m certain you have seen video clips of people being escorted off an aeroplane for refusing to wear a mask. A person who willfully breaks Covid Protocols is delinquent. To be delinquent describes someone who fails to accomplish that which is required by law, duty, or contractual agreement. All of us are aware how often we see people being delinquent when it comes to not masking and refusing to put the free sanitizer on their hands when entering a store.

Today I went into a “plastic store” in Gezina. An employee took my temperature. The lady behind me, when asked to take her temperature said, “Why? Are you a doctor?” The employee was firstly doing her duty to her employer and secondly, by law all people need to have their temperature taking before entering a public store (church, government office, etc.). I am sure you understand what I mean when I speak of being Covid Protocol Delinquent. Now it’s not just Myeni at South African Airways and the general public breaking Covid Protocol that are delinquent. Many Christians are spiritually delinquent!

Throughout the whole Bible we find God speaking harshly at times to His people because of their spiritual delinquency! Take Romans 12:1-2 as an example:

Ro 12:1 Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship. 2 Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

A quick reading does not expose any harshness … yet as you reflect carefully on these verses you see what your spiritual act of worship is (v1) followed by “do not” in verse 2. Spiritual worship is “urged” in verse 1 and complying with the world is presented immediately with “do not”!

In other words there was an issue … maybe some at this Church were spiritually delinquent in their approach to worship. Maybe they wanted the best of both worlds. Maybe they wanted to compromise … have one foot in heaven and the other in the world. Every time you see “do not”, the negative is presented implying prohibition. Why? For two main reasons. The first is that God is glorified and the second is that the individual experiences blessing and spiritual growth. Take the writer to the Hebrews saying:

Heb 5:11 We have much to say about this, but it is hard to explain because you are slow to learn. 12 In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God’s word all over again. You need milk, not solid food! 13 Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. 14 But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil. 6:1 Therefore let us leave the elementary teachings about Christ and go on to maturity, not laying again the foundation of repentance from acts that lead to death, and of faith in God, 2 instruction about baptisms, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment. 3 And God permitting, we will do so. 4 It is impossible for those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, who have shared in the Holy Spirit, 5 who have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the coming age, 6 if they fall away, to be brought back to repentance, because to their loss they are crucifying the Son of God all over again and subjecting him to public disgrace.

In a spiritual way this passage reminds me of how people today have been taught through so many media about Covid Protocols to “protect yourself to protect others”, yet they willfully and defiantly refuse to follow it. In chapter 5:11, the writer says … “it is hard to explain because you are slow to learn”. That sums up where so many people are today … slow to learn … as in will not learn … spiritually delinquent. In this passage you can literally hear the writer pleading with people to obey the Gospel protocols and return to obedience because … “It is impossible for those who have once been” (6:4) … “if they fall away, to be brought back to repentance” (6:6).

O God, as stubborn as people are refusing to do Covid Protocol, so people are stubbornly, spiritually delinquent. As the clock ticks, please wake people out of their spiritual stupor to be serious about Jesus. I pray in His name. Amen.

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