When does a person of influence passed the baton? Often the decision was left too late by the incumbent with resulting losses that could have been avoided. The taste for power especially absolute power is never satisfied since Satan, the ancient archangel, had it.

When Ali Jinnah decided to break rank with India's Gandhi and form the new state of Pakistan in 1947 he sought to create a democratic society with freedom of religion guaranteed through constitution and keeping the government secular. In 1979 the civilian government under Ali Bhutto was replaced by General Zia-ul-Haq who introduced a blasphemy law to appease the muslim radicals in the society. This law had given grounds to radicals to persecute Christians. Two notable politicians had been murdered this year so far because of their opposition against this legislation:
Salman Taseer Chief Minister of the leading state of Punjab
Shahbax Bhatti Minister in charge of minority interests

I know, O LORD, that a man's life is not his own;
       it is not for man to direct his steps.
Correct me, LORD, but only with justice—
       not in your anger,
       lest you reduce me to nothing.
Pour out your wrath on the nations
       that do not acknowledge you,
       on the peoples who do not call on your name.
       For they have devoured Jacob;
       they have devoured him completely
       and destroyed his homeland.

Jeremiah understood and knew God; that He is the Lord who exercises kindness, justice and righteousness on earth (9:23-24). When a man chooses to direct his own steps without God he is walking in darkness perils. However, if the LORD delights in a man's way, he makes his steps firm; though he stumble, he will not fall, for the LORD upholds him with his hand (Psalms 37:23-24).
 Correct me, LORD, but only with justice because the anger of God is a consuming fire destroying everything in its path. As God is a God of justice there is a price to be paid for sin. But God too is a God of mercy, therefore a sincere appeal for His clemency and grace will not go unheeded. Made this in no uncertain way by calling on the name of Jesus Christ – for salvation comes by no other name in heaven (Acts 12:4).   
 
The first half of Jeremiah’s prayer is in the first person but from the context it is clear that he is praying on behalf of his nation, Israel. He who is the Portion of Jacob . . . the Maker of all things, including Israel, the tribe of his inheritance (v16). The prayer concludes with a warning against any nation that poured scorn and death wish on Israel will face the God of Israel who in His justice will bring down judgment against the nations that defy Him and ridiculed His chosen ones.

Over the past year there is a distinctive cold wind that is blowing against Israel from unlikely source. The once staunch allies in the West are now reveiwing their support. Sadly the benediction, I will bless those who bless you (Gen 12:3), coincidentally appears to be fading too from these nations. Where will Isreal's help come from? The Christian Church. Benjamin Netanyahu, the current Prime Minister of Israel, sensing the growing loneliness of his nation, had declared that Israel “has no better friends in the world” than Christians who love and support Israel (Jerusalem Post, April 2008).
Pray for the peace of Jerusalem:
       "May those who love you be secure.
May there be peace within your walls
       and security within your citadels."
Psalms 122:6-7

Timothy Tay

Read also:
Flotillas & Falsehoods, Don't Members of the Press ever Resent being so Used? by NRO's Nora Charen
"We are no longer a Christian nation", President Obama & Islamic Convictiions

 23 A poor man's field may produce abundant food,
       but injustice sweeps it away.

 24 He who spares the rod hates his son,
       but he who loves him is careful to discipline him.

 25 The righteous eat to their hearts' content,
       but the stomach of the wicked goes hungry.
Proverbs 13:23-25

Editor, ChurchInPerth
Comments Received:
Your interpretation of  Prov 13.23-25 by suggesting the verse on 'sparing the rod' is in some way related to verse v23 re 'societal justice' -to me is stretching the hermeneutical rule of interpreting in context. J.C.

Ed: There is grounds to link Prov 13:23-25 together taken contextually as well as external evidence. The concern I expressed is our pre-occupation with associating caning with violence in disciplining children that we have avoided disciplining all together.

The crucified, dead, but alive-again Christ, is the hope of all people. He is risen with the power to change lives. He has overcome the weaknesses and brokenness which grip the human race. He reigns as Lord, the one with authority to lead us. He is the infinite reference point to guide our lives, and the near at hand friend to heal us.
Salvation Army
@Creation
When Adam and Eve disobeyed God and sinned, God made garments of skin to cloth them from their shame. Genesis 3

circa 2000BC
Abraham obedience even to the point of not withhelding his son, his only son, from God had resulted in a covenant that "through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed, because you have obeyed me." God provided a ram as sacrifice in place of Isaac. Genesis 22

circa 1500BC
Passover lamb, which was sacrificed and its blood put over the doorposts as a sign of faith, so that the Lord passed over the houses of the Jews during the last plague poured out on the Egyptians - the killing of every firstborn except for those of the house of Israel. Exodus 12

@Easter
Jesus bacame the Passover Lamb who took away the sin of the world. *

Salvation belongs to our God,
   who sits on the throne,
   and to the Lamb. Revelation 7:12

Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain,
   to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength
   and honor and glory and praise! Revelation 5:12

Messages from Australian Churches
Message from Archbishop Hickey

Have a safe Easter - receive Jesus Christ into your life.

One lesson we can learn from the earthquakes in Chile and Haiti is the obvious need to be prepared for impending disaster at all times.
Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour says Jesus to his disciples when he foretold of impending disasters and if those days had not been cut short, no human being would be saved is our Lord's assurance of his return for the sake of his elect.

Bills of Right are being passed by states and nations in recent years particularly in the western democracies with the good intention of protecting minority rights on racial, religious and sexual grounds. However, experience had shown that the new legislative power is being used to undermine the constitutional rights of freedom of expression enshrined in all democracies. By this bill which is passing through the Federal Parliament one's expression of faith can be considered as discriminatory to another person's faith. Christians are being encouraged to actively express their faith and often this very act can be interpreted under the new legislation as an infringment of privacy and discriminatory. Syaria laws in its core are prohibitions that shut the believer from interacting in any meaningful ways with infidels and this is an affront to democracy.