March 7, 2021
“Saying, When will the new moon be gone, that we may sell corn? and the Sabbath, that we may set forth wheat, making the ephah small, and the shekel great, and falsifying the balances by deceit?” (Amos 8:5) These merchants kept the religious holidays, but not in spirit. They couldn’t wait for the holidays and Sabbaths to be over so they could go back to making money. Their real interest was in enriching themselves. In the text, the Lord God is spelling out the hypocrisy of His people Israel and He is holding them accountable for their actions. This passage of scripture literally reverberated in my spirit as I listened to Gov. Greg Abbot announce he is lifting the states coronavirus restrictions. To quote the governor, “Open Texas 100 percent.” Effective Wednesday, March 10, businesses across the state will be able to open at capacity. Additionally, the statewide mask mandate is being lifted. While we all want to go back to what we perceive is normal, it is the opinion of this Pastor that this is not the time to relax the coronavirus restrictions, particularly the mask mandate. It appears to this Pastor that the governor’s actions were callous in light of the 516,000 lives that have been lost to COVID-19. In his announcement the governor said “This does not remove personal responsibility, personal vigilance is still needed to contain COVID.” Let me emphasize the need for personal responsibility.
Dear members, let us continue to wear the mask, practice social distancing, wash your hands and get the vaccine when it is available to you. Hear the word of the Lord: “There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love.” (1 John 4:18)
Pastor J. Amos Jones
