By ALLEN FARLEY / Guest Columnist

Around 37 A.D. the Roman Emperor Caligula appointed a Jew, Herod Agrippa, to be king of Judea. After receiving his appointment, King Agrippa stopped in Alexandria, Egypt where there was a large Jewish population. Well, this visit apparently started an anti-Jewish riot. Statues of Emperor Caligula were set up in the synagogues and the Jewish sections of the city were burned and looted. (Isn’t it scary when you realize how long acts of violence associated with racial hatred have been around?)

First, let’s be perfectly clear about one thing, you and I are never going to eliminate evil. The Bible tells us that the god of this age, (Satan), will be on this earth with the other fallen angels, (estimated to be about one-third of all of heaven’s angels), until the day that Jesus returns.

Revelation 12:9 The great dragon was hurled down – that ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, who leads the whole world astray. He was hurled to the earth, and his angels with him.

What are we supposed to do until Jesus returns? We can be encouragers. Our words and our actions can be a testimony of what is good. (Remember, light eliminates darkness.)

Before Saul of Tarsus became the Apostle Paul, he spent about a year with an apostle called Barnabas. (Although his given name was Joseph, the disciples called him Barnabas, “Son of Encouragement”, because of his kindness and encouragement.) Barnabas’ encouragement assisted Paul to step away from being Saul, the feared persecutor of Christians, and become the Apostle Paul who would write thirteen books of the Bible. What an example of God working miracles through an Encourager. (We need to be more like Barnabas.)

Romans 8:5  Those who live according to the sinful nature have their minds set on what that nature desires: but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires.

God Bless America!!!

Allen Farley represents District 15 in the Alabama House of Representatives, and can be reached at allenfarley@bellsouth.net.