WORDS THAT ARE FAR FROM GOD by Robert Soto

WORDS THAT ARE FAR FROM GOD by Robert Soto

March 6, 2010

Proverbs 10:20 "The tongue of the righteous is choice silver, but the heart of the wicked is of little value."

I wonder what I would have done? That is the question I have asked myself over and over again. I read the accounts of our people, not just the Apaches but other tribes as well, and all that was promised to them, and I wonder what I would have done if I were in their shoes. I read of tribal leaders faced with difficult decisions over what to do for their people with promises that the government never meant to keep, and I wonder what I would have done. As I read Geronimo's account of how he was trying to decide what to do with the words that were given to him, knowing the history of lies behind them, I wonder what I would have done? When Geronimo was about seventy-seven years old he recalled one of many times that words were given to him that were not kept and he said, "Then he (General Miles) talked with me for a long time and told me what he would do for me in the future if I would agree to the treaty. I did not greatly believe General Miles, but because the President of the United States had sent me word I agreed to make the treaty, and to keep it."

Words come from the heart of man and whether they are kept or not depend on what is in the heart of man. Our people have been hearing words from political leaders since the foundation of our country and as of today, the only promise that was ever kept was the promise that they would take our land away. But the heart speaks louder than words and action. The actions of man prove the condition of the heart. Solomon wrote, "The tongue of the righteous is choice silver, but the heart of the wicked is of little value." Their promises of the past came from men and women whose hearts were far from the things God the Creator desired. So their words would come with very little value because our people knew they were not meant to be kept.

Robert Soto, Lipan Apache and pastor of:

McAllen Grace Brethren Church
The Native American New Life Center
Chief of Chiefs Christian Church