SCRIP-BITS

Job 12:10     In whose hand is the soul of every living thing, and the breath of all mankind
 
Blessings my Friends! It’s Monday morning, when the forces of evil come scurrying out of their holes and lairs in full strength, to commit their sinful joys. That means it’s also time for us, the soldiers of Jesus to put on our spiritual armour and battle Beelzebub’s minions for another week. Remember it’s a battle to the death, no quarter asked or given, only repentance will save the ungodly sinner. (smile) I guess that might be laying it on a bit too thick for some people, but believe me Friends, it’s the gospel truth. The only thing that can save us come the judgement day is repentance and acceptance of Jesus as our Lord and Saviour. And contrary to what some think, it’s a very serious confrontation in which we’re engaged. Many believers may take it for a joke, but the enemy doesn’t. He has concrete, as well as contingency plans to bring about the demise of Christianity, and only through our strenuous and serious efforts of resistance, with the Most High God Jehovah supporting us, can we successfully thwart Lucifer’s evil intentions. We’ve all seen our religious freedom curtailed and our faith sidelined in the last decade and we need to remember that Christianity is not only singing and praising and LOVING and being kind, but also putting up solid resistance, in whatever form that’s necessary, against any and all who seek to destroy it. And that certainly doesn’t mean sitting on our rear ends spouting scripture, quietly waiting for the Lord to wave His hand and make it happen miraculously. No my people, it means getting up and getting out into the world and fighting, being proactive, rather than reactive. Or as the old people would say; ‘take in front, before in front takes you.’ Hn hn hn! Ah have to laugh yes! How did I get on that train of thought eh? The Spirit certainly is a tricky one. But He must have seen some need for it, else He would not have guided me there. So let’s just treat that as our Intro: Remembrance 101; and get into the Bit, which states an overwhelming fact; God’s omnipotence. Job acknowledges this when he answers the three pseudo friends who had vilified him, concluding that he’d committed some heinous sin, hence the Lord’s harsh justice. He sarcastically comments: ‘No doubt but ye are the people, and wisdom shall die with you. But I have understanding as well as you; I am not inferior to you: yea, who knoweth not such things as these? I am as one mocked of his neighbour (by his friends), who calleth upon God, and he answereth him: the just upright man is laughed to scorn…The tabernacles of robbers prosper, and they that provoke God are secure; into whose hand God bringeth abundantly.’ (Job 12:2-4,6) Oh Friends, isn’t that the living truth! Look at the number of evildoers who seem safe, secure and prosperous in our world. Then Job snidely tells his companions to ask the beasts, the birds, the earth, the fishes of the sea, ‘who knoweth not in all these that the hand of the Lord had wrought this?’ (Job 12:7-9) That’s another bit of gospel Friends: God oversees everything that happens on earth. ‘In whose hand is the soul of every living thing.’ Yes my brethren, the life of every living creature rests in the hands of our God. As Bruh Paul declares: ‘For in him we live, and move, and have our being…’ (Acts 17:28) God also controls ‘the breath of all mankind.’ Job cements this when talking of his truthfulness. ‘All the while my breath is in me, and the spirit (breath) of God in my nostrils; my lips shall not speak wickedness, nor my tongue utter deceit.’ (Job 27:2-4) The youngest of his companions, Elihu, admits it too ‘The Spirit of God hath made me, and the breath of the Almighty hath given me life.’ (Job 33:4) Unfortunately though, Job also recognizes the destructive capacity of God’s omnipotence. ‘With him is wisdom and strength, he hath counsel and understanding.’ He breaks down stuff that can’t be rebuilt; imprisons with no hope of release. He holds back the waters and there’s drought and famine. He releases them and there are floods. ‘With him is strength and wisdom: the deceived and the deceiver are his.’ (Job 12:13-16) Another truth my Friends: both the wicked and the righteous are God’s. He made them both, though sometimes it makes us wonder and drives us crazy to see the wicked prosper and the righteous suffer. But remember God’s comprehension is way higher than ours, therefore His plans encompass a greater scope than we can understand. We can only see the small picture, while He sees the entire thing. Remember too, that ours is just to do His will and leave the rest up to Him. In His time He will straighten out everything. I know it’s difficult, and sometimes extremely so, to hang in when we face adversity in our attempts to be righteous. But as I heard Uncle Charles, Charles Stanley emphasize recently, believers have absolutely no reason to quit, to give up, because we have the Most High God Jehovah, the most omnipotent Being in existence, as our Father, Guide, and Provider. So why should we quit? Now we should all write that deep in our souls, my people as a reminder. So let’s hang in though it gets hard. I doubt any of us have been brought to our knees the way Job was, but please remember what he said under those truly tragic circumstances: ‘Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him:’ (Job 13:15) That, my Friends, is the kind of world shaking faith we need to possess, but it’s only developed through trials and tribulation. So don’t despair, valiantly hang in there. Everything works out for good to those who LOVE God and do His will, that’s why Job’s ending was more blessed than his beginning. Much LOVE!…the Lord hath made all things for himself…yea, even the wicked for the day of evil… (Prov.16:4)