Ah Friends, Lent is almost over, which means that Easter is near; that most important time in the history of Christianity. It’s when our faith was born, through Jesus’ death, resurrection and ascension. Those are the three main pillars on which our faith is based. Because Jesus experienced them as a human being, we too can expect to go through them and come out on the other side in glory. But even before Jesus came, righteousness was a much sought after attribute. A good title for Psalm 1 is, ‘Blessed are the righteous.’ In other words, a special kind of person, the righteous, is looked upon with great favour by our God. The Psalmist admits this when he staunchly declares: ‘Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.’ That’s so true my Friends! The Lord God Jehovah bestows special favour on those who don’t have wicked attitudes or intentions, who don’t deal with the wicked or let their evil deeds influence them. And the wisest one, Cousin Sol, saw it fit to put a very early warning in Proverbs. ‘My son, if sinners entice thee, consent thou not…My son, walk thou not in the way with them; refrain (keep) thy foot from their path: For their feet run to evil, and make haste to shed blood.’ (Prov.1:10,15-16) That’s very wise advice Friends, advice we should impart to our children as early as possible. Sol considered it so important that he repeated it later on. ‘Enter not into the path of the wicked, and go not in the way of evil men. Avoid it, pass not by it (do not travel on it), turn from it and pass away.’ (Prov.4:15-16) Yes my people, the righteous and just God we serve takes a very dim view of His supposed followers engaging in evil deeds and harbouring evil in their hearts. And when Bruh David cried out to the Lord to examine and prove him, he made it a point to say: ‘I have not sat with vain (idolatrous) persons, neither will I go in with dissemblers (hypocrites). I have hated the congregation of evil doers; and will not sit with the wicked.’ (Ps.26:4-5) Oh my brethren, we ought to feel the same way about evil and evildoers although our world seems to be populated with a great number of them. Not only are they plentiful, they also appear to be prosperous. But Friends, please don’t be enticed by their earthly prosperity gained through unrighteousness, for it will not last. Remember, easy come, easy go. The Psalmist goes on to say: ‘The ungodly are not so (prosperous): but are like the chaff which the wind driveth away. Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgement, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous.’ (Ps.1:4-5) Please believe that Friends, the ungodly is not worth more than the chaff, the outer, useless husk, and his destiny is serious condemnation at the judgment day. Meanwhile, Jesus refers to righteousness twice in the Beatitudes in the Sermon on the Mount. ‘Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled…Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.’ (Mat.5:6,10) That means those of us who truly want to be righteous and actively seek to be, will find it, will be filled with it. And those who are persecuted for trying to be righteous will indeed inherit eternity in heaven. So if we want to be true believers in Jesus and have everlasting life with Him, then it’s absolutely necessary that we seek righteousness. And how do we do that? The Psalmist offers some insight into it. ‘But his delight is in the law of the Lord; and in his law doth he meditate (ponder, study) day and night.’ (Ps.1:2) True words Friends, very true words! The man who seeks righteousness delights himself in God’s word; reads and studies it regularly and most importantly lives by it. It is his guide for daily living in this ungodly world. And yuh know what mih people, for pursuing righteousness, trying to live a good, clean, decent, believing life, our God blesses, rewards us. ‘And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers (channels) of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.’ (Ps.1:3) And all God’s people joyfully sang out: ‘All praise and thanks to Almighty God, for He has kept his promise and blessed the righteous with prosperity. Hallelujah! Amen.’ Yes Friends, it’s a generous, LOVING God we serve, but He detests evil and those who commit and profit from it, and though they seem prosperous and powerful here on earth, when the day of judgement comes, they will be judged harshly. So please don’t let their worldly treasures elicit envy or jealousy in your heart and thus lead you into doing evil; instead, seek righteousness all the days of your life, so that your rewards will be great in heaven. It’s the most sensible way to live this earthly life. Much LOVE!…ungodliness brings punishment…righteousness powers blessings…
SCRIP-BITS 