HAPPY 4th JULY U.S.A.
Yes Friends, it’s the 4th of July, Independence Day in the U.S! A memorable day in the annals of its History, some two hundred and thirty four years ago, when they beat back their British masters and ancestors to win their freedom, and the ability to govern themselves without any outside interference. And they have lived up to that ideal in some respects. But Friends, that word Freedom; that idea, that common, heartfelt desire and yearning of man is a helluva thing! It sounds good and right, but it’s also a very hard taskmaster, bearing an awesome amount of responsibility, which not all of us are prepared for or qualified to handle. Then you are in total and complete control of yourself and your destiny. There’s no big brother, mother or father to look after you, and it’s never easy to look after yourself in a healthy and desirable fashion. That’s why all those wars over nation and statehood oftimes lead to the supposed winner’s lifestyle and livelihood decreasing rather than increasing in standard. The navel or apron string that once buoyed us up is no longer there to help keep our heads above water, and we then have to sink or swim on our own strength and ingenuity. And if you’ve never governed yourself before, that can be real difficult, for just like the freedom we long for, life is also a cruel taskmaster. Now the same principles apply to both individual and national freedom. That brings to mind young adult children chomping at the bit to leave home, frustrated and annoyed at their parents suffocating rules and regulations. However, when they do break away and gain the supposed freedom they longed for, they discover that it’s not all it was cracked up to be; it’s not a sweet and soft bed of roses. They’re now responsible for every aspect of their lives and it scares them, so they run back home to Mum and Dad, where they feel safe in the protective cocoon of the family unit. And Friends, so it is with all of us, individually as well as nationally. We all want to be free to do as we please, but unless we harness it all with a strong and solid sense of responsibility, anarchy will eventually rule. And we got a taste of that recently in Toronto and a little earlier on in Greece; a taste that not many of us liked at all. But just as we look at our fellow humans and nations to see how they’re conducting themselves, likewise the Lord looks critically upon us all; individuals and nations. That’s why in the section of Chap.5, titled, exhortation on fidelity in marriage, Cousin Sol asks this eternally important question: ‘And why wilt thou, my son, be ravished (enraptured) with a strange (an immoral) woman, and embrace the bosom of a stranger (seductress)?’ (Prov.5:20) Now that’s an exceedingly good question Friends. Why indeed would we fall prey to seduction and sexual temptation eh? ‘For the ways of man are before the eyes of the Lord, and he pondereth (observes) all his goings.’ Sadly my people, that statement doesn’t only hold true for illicit sexual affairs, but for all the affairs of men, from the basic individual right up to the affairs of the most powerful nations. Our Lord God Jehovah watches over it all. He sees, He ponders, contemplates and cogitates, and in His own good time He acts. So those of us, both nations and individuals who feel we can either run or hide from God are in for a sad awakening. Because, as Cousin Sol says: ‘His own iniquities shall take (entrap) the wicked himself, and he shall be holden (caught) with cords of his sin. He shall die without (for lack of) instruction; and in the greatness of his folly he shall go astray.’ (Prov.5:22-23) Oh Friends, though Cousin Sol was speaking here explicitly about the adulterer, the same conditions apply to all sin, to all nations and individuals. Remember Bruh Paul’s words to the Romans: ‘For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.’ (Rom.3:23) You also saw how the Lord punished Israel both individually and nationally for her wickedness and idolatry. So why would He be any different with us today eh? No reason whatsoever mih breddren! My people, our God is a Spirit; that means He has no physical body to restrain Him, consequently He can be all places at the same time. This gives Him the ability to also see everything that’s happening, wherever and whenever, as it happens. He’s also omnipotent: the most powerful Being in the universe. So if He knows all, sees all, is everywhere and is also powerful, why would we think that we can escape His constant surveillance of our actions eh? Only the wicked and foolish might be tempted to think that. At least I hope so. I hope the wise, the righteous, would be perceptive enough to know that we have to carefully mind our P’s and Q’s where the Lord God Jehovah is concerned. Unfortunately though, I think that some believers do believe that they can get away with constant wrongdoing, but that’s just not true. My people, our God is indeed a forgiving, merciful and LOVING God, but remember He’s also a just and righteous God, with an exemplary and complex character to maintain. So to be true to Himself, he must also execute the just and fair aspects of His character, which means punishing sin, redeeming the righteous, etc. So please don’t ever think that we can run and hide from Him, or get away Scot free from punishment for our sins. There’s always a price to be paid for ungodliness. And the thing we all need to realize is, that He misses nothing, for ‘The eyes of the Lord are in every place, beholding the evil and good.’ (Prov.15:3) Till we talk again tomorrow then Friends, God willing; Much LOVE!…you can’t run…neither can you hide…from an omnipotent, omniscient Spiritual God…
SCRIP-BITS 