SCRIP-BITS

Ezekiel 20:7.    Then said I unto them, Cast ye away every man the abominations of his eyes, and defile not yourselves with the idols of Egypt: I am the Lord your God.
 
Oh Friends, up here in the North, the days appear to be getting shorter and the nights seemingly longer, in preparation for the winter season. But on a positive note, the natural scenery is becoming more colourful every day. Our God is certainly enjoying His painting this year. Last afternoon I looked out my bedroom window which overlooks my neighbours’ backyards and was thrilled by a most exhilarating and beautiful scene. In the background was one of those tall, spreading trees with it’s numerous small leaves painted a lustrous yellow, while in the foreground, dwarfed by its neighbour, was a smaller tree with larger leaves painted a brownish red or russet. But in the bright sunshine they certainly formed a colourful picture; the russet and yellow contrasting beautifully together. I obviously feasted my eyes on the breathtaking scene for a few moments and gave thanks for having the eyesight and the opportunity to behold such an inspiring picture. Oh Friends, if you’re not a nature LOVER, then I encourage you to become one, for there’s nothing that brings more peace and tranquility to your spirit than a bit of God’s lush, colourful handiwork. Enough of my autumn musings though. (smile) Hear God’s directive to the Israelites: ‘Cast ye away every man the abominations of (in front of) his eyes, and defile not yourselves with the idols of Egypt. I am the Lord your God.’ And as promised, we’ll continue Asa’s story. After Judah had destroyed the pagan paraphernalia, the Good Book says: ‘So they gathered themselves together at Jerusalem in the third month, in the fifteenth year of the reign of Asa. And they offered unto the Lord the same time, of the spoil (plunder) they had brought, seven hundred oxen and seven thousand sheep. And they entered into a covenant to seek the Lord God of their fathers with all their heart and with all their soul; That whosoever would not seek the Lord God of Israel should be put to death, whether small or great, whether man or woman. And they sware (took an oath) unto the Lord with a loud voice, and with shouting, and with trumpets, and with cornets (ram’s horns). And all Judah rejoiced at the oath: for they had sworn with all their heart, and sought him with their whole desire; and he was found of them: and the Lord gave them rest round about…But the high places (places for pagan worship) were not taken out of Israel: nevertheless the heart of Asa was perfect (loyal) all his days. And he brought into the house of God the things that his father had dedicated, and that he himself had dedicated, silver and gold and vessels. And there was no more war unto the five and thirtieth year of the reign of Asa.’ (2 Chr.20:10-15,17-19) Oh Friends, yuh see what happens when we work together, and even more importantly, for good and not for evil! Because Judah saw the light and joyfully turned back to serving the God of their fathers, their lives were much improved, filled with peace and not war. That’s exactly what we need in our society today; a complete turning around of our evil, ungodly ways, of our bowing to the idols and fleshly lusts of the world. Oh my people, I can guarantee that if a reformation, such as took place in Judah back then, was to ensue now…WOW!…our lives would be greatly improved. There’d be much more peace, much less violence, more togetherness, families would once again be families, less greed and selfishness; in other words, our society would be filled with many more godly attributes than the iniquity filled one in which we now live. But as we saw yesterday, to accomplish such a transformation, we first need prophetic vision and strong leaders, or a people who want it badly enough to override their evil, incompetent leaders. It won’t be easy or happen overnight since Beelzebub and his cronies won’t give up without a valiant fight. However, please remember that the first step is always the hardest, but the most important. And since we don’t seem to have the leaders strong, willing or able enough to do it, then the change has to begin with a groundswell from us, the people suffering under the evil, incompetent, ungodly rule. Oh my brethren, I don’t know how to convince us that our very existence depends on getting the Lord God Jehovah back into the mainstream of our lives. I don’t remember what I was reading or watching recently, but the punch line was that a displeased, unhappy God said that He didn’t need to destroy the world for our disobedience because the politicians were already doing it. And isn’t that the living truth! But Friends, we can’t blame the politicians for everything, we also need to take a fair amount of it, for if we so strongly dislike the leaders’ doings, there are a number of ways for us to stop them. However, most of us either approve and enjoy their worldly leanings, or are just too lazy, lethargic and uninterested to get involved in remedial action. So basically when the corruption and ungodliness continues unabated, we have to blame ourselves too. Oh my Friends, let’s wise up nuh! Regardless of whether or not you believe in God, it’s obvious that some serious changes need to be made in our society for we are on a steep downhill slide and the powers that be don’t seem genuinely interested in fixing it, but more interested in strengthening or increasing their power and wealth. It’s about time we stop complaining and step up to the plate and do something serious and concrete for ourselves, else we’ll languish in poverty, misery, oppression and ungodliness until we eventually perish. We can start by electing God centred candidates in the elections and by doing Christian work in our own backyards. It’s only a small, first step towards returning to a godly world, but one that desperately needs taking. Till we meet again, God willing, walk safely and steadfastly with the Most High. Much Love!…you can’t always look to others for help…sometimes you’ve got to help yourself…like right now…