SCRIP-BITS

Amos 5:24.    But let judgement run down as waters, and righteousness as a mighty stream.
 
Well hello there my beautiful Friends in Christ! It’s Friday! But you must know, for that’s what all the ruckus is about; everybody’s mouthing ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday!’ That means it’s time to chant our Friday Chant: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through another week of work! Wow! It sure hasn’t been easy, but with your generous help, I made it through. Thank you Lord! Now, please help me to get sufficient fun, fellowship, rest and relaxation in these two short days off, so that I can be renewed and refreshed in soul, body and mind, to go back out and do it all over again next week, furthering your glorious kingdom with each step I take. I pray this in Jesus’ name. Amen.’ Ah mih people, it’s so good to be alive! Let’s give our God some more glory nuh, for He certainly deserves it. ‘Thank you Lord for all you’re doing for your disobedient children. We don’t always show it, but deep down we do appreciate your mercy and LOVING kindness. For that we laud and magnify your glorious name. Amen!’ But wouldn’t it be nice if we could do all the things the Lord asks of us? Things like He desires in our Bit: ‘But let judgement (justice) run down as waters, and righteousness as a mighty stream.’ Oh Friends, what a wonderful world we’d inhabit if attributes like justice, righteousness, mercy, truth, kindness and LOVE to all humanity were the dominant players in our world, instead of their basic opposites; injustice, ungodliness, corruption, vengeance, lies, inhumanity, hatred, violence and oppression. Unfortunately though my brethren, the evil part of our nature currently rules our world. As the Lord said of the Israelites: ‘For I know your manifold transgressions and your mighty (many) sins: they afflict the just, they take a bribe, and they turn aside the poor in the gate from their right (from justice at the gate). Therefore the prudent shall keep silence in that time; for it is an evil time. Seek good, and not evil, that ye may live: and so the Lord, the God of hosts, shall be with you, as ye have spoken. Hate the evil and LOVE the good, and establish judgement in the gate: it may be that the Lord God of hosts will be gracious unto the remnant of Joseph. Therefore the Lord, the God of host, the Lord, saith thus: Wailing shall be in all the streets; and they shall say in all the highways, Alas! alas! and they shall call the husbandman (farmer) to mourning, and such as are skillful of lamentation to wailing. And in all the vineyards shall be wailing: for I will pass through thee, saith the Lord. Woe unto you that desire the day of the Lord! to what end is it for you (for what good is it to you)? the day of the Lord is darkness, and not light.’ (Amos 5:12-18) Oh my people, we’re just like those Israelites now; corrupt and oppressive. But you noticed what the Lord advised? To seek good and not evil, so that we may live; establish justice and truth, so that He will be gracious to us. Otherwise, there’ll be wailing and mourning in the streets, lamentation evermore, people just holding their heads and bawling. For it will surely be a sad, dark and destructive day when the true wrath of Almighty God falls on us. There’s already more wailing and mourning in our society than normal, and this is just the edge of it. Can you imagine when the full force bursts? Hn! I sincerely hope I’m not around here on earth to witness it. As Micah asked his people, in the Lord’s name, and I’m asking us now: ‘O my people, what have I done unto thee? and wherein have I wearied thee? testify against me.’ (Mic.6:3) But in truth Friends, we can’t answer that since the Lord’s done us nothing. We’ve turned against Him because of the sinful pride and arrogance that’s flooded our hearts over the great advances in living made in our generation. Mistakenly, we think we’ve made them in our own strength, but it’s really the Lord’s mercy and kindness that have inspired us to reach the great heights we’ve attained. Sadly though, because of that same pride and arrogance, plus our great lust for worldly things, our society is now going backwards, receding like the ebb tide. Because of our rampant ungodliness, as He warned, the Lord has withheld His mercy and kindness, and now we’re spiralling out of control to the bottom of the abyss, in close association with Lucifer. Oh Friends, it’s a crying shame, the way we’ve disassociated ourselves from the Living God to keep company with the evil prince of darkness! But while there’s life, there’s always hope! And if anybody is filled with hope, it’s us, the true believers in Christ. And all it takes to get back into the Lord’s good graces is sincere repentance and faithful obedience. Listen to the Lord’s requirements, as stated by Micah: ‘Wherewith shall I come before the Lord, and bow myself before the high God? shall I come before him with burnt offerings, with calves of a year old? Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams, or with ten thousands of rivers of oil? shall I give my first born for my transgression, the fruit of my body (my own child) for the sin of my soul? He hath showed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the Lord require of thee, but to do justly, and to LOVE mercy (LOVING kindness), and to walk humbly with thy God?’ (Mic.6:6-8)Yes my people, our God doesn’t want material possessions or sacrifices. All He wants from us is obedience, justice, truth, reverence and the glory He so richly deserves. Is that asking so much? I don’t think so, especially when the pros and cons of each line of action is considered. Please, I’m imploring us to work seriously and sincerely on those things, so that our children’s children will see the light of day. The world’s fate is truly in our hands. Let’s not disappoint our Saviour nuh. Much LOVE!…to turn our world around…we have to first turn our souls…back to God…