SCRIP-BITS

Jeremiah 1:5.    Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations.
 
Oh Friends, I don’t know what’s happening, but all day in my area the wind’s been howling like mad. At about eight o’clock last night I went across the street to the mailbox, and would you believe it was so strong that it actually pushed me forward on my way back. But that’s one of the great things in being a believer; everything around us might seem abnormal and we can’t fathom head from tail or foot, but because of our sure trust and surrender in the Most High, we don’t need to be worried or overly concerned, for He is still in control of His creation, the universe; always was and always will be. Added to that is the awesome fact that all things work together for good to those who LOVE and sincerely revere Him. And all God’s people said a loud, and hearty: ‘Thank you Lord!’ And having said all of that, why then are we so reluctant and jittery to do the Lord’s will eh? We’ve theorized that there’s still some distrust and fear clouding our belief, which makes us somewhat leery of promptly and unquestioningly answering His call. But as He so succinctly and firmly informed Jeremiah: ‘Before I formed thee in the belly (womb) I knew thee: and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee (set thee apart), and I ordained (appointed) thee a prophet unto the nations.’ Oh Friends, those same words apply to each and every creature of God’s creation. He knew the who, what, why and when of everybody and everything before He even made them, which talks to His great planning. And since we’re supposed to trust Him unconditionally with our hearts, souls, minds and bodies, then there’s never a good excuse for us to hem and haw, dilly dally and balk at His call. It’s also universally known that He doesn’t assign tasks without giving the assignee the necessary tools to perform them, and if we encounter problems while doing them, then we know we can always cry out to Him for help and He will lend us His merciful assistance. So Friends, whichever way we turn, there’s absolutely no good reason to doubt or say no to the Lord if we’re truly faithful believers. Oh Friends, the Spirit’s working, I can feel it! (smile) Now over the last few days we’ve been looking at some great people who initially balked, and some who promptly did as asked. I want to continue that today. One of those that balked was Zechariah, John the Baptist’s father. His job as a priest was to burn incense at the altar in the temple, and one day while doing that an angel of the Lord suddenly appeared next to him: ‘And when Zechariah saw him, he was troubled, and fear fell upon him. But the angel said unto him, Fear not, Zechariah: for thy prayer is heard; and thy wife Elisabeth shall bear thee a son, and thou shalt call his name John. And thou shalt have joy and gladness; and many shall rejoice at his birth. For he shall be great in the sight of the Lord; and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink; and he shall be filled with the Holy Ghost, even from his mother’s womb. And many of the children of Israel shall he turn to the Lord their God.’ (Luke 1:14-16) Wow! What a promise mih people! But Zechariah and Elisabeth were past normal childbearing age, and this unfortunately coloured Zechariah’s response. ‘And Zechariah said unto the angel, Whereby shall I know this? for I am an old man, and my wife well stricken (advanced) in years. And the angel answering said unto him, I am Gabriel, that stand in the presence of God; and am sent to speak unto thee and to show thee these glad tidings (good news). And behold, thou shalt be dumb, and not able to speak, until the day that these things shall be performed, because thou believest not my words; which shall be fulfilled in their season (own time).’ (Luke 1:18-20) Yuh see what happens when we doubt Friends. Gabriel came to share glad tidings with Zechariah, a supposed man of God, but he didn’t have the required vision or faith to humbly accept them without question. And we all know that he remained dumb until John was about to be christened and the family queried Elisabeth’s choice of John, since that was not a family name. When they asked him, he had to write it down, and it’s only then that his speech returned. (Luke 1:57-66) Ah Friends, our God is too busy and full of integrity to make empty promises to His people. So if He comes to you with any task that seems ludicrous or impossible, please don’t shy or run away, like Jonah, because there’s good reason for His approach. That just got me chuckling about how I chuckled in amusement and disbelief when He approached me about writing the Bit. Although I considered myself a believer, and tried to live like one, I didn’t have that sure trust either, since my Bible knowledge, to my way of thinking, was insufficient to do what the Lord was asking, and so I hemmed and hawed, but He never gave up until I accepted His challenge. And we all know and see the results some three and a half years later. That’s another great thing about our God; He NEVER GIVES UP ON US, regardless of our frailties and weaknesses! We should never forget that my people. Anyway Friends, it’s closing time, not the way I planned it, I had much more to say, but that would have made it much too long. What else is new eh? (smile) But the Spirit is the boss. So like we’ll have to continue this topic for another day. And trust me, or rather trust the Lord through me, tomorrow’s Bit will be a dandy. Till then, if God’s agreeable, walk safely, in peace, LOVE and truth. Much LOVE!…a doubting heart…is not a completely trusting or trustworthy heart…