SCRIP-BITS

Jeremiah 30:9.    But they shall serve the Lord their God, and David their king, whom I shall raise up unto them.
 
Oh Friends, it’s one of those days when I can’t come up with an attention-grabbing intro. I obviously asked the Most High for inspiration and guidance at the start, but it’s not yet forthcoming. Oh, I’m not worried because I know that as soon as the Lord considers it time, my pen will flow on the paper like white on rice. (smile) Couldn’t think of a better comparison on such short notice. Anyway, we’ve been talking about promises the last few days, in particular the gigantic promise that the Lord made so long ago. But before we get into that, I think it’s important that we consider the state of promises in our modern, fast paced, technological society. The current attitude is well reflected in the old song: ‘Promises, Promises…that’s all they are…Promises…’ Those might not be the exact lyrics, but they do give the gist. And it’s quite true, for from our leaders right down to our poverty stricken members, we all seem addicted to promises, and false ones at that. We vote for those who roll out the most amazing promises, although deep down we know that they either can’t or won’t keep them. We also fall for those who promise to do the most, but unfortunately too often end up doing the least. In fact, the statement that ‘promises are made to be broken,’ very well describes our attitude towards promises today. No longer is a person’s word, their handshake or promise very meaningful, nor will they do their level best to uphold it. That’s why the psalmist so strenuously declares: ‘It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in man. It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in princes.’ (Ps.118: 8-9) Yuh see Friends, it doesn’t matter what estate that man might be of, high or low, because he is man, he is naturally not trustworthy. And that’s exactly what has brought our world to its knees in the last couple years; the broken, fraudulent promises of those in power and wealth, seeking to fulfill their greedy lust for more earthly power and wealth, they made promises they could not keep, so when the promise bucket bottom drop out, everything had to crash. However my people, the Lord God Jehovah does not operate in such an unfaithful manner. Every promise He’s ever made has been fulfilled at the appointed right time. That includes our current Bit: ‘But they shall serve the Lord their God, and David their king, whom I shall raise up unto them.’ Praise the Lord my people for His never-ending goodness to the undeserving children of men! We’ve seen how several prophets, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel and Hosea, prophesied of better days to come for Israel. Then we saw how the captives returning from Babylon, through the Lord’s grace, to rebuild Jerusalem and the Promised Land, accomplished that. But Friends that was only the first part of the promise, for in the second the Lord promised to raise up from the line of Bruh David, a king, a shepherd, a godly guide to look after His people. And though it took roughly four hundred years, the promise was fulfilled when Jesus Christ, of Bruh David’s line, was born in his city of Bethlehem, to a virgin as long prophesied, in the season of Christmas we’ve just been celebrating. Wow! And it’s amazing how our God moves, for at John the Baptist’s christening, the one who would herald the immediacy of the Messiah’s coming, his father Zechariah, hitherto dumb because he doubted the Lord’s promise of a child to his barren wife, regained his voice, and then filled with the Holy Ghost, powerfully prophesied: ‘Blessed be the Lord God of Israel; for he hath visited and redeemed his people, and hath raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David; As he spake by the mouth of his holy prophets, which have been since the world began (from the ages): That we should be saved from our enemies, and from the hand of all that hate us; To perform the mercy promised to our fathers, and to remember his holy covenant; The oath which he sware to our father Abraham, That he would grant unto us, that we, being delivered out of the hand of our enemies, might serve him without fear, In holiness and righteousness before him, all the days of our life. And thou, child, shalt be called the prophet of the Highest: for thou shalt go before the face of the Lord to prepare his ways; To give knowledge of salvation unto his people by the remission (forgiveness) of their sins, Through the tender mercy of our God; whereby the day-spring (the Messiah) from on high hath visited us, to give light to them that sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.’ (Luke 1:68-79) Yes Friends, our God so cared for us that after a four century period of silence, when the time was ripe for the Messiah, He sent a harbinger, a messenger, John the Baptist, to remind His people of the promise, to awaken and stir them up to the imminent message of salvation through His Son, Jesus Christ. Oh mih people, I implore us to remember that our God doesn’t operate like man, but on a much higher level, therefore we can absolutely trust Him to keep all His Promises. More on this topic tomorrow, God willing of course. Till then, please go safely with the Creator and Ruler of the universe. Much LOVE!…in God’s kingly, righteous and just character…a promise made…is a promise to be always fulfilled…