SCRIP-BITS

Jeremiah 6:16.    Thus saith the Lord, Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls. But they said, We will not walk therein.
 
Oh Friends, a gentle rain is falling upon the parched and thirsty land, this dark and cloudy Wednesday morning. Praise the Lord! Most likely it won’t be sufficient to quench the earth’s great thirst and return it to its normal bright green, but at this stage, every little bit of blessing counts, and is also greatly appreciated. We’ve also got to be thankful that the foolish partisan stalemate in the U.S political game has finally ended, and the gov’t will not default on its obligations after all. Thank you Lord for small mercies! But as far as I’m concerned, the final agreement is certainly not in the best interest of the majority of citizens; there will be not tax increases or loss of benefits for the rich, the Republicans saw to that. However, there will be lots of spending cuts, and you know that means the poor and needy will suffer, while the rich will continue with their entrenched, privileged way of life. Ah Lord eh! Why is it that those who need the most, are the ones who always lose the little they have? To appease the saying, that the rich get richer, while the poor get poorer? It’s just another ungodly act of the wicked. But listen to our Bit: ‘Thus saith the Lord, Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls. But they said, We will not walk therein.’ Oh Friends, the wicked, idolatrous folks in Judah, refused to return to the Lord’s fold when Jeremiah warned them of imminent justice, and eventually paid a harsh price for their disobedience through the destruction of their land and a life of captivity elsewhere. Several times they went through the cycle of being a prosperous Jewish society basking in God’s bright glow, then foolishly turning away from the God of their fathers, and once again suffering the severe punishment meted out for overwhelming disobedience. They never seemed to learn. But Friends, we’re supposed to be a more intelligent and sophisticated evolution of that man, so why are we doing the same foolish things eh? We only became a prosperous society because it was built on the solid foundation that is God. But then, because of our superior knowledge and technology, we became so proud and arrogant, thinking we were king of the heap, and thus no longer needed God. However my brethren, that’s a foolish, short-sighted approach that bears no resemblance whatsoever to reality! The Lord God Jehovah is the Creator and Provider of all things, even the little rain that’s falling outside. So why are we so adamant to move away from Him, to eradicate Him from our society? Listen to the Lord’s pronouncement, His promise through Jeremiah: ‘Because my people hath forgotten me, they have burned incense to vanity (worthless idols), and they have caused them to stumble in their ways from the ancient paths, to walk in paths, in a way not cast up (and not on a highway); To make their land desolate, and a perpetual hissing; everyone that passeth thereby shall be astonished, and wag (shake) his head. I will scatter them as with an east wind before the enemy; I will show them the (My) back, and not the (My) face, in the day of their calamity.’ (Jer.18:15-17) Oh Friends, please remember that the Lord keeps all His promises, and I don’t know if there’s ever been a more calamitous time in the world’s history than now. That means, because of our continual disobedience, He’s going to turn His back on us, ignore us in our time of greatest need. Unless and until we repent and return to His fold, we’ll be left to our own foolish, incapable devices that will keep sinking us deeper into the mire of destruction. Friends, it’s as simple as that! Doesn’t all this sudden calamity mean or say anything startling to us? Are we so full of ourselves, so blinded by Beelzebub’s evil, idolatrous ways, that we can’t see what’s really going on? It’s obvious that the Lord’s sending us a message re our ungodly state of life and living. But sadly, we seem intent on proving Him wrong by continuing with our obstinate disobedience and deep passion for idolatry and evil. Oh my people, that’s a fool’s wisdom! We can’t fight the Creator and powerful ruler of the universe and ever be successful! Instead we ought to be doing as he advises: ‘Set thee up waymarks (signposts), and make thee high heaps (landmarks): set thine heart toward the highway, even the way which thou wentest: turn again (return), O virgin of Israel, turn again (return) to these thy cities. How long wilt thou go about, O thou backsliding daughter? for the Lord hath created a new thing in the earth. A woman shall (en)compass a man.’ (Jer.31:21-22) And besides, my fellow believers, it’s our job to actively fight the wickedness and evil that’s destroying our world, to help bring us back to the wonderful fold of God. But we’re clearly falling down on our responsibility, for the world’s becoming worse every day. Please, for our God and children’s sake, let’s increase our efforts to bring about the LOVE Revolution we so desperately need. It’s our fight, to win or lose. Much LOVE!…there’s none so blind…as he who refuses to see…