SCRIP-BITS

Psalm 116: 5.    Gracious is the Lord, and righteous; yea, our God is merciful.
 
Oh Friends, it’s Friday once again! Yeah! And the shouting of ‘TGIF! Thank God is Friday!’ is pretty loud today because many of us had a rather rough workweek and just can’t wait to get the weekend going. However people, let’s not forget the true purpose of the weekend by chanting our Friday Chant: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through another week of work! It hasn’t been easy, but with your generous help, I made it through. 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.’ And having prayed for general guidance over the weekend, let’s turn now to our Bit, which ensures us that our God will fulfill our requests, because: ‘Gracious is the Lord, and righteous; yea, our God is merciful.’ Ah mih people, how can our God be anything but gracious, righteous and merciful with the kind and LOVING nature He possesses eh? I’m sure if we checked out our individual behaviour, we’d find that on the days when we’re really sweet and LOVING, our penchant for righteous living, for showing grace and mercy are much higher than on the days when we’re miserable and grumpy. On those negative days, grace and mercy usually find no part in our spirits. That’s why we’re always admonished to be kind and LOVING, like our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, so that we can dispense grace and mercy towards others, like He’s done before, and is still doing for us. It’s the one hand washes the other situation; and it takes two hands to clap; it’s a two way street, and all the other wise and true clichés that talk about getting and sharing, receiving and giving, not individual or selfish wanting and hoarding. Remember Friends, our Lord doesn’t simply bless us for us to enjoy the blessings alone, but almost always He intends for us to share them with the less fortunate. He expects us to be righteous, gracious and merciful, just like Him. It’s not an easy task, especially in today’s ungodly, sinful world, but if we sincerely choose to be that way, then with Christ’s help and strength, we will succeed. But please note my brethren that it does take a serious and conscious decision to follow that righteous, gracious, merciful path, because it doesn’t come naturally with our inherently sinful nature. When we live that way though, we feel the hand of God upon us, feel His glorious light shining through ever more in our lives. And with God’s hand upon us our mundane, earthly lives are infused with wonderful feelings of contentment, of peace, joy, calm and excitement. And all God’s people shouted: ‘Glory Hallelujah!’ Now here are a couple of examples of the Lord’s righteousness found in the Good Book. The first comes from Nehemiah, when the repentant Israelites were getting ready to return to their homeland from captivity in Babylon. Amidst the fasting and repentance, the priests and Levites stood tall and prayed loudly: ‘Thou art the Lord the God who didst choose Abram, and broughtest him forth out of Ur of the Chaldees, and gavest him the name of Abraham; And foundest his heart faithful before thee, and madest a covenant with him to give the land of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, and the Perizzites, and the Jebusites, and the Girgashites, to give it, I say, to his seed, and hast performed thy words; for thou art righteous.’ (Neh.9:7-8) Yes Friends, when we truly trust in the Lord and wait patiently and faithfully on Him, He will definitely do right by us. And finally, let’s listen to the uplifting words of the psalmist on the topic. ‘Righteous art thou, O Lord, and upright are thy judgements. Thy testimonies that thou hast commanded are righteous and very faithful.’ (Ps.119:137-138) Oh my people, let’s ponder those words in our hearts today, realize their awesome truth, then truly and sincerely surrender our all to the ONE TRUE God Jehovah! It’s the wisest decision we’ll ever make on this troubled planet Earth. Much LOVE!…oh how wonderful it is…when the Lord controls our lives…