SCRIP-BITS

Job 36:10.    He openeth also their ear to discipline, and commandeth that they return from iniquity.
 
Ah Friends, the price of disobedience is truly pain yes! The old people put it so succinctly: when yuh doh hear, yuh feel. Sadly, I’m feeling now. Oh brother, am I ever! Well yesterday was Canada’s Thanksgiving, but since it was just the duchess and I, the children being in far distant places and my mother in heaven, we decided to just spend a quiet day with no outward trappings. After dinner I decided to read for a while then take a nap. Well the nap never happened, because the book turned out to be quite interesting. Unfortunately though, I lay in bed reading for several hours, which I know is anathema to my back. Then later in the night I began sneezing, so I took something for that, and went back to bed. How silly! This morning I got up, late obviously, and could hardly walk. I had to dig out my back support which I seldom use these days. Then to make matters worse, when I came downstairs, my brain somewhat addled by the pain, I went outside on my front porch to say morning to the Lord and thank Him for so graciously allowing me to see another beautiful autumn day, only to be startled by the blaring noise of the house alarm when I came back in. I’d forgotten to take it off before going outside. Steups! Oh for those simpler, more honest days when there was no need for alarms! Chuh! The old people were right again; when it’s not one thing, it’s another. And that’s my testimony on disobedience to day. (smile) And that’s only to my own rules, so you can imagine what happens when we disobey God. And you’ll notice we have a rather appropriate Bit today. ‘He openeth also their ear to discipline, and commandeth that they return from iniquity.’ That’s gospel, mih people! It’s taken from Job’s supposed friend, Elihu’s discourse on God’s justice. Listen to him expound on the subject. ‘ I will fetch my knowledge from afar, and will ascribe righteousness to my Maker. For truly my words shall not be false: he that is perfect in knowledge is with thee. Behold, God is mighty, and despiseth not any: he is mighty in strength and wisdom. He preserveth not the life of the wicked: but giveth right to the poor (justice to the oppressed). He withdraweth not his eyes from the righteous: but with kings are they on the throne; yea, he doth establish them forever, and they are exalted. And if they be bound in fetters, and be holden in cords of affliction; Then he showeth (declares to) them their work, and their transgressions that they have exceeded (have acted defiantly).’ (Job 36:3-9) Yes Friends, those are some of our God’s great attributes! And when we don’t hear and/or obey His Word, He kindly and fatherly reminds us of our need to be disciplined before Him, and to give up our evil doings. Remember Samuel’s dressing down of Saul, Israel’s first king, when he was disobedient to the Lord’s command: ‘Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams.’ (1 Sam.15:22) Oh my people, it’s been this way since Adam was a little boy, and it will be thus forever, because our God doesn’t change. So why cant we grasp and consistently hold on to that fact eh? Why do we foolishly keep running after the frivolous, unimportant, though glittering and enticing things of the world and fleshly lusts eh, fully knowing that disobedience to God will mean certain retribution? Please listen very carefully to the next two verses of Elihu’s speech. ‘If they obey and serve him, they shall spend their days in prosperity, and their years in pleasure. But if they obey not, they shall perish by the sword, and they shall die without knowledge.’ (Job 36:11-12) Ah Friends, it couldn’t get any simpler and plainer than that. If we obey, we prosper. But if not, we die a horrible death. So please mih breddren, let’s start taking God’s Word seriously nuh, and begin obeying it. Let’s stand on His promises, let’s test Him by being obedient. We have nothing left to lose, for look at the mess our disobedience has caused our world to be in today. We need to turn from our sinful, ungodly way of life, if we wish to prosper once again. It’s as simple as that. Much LOVE!…the price of disobedience is extremely high…only fools dare to pay it…