SCRIP-BITS

Jeremiah 42:21.    And now I have this day declared it to you; but ye have not obeyed the voice of the Lord your God, nor any thing for the which he hath sent me unto you.
 
Oh Friends, another beautiful fall day is expected in my area! For this pleasure, we can all say a grateful ‘Thank You Lord!’ It’s been a delightful autumn so far; much more sunshine and temps in the teens than cold winds and rain. But like all earthly things, it’s not going to last forever, so let’s be thankful and enjoy it now, because as soon as the first snow flies, we’ll all be moaning and groaning. (smile) And today I have a quote to share from the Covenant House Calendar, attributed to George Bernard Shaw, the noted Irish playwright (1856-1950). He claims that ‘Life isn’t about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself.’ I guess as a playwright, which means creating plays, that would be his natural feeling, but I tend to think it’s more like half and half. In the sense that in our early years we’re young and inexperienced and we’re constantly seeking direction, plus the excitement and whatever else life has to offer. We’re looking for answers to questions we sometimes don’t even know. This could prove to be quite confusing and frustrating. However, by the time we reach adulthood, hopefully we’ve seen enough of life to know how it operates, and above all, we’ve found God’s purpose for our lives. Oh Friends, that is definitely the most important thing for us to seek and find! Now it’s not always an easy task, and we don’t always find it at an early age, but if with patience we persevere, we’ll find it, God will guide us to it eventually. And once we’ve found God’s purpose for us, then the creating seriously begins! Regardless of God’s earthly purpose, we must try to create ourselves in the image that God desires, that of Jesus. Note that there are two separate actions involved here, purpose and desire. All the purposes, (read careers and the like) may differ and vary substantially, since it takes all types to make the world go round, but the desire is always the same; to remake us in the perfect image of Christ. Our Bit though highlights the problem between finding and creating ourselves. ‘And now I have this day declared it to you; but ye have not obeyed the voice of the Lord your God, nor any thing for the which he hath sent me unto you.’ Now what’s wrong with this picture eh? The Israelites, in one of their many times of trouble, had asked Jeremiah to pray to the Lord for guidance. They wanted to flee to Egypt to escape their enemies, but the Lord’s message said stay put. If they did as He asked, He would build them up and not tear them down. (Jer.32:7-12) Unfortunately, God’s will conflicted with the Israelites’ plans. And though we righteously proclaim that we trust God and want to know His will, when we receive it and it differs from ours, we get right royally upset. This is what happened to the Israelites, and unfortunately it’s also happening to us today. God’s will is for us to turn to and stay close to Him, but we seem to prefer the licentiousness of Lucifer, the ruler of darkness. As the scholars so rightly claim, much too often believers ask to hear only what pleases them. That is borne out by Bruh Paul’s charge to Timothy. ‘For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears. And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.’ (2 Tim.4:3-4) Consequently, these believers pray on false grounds, as James notes: ‘Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts (pleasures).’ (James 4:3) And isn’t that the living truth Friends! This happens because we foolishly and selfishly expect God to merely validate whatever we desire. But my people that’s never going to happen, unless our desires fall into line with God’s plans. Again sadly, on an even greater scale than in Jeremiah’s time, that is a source of much worry, contention and disbelief in this confused society of ours. A majority of the world is trumpeting Lucifer’s unfortunate rise to glory, therefore many of us, falsely believing it, pray to God to give us the earthly trappings of wealth and power so that we can use it to enjoy the fleshly lusts that Lucifer promotes. But please remember Friends, the most important thing to our God, is the state of our hearts, our motives. If those aren’t right, don’t truly reflect God’s Word and Will, then all our prayers are doomed to failure. Now nothing is wrong with having the trappings of wealth and power, many Christians have them, but they must be earned through right motives and doing God’s will, not merely for the purpose of enjoying the fleshly pleasures they can provide. Remember too that no one can out give God. Just look at Cousin Sol, who asked for wisdom and understanding and became the poster boy for the Lord’s generosity even to this day. And we’ll close to day with some words on the futility of relying on anyone or anything else other than Jehovah God. Hear Isaiah tell it like it is: ‘Woe to the rebellious children, saith the Lord, that take counsel, but not of me; and that cover with a covering (devise plans, weave a web), but not of my spirit, that they may add sin to sin.’ (Is.30:1) Oh Friends, please, let’s allow God to be the supreme ruler and arbiter in our lives. It’s the only way to live wisely in this our earthly pilgrimage. Much LOVE!…now unto him…that is able to do exceeding abundantly…above all that we ask or think…according to the power that worketh in us…unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus…throughout all ages…world without end…Amen… (Eph.3:20-21)