SCRIP-BITS

Oh Friends, the ole fella’s tired this morning because my life is out of balance. This past week I foolishly did what I knew I’m not supposed to do – try to burn the candle at both ends simultaneously. To make matters worse, I don’t know how to begin Today’s Bit, so I’ll just let the Holy Spirit take over and write whatever He sees fit. Hn, hn! Wish it was that easy. But seriously though, for some unknown reason, I allowed my life to go out of balance this past week. No doubt Lucifer and his buddies were laughing all the way to the bank. And though a couple of times I realized what was happening, I never checked my unbalanced stride, and now I’m paying the price; tired, out of sorts and miserable. (smile) That my Friends, is the lesson our parents have been trying to teach us from day one; when you don’t hear, you eventually feel, and the feeling usually isn’t very nice. It’s the same thing the Good Book is trying to teach us about the wicked and their ungodly ways. ‘Though his excellency mount up to the heavens, and his head reach unto the clouds; Yet he shall perish for ever like his own dung (refuse): they which have seen him shall say, Where is he?’ (Job 20:6-7) Yes my people, unfortunately that’s what happens to the wicked. Though they rise to be high and mighty on earth, they shall eventually perish and disappear, sometimes so suddenly that people will be asking in wonder and surprise for them. As our Bit says: ‘He shall fly away as a dream, and shall not be found: yea, he shall be chased away as a vision of the night.’ That’s Zophar speaking there, but Job’s other buddy Bildad has it going on too. ‘His roots shall be dried up beneath, and above shall his branch be cut off. His remembrance (the memory of him) shall perish from the earth, and he shall have no name in the street (among the renowned or distinguished). He shall be driven from light into darkness, and chased out of the world. He shall neither have son nor nephew (posterity) among his people, nor any remaining in his dwellings. They that come after him shall be astonished at his day, as they that went before were affrighted (were seized with horror). Surely such are the dwellings of the wicked, and this is the place of him that knoweth not God.’ (Job 18:16-21) Oh Friends, do we want to end up like that; driven into darkness and forgotten? Certainly not! Well then we have to change our wicked ways and begin living the way God wants us to. Now hear how Job describes the hypocrite’s hopelessness: ‘The rich (ungodly) man shall lie down, but he shall not be gathered: he openeth his eyes, and he is not. Terrors take hold on him as waters (overtake him like a flood), a tempest stealeth him away in the night. The east wind carrieth him away, and he departeth (is gone): and as a storm hurleth him out of his place. For God shall cast upon him (it will hurl against him), and not spare: he would fain flee out of his hand (desperately flee from its power). Men shall clap their hands at him, and shall hiss him out of his place.’ (Job 27:19-23) I don’t know about you nuh mih breddren, but I definitely don’t want to endure such ‘sufferation,’ so while there’s breath in me, I will try my best to steer away from the evil side of life towards the righteous and godly. Any sensible person would choose to do likewise, the sad part is that there are way too many ‘non-sensible’ people in our world today, foolishly lusting after the earthly wealth and power that Lucifer and his evil cronies glorify. So let’s see if we can stir up some righteousness by highlighting the sad plight of the wicked under God’s law. ‘His children shall seek to please (the favour of) the poor, and his hands shall restore their goods….Though wickedness be sweet in his mouth, though he hide it under his tongue…Yet his meat in his bowels (food in his stomach) is turned (turns sour), it is the gall of asps (becomes cobra venom) within him. He hath swallowed down riches, and he shall vomit them up again: God shall cast them out of his belly…Because he hath oppressed and hath forsaken the poor; because he hath violently taken away (seized) a house which he builded not. Surely he shall not feel (know) quietness in his belly (heart), he shall not save of that (anything) which he desired….In the fullness of his sufficiency (self-sufficiency) he shall be in straits (distress): every hand of the wicked (wretched) shall come upon him. When he is about to fill his belly, God shall cast the fury of his wrath upon him, and shall rain it upon him while he is eating…The heaven shall reveal his iniquity; and the earth shall rise up against him. The increase of his house shall depart, and his goods shall flow away in the day of his wrath. This is the portion of a wicked man from God, and the heritage appointed unto him by God.’ (Job 20:10,12,14-15,19-20, 22-23,27-29) Yes Friends, such is the calamity of the wicked. Need I say more? Much LOVE!…truth…that falls on deaf ears…will one day…bring disastrous consequences… P.S. Yuh see Friends, in my time of need, the Holy Spirit did come to my assistance as promised. What a wonderful God we worship! Much LOVE!