SCRIP-BITS

Genesis 21:1.   And the Lord visited Sarah as he had said, and the Lord did unto Sarah as he had spoken.
 
Oh Friends, what our world needs now is LOVE, sweet LOVE! Not just for some, for a favoured few, but for everyone, for all and sundry! It’s the only thing that there’s too little of.
 
Most definitely my people! Our world badly, most desperately needs lots more LOVE, as the words of that old song so rightly declare. And if you look closely at our problems, you’ll discover that the majority of them are derived from, or arise from the lack thereof, or absence of LOVE.
 
And what is this LOVE, you ask? Well according to this definition, which I believe I got from Uncle Charles (Charles Stanley), ‘LOVE is the unselfish, sacrificial giving of oneself.’
 
And therein lies the rub my brethren; ‘the unselfish, sacrificial giving!’ Hn! Our world is anything but unselfish and sacrificial, more like selfish and non-sacrificial. 
 
And when we think of unselfish and sacrificial giving the first person that comes to mind is obviously our Lord and Saviour Jesus, for He was so unselfish that He sacrificed His sinless life for us; a bunch of ingrates, flagrantly committing abominable sins.
 
And that’s what true LOVE is all about Friends! We don’t necessarily have to go to the lengths that Jesus did and sacrifice our physical lives for others, but our sacrifices must come from actions like praying for, giving and helping those in need, even though we might also be needy and hurting.
 
That brings to mind the latest natural disaster to hit our world, and one fairly close to home too. We’re talking about the serious tornadoes and thunderstorms that yesterday lashed the U.S Midwest and parts of Southern Ontario and Quebec. There have been some deaths, lots of destruction, and lots of people without power or shelter.
 
So please let’s pray for them in their time of need, and also contribute whatever we can to assist them in rebuilding their lives and homes. That’s the true reality of LOVE, my fellow believers!
 
Now turning to our Bit: ‘And the Lord visited Sarah as he had said, and the Lord did unto Sarah as he had spoken.’
 
Oh my brethren, those are words which ought to build enormous hope and faith in our souls! Remember God’s promise from yesterday? ‘And he said, I will certainly return unto thee according to the time of life; and lo, Sarah thy wife shall have a son…. Is anything too hard for the Lord? At the time appointed I will return unto thee, according to the time of life, and Sarah shall have a son.’ (Gen 18:10,14)
 
So now the Lord, faithful as ever, returns as He had promised. And what happens? What else but what He promised? ‘For Sarah conceived, and bare Abraham a son in his old age, at the set time of which God had spoken to him. And Abraham called the name of his son that was born unto him, whom Sarah bare to him, Isaac (lit. Laughter).
 
And Abraham circumcised his son Isaac being eight days old, as God had commanded him. And Abraham was a hundred years old, when his son Isaac was born unto him. And Sarah said, God hath made me to laugh (lit. made laughter for me), so that all that hear will laugh with me.
 
And she said, Who would have said unto Abraham, that Sarah should have given children suck (nurse children)? for I have borne him a son in his old age. And the child grew, and was weaned: and Abraham made a great feast the same day that Isaac was weaned.’ (Gen.21:2-8)
 
Ah mih people, what other supposed gods keep their word, their promises, like ours eh? NONE WHATSOEVER! Because they are all dead, inanimate objects, some even man-made. Whereas our God is the ONE AND ONLY TRUE GOD, A LIVING DEITY, faithfully looking over His remarkable creation, our universe, and His unique creation, mankind. What could be better than that eh Friends? Nothing really!
 
Please note Friends, that Abraham circumcised Isaac eight days after his birth, in keeping with the covenant sign he had made with God.
 
Now a couple notes from the scholars. The first says: ‘Thou shalt call his name Isaac: The name means “He laughs” and was to serve as a reminder to Abraham of the unlikely means by which he was brought into the world, and his response in 17:17, and Sarah’s reaction in 18:12′
 
Yuh see Friends, how our God can be sweet but also devious, doing things to remind us of our failures and misgivings. So in the name Isaac, Sarah and Abraham would forever remember their doubt and laughter when the Lord promised them a son in their old age.
 
However, as the scholars further state: ’21:3: Isaac was the miraculously born son of Abraham and Sarah and was the forefather of the Jews. Both Abraham (17:17) and Sarah (18:12) laughed at the promise of a son in their old age, but later laughed for joy at his birth (vv.1-8). He represented the ancestral line of the promised Messiah.’
 
That my Friends, is the wonder of our amazing and most awesome God! He always wraps up our doubtful and faithless moments in times of joy! So how and why we don’t truly trust Him, I just can’t understand. That’s simply foolishness, ignorance of the highest order on our part my brethren!
 
Anyway, it’s time to close. I surely hope that we have gained some good insights into both the workings of our great God and the truthfulness of His Word.
 
So let’s ponder it all and thereby try to increase our hope, faith and trust in Almighty God to a point of total surrender. For therein lies the ultimate expression of true wisdom, my people! Much LOVE!
 
…the fool says in his heart…there is no God…pure foolishness that…