SCRIP-BITS

Psalm 112:1.     Praise ye the Lord (Hallelujah). I will praise the Lord with my whole heart, in the assembly of the upright, and in the congregation.
 
Oh Friends, I was just sitting here asking the Lord to give me a good intro for today’s Bit, because I couldn’t come up with anything on my own, when suddenly this question popped into my mind. I’m going to ask it of all of us believers. When last have we sat down, leaned up or stood up or even laid down somewhere quiet with Jesus and really talked to Him, truly unburdened our hearts to Him, right down to the smallest detail, and have Him just listening, nodding and occasionally asking a leading question or giving us some insight into our problems? I’m not sure when last I did that, and I sure hope you all are better than me in that respect. I know I did it a lot last summer. Maybe that’s because my prostate cancer surgery had me more or less housebound for a couple of months. But I remember many a night I’d sit out on my front porch, mostly in the late hours, and Jesus would sit on the step below me, never above, and focus His full attention on whatever I was saying to Him, whether it was about my pain, my family, my finances, or the troubles of our ungodly world. But one thing, He was always attentive to my words and my feelings. And yuh know Friends, after those little tete a tetes, (sorry, couldn’t get the accents properly) I remember my spirit always being refreshed, my faith renewed and strengthened, regardless of the problems, because Jesus reasoned them out so simply and straightforwardly to me. But somehow, this year I don’t remember enjoying any of those small but serious chats with Jesus. I guess, since I’m more or less healthy now, I just got too busy with the affairs of the world, or simply figured I didn’t need Him that much again. What a sad mistake my brethren! And obviously my great loss too! Oh my people, please, I implore us not to ever get too busy or important to engage in that kind of heartening, enlightening conversation with Jesus. When we forgo genuine conversations with Jesus, we lose big time. And I’m not talking about prayer here, but just conversing with Him as a Friend, which is indeed one of the many portfolios He holds in our lives. And that’s another great thing about walking this earthly life with Jesus; He’s at once our Lord, Saviour, Advocate, Sibling and Friend! And I have to laugh yes, because from not knowing what to write, that one little seed, that grain of thought flowered into all that talk. (smile) However, let’s turn our attention now to our Bit: ‘Praise ye the Lord (Hallelujah). I will praise the Lord with my whole heart, in the assembly of the upright, and in the congregation.’ Now that Friends, is wisdom of the highest order! And why so many of us neglect to follow it sincerely is a mystery to me. Hear what following our Bit leads to: ‘His seed shall be mighty upon earth: the generation of the upright shall be blessed. Wealth and riches shall be in his house: and his righteousness endureth (stands) for ever.’  (Ps.112:2-3) Now how many of us don’t want that for our friends, families and ourselves eh? We all want it, but apparently expect to get it without doing what it takes, not only to get it, but also to keep it; reverencing the Lord God Jehovah, plus delighting in, and doing His will. Instead we follow the rules of the world and try to kill ourselves working to amass whatever it is we desire, when there is indeed a better way; that prescribed by Jesus. Remember His promise that if we seek the kingdom of God and His righteousness first, have that as our main priority, all the earthly things will be given to us, because our heavenly Father knows we need them. (Matt.6:33) And Friends those sentiments are found throughout the Good Book, even before Jesus declared them. Listen to just a couple instances. The longest chapter in the Bible begins with this declaration: ‘Blessed are the undefiled (blameless) in the way, who walk in the law of the Lord. Blessed are they that keep his testimonies, and that seek him with the whole heart. They also do no iniquity: they walk in his ways.’ (Ps.119:1-3) Now why wouldn’t we follow those directives eh, especially when Psalm 128, the rewards of faithfulness, proclaims these great rewards? ‘Blessed is every one that feareth the Lord; that walketh in his ways. For thou shalt eat the labour of thine hands (fruit of thy labour): happy shalt thou be, and it shall be well with thee. Thy wife shall be as a fruitful vine by the sides (in the heart) of thine house: thy children like olive plants (luscious and plentiful) round about thy table. Behold, that thus shall the man be blessed that feareth the Lord. The Lord shall bless thee out of Zion: and thou shalt see the good of Jerusalem all the days of thy life. Yea, thou shalt see thy children’s children, and peace upon Israel.’ (Ps.128:1-6) Oh my people, that isn’t rocket science, just basic common sense with a little wisdom thrown in for good measure! If our omnipotent Creator promises to bless us so greatly when we walk according to His will, why aren’t many many more of us doing it? Oh, I forgot, common sense doesn’t rule, or even exist anymore in these unrighteous times. But the foolish wisdom, as we saw yesterday, is now in ascendance, the same one that’s leading us down the broad highway to death, destruction, eternal separation from God, and eternity in Hades with Lucifer. Hn! The sad part Friends is that we all have to make individual decisions as to whom we’ll follow, and too many people are making the wrong one, opting to follow the sinful, unreliable, unpredictable world, rather than the true and seasoned plans of Jesus. I urge us all to get wise, get smart, get some common sense, whatever it takes and try to sincerely follow Jesus, for He is truly, the Way, the Light, the Life and the Truth of this dark, sorrowful world. Much LOVE!…that trite, age old adage…he who doesn’t hear will eventually feel…still holds true even today…