SCRIP-BITS

Isaiah 51:12.     I, even I, am he that comforteth you: who art thou, that thou shouldest be afraid of a man that shall die, and of the son of man which shall be made as grass.
 
Oh Friends, it’s Monday…! And there’s a half-hearted cheer reeking with sarcasm for that unwelcome information. (smile) This is also the last Monday in Lent, where many of us gave up stuff to spiritually make a connection with Jesus fasting forty days in the wilderness before His death. But come next Monday, after the amazing resurrection of Christ on Sunday, I guarantee that there will be a much louder cheer when I announce it’s time for work. That’s because our souls will be a tad more joyous having regained the pleasures we gave up for Lent. And let me apologize here for not mentioning that yesterday was Palm Sunday. I don’t know what came over me, but I totally forgot about it, until I went to church and saw the palms there. I really don’t know how I could have forgotten such an important day in the annals of Christianity; the only day during Jesus’ earthly sojourn that He was actually recognized and publicly acknowledged as the worthy King, the Son of God, the Messiah He truly is. Anyway Friends, please forgive the ole fella, his mind obviously isn’t what it used to be. And I promise it won’t happen again, though I may forget something else. (smile) Now let’s move on to more immediate matters, like singing our Monday Morning Battle Hymn to get us in the right frame of mind to go out and labour. Altogether now, with as much heartfelt enthusiasm as we can muster. ‘Oh Lord God Almighty, Creator of the universe and all therein! We, your humble servants, praise your Holy Name and thank you that this Monday morning we have jobs to go to; jobs we don’t like, jobs that are unfair, difficult and even dangerous, but which serve a useful purpose here on earth; keeping lives and families together. We also thank you Father for the renewed vitality and enthusiasm you’ve wrought in our weary souls over the last two days. It’s that rejuvenation of Spirit which allows us now to sally forth with confidence into the evil, ungodly world that surrounds us, to begin a new week of work, constantly buffeted and bombarded by the enemy’s wicked taunts, wiles and lies. But heavenly Father, we’re not afraid, for we know we’re invincible, sure conquerors, once we’re wearing your powerful, protective spiritual armour. We surrender our all to you, and humbly ask that you let your incredible aura of LOVE, the Holy Spirit, lead and guide all your servants as we go out to meet the enemy in battle. Fill us with steadfast faith, so that we can make worthwhile inroads into the enemy’s ranks, and thereby further your glorious kingdom. We pray this in the Holy Name of your Son, and our Saviour, Jesus Christ. AMEN!’ Oh mih people, that was only so so. We didn’t get a standing ‘O’ in heaven today, just some sporadic applause. But I’m sure by the time we hit the road, the enthusiasm, the flame of passion that burns deep in our hearts and souls for Jesus will have been reignited and we’ll be just rearing to get to the front lines of the battle and engage the evil enemy. (smile) And I’m not being overly optimistic here. One must have hope, loads of it. For if there’s no hope, what’s the purpose of living then? That brings us to our Bit: ‘I, even I, am he that comforteth you: who art thou, that thou shouldest be afraid of a (mortal) man that shall die, and of the son of man which shall be made as grass.’ It’s the same one as yesterday, and we’ll attempt to do what I’d planned to do back then, which is dissect it, before I was guided to talk about LOVE instead. There are three parts to it; basically comfort, fear and longevity. Let’s look at the first part; comfort. Our God says in no uncertain terms: ‘I, even I, am he that comforteth you.’ And that’s an undeniable fact my brethren! Our God is the greatest comforter in existence! He prides Himself in comforting His people. Now let’s check out a few of the many scriptures on the amazing comfort our God provides. And we’ll start with Isaiah, who offers comfort to Israel in several readings. First off is: ‘Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith your God.’ (Is.40:1) That has to do with a day of salvation after Judah’s captivity in Babylon. Then in chapter 49, he exultantly declares: ‘Sing, O heavens; and be joyful, O earth; and break forth into singing, O mountains: for the Lord hath comforted his people, and will have mercy upon his afflicted.’ (Is.49:13) That’s regarding the Servant coming out of Israel, Jesus, the Messiah. He says basically the same thing in 52:9, re the Lord delivering His people from captivity. Meanwhile in chapter 61, proclaiming tidings of salvation to Zion, he boldly announces: ‘The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me; because the Lord hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek (poor); he hath sent me to bind up (heal) the broken-hearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound; To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn.’ (Is.61:1-2) And we all know Bruh Paul’s famous words to the Corinthians: ‘Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort; Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in trouble (tribulation), by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God.’ (2 Cor.1:3-4) Oh Friends, how could we ever doubt the healing and comforting nature of our wonderful God eh? Just like in all the other blessings He showers down on us, His comforting us is meant to be shared with others, not kept solely and selfishly for ourselves. That’s one of the reasons why our world is in such sad shape today; too many people not willing to share their abundance with the less fortunate. And we’ll end, as I like to when possible, with the words of Jesus. Listen to this pronouncement from the Sermon on the Mount, from the Beatitudes, which mirrors the end of Isaiah’s in 61:2. ‘Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.’ (Matt.5:4) What a promise my brethren! And we know it’s gospel truth if spoken by Jesus! And the scholars elaborate on that passage thus: ‘Those that mourn…shall be comforted. The depth of the promise of these statements is almost inexhaustible. Those who mourn for sin shall be comforted in confession. Those who mourn for the human anguish of the lost shall be comforted by the compassion of God.’ So Friends, in this crazy, confused, turbulent, evil, ungodly world, where we are constantly beset before and behind by problems and anxieties, let’s not lose hope, and consequently faith in our most awesome Holy Trinity, because we know of, and have personally experienced their comfort and LOVING-kindness. There’s NONE OTHER like them in existence. Hang tight with them and you’ll be well taken care of, rewarded far above and beyond your human imagination. Now isn’t that true wisdom? It sure is, my brethren! Much LOVE!…thy rod and thy staff…they comfort me…  (Ps.23:4)