Rippers and “Rippees”

If you were able to get off the bed this morning, can still take care of the fundamentals of starting a new day, still enjoy a refreshing shower (I thank God every time I take a shower, because I realize the number of my ancestors who never enjoyed a good bath. Just think of the children of Israel in the desert, our ancestors crossing the plains in a covered wagon.), still enjoy the smell of fresh coffee, can still hear birds singing outside, you have much for which to be thankful.

Every morning of my life, for as long as I can remember, before my breakfast to satisfy my hunger, I go to the Lord's table: a little piece of bread, thanking God for His healing, a little sip of wine thanking God for His salvation through His precious blood (Isaiah 53, 1 Peter 2:24). I know it is symbolic, but God help those who claim the name of Christ, and do not recognize His redemption and healing...the bread for healing, the wine for remission of sins.

Even though I have lived in total blackness, blindness, for most of my life, I am still anxious to hear happenings around the world, via radio. One story after another of corruption, government decadence, religious hypocrisy. When you have achieved my age, it bothers you to think that young people, those who are just beginning their lives, those who must face the uncertainties, those who may be called on to defend their country, those who will be taxed to support madness, hear the same thing I do. What incentive could they possibly have for patriotism, for hard work, for defending and supporting the ripoff segment of our society. For whom is more prayer needed, the rippees or the rippers?

We hear so much about the present recession, or as many call it, great depression. I lived during the Great Depression, nothing even resembles slightly the Great Depression, nine million Americans starved to death during the Great Depression, and during that time 90% of the population lived on farms. What we are going through now is just the overture for the opera, the real drama has yet to begin.

In grand opera is the colloquialism, “it ain't over til the fat lady sings”, meaning that many operatic sopranos are greatly overweight. I will assure you that there will not be many overweight people at the opera, the movie house, the streets, or anywhere else after the next, real, great depression heading our way. We are depending on the very ones who got us into this mess, the Congress of the United States, and the legislators of states to get us out of it. Most of these people will be sitting pretty, retired somewhere, living of the graft which they have stocked away.

The PBGC (Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation), the organization guaranteeing pension for the many business and government agencies has already assured Americans that most pensioners will never get their money. The government has been eyeballing this cash cow for a long time, and like social security recipients, military retirees, all will be thrown in the same blender of socialistic, “dividing of the wealth”. Like Bell, California where city retirees received ludicrous retirement checks, like Wilmington NC, where the manager of four state liquor stores receives ludicrous retirement benefits. All this insanity of inequity toward working Americans will end.

It is truly amazing how far the American spirit has strayed in my lifetime, the insanity of thinking the well will never run dry, no matter how much water is pumped out of it. Everything in life involves money, money and possessions are talked about in the Bible more than anything else (2352 times). I believe God had a suspicion about how addicted man would become to money. Everything involves sowing and reaping, you cannot understand God's Word until you understand the parable of the sower...you sow sparingly, your reap sparingly, in every thing, you reap what you sow. If you do not give much to God, do not expect much in return, you cannot out-give God. On the farm, my father knew where to plant certain seed, in this world, the field, there was planting time and harvest time.

As important as the parable of the sower, the parable of the prodigal son (Luke 15). I think it is important to call this marvelous story, the most beautiful story in all of literature, the parable of the prodigal father, so much to learn from every precious word in this story, the rearing and discipline of sons. The younger son (ripper) did not even say “father, I have worked for a large part of your estate,” rather he just said, “gimme.” He was willing to rip off his own father. The father (rippee), so willing to forgive, running to meet his stinking son (stinking from the hog pen), realizing he did not have a taste for slop, finally realizing the wonderful home from which he had fled.

So it is with us, our relationship with our heavenly Father, many of us feel like the rippee (those who have served our country in uniform and have received nothing in return). Those who must witness the daily transgressions of the wicked who always come out on top. Remind our young children, those who are bombarded daily about the greed of adults, rippers (bankers, politicians, Big Pharma) that the “all-seeing eye” of God, the perfect accountant, still has everything under control, that there will always be a pay day, one day. Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. (Galatians 6:7)