Deuteronomy 6:4-7 Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God is one God. And thou shalt LOVE the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might. And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart. And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shall talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.
Oh Friends, we who claim to be followers of the Most High God, are we following the dictates of Moses? Though he said them many moons ago, Jesus reiterated them, which means they’re still our abiding standard. But how many of us professed believers actually sit and consider what our God is really like eh; His power and majesty, His mercy and loving kindness? Going one step further; how many of us really and truly LOVE Him with all our heart, all our soul and all our might? No doubt all of us will take great umbrage and consider my questions impertinent, (smile) and unequivocally insist that we do. For all our sakes, I hope it’s true. But as the ole people say, ‘is two people yuh can’t fool; yuhself and God.’ And do we bear these words deeply in our hearts; that means live by them? Not good enough, judging by our topsy turvy lives and the conflicted state of our world. But the most important question though People, is, are we teaching our children to LOVE the Lord? Note, I did not even say diligently, as Moses commanded, just simply teaching. If we’re honest with ourselves, I think we’ll grade ourselves with a big ‘F’, cause we are sadly deficient in that area. Granted, it’s difficult to get today’s youth interested in God, when they’ve been constantly bombarded with the world’s hype and glitz from a tender age. But we’re to blame, since we use the t.v as a cheap, convenient baby sitter, without checking to see what’s been directed into their simple, impressionable minds. Then when they throw tantrums for the nonsensical things the greedy, manipulative advertisers and manufactures claim they must have, we give in and buy them, even when we can’t afford it. Just check out the ugly shoes and clothes, the quickly outdated technology that cost so much, but peer pressure says they must have to be trendy. I don’t think it’s right to force God down their throats, but it’s not right either to give in to their every whim and fancy, especially with their short attention spans. We’ve got to draw the line somewhere. Let them know that there are good things in the world, but the best things come from knowing God. We have to instil the word, plant the seed in them from the moment they are born, and keep watering and lovingly tending it as it grows. We’ve got to teach them to pray from young, and let them hear us pray too. They must also hear us talking reverently about God when we’re sitting alone at home or with friends; lying down, getting up, or just aimlessly wandering around. Hopefully, as they mature, the Word will act as a balancing fulcrum and keep them level headed. There must also be discipline, not too rigid, and standards at high levels, not the dumbness and anything goes attitude currently prevalent, since prosperity is tightly linked to discipline and high standards. But Friends, that discipline and those standards must start with us. Another old saying goes, ‘monkey see, monkey do.’ And that’s exactly what happens. Our children usually follow our example, and if we push the do as I say, not as I do message too much, then it’s likely to backfire, they’ll consider us hypocrites, which we all are to some extent. But by the same token, you’ve got to put your foot down on some things; it’s either my way or the highway. In general though, we should try to teach by example. Hn, hn! I did not plan this slant to the Bit, but that’s where our Wise and Wonderful God, who moves in mysterious ways, guided me. And whom am I, a poor, sinful mortal, to argue with Him eh? Much LOVE!…remember the best way… preach the right things…like J.C…then joyfully practice them…
Oh Friends, we who claim to be followers of the Most High God, are we following the dictates of Moses? Though he said them many moons ago, Jesus reiterated them, which means they’re still our abiding standard. But how many of us professed believers actually sit and consider what our God is really like eh; His power and majesty, His mercy and loving kindness? Going one step further; how many of us really and truly LOVE Him with all our heart, all our soul and all our might? No doubt all of us will take great umbrage and consider my questions impertinent, (smile) and unequivocally insist that we do. For all our sakes, I hope it’s true. But as the ole people say, ‘is two people yuh can’t fool; yuhself and God.’ And do we bear these words deeply in our hearts; that means live by them? Not good enough, judging by our topsy turvy lives and the conflicted state of our world. But the most important question though People, is, are we teaching our children to LOVE the Lord? Note, I did not even say diligently, as Moses commanded, just simply teaching. If we’re honest with ourselves, I think we’ll grade ourselves with a big ‘F’, cause we are sadly deficient in that area. Granted, it’s difficult to get today’s youth interested in God, when they’ve been constantly bombarded with the world’s hype and glitz from a tender age. But we’re to blame, since we use the t.v as a cheap, convenient baby sitter, without checking to see what’s been directed into their simple, impressionable minds. Then when they throw tantrums for the nonsensical things the greedy, manipulative advertisers and manufactures claim they must have, we give in and buy them, even when we can’t afford it. Just check out the ugly shoes and clothes, the quickly outdated technology that cost so much, but peer pressure says they must have to be trendy. I don’t think it’s right to force God down their throats, but it’s not right either to give in to their every whim and fancy, especially with their short attention spans. We’ve got to draw the line somewhere. Let them know that there are good things in the world, but the best things come from knowing God. We have to instil the word, plant the seed in them from the moment they are born, and keep watering and lovingly tending it as it grows. We’ve got to teach them to pray from young, and let them hear us pray too. They must also hear us talking reverently about God when we’re sitting alone at home or with friends; lying down, getting up, or just aimlessly wandering around. Hopefully, as they mature, the Word will act as a balancing fulcrum and keep them level headed. There must also be discipline, not too rigid, and standards at high levels, not the dumbness and anything goes attitude currently prevalent, since prosperity is tightly linked to discipline and high standards. But Friends, that discipline and those standards must start with us. Another old saying goes, ‘monkey see, monkey do.’ And that’s exactly what happens. Our children usually follow our example, and if we push the do as I say, not as I do message too much, then it’s likely to backfire, they’ll consider us hypocrites, which we all are to some extent. But by the same token, you’ve got to put your foot down on some things; it’s either my way or the highway. In general though, we should try to teach by example. Hn, hn! I did not plan this slant to the Bit, but that’s where our Wise and Wonderful God, who moves in mysterious ways, guided me. And whom am I, a poor, sinful mortal, to argue with Him eh? Much LOVE!…remember the best way… preach the right things…like J.C…then joyfully practice them…
SCRIP-BITS 