Isaiah 52:7 How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace; that bringeth good tidings of good, that publisheth salvation; that saith unto Zion, Thy God reigneth!
‘Awake, awake, put on thy strength O Zion; put on thy beautiful garments O Jerusalem, the holy city: for henceforth there shall come no more unto thee, the uncircumcised and the unclean.’ That’s how Isaiah starts Chap.52, where he tells the Israelites that the Lord will deliver them from captivity and invaders. ‘Shake thyself from the dust, arise and sit down.. loose thyself from the bands of thy neck.’ He’s trying to awaken them from the spiritual stupor they’d fallen into over the long years of enslavement and destruction of Jerusalem, although it was through their own disobedience. We’re in the same situation today Friends; experiencing a spiritual decline from all the adversity we’re facing, having moved so far away from God. But hope’s alive people: if we turn back to the ONE that created us, still LOVES us, and promised never to forsake us, if we dwell with Him. However Friends, it’s not always easy to recapture, or keep alive the faith that suffers much adversity. That’s where encouragement comes in. As Isaiah says, ‘How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace.’ We’ve all experienced that fear dissipation and adrenaline rush when someone shows up in peace with good news. And that’s the kind of thing we need more in our world today; people spreading peace and good news, especially the good news of Salvation that Jesus bought us through His death. Only today I was listening to a song ‘A Word of Encouragement’ by the Reggae Artist, President Brown that’s so right for our unhealthy, unholy situation, that I’ll let him speak. ‘Unity is strength, and sometimes your brother needs some encouragement. Each one, teach one. Each one, help the other. Just a word of encouragement could make your little sister don’t give up on life…could make another brother don’t commit suicide. LOVE is stronger than pride. If you see yuh brother fall, don’t laugh, help to pick him up…Don’t you ever sit down pon side and cast judgement. No man’s an island. No one stands alone. Good words are sweeter than even honeycomb.’ It’s the truth Friends! We all know it, but through fear, apathy, or some other negative reason, we don’t practice it enough. Just a word of encouragement. We’ve all experienced it’s positive reactions: a smile brightens a sad face; drooping shoulders stand tall; and words trip glibly off the tongue. Oh Friends, in these troubling times we need more encouragement than ever, so that we can stand strong in the faith and fight the enemy, who’s always on the lookout for the weak brethren. Let’s keep spreading good news about good things to all, reminding the faithful of Salvation and enlightening the unbeliever. Oh People, we’ve got to get to the mountain top and shout it loud, ‘Oh Zion, Thy God reigneth! Turn to Him and Live! Much LOVE!…just a word of encouragement…it’s never a bad idea…and it’s oftimes enough…just a word of encouragement…
‘Awake, awake, put on thy strength O Zion; put on thy beautiful garments O Jerusalem, the holy city: for henceforth there shall come no more unto thee, the uncircumcised and the unclean.’ That’s how Isaiah starts Chap.52, where he tells the Israelites that the Lord will deliver them from captivity and invaders. ‘Shake thyself from the dust, arise and sit down.. loose thyself from the bands of thy neck.’ He’s trying to awaken them from the spiritual stupor they’d fallen into over the long years of enslavement and destruction of Jerusalem, although it was through their own disobedience. We’re in the same situation today Friends; experiencing a spiritual decline from all the adversity we’re facing, having moved so far away from God. But hope’s alive people: if we turn back to the ONE that created us, still LOVES us, and promised never to forsake us, if we dwell with Him. However Friends, it’s not always easy to recapture, or keep alive the faith that suffers much adversity. That’s where encouragement comes in. As Isaiah says, ‘How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace.’ We’ve all experienced that fear dissipation and adrenaline rush when someone shows up in peace with good news. And that’s the kind of thing we need more in our world today; people spreading peace and good news, especially the good news of Salvation that Jesus bought us through His death. Only today I was listening to a song ‘A Word of Encouragement’ by the Reggae Artist, President Brown that’s so right for our unhealthy, unholy situation, that I’ll let him speak. ‘Unity is strength, and sometimes your brother needs some encouragement. Each one, teach one. Each one, help the other. Just a word of encouragement could make your little sister don’t give up on life…could make another brother don’t commit suicide. LOVE is stronger than pride. If you see yuh brother fall, don’t laugh, help to pick him up…Don’t you ever sit down pon side and cast judgement. No man’s an island. No one stands alone. Good words are sweeter than even honeycomb.’ It’s the truth Friends! We all know it, but through fear, apathy, or some other negative reason, we don’t practice it enough. Just a word of encouragement. We’ve all experienced it’s positive reactions: a smile brightens a sad face; drooping shoulders stand tall; and words trip glibly off the tongue. Oh Friends, in these troubling times we need more encouragement than ever, so that we can stand strong in the faith and fight the enemy, who’s always on the lookout for the weak brethren. Let’s keep spreading good news about good things to all, reminding the faithful of Salvation and enlightening the unbeliever. Oh People, we’ve got to get to the mountain top and shout it loud, ‘Oh Zion, Thy God reigneth! Turn to Him and Live! Much LOVE!…just a word of encouragement…it’s never a bad idea…and it’s oftimes enough…just a word of encouragement…
SCRIP-BITS 