Romans 12:12 Rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation; continuing instant in prayer.
Ah Friends, that’s the Christian motto in a nutshell; to be joyful in hope, patient in affliction and faithful in prayer. It’s certainly a hard row to hoe, but Jesus did it, and we’re expected to follow in His footsteps. We keep emphasizing that the Christian walk is not easy; it’s littered with many obstacles, including the ever present, prowling enemy, but if we faithfully embrace Jesus and His LOVE for all mankind – easier said than done too – it becomes more tolerable. For Jesus said; ‘Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest in your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.’ (Mat.11:29-30) Yes Friends, that’s the first requirement for enduring the walk of faith; accepting Jesus’ easy yoke and light burden. Meaning, if we stay in touch with Him, He’ll help us bear our heavy load, while performing His service of LOVE to all. Bruh Paul talks about ‘rejoicing in hope.’ But what is hope, that we should be joyful in it? Hope is positive expectation, looking towards the future for something good. Bruh Paul describes it thus: ‘For we are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope; for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for?’ (Rom.8:24) Exactly! And if we’re hoping for, or expecting salvation, then we should do it with joy, not the sour demeanour of so many believers, for salvation is our most wonderful expectation. Jesus advised: ‘Notwithstanding in this rejoice not, that the spirits are subject unto you; but rather rejoice, because your names are written in heaven.’ (Luke 10:20) Oh thank you Jesus; Wonderful Saviour! Bless His Holy Name People, cause that’s the ultimate in rejoicing! So with such a marvellous event to look forward to, we can afford to be ‘patient in tribulation;’ put up with all the hard knocks and unfairness of life, all the evil, unwarranted affliction that besets us. Bruh Paul said, ‘But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it.’ (Rom.8:25) That’s obvious Friends. If we expect to receive something valuable in the future, then with patience, we eagerly await it. Otherwise we are just fooling ourselves. And since salvation is the Greatest, then we need to earnestly persevere until it comes. Friends, though I delight in the words of Bruh David and Bruh Paul, nobody puts words together like Jesus. Hear this statement. ‘In your patience possess ye your souls.’ (Luke 21:19) Wow! Short, sweet and to the point. Your souls depend on your patience, for your patience will dictate what happens to your soul. And while we joyfully wait for salvation, with a patient, eager awareness, we need to be ‘continuining instant in prayer.’ That means talking to Jesus continually; repenting of our sins, asking His forgiveness, mercy, advice and guidance on the long, arduous journey home. Continuous prayer is akin to grease or oil in a machine; it lubricates the parts, reduces heat and friction, makes it run smoothly. Without that lubrication the mechanical parts overheat, seize up and eventually stop working. It’s the same with us Friends; prayer is our lubrication; without it we malfunction, lose our power to perform optimally. But hear it from the Master himself. ‘And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint.’ (Luke 18:1) Oh Friends, let’s listen to Him nuh. He knows best. Much LOVE!…constant hope, perseverance, prayer…leads to…salvation and eternal life…
Ah Friends, that’s the Christian motto in a nutshell; to be joyful in hope, patient in affliction and faithful in prayer. It’s certainly a hard row to hoe, but Jesus did it, and we’re expected to follow in His footsteps. We keep emphasizing that the Christian walk is not easy; it’s littered with many obstacles, including the ever present, prowling enemy, but if we faithfully embrace Jesus and His LOVE for all mankind – easier said than done too – it becomes more tolerable. For Jesus said; ‘Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest in your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.’ (Mat.11:29-30) Yes Friends, that’s the first requirement for enduring the walk of faith; accepting Jesus’ easy yoke and light burden. Meaning, if we stay in touch with Him, He’ll help us bear our heavy load, while performing His service of LOVE to all. Bruh Paul talks about ‘rejoicing in hope.’ But what is hope, that we should be joyful in it? Hope is positive expectation, looking towards the future for something good. Bruh Paul describes it thus: ‘For we are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope; for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for?’ (Rom.8:24) Exactly! And if we’re hoping for, or expecting salvation, then we should do it with joy, not the sour demeanour of so many believers, for salvation is our most wonderful expectation. Jesus advised: ‘Notwithstanding in this rejoice not, that the spirits are subject unto you; but rather rejoice, because your names are written in heaven.’ (Luke 10:20) Oh thank you Jesus; Wonderful Saviour! Bless His Holy Name People, cause that’s the ultimate in rejoicing! So with such a marvellous event to look forward to, we can afford to be ‘patient in tribulation;’ put up with all the hard knocks and unfairness of life, all the evil, unwarranted affliction that besets us. Bruh Paul said, ‘But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it.’ (Rom.8:25) That’s obvious Friends. If we expect to receive something valuable in the future, then with patience, we eagerly await it. Otherwise we are just fooling ourselves. And since salvation is the Greatest, then we need to earnestly persevere until it comes. Friends, though I delight in the words of Bruh David and Bruh Paul, nobody puts words together like Jesus. Hear this statement. ‘In your patience possess ye your souls.’ (Luke 21:19) Wow! Short, sweet and to the point. Your souls depend on your patience, for your patience will dictate what happens to your soul. And while we joyfully wait for salvation, with a patient, eager awareness, we need to be ‘continuining instant in prayer.’ That means talking to Jesus continually; repenting of our sins, asking His forgiveness, mercy, advice and guidance on the long, arduous journey home. Continuous prayer is akin to grease or oil in a machine; it lubricates the parts, reduces heat and friction, makes it run smoothly. Without that lubrication the mechanical parts overheat, seize up and eventually stop working. It’s the same with us Friends; prayer is our lubrication; without it we malfunction, lose our power to perform optimally. But hear it from the Master himself. ‘And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint.’ (Luke 18:1) Oh Friends, let’s listen to Him nuh. He knows best. Much LOVE!…constant hope, perseverance, prayer…leads to…salvation and eternal life…
SCRIP-BITS 