SCRIP-BITS

Psalm 107:32    Let them exalt him also in the congregation of the people, and praise him in the assembly of the elders.
 
Oh Friends, can you believe it’s February already? Where did January vanish to eh? It seems like we just celebrated New Year’s. By the way, how are the New Year’s resolutions going? I hope we have not regressed, but are still striving to lose weight and live in LOVE! (smile) Remember this is the year of regeneration; everything old will be made new, what’s sad will be made glad, the bad will be made good, and we’ll be most thankful for it all. That brings me to the Bit. Today, when I thought about what to write, a swell of desire for praise and thanksgiving just rose up from deep within my soul, and I immediately went seeking the appropriate scripture. I also realized that it’s something we don’t do enough of. We ask for lot’s of stuff, and say some thanks, but praising our Maker for just whom and what He is, simply having a desire to magnify Him, doesn’t seem to be one of our strong points. It should be though. We ought to LOVE the Lord so much, that our souls should automatically fill with a constant string of good, kind, LOVING thoughts toward Him, and every so often our souls should overflow with that joy, and cause us to just burst forth in song and praise and thanksgiving, praising and glorifying His Holy Name. Wow! As Bruh David says, ‘Oh that men would praise the Lord for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men!’  And he thinks it so important that he repeats it four times in Psalm 107; vs. 8, 15, 21, 31. And that other man of great faith, Bruh Paul, says it thus: ‘I will declare thy name unto my brethren, in the midst of the church will I sing praise unto thee.’ (Heb.2: 12) Yes Friends, our God is so wonderful that praising Him should come naturally, just be something that we do automatically from inner gratitude and appreciation. We ought to take the Psalmist’s advice: ‘Let them exalt him also in the congregation of the people, and praise him in the assembly of the elders.’ That’s His just dessert my people; to have His Holy Name praised amongst the entire populace. For ‘He turneth the wilderness into a standing water, and dry ground into watersprings. And there he maketh the hungry to dwell, that they may prepare a city for habitation: And sow the fields, and plant vineyards, which may yield fruits of increase. He blesseth them also, so that they are multiplied greatly; and suffereth not their cattle to decrease.’ (Ps.107: 35-38) Oh my people, aren’t those good and worthwhile reasons to sing the praises of our Most High God Jehovah? Of course they are! It’s so marvellous that ‘I will declare thy name unto my brethren: in the midst of the congregation will I praise thee…My praise shall be of thee in the great congregation: I will pay my vows before them that fear him.’ (Ps.22: 22,25) And so we should my brethren. Remember though, ‘When thou vowest a vow unto God, defer not to pay it; for he hath no pleasure in fools: pay that which thou hast vowed. For ‘Better is it that thou shouldest not vow, than thou shouldest vow and not pay.’ (Eccl.5: 4-5) So please be careful, let’s fully consider the consequences before we make promises. Oh Friends, Bruh David is so intent on engendering praise to the Lord amongst his people that he declares it throughout his writings. ‘I will give thee thanks in the great congregation: I will praise thee among much people.’ (Ps.35: 18) Are we the same way Friends? Do we stir up praise amongst others, so that they see and appreciate His mercy and loving-kindness? We should. And from the depths of our souls, this truth should pour out: ‘I delight to do thy will, O my God: yea, thy law is within my heart. I have preached righteousness in the great congregation: lo, I have not refrained my lips, O Lord, thou knowest. I have not hid thy righteousness within my heart; I have declared thy faithfulness and thy salvation: I have not concealed thy loving-kindness and thy truth from the great congregation.’ (Ps.40: 8-10) Yes my people, that’s the kind of declaration we should all be working towards, because it’s nothing less than what our God deserves. And nothing delights the Lord like when we spread His Word and praise His Holy Name to others. So let’s concentrate on delighting Him nuh, by making His Word known to all and sundry, and creating worldwide, glorious, uplifting and magnifying praise to His Holy Name. Let’s let His ears ring sweetly in high heaven and His heart burst with pride and joy to Hallelujahs and Hosannas galore! Much LOVE!
…praise Him…praise Him…glory hallelujah…He is LOVE…He is LOVE…