Today’s Scrip-Bit 21 March 2009 Genesis 17:1‏

21 Mar 2009 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Inspirational Living

Genesis 17:1    And when Abram was ninety years old and nine, the Lord appeared to Abram, and said unto him, I am the Almighty God, walk before me, and be thou perfect.
 
Oh Friends, yesterday we saw how the newly minted Abraham, got up without hesitation and circumcised all the males of his household, the same day the Lord offered him the covenant, thereby showing his acceptance and trust that the Lord would keep His promises. But there was one flaw in his armour of faith that we bypassed. The same time the Lord told Abraham about the circumcision to uphold the covenant, He also told him that Sarai’s name would be changed to Sarah, which meant ‘Princess.’ ‘And I will bless her, and give thee a son also of her: yea, I will bless her, and she shall be a mother of nations; kings of people shall be of her.’ (Gen.17:16) And Abraham’s reaction was rather surprising. ‘Then Abraham fell upon his face, and laughed, and said in his heart, Shall a child be born unto him that is a hundred years old? and shall Sarah, that is ninety years old, bear?’ (Gen.17: 17) Yes, Abraham doubted in his heart that two people totalling 190 years could procreate. The scholars though, think it strange that Abraham should laugh at the idea of a 100 year old man fathering a son, when his own father, Terah, sired him at 130. (Gen.11) Abraham himself went on to sire children long after that too. (Gen.25:1-6) It seems to be the only one of God’s promises that Abraham had reservations about, was somewhat leery of. For even after the Lord made the promise, ‘Abraham said unto God, O that Ishmael might live before thee!’  (Gen.17:18) It shows he was still thinking about Ishmael as his heir. But Friends, our God doesn’t make idle promises, and he restated his position to Abraham. ‘And God said, Sarah thy wife shall bear thee a son indeed; and thou shalt call his name Isaac: and I will establish my covenant with him for an everlasting covenant, and with his seed after him.’  (Gen.17:19) Poor Abraham must have been dumbfounded by God’s insistence that Sarah would give him an heir. But God continued: ‘And as for Ishmael I have heard thee: Behold, I have blessed him, and will make him fruitful, and will multiply him exceedingly; twelve princes shall he beget, and I will make him a great nation. But my covenant will I establish with Isaac, which Sarah shall bear unto thee at this set time in the next year.’ (Gen.17:20-21) Then God went away from a bewildered Abraham, having made it very clear that his heir would be the issue from ninety something year old Sarah and not Hagar’s progeny. But in defence of Abraham’s faith, when God left him, he circumcised all the males of his household that very day. He accepted all God’s promises without any problems, except the one of two very aged people having children. Like his mind just couldn’t comprehend it, and Sarah felt the same way, as a later incident proved. One day, while Abraham was sitting at his tent’s door, on the plains of Mamre, three strange men showed up. He ran to meet them and invited them to stop and refresh themselves at his expense. They accepted his generous invitation and he gave the necessary orders to prepare a special meal. As they stood outside talking, one of the men asked for Sarah. Abraham said she was inside the tent helping to prepare the food. Then the man said, ‘I will certainly return unto thee according to the time of life; and lo, Sarah thy wife shall have a son. And Sarah heard it in the tent door, which was behind him…’ And since in the natural it seemed impossible, with menopause many years behind her, ‘Therefore Sarah laughed within herself, saying, After I am waxed old shall I have pleasure, my lord being old also?’ (Gen.18:10,12) Ah my Friends, it’s sad when we doubt our God’s power, for it usually comes back to haunt us. Now according to the scholars, this was the pre-incarnate Christ (Yahweh) and two angels who appeared to Abraham. It’s an excellent example of Bruh Paul’s warning; ‘Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.’ (Heb.13:2) Also of God becoming the guest of one of his saints. ‘If a man LOVE me, he will keep my words: and my Father will LOVE him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him.’ (John 14:23) Now after Sarah laughed to herself, ‘the Lord said to Abraham, Wherefore did Sarah laugh, saying, shall I of a surety bear a child, which am old? Is anything too hard for the Lord? At the appointed time I will return unto thee, according to the time of life, and Sarah shall have a son. Then Sarah denied, saying, I laughed not: for she was afraid. And he said, Nay, but thou didst laugh.’ ( Gen. 18:13-15) Yuh see my people, we have to be careful even with our thoughts. Sarah thought she was just laughing to herself, but one of the strangers was divinely gifted to read her thoughts. Why she laughed we’re not sure; she either never knew about the promise before, or if she did, figured it wouldn’t be fulfilled. But that just goes to show our human frailty and insignificance when compared to God’s thoughts, comprehension and power, that’s way above ours. For as the stranger asked, ‘Is there anything too hard for the Lord?’ And the answer my brethren, is an emphatic, NO! And because of Abraham and Sarah’s doubt, the Lord named their offspring, Isaac, which means, ‘He laughs,’ to serve as a perpetual reminder of his unlikely conception and their response, their disbelief. And the moral of the story? Never doubt our God, especially when He tells us something more than once, cause in some subtle way, He never lets us forget it. Oh Friends, please remember the basis of our faith is trust, hope and belief, in an invisible God, and things we cannot see, and if we keep doubting God’s word, we’ll never amount to much in His service and consequently not enjoy the immeasurable rewards He offers to those whose faith is impregnable. Much LOVE!…a doubt here…and a doubt there…soon adds up…and makes us…doubters…
 

Today’s Scrip-Bit 20 March 2009 Genesis 17:1‏

20 Mar 2009 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Inspirational Living

Genesis 17:1    And when Abram was ninety years old and nine, the Lord appeared to Abram, and said unto him, I am the Almighty God; walk before me, and be thou perfect.
 
Ah mih Friends, when they say that man plans but God directs his footsteps, it’s no lie nuh. Today is what…the fourth day we talking about the saga of our Father of Faith Abram? And believe me, on that first day I had no intentions of writing about Abram, I was checking out stuff on war and violence because of a seeming upsurge in the strife and violence currently holding our world in grip. But obviously the Most High God Jehovah had other ideas in mind, and somehow He led me to Abram’s story and caused me to take the initial leap of faith, since I had no idea what to write. I guess He figured that in these stressful, worrisome times it was wiser and more important to talk about faith than the negative happenings consuming Mother Earth. But now we come to Ishmael’s birth. ‘And Abram was fourscore and six years old, when Hagar bare Ishmael to Abram.’ (Gen.16:16) Wow! Abram was 86! And note, he wasn’t done yet. But such is the might and power of our God, who oftimes likes to do things out of the ordinary to gain our attention and also glorify His Holy Name. So it was another thirteen years before God appeared to Abram again, and this time He gets right down to brass tacks; promises to make an everlasting covenant between them and multiply his seed greatly. ‘And Abram fell on his face: and God talked with him saying, As for me, behold, my covenant is with thee, and thou shalt be a father of many nations. Neither shall thy name any more be called Abram, but thy name shall be called Abraham; for a father of many nations have I made thee. And I will make thee exceeding fruitful, and I will make nations of thee, and kings shall come out of thee. And I will establish my covenant between me and thee and thy seed after thee in their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be a God unto thee, and to thy seed after thee.’ (Gen.17:3-7) Oh my Friends, can you imagine what’s going on in poor Abram’s mind? He’s on his face before God, who’s promising all these wonderful things, but Abram’s already 99, and has only one child, yet the Lord’s talking about multiplying his seed exceedingly. Abram must have been confused, for though the Lord had kept His other promises, the one about children only came true because they took matters into their own hands. Otherwise they would still be childless. And then the Lord wants to change his name from ‘Abram’ which meant ‘High or Exalted Father,’ to ‘Abraham,’ meaning ‘Father of a Multitude.’ He must have wondered if all of that would come from his only child Ishmael. The Lord also promised to give the land of Canaan to Abraham and his descendants forever, if they kept His covenant. Then the Lord informed Abram of his duty under the covenant. Remember, most times we also have a role to play in the Lord’s plans. ”Every man child among you shall be circumcised. And ye shall circumcise the flesh of your foreskin; and it shall be a token of the covenant betwixt me and you. And he that is eight days old shall be circumcised among you, every man child in your generations; he that is born in the house or bought with money of any stranger, which is not of thy seed…and my covenant shall be in your flesh for an everlasting covenant. And the uncircumcised man child…that soul shall be cut off from his people; he hath broken my covenant.’  (Gen. 17:10-14) Yes my people, the Lord does drive a hard bargain, and that’s where the rite of circumcision was born in the Hebrew nation. That was the proof positive that a man was part of God’s chosen people; a people uniquely dedicated to God. It was to be an outward sign of an inward dedication to God, and any Hebrew who did not observe it was cut off from the covenant community. And what did Abraham, the Father of Faith do? ‘And Abraham took Ishmael his son, and all that were born in his house, and all that were bought with his money, every male among the men of Abraham’s house; and circumcised the flesh of their foreskin in the self same day, as God had said unto him. And Abraham was ninety years old and nine, when he was circumcised.. And Ishmael his son was thirteen years old when he was circumcised…’  (Gen.17:23-25) Oh Friends, all I can say is that Abraham was certainly a better man than me yes! And poor Ishmael.. Steups! Remember Abraham had over three hundred fighting men plus those who didn’t fight, and they were all circumcised in one day, without benefit of our modern surgical procedures and painkillers. Can you imagine the confusion, the moaning and groaning in Abraham’s yard that night and for days to come? Brother! For even at eight days old, in our modern age, circumcision is a rather painful procedure, especially during the healing process. Now note, this is one time I’m talking from hearsay. (smile) But that act of obedience does say a lot about Abraham’s character; apparently he wasn’t one to dawdle over decisions. And I can see why the Lord blessed him so much, for the same day the Lord brokered the covenant, Abraham accepted it, by having all the males in his household cut. He didn’t even ask for time to think about it, like many of us would have done, then decided the task was too onerous and declined the offer. No, Abraham made the decision to trust the Lord right then and there, then got up and did his part. My people, do we accept God’s word, His promises like Abraham did, without hemming and hawing? We should, because that’s what singles us out from the unbelievers. Circumcision is no longer necessary to prove our faith since Jesus brokered His covenant of believing in Him. But if we say we believe, then our actions still need to show that trust, that faith, that lack of doubt we claim, for faith is simply belief and trust in action. Our father Abraham put his money where his mouth was, and had all his men folk circumcised. So should we. Not the circumcision, (smile) but showing the faith and trust we have in our heavenly father by doing those things, which though difficult and/or painful, prove our unfailing obedience glorify His Holy Name. Let’s try to do that in our daily lives nuh Friends. Much LOVE!…a true show of faith…means taking faithful action…nothing less…

Today’s Scrip-Bit 19 March 2009 Genesis 17:1‏

19 Mar 2009 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Inspirational Living

Genesis 17:1    And when Abram was ninety years old and nine, the Lord appeared to Abram, and said unto him, I am the Almighty God: walk before me, and be thou perfect.
 
Yes my Friends, we’ve seen how that was difficult for Abram to do, though he was a righteous man. But in a saga stretching across so much time and space, that’s inevitable. We left off yesterday where Sarai wished to lay the blame for Hagar’s behaviour at Abram’s door, but he threw the ball back into her court, saying; ‘Behold, thy maid is in thy hand; do to her as it pleaseth thee. And when Sarai dealt hardly with her, she fled from her face.’ (Gen. 16:6) Yeh people, the ole do so ent like so. When Hagar was rude and impudent to Sarai, that was okay, since she’d won the pregnant sweepstakes. But when the tables were turned, and Sarai ill-treated her, Hagar ran away bemoaning her faith. Now doesn’t that sound like how some of us behave? It sure does. And Friends, it all comes right back to those simple but powerful words of Jesus, ‘do unto others as you would have them do unto you.’ The selfish, one-sided human nature showing up there. But if Hagar thought she’d gotten away, she was wrong, for the Lord found her sitting by a spring in the wilderness and said to her: ‘Hagar, Sarai’s maid, whence camest thou? and wither wilt thou go? And she said, I flee from the face of my mistress Sarai. And the angel of the Lord said unto her, Return to thy mistress, and submit thyself under hands.’ (Gen.16:8-9) Hn! The Lord surely knows how to put us in our place, and I’m sure this directive did not appeal to Hagar, but the Lord told her further; ‘I will multiply thy seed exceedingly, that it shall not be numbered for multitude… Behold, thou art with child, and shalt bear a son, and shalt call his name Ishmael, because the Lord hath heard thy affliction. And he will be a wild man; his hand will be against every man, and every man’s hand against him, and he shall dwell in the presence of all his brethren.’ (Gen.16:10-13) Oh my people, thus began years of contention. The name Ishmael, means ‘God hears’ and was intended to remind Hagar of God’s special intervention on her behalf. Yuh see how disobedience to God, not waiting on Him, and trying to take matters into our own hands can cause endless problems. If Sarai hadn’t sent Abram in to Hagar, and then the two women being angry and resentful to each other afterwards, who knows what might have happened. I don’t know if the Lord did it on purpose to teach us a lesson, but the enmity between both sides of Abram’s family was born right there in the Promised Land. What a bam-bam! And sadly, that family feud continues to this day, not only there, but all over the world. The mere fact that Ishmael was to be wild man, with his hand against everybody else’s, and theirs against his, did not signify good times forthcoming. And according to the scholars, his dwelling in the presence of all his brethren denotes an hostility on the part of Ishmael and his descendants toward his brethren Isaac and his descendants, and even among Ishmael’s own people. Yes Friends, the callaloo was just beginning to boil! And yuh know what it spawned? The Jewish and Arab conflict, which still runs at a fever pitch, thousands of years after the birth of Abram’s two sons. And it was all caused by the lust of the flesh, an inability to wait on God’s promise. We can’t judge Abram and the two women too harshly, for remember he was 85 and Sarai about 75, way past normal childbearing years, and ten years had passed since the Lord promised Abram an heir from his own loins. And though Abram was possibly wrong to lie with Hagar, what really soured the situation is the bitterness between the two women, which they passed on to their children. Can you imagine Arabs and Jews coming from the loins of the same man, with the enmity that still exists between them today? Hn! And Friends, the same stupidity and selfishness that existed between Sarai and Hagar back then, continues today between women who have children for the same man. The unproductive, resentment creating of the us against them mentality still persists, and like all selfish adult behaviour, harms the children more than anybody else. But apparently getting their pound of flesh is more important to the adults. And a serious word of advice here to men in that position: Fathers, regardless of what wrong you’ve done, please, I beg you, please don’t allow the resentful mothers to poison the children’s mind. You see how long the bitterness and stupidity can last; even unto thousands of generations. Yes my people, we are all human and so liable to make mistakes, but it doesn’t become us, either as intelligent humans and/or followers of Christ to compound them by creating and fostering strife and resentment amongst our families. No one wins. We all lose, both emotionally and financially. So my brethren, let’s smarten up nuh and realize that negative emotions and behaviour are destructive; just look at the current state of our world. And until we wake up and smell the roses my Friends, and turn the tables around, with the emotions and actions that lead in positive directions in the ascendancy, our fragile world will remain in constant turmoil. Let’s hope that happens soon, while there are still roses to smell. And the saga of our Faith Father, Abram, continues. Much LOVE!…please don’t compound mistakes…with unwise…unchristian behaviour and attitudes…
 

Today’s Scrip-Bit 18 March 2009 Genesis 17:1‏

18 Mar 2009 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Inspirational Living

Genesis 17:1    And when Abram was ninety years old and nine, the Lord appeared unto Abram, and said unto him, I am the Almighty God; walk before me, and be thou blameless.
 
Yes my Friends, that was our God’s approach to Abram; straightforward and to the point. Yesterday we saw some of their earlier interaction; how Abram left his parents home in Haran and at 75, set out for parts unknown, all on the word of the Being he considered his Creator and his God. He was old, childless and not wealthy, but believed the promises God made of wealth, and much seed from his loins. Now, after the Lord showed him the promised land of Canaan, Abram kept going south, until a famine forced him into Egypt. But just before he got there, his imperfection showed up: He told Sarai to say that she was his sister, because she was a beautiful woman and he feared if they knew she was really his wife, they would kill him and take her. But like most deception, it caused problems. Sarai ended up in Pharaoh’s house, with Abram receiving a handsome dowry for her. But ‘the Lord plagued Pharaoh and his house with great plagues because of Sarai Abram’s wife,’ (Gen.12:17)  Finally though, Pharaoh figured out the problem, called Abram and lambasted him for not telling the truth, that she was his wife and not his sister. Then he ran him out of Egypt. But I doubt this phased Abram too much, for the Good Book says after he came up from Egypt; ‘And Abram was very rich in cattle and silver and gold.’ (Gen.13:2) And his wealth increased, so much that the land wasn’t big enough for Lot and him and they separated. Lot went towards the cities of the plains and lived close to Sodom, while Abram stayed in the land of Canaan. Then the Lord told Abram to look in all directions, as far as he could see. ‘For all the land which thou seest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed forever. And I will make thy seed as the dust of the earth, then shall thy seed also be numbered. Arise, walk through the land in the length of it and in the breadth of it; for I will give it unto thee. Then Abram removed his tent and came and dwelt in the plain of Mamre, which is in Hebron, and built there an altar unto the Lord.’ (Gen.13:15-18) Now sometime after that there was war amongst the nations of the plains, and to cut a long story short, Sodom and Gomorrah were pillaged and taken captive, Lot and his people included. But when Abram heard that, ‘he armed his trained servants, three hundred and eighteen, and pursued them unto Dan.’ (Gen14:14) It shows how wealthy and powerful Abram had become. He split up his men and attacked the enemy surreptitiously during the night and recovered everything, including Lot and his people. However, when the king of Sodom offered him some of the spoil, he refused, saying that he would take nothing of the king, ‘lest thou shouldest say, I have made Abram rich.’ (Gen.15:23) He only took food for his men, thus not obligating himself to the king of Sodom and demonstrating his total allegiance to the Lord. So the Lord had made Abram wealthy and powerful and had shown him the land he would give to his seed. But where was the seed? Despite all the promises, nothing was happening in that regard. So Sarai, thinking she would never bear Abram an heir, finally said to him; ‘Behold now, the Lord hath restrained me from bearing: I pray thee, go in unto my maid; it may be that I obtain children by her. And Abram hearkened to the voice of Sarai. And Sarai, Abram’s wife, took Hagar her maid the Egyptian, after Abram had dwelt ten years in the land of Canaan, and gave her to her husband Abram to be his wife.’ (Gen.16:2-3) And though my Friends, this was legal and customary in those times, that’s where the whole callaloo, the whole commesse began. For as the ole people rightly said, three is a crowd, and you can’t divide it evenly. ‘And he went in unto Hagar, and she conceived: and when she saw that she had conceived, her mistress was despised in her eyes.’ (Gen.16:4) Well what else yuh expect eh? It’s simple human nature. The woman who conceives feels smug and contemptuous of the barren one, especially in a society that holds conception in such high esteem, and considers a barren womb a sign of some terrible sin. So now Hagar is pregnant and starting to throw words for Sarai, (smile) thinking that she’s better than her because of her ability to procreate. But what intrigues me is Sarai’s attitude in response to all this. It had been ten years since God had promised them an heir, but nothing had happened, so they took matters into their own hands. But when things didn’t work out right, Sarai wants to put the whole blame on poor Abram, and says to him; ‘My wrong be upon thee. I have given my maid into thy bosom; and when she saw that she had conceived, I was despised in her eyes: the Lord judge between me and thee.’ (Gen.16:5) What did she expect him to do eh? She was the one who suggested he lie with Hagar. It seems she was the impatient one, who either didn’t believe or couldn’t wait on God’s timing of an heir, but then wants Abram to pay for Hagar’s impertinence. Oh my people, it’s a situation reminiscent of Adam and Eve; blaming someone else for our mistakes. Both of them were wrong. That’s another time Abram wasn’t perfect. His faith wasn’t as strong as it should have been. But that’s understandable. At 85 years of age, one can hardly be expected to believe that at some later date, one would sire children by a wife who had been barren even at the height of her childbearing years, much less in her old age. And the Lord had promised, ‘but he that shall come forth out of thine own bowels shall be thine heir.’ (Gen.15:4) They must have thought they were helping the situation, since it had been ten barren years. But Friends, let that be a lesson to us. The Lord doesn’t need our help. If he requires us to do something, He’ll surely let us know. But if He simply promises, we must learn to just wait. And this was Abram’s downfall; although he believed, he couldn’t wait. Then when they took matters into their own hands, it soured everything, causing problems that are sadly reverberating to this day. We’ll continue Abram’s saga tomorrow. He is the father of faith and the father of our eternal covenant. It’s important that we know his tale. Till then; Much LOVE!…in our walk of faith…we must learn…to wait…to wait on God…
 

Today’s Scrip-Bit 17 March 2009 Genesis 17:1‏

17 Mar 2009 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Inspirational Living

Genesis 17:1    And when Abram was ninety years old and nine, the Lord appeared to Abram, and said unto him, I am the Almighty God; walk before me and be thou perfect.
 
Wow!  What a privilege it is my Friends, to be called upon by the Most High God Jehovah, especially at ninety- nine years old! You know the majority of us won’t even live to our allotted three score and ten, much less ninety- nine. But, for whatever reason, the Lord’s eye fell on Abram. And what did he require of him? ‘Walk before me and be thou perfect.’ The Lord was certainly asking a lot of poor ole Abram. At 99, who knows if he could still put one foot in front the other, (smile) and be perfect too? Hn! That’s just impossible for a human being, since our very nature renders us imperfect. The Lord obviously did not mean actual walking; rather He was referring to Abram’s behaviour. He wanted him to follow His rules and regulations for living, and be blameless in following them. As we just said though, it’s a tad difficult for humans to be blameless. The Lord surely saw something in Abram’s spirit that appealed to Him, and I doubt He expected him to be mistake free, but as we keep saying, He most definitely expected him to have a right heart; sincerely trying to be as perfect as humanly possible. And remember, the Lord knows the state of our livers better than anyone else, since it’s Him who made us and also saw our forefathers fall prey to sin. So how could He expect perfection from imperfection eh? However, the Lord decided that Abram was His man; from his loins He would raise up a special, a chosen people to set before the world as an example: a people who would worship and glorify Him. Thus He said to Abram, after introducing Himself: ‘And I will make my covenant between me and thee, and will multiply thee exceedingly.’ (vs.2) Ah my Friends, can you imagine that? You’re just sitting there quietly, in the winter of your years, waiting for the grim reaper to come and take you home, then suddenly, one day, this stranger shows up, says He’s Almighty God, and He wants you to follow Him blamelessly. Now if that didn’t get your attention, then the next part certainly would. This stranger also wants to make a binding agreement with you, and provide oodles of offspring. You’d certainly sit up and take notice; either run him out of town, or ask for more info. Well we know the Lord wasn’t really a stranger to Abram, they were already acquainted. I’m just trying to be somewhat dramatic. In truth, they were much more than merely acquainted, for it was the Lord who had called him to leave his family and migrate to a faraway land. ‘And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing.’ (Gen.12:2) Now note, Abram was already seventy five years old when he got God’s call and migrated from Haran with his wife, Sarai and his nephew, Lot. They set out for an unknown land just on the Lord’s say so. And when he came to the land of Canaan, then inhabited by the Canaanites, ‘The Lord appeared unto Abram and said, Unto thy seed, will I give this land: and there builded he an altar unto the Lord, who appeared unto him.’ (Gen.12:7) We can now begin to see why the Lord chose Abram for such a great honour: because of that mighty word, faith, though then it was more like a great trust. Abram trusted the Lord to keep His promise. Although he was old in earthly years, had no children, and in the natural really couldn’t see how the promises would be accomplished, he believed, and steadfastly followed the Lord’s direction. Another time when the Lord reiterated the promise of his seed being plentiful, He brought Abram out of his tent and told him, ‘Look now toward heaven, and tell the stars, if thou be able to number them: and he said unto him, So shall thy seed be. And he believed in the Lord; and he counted it to him for righteousness.’ (Gen.15:5-6) Yes my people, that’s where it all began: One man, hearing the call of an invisible power deep in his heart, believing it to be genuine, and feeling it so strongly, that he packed up his family and worldly belongings and moved on to God alone knew where, even though there was nothing in his life right then to give him some semblance of hope. It’s not like him or his wife was still in childbearing age, or he had money and a powerful army behind him to conquer the land. No, he had nothing at all that could, in practical terms, portend such a great ending. All he had was a promise. And he believed the promise wholeheartedly, and it was accounted to him for righteousness. Oh Friends, that’s how we’re also expected to believe and behave; except that we now call it faith; ‘the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.’ (Heb.11:1) ‘For we walk by faith, not by sight.’ (2 Cor.5:7) And I’ll let you into a little secret here. I wrote this Bit entirely on faith. I knew I was supposed to use that Bit of Scripture, but I didn’t have a clue what I was going to say, and the Good Lord did guide me to write something fairly sensible, once I’d taken the initial plunge of faith. And now I’ve become so full of myself, (smile) that I can say with great authority, we’ll continue this tomorrow, for there’s much more to be said. I invoke the obvious proviso though; if the Good Lord’s willing, cause it’s always up to Him. So until tomorrow my Friends, go safely, walk with the Most High God Jehovah, and like Abram, just trust and believe, have faith in whatever the Lord has promised you. Much LOVE!...there’s no need for sight…when you’re walking…hand in hand…with God…
 

Today’s Scrip-Bit 16 March 2009 Psalm 55:4‏

16 Mar 2009 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Inspirational Living

Psalm 55:4    My heart is sore pained within me: and the terrors of death are fallen upon me.
 
Don’t you know it my Friends, the Lord is good and merciful to those who serve Him faithfully, and I try. Today, He mercifully came to my rescue again while I was searching for a Bit, but only finding frustration. And what both amuses and amazes me is the unexpected, out of the blue way He does it. Just around that time, I happened to talk to a friend who was having problems with his teeth. I jokingly asked him for something to write about, though he’s not a believer, and he growled about the pain in his mouth, and suddenly I began singing and old R & B song, ‘Pain, Pain, Pain…LOVE Pain…’ And voila, I knew pain was today’s topic! Thank you again Lord, for coming to the ole fella’s aid, in time of need. In Psalm 55, Bruh David’s crying out against deceitful friends. He begins with a petition of prayer: ‘Give ear to my prayer, O God; and hide not thyself from my supplication. Attend unto me, and hear me: I mourn in my complaint, and make a noise. Because of the voice of the enemy, because of the oppression of the wicked: for they cast iniquity upon me, and in wrath they hate me.’ (vs.1-3) Oh my people, we’ve all had supposed friends disappoint and deceive us. I’ve had my fair share over the years, though not to the severity Bruh David experienced. I don’t think any of them really wanted me dead, at least I hope not, but it sure is painful when you put your trust in others and they abuse it. We’ve got to be very careful whom we allow into our inner circle, especially these days with the enemy so aggressively noising abroad. My problem seems to be that I consider most people I deal with as friends, a feeling that’s obviously not reciprocated, and I can’t seem to learn what the ole people taught; ‘that all skin teeth is not laugh.,’ meaning that it’s not every time someone grins or laughs with you, it’s a genuine sign of affection. And if we’re not careful, we’ll very often end up like Bruh David, crying out to God for help, and claiming; ‘My heart is sore pained within me: and the terrors of death are fallen upon me. Fearfulness and trembling are come upon me, and horror hath overwhelmed me.’ (vs.4-5) That’s certainly not a good emotional state to be in my brethren. I have never reached such a low state, where the fear of death and other horrors overwhelmed me, but Friends, I have surely felt the sore pain in my heart. And let me tell you, it’s the most awful form of pain a human can experience. Physical pain is nothing compared to that of a broken, abused or betrayed heart. At least the physical pain can be alleviated with pain medication, and it will eventually heal, but there are no medicinal painkillers for a broken or hurting heart. And though time might eventually lessen the affliction, your heart will be forever scarred. Furthermore, if you’re not emotionally strong, it can literally drive you crazy, make you lose your sanity, and cause you to hurt yourself or others. And even if it doesn’t get that far, our mind is such a powerful organ, that if it’s a significant hurt, every so often we’ll remember it and reignite the pain. Then we might end up like Bruh David: ‘And I said, Oh that I had wings like a dove! For then would I fly away and be at rest. Lo, then would I wander far off, and remain in the wilderness. Selah.’ (vs.6-7) Ah my Friends, the mature ones that is, who can remember the Jamaican duo, the Blues Busters, who had a hit back when Adam was a boy, (smile) with a song, ‘Wings of a Dove,’ based on that verse. But if I remember correctly, another verse of that song says, ‘But since I have no wings, since I have no wings, I can’t fly, fly, fly…’ or words to that effect. Yes mih people, we don’t have no wings, so we can’t fly, neither can we run away from the pain of heartache. We have to live and mingle with others, which means getting hurt is always a possibility. And I know how Bruh David feels, when he says; ‘For it was not an enemy that reproached me; then could I have borne it: neither was it he that hated me that did magnify himself against me; then would I have hid my self from him. But it was thou, a man mine equal, my guide, and mine acquaintance. We took sweet counsel together, and walked unto the house of God in company.’ (vs.12-14) Yes people, it does hurt so much more when those we consider trusted friends betray us. And I know many of you out there are hurting right now, from some betrayal or misfortune, and you’re either at a very low emotional ebb, or hopping mad and hungry for revenge, for the blood of your betrayers and wishing like Bruh David; ‘Let death seize upon them and let them go down quick into hell: for wickedness is in their dwellings, and among them.’  (vs.15) But listen up my brethren, in your hurting state, there’s only one place to turn, that’s to God. Remember He said, it’s His job to repay any wrongs done to us. And though Bruh David felt the human need for revenge too, he wisely decided to turn to his God instead. ‘As for me, I will call upon God; and the Lord shall save me. Evening, and morning, and at noon, I will pray, and cry aloud: and he shall hear my voice.’ (vs.16-17) Yes my people, in times of pain, trouble, fear and anxiety, the only sure place of help and comfort is in the ever-LOVING arms of our God. ‘Cast thy burden upon the Lord, and he shall sustain thee: he shall never suffer the righteous to be moved.’ (vs.22) That’s the gospel Friends, so please heed it. It has stood the test of time. And the Lord just reminded of another verse of that song, which says, ‘Since I have no wings, since I have no wings, I will sing, sing sing!’ What a beautiful idea my people. Let’s sing! Much LOVE! …the most effective balm…for hurting souls…Jehovah’s comforting embrace…
 

Today’s Scrip-Bit 15 March 2009 Proverbs 19:11‏

15 Mar 2009 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Inspirational Living

Proverbs 19:11    The discretion of a man deferreth his anger; and it is in his glory to pass over a transgression.
 

Ah my Friends, yuh think it easy? It’s not easy at all. Our Lord’s just on mih case, like white on rice. (smile) He seems to want me to write from personal experience a little too often for my liking. Guess He’s trying to teach me some lessons or something. For my sake I hope I learn them the first time around yes. Today I was thinking what to write about, then I got the message loud and clear. A petty, middle management public official refused to answer my page, figuring I wanted something he considered a waste of his time, when in fact I wanted something completely different. And the sad part is that when I caught up with him face to face and asked him about it, he had the boldfaced gall to tell me that’s why he never answered my call. Well children, you know the ole fella doesn’t get angry often, but when he does, it comes like a sudden bolt of lightning out of a clear blue sky. And this was definitely more than one bolt people. I gave that small-minded fool a good piece of my mind. To make matters worse, I even had the right to call him about what he thought I wanted. It’s these petty, low rung people, who either don’t get proper managerial training or feel they’re king of the walk since they’re in a position with a little power, that cause small problems to be blown way out of proportion. Someday, somebody is going to call about a serious problem and he won’t answer, then when all hell breaks loose, he’ll moan and whimper about his bad luck, instead of his bad attitude. Anyway, as I said, I got the message loud and clear, that I was supposed to write about anger management, although I’m not sure I’m really qualified to do so because these days I just can’t handle nonsense. But I have to laugh Friends, for our Lord is really something else yes. A few minutes ago while I’m hurrying to get this out on time, the computer suddenly says there’s a problem and it has to shut down. Imagine my consternation. But I told myself that there’s no rule that says I must send this out by a particular time, it’s just my preference. So I kept my peace and waited until it booted itself back up and did not get angry. Wow! Aren’t you proud of me? There goes the Lord again, testing, testing; always testing. But then again, in general, I don’t do too badly. I certainly don’t lose it often to the extent I did today. But Sol, in all his wisdom, did state that; ‘The discretion of a man deferreth his anger.’ In other words, his wisdom, his understanding of life and his association with the Most High God, makes him slow to anger. James seems to agree when he advises: ‘Wherefore my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath. For the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God.’ (James 1:19-20) Would you believe the stupid computer shut down on me again? Ah Lord eh! But I kept my peace, because I know it’s a test and I want to pass it. However my Friends, it’s not easy to bite one’s tongue and withhold your anger in the face of so much negative situations in our world these days. And I know there are many of Sol’s sayings that teach holding one’s anger. For example: ‘He that is soon angry dealeth foolishly.’ (Prov.14:16) ‘A soft answer turneth away wrath: but grievous words stir up anger. The tongue of the wise useth knowledge aright: but the mouth of fools poureth out foolishness.’  (Prov.15:1-2) That’s certainly true, for if that public official had greeted me with a less antagonistic attitude, I would not have lost it like I did. There, I put the blame on him. (smile) What made me lose it too, is that we’ve dealt with each other before, and he knows that I don’t call him for frivolous stuff. Then there’s the admonition; ‘Be not hasty in thy spirit, to be angry: for anger resteth in the bosom of fools’ (Eccl.7:9) Meanwhile, the second part of the Bit says: ‘and it is his glory to pass over a transgression.’ That’s true too: It says much about a person big enough to overlook a wrong. That’s why Bruh Paul encourages us to ‘Let all bitterness, and wrath and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice:’ (Eph.4:31) But my brethren, there’s also a negative flip side to that coin, whereby if we internalize our anger too much, then it begins to eat away at our insides, our peace of mind and emotional balance. That’s why some behavioural experts believe it’s good every so often to get that anger, the negative emotions off our chests and thereby cleanse and refresh our spirits, for anything negative that’s stirred up too long will most certainly fester and rot, causing a rather unhealthy situation in the bearer. Like I’m fond of saying, those negative emotions are like acid in a plastic bottle; it only eats away the container. No, you can never hear that too often children. (smile) The important thing to remember my people is that we’re humans, mortals, thus fallible, but the Good Lord wants us to control our spirit, our emotions as much as we can. And if He sees that we’re sincerely trying, then He’ll be more than willing to forgive us. Remember, it’s all about the rightness of our hearts. So with those few words of wisdom, (smile) I’ll leave you to contemplate greater wisdom than mine: Sol and Bruh Paul’s ‘He that is slow to anger is better than the mighty; and he that ruleth his spirit than he that taketh a city.’ (Prov.16:32) ‘And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.’ (Eph.4:32) Much LOVE my people!…bite yuh tongue…as often as yuh can…

Today’s Scrip-Bit 14 March 2009 Psalm 71:7‏

14 Mar 2009 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Inspirational Living

Psalm 71:7    I am as a wonder to many: but thou art my strong refuge.
 
Oh my Friends, the young people an’ dem figure they know what life is all about, but tell dem for me deh lie. They don’t have a clue to real life cause you don’t really understand life until you have lived it, experienced its many ups and downs, ins and outs, twists and turns and all its other vagaries. That means you must have some years on your shoulders, but to the young that means you’re old and useless. They are wrong; it’s the exact opposite, since it’s only in your advanced years that you see life for what it really is, and appreciate it the most. As Frank Lloyd Wright declares; ‘The longer I live, the more beautiful life becomes.’ And that’s an indisputable fact my people. It’s in your maturity that all the missing pieces of life begin to fall into place, then you really understand all the strange and funny things that happened to you earlier on. As the Psalmist says; ‘I am as a wonder unto many.’ Psalm 71 is a prayer for help in old age, but even in his advanced years, he still elicits wonder in the eyes of many around him. Why? Because ‘thou art my refuge.’ Yes my Friends, it’s the Lord God Jehovah that keeps us going on strong. Look at Caleb; when he was 85, he claimed he was as strong and healthy as at 45, and asked the Lord for a new mountain to climb. As Isaiah declared: ‘Behold I and the children whom the Lord hath given me are for signs and for wonders in Israel, from the Lord of hosts which dwelleth in Zion.’ (Is.8:18) And since the Psalmist knew which side his bread was buttered on, he could afford to plead; ‘Let my mouth be filled with thy praise and with thy honour all the day. Cast me not off in the time of old age; forsake me not when my strength faileth.’ (Ps.71:8-9) Oh my people, our most merciful and forgiving God will never do that, if we have been faithful and obedient to him all our lives. Remember, He rewards those who seek Him, and a long, healthy life is one of those rewards He hands out for bringing glory to His Holy Name. When it suits His purpose the Lord extends signs and wonders to mankind. For instance the fourth vision of Zechariah; that of Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the Lord, dressed in filthy clothes, with Satan standing close by to resist him. But the Lord vindicates Joshua, takes away his sin and dresses him in fine garments. ‘Hear now, O Joshua the high priest, thou and thy fellows that sit before thee: for they are men wondered at: for behold I will bring forth my servant the Branch.’ (Zec.3:8) The scholars claim that the significance of Zechariah’s vision is though Israel was sinful, it did not stop the fulfillment of God’s program, while the inclusion of Joshua and the priests mean that the sanctity of the priesthood will be restored and once again play a significant role in God’s work when sin is permanently wiped out by the coming of the Branch, the Messiah, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. That was the greatest gift, the most glorious sign and wonder that God ever bestowed on man. But he was too busy and taken up with his selfish human lusts back then to really notice. And sadly Friends, the same situation exists today; we’re still too entranced by our selfish desires of the flesh, to pay much, if any attention to Jesus, who will one day return, not as a poor, itinerant preacher, but in great glory, as a Prince, upon a throne. Just more signs and wonders my brethren which the Lord has been showing from the beginning of time until this day, but which we unfortunately ignore, thus jeopardizing our chances of salvation and eternal life. But listen to the Psalmist, sitting in his rocking chair, with his adversaries just waiting to pounce because they figured his God had forsaken him. But the Psalmist knew better than that, cause he’d heard and believed the promise of never leaving or forsaking us, so he could emphatically declare: ‘But I will hope continually and will yet praise thee more and more. My mouth shall show forth thy righteousness and salvation all the day; for I know not the numbers thereof. I will go in the strength of the Lord God: I will make mention of thy righteousness, even of thine only. O God, thou hast taught me from my youth: and hitherto have I declared thy wondrous works. Now also when I am old and grayheaded, O God, forsake me not; until I have showed thy strength unto this generation and thy power to every one that is to come. Thy righteousness also, O God, is very high; who hast done great things: O God, who is like unto thee!" (Ps.71:14-19) Oh my people, what powerful words of faith and inspiration! Will we be saying those things, wanting to teach and show the new generation the Lord’s awesome strength and His faithfulness? I certainly hope so, for that’s the only way one generation will really come to know the Lord; from the lips of those that have gone before. Let’s endeavour to do that nuh Friends, cause this generation is bordering on being lost and we need to reclaim them before they become totally lost. Much LOVE!…the best advertisement…word of mouth…so talk up Jesus…

Today’s Scrip-Bit 13 March 2009 Matthew 25:21‏

13 Mar 2009 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Inspirational Living

Matthew 25:21    His Lord said unto him, Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy Lord.
 
Well hello there my Friends, it’s another Friday 13, two in two months. The only other one is in November. But that’s not important, nothing to be afraid of, since it’s merely an old wives’ tale. (smile) What’s important, and what we need to be scared of is how Jesus will greet us on that big day. For all our sakes, I sincerely hope He greets us like the Bit says, ‘Welcome thou good and faithful servant,’ else crapaud smoke we pipe, meaning things will be real bad for us, if He doesn’t. Yesterday we talked about Hope, today we’ll consider Faithfulness. The dictionary defines faithful as someone loyal, constant, conscientious, trustworthy, accurate, or true believers. Now that’s how we can prove our faithfulness; by being true believers, and consequently acquiring all those other attributes too! And Jesus showed the necessity for loyal, trustworthy associates through the parable of the talents: A man of some means was about to undertake a long journey, but before he left, called his servants, gave one five talents, another two, and to another one; ‘to every man according to his several (own) ability, and straightaway took his journey.’ (Mat.25:15) Now look at how each servant used their talents. The one that got five used them to trade and made five more. The one with two did the same thing, ending up with four. ‘But he that had received one went and digged in the earth, and hid his lord’s money.’ (vs.18) So when the lord returned, after a long while, the servants showed how they’d used their talents. The one that received five, brought ten; ‘saying, Lord, thou deliveredst unto me five talents: behold I have gained beside them five talents more.’ (vs.20) And the lord’s reaction? He gushed: ‘Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord.’ The second servant presented two extra talents with his original two, and the lord told him the same thing. ‘Then he which hath received the one talent came and said, Lord, I knew thee that thou art a hard man, reaping where thou hast not sown, and gathering where thou hast not strewed. And I was afraid, and went and hid thy talent in the earth: lo, there thou hast that is thine.’ (vs.24-25) That unleashed the master’s anger. ‘Thou wicked and slothful servant, thou knewest that I reap where I sowed not…Thou oughtest therefore to have put my money to the exchangers, and then at my coming I should have received mine own with usury. Take therefore the talent from him, and give it unto him which hath ten talents. For unto every one that hath shall be given, and he shall have abundance: but from him that hath not shall be taken away even that which he hath. And cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’ (vs.26-30) Oh my people, that’s the fate that awaits us if at Jesus’ second coming he can’t greet us with a ‘Well done, thou good and faithful servant.’ Then there’ll be much ‘weeping and gnashing of teeth.’ Now please understand what Jesus is saying here. He’s painting a big picture, emphasizing the need for us to be personally prepared and faithful until He returns. The talents aren’t necessarily money, but other skills too which have been distributed and apportioned according to our ability. So whatever skills, money or tasks we’ve been assigned, we have to use and perform to the best of our ability. The three servants weren’t expected to produce the same results, because they all had differing amounts, but they were all expected to be faithful, to perform their tasks with zeal and industry and enhance whatever was entrusted to them. The first two were successful, doubling their money. They remained faithful, did what was required of them, while the third was lazy, slothful and afraid of the master’s supposed greed, so he buried the money, didn’t make good use of it. The master felt the least he could have done was invest it with the financiers, so that it would earn interest. It seems the unfaithful servant misjudged the master’s character. He wasn’t really a hard man, he just wanted the servant to experience the joy of serving his fellow man. And that’s exactly what Jesus requires of us my Friends. He’s not a hard, merciless, greedy man, but a gentle, thoughtful caring, though strong Master, with excellent leadership qualities and great rewards for those who serve Him faithfully. Oh my people, I can’t impress upon us enough the importance of putting our god-given talents to faithful use. We all have different talents in varying amounts and been assigned various tasks. We all can’t be world-beaters, but we all can provide useful, faithful service with whatever we’ve been given. For in the long run, if we don’t fulfill our duties, what little we have will be taken away and given to those who already have plenty, because they are willing to use their abundance wisely. So please remember, it’s not how much, or what you have, but how wisely you use it. And I’ll leave us with a taste of the rewards for each course of action. ‘When the Son of man shall come in his glory…then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory. And before him shall be gathered all the nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats. And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on his left. Then shall the king say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world…Then he shall say also unto them on the left, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels…And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.’ (vs.31-34, 41,46) Yes my people, that’s what we have to look forward to. So I urgently implore us to be true, faithful, loyal believers, especially in these tough times, so that when the role is called up yonder, we’ll be numbered amongst the sheep and not the goats. Much LOVE!..I know it’s long…but nothing that has to do with the salvation of your soul and eternal life…can ever be too long…
 

Today’s Scrip-Bit 12 March 2009 Psalm 31:24‏

12 Mar 2009 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Inspirational Living

Psalm 31:24    Be of good courage, and he shall strengthen your heart, all ye that hope in the Lord.
 
Oh my Friends, we are indeed facing troubling and depressing times, with most of the news of the negative variety, giving the impression that we’re on a see-saw, hanging in the balance, one day we’re up, next day we’re down. But aye, you old fogeys like me out there, remember those youthful days of playing see-saw? Where you’d get a piece of board, put it over a stone or something to act as a fulcrum, then one person would carefully get on either side and away you’d go, singing as we rode up and down, ‘see-saw, marjorie daw…’ (smile) I don’t remember the rest, but one thing we had as children was lots of imagination and inventiveness. We couldn’t buy most of the stuff we wanted, so we found some means to make it ourselves; like box carts, skaters, tops and kites. Sadly though, this generation lacks, or has lost that creativity because everything’s been handed to them on a silver platter, and when things get rough, they have no experience of hard times to fall back on. That’s mostly the fault of us parents and the soft, now for now society we’ve developed. However my Friends, if it’s one thing the old fogeys had back in those olden days along with our ingenuity, was hope: Hope of a brighter tomorrow; hope that things would get better, and luckily for most of us, it did. But unfortunately times have again become trying and troublesome, possibly much more so than they’ve ever been for many of us. But we know that we’ve overcome rough times before, so why not again? How did our parents do it? Most, if not all, did it through first trusting in the Lord God Jehovah; then by helping each other, when and wherever they could, and being creative in their own situations. Working two jobs simultaneously is nothing new to me, my mother did it most of her working life. The problem now is not even being able to find one menial job, much less two. At one stage in my teenaged years my mother had no job at all, as she got fired over some triviality, and the union never lived up to its promise to seek redress. But yuh know what Friends, though it was somewhat rough, we survived. I never went hungry one day, still had a roof over my head and decent clothes to wear. And there was no welfare or unemployment to cushion the blow. So how did she do it? Through trust and faith in God, the generosity of friends and neighbours and her own ingenuity. Because she had lived right in the good times, others were willing to help in her time of need. I’ve had my own rough times too, should possibly have gone under long ago, but I’m still here, living decently, better than most of the billions of people in the world. Why? Again because of hope and trust and faith, and keeping keeping on, and trying to do the right thing in spite of numerous misfortunes and setbacks. What am I trying to say? That our current problems, though seemingly large, are not overwhelming or insurmountable. But the first thing we need to do is take stock of our spiritual lives. Sit down and sincerely determine our relationship with God. Then upgrade that relationship; take a leap of faith. Tell yourself that you will trust in your Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ no matter what. If He was magnanimous enough to die for your sins, why would He let you suffer over little things like jobs, food, clothing and shelter. Friends, I guarantee that if you sincerely place your full trust in Him, He will not let you suffer want and deprivation now. So hope for the best, believe that things will get better, and do your part to accomplish that. Oh my people, if it’s one thing the human spirit has in great abundance is the ability to hope and believe; to bounce back from misfortune. The saying that while there’s life there’s hope is oh so true. Just like never say die until you’re dead. Once we’re alive and kicking anything can happen, anything is possible, remember we’re dealing with a God of the supernatural, who can come to our rescue anytime, anywhere, truly from out of the blue. Listen to this quote attributed to O.S. Marden. ‘The hopeful man sees success where others see failure, sunshine where others see shadows and storms.’ Yes my Friends, it’s largely a matter of perception; the old mind game of whether the glass is half full or half empty. It’s always better to consider the positive aspects, cause they say we become what we think on. And we all know that it’s tough times and disappointments that often cause us to hunker down and become creative, make good use of the few opportunities we have. Lots of the creatures of our easy life were created during hard times. Some creative mind decided they were tired with the difficult situation and set out to improve it. My brethren, I know that the road is long, it’s rough and rocky, full of pot holes (like ours in Ontario now) and sudden twists and turns, but there is hope if we stand strong, communicate sincerely and constantly with the Most High God Jehovah, meditate on His Word and keep doing the right thing. It won’t be easy. Life is never easy. And we don’t seem to appreciate it easy either. The important thing though my people is to not give up. Never give up on yourself or on your God! Encourage and help each other in whatever way we can. This is one of those times when the Lord’s eyes are trained on us, to see if we can all come together for the common good. Let’s not disappoint Him nuh. Let’s do like Bruh David says: ‘Be of good courage, and he shall strengthen your heart, all ye that hope in the Lord.’ And My Friends, that’s the gospel truth. So let’s all raise our level of HOPE, think positively, let’s give it our all, our very best, let’s seek excellence even in the darkest times, let’s believe it even when we can’t see it, for that’s the basis, the foundation of our faith. It’s time to concentrate on obedience to His will, then, ‘Wait on the Lord: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart; wait, I say, on the Lord.’ (Ps.27:14) Much LOVE my Friends!…and please remember…in hope…there’s strength…and in strength…a promising future…
 

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