Psalm 131:1 Lord my heart is not haughty, nor mine eyes lofty: neither do I exercise myself in great matters or in things too high for me.
Welcome once again my Friends, to a new day filled with new mercies from the Most High God Jehovah. And since we did not read our names in the obituaries today, then there should be a rather big smile splaying all over our beautiful faces, and a loud, ‘Thank You Lord!’ issuing from our lips. I have already been a beneficiary of that new mercy; I didn’t have to sweat and search for a Bit, like I sometimes do. I simply opened my Bible at one of the bookmarks; this one bears no special significance, though a couple others do, and my eyes fell on Psalm 131. I read it and it sounded interesting, alive with possibilities, but had I used it before? Fortunately a search of the records said nay, for which I obviously gave much thanks. Friends, I don’t know if you appreciate the difficulty sometimes of finding a meaningful, unused Bit, and they get fewer with each passing day. I guess it’s a combination of my state of mind and the Lord’s purpose for His Word that day; if He’s trying to teach me a lesson or prove a point. But I’m surely thankful when I find one easily, and try to be like Bruh David says; ‘Lord my heart is not haughty, nor mine eyes lofty.’ Come to think of it, those are two problems I’ve never really had; a proud heart, or conceited eyes, as some have mistakenly thought. You could possibly make a better case for the exact opposite. As my old Principal in High School, E.C.R Blackett, consistently wrote on my report cards. ‘The boy is lazy; has no ambition.’ Half-truths. (smile) But my people, in this day and age of the self, it’s a problem too many of us exhibit. Lots of us thing we’re the cat’s pajamas, when we’re nowhere even close. However, our society with its busyness and tendency to value so-called importance encourages us to put on this show of being somebody special. Oh we all are special to someone(s) on earth and to Jesus in heaven, but there’s a fine line we walk when we cater to the cult of self-aggrandizement. We all have that need to feel important in varying amounts, it’s human nature, but we have to be very careful and don’t over value our importance, for it’s sure to boomerang on us some day, when we’re suddenly confronted with the fact that we’re not as important as we thought. And Friends, sometimes the shock of that awareness can do great psychological damage to our fragile egos and emotions. It can sometimes be like dreaming you’re in heaven, but awakening to find that you’re really in hell. Oh people, I certainly hope this is making sense and that it will touch someone, somewhere, who’s afflicted with this problem, and cause them to stop and take a critical look at themselves before it’s too late, for we all know that our God despises the proud and haughty. Jeremiah clarifies it well. ‘And seekest thou great things for thyself? seek them not: for, behold, I will bring evil upon all flesh, saith the Lord: but thy life will I give unto thee for a prey in all places whither thou goest.’ (Jer.45:5) Yes my brethren, those were the words of advice from the Lord, via Jeremiah, to Baruch. Advice all of us should steadfastly heed, for the Lord will not hesitate to bring adversity upon the haughty and arrogant, while giving life as a prize unto those who genuinely honour and glorify His Name, and make of themselves no name, like Jesus did. ‘Neither do I exercise myself in great matters, or in things too high for me.’ Bruh David’s saying he doesn’t concern himself with great matters, or things that are too profound or difficult for him. We should also be careful of that, because oftimes it’s just a sign of our pride and haughtiness showing up; we just want to be involved in weighty affairs to be recognized as an important person. Note though Friends, this doesn’t mean we should not strive to better or improve ourselves and move up the so-called ladder of success, but as with life itself, and most things therein, there’s a thin red line between what we should and shouldn’t do. Life is a scale of checks and balances, and our success depends on how much we keep it in close harmony, not letting it get too out of tune. And there’s a fitting quote on the bookmark I mentioned earlier, from St. Therese, the Little Flower Of Jesus. She says; ‘Jesus does not look so much at the greatness of our actions, or even at their difficulty, as at the LOVE with which we do them.’ And all God’s people said, ‘Amen!’ And for good measure, I’ll leave us with a quote from one who had education, social standing and also something to say on almost everything, (smile) but rather glorified Jesus, and never made of himself any name; our good Friend, Bruh Paul. ‘Be of the same mind one to another. Mind not high things, but condescend to (associate with) men of low estate. be not wise in your own conceits (estimation) (Rom.12:16) That’s exactly how Jesus behaved my people. And if we follow that advice, then we can all become more like Him, which is one of our earthly mandates. Much LOVE!…..have pride….but be humble….reach high….but for the right reasons….
Welcome once again my Friends, to a new day filled with new mercies from the Most High God Jehovah. And since we did not read our names in the obituaries today, then there should be a rather big smile splaying all over our beautiful faces, and a loud, ‘Thank You Lord!’ issuing from our lips. I have already been a beneficiary of that new mercy; I didn’t have to sweat and search for a Bit, like I sometimes do. I simply opened my Bible at one of the bookmarks; this one bears no special significance, though a couple others do, and my eyes fell on Psalm 131. I read it and it sounded interesting, alive with possibilities, but had I used it before? Fortunately a search of the records said nay, for which I obviously gave much thanks. Friends, I don’t know if you appreciate the difficulty sometimes of finding a meaningful, unused Bit, and they get fewer with each passing day. I guess it’s a combination of my state of mind and the Lord’s purpose for His Word that day; if He’s trying to teach me a lesson or prove a point. But I’m surely thankful when I find one easily, and try to be like Bruh David says; ‘Lord my heart is not haughty, nor mine eyes lofty.’ Come to think of it, those are two problems I’ve never really had; a proud heart, or conceited eyes, as some have mistakenly thought. You could possibly make a better case for the exact opposite. As my old Principal in High School, E.C.R Blackett, consistently wrote on my report cards. ‘The boy is lazy; has no ambition.’ Half-truths. (smile) But my people, in this day and age of the self, it’s a problem too many of us exhibit. Lots of us thing we’re the cat’s pajamas, when we’re nowhere even close. However, our society with its busyness and tendency to value so-called importance encourages us to put on this show of being somebody special. Oh we all are special to someone(s) on earth and to Jesus in heaven, but there’s a fine line we walk when we cater to the cult of self-aggrandizement. We all have that need to feel important in varying amounts, it’s human nature, but we have to be very careful and don’t over value our importance, for it’s sure to boomerang on us some day, when we’re suddenly confronted with the fact that we’re not as important as we thought. And Friends, sometimes the shock of that awareness can do great psychological damage to our fragile egos and emotions. It can sometimes be like dreaming you’re in heaven, but awakening to find that you’re really in hell. Oh people, I certainly hope this is making sense and that it will touch someone, somewhere, who’s afflicted with this problem, and cause them to stop and take a critical look at themselves before it’s too late, for we all know that our God despises the proud and haughty. Jeremiah clarifies it well. ‘And seekest thou great things for thyself? seek them not: for, behold, I will bring evil upon all flesh, saith the Lord: but thy life will I give unto thee for a prey in all places whither thou goest.’ (Jer.45:5) Yes my brethren, those were the words of advice from the Lord, via Jeremiah, to Baruch. Advice all of us should steadfastly heed, for the Lord will not hesitate to bring adversity upon the haughty and arrogant, while giving life as a prize unto those who genuinely honour and glorify His Name, and make of themselves no name, like Jesus did. ‘Neither do I exercise myself in great matters, or in things too high for me.’ Bruh David’s saying he doesn’t concern himself with great matters, or things that are too profound or difficult for him. We should also be careful of that, because oftimes it’s just a sign of our pride and haughtiness showing up; we just want to be involved in weighty affairs to be recognized as an important person. Note though Friends, this doesn’t mean we should not strive to better or improve ourselves and move up the so-called ladder of success, but as with life itself, and most things therein, there’s a thin red line between what we should and shouldn’t do. Life is a scale of checks and balances, and our success depends on how much we keep it in close harmony, not letting it get too out of tune. And there’s a fitting quote on the bookmark I mentioned earlier, from St. Therese, the Little Flower Of Jesus. She says; ‘Jesus does not look so much at the greatness of our actions, or even at their difficulty, as at the LOVE with which we do them.’ And all God’s people said, ‘Amen!’ And for good measure, I’ll leave us with a quote from one who had education, social standing and also something to say on almost everything, (smile) but rather glorified Jesus, and never made of himself any name; our good Friend, Bruh Paul. ‘Be of the same mind one to another. Mind not high things, but condescend to (associate with) men of low estate. be not wise in your own conceits (estimation) (Rom.12:16) That’s exactly how Jesus behaved my people. And if we follow that advice, then we can all become more like Him, which is one of our earthly mandates. Much LOVE!…..have pride….but be humble….reach high….but for the right reasons….
SCRIP-BITS 