1 Kings 8:58 That he may incline our hearts unto him, to walk in all his ways, and to keep his commandments, and his statutes, and his judgements which he commanded our fathers.
Oh my most worthy Friends and fellow believers in the One and Only True God, He of our fathers Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, who rained down mercies and blessings on His chosen people, Israel, when they walked according to His dictates, may He do the same for us, as we attempt to walk in the footsteps of His Son, our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. Wow! That sentence would surely make Bruh Paul smile. Anyway my people, Today’s Bit comes from Solomon’s moving speech to the Israelites on the day the Ark of the Covenant was brought into the temple that Sol built for it. The Bit basically deals with the way we live our lives; ‘That he may incline our hearts unto him, to walk in all his ways, and to keep his commandments, and his statutes, and his judgements which he commanded our fathers.’ Now Friends, there are two things to note. The first is that walking with God is a very important part of a believer’s life. And the second is like unto it, (smile) that it’s a command of the Lord, not a suggestion or a consideration, dependent on our whims or fancies. From the very beginning of God’s association with man, with Adam our first father, obedience to His rules was of the utmost importance. He gave him specific instructions; ‘Of every tree in the garden thou mayest freely eat: But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.’ (Gen.2:16-17) Oh Friends we all know what happened after; our forefathers ate of the tree against God’s specific command, and sin came into the world. And we became so sinful that the Lord got fed up: ‘And it repented the Lord (he was sorry) that he made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart.’ (Gen.6:6) And He pledged to destroy the earth and all therein. ‘But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord.’ (Gen.6:8) He told Noah to build an ark and to fill it with a male and female of all living things. And Noah was obedient. Please note the difference Friends: Adam and Eve were disobedient and suffered God’s punishment, whereas Noah obeyed and was saved from destruction. But even after our new beginning with Noah, sin was so ingrained in us that eventually we went right back to it. Then the Lord decided to try a different tactic; raise up one group of people, a chosen, a special group, that would live the way He wanted and become a wonderful example to the rest of the sinful world. So He approached old Abram, and His first words were words of caution and warning. ‘I am the Almighty God; walk before me, and be thou perfect.’ (Gen.17:1) And what were the words of Abraham’s servant that was sent back to the old country to get a wife for Isaac? ‘And I said unto my master, Peradventure the woman will not follow me. And he said unto me, The Lord, before whom I walk, will send his angel with thee, and prosper thy way; and thou shalt take a wife for my son of my kindred and of my father’s house.’ (Gen.24:39-40) Also, when Israel, (Jacob) blessed his grandsons, Ephraim and Manasseh, he emphasized walking with God. ‘And he blessed Joseph, and said, God, before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac did walk, the God who fed me all my life long unto this day. The angel which redeemed me from all evil, bless the lads; and let my name be named on them, and the name of my fathers Abraham and Isaac; and let them grow into a multitude in the midst of the earth.’ (Gen.48:15-16) And what were the Lord’s instructions to Moses when He called him up to Mt. Sinai the first time? ‘Thus shalt thou say to the house of Jacob, and tell the children of Israel. Ye have seen what I did unto the Egyptians, and how I bare you on eagles’ wings, and brought you unto myself. Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar (special) treasure unto me above all people: for all the earth is mine.’ (Ex.19:3-5) The next time the Lord came down on Mt. Sinai in thunder, smoke, brimstone and fire and spoke to Moses in front of the people, then gave them the Ten Commandments; the basic rules He wanted them to live by. Now tell me my people, why would our God put Himself to all that trouble if He didn’t consider His commandments and covenant of extreme importance? All through their journey to the Promised Land, and thereafter, the prophets kept reminding the Israelites of the importance of walking in the Lord’s Word, of keeping His commandments, of living by His covenant. But since we’re the children of sin, born and raised in it, and sadly given freedom of choice too, from then, till this day, we’ve been continually backsliding. Many times the children of Israel paid a hefty price of punishment for their turning away from God’s designated path and instead following that laid out by the prince of evil. However, when they felt the wrath of God, they always came running back. Oh my Friends, likewise today, I believe we’re suffering the wrath of God. Too many unusual happenings are happening. Our sins have finally caught up with us. But I also believe that there’s hope. Just like the Israelites ran back to God and repented and were forgiven, the same thing can happen with us if we repent and return to living the way the Lord desires. Consequently my people, as believers, as followers of Jesus Christ, living in a terribly sinful and ungodly world, we need to be extremely strong to stay true to His Word, to walk the path that He directs us, that straight and narrow way, and not the false, wide, but pot-holed filled highway to destruction that Lucifer tries to entice us on to. It’s not easy my Friends, but with sincerity and determination, praying to the Lord ‘That he may incline our hearts unto him,’ and guided by the Spirit of Jesus that dwells with us, we can surely do it. Remember Jesus said His followers would face tribulation in this ungodly world, but He gave us the strength, faith and courage to persevere by also letting us know that He’d overcome this wicked world through His death, resurrection and ascension, and we have nothing to fear if we walk with Him along the path He chooses to guide us. Oh Friends, with the enemy currently in ascendance, to have a successful walk with Christ, it’s becoming more important every day that we stick to God, like white on rice, (smile) and avidly, hungrily keep ingesting His Word, the way the bees tirelessly work at getting the nectar from the flowers. Till tomorrow then, our God willing: Much LOVE!...to do our Saviour’s will…and walk as He desires…should be the ultimate goal of our lives…
Oh my most worthy Friends and fellow believers in the One and Only True God, He of our fathers Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, who rained down mercies and blessings on His chosen people, Israel, when they walked according to His dictates, may He do the same for us, as we attempt to walk in the footsteps of His Son, our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. Wow! That sentence would surely make Bruh Paul smile. Anyway my people, Today’s Bit comes from Solomon’s moving speech to the Israelites on the day the Ark of the Covenant was brought into the temple that Sol built for it. The Bit basically deals with the way we live our lives; ‘That he may incline our hearts unto him, to walk in all his ways, and to keep his commandments, and his statutes, and his judgements which he commanded our fathers.’ Now Friends, there are two things to note. The first is that walking with God is a very important part of a believer’s life. And the second is like unto it, (smile) that it’s a command of the Lord, not a suggestion or a consideration, dependent on our whims or fancies. From the very beginning of God’s association with man, with Adam our first father, obedience to His rules was of the utmost importance. He gave him specific instructions; ‘Of every tree in the garden thou mayest freely eat: But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.’ (Gen.2:16-17) Oh Friends we all know what happened after; our forefathers ate of the tree against God’s specific command, and sin came into the world. And we became so sinful that the Lord got fed up: ‘And it repented the Lord (he was sorry) that he made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart.’ (Gen.6:6) And He pledged to destroy the earth and all therein. ‘But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord.’ (Gen.6:8) He told Noah to build an ark and to fill it with a male and female of all living things. And Noah was obedient. Please note the difference Friends: Adam and Eve were disobedient and suffered God’s punishment, whereas Noah obeyed and was saved from destruction. But even after our new beginning with Noah, sin was so ingrained in us that eventually we went right back to it. Then the Lord decided to try a different tactic; raise up one group of people, a chosen, a special group, that would live the way He wanted and become a wonderful example to the rest of the sinful world. So He approached old Abram, and His first words were words of caution and warning. ‘I am the Almighty God; walk before me, and be thou perfect.’ (Gen.17:1) And what were the words of Abraham’s servant that was sent back to the old country to get a wife for Isaac? ‘And I said unto my master, Peradventure the woman will not follow me. And he said unto me, The Lord, before whom I walk, will send his angel with thee, and prosper thy way; and thou shalt take a wife for my son of my kindred and of my father’s house.’ (Gen.24:39-40) Also, when Israel, (Jacob) blessed his grandsons, Ephraim and Manasseh, he emphasized walking with God. ‘And he blessed Joseph, and said, God, before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac did walk, the God who fed me all my life long unto this day. The angel which redeemed me from all evil, bless the lads; and let my name be named on them, and the name of my fathers Abraham and Isaac; and let them grow into a multitude in the midst of the earth.’ (Gen.48:15-16) And what were the Lord’s instructions to Moses when He called him up to Mt. Sinai the first time? ‘Thus shalt thou say to the house of Jacob, and tell the children of Israel. Ye have seen what I did unto the Egyptians, and how I bare you on eagles’ wings, and brought you unto myself. Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar (special) treasure unto me above all people: for all the earth is mine.’ (Ex.19:3-5) The next time the Lord came down on Mt. Sinai in thunder, smoke, brimstone and fire and spoke to Moses in front of the people, then gave them the Ten Commandments; the basic rules He wanted them to live by. Now tell me my people, why would our God put Himself to all that trouble if He didn’t consider His commandments and covenant of extreme importance? All through their journey to the Promised Land, and thereafter, the prophets kept reminding the Israelites of the importance of walking in the Lord’s Word, of keeping His commandments, of living by His covenant. But since we’re the children of sin, born and raised in it, and sadly given freedom of choice too, from then, till this day, we’ve been continually backsliding. Many times the children of Israel paid a hefty price of punishment for their turning away from God’s designated path and instead following that laid out by the prince of evil. However, when they felt the wrath of God, they always came running back. Oh my Friends, likewise today, I believe we’re suffering the wrath of God. Too many unusual happenings are happening. Our sins have finally caught up with us. But I also believe that there’s hope. Just like the Israelites ran back to God and repented and were forgiven, the same thing can happen with us if we repent and return to living the way the Lord desires. Consequently my people, as believers, as followers of Jesus Christ, living in a terribly sinful and ungodly world, we need to be extremely strong to stay true to His Word, to walk the path that He directs us, that straight and narrow way, and not the false, wide, but pot-holed filled highway to destruction that Lucifer tries to entice us on to. It’s not easy my Friends, but with sincerity and determination, praying to the Lord ‘That he may incline our hearts unto him,’ and guided by the Spirit of Jesus that dwells with us, we can surely do it. Remember Jesus said His followers would face tribulation in this ungodly world, but He gave us the strength, faith and courage to persevere by also letting us know that He’d overcome this wicked world through His death, resurrection and ascension, and we have nothing to fear if we walk with Him along the path He chooses to guide us. Oh Friends, with the enemy currently in ascendance, to have a successful walk with Christ, it’s becoming more important every day that we stick to God, like white on rice, (smile) and avidly, hungrily keep ingesting His Word, the way the bees tirelessly work at getting the nectar from the flowers. Till tomorrow then, our God willing: Much LOVE!...to do our Saviour’s will…and walk as He desires…should be the ultimate goal of our lives…
SCRIP-BITS 