1 Peter 4:14 If ye be reproached for the name of Christ, happy are ye; for the spirit of glory and of God resteth on you: on their part is evil spoken of, but on your part he is glorified.
Oh Friends, the weather has just been glorious these last few days, all bright, sparkling sunshine with not even a hint of precipitation, but I couldn’t believe that we’ve already passed the midway point of September. Didn’t it just start the other day? (smile) The days are certainly rollicking along, and so is the ole fella. (smile) And today, in my readings, I found a beautiful quote that epitomizes the attributes of a believer; a sure follower of Christ. It comes from the poem ‘Ulysses’ by the renowned British poet, Alfred Lord Tennyson. All the old fogies will remember this particular passage because it was drilled into us during our early schooldays. And it says: ‘Made weak by time and fate, but strong in will to strive, to seek, to find and not to yield.’ Oh mih people, doesn’t that sound just like us, isn’t it a perfect description of a follower of Christ; a Christian? It sure does! It’s what we Christians are about! As Bruh Paul proudly declares: ‘We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed; Always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body.’ (2 Cor.4:8-10) When I saw the quote, I just knew I had to share it with you. But then I had to find a Bit to match it. And surely, as the Lord would have it, I found the perfect scripture in Peter’s writings. ‘If ye be reproached for the name of Christ, happy are ye;’ Wow! That sure says a whole lot about us Friends! For if we’re insulted or abused for Christ’s sake, then we are blessed. A perfect example of that is the imprisonment of the apostles in Jerusalem. They were tried, beaten and then set free with the express command to stop preaching in Jesus’ name. But what happened? Luke tells us in the Book of Acts: ‘And they departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for his name. And daily in the temple, and in every house, they ceased not to teach and preach Jesus Christ.’ (Acts 5:41) And all God’s people boldly sang: ‘Glory Hallelujah! All thanks and praise to the Lamb, for He is indeed worthy to be praised!’ Oh Friends, the ole fella’s chuckling because he’s so excited about this Bit. The thoughts are coming faster than my pen can write. The Spirit’s really working in me this morning, with everything coming together smoothly. We might even have to continue this tomorrow. It’s sad though that I can’t write all the Bits as easily as this one. But there again, that brings up our tenacity and strength of purpose; ‘strong in will to strive, to seek, to find and not to yield.’ Oh mih breddren, those are certainly the distinguishing hallmarks of a true follower of Christ. For remember what Jesus said in the Sermon on the Mount as He put forth the Beatitudes. ‘Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.’ (Mat.5:11-12) Yes my people, that’s the attitude our Lord, Saviour, Master and Leader brought to the show, and it’s our bounden duty to follow suit. Oh Friends, even if we don’t have anything else, a true Christian must at least possess belly and backbone, because it’s what keeps us going, especially when we feel, abused and downtrodden, like we’re fighting a losing battle. Just remember though that whatsoever happens, we’re to continue the struggle, continue to fight, and never, never, never give up. Christ suffered too much on our behalf for us to give up as easily as some of us are wont to do. As we keep reminding, the Christian life is not an easy one, and anybody who says differently is no Christian. How can it be easy with all the forgiveness, righteousness and the many other good deeds we need to do and the wrongs we’re supposed to bear with great fortitude eh? Jesus said that we’d suffer trials and tribulation just for talking about Him. But oh my wonderful Friends in Jesus, there’s no better life than when we live for Him. Yes, we might suffer lots of reproaches and experience plenty hard times on this earth, but just remember to keep focussing on those rewards that we’re piling up in heaven, when we do His will down here. That’s the important point. The earthly rewards are nice, if we get them, but they will all rust and crumble at some time, while the rewards we store in heaven…oh my people, those will never tarnish or crumble. So let’s just keep on keeping on, like the good, strong, true and stalwart soldiers of Christ that we are. Let’s arm ourselves with all the accoutrements, all the armour the Lord provides, then step out enthusiastic and strong and engage the evil enemy, fight the good fight, show him that the forces of darkness and wickedness are no match for, can never defeat those of goodness and light. The latter shall always prevail! Oh Friends, I sure hope this Bit lights a fire in all our souls, as the Spirit desires, and gives us all renewed strength, courage, power and confidence to face the enemy when we step out to do God’s will today. Much LOVE!…stand up, stand up for Jesus…the trumpet call obey…till every foe is vanquished…and Christ is Lord indeed… To be continued.
Oh Friends, the weather has just been glorious these last few days, all bright, sparkling sunshine with not even a hint of precipitation, but I couldn’t believe that we’ve already passed the midway point of September. Didn’t it just start the other day? (smile) The days are certainly rollicking along, and so is the ole fella. (smile) And today, in my readings, I found a beautiful quote that epitomizes the attributes of a believer; a sure follower of Christ. It comes from the poem ‘Ulysses’ by the renowned British poet, Alfred Lord Tennyson. All the old fogies will remember this particular passage because it was drilled into us during our early schooldays. And it says: ‘Made weak by time and fate, but strong in will to strive, to seek, to find and not to yield.’ Oh mih people, doesn’t that sound just like us, isn’t it a perfect description of a follower of Christ; a Christian? It sure does! It’s what we Christians are about! As Bruh Paul proudly declares: ‘We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed; Always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body.’ (2 Cor.4:8-10) When I saw the quote, I just knew I had to share it with you. But then I had to find a Bit to match it. And surely, as the Lord would have it, I found the perfect scripture in Peter’s writings. ‘If ye be reproached for the name of Christ, happy are ye;’ Wow! That sure says a whole lot about us Friends! For if we’re insulted or abused for Christ’s sake, then we are blessed. A perfect example of that is the imprisonment of the apostles in Jerusalem. They were tried, beaten and then set free with the express command to stop preaching in Jesus’ name. But what happened? Luke tells us in the Book of Acts: ‘And they departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for his name. And daily in the temple, and in every house, they ceased not to teach and preach Jesus Christ.’ (Acts 5:41) And all God’s people boldly sang: ‘Glory Hallelujah! All thanks and praise to the Lamb, for He is indeed worthy to be praised!’ Oh Friends, the ole fella’s chuckling because he’s so excited about this Bit. The thoughts are coming faster than my pen can write. The Spirit’s really working in me this morning, with everything coming together smoothly. We might even have to continue this tomorrow. It’s sad though that I can’t write all the Bits as easily as this one. But there again, that brings up our tenacity and strength of purpose; ‘strong in will to strive, to seek, to find and not to yield.’ Oh mih breddren, those are certainly the distinguishing hallmarks of a true follower of Christ. For remember what Jesus said in the Sermon on the Mount as He put forth the Beatitudes. ‘Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.’ (Mat.5:11-12) Yes my people, that’s the attitude our Lord, Saviour, Master and Leader brought to the show, and it’s our bounden duty to follow suit. Oh Friends, even if we don’t have anything else, a true Christian must at least possess belly and backbone, because it’s what keeps us going, especially when we feel, abused and downtrodden, like we’re fighting a losing battle. Just remember though that whatsoever happens, we’re to continue the struggle, continue to fight, and never, never, never give up. Christ suffered too much on our behalf for us to give up as easily as some of us are wont to do. As we keep reminding, the Christian life is not an easy one, and anybody who says differently is no Christian. How can it be easy with all the forgiveness, righteousness and the many other good deeds we need to do and the wrongs we’re supposed to bear with great fortitude eh? Jesus said that we’d suffer trials and tribulation just for talking about Him. But oh my wonderful Friends in Jesus, there’s no better life than when we live for Him. Yes, we might suffer lots of reproaches and experience plenty hard times on this earth, but just remember to keep focussing on those rewards that we’re piling up in heaven, when we do His will down here. That’s the important point. The earthly rewards are nice, if we get them, but they will all rust and crumble at some time, while the rewards we store in heaven…oh my people, those will never tarnish or crumble. So let’s just keep on keeping on, like the good, strong, true and stalwart soldiers of Christ that we are. Let’s arm ourselves with all the accoutrements, all the armour the Lord provides, then step out enthusiastic and strong and engage the evil enemy, fight the good fight, show him that the forces of darkness and wickedness are no match for, can never defeat those of goodness and light. The latter shall always prevail! Oh Friends, I sure hope this Bit lights a fire in all our souls, as the Spirit desires, and gives us all renewed strength, courage, power and confidence to face the enemy when we step out to do God’s will today. Much LOVE!…stand up, stand up for Jesus…the trumpet call obey…till every foe is vanquished…and Christ is Lord indeed… To be continued.
SCRIP-BITS 