Luke 23:34 Then said Jesus, Father forgive them; for they know not what they do. And they parted his raiment and cast lots.
Ah Friends, after being on a high yesterday, the Good Lord has brought me back down to earth, thankfully though, not with a resounding thud, but easily enough that my rear end wasn’t hurt. (smile) But He also showed me the other side of life, through a dear Friend who’s experiencing some family problems she just can’t seem to handle. But that’s for later. First, let me share a prayer that we all know, think and believe we should practice, but never, or very seldom do. It’s the Serenity Prayer. ‘God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.’ Oh my people, that’s the answer to life’s problems right there in a nutshell! We all claim to know it, but still try to do it on our own strength. And it also has to do with an important part of my story, my harrowing experience yesterday, (smile) that I forgot to mention. When I am finished writing the Bit, I watch one of my taped religious programmes. Yesterday morning it happened to be a Joyce Meyer show where she was interviewing a medical doctor, Dr. Don Colbert, an expert on stress. Apparently he gleaned his expertise the hard way, through personal experience. As a young medic, he felt the world was his to conquer, so he began putting too much stuff on his plate, which led to a heavy workload, poor eating and sleeping habits and finally a series of fairly serious illnesses. Luckily for him, he discovered before it was too late that most of his problems stemmed from his anxiety about life, from the stress he put on himself. The illnesses were the body’s way of responding, negatively of course, to the stress. And he points out that 75 to 90 percent of our illnesses are stress related, basically rooted in the stress and anxiety factor of our lives. That means, if we root out the stress, then we’ll root out most of the sickness in our society. Dr. Don says he eventually, though painfully brought the stress under control by right living and the Word. My point Friends, is that if the Lord hadn’t caused me to hear that message on stress yesterday, before I went out, I’m not so sure I would have responded so calmly in that annoying traffic jam. It’s just another example of Him giving us the tools to do or pass the tests He instigates. It’s also another way of showing that the Word is the best thing for us to store in our hearts and minds, cause we never know when it’s going to come in handy in real life. So please my people, let’s make it a serious habit, never to leave home without the Word. Now getting back to my friend. This evening I went to call one friend, but pushed the speed dial button for another one. On realizing my mistake, I decided to talk to her anyway and see how she was doing, cause I knew she had family problems. Unfortunately, she wasn’t doing very well. One thing led to another, until she mentioned reading a novel but at the end of each page couldn’t remember what she’d read. So I asked her if she’d read the Good Book. Friends, to put it mildly, I was most surprised at her response. Now she’s a good, mature believer, but from down the phone line, I gather that she reacted to my enquiry like when a venomous reptile lashes out at us; an automatic recoil. After a few quiet but emotional seconds, she stammered that that was the one book she couldn’t go near, because it just made her more angry and confused. To make a long story short, I pleaded with her, coaxed her to take it up and read it. But all to no avail. I could hear her tears in her answers and it really saddened me because she’s usually a strong emotional person. I even quoted her the Serenity Prayer. That only made her angrier, claiming that it was her mother’s favourite prayer, but she went through a miserable time before her death. This lady is well educated, and was a success in her field of endeavour before she retired. She has all the tools, knows all the rules, but just can’t seem to cope with the unfair and unfortunate things happening in her family. She knows she’s done her best. That the rest will have to be left to the other members of her family and God. She’s crying out for peace in her life, and knows that it’s only herself and the Good Book that can bring it to her soul, but somehow she can’t make that first step. However, as the Lord possibly planned it, during our conversation she mentioned that a copy of the Good Book was close by, close enough to touch. So I jumped on that and asked her to reach out and lay her hand on it. I was most surprised by her hesitation. But she eventually did place her hand on it. Then I asked her to open it. Just open it at some arbitrary place, as I sometimes do when I can’t find a Bit to write on. Surprisingly, there was again some hesitation. But she did comply a couple seconds later. And to my surprise, she called out that it had opened to Luke Chapter 23. I then asked if she could read it, but she claimed that the light was too dim. So I told her to pick it up and go to a lighted room where she could read it. Again, much to my surprise, I had a hard time convincing her to do it. I quoted Comrade Confucius theory that the longest journey begins with the first step, and she had already taken two; picked it up and opened it. In the long run, I finally got her to promise that she’d take it up, go to a well-lit place, open it at Luke 23 and stare at it. She wasn’t prepared to do more than that. I was quite satisfied with that though, because I knew that if she got that far, the Lord would do the rest. Ah mih Friends, it just goes to show that however mature and strong in the faith we are, that there’s something, we all have an Achilles heel, that sufficient tempting and cajoling from the enemy will make us not want to deal with the Word. And that’s why Friends and fellow believers, I now believe that my pushing the wrong speed dial button wasn’t just a mistake, but the direct hand of God, sending me to her, to try and uplift and encourage her, although she, in her misery, thought differently. Oh my people, what can I say? This life has become so topsy-turvy and confusing that all of us at times experience doubt, frustration and unbelief; times when we don’t want to hear the Word. But sadly, that’s the time when we most need it. I certainly hope my friend kept her promise and opened the Good Book at Luke 23. I know she’ll tell me truthfully. But yuh know too, is only later on I realized that my Bible must have also been close at hand since I’d just finished reading some prayers for my mother. But it never even occurred to me to open it and check what Luke 23 said. I can only believe that the Good Lord didn’t want me to do it, wanted her to read it for herself. And Friends, once again the Lord’s proven His foresight, for Luke 23 deals with the time Jesus was being shuttled back and forth between Pilate and Herod, mocked and abused then finally led away to Golgotha to be crucified. And some of His last words were: ‘Father forgive them; for they know not what they do.’ (Luke 23:34) I guess the Lord wanted her to read for herself how Jesus reacted forgivingly to His unfair and unfortunate trials and tribulations, hoping that she would take comfort and solace from it, and eventually do likewise. I certainly hoped it turned out that way, because my brethren when we don’t forgive, the person we hurt most is ourselves. Hn, hn, hn! I’m chuckling because I now have to go and look for a bit to serve this writing. (smile) But that’s what happens when the Spirit brings an overpowering topic to the table. And I have no doubts the Good Lord will guide me to the most appropriate one. So, till we meet again my Friends, if our God so desires: Much LOVE!…the Word, the Word…oh my people, the Word…in times of desperation… it’s always the first thing we should turn to…and not the last…like we tend to do…it’s the only thing that can bring us true peace of mind… P.S. I opened the Good Book thinking to look first at Luke 23 for a Bit. But before I even got there, the Spirit decreed it in my mind.
Ah Friends, after being on a high yesterday, the Good Lord has brought me back down to earth, thankfully though, not with a resounding thud, but easily enough that my rear end wasn’t hurt. (smile) But He also showed me the other side of life, through a dear Friend who’s experiencing some family problems she just can’t seem to handle. But that’s for later. First, let me share a prayer that we all know, think and believe we should practice, but never, or very seldom do. It’s the Serenity Prayer. ‘God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.’ Oh my people, that’s the answer to life’s problems right there in a nutshell! We all claim to know it, but still try to do it on our own strength. And it also has to do with an important part of my story, my harrowing experience yesterday, (smile) that I forgot to mention. When I am finished writing the Bit, I watch one of my taped religious programmes. Yesterday morning it happened to be a Joyce Meyer show where she was interviewing a medical doctor, Dr. Don Colbert, an expert on stress. Apparently he gleaned his expertise the hard way, through personal experience. As a young medic, he felt the world was his to conquer, so he began putting too much stuff on his plate, which led to a heavy workload, poor eating and sleeping habits and finally a series of fairly serious illnesses. Luckily for him, he discovered before it was too late that most of his problems stemmed from his anxiety about life, from the stress he put on himself. The illnesses were the body’s way of responding, negatively of course, to the stress. And he points out that 75 to 90 percent of our illnesses are stress related, basically rooted in the stress and anxiety factor of our lives. That means, if we root out the stress, then we’ll root out most of the sickness in our society. Dr. Don says he eventually, though painfully brought the stress under control by right living and the Word. My point Friends, is that if the Lord hadn’t caused me to hear that message on stress yesterday, before I went out, I’m not so sure I would have responded so calmly in that annoying traffic jam. It’s just another example of Him giving us the tools to do or pass the tests He instigates. It’s also another way of showing that the Word is the best thing for us to store in our hearts and minds, cause we never know when it’s going to come in handy in real life. So please my people, let’s make it a serious habit, never to leave home without the Word. Now getting back to my friend. This evening I went to call one friend, but pushed the speed dial button for another one. On realizing my mistake, I decided to talk to her anyway and see how she was doing, cause I knew she had family problems. Unfortunately, she wasn’t doing very well. One thing led to another, until she mentioned reading a novel but at the end of each page couldn’t remember what she’d read. So I asked her if she’d read the Good Book. Friends, to put it mildly, I was most surprised at her response. Now she’s a good, mature believer, but from down the phone line, I gather that she reacted to my enquiry like when a venomous reptile lashes out at us; an automatic recoil. After a few quiet but emotional seconds, she stammered that that was the one book she couldn’t go near, because it just made her more angry and confused. To make a long story short, I pleaded with her, coaxed her to take it up and read it. But all to no avail. I could hear her tears in her answers and it really saddened me because she’s usually a strong emotional person. I even quoted her the Serenity Prayer. That only made her angrier, claiming that it was her mother’s favourite prayer, but she went through a miserable time before her death. This lady is well educated, and was a success in her field of endeavour before she retired. She has all the tools, knows all the rules, but just can’t seem to cope with the unfair and unfortunate things happening in her family. She knows she’s done her best. That the rest will have to be left to the other members of her family and God. She’s crying out for peace in her life, and knows that it’s only herself and the Good Book that can bring it to her soul, but somehow she can’t make that first step. However, as the Lord possibly planned it, during our conversation she mentioned that a copy of the Good Book was close by, close enough to touch. So I jumped on that and asked her to reach out and lay her hand on it. I was most surprised by her hesitation. But she eventually did place her hand on it. Then I asked her to open it. Just open it at some arbitrary place, as I sometimes do when I can’t find a Bit to write on. Surprisingly, there was again some hesitation. But she did comply a couple seconds later. And to my surprise, she called out that it had opened to Luke Chapter 23. I then asked if she could read it, but she claimed that the light was too dim. So I told her to pick it up and go to a lighted room where she could read it. Again, much to my surprise, I had a hard time convincing her to do it. I quoted Comrade Confucius theory that the longest journey begins with the first step, and she had already taken two; picked it up and opened it. In the long run, I finally got her to promise that she’d take it up, go to a well-lit place, open it at Luke 23 and stare at it. She wasn’t prepared to do more than that. I was quite satisfied with that though, because I knew that if she got that far, the Lord would do the rest. Ah mih Friends, it just goes to show that however mature and strong in the faith we are, that there’s something, we all have an Achilles heel, that sufficient tempting and cajoling from the enemy will make us not want to deal with the Word. And that’s why Friends and fellow believers, I now believe that my pushing the wrong speed dial button wasn’t just a mistake, but the direct hand of God, sending me to her, to try and uplift and encourage her, although she, in her misery, thought differently. Oh my people, what can I say? This life has become so topsy-turvy and confusing that all of us at times experience doubt, frustration and unbelief; times when we don’t want to hear the Word. But sadly, that’s the time when we most need it. I certainly hope my friend kept her promise and opened the Good Book at Luke 23. I know she’ll tell me truthfully. But yuh know too, is only later on I realized that my Bible must have also been close at hand since I’d just finished reading some prayers for my mother. But it never even occurred to me to open it and check what Luke 23 said. I can only believe that the Good Lord didn’t want me to do it, wanted her to read it for herself. And Friends, once again the Lord’s proven His foresight, for Luke 23 deals with the time Jesus was being shuttled back and forth between Pilate and Herod, mocked and abused then finally led away to Golgotha to be crucified. And some of His last words were: ‘Father forgive them; for they know not what they do.’ (Luke 23:34) I guess the Lord wanted her to read for herself how Jesus reacted forgivingly to His unfair and unfortunate trials and tribulations, hoping that she would take comfort and solace from it, and eventually do likewise. I certainly hoped it turned out that way, because my brethren when we don’t forgive, the person we hurt most is ourselves. Hn, hn, hn! I’m chuckling because I now have to go and look for a bit to serve this writing. (smile) But that’s what happens when the Spirit brings an overpowering topic to the table. And I have no doubts the Good Lord will guide me to the most appropriate one. So, till we meet again my Friends, if our God so desires: Much LOVE!…the Word, the Word…oh my people, the Word…in times of desperation… it’s always the first thing we should turn to…and not the last…like we tend to do…it’s the only thing that can bring us true peace of mind… P.S. I opened the Good Book thinking to look first at Luke 23 for a Bit. But before I even got there, the Spirit decreed it in my mind.
SCRIP-BITS 