Psalm 119:57 Thou art my portion, O Lord: I have said that I would keep thy words.
Oh Friends, what a tragic disaster in Haiti! Hn! I don’t know if the Lord meant it as a warning or what, but I do hope that we in the West will at last pay some real and serious attention to the poorest nation in our hemisphere, now that such a terrible tragedy has occurred. Before this earthquake their plight was sad, I don’t know how to term it now. We’ve been sending lots of help to faraway places while ignoring the poor and downtrodden right in our own backyard. I know they don’t have oil or anything worthwhile in monetary terms, but they are humans, our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ, and it’s our Christian duty to help them. And yes, there have been some attempts to help, but how serious were they eh? Furthermore, nobody seemed seriously intent on dealing with the turmoil and corruption prevalent amongst the government and the wealthy elite. However Friends, this is the opportunity to turn the fortunes of Haiti around, cleanse the country of the rampant corruption and poverty, and give it a brand new start. Look at how far it has fallen eh? From being the first Black Independent Republic in the world at beginning of the 19th century, inspired by Toussaint L’Ouverture and Jean-Jacques Dessalines, with a flourishing economy and healthy, wealthy and wise citizens, to being the poorest and most underdeveloped nation in the area. Oh Friends, please, let us all do as our leader Jesus would desire and lend a helping hand in some shape and form. And it’s only fitting that our Bit today is from the part of Psalm 119 written under ‘Cheth’ and sub-titled, ‘The earth, O Lord, is full of thy mercy.’ Let’s hope we see plenty of that mercy in Haiti. But turning to the Bit, Bruh David makes a powerful declaration: ‘Thou art my portion O Lord.’ Those words Friends are very meaningful, especially in the Old Testament context, before Jesus came. Why? Firstly, when the Lord divided the land and jobs between the tribes of Israel, He gave physical substance to all but the priests and Levites. ‘And the Lord spake unto Aaron, Thou shalt have no inheritance in their land, neither shalt thou have any part among them. I am thy part and thine inheritance among the children of Israel.’ (Num.18:20) The priestly community was granted the tithe of the people to live on. (Num.18:21) They were to concern themselves mainly with the Lord’s work. Bruh David is also claiming the Lord as his inheritance and he boldly proclaims it in Psalm 16. ‘The Lord is the portion of mine inheritance and of my cup: thou maintainest (upholds) my lot.’ (Ps.16:5) Yes Friends, it’s the Lord who upholds us, maintains us with His gracious provisions and we are all indebted to Him for whatever we have. Jeremiah also made this quite plain. ‘The portion of Jacob is not like them: for he is the former (maker) of all things; and Israel is the rod (tribe) of his inheritance: The Lord of hosts is his name.’ (Jer.10:16) So Friends, since the Lord is the maker of all, and we are the descendants of Abraham, then we’re also entitled to Him being our portion, our inheritance. In his Lamentations, Jeremiah also confidently proclaimed: ‘The Lord is my portion saith my soul; therefore will I hope in him.’ (Lam.3:24) Ah Friends, we’ve come to that magic word ‘Hope,’ It surely covers and controls many areas and circumstances in our lives, but it’s also the beacon, the ray of light to be found in all true believers. Hope is a light that should never be extinguished in our earthly walk with God. Bruh Paul puts it thus: ‘Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast…’ (Heb.6:19) So Hope not only shines forth from us, but it also holds us steady as an anchor. Oh my people, our God kept His promise to reclaim our lost and sinful souls by sending Jesus to die on the cross for us. And though Bruh David wasn’t around when Jesus came to earth, He was man enough, and faithful enough to promise: ‘I have said that I would keep thy words.’ And he certainly tried to keep them. Friends, I believe the same thing applies to us. We’ve seen the light, Jesus. We’ve been cleansed from sin, granted salvation through His redeeming death, and have been promised eternal life because of His resurrection and ascension. How much more can we expect from our God eh? And all He asks is that we obey His laws, which are definitely not onerous; LOVE Him, LOVE each other, and live a lifestyle befitting followers of His Son Jesus, that will in turn bring others to Him and glory to His Holy Name. I don’t think that’s so hard mih people, when we consider all that our Father in heaven has done for us, when we didn’t deserve it too. Oh Friends, it’s nice to know that the Lord is also our portion, our inheritance based on our adoption through Christ, but by the same token we also have a responsibility to obey His statutes and live a godly and righteous life. It is the mark of our Christian faith, and we all know that many of us are not really living up to the standard Jesus expects of us. So let’s renew that promise we made at New Year’s to live a more faithful life nuh, so that our society can once more turn to God and truthfully say to Him; ‘Thou art my portion, O Lord: I have said that I would keep thy words…And I have kept them.’ Much LOVE!…the believer’s duty is to further God’s kingdom…by faith, word and deed.
Oh Friends, what a tragic disaster in Haiti! Hn! I don’t know if the Lord meant it as a warning or what, but I do hope that we in the West will at last pay some real and serious attention to the poorest nation in our hemisphere, now that such a terrible tragedy has occurred. Before this earthquake their plight was sad, I don’t know how to term it now. We’ve been sending lots of help to faraway places while ignoring the poor and downtrodden right in our own backyard. I know they don’t have oil or anything worthwhile in monetary terms, but they are humans, our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ, and it’s our Christian duty to help them. And yes, there have been some attempts to help, but how serious were they eh? Furthermore, nobody seemed seriously intent on dealing with the turmoil and corruption prevalent amongst the government and the wealthy elite. However Friends, this is the opportunity to turn the fortunes of Haiti around, cleanse the country of the rampant corruption and poverty, and give it a brand new start. Look at how far it has fallen eh? From being the first Black Independent Republic in the world at beginning of the 19th century, inspired by Toussaint L’Ouverture and Jean-Jacques Dessalines, with a flourishing economy and healthy, wealthy and wise citizens, to being the poorest and most underdeveloped nation in the area. Oh Friends, please, let us all do as our leader Jesus would desire and lend a helping hand in some shape and form. And it’s only fitting that our Bit today is from the part of Psalm 119 written under ‘Cheth’ and sub-titled, ‘The earth, O Lord, is full of thy mercy.’ Let’s hope we see plenty of that mercy in Haiti. But turning to the Bit, Bruh David makes a powerful declaration: ‘Thou art my portion O Lord.’ Those words Friends are very meaningful, especially in the Old Testament context, before Jesus came. Why? Firstly, when the Lord divided the land and jobs between the tribes of Israel, He gave physical substance to all but the priests and Levites. ‘And the Lord spake unto Aaron, Thou shalt have no inheritance in their land, neither shalt thou have any part among them. I am thy part and thine inheritance among the children of Israel.’ (Num.18:20) The priestly community was granted the tithe of the people to live on. (Num.18:21) They were to concern themselves mainly with the Lord’s work. Bruh David is also claiming the Lord as his inheritance and he boldly proclaims it in Psalm 16. ‘The Lord is the portion of mine inheritance and of my cup: thou maintainest (upholds) my lot.’ (Ps.16:5) Yes Friends, it’s the Lord who upholds us, maintains us with His gracious provisions and we are all indebted to Him for whatever we have. Jeremiah also made this quite plain. ‘The portion of Jacob is not like them: for he is the former (maker) of all things; and Israel is the rod (tribe) of his inheritance: The Lord of hosts is his name.’ (Jer.10:16) So Friends, since the Lord is the maker of all, and we are the descendants of Abraham, then we’re also entitled to Him being our portion, our inheritance. In his Lamentations, Jeremiah also confidently proclaimed: ‘The Lord is my portion saith my soul; therefore will I hope in him.’ (Lam.3:24) Ah Friends, we’ve come to that magic word ‘Hope,’ It surely covers and controls many areas and circumstances in our lives, but it’s also the beacon, the ray of light to be found in all true believers. Hope is a light that should never be extinguished in our earthly walk with God. Bruh Paul puts it thus: ‘Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast…’ (Heb.6:19) So Hope not only shines forth from us, but it also holds us steady as an anchor. Oh my people, our God kept His promise to reclaim our lost and sinful souls by sending Jesus to die on the cross for us. And though Bruh David wasn’t around when Jesus came to earth, He was man enough, and faithful enough to promise: ‘I have said that I would keep thy words.’ And he certainly tried to keep them. Friends, I believe the same thing applies to us. We’ve seen the light, Jesus. We’ve been cleansed from sin, granted salvation through His redeeming death, and have been promised eternal life because of His resurrection and ascension. How much more can we expect from our God eh? And all He asks is that we obey His laws, which are definitely not onerous; LOVE Him, LOVE each other, and live a lifestyle befitting followers of His Son Jesus, that will in turn bring others to Him and glory to His Holy Name. I don’t think that’s so hard mih people, when we consider all that our Father in heaven has done for us, when we didn’t deserve it too. Oh Friends, it’s nice to know that the Lord is also our portion, our inheritance based on our adoption through Christ, but by the same token we also have a responsibility to obey His statutes and live a godly and righteous life. It is the mark of our Christian faith, and we all know that many of us are not really living up to the standard Jesus expects of us. So let’s renew that promise we made at New Year’s to live a more faithful life nuh, so that our society can once more turn to God and truthfully say to Him; ‘Thou art my portion, O Lord: I have said that I would keep thy words…And I have kept them.’ Much LOVE!…the believer’s duty is to further God’s kingdom…by faith, word and deed.
SCRIP-BITS 