It’s Monday again my people! Battle stations all! It just seems to come around so quickly. Hope you had a restful, rejuvenating weekend, where you fellowshipped and released all the stress and tension of the past week, because it’s time to don your battle armour again and rejoin the fray in this new work week. And I have an interesting quote from Thomas Fuller, reminding us that ‘Every tub must stand on its own bottom.’ Gospel mih people, pure gospel! Regardless of circumstances, good, bad or indifferent, each of us has to stand on our own two feet and make certain decisions about our lives. And even if we have the best advice in the world, straight from the mouth of Jesus, we still have to make the decision to believe and follow it or not. The same goes for the advice James gives in our Bit to believers who fall under the oppressive yoke of the evil rich that we spoke of yesterday. Believers are to be patient in affliction, waiting on the coming of the Lord, like the Israelite farmers of old waited patiently for their crops on the two rainy seasons of late fall and mid spring. And James continues: ‘Be ye also patient; stablish your hearts: for the coming of the Lord draweth nigh.’ (James 5:8) Yes Friends, we’ve got to establish a sense of patience in our hearts and souls through prayer, meditation and fellowship, and wait for Jesus’ second coming, which draws closer every day. James mentions Christ’s return to encourage us to have that perseverance and fortitude necessary for Christian survival and maturity. ‘Grudge (grumble) not one against another, brethren, lest ye be condemned: behold the judge standeth before the door.’ (James 5:9) Ah mih breddren, that’s so very important if we’re ever to successfully spread God’s kingdom all over the earth. Unfortunately, the further along we’ve gone through the ensuing years, the more grumbling and complaining we’ve done amongst ourselves, till today Christ’s Church has been split asunder into innumerable divisions, with so much internal bickering and dissension that makes it easy for the ungodly to keep us suppressed and take control of the world. Remember Friends, at one stage the Church ruled the world, was the most important institution in society. Now we’ve been relegated to bit player status. Oh my people, it certainly isn’t easy to patiently endure the affliction which many believers have to undergo, but that’s what the Good Book teaches. But remember too that nothing worthwhile is ever easily accomplished. And James points out. ‘Take, my brethren, the prophets, who have spoken in the name of the Lord, for an example of suffering affliction, and of patience.’ (James 5:10) Jesus also used the prophets as an example of patience when He proclaimed the Beatitudes in the Sermon on the Mount: ‘Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.’ (Mat.5:12) And the writer of Hebrews positively declared: ‘Cast not away therefore your confidence, which hath great recompense of reward. For ye have need of patience (endurance), that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise.’ (Heb.10:35-36) So Friends, in the Christian life everything tends towards patience, endurance, perseverance and fortitude, even in the most difficult and dangerous of times and situations. But though it’s exceedingly hard to put into practice, without those things, we won’t last very long in this greedy, violent, evil, cutthroat world, which makes it essential for us to study the Word and encourage each other as much as possible. And here’s a little exercise to try; whenever we come under what we consider affliction, before we moan and groan, let’s just stop for a moment and compare our current situation with what the believers down through the ages suffered, then tell me if our affliction is so great after all. For we’ve suffered nothing in comparison to them. But we’ve become such a soft, whiny, selfish society, unable to withstand the simplest problems without complaining, that the Lord must shake His head in sad wonder. I doubt many of us would have made it in the earliest stages of Christianity, but luckily those early believers were made of sterner stuff, else we’d not know anything about Christ today. Oh Friends, the whole point of our existence is to endure and persevere so that we can further Christ’s kingdom here on earth. You can bet your bottom dollar that the unbelievers won’t sit idly by, as we seem to be doing, and allow us to do it. That means we desperately need to have the parts and smarts to keep on keeping on, even under the most daunting circumstances and challenges. I know you’re tired of hearing that, but it’s the only way Christ’s Church will stay alive, and more importantly spread to all areas of the globe. That’s Christ’s goal: He doesn’t even want to lose one sinner. And He assigned that job to us. So please let’s not disappoint Him, after all the sacrifices he made for us. Let’s get down to our bounden duty. It’s hard, but the rewards, salvation and eternal life are definitely worth it. Much LOVE!…to work for Jesus…is to work for the best employer ever…
SCRIP-BITS 