SCRIP-BITS

Oh my strong and steadfast Friends in Christ, it’s Monday! Unfortunately that means time to don our spiritual battle armour and proclaim our Monday Morning Battle Hymn. So altogether now: ‘Oh Lord God Almighty, Creator of the universe and all therein! We, your humble servants, praise your Holy Name and thank you that this Monday morning we have jobs to go to; jobs we don’t like, jobs that are unfair, difficult and even dangerous, but which serve a useful purpose here on earth; keeping lives and families together. We also thank you Father for the renewed vitality and enthusiasm you’ve wrought in our weary souls over the last two days. It’s that rejuvenation of Spirit which allows us now to sally forth with confidence into the evil, ungodly world that surrounds us, to begin a new week of work, constantly buffeted and bombarded by the enemy’s wicked taunts, wiles and lies. But heavenly Father, we’re not afraid, for we know that we’re invincible, sure conquerors, once your powerful, protective aura hovers over us. We surrender our all to you, and humbly ask that your Holy Spirit lead and guide all your servants as we go out to meet the enemy in battle. Fill us with steadfast faith, so that we can make worthwhile inroads into the enemy’s ranks, and thereby further your glorious kingdom. We pray this in the Holy Name of your Son, and our Saviour, Jesus Christ. AMEN!’ What a powerful energizer my people! And with all aspects of our armour on, our sturdy shield and trusted sword in hand, we’re now ready to join the fray, confidently letting Beelzebub know just who is BOSS; the crucified, risen and ascended Lord Jesus Christ! Oh Friends, if we could only convince the many naysayers out there of that irrefutable fact eh! But trying to do that is like pulling teeth; where everybody knows that their teeth are bad and thus causes them unnecessary pain, but yet they refuse to go and get them extracted, either through fear of dentists, lack of money, lack of time, or just plain stubbornness. The point being that the bad teeth just don’t go away unless we do something serious and sensible about the situation. The same goes for our unsaved, endangered, sick souls my brethren. If we don’t do something to ensure their well-being, then they’ll end up lost for all eternity, which certainly isn’t a pleasant contemplation of our eternal lives. And the ONLY WAY to avoid that is to accept, believe in and surrender our lives to Jesus; the only conduit to the Father of all creation. Now though we quoted this scripture yesterday, it’s important enough to be also included today. It’s Jesus talking to His disciple Thomas, telling him, and us too, what is what. ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father but by me.’ (John 14:6) Yes Friends, if we don’t believe in Jesus, the Son, then we cannot get an audience with God the Father. It’s as simple and straightforward as that! The Father, our Creator, chose that method to save our sinful, rebellious souls, and instead of being eternally grateful, saying, ‘Thank you Lord,’ and trying to live obedient to His dictates, we foolish, stubborn humans continue to rebel and try the Spirit of the Living God. And it’s not that we weren’t given plenty of signs and warnings that this is how it would all end up. For many centuries, long before Christ was born, the prophets were promising a Saviour, a Messiah to the Jewish people, but Isaiah was the one who saw it most clearly as he spoke of the Lord’s servant: ‘Behold my servant, whom I uphold; mine elect (my chosen one), in whom my soul delighteth; I have put my spirit upon him: he shall bring forth judgement (justice) to the Gentiles. He shall not cry (cry out), nor lift up (raise his voice), nor cause his voice to be heard in the street. A bruised reed shall he not break, and the smoking (dimly burning) flax shall he not quench (extinguish): he shall bring forth judgement unto (justice for) truth. He shall not fail nor be discouraged, till he have set judgement in the earth: and the isles (coastlands) shall wait for his law.’ (Is.42:1-4) Oh my people, there’s no doubt that this prophecy pertained to Jesus. (Matt.12:18-21) The problem though, possibly because of their long years of oppression and slavery, the Jews got the mistaken idea that their Saviour would be a mighty warrior king, who would come with chariots drawn by snorting horses, and fighting men with flaming arrows and flashing swords to relieve them of the physical oppression. Thus, when Jesus came preaching Peace and LOVE and spiritual enlightenment, His words more or less fell on deaf ears. But nowhere in Isaiah’s prophecy that we just looked at, does it speak of a warrior, but a gentle man of peace; no rabble-rouser or street crier, He wouldn’t even break off a bruised reed or put out a burning bit of flax. So where they got that idea about the warrior king, I don’t know. And one of the most important points that they failed to notice, and that we today also pass over, is that Isaiah says He will not fail or be discouraged until He’s established justice and His kingdom throughout the world. Oh Friends, that has a lot to do with us today, for we, Jesus’ cadre of believers, His Church, are expected to help establish that just kingdom here on earth, by obeying His rules and bringing other souls to salvation. So let’s all go out and sincerely try to do that nuh mih people. Let’s sincerely LOVE our GOD, LIVE our FAITH, and SPREAD His WORD. Till tomorrow then, when we’ll continue this topic, God willing of course, go in peace with God. Much LOVE!…without salvation through Christ…we’re in for a long, uncomfortable, dark and damned eternity…