SCRIP-BITS

Luke 11:28.    But he said, Yea rather, blessed are they that hear the word of God, and keep it.
 
Oh Friends, I was just inspired to offer a prayer of thanks for the opportunity to see another day. So let’s say it together: ‘Oh Lord, we give you grateful thanks for the wonderful blessing of seeing another day, and for all the other blessings you’ll kindly and mercifully pour down on us today. Please keep us safe and help us to walk worthy of you. We praise and bless your Holy Name. In Jesus, we pray. Amen’ Yes Friends, remember it’s always right and proper to give thanks, and we have more than most to be thankful for. Now yesterday we began looking at our current Bit, which occurred after Jesus preached on the frailty of a divided house and a woman in the crowd audibly blessed His mother’s womb and the breasts that nourished Him. In reply though, Jesus said: ‘Yea rather, blessed are they that hear the word of God, and keep it.’ That’s something we all know is very true, but yet have trouble complying with it. So we’re picking out some scriptures that deal with the subject, in the hope that they will shame and bring us to heel and make us do better in obeying the Lord’s Word. Today we’ll begin with some meaningful words from Jesus Himself. At one of His revival meetings (smile) the place was so packed that Jesus’ mother and family couldn’t gain access to Him, and when someone told Him: ‘Thy mother and thy brethren stand without (outside) desiring to see thee. And he answered and said, My mother and my brethren are those which hear the word of God, and do it.’ (Luke 8:20-21) Yes Friends, as we noted yesterday, our relationship with God is even more important than that with our earthly family, and the most important aspects of our lives are to worship and be obedient to God. And that great Psalm, 119, the longest chapter in the Good Book, begins thus: Blessed are the undefiled (blameless) in the way, who walk in the law of the Lord. Blessed are they that keep his testimonies, and that seek him with their whole heart. They also do no iniquity: they walk in his ways. Thou hast commanded us to keep thy precepts diligently. O that my ways were directed to keep thy statutes! Then shall I not be ashamed, when I have respect unto (look into) all thy commandments.’ (Ps.119:1-6) Oh my people, it truthfully exalts all those who sincerely seek the Lord and obey His will! That great seer Isaiah, also touches on the subject when talking of Israel’s unfaithfulness being rebuked: ‘Thus saith the Lord, thy Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel; I am the Lord thy God which teacheth thee to profit, which leadeth thee by the way that thou shouldest go. O that thou hadst hearkened to (heeded) my commandments! then had thy peace been as a river, and thy righteousness as the waves of the sea: Thy seed also had been as the sand, and the offspring of thy bowels (body) like the gravel (grains of sand) thereof; his name should not have been cut off nor destroyed from before me.’  (Is.48:17-19) That too is plain and simple my brethren: I am your God, who prospers you and shows you the right path. If you had listened to me, then you’d have had exceeding peace; ‘peace like a river,’ and godliness ‘as the waves of the sea.’ Wow! That sure is plenty of both things my Friends! Both of which we could surely use in abundance right now, in our crazy, confused, violent and evil world. That brings to mind a Peter Morgan song I recently heard. He’s one of the Morgan Heritage brothers. The song’s titled ‘I’m so lost.’ And the chorus goes: ‘Without you in my world, I’m so lost, Since you’re gone I’m living a life that’s so lonely. Without you in my world.’ Oh mih people, that’s exactly how we’re living these days without the Most High God Jehovah in our lives and our world; lost and lonely! And isn’t it a crying shame, that with the availability of such an omnipotent, LOVING, merciful, gracious and forgiving Deity, we choose to be enamoured of Lucifer and his worthless trinkets, plus his evil, inhumane, oppressive attitudes? It surely is my Friends! Our Saviour Jesus must be sorely disappointed in us, having sacrificed His innocent, sinless life so unselfishly, so that we could have a means of escaping the ultimate penalty for our abominable sins; that of everlasting death and damnation. But instead we’re rooting for the foolish fallen angel, Lucifer. Hn! Don’t tell me that we don’t have a screw missing mih breddren, just like Lucifer did, when he tried to overthrow the omnipotent God, his Lord and Master! Oh mih people, the Spirit’s surely got the ole fella on a roll. (smile) But it’s just simple logic. If two persons are offering two items; one looks pretty now, but soon loses it’s lustre and shine, and then becomes useless, while the other offering isn’t as glittering and glamorous now, but it certainly has great built in rewards, both now and in the future, which would the wise and sensible person choose eh? Obviously the one with the better long tem benefits! Only a fool would choose the glossy but soon defunct and destroyed benefit. But unfortunately Friends, that’s exactly what too many of us are choosing right now! However, for those of us who’ve chosen the right path, it’s our bounden duty to try and show the right way to those lost and lonely ones going down Lucifer’s evil path to sure death and destruction. My people, our Lord and Saviour Jesus, is depending on us to do our duty. Remember His last words to the disciples: ‘All power (authority) is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world.’ (Matt.28:18-20) Oh Friends, if we sincerely LOVE Jesus, and believe He is who and what He claims to be, then let’s go out and do our very best for Him nuh. More tomorrow on this topic, God willing. Till then, go safely with God. Much LOVE!…only by diligently talking the talk…and walking the walk…will we show our true LOVE for Jesus…