Jeremiah 1:5. Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations.
Oh Friends, everyday I’m reminded to be extremely thankful for being granted the mercy to see another day. We all should be because disasters are happening all over our beautiful world. Just think about Indonesia earlier this week; one day a 7.7 earthquake triggers a terrible tsunami on the island of Sumatra, while a day later, a volcano erupts a thousand miles away on the southern island of Java. Ah Lord eh! Can you imagine the economic toll, the loss of lives, the confusion, fear and dread amongst the unfortunate populace? Hn! The worst part though is that both disasters so close together in time, but so distant in miles severely curtailed the amount of help each could receive from the main source. Ah Friends, that just calls for more prayer on their behalf. Yuh know if these disasters keep happening as often as they are, we might just end up like Bruh Paul requested, praying without ceasing, since like everyday we’re praying for some disaster struck group. Although I seriously doubt that was the kind of praying he had in mind. Anyway Friends, we’ll continue with our Bit that tells us of Jeremiah’s call to work for God. And just to be on the safe side, I won’t make any rash prognostications, as to whether we’ll be done with it today. (smile) ‘Before I formed thee in the belly (womb) I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee (set thee apart), and I ordained (appointed) thee a prophet unto the nations.’ That was how the Lord invoked Jeremiah’s prophetic journey, and the same way He does for everyone who claims to believe in Him. He has a plan all mapped out for each life, it all depends on whether or not we accept His plan, and if we do, how promptly we react. Over the last few days we’ve been looking at people of great faith who fell into both categories, and will continue to do so today. First is Bruh Paul, one of the real stalwarts of the faith! I like his great work and everything, but I really don’t want to suffer the unfortunate vicissitudes of life that he endured in the Lord’s name. I guess the Lord figured that if he was so zealous in persecuting His followers, then the best way to change him and reap great rewards for His kingdom was to also make him zealous in spreading His Word. Consequently, after the Lord cornered Bruh Paul on the road to Damascus and floored him with a powerful right uppercut, he was never the same again. When he caught himself on the carpet, he heard a voice asking: ‘Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? And he said, Who art thou, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest: it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks (goads, like a rebellious beast resisting the prods of its master). And he trembling and astonished said, Lord, what wilt thou have me do? And the Lord said unto him, Arise, and go into the city, and it shall be told thee what thou must do.’ (Acts 9:4-6) Bravo Bruh Paul! Note the instantaneous change mih people! He went into the ring a battle scarred and hardened warrior against Jesus, but with one mighty blow, woke up a worthy warrior for Jesus instead. Wow! And please note too that he didn’t query anything, just asked who was speaking to him, and once he received an answer, simply enquired about his job. Oh Friends, none of us are as anti-Christ as Bruh Paul was, so we don’t need as mighty a wake up call, neither will the majority of us be sent to foreign lands to preach the gospel or any such hazardous task, and yet we too often hesitate or outright disobey God’s bidding. Why eh? And the Spirit just got in a nice jab by reminding me that I was one of those who balked. (smile) But Friends, we’re all human, thus imperfect specimens, so some things don’t come naturally or easy to us, especially when we‘re still fearful and unsure of putting our all in the hands of God. And I read something today that added another dimension to why we don’t obey God. The author stated that we don’t truly LOVE God, that’s why we run away from Him. In the perfect scenario, if we truly LOVED God, we’d run to Him, not from Him. That does seem to have some truth to it my people. And though the Lord might not like our wishy-washy attitude, He understands our doubts and fears. Oh Friends, even Jesus had a hard time coming to terms with His mission, as we see in the Garden of Gethsemane. But who wouldn’t, knowing the horrible, unjust fate that lay ahead of Him? Carefully remember though, His words of prayer: ‘O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt.’ (Matt.26:39) And the second time He prayed: ‘O my Father, if this cup may not pass away from me except (unless) I drink it, thy will be done.’ (Matt.26:42) Yes Friends, it’s never what we desire, but it’s always the Father’s will that is of paramount importance. So let’s go out now and obediently do His will, without any questioning, hesitating or complaining. And that ends this series of messages on being promptly obedient to God’s call. The Spirit obviously didn’t show me any new light or truth on the subject. (smile) So until we meet again tomorrow, God in favour, please walk in peace, LOVE, faith and truth. Much LOVE!…in response to the Father’s call…we should be prepared to jump the highest wall…because He will NEVER let His children fall…
SCRIP-BITS 