Psalm 8:4. What is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him?
Oh Friends, it’s October! Friday the first to boot! And I can hear you all rejoicing, with heads, hands and hearts raised heavenward, gladly declaring: ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday! That means it’s time for our Friday Chant. So please keep those heads, hands and hearts looking to heaven, as we gratefully pray: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me through another week of work! It hasn’t been easy, but with your generous help, I made it through. Now, please help me to get sufficient fun, fellowship, rest and relaxation in these two short days off, so that I can be renewed and refreshed in soul, body and mind, to go back out and do it all over again next week, furthering your kingdom with each step I take. I pray this in Jesus’ name. Amen.’ Oh Friends, we have an interesting Bit today, not that they all aren’t interesting, but this one pays special attention to man; what he is and why the Lord God Jehovah, Creator and Ruler of the universe pays attention to, or cares for him as much as He does. Now there’s plenty stuff all through the Good Book dealing with the subject, but because of time and space constraints we can only highlight a few. And the best place to start is usually at the beginning; how man came about. On the sixth day of creation: ‘And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness; and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.’ (Gen.1:26-27) Friends, that’s the first part of our creation, and possibly the most important part because we were created in both the image and likeness of God. That means we were made similar looking to God, with all His basic attributes. Now the second part is how God actually formed man. ‘And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.’ (Gen.2:7) So in the planning stages, God decided to make man like Him, in His image and likeness. Possibly that’s why some of us behave like demi-gods. When it came time to actually begin the production process, He formed the outer shell, the body, from the dirt of the ground, then breathed life into Adam, which gave him a soul, the spiritual characteristic of God. And Friends, that breath of life, that soul, is what makes us different to all other things and creatures that God created. With that important difference, He also gave us dominion over the whole earth and all therein. Wow! That’s why Bruh David describes us thus: ‘For thou hast made him a little lower than the angels, and hast crowned him with glory and honour. Thou madest him to have dominion over the works of thy hands; thou hast put all things under his feet.’ (Ps.8:5-6) So in effect we are reflections of God, but on a lower scale. In layman’s terms, God is the top of the line model, and we’re somewhere down the middle. Unfortunately though, when man fell, when Adam and Eve disobeyed God’s directive, we retained an impaired image of God, but the likeness, the internal characteristics suffered with the introduction of sin into our lives, causing us to veer away from God. Then all our problems began. For though we might still look like our Creator on the outside, if we’re not in sync with Him on the inside, then we’re lost. It’s the same with our mortal leaders; if you’re not toeing their line, then you’re bypassed or left out. And when our fore parents disobeyed, God had no choice but to punish them. We have to remember people, that our Creator is a God of righteousness and justice, and He made it clear from the start that disobedience will not be tolerated. Adam and Eve didn’t listen, so they paid the hefty price. Bruh Paul puts it very clearly to the Romans: ‘For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.’ (Rom.6:23) Oh my people, that is a scripture we should always keep uppermost in our minds, for it describes our circumstances in a nutshell. If we disobey, we die; both physically and spiritually. However, since we’re all born in sin, our bodies are destined to die at some stage anyway, but our spirits have a choice. Oh Friends, a few moments ago I was confused, not knowing what to write, because I had so much info at hand. But thankfully I’m chuckling now, for the Lord just threw me a lifeline. ‘Oh praise His most Holy Name!’ He told me to disregard all the scripture that I had earmarked, because there was one simple, but true answer to His care and concern: that’s LOVE! Yes my people, just like our children whom we teach the right way but cannot control their behaviour. But do we turn them away when they make mistakes? No. Not unless they are real serious. And even then, we often don’t, because they are the fruit of our loins, we made them and still LOVE them dearly though they continually break our hearts. It’s the same with our God: We’re His most marvellous creation, and with freedom of choice are liable to go astray. But just like our mortal fathers, the Lord brings us back to the straight and narrow through some form of punishment or justice. The big difference being that we might occasionally turn away our children when they come seeking help, but the Lord will NEVER turn away any of His children who come to Him for solace. Look at how much nonsense He withstood from Israel, His chosen people. He punished them severely many times, but He never completely destroyed them. And then to prove His undying LOVE even further, He sent His only Son Jesus to die a horrible, innocent, sacrificial death, so that His other sinful, disobedient children could regain His spiritual likeness. Wow! Now if that isn’t real, true LOVE, then Friends, I don’t know what is. So the answer to Bruh David’s questions is simply that He LOVES and wants the best for us. And as our Creator, Heavenly Father, God, Provider and Protector, what else can we expect eh? We’re no different with our children. But we need to remember that the Lord is the top of the line model, while we’re some ways down the totem pole. The Lord is the head honcho, which means He calls the shots and we’re supposed to obediently follow. And all He’s really trying to do is bring us as close as He can to His perfect Son Jesus. Now there’s no crime in that. So let’s smarten up and pay attention, that we don’t die a spiritual death too. Much LOVE!…it’s only…LOVE…LOVE…LOVE…yes…it’only…LOVE…
Oh Friends, it’s October! Friday the first to boot! And I can hear you all rejoicing, with heads, hands and hearts raised heavenward, gladly declaring: ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday! That means it’s time for our Friday Chant. So please keep those heads, hands and hearts looking to heaven, as we gratefully pray: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me through another week of work! It hasn’t been easy, but with your generous help, I made it through. Now, please help me to get sufficient fun, fellowship, rest and relaxation in these two short days off, so that I can be renewed and refreshed in soul, body and mind, to go back out and do it all over again next week, furthering your kingdom with each step I take. I pray this in Jesus’ name. Amen.’ Oh Friends, we have an interesting Bit today, not that they all aren’t interesting, but this one pays special attention to man; what he is and why the Lord God Jehovah, Creator and Ruler of the universe pays attention to, or cares for him as much as He does. Now there’s plenty stuff all through the Good Book dealing with the subject, but because of time and space constraints we can only highlight a few. And the best place to start is usually at the beginning; how man came about. On the sixth day of creation: ‘And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness; and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.’ (Gen.1:26-27) Friends, that’s the first part of our creation, and possibly the most important part because we were created in both the image and likeness of God. That means we were made similar looking to God, with all His basic attributes. Now the second part is how God actually formed man. ‘And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.’ (Gen.2:7) So in the planning stages, God decided to make man like Him, in His image and likeness. Possibly that’s why some of us behave like demi-gods. When it came time to actually begin the production process, He formed the outer shell, the body, from the dirt of the ground, then breathed life into Adam, which gave him a soul, the spiritual characteristic of God. And Friends, that breath of life, that soul, is what makes us different to all other things and creatures that God created. With that important difference, He also gave us dominion over the whole earth and all therein. Wow! That’s why Bruh David describes us thus: ‘For thou hast made him a little lower than the angels, and hast crowned him with glory and honour. Thou madest him to have dominion over the works of thy hands; thou hast put all things under his feet.’ (Ps.8:5-6) So in effect we are reflections of God, but on a lower scale. In layman’s terms, God is the top of the line model, and we’re somewhere down the middle. Unfortunately though, when man fell, when Adam and Eve disobeyed God’s directive, we retained an impaired image of God, but the likeness, the internal characteristics suffered with the introduction of sin into our lives, causing us to veer away from God. Then all our problems began. For though we might still look like our Creator on the outside, if we’re not in sync with Him on the inside, then we’re lost. It’s the same with our mortal leaders; if you’re not toeing their line, then you’re bypassed or left out. And when our fore parents disobeyed, God had no choice but to punish them. We have to remember people, that our Creator is a God of righteousness and justice, and He made it clear from the start that disobedience will not be tolerated. Adam and Eve didn’t listen, so they paid the hefty price. Bruh Paul puts it very clearly to the Romans: ‘For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.’ (Rom.6:23) Oh my people, that is a scripture we should always keep uppermost in our minds, for it describes our circumstances in a nutshell. If we disobey, we die; both physically and spiritually. However, since we’re all born in sin, our bodies are destined to die at some stage anyway, but our spirits have a choice. Oh Friends, a few moments ago I was confused, not knowing what to write, because I had so much info at hand. But thankfully I’m chuckling now, for the Lord just threw me a lifeline. ‘Oh praise His most Holy Name!’ He told me to disregard all the scripture that I had earmarked, because there was one simple, but true answer to His care and concern: that’s LOVE! Yes my people, just like our children whom we teach the right way but cannot control their behaviour. But do we turn them away when they make mistakes? No. Not unless they are real serious. And even then, we often don’t, because they are the fruit of our loins, we made them and still LOVE them dearly though they continually break our hearts. It’s the same with our God: We’re His most marvellous creation, and with freedom of choice are liable to go astray. But just like our mortal fathers, the Lord brings us back to the straight and narrow through some form of punishment or justice. The big difference being that we might occasionally turn away our children when they come seeking help, but the Lord will NEVER turn away any of His children who come to Him for solace. Look at how much nonsense He withstood from Israel, His chosen people. He punished them severely many times, but He never completely destroyed them. And then to prove His undying LOVE even further, He sent His only Son Jesus to die a horrible, innocent, sacrificial death, so that His other sinful, disobedient children could regain His spiritual likeness. Wow! Now if that isn’t real, true LOVE, then Friends, I don’t know what is. So the answer to Bruh David’s questions is simply that He LOVES and wants the best for us. And as our Creator, Heavenly Father, God, Provider and Protector, what else can we expect eh? We’re no different with our children. But we need to remember that the Lord is the top of the line model, while we’re some ways down the totem pole. The Lord is the head honcho, which means He calls the shots and we’re supposed to obediently follow. And all He’s really trying to do is bring us as close as He can to His perfect Son Jesus. Now there’s no crime in that. So let’s smarten up and pay attention, that we don’t die a spiritual death too. Much LOVE!…it’s only…LOVE…LOVE…LOVE…yes…it’only…LOVE…
SCRIP-BITS 