SCRIP-BITS

Romans 13:14.    But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfill the lusts thereof.
 
Oh Friends, more disastrous happenings; Hurricane Tomas ripping up St. Lucia and flooding parts of Tobago. Ah Lord! When it going to finish eh? But yuh see, even God’s Little Acre, Sweet Tobago, isn’t immune from His wrath. (smile) Luckily, when Tomas passed by T&T it was still a tropical storm, else they would have been devastated too. Ah mih Friends, I don’t like harping on the disasters, but the reality is that they are increasing everyday, and unfortunately it’s not the virtual type we simulate on our modern technology, but the real reality that confuses, complicates and often destroys our lives and livelihood. That means we’ve got to pay serious attention to them. And it’s reached a stage where the most we can do is pray for the luckless ones who suffer the ravages of the disasters. I heard that Tomas was heading for the Dominican Republic, let’s hope it’s not true, or that it by passes the country, or that its power has been severely curtailed by the time it gets there. And above all Friends, pray that it doesn’t touch Haiti! I don’t think that they could withstand one more natural disaster. Please add these unfortunate people to our prayer list, which unfortunately is getting longer and longer with each passing day, partly because not many of the earlier disasters have been sufficiently cleaned up that they no longer need our prayers. Sometimes I just have to sadly sigh, shake my head and ask, ‘Why Lord?’ though I know I won’t get an answer. But as Bruh Paul says, the only way to handle this life and the unfortunate, incomprehensible things that happen in it, is to adopt Christ’s attitude: ‘But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfill the lusts thereof.’ That basically means walking this earthly life in LOVE, faith and honesty with God and each other, as Christ would have us, for all believers belong to the same body, the One Church that bears His Holy Name. As he told the Galatians: ‘For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond (slave) nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus. And if ye be Christ’s, then are ye Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.’ (Gal.3:27-29) Oh my people, we’re all one big family in Christ, regardless of our colour, creed or race, whether we’re free or enslaved, male or female, and should live as such. Consequently, ‘let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light. Let us walk honestly (properly), as in the day; not in rioting (revelry) and drunkenness, not in chambering (licentiousness) and wantonness (lewdness), not in strife and envying.’ (Rom.13:12-13) Ah mih breddren, even in good times that’s a tough task to handle, much less in these rough economic and ungodly days. However, if we really want to be true followers of Christ, then we have to buckle down, put our whole hearts, souls, bodies and minds to the task and simply do it without any complaining or contention. Please realize this truth my people, for our world to have much of a future, or any future at all, we the believers have to make a valiant effort to improve its godly quotient. Why you ask? Because Lucifer’s followers won’t do it, since they like to wallow in the lusts of the flesh that currently dominate the ungodly landscape. Our Bit clearly spells it out: ‘and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfill the lusts thereof.’  We shouldn’t be seeking occasion to satisfy the fleshly lusts of our inherently sinful nature, which only lead to death and eternal damnation. Instead, we should be looking for opportunities to do and show works that uphold the spiritual life we enjoy in Christ. And Bruh Paul’s talk of walking in the Spirit, admirably outlines this: ‘This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would. But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law.’ (Gal.5:16-18) Yes my Friends, it’s absolutely necessary that we concentrate on living a spiritual rather than a fleshly life, for it’s the only road that leads to true salvation. And if you’re not sure about the works of the flesh and the Spirit, you can read Bruh Paul’s list in Galatians 5:19-26. Now since we began on a sad, negative note, let’s end on a happy, positive one that shows God’s true faithfulness and His awesome timing. Recently, the last week or so, I’ve been wrestling with a problem, not a life changing one, but big enough for me to spend some time on it. For some reason, I just could not figure out how to solve it. Obviously I prayed and pondered, but no answers were forthcoming and I was starting to get a little frustrated. But lo and behold, I got a letter in the mail yesterday with no indication of where or whom it came from, however when I opened it, quite unexpectedly, the answer to my problem was revealed. Praise the Lord my people! It didn’t solve the problem, but it certainly showed me how to do so. And the timing couldn’t be better! Isn’t our God wonderful? For sure He is! With that said, Friends, let’s continue holding fast to our faith, seeking the Lord in all we do and waiting patiently for His answers and guidance. It’s the only way to lead a successful life on this planet Earth. Till we talk again tomorrow, God willing, please go safely to LOVE and serve the Lord. Much LOVE!…the things of the flesh gleam and glitter…but remember…all that glitters is not gold…