SCRIP-BITS

Just five more days mih people and we’ll all be joyfully shouting: ‘Merry Christmas!’ while hugging and kissing friends and family we haven’t seen in a long while, and busy opening gifts. However Friends, let’s hope that we don’t spend the entire day only in riotous living, but do make some time to sit, stand or lie quietly and contemplate the true meaning of the day; Jesus giving up His heavenly home to become one of us. We also should offer God much praise, thanks and gratitude for being selfless and caring enough to send His only Son to redeem and reconcile us to Him. That’s the perfect example of TRUE LOVE my people! And Christmas Day should be celebrated as a day of LOVE; not merely talking it, but actively showing it to our God, our neighbours and ourselves, giving thanks for both earthly and heavenly blessings. Hn, hn!  Sorry Friends, but I’ve now got to burst that nice Christmas bubble and remind us that today is Monday, the start of a new workweek, which unfortunately means we have to go out and face the enemy forces anew. And though this week some of them might be a tad nicer because of the upcoming holidays, please be careful, for the enemy never truly let’s up and will use any occasion or trick to fool us into letting down our guard. So let’s sing our Monday Battle Hymn with some extra gusto. ‘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 we’re invincible, sure conquerors, once we’re wearing your powerful, protective spiritual armour. We surrender our all to you, and humbly ask that you let your aura of LOVE, the 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!’ And now Friends, with the adrenalin pumping and being suitably attired spiritually, let’s go out and engage the enemy in Jesus’ Name. But please, in our haste and eagerness to overcome the enemy, let’s not forget the words of our Bit: ‘The Lord shall judge the people: judge me, O Lord, according to my righteousness, and according to mine integrity that is in me.’ It’s an inescapable fact my brethren that one day we’ll all answer for our lives before the Most High God, and there’ll be no room for excuses then. Therefore it’s a good idea, every so often, especially when we‘re undergoing adversity, to ask God to do some early judging to see if there’s anything wrong with us, which might or might not be the root cause of our adversity. Psalm 7 is one of Bruh David’s prayers for deliverance. He must have figured that he was doing okay in the righteousness and integrity department, but yet Cush the Benjamite, one of Saul’s most fearsome and ruthless relatives kept hunting him down like a wild animal. Unable to fathom the situation, as was his custom, he turned to the God of his fathers for enlightenment; to check out his heart and his conscience and let him know if he was guilty of some wrong doing unawares. Oh Friends, I can’t think of a better way to stay in God’s good grace than by appealing to Him for a regular righteousness and integrity check up, not just when adversity strikes. Just like our cars and other mechanical apparatus, as well as our physical bodies, need occasional check ups and refurbishment, so do our hearts, souls and consciences, since they are also continually working and being filled with all sorts of unwholesome stuff. Oh Friends, it’s so easy to walk outside of God’s will without realizing it, especially in these overly lax and ungodly times. So many things came against Bruh David, what with his many enemies, that it sure seems like he was continually asking the Lord to judge him. We’ll quote one instance here before closing, where it seems he was being falsely accused. ‘Judge (vindicate) me, O Lord; for I have walked in mine integrity: I have trusted also in the Lord; therefore I shall not slide (slip). Examine me, O Lord, and prove (try) me; try my reins (test my mind) and my heart. For thy LOVING- kindness is before mine eyes: and I have walked in thy truth.’ (Ps.26:1-3) Oh Friends, can we come before the Lord God Almighty and truthfully pour out those words? Some of us can, and some can’t, though all believers ought to. So this Christmas season, let’s promise ourselves that we’ll make a serious effort towards accomplishing that goal nuh. We can’t always go to the Lord pleading for forgiveness without making some improvement along the way to our personal righteousness and integrity quotient. Let’s try and clean up our acts NOW, rather than later! Till tomorrow then, God willing, walk safely with Him. Much LOVE!…Now is the time to clean up our inner man…for it will be too late…come the judgement day…

Just six more days to that momentous occasion Friends! Yes six days from today, there’ll be much rejoicing, singing and story telling about Christ’s Birth. Isn’t it a wonderful story my people? It sure is! No other religion can boast of their God caring so much for them that He came to earth, humbled Himself in lowly human form, then sacrificially offered His life, so that we awful sinners might have life eternal. Wow!  It sure says a lot about Christianity. While other religions look to some distant, far away deity, Christians have their God living right within them. It can’t get any better than that my brethren! And the Christmas season is important because that’s where it all began. Without Christmas, without Christ being born we would have none of the benefits of Christianity, with honourable mention to justification, righteousness before God. In our Bit, Bruh David pleads with the Lord: ‘And enter not into judgement with thy servant: for in thy sight shall no man living be justified (righteous).’ And he was quite right Friends, as we heard from other men of great faith yesterday. On our own, we could never even come before a holy and just God, much less consider ourselves righteous. But then my people, a most wonderful thing happened; Jesus was born in a seedy manger in the backwater town of Bethlehem on Christmas Day, and that got the ball rolling in a simpler, more personal, godly direction. Oh Friends, before Jesus came we had no real choice. Yes, we could believe in God before, but then the focus was on works. The law directed that only through good works could we obtain salvation, and how many good works did that take eh? But with the coming of Jesus, with His sojourn here on earth, all of that changed; we were granted a choice to believe or not to believe in Him. And if we believed that He was indeed the Son of God, and that His sacrificial death on the cross paid for our sins, then Hosanna! We were made righteous by the precious blood of Jesus shed on Calvary, and could now stand before a just and righteous God and claim righteousness through His Son! What a great day that was for mankind! Now listen to Bruh Paul hold forth on the subject: ‘Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law: that every mouth shall be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God. Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin. But now the righteousness of God without (apart from) the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets; Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference: For all have sinned and come (fall) short of the glory of God; Being justified freely (without any cost) by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation (a mercy seat) through faith in his blood, to declare (demonstrate) his righteousness for the remission (passing over) of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God; To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus. Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? Of works? Nay: but by the law of faith. Therefore we conclude that a man is justified (declared righteous) by faith without (apart from) the deeds of the law.’ (Rom.3:19-28) Oh Friends, what moving and intense passage of scripture. Let’s see if we can break it down a little. The man-made law that Bruh Paul talks of was never meant to justify man, but to convict him, to prove him guilty. But with Jesus’ sacrificial offering, a new age of dispensation of grace came into being, a gift of a personal relationship, and the old law no longer held sway. The focus was no longer on guilt and conviction, but now on righteousness through faith in Christ. For all of us have sinned; either done what we shouldn’t (commission), or didn’t do what we should (omission) and thus fallen short of God’s standards. But thanks be to Jesus, we have been made righteous at no cost to us, through the unmerited favour of God’s grace, and our redemption paid for by Jesus with His shed blood. Jesus’ sacrificial death satisfied God’s righteous demands: He remained just and righteous and our sins were pardoned. However Friends, in spite of propitiation, that act of God driven by His great LOVE for us, where Christ’s shed blood was deemed sufficient to pay for the sins of all mankind, the full set of benefits from that merciful act can only be attained by those who accept that provision for sin, through faith in Jesus Christ. Only then are we justified, made right with God. And it’s certainly surprising and foolish too, that so many people refuse to accept Jesus Christ as their Lord and Saviour, for in that state of unbelief, they will never see God’s face through salvation and eternal life. What a waste! Unfortunately though, it’s our job to go out into the evil world and spread the good news of Jesus, and make believers of everyone. It’s not an easy task, but one that Jesus commanded us to do. So with the joy and thankfulness that comes from being justified before Almighty God, through belief in Jesus, let’s go out into the dark, evil world and brightly shine our light nuh.  Our renewed efforts to spread His Word will certainly please Jesus. Much LOVE!…without the light of Jesus…starting with His birth on Christmas Day…all mankind would have been convicted and sentenced …to eternal separation from God…to eternal death and darkness…

Seven more Friends! Yes, only one more week to the Big Day; Christmas Day, the beginning of the end of all our problems people! That was the start of the process whereby our tears and our sins would be washed white as snow, and our God would welcome us back to Him with open arms. Wow! Give the Lord some praise for that my people! Praise Him for being such a magnanimous and LOVING Deity, for caring so much about us that He devised a plan which on one level would cause Him great anguish, forsaking and sacrificing His only Son, but on another would execute justice and righteousness and release His fallen creations from the evil clutches of Beelzebub. And on Christmas Day, when our Saviour was born, that all knowing, far reaching plan was begun. So why shouldn’t we give thanks and praise to Almighty God, dance and sing and rejoice on the anniversary of such an auspicious occasion eh? No reason at all Friends, for without Christmas Day we would have no Easter, therefore no salvation and eternal life with Jesus, just death and eternal darkness with Lucifer. But thankfully our God is a good God, full of mercy, forgiveness and LOVING-kindness, and did not want to execute righteous judgement on us, as our evil behaviour called for. No wonder, Bruh David in this psalm titled, ‘Teach me to do thy will,’ cried out in anguish to the Father: ‘Hear my prayer, O Lord, give ear to my supplications: in thy faithfulness answer me, and in thy righteousness. And enter not into judgement with thy servant: for in thy sight shall no man living be justified (righteous).’ (Ps.143:1-2) And that’s the gospel truth mih breddren; no man can ever be truly justified in the eyes of God! Our basic sinful nature precludes it, regardless of how, good, faithful and true we are. For as Bildad the Shuhite said: ‘Dominion and fear are with him; he maketh peace in his high places. Is there any number of his armies? And upon whom doth not his light arise? How then can man be justified with (be righteous before) God? Or how can he be clean that is born of a woman?’ (Job 25:2-4) Oh Friends, our innate rebellious nature prevents that from ever happening! And when Eliphaz rebukes Job, he asks: ‘Shall mortal man be more just than God? Shall a man be more pure than his Maker?’ (Job 4:17) That’s impossible too Friends! And Job, though he was very anguished in his tribulation, still had enough good sense to realize man’s unrighteousness. ‘I know it is so of a truth: but how should man be just with God (how can a man be righteous before God)? If he will contend (if one wished to argue) with him, he cannot answer him one of a thousand (one time in a thousand). He (God) is wise in heart, and mighty in strength: who hath hardened himself against him, and hath prospered?’ (Job 9:2-4) Nobody! Yes my brethren, no one has ever hardened themselves against our God and prospered. Therefore it comes as no surprise when the psalmist reasons: ‘If thou, Lord, shouldest mark (take note of) iniquities, O Lord, who shall stand?’ (Ps.130:3) Not a single soul mih friends! However, since our God is so magnanimous and kind hearted, the psalmist could continue: ‘But there is forgiveness with thee, that thou mayest be feared (reverenced with awe). I wait for the Lord, my soul doth wait, and in his word do I hope.’ (Ps.130:4-5) Yes Friends, there is forgiveness, not because of anything we have done, but through the Lord’s overwhelming grace and compassion. And we have to sincerely seek it, through hope, patience, faith and trust in His Word. And how could we ever earn righteousness when the Preacher so ominously declares: ‘For there is not a just man upon earth, that doeth good, and sinneth not.’ (Eccl.7:20) But fortunately my people, we worship a God of eternal wisdom, and His own time, He fixed that problem of man’s righteousness. And it all began with the birth of that baby boy, two thousand odd years ago, in that dingy, smelly stable in Bethlehem. And that’s why Christmas Day is so important to us Friends, because it ushered in a new beginning, a time when the darkness that enveloped our world, and the people struggling in it, beheld a light from on high, a light come to release them from their misery, from their drudgery, from their sins. Oh Friends, please let’s appreciate Christmas for the wonderful occasion it truly is. That first Christmas Day was like springtime to our world; bringing a promise of new life, light and growth to a cold, darkened, sinful land. So let’s make time this season, to sit down and contemplate all it truly means, having everything to do with our Saviour Jesus’ humble entrance into this sinful world to do a truly remarkable job, for which we’re all eternally grateful. Please put Christ first this Christmas, and relegate everything else to a distant second, for that’s how it ought to be. And Friends, if God’s in favour, we’ll continue this amazing discourse tomorrow. (smile)Till then, think on the things of Christ, not on those of the world. Much LOVE!…all journeys begin with the first step…Christmas Day was the first step…in our journey…to salvation and eternal life…

Oh Friends, the wind’s a blowing, and the snow’s a swirling madly around in it. But the worst part of this scenario is that it’s also Monday morning. Can you imagine the mess and confusion in this morning’s rush hour! Well there certainly won’t be much rushing, although some fools will still try to rush in this terrible weather. For those of you who don’t have to put up with this bad weather, you’d better give plenty thanks yes, for in the next few hours it will be total chaos on our roads! The term rush hour is a misnomer anyway, for there’s never anything rushed about it. A more appropriate term would be the crawl hour traffic, for the roads often resemble parking lots much more than busy highways. And so, with the weather set to assist Lucifer’s evil intentions through anger, road rage, frustration and lateness, today we desperately need the spiritual protection and adrenalin boost from our Monday Morning Battle Hymn. So let’s sing it with great gusto: ‘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 we’re invincible, sure conquerors, once we’re wearing your powerful, protective spiritual armour. We surrender our all to you, and humbly ask that you let your aura of LOVE, the 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!’ Unfortunately Friends, the way our world is speedily going downhill, we might just need our Battle Hymn every morning, rather than just on Mondays when we begin a new workweek, for everyday some new sign or form of craziness, strife and anger rears its ugly head. The latest madness being two bombs detonated in a busy downtown Stockholm shopping area, 300 metres apart within 15 minutes of each other, at Christmas time to boot. And this ostensibly because Sweden has about 500 troops with NATO in Afghanistan, and also religious recrimination re some unfavourable caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad done by a Swedish artist in 2007. Ah Friends, when and how is the nonsense going to end eh? Whoever said that religion was the opiate of the people must have been on some real good opiates himself (smile) for today religion is the main driving force behind much of the strife, anger, hatred, divisions, oppression and wars in our world. And the sad part is that these blatant, premeditative murderers, these foolish suicide bombers – we give them such nice, respectable names – are mostly poor, uneducated, out of work, brainwashed stooges being used by the evil, hypocritical higher ups to do their dirty work. Maybe Friends, like our Bit says: ‘The days of visitation (punishment) are come, the days of recompense are come; Israel shall know it: the prophet is a fool, the spiritual man is mad (insane), for the multitude (greatness) of thine iniquity, and the great hatred (enmity).’ Yes my people, maybe, just maybe, like Israel of old, we’re being punished for our great multitude of sins against Almighty God. The Lord promised to use Israel’s enemies to punish them, and maybe now He’s doing the same to us, who are supposed to be the remnant of Abraham, but who have unfortunately become more like the fruitful, spreading vine of Beelzebub. Wickedness is so rampant in all walks of life today that the Almighty must be shaking His head in dismay and wonder! But Friends, listen to Isaiah’s take on the subject, back in the day when the Lord’s anger was kindled against His chosen people. ‘Woe unto them that decree unrighteous decrees, and that write grievousness (misfortune) which they have prescribed. To turn aside (deprive) the needy from judgement (of justice), and to take away the right (what is right) from the poor of my people, that widows may be their prey, and that they may rob the fatherless! And what will ye do in the day of visitation (punishment), and the desolation which will come from far? To whom will ye flee for help? And where will ye leave your glory? Without me they shall bow down under (among) the prisoners, and they shall fall under (among) the slain. For all this his anger is not turned away, but his hand is stretched out still (in judgement).’ (Is.10:1-4) Oh my people, that is what happens to those in high office who pervert justice. Having abused their power, they will be eventually called to stand before the Lord in His judgement. And believe me Friends, His justice will not be pretty. So let’s all seriously consider our wicked ways and the retribution that will be meted out by God if we persist in them, and instead take hold of righteousness which will endear us to Him. More tomorrow on this topic. Till then, please walk safely, keeping the Lord always before you. Much LOVE!…the penalty for sin is death…but the reward for righteousness is eternal life…it’s your choice to make…  P.S.  Friends, please say a prayer for the ole fella, for today he’s going to have knee surgery, and every little prayer helps. (smile) Much LOVE!

Oh Friends, it’s another day in the life. Some of us may sing and dance with joy and enthusiasm this day, while others weep and mourn with tears and sorrow. But my brethren, whatever state we find ourselves in today, let’s not get too proud and arrogant over our victories, or too low and sad over our defeats, for both situations greatly tempt our faith. Let’s try to maintain a sensible balance of humility, patience, hope and faith in our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, whom God, unasked, out of His great LOVE for us, sacrificed Him for our sins. Oh my people, it’s the greatest act of LOVE ever conceived and ever manifested, and therefore deserves our undying gratitude! That means we should always be on the lookout for the ever- present danger of unbelief, which can crop up in many shapes and forms, in many different unsuspecting circumstances and catch us off guard. Consequently, the author of Hebrews found it necessary to warn his readers, that includes us: ‘Let us therefore fear, lest a promise being left us of entering into his rest, any of you should seem to come short of it.’ Yes Friends, it’s very important that we pay serious attention to our spiritual lives, lest we should forfeit that promise of Jesus to enter into a rest of eternal life with Him. And the writer of Hebrews continues: ‘For unto us was the gospel preached, as well as unto them: but the word preached did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in them that heard it. For we which have believed do enter into rest, as he said.’ (Heb.4:2-3) Friends, please, let’s ensure we don’t fall into that trap, where we hear the gospel of Christ, but it doesn’t benefit us because we lack the necessary faith to believe it and put it into practice. For those who truly believe enter into His rest. But those who don’t…well crapaud smoke them pipe! And to effectively make that point, in Hebrews 3, the writer uses the analogy of Israel’s disbelief and disobedience under Moses, and thus were left destitute and wandering in the wilderness, and he quotes Psalm 95:7-11 to prove his reasoning. ‘Wherefore as the Holy Ghost saith, Today if ye will hear his voice, Harden not your hearts, as in the provocation (rebellion), in the day of temptation (trial) in the wilderness. When your fathers tempted (tested) me, proved me, and saw my works forty years. Wherefore I was grieved (angry) with that generation, and said, They do always err (go astray) in their heart; and they have not known my ways. So I sware in my wrath, they shall not enter into my rest. Take heed brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God. But exhort one another daily, while it is called today; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.’ (Heb.3:7-13) Oh my brethren, it’s essential that we don’t fall in to the same trap that the Israelites did. And it’s so much easier to do today with all the enticing worldly, ungodly things that are forever swirling around us. That’s why we also need to encourage each other daily and to pay careful attention to what we watch, read, listen to and participate in, because Lucifer is a sly, sneaky devil, who likes to instil his evil spirit in our souls bit by bit, so that we’re not consciously aware of it. Until one day, we suddenly and sadly discover that we’ve seriously drifted away from the things of God, and are worshipping at the altar of Beelzebub, which will mean losing out on entering into the rest of Jesus, and instead, spending eternity with Lucifer in Hades. And believe me Friends, there’s no fate worse than that! For though Lucifer’s stuff looks great here on earth, in the after life it will be rotten and rusty garbage. Therefore, to help us refrain from making such a colossal mistake, let’s look at a few passages of scripture that hopefully will galvanize us to stay true to the Most High God Jehovah and our eternal faith in His sacrificial Son Jesus. Hear Bruh Paul to the Corinthians: ‘Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray (implore) you in Christ’s stead (behalf), be ye reconciled to God. For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.’ (2 Cor.5:20-21) Yes my people, having received the Spirit of Christ, we ought to act as His ambassadors, as His representatives here on earth. That means doing things He approves of. And Bruh Paul continues: ‘We then as workers together with him, beseech you also that ye receive not the grace of God in vain.’ (2 Cor.6:1) In other words, being spiritually born again is not sufficient for a true believer. We also need to put Jesus’ spiritual values to good practical use in the world. Then in Galatians 5, when talking about living by faith, Bruh Paul faithfully declares: ‘Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage. Behold, I Paul say unto you, that if ye be circumcised, Christ shall profit you nothing. For I testify again to every man that is circumcised, that he is a debtor to do (obligated to keep) the whole law. Christ is become of no effect unto you (You have become estranged from Christ), whosoever of you are (attempt to be) justified by the law; ye are fallen from grace. For we through the Spirit (eagerly) wait for the hope of righteousness by faith. For in Jesus Christ neither circumcision availeth anything, nor uncircumcision; but faith which worketh by LOVE.” (Gal.5:1-6) Pay attention Friends; the law, legalism, can do nothing for us when it comes to salvation and eternal life, they only keep us in bondage to man made things. Faith (spiritual belief) in and through Jesus Christ is the only way to salvation and everlasting life. And finally, the author of Hebrews admonishes us, re disobedience: ‘Follow (pursue) peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord. Looking diligently lest any man fail (fall short) of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled.’ (Heb.12:14-15) Yes my people, please pay particular attention to that ‘root of bitterness,’ for bitterness starts out by being hidden and spreading its disgusting roots in secret, so by the time we discover it, it’s already spread like a cancer through our bodies, hearts, souls and minds, creating very disastrous consequences. Oh Friends, I certainly hope these passages of scripture will sink into our consciousness and keep us from losing out on the greatest gifts ever bestowed on mankind; salvation and eternal life through belief and faith in our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Much LOVE!…JESUS…truly the way, the truth and the life…no man can come to the Father…except through Him…

Oh Friends, I wasn’t even planning to mention any of the negative occurrences that have happened in our world this past week, but after the Spirit led me to our Bit, I realized I had to say something about them because they are all things we should enlighten our children on. And to name just a few of our world problems; let’s start with the political unrest and violence in Haiti due to perceived corrupt and unfair elections. Then look at the students rioting in staid Britain, London in particular, because their school fees have been tripled by the new coalition government preaching severe cutbacks of pensions and benefits, but also drastic increases in taxes and other fees. Closer to home, in Ontario, we’re still investigating police brutality from the G20 Conference, and the secretly passed, illegal and possibly unconstitutional law to give police unnatural powers of arrest during the conference. We’re also dealing with normal, everyday police brutality in Ottawa, the nation’s capital, where their Chief has promised to resign. But not so ours in Toronto, who oversaw a rash of police brutality and innocent arrest and detentions during the catastrophic G20 time. He’s only been hemming and hawing about lack of identification of the rogue cops. But he’s finally been given some faces and names. Let’s see what he’ll do about it now. Why are our leaders nowadays so stupid eh mih people? Police relations with the public were already bad enough before that G20 fiasco, then you try to sweep it under the carpet. What do you think the public perception is going to be now eh? And moving from one abuse of power to another, we come to China’s pettiness, re the Nobel Peace Prize for one of their jailed dissidents. They’ve been flexing their muscles, threatening severe repercussions to any countries that send representatives to the ceremony in Norway. Steups! Another autocratic government wanting to dominate other people’s lives, but won’t tolerate any outside interference in theirs. What else is new though? Oh, then we have the friends of Julian Assange, the WikiLeaks founder, hacking into the Internet workings of major players like MasterCard and Pay Pal, because they stopped collecting donations for WikiLeaks. They don’t want the Net to be controlled by anybody or any corporation, but sadly they don’t seem to understand that if it’s not controlled to some extent, we’ll all suffer for it eventually. We’re all so caught up in the freedom thing that we fail to realize that sensible freedom is only possible when there are controls, else we’d all be running amok. We won’t even mention the terrible weather in many parts of Europe, or their sad economic plight, or the continuing wars and tension in the Middle East, or the escalating tension between North and South Korea. And what about the foolish Australian politico, who claims that Assange is not to blame for the WikiLeaks disclosures, but the poor security of the U.S and the person, assumed to be an American citizen, who stole the information. Oh Friends, in this great world of ours today, everybody wants to do their own thing their way, but sadly nobody wants to accept blame for it when it pans out badly. And just as Joel warned the Israelites to: ‘Tell ye your children of it, and let your children tell their children, and their children another generation,’ referring to the locust plague that devastated Judah, we must also teach our children about the stupidity and ignorance of hatred and anger, war and strife, and worst of all, separation from the Holy God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Oh my people, we all know that much of our disaster filled world is directly due to our turning away from the Most High God Jehovah, as the twin states of Judah and Israel did in their early years and were severely punished for their disobedience. They refused to listen to several warnings from several prophets sent to them by the Lord. And don’t be surprised Friends, for we’re doing the same thing. It seems that when prosperity set’s in, we get a li’l too cock-sure and overconfident, thinking that it’s been all our doing, foolishly and /or conveniently forgetting the grace, mercy, forgiveness and LOVE of our God, without which we cannot function. Oh Friends, it’s our bounden duty to not only teach our progeny the good ways of life as opposed to the bad, but also to live those good ways; show them a godly example. Unfortunately, it doesn’t seem as though we’ve done such a good job, for a rather large number of our young people are wrongly, but enthusiastically flocking to the worldly things and fleshly lusts of Lucifer’s evil world. That should give us all great cause for concern, for as I keep saying, if this is the state of our world now, what will become of it two generations hence? Oh Friends, there’s nothing more to be said, because we all know our responsibilities, and it’s obvious that we have not been good stewards of all that the Lord has entrusted us with. So we’ll close with some encouraging words from a contemplation of Asaph, Psalm 78; A reminder of God’s goodness to Israel, and also to us, in these crazy, tumultuous times. ‘Give ear (listen), O my people, to my law: incline your ears to the words of my mouth. I will open my mouth in a parable: I will utter dark sayings of old (speak obscure sayings or riddles): Which we have heard and known, and our fathers have told us. We will not hide them from their children, showing to the generation to come the praises of the Lord, and his strength, and his wonderful works that he hath done. For he established a testimony in Jacob, and appointed a law in Israel, which he commanded our fathers, that they should make them known to their children: That the generation to come might know them, even the children which should be born; who should arise and declare them to their children. That they might set their hope in God, and not forget the works of God, but keep his commandments: And might not be as their fathers, a stubborn and rebellious generation; a generation that set not their heart aright (did not prepare its heart), and whose spirit was not steadfast with God.’ (Ps.78:1-8) My people, it’s not too late to turn the tide. But we have to be very serious about it and begin NOW, for who knows how long we have before the whole thing blows up in our faces. With the Lord’s help we can certainly do it, so let’s repent, ask for His help and get on it right away nuh! Much LOVE!…the children are our future…so let’s teach them right…let’s teach them to pray…