SCRIP-BITS

Aye mih people! How goes it with you this Sunday morning? It’s stopped snowing in my area, but the sequel to that…Chuh! The ice, the cold, the slipping and sliding are possibly worse than the snow falling. I envy some of you your lush, paradise-like settings. Oh what the ole fella wouldn’t give right now for some strong sunshine and salty seawater! (smile) That would just drive away all my arthritic ailments. But while there’s life, there’s hope, and that’s one hope I’m definitely not giving up on, for our God is indeed a kind and merciful God, and one day, soon too, He WILL bless me with that sunshine and saltwater. Oh mih Friends who live in the tropics and don’t know the havoc that snow, ice, wind and freezing rain can cause, please take my advice; enjoy and appreciate it for all it is worth, for there’s gold in that there sunshine and saltwater! But enough of my hard luck story, let’s move on to something that’s greater than flesh and bones and the physical characteristics of mother Earth, and that’s the Spirit of God. For as Jesus told Nicodemus; ‘Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again (from above), he cannot see the kingdom of God’ Strong, but true words my people! And it certainly forms one of the basic principles of our Christian faith. If we’re not born again spiritually through accepting Jesus as our Lord and Saviour, then we can forget about ever seeing the heavenly Father’s face and experiencing His wonderful kingdom. Now yesterday we saw Jesus explain the situation to Nico; that what’s born of flesh is flesh, and of the Spirit, spirit, and the two will always be at loggerheads. Now listen to Jesus further: ‘Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again. The wind bloweth where it listeth (wishes), and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit.’ (John 3:7-8) Oh Friends, we can’t beat Jesus for analogies nuh! The spirit is like the wind, it goes where it wants, and though you hear it, you can’t tell where it’s coming from or going to. Nico is now confused even further and queries: ‘How can these things be? Jesus answered and said unto him, Art thou a master (teacher) of Israel, and knowest not these things?’ (John 3:9-10) Yes my brethren, Jesus wasn’t impressed or thrilled with the depth, or lack thereof, of Nico’s knowledge and understanding. And if one of Israel’s guiding lights didn’t understand the spiritual happenings in Jesus’ ministry, then how could the poor, uneducated working man be expected to eh?  And sadly, even to this day, many unbelievers refuse to believe that Jesus was God in human form. Oh, they believe that He was a great man; a great teacher and prophet, but certainly not of God-like status. And it only confused matters more when John the Baptist and Jesus began talking about being born again. Now here I want to interject three interesting points the scholars make about the concept of New Birth. First, it undercuts Jewish dependence on being the sons of Abraham, as they claim in John 8, to which Jesus acidly replies: ‘If ye were Abraham’s children, ye would do the works of Abraham. But now ye seek to kill me, a man that hath told you the truth, which I have heard of God: this did not Abraham.’ (John 8:39 -40) Secondly, it indicates or reveals that a work of God (from above) must be involved, because the Jews considered children (new births) to be God’s blessing. And thirdly, it highlights the absolute necessity of a new beginning for all and sundry. Yes Friends, for all who desire to be a part of Jesus’ kingdom, a new beginning, a rebirth is a must! And we’ll end with some scripture from Bruh Paul to the Galatians, where he tries to plant that concept deep into their consciousness. ‘For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision, but a new creature (creation). And as many as walk according to this rule, peace be on them, and mercy, and upon the Israel of God.’ (Gal.6:15-16) Ah mih people, it’s not an easy row that we hoe, but once we sincerely believe that our God is good, just, fair, LOVING, generous and kind, then we have nothing to really worry about; simply keep walking in true surrender and obedience to Him, and He will bring us out safely through whatever storms of life we face. It’s short and sweet, which means I’ve kept my promise. (smile) Now it’s your turn to ponder the things I’ve written, and tomorrow, God in favour, we’ll continue with this ever so important topic of being born again spiritually. Till then, go in peace to LOVE and serve the Lord. Much LOVE!…only as our hearts and souls are reborn …through the Spirit of Christ…are we fit for the kingdom of heaven…