SCRIP-BITS

Matthew 19:17.    And he said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God: but if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments.
 
Ah Friends, here is the Bit I planned to write yesterday, that is before I was strong-armed, railroaded by the Holy Spirit. (smile) But that’s an occupational hazard when you’re working closely with Him. Anyway, let’s begin with a priceless quote from Benjamin Franklin. ‘Be always at war with your vices, at peace with your neighbours, and let each new year find you a better man.’ Definitely good words to live by Friends! Just like those of our Saviour when the rich, young man came asking him: ‘Good Master (teacher) what good thing shall I do that I may have eternal life?’ (Matt.19:16) And I like how Jesus stopped him in his tracks by saying: ‘Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is God:’ And that’s the living truth my people! Only our God is really good through and through. Several of His prophets said it, amongst them Jeremiah, when prophesying on Judah’s revitalization: ‘Praise the Lord of hosts: for the Lord is good; for his mercy endureth for ever: ‘ (Jer.33:11) The prophet Nahum also declared the Lord’s goodness. ‘The Lord is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble; and he knoweth them that trust in him.’ (Nah.1:7) The important thing to note here Friends is Jesus’ humility. Although He was a part of the triune Godhead, He made no account of Himself here on earth, but shunted all the glory, goodness and praise to the Father, as a faithful and righteous Son is wont to do. And that’s the kind of attitude we believers ought to have in our dealings with others; one of humility, of not making too much of ourselves. Although we may be better off, say in terms of education, economic wealth and political power, we must not let those earthly concerns colour our work for Jesus, since whatever advantages we do have are blessings from the Lord to enable us to do His work. We have obviously invested time, effort and materials, but it’s God who truly gave the increase. In these modern times though, it’s a sad fact that humility is a forgotten word and tendency. The in-thing is to beat one’s chest, blow our horn and egotistically declare: ‘Look at me! Look where I’ve come from; from extreme poverty to immense wealth, power and fame!’ Now it’s all well and good to feel proud of our achievements, but certainly not to the extent that you lord it over others, for you’ve got to remember that if the Father had not blessed your endeavours, you’d be a have-not just like those you despise and look down on. So, first having shown His humility, Jesus then answers the man’s question: ‘what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life?’ This implies that he possibly thought some good deed would bring him that benefit, which we now know is impossible. And Jesus answers him: ‘but if thou wilt (want to) enter into life, keep the commandments.’ The fellow asks which ones, and Jesus tells him about not committing, murder, adultery, stealing and lying, while honouring his parents and LOVING his neighbour as himself. To which he replied: ‘All these things have I kept from my youth up: what lack I yet? Jesus said unto him, If thou wilt (want to) be perfect, go and sell all that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me. But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful: for he had great possessions.’ (Matt.19:20-22) Oh Friends, have you ever noticed that though Jesus’ answers are always kindly, they often have a stinging whiplash too? Jesus did not really want the young man to go and sell his possessions and give the money away, He was just pointing out that keeping the outward duties of the commandments is not enough. His great desire to hold on to his immense wealth showed his selfishness, he cared much more about himself than his neighbours, and also cared far more about his possessions than he did God. And so it often is with us when the Lord instructs us to give up certain things, but we walk away with a sorrowful heart because those things are more important to us than the Father’s will. We ought to know by now that the Lord never asks us to do anything that’s not for our eventual benefit. However Friends, please note, per the scholars, that that bit of scripture is there just to show the seriousness of true discipleship, and certainly doesn’t mean that the average man must sell his earthly possessions to be considered a true Christian. We have to realize my brethren that following Christ consists of not only an outward obedience, but also an inner, spiritual undertaking, and neglect of either aspect is disobedience. So please, let’s avail ourselves of some quiet time and ponder whether we are doing both, as we ought to. That’s today’s assignment. Much LOVE!…our bodies are the temple of God…and they contain His Holy Spirit…so both are important to Him…