SCRIP-BITS

John 7:7.    The world cannot hate you; but me it hateth, because I testify of it, that the works thereof are evil.
 
Oh Friends, enjoy this spring-like weather while it lasts, but don’t get your hopes up too high, for winter isn’t done as yet. The double-digit temps sure are nice, but they will surely subside when March picks up its cold weather again. And isn’t it a kicker that this March break week, when everybody’s heading south for the warm climes, the North country is ablaze in glorious sunshine and spring time temps. Who says our God doesn’t have a sense of humour eh! Anyway, it’s Friday, and as usual many of us are just dying for it to end so we can go home and become couch potatoes. But Friends, that’s the wrong attitude. Please join me in the right one, as we chant our Friday Chant. ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely 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 glorious kingdom with each step I take. I pray this in Jesus name. Amen.’ Yes my people, that’s how we ought to handle the weekends. And turning to our Bit: ‘The world cannot hate you; but me it hateth, because I testify of it, that the works thereof are evil.’ Oh mih breddren, those words were spoken by Jesus, some two thousand years ago, when His brothers urged Him to go to the feast of tabernacles in Jerusalem, ostensibly that His disciples could see His work, and He could gain greater exposure. ‘Depart hence, and go into Judea, that thy disciples also may see the works that thou doest. For there is no man that doeth anything in secret, and (while) he himself seeketh to be known openly. If thou do these things, show thyself to the world.’ (John 7:3-4) But Jesus could distinguish the thin red line between walking bravely or foolishly in the world. He had stopped preaching in Judea because the Jews were plotting to kill Him, now His brethren, who by the way didn’t believe in Him, were possibly seeking some sort of confrontation between Him and the elders at Jerusalem. So Jesus simply told them: ‘My time is not yet come: but your time is always ready…Go ye up unto this feast: I go not up yet unto this feast; for my time is not yet full come.’ (John 7:6,8) The time for His death and glorification as our Saviour had not yet arrived, so Jesus was not going to foolishly walk into the lions den, with a whole bunch of disciples behind Him, thereby giving the Jewish leaders a greater chance to do him harm. Sadly though my people, those words Jesus spoke to His brethren in our Bit, sandwiched between the last quote, have had a great impact on the lives of believers from then, right up till now. The world disliked the believers then, and still does today. For the very same reasons; we consider its deeds evil and we testify against it. Now listen to Jesus as He describes the world’s hatred to the disciples: ‘If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you. If ye were of the world, the world would LOVE his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you.’ (John 15:18-19) And isn’t that the gospel truth Friends? Followers of Jesus are supposed to be in the world, but not a part of it. We ought to adhere to Jesus’ lifestyle in this evil world; that of godly obedience, LOVE, kindness and fellowship with other believers. Now that’s certainly not an easy thing to do while living and working among the heathen and evildoers, who greatly despise us for our holier than thou attitudes. I hate to say it, but sometimes they are right, because at times we can be so self-righteous and hypocritical that we turn off even our fellow believers. We do the Pharisee’s thing, behaving as though we’re so much better than others just because we are Christians. But that attitude just gives the world greater ammunition and more reason to dislike and persecute us. Granted they will dislike us just for being Christians, but we don’t need to stoke their dislike by our uncalled for behaviour. Oh Friends, we don’t necessarily want the world to like us, but we definitely need them to respect us and our way of life. That’s the only way they will ever come to believe in Jesus and be His follower. That means to be successful in bringing others to the kingdom, we have change our abrasive and aggressive attitudes, turn down the rhetoric and let our kind, gentle and LOVING actions speak for us. Please remember these words of Jesus as we go about our daily walk. ‘A good tree cannot bring forth evil (bad) fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.’  (Matt.7:18-20) Truer words were never spoken my brethren! So please, let’s go forth with the true Spirit of Jesus in our hearts and bear good fruit. Much Love!…by your LOVING and kind actions…the world will know that you are my disciples…