SCRIP-BITS

Matthew 16:15.    He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am?
 
Oh Friends, it’s a new day, with new opportunities for improvement and advancement! Wow! However, we won’t be able to harness those rich opportunities unless we walk in the wisdom of God’s Word. And here are three pieces of advice from Gloria Copeland’s book ‘Hidden Treasures,’ re abundant living in the riches of proverbs. (1) ‘Determine to be moved by God and His Word alone instead of by what you see.’ (2) ‘As you go through your day, focus on scriptures that give you the answer to any problem you face.’ (3) ‘Make sure you are walking before God in all the light that you have, so that you can approach His throne with strong confidence.’ Oh my people, we certainly won’t go wrong if we follow those gems of wisdom in our walk with God today, because they will keep us focused on, and in tune with Him and His Word all day long. Cousin Sol echoes that faith and understanding when he says: ‘In the fear (reverence) of the Lord is strong confidence: and his children shall have a place of refuge.’ (Prov.14:26) But before we get to that somewhat exalted stage my people, we have to truthfully answer in our hearts that age old question contained in our Bit: ‘He, (Jesus) saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am?’ And for once Friends, our headstrong, impatient bubba, Simon Peter, got it right. This time Jesus had no cause to rebuke him. He quickly piped up: ‘Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.’ (Matt.16:16) Bravo Pietro! But the all-important, billion dollar, life-saving question now my brethren, is whether as individuals, we have also come to that conclusion? It’s imperative that we do. We can’t answer like when Jesus asked them earlier on: ‘Whom do men say that I the Son of man am? And they said, Some say thou art John the Baptist: some, Elijah; and others, Jeremiah, or one of the prophets.’ (Matt.16:13-14) Jesus was indeed a prophet; the greatest of them all, and public opinion did place Him at the highest level with all their other national heroes, but all His power, His humanity, His sense of service and purpose stemmed directly from Him being ‘the Son of the living God.’ If He wasn’t, He could not have done the miraculous things He did, or bear the burdens and the ‘sufferation’ He endured. And please note my people, Jesus’ answer to Peter’s strong, sure declaration: ‘Blessed art thou Simon Bar-jona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.’ (Matt.16:17) Now Friends, that’s an undeniable fact! Though Peter and the other disciples hung out with Jesus for a fair length of time, saw His miraculous works and heard His teachings, they truly could not have believed His claim unless the Father had planted that seed in their hearts. So many others heard him preach and saw Him do miracles, but yet believed not. When Jesus explained to the disciples that He was ‘the bread of life,’ (John 6:31-58) they found it ‘a hard saying,’ difficult to understand, and began moaning. (John 6:60) And He queried them? ‘Doth that offend you? What and if ye shall see the Son of man ascend up where he was before? It is the spirit that quickeneth (gives life); the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life. But there are some of you that believe not. For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were that believed not, and who should betray him. And he said, Therefore said I unto you, that no man can come unto me, except it were given unto him of my Father.’ (John 6:61-65) And proving that Jesus’ statement was true, look at what happened after that. ‘From that time many of his disciples went back (away), and walked no more with him.’ (John 6:66) Yes Friends, a parting of ways with many of His former so-called disciples occurred, because they did not feel that strong call of the Spirit within their hearts. And despite all the evidence to support and confirm our belief that Jesus was and is the ‘Son of the living God,’ today, two thousand years later, a majority of humans on planet earth still don’t believe it, and unfortunately are thus separated from His wonderful fold. How sad it is my brethren, that Lucifer can still get to so many hearts with his evil lies and distortion of God’s truth! Thankfully we are not amongst that unfortunate lot. But we are still called to go out and bring them under His LOVING wings. And finally, what if Jesus now poses to us, His further question to the remaining twelve disciples: ‘Will ye also go away?’ (John 6:67) I hope, no, I know, that we will all come right back with an answer as strong and steadfast as Peter’s. ‘Then Simon Peter answered him, Lord, to whom shall we go? thou hast the words of eternal life. And we believe and are sure (know) that thou art that Christ, the Son of the living God.’ (John 6:68-69) Much LOVE mih people!…we can only know the secrets of heaven… when the Lord opens our hearts and souls… P.S As I’m editing this, I’m listening to some gospel soca on Wack 90.1. In particular a song that asks, ‘Who started this waving thing?’ We believers started the waving thing. It didn’t come from Carnival. ‘Read yuh Bible, read Exodus 22, read Leviticus 10.’ And if you don’t believe, ask yuh Grandmother about when she went to church and began waving her white handkerchief in a ‘wave offering.’ Oh Friends, here comes my favourite; ‘Try Jesus: Try Jesus, He’s always around. Try Jesus, He’ll never let you down. Try Jesus, He’s such a wonderful Friend. Try Jesus, I know your heart He can mend. He was raised from the dead, so He can give you life. Try Jesus, He’s always there for you. Try Jesus, He’ll always see you through. Jesus is the answer for today. Try Jesus, I know I’ll never regret, cause Jesus never failed me yet. And that’s the gospel truth mih breddren, He won’t fail you either..! So please try Jesus….Much LOVE!