SCRIP-BITS

Deuteronomy 5:29.    O that there were such a heart in them, that they would fear me, and keep my commandments always, that it might be well with them, and with their children for ever!
 
Oh Friends, it’s Friday already! This week has certainly passed quickly, what with Carnival and all that riotous carnal behaviour! And plenty people still so tired they can barely mouth, ‘TGIF! Thank God is Friday!’ Deh just dying for it to end, so they could go home and rest up after their too hectic celebration (smile) But it’s time now to settle down and pursue a quiet, spiritual Lenten season. Do whatever you do for Lent, but make sure that whatever it is, truly comes from your heart, and is not just an outward show for others to see and think that yuh so holy and spiritual. For remember, our God looks at the truth in our hearts and not at our outward actions. With all of that in mind, let’s put our best voice forward and chant our Friday Chant nuh: ‘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.’ Ah mih people, it’s time we seriously get into our God! No more excuses! If we want to be true believers then we have to be alert and responsible and do the necessary things, like making time for the Lord and spending it fruitfully with Him. The same way we sign up for stuff like the gym and other extra-curricular activities, then acknowledge and adhere to our responsibilities, it’s the same way we ought to do with Christ, since we signed up to be His followers. That means we’re obligated to get together with Him on a regular basis, like every day. Oh Friends, we might be able to put off worldly activities and get away with it, but believe me, we can’t put off God for any length of time and flourish. And though we’ll all agree with that statement, unfortunately, in real life, most of us don’t adhere to it. Why eh? Consequently, our lives and our world is in utter chaos, and it has our God sadly lamenting like He did so long ago with the disobedient, rebellious Israelites: ‘O that there were such a heart in them, that they would fear me, and keep all my commandments always, that it might be well with them, and with their children.’ Oh my people, do we realize how badly it saddens and breaks our God’s heart to see us living in such abominable sin, with our lives crumbling under our very feet, when it’s totally unnecessary? Yesterday we looked at some of the many times He lamented over His lost and disobedient children. Today, we’ll look at the basic wording of His lament. Now the first part says: ‘O that there were such a heart in them, that they would fear me…’ We know He’s not referring to real fear, but more to respect, reverence, wisdom and common sense. And if we don’t have those aspects covered, then Friends, in the true sense of the word, we better really fear what’s going to happen to us. Now to give us some idea of the true fear and reverence of God, it’s good and bad sides, let’s check out some scripture. And we’ll begin with our spiritual father, Abraham. A couple times, down in Egypt and Gerar, he claimed that his wife Sarah was his sister. Though she was in fact his half sister, she was his wife first and foremost. Why did he do that? ‘And Abraham said, Because I thought, Surely the fear of God is not in this place, and they will slay me for my wife’s sake (on account of my wife).’ (Gen.29:11) So because he figured that the people in those places didn’t respect and worship His God, he lied to save his skin. And no doubt many of us have used some similar excuse for our less than stellar actions on certain occasions. But Friends, that’s no good reason, for if we really fear and respect our God, then we can overcome whatever others do, or don’t do. Hear the psalmist: ‘The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom: a good understanding have all they that do his commandments: his praise endureth for ever.’ (Ps.111:10) That’s what the positive side of the equation gives us my brethren. And Cousin Sol agrees: ‘The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the Holy (One) is understanding.’  (Prov.9:10) Then he states: ‘The fear of the Lord prolongeth days: but the years of the wicked shall be shortened.’ (Prov.10:27) That means long life can also be had through proper reverencing of our God. And furthermore, Cousin Sol rightfully declares: ‘In the fear of the Lord is strong confidence: and his children shall have a place of refuge. The fear of the Lord is a fountain of life, to depart (turn one away) from the snares of death.’ (Prov.14: 26-27) Finally, listen to Bruh Paul’s famous words on the subject to Timothy. ‘For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of LOVE, and of a sound mind. Be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me his prisoner: but be thou partaker of the afflictions (share with me in the sufferings) of the gospel according to the power of God.’ (2 Tim.1:7-8) Oh Friends, that shows all our bases are covered if we reverence and respect our God properly. So I’m imploring us to do just that, because it’s for our good, not His. More on this tomorrow, our God willing. Till then, please, please look to Him for guidance. Much LOVE!…true reverence of God…increases spiritual power…and dims physical fear…

Deuteronomy 5:29.    O that there were such a heart in them, that they would fear me, and keep all my commandments always, that it might be well with them, and with their children for ever.
 
Oh Friends, our God does move in mysterious ways yes! And I say that because I finally received a reply from a long lost friend who had e-mailed me some time ago to find out if I was the Randy O’Brien that he knew. Hn! Now how could there be more than one of me eh? The Lord broke the mould after He made me. (smile) Anyway I had replied in the affirmative and began sending him the Bit. At last, today he acknowledge receipt of my info, but complained that the Bit was too long, the print too small, no paragraphs, and he was so busy that he couldn’t read them every day. Note, he’s retired and also no spring chicken, but from his list of recent activities, he is pretty busy. But that’s no excuse not to read God’s Word! My reply was as follows: Re the small print; you can enlarge it on your computer. Re the lack of paragraphs; that would only make it seem longer and take up more computer space. Re being too busy; remember our recent quote, stating that the busier we are, the more time we need to spend with God. Re length; we’re always too busy to spend a few minutes reading anything about God, but always find time for the stupid, mindless e-mails. And he was lucky too, because last year they were longer. (smile) But with that kind of attitude towards God driven stuff, we still boldface enough to claim to be God’s people. That’s so hypocritical mih breddren! Oh Friends, please realize that God is not into little bits and pieces of our lives here and there, or when we find it convenient. He wants us to spend decent length and quality time with Him on a regular basis. And no, a minute or two, whenever, is not sufficient. On the other hand though, when we get in a jam, we quick to bawl out: ‘Oh God, help me nuh!’ And we expect Him to jump right away and help us. But it doh work so mih people. Remember whatever you sow, you’ll reap. And if you don’t sow enough quality time with God, then you won’t reap much good stuff from Him. No wonder He so sadly laments in our Bit; ‘O that there were such a heart in them, that they would fear me, and keep all my commandments always, that it might be well with them, and with their children forever!’ Oh Friends that’s exactly what we’ve been talking about; not having the right attitude to our God and His statutes! And the implications in that passage are of such gravity, such enormous importance to our well-being and that of our children forever, that we ought to pay it much more attention. And sadly that lament of our God goes back thousands of years to the days of the rebellious Israelites on the journey to the Promised Land. And it’s not the only time He’s lamented through one of His spokespeople. Listen to some: ‘For they are a nation void of counsel, neither is there any understanding in them. O that they were wise, that they understood this, that they would consider their latter end!’ (Deut.32:28-29) That’s part of Moses’ Song, wishing that his people would consider their end, would have enough sense to realize that it depended only and solely on their relationship to the God of their fathers. Meanwhile in Psalm 81, re God’s goodness and Israel’s waywardness, the writer, Asaph, laments on God’s behalf: ‘I am the Lord thy God, which brought thee out of the land of Egypt: open thy mouth wide, and I will fill it. But my people would not hearken to (heed) my voice; and Israel would (have) none of me. So I gave them up unto their own hearts lusts (stubbornness): and they walked in their own counsels. Oh that my people had hearkened unto me, and Israel had walked in my ways! I should have soon subdued their enemies, and turned my hand against their adversaries.’ (Ps.81:10-14) Yes Friends, if we walk in the Lord’s ways, He makes our paths straight and subdues our enemies. And Isaiah, one of God’s foremost prophets bewailed: ‘Thus saith the Lord, thy Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel; I am the Lord thy God which teacheth thee to profit, which leadeth thee by the way that thou shouldest go. O that thou hadst hearkened to (heeded) my commandments! then had thy peace been as a river, and thy righteousness as the waves of the sea: Thy seed also had been as the sand, and the offspring of thy bowels (body) like the gravel (grains of sand) thereof; his name should not have been cut off nor destroyed from before me.’  (Isa.48:17-19) And sadly Friends, our God is still lamenting our lack of wisdom; not paying Him proper reverence and obeying His Word. Then we wonder why our lives and our world are in such a mess? But there’s only one reason mih people; we’ve turned away, moved our allegiance from the Most High God Jehovah to that foolish fallen angel, Lucifer. And how much good has that done for us eh? Positively? Absolutely zilch! But lots of evil, violence and destruction! And until we, as individuals, nations and the world begin seriously reverencing Almighty God and living in greater obedience to His Word and Will, we’ll continue down this path of hopelessness. And I’ll end here. Got to keep it short. (smile) More on this tomorrow, our God in favour. Till then, please find, rather make time to spend with Him. It’s for our benefit, not His. Much LOVE!…remember…hard ears pickney…does always pay the price…
 

Ezekiel 20:19.    I am the Lord your God; walk in my statutes, and keep my judgements and do them.
 
Well Friends, is Ash Wednesday now! The mas done! It over for another year. All yuh get yuh fix of carnal lusts, is time now to get a jolt of spiritual power in this Lenten season. (smile) But seriously though mih people, we need to get more spiritually minded, develop a stronger spiritual base, a sure foundation, both in our individual lives and in the lives of our nations, if we ever hope to turn our disaster headed world around. As the great philosopher Aristotle is supposed to have said: ‘We cannot learn without pain.’ And we all know that’s a fact, via our translation of ‘no pain, no gain.’ But however you put it, to improve our lives we must endure some struggle, some pain. The problem though is that our society has become so soft and spoon-fed that most of us shy away from a little struggle or pain. We whine and complain at the very onset of any difficulty. But look at the terrible pain that Jesus endured for us. The least we can do is endure a little to further His kingdom. And yes, doing His will, spreading His gospel of peace, LOVE, joy, salvation and eternal life will bring us pain of variable nature and varying intensity, but the good part is that the rewards later on, both in this life and the next, will all be worth the discomfort. What reward can be greater than to hear Jesus say on that glorious day, when He greets us with a bear hug and the words: ‘Welcome home, my good and faithful servant!’ Ah Friends, that will be the most blessed day of our entire lives! But that delightful scene will never be enacted unless we do as our Bit encourages: ‘I am the Lord your God; walk in my statutes, and keep my judgements, and do them.’ Oh brothers and sisters in Christ, our God has been saying this to His people from the day He set Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. Unfortunately they failed the test, and from then on sin and disobedience have been running rampant amongst mankind. And it must be said that great is our Lord’s patience, and His faith in man of stellar proportions. Else why did He choose the Israelites as His special people, bring them out of bondage in Egypt and lead them to the Promised Land? And although they rebelled several times during the journey, and even after they entered the Promised Land, He stuck with them through thick and thin, punishing them when they went astray, and rewarding them when they walked the right path. At Mt. Horeb He made a covenant with them, instructing Moses to: ‘Gather me the people together, and I will make them hear my words, that they may learn to fear me all the days that they shall live upon the earth, and that they may teach their children. And ye came near and stood under the mountain; and the mountain burned with fire unto the midst of heaven, with darkness, clouds, and thick darkness. And the Lord spake unto you out of the midst of the fire: ye heard the voice of the words, but saw no similitude (form); only ye heard a voice. And he declared unto you his covenant, which he commanded you to perform, even ten commandments; and he wrote them upon two tables of stone. And the Lord commanded me at that time to teach you statutes and judgements, that ye might do (observe or perform) them in the land in the land whither ye go over to possess it.’ (Deut.4:10-14) Oh my brethren, after the Lord took the time to speak with His people out of the flaming mountain, and Moses reiterated His message several times along the way, the Israelites still rebelled, followed other gods, did all sorts of abomination in the Lord’s eyes, not the least been intermarrying with the heathen, a sure way of reducing the effect of the Lord’s statutes in their lives. Why eh? Having experienced God’s goodness, miracles and LOVING-kindness along the rough and rugged road to the Promised Land, one would have though that their faith would be iron strong. But apparently it worked in the opposite manner. However, our God LOVES His greatest creation so much, and doesn’t want to destroy us as we so rightfully deserve, that He sent His only Son Jesus to die a horrible death as a sacrifice, to pay for our sins. He gave us another chance to escape the ravages of Hades. But sadly we have not embraced Jesus as much as we should have either. We still tend to follow the lusts of our flesh and the evil dictates of Lucifer, thus we stay in bondage to sin and wonder why our lives are so terrible. It’s simply because our constant sinful ways keep us separated from our heavenly Father. And that my people is the worst thing that could ever happen to us. But the terrible fear, violence and all the other negatives dominating our world today is a stark and frightening reminder of the sad plight of the majority of it’s citizens, who because of their unbelief, their refusal to accept and obey Jesus and the Word, are currently separated from the Most High God Jehovah. Fortunately though Friends, life still exists, which means there is yet hope. But that life can be very short-lived, so to be on the safe side, we have to make amends RIGHT NOW. For though it breaks our God’s heart to lose any of His creation to Beelzebub, there’s nothing He can do if we refuse His offer of reconciliation; eternal separation from Him will be our lot. So I implore us, to take our Bit to heart and truthfully live it, if we desire to spend eternity with Jesus. Much LOVE!…however you make up your bed…is just so you’ll have to lie on it…
 

Psalm 25:14.    The secret of the Lord is with them that fear him; and he will show them his covenant.
 
Oh Friends, the bacchanalian celebrations continue in T&T today! It’s the big day, with all the pretty costumes out on the streets and moving across the main stage at the Queens Park Savannah and several other smaller venues. Every street corner is jammed packed, with pan and brass blasting and people jumping and wining, trying to give credence to its title of the ‘greatest party on earth.’ Now Rio might be bigger, but Friends, there’s something about T&T mas that just gets into your spirit and moves you. I guess it comes from the powerful amalgamated spiritual background of our African, Indian and Christian heritage. And if you want to watch it live, you can check out www.carnivaltv.net, they promise to be streaming it from around 7 a.m. That’s your Carnival fix. Now here’s your spiritual direction. (smile) This is a quote from St. Frances de Sales, (1567-1622) a French Roman Catholic Bishop of Geneva, supposedly active in the struggle against Calvinism. And it’s for all of you who think you’re so busy. ‘Half an hour’s meditation each day is essential – except when you’re very busy. Then a full hour is needed.’ Yes mih Friends, too many of us figure, or claim that we’re too busy to spend much time with God. But the truth is, when we’re so busy that we don’t know our A from our E, that’s when we really need to spend plenty quality time with our heavenly Father, so that He can settle us, take away our world induced busyness stress, and right our rocking, unsteady ship. That’s why Bruh David in his prayer for guidance and protection stoutly and truthfully declares: ‘The secret of the Lord is with them that fear him; and he will show them (cause them to know) his covenant.’ That’s for certain sure my brethren! If you don’t show proper respect and reverence to the Lord, you will never know what He’s about, or what His plans are for you. That’s because those things are only revealed when you get into true, personal closeness with Him. Then and only then, will you truly understand His will. It’s like most things in this world; we learn more about them, the more we interact with or study them. Our God is no different; the more we interact with Him, study, meditate and follow His Word, the more understanding we gain of His ways, His likes and dislikes. That means we obviously can’t follow God truthfully, unless we have a good, strong understanding of Him, His statutes and precepts. Cousin Sol says it this way: ‘For the froward (perverse person) is abomination to the Lord: but his secret (secret council) is with the righteous.’ (Prov.3:32) Yes my people, only if we live right with our God, will He show us what He’s all about, plus His plans for us individually. Now hear our Saviour’s take on the subject. ‘For every one that doeth (practices) evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved (exposed). But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God.’ (John 3:20-21) That’s at the end of the passage where He expounds to Nicodemus on the need to be born again to enter heaven’s portals. It’s absolutely essential for followers of Jesus to see the light, to come out of the slavish darkness that Lucifer wants to keep us in, so that we can be forever ignorant of God’s tremendous goodness and exceedingly great LOVE. And unless our deeds can stand the light of day, public scrutiny, then we living in darkness mih people. Now listen to the Master again, when He went up to the Feast of the Tabernacles at Jerusalem, and people wondered about His great knowledge, a mere carpenter’s son. ‘And the Jews marvelled, saying, How knoweth this man letters, having never learned (studied)? Jesus answered them, and said, My doctrine is not mine, but his that sent me. If any man will do his will, he shall know of (concerning) the doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak of myself. He that speaketh of himself seeketh his own glory: but he that seeketh his glory that sent him, the same is true, and no unrighteousness is in him.’ (John 7:15-18)  Ah Friends, when we seek our own glory, that’s when we stumble and fall. Notice that even Jesus, the Messiah, in His divine wisdom, here on earth always acknowledged the Lord God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob as His teacher, mentor and fountain of His wisdom. Even so should we mere sinful mortals, if we truly want to know the secrets of Almighty God and heaven. Much LOVE!…in like proportion to our godly reverence… will the secrets of heaven be revealed to us…
 

Luke 14:3.    And Jesus answering spake unto the lawyers and Pharisees, saying, Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath day?

Luke 14:3.    And Jesus answering spake unto the lawyers and Pharisees, saying, Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath day?

Luke 14:3.    And Jesus answering spake unto the lawyers and Pharisees, saying, Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath day?

Hebrews 8:1.    Now of those things which we have spoken this is the sum: We have a high priest, who is set on the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens.
 
It’s Friday Friends, but a Friday with a difference! For while some of you are shouting a mere ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday! Others are cavorting and declaring: ‘TGICF! Thank God it’s Carnival Friday!’ Yes mih people, it’s the time of the season for the big bash in T&T. That means many of you not going to work today, cause if yuh not already into the bacchanalian proceedings, then yuh surely priming and primping yuhself, getting ready. That however doesn’t detract from the need to chant our Friday Chant, for many of us still have to go out and labour, and not because yuh partying hearty down there in T&T and several other places around the Western world, means that you have to forget about God during the partying. You can certainly party and still keep God first place in your mind and soul. So here goes, loud and clear: ‘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.’ And having chanted that in all sincerity, we now have to do our part and come to Christ in all aspects of our lives, for He’s the only one who can really impact our lives for better and truly set us free from the bondage of sin. Why? Because He’s Christ, our High Priest, the one who sacrificed His life for us, and now sits at the right hand of the Father, pleading on our behalf. Our Bit says it thus: ‘Now of the things which we have spoken this is the sum (main point): We have such a high priest, who is set on the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens.’ Yes Friends, Jesus is doing His best for us, no doubt about that. But we have to help Him out by being better followers, more obedient to God’s law, more LOVING and kind to our fellow man. In talking of Christ’s faithfulness and His superior ministry, the writer of Hebrews declares: ‘Wherefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and High Priest of our profession (confession), Christ Jesus; who was faithful to him that appointed him, as also Moses was faithful in all his house.’ (Heb.3:1-2) Jesus here is regarded as the Apostle and High Priest of the Christian faith, of more authority and worthy of more glory than Moses, who ‘was faithful in all his house, as a servant…But Christ as a son over his own house; whose house are we, if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm unto the end.’ (Heb.3:5-6) Now it’s obvious that the Son has more authority and assets than the servant, so if we’re part of Jesus’ house, then we have to show proper respect and reverence, and hold on to His promise of a better future through salvation and eternal life when He comes again. Meanwhile, in talking about the new life in Christ, Bruh Paul tells the Colossians: ‘If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affection (mind) on things above, not on things on the earth. For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God. When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory.’  (Col.3:1-40) And a loud cheer rises up from all God’s people, as each one sees themselves hobnobbing with Jesus at His Second Coming. (smile) Yes my brethren, we all expect to be hanging out with Jesus in the new heaven, but we need to be very careful, because He promised to turn away some who weren’t really truthful in their hearts. ‘Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven: but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils (demons)? and in thy name have done many wonderful works (miracles)? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.’ (Matt.7:21-23) Yes Friends, it can be a rather tight rope we walk if our hearts are not truly right. Remember Jesus also said: ‘But many that are first shall be last; and the last shall be first.’ (Matt.19:30) Our rewards will also depend on our behaviour, our obedience to His will down here on earth. So though simply believing can get us into heaven, it won’t bring all the glory that we expect, we still have to sow good seed down here, with a true and right heart, to earn big rewards. Much LOVE!…honesty with Christ…it’s the best policy we can ever adopt… 

Hebrews 8:1.    Now of the things which we have spoken this is the sum: We have such a high priest, who is set at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens.
 
Oh Friends, oh Friends, hear the good news this beautiful Thursday morning nuh! Is a brand new day, we still alive, kicking and communicating, our Good Lord still pouring down abundant showers of blessings on us, including grace, mercy, forgiveness, kindness, and above all LOVE! And that ain’t all nuh, because the gospel of Jesus Christ that promises salvation and eternal life to all those who believe and obey it, still going strong after two thousand years, in spite of numerous efforts by Lucifer and his evil cohorts to discredit it, even to eradicate it. But Friends, learn one thing; you can’t eradicate or kill truth, for it’s the only thing that we can really stand on that will truly set us free, especially the awesome truth of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. And all God’s people rose up with one accord in the giving of praise and thanks, shouting: ‘Glory Hallelujah. Blessed is the Lamb who is most worthy to be worshipped and glorified!’ Yes mih people, that’s the kind of day that’s opening up before us. So let’s appreciate it and live the kind of life we’ve promised our heavenly Father to live; one of reverence, obedience, humility and servant hood. Wow! The ole fella certainly on a roll this morning mih breddren! (smile) The Spirit just has the adrenalin flowing. The hand can’t write as fast as the brain is thinking. But that’s the kind of  reassurance, of encouragement, we need each and every day to boost and keep us steadfast and focused in this ungodly, evil and turbulent world, so we can successfully be in it, but not of it. And Friends, I do hope that we begin each day of our earthly lives by floating a simple prayer up to heaven, asking for guidance and safety in our daily tasks. It’s very important that we start every day on the right foot, that means in touch with God, otherwise Lucifer will try to seep into our souls from the moment we awaken. So to set the day right, we need to plead to heaven as soon as we become conscious, even before we open our eyes, so that we’ll get the jump on that ole crook Lucifer. And to make matters even better mih people, we have the greatest advocate, the greatest lawyer that ever stood before a court, our heavenly High Priest, Jesus Christ! He’s always on the ball, always advocating, always pleading to the Father on our behalf. And today I’m just going to put forth some scripture that deals with His role as High Priest, Advocate and Intercessor. The Spirit claims it’s important that we understand the crucial role He plays in our lives, up there in heaven at the Father’s right hand. And the first passage is one that highlights His understanding of our trials and tribulations because He also suffered them down here on earth. ‘Wherefore in all things it behooved him to be made (he had to be made) like unto his brethren, that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation (propitiation) for the sins of the people. For in that he himself hath suffered being tempted, he is able to succour (aid, help) them that are tempted.’ (Heb.2:17-18) Yes Friends, that was a crucial fact. Since Jesus was tempted like us, while on earth, He can therefore understand and empathize with our earthly dilemmas. It’s ever so important for an advocate, priest or leader to have a genuine understanding and appreciation for what their charges are undergoing, else they won’t be able to give of their best. And Jesus is the most wonderful example of that. Ah Friends, I’m chuckling here because I have several passages to put forward, but they’re all long, so I’m trying to find the shortest, which will allow us to stay at our desired length. Here it is. Words of wisdom from Bruh David, taken from his song, ‘The Lord gives dominion to the King.’ And that He truly did my brethren. ‘The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou at my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool…The LORD hath sworn, and will not repent (relent), Thou art a priest for ever, after (according to) the order of Melchizedek.’ (Ps.110:1,4) Yes my people, our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ was long ago destined to be Advocate and High Priest in the Father’s plans. And since we’re His faithful followers, then we ought to behave as such; that’s acknowledging His power, grace and LOVE, while living in excellence and obedience, the same way He lived, and still lives in obedience to His Father. From day one, Jesus has always been the perfect example. Let’s see if we can’t take a page from His book nuh Friends. More on this topic tomorrow, our God willing. Till then, I implore us to ardently LOVE our God, genuinely LIVE our Faith, and faithfully SPREAD His Word. That’s the mark of a true believer. Much LOVE!…the only way our advocate can help us…is if we talk to Him…often…and truthfully…
 

Hebrews 8:1.    Now of the things which we have spoken this is the sum: We have such a high priest, who is set on the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens.
 
Oh Friends, it’s a brand new day, we’re alive and communicating! Thank the Lord! Isn’t He great my people? He sure is! I was a tad leery of using this Bit today, but the Spirit convinced me when He lead me to some quotes of Bill Crosby, in particular this one: ‘Human beings are the only creatures that allow their children to come back home.’ We’ll all chuckle at that, but it’s the truth, and after contemplating our Bit in that light: ‘Now of the things which we have spoken this is the sum (main point): We have such a high priest, who is set at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens:’ I realized that the heavenly Father allowed, no, directed His Son Jesus Christ to return home to heaven after He’d completed His duties here on earth. And in grateful appreciation of the wonderful job He’d done, the Father welcomed Him home with great pomp and glory and gave Him the top job available; that of running the kingdom, with every knee bowing to His Holy Name both in heaven and on earth! Wow! What a homecoming! So children coming back home is not always a bad thing, though it’s often fraught with inconvenience and tension as the children, now adults, want to do their own thing, while the parents still insist on treating them like children. But doh worry my offspring, you all are welcome to ‘cotch’ with the ole fella anytime, not for too long though. (smile) Now let’s see what the author of Hebrews is trying to say here. And I don’t see why there’s so much fuss about the authorship, for I’m convinced that Bruh Paul, or some clone of his, wrote it. It sounds too much like him; what with the sometimes highfalutin language, the generally high level of education displayed, and great knowledge of the scriptures. In the long run though, I guess who wrote it, isn’t as important as what they wrote. In our Bit, the writer claims that the main point he’s been making in his discourse is that Jesus Christ is our High Priest, our Advocate and Intercessor, who sits at God the Father’s right hand. ‘A minister of the sanctuary, and of the true tabernacle, which the Lord pitched, and not man.’ (Heb.8:2) Now Friends, it’s very important we note that distinction: the Church headed by Jesus, was founded, established by God, and not mortal, sinful man. That means it’s all pervasive; its roots go deep and wide, its canopy reaches to high heaven, while its length and breadth encompasses the entire universe. For if God is its creator, then it must needs envelop His whole creation. Unlike churches organized by man, where lots of negative situations exist, causing dissension and divisions, this Church headed by Jesus is solid and can’t be breached, with no possibility of dissension and divisions, because our High Priest won’t stand for it. He knows the enemy’s style is to divide and conquer, therefore the slightest break in ranks will give the evil opponent a chance to slip in, then create mischief and havoc amongst His people. But unfortunately Lucifer and his evil cronies have violated the earthly Church of Christ, because of our less than stellar godliness, righteousness and obedience to God’s Word. Friends, the Word doesn’t change, the Triune Godhead doesn’t change either, it’s only humans, what we believe and how we act, who change. So if anything is wrong with Christ’s earthly church, then it must be our fault. Riddle me this nuh: Why has our world gone from relative godliness to overwhelming ungodliness in a couple of generations? It’s not the fault of the Father, Jesus, or the Holy Spirit, but ours. The problem lies with our refusal to closely follow Jesus’ plan, set out in the gospel He preached, and instead to be enamoured of and ensnared by Lucifer’s evil follies and glittering baubles. That’s why Jesus is so busy up there in heaven advocating on our behalf. He really shouldn’t be half as busy, but our disobedience is so plentiful that it keeps Him on His toes. It’s a good thing that He’s a true and faithful advocate yes, else many of us would be doing hard time with Lucifer. Oh Friends, the contention and negativity that exists amongst Christ’s supposed followers here on earth is sadly harming His Church, and the only way to correct it is for believers to come together under one banner, one umbrella of FAITH, LOVE, and a godly LIFE. Until that happens, Christ’s Church, our world and all its institutions will languish and suffer negative repercussions. And I’m sure that’s not the kind of heritage we want to bequeath to our descendants. So please, let us each try and do better nuh, it’s our children’s souls we’re fighting for.  And we’ll end with some appropriate words of Bruh David: ‘Thou hast ascended on high, thou hast led captivity captive: thou hast received gifts for (among) men; yea, for the rebellious also, that the Lord God might dwell among them. Blessed be the Lord, who daily loadeth us with benefits, even the God of our salvation. Selah.’ (Ps.68:18-19) Oh my people, please, let’s take those truthful words to heart and turn our lives around nuh, so that they will bring greater glory to God. It’s all He asks of us. Much LOVE!…to reap true glory…we must sow…true righteousness…