SCRIP-BITS

Proverbs 3:27.    Withhold not good from them to whom it is due, when it is in the power of thine hand to do it.
 
‘It’s Friday, it’s Friday! Thank God it’s Friday! Yeh Friends, I hear you all chanting the chorus as you come chipping down the road, relief for the weekend filling your souls. So why stop now eh? Let’s continue and chant we 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.’ And who says Christians doh enjoy life eh? Possibly the misguided ones. But if we know that the end will be great and joyous, as Jesus promised, why live miserable, unhappy lives here on earth? So, mih people, let’s keep a smile on our faces, good cheer in our hearts, and a spring in our step, as we endeavour to do Jesus’ work nuh. The worst thing a believer can do is to talk to someone about Christ with a sour, negative disposition. The person you’re witnessing to will surely consider it thus: ‘How come yuh telling me about this wonderful Jesus Christ, and the great life He offers, both down here, and in some place called heaven, yet yuh looking and behaving so sour and miserable?’ Oh Friends, there’s nothing that turns off unbelievers, and other believers too, like ‘poe me one’, hard done by believers. Look at all the trials and tribulations Jesus, in His innocence, went through for our sakes, yet you never heard Him complain or develop a negative attitude. I know it’s not easy to bring forth a smile and good cheer from a sad and hurting heart, but people, if we’re followers of Jesus, we just have to do it. And we can too, if we ask Him to help us. It brings to mind some folks who ask how come I’m always singing and sound so happy? But they don’t know mih breddren that some of those happy tunes are masking a truly sad soul. And sometimes the sadder the soul, the more cheerful the external actions. The important thing is that believers try to show a positive attitude, because of what Jesus did for us and the great promises He’s made for the future. We can’t always be happy and grinning like a Cheshire cat, else they might lock us up in the loony bin, but we ought to have a consistently pleasant and positive outlook on life so others can see that Jesus is truly working in us, and if they embrace Him, that He will do the same for their hurting souls. Remember Friends, actions speak louder than words, and examples impress more than rhetoric. And I’m chuckling here because I’ve written all of this without a Bit. It’s one of those days when the Spirit just moved me to begin writing without a known direction. Sometimes when He plants the ideas in my mind, I just have to run with them right away, before I lose or forget them. Anyway, let’s see what Bit He’ll guide me to now. Oh Friends, I’m back…in less than five too! Without any fuss and struggle the Holy Spirit guided me to Proverbs 3:27. ‘Withhold not good from them to whom it is due, when it is in the power of thine hand to do it.’  That ties in nicely with what we’ve been talking about so far; having a positive spirit and letting Jesus shine forth from us. In particular though, we should not withhold good from others if it’s possible for us to do otherwise. Yuh know, like how plenty of us borrow stuff from others, especially money, then find it hard to give back what we’ve borrowed, even though we can afford to. Hear how Cousin Sol addresses that matter: ‘Say not unto thy neighbour, Go, and come again, and tomorrow I will give; when thou hast it by thee.’ (Prov.3:28) It also brings up some powerful words from Bruh Paul: ‘Render therefore to all their dues: tribute (tax) to whom tribute is due; custom to whom custom; fear to whom fear; honour to whom honour.’ (Rom.13:7) That’s another side of the equation. We ought to pay things like taxes without too much complaining, because it’s all part of God’s overall plan for running our lives. And finally, here’s another important piece of scripture from Bruh Paul in the same vein, this time to the Galatians: ‘As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith.’ (Gal.6:10) Oh Friends, that says it all! Christians are supposed to do good to all they encounter, especially other Christians. Hn! That Christian-to-Christian goodness though is a touchy subject, which we’ll leave for another time. Suffice it to say that we should do good to everybody, in Jesus’ Name. Amen! Much LOVE mih people!…if we bear the mark of Christ…then goodness and mercy… should continually flow from our hearts… P.S. Oh Friends, while editing this, I heard this lovely gospel soca on Wack 90.1 which truly describes Jesus: ‘Jesus is sweet, sweet. He’s so sweet, sweet. The more I hear of Jesus, The more I want to hear. The more I learn about Jesus, The more I want to learn. Cause Jesus is so sweet. He’s so sweet. Don’t you know that Jesus is sweet, sweet. Let the world know that Jesus is sweet, sweet.’ Exactly my Friends! Much LOVE!