SCRIP-BITS

2 Timothy 1:7.    For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of LOVE, and of a sound mind.
 
Oh Friends, another new day has dawned, still cloudy and rainy in my neck of the woods, but with it also come new mercies, new blessings and new healing. We might not actually see or feel them, but believe me, they’re there because our God has promised that they will be, and He’s nothing if not faithful. So let’s give Him the glory, the honour and the thanks this Sunday morning -it’s afternoon now- (smile) for looking after us, while most of our world is in an unstable uproar. Now please tell me, why do the night time shadows, which are supposed to bring us peace, rest and relaxation, often bring us the very opposite, especially when we’re sick or simply under the weather? Have you ever noticed that in rough times, although there’s no real physical change between the day and night time situations, yet as soon as night falls, we become more fearful, and often even dread the coming of night? Then as soon as day appears, all our fears just drift away. I guess it’s because we tend to hold the night darkness as a time of the unknown, of fear, of evil; we can’t see what’s happening in the darkness, so we just naturally become afraid of it. That’s why it makes so much sense to cling to Jesus, because He is the source of perpetual light, and in Him there’s no darkness at all, so when we cling to Him we will have no fear at all. Wow! And I guess that’s why I’ve been led to today’s Bit too. Although it’s one we’ve done already, it’s one that’s necessary to keep circulating through our fearful hearts minds and souls in these calamitous times. Once we’re associated with Jesus, we ought not to be afraid of darkness, of the unknown, or of anything for that matter. ”For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of LOVE, and of a sound mind.’ Why are we still so fearful when Jesus gave us this eternal principle? ‘Peace I leave with you, my peace I give you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.’ (John 14:27) Then Bruh Paul, in his message to the Roman church, reiterates Jesus’ promise: ‘For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.’ (Rom.8:14-15) And John, the beloved disciple, in his first epistle, boldly declares: ‘Herein is our LOVE made perfect (among us), that we may have boldness in the day of judgement; because as he is, so are we in this world. There is no fear in LOVE; but perfect LOVE casteth out fear: because fear hath (involves) torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in LOVE.’ (1 John 4:17-18) Oh my brethren, how much more assurance can we ask eh? As people of faith, we desperately need to hold on to all these promises. I know it’s a sort of vicious cycle, or chicken and egg situation, re which came first. We are supposed to be people of faith, but where do we get the faith to acquire faith in the first place, then the faith to keep the faith afterwards? If you’re confused, you’re not alone, I am too. (smile) Oh Friends, would you believe that while I’m writing this, about 8.30 in the morning, sipping a strong cup of coffee, I’m also fighting a bout of nausea. Steups! I’m tired with all this nonsense now yes! But don’t you think for one moment that the nausea is affecting my writing, cause it isn’t. I’m writing exactly what the Good Lord meant for me to write, so don’t think you can use the stupid nausea as an excuse to get out of what I’m saying. (smile) Anyway, in conclusion, when we talk about the spirit of power, and of LOVE, and of a sound mind, we need to also remember Jesus’ words to the apostles at His Ascension. ‘It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power (authority). But ye shall receive power, after that (when) the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.’ (Acts 1:7-8) And we know that the Spirit of awesome power, of LOVE, and of a sound mind came to those disciples on the day of Pentecost, and has been coming to every believer since then. So please, let’s set fear aside, grab hold of the powerful Spirit of Jesus that dwells within us, and steadfastly run our race of glory in His Holy Name, as we’re supposed to. Amen. Much LOVE!…in Jesus…there’s everything we need…and a whole lot more… P.S. Oh Friends, this has certainly been a hard-done by Bit. When I finished writing the rough draft this morning, I didn’t have the energy to type it on the computer, so I went back to bed. Didn’t wake up until mid-day, still feeling lousy, only to discover it wasn’t really nausea I’d been having this whole time, because nausea comes from the stomach and makes you feel to vomit, and I’ve had none of that. Instead, I’ve been really high on the pain medication. Hn, hn! That’s why I couldn’t catch myself even after much sleep. Then when I finally came down to type the Bit, I had to stop because the nurse came to remove the staples from my incision. What a day! But as the Good Book says, the Lord works out all things for the good to those who truly LOVE and revere Him. Much LOVE!