Ephesians 5:19. Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord.
Oh Friends, morning’s a rising, so please prepare yourself to receive all that God has prepared anew for you; fresh mercy, forgiveness, blessings, LOVING-kindness etc. etc. It’s all yours, just there for the asking and taking! Anyway, earlier on, when I came down to write the Bit, I had no idea what I was going to write on, but as always, asked for guidance. And it’s oftimes strange and amusing how God answers our pleas. Today He answered mine by having me glance at one of the several fortune cookie pronouncements that I have on my desk. This one boldly declared: ‘A cheerful heart makes its own song.’ Now that’s a fact with which we cannot argue! That then led me to thinking how so many believers’ hearts are hard, stony and not cheerful, which in turn guided me to our Bit: ‘Speaking to ourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord.’ Oh Friends, our hearts are considered the bastion, the stronghold of our faith, from which all else flows; meaning that if they are not right, not in tune with our God, then our lives cannot be right either. And one of the ways to ensure that our hearts stay tender and pure is by talking to ourselves and others, repeating psalms, hymns and other spiritual material. That way we encourage and instruct each other by godly means, thus constantly renewing the cheerfulness of our hearts, and consequently our faith. And a very good example of that is when Bruh Paul and Silas were imprisoned in Philippi. The Good Book notes: ‘And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed and sang praises (were praying and singing hymns) unto God: and the prisoners heard them.’ (Acts 16:25) What a perfect way to communicate the gospel under less than perfect circumstances! And we all know what happened after: A sudden earthquake shook the prison, opening all doors and loosening the chains of all the prisoners, but none escaped. And when the warden, having seen the catastrophe, was about to commit suicide, Bruh Paul stopped him. Then later that same night, he and all his earthly family were baptized into the spiritual family of Jesus. (Acts 16:26-34) Wow! What a moving story! One only our God can produce! But it all began with the singing of psalms and spiritual songs, finding a way to keep the heart cheerful and in tune with the heavenly Father in poor, downtrodden circumstances. And when we’re not talking to others on a godly basis, we still need to be singing and making melody, giving praise and thanks in our individual hearts to our great God. Now sometimes that’s the most important part of it all; keeping our own hearts cheerful when we’re alone and under pressure. It’s not always easy to do when life and its numerous adversities bear down upon us with their full weight. But as James advises: ‘Is any among you afflicted (suffering)? let him pray. Is any merry (cheerful)? let him sing psalms.’ (James 5:13) Yes Friends, the best way to lift our sagging spirits is through prayer. And when they’re lifted, the best way to keep them cheerful is by singing spiritual songs. Now our talking and singing of spiritual songs might never produce the amazing and miraculous results that Bruh Paul’s and Silas’ did, but for sure it will help others, believers as well as non-believers. And above all, it will keep our own hearts, soft, tender, true and cheerful before our God. That will then leads us to: ‘Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ; Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God.’ (Eph.5:20-21) In other words, that cheerfulness produced by the Holy Spirit in our hearts will keep us continually being grateful to God for all He’s doing in our lives, and we’ll also have good relations with other believers, all based on what’s pleasurable in God’s eyes. So today my brethren, let’s promise ourselves to try and bring some cheerfulness to our own hearts and then of others around us, so that human lives will be uplifted and Almighty God praised and glorified. Much LOVE!…the only antidote for a cheerless heart…JESUS…
Oh Friends, morning’s a rising, so please prepare yourself to receive all that God has prepared anew for you; fresh mercy, forgiveness, blessings, LOVING-kindness etc. etc. It’s all yours, just there for the asking and taking! Anyway, earlier on, when I came down to write the Bit, I had no idea what I was going to write on, but as always, asked for guidance. And it’s oftimes strange and amusing how God answers our pleas. Today He answered mine by having me glance at one of the several fortune cookie pronouncements that I have on my desk. This one boldly declared: ‘A cheerful heart makes its own song.’ Now that’s a fact with which we cannot argue! That then led me to thinking how so many believers’ hearts are hard, stony and not cheerful, which in turn guided me to our Bit: ‘Speaking to ourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord.’ Oh Friends, our hearts are considered the bastion, the stronghold of our faith, from which all else flows; meaning that if they are not right, not in tune with our God, then our lives cannot be right either. And one of the ways to ensure that our hearts stay tender and pure is by talking to ourselves and others, repeating psalms, hymns and other spiritual material. That way we encourage and instruct each other by godly means, thus constantly renewing the cheerfulness of our hearts, and consequently our faith. And a very good example of that is when Bruh Paul and Silas were imprisoned in Philippi. The Good Book notes: ‘And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed and sang praises (were praying and singing hymns) unto God: and the prisoners heard them.’ (Acts 16:25) What a perfect way to communicate the gospel under less than perfect circumstances! And we all know what happened after: A sudden earthquake shook the prison, opening all doors and loosening the chains of all the prisoners, but none escaped. And when the warden, having seen the catastrophe, was about to commit suicide, Bruh Paul stopped him. Then later that same night, he and all his earthly family were baptized into the spiritual family of Jesus. (Acts 16:26-34) Wow! What a moving story! One only our God can produce! But it all began with the singing of psalms and spiritual songs, finding a way to keep the heart cheerful and in tune with the heavenly Father in poor, downtrodden circumstances. And when we’re not talking to others on a godly basis, we still need to be singing and making melody, giving praise and thanks in our individual hearts to our great God. Now sometimes that’s the most important part of it all; keeping our own hearts cheerful when we’re alone and under pressure. It’s not always easy to do when life and its numerous adversities bear down upon us with their full weight. But as James advises: ‘Is any among you afflicted (suffering)? let him pray. Is any merry (cheerful)? let him sing psalms.’ (James 5:13) Yes Friends, the best way to lift our sagging spirits is through prayer. And when they’re lifted, the best way to keep them cheerful is by singing spiritual songs. Now our talking and singing of spiritual songs might never produce the amazing and miraculous results that Bruh Paul’s and Silas’ did, but for sure it will help others, believers as well as non-believers. And above all, it will keep our own hearts, soft, tender, true and cheerful before our God. That will then leads us to: ‘Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ; Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God.’ (Eph.5:20-21) In other words, that cheerfulness produced by the Holy Spirit in our hearts will keep us continually being grateful to God for all He’s doing in our lives, and we’ll also have good relations with other believers, all based on what’s pleasurable in God’s eyes. So today my brethren, let’s promise ourselves to try and bring some cheerfulness to our own hearts and then of others around us, so that human lives will be uplifted and Almighty God praised and glorified. Much LOVE!…the only antidote for a cheerless heart…JESUS…
SCRIP-BITS 