SCRIP-BITS

Job 40:4.    Behold, I am vile; what shall I answer thee? I will lay mine hand upon my mouth.’
 
Oh Friends, It’s Monday once again! The bugle’s blowing Reveille, warning us to get up and put on our spiritual battle gear for another strenuous week of battle in the trenches of work, on Jesus’ behalf. And though some of us, like Buju Banton, are still battered and bruised, still nursing wounds from last week’s encounter, it’s imperative that we answer today’s call regardless of our state. But thankfully, because of our God’s great mercies, which are new and abundant each morning, our spiritual self will enable us to weather the storm. So let’s now ask the Father for strength, courage and guidance in these calamitous times, by loudly and proudly singing our Monday Morning Battle Hymn. All together now: ‘Oh Lord God Almighty, Creator of the universe and all therein! We, your humble servants, praise your Holy Name and thank you that this Monday morning we have jobs to go to; jobs we don’t like, jobs that are unfair, difficult and even dangerous, but which serve a useful purpose here on earth; keeping lives and families together. We also thank you Father for the renewed vitality and enthusiasm you’ve wrought in our weary souls over the last two days. It’s that rejuvenation of Spirit which allows us now to sally forth with confidence into the evil, ungodly world that surrounds us, to begin a new week of work, constantly buffeted and bombarded by the enemy’s wicked taunts, wiles and lies. But heavenly Father, we’re not afraid, for we know we’re invincible, sure conquerors, once we’re wearing your powerful, protective spiritual armour. We surrender our all to you, and humbly ask that you let your incredible aura of LOVE, the Holy Spirit, lead and guide all your servants as we go out to meet the enemy in battle. Fill us with steadfast faith, so that we can make worthwhile inroads into the enemy’s ranks, and thereby further your glorious kingdom. We pray this in the Holy Name of your Son, and our Saviour, Jesus Christ. AMEN!’ Yes mih people, that ought to boost our spirits and empower us to go out into the evil world with confidence to fight the good fight of faith. But please note that though we may feel strong and powerful, we must always remember to be humble. It’s extremely important that we humble ourselves before Almighty God, or else He will bring us to our knees, and not easily, but painfully, like He did Job. Oh Job was decent enough in his daily dealings, but after his misfortune and the acid words his supposed friends hurl at him, he gets a bit self-righteous in his replies until the Lord takes him to task, and asks him this all-important question: ‘Shall he that contendeth with the Almighty instruct him? He that reproveth (rebukes) God, let him answer it?’ (Job 40:2) My brethren, that’s also a question that we should ponder, considering the haughty and prideful behaviour of our world in general, and in particular of so many supposed believers. And like Job, in the words of our Bit, we ought to humbly declare: ‘Behold, I am vile; what shall I answer thee? I will lay mine hand upon my mouth.’ Ah Friends, in the face of the omnipotent, omniscient and always around God, what else could Job say eh? And it should serve as a reminder to us to always consider our personal situations before forming opinions and passing harsh judgement on others, since we don’t know what’s truly going on in their lives, how God is dealing with or using them. Unfortunately, in this ungodly society, that’s become the norm. This brings us to the prophet Ezra’s confession when the Israelites were trying to get things together in Babylon to go and rebuild Jerusalem. ‘And at the evening sacrifice I arose from my heaviness (fasting); and having rent (torn) my garment and my mantle, I fell upon my knees, and spread out my hands unto the Lord my God. And said, O my God, I am ashamed and blush to lift up my face to thee, my God: for our iniquities are increased over our head, and our trespass (guilt) is grown up unto the heavens.’ (Ezra 9:5-6) Oh my people, our time is certainly a reflection of Ezra’s. If possible, it’s even more blatantly sinful and ungodly, and it would do all of us a world of good to fall on our knees and confess our vile and sinful state to Almighty God. It’s the only way out of the stink, stagnant morass in which our world’s currently mired. More tomorrow on this topic, our God willing. Till then, please walk and talk the LOVE of the Father. Much LOVE!…by definition…a godly heart…is a humble heart…
 

Proverbs 4:1.    Hear, ye children, the instruction of a father, and attend to know understanding.

                                                        HAPPY  FATHER’S  DAY!

Oh Friends, on this bright and glorious Sunday morning, let me wish all fathers, including those mothers doing double duty as fathers, a blessed and prosperous Father’s Day! A father is supposed to be the head of the household, providing godly leadership and guidance to those around him. That’s simply the way the Creator established it. Consequently, a father has to have both a good and wise knowledge of life, as well as portray those elements in his personal lifestyle. Fatherhood does carry an enormous responsibility, and that’s one reason why so many men run from it, and why so many families are dysfunctional. But it’s our godly calling, therefore we should embrace it with fervour and joy instead of running from it. What a pleasure it is to raise a godly, decent and LOVING family! And like every other collective in our world, it takes wisdom at the top to ensure overall success. If proper guidance at the helm isn’t forthcoming, then the project(s) will always go awry. Wise Cousin Sol knew this, hence the subtitle of Proverbs 4; ‘A Father’s Wisdom.’ He thus boldly declares our Bit for today: ‘Hear, ye children, the instruction of a father, and attend to know understanding.’ Yes Friends, children, in fact the entire family ought to listen to the father’s instructions and desire to acquire understanding, as to why and how these instructions were come by and why they are so important and relevant in their lives. ‘For I give you good doctrine, forsake ye not my law.’ (Prov.4:2) Now that’s exactly what a good father ought to provide; wise and sensible foundations for his household. That’s why Cousin Sol, at the beginning of Proverbs, ominously warns: ‘My son, hear the instruction of thy father, and forsake not the law of thy mother: for they shall be an ornament of grace unto thy head, and chains about thy neck.’ (Prov.1:8-9) That’s the living truth my people! Father’s must appeal to their children to listen to their directives and choose wisdom over folly. And I like how the scholars slip in here: ‘The mention of the mother shows that the original setting of the book was at home, not the court or the school.’ Bingo my brethren! It is indeed the home where all this stuff needs to begin, not somewhere outside. Note, it should definitely continue outside, but it can only be properly directed when begun, enforced and reinforced at home. Remember that old but true saying: ‘Charity begins at home.’ That’s an indisputable fact: LOVE and all its trappings must start at home for it to be truly successful in our lives. Seeing different things at home and outside, causes confusion in young minds. But when the solid foundation of LOVE is laid down at home, then it serves as a bulwark, powerful protection against the evils and distractions of this world. And when we pay attention to our parent’s instruction, we’re graced from God with beautiful ornaments for our lives; things like wisdom, justice and understanding. Cousin Sol himself had good groundings from his father, Bruh David, who, despite his many mistakes, never forsook God, and guided Sol in a godly direction. Hear how Bruh David says it when he changed his ways before Abimelech the priest, who drove him away to the wilderness. In the resultant psalm, the Lord hears the righteous, he proclaims: ‘Come ye children, hearken unto me: I will teach you the fear of the Lord.’ (Ps.34:11) Now that’s indeed a parent’s first and most important job; to teach their offspring about Jehovah God, how to serve, worship and revere Him! And having declared theoretically all that a father ought to be, we finally come to the reality of the situation. Unfortunately, it’s rather an unfortunate one. For whatever reason, and there are several, too many households today lack incumbent fathers. In addition, too many of the incumbent ones are weak and/or not seriously focused on God, therefore they can’t teach the children, or those around them the right way. As a result, families, or what passes for families in this nuclear age of greed, evil and violence, have no strong, solid foundation, and thus the members are easily led astray. Just look at how our children are feasted upon and consumed by worldly lusts! In other words, the family, the basic root, the necessary foundation of our society is being eroded, or has already been destroyed, because there’s nothing strong and cohesive to hold it together. The glue that once unified it; God and general decency towards others, no longer play a prominent role in our society. The logical conclusion to this negative trend, if it continues, is the eventual destruction of society as we know it. Oh Friends, we have neither the time or space to delve into why fatherhood is at such a low ebb, but it is an unsustainable position. And with more people bearing children outside of wedlock, plus the increased use of fertility clinics and artificial insemination, fewer fathers will be in future households, thus worsening an already bad situation. Anyway, for those fathers who are there for their children, whether or not they live together, my sincere advice is to please keep up the good work. I know it’s a difficult up-hill task in this confused and evil world, but in the long run you will be well rewarded, both in heaven by the Father, and here on earth with godly, well balanced children. Much LOVE!…train up a child in the way he should go…and (even) when he is old…he will not depart from it… (Prov.22:6)  P.S Sorry for this being so late people, but I wanted to go to church, haven’t been in a month, and I didn’t get up early enough to do it before church. These days my ying and yang are out of whack. (smile) And more importantly, I couldn’t pass up the once in a while opportunity to go to church with my young daughter, especially after all that I’ve written above. It’s long, but beautiful. (smile) Much LOVE!

Lamentations 3:22-23.    It is of the Lord’s mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.
 
Oh Friends, do you feel the undeniably new and uplifting mercies of God being showered down upon you this bright and sunny Saturday morning? I’m sure you do! Just being alive, not reading your name in the day’s obits, is cause enough to celebrate and give Him a big, ‘Thank you Lord!’ Yes my people, once we’re alive anything’s possible, there’s hope for improvement in everything around us. Why? Because that’s the faithful, non-retractable promise of our most wonderful and magnificent God! So please, let’s stop being fearful and worried about the daily problems of life that surround us, that keep us tied up in knots, and instead simply dedicate our lives to truly serving our heavenly Father. Remember these assuring words of Jesus: ‘Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they? Which of you by taking thought (worrying) can add one cubit unto his stature (height)?’ (Matt.6:26-27) None of us can, so there’s absolutely no need to panic, for as our Bit so rightly states: ‘It is of the Lord’s mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.’ So why has worry become like a national pastime, when our most faithful God blesses us each day with LOVE and compassion anew? Instead, with the wonderful promise in the Word and the visible evidence in our lives, we should be continually rejoicing and giving God thanks for being so good to us, when we really don’t deserve it. Consequently, before we get to the scriptures I’ve been promising for the last two days, (smile) let’s all join together and offer up a loud, grateful and sincere word of thanks. ‘Oh Father in heaven, we your humble servants down here on earth, thank You and bless Your Holy Name because You’ve been so good to us in these troubled times. We humbly ask that You continue to bless us as we fight the good fight of faith to further Your glorious kingdom. On the holy, spilled blood of Your Son Jesus, we pray. Amen.’ Yes my people, there’s nothing our God likes to hear more than heartfelt thanks and appreciation!  Now turning to those scriptures that tie into our Bit on the Lord’s never ending compassions and mercies, let’s begin with a word from Malachi, where he solemnly declares: ‘For I am the Lord, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed.’ (Mal.3:6) So true Friends! Only because the Lord made a covenant with our fathers and He is a faithful and unchanging Deity that we’re not condemned to eternal death and damnation for our numerous sins against Him. Then in the Maschil (Contemplation) of the psalmist Asaph, titled ‘A reminder of God’s goodness to Israel,’ he rightly declares: ‘But he, being full of compassion, forgave their iniquity, and destroyed them not: yea, many a time turned he his anger away, and did not stir up all his wrath. For he remembered that they were but flesh; a wind that passeth away, and cometh not again.’ (Ps.78:38-39) Oh my brethren in Christ, how can we not be truly grateful and appreciative of such and understanding and magnanimous God eh? And we’ll close with some appropriate words from Isaiah, as he talks about salvation being for those who trust in God: ‘O Lord, be gracious unto us; we have waited for thee: be thou their arm every morning, our salvation also in the time of trouble.’ (Is.33:2) Yes Friends, in light of all the evil and ungodly turmoil that’s currently surrounding us, those scriptures sure are good ones for us to ponder on this day. So till we talk again tomorrow, our God in favour, please walk safely under the shadow of His mighty, all-embracing wings. Much LOVE!…only a Deity who’s sure and confident in Himself…like our Jehovah God…can afford to be so magnanimous…
 

Lamentations 3:22-23.    It is of the Lord’s mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.
 
Oh Friends, oh Friends, it’s Friday! This week sure has passed quickly. And all around the world, in various languages, voices are shouting heavenward, ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday!’ That’s because the weekend cometh, when we’re allotted a short period for rejuvenation. And though it’s short, it’s a very important aspect of our working lives, for without that brief respite every five days, we’d soon crumble like the dust from which we were created. So let’s chant our Friday Chant that calls out to our heavenly Father for mercy and LOVING-kindness. ‘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 offered up that prayer for weekend guidance, let’s look at our Bit, which is the same as yesterday. Today though, instead of my crazy ramblings, (smile) we’ll look at some scriptures that are tied into it. ‘It is of the Lord’s mercies that we’re not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.’ Ah my brethren, those are such important words in a believer’s life. According to the scholars, the two verses of our Bit form the main theme of the Book of Lamentations; they highlight God’s compassions, mercies and faithfulness. But what do these words mean? In God’s magnanimity, when He deals with us, His sinful children, He’s exhibiting compassion, which, per the dictionary is ‘Pity (sympathy, empathy) inclining one to spare or help.’ Now Friends, we’d better give our God a big, ‘Thank you Lord!’ for exhibiting that tendency to spare and help, in other words to forgive us, otherwise we’d be long lost unto eternal death and damnation. Then, when we think about His mercies, we’re talking about His great and unconditional LOVE for His people. And on that score, all God’s people declared a loud, appreciative ‘Thank you Lord!’ And we’d better be truly thankful yes, because if our Creator and our God didn’t care for us so much, then crapaud would surely smoke we pipe. Now if this God who has such empathy and unconditional LOVE for us isn’t an awesome and wonderful Deity, then I don’t know who is. He is the ONLY TRUE Deity in the universe, the ONLY ONE who’s ALIVE and kicking, and also the ONLY ONE who forgives wrongs when His people come to Him in sincere repentance. All the other dead fakes punish without reprieve. In addition to that, every single, solitary day, our God begins from scratch, showering us with new sympathy, empathy and LOVE! WOW! What a magnificent God we worship my people! And this happens everyday without fail because He’s faithful. Per the scholars, the word faithful comes from Greek roots meaning to ‘be permanent, secure and reliable.’ And our God sure is all those! From this then comes the idea of faith, where solid trust and reliability abound. This brings us to the realization that if God is so faithful to us, then we believers ought also to be very faithful to Him. It’s a two way street. And on our part, that faithfulness has to be borne out in all aspects of our lives; everything we do must show a constant, consistent, reliable and responsible attitude towards the Lord God Jehovah. True faith, true belief ought to be reflected in the way we live our lives. Now we all recognize that it’s not easy to live a true Christian life in this evil, ungodly world, but we’re also positive that with God’s generous, unstinting help, we certainly can make a good go of it. And having digressed somewhat, though I think it’s a good digression, (smile) time and space have run out on us, so we’ll have to do the scripture thing tomorrow, the Lord in favour. Let me also apologize for the Bit being so late, it was just one of those days: I had a couple problems to iron out before I began, then my trusty computer acted up some, then the nurse wanted to come earlier than usual to check on my wound. So everything just got backed up. But thankfully I’ve had my three problems for the day, the rest of it should now be clear sailing. In conclusion, Friends, the only wise and sensible way for us to live is to keep on trusting and being faithful to our God, who first LOVED us and showed great compassion on a bunch of ungrateful sinners. Where else can we find such empathy? Much LOVE!…to LOVE, serve and worship our God…that’s the very essence…the very reason for our being…

Lamentations 3:22-23.    It is of the Lord’s mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.
 
Oh Friends, it’s daybreak! That means new mercies, new blessings, new forgiveness and all the other good stuff that flows from our great and wonderful God is pouring out in large measure to fulfil His Word, our Bit: ‘It is of the Lord’s mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.’ Yes my people, just as we buy things like bread, fruit and vegetables fresh every day, likewise the Lord our God begins anew with us each morning. At the start of every day, He provides us with new, nourishing stuff. The important thing then is for us to come to Him and accept the new provision on a daily basis. Just as He provided manna for the Israelites in the wilderness on a daily basis, He does the same thing for us in these supposed modern times. And like the Israelites of old, we too have to reach out for it, to go out and gather it. It doesn’t come to us automatically. Now that’s where too many of us fall down; we either don’t realize that the goodness of the Lord is there for harvesting, or we simply sit on our laurels and expect it to come to us with no expending of energy on our part. Unfortunately though my brethren, our God doesn’t work like that. Remember we’re partners with Him, and the word partners entails that each has their part to play. The Lord does His part by providing His goodness to us sinful souls, then we need to do ours by reaching out and accepting it and being thankful for His goodness. And that’s not all my people. Once we’ve gathered our daily bread, we need to remember that it wasn’t provided just for our benefit and selfish purposes, but also to share with the less fortunate around us. That’s another area where we believers are not as strong as we should be. We allow the troubles of the world, the scarcity of stuff to blind us to the Lord’s decree to share, and instead we tend to hoard for our own selfish purposes. We need to fully realize that we’re just stewards of the Lord’s goodness, of His generosity, (Luke 12:42) and whatever we’re blessed with, is not solely for us to treasure and/or enjoy, but also to share, to spread abroad, so that God’s glorious name can be uplifted, and His kingdom furthered. Oh Friends, it’s very important that we act upon the premise, the principle, that every blessing showered upon us, bears a portion that we need to share, to shower on someone else. It’s never all for our hoarding purpose. In any case, hoarding is not a very nice thing to do, when so many of our fellow men have nothing at all. But sadly, that’s the way of the world. It’s not that there isn’t enough in the world to go around, but it’s the inequitable distribution that’s causing most of the havoc. Too few have too much, while too many have too little. And if the distribution of the world’s assets was just a little bit fairer, many of our problems, like hunger, poverty, sickness and homelessness, would be truly alleviated, greatly lessened, if not eradicated. But unfortunately, like Aristotle supposedly said,’ Man is a selfish animal.’ And that’s the basic root of all our problems; selfishness, stemming from the lowly individual, right up through our societies to the international level. And my brethren, believe me, it’s only the LOVE of Jesus Christ working in our hearts and souls that can ever hope to lessen that selfishness. Look at all our world problems, and it’s either somebody wants what somebody else has, and they won’t share, or somebody wants to do it their way, and somebody else won’t allow them to do it. But it all comes right back down to the singular designation, ‘I, Me, My and Mine.’ Very seldom, if ever, does the plural, ‘We’ and ‘Ours’ aspect of the situation ever take precedence. Ah Friends, the ole fella’s chuckling because this is one of those Bits that seemingly came from nowhere. There was nothing that I personally felt the need to communicate today, so I asked for guidance, for something worthwhile to write on, and this is where the Spirit led me. Now the writing itself might be a bit convoluted and confusing, (smile) but the essence of the piece is very true. And the essence is that we need to begin each new day with our God; gather and accept His goodness and LOVING-kindness with humility and gratitude, then share what He’s so generously given us with others. I know that lifestyle is not so easy in practice, but we’re called believers and Christians because that’s Jesus’ way, and if we truly believe in Him, then we’ll bend over backwards to do it the way He desires. Much LOVE!…oh…to be like Jesus in every way…that’s the heartfelt desire of every Christian…
 

Proverbs 28:10.    Whoso causeth the righteous to go astray in an evil way, he shall fall himself into his own pit: but the upright shall have good things in possession.
 
Oh Friends, a new day has dawned sunny and bright in my area, and hopefully with some more heat than the last few days. But however it turns out, I hope that we all gave our God some thanks and praise when we awoke and asked for His unparalleled guidance during the day, cause that’s what we need to get our day off on the right foot. And do I have a great quote for us today! It’s taken from my ‘I LOVE YOU’ poster, and says: ‘No one is guaranteed happiness. Life just gives us time and space. It’s up to us to fill it with joy and meaning.’ And that’s the gospel truth my brethren! For regardless of how wonderful our earthly circumstances may be, if we don’t choose to be happy, we won’t be happy. Just look at the numerous rich, unhappy people in our world. They don’t have any real earthly problems, yet they’re still grouchy, miserable and unhappy. Yes Friends, it’s up to each and every one of us to wallpaper the time and space granted us here on earth with joyful and meaningful memories. It all bespeaks a conscious choice, a wilful action on our part to enliven our own lives. So please don’t be like so many people today, who sit waiting for something or someone else to enlighten their lives, to bring joy and meaning to them, because that’s our personal job. Waiting for others to make us joyful will cause us to severely miss out on the great enjoyment actually possible here on planet earth through our own efforts. And with those words of wisdom, (smile) let’s turn to our Bit; ‘Whoso causeth the righteous (upright) to go astray in an evil way, he shall fall himself into his own pit: but the upright shall have good things in possession (inherit good things).’ That’s for sure Friends! Anytime we lead innocent, decent people astray, we will fall into a trap of our own. Notice all the big scam and con artists who eventually get caught in their own schemes, while trying to profit illegally from others. Cousin Sol said it perfectly, earlier on in his writings. ‘Whoso diggeth a pit shall fall therein: and he that rolleth a stone, it will return upon (roll back on) him.’ (Prov.26:27) That’s just the way the Lord planned it my brethren. So let’s be careful that when we come up with our supposed brilliant schemes and plans to do whatever, that we’re not taking advantage of others, of leading them astray, because in the long run, those same ungodly schemes of ours will boomerang right back on us. On the other hand though, ‘the upright shall have good things in possession (inherit good things).’ There again Friends, that’s just how our wise and wonderful God set it up: You do evil, evil returns to haunt you. You do good, good things happen to you.  Note though, that not because we’re believers and always endeavour to do good, means that nothing bad is ever going to happen to us. Unfortunately life isn’t that cut and dried; both good and bad happen to all humans. As Job enlightened his wife during his time of tribulation: ‘What? Shall we receive (accept) good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive evil (accept calamity)?’ (Job 2:10) But overall my brethren, the righteous will always prosper. That’s why Jesus warned us not to seek the things of this world, which are inferior and will eventually rot or be destroyed. ‘But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.’ (Matt.6:33) So please my people, in these truly calamitous times, it’s very necessary that we seek the eternal, indestructible things of heaven, so that we can clean up some of the mess here on earth, that our worldly, lustful thinking has caused. Much LOVE!…do me wrong…you’ll pay in pain…do me right…you’ll be richly rewarded…
 

2 Corinthians 5:7.    For we walk by faith, not by sight.
 
Oh Friends, I’m getting better, I’m getting better! Hallelujah! Thank you Jesus, I’m getting better! Wow! What an enthusiastic beginning my people! But it’s a fact that I’m getting better, though most days I feel like I’m taking one step forward and a half step backward. But it’s very important to note that what turns out to be only a half step forward, is indeed improvement. It might seem slow and miniscule or inadequate to my human, physical side, but my eyes of faith are calling it with great certainty, because that’s what our eyes of faith are supposed to do. It’s like our Bit says: ‘For we walk by faith, not by sight.’ Before it can happen in the physical realm, we must first see it happening in the spiritual. Hence the reason for my ebullient opening remarks. (smile) Oh Friends, the same principle holds true for all aspects of a believer’s life, where we need to call things by faith. The author of Hebrews puts it thus: ‘Now faith is the substance (realization) of things hoped for, the evidence (conviction) of things not seen. For by it the elders (Old Testament prophets) obtained a good report. Through faith we understand that the worlds (ages) were framed (prepared) by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear (are visible).’ (Heb.11:1-3) Faith thus provides ‘substance’ and ‘evidence’ to our hopes, thoughts and dreams, and if we don’t call and expect those things through faith, then the likelihood of them ever coming to pass are severely limited. That’s not to say that everything we wish for or desire will come to pass if we see them through the eyes of faith. In the first place those desires must be in accordance with God’s Word and His law. If they’re not, then you can see with the eyes of faith until yuh blind and they won’t come true. The Word my brethren, especially the spoken Word, is extremely powerful. Remember that’s how God created the universe and all therein; He spoke it all into existence. The same goes for us; we’ve got to speak what we seek, provided it aligns with God’s Word. Then we’ve got to hold that vision of our desire(s) being accomplished with a will of hope, of faith, of faith and trust in Almighty God, who created us and promised, till eternity, to look after those who are obedient to His will. Bruh Paul said it to the Roman Church this way: ‘For we are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for it? But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience (perseverance) wait (eagerly) for it.’ (Rom.8:24-25) Yes my people, it’s time we believers start taking hold of the belief we talk about so much and begin using it to improve our lives and the lives of those around us. Let’s see that vision of faith, of improvement in our mind’s eye and call it like it is, holding on to it through strong and steadfast hope, surrender and trust (faith) in our magnificent and magnanimous God, until it appears in real life. That way we’ll all move from glory to glory, walking in the wonderful footsteps of Jesus Christ, doing the Father’s will. Much LOVE!…I’m getting better…thank the Lord…I can see…that I’m getting better…
 

Psalm 63:7.    Because thou hast been my help, therefore in the shadow of thy wings will I rejoice.
 
Hallelujah! Hallelujah! It’s Monday! Hn, hn, hn! Oh Friends, I know that none of us are overjoyed at it being Monday. We’re most likely shouting something beside hallelujah, something unprintable in a fine family piece as the Bit. (smile) Yes, Monday means it’s work again, but we should at least be grateful for God’s goodness in granting us another day on this beautiful earth, where we live in relative peace and comfort compared to 90 % of the world. And all God’s people sighed in gratitude and said a half-hearted, ‘Thank you Lord.’ Anyway mih people, we can’t fight it, so we might as well join it, and joyfully too. So let’s rev up our attitude by glorifying our great God and singing our Monday Morning Battle Hymn with much gusto. ‘Oh Lord God Almighty, Creator of the universe and all therein! We, your humble servants, praise your Holy Name and thank you that this Monday morning we have jobs to go to; jobs we don’t like, jobs that are unfair, difficult and even dangerous, but which serve a useful purpose here on earth; keeping lives and families together. We also thank you Father for the renewed vitality and enthusiasm you’ve wrought in our weary souls over the last two days. It’s that rejuvenation of Spirit which allows us now to sally forth with confidence into the evil, ungodly world that surrounds us, to begin a new week of work, constantly buffeted and bombarded by the enemy’s wicked taunts, wiles and lies. But heavenly Father, we’re not afraid, for we know we’re invincible, sure conquerors, once we’re wearing your powerful, protective spiritual armour. We surrender our all to you, and humbly ask that you let your incredible aura of LOVE, the Holy Spirit, lead and guide all your servants as we go out to meet the enemy in battle. Fill us with steadfast faith, so that we can make worthwhile inroads into the enemy’s ranks, and thereby further your glorious kingdom. We pray this in the Holy Name of your Son, and our Saviour, Jesus Christ. AMEN!’ Yes Friends, that ought to give an adrenalin boost to our godly efforts, though we shouldn’t really need one. Simply being alive and remembering all that God has done for us should be sufficient to keep our spirits high. Just check out our Bit: ‘Because thou hast been my help, therefore in the shadow of thy wings will I rejoice.’ Wow! What a moving testimony! And what’s so great about this psalm is that Bruh David wrote it while he was hiding out in the wilderness from his many enemies. It’s also not a petition for help, but rather a song of praise. Its subtitle is ‘God satisfies the thirsting soul.’ And that’s gospel my people! Anytime we truly long for God and the things associated with Him, He will satisfy our hunger, because that’s how He desires us to be. Hungering for God is a true sign of a believer. And if we’ve been a believer for any length of time, then we will obviously have reason, many reasons to boot, to say like Bruh David: ‘Because thou hast been my help…’ That’s right my brethren, all believers have plenty stuff to be thankful to God for, it’s part of being a believer. So though this Monday morning it seems hard to get up and get going, let’s remember the goodness of our God over the many unfortunate situations in which we’ve found ourselves. Let’s also be grateful for His unconditional LOVE, forgiveness and mercy, and offer Him heartfelt thanks. Then, like Bruh David says, let’s rejoice in the shadow of His wings, the safest place there is in the universe. It’s the only way to handle this crazy life in a peaceful, calm and positive manner. Much LOVE!…to truly LOVE God and rejoice in His goodness…oh…mere words can never successfully describe…

Psalm 51:2.    Wash me thoroughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin.
 
Well hello there all you beautiful people, believers in Jesus Christ and His wonderful Christian mission! Oh Friends, isn’t it good to be alive? It sure is! And isn’t it also great to be called a Christian? For sure! But please remember that being a Christian is also a great privilege that carries with it an awesome responsibility, for this mission, Christ’s Church, is no fly by night organization. It’s here to last until eternity! Through belief in Christ, we’re honoured, considered worthy to be called the children of God, and as such are entitled to come before Him in confidence and trust, since Christ’s precious blood paid our sin debt in full. But because of our inherent sinful nature, we still do wrong. However through this unbelievable connection to Almighty God, through His most faithful and obedient Son, Jesus, we have the privilege of going to God in prayer and asking for forgiveness of our sins. Our sins are not automatically forgiven because we’re believers. No, we have to come to God, with penitent hearts and ask for forgiveness. And throughout the Good Book, there’s nobody better than Bruh David in pleading for forgiveness for their sins. Hear him in our Bit, the second verse of his prayer for cleansing, when the prophet Nathan laid bare before him, his horrible transgression with Bathsheba. ‘Wash me thoroughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin.’  Ah Friends, all of us are human, thus liable to err, sometimes big, sometimes small, but err nevertheless, and when we do, we need to come before God, asap, repenting and asking forgiveness. ‘For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin is ever before me.’ (Ps.51:3) Yes my people, it’s also important that we admit to our wrongdoing, with humility and regret. And what’s so reassuring and wonderful about the whole process is that if we truly are sorry for our misdoings and come to God with a right heart and repentant attitude, He has promised, on several occasions, to cleanse us and forgive us our sins. And all God’s people joyfully shouted: ‘Hallelujah! For we serve such a mighty and magnanimous God!’ But please note Friends, it’s not supposed to be just a rote practice; you sin without care, then run to repent, then run to sin carelessly again. No! There is a responsibility to keep ourselves out of sin’s way. It’s not easy, but if we’re serious about it, and sincerely try to walk the right path, then God will help us do it. Now let’s hear some of those amazing promises He’s made to cleanse, heal and forgive us of our iniquity. We’ll start with the words of Jeremiah, talking about the glorious return promised to the Israelite captives: ‘And I will cleanse them from all their iniquity, whereby they have sinned against me; and I will pardon all their iniquities, whereby they have sinned, and whereby they have transgressed against me.’ (Jer.33:8) What an awesome promise people! And Ezekiel adds this encouragement: ‘Thus saith the Lord God; In the day that I shall have cleansed you from all your iniquities I will also cause you to dwell in the cities, and the wastes (ruins) shall be builded.’ (Ezek.36:33) Meanwhile, the author of Hebrews, when comparing the benefits of animal sacrifices and that of Jesus, solemnly declares: ‘How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot (blemish) to God, purge (cleanse) your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?’ (Heb.9:14) Yes Friends, it’s the precious blood of Jesus, spilled on our behalf, that gives us access to God, meaning that only believers can take advantage of the wonderful cleansing opportunities available. John, the beloved disciple, puts it this way: ‘If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not (practice) the truth: But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin…If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.’ (1 John 1:6-7, 9) And all God’s people shouted a thankful ‘Amen!’ Yes my brethren, being a Christian, a true follower of Christ, is a wonderful privilege! But please remember that with all great privileges also come great responsibilities. So a believer’s position is not to be taken lightly, for come the judgement day, when we all have to stand before Jesus and give an account of our lives, we sure don’t want to be cowering and mewling and stuttering before Him, because we never took our responsibilities seriously. So please, let’s get our act together, RIGHT NOW, for Jesus can return at any time, like the proverbial thief in the night, and we certainly don’t want to be found wanting and not ready to meet and greet Him. Much LOVE!…remember…to him that’s granted much…much is expected and required… (Luke 12:48)
 

1 Corinthians 4:11.    Even unto this present hour we both hunger, and thirst, and are naked, and are buffeted, and have no certain dwelling place.
 
Oh Friends, I sincerely hope that all of us who opened our eyes this still, cloudy, Saturday morning, with a roof over our heads, food on the table, clothes on our backs and all the other perks we enjoy, gave God much thanks for it yes, because we are truly blessed. And please don’t take that blessing for granted, because there are many millions in this prosperous world who will open their eyes today to nothing at all; no home, food, clothes, and worst of all probably, no future to talk about. Consequently, many will instead wish that they had not opened their eyes at all when they realize the cruelty of the day that lies ahead of them. Now see if you can answer me this riddle I this, riddle I that question: What do you do when the biggest refugee camp in the world is full…but more people come streaming in every day? The answer is simple; they just find space on the perimeter of the camp and the surrounding area. Oh Lord eh people! Man’s inhumanity to man is truly something else yes; so staggering in magnitude that it boggles the simple human mind! We’re talking in particular here of the three camps in north-eastern Kenya, known collectively as the Dadaab refugee camps. They were built some 20 years ago to house refugees fleeing conflict in Somalia. And though the border between Kenya and Somalia has officially been closed since 2007, people still stream through it everyday. Originally the camps were estimated to hold around 90 thousand people. Today though, they hold some 350 thousand unfortunate souls, and by year’s end, it’s estimated that figure will rise to 450 thousand. Wow! How can we justify refugees waiting 12 days to receive their first ration of food at the camps eh, and 34 days to receive cooking utensils and blankets from the U.N. refugee agency? We can’t. And what’s so sad about the whole matter is that the same scenario is being played out in numerous camps like those, in numerous countries around the globe, housing millions of displaced humans. Meanwhile we bitch and complain about trivial matters and inconveniences in our prosperous, pampered societies, mostly giving lip service, if even that, to the unenviable, deplorable situations of so many other unfortunate folks. And we boastfully call ourselves Christians! What a joke! What’s also sad about these situations is that most of these so-called refugees did not want to leave their homeland, but were forced to, either by natural disasters, or by man made wars and strife. Imagine how you’d feel nuh, if you were forced to leave your comfortable place of abode, due to matters outside of your control? Unfortunately, many of us in the Western Hemisphere are experiencing it these days with the numerous natural disasters taking place in our areas. I sure hope it will at last open our eyes to the terrible plight of many millions of humans around our planet living in total squalor, poverty, sickness, seemingly forgotten by their more prosperous brethren, without much hope of ever improving their lives. Yuh know Friends, I didn’t intend to make this refugee thing the main focus of the Bit, but once started, I just could not stop. The situation with displaced people around the world is truly heartrending. Then I had to find a suitable Bit, because the one I’d intended to use was totally unsuitable. That took me a fair amount of time to find, and is partly why the Bit’s so late. Eventually though, I was guided to the right one. These poor, unfortunate people literally know what Bruh Paul means, when he says: ‘Even unto this present hour we both hunger, and thirst, and are naked (poorly clothed), and are buffeted (beaten), and have no certain dwelling place (are homeless).’ Oh my brethren, many of us grew up poor, some even destitute, but I doubt if any of us experienced the horror and cruelty that our fellow humans are currently suffering in these squalid, forgotten refugee camps. Please, I implore us to make a concerted effort to first pray for them, then try to find some way, perhaps through an international agency, to help in alleviating their all-around suffering. It’s what our Lord and Saviour Jesus would do, therefore we ought to follow His example. Let’s reach out and show some of that LOVE we talk so much about nuh people. It will make Jesus right proud of us. Much LOVE!…the cruelty, injustice and inhumanity that’s destroying our world…can only be overcome…by the LOVE of Jesus…