SCRIP-BITS

Ah Friends, it’s amazing how life can suddenly change from one instant to the next! We’re talking in particular here about the town of Goderich in Southern Ontario, which proclaimed itself as ‘the prettiest town in Canada.’ Hn! Well not anymore nuh! That wonderful distinction was made null and void at around 4 p.m last Sunday afternoon when a violent tornado, possibly the worst ever seen in these parts, savagely tore though the lakeside town. Packing winds between 250 and 300 km/h, the tornado ravaged the pretty town in minutes, leaving it looking like a war zone. Luckily, it seems that only one life was lost in the tragedy, but it just urgently brings home the need for us to live as close to God as possible, because we don’t know when all the good things we enjoy and take for granted will suddenly come tumbling down. And that certainly has been the experience of many towns and cities across North America this year. Now yesterday we spoke of the unexpected passing of Jack Layton, the Leader of the Opposition in the Federal Government, which drew a great outpouring of LOVE. It seems that he knew his time was short and over the weekend drafted a last letter to Canadians. Here are some excerpts: ‘Canada is a great country, one of the hopes of the world. We can be a better one – a country of greater equality, justice and opportunity. We can build a prosperous economy and a society that shares its benefits more fairly. We can do all of these things because we finally have a party system at the national level where there are real choices; where your vote matters; where working for change can actually bring about change… My friends, LOVE is better than anger. Hope is better than fear. Optimism is better than despair. So let us be LOVING, hopeful and optimistic. And we’ll change the world.’ Oh Friends, those are words of absolute truth! And furthermore, they don’t only pertain and apply to Canada, but to all the world! With so much strife, fear and hatred polluting our world, those are the things we need to predominate if we ever want to see better days. LOVE, Hope, Optimism; in other words, FAITH, and lots of it, is needed to bring serious, positive change to our strife torn planet. No wonder Jesus’ pronouncement in our Bit: ‘And he said to the woman, Thy faith hath saved thee; go in peace.’ And that’s a fact! The woman didn’t only have much faith, but also a bold, daring, confident faith, otherwise she would not have dared to enter the rich Pharisee’s house uninvited, knowing her low social status and all the negativity it entailed. Then having the chutzpah to wash Jesus’ feet with her tears, dry them with her hair and anoint them with the fragrant ointment could only come from a great inner commitment. Oh my people, that is exactly the kind of daring, committed faith we are expected to have, and need to have if we are to make any serious headway in these troubled times. Without that strong confidence in our God, we’ll be beaten down and rendered useless by the enemy’s continuous assault. Remember, he doesn’t give up, is always on the prowl, so we need to ‘Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour.’ (1 Pet.5:8) Or as the old people would say: ‘Drunk or sober, mind yuh business.’ (smile) And on the matter of faith, where Jesus was personally concerned, listen to His modus operandi. This example concerns His healing of two blind men, who followed Him and cried: ‘Thou son of David, have mercy on us. And when Jesus was come into the house, the blind men came to him: and Jesus saith unto them, Believe ye that I am able to do this? They said unto him, Yea, Lord. Then touched he their eyes, saying, According to your faith be it unto you. And their eyes were opened;’ (Matt.9:27-30) Yes Friends, Jesus could do anything, but He first desired His subjects to believe and have faith, and the amount of their faith dictated whether their wishes would come true or not. And nothing has changed since then. We are still required to have faith pertaining to all that we do and ask for. Without it, our deeds most probably won’t flourish, and our requests won’t be well considered by the Almighty. So please my brethren, let’s ramp up our faith nuh. Let’s take it to a higher level so that we can accomplish more in Jesus’ Name. Amen! More on this tomorrow, our God willing. Till then – keep the faith steadfast and strong! Much LOVE!…remember…all things are possible…only believe…