SCRIP-BITS

 HAPPY  THANKSGIVING  DAY  CANADA!

Oh Friends, it’s Monday… ‘So what?’ is the grumpy reply I receive from my fellow Canadians. ‘Why yuh bothering us eh? We don’t have to go to work today. It’s a holiday – Thanksgiving Day…Praise the Lord! Glory Hallelujah!’ And they roll over and go back to sleep. Hn, hn, hn! Yes Friends, the partying will certainly be plentiful in ole Canada this weekend. But please, please remember to also give plenty thanks for the many blessings we have, and also to share generously of those blessings with the many less fortunate amongst us. Don’t forget the old people’s advice either: ‘Drunk or sober, mind yuh business.’ However, since the rest of the world has to get up and go to work today, let’s sing our Monday Morning Battle Hymn to brush the sleep from their eyes and help set their focus where it should be…on Almighty God. With raised voices, let’s call upon the Father in song: ‘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!’ Now that should jump-start our cold engines and start our day right by focusing on our God, Creator, Provider and Protector – our Everything! We’ve also taken the psalmist’s wise advice stated in our Bit: ‘Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving, and make a joyful noise (shout joyfully) unto him with psalms (songs).’ And why should we do that? ‘For the Lord is a great God, and a great King above all gods. In his hand (possession) are the deep places of the earth: the strength (height) of the hills is his also. The sea is his, and he made it: and his hands formed the dry land.’ (Ps.95:3-5) Yes Friends, all those things are gospel truths, and on this Canadian Thanksgiving Day of 2011, it’s imperative that we sincerely search our hearts and souls, repent of any wrongdoing, then give much praise for the exceedingly good life we’re living in the northern climes, for very few of the world’s massive population live better than us. The problem though is that we’ve become so accustomed to the good life, that we now take it for granted. However my people, that’s definitely the wrong approach. To continue our prosperous lifestyle, we must be forever mindful of where all our blessings come from. Infinitely Everything is the ultimate source of all that we have and enjoy: from the breath of life in our physical bodies, the jobs we have, the food we eat, the clothes we wear, the rooves over our heads, our parents, our friends, families and neighbours, the good health we enjoy, or the Health Care System that we can turn to when we’re sick, for free in most cases, our eyesight, our senses of hearing taste, touch and smell, the ability to LOVE, forgive and have mercy… Oh my brethren, we only enjoy all these good things through the grace of our merciful and magnanimous God. Sorry, I forgot to mention the two most important blessings that flow from the Lord; namely salvation and eternal life, through the shedding of His only Son Jesus’ precious blood, which paid for all our all sins, from the first to the last. For that Friends, we can never thank Him enough. So please, in the wisdom of the psalmist: ‘O Come, let us worship and bow down: let us kneel before the Lord our maker. For he is our God, and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand (under his care).’ (Ps.95:6-7)  My people, that’s the height of thanks to which our finite minds are capable, so let’s promise ourselves to make it a daily habit, because our God truly deserves even more than that. It also pleases Him when we offer praise and worship, and He responds by raining down blessings on us. Now wouldn’t we truly be foolish if we allow such little things like praise and worship to come between us and our multitude of godly blessings? (smile)  Of course! So let’s be wise nuh. Much LOVE!…to be thankful for what we receive…to be generous with what we have…that’s the true meaning of thanksgiving…