Matthew 5:16. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.
Ah Friends, last night the latter rains fell, the strong winds blew…and my basement leaked. Not terribly, but enough to cause me concern. Ah Lord eh! When is not one thing, it’s certainly another! But I still need to thank the Lord for guiding me to it, when He did. Around ten thirty, the duchess and I were about to play some rummy, seven card West Indian style rummy, with all the trash talk and taunting, (smile) but before we began, I needed to get something from the office in the basement, so I came down here to get it, and thankfully the Holy Spirit led me to check the minor leak I knew about in the laundry room… Minor leak? Hn! Water was running all over the place. It was spread over a three or four foot area of the wall where the driveway meets the house. Can you imagine the mess if I had not checked on it then? Obviously I was not thrilled, but had no alternative but to clean it up and move a set of wet, heavy boxes filled with Christmas decorations and books that the lady keeps under there. So, some forty minutes later, having put down some towels and stuff to stop the water from spreading, yuh know how water own way, we began playing the rummy. And like last night just wasn’t my night, for would you believe that the lady beat me four games straight? Yes, four straight! That’s never happened before in all the years we’ve been playing rummy. Two or three, but never four. And then, like a predator smelling blood, she went for the jugular, trying to make it five straight. But as I keep saying, the Lord never gives us more than we can bear, and He allowed me to win the fifth. But she came back and won the sixth. Five out of six is bad enough, imagine if she’d beaten me five straight nuh. My manly ego would have gone into a death spiral! (smile) This though is a record I hope that’s never broken. And she was brass faced enough to tell me that I’m getting old and dotish. The nerve of the woman eh! Anyway Friends, the important thing is that despite my misfortune and inconveniences – the rain’s still raining, and the basement is still leaking at seven in the morning – I can’t afford to let it dim the bright shining light of Christ that I need to project to the world. I need to step up now and practice what I preach; standing strong in faith, knowing that all things will work out for good eventually to those that LOVE God and are called by Him. The big problem though is when will eventually become reality? But be it tomorrow, or even five years down the road, if we stand steadfast and strong with the Holy Spirit of Jesus leading and guiding us in whatever problems we face, we will come out victorious. That’s the Lord’s promise! And He’s never reneged on one yet. Now there’s nothing I can do about the leaking basement until the rain stops, so in the meanwhile I just have to grin and bear it, and do like Jesus instructed: ‘Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.’ Ah mih people, this life’s not easy nuh, but if we want to be true followers of Jesus, we need to do as He says and as He did, while living here on earth in human form. Here’s how Peter said it, re living as servants of God. ‘Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul; Having your conversation (conduct) honest (honourable) among the Gentiles: that whereas they speak against you as evildoers, they may by your good works, which they shall behold, glorify God in the day of visitation.’ (1 Pet.2:11-12) Yes Friends, it’s mainly by our good works, our bright, shining lights, that unbelievers will see us and believe, and thus glorify God. There’s no other way to do it. And Bruh Paul, who had something to say on almost every subject, said this in declaring that prophecy is better than tongues: ‘But if all prophesy, and there come in one that believeth not, or one unlearned, he is convinced of (by) all, he is judged of (by) all: And thus are the secrets of his heart made manifest; and so falling down on his face he will worship God, and report that God is in you of a truth.’ (1 Cor.14:24-25) That means we have to show unity of purpose people, if we want others to believe us. And we’ll give the last word today to Jesus, where He tells the disciples: ‘If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto (for) you. Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples.’ (John 15:7-8) Yes my brethren, only so much as we do the will of Jesus in the sight of the world, will we ever bear much good fruit, and in so doing, glorify our God, our Lord, our Maker and great Provider. So let’s get out there and do what we’re supposed to do nuh. Time’s running out! Suppose Jesus came back tomorrow, and there’s still so many people yet to hear about and believe in Him? We certainly need to get a move on, if we hope to bear much good fruit and satisfy our great commission. Much LOVE!…just as bright lights attract moths and other insects…so do true believers attract unbelievers…
SCRIP-BITS 