SCRIP-BITS

Matthew 18:7.    Woe unto the world because of offenses! for it must needs be that offenses come; but woe to the man by whom the offense cometh!
 
Oh Friends, it’s Friday! Already? Wow! And I can just imagine the high expectations we have for the weekend, especially as we get ready for the joyous and festive Christmas season. Nothing’s wrong with the joy and the celebration, but please let’s remember the reason for the season; Jesus’ birth, and put it first and foremost all the time. Now to help us in that respect, let’s chant our Friday Chant. ‘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.’ Ah mih people, it sure is good to have a couple days off work, but then we can also end up on the flip side of the coin, where they say the devil finds work for idle hands to do. That means we have to strike a happy balance, which is not easy to do in this stark raving mad world of ours, and Jesus’ words in our Bit certainly reminds us of the evil and of the temptations that lurk in every corner and around every bend. ‘Woe unto the world because of offenses (enticements to sin)! for it must needs be that offenses come, but woe to that man by whom the offenses cometh!’ Now we’ve already spoken at length about the enticements that will come against us and that succumbing to them can cause serious problems, however, the second part of our Bit is the killer, as Jesus so seriously proclaims: ‘but woe to that man by whom the offense cometh!’ Oh Friends, giving in to temptation is one thing, but causing others to do so through false advice and teaching is even worse. Yes people, we have to be very careful that the temptations and enticements that come against our fellow man don’t come from us, otherwise, like the false teachers and prophets we spoke about a couple days ago, who were deceived by their own false teaching, we’ll suffer irreparable harm. That led Jesus to suggest cutting off any parts of our anatomy that offends us, for ‘it is better for thee to enter into life halt (lame) or maimed, rather than having two hands or two feet to be cast into everlasting fire. And if thine eye offend thee (causes you to sin), pluck it out, and cast it from thee: it is better for thee to enter into life with one eye, rather than having two eyes to be cast into hell fire.’ (Matt.18:8-9) Obviously Jesus didn’t mean the actual cutting off of one’s body parts, it was just symbolic, because they are not the true source of temptation, but the stuff that’s inside us is what causes us to fall prey to temptation. Listen to Jesus further on the topic during the Last Supper. When he made the astonishing pronouncement that one of the disciples would betray Him, it caused a mighty stir, with each anxiously asking if it was he. And Jesus answered: ‘He that dippeth his hand with me in the dish, the same shall betray me. The Son of man goeth as it is written of him: but woe unto that man by whom the Son of man is betrayed! it had been good for that man if he had not been born.’ (Matt.26:23-24) Oh Friends, those certainly were not encouraging and inspiring words, but rather frightening ones. ‘Then Judas, which betrayed him, answered and said, Master, is it I? He (Jesus) said unto him, Thou hast said (it). (Matt.26:25) And we know how Judas’ life ended; ‘Then Judas, which had betrayed him, when he saw that he was condemned, repented himself (felt remorse), and brought again the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders, Saying, I have sinned in that I have betrayed the innocent blood. And they said, What is that to us? see thou to that. And he cast (threw) down the pieces of silver in the temple, and departed and went and hanged himself.’ (Matt.27:3-5) Ah mih people, Judas eventually found remorse and repentance, but it was a little too late, the damage had already been done. We need to be very mindful of that; trying to make amends when it’s too late. And yuh see how the evil authorities didn’t care about his soul either. They were only interested in getting their evil deeds done. And it’s still the same today. Anyway Friends, the long and short of the story is that we cannot hide from or evade temptation in this earthly life, but we can surely not be sucked into it. However, to do that as successfully as possible, we must immerse ourselves in God’s Word and also ask Jesus for faithful guidance in all we hear, speak and do. We obviously will make some mistakes along the way, but please, please remember that if we confess and truly repent of our sins, our heavenly Father will always forgive us. That’s one of His many promises, and we know He keeps all His promises, so let’s be wise and lean on them all nuh. Much LOVE!…to be tempted is human…but to cause temptation to others…that’s woeful…