SCRIP-BITS

Oh Friends, Christmas Day is over – too bad – but not the Christmas Season! So please don’t stop the LOVE, the joy, the peace and goodwill to all mankind that you’ve been recently exhibiting. Let’s see if we can’t carry it straight through till next Christmas nuh. (smile) Now wouldn’t that be something!  Unfortunately though, today is Monday, Boxing Day, and many of us have the day off, but a lot of folks still have to go out and face the workweek battle, and some are going out to face even more confusion and greater battles – the Boxing Day sales. Ah Lord eh! What a highly commercialized society we’ve become! Everything now revolves around the almighty dollar. Chuh! But since we have to live in the world, yet not be a part of it, we will always need our Monday Morning Battle Hymn to help us fight Lucifer and his evil flunkies. So let’s sing our Battle Hymn with much feeling and in loud voice, begin the fight mentally, by scaring those evil demons away with our praise. In unison 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!’ Oh Friends, I sure hope that gives us sufficient ammunition, sufficient faith, sufficient focus on our omnipotent God, to go out and fight the good fight, for we desperately need to do that in this increasingly evil and destructive world. That’s why we have to pay serious attention to our Bit: ‘The righteous shall be glad in the Lord, and shall trust in him; and all the upright in heart shall glory.’ Yes Friends, if we desire to make a good and positive difference in this world, then we have to follow Bruh David’s advice; trust in God, be glad in Him, and celebrate His glory. Otherwise all our efforts will never amount to much, since it’s only with Almighty God in our hearts, guiding and directing our paths, that we are capable of anything really worthy. In Job 22, his supposed friend, Eliphaz while accusing him of sin declares: ‘but the counsel of the wicked is far from me. The righteous see it, and are glad: and the innocent laugh them to scorn.’ (Job 22:18b-19) Yes my people, the righteous see the ungodly devices of the wicked for what they truly are, then scorn and resist them with God’s help. It’s sad Friends, but in these dire times we need to be very perceptive in what and whom we let into our lives, because there are so many predators out there in sheep’s clothing, and it’s very easy to get caught in their deceitful lies and traps, since on the surface they seem so true and worthy. However, beneath the pretty facades, they’re all evil and rotten to their very core. Unfortunately, as our civilization has advanced, so has our evil character, by using those same advances to fuel ungodly, unrighteous deeds and causes. What a crying shame Friends! The only way to conquer those evil forces is for us to stand strong and steadfast in the Lord God Jehovah! So as we wind down this wonderful 2011 Christmas Season of LOVE, peace and goodwill, fully knowing that the ever spreading tentacles of evil will soon come to the fore again, let’s listen to some sound advice on how to resist them. In Psalm 32, the blessedness of forgiveness, Bruh David tells us ‘Be glad in the Lord, and rejoice, ye righteous: and shout for joy, all ye that are upright in heart.’ (Ps.32:11) And again in Psalm 68, God has gone before his people, he declares; ‘But let the righteous be glad; let them rejoice before God: yea, let them exceedingly rejoice.’ (Ps.68:3) And finally in Psalm 97, the Lord is far above all gods, the psalmist defiantly proclaims: ‘Rejoice in the Lord, ye righteous; and give thanks at the remembrance of (for the memory) of his holiness (his holy name).’ (Ps.97:12) Oh my brethren, it’s only by having hearts abounding with righteousness, joy and overwhelming faith that we can ever rise above the evil that currently has our world in a vice-like grip. Please, let’s do it for our God…and our children. Much LOVE!…to believe and hope…to trust and surrender…to remain ever faithful to Jesus…that’s a believer’s creed…