SCRIP-BITS

Ah Friends, working for the Lord God Jehovah is no easy task nuh. I just spent a good forty minutes looking for a Bit I could get my head and heart around. To make matters worse, the move back to Daylight Saving Time tonight, meant I had an hour less to play with. However, that time I spent poring over the Word was definitely not wasted, because I came across a lot of stuff that I either didn’t know before, or just never paid attention to, figuring it was not significant. But believer me brethren, EVERY WORD IN THE GOOD BOOK IS SIGNIFICANT! Every time you open it, you’ll see something that you’ve never seen or understood before. That’s the beauty of God’s Word! And though God’s work can be difficult, Friends, it’s always rewarding! I eventually came across a scripture verse that immediately spoke to my head and heart, saying; ‘I am Today’s Bit!’ (smile) It’s a rather timely verse too, words of wisdom from Cousin Sol: ‘Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.’ And that’s the gospel, gospel truth my people! Now I’ll let the scholars give us a brief dissertation on the subject, so that we can get the right perspective. (smile)  ‘The Old Testament word heart often refers to the physical organ of the circulatory system. Both Testaments also see the heart figuratively as the centre of the personality or spiritual life. The heart is the seat of intellect, emotions, will, and moral consciousness. It is the personality which has that extraordinary ability to perceive itself. The heart is presented as the seat of conscious life and the fountainhead of life. Jesus taught that sin came out of the heart of people, thus defiling them. Yet after conversion, one of the characteristics of Christians is that they have the law of God written in their hearts (Heb-8:8-12)’ And the heart, my fellow believers, is indeed the fountain of life; for it keeps the blood pumping through our bodies, and thus the breath of life flowing within us, and it’s also the repository for our emotions, whether we do good or evil. No wonder Jesus placed so much emphasis on it in His teaching. Listen to some of His words on the subject. In talking about good and bad fruit, He staunchly declares: ‘O generation (brood, offspring) of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak good things? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh. A good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things: and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things.  But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgement. For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned.’ (Matt.12:34-37) Oh Friends, we’ve all encountered problems in that respect. Then regarding things that defile, Jesus rebuked His listeners thus: ‘Do not ye yet understand, that whatsoever entereth in at the mouth goeth into the belly, and is cast (eliminated) out into the draught? But those things which proceed out of the mouth come forth from the heart; and they defile the man. For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies: These are the things which defile a man: but to eat with unwashen hands defileth not a man.’ (Matt.15:17-20) Yes Friends, it’s not what we put into our inner man that really defile us, but what comes out of it. And when talking about a tree being known by its fruit, Jesus solemnly proclaims: ‘For a good tree bringeth not forth corrupt fruit; neither doth a corrupt (bad) tree bring forth good fruit. For every tree is known by his own fruit. For of thorns men do not gather figs, nor of a bramble bush gather they grapes. A good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is evil: for of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaketh.’ (Luke 6:43-45) Oh my people, Jesus left no doubt that what goes on in our hearts is of the utmost importance in our lives. And if we want to truly follow Him, we have to clean up our hearts. Now let’s end with His most significant pronouncement on the affairs of the heart, something that all Christians need to do, if they are serious about their faith. ‘Thou shalt LOVE the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment.’ (Matt.22:37-38)  Ah mih breddren, we all know that in our minds, but how many of us truly follow it our hearts eh? Not nearly enough, otherwise our world would not be in such a sad state. I ask us today to sit down and explore our hearts, right down to the deepest regions, and see whether we’re harbouring any evil there, then ask the Lord to forgive us, so that He can make our faith strong and our way prosperous. Much LOVE!…the heart is the fountain of…wisdom, life, hope and faith…if it’s not right with God…then nothing in our lives will be right…