1 John 4:2. Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God.
Ah Friends, morning has broken, just like the first day when the Creator, Jehovah God, Alpha and Omega, the First and the Last solemnly declared: ”Let there be light: and there was light.’ (Gen.1:3) And light has been coming on a regular twenty-four hour basis ever since. Wow! Now isn’t that both a wonderful and most powerful happening Friends? It sure is! Jehovah spoke 4 simple words, a total of 15 letters, and such a marvellous, majestic and miraculous event occurred, and has been occurring with pinpoint regularity since then. So how can they say that our God isn’t great eh, or the spoken word doesn’t carry enormous power? It’s utterly ridiculous! But it’s the same way that many deny that Jesus is God, or that He came to earth in human form, encased in human flesh, and was castigated and sacrificed by humans in barbaric human fashion. And ever since His coming, the heathen has been trying to deny Him, or make various other suppositions which lessen His truth and the reality of His earthly accomplishments. No wonder in the first verse of 1 John 4, the apostle sagely warns us: ‘Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try (test) the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.’ (1 John 4:1) Yes Friends, there’s such a wealth of false prophets and spiritual warfare happening in our world today, much more than back in John’s time, that we have to be very very careful to thoroughly sift and winnow the many spirits that try to invade and inhabit our souls. But how are Christians to ensure that they’re not being misled? By focussing on the Holy Spirit of Jesus, which gives us the necessary assurance. ‘And he that keepeth his commandments dwelleth in him, and he in him. And hereby we know that he abideth in us, by the Spirit which he hath given us.’ (1 John 3:24) So once we have the Spirit of Jesus truly abiding in us, we can be sure that we’re on the right track. Now here’s a comment of the scholars that I think can help us to better understand John’s predicament and belief. ‘The Greek grammar here may indicate that John is calling for a halt to a belief in spirits that was already in progress. This could have been a residual effect of those who had already left (2:19).’ And I think it’s useful to quote that verse. ‘They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would no doubt have continued with us: but they went out, that they might be made manifest that they were not at all (none of them were) of us.’ (1 John 2:19) Oh Friends, I believe the same thing’s happening today; people are leaving who never really belonged. As the scholars explain: ‘Some in the church, but now departed, were never really part of it. Here is a clear distinction between those who merely appear to be Christians, based on outward affiliation, and those who really are, whom the Lord knows and claims as His own (1 Cor.8:3; Gal.4:9; 2 Tim.2:19)’ Please read those scriptures to get a better understanding of that last point. And what they’re saying on the basic topic is the absolute truth my brethren! For many amongst us are only outward Christians, and don’t have true faith and trust in Jesus. They move around us like the proverbial wolves in sheep’s clothing. That brings us to our Bit: ‘Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God.’ Yes my people, how can we ensure that the Spirit which dwells in us is really the Spirit of God? The first and major test is that the Spirit must believe that Jesus came to earth as God in the flesh of humans. If the Spirit doesn’t declare that in spades my brethren, then it’s surely a fake, because then it denies all that Jesus did here on earth! For the only way He could have done all those things, especially being sacrificed, crucified on the cross is by being in human form. And the scholars say this about our Bit. ‘John’s opponents may have claimed to follow Christ, but without accepting that the Son who came in flesh was also one with the Father. This position was held by many Gnostics. John says that the Spirit will enlighten true believers to confess that Christ did come in the flesh. This is a particular doctrinal test for a particular time. Jesus himself speaks of those who call Him “Lord” but are false followers. (Matt.7:21-23; Luke 6:46)’ Oh my fellow believers, I believe that this particular time is also one for that particular doctrinal test! What with all the numerous lies, slants and falsehood out there in our evil world, we cannot be too careful, but by the same token, we don’t have to be spooked by every unusual thing we come up against. If it’s not of God, our true Spirit will tell us. And I think it’s only fitting to end with that first reference of the scholars, where Jesus warns about false followers and their eventual fate, so that we don’t get too comfortable and take things for granted, but are kept on our toes, always on the lookout for the false spirits. ‘Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils (demons)? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then I will profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity (miracles).’ (Matt.7:21-23) Yes Friends, as Jesus said before that passage, it’s by our fruit, both our actions and our doctrine, that we shall be known and acknowledged by Him. Therefore, please let’s get serious about our faith and start and/or continue doing those things which Jesus commanded and truly show that we are His. That’s the wisdom for today! Much LOVE!…and why call ye me…Lord, Lord…and do not the things which I say… (Luke 6:46) P.S. Please excuse the lateness of the Bit, but unfortunately the ole fella’s not as young as he used to be, where he could burn the candle at both ends for a long period of time. (smile) I did that a lot of that this week and it’s finally caught up to me. Much LOVE!
Today’s Scrip-Bit 21 March 2013 1 John 4:2
21 Mar 2013 Leave a comment
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: Alpha, assurance, Christ came in the flesh, Christ crucified, Christ's truth, christianity, Christians being misled, commandments, doctrinal test, false prophets, fruit of our labour, Holy Spirit of Jesus, jehovah god, Jesus abiding in us, jesus is god, kept on our toes, kingdom of heaven, Let there be light, Omega, outward affiliation, particular time, power of words, prophesied, religion, residual effect, Spirit of God, spiritual warfare, theology, wisdom, wolves in sheep's clothing
Today’s Scrip-Bit 20 March 2013 Proverbs 30:24
20 Mar 2013 Leave a comment
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: Agur, ants, blessings, book of proverbs, christianity, clever inventions, conies, discouraged, disheartened, dissensions, divisions, embrace Jesus, eternal death, eyes of faith, faithful children, first day of spring, four small but wise things, gospel truth, great expertise, heavenly Father, locusts, loving kindness, mercies, merry-go-round, most holy name, never give up, northern climes, potential enemies, praise, prepare for predictable circumstances, sage, self-starter, separation from Almighty God, sincere voice, sluggard, spiders, strength of purpose, thanks, united body, vision, weak and feeble, webs
Proverbs 30:24. There be four things which are little upon the earth, but they are exceeding wise.
And the merry-go-round that’s life, has turned one more time my Friends, to this cold, dreary looking day called Wednesday. Now officially it’s supposed to be the first day of spring in the northern climes. Hn! But outside looks nor feels anything like spring, with the snow covered ground and the bone chilling temps, made worse by a whipping wind. But please remember my fellow believers that regardless of how the day physically appears or looks in your particular area, just see it through your eyes of faith as being beautiful, because it really is. It’s still filled with wonderful, brand new mercies and blessings as decreed by our heavenly Father. And all His faithful children acknowledged His LOVING-kindness by declaring in a loud, sincere voice: ‘Oh Father God, You are so wonderful and generous to us, the sinful, undeserving children of men. That’s why we worship and serve and LOVE You so much, and will continue to do so till eternity! We praise You, give You thanks, and bless Your Most Holy Name! Amen.’ Now Friends, we have a very interesting Bit today – not that we don’t have them every day – but something about this one just seems special. It’s taken from the contribution of the sage Agur to the Book of Proverbs. According to the scholars, ‘Nothing is known of Agur, but he was likely one of the international sages of Solomon’s day (cf. 1 Kin.4:30-31).’ Anyway, he does write some very interesting and truthful stuff, showing great insight into nature and man’s life here on earth. And in our Bit today, he solemnly declares: ‘There be four things which are little upon the earth, but they are exceeding wise.’ And what he says is gospel truth my brethren! Now let’s look at the first of these small but wise things. ‘The ants are a people not strong, yet they prepare their meat (food) in the summer.’ (Prov.30:25) And we all know that’s very true, because we’ve all seen the ants working diligently, doing whatever they need to do to provide a good life for themselves. As Cousin Sol says in Proverbs chapter 6: ‘Go to the ant, thou sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise: which having no guide (leader), overseer, or ruler, Provideth her meat (food) in the summer, and gathereth her food in the harvest.’ (Prov.6:6-8) And that’s the absolute truth people! As children growing up in the West Indies, we’d often watch an army of ants, fascinated by their scurrying around, busily doing their own thing, wondering how they were so diligent and focussed. But that’s built into their very nature by the Creator. And as to how that fits in with human life, listen to the scholars: ‘The sluggard is the habitually lazy person. He is admonished to learn two important lessons from the ant. (1) The ant has no guide, overseer, or ruler (v7), meaning that the ant does not have a taskmaster standing over it to make it work; it is a self-starter. (2) The ant is wise enough to prepare for predictable circumstances.’ Oh Friends, those lessons are even more important and valuable to us today! What with the great proliferation of laziness and idleness, especially amongst our young. Now let’s turn to the second small thing which Agur finds exceedingly wise: ‘The conies (rock badger or hyrax) are but a feeble folk, yet make their houses in the rocks.’ (Prov.30:26) Oh my brethren, how many of us of feeble strength and intellect can build our spiritual houses in the rocks, away from evil marauders eh? Not too many. But these small animals find a way to live in hills and rocks, away from the prying eyes of potential enemies. We need to be able to do the same thing my people. But that can only happen when we sincerely and securely embrace Jesus and all the good things He has to offer. Until then, we’ll be weak and feeble, driven to and fro by any kind of dogma, like a rudderless ship on a stormy sea. And the third thing which Agur talks about is; ‘The Locusts have no king, yet go they forth all of them by bands (in ranks).’ (Prov.30:27) Now isn’t that very strange, but rather interesting? Insects that have no leader, but yet go forth by their millions in proper ranks and formation! And their strength as a united body is enormous, for they rape and pillage the land like nothing else can. After locusts pass over an area, it looks like a moonscape, barren and desolate. Now if we humans, especially those in Christ’s church could only come together in such large numbers, with such vision and strength of purpose, then we’d have a much better chance of defeating the evildoers than we are now with comparatively puny numbers and petty divisions and dissensions. And last but not least of these strong and wise things of nature is; ‘The Spider taketh hold with her hands, and is in kings’ palaces.’ (Prov.30:28) Now the spider is certainly a work of true skill, cunning and strength! It builds its web all over, from the poorest hovel to the most pristine palace. It’s no respecter of places. And it cunningly catches its prey, its food in the sticky membranes of the web. We tear down these webs, but they soon build them back again. That’s tenacity people. Do we have that attribute? Not as much as we ought to. Too many of us get disheartened and discouraged at the first sign of danger or problems and quickly consider giving us. But please remember that giving up does not exist in Jesus’ vocabulary or that of His followers. Christ never gave up though the going was exceedingly rough. And can you imagine if He had given up as soon as the going got rough? Where would we be now eh? Left out in the cold, on the outside looking in, or rather facing a hellish time in the depths of hell with Lucifer, facing eternal death and separation from Almighty God. But with the Father’s generous help, Jesus stuck it out, so that we could have a chance to dwell in heaven, rather than hell for all eternity. And there ends the lesson for today my brethren. There’s a lot for the supposed smart and thinking humans to learn from the small, lowly, but very instinctive parts of nature, if we’ll only take the time to study them. Yuh see how the ancients did it and ended up wiser. But today with all our clever inventions and great expertise, we think we’re too high and mighty to learn anything from the smaller, lowlier creations of God. How wrong we are! So please, today, let’s take a few moments to ponder the attributes of those four lowly creatures, insignificant in our sight, but very pesty and pesky in our lives, and see how our individual lives and actions line up with them. Then let’s consciously make the decision and effort to do better. That’s wisdom in spades! Much LOVE!…though we look down disparagingly on the lesser creatures of nature…they do have a lot to teach us…supposedly first class beings…
Today’s Scrip-Bit 19 March 2013 2 Peter 2:8
19 Mar 2013 Leave a comment
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: afflictions, belt of truth, breastplate of righteousness, broken heart, christianity, condemned, crushed spirit, ever-LOVING God, God's will, good over evil, gospel truth, helmet of salvation, Jesus, judgement day, LOVE, neck of the woods, new mercies, punishment, rainy morning, sandals of peace, shield of faith, shout of joy, showers of blessings, snowy night, solid protection, spiritual armour, strength of God, sword of the Spirit, temptation, The Lord our Redeemer, the Tribulation
2 Peter 2:8. The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptation, and to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgement to be punished.
Today’s Scrip-Bit 18 March 2013 2 Peter 2:9
18 Mar 2013 Leave a comment
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: battle hymn, christianity, confidence, Creator of the universe, day of judgement, evil world, fight on strong, final judgement, glorious kingdom, government work, hard work, harmonious choir, heavenly host, humble servants, invincible, Jesus, jobs, judgement, lies, Monday Morning, punishment, religion, right frame of mind, spiritual armour, steadfast faith, sure conquerors, surrender to God, temptations, Thank God is Monday., the tough get going, theology, trials of temptation, ungodly world, weary souls, weekend, when the going gets tough, wicked taunts
2 Peter 2:9. The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations, and to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgement to be punished.
And then it was Monday…! And all of God’s children shouted a joyous, ‘Thank God is Monday yes! Time to go back to work. Ah tired being cooped up in this ole house all weekend, just washing and cooking and cleaning and looking after children and a lazy spouse. Steups! Ah doh work so hard in the government work nuh!’ Yes Friends, that’s the dilemma we often find our selves in. Home for the weekend, saddled with all the housework and dying to get out. Then by Tuesday evening, crawling in the endless traffic, we yearn for Friday and the weekend. No need to feel badly, we all experience that type of situation sometimes. Let’s just sing our Monday Morning Battle Hymn and get ourselves in a right frame of mind to handle the outside world. As one loud, sweet, harmonious choir now. Let Jesus and all the heavenly host sit up and take notice. ‘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!’ Awright mih breddren! The whole heavenly host was pleased. There was plenty applause, and we even got a standing O. Wow! So let’s go out into the evil world in which we work, carrying that same enthusiastic, faith filled, Christ-LOVING, people- LOVING attitude and win some needy souls for Christ, because that’s our earthly mandate! Now let’s see what wisdom we can glean from our Bit: ‘The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations, and to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgement to be punished.’ And that’s the living truth Friends! Our God certainly knows how to bail out or help the faithful through the trials of temptation, but He also knows how to handle the evil pack that will be destroyed when He decides to wrap up this whole creation thing in the final judgement. Oh my brethren, I’m sincerely pleading, please don’t let us be found on the wrong side of the mighty ledger, the unjust and wicked side, because our end, come that final day, which only the Lord knows, will be real painful and sorrowful. And there’s nothing wrong with temptation, unless we give in to it, since we all are tempted sometime, in one fashion or another. And as Bruh Paul warned the church at Corinth, re Israel being used as a warning example: ‘Now all these things happened unto them for examples: and they are written for our admonition (instruction), upon whom the ends of the world (ages) are come. Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall. There hath no temptation taken (overtaken) you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able bear (endure) it.’ (1 Cor.10:11-13) Yes my people, our wonderful God will always help us in temptations. But the scholars bring up an interesting point here. ‘Make a way to escape (lit. “an egress” or “way out”): In early Greek usage, this term had the sense of a landing place for a ship. The idea is thus not that He will enable us to escape temptation, but that He will enable us to land intact on the other side.’ So it’s not that Lord will always keep temptation away, make us never suffer it, but more that we won’t get more than we can handle, and after undergoing it, He promises to bring us out safely. In other words, though we may get caught up in the temptation, with it swallowing us, like the fish did Jonah, the Lord will enable us to bear the burden, just like He did for Jonah, after he’d understood and repented of his wrong doing. So, please don’t despair when temptation comes, you’re not alone, all humans are tempted by the evil one and his evil cronies. Just hold on tight and fight with all your might, knowing that our God has promised to see you through it, and He faithfully keeps all His promises. The temptation may last longer than we like, or be more difficult than we appreciate, but note that there’s always a very good reason for whatever the Lord allows in our lives, and will not waste anything we’ve gone through, but use it for our eventual good. It’s all part of maturing us, bringing us more like Jesus. Don’t forget that, keep the faith and fight on strong like a good soldier of Christ. In time we’ll reap the rewards. Much LOVE!…when the going gets tough…that’s when the tough…the followers of Jesus get going…with His help of course…
Today’s Scrip-Bit 17 March 2013 Psalm 119:105
17 Mar 2013 Leave a comment
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: absolute truth, angusihed heart, christianity, consistent walk with God, covenant, dry as a desert, faith, guiding light, holy spirit, honey, honeycomb, ingenious enemy, instruction, jehovah god, joyful song, lamp to my feet, light to my path, mirage, negative circumstances, oasis, plaintive wail, promise, religion, spirituality, straight and narrow path, testimony, thanks and praise, the Lord's faithfulness, the Word of god, truthful words, warning system, wisdom, writer's block
Psalm 119:105. Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.
Oh Friends, this dark, chilly Sunday morning at first appeared to be a day of writer’s block. No creative juices whatsoever were flowing through the ole fella. Usually, even though I might not have a Bit, I’ll have something to say myself or something to quote. But not today, today there was nada; no Bit, nothing wise and witty to say, and nothing to quote. It was like being in a totally dry desert, surrounded by hot, brown sand as far as the eye could see, with not even a mirage of an oasis, much less a real one. Oh, it sure is a strange and unusual day when the ole fella has nothing to say! (smile) However Friends, I never despaired of writing something because I have the utmost faith in Almighty God, and knew He would eventually come through for me. Remember too, I’m only doing what He asked me to do, and He’s promised to always help us do His will. And my Friends, one of the many benefits of consistently walking with Jehovah God is that you come to genuinely know His faithfulness, which in turn builds your faith, so that the next time you hit a wall, you will be stronger and not despair as much as the previous time. And I’m saying this from personal experience, for over the years I’ve been writing the Bit, on numerous occasions He’s lifted me up from the depths of negative circumstances, putting a joyful song in my heart and words of wisdom in my mouth. All it takes my people is to sincerely cry out to Him. And that I did this morning. His heart must have been deeply touched by my plaintive wail, (smile) for shortly thereafter I found a Bit that I could get my head around, while a joyful song of thanks and praise refreshed my anguished heart, and truthful words of testimony were placed in my mouth. So that now mih breddren, the ole fella’s ready to rock and roll with and for Jesus. (smile) And you’ll notice how appropriate to my plight is the Bit to which I was guided. Our God doesn’t miss a trick. ‘Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.’ Words of absolute truth and wisdom my people! You’ll also notice that it has a two-fold purpose: Firstly, it shows us the right road on which to travel, guides us to the straight and narrow path of God. Then it provides a light in the darkness, so we can see where we’re going along that straight and narrow road. Yes Friends, the Lord’s Word is the Guiding Light, graciously and LOVINGLY gifted to man, so that he may find his pilgrim way safe and sound in this fallen world. Now when you have acknowledged that the Lord’s Word is your life guide, you also have to declare: ‘I have sworn, and I will perform (confirm) it, that I will keep thy righteous judgements.’ (Ps.119:106) That’s like the covenant Nehemiah and the Israelites made when they left Babylon to go and rebuild Jerusalem. ‘They clave to (joined with) their brethren, their nobles, and entered into a curse, and into an oath, to walk in God’s law, which was given by Moses the servant of God, and to observe and do all the commandments of the Lord our Lord, and his judgements (ordinances) and his statutes.’ (Neh.10:29) Yes my people, it doesn’t make sense to claim that something is so good, then not actively do or participate in it. And there are certainly other passages of scripture that agree with our Bit. A prominent one is found in the wise sayings of Cousin Sol. ‘For the commandment is a lamp; and the law is the light; and reproofs of instruction are the way of life.’ (Prov.6:23) And although he was warning against adultery in that particular case, the wisdom of the saying pertains to all of life. Then, if we turn to Psalm 19, the creation and covenants of God, these pearls of untold wisdom, issue forth from Bruh David’s mouth. ‘The law of the Lord is perfect, converting (restoring) the soul: the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple. The statutes of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart: the commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes. The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring for ever: the judgements of the Lord are true and righteous altogether. More to be desired are they than gold, yea, than much fine gold: sweeter also than honey and (the drippings of) the honeycomb. Moreover by them is thy servant warned: and in keeping of them there is great reward.’ (Ps.19:7-11) Oh Friends, those words cut right to the heart of the matter! The Lord’s Word is the most important thing to a true believer, what we live and die by! In fact it’s the most important thing to every human being, every creation of Almighty God, because come the judgement day, everyone will have to answer for their earthly journey, based on its principles. And I want us to note two things in that last verse of the above quote from Psalm 19. The first thing is that we gain rewards, excellent ones too, for keeping His word. And secondly, but most important, is the fact that the Word provides us with a timely warning system, re the vicissitudes of life. Yes my people, it’s like a fire alarm that sounds warning bells in the event of a fire. The Word, through our consciences and the Holy Spirit dwelling in us, raises up those warning signs when we’re moving away from the God’s Word. So please, let’s pay close attention to those warning signals, otherwise we’ll be easily tripped up by the evil, but wily and ingenious enemy, Lucifer. Now that’s true wisdom! Much LOVE!…man’s promises are worthless…made to be broken…but the covenants of God are sacred…and like Him…are unchangeable…written in stone…
Today’s Scrip-Bit 16 March 2013 Jeremiah 4:1
16 Mar 2013 Leave a comment
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living Tags: abominations, beginning of sorrows, betrayals, christianity, crime, disregard for law, earthquakes, fallow ground, false prophets, fire, glorious opportunity, hardhearted people, heart, impending disaster, justice, lack of trust, lawlessness, LOVE, naive souls, outward conformity, pestilence, religious ceremony, repentance, return to God, righteousness., rumours of war, spiritual fruitfulness, spiritual vitality, tribulation, violence, war
Jeremiah 4:1. If thou wilt return, O Israel, saith the Lord, return unto me; and if thou wilt put away thine abominations out of my sight, then shalt thou not remove (be shaken or removed).
Oh Friends, the ole fella’s shaking it a tad rough this Saturday morning, suffering from insufficient sleep; too many extra curricular activities. (smile) But like the mail, the Bit must go out. And with God’s help, it will. And all believers declared a loud and thankful, ‘Praise the Lord!’ But Friends, do you realize that it’s already the middle of March? The month will be soon be over, though it feels like it’s just begun. Whether the days are truly flying faster, or it’s just our imagination, our perception, we certainly don’t have time to waste on frivolous, unimportant activities, for the signs of impending disaster are all around us. As Jesus calls them; ‘the beginning of sorrows.’ (Matt.24:8) It’s not the end yet, but more like the beginning of the end, with the fulfillment of all the signs He warned us about: false prophets, wars and rumours of wars, nation against nation, pestilence, and earthquakes in various places. (Matt.24:5-7) That means we believers have to get ourselves truly together, as soon as possible, and come out fighting the evil that has contaminated and taken over our world. Consequently, there’s no time to lose in responding positively to our Bit. ‘If thou wilt return, O Israel, saith the Lord, return unto me; and if thou wilt put away thine abominations out of my sight, then shalt thou not remove (be shaken or removed).’ Oh my people, the Lord offered that glorious opportunity to Israel to repent and come back to Him long ago, and He’s offering us that same opportunity today. Instead of removing Him from our schools, public places and homes, we need to be putting Him back there and thus getting more acquainted with Him. And it seems likely, from the sign of the times, that we may not have another opportunity to accept that most wonderful and generous offer. Now how do we show acceptance of that offer? Jeremiah enlightens us: ‘And thou shalt swear, The Lord liveth, in truth, in judgement (justice), and in righteousness; and the nations shall bless themselves in him, and in him shall they glory. For thus saith the Lord to the men of Judah and Jerusalem, Break up your fallow (untilled) ground, and sow not among thorns. Circumcise yourselves to the Lord, and take away the foreskins of your heart, ye men of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem: lest my fury come forth like fire, and burn that none can quench it, because of the evil of your doings.’ (Jer.4:2-4) Now let’s hear the scholars’ opinion on all that. ‘These verses conclude the message begun at 3:6 (Israel and Judah entreated to repent) by using literary figures drawn from Israel’s daily experiences. From agriculture comes the admonition to weed out totally their present practices and break up their fallow ground, and then sow the new seeds of spiritual fruitfulness for God. Repentance and a broken heart must precede renewed spiritual vitality. The second figure comes from religious ceremony. Mere outward conformity to the standards of the covenant were insufficient. (cf. Gen.17:10-14; Deut. 10:16, 30:6; Josh.5:2-7; Rom. 2:28-29; 4:9-25)’ Please check out those scriptures my people, so we can get a better understanding of the matter. But yuh know Friends, unfortunately, all the foregoing definitely applies to our current society! We have to be truly serious about God and do the things necessary to return to Him, not pay mere lip service and conform outwardly. And believe me, our doings these days are truly, truly evil, though we try to gloss it over and give the impression that everything’s hunky dory. But Friends, judging from what Jesus said about the signs of the end, it is not! Not by a long stretch of the imagination! ‘Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted (tribulation), and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name’s sake. And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another. And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many. And because iniquity (lawlessness) shall abound, the LOVE of many shall wax (grow) cold.’ (Matt.24:9-12) Oh my brethren, all those things are happening today in ever greater numbers. Trials and tribulations of Christians are rampant all over the world. Betrayals, lack of trust and hatred have taken on new dimensions. False prophets are out there too in ever increasing numbers, deceiving many, unwary, naive souls. And don’t even talk about lawlessness, because it’s increasing by leaps and bounds everyday in our supposed lawful society! The growing crime, violence, disregard for the law and resultant fear is shaking our society to its very roots. And LOVE… what is that eh? The true emotion no longer exists, just like Jesus said. We’re now such a cold, and hardhearted people that we see can see our neighbours suffering dire want, but we can calmly turn our heads and walk away, pass by on the other side without a qualm, just like the religious hypocrites in the Good Samaritan story. But that’s not right Friends. It’s also not the way of Jesus, not the Christian way. However, fortunately, and thankfully, there is a way to counter most of this negativity. For while there is life, there’s always hope, hope in Almighty God. But we have to do as Jeremiah says in our Bit, and also as Joel advises. ‘Therefore also now, saith the Lord, turn ye even to me with all your heart, and with fasting, and with weeping, and with mourning. And rend (tear) your heart, and not your garments, and turn (return) unto the Lord your God: for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great (LOVING-) kindness, and repenteth him of the evil (relents from doing harm).’ (Joel 2:12-13) Yes my brethren, it is possible to do some worthwhile reclamation, if we repent of our wicked, sinful ways and sincerely return to serving and worshipping the ONE TRUE GOD, He of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. But it has to be soon, and also on a fairly worldwide basis, or else, further disaster will continue striking us. And that’s certainly not a nice scenario to envision. So Friends, let’s wake up and see the fire, smell the smoke and rotting carcases and get a serious push on Jesus’ agenda, the LOVE Revolution, ASAP. Much LOVE!…as they say…a word to the wise…is sufficient…
Today’s Scrip-Bit 15 March 2013 Matthew 12:33
15 Mar 2013 Leave a comment
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: action, adultery, blasphemy, cast into the fire, corrupt fruit, corrupt tree, daily blessings, deeds, evil thoughts, faith, false prophets, false witness, fellowship, fornication, Friday chant, fun, glorification of God, glory hallelujah, God's glorious kingdom, good fruit, good tree, internal intent, murder, new mercies, relaxation, rest, TGIF! Thank God it's Friday!, theft, theology, weekend, what comes out defiles
Matthew 12:33. Either make the tree good, and his fruit good, or else make the tree corrupt, and his fruit corrupt: for the tree is known by his fruit.
Oh Friends, Friday’s up…! And it’s not Robinson Crusoe’s man… (smile) It’s another new today named Friday, bringing all the new daily mercies and blessings of our wonderful God! And the effervescent cries, shouts, hoots and hollers of ‘TGIM! Thank God is Friday, and the labouring for another week soon finish!’ echo all around the globe. But sadly they echo in too many polluted areas, a fact that causes untold problems for the human breathing apparatus. But that’s the price of progress, they say… Hogwash! The price of cheap, greedy, ‘gravalicious’, doh-care-about the planet progress yes! Anyway mih people, it’s Friday and a lot of the world’s happy because they won’t have to labour for massa for two whole days. And all God’s children gave a mighty shout of ‘Glory Hallelujah!’ Yes my brethren, it’s certainly nice not having to hit the road and the unending traffic jams for two days, but by the same token, we need to use that time off wisely. So let’s chant our Friday Chant that helps us put the weekend into proper perspective. ‘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.’ And having reminded ourselves of how to use the weekend properly, let’s turn to our very interesting and important Bit. ‘Either make the tree good, and his fruit good, or else make the tree corrupt (bad), and his fruit corrupt (bad): for the tree is known by his fruit.’ And that’s gospel truth Friends! Now yesterday we saw where Jesus told the multitude that stuff we put into our mouths doesn’t defile, but what comes out of us does. (Mat.15:10-11) Later though, Peter came back and asked Jesus to explain the parable because the Pharisees had been angered by it. (Matt.15:15) And Jesus gets a little testy with Peter. ‘Are ye also yet without understanding? Do not ye yet understand, that whatsoever entereth in at the mouth goeth into the belly, and is cast out (eliminated) 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.15:16-20) Oh my people, that’s the living truth, as we all know, if we’re honest with ourselves. That’s because deep down inside of us, our souls, is really where all our good and evil thoughts and actions begin, take root, sprout, then are noised abroad. So again we have to be rather careful about what’s in our souls, for what’s there will eventually come forth from our mouths, and if they are evil intents, then evil words will emanate and unfortunately spoil our witness. Jesus felt that our internal intent was so important, that He also used the good and bad tree analogy when talking about false prophets. ‘Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening (ravenous) wolves. Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil (bad) fruit. A good tree cannot bring forth evil (bad) fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.’ (Matt.7:15-20) Please note Friends, the emphasis Jesus places on the fruit; the work, the action, the deeds of those involved in ministry. What we say is important, but lots of times, what we do is actually much more important. Our actions should at all times reflect our words. As James says, ‘faith without works is dead.’ (James 2:20) Meaning we can talk all we want, but if we don’t back up that talk with action, the talk is of no use, simply wasted breath. And we’ll end with another analogy of Jesus to trees and fruits, where He talks to the disciples about the vine and the branches. ‘Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing. If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned. If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it will be done unto (for) you. Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit, so shall ye be my disciples.’ (John 15:4-8) Oh Friends, Jesus could not have explained the philosophy of His ministry any simpler or clearer! Now it’s up to us to embrace it and comply with it as fully as we can. If we don’t, then we’ll be cut down like the useless, withered branches and cast into the fire, as well as have to account for all our words on the judgement day. So let’s be very careful of what we say and how we act, because inappropriate words and actions not only affect our witness here on earth, giving Jesus a bad name, but also where we spend eternity. Much LOVE!…Christians…by their very nature…with the Holy Spirit dwelling in them…ought to be always good trees…thus always bearing good fruit…
Today’s Scrip-Bit 14 March 2013 Matthew 12:33
14 Mar 2013 Leave a comment
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: a tree is known by its fruit, abundance of the heart, astute observation, bad fruit, basic logic, bitter water, church unity, condemned, controversies, divided church, divisions, evil treasure, fresh water, good fruit, good treasure, idle words, justified, laws of nature, LOVE, new blessings, new mercies, new Pope, peace, religion, roman catholic church, salt water, spirituality, strife, sweet water, tension, theology, true brotherhood, unsavoury goings on, what defiles, wisdom
Matthew 12:33. Either make the tree good, and his fruit good, or else make the tree corrupt, and his fruit corrupt: for the tree is know by his fruit.
Oh Friends, it’s another new today! Please, let’s use it wisely and fruitfully. And all God’s children joyfully declared: ‘This is the day the Lord has made, we WILL rejoice and be glad in it!’ Yes my brethren, that’s why the Lord insists on giving us new mercies, manna and blessings every day, so that we can start each one afresh on a new foot, in praise, thanksgiving and rejoicing in His Holy Name. And I guess the most noteworthy news today is the announcement of a new Pope, a new leader of the Roman Catholic Church, who took the papal name of Francis. It also brings up a couple of firsts; the first South American Pope, as well as the first Papal Leader of Argentinean descent. He seems to be an honourable and humble man, but please remember, that though we might be good regional or small town leaders, when we hit the big stage, step up to the world level of leadership, all our problems and constraints are multiplied a thousand fold. So it’s not going to be easy for him to bring unity to a mightily divided church. But let’s all pray nonetheless, that the Lord will enable him to bring some lessening of the strife, tension and divisions that’s currently engulfing His church, due to all the unsavoury goings on and controversies recently exposed, eventually bringing some peace, LOVE and true brotherhood to the legion of followers. That brings us to our Bit; a most interesting statement of Jesus: ‘Either make the tree good, and his fruit good, or else make the tree corrupt (bad), and his fruit corrupt (bad): for the tree is know by his fruit.’ Now that’s an astute observation, if there ever was one! (smile) Jesus was here commenting on the good and the evil that exists within men. And it’s just basic logic that a tree cannot produce both good and bad fruit at the same time. By the laws of nature, it simply has to be one or the other. But just like James asks: ‘Doth a fountain send forth at the same place sweet water and bitter? Can the fig tree, my brethren, bear olive berries? either a vine, figs? so can no fountain both yield salt water and fresh.’ (James 3:11-12) That’s why believers should not be blessing and cursing from the same receptacle, our souls. And as Jesus told the multitude, re things that defile: ‘Hear, and understand: Not that which goeth into the mouth defileth a man; but that which cometh out of the mouth, this defileth a man.’ (Matt.15:10-11) Yes Friends, what we put into ourselves doesn’t defile us, but what comes out certainly does. For as Jesus further enlightens us, and the scribes and Pharisees surrounding Him: ‘O generation (brood or 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 my people, so much truth is contained in those words, it isn’t funny! In the first place, we usually speak what’s plentiful in our hearts, unless we’re being consciously hypocritical. So as Jesus says, if our hearts are filled with good stuff, then good stuff is what will emanate from our mouths. However, if evil reigns in our hearts, then only evil can come forth from our inner man. And above all Friends, please note that second to last verse, where Jesus warns that we’ll have to answer for every idle word we’ve ever spoken, come the judgement day. That should wake some of us up, who just curse and gossip and spread false stories, because, as He says, we will either be justified or condemned by our own words. Yes my fellow believers, we’ll either stand strong and live by the good words that we utter, or we’ll end up weak and fall by the evil words that proceed from our lips. The choice is ours, my Friends. Each individual has to make that most important choice as to whether he’ll be a propagator of good or evil. No one can do it for us. So please, I encourage and plead with us, today let’s take inventory of what’s truly in our hearts and try and replace any evil we might find there with good, by seriously asking the Lord’s help, so that come judgement time, we won’t have to answer for too many idle and evil words. More on this topic tomorrow, if the Lord so desires. Till then Friends, please, let’s pay close attention to what reigns in our hearts, and thus what titillates our tongues and eventually comes out of our mouths. That’s wisdom at its zenith! Much LOVE!…a single receptacle can only hold one kind of matter at a time…so it’s only wise to fill man’s heart…a single receptacle…with good stuff…
Today’s Scrip-Bit 13 March 2013 Psalm 15:1
13 Mar 2013 1 Comment
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: anger, despise the vile, dissensions, divisions, dog eat dog world, excellence, god, holy hill, holy spirit, loving kindness, majestic throne room, patience, perseverance, personal integrity, petty quarrells, Praise the Lord, pure heart, qualifications to serve, religion, resentment, righteous kingdom, strife, strong shoulders, tear down the veil, the Lord's tabernacle, theology, unreliability, usury, walk uprightly, who's worthy, work righteously
Psalm 15:1. Lord, who shall abide in thy tabernacle? Who shall dwell in thy holy hill?
Oh Friends, sorry that this is a tad late, but I got up later than I wanted to, then had problems connecting to Hot Mail. I’ve noticed that several times in the last few days. It’s that unreliability which turns me off of computers; just when you want something, you find it’s unavailable, and most of the time you don’t even know or can’t find out why. In essence, you’re at the mercy of the providers. And unfortunately there’s not much we can do about it, but put the patience and perseverance of Jesus to work; that spiritual enabling His Holy Spirit anchors in us. In addition to that, there are many blessings and favours that show up in our lives which totally overshadow the few disappointments. And all God’s people said: ‘That’s for sure! Praise the Lord our God for His goodness to us, children of undeserving men!’ Now turning to our Bit. In it, Bruh David asks a very interesting question. ‘Lord, who shall abide (sojourn) in thy tabernacle? Who shall dwell in thy holy hill?’ In other words, who is worthy to serve in the Lord’s tabernacle, or on His holy hill? What are the qualifications for that most important position? Then he gives us the answer. ‘He that walketh uprightly, and worketh righteousness, and speaketh the truth in his heart. He that backbiteth not with his tongue, nor doeth evil to his neighbour, nor taketh up (receives) a reproach against his neighbour. In whose eyes a vile person is contemned (despised); but he honoureth them that fear the Lord. He that sweareth to his own hurt, and changeth not. He that putteth not out his money to usury, nor taketh reward against the innocent. He that doeth these things shall never be moved.’ (Ps.15:2-5) Ah Friends, yuh see that the qualifications needed to truly serve Almighty God are basically a pure and LOVING heart and personal integrity, reflecting the character of Jesus. However, they differ substantially, are actually the exact opposite of what the world teaches about everyday survival in this current dog eat dog time. Now we all know that we can never achieve perfection like Jesus did, but nonetheless He expects ALL His followers to work towards it. In other words, striving for excellence in all our doings. But the million-dollar question is whether we’re doing that, whether Christians are truly striving for excellence in all our affairs? I sincerely doubt it because there are still too many non-Christian activities taking place in our lives. Things like anger, resentment, strife, jealousy and envy, many of which are petty and spurious in nature, but nevertheless cause serious divisions and dissensions amongst God’s people. Remember Friends, back in the days when Bruh David wrote, only the High Priest could enter the Holy of Holies and come before Almighty God. But thankfully, with Jesus tearing down the veil that separated the Holy Place from the rest of the temple, (Matt.17:51) all believers can now worship without any restrictions, we can all come before Almighty God now. But that also means, since we now have the Holy Spirit of Jesus indwelling us, to lead and guide and strengthen us, we’re ALL now expected to come up higher than the people of the Old Testament who didn’t have the Holy Spirit automatically indwell all believers. My brethren, Christ is certainly asking a lot of us, but as always, He’s also giving us the tools to do His service. Remember, He’ll never allow us to carry more than we can bear, and will continually be at our side as we work through our problems. And if by chance we stumble and can’t continue, then in His awesome LOVING-kindness, He’ll gently lift us on to His strong shoulders and carry us the rest of the way. That’s the wonderful kind of God we serve and worship, my people! And all God’s children offered up a loud and grateful: ‘Thank You Lord! Thank you for sending Jesus to save us. We praise and bless your Holy Name!’ Now let’s end with some further words of Bruh David on the topic. In Psalm 24; the king of glory, he again asks: ‘Who shall ascend into the hill of the Lord? Or who shall stand in his holy place?’ (Ps.24:3) Then he answers it thus: ‘He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart; who hath not lifted up his soul unto vanity (an idol), nor sworn deceitfully. He shall receive the blessing from the Lord, and righteousness from the God of his salvation. This is the generation of them that seek him, that seek thy face, O Jacob. Selah.’ (Ps.24:4-6) Ah mih breddren, I’m disturbed by that last verse. Is this generation truly seeking God? It certainly doesn’t seem so. But we can surely dream it; see it through our eyes of faith, can’t we? So today, let’s ponder on all the qualifications necessary to serve God in His sanctuary, His holy hill, and life in general, for they are all the same now. Let’s see how we currently rate, then sincerely promise ourselves and God to do better, to climb that ladder of excellence required by Jesus, and thus fulfill the dream to truly seek God on a personal level, and also to share it with others, so that His righteous kingdom can be further expanded and glorified. Much LOVE my brethren!…on our own…we’ll never be worthy to stand before God…but through the sacrificial blood of Jesus…we’ve all been granted entry…into the majestic throne room of the Most High God Jehovah…
Today’s Scrip-Bit 12 March 2012 Hebrews 12:1
12 Mar 2013 Leave a comment
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: aggrandizing ourselves, bad habits, bickering, Brother Leo, cloud of witnesses, conceits, covetousness, crown of righteousness, doing, endurance, finished the race, giving, glory hallelujah, good example, good fight, good habits, hebrews 12, humility, idolatry, Jesus Christ, leadership positions, leadership secrets, lies, new creation, old man, perseverance, public office, rejoice, religion, run with patience, serving, sin, spirituality, steadfast faith, theology, weep, worthwhile behaviour
Hebrews 12:1. Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us.
Oh Friends, it’s another day in our earthly sojourn! ‘Glory Hallelujah!’ And it looks like it will be another rainy one in my area, as it was yesterday. But that’s wonderful! I’ll take the colourless fluid any day over the more solid white stuff, even though the former reminds me that I still have a leak in the laundry room of my basement. But that’s a relatively small matter, which we’ll eventually solve, with the help of the Most High obviously. Now here’s an interesting and very appropriate story I recently read in the newsletter of a Real Estate Agent. It’s a legend about a French monastery, re the ‘extraordinary harmony due to the leadership of a man called Brother Leo.’ One day, several monks from a bickering monastery set out on a five-day journey to visit Brother Leo and find out his leadership secrets. True to the pattern of their monastery, they began arguing about the doing of chores as soon as they set out. However, on the third day of their journey, they met another monk on his way to the same monastery. But unlike them, when it came to doing chores, the new arrival never complained, and when the others were fighting over a chore, he’d pleasantly volunteer and do it himself. And as often is the case, when someone sets us an example, by the last day of the journey, the five other monks were working very well together. Oh how I wish we had more people like that sixth monk in our world, especially our church! Anyway, when they reached their destination, they asked the gatekeeper to see Brother Leo. Much to their amazement and consternation, the gatekeeper laughed at them. Then he pointed to the sixth monk and told them that was Brother Leo. The moral of the story Friends is that in these troubled times, those seeking public office and leadership positions are more interested in aggrandizing themselves, seeking what they can get personally from those positions, rather than what they can do to improve the positions. As the story concludes: ‘The parable about Brother Leo teaches a service model of leadership, where leaders are preoccupied with serving rather than being followed, with giving rather than getting, with doing rather than demanding.’ Yes Friends, that’s what leadership is really all about. But sadly, there are way too few of those types in power today. Please ponder that story and see if and how it affects us, or those we know. Then let’s consciously try our best to improve the model of leadership we, and those around us are currently following. For that’s the example that Jesus set for us. He came to save and serve, stooping so low as to even wash His disciples feet. (John 13:5-12) And in God’s mysterious way of moving, all of that ties in beautifully with our Bit, because it’s also talking about providing Christian leadership through serious, worthwhile behaviour, non-complaining service and humility as Christ did. ‘Wherefore seeing (since) we also are compassed about with (surrounded by) so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset (ensnare) us, and let us run with patience (perseverance, endurance) the race that is set before us.’ Now let’s look at some scripture that details stuff we should and shouldn’t do as Christians, desiring to grow and mature in Christ. And we’ll begin with some of the bad things from Bruh Paul’s letter to the Colossians. ‘Mortify (kill) therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection (passion), evil concupiscence (desire), and covetousness, which is idolatry. For which things’ sake the wrath of God cometh on the children of disobedience. In the which ye also walked sometime, when ye lived in them. But now ye also put off all these; anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth. Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds; And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him. Where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcision nor uncircumcision, Barbarian, Scythian, bond (slave) nor free: But Christ is all, and in all.’ (Col.3:5-11) Yes my people, we have to discard all that old stuff we did before we were born again in Christ, and instead do stuff like this: ‘Let LOVE be without dissimulation (hypocrisy). Abhor that which is evil; cling to that which is good. Be kindly affectioned (affectionate) one to another with brotherly LOVE; in honour preferring (giving preference to) one another. Not slothful (lacking in diligence) in business; fervent in spirit; serving the Lord; Rejoicing in hope; patient (persevering) in tribulation; continuing instant (steadfastly) in prayer; Distributing to the necessities (needs) of saints; given to hospitality. Bless them which persecute you: bless, and curse not. Rejoice with them that do rejoice, and weep with them that weep. Be of the same mind one to another. Mind not (do not set your mind on) high things, but condescend to men of low estate (associate with the humble). Be not wise in your own conceits (estimation). Recompense (repay) to no man evil for evil. Provide things honest (have regard for good things) in the sight of all men. If it be possible, as much as lieth in (depends on) you, live peaceably with all men.’ (Rom.12:9-18) Oh mih breddren, yuh see the great difference between the two types of characters available to us? And the last one (see also Col.3:12-17) is that which we’re supposed to pursue and present as Christians, as true followers of Christ. But obviously we’re not following it as closely and perfectly as we should, otherwise Christ’s church and society as a whole, would not be in the state of confusion, turmoil and strife they’re currently in. Therefore Friends, I’m pleading with us today to seriously and consciously try to improve our lives and the image we portray to others as Christians by adopting more of the good habits and discarding the bad ones. And if we consistently do what’s right, then at the end, we’ll be able to give a last testament like Bruh Paul. ‘For I am now ready to be offered, and the time my departure (death) is at hand. I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course (race), I have kept the faith: Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but to all them also that LOVE his appearing.’ (2 Tim.4:6-8) Oh my brethren, that’s what we should all be striving for in this earthly pilgrimage! May the Lord help us all to achieve it. Much LOVE!…to win the race of life…we must first discard the character of the old man…then put on that of the new creation in Christ Jesus…
SCRIP-BITS 