SCRIP-BITS

Philippians 2:2.     Fulfill ye my joy, that ye be likeminded, having the same LOVE, being of one accord, of one mind.

And the weekly work dance begins again – for the comparative few that still have jobs. Yes, it is a never-ending cycle, which some of us have learned to handle in what was once considered normal times. But unfortunately, this pandemic, with its lingering and deadly sickness, and all the strife, hatred and resentment that’s currently floating around in our society has a made a mockery of almost everything that we held sacred. 

So where do we go from here eh? Who knows? For there is no consolidated plan that most people agree with, but various bits and pieces of contentious solutions which means that no real progress can, or will be made sooner rather than later. Yes friends, until most of us agree on a workable solution and adhere to it, the virus and its many variants will continue to thrive in our society. 

It must be a solution that’s agreeable to ALL levels of government and a fair amount of the population. We can’t be fighting over the efficacy of the vaccines, whether we have enough, or who is getting them first, or the amount of testing we’re doing, and whether there should be partial, total, or no lockdowns at all. 

And that united front is what’s missing from our current situation. Too much passing the buck, finger pointing and irresponsible behaviour…not to mention the great amount of information and disinformation that’s out there, all claiming to be the gospel truth. As one old song so rightly claimed: ‘Too much, too much confusion!’ And another declared (steups!): ‘It’s just a ball of confusion!’ That’s exactly what our world is like right now friends. 

And it seems like the future might just get worse because we’re heading in the wrong direction; trending in a negative, instead of a positive movement. We desperately need to turn that around asap – or preferably RIGHT NOW! But turn it around, we must, if we expect to be victors over our current circumstances. And how do we do that you ask? As always, I believe the best place to turn to for truth and guidance is the Good Book. So let’s look at some of the scriptures that deal with coming together nuh. 

And the first one occurs after Jesus’ ascension. It says that afterwards the disciples returned to Jerusalem, to an upper room. (Acts 1:12-13) ‘These all continued with one accord (purpose or mind) in prayer and supplication, with the women, and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brethren.’ (Acts 1:14) 

Yes friends, at that time it was essential that Jesus’ followers were all on the same page, else they would have been easily disrupted, torn apart. And the same thing applies to us today, both as believers and ordinary citizens, for not much can be accomplished when brethren are not working together. 

And the next scripture states: ‘And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord (purpose or mind) in one place.’ (Acts 2:1) There again we have that divine phrase ‘one accord.’ And it’s of the utmost importance if victory is to be achieved by any group. They claim it is used 30 times in the Bible—once in the Old Testament, 29 times in the New, and 25 of those references are in the Book of Acts alone. That alone should tell us of its importance. 

Then we come to this scripture from Bruh Paul to the contentious Corinthians. ‘Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing (have a uniform testimony), and that there be no divisions (dissensions or schisms) among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgement.’ (1 Cor. 1:10) That scripture speaks for itself friends. 

And so does this one from Bruh Paul’s epistle to the Philippians. ‘If there be therefore any consolation (encouragement) in Christ, if any comfort of LOVE (consolation), if any fellowship of the Spirit, any bowels (affection) and mercies (sympathy), Fulfill ye my joy, that ye be likeminded, having the same LOVE, being of one accord, of one mind. 

Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory (selfish ambition or deceit); but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves (regard your fellow Christians as more important than yourself). Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others (be as concerned for the needs and problems of others as for yourselves). Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus.’ (Phil. 2:1-5) 

Oh my people, today we also need to concentrate on harmonious living, just like Jesus did, considering others as important as ourselves. Like Jesus said, ‘LOVE your neighbour as yourself.’ And that’s the ONLY way we will ever conquer the demons that are currently plaguing and terrorizing us. And the ONLY One who can bring us together in such manner is our One, True and Living God! So let’s go to Him in prayer right now nuh, through our Monday Morning Battle Hymn, asking Him to do just that, so we can conquer our evil enemies in this evil world and bring glory to His Holy name. 

Altogether now: ‘Our Father, who art in heaven, we, Your humble servants, praise Your Holy Name and thank You that this Monday morning we’re alive and standing in faith despite the mass confusion that’s currently prevailing in our world. We desperately need Your divine help, for You are the ONLY ONE with the power to solve our many problems; the pandemic of Covid -19, the racial, political, and religious strife that’s ignited worldwide, plus the many natural disasters that now seem more prevalent than ever. 

Heavenly Father, we admit that we have all sinned and seriously come short in obedience and compliance to Your Word, but we know that You are a merciful, forgiving and gracious God, and You have faithfully promised to hear and answer our prayers when we humble ourselves, pray, and sincerely seek Your face. That’s why we come to You now, with sincere repentance in our hearts, pleading with You to give us, ordinary folks, as well as our leaders, employers and medical personnel, wise guidance and direction to bring our problems under control. 

And for those who are currently suffering from the many negative situations, we pray that You will ease their suffering and heal them. Father, please show them Your awesome grace and mercy, and keep Your promise that You’ll hear our prayer, forgive us, and heal our land if we turn from our evil ways. Show this evil world that You are indeed Jehovah Rapha; the God who heals! We pray this in the holy and blessed name of Your Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen! And again we say: Amen!’ 

Now we have to make the necessary adjustments to our own attitudes, namely sincere repentance, obedience and like mindedness, or one accord, (smile) if we want to see positive results from heaven. Much LOVE!

…none of us alone…is as good as…ALL of us together…