SCRIP-BITS

2 Timothy 1:7.     For God hath not given us the spirit of fear, but of power, and of LOVE, and of a sound mind (that’s common sense and self-control).

And as the world turns…it turns into Monday, the day that constantly riles our spirits because we have to leave the safe cocoon of our homes and go out into the evil and dangerous world to make a living. Some of us are lucky to be still working from home because of the pandemic, but we must still work, if we want to eat, as Bruh Paul suggested to the Thessalonians. 

‘For even when we were with you, this we commanded you, that if any would not work, neither should he eat.’ (2 Thess. 3:10) And there are a lot of us in the society who don’t want to work but desire to eat, and to eat heartily too. But it’s a given in any society that lazy, no-good members will exist, what we need to do is to minimize their numbers. 

Anyway, what we really want to talk about today, is not allowing Monday to rile our spirits as much as it does, since we cannot get away from it. Every seven days, it will come around, whether we like it or not. And after the first blossom of dissatisfaction passes, we usually handle it successfully. So why do we let it get to us at all eh, since we know it’s coming regardless of what we think or desire? As they say, when you expect something, or know that it will surely come, then you’ve already won half the battle, because you can then prepare for it. 

And I believe that’s our major problem with Mondays; we are not prepared for it. We party and carry on so much during the weekend that instead of being rested on Monday morning, we’re still tired and exhausted from our weekend activities, therefore we become disgruntled and unsavoury when the alarms go off on a Monday. That means we must make better decisions on how we spend our weekends, possibly spending Sundays in rest after going to church, so that we can be bright and cheerful on Mondays to get out into the world and live for Jesus. 

Remember, one of the reasons we go to church on Sunday is to renew our spiritual strength and stamina so we can handle the new week with kid gloves, not let it rattle us right at the start. And I believe that the following scripture is one that we should learn and inwardly digest, because it is a very powerful tool in the arsenal of Christ’s followers. And it’s one that we all know and often quote, but don’t sufficiently put into action, because we either don’t really believe it, or haven’t digested it enough for it to make a serious difference in our Christian lives. 

We are talking about these magnificent words that Bruh Paul wrote to Timothy in his second letter. ‘For God hath not given us the spirit of fear, but of power, and of LOVE, and of a sound mind (that’s common sense and self-control).’ (2 Tim. 1:7) Yes friends, we ought to use that spirit of a sound mind, common sense and self-control to adjust our lives so that fear, disgruntlement or irritableness don’t come into the equation whenever a Monday morning rolls around. 

We have to be prepared for it, else it will always cause us problems, and that means possibly not too much partying on a Sunday evening, (smile) although that’s when a lot of the parties happen, like it did yesterday with the Halloween celebrations. I’m sure today, the work scene will be muddled, dreary and sick-filled because of yesterday’s ghoulish celebrations, and much money will be lost since a lot of work will not get done, or get done properly. But that’s how the society rolls along. 

However, we believers need to remember that we are supposed to be in the world, but not of the world. Thus, we don’t have to do everything that the world or the unbelievers do. We’re living for Christ, not for the prince of darkness who controls this evil, God-forsaken world. And as Jesus said to the disciples, and consequently to us: ‘If ye LOVE me, keep my commandments.’ (John 14:15) That says it all friends. If you want to live for Jesus, then you need to do what He says, else you’re not His follower. 

And I know that some of us like to sit on the fence and try to live both in the world and of the world, but as Jesus warned: ‘No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and LOVE the other, or else he will hold to (be loyal) to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon (earthly riches).’ (Matt. 6:24) And that’s the gospel truth my fellow saints in Christ! We cannot claim to LOVE and be living for Jesus, but simultaneously running down the riches of the world, clandestinely selling our soul to Beelzebub for things that rot, can be moth eaten and stolen. But unfortunately it’s happening, right in Christ’s church, more than we suspect or know. 

Anyhow, Jesus knows who is truly for Him, and who is just playing games, trying to play both ends against the middle, and will set things straight when He comes into His kingdom and begins to separate the sheep from the goats (Matt. 25:31-33) And believe me, many of us will be mightily surprised when we find ourselves herded to the left with the goats, to whom he says: ‘Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels.’ (Matt. 25:41) 

The only way to stave off that terrible happening is by going to the Lord in prayer, right now, in sincere repentance, truly seeking forgiveness and asking for help to change our ungodly ways. So as one voice, let’s raise our Monday Morning Battle Hymn in heartfelt prayer. ‘Our Father, who art in heaven, we, Your humble servants, praise Your Holy Name and thank You this Monday morning for life and strong faith in Christ, despite the mass confusion in our world. We desperately need Your divine help, for You are the ONLY ONE with the power to solve our many problems. 

Heavenly Father, we admit that we have all sinned and seriously disobeyed Your Word, but we know that You are a merciful, forgiving and gracious God, who has 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 wise guidance and direction to alleviate our problems.  

And Father, we pray that you will ease the pain of the many who are suffering from negative situations. 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!’ 

And again, let’s remember that the Lord will only answer our prayers if we keep the promises we’ve just made, and He’ll search our hearts to see if our motives are right. So it’s all up to us now. Much LOVE!

…God has given us all we need to live righteously…why don’t we use the gifts wisely eh…instead of making a mockery of ourselves…  

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