John 6:27. Labour not for the meat which perisheth, but for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life, which the Son of man shall give unto you: for him hath God the Father sealed.
Oh Friends, do you feel all the mercies and blessings that are flowing down on you from heaven right now, on this wonderful new day of 2012? I sure hope so, because they are flowing down, but we need to gather them, like the Israelites gathered manna every morning in the wilderness. Then we need to hold them close to our hearts all day long, and also use them wisely, helping others being a chief feature of that wise use. And without further ado, let’s get right into our Bit, for there’s much scripture to be scripted. (smile) We’ll look at the last part of the Bit for the final time today; ‘for him hath God the Father sealed.’ Now some people don’t like it when I stay too long on one topic, but if that’s where the Spirit’s guiding me, there’s not much I can do, as it is in this case. Our God apparently wants to get some scriptures out to us, and I’m only the conduit. So turn to Acts 2, if you will, where Peter addresses the crowd at Pentecost, beginning at verse 17. Here he quotes Joel 2:28-32; re the Lord pouring out His Spirit upon all flesh, with sons and daughters prophesying, young men seeing visions, old men dreaming dreams, wonders on earth and in heaven, the sun turning to darkness and the moon to blood, before the great day of the Lord arrives, and whosoever shall call on the Lord’s name will be saved. (Acts 2:17-21) Then Peter, in his most powerful speech ever declares to the crowd: ‘Ye men of Israel, hear these words; Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of (attested by) God among you by miracles and wonders and signs, which God did by him in the midst of you, as ye yourselves also know: Him, being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken, and by wicked (lawless) hands have crucified and slain. Whom God hath raised up, having loosed (destroyed) the pains (birth pangs) of death: because it was not possible that he should be holden of (held by) it. For David speaketh concerning him, I foresaw the Lord always before my face; For he is on my right hand, that I should not be moved (shaken): Therefore did my heart rejoice, and my tongue was glad; moreover also my flesh shall rest in hope: Because thou wilt not leave my soul in hell (Hades), neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption. Thou hast made known to me the ways of life; thou shalt make me full of joy with thy countenance (in thy presence). (Ps.16:8-11) Men and brethren, let me freely speak unto you, of the patriarch David, that he is both dead and buried, and his sepulchre (tomb) is with us unto this day. Therefore being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him, that of the fruit of his loins, according to the flesh, he would raise up Christ to sit on his throne; he seeing this before spake of the resurrection of Christ, that his soul was not left in hell, neither his flesh did see corruption. This Jesus hath God raised up, whereof we all are witnesses. Therefore being by the right hand of God exalted, and having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Ghost, he hath shed forth this, which ye now see and hear. For David is not ascended into the heavens: but he saith himself, The Lord said unto my Lord, sit thou on my right hand, Until I make thy foes thy footstool. Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, Both Lord and Christ.’ (Acts.2:22-36) Oh Friends, I didn’t plan on quoting all of that, but I couldn’t find a way to shorten it and yet explain it properly. And finally, more of Peter, when talking about his stories been grounded in the truth: ‘For we have not followed cunningly devised fables, when we made known unto you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of his majesty. For he received from God the Father honour and glory, when there came such a voice to him from the excellent glory, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. And this voice which came from heaven we heard, when we were with him in the holy mount. We have also a more sure word of prophecy (the prophetic word made more sure); whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts. Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation (origin). For the prophecy came not in old (any) time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.’ (2 Pet.1:16-21) So yuh see mih people, this whole plan of Jesus coming to earth in human form to sacrifice Himself for our sins, through the shedding of His precious blood, allowing us to be reconciled to the Father was established from time immemorial. So let’s get with the program nuh, take heed; stop doubting, start believing and acting on that belief. It’s what Jesus desires of us. Much LOVE!…only believe…all things are possible…in Jesus…only believe…
Today’s Scrip-Bit 5 January 2012 John 6:27
05 Jan 2012 Leave a comment
in Inspirational Living Tags: day of the lord, determinate counsel, god the father, jesus of nazareth, miracles and wonders
Today’s Scrip-Bit 4 January 2012 John 6:27
04 Jan 2012 Leave a comment
in Inspirational Living Tags: full of joy, god the father, joy of the lord, new mercies, peace and contentment
John 6:27. Labour not for the meat which perisheth, but for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life, which the Son of man shall give unto you: for him hath God the Father sealed.
Ah Friends, the bland, routine days of life are slowly returning after an exciting, enthusiastic Christmas season. And oh how we adore the excitement and such! But please realize that life for the most part revolves around the same old, same old. There are many more bland, boring and humdrum days than lively, exciting ones, therefore we need to learn to accept the former with peace and contentment, otherwise our lives will be filled with constant boredom and dissatisfaction. I know it’s not easy to get up every day and generally speaking, do the same thing. Unfortunately though, that’s what life is all about, and possibly why the Lord chose to bless us each and every day with new mercies and blessings. Now that’s something special to look forward to, isn’t it! So let’s try and develop a joy for every day that there’s breath in our bodies, because we know that living in full surrender to Christ will bring new, unpredictable stuff each new day, stuff that will work together for our good, because that’s what He’s promised. (Rom.8:28) And also remember that the joy of the Lord is our strength. (Neh. 8:10) So when we’re joyful in the Lord we’re strong, able to move mountains. Conversely, anytime we lose that joy, we become weak and anaemic, unable to deal with the vagaries of life. And the easiest and best way to stay full of joy in the Lord is by living a life dedicated to the things of heaven, as Jesus wisely advises in our Bit. ‘Labour not for the meat (food) which perisheth, but for that meat (food) which endureth unto everlasting life, which the Son of man shall give unto you: for him hath God the Father sealed.’ And today we’ll continue looking at the last part of the Bit: ‘for him hath God the Father sealed,’ talking about the scriptures’ foretelling of Jesus’ coming and His overwhelming acceptance by the Father. Yesterday we looked at Isaiah’s prophecy, (Is.42:1-4); Jesus’ baptism, (Matt.3:16-17) and the Transfiguration (Mark 9:2-8). Let’s begin with some daring words of Jesus on the subject. He was talking at the time about the Son’s relationship with the Father, and re John’s witness of him. ‘But I receive not testimony from man: but these things I say, that ye might be saved. He was a burning and a shining light (lamp): and ye were willing for a season (time) to rejoice in his light. But I have greater witness than that of John: for the works which the Father hath given me to finish, the same works that I do, bear witness of me, that the Father hath sent me. And the Father himself, which hath sent me, hath borne witness of me. Ye have neither heard his voice at any time, nor seen his shape (form). And ye have not his word abiding in you: for whom he hath sent, him ye believe not. (You) Search the scriptures: for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me. And (but) ye will not come to me, that ye might have life. I receive not honour from men.’ (John 5:34-41) What a powerful testimony Friends! Hope it stirred us up, relit, reenergized that fire smouldering in our bellies! It’s that kind of uplifting, encouraging stuff we need to read everyday my people, so that we can stay focused on Christ and do the things He requires of us. Remember that’s what we promised ourselves to do this year of 2012; rededicate ourselves and our lives to Jesus, so that we can harness His omnipotence, as well as His humility, caring, kindness, mercy, forgiveness and unconditional LOVE, and thus live the optimum life possible as a believer and a true Christian. I’ll end here today Friends, because the other scriptures I want to share will make the Bit a tad long, and I know how you all can’t stand anything long pertaining to God. (smile) So until tomorrow, when we’ll have new mercies and blessings to enjoy, please walk safely with God. Much LOVE!…to LOVE your God…LIVE your Faith…and SPREAD His Word…that’s a believer’s motto…
Today’s Scrip-Bit 3 January 2012 John 6:27
03 Jan 2012 Leave a comment
in Inspirational Living Tags: earthly reason, glorious kingdom, god the father, heathen rage, souls and bodies
John 6:27. Labour not for the meat which perisheth, but for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life, which the Son of man shall give unto you: for him hath God the Father sealed.
Ah Friends, we’re already three days into the new year, time certainly does move fast, and the festivities of the Christmas season are winding down, but hopefully not the spiritual reawakening that we’ve experienced during that period. Please, I beg of us to keep that fire for Jesus burning brightly in our souls and bodies. That enthusiasm will give us the wherewithal, the belly, the backbone to stand strong and steadfast in His Name, working diligently to further His glorious kingdom. Remember, that’s our earthly reason for being, and only as we are strong, faithful and persevering will Jesus’ work be done successfully. And that can only happen if we adhere to His advice in our Bit. ‘Labour not for the meat (food) which perisheth, but for that meat (food) which endureth unto everlasting life, which the Son of man shall give unto you: for him hath God the Father sealed.’ Now my intention yesterday was to talk about the last part of our Bit: ‘for him hath the God the Father sealed,’ but it was usurped by the fire this time. (smile) Today though, there’s nothing to disrupt the plan, so let’s plough on straight ahead, as Jesus did, and desires us to do. And what do those words mean, ‘for him hath God the Father sealed?’ Basically it involves the foretelling of Jesus’ coming, with the Father acknowledging Him as his own Son, shining His approval on, and His confidence in Him, knowing that Jesus would not shirk His responsibilities and do a good job, and finally setting Him on high before the world. Now there are plenty scriptures which signify this, so let’s get into some of them right away, starting with words from Psalm 2, why do the heathen rage? ‘Yet have I set (installed) my King upon my holy hill of Zion. I will declare the decree (of the Lord): The Lord hath said unto me, Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee. Ask of me, and I shall give thee the heathen (Gentiles) for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession.’ (Ps.2:6-8) Prophetically that refers to Bruh David and his line, in particular Jesus, who as a descendant of Bruh David also faced stiff opposition in His earthly ministry. Then hear these most appropriate words from Isaiah 42, titled, ‘the Lord’s servant.’ ‘Behold my servant, whom I uphold; mine elect (chosen one), in whom my soul delighteth; I have put my spirit upon him: he shall bring forth judgement (justice) to the Gentiles. He shall not cry (out), nor lift up (raise his voice), nor cause his voice to be heard in the street. A bruised reed shall he not break, and the smoking (dimly burning) flax shall he not quench (extinguish): he shall bring forth judgement unto (justice for) truth. He shall not fail nor be discouraged, till he have set judgement (justice) in the earth: and the isles (coastlands) shall wait for his law.’ (Is.42:1-4) Yes my people, you can see that from way back, the Lord sent messages to us about the coming of His Wonderful Son. That plan has been in the works from day one and every word of it came to pass some two thousand years ago with the birth of Jesus and His earthly ministry. Now hear this acknowledgement in Jesus’ time, when John baptized Him in the Jordan. ‘And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him: and lo a voice from heaven saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.’ (Matt.3:16-17) Wow Friends! That must have been a rather special moment down by the old Jordan, with the Spirit alighting on Jesus and the voice from heaven confirming His divinity. Now let’s end with another stunning moment; the transfiguration, where Jesus takes Peter, James and John, his inner circle, up to a mountain, ‘and he was transfigured before them. And his raiment (clothing) became shining, exceeding white as snow; so as no fuller (launderer) on earth can white (whiten) them. And there appeared unto them Elijah with Moses: and they were talking with Jesus. And Peter answered and said to Jesus, Master, it is good for us to be here: and let us make three tabernacles; one for thee, and one for Moses, and one for Elijah. For he wist (knew) not what to say, for they were sore (greatly) afraid. And there was a cloud that overshadowed them: and a voice came out of the cloud, saying, This is my beloved Son: hear him. And suddenly, when they had looked round about, they saw no man any more, save (except) Jesus only with themselves.’ (Mark 9:2-8) Oh my people, our God gave us so many instances of what He was planning, but we were too blind, too taken up with our own selfish, petty lives to pay much attention to it. But luckily now, we have it all laid out before us in spades, we don’t have to decipher it, so please let’s accept it, let’s grab hold of it and take it to heart so that we can profit from all the good things that our most wonderful God has planned and prepared for us since the beginning of time. That’s the only way to fully enjoy this earthly life, and enjoy it we should, since it’s one of the reasons Jesus died on that old rugged cross. Much LOVE!…to know, know, know Him…is to LOVE, LOVE, LOVE Him…
Today’s Scrip-Bit 2 January 2012 John 6:27
02 Jan 2012 Leave a comment
in Inspirational Living Tags: advent candles, handful of water, interim priest, spiritual rebirth
John 6:27. Labour not for the meat which perisheth, but for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life, which the Son of man shall give unto you: for him hath God the Father sealed.
Oh Friends, our God is a great and most wonderful Deity, but sometimes He exhibits a weird sense of humour, so please be careful for what you ask, because you’re liable to get it, though not necessarily the way you asked for or expected it. In yesterday’s Bit I asked for a rekindled fire in believers for 2012, meaning a spiritual rebirth. But what do you think happened? Before the Bit was forty-five minutes old, the Lord gave me real fire! Hn! Now picture this scene: It’s 8.30 am, at the early morning church service. There are just four of us at the time; the interim priest, the female lay reader, her husband and I. The lay reader’s lighting some advent candles on a stand down to the right of the altar, complaining that the wick on the lighter isn’t working properly, so I get up from the second row of front chairs to go over and take a look. Suddenly, the wreath below the candles accidentally catches on fire. I run into the corridor to get some water from the nearby fountain, only to realize when I get there that I don’t have a container to catch the water. So see me, like a fool, with a half handful of water turning to go back inside. Hn! Hn! I can laugh now, but then it wasn’t so funny, for when I turned around I saw the priest, a medium height, strong, wiry Kenyan, running out with the wooden stand on which the wreath was now blazing. The lay reader calls out for me to open the front doors. So off I run, oblivious of my wonky knees. Now there are two sets of double doors at the church’s main entrance. I get to the inside ones, open a half of that, then while holding that open, I reach forward to open a half of the outer set and stand there stretched out flat, trying to hold both doors open simultaneously. Somewhere in that operation I bounce my nose on a hard surface, and that begins to pain. Meanwhile Fr. Stephen has come up behind me with the wreath raging, trying to manoeuvre it between the narrow openings. But as he squeezes by me, I can feel the heat of the flames hot on my back. It’s surprising that neither his robes nor my sweater got ignited, given the small spaces and our close proximity to the flames. That was the Lord’s hand obviously! Anyway, Fr. Stephen gets the stand and everything outside safely, then the lay reader’s husband wisely comes out with a fire extinguisher and puts out the blaze, because it’s still going strong even lying on the ground at the front of the church. Later on we discover that the wreath was chained to the stand, so trying to take it off as Fr. Stephen apparently tried to do, was useless. And though the place was filled with smoke afterwards, we left the doors open and the service continued, showing that not even fire can stop God’s time. Glory Hallelujah! As Fr. Stephen said later on, we could either look at the situation as the proverbial glass being half empty; bewailing our circumstance, and sadly thinking that if the fire had spread to the carpeted floor, all hell would have broken loose. Or we could consider the glass as being half full, and give much thanks and glory to the Lord for looking after us and bringing us safely through what could have been a potentially very dangerous situation. We obviously chose to look at the glass as being half full. But Friends, believe me, if the heat from that comparatively small fire felt so terrible against my clothed back, I certainly don’t want to be around for the fire next time. (smile) I now have a pretty red welt down the left side of my nose to add to the scars on the right side. Anyway, today’s Monday, and not all of us are lucky to have it off. In this 24/7 society of ours, somebody’s got to work to keep it running smoothly, so let’s sing our Monday Morning Battle Hymn in loud, exuberant tones, truly feeling it in our hearts and souls. All together 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!’ And with that burst of adrenaline from the Holy Spirit coursing through our beings, let’s go out and join the battle with the workers of iniquity, praising God and seeing victory thorough our eyes of faith.’ Much LOVE!…to do as Jesus desires…is the believer’s raison d’être…
Today’s Scrip-Bit 1 January 2012 John 6:27
01 Jan 2012 Leave a comment
in Inspirational Living Tags: attributes of jesus, different space, glory hallelujah, light of jesus, rivers in the desert, zone one
HAPPY NEW YEAR MY SCRIP-BIT FAMILY!
Oh Friends, it’s 2012! It’s a NEW YEAR! Glory Hallelujah! So let’s do something new nuh! Let’s bring some positive change(s) to our lives this year of 2012! As the Good Book says: ‘Behold, I will do a new thing; now it shall spring forth; shall ye not know it? I will even make a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert.’ (Is.43:19) And all God’s people enthusiastically shouted: “Yes Lord, we see you doing something new!’ Well Friends, this year let’s all do a new thing too nuh! And that new thing I want us to do is to rededicate ourselves to Christ; find a new passion, a new zeal, a new longing for Jesus! Remember when you first found Jesus? Remember how passionate you were, and wasn’t afraid to talk about Him? In fact they had a hard time stopping you from talking about Him. Well mih people, let’s see if we can’t regain that now seemingly lost feeling please. I find lack of zeal and passion for Christ to be one of our biggest downfalls, and it’s only as we get back that enthusiasm and confidence that the Lord’s kingdom will be furthered. We’re still going to be kind, generous, LOVING, faithful, merciful, trusting, forgiving, unselfish, considerate and gracious, all those wonderful attributes of Jesus, but in this year of 2012 we going to do it with a new flare, a rekindled fire, a renewed passion, and it’s going to fill us all with such joy, peace, calm and contentment that whenever people look at us, they’ll just see the light of Jesus shining out from us, they’ll know and realize that we’re in a different space, a different zone, one where Jesus is No.1; El Numero Uno. And then we can tell them that all they have to do to get what we have is to accept Jesus into their hearts and lives as Lord and Saviour, which will set them on the right path to joy, peace and fulfillment. That’s my New Year’s wish for all believers this year. And yuh know that’s when we’ll truly begin doing as our Lord desires in our Bit: ‘Labour not for the meat (food) which perisheth, but for that meat (food) which endureth unto everlasting life, which the Son of man shall give unto you: for him hath God the Father sealed.’ Oh Friends I want so much for us this new year to rise up and be true disciples of Christ, that He’ll be proud of us, for the world is currently such a wicked and rotten place and only as believers work seriously and tirelessly can it be improved, since the iniquity workers like it the way it is, and are even trying to make it more evil, if that’s at all possible. Now here’s a quote on the New Year from Hal Borland (1900 -1978) the well-known American author and journalist. It says: ‘Year’s end is neither an end or a beginning but a going on, with all the wisdom that experience can instil in us.’ Now that’s very true my brethren, and in light of that, I want us to use all the wisdom that life’s taught us so far to raise the profile of Jesus and His kingdom this new year. I want 2012 to be a breakthrough year for Christianity, where we put aside our petty, selfish grievances and work together to magnify the Lord Jesus Christ, to worship and glorify our Heavenly Father with such passion that the evil doers of the world will just have to stand by and watch in jealousy and envy, with their mouths wide opened, so surprised that Jesus’ army has finally risen up and taken a stand for Him. And it can be done Friends, if we’ll just decide to do it, invoke Jesus’ name for help, then buckle down together and do it. Now we’ll end with an excerpt on Peace from an editorial by Anne Daly Goodwin which appeared in the St. Paul Pioneer Press Dispatch on December 31 1986. It’s quite appropriate for these trying and troubled times. ‘Peace rises like dawn in the hearts of hope… Peace reaches from warm and welcoming houses when workers go home. Peace wraps congregations as worship comes to comforting conclusions… Peace floats like music through cabin windows to porch-sitters outside. Peace shimmers from lake water on star-dashed extravagant nights… Peace blesses the day’s end, in the Dylan Thomas way: ‘I turned the gas down. I got into bed. I said some words into the close and holy darkness, and then I slept.’ And so the last page turns to the new page, and we wish the world a happy new year. In peace.’ Oh my people, I implore us to take those words to heart, see them through our eyes of faith and work on them until they become reality, for that’s what our world needs more than anything right now…a modicum of PEACE. Much LOVE!…we can do it…if we only try…with Jesus’ help of course…
Today’s Scrip-Bit 31 December 2011 John 6:27
31 Dec 2011 Leave a comment
in Inspirational Living Tags: circumspection, god the father, mind yuh business, roaring lion, snares and traps, time of storm
John 6:27. Labour not for the meat which perisheth, but for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life, which the Son of man shall give unto you: for him hath God the Father sealed.
Well Friends, at last it’s New Year’s Eve; the day of the big bash! Now as I said yesterday, enjoy yourselves; eat, drink and be merry, but don’t get too carried away, conduct yourselves with ‘a modicum of circumspection.’ As Peter so wisely advises: ‘Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour.’ (1 Pet.5:8) Truer words were never spoken Friends! And it’s especially in times of merriment that we let our guards down and are most vulnerable, most susceptible to the evil tricks of the wily enemy. So once again: drunk or sober, mind yuh business. (smile) And the easiest way to do that Friends is to live the way Jesus declares in our Bit: ‘Labour not for the meat (food) which perisheth, but for that which endureth unto everlasting life, which the Son of man shall give unto you: for him hath God the Father sealed.’ Yes my people, when our focus, our concentration is on the things of heaven, rather than those of earth, we are less likely to fall into the snares and traps of the lying Lucifer and his evil buddies. But if we are fixated on earthly things, those things that belong to Lucifer and are fiercely promoted by his lieutenants, then we can be very easily swayed and made to do wrong. Yes, I know it’s not easy, it’s a constant battle, but if we stay secured to Jesus, then we will surely win most of those battles. Remember that Jesus is our rock, our sure and solid foundation, our anchor in the time of storm, and once we’re securely linked to Him, there’s no cause to fret and/or worry, because He’s promised to never leave nor forsake us. And we know that He faithfully keeps ALL of His promises. Now let’s look at some scripture that aligns with our Bit. I promise to keep it short because I know you have to prim and prep yourself for the partying later. (smile) And a good place to start is at the well of Jacob, with the Samaritan woman whom Jesus asked for a drink. (John 4:7) The woman was taken aback that a Jew would ask a Samaritan for anything, since the Jews considered the Samaritans outcasts, unclean through intermarriage with the Gentiles amongst whom they lived. When she raised this point with Jesus, (John 4:9), He answered: ‘If thou knewest the gift of the God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink, thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water.’ (John 4:10) Not knowing who Jesus was, she obviously questioned His ability to give her water since He had no utensils with which to draw it. ‘Jesus answered and said unto her, Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again: But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well (fountain) of water springing up into everlasting life.’ (John 4:13-14) Oh Friends, that’s the kind of water we desperately need! And it’s the kind of stuff that Jesus is referring to in our Bit, where we earnestly and excitedly desire the eternal things that He has to offer, not the earthly stuff. And the woman wasn’t stupid, she asked for the living water. (John 4:15) Oh my brethren, when we live for the things of heaven rather than those of earth, we tap into the spiritual power of Jesus, and are thus able to do much more here on earth in His Name, to further His kingdom. As Bruh Paul enlightened the Ephesians: ‘For by grace are ye (you have been) saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God. Not of works, lest any man should boast. For we are his workmanship (creation), created in Christ Jesus unto (for) good works, which God hath ordained (prepared) that we should walk in them.’ (Eph.2:8-10) So Friends, for this upcoming year of 2012, let’s make it a priority to walk in those ways which God has ordained for each of us nuh. It’s our duty as believers to do so. And if we do, life will be ever so wonderful! See, I kept my promise to keep it short. (smile) Much LOVE!…walk in the footsteps of Jesus…and you’ll never go astray…
Today’s Scrip-Bit 30 December 2011 John 6:27
30 Dec 2011 Leave a comment
in Inspirational Living Tags: carnival atmosphere, christmas day, god the father, unsuspecting person
John 6:27. Labour not for the meat which perisheth, but for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life, which the Son of man shall give unto you: for him hath God the Father sealed.
Oh Friends, like the snow took umbrage at my disparaging, belittling remark yesterday and decided to show me what’s what. (smile) So it fell all night and intermittently throughout the day. Now there’s no mistaking it’s winter. So be careful with your words, for they’re liable to come back to haunt you. By the way, it’s also Friday, the eve of New Year’s Eve! Wow! So you can just imagine the mas (carnival atmosphere) that’s predominating all over the world as people make plans to celebrate the incoming year, many in high style, some not so high, and others in very low style. Me? I think I’ll do it in low style. Too many headaches involved; with celebrations too far away, thus having to fight traffic and snow to get there, then on the way home, constantly being on the look out for Babylon, who’s on the lookout for you drinking and driving. (smile) I’m a little too old for that rigmarole now, so I think I’ll just stay home and celebrate quietly with the duchess. But most everybody will do some kind of celebrating. And since New Year’s Day falls on a Sunday, like Christmas Day, that means Monday is a holiday for many, further meaning we’re enjoying back to back long weekends. Can you imagine the feasting and partying? But hopefully also some fellowshipping, worshipping and thanksgiving too will take place, for all God’s goodness to us, His undeserving children. Don’t forget Jesus is still the reason for the season. Now because of all those exuberant circumstances, Lucifer is very alert, gleefully walking around looking for any unsuspecting person(s) he can waylay and infiltrate. I therefore need to remind us to be careful not to give him even one miniscule opening into our lives. Or to put it in the idiom that most of us understand: drunk or sober, mind yuh business. (smile) Oh Friends, we can never be reminded of that too often because the enemy never takes a break, he’s always on the lookout for prey, so we always have to be on our p’s and q’s to avoid him getting his evil fangs into us. And to help us do that, let’s chant our Friday Chant nuh, with plenty feeling too, because this is a real big weekend. Altogether now: ‘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.’ Yes my people, we can never afford to let our guard down where Lucifer and his evil cohorts are concerned. That’s why we need to routinely stick to the wise advice Jesus gives in our Bit: ‘Labour not for the meat (food) which perisheth, but for that meat (food) which endureth unto everlasting life, which the Son of man shall give unto you: for him hath God the Father sealed.’ And that’s the living truth Friends! Now what’s this meat, this food that perishes? It’s simply the things of the world, the things the world considers important. And the food that perishes not? Those are the things associated with heaven, as Jesus so compellingly spells out: ‘Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt (ruin), and where thieves break through and steal: But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt (ruin), and where thieves do not break through nor steal: For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.’ (Matt.6:19-21) Oh my brethren, that’s just pure common sense! Wherever the things we hold dear are stored, then there will our minds and hearts be focused. And if those things held dear are on earth, even our bodies will often be there too. As believers we should not be focused on earthly things because we can’t take them with us when we leave this earth, so why get all hot and bothered about accumulating them? We’ll only leave all that earthly wealth for others to fight over. Job said it quite nicely when he was battered by trials and tribulations, losing all of his earthly possessions. ‘Naked came I out of my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return thither; the Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.’ (Job 1:21) Now obviously most of us will be clothed when we return to the earth, but it’s just that we won’t be carrying any of those earthly possessions with us, so why kill ourselves to get them, and why make them so important that they become like idols, taking away our focus from God? Note in Jobs’ speech there, though the Lord had dealt him a rough hand, Job never once blamed God or cursed Him, instead he blessed Him. Now Friends, that’s the way believers ought to operate. It’s not easy, but it’s what our heavenly Father and our Saviour Jesus desires of us, so let’s put our shoulders to wheel and do our best to please and bless Them nuh. It’s what we signed up for as Christians. More on this tomorrow – if we don’t make the obits. (smile) Much LOVE!…earthly things are useful…but when they entice us away from Jesus…then problems set in…
Today’s Scrip-Bit 29 December 2011 Psalm 14:1
29 Dec 2011 1 Comment
in Inspirational Living Tags: abominable works, life study fellowship
Psalm 14:1. The fool hath said in his heart; There is no God. They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none that doeth good.
Ah Friends, we finally got a little white powder, enough that we can call it snow. Hn, hn! Sorry for those who hoped for a white Christmas but were disappointed. Now we’re looking forward to the New Year, and as we’ve been wondering recently whether things will improve, I heard a very disturbing piece of news today, namely that Iran is threatening to block the Strait of Hormuz, a narrow waterway in the East, where about 40 percent of the world’s oil passes through. Hopefully that’s only a rattling of sabres, because if it ever happens, you can be assured that serious warfare will ensue, since oil is the defining factor in our society these days, and without it, we’ll be facing even more hardship than normal. So let’s pray that the world leaders don’t do any foolishness and further upset the already very fragile applecart of world peace. Now to try and counteract all the folly of both our leaders and ourselves, here’s a prayer prepared by the Life Study Fellowship of Noroton, Connecticut, apparently for the 2005 New year. I found it on a pamphlet in my mother’s Bible, and it seems very appropriate for 2012. Actually, it’s a continuation of one I shared with you earlier on, but kept this part for just before the New Year. It says: ‘Dear Lord, how grateful I am to be able to turn to You for guidance and comfort when troubles come my way! If any situation arises that makes me feel discouraged, You let me know I can lean on You for support! And because of Your LOVE for me, somehow I seem to find the strength to keep going – even through the most difficult of times! I’m grateful, too, for peaceful moments like these when I’m all alone with You in prayer! Talking with You never fails to reassure and uplift me! Nothing I say to You goes unheard. You listen with great concern to everything I confide in You! For you truly care about me! As I look to 2012, I pray that You will continue to watch over me – and grant me even more of Your wonderful blessings! And may I serve You well in my every word, my every deed! Be my Guide hour by hour, I pray! Amen.’ Yes Friends, we all need that kind of encouragement and comfort for the coming year. This past one was pretty scary, so let’s hope the next one isn’t as bad, although the writing on the wall doesn’t look too encouraging. As believers though we need to remember that our God, the Lord Jehovah, created the universe and all therein, and still controls everything that goes on within it. We might not always understand His reasoning, but since we know that His mental capacity is much greater than ours, we trust and have faith in His awesome promise to work out all things for good to those who LOVE Him and are called to do His bidding. That means we cannot follow the foolishness of men and do as our Bit indicates: ‘The fool hath said in his heart; There is no God. They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none that doeth good.’ Ah mih people, you’d better believe there are many – too many – fools in this world, doing evil, abominable works instead of encouraging and uplifting ones. That’s why our world is in such a sad state, filled with all kinds of wickedness, violence and ungodliness. Too many people are saying that there is no God, therefore they see fit to behave sinful and ungodly. But listen to how Bruh David continues the psalm: ‘The Lord looked down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there were any that did understand, and seek God. They are all gone aside, they are all together become filthy (corrupt): there is none that doeth good, no, not one. Have all the workers of iniquity no knowledge? who eat up my people as they eat bread, and call not upon the Lord. There were they in great fear: for God is in the generation of the righteous.’ (Ps.14:2-5) Yes my brethren, the wicked are very prominent throughout all the earth, but that last verse is oh so important, because they will end up in fear, but please take heart, be encouraged by the very last line: ‘for God is in the generation of the righteous.’ That’s us Friends! And all God’s people vociferously sang: ‘Glory Hallelujah! Our God is indeed a great God!’ So please remember Friends, that Almighty God, Creator and Ruler of the Universe, is indeed with us, the righteous of the earth, therefore there is no need to fear, once we stay safely ensconced under the protective canopy of His mighty wings. Let’s write that indelibly in our hearts, minds and souls and look forward in faith to blessed times ahead. That’s why Jesus sacrificed His holy, innocent life for us. Much LOVE!…the fool says there is no God…but the righteous and wise…know differently…
Today’s Scrip-Bit 28 December 2011 Psalm 141:8
28 Dec 2011 Leave a comment
in Inspirational Living Tags: physical disasters, psalm 141, suicide bombings
Oh Friends, we’re down to four days now for the New Year and we can all sit down an pontificate about what’s going to happen, but as I asked yesterday, is anything new and improved going to take place, is much going to change? Not at the beginning, though hopefully by the time we get to the end and start looking forward to 2013, we’ll have some positive changes. The physical disasters like the flash flooding recently in the Philippines, neither the suicide bombings around the world aren’t going to end just because a new year’s been ushered in. In fact the Nigerian Islamists have just begun a new wave of bombings and violence against Christians and their churches in Nigeria this past Christmas week. Oh Friends, Christians are being horribly persecuted in Muslim countries all over the world simply because of their faith. And what are we Christians out here doing about all that nonsense eh? Apparently nothing. We allow them to come to our Christian, or should I say supposed Christian countries and bend over backwards to accommodate their faith. Why doesn’t this picture seem right eh Friends? It’s time we stand up and fight back people, else our faith will be pushed back into the dark ages when we had to hide and gather in secret to worship for fear of prosecution. The Western world was colonized on a Christian based foundation, why are we allowing others to bring their foreign ideology and change it so drastically eh? Serious inroads affecting our faith have already been made, and if we don’t stand up and fight back, Islam will eventually reign supreme here, either through peaceful or violent conquest. And please don’t be fooled into thinking that that’s not the eventual goal. It might not be for the ordinary man in the street, but the power brokers at the top certainly envisage that day and are working tirelessly towards it. Anyway Friends, we seriously need to do something, and soon too, about the erosion of our faith, especially here in our homeland. We need to stand together and purposefully fight against the encroaching enemy. That means at least two things: First we have to forget our petty, selfish infighting and divisiveness. We have to fight as one, else we’ll remain divided, as we are now, and thus easily conquered. And the second thing is that we have to look fervently to our God, do as our Bit says: ‘But mine eyes are unto thee, O God the Lord: in thee is my trust; leave not my soul destitute.’ Yes Friends, it’s only with God before, behind and around us that we can ever hope to win. When the armies of Moab came to invade Judah, what was King Jehoshaphat’s reaction eh? He prayed for deliverance: ‘And Jehoshaphat feared, and set himself to seek the Lord, and proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah.’ (2 Chr.20:3) And here’s how he ended his prayer. ‘O our God, wilt thou not judge them? for we have no might against this great company that cometh against us; neither know we what to do: but our eyes are upon thee.’ (2 Chr.20:12) Yes my people, if our eyes are not steadily and steadfastly focused on the Lord God Jehovah then we will be in serious trouble. In Psalm 25, a prayer for guidance and protection, Bruh David faithfully declares: ‘Mine eyes are ever towards the Lord; for he shall pluck (bring out) my feet out of the net.’ (Ps.25:15) And in Psalm 123, a prayer for mercy, the psalmist wisely proclaims: ‘Unto thee lift I up mine eyes, O thou that dwellest in the heavens. Behold, as the eyes of servants look unto the hand of their masters, and as the eyes of a maiden (maid) unto the hand of her mistress; so our eyes wait (look) upon the Lord our God, until that he have mercy upon us.’ (Ps.123:1-2) Oh my brethren, these are seriously troubled times in which we’re living. There are enemies all around us in various stripes and forms. It’s not always easy to spot them, but unless our eyes are on God, our hearts right, our faith strong, and our zeal and passion fiercely ignited, then eventually we will be defeated. It’s time for us to stand up strong and act. Enough talking, it’s getting us nowhere. And remember, as I keep reminding us, Christianity is an action based faith, so let’s get some serious action going in Jesus’ name nuh. Much LOVE!…only so much as our passion for God…is channelled into positive action…will our faith be truly successful…
Today’s Scrip-Bit 27 December 2011 Psalm 141:8
27 Dec 2011 Leave a comment
in Inspirational Living Tags: american geneticist, psalm 141, true change
And then there were five! Yes Friends, only five more days to the New Year of 2012! It’s interesting to note the amount of attention we pay to the coming of a new year. But does anything really change except the date on the calendar? Not a whole lot, because most of us abhor change, especially the significant kind. At the New Year, one year simply morphs into the other and within a few days all our good intentions to improve ourselves, our relationships and whatever else, tend to go through the window. The point being that we simply make a lot of arbitrary, frivolous, feel good, on the surface resolutions, with little or no serious thought behind them, and more importantly, no consultation with God. So how can we expect true change then eh mih people, if we don’t consult with our Higher Power, since it’s only through Him that real change can occur in our lives? We don’t need to wait for a new year to initiate change. We can do that at anytime with God behind us. So please, let’s not be carried away with all the token expressions of improvement and doing good in these next few days. If there are serious changes we desire, or need to make, so be it, but please, let’s talk to the Father first and ask His help, otherwise our efforts will most likely be fruitless. Now I’d like to share an interesting quote from an interesting novel I’m reading, interestingly enough right at Christmas time, because it does throw up a lot of interesting questions about our faith. And I’d strongly suggest that unless your faith is fairly strong, you don’t read it, because it’s likely to cause all sorts of doubts and questions that will confuse you. Anyway, the name of the book is ‘the Sacred Bones,’ by Michael Byrnes, and in this scene an Irish priest at the Vatican is talking to a newly arrived female American geneticist, who’s come there to do some work for them. And while enquiring about her faith, the priest realizes that religion is a touchy subject with her. Unbeknownst to him, she was suffering from the early stage of bone cancer, stuff that really tests our faith, especially if we’ve been seemingly living right, and he ventures to say. ‘You know, back in Ireland we had a saying: ‘I believe in the sun when it’s not shining, I believe in LOVE even when I feel it not, I believe in God even when he is silent… Sometimes the things we really cherish just need to be remembered.’ And that’s the gospel truth Friends! In this busy, impersonal, material wealth and possession-seeking world, where we’re constantly on the go, the things we truly cherish often don’t get any, or enough consideration from us. And that’s a major reason why our society is in such shambles. We don’t have time to truly appreciate our friends, families, pets, etc. because we’re always in such a rush to do the next supposed important thing. Unfortunately that makes our hearts cold, inconsiderate and without the passion we need to truly appreciate life. Please remember Jesus; He always had time for the things and people He considered important. He was never in a rush, and never turned away anyone who asked for His help along His paths because he was too busy. For this New Year, or even right now (smile) let’s make a serious resolution to become like Jesus in that respect nuh. Let’s promise God and ourselves, to slow down and enjoy what we already have, including the people around us, and to spend some quality time smelling those beautiful roses that we all talk about doing, but never do. Friends, it’s time we get back to being people persons, rather than the cold, busy, unfeeling, selfish, robot-like creatures we’ve become. And the only way to do that successfully my people, is in concert with our mighty God. Thus shall we say, like Bruh David does in our Bit, taken from Psalm 141, a prayer for help in trouble: ‘But mine eyes are unto thee, O God the Lord: in thee is my trust; leave not my soul destitute. Keep me from the snares which they have laid for me, and the gins (traps) of the workers of iniquity. Let the wicked fall into their own nets, whilst that I withal escape (while I escape safely).’ (Ps.141: 8-10) Yes my brethren, only by looking to our omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent, ever-LOVING, kind, gracious, merciful and forgiving God, can our paths on this rough and rugged earthly journey be made straight. So let’s look to Him today nuh. If not for our sakes, then for our children’s, and for their children. Much LOVE!…I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills…from whence cometh my help…My help cometh from the Lord…which made heaven and earth…(Ps.121:1-2)
