SCRIP-BITS

Oh Friends, it’s Monday…! And the numerous, loud, long drawn out ‘Chuhhhs!’ and ‘Steupsss!’ that greet this announcement are not surprising, for though we know there’s nothing we can do about Monday and having to go back to the daily grind and common task, we still have this unbreakable hatred of Monday. It’s the one day of the week in the Western world, that just thinking about it, gets us all riled up. But luckily for us Friends, we have the panacea for that ailment; it’s called our Monday Morning Battle Hymn. So to tune down the angry or bluesy feelings, let’s sing it now in full voice, as one. ‘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!’ Ah mih people, that should get us up and going now, reducing the anxiety and boosting our spiritual fervour. (smile) And our Bit today is an excellent accompaniment to our Monday Morning Battle Hymn, as it says of our great and wonderful God: ‘Thou art my hiding place; thou shalt preserve me from trouble; thou shalt compass me about (surround me) with songs of deliverance. Selah.’ Words of inescapable truth from Bruh David in his contemplation on the blessedness of forgiveness! Where else can we safely hide from the evil Beelzebub and his wicked cohorts, but in the all embracing, protective arms of our ever-LOVING Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ? Nowhere else Friends! For once we have committed our lives to Him in true repentance and been forgiven, the Lord will not allow us to be unduly harmed by the enemy. As Bruh David proudly proclaims in Psalm 9, praise for God’s justice; ‘The Lord also will be a refuge (stronghold) for the oppressed, a refuge in times of trouble. And they that know thy name will put their trust in thee; for thou, Lord, hast not forsaken them that seek thee.’ (Ps.9:9-10) Yes my people, when we surrender our lives to God, He will protect us from the oppressor in times of trouble. We know that for a fact, because no one that has ever trusted Him has ever been forsaken. Our God stands solidly on His promises: ‘And the Lord, he it is that doth go before thee; he will be with thee, he will not fail thee, neither forsake thee: fear not, neither be dismayed.’ (Deut.31:8) What a promise eh Friends! Moses promised that to Joshua when he handed over the leadership to him, Joshua held on to it and was successful. Then Jesus reiterated it to His disciples before He ascended to heaven. ‘And, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world.’ (Matt.28:20) And they stood on Jesus’ promise and built the church that we are a part of today. What more can we ask of our God and Saviour? Nothing really! It’s up to us now to stand on those promises and prove the faithfulness of our God. It’s a sad reality that though we know all the promises God’s made, too many of us don’t act on them, much to our detriment. However, as of today my brethren, let’s promise ourselves to take God’s promises seriously and stand solidly on them. If we do we shall see a great improvement in the quality of our lives. Much LOVE!…to break the enemy’s hold… believers must act on the promises of God…

Oh Friends, another day is upon us, one in which we’ll be called to make a host of decisions and choices. I read somewhere that we make about 2500 hundred choices everyday. That’s sure a whole lot of choices! So how do we make these numerous choices; on what basis, on what foundation do we depend to decide whether we’ll go left or right, up or down, round and round, etc. etc? Hopefully that foundation we use to guide us through life is Jesus and the Word of God, because those are the only proper foundations on which to build this earthly life. All else is useless. My brethren, everyday we face numerous challenges, but the biggest is to retain a positive mental attitude when life changes are battering us to and fro. How do we survive and overcome them? Again, only with the Spirit of Jesus in our souls and the Word of God in our hearts and minds. Here’s an interesting quote from the famous Scottish author Robert Louis Stevenson (1850-1894) that helps us to understand our situation. ‘To be what we are, and to become what we are capable of becoming is the only end of life.’ Now there’s much truth to that statement, but it’s unfinished. It should read instead: ‘To be what we are in Jesus, and to become what we are capable of becoming in Jesus, is the only end of life.’ Now that’s the truth, the whole, truth, and nothing but the truth my people! That’s because the most important thing in life is to become like Jesus; walk, talk, think and act like Him! And if that’s our goal, the most worthwhile one there is, then it’s obvious we can’t do it our own strength, we need Jesus’ help to accomplish it. That’s why Cousin Sol advises us in our Bit, to: ‘Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.’ Now though we’re the first amongst God creatures here on earth, and have dominion over the others, our own strength and understanding is very insignificant and sadly lacking when compared with God’s. ‘For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.’ (Is.55:8) Consequently, only God, through His indwelling Holy Spirit can ever bring about real change in us, change that resembles Jesus. Yesterday we looked at the first half of our Bit; trusting in the Lord with all our hearts. Today we’ll tackle the second half; not leaning on our own understanding. That means we cannot depend on our native instincts, or the supposed wisdom of this gone astray world, but on the insights of God, found in His Holy Word. That’s where we find the strength, the courage, the wisdom, the perseverance, the faith, the hope and whatever else we need to make those right 2500 hundred choices everyday. And if used in tandem with the new mercies and blessings that the Lord rains down on us each and every day, then we’ll be laughing all the way to heaven and eternal life, while enjoying this earthly journey. Now remember it’s not going to be easy, Jesus said so: ‘In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.’ (John 16:33) He didn’t die that we should spend our earthly days miserable and unhappy, but if we’ll stay faithful to Him, through whom all things are possible, He will stay faithful to us, leading and guiding us along the right path; the straight and narrow one. In conclusion, let’s listen to some powerful words on the topic from Jeremiah: ‘Thus saith the Lord, Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, neither let the mighty man glory in his might, let not the rich man glory in his riches. But let him that glorieth glory in this, that he understandeth and knoweth me, that I am the Lord which exercise LOVING-kindness, judgement (justice), and righteousness, in the earth: for in these things I delight, saith the Lord.’ (Jer.9:23-24) There it is Friends, loud and clear from the mouth of the Lord Himself: the knowledge of God is man’s glory! So let’s sincerely try and attain it like true believers should nuh, so that we can truly walk in His ways, glorify Him and further His righteous kingdom. Much LOVE!…to know and LOVE Jesus…is to know and LOVE God Himself…

Oh Friends, a couple days ago I drove into the country to visit some folks I hadn’t seen in a while, and I was most surprised to see that the leaves on some trees were already losing their green colour in anticipation of the upcoming winter season. Now fall (autumn) is the most colourful of all the seasons, with various shades of colours ranging from red, through yellow and gold to brown. Remembering that just now, got me to thinking how trusting those trees are. They have no understanding, simply operate on instinct. When it begins to get cold, they know that it’s time to shut down operations, shed their leaves and go into hibernation until the warm weather returns in spring. Oh, that man with his great intellect and understanding could be so trusting! Then perhaps Cousin Sol would not have found it necessary to write our Bit: ‘Trust in the Lord with all thine heart, and lean not unto thine own understanding.’ Unfortunately, a majority of mankind, who possess powers of reasoning and understanding, instead of relying and depending on The Lord God Jehovah, have chosen to put their trust in idols; man-made objects like power, money, celebrity recognition and material possessions. But just like those man-made idols which will rot, be destroyed or lost, and eventually disappear, the souls of those who refuse to trust in the Lord will face death and everlasting damnation, eternal separation from the heavenly Father. How sad that is my people. Hear what Bruh David says in Psalm 37, when talking about the true state of the wicked. ‘Fret not thyself because of evildoers, neither be thou envious against the workers of iniquity. For they shall soon be cut down like the grass, and wither as the green herb. Trust in the Lord and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed (feed on his faithfulness). Delight thyself also in the Lord; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart. Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass. And he shall bring forth thy righteousness as the light, and thy judgement (justice) as the noonday.’ (Ps.37:1-6)  Yes Friends, the wicked will eventually be destroyed as grass withers in the hot sun. But those who trust in the Lord shall be well looked after. What’s so hard in that to understand eh mih brethren, especially when we have so many examples of the wicked being cut down in their prime, and the righteous flourishing? I guess it’s the result of our inherently sinful nature, where things like greed, power, pride, arrogance, leisure and wealth predominate. But being a Christian does not preclude you from having wealth, power and many material possessions. It’s just that these things must not be your prime focus in life. Our primary focus MUST BE Almighty God, His Word and His Will! Look at Cousin Sol nuh, who in his youth, as king of Israel, asked God for wisdom and understanding to rule the people. And what did our faithful and magnanimous God do? Sol’s request pleased Him so much that He gave him what he asked for, but also material wealth, riches like no one had ever possessed before or since! That’s because Cousin Sol’s heart was focused on being a just and godly ruler of his people Israel. Oh Friends, nothing has changed since then. The Lord still rewards those who genuinely seek Him. So why are we so reluctant to do that eh? The verse after our Bit goes on to say: ‘In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths (Prov.3:6) What can be better than having the One who created, LOVES and still cares for us direct, make smooth our earthly journey? NOTHING, my people! NOTHING can ever be better than enjoying the Lord’s deep care and concern.  And unbelievably, He’s willing to do all this despite our sinful and rebellious behaviour. What a wonderful Deity! Oh Friends, please, I implore us, as of today, as of right now, to leave all the worldly, fleshly, sinful, ungodly things behind and focus on the Lord our God, who is able to do so much more for us than our fellow mortals. The bright, glossy, but ephemeral things of this world are not worth losing our eternal souls over. If not for our sakes, then for our children’s, let’s return to the Lord like our forefathers did, so we can live a good life and prosper. It’s the only sensible path right now in this war torn and confused world. Much LOVE!…Lucifer rules over death and damnation…Jesus over salvation and eternal life…whom will you choose…

Oh Friends, it’s Monday! And the immediate response is a loud snort and an angry ‘Steups!’ Hn, hn! Yes Friends, regardless of how much we dislike Mondays, we should really learn to take it in stride since we can’t get away from it. Let’s be thankful that in our society we only have to work five days a week. In some others seven days a week is the norm, there’s no weekend off. However, to chase those Monday blues, let’s sing our Monday Morning Battle Hymn, which should get us revved up and going. With one loud and sincere voice 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 now that our bleary eyes are fully opened, it’s time to consider our Bit: ‘I go the way of all the earth: be thou strong therefore, and show thyself a man.’ Ah Friends, it’s always tough to assume great responsibility when it’s thrust upon us by someone’s death, especially at a young age, like Cousin Sol becoming king of Israel in early manhood. But as we saw yesterday, Bruh David gave him the best advice possible under the circumstances; to continue seeking the God of his forefathers, like he did, and all would be well with him. It’s the same advice Moses gave Joshua when his time came. ‘And Moses called unto Joshua, and said unto him in the sight of all Israel, Be strong and of a good courage: for thou must go with this people unto the land which the Lord hath sworn unto their fathers to give them; and thou shalt cause them to inherit it. And the Lord, he it is that doth go before thee; he will be with thee, he will not fail thee, neither forsake thee: fear not, neither be dismayed.’ (Deut.31:7-8)  Yes my people, it is the Lord God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob who causes us to prosper on this earth; nothing or no one else! If we walk steadfastly with Him, then our footsteps will be well guided on the rough and rocky path that’s this earthly life, and eventually we’ll be called home to heaven to spend eternity with Him. God’s effective and beneficial guidance was indelibly proven by Israel’s escape from bondage in Israel, and when Joshua’s time came to depart this earth, he strenuously reminded the people of that fact. ‘And, behold, this day I am going the way of all the earth: and ye know in all your hearts and in all your souls, that not one thing hath failed of all the good things which the Lord your God spake concerning you; all are come to pass unto you, and not one thing hath failed thereof.’ (Josh.23:14) Yes Friends, ALL God’s promises were fulfilled concerning Israel, yet they veered so often away from His path that it boggles the imagination. Unfortunately, it’s the same thing that we have done; in the time of prosperity, turned our backs on our Creator, who only desires to LOVINGLY lead and guide us to green pastures, beside peaceful waters. Ah mih breddren, we certainly won’t get any marks for wisdom in this life if we insist on choosing to bypass the wonders of salvation and eternal life that are associated with Infinitely Everything, and hang instead with the fallen angel Beelzebub who reigns over the kingdom of death, destruction and eternal damnation. Now let’s close with these words of wisdom from Bruh David to Cousin Sol; words that put the whole matter into its proper perspective. ‘Only the Lord give thee wisdom and understanding, and give thee charge concerning Israel, that thou mayest keep the law of the Lord thy God. Then shalt thou prosper, if thou takest heed to fulfill the statutes and judgements which the Lord charged (commanded) Moses with concerning Israel: be strong, and of good courage; dread not, nor be dismayed.’ (1 Chr.22:12-13) That says it all Friends! Please, let’s take that wise advice and run with it, for we desperately need it today. Much LOVE!…hearken to the Word…and it will always lead you aright…

Oh Friends, our world is in a very calamitous state, but on this beautiful Sunday morning, millions of people around it, will be going to church to pray, praise and fellowship in the exalted name of Christ Jesus. Glory Hallelujah! The only problem though, is that not sufficient people will be worshipping to cause major positive change, because at this juncture in our evolution, unbelievers unfortunately outnumber believers. To make matters worse, the latter are not fully living up to their mandate in Christ, thus sabotaging Jesus’ righteous cause, while helping that of the evil enemy. However, in the immortal, encouraging and uplifting words of the famed British poet, Alfred Lord Tennyson, we can describe the believer’s motto as: ‘Made weak by time and fate, but strong in will to strive, to seek, to find and not to yield.’ Yes Friends, that’s how Christians ought to be; though made physically weak through aging and cruel fate, yet our spirits grow stronger with each passing day, as we seek our God more often, more faithfully and with greater enthusiasm, thereby developing that fortitude of spirit characterized by Christ, where we simply refuse to give up regardless of what comes against us. That’s because ‘we are more than conquerors through him that LOVED us.’ (Rom.8:37) Now that brings us to our Bit: ‘I go the way of all the earth: be thou strong and show thyself a man.’ That’s the charge Bruh David gave to Cousin Sol when he was preparing to meet his Maker. I guess if I had spoken to my mother just before she died, I might have also gotten some such advice. Bruh David’s charge to Cousin Sol continued: ‘And keep the charge of the Lord thy God, to walk in his ways, to keep his statutes, and his commandments, and his judgements, and his testimonies, as it is written in the law of Moses, that thou mayest prosper in all that thou doest, and withersoever thou turnest thyself  (wherever you turn). That the Lord may continue his word which he spake concerning me, saying, If thy children take heed to their way, to walk before me in truth with all their heart and with all their soul, there shall not fail thee (said he) a man on the throne of Israel.’ (1 Kin.2:3-4) Oh Friends, that’s a most worthwhile death-bed statement for believers to make to their children. But how many of us actually say something like that eh, to those we are leaving behind? I strongly suspect that not enough do. We don’t do it while we’re alive and raising them, else our world would not be in such a sad state of strife and confusion. So how can we suddenly charge them to seek God and stay with Him when we’re dying, if they haven’t heard it prior to that, or seen it by example in our lives? It’s the same way the Lord acted when Moses was about to die and the reins of leadership to be transferred to Joshua: ‘And the Lord said unto Moses, Behold, thy days approach that thou must die: call Joshua, and present yourselves in the tabernacle of the congregation, that I may give him a charge (commission). And Moses and Joshua went, and presented themselves in the tabernacle of the congregation. And the Lord appeared in the tabernacle in a pillar of cloud: and the pillar of cloud stood over the door of the tabernacle.’ (Deut.31:14-15) The Lord then warned Moses and Joshua that the Israelites would go astray in the Promised Land and He would make them pay for their disobedience, so Moses was to write a song dealing with the laws of God and teach it to them. The song would testify against them when they broke the covenant between them and God. Moses, in obedience, wrote the song the same day and taught it to the Israelites. (Deut.31:16-22) ’And he (God) gave Joshua the son of Nun a charge, and said, Be strong and of a good courage: for thou shalt bring the children of Israel into the land which I sware unto them: and I will be with thee.’ (Deut.31:23) And people, nothing has changed from then till now, for the Lord and His Word are unchangeable. Therefore Friends, if we want to see good days and enjoy long life, we need to place our lives under the wise and faithful guidance of Jehovah God, our Creator, Protector and Provider. We also need to raise our children in His ways, so that they will continue to worship Him and prosper after He’s taken us home. If we don’t do that, then Christianity, instead of spreading across the entire world, as Jesus commissioned, will decrease and fade with each passing generation until it dies completely. Now we surely don’t want that, because it would only make a mockery of Jesus’ painful sacrifice, neither will our descendants end up in heaven with us when they die. But my brethren, we can only prevent that from happening, especially in these sorry, god-forsaken times, by making a conscious and sincere effort to live right and teach our children the right way. Please Friends, let’s not allow it to be said by future generations, that ours was the beginning of the end of Christianity. So let’s all therefore stand up tall, be strong and courageous, and both teach and live the Lord’s way, so that we may fulfill the great commission: ‘Go ye therefore, and teach (make disciples of) all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world.’ (Matt.28:19-20) Much LOVE!…one cannot live for God…unless one is taught to do so…

Ah Friends, the days are beginning to get chilly in the northern climes, bringing thoughts of that lovely season, winter, to mind. Wow! You all know I’m joking, right? But the truth is that it will soon get real cold and miserable, though we hardy northerners will bear it staunchly and not allow it to stop us from enjoying our social season, for that’s when we really go out and socialize and party. Summer is for vacations in the country. It’s like the quote of the unknown author who says: ‘There are three good reasons to be a teacher – June, July and August.’ – holiday time for teachers. When I first came to Canada, that situation struck me as being backward. Why would you brave the rigours of winter to go to school and socialize, and waste the summer vacationing? But I eventually discovered that it does make sense. You can’t stay cooped up inside for at least three months of the year, though many attempt it. And going to school and otherwise in the winter, does make you a hardy soul. Being a follower of the Lord God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob also helps a lot in conquering the winter woes and blahs. That’s because, as our Bit says: ‘Gracious is the Lord, and righteous; yea, our God is merciful.’ Oh Friends, I can tell you some stories about moments in my winter journeys, especially the early ones, that if I hadn’t had faith in Almighty God, I wouldn’t be writing this now. And back then my faith was nowhere as strong and open as it is now. But on several occasions, I can vividly recall the Lord in His grace, mercy and righteousness, lifting, or rather extricating me from those dire situations. In hindsight, when I look back at my life, not only in winter, but in all seasons, there are numerous occasions when the Lord, in His righteousness, graciously and mercifully helped me to escape serious misfortune. I for one, can never doubt His exceeding goodness to the undeserving children of men. Bruh David certainly got it right when He says in his psalm of praise: ‘The Lord is righteous in all his ways, and holy (gracious) in all his works. The Lord is nigh unto all them that call upon him, to all that call upon him in truth. He will fulfill the desire of them that fear him: he also will hear their cry, and will save them.’ (Ps.145:17-19) Yes Friends, when we revere the Lord and seriously try to walk in His ways, He will guide and protect us. Poor Jeremiah knew this when he claimed: ‘Righteous art thou, O Lord, when I plead with thee…’ But then he proceeded to query God’s judgement, having seen the wicked prosper and the deceitful happy. (Jer.12:1) Anyway people, despite the same things happening today, we know that God has a plan to exterminate the workers of iniquity, all in His good time. That great visionary Daniel, in praying for his ungodly people solemnly declared: ‘Therefore hath the Lord watched upon the evil (kept the disaster in store), and brought it upon us: for the Lord our God is righteous in all his works which he doeth: for we obeyed not his voice.’ (Dan.9:14) Oh my brethren, doesn’t that sound just like what’s happening in our world today? We have turned away from God, and consequently, the devastating calamity He promised to those who disobey His Word, it’s now befalling our wicked, sinful world. My Friends, please remember that our God is indeed a wonderful Deity to those who sincerely LOVE and obey His statutes. However, for the rebellious, disobedient children of sinful men, He’s promised certain death and destruction. And though He’s widely known for His grace, mercy and righteousness, He’s also known to be very faithful in keeping ALL His promises. So please, I implore us not to be taken in by the enemy, and follow in the footsteps of the wicked, thinking that nothing will ever happen to us. That’s a fool’s wisdom, for the Good Book Says otherwise, and there are numerous examples throughout History proving it to be true. Please place your trust in the Lord God Jehovah, so that you and your descendants might live. Much LOVE!…you can choose to live with God…or die with Beelzebub…but as for me and mine…we will live with the Lord…