Proverbs 14:34. Righteousness exalteth a nation: but sin is a reproach to any people.
Oh my fellow believers in Christ, may grace and peace from our heavenly Father flood our souls this bright and bountiful Sunday morning! And may He also guide and comfort us in all our doings this day. And for those of us who celebrate the Sabbath on Sunday, one of the best ways to get all that wholesome, comforting stuff from the Father is by going to church and fellowshipping with other believers; offering Him much thanks, praise and reverence. Remember there’s always strength in numbers, so the more people that get together to sincerely worship, the louder, and hopefully more receptive will be those activities in heaven. And speaking of acceptance in heaven, let’s hear what our Bit says about that. ‘Righteousness exalteth a nation: but sin is a reproach (shame and disgrace) to any people.’ And isn’t that the awesome truth my Friends! Sin, whether it is from an individual or a nation is unacceptable in the sight of our heavenly Father. However, true righteousness is always welcome in heaven. So Friends, shall we see how the nations of our world stack up against our Bit? I don’t have to tell you that we stack up very poorly. Because our societies are so sinful, evil and ungodly, we are a shame and disgrace to the Lord! His anger is bubbling and calamity is coming our way much more frequently than before. Remember when God was truly an integral part of our society? I guess only the old fogeys can remember that. But back then our nations were exalted. They were prosperous and had peace for lengthy periods of time. And my brethren, that wasn’t so long ago – a half century or so. Back then we were lenders and not borrowers; quite obviously the head and not the tail; sure conquerors too. We were also fairly righteous and succeeding as the psalmist so wisely and truthfully declares: ‘The righteous shall flourish like the palm tree: he shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon (tall and proud).Those that be planted in the house of the Lord shall flourish in the courts of our God. They shall still bring forth fruit in old age; they shall be fat (plump) and flourishing (green). To show that the Lord is upright: he is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in him.’ (Ps.92:12-15) Yuh see Friends, even the old and righteous shall bear fruit in their latter years, because our God is just and faithful, and will not forsake the righteous. And that’s how we were growing my people, because as Psalm 33 proudly proclaims: ‘Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord; and the people whom he hath chosen for his own inheritance.’ (Ps.33:12) Yes Friends, at one time the nations of the Western Hemisphere were blessed because the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob was truly our God, and we were guided by the dictates of His Holy Word. But then, the same prosperity we received because of our righteousness, turned our heads and hearts away from the ONE TRUE GOD. Our worship and reverence towards Almighty God began to drop off, and we started worshipping the things we made with our own hands, blatantly flouting the Lord’s decrees, which led to officially removing Him from most public places. Then, in accordance with His Word, that peace and prosperity we had enjoyed, slowly began melting away, until we are no longer lenders, but have become the biggest borrowers; we’re slowly moving away from the head towards the tail; we’re no longer conquering heroes, but subservient in many respects, and held up to cheap ridicule in many places. Oh, how have the mighty fallen! But we have no one to blame but ourselves because we clearly had the Israelites as an example, who on several occasions, once they became prosperous, forgot about the God who enabled them to become prosperous and have peace, foolishly believing that it was the work of their own hands and minds. Several times they paid a steep price through invasion, bondage and wandering in the wilderness for forty years. But still they never learned, so stubborn and rebellious was their spirit. And our modern society is following pall mall in their foolish footsteps, without a thought for how it will all end. As Cousin Sol says earlier in Proverbs 11: ‘By the blessing of the upright the city is exalted: but it is overthrown by the mouth of the wicked.’ (Prov.11:11) And believe me my brethren, there are many more wicked than upright in our society these days! Jeremiah says it in spades: ‘Hath a nation changed their gods, which are yet no gods? but my people have changed their glory for that which doth not profit. Be astonished, O ye heavens, at this, and be horribly afraid, be ye very desolate, saith the Lord. For my people have committed two evils; they have forsaken me the fountain of living waters, and hewed them out cisterns, broken cisterns, that can hold no water.’ (Jer.2:11-13) Yes Friends, we have exchanged the ONE TRUE GOD for man made idols, which in the long wrong profits us nothing but destruction, and have replaced the fresh, pure living waters of God, for the polluted, contaminated man made vessels that are broken and thus can’t hold water. How wise have we been eh? Oh my people, listen to these words of everlasting truth from Psalm 146, the blessedness of trusting God: ‘Put not your trust in princes, nor in the son of man (human beings), in whom there is no help (salvation). His breath goeth forth (his spirit departs), he returneth to his earth; in that very day his thoughts perish. Happy is he that hath the God of Jacob for his help, whose hope is in the Lord his God: Which made heaven, and earth, and all that therein is: which keepeth truth for ever.’ (Ps.146:3-6) And if we do that consistently my people, then one day we’ll be able to sing these words from this hymn of praise in Isaiah. ‘In that day shall this song be sung in the land of Judah; We have a strong city; salvation will God appoint for walls and bulwarks. Open ye the gates, that the righteous nation which keepeth the truth shall enter.’ (Is.26:1-2) That’s how it will be in the New Jerusalem, with only spiritual and no physical boundaries. So Friends, let’s make a conscious, serious decision TODAY to turn our society around nuh. If we want our descendants to prosper and have peace, we have to do it NOW, not tomorrow or next week. The wicked is doing his thing, so should we believers with urgency and determination. And we’ll end with some choice words from Bruh Paul to the Philippians, as how we can bring this LOVE Revolution about in our time: ‘Do all things without murmurings (grumbling) and disputings. That ye may be blameless and harmless (innocent), the sons (children) of God, without rebuke (fault), in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation (generation), among whom ye shine as lights in the world.’ (Phil.2:14-15) That’s how we’ll get back in God’s good graces my brethren! Much LOVE!…let your light so shine before men…that they may see your good works…and glorify your Father which is in heaven… (Matt.5:16)
Today’s Scrip-Bit 16 September 2012 Proverbs 14:34
16 Sep 2012 Leave a comment
in Inspirational Living Tags: blessed, broken vessels, comfort, disgrace, exalt, fellowship, flourish, light of the world, living waters, reproach, reverence, righteousness., shame, sin, wicked, worship
Today’s Scrip-Bit 15 September 2012 Psalm 90:12
15 Sep 2012 Leave a comment
in Inspirational Living Tags: 9/11, Christians, faithfulness, fanaticism, God's promises, holy spirit, idol worship, persecution, reverence, war, wisdom
Psalm 90:12. So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom.
Oh Friends, the ole fella’s starting late this forecasted cool and cloudy Saturday morning, plus he’s tired, although I got lots of rest, and I don’t have a clue about what I’m going to write. (smile) How is that for a start eh? But our God is a good and merciful Deity and has promised not to give us tasks to perform in His Name without the necessary tools to perform them. And I’ve had personal experience in this area for the last how many years, therefore I’m not worried about my lack of info, late start or tiredness. Remember that Jesus also promised that the Holy Spirit will tell us what to say when the time is right, be it in persecution or writing on His behalf. (Matt.10:19-20) So right now I’m depending on those promises, (smile) because I know that our God is faithful and won’t let me down in my time of need. Oh Friends, when is the nonsense going to end eh? When full scale war breaks out? I’m talking about the latest acts of violence against American life and property in the Muslim countries because of a reputedly derogatory video against the prophet Mohammed. Now who in their right senses would produce such a video and upload it to You Tube knowing the reverence lavished on that spiritual leader by his followers, and the fanaticism with which his name is protected, especially at a very sensitive time like this? The fellow in the middle of the production apparently said he wanted to stir up the pot. Well he certainly has! And if the reports are true that he’s a Coptic Christian, can you imagine the problems it will cause those poor folks who are already so badly treated and persecuted in the Muslim countries. Ah Lord eh! Some of us definitely need our heads examined yes, for the last thing we need is a religious backlash and upheaval in these already turbulent times. No wonder in his only Psalm, and therefore the first in the Psalter, Moses pleaded with God in our Bit: ‘So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom (gain a heart of wisdom).’ That video certainly wasn’t an act of wisdom. However he knows that his days are truly numbered now, and has taken to hiding. But as the old people say, you can run, but you can’t hide, and one day they’ll catch up to him and he’ll pay the price for his folly. What makes matter all the worse is that it was done on the anniversary of the bombing of the World Trade Centre. Don’t you think that gave more ammunition to the already highly motivated fanatics to remember and celebrate with more murderous behaviour? Now why is it that we need to know the number of our days before we can seek wisdom eh? That should be a priority from the very start! But I guess mankind likes to push the envelope right to the limit, then try to smarten up just before we reach the end of our leashes. But that ought not to be so my people. I guess the Lord doesn’t let us know our life span, because too many of us would live evil, ungodly lives, then at the last minute repent and plead for mercy. In Psalm 39, A prayer for self-understanding, Bruh David asks the same basic question, but in a slightly different manner. ‘Lord, make me to know mine end, and the measure of my days, what it is; that I may know how frail I am. Behold, thou hast made my days as a handbreadth; and mine age is nothing before thee: verily every man at his best state is altogether vanity (vapour).’ (Ps.39:4-5) But Friends, we don’t need to know how frail we are, just to know that we are indeed frail ‘…like grass which groweth up. In the morning it flourisheth, and groweth up; in the evening it is cut down, and withereth.’ (Ps.90:5-6) And like Moses lamented over his people Israel so long ago: ‘For they are a nation void of counsel, neither is there any understanding in them. O that they were wise, that they understood this, that they would consider their latter end.’ (Deut.32:28-29) Moses could be talking about our society today, for this current version is so mired in evil and ungodliness that they don’t know whether they are coming or going. Sadly, many of those involved in all the lustful, idol worship and worldly activities that are now so prevalent, don’t have a clue as to what they really are involved in, and what their end will be like if they keep on living that worldly life. That’s because they have no real knowledge of their Creator, or believe the evolution theory, and thus think that they can get away with murder. But Friends, we believers know how wrong they are, and it’s our job to try and wake them up to the reality of the situation. Remember Jesus said that there’d be great joy in heaven over one repentant sinner, more than over ninety nine righteous ones, who need no repentance. (Luke 15:7) And James tells us that for every sinner we bring to repentance, we shall save a soul from death and also hide plenty sins. (James 5:20) So my brethren, please let’s not worry about the number of our earthly days, but instead behave as though today is the last one, and go out into this evil, ungodly world and behave appropriately; that is winning souls for Jesus, with the wisdom we have already received through the power of His Holy Spirit. That’s truly wisdom at its highest! Much LOVE!…Christians ought to revere Jesus as highly as other faiths revere their leaders… P.S. Yuh see, Friends, the Lord was indeed faithful to me. The Bit’s not too late, and it does make some sense. (smile) Much LOVE!
Today’s Scrip-Bit 14 September 2012 Proverbs 17:13
14 Sep 2012 Leave a comment
in Inspirational Living Tags: bless, blessed, curse, enthusiasm, evil, exuberance, faith, Friday chant, good, heritage, injustice, legacy, modicum of circumspection, perspective, revenge, righteous kingdom, suffering, TGIF!, trials, tribulations, weekend
Proverbs 17:13. Whoso rewardeth evil for good, evil shall not depart from his house.
Today’s Scrip-Bit 13 September 2012 Proverbs 17:13
13 Sep 2012 Leave a comment
in Inspirational Living Tags: blessings, evil, good, greed, indifference, kindness, moral consciousness, Most High God, puppets, summer's day, thankful, unstable weather, wickedness, winter
Proverbs 17:13. Whoso rewardeth evil for good, evil shall not depart from his house.
Oh my wonderful Friends in Christ, yesterday turned out to be a beautiful summer’s day in my area, with a warm but not too hot sun, a cool, refreshing breeze and cloudless blue skies. Wow! A perfect summer’s day in any language! And today promises to be a day of the same high calibre. All praise and thanks be to our Most High God Jehovah! Some of you might not understand my enthusiasm for what you consider a normal, ordinary day. But up here in the northern climes we have to cherish and relish those days like gold, since the winter weather will be soon upon us, and the days will become so short and oftimes so dark that you can’t even see the sun, much less feel its warmth. And with the weather being so precarious and unstable these days, you can’t predict with any real surety, what it will be like from one day to the next. So those of you, who have constant sunshine and warmth all year round, please be very thankful for it eh! Don’t add yourselves to the already teeming ranks of those who disregard our Bit. ‘Whoso rewardeth evil for good, evil shall not depart from his house.’ I meant there, that God’s giving you good days, but you’re treating His blessings with callous indifference, simply taking it for granted. Ah mih people, evil has become so ingrained and prevalent in our society in the last thirty or so years that it’s mind-boggling. So much so that we take a lot of evil stuff for granted and just do them without thinking. Simply put, the moral fabric of the entire world has just plumb gone to hell in a bucket! When there’s no proper evaluation or even consensus over right and wrong, good and evil, what else can we really expect eh? Some of the things we do now without any pricks of conscience, thirty years ago we wouldn’t even have contemplated them, much less put them into action. Friendship, or what passes for friendship, is not as strong as it once was. We make all sorts of promises just because they are convenient, without ever intending to keep them. We boldly and blatantly curse our parents, leaving them to suffer avoidable pain and sorrow in their old age, being less warm and kind to them than in any other generation in history. We use today’s fast and busy society as an excuse to just dump our parents in an old people’s home and basically forget about them, visiting them once in a blue moon. As our Bit says: How can we not suffer the burning pangs of evil, when we repay kindness with wickedness? That’s our God’s universal and everlasting prescription for such unjust, unrighteous behaviour! In Psalm 109, A prayer for the punishment of the wicked, Bruh David says it thus: ‘For (in return for) my LOVE they are my adversaries: but I give myself unto prayer. And they have rewarded me evil for good, and hatred for my LOVE.’ (Ps.109:4-5) Yes Friends, just look at all the fraudulent acts that have recently been unearthed, where thousands of people have lost their life savings and retirement money to evil schemers, many of whom were relatives and/or close friends. Consider the failure of the big banks, through greed and excessive remuneration to the top echelons. People put their money in the banks and these other schemes in good faith, and what do they get in return? NADA, NOTHING! The same goes for our greedy and untrustworthy politicians and civic officials. They can’t seem to do anything that’s right and good because they have little or no backbone and are thus been played like the proverbial puppet on a string by the evil ringmasters. But Friends, they will all get their comeuppance eventually, and I can assure you it won’t be good, because our God is keeping score and will repay them when the time’s right! Many have already succumbed to ill health, suicide and jail, their families humbled and shamed, while many are still living in dire fear of being caught. Evil has no place to run and hide Friends, please remember that. Whatever is done in darkness will eventually come to light and the perpetrators, or their families WILL pay. Many of us have suffered evil at the hands of those we trusted or treated with a good and righteous heart, only to be cast adrift later on with an unholy ‘see you later alligator’ attitude and wave off. I can tell from personal experience that those things do hurt very much my people, but sometimes we just have to grin and bear them. I like how Bruh David says it in Psalm 38; the prayer of a penitent heart: ‘But mine enemies are lively (vigorous), and they are strong: and they that hate me wrongfully are multiplied. They also that render evil for good are mine adversaries; because I follow the thing that good is (that is good).’ (Ps.38:19-20) Yes Friends, it hurts the most when we have gone out of our way to do the good and right thing, then get suckered for it. But as Peter so rightly advises: ‘And who is he that will harm you, if ye be followers of that which is good? But and if ye suffer for righteousness sake, happy (blessed) are ye: And be not afraid of their terror, neither be troubled.’ (1 Pet.3:14-15) I know that’s hard to do Friends, but it’s the way Jesus wants His followers to be. Remember He suffered immeasurable unfairness and evil for our sakes, and never complained. We are called to do likewise, and with His help, through His Holy Spirit, we can indeed leave the evil hurts we suffer to God to rectify. That’s wisdom at its zenith. Much LOVE!…the pilgrim’s journey is long and arduous…but with Jesus stoking the fires of his heart…he is able to withstand…and eventually overcome…
Today’s Scrip-Bit 12 September 2012 2 Samuel 23.3
12 Sep 2012 Leave a comment
in Inspirational Living Tags: blessings, bureaucracy, commandments, cooperation, corruption, fallen nature, God's glorious kingdom, heartfelt thanks, Jesus, justice, laws, mercy, praise to God, reign, righteousness., truth, unchanging, wise advice
2 Samuel 23:3. The God of Israel said, the Rock of Israel spake to me, He that ruleth over men must be just, ruling in the fear of God.
Oh Friends, another beautiful day is in the offing! Let’s give our most wonderful God some praise for that nuh. ‘Oh Lord, you are so generous and merciful to your often ungrateful earthly children. However, today, we give You much heartfelt thanks and praise for favouring us with the breath of life and allowing us to see, for at lest one more day, all the wonders of creation that You have designed and made for our enjoyment. We also offer thanks for the many other blessings that You have prepared to shower us with today. We LOVE You Lord, and ask that You help us to walk worthy of You down here on this wicked, ungodly earth, furthering your glorious kingdom as we go. All this we pray in the Holy Name of Your Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, who shed His precious blood at Calvary, so that we could once more be connected to You, and enjoy your everlasting mercies. Amen!’ Ah mih people, the ole fella got carried away there, because there’s so much to thank our ever-LOVING God for! I’m not sure though how many of us realize how truly lucky… no not lucky, but truly blessed we are to be living the comparatively good life that we currently enjoy. We’re living better than approximately 90 % of the world. But do we even know that? And if we do, do we give sufficient thanks for our blessed situations? Remember Bruh Paul’s wise and timely advice to the Ephesians: ‘Giving thanks ALWAYS for ALL things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.’ (Eph.5:20) I do believe though, that if more of us would give more thanks, more often, our world would improve quite a lot. So Friends, let’s try and improve our giving of thanks nuh, so that our world would become a much better place, and thus raise up brethren who can, and will comply with our Bit. ‘The God of Israel said, the Rock of Israel spake to me, He that ruleth over men must be just, ruling in the fear of God.’ Now yesterday we looked at some scripture that dealt with the meaning of the term ‘Rock’ in our faith, and saw that it was basically a description of a stable, unchanging, powerful Deity, who, amongst other things, offers His followers peace, rest, safety and eternal salvation. And we also noted that the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob was the ONLY ONE in possession of such amazing attributes. Today, let’s look at the second part of our Bit; ‘He that ruleth over men must be just, ruling in the fear of God.’ Hn! It will certainly be difficult to find that kind of ruler in this day and age yes Friends! But unfortunately it’s exactly the kind of leader’s we need to try and bring some semblance of balance and righteousness to our very unbalanced, very disturbed, troubled and ungodly world. And the sad part is that when such leaders rise up, the evil minions of Lucifer do their very best to beat and/or keep them down, while the righteous mostly sit around and wring their hands in anxiety, but don’t do too much to help. Ah mih breddren, be it known that a leader is only as good as the people he leads. That’s why the saying ‘people get the leaders they deserve’ is oh so true. Look at Moses; one of the greatest leaders of all time. He was doing his very best to lead some two million people through the wilderness, but do you think they would cooperate with him, even after seeing all the miracles their God had performed in their favour? No sir! They just kept on grumbling and complaining about every little inconvenience. Shades of us nowadays eh! The stress and strain of leading that rebellious and disobedient people were certainly taking a toll on Moses until his father-in law, Jethro, gave him some wise and wonderful advice. ‘Thou wilt surely wear away, both thou and this people that is with thee: for this thing is too heavy (much) for thee; thou art not able to perform it thyself alone. Hearken now unto my voice, I will give thee counsel (advice), and God shall be with thee: Be thou for the people to Godward, that thou mayest bring the causes unto God: And thou shalt teach them ordinances and laws, and shalt show them the way wherein they must walk, and the work that they must do. Moreover thou shalt provide out of all the people able men, such as fear God, men of truth, hating covetousness; and place such over them to be rulers of thousands, and rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens: And let them judge the people at all seasons: and it shall be, that every great matter they shall bring unto thee, but every small matter they shall judge: so shall it be easier for thyself, and they shall bear the burden with thee.’ (Ex.18:18-22) Sure words of wisdom my brethren! However, in today’s society it sets up too many levels of authority, which only lead to unwieldy bureaucracy, and is a sure breeding ground for all kinds of corruption. But it’s still the best way for men to rule, for one man cannot do it all, and do it properly too, regardless of how just, righteous and reverential he is. I guess it will just have to continue like that until the righteous reign of the branch of Jesse is entrenched. Please read Isaiah 11: 1-5 for that, as we don’t have time nor space to include it. Yes Friends, when Jesus finally comes to reign over His followers in a world without sin and evil, then there’ll be need for only ONE Ruler! Please, let’s think on that today, and let it guide us as we go along our righteous way. Much LOVE!…when men rule over men…there will always be problems…because of our fallen nature…
Today’s Scrip-Bit 11 September 2012 2 Samuel 23:3
11 Sep 2012 Leave a comment
in Inspirational Living Tags: 9/11, anxiety, conqueror, evil, fear God, holy spirit, ignorance, just rulers, out of sync, Rock, rough, slippery, ungodly schemes, withdrawal, World Trade Centre, worry
2 Samuel 23:3. The God of Israel said, the Rock of Israel spake to me, He that ruleth over men must be just, ruling in the fear of God.
Oh Friends, the ole fella’s shaking it a bit rough this morning. In fact he’s been shaking it rough all weekend. Hn! Ignorance really is a hell of a thing yes! Why do I say that? Because last week I saw that I was running out of my arthritic medication, but thinking that I had some in the bag I carry around, I didn’t contact my doctor for a refill. And as the Lord would have it, I ran out over the weekend. However, when I checked the bag, lo and behold, there were no arthritic pills. And though I took some other stuff, it just didn’t feel the same. Don’t know if I was suffering withdrawal symptoms or what, but my whole body just seemed more achy and out of sync than normal. And to make matters worse, my allergies are acting up this morning. Brother! The ole body is surely crying out for constant sunshine and warm seawater yes! (smile) Anyway, enough of my woes, they’re inconsequential to those of many others. Here’s a quote though, from American author Clarence Day (1874-1935) that we can all attest to. ‘The real world is not easy to live in. It is rough; it is slippery.’ And isn’t that the living truth Friends! In fact our world is getting rougher and more slippery everyday. That’s why we have to assume full responsibility for our health and strength with continuous positive action, and not wait until a crisis forces us to act. But as Christians, true followers of Jesus, we don’t have to get all flustered, anxious and worried over the world’s rough and slippery nature, for Jesus reassured us that He had already conquered the world, so we should be of good spirit, and do our best while abiding in Him. (John 16:33) Today is also the eleventh anniversary of the World Trade Centre bombing in New York City. You can imagine the emotions that will be fired up over that today. But you know what, our Bit today encapsulates what was wrong with that whole scenario. ‘The God of Israel said, the Rock of Israel spake to me, He that ruleth over men must be just, ruling in the fear of God.’ Obviously the rulers, or those who controlled the people who committed that heinous crime, weren’t just, or didn’t fear God. And sadly that’s a fact that’s happening all over the current world; rulers neither are afraid physically or emotionally of God, nor do they reverence Him. They just do as they please, or follow the evil, ungodly schemes laid down by their evil, ungodly masters. And it’s worthy to note that today we’re dealing with some of Bruh David’s last words. Before our Bit, he proudly proclaims: ‘The Spirit of the Lord spake by me, and his word was in my tongue… Bit… And he shall be as the light of the morning, when the sun riseth, even a morning without clouds; as the tender grass springing out of the earth by clear shining after rain.’ (2 Sam.23:2,4) As we said earlier, there are surely very few, if any rulers of that calibre existing today. Now here’s a brief explanation from the scholars. “David attests the divine inspiration of his psalm. Verses 2-7 contain a lovely testimony in song of David’s abiding trust in God and the unconditional covenant of God with the house of David.” Yes Friends, although Bruh David was far from perfect, he staunchly abided in the LOVE, power and trust of God, so that the Lord made an unconditional covenant with him. His name and his house would always be revered in the annals of Jewish history. It’s also interesting to see that the terminology used by Bruh David to describe his God was also used by a couple of other famous faithful followers in their songs of praise. In his song, Moses declares: ‘Because I will publish (proclaim) the name of the Lord: ascribe ye greatness unto our God. He is the Rock, his work is perfect: for all his ways are judgement: a God of truth and without iniquity, just and right is he.’ (Deut.32:3-4) And all God’s people declared a loud and grateful; ‘Praise the Lord, for He is indeed our Rock and our salvation!’ And Samuel’s mother, Hannah, after she had cried out to the Lord and He had filled her barren womb with the prophet, she also joyfully declared: ‘There is none holy as the Lord: for there is none besides thee: neither is there any rock like our God.’ (1 Sam.2:2) Ah mih people, the word ‘Rock’ emphasizes the stability, permanence and unchanging nature of the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, as a place of security, safety and rest, of hope and salvation! Where else can we find a God who truly possesses all those qualities eh? NOWHERE, my Friends, NOWHERE! And yuh know what? The Holy Spirit just advised me to stop here for today, because the rest of my message would be much too long for our busy, short attention spans. (smile) And since I try to be as obedient as possible, I’ll certainly bow to His greater wisdom. So Friends, please let’s ponder today’s message and allow it help us in our walk of faith through this rough and slippery world. In Jesus’ Name, I pray. Amen. Much LOVE my brethren!…without the true rock…Almighty God…to lean upon…the human animal will flounder and die…
Today’s Scrip-Bit 10 September 2012 Psalm 89:15
10 Sep 2012 Leave a comment
in Inspirational Living Tags: Amen, blessed, breath of life, children of light, confidence, faithful servants, favour, holy spirit, hymns, lies, Monday, Most High, psalms, righteous passion, sing a new song, sing unto the Lord, solidarity, spiritual songs, wicked taunts, wiles
Psalm 89:15. Blessed is the people that know the joyful sound: they shall walk, O Lord, in the light of thy countenance.
And the Lord said: ‘Let the day dawn, let the SON shine forth His brilliant light so that my people will be released from the darkness of their evil ways and walk in the light. And they will no longer be called the children of darkness, but the children of LIGHT!’ And He called that day Monday. Yes Friends, it’s the beginning of the new work week, so let’s be up and at ’em! As the Father so graciously blessed us with favour and the breath of life, let’s rise up and walk in the all encompassing LIGHT of Jesus nuh, so that the whole world will know that we are His followers, His faithful servants. And all God’s children said a loud and glorious ‘Amen!’ Yeh, I know some Mondays it’s hard to get up and get going, but that’s exactly why Jesus sent His Holy Spirit to dwell in us; to help us accomplish those undesirable or difficult tasks. And the Father has said that in time of difficulty, really at any time at all, we’re very welcome to call on Him for assistance in His Son’s name. So Friends, let’s do that now by singing our Monday Morning Battle Hymn in loud voice, with as much enthusiasm as we can muster. 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!’ Oh my people, did you hear the angels applauding our song? And did you see the big smile on Jesus’ face, as He raised His right hand in solidarity with us, and proudly declared: ‘Way to go mih breddren!’ Yes, Friends, that’s the kind of stuff that happens in heaven when we come before the Lord with praise and thanks and asking for help in sweet song. Our Bit solemnly proclaims it: ‘Blessed is the people that know the joyful sound: they shall walk, O Lord, in the light of thy countenance.’ Now I definitely did not plan to spread this Bit over four days, but everyday I was guided to more stuff that I could not turn away. Yesterday we noted that a lot of advice re singing the praises of God was found in the Psalms, but we never got around to them. So let’s do that today, starting with Psalm 92, superscripted; Praises for the Lord’s goodness. And it opens thus: ‘It is a good thing to give thanks unto the Lord, and to sing praises unto thy name, O Most High: To show forth (declare) thy LOVING-kindness in the morning, and thy faithfulness every night. Upon an instrument of ten strings, and upon the psaltery (lute or lyre); upon the harp with a solemn sound. For thou Lord hast made me glad through thy work: I will triumph in the works of thy hands.’ (Ps.92:1-4) Now listen to Psalm 95, A psalm of praise to the great God: ‘O Come let us sing unto the Lord: let us make a joyful noise (shout joyfully) to the rock of our salvation. Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving, and make a joyful noise unto him with psalms (songs). For the Lord is a great God, and a great King above all gods.’ Wow Friends, words of absolute truth and wisdom! And if you didn’t believe those, listen to Psalm 98; Praise to God for his salvation: ‘O Sing unto the Lord a new song; for he hath done marvellous things: his right hand, and his holy arm, hath gotten him the victory…Make a joyful noise (shout joyfully) unto the Lord, all the earth: make a loud noise (break forth in song), and rejoice, and sing praise. Sing unto the Lord with the harp; with the harp and the voice of a psalm (sound of a song). With trumpets and sound of cornet make a joyful noise before the Lord the King.’ (Ps.98:1,4-6) Yes my people, that’s how God’s children should praise Him. And there are many more Psalms that advise such action, but right now let’s turn to Bruh Paul’s strong advice to the Ephesians on musical worship. ‘And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess (dissipation); but be filled with the Spirit; Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord; Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ; Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God.’ (Eph.5:18-21) Wonderful advice! But do we do that my brethren? Yes, to a certain extent, but definitely not enough. Instead we sing a lot of the nonsense that the world considers music. Nothing’s wrong with singing some of that, but in many cases, those songs are derogatory towards God’s Word and His Will. And we’ll end appropriately with words from the Song of Solomon. ‘For, lo, the winter is past, the rain is over and gone; The flowers appear on the earth; the time of the singing of the birds is come, and the voice of the turtle (dove) is heard in our land.’ (Song 1:11-12) Yes Friends, even the birds know that they ought to give thanks and praise to their creator in sweet song for all the wonderful blessings He’s lavished upon them, so how much more should we, His finest creation. Unfortunately though, our winter is about to start, so many people will soon be singing the winter blahs instead (smile). However my brethren, let’s contemplate all that we’ve read today, and with a righteous passion burning in us, go out into the evil, ungodly world and walk amongst the heathen hordes, as proud, dedicated and worthy followers of Jesus, loudly singing His praises, so that the unbelievers will soon be breaking down our doors to also find peace and prosperity, joy and harmony, salvation and eternal life with our Lord and Saviour. I pray this in Jesus’ Name. Amen! Much LOVE my awesome Friends in Christ!…how can we truly LOVE Jesus…if we don’t sing His praises in joyful song eh…
Today’s Scrip-Bit 9 September 2012 Psalm 89:15
09 Sep 2012 Leave a comment
in Inspirational Living Tags: Ark of the Covenant, earthquakes, God is good, joyful countenance, music, obituaries, persecution, pomp, rebuke, rejoicing, reprimand, sacrifices, salvation, sing psalms, song and dance
Psalm 89:15. Blessed is the people that know the joyful sound: they shall walk, O Lord, in the light of thy countenance.
Today’s Scrip-Bit 8 September 2012 Psalm 89:15
08 Sep 2012 Leave a comment
in Inspirational Living Tags: arrogance, breath of life, compassion, forgiveness, hearts and heads, Jehoshaphat, Jerusalem, Joshua and Jericho, joyful sound, Judah, mercy, Praise the Lord, pride, rainy morning, the light of the Lord, traffic jams, victory
Psalm 89:15. Blessed is the people that know the joyful sound; they shall walk, O Lord, in the light of thy countenance.
Oh Friends, it’s a rainy morning in my area; excellent for sleeping in on this quiet, peaceful Saturday. And many of us will no doubt be doing just that, after a tiring week of work, especially the commuting aspect. I really don’t know how some people do it nuh; traffic jams in the mornings, traffic jams in the evenings, five days a week. Luckily, I’m usually going in the opposite direction, but when I do get caught in one, I realize the amount of time that’s wasted sitting there, with the highways looking like gargantuan parking lots. Recently a survey came out about the productivity, time and money that’s lost due to so much traffic congestion. I don’t remember the exact figure, but it surely was in the plenty millions of dollars. Can’t we, as supposedly the smartest of God’s creations, devise some means to get round that disastrous situation? One would certainly hope and think so. However, that task is too big and complicated for my simple mind, (smile) so let’s move on to something that I can handle. Well, a couple days ago, I found this white 5 by 4 inch card, with some big, bold, black letters printed on it. The truth is, I didn’t find it. It’s been sitting at the front of my desk for at a least a couple of years now. As soon as you enter the study, you ought to see it, but I’ve never paid any attention to it, until now. I guess now was the divine time for it to be noticed. And it says: ‘God’s tape measure goes around hearts, not heads.’ And isn’t that the awesome truth my people! God’s not interested in how big our heads are, but how big, generous and full of LOVE, mercy, compassion and forgiveness our hearts are. The problem though is that nowadays too many of our heads are way bigger than our hearts, which is a significant contributor to the sad state of our society. Pride and arrogance are much too prevalent in our current society. But enough of my ruminating, let’s look at our Bit, which brings lots of joy to my heart cause it deals with music and the Lord, two of my most favourite subjects. ‘Blessed is the people that know the joyful sound; they shall walk, O Lord, in the light of thy countenance.’ Now yesterday, we saw how the Lord in Numbers 10 commanded Moses to make trumpets and to sound them for several purposes, from calling the faithful to worship, to offering sacrifices and going into battle. And we have two wonderful examples of music being used in battle. We all know about the episode with Joshua, when he captured Jericho. The Lord instructed him thus: ‘And ye shall compass (march around) the city, all ye men of war, and go round about the city once. Thus shalt thou do six days. And seven priests shall bear before the ark seven trumpets of ram’s horns: and the seventh day, ye shall compass the city seven times, and the priests shall blow with the trumpets. And it shall come to pass, that when they make a long blast with the ram’s horn, and when ye hear the sound of the trumpet, all the people shall shout with a great shout; and the wall of the city shall fall down flat, and the people shall ascend (go up) every man straight before him.’ (Josh.6:3-5) And we all know it happened just as the Lord directed. We also have Jehoshaphat’s deliverance when several armies united to come against Judah. The Lord promised him victory through the rising of the Holy Spirit in one Jehaziel. ‘Thus saith the Lord unto you, Be not afraid nor dismayed by reason of this great multitude; for the battle is not yours, but God’s.’ (2 Chr.20:15) Jehoshaphat believed God’s promise and the next day when he went out with his army, he instructed them. ‘Hear me, O Judah, and ye inhabitants of Jerusalem; Believe in the Lord your God, so shall ye be established; believe his prophets, so shall ye prosper. And when he had consulted with the people, he appointed singers unto the Lord, and that should praise the beauty of holiness, as they went out before the army, and to say, Praise the Lord; for his mercy endureth for ever. And when they began to sing and praise, the Lord set ambushments (ambushes) against the children of Ammon, Moab, and mount Seir, which were come against Judah; and they were smitten (defeated).’ (2 Chr.20:20-22) The Lord made the opposing armies to fight amongst themselves and destroy each other, while Judah sang praises to His Holy Name. Then they collected much spoil, without raising a hand in battle. Oh what a wonderful God we serve and worship Friends! And all God’s people joyfully declared: ‘You can say that again!’ And I will: (smile) What a wonderful God we serve and worship Friends! And on that positive note we’ll end for today. More on this tomorrow if the Lord blesses us with the breath of life. Till then, please walk safely under His protective umbrella, singing and giving Him much thanks and praise. For that is the epitome of wisdom! Much LOVE!…there’s nothing that warms the cockles of God’s heart…like sincere songs of praise and worship…
SCRIP-BITS 