SCRIP-BITS

Psalm 26:1.    Judge me, O Lord; for I have walked in mine integrity: I have trusted also in the Lord; therefore I shall not slide.
 
Oh Friends, who ever says that our God is not a truly great and wonderful God, tell them I say deh lie! And I’m very adamant about it, because everyday He does something to amaze me. Well, yesterday, after I finished writing the Bit about 1 p.m, I went outside to tackle unloading the van packed with stuff from my mother. On opening the back door of the van and surveying the confusion, I sadly wondered how I was going to get all of it out, and in two hours too, because the van had to be returned by 3 p.m. I had no help, unlike the previous night, for even my darling wife who might have helped me with some, had gone out. So with not prospects for help around, and the rain clouds darkening in the eastern sky, I just began taking stuff out. After taking out some garbage bags filled with clothes, I came to the heavy stuff. Clothed in my knee and back supports I simply went at them the best I could. And would you believe Friends, that the Lord gave me the strength to get those things out of the van and into the house. Stuff that two people had lifted on to the van the previous night. Granted it’s easier to take stuff off than put it on. But I got them into the house all by my lonesome. Most importantly, I got some pieces into the house and placed where I wanted before my wife returned, because they would have caused some dissension. Smile mih children! At one stage, fighting with a mattress up my front steps, I asked a youngster going home from school for help. But he declined, saying he had a bad back. Hn! That just discouraged me from asking a couple other passersby. But I managed, with the Lord’s help, to get everything out and in place, beside the adjustable bed which my mother had bought several years ago, but which I never liked. Whenever I visited her, I would always sleep on an old, rickety sort of bed in another room. However, as the stone the builder refused, which eventually became the chief cornerstone, I now realized its usefulness and decided to keep it. But when I looked at it in the van then, I was stumped, unable to figure out how to get it out by myself. Then just as I was about to try taking it out, I saw a young, strong neighbour get into his car. I flagged him down then went to ask for his help. Unfortunately, he was on his way to work and couldn’t stop, so I just went back to the task, tired, sweating and somewhat discouraged. The problem with the bed is that the mechanical metal parts are attached to the box-spring, so it’s not only heavy but also rather unwieldy to lift. Luckily though, it sat on rollers, so I pulled the end towards me. But unfortunately when the end rolled off the van, the bottom half unexpectedly folded down between the van and I. I obviously couldn’t get it off in a straight piece. So there I was, leaning on the top half still in the van, the bottom half folded against the van, not knowing what to do. All along I had prayed for some help. But since none seemed forthcoming, I now asked the Lord for some discernment, to show me what to do in my untenable situation. I knew that even if I got it off the van, I couldn’t get into the house by myself. But I kept working at it, and eventually got it to fall off on to the wheels without damaging bed, van or myself. That only brought up the next question; where was I going to put it, with the rain clouds steadily darkening? But that’s when the Lord came through with a brilliant idea. I pulled the bed to one side of the driveway, moved the van, took my car out of the garage, thinking that it could use some showers of washing, (smile) then pulled the bed into the garage, and after a couple of attempts got it to lean safely up against the garage wall. And wonder of wonders, I even had enough space to put the car back into the garage, with room to spare. That’s when I exhaled a low, tired, but enthusiastic and grateful ‘Thank you Lord!’ Yes Friends, our God does move in mysterious ways, doesn’t give you more than you can bear, and also provides strength to His followers when they need it. I didn’t think I could move all that stuff by myself, and in only an hour and half too. Shortly after that, the rain began falling and my wife, potential help, returned, but through the Lord’s mercy and blessing I had done it all by myself and in time. So how can I not have faith in the Lord God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob eh, when He does indeed help me to accomplish tasks that in the natural seem impossible? That’s why I keep saying that the wisest decision we can make on this earth is to put our sincere faith and trust in the Lord. Be faithful to Him, and He will be faithful to you. That’s His eternal promise! And we all know that He’s never reneged on a promise, and never will. Oh, here’s another one of His mysterious movements: A while ago, while I was sorting some papers by my bed head, I came upon this verse of a song that I believed I shared with you some time ago. It beautifully describes the way I feel right now, and also the way all believers should feel most of the time. ‘I’ve got a joy deep down inside of me, that makes we want to shout out how good God has been to me!’ And that’s the living truth people! Though my recent life hasn’t been exactly a bed of roses, the Lord has indeed been good to me. And that’s my testimony for today! So let’s all shout with joy and praise His Holy Name for His goodness, mercy and faithfulness to the undeserving children of men! Much LOVE!…trust in the Lord… do good…and He will reward you abundantly…
 

Psalm 26:1.    Judge me, O Lord; for I have walked in mine integrity: I have trusted also in the Lord; therefore I shall not slide.
 
Ah Friends, I don’t know if any of you like moving, but I sincerely detest it. Unfortunately though, yesterday I had to remove the rest of my mother’s belongings from her apartment, and despite having given away most of the big items last week, there was still so much small stuff to cart out that it amazed me. The good part is that I had help, some unexpected, and even then, when I got home late at night, I was so bushed that all I could do was eat, watch a little telly and fall into bed. Having said that, this morning the ole body rebelled against me, refusing to get up until it was good and ready. (smile) That’s why the Bit is so late. Obviously the aging bod can’t handle the stress and strain it once could, and knows that it still has to unpack a vanload of stuff sitting in my driveway. But whenever we get to that, we get to it. I’ll leave it in the Lord’s hands to provide some help, as He did so considerately yesterday. Now what are we writing about today? I don’t have a clue, but I’m going to peruse the Good Book and see where the Lord leads me. Soon come. Well Friends, ten minutes later I’m back with the good words for today: ‘Judge (vindicate) me, O Lord; for I have walked in mine integrity: I have trusted also in the Lord; therefore I shall not slide (slip).’ It seems that Bruh David was being falsely accused of some wrongdoing, and in his innocence, he pleads to God for vindication. Now how many of us are bold and confident enough to declare those words to God when we’re falsely accused eh? I’m not talking about the particular false accusation, but the general walking in integrity, the trusting in the Lord, and the resultant non-slipping. I suspect that many can, but certainly not enough, otherwise our world would be less stressful and angry, much more peaceful and LOVING. Ah Friends, it’s all in the numbers; hence the cliché ‘there’s strength in numbers.’ And until true believers outnumber unbelievers, our world will continue to be a mess, for that’s the enemy’s goal. Divide and conquer is his game. And he’s being rather successful about it with all the dissension, divisions, resentment and petty strife that’s currently taking place in Christ’s Church. Most of us can’t do anything about the overall situation, but we can indeed improve our individual performances, which will definitely help the macro position, by being able to say with full truth and confidence: ‘Examine me, O Lord, and prove (try) me; try (test) my reins and my heart. For thy LOVING-kindness is before mine eyes: and I have walked in thy truth.’ (Ps.26:2-3) My people, until we can say those words to our God with a clear conscience, we’re not doing as well as we ought to. It means that we’re still too much a part of this evil, ungodly world and not focused enough on heaven’s glorious doings. It means that material possessions and all the negative emotions promoted by the enemy are still too much a part of our everyday lives. Note what Cousin Sol says in Proverbs 20: ‘The just man walketh in his integrity: his children are blessed after him.’ (Prov.20:7) That’s gospel Friends! The true believer always tries to walk in integrity, be a person of good character and intentions every moment and day of their lives. Of course we occasionally make mistakes because of our inherent sinful nature, but overall we need to be strong and steadfast in walking in the character of Christ. And as Cousin Sol says, when we do this, our children, our descendants are surely blessed. The sad part of this whole story though, is that most believers know what to do, but for whatever reason don’t do it, or don’t practice it sufficiently. That only brings disrepute to Christ’s Church, because there’s nothing the enemy and his evil cohorts relish as much as a backsliding or luke warm believer. They’re quick to cry out ‘hypocrite!’ to all and sundry, and lay bare our deeds, or non-deeds before the world, so that they can drive another nail in the coffin that they’ve constructed for Christ’s Church. Oh Friends, it’s therefore up to us, to make sure that that coffin is never used, that it rots in the enemy’s hands. We have to do our best, to walk in integrity and the good character of Christ as much as is humanly possible, so that we don’t give the naysayers any live ammunition against the WAY, the TRUTH, the LIFE and the LIGHT that’s our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! And we can only do that when we can put these words of Bruh David into action: ‘The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusted in him, and I am helped: therefore my heart greatly rejoiceth; and with my song will I praise him.’ (Ps.28:7) That’s our mission for today, and everyday of our lives my people! Till tomorrow when we’ll continue this, our God in favour, walk safely and do right. Much LOVE!…to truly walk with God…is to truly embrace Christ’s character…
 

Isaiah 1:18.    Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool. 
 
Oh Friends, at last a decent amount of rain has fallen in my area this past evening. We haven’t seen any real showers of blessing around here for at least a couple weeks. Let’s hope it doest turn from famine to feast and consequently flood, as been happening all over North America recently. Who knows though what’s in store for any of us as individuals, or any of our residential areas? Only the Good Lord, who has planned it all out in His infinite wisdom. Thus, as His followers, we need to grin and bear whatever comes against us, knowing deep down that eventually it will all work out for the good of those who LOVE Him and are called to do His will. (Rom.8:28) But be it known Friends, that in spite of our God and Creator calling all the shots, He is not an arrogant, unreasonable Deity. Listen to our Bit: ‘Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.’ Yes Friends, that sure sounds to me like an invitation to sit down and talk with the Lord about our sinful situation. The scholars put it this way: ‘The prophet’s appeal to come and reason together reveals God’s gracious invitation to all men. It literally means to be ‘reasonable’ by repenting and turning to God.’ What a wonderful God we serve my people! Everyday I encounter something new in His Word or my life that just amazes me at His goodness and LOVING-kindness towards His selfish, undeserving, disobedient, rebellious children. Hear how He corroborates our Bit later on in Isaiah: ‘I, even I, am he that blotted out thy transgressions for mine own sake, and will not remember thy sins. Put me in remembrance: let us plead (contend, reason) together: declare thou (thy case), that thou mayest be justified.’ (Is.43:25-26) Again, another invitation to come to Him and talk about our problems, our sins, which He will blot out and not remember, once we repent and surrender our souls to Him, then henceforth try to walk the straight and narrow path He favours. And all God’s people raised a mighty shout of joy and gratitude to heaven: ‘Oh thank you Lord, for your goodness and mercy which cannot be matched by any other supposed deity!’ Ah people, what a wonderful promise our Bit contains; that if we turn to the Lord God Jehovah with sincere repentance; ‘though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.’ Bruh David said it thus in Psalm 51, his prayer for cleansing: ‘Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.’ (Ps.51:7) Yes Friends, our LOVING God is faithfully promising to wash away all the sins of those who come to Him with a truly repentant heart. He will cleanse us, make us whole, and restore a right relationship with Him. Here’s an interesting take on the subject by the scholars: ‘Their sin is described as ‘scarlet’ and ‘red like crimson,’ referring to their bloodguiltiness before God. The term ‘crimson’ also means ‘worm,’ referring to the colourfast red dye of the scarlet worm. The eradication of this stain turns it snowy white and is symbolic of the life-changing grace of God, which delivers men from the guilt and condemnation of sin. Thus the prophet reminds his readers that God stands ready to cleanse and forgive all who turn to Him.’  Oh my brethren, our God is indeed a magnanimous, forgiving and merciful God, but He’s also a God of truth and justice and therefore cannot promote sin and evil, thus there are conditions to His offer. ‘If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land: But if ye refuse and rebel, ye shall be devoured with the sword: for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it.’ (Is.1:19-20) Yes my people, our God has placed before us a basic contract, which entails offer and acceptance. If we accept His offer, then we’ll be prosperous. If we don’t, then death and eternal damnation shall come upon us. Please, I beg of us to do the right and smart thing and accept God’s offer of salvation and eternal life made available to us through the blood sacrifice of His only Son, Jesus Christ. As I keep saying, it’s the wisest decision we’ll ever make on this, our earthly journey. Much LOVE!…the offer of life and death are before you…which will you choose…
 

1 Kings 2:2.    I go the way of all the earth: be thou strong therefore, and show thyself a man.

1 Kings 2:2.    I go the way of all the earth: be thou strong therefore and show thyself a man.

Psalm 116:5     Gracious is the Lord, and righteous; yea, our God is merciful.

Psalm 116: 5.    Gracious is the Lord, and righteous; yea, our God is merciful.
 
Oh Friends, it’s Friday once again! Yeah! And the shouting of ‘TGIF! Thank God is Friday!’ is pretty loud today because many of us had a rather rough workweek and just can’t wait to get the weekend going. However people, let’s not forget the true purpose of the weekend by chanting our Friday Chant: ‘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.’ And having prayed for general guidance over the weekend, let’s turn now to our Bit, which ensures us that our God will fulfill our requests, because: ‘Gracious is the Lord, and righteous; yea, our God is merciful.’ Ah mih people, how can our God be anything but gracious, righteous and merciful with the kind and LOVING nature He possesses eh? I’m sure if we checked out our individual behaviour, we’d find that on the days when we’re really sweet and LOVING, our penchant for righteous living, for showing grace and mercy are much higher than on the days when we’re miserable and grumpy. On those negative days, grace and mercy usually find no part in our spirits. That’s why we’re always admonished to be kind and LOVING, like our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, so that we can dispense grace and mercy towards others, like He’s done before, and is still doing for us. It’s the one hand washes the other situation; and it takes two hands to clap; it’s a two way street, and all the other wise and true clichés that talk about getting and sharing, receiving and giving, not individual or selfish wanting and hoarding. Remember Friends, our Lord doesn’t simply bless us for us to enjoy the blessings alone, but almost always He intends for us to share them with the less fortunate. He expects us to be righteous, gracious and merciful, just like Him. It’s not an easy task, especially in today’s ungodly, sinful world, but if we sincerely choose to be that way, then with Christ’s help and strength, we will succeed. But please note my brethren that it does take a serious and conscious decision to follow that righteous, gracious, merciful path, because it doesn’t come naturally with our inherently sinful nature. When we live that way though, we feel the hand of God upon us, feel His glorious light shining through ever more in our lives. And with God’s hand upon us our mundane, earthly lives are infused with wonderful feelings of contentment, of peace, joy, calm and excitement. And all God’s people shouted: ‘Glory Hallelujah!’ Now here are a couple of examples of the Lord’s righteousness found in the Good Book. The first comes from Nehemiah, when the repentant Israelites were getting ready to return to their homeland from captivity in Babylon. Amidst the fasting and repentance, the priests and Levites stood tall and prayed loudly: ‘Thou art the Lord the God who didst choose Abram, and broughtest him forth out of Ur of the Chaldees, and gavest him the name of Abraham; And foundest his heart faithful before thee, and madest a covenant with him to give the land of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, and the Perizzites, and the Jebusites, and the Girgashites, to give it, I say, to his seed, and hast performed thy words; for thou art righteous.’ (Neh.9:7-8) Yes Friends, when we truly trust in the Lord and wait patiently and faithfully on Him, He will definitely do right by us. And finally, let’s listen to the uplifting words of the psalmist on the topic. ‘Righteous art thou, O Lord, and upright are thy judgements. Thy testimonies that thou hast commanded are righteous and very faithful.’ (Ps.119:137-138) Oh my people, let’s ponder those words in our hearts today, realize their awesome truth, then truly and sincerely surrender our all to the ONE TRUE God Jehovah! It’s the wisest decision we’ll ever make on this troubled planet Earth. Much LOVE!…oh how wonderful it is…when the Lord controls our lives…
 

Psalm 116:5.    Gracious is the Lord, and righteous; yea, our God is merciful.
 
Oh Friends, are you enjoying the manna, the mercies, the blessings, the protection that’s flowing down to you this new day from our great and wonderful God? I sincerely hope so. If not, then you’re missing out on the best part of this earthly life. Everyday we have new opportunities to step up higher, to grow our faith and to further God’s kingdom, but we have to reach out for those opportunities and the goodness our God provides. Those things won’t just fall in our laps while we sit and wait. No Friends, we have a big part to play in the relationship with God, which entails getting up and doing, asking for and accepting. Remember Christianity means action; active not sedentary living. Unfortunately though, too many of us believers are living the sedentary life, enjoying all the creature comforts the world provides, thus getting obese in body, sloppy and uncaring in mind and spirit. That lifestyle certainly detracts from our witness in honour of a most kind, LOVING and caring God, as so truthfully proclaimed by our Bit. ‘Gracious is the Lord, and righteous; yea, our God is merciful.’ And all God’s people jumped for joy and shouted: ‘Praise Him, Praise Him, Glory Hallelujah! He is LOVE! He is LOVE!’ Yes Friends, the God we serve and worship is a most excellent Deity! Just in that one verse, He’s described as being ‘gracious, righteous and merciful.’ Wow! No other supposed god possesses all those exemplary qualities! He’s been the same since day one, so it’s obviously been widely noted over the years by the many who have faithfully revered and worshipped Him, while finding favour in His sight. Hear Bruh David on the subject, in thanksgiving for God’s mercy. ‘The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and plenteous (abounding) in mercy (LOVING-kindness). He will not always chide (strive): neither will he keep his anger for ever. He hath not dealt with us after our sins; nor rewarded us according to our iniquities. For as the heaven is high above the earth, so great is his mercy (LOVING-kindness) toward them that fear him.’ (Ps.103:8-11) Oh Friends, Bruh David wrote those encouraging and inspiring words many moons ago, but they’re still very true today because our God doesn’t change. However, we have to get up and claim these benefits by faithfully communicating with the Lord. As I said earlier, it just won’t fall in our sedentary laps, as too many believers expect it to. My brethren, let’s get one thing straight about our God: He’s not in the handout business; He’s not just there to satisfy our selfish desires! He is indeed a good God, but as the saying goes, we have to earn most of our keep. If we work on His behalf, then he will reward us. But if we simply dawdle on our fannies and do nothing constructive to further His kingdom, then He won’t do much to uplift us either. Always remember that God’s covenant with us is a two way street; if we do our part, then God will do His. Now listen to Ezra’s testimony. Another man of great faith who went through much tribulation on the Lord’s behalf, but stood resolute and strong, and eventually succeeded in his mission, obviously with God’s help. ‘O Lord God of Israel, thou art righteous: for we remain yet escaped, as it is this day: behold, we are before thee in our trespasses: for we cannot stand before thee because of this.’ (Ezra 9:15) Yes my people, the Lord looked down with kindness on the Jewish people in captivity in Babylon when they repented of their sinful, ungodly ways and helped them return to their land and eventually rebuild Jerusalem. Oh Friends, it’s the same way He’s waiting on us today to repent of our abominable sinful lifestyle and return to the comfort and shelter of His wide opened, protective and LOVING arms. Until we sincerely do that my people, our world will be awash with calamity and disaster. More on this tomorrow, if we don’t read our names in the obits. Till then, please, let’s WALK GOOD, LIVE GOOD, TALK GOOD, AND DO GOOD! Much LOVE!…he who hath ears to hear…let him hear…or he will eventually pay and exorbitant price for his disobedience…
 

 Psalm 116:15.    Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints.

ON THE DEATH OF MY MOTHER: MOLLY CLAIRE O’BRIEN.

Proverbs 9:1.     Wisdom hath builded her house, she hath hewn out her seven pillars.
 
Oh Friends, it’s another beautiful day in my neck of the woods! And though the old bones are creaking and refusing to move as fast as I want, I know that everything will work out fine, because our God guarantees it with His new mercies and blessings everyday. And all God’s people boldly declared: ‘Hallelujah! All praise and honour to the ONE TRUE God of the universe!’ Now here’s an interesting quote attributed to Percy Walker, which says: ‘You can get all A’s and still flunk life.’ And that’s gospel Friends! You can do very well academically but still make a mess of your normal, everyday life. That’s because you can only learn the lessons of life in the school of life. You have to face the hard knocks, the ups and downs of life before you can truly know what life’s all about. And sadly, many of this new generation, and some backsliders of the old generation too, aren’t learning the lessons properly, that’s why they are flunking out on life. That’s why their lives are so unfocused, undisciplined and without much depth, merely surface deep. They have so many options, yet are so easily bored, and incredibly short attention spans only worsens the situation. Unfortunately that’s a by-product of today’s fast paced, rush-rush society. We parents are partly to blame for that. With our busy lives, trying make ends meet, we allow the t.v and a host of video and computer games to raise our children. We don’t give them the proper foundation for living that’s only found in the Good Book. So what else can we expect to reap but exactly what we sow; unfocused, undisciplined, easily swayed, materially based children! Ah Friends, sadly, much of the blame for our ungodly society can be laid at our feet. By trying to make life easy for our children, we’ve bred out the guts, the belly and backbone, the ‘stick -to- itiveness’ and the righteous living our parents taught us, and we’re now paying the high price of that misplaced, misguided affection. Consequently, this new generation has missed the wonderful invitation sent out by our Bit: ‘Wisdom hath builded her house, she hath hewn out her seven pillars.’ Yes my people, the gathering place is ready, and so too are all the fixings: ‘She hath killed her beasts (slaughtered her meat); she hath mingled (mixed) her wine; she hath also furnished her table (set her table in order). She hath sent forth her maidens: she crieth (cries out) upon the highest places of the city. Whoso is simple, let him turn in hither: as for him that wanteth (lacks) understanding, she saith to him, Come eat of my bread, and drink of the wine which I have mingled (mixed). Forsake the foolish (foolishness), and live; and go in the way of understanding.’ (Prov. 9:2-6) Yes my people, the wisdom of God is the most important lesson to be learned in this earthly life. And according to the scholars, it’s used in three senses in the Good Book. First, to acknowledge God’s greater understanding than ours, as so simply but brilliantly explained by Bruh Paul in his first missive to the Corinthians: ‘Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men: and the weakness of God is stronger than men.’ (1 Cor.1:25) Secondly, it can also mean the understanding a believer should have in this life, as Cousin Sol stipulates in Proverbs 4 that deals with a father’s wisdom: ‘Get wisdom, get understanding: forget it not; neither decline (turn away) from the words of my mouth. Forsake her not, and she shall preserve thee: LOVE her, and she shall keep thee. Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding.’ (Prov.4:5-7) And the third sense in which wisdom is used in the Scriptures is ‘as a type of Christ, who is our wisdom.’ That’s illustrated by Bruh Paul’s bold declaration to the Church at Corinth: ‘But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us (became for us) wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption.’ (I Cor.1:30) So my people, if we want to excel in life, we need to have the wisdom of God flowing through our hearts, souls and minds, accept and acknowledge it in all three senses. Otherwise, we’ll continually run in to aspects of life that we can’t handle properly. And the wisdom of God can only be gleaned from the teachings of God, contained in His Holy Word, the Bible. Unfortunately though, Bible reading and study is not amongst the more prominent or recommended activities in our society today. No wonder our world is such a mess, since we’re lacking God’s wisdom, His directions for right living. Oh Friends, let’s try and turn that unfortunate situation around nuh. It might be difficult, but certainly not impossible with God in our corner. If our world is to be saved, God’s wisdom must prevail, and that task depends solely on the desire and inspiration of believers to do it. So please, let’s get a move on nuh, by seriously encouraging others to read and study their Bible, so that they will better understand the true way to live this life. Much LOVE!…there are two ways to live life…in wisdom…and in folly…which will you choose…