SCRIP-BITS

Proverbs 1:33.    But whoso hearkenth unto me shall dwell safely, and shall be quiet from fear of evil.

Proverbs 2:33.    But whoso hearkenth unto me shall dwell safely, and shall be quiet from fear of evil.
 
Oh Friends, sorry that this Bit is so late, but the vicissitudes of life, along with the requirements those sudden changes bring, have caused me to be swinging like a yo-yo these past two weeks. This morning I had to get up early and take family to the airport, then I had to go to church, since I had not gone for the previous two weeks. By then I was burnt to a crisp and wouldn’t have written a good Bit, so I went back to bed. But thankfully, the hoopla and the rigmarole are finally finished. We buried my mother Molly yesterday. It was well attended, although I expected more people to show up. However, modern day life is so fast paced and complicated that many people had made prior arrangements on which they could not renege. But they all sent their condolences and good wishes, for which my family and I are extremely grateful. Molls had a good send off. Everybody was pleased. Amazingly I didn’t have even one complaint. Wonders surely never cease nuh! (smile) And Friends, I have nothing but the utmost praise and thanks for Highland Funeral Home, and Highland Hills Cemetery for the kind, pleasant and professional manner in which they treated me. I certainly could not have gotten through the ordeal of funeral arrangements without their generous and ever-ready support. A friend had guided me to them, and from the first moment I walked in, I felt comfortable, so I never went elsewhere. I would recommend them highly to anyone in this area needing to make funeral arrangements. Now they aren’t dirt cheap, and you get what you pay for, but they are truly helpful in all aspects of the funeral planning. I’m sure that my going there was a blessing from the Lord. Unfortunately, though the funeral arrangements were hectic, that was the easy part. The hard part, settling the affairs of the estate, with all the legal ramifications, plus getting rid of all her stuff, is now about to begin. But at least I don’t have to get that all together in a hurry, so now I’ll have more time to concentrate, and won’t be writing Bits at two-thirty in the afternoon. (smile) And I’m sure that just as the Lord led me through the funeral arrangements without too many problems, He’ll lead me through the legal stuff satisfactorily too. Ah mih people, the things that our God puts us through eh! Many times it’s not easy, but I’ve learned from hard experience, especially this past year, that the Good Book is indeed a fountain of solid, indisputable truth. He puts us through hardship to grow and mature our faith, but in all the hardship, He also provides the wherewithal for us to bear and then overcome it. What a wonderful God we serve and worship my brethren! Through it all, He never leaves us. He’s always there watching over us, just in case we stumble, to be ready to catch us before we fall. And Friends, if you truly surrender your life to Him, and believe what He says in His Word, then despite all the heartache, pain, sorrow and confusion in your life, there will also be an overwhelming sense of peace and calm. I can personally testify to that, because from my knee operation last December, through my prostate cancer surgery earlier this year, and now my mother’s sudden, unexpected passing, I’ve been filled with a peace and calm that certainly surprised me. I’ve never been this peaceful and calm in my entire life. Now don’t think that it will all be clear sailing, for it won’t be. But through all the pain and sorrow, you will be able to bear up admirably. You will still have to cry out to the Lord for help and strength, and He will give them to you, but deep down you will feel a blessed assurance that this too will pass, and things will get better. And they will too, but the problem though is how long- how long before it gets better and how long the better will last? That’s because the Lord is always trying and testing us to build our faith and bring us more into character with His wonderful Son Jesus. My recent life is a good example. I’d never have thought that I would have knee surgery, then cancer problems, then death problems, one right after the other.  But it’s also a fact that the more mature we become in the faith, the harder the tests get too. It’s just like growing up and going to school; as we get older the schoolwork becomes harder because our abilities improve. The same goes for the process of Christian maturity. After a while we stop drinking milk, and start eating meat, but likewise, in time, the meat becomes progressively harder and tougher to chew and swallow. But the Lord in His infinite wisdom and LOVING-kindness, always lends a hand. I repeat, He ALWAYS lends a hand, ALWAYS helps those who put their trust and faith in Him. So Friends, why don’t you fully surrender your lives to Him today, so that He can help you on this rough and rugged journey that is our earthly life? It’s the wisest decision you can ever make. For as our Bit so rightly says: ‘But whoso hearkenth unto me shall dwell safely, and shall be quiet (secure, at ease) from fear of evil.’ Much LOVE!…when you put you trust in God…your life will never be the same…it will improve a hundredfold…
 

1 John 5:3.    For this is the LOVE of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous.
 
Oh Friends, today’s the big day; my mother’s funeral! The ole fella will be called on to be front and centre and show the example of walking with God that my mother displayed. Pray for me that I will walk worthy of both her and the Lord. By the way, the visitation went exceptionally well yesterday evening. A fair amount of friends and family showed up, some I’d only heard about but never met before. Everybody was happy with the way the ole girl looked; peaceful and calm, as though she was just napping and would wake up at any minute. The room was quite lively as many memories and reminiscences were shared. It will be even greater today, as there will be more people. Thankfully too, nobody said or did anything to upset me, so I came out smelling like a rose. (smile) Let’s hope I can do as well today, seeing that there will be a bigger crowd, and thus more opportunity to be antagonized. But I’m leaving all of that in the Lord’s hands. I’m just going there to celebrate the life and times of my dear departed mother, and whatever happens happens. I know it will be a wonderful celebration anyway! And really, all we can do on this earth is what our Bit says: ‘For this is the LOVE of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous (burdensome).’  Yes my brethren, once we sincerely try to follow God’s commandments, which basically boils down to walking in LOVE, then we’ll be all right. As John says earlier in his first epistle, when talking about the true tests of knowledge: ‘And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments.’ (1 John 2:3) That’s gospel Friends! We can only truly know God if we do as he desires. And in verse 6, John spells it out even clearer: ‘He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked.’ (1 John 2:6) And isn’t that the living truth people! Though we can’t walk as sinless as Jesus walked on earth, His followers are indeed required to replicate to a great degree His devotion to His Father and to show much compassion to others. And as we saw yesterday, and it’s worthy to be repeated today, Jesus told His disciples: ‘If ye LOVE me, keep my commandments.’ (John 14:15) Yes my people, those are some of the most important words Jesus ever spoke. Just like in every organization, unless we follow the dictates of the leadership, we can’t be considered true followers of the organization. And what really amazes me is that people are so afraid to embrace and accept Jesus as their Lord and Saviour because they consider His rules and regulations to be too hard and difficult to follow. Hogwash! Because Friends, it’s the exact opposite, as the last part of our Bit truthfully declares: ‘and his commandments are not grievous (burdensome).’ Jesus Himself said so: ‘For my yoke is easy, and my burden light.’ (Matt.11:30) Meanwhile, of the scribes and Pharisees, of the earthly church organizations, He declared: ‘For they bind heavy burdens and grievous to be borne (had to bear), and lay them on men’s shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers.’ (Matt.23:4) That’s an indisputable fact! It happened back then, and unfortunately it’s still happening today! Many of the church leaders expect a lot from their congregations, but refuse to do the same things as they should, preferring to live above it all, in ease, ungodliness and hypocrisy. That’s why there are so many sad scandals in the church leadership these days. But my brethren, though Jesus’ expectations of His followers are high, the rules are simple and not hard to abide by if we sincerely desire to be His followers. Listen to Micah tell it: ‘He hath showed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the Lord require of thee, but to do justly, and to LOVE mercy (LOVING-kindness), and walk humbly with thy God?’ (Mic.6:8) That’s all that’s required of us Friends; doing good, showing kindness and justice while walking humbly with God. That’s not onerous at all, unless your heart is dead set on evil! So come on people, let’s get really serious about Jesus nuh, about truly being His followers, by pulling up our socks and raising the level of our LOVE Walk. He’s depending on us to change the world, to spread the good news of His Death, Resurrection and Ascension to the entire world, selfless actions that have provided the greatest gifts available on earth; the unsurpassable benefits of salvation and eternal life. So please, I implore us, let’s not let Him down nuh. Much LOVE!…do good…walk good…talk good…live good…that’s the true Christian’s duty…
 

1 John 5:3.     For this is the LOVE of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous.
 
Ah Friends, yuh see how the ole fella was so burnt out yesterday that he dated the Bit 8th of November instead of September? Hn, hn! I was two months ahead of everybody else. I hope that those of you who noticed it chuckled, then said a little prayer for me, because I need the prayers of many people right now, to help me through these trying times. Visitation for my mother is this evening, so you can imagine the hoopla and the hoops I will be required to jump through. But I’m really not worried about that, for I know the Good Lord will look after me. The problem is whether I can look after my part of the bargain; keep my peace when someone comes up with some nonsense, which is sure to happen. But be all of that as it may, today is Friday, the weekend is here, and we’re thankful for it, so let’s chant 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 set the right tone for the weekend, let’s go out and do what our Bit says: ‘For this is the LOVE of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous (burdensome).’ Those are certainly words of awesome truth my people! Indeed, when we keep God’s commandments, it shows that we truly LOVE Him. Jesus, in promising to send the Holy Spirit to his disciples after His ascension, put it plainly and simply, as was His wont. ‘If ye LOVE me, keep my commandments.’ (John 14:15) Yes Friends, there’s nothing in that statement to cause uncertainty or confusion. If we LOVE Him, then we’ll do as He asks; no ifs ands and buts. Then John, in his second epistle, when talking about the commandment of LOVE, boldly declares: ‘I rejoiced greatly that I found (some) of thy children walking in truth, as we have received a commandment from the Father. And now I beseech thee, lady, not as though I wrote a new commandment unto thee, but that which we had from the beginning, that we LOVE one another. And this is LOVE, that we walk after (according) to his commandments. This is the commandment, That, as ye have heard from the beginning, ye should walk in it.’ (2 John 4-6) Ah mih breddren, I know that walking in LOVE is much easier said than done, but if we consider ourselves to be true believers, loyal followers of Jesus Christ, then that’s the route we need to go. That entails making serious decisions regarding our basic lifestyle, our prayer time and our fellowship with other believers. For it’s only as we invest time and energy in those areas, that our faith will grow, and we’ll be able to walk a better walk than we were previously walking. It’s not going to happen overnight, for we are all works in progress at different stages in the building of our Jesus-like character. So we’ve got to be somewhat patient with ourselves. And as we’ve said so often, it’s only the emotion of LOVE that can save our world. But we also need to realize and remember that just talking LOVE doesn’t make it happen, because LOVE is an action word! And my people, we need to put it into action asap, without delay, if we want to improve our lot in life. So let’s sit down this Friday and examine ourselves nuh, find out where we’re falling down in our LOVE walk, and make every effort to correct it. That way, we will be true reflections of Jesus, like we ought to be. More on this tomorrow, if we don’t read our names in the obits. (smile) Much LOVE!…commandments are words…that require action to fulfill them…
 

James 4:10.     Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.
 
Oh Friends, what’s happening with our world eh? If it’s not internal strife, or strife between nations, then it’s natural disasters trying to destroy us. The U.S. is finally feeling the brunt of some of them. Sadly, after Irene wreaked havoc on the east coast a week ago, Tropical Storm Lee, did the same this weekend in some of the Southern states, like Georgia and Mississippi with its flooding and terrible tornadoes. Then we have Katia priming herself in the Atlantic, to make landfall, who knows where. Oh my people, it’s obvious that some of the calamity befalling us is directly connected to the sinful, ungodly, idolatrous society we’ve become. Our LOVING and merciful God is trying to warn us of the deadly consequences of continuing this wicked way of life, to which we’re apparently fully committed. And it won’t get any better until we smarten up and make some serious changes. We’re already living in fear of terrorist threats and subversion, adding fear of natural disasters to that will certainly be overwhelming and lower the quality of our lives even further. But are we paying attention to these things and considering the interconnection between them; between our lifestyle and the desires of our God? I don’t think that many of us are doing so. But my brethren we definitely need to do so, because our lives won’t improve until we realize that we can’t help ourselves, especially in those areas, despite what the world says. Only the Lord God Jehovah can offer true and serious assistance there. And until we fully comprehend the seriousness of our situation, humble ourselves before the Lord, repent and return to the godly lifestyle of our fathers, we’ll find ourselves continually bombarded by calamity, both from human and natural sources. That brings us to our Bit: ‘Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.’ Oh Friends, our Bit does not only refer to the humility of individuals, but also of societies, of nations, of our entire world! This proud, independent, rebellious, we can do it all in our own strength, without any help from God attitude that’s currently in vogue is totally false, and consequently it’s leading us down the sorry road to certain destruction. Why is that fact so difficult for us to accept eh, despite the numerous examples throughout history? Do the flimsy, flashy, fickle pleasures and creature comforts of the world have such a stranglehold on us that we can’t see what’s happening? Or are we like the saying goes; none so blind as those who refuse to see? Oh my people, the Lord in His LOVING-kindness is issuing warning after warning that he’s fast losing patience with us. Our wickedness has become so abominable, that as a just and righteous God, He has to act, to render some sort of judgement against us. Obviously He doesn’t want to destroy us, His most beautiful creation, made in His very image, but we’re not giving Him any choice through the evil, disobedient lifestyle we’re living. Listen to James, as he tells it like it was back then, and also like it is right now. ‘Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of (with) the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will (wants to) be a friend of the world is the (makes himself an) enemy of God. Do ye think that the scripture saith in vain, The spirit that dwelleth in us lusteth to envy (yearns jealously)? But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble. Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw nigh (near) to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye doubleminded.’ (James 4:4-8) Oh my brethren, if we want our society to continue, and to prosper, we have to let go of the worldly desires that permeate our souls and our thinking. That means drawing away from the evil forces that are currently pulling our strings, and drawing closer to the kind, LOVING, forgiving, merciful God of our fathers, who caused them to prosper in their obedience and faithfulness to Him. Friends, it is a difficult task, but obviously not an impossible one, with Jesus on our side. But we first need to get serious about doing it, then seriously and diligently turn to Almighty God for His help, otherwise our society as we know it, will keep deteriorating until it destroys itself, or is destroyed. We have two choices; to stay on this path to certain destruction, or the one to life. As Moses put it to the Israelites so long ago, Friends, I’m putting it to us today: ‘I call heaven and earth to record (as witnesses) this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live.’ (Deut. 30:19) Please my people, I implore us, let’s choose life nuh, so that our children and our world can survive. It’s the only wise and sensible decision. And I pray that we make it, in Jesus’ name. Amen. Much LOVE!…serve the enemy…and you’ll die…serve God…and eternal life will be yours…
 

James 4:10.    Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.

James 4:10.    Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.

Psalm 15:1.    Lord, who shall abide in thy tabernacle? Who shall dwell in thy holy hill?
 
Oh Friends, this funeral business is something else yes! There are so many details to attend to, much more than in birth. And believe me, none of the things you need to do come cheaply. Everyone wants his or her share of the pie, especially the government. No wonder so many families have money problems, in addition to their grief, after burying a LOVED one! Even the cheapest burial available is too much for many families to afford. But I guess that’s the way our society is set up, so we just have to do it as best we can. Anyway, the worst is over now, most of the important preparations have been made and hopefully I can now get back to writing my Bit at an earlier hour. (smile) Sadly though, now there’s only one thing I must do everyday; that’s write the Bit. No longer will I be reading prayers for my mother over the phone. And believe me, it does seem as though a part of me is missing, because I read for her every day. And if she figured I was taking too long to call, she would call and say something like: ‘Randolph. This is your mother.’ That would be all, and I’d know what she wanted. But all good things must end sometime, they say, and we just have to move on. So in concert with that opinion, let’s consider our Bit; interesting words from Bruh David. ‘Lord, who shall abide (sojourn) in thy tabernacle? Who shall dwell in thy holy hill?’ Basically, the psalm’s about qualifications for service in the Lord’s sanctuary. And here are the qualifications Bruh David thinks are required for such service: ‘He that walketh uprightly, and worketh righteousness, and speaketh the truth in his heart. He that backbiteth not with his tongue…’ (Ps.15:2-3a) That means people with personal purity, which all believers are supposed to have. And the qualifications continue: ‘nor doeth evil to his neighbour, nor taketh up (receives) a reproach against his neighbour. In whose eyes a vile person is contemned (despised); but he honoureth them that fear the Lord. He that sweareth to his own hurt, and changeth not.’ (Ps.15:3a-5) Oh Friends, that describes interpersonal integrity, which all of us ought to have. That therefore boils down the basic qualifications to work in the Lord’s house as also the basic qualifications for being a true believer. We need those qualifications to do any work whatsoever for our God. But since we’re human, and thus naturally sinful, we won’t always come up to such lofty heights of Christian maturity. However, one of our mandates is also to help those weaker than us. Hear Bruh Paul explain it to the Galatians: ‘Brethren, if a man be overtaken (caught) in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such a one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted. Bear ye one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.’ (Gal.6:1-2) Yes Friends, to a certain extent we are to be our brother’s keeper, but with meekness and humility, lest we get too prideful and fall into the same trap. That’s the basis of our Christian faith; helping, sharing, exhorting, encouraging and considering each other’s plight with a humble heart. Therefore, as believers, our aim, our goal should be to get qualified enough to work in the Lord’s sanctuary, even if we never actually work there. As Bruh David says in Psalm 24: ‘Who shall ascend into the hill of the Lord? Or who shall stand in his holy place? He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart; who hath not lifted up his soul unto vanity (to an idol), nor sworn deceitfully. He shall receive the blessing from the Lord, and righteousness from the God of his salvation.’ (Ps.24:3-5) Oh my people, currently there are way too few of us who can qualify to work in God’s sanctuary, or ascend to His holy hill, for evil and the enemy have become too much a part of our daily, earthly lives. Please, let’s try and change that nuh, let’s rise higher, to heights of excellence, as Jesus desires, and aspire to make those attributes our life’s goal, so that we can glorify God and thus further His kingdom. That would be so pleasing to our wonderful God. Much LOVE!… a believer’s duty…is to be the best that he/she can be…