SCRIP-BITS

Jeremiah 6:16.    Thus saith the Lord, Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein, and find rest for your souls. But they said, We will not walk therein.
 
Ah Friends and fellow believers, life’s just extra rough for some people yes! I’m talking about Haiti, where tropical storm Emily is threatening to douse them with oodles of rain. Thank God it’s not hurricane like winds too! As they say, if it wasn’t for bad luck, the poorest nation in the Western Hemisphere wouldn’t have any luck at all. Please, let’s offer up some prayers for them; that the storm’s downpour doesn’t do any serious damage, cause I don’t know how much more misfortune they can stand at this time. But yuh know Friends, it all comes right back to our Bit: ‘Thus saith the Lord, Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls. But they said, We shall not walk therein.’ Now is that foolish or what? Oh my people, walking in the ways of Jehovah God is the only sure protection from the scourge of evil that’s currently sweeping our world! And when supposed sensible people, like political leaders and the rich and powerful say and do otherwise, and we follow them like blind sheep, then we can expect God’s wrath to fall on us at anytime. Hear Him talk about false prophets…and believe me, we have plenty in our society today. ‘For both prophet and priest are profane; yea, in my house have I found their wickedness, saith the Lord. Wherefore their way shall be unto them as slippery ways in the darkness: they shall be driven on, and fall therein: for I will bring evil (disaster) upon them, even the year of their visitation (punishment), saith the Lord.’ (Jer.23:11-12) Yes Friends, when those who should be spreading the True Word, are spreading falsehoods, the Lord will intervene to protect His Holy Name. And we can all see Him intervening already, with the numerous disasters and the unnerving upheaval in our world. Deep down we all know we can’t fight God and win, but yet still we insist on being stubborn and rebellious. Why eh? And it’s not like we haven’t seen the experiences of other nations, even experienced it some ourselves. Oh Friends, when nations walk in obedience to God, they prosper. When they don’t, they suffer. It’s as simple as that. All the Lord’s asking of us is to get rid of the evil in our hearts, souls, minds and bodies. Granted, that’s not always easy, especially when some of the things of the world look so nice, and some are even worth having. But when we concentrate our focus on those worldly things, that’s when we get in trouble with God, because that takes our focus off of Him, which is a serious no no in His eyes. And it’s not that walking with God is so difficult either. Obviously we can’t get into some of the things the world cherishes, but overall, walking with God is a beautiful experience, oftimes unpredictable, but always a blessed adventure. I’m sure if we put a handful of righteous and unrighteous people together to tell their stories, the righteous ones will have more interesting tales to tell. That’s because walking with the world’s Creator and ruler has so many different possibilities. And above all Friends, when we walk obedient to God’s will, we find rest for our souls. Wow! Now isn’t that something to be valued above the world’s fleeting pleasures? It sure is! It’s also a fact that the majority of the soon to be 7 billion people on planet earth (October 2011), including the rich and powerful, don’t have any peace or rest in their souls. So why are we so adamant and ignorant to keep on refusing Jesus’ beautiful invitation of peace and rest for our souls? ‘Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of (from) me; for I am meek and lowly in heart (gentle and humble): and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.’ (Matt.11:28-30) Ah mih breddren, that says it all! Can Lucifer offer us anything even close to that? Absolutely not! All his offers are rear end loaded; look great at the beginning, but loaded with confusion and trouble at the end. Only Jesus offers a truly bright and constant light all along life’s difficult spectrum. So Friends, let’s straighten up and live right nuh. I know it sounds like a broken record, but it’s only by continually voicing the request that we’ll eventually get through to our stubborn, rebellious nature. Living for Jesus, with His easy yoke and light burden, is so much nicer, note I didn’t say easier, (smile) than getting entangled in the evil, deceit, hypocrisy, oppression and violence that Lucifer and his cohorts promote. Oh my people, we need to get back to this state of life that Malachi describes: ‘Then shall the offering of Judah and Jerusalem be pleasant (pleasing) unto the Lord, as in the days of old, and as in former years. And I will come near to you to judgement; and I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers, and against the adulterers, and against false swearers, and against those that oppress the hireling in his wages (exploit the wage earner), the widow, and the fatherless, and that turn aside the stranger (turn away the alien) from his right, and fear not me (because they do not fear, revere me), saith the Lord of hosts.’ (Mal.3:4-5) Yes Friends, for our children’s sake, let’s work towards that glorious state nuh. It’s the only wise and sensible way to go. Much LOVE!…to be Lucifer’s slave…or Jesus’ Friend…your choice…
 

Jeremiah 6:16.    Thus saith the Lord, Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls. But they said, We will not walk therein.
 
Oh Friends, a gentle rain is falling upon the parched and thirsty land, this dark and cloudy Wednesday morning. Praise the Lord! Most likely it won’t be sufficient to quench the earth’s great thirst and return it to its normal bright green, but at this stage, every little bit of blessing counts, and is also greatly appreciated. We’ve also got to be thankful that the foolish partisan stalemate in the U.S political game has finally ended, and the gov’t will not default on its obligations after all. Thank you Lord for small mercies! But as far as I’m concerned, the final agreement is certainly not in the best interest of the majority of citizens; there will be not tax increases or loss of benefits for the rich, the Republicans saw to that. However, there will be lots of spending cuts, and you know that means the poor and needy will suffer, while the rich will continue with their entrenched, privileged way of life. Ah Lord eh! Why is it that those who need the most, are the ones who always lose the little they have? To appease the saying, that the rich get richer, while the poor get poorer? It’s just another ungodly act of the wicked. But listen to our Bit: ‘Thus saith the Lord, Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls. But they said, We will not walk therein.’ Oh Friends, the wicked, idolatrous folks in Judah, refused to return to the Lord’s fold when Jeremiah warned them of imminent justice, and eventually paid a harsh price for their disobedience through the destruction of their land and a life of captivity elsewhere. Several times they went through the cycle of being a prosperous Jewish society basking in God’s bright glow, then foolishly turning away from the God of their fathers, and once again suffering the severe punishment meted out for overwhelming disobedience. They never seemed to learn. But Friends, we’re supposed to be a more intelligent and sophisticated evolution of that man, so why are we doing the same foolish things eh? We only became a prosperous society because it was built on the solid foundation that is God. But then, because of our superior knowledge and technology, we became so proud and arrogant, thinking we were king of the heap, and thus no longer needed God. However my brethren, that’s a foolish, short-sighted approach that bears no resemblance whatsoever to reality! The Lord God Jehovah is the Creator and Provider of all things, even the little rain that’s falling outside. So why are we so adamant to move away from Him, to eradicate Him from our society? Listen to the Lord’s pronouncement, His promise through Jeremiah: ‘Because my people hath forgotten me, they have burned incense to vanity (worthless idols), and they have caused them to stumble in their ways from the ancient paths, to walk in paths, in a way not cast up (and not on a highway); To make their land desolate, and a perpetual hissing; everyone that passeth thereby shall be astonished, and wag (shake) his head. I will scatter them as with an east wind before the enemy; I will show them the (My) back, and not the (My) face, in the day of their calamity.’ (Jer.18:15-17) Oh Friends, please remember that the Lord keeps all His promises, and I don’t know if there’s ever been a more calamitous time in the world’s history than now. That means, because of our continual disobedience, He’s going to turn His back on us, ignore us in our time of greatest need. Unless and until we repent and return to His fold, we’ll be left to our own foolish, incapable devices that will keep sinking us deeper into the mire of destruction. Friends, it’s as simple as that! Doesn’t all this sudden calamity mean or say anything startling to us? Are we so full of ourselves, so blinded by Beelzebub’s evil, idolatrous ways, that we can’t see what’s really going on? It’s obvious that the Lord’s sending us a message re our ungodly state of life and living. But sadly, we seem intent on proving Him wrong by continuing with our obstinate disobedience and deep passion for idolatry and evil. Oh my people, that’s a fool’s wisdom! We can’t fight the Creator and powerful ruler of the universe and ever be successful! Instead we ought to be doing as he advises: ‘Set thee up waymarks (signposts), and make thee high heaps (landmarks): set thine heart toward the highway, even the way which thou wentest: turn again (return), O virgin of Israel, turn again (return) to these thy cities. How long wilt thou go about, O thou backsliding daughter? for the Lord hath created a new thing in the earth. A woman shall (en)compass a man.’ (Jer.31:21-22) And besides, my fellow believers, it’s our job to actively fight the wickedness and evil that’s destroying our world, to help bring us back to the wonderful fold of God. But we’re clearly falling down on our responsibility, for the world’s becoming worse every day. Please, for our God and children’s sake, let’s increase our efforts to bring about the LOVE Revolution we so desperately need. It’s our fight, to win or lose. Much LOVE!…there’s none so blind…as he who refuses to see…
 

Jeremiah 6:16.    Thus saith the Lord, Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls. But they said, We will not walk therein.
 
Oh Friends, August is just beginning, but I believe it will be a very provocative and revealing month in the history of our world. Too many controversial things are on the boil right now, and some must be dealt with speedily or else they will boil over and cause even more controversy, as well as irreparable damage and much torment. We all realize that our world is on the brink, the very edge of the precipice of destruction, for there are many more evil and destructive forces at work than good and constructive ones. But having said that, it’s not a given that we will go over the edge. And that’s where believers have a most important part to play, because we’re one of the few forces interested in good works and constructive building, rather than just destroying willy-nilly. But as Mahatma Gandhi says in this month’s quote from the Covenant House Calendar: ‘You must be the change you wish to see in the world.’ Now that’s an obvious truth my people! If we want to see change, whatever it might be, then it’s our responsibility to become like what we hope to see. In other words, we can’t expect to see a change for good, but remain evil, for remember whatever we sow, that’s what we’ll eventually reap. And our Bit brings that home very forcefully: ‘Thus saith the Lord, Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls. But they said, We will not walk therein.’ Unfortunately, that’s how the people of Judah behaved when Jeremiah warned them of impending destruction due to their sinful ways and turning away from the God of their fathers. It’s even more unfortunate that our world is in exactly the same position today. Because the Israelites stubbornly refused to seek the old traditional ways of their fathers, ways of true righteousness, and walk in them, they were doomed to destruction. Oh Friends, can’t we see that we have also stubbornly refused to walk in the ways of righteousness because the enemy has labelled it old fashioned and out of date. But believe me people, the ways of our God may be considered old fashioned since they’ve been in existence for so long, but they’re definitely NOT, and NEVER will be out of date, because they bear sterling witness to the truth, the Word of God, re His creation of the universe and all therein. Oh my brethren, our once beautiful and godly world is slowly sinking into a mire of evil and destruction because of the enemy’s superior power and wicked machinations. But the Lord’s giving us believers a wake up call here to try and right the situation. And if you don’t believe me, then listen to what He told Jeremiah when questioned about the prosperity of the wicked and their treacherous, deceitful behaviour to the righteous. He promised to pluck the righteous from amongst their wicked enemies: ‘And it shall come to pass after that I have plucked them out I will return, and have compassion on them, and will bring them again, every man to his heritage, and every man to his land. And it shall come to pass, if they will diligently learn the ways of my people, to swear by my name, (As) The Lord liveth; as they taught my people to swear by Baal; then shall they be built (established) in the midst of my people. But if they will not obey, I will utterly pluck up and destroy that nation, saith the Lord.’ (Jer.12:15-17) Now Friends, it doesn’t take a whole lot of wisdom to realize that we’re in the same boat as the Israelites were long ago. Several times they refused to obey the Lord’s dictates, and several times were they severely punished, brought to their knees in humble recognition that the omnipotent, infallible, immortal Lord God Jehovah is the One who runs things, not a mere flesh and bones, fallible, mortal man. Please understand that our God is kind, LOVING, merciful and forgiving, but He’s also a stickler for truth and justice, and if we keep up with our current sinful, rebellious, ungodly behaviour, then there will come a time when He’s forced to punish us. Don’t think for even one moment that we’ll get away forever with our current ways. Please look carefully at what’s happening around us, the writing’s on the wall. Besides the times of Great War, our world has never been in such turmoil, in such a state of widespread uproar, dissatisfaction, violence, oppression, greed, poverty, famine, natural disasters and uncertain economic times. Oh fellow believers, I’m therefore imploring us to get very active in the LOVE Revolution that we need to retake our world. We can’t sit idly by, while the forces of evil ruin it. Remember God is LOVE, and since God is the most powerful Being in the universe, therefore LOVE must be the most potent and powerful force in existence. Let’s use it to bring our world back to the Father. Much LOVE!…whatever’s broken…LOVE can surely fix it…

Isaiah 54:10.    For the mountains shall depart, and the hills be removed; but my kindness shall not depart from thee, neither shall the covenant of my peace be removed, saith the Lord that hath mercy on thee.
 
Oh Friends, it’s Monday! It’s also the first of August! Time to be up and about our Father’s business! The lucky ones in Ontario have another day to party and celebrate, but most other working stiffs have to get up and go out to labour. So let’s set the stage right from the very start, let’s sing our Monday Morning Battle Hymn to get our adrenalin flowing. All together now, in loud voice: ‘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!’ Yes Friends, now that our motors are purring smoothly, let’s turn to our Bit, that glorious promise of our God. ‘For the mountains shall depart, and the hills be removed; but my kindness shall not depart from thee, neither shall the covenant of my peace be removed, saith the Lord that hath mercy on thee.’ As I’ve said before, I can’t understand why believers refuse to stand steadfast on God’s promises, especially this one. Are we afraid that God won’t keep them, meaning we’re not as strong believers as we think we are? Who knows? But the proven fact is that God has kept all His promises from day one. We read it in the Good Book, the Book of Truth, but yet refuse to accept His faithfulness. Here are two reminders of His faithfulness, courtesy Bruh Paul to the Thessalonians. ‘Faithful is he that calleth you, who also will do it.’ (1 Thess.5:24) ‘But the Lord is faithful, who shall establish you, and keep you from evil.’ (2 Thess.3:3) Oh my people, it’s senseless to say we believe in God then don’t take full advantage of all the good things in His promises. Listen to Isaiah as he talks about God’s free offer of mercy for all. After inviting all thirsty people to come and eat and drink without money, ‘hearken diligently unto me, and eat ye that which is good, and let your soul delight itself in fatness (abundance).’ (Is.55:1-2) He solemnly declares: ‘Incline your ear, and come unto me: hear, and your soul shall live; and I will make an everlasting covenant with you, even the sure mercies of David. Behold, I have given him for a witness to the people, a leader and commander to the people.'(Is.55:3-4) Oh Friends, the Lord gave us Bruh David as an example, and He surely looked after him, so why wouldn’t He look after us too, if we obey His Word? My brethren, until believers truly believe the promises of God, which means standing firmly on them, by acting on them without fear, we will always wallow in mediocrity, which has no place in Jesus’ church. We all need to put our best foot forward and strive for excellence in His name, but we cannot do that unless and until our hearts, souls and minds are truly convinced that His promises are worthwhile. Each of us has to come to that junction in our lives, where we decide to lift our level of maturity, or just remain wishy-washy. But the truth is, we can’t improve until we accept and steadfastly follow this covenant that promises deliverance from the Lord. ‘As for me, this is my covenant with them, saith the Lord; My spirit that is upon thee, and my words which I have put in thy mouth, shall not depart out of thy mouth, nor out of the mouth of thy seed, nor out of the mouth of thy seed’s seed, saith the Lord, from henceforth and for ever.’ (Is.59:21) Yes my people, we have to keep the Word strong, active, and flowing from generation to generation. And we can’t do that effectively until we truly believe all the promises that God has made, which ought to form a solid foundation for our faith and give us the wherewithal to go out and LOVE our God, LIVE our Faith and SPREAD His Word. So let’s up the ante nuh. We’re called believers, so let’s truly BELIEVE! Much LOVE!… true belief is shown thru strong, identifiable action…
 

Isaiah 54:10.     For the mountains shall depart, and the hills be removed; but my kindness shall not depart from thee, neither shall the covenant of my peace be removed, saith the Lord that hath mercy on thee.
 
Well Friends, July is ending in a heat wave, and another Caribana Saturday has passed without the ole fella going to the parade. Times certainly are a changing! That makes either two or three years that I’ve missed now, but if that’s the way the Good Lord wants it, who am I to argue eh? I heard that it was well attended, but unfortunately one person died and a couple others were injured from gunshot wounds. Ah Lord eh! We just giving the naysayers fodder to clamour louder for its shut down, but on the other hand, with the violent kind of society we’ve now become, it’s a miracle that only one major incident was provoked with many thousands of people congregating in a relatively small area, in a party atmosphere. Anyway, the celebrations continue apace, today and tomorrow, with numerous activities all over the city. I’m just planning to spend it quietly at home though, with my New York friend coming over for some ‘poor black people food,’ that’s West Indian food, the sweetest and best tasting food in the world. And we won’t argue over that because whoever’s tasted it, knows that’s the living truth! (smile) Oh Friends, the ole fella’s in a fine frame of mind this morning, though I woke up late, meaning the Bit will be late, because I have to go to church in a while and get some fellowship in my soul. I sincerely hope that most, if not all of us, have, or will have fellowshipped with other believers this weekend, regardless of which day we celebrate the Sabbath, because getting together and worshipping and praising Christ is the most important part of the event, not the particular day on which it’s celebrated. I’m sure some people will disagree because the dogma of their particular religion says a particular day, but that just highlights the petty stuff that keeps believers apart. Do you really think that our great and LOVING God is going to get His Spirit all tied up in knots whether we worship Him on a Friday, Saturday or Sunday? I doubt it. Once we put aside one day a week to celebrate Him, I think He’d be more than pleased. Listen to our Bit: ‘For the mountains shall depart, and the hills be removed; but my kindness shall not depart from thee, neither shall the covenant of my peace be removed, saith the Lord that hath mercy on thee.’ Now does that sound like a Deity who’s going to get annoyed over which day we celebrate Him? Certainly not! For He’s a God bubbling over with joy and peace and kindness and mercy, all coming from a heart full of unconditional LOVE, just dying to show goodness to His children. But we, His foolish, rebellious children, find all kinds of ways to divide ourselves, rather than ways to come together. How sad! Imagine what a powerful moving and unifying force Christ’s Church could be, if the numerous petty differences between believers could be removed! But unfortunately, for our own selfish purposes and reasons, we are going in the opposite direction, finding more things to drive us apart, rather than bring us together. Oh Friends, the Lord offers salvation to both Jews and Gentiles, and we’re supposed to be made in His image, so why can’t we be big enough to embrace each other with the LOVE of God we ought to have, despite our differences eh? God’s promising kindness, peace and mercy to all who believe in Jesus, not to one particular group. So let’s take hold of this exceedingly wonderful promise and run with it as simply believers, and not as devotees of one religion or another. It’s the only wise and sensible thing to do if we’re truly interested in forwarding God’s kingdom here on earth. But enough of me, let’s listen to what a man of great faith, Ethan the Ezrahite has to say on the topic. This is taken from his Maschil (Contemplation) on God’s sure promises to Bruh David. ‘Nevertheless my LOVING-kindness will I not utterly take from him, nor suffer my faithfulness to fail (to be false). My covenant will I not break, nor alter the thing (change the word) that is gone out of my lips. Once I have sworn by my holiness that I will not lie unto David. His seed shall endure for ever, and his throne as the sun before me. It shall be established for ever as the moon, and as a faithful witness in heaven (the sky). Selah.’ (Ps.89:33-37) Wow Friends! I sure hope that reassures us, builds our confidence that we can stand on the promises of God without any fear of them being changed at some future date. But I’ve got to leave and go to church now, got to practice what I preach. (smile) Soon come back. (8.10) Okay Friends, we back now, (9.40). It was a good service, with about a dozen people. I like it because it seems more intimate and close to God, without all the pomp and ceremony of the later service. Anyway, time and space are against us, but for the sake of our children and our world, please, I humbly implore us to raise our level of awareness and maturity in our God, by standing firmly and faithfully on His promises, so that we can make things better. That’s our calling. Much LOVE!…remember…Jesus promises to never leave or forsake us…also…wherever two or three are gathered together in His Name…there shall He be…stand steadfastly on them…
 

Isaiah 54:10.     For the mountains shall depart, and the hills be removed; but my kindness shall not depart from thee, neither shall the covenant of my peace be removed, saith the Lord that hath mercy on thee.
 
Oh Friends, it’s a trite but true saying that when yuh doh hear, yuh feel. And believe me, the ole fella’s feeling this Caribana Saturday morning, or to be politically correct, on this Scotia Bank Caribbean Carnival Saturday. Steups! The foolishness of men eh! Through litigation, the new group running the festival is prevented from officially calling it Caribana because that name rightfully belongs to the old group. But regardless of what the courts and the litigants say, Toronto Mas will always be known as Caribana. End of story! And if yuh wondering why the ole fella feeling this morning, and running late too, is because ah take mih fresh self and went to the Pan Alive competition in Lamport Stadium last night. And though the music was good, the evening was spoiled by having to sit and bake in the hot sun on the hard benches for an hour before the show began. Advertised for a seven o’clock start, the show didn’t begin until eight. And when ah talk about baking in the hot sun Friends, ah really mean it. In all the years I’ve been going to the Pan Competition, I’ve never experienced a sun so high in the sky. This was about a three o’clock sun at seven in the evening. One fellow selling umbrellas must have made a killing. And though I had one in my car, nobody was willing to walk back to the car to get it. My friend’s wife eventually succumbed though and bought one of the small, overpriced umbrellas. But like all things done in God’s name and time, it all turned out for good, because I was in the company of a friend up from New York, whom I hadn’t seen since early High School days in Tobago. Now that’s approximately…no, not approximately nuh, but is definitely at least fifty years ago. Wow! When yuh start talking in terms of not seeing people for a half century, it means yuh really getting on in age yes! (smile) Chuh! Age is only a meaningless number used to confuse us! Anyway, we rediscovered each other about a year ago, through some mutual friends, and when he called and said he was coming to T.O. for the weekend, I just knew that I had to connect with him. And it was a good reunion too, simple, but heartfelt, once again showing me the goodness of our God, as our Bit so LOVINGLY and assuredly promises: ‘For the mountains shall depart, and the hills be removed; but my kindness shall not depart from thee, neither shall the covenant of my peace be removed, saith the Lord that hath mercy on thee.’ What an awesome promise my people! What a great and LOVING God we serve and worship! It’s just so sad that more people can’t come to the realization that He’s wonderful and serve Him too. Can you imagine if all the world LOVED and obediently served the Most High God Jehovah? What a truly wonderful world it would be! But unfortunately a greater proportion of the earth’s billions serve and worship a plethora of dead, inanimate gods and idols, while renouncing and harshly criticising the ONE and ONLY TRUE, LIVING God; He of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Oh my brethren, I find it so inconceivable and unfathomable that many believers don’t stand on the sure promises of God, especially this one in our Bit. How can we say we believe when we don’t act positively on words like these eh? If a powerful, but fallible human came and told us that his kindness and bond of peace would never be broken or revoked, we’d most likely accept him at his word, but when the omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent, infallible God says that, we refuse to believe Him, take it with a grain of salt (doubtfully). But that’s not true wisdom Friends. Remember our God is a merciful Deity. He takes delight and pleasure in being merciful to those who serve Him with true hearts. And there’s no better example in all the Good Book than Bruh David, who committed all sorts of wrong, but always sought the Lord, and was adjudged to be His friend and a man after His own heart. How can that be, if our God doesn’t truly live up to His promises? Now hear how Bruh David explains it in some of his last words on earth. ‘The Spirit of the Lord spake by me, and his word was in my tongue. 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. 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. Although my house be not so with God; yet he hath made with me an everlasting covenant, ordered in all things, and sure: for this is all my salvation, and all my desire, although he make it not to grow (will he not make it increase).’ (2 Sam.23:2-5) Yes Friends, Bruh David plainly admits that though his house was not the way the Lord desired it, yet He was still merciful and gracious enough to promise to make it last forever. That means He’ll surely do the same for us, my people, if we stand strong and steadfast on His promises and diligently further His Holy Kingdom. Please, I encourage us today to contemplate what we’re basing our goals, our lives and our salvation on. And if it’s not on Jesus and the Word of Almighty God, then please, please make it so, because He’s truly the truth, the life and the only way to salvation. More on this tomorrow, God in favour. And we’ll close with a personal testimony. I was able to climb the steps at Lamport Stadium last night, two or three times without much difficulty, and without any physical aids, since I’d forgotten my cane in the car. Why? Because I stood on the Lord’s promise to help me in time of need, and He did so, by infusing His strength into my weakness, my weak knees, so that I could testify, noise abroad His genuine concern and goodness to the children of men. Oh Friends, let’s wake up and sincerely LOVE and serve our God nuh, for He’s so great, merciful, kind and LOVING, that there are no words to truly do Him justice! Much LOVE!…true believers have hearts just bursting with LOVE for…appreciation and gratitude to…Almighty God…

Isaiah 54:10.    For the mountains shall depart, and the hills be removed; but my kindness shall not depart from thee, neither shall the covenant of my peace be removed, saith the Lord that hath mercy on thee.
 
Oh Friends, is Friday! One of the best Fridays in the year too; Caribana Friday! Mama Yo! So you can imagine how the ‘TGIF’s’ and the ‘Thank God is Friday’s’ ringing out loud and plentiful, because is time for Mas in Toronto Town! The biggest and best festival after the real McCoy in T&T! Only problem though is that the ole fella not involved…Chuh! Steups! But look at mih crosses nuh people, after thirty something years of not missing a Caribana Parade, the ole fella just stop going out on the avenue on Caribana Saturday because the ole knees can’t handle the constant jamming. After one time is really two yes! It doh even seem like I’m going to the Panorama tonight. I must be really getting old and cold yes! (smile) Anyway Friends, let’s chant our Friday Chant to get us set for this long weekend in T.O. ‘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 for all you party animals out there, please remember Granny’s words of wisdom when we were young and going out to party: ‘Now boys, drunk or sober, all yuh mind all yuh business…yuh hear…’ And we’d obediently reply: ‘Yes Granny.’ Oh Friends, who says that long ago West Indian life wasn’t the best eh? It was often hard, some of us never had much, but we always found time to enjoy it, and everybody was more like family. Hn! Not like today, when family doh mean a thing. When supposed family living like cat and dog, always in strife. Where nobody doh trust nobody, nor LOVE nobody! Yes mih breddren, is peace, trust and LOVE that we world missing. In other words we missing God in our society. That is why it in such a terrible state. But thankfully the antidote for that is found right there in our Bit: ‘For the mountains shall depart, and the hills be removed; but my kindness shall not depart from thee, neither shall the covenant of my peace be removed, saith the Lord that hath mercy on thee.’ Oh my people, how could we ever wander away from such a wonderful promise eh? Our forefathers built their lives and country on it, but we in our foolish wisdom thought we didn’t need God because we’re now such an advanced society. But Friends, please remember this truth; where God isn’t involved, the builder builds in vain. And that’s exactly what’s happened in our world; we’ve turfed God out of it, and now it’s crashing, going to hell in a hand basket, and we’re all nervously wringing our hands, wondering what we going to do and crying out in despair ‘Oh Lord’ and “Dear God’, but just with our mouths and not with our hearts. But while there’s life, there’s yet hope my people. Hear these encouraging words from Isaiah, calling the faithful to have courage: ‘Lift up your eyes to the heavens, and look upon the earth beneath: for the heavens shall vanish away like smoke, and the earth shall wax (grow) old like a garment, and they that dwell therein shall die in like manner: but my salvation shall be for ever, and my righteousness shall not be abolished (broken). Hearken unto me, ye that know righteousness, the people in whose heart is my law; fear ye not the reproach of men, neither be ye afraid of their revilings. For the moth shall eat them up like a garment, and the worm shall eat them like wool: but my righteousness shall be for ever, and my salvation from generation to generation.’ (Is.51:6-8) Oh Friends, if we’re truly those people who have God’s law in our hearts, then we should not be afraid, but rather we should be excited and working hard to build God’s kingdom, to reverse the trend from leaving God to returning to Him. Remember that’s the great commission Jesus gave us in Matthew 28: ‘Go ye therefore, and teach (make disciples of) all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the world.’ (Matt.28:19-20) And all God’s people shouted a loud ‘Amen!’ Well Friends, let’s go out and fulfill our calling nuh. The world has never needed the LOVE, forgiveness, mercy and kindness of our God as it does today, and it won’t get it unless we make it happen. That’s for sure! More on this tomorrow, God willing. Till then, let’s do as we ought; LOVE our God with all our hearts, souls, minds and bodies, and our neighbours as ourselves! Much LOVE!…standing…standing…standing on the promises of God… 
 

Isaiah 54:10.    For the mountains shall depart, and the hills be removed; but my kindness shall not depart from thee, neither shall the covenant of my peace be removed, saith the Lord that hath mercy on thee. 
 
Oh Friends, it’s a new day, one with new mercies and blessings prepared especially for today! Oh Glory! And I’m gladly seeing an inkling of one of those blessings already, a sprinkling of rain. Thank you Lord! For though the sunny days are nice, without that blessed heavenly water raining down on us, the earth will not be able to reproduce the things it needs to sustain life. So please, let’s all be thankful this Thursday morning, let’s go out with a thankful heart regardless of the difficulties and problems that beset us, just like Jesus did each and every day of His earthly sojourn. And we can do this without fear or dread because of our Bit, a great promise of our God: ‘For the mountains shall depart, and the hills be removed; but my kindness shall not depart from thee, neither shall the covenant of my peace be removed, saith the Lord that hath mercy on thee.’ Oh my people, that is one of the greatest promises found in the Word! Upon it we can securely build our lives and sure foundations! Do we really realize what it says, as well as what it really means? I’m not so sure, else we’d surely make greater use of it. Here is Almighty God, Creator of the universe and all therein, Alpha and Omega, the most powerful Being in existence, promising us that though the hills and mountains may be destroyed, His LOVE, His kindness towards us will never stop. He will continue blessing us regardless of what happens to the physical world, once we obey His will. Wow! Isn’t that mind boggling Friends? And furthermore, He will NEVER break the oath, the covenant of peace He made with our forefathers, which means we’ll walk in peace forevermore, if we stay faithful to Him. Oh my brethren, has any other God, in fact, can any other supposed god promise such a great and everlasting promise? Certainly not! That’s because there’s ONLY ONE TRUE God in all the world; He of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob! And He’s backed up that promise ever since it was made! And all God’s people sang His praises in a loud and joyous voice! Yes Friends, for all His undeserving goodness to the children of sinful, rebellious men, He’s certainly worthy of our undying LOVE and praise. The problem here though is whether we have the faith and trust to accept His promise, to stand on, live and die by it? Now that’s the number one question! And unfortunately it seems that very many, too many of us don’t have that vital faith, because we are being led by the wicked ways of the world and not by the faithful promise of our God. Oh my brethren, just look at where the world’s evil ways have gotten us nuh; well on the road to self-destruction. And just look at the petty, selfish foolishness that’s being played out in the U.S, where the two governing political parties are at loggerheads to renew the debt ceiling of the gov’t. Failure to do so by August 2, will basically mean an insolvent gov’t; one unable to pay its bills, and consequently cause untold worldwide economic disaster. It’s already underway, with the Stock Markets losing millions of dollars in the last couple days, and people losing faith and trust in the U.S gov’t. How foolish can we be eh, playing partisan politics and brinkmanship with the world’s future at stake? That’s four days to go before the world’s most powerful nation will renege on its promise to pay its bills, simply because two sets of ignorant, arrogant, power hungry, money grubbing fools put their personal agenda before that of their nation and the entire world. For make no mistake, though the U.S. may be in decline, still, as it goes, so does the rest of the world. Now put that promise of the U.S. gov’t to pay its bills beside that of our great God to never leave or forsake us, despite the physical destruction of the earth and to always keep His covenant of peace. That of our God is clearly superior in every way! Mankind can, and will renege on its promises, but trust me Friends, and I’m speaking here from personal experience, our God NEVER will. And we’ll end today with some very appropriate words of the psalmist. ‘God is our refuge and strength, a very present (abundantly available) help in trouble. Therefore will not we fear, though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst (heart) of the sea; Though the waters thereof roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with the swelling thereof. Selah.’ (Ps.46:1-3) Oh my people, let’s write those words indelibly in our hearts, souls and minds, then go out and stand strong and steadfast on them, because they are infallible words of our Most High God and consequently will NEVER be broken. More on this tomorrow, God in favour. Till then keep on trusting in Him, for He will never let us down. Much LOVE!…men’s promises are made to be broken…but not those of our faithful God…NEVER EVER!

Proverbs 15:16.     Better is little with great fear of the Lord, than great treasure and trouble therewith.
 
Oh Friends, sorry the Bit is a tad late, but the ole fella was a bit under the weather this morning, (smile) Wish I could say that about the wind yesterday that just blew and blew and had the poor trees rocking and rolling all day long. I certainly have never seen so much strong wind in the summertime, and a cool one too, as I’ve done this year. The only problem is that it’s sometimes inconvenient when you want to sit outside, with stuff continually blowing away. Otherwise, it’s perfect. Oh, another reason for my lateness is that my old desktop computer, which I favour, for some unfathomable reason, refused to boot up this morning, thankfully though, not long enough for me to lose my cool. And now that I’ve made all my excuses, (smile) let’s turn to the matter at hand, our Bit: ‘Better is little with the fear of the Lord, than great treasure and trouble therewith.’ Now that’s one of the wisest proverbs that Cousin Sol ever penned, because it’s always better to have reverence and respect for the Lord God Jehovah, even if your earthly possessions are few, than to have much worldly goods and a lot of relational problems. Yes Friends, the most important thing for believers to have in this world is a sense of peace and calm, which can only be acquired through trust and faith in Almighty God. Strife within any aspect of our lives will rob us of God’s peace and take a negative toll on all of our endeavours, even if we own material possessions untold. That’s because strife, dissent, discontent, anger and resentment are the main tools the enemy uses to steal our joy, to make us lose our focus, to take our attention away from God. As Cousin Sol says in the next verse: ‘Better is a dinner of herbs (vegetables) where LOVE is, than a stalled ox (fatted calf) and hatred therewith.’ (Prov.15:17) And that’s the living truth my people! It’s much better for us to eat a simple meal of vegetables, with a li’l bit of LOVE in our hearts, than to be partaking of the fatted calf with negative things like hatred, anger and their fellow accomplices running rampant in our households or establishments. Bruh David says it thus in Psalm 37, the true state of the wicked: ‘A little that a righteous man hath is better than the riches of many wicked. For the arm of the wicked shall be broken: but the Lord upholdeth the righteous.’ (Ps.37:16-17) That’s so true my brethren! I’m sure we’ve seen it for ourselves, even experienced it too: where there is LOVE and unity in poverty, but endless strife and deceit in the lives of the rich and powerful. That’s because spiritual riches are far better than material wealth. Now here’s another proverb that attests to the situation. ‘Better is a little with righteousness, then great revenues without right (justice).’ (Prov.16:8) Oh Friends, it’s ever so important for believers to stay away from the greedy, acquisitive mindset that the world is promoting, because that way of thinking automatically draws us away from God, which is the worst thing that can ever happen to us here on this earth. If God’s not front and centre, first and foremost in our lives, then our lives will be a veritable mess. For only where God resides, where His LOVING-kindness exists, is there any chance for peace and calm to abide. The sad part is that we don’t have to be rich and/or powerful to have strife in our lives. Unfortunately it’s also very prevalent in too many middle class and poor households. What with the wickedness of our world, plus the current economic downturn, it’s so easy for the enemy to infiltrate our homes, workplaces, schools, and even churches. That’s something believers have to seriously guard against, we can’t take it lightly at all my people. Many of us underestimate Lucifer’s power and his weasel-like ways. Please don’t, for he can come at us from many different angles, in many different ways. We have to be constantly on guard for his underhanded moves. Like the advertising people, he’s a master of painting glorious pictures of evil and cruel situations. And the only way to successfully keep him at bay is by having the Word of God securely planted in our hearts, souls, minds and bodies. We have to consistently LOVE our God, LIVE our Faith and SPREAD His Word, so that there’s no room for Lucifer to invade our spirits. As I read in an article a friend recently sent me, when Lucifer keeps banging on our door, the best way to get rid of him is to ask Jesus to answer the door. Wow! What an exciting strategy Friends! That will surely drive his evilness away in fear and disgust. Oh my people, our world has become so evil, greedy, deceitful and treacherous, that we need to be always on our p’s and q’s, always on the lookout for the enemy’s many tentacles surreptitiously coming to trip and ties us up in his network of sin and wickedness. And there’s no better way to end today’s Bit than with these wise words of advice from Bruh Paul to young Timothy: ‘But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. And having food and raiment (clothing) let us therewith be content. But they that will (desire to) be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful (harmful) lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition (ruin and destruction). For the LOVE of money is the root of all (kinds of) evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith (for which some in their greediness have strayed from the faith), and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.’ (1 Tim.6:6-10) And that’s the gospel truth mih breddren! Please Friends, let us therefore live our lives in accordance with God’s Word, so that we aren’t pierced through with too many sorrows. It’s the only wise and sensible way to live. Much LOVE!…where LOVE truly exists…evil cannot obtain a foothold…
 

2 Corinthians 10:12.    For we dare not make ourselves of the number, or compare ourselves with some that commend themselves: but they measuring themselves by themselves, and comparing themselves among themselves are not wise.
 
Oh Friends, the heat wave’s over, at least in my area! Thank the Lord! I’ve turned off my A/C and opened my windows once again. I even felt a bit chilly sitting on my front porch last night. Hn, hn! It’s so good to go back to the beautiful summer weather we were having before the insensitive heat wave so rudely interrupted it. (smile) Anyway, this morning when I came down to write the Bit, I felt a pull in my spirit to find a useful quote, and was guided to my ‘I LOVE YOU’ poster, where I found this gem. ‘Almost all of our unhappiness is the result of comparing ourselves to others.’ Now isn’t that the living truth Friends? It sure is! More than half of our world’s problems would be solved if we stopped comparing ourselves to others. But unfortunately that’s the very direction our society is driving us in. We compare ourselves to others more so today than at any other time in our history, particularly with those who seem to be on a higher socio-economic plane than us. We gauge their physical appearance, their style of dress, their houses, cars, wives, girlfriends, hobbies etc, then try to emulate them. And technically speaking, nothing’s wrong with that, but the problems crop up when, without the real means, we still desperately try to be like them. We run up debts to dress and live like our friends, neighbours and associates. We lie about what we have and don’t have, about what we do, where we go etc. We starve ourselves or over exercise to have the slim, svelte figure that a stupid, immoral society dictates is the fashion…and Lord forbid if we’re not in fashion, amongst the fashionista! But those ideas are causing so many people, both young and old, to be seriously led astray. Things like bulimia and anorexia have now reached epidemic proportions. The same thing is happening with older folks trying to look young. Recently I read, and was most surprised, that not only women, but also lots of men are now having plastic surgery to try and regain a youthful look. Why? Because our society is fixated on the young, which means they must look good in the boardroom, and look good to the younger women whom they seem to lust after more, with each passing day. Something must be wrong with me yes, but the young ladies today don’t thrill me at all. I don’t like how they look, dress or behave. They lack the basic class I look for in women. But that’s just me and my old-fashioned self. (smile) Yuh know it’s a sad commentary on our society when we’re driven to compare ourselves to others, to adopt the empty, superfluous lifestyles of the rich and famous, who are also trying to outdo their wealthy peers in amassing more worldly possessions and living a more lavish lifestyle. This just breeds the negative emotions of greed, envy, jealousy, pride, anxiety, anger, bitterness and even violence, when we can’t accomplish those lustful worldly goals. Much of the debt we’ve accumulated can be traced right back to the foolish desire we have of ‘keeping up with the Joneses.’ And though there’s no harm in wanting to look good and live good, when it drives us to do what we can’t really afford, then it becomes a problem, a sin in the eyes of God. And while we’re rushing to compete on false terms and levels, the greedy businessmen are getting wealthier, laughing all the way to the bank, not caring that they are creating a monster that will eventually come back to bite them. Just look at the recent worldwide economic fallout, from which we’re still suffering, because some greedy, unprincipled people built a house of cards to enrich themselves. But would you believe they haven’t learned their lesson, they’re still doing the same thing. Ah Lord eh! But such is the greed and stupidity that mankind has achieved at his highest point of evolution. The Good Lord must certainly wonder where He went wrong when He looks down at our pitiful society; a society that’s evil, ungodly and hell bent for destruction. Oh Friends, the safety, the regeneration of our world depends on us believers. If we don’t infuse peace, LOVE and common sense into our world, then the future certainly looks bleak. Jesus knew the evil stuff we’d get into, and that only the gospel could save us, that’s why He instructed the disciples, and by extension, all future believers, to ‘Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world.’ (Matt.29:19-20) But unfortunately we can’t do that properly unless and until we stop following the foolish mores of the world. In this particular case, comparing ourselves to others, and thus bringing on feelings of inferiority or superiority, with all their attendant problems. Friends, please remember that we’re supposed to be in the world but not of it, so let’s take Bruh Paul’s words in our Bit to heart and reduce our participation in the world’s ungodly activities. ‘For we dare not make ourselves of the number, or compare ourselves with some that commend themselves: but they measuring themselves by themselves, and comparing themselves among themselves, are not wise.’ That’s gospel my people! So I’m imploring us to be wise, to pull up our socks and get back to basic Christian principles, as our Lord and Saviour Jesus desires. Only then can our world improve. Much LOVE!…comparisons only lead to doubt, confusion and ungodliness…