SCRIP-BITS

Proverbs 28:1.    The wicked flee when no man pursueth: but the righteous are bold as a lion.
 
Oh Friends, another Friday has rolled around, and with it the loud, joyful exclamations of ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday!’ But please beware, too much exuberance at the thought of the upcoming weekend is dangerous and can thwart God’s plans for our lives, the most important aspects of a believer’s earthly journey. So to temper that exuberance, to curtail our ‘enthusiasm with a modicum of circumspection,’ as Jeeves – the P.G Wodehouse character – was won’t to say, 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.’ Now here’s one of Cousin Sol’s many wise sayings, for us to ponder in our Bit. ‘The wicked flee when no man pursueth: but the righteous are bold as a lion.’ And all God’s people sang, ‘Glory Hallelujah! Praise the Lord!’ That’s because the righteous have a strong foundation of faith built on the bedrock of Jesus Christ, who faithfully promised: ‘These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation, but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.’ (John 16:33) He also said: ‘Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.’ (Luke 12:33) So we don’t need to fear anything in this world. But the wicked, they have no such foundation or promise from their evil leader, Lucifer, because he doesn’t have the wherewithal to promise them things like safety, sanctity or salvation. And knowing that their deeds are evil, and there’s no real protection for them, the wicked get scared and run at the slightest disturbance. All their faith is built on earthly, perishable stuff that offers little or no protection from the troubles of this world. Meanwhile, listen to this verse from Psalm 53, the foolishness of men, when Bruh David talks about the safety and security of the righteous in God’s great universe. ‘There were they in great fear, where no fear was: for God hath scattered the bones of him that encampeth against thee: thou hast put them to shame, because God hath despised them.’ (Ps.53:5) Yes Friends, even the righteous fear sometimes when there’s no cause, but that’s just normal human nature. However, when we stand strong in faith, the Lord God Almighty will embolden us, give us the fearless heart of the lion, the mighty king of beasts. There are many animals bigger than a lion, but none have his fearless heart, that’s why he’s the king. But on the flip side of the coin, if we disobey God, in fact become wicked, there will be serious penalties to pay. Listen to Moses: ‘And I will set my face against you (oppose you), and ye shall be slain before your enemies: they that hate you shall reign over you; and ye shall flee when none pursueth you. And if ye will not yet for all this hearken unto me (obey me), then I will punish you seven times more for your sins.’ (Lev.26:17-18) Ah mih people, as usual, the Lord’s words are simple and straightforward, they leave no room for misunderstanding. Now hear Moses later on, on the same subject: ”And upon them that are left alive of you, I will send a faintness into their hearts (make them fearful) in the lands of their enemies; and the sound of a shaken leaf shall chase them; and they shall flee, as fleeing from a sword; and they shall fall when none pursueth.’ (Lev.26:36) Doesn’t that bring chills to you my brethren, because that’s the way our world is headed? Wickedness and evil are currently the dominant players in our society, and they have bred a real tangible feeling of fear amongst us, where we’re afraid to walk the streets late at night, are even scared in our tightly locked, barred and gated homes. The cowardly, evil act of terrorism has also upped the ante, increased the fear factor, till now we’re afraid to talk to our neighbours who look, talk and dress differently from us, and we keep looking around fearfully, even when there’s no sign of danger. Oh Friends, all I can do is keep hammering home the truth, that Jehovah God is our only hope, and the sooner we repent of our evil ways and turn back to Him, the sooner our world will improve. And for those of us who truly embrace Christ, then it’s imperative that we get out into the world and show that we LOVE our God, by LIVING our Faith and SPREADING His Word, so that others can believe, repent and become children of God, safely dwelling under His mighty umbrella of protection. Much LOVE!…he who hath ears to hear…let him hear…
 

Matthew 22: 37, 39.    Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt LOVE the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind… And Thou shalt LOVE thy neighbour as thyself.
 
Oh Friends, it’s a bright, beautiful, sunny summer’s day outside! But unfortunately, in here, in my study, in my body and soul, my heart is sad and heavy. Why? Because our world is in such a terrible state. It’s decadent, destructive, depraved, degenerate, disobedient, depressed and deteriorating at an alarming rate. Check out all the areas of strife, violence, abuse and oppression, bodyguards shooting the ones they’re paid to protect, the recent senseless synchronized bombings in Mumbai, India, and the many others taking place every day. Sadly, those things are becoming a way of life now. All over the world, tension and anger are on the rise, a lot of it based on race and creed. Greed and corruption are now pandemic, with disease, hunger, poverty and all the other negative things coming to the fore, becoming more pronounced, while the few good things we have going are being cut out or shoved to the back of the bus. Ah Lord eh! Where’s the hope for us eh Friends? Yuh know, this morning about one o’clock, I was standing on my front porch, enjoying the peace and quiet of the early morning while reasoning with the Father. I obviously pleaded with Him for help – we need it badly, lots of it – and He’s the ONLY ONE who can provide the kind we need and the enormous quantity too. I then asked His opinion on why we’re so bent on self-destruction? And you wouldn’t believe His answer. It was simple and to the point: two words – ‘NO LOVE.’ Our bodies, hearts, souls and minds were devoid of the magnificent emotion of LOVE – NO LOVE for Him, and NO LOVE for each other. That brings to mind the B.J. Thomas song ‘No LOVE at all,’ where he claims that: ‘A little bit of LOVE is better than NO LOVE. Even a bad LOVE is better than NO LOVE. Even a sad LOVE is better than NO LOVE. AND ANY KIND OF LOVE IS BETTER THAN NO LOVE AT ALL.’  Some of us might disagree with those sentiments, but the truth is that wherever there’s LOVE, even the tiniest bit, life goes along much better. So if our world is devoid of LOVE, then we’re in fact very guilty of breaking the two great commandments laid out by Jesus in our Bit: ‘Thou shalt LOVE the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind… And thou shalt LOVE thy neighbour as thyself.’ Ah Friends, the NO LOVE theory might sound like too simple a reason for all the world’s woes, but if you ponder it seriously, you’ll realize that it’s the gospel truth. If we had more LOVE for God and our fellow man, we definitely wouldn’t be in such a sorry state. Our world would be filled with much more peace and calm and blessings galore. But no, in our foolish wisdom, the majority of us have chosen to align ourselves with the enemy, Lucifer, instead of with the Lord God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the Alpha and Omega, the Creator of the universe and all therein. Where is the wisdom in that eh mih people, when all Lucifer stands for is negativity; death and destruction, which eventually leads to damnation, eternal separation from God? That’s undoubtedly the worst fate that can ever befall a human being and his spiritual self! Oh my brethren, I don’t know what to say nuh. We have the awesome example of the Israelites, in living, blazing colour in the Good Book, where when they LOVED God and were obedient to Him, their society prospered, but when they got too big for their britches, they were destroyed, held captive, enslaved in foreign lands. However, whenever they woke up, came to their senses and returned to Him, He forgave them and they prospered once again. And this didn’t happen once or twice, but several times. And we’ve seen it happen in our society too. When we were God-fearing and kind to each other, a mere generation ago, our society prospered. But as soon as we felt we were in control and didn’t need God any longer, the disastrous downhill journey began, and it’s quickly picking up speed, like a snowball on its way to hell, as we roll down to our destruction. My people, please, I beg us, please, let’s learn from the example of the Israelites and our own recent foolishness. Let’s wake up before it’s too late and realize our serious mistake, then repent and turn back to God, so that our children can live and prosper. This is nothing I’m making up. We have it on good authority, the Lord’s promise, as stated by Moses in the Good Book. ‘And thou shalt return and obey the voice of the Lord, and do all his commandments which I command thee this day. And the Lord thy God will make thee plenteous (abound) in every work of thine hand, and in the fruit of thy body (offspring), and in the fruit of thy cattle, and in the fruit of thy land, for good: for the Lord will again rejoice over thee for good, as he rejoiced over thy fathers.’ (Deut.30:8-9) Oh Friends, I implore us, please let wisdom reign in our souls, let’s return to serving the Most High God Jehovah, as our forefathers did. It’s the only hope for our children and our world. Much LOVE!…when stubborn, hard ears pickney doh hear…they always feel…hard and plenty…  P.S. Sorry this is so late, but some unforseen complications in my simple life, sprang up. (smile) Much LOVE!
 

Hebrews 6:10.    For God is not unrighteous to forget your work and labour of LOVE, which ye have showed toward his name, in that ye have ministered to the saints, and do minister.
 
Oh Friends, oh Friends, the ole fella wants to testify! It’s always good to have something unexpected happen in our lives so that we can give God the glory! Well that happened to me yesterday afternoon through a totally unexpected phone call. I almost didn’t answer the phone when it rang since I didn’t recognize the number, but thankfully the Holy Spirit nudged me to answer it. On the other end of the line was a lady whom I didn’t even remember, for we had only spoken briefly, once, about fifteen months ago. At that time she couldn’t help me with the project I was planning, but now she could, if I still needed her help. Of course I did, because with my long, drawn out illnesses, plus insufficient funds, that particular project had been languishing in limbo for some time. After making an appointment to get together and talk about it, I chuckled and thanked God for almost an hour straight. Hn, Hn! And I’m chuckling and thanking Him even now as I recall the incident. Oh Friends, that could only have been the gracious hand of God moving on my behalf. And the point of it all is never to give up on your God-given dreams or on God! His timing and plans are often different to ours, and sometimes what seems like wasted, time, energy and money can be resurrected in a split second through His incredible power. I hadn’t even thought about that project in months. But what’s impossible with man, is possible with God. Please, let’s always remember that. That’s exactly why the author of Hebrews positively states in our Bit: ‘For God is not unrighteous to forget your work and labour of LOVE, which ye have showed toward his name, in that ye have ministered to saints, and do minister.’ Yes my people, if we truly try to be obedient to God’s will and Word, He will not leave us stranded. He’s promised that. As John the Baptist testified of Jesus: ‘He that hath received his testimony hath set to his seal (certified) that God is true. For he whom God hath sent speaketh the words of God…’ (John 3:33-34) Jesus, God’s Son, testified to His truth, therefore we must accept it. And also as Bruh Paul wrote to the Roman church: ‘For what if some did not believe? shall their unbelief make the faith (faithfulness) of God without effect? God forbid (Certainly not): yea, let God be (found) true, but every man a liar;’ (Rom.3:3-4) Oh my brethren, whether man believes or not, has no effect on God’s truth and His faithfulness in regards to His promises. These are set in stone and shall not be moved. It’s man’s attitude and belief system that has to change, not vice-versa. So if God is faithful and true, He will not ‘forget your work and labour of LOVE, which ye have showed toward his name…’ There’s no doubt about that Friends. And my testimony above is a good example of that. The Lord knows that I’ve been trying to live the way He desires, though not always successfully, and yesterday He decided to reward me in a way I had never imagined. And He treats all His children the same way, so don’t think that because you make mistakes, the Lord won’t forgive and forget. Remember He judges us by the state of our hearts, and if He sees that we’re genuinely trying, He will help and/or reward us, in His time. This brings to mind Bruh Paul’s greetings to some specific people in Rome: ‘Greet Priscilla and Aquila my helpers in Christ Jesus: Who have for my life laid down (risked) their own necks: unto whom I give thanks…Greet Mary, who bestowed much labour on us.’ (Rom.16:3-4,6) Those people had obviously worked hard on his behalf and showered him with much LOVE. In other words they had ‘ministered to the saints,’ the believers in their area, as well as Bruh Paul and his fellow travellers, and continued ministering to the believers in their area, for which the Lord would eventually reward them. Bruh Paul himself said at one juncture that he wanted to visit Rome, and might do so when he went to Spain, ‘But now I go unto Jerusalem to minister unto the saints. For it hath pleased them of Macedonia and Achaia to make a certain contribution for the poor saints which are at Jerusalem.’ (Rom.15:25-26) There again the believers in Macedonia and Achaia had taken up a collection to send to the suffering believers in Rome, which they had put in Bruh Paul’s charge. So Friends, helping others, especially other believers, in God’s name, is one of the foremost requirements of our faith. And if we do it faithfully and sincerely, the Lord will reward us in due course. Consequently, let’s go out into the highways and byways, like Jesus did, and find people to help nuh, millions are just waiting for a helping hand from you and I. Let’s LOVE our God, LIVE our Faith, and SPREAD His Word. That’s all Jesus asks of us. Much LOVE!…LOVE and faith in action…the bedrock of Christianity…
 

Psalm 97:10.    Ye that LOVE the Lord, hate evil: he preserveth the souls of his saints; he delivereth them out of the hand of the wicked.
 
Ah Friends, what shall we say to a good God, who has so kindly granted us the blessing of seeing another day eh? He doesn’t expect, or ask for much. A simple, heartfelt, ‘Thank you Lord!’ will do. But then we have to show that gratefulness in our words, thoughts, and actions during the day, otherwise we’d be hypocrites, like the Pharisees, whom Jesus obviously disliked. Oh, by the way, don’t forget to collect your portion of manna for today, it’s fresh and waiting out there for you. I’ve already collected mine – the early bird catching the worm and all that nuh. (smile) Now here’s a quote from David Star Jordan’s book, ‘The Philosophy of Despair’, which says: ‘Wisdom is knowing what to do next: virtue is doing it.’ So that’s why there are so few virtuous people in the world! We don’t do our wisdom. No wonder the world’s in such a mess. And that ties in nicely with our Bit: ‘Ye that LOVE the Lord, hate evil: he preserveth the souls of his saints; he delivereth them out of the hand of the wicked.’ Yes Friends, if we LOVE God, which is wisdom, then we should hate evil and stay away from it, which in turn would be virtuous. But far too many of us claim to LOVE God and still engage in serious evil. And an even greater number seem to despise God and adore evil. You can’t win for losing. However, for those who truly LOVE God, who truly eschew evil and abstain it, it’s a win win situation, for the Lord preserves their souls, as we saw in the scriptures of yesterday’s Bit. And He also ‘delivereth them out of the hand of the wicked.’ Today we’ll check out scriptures for that, of which there are plenty. I had to narrow them down to these few to fit into our time and space. Let’s begin with words from Bruh David, as possibly no one in scripture, besides Jesus obviously, lived our Bit more closely than him; LOVING the Lord, having his soul preserved and being saved from his enemies on numerous occasions. In Psalm 22, his cry of anguish and song of praise, he boldly asserts: ‘Our fathers trusted in thee: they trusted, and thou didst deliver them. They cried unto thee, and were delivered: they trusted in thee, and were not confounded (ashamed).’ (Ps.22:4-5) Then in Psalm 37; the true state of the wicked, he again assures us: ‘But the salvation of the righteous is of the Lord: he is their strength in the time of trouble. And the Lord shall help them: he shall deliver them from the wicked, and save them, because they trust in him.’ (Ps.37:30-40) Yes my people, those who obtain wisdom, LOVING God, then turn it into the practical aspect of virtue, doing His will, they shall be saved from the snares of the wicked. It’s a sure thing, like money in the bank. And if you don’t believe Bruh David and I, then check out this real situation from Daniel. When confronted with a fiery death or worshipping a golden idol in Babylon, ‘Shadrach. Meshach, and Abednego, answered and said to the king, O Nebuchadnezzar, we are not careful (have no need) to answer thee in this matter. If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand. But if not, be it known that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up.’ (Dan.3:16-18) What faith, what assurance those three Jewish boys had in the God of their fathers! And we all know the results of the story; how the king got angry and threw them in the furnace heated seven times hotter than normal. But those three of great faith came out of the furnace alive and kicking, not even smelling of smoke. How great and faithful is our God eh people! Now hear the king’s words after that miraculous incident. ‘Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who hath sent his angel, and delivered his servants that trusted in him, and have changed (frustrated) the king’s word, and yielded their bodies, that they might not serve nor worship any god, except their own God. Therefore I make a decree, That every people, nation, and language, which speak anything amiss against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, shall be cut in pieces, and their houses shall be made a dunghill (an ash heap): because there is no other God that can deliver after this sort (like this).’ (Dan.3:28-29) And all God’s people went, ‘Wow!’ Yes Friends, actions certainly speak louder than words, and our God is a God of ACTION! So should we be too. Less talk and much more action is what’s currently needed in the Christian community. And we’ll close, most appropriately, with the Lord’s words of assurance to Jeremiah: ‘And I will make thee unto this people a fenced brazen (fortified bronze) wall: and they shall fight against thee, but they shall not prevail against thee: for I am with thee to save thee and to deliver thee, saith the Lord. And I will deliver thee out of the hand of the wicked, and I will redeem thee out of the hand (grip) of the terrible.’ (Jer.15:20-21) Ah mih breddren, it’s all about faith, trust and belief in the ONE and ONLY TRUE GOD, He of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob! If you haven’t yet put your trust in Him, haven’t surrendered your life to Him, please do it NOW, cause He’s the only one who can save us, and time is running out. Much LOVE!…to believe…to trust…and to surrender to Jesus…that’s faith…the only basis for salvation…
 

Psalm 97:10.    Ye that LOVE the Lord, hate evil: he preserveth the souls of his saints; he delivereth them out of the hand of the wicked.
 
Well hello there all you beautiful brothers and sisters in Christ Jesus! I hope this fine Sunday morning meets you all in good health, enjoying the new mercies and blessings that come with each new day from our magnificent and magnanimous God. I also hope that you offered up some thanks and praise on awakening, because it’s the right thing to do in terms of our obeisance, and it does get our day started on the right track. Now here’s a quote from my ‘I LOVE YOU’ poster. It simply says that ‘True wealth is what you are, not what you have.’ And all believers know that’s gospel! For earthly wealth will rot and be destroyed, but our character, our integrity, our faithfulness and such things will live on forever. Note too how easy it is to acquire and lose wealth, but once our character is destroyed, it’s nigh impossible to resurrect it, because that little seed of doubt remains in people’s minds. Just look at how innocent people falsely accused of crimes suffer. Although their innocence is proven, a certain stigma remains attached to their name and character. So be careful how you go in this world, for character assassination is big business these days. Now turning to our Bit: ‘Ye that LOVE the Lord, hate evil: he preserveth the souls of his saints; he delivereth them out of the hand of the wicked.’ As you can see, it consists of three parts; LOVING the Lord and hating evil, the preservation of saints, and deliverance from the hand of the wicked. Today we’ll deal with the first part: ‘Ye that LOVE the Lord, hate evil:’ That’s a cut and dried statement my people, a no-brainer! If you LOVE the Lord, then you must obviously hate evil, because the two things simply don’t go together, they are total opposites. The Lord is LOVE, and in Him is no evil or wickedness whatsoever, therefore to be true followers we must follow His path, His directive on the matter, that of LOVE, and renounce all that’s wicked and evil. Hear these scriptures on the subject: ‘What man is he that desireth life, and LOVETH many days, that he may see good? Keep thy tongue from evil, and thy lips from speaking guile (deceit). Depart from evil, and do good; seek peace, and pursue it.’ (Ps.34:12-14) Yes Friends that’s perfect advice from Bruh David. If we want to live a good, long life, then we have to do good, walk in LOVE and forsake evil. Meanwhile, Cousin Sol, in his godly wisdom declares: ‘The fear of the Lord is to hate evil: pride, and arrogancy and the evil way, and the froward (perverse) mouth, do I hate.’ (Prov.8:13) And the prophet Amos, in his call for Israel to repent, said it thus: ‘Seek good and not evil, that ye may live: and so the Lord, the God of hosts, shall be with you, as ye have spoken. Hate the evil, and LOVE the good, and establish judgement (justice) in the gate: it may be that the Lord God of hosts will be gracious unto the remnant of Joseph.’ (Amos 5:14-15) Now here is Bruh Paul’s take on the subject when writing to the church at Rome. ‘Let LOVE be without dissimulation (hypocrisy). Abhor that which is evil; cleave (cling) to that which is good.’ (Rom.12:9) Oh my brethren, all these scriptures are simple, self-explanatory statements: If you want to serve the Lord, then you have to LOVE good and reject evil. Why then does a majority of our world seem to love evil and hate good eh? I guess because they prefer to serve Lucifer who fools them with earthly trinkets that pander to their human lusts and greed, which eventually leads to their demise, death and eternal separation from God. Now that’s the worst thing that could ever happen to a human being! But Friends, the wise amongst us know that serving Almighty God is the only true way to go, because He provides us with salvation and eternal life. And all God’s people gladly shouted: ‘Glory Hallelujah!’ Because that’s the best thing that could ever happen to a human being! Till tomorrow then, God willing, when we’ll look at the other parts of our Bit, take care, and please choose to follow good and not evil. It’s the wise way! Much LOVE!…as for me and mine…we will serve the Lord…
 

Psalm 39:4.     Lord, make me to know mine end, and the measure of my days, what it is; that I may know how frail I am.
 
Oh Friends, ‘I’m getting better! Thank God, I’m getting better!’ Yes mih people, the ole fella’s battered and bruised body is healing. Wow! At long last the wound from my surgery is healed. That deserves another rousing, ‘Thank you Lord!’ Unfortunately though, while one part is healing, another part is breaking down. The old knees are again causing havoc, severely curtailing my mobility. For some reason that God alone knows, He seems intent on keeping me immobile. And if that’s the case, then I have no choice but to grin and bear it; ‘unto all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness.’ (Col.1:11) That’s my new mantra. (smile) But believe me, it works, because every time I get to the joyfulness part, I begin to chuckle, and that certainly eases the tension, relieves some of the pressure of the negative situation. Oh my brethren, sometimes our discernment of God’s directions for our lives is truly difficult. With some things moving in positive directions and others in negative, we often get confused about the path we ought to follow. No wonder, Bruh David, in his prayer for self-understanding, cried out to God: ‘Lord, make me to know mine end, and the measure of my days, what it is; that I may know how frail I am.’  And we are frail my people. Both in terms of the fragility of our bodies; easily injured, as well as our life span; that we can be here today and gone tomorrow. Now I don’t know if our Bit is a prayer we should really petition the Lord with, because for many of us, the answers might not be to our liking. Our end might be terrible, and our days much shorter than we expect. And Bruh David, never one for mincing matters, spells it out: ‘Behold, thou hast made my days as a handbreadth (hand span); and mine age is as nothing before thee: verily every man at his best state is altogether vanity (vapour). Selah.’ (Ps.39:5) Yes Friends, in the context of God’s eternal character and eternity, our lives are nothing. In God’s sight we come and go as quickly as a vapour appears and then vanishes into nothingness, as though it never existed. Moses, in Psalm 90, his only psalm, which makes it the oldest in the Psalter, puts it this way: ‘For all our days are passed away in thy wrath; we spend our years as a tale that is told (a sigh). The days of our years (lives) are threescore years and ten (70); and if by reason of strength they be fourscore years (80), yet is their strength (boast) labour and sorrow; for it is soon cut off, and we fly away…. So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom (gain a heart of wisdom).’ (Ps.90:9-10,12) Those are such true words my people! Moses lived it. He saw a whole generation of unbelieving, disobedient Israelites wander aimlessly in the wilderness for forty years, right next to the Promised Land, and then perish without ever setting foot on it. He never did either, because of the people’s wickedness. The Lord was nice enough though to show him it in the distance, from a high hill. (Deut.34: 1-5) Friends, the same can be expected to happen to us, if we don’t faithfully bow to God’s will. He will allow us to journey round the same mountain oodles of times until we smarten up. And if we don’t, then we’ll keep going around in futility until our frail lives disappear in a puff of vapour. The author of Psalm 119 also asked about the length of life. ‘How many are the days of thy servant? When wilt thou execute judgement on them that persecute me?’ (Ps.119:84) I humbly submit my people, that we should not concern ourselves with either of those questions. Our sole concern is to be grateful and appreciative of our earthly days, be they few or many, and to do as Moses pleaded: ‘that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom.’ Yes my brethren, seeking after God and His wisdom, should be our life’s goal, while leaving all the other incidentals to be fulfilled through His promises, in His impeccable taste and timing. We know we’re only on this earth for a relatively short period, and can vanish in an instant, so please, let’s pay attention to the truly important matters. Much LOVE!…though we’d all like to know God’s plan for our lives…sometimes it’s best that we don’t know… 

Psalm 100:3.    Know ye that the Lord he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.
 
Oh Friends, another balmy summer’s day has dawned in my area! And wonder of wonders, I’m alive to see it and to enjoy the new blessings that come with it! Therefore let me say a grateful, humble and enthusiastic, ‘Thank you Lord!’ Yes Friends, it’s imperative that we give the Lord thanks for His goodness everyday we awaken, regardless of our individual circumstances, for just being alive is a most wonderful gift, a true blessing. Psalm 100 is a psalm of praise, a call to praise the Lord, and as the first two verses so appropriately declare: ‘Make a joyful noise (shout joyfully) unto the Lord, all ye lands (all the earth). Serve the Lord with gladness: come before his presence with singing.’ (Ps.100:1-2) Now that’s the way we ought to praise our omnipotent, omniscient and omnipresent God! And our Bit gives the reason, the evidence for such gushing sentiments. ‘Know ye that the Lord he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.’ Wow! What better reason can there be to serve and praise our God! We must first admit though that the Lord is God; the Almighty Being, the Highest of the High, that there’s no one above Him, in neither might, stature, splendour or any other category devised by man. Neither can He be pigeonholed by our simple definitions, for He is much greater than our lowly minds can comprehend. ‘For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.’ (Is.55:9) Then we need to understand and gratefully acknowledge that the Lord is our Creator: ‘it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves.’ Oh Friends, that alone is great cause for us to worship and serve Him obediently. He made us with tender, LOVING care. It was a highly planned and orchestrated affair, not just some wishy-washy scheme that suddenly came to His mind. As the scriptures confirm and joyfully proclaim: ‘For thou hast possessed my reins (formed my inward parts): thou hast covered (weaved) me in my mother’s womb. I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right (very) well.’ (Ps.139:13-14) Yes my people, we need to understand that we were all made from a heart of great LOVE. Thus we are entitled to be proud of our royal heritage. But please be careful, don’t let that pride run away with us, so we get too big for our breeches, else the Lord will topple us from our man-made heights, abase and humble us before His mighty throne. It’s very important that we always remember who’s the boss; the Creator, not the created. Now let’s look at a couple of other scriptures that speak to the situation. Job, in bewailing his calamity, woefully declared: ‘Is it good unto thee that thou shouldest oppress, that thou shouldest despise the work of thine hands, and shine (look favourably) upon the counsel of the wicked?…Thine hands have made me and fashioned me together round about; yet thou dost destroy me.’ (Job 10:3,8) Though Job’s situation was terrible, he had no doubts or illusions about his Creator. Then we turn to Psalm 119:73, which leaves no doubt either as to man’s Creator. ‘Thy hands have made me and fashioned me: give me understanding, that I may learn thy commandments.’ And we’ll give the final word to Bruh Paul: ‘For we are his workmanship (creation), created in Christ Jesus unto (for) good works, which God hath before ordained (prepared) that we should walk in them.’ (Eph.2:10) There we have it Friends, indisputable evidence re our Creator and creation. And the most wonderful part of it all is that though we have been rebellious and disobedient to our Creator’s will, from way back when, He has not, and has promised never to leave or forsake us. So great is His LOVE for us, His greatest creation, that he offered up His only Son, Jesus, as a pure and living sacrifice for our abominable misdeeds. How can we then not be everlastingly thankful and show it by requiting His LOVE with our own, by faithfully serving, worshipping and praising Him with each breath we take? That’s the only response that can be considered worthy of us in light of God’s saving grace and mercy. So please, let’s go out into the evil world and show that we are truly His proud, obedient children, by LOVING Him, LIVING our Faith, and SPREADING His Word. More on this topic tomorrow, God in favour. Till then, please walk safely under the protection of His mighty wings. Much LOVE!…to know, know, know Him…is to LOVE, LOVE, LOVE Him…
 

1 Corinthians 10:13.    There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.
 
Oh Friends, who says life isn’t amazing and amusing eh? It sure is! Case in question: Yesterday afternoon when my nurse came to change the dressing on my prostate wound, I told her about the knee incident the previous day, and since we change the dressing in my bedroom, I decided to re-enact the scene for her. Hn! So I stand by the bedside, then take one step sideways to the left…and Whoa! My knee gives out again, I cry out in pain, and only prevent myself from falling by hastily grabbing on to the bed and nearby chair. Was I ever surprised by that recurring situation! The possibility had never even crossed my mind. Ah Lord eh! But yuh know who isn’t taking anymore sideways steps to the left, (smile) provided I can remember not to. And though I’m still hobbling around on painful knees, I’m chuckling as I write this because as I said yesterday, the only way to truly handle patience and longsuffering is with joyfulness. (Col.1:11) Yes Friends, many believers definitely need to laugh a little more than they now do, cause a cheerful heart makes its own song, and when we laugh, we reduce the pain, the pressure, the tension, the negative energy in ourselves, and then we can put that released energy to positive use. I know that’s hard to do at the best of times, and even harder on a continual basis, but practice makes perfect, and Jesus said, most reassuringly: ‘These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.’ (John 16:33) So though we will certainly have problems in this world, if we follow Jesus, we can also have peace, and we should be of a cheerful spirit, because He has already overcome the world and there is nothing for us to fear. But I think there are more sour, surly believers around than non-believers. Too many of us seem to think that putting on a stiff upper lip and a serious, uptight demeanour is the badge of believers, but unfortunately it is not. The badge of believers is a peaceful, cheerful countenance, as Jesus says above. And then we have our Bit: ‘There hath no temptation taken (overtaken) you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear (endure) it.’ That’s another promise of great magnitude my people! We can’t avoid temptation, but if God promises to help us bear it, then why are we always so sour and miserable eh? Oh my brethren, until all believers consciously and faithfully adhere to these directives of Jesus and Bruh Paul, we’ll actually be disputing God’s faithfulness, being disobedient for not doing as he says. For if He’s nothing else, our God is most certainly faithful, as Bruh Paul joyfully declares: ‘God is faithful, by whom ye were called unto the fellowship of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord.’ (1 Cor.1:9) Yeh people, there’s no doubt about the Lord’s faithfulness, and if He says that we won’t be tempted to a greater degree than we can handle, then it will be so. And even when we are tempted, He promises to help us bear the brunt of that temptation. So why do we still doubt His promises and live in fear and worry eh? Is it because our faith isn’t strong enough? Or are we simply not taking God as seriously as we should? Whatever the answer Friends, we definitely need to get ourselves standing much more firmly on the strong, secure and faithful promises of our God, especially in these difficult and troubled times. We all know that living a Christian life is not easy, but it’s because of those very promises that we can, and should live a better and more peaceful life than the unbeliever. Now here is another bit of encouraging scripture from Psalm 125, titled, ‘God surrounds His people.’ ‘As the mountains are round about (surround) Jerusalem, so the Lord is round about his people from henceforth even for ever. For the rod of the wicked (the scepter of wickedness) shall not rest upon the lot of (the land allotted to) the righteous; lest the righteous put forth their hands (reach) unto iniquity.’ (Ps.125:2-3) Oh Friends, the operative word in a Christian’s life is ‘believe.’  That’s why we’re called believers. We need to believe what God has said more strongly than we currently do. We need to have immense faith in His Word. As the author of Hebrews so rightly puts it: ‘But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.’ (Heb.11:6) Please Friends, let’s live that faith as we’re supposed to. Much LOVE!…if we stand on all God’s promises…we’ll never fall…for He is faithful…and will abide by them all…