SCRIP-BITS

Psalm 63:1.     O God, thou art my God; early will I seek thee: my soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is.
 
Oh Friends, it’s a beautiful morning; the birds are up, giving thanks and singing praises, the flowers are awaking in splendour to the warmth and light of the early morning sun. In other words, the day is slowly coming awake and showing the glory of God. What about us eh, God’s greatest creation? Are we coming awake too, and if so, are we participating in displaying the glory of God? I sure hope so, for as Bruh David rightly declares in this psalm, God satisfies the thirsty soul. It’s a psalm symbolically written while he was hiding out in the wilderness of Judah. And our Bit boldly proclaims: ‘O God, thou art my God; early will I seek thee: my soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is.’ Oh Friends, what a beautiful, heartfelt longing for God, Bruh David acknowledges! But let’s break it down section by section, starting at the top: ‘O God, thou art my God.’ Wow! A definitive statement of fact my people! It contains no dilly-dallying or uncertainty. He’s very sure that the Lord is his God. Now that’s the first thing we need to establish everyday my brethren; that definite assurance that the Most High God Jehovah is the solid, rock-like foundation of our lives. Of that there should be no doubt in our hearts, minds and souls. Then comes the next part; ‘early will I seek thee.’ Oh Friends, that’s just as important. Why, you ask? Because seeking the Lord early, in fact as soon as we gain consciousness, is the best way to begin our day. It brings us into early communication with the Father, and helps us to begin the day on the right foot; by giving thanks and praise, while asking for blessings, guidance and safety along the day’s unknown road. Oh my people, without that early interaction with the Lord, our day will just be a haphazard, topsy-turvy, undisciplined, stressful exercise.  So please, please, if we do nothing else, let’s always try and start our day in sincere communication with our heavenly Father, remembering that He is the ONE and ONLY ONE, capable of making our paths straight in this crooked and evil world. And finally the last part of our Bit: ‘my soul thirsteth for thee in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is.’ What symbolism, my brethren! Talk about using whatever you have to make your statement. Bruh David’s physical presence is in the wilderness; the dry and arid land with no water. It’s a situation unfamiliar to many of us because we’ve never had to experience parching thirst in a dry wasteland with no water readily available. But believe me, under those circumstances, the cry for water is great. And just as Bruh David’s physical thirst is great, so is the thirst, the longing in his flesh and his soul  for God; a great desire to come into God’s presence and enjoy His company. Oh Friends, do we ever feel that great desire, that strong compulsion to get with the God of our fathers, and just revel in His presence? We ought to. A true yearning for God brings out the best in us and certainly helps those around us to understand the great joy to be found in His presence. As the psalmist so boldly declares in Psalm 42; an intense longing for God: ‘As the hart panteth after (the deer longs for) the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God. My soul thirsteth for God, for the living God: when shall I come and appear before God?’ (Ps.42:1-2) Yes Friends, it’s only natural to long for God since that’s the way He wired us. We all have this empty spot in our souls marked ‘RESERVED FOR GOD,’ which only He can fill. But until we come to that realization and feel the need, the longing to fill that special place in our souls, our lives will never run right. They will always be undisciplined, angry, resentful and stressed out, because we’re caught up in the fleshly lusts of this evil world. And if you don’t believe me, then perhaps you’ll believe Jesus, when He says: ‘Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.’ (Matt.5:6) Hello there people, that’s one of the Beatitudes, one of the great promises of our Saviour; if you truly seek to live right, you will be satisfied. What more can we ask eh? Not much my brethren. And on that high note, we’ll close today’s Bit. But let’s remember, everyday when we awaken, to declare that the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob is without a doubt, our God. Then we need to communicate with Him as early as possible, set the stage right for our day at the very beginning. Then as the day progresses, let’s keep longing for Him, wanting to share time and talent with Him, so that both our flesh and souls will stay bright and bubbly, floating along in His unconditional LOVE. Oh Friends, what a truly wonderful God we serve and worship! And getting to know Him is itself a joy. If you’ve never taken that opportunity, please do so now. It will be the wisest and most joyful decision you ever make. Much LOVE!…there’s no better feeling in all the world…than basking in the radiant glow of God’s LOVE…
 

Psalm 119:80.    Let my heart be sound (blameless) in thy statutes; that I be not ashamed.
 
Oh Friends, it’s a new day, and the ole fella is free! Free at last from man’s contraptions and addictions! (smile) Yes, the catheter is out, and it feels perfectly refreshing to have my private parts belong to me once again, but unfortunately my wound hasn’t healed properly as yet, so I could not jump and prance on University Ave yesterday afternoon, that would have been the height of stupidity. But I did give them a ‘Free at last!’ shout though. Yeh Friends, the ole fella is feeling better in all aspects, but I do have another new frontier to conquer; making my bladder respond to my instructions, rather than the autonomous way it’s been reacting for the last two weeks. And believe me, it is truly annoying, disrupting my sleep and everything else. But it’s been only one day, and I am seeing some encouraging signs. Ah Lord eh! When is not one thing, is always something else yes! But that’s real life; constantly moving along with challenges, so we can never afford to rest on our laurels and contemplate our prowess; read pride in our own accomplishments. For as the old saying rightly declares: ‘no pain, no gain.’ Pain, in whatever form, be it physical, emotional or mental, is what motivates us to get up off our fat fannies and do something about our unlikable situation. Without that motivation … hn! We’d just be content to sit on our derrières and do nothing, just drift through life, roll along with the tumbling tumbleweed. And sadly, despite the pain in our lives, many of us still do just that. But Friends, our God was not stupid when He created us. He designed us for growth in all areas of life, and growth can only come about through some kind of pain. Pain is one of the great motivators, if not the greatest motivator of our lives. That’s why, as believers who are truly trying to be like Jesus, we need to endure the pains of growth. Take a tip from the lowly caterpillar, who crawls along for the first part of its life, then undergoes an overwhelming catharsis, shedding its comparatively tough and ugly outer skin, and finally releasing the beautiful, ephemeral butterfly within. Well just like that, we believers have to go through periods of cleansing; not necessarily as tough a catharsis as one from caterpillar to butterfly, but some kind of painful change that brings us closer in spiritual make up to Jesus. And my people, contrary to what anyone says, that internal, that spiritual cleansing is absolutely necessary, for we are all so far away from where Jesus truly desires us to be. But by the same token, we should not go around worrying about how Jesus-like we’re becoming. Once we put our trust in Him, and surrender our all to Him, He will move us along at the exact pace we require. So please remember that once you’re sincerely following the Saviour, wherever you are at the moment, is right where you’re supposed to be. Just like we can’t build anything worthwhile without proper time, study and sure foundation, we can’t become more God-like in our own strength and time. We need God’s inspiration, study time and the sure foundation of the Word. Oh Friends, I’m chuckling here because this is one of those Bits with no original plan, where I just began writing, hopefully following the Spirit’s lead, putting down whatever He showed my heart, which is good sometimes, if not all the time. Why? Because our hearts are where the real us reside, where our secret desires lodge. As Jesus so plainly stated when the Pharisees harassed Him about His disciples eating with unwashed hands: ‘For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies: These are the things which defile a man: but to eat with unwashen hands defileth not a man.’ (Matt.15:19-20) That’s why the Lord rebuked Samuel when he went to anoint Bruh David as king: ‘Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused (rejected) him: for the Lord seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart.’ (1 Sam.16:7) And it’s also why the Lord was extremely pleased with Cousin Sol’s request: ‘Give therefore thy servant an understanding heart to judge thy people, that I may discern between good and bad: for who is able to judge this thy so great a people? And the speech pleased the Lord, that Solomon had asked this thing.’ (1 Kin.3:9-10) That means, one of the most important things in this life, or any other for that matter, is to have a decent heart. It won’t always be pure and/or perfect, since we’re sinful by nature, but whatever we show the world, should be truthfully what’s in our hearts, for that’s what the Lord will judge us by. Remember, we can fool man, but not God. That’s why Bruh David so faithfully pleaded in our Bit: ‘Let my heart be sound (blameless) in thy statutes; that I be not ashamed.’ He knew the great value of a godly heart. So Friends, let’s try and clean up our hearts nuh, because far too many of them are in a dreadful state and are consequently causing the dreadful state of our world. Ah mih people, I don’t know if the Bit makes sense, but I’m sure that whatever I’ve written, wrong or right, has come from my heart. So till we talk again tomorrow, God willing, please walk safely, in peace and LOVE with Christ. Much LOVE!…as the old people would say…blessed is he…who can make sense from nonsense… (smile)

Psalm 6:6.    I am weary with my groaning; all the (every) night make I my bed to swim; I water (drench) my couch with my tears.
 
Oh Friends, is Friday! The weekend is upon us! And up the road, down the road, round the corner, all ah hearing is a sweet, scintillating riddim of iron and bottle and spoon ringing out, backing strong voices chanting: ‘TGIF! Thank God is Friday! TGIF! Thank God is Friday!’ And yuh know what people, though my body and lungs don’t have the physical capacity to match them, I can truly tell you that nobody’s heart is singing louder, or more powerfully than mine, because it’s Friday June 3, the day when my catheter comes out. Oh praise the Lord mih people! Now I wasn’t really planning to say anything about this, but after the way things turned out… Hn! I just knew, or rather sensed, that the Lord was looking for some testimony. (smile) So here goes. Strangely enough, at the start of all the cancer proceedings, the catheter business was my only real concern, because you can’t put a small rubber tube up your private parts and not have it cause any problems. But also, strangely enough, once I got over the inconvenience, it was the least of my problems. But over the last two days it’s been a nightmare. I guess after the constipation and wound problems were over, that was the last source of discomfort available. And believe me Friends, if you’ve never had it done, pray that you don’t ever. And it’s not even so much the intensity of the pain, but its nagging, stubborn persistence. You can’t even move to find a more comfortable position, because every move builds up the intensity. What’s more, the painkillers would work for a while, then they too would seem insufficient. Writing yesterday’s Bit was a real pain in the privates! (smile) One time I had to get up and get a pain pill, then get up a couple more times just to try and ease the pressure. After that, I managed to struggle through some breakfast, then hit the bed again. I eventually fell asleep, but woke up about an hour later, reeling from the insistent pain in my private member. Oh Friends, by then I was so exhausted that I cried out to heaven: ‘A bligh Lord! Please give me a bligh here! I can’t handle it no more!’ And while the tears and sobs racked my body, another thought suddenly struck me, that led to my further crying out to the Lord, reminding Him that if He was trying to humble me, to bring me to my knees, that I was already humbled and on my knees. That must have brought a small chuckle to His spirit. Then, when the sobbing wouldn’t stop, I eventually called the duchess upstairs to comfort me. That was surely a first. (smile) But the long and short of the story Friends, is that soon thereafter the agonizing pain subsided, diminished to a point that I could handle it. I don’t know if it was pure divine help, or simply an antibiotic I needed to take before the removal procedure, just meeting up then with the painkillers and easing the pressure. And believe me, right then I didn’t care what had caused the diminished pain, I was just thankful that I got the bligh I pleaded for. Sometimes it doesn’t really matter how our wish is granted nuh, just that it’s granted. Now mih people, let’s ramp up that iron and bottle and spoon riddim, and chant we Friday Chant like we really mean it, for our God is good, still in control and waiting to hear from us. ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through another week of work! It hasn’t been easy, but with your generous help, I made it through. Now, please help me to get sufficient fun, fellowship, rest and relaxation in these two short days off, so that I can be renewed and refreshed in soul, body and mind, to go back out and do it all over again next week, furthering your glorious kingdom with each step I take. I pray this in Jesus name. Amen.’ And having chanted that with all the power and emotion we could muster, let’s go out now and win some souls for Jesus! Oh, by the way, if around two o’clock this afternoon, yuh see, or hear about an older man with a face of speckled hair, jumping and prancing down University Ave, doh be surprised eh, cause that might just be me, celebrating my freedom from the restrictive, painful catheter. Hn, hn, hn! Surely hope I don’t have any more moaning and groaning and drenching my bed with tears after they remove this thing yes. (smile) Till tomorrow then mih people, God willing. In the meantime, please walk and talk with Him and He’ll do amazing things in your everyday lives.  Much LOVE!…if we go sincerely with God…things won’t always be easy…but they sure will turn out right eventually…

Ecclesiastes 7:9.     Be not hasty in thy spirit to be angry: for anger resteth in the bosom of fools.
 
Oh Friends, we’re one day closer to seeing the God we LOVE so much, however in the meantime, He’s provided us with all sorts of good stuff down here on earth, so let’s enjoy them by honouring Him with good fruit from our lives nuh. That’s what Jesus is looking for from His followers: ‘Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.’ (Matt.7:20) ‘…for the tree is known by his fruit.’ (Matt.13:33) Yes Friends, let’s not be like the wind that raged through these parts all yesterday and last night. It was obviously angry, like too many of us are these days, and carrying that anger around with us daily, just cripples our lives. We can’t do anything useful or productive for Christ if we’re continually angry at the world, ourselves, our circumstances, and/or the people around us. Please remember people that uncontrolled anger only produces negative results. Again, like the wind, though it was a cool and refreshing wind on a warm day, nobody really enjoyed it because it was in an angry mode and produced nothing useful, just discomfort, with stuff blowing all over the place. Now if that same wind had been calm and cool, been a gentle breeze, rather than an upset aggressor, it would have been much more appreciated and produced better results than it did. That’s how our anger also destroys our good intentions. It’s not to say we should not get angry over the right things, but we must not allow that anger to permeate our souls, to take up permanent residence in our lives. As Bruh Paul so wisely warns: ‘Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath. Neither give place (opportunity) to the devil.’ (Eph.4:26-27) So when we’re angry, we must be careful not to let it lead us to sin, neither should we go to bed angry, cause it’s only giving Lucifer a better chance to invade our lives. That’s why the Preacher also cautions in our Bit: ‘Be not hasty in thy spirit to be angry: for anger resteth in the bosom of fools.’ And that’s the gospel truth my people! Those who are quick to get angry lead undisciplined, unfruitful, negative, emotion-driven, temperamental, ungodly lives. For how can you live a godly life if you’re always flying off the handle at the slightest excuse? Sadly though, too many of us believers have that unfortunate attitude. We walk around with a scowl, a constant chip on our shoulders, aggrieved at every little nonsense. We need to implant James’ words in our hearts, my Friends. ‘Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath: For the wrath of man worketh not (does not produce) the righteousness of God.’ (James 1:19-20) That hits the proverbial nail right on its proverbial head my people! As we said above, anger produces no good fruit for God, which is our earthly purpose. So if we truly want to be productive in Christ’s work, then we’ve got to learn to control our anger, which is not a very easy thing to do. But we can do it by first listening carefully to what’s ever been said to us; that means quietly gathering all the facts before letting loose our anger cannon. Then we need to stop for a moment and consider those facts in a godly manner before we open our mouths. That’s the only way our spirits will get rid or at least control their angry bent. And my people it’s ever so important to stay calm and unruffled in these troubled times, so we can make wise and godly decisions, for the worst time to make a decision is when we’re angry. It thus proves the Preacher’s point: ‘for anger resteth in the bosom of fools.’ Yes Friends, there’s no way to sugar-coat this one; if you allow anger, or any of its derivatives to control your life, then you are a fool. So please, let’s all try and wise up nuh, for all of us have that anger bug lurking in the background of our spirits, just anxiously and eagerly awaiting a chance to spring forth and spoil our lives. But if we diligently read the scriptures on anger management, meditate on them, and sincerely ask the Lord for help on the matter, then we’ll keep the enemy at bay, something we desperately need to do right now, amidst all the confusion that’s hurtling around us. Much LOVE!…short tempers…usually lead to…long, severe problems…
 

Psalm 105:1.      O Give thanks unto the Lord; call upon his name: make known his deeds among the people.
 
Oh Friends, it’s the first day of June! Wow! And like we can at last truly sing: ‘Hot town, summer in the city. Back of my neck getting dirty and gritty.’ That’s I believe the old Lovin Spoonful tune which everybody’s covered. And we can also welcome back this Nat Cole favourite, which not too many know: ‘Those lazy, hazy days of summer. Those days of pretzels, of cola and beer.’ Summer’s here mih people! And it didn’t take long for the madness to begin; the half naked people walking the streets, the manly revving of car engines, the barbeques, the pools, etc. And to be alive on such a glorious day, as this one’s shaping up to be, is even more reason to give our great and wonderful God some thanks. So let’s shout it out people, shout it out like we truly mean it. ‘Thank you Lord, thank you! Thank you for the mercies, blessings, forgiveness and LOVING-kindness that you keep pouring down on us, even though we don’t deserve the half of it. But that’s the kind of magnanimous God you are! We praise you and bless your Holy Name. Amen!’ Yes mih breddren, it’s certainly good to be alive, and what’s more, though I got up later than I wanted to, when I did get up, I immediately noticed a difference in the way I felt. I felt more like the real me, not the sluggish, lethargic, ambling old man of the last little while. That meant the dotish, mind-numbing effects of the painkillers were finally wearing off. Please join me in giving our magnificent God a big ‘Hallelujah!’ and ‘Thank you Father!’ for that improvement. It looks like I’ve also begun sneezing again, twice in the last fifteen minutes. But who knows if that is good or bad. Can’t remember sneezing at all for the last two weeks, which was certainly good for the healing of my wound. My nostrils though have been somewhat crusty and dried up. Anyway, enough about me. Time to deal with the things of our God. So let’s invoke our Bit: ‘O Give thanks unto the Lord; call upon his name: make known his deeds among the people.’ Without a doubt Friends, those actions should be the most important of our everyday lives: giving thanks to our Creator and provider, also communicating with Him on a regular basis, and then telling all the world about His goodness, mercy and great works. That should indeed be our earthly life! Here’s how the psalmist declared it: ‘Sing unto him, sing psalms unto him: talk ye all his wondrous works. Glory ye in his holy name: let the heart of them rejoice that seek the Lord. Seek the Lord and his strength: seek his face evermore. Remember his marvellous works that he hath done; his wonders, and the judgements of his mouth.’ (Ps.105:2-5) And if that doesn’t grab your fancy, then listen to Bruh David tell it like it is: ‘The Lord is gracious, and full of compassion; slow to anger, and of great mercy. The Lord is good to all: and his tender mercies are over all his works. All thy works shall praise thee, O Lord; and thy saints shall bless thee. They shall speak of the glory of thy kingdom, and talk of thy power; To make known to the sons of men his mighty acts, and the glorious majesty of his kingdom. Thy kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and thy dominion endureth throughout all generations.’ (Ps.145: 8-13) Yes my brethren, let’s concentrate on those beautiful, uplifting, encouraging words today, as we go about this evil world, doing good in our own small, but special way, just like Jesus did in His. Much LOVE!…the way…the way…oh Friends…Jesus is the way…

Psalm 105:1.        O Give thanks unto the Lord; call upon his name: make known his deeds among the people.
 
Oh Friends, it seems like summer has at last graced my area. Wow! Yesterday I was actually walking around in shirtsleeves, and actually feeling the heat of the sun on my bare arms. That deserves another ‘Wow!’ for it’s something that hasn’t happened in at least eight or nine months. Hope it doesn’t go to the other extreme though and kill us with heat. But however it turns out, we’ll handle it, because God’s children can handle any and everything. And His children sang a loud: ‘Praise Him, for He is most worthy to be praised!’ And if yuh doubt that, just check out all the great and wondrous things He’s done for us over the years, what He’s still doing today, and the even bigger and better plans He has in store for our future. No wonder the psalmist could declare in our Bit: ‘Oh Give thanks unto the Lord; call upon his name: make known his deeds among the people.’ Yes my people, it’s imperative that we give thanks unto the Magnificent Deity who created us, and who, despite our rebellious nature, still looks out for our safety and provides food to keep us alive. How many of us would do that for our fellow humans under the same circumstances eh? Not too many. But because of God’s unconditional LOVE for us, He sticks with us through thick and thin. We therefore ought to show great appreciation for His LOVING-kindness to the undeserving children of men. As Isaiah so rightly declared, re thanksgiving for God’s mercies: ‘Therefore with joy shall ye draw water out of the wells of salvation. And in that day shall ye say, Praise the Lord, call upon his name, declare his doings (deeds) among the people, make mention that his name is exalted. Sing unto the Lord; for he hath done excellent things: this is known in all the earth. Cry out and shout, thou inhabitant of Zion: for great is the Holy One of Israel in the midst of thee.’ (Is.12:3-6) Yes my brethren, that’s exactly how we ought to behave in response to God’s goodness! But do we? Obviously not to the extent that we should, and then it’s often more of an outward show than a true, heartfelt feeling. Between taking His goodness for granted, and considering our prosperity as the work of our own hands, we seriously short-change our God in praise, thanks, adoration and appreciation. And it’s also sad that so many supposed believers have joined with the world to celebrate the lusts of the flesh, rather than the goodness of God. Oh Friends, please realize before it’s too late, that man controls nothing, else all the devastation currently taking place would not be allowed to happen. It’s therefore some Being more powerful than man, who’s in control. And His Name is the Most High God Jehovah! He is the First, the Last and Everything in between! And until we come to the full realization of that fact, our lives will be in a state of constant disrepair. Now isn’t it also strange that in times of difficulty, the first words that automatically come to our lips, even to those of supposed unbelievers, are ‘Oh God!’ So deep down, we all know that there’s something bigger than us out there, a Being whom we can turn to in times of trouble…and plenty of us do…only to neglect Him when the troubles are past. That’s not right Friends, and eventually, like now, we’re going to pay the price for disobedience, rebellion and neglect. Unfortunately time and space are against us, so we’ll continue this topic tomorrow, our God in favour. I do hope though, that I’ve injected some food for thought in our small, worldly minds, that will have us thinking some more about our wonderful Father in heaven, because He’s the ONLY ONE capable of getting us out of the mess in which we’re currently entangled. Much LOVE!…the Lord is worthy of whatever thanks and praise we can give…
 

1 Corinthians 13:13.    And now abideth faith, hope, LOVE, these three; but the greatest of these is LOVE.
 
Aye Friends, is Monday morning! Time to rise and shine and join the battle line! We free paper burn for another week! Well except for those lucky folks in the U.S. celebrating their big Memorial Day weekend. But for all us other plebs, we have to get up and face the cruel world in another week of work. And although it can get rough and tough, it doh really matter because we’re all the children of the Most High God, and as such, with His august help, have the ability to handle anything that comes against us. So let’s give Him a little thanks and praise, to get those godly juices flowing. Let’s sing our Monday Morning Battle Hymn with great gusto and reverential pride. Let’s sing it like we really mean it. And all God’s children lustily sang: ‘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!’ Wow Friends! That sure does get the adrenalin flowing! And now the Father expects us to go out there into the vile world and practice what we preach, show the ungodly what He’s really and truly like by our behaviour. As our Bit so succinctly puts it: ‘And now abideth faith, hope, LOVE, these three; but the greatest of these is LOVE.’ Oh my people, that’s the whole story of Jesus and His Christian movement right there! It’s all encapsulated in that one word; LOVE! If we sincerely practice it, then things will be fine. But because we haven’t been doing so, the whole world is now on its way to hell in a hand basket. And LOVE isn’t that hard to practice; a smile, a kind word, a little help or encouragement. It’s those basic things, which our world’s so lacking, that makes it such a rough go. And unfortunately we now bandy about the word LOVE much more than at any other time in history, but sadly, it’s also the emptiest it’s ever been. So we end up making a mockery of the word LOVE, and consequently of God, who is LOVE. Oh Friends, the Lord gave the Israelites Ten Commandments to observe, which they couldn’t. When Jesus came, He broke them all down to two, then to one: ‘A new commandment I give unto you, That ye LOVE one another; as I have LOVED you, that ye also LOVE one another. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have LOVE one to another.’ (John 13:34-35) And for whatever reason (s) we still can’t, or find it difficult to practice one simple rule. Come on nuh mih people. We’re belittling Jesus when we talk one thing and go around doing the exact opposite. The real sad part is that there isn’t very much LOVE between supposed Christians, so how can there be any between believers and unbelievers eh? Oh my brethren, let’s wake up and smell the roses nuh, change our evil ways, start living a life of true LOVE, because if we don’t, if we keep on sliding down the slippery slope to hell, as we’re now doing, then soon there’ll be no more roses to smell. So come on nuh people, let’s get up and go out there and truly work for Jesus today. That will make such a difference in our world, and also please Him immensely. Much LOVE!…when hard ears pickney refuse to hear…they eventually feel…and feel darm hard too…
 

2 Timothy 1:7.    For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of LOVE, and of a sound mind.
 
Oh Friends, another new day has dawned, still cloudy and rainy in my neck of the woods, but with it also come new mercies, new blessings and new healing. We might not actually see or feel them, but believe me, they’re there because our God has promised that they will be, and He’s nothing if not faithful. So let’s give Him the glory, the honour and the thanks this Sunday morning -it’s afternoon now- (smile) for looking after us, while most of our world is in an unstable uproar. Now please tell me, why do the night time shadows, which are supposed to bring us peace, rest and relaxation, often bring us the very opposite, especially when we’re sick or simply under the weather? Have you ever noticed that in rough times, although there’s no real physical change between the day and night time situations, yet as soon as night falls, we become more fearful, and often even dread the coming of night? Then as soon as day appears, all our fears just drift away. I guess it’s because we tend to hold the night darkness as a time of the unknown, of fear, of evil; we can’t see what’s happening in the darkness, so we just naturally become afraid of it. That’s why it makes so much sense to cling to Jesus, because He is the source of perpetual light, and in Him there’s no darkness at all, so when we cling to Him we will have no fear at all. Wow! And I guess that’s why I’ve been led to today’s Bit too. Although it’s one we’ve done already, it’s one that’s necessary to keep circulating through our fearful hearts minds and souls in these calamitous times. Once we’re associated with Jesus, we ought not to be afraid of darkness, of the unknown, or of anything for that matter. ”For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of LOVE, and of a sound mind.’ Why are we still so fearful when Jesus gave us this eternal principle? ‘Peace I leave with you, my peace I give you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.’ (John 14:27) Then Bruh Paul, in his message to the Roman church, reiterates Jesus’ promise: ‘For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.’ (Rom.8:14-15) And John, the beloved disciple, in his first epistle, boldly declares: ‘Herein is our LOVE made perfect (among us), that we may have boldness in the day of judgement; because as he is, so are we in this world. There is no fear in LOVE; but perfect LOVE casteth out fear: because fear hath (involves) torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in LOVE.’ (1 John 4:17-18) Oh my brethren, how much more assurance can we ask eh? As people of faith, we desperately need to hold on to all these promises. I know it’s a sort of vicious cycle, or chicken and egg situation, re which came first. We are supposed to be people of faith, but where do we get the faith to acquire faith in the first place, then the faith to keep the faith afterwards? If you’re confused, you’re not alone, I am too. (smile) Oh Friends, would you believe that while I’m writing this, about 8.30 in the morning, sipping a strong cup of coffee, I’m also fighting a bout of nausea. Steups! I’m tired with all this nonsense now yes! But don’t you think for one moment that the nausea is affecting my writing, cause it isn’t. I’m writing exactly what the Good Lord meant for me to write, so don’t think you can use the stupid nausea as an excuse to get out of what I’m saying. (smile) Anyway, in conclusion, when we talk about the spirit of power, and of LOVE, and of a sound mind, we need to also remember Jesus’ words to the apostles at His Ascension. ‘It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power (authority). But ye shall receive power, after that (when) the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.’ (Acts 1:7-8) And we know that the Spirit of awesome power, of LOVE, and of a sound mind came to those disciples on the day of Pentecost, and has been coming to every believer since then. So please, let’s set fear aside, grab hold of the powerful Spirit of Jesus that dwells within us, and steadfastly run our race of glory in His Holy Name, as we’re supposed to. Amen. Much LOVE!…in Jesus…there’s everything we need…and a whole lot more… P.S. Oh Friends, this has certainly been a hard-done by Bit. When I finished writing the rough draft this morning, I didn’t have the energy to type it on the computer, so I went back to bed. Didn’t wake up until mid-day, still feeling lousy, only to discover it wasn’t really nausea I’d been having this whole time, because nausea comes from the stomach and makes you feel to vomit, and I’ve had none of that. Instead, I’ve been really high on the pain medication. Hn, hn! That’s why I couldn’t catch myself even after much sleep. Then when I finally came down to type the Bit, I had to stop because the nurse came to remove the staples from my incision. What a day! But as the Good Book says, the Lord works out all things for the good to those who truly LOVE and revere Him. Much LOVE!
 

Colossians 1:11.    Strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power, unto all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness.
 
Oh Friends, contrary to popular opinion, our God is a most merciful, gracious and ever-LOVING Deity! And the particular reason for my saying so this morning? Well earlier on, after one of my tiring bathroom bouts, I was lying in bed musing on my tiredness, when suddenly I felt a sharp though fleeting pain in my right knee, and instead of anger and/or trepidation, I began to chuckle. Why, you wonder? Because I then realized the strategy the Good Lord had used on me. While the prostate stuff was in its preliminary stages, He moved my focus off it, by having me concentrate more on my aching knees. But would you believe that from the day of surgery, I couldn’t truly say that I have knee problems. Granted some of that is attributable to the pain killers, but I have hardly taken any in the last few days, and yet I climb the stairs, get up and sit down with no problems from my knees. Like earlier on this morning, every so often I feel the odd twinge in one of them, but that’s usually while I’m at rest, not even moving around. Now, since the prostate problem has become public enemy #1, the Lord has changed the strategy; He’s eased me up with the knees. And all I can say is: ‘Thank you God, thank you!’ For believe me people, I couldn’t have handled both the knees and the prostate problems together. As I merely consider what it would have been like, tears form in my eyes, and I just have to give God the glory. Oh Friends, would you believe that I had to stop writing for a few minutes because a sudden bout of sobbing overtook me when I considered having both sets of pain together? Ah Lord eh! And like this crying thing ain’t done yet either! (smile) However Friends, turning to our Bit: ‘Strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power, unto all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness.’ Well, according to the scholars: ‘Patience is persevering through problems, trials, tribulations, and so forth. Longsuffering is forbearing the faults and offences of others.’ And that certainly was, and is still Jesus’ way. But we all know that going through hard times with a good attitude, or putting up with and forgiving those who wrong us, is much easier said than done. Those are probably the hardest pats of Jesus’ programme to come to terms with, but unfortunately they are also the most important, because they manifest the true LOVE that Jesus desires us to show to each other. As Bruh Paul instructed the Ephesians, re unity of the Spirit: ‘I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation (calling) wherewith ye are called. With all lowliness and meekness (gentleness), with long-suffering, forbearing (bearing with) one another in LOVE; Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.’ (Eph.4:1-3) Yes my people, we’re supposed to do all in our power to keep peace in Christ’s church. And not to merely keep peace, but also to do it with joyfulness! Now that’s certainly a hard row to hoe! But in that respect, we have the glorious example of the apostles in the early church, when the elders found them guilty of unlawfully preaching Jesus crucified: ‘…and when they had called the apostles, and beaten them, they commanded that they should not speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go. And they departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for his name. And daily in the temple, and in every house, they ceased not to teach and preach Jesus (as the) Christ.’ (Acts 5:40-42) Oh what a wonderful testimony my brethren! The apostles were beaten to stop spreading the gospel, but they continued, counting it worthy to suffer for Christ. How can we do any less eh, especially when we live in easier and more civilized times? Please let our consciences convict us, and have us seriously trying to live the life Christ requires of us. Much LOVE!…to know, know, know Him…is to LOVE, LOVE, LOVE Him…and to want to be just like Him…