SCRIP-BITS

Oh Friends, it’s a rainy Monday Morning! And I hear a lot of grunts and groans. (smile) In fact it’s been a rainy Saturday and Sunday, and will likely rain for the first few days of the week too. We like to call them showers of blessing, but sometimes, like the Western Canadian Provinces now, and some of the Southwest U.S, we get too much showery blessings, and we end up with floods. Meanwhile up in Northern Manitoba, brush fires are wreaking havoc on the communities up there because they don’t have enough showers of blessings. Ah Lord eh! It’s either feast or famine! However, as believers, we’ve been taught to look on the good side of a problem, to consider the glass half full rather than half empty. So with all this in mind, let’s sing our Monday Morning Battle Hymn to enliven our frustrated, don’t-want-to-go-to-work spirits, and get us going this new work week. And as we do so, let’s also remember those who have it much worse than us. ‘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!’ Oh Friends, now that the adrenaline is flowing properly, let’s get a move on, take some serious action on God’s behalf! And I hope you all realized that in singing our Monday Morning Battle Hymn we did as Bruh David advised in our Bit: ‘Commit (roll off) thy way unto the Lord; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass.’ Yes my people, we’ve just committed our way to the Lord by turning to Him for help, wisdom and guidance. We’ve also trusted Him by surrendering our lives and all we possess to Him, to do with as He pleases, because we know that He’s a just, wise, merciful, forgiving and LOVING God. In return for our sincere commitment to Him and His way, He’s promised the help of the Holy Spirit, to bring whatever we desire to pass. Please note though that these desires must match His Word and His will, otherwise all our prayers and pleas will be of no effect. Oh my brethren, it’s very important as believers to consistently turn to God first for help, because He is the source of EVERYTHING in this world. Bruh David considered it important and relevant enough to more or less repeat it in his cry against deceitful friends, Psalm 55, when he declared: ‘Cast thy burden upon the Lord, and he shall sustain thee: he shall never suffer (permit) the righteous to be moved (shaken).’ (Ps.55:22) Yes Friends, our earthly lives don’t stand a chance of being truly successful unless they are virtually intertwined with those of Jehovah God. As Jesus said: ‘I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.’ (John 15:1) And that’s the gospel truth my people! So today, as we journey forth into this evil world, let’s cast all our cares on Christ; relieve ourselves of whatever burdens we are currently bearing, turn them over to Him, and instead accept His easy yoke and light burden. Friends, that’s wisdom at its strongest and best, and you’ll never regret it. Have a good day with Jesus by your side and in your heart. Much LOVE!…take no thought for your everyday needs…for the Lord’s your Father and  knows your needs…and He will provide them…as we provide for our children…

And the dark forces of evil continue to batter and destroy our beautiful planet – Mother Earth – and all therein. Yes Friends, the negative effects of those ungodly forces; hatred, strife, violence, greed, oppression, suppression, corruption, hunger, poverty, rape, pillage, plunder et al, they all continue unabated. When will it end eh? Will we have to wait until Christ returns? Or will we self-destruct sometime soon through our extremely aggressive and war mongering attitudes? I certainly hope that none of those scenarios come through. So what then, you ask? Who or what will solve our problems, will rout the evil forces and bring some much needed peace and stability to our world that’s in serious crisis? Ah mih people, as believers, we know there’s only ONE thing that can conquer evil, that’s LOVE, in particular the LOVE of Jehovah God! But how will that be accomplished? We also know the answer to that; through us, believers in Christ, through His Church, His family here on earth. Remember His last words to the disciples: ‘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 unto the end of the world.’ (Matt.28:19-20) That means our job on earth is basically to spread the gospel, and thus bring some long overdue and much needed peace and LOVE to our very troubled world. The forces of evil are winning right now because of their greater numbers and greater diligence towards their goals, than we believers have towards ours. I’ll say it again for the umpteenth time; Christianity is an action-based faith! We have to actively engage in bringing people to Christ through the way we live our lives, not by mere talk. Examples always speak more forcibly than unsupported words. Yet too many believers are still either afraid or ashamed to acknowledge Jesus in public. For that matter, Christianity might be the least recognized faith from a purely outward and/or physical basis. Most of the other faiths bask in them, and are proud to shout them to the world. Not so much Christianity. Too many of us are too comfortable in our little spheres and figure going to church, giving a few dollars and spouting scriptures makes us a Christian. Unfortunately my brethren, that’s the furthest thing from the truth. You might impress your fellow man with that stuff, like the Pharisees of old tried to do. But notice Jesus gave them heck all the time, calling them hypocrites, because they never truly walked their talk. And sadly, nothing much has changed today, for we’re still a bunch of hypocrites. And though we might successfully fool men, we can’t fool God, because He doesn’t look at our outward show, but what’s secreted deep in our hearts. And as Jesus said: ‘For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.’ (Luke 12:34) There again my people, too many of us are still more enamoured of the flimsy, fly by night treasures of the world, than with those of God, thus our hearts can’t be right with God, and thus we can’t, or won’t do what He requires of us, which is to LOVE and honour Him above everything else. That brings us to our Bit: ‘Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup (dine) with him, and he with me.’ Please note that when Jesus comes a calling, He doesn’t concern Himself about our bodies or minds, but our souls, our spiritual hearts. That’s where He wants to enter, because it’s in the deepest recesses of our beings that the true seed of His LOVE can be planted and have the best chance of germinating, and finally growing into a mature Christian. The past couple days we’ve dealt with the first two parts of the Bit, today we’ll look at the last portion: ‘I will come into him, and will sup (dine) with him, and he with me.’ Oh Friends, Jesus dining with us personally is the greatest honour we can ever receive. And it’s exactly what He’s offering in our Bit; personal, individual attention, just you and Him alone, if you’d only open the door to your heart and gladly let Him in. Wow! What an opportunity! Please don’t pass it up. In conclusion, let’s hear some scriptures on the subject. The first deals with His promise to send a helper to all who believe in Him. And in answer to Judas’ (not Iscariot) question: ‘Lord, how is it that thou wilt manifest thyself unto us, and not unto the world? Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man LOVE me, he will keep my words: and my Father will LOVE him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode (home) with him.’ (John 14:22-23) So when we LOVE Him, open our hearts and accept Him, the Holy Spirit, the helper of the Trinity, will come to dwell in us, to lead and guide us along godly paths. But the best is yet to come mih breddren, for as John declared in his vision of the New Jerusalem: ‘And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God. And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.’ (Rev.21:3-4) And all God’s people shouted ‘Glory Hallelujah!’ Yes Friends, that’s the great life we have to look forward to, but we can only accomplish it by truly accepting Jesus into our hearts here on earth, living the way He leads, then helping others to do the same. Then He’ll say: ‘Well done true and faithful servant!’ And nothing can be better than Jesus’ approval of our earthly efforts. Much LOVE!…only as much as believers truly do what Jesus asks…will our world improve…

Okay Friends, it’s Saturday, a new day, so wipe the slate clean and start anew. God does it, so why can’t we? I’m sure none of us suffered any evil effects or life changing experiences yesterday due to Black Friday. That means there’s nothing to worry about. And to ease our troubled minds, here’s a quote by Helen Keller, (1880-1968) the deaf, blind American author, political activist and lecturer that spells it our like it is. ‘Although the world is full of suffering, it is also full of the overcoming of it.’ Now that’s an unquestionable fact! However Friends, it’s up to us to overcome the obstacles to our happiness. No one else can do it for us. Even if we’re given everything we desire and don’t reach out for our own happiness, we’ll still be unhappy. For happiness, like sadness, is a state of mind; we have to make a conscious decision to be either or. Thus the saying that nobody can make us happy or sad unless we allow it. And the ole fella’s here to tell us the easiest and most successful way to reach out and find true happiness. I guess the smart ones have already figured it out. (smile) Oh my people, true happiness is found in the words of our Bit; Jesus’ invitation to let Him into our hearts. ‘Behold, I stand at the door and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.’ Unfortunately my brethren, you’ll never know the awesome satisfaction that comes from accepting Jesus until you truly let Him into your hearts, minds, bodies and souls. It’s truly an enlightening and enriching experience that mere words can’t do justice to! You have to feel the feeling! Now there are several sections to our Bit, and yesterday we dealt with the first one, where Jesus is at our heart’s door knocking, politely asking to come in. That we tied into Cousin Sol’s LOVE Song, where the beloved is sleeping, but hears a call to her heart to get up and open the door for her other half, who’s tired and wants in from the uncomfortable weather outside. Likewise Friends, Jesus is knocking at sad, broken, weary, uncomfortable hearts all over the world, asking to come in and make them clean, whole and comfortable. Thus He says: ‘if any man hear my voice, and open the door…’ Sadly though, Jesus can’t enter our hearts unless we allow Him entry. And besides that, He wants to enter through the front door, not the back door, a side window, through the roof, or some such shady entrance. Consequently people, the smartest thing to do when Jesus knocks is to let Him in, through the front portals of our hearts. Remember His words when He declared that He was the Good Shepherd? ‘Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that entereth not by the door into the sheepfold, but climbeth up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber. But he that entereth in by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. To him the porter (doorkeeper) openeth; and the sheep hear his voice: and he calleth his own sheep by name, and leadeth them out.’ (John 10:1-3) Oh Friends, Jesus isn’t a robber or a thief, that’s why He wants to come in through the front door of our hearts, with a special invitation from us to boot. He means serious business, not Mickey Mouse stuff, filled with lies and deceit like Beelzebub. So if He knocks, and you open the door, then He knows that you’re serious about hooking up with Him. It’s also reminiscent of when He proclaimed: ‘Seek ye first the kingdom of God.’ And why should we do that? ‘For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. Let your loins (waist) be girded about, and your lights (lamps) burning. And ye yourselves like unto men that wait for their lord, when he will return from the wedding; that when he cometh and knocketh, they may open unto him immediately. Blessed are those servants, whom the lord (master) when he cometh shall find watching: verily I say unto you, that he shall gird himself, and make them to sit down to meat (eat), and will come forth and serve them.’ (Luke 12:34:37) Yes Friends, that message works on two levels: The first is when He comes knocking at the door to our hearts, we should run to let Him in. Don’t hesitate, for he who hesitates is lost. And we’re talking about salvation here, which no one can afford to lose. And the second level is after we’ve gladly received Him into our hearts, minds, bodies and souls, then we’ve got to be on the lookout for when He returns in glory, and not be caught napping, which can have very bad consequences. Anyway mih breddren, time and space are against us, so we’ll end on that note. Tomorrow though, our God in favour, we’ll continue this topic. Till then, think on the things we’ve spoken about, and if Jesus happens to come a knocking, simply exclaim: ‘Wow!’ Then gladly open the door and let Him in. You’ll never regret it. Much LOVE!…to refuse Jesus’ offer…is tantamount to committing eternal suicide…

Wake up, wake up people! It’s Monday, time to go and labour! Yes Friends, it is indeed Monday; bright and beautiful, and brimming with bountiful blessings from a kind, ever-LOVING, generous, merciful, forgiving and gracious God. Wow! What an honour and a pleasure to be alive today and diligently serving the Most High God Jehovah! Yes mih people, like the ole fella’s in fine fettle this glorious Monday morning. (smile) So without further ado, let’s give enthusiastic voice to our Monday Morning Battle Hymn, to help get those dormant adrenalin juices flowing. In one accord now: ‘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!’ Oh Friends, isn’t it fun to be alive? It sure is! I don’t know what we’re going to talk about as yet, but when these Spirit-driven ideas spring up, I just have to go with them right away. So as mih Jamaican breddren would say: ‘Soon come!’ Aye mih people, the ole fella’s back – some fifteen, twenty minutes later. And as you can see, the Spirit guided me to a very good, very interesting and very important Bit: ‘Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof.’ Yes my brethren, as believers, followers of Jesus, the sinless One, we must stop allowing sin to have mastery over our lives. It’s not easy, since we’re all fallen and sinful by nature, but remember that Jesus died and paid for our sins, and if we sincerely turn to Him for help, through the anointing of His Holy Spirit, He will surely help us cut down on our sinful, ungodly behaviour. We will never rid ourselves completely of it in this earthly life, but if we truly concentrate on God, on spiritual rather than worldly things, that most irritating thorn in our flesh called sin, or lusts, won’t be as powerful, and thus our normal sinful nature won’t be as prevalent. Note, Bruh Paul didn’t tell the Roman Church to stop sinning, but to stop letting sin have ‘reign,’ that’s mastery, rule, control over their lives, because he knew that it was impossible for a human being to be sin free on earth. And Friends, that’s an even harder task in these times of so many ungodly pleasures and temptations, of so much eye-candy and evil invitations, stuff Bruh Paul could never have imagined. These days we’re just constantly bombarded from all sides with the lusts and idols of the world, and unless we’re really strong in the faith, it’s real easy to fall prey to those delicious, mouth-watering temptations. Lucifer knows just how and when to rattle our cages with his evil pleasantries. That’s why Friends, if we want to stay true and righteous to God’s ways, we have to continually immerse ourselves in God’s Word. That’s the only thing in this crazy, confused and evil world which will give us some respite from the enemy’s ongoing attacks. Anytime we seem weak or ready to falter, Beelzebub and his cronies are on us like white on rice. (smile) Laugh, but it’s true. Consequently, things like our Monday Morning Battle Hymn and Friday Chant are important in keeping the Word near and dear to us. Every opportunity we get to read, speak or meditate on the Word, we need to grab it with delight, for once the Word is paramount, uppermost in our hearts and minds, then there’s much less room for Beelzebub to work in, so his taunts and invites won’t seem so wonderful. Anyway Friends, knowing our modern-day penchant for short attention spans, (smile) we’ll stop here for today. Tomorrow though, our God in favour, we’ll continue this topic, cause it’s of the utmost importance and there are plenty scriptures that address it. Till then, let’s LOVE our God, LIVE our Faith, and SPREAD His Word. Much LOVE!…where the Word of God abounds…sin is of little influence…

Oh Friends, our world seems to be crumbling right before our very eyes, and also under our very feet. Instead of finding true and lasting solutions to our existing problems, we apply band-aid solutions where possible, because everyday brings a host of new problems. If it’s not another natural disaster, it’s a new theatre of strife and war, more economic faltering or famine and sickness. So what are we to make of it all eh? Most of us are too small in political stature and economic power to make a sizeable impression on the world stage, but we can all make a difference in our own backyards, starting with our families, friends and neighbours. We first have to fix the problems at the local, grassroots level, because that’s where most of them originate, and if we don’t, then they escalate to worldwide problems. Before we can do anything worthwhile though, we need a strong lifeline to personally hold on to, a solid foundation to build on, something that will give us the strength, wisdom, enthusiasm and staying power that is essential for making a difference in this evil, confused and ungodly world. And the only place to get that secure lifeline and solid foundation is in the lifeline of hope, the solid foundation based on our proven faith in the Lord God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, for He ALONE has the wherewithal to substantially change things. But for that to happen, we have to work with Him, not against Him, as so many of us today seem intent on doing. Oh my people, if Almighty God created the universe and all therein and still controls it, who better to turn to for help eh? The Good Book, the holy and truthful Word of the Lord says so, so it must be so. And Bruh David in his godly wisdom puts it nicely in our Bit: ‘The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament (expanse of heaven), showeth his handiwork (the work of his hands).’ Yesterday we saw how the Lord spoke the world into existence. (Gen.1:1-5), today it’s the firmament: ‘And God said, Let there be a firmament (expanse) in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters. And God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament: and it was so. And God called the firmament Heaven. And the evening and the morning were the second day.’ (Gen.1:6-8) So in the first two days, we have a basic structure; a sort of upstairs – heaven, and a downstairs – land and water. And thus it went on, until the seventh day when the Lord was satisfied with His creation and rested. Now when we look at this mammoth creation, so tied in together like clockwork and self-sufficient in all aspects, how can we not see the hand of a great Creator? That’s what Bruh David saw, and he uses the first six verses of Psalm 19 to prove that a powerful creative force, namely God, does exist. I like how the scholars put it: ‘The heavens are God’s preachers in the sky who proclaim 24 hours a day the truth that God exists (vv.1,2); furthermore they speak a universal language (vv.3,4).’ In light of those remarks, it’s only fitting that we share those verses. ‘Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night showeth (reveals) knowledge. There is no speech nor language, where their voice is not heard. Their line (measuring line) is gone out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world. In them hath he set a tabernacle (tent) for the sun. Which is as a bridegroom coming out of his chamber, and rejoiceth as a strong man to run a race. His going forth (rising) is from the end of the heaven, and his circuit unto the ends of it: and there is nothing hid from the heat thereof.’ (Ps.19:2-6) Oh Friends, the very fact of day and night happening from the beginning of time, one after the other every 24 hours, and all over the earth, speaks volumes about our Creator. And note how Bruh David describes the sun as a most fetching bridegroom, as it rises above the horizon, and goes about its daily journey, from one end of the earth to the other, without fail, as a strong man running a race. To top it all off; nothing escapes the sun’s heat. Consequently my brethren, there is only one place, one Being to turn to for lasting help; the Lord God Almighty. Unfortunately though, a major portion of the earth’s inhabitants have turned away from the Most High God, so He’s left us to our own devices, to stew in the pot of our evil, lustful and worldly ways. Therefore to get help from Him, we’ve got to return to obediently serving and worshipping Him with true hearts, minds and souls. Oh Friends, I don’t know how many of our problems stem from our disobedience and rebellion to God’s Word, but I’m sure some of it is directly connected to that. It says so in the Good Book from Genesis to Revelation. So let’s smarten up and return to our godly ways nuh. Like Jesus’ story of the Prodigal Son, (Luke 15:11-32) the Lord promises to greet us with open arms when we come to Him in repentance. So why are so reluctant and stubborn to take Him up on His offer? He alone knows. And we’ll end with a fitting Eastern Proverb: ‘The acts of this life are the destiny of the next.’ And that’s gospel mih breddren; whatever we do in this life will determine what happens to us in the next! Much LOVE!…him that hath ears to hear…let him hear…