SCRIP-BITS

Deuteronomy 30:11.    For this commandment which I command thee this day, it is not hidden from thee, neither is it far off.
 
Oh Friends, we have not read our names nor seen our pictures in the today’s obits, so that means we must be still alive and kicking! Glory Hallelujah! Now the important question is to what purpose are we going to put the next 24 hours? I surely hope that we’ll put them to wise, godly use, starting right now with our Bit: ‘For this commandment which I command thee this day, it is not hidden from thee (too mysterious for thee), neither is it far off.’ Yes Friends, our God is an up front Being. He doesn’t mince words or say things in secret, but says them out in the open for all to hear and understand. Hear Isaiah with His words on that score: ‘I have not spoken in secret, in a dark place of the earth: I said not unto the seed of Jacob, Seek ye me in vain: I the Lord speak righteousness, I declare things that are right.’ (Is.45:19) And just as He gave the commandments openly and up front to Israel through Moses, the same way He is giving them to us today. ‘It is not in heaven, that thou shouldest say, Who shall go up for us to heaven, and bring it unto us, that we may hear it, and do it? Neither is it beyond the sea, that thou shouldest say, Who shall go over the sea for us, and bring it unto us, that we may hear it, and do it? But the word is very nigh unto thee, in thy mouth, and in thy heart, that thou mayest do it.’  (Deut.30:12-14) Yes my people, we don’t have to search for God’s word because it’s right there in our hearts and souls and therefore our mouths. And the commandment He’s giving us today my brethren is: ‘See, I have set before thee this day life and good, and death and evil; In that I command thee this day to LOVE the Lord thy God, to walk in his ways, and to keep his commandments and his statutes and his judgements, that thou mayest live and multiply: and the Lord thy God shall bless thee in the land whither thou goest to possess it.’ (Deut.30:15-16) Oh Friends, it’s a straightforward condition. We have the option to choose life and good over death and evil, by LOVING the Lord our God and doing His will, which will cause us to prosper. But there are always two sides to every story. Oh I know mankind says three; your side, my side and the truth. However, with our magnificent God, there are only two; obey me and reap the rewards, or disobey my law and be punished. And here’s how God put the second side of His story: ‘But if thine heart turn away, so that you wilt not hear, but shall be drawn away, and worship other gods, and serve them; I denounce (announce) unto you this day, that ye shall surely perish, and that ye shall not prolong your days upon the land, whither thou passest over Jordan to go to possess it.’ (Deut.30:17-18) There we go again my brethren, straight to the point; disobey and perish. Yuh know our God must really LOVE and care for us a whole lot yes mih people, the way He’s taken such pains to put everything down so clear, simple and concise. He doesn’t want us to be confused by or misunderstand His rules and regulations. That means we have no excuses for there are no intermediate paths; we either obey or disobey, end of story. And He was even nice and thoughtful enough to provide conditions for the restoration of blessings if we happened to disobey and fall under the curse. What a kind and considerate God we serve my Friends! So why is our world in such a mess eh? Why has there been such a steady flow from godliness to ungodliness? Why have the lustful and idolatrous pleasures of Lucifer’s evil world taken us away from following Almighty God eh? I guess the pride and ego involved in our economically and technologically successful nations fooled us into thinking that we did it all on our own strength. Which we know is a lie. Then we believers who stayed on firm ground, did not do enough, have not shown enough Christ-like behaviour to draw others to His kingdom, what with so much dissension and resentment amongst ourselves, plus our hypocritical attitudes. Neither have we taught this young generation to sufficiently revere and venerate God, consequently they’ve been even more susceptible to Lucifer’s evil lures then any generation before them. And finally, Lucifer’s cronies have installed themselves in the halls of power and have been waging a very strong and successful war against us, while we unfortunately have sat idly by, allowing them to remove the many aspects of God in our society; in schools, government, and just in general, with the not too subtle help of the heathen newcomers. Oh Friends, all of this obviously adds up to the weakening of God’s forces on earth. But I am here to tell us that this situation can be reversed, can be remedied, if we tackle it the right way, RIGHT NOW, because the forces of good, when mounted together in unity will always be stronger than and be able to defeat those of evil. And we’ll end with Moses’ heart-rending call to His people, way back when, which is still very applicable to us today, because the Word of our God never changes. Therefore I’m solemnly imploring us today my people with the words of our God: ‘I call heaven and earth to record (announce) this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live.’ (Deut.30:19) Now all you believers in Christ, let’s press on, mobilize, unify and mount a serious campaign of peace, LOVE and godly intentions against the forces of evil, and retake our world, so that our children can live safe, comfortable, prosperous and godly lives. Much LOVE!…wisdom is crying out…desperately calling aloud…please choose life and blessing…
 

Deuteronomy 11:26.    Behold, I set before you this day a blessing and a curse.
 
Oh Friends, we’ve been generously granted another day on God’s earth! Please, let’s be thankful for it, both in word and deed. And no, we have not finished with this Bit as yet: ‘Behold, I set before you this day a blessing and a curse.’ Why? Because we worship such a wise and magnanimous God, who, knowing our penchant for sin and disobedience, provided not only the original rules for receiving blessing and curse, but also a way out of the curse, back into the state of blessing. And all God’s people joyfully shouted: ‘Thank you Father God for LOVING us so much and making a way to reverse the curse on our disobedient lives and bring us back to blessings again!’ And so Friends, in the Lord’s usual, straightforward way, to avoid confusion, the conditions for restoration and blessing are purposely outlined in Deut.30. Oh my people, the change of status, from curse to blessing, hinges totally on sincere repentance, then receiving God’s forgiveness, and last and most important, staying obedient. It’s a call for us to make a rather strong and important decision: Life and blessing, or death and cursing. And yuh better believe that I’m opting for life and blessing! The death and cursing are too horrible for my liking. As for me and mine, we shall follow the Lord! Now, per how the curse and blessing works in real life, we have an excellent example of it with Israel, the Lord’s chosen people, who for their shameful sins and disobedience after entering the Promised Land and becoming prosperous through God’s help, were besieged by the Chaldeans in Jerusalem. The unfortunate outcome was God’s city of Jerusalem left in ruins and it’s people taken captive to Babylon. However, true to the Lord’s Word, some seventy years later, through the prayerful and repentant efforts of faithful people like Ezra and Nehemiah, Israel was eventually restored to the fullness of blessing. Now here are the basic principles for turning curse to blessing:  ‘And it shall come to pass, when all these things are come upon thee, the blessing and the curse, which I have set before thee, and thou shalt call them to mind (cause them to return to your heart) among all the nations, whither the Lord thy God hath driven thee, And shalt return unto the Lord thy God, and shalt obey his voice according to all that I command thee this day, thou and thy children, with all thine heart, and with all thy soul; That then the Lord thy God will turn thy (bring you back from) captivity, and have compassion upon thee, and will return and gather thee from all the nations, wither the Lord thy God hath scattered thee….And the Lord thy God will bring thee into the land which thy father’s possessed, and thou shalt possess it; and he will do thee good, and multiply thee above thy fathers. And the Lord thy God will circumcise thine heart, and the heart of thy seed, to LOVE the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, that thou mayest live. And the Lord thy God will put all these curses upon thine enemies, and on them that hate thee, which persecuted thee. 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, in the fruit of thy body (offspring), 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.30:1-3, 5-9) Ah Friends, it’s so simple: to live long and prosperous, follow God’s commandments. If we don’t, then we’ll be punished with all the curses He’s outlined. But just supposing, now is only suppose we supposing eh, (smile) that we become disobedient and endure His curse, if one day we finally wake up and learn sense, then it is possible to return to that wonderful state of blessing that we’d first known. But my brethren, in that case we have to be real serious about repentance. We can’t just be going through the outward motions because the Lord is going to check our hearts before He showers us with any blessings again. Then, as always, we have to RECEIVE His mercy and forgiveness. And sadly, that’s where a lot of us falter. We ask, but we don’t receive. Oh Friends, there needs to be an actual act of receiving on our part, and then behaving as though we’re forgiven, for many of still unwisely bear the guilt and shame although God has forgiven us. And now mih people, having gone through the blessings, curses and restoration of blessings again in the Good Book, and knowing the ungodliness and disobedience to God’s Word in our world, what is your opinion of it’s overwhelming negative situation? Can you be a true believer and not rack up some of our disasters, our negativity, to our turning away from God, especially after considering the more godly situation of say fifty years ago and the prosperity we enjoyed back then? I don’t think so. But Friends, it’s a decision we all have to make, individually and hopefully nation-wide, else our world will continue to bathe in negativity, to slide down its very slippery slope, until it is finally destroyed, and quite possibly by our own hands too. Fortunately though my brethren, it’s not too late for us to activate those conditions for restoration and blessing. But we have to put them in motion NOW! Not at some later date, for time is of the essence. So please, let’s think about all the wrong we’ve done, in particular not teaching our children to walk properly with the God of our fathers, and let’s sincerely repent and ask our LOVING and merciful heavenly Father for forgiveness, then receive it and live obediently for ever more. It’s the only way to bring about change in our unhappy, violent, evil and confused world. Much LOVE!…is it going to be life and blessing…or more death and cursing…it’s our call…
 

Deuteronomy 11:26.    Behold, I set before you this day a blessing and a curse.
 
   Oh Friends, the situation seems to be worsening daily on Japan’s devastated east coast. Having undergone the earthquake and tsunami attack, the unfortunate people are now faced with the distinct possibility of radiation exposure due to the damage of nuclear power stations in the area. What’s next eh? As I’ve urged, we have to pray fervently and diligently for their safety and recovery, and give whatever aid we can, be it physical or monetary. And though we’ve seen many catastrophes and disasters recently, this seems to be one of the worse in a time of peace. The devastation in terms of property and buildings is horrendous, as it was a highly developed and prosperous area. It’s too early to quantify human losses, but that too will be very high. And don’t forget fellow believers, that Jesus warned us of these situations: ‘Take heed that ye be not deceived: for many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and the time draweth near: go ye not therefore after them. But when ye shall hear of wars and commotions, be not terrified: for these things must first come to pass, but the end is not by and by (is not coming immediately). Then he said unto them, Nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: And great earthquakes shall be in divers (various) places, and famines, and pestilences: and fearful sights and great signs shall there be before heaven. But before all these, they shall lay their hands on you, and persecute you, delivering you up to the synagogues, and into prisons, being brought before kings and rulers for my name’s sake.’ (Luke 21:8-12) Unfortunately all of that is happening now my Friends in Christ. There’s been a worldwide resurgence in the persecution of Christians, simply for their beliefs. But Jesus, in His great wisdom, also provided an answer for that: ‘And it shall turn to you for a testimony.’ (Luke 21:13) Yes my people, those persecutions will be excellent opportunities for us to rise up and give sterling testimony of Christ! Now please, let’s not fool ourselves into thinking that all these disastrous happenings have nothing to do with our ungodly behaviour, because to some extent they do. Our Bit plainly states the two opposing possibilities re our earthly existence. ‘Behold, I set before you this day a blessing and a curse.’ And with our current worldwide domination of evil, violence, idolatry and ungodliness, there’s no doubt, if we believe God’s Word, that we’re in a season of curse. No ifs and buts about that mih breddren! I won’t get into all the curses that were promised for constant ungodliness, and are befalling us right now, because they are too numerous. Read Deut. 28:15-68 and you’ll see them. But just remember that the opposite of all the blessings are our lot for such disobedient behaviour. We shall no longer be the head, but the tail, which we are, for the heathen economies have risen to prominence. And re lending and borrowing, we are now borrowers. Those same heathen economies have been propping up our Western nations for some time now. First it was Japan, then the oil rich Arabs, and now China and the other emerging Asian nations are becoming the lenders of note. 
  And why all these trials and tribulations my Friends? It’s simple common sense, not rocket science. ‘Because thou servedst not the Lord thy God with joyfulness, and with gladness of heart, for the abundance of all things.’ (Deut.28:47) Yes mih people, in our time of abundance we forgot the ONE who truly caused it. Sadly, man’s pride and ego, in conjunction with Lucifer’s lies, led us to foolishly think it was our own might and power that begot us such abundance. Consequently, we’re now paying a very steep price for the unwise forsaking of Almighty God. Oh Friends, please remember that the Lord’s Word is the ultimate truth, and if we continually disobey it we will pay a disastrous price. A word to the wise in this instance should be more than sufficient my brethren. So let’s show our wisdom to the world nuh. Much LOVE! …there’s no sugar coating it…the wages of sin is undoubtedly death…eternal separation from the Lord God Jehovah…   P.S. This beta, or rather alpha format of our Bit is brought to you courtesy of my daughters, who, since I mentioned my friend’s recent complaint re lack of paragraphs, have persisted in claiming that paragraphs and more spacing makes it more reader friendly. I’m not convinced of that, and it certainly makes it longer, but here it is anyway, for your approval or rejection. It’s been so long since I’ve written anything with paragraphs, that I’ve forgotten how to do so. (smile) Much LOVE!
 

Deuteronomy 11:26.    Behold, I set before you this day a blessing and a curse.

Deuteronomy 11:26.     Behold, I set before you this day a blessing and a curse.

Deuteronomy 5:29.     O that there were such a heart in them, that they would fear me, and keep all my commandments always, that it might be well with them, and with their children for ever!

Ah my Friends, another natural disaster of great magnitude has cruelly assaulted our already troubled and turbulent world. We’re talking of the 8.9 level earthquake that triggered the devastating tsunami on Japan’s east coast yesterday. I can’t remember ever hearing of such a powerful earth tremor, and it surely caused unspeakable devastation. But what is it about the last few years that’s caused our world, already rocked by much violence and strife, to be also plagued by all the possible natural disasters; floods, famines, earthquakes, volcanoes, tsunamis, hurricanes, heat-waves, cold-waves, etc? You name it, we’ve recently experienced it. This apparently has been the worst natural disaster to hit Japan in centuries. And the sad part is that we can’t do a whole lot for them in physical and economical terms, for we’re all going through some very rough times. We’ve still got to do what we can though. One thing we can certainly do is pray for them. There’s no limit to that or shortage of it. So please, my brethren, let’s offer up some serious, heartfelt prayers for the unfortunate people of Japan. This brings us to the age old question of how much are we responsible for our disasters? I can’t quantify it, but I’m sure we’re responsible to some extent on two fronts. The first is our stupid messing with the delicate balance of the universe’s systems. The numerous chemicals and waste matter we spew into the atmosphere, the water and the land, undoubtedly affects our weather patterns. Cutting down so much of the rain forests that holds the soil together also adds to the negative effects, like soil erosion. And the constant drilling in the earth’s core, all over the world, using stuff like dynamite to achieve our selfish and greedy ends, plus all the other bombings and detonations being set off by wars and terrorist activities, will surely affect the earth’s crust and core after a while. In our mad rush for supposed glory and earthly riches we seem not to truly comprehend the precision with which the world and all therein was made, and just like man and many man-made things, if the whole is not in sync, then problems will eventually arise. Turning now to the second front of our culpability. Unfortunately our Bit spells it out in spades. ‘O that there were such a heart in them, that they would fear me, and keep all my commandments always, that it might be well with them, and with their children for ever!’ Again Friends, I can’t say how much of our disasters are the result of our ungodliness, but I’m sure that it does play a part. And if you believe the Good Book, then you’ll agree, for from day one the Lord God who created the universe, gave man dominion over it, but He also decreed that man was to walk in His will or serious repercussions would result. (Gen.1:27-28) But Adam and Eve disobeyed. ‘Therefore the Lord God sent him from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from whence he was taken.’ (Gen.3:23) And from then Friends, we’ve been fighting a losing battle, trying to make it on our own. We have the telling example of the Israelites, God’s chosen people; prospering when they obeyed Him, but falling on extremely hard times when they didn’t. And basic history is just filled with nations and societies who fell to their untimely demise through ignoring God’s Word and His warnings. The prophets delivered the warnings, but man heeded them not and paid the severe price. Isaiah says it the best. In talking about the futility of relying on man: ‘Woe to the rebellious children, saith the Lord, that take counsel, but not of me, and that cover with a covering (devise plans, weave a web), but not of my spirit, that they may add sin to sin.’ (Is.30:1) Then in Chapter 57, he condemns Israel’s idolatry. ‘The righteous perisheth, and no man layeth (takes) it to heart: and merciful men are taken away, none considering that the righteous is taken away from the evil to come (the presence of evil) He shall enter into peace: they shall rest in their beds, each one walking in his uprightness….But the wicked are like the troubled sea, when it cannot rest, whose waters cast up mire and dirt. There is no peace, saith my God, to the wicked.’ (Is.57:1-2, 20-21) In Chapter 58, he continues the condemnation of Israel: ‘Cry aloud, spare not (do not hold back), lift up thy voice like a trumpet, and shew (tell) my people their transgression, and the house of Jacob their sins.’ (Is.58:1) Then in Chapter 59, talking about national corruption and consequent suffering, he lays it on thick: ‘Behold the Lord’s hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither his ear heavy, that it cannot hear. But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear. For your hands are defiled with blood (bloodshed), and your fingers with iniquity; your lips have spoken lies, your tongue hath muttered perverseness.’ (Is.59:1-3) Yes Friends, we are guilty of all that and more, so if the Bible is true, as we believe, then it’s obvious that the Lord will at some stage inflict some kind of punishment on our evil based world. We are obviously seeing some of it now, for when we weren’t as advanced, but more godly, it was never this bad. Unfortunately, our advancement has led us to terrible ungodliness, with disastrous results. Only by returning to the straight and narrow can we avoid further destruction. Much LOVE!…for the wages of sin…is death…

Deuteronomy 5:29.    O that there were such a heart in them, that they would fear me, and keep my commandments always, that it might be well with them, and with their children for ever!
 
Oh Friends, it’s Friday already! This week has certainly passed quickly, what with Carnival and all that riotous carnal behaviour! And plenty people still so tired they can barely mouth, ‘TGIF! Thank God is Friday!’ Deh just dying for it to end, so they could go home and rest up after their too hectic celebration (smile) But it’s time now to settle down and pursue a quiet, spiritual Lenten season. Do whatever you do for Lent, but make sure that whatever it is, truly comes from your heart, and is not just an outward show for others to see and think that yuh so holy and spiritual. For remember, our God looks at the truth in our hearts and not at our outward actions. With all of that in mind, let’s put our best voice forward and chant our Friday Chant nuh: ‘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.’ Ah mih people, it’s time we seriously get into our God! No more excuses! If we want to be true believers then we have to be alert and responsible and do the necessary things, like making time for the Lord and spending it fruitfully with Him. The same way we sign up for stuff like the gym and other extra-curricular activities, then acknowledge and adhere to our responsibilities, it’s the same way we ought to do with Christ, since we signed up to be His followers. That means we’re obligated to get together with Him on a regular basis, like every day. Oh Friends, we might be able to put off worldly activities and get away with it, but believe me, we can’t put off God for any length of time and flourish. And though we’ll all agree with that statement, unfortunately, in real life, most of us don’t adhere to it. Why eh? Consequently, our lives and our world is in utter chaos, and it has our God sadly lamenting like He did so long ago with the disobedient, rebellious Israelites: ‘O that there were such a heart in them, that they would fear me, and keep all my commandments always, that it might be well with them, and with their children.’ Oh my people, do we realize how badly it saddens and breaks our God’s heart to see us living in such abominable sin, with our lives crumbling under our very feet, when it’s totally unnecessary? Yesterday we looked at some of the many times He lamented over His lost and disobedient children. Today, we’ll look at the basic wording of His lament. Now the first part says: ‘O that there were such a heart in them, that they would fear me…’ We know He’s not referring to real fear, but more to respect, reverence, wisdom and common sense. And if we don’t have those aspects covered, then Friends, in the true sense of the word, we better really fear what’s going to happen to us. Now to give us some idea of the true fear and reverence of God, it’s good and bad sides, let’s check out some scripture. And we’ll begin with our spiritual father, Abraham. A couple times, down in Egypt and Gerar, he claimed that his wife Sarah was his sister. Though she was in fact his half sister, she was his wife first and foremost. Why did he do that? ‘And Abraham said, Because I thought, Surely the fear of God is not in this place, and they will slay me for my wife’s sake (on account of my wife).’ (Gen.29:11) So because he figured that the people in those places didn’t respect and worship His God, he lied to save his skin. And no doubt many of us have used some similar excuse for our less than stellar actions on certain occasions. But Friends, that’s no good reason, for if we really fear and respect our God, then we can overcome whatever others do, or don’t do. Hear the psalmist: ‘The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom: a good understanding have all they that do his commandments: his praise endureth for ever.’ (Ps.111:10) That’s what the positive side of the equation gives us my brethren. And Cousin Sol agrees: ‘The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the Holy (One) is understanding.’  (Prov.9:10) Then he states: ‘The fear of the Lord prolongeth days: but the years of the wicked shall be shortened.’ (Prov.10:27) That means long life can also be had through proper reverencing of our God. And furthermore, Cousin Sol rightfully declares: ‘In the fear of the Lord is strong confidence: and his children shall have a place of refuge. The fear of the Lord is a fountain of life, to depart (turn one away) from the snares of death.’ (Prov.14: 26-27) Finally, listen to Bruh Paul’s famous words on the subject to Timothy. ‘For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of LOVE, and of a sound mind. Be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me his prisoner: but be thou partaker of the afflictions (share with me in the sufferings) of the gospel according to the power of God.’ (2 Tim.1:7-8) Oh Friends, that shows all our bases are covered if we reverence and respect our God properly. So I’m imploring us to do just that, because it’s for our good, not His. More on this tomorrow, our God willing. Till then, please, please look to Him for guidance. Much LOVE!…true reverence of God…increases spiritual power…and dims physical fear…

Deuteronomy 5:29.    O that there were such a heart in them, that they would fear me, and keep all my commandments always, that it might be well with them, and with their children for ever.
 
Oh Friends, our God does move in mysterious ways yes! And I say that because I finally received a reply from a long lost friend who had e-mailed me some time ago to find out if I was the Randy O’Brien that he knew. Hn! Now how could there be more than one of me eh? The Lord broke the mould after He made me. (smile) Anyway I had replied in the affirmative and began sending him the Bit. At last, today he acknowledge receipt of my info, but complained that the Bit was too long, the print too small, no paragraphs, and he was so busy that he couldn’t read them every day. Note, he’s retired and also no spring chicken, but from his list of recent activities, he is pretty busy. But that’s no excuse not to read God’s Word! My reply was as follows: Re the small print; you can enlarge it on your computer. Re the lack of paragraphs; that would only make it seem longer and take up more computer space. Re being too busy; remember our recent quote, stating that the busier we are, the more time we need to spend with God. Re length; we’re always too busy to spend a few minutes reading anything about God, but always find time for the stupid, mindless e-mails. And he was lucky too, because last year they were longer. (smile) But with that kind of attitude towards God driven stuff, we still boldface enough to claim to be God’s people. That’s so hypocritical mih breddren! Oh Friends, please realize that God is not into little bits and pieces of our lives here and there, or when we find it convenient. He wants us to spend decent length and quality time with Him on a regular basis. And no, a minute or two, whenever, is not sufficient. On the other hand though, when we get in a jam, we quick to bawl out: ‘Oh God, help me nuh!’ And we expect Him to jump right away and help us. But it doh work so mih people. Remember whatever you sow, you’ll reap. And if you don’t sow enough quality time with God, then you won’t reap much good stuff from Him. No wonder He so sadly laments in our Bit; ‘O that there were such a heart in them, that they would fear me, and keep all my commandments always, that it might be well with them, and with their children forever!’ Oh Friends that’s exactly what we’ve been talking about; not having the right attitude to our God and His statutes! And the implications in that passage are of such gravity, such enormous importance to our well-being and that of our children forever, that we ought to pay it much more attention. And sadly that lament of our God goes back thousands of years to the days of the rebellious Israelites on the journey to the Promised Land. And it’s not the only time He’s lamented through one of His spokespeople. Listen to some: ‘For they are a nation void of counsel, neither is there any understanding in them. O that they were wise, that they understood this, that they would consider their latter end!’ (Deut.32:28-29) That’s part of Moses’ Song, wishing that his people would consider their end, would have enough sense to realize that it depended only and solely on their relationship to the God of their fathers. Meanwhile in Psalm 81, re God’s goodness and Israel’s waywardness, the writer, Asaph, laments on God’s behalf: ‘I am the Lord thy God, which brought thee out of the land of Egypt: open thy mouth wide, and I will fill it. But my people would not hearken to (heed) my voice; and Israel would (have) none of me. So I gave them up unto their own hearts lusts (stubbornness): and they walked in their own counsels. Oh that my people had hearkened unto me, and Israel had walked in my ways! I should have soon subdued their enemies, and turned my hand against their adversaries.’ (Ps.81:10-14) Yes Friends, if we walk in the Lord’s ways, He makes our paths straight and subdues our enemies. And Isaiah, one of God’s foremost prophets bewailed: ‘Thus saith the Lord, thy Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel; I am the Lord thy God which teacheth thee to profit, which leadeth thee by the way that thou shouldest go. O that thou hadst hearkened to (heeded) my commandments! then had thy peace been as a river, and thy righteousness as the waves of the sea: Thy seed also had been as the sand, and the offspring of thy bowels (body) like the gravel (grains of sand) thereof; his name should not have been cut off nor destroyed from before me.’  (Isa.48:17-19) And sadly Friends, our God is still lamenting our lack of wisdom; not paying Him proper reverence and obeying His Word. Then we wonder why our lives and our world are in such a mess? But there’s only one reason mih people; we’ve turned away, moved our allegiance from the Most High God Jehovah to that foolish fallen angel, Lucifer. And how much good has that done for us eh? Positively? Absolutely zilch! But lots of evil, violence and destruction! And until we, as individuals, nations and the world begin seriously reverencing Almighty God and living in greater obedience to His Word and Will, we’ll continue down this path of hopelessness. And I’ll end here. Got to keep it short. (smile) More on this tomorrow, our God in favour. Till then, please find, rather make time to spend with Him. It’s for our benefit, not His. Much LOVE!…remember…hard ears pickney…does always pay the price…
 

Ezekiel 20:19.    I am the Lord your God; walk in my statutes, and keep my judgements and do them.
 
Well Friends, is Ash Wednesday now! The mas done! It over for another year. All yuh get yuh fix of carnal lusts, is time now to get a jolt of spiritual power in this Lenten season. (smile) But seriously though mih people, we need to get more spiritually minded, develop a stronger spiritual base, a sure foundation, both in our individual lives and in the lives of our nations, if we ever hope to turn our disaster headed world around. As the great philosopher Aristotle is supposed to have said: ‘We cannot learn without pain.’ And we all know that’s a fact, via our translation of ‘no pain, no gain.’ But however you put it, to improve our lives we must endure some struggle, some pain. The problem though is that our society has become so soft and spoon-fed that most of us shy away from a little struggle or pain. We whine and complain at the very onset of any difficulty. But look at the terrible pain that Jesus endured for us. The least we can do is endure a little to further His kingdom. And yes, doing His will, spreading His gospel of peace, LOVE, joy, salvation and eternal life will bring us pain of variable nature and varying intensity, but the good part is that the rewards later on, both in this life and the next, will all be worth the discomfort. What reward can be greater than to hear Jesus say on that glorious day, when He greets us with a bear hug and the words: ‘Welcome home, my good and faithful servant!’ Ah Friends, that will be the most blessed day of our entire lives! But that delightful scene will never be enacted unless we do as our Bit encourages: ‘I am the Lord your God; walk in my statutes, and keep my judgements, and do them.’ Oh brothers and sisters in Christ, our God has been saying this to His people from the day He set Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. Unfortunately they failed the test, and from then on sin and disobedience have been running rampant amongst mankind. And it must be said that great is our Lord’s patience, and His faith in man of stellar proportions. Else why did He choose the Israelites as His special people, bring them out of bondage in Egypt and lead them to the Promised Land? And although they rebelled several times during the journey, and even after they entered the Promised Land, He stuck with them through thick and thin, punishing them when they went astray, and rewarding them when they walked the right path. At Mt. Horeb He made a covenant with them, instructing Moses to: ‘Gather me the people together, and I will make them hear my words, that they may learn to fear me all the days that they shall live upon the earth, and that they may teach their children. And ye came near and stood under the mountain; and the mountain burned with fire unto the midst of heaven, with darkness, clouds, and thick darkness. And the Lord spake unto you out of the midst of the fire: ye heard the voice of the words, but saw no similitude (form); only ye heard a voice. And he declared unto you his covenant, which he commanded you to perform, even ten commandments; and he wrote them upon two tables of stone. And the Lord commanded me at that time to teach you statutes and judgements, that ye might do (observe or perform) them in the land in the land whither ye go over to possess it.’ (Deut.4:10-14) Oh my brethren, after the Lord took the time to speak with His people out of the flaming mountain, and Moses reiterated His message several times along the way, the Israelites still rebelled, followed other gods, did all sorts of abomination in the Lord’s eyes, not the least been intermarrying with the heathen, a sure way of reducing the effect of the Lord’s statutes in their lives. Why eh? Having experienced God’s goodness, miracles and LOVING-kindness along the rough and rugged road to the Promised Land, one would have though that their faith would be iron strong. But apparently it worked in the opposite manner. However, our God LOVES His greatest creation so much, and doesn’t want to destroy us as we so rightfully deserve, that He sent His only Son Jesus to die a horrible death as a sacrifice, to pay for our sins. He gave us another chance to escape the ravages of Hades. But sadly we have not embraced Jesus as much as we should have either. We still tend to follow the lusts of our flesh and the evil dictates of Lucifer, thus we stay in bondage to sin and wonder why our lives are so terrible. It’s simply because our constant sinful ways keep us separated from our heavenly Father. And that my people is the worst thing that could ever happen to us. But the terrible fear, violence and all the other negatives dominating our world today is a stark and frightening reminder of the sad plight of the majority of it’s citizens, who because of their unbelief, their refusal to accept and obey Jesus and the Word, are currently separated from the Most High God Jehovah. Fortunately though Friends, life still exists, which means there is yet hope. But that life can be very short-lived, so to be on the safe side, we have to make amends RIGHT NOW. For though it breaks our God’s heart to lose any of His creation to Beelzebub, there’s nothing He can do if we refuse His offer of reconciliation; eternal separation from Him will be our lot. So I implore us, to take our Bit to heart and truthfully live it, if we desire to spend eternity with Jesus. Much LOVE!…however you make up your bed…is just so you’ll have to lie on it…
 

Psalm 25:14.    The secret of the Lord is with them that fear him; and he will show them his covenant.
 
Oh Friends, the bacchanalian celebrations continue in T&T today! It’s the big day, with all the pretty costumes out on the streets and moving across the main stage at the Queens Park Savannah and several other smaller venues. Every street corner is jammed packed, with pan and brass blasting and people jumping and wining, trying to give credence to its title of the ‘greatest party on earth.’ Now Rio might be bigger, but Friends, there’s something about T&T mas that just gets into your spirit and moves you. I guess it comes from the powerful amalgamated spiritual background of our African, Indian and Christian heritage. And if you want to watch it live, you can check out www.carnivaltv.net, they promise to be streaming it from around 7 a.m. That’s your Carnival fix. Now here’s your spiritual direction. (smile) This is a quote from St. Frances de Sales, (1567-1622) a French Roman Catholic Bishop of Geneva, supposedly active in the struggle against Calvinism. And it’s for all of you who think you’re so busy. ‘Half an hour’s meditation each day is essential – except when you’re very busy. Then a full hour is needed.’ Yes mih Friends, too many of us figure, or claim that we’re too busy to spend much time with God. But the truth is, when we’re so busy that we don’t know our A from our E, that’s when we really need to spend plenty quality time with our heavenly Father, so that He can settle us, take away our world induced busyness stress, and right our rocking, unsteady ship. That’s why Bruh David in his prayer for guidance and protection stoutly and truthfully declares: ‘The secret of the Lord is with them that fear him; and he will show them (cause them to know) his covenant.’ That’s for certain sure my brethren! If you don’t show proper respect and reverence to the Lord, you will never know what He’s about, or what His plans are for you. That’s because those things are only revealed when you get into true, personal closeness with Him. Then and only then, will you truly understand His will. It’s like most things in this world; we learn more about them, the more we interact with or study them. Our God is no different; the more we interact with Him, study, meditate and follow His Word, the more understanding we gain of His ways, His likes and dislikes. That means we obviously can’t follow God truthfully, unless we have a good, strong understanding of Him, His statutes and precepts. Cousin Sol says it this way: ‘For the froward (perverse person) is abomination to the Lord: but his secret (secret council) is with the righteous.’ (Prov.3:32) Yes my people, only if we live right with our God, will He show us what He’s all about, plus His plans for us individually. Now hear our Saviour’s take on the subject. ‘For every one that doeth (practices) evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved (exposed). But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God.’ (John 3:20-21) That’s at the end of the passage where He expounds to Nicodemus on the need to be born again to enter heaven’s portals. It’s absolutely essential for followers of Jesus to see the light, to come out of the slavish darkness that Lucifer wants to keep us in, so that we can be forever ignorant of God’s tremendous goodness and exceedingly great LOVE. And unless our deeds can stand the light of day, public scrutiny, then we living in darkness mih people. Now listen to the Master again, when He went up to the Feast of the Tabernacles at Jerusalem, and people wondered about His great knowledge, a mere carpenter’s son. ‘And the Jews marvelled, saying, How knoweth this man letters, having never learned (studied)? Jesus answered them, and said, My doctrine is not mine, but his that sent me. If any man will do his will, he shall know of (concerning) the doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak of myself. He that speaketh of himself seeketh his own glory: but he that seeketh his glory that sent him, the same is true, and no unrighteousness is in him.’ (John 7:15-18)  Ah Friends, when we seek our own glory, that’s when we stumble and fall. Notice that even Jesus, the Messiah, in His divine wisdom, here on earth always acknowledged the Lord God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob as His teacher, mentor and fountain of His wisdom. Even so should we mere sinful mortals, if we truly want to know the secrets of Almighty God and heaven. Much LOVE!…in like proportion to our godly reverence… will the secrets of heaven be revealed to us…