SCRIP-BITS

Psalm 5:5.    The foolish shall not stand in thy sight: thou hatest all workers of iniquity.

Proverbs 29:25.     The fear of man bringeth a snare: but whoso putteth his trust in the Lord shall be safe.

Proverbs 29:25.    The fear of man bringeth a snare: but whoso putteth his trust in the Lord shall be safe.
 
Glad tidings mih people, it’s Friday! Consequently many of us are high-fiving each other and joyfully mouthing ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday!’ But please remember that it’s not all peaches and cream on the weekend, for we often have to straighten out stuff from the past week and also plan for the upcoming one. However, our Friday Chant is here to boost us, to get us into the groove for the weekend. So let’s all chant with one accord. ‘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 the only way to make that come true is by patterning our lives after our Bit: ‘The fear of man bringeth a snare: but whoso putteth his trust in the Lord shall be safe (secure, exalted).’ Yes Friends, our lives can never blossom the way they ought to unless we place our entire trust in the Lord God Almighty, and not be overly afraid of what man can do to us. Granted, they may kill the body, but never the soul! Now we’ve seen Abraham make two disastrous mistakes because of his fear of powerful men by saying that Sarah, his wife, was his sister. Here is the basis for his declaration, as told to King Abimelech: ‘And yet indeed she is my sister; she is the daughter of my father, but not the daughter of my mother; and she became my wife. And it came to pass when God caused me to wander from my father’s house, that I said unto her, This is thy kindness which thou shalt show unto me; at every place whither we shall come, say of me, He is my brother.’ (Gen.20:12-13) Yes, Sarah was indeed Abraham’s sister on his father’s side, but also his wife, which took preference in the Lord’s eyes. And so it is that today many of us still practice those half-truths and prevarications, according to which part of the story best fits our particular purpose. But my brethren, just like in Abraham’s case, those in-between declarations usually come back to haunt to us, boomerang back in a negative manner. So please, let’s be on the up and up nuh, for if we insist on doing such actions, the Lord won’t always bail us out. And besides, if our faith and trust in God is strong and steadfast, then there’s no need to play those foolish and often dangerous games. Oh Friends, one of the most important things we can ever do in this life is to learn from the mistakes of others, especially our parents. I use to drum that into my children’s head, hopefully they’ve learnt it. Unfortunately though, Abraham’s son, Isaac, did not learn from his father’s errors, for when another famine hit his land, the Lord told him not to go down to Egypt, and he also went to live in Gerar. ‘And the men of the place asked him of his wife; and he said, She is my sister: for he feared to say, She is my wife; lest, said he, the men of the place should kill me for Rebekah; because she was fair to look upon (beautiful).’ (Gen.26:7) Can you believe it people? He did the same nonsense like his father! But as the old people always said, ‘whatever is done in darkness will eventually come to light.’ And so it did, although Isaac apparently got away with it longer than his father. Hear the Good Book: ‘And it came to pass, when he had been there a long time, that Abimelech king of the Philistines looked out at a window, and saw, and, behold, Isaac was sporting with (caressing) Rebekah his wife. And Abimelech called Isaac, and said, Behold, of a surety (obviously) she is thy wife: and how saidst thou, She is my sister? And Isaac said unto him, Because I said, Lest I die for (on account of) her.’ (Gen.26:8-9) Ah Lord eh! Isaac used the same foolish reasoning as his father, although they both supposedly espoused this great faith and trust in the Lord God Almighty. Now Friends, please don’t laugh or judge either of them harshly. In the first place, they didn’t have all the knowledge, resources, wisdom and wonders of God that we have today. They were just getting set in the faith, so therefore the fear of powerful men was still understandably strong. Moreover, today, when we know all about God and His wonderful attributes, we still bow and scrape, lie and tell half-truths to powerful men because of what they can do to us. And it’s a very serious matter Friends, for as I said yesterday, if we don’t practice the faith we preach, then that faith is useless. It all goes right back to walking our talk, which unfortunately we’re not very good at. Oh my people, living our faith is the best thing Christians can ever do, and likewise, not living it, is the worst mistake a believer can make. Too often we make claims in God’s name, then don’t live up to them in our own lives. Please, I implore us to cease and desist from that ungodly, untrustworthy kind of behaviour, for we might not be as lucky as Abraham and Isaac. More on this tomorrow, God in favour. Till then, go safely with God. Much LOVE!…our basic responsibility here on earth, is to…LOVE our God…SPREAD His Word…LIVE our Faith… P.S. Oh Friends, my favourite gospel soca just came on on Wack 90.1. ‘Try Jesus!’ A nice piece of synco-soca. ‘ Try Jesus…He’s always around. Try Jesus…He’ll never let you down. Try Jesus…He’s such a wonderful Friend. Try Jesus…Well I know your heart He can mend. Try Jesus…He’s always there for you. Try Jesus…He’ll always see you through. Try Jesus…I know I’ll never regret it. Cause Jesus never failed me yet. Try Jesus…Yes Friends…Please Try Jesus…You won’t regret it…Try Jesus…’ Much LOVE!

Proverbs 29:25.    The fear of man bringeth a snare: but whoso putteth his trust in the Lord shall be safe.
 
Oh Friends, every day the Lord shows me some new working of His mysterious ways. Today it was discovering some copies of a story in my study. I believe I made them some time ago to give to my children, but never did. Sorry children. (smile) However, when I read the story, entitled ‘The Seed,’ I was blown away, since it dealt with the very topic we’re currently talking about; not trusting or being afraid of man, which leads us to deceptive practices, but instead, wisely putting our trust and faith in the Lord God Almighty. Anyway, the gist of ‘The Seed,’ is that a Christian businessman wants to retire and decides to appoint a new C.E.O in an abnormal manner. Consequently, one day he calls all the young executives into the board room and gives them each a seed, telling them to plant and nourish it and return in a year with what they had grown. As luck would have it, this guy named Jim, just can’t get his seed to grow despite serious efforts of watering and fertilizing. Then the big day comes and all the young execs file into the boardroom with their lush plants. Jim is the only one with an empty pot. He has thought of going awol, but his sensible wife encourages him to go and tell the truth of his situation. But now, seeing all the lush flora on the floor beside his empty pot, and with his coworkers either laughing at or pitying him, he seriously regrets coming. Then the boss comes in and admires all the beautiful plants, but he also sees Jim cowering at the back of the group and orders him brought to the front. Imagine poor Jim’s consternation nuh? He feels like a failure, and figures the boss senses it too. The boss asks him what happened, why the empty pot, and Jim truthfully explains his tragic luck. But then, as in all God’s works, a strange thing occurs. The boss tells the other execs to sit down, then proudly announces Jim as the company’s next C.E.O. Wow! Why, you ask? Because he had given them all boiled, dead seeds, which couldn’t grow, but when they realized that, all of them, except Jim, went out and bought good seeds. And the moral of the story? Courage, truth and honesty will get you places that deception and dishonesty never will! Oh Friends, how I wish that even a small portion of our world would act that way these days, for greed corruption and dishonesty is so rampant that courage, truth and honesty are now more the exception than the rule. And the sad part is that many of us don’t learn from our negative experiences. Ah Lord eh! How many times must we declare that: ‘The fear of man bringeth a snare: but whoso putteth his trust in the Lord shall be safe (secure, set on high).’ And would you believe that our spiritual father Abraham was one of those who didn’t learn from the error of his ways? Yes Friends, after the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, Abraham went to live in Gerar, an ancient trading post halfway between Beer-Sheba and Gaza on the Mediterranean coast, and he again claimed that Sarah was merely his sister. (Gen.20:2) The king, Abimelech, thus seeing a beautiful single woman took her into his house. But again, the great God we worship, intervenes on Abraham’s behalf. He appears to Abimelech in a dream at night: ‘Behold thou art but a dead man, for the woman which thou hast taken; for she is a man’s wife. But Abimelech had not come near her: and he said, Lord, wilt thou slay also a righteous nation? Said he not unto me, She is my sister? and she, even she herself said, He is my brother: in the integrity (innocence) of my heart and innocency of my hands have I done this. And God said unto him in a dream, Yea, I know that thou didst this in the integrity of thy heart; for I also withheld thee from sinning against me: therefore suffered I thee not to touch her. Now therefore restore the man his wife; for he is a prophet, and he shall pray for thee, and thou shalt live: and if thou restore her not, know thou that thou shalt surely die, thou and all that are thine.’ (Gen.20:3-7) Ah mih people, yuh see the sticky situations we put God in, forcing Him to bail us out so that we don’t bring embarrassment and disrepute to His cause. Now a scared Abimelech gets up early in the morning and tells his servants the bad news and they too become quite afraid. Then he calls the scallywag Abraham and asks: ‘What hast thou done unto us? and what have I offended thee (how have I sinned against you), that thou hast brought on me and on my kingdom a great sin? thou hast done deeds unto me that ought not to be done…What sawest thou, that thou hast done this thing? 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:20:9-11) Oh Friends, that’s our problem in a nutshell; we simply think too much! Instead of leaving the thinking to Almighty God and following His lead and direction as believers ought to, we get the fear of man into us and end up doing foolish things. And one would think that after the fiasco his deception caused in Egypt, Abraham would smarten up and not do it again. That just goes to show the weakness of our flesh and our sub-par intelligence when fear of mortal man takes hold of us. Oh my people, let’s not only talk about trusting God nuh, let’s actually show and practice that trust. It’s wise and normal to consider the possibility of being harmed by man, but our faith dictates that we should first query the Lord and ask for His wise guidance before setting out on a fearful path of our own. If we don’t do that, then our faith is worthless. More tomorrow on this topic, God willing. Till then let’s place our absolute trust in Him and allow Him to safely guide us. Much LOVE!…if you plant honesty…you will reap trust…
 

Proverbs 29:25.    The fear of man bringeth a snare: but whoso putteth his trust in the Lord shall be safe.
 
Oh Friends, it’s another day in the life! Wow! A life though, which many of us consider boring, routine, humdrum and same-old, same-old. Now to a certain extent all those descriptions are true, because life in general consists of the same day-to-day things and acts. In this modern, fast paced society, we get up in the mornings, rush out to work, baby sitters or school, spend most of the day involved in activities we consider uninteresting, then we crawl back home, pick up the children, do the housework and/or homework, go to bed, get some fitful sleep, then it’s time to get up and do the same thing over again. Oh, how our lustful flesh craves excitement and interesting stuff! And thus we’re titillated through the all-pervasive media by the supposed glamour of those we call celebrities in today’s evil, ungodly world. But if you look closely, you’ll discover that many of those who appear to live this glamorous existence are always in some sort of trouble; either with the law, their families, or outside relationships. Unfortunately, their lives never seem to run as smoothly as we’d expect, given all their earthly wealth and power. So though their lives appear exciting from our lowly perspective, that same excitement causes them more problems than our boring, mundane existence. Oh I know that many of us will still opt for that lifestyle, but I do have some good news for us. My brethren, there is one way to always have a full and interesting life, plus safety and security, and it’s so simple that most of us tend to ignore it. And what’s that wonderful, interesting way of life, I hear you plead? Well, as the song says, simply, ‘Try Jesus!’ Yes Friends, Jesus is the Way, the Truth, the Life, the Light, and a host of other things too numerous to mention. And why try Jesus? Again it’s a simple answer: because He’s never failed us yet. And all God’s people shouted a loud, ‘Amen!’ My Friends, we’re all aware of that truth, but because it doesn’t fit into the world’s lustful, idol worshipping agenda, it’s discredited, and tends to make us think that Jesus is boring and out of date. But that’s totally untrue my brethren, for Jesus is every bit as up to date, and even more interesting than the empty, sinful practices of our ungodly world. And our Bit bears that out quite well. ‘The fear of man bringeth a snare: but whoso putteth his trust in the Lord shall be safe (secure, set on high.)’ And that’s no lie! Yes people, whenever we trust in, fear and reverence mankind too much, we end up getting in trouble. However. when we trust in, fear, reverence and surrender our souls and lives to Jesus, we don’t fall into any traps or pits. And we have excellent examples from the Good Book. The first goes way back when to our spiritual father, Abraham. At one stage in his younger days, still known as Abram, a disastrous famine hit his homeland, so he and his wife Sarai set out for Egypt to seek a better life. But just before entering Egypt, he said to Sarai: ‘Behold now, I know that thou art a fair (beautiful) woman to look upon: Therefore it shall come to pass, when the Egyptians shall see thee, that they shall say, This is his wife: and they will kill me, but they will save thee alive. Say, I pray thee, thou art my sister: that it may be well with me for thy sake; and my soul shall live because of thee.’ (Gen;12:11-13) And what happens? All the powers in Egypt admire Sarai’s beauty and she ends up in Pharaoh’s house, and Abram receives an enormous dowry with numerous animals and servants. But unfortunately for Abram, ‘the Lord plagued Pharaoh and his house with great plagues because of Sarai, Abram’s wife. And Pharaoh called Abram, and said, What is this that thou hast done unto me? why didst thou not tell me that she was thy wife? Why saidst thou, She is my sister? so I might have taken her to me to wife: now therefore behold thy wife, take her, and go thy way. And Pharaoh commanded his men concerning him: and they sent him away, and his wife, and all that he had.’ (Gen.12:17-20) Oh Friends, whenever we set out to deceive because of some fear, doubt or anxiety, we always end up regretting it at some future stage. Thus Abram’s fear of strangers abducting his beautiful wife and killing him, led him to a foolish, deceptive act, which hurt him more in the long run, for though he amassed some earthly wealth from the deception, he was run out of Egypt back to the famine land. Was the deception worth it? I don’t think so. Anyway, the Lord obviously had His eyes on Abram, had greater things in store for him and Sarai, and therefore did not allow the deception to work for long. It’s the same way the Lord has His eyes on some of us today, and will not allow us to succeed in any deceptive schemes. Looking back on my life now, I can pin point a couple of my own deceptive schemes which eventually fell through, but if they had succeeded, I certainly would not be writing now about Jesus and His safe, secure and exalting attributes. Thanks be to God! Ah mih people, such are the vicissitudes of life! More tomorrow on this topic, God desirous, but we’ll close with the 9th and last of our New Year’s ponderings: ‘This year, I will share the good news of God’s great grace.’ Oh Friends, what a beautiful way to end our Bit! Now let’s all go out and participate in that most worthwhile and honourable endeavour. I pray this in Jesus’ Name. Amen! Much LOVE!…be not deceived…God is not mocked…for whatsoever a man soweth…that also shall he reap… (Gal.6:7)

Psalm 25:4.    Show me thy ways, O Lord; teach me thy paths.
 
Oh Friends, life is certainly strange yes! If you’re like me, you have a lot of positive stuff on your desk, the office walls and even the file cabinet; things you put there to encourage and help you rise up when times get rough. However, after a short period, you stop noticing most of them. In keeping with this state of affairs, there’s a little card on my desk that I haven’t paid any attention to for some time. But as the Lord would have it, as I sat there this morning contemplating an intro, my eyes fell on it and I read it. Surprisingly, it was a prayer in the same vein and image of our Bit; one also asking for guidance and direction. Allow me to share it. It’s simple and straightforward, as all prayer ought to be. ‘Sustain us, O Lord, with your Holy Spirit. Give us an inquiring and discerning heart, the courage to will and to persevere, a spirit to know and to LOVE you, and the gift of joy and wonder in all your works. Amen.’ Yes Friends, that’s the kind of general prayer we ought to offer up to God, not a set of highfalutin words and phrases, for we don’t get extra marks or blessings depending on style and vocabulary. The words have to come sincerely from our hearts and souls. And in that respect, nobody did it better than Bruh David. Oh yes, he could certainly wax oratorical and otherwise when necessary, but in general his pleas were simple and heartfelt, and today we’re going to concentrate on some of those, beginning with our Bit. ‘Show me they ways, O Lord; teach me thy paths.’ Simple words my brethren, but strung together in an endearing and searching plea. Now listen to this one: ‘Lead me, O Lord, in thy righteousness because of mine enemies; make thy way straight before my face.’ (Ps.5:8) Then there’s this: ‘Teach me thy way, O Lord, and lead me in a plain (smooth) path, because of mine enemies.’ (Ps.27:11) And here is another simple entreaty; ‘Teach me thy way, O Lord; I will walk in thy truth: unite my heart to fear thy name (give me singleness of heart to have reverential awe for you).’ (Ps.86:11) Oh my people, what a simple, but heart-warming prayer! Bruh David was always asking for God’s guidance, for teaching, for direction, so that he could walk worthy of Him, live up to His standard of excellence. That’s the way we believers ought also to be, not merely concerned about asking for things and possessions, but for a heart full of desire to know and please our wonderful and generous God, the LOVING Father who sacrificed His Son Jesus so that we could be redeemed and reconciled to His Holiness. Therefore, the most grateful act we can ever show is a sincere and deep desire to know Him, His ways, His statutes, His commandments, and then to walk faithfully in them. That’s why the Lord could consider Bruh David to be a man after His own heart, despite his serious wrongdoings. He always tried to hold the Lord’s righteous ways before him, and when he made mistakes, was fairly quick to own up to them and ask for forgiveness. Hear how the psalmist puts it in Psalm 119: ‘I have declared my ways, and thou heardest me: teach me thy statutes. Make me to understand the way of thy precepts: so shall I talk (meditate on) thy wondrous works.’ (Ps.119:26-27) As far as I’m concerned, believers should be both meditating on, and talking about God’s works, because in all aspects they are absolutely wonderful. And we’re talking here about their might and majesty, their grace and mercy, their forgiveness and LOVING-kindness, their faithfulness and justice… Oh Friends, we can talk about the wondrous works of our God until the end of time and still not cover them all, so plentiful are they! Now here’s Bruh David once more in full cry: ‘Cause me to hear thy LOVING-kindness in the morning; for in thee do I trust: cause me to know the way wherein I should walk; for I lift up my soul unto thee… Teach me to do thy will; for thou art my God: thy spirit is good; lead me into the land of uprightness.’ (Ps.143:8,10) Yes my people, we need to be seeking our God constantly, always asking for His input, His wise guidance and direction for our foolish and sinful earthly lives. That’s the only way to live the life of a true believer, a true follower of Christ! And we’ll close today with the 8th instalment of our New Year’s ponderings: ‘This year I will eat when I’m hungry and stop eating at the first sign of fullness. I will lean into life and be excellent.’ Wow! Friends, we couldn’t end with a better heartfelt intention! Much LOVE!…if thou seek the Lord thy God…thou shalt find Him…if thou seek Him…with all thy heart and with all thy soul… (Deut.4:29) P.S. Oh Friends, as I’m editing this, I’m listening to a sweet piece of gospel soca from WACK 90.1 on the net. Who say we doh make nice gospel soca eh! And as the singer is saying: God is LOVE. He is real as He could be. Hold on to Him…Doh ever let go…. Remember…God is LOVE…God is LOVE… 

Psalm 25:4.    Show me thy ways, O Lord; teach me thy paths.

Job 32:8.    But there is a spirit in man: and the inspiration (breath) of the Almighty giveth them understanding.

Job 32:8.    But there is a spirit in man: and the inspiration of the Almighty giveth them understanding.

Job 32:8.    But there is a spirit in man: and the inspiration (breath) of the Almighty giveth them understanding.
 
Ah Friends, it’s the last day of the first full week of work in about three weeks for some of us. Those lucky enough to get normal work days off in lieu of the public holidays that fell on the weekends. And isn’t it amazing how quickly we can get unaccustomed to going to work? A few days at home and we immediately relinquish the thought, the idea, the habit of work. Hn! Unfortunately though the opposite is not true. We never get accustomed to the idea of going out to work, no matter how often we do it, possibly because in our society, our minds and our psyche its all wrapped up in a host of negative connotations. Thus today, some of us are sadly crying in our milk (smile) ‘TGIF! TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday!’ We’re just dying to get through the day, get home, fall supine on the couch in front of the tube and feebly mouth: ‘Thank you Lord!’ Anyway Friends, don’t despair, our Friday Chant is here! It’s here to boost our spirits and see us successfully through the day. So let’s chant with enthusiasm: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through another week of work! It hasn’t been easy, but with your generous help, I made it through. Now, please help me to get sufficient fun, fellowship, rest and relaxation in these two short days off, so that I can be renewed and refreshed in soul, body and mind, to go back out and do it all over again next week, furthering your glorious kingdom with each step I take. I pray this in Jesus name. Amen.’ Now let’s get out there and do our calling with vim and vigour, enjoying life, however it unfurls, with Jesus as our more than adequate backstop. In doing so though, we must not forget our Bit: ‘But there is a spirit in man: and the inspiration (breath) of the Almighty giveth them understanding.’ Yes Friends, we desperately need to remember that wisdom and understanding comes from Almighty God, through His Holy Spirit that dwells in us. And here’s a great example of that from the Good Book: ‘And God gave Solomon wisdom and understanding exceeding much, and largeness of heart, even as the sand that is on the sea shore. And Solomon’s wisdom excelled the wisdom of all the children of the east country, and all the wisdom of Egypt. For he was wiser than all men…and his fame was in all nations round about.’ (1 Kin.4:29-31) And all I can say is ‘Wow!’ Yes my people, Cousin Sol didn’t achieve all of that on his own, but through the blessings and generosity of our God working in his heart and soul. Now here’s the fourth pondering on our New Year’s list: ‘This year I will give myself. I will follow the pattern of the life of Christ. I will extend the grace of God. I will forgive others just as God in Christ has forgiven me. I will remember that it is not my job to set everybody straight. I will choose my challenges with prayer and wisdom.’ Oh Friends, if we’d just follow those simple acts of faith consistently, our lives would be much healthier, happier and godly. But like many things in this life, they are all easier said than done. What with the corrupt, evil, ungodly world around us constantly pushing us to get into ever more sinful endeavours, coated with bright, lustful, fleshly pleasures, it takes a very serious effort not to listen to the inviting call of the siren’s sweet song and go astray. That’s why it’s so important for believers to constantly seek wisdom and keep the Lord always before them. And we’re surely fortunate as believers, to have the everlasting font of wisdom right within us. And it all begins as Cousin Sol says: ‘The fear of the Lord (the reverential awe in which we hold Him), is the (principal) beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction.’ (Prov.1:7) Yes my brethren, wisdom and understanding, in and of this life, all starts with the proper appreciation and reverence we have for Almighty God. Why? Because as Cousin Sol further declares: ‘For the Lord giveth wisdom: out of his mouth cometh knowledge and understanding.’ (Prov.2:6) And Cousin Sol wasn’t the only one to decipher this truth, the young Elihu, disputing with Job and his elders, spoke these wise words when railing against the oppression of the mighty: ‘But none saith, Where is God my maker, who giveth songs in the night; Who teacheth us more than the beasts of the earth, and maketh us wiser than the fowls of heaven?’ (Job 35:10-11) Oh Friends, it’s imperative that we seek wisdom and understanding in this fallen world, else we will fall with it. And the only place to get the true kind is at the feet of Jesus, not the feet of mortal man. Look at the mess mortal man has made of God’s beautiful planet and His awesome creations! That surely disqualifies him as a vessel of true wisdom. So let’s all wisely get together at Jesus’ feet and glean true wisdom from His truthful, unfailing Word and His immortal Spirit. It’s the only way to live successfully and joyfully on Planet Earth! Much LOVE!…wisdom is the principal thing…therefore get wisdom…and with all thy getting…get understanding… (Prov.4:7)