SCRIP-BITS

Ecclesiastes 3:1.    To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven.

Psalm 37:7.    Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for him: fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way, because of the man who bringeth wicked devices to pass.
 
Awright mih Friends, ah know is Friday, cause ah hear all yuh shouting ‘TGIF! Thank God is Friday!’ from way down the street. So if all yuh so enthusiastic, then leh we sing we Friday Chant with that same enthusiasm nuh. (smile) ‘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 I’d suggest that we take the Chant seriously Friends, because we said it wasn’t easy to make it through the week, and is only with God’s generous help that we did. And the only way to get His constant, generous help is as our Bit says: ‘Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for him: fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way, because of the man who bringeth wicked devices (schemes) to pass.’ And with that Bit in mind Friends, I’m resting and waiting patiently for the Lord to tell or show me what next to write. (smile) Seriously though, if we want to be true followers of God, we need to learn to wait on His timing for everything in our lives. And as I can personally testify, His timing is perfect, never early or late, but just in time. The accounting people must surely have been thinking and talking about God when they developed that ‘just in time’ method of delivery. My people, though we may feel anxious about stuff we’ve prayed about and are expectantly waiting for, if the Lord intends for us to have it, then we must believe that it will appear when He considers it appropriate. Now that’s not always easy to do, especially with the current fast pace of life. Half the time we want stuff not even today, but yesterday. However, there’s nothing we can do about the Lord’s ways, and since we keep saying that they are higher than ours, then most likely we’ll never understand them, so all we can do is band our jaws, and accept them, holding on to the promise that He’s faithful. It’s just another way of the Lord’s to test us, to see if we are really faithful to Him. And Friends, when you wait patiently and your problem is solved in the nick of time, then you’re in such awe of His faithful majesty, that your faith is renewed and reinvigorated and you praise Him everlasting… until the next time you have to wait. Only this past week I encountered one of those situations: I had a problem I couldn’t solve, and time was running out. I obviously prayed for help, but none was forthcoming by my timetable. But as I sat at my desk one evening, contemplating whether to call a certain person, my best bet for help – I didn’t really want to, read pride – my phone rang. I almost didn’t answer it because the read out said unknown name and number, and I wasn’t in the mood to deal with any charities begging for money. However, I guess with a nudge or slight push from the Spirit, I eventually answered it. Lo and behold my brethren, it was the same person I was contemplating calling! They claimed they just felt like calling me. And if you want to simply call that chance, where God didn’t want to take the credit, then that’s okay by me, because I know that was His doing. And since He’d gone out of His way to hook me up with that particular person in my time of need, I had no choice but to swallow my foolish pride and ask for their help. Praise Him, mih people, for He’s good to those who walk with and wait on Him! Yes Friends, the Christian life isn’t easy, but if you hang in and try to be obedient, then it certainly gets interesting. So once we approach the Lord with the right desires in our hearts, those in His will, with the right motives, then we’re certain He’ll answer us, only in His own good time. That means we’ve got to sit and wait patiently, not merely twiddling our thumbs, but doing other constructive stuff while waiting for His answer in His impeccable timing. Like Jeremiah rightly declares in Lamentations: ‘The Lord is good unto them that wait for him, to the soul that seeketh him. It is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the Lord.’ (Lam.3:25-26) Yes my people, to be true believers, we need to surrender our souls, our lives to the Lord, then we must learn to wait on His guidance and direction. That’s the only way our relationship with the Lord will work, leading to us successfully bearing fruit for His kingdom. And above all Friends, that means to ‘fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way, because of the man who bringeth wicked devices (schemes) to pass.’  We can’t be looking at those around us who are supposedly prospering through their own efforts, or in cohorts with Lucifer, while we’re struggling and suffering to do right in the Lord’s eyes. Remember Friends, the treasure of this world will rot, rust and dwindle away with time, but those in heaven will last and burn brightly forever. Now we do need stuff down here, but if we walk righteously with the Lord, He will provide for and satisfy all our needs. It’s when we start getting greedy and jealous and can’t wait on Him, that things go wrong. Please note the first few verses of our Psalm, titled ‘The true state of the wicked. ‘ Bruh David tells it like it is from the get go: ‘Fret not thyself because of evildoers, neither be thou envious against the workers of iniquity. For they shall soon be cut down like grass, and wither as the green herb. Trust in the Lord, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed (feed on his faithfulness). (Ps.37:1-3) Now that last part, ‘and verily thou shalt be fed,’ is not only meant figuratively, but also literally; the Lord will supply you with food and nourishment if you remain steadfast and true. For as the Good Book promises, you’ll never see the offspring of the righteous begging bread. The problem though Friends is maturing in our Christian walk to the point where we acknowledge and accept these things without hesitation. It’s not easy, for Jesus has high principles and standards of excellence for His followers to follow, which unfortunately we’re not always able to live up to. But that’s our earthly purpose; to bring and shape our character as close as possible to His. Consequently, we need to be comfortable in our own skin, our own soul, not looking around at others with envy and jealousy, for we don’t know how they came by their stuff, and the Lord has a different path for each of His children to walk, meaning you can’t walk my path, and I can’t walk yours. That’s why the basics of our Christian lives are hope, faith, trust, surrender, patience and contentment with whatever we have at any given time, praying and expecting more, but not upsetting our souls with jealous indignation. And we’ll close with some very informative words from the psalmist, Asaph: ‘Truly God is good to Israel, even such as are of a clean (pure) heart. But as for me, my feet were almost gone (I had almost stumbled); my steps had well-nigh slipped. For I was envious at the foolish (boastful), when I saw the prosperity of the wicked. For there are no bands (pangs or pain) in their death: but their strength is firm…. Thus my heart was grieved, and I was pricked in my reins (pierced in my mind). So foolish was I, and ignorant: I was as a beast before thee. Nevertheless I am continually with thee: thou hast holden (held) me by my right hand. Thou shalt guide me with thy counsel, and afterward receive me to glory.’ (Ps.73:1-4, 21-24) Yes Friends, let’s learn from Asaph’s mistakes, read all of Psalm 73 soon, and keep walking faithfully with the Lord, He will lead and guide you according to His purpose, then bring you to everlasting life with honour and glory. Much LOVE!…to truly LOVE the Lord…is to obey Him…and wait patiently for His guidance…

Isaiah 49:13.    Sing, O heavens; and be joyful, O earth; and break forth into singing, O mountains: for the Lord hath comforted his people, and will have mercy upon his afflicted.
 
Oh Friends, it’s two thirty in the morning and I’m not sure what I’m writing on yet. But whatever it is, it’s going to be something positive, joyful, uplifting and encouraging. Chuh! I’m tired of all the negativity and tales of woe we’ve been painting recently. So let’s rise up God’s people, and be happy, be thankful and give praises to our great, omnipotent, all-knowing God, who oversees every aspect of our lives and fills them with joy, peace, LOVE, mercy, forgiveness, salvation and eternal life! Wow! And all God’s people openly, loudly and joyfully praised and proclaimed His Holy Name! Yes mih people, it’s time to stop concentrating on the negative images constantly highlighted in our sad, evil and confused world and begin to focus on the positive. Let’s do what we can and let the rest go by. Why worry about it if we can’t fix it eh? Constant worrying on things outside of our sphere of influence only steals the little energy we have. Is only one set of energy we have yuh know. So it’s certainly better to turn it from the negative worrying kind to the positive enabling kind. And I have a quote here that gives us some inspiration and encouragement to go out and embrace life; boldly and brazenly kick it like a football. As Ralph Waldo Emerson advises: ‘Be a football to Time and Chance, the more kicks the better, so that you inspect the whole game and know its utmost law.’ Bravo Ralphie mih boy! Yes Friends, that’s why God gave us life and LOVE and all the other good things in existence; to occasionally step out of our close, cloistered, closeted, safe self and experience true life. And not simply experience it, but also experience it to the utmost, when and where possible. Safety is nice and all that, but every so often we have to let our hair down and step out to the edge of the limb, look over the precipice and see what’s down there. Now we don’t have to go foolishly, for as the old people always warned; ‘drunk or sober, mind yuh business.’ But we still need to expect the unexpected, and sometimes welcome it, to get out of the narrow, confining, boring, uneventful shell that most of live in day to day. It’s time for a li’l excitement. The Good Book says the Lord made the earth and all therein and gave us dominion over it all, to enjoy it. So why are we fussing and fighting, worrying and being unnecessarily anxious over things and situations we can’t control, and not enjoying it eh? Come my people, let’s heed the great prophet Isaiah’s advice when he declared that Israel would be restored to Zion, to its original godly, righteous place with its God, for so too shall we be eventually. So: ‘Sing O heavens; and be joyful, O earth; and break forth into singing, O mountains: for the Lord hath comforted his people, and will have mercy upon his afflicted.’ Ah mih breddren, doesn’t that sound great? And all the heavens, the earth, the mountains and God’s people broke forth into joyous song, because their God had comforted them in their affliction. Wow! What a mighty, faithful and LOVING God we serve and worship! Sing His praises my people! No Friends, I haven’t lost it, I haven’t gone crazy yet. But remember though, it’s been proven that crazy people are often happier than the supposed sane ones. No, the Spirit just infused a sense of …how to put it… a sense of letting go, of being relaxed and joyful, to stop being overly concerned with the sad state of our world, which most of us can’t do anything about anyway. The Spirit’s saying that we should concentrate on the problems and concerns in our own backyards, to solve those, and then we’ll truly be helping to turn our world around. You and I can’t do much about the wars and strife that’s currently overwhelming our world, but we can certainly do something constructive about the strife, violence, hunger, poverty, the lack of proper education and housing that’s affecting our individual neighbourhoods. At the grassroots level is where we need to begin the revolution, where we can see and feel that we’re making some difference in our world. Because yuh know Friends, possibly the first and only question Jesus will ask us when we get to heaven is: ‘What difference did you make on earth?’ And according to our answers, as He judges them, so shall our rewards be meted out. However, please understand one thing, we’re not doing good deeds here on earth just to gain rewards in heaven, but because we truly see a need and our righteous hearts, filled with the Holy Spirit, encourages us to help fill that need. That’s why Jesus came yuh know: to fill our needs; to enable us to refute sin and embrace salvation and eternal life. And as His true followers, those are the terms of our duty in His worldly organization, His Church. And remember Friends, we were recently admonished, encouraged to begin dreaming again, to dream large, and to put a li’l LOVE in our hearts, for all of that is part of Jesus’ desire and plan. So let’s get with the programme nuh mih people! And we’ll close with some beautiful, life-giving, redemptive scripture, that will bring untold joy to our hearts and enable us to embark on Jesus’ plan with renewed vim and vigour. ‘I have blotted out, as a thick cloud, thy transgressions, and, as a cloud, thy sins: return unto me; for I have redeemed thee. Sing, O ye heavens; for the Lord hath done it: shout, ye lower parts of the earth: break forth into singing, ye mountains, O, forest, and every tree therein: for the Lord hath redeemed Jacob, and glorified himself in Israel.’ (Is.44:22-23) And all God’s people rose up as one, rejoicing, giving much thanks and praising His Holy Name! Now Friends, let’s go out and do His work! Much LOVE!…Jesus was sacrificed…so that we could enjoy life here on earth…not turn it into an earthly hell… P.S. Oh Friends, while editing the Bit, I was also listening to some sweet Caribbean gospel music out of T&T on WACK 90.1 on the Internet and happened to hear these words in song: ‘You are the Lord, the Lord of the dance, the Lord of the song, the Lord of my life. That’s why I worship you..’ Words to live and die by! And for those up early in the morning you can get sweet gospel music from Wack on Mondays to Fridays from 4-6 a.m. No music sweet like we W.I. riddims! Check it out. Much LOVE! 
 

Lamentations 2:19.     Arise, cry out in the night: in the beginning of the watches pour out thine heart like water before the face of the Lord: lift up thy hands toward him for the life of thy young children, that faint for hunger in the top of every street.
 
Ah Friends, November is done, and all the Christmas stuff has begun. This year has certainly flown by, and I have nothing much to show for it. But thankfully I’m alive, and though not kicking as heartily as I would like, I’m hanging in there with God’s miraculous help, guidance and blessing. Praise Him people! And thankfully too, it’s been a rainy night and day, and not a snowy one, in my neck of the woods. Let’s hope that it remains simple showers of blessing, rather than showers of flooding, since we’re scheduled to receive more water from heaven today. Oh Lord, please let the forecasters be wrong! (smile) And Friends please pay close attention to these two sayings; the Lord moves in mysterious ways, and everyone gets their comeuppance at some time or another. Why? Because the Australian born, 39 year old founder of WikiLeaks, Julian Assange, has been placed on Interpol’s Most Wanted List. And not for the irresponsible WikiLeaks exposures, but for a rape investigation in Sweden. Hn! His lawyer claims that he had consensual sex with two women, but when they found out about each other, they ganged up on him and screamed rape. Oh, hell hath no fury like women duped! But yuh see Friends, Mr. Assange will probably get away with the irresponsible WikiLeaks nonsense, but he’ll certainly have his day in the sun for other matters. How often have we done wrong and gotten away with it eh, but paid for something else that we didn’t do. And though he may be innocent of the rape allegations, his notoriety will definitely be increased. Sadly though, with the way our society is set up these days, that increased notoriety might just bring him more celebrity status and earthly wealth, for we seem to be highly enamoured of the bad boys, those who step outside the law or moral boundaries with impunity, as attested to by all the press and otherwise that the idiot gangsters and their ilk receive. Beelzebub is running riot! Ah Lord eh! Then you wonder why the lamentation for our world. It’s needed people, badly needed! Just imagine what our grandchildren will be like nuh, if they follow in their parents’ footsteps and become even dumber and less motivated in the right direction than them. That’s why Friends, we need to do as Jeremiah so strongly advised: ‘Arise, cry out in the night: in the beginning of the watches pour out thine heart like water before the face of the Lord: lift up thy hands toward him for the life of thy young children, that faint for hunger in the top of every street.’ Yes Friends, as we noted yesterday, our world is already in a sad state of uproar, and these indiscriminate leaks of private, sensitive government matters won’t help it any. The only way to bring some semblance of peace and sanity to the whole thing is for us believers to wake up and begin praying, crusading, begging and pleading to anyone who will listen, especially our leaders and the wealthy elite, to stop the nonsense and give peace and common sense a chance. And speaking of chance, I read yesterday where some author said that God calls stuff chance when He doesn’t want to put His name to it. That’s okay, for we know He’s definitely in control, and if He chooses not to take the credit, then so be it. But my brethren, let’s turn to some scripture now to reinvigorate our souls nuh. And let’s start with words from Bruh David, Psalm 62; God only is my rock and my salvation. ‘My soul, wait thou (silently) only upon God; for my expectation (hope) is from him: He only is my rock and my salvation: he is my defense; I shall not be moved (shaken). In God is my salvation and my glory: the rock of my strength, and my refuge, is in God. Trust in him at all times; ye people, pour out your heart before him: God is a refuge for us. Selah.’ (Ps.62:5-8) And all God’s people sang His praises and sincerely poured out their hearts to Him! Oh Friends, in those four simple verses our entire delight in, and communication with the Lord God Jehovah is revealed. We hope and wait patiently for Him, because He’s our strong arm and our protector. He’s provided salvation for us as a gracious gift, if we believe in His Son Jesus. And when things get rough, we can always run to Him and pour out all the misery in our souls, because He also is our place of refuge, and He will comfort us and ease our pain. Wow! Oh my people, our God is a one-stop facility, like the malls we frequent nowadays, with everything under one roof. But we’ve got to go to Him. He won’t come to us unless we ask Him to. And this last line of our Bit just tugs at my heartstrings because it’s so true: ‘…lift up thy hands toward him for the life of thy young children, that faint for hunger in the top of every street.’  Oh Friends, it’s no secret that the majority of children in our world today are suffering from severe hunger, want and deprivation! And not only in the poor, undeveloped countries, but right in the middle of the biggest and richest metropolitan areas of our crazy, evil, confused world. As Isaiah said of his evil, disobedient people: ‘Thy sons have fainted, they lie at the head of all the streets, as a wild bull (an antelope) in a net: they are full of the fury of the Lord, the rebuke of thy God.’ (Is.51:20) Yes my brethren much of what we’re suffering today is rebuke from our God for our wicked and disobedient behaviour. And if we want our children to have a fighting chance at a good earthly life, we have to clean up our acts, asap too, put away the idols and worldly lusts that have taken hold of our souls, repent and return to God. It’s not rocket science Friends, it says so plainly and simply in the Good Book. And since the Lord has promised to comfort the faithful, if we want to be comforted, then we need to be faithful. And we’ll end with some appropriate scripture from Isaiah that will comfort us, if and when we’re faithful. ‘Therefore hear now this, thou afflicted, and drunken, but not with wine: Thus saith thy Lord the Lord, and thy God that pleadeth the cause of his people, Behold, I have taken out of thine hand the cup of trembling, even the dregs of the cup of my fury; thou shalt no more drink it again. But I will put it into the hand of them that afflict thee; which have said to thy soul, Bow down; that we may go over (walk over thee): and thou hast laid thy body as the ground, and as the street, to them that went (walk) over.’ (Is.51:21-23) Yes my people, God was calling Israel to awake from its spiritual drunkenness, intoxicated by their sins, and that’s exactly what He’s calling us to do today. Please, for our children’s sake, let’s answer His call. Much LOVE!…to the faithful…comfort, salvation and eternal life are promised…to the unfaithful…disaster, death and eternal darkness are the rewards…
 

Lamentations 2:19.    Arise, cry out in the night: in the beginning of the watches pour out thine heart like water before the face of the Lord: lift up thy hands toward him for the life of thy young children, that faint for hunger in the top of every street.
 
Oh Friends, the ole fella’s been driven to lamenting for our world, for it’s indeed a sad day when the inmates are running the asylum. To begin, I’m querying the responsibility quotient of the latest round of Wiki Leaks exposures. Who are the people behind this foolishness, that’s only fodder for more hate, anger and resentment in our world? How did they get hold of these documents, and aren’t they liable to persecution in a court of justice for spreading these state secrets? Yuh know it’s only in the good ole U.S. of A that that kind of stuff is tolerated. It’s good to have transparency in government, but some things ought to remain secret, especially with our world already in such a heightened state of tension. I wonder if these same fools who are releasing this material would like what is said or done in the privacy of their homes or offices broadcast so publicly around the world? I very much doubt it. They would be the first ones to raise a hue and cry over their precious privacy and threaten to sue the whole world. Steups! Oh Friends, we all say and do things in private that we possibly should not, but we expect them to stay private since they would only inflame already touchy relationships. And what’s the role of the big newspaper chains in this tragedy eh? Are they acting responsibly in printing the stuff? I guess they’d argue that if they don’t print it someone else will, and it’s obviously a revenue boosting set of circumstances. Hn! But moving on, the next question is: And what of Haiti? It’s arguably the poorest nation in the Western hemisphere, but paradoxically sits very close to the richest. For generations it’s been plagued by corruption, then recently devastated by several natural disasters in a very short space of time, tormented by a cholera epidemic and now more upheaval because of botched Presidential Elections. Ah Lord eh! And if you want some more tense stuff, check out Lebanon, where Hezbollah, the Iranian backed Lebanese Shiite political party and militia are threatening to up their militancy if any of it’s members are arrested for the 2005 assassination of Lebanon’s Sunni President, Rafik Hariri. It’s been widely expected that an international tribunal is soon expected to do so. A country that not too long ago suffered through many years of civil war then hostilities with Israel, now getting a breath of polluted peace, could be thrown right back to the wolves again. Add to the mix that just this past week, the current President, Saad Hariri, the late President’s son, visited Iran, all smiles and well-wishes. What to make of that eh? Oh my people, there are so many undercurrents of tension in our world that it’s enough to drive you crazy. And we’re only talking about the simmering situations, not the ones already boiling and bubbling over. And one such situation we need to watch very closely is the North and South Korean standoff. Sabres have not only been rattled, but some interaction has been had. And when talking about gross irresponsibility the North Korean situation takes the cake. It’s citizens are literally starving while the ruling elite, living high on the hog, is focused on nuclear armament and military might and facetiously promising to wage war on their South Korean neighbours. And there are many more irresponsible, ungodly, inhumane, disgusting and detestable situations around our world, but that’s enough for one Bit. No wonder when I asked the Lord tonight for guidance in finding a Bit, I opened the Good Book right at Lamentations. Oh Friends, our God’s lamenting over the sad state of His Creations; His beautiful world and His proudest workmanship, His sinful, disgusting, disobedient children. Oh my people, like Jeremiah so rightly warned his countrymen so long ago, I’m warning us today, to: ‘Arise, cry out in the night: in the beginning of the watches pour out thine heart like water before the face of the Lord: lift up thy hands toward him for the life of thy young children, that faint for hunger in the top of every street.’ Oh mih breddren, our world has most certainly gone mad! And all the technological inventions that make communications so much easier and quicker are fomenting more dissension, division and dislike than bringing us together, as many hoped it would. Chuh! Beelzebub and his evil cohorts are using it to the max to spread their evil and malicious tentacles, while the followers of Christ sadly lag behind in their efforts to spread the Word, the good news of Christ and His Salvation. But Friends, there’s solace to be had, always is for believers. So let’s turn to the Good Book and lament some for our unfortunate world. And what better place to start than with the longest chapter therein, Psalm 119: ‘I cried with my whole heart; hear me, O Lord: I will keep thy statutes. I cried unto thee; save me, and I shall keep thy testimonies. I prevented (rose before) the dawning of the morning, and cried (for help): I hoped in thy word. Mine eyes prevent (are awake through) the night watches, that I might meditate in thy word. Hear my voice according unto thy LOVING-kindness: O Lord, quicken (revive) me according to thy judgement (justice).’ (Ps.119:145-149) Oh mih people, it’s essential that we get up from our lazy slumber and cry out to the Lord for help, both day and night, for deliverance from our enemies! But only in so much as we are obedient to His Word, can we expect His help. Yes Friends, we need to develop an intense longing for God as Psalm 42 directs: ‘As the hart panteth after (the deer longs for) the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God. My soul thirsteth for God, for the living God: when shall I come and appear before God? My tears have been my meat (food) day and night, while they continually say unto me, Where is thy God? When I remember these things, I pour out my soul in me: for I had gone with the multitude, I went with them to the house of God, with the voice of joy and praise, with a multitude that kept holyday (a pilgrim feast).’ (Ps.42:1-4) Oh my brethren, as Jeremiah asserts, though our God is omnipotent and all-knowing, the only way He will appreciate our problems is if we pour out our hearts like water before Him; communicate with Him seriously, sincerely and steadfastly, let Him know that our hearts are right and that we hunger for His LOVING-kindness and mercy. If we don’t come before Him with our petitions, we’ll just be left to our own devices, which obviously aren’t working very well. Anyway Friends, time and space have run out on us, so we’ll have to continue this topic tomorrow, God willing. But in closing, let’s read this scripture and hang on to it for dear life, as we lament over the sad state of our world. ‘Why art thou cast down (bowed down), O my soul? And why art thou disquieted in me? Hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise him for the help of his countenance (presence).’ (Ps.42:5) Hold fast and hang tight my brethren, our God is still in control! Much LOVE!…like Humpty Dumpty…our world is falling apart…but the good news is…Jesus can put it back together again…Praise the Lord…
 

Romans 1:16.     For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.

Romans 1:16.      For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.

Romans 1:16.    For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.

Isaiah 56:1.    Thus saith the Lord, Keep ye judgement, and do justice: for my salvation is near to come, and my righteousness to be revealed.
 
Oh Friends: ‘It’s raining, it’s raining, on this Black Friday morning. Wonder how it will affect the shopping?’ Yes, it’s Black Friday Friends, the day after the U.S. Thanksgiving, the latest incarnation of shopping days in our calendar year. And like almost everything the U.S adopts, we in the Great White North, seem to do the same. Why eh? They changed their daylight savings time, so we changed ours. Now we’re picking up the Black Friday nonsense too, to encourage shoppers to spend what little hard-earned currency they possess, North, instead of South of the border. Wonder how the merchants will fare, with so many people not working, and the few that are, still suffering from the recent economic meltdown. But however that plays out people, we’ll still shout: ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday!’ Now let’s chant our Friday Chant. ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through another week of work! It hasn’t been easy, but with your generous help, I made it through. Now, please help me to get sufficient fun, fellowship, rest and relaxation in these two short days off, so that I can be renewed and refreshed in soul, body and mind, to go back out and do it all over again next week, furthering your glorious kingdom with each step I take. I pray this in Jesus name. Amen.’ Remember though Friends, that it’s important to hear Isaiah’s appeal to keep God’s judgements, but even more so, to put it into practice. ‘Thus saith the Lord, Keep ye judgement (justice), and do justice (righteousness): for my salvation is near (about) to come, and my righteousness to be revealed.’ According to the scholars, Isaiah here introduces God’s message of condemnation on those who refuse to repent, as contrasted with His message of salvation to all who repent. So now we’re getting what will happen if we don’t repent, as opposed to if we do. And Isaiah continues: ‘Blessed is the man that doeth this, and the son of man that layeth hold on it; that keepeth the sabbath from polluting it (from defiling it), and keepeth his hand from doing any evil.’ (Is.56:2) So Friends, we are blessed if we seek justice and righteousness, if we don’t defile the Sabbath, and if we do no evil. But the problem is that we can’t wait too long to do those things: ‘for my salvation is near to come, and my righteousness to be revealed.’ Yes my people, God’s judgement and salvation can come at any time, that’s why we need to be prepared. You’ll notice, that from Creation to the final end times, God has a grand plan in place, where He reveals Himself and His plans to man in increasing amounts through the prophets. They made us aware of God’s purpose for our lives on this earth. Isaiah spoke of the salvation and judgement to come, the Messiah all the things surrounding Him. Daniel amplified it in deciphering Nebuchadnezzar, the Babylonian king’s dream: ‘And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break (crush) in pieces and consume (put an end to) all these kingdoms, and it shall stand forever.’ (Dan.2:44) Then later on, John the Baptist was the harbinger of more imminent news, as he preached: ‘And saying, Repent ye; for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. For this is he that was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah, saying, The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make His paths straight.’ (Matt.3:2-3) Yes my brethren, from way back in Isaiah 40:3, the prophet spoke of one coming to call for repentance and to make the way clear for the Messiah’s arrival. That didn’t happen until centuries later, but as we said, the Lord had a plan to reveal little by little the marvellous things in store for mankind. As John, when admonishing the Pharisees and Sadducees for their sinfulness, informed them: ‘I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance: but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire: Whose (winnowing) fan is in his hand, and he will thoroughly purge his (threshing) floor, and gather his wheat into the garner (barn); but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.’ (Matt.3:11-12) Strong words my people, but our God is truthful, and so said, so done. Jesus arrived on the scene, just like Isaiah had foretold in Is.9:1-2. ‘The people which sat in darkness saw great light; and to them which sat in the region and shadow of death light is sprung up (has dawned). From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand (near).’ (Matt.4:16-17) Wow! What accurate forecasting mih breddren! From Isaiah, through Daniel, to John, then to the Real McCoy; Jesus! Only wish our weather forecasters could be so good. (smile) But we need to cut them some slack, for theirs is an inexact science. Please note Friends, what Jesus preached on; repentance, for God’s kingdom was in the offing. He also advised the disciples: ‘And as ye go, preach, saying, The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’ (Matt.10:7) Just goes to show how important He considered that statement. Oh my people, what the Lord has given us in the last two thousand years is a chance, an inordinately long time to get right with Him. Jesus came, preached the need for repentance, died on the cross, rose again and ascended so that salvation and eternal life were available. After that it was up to us to accept His most generous offer. Now Friends, our earthly Commercial Law says we have the right to refuse or accept any offers, and can’t be held accountable unless we accept the offers. However, there’s a big difference between that and Jesus’ offer. If we refuse His offer of salvation and eternal life, then we’re held accountable by Almighty God. Accept and we’re fine. Refuse…hn! You’re up the creek with no paddle! And what’s so dangerous about that offer is that we have no idea when it’s going to end or expire. Even Jesus didn’t know. Two thousand years later, we’re still waiting for His Second Coming. Now He could come today, tomorrow, or even two thousand years later. But Friends, are you willing to take that chance and keep putting off your repentance and salvation? I certainly hope not, for it’s a very unwise decision. Please remember Jesus’ parable about the ten virgins who went out to meet the bridegroom at the wedding feast, comparing them to heaven. Five were wise and five foolish. The five foolish ones took no extra oil for their lamps, and as luck would have it, the bridegroom got delayed, so by the time he arrived the lamps of the five foolish virgins had run out of oil. And the wise ones refused to give them any, just in case theirs ran out too after sharing. So the five foolish ones left to go and buy oil. But unfortunately, by the time they returned the door was locked, and though they cried for entry, it was all in vain. And the moral of the story, as Jesus so aptly puts it: ‘Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh.’ (Matt.25:13) Oh Friends, I can’t say it any better, so we’ll close on that definitive note from the Master. Consequently, let’s take serious stock of our lives; repent and receive salvation, so that if Jesus comes today, right now, we’ll all be ready. Till we meet again, God in favour, go in peace and LOVE. Much LOVE!…be wise…always carry extra oil…so that whenever Jesus comes…your lamp will be burning brightly…
 

2 Chronicles 7:14.    If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.
                                             

HAPPY  THANKSGIVING  DAY  U.S.A!

Oh Friends, I don’t know if I’m being obedient or not here, but when I opened the Good Book, I saw a passage that seemed suitable for Today’s Bit. I even researched it. But deep down I was drawn to 2 Chronicles 7:14, especially since I’d just sent the e-mail that dealt with it. So, in my indecision, I turned to it. Next thing…I was researching and writing on it! Them’s the ways our God moves! Before we get into it though, let me wish all our Friends and Families in the U.S. a Happy Thanksgiving Day! Eat, drink and be merry! But please, also give sincere thanks for all you’ve been blessed with, don’t just use it as an excuse to stuff your faces and party. For those of who don’t realize it, our Bit is part of a covenant the Lord made with Cousin Sol when he dedicated the newly built temple. And the amazing thing Friends, is that the wording is so simple and straightforward that even a first-grader could understand it. That brings to mind something I read today about faith and belief, where the author stated that when we were children it was so easy for us to believe, but as we get older, and potentially smarter, it gets much harder to believe. And there’s a lot of truth to it. But anyway, let’s check out our Bit and see if can understand it, but more importantly, believe it and put it into practice. ‘If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.’ Oh mih breddren, what part of that don’t we understand eh? Let’s break it down: ‘If my people, which are called by name…’ From way back when Moses told the Israelites: ‘The Lord shall establish thee a holy people unto himself, as he hath sworn unto thee, if thou shalt keep the commandments of the Lord thy God, and walk in his ways. And all people of the earth shall see that thou art called by the name of the Lord; and they shall be afraid of thee. And the Lord shall make thee plenteous in goods, in the fruit of thy body, and in the fruit of thy cattle, and in the fruit of thy ground, in the land which the Lord sware unto thy fathers to give thee.’ (Deut.28:9-11) Oh Friends, the Lord kept His promise to the Israelites, and also to our more recent forefathers on this side of the Atlantic. And we believers of today are the inheritors of that promise. But unfortunately, along the way we’ve regressed; become soft, indecisive and wishy washy, till now, nobody is any longer afraid of us. That’s why Lucifer and his evil-doers were able to turn the land to such unprecedented heights of ungodliness while we just stood idly by and watched, possibly complaining in low tones, but doing nothing to really stop it. Now listen to Isaiah, as he talks of the Lord, the only redeemer. ‘Fear not: for I am with thee: I will bring thy seed from the east, and gather thee from the west…. Even everyone that is called by name: for I have created him for my glory, I have formed him; yea, I have made him.’ (Is.43:5,7) Yes Friends, all the redeemed are the Lord’s, and since we consider ourselves redeemed, then we are indeed the Lord’s, called by His name. So the first part of the Bit definitely pertains to us. Now the second part clearly states that if those called by the Lord’s name, ‘shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways…’ Again Friends, plain, simple, straightforward words. And the first thing required to gain the Lord’s attention is to humble ourselves. Absolutely nothing will be achieved if we seek Him in pride and arrogance, in our own strength, since He has no time for those who consider themselves too good or too big to bow to Him. Hear the Good Book tell it. This is during Shishak’s invasion of Judah. ‘Then came Shemaiah the prophet to Rehoboam, and to the princes of Judah, that were gathered together to Jerusalem because of Shishak, and said unto them, Thus saith the Lord, Ye have forsaken me, and therefore have I also left you in the hand of Shishak. Whereupon the princes of Israel and the king humbled themselves; and they said, The Lord is righteous. And when the Lord saw that they humbled themselves, the word of the Lord came to Shemaiah, saying, They have humbled themselves; therefore I will not destroy them, but I will grant them some deliverance; and my wrath shall not be poured out upon Jerusalem by the hand of Shishak.’ (2 Chron.12:5-7) That’s self-explanatory my people. But just in case; (smile) unless we humble our selves before the Lord, admit that we can do nothing in our own strength, all our prayers and other efforts will be in vain. James puts it thus: ‘Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.’ (James 4:10) Nuff said there mih breddren! And having humbled our selves, then we need to pray, seek His face and turn from our wicked ways. As we’ve been saying all along, that’s the only way our immediate land, our society and the world at large will ever regain some modicum of lasting peace and prosperity! But who’s listening eh? Certainly not Lucifer and his evil cohorts, for the world in wicked upheaval benefits them. So it’s left up to us, those who claim to be the Lord’s, to do the dirty work and clean up our world, which we can only do with the Lord’s help, and He will only help us if we clean up our act first; meaning consistently and sincerely humble ourselves before Him, search Him out with a right heart and fervent prayer, which hopefully will cause us to change our evil ways. Then, and only then Friends, does the Lord promise and proclaim: ‘then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.’ Oh Friends, those conditions were based on Cousin Sol’s entreaty to God when he dedicated the temple. (2 Chron.6:26-27,30) But since I know your short attention span for things godly, I won’t make this too long, so you can read them for yourselves. (smile) Ah mih people, our world is undeniably heading for more strife, division, dissension and possibly all out war, but let’s make this U.S. Thanksgiving Day, the 25 November 2010, a red letter day in History nuh! A day when History will proclaim that God’s people rose up as one, sincerely humbled themselves before Him, diligently sought His face, prayed fervently, and renounced their wicked ways…and the Lord heard them from His throne in heaven and began to heal their land. Oh Friends, please, I implore us to make this day the one that will always be remembered as the day the healing of the nation, of the world began. It’s up to us, Christ’s followers, to pull our world back from the brink of destruction. Till tomorrow then, God willing, go in peace and LOVE with Him. Much LOVE!…and all God’s people, humbled themselves… then prayed fervently…became righteous…and the land was healed…Glory Hallelujah!