SCRIP-BITS

Proverbs 27:6.    Faithful are the wounds of a friend; but the kisses of an enemy are deceitful.
 
Oh my beautiful Friends in Christ, I hear you rejoicing: ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday!’ So let’s do like 3 Canal advises nuh: ‘chant a chant and welcome the morning!’ All together now with 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!’ Yes Friends, the weekend is upon us, and for those lucky ones living in Paradise North (smile) it’s only been a four-day workweek, thanks to the Thanksgiving holiday on Monday. That means you shouldn’t be as burnt out as you usually are, unless you’re still recuperating from the holiday celebrations. (smile) Oh, and let’s raise a prayer of thanks for the remaining Chilean miners who were freed yesterday from their harsh, unbelievable ordeal so long under the earth. It really is a miracle yes! I believe that’s the first time such a rescue operation has been performed anywhere, and no serious mishaps occurred. Thank you Lord! Now turning to our Bit. And it sure seemed strange having to look for a Bit since we’ve used the same one for the last six days. But as usual, the Lord in His eternal goodness, looked kindly on me and I didn’t have to stress myself to find one. Thanks again Lord! What a way we thankful to day mih people! But that’s just how it ought to be. Now the Bit says: ‘Faithful are the wounds of a friend; but the kisses of an enemy are deceitful.’ And I’m going to play devil’s advocate here and say that it’s true, if your friends are truly friends, and not enemies in friendly disguise, because I’ve had that happen to me on several occasions. Those I thought were real friends, were actually enemies in friends’ clothing. And let me tell you people, there’s no bigger hurt, no deeper or greater disappointment than finding out that who you thought was your friend, was only pretending to be one, and actually didn’t have your best interest at heart, but was only conveniently using you for their own selfish, ungodly purposes. And the sad thing about that kind of situation is that it turns you off people, makes you wary, distrustful and cynical, unwilling to get into any close relationships again. As the saying goes; ‘who needs friends with enemies like them eh?’ Ah Friends, right here I must say another ‘Thank you Lord,’ for despite the several disappointments I’ve endured like that, I haven’t become distrustful and cynical, but still consider everybody I interact with a friend. Is awright mih children, I know your thoughts on the subject, but the ole fella likes his simple, uncomplicated make up. I find it less stressful, not having to always think and consider the motives behind those I interact with. Over the last few years, the Lord has opened my eyes to certain things, but I’m still basically the same old, trusting soul. And I like it like that, because my spirit is freer and more relaxed, not wrapped up in too much confusion. Besides, the Lord does look after me when I’m hurting. He wraps me in His arms and gives me His strength to go on in my weakness. I’m chuckling here Friends, at the Spirit’s sneakiness, because I never meant this to be a personal testimony, but once I got on a roll, He apparently thought it best to keep me there, confirming my contention that examples work more forcibly than precepts, meaning that a personal testimony will always have more impact than merely outlining the principles. Now having played the devil’s advocate, with the Spirit leading me to testify, let’s look at the unvarnished truth in our Bit. In the first place, NONE of us likes criticism, and very few take it well, even when it’s correct and meaningful. And when our true friends criticize us, it usually hurts more than when enemies do it. But if we’re mature enough, we soon get over it, since it comes from their good, sincere intentions to help us, because it stems from their source of LOVE for us. And though we don’t like to be criticized, I’m sure if someone we consider a true friend, sees us going to make a very crucial and critical mistake and says nothing, because they’re afraid to hurt our feelings, we’ll get annoyed at them and claim they’re not a true friend. My brethren, we can’t have it both ways, so let’s grow up and face the reality that sometimes we’re wrong, and when told so by a close associate, don’t get angry over it. Instead, let’s do the wise thing; carefully consider the criticism. If it’s true or right, say thanks, then make the necessary correction(s) and move on. If it’s not right or true, then say thanks but no thanks, and still move on. Please don’t get caught up too much in the whys and wherefores, because that’s what brings on the stress, resentment and anger. Now the kisses of an enemy are an entirely different cup of tea. From the outset, you know that you have to be very careful when those you don’t see eye to eye with, come around being nice. And one of the most treacherous and disgusting kisses in history, and there’s been many, is that of Judas Iscariot to Jesus. Jesus must still have felt a deep disappointment having one of His very disciples betray Him, although from the beginning, He knew it would happen. Here’s how Luke tells it. When Judas drew near to kiss Jesus, He said to him: ‘Judas, betrayest thou the Son of man with a kiss?’ (Luke 22:48) Matthew relates it differently. ‘Now he that betrayed him gave them a sign, saying, Whomsoever I shall kiss, that same is he: hold him fast (seize him). And forthwith he came to Jesus, and said, Hail, master’ and kissed him. And Jesus said unto him. Friend, wherefore art thou come? Then came they and laid hands on Jesus, and took him.’ (Matt.26:48-50) Yes Friends, it’s never easy being criticized or betrayed, but the only way to handle it successfully is in a mature, Christian manner. We can’t all be as nonchalant and unperturbed about betrayal as Jesus was, for He knew that it was necessary to fulfill the scriptures, but we certainly can do the Christian thing; believe that it was meant for an important purpose by God. He must have had some good reason, else He wouldn’t have allowed it. We have to go forward in faith, knowing that in His good time, He will heal our hurt and bring us out even better than before, because that’s how He operates. Oh Friends, the true Christian life certainly isn’t easy, but it does provide the best rewards, both in this life and the hereafter. So till we meet again tomorrow, God willing, let’s rise above the unfortunate hurts and disappointments of life, and work towards the greater glory of God nuh. Much LOVE!…only through total trust in, and dependence on God…can we live a good, purposeful life…here on earth…
 

Ezekiel 20:7.    Then said I unto them, Cast ye away every man the abominations of his eyes, and defile not yourselves with the idols of Egypt: I am the Lord your God.
 
Oh Friends, the first order of business today is to give thanks for the safe rescue of the majority of miners trapped underground in the Chilean mine for almost two months. Thank you Lord! It’s heart-warming to see the time, money and effort spent on rescuing them, but I have a question. I don’t know how valid it is, but I’ll ask it anyway. Couldn’t they have used some of that technology, money and otherwise to better shore up the mine and prevent the accident? It’s a hundred year old mine, and no doubt the protection wasn’t up to scratch. But nowadays we seem to conveniently forget the old and true adage that prevention is better than cure. That brings to mind our big fight against cancer, spending millions of dollars uselessly looking for cures, when, if we’d get rid of the numerous carcinogens in the majority of products we use and a lot of the food we eat, the cancer problem would be greatly reduced. But I guess the business people and the researches benefit more this way. In any case, let’s hope that the remaining mine workers are safely rescued today. Please offer a prayer for them my people. Oh Friends, I just realized that our Bit could also be a warning for our scientists and business people who put so much untried and poorly tested chemicals into our food, water and air, just to make a big buck. ‘Cast ye away every man the abominations of (before) his eyes, and defile not yourselves with the idols of Egypt: I am the Lord your God.’ They have to stop bowing before Lucifer and his cronies and resisting one of the mighty roots of all evil; the LOVE of money, of the almighty dollar. That’s easier said than done though, so I won’t belabour the point. But we will continue looking at King Asa’s life. We’ve seen him destroy the pagan places of worship and their paraphernalia, the turn Judah and some from the other tribes back to worshipping the Lord God of their fathers. They even made a covenant to seek the Lord and anyone who didn’t worship Him would be put to death; very strong sentiments. The house of God was also restored to its former glory and life in Judah was both peaceful and prosperous. Praise the Lord my people! But, and there always seems to be a but, in the 36th year of Asa’s reign, Baasha, king of Israel, began to build the city of Ramah along the borders of the two countries to prevent people from Israel crossing over to Judah. This obviously heightened tension between them and Asa’s reaction to this tense situation was to hire Ben-hadad, the Syrian king’s army to destroy some of Israel’s cities, which they did. The ploy worked admirably, for when Baasha heard of the Syrian invasion, he stopped building Ramah and went back to fight the Syrians. Consequently, Asa and Judah captured the stuff at Ramah, took it away and built the cities of Gebah and Mizpah in Judah. (2 Chr.16:1-7) Now it all seems to have worked out in Asa’s favour. But Friends, think back to a couple days ago, as to what Asa did when confronted with an invading Ethiopian army twice the size of his. Asa cried unto the Lord his God, who smote the Ethiopians and caused Judah to be victorious. (2 Chr.14:9-15) But for whatever reason, this time with a lesser enemy, Israel, instead of turning to God again, Asa turned to vain, mortal man for help. I don’t know if he thought the matter was too small to bring to God, or simply forgot the psalmist’s words re God’s sustaining power: ‘I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help. My help cometh from the Lord, which made heaven and earth.’ (Ps.121:1-2) Oh my people, please note that there is nothing too small and insignificant in our lives to take to God. On the contrary, He wants to be involved in every decision we make, be it very big or very small. Neither does He let us go scot-free when we ignore Him in making our decisions. And sometimes we pay an inordinately high price for that ignorance, as Asa found out. Listen to the Good Book tell the tale: ‘And at that time Hanani the seer came to Asa king of Judah, and said unto him, Because thou hast relied on the king of Syria, and not relied on the Lord thy God, therefore is the host (army) of the king of Syria escaped out of thine hand. Were not the Ethiopians and the Lubim a huge host, with very many chariots and horsemen? yet, because thou didst rely on the Lord, he delivered them into thine hand. For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect (loyal) toward him. Herein thou hast done foolishly: therefore from henceforth thou shalt have wars. Then Asa was wroth with the seer, and put him in a prison house; for he was in a rage with him because of this thing. And Asa oppressed some of the people the same time. And Asa in the thirty and ninth year of his reign was diseased in his feet, until his disease was exceeding great: yet in his disease he sought not the Lord, but to the physicians. And Asa slept with his fathers, and died in the one and fortieth year of his reign.’ (2 Chr.16:7-10,12-13) Oh Friends Asa was summarily rebuked by God’s prophet for his breach of trust, and suffered judgement for it. He then foolishly persecuted the seer because he had the gall to rebuke him, and also oppressed some of his own people. He ended up sick, dying in shame, and even then he still refused to petition the Lord for help, but instead chose imperfect, mortal physicians. Oh my people, how soon we forget the source of our help! Now what caused Asa’s spiritual decline eh? How could he, in his right mind, forget God’s omnipotence and turn to mortal man? Was it the power? There is some truth to the saying that ‘power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.’ But let’s look at another godly stalwart who faltered badly in his later years; that wisest of all men, Solomon. It wasn’t power that corrupted Cousin Sol, but the many pagan women he married. As the old Derrick Harriot song ‘Solomon’ so rightly says: ‘Solomon was the wisest man, but he didn’t know the secrets of a woman.’ And isn’t that an awesome truth men! None of us really know the workings of women. (smile) And for you ladies who are ready to take umbrage at that statement, please don’t, because it’s true, otherwise the relationship between the sexes would not be as controversial as it is. And the moral of the story Friends, is NEVER, I repeat, NEVER leave God out of your decisions and your life, because the repercussions sometimes can greatly outweigh the benefits we receive from our ungodly actions. Wow! We’ve finally reached the end of this Bit, which I originally envisioned for one day, but through the Holy Spirit’s guidance took six days. That’s just a simple example of the Lord’s mentality being so much higher than ours, and that we should learn to obey the promptings of His Spirit, and never turn our backs on Him. Till tomorrow then Friends, God in favour, walk carefully under the Lord’s protective umbrella. Much LOVE!…our first call for help…MUST ALWAYS BE TO GOD…
 

Ezekiel 20:7.    Then said I unto them, Cast ye away every man the abominations of his eyes, and defile not yourselves with the idols of Egypt: I am the Lord your God.
 
Oh Friends, up here in the North, the days appear to be getting shorter and the nights seemingly longer, in preparation for the winter season. But on a positive note, the natural scenery is becoming more colourful every day. Our God is certainly enjoying His painting this year. Last afternoon I looked out my bedroom window which overlooks my neighbours’ backyards and was thrilled by a most exhilarating and beautiful scene. In the background was one of those tall, spreading trees with it’s numerous small leaves painted a lustrous yellow, while in the foreground, dwarfed by its neighbour, was a smaller tree with larger leaves painted a brownish red or russet. But in the bright sunshine they certainly formed a colourful picture; the russet and yellow contrasting beautifully together. I obviously feasted my eyes on the breathtaking scene for a few moments and gave thanks for having the eyesight and the opportunity to behold such an inspiring picture. Oh Friends, if you’re not a nature LOVER, then I encourage you to become one, for there’s nothing that brings more peace and tranquility to your spirit than a bit of God’s lush, colourful handiwork. Enough of my autumn musings though. (smile) Hear God’s directive to the Israelites: ‘Cast ye away every man the abominations of (in front of) his eyes, and defile not yourselves with the idols of Egypt. I am the Lord your God.’ And as promised, we’ll continue Asa’s story. After Judah had destroyed the pagan paraphernalia, the Good Book says: ‘So they gathered themselves together at Jerusalem in the third month, in the fifteenth year of the reign of Asa. And they offered unto the Lord the same time, of the spoil (plunder) they had brought, seven hundred oxen and seven thousand sheep. And they entered into a covenant to seek the Lord God of their fathers with all their heart and with all their soul; That whosoever would not seek the Lord God of Israel should be put to death, whether small or great, whether man or woman. And they sware (took an oath) unto the Lord with a loud voice, and with shouting, and with trumpets, and with cornets (ram’s horns). And all Judah rejoiced at the oath: for they had sworn with all their heart, and sought him with their whole desire; and he was found of them: and the Lord gave them rest round about…But the high places (places for pagan worship) were not taken out of Israel: nevertheless the heart of Asa was perfect (loyal) all his days. And he brought into the house of God the things that his father had dedicated, and that he himself had dedicated, silver and gold and vessels. And there was no more war unto the five and thirtieth year of the reign of Asa.’ (2 Chr.20:10-15,17-19) Oh Friends, yuh see what happens when we work together, and even more importantly, for good and not for evil! Because Judah saw the light and joyfully turned back to serving the God of their fathers, their lives were much improved, filled with peace and not war. That’s exactly what we need in our society today; a complete turning around of our evil, ungodly ways, of our bowing to the idols and fleshly lusts of the world. Oh my people, I can guarantee that if a reformation, such as took place in Judah back then, was to ensue now…WOW!…our lives would be greatly improved. There’d be much more peace, much less violence, more togetherness, families would once again be families, less greed and selfishness; in other words, our society would be filled with many more godly attributes than the iniquity filled one in which we now live. But as we saw yesterday, to accomplish such a transformation, we first need prophetic vision and strong leaders, or a people who want it badly enough to override their evil, incompetent leaders. It won’t be easy or happen overnight since Beelzebub and his cronies won’t give up without a valiant fight. However, please remember that the first step is always the hardest, but the most important. And since we don’t seem to have the leaders strong, willing or able enough to do it, then the change has to begin with a groundswell from us, the people suffering under the evil, incompetent, ungodly rule. Oh my brethren, I don’t know how to convince us that our very existence depends on getting the Lord God Jehovah back into the mainstream of our lives. I don’t remember what I was reading or watching recently, but the punch line was that a displeased, unhappy God said that He didn’t need to destroy the world for our disobedience because the politicians were already doing it. And isn’t that the living truth! But Friends, we can’t blame the politicians for everything, we also need to take a fair amount of it, for if we so strongly dislike the leaders’ doings, there are a number of ways for us to stop them. However, most of us either approve and enjoy their worldly leanings, or are just too lazy, lethargic and uninterested to get involved in remedial action. So basically when the corruption and ungodliness continues unabated, we have to blame ourselves too. Oh my Friends, let’s wise up nuh! Regardless of whether or not you believe in God, it’s obvious that some serious changes need to be made in our society for we are on a steep downhill slide and the powers that be don’t seem genuinely interested in fixing it, but more interested in strengthening or increasing their power and wealth. It’s about time we stop complaining and step up to the plate and do something serious and concrete for ourselves, else we’ll languish in poverty, misery, oppression and ungodliness until we eventually perish. We can start by electing God centred candidates in the elections and by doing Christian work in our own backyards. It’s only a small, first step towards returning to a godly world, but one that desperately needs taking. Till we meet again, God willing, walk safely and steadfastly with the Most High. Much Love!…you can’t always look to others for help…sometimes you’ve got to help yourself…like right now…

Ezekiel 20:7.    Then said I unto them, Cast ye away every man the abominations of his eyes, and defile not yourselves with the idols of Egypt. I am the Lord your God.
 
Oh Friends, Thanksgiving Day is over in the north country, but not the giving of thanks, which must be a perpetual action. I hope we didn’t overdo the celebration, and gave much thanks for the good life we have. It’s time to go back out and labour, so let’s remember to put on our spiritual armour, with our trusted shield and sword ever at the ready, before going out to do a good job, one most worthy of our Saviour. We’ve had a long weekend, which means a short work week, so be exceedingly grateful. Anyway, let’s continue with this Bit that I never envisioned would hold forth for so many days. But as I am reminded every day, God does move in mysterious ways. The Lord told Israel to: ‘Cast ye away every man the abominations of (which were before) his eyes, and defile not yourselves with the idols of Egypt: I am the Lord your God.’ Now on several occasions they didn’t listen and continued a whoring after other gods. But as we saw yesterday, under king Asa, they did make some godly changes, and today we’ll continue that story. Having destroyed most of the pagan places of worship and their man made idols, Asa and Judah turned to building walled cities, and they prospered because they had changed their evil ways. Another example of Asa’s obedience and faithfulness occurs when a huge Ethiopian army came against them. And in those days Friends, it wasn’t no joke war nuh! Hear the kind of army Asa had: three hundred thousand foot soldiers, and two hundred and eighty thousand archers. Now listen to the size of the force Zerah the Ethiopian brought to fight them: a host of one thousand thousand, that’s a million, and three hundred chariots. Wow! Even way back then they did some serious fighting mih breddren! And though Judah seemed to be overwhelmed by the Ethiopian invaders, Asa was not cowed, he did the right thing. ‘And Asa cried unto the Lord his God, and said, Lord, it is nothing with thee to help, whether with many, or with them that have no power: help us, O Lord our God; for we rest on thee, and in thy name we go against this multitude. O Lord, thou art our God; let not man prevail against thee. So the Lord smote (struck down) the Ethiopians before Asa, and before Judah; and the Ethiopians fled.’ (2 Chr.14:11-12) Yes Friends, that’s the way to do it: turn to the Lord Jehovah and ask His help whenever the enemy comes against us! For as Bruh David so rightly told Goliath before they fought: ‘for the battle is the Lord’s, and he will give you into our hands.’ (1 Sam.17:47) Luckily for Judah, at that time there was prophetic vision in the land, per Cousin Sol’s warning: ‘Where there is no vision, the people perish (cast off restraint): but he that keepeth the law, happy is he.’ (Prov.29:18) And that prophetic vision in Asa’s time fell to Azariah, the son of Oded. When the Spirit of the Lord came upon him, he approached Asa and said: ‘Hear ye me, Asa, and all Judah and Benjamin; The Lord is with you, while ye be with him; and if ye seek him, he will be found of you; but if ye forsake him, he will forsake you.’ (2 Chr.15:2) Now that is an everlasting truth my people! Whenever we sincerely seek the Lord, we’ll always find Him. But if we ignore Him, then He’ll simply ignore us too. And Azariah continued his speech to Asa: ‘Now for a long season Israel hath been without the true God, and without a teaching priest, and without law. But when they in their trouble did turn unto the Lord God of Israel, and sought him, he was found of them. And in those times there was no peace to him that went out, nor to him that came in, but great vexations (turmoil) were upon all the inhabitants of the countries. And nation was destroyed of (by) nation, and city of city: for God did vex (trouble) them with all adversity.’ (2 Chr.15:3-6) Oh my people, doesn’t that sound just like our world now? There doesn’t seem to be any sincere teacher, no true prophetic vision, and if there is, then the leaders aren’t listening. Our world is definitely in great turmoil; nation is destroying nation, and the Lord is certainly troubling us with much adversity through both natural and man made disasters. When are we going to learn eh mih breddren? When are we truly going to do as Azariah told Asa? ‘Be ye strong therefore, and let not your hands be weak: for your work shall be rewarded.’ (2 Chr.15:7) And that for sure it will be my Friends when we stand strong in the Lord and obey His will, which Asa did, through Azariah’s encouragement. That’s why it’s ever so important for believers to encourage each other my people! ‘And when Asa heard these words, and the prophecy of Oded the prophet, he took courage, and put away the abominable idols out of all the land of Judah and Benjamin, and out of the cities which he had taken from mount Ephraim, and renewed (restored) the altar of the Lord, that was before the porch of the Lord. And he gathered all Judah and Benjamin, and the strangers with them out of Ephraim and Manasseh, and out of Simeon: for they fell (came over) to him out of Israel in abundance, when they saw that the Lord his God was with them.’ (2 Chr.15:8-9) Yes Friends, after Azariah spoke to Asa, his courage and faith in the Lord increased and he undertook a further purge of pagan activities, even against his own grandmother, Queen Maachah, who had made an idol in a grove. Asa cut it down, crushed and burnt it in the brook Kidron, then demoted her from being queen. Unfortunately though, the high places were not taken out of the sister kingdom of Israel. (2 Chr.15:16-17) Unfortunately too my brethren, time and space have run out for today. Tomorrow however, God willing, we’ll continue with Asa’s story because they’re some real important lessons that we can learn from it. Till we meet again then, please walk safely and steadfastly with the Lord. Much LOVE!…as Uncle Charles says…obey God…and leave all the consequences to Him…
 

Ezekiel 20:7.    Then said I unto them, Cast ye away every man the abominations of his eyes, and defile not yourselves with the idols of Egypt. I am the Lord your God.

 Ezekiel 20:7.   Then said I unto them, Cast ye away every man the abominations of his eyes, and defile not yourselves with the idols of Egypt: I am the Lord your God.

Oh Friends, is it just my perception, or are the days moving along more quickly than usual? It’s already the tenth of October, and the month just began last week. Ah well, let’s just hope that the cold, dreary winter days pass just as quickly, if not quicker, although I won’t bet on that. (smile) But today we’ll continue talking about the Lord’s warning to Israel re their disgusting, ungodly behaviour. And it will be mostly scriptures having some bearing on the topic, with very little verbiage from me, hopefully. (smile) Anyway, the Lord instructed the Israelites to: ‘Cast ye away every man the abominations of (which are before) his eyes, and defile not yourselves with the idols of Egypt: I am the Lord your God.’ Now hear this bit of scripture from the early days of Israel, when Moses taught them the Lord’s law as recorded in Leviticus. It comes from a section dealing with forbidden acts of immorality. ‘And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, I am the Lord your God. After the doings of (what is done in) the land of Egypt, wherein ye dwelt, shall ye not do: and after the doings of the land of Canaan, whither I bring you, shall ye not do: neither shall ye walk in their ordinances (statutes). Ye shall do my judgements, and keep mine ordinances, to walk therein: I am the Lord your God. Ye shall therefore keep my statutes, and my judgements: which if a man do (does, keeps), he shall live in (by) them: I am the Lord.’ (Lev.18:1-5) And Joshua, in his farewell address also warned Israel: ‘Now therefore fear the Lord, and serve him in sincerity and in truth: and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the flood (the Euphrates river), and in Egypt; and serve ye the Lord. And if it seem evil unto you to serve the Lord, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord. And the people answered and said, God forbid that we should forsake the Lord, to serve other gods. For the Lord our God, he it is that brought us up and our fathers out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage, and which did those great signs in our sight, and preserved us in all the way wherein we went, and among all the people through whom we passed: And the Lord drove out from before us all the people, even the Amorites which dwelt in the land: therefore will we also serve the Lord; for he is our God. And Joshua said unto the people, Ye cannot serve the Lord: for he is a holy God; he is a jealous God; he will not forgive your transgressions nor your sins. If ye forsake the Lord, and serve strange gods, then he will turn and do you hurt (harm), and consume you, after that he hath done you good. And the people said unto Joshua, Nay; but we will serve the Lord. And Joshua said unto the people, Ye are witnesses against yourselves that ye have chosen you the Lord, to serve him. And they said, We are witnesses. Now therefore put away, said he, the strange gods which are among you, and incline your heart unto the Lord God of Israel. And the people said unto Joshua, The Lord our God will we serve, and his voice will we obey. So Joshua made a covenant with the people that day, and set them (made for them) a statute and an ordinance in Shechem.’ (Josh.24:14-25) Ah Friends, you see Joshua was faithful to his divine calling even till his dying days and tried to set the people straight before he was called home. He gave the people options, and they chose the wise one, had all the correct answers, and promised faithfully to serve the Lord God of their fathers who had done such great signs and wonders in bringing their fathers out of Egypt to the Promised Land. Note too Joshua’s careful reminder that you can’t serve God in a wishy-washy fashion, or forsake Him because He will turn right around and cause you harm immediately after doing you good, for He is holy, just and very jealous of His good name and all that pertains to Him. Oh Friends, I’m asking us today, like Joshua asked the Israelites long ago: whom are you going to serve, the Lord God Jehovah or Beelzebub? The choice is yours. The wise and sensible choice though is the Lord God Jehovah, since He is wiser, stronger and more faithful than Beelzebub. And above all, He has the best rewards going; salvation and eternal life through His Son Jesus Christ. Unfortunately the Israelites in Joshua’s time didn’t have that avenue available to them, but luckily we do, so please let’s use it wisely and choose to serve the Lord God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. It will eventually prove to be the wisest decision we’ve ever made. But remember, once we choose to serve Him, we have to pull up our socks, forsake the things of Beelzebub and the lustful things of this world, else we’ll pay for our wrong doings because our God is a LOVING but serious God and will only put up with our shenanigans for so long. So till tomorrow, with God’s approval, when we’ll have a little more to say on this subject, go in peace to LOVE and serve the Lord. Much LOVE!…whom will you serve…as for me and mine…we will serve the Lord…

Ezekiel 20:7.    Then said I unto them, Cast ye away every man the abominations of his eyes, and defile not yourselves with the idols of Egypt: I am the Lord your God.

Luke 6:46.    And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?
 
Oh Friends, I hear you rejoicing, loudly calling out: ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday!’ So 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 body, soul 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.’ Yes my people, it’s sure good to welcome Friday! It’s possibly the most popular and looked forward to day in many places around the world because it’s a harbinger of two days of rest and hopefully peace, far away from the rush of bodies and vehicles in the daily maelstrom we’re forced to endure to earn our living. Today’s Bit is certainly interesting because it can be used to cover several different scenarios. Jesus in His Sermon on the Mount, candidly asks: ‘And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?’ Now that’s certainly a very good question my people. But before tackling it, let’s look at how it can also be generally used in our society. Parents can ask it of their disobedient children. So also can employers: ‘Why call me Boss, Boss, and not do the work, or not do it how I want it done?’ In fact, any authority figure can ask that of someone who’s responsible to them. And disobedience, unfaithfulness, or simple laziness in not doing what we’re supposed to is very important in all aspects of our society, for without general compliance, we’ll only breed anarchy. However Friends, compliance with the Lord’s wishes is of the utmost importance both in this life and the next, because if we don’t comply, we’re liable to suffer big time. If we don’t accept the fact that Jesus is Lord and Saviour, then our eternal destiny lies in Hades with the prince of darkness, Lucifer. But if we accept and believe that He is indeed the risen Christ, keeper of the gate to heaven, by whom all must go through to get to the Father, then salvation and eternal life dwelling with the Holy Trinity will be ours. However, like in all structured environments, there are certain rules and regulations to be followed. With God it was originally the Ten Commandments, which Jesus broke down to two simple ones: LOVE your God, and LOVE your neighbour as your self. Now Friends, that by no means negates the Ten Commandments. Jesus was only trying to make it easier for us to handle, breaking it down to one, simple word, but one conveying an overwhelming and awesome emotion; LOVE, which best describes our heavenly Father. All He’s saying is that when we LOVE our God and our neighbour, we won’t be tempted to commit the sins listed in the Ten Commandments, since true LOVE has nothing to do with them, it absolutely abhors them. And Bruh Paul in his famous treatise on ‘The way of LOVE’ (1 Cor.13) explains what LOVE is, and what it’s not. ‘LOVE suffereth long, and is kind, LOVE envieth not; LOVE vaunteth not (does not brag on) itself, is not arrogant.’ (1 Cor.13:4) Those are just a few of the things LOVE doesn’t do. You can read the rest for yourselves. But why should we do as Jesus says, once we’ve believed and accepted Him and heaven is assured? Oh my brethren because both our life on earth will be much more powerful and peaceful, plus our future rewards in heaven will be greater. We only need to believe to get into heaven, but once we sincerely believe we’re supposed to be changed people, born again spiritually. As Bruh Paul says: ‘Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature (creation): old things are passed away; behold, all things are become knew. And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation.’ (2 Cor.5:17-18) Yes Friends, once we accept Christ we’re supposed to put away the old stuff and strive to remake ourselves in Jesus’ image, living that life of LOVE He espouses. Now let’s hear Jesus’ take on the subject: ‘Whosoever cometh to me, and heareth my sayings, and doeth them, I will show you to whom he is like: He is like a man which built a house, and digged deep, and laid the foundation on a rock: and when the flood arose, the stream beat vehemently upon that house, and could not shake it: for it was founded upon a rock. But he that heareth, and doeth not, is like a man that without a foundation built a house upon the earth; against which the stream did beat vehemently, and immediately it fell; and the ruin of that house was great.’ (Luke 6:47-49) Oh my people, Jesus certainly put it better than I ever could. You do as He asks; your life will be built on a strong, rock-like foundation. You’ll be immune from Beelzebub and his iniquity workers since you’ll be walking the path that Jesus laid, leaning on His immense strength. But if you insist on being rebellious and disobedient, you’ll just be a weak, wishy-washy, unreliable, undependable, blown every which way kind of person, that Beelzebub and his evil cronies will take pleasure in using and abusing for their own greedy, evil purposes. Please note Jesus’ last words on that disobedient person: ‘and the ruin of that house was great.’  Yes Friends, if we don’t do as Jesus says, we’re liable to come to a very ruinous end, and sadly taking those associated with us along. My brethren, many of us today still do like the people in Jesus’ time; call Him Lord, Saviour, Master, My Jesus and all sorts of other glorious, adoring names, but don’t do His bidding. That’s not right mih people, because it not only displeases the Father, but also hinders our spiritual growth and detracts very seriously from our witness for Christ. Those who hear us claim to be believers, then see us do otherwise, will just lose any desire to join Jesus’ Church, and further categorize all believers as hypocrites. Now I’m sure we don’t want that to happen, so let’s all strive to practice what we preach nuh. It’s for the benefit of Christ’s whole Church which we’ve promised to uplift and build. Let’s not disappoint our Saviour nuh. Till tomorrow then, God willing, go safely, in peace with both God and man. Much LOVE!…examples work more forcibly on the mind than precepts…so let’s walk our talk…
 

Acts 4:12.    Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.
 
Oh Friends, who ever says that Lord isn’t a good God, tell them I say deh lie! He’s truly a wonderful God! Yuh know with all the rain that’s been falling recently, He knew that I had a set of errands to run yesterday, so after mid-morning nary a drop of rain fell, enabling me to accomplish my tasks without the complications rain would have caused. Thank you Lord! Ah Friends, some people might consider that trivial and inconsequential, and it might well be that to them, but you better believe it wasn’t to me yesterday since the number of things I had to do, and the distances between the places I had to go, precipitation would definitely have made it difficult, if not impossible to accomplish them all. And besides, it’s the little things like that we must learn to be thankful for. Things like driving into a crowded parking lot and finding an empty spot right close to where you’re going. You’re late for an appointment, but the traffic that’s usually murderous is surprisingly free flowing and you make it on time. You suddenly get an unexpected phone call from a long lost friend when you’re feeling low, and your spirits are immediately lifted. Oh my people, those aren’t just mere coincidences; they’re God’s grace, His hand of mercy and blessing being laid on us. And when these supposedly small and inconsequential things happen that lighten and brighten our lives, we must remember to show our appreciation and give heartfelt thanks. Now here’s a quote from St. Francis de Sales (1567-1622) that reminds us to also take care of ourselves. ‘Be patient with everyone, but above all with yourself.’ Now that’s so true, and so appropriate in this crazy day and age when everything and everybody is in a rush, but really going nowhere fast. And in the mad rush to go nowhere, we become angry and impatient, both with others and ourselves. But though we’re often quick to forgive or apologize to others, we simply don’t offer ourselves the same understanding, which we need just as badly. Oh Friends, it’s very important that we learn to be forgiving and patient with ourselves, else we can never achieve that level of maturity, both in general and in Christ, that will bring long lasting peace. Maturity in all aspects of life is only achieved by having sensible balance; knowing when to let go and when to pick up. It’s not easy to achieve, but it’s extremely worthwhile and very possible when we look to Jesus for help. But we can’t do that unless we truly accept and believe in Him; believe the things the Good Book says of Him, especially these words: ‘Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.’ Oh my people, that’s the most important aspect of Jesus that we need to believe; that He alone can provide us with salvation. Why? Because without salvation that leads to eternal life, we’d be eternally lost, condemned to death and damnation for our dreadful sins. But since He paid for all our sins through His sacrificial death on the cross, then salvation is open to all and sundry…if we believe. It’s the only way! Now Friends, yesterday we talked about all the injustice and ‘downpression’ that Isaiah prophesied about and Jesus fulfilled without basically raising a finger to stop His ‘downpressors’. So let me ask a seemingly silly question here. If Jesus could do miracles and all that supernatural stuff, why didn’t He retaliate against His accusers, or simply stop them from railroading Him eh? He healed the ear of the servant that Peter cut off when they came to arrest Him in the Garden of Gethsemane. So why didn’t He save Himself as He obviously could? There’s only one logical answer Friends: that He had a higher purpose, a more important function to perform than merely saving His own skin. If He was truly God in man form, then what He said makes absolute sense, else there was no good reason for Him to put up with all the suffering. So why was it then, and now too, so difficult for people to believe eh? If you can believe He had the power to heal the sick and bring the dead back to life, then He must have had the power to save Himself from mere mortals, if He so desired. And as Peter, who walked with Jesus in His earthly ministry, told the Gentiles: ‘And he commanded us to preach unto the people, and to testify that it is he which was ordained of God to be the Judge of the quick and dead. To him give all the prophets witness, that through his name whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission (forgiveness) of sins.’ (Acts 4:42-43) Oh mih breddren, the people knew that Peter was one of His associates, and in concert with the other Apostles, was doing amazing, abnormal works, so there must have been something to what he was saying. Ah Friends, I simply can’t understand why it’s so hard to accept Jesus when there’s so much evidence to prove His testimony. Unfortunately we’ve got to end now, but we’ll give the final word on the subject to Bruh Paul, who, though he didn’t walk personally with Jesus on earth, was His biggest advocate, and suffered mightily for it. Bruh Paul is here writing to his young protégé Timothy, exhorting him to prayer. ‘For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour; Who will have (desires) all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth. For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus; Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time.’ (1 Tim.2:3-6) Yes Friends, everything in our lives, earthly and heavenly, revolves around Jesus, and if we don’t recognize and accept that irrefutable fact before it’s too late, then crapaud smoke we pipe! So please accept Him today as your personal Lord and Saviour…for tomorrow might just be too late. Much LOVE!…I am the way…the truth…and the life…no man cometh unto the Father…BUT BY ME…