Today’s Scrip-Bit 5 June 2010 Colossians 3:13‏

05 Jun 2010 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Inspirational Living

Colossians 3:13    Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye.

 

Oh Friends, it’s the weekend! Whoopee! Time for fun, frolic, fellowship and housework!  Yes, housework too for the unlucky many who don’t have the time to do it during the busy workweek. You’d think that with all our expert intelligence and technology we could devise a better system of working and living than what’s currently in force, meaning the endless commuting back and forth, plus the long work weeks and short break periods. But I guess that’s all a pipe dream right now. Until the slave masters decide to relax their greedy agenda, we’ve just got to grin and bear it. In so doing, we have to feel and believe like Willie Shakespeare says: ‘The supreme happiness of life is the conviction that we’re LOVED.’ And ain’t that the truth mih people! It’s the belief that we’re LOVED by somebody; friends, family, spouses, that keeps us going. If there was no LOVE in our lives then life wouldn’t be worth living. That’s why we tend to give up on life when we’ve lost LOVE. But Friends, I’m here to tell you that there’s always LOVE in a believer’s life: if not that of humans, then certainly that of the Most High God Jehovah. So believers should never have to give up on life because they always have the LOVE of God with them. That brings us to our Bit, and some more virtues that believers ought to possess. Yes mih people, a believer is expected to be a very virtuous person. (smile) The Bit talks of ‘Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any.’ Oh Friends, that sentence is one of the most important in a believer’s life, for having been called to develop the virtues we’ve discussed over the last few days, and seeing where very few, if any, have reached that magical plateau of spirituality, then it behoves us to bear with, have patience with each other, and also forgive one another. Why? Because all of us still have flaws, weaknesses and deficiencies, which means we’re going to make mistakes and do wrong, often not intentionally, but wrong nonetheless. But unfortunately, it’s common place for us to berate others for the same wrongs and mistakes that we commit. As Jesus warned, we shouldn’t judge in a harsh, vindictive manner, because it will come back to haunt us. ‘And why beholdest thou the mote (speck) that is in thy brother’s eye, but considerest not the beam (plank) that is in thine own eye?’ (Mat.7:3) That my Friends is a sad behaviour believers are widely known for; coming down on others for simple things when we commit more serious offences. That my brethren, is pure and simple hypocrisy. Oh Friends, these virtues which believers ought to possess and practice is one of the biggest drawbacks to our bringing others to Christ. Why? Because we constantly talk about them but don’t practice them sufficiently. Unbelievers therefore get turned off and consider us just a bunch of pretentious, know it all hypocrites. And in far too many cases, they are right. And I’m saying this from experience. While growing up in Tobago, I lived amongst two sets of people, both professing to be devout Christians, with both groups always in church etc. But Friends, even at my tender age, around 12 or 13, I saw the remarkable difference between both groups. One group definitely did not live the Christian life they preached, being rude, unmannerly and not very neighbourly, while the other was more pleasant, generous and kind. You could see something of Jesus in them. And for some strange reason that comparative situation has stuck with me all through the years. If I wasn’t already a believer, that first rude, unmannerly group would never have gotten me to be one, simply because their everyday actions didn’t live up to their words. Friends, I cannot over emphasize the importance of doing what we say, of practising what we preach, in our efforts to bring others to Christ. Remember that trite but true saying that examples work better than precepts, than mere words. That insufficient effort of practising what we preach is the bane of Christianity my people. If Christianity is an action, a doing movement, and we’re not doing, not acting in accordance with its basic principles, then how can we draw others to Christ eh? Our blatant hypocrisy just makes it worse, turns them off. Ah Friends, oftimes we’re our worst enemies, simply because we don’t do as we say, yet expect others to do it. And this last part of the Bit is oh so important; it’s one of the foundation stones of our faith: ‘even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye.’ And that’s the gospel truth! But do we do it? Not as often as we should. And in closing, let’s hear it straight from our Saviour’s lips; hopefully it will impress upon us, the urgency and importance of living our principles. ‘And when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have aught (anything) against any: that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses. But if ye do not forgive, neither will your Father which is heaven forgive your trespasses.’ (Mark 11:25-26) Oh my people, what more can I say? Jesus said it all right there; if you don’t forgive, you won’t be forgiven by the Lord. It couldn’t be any simpler than that. Please, I implore us to go out and start putting those things we’ve talked about into serious action; kindness, mercy, compassion, caring, forbearance, long-suffering, LOVE and forgiveness. Those are the principles on which Christ’s church is based, and if we want to be His true followers, then we need to do the things He directs us to do. And don’t think we done yet nuh! (smile) It have some more virtuous stuff to come tomorrow, God willing. Till then, Much LOVE!…virtue is the engine…that runs the Christian’s life…

Today’s Scrip-Bit 4 June 2010 Colossians 3:12‏

04 Jun 2010 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Inspirational Living

Colossians 3:12     Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, long-suffering.
 
And all God’s people shouted: ‘Glory Hallelujah!’ Why? Because they had been granted yet another stay of execution! They were alive and kicking, ready to greet another beautiful day in paradise! Oh Friends, I know some of us have it real rough, but that’s no reason to give up and not enjoy God’s goodness here on earth. Some of us, because of our unpalatable situations, are probably hoping for heaven sooner rather than later. But that doesn’t make sense either mih people. In the first place, many of us have put ourselves in those compromising and untenable situations all on our own steam, without any help from God. In fact, if we had listened to Him, we wouldn’t be in them, so we only have ourselves to blame. Then remember, He’s put us on planet earth at this particular moment in time for a specific purpose, and it’s our duty to find out that purpose and pursue it to the best of our ability. So merely wishing that the bad times will go away, and that heaven will soon come, isn’t really fulfilling our Christian mission. It’s not holding steadfast to our beliefs as we ought to. In effect, it is a defeatist attitude, something a believer should never possess. That brings us to the virtues that Bruh Paul declares in our Bit, that true believers MUST HAVE. Yesterday we talked about ‘bowels of mercies,’ compassion and kindness. Today we’ll continue with ‘humbleness of mind.’ Hn! What’s that eh? In today’s greedy, selfish, I, me and mine first world, the word humility, or the mere idea of being humble, is not only anathema to many, but doesn’t even exist in the minds of plenty others. And Friends, that’s a major downfall of us believers. We talk about humility, but we don’t really show or practice it. We look askance at the poor, the lame, the down on their luck with a snotty, nose in the air, I’m better than you cause I’m a Christian. But my brethren, that’s totally unchristian. Jesus is the perfect example. Though He was God in the flesh, He made no big thing about Himself. He willingly served others and gave the resultant glory to His Father in heaven. That’s how we ought to be my Friends. And remember, the Lord dislikes the sins of pride and arrogance possibly more than most sins, though He dislikes them all. That’s because pride and arrogance imply that we have no need or time for Him, we can do it all on our own strength, which, deep down, we know is nonsense. And my people, when we wave our God off and consider Him irrelevant in our lives, that not only angers Him, but hurts His heart too. Just think how we feel when our children consider us irrelevant and behave that way. It possibly hurts more than it angers. Well our God feels the same way when we can’t be bothered to give Him the time of day. Then, Bruh Paul goes on to speak of ‘meekness’ in a Christian’s life. What a joke that is my brethren! The dictionary defines ‘meek’ as ‘piously humble and submissive; submitting tamely to injury etc.’ Oh Friends, many of us interpret that as grovelling, dragging along, not putting up any resistance, a passive sort of response. But mih people, the Christian idea of meekness is certainly none of those things. We’re to submit to authority, give Caesar what is his and all that, but we don’t just roll over and play dead. It’s more like having a soft, gentle, tender spirit, but one that also has backbone and belly, to stand up strong when necessary. Once more, Jesus is the perfect example. He was soft and quiet and gentle, but when necessary, He was also strong and determined and not afraid to take the bull by the horns, like when He threw the crooks out of the temple. (Mat.21:12-13) And the last virtue Bruh Paul talks about in the Bit is ‘long-suffering,’ or patience. Now that’s another thing we’ve thrown aside in our mad rush for fame and glory in this modern society. Nobody wants to suffer for even a moment, much less to suffer for long. We want everything to be easy and now for now. Waiting for anything is frowned upon in this new culture. Consider the great debts we owe, because we couldn’t wait to save for what we wanted but bowed to Lucifer’s minions and instead bought on credit. And if we’re hurt or offended, we want retribution or payback right away. We can’t put up with the mistakes, weaknesses or eccentricities of others for even one moment. But Friends, consider this: If God behaved, or felt like us, where would we all be eh? All headed straight for purgatory; for death and eternal damnation with Lucifer. But the Lord is long-suffering. Sometimes I even think that He’s too patient with us, and so we seem to take advantage of His goodness and mercy. But please NEVER FORGET Friends, that our God is a just and righteous Sovereign, and we’ll all pay in some fashion for our continual wrongdoing. The Lord will not just roll over and play dead like some of us want or expect. And those are just some of the virtues we’re expected to possess, to cultivate, and also put into action because our Leader, Jesus, is, was, and will always be a man of action. My people, we can’t live a truly Christian life unless the basic virtues and requirements are solidly entrenched in our hearts, souls and minds, then we expose them in godly fashion to all and sundry. And I truly believe that our lack of those virtues today, is a major setback in our Christian walk. We’re just too weak in the simple virtues like kindness, humility and compassion, because we choose to follow the world’s greedy, ‘gravalicious’, inhumane lead. And we know that’s totally unacceptable for true believers. Oh Friends, let’s all do a serious inventory of our virtues nuh, and see where we’re lacking, then ask the Lord for help in improving them. He will be only too glad to oblige. Anyhow, enough on virtues for today. I don’t want to clutter us with too much material to digest. More virtues tomorrow though, the Lord willing of course. Hn, hn! Some of you possibly going: ‘Chuh! Yuh mean they have more of them goody goody principles!’ (smile) But whoever said that it was easy being a Christian eh? But Friends, in the long run, it’s very rewarding. So till tomorrow then, Much LOVE!…a true believer is kind and compassionate…but also strong and proactive…like Jesus…
 

Today’s Scrip-Bit 3 June 2010 Colossians 3:12‏

03 Jun 2010 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Inspirational Living

Colossians 3:12     Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, long-suffering.
 
Oh Friends, we’ve all awakened to another beautiful day in paradise! Yes, we’ve not read our names in today’s obits. (smile) So let’s all give the Lord a hearty round of applause and a loud, ‘Thank you Lord! We praise your Holy Name, and will surely endeavour to walk worthy of you today on this rough and rugged earthly journey, graced with your mercy and salvation, ending in eternal life with You. In Jesus’ Name we pray. Amen!’ And now Friends, in order to keep that promise we just made to our God, it’s necessary that we live our lives a certain way, with a certain number of virtues first and foremost. Let’s begin with what Bruh Paul terms ‘bowels of mercies,’ or ‘tender mercies,’ or ‘compassion.’ The dictionary describes ‘compassion’ as ‘pity inclining one to spare or help, or sympathetic pitying.’ Nowadays pity isn’t politically correct, the word in vogue now is ’empathy,’ that’s defined as ‘the power of projecting one’s personality into (and so fully comprehending) the object of contemplation.’ Hn! Two words my people; pity and empathy, similar but different. The first assumes that we don’t understand the situation at hand, it’s not heart felt, we might just be operating from pride and ego, while the other projects us into the situation, assuming that we’ll better understand it then. However Friends, the most important aspect of both words is that they conjure up the vision of HELP! And that’s what Christians are supposed to be all about; helping the needy in whatever they’re needy of. It can be the rich, the poor, or the in-between, we all have needs that we can’t meet personally, but that others can help us with. Now hear this most appropriate passage from 1 John. ‘But whoso hath this world’s good (goods, things), and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels (heart) of compassion from him, how dwelleth the LOVE of God in him?’ (1 John 3:17) Exactly my people! If we see a person in need, and we have the ability to help and don’t, how the dickens can we talk about LOVING God eh? How can we LOVE God, whom we’ve not seen, and NOT LOVE the brother we’ve seen? Oh Friends, that’s simply not the Christian way. Remember all Jesus asked us to do was to LOVE God and to LOVE EACH OTHER THE WAY He, Jesus LOVED us. And mih breddren, there’s a whole heap of people in this evil and cruel world, not only in faraway, undeveloped countries, but right by our doorstep, who desperately need help, who desperately need LOVE, whom we can both HELP and LOVE! Just this week I read that the Food Bank situation is worsening everyday. More and more people are going there for help, although the supposed experts say that the economy is improving. Well tell that to those who don’t have jobs nuh, or have such low paying jobs they still can’t make ends meet. Just imagine it nuh mih people, in this First world country, wonderful Canada, Food banks are a necessity. In the U.S too, apparently the rise in food-stamp usage is also very noticeable. People are going hungry in countries where food is thrown away and wasted like you wouldn’t believe! Hn! And then we pipe up about being such big believers and worthy Christians. Steups! Nonsense mih Friends! We’re just big hypocrites, like the Pharisees of Jesus’ time, masquerading as Christians! Oh my people, as I keep reminding us, Christianity is an action not a talk word, and if we’re not doing something to help others, then we’re not truly living the Christian life. It’s that pure and simple mih people! All of us who receive this Bit, and read or don’t read it, are in a position to help someone else in some way or another, and if we don’t, then we’re not true believers. Look at Jesus nuh! Everyday of His earthly life He was concerned about helping others; not only the poor and downtrodden, but the rich and famous too, if they were willing to listen. Granted, we can never be as good as Jesus, but our mission is to be as good as we can. Unfortunately though Friends, we’re not doing as well as we can, that’s why there’s so much ‘sufferation’ in our land, in our world. ‘Sufferation’ that should never be taking place with the high state of technology, medicine, economics, education, charity, etc. that we’ve accomplished. In the Bit, Bruh Paul talks about things like kindness… Oh mih people, when last have we done an individual act of kindness eh? Held a door open for somebody; helped an older person to cross the street, or helped carry their groceries, even offered a thirsty person a glass of water, or a sad person a smile? Yes, those are all small things, but they are kindnesses too, and go a long way to helping ease the hurt and pain of another’s life, plus they add rewards to your personal heavenly account. Oh Friends, we all know that the big things are important, but so are the small ones. Please remember that, and whatever little acts of kindness we can do, now note with the right heart, the right motive, will count for much in the Lord’s eyes. I think I’ll stop there for today Friends, for what I want to say will make it a tad too long, and I don’t want to give us too much to digest all at once. (smile) So we’ll continue this topic tomorrow, God willing of course. And why shouldn’t He, since we’re only trying to spread His Word, further His Kingdom and glorify His Holy Name. Till tomorrow then, Much LOVE!…the true believer is action oriented…a doer…rather than a talker… 
 

Today’s Scrip-Bit 2 June 2010 Colossians 3:12‏

02 Jun 2010 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Inspirational Living

Colossians 3:12     Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, long-suffering.

Ah Friends, it’s just another beautiful day in paradise! Some of you are no doubt shaking your heads wondering if I’m losing it. No mih people, I’m not losing it, not yet anyway. My logic is just that every day we awaken, it’s like awakening to paradise, because we’ve been granted at least one more day to enjoy the pleasures and joys of Mother Earth, guided by the Holy spirit, while Jesus is up in heaven, seated at the Father’s right hand, talking to Him on our behalf. What could be more paradisiacal than that eh? (smile) Oh Friends, I think that deserves a big shout of appreciation to the Most High God Jehovah. All together now: ‘Dear Father, we, your humble and grateful servants, thank you for all you’ve done, are doing, and plan to do for us. You’re such a  kind, caring, LOVING and generous God, that our hearts, minds and souls just overflow with true LOVE for you. Please continue to guide us with your Spirit and keep us strong in your Word. Help us to live a life worthy of You, a life that will reflect your glory and will make others want to know and joyfully reach out for you, the way we do. We pray this in Jesus’ Name. Amen!’ And all God’s people said: ‘Yesss!’ Oh, isn’t it great to be alive mih people! I know our world is full of problems; it’s evil, ungodly, war-like and a whole lot of other negative things, but it doesn’t do us any good to dwell on them, especially if we can’t change them. We of course have to see and recognize them for what they are, but under no circumstance are we to allow them to steal our joy, make us sad, and lose that grace of God that empowers us. Remember, Beelzebub’s first line of attack is towards our joy in the Lord. If he can negate that any at all, then he’s winning. And I’m not that naive to think or expect us to never get sad, frustrated, depressed or angry, but it must never be for an extended period of time. As Bruh Paul advises: ‘Let not the sun go down upon your wrath.’ (Eph.4:26) Yes Friends, we’re always to try and regain our calm, our equilibrium before we go to bed. The world is too much of a crazy, zigzag, topsy-turvy place for us to be on a continual high. However, let’s aspire to keep the lows to a bare minimum nuh. And on a point of interest, it’s only when you’ve been low, that you can truly appreciate the highs of life. Oh mih breddren, our God is certainly a GREAT GOD yes! And don’t let anybody tell you otherwise. Here’s why I’m saying that. The past two days have been a tad hectic, and I haven’t gotten much sleep. Even what little I got was constantly being disturbed. So just now when I came down to my study to get started, I was yawning and feeling tired and not up to writing much of anything. However, I knew that I had to write something, and something sensible too, so I asked the good Lord to invigorate me, to give me the necessary strength and understanding to write something worthy of His Name. And would you believe people, I opened the Good Book, found the Bit, wrote it at the top of the page, and voila, the pen just kept writing, thoughts and words flowed like water. And now, hn! I don’t even remember being tired and miserable. And yuh know what Friends, it’s in those little scenarios that I truly detect the hand of the Most High, and sometimes they build my faith more than the big miracles. But that’s what the Spirit is there for; not only to help in the big, important things, but also in the small, not so important but very necessary aspects of our lives. And it certainly amazes me that we can have those small, intimate, successful moments with our God and yet doubt Him. Oh Friends, I’m sure I’m not the only one who has these eye-openers, because I’m not that special, but if you don’t occasionally have them, then it means you’re not communicating properly with the Lord, something’s wrong somewhere. So please check it out and try to right it before too long, for He talks and works with all those who sincerely seek Him, regardless of our faults or mistakes. Ah have to laugh yes people, because this seems like one of those times when the Spirit decides to take me for a little jaunt off the beaten track. I came ready to talk about Bruh Paul and the virtues Christians ought to possess, but the Spirit seems to have other ideas. Today must have been slated as one of random thoughts and ideas, no deep scriptural arguments or treatises, simply a day of sharing experiences, with my little unexpected, but very welcome testimony as the highlight. And my Friends, those days are necessary every so often, for though the Good Book is there to lead and guide us, we can’t always be into the heavy stuff. Remember examples work more forcibly on the mind than precepts. Wow! Never thought I’d remember that quote from a book I did in High School, eons ago. It’s called The something of Joseph Andrews. I can’t remember the full title of the book though (smile) Oh Friends, I Binged it. Google is so passé. And here’s the true quote. By the way, the title is simply Joseph Andrews, a rollicking, bawdy satire of a chap who journeys across the English countryside a couple centuries ago, and the author is Henry Fielding. The book begins thus: ‘It is a trite but true observation, that examples work more forcibly on the mind than precepts; and if this be just in what is odious and blameable, it is more strongly so in what is amiable and praiseworthy.’ Gospel mih people! And shades of Bruh Paul too. Anyway, it’s good to quote scripture and show how certain things affected those within its pages, but Friends, as Fielding says, there’s nothing that works as well as a concrete example of how that same principle worked or works in our lives today. Others will find it much more relevant if they can see or hear it working in this current age. That means, as much as possible, we’re to cheer and encourage others by sharing anecdotes and stories of how the Bible’s principles are working in our lives. That’s especially important when trying to bring unbelievers to Christ. They will always be more receptive to current examples than from those of olden times. Remember, the Good Book is our guide for and through life, but without current, personal testimony, its value is diminished. We can’t just base everything on what’s gone before, there must be current testimony to validate its powerful, unchangeable, faithful and steadfast truth. That’s all she wrote today mih people! Guess we’ll have to leave Bruh Paul for tomorrow, God willing of course. Till then, Much LOVE!…each generation must amass… their own tried and true testimony…of the Bible’s truths…to make it meaningful to the next…

Today’s Scrip-Bit 1 June 2010 Colossians 3:12‏

01 Jun 2010 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Inspirational Living

Colossians 3:12     Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, long-suffering.
 
Oh Friends, how wonderful it is to be able to sit on my porch again and watch the world go by without the threat of frostbite! Hn! I can even sit out there naked now, if I so desire. (smile) Those of you who enjoy hot, tropical weather year round won’t understand my great appreciation for such a seemingly simple action. But it does upset the spirit, when you can only comfortably use something you enjoy for about three months of the year. Anyway, enough of my sitting naked on my porch, let’s get into out Bit. And to support it, here are some classic words from William Penn, that our generation grew up on, but we some how lost them as we got older and more mesmerized by the false glitz and glamour of this evil world. Consequently, we never instilled and inculcated them into our children, much to everybody’s detriment. And they are simple but heartfelt words: ‘I expect to pass through life but once. If, therefore, there can be any kindness I can show, or any good thing I can do to any fellow human being, let me do it now.’ Oh my people, right there is the basic foundation of Christianity; to show kindness or do anything good for a fellow human. And it’s not surprising that William Penn, founder of the State of Pennsylvania, should pen those words. An avowed Quaker, he was apparently kicked out of Oxford U. for his Puritanical leanings, hence his banishment to the colonies by his father. That brings us smack dab into the principles on which America was founded by the Quaker forefathers; godly principles by godly people. Now their vision might have been a tad utopian, but nonetheless, they set out to build a society dedicated to the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, whose people would live by His dictates. But sadly how very different were those original intentions to where we’re at in America right now. Many want to get rid of God altogether and replace Him with the idols of Lucifer; greed, pride, immorality, selfishness and lust for the dispensable, perishable things of the world. But Friends, this should not be so, believers ought to be showing Christian virtues to the ungodly, disbelieving world if we hope to convert them. As Bruh Paul correctly states: ‘Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies (tender mercies), kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, long-suffering.’ My people, I want to point out two things here. In the first place Bruh Paul refers to us, believers, as ‘the elect of God, holy and beloved.’ And so we are, but Friends that designation carries with it not only great privileges, but more importantly, great responsibility and accountability. We can’t only consider ourselves privileged in God’s eyes, but must also live a life that’s worthwhile, that’s responsible, that reflects, exemplifies the holy and beloved status we enjoy. Hear how the rock of Christ’s Church, Peter, greets his readers. ‘Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace be unto you.’ (1 Pet.1:2) He too acknowledges that believers are special. And Bruh Paul informed the Ephesians: ‘According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in LOVE.’ (Eph.1:4) Yes my Friends, we are indeed special, privileged children of God, therefore we need to behave in a manner that denotes it. However, that isn’t happening half as much as it should today. Too many of us believers want to be in the world, of the world and of Jesus at the same time. But that’s impossible mih breddren. We needs must be in the world, but we can either be of it too or of Jesus. There’s no straddling the fence. And I’m declaring, that being of Jesus in the world, is by far the better of the two possible scenarios. Now having said that, let’s go back to Bruh Paul’s first words; ‘Put on therefore,’ which means dress your self, literally put on something. In this case it’s saying that living the Christian life doesn’t come automatically, it calls for a conscious effort on our part to walk the talk we are so great at. The virtues, attitudes and all the other aspects of Christian living have to be learned, then be continually practiced before we can truly call ourselves believers. And unfortunately again Friends, in the current cataclysmic state of our world, those virtues and attitudes we consider compulsory aspects of our faith are not being sufficiently highlighted, shown forth by enough of us supposed believers. We’re allowing the evil, ungodly aspects of the world to hold too much sway over our lives, which is certainly not what our Saviour desires or expects of us. And that’s basically why Beelzebub and the forces of evil are in the driver’s seat right now. The believers are not putting up enough resistance; we’re selling out, giving in, rather than standing up strong and steadfast for what we profess to believe in. Oh Friends, can you imagine the reaction and response of the Quakers who colonized our shores only a few centuries ago to the evil rat race that’s called America today? They’d possibly be struck dumb first, and then dead, whey they found out it was comparatively worse than the England they fled from. But please remember Friends, the war’s far from over, and we have the omnipotence of the Holy Trinity on our side, but it’s solely up to us whether we put their might and power to work on our behalf. Come on nuh mih people. Just look at the mess our world is in, where even some of the wicked are unhappy with its chaotic state. Let’s put out heads, hands, hearts, backs and bellies together, and truly join with Jesus to clean it up nuh. We’re supposed to leave it in a better, not worse state than we found it. But time’s run out, so we’ll continue this tomorrow, God willing of course. Till then, Much LOVE!…think of the children…what will there tomorrow be like…in the world’s current state…

Today’s Scrip-Bit 31 May 2010 Malachi 2:11‏

31 May 2010 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Inspirational Living

Malachi 2:11     For from the rising of the sun even unto the going down of the same my name shall be great among the Gentiles; and in every place incense shall be offered unto my name, and a pure offering: for my name shall be great among the heathen, saith the Lord of hosts.

 

Spah nah nah nah nah! The trumpet sounds! Battle stations all believers! It’s Monday morning! Another week of work warfare is about to commence, so be sure to put on your spiritual suit of armour before you join the fray. Ah Friends, what a mundane, same old, same old life most of us lead eh. Work five days, off two; work five, off two…ad infinitum. Somewhere in there, if we’re lucky, we get a couple weeks vacation. Then back to the daily task and common grind. But that’s the way of our enlightened, advanced civilization, so we’ve just got to grin and bear it, while piling up many rewards in heaven for the next life. But isn’t it grand though Friends, made all worthwhile, when we see the confident promises made by the Lord God Jehovah, centuries before, come to pass? It certainly reassures and emboldens us to realize that His words are not just mere talk or idle boasts, but that He is truly who He says He is, and can do exactly what He says He can do. Our Bit today bears that fact out very nicely. The prophet Malachi says in no uncertain terms: ‘For from the rising of the sun even unto the going down of the same my name shall be great among the gentiles.’ Wow! And thousands of years later, it’s just like He predicted. Consequently, all God’s people shouted: ‘Glory Hallelujah! Bless His Holy Name! For His words and promises are forever faithful and true!’ Yes my brethren, the word of the Lord is steadfast and strong, able to stand the test of time. He also put similar words in the mouth of Isaiah: ‘So shall they fear the name of the Lord from the west, and his glory from the rising of the sun. When the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord shall lift up a standard (banner) against him.’ (Isa.59:19) And that great repository of all human emotions and feelings, the Psalms, has this to say on the topic. ‘From the rising of the sun unto the going down of the same the Lord’s name is to be praised. The Lord is high above all nations, and his glory above the heavens. Who is like unto the Lord our God, who dwelleth on high?’ (Ps.113:3-5) NOBODY my Friends, NOBODY is like our God! Knowing the stubborn, rebellious, sinful nature of man, His choice creation, the Lord chose to start with a relatively small group, the Jews; descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, to cultivate them to His way of thinking. It’s the same way we begin our projects small, then increase their size as they take solid root. But Friends, from the very beginning the Lord’s plan was to include all His creation. Isaiah implies it when talking of the future glory of Zion. ‘And the Gentiles shall come to thy light, and kings to the brightness of thy rising…Then shalt thou see, and flow together (become radiant), and thine heart shall fear (swell with joy), and be enlarged; because the abundance of the sea shall be converted unto thee, the forces (wealth) of the Gentiles (nations) shall come unto thee.’ (Isa.60:3,5) Oh mih breddren, after reading the Good Book, how can we ever doubt it eh? Malachi continues to specify in our Bit: ‘and in every place incense shall be offered unto my name, and a pure offering.’ Centuries later Bruh Paul began bringing the Gentiles to the Lord, through the redeeming, grace-filled, forgiving, merciful gospel of His Son Jesus, who, because of the Lord’s great LOVE for us, was sacrificed, so that we could have a chance to return to His righteous fold. In the process Bruh Paul exhorts us all to pray. In his message to Timothy, he solemnly declares: ‘I will therefore that men pray every where, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting.’ (I Tim.2:8) That means people all over the world ought to pray, with a pure life and without disputes and disagreements. Meanwhile John, in his revelation of what the last days would be like, says: ‘And another angel came and stood at the altar, having a golden censer; and there was much incense that he should offer it with the prayers of all the saints upon the golden altar which was before the throne.. And the smoke of the incense which came with the prayers of the saints, ascended up before God out of the angel’s hand.’ (Rev.8:3-4)  Today, incense also plays a large part in our prayers and religious ceremonies, making Malachi’s words true. And without a doubt my people, the last part of the prophecy has been fulfilled: ‘for my name shall be great among the heathen (nations), saith the Lord of hosts.’ Oh my Friends, answer me this riddle I this: what is the greatest name in the world today; the most revered, the most talked about, causes the most controversy and arguments? None but the Holy Trinity; the Lord God Jehovah, His Son Jesus Christ and the guiding power of the Holy Spirit! Mention any of them and sparks fly, both good and bad. And it wasn’t Malachi alone who prophesied thus, but also Isaiah. ‘For I know their works and their thoughts: it shall come, that I will gather all nations and tongues; and they shall come and see my glory. And I will set a sign among them, and I will send those that escape of them unto the nations…to the isles afar off, that have not heard my fame, neither have seen my glory; and they shall declare my glory among the Gentiles.’ (Isa.66:18-19) There’s no more to say mih people, for this proves that it was no haphazard, by chance thing, but a well designed, thought out and orchestrated plan by our God. So please, don’t let anyone tell us otherwise, cause us to doubt or infer that our God is not a GREAT GOD, for He is. Let’s simply tell them thanks, but no thanks, that we’re quite happy and satisfied with our God, and we’ll be sticking with Him through thick and thin because He’s proven His LOVE for us in so many ways, that we’ll be stupid to do otherwise. Then let’s proceed to tell them all about it and live it before their very eyes. Oh Friends, if we’re to retake the world from Lucifer and his evil cronies, then right now our cause needs a mighty push to get it to the next level, so let’s try and pump it up some nuh. Just think about the sorry kind of lives our children will live if we lose this war. Oh mih people, that’s just an unthinkable proposition! Much LOVE!…stand up, stand up for Jesus…the trumpet call obey…till every foe is vanquished…and Christ is Lord indeed…

 

Today’s Scrip-Bit 30 May 2010 Deuteronomy 33:3‏

30 May 2010 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Inspirational Living

Deuteronomy 33:3     Yea, he LOVED the people; all his saints are in thy hand; and they sat down at thy feet; every one shall receive of thy words.

 

Ah Friends, as I sat down here contemplating how to begin today’s message, the Spirit suddenly flashed the words of an old song through my mind. It’s a song we all know and LOVE. I believe it was first done by Edwin Star, then popularized by the Temptations. And it says: ‘War! What is it good for? ABSOLUTELY NOTHING!’ And isn’t that the living truth mih people! War is of no use to those who desire peace. But to the warmongers and greedy arms merchants…hn! War is paradise, they simply revel in it. And unfortunately right now our world is definitely controlled by that sick, evil, inhumane group. Wickedness in high places is definitely the order of the day. So what can we believers, the peacemakers, the aspiring righteous do about it? Who knows? But as in everything else, our first move must always be to the Most High God Jehovah; invoke His help, guidance and wisdom, through prayer and meditation. And since they claim there’s strength in numbers, then the more believers that congregate, worship and meditate together, then hopefully the better outcome we’ll receive. What makes it even harder is that many of us are thrown into situations beyond our control. As Samuel Johnston says: ‘Very few live by choice. Every man is placed in his present condition by causes which acted without his foresight, and with which he did not always willingly operate.’ Oh Friends, that’s the simple but realistic truth. None of us are born to situations of our making, so we’re forced to play with the hand dealt us. And later on in life, only a handful of us are able to drastically change or improve our circumstances. So on one hand it seems we’re at the mercy of our destiny, but since nothing is impossible to our God, then it follows that in cooperation with Him, through His help and guidance, our circumstances can be changed. But whether our circumstances are good, bad or indifferent, whether they improve or get worse, the solution starts with acknowledging that the Lord Jesus is the director of our lives and we turn to Him first for answers. In our Bit, Moses declares: ‘and they sat down at thy feet.’ Friends, that’s what we desperately need to do. Like Jesus’ visit to Lazarus’ home. While one sister, Martha, busied herself with physical preparations, the other one, Mary, had radically different ideas. The Good Book describes the situation thus: ‘And she had a sister called Mary, which also sat at Jesus’ feet and heard his word.’ (Luke 10:39) And when Martha complained to Jesus about Mary’s lack of help, Jesus replied: ‘Martha, Martha, thou art careful (worried) and troubled about many things. But one thing is needful, and Mary has chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her.’ (Luke 10:41-42)  Yes my Friends, Jesus considered Mary’s attention to His words very important, and refused to let Martha drag her away to the kitchen. Note too Friends, Legion’s position after Jesus drove the demons out of him and into the herd of swine that then ran over a cliff. ‘Then they went out to see what was done; and came to Jesus, and found the man, out of whom the devils were departed, sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed, and in his right mind: and they were afraid.’ (Luke 8:35) With his demons gone, Legion knew the right place for him was at his Saviour’s feet. Now hear Bruh David from Psalm 27, titled, ‘The Lord is my light and my salvation.’ ‘One thing have I desired of the Lord, that I will seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold all the beauty (delightfulness) of the Lord, and to inquire in his temple.’ (Ps.27:4) There again Friends, we’re shown the importance of seeking and listening to the Lord, of drinking in His nourishing words. And here’s the ultimate word on the subject. The day after Jesus walked across the water to Capernaum, the people asked how He’d gotten there, because they hadn’t seen him take a boat to cross over. Jesus response was a gentle tongue lashing, which He was capable of doing so subtly, that one seldom took umbrage. He said that they weren’t looking for Him because of the miracles, the signs He’d shown them, but because He’d fed them, satisfied their physical hunger. Then He solemnly warned them. ‘Labour not for the meat (food) which perisheth, but for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life, which the Son of man shall give unto you: for him hath God the Father sealed.’ (John 6:27) So there we have it people, straight from Jesus’ mouth; we ought not to seek food that perishes, but that which lasts forever. And where is the source of that rich and everlasting food? From Jesus of course! His awe inspiring words and philosophy based on His Father’s wonderful personality of LOVE. And as Moses said: ‘everyone shall receive of thy words.’ Yes Friends, we need to sit at His feet and receive His words. Cousin Sol was also very adamant about the reward of heeding wisdom. ‘My son, if thou wilt receive my words, and hide (treasure) my commandments with thee; So that thou incline thine ear unto wisdom, and apply thine heart to understanding…Then shalt thou understand the fear (reverential awe) of the Lord, and find the knowledge of God.’ (Prov.2:1-2,5) Why? ‘For they are life unto those that find them, and health to all their flesh.’ (Prov.4:22) For sure my brethren, the wise words of God are life and health to all those who hear and apply them. That brings us back to the question of war. My people, we desperately need to lessen the amount of strife currently rampaging through our world, but it’s up to us believers to get the ball rolling, since it seems we are the main ones interested in a peaceful world. And the overwhelming conclusion is that we can only achieve any serious measure of success with the aid of Jesus; building a movement based on the rock solid foundation of His Church. That entails individual service in our neighbourhoods, combined with a joint  worldwide movement to let our leaders know, in no uncertain terms, that we’re thoroughly fed up with the strife, hunger, poverty and all the ‘sufferation’ that war brings. Let’s let our leaders know that it’s time for Peace and LOVE; time for Jesus and the LOVE Revolution. Please Friends, let’s seriously work towards that goal so that our children, and their children will have a chance of living in a decent world. Much LOVE!…it’s the parents’ job…to prepare the way for the children…be it good…or bad…

 

Today’s Scrip-Bit 29 May 2010 Deuteronomy 33:3‏

29 May 2010 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Inspirational Living

Deuteronomy 33:3      Yea, he LOVED the people; all his saints are in thy hand: and they sat down at thy feet; everyone shall receive of thy words.

 

Ah Friends, it’s the weekend again, the Memorial Holiday in the U.S. But with strife, crime, oppression, anger, grief, sickness, poverty, natural and man-made disasters running rampant in our world, what are we really celebrating?  One would think that with such an enlightened and educated populace, advanced technology and medicine, that these scourges of human kind would have been eradicated by now, or at least brought under control, minimized so they wouldn’t have such a deadly and destructive impact. Unfortunately though, because of that evil demon within us, the sinful nature with which we’re born, those negative conditions are still holding sway over our planet. Oh people, when we fellowship this weekend, and in our individual time of communication with the Father, please, let’s plead with Him to help us do better. For if we continue down this evil path we’re currently on, only death and destruction will be the outcome. Look at the nonsense that just ebbed in Thailand, and that currently happening in Jamaica, and who knows where it’s going to rear its ugly head tomorrow or next week. None of it is or was necessary. And as usual, it’s always the poor and downtrodden masses who suffer the most, who bear the brunt of these destructive situations. Ah Friends, it’s very sad, but it will never get better until we bring the majority of the world’s population to Christ, and have them living out His wonderful philosophy of peace and LOVE. Once, greed, anger, hate, resentment, crime, violence and their ilk rule, our world will continue to be a chaotic place, for those negative emotions don’t build anything productive since like us they have an innate destructive nature. But Friends, with the Lord in our lives…oh, we can most definitely overcome that sinful nature. And this is one time my people when we desperately need the Saviour to break down all those sinful barriers we’ve erected in Lucifer’s name. Only the Most High God Jehovah in His omnipotence, His gracious LOVE, mercy and forgiveness can lead us back to the tried and true path of righteousness. Regardless of what anybody says my brethren, without God working in and through us, our world is doomed! No ifs ands and buts about that! As the Good Book states; ‘Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keepeth the law, happy is he.’ (Prov.29:18) And that’s gospel mih people!  Where there’s no prophetic vision or revelation within a society, it casts of restraint and eventually perishes; either implodes through civil strife, or explodes in external warfare. And that’s because things like morality and decency, kindness and caring are based on keeping, living in adherence to God’s revealed will. And it’s certainly obvious to all and sundry that that isn’t happening in our world today. All the godly structures and things that emphasize God in our lives have been demeaned and/or destroyed. Restraint has most definitely been cast off. The standards embedded in the word morality have plummeted so low, that they now barely exist. We’ve become and immoral, amoral, free for all, do as you please and don’t give a damn about anybody else society! So what can kind of fruit can we expect from the evil seeds we’ve sown? None but the evil kind we’re harvesting. That’s why Friends it’s of the utmost importance that the few who truly have God in their hearts and want to do His will, come up real strong in their human efforts and also their prayers to the Almighty, because it’s only with His help we can do much of anything. We need to be able to say like Moses: ‘all his saints are in thy hand,’ Be assured like Samuel declared: ‘He will keep the feet of his saints, and the wicked shall be silent in the darkness; for by strength no man shall prevail.’ (1 Sam.2:9) My people, we’ve got to remind our God of those promises. I know He hasn’t forgotten, but unless we’re proactive, and show that we’re serious about improving the situation, nothing’s going to happen. Remember in our partnership with God, we have a role to play, and until we do our part, He won’t do His. We need to remember and be secure of who we are in Christ Jesus, why He sacrificed His life for us, and the glorious future we have to look forward to as Sons of God and joint heirs with Christ: ‘Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.’ (1 Pet.1:5) Oh Friends, it’s time for all believers to wake up, cool the rhetoric, stop the plenty talking and rather stand up and be counted, meaning do something productive to fight the evil that rules our world and further God’s kingdom, because it’s only believers who seem interested in change for the better. The world at large is crying out for change for the worse. Oh my people, we certainly talk a good talk, but what’s happening to our walk? What’s happening to the LOVE Revolution that we’re all so gladly talking about eh?  Has it stalled? Have we lost the faith? I certainly hope not, else crapaud smoke we pipe! Please Friends, I’m imploring us, if we truly believe in the God of LOVE, and the LOVE of God, let’s wake up from our fear, apathy or whatever is holding us back, and get a move on with restoring, Faith, LOVE and Godliness to our world, cause that’s the only way we’ll prevent it from self-destructing. And it’s what our Leader, Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ wants more than anything else; that He loses not one single soul to Beelzebub. Let’s do our bounden duty in His Name nuh. More tomorrow, God willing. Till then, Much LOVE!…it’s high time for us believers to show the evil world…how to really and truly…LOVE Our GOD…LIVE Our FAITH…and SPREAD His WORD…

 

Today’s Scrip-Bit 28 May 2010 Deuteronomy 33:3‏

28 May 2010 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Inspirational Living

Deuteronomy 33:3     Yea, he LOVED the people; all his saints are in thy hand: and they sat down at thy feet; every one shall receive of thy words.
 
‘And this is the blessing, wherewith Moses the man of God blessed the children of Israel before his death. And he said, The Lord came from Sinai, and rose up from Seir unto them; he shined forth from mount Paran, and he came with ten thousands of saints: from his right hand went a fiery law for them.’ (Deut.33:1-2) Oh Friends, it just seemed rather appropriate to let the Good Book introduce Today’s Bit, with Moses recounting the Lord’s power and majesty displayed before the Israelites during their rough and rugged journey from Egypt to the Promised Land. The reference to Sinai is the Lord’s descent upon that holy mount in a hail of smoke and fire, when He called Moses up to the summit and gave him the Ten Commandments. (Ex.19:18,20) And the mention of Seir reminded him of the time they spent in the wilderness surrounding Mt. Seir: ‘and we compassed mount Seir many days.’ (Deut.2:1) They skirted or circled the mount several times until the Lord said enough, turn north, but be careful, for they would pass through the land of Esau’s descendants, Jacob’s brother, who, though they were related, would not take kindly to them passing through their land, but staunchly warning them to avoid strife. (Deut.2) The Lord’s shining forth from Paran deals with them leaving the wilderness of Sinai; ‘and the cloud rested in the wilderness of Paran.’ (Num.10:12) Can you imagine Friends, being guided by a cloud, but as you’re leaving one wild, deserted, scrubby area, your guiding cloud points you to another wilderness. No wonder the Israelites griped. And betwixt and between all of that, the Lord came a roaring with a host of His people. The scholars describe the ‘saints’ as ‘myriads of holy ones’ and the last sentences as; ‘at his right hand were warriors of God.’ Moses was most likely trying to impress upon the people the great things God had done for them, and would continue to do, if they remained faithful to Him. And why would an omnipotent God do all of that for a wayward, disobedient people? For the greatest reason of all Friends: ‘Yea, he LOVED the people.’ And the Lord really had to have a very strong LOVE for the Israelites to put up with all their shenanigans. As the psalmist declares in Psalm 47, titled, God is King of all the earth: ‘ He shall subdue the people under us, and the nations under our feet. He shall choose our inheritance for us, the excellency of Jacob whom he LOVED. Selah.’ (Ps.47:3-4) Yes Friends, the Lord did redeem them out of Egypt and settled them in the land He’d promised. And you only do those things if you care greatly for people. And in talking of the Lord’s LOVE for a fickle and faithless Israel, Hosea declares: ‘When Israel was a child, then I LOVED him, and called my son out of Egypt.’ (Hos.11:1) Matthew quoted those words, applying them to Jesus, when His parents fled to Egypt to protect Him from Herod’s killing spree of young children. "And was there until the death of Herod: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, Out of Egypt have I called my son.’ (Mat.2:15) Oh my brethren, the Bible is such an intriguing and interrelated book, that we can never grasp or understand its full significance in our lives, no matter how long we spend studying it. Every time we open it, something new jumps out at us from passages we’ve read for years. That’s why we need to constantly read and study it, so we can get new and deeper insights into its marvellous wisdom and holy guidance. That’s the only way to truly comprehend what the Lord is saying to us in it. And taking our current passage, the same way the Lord considered Israel His people, whom He LOVED and looked after, and Jesus, His Son, whom He also LOVED, but cruelly and innocently sacrificed for us unworthy sinners, proves that He also LOVES us with the same strong, powerful, unconditional LOVE. Else why would He intentionally sacrifice His only Son eh? But just like the Israelites, we’ve turned away from a merciful, forgiving and LOVING God to worship the glamorized man made idols that unfortunately only lead us down the path of death and destruction. The Lord’s therefore suffering from unrequited LOVE. And any of you who have experienced it will know that it’s the worst ailment known to man. Broken body parts hurt and pain, but Friends, there’s no pain like that of a broken heart. It’s so all consuming and causes such anguish of the very soul, that we often consider death the only reprieve. Now you can imagine how the Father and Jesus must feel when we ungratefully turn away from them and follow the foibles of foolish Beelzebub. Consider how we feel when our children disobey our dictates and follow unwise advice down foolish paths. Well our heavenly Father and our Saviour feel the same way, because they are also living Beings, and since we’re made in the Father’s image, it means He also has feelings and emotions like us, and every time we do wrong, a hurt pains His heart. And though many of us claim to LOVE Him, it’s only a superficial LOVE if we continually disobey His wishes. Consequently, we need to smarten up and do better if we truly LOVE Him. And we’ll close today with a quote from Dag Hammarskjold, the long time Secretary General of the U.N. which says: ‘Prayer, crystallized in words, assigns a permanent wave-length on which the dialogue has to be continued.’ Oh Friends, we all know that it’s through prayer we discern God’s wishes for our lives, but it MUST BE CONSTANT AND CONTINUAL. If needs be, all day, every day. We can’t get proper direction without communicating with the Lord on a regular basis, and I believe it’s something many of us don’t pay enough attention to. We simply can’t talk about our LOVE for God and don’t communicate regularly with Him or do His will; that only spells hypocrisy. Anyway Friends, we’ve run out of time and space, so tomorrow, God willing, we’ll continue this theme. Till then, Much LOVE!…the only way to show true LOVE for Jesus…is to walk it…much much more than we talk it…
 

Today’s Scrip-Bit 27 May 2010 1 Corinthians 1:27‏

27 May 2010 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Inspirational Living

1 Corinthians 1:27     But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty.
 
Oh Friends, the old house was as hot as Hades today, but I finally got the A/C recharged in the evening. For that I gave the Lord much thanks and praise. Now I can concentrate comfortably on the more important matters of life. (smile) But on a serious note Friends, I have a Charles Dickens quote to share that’s very appropriate to our Bit. Charles contends that, ‘There is wisdom of the head, and wisdom of the heart.’ I think it’s true because many of us are real bright where book learning and matters of high estate are concerned, but we can’t walk and chew gum at the same time, don’t have much common sense, which tends to come more from the heart and belly than the head and books. That’s why the Lord likes the underdog and very often chooses His standard bearers from amongst the poor and uneducated, using them to confound and confuse the ‘brainiacs’ of this evil world. As Bruh Paul enlightened the Corinthians: ‘For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called.’ (1 Cor.1:26) And isn’t that the truth Friends! For from the beginning of time the Lord has chosen mostly lowly, simple people to do His work. Consider Noah, Abraham, Moses and many of the prophets, who weren’t brainy or of noble heritage, but they had the essential tool the Lord desired; a kind, steadfast and obedient heart. That’s the Lord’s basic characteristic for choosing His ambassadors. And he takes great pleasure in using simple, down to earth people to speak of great matters and do mighty works on His behalf. And per the scholars, Bruh Paul’s argument leads us to believe that the church at Corinth consisted of mainly the poorer sections of the society. If so, then he surely had a captive audience, as he further declares: ‘But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound (put to shame) the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty. And base (insignificant) things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought (nothing) things that are.’ (1 Cor.1:27-28) Ah mih people, the Lord just likes to humble the proud, the high and mighty, those who feel superior for whatever reason and pay no attention to His righteous law. He aims to silence man’s wisdom, thus He chooses the foolish to shame the wise, and weak, insignificant things to put to shame what the world considers great and significant. He also uses things that we don’t even know exist to thwart and counteract existing things like our stately offices and institutions made and relied on by man. The best example of that is Jesus. Everybody expected the Messiah to be a warrior king of noble birth, but the Lord confounded them by having Him born in a lowly stable to a poor carpenter’s family, living in a backwater town, Nazareth. Unfortunately, that’s possibly why many rejected Jesus. They simply could not accept a lowly, itinerant preacher as their Saviour since their great expectations coloured their thinking. That proves Bruh Paul’s point; the Lord put all the wise men to shame by sending His Son to earth as a poor preacher who could talk rings around them. And Jesus did the same thing. He chose His disciples from the lowest strata of society; the poor, lowly and uneducated; fishermen and tax collectors. He chose them to be His ambassadors to the world, the ones He expected to spread His Word near and far. Now logic would dictate that for such an important task, one would pick educated, well-rounded people, but no, Jesus, like His Father, chose to differ. Why? Because He knew they would be given all the tools they needed to do the job, first and foremost being the Holy Spirit. Once they had that and an obedient heart they needed nothing else. And when He foretold the judgement to come upon evil Galilean cities like Capernaum, He said: ‘I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes.’ (Mat. 11:25) The learned would be confused, but the simple and uneducated would know and understand much more than their exalted brethren. And what does Bruh David say in Psalm 8, talking about God’s glory and man’s honour? ‘Out of the mouths of babes and sucklings (nursing infants) hast thou ordained (established) strength because of thine enemies, that thou mightest still (silence) the enemy and the avenger.’ (Ps.8:2) And Jesus used those same words when confronted in the temple by the chief priests and scribes, after He ran out the crooks and moneychangers and the people came in and got healed, with the children singing; ‘Hosanna to the son of David.’ They said to Him: ‘Hearest thou what these say? And Jesus saith unto them, Yea; have ye never read, Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings thou hast perfected praise?’ (Mat.21:16) Yes Friends, the children and the lower strata of the society recognized Jesus’ Messianic powers, while the priests and scribes dangled in supreme ignorance, only considering their own importance, wallowing in man made artefacts and customs, preaching godliness, while hiding behind the veil of hypocrisy. Oh Friends, our Lord is no respecter of persons, especially the proud and arrogant. So don’t ever let your lowly status in society make you feel insignificant and unworthy in God’s sight. He only requires an obedient heart, and will provide the wherewithal you need to do His bidding. So look on the bright side; if you’re lowly, humble with an obedient heart, then you’re a prime candidate to do big things for God. And all God’s people sang: ‘Glory Hallelujah!’ Much Love!…why does God operate like that…So that no flesh should glory in his presence…(1 Cor.1:2)
 

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