Jeremiah 17:7. Blessed is the man that trusteth in the Lord, and whose hope the Lord is.
Aye Friends, it’s Caribana Saturday morning in T.O. the Good! Wow! It’s supposed to be hot, low thirties, and sunny. Just imagine nuh, that in a few hours, for the forty something time, rich, scintillating, pulsating West Indian riddims will be blasting out on the streets of this vibrant, cosmopolitan city! Unfortunately though, it seems that this will be the third or fourth Caribana Parade the ole fella’s going to miss in the forty years, he’s been here. I guess, as they say, all good things must end someday. But after the Pan Alive Competition last night, I believe the Lord’s saying; ‘Keep you peace, mih son! It’s not worth the pain that might ensue.’ However, with the natural stubbornness of man, (smile) I’m still not a hundred percent sure that I’m not going. We’ll see how the ole bod feels as the morning progresses. Anyway, for once the judges and the crowd seemed to agree on the winner of the Pan competition; Pan Fantasy. From the opening notes of their music, you heard something, a sort of brilliance that none of the other bands matched. But don’t fool yuh fat, as in every Pan competition in the world, there were cries of; ‘They robbed us!’ And you could find good arguments for disputing some of the lower placings. But last night Pan Fantasy definitely reigned supreme! All the bands played well though, especially some of the younger ones. And it warms the cockles of my heart every time I check out this competition to see the great amount of young people, of all colours, creeds and races who are beating pan now. Hn! If they only knew about the beginnings of pan and how it was totally frowned upon in it’s earliest years, they’d certainly be surprised to find themselves playing those instruments now. My Auntie Anne and Uncle John didn’t make it there till late, thus missed the first six bands, but a good time was eventually had by all though. Now let’s turn to our Bit: ‘Blessed is the man that trusteth in the Lord, and whose hope the Lord is.’ That’s undoubtedly gospel truth mih Friends! You can see that although our Bit is new, our theme is still that nebulous, constantly ebbing and rising, but oh, ever so important emotion of HOPE! As we’ve been saying, it’s what every human being, and specifically Christians need in great amounts to be able to carry out any and all projects successfully. Yes Friends, if we’re not clothed in much hope, particularly in the hope of God Almighty, His enduring ability to run our lives, then we’re like a naked man out in the winter’s cold, unable to survive for any length of time. It’s the starting point of all our endeavours. And it follows logically that since the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob is our Creator and the most powerful Being in the universe, then it’s only wise, the root of our wisdom, to place all our hope, trust and faith in Him. If no one can defeat Him, then why put any trust in the many pretenders currently floating around in our world eh? And if we check the Good Book, we’ll find a whole lot of beautiful scriptures that attest to that fact. Let’s look at some of them now, beginning obviously with words of Psalm 2, attributed to Bruh David (smile) and superscripted, Why the heathen rages. ‘Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and ye perish from the way, when his wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all they that put their trust in Him.’ (Ps.2:12) Ah mih people, kissing the Son is an act of homage and submission, which all believers ought to do, for it’s wisdom at it’s highest, since the Good Book uncompromisingly declares: ‘For it is written, As I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God.’ (Rom.14:11) There Bruh Paul’s confirming words first spoken by Isaiah in Chapter 45:23. So my brethren, if Jesus Christ is the ultimate ruler, then those who don’t believe in, trust and worship Him, need to have their heads and hearts thoroughly examined for the presence of that condition nicely termed foolish, stupid, or downright unwise. Hear how Cousin Sol puts it: ‘He that handleth a matter wisely (wisely heeds the Word) shall find good: and whoso trusteth in the Lord, happy is he.’ (Prov.16:20) More gospel truth mih people, as no doubt many of us can testify to. And we’ll close with this edifying scripture from Psalm 125, God surrounds His people. And isn’t that the living truth Friends? ‘They that trust in the Lord shall be as mount Zion, which cannot be removed (moved), but abideth for ever. As the mountains are round about (surround) Jerusalem, so the Lord is round about his people from henceforth even for ever.’ (Ps.125:1-2) That my people, is the eternal truth, and as good as it gets! It certainly couldn’t get any better than that! So let’s take time today to ponder the state of our lives before Almighty God, then trust in His Word and renew the hope, the trust, the faith and final surrender and submission to His Holiness, as when we first believed. It’s the only sensible and wise stance to take in this evil, ungodly, troubled and fearful world. Much LOVE!…Hope is the seed…from which all good things grow… P.S. Sorry the Bit’s a bit late, but the ole fella didn’t get to bed until the wee hours of the morning, so he couldn’t get up any earlier. (smile) Much LOVE!
Today’s Scrip-Bit 4 August 2012 Jeremiah 17:7
04 Aug 2012 Leave a comment
in Inspirational Living Tags: beautiful scriptures, beginnings of pan, Bible, Caribana Saturday, confession, faith, hope, Hope in Jesus, music, repentance, stubborn, submission, surrender, trust, wisdom
Today’s Scrip-Bit 3 August 2012 Proverbs 13:12
03 Aug 2012 Leave a comment
in Inspirational Living Tags: Caribana, change, christianity, enthusiasm, eternal life, faith, forgiveness, Friday chant, hope, hope flourishes, LOVE, mercy, prisoners of hope, rest and relaxation, salvation, TGIF!
Proverbs 13:12. Hope deferred maketh the heart sick, but when the desire cometh, it is a tree of life.
Oh Friends, it’s Friday! Caribana Friday to boot! So you can imagine the numerous ‘TGIF’s!’ and ‘Thank God it’s Friday!’ that are reverberating around this wonderful city of Toronto. In fact, T.O has been hopping with Caribana fever for the past week. And the fever will only get hotter and sweatier (smile) as the days progress. Even the ole fella’s enthusiasm has risen a few notches, just knowing that my Auntie Anne and Uncle John will be in town from New York for the celebrations. Mamacita! Hope to play a mas with them tonight in the Pan Competition at Lamport Stadium. And since my Uncle John is an ole pan man from back in the days of Highlanders with their high pan, when plenty people ridiculed them, it’ll be interesting to hear his take on the quality of the pan up here. I remember liking Highlanders from day one, and every time I’d go down the Bay in Scarborough, I’d play their famous single ‘Let every valley be exalted’ on the jukebox in Scobie’s parlour. And I’ve lived to see the day when high pan is now the norm, rather than the exception. Just goes to show what hope and faith in your God-given desires can accomplish. The leaders of Highlanders could have just allowed it to die as so many people were against it. But they didn’t. I guess that’s the way we humans are; we resist change, resist getting out of our comfort zone, even if it’s for the better, because change is usually disruptive and disconcerting. However, on a personal level, it seems like the Good Lord might be putting a spoke in my wheel, or perchance issuing a warning, since my knees have been pain free all week, until last night when one of them began hurting. Hn! And if that continues, then there’s no way I’m going to the Caribana Parade on Saturday. But Friends, the good news is that our God’s a great, good-hearted, LOVING and healing God, and if He wants me to go, He can heal me in time to do so. Praise the Lord! That’s what Christianity is all about Friends; a strong hope, trust and faith in our Lord God Jehovah, Creator and Controller of the universe! Now to get a proper perspective on this celebratory weekend, let’s chant our Friday Chant in loud voice and most excellent enthusiasm. Thought I’d forgotten it nuh. (smile) As one divine choir now: ‘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 mih people, celebrate, but remember to mind yuh p’s and q’s, and also don’t forget, as Granny says, that drunk or sober to mind yuh business, because we don’t want to give the enemy even one iota of space to invade our souls. And as you can see from our Bit: ‘Hope deferred maketh the heart sick, but when the desire cometh, it is a tree of life,’ that we’re going to stick with the topic of Hope today, because it’s such an integral and vital part of our belief system and too many believers, for one reason or another are either losing hope completely or experiencing a sad lessening of it. And when the seed of hope doesn’t flourish in us Friends, it also means our trust and faith in God, as well as His joy are decreasing too, because they are all intertwined. And that’s never a good thing. Living for Jesus is not a one and done thing, but like plants and babies, our growth is a continuous process, where we move from strength to strength. It’s like going to school too, where we can’t move up to a higher grade until we pass the tests of the lower one. As Bruh Paul says, we first need to drink spiritual milk, before we can eat solid spiritual food. (Heb.5:11-14) And HOPE is the emotion that fuels all our spiritual endeavours. It’s like the gas that a car needs before it can run. Hope makes believers run. So let’s go home now with some scriptures that impart hope to our hopeful souls. And we’ll begin with words from a contemplation of Bruh David, where he’s seeking preservation and blessing. ‘I have set the Lord always before me: because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved. Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoiceth: my flesh also shall rest (dwell securely) in hope.’ (Ps.16:8-9) Yes Friends, if we set the Lord before us in all our doings, as our be all and end all, both our spirit and our flesh will experience oodles of hope. Then the author of Psalm 119 say is thus: ‘Uphold me according unto thy word, that I may live: and let me not be ashamed of my hope.’ (Ps.119:116) Oh my people, we’ll never be ashamed of our hope if it’s centred in Jesus Christ, our Lord and Saviour! Meanwhile this verse on hope from Zechariah just thrills me. Talking about Zion’s future king, he solemnly proclaims: ‘Turn you to the stronghold, ye prisoners of hope: even today do I declare that I will render (restore) double unto thee.’ (Zech.9:12) Oh Friends, I certainly hope that we all belong to that august group, ‘the prisoners of hope.’ For as I said yesterday, we’re lost and done like dinner without it. And finally Jeremiah, in his Lamentations, truthfully declares: ‘It is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the Lord.’ (Lam.3:26) Please my brethren, let’s follow that sage advice of Jeremiah nuh, so that our lives will be greatly enriched with all the good things of God; hope, faith, trust, surrender, forgiveness, mercy, unconditional LOVE, salvation and eternal life. This I pray on the precious blood of Jesus spilled for us at Calvary! Amen. Much LOVE my people!…to hope…to hope…and yet to hope…that is the way of the true believer…
Today’s Scrip-Bit 2 August 2012 Proverbs 13:12
02 Aug 2012 Leave a comment
in Inspirational Living Tags: Caribana, conviction, enthusiasm, excitement, faith, hope, hope in God, jump up, never forsake us, perseverance, spirituality, Word of God
Proverbs 13:12. Hope deferred maketh the heart sick, but when the desire cometh, it is a tree of life.
Oh Friends, the ole fella must be really getting old yes! Why am I saying that? Because this is Caribana week, sorry, it’s now officially called the Scotia Bank Caribbean Carnival, or something to that effect. There have been some lawsuits regarding the ownership of the name ‘Caribana,’ and whoever is running it now apparently can’t legally use that name. But Friends, from now until forever, it will always ring on in the minds of the local populace and visitors as Caribana. Anyway, as I was saying, Caribana week is in full swing and I’m not enthused or excited about any of the events. Even my beloved Pan Competition doesn’t awaken the usual enthusiasm. I suppose because I can’t jump and prance like I used to, due to my bad knees, I’ve just lost the excitement of the season. But don’t write me off just yet, for ole Lucifer has been whispering in my mind: ‘Go to the Caribana Parade. You can do it.’ And if I truly felt that excitement, I believe I could do it. However, it’s not only the state of my knees that have me unenthusiastic, but also the fact that these days when I go to the parade, I don’t see any of the people I use to party with over all those earlier years, Plus the young people’s attitude sucks, to put it mildly. They don’t know how to party in the streets, don’t know how to jump up without causing confusion. Unfortunately they only know about rushing and pushing, blatantly ignoring the space and rights of the other revellers. That’s why I understand they now have six foot barriers to prevent people from getting into the bands. Those barricades might just turn me off too, because as far as I’m concerned Caribana is a participatory event, not something to just stand on the sidelines and watch. Who knows though what will happen come the weekend? Only the Good Lord in His high heaven, and He’s not telling. But don’t be too surprised if you see the ole fella sashaying down the boulevard as best he can, for with our God, ANYTHING is possible. (smile)So saying, I guess I can slip in a quote from Gramps Schuller (Robert H) of the Crystal Cathedral in Garden Grove California. He says: ‘Blessed are those whose dreams are shaped by their hopes, not by their hurts.’ And that’s so very true Friends! When we concentrate on our hopes and dreams, rather than our hurts and disappointments, we always come out better off. That’s because hope entails positivity, reaching outwards and upwards to heaven and God, while hurts cater to negativity, looking down to Lucifer and Hades. And that’s why our Bit so rightly declares: ‘Hope deferred maketh the heart sick, but when the desire cometh, it is a tree of life.’ Yes my people, if we don’t have hope then we’re lost; we become depressed, anxious and easily traumatized. But when hope invades our souls, then we’re revitalized, enthused, become excited about Life and LOVE again. As Cousin Sol says later in the same chapter: ‘The desire accomplished is sweet to the soul: but it is abominable to fools to depart from evil.’ (Prov.13:19) And the extraordinary good thing about hope is that when it revitalizes us, it grows like a well watered tree. Everything around us takes on a completely different look; a more positive and amenable feeling comes over us. I know we’re not supposed to live by our feelings, like a yo-yo, but feelings are a part of our God-given nature, and at times the negative ones will lead us, but hopefully not for very long. And remember Friends, that hope is the basis of all Christian endeavour, as Bruh Paul declares to the Roman Church: ‘For we are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for it? But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience (perseverance) (eagerly) wait for it.’ (Rom.8:24-25) That my Friends is the irreversible, unalterable truth! If we see it, why hope for it eh? But when we don’t, then we eagerly hope for it and persevere until it becomes a reality. And this scripture verifies all that: ‘Now faith is the substance (realization) of things hoped for, the evidence (conviction) of things not seen.’ (Heb.11:1) That means brethren, before we can have faith, we must first have hope. It’s the seed of hope, planted in the deep, dark recesses of the rich soil of our souls, that germinates when watered by the Word of God and bursts out into the bright light of Jesus as faith. It’s like the little acorn that through God’s marvellous engineering eventually grows into a mighty, towering oak tree. Oh my people, we Christians are the only ones who have the hope of salvation and eternal life built into our belief system. But unfortunately, too many of us allow the negative appraisals and feelings of the world to lead us, so much so that we’re in danger of losing our hope. Friends, that’s something we definitely cannot allow to happen, because if we lose our hope in God, then we’ll be totally lost, shipwrecked, done like dinner! We might as well be dead. So in these troubled and fearful times, one thing we have to dearly hold on to is our hope; our hope in Jehovah God, who’s created us, who LOVES us unconditionally, and has promised never to leave or forsake us. As Bruh David so rightly declares in his prayer for self-understanding: ‘And now, Lord, what wait I for? My hope is in thee.’ (Ps.39:7) Please remember that my brethren! And furthermore, let’s write it indelibly in our hearts, minds and souls, so that we won’t lose our hope. Much LOVE!…once there is the breath of life in our mortal bodies…then there’s always the seed of hope present in our spirits…
Today’s Scrip-Bit 1 August 2012 Proverbs 9:9
01 Aug 2012 Leave a comment
in Inspirational Living Tags: autumn winds, build on strong foudations, christianity, consequences of obedience and disobedience, doing good, heed good advice, helping others, keep promises, resolutions
Proverbs 9:9. Give instruction to a wise man, and he will be yet wiser: teach a just man, and he will increase in learning.
Today’s Scrip-Bit 31 July 2012 Proverbs 9:9
31 Jul 2012 Leave a comment
in Inspirational Living Tags: arrogance, certain destruction, destiny, gospel truth, human nature, independence, never late, on time, pride, wise advice
Proverbs 9:9. Give instruction to a wise man, and he will be yet wiser: teach a just man, and he will increase in learning.
Oh Friends, the ole fella’s in a rut this morning. I can’t come up with a rousing, inspiring intro to boost your spirits, to get your adrenalin truly flowing, so that your feet will be in a dancing mood, and your heart and mind wisely functioning on God’s wonderful wavelength of truth, justice, mercy, LOVE and forgiveness! Although, as usual, before starting to write, I asked the Lord for guidance and discernment to know and understand what He wants me to write, because I don’t want to write any wrong stuff, He’s yet to get me rolling. But as I keep saying, there’s method to the Lord’s madness, and we just have to persevere in His Word and His promises and eventually He’ll make all things right. That’s why I don’t doubt that this will be a ‘dynomite’ Bit! (smile) There we go Friends, the Spirit’s up and running! How can I then not LOVE the wonderful God we serve and worship eh mih people? For though He seems to leave us in the lurch longer than we desire, He’s promised to never leave nor forsake us, and that’s a promise I’m sincerely counting on and living by. One more thing Friends; the Lord’s NEVER LATE with His help! I speak thereof from hard experience. All of us would like His help now for now, but that’s not how He operates. He likes the just in time formula, which often gets us worried and frustrated. But be sure of this one thing: HE WILL SHOW UP ON TIME! Anyway, enough of my rambling. Here’s a quote from Joseph Addison (1672-1719) the English essayist and poet. He says: ‘There is nothing which we receive with so much reluctance as advice.’ Gospel truth mih people, gospel truth! None of us take kindly to receiving advice, especially if it goes against what we think. And sometimes we get so indignant about advice that we go and do the exact opposite, although deep down we know that it’s right and true. Why is that eh? I guess there are basically two main reasons. First off is that the human animal doesn’t like to be told what to do. A sense of independence has been bred into his nature, no wonder colonized nations, at some stage in their development, also get all hyped up over their independence from the Mother countries. Advice also has a negative connotation to many of us. It makes us feel inferior, as though we’re unable to paddle our own canoe, shape our own destiny. And often, once we hear about advice, our suspicions and protective instincts immediately rise up and negativity fills our mind. The problem my people is that two kinds of basic advice exists; the good and bad kind. The goodness or badness often depends on the circumstances of a particular situation, as well as the people involved. In the long run though, others can only offer us advice, we still have to make the final decisions. So it’s possible to get good advice and yet make bad decisions, as well as vice versa. But thankfully Friends, our Bit today guides us along the right path. ‘Give instruction to a wise man, and he will be yet wiser: teach a just man, and he will increase in learning.’ That’s oh so true my brethren! A wise man will heed good advice and thus get wiser. I guess because he’s already wise, he knows how to sift good advice from bad. But then too our Bit proclaims that if we teach a just man, that he will increase in learning. Why is that eh? Perhaps because the just man aspires to walk the straight and narrow path of God, he has a heightened sense of right and wrong, good and bad, thus he will seek to improve his mental faculties, instead of thinking he knows it all, which would only lead him down the proud and arrogant path to certain destruction. Hear what Cousin Sol says about the wise man at the very beginning of his thought provoking sayings: ‘A wise man will hear, and will increase learning; and a man of understanding shall attain (inquire) unto wise counsels.’ (Prov.1:5) Yes Friends, that means he won’t depend solely on his own thinking, but will seek knowledge and advice from others who seem to be well acquainted with the pros and cons of his particular project. Remember though, that the final decision will still be his, but the important thing is that he is wise enough to seek out pertinent information that will assist him in making as good a decision as he can. Now how many of us do that eh? Obviously not enough, otherwise our world wouldn’t be suffering as much as it is from a host of bad decisions made by a host of supposed experts. Anyway brethren, we’re going to end here today, because it will get too long if I put in all I want to say, and I respect your time and attention span. (smile) But tomorrow, God willing, we’ll continue this topic. In the meanwhile, please, let’s ponder our personal situations re the taking of advice, and make serious plans to improve our response to the subject in a wise manner. Much LOVE!…a wise man will hear…and follow good advice…while a fool will not…and therefore will wallow in his own folly…
Today’s Scrip-Bit 30 July 2012 Acts 5:29
30 Jul 2012 Leave a comment
in Inspirational Living Tags: balls belly and backbone, be positive and productive, bounden duty, Jesus Christ, joyful praise, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, obey God not man, powerful protective armour, steadfast faith
Acts 5:29. Then Peter and the other apostles answered and said, We ought to obey God, rather than men.
Oh my people, my people, it’s a beautiful Monday morning! So let’s rise and greet it with joy nuh; the joy of our great God, from whence comes our strength! And I have to chuckle at the amount of moans, groans, excuses and inappropriate language I receive in response. But Friends, Monday is a day like any other, it just happens to be the day we return to work after a couple days off and we tend to feel lethargic and lazy to get back into the crazy, slave-like workweek routine. That makes it an unalterable fact, so we might as well just learn to like it, or at least try and live it productively, instead of casting that negative net over it, as we’ve been conditioned to do. And the first step we’re going to take to bring it into a positive and productive pattern is to sing a wonderful, loud and lively rendition of our Monday Morning Battle Hymn. So altogether now, let’s banish those Monday blues with joyful praise to our omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent God. ‘Oh Lord God Almighty, Creator of the universe and all therein! We, your humble servants, praise your Holy Name and thank you that this Monday morning we have jobs to go to; jobs we don’t like, jobs that are unfair, difficult and even dangerous, but which serve a useful purpose here on earth; keeping lives and families together. We also thank you Father for the renewed vitality and enthusiasm you’ve wrought in our weary souls over the last two days. It’s that rejuvenation of Spirit which allows us now to sally forth with confidence into the evil, ungodly world that surrounds us, to begin a new week of work, constantly buffeted and bombarded by the enemy’s wicked taunts, wiles and lies. But heavenly Father, we’re not afraid, for we know we’re invincible, sure conquerors, once we’re wearing your powerful, protective spiritual armour. We surrender our all to you, and humbly ask that you let your incredible aura of LOVE, the Holy Spirit, lead and guide all your servants as we go out to meet the enemy in battle. Fill us with steadfast faith, so that we can make worthwhile inroads into the enemy’s ranks, and thereby further your glorious kingdom. We pray this in the Holy Name of your Son, and our Saviour, Jesus Christ. AMEN!’ Yes Friends, if we don’t get right into God and His Word as soon as we get up, especially on a Monday morning, the enemy will likely creep in and set the wrong tempo and thus spoil our day, which we obviously don’t want to happen. And now we’ll turn our attention to our Bit: ‘Then Peter and the other apostles answered and said, We ought to obey God, rather than men.’ Oh my brethren, that’s where the believer’s earthly walk has to all start from; obeying our Supreme Maker and not the creation of His hands. For if we keep on obeying men, our world is just going to sink deeper in the mire of greed, selfishness and evil that’s now got it by the throat in a deadly stranglehold. We believers are very guilty of standing idly by while the wicked have their way with God’s world and His people. It’s time we stop doing that and stand up to them Friends, else Christ’s Church runs a real risk of slowly fading into oblivion. And that’s something we definitely can’t afford to let happen. What a great disappointment it would be to Jesus, after giving up so much for us. No Friends, we need to be strong and stand up to the wicked man, who is trying to remove God from our society. We can take an example from the apostles who had much more to lose than we do in those days of unrest and serious persecution of Christ’s Church. The whole thing started after Peter and John healed a lame man by the temple. When the Jewish elders found that out, they took the apostles to task, asking: ‘By what power, or by what name, have ye done this? Then Peter, filled with the Holy Ghost, said unto them…Be it known unto you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom ye crucified, whom God raised from the dead, even by him doth this man stand here before you whole… Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.’ (Acts 4:7-8, 10, 12) We all know that’s gospel truth Friends, but how many of us have the parts to proclaim it unashamedly like the apostles eh? Too many believers today suffer from a combination of shame, fear and lethargy when it comes to proclaiming the Word of God, that’s why Christ’s Church is in such sad shape. The early believers both literally and figuratively laid their lives on the line to proclaim the gospel, but we who have much less to fear, are afraid to do so. Just imagine the guts it took for Peter and John to talk back to the Jewish council when they told them to stop preaching Christ crucified. ‘Whether it be right in the sight of God to hearken unto you more than unto God, judge ye. For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard.’ (Acts 4:19-20) Yes Friends, that took plenty B. B and B for lowly, uneducated folk to talk to the powerful council in such a disrespectful manner. But all the council could do was threaten them again, then release them, ‘finding nothing how (for which) they might punish them, because of the people: for all men glorified God for that which was done.’ (Acts 4:21) Oh mih fellow believers, that’s what happens when we go out and diligently and sincerely do God’s work: the people see and believe and glorify the Father! And that’s our main purpose here on earth. But unfortunately we’re not doing a very good job at it at all. We either preach one thing then do something completely different, which leads the people to believe we’re hypocrites like the Jewish elders in Jesus’ time, or we just do nothing at all and allow the wicked to take over. Both approaches are totally unacceptable my Friends, which means we have to change our habits if we want to successfully bring others to Jesus. And we’ll end with some wise advice from Peter: ‘And who is he that will harm you, if ye be followers of that which is good? But and if ye suffer for righteousness’ sake, happy (blessed) are ye: and be not afraid of their terror (threats), neither be troubled. But sanctify (set apart) the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer (a defence) to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear (reverential awe).’ (1 Pet.3:13-15) Oh Friends, please let’s follow that wise and wholesome advice nuh, so that we can truly do our bounden duty, seriously affect the lives of others and bring them to belief in Jesus. This I pray in Jesus’ name. Amen. Much LOVE!…if we obey God to the best of our ability…then man won’t have any hold or sway over us…
Today’s Scrip-Bit 29 July 2012 Acts 5:29
29 Jul 2012 Leave a comment
in Inspirational Living Tags: belly and backbone, christianity, everlasting arms of Jesus, fear God, future generations, let your light so shine, light of the world, obey God not man, passing the torch of God, when the SON returns
Acts 5:29. Then Peter and the other apostles answered and said, We ought to obey God rather than men.
Oh Friends, another glorious morn is preparing to come up over the distant horizon. Soon the Sun will be blazing forth in all its glory and majesty, just like the SON will do when He returns. In the meanwhile though, His true followers must reflect His light in a world so badly affected by the darkness that is evil. Jesus said: ‘Ye are the light of the world…Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.’ (Matt.5:14,16) Therefore, in this evil world, Christians are to shine like a bright beacon on a hill in a dark, stormy night, so that weary travellers will be safely guided in their long, dangerous, earthly journey and finally end up at a place of rest, comfort, caring and peace. A place called the everlasting, ever-LOVING arms of Jesus. Yes Friends, we believers ought to be perceived by the unbelievers as guiding lights in a dark, destructive and wicked world! And here’s a quote by the famous Irish playwright, George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950) that wisely and rightly endorses Jesus’ contention. ‘Life is not a “brief candle.” It is a splendid torch that I want to make burn as brightly as possible before handing it on to future generations.’ Gospel truth Friends, gospel truth! I guess we can compare it to the passing of the torch in the Olympic Games, the current edition of which is now taking place in England. Many of you must have seen the lavish opening ceremonies two days ago. I never planned to watch it, but the Lord in His mysterious ways had me do so. I had taped a football game and when I went to watch it, lo and behold the opening ceremony of the games jumped out at me. Obviously I was a bit perturbed, figuring that the football game had been bypassed for the ceremony, so I watched it. Now it was indeed a good show, but after writing the Bit that day about all the hunger, poverty, pain and the many other negatives in our world crying out for money, I was somewhat angered by it all. But we’ll leave that alone, for all the big, expensive, waste of time festivals that only enrich the already rich, don’t sit well with me. Anyway, the billion dollar question (a million is too small now) is how do we begin to shine that light of Jesus, so that we can pass that bright torch to future generations? Well, we’ve got to start with the principle laid out in our Bit: ‘Then Peter and the other apostles answered and said, We ought to obey God rather than men.’ Yes mih people, all our good intentions are of no use until we actually begin obeying God’s sound principles and not the selfish, greedy, evil ones of man. We saw how the apostles put the Jewish council in their place when they told them to stop preaching Christ. Another excellent example of that is Daniel and his friends. When the Jewish teens were brought to Babylon and enrolled in a training programme to convert them to the Chaldean image, the young men refused to eat food offered up to idols or pray to the heathen gods. The Good Book tells us: ‘But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king’s meat (delicacies), nor with the wine which he drank: therefore he requested of the prince of the eunuchs that he might not defile himself.’ (Dan.1:8) Oh my people, how many of us today have the parts to stand up to the world’s evil and refuse to bow to their wickedness and idolatrous ways? Not sufficient of us I believe, otherwise our world wouldn’t be in such a sad state. But here’s what happens when we do. ‘Now God had brought Daniel into favour and tender LOVE (sympathy) with the prince of the eunuchs.’ (Dan.1:9) Yes Friends, when we’re prepared to stand up faithful and strong for God, He will help us in whatever we’re going through. Remember that promise to never leave or forsake us. (Heb.13:5) Daniel and his friends chose to eat vegetables and drink water rather than the idol offered food of the king, and they ended up looking better than all the others in the programme. The Good Book also declares: ‘As for these four children (young men), God gave them knowledge and skill in all learning (literature) and wisdom: and Daniel had understanding in all visions and dreams.’ (Dan.1:17) Praise the Lord Friends! He blessed the young men so that they were the fairest and brightest amongst the lot, and could therefore go forth into the heathen world and proclaim His glory. We know how three of the four were thrown into the fire and came out untouched, not even smelling of smoke. They had previously told king Nebuchadnezzar about their God saving them from the fire. ‘But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up.’ (Dan.3:18) Oh mih bredden, it certainly took plenty B, B, and B, (balls, belly and backbone) for those young men to talk like that to an absolute monarch, one who could do whatever he desired with them. Likewise Daniel, when the jealous leaders plotted to have him thrown into the lion’s den for continuing to pray to his God despite the king’s decree. Daniel just kept right on believing in, following and praying to the God of his fathers. (Dan.6:10) And when he was finally thrown into the lion’s den, the Lord shut the lions mouth and he came out completely unharmed. (Dan.6:14-23) Oh Friends, such is the power of our omnipotent God! Remember that nothing is impossible for Him, and if we faithfully worship and obey Him, He will work wonders in our lives. Note how He used Daniel over some sixty years to bring three heathen kings to their knees and acknowledge His supremacy. ‘Then king Darius wrote unto all the people, nations, and languages, that dwell in all the earth; Peace be multiplied unto you. I make a decree, That in every dominion of my kingdom men (must) tremble and fear before the God of Daniel: for he is the living God, and steadfast for ever, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed, and his dominion shall be even unto the end. He deilvereth and rescueth, and he worketh signs and wonders in heaven and in earth, who hath delivered Daniel from the power (paw) of the lions.’ (Dan.6:25-27) And all God’s people raised a mighty shout of ‘Amen!’ to heaven. Much LOVE my people!…when we stand up for Jesus…He will also stand up for us…
Today’s Scrip-Bit 28 July 2012 Luke 12:19
28 Jul 2012 Leave a comment
in Inspirational Living Tags: charitable giving, crooked charities, do like Jesus did, food banks, good works, hunger, LOVE of Money, poverty, rich fool, rich toward God, soup kitchens
Luke 12:19. And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink and be merry.
Oh Friends, the amount of mail I get from people, Charities in particular, asking for money is overwhelming. Even those I already give to keep asking for more, as though there’s an unlimited supply just waiting to be doled out. Some of them really do good work, while a fair amount are just out and out crooks, just using the charitable moniker as a front, to indulge their own criminal actions. Charitable giving has become a real big business now. And when you see the immense salaries been paid to the heads of these charities, it just sickens you. The long and short of the story though is be very careful of whom you give to. But then too, when I see the emaciated bodies of children al over the world starving for a little nourishment, that also sickens me, knowing that there is so much in our world, that NOT ONE SINGLE child really needs to go hungry; definitely not for the length of time it takes them to die of starvation or some other preventable disease. Oh Friends, it certainly doesn’t say much for our humanity nuh! And don’t for one moment believe that this unfortunate situation is only taking place in poor, undeveloped countries! Not by a long shot mih people! It’s also happening very much in the supposed rich, developed countries too. Things like Food Banks and Soup Kitchens that first arose because of the Great War, are now a constant in developed societies. Sadly too, in many of these countries, poor as well as rich, the upper crust are greedily feeding their faces as hogs at a trough, and wasting even more, while the poor grovel, and search for food in garbage pails and dumps. Hn! What a wonderful picture we portray! Is that what Jesus asked or wants us to do? Certainly not! He wants us to look after the poor, the sick, the needy, the hurting, the widows and orphans. But unfortunately we’re doing a very poor job of it. We’re falling into the world’s theory of survival of the fittest, and all I care about is me. Sorry if you don’t have. That’s your rotten luck, but you won’t be getting any of mine! Oh my people, that goes against every thing that Jesus stands for! The Good Book says: ‘How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him.’ (Acts 10:38) Oh my brethren, we believers have the same things that Jesus had; the Holy Ghost power and the Father. So why aren’t we doing more of the good works that Jesus did eh? The rich and famous meanwhile have nothing like that in their arsenal. Instead theirs is the selfish, greedy, I, me, mine behaviour which our Bit, taken from Jesus’ parable of the rich fool, so wisely puts into proper perspective. This parasite had more than he could shake a stick at, but instead of sharing, he decided to build bigger barns to store his goods, while patting himself on the back for his wisdom. ‘And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink and be merry.’ Yeh Friends, that’s how many of us behave. ‘But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided? So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.’ (Luke 12:20-21) We see and hear about the infighting between wealthy families everyday. And a good example of that are the shenanigans that took place this past week in Michael Jackson’s family. And it all boils down to one thing; MONEY! Remember Bruh Paul’s warning to Timothy: ‘For the LOVE OF MONEY is the root of all (kinds of) evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith (for which some in their greediness have strayed from the faith), and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.’ (1 Tim.6:10) And that’s ever so true my people! We just have to look at how our world is falling apart, primarily because of money. One way or another, money and the amassing of earthly possessions are responsible for our downfall. Remember too what Jesus told the disciples just before the parable of the rich fool: ‘Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man’s life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth.’ (Luke 12:15) But not too many of us fine Christian souls pay serious heed to that warning, because we’re just like the rich fool, just going on insatiably after the things of the world, and only paying lip service to God’s Word. And Cousin Sol hit the nail on the head when he declares: ‘When goods increase, they are increased that eat them: and what good is there to the owners thereof, saving the beholding of them with their eyes.’ (Eccl.5:11) Oh Friends, it’s not necessarily the wealth that sends us on the wrong path, but more the drive for the wealth, like the LOVE of money! But we can only use so much ourselves. The remainder, if we choose to save it all, then we can only look at it. However, please remember that we’re only stewards of God’s goodness, and whatever He gives us over and above our needs, is meant to be shared with the less fortunate. Please my people, from today, let’s concentrate some more on helping others nuh, like Jesus did. Let’s try and share a little more of our resources with the needy, and thus alleviate some of the dreadful spectres of suffering that sadly pervade our world of plenty. That would make Jesus so proud of us. Much LOVE!…when so few have so much…the great numbers with little…must suffer great deprivation and want… P.S. I did not forget about our ongoing Bit, but some info from a charity just raised my ire, and the Spirit guided me to this. Much LOVE!
Today’s Scrip-Bit 27 July 2012 Acts 5:29
27 Jul 2012 Leave a comment
in Inspirational Living Tags: constant pressure, don't give up, Friday chant, fun-fellowship, labour free weekend, mysterious movements of God, obey God not man, refreshed bodies, renewed minds, rest-relaxation, suffer the inevitable consequences, TGIF!
Acts 5:29. Then Peter and the other apostles answered and said, We ought to obey God rather than men.
Oh Friends, it’s Friday! And all God’s people released a tired but grateful sigh as they mouthed: ‘Thank God is Friday yes!’ They have been looking forward to this day and the weekend of no labour, from since Monday morning as they left home to go to work. And unfortunately the constant mental, emotional and physical pressure of going to work for those five days has taken a toll on them. But Friends, I’m here to buoy and calm our spirits so that we don’t get too lethargic or too effervescent over the next couple of days. And we’ll start doing that by chanting our Friday Chant with as much gusto as we can muster. All together now, in one loud, prayerful voice: ‘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, I know that some of you have it fairly rough, having young children to look after before work, then fight the traffic to work and deal with all sorts of emotional and physical situations there, then fight the traffic back home and look after your families again. Some of you work even harder at home on the weekends, cleaning up and preparing for the following week, than you do at the job that hopefully pays you a living wage. But don’t worry my people, the Lord sees all your efforts and eventually you will be well rewarded, if you don’t give up. Just remember that living for Jesus is not an easy lifestyle, but it certainly is interesting and oftimes adventurous, cause we never know what’s the next situation He’s going to throw up before us. Remember too, that whatever He brings us to, He will also bring us through it, if we allow Him to lead and guide us. This brings us to our Bit: ‘Then Peter and the other apostles answered and said, We ought to obey God rather than men.’ And that my friends is gospel, gospel truth! Believers ought to obey the dictates of God if they seriously conflict with the dictates of men. And why is that? Simply because the law of God is higher than that of men. God is our Creator, Controller and Provider, while man is merely flesh and bones and cannot create or control most of the stuff around him. Our Bit gives us a perfect example of upholding God’s law over man’s. The apostles had been preaching Christ crucified and risen in the temple at Jerusalem, with great crowds gathering to listen and many being saved. This obviously did not sit well with the Jewish leaders, so they dragged the apostles off to jail, warning them to stop preaching Christ. But please remember my brethren that our God is the greatest Being in the universe, and when you’re doing His work nothing is impossible. Consequently, as the Good Book notes: ‘But the angel of the Lord by night opened the prison doors, and brought them forth, and said, Go, stand and speak in the temple to the people all the words of this life. And when they heard that, they entered into the temple early in the morning and taught.’ (Acts 5:19-21a) Yes mih people, our God does move in mysterious ways, His sovereignty to show and glorify! So later on, when the elders, gathered together in the council chambers, sent for the apostles, they couldn’t be found in the prison, though all the gates and other security measures, including the keepers were perfectly all right and in place. And isn’t it strange that the elders who were supposed to be such godly and righteous beings doubted the situation. It just shows how little they really knew about or trusted God. But in the midst of their disbelief, someone came into the chamber and told them: ‘Behold, the men whom ye put in prison are standing in the temple, and teaching the people.’ (Acts 5:25) Now can you imagine the anger, rage and disbelief that must have gone through that hypocritical bunch of council members? But good for them, they were smart enough to tread softly: ‘Then went the captain with the officers, and brought them (the apostles) without violence: for they feared the people, lest they should have been stoned.’ (Acts 5:26) It makes me chuckle Friends, because in the final analysis, in spite of all their big talk, the council was afraid of the people, so they made sure that the apostles were taken without any fuss. And when they’re finally brought before the council, the high priest pompously declares: ‘Did we not straitly (strictly) command you that ye should not teach in this name? and, behold, ye have filled Jerusalem with your doctrine, and intend to bring this man’s blood upon us.’ (Acts 5:28) That’s when the apostles put them in their place, told them where to get off. In the words of our Bit, they solemnly declared: ‘We ought to obey God rather than man.’ Oh Friends, that’s how we believers ought to act when we’re threatened or challenged by a secular power, or even a wrong, hypocritical religious one, re speaking the Word of God! And we’ll end with a brief explanation of our Bit by the scholars. ‘Peter is not sanctioning civil disobedience, as he makes clear in his first epistle (1 Pet.2:13-17; cf. Rom:13:1-7). We are to obey the civil government; but when it goes contrary to the explicit commands of God, we must obey God and be ready to suffer the consequences.’ Yes my people, if we’re to truly follow Jesus, then there will inevitably be consequences to pay, some light, but also harsh and difficult ones. However, we must always have that faith, that depth of feeling, that whatever the consequences, we will gladly pay them. In Jesus’ name. Amen. More on this tomorrow Friends, if God’s willing. Till then, please walk safely under His protective umbrella, proclaiming His holy name wherever we go, and willingly accepting whatever consequences come our way. Much LOVE!…whatever beliefs we hold…there will always be consequences to pay for holding them…
Today’s Scrip-Bit 26 July 2012 Acts 20:24
26 Jul 2012 Leave a comment
in Inspirational Living Tags: finish our course with joy, happiness, happiness is an attitude, heavenly blessings, joy, joy of the lord, we control our happiness
Acts 20:24. But none of these things move me, neither count I my life dear unto myself, so that I might finish my course with joy, and the ministry, which I have received of the Lord Jesus, to testify the gospel of the grace of God.
Oh Friends, the Good Lord has finally blessed my area with a decent amount of heavenly blessings. Last evening we had a couple of half decent showers, but then at around 2 a.m, the fun began. The thunder rolled, the lightning flashed and the wind blew real strong. It was so strong that I had to get up and close my bedroom windows, blinds and curtains because it was blowing them all around like crazy. And even when I closed up everything, the lightning still flashed so brightly that it lit up the room. At 5.30 when I got up, the road and the land were still wet, meaning it was a good amount of heavenly blessing that fell. All I can say is a grateful, ‘Praise the Lord!’ Let’s hope He doesn’t give us too much now, so that it becomes a negative situation, moving from drought to flood. Anyway, I just got up from my desk and the Lord led my eyes to one of several fortune cookie edicts that I have strategically placed around it. The sad part is that though they’re right in front of me, I hardly notice them. And this one, though it brought a chuckle to my soul, I don’t even remember it being there. It says though, rightly and wisely that ‘Happiness is an attitude.’ And isn’t that the living truth Friends! For if we don’t make a conscious decision, then a conscious effort to be happy, we’ll never be. That’s because there will always be something that or someone who will negatively affect our emotional system if we allow it. Now there are two important points to consider here. The first is as I just alluded to; our allowing external forces to control our happiness. No one or nothing can do that unless we allow it. And have you ever noticed how the small, insignificant negative things can play and prey greatly on our emotions, while under those same circumstances, it takes a big, positive happening to make us feel happy? Now that’s the crux of the matter my people; feeling happy. We tend to allow situations, circumstance and even people to control our happiness because it depends on our feelings. That’s why so many of us are on what looks like a roller coaster ride; one minute up, next minute down, the next minute up again. However Friends, that’s not why Jesus sacrificed His precious life for us. He didn’t intend for us to live that kind of see-saw emotional life. Happiness in a believer should be a fairly constant emotion, given all the good promises that we have from our God and Creator. And it’s time we stop allowing outward stimuli to control our happiness factor. In fact Friends, we shouldn’t even be talking about happiness because that’s usually a fleeting, emotional state. What we should be really talking of is joy; the deep, eternal, everlasting state of contentment that’s only to be found in true association with Jesus. It’s the place where our soul just bubbles over with a rich, enervating, stable state of continual peace and satisfaction. Yes Friends, that perpetual state of elation can only be found in accepting Jesus as our Lord and Saviour, then being obedient to His Word and Will. That’s why Bruh Paul in our Bit, although he was used and abused and suffered much calamity in his missionary travels, could say with such confidence to the Ephesian elders: ‘But none of these things move me, neither count I my life dear unto myself, so that I might finish my course with joy, and the ministry, which I have received of the Lord Jesus, to testify the gospel of the grace of God.’ Ah mih people, not all of us can be as stalwart and diligent in serving Jesus, but we can all make a serious effort to not let the fleeting things of the earth distract us from doing His work. Earlier on, Bruh Paul also draws attention to the race run by John the Baptist: ‘And as John fulfilled his course, he said, Whom think ye that I am? I am not he. But, behold, there cometh one after me, whose shoes (sandals) of his feet I am not worthy to loose.’ (Acts 13:25) Oh my brethren, we each have a race to run, one set out by the Lord as part of His Master Plan, and we cannot run it successfully unless and until we put aside the fleeting things of the world and embrace God’s will for our lives with a deep sense of commitment and expectation of the good things to come, just as those who’ve come to true faith before us did. And as Bruh Paul declares in his last testament to Timothy: ‘I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course (race), I have kept the faith: Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that LOVE his appearing.’ (2 Tim.4:7-8) Yes mih people, that is what we should all aspire to say at the end of our earthly race, when we’ll also hear these soothing, joyful words from the lips of Jesus: ‘Well done, good and faithful servant; thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of the Lord.’ (Matt.25:23) And all God’s children said a hale, hearty, joyful and grateful: ‘Glory Hallelujah! Praise the name of the Lord, for He is good to His children! Amen.’ Oh my brethren, please let’s glory in the joy of our God, for remember that’s where our true strength lies! Much LOVE!…as much as Jesus abides in us…thus shall be the level of our joy… P.S. Sorry it’s late but I got up late, then couldn’t find or make up my mind on a Bit. Them’s the breaks sometimes. It’s not always fun and laughter and easy as pie. (smile) Much LOVE!
