SCRIP-BITS

Psalm 51:2.    Wash me thoroughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin.
 
Well hello there all you beautiful people, believers in Jesus Christ and His wonderful Christian mission! Oh Friends, isn’t it good to be alive? It sure is! And isn’t it also great to be called a Christian? For sure! But please remember that being a Christian is also a great privilege that carries with it an awesome responsibility, for this mission, Christ’s Church, is no fly by night organization. It’s here to last until eternity! Through belief in Christ, we’re honoured, considered worthy to be called the children of God, and as such are entitled to come before Him in confidence and trust, since Christ’s precious blood paid our sin debt in full. But because of our inherent sinful nature, we still do wrong. However through this unbelievable connection to Almighty God, through His most faithful and obedient Son, Jesus, we have the privilege of going to God in prayer and asking for forgiveness of our sins. Our sins are not automatically forgiven because we’re believers. No, we have to come to God, with penitent hearts and ask for forgiveness. And throughout the Good Book, there’s nobody better than Bruh David in pleading for forgiveness for their sins. Hear him in our Bit, the second verse of his prayer for cleansing, when the prophet Nathan laid bare before him, his horrible transgression with Bathsheba. ‘Wash me thoroughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin.’  Ah Friends, all of us are human, thus liable to err, sometimes big, sometimes small, but err nevertheless, and when we do, we need to come before God, asap, repenting and asking forgiveness. ‘For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin is ever before me.’ (Ps.51:3) Yes my people, it’s also important that we admit to our wrongdoing, with humility and regret. And what’s so reassuring and wonderful about the whole process is that if we truly are sorry for our misdoings and come to God with a right heart and repentant attitude, He has promised, on several occasions, to cleanse us and forgive us our sins. And all God’s people joyfully shouted: ‘Hallelujah! For we serve such a mighty and magnanimous God!’ But please note Friends, it’s not supposed to be just a rote practice; you sin without care, then run to repent, then run to sin carelessly again. No! There is a responsibility to keep ourselves out of sin’s way. It’s not easy, but if we’re serious about it, and sincerely try to walk the right path, then God will help us do it. Now let’s hear some of those amazing promises He’s made to cleanse, heal and forgive us of our iniquity. We’ll start with the words of Jeremiah, talking about the glorious return promised to the Israelite captives: ‘And I will cleanse them from all their iniquity, whereby they have sinned against me; and I will pardon all their iniquities, whereby they have sinned, and whereby they have transgressed against me.’ (Jer.33:8) What an awesome promise people! And Ezekiel adds this encouragement: ‘Thus saith the Lord God; In the day that I shall have cleansed you from all your iniquities I will also cause you to dwell in the cities, and the wastes (ruins) shall be builded.’ (Ezek.36:33) Meanwhile, the author of Hebrews, when comparing the benefits of animal sacrifices and that of Jesus, solemnly declares: ‘How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot (blemish) to God, purge (cleanse) your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?’ (Heb.9:14) Yes Friends, it’s the precious blood of Jesus, spilled on our behalf, that gives us access to God, meaning that only believers can take advantage of the wonderful cleansing opportunities available. John, the beloved disciple, puts it this way: ‘If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not (practice) the truth: But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin…If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.’ (1 John 1:6-7, 9) And all God’s people shouted a thankful ‘Amen!’ Yes my brethren, being a Christian, a true follower of Christ, is a wonderful privilege! But please remember that with all great privileges also come great responsibilities. So a believer’s position is not to be taken lightly, for come the judgement day, when we all have to stand before Jesus and give an account of our lives, we sure don’t want to be cowering and mewling and stuttering before Him, because we never took our responsibilities seriously. So please, let’s get our act together, RIGHT NOW, for Jesus can return at any time, like the proverbial thief in the night, and we certainly don’t want to be found wanting and not ready to meet and greet Him. Much LOVE!…remember…to him that’s granted much…much is expected and required… (Luke 12:48)
 

1 Corinthians 4:11.    Even unto this present hour we both hunger, and thirst, and are naked, and are buffeted, and have no certain dwelling place.
 
Oh Friends, I sincerely hope that all of us who opened our eyes this still, cloudy, Saturday morning, with a roof over our heads, food on the table, clothes on our backs and all the other perks we enjoy, gave God much thanks for it yes, because we are truly blessed. And please don’t take that blessing for granted, because there are many millions in this prosperous world who will open their eyes today to nothing at all; no home, food, clothes, and worst of all probably, no future to talk about. Consequently, many will instead wish that they had not opened their eyes at all when they realize the cruelty of the day that lies ahead of them. Now see if you can answer me this riddle I this, riddle I that question: What do you do when the biggest refugee camp in the world is full…but more people come streaming in every day? The answer is simple; they just find space on the perimeter of the camp and the surrounding area. Oh Lord eh people! Man’s inhumanity to man is truly something else yes; so staggering in magnitude that it boggles the simple human mind! We’re talking in particular here of the three camps in north-eastern Kenya, known collectively as the Dadaab refugee camps. They were built some 20 years ago to house refugees fleeing conflict in Somalia. And though the border between Kenya and Somalia has officially been closed since 2007, people still stream through it everyday. Originally the camps were estimated to hold around 90 thousand people. Today though, they hold some 350 thousand unfortunate souls, and by year’s end, it’s estimated that figure will rise to 450 thousand. Wow! How can we justify refugees waiting 12 days to receive their first ration of food at the camps eh, and 34 days to receive cooking utensils and blankets from the U.N. refugee agency? We can’t. And what’s so sad about the whole matter is that the same scenario is being played out in numerous camps like those, in numerous countries around the globe, housing millions of displaced humans. Meanwhile we bitch and complain about trivial matters and inconveniences in our prosperous, pampered societies, mostly giving lip service, if even that, to the unenviable, deplorable situations of so many other unfortunate folks. And we boastfully call ourselves Christians! What a joke! What’s also sad about these situations is that most of these so-called refugees did not want to leave their homeland, but were forced to, either by natural disasters, or by man made wars and strife. Imagine how you’d feel nuh, if you were forced to leave your comfortable place of abode, due to matters outside of your control? Unfortunately, many of us in the Western Hemisphere are experiencing it these days with the numerous natural disasters taking place in our areas. I sure hope it will at last open our eyes to the terrible plight of many millions of humans around our planet living in total squalor, poverty, sickness, seemingly forgotten by their more prosperous brethren, without much hope of ever improving their lives. Yuh know Friends, I didn’t intend to make this refugee thing the main focus of the Bit, but once started, I just could not stop. The situation with displaced people around the world is truly heartrending. Then I had to find a suitable Bit, because the one I’d intended to use was totally unsuitable. That took me a fair amount of time to find, and is partly why the Bit’s so late. Eventually though, I was guided to the right one. These poor, unfortunate people literally know what Bruh Paul means, when he says: ‘Even unto this present hour we both hunger, and thirst, and are naked (poorly clothed), and are buffeted (beaten), and have no certain dwelling place (are homeless).’ Oh my brethren, many of us grew up poor, some even destitute, but I doubt if any of us experienced the horror and cruelty that our fellow humans are currently suffering in these squalid, forgotten refugee camps. Please, I implore us to make a concerted effort to first pray for them, then try to find some way, perhaps through an international agency, to help in alleviating their all-around suffering. It’s what our Lord and Saviour Jesus would do, therefore we ought to follow His example. Let’s reach out and show some of that LOVE we talk so much about nuh people. It will make Jesus right proud of us. Much LOVE!…the cruelty, injustice and inhumanity that’s destroying our world…can only be overcome…by the LOVE of Jesus…
 

Psalm 51:1.    Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy LOVING-kindness: according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions.
 
Aye Friends, is Friday! The day that produces much rejoicing all around the world, for it signals the end of a rough workweek. And like all good ‘rejoicers’ (smile) we too greet the day with cries of ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday!’ But we also realize that the weekend is not just a time for fun and frolic, we still need to be on our p’s and q’s, keeping God’s desires first place in our hearts, bodies and minds, for the enemy doesn’t take even one single second off, he’s always on the prowl. Thus, unlike the unbeliever, we continue to ask God for serious guidance during our time off work. And we do this partly through our Friday Chant. So let’s chant nuh people! Let’s chant our Friday Chant like we truly mean it. ‘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.’ That was most excellent mih breddren! Now we can concentrate on our work, do a job worthy of Jesus’ name, without worrying about any possible weekend woes. Meanwhile, per our Bit, we’re also calling on the Lord for serious spiritual cleansing. ‘Have mercy upon me O God, according to thy LOVING-kindness: according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions.’ This psalm was of particular relevance to Bruh David, cause it was written after the prophet Nathan draped him up over his ungodly alliance with Bathsheba. Bruh David finally realized the error of his ways, and as he was wont to do when convicted of wrong, he sincerely repented and turned to the Lord, pleading for cleansing from his wrongdoing. And so should we all my people, because we all have certain wrongs that stand out like beacons in our lives, where we know that we’ve done wrong, but oftimes refuse to acknowledge them. We might not need to acknowledge them to other men, but Friends, we do need to acknowledge them to ourselves and to Almighty God, who has the power to cleanse us of the abominations that clog our souls. And if you don’t believe me, then listen to Isaiah, speaking on the Lord’s behalf, re, the Lord is the only Redeemer. ‘I, even I, am he that blotteth out thy transgressions for mine own sake, and will not remember thy sins.’ (Is.43:25) And again in chapter 44, the Lord declares through Isaiah: ‘I have blotted out, as a thick cloud, thy transgressions, and, as a cloud, thy sins: return unto me; for I have redeemed thee.’ (Is.44:22) And for that my brethren we ought to be so thankful that Isaiah commanded: ‘Sing, O ye heavens; for the Lord hath done it: shout, ye lower parts of the earth: break forth into singing, ye mountains, O forest, and every tree therein: for the Lord hath redeemed Jacob, and glorified himself in Israel.’ (Is.44:23) And all God’s people declared a grateful, ‘Thank you Lord!’ So yes Friends, it is possible to have our transgressions blotted out, if we repent and ask the Lord for forgiveness. But we must come to Him on bended knees, with a truly repentant heart, also truly desiring to be cleansed, and wanting to live a more righteous life. Remember, with our God, all things are possible, but we always need to do our part to make them happen. And where erasing sin is concerned, the Lord took the first and most important step by sending His only Son, Jesus, to earth, to die, to shed His precious blood on the cross to pay for our sins; a wholesale payment for all time. Now the ball is in our court my people. We need to do as Peter appealed to the Jews in the early days of the Church. ‘Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord; And he shall send Jesus Christ, which before was preached unto you.’ (Acts 3:19-20) Oh my people, our souls are not cleansed by magic, but by working and cooperating with Almighty God. And remember too, that it’s us, not God, who need the cleansing, so it’s to our obvious benefit to lay hold on all that’s been provided to make that possible. As Bruh Paul told the Colossians: ‘And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened (made alive) together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses; Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us (certificate of death with its decrees), which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross.’ (Col.2:13-14) Yes Friends, Jesus paid the price for our sins, now we have to receive Him into our lives, then honour Him with the way we live, so that scripture can be fulfilled. Much LOVE!…repent…for the time is nigh…
 

Psalm 44:8.    In God we boast all the day long, and praise thy name for ever. Selah.
 
Ah Friends, the natural disasters continue unabated; this time a little too close to home. Yesterday, a powerful storm swept through Central and Southern Ontario; from the Toronto area, all the way east to the capital of Ottawa, leaving a swath of destruction and misfortune in it’s path. Luckily, for me, it began a few miles north of my area. Obviously, these disasters, like our God, are no respecter of persons, times, places and things, so you can’t predict with any surety when and where they’ll show up next. And unfortunately the hurricane season is about to begin, meaning that anything is truly possible with the crazy weather patterns now predominating. But Friends, that only gives us more reason to turn to our God, cling to Him with all our might, and do as our Bit says: ‘In God we boast all the day long, and praise thy name for ever. Selah.’ Yes my people, our God is the only thing or person worthy of boasting upon in this world! Nothing, or nobody else deserves that special praise; only the Lord God Jehovah! Boasting in any other thing or person falls under the banner of human pride and conceit, which we all know the Lord intensely dislikes. Our job is to talk continually, pleasantly, not aggressively, but assertively about out great God, and offer praise to His Holy Name, while doing the acts of kindness, LOVE, mercy, forgiveness, etc. that He has planted in our hearts. It’s a two-sided coin; we have to both spread His Word – talk it – then do what it says – walk it – through the way we live our lives. Bruh David says it perfectly in Psalm 44, re the Lord hears the righteous: ‘I will bless the Lord at all times: his praise shall continually be in my mouth. My soul shall make her boast in the Lord: the humble shall hear thereof, and be glad. O magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt his name together.’ (Ps.44:1-3) Oh Friends, that’s how Christians ought to live their lives; in harmony with God, and each other. But are we doing so? Unfortunately that seems to be more a dream than a reality these days, for instead of coming together as one, praising God and working in His Name, believers seem to be splitting up, creating more dissension and divisions amongst the ranks of Christ’s Church. But people, this negative activity bodes no good for Christ, only for the enemy, Lucifer, who’s seeing his abominable plan, to divide and conquer, working to perfection amongst believers. Oh my brethren, can’t we see, don’t we understand that Beelzebub and his evil cronies are fighting tooth and nail to discredit us, and we, in our foolish human pride and conceit, through our selfish machinations, are working on his behalf, rather than furthering God’s kingdom. The Church is supposed to be Christ’s body on earth, a unified body. But if it is divided, split up, dissected into little bits and pieces, how can it survive, much less do the work Christ expects of us? My people, it’s time we start turning the tables around, start coming together as truly one body in Christ, rather than creating even more splits. We all know that selfish pride and personal aggrandizement are at the heart of most of the divisions, so please, let’s try and weed out the disgusting, ungodly desires which tend to put our personal glory above that of Christ. We each need to begin a serious soul searching to see where and how we are allowing our personal agendas to overtake, or flourish above God’s. Then, with prayer and sincere desire, we need to call on the Lord for help to remove those barriers from our lives; those sinful, worldly lusts and desires that cause us to be so much less than we ought to be. Now this is a very serious task my brethren, because it can impact our work for Christ either negatively or positively. And if like now, we’re not all on the same page, but foolishly fighting amongst ourselves over trivial personal matters, while God’s work goes undone, falls by the wayside, then we certainly don’t deserve the beautiful and righteous name Christian, which denotes coming together in Christ, not breaking apart. Oh Friends, I know it’s a huge task to unify Christ’s Church with the many disparate sections and divisions it now contains, but remember with God’s help, nothing is impossible. And if we’re truly serious about reclaiming unity, then let’s start by examining ourselves and our motives, purging the ungodly aspects, then truly begin singing God’s praises, continually boasting about Him, with a right heart, while doing our best to bring both believers and unbelievers, as one, into His LOVING fold. And we’ll end with some fitting words from Jeremiah, re the knowledge of God is man’s glory. ‘Thus saith the Lord, Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, neither let the mighty man glory in his might, let not the rich man glory in his riches: But let him that glorieth glory in this, that he understandeth and knoweth me, that I am the Lord which exercise LOVING-kindness, judgement (justice), and righteousness, in the earth: for in these things I delight, saith the Lord.’ (Jer.9:23-24) There you have it Friends, directly from the Lord. So please, let’s try and implement it, as quickly and as thoroughly as possible nuh, for what exists in the world right now is the exact opposite of what the Lord desires, and furthermore, it’s only driving us to drink, damnation and destruction. Much LOVE!…he who has ears to hear…let him hear…
 

Psalm 89:7.    God is greatly to be feared in the assembly of the saints, and to be had in reverence of all them that are about him.
 
Okay Friends, so the ole fella’s brain wasn’t working properly yesterday, Tuesday, and I most humbly apologize for leading some of you astray, into thinking that it was Wednesday. I’m sure that today is Wednesday though, and it has begun nice and cool and sunny, contrary to yesterday’s negative start. But getting down to brass tacks, what a way volcanoes are erupting these days eh! In all my growing up years, I might have heard about the odd one in some remote area, but nowadays they just seem to be coming out of the woodwork. Every time you turn around there’s another eruption; the one in Iceland, two weeks ago, then that in Chile last weekend. And the natural disasters just keep a coming; flood, famine, fire, tornado etc. When are they going to stop, or at least ease up eh people? Would you believe that in 2010, some 42 million people were displaced from their homes around the world because of natural disasters? That was more than double the 17 million displaced in 2009. And 2011 seems to be North America’s time. We’ve already had several floods, fires and numerous deadly tornadoes. Then when we add those persons displaced by man made disasters, like war and strife…hn! I wouldn’t even deign to put a figure on that, with all the millions living in filth, poverty and squalor in the many refugee camps around the world. Oh Friends, isn’t that such a sad commentary on us? Imagine in this modern age, where going to the moon is old hat, so many millions of the earth’s population are living in poverty, oppression and sickness, and are unfortunately, like the boll-weevil in the old Brook Benton song, ‘looking for a home.’ Ah Friends, what are we going to do eh? I don’t know how much we can really do, but I suspect that we aren’t doing nearly as much as we can. And if that’s right, then it’s a terrible blot on our humanity. That wretched saying about man’s inhumanity to man, making countless thousands mourn is becoming truer and truer everyday. That brings us to a bit of folly I read of recently. It seems that the venerable Toronto A.A. (Alcoholics Anonymous) Chapter has been split into three parts because some of the alcoholics were aggrieved at the use of God in about three or four of the 12 A.A. steps. Ah Lord eh! So two of the groups, agnostics and atheists, replaced the term God with some inane statement, which makes them feel better, because there’s no room for God in their lives. What stupidity! Believers first introduced A.A as a way of turning to God for help because the recovering alcoholic could not do it on his own. Now when you remove God from the equation, whom are you going to turn to for help? Not yourself, which got you in the mess in the first place, or your alcoholic neighbour, or your expensive shrink. It needs someone higher, bigger and better than us to help us change. And the only person that fits that bill is the Lord God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob! Oh Friends, why are we so scared of God these days eh? The enemy has successfully warped our thinking, because we’re trying to remove all traces of God from our lives. That’s certainly unwise, given the calamitous state of our world. In a time when we should be running to God at breakneck speed, we’re running away. Oh Friends, having tried to do it our way and failed disastrously, shouldn’t we be changing our tack, moving away from dependence on our own inferior capabilities, to that of a stronger and higher power? Of course! But apparently the enemy has us so bamboozled that we can’t think straight, and thus we continue to rush headlong in his wicked and evil direction. That means we’re going against the grain of our Bit: ‘God is greatly to be feared in the assembly of the saints, and to be had (held) in reverence of all them that are about him.’ And that fear doesn’t mean physically scared, as so many of us seem to be of God today, but a genuine respect and healthy appreciation of His marvellous and wonderful attributes which He puts to use in our favour when we’re obedient to Him. As the psalmist Ethan says in talking about God’s sure promises to Bruh David: ‘For who in the heaven can be compared unto the Lord? Who among the sons of the mighty can be likened unto the Lord?…Oh Lord God of hosts, who is a strong Lord like unto thee? or to thy faithfulness round about thee?’ (Ps.89:6,8) The answer to all those questions my brethren is NO ONE! So why are we allowing our small, egotistic brains, plus the machinations of evil powers to drive us away from God eh? Friends, it’s time to take a page from the Israelites book; each time they went a whoring from God, they experienced calamity and captivity. Then when they woke up, realized the error of their ways and returned to Him, in His great unconditional LOVE, He received them with opened arms, and they prospered once again. It sure seems like we need to run back to God, repent, admit our errors and ask for forgiveness, which we know He’ll grant. My people, that’s the only sensible path that’s open to us right now. So please, let’s grab it while the going’s still good, cause if we wait much longer, it will be too late, and we’ll end up drowning in our own tears and heartaches. Much LOVE!…a word to the wise is sufficient…
 

Job 12:13.    With him (God) is wisdom and strength, he hath counsel and understanding.
 
Oh Friends, welcome to a wet and gloomy Wednesday (really Tuesday), courtesy of a thunderstorm that wailed through my area a couple of hours ago. The wind and the rain weren’t too bad, but the lightning was sure powerful and pretty, lighting up my room like daylight, and old Thor played a strong, extended solo on his thunder clapper set. (smile) But I guess, after having two beautiful days like we’ve had on Monday and Tuesday (really Sunday and Monday), it’s only normal to expect an imperfect one. And in keeping with that thought on the land, here’s a quote attributed to George Eliot, the pen name of Mary Anne Evans, the British 19th century writer, taken from the Covenant House Calendar for June: It simply states: ‘We could never have LOVED the earth so well if we had no childhood in it.’ And that’s a fact Friends. Our LOVE for the earth and all therein is based to a great extent on our growing up on it. When we grow with something, we get comfortable with it and most of the time appreciate it more. And come to think of it, that thunderstorm might have just been the Good Lord setting the stage, preparing the land for the rather hot day we’ve been promised. Whatever the reason though, we can be assured that it’s only for our benefit, since that’s the way our God works. As our Bit so calmly and wisely declares: ‘With him (God), is wisdom and strength, he hath counsel and understanding.’ Truer words were never spoken my brethren, for the Lord of all creation is indeed wise and mighty! How could He not be, having created such an awe inspiring creation, then controlling it with His powerful hand? Yesterday we heard Job acknowledging God’s amazing wisdom and power, today, let’s listen to his supposed friend, Elihu, do the same. ‘Behold, God is mighty, and despiseth not any: he is mighty in strength and wisdom. He preserveth not the life of the wicked: but giveth right to the poor (justice to the oppressed).’ (Job 36:5-6) And yet again when he counselled Job on God’s works and wisdom. ‘Touching the Almighty, we cannot find him out; he is excellent in power, and in judgement, and in plenty of (abundant) justice: he will not afflict (oppress). Men do therefore fear him: he respecteth not any that are wise of heart.’ (Job 37:23-24) Oh Friends, those are such true and excellent descriptions of our kind and ever-LOVING God! Our mortal brains are way too small and imperfect to understand, to comprehend His awesome Being, therefore we must revere and respect Him, as we tend to do to any human potentate, while remembering His total dislike of pride and conceit in His most glorious creation. And what better way to end out Bit than with the immortal words of Bruh Paul to the young pastor Timothy, re the good fight of faith: ‘But thou, O man of God, flee these things; and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, LOVE, patience, meekness. Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art called, and hast professed (confessed) a good profession (confession) before many witnesses. I give thee charge in the sight of God, who quickeneth (gives life to) all things, and before Christ Jesus, who before Pontius Pilate witnessed a good confession. That thou keep this commandment without spot, unrebukable (blameless), until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ: Which in his times he shall show (manifest), who is the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings, and Lord of lords; Who only hath immortality, dwelling in the light which no man can approach unto; whom no man hath seen, nor can see: to whom be honour and power everlasting. Amen.’ (1 Tim.6:11-16) Yes Friends, our God is the amazing and all-powerful Being who created and rules the universe. Let us never forget that, and thus walk with our heads held high, shoulders back, with joy overflowing from our hearts, being manifested through big, friendly smiles on our faces, while displaying a physical attitude of helpful LOVE like Jesus did. I pray this in Jesus Name. Amen. Much LOVE mih people!…he who shows sincere respect and reverence for his Creator…will be well rewarded…both in this life…and the next…
 

Job 12:13.    With him (God) is wisdom and strength, he hath counsel and understanding.  
 
Spah na na na na na nah! Spah na na na na na nah! Aye Friends, it’s Monday! The bugle calls! Time to be up and about our heavenly Father’s business! Time to engage in another exciting workweek battle! Yes, I know it’s rough after a hard weekend of partying, this being the first real summer weekend, but it’s got to be done. So let’s pull up our breeches, (smile) get ourselves together and sing our Monday Morning Battle Hymn to get us going. All together now, in loud, enthusiastic voice: ‘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!’ Now that should jump start us, and set the right tone for the day. It also fits in very nicely with our Bit, where Job is answering his friends’ strong disapproval. ‘With him (God) is wisdom and strength, he hath counsel and understanding.’  And my people, it’s exactly because of those outstanding attributes that we just prayed to Him for strength and guidance. There’s absolutely no one else to whom we can turn to for the requests we made in our Monday Morning Battle Hymn. Man can’t grant them, nor any of the other supposed deities, because they are all dead, inanimate beings or things. Can something dead, grant life eh? No way Jose! Only the Living God; He of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob has the power to grant our human requests! As Job so wisely said earlier on: ‘He (God) is wise in heart, and mighty in strength: who hath hardened himself against him, and hath prospered?’ (Job 9:4) Yes Friends, who has ever tried to take on Almighty God and won, or even come close eh? Nobody! Absolutely nobody! Now that ought to build a solid foundation of trust and belief in our hearts my people. Knowing that we serve and worship the ONLY TRUE God, mighty and wise, ought to give us the strength we need to go out and fight life’s battles in His Name, under His victorious Banner, under His solid and watchful Guidance, with a surety that once He is working in and with us, we can never be defeated. At times we may feel weary, beaten down and disappointed, but that’s all part of the ebb and flow of battle. And if we don’t give up in those disheartening times, be sure the Lord God Jehovah will pull us through. For remember that to those who sincerely believe, the battle is not ours, but God’s. And we’ll end with one of Job’s glorious statements on the topic. ‘With him (God) is strength and wisdom: the deceived and the deceiver are his.’ (Job 12:16) Yes Friends, all creation belongs to God, so let’s go out there, with strength and assertive faith and work our work in Jesus’ Name. Amen. More on this tomorrow, our God in favour. Till then, remember to LOVE Your God, LIVE Your Faith and SPREAD His Word. Much LOVE!…for Christianity to be successful…believers must walk their walk and talk their talk…much more than we’re currently doing…

Psalm 63:1.     O God, thou art my God; early will I seek thee: my soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is.
 
Oh Friends, it’s a beautiful morning; the birds are up, giving thanks and singing praises, the flowers are awaking in splendour to the warmth and light of the early morning sun. In other words, the day is slowly coming awake and showing the glory of God. What about us eh, God’s greatest creation? Are we coming awake too, and if so, are we participating in displaying the glory of God? I sure hope so, for as Bruh David rightly declares in this psalm, God satisfies the thirsty soul. It’s a psalm symbolically written while he was hiding out in the wilderness of Judah. And our Bit boldly proclaims: ‘O God, thou art my God; early will I seek thee: my soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is.’ Oh Friends, what a beautiful, heartfelt longing for God, Bruh David acknowledges! But let’s break it down section by section, starting at the top: ‘O God, thou art my God.’ Wow! A definitive statement of fact my people! It contains no dilly-dallying or uncertainty. He’s very sure that the Lord is his God. Now that’s the first thing we need to establish everyday my brethren; that definite assurance that the Most High God Jehovah is the solid, rock-like foundation of our lives. Of that there should be no doubt in our hearts, minds and souls. Then comes the next part; ‘early will I seek thee.’ Oh Friends, that’s just as important. Why, you ask? Because seeking the Lord early, in fact as soon as we gain consciousness, is the best way to begin our day. It brings us into early communication with the Father, and helps us to begin the day on the right foot; by giving thanks and praise, while asking for blessings, guidance and safety along the day’s unknown road. Oh my people, without that early interaction with the Lord, our day will just be a haphazard, topsy-turvy, undisciplined, stressful exercise.  So please, please, if we do nothing else, let’s always try and start our day in sincere communication with our heavenly Father, remembering that He is the ONE and ONLY ONE, capable of making our paths straight in this crooked and evil world. And finally the last part of our Bit: ‘my soul thirsteth for thee in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is.’ What symbolism, my brethren! Talk about using whatever you have to make your statement. Bruh David’s physical presence is in the wilderness; the dry and arid land with no water. It’s a situation unfamiliar to many of us because we’ve never had to experience parching thirst in a dry wasteland with no water readily available. But believe me, under those circumstances, the cry for water is great. And just as Bruh David’s physical thirst is great, so is the thirst, the longing in his flesh and his soul  for God; a great desire to come into God’s presence and enjoy His company. Oh Friends, do we ever feel that great desire, that strong compulsion to get with the God of our fathers, and just revel in His presence? We ought to. A true yearning for God brings out the best in us and certainly helps those around us to understand the great joy to be found in His presence. As the psalmist so boldly declares in Psalm 42; an intense longing for God: ‘As the hart panteth after (the deer longs for) the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God. My soul thirsteth for God, for the living God: when shall I come and appear before God?’ (Ps.42:1-2) Yes Friends, it’s only natural to long for God since that’s the way He wired us. We all have this empty spot in our souls marked ‘RESERVED FOR GOD,’ which only He can fill. But until we come to that realization and feel the need, the longing to fill that special place in our souls, our lives will never run right. They will always be undisciplined, angry, resentful and stressed out, because we’re caught up in the fleshly lusts of this evil world. And if you don’t believe me, then perhaps you’ll believe Jesus, when He says: ‘Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.’ (Matt.5:6) Hello there people, that’s one of the Beatitudes, one of the great promises of our Saviour; if you truly seek to live right, you will be satisfied. What more can we ask eh? Not much my brethren. And on that high note, we’ll close today’s Bit. But let’s remember, everyday when we awaken, to declare that the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob is without a doubt, our God. Then we need to communicate with Him as early as possible, set the stage right for our day at the very beginning. Then as the day progresses, let’s keep longing for Him, wanting to share time and talent with Him, so that both our flesh and souls will stay bright and bubbly, floating along in His unconditional LOVE. Oh Friends, what a truly wonderful God we serve and worship! And getting to know Him is itself a joy. If you’ve never taken that opportunity, please do so now. It will be the wisest and most joyful decision you ever make. Much LOVE!…there’s no better feeling in all the world…than basking in the radiant glow of God’s LOVE…
 

Psalm 119:80.    Let my heart be sound (blameless) in thy statutes; that I be not ashamed.
 
Oh Friends, it’s a new day, and the ole fella is free! Free at last from man’s contraptions and addictions! (smile) Yes, the catheter is out, and it feels perfectly refreshing to have my private parts belong to me once again, but unfortunately my wound hasn’t healed properly as yet, so I could not jump and prance on University Ave yesterday afternoon, that would have been the height of stupidity. But I did give them a ‘Free at last!’ shout though. Yeh Friends, the ole fella is feeling better in all aspects, but I do have another new frontier to conquer; making my bladder respond to my instructions, rather than the autonomous way it’s been reacting for the last two weeks. And believe me, it is truly annoying, disrupting my sleep and everything else. But it’s been only one day, and I am seeing some encouraging signs. Ah Lord eh! When is not one thing, is always something else yes! But that’s real life; constantly moving along with challenges, so we can never afford to rest on our laurels and contemplate our prowess; read pride in our own accomplishments. For as the old saying rightly declares: ‘no pain, no gain.’ Pain, in whatever form, be it physical, emotional or mental, is what motivates us to get up off our fat fannies and do something about our unlikable situation. Without that motivation … hn! We’d just be content to sit on our derrières and do nothing, just drift through life, roll along with the tumbling tumbleweed. And sadly, despite the pain in our lives, many of us still do just that. But Friends, our God was not stupid when He created us. He designed us for growth in all areas of life, and growth can only come about through some kind of pain. Pain is one of the great motivators, if not the greatest motivator of our lives. That’s why, as believers who are truly trying to be like Jesus, we need to endure the pains of growth. Take a tip from the lowly caterpillar, who crawls along for the first part of its life, then undergoes an overwhelming catharsis, shedding its comparatively tough and ugly outer skin, and finally releasing the beautiful, ephemeral butterfly within. Well just like that, we believers have to go through periods of cleansing; not necessarily as tough a catharsis as one from caterpillar to butterfly, but some kind of painful change that brings us closer in spiritual make up to Jesus. And my people, contrary to what anyone says, that internal, that spiritual cleansing is absolutely necessary, for we are all so far away from where Jesus truly desires us to be. But by the same token, we should not go around worrying about how Jesus-like we’re becoming. Once we put our trust in Him, and surrender our all to Him, He will move us along at the exact pace we require. So please remember that once you’re sincerely following the Saviour, wherever you are at the moment, is right where you’re supposed to be. Just like we can’t build anything worthwhile without proper time, study and sure foundation, we can’t become more God-like in our own strength and time. We need God’s inspiration, study time and the sure foundation of the Word. Oh Friends, I’m chuckling here because this is one of those Bits with no original plan, where I just began writing, hopefully following the Spirit’s lead, putting down whatever He showed my heart, which is good sometimes, if not all the time. Why? Because our hearts are where the real us reside, where our secret desires lodge. As Jesus so plainly stated when the Pharisees harassed Him about His disciples eating with unwashed hands: ‘For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies: These are the things which defile a man: but to eat with unwashen hands defileth not a man.’ (Matt.15:19-20) That’s why the Lord rebuked Samuel when he went to anoint Bruh David as king: ‘Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused (rejected) him: for the Lord seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart.’ (1 Sam.16:7) And it’s also why the Lord was extremely pleased with Cousin Sol’s request: ‘Give therefore thy servant an understanding heart to judge thy people, that I may discern between good and bad: for who is able to judge this thy so great a people? And the speech pleased the Lord, that Solomon had asked this thing.’ (1 Kin.3:9-10) That means, one of the most important things in this life, or any other for that matter, is to have a decent heart. It won’t always be pure and/or perfect, since we’re sinful by nature, but whatever we show the world, should be truthfully what’s in our hearts, for that’s what the Lord will judge us by. Remember, we can fool man, but not God. That’s why Bruh David so faithfully pleaded in our Bit: ‘Let my heart be sound (blameless) in thy statutes; that I be not ashamed.’ He knew the great value of a godly heart. So Friends, let’s try and clean up our hearts nuh, because far too many of them are in a dreadful state and are consequently causing the dreadful state of our world. Ah mih people, I don’t know if the Bit makes sense, but I’m sure that whatever I’ve written, wrong or right, has come from my heart. So till we talk again tomorrow, God willing, please walk safely, in peace and LOVE with Christ. Much LOVE!…as the old people would say…blessed is he…who can make sense from nonsense… (smile)

Psalm 6:6.    I am weary with my groaning; all the (every) night make I my bed to swim; I water (drench) my couch with my tears.
 
Oh Friends, is Friday! The weekend is upon us! And up the road, down the road, round the corner, all ah hearing is a sweet, scintillating riddim of iron and bottle and spoon ringing out, backing strong voices chanting: ‘TGIF! Thank God is Friday! TGIF! Thank God is Friday!’ And yuh know what people, though my body and lungs don’t have the physical capacity to match them, I can truly tell you that nobody’s heart is singing louder, or more powerfully than mine, because it’s Friday June 3, the day when my catheter comes out. Oh praise the Lord mih people! Now I wasn’t really planning to say anything about this, but after the way things turned out… Hn! I just knew, or rather sensed, that the Lord was looking for some testimony. (smile) So here goes. Strangely enough, at the start of all the cancer proceedings, the catheter business was my only real concern, because you can’t put a small rubber tube up your private parts and not have it cause any problems. But also, strangely enough, once I got over the inconvenience, it was the least of my problems. But over the last two days it’s been a nightmare. I guess after the constipation and wound problems were over, that was the last source of discomfort available. And believe me Friends, if you’ve never had it done, pray that you don’t ever. And it’s not even so much the intensity of the pain, but its nagging, stubborn persistence. You can’t even move to find a more comfortable position, because every move builds up the intensity. What’s more, the painkillers would work for a while, then they too would seem insufficient. Writing yesterday’s Bit was a real pain in the privates! (smile) One time I had to get up and get a pain pill, then get up a couple more times just to try and ease the pressure. After that, I managed to struggle through some breakfast, then hit the bed again. I eventually fell asleep, but woke up about an hour later, reeling from the insistent pain in my private member. Oh Friends, by then I was so exhausted that I cried out to heaven: ‘A bligh Lord! Please give me a bligh here! I can’t handle it no more!’ And while the tears and sobs racked my body, another thought suddenly struck me, that led to my further crying out to the Lord, reminding Him that if He was trying to humble me, to bring me to my knees, that I was already humbled and on my knees. That must have brought a small chuckle to His spirit. Then, when the sobbing wouldn’t stop, I eventually called the duchess upstairs to comfort me. That was surely a first. (smile) But the long and short of the story Friends, is that soon thereafter the agonizing pain subsided, diminished to a point that I could handle it. I don’t know if it was pure divine help, or simply an antibiotic I needed to take before the removal procedure, just meeting up then with the painkillers and easing the pressure. And believe me, right then I didn’t care what had caused the diminished pain, I was just thankful that I got the bligh I pleaded for. Sometimes it doesn’t really matter how our wish is granted nuh, just that it’s granted. Now mih people, let’s ramp up that iron and bottle and spoon riddim, and chant we Friday Chant like we really mean it, for our God is good, still in control and waiting to hear from us. ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through another week of work! It hasn’t been easy, but with your generous help, I made it through. Now, please help me to get sufficient fun, fellowship, rest and relaxation in these two short days off, so that I can be renewed and refreshed in soul, body and mind, to go back out and do it all over again next week, furthering your glorious kingdom with each step I take. I pray this in Jesus name. Amen.’ And having chanted that with all the power and emotion we could muster, let’s go out now and win some souls for Jesus! Oh, by the way, if around two o’clock this afternoon, yuh see, or hear about an older man with a face of speckled hair, jumping and prancing down University Ave, doh be surprised eh, cause that might just be me, celebrating my freedom from the restrictive, painful catheter. Hn, hn, hn! Surely hope I don’t have any more moaning and groaning and drenching my bed with tears after they remove this thing yes. (smile) Till tomorrow then mih people, God willing. In the meantime, please walk and talk with Him and He’ll do amazing things in your everyday lives.  Much LOVE!…if we go sincerely with God…things won’t always be easy…but they sure will turn out right eventually…