Today’s Scrip-Bit 16 June 2009 Psalm 73:24‏

16 Jun 2009 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Inspirational Living

Psalm 73:24    Thou shalt guide me with thy council, and afterward receive me to glory.
 
Well hello there my truly beautiful, heaven bound Friends! Now please don’t make me a liar. (smile) Another God-given day is in the offing, either filled with brilliant sunshine, showers of blessing, or some combination thereof. But however it turns out, says loud and clear that our God is still on His throne running things, and as long as that’s the case, then all we humans have hope for salvation and eternal life. And we achieve that by simply believing and trusting in the Holy Name of Jesus. But that sounds so easy. Yes, that’s the easy part. The hard part is living and walking that belief and trust afterwards. Note, hanging out with Jesus is no joyride, it can be very rough, but it’s always interesting. He’s also promised to invest His Holy Spirit in us as His assistant. The Spirit’s steadfast and faithful nature will guide and protect us as we walk in His Name. The psalmist, Asaph said it so beautifully: ‘Thou shalt guide me with thy council, and afterwards receive me to glory.’ What more can we ask of our God eh? Nothing really. He’s promised to guide us with fatherly advice as we walk the evil pathways of this world, then, when our days here are over, gloriously receive our spirits to live with Him through eternity. And it’s most wonderful that the Lord has promised to guide us, but all guidance and advice require certain things: One must either ask for it, or have it granted, and right now advice sure is plentiful, both the cheap and expensive kind. There’s also the matter of where or from whom the advice comes. But the most important aspect is what we do with said advice. We can get all the advice in the world, both good and bad, but in the end, we have to make the final decision. No one else can make it for us. Remember, as children, our parents were always giving us advice, much of which we ignored, because it seemed too onerous, or it didn’t fit in with our plans to have a good time. But then we often paid a hefty negative price for not listening. Some of us learned from our mistakes, while others didn’t, and so kept on making the same ones over and over. I constantly told my children that all of us have been allotted a certain amount of mistakes. Those we can’t get away from, we just have to band our bellies and accept them. However, there are many mistakes we can avoid by learning from the faulty judgement of others, thereby suffering less misfortune in this sometimes very unfortunate life. An excellent example of what we’re talking about is found in 1 Kings 12. Sol’s son, Rehoboam became king after him, and the people came pleading for him to ease their burden. Sol had taxed them to death to satisfy his lifestyle. Rehoboam told them to come back in three days for an answer, then he consulted with both his father’s old advisors and the young men of his generation. The old folks told him to ease up on the people, while the young uns advocated a harsher yoke, and foolishly, Rehoboam listened to the young generation. ‘My father made your yoke heavy, and I will add to your yoke: my father also chastised you with whips, but I will chastise you with scorpions.’ (1 Kin.12:14) It wasn’t real scorpions, but scourges that had points, and so mutilated the flesh more than whips. That advice only led to a revolt by the people, and a break up of Israel, with Rehoboam only ruling over Judah, while the remaining tribes crowned Jeroboam king. Oh my people, nothing much has changed. We still get lots of bad advice that we still follow. If anything, bad advice is more rampant now than then. It’s bad advice, interspersed with greed that has the world currently on its knees; too many consultants, too many experts, too many financial gurus who were supposed to know. But either they didn’t really know, or were driven by greed to build towers of wealth on poor foundations. And too many people listened to them, since they were adjudged experts, and fell into step with their unholy push for more. Oh Friends, in every meltdown, the real culprit is bad advice, and with every setback we turn to another expert with a different philosophy. But it’s only a matter of time before the same results are forthcoming. Why? Because the fundamental structure, the foundation of our society is not strong, it’s built on sinking sand, so whatever you put on it will eventually crumble. This begs the question of what solid foundation we must build on to survive. Oh Friends, we all know there’s only one solid, firm, indestructible, immovable,  foundation: Jesus Christ! Man’s advice led us astray, now it’s time to give Christ a chance; listen to Him, build our lives on His teachings, His Word and His way of life. Bruh David realized this way back when. ‘I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way thou shalt go: I will guide thee with mine eye.’ (Ps.32:8) Oh Friends, by following Lucifer’s cronies in their unending quest for earthly wealth, power and lusts of the flesh, we’ve made a terrible mess of the world. Let’s start following the God who created this world and us. I guarantee that we won’t be sorry if we live the way He desires. He will NEVER, and I repeat, NEVER let us down. Friends, we’ve been given a second chance, I implore us, let’s use it to rebuild our lives successfully on Jesus. That means listen to Him, tell others about Him, and live a life that will honour Him. Mankind is kin to stupid sheep, ever quick to run to their slaughter, so it’s up to us believers to guide them to the Good Shepherd, who’ll lead them safely with His kind, gentle ways. ‘For this God is our God for ever and ever: he will be our guide even unto death.’   (Ps.48:14) That’s the gospel truth my people! So before we make any serious decisions, let’s confer with our God, seek His advice, His wisdom, and LISTEN to Him. This way we’ll surely minimize our mistakes, giving us more time to enjoy our lives, to worship, praise and glorify Him. Much LOVE!…it’s trite but true…if yuh doh hear…yuh going to feel…
 

Today’s Scrip-Bit 15 June 2009 1 John 2:6‏

15 Jun 2009 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Inspirational Living

1 John 2:6    He that saith he abideth in him, ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked.
 
Ah Friends, yuh think this Christian walk easy? Not at all nuh! Our God’s thinking must be radically different and far superior to our yes, because yesterday He had me riding a wave of enthusiasm with unexpected blessings, while today I’m plumbing the depths of disappointment. Hn! I don’t know if it’s simply a test or what, but He should know by now that I’m not about to give up on Him, especially since I got involved in this Scrip-Bit endeavour. Even before that, He’s run me through the ringer often enough to see my true colours. I know He’s a good God and all that, and I’m still singing His praises and giving Him oodles of thanks, but sometimes it’s just…it’s just rough and seemingly unfair. It so happens that all the dreams He’s put in my heart have long gestation periods, taking a lot of time, effort and money. And I had this one project ready to go, when Bam! The whole thing unexpectedly crashed on me. And not through any fault of mine, but through external forces over which I had no control. The trouble too is that this project looked like it was going to hit the ground running, now though, it’s not even going to leave the starting gate. But per Job; ‘the Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.’ (Job 1:21) Doh worry Friends, I’m not giving up. I’ll get over the disappointment and start over again. In fact I’ve already done that, on both counts. And as Rev. Schuler likes to say, this might just be a small setback for a big comeback. Ah mih people, you have to have plenty parts if you seriously want to follow Jesus yes! And you all see that I’m trying to practice what I preach. (smile) Who knows, that might have even been His intention. Whatever though, I’m going down fighting with Him. It’s Jesus all the way! Why? Cause He’s the only way! He specified that specifically. (smile) ‘Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me.’ (John 15:4) Yes Friends, Jesus cares for us, regardless of what He allows to happen in our lives. He won’t allow anything we go through, to go to waste. Whatever He allows has a purpose, even if we can’t see it. That’s where faith; the walking by our hearts and not our eyes comes in. And more often than not, it’s a difficult row to hoe. But once we realize that our God’s LOVE, care and concern for us are genuine, as He’s been saying from the dawn of eternity, or as the old people would say, since Adam was a little boy, we have to bow down and worship Him; give Him His due. And Friends, when we look at some of what we consider serious disappointments, if compared to the majority of humans on Planet Earth, ours are really minor and insignificant. We have all the necessities of life, plus some. Most of the world can’t say that. We can worship freely, without fear of persecution. Many around the world can’t do that. So in the big picture, my disappointment, though important to me, pales in comparison to many others. And talking about persecution for Christians, it’s only tonight I read that in China, this week, a believer, Shi Weihan, was sentenced to three years in jail and a twenty five thousand dollar fine. And his crime? Printing Bibles and giving them away for free. Ah mih people, it’s a sad statement that in this so called modern day and age, the next emerging superpower, China, whom the West kowtows to because of their vast consumer potential, who’s spreading their supposed largesse all over the world, (read Chinese hegemony) and who claim to have a Constitution that guarantees freedom of speech, of the press, of assembly, and even of religious belief, a Communist controlled govt. still strictly monitors everything. Hn! They’re like some of us; only talk the talk, but don’t walk it. The article also claims that though the Bible is the most printed book in the world, ‘there is not a single bookstore in China where one can buy Bibles or other gospel books.’ How sad. You can only buy Bibles in govt. approved and monitored churches. It certainly seems like Shi Weihan was obeying Today’s Bit perfectly. He ran a small Christian group from his home, under the radar of the govt’s zealous Religious Affairs administration, and did much humanitarian work in the poor, rural countryside, which made him realize that Bibles were very scarce. To combat this scarcity, he enlisted some friends who ran a printing shop in Beijing and they began printing Bibles and giving them away. Publishing them though was considered a crime since only approved publishers are allowed to publish stuff in China. His application for approval was denied. But all praise to our God my Friends, for He gets His word out there under any circumstances. The more they try to subvert it, the more it prospers. Shi’s lawyer’s licence was even suspended, which led his wife to have doubts about an appeal, because no other lawyer might take the case since it’s religious, and they saw what happened to the original lawyer. Now Friends, that’s a perfect example of walking as Jesus walked, and most of our problems pale before that. But problems are problems, in spite of their size or complexity, and we all have some to overcome. However, let’s do like Jesus nuh, unselfishly consider others first and ourselves last. ‘For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow in his steps.’ (1 Pet.2:21) Let’s fervently pray for people like Shi Weihan; staunch believers who are trying to walk in Jesus footsteps, to spread the Word, but are being persecuted and oppressed by Lucifer’s cohorts. Sadly, there are many other parts of the world where Christians are suffering for their beliefs, and the surest way for us to help them is by offering up much heartfelt prayer for them. So please, let’s make that a priority, for if the situation was reversed, we’d sure want them to pray for us. And that’s what Jesus would do too. Much LOVE!…walk right and pray much…that’s the Jesus way…
 

Today’s Scrip-Bit 14 June 2009 Psalm 97:12‏

14 Jun 2009 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Inspirational Living

Psalm 97:12    Rejoice in the Lord, ye righteous; and give thanks at the remembrance of his holiness.
 
Oh Friends, oh Friends, our God is a most wonderful God! He’s exceedingly good too! Glory Hallelujah! Please don’t ever doubt that. Remember yesterday I mentioned a couple situations in my life that I couldn’t solve and finally surrendered them to Him? Well mih people, lo and behold, another piece of the puzzle was slotted in today, through His great mercy, and with perfect timing too. As if I expected anything different eh? (smile) And the beauty of it is that it came from a totally unexpected source. Not by His might or power, but by His awesome Spirit, He turned a situation that once looked hopeless, into one that’s filled with promise. And I thank Him most sincerely for that victory! But Friends, it might never have happened if I hadn’t admitted my inability to solve the problem and left it completely in His hands. It’s certainly an occasion for rejoicing and giving thanks. As the Psalmist joyfully declares; ‘Rejoice in the Lord, ye righteous; and give thanks at the remembrance of his holiness.’ Ah Friends, how can I not be grateful and give thanks and praise His Holy name after He’s been so good to me eh? But that is what’s wrong with many of us my people; we get good tidings and breaks through the Lord’s incredible workings, but we’re not thankful or grateful. We just say chuh, and shrug it off, like we’re entitled to it. But when the shoe’s on the other foot, when the bucket bottom drop out and we don’t know our A from our E, we quick to run and bawl; ‘Oh God, help me nuh!’ And from the eternal wellspring of His LOVING kindness, He usually does. But when things settle down, we forget about Him and revert to our own way, until the mark burst on us again. Oh my people, it’s at crucial times like these, when everything is topsy-turvy, unsettled and confused that we need to stop and seriously look deep inside ourselves, consider our ways, do some intensive soul searching, find out where and why we’re not obeying the Lord’s dictates, stop fooling ourselves and truly admit our shortcomings, to us, and to our God. Wow! A real Bruh Paulian sentence! Like machines, we too need periodic maintenance. Every so often we need to take inventory of ourselves, especially our spiritual selves. One of the major shortcomings of our world today is that not enough people accentuate their spirituality, don’t place enough emphasis on it. We ought to give it a rather high priority in our lives, especially we believers, who claim to be spiritual beings merely existing in a physical body. In light of that, it’s essential to understand who we are in a spiritual sense, and how far along the spiritual continuum we are, for Christians can never stop learning, growing and expanding their sense of spiritual wonder and excitement. Yes friends, excitement and wonder are two essential aspects of Christian living. To be truly alive, we need to be excited about Christ: about all that He’s done for us, and promised to do, also be amazed and wonder at all the marvellous, seemingly impossible things our God has done in creating this beautiful world and maintaining it successfully for so long. As a quote from one Bernard. S. Raskas states: ‘Develop an expanding sense of wonder at the world, at yourself, at God. The world will never starve for wonders – only for the want of wonder.’ And that’s so very true my people. Wonders are constantly happening in our world, it’s just that we don’t take time to appreciate them; we don’t stop often or long enough to smell the roses. And contrary to what some might think, appreciating the wonders of our world is a part of being thankful and reverent to our God, who created them all. That’s why the Psalmist advises us to, ‘Rejoice in the Lord ye righteous: for praise is comely for the upright.’ (Ps.33:1) Oh Friends, how can we claim to be followers of Jesus and don’t have that brilliant flame burning in us eh? That flame that just makes us always want to do His bidding and constantly sing His praises, while eliciting  tremendous joy and thankfulness in our hearts, minds and souls! My people, we need to develop that burning desire to please, worship, praise, thank and enjoy our God. That’s what life is all about: living for Jesus! And just being mediocre, luke warm or moderately enthusiastic is unacceptable. It won’t win any souls for Christ. What wins souls is enthusiasm laced with truth of the Word and a lifestyle to match! Look around and you’ll notice that all Lucifer’s devotees are go-getters. They don’t sit around and wait for things to happen, or come to them; they make things happen, though they be evil. We also need to be go-getters for Christ, and that only comes from an unfailing belief and trust in His purpose, His promises and His sincerity. That’s why men of great faith were always joyful and zealous. They had such a great LOVE for God that it made them want to sing and dance, give praise and thanks. As Bruh David says: ‘I will extol thee, O Lord; for thou hast lifted me up, and hast not made my foes to rejoice over me…Sing unto the Lord, O ye saints of his, and give thanks at the remembrance of his holiness.’ (Ps.30:1,4) And we must mention that man of unquenchable faith and zeal, Bruh Paul. ‘Rejoice’ was one of his favourite words. ‘Finally my brethren, rejoice in the Lord.’ (Phil.3:1) ‘But I rejoiced in the Lord greatly…’ (Phil.4:10) And his most famous bit of rejoicing advice: ‘Rejoice in the Lord always: and again I say, Rejoice.’ (Phil.4:4) My Friends, that’s the lesson for the day. And yuh know what? It’s so nice, we’ll say it twice. ‘Rejoice in the Lord always: and again I say, Rejoice.’ Much LOVE my brethren!…today’s mantra…rejoice always…rejoice always…rejoice always in the Lord…
 

Today’s Scrip-Bit 13 June 2009 1 Peter 5:7‏

13 Jun 2009 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Inspirational Living

1 Peter 5:7     Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.
 
Oh my wonderful Friends in Christ, truer words have seldom been written, and on such a beautiful spring time Saturday, let’s give our God a rousing cheer for His awesome LOVE and kindness. All together now: ‘Praise Him, Praise Him; Glory Hallelujah, He is LOVE: Yes He is LOVE!’ Ah my people, didn’t that feel good? It certainly got the adrenaline flowing in the right direction. Anyway, today we’re continuing with the no fret, no worry topic we began yesterday. I know that everyday some new, unexpected problem rears its ugly head and complicates our lives more than we can ask or imagine. But let’s stop for a moment and contemplate the numerous times problems, both large and small have cropped up in our lives, and though at first they seemed overwhelming and insurmountable, yet we dealt with them successfully. The point is that when unexpected difficulties arise, we tend to become agitated and fearful, thinking they’re so huge and perplexing that we can’t solve them. But that’s not true; it’s the element of surprise that the problems bring with them that often floors us, and through spur of the moment, anxious thinking, we immediately believe we’re done like dinner. I’m sure though, that most of us have solved far bigger problems than those facing us now, and if we haven’t, there’s absolutely no need to think we can’t. Why? Because as Bruh Paul says; ‘For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of LOVE, and of a sound mind.’ (2 Tim.1:7) And that’s the gospel truth Friends! Neither Bruh Paul nor I will lie to you. (smile) But when the problems arise, we first need to stop for a moment, take some deep breaths, then consider them with a clear, unconfused mind. Take charge: Come up over them, rather than under them: Subjugate them, instead of letting them subjugate you. Lay them out in an orderly fashion, or break them down into their smallest components, then deal with each separately. Keep one thing in mind; the Lord made a balanced world; for every plus, there’s a minus, so for every problem, there’s a solution. It’s just that sometimes we’re so busy being fearful, that we can’t bring our full faculties to bear on them, or those that are really too big for us to solve, we don’t take them to God in prayer. Oh my people, when any problem crops us, big or small, whether we can handle it or not, the first place we must turn is to our God. As Peter says: ‘Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.’ My brethren, those are words we need to commit to our hearts and minds, for they are not only written on stone and paper, but even more importantly, in blood; the innocently shed blood of Jesus Christ, whom our God sacrificed on the cross to cleanse us of our sins. Now tell me why He would make such an unnatural sacrifice; forsaking His only Son, for a bunch of ungrateful sinners, if He didn’t care deeply for those ingrates? I don’t know why it’s so hard for people these days to accept kindness. The human animal has become so distrustful, so scared of each other and our motives, that we look on any sudden generosity or kindness with scepticism and doubts, but we never seem to doubt the selfishness, anger or abuse. If you go around laughing or spreading happiness, people think you’re crazy. But be spiteful and angry, and you’re considered normal. Oh Friends, we’ve got to change that negative mindset; the sooner the better. It’s a very unhealthy attitude that only serves to keep us in bondage to fear, mistrust, doubt and the other negatives that are the express tools of Lucifer. Jesus didn’t die that horrible death so we should live afraid, but to live expectantly, with confidence. And that strength and safety only comes from putting our lives in the Father’s hands, totally committing ourselves to Him, surrendering all our fears, doubts and anxieties to Him. That’s His job in our partnership; to help us conquer our inadequacies. ‘Commit thy works unto the Lord, and thy thoughts shall be established.’ (Prov.16:3) Yes my people, we won’t be really successful in any endeavour until we commit whatever we do to our God, for it is from Him that every good thing springs. Jesus emphasized it when He said: ‘Take no thought for your life, what ye shall drink or eat…for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. But seek ye the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.’ (Mat.6:25-34) Open the Good Book and read it Friends, and stop worrying about what you have or don’t have. Oh Friends I’ve been concerned about certain things recently which I couldn’t seem to solve, so finally I said, awright Lord, they’re in your hands now and stopped worrying. And believe me people, I’m seeing them solved now, bit by bit. Not always the way I’d prefer, but not negatively, and in rather timely fashion too. If there’s one thing I can personally testify to very strongly, it’s God’s perfect timing. And not only now, but from way back when. Oh people, there’s only one sure way to solve a problem; take it to the Lord in prayer. And in Bruh David’s famous words: ‘Fret not thyself because of evil doers, neither be thou envious against the workers of iniquity. For they shall soon be cut down like grass, and wither as the green herb. Trust in the Lord, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed.’ (Ps.37:1-3) Friends, that’s some of the best advice we’ll ever get. Let’s heed it nuh. Much LOVE!…the best way to conquer a problem…pray on it…
 

Today’s Scrip-Bit 12 June 2009 Psalm 29:11‏

12 Jun 2009 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Inspirational Living

Psalm 29:11    The Lord will give strength unto his people; the Lord will bless his people with peace.
 
Ah Friends, we normally live in a topsy-turvy world at best, but with all these recent crises taking place world wide, Planet Earth has become downright loony, and if we try to follow it on its wild roller coaster ride, it will just drive us hog crazy and loony too. The crux of the matter here is that we should not fret and worry too much. Be concerned and careful, but try to keep the fretting and worrying to a minimum, since neither of these negative emotions gives us any positive assurance or encouragement. They just eat away at our innards until we’re a complete mess. As one Devotional notes, fretting and worrying is like putting our emotions in a blender; the contents are simply whirled and swirled around so much that they break up into an unrecognizable frothy mixture. Now, since we definitely don’t want to end up as an unrecognizable mixture of dubious parts, we need to curtail the anxiety and torment that these turbulent times are trying to force upon us. Before we get into the heart of the matter though, let me specify one thing that I never had the space to do yesterday. I’m referring to the part where Gamaliel, Bruh Paul’s teacher, used the false messiahs quick rise and fall argument to dissuade the Jewish leaders from killing the apostles. I want to point out that not all false teachers rise and fall quickly, and we should never use that as a means of bypassing false teaching. We should constantly be on the lookout for it, and jump on it as soon as we spot it, rebuking and opposing it. Gamaliel’s position was just a ruse our God used to get His servants out of a tight spot. And that’s exactly why we do not need to be overly fearful or worried about our current situation. Just as the Lord empowered and emboldened the apostles in the face of the Jewish leaders, the same way He will look after and deliver all those who trust in Him. As Bruh David says; ‘The Lord will give strength unto his people; the Lord will bless his people with peace.’ And if we sincerely believe that and act, or run our lives by it, we’ll certainly see it come to pass. The title of Psalm 29, and a very appropriate one, especially for these stressful, uncertain times, is ‘The voice of the Lord in the storm.’ Yes my people, in the midst of the wrath and fury of the storms of life we must be quiet and listen for the voice of the Lord since He’s promised to shelter us from them. ‘For thou hast been a strength to the poor, a strength to the needy in his distress, a refuge from the storm, a shadow from the heat, when the blast of the terrible ones is as a storm against a wall.’ (Isa.25:4) Amen my Friends! That verse succinctly captures the all encompassing power and capabilities of our God. In whatever difficulty we find ourselves, He’s always the answer to our prayer. Please remember that my people. There’s nothing too big, too small, too simple or too complicated for our God to handle. He made it all, so why should it be a problem eh? And there’s nothing He LOVES more than when we come to Him, cry out to Him in our anguish for His help. That’s when He knows that we’re truly His children. Like all children, our first plea for help is usually to our parents, and since He’s our Creator and Heavenly Father, then, by definition, it’s to Him we should always direct our first pleas. Why? Because ‘He maketh the storm a calm, so that the waves thereof are still.’ (Ps.107: 29) And that’s exactly what He will do with any storms that spring up in our lives, once we ask for His help. Oh my Friends, it’s very important that we go to Him in prayer when times of difficulty arise. We can’t just sit around and wait, expecting Him to act. Remember we’re in a partnership with the Most High God Jehovah, and as in all partnerships, each partner has a role to play. Our role is to obey His dictates and call on Him for help. His role is to help us. And remember too, our God is not a wishy-washy God; He’s a business-like, upstanding Deity, who doesn’t really care for wishy-washy followers. He wants His people to be action oriented, doing His works and pleasing Him. And though by nature the human animal is weak and frail, when we accept the Lord’s provenance, it empowers us. When the Holy Spirit of Jesus enters our soul, a whole new being is created, we become new persons. Oh my people, I just want us to know, learn, remember and put into action the overriding principle of Christian faith, wherein the Lord always strengthens those who turn to Him and ask in sincere belief and trust. It has to be sincere cause He not only hears our words, but more importantly listens to our heart to see if the same feeling lies there. On that note, I’ll close with two powerful, outstanding scriptures that bring home that principle. We’ll start with the popular verses of Isaiah 40:29-31: ‘He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength…But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength…they shall walk and not faint.’ Open the Good Book and read the full thing for yourself. It will do you more good than if I wrote it. (smile) And the last passage is from Psalm 68:35. ‘O God, thou art terrible out of thy holy places: the God of Israel is he that giveth strength and power unto his people. Blessed be God.’ Yes my people, Blessed be the God of our Fathers, who strengthens us! Let us therefore turn to Him in humility and prayer, so that we can receive the grace and strength He’s so generously and faithfully promised. Much LOVE!…don’t worry, don’t fret… instead…watch and pray…
 

Today’s Scrip-Bit 11 June 2009 Acts 5:19‏

11 Jun 2009 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Inspirational Living

Acts 5:19    But the angel of the Lord by night opened the prison doors, and brought them forth.
 
Ah my friends, it’s another beautiful day and the Lord’s going to send His angel to open all those prison doors that are keeping us locked up and beaten down, just like He did for the apostles. But we need to be in harmony like them, raising our voices as one in fervent prayer and praise. And I just LOVE the reaction: ‘And when they had prayed, the place was shaken where they were assembled together; and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and they spake the word of God with boldness.’ (Acts.4:31) Yes my people, they spoke the Word with ‘BOLDNESS!’ That should be our motto, speaking the word with boldness, without fear, not letting some little itty-bitty enemy frighten us. But that’s what happens when you work in concert. Possibly, we too need a renewal of the Spirit within us. Some person or occasion that will get our adrenalin going, make us strong, bold and unselfish. For you see what happened after? ‘And the multitude of them that believed were of one heart and one soul: neither said any of them that aught of the things which he possessed were his own; but they had all things in common. And with great power gave the apostles witness of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus: and great grace was upon them all.’ (Acts 4:32-33) What a moving story my people! The apostles and the other believers rose up as one, everybody sold what they had and unselfishly contributed it to the cause. ‘And laid them down at the apostles’ feet: and distribution was made unto every man according as he had need.’ (Acts 4:35) Wow! And this was all voluntary. Can you imagine that happening amongst us today? It’s very doubtful. The lust of selfishness and personal ownership are too deeply ingrained in us. But don’t feel badly, for there were some like us back then too; Ananias and his wife Sapphira. They also sold their possessions, but lied as per how much they received and the Lord struck them down. As Peter asked Ananias; ‘why hast thou conceived this thing in thine heart? thou hast not lied unto men, but unto God.’ (Acts 5:4) The sad part is that he didn’t have to give all his money. Remember it was voluntary. He could easily have quoted the true amount and said he was keeping some for himself. But he chose to be deceitful, and paid the price. And some three hours after he dropped down in front of the apostles, his wife, not knowing that, came up and did the same thing, with the same result. Ah Friends, the message there is that it doesn’t pay to lie, especially to God, for He knows all and sees all, which we seem to at times forget. And with the Holy Spirit just bubbling in them, the apostles went out and joined the battle. They stirred the pot with their teaching, preaching and healing in Jesus’ name. People came from all over to Jerusalem with sick, crazy folks to be healed. ‘Then the high priest rose up, and all that were with him, (which is the sect of the Sadducees) and were filled with indignation. And laid their hands on the apostles, and put them in the common prison.’ (Acts 5:17-18) What else could be expected eh? Disobeying the council’s orders to stop preaching in Jesus’ name and undermining their authority had to bring repercussions. But Friends, like all unbelievers, who figure they have us at their mercy, the council sadly reckoned without the mighty arm of our God. ‘But the angel of the Lord by night opened the prison doors, and brought them forth.’ Oh, how mighty is our God! But hear the sweet part: Once they were out, the angel said to them; ‘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 5:20-21) Oh Friends, would we be so brave and bold? We should be. Meanwhile, the council got in session and sent for them, but with no luck. This confounded them, until somebody came and said; ‘Behold, the men whom ye put in prison are standing in the temple, and teaching the people.’ (Acts 5:25) And all God’s people shouted: ‘Bravo! Hallelujah!’  But their freedom was soon cut short when the soldiers arrested them. Though, as the Good Book says; ‘and brought them without violence; for they feared the people, lest they should have been stoned.’ (Acts 5:26) All power to the people, my Friends! Then when the leaders asked if they hadn’t been forbidden to preach in Jesus’ name, the apostles told them where to get off; ‘We ought to obey God, rather than men.’ (Acts 5:29-32) Well if yuh think the leaders were mad before, now they even considered killing them. But thank the Lord that in every situation He places a voice of reason; this time a Pharisee, in fact Bruh Paul’s teacher, Gamaliel, a man of good standing in the community. He warned them about killing the apostles, reasoning that several false messiahs had risen up over the years with a big splash, then disappeared just as quickly, so it might be more prudent to just let them be, let them run their race of glory, and eventually the whole thing will peter out. ‘For if this counsel or this work be of men, it will come to nought. But if it be of God, ye cannot overthrow it; lest haply ye be found even to fight against God.’ (Acts 5:38-39) The Lord’s mysterious hand moving there again mih Friends. The council agreed, flogged them, then set them free with the same warning not to preach in Jesus’ name. But note the apostles’ reaction my people. ‘And they departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for his name. And daily in the temple, and in every house, they ceased not to teach and preach Jesus Christ.’ (Acts 5:41-42) Glory Hallelujah! Oh mih breddren, what an outstanding example of faith! That’s how we should be today: standing together as one, witnessing for Christ, regardless of who says us nay. But it all comes down to our level of trust, belief and faith my people. And it’s of the utmost importance that we don’t let anyone frighten or threaten us to stop preaching and teaching Christ. Remember, if you’re a true believer, He is real, and living in you. So let’s see if we can’t seriously ramp up our faith nuh, get truly motivated, and go out there on the battlefields of this evil world and win souls for Jesus. That is our job. Much LOVE!…stand up, stand up for Jesus…the trumpet call obey…
 

Today’s Scrip-Bit 10 June 2009 Acts 5:19‏

10 Jun 2009 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Inspirational Living

Acts 5:19     But the angel of the Lord by night opened the prison doors, and brought them forth…
 
Yes my Friends, that’s yet another jailbreak orchestrated by the Lord! Seems that was His specialty. (smile) This time though it was a group of the apostles, disobeying the Jewish elite’s threats to stop preaching Christ, teaching and healing in His Name. Yesterday we heard about Him breaking out Peter from Herod’s clutches, that’s the second time, for he’s also included in this group. Then later on, with Paul and Silas in jail, our God caused an earthquake that shook the very foundations of the prison, so all the prisoners chains were loosed and the doors thrown wide open. (Acts 16:26) But note one thing Friends, on each occasion His Holy Name was praised and glorified. With Bruh Paul and Silas, the keeper of the prison, instead of committing suicide, fearing that all the prisoners had escaped, through Bruh Paul’s quick intervention, he and his whole family were born again, receiving Christ as their Lord and Saviour. (Acts 16:27-36) Per yesterday’s occasion with Peter, after the angel left him, and he’d considered his options, he ended up at Mark’s mother’s house, ‘where many were gathered together praying.’ (Acts 12:12) There was one glitch here though; when Peter knocked at the gate’s door, a young lady, Rhoda, came to answer it. ‘And when she knew Peter’s voice, she opened not the gate for gladness, but ran in, and told how Peter stood before the gate. And they said unto her, Thou art mad. But she constantly affirmed that it was even so. Then they said it is his angel. But Peter continued knocking: and when they had opened the door, and saw him, they were astonished.’ (Acts 12:14-16) That brings to mind Jesus’ words; ‘O ye of little faith.’ (Mat.6: 30) It also leads the scholars to conclude, that though the church prayed fervently, their faith was somewhat lacking, because they had such a hard time believing that Peter was really outside. They either didn’t believe that God would respond with such a miracle, or that He would do it so soon. That, my people, is also a common thing amongst modern day believers. We pray, plead, wish and hope, but oftimes the essential element, true belief, true faith is either not there, or not strong enough. We believe it in some form and fashion, but not completely. But the whole point of faith is to truly believe, before we actually see. That’s not always an easy task, but one we have to come to grips with, if we want to grow and mature in the Christian faith. Now, re Today’s Bit, the local Jewish leaders, the Sanhedrin Council, had already locked up Peter and John overnight for preaching the Word and healing, in particular one man lame from birth. But when brought before them the next day and asked whose name they did it in, Peter waxed oratorical, being filled with the Holy Spirit, saying they were a bunch of greedy, selfish hypocrites, and they healed in the name of Jesus Christ whom they crucified. The stone the builder refused had become the chief cornerstone, and the only way to salvation. (Acts 4:5-12) The fly in the ointment here was the lowly masses, who had been stirred up by the acts and words of John and Peter, and were ready to believe and receive Christ. The leaders feared a riot if they dealt harshly with the apostles, and after privately considering how best to punish them, agreed all they could do was threaten them to stop preaching, teaching and healing in Christ’s name. ‘But Peter and John answered and said unto them, 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) After threatening them again, the leaders let them go, but the damage was already done; the man they’d miraculously healed was over forty years old, and everybody knew him since he constantly hung out at the temple entrance, and ‘all men glorified God, for that which was done.’ (Acts 4:21) Ah Friends, those apostles sure had manly parts. Peter and John went back to the group and told them what had happened. ‘And when they heard that, they lifted up their voice to God with one accord, and said, Lord, thou art God, which hast made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and all that in them is….’ And they went on to explain their plight, asking for help and guidance. ‘And now, Lord, behold their threatenings: and grant unto thy servants, that with all boldness they may speak thy word, By stretching forth thine hand to heal; and that signs and wonders may be done by the name of thy holy child Jesus.’ (Acts 4:23-30) Ah Friends, can you imagine the guts, the gumption, the faith it took for them to come before Almighty God and ask for the boldness, the wherewithal to preach His word in the face of the powerful Jewish elite? If we only had half as much faith and parts, the enemy would be running from us or believing, instead of thumbing their noses. But remember Friends, time longer than twine, and a battle won doesn’t guarantee victory in the overall war. Our Leader Jesus is still in control, still at the forefront leading His troops, and once He’s there, anything, no, everything’s possible. Have faith my people! Tomorrow, God willing, we’ll continue this. Much LOVE!…the race is not for the swift…but for the sure of foot…
 

Today’s Scrip-Bit 9 June 2009 Acts 12:11‏

09 Jun 2009 1 Comment

by randyobrien50 in Inspirational Living

Acts 12:11     And when Peter was come to himself, he said, Now I know of a surety, that the Lord hath sent his angel, and hath delivered me out of the hand of Herod, and from all the expectation of the people of the Jews.
 
Oh Friends, on this rainy June morn, I’m sure many, if not all of us, can use an angel to help us out of some dire circumstance in which we’re entangled. Unfortunately though, only a few will be granted that heavenly blessing, hope I’m one of them, (smile) but the rest will just have to muddle through as best we can, for it’s not every case that we think calls for heavenly help that meets the Father’s requirements. But what are angels, you ask? Hear Bruh Paul: ‘Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation?’   (Heb.1:14) Yes my Friends, angels are the Lord’s helpers in the spirit world. They go around doing His bidding, re those of us who believe on His Son, Jesus, and come to him in faith; ‘the heirs of salvation.’ And for the lucky faithful who receive angelic help today, I implore us to go out and make it a powerful, revealing testimonial to our omnipotent God, just like Peter did when imprisoned by Herod. Before I get caught up in Peter’s story though, like I did with Daniel and his buddies yesterday, let’s just mention a couple other instances of angels doing yeoman service. ‘And when we cried unto the Lord, he heard our voice, and sent an angel, and hath brought us forth out of Egypt: and behold we are in Kadesh, a city in the uttermost part of thy border. (Num. 20:16) That’s Moses asking the people of Edom for permission to pass through their territory on the way to the Promised Land, which they refused, instead bringing out a large, strong force to intercept them. And would you believe they were family? Edom was Israel’s brother, (Deut.23:7) descendants of Esau, Jacob’s brother. Then we have Bruh Paul. Hn! He must have had angels constantly around him, for the amount of trouble he got into. As he wrote to Timothy, in his trials, nobody stood by him, ‘but all men forsook me…Notwithstanding the Lord stood with me, and strengthened me; that by me the preaching might be fully known, and that all the Gentiles might hear: and I was delivered out of the mouth of the lion. And the Lord shall deliver me from every evil work, and will preserve me unto his heavenly kingdom: to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.’ (2Tim.4:16-18) Not that nobody cared for him, but in his last days in prison in Rome, after all he’d been through, he was convinced that only the Lord could have made it possible, and right to the very end he believed that a place was being prepared for him in heaven. Say what yuh want about Bruh Paul, mih Friends, he had one thing in great abundance, that too many of us lack; real, earth moving, mind bending faith. Oh if there was only some way to bottle it and spread it around! But sadly, faith only comes through trials, and great faith, through great trials. So much so that when Peter was sprung from jail that night, he had to shake himself to make sure he wasn’t dreaming. It was so easy. After killing James, John’s brother, Herod saw that it pleased the Jews, so he locked up Peter during the Passover, planning to bring him out after the feast and make him the second martyr. Security was so tight in the jail that Peter had four squads of four soldiers guarding him. ‘Peter therefore was kept in prison: but prayer was made without ceasing of the church unto God for him.’ (Acts 12:5) And Friends, as I keep saying, our God is the master of timing, Why? Cause the very night before Herod planned to bring out Peter and martyr him, our God staged a daring prison break. ‘Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains: and the keepers before the door kept the prison. And behold the angel of the Lord came upon him, and a light shined in the prison: and he smote Peter on the side, and raised him up, saying, Arise up quickly. And his chains fell off from his hands. And the angel said unto him, Gird thyself, and bind on thy sandals. And so he did. And he saith unto him, Cast thy garment about thee, and follow me.’ (Acts 12:6-8) Peter did as he was told, all the time though thinking it was a dream. They walked past two guard posts, which the scholars claim the guards themselves unwittingly opened, then miracle of miracles; ‘they came unto the iron gate that leadeth unto the city; which opened to them of his own accord: and they went out, and passed on through one street; and forthwith the angel departed from him.’ (Acts 12:10-11) Ah mih people, chalk up another miracle to the Lord, and also to the power of faith and prayer! The main gate just opened automatically. And I like the angel’s business-like manner. Once he was sure Peter was safe, he took off. Yes mih Friends, there are angels out there who minister to us, who do God’s bidding in our lives, but once they’re done, they move on to look after others, then we have to take responsibility and give serious thanks, praise and soulful testimony to the Most High for bailing us out of whatever trouble we were in. It takes a lot of faith to surrender our lives to Him completely; faith that’s hard earned.  But if we truly desire to walk in Jesus’ footsteps, remember, we must be prepared to suffer some in His Name. We’ll continue this tomorrow. Till then, the Good Lord willing; Much LOVE!…the path to great faith…is filled with many excruciating twists and turns…

Today’s Scrip-Bit 8 June 2009 Daniel 6:21-22‏

08 Jun 2009 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Inspirational Living

Daniel 6:21-22   Then said Daniel unto the king, O king, live forever. My God hath sent his angel, and hath shut the lions’ mouths, that they have not hurt me: forasmuch as before him innocency was found in me, and also before thee, O king, have I done no hurt.
 
Oh Friends, let’s praise our great God and be exceedingly thankful that we don’t have to suffer the persecution and horrible experiences of those four Jewish youths; Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, whose only crime was that they refused to bow to any other deity but Almighty God.  But like everything the Lord does, there’s a purpose, a master plan that’s designed to show His unlimited power and glorify His Holy Name. First, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego were bound and thrown into an overheated furnace. But what happened? The furnace was so hot, it burnt up the men who threw them in. Then king Nebuchadnezzar claimed to see four people walking loose, unhurt in the fire; ‘and the fourth is like the Son of God.’ (Dan.3:25) Then the king came as close as he could to the furnace and called them out, and all the king’s court witnessed the three coming out; ‘upon whose bodies the fire had no power, nor was a hair of their head singed, neither were their coats changed, nor the smell of fire had passed on them.’ (Dan.3:27) Wow! What a mighty God we serve people! Praise His Holy Name! Then the king said; ‘Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who hath sent his angel, and delivered his servants that trusted in him, and have changed the king’s word, and yielded their bodies, that they might not serve nor worship any God except their own God.’ (Dan.3:28) Ah my Friends, great faith is surely an awesome thing. It’s not easy to come by, but when we do reach that state where we’re even ready to die for our beliefs, the Lord often steps in and thwarts the efforts of the enemy. In this case, He had a pagan king singing His glorious praises. Later on, our God did the same for Daniel; when, as a high ranking official and a favourite of king Darius, his enemies wanted to bring him down, but could find no fault re his work or loyalty to the king. ‘Then said these men, we shall not find any occasion against Daniel, except we find it against him concerning the law of his God.’ (Dan.6:5) So they hatched a plot and talked the king into signing a decree, ‘that whosoever shall ask petition of any God or man for thirty days, save of thee O king, he shall be cast into the den of lions.’ (Dan.6:7) The trick in that was the law of the Medes and Persians could not be altered once the king signed it. Obviously when Daniel heard that the decree had been signed into law; ‘he went into his house; and his windows being open in his chamber toward Jerusalem, he kneeled upon his knees three times a day, and prayed, and gave thanks before his God, as he did aforetime.’ (Dan.6: 10) His enemies found him praying and reported him to the king. I guess the king then realized that Daniel had been set up and ‘he was sore displeased with himself, and set his heart on Daniel to deliver him: and he laboured till the going down of the sun to deliver him.’ (Dan.6:14) But Friends, yuh know how sharks behave when they smell blood, so did Daniel’s foes. They pestered the king until he had Daniel thrown into the lion’s den. And I particularly like this next part, cause it shows what a master planner our God truly is. ‘Now the king spake and said unto Daniel, Thy God whom thou servest continually, he will deliver thee.’ (Dan.6:16) Oh Friends, can you imagine the extra encouragement that must have given poor Daniel; the king showing faith in his God and also letting him know that he was rooting for him. Then a stone was placed over the mouth of the den, and the king sealed it with his signet and that of his princes so that no skulduggery could ensue during the night, then he went home and fasted but couldn’t sleep. Early the next morning he was back at the lions den, and ‘he cried with a lamentable voice unto Daniel:…O Daniel, servant of the living God, is thy God, whom thou servest continually, able to deliver thee from the lions den?’ (Dan.6:20) Oh my people, imagine the joy, the LOVE, the glorification for our God that must have passed through Darius’ heart and soul when he heard Daniel reply: ‘O king, live forever. My God hath sent his angel and hath shut the lions’ mouths, that they have not hurt me: forasmuch as before him innocency was found in me; and also before thee, O king, have I done no hurt. Then the king was exceedingly glad for him…’ and ordered him taken out. And lo and behold my Friends, ‘no manner of hurt was found upon him…’ Why? ‘…because he believed in his God.’ (Dan.6:23) Yes mih breddren, our God never ceases to amaze! And they rounded up all the plotters against Daniel and threw them, their wives and children into the same den, ‘and the lions had the mastery of them, and brake all their bones in pieces or ever they came at the bottom of the den.’ (Dan.6:24) Wow! Before they even reached the bottom they were torn up. Shows you not to mess with our God! And what did all this do? ‘Then king Darius wrote unto all 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 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 delivereth and rescueth, and he worketh signs and wonders in heaven and in earth, who hath delivered Daniel from the power of the lions.’ (Dan.6:25-27) Oh Friends what an awesome testimony, from a pagan king to boot! The whole thing worked to the glorification of our God and the spreading of His Holy Name and Word amongst the heathen. It would certainly be nice if that kind of awakening happened more often, but it takes, requires such a high level of faith that most of us don’t possess. Note, it’s not the only time that the Lord sent His angels to protect the faithful in trying times, and I planned to mention some, but I got so fascinated with Daniel’s story that I ran out of time and space. But we’ll look at some tomorrow. Till then my people, let’s use the story of those four Jewish youngsters as a rallying cry, as a serious encouragement to our faith. Let their stories reach into our hearts and make them strong; impervious to the wiles and worldly lusts of the evil one; so strong that we’re prepared to go through fire and any other danger in His Holy Name. It’s not easy, but with His help, we can do all things. Much LOVE!…through the fire…through the danger…anything for Him…
 

Today’s Bit 7 June 2009 Mark 4:19‏

07 Jun 2009 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Inspirational Living

Mark 4:19    And the cares of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts of other things entering in, choke the word, and it becometh unfruitful.
 
Oh Friends, another marvellous spring day is in the offing, ever so excellent for sowing the Word of God. And I know that much seed will be planted today, but sadly, too small a percentage will be sown in fertile soil and bring forth good fruit.  For as Jesus described in the parable of the sower, some of the seed will fall by the way side, those who don’t respond to the Word; some will fall on stony ground, where it blossoms quickly, but since it has no sure foundation, no strong root, no spiritual reality, it withers in the hot sun. Once tribulation arises, that group quickly rejects the Word. Then there are those described by Today’s Bit; where the seed is sown in decent ground, but the thorns grow up around them and choke them. Unfortunately that applies to many of us my people. We allow ‘the cares of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts of other things entering in, choke the word, and it becometh unfruitful.’ Those, my Friends, are the defining words of Jesus. If He says it’s so, then it is so. We all have legitimate cares and concerns in our lives, but we let them weigh us down too much, allow them to take priority over the Word. And as He warns: ‘Take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares.’ (Luke 21:34) Oh my brethren, that’s a serious warning we should heed; to go easy on the carousing and don’t let the cares of the world weigh us down. We must be attentive to what’s happening around us, else the day of judgement can catch us unawares. ‘Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of Man.’ (Luke 21:36) Oh Friends, please remember that it’s Jesus we’ll be standing before, come that faithful day. And when He strikes that gavel, announces ‘Court in Session,’ and asks why we let the cares of the world burden us so that we had no time to watch and pray, what will our answer be? I know that some of us are sincerely overwhelmed by earthly cares, but it’s our responsibility as believers to make sufficient time for the Word. And we might be able to mount some small defence on that charge, but on ‘the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts of other things?’ Hn! There’ll be no defence whatsoever on those, for there are too many scriptures that warn us about them. Let’s look at a few, starting in the Old Testament. ‘Labour not to be rich: cease from thine own wisdom. Wilt thou set thine eyes upon that which is not? For riches certainly make themselves wings; they fly away as an eagle toward heaven.’ (Prov.23:4-5) We know it’s much easier to blow a fortune than to make one, and have heard all the truth, that a fool and his money are soon parted. Sol also talks about the vanity of riches. ‘There is a sore evil which I have see under the sun, namely riches kept for the owners thereof to their hurt. But those riches perish by evil travail: and he begetteth a son, and there is nothing in his hand.’ (Eccl.5:13-14) Oh Friends, just reading Sol alone, the wisest and richest man ever, in Proverbs and Ecclesiastes, should teach us about the fickle nature of wealth. So when Jesus asks why you didn’t listen to Sol, and you claim he was in the Old Testament, too old timish for you. His retort will be: ‘So what happened to the New Testament? Several people said it, including me, when I talked about the parable of the sower. Also when I said on purpose, ‘How hardly shall they that have riches enter into the kingdom of God! For it is easier for a camel to go through a needle’s eye, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.’ (Luke 18:24-25) Oh, yuh thought I was joking eh? Well for your information, I don’t joke on serious matters. Why yuh think I also said; ‘He that hath ears to hear, let him hear?’ (Mark 4:9) And just supposing you found my words old fashioned too, what happen to Bruh Paul’s famous treatise on the topic eh? Yuh never hear this? ‘And having food and raiment let us therewith be content. But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition. For the LOVE of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows…Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not highminded, nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy. That they do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to distribute, willing to communicate; laying up in store for themselves a good foundation against the time to come, that they may lay hold on everlasting life.’ (1 Tim. 6: 8-10, 17-19) Or yuh thought that was a joke too?’ Oh Friends, then we’ll be dumfounded before the Supreme Judge. And when He says; ‘So you didn’t listen to Sol, to Me or to Bruh Paul, but to that fool Lucifer. Well, since you think he’s so wise and great, then you can spend eternity in everlasting darkness with him and the many other imbeciles like him. Bang!’ The gavel raps. ‘Next case.’ Oh my people, we’ll consider it then to be a harsh judgement, but how many times must we be told before we understand, don’t run after the almighty dollar, but after the Almighty God? But if we continually ignore the warning and let money be our idol, our god, then when we’re sentenced to everlasting damnation, we can only blame ourselves. But the good thing Friends, is that we’re alive, so we still have hope. We can still change and be like ‘those are they which are sown on good ground: such as hear the word, and receive it, and bring forth fruit, some thirty-fold, some sixty, and some an hundred.’ (Mark 4:20) Oh Friends, let’s start preparing, nurturing that soil, our hearts, souls and minds, RIGHT NOW nuh! So that we can be exceedingly fruitful and avoid the scathing condemnation of Jesus on the big day, and hear instead, ‘Welcome, my good and faithful servant!’ Much LOVE!…remember…if yuh doh hear…yuh certainly going to feel…
 

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