Wonderful words of wisdom my Friends! Most excellent advice from Bruh Paul; advice that’s even more appropriate today than when he wrote it to the church at Ephesus, long ago. Why? Because there are many more dangers and pitfalls in the course of ordinary life today than back then. ‘See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise.’ Yes people, it’s extremely important that we pay careful attention to our lifestyle; that includes our children, families, friends, neighbours and fellow believers. We’ve got to be always on the lookout for anyone or anything that’s going to cause us grief or harm, but also stuff that will diminish our work for Christ. Jesus warned His disciples: ‘Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves.’ (Mat. 10:16) Jesus knew that people who believed in Him would have it rougher than normal and needed to be crafty and careful, but also innocent of wrongdoing. Bruh Paul expands on that in Colossians. ‘Walk in wisdom toward them that are without, redeeming the time. Let your speech be always with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man.’ (Col.4:5-6) So we’re not only to be circumspect with those we know, but also those we don’t, especially unbelievers, making the most of every opportunity to put our best foot forward, be on our best behaviour, in terms of physical appearance and demeanour, as well as wise judgement in our everyday lives. And we can do that in practical terms by being graceful and pleasant in our daily speech, speech that’s enlivened by wisdom, from knowledge of the Word, showing our godly character, and having that sure-fire combination direct our discussion of Christ’s gospel with others. In that way we’ll also be witnessing to unbelievers; showing them exactly what is meant by a Christian lifestyle, by living for Christ. Hopefully when they see our wise, positive behaviour, filled with joy and jubilation in the Lord, they’ll desire what we have and enthusiastically embrace Christ as their personal Lord and Saviour too. It’s the best way to witness; with our everyday lives. Note though Friends, we don’t only walk courteously and carefully as a means of witnessing but also ‘because the days are evil.’ Yuh better believe that mih brethren! In fact it’s an understatement. The days are more than evil. If Bruh Paul could only see the colossal heights to which sin has developed today, and the sheer wickedness involved, he’d be dumbfounded. And you know it would take a lot to put him at a loss for words. (smile) Oh Friends, I don’t need to tell you how bad things are in many areas of life cause we’re all seeing and experiencing stuff that we’d never imagine in our wildest dreams, but they’ve now become reality, and as such we have to learn to grapple successfully with all that evil stuff that’s hovering around. ‘Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is. And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit.’ (Eph.5:17-18) Yes people, we can only overcome evil by understanding the Lord’s will, which is for us to live circumspectly, not immorally like the world will have us. And we can only do that by not going overboard in anything, but being filled with the Holy Spirit and allowing it to guide us. When we’re under the influence of alcohol, it leads us to moral intemperance, but when we’re filled with the Holy Spirit, it allows us to control our thoughts, attitudes and actions, in line with Jesus’ life, character and virtues, which is our eventual goal. To achieve that goal, Bruh Paul gives this practical advice. ‘Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord. Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ; Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God.’ (Eph. 5:19-21) Yes fellow believers, that’s excellent advice. Let’s take it nuh, so that we can keep our focus on God and away from the evil lusts of this world that constantly bombard us. Much LOVE!…to live for God…be guided by the Holy Spirit…
Today’s Scrip-Bit 16 February 2009 Ephesians 5:15-16.
16 Feb 2009 Leave a comment
Ephesians 5:15-16 See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise. Redeeming the time, because the days are evil.
Today’s Scrip-Bit 15 February 2009 Ephesians 4:30
15 Feb 2009 Leave a comment
Ephesians 4:30 And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.
Ah Friends it’s been one of those frustrating days, where nothing’s terribly wrong, but nothing’s really right either. One of those exasperating days when a totally unexpected malaise just takes hold of your spirit. We all occasionally get blindsided by such negative phenomenon. To make matters worse, my poor frame of mind was exacerbated by a stubborn cold that’s now mutated into a nagging cough, aided and abetted by the consistently inconsistent weather we’ve been having recently. Now isn’t that a mouthful; shades of Bruh Paul. (smile) Then I heard about some friends; nice, generous people who appear to be financially comfortable, with no children to worry about, but yet their life seems to be just one big ball of confusion, revolving around work, alcohol and abusive behaviour between themselves. How sad! But what’s the point of all of this you ask? Well nothing earth shattering really, simply to point out the vagaries and inconsistencies of life; that when you seem to have it all going on outside, it’s a completely different story on the inside. Hn, hn! I’m chuckling because I’m writing this and I don’t even have a Bit to tie it to. But that’s the least of my worries, because I’m sure at some stage the Good Lord is going to lead me to an appropriate one. And why am I so sure of that? Because it has happened several times over the last couple years, and He’s never let me down yet. So why should He start now eh? I guess that brings us to the topic of Faith. The human spirit is such a finely tuned entity, like a powerful high tech engine, that the slightest imperfection or out of synch part will throw it off balance and cause it to malfunction. And under those very inviting circumstances the enemy plunges headlong into the breech to cause even more confusion. Remember, the evil one is always lurking menacingly in the shadows, and only needs to see a slight crack in our armour before he chortles with joy and jumps right in to hopefully expand the crack into a gaping hole. That’s why Friends, we need to keep such a sharp, wary eye on our internal workings and give the devil very little opportunity to throw a spanner in the works and disrupt the smooth running of the Spirit within us. And my people, as we all very well know, but still need to be occasionally reminded, there’s only one way to keep Lucifer and his evil cohorts at bay; that’s by continually focusing on God. The LOVE of the Most High God Jehovah is the only antidote for the evil eye. It’s the only life force strong enough to rebuke, retaliate and run the wicked demon out of town. It’s even better than antibiotics. I took a course for my cold, but it’s still here. And though the diseases nowadays brilliantly mutate to render antibiotics ineffective, Lucifer has no answer whatsoever for the Word of God. That’s why he leaves you alone when he realizes you’re on a God high, high on the Holy Spirit. But that doesn’t stop him from lurking expectantly in the shadows, for he’s an astute student of human nature, remember his early education took place in heaven, so he knows that at some time your high will diminish even a little, giving him and opportunity to jump into the fray and muddy the sparkling clean waters. Oh my brethren, life’s not easy at the best of times, much less in the unfortunate circumstances currently holding sway in our world. Now we need to be even more cautious than normal, practice greater discipline, production and tolerance, which incidentally is the motto of T&T, but needs to be seriously applied by us all if we hope to pull out of the downward spiral in which we’re presently enveloped. That means putting our hands to the plough and not looking back, just furrowing straight ahead, with all the promises of our God indelibly written in our hearts. Remember He’s promised never to leave or forsake us, and if we genuinely seek Him, we’ll find Him. Also, if we repent and surrender our sinful desires to His will, He’ll forgive us and lead us back to the straight and narrow path that He treads. Don’t forget either that He guarantees that nothing lasts forever but Him, and all things shall pass, so whatever negative circumstances you’re going through right now will not last, and though crying may endure for a night, joy comes in the morning, along with His mercies, which are new every single day. So Friends, it all boils down to a few words: Hope, Faith and Belief in Jesus, who suffered an excruciating death on that rugged cross, in the stifling noonday heat, though He was innocent, to pay for our sins and return us to right standing with God the Father. Therefore, let’s keep our hearts, souls and minds intensely focused on Christ, our Lord and Saviour, so that the evil one will not find any cracks in our spiritual armour to enter in and spoil the party. Hn! Now I’ve got to find a Bit to match this. (smile) But that’s one of the things I admire about our God; He’s never static, never does the same thing, the same way, every time, but uses the most unlikely people and circumstances to get His point over. Usually I’d find a Bit before I write the body, but today, in my state of frustration, He’s caused me to write the body first, to prove to us that if we stick with Him, He’s powerful enough to do it any which way. He’s what we might call pleasantly eccentric; a strict, but very interesting Father figure, who, within His parameters, gives you plenty room to grow and develop your unique personality. I like that. Hope you do too. Much LOVE!…with Jesus… steadfast and true…is the only way to go… P.S. Who say’s He’s not a faithful and wonderful God eh? (smile) He led me to a Bit in less than five minutes. Praise His Holy Name!
Ah Friends it’s been one of those frustrating days, where nothing’s terribly wrong, but nothing’s really right either. One of those exasperating days when a totally unexpected malaise just takes hold of your spirit. We all occasionally get blindsided by such negative phenomenon. To make matters worse, my poor frame of mind was exacerbated by a stubborn cold that’s now mutated into a nagging cough, aided and abetted by the consistently inconsistent weather we’ve been having recently. Now isn’t that a mouthful; shades of Bruh Paul. (smile) Then I heard about some friends; nice, generous people who appear to be financially comfortable, with no children to worry about, but yet their life seems to be just one big ball of confusion, revolving around work, alcohol and abusive behaviour between themselves. How sad! But what’s the point of all of this you ask? Well nothing earth shattering really, simply to point out the vagaries and inconsistencies of life; that when you seem to have it all going on outside, it’s a completely different story on the inside. Hn, hn! I’m chuckling because I’m writing this and I don’t even have a Bit to tie it to. But that’s the least of my worries, because I’m sure at some stage the Good Lord is going to lead me to an appropriate one. And why am I so sure of that? Because it has happened several times over the last couple years, and He’s never let me down yet. So why should He start now eh? I guess that brings us to the topic of Faith. The human spirit is such a finely tuned entity, like a powerful high tech engine, that the slightest imperfection or out of synch part will throw it off balance and cause it to malfunction. And under those very inviting circumstances the enemy plunges headlong into the breech to cause even more confusion. Remember, the evil one is always lurking menacingly in the shadows, and only needs to see a slight crack in our armour before he chortles with joy and jumps right in to hopefully expand the crack into a gaping hole. That’s why Friends, we need to keep such a sharp, wary eye on our internal workings and give the devil very little opportunity to throw a spanner in the works and disrupt the smooth running of the Spirit within us. And my people, as we all very well know, but still need to be occasionally reminded, there’s only one way to keep Lucifer and his evil cohorts at bay; that’s by continually focusing on God. The LOVE of the Most High God Jehovah is the only antidote for the evil eye. It’s the only life force strong enough to rebuke, retaliate and run the wicked demon out of town. It’s even better than antibiotics. I took a course for my cold, but it’s still here. And though the diseases nowadays brilliantly mutate to render antibiotics ineffective, Lucifer has no answer whatsoever for the Word of God. That’s why he leaves you alone when he realizes you’re on a God high, high on the Holy Spirit. But that doesn’t stop him from lurking expectantly in the shadows, for he’s an astute student of human nature, remember his early education took place in heaven, so he knows that at some time your high will diminish even a little, giving him and opportunity to jump into the fray and muddy the sparkling clean waters. Oh my brethren, life’s not easy at the best of times, much less in the unfortunate circumstances currently holding sway in our world. Now we need to be even more cautious than normal, practice greater discipline, production and tolerance, which incidentally is the motto of T&T, but needs to be seriously applied by us all if we hope to pull out of the downward spiral in which we’re presently enveloped. That means putting our hands to the plough and not looking back, just furrowing straight ahead, with all the promises of our God indelibly written in our hearts. Remember He’s promised never to leave or forsake us, and if we genuinely seek Him, we’ll find Him. Also, if we repent and surrender our sinful desires to His will, He’ll forgive us and lead us back to the straight and narrow path that He treads. Don’t forget either that He guarantees that nothing lasts forever but Him, and all things shall pass, so whatever negative circumstances you’re going through right now will not last, and though crying may endure for a night, joy comes in the morning, along with His mercies, which are new every single day. So Friends, it all boils down to a few words: Hope, Faith and Belief in Jesus, who suffered an excruciating death on that rugged cross, in the stifling noonday heat, though He was innocent, to pay for our sins and return us to right standing with God the Father. Therefore, let’s keep our hearts, souls and minds intensely focused on Christ, our Lord and Saviour, so that the evil one will not find any cracks in our spiritual armour to enter in and spoil the party. Hn! Now I’ve got to find a Bit to match this. (smile) But that’s one of the things I admire about our God; He’s never static, never does the same thing, the same way, every time, but uses the most unlikely people and circumstances to get His point over. Usually I’d find a Bit before I write the body, but today, in my state of frustration, He’s caused me to write the body first, to prove to us that if we stick with Him, He’s powerful enough to do it any which way. He’s what we might call pleasantly eccentric; a strict, but very interesting Father figure, who, within His parameters, gives you plenty room to grow and develop your unique personality. I like that. Hope you do too. Much LOVE!…with Jesus… steadfast and true…is the only way to go… P.S. Who say’s He’s not a faithful and wonderful God eh? (smile) He led me to a Bit in less than five minutes. Praise His Holy Name!
Today’s Scrip-Bit 14 February 2009 Jeremiah 31:3
14 Feb 2009 Leave a comment
Jeremiah 31:3 The Lord hath appeared of old to me, saying, Yea, I have LOVED thee with an everlasting LOVE: therefore with LOVING-kindness have I drawn thee.
Yes my Friends, it’s Valentine’s Day, and LOVE is in the air! Today’s the day when romantic LOVE is reinforced within our society, with the commercial variety, that of the almighty dollar, right behind. In many cases it’s just another glorified shopping day, when commerce is on the upswing, where florists double their prices and the candy makers roll out all varieties of sugar filled treats. It’s a once a year, one-day sensation. But the kind of LOVE we’re talking about is completely different. It’s greater than romantic affection, and is definitely not for sale. It’s more like the deep, heart felt care, concern and consideration of a parent for their offspring, knowing their inability to look after themselves. That’s the kind of LOVE our heavenly Father bears us, and not just recently either, but as Jeremiah declares, ‘Yea, I have LOVED thee with and everlasting LOVE.’ That means from way back when, till way until forever. ‘And because he LOVED thy fathers, therefore he chose their seed after them, and brought thee out in his sight with his mighty power out of Egypt.’ (Deut.4:37) That’s Moses in his warning to the Israelites about keeping God’s statutes, in particular against idolatry. And then he repeated it when warning of separateness from heathens, and being a holy people to the Lord. ‘The Lord did not set his LOVE upon you, nor choose you, because ye were more in number than any people; for ye were the fewest of all people. But because the Lord LOVED you, and because he would keep the oath which he hath sworn unto your fathers, hath the Lord brought you out with a mighty hand, and redeemed you out of the house of bondmen, from the hand of Pharaoh, king of Egypt. Know therefore that the Lord thy God, he is God, the faithful God, which keepeth covenant and mercy with them that LOVE Him and keep his commandments to a thousand generations.’ (Deut.7:7-9) Now people, that’s what I call real, true LOVE! He began with Abraham, then his immediate seed, Isaac, then Jacob, then the whole Hebrew nation as they grew in number. And when they cried unto him by reason of the Egyptian oppression, He did not forget His promise to their fathers to lead them out of bondage in Egypt, to a fertile land. What faithfulness! And despite His chosen people’s gross disobedience, He stuck by them with infinite patience, punishing them every so often, but never really giving up on them. And when Isaiah talks about the Lord, the only redeemer, these are the words the Lord put in his mouth. ‘Since thou wast precious in my sight, thou hast been honourable, and I have LOVED thee: therefore I will give men for thee, and people for thy life.’ (Is.43:4) Wow people! What a show of LOVE that represents! ‘Therefore with LOVING-kindness have I drawn thee.’ Yes my brethren, the Most High God Jehovah has drawn us to Him with LOVING-kindness, for that’s what the old time covenants called for. A combination of LOVE and kindness were considered essentials in any covenant relationship. You were supposed to treat each other like family; e.g. Bruh David and Jonathan’s, where after David became king, he sought out Jonathan’s heirs, found his lame son, Mephibosheth, and treated him like family. And just like that Friends, the Lord brings us into His family, a family of believers, who desire to be obedient to His statutes. ‘When Israel was a child, then I LOVED him, and called my son out of Egypt…I drew them with cords of a man, with bands of LOVE: and I was as to them as they that take off the yoke on their jaws, and I laid meat unto them.’ (Hos.11:1,4) Oh people, isn’t that beautiful and heart stopping! God’s LOVE remained true even in the face of all of Israel’s unfaithfulness. It’s the same way He treats us: draws us to Him gently with soft cords, bands of LOVE, takes off the yokes from our necks and feeds us. Now isn’t that a true, faithful and LOVING parent? Praise His Holy Name, my people! For without Him and His infinite, unconditional LOVE for us, we’d be totally lost, and hurtling straight down to Hades to dwell with Lucifer in darkness forever. And Friends, remember that earlier promise? ‘I have LOVED thee: therefore I will give men for thee, and people for thy life.’ Well our God kept that by giving His only begotten Son, Jesus to save our lives from sin and everlasting association with the enemy. And that my people is the true meaning of LOVE; our mighty but merciful God taking His only Son’s life to pay for us worthless sinners.’ Therefore, ‘Beloved, let us LOVE one another: for LOVE is of God; and everyone that LOVETH is born of God, and knoweth God. He that LOVETH not knoweth not God; for God is LOVE…Herein is LOVE, not that we LOVED God, but that he LOVED us, and sent his Son, to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so LOVED us, we ought also to LOVE one another.’ (1 John 4:7-8,10-11) Nuff said my people. Please, let’s go out and follow John’s most worthy advice. Much LOVE!…to truly LOVE…one must have God…His Holy Sprit…deep in one’s heart..
Yes my Friends, it’s Valentine’s Day, and LOVE is in the air! Today’s the day when romantic LOVE is reinforced within our society, with the commercial variety, that of the almighty dollar, right behind. In many cases it’s just another glorified shopping day, when commerce is on the upswing, where florists double their prices and the candy makers roll out all varieties of sugar filled treats. It’s a once a year, one-day sensation. But the kind of LOVE we’re talking about is completely different. It’s greater than romantic affection, and is definitely not for sale. It’s more like the deep, heart felt care, concern and consideration of a parent for their offspring, knowing their inability to look after themselves. That’s the kind of LOVE our heavenly Father bears us, and not just recently either, but as Jeremiah declares, ‘Yea, I have LOVED thee with and everlasting LOVE.’ That means from way back when, till way until forever. ‘And because he LOVED thy fathers, therefore he chose their seed after them, and brought thee out in his sight with his mighty power out of Egypt.’ (Deut.4:37) That’s Moses in his warning to the Israelites about keeping God’s statutes, in particular against idolatry. And then he repeated it when warning of separateness from heathens, and being a holy people to the Lord. ‘The Lord did not set his LOVE upon you, nor choose you, because ye were more in number than any people; for ye were the fewest of all people. But because the Lord LOVED you, and because he would keep the oath which he hath sworn unto your fathers, hath the Lord brought you out with a mighty hand, and redeemed you out of the house of bondmen, from the hand of Pharaoh, king of Egypt. Know therefore that the Lord thy God, he is God, the faithful God, which keepeth covenant and mercy with them that LOVE Him and keep his commandments to a thousand generations.’ (Deut.7:7-9) Now people, that’s what I call real, true LOVE! He began with Abraham, then his immediate seed, Isaac, then Jacob, then the whole Hebrew nation as they grew in number. And when they cried unto him by reason of the Egyptian oppression, He did not forget His promise to their fathers to lead them out of bondage in Egypt, to a fertile land. What faithfulness! And despite His chosen people’s gross disobedience, He stuck by them with infinite patience, punishing them every so often, but never really giving up on them. And when Isaiah talks about the Lord, the only redeemer, these are the words the Lord put in his mouth. ‘Since thou wast precious in my sight, thou hast been honourable, and I have LOVED thee: therefore I will give men for thee, and people for thy life.’ (Is.43:4) Wow people! What a show of LOVE that represents! ‘Therefore with LOVING-kindness have I drawn thee.’ Yes my brethren, the Most High God Jehovah has drawn us to Him with LOVING-kindness, for that’s what the old time covenants called for. A combination of LOVE and kindness were considered essentials in any covenant relationship. You were supposed to treat each other like family; e.g. Bruh David and Jonathan’s, where after David became king, he sought out Jonathan’s heirs, found his lame son, Mephibosheth, and treated him like family. And just like that Friends, the Lord brings us into His family, a family of believers, who desire to be obedient to His statutes. ‘When Israel was a child, then I LOVED him, and called my son out of Egypt…I drew them with cords of a man, with bands of LOVE: and I was as to them as they that take off the yoke on their jaws, and I laid meat unto them.’ (Hos.11:1,4) Oh people, isn’t that beautiful and heart stopping! God’s LOVE remained true even in the face of all of Israel’s unfaithfulness. It’s the same way He treats us: draws us to Him gently with soft cords, bands of LOVE, takes off the yokes from our necks and feeds us. Now isn’t that a true, faithful and LOVING parent? Praise His Holy Name, my people! For without Him and His infinite, unconditional LOVE for us, we’d be totally lost, and hurtling straight down to Hades to dwell with Lucifer in darkness forever. And Friends, remember that earlier promise? ‘I have LOVED thee: therefore I will give men for thee, and people for thy life.’ Well our God kept that by giving His only begotten Son, Jesus to save our lives from sin and everlasting association with the enemy. And that my people is the true meaning of LOVE; our mighty but merciful God taking His only Son’s life to pay for us worthless sinners.’ Therefore, ‘Beloved, let us LOVE one another: for LOVE is of God; and everyone that LOVETH is born of God, and knoweth God. He that LOVETH not knoweth not God; for God is LOVE…Herein is LOVE, not that we LOVED God, but that he LOVED us, and sent his Son, to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so LOVED us, we ought also to LOVE one another.’ (1 John 4:7-8,10-11) Nuff said my people. Please, let’s go out and follow John’s most worthy advice. Much LOVE!…to truly LOVE…one must have God…His Holy Sprit…deep in one’s heart..
Today’s Scrip-Bit 13 February 2009 Lamentations 5:1
13 Feb 2009 Leave a comment
Lamentations 5:1 Remember, O Lord, what is come upon us: consider, and behold our reproach.
Ah my Friends, this plea of Jeremiah is so appropriate to our present situation. ‘Our inheritance is turned to strangers, our houses to aliens. We are orphans and fatherless, our mothers are as widows. We have drunken our water for money; our wood is sold unto us. Our necks are under persecution: we labour and have no rest.’ (Lam.5:2-5) Yes my people, citizens of far off lands have first call on a lot of our possessions, since we borrowed their money to live an extravagant lifestyle we certainly could not afford by our own means. Now we are in jeopardy of either working for less money, or losing our jobs completely, along with our homes and much of our earthly possessions. Even if we did not lose them, we definitely could not replace them as quickly or easily as we once did. And though it’s become a rough experience, Friends, it was necessary to bring us back to our senses, bring us back down to earth, and the true reality that we could not maintain that excessive lifestyle built on debt, deceit, unwarranted dreams and fairy tales. Like Jeremiah, we’re now lamenting our unfortunate situation, but one brought on by our disobedience to God and His statutes. Does anybody talk about the Ten Commandments these days? Not much it would seem, cause we’re all too busy with our own preoccupations, but people, that’s the standard we ought to maintain. So let’s take a quick look and see how we shape up. (Exodus Chap.20) And the first and most important is, ‘Thou shalt have no other Gods but me.’ Hn! How many ways and times have we broken that eh Friends? Not only worshipping man made idols, but also paying more attention to worldly values and possessions, which, if they consume our lives and keep us away from God can also be considered breaking that first rule. In fact, anything that takes us away, removes our focus from God can be viewed as an idol. That also takes care of rules 2 and 3; to not make graven images of anything nor bow down to them. ‘for I the Lord am a jealous god.’ Guess we didn’t take that seriously enough in spite of all the examples of other societies that tried it our way and failed. Then there’s ‘Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy god in vain.’ We don’t even seem to consider that much anymore. I’m sure of we took a survey of the Ten Commandments, many of us would not get that one. The same with ‘Remember the Sabbath day; to keep it Holy.’ Now that can be a bit contentious, for with the 24/7 society we run nowadays, it’s impossible to shut down everything for one day. In any case, different religions consider different days the Sabbath, so I guess we’ll have to just hope that as many as possible keep holy whatever day their religion considers the Sabbath. And only working six days a week has become impossible for some people, who are either greedy and want to accumulate too much, or they just have to work all the time to make ends meet, what with the way the economic situation’s been going lately. But people we need to take time off regularly, to rest, recuperate and regenerate both our physical and spiritual selves, so we can be productive. A tired, worn out body or spirit is prone to making more mistakes than a well rested one. When we’re overly tired we become a danger to ourselves and those around us. That’s partly why the Lord said to take at least one day off per week. Even He rested after creating the world. Then He says; ‘Honour thy father and thy mother.’ Well some of us could never have heard that judging by the disrespectful manner in which we treat our parents. This generation is definitely the worse so far. I’ve literally heard children tell their parents to f…off. But as in some other areas, I blame the parents for that kind of behaviour. True, they say that you only make the children, not their minds, I still believe that if our behaviour was right in the first place, the children wouldn’t turn out so badly. But then again, even with lots of good parents the children are either too busy with their own lives or simply could not be bothered with their parents, just dumping them in a nursing home, then hardly visiting them, but as soon as the parents move on to greener pastures, they are the first ones screaming to read the wills, and get rather upset if nothing much was left for them. Lots of us possibly ignored the last part of that directive too; ‘that thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee.’ Perhaps that’s why many of us are dying young. Who knows, because the Lord keeps His promises? Oh my people, if the directives we’ve already covered were the only ones, the Lord might find it in His heart to be truly merciful. But with the next five? No way Jose! ‘Thou shalt not kill.’ Chuh! Human life is possibly the cheapest and most forgettable thing on the earth these days. ‘Thou shalt not commit adultery.’ Hn! That’s the way of life, more the rule than the exception. ‘Thou shalt not steal.’ Steups! This brings forth a sad chuckle, for stealing and cheating are again an almost accepted way of life. ‘Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour.’ Well tell me how many of us don’t lie, gossip and pass on erroneous news eh? Look at our media, especially the tabloids; half of what they report is not true, or slanted to create convenient innuendo that sells papers and boosts ratings. Our admiration of the celebrity nonsense is taking us further and further down Dirt Street to the point where we are immune, or even happy to see these unfortunate people taken down a peg or two. Good things are no longer considered news, only unfortunate, contentious stuff. And if those four rules didn’t do us in, then this last one surely will.’ "Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour’s house, nor his wife, his manservant, his maidservant, his ox, his ass, nor anything that is thy neighbour’s.’ Well Friends, it’s sad to say, that’s what our society is all about; covetousness. That’s a big reason why we’re so deep in the mire of debt and destruction, because we all want what our neighbours have. All the ads that drive our society are based on that negative aspect of our nature. They encourage us to want what others have. It’s what drives the economic engine, encouraging us to buy what we can’t afford and oftimes what we don’t even need. Ah Friends, many of the young don’t even know about the Ten Commandments, and that’s our fault. We did them a great injustice by not teaching them the right way. And look what’s happened to our society now; it’s crumbling, for the simple reason that we did not pay sufficient attention to the basic directives of the Most High God Jehovah. Consequently we’re paying a stiff price for that disobedience now. But with our God, it’s never too late to repent and change our evil ways. He’ll forgive us. That’s His everlasting promise. Therefore, since we’ve been given another chance, let’s use it to build a new society nuh, one based not on the evil principles of mammon, but on God, through our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, so that at some later date, instead of lamenting, like now, we’ll be celebrating. Much LOVE!…the ten commandments…please take them very seriously…they can mean… life…or …death…
Ah my Friends, this plea of Jeremiah is so appropriate to our present situation. ‘Our inheritance is turned to strangers, our houses to aliens. We are orphans and fatherless, our mothers are as widows. We have drunken our water for money; our wood is sold unto us. Our necks are under persecution: we labour and have no rest.’ (Lam.5:2-5) Yes my people, citizens of far off lands have first call on a lot of our possessions, since we borrowed their money to live an extravagant lifestyle we certainly could not afford by our own means. Now we are in jeopardy of either working for less money, or losing our jobs completely, along with our homes and much of our earthly possessions. Even if we did not lose them, we definitely could not replace them as quickly or easily as we once did. And though it’s become a rough experience, Friends, it was necessary to bring us back to our senses, bring us back down to earth, and the true reality that we could not maintain that excessive lifestyle built on debt, deceit, unwarranted dreams and fairy tales. Like Jeremiah, we’re now lamenting our unfortunate situation, but one brought on by our disobedience to God and His statutes. Does anybody talk about the Ten Commandments these days? Not much it would seem, cause we’re all too busy with our own preoccupations, but people, that’s the standard we ought to maintain. So let’s take a quick look and see how we shape up. (Exodus Chap.20) And the first and most important is, ‘Thou shalt have no other Gods but me.’ Hn! How many ways and times have we broken that eh Friends? Not only worshipping man made idols, but also paying more attention to worldly values and possessions, which, if they consume our lives and keep us away from God can also be considered breaking that first rule. In fact, anything that takes us away, removes our focus from God can be viewed as an idol. That also takes care of rules 2 and 3; to not make graven images of anything nor bow down to them. ‘for I the Lord am a jealous god.’ Guess we didn’t take that seriously enough in spite of all the examples of other societies that tried it our way and failed. Then there’s ‘Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy god in vain.’ We don’t even seem to consider that much anymore. I’m sure of we took a survey of the Ten Commandments, many of us would not get that one. The same with ‘Remember the Sabbath day; to keep it Holy.’ Now that can be a bit contentious, for with the 24/7 society we run nowadays, it’s impossible to shut down everything for one day. In any case, different religions consider different days the Sabbath, so I guess we’ll have to just hope that as many as possible keep holy whatever day their religion considers the Sabbath. And only working six days a week has become impossible for some people, who are either greedy and want to accumulate too much, or they just have to work all the time to make ends meet, what with the way the economic situation’s been going lately. But people we need to take time off regularly, to rest, recuperate and regenerate both our physical and spiritual selves, so we can be productive. A tired, worn out body or spirit is prone to making more mistakes than a well rested one. When we’re overly tired we become a danger to ourselves and those around us. That’s partly why the Lord said to take at least one day off per week. Even He rested after creating the world. Then He says; ‘Honour thy father and thy mother.’ Well some of us could never have heard that judging by the disrespectful manner in which we treat our parents. This generation is definitely the worse so far. I’ve literally heard children tell their parents to f…off. But as in some other areas, I blame the parents for that kind of behaviour. True, they say that you only make the children, not their minds, I still believe that if our behaviour was right in the first place, the children wouldn’t turn out so badly. But then again, even with lots of good parents the children are either too busy with their own lives or simply could not be bothered with their parents, just dumping them in a nursing home, then hardly visiting them, but as soon as the parents move on to greener pastures, they are the first ones screaming to read the wills, and get rather upset if nothing much was left for them. Lots of us possibly ignored the last part of that directive too; ‘that thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee.’ Perhaps that’s why many of us are dying young. Who knows, because the Lord keeps His promises? Oh my people, if the directives we’ve already covered were the only ones, the Lord might find it in His heart to be truly merciful. But with the next five? No way Jose! ‘Thou shalt not kill.’ Chuh! Human life is possibly the cheapest and most forgettable thing on the earth these days. ‘Thou shalt not commit adultery.’ Hn! That’s the way of life, more the rule than the exception. ‘Thou shalt not steal.’ Steups! This brings forth a sad chuckle, for stealing and cheating are again an almost accepted way of life. ‘Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour.’ Well tell me how many of us don’t lie, gossip and pass on erroneous news eh? Look at our media, especially the tabloids; half of what they report is not true, or slanted to create convenient innuendo that sells papers and boosts ratings. Our admiration of the celebrity nonsense is taking us further and further down Dirt Street to the point where we are immune, or even happy to see these unfortunate people taken down a peg or two. Good things are no longer considered news, only unfortunate, contentious stuff. And if those four rules didn’t do us in, then this last one surely will.’ "Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour’s house, nor his wife, his manservant, his maidservant, his ox, his ass, nor anything that is thy neighbour’s.’ Well Friends, it’s sad to say, that’s what our society is all about; covetousness. That’s a big reason why we’re so deep in the mire of debt and destruction, because we all want what our neighbours have. All the ads that drive our society are based on that negative aspect of our nature. They encourage us to want what others have. It’s what drives the economic engine, encouraging us to buy what we can’t afford and oftimes what we don’t even need. Ah Friends, many of the young don’t even know about the Ten Commandments, and that’s our fault. We did them a great injustice by not teaching them the right way. And look what’s happened to our society now; it’s crumbling, for the simple reason that we did not pay sufficient attention to the basic directives of the Most High God Jehovah. Consequently we’re paying a stiff price for that disobedience now. But with our God, it’s never too late to repent and change our evil ways. He’ll forgive us. That’s His everlasting promise. Therefore, since we’ve been given another chance, let’s use it to build a new society nuh, one based not on the evil principles of mammon, but on God, through our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, so that at some later date, instead of lamenting, like now, we’ll be celebrating. Much LOVE!…the ten commandments…please take them very seriously…they can mean… life…or …death…
Today’s Scrip-Bit 12 February 2009 1 Thessalonians 5:6
12 Feb 2009 Leave a comment
1 Thessalonians 5:6 Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober.
Those are very wise and timely words my Friends. Bruh Paul wrote them to the Thessalonians long ago, but they still ring true for us today, especially in the current turbulent and tumultuous times we’re facing. And when there’s lots of upheaval in the air, like now, one has to be particularly careful in all one’s endeavours, for it’s in those times of unrest and indecision that the enemy comes out voraciously seeking prey, astutely knowing that in all the confusion, we’re much more susceptible to his evil lies. ‘Therefore let us not sleep, as do others.’ We don’t want to be like the five foolish virgins who went to meet the bridegroom with no extra oil for their lamps, but rather like the five wise ones who took extra oil, just in case. And wouldn’t you know it, the bridegroom was late, but when he did show up, those five wise ones had enough oil to light his way, but the foolish five didn’t, and by the time they went to buy oil and returned, the bridegroom had shut his door and wouldn’t let them in. (Mat.25) Oh Friends, that’s how Jesus likened the kingdom of heaven. If you are not prepared when He comes again, you’re likely to get shut out. And that would indeed be a sad day; the saddest of your life. But that doesn’t have to happen to us, ‘For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night… But ye brethren are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief. Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness. Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober.” (1 Thess.5:2,4-6) Oh people, I could not have said it any better. And Peter dutifully adds to the warning. ‘Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time: Casting all your care upon him, for he careth for you. Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary, the devil, as a roaring lion walketh about, seeking whom he may devour. Whom resist steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world.’ (1 Pet.5:6-9) Yes Friends, we all experience the same cajoling of the evil one, but because we are followers of Jesus, having the Holy Spirit dwelling within us, we have a mightier weapon than unbelievers, to fight off his destructive and deceitful wiles. But to be successful in that respect, we must be very careful in all we do, always watchful and self-controlled. For as Sol warns: ‘Give not sleep to thine eyes, nor slumber to thine eyelids…Go to the ant, thou sluggard; consider her ways and be wise: which having no guide, overseer, or ruler, Provideth her meat in the summer, and gathereth her food in the harvest. How long wilt thou sleep, O sluggard? When wilt thou arise out of thy sleep? Yet a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep. So shall thy poverty come as one that traveleth and thy want as an armed man.’ (Prov.6:4,6-11) Yes my people, that’s how poverty comes; like a prowler; slowly and stealthily. The ant knows this, though they have no brains like us. By natural instinct and experience, they know to be prepared. And as the Lord’s most wonderful creation, we should learn from them; be prepared, first for whenever Jesus shows up, and also put aside for a rainy day. That’s why we’re in such a mess now; we weren’t saving anything for a rainy day, not putting aside anything for the winter of our discontent, just concentrating on the heady, but false good times, getting deeper and deeper in debt, possibly not expecting the bubble to ever burst, certainly not as soon as it did. And that’s exactly where the wisdom and common sense of the ants comes in my Friends. They know that winter is going to come and food will be scarce, so if they want to survive, they need to put away some. And nobody should have to tell us that a bubble will burst at some time, that’s its very nature, to only last for a while, so we need to be always prepared. That’s why Sol cautions us to: ‘LOVE not sleep, lest thou come to poverty; open thine eyes, and thou shalt be satisfied with bread.’ (Prov.20:13) Which Bruh Paul interprets as being, ‘Not slothful in business: fervent in spirit: serving the Lord. Rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation; continuing instant in prayer. Distributing to the necessity of saints, given to hospitality.’ (Rom.12:11-13) Yes my brethren, that’s the kind of stuff we should be concerned with. Being active in the service of the Lord, not being lazy and laggard. Remember, Christianity is an action word. It implies getting up and doing, paying attention to detail, seeking excellence in all we do and being prepared for as many situations as humanly possible, but most of all, for the return of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, which can occur at any time. So, ‘let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and LOVE; and for a helmet the hope of salvation. For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ.’ (1Thess.5:8-9) My people, let’s be constantly on the lookout for the enemy, but yet prepared for whenever Jesus returns, so that we won’t be found wanting and be deprived of eternal life. Much LOVE!…and the moral of the story is…be prepared…be prepared…be prepared…
Those are very wise and timely words my Friends. Bruh Paul wrote them to the Thessalonians long ago, but they still ring true for us today, especially in the current turbulent and tumultuous times we’re facing. And when there’s lots of upheaval in the air, like now, one has to be particularly careful in all one’s endeavours, for it’s in those times of unrest and indecision that the enemy comes out voraciously seeking prey, astutely knowing that in all the confusion, we’re much more susceptible to his evil lies. ‘Therefore let us not sleep, as do others.’ We don’t want to be like the five foolish virgins who went to meet the bridegroom with no extra oil for their lamps, but rather like the five wise ones who took extra oil, just in case. And wouldn’t you know it, the bridegroom was late, but when he did show up, those five wise ones had enough oil to light his way, but the foolish five didn’t, and by the time they went to buy oil and returned, the bridegroom had shut his door and wouldn’t let them in. (Mat.25) Oh Friends, that’s how Jesus likened the kingdom of heaven. If you are not prepared when He comes again, you’re likely to get shut out. And that would indeed be a sad day; the saddest of your life. But that doesn’t have to happen to us, ‘For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night… But ye brethren are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief. Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness. Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober.” (1 Thess.5:2,4-6) Oh people, I could not have said it any better. And Peter dutifully adds to the warning. ‘Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time: Casting all your care upon him, for he careth for you. Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary, the devil, as a roaring lion walketh about, seeking whom he may devour. Whom resist steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world.’ (1 Pet.5:6-9) Yes Friends, we all experience the same cajoling of the evil one, but because we are followers of Jesus, having the Holy Spirit dwelling within us, we have a mightier weapon than unbelievers, to fight off his destructive and deceitful wiles. But to be successful in that respect, we must be very careful in all we do, always watchful and self-controlled. For as Sol warns: ‘Give not sleep to thine eyes, nor slumber to thine eyelids…Go to the ant, thou sluggard; consider her ways and be wise: which having no guide, overseer, or ruler, Provideth her meat in the summer, and gathereth her food in the harvest. How long wilt thou sleep, O sluggard? When wilt thou arise out of thy sleep? Yet a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep. So shall thy poverty come as one that traveleth and thy want as an armed man.’ (Prov.6:4,6-11) Yes my people, that’s how poverty comes; like a prowler; slowly and stealthily. The ant knows this, though they have no brains like us. By natural instinct and experience, they know to be prepared. And as the Lord’s most wonderful creation, we should learn from them; be prepared, first for whenever Jesus shows up, and also put aside for a rainy day. That’s why we’re in such a mess now; we weren’t saving anything for a rainy day, not putting aside anything for the winter of our discontent, just concentrating on the heady, but false good times, getting deeper and deeper in debt, possibly not expecting the bubble to ever burst, certainly not as soon as it did. And that’s exactly where the wisdom and common sense of the ants comes in my Friends. They know that winter is going to come and food will be scarce, so if they want to survive, they need to put away some. And nobody should have to tell us that a bubble will burst at some time, that’s its very nature, to only last for a while, so we need to be always prepared. That’s why Sol cautions us to: ‘LOVE not sleep, lest thou come to poverty; open thine eyes, and thou shalt be satisfied with bread.’ (Prov.20:13) Which Bruh Paul interprets as being, ‘Not slothful in business: fervent in spirit: serving the Lord. Rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation; continuing instant in prayer. Distributing to the necessity of saints, given to hospitality.’ (Rom.12:11-13) Yes my brethren, that’s the kind of stuff we should be concerned with. Being active in the service of the Lord, not being lazy and laggard. Remember, Christianity is an action word. It implies getting up and doing, paying attention to detail, seeking excellence in all we do and being prepared for as many situations as humanly possible, but most of all, for the return of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, which can occur at any time. So, ‘let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and LOVE; and for a helmet the hope of salvation. For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ.’ (1Thess.5:8-9) My people, let’s be constantly on the lookout for the enemy, but yet prepared for whenever Jesus returns, so that we won’t be found wanting and be deprived of eternal life. Much LOVE!…and the moral of the story is…be prepared…be prepared…be prepared…
Today’s Scrip-Bit 11 February 2009 Hebrews 3:15
11 Feb 2009 Leave a comment
Hebrews 3:15 While it is said, today if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts, as in the provocation.
Please, please my Friends, I implore us, don’t do that! That’s a most unwise position to take. That’s the same errant position the Israelites took ages ago and subsequently wandered forty years in the wilderness. ‘When your fathers tempted me, proved me, and saw my works forty years. Wherefore I was grieved with that generation, and said, they do always err in their heart; and they have not known my ways. So I sware in my wrath, they shall not enter into my rest.’ (Heb.3:9-11) Yes Friends, the Israelites that came up out of bondage from Egypt had the most experience, had a front row seat to see our God perform in all His might and majesty. No one knew His awesome capabilities better then them, yet they were so hard headed and stubborn they rebelled against Him. Hn! How can you explain it eh? I don’t know what they really expected, for though our God is kind, LOVING and very merciful, like all of us, He too reaches a point when He says, enough is enough. It might just take a little longer with Him, than with us. Thus the rebellious Israelites paid the penalty for abandoning the Lord, by wandering forty long, lost, aimless years in the wilderness, when the Promised Land was only a few miles away. They wandered in the desert until all those who came up from Egypt, except Caleb and Joshua, died without setting foot on the other side the Jordan, where all that milk and honey waited for them, cause they were too afraid to go over and claim it. I feel sorry for Moses though. He went through so much to bring them there, then because of their stubborn pride and disobedience, he paid the price of not setting foot over there either. Oh Friends, that’s why I keep saying our leaders can only guide and advise us, but when it really gets down to the nitty gritty, it’s the people, you and me, who have to take responsibility for our overall actions. Moses did his best, teaching them what God required of them, but they chose to go their way, like many of us are doing today. My people, that’s not a healthy choice, for if we disobey God’s dictates, we’ll pay a hefty price, again like the Israelites. Sorry, we’re already paying that hefty price with all the trouble our world’s currently experiencing because we deceived ourselves into thinking that the great strides we’ve made in the last couple decades in science, technology, finance and commerce was our doing. Sad to say, it was not. Consequently we made the almighty dollar our guiding light, regressed in humanitarian activities, relegated God to the back burner and tried our best to remove what we considered His interfering hand from our lives. But Friends, it was His hand that brought us prosperity. It’s His hand that gives us everything. So since we didn’t want His hand in our business, He removed it. And yuh see what happened? Everything crash! The chickens have now come home to roost and our world’s disintegrating right before our very eyes. Oh my people, that was such sad folly. It’s obvious we haven’t learned anything from other societies that behaved the same way and ended up begging bread. However Friends, out of His vast store of unconditional LOVE and mercy, the Lord has seen fit to give us another chance to enter the Promised Land, through repentance and subsequent obedience. I know I’m sounding like a broken record, but my people, the only way we’ll ever return to prosperity is by focusing on God; daily studying His Word, regularly fellowshipping with other believers, individually living in obedience to Him, and getting Him back into our schools, churches and public places. It’s the pillars of Christianity that first brought us prosperity, will bring it again and keep it constant. Once we move away from God, the whole edifice will come tumbling down. Oh Friends, as Bruh Paul warns, ‘Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God.’ (Heb.3:12) Yes, too many of us had that evil heart of unbelief, that’s why we’ve ended up in such a terrible mess, and those of us who remained faithful and steadfast did not do a good enough job to keep our wavering brethren on the straight and narrow. But that’s now all water under the bridge. It’s time to move forward and heed Bruh Paul’s advice: ‘But exhort one another daily, while it is called TODAY; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.’ (Heb.3:13) That’s what we need to do my people; help, exhort, remind, admonish, call upon, plead, stimulate, whatever it takes to keep each other focused on God and the way He desires us to live. ‘For we are made partakers of Christ, if we hold the beginning of our confidence steadfast unto the end.’ (Heb.3:14) That’s so true Friends, in every walk of life, but none more so than in Christianity. You never reap the full benefits and rewards of any programme unless you hold steadfast and persevere to the very end. That’s something we’re sadly lacking in our society these days. Everything is about now for now. Nobody waits for anything anymore. But my fellow believers, our Leader, Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, expects that from us; that we’ll persevere to the very end, until He returns in all His glory. He expects nothing less. So please, let’s apply ourselves to accomplish that goal nuh, through prayer, study, fellowship and witness, thereby ensuring that today, if any one hears His voice and His Word, they will not harden their hearts, but receive it willingly, with exceeding joy. Much LOVE!…the promised land begins as a state of mind…by faith…we’re required to believe it…before we see it…
Please, please my Friends, I implore us, don’t do that! That’s a most unwise position to take. That’s the same errant position the Israelites took ages ago and subsequently wandered forty years in the wilderness. ‘When your fathers tempted me, proved me, and saw my works forty years. Wherefore I was grieved with that generation, and said, they do always err in their heart; and they have not known my ways. So I sware in my wrath, they shall not enter into my rest.’ (Heb.3:9-11) Yes Friends, the Israelites that came up out of bondage from Egypt had the most experience, had a front row seat to see our God perform in all His might and majesty. No one knew His awesome capabilities better then them, yet they were so hard headed and stubborn they rebelled against Him. Hn! How can you explain it eh? I don’t know what they really expected, for though our God is kind, LOVING and very merciful, like all of us, He too reaches a point when He says, enough is enough. It might just take a little longer with Him, than with us. Thus the rebellious Israelites paid the penalty for abandoning the Lord, by wandering forty long, lost, aimless years in the wilderness, when the Promised Land was only a few miles away. They wandered in the desert until all those who came up from Egypt, except Caleb and Joshua, died without setting foot on the other side the Jordan, where all that milk and honey waited for them, cause they were too afraid to go over and claim it. I feel sorry for Moses though. He went through so much to bring them there, then because of their stubborn pride and disobedience, he paid the price of not setting foot over there either. Oh Friends, that’s why I keep saying our leaders can only guide and advise us, but when it really gets down to the nitty gritty, it’s the people, you and me, who have to take responsibility for our overall actions. Moses did his best, teaching them what God required of them, but they chose to go their way, like many of us are doing today. My people, that’s not a healthy choice, for if we disobey God’s dictates, we’ll pay a hefty price, again like the Israelites. Sorry, we’re already paying that hefty price with all the trouble our world’s currently experiencing because we deceived ourselves into thinking that the great strides we’ve made in the last couple decades in science, technology, finance and commerce was our doing. Sad to say, it was not. Consequently we made the almighty dollar our guiding light, regressed in humanitarian activities, relegated God to the back burner and tried our best to remove what we considered His interfering hand from our lives. But Friends, it was His hand that brought us prosperity. It’s His hand that gives us everything. So since we didn’t want His hand in our business, He removed it. And yuh see what happened? Everything crash! The chickens have now come home to roost and our world’s disintegrating right before our very eyes. Oh my people, that was such sad folly. It’s obvious we haven’t learned anything from other societies that behaved the same way and ended up begging bread. However Friends, out of His vast store of unconditional LOVE and mercy, the Lord has seen fit to give us another chance to enter the Promised Land, through repentance and subsequent obedience. I know I’m sounding like a broken record, but my people, the only way we’ll ever return to prosperity is by focusing on God; daily studying His Word, regularly fellowshipping with other believers, individually living in obedience to Him, and getting Him back into our schools, churches and public places. It’s the pillars of Christianity that first brought us prosperity, will bring it again and keep it constant. Once we move away from God, the whole edifice will come tumbling down. Oh Friends, as Bruh Paul warns, ‘Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God.’ (Heb.3:12) Yes, too many of us had that evil heart of unbelief, that’s why we’ve ended up in such a terrible mess, and those of us who remained faithful and steadfast did not do a good enough job to keep our wavering brethren on the straight and narrow. But that’s now all water under the bridge. It’s time to move forward and heed Bruh Paul’s advice: ‘But exhort one another daily, while it is called TODAY; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.’ (Heb.3:13) That’s what we need to do my people; help, exhort, remind, admonish, call upon, plead, stimulate, whatever it takes to keep each other focused on God and the way He desires us to live. ‘For we are made partakers of Christ, if we hold the beginning of our confidence steadfast unto the end.’ (Heb.3:14) That’s so true Friends, in every walk of life, but none more so than in Christianity. You never reap the full benefits and rewards of any programme unless you hold steadfast and persevere to the very end. That’s something we’re sadly lacking in our society these days. Everything is about now for now. Nobody waits for anything anymore. But my fellow believers, our Leader, Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, expects that from us; that we’ll persevere to the very end, until He returns in all His glory. He expects nothing less. So please, let’s apply ourselves to accomplish that goal nuh, through prayer, study, fellowship and witness, thereby ensuring that today, if any one hears His voice and His Word, they will not harden their hearts, but receive it willingly, with exceeding joy. Much LOVE!…the promised land begins as a state of mind…by faith…we’re required to believe it…before we see it…
Today’s Scrip-Bit 10 February 2009 Ezekiel 36:9
10 Feb 2009 Leave a comment
Ezekiel 36:9 For behold, I am for you, and will turn unto you, and ye shall be tilled and sown.
Ah my Friends, how wonderful it is to serve and worship the mighty, merciful and faithful God Jehovah, who makes such stirring and sterling promises! Ezekiel’s prophesying of the future restoration of Israel, talking about the regeneration of the land, which the heathen nations had plundered. But the Lord, in the fullness of time, promises to restore all that was lost. ‘I have lifted up mine hand, Surely the heathen that are about you, they shall bear their shame. But ye, O mountains of Israel, ye shall shoot forth your branches, and yield your fruit to my people of Israel; for they are at hand to come.’ (Eze.36:7-8) Oh my brethren, those last few words are the exciting, important part; ‘for they are at hand to come,’ meaning the Lord’s people are about to return, ‘soon come.’ Note though, this ‘soon come’ is not like the West Indian version of some arbitrary time in the nebulous future, but a definite and positive occurrence that’s imminent. ‘For behold I am for you, and I will turn unto you, and ye shall be tilled and sown: and I will multiply men upon you, all the house of Israel, even all of it: and the cities shall be inhabited, and the wastes shall be builded.’ (Eze.36:9-10) As one interpretation says; ‘I am concerned for you and will look upon you with favour, says the Lord.’ Praise ye the Lord, all ye His people! My Friends, we’re currently going through some exceptional, very trying times to put it mildly, and it doesn’t seem to be getting any better. In fact, every day brings more news of doom and gloom; more jobs, houses and lives lost through the economic melt down. It’s also taking a toll on the social and mental capacity of the people, and it’s up to the leaders to devise constructive plans, to first stop the bloodletting and shore it up, hopefully not like they shored up New Orleans for Katrina, then come up with ways and means to start rebuilding on a solid foundation, so that the workers of iniquity, the evil, greedy followers of Beelzebub won’t have the capacity to bring the world to its knees again. Many of you watched Pres. Obama’s press conference last night, which some claim wasn’t a press conference because it was too long. What does that have to do with anything eh? The man came to tell people what he wanted or planned to do. Extraordinary circumstances call for extraordinary measures. Just recently they complained that he was long on ideas but short on details, but when he tries to bring more detail to his answers, there’s still negative criticism. I did not see the first five minutes, but from what I saw, I thought the fella gave a perfect showing. I was pleasantly surprised since I don’t watch much of that stuff because of the same petty nonsense that goes on. I thought he gave all the right answers, but in the long run, it all boils down to all of us, in whatever part of the world we are, throwing partisan politics and ideology out the proverbial window and doing something besides silly bickering. Understand that doing nothing is not an option, as some desire, that will only make matters worse. But the most telling comment, to my mind, was his reference to the crap that goes on in Washington D.C; the jockeying for power, who’s up and who’s down, along with all the big bucks lobbying. It’s just a parochial, small-minded, selfish circle of ingrates, who are only intent on padding their own pockets and doing whatever it takes to get them re-elected so that they can continue living high off the people. Until that mentality is either erased or substantially reduced, nothing will ever get done as it should. So the critics are having a field day now. That’s another fly in the ointment; too many pundits, critics, experts, consultants, know it alls, etc. who add nothing, or very little to the society, in comparison to what they drain from it. With so many people who are supposed to know the right answers, why is the world in such a mess eh? Ah Friends, blame or thank my wife, she made me watch it, and I sincerely tried to leave it alone, but the spirit stirred me up when I heard some of the petty stuff being bandied about and none of the more substantial issues being discussed. Before we move on though, I’d like to mention one fool called O’Reilly on Fox, which I understand is the Republican forum. He claims that Obama used the fear tactic to influence people, re things were going to get worse, which they are. But I’d like to ask him, what that ignoramus George Bush, used to control America? Well not George himself, but his cronies, since he isn’t that smart. The same fear factor; and a false one to boot, that turned the U.S into much more of a police state than a democracy, with it’s scared citizens seeing terrorists on every corner. Chuh! And those fools are beamed out to the whole world and paid oodles of money to spout partisan, narrow minded rubbish. Steups! No wonder we’re on our knees begging for mercy! But not for much longer my people, not for much longer, because the One True God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob is still in control of the entire universe and He’s promised that those who believe in Him and His Son, Jesus, and faithfully follow them, shall never be conquered or made to beg bread. And right at this very moment there are plans in the works to improve our situation. I can’t tell you exactly when, but I know for sure that it’s coming. ‘For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end. Then ye shall call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto you. And ye shall seek me, and ye shall find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart. And I will be found of you.’ (Jer.29:11-14) Yes Friends, that’s what we need to do: seek the Lord with all our hearts. It’s the only way to recover our senses and build a strong foundation on the Rock; the Most High God Jehovah. If not, then we’ll just continue playing silly, childish games and ‘spinnin top in mud.’ I know I sound angry, but really, I’m not. I just don’t suffer fools and foolishness gladly. When there’s something serious to be done, I believe in getting it done without the petty, selfish games. That’s why sometimes I stay silent, because I can’t practice the political correctness that’s turned our world into a nightmare. However, like Pres. Obama, I’m an eternal optimist, and if you’re a Christian, you ought to be too, because the biggest optimist ever, was Christ, who came and died for a bunch of worthless sinners, full well knowing the odds against Him. Therefore, I believe it when my God and Saviour says; ‘I will restore to you the years that the locust hath eaten, the cankerworm, and the caterpillar, and the palmerworm, my great army which I sent among you. And ye shall eat in plenty, and be satisfied, and praise the name of the Lord your God, that hath dealt wondrously with you: and my people shall never be ashamed. and ye shall know that I am in the midst of Israel, and that I am the Lord your God, and none else: and my people shall never be ashamed.’ (Joel 2:25-27) Yes my people, the Lord’s great army has already ravished us, so there’s no where else to go now, but up. Let us then endeavour to work like everything depends on us, but believe and pray, like everything depends on God. Much LOVE!…be not afraid…a better day is coming…soon…
Ah my Friends, how wonderful it is to serve and worship the mighty, merciful and faithful God Jehovah, who makes such stirring and sterling promises! Ezekiel’s prophesying of the future restoration of Israel, talking about the regeneration of the land, which the heathen nations had plundered. But the Lord, in the fullness of time, promises to restore all that was lost. ‘I have lifted up mine hand, Surely the heathen that are about you, they shall bear their shame. But ye, O mountains of Israel, ye shall shoot forth your branches, and yield your fruit to my people of Israel; for they are at hand to come.’ (Eze.36:7-8) Oh my brethren, those last few words are the exciting, important part; ‘for they are at hand to come,’ meaning the Lord’s people are about to return, ‘soon come.’ Note though, this ‘soon come’ is not like the West Indian version of some arbitrary time in the nebulous future, but a definite and positive occurrence that’s imminent. ‘For behold I am for you, and I will turn unto you, and ye shall be tilled and sown: and I will multiply men upon you, all the house of Israel, even all of it: and the cities shall be inhabited, and the wastes shall be builded.’ (Eze.36:9-10) As one interpretation says; ‘I am concerned for you and will look upon you with favour, says the Lord.’ Praise ye the Lord, all ye His people! My Friends, we’re currently going through some exceptional, very trying times to put it mildly, and it doesn’t seem to be getting any better. In fact, every day brings more news of doom and gloom; more jobs, houses and lives lost through the economic melt down. It’s also taking a toll on the social and mental capacity of the people, and it’s up to the leaders to devise constructive plans, to first stop the bloodletting and shore it up, hopefully not like they shored up New Orleans for Katrina, then come up with ways and means to start rebuilding on a solid foundation, so that the workers of iniquity, the evil, greedy followers of Beelzebub won’t have the capacity to bring the world to its knees again. Many of you watched Pres. Obama’s press conference last night, which some claim wasn’t a press conference because it was too long. What does that have to do with anything eh? The man came to tell people what he wanted or planned to do. Extraordinary circumstances call for extraordinary measures. Just recently they complained that he was long on ideas but short on details, but when he tries to bring more detail to his answers, there’s still negative criticism. I did not see the first five minutes, but from what I saw, I thought the fella gave a perfect showing. I was pleasantly surprised since I don’t watch much of that stuff because of the same petty nonsense that goes on. I thought he gave all the right answers, but in the long run, it all boils down to all of us, in whatever part of the world we are, throwing partisan politics and ideology out the proverbial window and doing something besides silly bickering. Understand that doing nothing is not an option, as some desire, that will only make matters worse. But the most telling comment, to my mind, was his reference to the crap that goes on in Washington D.C; the jockeying for power, who’s up and who’s down, along with all the big bucks lobbying. It’s just a parochial, small-minded, selfish circle of ingrates, who are only intent on padding their own pockets and doing whatever it takes to get them re-elected so that they can continue living high off the people. Until that mentality is either erased or substantially reduced, nothing will ever get done as it should. So the critics are having a field day now. That’s another fly in the ointment; too many pundits, critics, experts, consultants, know it alls, etc. who add nothing, or very little to the society, in comparison to what they drain from it. With so many people who are supposed to know the right answers, why is the world in such a mess eh? Ah Friends, blame or thank my wife, she made me watch it, and I sincerely tried to leave it alone, but the spirit stirred me up when I heard some of the petty stuff being bandied about and none of the more substantial issues being discussed. Before we move on though, I’d like to mention one fool called O’Reilly on Fox, which I understand is the Republican forum. He claims that Obama used the fear tactic to influence people, re things were going to get worse, which they are. But I’d like to ask him, what that ignoramus George Bush, used to control America? Well not George himself, but his cronies, since he isn’t that smart. The same fear factor; and a false one to boot, that turned the U.S into much more of a police state than a democracy, with it’s scared citizens seeing terrorists on every corner. Chuh! And those fools are beamed out to the whole world and paid oodles of money to spout partisan, narrow minded rubbish. Steups! No wonder we’re on our knees begging for mercy! But not for much longer my people, not for much longer, because the One True God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob is still in control of the entire universe and He’s promised that those who believe in Him and His Son, Jesus, and faithfully follow them, shall never be conquered or made to beg bread. And right at this very moment there are plans in the works to improve our situation. I can’t tell you exactly when, but I know for sure that it’s coming. ‘For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end. Then ye shall call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto you. And ye shall seek me, and ye shall find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart. And I will be found of you.’ (Jer.29:11-14) Yes Friends, that’s what we need to do: seek the Lord with all our hearts. It’s the only way to recover our senses and build a strong foundation on the Rock; the Most High God Jehovah. If not, then we’ll just continue playing silly, childish games and ‘spinnin top in mud.’ I know I sound angry, but really, I’m not. I just don’t suffer fools and foolishness gladly. When there’s something serious to be done, I believe in getting it done without the petty, selfish games. That’s why sometimes I stay silent, because I can’t practice the political correctness that’s turned our world into a nightmare. However, like Pres. Obama, I’m an eternal optimist, and if you’re a Christian, you ought to be too, because the biggest optimist ever, was Christ, who came and died for a bunch of worthless sinners, full well knowing the odds against Him. Therefore, I believe it when my God and Saviour says; ‘I will restore to you the years that the locust hath eaten, the cankerworm, and the caterpillar, and the palmerworm, my great army which I sent among you. And ye shall eat in plenty, and be satisfied, and praise the name of the Lord your God, that hath dealt wondrously with you: and my people shall never be ashamed. and ye shall know that I am in the midst of Israel, and that I am the Lord your God, and none else: and my people shall never be ashamed.’ (Joel 2:25-27) Yes my people, the Lord’s great army has already ravished us, so there’s no where else to go now, but up. Let us then endeavour to work like everything depends on us, but believe and pray, like everything depends on God. Much LOVE!…be not afraid…a better day is coming…soon…
Today’s Scrip-Bit 9 February 2009 Exodus 4:3
09 Feb 2009 Leave a comment
Exodus 4:3 And the people believed: and when they heard that the Lord had visited the children of Israel, and that he had looked upon their affliction, then they bowed their heads and worshipped.
Ah my Friends, today we’ll continue talking about one of the enemy’s most potent weapons in the battle for the human spirit; that simple word ‘worry.’ It seems relatively small and innocent, but believe me it’s not. It’s one of those unseen weapons that creep unobtrusively into our souls, and having quietly infiltrated it, mushrooms into the giant killer we nicely term stress. Right now, in our scared, fearful, terrorized world, it’s the biggest killer, albeit a silent one. Sometimes you don’t even know it’s there. And I can vouch for that from personal experience. A few years ago I suddenly developed some stomach pains, but all the medical tests came back negative. A little later though, I took and island vacation, and would you believe, after a few days of salt, sand, sea and rum, (smile) the pain vanished. Now I don’t recall being overly worried about anything, so stress was the furthest thing from my mind, apparently the doctor’s too. But I guess just the overall cares of life, work and LOVE must have gotten a bit much for the system and it began to rebel. Put simply my Friends, fear leads to worry, which leads to stress, which can end in death, both physical and spiritual. Take the example of the Israelites in Today’s Bit: Moses grew up officially as the son of Pharaoh’s daughter, but later identified with His Hebrew brethren when he saw them suffering under the oppressive hand of Pharaoh, and one day he killed an Egyptian who was abusing an Hebrew. But the next day when he tried to break up a fight between two Hebrews, the aggressor sullenly mouthed; ‘Who made thee a prince and a judge over us? intendest thou to kill me, as thou killedst the Egyptian? And Moses feared, and said, Surely this thing is known. Now when Pharaoh heard this thing, he sought to slay Moses. But Moses fled from the face of Pharaoh, and dwelt in the land of Midian.’ (Ex.2:14-15) And who can blame Moses for running when Pharaoh wanted his head and his Hebrew brethren did not appreciate his efforts to help them. ‘But this same Moses whom they refused…the same did God send to be a ruler and a deliverer…’ (Acts 7:34) many years later, when ‘the children of Israel sighed by reason of bondage, and they cried, and their cry came up unto God…And God heard their groaning and God remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob. And God looked upon the children of Israel, and God had respect unto them,’ (Ex.2:23-25) Yes Friends, that’s where the faithfulness of our God truly rises to the forefront. He remembers His promise to their Fathers and decides it’s time to act. So He finds Moses tending his father’s-in-law sheep in Midian and tells him; "I have surely seen the affliction of my people which are in Egypt, and have heard their cry by reason of their taskmasters; for I know their sorrows; and I am come to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians, and to bring them up out of that land unto a good land and a large, unto a land flowing with milk and honey. (Ex.3:7-8) And though Moses claimed he was incapable of doing the Lord’s bidding because he stammered and the Hebrew people nor Pharaoh wouldn’t listen to him, the Lord gave him Aaron as a spokesperson and put supernatural powers in his rod. But Moses’ basic problem was fear and worry about his old deeds in Egypt. The Lord had to tell him; ‘Go return into Egypt: for all the men are dead which sought thy life.’ (Ex.4:19) Moses obeyed, though still somewhat sceptical, and with Aaron gathered the Hebrew elders together. ‘And Aaron spake all the words which the Lord had spoken unto Moses, and did the signs in the sight of the people. And the people believed: and when they heard that the Lord had visited the children of Israel, and that he had looked upon their affliction, then they bowed their heads and worshipped.’ Oh Friends, both Moses and the enslaved Hebrews doubted that God could and would keep His promises, and had to be spoon fed to get them moving. As Jesus said; ‘O ye of little faith.’ It’s the same thing that’s happening to us today. The world’s reeling from a multitude of negative problems, and though we believe, these rough times are certainly trying our faith. But my people, it’s the same way God sees our current affliction, and we must believe that He’s actively working behind the scenes to alleviate our problems. Let’s not be like Moses and the Israelites, and only believe when we see signs and wonders, ‘For we walk by faith, not by sight.’ (2 Cor.5:7) And on that note, we’ll let Bruh Paul take us home: ‘and faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.’ (Heb.10:1) ‘For we are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for it? But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it.’ (Rom.8:24-25) Let’s remember one thing Friends; let it sink deep into our souls: ‘But without faith it is impossible to please him for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.’ (Heb.11:6) Much LOVE!…don’t worry…be happy…have faith…God is still in control…
Ah my Friends, today we’ll continue talking about one of the enemy’s most potent weapons in the battle for the human spirit; that simple word ‘worry.’ It seems relatively small and innocent, but believe me it’s not. It’s one of those unseen weapons that creep unobtrusively into our souls, and having quietly infiltrated it, mushrooms into the giant killer we nicely term stress. Right now, in our scared, fearful, terrorized world, it’s the biggest killer, albeit a silent one. Sometimes you don’t even know it’s there. And I can vouch for that from personal experience. A few years ago I suddenly developed some stomach pains, but all the medical tests came back negative. A little later though, I took and island vacation, and would you believe, after a few days of salt, sand, sea and rum, (smile) the pain vanished. Now I don’t recall being overly worried about anything, so stress was the furthest thing from my mind, apparently the doctor’s too. But I guess just the overall cares of life, work and LOVE must have gotten a bit much for the system and it began to rebel. Put simply my Friends, fear leads to worry, which leads to stress, which can end in death, both physical and spiritual. Take the example of the Israelites in Today’s Bit: Moses grew up officially as the son of Pharaoh’s daughter, but later identified with His Hebrew brethren when he saw them suffering under the oppressive hand of Pharaoh, and one day he killed an Egyptian who was abusing an Hebrew. But the next day when he tried to break up a fight between two Hebrews, the aggressor sullenly mouthed; ‘Who made thee a prince and a judge over us? intendest thou to kill me, as thou killedst the Egyptian? And Moses feared, and said, Surely this thing is known. Now when Pharaoh heard this thing, he sought to slay Moses. But Moses fled from the face of Pharaoh, and dwelt in the land of Midian.’ (Ex.2:14-15) And who can blame Moses for running when Pharaoh wanted his head and his Hebrew brethren did not appreciate his efforts to help them. ‘But this same Moses whom they refused…the same did God send to be a ruler and a deliverer…’ (Acts 7:34) many years later, when ‘the children of Israel sighed by reason of bondage, and they cried, and their cry came up unto God…And God heard their groaning and God remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob. And God looked upon the children of Israel, and God had respect unto them,’ (Ex.2:23-25) Yes Friends, that’s where the faithfulness of our God truly rises to the forefront. He remembers His promise to their Fathers and decides it’s time to act. So He finds Moses tending his father’s-in-law sheep in Midian and tells him; "I have surely seen the affliction of my people which are in Egypt, and have heard their cry by reason of their taskmasters; for I know their sorrows; and I am come to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians, and to bring them up out of that land unto a good land and a large, unto a land flowing with milk and honey. (Ex.3:7-8) And though Moses claimed he was incapable of doing the Lord’s bidding because he stammered and the Hebrew people nor Pharaoh wouldn’t listen to him, the Lord gave him Aaron as a spokesperson and put supernatural powers in his rod. But Moses’ basic problem was fear and worry about his old deeds in Egypt. The Lord had to tell him; ‘Go return into Egypt: for all the men are dead which sought thy life.’ (Ex.4:19) Moses obeyed, though still somewhat sceptical, and with Aaron gathered the Hebrew elders together. ‘And Aaron spake all the words which the Lord had spoken unto Moses, and did the signs in the sight of the people. And the people believed: and when they heard that the Lord had visited the children of Israel, and that he had looked upon their affliction, then they bowed their heads and worshipped.’ Oh Friends, both Moses and the enslaved Hebrews doubted that God could and would keep His promises, and had to be spoon fed to get them moving. As Jesus said; ‘O ye of little faith.’ It’s the same thing that’s happening to us today. The world’s reeling from a multitude of negative problems, and though we believe, these rough times are certainly trying our faith. But my people, it’s the same way God sees our current affliction, and we must believe that He’s actively working behind the scenes to alleviate our problems. Let’s not be like Moses and the Israelites, and only believe when we see signs and wonders, ‘For we walk by faith, not by sight.’ (2 Cor.5:7) And on that note, we’ll let Bruh Paul take us home: ‘and faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.’ (Heb.10:1) ‘For we are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for it? But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it.’ (Rom.8:24-25) Let’s remember one thing Friends; let it sink deep into our souls: ‘But without faith it is impossible to please him for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.’ (Heb.11:6) Much LOVE!…don’t worry…be happy…have faith…God is still in control…
Today’s Scrip-Bit 8 February 2009 Matthew 6:25
08 Feb 2009 Leave a comment
Matthew 6:25 Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body more than raiment?
Yes it is my Friends, especially to those who believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. But to those who worship at the altar of worldly lusts, it might not be, since they are more concerned about their earthly possessions, their high level jobs and their social position in society. This is all part of Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount. Here He’s teaching about trusting one Master. ‘No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one and LOVE the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.’ (Mat.6:24) And that’s an undeniable fact my people. You can’t serve two people at once, cause you’ll constantly be caught between a rock and a hard place. Neither can you sit on the fence, or jump from one side to the other, for as James says; ‘A double-minded man is unstable in all his ways. (James 1:8) So the long and short of the story is that you either serve God or mammon; you either look to your spiritual health or to your worldly desires, since you can’t have them both. And Friends, I’d strongly advise that you serve God rather than mammon. For if you serve the Most High God Jehovah, as Jesus says, you don’t have to worry about anything. ‘Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on…Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they? And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin: And yet I say unto you, that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these,’ (Mat.6:25-26,28-29) Wow! Can Jesus spin a tale or what! He surely can. But the basic message my brethren is that those who have an abundance of earthly possessions don’t worry about life, but those of us who don’t have much, tend to worry a lot about where the next meal is coming from, and how we’re going to put clothes on the children’s back and shoes on their feet. In general, people of lesser economic means are more concerned about their day to day existence and how they are going to fulfill their needs, but Jesus is saying not to be so disturbed about material needs that we stop trusting God, stop being obedient and faithful to Him, and start running behind mammon to get those material things. I can tell you from hard experience, that it’s oftimes in the midst of our worldly deprivation that our faith is most greatly strengthened, and worry is of the enemy, while faith is of God. Wherefore Jesus asks; ‘Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?’ He’s stressing that inner confidence and strength must come from within a man, from his Spirit, which is empowered through faith in the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, not from our outer physical needs. And if we’re always concerned about material possessions then we’ll never be secure and confident in ourselves, and even worse, we’ll miss out, foolishly deprive ourselves of God’s many spiritual blessings. Jesus backs up His contention with the examples of birds, who don’t plant, nor reap, nor store, but eat and live quite well; thanks to our Heavenly Father. The same goes for the lilies of the field; they don’t work or do anything, don’t even know how they grow, but not even Sol, that rich, smart dresser, could dress pretty like them. All because of our Creator. He wasn’t a mad scientist; He knew exactly what He was doing. So if He looks after things much less important than us so well, why wouldn’t He take care of His greatest creation eh? And he’s already promised never to leave or forsake us, and He always keeps His promises. ‘Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith?’ (Mat.6:30) And that’s exactly what it boils down to my people; lack of sufficient faith in our merciful magnanimous, ever LOVING, forgiving God. Bruh David said it long ago: ‘Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass.’ (Ps.37:5) ‘Cast thy burden upon the Lord, and he shall sustain thee; he shall never suffer the righteous to be moved.’ (Ps.55:22) And how can we leave out Bruh Paul eh? (smile) ‘Be careful for nothing; but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.’ (Phil.4:6) Peter said it thus: ‘Casting all your care on him, for he careth for you.’ (1 Pet.5:7) I know that this is all easier said than done Friends, especially when rations and raiment are in short supply, and no parent likes to see their children deprived of basic needs, however, it all comes down to what’s more important to us. But listen to Jesus: ‘Therefore take no thought saying, what shall we eat? or, what shall we drink? or, wherewithal shall we be clothed? (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. But seek ye first the Kingdom of God, and his righteousness and all these things shall be added unto you.’ (Mat.6:31-33) Yes my brethren, truer words were never spoken. As Cousin Charles, Charles Stanley would say, just do your best and leave all the consequences to God. Much LOVE!…it’s all about…hope…belief…and undying faith…
Yes it is my Friends, especially to those who believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. But to those who worship at the altar of worldly lusts, it might not be, since they are more concerned about their earthly possessions, their high level jobs and their social position in society. This is all part of Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount. Here He’s teaching about trusting one Master. ‘No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one and LOVE the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.’ (Mat.6:24) And that’s an undeniable fact my people. You can’t serve two people at once, cause you’ll constantly be caught between a rock and a hard place. Neither can you sit on the fence, or jump from one side to the other, for as James says; ‘A double-minded man is unstable in all his ways. (James 1:8) So the long and short of the story is that you either serve God or mammon; you either look to your spiritual health or to your worldly desires, since you can’t have them both. And Friends, I’d strongly advise that you serve God rather than mammon. For if you serve the Most High God Jehovah, as Jesus says, you don’t have to worry about anything. ‘Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on…Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they? And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin: And yet I say unto you, that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these,’ (Mat.6:25-26,28-29) Wow! Can Jesus spin a tale or what! He surely can. But the basic message my brethren is that those who have an abundance of earthly possessions don’t worry about life, but those of us who don’t have much, tend to worry a lot about where the next meal is coming from, and how we’re going to put clothes on the children’s back and shoes on their feet. In general, people of lesser economic means are more concerned about their day to day existence and how they are going to fulfill their needs, but Jesus is saying not to be so disturbed about material needs that we stop trusting God, stop being obedient and faithful to Him, and start running behind mammon to get those material things. I can tell you from hard experience, that it’s oftimes in the midst of our worldly deprivation that our faith is most greatly strengthened, and worry is of the enemy, while faith is of God. Wherefore Jesus asks; ‘Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?’ He’s stressing that inner confidence and strength must come from within a man, from his Spirit, which is empowered through faith in the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, not from our outer physical needs. And if we’re always concerned about material possessions then we’ll never be secure and confident in ourselves, and even worse, we’ll miss out, foolishly deprive ourselves of God’s many spiritual blessings. Jesus backs up His contention with the examples of birds, who don’t plant, nor reap, nor store, but eat and live quite well; thanks to our Heavenly Father. The same goes for the lilies of the field; they don’t work or do anything, don’t even know how they grow, but not even Sol, that rich, smart dresser, could dress pretty like them. All because of our Creator. He wasn’t a mad scientist; He knew exactly what He was doing. So if He looks after things much less important than us so well, why wouldn’t He take care of His greatest creation eh? And he’s already promised never to leave or forsake us, and He always keeps His promises. ‘Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith?’ (Mat.6:30) And that’s exactly what it boils down to my people; lack of sufficient faith in our merciful magnanimous, ever LOVING, forgiving God. Bruh David said it long ago: ‘Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass.’ (Ps.37:5) ‘Cast thy burden upon the Lord, and he shall sustain thee; he shall never suffer the righteous to be moved.’ (Ps.55:22) And how can we leave out Bruh Paul eh? (smile) ‘Be careful for nothing; but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.’ (Phil.4:6) Peter said it thus: ‘Casting all your care on him, for he careth for you.’ (1 Pet.5:7) I know that this is all easier said than done Friends, especially when rations and raiment are in short supply, and no parent likes to see their children deprived of basic needs, however, it all comes down to what’s more important to us. But listen to Jesus: ‘Therefore take no thought saying, what shall we eat? or, what shall we drink? or, wherewithal shall we be clothed? (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. But seek ye first the Kingdom of God, and his righteousness and all these things shall be added unto you.’ (Mat.6:31-33) Yes my brethren, truer words were never spoken. As Cousin Charles, Charles Stanley would say, just do your best and leave all the consequences to God. Much LOVE!…it’s all about…hope…belief…and undying faith…
Today’s Scrip-Bit 7 February 2009 Isaiah 49:13
07 Feb 2009 Leave a comment
Isaiah 49:13 Sing, O heavens; and be joyful, O earth; and break forth into singing, O mountains: for the Lord hath comforted his people, and will have mercy upon his afflicted.
Oh Friends, do the wonders and promises of our Most Holy Lord ever cease? No! Never! Here, He’s promising that Israel will be restored to Zion. ‘Thus saith the Lord, the Redeemer of Israel, and his Holy One, to him whom man despiseth, to him whom the nation abhorreth, to a servant of rulers, Kings shall see and arise, princes also shall worship, because the Lord is faithful, and the Holy One of Israel, and he shall choose thee…In an acceptable time have I heard thee, and in a day of salvation have I helped thee: and I will preserve thee, and give thee for a covenant of the people, to establish the earth, to cause to inherit the desolate heritages.’ (Is.49:7-8) Though Israel be wicked and disobedient, and though He destroys Jerusalem and scatter them to the ends of the earth, yet His faithfulness is such, that having made a covenant with them, chosen them for His people, one day, at a time acceptable to Him, He’ll redeem them, provide salvation, and bring them all back from whence they were scattered. Now isn’t that a wonderful God? His heart is so full of unconditional LOVE for us that though we be utterly sinful and insist on marching to the beat of our own drum, He will not wholly destroy us, will even provide salvation in the form of His Son, Jesus, so that we go not down into the endless pit of eternal darkness that sinners rightfully deserve. Oh people, it’s such a magnanimous act on God’s part; redeeming and saving us from everlasting death that Isaiah decreed it worthy of monumental action: ‘Sing, O heavens; and be joyful, O earth; and break forth into singing, O mountains: for the Lord hath comforted his people, and will have mercy upon his afflicted.’ And all God’s people sang: ‘Praise Him that’s worthy to be praised! Glory Hallelujah!’ Yes my Friends, as I keep repeating, that’s the magnificent kind of God we worship, where though He punishes for continual disobedience, yet will He apply mercy to His decisions of justice, using the same attributes He wants us to adopt and develop; attributes of LOVE, Forgiveness, Kindness, Patience and Long-suffering. Note people, He doesn’t ask us to do anything that He does not practice himself. The sole idea behind all His machinations is simply to bring us into conformity with Him; to mould us as closely as humanly possible to His outstanding character, where we’re not afraid to walk this wicked earth in peace, LOVE and understanding, glorifying Him and treating each other with respect and brotherly affection. But judging from the current state of our world, that seems like an incredibly difficult thing to do. What with all the strife that’s presently taking place, between families, neighbours and nations, it appears that peace and brotherly affection no longer exist in our vocabulary, or you’re considered old fashioned or crazy when you advocate a more peaceful and affectionate world. But Friends, this crazy path of destruction on which we seem hell bent is no way to live. It’s insane and stupid when we have all the natural wonders that God’s provided, and enough of everything to go around if a few of us weren’t so greedy and ‘gravelicious’ and want much more than we can ever use. And the sad part is that we can’t take any of it with us. So why the greed, the hoarding, the accumulating of worldly possessions eh? If our Great God, Jehovah can be merciful, forgiving and kind to us worthless sinners, to the point of sending His one Son, Jesus, to die for us, why can’t we be kind and forgiving to each other eh? Instead of being literally at each other’s throats, walking in fear and trepidation, not knowing if our next breath will be our last because of all the senseless violence that’s currently been perpetrated, where you’re not even safe behind your gated compounds and iron barred windows. Friends, it doesn’t have to be this way. We can change it if we really want to. I’m not sure if it has to start at the top with the leaders, the wealthy and the power brokers making wiser decisions, for the benefit of all, rather than for a small greedy, deceitful group; or if it needs to come from the bottom, with the people rising up like a groundswell, demanding better. It’s most likely though some combination of the two, for it takes both hands to clap. I just know that we can’t continue down the negative path of self-destruction we’re currently treading. My brethren, our only hope is to reconnect with the Lord, and strengthen that connection so that nothing in Lucifer’s arsenal can break it. Let’s remember that our God is faithful, and this promise to Israel long ago, still holds true for all who believe in His Son Jesus. ‘I the Lord have called thee in righteousness, and will hold thine hand, and will keep thee, and give thee for a covenant of the people, for a light of the Gentiles. To open blind eyes, to bring out the prisoners from the prison, and them that sit in darkness out of the prison house.’ (Is.42:6-7) Yes Friends, that’s exactly what we’re called to do; open the eyes of those in darkness, to the light of Jesus, our Lord and Saviour. He’s depending on us to bring all of His children to salvation. We can’t afford to let Him down after all He’s done for us. And the best way to start is if we all ‘Sing unto the Lord a new song, and his praise from the end of the earth, ye that go down to the sea and all that is therein: the isles, and the inhabitants thereof. Let the wilderness and the cities thereof lift up their voice…let the inhabitants of the rock sing, let them shout from the tops of the mountains. Let them give glory unto the Lord, and declare his praise in the islands.’ (Is.42:10-12) Oh my people, immense strength, power, guidance and direction overflow our spirits when we all raise our voices to God in praise and glory. Let’s reenergize our walk with God by doing that today nuh. Much LOVE!…to walk with God…is to walk in everlasting light…
Oh Friends, do the wonders and promises of our Most Holy Lord ever cease? No! Never! Here, He’s promising that Israel will be restored to Zion. ‘Thus saith the Lord, the Redeemer of Israel, and his Holy One, to him whom man despiseth, to him whom the nation abhorreth, to a servant of rulers, Kings shall see and arise, princes also shall worship, because the Lord is faithful, and the Holy One of Israel, and he shall choose thee…In an acceptable time have I heard thee, and in a day of salvation have I helped thee: and I will preserve thee, and give thee for a covenant of the people, to establish the earth, to cause to inherit the desolate heritages.’ (Is.49:7-8) Though Israel be wicked and disobedient, and though He destroys Jerusalem and scatter them to the ends of the earth, yet His faithfulness is such, that having made a covenant with them, chosen them for His people, one day, at a time acceptable to Him, He’ll redeem them, provide salvation, and bring them all back from whence they were scattered. Now isn’t that a wonderful God? His heart is so full of unconditional LOVE for us that though we be utterly sinful and insist on marching to the beat of our own drum, He will not wholly destroy us, will even provide salvation in the form of His Son, Jesus, so that we go not down into the endless pit of eternal darkness that sinners rightfully deserve. Oh people, it’s such a magnanimous act on God’s part; redeeming and saving us from everlasting death that Isaiah decreed it worthy of monumental action: ‘Sing, O heavens; and be joyful, O earth; and break forth into singing, O mountains: for the Lord hath comforted his people, and will have mercy upon his afflicted.’ And all God’s people sang: ‘Praise Him that’s worthy to be praised! Glory Hallelujah!’ Yes my Friends, as I keep repeating, that’s the magnificent kind of God we worship, where though He punishes for continual disobedience, yet will He apply mercy to His decisions of justice, using the same attributes He wants us to adopt and develop; attributes of LOVE, Forgiveness, Kindness, Patience and Long-suffering. Note people, He doesn’t ask us to do anything that He does not practice himself. The sole idea behind all His machinations is simply to bring us into conformity with Him; to mould us as closely as humanly possible to His outstanding character, where we’re not afraid to walk this wicked earth in peace, LOVE and understanding, glorifying Him and treating each other with respect and brotherly affection. But judging from the current state of our world, that seems like an incredibly difficult thing to do. What with all the strife that’s presently taking place, between families, neighbours and nations, it appears that peace and brotherly affection no longer exist in our vocabulary, or you’re considered old fashioned or crazy when you advocate a more peaceful and affectionate world. But Friends, this crazy path of destruction on which we seem hell bent is no way to live. It’s insane and stupid when we have all the natural wonders that God’s provided, and enough of everything to go around if a few of us weren’t so greedy and ‘gravelicious’ and want much more than we can ever use. And the sad part is that we can’t take any of it with us. So why the greed, the hoarding, the accumulating of worldly possessions eh? If our Great God, Jehovah can be merciful, forgiving and kind to us worthless sinners, to the point of sending His one Son, Jesus, to die for us, why can’t we be kind and forgiving to each other eh? Instead of being literally at each other’s throats, walking in fear and trepidation, not knowing if our next breath will be our last because of all the senseless violence that’s currently been perpetrated, where you’re not even safe behind your gated compounds and iron barred windows. Friends, it doesn’t have to be this way. We can change it if we really want to. I’m not sure if it has to start at the top with the leaders, the wealthy and the power brokers making wiser decisions, for the benefit of all, rather than for a small greedy, deceitful group; or if it needs to come from the bottom, with the people rising up like a groundswell, demanding better. It’s most likely though some combination of the two, for it takes both hands to clap. I just know that we can’t continue down the negative path of self-destruction we’re currently treading. My brethren, our only hope is to reconnect with the Lord, and strengthen that connection so that nothing in Lucifer’s arsenal can break it. Let’s remember that our God is faithful, and this promise to Israel long ago, still holds true for all who believe in His Son Jesus. ‘I the Lord have called thee in righteousness, and will hold thine hand, and will keep thee, and give thee for a covenant of the people, for a light of the Gentiles. To open blind eyes, to bring out the prisoners from the prison, and them that sit in darkness out of the prison house.’ (Is.42:6-7) Yes Friends, that’s exactly what we’re called to do; open the eyes of those in darkness, to the light of Jesus, our Lord and Saviour. He’s depending on us to bring all of His children to salvation. We can’t afford to let Him down after all He’s done for us. And the best way to start is if we all ‘Sing unto the Lord a new song, and his praise from the end of the earth, ye that go down to the sea and all that is therein: the isles, and the inhabitants thereof. Let the wilderness and the cities thereof lift up their voice…let the inhabitants of the rock sing, let them shout from the tops of the mountains. Let them give glory unto the Lord, and declare his praise in the islands.’ (Is.42:10-12) Oh my people, immense strength, power, guidance and direction overflow our spirits when we all raise our voices to God in praise and glory. Let’s reenergize our walk with God by doing that today nuh. Much LOVE!…to walk with God…is to walk in everlasting light…
