Today’s Scrip-Bit 11 May 2016 Isaiah 55:6

Isaiah 55:6.    Seek ye the Lord while he may be found, call upon him while he is near.

Yo mih Scrip-Bit breddren! What’s up with us this glorious Wednesday morning on God’s great earth eh? I do hope that we are all excited about the day that’s going to be filled with an awesome downpour of heavenly blessings and mercies from our awesome God! 
 
Isn’t he something else my people? He surely is! Wonderful is His name! Providing such good stuff for us each and every day, walking with us along our way, leading and guiding us safely with comfort and undying LOVE, like the Good Shepherd that He is… 
 
Oh it just makes me want to cry out with joy, and shout ‘Glory Hallelujah!’ every time I think about His unfailing goodness and mercy towards me! And I know you all feel the same way too, otherwise you wouldn’t be the true and ardent followers of Jesus Christ that you are! 
 
Glory be, mih people! We have such a marvellous God, please, let’s do our very best to worship and honour Him with all our hearts, souls, mind and bodies nuh, for that is what He so rightly deserves. And to help us do that, let’s declare our Wednesday Wail with great gusto, enthusiasm and sincerity of heart. 
 
As one wailer now: ‘Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: I’m so glad to be alive on this Wednesday! Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: Thank God the breath of life is still flowing through me on this Wednesday! I am halfway home. 
 
My hands are fixed securely on the plough, and I’m not turning back. I’m not looking back at the past, not focusing on what has gone before. But my eyes are fixed straight ahead; straight ahead to a glorious future with Jesus. Glory Hallelujah!’ 
 
Oh friends, oh friends, I don’t know about you all nuh, but I for one am exceedingly glad to be alive and kicking today! I haven’t seen my name in the obits, so it just means that I’ve been granted another glorious opportunity to live and work for Christ! 
 
And I know you’ll agree that there’s nothing better than that in this earthly life my brethren! He’s been so good to us that the least we can do to show our sincere appreciation is to live our lives on His behalf, spread the good news of His gospel, His great LOVE and faithfulness to all and sundry, His heartfelt call to each and everyone to come to Him and receive salvation and eternal life! 
 
Oh what could be better than that eh folks? Nothing really! But just remember that living for Jesus is not an easy row to hoe; it’s fraught with disappointments and problems, but if we stick with Him, keep our hands steadfast on the plough, always looking forward, He WILL enable us to do what is necessary. 
 
Our faith though, our desire to do His will must be real strong in order to overcome the lies and deceit the enemy will throw at us every living day. And that can only happen when we consistently read his Word, communicate with Him through prayer and be obedient to His will. That’s what strengthens our faith and trust. 
 
And for those of us who are struggling with our faith, possibly filled with some doubt and anxiety, here’s some interesting advice from our friend Anselm, who is always aspiring to inspire us for a better tomorrow. And Anselm tells us that ‘ Getting over a painful experience is much like crossing monkey bars. You have to let go at some point in order to move forward.’ 
 
And that’s gospel truth friends! We can never move forward unless we let go of something behind us, of whatever is holding us back. Remember Jesus and all the prophets kept reminding us not to fear, for we are in the BEST of hands. 
 
And though we all know that that is easier said than done, it is possible if we confidently call on our great God for His awesome, never denied help. That’s why our Bit so wisely advises us to: ‘Seek ye the Lord while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near.’ And that is such an awesome piece of wisdom my people! 
 
Now listen to how Isaiah begins that chapter of a free offer of mercy to all. ‘Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money; come ye, buy, and eat; yea, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price. 
 
Wherefore do ye spend money for that which is not bread? And your labour for that which satisfieth not? hearken diligently unto me, and eat ye that which is good, and let your soul delight itself in fatness (abundance). Incline your ear, and come unto me: hear, and your soul shall live, and I will make an everlasting covenant with you, even the sure mercies of David.’ (Is.55:1-3) 
 
Oh friends, where can we ever get a better offer than that eh? NOWHERE! 
 
And we’ll end with this explanation from the scholars. ’55:1-7. God’s free gift of salvation is offered to all who will receive it. Those who are spiritually hungry and thirsty may come to eat and drink without money (or freely). He promises an everlasting covenant to the Gentiles like the one He established with Israel. His invitation to all men is clearly stated by the appeal, Seek ye the Lord and call ye upon him.’ 
 
Oh my people, my people, the Lord kept His promise and established a covenant wit us Gentiles through His wonderful Son Jesus Christ! Now it’s our turn to do our part in keeping that covenant. 
Please, let’s allow wisdom to abound in our souls nuh, whereby we diligently and sincerely seek our wonderful God and call upon Him in confidence and trust, for that’s what He desires of us. Much LOVE!
 
…in all circumstances…whom shall we call first…Almighty God…

Today’s Scrip-Bit 13 April 2016 Luke 9:23‏

Luke 9:23.   And he said to them all, If any man will (desires to) come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.

Well, well my people, it’s another bright, sunshiny day in the life! Let’s hope it’s at least a tad warmer than yesterday, as we hopefully move into true spring-like weather by the weekend. And all God’s people in the northern climes declared a loud ‘Glory Hallelujah!’ 

Yeh friends, the crazy weather fluctuations do begin to get frustrating after a while. However, the good news is that it’s Wednesday, and therefore we are bold to confess and declare our Wednesday Wail. So as one good wailer, let’s wail nuh mih breddren, with sincerity and a true sense of purpose. 

‘Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: I’m so glad to be alive on this Wednesday! Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: Thank God the breath of life is still flowing through me on this Wednesday! I am halfway home. 

My hands are fixed securely on the plough, and I’m not turning back. I’m not looking back at the past, not focusing on what has gone before. But my eyes are fixed straight ahead; straight ahead to a glorious future with Jesus. Glory Hallelujah!’ 

Oh friends, that was beautiful! I could hear the sincerity in our delivery. And why shouldn’t  there be sincerity eh? We’re alive and kicking, doing our best to be Christ-like and mature more and more in our Christian walk of faith each day. 

We know what Jesus has promised and what He’s already done for us, therefore we are standing strong and steadfast in His Word, doing His will and looking forward to the wonderful future He has planned for us, not only in the many mansions in heaven, but also down here on earth. 

And yes my people, as Bruh David said, he don’t know what he would have done, had he not expected to see God’s goodness and LOVING-kindness down here. And Jesus also declared that He had come that we might have life, and have it abundantly. 

So earthly living, though it can often be rough, is not meant to be a hell on earth, but more a heaven on earth! Therefore let’s get our minds focused on God’s goodness down here nuh, not simply on the rough spells we sometimes must go through. 

Remember, life might not be fair, but God is GOOD my people, and if we live sincerely for Him, He will pour our His blessings on us. 

And in light of all of that, it is imperative that we do as our Bit dictates. ‘And he said to them all, If any man will (desires to) come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.’ 

Oh precious people, I know that sounds somewhat harsh and laborious, but it really isn’t, because the essence of taking up one’s cross daily and following Jesus is simply living in His will; trying to do what’s right, reading the Bible, praying, fellowshipping, maturing, treating others as we want them to treat us. It’s just the everyday things of Christian living and discipleship. 

Now, no one says it’s easy, but with God’s help it is doable, and yuh better believe, it’s always interesting. So please, let’s not allow the idea of taking up our cross daily, yes daily, turn us off. The important thing is to put Jesus FIRST in ALL that we do and say. For as He said yesterday, whoever puts anything or anybody before Him, is not worthy of Him. (Matt.10:36-39) 

And today, He is telling the disciples to not be afraid of what man can do to them, because our heavenly father has us covered, so much so that even the hairs on our head are numbered. Sorry for those of you who have no hair. (smile) 

So with truth, sincerity and power, Jesus declares: ‘Fear them not therefore: for there is nothing covered (veiled), that shall not be revealed; and hid, that shall not be known. What I tell you in darkness, that speak ye in light: and what ye hear in the air, that preach ye upon the housetops. 

And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell… 

Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven. But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven.’ (Matt.10:26-28; 32-33) 

Ah mih people, it couldn’t be any clearer than that nuh. Don’t be afraid! Jesus said that numerous times to the disciples, and He’s still saying it to us today. But unfortunately we don’t seem to have the faith and belief and spunk that the disciples eventually gained, because we are not standing up as strong as we ought to for Jesus. 

We are allowing the evil and ungodly world to just dismantle all that our Christian forefathers spent their lives building without a serious fight. We need to put up friends, or simply shut up! 

And we’ll close with some interesting explanations from the scholars. ’10:32-37. Confess me means “Acknowledge that you belong to Me.” In reality, secret discipleship is a practical impossibility. Jesus constantly called for an open confession of Himself by His followers. 

That our confession is to be before men clearly indicates that a public confession of true Christian faith is a virtual necessity. The warning whosoever shall deny me is a comprehensive historical aorist (no limitation) tense, referring not to one moment of denial (such as Peter’s), but to an entire lifelong resistance to Christ. 

Therefore, a single act of denial does not make one unworthy of being a disciple, but a refusal to confess Christ at all, eliminates one from being a true follower of Jesus Christ.’ 

There we have it friends, in black and white! We cannot continually deny Jesus and expect to be His disciple. We must acknowledge Him without fear of reprisals. For He has promised to never leave nor forsake us, and to be a true believer, we must accept Him and His words as gospel truth. Otherwise, we’re just fooling ourselves, and that’s a real sad thing to do. Much LOVE!

…walking sincerely with Jesus is often a hard row to hoe…but hoe it we must…and with the Lord’s help…hoe it we will…  

P.S. Late though it be, it’s value is still priceless. (smile) Much LOVE!

 

 

 

Today’s Scrip-Bit 16 March 2016 Judges 5:3‏

Judges 5:3.   Hear,  O ye kings; give ear, O ye princes: I, even I, will sing praise to the Lord God of Israel.

Oh my people, another beautiful day has dawned on God’s great earth, and along with it our responsibility to walk like the children of God that we are! Glory Hallelujah! 

And our God is so great that He gives us all the tools we need to do His work. Glory to God! 

So let’s not bicker and complain this glorious Wednesday morn. Instead, let’s raise our voices and wail our Wednesday Wail with joyful enthusiasm and grateful appreciation. 

As one now: ‘Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: I’m so glad to be alive on this Wednesday! Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: Thank God the breath of life is still flowing through me on this Wednesday! I am halfway home. 

My hands are fixed securely on the plough, and I’m not turning back. I’m not looking back at the past, not focusing on what has gone before. But my eyes are fixed straight ahead; straight ahead to a glorious future with Jesus. Glory Hallelujah!’ 

Yes precious people, that’s what we ought to be doing and feeling; be grateful that we’re still alive, for a lot of others names are in the obits today, but not ours. For that we ought to be rather thankful. 

Then we have to be serious about doing God’s work; being diligent and steadfast about it, while believing and looking forward to a wonderful future with Jesus, both down here on earth, and then in heaven for all eternity. 

And all Jesus’ followers declared loud, proud and grateful: ‘Glory to God! Thank You Lord for giving us Jesus as our Messiah, Advocate, Saviour, Brother and Friend! We faithfully promise to do His work, serve, worship and LOVE Him for evermore! Amen.’ 

Now please remember what Cousin Sol says about promises in Ecclesiastes. ‘When thou vowest a vow unto God, defer (delay) not to pay it; for he hath no pleasure in fools: pay that which thou hast vowed. Better it is that thou shouldest not vow, than that thou shouldest vow and not pay.’ (Eccl.5:4-5) 

Yes friends, that puts us on the spot, for we have just promised to serve and worship Jesus Christ for ever. So please, let’s not break that vow, let’s keep paying it each and every day, so that we don’t end up as fools in God’s sight. 

And today I want to share a poem from our One Year Book of Bible Promises with writings by Ruth Harms Calkin, simply titled ‘It’s Good.’ 

Please pray with me. ‘God, it’s good to be LOVED by You! The breathtaking knowledge Of Your life-giving LOVE Rings chimes in my tremulous heart. It fashions eternal declarations Out of unsettled questions. It creates a majestic life symphony from a solitary note. God, it’s good to be LOVED by You!’ 

And isn’t that the awesome truth my brethren! It’s so wonderful to be LOVED by a God as powerful and merciful and forgiving and understanding as ours! Give Him the thanks and praise He rightfully deserves my people! 

And the biblical promise for that prayer comes from Psalm 89 – God’s sure promises to David. Ethan the Ezrahite opens it thus: ‘I will sing of the mercies of the Lord for ever: with my mouth will I make known thy faithfulness to all generations.’ (Ps.89:1) 

And does that ever fit right in with our Bit, our continuing desire to sing praises to our great God. ‘Hear,  O ye kings; give ear, O ye princes: I, even I, will sing praise to the Lord God of Israel.’ 

Oh my fellow believers, I don’t think that we do that as much as we should. We don’t seem to have time, or make time to do as Bruh Paul directed the Ephesians. ‘And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess (dissipation); but be filled with the Spirit; 

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.5:18-21) 

Yes friends, that’s how we ought to conduct our lives as true believing Christians! Unfortunately though, not enough of us are doing it to the extent that we should, and that’s why we are not making as powerful a difference in this evil world as we should. 

And we’ll close today with some valuable info from the scholars on those verses. ‘5:19-21. There are four results of being Spirit filled (v.18): (1) believers speak to one another with psalms, and hymns, and spiritual songs; that is, they exhort and instruct each other; 

(2) there is singing and the making of melody, of individual song and praise for the Lord; (3) there is giving thanks always – the Spirit enables the Christian to be grateful for all things divinely allowed to enter his life since they will be used for good;  

(4) there is mutual submission, that is, showing deference to the wishes of one another, as long as that to which the believer submits is in the fear of God, which is to say, in accord with what pleases Him.’ 

And there we have it my brethren; the way we ought to conduct ourselves as true believers in Christ. I therefore implore us, starting today, right now, to get on track and give thanks and sing praises to our wonderful God, the way we ought to, for that is indeed wisdom of the highest order. Much LOVE!

…I will praise the name of God with a song…and will magnify him with thanksgiving… (Ps.69:30)

 

 

Today’s Scrip-Bit 23 December 2015 2 Chronicles 26:5‏

2 Chronicles 26:5.  And he sought God in the days of Zechariah who had understanding in the visions (fear) of God: and as long as he sought the Lord, God made him to prosper.

Well mih precious people, we down to two days now! Yes, only two more days to that wonderful and marvellous day called Christmas, when the Christ-child, our Saviour, Lord and Redeemer was born! So in honour of that most auspicious occasion let’s give some sacrificial praise and thanksgiving nuh, by singing this beautiful carol. 

All together, in full voice now: ‘O come all ye faithful joyful and triumphant Oh come ye O come ye to Bethlehem; come and behold him born the King of angels; Oh come let us adore Him, Oh come let us adore Him, O come let us adore Him, Christ the Lord. 

God of God light of light Lo, He abhors not the virgin’s womb; Very God begotten not created: Oh come let us adore Him, Oh come let us adore Him, O come let us adore Him, Christ The Lord. 

Sing choirs of angels sing in exultation Sing all ye citizens of heaven above; Glory to God in the highest: Oh come let us adore Him, Oh come let us adore Him, O come, let us adore Him, Christ The Lord. 

See how the shepherds summoned to his cradle, leaving their flocks, draw nigh with lowly fear we too will thither hend our joyful footsteps; Oh come let us adore Him, Oh come let us adore Him, O come, let us adore Him, Christ the Lord.’ 

Oh Friends, I do hope that brought some Christmas cheer and joy into our spirits as we sang about the imminent birth of Jesus. We need to be continually reminded that Jesus IS the reason for the season! Glory to God! 

And since it’s Wednesday, we also need to proclaim our Wednesday Wail. Again, as ONE, in full voice. ‘Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: I’m so glad to be alive on this Wednesday! Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: Thank God the breath of life is still flowing through me on this Wednesday! I am halfway home. 

My hands are fixed securely on the plough, and I’m not turning back. I’m not looking back at the past, not focusing on what has gone before. But my eyes are fixed straight ahead; straight ahead to a glorious future with Jesus. Glory Hallelujah!’ 

And isn’t that the glorious truth my brethren! We’re all glad to be alive, with our hands fixed securely on the plough, looking towards the wonderful future with Jesus that’s ahead of us. Give Him some well-deserved praise my people for what He’s done so selflessly and sacrificially for us! 

Now let’s turn to our Bit. I believe today is the final day for it, but it’s something we should mark indelibly in our hearts minds and souls so that we can wisely do what it says. 

And he sought God in the days of Zechariah who had understanding in the visions (fear) of God: and as long as he sought the Lord, God made him to prosper.’ 

Now that’s truth in spades friends! Whenever we seek the Lord in sincerity and truth, He will allow us to prosper in all facets of life. But if we don’t, then we’ll pay the price. 

Yesterday we saw how Uzziah got ahead of himself when he tried to burn incense in the temple, when he full well knew that that was the priest’s job, and he was immediately felled with a lifetime of leprosy. 

Today, we’ll look at another king Asa, who also thought he was above God’s power and presence, and after starting out good, ended up poorly by not taking all his problems to God, but tried fixing then himself. And the Good Book tells us that after Asa straightened out Judah, with the Lord’s help obviously, there was no more war for thirty-five years. (2 Chr.15:19). 

However, thereafter, Baasha, the king of Israel, the other Jewish kingdom, made war against Judah, but unwisely, instead of turning to the God of his fathers for help, Asa made a treaty with Benhadad, king of Syria. And although with the help of the Syrians, Judah won the war, the Lord’s displeasure fell on him. 

The Good Book reports it thus: ‘And at that time Hanani the seer came to Asa king of Judah, and said unto him, Because thou hast relied on the king of Syria, and not relied on the Lord thy God, therefore is the host (army) of the king of Syria escaped out of thine hand. Were not the Ethiopians and the Lubim a huge host, with very many chariots and horsemen? 

Yet, because thou didst rely on the Lord, he delivered them into thine hand. For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward (at peace with, or loyal to) him. 

Herein thou hast done foolishly: therefore from henceforth thou shalt have wars. Then Asa was wroth with the seer, and put him in a prison house; for he was in a rage with him because of this thing. And Asa oppressed some of the people the same time.’ (2 Chr.16:7-10) 

Oh friends, how come we so quickly forget what the Lord has done for us eh? So much so that when we get strong, we become too big for out britches and turn away from the Lord. 

And the sad part of the story is that even after Asa was shown his fault, he never remembered that God had caused him to be all that he was, and was so angry with Hanani that he threw him into prison and began oppressing his people. 

Now contrast that attitude with Bruh David’s when the prophet Nathan draped him up over his behaviour with Bathsheba and her husband Uriah. His response was to cry out to God for mercy and forgiveness instead of getting on his high horse like Asa: 

‘Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy LOVING-kindness: according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin is ever before me.’ (Ps.51:1-3)  

Yes my fellow believers, that’s how we are to react when the Lord convicts us of our transgressions, not like Asa. And the Lord forgave Bruh David in his humble repentance. But listen to Asa’s fate for his foolish pride. 

‘And Asa in the thirty and ninth year of his reign was diseased in his feet, until his disease was exceeding great: yet in his disease he sought not the Lord, but to the physicians.’ (2 Chr.16:12) 

Oh how sad my people! Even in the time of his tribulation, he refused to turn back to God! What happens to our minds when we get strong and powerful eh? How can we ever forget that it’s God who brought us to the dance and who will also take us home? 

There must be something about strength and power that curdles our minds like milk gone sour and bad. I guess like the man says, ‘power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.’ 

Please my people, let’s never forget where all our blessings and mercies and grace and forgiveness come from, so that we won’t have to be cut down to size by our heavenly Father. Now that’s wisdom at its zenith! Much LOVE!

…it is the Lord who gives us power to get wealth…the Lord also removes that power…therefore…the Lord giveth and the Lord taketh…please remember that…

P.S. Sorry about the lateness of the Bit Friends, but it was one of those late nights and thus late mornings. (smile) Much LOVE!

 

 

Today’s Scrip-Bit 14 October 2015 Hebrews 11:1

Hebrews 11:1.  Now faith is the substance (realization) of things hoped for, the evidence (conviction) of things not seen.

Aye Friends, can you believe it’s Wednesday already? Wow! Our workweek is almost done… Glory to God! 

And I do hope that you were all bright eyed and bushy tailed when you arose this morning. Sorry to say that ole fella was not. I had a rather rude awakening with cramps in both calves that forced me to get up. But thankfully they never lasted long. 

I guess it was just the Lord’s way of getting my attention, since it was the agreed time for me to get up, and I really didn’t want to. He can certainly move in mysterious and devious ways when He is ready. (smile) 

And then when I heard the garbage truck in the area, knowing that I had not even collected the stuff in the house, much less put it out on the curb, I dragged myself to get it done, all the time obstructed by the bag and tubing of my I.V. 

Praise the Lord though that it is supposed to come out today! I couldn’t handle the inconvenience and scratching around the needle in my hand for even one more day. And that’s my story of woe for today! (smile) 

Oh…and since it is Wednesday, that means it’s wailing time. So let’s wail nuh, with sincerity and passion. ‘Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: I’m so glad to be alive on this Wednesday! Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: Thank God the breath of life is still flowing through me on this Wednesday! I am halfway home. 

My hands are fixed securely on the plough, and I’m not turning back. I’m not looking back at the past, not focusing on what has gone before. But my eyes are fixed straight ahead; straight ahead to a glorious future with Jesus. Glory Hallelujah!’ 

Oh yes my people, the road lies straight ahead to a glorious future with our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Glory to God! What a wonderful opportunity it is to be linked up with Jesus! I don’t understand how so many people refuse it, and some even give it up nuh. 

To me that’s the height of stupidity, because there’s nothing in this ungodly, and evil world that even comes close to the salvation and satisfaction promised by Christ. I guess they don’t have the parts, the patience, the wisdom or the faith to trust their lives to their Creator. 

And on that point, here is a li’l poem from Gramps Schuller (Robert H. Schuller) from the Hour of Power Devotional on that powerful and ever so important topic of ‘FAITH.’ 

Please pray with me: ‘Lord, I believe in the sun, even when it is behind the clouds; in the seed, even when it lies unsprouted under the ground; in faith, even when I have been betrayed; in LOVE, even when I have been rejected; in hope, even when I have been hurt; in God, even when you do not answer my prayers. Amen.’ 

Ah mih breddren , that’s what it means to have faith! That even when we can’t see any movement in the natural, we still know and believe spiritually, that our amazing, gracious and most merciful God is still working behind the scenes on our behalf! That definitely deserves another ‘Glory to God!’ (smile) 

And since we’re talking about faith, I guess the most appropriate Bit for today would be this explanation from Hebrews. ‘Now faith is the substance (realization) of things hoped for, the evidence (conviction) of things not seen.’ 

And the scholars offer this extensive explanation on the subject. ’11:1. Verse 1 is not so much a definition of what faith is, as it is a description of what faith does (cf.11:6). Two truths concerning its activity are stated here. 

First, faith provides substance (Gr. hypostasis). Though broad in its usage, this Greek word normally has the meaning of “assurance” in the New Testament (cf. 3:14; 2 Cor.9:4; 11:17) and this seems to be the best sense here. 

Second, faith provides evidence (Gr. elegchos). It is evidence in the sense of proof that results in conviction. The difference between assurance and evidence would be minimal were it not for the phrase qualifying each: of things hoped for and of things not seen. 

The first involves future hope; the second involves present realities that are unseen. The first includes the hope of the resurrection, the return of Christ, and the glorification of the saints. The second involves unseen realities, such as forgiveness of sin through Christ’s sacrifice and the present intercession of Christ in heaven. Hope is faith relating to the future; conviction is faith relating to the present.’ 

Ah Friends, it’s a long and somewhat involved explanation, but if you take your time and read it, I’m sure you’ll understand what the scholars are trying to say. 

In a nutshell, faith is a spiritual reality that causes us to have hope in Jesus Christ, both in the here and now and in the future! It’s what keeps us going when in the natural things don’t seem to be going or turning out the way we desire. 

However, because of that faith and trust in the promises of Jesus, we KNOW that He is on the case, working things out for our good, to fall into line with the good plan He has for each and every one of our lives. And we certainly can’t ask for more than that! 

So today, please, I implore us to get with the programme; to ramp up our faith and trust in our Saviour. Would He have sacrificed His holy and sinless life, if He didn’t truly LOVE and care for us? I very much doubt it. So now it’s our turn to show our gratitude and faith in the good news of His message. That is heavenly wisdom! Much LOVE!

…faith is simply…trust and LOVE…in action…

 

 

 

 

Today’s Scrip-Bit 19 August 2015 Ephesians 5:10.‏

Ephesians 5:10.   Proving what is acceptable unto the Lord.

Greetings Friends and neighbours… and a few salutations too thrown in for good measure! (smile) It looks like it’s going to be another cloudy day in my neck of the woods. 

I just wish the rain would fall though, instead of the dark clouds just playing games, for the earth does need some heavenly blessing to successfully stave off the heat and keep Mother Nature green and lovely. 

Oh my people, I do enjoy sitting out on my front porch in the early hours of the morning, just communing quietly with nature, letting the peace of God refresh my mind and throw out all the muck that has clogged it from the day’s activities. 

Sometimes I have to drag myself inside to go to bed, so that I can get up at a reasonable hour to write the Bit. Last night was one of those nights. It was so peaceful and calm out there that I felt like sleeping right there. (smile) 

At one stage I closed my eyes and put my head back against the wall for about thirty seconds, and I’m sure if I had left it there for much longer I would have fallen asleep right there. Hn, hn! 

So, judging from personal experience, I do believe that it would help us all a lot, if before we go to bed, we just find a peaceful place to sit and commune with nature and/or with God, just to release the pressures that have built up in our bodies, souls and minds during the busy day. Just a simple bit of relaxation to forget today, and not think about tomorrow as yet. 

Please try it and see how it works for you. But in the meantime and between time, let’s not forget that today is Wednesday, therefore wailing is the name of the game. So let’s wail on nuh, as one hearty wailer: ‘Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: I’m so glad to be alive on this Wednesday! 

Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: Thank God the breath of life is still flowing through me on this Wednesday! I am halfway home. My hands are fixed securely on the plough, and I’m not turning back. I’m not looking back at the past, not focusing on what has gone before. But my eyes are fixed straight ahead; straight ahead to a glorious future with Jesus. Glory Hallelujah!’ 

Yes my fellow believers, that’s how our souls ought to be trending this Wednesday morning, and hopefully every morning. Oh I know the vagaries of life try to intrude and cause confusion, but if we hold that vision constantly before us, it will faithfully serve us, and we will come up above our problems. 

That brings us to our Bit.‘Proving what is acceptable unto the Lord.’ 

Yeh Friends, we’re continuing to look at the scriptures where Bruh Paul is talking to the Ephesians about the ways of the believer. And after telling them that they, we, must be constantly discerning what is and is not acceptable in the sight of the Lord, he continues. ‘And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove (expose) them. 

For it is a shame even to speak of those things which are done of them in secret. But all things that are reproved (exposed) are made manifest by the light: for whatsoever doth make manifest is light.’ (Eph.5:11-13) 

And the scholars provide some useful explanations for those verses. ‘5:11. Reprove is better translated “expose.” The believer’s duty is expressed here in two ways. Negatively, he is not to have any fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, that is, not to indulge in the sins of the unsaved. 

Positively he is to “expose” (reprove) these sins, that is, bring them to light and show them for what they really are, so that the unbeliever may see their hideous nature and their terrible consequences.’ Are we doing those things Friends? I certainly hope so. 

‘5:12. For tells why the Christian must expose the sins of the lost. If it is shameful even to discuss their iniquities in decent company (c.f. v.3), how much worse is the committing of these sins. Hence the need to bring them to light.’ More food for thought my people! 

‘5:13. This verse may be paraphrased: “All sins that are exposed are made visible by the gospel, for whatever sin is made visible becomes light.” 

Ah mih breddren, sin was bad in Bruh Paul’s time, but nowadays it’s off the charts. If Bruh Paul was alive today, he would certainly hold his head and bawl, for the kind of depravity that exists in these modern times, is certainly mind-boggling. 

But be that as it may, it is our job to try and change it, obviously with God’s help, since we can’t do very much in our own strength. So though it’s certainly an uphill climb, we just have to band our bellies and keep slogging away at it. The one proviso being, never, never to give up! For giving up is not in the vocabulary of Jesus and His believers. 

So today, as we face the sinful world, to try and turn it around, may the great God of our fathers be constantly with us, and grant us His peace, LOVE and understanding, along with the strength and faith necessary to do His bidding, which is to overcome the evil that’s currently strangling our world. Much LOVE!

…as Uncle Charles (Charles Stanley) would say…the best way to live this life…is to obey God and leave all the consequences to Him…gospel truth that my people…

 

 

 

 

Today’s Scrip-Bit 12 August 2015 Psalm 149:1

Psalm 149:1.  Praise ye (shout Hallelujah to) the Lord. Sing unto the Lord a new song, and his praise in the congregation of saints.

Oh Friends, another beautiful and glorious day of God’s making has been gifted to us! Wow! So let’s show some thanks and gratitude by saying it loud and proud nuh. ‘This is the day the Lord has made, we WILL, we SHALL rejoice and be glad in it.’ 

Oh Glory to God my people! For He is so faithful and true to us, filling our lives with all sorts of good things like peace and joy, mercy, grace, forgiveness and prosperity! Oh aren’t you just ecstatic to be a Christian with a leader like Jesus Christ? You should be. I surely am! 

The problem though is that until you give your life in complete and total surrender to Christ, you won’t be truly able to appreciate and enjoy the wondrous work He does in a believer’s life. 

Oh my people, our Jesus is so awesome that although I know it and experience it on a regular basis, He still surprises me most days with some of the unexpected things He does to enlighten and enliven my days on this earth. 

Please understand one very important thing though; working for Jesus is not all wine, roses and song, because He expects diligence, discipline, obedience and excellence from His followers, and also puts us through the fire to test us, and eventually forge us into a beautiful replica of Himself. 

But believe me Friends, going through the fire is worth it; the good times certainly outweigh the bad. And the benefits of salvation and eternal life with Him in heaven until forever… oh what could be better than that eh? NOTHING my brethren, absolutely NOTHING! 

And those are only the long-term benefits. There are lots more short term wonders to experience down here on earth, like mercy, grace and forgiveness, when we walk obedient to God’s calling. Glory Hallelujah! 

And since today is Wednesday, it means that Wailing Time is here. (smile) So let’s wail nuh mih breddren, let’s wail with hungry hope and expectant faith. As one wailer now: ‘Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: I’m so glad to be alive on this Wednesday! 

Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: Thank God the breath of life is still flowing through me on this Wednesday! I am halfway home. My hands are fixed securely on the plough, and I’m not turning back. I’m not looking back at the past, not focusing on what has gone before. But my eyes are fixed straight ahead; straight ahead to a glorious future with Jesus. Glory Hallelujah!’ 

And if you are a true believer, that is exactly where your focus should be; on our glorious Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ!

And since this seems to be a morning of praise, let’s do it right nuh and declare our Bit in loud and faithful voice. ‘Praise ye (shout Hallelujah to) the Lord. Sing unto the Lord a new song, and his praise in the congregation of saints.’ 

Yes Friends, singing praises to our wonderful God is indeed something we ought to do on a regular basis! Many of us don’t, but we should take the psalmist’s wise advice, as he continues. ‘Let Israel rejoice in him that made him (their maker); let the children of Zion be joyful in their King. 

Let them praise his name in the dance: let them sing praises unto him with the timbrel and harp. For the Lord taketh pleasure in his people: he will beautify the meek (humble) with salvation.’ (Ps.149:2-4) 

Oh my fellow believers, what true and faithful and precious words! The Lord certainly takes pleasure in His people; there’s absolutely no doubt about that, as so many of us can testify to. And believe me, when the Lord is on our side… nothing can harm or trouble us, for we have these two great scriptures filled with God’s promises to hold on to. 

The first one comes from Isaiah, as he talks about the Lord’s everlasting LOVE for Israel. ‘No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgement thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and their righteousness is of (from) me, saith the Lord.’ (Is.54:17) 

And Friends, if those promises didn’t touch your souls, then listen to this one from Bruh Paul to the Romans, one we all know and LOVE! ‘And we know that all things work together for good to them that LOVE God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the first born among many brethren.’ (Rom. 8:28-29) Mama mia mih people! 

Oh Friends, if we are called to God’s divine purpose, and we LOVE Him as we ought to, you can be guaranteed that He is working EVERYTHING out for your good! It might not seem so when the fiery trials and temptations hit us, but just remember that God is faithful and has not ever, nor will He ever renege on a promise! Glory to God! 

What can be better than bringing us into His family fold and making us true brethren with His first-born Son Jesus eh? Again we have to say, NOTHING, ABSOLUTELY NOTHING, my brethren! 

Now let’s go home with these wonderful words of praise from Psalm 33. ‘Rejoice in the Lord, O ye righteous: for praise is comely (beautiful) for the upright. Praise the Lord with harp: sing unto him with the psaltery and an instrument of ten strings. 

Sing unto him a new song; play skillfully with a loud noise (a shout of joy). For the word of the Lord is right; and all his works are done in truth. He LOVETH righteousness and judgement (justice): the earth is full of the goodness (LOVING-kindness) of the Lord.’ (Ps.33:1-5) 

And all God’s people declared a loud and proud ‘Praise the Lord! Glory Hallelujah! Bless His Holy Name. Amen!’ 

Yes Friends, let’s go out today rejoicing in the LOVE, the goodness, the grace, mercy and forgiveness of our Lord God Jehovah, for He is indeed worthy of our praise and thanks! Much LOVE!

…praise him, praise Him…glory Hallelujah…He is LOVE…yes He is LOVE…

Today’s Scrip-Bit 3 June 2015 Psalm 37:5‏

 

Psalm 37:5.   Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass.

‘Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: I’m so glad to be alive on this Wednesday! Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: Thank God the breath of life is still flowing through me on this Wednesday!

I am halfway home. My hands are fixed securely on the plough, and I’m not turning back. I’m not looking back at the past, not focusing on what has gone before. But my eyes are fixed straight ahead; straight ahead to a glorious future with Jesus. Glory Hallelujah!’

Oh Friends, that’s something I’m calling our Wednesday Wail! (smile) I haven’t decided yet whether it will be a part of our Scrip-Bit Culture, like our Friday Chant and Monday Morning Battle Hymn. It’s just something I was led to pen before going to bed this morning.

And by the way, my humble apologies for this really late Bit. I had a busy day yesterday and didn’t get to bed till real late this morning, and since the ole body is no longer a spring chicken, (smile) it obviously needs more rest than before.

And truthfully, I don’t see much sense in forcing myself to get up if I am not going to be in good shape to write something sensible. Better it’s a little late and I’m truly refreshed in mind, body and spirit.

So my mea culpas. (smile) It was just one of those days, which do happen occasionally, and might just happen more often as the summer weather picks up. Don’t worry though, the Bit will always be there.

Now here’s an interesting and very relevant quote from our Friend Anselm, whose avowed purpose is to inspire us for a better tomorrow. And it says: ‘Commitment means staying loyal to what you said you were going to do, long after the mood you said it in has left you.’

And that is gospel truth my people! It’s what we ought to do, especially as Christians. However in this golden age of dishonour and lack of commitment, that statement doesn’t factor into the thoughts of the majority of the society. It’s truly become a dog-eat-dog world, where we’re only interested in ourselves and what we can do for us.

And we live in such a feel-good society that we make promises and commitments on the spur of the moment, without thinking things through, then later realize that we can’t keep our promises and just ignore them. Whatever happened to the days of honour eh? When a man’s word or handshake was a certain commitment?

Hn! Sorry Friends, those days seem to be long gone. Now we’re simply into selfish mode, where ‘I, me, myself and I’ are the all-encompassing factors of today. But my people, as true followers of Jesus Christ we are expected to be different, different from the world in which we live.

Bruh David wisely informs us in our Bit. ‘Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass.’ Ah Friends, if more of us would adopt that bit of wisdom, our world would be such a wonderful place!

But we can’t give up on it, because there’s no giving up in Christ. We have to keep on dreaming the dreams of improvement and working diligently with Jesus to bring them to pass. That’s the only way things will ever get better.

And if we listen to what Bruh David said just before our Bit, we’ll realize the immense wisdom in his theory. ‘Trust in the Lord, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed (feed on His faithfulness). Delight thyself also in the Lord; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.’ (Ps.37:3-5)

Oh mih people, mih people, why aren’t more of us adopting that most wise and sensible approach to life here on this much traumatized earth eh? My only answer is that we are still allowing the things of the world; the material possessions with their bright and shiny facades, the hankering after power and celebrity status to ‘confuffle’ our minds and souls.

Consequently, though we may not want to, in these tough times, we continue putting the flimsy and non-lasting things of the world before the eternal and oh so important things of God.

Unfortunately, Beelzebub still has too many of us eating out of his lying and deceitful hand. It’s time we stop that my brethren, and instead look to our Creator and faithful Provider, Jehovah God. For when our days on earth are up, we won’t carry any of the things of Beelzebub with us, but if we look to God, we will have rewards stored up in heaven for the hereafter.

The only things Beelzebub has to offer are death, damnation, hell-fire and eternal separation from God. I doubt that we really want to experience any of those things, but it’s what is going to happen if we refuse to seriously and sincerely commit our lives to Jesus Christ, our Lord and Saviour, the One who sacrificed His life on the cross of Calvary to pay for our abominable sins and redeem and reconcile us to our heavenly Father.

Oh Friends, so many of us today, especially our young people, are leaving the straight and narrow pathways of God for the wide and destructive highways of Lucifer that it’s heartbreaking. Lucifer will not keep the promises he makes, because he is a liar and deceiver, but our omnipotent, magnanimous and ever-faithful God will, because that’s just the kind of Deity that He is.

Oh my people, the Bit’s already pretty late, so I won’t prolong it, I’ll just end with these faithful and wise words of Jesus, which we all know, but find it difficult to put into action. ‘But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.’ (Matt.6:33)

Yes Friends, if we continue seeking the will of God, then all the worldly things we need will be granted to us. And the beauty of getting the worldly things we need from God and not Lucifer, is that when we get them from God, they last and we prosper, unlike those things gained from the evil one.

So please people, let’s wake up and smell whatever it is we need to smell and/or see, and quickly get ourselves back into the wonderful fold of Jesus Christ nuh, for that is everlasting wisdom. Much LOVE!

…when we walk with Lucifer…we stand to lose everything…including our eternal soul…but when we walk with Christ…oh such a beautiful eternity stretches out before us… 

P.S. Sorry for not changing the date on the second heading of the Bit yesterday, but that’s what comes from laziness, just copying and pasting. Not that too many of you noticed. (smile) Much LOVE! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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