Jeremiah 29:11. For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil (calamity), to give you an expected end (a future and a hope).
Well today is the big day friends; the final day for voting in the U.S. Presidential elections! And believe me, the only thing that’s sure, is that there will be a host more problems than we currently have because of all the craziness and foolishness that’s brought us to this crucial and most critical point. But I guess that means the world is unfurling as it ought to, according to God’s plans. Yes friends, never forget that regardless of what happens in our evil and ungodly world, our great God Yahweh is still in control and He allows whatever he wants for His divine purpose, and no man can say him nay! Argument done! (smile)
And furthermore, I sincerely believe that this poem titled ‘Master Artist’ from our One Year Bok of Bible Promises, with writings by Ruth Harms Calkin is very appropriate for uncertain and difficult times like these, and crazy, anxious days like this one. So please pray with me: ‘There are days, Lord Frightening and mysterious When You seem to splash across The canvas of my heart with wasted strokes – Like an amateur artist Carelessly mixing pigment.
Frankly Your colours appear unblended Your strokes haphazard. Instead of design I see blobs of distortion. Today, Lord This very hour Dissolve my apprehension Renew my confidence Settle my conviction That You have planned The total design. Finally, Lord When the finished canvas Is luminously displayed Make this my song of affirmation: The pattern is perfectly clear.’
Oh mih bredrin, isn’t that the crazy, unblended, unplanned, helter-skelter pattern that so many of us are seeing as our lives today? But believe me, our great and wonderful God has not made us in a wishy-washy manner. He’s taken great pains to make us all different and unique individuals, so why wouldn’t He plan our lives and destinies properly too eh? Remember, He’s a diligent and excellent God! All He does has been perfectly planned to coincide with whatever divine purpose He has in mind. Nothing is ever left to chance in His realm, though it might ofttimes seem so.
But please, please, let’s remember what the Good Book proclaims about our lives nuh; the Bible Promise for our poem and our Bit for today. ‘For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil (calamity), to give you an expected end (a future and a hope).’ (Jer. 29:11) Oh mih people, our God is not an evil God, but one of peace and LOVE, justice and mercy, righteousness and forgiveness! That’s why we can be assured that His plans for us are all for good and not evil.
Remember how Bruh Paul put it to the saints at Rome? ‘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.’ (Rom. 8:28) Yes friends, if we are called to do God’s work, and we sincerely LOVE Him, then our lives will eventually work out for good, regardless of what trials and tribulations we might endure on this evil and sinful earth. That’s the Lord’s promise! And we know that He’s a faithful keeper of ALL His promises, never reneged on a single one yet, and never will, so there’s no need to doubt His awesome words of truth and promise!
But that’s where our expectations, our heartfelt beliefs, our hopes and dreams, in other words, our faith comes in. Remember too, that in God’s economy we need to believe it before we see it. And if we don’t believe it first, most likely we’ll never see it. And the only way to build our faith to a level where we can accept God’s promises and Word without any doubt is by reading, by studying, by meditating on and by speaking His Word found in the Good Book! For as Jeremiah continues on the Lord’s behalf after our Bit. ‘Then shall ye call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto you. And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.’ (Jer. 29:12-13)
Oh precious saints of Christ, that’s our problem right there in a nutshell: we haven’t been calling on the Lord, haven’t been praying sufficiently to Him, paying sufficient attention to His orders. And even when we have attempted to call on Him, our hearts have not been right, our motives have been false and selfish. And we all know that the Lord checks out our hearts before He considers answering our prayers. Remember too Jesus’ declaration of the greatest commandment. ‘Thou shalt LOVE the Lord thy God with ALL thy heart, and with ALL thy soul, and with ALL thy mind. This is the first and great commandment.’ (Matt. 22:37-38)
So you see, mouth service just won’t do, if we’re truly interested in serving the Lord. ALL of our heart, soul, body and mind must be involved! Serving the Lord calls for TOTAL immersion of self, which we obviously haven’t’ been doing, and all these trials and tribulations are a wakeup call for us to turn back to him in a serious manner, with absolute conviction of His goodness and mercy, LOVE and forgiveness, justice and righteousness. That’s just the way He set it up, and if we don’t obey, then there will be consequences, for there are always consequences to disobedience.
We’ve all seen and experienced that with our earthly fathers, so what yuh think will happen if we disobey our heavenly Father eh? Lollipops and ice-cream? No way Jose! That’s why Uncle Charles (Charles Stanley) keeps reminding us that the best way to live this earthly life is to ‘obey God, and leave all the consequences to Him.’ We can’t go wrong with that wise and sensible approach friends.
So for those of us who are sincerely and seriously trying to live like that, let’s go home now declaring (awright!) our Tuesday Mantra, boldly and vociferously proclaiming who and whose we are. All together now: ‘In God’s eyes, I’m not what I do. I’m not what I have. I’m not what people say about me. I am the beloved of God, that’s who I am. No one can take that from me. I don’t have to worry. I don’t have to hurry. I can trust my friend Jesus and share His LOVE with the world. Amen!’
Now let’s keep our vow and go out and action those words nuh! Much LOVE!
…ONLY true faith in God…will bring light to the darkness…and set the captive free…
SCRIP-BITS 