Today’s Scrip-Bit 22 June 2018 Psalm 119:105.

Psalm 119:105.   Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.

Well friends, amongst all the strife, war, hatred, anger and all the other negative stuff that’s taking place in our once beautiful world, I noticed one of the most foolish and insensitive actions take place yesterday. Yuh know the big contention that’s currently going on in the U.S… and some of you are asking which one? (smile) Well I’m talking about the recent major push to separate immigrant children from their parents. 

Now apparently, yesterday, the first lady of the U.S went to visit one of the centres where children are being held and she wore a jacket that had written on the back in big white letters: ‘I don’t really care, do u?’ How how insensitive is that eh? Even if you don’t care, half of the country you represent cares, and that’s only a slap in the face to them. But that’s the state of the U.S. these days. Matter done! 

It’s Friday, and the workingman is out there singing his happy song: ‘TGIF! Thank God is Friday! The working soon finish… and the partying soon start! What a bam bam! It’s going to be party fuh so in this summertime weather! Nobody going to stop we from carrying on anyway we want! 

And who doh like it…Hn! Tough tits yes! Let them try to do something about it nuh. They don’t know how we grateful for the break from all the weekday slavery nuh, both physical and mental. Steups!  Thank God for Fridays and the weekends oui!’ 

Yeh mih people, we Christians are also grateful for Fridays and the weekends, but we just show it in a less bacchanalian way. (smile) We don’t go to the extremes, like the worldly culture around us does. So let’s chant our corresponding Friday Chant and show them how we believers do it nuh. 

As one sincere voice now: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through another week of work! It hasn’t been easy, but with your generous help, I made it through. Now, please help me to get sufficient fun, fellowship, rest and relaxation in these two short days off, so that I can be renewed and refreshed in soul, body and mind, to go back out and do it all over again next week, furthering your glorious kingdom with each step I take. I pray this in Jesus name. Amen.’ 

Yes friends, we have a more organized way to spend or use our weekends – while celebrating, still keeping our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ uppermost in our minds and behaviour. And I just spied a quote from a Daily Bread Devotional that highlights it quite nicely. I’ve shared it before, but it’s important enough to share again and again. ‘Commitment to Christ is a daily calling.’ 

And isn’t that the gospel truth my brethren! Everyday we awaken, we need to commit ourselves anew to Christ! That’s the only way we can stay on the tried and true path that leads to the Father. That’s why the psalmist declared in our Bit: ‘Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.’  

Yeh mih breddren, the only way to stay committed to Christ is by constantly reading, meditating and putting His word into action, for the enemy is fighting an ever-constant battle to win our souls. Remember those memorable words of the Lord to Joshua when He appointed him leader of the Israelites after Moses’ death? 

‘This book of the law shall not depart out of (be constantly in) thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then shalt thou have good success.’ (Josh.1:8) 

Oh friends, that one verse says it all: to be prosperous and have success, one must know the word and practice it! And yet we wonder why so much of us individually, as well as nationally are not having success. But the answer is right there before our very eyes; turn to God and do His will. That’s not rocket science; it’s plain and straightforward. 

And though in some cases it might be somewhat difficult to do, the Lord has faithfully promised us His awesome help all along the way. But like the workingman, many of us seem to prefer Beelzebub’s easy and sinful ways, which only lead to hellfire, death and eternal damnation. 

Yuh see how EVERY TIME, Israel turned away from God how they suffered, and how we are suffering now in our ungodliness? It’s no mistake that our world is currently engulfed in all sorts of negative problems; the hand of God and a touch of His wrath are upon us. Notice I said only a touch of His wrath, because we could never withstand the full force of His anger. 

Oh friends, the Good Book is the inspired Word of our Creator and it does not lie. So why do we think we can go against what it says and be truly successful eh? That’s why I’m imploring us, like the Lord implored Joshua and all the other leaders of the faith, to sincerely meditate on His Word, talk about it to our children and each other, and then put it into action. That’s the ONLY way our desperately struggling world and us will ever know peace and success. Much LOVE!

…how can the blind lead the blind out of darkness eh…only through the light inspiring word of Jesus…

 

Today’s Scrip-Bit 14 August 2015 Psalm 67:1

Psalm 67:1.   God be merciful unto us, and bless us; and cause his face to shine upon us.   Selah.

Well Friends, welcome to a rainy Friday morning in my area… 

And the response is, ‘rain or shine it doesn’t matter. It’s still Friday, and we’re still going to shout TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday and the weekend’s here. Glory Hallelujah! Thank you for the weekend Lord! It’s a nice, though short break from all the hustle and bustle of modern living. Thank you again for the weekend Lord!’ 

Yes my brethren it is indeed good and right to thank the Lord for the weekend, but at the same time we have to know how to use it properly, and our Friday Chant gives us some indication of that, so let’s chant it nuh, in all sincerity and truth. 

As one now: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through another week of work! It hasn’t been easy, but with your generous help, I made it through. 

Now, please help me to get sufficient fun, fellowship, rest and relaxation in these two short days off, so that I can be renewed and refreshed in soul, body and mind, to go back out and do it all over again next week, furthering your glorious kingdom with each step I take. I pray this in Jesus name. Amen.’ 

It is indeed a tight balancing act we need to perform on the weekend my people; rest and relaxation, family time, worship time, household chores and preparations for the following week. But if we put everything in the right perspective, it’s rightful place; God first, and everything else after, we will be able to successfully accomplish that balancing act. 

And if we put God first in everything in our lives, then with total confidence we can cry out like our Bit does: ‘God be merciful unto us, and bless us; and cause his face to shine upon us.   Selah.’ 

Yeh Friends, in this fallen world we badly need God’s mercy and LOVING-kindness. Why? As the psalmist explains: ‘That thy way may be known upon earth, thy saving health (salvation) among all nations.’ (Ps.67:2) 

And that’s the best reason there is Friends! For without the Lord’s saving grace we are doomed to perdition and death! 

Consequently, the psalmist further cries out: ‘Let the people praise thee, O God; let all the people praise thee. O let the nations be glad and sing for joy: for thou shalt judge the people righteously, and govern the nations upon the earth.’ (Ps.67:3-4) 

Unfortunately though the nations of the earth don’t seem to want the Lord to govern them, so they are not praising Him the way they should. These are the times of doing what one wants to do and not much respect is being paid to obedience to Holy God’s will, even by many of His supposed believers. In fact, we’re trying to remove as much of God as we can, as fast as we can, from our society. 

But my fellow brethren in Christ, we cannot allow that to happen. Christ’s body, the Church has to stand strong and fight back, for we are the last bastion, the remnant of Christ’s army, and if we fall, if we succumb to the enemy, without even much of a fight, then we will be disgracing the name of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. 

He would have died, have sacrificed His holy and sinless life in vain. And that we surely cannot afford to let happen my fellow believers! That means we have to pull up our socks, our britches, or whatever, and make a bold and confident stand on Christ’s behalf. We can’t just lie down and die without a sincere and diligent fight. 

As I keep reminding us, under no circumstance can we be known as the generation that gave up, that allowed the enemy to remove Jehovah God from the society. 

But to do that my people, we have to get really serious about Jesus, and stand strong and steadfast on His principles for earthly living, and get out into the ungodly world and spread those principles, spread the good news of His gospel, of salvation and eternal life to which everyone is entitled, if they believe on Him! 

And what we don’t seem to realize is that our prosperity, the quality of life we lead down here on earth, is very closely tied to our sincere praise and worship of Almighty God. You’ll notice that as our trust and faith in God wanes, so does our prosperity. 

Listen to the psalmist again. ‘Let the people praise thee, O God; let all the people praise thee. Then shall the earth yield her increase (give her produce), and God, even our own God, shall bless us. God shall bless us; and all the ends of the earth shall fear him.’ (Ps.67:5-7) 

Oh Friends, what’s there not to understand eh? If we praise and glorify God, He will bless our land. If we don’t, He won’t bless it. It’s that simple. And if you don’t believe me then listen to what the Lord told Joshua when He appointed him leader of the Israelites after the death of Moses. 

‘This book of the law shall not depart out of (shall be constantly in) thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for the thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.’ (Josh.1:8) 

Oh my people, that’s as plain and simple as it can get! The Lord pulled no punches. He told Joshua straight up; if you meditate on my word continually and be obedient to it, then you will be prosperous and successful. And we saw it happen several times in Israel’s history. When they were obedient to God’s will they prospered. When they weren’t, they suffered captivity and all other sorts of unpleasant circumstances. 

The same has happened in many other supposed Christian countries down through the ages. So it’s not like there aren’t credible examples. Yet today we still are trying to get rid of God. What foolishness my brethren! Can’t we see the demise of our society is in full swing? 

But we’re too proud and arrogant to believe that it’s because we’re no longer a God-driven society. But believe me Friends, our prosperity and success are indeed closely tied to our faith, trust and obedience to Almighty God. So please let us come to our senses and work sincerely and diligently towards turning our world around nuh. If not for our sake, then for our children’s. Now that is true wisdom, however you choose to define it! Much LOVE!

…how can we expect the Lord to bless us…when we are not obedient to His word eh…