SCRIP-BITS

Luke 10:62.   And Jesus said unto him, No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.

Well friends, a new day has dawned, both literally and figuratively! Someone once said these wise words; expect the unexpected, and have we ever been hit by the unexpected – Donald Trump is the new President-elect of the United States of America. 

Ah Lord eh! I don’t know if to rejoice that a different time is coming, or to hold my head and bawl having listened to his foul, negative rhetoric over the long period of the U.S Election campaign. 

Let’s hope that a lot of the stuff he said was just bluster, and that he will work instead to bring a sense of healing to the country that’s become so severely divided over the last few months. 

Whatever happens though, this is indeed a time for ALL Christians to stand up steadfast and strong and be counted, for in one way or another our faith and its institutions will surely be affected. 

To tell the truth, the whole world be affected, because as the U.S goes, so does a lot of the world. And a lot of people all over the world are indeed shaking their heads in astonishment and dismay at Trump’s surprise win. 

But as I’ve been saying all along, too many people in the U.S believed what Donald Trump said, and his rallies were getting bigger all the time, plus the media gave him so much attention that we had to respect the possibility that he could pull off the win. 

It’s a done deal now though; the Lord in His own mysterious way has allowed it to happen. He obviously has a plan and a purpose in mind, so the sooner we stop questioning it and try to work with or around it, the better off we’ll be. 

And all God’s people said a loud and somewhat less than genuine ‘Amen!’ 

Oh my people, it’s not the end of the world, just a hump in the road, though possibly a significant one. That doesn’t mean we have to give up on our faith, we need to keep keeping on, possibly even more than before. 

And to help us do that this most significant Wednesday morning, let’s declare our Wednesday Wail with a strong sense of purpose and enormous enthusiasm. 

Wailing: ‘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!’ 

Ah mih people, though times may be difficult and somewhat unnerving, there is no reason to be afraid, it’s still great to be alive; to feel that awesome breath of God just pumping through us. But that also means there are plans of God in place for us to accomplish on this earthly journey. 

That brings us to what I think is a rather appropriate Bit for today: ‘And Jesus said unto him, No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.’ 

And the scholars explain: ‘9:62. Fit, occurring elsewhere only in 14:35 and Hebrews 6:7, means “suitable” or “usable.” One who makes life’s lesser matter of greater priority than God’s work is of little use to him.’ 

Now when and why did Jesus use those words? Several people were coming to Him, wanting to be His disciple, but first wanted to go and do something else. This one fellow said to Jesus: ‘Lord, I will follow thee; but let me first go bid them farewell, which are at home at my house.’ (Luke 10:61) 

Sorry friends, when we become Christians, it’s not just for the pleasure and promise of going to heaven, but also to serve the Lord faithfully down here on earth. His work must always come first, not the world’s. 

As Bruh Paul pointed out to Timothy: ‘Do thy diligence to come shortly unto me: For Demas hath forsaken me, having LOVED the world, and is departed unto Thessalonica; Crescens to Galatia, Titus unto Dalmatia.’ (2 Tim.4:9-10) 

Yuh see friends, Demas found the world more interesting than Christ’s work and forsook the ministry. Unfortunately, that’s what happens to many of us; we are drawn to the glitter and glamour of the world and thus place Christ’s work last. 

Remember what He said 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 (be loyal to) the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.’ (Matt.6:24) 

And the scholars tell us: ‘6:24. This kind of spiritual double vision causes one to believe he can serve two masters. Total loyalty to God cannot be divided between Him and loyalty to one’s material possessions. A master (Gr. kurios) is a lord or an owner. 

That God claims total lordship over His own is obvious in this passage. Therefore Jesus rightly proclaimed, Ye cannot serve God and mammon. 

The term ‘mammon’ is derived from the Aramaic term for possessions of wealth. Jesus is not condemning money or possessions in and of themselves, but the improper attitude of enslavement toward wealth.’ 

And sadly friends, these days a lot of us, too many, both Christians and non-believers, are enslaved by the material possessions of the world. It’s thus impossible for us to put God’s work first. 

And we’ll close with this other edifying statement from Jesus. ‘But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.’ (Matt.6:32) 

And that’s gospel truth my brethren! So if we want to experience the goodness of God, then we have to make Him, NUMBER ONE, in ALL aspects of our lives. That’s the wisdom of heaven! Much LOVE!

…true and total loyalty to Christ… should be the Christian’s number one aspiration…