Psalm 89:1. I will sing of the mercies of the Lord for ever: with my mouth will I make known thy faithfulness to all generations.
Oh Friends, at last my neck of the woods has received its first big snowfall of the season! Granted, it’s not as big as some of those experienced up north, or in places like Dallas and Philly recently, but it’s certainly big enough to get me going. (smile)
You know we’ve become so spoiled over the last few years with comparatively small quantities of snow in the winter time, that when we do get a fairly large amount, some of us get sort of traumatized. (smile) But we need to remember that this is the North Country, good old Canada, where in these days of climate change, anything is possible.
And though the snow made the roads slippery and icy, people were still driving as though they were clean and dry. I guess there will always be the impetuous, impatient and foolish amongst us.
I drove my wife’s car instead of mine because hers has on snow tires and mine doesn’t, but I don’t know if that was any better, because I feel more comfortable in mine, and on two stretches of relatively clean, clear, straight road, not going very fast, I still had two small skids, possibly meaning that there was black ice on the road, although it looked okay.
And the amazing thing is that there were still oodles of vehicles on the road. One would think because it was Saturday, with not as many people having to go to work, and the snow still falling, the roads would be fairly empty. I was only out there because I had to be.
Anyway, enough of my rambling about the snow, for it’s still out there, it’s still mucho cold, and nothing I say or do will change that. (smile) So let’s turn to something that we have some say in, our Bit; most likely on its last legs today.
‘I will sing of the mercies of the Lord for ever: with my mouth will I make known thy faithfulness to all generations.’
Now that my Friends, is something we have much control over! And isn’t it just great to praise and worship our wonderful God, and tell others about Him? It sure is, especially on a Sunday when many of us gather in church to fellowship and sing His endless praises.
Oh my people, today when we raise our voices in praise and worship, let’s make it something extremely special nuh, let’s raise the roofs on our sanctuaries! Let the feeling of acclamation come truly from the depths of our souls!
Let’s get in agreement with the psalmist, Ethan the Ezrahite, as he proudly proclaims: ‘And the heavens shall praise thy wonders, O Lord: thy faithfulness also in the congregation of the saints. For who in the heaven can be compared unto the Lord?
Who among the sons of the mighty can be likened unto the Lord? God is greatly to be feared in the assembly of the saints, and to be had (held) in reverence of all them that are about him.’ (Ps. 89:5-7)
And in total agreement, all God’s people shouted a loud and grateful: ‘Praise the Lord!’
Yes my Friends, there is NONE mightier or more worthy of praise than the ONE TRUE GOD of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, Creator and Controller of this mighty universe!
And there’s absolutely no doubt about that, for as John so wisely puts it: ‘In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God.
All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life; and the life was the light of men. And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended (apprehended) it not.’ (John 1:1-5)
Ah mih breddren, what a magnificent description as it refers to Jesus and His relationship to Almighty God! No other supposed deity can lay claim to such fame, to such distinction! So please, my people, please let’s start paying Him the proper respect and reverence He so awesomely deserves nuh.
Not the wishy washy way too many of us currently behave towards our wonderful Lord and Saviour, who gave up His sinless life for us, so that we could be reconciled to the Father. That fact alone deserves undying gratitude and LOVE!
And we’ll end with further proof and justification of His glorious majesty, through the words of His staunch disciple, Peter, as He calls for true and serious Christian dedication.
‘Seeing that ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned (sincere) LOVE of the brethren, see that ye LOVE one another with a pure heart fervently: Being born again, not of corruptible (perishable) seed, but of incorruptible (imperishable), by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.
For all flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of grass. The grass withereth, and the flower thereof falleth away: But the Word of the Lord endureth for ever. And this is the word which by the gospel is preached unto you.’ (1 Pet.1:22-25)
Oh Friends, I can’t put it any better than that, so I won’t even try to clarify it. I’ll just say that it would be such a pleasure, such a motivating force, if more of us could truly rise up and give Jesus His just desserts; put Him first in ALL we do, with the awe and veneration that’s His rightful due.
Then His church and His LOVE Revolution would surely grow by leaps and bounds, and consequently, our world would be a much better place to dwell.
Let’s ponder that today Friends, and for our children’s sake, put it into action, as soon as possible. Much LOVE!
…to all believers…this Christmas season…let’s truly show our LOVE and adoration for Jesus…let’s truly make Him NUMBER ONE…on all the earth…as well as in heaven…
Today’s Scrip-Bit 11 December 2013 1 Corinthians 12:12
11 Dec 2013 Leave a comment
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: baptism of the spirit, baptism of water, baptized, believe, believers, birth of Christ, bless, blood of Christ, blue seas, body of Christ, bond, born again, bread, bring to heel, Bruh Paul, celebrations, Christ, Christ's Church, church at Corinth, communion, crucial aspect, cup of blessing, different parts, different purposes, eyes of faith, faith, faith in Christ, fellowship, free, functioning, Gentiles, God's plans, godly people, golden beaches, grin and bear it, harness our weather, Holy Communion, Jews, Lord and Saviour, many members, mind's eye, monumental, one bread, one God, one spirit, Oneness, partakers, party season, rebelling, rebirth, regeneration, shut up, sinful human, slaves, sun's shining, sunny climes, T&T, the body is one, the cold, the living is easy, Togetherness, trinity, understand, undertaking, unity, warm sunshine, winter's chill, wise, wonderful joy
1 Corinthians 12:12. For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ.
And here it is Friends, a bitterly cold Wednesday morning, two weeks before Christmas Day. Ah Lord eh! Meanwhile in sunny climes like T&T, the sun’s shining hot and bright, and the living is comparatively easy. Steups!
No need for thick, heavy coats and boots, scarves, gloves, hats and the like to ward off winter’s chill. But to a certain extent the weather conditions here do make us a hardier stock of people, and I can tell you that from hard, personal experience.
But though it can be sometimes rough, the weather in no way diminishes our celebrations. For like the wise and godly people we are, we’ve found numerous ways over the years to harness our weather to that wonderful joy we find in the birth of Christ, our Lord and Saviour.
The weather certainly doesn’t stop us from getting out and about and enjoying activities with others. In fact this is our party season! But to tell the truth, I’d rather be in T&T, or some other warm and sunny clime right now. At my advanced age (smile) the cold does get to you. And believe me, after 41 years of it… Chuh! I can certainly do with a break.
But sadly that doesn’t seem to be in God’s plans for me, so I’ll just have to shut up, and grin and bear it. The good thing though is the reality of the cold doesn’t stop me from seeing and experiencing the warm sunshine, golden beaches and calm, blue seas in my mind’s eye. Yes Friends, I’m seeing them through the eyes of faith! Hn, hn!
Anyway mih breddren, enough ‘preambling’, (smile) let’s turn now to our Bit. ‘For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ.’
As you can see, though it’s a different piece of scripture, were’ still dealing with the ONENESS of Christ’s church, although it contains many different functioning parts. And it is indeed a crucial aspect of our faith, my people!
An aspect that all believers should know, understand and fully believe, otherwise we’ll never truly attain that ONENESS, that unity, that togetherness that’s oh so necessary and important in any undertaking whatsoever, especially such a monumental undertaking as faith in Christ, and building and growing His church.
And to enhance the importance of that ONENESS, listen to Bruh Paul earlier on in this missive to the church at Corinth. ‘The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion (fellowship) of the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not the communion (fellowship) of the body of Christ? For we being many are ONE bread, and ONE body: for we are all partakers of that ONE bread.’ (1 Cor.10:16-17)
Yes Friends, it’s the same thing with the Holy Communion; we all participate of a small portion of ONE entity – Christ’s body and blood!
And as Bruh Paul continues after our Bit: ‘For by ONE Spirit are we all baptized into ONE body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond (slaves) or free; and have been made to drink into ONE Spirit. For the body is not ONE member, but many.’ (1 Cor.12:13-14)
Again Friends, we’re reminded about the ONENESS of God’s operation, through the ONE Holy Spirit, which caters to all believers.
And here’s what the scholars have to say about that verse. ’12:13. Are we all baptized into one body: This is not the baptism of water but the baptism of the Spirit. This has the same meaning as the expression and have been all made to drink into one Spirit: This fulfills Matthew 3:14; John 1:33; and Acts 1:5.
That this baptism is common to all believers at Corinth is implied by the fact that Paul does not exhort them to be baptized by the Spirit. Rather, he asserts that they have all been baptized. The believer does not tarry or pray for this baptism. It occurs at the moment of regeneration (rebirth, being born again). This passage is clear that all believers have received the baptism of the Holy Spirit.’
So my people, it is of the utmost importance that we really see the gravity of Christ’s church working together in unity, as ONE! For just as our God consists of a trinity, it is still in fact only ONE GOD, broken down for different purposes.
And on that rather important point, we’ll end today’s proceedings. Please ponder all that we’ve said, and check out the scripture references above. Much LOVE!
…unity is always the key…to any kind of success…
P.S. Ah mih people, please excuse the lateness of the Bit, but in the last couple of days my computer and I have been on different wave lengths. Steups! Like a sinful human, it’s been rebelling on me, wanting to do its own thing. But with the Lord’s help we’ll soon bring it to heel. Note how the Bit’s short too. (smile) Much LOVE!
Today’s Scrip-Bit 7 November 2013 Psalm 118:24
07 Nov 2013 Leave a comment
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: affirmations, awe, awesome truth, be glad, born again, chains break, Christ's Church, Christian, complaining, Controller, Creator, Detroit, disputing, divisions, faith, faithful, fear, feeble-minded, fools despise wisdom, footsteps of Jesus, forgiveness, fortitude, God is good, God working in us, God's Spirit, God's will & purpose, gospel truth, grief, grumbling, heaven, hope, hope in God, Hour of Power, immovable, Jesus' presence, joy, joy of the lord, knowledge, Lamentations, learn to know God, life's not fair, mercy, miserable, obedience, power to get wealth, promises, prosperity, provider, quarrelling, reconciling, rejoice, rest in God, reverence, right tone, salvation, saved soul, shootout, spiritual walls, strength, strong, targets, testing, tests, Thank you Jesus, troubles, truth, unconditional LOVE, understanding, victims, wait pateintly, wild wild west, without me you can do nothing
Psalm 118:24. This is the day which the Lord hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.
Aye mih people! What’s cooking this glorious new morn in the fall of November 2013? I hope it’s all good. But just in case it isn’t, please don’t panic, just get yourself to rest quietly in God, and He will most definitely see you through.
Now it might not be right away, or in a manner that you like, but remember He’s smarter than us and has plans for us which include a myriad of testing. And if we pass those tests, then He’ll most certainly uplift us. Wow! That wasn’t how the rough draft went nuh, but that’s how the Spirit orchestrated the final copy. (smile)
Now let’s briefly touch on a shootout in East Detroit yesterday, where apparently two cars pulled up in front a barber shop, a known gambling den, and opened fire, reminiscent of the days of similar shootouts in the Wild Wild West. Two people in the barbershop were killed and nine others were wounded. Ah Lord eh!
And as you can see, we’re slowly but surely moving up the ladder, from one person shooting, to several involved in the gunfire. I’m not going to get into it though, just ask that we pray faithfully, diligently and constantly that the nonsense will soon come to an end, because until then, we’re all potential victims and targets. Nuff said.
And to dissipate that negativity, let’s hear an intriguing and interesting poem from Gramps Schuller (Robert H. Schuller), taken from his Hour of Power Devotional.
And this poem is titled: ‘Learn to Know God – Dear Jesus, I’ve got to get to know you better: Please help me! I can feel my spiritual and emotional walls crack. I can hear old chains break. I can feel my heart opening like a heavy door whose ancient seals have just begun to break.
I can sense the footsteps of Jesus walking into my life. I am beginning to experience the joy of a soul that is being saved, a life that is being born again. Thank You, Lord! Life’s not fair, but God is good. Amen.’
Yes Friends, I’m sure we can all hear those old chains breaking, our hearts opening, and sense Jesus coming more fully into our lives, which consequently are now seemingly being reborn and filled with the joy of His presence. Mama Mia!
And all the true followers of Jesus declared a mighty shout of: ‘Thank You Jesus! Thank You for saving us, and reconciling us to the Father! We LOVE You and praise Your Holy Name!’
Oh mih people, that’s exactly how we ought to move! And today I was moved to make it and Affirmation Day; one just filled with li’l bits of scripture that we can raise up from the depths of our souls and use whenever the need for strength, hope, faith and fortitude arises.
And as you can see, our Bit: ‘This is the day which the Lord hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it,’ is certainly one of those affirmations that we can affirm everyday, especially when we first arise from sleep. It truly sets the right tone for our day; rejoicing in the fact that the Lord has granted us another day on Planet Earth.
It might be rough down here, but I doubt that many of us are yet ready to give it up for heaven’s golden aisles and pathways. (smile) And to increase that rejoicing factor, let’s move on to Nehemiah, where he sincerely reminds us that ‘the joy of the Lord is your strength.’ (Neh.8:10)
Now that’s undeniable truth my brethren! For you’ll notice that 99.9 % of the time, if you’re not filled with the Lord’s strength, you’re usually miserable and feeble-minded. That’s because God’s Spirit is not working properly in us.
So let’s turn now to those famous Lamentations of poor, ole Jeremiah, and check out where he confidently declares, even in the midst of his lamenting: ‘The Lord is my portion, saith my soul; therefore will I hope in him.’ (Lam.3:24)
Bingo my brethren! That strikes right at the heart of our fear and joy! Hoping in the wonderful and mighty God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob is the BEST thing, the BEST attitude a human being can ever adopt! For remember, He’s our Creator, Controller and Provider, the one who gives us the power to get wealth and prosperity in this earthly life, provided we are obedient to His dictates. (Josh.1:8-9)
Now here is another big one Friends, one of the biggest and most important, from the wise pen of Cousin Sol, where he confidently proclaims: ‘The fear (reverential awe) of the Lord is the (principal) beginning of knowledge; but fools despise wisdom and instruction.’ (Prov.1:7)
Ah mih people, without that understanding and knowledge of God we’re really powerless to do anything, because all things in His universe begin and end with Him. Remember too Jesus’ words to the disciples, re the vine and the branches: ‘for without me ye can do nothing.’ (John 15:5b) Words of awesome truth people!
And as Bruh Paul also told the Philippians: ‘For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of (according to) his good pleasure.’ (Phil.2:13) Yes Friends, it is God working in us the desire to do His will and also the actual accomplishment of His purpose.
But then Bruh Paul warns them that to truly accomplish God’s will and purpose, they needed to ‘Do all things without murmurings (grumbling) and disputings.’ (Phil.2:14)
That means, my fellow believers, no grumbling or complaining about our difficulties and trials, which will invariably come upon us when we do God’s will, and above all, quarrelling amongst ourselves is strictly prohibited.
Hn! Bruh Paul’s head must be sadly shaking up in heaven everyday as he beholds the terrible murmurings, disputings, divisions and futile, petty quarrelling that daily engulfs Christ’s church.
And now we’ll close with one more affirmation from Jeremiah’s Lamentations. ‘It is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the Lord.’ (Lam.3:26)
Oh Friends, that’s the indisputable, unchallengeable, undeniable, gospel truth! So despite our troubles and the grief in our souls, please, let’s promise ourselves to wait patiently on the Lord, with hope in His salvation, quietly rejoicing, for He is indeed faithful that promised. Much LOVE!
…it is overwhelming combination of…hope…faith…joy…mercy…forgiveness…promises… and unconditional LOVE…from a most faithful God…that keeps a Christian…strong and immovable…
Today’s Scrip-Bit 26 October 2013 Matthew 5:7
26 Oct 2013 Leave a comment
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: 1 corinthians 13, absolute truth, awesome truth, Beatitudes, believers, blessed, born again, brave, Christ's representative, Christian attitude, Christians, compassion, confess wrongdoing, divine Love, divine majesty, divine undestanding, divine wisdom, embrace Jesus, enemies, faults, fool's wisdom, forgive our debtors, forgiveness, frailities, generosity, God's grace, God's mercy, good news, good things, gospel truth, holy spirit, illness, in tune with God, Jesus Christ, kind, King of Kings, Lord of Lords, lost, merciful, mercy, offspring, poor and needy, punishment, shortcomings, show mercy, sin, sleeping in, Society of the Little Flower, spiritual strength, St. Therese, St. Thresa of Avila, the Lord's prayer, the right way, time of trouble, troubling circumstances, unfortunate masses, unregenerate men, wonder-working spirit, you reap what you sow
Matthew 5:7. Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.
Well hello there you beautiful believers in Jesus Christ; King of Kings and Lord of Lords! How goes it this wonderful Saturday morning eh? I guess many of you are enjoying a rare morning of sleeping in, that is until your young offspring start clamouring for food and attention. All I can say there though, is better you than me yes. (smile) I went through that many moons ago.
Anyway, today I want to share a poem I got from the Between Friends Magazine published by the Friends of the Society of the Little Flower. It comes from an article written by its Director, Father Bob Colaresi. He himself was quoting a Spanish Carmelite Nun, St. Teresa of Avila. She’s different to the society’s patron Saint, St. Therese, also a Carmelite Nun, but of French origin.
It’s claimed that St. Teresa taught this poem. ‘Christ has no body but yours, No Hands, no feet on earth but yours, Yours are the eyes with which he looks Compassion on this world, Yours are the feet with which he walks to do good, Yours are the hands, with which he blesses all the world.
Yours are the hands, yours are the feet, Yours are the eyes, you are his body. Christ has no body now but yours, No hands, no feet on earth but yours, Yours are the eyes with which he looks compassion on this world. Christ has no body now on earth but yours.’
And that Friends, is the gospel truth, because Christ left us here on earth to do His work; to spread the good, exciting news of His gospel; the wonderful rewards of salvation and eternal life, if we embrace His Deity. It’s now our duty to go around the world, with our eyes, feet ears, hands and bodies, be His representative, and let the lost and unfortunate masses know of all that He’s accomplished on our behalf.
But again, to do Jesus’ work successfully, we need physical, mental and spiritual strength backed by divine wisdom, which can only be had by being in tune with Almighty God. Today’s Bit, another Beatitude, tells us: ‘Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.’
And that is absolute truth in more ways than one. First of all, like Jesus taught us in the Lord’s Prayer; ‘And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.’ (Matt.6:12) If we don’t forgive we won’t be forgiven. The same goes for mercy; if we don’t show mercy to others, neither will the Lord show us any. It’s basically the universal motto of, you reap what you sow.
You cannot be neither merciful nor forgiving and yet expect to receive forgiveness and mercy. Hn! Although that seems to be the prevailing wisdom in our world today. Generally speaking, forgiveness is NOT getting the punishment we deserve, while mercy is getting the good things that we DON’T deserve.
Then we have this take from the scholars: ‘5:7. Those who are merciful…shall obtain mercy has reference to those who have been born again by the mercy of God. Because divine LOVE has been extended to them, they have the work of the Holy Spirit in them producing a mercy that defies explanation by unregenerate men. Jesus Himself became the ultimate example of this when He cried from the cross, “Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do.” (Luke 23:34)’
Oh Friends, I like that part about ‘a mercy that defies explanation by unregenerate men.’ And that’s the God-awesome truth! For mankind still can’t figure out or understand how Christians can be so merciful and forgiving when faced with serious and troubling circumstances. But it all depends on that Holy Spirit of His Divine Majesty dwelling in us, which shows us the right way.
Unfortunately, mankind will never understand the Christian attitude unless and until he wholeheartedly embraces Jesus, and consequently receives that wonder-working Spirit in his own soul. It all bolls down to, NO JESUS, NO HOLY SPIRIT, and therefore no divine understanding!
And when we talk about God’s mercy, there’s no better example in receiving it, than Bruh David. Listen to him from Psalm 41, Abuse and Assurance. ‘Blessed is he that considereth the poor (helpless, powerless): the Lord will deliver him in time of trouble. The Lord will preserve him, and keep him alive; and he shall be blessed upon the earth: and thou wilt not deliver him unto the will of his enemies.
The Lord will strengthen him upon the bed of languishing (his bed of illness): thou wilt make all his bed in his sickness (restore him in his sickbed). I said, Lord be merciful unto me: heal my soul; for I have sinned against thee.’ (Psalm 41:1-4)
Oh my people, two things are evident there: One must be kind and/or show mercy to the poor and needy, and secondly, one must confess one’s own wrongdoing to Jehovah God. Bruh David knew that, and tried to live that way. That’s why the Lord was so merciful to him, in spite of all his shortcomings and wrongdoings.
Unfortunately though, today, many of us figure that confessing our wrongdoings is for the birds, therefore we lose out on God’s precious grace and mercy. And sadly my people, that’s a fool’s wisdom!
Oh Friends, the Lord doesn’t expect us to be perfect, because He never made us that way. But He does expect us to be man and woman enough to own up to our faults and frailties.
Please, let’s be brave and admit our wrongs, so we can receive God’s generous grace, forgiveness and mercy. Now that’s truly divine wisdom! Much LOVE!
…O give thanks unto the Lord…for He is good…for His mercy endureth for ever… (1 Chr.16:34)
Today’s Scrip-Bit 28 June 2013 Titus 3:8
28 Jun 2013 Leave a comment
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: affirmations, affirming Christ-like stuff, baptizing, believing in jesus, bestowed on man, blessed opportunity, body, born again, bounden duty, Canada Day, children of God, Christian ethic, confidence, cooperate with God, damnation, death, directive to the disciples, eternal life, evil, excellence, fellowship, Friday chant, generous help, gift, glorious kingdom, good works, grace, greatest gift, hammer, holy spirit, hope, justified, lamp, lawn sprinkler system, life, light, Live our fatih, Lord and Saviour, Love God, mercy, mind, mirror, modicum of circumspection, new life, only way, profitable, promise, refreshed, regeneration, relaxation, rhythm of the falling rain, right perspective, salvation, soul, sound of rain falling, spiritual armour, spirituality, Spread God's Word, sufficient fun, summer madness, sword, teach all nations, TGIF!, Thank God it's Friday, the name of the Father, the SON, the weekend, thinking right things, true believer, truth, ungodly world, wisdom, works of righteousness
Titus 3:8: This is a faithful saying, and these things I will that thou affirm constantly, that they which have believed in God might be careful to maintain good works. These things are good and profitable unto men.
Oh Friends, there’s nothing nicer than awakening in the early morning hours to the gentle sound of rain falling outside! That happened to me earlier on, and it was a tad difficult to get up out of the warm, cozy bed, as I lay there listening to ‘the rhythm of the falling rain; pita pata, pita pata.’ (smile)
But I eventually forced my self to get up, like I might have to force myself and go out in the rain and turn off the lawn sprinkler system, that’s just spurting away like crazy out there, while the rain is falling. Now it’s not supposed to come on if the rain’s falling, but I can’t curse it today because I’m not sure if it came on before the rain began to fall. I know though that when I went to bed around 2.30, no rain was falling.
Anyway, I’ll give it a few more minutes, and if it doesn’t turn off automatically, then I’ll go and turn it off. Oh, the headaches that these supposed modern conveniences cause eh! I believe the guy was here up to yesterday trying to time it properly.
But Friends, here’s the good news, it’s Friday! And all the voices rose like one: ‘Yes, oh yes! TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday! The weekend’s here at last! What a blast it’s going to be!’
And in Canada it’s certainly going to be a blast, except for those unfortunately flooded out in the Western Provinces, because it’s the long weekend when we celebrate Canada Day, our Independence, on Monday. So you can imagine what it’s going to be like, especially if it’s sunny and warm.
I finally had to go outside and turn off the sprinkler, if only to minimize the real risk of flooding, because who knows when the rain will stop, plus stopping an unnecessary increase in my water bill, which has gone up a fair amount since the sprinkler system was put in.
Anyway, summer madness will definitely be on display this weekend, so let’s see if we can keep it in check a little by chanting our Friday Chant, which gives us a better and brighter perspective on how to handle it.
All together 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 my brethren, we have to enjoy the couple days off, but as Jeeves would say, ‘with a modicum of circumspection,’ so that Lucifer doesn’t even find one li’l pinhole in our spiritual armour, that he can use to cause us to go against God’s will.
But instead that we should do as our Bit tells us. ‘This is a faithful saying, and these things I will that thou affirm constantly, that they which have believed in God might be careful to maintain good works. These things are good and profitable unto men.’
Yeh Friends, it’s the same Bit as the last two days because there’s some useful information from the scholars that I thought was important to share with you. It’s on the topic of regeneration, which we read about yesterday.
‘Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost; Which he shed (poured out) on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour; That we being justified (declared righteous) by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope (strong confidence) of eternal life.’ (Titus 3:5-7)
Now, per the scholars: ‘Regeneration refers to the work of the Holy Spirit in the salvation experience that produces new life in the believer. To express this concept, Jesus used the expression “born again” in His conversation with Nicodemus (John 3:3-7). Regeneration is the work of God, through the Holy Spirit, of placing in one who has faith a new nature, capable of doing God’s will.
The Holy Spirit is the agent or divine workman of this regeneration. His instrument is the Bible, which is likened to a hammer that judges sin (Jer.23:29), a mirror that reveals sin (James 1:23), a sword that defeats Satan (Heb.4:12), and a lamp that guides the believers (Ps.119:105).
Illustration: People are instantaneously “born again,” the moment they trust Christ as Saviour (1 Pet.1:23). Application: Christians should be careful to cooperate with God in growing as children of God after they are regenerated, or given new life. (First Ref. John 3:3; Primary Ref. Titus 3:5; cf. Eph.1:15)
Oh Friends, what greater gift can we be honoured with eh? None really!
Just ponder it for a Selah moment nuh: To be able to move from a situation of eternal death and damnation immediately to one of salvation and eternal life, simply by believing in Jesus, that He’s the Truth, the Light, the Life and the ONLY Way to God.
What a most blessed opportunity that is! One that we as believers have wisely taken hold of, but also need to share with others, because it’s the greatest gift ever bestowed on mankind, and right now too many people have not heard about it, so they’re still living in darkness, seriously threatened by eternal death and damnation, because they don’t know better.
And they won’t know better unless somebody tells them the Good News. And that somebody is us, Friends, the church of Christ!
Please remember Jesus’ last directive to the disciples: ‘Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world.’ (Matt.28:19-20)
Yes my fellow believers, that’s our job, our bounden duty! But we can only accomplish it by first thinking the right things, affirming Christ-like stuff, then going out into this evil, ungodly world and putting them into action.
Please, let’s live up to the promise we made when we accepted Jesus as our Lord and Saviour nuh; that is truly LOVING our wonderful God, sincerely LIVING our Christian faith, and faithfully SPREADING the Lord’s Word!
That my brethren is definitely wisdom and Christian ethic at their highest levels. And Jesus desires nothing but excellence from His followers. Much LOVE!
…to act like a true believer…our thoughts must first be in sync…with those of Jesus…
Today’s Scrip-Bit 10 October 2012 Matthew 17:23
10 Oct 2012 Leave a comment
in Inspirational Living Tags: anger, born again, carnal minds, crucified the flesh, dark night, exploitation, fruit of the Spirit, hate, hunger, innocent lambs, ministering, negative emotions, temptation, thanks and praise, the things of God, the things of man
Matthew 17:23. But he turned and said to Peter, Get thee behind me Satan: thou art an offense unto me: for thou savourest not the things that be of God, but those that be of men.
Oh Friends, we have successfully racked up another night in our earthly lives, and are beginning another day time journey, one that will hopefully end with another night of peaceful rest. Let’s hope all of us make it through with God’s LOVING-kindness and grace. Remember though, we must first start out with thanks and praise to Almighty God for bringing us safely through the dark night and ask Him to lead us aright this eventful day, for without His powerful protection, we’re like innocent lambs to the slaughter before Beelzebub’s evil machinations. And ‘From Off My Wall,’ which I just passed by, stood up for a moment and looked at what I had up there, comes this breakdown of one of Beelzebub’s most useful and powerful weapons; the emotion of HATE. And the little note on my wall breaks it down thus: HATE: Hunger, Anger, Tension, Exploitation. And isn’t that the living truth my people? Hate is made up of all those negative emotions and tendencies, and unfortunately too many of us get caught up in the individual items, as well as the overall emotion, because we either refuse to keep our eyes of faith focused on Christ, or we simply don’t believe in Him as our Lord, Saviour, Director and Guide of our earthly journey. That’s how it was with the disciples when Jesus told them of His impending death. Big Simon Peter rebuked Jesus, telling Him that would never happen, if he had any say in the matter. But Jesus in turn rebuked Peter with the memorable words of our Bit: ‘Get thee behind me Satan: thou art an offense unto me: for thou savourest not the things that be of God, but those that be of men.’ Peter’s quick reaction shows that Jesus’ teaching was foreign to the disciples. They didn’t expect Him to suffer and die such a cruel, inhumane death, and Peter, especially, believed that he would stand up and physically fight for Jesus. But the Master’s plan was different and He rebuked Peter just like He did when Lucifer tried to tempt Him in the wilderness after His forty days of fasting. And Jesus’ rough response to Peter, means He probably considered Peter’s words as more temptation to avoid His destiny with the cross. Oh Friends, please realize that Lucifer is not totally foolish, for it’s when we are at our weakest, at the ebb of our emotions, that he usually comes a-calling. But we all know that after fasting, Jesus still had enough strength to turn Lucifer away, telling him in no uncertain terms after the third attempt: ‘Get thee hence (away with you) Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and Him only shalt thou serve.’ (Matt.4:10) And we have a touching, heart-warming, reaffirming of God’s grace after that. ‘Then the devil leaveth him alone, and, behold, angels came and ministered unto him.’ (Matt.4:11) Isn’t that wonderful, my brethren? It’s the same way the Holy Spirit and angels help us to overcome Lucifer and his evil taunts, then heal any wounds inflicted during the process. Now why did Jesus tell Peter that he was an ‘offense,’ a snare or a trap to Him? ‘…For thou savourest not (are not mindful of) the things that be of God, but those that be of men.’ Oh my people, if ever there was an indictment that could cover us all, that would surely be it. We don’t think of, meditate on, consider or accept the things of God nearly as much as we do the things of man. We mostly look at things from man’s point of view and not enough from God’s. And that’s why Lucifer is able to have so much sway in our earthly affairs. Bruh Paul clearly states it in Romans 8, when talking about life in the Spirit. ‘For they that are after the flesh do mind (set their minds on) the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. So then they that be in the flesh cannot please God.’ (Rom.8:5-8) That’s eternal truth my people! True believers deal more with the Spirit than with the flesh. Jesus said it thus to Nicodemus: ‘That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.’ (John 3:6) And in 1 Corinthians, Bruh Paul explains to them the spiritual body: ‘And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last man Adam was made a quickening (life-giving) spirit. Howbeit that was not first which is spiritual, but that which is natural: and afterward that which is spiritual. The first man is of the earth, earthy (made of dust): the second man is the Lord from heaven. As is the earthy, such are they also that are earthy: and as is the heavenly, such are they also that are heavenly. And as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly.’ (1 Cor.15:45-49) Yes Friends, when we’re born again in Jesus, we need to give up the things of the flesh and live for those of the Spirit. And we’ll end with Bruh Paul’s famous words on the fruit of the Spirit, just to remind us of some of the things we’re supposed to be involved in. ‘But the fruit of the Spirit is LOVE, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness (kindness), goodness (faithfulness), faith, Meekness, temperance (self-control): against such there is no law. And they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections (its passions) and lusts. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. Let us not be desirous of vain glory (conceited), provoking one another, envying one another.’ (Gal.5:22-26) Oh my people, we couldn’t get any wiser words this morning! So please, let’s check out our personal situations as they pertain to truly walking in the Spirit, and where necessary, raise our levels of producing spiritual fruit, for it’s the wisdom of the ages. Much LOVE!…when the fruit of the Spirit is in full bloom…then Lucifer’s sugar-coated entreaties fall on deaf ears…
Today’s Scrip-Bit 14 August 2012 2 Corinthians 5:17
14 Aug 2012 Leave a comment
in Inspirational Living Tags: baptized, blessings, born again, Christian spirit, Comforter, courage, fear, fleshly lusts, gospel truth, Helper, holy spirit, new man, personal choice, spiritual beings, tests, thanks and praise
2 Corinthians 5:17. Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.
Oh Friends, it’s another beautiful day on planet earth, courtesy of our wonderful God! And all God’s people voiced a loud and grateful, ‘Thank you Father for allowing us to see another day! We praise and glorify your Holy Name! Amen.’ Yes my brethren, we need to give our God thanks every morning that we open our eyes to greet a new day. Now there will be blessings poured down on us from heaven above, but there will also be tests; evil doings that will come against us, so we also need to ask the Lord for strength and courage to face those rough times that try to break us every day. And just now, while weeding out some old pieces of paper that I use as bookmarks when writing the Bit, I came upon two definitions of courage which I was guided to share. I don’t know if I shared them before, but even if I did, it seems we need to hear them again, so that they will enable us to stand strong and courageous as the Good Book advises. (Josh. 1:7) The first quote come from Alicia Mckenzie Swain, who says: ‘Courage is not the towering oak tree that sees storms come and go; it is the fragile blossom that opens in the snow.’ It certainly takes courage Friends, and plenty too, for a small, fragile blossom, which needs heat and warmth to survive, to rear its tender head in the cold uncaring snow. The next quote on courage comes from Dr. Robert H. Schuller, who declares: ‘Behold! Courage isn’t feeling free from fear; courage is facing fears you feel.’ And that’s gospel truth Friends! For if we waited to be free from fear before we felt courageous, we’d never be courageous, since we’re all constantly surrounded and consumed by some kind of fear each waking hour of each day. Fear is a normal part of our everyday lives, so to make it meaningful we have to constantly move forward, keep on keeping on, regardless of and in the face of any and all fear that tries to pull us down. And right there Friends is where the true Christian spirit rises way above every other philosophy, religion or faith in this world, for through the Holy Spirit of Almighty God, our Comforter and Helper, who dwells within all believers, we are able to successfully rise above all fear. And all God’s people said a loud and thankful: ‘Praise the Lord!’ But unfortunately that ability only comes when we believe in and accept Jesus Christ as our personal Lord and Saviour, which means being BORN AGAIN. As Jesus said to Nicodemus, one of the Jewish rulers who suppressed his fear and came to Jesus by night seeking answers, re Jesus and His purpose. ‘Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.’ (John 3:3) Obviously poor Nicodemus was shocked and confused by Jesus’ statement, asking how was it possible for a man to enter his mother’s womb again. But, as He was wont to do, Jesus patiently explained: ‘Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.’ (John 3:5-6) And that Friends, is the whole crux of the matter! Until we are born again of water (baptized) and of the Spirit, which entails believing that Jesus is truly the son of God, seeking repentance for our sins, and having the Holy Spirit come to live in us, we won’t be able to successfully communicate with our Creator, or after our mortal body dies, enter into His glorious kingdom. But once we’ve accepted Jesus, our Bit then comes into play. ‘Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature (creation): old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.’ Yes my brethren, when we receive Jesus into our hearts and lives, we’re supposed to become new people; acquire new godly habits and desires, while throwing away the old lusts and fleshly desires that Lucifer had us falsely believing were the best things for us. But listen to the correct pronouncement on the subject – from Jesus of course: ‘It is the spirit that quickeneth (gives life); the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.’ (John 6:63) Oh Friends, though we have fleshly bodies, through which a few good things are possible, please remember that we are first and foremost spiritual beings. Our fleshly body is only a temporary residence for our spirits. And since our fleshly body eventually dies and returns to the dust from which it was originally formed, the question is what then happens to our spirit? Some believe that the body is all there is, and after its death, everything’s finished. However, those of us who hold Jesus as our Lord and Saviour believe otherwise; namely that the spirit lives on, either in paradise with Him, or in a place of utter torment with Lucifer. And each individual must make a personal choice. But how is one to choose eh? Take it from me Friends, the smart money is on Jesus! And why not? Who in his right sense would prefer to live in a place of torment forever, just to satisfy a few earthly lusts and pleasures? Surprisingly though, a lot of people seem to feel that way! But it obviously follows that they are not in their right minds, because you can still enjoy earthly life through Jesus’ system, as well as enjoy an even better time in eternity with Him in paradise. So who’s the fool eh? My people, I’ll leave us to ponder that question to day. Please do so, and seriously too, because your place in eternity depends on the choice you make. As for me and mine though, we’ll definitely choose Jesus. More on this tomorrow, provided we don’t read our names in the obits. (smile) Much much LOVE, truly from the heart, my people!…if in doubt…give Jesus a try…He’s so wonderful…you’ll never want to leave Him…
Today’s Scrip-Bit 17 May 2012 Acts 10:38
17 May 2012 Leave a comment
in Inspirational Living Tags: anointing, blessed name of Jesus, born again, come from God, deep peace, earthly journey, Gaelic peace prayer, jesus of nazareth, kingdom of god, miracles, Nicodemus, oppression, prayer of peace, teacher, wonderful truths
Acts 10:38. How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him.
Oh Friends, the Lord has blessed us with another beautiful day on this bountiful earth! Praise and bless His Holy Name! Yeh, that’s something we ought to do, because it’s not everyone who was up and about yesterday that are up and about today. So if you’re one of the lucky, blessed ones; not one of those reading their names in the obits, please convey some thanks and praise to our heavenly Father for it. Now here’s a Gaelic Prayer of Peace that I got when I attended the St.Augustine Anglican Church last Sunday in J.A. It says, very wisely and comfortingly: ‘Deep peace of the running waves to you. Deep peace of the flowing air to you. Deep peace of the smiling stars to you. Deep peace of the watching shepherds to you. Deep peace of the Son of Peace to you.’ Yes my Friends, I wish that deep peace to all of us today, and sincerely pray that our world will enjoy more peace today than it did yesterday, that war and strife will be less today, than they were yesterday, and our children’s children will enjoy a much more peaceful earthly journey than our generation has done. I pray this in the blessed name of Jesus. Amen. Now let’s engage our Bit for the last time today. And I sense a smile from those of you who don’t like to use a Bit for more than one day, but sometimes the Bits are just so full of wonderful truths and promises that we just have to keep at them until we exhaust all the wisdom they can provide. And this has certainly been one of those. ‘How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him.’ Wow Friends! Doesn’t that just say plenty? It sure does: God anointing Jesus with His Holy Spirit; Jesus going about healing and doing good; and God being with Him while He did that. And it’s that last part; ‘for God was with him,’ that I want to look at today. And we’ll do so by first looking at a very important passage of scripture. It’s the eye opening conversation between Nicodemus, a Pharisee, and Jesus. ‘The same (Nicodemus) came to Jesus by night, and said unto him, Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles (signs) that thou doest, except God be with him.’ (John 3:2) Now Friends, that’s a statement that both astounds and confuses me. It is indeed a truthful statement, for Jesus could not have done all those miracles without God’s help. So why then didn’t many more people believe in Him eh, especially when the Jewish nation was undergoing such horrendous oppression under Roman rule? I guess the Jews had been looking so long and hard for a war mongering Messiah, that when a peace-LOVING one came, they just could not fathom or accept it, plus the ruling class was genuinely afraid they’d lose their preferred status, and would do anything to protect it. But here’s Jesus’ answer to Nicodemus. And this is where it gets real interesting. ‘Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again (or from above), he cannot see the kingdom of God. Nicodemus (obviously confused) saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother’s womb, and be born? Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again. The wind bloweth where it listeth (wishes); and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit.’ (John 3:3-8) Yes mih breddren, that’s the overwhelming importance of the Holy Spirit! Unless we have it, we can’t enter heaven. And we can only get it by being born again, believing and accepting with unswerving faith that Jesus is and was the Messiah, who died to pay for our sins. Notice that Jesus Himself was baptized and born again of the Holy Spirit. (Mark 1:9-11) And as Jesus later said unto a group in the temple: ‘I said therefore unto you, that ye shall die in your sins: for if ye believe not that I am he, ye shall die in your sins.’ (John 8:24) Oh Friends, I surely hope that all of us, who say we believe, do indeed truly believe, so that we don’t die in our sins, for that would be a terrible outcome of this earthly life. At the same time, we should also be concentrating on getting others to truly believe so that they don’t die in their sins, for that was Jesus’ last directive to His disciples, (Matt. 28:19-20) and consequently to us. And we’ll end with the definitive words of Jesus on the topic. ‘When ye have lifted up (crucified) the Son of man, then shall ye know that I am he, and that I do nothing of myself; but as my Father hath taught me, I speak these things. And he that sent me is with me: the Father hath not left me alone; for I do always those things that please him.’ (John 8:28-29) And all God’s people declared a loud ‘Amen!’ Yes my fellow believers, our God is always with us when we’re doing His will. Let’s never forget that. So let’s ponder today, whether we’re truly doing His will, and if not, try to bring ourselves in line with it, so that we might continually enjoy His awesome company, just like Jesus did. Much LOVE!…only if we sincerely seek the Lord…will we find Him…
SCRIP-BITS 