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Philippians 2:5. Let this mind be in you, which also was in Christ Jesus.

Ah Friends, laziness is a hell of a thing yes! How many of you noticed yesterday that the top heading had one date and the bottom one another eh? Computers make it too easy for us sometimes. This copy and paste thing can do serious damage if we’re not careful. My sincere apologies to those of you who noticed. I aced it this morning though, got them both right! (smile)

So the bacchanal done now mih people; Carnival over and we now into the godly season of Lent. Let’s hope that we extinguished all our energy and frustrations during the Carnival period and are now ready to settle down to a serious time of consideration and ‘ponderation’ on God and all that He stands for, because this is the season for it.

Now, as per activities, yesterday, after finishing my buss-up shirt, I went down to Scarborough to see some local mas. Hn! We got down there about two o’clock, only to find the streets empty, not a mas in sight.

We walked up to where they were supposed to be judging the bands, but could not get a seat out of the sun because they had private tents, or tents with no seats, so we walked back to a closed up café or chicken joint, that had an awning over the front, the same place we were last year.

This time there were no chairs in front, apparently the owners got smart after last year, but there were a few benches by the side, we put one under the awning and limed there until we left around five thirty.

At two thirty, no mas had appeared, so I told the duchess if none appears by three o’clock we would leave. Luckily, about ten to three a sailor band with about a dozen people, of whom I knew about four, came down the road, passed the judging stand and eventually ended up liming right by us.

As the afternoon progressed about five bands eventually passed up in front of us, and I saw a few other people I knew, so it wasn’t a complete waste of time. As usual though I could not see a pan side on the road to jump with. Ah Lord eh, what has mas come to eh, when there’s no pan on the road? Steups!

One friend there kept telling me how the pans usually come out after six o’clock, but who knows if what he said was true, and I definitely wasn’t hanging around to find out. So the duchess and I walked back to the car, not too far really, but it was a bit difficult, and the Lord ended up carrying me.

I definitely couldn’t make it on my own strength, even with my cane. And who says our God isn’t a great and caring God eh! I certainly won’t because there are many days without His help, I wouldn’t make it through. Anyway, enough about me and mas.

Today is Ash Wednesday. Hope those of you so interested went to church and got your ashes. I was too tired to get up, and the service in my area was too early, six a.m. But I think there is one at six p.m. tonight. I might check that out. And since it’s Wednesday, then we need to declare our Wednesday Wail with much gusto and sincerity.

As one now, let’s wail: ‘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 my people, it’s so good to be alive on this Ash Wednesday, and alive in sweet Tobago too, that I can die from the happiness! (smile) But then we need to put our noses to the grindstone and focus our every thought on Jesus, keep looking ahead to the wonderful future He has planned for us, not at the past as so many of us unfortunately do.

Ah my fellow believers, what is past has gone, and believe me, our best days are still ahead, out in front of us, if we keep hanging sincerely with Jesus. But as our Bit tells us, we can’t be like Jesus unless we first think like Him. ‘Let this mind be in you, which also was in Christ Jesus.’

And today I want to share some explanations from the scholars on the 2^nd to 4th verses of the chapter. ‘Fulfill ye my joy, that ye be like minded, having the same LOVE, being of one accord, of one mind.’ (Phil.2:2) Then he continues talking about the need for no strife and pride, selfishness and being our brother’s keeper.

The scholars offer these explanations: ‘2:2-4. Fulfill ye my joy (or, “Make my joy complete”). Paul rejoiced over the Philippians (1:3), but his happiness was incomplete, owing to some disunity and lack of total harmony among them. The Greek equates what, to Paul, constitutes “complete joy” with the readers being likeminded. This means “living in harmony” with one another. That is, the Philippians can “fulfill” the writer’s “joy” by living in harmony among themselves.

But what does such harmonious living entail? Beginning in verse 2 and continuing through verse 4, six participles spell out and clearly define what it means to “live in harmony:” (1) having the same LOVE toward one believer as shown toward another, without partiality; (2) being of one accord; that is, they are to be united in spirit; (3) of one mind; that is, the whole church is to have the same values and goals;

(4) let nothing be done through strife or vainglory, for selfish ambition or conceit; (5) let each esteem other better than themselves, that is, each is to regard his fellow Christian as more important than himself; and (6) look…every man also on the things of others; that is, each is to be just as concerned for the needs and problems of his brother as he is for his own affairs.’

Oh friends, oh friends, that’s exactly what Christianity is all about, living in LOVE and harmony with and for each other! It’s what Jesus taught, and how He lived! But are we doing that today? Hn! Definitely not as much as we should, else our world and our Christian fellowship would not be in the bad shape they are in.

So today, on this Ash Wednesday of 2016, please, let’s sit down and consider, ponder the way we live, and try, with God’s help obviously, to bring it more in line with the Christian principles outlined above nuh. For that my brethren, is the indisputable wisdom of heaven! Much LOVE!

…oh how good and precious it is…when brethren live together in true harmony…

Philippians 2:5. Let this mind be in you, which also was in Christ Jesus.

Oh friends, the big day is here at last! Yes, it’s Carnival Tuesday, when all the pretty mas is supposed to come out in the streets, with the music blaring and the participants jumping and wining in their fancy costumes! It’s the height of the bacchanal!

Around the Savannah (Queen’s Park Savannah) the bands will be gathering to go across the stage for competition. And as far as I was concerned that was the best place to see the mas and hear the music, because everything was centered around that spot, and you could move from one band to the other as they lined up to go across the stage.

Fortunately, or otherwise, I can no longer endure that situation, (smile) so I might watch a little of the Trinidad mas on the tube, then go down to Scarborough and watch the mini mas down there. That will satisfy me.

And since Today is Tuesday, that means we need to declare our Tuesday Mantra. So with a strong sense of purpose and sincerity let’s proclaim: ‘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.’

Yes my people, the only thing that truly matters in this world is that we are children of God, greatly LOVED by Him, and also a true friend of Jesus. Glory Hallelujah! Nothing can be more important than those two things! But we need to sincerely believe them and work accordingly to them in our lives.

We can’t allow what others think and say about us to have more sway over us than what Christ says. And that is one of the problems in our current world; we consider what the people in power, or the rich and famous say and do, more than we consider God’s Word and works. That’s totally unacceptable my fellow believers in Jesus! God and His Word should be our big focus, not what mankind says or does.

And I read a piece in my One More Day Devotional for people with Chronic illness, that I’m going to change to suit our purpose today. It says: ‘Chronic illness means pushing back the “front tears” in our mind so that we can expand the frontiers of our days.’

Now friends, I believe that is also apropos to our situation, where we need to push back our tears, our problems and concentrate on our great and wonderful God, so that we can expand the frontiers of our days. Without truly focusing on God, our frontiers will never expand to their fullest.

And one way to do that is to follow the words of our Bit. ‘Let this mind be in you, which also was in Christ Jesus.’ Yeh mih people, we can’t act like Jesus until we think and believe like Him!

And yesterday we saw what Bruh Paul said to the Philippians: ‘If there be therefore any consolation (encouragement) in Christ, if any comfort (consolation) of LOVE, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any bowels and mercies, Fulfill ye my joy, that ye be likeminded, having the same LOVE, being of one accord, of one mind.’ (Phil.2:1-2)

Yes friends, all Bruh Paul is talking about there is harmonious living between believers, as he continues through verses 3 and 4 to push unselfishness and brother looking out for brother. The same attitude applies to us today, though unfortunately we’re not living as harmoniously as we ought to.

My people there is too much disharmony amongst believers today…and that’s an indisputable fact. How can the body of Christ be successful if the parts don’t dwell together in unity eh? That’s impossible to accomplish under those circumstances, but it’s exactly what Jesus desires and expects us to achieve.

Anyhow, enough of my preaching, which too often falls on deaf ears. Let’s hear some of what the scholars have to say on those verses. ‘2:1. Therefore resumes the thought begun in 1:27-28, namely, that the Philippians are to be “worthy” and steadfast in unity, striving together for the gospel’s progress. The word if, occurring four times in this verse, denotes fact, not doubt; it might then be translated “since.”

Paul is thus affirming that in Christ there exists consolation (encouragement); comfort of LOVE (solace furnished by LOVE); fellowship of the Spirit (partaking of the Holy Spirit’s life and sharing in His gifts, ministry, help, values etc.); bowels (affection); and mercies (sympathy).

This verse forms the basis for Paul’s appeal in verse 2: “Fulfill ye my joy.” His thinking is this: Since these five benefits or virtues exist in Christ, and since you are Christians, then exercise these virtues toward one another as you contend for the gospel and face opposition.’

Oh my fellow believers in Christ, what more can I say eh? Not much really, because the same situation faces us today, and probably on an even larger scale. Jesus thought in terms of harmony and unselfishness, and so should we, if we want to be truly his followers.

Why do you think Bruh Paul talked about ‘The service of LOVE to all,’ in Romans 12 eh? Because that’s the only thing that would keep Christ’s church together!

Listen to him: ‘For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith. For as we have many members in one body, and all members have not the same office (function): So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one (individually) members one of another.’ (Rom.12:3-5)

Yes friends, the long and short of the story is that we are all Christians, believers in Christ, and we all have individual functions to perform, but we need to perform them in harmony, so that the body of Christ, His church, the great organization that He envisaged and founded will be able to go forth and prosper.

That’s enough for today. So my people, please remember that though we are many, we are still one! Much LOVE!

…no organization can grow and prosper…unless there is harmony within it…

P.S. Going to have breakfast now, finish some buss-up shirt and curry that I bought yesterday, (smile) then get ready to go down to the mas in Scarborough. Much LOVE!

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Today’s Scrip-Bit 10 February 2016 Philippians 2:5‏‏

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