Today​’s Scrip-Bit 4 April 2019 Isaiah 57:21.

Isaiah 57:21.     There is no peace, saith my God, to the wicked.
 
No rain today! Glory to God! Just blue skies and cool breezes in Paradise…until the sun comes up hot and stinging around the noonday hour! But we can handle it better than the cold, for God didn’t make us to live in the cold climates. Yuh see the wonderful climate the Garden of Eden had? (smile) But mankind so hard ears and stubborn and own way, they decide that they going to live in the cold countries anyway, and do their own thing there. 

Ah Lord eh, it is the bane of mankind – always wanting to do their own thing! Jehovah God made us to do His thing, but from the very beginning we rebelled and did our own thing instead. And so it continued down throughout the ages. Listen to this scripture nuh from Isaiah, where through him, the Lord condemns Israel’s idolatry. After castigating them for having the righteous suffer and no one taking up their cause, He declares (steups – wrong again): 

‘But draw near hither, ye sons of the sorceress, the seed of the adulterer and the whore (harlot). Against whom do ye sport (ridicule) yourselves? against whom make ye a wide mouth, and draw (stick) out the tongue? Are ye not children of transgression, a seed of falsehood. Enflaming (inflaming) yourselves with idols (gods) under every green tree, slaying the children in the valleys under the clifts (clefts) of the rocks?’ (Is.57:3-5) 

Yeh friends, the Israelites forgot the God of their forefathers and made idols of all sorts of stuff and worshipped them as gods, they even practiced child sacrifice like some of the other pagan tribes around them! And I like how the Lord continues a few verses later: ‘And thou wentest to the king with ointment, and didst increase thy perfumes, and didst send thy messengers far off, and didst debase thyself even unto hell.’ (Is.57:9) 

Oh friends we are doing the same things as the Israelites did; turning away from God, following pagan rites, debasing ourselves and worshipping the things of the world, rather than Almighty God! The things of the world are now idols, and we are even figuratively sacrificing our children on the worthless altars of these idols! How foolish is that eh? 

And as the Lord continues: ‘Thou art wearied in the greatness of thy way (length of thy road); yet saidst thou not, There is no hope: thou hast found the life (strength) of thine hand; therefore thou was not grieved.’ (Is. 57:10) 

Yeh, we found our strength as we developed all our technological stuff and got bigger and bigger and supposedly better, thinking that it was all our own doing and didn’t look back or even consider if what we were doing was right, just plowed right on in our idolatrous ways, until now we’ve become all-powerful in our own eyes and are hell bent on removing God from our society! As far as too many of us are concerned Jehovah God is an old-fashioned, outdated entity, who has no rightful place in our modern day lives! Ah Lord eh!  

And just as the Lord asked of the Israelites back then, He’s also asking of us today: ‘And of whom hast thou been afraid or feared, that thou hast lied, and hast not remembered me, nor laid it to thy heart? have not I held my peace (remained silent) even of old, and thou fearest me not?’ (Is.57:11) 

Ah mih breddren, in this godless and satanic age we neither fear God with a real fear, like the attack of a dangerous wild animal, nor fear Him in terms of reverence and awe! So many people in the universe still don’t know Him, and too many are turning away from Him to worship the worthless idols and false gods of other faiths! 

But please be warned, God’s eyes are upon us all the time! He knows our every move and every thought be it evil or good that we think and plan and when He’s ready, He will take matters into His own hands, and trust, me, we won’t like it when He does. 

As He said to Israel: ‘I will declare thy righteousness, and thy works; for they shall not profit thee. When thou criest (cry out), let thy companies (collection of idols) deliver thee; but the wind shall carry them all away; vanity (a breath) shall take them: but he that putteth his trust in me shall possess the land, and shall inherit my holy mountain.’ (Is.57:12-13) 

Oh my people, please believe the Lord our God nuh for He doesn’t make idle promises; if He says He’ll destroy, then He will, and will likewise prosper when He says so. Hear this last piece of that chapter. ‘I create the fruit of the lips; Peace, peace to him that is far off, and to him that is near, saith the Lord; and I will heal him. But the wicked are like the troubled sea, when it cannot rest, whose waters cast up mire and dirt. There is no peace, saith my God, to the wicked.’ (Is.57:19-21) 

That’s gospel truth my brethren! Wickedness might pay in the short run in this world, but in the long run it definitely won’t! So please be wise and refute evil and wickedness and sin and the ungodly ways of the world nuh! And when you believe and sincerely try to follow the One True God, He of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, look what happens: He showers down blessings on us like manna from heaven. So let’s declare (right ho) our Thursday Blessings with enthusiasm and heartfelt assurance nuh! 

As one now: ‘I declare that I am blessed with God’s supernatural wisdom and receive clear direction for my life! I declare today that I am blessed with creativity, courage, talent and abundance! I am blessed with a strong will, self-control and self-discipline! I am blessed with a great family, good friends, good health, faith, favour and fulfillment! 

I am blessed with success, supernatural strength, promotion and divine protection! I am blessed with a compassionate heart and a positive outlook on life! I declare that any curse or negative word that’s ever been spoken over me is broken right now in the name of Jesus! I declare that everything I put my hands to will prosper and succeed! I declare it today and everyday! Amen!’ 

Which other faith or supposed God promises and also delivers that kind of stuff eh? None but Jesus Christ! And those blessings are offered so that we can go out and share them with the less fortunate, so let’s do that now nuh and warm the cockles of Jesus’ heart! Much LOVE!

…abhor that which is evil…cling to that which is good… (Rom.12:9b)

 

Today’s Scrip-Bit 28 October 2013 Matthew 5:8

 

Matthew 5:8.     Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.

And before you know it, Monday has come around again… Chuh!  

Yes Friends, it’s that wonderful day called Monday! Hn, hn!  

And wonder of wonders, this morning while walking down the street, as I passed one house, a middle aged gentleman came out on to his front porch and surprised me by raising both arms, his head and eyes towards heaven and loudly declared: ‘Thank God it’s Monday, and I’m strong and healthy enough to go back out to work today and spread some joy and blessings amongst the great unwashed!’  

Ah Friends, sadly, I hear the peals of laughter ringing out, not from the unbelievers, but from the supposed believers. Shame on you all! Because you’re not doing it, doesn’t mean that others aren’t. That attitude only shows that your faith is small!   

No wonder Jesus constantly criticized the people of His day, by saying: ‘O ye of little faith.’ In the gospel of Matthew, He says it three times – Matt. 6:30; 8:26; 14:31. Today He most likely would have said it more often.  

Remember Friends, we’re supposed to live by faith and not by sight. (2 Cor. 5:7) So if we don’t believe, don’t have faith that something good is happening, or going to happen, then how can we ever see it through to fruition eh? Unless you don’t think, want, or expect Christians to change their miserable Monday Morning behaviour.  

Anyway, enough castigating and tongue lashing for today. (smile) Let’s sing our Monday Morning Battle Hymn with much gusto, verve and vitality.  

On the count of three; one, two, three: ‘Oh Lord God Almighty, Creator of the universe and all therein! We, your humble servants, praise your Holy Name and thank you that this Monday morning we have jobs to go to; jobs we don’t like, jobs that are unfair, difficult and even dangerous, but which serve a useful purpose here on earth; keeping lives and families together.  

We also thank you Father for the renewed vitality and enthusiasm you’ve wrought in our weary souls over the last two days. It’s that rejuvenation of Spirit which allows us now to sally forth with confidence into the evil, ungodly world that surrounds us, to begin a new week of work, constantly buffeted and bombarded by the enemy’s wicked taunts, wiles and lies.  

But heavenly Father, we’re not afraid, for we know we’re invincible, sure conquerors, once we’re wearing your powerful, protective spiritual armour. We surrender our all to you, and humbly ask that you let your incredible aura of LOVE, the Holy Spirit, lead and guide all your servants as we go out to meet the enemy in battle.

Fill us with steadfast faith, so that we can make worthwhile inroads into the enemy’s ranks, and thereby further your glorious kingdom. We pray this in the Holy Name of your Son, and our Saviour, Jesus Christ. AMEN!’  

That was a tremendous rendition my people! It had to be, because Jesus was singing along, snapping His fingers and tapping His feet, while the Father sat on His throne smiling, overjoyed to see His blessed Son happy with His people’s behaviour for a change.  

Now that should wake us up, put us in the right frame of mind and give us the spiritual wherewithal to go out today and successfully do battle against the awful Beelzebub and his evil minions.  

And some of our capability to do that is based, or comes in part because of our Bit: ‘Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.’ Yes Friends, when our hearts are right, then God flourishes in us!  

And we’re continuing with this Beatitude because I have some scripture to share, re the second half; ‘for they shall see God.’  

Now listen to this scripture from way back in time, when that ole scamp, that consummate smart-man, Jacob, wrestled with the angel and eventually got blessed.  

The Good Book says: ‘And Jacob asked him (the angel), and said, Tell me, I pray thee, thy name. And he said, Wherefore is it that thou dost ask after my name? And he blessed him there. And Jacob called the place Peniel (lit. Face of God): for I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved.’ (Gen.32:29-30)  

Ah mih breddren, who would have thought it eh? But that’s how our God operates; in mysterious ways, not using the obvious to do His will, but instead using those whom man considers useless and unfruitful to confound man. Remember His ways and thoughts are ever so much higher than ours! (Is.55:8-9)   

And as you know, whenever possible, we like to end with the potent words of Jesus. Here, He’s talking about greatness, explaining that we have to be as pure, as trusting and humble as little children to enter the kingdom of heaven. And to end that section, He says: ‘Take heed that ye despise not one of these little ones: for I say unto you, That in heaven their angels do always behold the face of my Father which is in heaven.’ (Matt.18:10)  

Oh my people, again we see the simplicity and straightforwardness of our heavenly Leader’s words. He keeps reading and spelling for us, so why is it so difficult to adhere to His commands eh?   I don’t know, possibly because it’s just in our nature to be rebellious and disobedient. 

And since He gave us freedom of choice, I guess we figure we have to use it in a negative light, just to prove that we can. But whatever the reason my people, turning away from our Creator, Controller and Provider is a fool’s wisdom!  

Today therefore, please let’s seriously consider our relationship to Christ, and wisely try to improve it. For that’s truly, common sense and true wisdom. Much LOVE!  

…just like a little child looks up to and trusts his earthly parents…even so should mankind look up to and trust our heavenly Father…for to know, know, know Him…is to LOVE, LOVE, LOVE Him…