Today’s Scrip-Bit 22 December 2018 Micah 7:6.

Micah 7:6.   ​For the son dishonoureth the father, the daughter riseth up against her mother, the daughter-in-law against her mother in law; a man’s enemies are the men of his own house.
 
Saturday, Christmas Saturday! And everybody is busy doing their last minute Christmas shopping and preparations! Thank the Lord that does not include the ole fella nuh! (smile) Yeh friends, the ole fella’s recuperating nicely I suppose. I’ve been up for some time now because I could not find a comfortable position in the bed, one that would alleviate all the aches and pains. 

Yuh know how it is; when you find a comfort zone for one ache, it causes another to act up. And then I sat at the kitchen table having a coffee and a Saturday morning chat with the duchess – have to take them when I can get them (smile), so that’s why I’m only now getting to the Bit. That’s my story, and I’m sticking to it! 

Now let’s see what words of wisdom our friend Anselm sent us this week, as he aspires to inspire us for a better tomorrow. And the first quote simply says: ‘Lighten up, just enjoy life, smile more, laugh more, and don’t get so worked up about things.’ Oh mih people, those few words do contain lots of good advice and wisdom! 

In this stressful and busy world we all need to lighten up and relax and just go with the flow! Have you ever walked down a busy street and seen how people are tense and serious, with very few smiling, everyone just intent on going about their business? 

And it always amuses me when I get in an elevator and all the others in the car keep looking up at the roof, everybody apparently dreading making eye contact with a stranger. Chuh friends! Our society definitely needs to lighten up and not take ourselves so seriously, because it only draws us to unnecessary disaster. That’s why stress is the biggest killer in our midst right now, causing all sorts of illnesses! And then we wonder why so many of us are dying so young! 

And the next quote declares: ‘Life is like playing a violin in public and learning the instrument as one goes on.’ I guess that means you cannot learn life in private, and only as you go along that you really learn it. It’s a process and you can only deal with it as it comes against you. As the old people would say, ‘what ent meet you ent pass you!’ In other words, people can tell you about life, but you don’t truly learn life until you yourself come face to face with it. 

And the last quote says: ‘At the end of the day, life is about being happy being who you are, and I feel like we are so blessed to have the support system and the best family to really just support each other no matter what we’re going through.’ Ah friends, I wish that was so much truer of our world than it actually is! 

We ought to be happy being who we are, especially in Christ, and we do need good support systems to help us in those perilous times that all of us undergo at some time or the other. But unfortunately the basic unit of our society, the family, is being undermined and destroyed by the callous, greedy and uncaring attitudes and culture that proliferate in these modern times. Families turn against each other for small and petty reasons, as each one fights to make their mark in this evil world. 

Steups! We don’t have to, and we won’t always agree, but when it comes to family, we ought to stick together, for who else are we going to turn to eh, since there is no unit smaller than that supposedly close knit group titled ‘family.’ Right here I’ve got to give thanks for my family yes! We don’t always agree, but we’re always there for each other! 

That’s what family is about, why it’s called family. But nowadays there are so many feuds and disagreements between those of the same household, for whatever reason, that our society is falling apart. Whatever happened to that bond, that trust that families exuded once upon a time eh? 

That brings us to this scripture where the prophet Micah describes a morally sinful Israel, a true reflection of our modern day society. ‘The good (faithful or loyal) man is perished out of the earth: and there is none upright among men: they all lie in wait for blood; they hunt every man his brother with a net. That they may do evil with both hands earnestly (successfully), the prince asketh (asks for gifts), and the judge asketh for a reward (bribe); and the great man, he uttereth his mischievous (evil) desire: so they wrap it up (scheme together).’  (Mic.7:2-3) 

And isn’t that exactly what is going on in our society today people? I don’t think we’ve ever seen a time that’s corrupt and evil as this one! But Micah is not done with us: ‘The best of them is as a brier: the most upright is sharper than a thorn hedge: the day of thy watchmen and thy visitation (punishment) cometh; now shall be their perplexity.’ (Mic.7:4) Ah mih people, things are so bad, that even the best of us are sharp and thorny! 

But as the Lord has warned so often in His word, continual disobedience will eventually bring His wrath and punishment! And we are seeing it in the failings of our supposed great and modern society; sickness, famine, poverty, natural and man-made disasters are proliferating in the richest times ever. 

That’s why Micah advises: ‘Trust ye not in a friend, put ye not confidence in a guide (companion): keep (guard) the doors of thy mouth from her that lieth in thy bosom. For the son dishonoureth the father, the daughter riseth up against her mother, the daughter-in-law against her mother in law; a man’s enemies are the men of his own house.’ (Mic.7:5-6) 

And when all those things are occurring, as they are in our current society, that means our society is on the way down and out unless we turn back to God as Micah so wisely advises: ‘Therefore I will look unto the Lord; I will wait for the God of my salvation: my God will hear me.’ (Mic.7:7) 

Yes friends, that’s the only way our society will ever rise up out of the morass that it’s currently embedded in! So please, let’s turn to our great and faithful God and LOVE Him with all our hearts, minds, bodies and souls, as He desires nuh, so that our society will not go the way of the dodo bird – extinction! Much LOVE!

…the Lord fulfills ALL His promises…be they to uplift…or to destroy…please remember that…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Today’s Scrip-Bit 15 July 2018 Psalm 62:1.

Psalm 62:1.   Truly my soul waiteth (waits silently) upon God: from him cometh my salvation.

Well my Christian brethren, it is the Lord’s Day! That means at some time today we should be bound for church, to celebrate, give praise and thanks, rejoice, exalt and receive strength and confidence in fellowship with other believers! Wow! 

What an awesome life we believers in Christ have! Mama Mia! We should be the happiest, most joyful people on the planet, for no other body of people has the magnificent and magnanimous promises and awesome situations that we have. Give our wonderful God some praise and glory for all that He’s done, is doing, and will do on our behalf! 

And today, to open the proceedings, we’ll sing a hymn that shows just how powerful, compassionate and LOVING our great God is, that in spite of calamities and distress, we can still stand strong under His umbrella of faith and LOVE! The song is one we all know and LOVE and is titled, ‘It is Well with My Soul.’ 

The song was penned by one Horatio Spafford after some traumatic events in his life, with music composed by Phillip Bliss. ‘The first was the death of his son at the age of 2 and the Great Chicago fire of 1871, which ruined him financially (he had been a successful lawyer and had invested significantly in property in the area of Chicago that was extensively damaged by the great fire). 

His business interests were further hit by the economic downturn of 1873, at which time he had planned to travel to Europe with his family on the SS Ville du Havre. In a late change of plan, he sent the family ahead while he was delayed on business concerning zoning problems following the Great Chicago Fire. 

While crossing the Atlantic, the ship sank rapidly after a collision with a sea vessel, the Loch Earn, and all four of Spafford’s daughters died. His wife Anna survived and sent him the now famous telegram, “Saved alone …”. 

Shortly afterwards, as Spafford traveled to meet his grieving wife, he was inspired to write these words as his ship passed near where his daughters had died. Bliss called his tune Ville du Havre, from the name of the stricken vessel.’ 

Oh friends, it’s only with Christ in our hearts and our lives that we can suffer such disaster and still offer up emotions and words as these. So let’s open up our mouths and offer up sacrifices of praise as we soulfully sing these heart-stopping words. These are the original lyrics, some people leave out certain verses, but we won’t because they are too beautiful and poignant to leave out. 

So in full voice now: ‘When peace like a river, attendeth my way, When sorrows like sea billows roll; Whatever my lot, Thou hast taught me to say (know) It is well, it is well, with my soul. (Refrain: It is well, (it is well), With my soul, (with my soul) It is well, it is well, with my soul.) Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come, Let this blest assurance control, That Christ has regarded my helpless estate, And hath shed His own blood for my soul.

(Refrain…) My sin, oh, the bliss of this glorious thought! My sin, not in part but the whole, Is nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more, Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul! (Refrain…) For me, be it Christ, be it Christ hence to live: If Jordan above me shall roll, No pang shall be mine, for in death as in life, Thou wilt whisper Thy peace to my soul. (Refrain…) 

But Lord, ’tis for Thee, for Thy coming we wait, The sky, not the grave, is our goal; Oh, trump of the angel! Oh, voice of the Lord! Blessed hope, blessed rest of my soul. (Refrain…) And Lord, haste the day when the faith shall be sight, The clouds be rolled back as a scroll; The trump shall resound, and the Lord shall descend, Even so, it is well with my soul (A song in the night, oh my soul!) (Refrain… repeat).’ 

Ah friends, do we have Christ as strongly in us as that poor man Spafford seemed to do? I certainly hope so, because that’s the only way we will ever overcome the calamities in our lives without completely falling apart. I guess Spafford must have had a strong belief and trust in God like Bruh David did when he wrote the opening words of Psalm 62, because that’s the only way he could have suffered such awful tragedy and claimed that it was well with his soul. 

‘Truly my soul waiteth (waits silently) upon God: from him cometh my salvation. He only is my rock and my salvation; he is my defense (strong tower); I will not be greatly moved (shaken) (Ps.62:1-2) 

Oh how I wish that more of us could claim such faith and trust in Almighty God when calamity comes against us. Oh, it’s not easy, but when you can do that, it means that your faith has reached a really mature state, and it’s something we should all aim for. And we’ll end with some more encouraging words from Bruh David. 

‘My soul, wait thou (wait silently) only upon God; for my expectation (hope) is from him. He only is my rock and my salvation: he is my defense; I shall not be moved (shaken). In God is my salvation and my glory, the rock of my strength, and my refuge, is in God. Trust him at all times; ye people, pour out your heart before him: God is a refuge for us.   Selah.’ (Ps.62:5-8) 

Please my fellow believers, let’s take those words to heart this Sunday morning and put them into practice nuh, so that with God’s awesome help, we can withstand the tragedies that come against us. Much LOVE!

…in your patience…posses ye your souls… (Luke 21:10)

 

Today’s Scrip-Bit 28 October 2017 Luke 6:38.

Luke 6:38.   Give, and it shall be given unto you: good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom (pocket). For with the same measure that ye mete (use) withal it shall be measured to you again.

It’s a brand new day friends, so rise and greet it with joy and enthusiasm! Oh yeah! It’s also Saturday, which means some of us want to sleep in. Well then sleep in with joy and enthusiasm! (smile) 

The important thing is that we have the joy of Jesus in us in whatever we do or don’t do. Let His wondrous Spirit simply lead and guide us wherever He may want us to go. But sadly, allowing the Holy Spirit to lead and guide us is a problem for many believers. 

We either can’t decipher what He wants us to do, or simply don’t want to go where He wants to lead us. But friends, as Christians, the Holy Spirit is our divine guide here on earth, so if He is not leading us, then we’re not being divinely led. As simple as that! 

So please, let’s get wise and ask the Lord to help us understand when the Holy Spirit speaks to us, so that we can faithfully and trustingly follow Him, and thus do God’s will. Now let’s see what quotes our friend Anselm sent us this week, in his noble intention to inspire us for a better tomorrow. 

This first one says: ‘Don’t worry about those who talk behind your back. They’re behind you for a reason.’ And I guess that makes sense. If people need to talk behind your back, then that means they have no parts, and you have no use for them. 

That leads us to this quote: ‘Sometimes you just need to distance yourself from people. If they care, they’ll notice. If they don’t, you know where you stand.’ And is that ever so true my brethren! These days people are so deceitful and disgusting that we have to be very careful about whom we associate with. 

And sometimes the Holy Spirit will just lead us away from those who don’t fit into our divine programme. And as the quote says, ‘If they care they’ll notice.’ And if they don’t, then you’ll know they were never on your side in the first place. 

And emotionally, that can be tough, but as our next quote comforts: ‘Sometimes when things are falling apart they may actually be falling into place.’ Yeh, so if you seem to be losing people from your inner circle, it might actually be a good thing. 

The Lord might just be purging the ones you don’t need anymore to rise up and do His will. So ‘Don’t waste words on people who deserve your silence. Sometimes the most powerful thing you can say is nothing at all.’ 

Remember the age-old saying that silence is golden, and Cousin Sol’s words that even a fool is considered wise when he keeps his mouth shut. And right now, with the ease of worldwide communication, too much useless and senseless talking is indeed a problem. 

However, it is an important, though difficult lesson for us to learn. Sometimes it’s just best to shut up! And finally: ‘Being the richest man in the cemetery doesn’t matter to me … Going to bed at night saying we’ve done something wonderful … that’s what matters to me.’ 

Yes friends, as true believers, material wealth, in and of itself, should not matter that much to us, but what it enables us to do for others is important. And it’s so good to go to bed at night knowing that you have helped someone in need. 

There’s no better feeling in the universe than giving of oneself, one’s treasures and talents and time to others! That’s why our Lord and Saviour, our Leader, Jesus Christ warned us about giving in our Bit. 

‘Give, and it shall be given unto you: good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom (pocket). For with the same measure that ye mete (use) withal it shall be measured to you again.’ 

Yeh mih breddren, the manner in which we give, the measure we use to give, that’s the same measure and manner that will be used to give back to us. So if we give with a generous, positive heart, then others will give back to us with a generous, positive heart. 

However, if we behave like Scrooge and give grudgingly, that’s exactly how we will be treated. It’s all about reaping what you sow my brethren. In God’s economy, you don’t reap more than you sow, unless it’s with true generosity. 

Notice Cousin Sol’s words from Proverbs. ‘He that hath pity upon the poor lendeth unto the Lord; and that which he hath given will he pay him again.’ (Prov.19:17) 

Unfortunately though my people, in this modern society the emphasis is on getting, rather than giving. We all want to know what we can get, instead of what we can give. No wonder that greed and fraud and hoarding are so rampant in our society, which leads to a lot of poverty, homelessness and poor economic conditions. 

And nowadays, we’re always searching for something of good value, hoping to pay little or nothing for it. But friends, that’s a fool’s wisdom! As Confucius is reputed to have said: ‘Good thing no cheap, and cheap thing no good!’ (smile) 

So in general, the value of what you receive, will equal the amount you pay for it. So please, let’s stop thinking about always getting nuh, and concentrate on giving instead. That’s the wisdom of heaven! Much LOVE!

…to give…to give….and yet to give again…that should be the Christian’s mantra…

 

Today’s Scrip-Bit 27 April 2017 Psalm 138:7.

Psalm 138:7.   Though I walk in the midst of trouble, thou wilt revive me; thou shalt stretch forth thine hand against the wrath of mine enemies, and thy right hand shall save me.

And then it was Thursday; a beautiful sunny spring day, with temps rising up to the high teens! Yes friends, spring has indeed finally sprung, the birds they are a singing, the trees are budding their new leaves and the grass is getting thick and a rich green. Wow! 

In fact everything is coming up green; new life is sprouting up on the earth just like our Lord and Saviour rose from the dead, alive and kicking on Easter Sunday some two thousand years ago. 

Yes my people, it’s spring, what we call the annual rebirth of life in the northern climes, where birds and animals migrate back to the lush green areas of land that had for some months been more like frozen tundra. 

Even we humans get a new lease on life, our spirits soar, no more thick, heavy clothing with gloves and scarves and hats. It’s like an annual cleansing, which leads to the term spring cleaning, where we go through all our plentiful stuff and discard what is not necessary. 

Likewise friends, I believe that we should take this time to also go through our spiritual selves, see what’s there and then clean our the old and unnecessary, making space for new stuff that will help us mature in our faith walk with Jesus. 

And there is no better time to do this than in the Easter Season, that’s so reminiscent of a new birth, of rejuvenation, of a new beginning! 

So in the next little while, I’d suggest that we all take some time and seriously ponder our spiritual lives, and then ask the Father to help us jettison what’s not necessary, so we can make space for the wonderful new things He has in store for us. 

Let’s be wise and go to Jesus with our heavy burdens, as He commands us to, so that He can joyfully lighten our loads and put us back on the right track, the straight and narrow one. 

And all of that brings us to our Bit, a profound declaration of faith from Bruh David. ‘Though I walk in the midst of trouble, thou wilt revive me; thou shalt stretch forth thine hand against the wrath of mine enemies, and thy right hand shall save me.’ 

Oh my fellow followers of Christ, can we make such a declaration? We ought to be able to. Those of us who have followed Christ for some time now ought to be strong and mature enough to make such a definitive statement regarding our faith. 

The Lord ought to have worked in our lives by now that we have no doubts whatsoever about His everlasting faithfulness. And as I reminded us yesterday, Bruh David didn’t make all his many declarations of faith through hearsay, but through very personal experiences. 

Now many of us might not go through the intense or serious experiences that He went through, but we’ll all go through stuff that will bring us to our knees, which only a strong and undeniable faith in Jesus Christ will help us to bear without falling apart. 

The sad part of the story is that we don’t like adversity, but adversity is what makes us strong. It’s in times of adversity that our faith springs up and keeps us afloat, keeps a smile on our faces and a strong step in our walk. 

That’s because we know unequivocally that our Lord God is working behind the scenes on our behalf, and the rough times will not last. 

Now here is an interesting exercise for all of us to do. Let’s look back through our lives at all the adversity we’ve faced, and after each strenuous time, let’s consider the growth of our faith. 

Let’s see if the next level of adversity was easier to bear than the one before. That will show if we are truly growing and maturing in our faith, for with each rough time, we should be stronger and more faithful than the last. 

Yeh friends, our eventual destination should be when we can declare the immortal words of Bruh David from Psalm 23 without any signs of doubt or fear. 

‘The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want (lack). He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters (waters of rest): He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. 

Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over. 

Surely goodness and mercy (LOVING-kindness) shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.’ (Ps.23:1-6) 

Ah mih breddren, I think we’ve reached a pinnacle of faith when, in times of adversity, we can say those words and truly mean them. Now let’s faithfully and sincerely declare our Thursday Blessings, blessings that our great God has so liberally and generously showered down on us. 

‘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!’ 

And please remember that they are not blessings until they have been spoken over someone or something. Now let’s go out and do exactly that nuh, as Jesus requires of us. Much LOVE!

…faith is a relative of hope…and one can’t have hope…unless one is alive…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Today’s Scrip-Bit 25 August 2016 Deuteronomy 4:29.

Deuteronomy 4:29.    But if from thence thou shalt seek the Lord thy God, thou shalt find him, if thou seek him with all thy heart and with all thy soul.

Oh friends, you’ve got to bear with the ole fella this Thursday morning yes, because he’s somewhat under the weather. (smile) Not through illness, but physical tiredness. I was running around doing stuff in the hot sun yesterday, then in the evening I went down to the CNE (Canadian National Exhibition), the big country fair we have every year down on the Lakeshore in Toronto. 

Now I didn’t go to see the fair itself, but local reggae artist Jay Douglas and internationally acclaimed reggae singer Luciano. And the walk from the train stop down to the Bandshell where the concert was held is a good one, especially for physically challenged people like my self. But with the obvious help of the Good Lord and my trusty cane, I made it both ways without too many problems. 

And my cane, my dancing partner, and I partied heartily throughout the concert. (smile) Jay Douglas was excellent as usual, although he didn’t sing any of his original material, but ole time reggae songs. But for some reason when Luciano came on the mix of the music just didn’t sound right. The bottom end was just too loud and had the music sounding dead and dirty and muffled. But the crowd enjoyed it nonetheless, and so did I really. 

If it’s one thing Luciano has is energy. Brother! From the time he came on stage, around 8.50, dressed in his beigeish suit, till the time he ended some 75 minutes later, he was prancing and dancing around the stage. Never even took of the suit jacket. He even did a flip during one of the songs. 

I was somewhat disappointed though that my favourite Luciano songs, except the opening one – No night in Zion – didn’t sound as they ought to. All like the one we sang the other day – As long as He is my friend… Chuh! They just spoiled it. Anyway, he ended nicely with an encore medley of old songs – Old Time Religion, When the Saints go marching in, Amen, Hallelujah etc. 

The important thing is that the large crowd appreciated him very much, and all in all it was a good evening outing. I didn’t get home until midnight, and by the time I did my own thing, you know it was pretty late. But nevertheless, here we are this bright and sunny Thursday morning, not necessarily full of vim and vigour, but still holding the world by its tail. (smile) 

So let’s increase the level of our faith and fortune by declaring our Thursday Blessings nuh. With all sincerity and truth 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!’ 

Oh what a wonderful God we serve and worship my people, where our words are so powerful that we can even bless ourselves! But please remember that a blessing is not a blessing until it is declared over someone. So today and every day let’s consistently bless our family, friends and ourselves that we may have God’s blessing constantly in our lives. 

And I’m chuckling here friends, because we don’t seem to have much time for our Bit. ‘But if from thence thou shalt seek the Lord thy God, thou shalt find him, if thou seek him with all thy heart and with all thy soul.’ Words of ultimate and absolute truth my people! In fact we should take it as an ultimatum for our current society! 

Moses was here reminding the Israelites about falling into idolatry after they came into the Promised Land and had enjoyed its prosperity for a while and forgot about who brought them there, who brought them to the dance, engineered their prosperity in the first place.  

He continues: ‘When thou art in tribulation, and all these things (God’s punishment) are come upon thee, even in the latter days, if thou turn to the Lord thy God, and shalt be obedient unto his voice; (For the Lord thy God is a merciful God:) he will not forsake thee, neither destroy thee, nor forget the covenant of thy fathers which he sware unto them.’ (Deut.4:30-31) 

Oh my people that passage resoundingly resonates with a warning for us in these godless and evil times. Our current society fits all the particulars of the old Israelite society. We’re worshipping idols and graven images, the occult is very prominent, while we have little or no time for God, in fact are trying to rid our society of Him completely. 

Peace and LOVE no longer exist as a righteously held standard, but have been sadly preempted by negative options like hate, anger, greed, jealousy and resentment. And then we wonder why our world.is falling apart so rapidly, descending into the mire, the bottomless abyss of fear and despair so quickly. 

Oh friends, the ONLY thing that can save us is a return to the God of our forefathers, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob! We have to sincerely, and as quickly as possible, embrace the LOVE Revolution of Jesus, if we want to have any hope of surviving this imbroglio, this confusion and negative situation that’s currently hanging over our heads like the sword of Damocles. 

Yes my brethren, there’s an air of foreboding, of a death threat, hovering our society. Please, let’s take it very seriously and also take some time to ponder it today, and pray, pray sincerely to Almighty God that He will hear the prayers of the few and cause the majority to come to conviction and repentance. That’s our ONLY Hope in these difficult and oh so dangerous times! Much LOVE!

…let’s seek God…repent and obey…before its’ too late…