Genesis 22:18. And in thy seed (descendants) shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice.
Oh Friends, oh Friends, it’s another beautiful day in God’s earthly paradise! Wow! What a wonderful God we serve and worship, my people!
And all God’s children gratefully and joyously declared: ‘Yes! Our God is indeed great! He’s full of grace, mercy, forgiveness and LOVING-kindness! There’s no other like Him! Let’s praise and bless His Holy Name! Amen.’
And so we should my fellow believers, for our God is indeed worthy of our praise and glory!
Anyhow, without further ado, let’s get right into our Bit, because there’s lots of scripture to be had on this last message, re the promises of God to our forefather Abraham. ‘And in thy seed (descendants) shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice.’
So why did the Lord reinforce this promise to Abraham again eh? We’ll let the Good Book tell the story.
‘And it came to pass after these things, that God did tempt (test) Abraham and said unto him, Abraham: and he said, Behold, here I am. And he said, Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou LOVEST, and get thee into the land of Moriah: and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of.
And Abraham rose up early in the morning, and saddled his ass (donkey), and took two of his young men with him, and Isaac his son, and clave (split) the wood for the burnt offering, and rose up, and went unto the place of which God had told him. Then on the third day Abraham lifted up his eyes, and saw the place afar off.
And Abraham said unto his young men, Abide ye here with the ass: and I and the lad (Isaac) will go yonder and worship, and come again to you. And Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering, and laid it upon Isaac his son, and he took the fire in his hand, and a knife; and they went both of them together.
And Isaac spake unto Abraham his father, and said, My father: and he said, Here am I, my son. And he said, Behold the fire and the wood; but where is the lamb (goat) for a burnt offering? And Abraham said, My son, God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering: so they went both of them together.’ (Gen.22:1-8)
Oh Friends, can you imagine what must have been happening with Abraham’s spirit? The Lord had told him on several occasions that Isaac would be the forerunner of his plentiful descendants, but here now, the Lord had commanded him to offer Isaac as a burnt offering. I guess the worldly part of him was all hot and bothered, while the faithful part trusted that God would make a way to avoid that dreadful circumstance.
And there are two things which point to that fact. First, when he told his servants that Isaac and him would go afar off and worship, ‘and come again unto you.’ He obviously figured that they both would return. And secondly that’s exactly what Abraham told Isaac in the last verse there, when the lad enquired about the animal for the sacrifice; ‘the Lord will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering.’
Truthfully, I don’t know if many of us today could have handled that command of God nuh, since we have such an easy life compared to Abraham and his people. In the wilderness of those times, faith was a much more important aspect for one’s mere survival, than it is today. But from whatever aspect we view it, Abraham’s actions were indeed a very telling moment of faith.
And the Good Book continues: ‘And they came to the place which God had told him of; and Abraham built an altar there, and laid the wood in order, and bound Isaac his son, and laid him on the altar upon the wood. And Abraham stretched forth his hand, and took the knife to slay his son.
And the angel of the Lord called unto him out of heaven, and said, Abraham, Abraham, and he said, Here am I. And he said, Lay not thine hand upon the lad, neither do thou anything unto him: for now I know that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only son from me.
And Abraham lifted up his eyes, and looked, and behold behind him a ram caught in a thicket by his horns: and Abraham went and took the ram, and offered him up for a burnt offering in the stead of his son. And Abraham called the name of that place Jehovah-jireh (the Lord will provide): as it is said to this day, In the mount of the Lord it shall be seen (provided).’ (Gen.22:9-14)
Yes mih people, yes! Our omnipotent and ever-faithful God came through again with flying colours on Abraham’s behalf! And again I need to note what a mighty and faithful God we serve my brethren! And yuh know what too, it’s the same way our God has been coming through with flying colours for everyone who sincerely believes in and worships Him since then, right up to this very day.
Mama Mia! And many of us have indeed experienced His supreme faithfulness in our lives. In fact we do so everyday, by just waking up to a great new day. For without His grace, mercy and LOVING-kindness we won’t be able to do even that. Remember also that He is the very ONE who first breathed the breath of life, the breath of His Spirit into our inanimate bodies, so that we could become living, LOVING, beings, a mirror image of Him.
Anyway Friends, unfortunately we’ll have to stop there for today, since the rest of what I have to say will make the Bit way too long, even for me. (smile) Obviously, in my exuberance, I underestimated the space and time capabilities I had available to me. But don’t worry, the Lord in favour, tomorrow we’ll continue this most uplifting and enlightening aspect of scripture.
Till then, please let’s ponder what we’ve read and heard, and see how our current faith matches up to that of our forefather Abraham, and prayerfully ask the Lord to help us increase our faith in Him, because we all can definitely use some more sustaining faith in these very troubled and ungodly times. Much LOVE!
…but without faith…it is impossible to please him…for he that cometh to God…must believe that he is…and that he is a rewarder…of them that diligently seek him… (Heb.11:6)
Today’s Scrip-Bit 20 June 2013 Psalm 66:16.
20 Jun 2013 Leave a comment
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: affirmations, bubble of LOVE, Christ, Christ-like attitudes, come and hear, done for my soul, extol, faith and trust, faith boost, fear God, foregone conclusion, glorious kingdom, good tidings, iniquity, life changing, look of joy, magnanimity, miraculous works, new creation, new man, new opportunities, new things, old things, omnipotent god, passion, powerful ways, psalm 66, revere God, righteousness., sin, spectacular works, spirit of your mind, stretching myself, testimony, true holiness, voice of my prayer, walk of LOVE, who created the universe, works of god, worldly ways, worship
Psalm 66:16: Come and hear, all ye that fear God, and I will declare what he hath done for my soul.
All hail mih people! What’s new with you this Thursday morning eh? Not much you say. Well it’s the same here with me. I have nothing spectacular to say, but by the time I’m finished, with the Lord’s help, I will have said stuff that will fill us with strength and good tidings and also boosted our faith and trust in the great God we worship, the One who created the universe and all therein.
And we’ll begin with these affirmations: ‘I CAN do all things through Christ! God has new opportunities for me! I’m not settling for where I am now! I’m stretching myself and pursuing what He has put in my heart! God’s plan for my life is greater than I could imagine, and I’m determined to be who He wants me to be! This is my declaration of what I CAN do through Christ!’
Yes mih Friends, those are certainly most excellent affirmations for us to start today or any day with! But I’m chuckling here because I don’t remember where I got them. I obviously cut out the two by three card from something and have it stuck on my desk. The important thing though is not so much where I got it from, but that I have strong affirmations to boost my faith and trust in Christ, each and every day!
And so we come to our Bit, which is taken from Psalm 66, superscripted, The great works of God. And He has indeed done many great works on the earth since the beginning of time, right up to the present time, and will continue to do so in the hereafter!
And His works are so life changing and impact us in such powerful ways, that’s why the psalmist invites us to ‘Come and hear, all ye that fear God, and I will declare what he hath done for my soul.’
Oh my brethren, the Lord God Jehovah has certainly done a lot of spectacular and miraculous works in the souls of all those who sincerely revere Him! That is a foregone conclusion! We cannot revere and worship Him without Him doing mighty and magnificent works in us.
As Bruh Paul so wisely puts it in 2 Corinthians: ‘Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature (creation): old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.’ (2 Cor.5:17)
Now that’s a must Friends! We cannot be in league with Christ and continue in our old sinful, worldly ways. We have to change and adopt Christ-like attitudes and behaviour.
As Bruh Paul again declares, this time to the Ephesians: ‘And be renewed in the spirit of your mind; And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.’ (Eph.4:23-24)
Yes my brethren, we definitely need to change our old habits when we receive Christ, otherwise we won’t be truly in and of Him. And as per some of the changes we need to make, please read the rest of Ephesians 4, verses 25-32.
Now turning back to our Bit, let’s see what the Lord did for the psalmist that moved him so much, that raised his passion to such a level, that he just had to declare it in song.
‘I cried unto him with my mouth, and he was extolled (praised) with my tongue. If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me: But verily God hath heard me, he hath attended to the voice of my prayer. Blessed be God, which hath not turned away my prayer, nor his mercy from me.’ (Ps.66:17-20)
Oh my fellow believers, after reading that, I can only say again, what a wonderful God we serve and worship! Why? Because He didn’t do that only for the psalmist, but does it for all those who sincerely believe in Him and come crying to Him for merciful succour! That’s the magnanimity of our omnipotent God!
And that means we all must have a testimony similar to that of the psalmist, which, like him, we ought to gladly share with, and proudly shout to the entire world!
And all God’s people then declared in a loud, sincere voice: ‘All praise and honour be to the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob! For He is indeed worthy to be praised and glorified in all the heaven and the earth!’
Yes Friends, our God is truly worthy of much adoration, praise, worship and thanksgiving!
And we’ll end with the opening verses of Psalm 116, which puts it all in a perfect nutshell. ‘I LOVE the Lord, because he hath heard my voice and my supplications. Because he hath inclined his ear unto me (hath listened to me), therefore will I call upon him as long as I live.’ (Ps.116:1-2)
And to those wonderful sentiments, all God’s children shouted a heartfelt ‘Amen!’
Now my brethren, my fellow believers in Christ, let’s all go about our daily lives and testify to what God has done for us. Lets put all those sentiments we’ve just expressed into action in our walk of LOVE today, so we can both glorify our magnificent God and further His glorious kingdom, as He truly deserves and desires us to do. In Jesus’ holy name, I pray. Amen.
And yuh see Friends, with the Lord’s help, I fulfilled my promise to eventually have something worthwhile to say. (smile) That’s why I just have to LOVE, honour and obey Him as best I can, with my whole body and soul. Much LOVE!
…when a believer is walking in step with Jesus…a big bubble of LOVE enfolds his heart…and a special look of joy radiates from his countenance…
Today’s Scrip-Bit 7 May 2013 Psalm 96:9
07 May 2013 Leave a comment
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: beauty of holiness, christianity, eternal life, faithful, fear God, god the father, god the holy spirit, God the son, Jesus Christ, Jesus' sacrifice, joy, joy of the lord, majesty, negativity of the world, omnipotent Trinity, praise and thanksgiving, religion, salvation, sincere belief, son jesus christ, sour perspective, surrender, talk and no action, the happiest people, the Holy Spirit, true believers, true faith, true trust, wisdom, worship the Lord
Psalm 96:9. O worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness: fear before him, all the earth.
Oh Friends, oh Friends, the ole fella’s here to make a major pronouncement this morning. Now this shouldn’t even have to be stated, because it’s something all believers should already know, be thoroughly convinced of and diligently practicing. But unfortunately, too many of us don’t even act like we know it, much less seem convinced of it. And the pronouncement is that Christians ought to be the happiest and most joyful people on planet earth! Why is that, you naively ask? Well because we have the five best things in life going for us; namely God the Father, God the Son, Jesus Christ, and God the Holy Spirit, our personal Helper and Comforter. And when you add to that omnipotent Trinity, the free gift through grace and Jesus’ sacrifice of salvation and eternal life, you have the most awesome and explosive combination of Beings and circumstances possible. Now all that should produce unbeatable joy in believers, as Jesus says: ‘These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full.’ (John 15:11) But judging from the sad and sour perspective of many believers that just isn’t so. And why isn’t that eh? Does it show a lack of true faith, a lack of sincere belief, a lack of true trust and surrender, that all we have is lots of talk and no real action to back it up? I don’t know nuh. But I do know that as a group, Christians don’t show the true, heartfelt happiness and joy that we ought to, what with all the great things we have going for us. I guess that we don’t truly have a mind focused on heaven, but allow the negativity of the world to encroach, to invade the confines of our souls, and thus effectively reduce our joy in our wonderful God and all that He’s offered and done for us. Oh my brethren, please, please remember that the joy of the Lord is our strength, (Neh. 8:10) which means that if we’re not joyful in Him, then we won’t be, or rather, can’t be strong. I’m therefore pleading with us today, let’s up the ante in the joy and strength of our lives nuh. We desperately need them to fight against the powerful enemies of this wicked world. And that joy begins, and stays with us, when we do as our Bit so wisely advises. ‘O worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness: fear (tremble) before him, all the earth.’ Yes Friends, when we have a healthy respect for our God, knowing that He’s all powerful and can get angry at us for continual disobedience, but that His true nature is one of LOVE, mercy and forgiveness, we can relax and continually worship Him, as Bruh David says, in the ‘beauty of holiness.’ We acknowledge the beauty, the majesty inherent in His Holy nature, and since it’s totally above and beyond our sinful ways, we consequently desire to come before Him in much praise and thanksgiving. And it seems that the phrase, ‘beauty of holiness’ was a favourite of Bruh David’s, for he uses it on several occasions. In Psalm 29 – The voice of the Lord in the storm – he declares: ‘Give (ascribe) unto the Lord the glory due unto his name; worship the Lord in the beauty (majesty) of holiness.’ (Ps.29:2) Then in 1 Chronicles 15, in his psalm of thanksgiving, he strongly advocates: ‘Give (ascribe) unto the Lord the glory due unto his name: bring an offering, and come before him: worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness.’ (1 Chr.16:29) And yet again, in Psalm 110 – The Lord gives dominion to the king – he proclaims: ‘Thy people shall be willing (volunteers) in the day of thy power, in the beauties of holiness from the womb of the morning: thou hast the dew of thy youth.’ (Ps.110:3) But it’s not only Bruh David who talks about the beauty, the majesty of our God. Listen to Moses, in his only Psalm, Psalm 90, and therefore the oldest in the Psalter. It’s titled -From everlasting to everlasting thou art God. He ends it thus: ‘And let the beauty of the Lord our God be upon us: and establish thou the work of our hands upon us; yea, the work of our hands establish thou it.’ (Ps.90:17) And if we go to 2 Chronicles 20, when the armies of Moab, the children of Ammon and those of mount Seir banded together to invade Judah, King Hezekiah, on the advice of Jahaziel, through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit (2 Chr.20:13-17) had the whole nation bow before the Lord their God and ask for His strength and faith. Then, on the appointed morning, they rose up early and went out to battle against the combined army. ‘And when he (Hezekiah) had consulted with the people, he appointed singers unto the Lord, and that should praise the beauty of holiness, as they went out before the army, and to say, Praise the Lord, for his mercy endureth for ever. And when they began to sing and to praise, the Lord set ambushments against the children of Ammon, Moab and mount Seir, which were come against Judah and they were smitten (defeated).’ (2 Chr.20:21-22) The Israelites didn’t even have to lift a hand in battle, they just sang and praised the Lord, who then made the invading armies to quarrel and fight amongst themselves. The Israelites then gained an enormous spoil from the battle without lifting a hand, just their voices to heaven, Oh mih Friends, yuh see what praise and worship and thanksgiving to our great and powerful God can do! My people, let us therefore, from today, and henceforth, raise the level of our praise and thanksgiving to our mighty and merciful God nuh, so that we may prosper and be strong in the land which He has given to us. That is indeed the wisdom of the wise and faithful. Much LOVE!… oh what infinite joy, peace and prosperity… comes from sincerely worshipping and praising Almighty God….
Today’s Scrip-Bit 26 January 2013 1 Peter 2:11
26 Jan 2013 Leave a comment
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: beloved friends, Church of Christ, enmity with God, fear God, fleshly lusts, foolish men, friendship of the world, glorify God, holy spirit, honour, LOVE the brotherhood, most cherished creation, pilgrims, sons of God, strangers, surrender to Jesus, unique realtionship with God, walk in the Spirit, war against the soul, wondrous atonement
1 Peter 2:11. Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul.
Welcome to another day on Planet Earth, my dearly beloved Friends! (smile) You can be sure of one thing, today won’t be exactly the same as yesterday, nor will it be like tomorrow. That’s because our wonderful God makes each day special. That’s one of the mysteries of God’s universe. Some things may look alike, yet each has its own individual personality. And nowhere is that more pronounced than in God’s most cherished creation; mankind. So though many of us may talk alike and look alike, we all have different mindsets, which produce different ways of thinking, no wonder the great amount of disagreement and controversy that’s always present in our world. However, one instance in which there is no room for divergence is the way that true believers ought to spend their earthly sojourn. We ought to live as servants of God in all respects. Having been reconciled to the Father through the sacrificial, redeeming death of Jesus Christ, we were brought out of the prison-like darkness of sin, into the brilliant light of freedom, forming a body of like-minded light people. Peter describes it thus: ‘Which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God: which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy.’ (1 Pet.2:10) Yes Friends, before Jesus reclaimed us, we were lost, individuals wandering with no proper purpose or direction. But through His wondrous atonement, we now belong to one great body, the Church of Christ, with lots of positive purpose and direction that now culminates in a unique relationship with Almighty God. And all of God’s people declared a loud and grateful, ‘Thank You Jesus!’ And for any organization to grow and function properly, there must be procedures that all the members are required to follow. And one of those procedures that the Church of Christ needs to follow, especially in these desperate and evil times, is dealt with by Peter in our Bit today. ‘Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul.’ What we need to remember my brethren is that once we surrender our lives to Jesus, the things of the world and the things that the fallen flesh drive us to do, are no longer appropriate. We need to now realign our lives with the Holy Spirit of Jesus that then comes to dwell in us, to show us how to live in concert with our Saviour. That means we then have to live a Spirit filled and guided life. Thus Bruh Paul waxes philosophical to the Galatians. ‘This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would.’ (Gal.5:16-17) Consequently, there will always be a clash of wills within a believer; the fallen sinful flesh against the new reconciled Spirit. But if the believer allows the Spirit to lead him, then there will be much less confusion, and therefore less sin in his everyday life. After that, Bruh Paul goes on to list the more extreme lusts of the flesh, as well as the fruits of the Spirit. (Gal.5:19-23) Please check them out my Friends for yourselves. James also deals with the subject in talking about worldliness and pride. ‘From whence come wars (conflict) and fightings among you? come they not hence, even of your lusts (desires for pleasure) that war in your members? Ye lust, and have not: ye kill (murder), and desire to have (covet), and cannot obtain: ye fight and war (battle), yet ye have not, because ye ask not. Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts (fleshly pleasures). Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of (with) the world is enmity with God? whosever therefore will (wants) to be a friend of the world is the enemy of God.’ (James 4:1-4) That’s gospel Friends, for instead of wrestling and striving with God in prayer, we foolishly wrestle and strive with each other over the unproductive things of the world. And I like the way the apostles each say basically the same thing, but in somewhat different tones, so to speak. Bruh Paul uses his learned, professorial style, while James gets somewhat rambunctious, in your face, telling you in down to earth language. Meanwhile Peter puts it in simpler, more gentlemanly, drawing room terms. ‘Having your conversation (conduct) honest (honourable) among the Gentiles: that whereas they speak against you as evildoers, they may by your good works, which they shall behold, glorify God in the day of visitation…. For so is the will of God, that with well doing ye may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men. As free, and not using your liberty for a cloak of maliciousness (evil), but as the servants of God. Honour all men. LOVE the brotherhood. Fear God. Honour the King. (1 Pet.2:12,15-17) There you have it my brethren, words of absolute truth and wisdom from three of the greatest men of faith. So you can’t have any arguments with me. (smile) And I’ll leave us with one more offering, a lagniappe, from Bruh Paul, simple but straight to the heart of the matter. ‘For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify (put to death) the deeds of the body, ye shall live. For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.’ (Rom.8:13-14) That’s it in a nutshell people! Much LOVE!…each man’s decision is his own…but remember…your eternal destiny depends on that decision…
Today’s Scrip-Bit 3 October 2012 Psalm 139:17
03 Oct 2012 Leave a comment
in Inspirational Living Tags: anger, believer in Christ, darkness, destroy, fear God, God's attributes, hate, interesting adventures, Jesus leads, light, LOVE, precious thoughts, surrender, wisdom
Psalm 139:17. How precious also are thy thoughts unto me, O God! How great is the sum of them!
Ah mih people, another day is upon us, possibly filled with the same old, same old, but the good thing about being a believer in, and a follower of Christ is that our lives are never the same every day. That’s because Jesus leads us on so many different and interesting adventures, that we never know what to expect from one day to the next. Walking with Jesus is full of ups and downs, but it’s certainly never dull, but always interesting and adventurous. And if you’re following Jesus and your life is not interesting and adventurous, then something is definitely wrong. You’re not following Jesus as closely as you ought to, for when you’re walking closely with the Saviour, wherever you are, there’s always an opportunity to do something good in His Name. Therefore Friends, let’s all take a closer look at whatever is happening around us, so that we can spot those easy to miss opportunities to serve Christ. Now here’s an interesting story, I read in the Toronto Star newspaper, I believe it was back in August. It deals with then President Richard Nixon’s farewell emotional speech on August 9 1974 in the White House, surrounded by his staff, family and friends We all know he left in disgrace, because of the Watergate fiasco. Apparently, as he was about to end, he raised his arm as if to point out the importance of his next words. Then he said: “Always remember, others may hate you, but those who hate you don’t win unless you hate them, and then you destroy yourself.’ Wow Friends! What words of wisdom! The article ends with the thought that Nixon had learned that lesson a little too late, for he had already destroyed himself, through the hatred that he’d perpetrated and inspired. The sad part though my brethren is that too many of us still live our private lives in a world of hate, bitterness, anger and resentment. Those negative emotions are already too prevalent and pervasive in our society, we don’t need them in our private lives too, or else we’ll just end up destroying ourselves like Nixon, but then it will be too late. Consequently, let’s try and learn from his mistake and that of so many others nuh, and put hatred and enmity aside, and instead live in LOVE, the wonderful, uplifting LOVE of Christ! It’s the only answer to the problems that surround us. And we have such a wonderful example of that caring attitude of our God in our Bit today. ‘How precious also are thy thoughts unto me, O God! How great is the sum of them!’ Oh Friends, yuh think Beelzebub really cares about like that? No Way! But our heavenly Father surely does, because every day He blesses us with new mercies and whatever else we need to make a successful pilgrimage down here on earth. And though our earthly journey might be difficult, it is still filled with an inner joy because of His unconditional LOVE and faithfulness. Meanwhile all that ‘thiefing’ joker, Beelzebub wants to do is just steal our joy and drag us down to his abysmal level, living a constantly depressed and miserable live, encompassed by anger, hatred and resentment. Now yesterday we looked at some scriptures that showed us the awesome thoughts and plans the Lord has in store for us. Today we’ll look at a couple more, starting with words of Bruh David from Psalm 40, Praise for answered Prayer. There he joyfully proclaims: ‘Many, O Lord my God, are thy wonderful works which thou hast done, and thy thoughts which are to us-ward; they cannot be reckoned up in order unto thee if I would declare and speak of them, they are more than can be numbered.’ (Ps.40:5) And isn’t that the living truth Friends? Our God has done so much through the ages, is still doing a lot, and has lots of great plans for our future. So why should we jeopardize all that beneficence by associating with Lucifer and his evil morons eh? No reason whatsoever my people! The purveyors of evil and darkness can NEVER do for us what the God of LIGHT and LOVE can. Remember whenever LIGHT shows up, it always overtakes, overpowers darkness, which only proves that LIGHT is more powerful than darkness. The crowning glory of all that my Friends is highlighted by these words of our God, spoken through Isaiah. ‘For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.’ (Is.55:8-9) And that’s how it ought to be my people! A God’s ways and powers must be higher and stronger than those of His subjects, otherwise He’s no god at all, and we don’t need him. And to prove that point, we’ll end with some interesting thoughts from the scholars, re the comparative attributes of God. ‘Psalm 139. The comparative attributes of God contrast human abilities with the divine nature. Everyone has some knowledge, but only God has all knowledge (omniscience). Everyone has presence, but only God has presence at all times everywhere (omnipresence). Every person has some degree of power, but only God has unlimited power (omnipotence). Illustration: Psalm 139 lays a foundation for understanding the comparative attributes. The omniscience of God is seen in verses 1-6. The omnipresence of God is seen in verses 7-11. The omnipotence of God is seen in verses 12-16. Application: A Christian’s response to the comparative attributes of God, should be to surrender to His leadership because He is wise, He is able to protect us, and He knows the true way to life with Himself. (Gen.3:8, Ps.139:1, Eph.1:8) What more can I say eh Friends, than that’s gospel truth, and we should do as it says. Please read the scriptures at the end too, for they are very informative. Much LOVE!…be not wise in thine own eyes…fear the Lord…and depart from evil…It shall be health to thy navel (body)…and marrow (strength) to thy bones… (Prov.3:7-8)
Today’s Scrip-Bit 11 September 2012 2 Samuel 23:3
11 Sep 2012 Leave a comment
in Inspirational Living Tags: 9/11, anxiety, conqueror, evil, fear God, holy spirit, ignorance, just rulers, out of sync, Rock, rough, slippery, ungodly schemes, withdrawal, World Trade Centre, worry
2 Samuel 23:3. The God of Israel said, the Rock of Israel spake to me, He that ruleth over men must be just, ruling in the fear of God.
Oh Friends, the ole fella’s shaking it a bit rough this morning. In fact he’s been shaking it rough all weekend. Hn! Ignorance really is a hell of a thing yes! Why do I say that? Because last week I saw that I was running out of my arthritic medication, but thinking that I had some in the bag I carry around, I didn’t contact my doctor for a refill. And as the Lord would have it, I ran out over the weekend. However, when I checked the bag, lo and behold, there were no arthritic pills. And though I took some other stuff, it just didn’t feel the same. Don’t know if I was suffering withdrawal symptoms or what, but my whole body just seemed more achy and out of sync than normal. And to make matters worse, my allergies are acting up this morning. Brother! The ole body is surely crying out for constant sunshine and warm seawater yes! (smile) Anyway, enough of my woes, they’re inconsequential to those of many others. Here’s a quote though, from American author Clarence Day (1874-1935) that we can all attest to. ‘The real world is not easy to live in. It is rough; it is slippery.’ And isn’t that the living truth Friends! In fact our world is getting rougher and more slippery everyday. That’s why we have to assume full responsibility for our health and strength with continuous positive action, and not wait until a crisis forces us to act. But as Christians, true followers of Jesus, we don’t have to get all flustered, anxious and worried over the world’s rough and slippery nature, for Jesus reassured us that He had already conquered the world, so we should be of good spirit, and do our best while abiding in Him. (John 16:33) Today is also the eleventh anniversary of the World Trade Centre bombing in New York City. You can imagine the emotions that will be fired up over that today. But you know what, our Bit today encapsulates what was wrong with that whole scenario. ‘The God of Israel said, the Rock of Israel spake to me, He that ruleth over men must be just, ruling in the fear of God.’ Obviously the rulers, or those who controlled the people who committed that heinous crime, weren’t just, or didn’t fear God. And sadly that’s a fact that’s happening all over the current world; rulers neither are afraid physically or emotionally of God, nor do they reverence Him. They just do as they please, or follow the evil, ungodly schemes laid down by their evil, ungodly masters. And it’s worthy to note that today we’re dealing with some of Bruh David’s last words. Before our Bit, he proudly proclaims: ‘The Spirit of the Lord spake by me, and his word was in my tongue… Bit… And he shall be as the light of the morning, when the sun riseth, even a morning without clouds; as the tender grass springing out of the earth by clear shining after rain.’ (2 Sam.23:2,4) As we said earlier, there are surely very few, if any rulers of that calibre existing today. Now here’s a brief explanation from the scholars. “David attests the divine inspiration of his psalm. Verses 2-7 contain a lovely testimony in song of David’s abiding trust in God and the unconditional covenant of God with the house of David.” Yes Friends, although Bruh David was far from perfect, he staunchly abided in the LOVE, power and trust of God, so that the Lord made an unconditional covenant with him. His name and his house would always be revered in the annals of Jewish history. It’s also interesting to see that the terminology used by Bruh David to describe his God was also used by a couple of other famous faithful followers in their songs of praise. In his song, Moses declares: ‘Because I will publish (proclaim) the name of the Lord: ascribe ye greatness unto our God. He is the Rock, his work is perfect: for all his ways are judgement: a God of truth and without iniquity, just and right is he.’ (Deut.32:3-4) And all God’s people declared a loud and grateful; ‘Praise the Lord, for He is indeed our Rock and our salvation!’ And Samuel’s mother, Hannah, after she had cried out to the Lord and He had filled her barren womb with the prophet, she also joyfully declared: ‘There is none holy as the Lord: for there is none besides thee: neither is there any rock like our God.’ (1 Sam.2:2) Ah mih people, the word ‘Rock’ emphasizes the stability, permanence and unchanging nature of the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, as a place of security, safety and rest, of hope and salvation! Where else can we find a God who truly possesses all those qualities eh? NOWHERE, my Friends, NOWHERE! And yuh know what? The Holy Spirit just advised me to stop here for today, because the rest of my message would be much too long for our busy, short attention spans. (smile) And since I try to be as obedient as possible, I’ll certainly bow to His greater wisdom. So Friends, please let’s ponder today’s message and allow it help us in our walk of faith through this rough and slippery world. In Jesus’ Name, I pray. Amen. Much LOVE my brethren!…without the true rock…Almighty God…to lean upon…the human animal will flounder and die…
Today’s Scrip-Bit 8 August 2012 Exodus 20:3
08 Aug 2012 Leave a comment
in Inspirational Living Tags: battle, comfort, don't lose hope, fear God, fight the good fight, Friends in Christ, God's in control, guidance, help, idols, never give up, obey God, spiritual growth
Exodus 20:3. Thou shalt have no other gods before me.
Well hello there my wonderful Friends in Christ! How goes the battle this beautiful summer’s day? I sure hope it goes fairly well with us all. But just in case it isn’t going so good, I want us to remember that our great God is still in control of His universe, and He’s seeing all that we do, as well as guiding our lives on the path that He’s planned for each of us. So wherever we are, and whatever we’re going through, please take comfort in knowing that it’s most likely an important time in, or aspect of our spiritual growth which He found necessary to pass us through. So please don’t lose hope and give up, for once the breath of life flows through our mortal bodies, there is always hope for spiritual renewal. Hn! I sure hope that comes across in the positive manner I intended. (smile) But once we become believers, we will be tested to see what we’re actually made of, and if we’re truly fit for kingdom life. And regardless of whatever happens to us, the first and most important thing we need to do is to obey the words of our Bit: ‘Thou shalt have no other gods before me.’ Yes Friends, that’s the number one commandment! And if we aspire to follow it with all our heart, mind, body and soul, then we should be able to pass all the tests on our earthly journey. It still won’t be easy, but what I LOVE about our God, is though He puts us through the testing fire like gold and silver, He ALWAYS HELPS to pull us through it too. He doesn’t just set the test and leave us stranded. And all God’s people raised a mighty shout of praise to heaven: ‘Thank you Lord, for being so good to the unworthy children of men!’ But for some unknown, unfathomable reason, our world has moved away from serving the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Now we are much more concerned about doing our own thing, and that of Lucifer, rather than obeying the ONE and ONLY God who so LOVINGLY created us in His image, then promised to look after us forever, if we faithfully served, worshipped and obeyed Him. And today we’ll continue looking at some scriptures that contain serious warnings about bowing down to ONLY Almighty God. We’ll start with some words from 2 Kings, re the repopulation of Samaria with people of other nations by the king of Assyria, after he had captured it. And these people eventually established a religion in Samaria that was a mixture of Israel’s corrupted religion and the pagan worship that the outsiders brought. Obviously that was an unworkable arrangement, which led the Jews to ostracize and reject the people of Samaria, as we see in Jesus’ dealings with the woman of Samaria at the well of Jacob. (John 4:9, 8:48) As the Good Book states: ‘So they feared the Lord, and made unto themselves of the lowest of them priests of the high places, which sacrificed for them in the houses of the high places (places for pagan worship). They feared the Lord, and served their own gods, after the manner of the nations whom they carried away from thence (from among whom they were carried away). Unto this day they do after the former manners: they fear not the Lord, neither do they after their statutes, or after their ordinances, or after the law and commandment which the Lord commanded the children of Jacob, whom he named Israel. With whom the Lord made a covenant, and charged them saying, Ye shall not fear other gods, nor bow yourselves to them, nor serve them, nor sacrifice to them. But the Lord, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt with great power and a stretched out arm, him shall ye fear (hold in awe and reverence), and him shall ye worship, and to him shall ye do sacrifice.’ (2 Kin.17:32-36) Ah Friends, what’s it going to take for us to realize the seriousness of our situation eh? We’re still bowing to the dictates of man and his man made idols, rather than to Jehovah God, so what can we expect when calamities, mayhem and disaster strike us eh? We’ve seen that man neither has the ability or true desire to fix the big things that are wrong with our world; like the strife, hunger, poverty, homelessness, economic fallout, etc. But yet we adamantly, stubbornly refuse to turn back to the ONLY Being who can straighten it all out; the Most High God, Lord of Hosts. Oh Friends, as the saying goes, there’s none so blind as he who refuses to see. And that’s exactly what we’re doing, refusing to see the real cause and effect of our troubled world. When most of us were obeying God, was there as much ‘sufferation’ as there is now? Certainly not! So why are we letting our leaders and wealthy few lead us down the garden path to certain destruction eh? Please, let’s rise up in Jesus’ name and fight the good fight that He asks us to do nuh. It’s the ONLY way we can ever hope to save our floundering, sinking world, and thereby give our children and their children some hope of a better life in the future. Much LOVE!…to fight…to fight…and yet to fight…to the death…in Jesus’ holy name…that’s the credo of believers…
Today’s Scrip-Bit 29 July 2012 Acts 5:29
29 Jul 2012 Leave a comment
in Inspirational Living Tags: belly and backbone, christianity, everlasting arms of Jesus, fear God, future generations, let your light so shine, light of the world, obey God not man, passing the torch of God, when the SON returns
Acts 5:29. Then Peter and the other apostles answered and said, We ought to obey God rather than men.
Oh Friends, another glorious morn is preparing to come up over the distant horizon. Soon the Sun will be blazing forth in all its glory and majesty, just like the SON will do when He returns. In the meanwhile though, His true followers must reflect His light in a world so badly affected by the darkness that is evil. Jesus said: ‘Ye are the light of the world…Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.’ (Matt.5:14,16) Therefore, in this evil world, Christians are to shine like a bright beacon on a hill in a dark, stormy night, so that weary travellers will be safely guided in their long, dangerous, earthly journey and finally end up at a place of rest, comfort, caring and peace. A place called the everlasting, ever-LOVING arms of Jesus. Yes Friends, we believers ought to be perceived by the unbelievers as guiding lights in a dark, destructive and wicked world! And here’s a quote by the famous Irish playwright, George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950) that wisely and rightly endorses Jesus’ contention. ‘Life is not a “brief candle.” It is a splendid torch that I want to make burn as brightly as possible before handing it on to future generations.’ Gospel truth Friends, gospel truth! I guess we can compare it to the passing of the torch in the Olympic Games, the current edition of which is now taking place in England. Many of you must have seen the lavish opening ceremonies two days ago. I never planned to watch it, but the Lord in His mysterious ways had me do so. I had taped a football game and when I went to watch it, lo and behold the opening ceremony of the games jumped out at me. Obviously I was a bit perturbed, figuring that the football game had been bypassed for the ceremony, so I watched it. Now it was indeed a good show, but after writing the Bit that day about all the hunger, poverty, pain and the many other negatives in our world crying out for money, I was somewhat angered by it all. But we’ll leave that alone, for all the big, expensive, waste of time festivals that only enrich the already rich, don’t sit well with me. Anyway, the billion dollar question (a million is too small now) is how do we begin to shine that light of Jesus, so that we can pass that bright torch to future generations? Well, we’ve got to start with the principle laid out in our Bit: ‘Then Peter and the other apostles answered and said, We ought to obey God rather than men.’ Yes mih people, all our good intentions are of no use until we actually begin obeying God’s sound principles and not the selfish, greedy, evil ones of man. We saw how the apostles put the Jewish council in their place when they told them to stop preaching Christ. Another excellent example of that is Daniel and his friends. When the Jewish teens were brought to Babylon and enrolled in a training programme to convert them to the Chaldean image, the young men refused to eat food offered up to idols or pray to the heathen gods. The Good Book tells us: ‘But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king’s meat (delicacies), nor with the wine which he drank: therefore he requested of the prince of the eunuchs that he might not defile himself.’ (Dan.1:8) Oh my people, how many of us today have the parts to stand up to the world’s evil and refuse to bow to their wickedness and idolatrous ways? Not sufficient of us I believe, otherwise our world wouldn’t be in such a sad state. But here’s what happens when we do. ‘Now God had brought Daniel into favour and tender LOVE (sympathy) with the prince of the eunuchs.’ (Dan.1:9) Yes Friends, when we’re prepared to stand up faithful and strong for God, He will help us in whatever we’re going through. Remember that promise to never leave or forsake us. (Heb.13:5) Daniel and his friends chose to eat vegetables and drink water rather than the idol offered food of the king, and they ended up looking better than all the others in the programme. The Good Book also declares: ‘As for these four children (young men), God gave them knowledge and skill in all learning (literature) and wisdom: and Daniel had understanding in all visions and dreams.’ (Dan.1:17) Praise the Lord Friends! He blessed the young men so that they were the fairest and brightest amongst the lot, and could therefore go forth into the heathen world and proclaim His glory. We know how three of the four were thrown into the fire and came out untouched, not even smelling of smoke. They had previously told king Nebuchadnezzar about their God saving them from the fire. ‘But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up.’ (Dan.3:18) Oh mih bredden, it certainly took plenty B, B, and B, (balls, belly and backbone) for those young men to talk like that to an absolute monarch, one who could do whatever he desired with them. Likewise Daniel, when the jealous leaders plotted to have him thrown into the lion’s den for continuing to pray to his God despite the king’s decree. Daniel just kept right on believing in, following and praying to the God of his fathers. (Dan.6:10) And when he was finally thrown into the lion’s den, the Lord shut the lions mouth and he came out completely unharmed. (Dan.6:14-23) Oh Friends, such is the power of our omnipotent God! Remember that nothing is impossible for Him, and if we faithfully worship and obey Him, He will work wonders in our lives. Note how He used Daniel over some sixty years to bring three heathen kings to their knees and acknowledge His supremacy. ‘Then king Darius wrote unto all the people, nations, and languages, that dwell in all the earth; Peace be multiplied unto you. I make a decree, That in every dominion of my kingdom men (must) tremble and fear before the God of Daniel: for he is the living God, and steadfast for ever, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed, and his dominion shall be even unto the end. He deilvereth and rescueth, and he worketh signs and wonders in heaven and in earth, who hath delivered Daniel from the power (paw) of the lions.’ (Dan.6:25-27) And all God’s people raised a mighty shout of ‘Amen!’ to heaven. Much LOVE my people!…when we stand up for Jesus…He will also stand up for us…
Today’s Scrip-Bit 11 July 2012 Galatians 6:7
11 Jul 2012 Leave a comment
in Inspirational Living Tags: fear God, give and it shall be given to you, God is not mocked, God LOVES a cheerful giver, help others, Hour of Power, I choose Jesus, Jesus is the ONLY ONE, trust in God, what you sow you shall reap
Galatians 6:7. Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.
Oh Friends, oh Friends, yesterday morning after writing the Bit, the ole fella was watching an old Hour of Power Service from the Crystal Cathedral in Garden Grove, California, and in the middle of it this beautiful young lady, Moriah Peters, began singing this song that just thrilled me all to pieces. Mama Mia! And children yuh know how yuh ole father can carry on crazy when a piece of music thrills him! Hn! Oh Friends, it was so nice, I just had to play it twice. I believe the song was titled, ‘I choose Jesus.’ But here’s the chorus: ‘I choose Jesus, I choose Jesus, The one who first chose me. I choose Jesus, I choose Jesus, From now and eternity.’ Wow mih breddren! The music was a rocking R&B riddim, and the young lady had a great voice and was also very convincing about having chosen Jesus! I had to call up my young daughter later in the day and ask her to get a copy of the music for me. And besides, with a name like Moriah, I should have known that she was gifted, was the real deal, since Moriah is also the name of a place on God’s Little Acre, Tobago. (smile) Got to put in a plug for sweet Tobago, any time I can! But seriously Friends, choosing Jesus is a sentiment that the entire world ought to be gladly and proudly singing about, because He’s the only real solution to all our earthly problems. Nothing, or no one else even comes close to solving them. Beelzebub and all his flashy but worthless earthly fandangle is a foolish waste of time. Jesus Christ is the ONLY ONE who can open heaven’s door for us my people! And if we foolishly try to open it by any other means we’ll be sadly thwarted, ingloriously repelled. Oh Friends, Jesus is indeed our ONLY HOPE, and we can only come to the Father by living the way Jesus desires that we live, in peace, LOVE and generosity. That’s why our Bit solemnly warns us: ‘Be not deceived; God is not mocked (outwitted, outfoxed): for whatsoever a man soweth (does, practices), that shall he also reap.’ It’s gospel truth Friends, the foundation of the universe! Just like how Jesus built His earthly church on Peter and the disciples, the same way Almighty God built His universe on the principle of sowing and reaping. The famous British Prime Minister, Winston Churchill said it this way: ‘We make a living by what we get, we make a life by what we give.’ That statement brooks no argument whatsoever Friends! Neither does this one by Charles Dickens: ‘No one is useless in his world who lightens the burden of it for anyone else.’ Both statements relate right back to the universal principle of sowing and reaping my people, for helping others is our raison d’être in this life! Now let’s look at some scriptures that also point to that fundamental principle of eternal wisdom. First up is Bruh Paul’s directive to the Corinthians, re God LOVES a cheerful giver. And isn’t that a fact! ‘But this I say, He which soweth sparingly shall also reap sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall also reap bountifully (with blessings). Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity (compulsion): for God LOVETH a cheerful giver.’ (2 Cor.9:6-8) Oh my people, it’s right there in black and white, and though written almost two thousand years ago, the principle hasn’t changed, because our great and LOVING God, nor His Word ever changes! So why can’t we wise up and accept the eternal fact that we’ll only reap what we sow, and start sowing only good seed eh? Our stubborn reluctance, refusal to do so, certainly ‘confuffles’ me. Meanwhile, Cousin Sol declares it boldly and wisely when he exhorts us to obedience in Proverbs: ‘Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct (make smooth or straight) thy paths. Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the Lord, and depart from evil. It shall be health to thy navel (body), and marrow (strength) to thy bones. Honour the Lord with thy substance (possessions), and with the first fruits of all thine increase: So shall thy barns be filled with plenty, and thy presses (vats) shall burst out with new wine.’ (Prov.3:5-10) Oh Friends, do you realize that those 5 verses serve as a paraphrase to the whole Bible. If you followed only those 5, you could live a fairly decent and righteous life, because they remind us again to trust God, be obedient to Him, to share generously with both God and man, because that’s how we will be raised up, how our own situation will be improved, be increased. Oh my brethren, I don’t know what else to say that will convince us to start sowing good seed so that we will reap a good harvest, so I’ll just let Bruh David take us home. Hopefully we’ll listen to him, as he boldly declares in Psalm 62, God only is my rock and my salvation. ‘Also unto thee, O Lord, belongeth mercy: for thou renderest (rewardeth) to every man according to his work.’ (Ps.62:12) Please remember that Friends. In fact, let’s write it indelibly in our hearts, souls and minds, so that it will readily show forth in a positive manner in all our earthly doings. It’s wisdom of the highest order. Much LOVE!…to sow, to sow…only good seed…so that our harvest will also be…an abundance of good…of divine blessing…
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