Today’s Scrip-Bit 1 August 2018 2 Corinthians 5:17.

2 Corinthians 5:17.   Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.

Can you believe it friends, it’s already the first day of August, which means that the summer is almost over! Steups! Only thirty more days before the cold weather begins ominously creeping in… And oh, sometimes it doesn’t even creep in, it just comes roaring in full blast. So we need to make as many special summer memories as we can this month, because with the strange weather patterns going nowadays, who knows what will happen. 

But before we go any further, let me remind us of this momentous and everlasting truth: ‘There is only ONE Power and ONE presence here – God the Good Omnipotent! Wow mih breddren! And is he ever Good and Omnipotent! He had to be; otherwise we’d be ALL now heading for Hades to dwell with Lucifer, instead of having the option to look forward to heaven with Christ! Praise His Holy Name! 

And it really surprises me that so many people refuse to even look at the option with Jesus that brings light to our souls, even thumb their noses at it and stick staunchly with the prince of darkness and evil. Why are we so afraid of light eh? I guess because our deeds are evil and we’re afraid to expose them to the light because then others will see our true colours and know that we’re not what or who we claim to be. 

But friends, when you wisely choose Jesus, that’s not a problem, because He washes away all of that muck with which you’re covered. His sacrifice on the cross at Calvary has already paid for all your sins for all time, and you become a new creation in Him, washed white as snow, atoned for and reconciled to the Father, with the amazing opportunity to go right to the throne room and talk personally with the Father. 

Wow! What an awesome privilege that is my breddren! Yuh think Lucifer has time for you like the Lord does? Yuh think Lucifer is waiting to care for and comfort and relieve your sorrows like the Lord is? Not on yuh life! Lucifer just wants to get you into more evil and compass your soul with more pain and sorrow.  

Thus Bruh Paul tells us in our Bit, in his second letter to the church at Corinth: ‘Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.’ Glory be mih people! What a blessing it is to throw off our old sinful, fleshly nature and receive the new, refreshed spiritual nature of Christ! 

That’s why Jesus told Nicodemus when he asked about eternal things. ‘Verily, verily, I say unto thee, except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.’ (John 3:3) That means a new beginning, however a spiritual one, must be had to be associated with Christ. 

As Jesus further told Nicodemus: ‘Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again. The wind bloweth where it listeth (wishes); and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit. (John 3:5-8) 

Yes friends, once we get in with Jesus, we no longer live an earthly or carnal life, we begin living a spiritual life, one from the inside out, not vice versa. That’s because once you become a believer the Holy Spirit of Jesus comes to dwell within you and lead and guide you in a spiritual manner. 

As Bruh Paul reminds us when he wrote to the church at Rome, dealing with life in the Spirit: ‘For they that are after the flesh do mind (set their minds on) the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. For to be carnally minded is death: but to be spiritually minded is life, and peace.’ (Rom.8:5-6) 

So to keep on lusting after the things of the flesh, the things of the world is death. However when we become spiritually minded, live in obedience to Christ’s Holy Spirit, we achieve a sense of peace and look forward to eternal life. And Bruh Paul puts it all nicely together earlier on in his missive to the Roman church. ‘For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through (in) Jesus Christ our Lord.’ (Rom.6:23) 

Ah friends, knowing that, how can we not LOVE and revere the Lord eh? If we have the slightest amount of common sense or wisdom, that verse would surely enlighten us to the fact that if we hang out with Jesus, through God’s mercy and LOVING-kindness, His unmerited favour, we won’t get what we deserve; eternal damnation, but rather eternal life. It’s up to each individual though to make a choice. Let’s hope we all make the right one. 

And for those of us who have already made the right decision, let’s go home declaring our Wednesday Wail, proudly letting the world know our position in Christ. In strong voice with sincere hearts: ‘Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: I’m so glad to be alive on this Wednesday! Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: Thank God the breath of life is still flowing through me on this Wednesday! 

I am halfway home. My hands are fixed securely on the plough, and I’m not turning back. I’m not looking back at the past, not focusing on what has gone before. But my eyes are fixed straight ahead; straight ahead to a glorious future with Jesus. Glory Hallelujah!’ 

And my fellow believers, as I keep saying, that future will be even more glorious than we can ask or imagine! Much LOVE!

…why foolishly choose death…when we can wisely choose life eh…

 

 

Today’s Scrip-Bit 25 November 2015 1 John 5:21‏‏

1 John 5:21.    Little children, keep yourselves from idols. Amen.

Oh Friends, I don’t know how I’m going to do this nuh, most likely very slowly, but the Bit has to go out come rain, sleet or snow. (smile) 

The long and short of the story is that I went into the concrete jungle (Toronto) yesterday, on my birthday, no less, to have a procedure done on my ‘arthritically’ challenged right shoulder. 

Now everything went okay, I took the bus and the train like the last time I ventured into the city.There was some pain in the shoulder, but nothing to worry about. 

However later on in the night when the local anesthetic had worn off… oh brother, did that shoulder ever give me beans! The good-looking, young, white female doctor that did the procedure did say that I might have some discomfort. 

Hn! But this was certainly much more than discomfort. I couldn’t move it to do anything without an agonizing pain coursing through my body. Even at rest the shoulder was still pulsing and throbbing. And when I did go to bed, sometime after 2 a.m….Hn!…it was pure agony. 

I just couldn’t find a comfortable place to rest my arm. Every time I thought I’d found one, a couple seconds later, the pain flared up. And believe me Friends, I have a decent pain threshold, but this pain is something else. 

I’m chuckling here now, because when I make a mistake, I just back up and type over again, because going up to the mouse to correct it is not a treat. Surprisingly though, I can move my fingers over the keyboard okay, but moving my arm away from my body is another story. 

Anyway, when I finally realized the enormity of the situation, I took a pain killer, but it obviously wasn’t enough, because a couple hours later I had to come downstairs and get a couple more, and shortly after five the constant throbbing and pulsing eventually eased up. 

But moving my hand was still painful. And believe me, I knew that that too would pass, and that the Lord wouldn’t give me more than I could bare, but it was so agonizing and temperamental that I eventually cried our for solace from our heavenly Father. I guess between Him and the painkillers they finally worked. I couldn’t even walk and allow my arm to swing, I had to keep it anchored to my leg. 

Thankfully, the worse seems to be over now, though I still have a hard time moving the old arm. Glory to God! Ohhh! I just went to the mouse and the pain shook me up. But I can only grin and bear it.So you can see the kind of birthday I had. (smile) 

Anyway, enough about my problems. It’s Wednesday, that means it’s time for our Wednesday Wail. So let’s wail nuh, enthusiastically and convincingly. All together now: ‘Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: I’m so glad to be alive on this Wednesday! Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: Thank God the breath of life is still flowing through me on this Wednesday! 

I am halfway home. My hands are fixed securely on the plough, and I’m not turning back. I’m not looking back at the past, not focusing on what has gone before. But my eyes are fixed straight ahead; straight ahead to a glorious future with Jesus. Glory Hallelujah!’ 

Yeh mih people, in spite of the excruciating pain, I am glad to be alive this Wednesday morning, just looking forward to a glorious future with Jesus. I do hope that you are too, because there’s nothing as rewarding as hanging out with Jesus in this earthly life. 

But to do that successfully, we have to do what our Bit says. ‘Little children, keep yourselves from idols. Amen.’ Now that in general is an enormous task, but even more so in our society of plenty eye candy and sinful stuff, that calls out to our fleshly nature. 

Here’s how Jeremiah said it in his prophecy against Babylon. ‘A drought is upon her waters; and they shall be dried up; for it is the land of graven images, and they are mad upon (insane with) their idols.’ (Jer.50:38) 

Oh Friends, Jeremiah could have been talking about us, because we are indeed a land of graven images and very insane with our idols. A good example of that is the pedestal on which we’ve put our cell-phones and other new technological toys. 

Too many people just can’t operate without them. They have to be constantly checking this and checking that, from one social media site to another. I doubt the Lord is taking very kindly to this explosion of technological idolatry in which we’re currently engaging. 

Oh yes, they do have a very useful purpose, but when you can’t do or live without them for even a few minutes, then you are crossing the line. 

And we’ll end with some wise words from Bruh David in his psalm of thanksgiving: ‘Sing unto the Lord, all the earth; show forth from day to day his salvation. Declare his glory among the heathen; his marvellous works among all nations. For great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised: he also is to be feared (held in reverential awe) above all gods. 

For all the gods of the people are idols (worthless things): but the Lord made the heavens. Glory and honour are in his presence; strength and gladness are in his place. Give unto the Lord, ye kindreds of the people, give unto the Lord glory and strength. Give 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.16:23-29) 

Yes Friends, that is exactly what we need to do in this godless, extremely sinful and idolatrous society we’re currently living in. And unfortunately, until we return to genuinely worshipping Almighty God, the Creator and Controller of the universe, the society will just keep going downhill. 

So my fellow believers, let’s ramp up our efforts to stop the idolatry and sinfulness in whatever way we can nuh, for it is our bounden duty to do so, and we haven’t been doing such a good job, that’s partly why it’s as bad as it is. Much LOVE!

…only by seriously meditating on God’s word…and obeying His commandments…can our society return to prosperity and success…