SCRIP-BITS

Oh Friends, check out this scene between two female neighbours nuh. Is early in the morning, the cocks just finish crowing. The first woman, tall and thin, is outside sweeping her yard, when the second, recently awakened, opens her front door and steps out onto her porch. Standing at the railing, she sighs, stretches her buxom body, inhales a deep lungful of the cool, fresh morning air, and gratefully whispers: ‘Thank you God for making me see another day.’ Then she calls out to the woman sweeping her yard: ‘Morning neighbuh.’ The woman replies, a tad haughtily: ‘Well morning to you too neighbuh. How yuh do this morning? Ah sure hope the good Lord cause you to sleep well last night and make you wake up strong this morning, ready to do His work.’ And the first woman, a tad miffed, because the one sweeping the yard always behaves as though she is so holy and godly, replies in a slightly sarcastic tone: ‘But what else yuh expect eh neighbuh, since I’m a chile of God? Lemme tell yuh something, lemme tell you how it really is with me. Now listen close: ‘The Light of God surrounds me. The LOVE of God enfolds me. The Power of God protects me. The Presence of God watches over me. Wherever I am, God is….And all is well.’ Yes Friends, that’s how it’s supposed to be with all God’s children! We don’t need to play or think that we’re better than each other in God’s sight, for we aren’t. We’re all God’s children and He LOVES us equally, so the one upmanship so prevalent among believers is totally unnecessary and only breeds resentment and anger which sadly reduces our ability to do our kingdom work. By the way, I got that little poem re the LOVE of God, from the front page of my mother’s Bible. Many of us know it, but I believe she added the ‘And all is well part,’ because it was written to the side at the end. Anyway, if you read our Bit, God doesn’t have time to play favourites. Cousin Sol says it plainly: ‘Keep my commandments and live; and my law as the apple of thine eye.’ This is taken from the chapter on the wiles of a harlot, whom we obviously should not follow, but it certainly has to do with more than immorality, in fact it encompasses our entire lives. We’ll break it down into two parts and look at the first one today. ‘Keep my commandments, and live…’ Ah mih people, the Lord’s been saying that since Adam was a boy. (smile) Basically it means what it says; live the way I command you, and life will be good. You’ll be prosperous, not only in monetary terms, but in all aspects of your lives. And with the coming of Jesus, it now means that you’ll also receive salvation and eternal life if you believe in Him. The opposite also holds true: if you disobey my commands, then life will be rougher than it needs to be, and you’ll face death, and eternal separation from God in Hades with Lucifer. The Lord explicitly told Moses to warn the Israelites, on the way to the Promised Land, not to live like the Egyptians they’d left behind, or the Canaanites where they were going. ‘Ye shall do my judgements, and keep mine ordinances, to walk therein: I am the Lord your God. Ye shall therefore keep my statutes, and my judgements: which if a man do (does) he shall live in (by) them.’ (Lev.18:4-5) Then the Lord went on to list a whole lot of forbidden immoral acts. But it all comes down to the same thing Friends; obeying the dictates of our God, living the way He wants us to live. In talking about a father’s wisdom, Cousin Sol says: ‘He taught me also, and said unto me, Let thine heart retain my words: keep my commandments and live.’ (Prov.4:4) Meanwhile Isaiah, re a free offer of mercy for all declares: ‘Incline your ear, and come unto me: hear, and your soul shall live: I will make an everlasting covenant with you, even the sure mercies of David.’ (Is.55:3) Yes my people, it’s all about hearing the Word of God and obeying it. Now here’s the perfect situation to explain this topic. As a condition for restoration and blessings, Moses informs the people: ‘See, I have set before thee this day life and good, and death and evil; In that I command thee this day to LOVE the Lord thy God, to walk in his ways, and to keep his commandments and his statutes and his judgements, that thou mayest live and multiply: and the Lord thy God shall bless thee in the land whither thou goest to possess it. But if thine heart turn away, so that thou wilt not hear, but shall be drawn away, and worship other gods, and serve them; I denounce (announce) unto you this day, that ye shall surely perish, and that ye shall not prolong your days upon the land, whither thou passest over Jordan to go to possess it. I call heaven and earth to record (as witnesses) this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live.’ (Deut.30:15-19) Oh Friends the Lord couldn’t put it any clearer than that. It’s simple and straightforward; obey me and live, disobey and die. The choice is ours. Let’s hope we all wisely choose the first option, especially at such an auspicious occasion as Christmas; our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ’s birth. Much LOVE!…as for me and mine…we will LOVE and serve the Lord…