2 Chronicles 24:20. And the Spirit of God came upon Zechariah the son of Jehoiada the priest, which stood above the people, and said unto them, Thus saith God, Why transgress ye the commandments of the Lord, that ye cannot prosper? because ye have forsaken the Lord, he hath also forsaken you.
Oh Friends, it’s day 2 of 2013, and for many of us the common grind and daily task begins again today. But can I plead one heartfelt plea with us? Please, as this Christmas and New Year seasons wind down, please let us not go back to the crude, rude, unmannerly, resentful, disgusting way we’ve been treating each other in the past year. It’s just not becoming of us, my people. For once in our life, let’s allow the goodwill and fellowship of the season to continue right through the New Year nuh. We don’t have to hug and kiss, or even like everybody we come into contact with, but we can surely have a more civil tongue in our heads and more pleasant demeanour. That doesn’t cost us anything, but it shows the true heart of Christ. As I said yesterday, there’s only one New Year’s resolution our entire world needs to make, and that’s to purpose a closer walk with Jesus! And being kind and considerate to our fellow humans is the first step in that direction. As the great philosopher Plato reputedly said eons ago; ‘The beginning is the most important part of the work.’ And that’s no lie Friends! I can attest to that just in writing the Bit everyday. The biggest hurdle is to get started. But once I do, everything comes together smoothly. And I’m sure most of you can also attest to the universal fact that making the first move in anything, always takes the most effort and courage. The Chinese Proverb puts it this way: ‘The longest journey begins with the first step.’ That’s also undeniable truth! So if we really want to have a closer walk with Jesus this year, it means we have to begin at the beginning, for though it’s the hardest part of the process, it’s also the most important. For to accomplish anything, we have to begin somewhere, sometime. Now does that get me any marks as a philosopher? (smile) From the lukewarm response, I’d guess not. But it’s the truth anyway. Now turning to our Bit: ‘And the Spirit of God came upon Zechariah the son of Jehoiada the priest, which stood above the people, and said unto them, Thus saith God, Why transgress ye the commandments of the Lord, that ye cannot prosper? because ye have forsaken the Lord, he hath also forsaken you.’ Oh Friends, I believe this will be the most important Bit of this year 2013, because it’s where we take stock of ourselves and those connected to us, of our individual society and of our world. It’s when we seriously try to turn the tables on the evil spirits and people who are currently controlling our lives and our world and ruining them. And what amazes, as well as disturbs me, is that the answer to all our problems is so easy, it’s right before our very eyes; turning back to having a true and sincere faith in Almighty God and having Him play significant roles in our individual lives and our societies. But for some unexplainable reason we seem afraid and/or reluctant to do it. But I do know it’s the right thing for us to do. It’s the only action that will get us out of the sad state we’re currently mired in. But unfortunately, right now, most of us seem to be listening to a different tune from Lucifer and his evil cronies, and thus they are now holding sway. Believe me though, my brethren, if only we, the church, the body of Christ could get back to working AS ONE, instead of fighting each other, we’d eat up, defeat the enemy in no time at all. But it’s the foolish divisions among Christ’s people that allow Beelzebub’s minions to rule the roost. The enemy is successfully using the old divide and conquer tactic on us. But unless and until the mostly petty and unimportant dissensions and differences are seriously addressed and worked out between Christ’s people, His church will not attain any real victory here on earth. But the devil’s in the details; reducing things like power struggles, streamlining doctrines, etc. etc. It’s always the selfish, power hungry, have to be right attitudes that spoil the show. And sadly, that’s not the attitude championed by Christ. It’s time Friends, for us to put up, or simply shut up. It’s time for Christ’s church to come together, to form a cohesive group, preaching what Christ preached, not what we want to preach or hear. If this doesn’t happen very soon, the church is just going to get more fractured and lose what little authority and acceptance it has left. And it’s only true believers, those who are willing to make the sacrifice, like Jesus did, who will affect or cause positive change in the evil doings of our world. But until we work together as ONE, that will never happen. Oh please, my fellow brethren in Christ, I’m appealing, pleading, begging, whatever action it takes, for us to get real serious about our faith, to get together and fight for it, otherwise we’re going to eventually lose it. Just look at some of the other faiths nuh, who though they worship dead and incompetent gods, their great belief, courage and zeal has them fighting tooth and nail to promote their unrighteous cause. Meanwhile, we, the Christians, who supposedly worship the ONE and ONLY TRUE GOD, fight amongst ourselves, sit on our laurels, seeking individual fame and glory, and refuse to make the effort to seriously come together and make a concerted effort to win the world for Christ, as He so humbly asked us to do. Oh Friends, I’m chuckling here, because this is one of those times when I was led to just get on our case about our dissensions and divisions, our inactivity, our hypocrisy, and all the wrong and bad things in the church, as we know it. Ah Lord eh! When will we learn my people, when will we wake up to the reality that life’s passing us by, and that our efforts are both lacklustre and insufficient? I don’t know if my pleas will make any difference to anything, but Friends, somebody’s got to cry out for unity between Christ’s people and His church, or else we’ll all just keep on going down to hell in the hand basket of petty divisions, of evil and worldly lusts we’ve chosen to put ourselves into. In closing, I just hope and pray that the Lord will take us to task this notable year of 2013, and put it in our hearts to truly be an example of righteousness to the unbelievers, as well as the believers, because they too need proper examples to help them guide their lives on the right path. But Friends, most of that can, or will never happen unless we start to truly LOVE our God, truly LIVE our Christian Faith, and truly SPREAD the WORD of God, as we ought to. Much LOVE!…may the good Lord convict our hearts and minds…at the start of this New Year…RIGHT NOW…to walk ever closer to Him…and thus increase and glorify His righteous kingdom…Amen…
Today’s Scrip-Bit 2 January 2013 2 Chronicles 24:20
02 Jan 2013 Leave a comment
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: body of Christ, civil tongues, closer walk with God, commandments, differences, dissensions, doctrines, evil spirits, fellowship, glorify God, God's righteous kingdom, goodwill, heartfelt plea, New Year's resolutions, pleas, pleasant demeanour, positive change, power hungry, prosperity, religion, sacrifice, transgressions, true heart of Christ, unity
Today’s Scrip-Bit 23 September 2012 Proverbs 21:2
23 Sep 2012 Leave a comment
in Inspirational Living Tags: alive and kicking, deceit, defile, discernment, fellowship, gathered together, glorify God, hypocrites, knowledge, praise and worship, right motives, righteousness., Sabbath, sin, strength in numbers, truth, turbulent times, wickedness
Proverbs 21:2. Every way of a man is right in his own eyes: but the Lord pondereth the hearts.
Oh Friends, we’re still alive and kicking this Sunday morning! Wow! Praise the Lord for continuing to keep the breath of life in us, along with all the other goodies He blesses us with daily! And for those of us who celebrate the Sabbath on a Sunday, let’s all endeavour to go to church and get in some invaluable praise and worship with fellow believers nuh. Remember Jesus’ promise: ‘For where two or three are gathered together in my name; there I am in the midst of them.’ (Matt.18:20) So please my people, let’s gather together today, as much as possible, and thus allow Jesus to come into the buildings and our hearts in a serious way, so that we can also glorify Him in a serious manner, as we ought to. Remember too that there is strength in numbers, so the more of us gathered in sincere celebration and worship, the bigger footprint we’ll leave, and shadow we’ll cast, both here on earth, and in heaven too. Now here are a couple lines I recently heard in a song – I don’t remember its name or the singer – but these two lines from the chorus struck me as being real meaningful. They claim that: ‘Knowledge is the root of survival. Truth is the way of life.’ And I tend to agree, because if you don’t have knowledge; first of what you want to do, and also of what’s going on in and around you, your chances of survival are slim. We cannot live in a world, especially such a turbulent and troubled one as ours, without knowing what’s happening in it, else we’d soon be swept up and/or away by the evil, ungodly forces that are running rampant right now. And there’s no doubting that for a believer, living in truth is the ultimate lifestyle for us. For if Jesus is the WAY, the TRUTH, the LIGHT, and the LIFE, and we’re not living in truth, then we’re just make-believe followers, and have no true calling. And our Bit today talks about just that. ‘Every way of a man is right in his own eyes: but the Lord pondereth (weighs) the hearts.’ Yes Friends, most of us believe that whatever we do is right and thus truthful, and oftimes that’s correct. But in many cases we’re just fooling ourselves and those around us, but not God. That’s because He simply doesn’t take our outward actions as being gospel, since He knows how deceitful and sinful we truly can be. And that’s why He chooses to look at our hearts, at our true motives before dealing with us. As Cousin Sol says in an earlier chapter; ‘All the ways of a man are clean in his own eyes; but the Lord weigheth the spirits.’ (Prov.16:2) Or as the scholars put it: ‘The Lord is the great discerner of motives.’ And if the Lord wasn’t smart enough to first check our hearts and spirits, can you imagine the great amount of stuff we’d do and get away with based on wrong motives? But Friends, the Lord created us, and I know of no creation that’s smarter or wiser than its creator. By the same token, I don’t know when some of us will smarten up and realize that, and stop trying to pull the wool over His eyes, because it foolishly hampers our communication and thus the tenor of our earthly lives with our heavenly Father. Even computers that do such miraculous stuff nowadays need to be programmed, guided, told what to do and how to do it, otherwise we’ll end up with the wasteful situation of garbage in, garbage out. And that’s unfortunately what’s happening to a lot of us today, my brethren. We’re filling our lives, our hearts, minds and spirits with the garbage, the wickedness and ungodliness of the world. So what else can we expect to come back out but wickedness and ungodliness eh? Remember Jesus said it’s not what we put into our stomachs, that’s like eating with unwashed hands, that defiles us, because that’s passed out in the draught, but it’s the evil that comes out of our hearts and mouths that defile us. (Matt.15:17-20) And with our basic sinful nature, plus what’s currently happening in the world, we have to be very careful of what we say and do. As Cousin Sol states later in Proverbs: ‘If thou sayest, Behold, we knew it not; doth not he that pondereth (weighs) the heart consider it? And he that keepeth thy soul, doth not he know it? And shall he not render to every man according to his works?’ (Prov.24:12) Yes Friends, that sounds like many of us, claiming we didn’t know, when we very well knew. Now we might get away with that on other men, but definitely not with God, for He knows all, and first digs deep into our souls to discern our true motives before compensating or rewarding us for our works. And if the motives aren’t right, then sorry, there’ll be little or no compensation or reward. So Friends, please let’s stop being like the Pharisees; hypocrites, men-pleasers, who put on a nice outward show, making it seem we’re so righteous and wonderful, but on the inside we’re really just stink and evil. Sadly, that attitude is ever so prevalent in these corrupted and troubled times. So please, I implore us to be very careful not to fall in that trap of Lucifer’s, for it will only put us in God’s bad books, a place we certainly don’t want to be. Much LOVE!…only from a truly righteous heart…can a man reap true righteousness…
Today’s Scrip-Bit 2 September 2012 Proverbs 3:3
02 Sep 2012 1 Comment
in Inspirational Living Tags: commandments, favour, glorify God, God's Law, Good God, great commission, guard your heart and mind, heart, high esteem, Hurricane Isaac, hypocrisy, long life, mercy, mind, oneness of purpose, prosperity, Sunday, thanks and praise, thanksgiving, truth
Proverbs 3:3. Let not mercy and truth forsake thee: bind them about thy neck; write them upon the table of thine heart.
Oh Friends, let’s begin today by giving much thanks for life, health and liberty! And all God’s people declared a grateful, ‘Thank You Lord for all the blessings in my life!’ Let’s also be thankful that the young Christian girl imprisoned in Pakistan for supposed blasphemy, allegedly burning some pages of a holy book, will be safe from the mob that’s been crying out for her breath of life, for at least another two weeks. That’s when her case comes up again. What ignorance and hypocrisy eh! And closer to home, let’s also offer heartfelt thanks that Hurricane Isaac didn’t do as much damage to Louisiana and the other South-western States as expected. This time the anchors (levees) held, unlike when Katrina descended upon them. Oh Friends, our God is certainly a GOOD GOD! He’s so wonderful, that even in the midst of tragedy, believers can always see the light of His LOVING presence, and feel His gentle, saving touch. Now remember that today is Sunday, so all those who celebrate the Sabbath on Sunday, if at all possible, please get out and fellowship with other believers, giving thanks and praise to God in unity and oneness of purpose. For as we’ve been saying over the last few days, a unified church is very essential in successfully fulfilling Jesus’ Great Commission. (Matt. 28:19-20) And before we get to our Bit, let’s hear how Cousin Sol in exhorting us to obedience, opens Chapter 3, as a lead up to it. ‘My son, forget not my law; but let thine heart keep my commandments: For length of days, and long life, and peace, shall they add to thee.’ (Prov.3:1-2) Now that’s the living truth my people! For when we keep the Lord’s law, then we are divinely blessed with peace and long, prosperous lives. And now we can segue smoothly into our Bit: ‘Let not mercy (LOVING-kindness) and truth forsake thee: bind them about thy neck; write them upon the table of thine heart.’ Yes Friends, those two things, mercy and truth, are of the utmost importance in the lives of EVERY believer. Why? Cousin Sol continues with more valuable advice. ‘So shalt thou find favour and good understanding (high esteem) in the sight of God and man.’ (Prov.3:4) Now we all desire those things in this earthly life, but the only way to truly and lastingly accomplish that is by having mercy (LOVING-kindness) and truth always in our sights. They’re so important that we’ve even been advised and encouraged to ‘Bind them about thy neck.’ That means the Lord’s teachings should be as much a part of us as an adornment or necklace around our necks. In other words, always present and standing out. Just goes to show how important those two attributes are my brethren. And later on in Chapter 6, when warning against adultery, Cousin Sol reiterates the importance of keeping the Lord’s law. ‘My son, keep thy father’s commandment, and forsake not the law of thy mother: Bind them continually upon thine heart, and tie them about thy neck. When thou goest, it shall lead thee; when thou sleepest, it shall keep thee, and when thou awakest, it shall talk with thee. For the commandment is a lamp; and the law is light; and reproofs of instruction are the way of life: To keep thee from the evil woman, from the flattery of the tongue of a strange woman (seductress). (Prov.6:20-24) In this particular case he advocates it against the wiles of an evil woman, but keeping the Lord’s law is material in every aspect of our everyday lives. And we shouldn’t only have the law close to our bodies like a necklace, but also ‘write them upon the table of thine heart.’ That’s our minds. We need to write them first and foremost in our minds, for as our minds go, so goes the rest of our body. The mind is our most important organ, it’s a unique, marvellous and ‘unclonable’ bit of engineering, and since within it lie the true controls of our bodies, it is thus extremely important in understanding and successfully living this earthly life. That’s why Lucifer always seeks first to infiltrate our minds, cause he knows that once he’s in control of our controls, he’s home free. Consequently it’s of the utmost necessity we guard our hearts and minds very closely. No wonder Bruh Paul strongly advised the Philippians. ‘Rejoice in the Lord always: and again I say, Rejoice. Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand. Be careful (anxious) for nothing; but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep (guard) your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.’ (Phil.4:4-7) And we’ll close with some words from the scholars which will help us understand that last verse. ‘The peace of God is that tranquility of mind freeing the believer from fear and worry. “Peace” which passeth all understanding means (1) peace divinely bestowed in times of anxiety, so wonderful that it exceeds one’s ability to understand it; and (2) God’s peace far surpassing one’s own understanding of the problem, and his ability to cope with and solve it. Shall keep means “shall guard.” This is a military term for a sentinel standing guard duty. As Philippi was guarded by a Roman garrison, and its citizens were accustomed to seeing soldiers protecting the city, this word would be especially appreciated by the readers.’ Oh Friends, let’s hope we not only appreciate what we’ve read here today, but that we also go out and put it into practice in our daily lives. It’s the best way to glorify God and show Jesus that we truly care about the sacrifice He made for us on the cross at Calvary. In Jesus Name, I pray. Amen. Much LOVE!…without solid foundations of mercy and truth…believers will always come up short in Christ…
Today’s Scrip-Bit 18 August 2012 Psalm 135:1
18 Aug 2012 Leave a comment
in Inspirational Living Tags: friends, glorify God, Jesus Christ, joy, praise, Praise the Lord, pride, the Comforter, the Great Commission, the Helper, the Holy Spirit, the kingdom of righteousness, the Word, vanity
Psalm 135:1. Praise ye the Lord. Praise ye the name of the Lord; praise him, O ye servants of the Lord.
Oh my wonderful Friends in Christ Jesus, we’re on the cusp of another beautiful day on God’s great earth! And all God’s people raised a mighty and grateful shout of joy heavenward: ‘Thank You Lord!’ Now why are we still here breathing the earth’s air; refreshing in some places, almost poisonous in others, and not up yonder enjoying the excellent life eh? Because there’s still work to be done down here; lots of it too. That work includes spreading the Word of God, and the right and true way of Jesus, as He asked us to do in what’s termed the Great Commission. (Matt.28:19-20) So let’s roll up our sleeves and seriously get going on that nuh my people. A very large percentage of the world has never heard about the wonderful God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, nor of His Redeeming Son Jesus, neither of the divine Helper and Comforter, the Holy Spirit, and it’s our job to introduce them to all of that, help them to believe, then seek the kingdom of righteousness thereafter, so that their souls can be saved from eternal death and separation from God in the last days, that might soon be upon us. And how do we do that? By educating them on the Word, by encouraging them in difficult situations, by practical and/or physical help, and very importantly by being worthy examples of all that we preach and teach. And last, but definitely not least, let us not forget another important aspect of our faith walk; the aspect of Praise! Yes Friends, Praise is of the utmost importance in a believer’s life, but sadly, I don’t think we do enough of it, that’s why I chose our Bit today from Psalm 135, re the greatness of the Lord, and the vanity of idols. ‘Praise ye the Lord. Praise ye the name of the Lord; praise him, O ye servants of the Lord.’ And why should we do that? The psalmist continues by telling us: ‘Praise ye the Lord; for the Lord is good: sing praises unto his name; for it is pleasant… For I know that the Lord is great, and that our Lord is above all gods.’ (Ps.135:3,5) Without a doubt my brethren, our God is a great God and worthy of our praise! It says so numerous times in the Good Book, with good reason too. Let’s look at a few of those scriptures, beginning with Psalm 50; a Psalm of Asaph, superscripted, God is the judge. And Asaph loudly and truthfully proclaims: ‘Whoso offereth praise glorifieth me: and to him that ordereth his conversation (conduct) aright will I show the salvation of God.’ (Ps.50:23) Yes my people, one of the reasons our God created us was to glorify Him, and one way of doing that is by showering Him and His Holy Name with praise! Meanwhile, Psalm 33, titled Praise to the Lord for his creation, opens with this wonderful declaration: ‘Rejoice in the Lord, O ye righteous: for praise is comely for the upright.’ (Ps.33:1) Once again Friends, we’re advised that praise to the Most High God Jehovah is right and comely for all those who worship and believe in Him. And isn’t that the living truth! Then Psalm 111, Praise the Lord for His care, tells us: ‘Praise ye the Lord (sing Hallelujah)! I will praise the Lord with my whole heart, in the assembly of the upright, and in the congregation. The works of the Lord are great, sought out of (studied by) all them that have pleasure therein. His work is honourable and glorious: and his righteousness endureth forever.’ (Ps.111:1-3) And the Psalms are not the only place where praise is declared unto God, though it’s found there more than anywhere else in the Good Book. Now listen to Daniel, after the Lord showed him the interpretation of Nebuchadnezzar, the Babylonian king’s dream. ‘Then was the secret revealed unto Daniel in a night vision. Then Daniel blessed the God of heaven. Daniel answered and said, Blessed be the name of God for ever and ever: for wisdom and might are his: And he changeth the times and the season: he removeth kings, and setteth (raises) up kings: he giveth wisdom unto the wise, and knowledge to them that know (have) understanding: He revealeth the deep and secret things: he knoweth what is in the darkness, and the light dwelleth with him. I thank thee, and praise thee, O thou God of my fathers, who hast given me wisdom and might, and hast made known unto me now what we desired (asked) of thee: for thou hast now made known unto us the king’s matter.’ (Dan.2:19-23) Oh my brethren, isn’t that just cause for great praise? It surely is! Now listen to Moses immortalize praise for God in his song of victory over Pharaoh’s army: ‘Who is like unto thee, O Lord, among the gods (mighty ones)? Who is like thee, glorious in holiness, fearful in praises, doing wonders?’ (Ex.15:11) And the answer to ALL those questions Friends, is an unequivocal NOBODY! And in Deuteronomy, Moses again encourages the Israelites to praise the God of their fathers. ‘Thou shalt fear the Lord thy God; him shalt thou serve, and to him shalt thou cleave (hold fast), and swear by his name. He is thy praise, and he is thy God, that hath done terrible (awesome) things which thine eyes have seen. Thy fathers went down into Egypt with threescore and ten persons; and now the Lord thy God hath made thee as the stars of heaven for multitude.’ (Deut.10:20-22) Most excellent reasons to serve and praise the Lord my people! And not to disappoint you all, I will end with a few words from Bruh David, (smile) who praised the Lord more than most. This comes from Psalm 52, caution to the prideful wicked. ‘Lo, this is the man that made not God his strength; but trusted in the abundance of his riches, and strengthened himself in his wickedness (destruction). But I am like a green olive tree in the house of God (see Jer.11:16): I trust in the mercy of God for ever and ever. I will praise thee for ever, because thou hast done it: and I will wait on thy name; for it is good before thy saints.’ (Ps.52:7-9) And all God’s people uttered a loud and glorious ‘Praise the Lord, for He is worthy to be praised! Amen!’ Yes Friends, our God sure is worthy to be praised. So let’s go out and prise Him today and for ever more nuh. That’s wisdom at its highest! Much LOVE!…praise to our great God…is what He rightly deserves…
Today’s Scrip-Bit 6 July 2012 Psalm 115:1
06 Jul 2012 Leave a comment
in Inspirational Living Tags: batten down the hatches, Friday chant, furthering Jesus' kingdom, glorify God, our bounden duty, renewed and refreshed, rest and relaxation, soul body and mind, TGIF!, the Promised Land, the weekend
Psalm 115:1. Not unto us, O Lord, not unto us, but unto thy name give glory, for thy mercy, and for thy truth’s sake.
Oh Friends, it’s Friday! The eve of two days of freedom, or as close as we’ll ever really get. That’s why everybody’s so happy, and joyfully declaring to each other: ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday!’ Oh Friends, what would most of us do without the weekend to look forward to eh? And believe me, we have to be very careful, diligent and strong to protect it, because if the greedy, evil politicos and their wealthy evil counterparts get the chance, they will gladly even take those two semi-free days away from us. So let’s batten down the hatches, and prepare to fight tooth and nail for that privilege and many others they are either taking away or planning to take away. Our forefathers’ fought too hard, even giving up their lives for the few measly benefits workers now have. We can’t afford to let the evildoers come and retake them. In the meanwhile though, let’s enjoy the weekend, but with ‘a modicum of circumspection’ as Jeeves would say. And to help us do that, let’s chant our Friday Chant with much verve and gusto. All together now, as one glorious voice: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through another week of work! It hasn’t been easy, but with your generous help, I made it through. Now, please help me to get sufficient fun, fellowship, rest and relaxation in these two short days off, so that I can be renewed and refreshed in soul, body and mind, to go back out and do it all over again next week, furthering your glorious kingdom with each step I take. I pray this in Jesus name. Amen.’ Yes mih people, we have to be circumspect about how we use our days off. The Lord God Jehovah should always be front and centre in our consciousness. And our Bit today certainly highlights that sentiment. ‘Not unto us, O Lord, not unto us, but unto thy name give glory, for thy mercy (LOVING-kindness), and for thy truth’s sake.’ What we have to remember Friends is that we’re made for God’s purpose(s), not Him for ours. Thus, whatever happens in our lives, on earth or in heaven, is supposed to be all for God’s glory, not ours, as so many of us wrongly believe. And the Lord has made it clear on several occasions in His Word, that what He does is not always for us, but because He wants His Name to be glorified and not polluted or profaned. The first good example of that is when Moses brought the Israelites out of Egypt, and he tells them: ‘Speak not thou in thine heart, after that the Lord thy God hath cast them out from before thee, saying, For (because of) my righteousness the Lord hath brought me in to possess this land: but for (because of) the wickedness of these nations the Lord doth drive them out from before thee. Not for thy righteousness, or for the uprightness of thine heart, dost thou go to possess their land: but for the wickedness of these nations the Lord thy God doth drive them out from before thee, and that he may perform (fulfill) the word which the Lord sware unto thy fathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Understand therefore, that the Lord giveth thee not this good land to possess it for thy righteousness; for thou art a stiffnecked (stubborn, rebellious) people.’ (Deut.9:4-6) So we see it’s not because the Israelites were so righteous that the Lord brought them out of slavery in Egypt to the Promised Land, because they were not, but because the inhabitants of the land were wicked and He had to keep His promise to their forefathers. Likewise Friends, many times what He does for us, is not because we’re so righteous either, but to protect His name and image or to keep some promise He’s made. Hear what He says about that through Isaiah: ‘I am the Lord: that is my name: and my glory will I not give another, neither my praise to graven images.’ (Is.42:8) Yes mih breddren, the Lord’s very jealous of His name and glory. He has an immaculate image to project and protect, therefore He will not allow anyone to besmirch them. Listen to Him again, this time through Ezekiel: ‘But I wrought (acted) for my name’s sake, that it should not be polluted (profaned) before the heathen, among whom they were, in whose sight I made myself known unto them, in bringing them forth out of the land of Egypt.’ (Ezek.20:9) Oh my people, that just goes to show what lengths the Lord will go to protect His name and His majestic image. And He further reminded them when He promised the future restoration of Israel: ‘Not for your sakes do I this, saith the Lord God, be it known unto you: be ashamed and confounded for your own ways, O house of Israel…Then the heathen (nations) that are left round about you shall know that I the Lord build (rebuilt) the ruined places, and plant that that was desolate: I the Lord have spoken it, and I will do it.’ (Ezek.36:32,36) Ah Friends, strong words from our God, words that still resonate with us today, since He or His Word changes. Therefore let’s do our best to uphold His righteousness and not to provoke His anger any more than we’re already doing with the sinful, ungodly, wicked lifestyle we’re currently promoting in our society. Remember the last days are on the horizon, and the unrighteous are still many, so let’s do our part in our little area to glorify His name and cut down on the numbers that will be destroyed on that fateful day nuh. It is our bounden duty. Much LOVE!…to help others come to Christ…that’s the believers’ main goal…
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