Philippians 3:17: Brethren, be followers together of me, and mark them which walk so as ye have us for an example.
‘Just a closer walk with thee. Blessed Jesus let it be. Always walking close to thee. Let it be, dear Lord… let it be.’
Oh Friends, those words from that favourite old hymn are very significant in a believer’s life; so significant that they should be written indelibly in our hearts and be constantly on our lips!
Yes my brethren, if we’re to walk closely with God, as believers ought to, then we certainly need His empowerment to help us, because that’s something we simply cannot do on our own. Our sinful nature, our weak will, and Lucifer’s constant prodding just won’t allow us to do it. But we have to walk that close walk to be true and faithful Christians!
And we have some excellent advice in our Bit on that subject, where Bruh Paul is talking to the Philippians, encouraging them to keep pressing on towards the mark, walking faithfully in the Spirit of God.
‘Brethren, be followers together of me (join in following my example), and mark (note) them which walk so as ye have us for an example (a pattern).’
And the scholars it thus: ‘Paul asks the Philippians to imitate him. (But) due to his absence they cannot observe him (personally), so he tells them to imitate those among them who live as he does.’
And my people, that admonition holds up even until today, and will be forever applicable as long as believers walk this ungodly earth, since we cannot do it all ourselves, but need like-minded persons around us to help and encourage us. That’s why fellowship amongst believers is ever so important, especially in these rough, trying and godless times!
Bruh Paul also said basically the same thing to the church at Corinth. ‘Wherefore I beseech (urge) you, be ye followers of (imitate) me. For this cause have I sent unto you Timothy, who is my beloved son, and faithful in the Lord, who shall bring you into remembrance of my ways which be in Christ, as I teach every where in every church.’ (1 Cor.4:16-17)
That’s why we need learned, responsible brethren like pastors and such to teach and show us the proper way to walk with Christ. All Christian congregations need good, strong, knowledgeable and sincere leadership and guidance, if they are going to thrive and succeed in doing the will of God.
And not wanting the Corinthians to forget that, Bruh Paul reminds them of it in Chapter 11. ‘Be ye followers (imitators) of me, even as I also am of Christ.’ (1 Cor.11:1)
Oh Friends, in this godless, evil age, we certainly need all the reminders we can get about walking safely, securely and faithfully with Jesus!
Now why is that so important eh? Bruh Paul goes on to explain it after our Bit. ‘(For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ: Whose end is destruction, whose God is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame, who mind (set their mind on) earthly things.) (Phil.3:18-19)
And are there ever numerous enemies of the cross of Christ today my brethren; in fact there are more enemies than friends!
Now hear how the scholars explain those verses. ‘For provides the first reason the readers should emulate the apostle’s life; there are many professing Christians whose worldly, hedonistic lifestyle can corrupt them unless they imitate Paul. These enemies of the cross are described in four ways:
(1) Their end or destiny is destruction, that is eternal punishment. (2) Their God is their belly. In submitting to, and being controlled by their earthly nature, they worship their sensual desire by surrendering themselves to gluttony, sexual immorality, licentiousness, and all manner of unbridled lusts.
(3) Their glory or reputation consists in their shame – they are well known indeed, their renown being that of ignominy (dishonour, infamy). (4) Their mind is constantly on earthly rather than heavenly things.’
And isn’t that the living truth! Oh Friends, earthly excesses are all around us, and sadly have now become the norm rather than the exception. But as followers of Christ we can’t afford to get caught up in all the immorality and godlessness that’s so prevalent today.
It’s not easy Friends, and Jesus knows that, because it’s everywhere we turn, protruding from almost every little nook and cranny. Bruh Paul also recognized that ungodly lifestyle in his day, that’s why he’s so adamant about us staying on the straight and narrow path. But if he thought things were bad in his day, he’d have a fit, a heart attack when confronted by the high levels of evil and wickedness that’s running rampant in today’s world.
That’s why it’s ever so important for us to surround ourselves with true and faithful believers, otherwise we’re liable to get sucked into the evil and immorality that’s running riot.
Oh my brethren, in this age we also need to be pressing on diligently and steadfastly towards the mark; that’s walking faithfully in the dictates of God. And thankfully, this advice that Bruh Paul gave to Titus so long ago, still holds true today. Listen to it carefully.
‘In all things showing thyself a pattern of good works: in doctrine showing uncorruptness (integrity), gravity (reverence), sincerity (incorruptibility), Sound speech, that cannot be condemned; that he that is of the contrary part (an opponent) may be ashamed, having no evil thing to say of you.’ (Titus 2:7-8)
Yes my fellow believers, that’s sound, wise and wholesome advice; advice that can surely benefit us all! So please, let’s read, mark, learn and inwardly digest it nuh, and thus be enabled to have that close or closer walk with Jesus, which we all so badly desire. Much LOVE!
…just as every job requires the right tools…to walk with Jesus…one must also acquire the right tools…
P.S. Please excuse the lateness of the Bit Friends, I simply got up late, then had problems finding a Bit that suited what I wanted to say. But as always…better late than never! (smile) Much LOVE!
Today’s Scrip-Bit 18 June 2013 Philippians 3:17.
18 Jun 2013 Leave a comment
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: a closer walk, an example, beloved son, better late than never, blessed Jesus, church at Corinth, destiny, destruction, dishonour, earthly things, empowerment, emulate, enemies of the cross of Christ, eternal destruction, evil age, faithful Christians, fellowship, glory, gluttony, God is their belly, good works, hedonistic lifestyle, imitator, incorruptibility, indelibly written, infamy, integrity, licentiousness, old hymn, press on diligently, reverence, sexual immorality, shame, sincere leadership, sinful nature, Spirit of God, steadfast, straight and narrow path, the right tools, unbridled lusts, walk closely with God, walking faithfully in God's Spirit, wholesome advice
Today’s Scrip-Bit 5 June 2013 Hebrews 10:23
05 Jun 2013 Leave a comment
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: Amen, awesome greatness, blessings, boring death, bounden duty, bountiful mercies, Christian faith, christianity, confidence, discouragement, don't waver, dr schuller, evil conscience, exciting life, failure, faithful God, fellowship, forgiveness, glorious morn, glory, God's promises, God's providence, good works, gospel truth, have hope, heart-moving prayer, high priest, hold fast to our faith, Holy Place of God, hope, inspiration, largesse, last trumpet, LOVE, loving kindness, mangnanimous God, mercy-filled lives, power, praise and thanksgiving, praise the Most High God Jehovah, reciprocal encouragement, shame, spendour, spiritual food, stir up LOVE, strength, success, thankful mood, the blood of Jesus, unbelievable opportunities, weakness, wonderful grace, worship and glorify God
Hebrews 10:23. Let us hold fast the profession (confession) of our faith (hope) without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;)
And then it was Wednesday, my beautiful Friends in Christ Jesus! Meaning that another new and glorious morn is in the offing, bringing with it exciting and unbelievable opportunities to enjoy the everlasting and bountiful mercies, goodness, blessings, forgiveness and LOVING-kindness of our magnificent and magnanimous God!
And the hearts of God’s people were so touched by those sentiments that they erupted in unison, in one loud voice: ‘Oh praise and sanctify the Most High God Jehovah! He of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, who dwells in the high heavens, but unstintingly pours out His wonderful grace on His adoring people, the children of men, here on earth!
Yes mih people, that’s the kind of adoration our Creator, our Provider and most generous, LOVING and faithful God deserves, each and every day of our blessed, mercy-filled lives!
In truth, there are really no words in the human language to truly describe the awesome greatness, splendour, largesse and LOVE of our God, but we do have to try and make do with what we have, because it’s our bounden duty to worship and glorify Him and spread His glorious kingdom to all the ends of the earth, so that when the last trumpet sounds, not a single soul of His creation will be lost to mammon.
And all God’s children declared a loud and glorious shout of ‘Amen! And again we say, Amen!’
Ah mih breddren, the ole fella just seems to have gotten up in a real praising and thankful mood this morning. (smile) But that’s really the way we ought to be each and every day. So let’s endeavour to pick up our praise and thanksgiving, starting today nuh. We’ll undoubtedly enjoy much better, much happier lives if we do that.
Now here’s a prayer from Dr. Schuller’s Hour of Power Devotional that will certainly help us to do that. It’s titled, ‘I Will Move.’
Pray with me: ‘Lord, I want your heart to be in my heart. For in you I come alive, moving ahead from boring death to exciting life! In your promises, I will move from discouragement to hope. In your pardon, I will move from shame to glory. In your power, I will move from weakness to strength. In your providence, I will move from failure to success! Thank you, Lord. Amen.’
Oh Friends, what a beautiful, heart-moving prayer! I sure hope that it gets all of us worked up for Christ this morning!
Now let’s look at how our Bit comes about; it stems from a plea to hold to the new faith. ‘Having therefore, brethren, boldness (confidence) to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus, By a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say his flesh;
And having a high priest over the house of God; Let us draw near with a true heart, in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water.
Let us hold fast the profession (confession) of our faith (hope) without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;)
And let us consider one another to provoke (stir-up) unto LOVE and to good works. Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another; and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.’ (Heb. 10:19-26)
Now what does all of that mean eh? Let’s get some insight from the scholars. First off: ‘Jesus Christ is the new and living way by which believers have direct access into the very Holy Place of God (cf. 4:14; 6:20; 7:25; John 14:6)’
Then: ‘The word translated provoke (Gr. paraoxysmos) usually has a negative sense, as is witnessed by its only other New Testament usage (Acts 15:39). The positive connotation which the word has in the present text means to stir up. It is easy to stir up hatred and godless deeds; it takes much more to stir up another to LOVE and good works.’
And isn’t that the gospel truth my people! We can very easily stir up ourselves and each other to anger and other unfruitful stuff, but doing it for the positive things takes much more work and time.
And finally: ‘Not forsaking the assembling: This admonition involves far more than erratic attendance. It involves the entire worship of Christ and is an outward indication of an inner condition.
The assembling of God’s people provides opportunity for reciprocal encouragement, strengthening, and the stirring up that can be gained form one another. (cf. Col. 3:12-16). It consists of participation in worship and fellowship. The church is a body interacting (1 Cor. 12:14-27); it is not merely a dispensary of spiritual food and medicine.’
And to that Friends, I can only say ‘Amen!’ For it’s something I’ve been trying to instil in us all along; the necessity for fellowship and believer interaction at all levels, times and places in our lives, because it’s from that coming together, that physical and spiritual mixing, we’re supposed to draw strength, inspiration and faith to carry on.
So let’s come together nuh mih people, as Jesus would have us do, to exhort and inspire each other. That’s true wisdom and Christian faith at its everlasting best. Much LOVE!
…when Christians join together in true fellowship…all the hosts of heaven rejoice…
P.S. Oh my brethren, please remember to check out the scripture references given above, because they are for our benefit, further enlightening us as to the meaning(s) of the Word of God. And if you don’t read the scriptures for yourselves, you’ll NEVER truly understand them. And that’s gospel truth! Much LOVE!
Today’s Scrip-Bit 15 May 2013 Psalm 40:6.
15 May 2013 Leave a comment
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: amazing, awesome, broken spirit, burnt offerings, christianity, contrite heart, divination, forgiveness, glory, God's people, God-given day, going backward, grace, Living Lord, majesty, mercy, might, obedience, obey my voice, our great God, Praise the Lord, psalm 40, sacrifices, Samuel, Saul, shiver of joy, shout of joy, sin offering, soul smile, state of confusion, stubbornness, theology, total obdience, turmoil, weather service
Psalm 40:6. Sacrifice and offering thou didst not desire; mine ears hast thou opened: burnt offering and sin offering has thou not required.
And here we are again Friends, alive and kicking on another God-given day here on Planet Earth. My kicking is a bit less than normal though, for I apparently have the cold or my allergies are in full swing, been sneezing and blowing ever since I came down to write. But that won’t stop anything really, just make it a tad inconvenient. And I wonder what’s happening with our weather service. Yesterday it said that today would be rainy in my area, and outside it is raining, but as I turned on the computer just now and looked at the forecast, it says bright and sunny all day with a high temp of 21. Ah Lord eh! But yuh know what? The sun is shining beautifully in many other parts of the world, and although I may not be able to see it, I know for sure that it’s somewhere up there, as it has been for ages, and will continue to be, until our great God decides otherwise. And all God’s people gave a mighty shout of joy: ‘Praise the Living Lord, for He is most worthy to be praised!’ And that’s a veritable fact my people! He is so awesome and amazing in might and glory, power and majesty, that there is NONE like Him, NEVER was, and NEVER will be! And today we have a Bit which tells us exactly what He does not require of us: ‘Sacrifice and offering thou didst not desire; mine ears hast thou opened: burnt offering and sin offering has thou not required.’ Now that’s as close to the truth as we’ll ever get my brethren! And while looking for a Bit just now, when my eyes beheld that verse, a little shiver of joy passed through my soul (smile) because I knew that it’s something we desperately need to address in this modern society, and that there were several Bible verses that dealt with it. Now let’s look at some of those verses. And I guess the first and possibly best known comes from Samuel, when Saul, Israel’s first king did not completely obey the Lord’s command to totally destroy the Amalekites and all their belongings. Instead Saul kept the king alive and some of the choicest livestock, ostensibly to use as burnt offerings and sacrifices to God. But as Samuel later informed him: ‘Hath the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams. For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft (divination), and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because thou hast rejected the word of the Lord, he hath also rejected thee from being king.’ (1 Sam.15:23-24) Yuh see mih people, Saul lost the Lord’s favour and his kingship by simply not obeying the totality of His commands! That’s what happens when we disobey, or are not totally obedient to the Lord’s directives. Then we have Bruh David solemnly declaring in Psalm 51, his prayer for cleansing, after the prophet Nathan draped him up for his affair with Bathsheba. ‘O Lord, open thou my lips; and my mouth shall show forth thy praise. For thou desirest not sacrifice; else would I give it: thou delightest not in burnt offering. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.’ (Ps.51:15-17) Yes my brethren, what the Lord desires from us is a repentant heart and spirit coming to him in sincerity and truth, not offering other stuff as atonement for our disgusting sins. From our own hearts, souls and minds is where He expects the regret to come. And I like the way the Lord say it through Jeremiah. ‘To what purpose cometh there to me incense (frankincense) from Sheba, and the sweet cane from a far country? your burnt offerings are not acceptable, nor your sacrifices sweet unto me.’ (Jer.6:20) Now here’s the last scripture for today. It comes from Jeremiah, from a section dealing with the punishment for Judah’s rebellion. ‘Thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel; Put (add) your burnt offerings unto your sacrifices and eat flesh. For I spake not unto your fathers, nor commanded them in the day that I brought them out of the land of Egypt, concerning burnt offerings or sacrifices. But this thing commanded I them, saying, Obey my voice, and I will be your God, and ye shall be my people: and walk ye in all the ways that I have commanded you, that it may be well with you. But they hearkened not, nor inclined their ear, but walked in the counsels and in the imagination (stubbornness) of their evil heart, and went backward, and not forward.’ (Jer.7:21-24) Oh Friends, does that ring a bell? It should, and very loudly too, because it’s the same thing we are doing today! We have not listened to the Lord, in fact have tried to take Him out of our society, and as a result we’re going backward, not forward, with our world and many of our individual lives in a state of terrible confusion and turmoil. And we’ll close with this appropriate explanation from the scholars. ‘These verses do not minimize the importance of the Old Testament sacrifices, but call attention to the necessity of the believer living a life of total obedience and devotion to God. The Scriptures consistently teach that religious observances devoid of spiritual reality are worthless. (cf. 1 Sam.15:22-23; Ps.40:6-8; Is.1:10-20; Mic.6:8) So Friends, today, let’s ponder our individual situations and see if we’re in total obedience to God’s will. And if not, then let’s come before Him with a penitent heart and contrite spirit and ask for His forgiveness, mercy and grace. That’s wisdom at its zenith. Much LOVE!…the three requirement for following God…obedience…obedience…obedience…
Today’s Scrip-Bit 24 April 2013 Psalm 21:13
24 Apr 2013 Leave a comment
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: back-breaking labour, christianity, exalt the Lord, exaltation, glory, God's favour, grace, heart's desire, honour, in prayer, joy in the Lord's strength, joyful noise, joyfulness, LOVE, loving kindness, majesty, omnipotent god, power, praise, Praise the Lord, psalmist asaph, raise a song, refreshing, renewing, request of his lips, rest and sleep, salvation, Selah, shower the world, sing of His mercy, sing of the Lord's power, sing praises, surrender, unshakeable faith, victory
Psalm 21:13. Be thou exalted, Lord, in thine own strength, so will we sing and praise thy power.
Oh Friends, I thought rest and sleep were supposed to be so good for the body and soul, to be refreshing and renewing. So how come I went to bed early last night, but got up this morning sneezing and sniffling, with my back aching, as though I’d done some back-breaking labour to bring on those woes? Ah Lord eh! Who knows the way their days and nights will go? Sadly, none of us. Only the great God who created us, and whom we serve and worship, who controls our going out and coming in. But the good thing about that Friends, is that once we surrender our lives to Him, we don’t need to worry about anything, just take everything to Him in prayer. And that’s exactly what I did this morning. I didn’t bother asking why, because I knew that most likely I wouldn’t get an answer. So I just asked for help and relief, then put on my back brace and took a tablet for the allergies. (smile) And now I’m ready to rumble! Who says our God isn’t a good God eh! Consequently, He led me to this most appropriate Bit: ‘Be thou exalted, Lord, in thine own strength, so will we sing and praise thy power.’ Yes my brethren, our Lord is so mighty in power, strength and LOVING-kindness, that it’s only appropriate for us to sing and praise His awesome majesty! Bruh David apparently wrote this psalm after a victory over his enemies, as it’s subtitled – Praise for victory. And I like how he begins it: ‘The king shall joy in thy strength, O Lord; and in thy salvation how greatly shall he rejoice! Thou hast given him his heart’s desire, and hast not withholden (withheld) the request of his lips. Selah.’ (Ps.21:1-2) Oh my people, that first verse, or something like it, should be on our lips every day – rejoicing in the strength, power and faithfulness of our omnipotent God, and the LOVING-kindness and mercy of His blessed salvation! And all God’s servants gave a joyful shout of, ‘Praise the Lord! Thank You Father for Your strength and glory in Jesus! Amen!’ And in Psalm 59 – A Prayer for deliverance – when Saul sent his henchmen to watch Bruh David’s house for an opportunity to kill him, he fervently declares: ‘Consume them in wrath, consume them, that they may not be: and let them know that God ruleth in Jacob unto the ends of the earth. Selah. And at evening let them return; and let them make a noise like a dog, and go round about the city. Let them wander up and down for meat (food), and grudge (howl) if they be not satisfied. But I will sing of thy power; yea, I will sing aloud of thy mercy in the morning: for thou hast been my defense and refuge in the day of my trouble. Unto thee, O my strength, will I sing: for God is my defense, and the God of my mercy.’ (Ps.59:13-17) Oh my people, do we have that solid faith and trust in the promises and faithfulness of our God? I surely hope so, because it’s only with that kind of unshakeable faith will we be able to handle the evil powers and people of this evil world. And that’s why Bruh David, despite all his problems and wrongdoings found such favour with God. He always looked to Him for support and guidance, revelled in His strength and LOVING-kindness. Listen to him as he continues in glorious adoration. ‘For thou preventest (meeteth) him with the blessings of goodness: thou settest a crown of pure gold on his head. He asked life of thee, and thou gavest it him, even length of days for ever and ever. His glory is great in thy salvation: honour and majesty hast thou laid upon him. For thou hast made him most blessed for ever: thou hast made him exceeding glad (joyful with gladness) with thy countenance (presence). For the king trusteth in the Lord, and through the mercy of the Most High he shall not be moved (shaken).’ (Ps.21:3-7) Ah Friends, there’s no feeling in this world that compares to praising our most wonderful and adorable God! Now listen to how the psalmist Asaph follows in like manner, as he opens in Psalm 81 – God’s goodness and Israel’s waywardness. ‘Sing aloud unto God our strength: make a joyful noise (shout) unto the God of Jacob. Take a psalm (raise a song), and bring hither (strike) the timbrel, the pleasant harp with the psaltery (lute or lyre). Blow up the trumpet in (at the time of) the new moon, in the time appointed, on our solemn feast day. For this was a statute for Israel, and a law of the God of Jacob.’ (Ps.81:1-4) Now, though according to the scholars, ‘The background of the psalm appears to be the Feast of the Tabernacles (Lev.23:34-44) which reminded the people of God’s law and also constituted the feast of ingathering (Ex.23:16)’ that doesn’t mean we can’t or shouldn’t sing and praise our most worthy God in full voice with instruments, each and every day, or whenever we feel like it. So my fellow believers, on this Wednesday morning, in the penultimate week of April, in the year 2013, I’m asking, or rather imploring us all to get ourselves together and shower the world with praise and glory, exaltation and joyfulness in the power and LOVE, mercy and forgiveness of our most amazing God! Please allow our joy to sing out over the land, let the heathen hear it, and see the wonders that He works in our lives, so that they too may come to learn about Him, then believe, LOVE, honour and glorify Him the way we do. That is my sincere prayer for all believers this chilly spring morning. In Jesus name. Amen. Much LOVE!…how can the unbeliever learn about God…unless the believer sings, shouts and lives a life…filled with His goodness, grace and mercy…
Today’s Scrip-Bit 14 April 2013 1 Corinthians 1:29
14 Apr 2013 Leave a comment
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: absolute truth, abuse, bless, boasting, cockles of our hearts, comfort, conflict of interest, despised, feeble minds, flesh, generous God, Gethsemane, glory, heartbroken, heavenly hosts, insignificant things, just deserts, legal concept, loving god, put to shame, redemption, revitalizing grace, ridicule, righteousness., sacrifice, sacrificial lamb, sanctification, save lost souls, sense of justice, sinful nature, sinless soul, spiritual discernment, spirituality, tragic stage, unblemished sacrifice, ungodly behaviour, unworthy sinners, walk hand in hand, wisdom
1 Corinthians 1:29. That no flesh should glory in his presence.
Oh Friends, once again a beautiful day is dawning and the many parcels of mercies and blessings are being prepared by the heavenly hosts for distribution down here on earth, as they do on a daily basis. How lucky – no, lucky is not the right word. How privileged we are to worship such a kind, LOVING and generous Deity! Who, instead of giving us our just deserts for our sinful nature, capital punishment, gives us mercy. And on top of that, He then gives us more of what we don’t deserve; His wonderful, refreshing, revitalizing grace. Mama Mia! That ought to just warm the cockles of our hearts to the extent that it causes us to cry out in pure unadulterated joy: ‘Oh thank You Lord! Thank You for Your mercy and grace! Thank You for LOVING us so much, that You broke Your own heart by sacrificing your only Son Jesus to save us from death and eternal damnation! We LOVE You Lord with all our heart, and promise to sincerely serve You until eternity! Amen.’ Yes Friends, that’s the kind of emotion God’s goodness ought to stir up in our hearts, minds and souls. And talking about God sacrificing His only Son Jesus for us, a bunch of unworthy sinners, reminds me of something I had planned to share before this, but either forgot, or the Lord didn’t deem it suitable until now. And I’m talking about the hour I spent alone in the candle-lit church on Holy Thursday night pondering the actions of Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane. At one point during that fateful hour, it suddenly occurred to me that we were all so worried and heartbroken over Jesus demise and the terror that ran through His disciples and followers at His trial and eventual crucifixion, that we’ve conveniently forgotten the most heartbroken of all the players on that tragic stage – God, the Father. Remember He’s a living being, and if we’re made in His image, then He must have feelings like us too. So put yourself in His place: You have sinful, unfaithful creations that you don’t want to lose, but because of your sense of justice and righteousness, you just can’t wipe clean their sinful slate, for you have already decreed that the wages of sin is death. You find yourself in a conflict of interest with your holy, righteous self, between the proverbial rock and a hard place. The only way to save the lost souls and justify your sense of justice, is to find a sacrifice worthy enough to pay the price. Unfortunately it has to be an unblemished, sinless soul. And the only one fitting that characteristic beside yourself, is your only Son, Jesus. Can you imagine how the Lord must have agonized over the situation? I don’t know if I could have willingly sacrificed my beautiful, obedient son for a bunch of ungrateful jerks nuh. Ponder that situation for a moment nuh people. But I guess that’s why He is God; His thoughts, ways and actions are much higher than ours, absolutely incomprehensible to our small, feeble minds. Just imagine how the Father mush have felt, having to lay the excessive weight of sin on Jesus’ innocent shoulders, then create the separation necessary between them, the first ever in all their days together, so that His awesome, mind boggling plan could come to fruition. And Jesus only increased His heartache by obediently going along with the plan. Ah mih people, we really and truly do serve a most excellent and incomparable God yes! And then to make matters worse, after suffering so much heartache so that we could get a second chance, we become even more sinful and disobedient, heaping abuse, doubt and ridicule on the Sacrificial Lamb and all He stands for. Oh Friends, I know that I would have been very upset by that ungodly behaviour and prone to revoking everything. But fortunately our God is a much bigger Being than that, with a heart of solid gold, so He perseveres with us. We just don’t understand, are unable to comprehend His ways, His motivation for doing what He does. No wonder the Good Book tells us: ‘But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound (put to shame) the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound (put to shame) the things which are mighty; And base (insignificant) things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought (nothing) things that are:’ (1 Cor.1:27-28) Yes Friends, we see that eccentricity of God all through the Good Book, and right down through the ages, even till today. And I’m a perfect example of that. (smile) The people whom God chooses to do His work are the most unlikely ones, the ones whom the world would never choose. Why is that eh? Our Bit gives us the answer: ‘That no flesh should glory in his presence.’ Words of absolute truth and wisdom on God’s part my brethren! Man would not be able to indulge in one of his favourite pastimes – boasting! And Bruh Paul continues: ‘But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us (became for us) wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption: That according as it is written, He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord.’ (1 Cor.1:30-31) What amazing wisdom and glorious truth, my fellow believers in Jesus Christ! Now here’s some enlightenment on that last scripture from the scholars. ‘Of him (because of the Father’s work) are ye in (intimate with) Christ Jesus: Paul concludes that all the riches of salvation exist in Christ Jesus. All that the Corinthian believers are, they owe to Him. Thus it is not in oneself, or in party alignment, or in supposed human ability that any believer ought to glory. Paul tabulates the qualities that belong to the believer in Christ. Wisdom is not merely the acquisition of intellectual skills but the gaining of spiritual discernment based on the wisdom of God as demonstrated in the cross. Righteousness is a legal concept and has in mind the righteousness that is applied to the believer’s account the moment he believes. (Rom.5) Sanctification has already been mentioned in verse 2, “sanctified in Christ Jesus” This contemplates the work of Christ “in” the believer, as opposed to that which He does “for” the believer in justification. Redemption underlies all the above. Christ’s redemptive work opened the way for God to extend His grace to sinful man and to pour out upon him such benefits as wisdom, righteousness, and sanctification.’ And on that note of enlightenment, we’ll end this session. We have enough to ponder on for today. Selah. More on this topic tomorrow, God in favour. Till then Friends, let’s walk hand in hand with the Lord, so that He might continue to bless, comfort and keep us safe. Much LOVE!…if we truly appreciate the magnitude of God’s LOVE for us…then we’ll have no problem accepting His Son Jesus Christ as our Lord and Saviour…and gladly walk the path He desires us to walk…
Today’s Scrip-Bit 13 April 2013 Matthew 6:24
13 Apr 2013 Leave a comment
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: allegiance, beauty of God, can't serve two masters, commandments, constantly seek God, do not please men, don't give up, don't worry about tomorrow, eternal life, eternal separation, food in abundance, generous mercy, glory, God will never leave us, good foundation, good works, grace, hate, haughty, idols, lilies of the field, LOVE, low ebb, loyalty, lust of the flesh, material possessions, material things, perseverance, please God, pride, righteousness., salvation, seek the kingdom of God, serve God, serve mammon, splendour, trust, uncertain riches, woe is me
Matthew 6:24. No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and LOVE the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.
Oh Friends, the ole fella’s struggling this morning, and I just don’t know why. Nothing’s particularly wrong in my life, but for some strange, unknown reason my spirit’s been at a low ebb. I obviously asked the Lord to bring me unto myself and unto Him, but it took a while to happen. My search for a Bit lasted over half an hour. That’s much longer than it usually takes. The important thing though is I didn’t give up and go, ‘woe is me.’ I kept persevering because deep down I knew that that too would pass, the Lord would eventually pull me up out of whatever mire in which I was wallowing. That’s the beauty of our God, my brethren! Though He may allow us to wallow for a while, to suit His own mysterious, superior purposes, He will NEVER leave us to do so forever, once we sincerely seek Him. And I guess that’s why Jesus kept telling His listeners to stop worrying about what they should eat and drink and wear, using examples of the birds and flowers, which don’t sow or toil, but due to the Lord’s generous mercy and grace have food in abundance, and turn out to be very beautiful. Even Cousin Sol in all his splendour and glory wasn’t as beautiful as the lilies of the field. (Matt.6:25-29) In other words, we shouldn’t be overly concerned or anxious about material things, especially those of us who don’t have a lot. Don’t stop seeking God in order to acquire material possessions. Instead, Jesus offers this advice. ‘But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. Take therefore no thought for the morrow (do not worry about tomorrow): for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil (trouble) thereof.’ (Matt.6:33-34) Yes my people, when we seek the Lord sincerely and conscientiously, all our material needs will be met. The scholars have this to say: ‘This portion of the Sermon on the Mount is summarized by the statement seek ye first the kingdom of God. The disciples who have pledged their allegiance to the King must continue seeking the kingdom and its righteousness. The present imperative form of the verb (Gr. Zeteo) indicates a continual or constant seeking. The contrast between the spiritual and the material is again emphasized. The believer is to seek first the righteousness that is characteristic of God’s kingdom, and then all these things (material things) shall be added to him. When our priority is spiritual, God will take care of the material, for where God guides, He provides. We need not even worry about tomorrow, for sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof. This means that each day has its own troubles and challenges to be responsibly handled, without worrying about the hypothetical problems that could arise tomorrow.’ And it’s rather interesting to see that all of that came about because of our Bit. ‘No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and LOVE the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.’ That’s so logical that even a blind man can see the truth in it! (smile) I like how the scholars explain it. ‘This kind of spiritual double vision causes one to believe he can serve two masters. Totally loyalty to God cannot be divided between Him and loyalty to one’s material possessions. A master (Gr. Kurios) is a lord or an owner. That God claims total lordship over His own is obvious in this passage. Therefore, Jesus rightly proclaimed, Ye cannot serve God and mammon. The term mammon is derived from the Aramaic term for possessions of wealth. Jesus is not condemning money or possessions in and of themselves, but the improper attitude of enslavement toward wealth.’ And that my people is the unfortunate bane of our existence in today’s society! We worship wealth and material possessions, treasure them and in of themselves, not as mere tools, not simply as what they can do for us. Right there we’re contravening the first commandment: ‘Thou shalt have no other gods before me.’ (Ex.20:3) And that’s not very wise my brethren, because earthly possessions are just that; they rot, are stolen and eaten away by insects, and when you die, they stay right here on earth. You don’t take a single thing with you. So why give them such prominence in our lives eh? Granted, they are important, but seeking and worshipping Almighty God is even more important, because in the first place, it’s He who causes us to get earthly wealth, and secondly also provides us with the two most important things, salvation and eternal life through Jesus Christ, when we give up this earthly body. Now let’s look at a few scriptures that support our Bit. Bruh Paul told the Galatians in no uncertain terms: ‘For do I now persuade men, or God? or do I seek to please men? For if I yet pleased men, I should not be the servant of Christ.’ (Gal.1:10) You can’t please men and please Christ too. Then he tells Timothy: ‘Charge (command) them that are rich in this world (present age), that they be not highminded (haughty), nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy. That they do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to distribute (give), willing to communicate (share); Laying up in store for themselves a good foundation against the time to come that they may lay hold on eternal life.’ (1 Tim.6:17-19) So Friends, being rich is not a problem, it’s what we do with our riches. The scholars correctly explain that ‘Salvation is not purchased by the giving of money, but generosity demonstrates the reality of one’s faith. Since the believer trusts God and not money, he gives. This giving shows where his heart is and that he views his wealth in light of eternity.’ Meanwhile James adamantly declares: ‘Ye adulterers and adulteresses know ye not that the friendship of (with) the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy (makes himself the enemy) of God.’ (James 4:4) And finally from John: ‘LOVE not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man LOVE the world, the LOVE of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.’ (1 John 2:15-17) Oh Friends, truer words were never spoken! It’s now up to us as individuals to believe or disbelieve those facts and act accordingly. I would definitely advise us to play it safe and believe, for disbelief will doom your soul to eternal separation from Jehovah God, the worse fate that can befall a man. Much LOVE!…anything that keeps or takes us away from God…is an idol…and thus sinful…
Today’s Scrip-Bit 31 March 2013 Mark 16:6
31 Mar 2013 Leave a comment
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: Christian faith, christianity, conqueror of death and the grave, crucifixion, cruel cross, don't fear, earthly lusts, Easter Sunday, empty tomb, eternal life, fateful day, first fruits, glory, gratefulness, Hades, Hallelujah, honour, Jesus' resurrection, joy, judgement, kingdom of god, LOVE Revolution, LOVING Creator, praise, sacrifice, salvation, saviour jesus christ, spiritual things, swallow up death, thanks, theology, true fellowship, wipe away tears, wonderful god
Mark 16:6. And he saith unto them, Be not affrighted: Ye seek Jesus of Nazareth, which was crucified: he is risen; he is not here: behold the place where they laid him.
HAPPY EASTER!
Oh Friends, it’s Easter morn! Arise and shout for joy because HE IS RISEN! Yes my people, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ has been resurrected through the mighty power of His heavenly Father! He has forever conquered that evil Lucifer and his evil empire of darkness, destruction, death and the grave, thus guaranteeing salvation and perpetuating eternal life for all those who believe on His Holy Name! For as Bruh Paul boldly and truthfully declared to the Corinthians: ‘Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is thy sting? Oh grave (Hades), where is thy victory? The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.’ (1 Cor.15:54b-57) Oh my brethren, Beelzebub’s army has gone down to certain defeat, therefore let the heavens ring out with our joy, as we joyously sing: ‘Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelu… Hallelu… Hallelujah!’ Oh my fellow believers, since that first day of creation, there’s never been a better or more important day in man’s turbulent, rebellious history than this one, Easter Sunday! So let’s all give enormous and sincere thanks and praise to a most wonderful God, a most LOVING Creator, who LOVED His sinful, fallen creation so much, that He made His ONLY Son sacrifice Himself on that cruel cross to save us from the worse fate possible, eternal separation from Him. And all God’s people declared a loud and grateful: ‘All praise, thanks, honour and glory be unto thee Almighty God, who wanted to reconcile us to Yourself so badly, that You broke Your own heart, burdening Your Son Jesus Christ with our disgusting sins, to make us clean and whole again.’ And what’s so amazing about the whole thing Friends, is how seamlessly and truthfully Jesus’ life came together from the prophecy of Isaiah in chapter 53, to His resurrection hundreds of years later as recorded in our Bit, where the women of Jesus’ company came to anoint Him that first Easter morning and found an angel sitting inside an empty tomb, dressed in a long white robe, which obviously scared them half to death: ‘And he saith unto them, Be not affrighted (afraid): Ye seek Jesus of Nazareth, which was crucified: he is risen; he is not here: behold the place where they laid him.’ We all know the Resurrection Story, so I won’t get into it, please read it on your own and refresh your hearts and minds with it. Now listen to Isaiah’s prophecy earlier on in chapter 25, in his song of praise by the redeemed. ‘He will swallow up death in victory (forever); and the Lord GOD will wipe away tears from off all faces; and the rebuke of His people shall he take away from off all the earth: for the Lord hath spoken it. And it shall be said in that day, Lo, this is our God; we have waited for him, we will be glad and rejoice in his salvation.’ (Is.25:8-9) Oh Friends, though that relates particularly to after the Great Tribulation, Christ’s resurrection was the first step on the road to salvation. Thus now is indeed the right time to rejoice in the salvation of our God, because He has done marvellous things for us, things we certainly don’t deserve, and couldn’t earn, even if we felt so inclined. As Bruh Paul assured the believers at Corinth. ‘But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the first fruits of them that slept (have died). For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.’ (1 Cor.15:20-22) Wow! What a blessed day this Easter Sunday really is my people! It’s the strong, sure and certain foundation of our whole Christian faith, for without Jesus’ triumphant resurrection, come that fateful day of judgement, we would all have perished in Hades with the prince of darkness. But Jesus in His most LOVING-kindness and selflessness, through His sacrificial blood and victory over death, gave us the opportunity to move from darkness to light, from death to eternal life. Unfortunately though my brethren, today we’re joyous, celebrating this most important event, and full of Christian gung ho, but come tomorrow, or a few days hence, many of us will revert to walking in the lust of the flesh, craving, seeking and running down earthly things. As someone once said: ‘Oh, how soon we do forget!’ But please remember Friends, that the things of the world are fallible, deceitful and easily destroyed. However, the kingdom of God is infallible and indestructible, and will stand the test of time, long after this earth is no more. That’s why Jesus kept pounding the kingdom of God into our heads, hoping it would eventually percolate into our hearts and souls. ‘But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you.’ (Matt.6:33) Oh Friends, it’s so plain and simple: when we seek the spiritual things of God, all the material things of earth that we need, will be given to us by the Father. It seems though that we have to be continually reminded of that fact, since the pull of worldly things keep drawing us back to them like a magnet, like the earth and gravity. However, my beautiful fellow believers and followers of Jesus Christ, please let’s make this Easter Sunday of the year 2013 a most remarkable and memorable one, by faithfully pledging to our God, each other and ourselves to rise up higher, like Jesus, and also to remain faithful and true, showing the proper gratefulness and thanks for His awesome sacrifice and LOVE, by focussing steadfastly on His kingdom and doing the things necessary to further it. In Jesus’ Name we pray. Oh Friends, let’s celebrate our wonderful faith and glorious Saviour, Jesus Christ today in song, dance and true fellowship, and show the world by our deeds of LOVING-kindness in action, that we are indeed the salt of the earth and the light of the world, worthwhile leaders of the ongoing LOVE Revolution. That’s definitely wisdom at its zenith! Much LOVE!…to know, know, know Him…is certainly…to LOVE, LOVE, LOVE Him…and after all He’s done for us…just to do His bidding…makes it all worthwhile…
Today’s Scrip-Bit 30 March 2013 John 1:29
30 Mar 2013 Leave a comment
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: 20/20 vision, atonement, blood sacrifice, celebration, easter morning, Easter Sunday, foolish, Garden of Eden, glory, glory hallelujah, good cheer, Good Friday, grace, grateful, gratefulness, gullible, happiness, Holy Saturday, holy spirit, Jesus Christ, joy, joyful, lamb of god, LOVE, moderation, most significant event, Oh Happy Day, outward circumstances, rebellious, rejoice, Revelation, taking away sins, thankful, the Lamb of God, tribulation, true believer
John 1:29. The next day John (the Baptist) seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.
Oh Friends, it’s Holy Saturday, and Jesus is resting quietly in the tomb of the rich man, after being crucified between the two thieves to fulfill the scripture: ‘And he made his grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death…’ (Is.53:9a) He’s storing up His energy, so that bright and early tomorrow morning, Easter Sunday, He can rise up in full force and defeat those wicked and cruel, but oh so inferior enemies; Lucifer, death and the grave. And all of God’s people gave a mighty shout of ‘Glory Hallelujah!’ Now Friends, I believe some of you might have taken umbrage (smile) at my wishing us all yesterday a happy Good Friday, wondering what could be so happy about a day of such cruelty and injustice. Granted it was a real sad day for those early Christians who didn’t understand what was happening. But for us, who luckily have the understanding from two thousand years of church history, it is somewhat different. For though we don’t, or didn’t want Jesus to die, please understand that without His death on Good Friday, there would have been no Easter morning for you to celebrate and be happy. When only happy circumstances make us emotionally happy, then we’re thinking like the world. But my brethren, for a true believer it’s not only our worldly circumstances that can make us happy. And the happiness – possibly happiness is the wrong word, since it denotes more of a reaction to outward circumstances. A more appropriate word might be joy, that constant levity in our souls, regardless of our outward circumstances. Even gratefulness or thankfulness might be more appropriate to the situation, for we’re not talking about a jumping up and down type of moment, but a deeper, more controlled emotion, whereby Jesus died to set us free from our ghastly sins. And if that isn’t something to be enormously grateful, thankful and joyful for, then I certainly don’t know what is! Why? Because it’s the most significant event in man’s history after God created us, but then was forced to kick our foolish, gullible and rebellious fore parents out of paradise in the Garden of Eden. And unfortunately, since then, that bequeathed foolish, gullible and rebellious streak in us has been uppermost in our history. And until Jesus came, there was very little opportunity to turn it around, even if we felt so inclined. And our Bit perfectly describes the whole enchilada. ‘The next day John (the Baptist) seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.’ The reference to the lamb there, brings into play the sacrificial lambs slaughtered for Passover and other Jewish feasts. The scholars add that ‘Some suggest that this may allude to the scapegoat (Lev.16), or to the suffering servant (Is.53:7) We dealt with that yesterday. I guess it could actually refer to all of them, for remember the Lord required blood sacrifices of His chosen people, Israel, as some form of payment, atonement for their sins. But here now, comes Jesus, the Son of God, the sinless one, to pay the rather steep price of sin for the entire world. Now isn’t that a genuine reason to be much more than saddened at His death? Why do you think it’s called Good Friday? Because it’s the day on which the best thing since creation ever happened to man! All his evil deeds have been paid for; from the beginning of time, right through to eternity. It was certainly done in a most cruel manner, but the reason behind it was the greatest token of true LOVE ever expressed! And in our 3 hour service yesterday afternoon, what do you think the youth group sang? ‘Oh Happy Day! When Jesus washed…When Jesus washed… He washed all my sins away.’ Remember also what Jesus told His disciples in the last days: ‘In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.’ (John 16:33b) So where is that good cheer eh Friends? It’s supposed to be our constant companion, like the Holy Spirit. And remember too that Bruh Paul instructs us to ‘Rejoice in the Lord always: and again I say, Rejoice. Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand.’ (Phil.4:4-5) Not only is Jesus’ return imminent, but also His Spirit is always close by, thus we shouldn’t be afraid and anxious abut anything. Anyway Friends, I’m getting away from my original intention, to get into some scriptures that highlight Jesus’ basic purpose here on earth; to atone for the sins of the world. It begins with Isaiah’s prophecy of the suffering servant in chapter 53:11, that we quoted yesterday, which ends: ‘for he shall bear their iniquities.’ Then it advances to our Bit, and the actual act of sin payment, when Jesus declares on the cross: ‘It is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost.’ (John 19:30) Bruh Paul then takes up the baton and runs with it full speed, first telling the Corinthians: ‘For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures.’ (1 Cor.15:3) Then he informs the Galatians: ‘Grace be to you and peace from God the Father, and from our Lord Jesus Christ. Who gave himself for our sins, that he might deliver us from this present evil world (age), according to the will of God and our Father. To whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.’ (Gal.1:3-5) Next up is Peter, who declares: ‘Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we being dead to sins should live unto righteousness: By whose stripes ye were healed.’ (1 Pet.2:24) John then announces in his first epistle: ‘My little children, these things I write unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous: and he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.’ (1 John 2:1-2) And finally, John ends the race on a winning note in Revelation, when he greets the seven churches in Asia. ‘And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten (born) of the dead; and the prince of (ruler over) the kings of the earth. Unto him that LOVED us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood.’ (Rev.1:5) And all God’s people gave out a mighty and joyful shout up to heaven: ‘Oh Thank You sweet Jesus! We LOVE and adore You!’ Oh Friends, with all that scripture shoring up the strong foundation of the purpose of Christ’s death, how could we ever argue with it eh? No way Jose! And again I want to remind us in Bruh David’s famous and fateful words, that though ‘weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning.’ (Ps.30:5b) And believe me my brethren, tomorrow morning will indeed be a most joyous morning! Just wait and see. Much LOVE!…though reality may cloud our sight with sadness…looking through the eyes of faith…gives us a 20/20 vision of joy…
Today’s Scrip-Bit 9 October 2012 Revelation 4:9
09 Oct 2012 Leave a comment
in Inspirational Living Tags: appreciation, giving thanks always, glory, honour, Jesus Christ, joy, keys of hell and death, praise, thanks, the First and the Last, warriors for Jesus, wisdom, worship
Revelation 4:9. And when those beasts give glory and honour and thanks to him that sat on the throne, who liveth for ever and ever.
Well my people, the Thanksgiving Celebrations are over for another year!Now it’s back to the daily grind and common task. And sadly, I know that some of us are going to have a hard time getting up and going to work this Tuesday morning because of our over giving of thanks yesterday. (smile) But as they say, when the Piper plays, you’ve got to pay! So just suck it up now like real warriors and get out there and work for Jesus! You certainly weren’t complaining when you were feeding your face and carrying on yesterday, so please don’t complain now. Please note too, that though the official day for giving thanks as a nation has passed, it doesn’t mean we shouldn’t give thanks individually, as families and as fellow worshippers, because giving thanks is an integral part of who we are as believers. As Bruh Paul told the Ephesians, we should be ‘Giving thanks ALWAYS for ALL things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.’ (Eph.5:20) And that Friends is, or should be a major building block in our faith walk, since there are so many things in our everyday lives to give sincere thanks for. Then there’s the natural fact that when we tell each other thanks for whatever we’ve done for the other, it raises our level of joy and appreciation. In the same manner when we give God thanks for His goodness to us, it warms the cockles of His heart and makes Him want to bless us even more. Wow! I can’t get over it Friends; the awesome God we serve and worship! And don’t think that only on earth there’s thanks and praise. No way! There’s even more thanks and praise going on in heaven! As John describes in Revelation 4, around God’s throne is constant singing and giving of praise, honour and glory to the Most High! He saw four beasts around the throne; ‘And the first beast was like a lion, and the second beast like a calf, and the third beast had a face as a man, and the fourth beast was like a flying eagle. And the four beasts had each of them six wings about him; and they were full of eyes within: and they rest (cease) not day and night, saying, Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come.’ (Rev.4:7-8) Yes Friends, a continual giving of thanks and praise to God goes on on high! Now here’s the scholars’ opinion on those verses: ‘The four beasts or living creatures (lit. “living ones”) are probably angels (cf. Ezekiel 10:15-22) who guard the throne of God. The eyes symbolize wisdom, and the wings depict movement. They worship God as did the seraphim in Isaiah’s vision (cf. Is.6:1-3). The lion represents strength (cf. Ps.103:20), and the calf service (cf. Heb.1:14), the face of a man intelligence (cf. Luke 2:52), and the eagle swiftness (cf. Dan.9:21). The angelic vision has a strong allusion to Ezekiel 1:4-14.’ Please take a moment and check out those scriptures Friends, for it will help you to understand where the scholars are coming from. Then we come to our Bit: ‘And when those beasts give glory and honour and thanks to him that sat on the throne, who liveth for ever and ever.’ You know what happens when those beasts chant and sing my brethren? ‘The four and twenty elders fall down before him that sat on the throne, and worship him that liveth for ever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying, Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created (by your will they exist). (Rev.4:10-11) Words of awesome truth my people! The scholars explain it thus: ‘All of heaven worship the Father. The angels extol His character, and the elders (church) extol His creative powers. God has the right to rule and the sovereign authority to judge the earth, because He is both holy and the Creator of it all.’ That is also awesome truth Friends, as corroborated by the Son of Man when John saw Him in all His flaming glory. John solemnly declares: ‘And when I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead. And he laid his right hand upon me, saying unto me, Fear not; I am the first and the last: I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death. Write these things which thou hast seen, and the things which are, and the things which shall be (take place) hereafter.’ (Rev.1:17-19) Now who else has the power or authority to make such a definitive and powerful proclamation eh my brethren? NOBODY but our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! So please, let’s truly worship Him in spirit and in truth as He desires. Let’s show Him true appreciation for all that He so selflessly sacrificed for us, and the awesome plans He has for us with Him, after the demise of this earth. No greater words can be found in any earthly language than a sincere and heartfelt, ‘THANK YOU JESUS!’ Please, let’s remember that, and do accordingly. Much LOVE my people!…the giving of thanks…both to God and our fellow man…ought to be a continuous act…on the part of every believer…
SCRIP-BITS 