Today’s Scrip-Bit 15 December 2017 Hebrews 4:12.

Hebrews 4:12.   For the word of God is quick (living), and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of (is able to judge) the thoughts and intents (intentions) of the heart.

Ten more days friends, ten more days to the Big Day of Christmas! Then the celebrations will erupt in volcanic fashion, as in all parts of the world we give thanks and praise to Almighty God for the miraculous birth of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, born two thousand years ago on a wintry night in Bethlehem of Judea, to grow to manhood, and eventually save mankind from sin and eternal damnation.

Exalt His holy name my people, for it’s the best gift mankind has ever received! And on this chilly Friday morning, the ordinary workingman is also out there singing his song of freedom. ‘TGIF! Thank God is Friday! The weekend here! At long last mih li’l time of freedom come! And as is Christmas time to boot, the partying going to be even greater than usual.

We going by everybody to eat up deh food and drink up deh liquor! When the lime buss so, people wouldn’t know what hit them! And please, doh tell me nothing about partying too much nuh, because if I could work for five days straight, then I could at least party hearty for two. So just leh we thank the Lord for Fridays and weekends yes!’

And believe me friends, that is exactly what’s happening in some parts of our world. (smile) But as Christians, as believers in Jesus Christ, that is just simply too much leeway for us, as it gives the enemy too many opportunities to get a foothold in our lives and thus mess with our relationship with Jesus.

And we certainly don’t want anything to mess with that, the most important and wonderful relationship ever! That’s why we have certain boundaries and limits that we try not to cross over, and why our Friday Chant is so different to that of the ordinary workingman. So let’s declare it now nuh, with suitable enthusiasm and sincerity.

‘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 my people, it doesn’t prohibit us from having fun, but it also emphasizes the necessity to get ready for next week. And, as believers, we should always be ready: readiness should be a constant state of our lives, especially being ready for the Second Coming of Jesus, which can occur at any time, like the proverbial thief in the night.

Now it’s time to check out our Bit; such a mighty piece of scripture, than when you read it, it just takes your breath away. ‘For the word of God is quick (living), and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of (is able to judge) the thoughts and intents (intentions) of the heart.’

Ah mih bredden, that just shows that we cannot fool with the Word of God, for it’s all-seeing and knowing and more powerful than any man-made instrument! And Bruh Paul adds this addendum after our Bit which corroborates our statement. ‘Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in (hidden from) his sight: but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do (must give account).’(Heb.4:13)

Yeh friends, you can run, but you certainly can’t hide from your Creator! So those of us who are trying to get away from Him, please, let’s stop the foolishness nuh, for He knows your every move before you even think them. It’s so much easier, and wiser, to just give in to Him and say, ‘Lord, here I am, take me, I’m yours, now and forever more! Amen!’

Now here is some info from the scholars re our Bit and the succeeding verse. ‘4:12-13. For the word of God: The reason given for one’s careful scrutiny of his life involves the reality that God is intently scrutinizing it. His word is quick (living). This word is first in the Greek and is the emphasis. God’s word is not old or archaic; it is alive.

It is not inept or inactive; it is powerful (active). It reaches into the inner secrets of man’s mind to discern even his thoughts and intents. Likewise, God’s eyes sees man as though he were naked, unable to hide behind excuse or pretense.’ 

What more can I say eh friends? Not a whole lot. Our whole lives are open unto the One who created us from the dust of the earth, then breathed His breath of life into our frail and fragile bodies, so trying to hide anything from Him is a total waste of time.

What’s much better is going to Him with EVERYTHING! That’s what He wants and desires, so He can be an integral, or rather the most important part, closest friend, redeeming Saviour, merciful and LOVING God in our lives. That’s who He is friends! And the sooner we realize it and accept Him, the better off we shall be. Much LOVE!

…you can’t fight God’s word…because it’s All-Powerful…

 

Today’s Scrip-Bit 16 June 2013 Proverbs 3:1

Proverbs 3:1:    My son forget not my law; but let thine heart keep my commandments.
 
HAPPY FATHER’S DAY!
 
Well a Happy Father’s Day to all you fathers out there! I surely hope that it finds us all in good health, and doing better than we did a year ago. And I’m talking there about our fatherly duties. That’s because too many of us don’t measure up to what’s considered a good father.
 
Oh, I know that it can be a hard task, especially with the way things are going in our world today, but that doesn’t give us the right to renege on, or abdicate our fatherly duties.
 
Remember that in God’s eyes, the father is the titular head of the household, and we need to represent Him in a competent manner. Fathers are responsible for providing both physical and emotional succour for their household, as well as spiritual leadership. (Eph.5:22-33)
 
It’s an awesome responsibility, that’s why we fathers have to consider our words and actions very carefully, because they can have lasting effects, good or bad, on our families. For as the father goes, so usually does the rest of the household.
 
That’s why Bruh Paul warns the fathers of Ephesus: ‘And ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture (training) and admonition of the Lord.’ (Eph.6:4) And really, that says it all, yes my people!
 
As the scholars explain: ‘Fathers can provoke their children to wrath by injustice, loss of temper, undue severity, cruelty, favouritism, suppression, sarcasm, ridicule, and misuse or abuse of authority. Nurture basically means “training,” here denoting spiritual education.
 
Admonition is instruction that points out one’s responsibilities and duties. Of the Lord is in Greek a subjective genitive. This indicates that behind the parents’ rearing and instruction of their children stands the Lord as the chief teacher in the child’s education. Parents do not rear children alone.’ 
 
And that’s an undeniable fact, my brethren! The Lord God should be the architect of our family building, with the father being the chief builder, following His well laid out plans as closely as possible.
 
But unfortunately our modern society is more concerned with moving away from God, which results in the breaking up of families, rather than the constructive building of them.
 
Consequently, in too many homes around the world, there are either no father figures, or not particularly good ones. Too many fathers have turned away from God, or never knew Him, which means that families are not God-centered, or spiritually minded. And that’s truly a sad state of affairs my brethren!
 
How many households are there in our society today eh, where fathers speak to their children like Cousin Sol does in Proverbs 3, exhorting them to obedience and trust in the laws and ways of God? Not too many, or rather far from enough to make our society a blessed place to live and raise children and families in a godly manner.
 
Proverbs 3 begins with our Bit: ‘My son forget not my law; but let thine heart keep my commandments.’
 
Friends, that applies to the rules and regulations of our earthly fathers, as well as those of our heavenly Father, which, in the first place, are supposed to guide us all. And throughout that whole chapter, Cousin Sol goes on to teach the right way; the right way for both earthly fathers to live, and to teach their children how to live.
 
Unfortunately though my people, not too many of us tell our children things like: ‘Let not mercy (LOVING-kindness) and truth forsake thee: bind them about thy neck; write them upon the table of thine heart (mind). So shalt thou find favour and good understanding (high esteem) in the sight of God and man.
 
Trust in the Lord with all thine heart, and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct (make smooth) thy paths.’ (Prov.3:3-6)
 
Oh Friends, that’s the kind of stuff we ought to be teaching our children, especially in these godless times!
 
In many cases though, the fathers were never taught those things in their own childhood, and therefore don’t even know about them, so they obviously can’t teach them to their children, which only keeps the already negative cycle going from generation to generation.
 
And to make matters worse, our society is drifting away from God, increasing our already sad state of immorality, which allows young men to sire children all over the place without thought for the children or mothers, and shirking their fatherly responsibilities.
 
Oh Friends, there are too many single mothers in our society, and too many irresponsible fathers, who are only concerned about their sexual prowess and being ‘cock of the walk.’ That combination though is a sure-fire way to raise godless, irresponsible, immoral children, to the further detriment of our society. 
 
Oh my people, please remember God’s promise; if we live according to His dictates, we’ll prosper, if not, then we’ll suffer. And we can see the ‘sufferation’ definitely happening now, as our entire world is facing serious hardships and disasters, though we are at astonishing heights of technological progress. 
 
A lot of this is due to the poor leadership of the fathers amongst us. We’ve fallen down by paying more attention to the affairs of the world than those of God, and the affairs of God are the only things that will guide us aright in this evil, ungodly, troubled world. Then we’ve further failed our children by not spending enough quality time with them, then teaching them the wrong things, through our personal examples and words.
 
So Friends, fathers and fellow believers, let’s try and improve on our past performance nuh, because if we don’t, we’ll just keep going downhill until we perish in the mire of our own making. Please remember those wise words of Cousin Sol: ‘Where there is no vision (prophetic vision or revelation), the people perish: but he that keepeth the law, happy is he.’ (Prov.29:18)
 
Yes Friends, where there is no divine revelation, with a lifestyle based on God’s will, then a society disintegrates. And we definitely don’t want that to happen to us. So let’s get behind our leaders, most of whom are also fathers, and raise a groundswell of dissatisfaction. Let’s tell them in no uncertain terms, that we’re not happy with the current state of affairs, and if they don’t do better, soon they’ll be looking for a job, just like many of us.
 
Now let’s enjoy our Father’s Day in peace, LOVE and harmony. Much LOVE!
 
….our children are our future…so father’s, let’s teach them right nuh… it’s our bounden duty…