Jeremiah 17:9. The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked (incurably sick): who can know it?
And then it was Saturday… Hip, hip hurrah! (smile) Long time I haven’t heard that one. Yes Friends, it’s Saturday with all its late rising due to tiredness from the workweek, plus from Friday night’s partying, with more plans for partying later on. Let’s hope though, that somewhere in our busy and /or lazy weekend, there are also plans for church and fellowship with other believers.
Unfortunately, some people work harder at home on the weekends than they do during the week at their places of employment. What with young children to look after – no baby sitter then, laundry to be done, groceries bought, the house cleaned, and all the necessary preparations for the following week.
Some people, especially mothers long for the week to begin. And with school soon opening, hn! That means more shopping for new fashionable stuff to wear, and all the other accoutrements for back to school. It’s a good thing my days for that stuff are over. Thank You Lord!
No wonder a lot of parents aren’t too enamoured of the weekends since their personal lives get even busier than during the week. But Friends, that’s the price they say we have to pay for progress, although I really don’t see how we can call it progress, when we’re so busy that we don’t have much time for ourselves.
And with both parents out working now, often at more than one job, just to make ends meet, that seems to be a step backwards rather than forwards, especially when you add stuff like the breakdown of the family, the high unemployment rate and the constant fear in the air of losing one’s job to outsourcing in some undeveloped country.
Anyway my brethren, I know it’s rough out there for many of us, and it’s liable to get rougher before it gets better. But as believers, we need to stand strong in Christ and the faithful promises of our wonderful and ever-faithful God.
Now He never promised that life would always be sunshine and roses, but that He will not cause us to suffer more than we can bear, and will bring us out of anything He allows us to go through, refined by the fire. So we need to let our faith soar, to take heart and believe that our Creator will come through for us, as He’s promised.
And talking about heart, let’s finally bring in our Bit: ‘The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked (incurably sick): who can know it?
And that’s gospel, gospel truth my people! Our hearts are so deceptive, and change so quickly, like chameleons, from one extreme to the next, who can really know what’s truly buried in them eh?
That’s why Jeremiah continues speaking on God’s behalf: ‘I the Lord search the heart, I try (test) the reins (mind, most secret parts), even to give every man according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings (deeds). (Jer.17:10)
Oh Friends, the Lord’s lucky, He can see into the depths of man’s soul and reveal their true motives. Meanwhile, we humans can only judge another’s heart basically by their words and outward actions. And sadly that leads to an inordinate amount of lies, deceptions, heartbreaks and other evil deeds.
Now before we get into some relevant scripture, hear these important words from the scholars. ’17:9-10: The heart (cf. Prov.4:23) means man’s innermost being. The bent of man’s natural disposition, apart from God’s redeeming grace, is described as deceitful (lit. crooked) and desperately wicked (incurably sick).
Therefore man cannot trust his own heart but must leave all to God who alone knows the heart and judges all men fairly. Only a person with a redeemed heart can live in proper fellowship with God. (Job 11:13; 1 John 3:18-24).’
Yes my people, because of the naturally evil disposition of our hearts, trust in man is a very uncertain and hazardous act. No wonder the psalmist so strongly advised: ‘It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in man. It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in princes.’ (Ps.118:8-9) Please note that he specified that not even royalty can be trusted.
But all of this untrustworthiness began right at the very beginning when Adam and Eve disobeyed God’s command not to eat of the tree of life and knowledge. When the Lord came looking for them, they hid, because they knew they had disobeyed Him. Their eyes were also opened and thus they realised their nakedness and attempted to cover up themselves. And when God asked them what had happened, the blame laying began. Adam blamed Eve, and she blamed the serpent.
Ah Lord eh! But God was having none of their deceitfulness and kicked them out of the beautiful garden. (Gen.3) And sadly Friends, from that day onwards, man’s heart just kept getting more and more evil.
Until the day God finally took stock of man: ‘And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination (thought or intent) of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually (all the day long). And it repented the Lord (the Lord was sorry) that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart.’ (Gen.6:5-6)
So much so, that He decided to destroy everything that He’d so tenderly made. Ah mih breddren, when man’s heart becomes so wicked that it alarms God and grieves Him so much that He considers destroying all the beautiful things He’s made, you must know that things are in a really bad state.
And we’ll end with some more important words from the scholars on those two verses. ‘Repented does not imply that God made a mistake in His dealing with men, but rather indicates a change in divine direction resulting from the actions of man.
It is “an anthropopathism” (a human emotion applied to God), describing the pain that is caused God by the destructiveness of His creatures. It is used 30 times with God as its subject, each time speaking of a change of mind or intention that accords with His righteous purposes, and results in action commensurate with those purposes.’
Wow! We’ll soon need someone to explain the explanations! (smile)
Oh mih people, there’s a lot more to come tomorrow, God willing of course. But let’s ponder today’s stuff with an open heart, remembering that it’s only as we turn to Almighty God with a redeemed heart, that we’re able to stand in His holy presence. That ought to give us plenty of food for thought. Much LOVE!
…who knows the true thoughts of a man’s heart…only the Lord God Jehovah…
Today’s Scrip-Bit 24 August 2013 Jeremiah 17:9
24 Aug 2013 Leave a comment
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Today’s Scrip-Bit 22 August 2013 Proverbs 3:7-8
22 Aug 2013 Leave a comment
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: a sound mind, Abraham, absolute truth, acknowledge God, affirmations, arsenal of wisdom, boost our spirits, breath of life, cleansing from unrighteousness, compassions, confession of sins, confidence in God, confronting struggles head-on, courage, dearly hold on to, declaration, depart from evil, direct thy paths, don't be wise in your own eyes, eternal security, evil earth, fear the Lord, fight the good fight, focus, forgiveness of sins, God's best, God's faithfulness, God's majesty, godly way we live, gospel truth, health to your body, hearts, holy spirit, in the image of God, Isaac, Jacob, Jesus Christ, knowledge, LOVE, minds, new every day, obey God's will, our commission, power, power to rise above, raise faith, souls, spirit of power, Spread God's Word, strength, strength to your bones, the Creator of everything, the day of Christ, the font of all wisdom, the Lord's mercies, the One True God, the spirit of fear, truth, turst in the Lord, understanding, victory, walk on water, What I can do through Christ, work of the holy spirit, zenith
Proverbs 3:7-8. Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the Lord, and depart from evil. It shall be health to thy navel (body), and marrow (strength) to thy bones.
Oh Friends, it’s Thursday, and the ole fella’s feeling the call of affirmations to boost our spirits! Mama Mia! So today will be an affirmations day!
And I’ll start us off by sharing one of the two conglomerations of affirmative stuff I have on my desk. From whence I got them, I don’t remember, but they are indeed useful. I believe I’ve shared them both already, but it’s stuff that never goes bad, in fact it’s something we can all use everyday to raise our faith and courage.
And it says: ‘I CAN have victory in my life by dealing with the things that are keeping me from God’s best. I am confronting my struggles head on, so that I can overcome them. God has given me the power to rise above. He has given me the strength to focus on Him and push through. NOTHING will hold me back! This is my declaration of what I can do through Christ!’
Yes Friends, those are all things we can do through Christ, because He has given us the power through the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives. But most importantly, before we can do any of those things, we first have to acknowledge Him; His strength, His power and His majesty as the Creator of all there is.
And our Bit puts it very clearly and concisely. ‘Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the Lord, and depart from evil. It shall be health to thy navel (body), and marrow (strength) to thy bones.’
Now that’s absolute truth my people! Nothing will work for us if we don’t first turn to the Lord, our Creator, the font of all wisdom, power, knowledge and truth!
And having learned that lesson, let’s absorb this one: ‘Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform (complete) it until the day of Jesus Christ.’ (Phil.1:6)
That’s God’s faithfulness at work Friends! That’s our eternal security, for God will NEVER leave anything undone in the lives of those who sincerely try to obey His will.
Now listen to John on sin, its reality and remedy. ‘If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.’ (1 John 1:9)
That’s the number one move to righteousness mih breddren – confessing our sins!
Now here’s one we all know and like to quote. Whether we truly believe and live by it is another story though. ‘It is of the Lord’s mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.’ (Lam.3:22-23)
Oh my people, that’s gospel truth at its truest! For if our God was not compassionate and faithful, and renewed us every day, I’m afraid to think what we’d be like, and where we’d end up.
Now here’s a gem from Bruh Paul to Cousin Timmy; ‘For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of LOVE, and of a sound mind.’ (2 Tim.1:7)
Oh my brethren, my brethren, that scripture is so powerful that it could make us walk on water, if we so desire! (smile) It’s the first image of power that came to mind. But it’s true Friends. Our God has imbued us with all we need to fight the good fight here on this evil earth. But we need to raise up all these things from our spirits so that we can use them.
There’s no need for us to be as fearful and afraid of this life and its evil powers as too many of us are. That’s because we have the Lord’s power, His LOVE, faith and courage buried within us. It’s high time for us to let them rise up, so that we can go forth and do the job(s) we’ve been commissioned to do; Spread God’s Word, His LOVE, His Mercy and His forgiveness, through faith and the godly way we live our lives.
And I think we’ll end where we began; with the eternal wisdom of Cousin Sol. ‘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.3:5-6)
Oh my fellow believers in Christ, if there was ever only one scripture in the entire Good Book that we could hold on dearly to, take with us everyday and everywhere, and give someone else to also hold on dearly to, I believe it’s those two verses from the arsenal of Cousin Sol’s wisdom. That’s because they embody the very gist, the very kernel or seed of what God’s been trying to say to us from day one – TRUST ME!
And believe me Friends, there’s no greater thing that we can do, than sincerely trusting in the God who formed us from the dust of the earth in His very own image, then breathed His own breath of life into our nostrils.
So please let’s memorize as many of these Bible verses as we can, or even just get their substance in to our hearts, minds and souls, so that they can encourage us, keep us strong and steadfast in our faith, build our self-confidence and thus our confidence in the ONE TRUE GOD; He of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob!
Now that my beautiful brethren, is wisdom at its very zenith! Much LOVE!
…there’s no greater thing we can do…than to surrender our lives…put them in their entirety… into the hands of our heavenly Father…
Today’s Scrip-Bit 14 August 2013 2 Corinthians 1:3
14 Aug 2013 Leave a comment
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2 Corinthians 1:3. Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort.
Aye mih Friends, is Wednesday, the middle of the week! How we doing eh? We still standing strong for Jesus? I surely hope so, because that is the only true wisdom that exists in this world. Anything else is foolishness.
So please let’s keep standing strong in and for Jesus, since He is the ONLY ONE who has all the parts to see us happily and joyfully through this evil, unjust, ungodly world.
And it all stems from the hope, trust, and faith that we find when we come to Jesus in sincere adoration and worship. But unfortunately too many of us don’t use the power that we have, we keep on wallowing in the mire of unbelief and mediocrity.
But what’s the purpose of having all that power which emanates from Jesus; all those wonderful promises, all the faithfulness, compassion, mercy, grace and LOVE, if we don’t use them productively? None whatsoever!
That brings us to our Bit: ‘Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort.’
And isn’t that the God-awesome truth my brethren? It surely is!
And Bruh Paul continues: ‘Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble (tribulation), by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God.’ (2 Cor.1:4)
Yes Friends, God comforts us in our trials and tribulation so that we can comfort others going through their own periods of adversity.
Now here’s what the scholars say about those two verses. ‘Blessed (Gr. eulogetos), “well spoken of”) is used in the New Testament of God, (e.g. Eph.1:3). It is a term of adoration and praise.
The Father of mercies: The mercies in view here include everything from deliverance from the world, sin, and Satan, to participation in sonship, light and life. But the force is even more than this. The stress is that the Father is characterized by mercy (cf. Ps.86:5; Dan.9:9; Mic.7:18)’
Oh Friends, please take a moment to read those scriptures because they give us a very good picture of the wonderful God that we serve and of His attribute termed mercy.
Let’s remember though that His main attribute is LOVE, and that everything else springs from that LOVE; a LOVE that is shown to us through His mercy, grace and forgiveness, and above all the sending of His Son, Jesus to die as a sacrifice for our sins, so that we could be reconciled to Him, receive salvation and eternal life.
Wow! What an awesome God we worship my people! There’s no other supposed God who offers His subjects, no not subjects, but His children such wonderful gifts. That’s why His LOVE still endures, and will endure forever!
Oh my brethren, in this crazy, troubled and wrong-directioned world, there’s no better hand to hold on to than that of Jehovah God! If you think All State has good hands, that’s a joke compared to what the Lord of All Creation has.
So, as expected of true believers, let’s hold our heads up high nuh and live a life that magnifies Jesus, and glorifies God the Father, through the help and guidance of the Holy Spirit, by bringing lost souls to Him for saving and LOVING.
And this is admirably borne out by Bruh Paul’s greeting to the Ephesians: ‘Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ. According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in LOVE.’ (Eph.1:3-4)
Ah Friends, I’ll say it again: What a mighty and magnanimous God we serve and worship!
The sad part though is you’ll never know it unless you surrender your will and all else to Him. And I’m talking here from personal experience, because everyday I experience His LOVE and faithfulness in some manner or other, just like all those who sincerely believe and trust and live for Him.
And in closing, I want to remind us, just in case we forgot (smile) that in Christ Jesus there’s no quitting, regardless of how hard life gets. There’s just no quitting because that word is not found in the dictionary of a true believer. That means if you don’t have the word, then you can’t do the action.
So let’s just stand strong together in Jesus’ Name and bring the world to His feet in proper reverence and respect, as is our bounden duty. What did Jesus say about that? ‘By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have LOVE one to another.’ (John 13:35)
So fellow believers, may our great, wonderful, generous and ever-LOVING God, bless and keep us safe from all harm. And may He also shine His awesome countenance on us, so that we can be filled with the overflowing LOVE and Peace that flows from His majestic and magnanimous grace.
This we pray, in the holy name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, by the shedding of whose blood, we have been cleansed, made whole and right with the Father. Amen. Much, much LOVE my people!
…no one comes to the Father…but through the Son, Jesus Christ…and that’s the gospel truth…
Today’s Scrip-Bit 6 August 2013 Philippians 4:13
06 Aug 2013 Leave a comment
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: affirmation day, appreciative crowd, awe, believe, believe in Jesus, biblical affirmations, blessings, bright future, calypso monarch, Calypso showcase, courage, dog eat dog world, ears have not heard, evil, eyes haven't seen, faith, faithfulness, fend off Lucifer, gospel truth, government you deserve, Harbourfront, He is faithful that promised, heart-warming, holy spirit, hope, I can do all things, if god is for us, Jekyll and Hyde, Jesus Christ, laughingstock, LOVE, loving kindness, Macoumere Fifi, magnanimous god, mercies, people perish, personal fiefdom, pilgrim's journey, planet earth, power struggles, prophetic vision, reassurance, religion, restraints, reverence, rewarder, shenanigans, spirituality, strength, theology, things God hath prepared, things of the world, through Christ who strengthens me, times of trouble, Toronto's mayor, truth, who can be against us, wisdom, without wavering, write indelibly
Philippians 4:13. I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me!
Oh Friends, the ole fella actually went out yesterday afternoon. Wow! Strange things do happen at times yes! (smile) My young daughter came and picked me up in her fancy SUV and took me down to a Calypso showcase of local talent at Harbourfront, a multiple events place on the Toronto Waterfront.
Oh, it felt so good to be chauffeured for a change, and in style to boot, instead of always being the chauffeur. Some of you might be able to appreciate and understand the feeling, as you’re in the same boat. But it’s nice to be able to gaze around and see the myriad of things that you don’t, or shouldn’t see when you’re driving.
Anyway, I missed the first half of the show, but what I experienced was excellent and it had a good and appreciative crowd. The backing band, Ossie Gurley, was nice and tight, but as it should be, the reigning Calypso Monarch of Canada, Macoumere Fifi, stole the show with her rendition of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, a caricature of the Mayor of Toronto, Rob Ford, and his brother Doug, who seems to be the de facto Mayor, as he cleans up, or tries to clean up his brother’s mistakes.
They behave as though Toronto is their personal fiefdom, but sadly have become a laughingstock around the world because of their unwise shenanigans, and consequently the city has suffered a serious decrease in believability.
But as they say, you get the government you deserve, and where there’s no prophetic vision, the people perish, because they cast off all restraints and do their own thing. And that is exactly what’s happening in the good city of Toronto today. The leaders are behaving like buffoons, being more divisive and argumentative and involved in power struggles, rather than doing the jobs they were elected to do.
Anyway, we’ll pray for them and leave them in God’s hand, because only He can change the hearts and minds of those He created. And furthermore, He’s decreed that today be a day of Biblical Affirmations; pieces of scripture that we can write indelibly in our hearts and souls that will help us fend off Lucifer when he attacks us, or just generally in times of trouble.
Remember we had affirmation day a few weeks ago. Now we’ll run through some more scriptures that are useful to keep us strong and steadfast in faith. And we’ll begin with our Bit, which generally correlates all our endeavours. ‘I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me!’
Now Friends, that is undeniable truth! That’s simply because it is the power of Jesus Christ, His Holy Spirit working in us that enables us to handle all and sundry situations, regardless of what they might be. Without that power of Christ’s Spirit enabling us, we wouldn’t last very long in this evil, dog eat dog world.
And listen to these words of ultimate wisdom from Cousin Sol nuh. ‘Commit thy works (roll on the Lord thy works), and thy thoughts shall be established.’ (Prov.16:3) Now there’s no doubting the substantial truth in that verse my brethren.
And what about this reassuring verse from Jeremiah eh? ‘For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil (calamity), to give you an expected end (a future and a hope).’ (Jer.29:11)
Oh Friends, from that we ought to draw immense assurance, because the Lord has spelled out His plans for us, plans which are full of hope and a bright future.
Next up is this powerful verse from Hebrews. ‘Let us hold fast the profession (confession) of our faith (hope) without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;)’ (Heb.10:23) Ah mih breddren, how can that not calm our souls re the Lord’s faithfulness eh!
And we also need to hear this other verse from Hebrews, which deals with our faith and faithfulness. ‘But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.’ (Heb.11:6)
And that my people, is the gospel truth of all gospel truths! For if we don’t have faith and believe that God is who He says He is and does what He says, then we’ll be shut out of the Lord’s mercies, blessings and LOVING-kindness.
Now hear these words of Bruh Paul to the Corinthians, based on Is.64:4 and 65:17. ‘But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that LOVE Him.’ (1 Cor.2:9)
Wow! Oh my fellow believers yuh hear that? We can’t begin to understand or even imagine what our mighty, magnanimous and LOVING God has prepared for those who LOVE and serve Him with reverence and awe!
And we’ll end with this most appropriate scripture from Romans: ‘What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?’ (Rom.8:31)
And the answer to that question my Friends is a loud, defiant and definite ‘NOBODY!’
Now my people, let’s ponder those scriptures and write them in our hearts, so that in the day and time of need, we can raise them up and find the strength, wisdom, faith, assurance and courage to stand tall and walk proudly on this our pilgrim’s journey here on planet earth.
For that my brethren is the absolute wisdom of and for these perilous times! Much LOVE!
…to believe in Jesus…is certainly more assuring and heart-warming…than believing in the things of the world…
Today’s Scrip-Bit 6 July 2013 Matthew 25:35
06 Jul 2013 Leave a comment
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Matthew 25:35. For I was an hungered, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in.
Oh my beloved Friends and fellow believers, welcome to another momentous day on God’s great earth! And you know it’s momentous just by us being alive, so you can imagine what it’s going to be like when we add the new mercies and blessings that are being prepared to flow like an open tap from heaven to lighten and brighten our day!
And all God’s children declared a loud and heartfelt ‘All thanks and praise be to Jehovah God, for His goodness and mercy towards us!’
However Friends, having been cultivated with that wonderful grace of God, it’s our obligation to share it with others in less fortunate circumstances. And this quote from Helen Keller (1880-1968), the American author, political activist and lecturer, but also the first blind//deaf person to acquire a Bachelor of Arts Degree, gives us some insight into what happens when we seek excellence in living.
‘When we do the best we can, we never know what miracle is wrought in our life, or in the life of another.’ And that’s gospel truth my brethren!
Generally speaking, we can never be sure of the effect our words and actions will have, both on ourselves and on others. That’s because of what’s known as the ripple effect; like when you throw a stone in the water, it doesn’t only disturb the water that it actually hits, but also a certain amount that surrounds it. You can see the ripples moving outward from the point where the stone made contact with the water.
The same goes for our words and actions Friends. They can have far reaching, far away effects on both ourselves and others, especially in these times of almost instantaneous and far flung communication. Whatever kind of stuff we send out, be it negative or positive, you can bet your bottom dollar it will breed the same reaction.
That’s why we’re always obliged to do our best, especially as believers in, and followers of Jesus Christ, whose motto is LOVE, framed with excellence, kindness, mercy and forgiveness. We definitely cannot afford to say or do things that reflect negatively on the body of Christ, His church.
But unfortunately it’s happening quite a lot. Many believers don’t take the time to consider how their words and behaviour affect the church, of how people perceive them when they talk and pursue various forms of action. It all boomerangs back on us, and on Christ’s overall body eventually.
That’s why the infighting and pettiness amongst the different religions draws such negative criticism from both believers and unbelievers. We’re supposed to be ONE body in Christ, but we surely aren’t acting that way. How can we spouting peace and LOVE to all and sundry, but living like cats and dogs with each other eh?
Jesus told us to go out and spread the gospel to the very ends of the earth, (Matt.28:19-20) but that doesn’t only mean talking it, but more importantly living it! As I keep reminding us, Christianity is an action movement, which should be buttressed by the talk, not vice versa.
That brings us to our Bit and the verse after it. ‘For I was an hungered (hungry), and ye gave me meat (food): I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in: Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me.’ (Matt.25:35-36)
Yes Friends, that’s what it means to be a true Christian; helping others, meeting their physical needs where possible, while sharing the good news of the gospel with them. That’s why God gave each of us talents, (re Jesus’ parable of the talents in Matt.25) to use them for good, to make a difference, to make the world a better place for all to live in, not to selfishly hoard them and use them only for our own benefit.
That’s why in Jesus’ parable, those who used their talents to bear increase, were given more, while he that hath little and hoarded it, lost it eventually.
The same goes for us today my fellow believers. We can’t see people suffering and don’t try to help in some form and fashion. We can’t be like the Jewish priest and Levite who passed by on the other side of the road when they saw their fellow Jew lying bruised and battered on the ground. Instead we have to be like the Good Samaritan, who, though he was his avowed enemy, nonetheless stopped and looked after him.
That’s what Jesus was, is, and always will be about; helping the poor and downtrodden. He didn’t come to earth to be served, but to serve, and that’s exactly what He also expects of us, His followers. And for those who adhere to that way of life, come the judgement day, they will be assembled as sheep on the right hand of Jesus. (Matt.25:31-33)
‘Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. (Matt.25:34)
But to those on His left hand, the goats: ‘Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels…. And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.’ (Matt.25:41, 46)
Ah mih people, regardless of how much we talk, what we do is even more important, because in the long run, that is what will get us into Jesus’ good books, that is what will earn us rewards in heaven. So please Friends, let’s cut back on the talk, and raise the level of true Christian action and activity nuh, for there’s too much suffering and misfortune in our world for us to just sit back and do nothing about it.
The evil doers like it so, but out Lord and Saviour Jesus doesn’t, and wherever we are, in whatever position, there are ALWAYS opportunities for us to do good, to help others, to live that true Christian life.
And I pray that today the Lord will allow His Holy Spirit to rise up in us, and we’ll forget all the petty, selfish, immaterial things that are keeping us apart, and we’ll truly become ONE body in Christ, and follow His motto of LOVE, framed in excellence, kindness, mercy and forgiveness. That’s undoubtedly wisdom at its highest level. Much LOVE!
…on which side will you be numbered…with the sheep…or with the goats…now is the time to make that monumental decision…
Today’s Scrip-Bit 2 July 2013 Romans 8:31
02 Jul 2013 Leave a comment
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: affirmations, all praise and glory to God, all things are possible only believe, all things work together for good, be of good cheer, build our faith, christianity, education, encouragement, enlightenment, ever-LOVING God, everlasting truth, everything's possible with God, evil machinations, exhortation, fools despise wisdom, God will finish whatever He starts, God's grace, gospel truth, He is faithful that promised, holy spirit, I can do all things through Christ, if God be for us, LOVE for God, more than conquerors, motivation, no weapon formed against us shall prosper, overcome the world, put your nose to the grindstone, rejoice and be glad, reverence for God, reverential awe, right decisions, right directions, righteousness., spirit of a sound mind, spirit of fear, spirit of LOVE, spirit of power, spirituality, the heritage of God's servants, the party's over, this is the day the Lord has made, time to call it a day, to them the LOVE God, who can be against us, wisdom
Romans 8:31. What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?
Well Friends, the Canada Day party is over, time to call it a day and get back to labouring. Hope you had a fine time and did not embarrass yourself, your country or your God. (smile)
And I hear a lot of ‘steupsing’ and ‘chuhing’, but them’s the breaks my people. We can’t party all the time, work must be the rule and partying the exception, otherwise we’d soon party away all we have. And what then eh?
So let’s put our noses to the proverbial grindstone and get productive; not only physically and economically, but more importantly, spiritually. Let’s allow the Holy Spirit that dwells within us to truly lead and guide us in right decisions, directions and true Christianity, which means sincere LOVE for God and each other.
And to help us do that, I’ve been guided to make this a day of affirmations; a day for scriptures that enlighten, encourage, exhort and educate us about God, His Word and His wonderful and gracious desires for us, His earthly children. These are scriptures that help build our faith, that keep us steadfast and strong. And what better way to begin than with our Bit, a scripture that encompasses it all.
Please affirm with me: ‘What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?’
And that’s as gospel truth as we’ll ever get my people! If our God is in our corner, who can harm us eh? Not a single solitary soul, be they man, beast or evil power!
Let’s continue affirming with this popular scripture. ‘This is the day which the Lord hath made, we will rejoice and be glad in it.’ (Ps.118:24)
Then there’s this other well known one: ‘I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.’ (Phil.4:13) And what a great and true motivator that is Friends!
Now hear this other powerful affirmative scripture: ‘And we know that all things work together for good to them that LOVE God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.’ (Rom.8:28) And isn’t that ever so true Friends, as so many of us can attest to!
And as I’m on this page in Romans, I might as well stay there. (smile) ‘Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that LOVED us.’ (Rom.8:37)
Wow mih breddren! Doesn’t that just boost your confidence, especially when it’s followed by this omnipotent scripture: ‘No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgement thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and their righteousness is of (from) me, saith the Lord.’ (Is.54:17)
And all God’s servants rose up in one accord with one shout: ‘All praise and glory be to Jehovah God, who made us and protects us with His strong arm! He is indeed worthy to be praised and glorified!’
Yes mih people, we do indeed serve a mighty, magnanimous, magnificent and ever-LOVING God!
Now listen to this one straight from Jesus: ‘Jesus said unto him (the father of a dumb child), If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth.’ (Mark 9:23) More words of everlasting truth and encouragement my brethren!
And why is that eh? Because ‘The things which are impossible with men are possible with God.’ (Luke 18:27) Now that Friends, is the granddaddy of all truth!
And we can’t forget the wisdom of Cousin Sol: ‘A wise man will hear, and will increase learning; and a man of understanding shall attain (acquire) unto wise counsels.’ (Prov.1:5) Yes my fellow believers, if we diligently read and meditate on God’s Word, we shall acquire wisdom and understanding, even if our formal education is limited.
But beware of this next scripture, for it’s a serious warning. ‘The fear (reverential awe) of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction.’ (Prov.1:7)
And is that ever so true, in both aspects. To truly acquire wisdom, one must first have reverence for the Lord and submit to His will, but prideful fools refuse to do that, feeling that they are sufficient unto themselves, which is the furthest thing from the truth.
And moving right along, check out this encouraging scripture: ‘Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform (complete) it until the day of Jesus Christ.’ (Phil.1:6)
Yes Friends, whatever God begins in us, He will bring to fruition, right up until the day Jesus returns. His grace and mercy will never depart from believers working on His behalf. That gives us an eternal security, wherein God’s purpose for our lives will NEVER be abandoned or unrealized.
Now hear this powerful exhortation to endurance from Bruh Paul to Timothy: ‘For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of LOVE, and of a sound mind.’ (2 Tim.1:7)
Oh my people, please let’s drill that deep into our consciousness nuh, for it’s the absolute truth, and if we believe it and act on it, we’ll do ever so much better in all aspects of our lives. That’s because a lot of what we do or don’t do is based on fear; fear of the world and its evil machinations.
But please remember Jesus’ admonition: ‘These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation, but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.’ (John 16:33)
And on that awesome note we’ll close my brethren. And if you’re a true believer, then you’ll believe that and indeed be of good cheer, despite the trials and tribulations you face down here on this dark and evil earth. That’s Jesus promise and we all know that He doesn’t lie, ‘for he is faithful that promised.’ (Heb.10:23b)
So my fellow believers let’s memorize as many of those Bible verses as we can, let’s saturate our hearts and minds with them, so that they can encourage us, build our self-confidence, and keep us strong and steadfast in our faith. I pray this in Jesus’ name. Amen. Much LOVE!
…to live a true Christian life…our souls must be saturated with God’s Word…we must believe His promises…and then act confidently on them…
Today’s Scrip-Bit 22 June 2013 Philippians 1:12
22 Jun 2013 Leave a comment
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: a tad happier, confidence, difficulties, encouragement, faith, fervour, further the Word, furthering of the gospel, glob of grease, God's Sovereignty, God's wisdom, good example, good news, gospel truth, grin and bear it, happy camper, hardships, kitchen sink, make a long story short, many believed, negative circumstances, passion for Christ, plenty poorer, preached the gospel, speak the word, steadfast faith, strength, Thank You Lord, the Lord's mysterious ways, the moral of the story, trials and tribulations, true faith, undesirable circumstances, wisdom, without fear, witnessed to others, zeal for Christ
Philippians 1:12. But I would ye should understand, brethren, that the things which happened unto me have fallen out rather unto the furtherance of the gospel.
Oh Friends, oh Friends, as the old people would say; when is not one thing, is something else yes! And unfortunately, the current something else in my life goes like this. A few days ago, we discovered that our kitchen sink was backing up; not too badly, but bad enough to cause problems. I tried plunging it several times without any luck.
Then I called a semi-retired handyman from my church to come and have a look at it. He came on Thursday morning, tried snaking it with his small snake, but to no avail either. So he suggested I call this professional outfit that had all the tools and experience.
I did that, and they eventually came on Friday morning, after promising to come on Thursday evening. But I guess that was the Lord moving in one of His mysterious ways, since what we went through in the daytime would have been even more agonizing in the evening hours.
To make a long story short, they snaked the pipe about three times, with a bigger and longer snake, but still to no avail. The water still came back up after running for a couple of minutes. We then moved to the basement where the pipe from the kitchen sink met the main drain. To get to that, we had to cut out a portion of my finished studio, which obviously I would have preferred not to do, only to find that the blockage was in the main drain itself.
Mama Mia! We couldn’t even open the trap because when we tried water began backing up. I must say that neither the plumber nor I was happy. He, because he was looking at a rather big and difficult job, and I because I was looking at possible water and other damage to my basement, as well as a huge repair bill.
It seems that a big glob of grease and other stuff is blocking the pipe. An accumulation of many years, which entails getting a water flushing machine or some such thing at a cost of $650.00, and labour on top of that for two plumbers at $180.00 per hour, and all of that has a tax of 13% on it.
So you can imagine that I’m not a happy camper this morning. Hopefully, I will be a tad happier, though plenty poorer by the time they finish the job, this afternoon.
Anyway Friends, the moral of the story is NOT TO, NEVER flush oil or grease down your sinks, because it doesn’t always go right down into the main sewer system but stays in your pipe system and clogs it up after a while, causing problems like mine. Get a bottle, a bucket or some other kind of container and pour your grease and oil in that, and then dispose of that in some other fashion, but definitely not down your drains.
I guess I have to be thankful though that the blockage didn’t get into the heart of the main system, where it would have caused all the pipes in the house to back up, but apparently stayed in the drain leading to it. And for that I say, Thank You Lord!’
So that’s what I have to look forward to today. But enough of my griping (smile). A lot of people would gladly have that problem rather than the ones they do have.
Now let’s turn to our Bit, which seems rather appropriate under he circumstances. ‘But I would ye should understand (I want you to know), brethren, that the things which happened unto me have fallen (turned) out rather unto the furtherance of the gospel.’
And that’s the gospel truth Friends! Why? Because all Bruh Paul’s hardships, imprisonments, floggings, shipwrecks etc, eventually turned out for good, helped to further the Word because others recognized his zeal and passion for Christ.
As the scholars explain: ‘Things … have fallen out means “have occurred.” Paul tells his readers that his imprisonment has occurred for the purpose of furthering or spreading the gospel. The word rather suggests that the Philippians were anticipating the reception of bad news as a result of Paul’s captivity. He informs them rather to the contrary.
In His wisdom and sovereignty God has deliberately designed His servant’s present circumstances, as undesirable as they may be, for the gospel’s benefit. Two positive results of Paul’s imprisonment are given in verse 13, 14. (1) Caesar’s palace learned the gospel from him (v13); and (2) many Roman Christians were stirred to preach the gospel during his bondage.’
Ah Friends, our God does certainly move in mysterious ways! We’d think that all Bruh Paul’s trials and tribulations would cause people to turn away from Christ, but it had the exact opposite effect.
As he so eloquently says: ‘So that my bonds (chains) in Christ are manifest (well known) in all the palace (by the praetorian palace guards), and in all other places. And many of the brethren in the Lord, waxing (becoming) confident by my bonds (chains), are much more bold to speak the word without fear.’ (Phil.1:13-14)
Yes Friends, our God oftimes uses our hardships and difficulties to draw others closer to Him. When they see our faith and strength in Him, they begin to believe. A good current example is what’s happening to me. I don’t like it, not by a long shot, but I have to grin and bear it. Now someone with a lesser problem might look at that and say, well if he could bear up under that, then I can bear up under my lesser problem.
And the Lord does that in all our lives; using our trials as encouragement for others. So though Bruh Paul was in jail in chains, he witnessed to all the guards that came by, and when they realized that he was no criminal, just zealous in the preaching of Christ and the gospel, many believed and witnessed to others.
Likewise the Roman believers were inspired by Bruh Paul’s stance for Christ and they too began spreading the gospel with much fervour. The scholars put it very nicely. ‘The whole church, thus stirred, did more in spreading the Good News than Paul could have done by himself had he not been in jail.’
So my fellow believers, let us not shirk or run and hide from whatever befalls us, even though they be negative circumstances, because you never know what the Lord’s reasons are for causing them.
Let’s just hold on tightly to His promise of working out everything for the good of those He’s called and who sincerely try to follow Him. (Rom.8:28) That’s true faith and wisdom in a nutshell my brethren! Much LOVE!
…when we endure trials and tribulations with steadfast faith and strength…God uses us to further the gospel by our example…
Today’s Scrip-Bit 14 June 2013 1 Corinthians 13:4
14 Jun 2013 Leave a comment
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: absolute wisdom, anger, bitterness, busybodies, christianity, detriment of friendships, envy, errant believer, error of our ways, fellowship, forgiveness, Friday chant, generous help, glorious kingdom, glory hallelujah, gospel truth, gossip, hate stirs up strife, heed God's call, hurricane season, imminent danger, itinerant musicians, jealousy, kind to each other, live in the Spirit, Love covers all sins, Love doesn't envy, Love doesnt boast, Love is kind, Love isn't arrogant, Love suffers long, multitude of sins, negative emotions, praise his holy name, qualities of Love, ramp up our faith, refreshed in soul, relaxation, rest, rising floodwaters, sacrificial blood, seek Love, sinful behaviour, sufficent fun, TGIF! Thank God is Friday, the pit of corruption, the weekend, trangressions, trust in Almighty God, truth, walk in the Spirit, walk with Christ, wisdom, wrath
1 Corinthians 13:4: Charity (LOVE) suffereth long, and is kind; charity (LOVE) envieth not; charity (LOVE) vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up.
Oh Friends it’s Friday! And some workers gathered around a group of itinerant musicians, raucously applaud: ‘TGIF! Thank God is Friday! The weekend’s here, and work soon done. Ah say, thank God is Friday yes!’
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