SCRIP-BITS

Galatians 5:16.    This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.

Oh friends, it’s so good to wake up to the sound, to the riddim of the falling rain, as I did earlier on this morning. But it’s all stopped now and the dry and thirsty ground has sucked it all up like a giant sponge. The cloudiness remains though, so hopefully we’ll get some more heavenly blessings later on, because we badly need them. 

Rain has been in short supply in my area for the last little while. And though it’s nice to have bright sunshiny days, heavenly water is essential for man’s survival. So let’s pray we’ll get some more to keep everything moist and fruitful nuh. 

And now as it’s Saturday, let’s check out a couple of quotes from our friend Anselm who always aspires to inspire us. This first one is humorous but nonetheless true. ‘For 24 years of my adult life, by choice I weighed well over 200 pounds. I say ‘by choice’ because I have never ‘accidentally’ eaten anything, so when I choose to eat too much, I have chosen to weigh too much.’ 

Yes friends, we can all attest to that! Our weight depends a lot on what we eat, and we don’t usually eat stuff by accident, but by choice. So what ever we weigh is a direct result of our eating habits, which means if we don’t like our weight, by choice, we’ve got to develop better eating habits. (smile) 

And the next quote is one attributed to Howard Zinn (1922-2010), an American historian, author, playwright, social activist and a professor at Boston University. He’s probably best known for his authorship of the book ‘A People’s History of the United States’. 

Anyway, Zinn reputedly made this comment. ‘Leave things to the market, and there are two million people homeless. Leave things to the market, and there are millions and millions of people who can’t pay their rent. Leave things to the market, and there are thirty-five million people who go hungry.’ 

And that’s no lie my people! The supposed market, when left uncontrolled is a boon to the rich, but a bane of great proportions to the ordinary man. It ruins the lives of so many, through no fault of their own, yet so many of us still foolishly believe in it and sadly trumpet its supposed benefits. They might look good on paper, but they certainly don’t work to the benefit of the majority of the population in actual practice. 

But as Christians, as faithful believers in Jesus Christ, we don’t need to worry too much about the market and its workings, because our Lord and Saviour has promised that if we seek first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness, all our material wants and needs will be met. (Matt.6:33) And He is ever faithful to keep ALL of His promises. 

Then in our Bit, Bruh Paul tells us about the perfect way of walking in this life. ‘This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.’ 

Yes my brethren, when we walk in the Spirit, we don’t have to worry about what’s happening, because the Holy Spirit of God that indwells us, will never lead us astray! That’s indisputable, irrefutable truth! But remember though that we need to listen closely, pay serious attention to the Holy Spirit, if it is to work in and for us. 

Now here is an interesting statement two verses down from our Bit. ‘But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law.’ (Gal.5:18) 

And the scholars have this interesting explanation. ‘5:18. Verse 17 may leave the impression of a believer being caught in a hopeless tug-of-war between the flesh and the Spirit. This is not the case. The Christian is led of (by) the Spirit, when yielding to Him, to turn away from the flesh’s evil yearnings, thus putting sin out of his daily life. 

The verb “led” indicates voluntary submission; the believer decides by whom he will be led – either by his flesh or the Spirit. The Spirit-led person is not under the law. The Christian does not need the restraints of the law because his moral life is governed by the Spirit.’ 

But friends, that’s not always easy, because the flesh, our sinful desires, advocate of the enemy, is always trying to drag us back down into the mire of sin and evil. However, once we’ve decided to live by the Spirit – remember it is a positive decision we must make – our lives are not as torn apart as before because the Spirit enables us, give us the strength and guidance to walk a more righteous path. 

And we’ll end with some encouraging and uplifting words from Bruh Paul to the Roman church, as he talks to them about freedom from sin’s power. ‘Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof. 

Neither yield (present) ye your members as instruments (weapons) of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield (present) yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments (weapons) of righteousness unto God. For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace.’ (Rom.6:12-14) 

Yes my people, it’s all grace; the grace of our wonderful and merciful God! Without His grace, we’d be long ago completely destroyed, without not even a remnant left. So be very thankful for His grace. 

Now here are a couple of explanations from the scholars on those verses. ‘6:12. Let not (lit. “stop letting”). The believer is to stop letting sin have mastery over his life.’ ‘6:13. Neither yield ye (lit. “stop presenting”). In the day-to-day confrontations with sin, stop giving in. But yield (lit. “present yourselves”). Paul calls for a determined commitment.’ 

And friends, a determined commitment is exactly what is needed from us when and if we decide to follow Jesus Christ. Without that strong sense of committal our walk of faith will not be successful, for Jesus desires total involvement and obligation. 

So let’s ponder all that we’ve said today, see where we are lacking, then sincerely ask the Lord to help us improve. He will NEVER deny such a request. Much LOVE!

…to walk in the Spirit…is to walk in the footsteps of Jesus…