Acts 1:5. For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence.
Oh Friends, it’s a new day and we’re still alive and kicking! Wow! Praise the Lord! Now here’s an interesting prayer to start our days, taken from Dr. Robert H Schuller’s Daily Devotional, attributed to Norman Grub (1895-1993) an American missionary, statesman, writer and theological teacher. It says: ‘Good morning Christ. I LOVE You! What are you up to today? I want to be part of it! Thank You God. Amen!’ Isn’t that nice Friends; simple and straightforward? For sure! I believe that’s the kind of prayer the Lord truly appreciates, because though it’s so short and simple, it still fulfills all the necessities. It glorifies Him with LOVE; is humble, yet confident, and displays a whole lot of enthusiasm and preparedness to do whatever Jesus desires. Oh my people, are we displaying those properties in our prayers to our ever-LOVING God? I sure hope so. Now let’s continue looking at the wonderful workings of the Holy Spirit, beginning with the heart warming promise of Jesus in our Bit: ‘For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence.’ And even more compelling and heart warming was the fulfillment of that promise on the Day of Pentecost! Now today, I want to share two Old Testament examples of the Spirit being used on particular individuals, and also a couple more instances where the Lord promised it. And the first of those instances of the Holy Spirit on man that we want to share comes from the very important prophet Isaiah. In Chapter 61, where he’s bringing good tidings of salvation to Zion, he confidently declares: ‘The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me; because the Lord hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek (poor); he hath sent me to bind up (heal) the broken-hearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound.’ (Is.61:1) And the Spirit of God obviously had to be on him, especially in those olden times, for him to do such mighty deeds! Now hear Ezekiel after the Lord commissioned him to be a prophet: ‘So the spirit lifted me up, and took me away, and I went in bitterness, in the heat (anger) of my spirit; but the hand of the Lord was strong upon me.’ (Ezek. 3:14) But nuh must Friends! The Lord’s hand is strong upon all whom His Spirit indwells! Ezekiel, like Jeremiah, had a hard time accepting God’s commission, but as always, the Lord’s will prevailed. Please my people, when the Lord comes a calling on us to perform some particular work in His Holy Name, please, let’s not fight it, for we will only cause ourselves unnecessary trouble, grief and heartache, since the Lord will eventually prevail. And I can testify to that from personal experience, for when He approached me about writing the Bit, like Sara, I laughed. But here I am some six years later, writing it with pleasure. Yes Friends, when the Lord says jump, it’s best to ask right away, how high Lord? That’s because the longer you delay and complain, the higher you’ll eventually have to jump. Now here are two more instances from the Old Testament where the Lord promised to send His Spirit upon His people. Yesterday we heard from Joel (Joel 2:28-29) today, let’s listen first to Isaiah declare that the Spirit of God would be in Israel: ‘Thus saith the Lord that made thee, and formed thee from the womb, which will help thee; Fear not, O Jacob, my servant; and thou, Jesurun, whom I have chosen. For I will pour water upon him that is thirsty, and floods upon the dry ground: I will pour my spirit upon thy seed, and my blessing upon thine offspring: And they shall spring up as among the grass, as willows by the water courses.’ (Is.44:2-4) Then Ezekiel proudly proclaims in his promise of restoration and renewal of Israel: ‘And I will give them one heart, and I will put a new spirit within you (them); and I will take the stony heart out of their flesh, and will give them a heart of flesh: That they may walk in my statutes, and keep mine ordinances (judgements), and do them: and they shall be my people, and I will be their God.’ (Ezek.11:19-20) Ah Friends, yuh see how our wise and mighty God works! Each prophet that arose in Israel, though they brought some sad tidings, they always brought that faithful and everlasting promise of rebirth, of restoration, reconciliation and salvation from the God of their forefathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. And note too, how it all dovetailed smoothly and was fulfilled by the coming of Jesus. That was God’s plan from day one! So in light of all those promises and their fulfillment in the earthly pilgrimage and person of Jesus, how can we ever doubt the authenticity and truth of the Good Book eh? Oh Friends, I’ll leave us to ponder that today, and also strongly advise us to get in touch, in close relationship with the Holy Spirit of Christ which indwells us, for He’s there to lead and guide us. However, since He’s not the pushy, aggressive type, if we don’t consciously seek Him out and ask for His wise and godly advice, then follow it, we’ll surely get lost on the highway to hell, taunted by, and falling for Lucifer’s evil wiles and lies. And we definitely don’t want that to happen! So please cozy up to the Holy Spirit today. It’s wisdom at it’s finest. Much LOVE! …we cannot stay on the straight and narrow path…without the Holy Spirit’s help… P.S. The Bit was late, partially because my young daughter called me on the phone this morning and had me gabbing instead of writing. (smile)
Today’s Scrip-Bit 30 May 2012 Acts 1:5
30 May 2012 Leave a comment
in Inspirational Living Tags: a new day, alive and kicking, close relationship, holy spirit, humility, Pentecost, pour out my Spirit, preparedness to do God's will, rebirth, reconciliation, restoration, start with prayer
Today’s Scrip-Bit 29 May 2012 Acts 1:5
29 May 2012 Leave a comment
in Inspirational Living Tags: baptism with the Holy Spirit, bounden duty, concrete jungle, excitment, holy spirit, lead and guide, passion for Jesus, Pentecost, prophesy, prophetic promise, workings of the Spirit
Acts 1:5. For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence.
Oh Friends, the ole fella’s a bit messed up this morning, both in body and mind, but thankfully all’s well with my basic soul! (smile) My messed up self was caused by having to go into Toronto yesterday on one of the hottest days on record, thirty some degrees. And sadly, my once beloved T.O. is daily becoming a true example of a concrete jungle. All over the city humongous towers of concrete and steel are rising up, to capture the condo market, which doesn’t seem to be slowing down, at exorbitant prices too. The poor already find it difficult to live in the crowded city, soon it will be impossible. This only makes for even more traffic jams, which I unfortunately got caught in on my way home. But you would have been proud of me; I kept my cool, although my right knee and ankle began aching from all the stop and go, brake and gas pedal movement, I listened to some tunes and finally got home about seventy five minutes after I hit the highway, which normally would only have taken about thirty minutes. Then last night my sleep wasn’t the greatest, and this morning my sinuses are acting up some. But all praise to the Good Lord Jehovah and the amazing power of His Holy Spirit, I’m still excited about the Word and the awesome workings of that Spirit which we’ll continue to talk about today! Let’s hope I can put some meaningful stuff together. But then why not, since one of the jobs of the Spirit is to lead and guide the Lord’s people in all activities. So Holy Spirit, I humbly ask You now to move in my lowly spirit, enlighten and enable me to write encouraging truth, so that all who read it will be encouraged in the faith and trust of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen! And what better way to start off than by sharing the wonderful promise of Christ enshrined in our Bit: ‘For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence.’ And we saw that promise faithfully fulfilled on the miraculous Day of Pentecost, some fifty days after Jesus spoke it! Now since the Holy Spirit is like the worker bee in the Trinity, it’s very important that we understand what it’s all about, so I’ll attempt to give us a brief history and explanation of its workings. And the best way to begin seems to be by an explanation of how the Spirit worked before Pentecost. Hear the scholars: ‘Before Pentecost the Holy Spirit’s work had been (1) from without (‘Spirit came upon’); (2) temporary; and (3) exceptional. After Pentecost the Spirit’s work is (1) from within (He indwells – John 7:37-39; 14:17; 1 Cor. 6:19; 1 John 3:24; 4:13); (2) permanent (Rom. 8:9); and (3) normal, involving all (1 Cor.12:12) Under the Old (Mosaic) Covenant, God’s work with Israel had been external, but under the New Covenant, it is internal (Ezek. 36:26-27; Heb.8:9-10) All that simply means Friends, that before Pentecost not everybody was infused with the Holy Spirit. One either had to be exceptionally godly, like the prophets, or chosen to perform some specific task(s) which called for spiritual power. Please read all those scriptures given by the scholars, so that you can become better acquainted with the Spirit’s workings. However, after Pentecost, the Spirit was endowed upon every individual believer in Christ. It then became a universal adjunct to all followers, infusing each and everyone with Christ’s Spirit as He had promised. That brings us to a part of Peter’s great speech on Pentecost, where he quotes the prophet Joel, who prophetically promised the eventual outpouring on all believers. ‘And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions: And also upon the (men) servants and upon the handmaids (maid servants) in those days will I pour out my spirit.’ (Joel 2:28-29) And as all the promises of God, that one was faithfully fulfilled on the Day of Pentecost! Oh Friends, I just can’t help reminding us of what a generous and LOVING God we serve and worship! And all God’s people cried with a joyful voice: ‘Praise the Lord God of Israel, for His wonderful dealings with the undeserving children of men!’ And we’ll close with another prophetic promise re the Holy Spirit. This one from John the Baptist: ‘I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance: but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire.’ (Matt.3:11) Yes mih people, let’s get excited about Jesus, let the passion for Him burn brightly in our daily lives through the workings of His Spirit, so that others can see Him just shining out of us and come to know and LOVE Him as we do. That’s our bounden duty. More on this tomorrow, if we’re alive and kicking. Till then please, let’s get and keep in touch with the Holy Spirit and let Him lead and guide us as He is supposed to. Much LOVE!…through His Holy Spirit…is Christ manifested in our lives… P.S. Better late than never, and hope it makes sense. (smile)
Today’s Scrip-Bit 24 May 2012 Isaiah 42:1
24 May 2012 Leave a comment
in Inspirational Living Tags: faith, Gentiles, good health, holy spirit, humility, messiah jesus christ, new mercies and blessings, old testament prophets, precious blood, servant, unconditional LOVE
Top o’ the morning to all you godly Friends and neighbours in Jesus Christ! I sure hope this missive reaches you all in good health and wealth. And if perchance it doesn’t, then when you read it, you will be buoyed by the good news it brings, and the Holy Spirit of our Lord and Saviour Jesus will course through your mind, body and soul to bring healing and cleansing. This is my prayer for all of us this beautiful Thursday morning, as new mercies and blessings rain down from heaven through the exceptional grace and unconditional LOVE of our Creator, Provider and Holy God. Now, without further ado, let’s turn to our Bit; one of the most powerful and prophetic prophesies (smile) found in the Good Book. ‘Behold my servant, whom I uphold; mine elect (my chosen one), in whom my soul delighteth; I have put my spirit upon him: he shall bring forth judgement (justice) to the Gentiles.’ Yes Friends, it’s all about Jesus; His coming to earth to save our sinful souls. Listen to the scholars’ take on it. ‘My servant is identified here as a person rather than a personification of the nation of Israel. With all the traits of King, Prophet, and High Priest. He is none other than the Messiah, Jesus Christ Himself. He is also called mine elect (bechiri; set apart for a definite purpose) and the One in whom I have put my spirit. The New Testament quotes this prophecy as being fulfilled in the Lord Jesus Christ (Matt.12:8-21) The ministry of the Servant of the Lord will be to bring forth judgement (or justice) to the Gentiles and in the earth. His kingdom knows no barriers of nationality or race. Of all the Old Testament prophets, Isaiah saw this fact the most clearly. While Jesus’ early ministry was to the house of Israel, His ultimate commission extended to the Gentiles as well.’ What a truly wonderful God we serve my people! It boggles my mind when I think of how His LOVE for us was so great that He sacrificed the holy, sinless life of His only Son to bring redemption and reconciliation to our worthless, sinful souls. And all God’s people raised their voices heavenward in a mighty shout of joy, praise and gratitude: ‘Oh thank You heavenly Father! Thank You for sending your Son Jesus to shed His precious blood as a sacrifice, so that our sin debt could be pain in full! We praise You, and bless Your Holy Name! Amen!’ Ah mih people, the story of Jesus, Holy God, coming to earth and doing what He did, is the most awesome and amazing one ever told and also fulfilled. Wow! And Jesus was the sure personification of that prophecy, as Matthew 12:17 declares: ‘That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying…’ And Matthew goes on to quote Isaiah 42:1-4, 49:3, as evidence for the fulfillment of the prophecy. (Matt.12:18-21) Now let’s touch on the first important point in our Bit: ‘Behold my servant…’ Yes Friends, that word ‘servant’ is ever so important in our Christian faith, because that’s the way Jesus came a calling; as a humble servant. ‘And whosoever will be chief (first) among you, let him be your servant: Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto (served), but to minister (serve), and to give his life a ransom for many.’ (Matt.20:27-28) That definitely means, my fellow believers, that we should ALL have that spirit of servanthood in us, if we’re true believers! And if we don’t, then our faith is false, it’s not a true reflection of the character of Jesus. Now let’s close with this definitive statement on the matter from Bruh Paul to the Philippians: ‘Let this mind be in you, (keep thinking this, constantly maintain this attitude) which was also in Christ Jesus: Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God (didn’t assume God-like qualities); But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: And being found in fashion (appearance) as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.’ (Phil.2:5-8) Friends, oh Friends, it’s that kind of humility which our world so sadly lacks and so badly needs today! Instead of everybody wanting to be el numero uno, the first, the most powerful and popular, and sitting at the highest seat, let’s bring back the true spirit of Jesus nuh, where He desires to see us graciously and humbly serving each other, not always jockeying for the top spot. That way others will truly see His wonderful character shining out from us like the bright Morning Star which He so avidly personifies, and will come to LOVE and serve Him just as much as we do. Oh my brethren, that’s how we should be winning souls for Jesus! More on this tomorrow, the Lord willing. Till then, please let’s come down off of our high horses and walk the humble walk of Jesus. Much LOVE!…without the attributes of humility and servanthood…no man can be a true believer in Jesus…
Today’s Scrip-Bit 15 May 2012 Acts 10:38
15 May 2012 Leave a comment
in Inspirational Living Tags: anointing, baptism, branches, doing good, fatigue, Gentiles, God with us, holy spirit, home sweet home, jesus of nazareth, leadership, my beloved son, old broom, power, revelations, vine, wherever you lay your head
Acts 10:38. How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him.
Ah Friends, we back, back home to our cluttered basement office, in our medium sized house in the north country. (smile) No more balconies in little mansions atop high hills, with cool breezes and lush gardens to titivate the senses. Now it’s books, papers, pictures and all kinds of other stuff surrounding me. But yuh know what? It’s HOME! And I’m comfortable, like the old broom that knows all the corners. It also fits me like a hand in glove because it’s of my making. As the elderly limo driver that brought me home from the airport last night so wisely noted: ‘That’s why it’s called HOME SWEET HOME!’ And that’s the living truth mih people! Be it ever so humble or ever so grand, wherever your heart and soul are comfortable, wherever you lay your head most nights of the year, that’s HOME! One more thing mih people; please don’t expect any extraordinary revelations or words of untoward wisdom from me today, since the ole fella’s in somewhat rough shape. I had to go back to the airport at 2.30 this morning to meet the Duchess, so I didn’t get to bed until the wee hours. In fact I had to put in a most heroic effort to get up just now because I didn’t want any more complaints about the Bit arriving later and later. Hn, hn! Yuh see the sacrifices your ole father makes for you, mih big daughter! (smile) The caffeine hasn’t kicked in yet either. Instead I burned my mouth with the very first sip. And the strange thing about vacations is that when you get back, you’re as tired as ever. You went away to rest and relax, but you usually return home even more fatigued than when you left, and you now need some time to recover from the holiday. I can testify to that right now. But what a way we ‘funnicurious’ eh! But the worst part is all the stuff that’s piled up for you to do in the few days you’ve been away; the snail and e-mail, the bills, the phone calls… Chuh! This 21st century life too busy yes! Anyway, enough of my preamble, let’s see what our Bit has to say. And it’s the same one as yesterday: ‘How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him.’ Those my Friends, were the truthful, factual words of Peter, when he preached to the amazingly receptive Gentiles at the house of Cornelius the centurion in Caesarea, explaining to them in a clear and concise manner how the whole scenario of Jesus, the gospel, salvation and eternal life came about. Yesterday we jumped the gun and looked at the middle section, how Jesus went about doing good and healing the sick and oppressed because it suited my immediate purpose. Today we’ll look at the first part: ‘How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power:’ Oh Friends, we all know of that great moment in time when Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist in the river Jordan: ‘And straightway coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens opened (torn open), and the Spirit like a dove descending upon him: And there came a voice from heaven saying, Thou art my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.’ (Mark 1:10-11) That was effectively the beginning of Jesus’ public ministry, where the Holy Spirit of His heavenly Father empowered Him to do the Father’s will. Without it, He would not have been able to do all those wonderful, miraculous things He did. Likewise Friends, without the marvellous Spirit of Jesus constantly coursing through our bodies and souls, we are unable to do much of anything. As Jesus so clearly stated to His disciples: ‘I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.’ (John 15:5) And that’s the gospel truth Friends! Without the empowering Spirit of our Saviour flowing through us, we’re helpless! Unfortunately though, a lot of believers either don’t know, understand or accept this fundamental, foundational truth of the Christian life. And it’s of the utmost importance that we know, understand and accept it, because just like Jesus was relatively powerless without His Father’s Spirit, we can’t do anything without the Spirit of Jesus. It’s therefore very critical to our well-being my brethren that we allow the Spirit of Jesus, which comes to dwell in us when we believe in Him, to lead and guide us on our earthly pilgrimage. We have to consistently listen to and be led by it. And not only when it suits our individual purpose, but even more so when it doesn’t fit into our personal agenda. I’m chuckling as I realize that my writing this Bit right now is a very good example of that, because I certainly didn’t want to get up when I did, but the Lord woke me up when He thought it was time. Now though I could have gone back to bed, most likely I would have just tossed and turned because of my reluctance to follow the Spirit’s lead. As I keep saying Friends, working for Jesus is not a bed of roses, but it’s always interesting and adventuresome, and above all else, He ALWAYS empowers us to do whatever He asks of us. My writing this Bit this morning is a perfect example of that. Judging from the way I felt when I began, I never expected to write such a coherent Bit, but as I went along, the ideas began to flow in an exceedingly helpful manner. Do you think that was my brilliance? Definitely not, since my brain was all fuzzy with tiredness and sleep! So Friends, in closing, I just want to exhort, encourage, admonish, whatever the word that best conveys the extreme importance of living in harmony with the Spirit for all believers. That’s because the Spirit of Jesus is the true mover and shaker in the lives of all His followers, and without our submission to it, our faith is essentially useless. Consequently my brethren, please let our relationship with the Spirit of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ be the significant thought we ponder on today. More on this tomorrow, if Almighty God so favours. Till then, please walk safely, peacefully and LOVINGLY with Him and all those with whom we come into contact. Much LOVE!…the only way to truly fathom Jesus…is through the working of His Spirit which dwells in us… P.S. Hopefully it won’t be as late now that I’m back home daughter. (smile) Much LOVE!
Today’s Scrip-Bit 1 May 2012 Galatians 5:22-23
01 May 2012 Leave a comment
in Inspirational Living Tags: character of Christ, feudal times, fruit of the Spirit, galatians 5 22, gospel truth, holy spirit, inherit God's kingdom, Jesus is everything, pagan celebration, tender hearts
Galatians 5:22-23. But the fruit of the Spirit is LOVE, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.
Mayday, Mayday, Mayday! Yes Friends, it’s May Day, the first of May already. Imagine that nuh! The year’s really moving along at a fast clip, though the first sentence doesn’t refer to the month of May, but an ice-hockey player, Brad May, who scored a winning goal for the Buffalo Sabres some years ago, and the announcer got so excited that that was his call. May 1st is a day of celebration all over the world, with Maypole dancing and such. It seems to have originated from a pagan celebration. But it is also an important day in the Labour field, called International Workers Day, with marches and such, commemorating and celebrating some of the hard fought victories won by dedicated workers and unions against a rigid, greedy, inhumane employer class in the last century. Unfortunately though, a lot of those rights and the power of workers are now being systematically eroded by governments and employers, trying to take us back to feudal times. Oh my people, we can’t afford to let that happen! Our world is already in a serious recession, many call it a depression, but whatever it is, we can’t afford to sink any lower. And as you well know it’s always the poor, the suffering, the ordinary workingman who suffers the most, bears the brunt of misfortune in those desperate and trying times. We all have to stand up as best we can and fight again, keep on fighting for those benefits so many fought and died for, because the employers are getting greedier and more inhumane and selfish, if that’s possible. They keep on paying themselves huge, unwarranted sums while cutting back the wages and benefits of the ordinary man, or simply laying him off, all in the name of the most important capitalist principle; boosting the bottom line. However Friends, there is one person who can help us in all our trials and tribulations; His name is Jesus, before whom all heads and knees will eventually bow. So don’t worry too much about the wicked, they will get their comeuppance in due time. Now here’s the last quote from the book, My Jesus is…Everything, by Anne Graham Lotz. It says: ‘Jesus – the only One – makes: God visible And change possible And happiness attainable And resources ample And suffering understandable And sin forgivable And heaven available! My Jesus is…EVERYTHING!’ And we all know that as gospel truth Friends, like money in the bank, so let’s take it to heart nuh and put it into action, the way Jesus desires, for truly He is the only way that we can inherit God’s kingdom. And our Bit tells us exactly what attributes we need to successfully walk with Jesus: ‘But the fruit of the Spirit is LOVE, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness (kindness), goodness, faith (faithfulness), Meekness, temperance (self-control): against such there is no law.’ But before delving into them individually, let’s get a general overview from the scholars: ‘In contrast to the works (plural) of the flesh, which any individual is capable of performing, the fruit (singular) of the Holy Spirit can be produced only by God. Christian character thus results from ‘Christ living in me.’ For this fruit to develop, all nine aspects of the fruit of the Spirit must mature. Illustration: The character of Christ is the fullest manifestation of this fruit in the New Testament. Though Jesus did not recognize the traditions of men, His enemies were unable to prove any charge against Him. Application: So today Christians should allow the Holy Spirit to develop this character within them, so they might be blameless before others and not hinder the testimony of Christ.’ And we’ll end with two scriptural references the scholars point out, both from Exodus, when the Israelites were about to build God’s tabernacle. ‘And Moses said unto the children of Israel, See, the Lord hath called by name Bezaleel the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah; And he hath filled him with the spirit of God, in wisdom, in understanding, and in knowledge, and in all manner of workmanship…And he hath put in his heart that he may teach, both he, and Aholiab, the son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan Them hath he filled with wisdom of heart, to work all manner of work….’ (Ex.35:30-31, 34-35) ‘And Moses called Bezaleel and Aholiab, and every wise-hearted man, in whose heart the Lord had put wisdom, even every one whose heart stirred (lifted) him up to come unto the work to do it.’ (Ex.36:2) Yes Friends, the Holy Spirit, can, and will do wonders within us, if we’ll only allow it to. So let’s pray and ask the Father for tender, malleable hearts that will listen and bear plenty, beautiful fruits of His Holy Spirit. More on this tomorrow, if we wake up alive. (smile) Sadly Friends, many of us are only alive in body, but certifiable dead in spirit. Much LOVE!…being saved is fine…but then we need to show it…by our works…by our actions…by the fruit of our spirit…
Today’s Scrip-Bit 29 January 2012 Psalm 89:1
29 Jan 2012 Leave a comment
in Inspirational Living Tags: bright morning sun, holy spirit, lord god, obstinacy, psalm 89
Psalm 89:1. I will sing of the mercies of the Lord for ever: with my mouth will I make known thy faithfulness to all generations.
Oh Friends, it’s a new day! Praise the Lord! I’m still caught in the grip of the cold, but thankfully I can see signs of the bright morning sun coming up over the horizon, and I know deep down that like everything else in this world, this cold too shall pass, because the Lord God Jehovah promised it. In the meanwhile though it’s making my life somewhat miserable, just like Lucifer and his evil cronies try to make our lives everyday. But with that same obstinacy and determination we use against things like the common cold, we have to keep on fighting the evil in this world, until Jesus comes again and eliminates it all. I have to chuckle here when I consider how the Holy Spirit has me using the same cold that’s causing me grief, as a metaphor for evil. Only our Lord God could weave some form of suffering into some form of righteousness. Oh Friends, please praise His Holy name! And remember that the number one rule in a believer’s life should be to NEVER GIVE UP! Yes, regardless of how bad things might seem, once we’re alive, there is always hope. And looking back over my own life, I can see several instances where things were real bad, in more than one area too, but though my faith was not as strong and mature as it is now, something inside just kept me plodding on. I had no idea what was going to happen, whether things would right themselves or just fall apart. But yuh know what, though several of those situations caused tempestuous times and occurrences in my life, each situation eventually worked itself out to a better than expected ending. Much of it was my fault for doing wrong and unwise stuff. But I understand now that in a sense, it was God putting me through my paces, to see what I was made of, if I could stand my bounce. But that’s one thing I’m proud of Friends; I always take my lumps whenever I mess up. And though I didn’t understand all the ramifications at the time, I nonetheless kept trying to do what was right, while hanging on to whatever glimmer of hope I could find. Sometimes though Friends, there was no glimmer of hope, but I still never gave up. And though my life is still far from perfect, the Lord, in His great and wonderful mercy, has touched my life with a peace and contentment I never imagined possible. As I keep saying, during the last two years the Lord has opened my eyes so much that now everyday I stand in awe and wonder of His amazing LOVE! Through all my sickness and the unexpected death of my mother, I experienced such a feeling of peace and calm that even I was quite surprised by it. But it didn’t happen by magic or miracles, and it wasn’t very easy either. I first had to sincerely believe that the Lord was in control and knew what He was doing, and as He promised, always makes a way where there seems to be none, and in the long run always works things out for the good of those who LOVE and revere Him. And don’t think I didn’t cry out to the Lord, loud and often, cause I certainly did, when the pain, both physical and emotional, wracked my body and soul. But the good thing my people is that the Lord always answered me in some form and fashion; either by easing the pain or giving me the strength to bear it. If nothing else, the years 2010 and 2011 saw my faith blossom and mature, soar to greater heights than I ever expected or thought possible. I guess the lesson here is that we can listen to others tell us all about God, His goodness, mercy, LOVE, forgiveness and otherwise, but until we go through the fire, where He actually and seriously begins to mould us into the image of His perfect Son Jesus, we can never fully understand or appreciate the true value and benefit of a strong, secure and everlasting faith in Almighty God. Ah Friends, regardless of what you might hear or see, please believe that our God is a great and wonderful God, who stands faithfully behind all those who truly believe in and try their best to follow Him. He knows that we’re imperfect, because He made us, but as He faithfully promised, He’ll never leave nor forsake those who come to Him in humble prayer, with hurting heart and seeking spirit. And it’s very sad that so many people in our troubled world don’t know the LOVE and friendship that Jesus provides, and His great desire to ease their burdens. But that’s our job my brethren. Our duty is to spread the good news of Jesus and His LOVE all over the world, as He announced in His great commission to us. ‘Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world.’ (Matt.28:19-20) And that’s the everlasting truth Friends! So let’s energize ourselves this year of 2012 and seriously and diligently concentrate on carrying out that commission nuh. Oh my people, I’m chuckling here because this is one of those Bits where I had nothing planned. I got an intro, then the words just kept flowing from my pen and my heart. I guess the Holy Spirit decided that today we needed a testimony on faith from me. And yuh know what, I like these spontaneous, from the heart Bits. Anyhow, enough talk, lemme go and find an appropriate scripture to head this up. (smile) Soon Come. I’m back people, less than two minutes later. Who says our God isn’t a good God eh! And we’ll end with our Bit, from Psalm 89, a Maschil (contemplation) of Ethan the Ezrahite, talking about God’s sure mercies to Bruh David. And it gloriously proclaims: ‘I will sing of the mercies of the Lord for ever: with my mouth will I make known thy faithfulness to all generations.’ Please Friends, let’s do that today and everyday that we’re alive, for it’s God’s desire. Much LOVE!…it’s of the utmost importance for us believers…to LOVE our God…LIVE our Faith…and SPREAD His Word…so that others can also believe…
SCRIP-BITS 