Proverbs 1:5. A wise man will hear, and will increase learning; and a man of understanding shall attain unto (inquire of) wise counsels.
Prologue: Yes, we late, but that is okay, because the ole fella soul’s fired up! Yes! A friend, no doubt through the Lord’s mysterious movement, just sent me a remix of an old time chutney soca song, one of my favourites, in Gospel fashion…and people it was so sweet, I just had to listen to it a couple times, although we was done late, before I could start writing the Bit. So just bear with the ole fella nuh, put up li’l bit with his foibles and idiosyncrasies. (smile) So here we go:
Well Labour Day done now mih people! That means all the summer holidays and them finish too. It’s only the business of the cold weather months to look forward to now. And talking about that, the other day I read somewhere about where somebody was asking this rather interesting question: Are there going to be any Halloween celebrations this year? Well that’s a mighty good question!
And although the answer should be a most decisive ‘NO!’ with the serious virus problem we have, I’d venture to say that yuh going to see foolish parents either venture out in the dark night with their children, or send them out to beg for candy and other sweet treats, then forbid them to eat it, and they hide and eat it anyway. The whole blooming witch tinged; devil-oriented thing should be banned in the first place! It’s just a dentist’s dream! They salivate about future work when they hear talk about Halloween!
What a foolish and double-minded society we are eh! We keep drumming in the poor children’s ears the negativity involved in eating a lot of sugary stuff, then spend a setta money to dress them up in goblin and other dark world costumes and then send them out in the night to beg for sweet stuff. Hn! And they vex to boot if you don’t have none to give them! Steups!
Yeh friends, just like yesterday, where it apparently had people out on the Eastern Parkway in Brooklyn, New York, playing mas… or rather playing the…the yuh know what – the rear end! Yes, in the same New York where the Corona virus itself was just recently making mas amongst the population! Ah Lord eh! And just so it going to have people going out for Halloween. Ah wonder though if they going to have on masks like some of the people on the Parkway yesterday eh?
But then ah wonder too, if them flimsy mask could withstand the heat and the sweat and the jumping up and shoving and pulling for any length of time, especially in a big crowd of people jam up close together with everybody shouting and singing? Remember it only takes one mask to drop down, one person to talk or exhale, and one person to inhale for the virus to run every which way but gone!
Like they recently had some wedding in Maine, in the U.S, and like somebody who had the virus was there, everybody was mask-less most likely, and they eventually traced that it spread to some six or seven other places just from that one wedding. It included a nursing home, a jail, even the pastor who officiated at the wedding, fool that he was, caught it and took it back to his own congregation. What a crazy world we live in eh Doctor Jack!
But what the ole fella know eh? Not a blooming thing! He just like to bat him gums and talk… (smile) So leh we stop him from talking now nuh, and just hear the truth, and nothing but the truth – the Word of the Lord! And though ah chuckling here friends, this whole thing is serious business, but we, with we carnival and free for all mentality not taking it seriously at all. We not seeing how easy it is for the virus to spread and that all the places who escaped it early on because of the quick lockdown, now getting it when they open back up too fast and don’t obey the safety practices.
Chuh! We more concerned about we freedom of choice, we constitutional rights and all them rights we supposedly have…but not caring enough about the most fundamental one – the right to end in the grave if we not wise. Please, please, my fellow saints in Christ, let us remember the wise words of Cousin Sol nuh. ‘Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding. Exalt her, and she shall promote thee: she shall bring thee to honour, when thou dost embrace her. She shall give to (place on) thine head an ornament of grace: a crown of glory shall she deliver to thee.’ (Prov. 4:7-9)
And remember where wisdom comes from? James tells us: ‘If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not (without reproach). But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering (without doubting). For he that wavereth (doubts) is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed.’ (James 1:5-6) So to obtain wisdom we have to go to God in absolute trust and faith.
But here’s this interesting explanation from the scholars. ‘1:5. This verse is not a blanket promise of wisdom for any situation. In the context of life’s trials, it probably speaks of the believer being granted (1) wisdom as to the reason for his trials and (2) wisdom to endure them.’ But anyhow yuh take it friends, wisdom is of God! You can’t get it unless you have some sincere interaction with Him.
And as Cousin Sol reiterates: ‘A wise man will hear, and will increase learning; and a man of understanding shall attain unto (inquire of) wise counsels.’ (Prov. 1:5) Yes, wisdom begins with an attitude that is willing to hear, and then learn from what one hears. And it all begins with God: hearing His Word and being obedient to it.
As the psalmist so wisely advises in Psalm 2 – Why do the heathen rage – ‘Be wise now therefore, O ye kings: be instructed, ye judges of the earth. Serve the Lord with fear (reverence) and rejoice with trembling. Kiss the Son ( an act of homage and submission), lest he be angry, and ye perish from the way, when his wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all they that put their trust in Him.’ (Ps. 2:10-12)
And right there is where I believe we have fallen down my brethren: the majority of us haven’t served the Lord; haven’t submitted ourselves completely to Him and paid Him the homage He’s due, thus He’s angry. So the number one answer to our problems is to reverse that unwise decision and come before Him with sincere homage and thanksgiving. And for those of us who are trying to walk that straight and narrow road that leads to Christ and eternal life, let’s go home now declaring (yeahhh!) our Tuesday Mantra, letting the whole world know who and whose we are.
In strong and sincere voice: ‘In God’s eyes, I’m not what I do. I’m not what I have. I’m not what people say about me. I am the beloved of God, that’s who I am. No one can take that from me. I don’t have to worry. I don’t have to hurry. I can trust my friend Jesus and share His LOVE with the world. Amen!’
So what we waiting for eh? Let’s start sharing that marvellous LOVE and friendship right now nuh! Much LOVE!
…man’s supposed wisdom leads us astray…but true wisdom from God…shows us the right way…
SCRIP-BITS 