Psalm 39:1. I said, I will take heed to my ways, that I sin not with my tongue: I will keep my mouth with a bridle, while the wicked is before me.
Well Friends, it’s another day in the life… And all God’s people shouted a joyful, ‘Thank You Lord!’ Yes my brethren, we must be very thankful for the breath of life the Lord has seen fit to continue in our mortal bodies today, because it means that He still has a purpose for us to carry out here on earth. Some of us may not know what it is He desires of us, but if we ask Him with a humble heart and sincere motive, He will guide us to it. I can say that with authority because writing the Scrip-Bit wasn’t what I had imagined as my calling, though writing has always been a dream of mine. I have all sorts of worldly stuff I had planned on publishing, but then the Lord stepped in with the Scrip-Bit idea. And take it from me Friends, when the Lord says jump, or move, it’s best to just say ‘How high or how far Lord?’ Because if we try to fight His calling, we’ll only make things more difficult for ourselves. Now I haven’t given up on the dreams He’s put in my heart, but He’s made it very obvious that the Scrip-Bit is the priority right now. Oh my brethren, when I think back on how the Lord astutely manoeuvred me out of the other things in which I was involved, till I made the Bit my priority, I just have to chuckle. But putting myself in His hands was possibly the best decision I’ve ever made, for with His awesome help, I’ve come a long way from where I started. That’s why I can say with strong conviction that if the Lord asks you to do something in His Name, then He WILL enable you to do it. It won’t always be easy, but remember with Him, NOTHING is impossible! That brings us to our Bit: ‘ I said, I will take heed to my ways, that I sin not with my tongue: I will keep (restrain) my mouth with a bridle, while the wicked is before me.’ Now most of us have a problem with bridling our tongues, and yesterday we saw how the new social media apparatus was making it even worse, by becoming too important in our mundane lives, with too many people suffering negative feed back through their lax and continually being lowered standards of talking and texting. That reminds me of a cartoon called Family Circus, I saw in the newspaper yesterday. In it, the four or five young children with musical instruments in their hands are beseeching their father to get his video-cam to shoot them, so that they can go viral. Ah Lord eh! That is the stated aim of most people in the social media framework; to go viral. The more hits you get, that supposedly makes you and whatever you uploaded important. Chuh! Our world has become so dumb and disgusting now that many of the things that supposedly go viral just boggle the imagination, at least mine. Unfortunately my Scrip-Bit Blog hasn’t gone viral, so I guess that means we’re not important in the greater scheme of things. But to some people it is important, and that suffices. If it makes a good difference to only one person everyday, then I’m happy, although I’d sure like to make a difference to many more – and even go viral. (smile) But enough of that now, let’s get some scripture that will help us in bridling our tongues. And we have a very good example of how to behave in Job’s conversation with his wife, when the Lord allowed calamity to be rained down on him by Lucifer. ‘Then said his wife unto him, Dost thou still retain thine integrity? curse God, and die. But he said unto her, Thou speakest as one of the foolish women speaketh. What? shall we receive (accept) good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive evil (accept calamity)? In all of this did Job not sin with his lips.’ (Job 2:9-10) Ah mih people, how many of us would have been so smart eh? Not too many I believe, especially in suddenly moving from great wealth, and good family to abject poverty, no family and sickness for no apparent reason. Most of us would have been making a big fuss, cursing everybody and everything, including God, thinking Him unfaithful to His promises and our righteousness. Hear how the scholars explain those verses. ‘Job’s wife suggested that Job do what Satan had predicted: curse God. After all she had been through, it is no wonder she was ready to give up all hope. But Job recognized that both good and evil come from God’s hand, though one by His active will and the other by His permissive will. God can permit evil things to happen for good ends (cf. Gen.50:19-20). In all this did Job not sin is proof enough that Satan was wrong and was sorely defeated. Satan does not appear again in the book.’ Yes Friends, that’s the way to defeat Lucifer and stay in God’s good books. And just to remind us of the importance of controlling our tongues and our texting, let’s hear from James, as he continues his lecture on that small but very powerful and disruptive organ. ‘For every kind of beasts, and of birds, and of serpents, and of things in the sea, is tamed, and hath been tamed of mankind: But the tongue can no man tame; it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison. Therewith bless we God, even the Father; and therewith curse we men, which are made after the similitude (likeness) of God. Out of the same mouth proceedeth blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not so to be.’ (James 3:7-10) And all God’s people declared a loud and prayerful ‘Amen!’ Oh my people, we need to operate with a sense of wisdom and righteousness that teaches us first to listen and understand before we run off at the mouth, as too many of us are wont to do. And until we learn to better control our tongues and consequently our writing fingers, by first seeking God’s wisdom, we’ll be forever held in Lucifer’s evil grasp, which is certainly something we don’t want to happen. So let’s rise to this difficult challenge like true believers nuh, and in the process, make Jesus proud of us. Much LOVE!…and now Lord, what wait I for…my hope is in thee… (Ps.39:7)
SCRIP-BITS 