Jeremiah 4:1. If thou wilt return, O Israel, saith the Lord, return unto me; and if thou wilt put away thine abominations out of my sight, then shalt thou not remove (be shaken or removed).
Oh Friends, the ole fella’s shaking it a tad rough this Saturday morning, suffering from insufficient sleep; too many extra curricular activities. (smile) But like the mail, the Bit must go out. And with God’s help, it will. And all believers declared a loud and thankful, ‘Praise the Lord!’ But Friends, do you realize that it’s already the middle of March? The month will be soon be over, though it feels like it’s just begun. Whether the days are truly flying faster, or it’s just our imagination, our perception, we certainly don’t have time to waste on frivolous, unimportant activities, for the signs of impending disaster are all around us. As Jesus calls them; ‘the beginning of sorrows.’ (Matt.24:8) It’s not the end yet, but more like the beginning of the end, with the fulfillment of all the signs He warned us about: false prophets, wars and rumours of wars, nation against nation, pestilence, and earthquakes in various places. (Matt.24:5-7) That means we believers have to get ourselves truly together, as soon as possible, and come out fighting the evil that has contaminated and taken over our world. Consequently, there’s no time to lose in responding positively to our Bit. ‘If thou wilt return, O Israel, saith the Lord, return unto me; and if thou wilt put away thine abominations out of my sight, then shalt thou not remove (be shaken or removed).’ Oh my people, the Lord offered that glorious opportunity to Israel to repent and come back to Him long ago, and He’s offering us that same opportunity today. Instead of removing Him from our schools, public places and homes, we need to be putting Him back there and thus getting more acquainted with Him. And it seems likely, from the sign of the times, that we may not have another opportunity to accept that most wonderful and generous offer. Now how do we show acceptance of that offer? Jeremiah enlightens us: ‘And thou shalt swear, The Lord liveth, in truth, in judgement (justice), and in righteousness; and the nations shall bless themselves in him, and in him shall they glory. For thus saith the Lord to the men of Judah and Jerusalem, Break up your fallow (untilled) ground, and sow not among thorns. Circumcise yourselves to the Lord, and take away the foreskins of your heart, ye men of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem: lest my fury come forth like fire, and burn that none can quench it, because of the evil of your doings.’ (Jer.4:2-4) Now let’s hear the scholars’ opinion on all that. ‘These verses conclude the message begun at 3:6 (Israel and Judah entreated to repent) by using literary figures drawn from Israel’s daily experiences. From agriculture comes the admonition to weed out totally their present practices and break up their fallow ground, and then sow the new seeds of spiritual fruitfulness for God. Repentance and a broken heart must precede renewed spiritual vitality. The second figure comes from religious ceremony. Mere outward conformity to the standards of the covenant were insufficient. (cf. Gen.17:10-14; Deut. 10:16, 30:6; Josh.5:2-7; Rom. 2:28-29; 4:9-25)’ Please check out those scriptures my people, so we can get a better understanding of the matter. But yuh know Friends, unfortunately, all the foregoing definitely applies to our current society! We have to be truly serious about God and do the things necessary to return to Him, not pay mere lip service and conform outwardly. And believe me, our doings these days are truly, truly evil, though we try to gloss it over and give the impression that everything’s hunky dory. But Friends, judging from what Jesus said about the signs of the end, it is not! Not by a long stretch of the imagination! ‘Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted (tribulation), and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name’s sake. And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another. And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many. And because iniquity (lawlessness) shall abound, the LOVE of many shall wax (grow) cold.’ (Matt.24:9-12) Oh my brethren, all those things are happening today in ever greater numbers. Trials and tribulations of Christians are rampant all over the world. Betrayals, lack of trust and hatred have taken on new dimensions. False prophets are out there too in ever increasing numbers, deceiving many, unwary, naive souls. And don’t even talk about lawlessness, because it’s increasing by leaps and bounds everyday in our supposed lawful society! The growing crime, violence, disregard for the law and resultant fear is shaking our society to its very roots. And LOVE… what is that eh? The true emotion no longer exists, just like Jesus said. We’re now such a cold, and hardhearted people that we see can see our neighbours suffering dire want, but we can calmly turn our heads and walk away, pass by on the other side without a qualm, just like the religious hypocrites in the Good Samaritan story. But that’s not right Friends. It’s also not the way of Jesus, not the Christian way. However, fortunately, and thankfully, there is a way to counter most of this negativity. For while there is life, there’s always hope, hope in Almighty God. But we have to do as Jeremiah says in our Bit, and also as Joel advises. ‘Therefore also now, saith the Lord, turn ye even to me with all your heart, and with fasting, and with weeping, and with mourning. And rend (tear) your heart, and not your garments, and turn (return) unto the Lord your God: for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great (LOVING-) kindness, and repenteth him of the evil (relents from doing harm).’ (Joel 2:12-13) Yes my brethren, it is possible to do some worthwhile reclamation, if we repent of our wicked, sinful ways and sincerely return to serving and worshipping the ONE TRUE GOD, He of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. But it has to be soon, and also on a fairly worldwide basis, or else, further disaster will continue striking us. And that’s certainly not a nice scenario to envision. So Friends, let’s wake up and see the fire, smell the smoke and rotting carcases and get a serious push on Jesus’ agenda, the LOVE Revolution, ASAP. Much LOVE!…as they say…a word to the wise…is sufficient…
Today’s Scrip-Bit 16 March 2013 Jeremiah 4:1
16 Mar 2013 Leave a comment
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living Tags: abominations, beginning of sorrows, betrayals, christianity, crime, disregard for law, earthquakes, fallow ground, false prophets, fire, glorious opportunity, hardhearted people, heart, impending disaster, justice, lack of trust, lawlessness, LOVE, naive souls, outward conformity, pestilence, religious ceremony, repentance, return to God, righteousness., rumours of war, spiritual fruitfulness, spiritual vitality, tribulation, violence, war
Today’s Scrip-Bit 11 March 2013 Hebrews 12:1
11 Mar 2013 Leave a comment
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: blessings, cloud of witnesses, confidence, disobedience, endurance, enthusiasm, families, God of action, God's glorious kingdom, holy spirit, intensity, jobs, justice, labour time, lies, life's race, living God, Monday Morning, mysterious manner, obedience, perseverance, practice, punishment, put aside sin, race set before us, rejuvenation of spirit, religion, responsibilities, righteousness., run with patience, spiritual armour, spirituality, steadfast faith, sure conquerors, theology, things of earth, things of heaven, vitality, wiles
Hebrews 12:1. Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us.
Oh Friends, it’s Monday! Time to rise and shine and get ourselves ready to go out and labour! Time to joyfully shout,’TGIM! Thank God it’s Monday!’ the same way we shout ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday!’ I know that’s not happening right now, but somehow in the near future I’m convinced it’s going to happen, because then we’ll all really become true believers and enthusiastically do what needs to be done to fight for Jesus and His most worthwhile cause. And yuh know, in that mysterious manner of our great God, yesterday morning I heard a song on the radio that I think speaks to our problem. The singer first tells us how Jesus left His heavenly home, where the living was easy, came to earth, was abused and mistreated by us humans, then sacrificed His sinless life on the cross at Calvary, was risen, and ascended into heaven to prepare a place so that you and I can go to spend eternity with Him. Then the vocalist poses this most interesting question: ‘What else do you want Jesus to do?’ And the question caused me to ponder it for a moment, cause surprisingly I’ve never really heard it put that way before. But my Friends, if we seriously consider the question, then we’ll be forced to truthfully conclude that the answer is nothing else. That’s because there’s nothing else for Him to truly do! He’s done His part in our covenant, over and above too, but now it’s up to us to do ours. And that’s basically our problem today; we lead a fairly easy and comfortable life and we don’t want to get up off of our fat rear ends and do what we ought to do. But yet we still expect to receive all the goodies that God’s promised. I’m sorry my people, but it doesn’t work so with our God of supreme justice and righteousness. He LOVES us a million fold, but He will not put up with our laziness and/or procrastination. Remember, obedience brings blessings, but disobedience entails punishment! So please, let’s band our bellies nuh, and stand up strong and steadfast and do our parts, and stop disappointing Jesus with our half-hearted, lacklustre, often hypocritical efforts. And the first move in that direction is to sing our Monday Morning Battle Hymn with amazing enthusiasm and sincerity. As one great choir now, let’s rock heaven and earth: ‘Oh Lord God Almighty, Creator of the universe and all therein! We, your humble servants, praise your Holy Name and thank you that this Monday morning we have jobs to go to; jobs we don’t like, jobs that are unfair, difficult and even dangerous, but which serve a useful purpose here on earth; keeping lives and families together. We also thank you Father for the renewed vitality and enthusiasm you’ve wrought in our weary souls over the last two days. It’s that rejuvenation of Spirit which allows us now to sally forth with confidence into the evil, ungodly world that surrounds us, to begin a new week of work, constantly buffeted and bombarded by the enemy’s wicked taunts, wiles and lies. But heavenly Father, we’re not afraid, for we know we’re invincible, sure conquerors, once we’re wearing your powerful, protective spiritual armour. We surrender our all to you, and humbly ask that you let your incredible aura of LOVE, the Holy Spirit, lead and guide all your servants as we go out to meet the enemy in battle. Fill us with steadfast faith, so that we can make worthwhile inroads into the enemy’s ranks, and thereby further your glorious kingdom. We pray this in the Holy Name of your Son, and our Saviour, Jesus Christ. AMEN!’ Now that wasn’t bad, but still not as good as it ought to be. Interestingly enough though, a semblance of a smile crossed Jesus’ face, as He looked at the Father with a positive nod, indicating some improvement over last week’s rendition. (smile) That brings us to our Bit, wise advice from the author of Hebrews to all believers. ‘Wherefore seeing (since) we also are compassed about with (surrounded by) so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset (ensnares) us, and let us run with patience (perseverance, endurance) the race that is set before us.’ And how do we do that? By ‘Looking unto Jesus the author (originator) and finisher (perfector) of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.’ (Heb.12:2) And the scholars tell us that ‘Just as verse 1 establishes some qualities for the entrance into and the actual running of life’s race, so verse 2 directs one’s eyes to the finish line. Jesus is the author and finisher in that He has already blazed the trail and finished the course.’ So my brethren, it’s not like we have to blaze a completely new trail with our Christian living, because Jesus has already done that. All we have to do now is follow His lead, which unfortunately is proving extremely difficult for too many of us. And you know that Jesus didn’t have it easy, and warned that His followers wouldn’t have it easy either; ‘but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.’ (John 16:33) And since we now have the belly and backbone of Jesus through the indwelling of His Holy Spirit, we therefore have the ability to run that race set before us with good strength, endurance and perseverance. But like anything else, to improve, we need to practice and train seriously. And Friends, that’s where we’re falling down; we’re not practising and training with enough intensity and seriousness, as though we really want to run this race and win it. But here’s the first step we all need to take, as Bruh Paul so wisely tells the newly minted Colossian Christians. ‘If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affection (mind) on things above, not on things on the earth.’ (Col.3:1-2) Yes my brethren, we have to put our minds to things like developing a deeper knowledge and understanding of Jesus, and thus a closer relationship with Him, developing godly virtues and putting them into action, and fulfilling our responsibilities both at home and abroad, because as I keep reminding us, our God is a living God, a God of action, and to be like Him, we must also be action oriented. So let’s get some serious action going nuh. Much LOVE!…stand up, stand up for Jesus…the trumpet call obey…till every foe is vanquished…and Christ is Lord indeed…
Today’s Scrip-Bit 24 February 2013 Psalm 5:9
24 Feb 2013 Leave a comment
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: bitterness, choke hold, christianity, cursing, destruction, faithfulness, fallen creation, forgiveness, generosity, God's faithfulness, heartaches, heavenly hosts, human condition, justice, loving, mercy, misery, mornng by morning, Most High God, new mercies, pain, praise and thanksgiving, religion, sadness, saviour jesus christ, sincerity, spirituality, tears, testimony, trust, truth, worship
Psalm 5:9. For there is no faithfulness in their mouth; their inward part is very wickedness; their throat is an open sepulchre; they flatter with their tongue.
And yet another glorious day in the life begins my Friends, so let’s start it with some thanks and praise nuh. Let’s sing a verse of the old hymn that could probably be called ‘Old Faithful’ because it’s been around for a long time and whenever we sing it, it also regenerates our faith in the faithfulness and trustworthiness of our Wonderful God. Sing with me: ‘Great is thy faithfulness, Lord unto me. Morning by morning new mercies I see. All that I needed, thy hand hath provided. Great is thy faithfulness, Lord unto me.’ And isn’t that the awesome truth my fellow believers! We can all attest to the faithfulness of God in our lives; in the past, the present, and if we continue clinging to Him, also in the future. He’s just that kind of LOVING, trusting, generous and merciful God to all those who serve and worship Him in truth and sincerity. And all God’s people loudly and joyously declared: ‘All praise and thanksgiving be unto the Lord God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, who made the earth, heavens, and all therein, and who controls it with LOVE, mercy, justice and forgiveness! Oh Lord, we your humble servants truly LOVE You, and this Sunday morning we bless and praise Your Most Holy Name! Amen.’ Oh Friends, did you see the big smiles on the faces of our heavenly Father and our Saviour, Jesus Christ as those heartfelt prayers reached up to heaven? Even the heavenly hosts were smiling and adding their own ‘Praise the Lord! For He is good and merciful and forgiving!’ Ah mih bredden, if there could only be such smiles and happiness down here on earth, instead of the many frowns, heartaches, sadness, tears and pain that currently envelop our world, that have us in an ever tightening choke hold. But I guess that’s the price we have to pay for being a fallen creation. And sadly, we’re not helping the situation by consciously steering our lives to the sinful side of our nature, instead of the righteous and godly side. We all have that pocket in our souls permanently reserved for our Maker, which nothing or no one else can fill, but unless we consciously venture to fill it with Him, our lives will end up a total mess. And if you don’t believe me, just take a look around at our society with so many people hurting and searching for relief from their many sorrows. Unfortunately though, they are searching in the wrong places, heading in the wrong direction. They’re turning to manmade aids; drugs, booze, shrinks etc, which are not helping, but making them worse, increasing their pain and sorrows. Ah Friends, there’s only one antidote for the human state, one prescription to ease his pain and suffering: that’s Almighty God, his Maker and Controller! And until we realize that and turn back to Him in droves, just like we’ve turned away in droves, the human state will remain one of exceedingly vile, evil, ungodly conditions. Tragic loss, pain and ‘sufferation’ will continue to be his unenviable lot. That brings us to our very appropriate Bit: ‘For there is no faithfulness (uprightness) in their mouth; their inward part is very wickedness (destruction); their throat is an open sepulchre (tomb); they flatter with their tongue.’ And isn’t that the undeniable truth about the state of our society my fellow believers? It sure is! Now let me share a testimony of our Lord’s delightful faithfulness. When I began writing today, I had no clue what I was going to write about. I had not even opened the Good Book to look for a Bit. I just had the verse of the ‘Old Faithful’ Hymn written on a piece of paper, and contrary to my usual method of writing, where I do a rough copy on paper first, I just began writing on the computer and the words and ideas just flowed, so I continued, until I got to the unenviable lot of humans. Then I began chuckling, asked the Lord to guide me to an appropriate Bit, and opened my Bible. And, lo and behold, according to His great faithfulness, I found one in less than five minutes. Just goes to show Friends, that if we genuinely seek our God, we’ll find Him, and He will answer our prayers, especially where it pertains to His Word. Now let’s turn to some thought provoking scripture to corroborate our contentions. This comes from Bruh Paul’s writing to the Romans. ‘There is none righteous, No, not one: There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God. They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one. Their throat is an open sepulchre (grave); with their tongues they have used deceit; the poison of asps is under their lips: Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness: Their feet are swift to shed blood: Destruction and misery are in their ways: And the way of peace have they not known: There is no fear of God before their eyes.’ (Rom.3″10-18) Oh Friends, doesn’t that describe our world to a T? It certainly does. Bruh Paul uses his vast knowledge of the scriptures, using various bits and pieces to highlight our insufficiency and sad, degenerate state. Listen to the scholars comment on that passage. ‘Paul quotes scripture to prove universal guilt. Scripture, not Paul, is the judge. See Psalm 5:9; 10:7; 14:1-3; 140:3; Isaiah 59:7-8’ Those are some of the scriptures Bruh Paul uses in that very revealing section of Romans. And rather appropriately, just as we began, we’ll end with a glowing testimony from Isaiah on the Lord’s faithfulness. ‘O Lord, thou art my God; I will exalt thee, I will praise thy name; for thou hast done wonderful things; thy counsels of old are faithfulness and truth.’ (Is.25:1) And that’s the gospel truth my brethren! So let’s go out now and do as that great prophet just said; praise and exalt the name of the Most High God Jehovah, for it is right and meet so to do. Much LOVE!…only in the faithfulness of our heavenly Father…can man put absolute trust…
Today’s Scrip-Bit 13 February 2013 Luke 6:9
13 Feb 2013 Leave a comment
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: Christian walk, controversy, do evil, Easter, eternal life, fasting, glory hallelujah, introspection, judging by appearances, justice, lawful to heal, Lent, LOVE, meditation, peace, prayer, principles, resurrection, righteous judgement, Sabbath Day, Sabbath made for man, Sacrifical Lamb, salvation, stand up for right, time of reflection
Luke 6:9. Then Jesus said unto them, I will ask you one thing: Is it lawful on the sabbath days to do good, or to do evil? to save life, or to destroy it?
Today’s Scrip-Bit 17 November 2012 Psalm 119:130
17 Nov 2012 Leave a comment
in Inspirational Living Tags: devastating troubles, drudgery, enlightened minds, fall from grace, hope, Jesus, justice, loving kindness, obedience, opened eyes of faith, read and understand the Word, rejoicing hearts, righteousness., Saturday's child, serve and worship, sin debt, The God of second chances, the Holy Spirit, truth, work for a living
Psalm 119:130. The entrance of thy words giveth light; it giveth understanding unto the simple.
Oh Friends, are you a Saturday child, were you born on a Saturday? Then unfortunately, according to our nursery rhyme, you have to work hard for a living. (smile) But don’t feel badly, because most of mankind also have to work hard for a living. It’s all part and parcel of our forefathers’ fall from grace. However, through the LOVING-kindness of our wonderful God, the sacrificed life of His Son, Jesus, and His Holy Spirit living in us, we’ve been granted some respite from the terrible drudgery and devastating troubles of this earthly life. And all God’s children gave a mighty shout of joy: ‘Oh thank You Father for sending Jesus to die on the cross to pay our sin debt in full! Thank You for giving us the Holy Spirit to lead and guide us in all righteousness! We praise and glorify Your Holy Name today and forever more!’ Yes Friends, we do serve and worship an awesome God! I don’t know when some of us will wake up and truly understand and believe that nuh. I sincerely hope that it won’t be too late for anyone. But it’s also comforting to know that once there’s breath flowing through our mortal coil, it’s NEVER too late, because the Most High is the God of second chances – even third, fourth and fifth. The problem though is that unless we read, understand and obey His dictates, we’re just wasting His time and ours. Why is that eh? Because as the psalmist so gloriously declares in our Bit: ‘The entrance of thy words giveth light; it giveth understanding unto the simple.’ And isn’t that the undisputed truth, my fellow believers! For without God’s Word deeply embedded in our hearts and minds, we won’t be able to live the way He desires us to. Bruh David say it thus in Psalm 19, the creation and covenant of God. ‘The statutes of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart: the commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes.’ (Ps.19:8) Yes my people, when we read the scriptures, our hearts rejoice, our minds are enlightened, our eyes of faith are opened, causing us to develop discernment and focus. Now listen to how Cousin Sol, in his great wisdom, describes God’s Word in Proverbs. ‘For the commandment is a lamp; and the law is light; and reproofs of instruction are the way of life.’ (Prov.6:23) Oh Friends, the Lord’s dictates are ever so enlightening and guiding, because without them residing and resounding in our souls, we’d be totally lost in the utter darkness of this world, created by Lucifer and his evil minions! That’s why earlier on in this section warning against adultery, Cousin Sol says that we should not forsake the teachings of our parents, which should be the Word of God, but to ‘Bind them continually upon thine heart (and mind), and tie them about thy neck. When thou goest, it shall lead thee; when thou sleepest, it shall keep thee; and when thou awakest, it shall talk with thee.’ (Prov.6:21-22) Ah mih breddren, I couldn’t have said it any better! (smile) And what’s so great about God’s Word entering and taking up a sure reign in our souls is that it gives understanding even to the simple. That means Friends, you don’t have to be gifted with lots of natural intelligence to understand the word. Even a simpleton can, if he is prepared to read and meditate on it, for the Lord will gladly lead and guide him in his endeavour to learn and follow His dictates. And Bruh David verifies that by saying: ‘The law of the Lord is perfect, converting (restoring) the soul: the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple.’ (Ps.19:7) Meanwhile, Cousin Sol describes one of the purposes of the Proverbs thus: ‘To give subtilty (prudence) to the simple, to the young man knowledge and discretion.’ (Prov.1:4) The scholars explain that verse this way. ‘The simple are naive young people open to any influence, among the chief addressees in the book. Knowledge means the apprehension of reality, including an experiential knowledge of God. Discretion refers to the power of formulating and carrying out the right measures.’ That’s the beauty of learning God’s commands my people! They enable us to live as good and pure and righteous a life as we can on this sinful, ungodly earth. And we’ll let the psalmist take us home, as he praises the Lord for His care towards us. ‘The works of his hands are verity (truth) and judgement (justice); all his commandments are sure. They stand fast for ever and ever, and are done in truth and uprightness. He sent redemption unto his people: he hath commanded his covenant for ever: holy and reverend is his name. The fear of the Lord (an awe filled reverence toward the Lord) is the beginning of wisdom: a good understanding have all they that do his commandments: his praise endureth for ever.’ (Ps.111:7-10) And all God’s people responded with a loud, thankful, ‘Hallelujah! Amen.’ We responded that way because it’s gospel truth Friends, which means that to restore some of the godliness our world has recently lost, we have to buckle down and seriously read the Word, so that we can understand it, and live the way it says we should. That’s the ultimate in wisdom my people! Therefore, let’s concentrate on becoming somewhat wiser than we are right now nuh. Much LOVE!…a true believer…must first know the Lord’s commands…then follow them as closely as possible…
Today’s Scrip-Bit 8 November 2012 John 3:36
08 Nov 2012 Leave a comment
in Inspirational Living Tags: anger, believe in Jesus, Christians, darkness, eternal life, eternal separation from God, holiness, justice, light, living bread, natural disasters, reconciliation, resentment, revenge, suppression of truth, truth, ungodliness
John 3:36. He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.
Oh Friends, the ole fella’s in somewhat of a sad state this cold, autumn morning because I heard about a real tragic situation last night, one that could have been prevented if some of the participants had acted as true Christian adults. Apparently the whole situation developed because of anger, resentment and a desire for revenge. But Friends, as the large black letters on a white background of paper, taped to the side of my filing cabinet so rightly says: ‘Anger slays the simple – And Resentment kills the fool.’ And that’s gospel my people! Consequently, that’s why Bruh Paul so fervently warns: ‘Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath: Neither give place (an opportunity) to the devil.’ (Eph.4:26-27) Our anger should not go to bed with us. We ought to get rid of it as quickly as possible, because holding on to it causes us to make wrong decisions, which gives Lucifer all kinds of opportunities to invade our souls and lay his evil eggs therein. These eggs can then stay and hatch into resentment and bitterness that just sours our souls and drives us away from the peaceful, LOVING arms of Almighty God. And that’s something we don’t ever want to do. I just hope and pray, that our kind and merciful God can comfort those involved in this unfortunate tragedy, in their time of grief and heartache. And that’s not all Friends, we have plenty more praying to do, for more natural disasters have struck on this side of the world. An earthquake of 6.3 magnitude occurred off Vancouver Island on Canada’s West Coast a couple days ago. Shocks were felt fairly far away, but thankfully no sizeable damage seems to have happened. But in Guatemala, an earthquake of 7.4 magnitude occurred yesterday, killing some 48 people so far. Then to make a bad situation even worse, it seems like a nor’easter storm blew over New York and New Jersey yesterday, bringing strong winds, rain and wet snow. That just plunged many people back into darkness and misery after Sandy’s terrible onslaught last week. Ah Friends, our God certainly seems to be telling us something. And that something might just be involved with our Bit: ‘He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.’ Yes my people, He’s warning us to heed His call to conviction and repentance. This seems to be the only avenue left open to us, since we’ve tried everything else that we can in our own power, and it’s just not working. Yesterday we saw where Jesus solemnly declared that he had come to earth to save those who would believe in Him, and that those who didn’t believe were already condemned to eternal separation from the Father. He also stated that mankind LOVED darkness because their deeds were evil, and did not want those deeds exposed to the light that He brought. (John 3:16-21) And that’s the living truth my brethren! It couldn’t be any simpler Friends; you either believe in Jesus and live in the light, or don’t , and perish in the darkness. Now listen to Jesus again on the subject. ‘Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life. I am that bread of life. Your fathers did eat manna in the wilderness, and are dead. This is the bread which cometh down from heaven, that a man may eat thereof and not die. I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.’ (John 6:47-51) Oh my people, the Creator of the universe is still in control of His creation, and ALWAYS will be. So why are we so adamant and insistent on rebelling against His dictates eh, especially when we have no real power to control our own lives or circumstances? Look at Hurricane Sandy and all the other natural disasters that seem to be happening one after the other, we have no power whatsoever to stop or control any of them. And yet we foolishly refuse to bow to the great I AM. Oh my brethren, all these disasters are meant to be wake up calls for us, and we’re ignoring them at our own peril. No wonder John declares at the end of our Bit, that those who don’t believe in Jesus shall not see eternal life, but the wrath of God will fall upon them. Now hear Bruh Paul tell it to the church at Rome. ‘For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold (suppress) the truth in unrighteousness. Because that which may be known of God is manifest (evident) in (among) them; for God hath shown it unto them.’ (Rom.1:18-19) Yes Friends, God has shown it to us, but we obstinately refuse to believe and follow it. Listen to the scholars on that scripture. ‘In order to express His nature (holiness, truth and justice), God must punish sin. Since sin personally offends God, no one should be surprised that sin makes God angry. To deny His anger is to reject the necessity of Christ’s reconciling work on the cross. God’s wrath is revealed both in nature and in the Scriptures. Illustration: The rage that today is vented against sin will someday be completely unleashed in hell against those who refuse to accept the satisfaction (propitiation) that Christ made on the cross for sin. Application: Since this propitiation by Christ suffices for the whole world, there is no reason anyone should spend eternity in hell unless he voluntarily rejects God’s truth. (First Ref. Gen.49:7; Primary Ref; Rom.1:18: cf. John 14:2)’ That tells the tale like it truly is my Friends. Now it’s up to us, individually, to either accept or reject it. Note though, the repercussions of either avenue. The smart money would be on accepting it. Much LOVE!…he who refuses to hear…shall surely feel…and feel plenty too…
Today’s Scrip-Bit 20 September 2012 Proverbs 12:10
20 Sep 2012 Leave a comment
in Inspirational Living Tags: accidents, advantageous employers, cruelty, directives, faithfulness, justice, kindness, labourer, mercies, oppression, refurbish, remuneration, replenish, sickness
Proverbs 12:10. A righteous man regardeth the life of his beast: but the tender mercies of the wicked are cruel.
Today’s Scrip-Bit 18 September 2012 3 John 4
18 Sep 2012 Leave a comment
in Inspirational Living Tags: compassion, disappointment, discouragement, eternal life, faith, forgiveness, glory, good news, gospel, honour, justice, LOVE, mercy, peace, power, salvation, steadfastness, thick skin, truth, understanding, winning, wisdom
3 John 4. I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth.
And a blessed good morning to all you beautiful people out there in Scrip-Bit Land! It’s supposed to be cool and rainy in my neck of the woods today, (it’s already raining) but that’s of no importance. Why, you ask? Because just like neither sleet nor snow stops the mail delivery, so nothing stops the followers of Jesus on their earthly mission to spread the good news of the gospel to all and sundry. And what’s the good news? The peace, LOVE, mercy, forgiveness, compassion, truth, justice, wisdom, understanding, salvation and eternal life that’s found in Jesus and His humble but ever so powerful way! And all God’s people shouted a joyous: ‘Glory Hallelujah!’ But the truth of the matter my Friends is that it’s not always easy to follow in Jesus’ path, for Lucifer and his evil minions have made believers the number one target of their wicked and ungodly fiery darts. Today though, I have a few words to share from the Hour of Power Devotional by Robert H. Schuller which will help us in repelling Lucifer and his evil works. The words are: ‘If you will learn how to be disappointed without being discouraged, you need never be defeated.’ What an awesome truth Friends! And when I read them today, a flashlight just went off in my brain, and I knew I had to share them. It’s a simple but powerful strategy, for what’s the first thing or thought we embrace when we experience disappointment? It’s discouragement, oftimes laced with a strong desire to just give up, to let it all go to waste. But my people, that’s the wrong attitude to adopt, for disappointment doesn’t always mean failure or defeat, and if we truly learn to endure disappointment without it making us want to throw away all our hard work, then we’re winning. Believers need to have what the old people called ‘a thick skin.’ That means not letting unimportant things get us down or all worked up. I’m learning that with writing this Scrip-Bit, because not everybody agrees with or like what I write. And believe you me, supposed believers can be the nastiest critics when they’re ready. However, please remember that giving up on Jesus is NOT an option in a believer’s playbook! Those words don’t exist in Jesus’ vocabulary, which means we have to stand strong and steadfast regardless of what or who comes against us. That’s why John so happily declared in our Bit: ‘I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth.’ He was exceedingly happy to hear that his buddy Gaius was standing strong and true in the faith. And he also expresses that joy in his second epistle, where he begins thus: ‘The elder unto the elect (chosen) lady and her children; whom I LOVE in the truth; and not I only, but also they that have known the truth. For the truth’s sake, which dwelleth (abides) in us, and shall be with us for ever.’ (2 John 1-2) Now the ‘elder’ there is John himself, and according to the scholars, the ‘elect (chosen) lady’ could either mean a personal friend and her family or a local church. Now, re the truth John speaks of, it will be helpful to have some explanation from the scholars. They declare that: ‘To LOVE in the truth means (1) truly, really to LOVE, and (2) to LOVE in a fashion consonant with the Christian meaning of that word. The truth which John and others have known is a combination of factual knowledge regarding the Word of God and personal knowledge of Jesus Christ.’ Also, ‘John LOVES his readers for the truth’s sake or “because of the truth,” which likely has reference to the personal presence of Christ (John 14:6) The cardinal fruit of the Spirit of Christ is LOVE (Gal..5:22)’ Then a couple verses later, John states: ‘I rejoiced greatly that I found (some) of thy children walking in truth, as we have received a commandment from the Father.’ (2 John 4) Listen to the scholars here again: ‘Walking is a Jewish idiom for “living.” John is saying that we should “live by the truth,” or in accordance with God’s revealed word and will.’ That’s gospel my brethren! How else can we live for God if we don’t live by His Word and His Will eh? It’s just like living in any group, be it two or more; certain rules and regulations must be laid down and followed, if there is to be harmony and not anarchy in the group. Likewise if there’s to be harmony amongst the followers of Jesus, then we all need to live in close agreement and joyful practice of His dictates. And not to be outdone, when Bruh Paul couldn’t go to visit the Thessalonians, he also told them of his happiness at their steadfastness in the faith. ‘For what is our hope, or joy, or crown of rejoicing? Are not even ye in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at his coming? For ye are our glory and joy.’ (1 Thess.2:19-20) Yes my brethren, all believers should be filled with unspeakable joy when they hear of others walking steadfastly in the LIGHT and LOVE of Jesus, for that’s what this life is all about. And what better way to end than with the words of Jesus. When Pilate asked Him if He was a king, Jesus answered: ‘Thou sayest (rightly) that I am a king. To this end was I born, and for this cause came I into the world, that I should bear witness unto the truth. Every one that is of the truth, heareth my voice.’ (John 18:37) End of story Friends! So now, if we have indeed heard Jesus’ voice, then let’s go out and sincerely and energetically live that truth nuh! Much LOVE!…to truly LOVE Jesus…we must walk steadfastly in His way…just like He walked steadfastly in His Father’s…
Today’s Scrip-Bit 12 September 2012 2 Samuel 23.3
12 Sep 2012 Leave a comment
in Inspirational Living Tags: blessings, bureaucracy, commandments, cooperation, corruption, fallen nature, God's glorious kingdom, heartfelt thanks, Jesus, justice, laws, mercy, praise to God, reign, righteousness., truth, unchanging, wise advice
2 Samuel 23:3. The God of Israel said, the Rock of Israel spake to me, He that ruleth over men must be just, ruling in the fear of God.
Oh Friends, another beautiful day is in the offing! Let’s give our most wonderful God some praise for that nuh. ‘Oh Lord, you are so generous and merciful to your often ungrateful earthly children. However, today, we give You much heartfelt thanks and praise for favouring us with the breath of life and allowing us to see, for at lest one more day, all the wonders of creation that You have designed and made for our enjoyment. We also offer thanks for the many other blessings that You have prepared to shower us with today. We LOVE You Lord, and ask that You help us to walk worthy of You down here on this wicked, ungodly earth, furthering your glorious kingdom as we go. All this we pray in the Holy Name of Your Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, who shed His precious blood at Calvary, so that we could once more be connected to You, and enjoy your everlasting mercies. Amen!’ Ah mih people, the ole fella got carried away there, because there’s so much to thank our ever-LOVING God for! I’m not sure though how many of us realize how truly lucky… no not lucky, but truly blessed we are to be living the comparatively good life that we currently enjoy. We’re living better than approximately 90 % of the world. But do we even know that? And if we do, do we give sufficient thanks for our blessed situations? Remember Bruh Paul’s wise and timely advice to the Ephesians: ‘Giving thanks ALWAYS for ALL things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.’ (Eph.5:20) I do believe though, that if more of us would give more thanks, more often, our world would improve quite a lot. So Friends, let’s try and improve our giving of thanks nuh, so that our world would become a much better place, and thus raise up brethren who can, and will comply with our Bit. ‘The God of Israel said, the Rock of Israel spake to me, He that ruleth over men must be just, ruling in the fear of God.’ Now yesterday we looked at some scripture that dealt with the meaning of the term ‘Rock’ in our faith, and saw that it was basically a description of a stable, unchanging, powerful Deity, who, amongst other things, offers His followers peace, rest, safety and eternal salvation. And we also noted that the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob was the ONLY ONE in possession of such amazing attributes. Today, let’s look at the second part of our Bit; ‘He that ruleth over men must be just, ruling in the fear of God.’ Hn! It will certainly be difficult to find that kind of ruler in this day and age yes Friends! But unfortunately it’s exactly the kind of leader’s we need to try and bring some semblance of balance and righteousness to our very unbalanced, very disturbed, troubled and ungodly world. And the sad part is that when such leaders rise up, the evil minions of Lucifer do their very best to beat and/or keep them down, while the righteous mostly sit around and wring their hands in anxiety, but don’t do too much to help. Ah mih breddren, be it known that a leader is only as good as the people he leads. That’s why the saying ‘people get the leaders they deserve’ is oh so true. Look at Moses; one of the greatest leaders of all time. He was doing his very best to lead some two million people through the wilderness, but do you think they would cooperate with him, even after seeing all the miracles their God had performed in their favour? No sir! They just kept on grumbling and complaining about every little inconvenience. Shades of us nowadays eh! The stress and strain of leading that rebellious and disobedient people were certainly taking a toll on Moses until his father-in law, Jethro, gave him some wise and wonderful advice. ‘Thou wilt surely wear away, both thou and this people that is with thee: for this thing is too heavy (much) for thee; thou art not able to perform it thyself alone. Hearken now unto my voice, I will give thee counsel (advice), and God shall be with thee: Be thou for the people to Godward, that thou mayest bring the causes unto God: And thou shalt teach them ordinances and laws, and shalt show them the way wherein they must walk, and the work that they must do. Moreover thou shalt provide out of all the people able men, such as fear God, men of truth, hating covetousness; and place such over them to be rulers of thousands, and rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens: And let them judge the people at all seasons: and it shall be, that every great matter they shall bring unto thee, but every small matter they shall judge: so shall it be easier for thyself, and they shall bear the burden with thee.’ (Ex.18:18-22) Sure words of wisdom my brethren! However, in today’s society it sets up too many levels of authority, which only lead to unwieldy bureaucracy, and is a sure breeding ground for all kinds of corruption. But it’s still the best way for men to rule, for one man cannot do it all, and do it properly too, regardless of how just, righteous and reverential he is. I guess it will just have to continue like that until the righteous reign of the branch of Jesse is entrenched. Please read Isaiah 11: 1-5 for that, as we don’t have time nor space to include it. Yes Friends, when Jesus finally comes to reign over His followers in a world without sin and evil, then there’ll be need for only ONE Ruler! Please, let’s think on that today, and let it guide us as we go along our righteous way. Much LOVE!…when men rule over men…there will always be problems…because of our fallen nature…
Today’s Scrip-Bit 17 August 2012 Ecclesiastes 9:11
17 Aug 2012 Leave a comment
in Inspirational Living Tags: busy, enthusiasm, frantic pace, Friday chant, God's kingdom, justice, life, loving kindness, multi-tasking, passion, rat-race, righteousness., sincerity, smell the roses, stress, TGIF!, Thank God it's Friday, the race is not for the swift
Ecclesiastes 9:11. I returned, and saw under the sun, that the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, neither yet bread to the wise, nor yet riches to men of understanding, nor yet favour to men of skill: but time and chance happeneth to them all.
Oh Friends, it’s Friday, and I hear you calling out in delirious pleasure: ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday! And I have another little gem to share today. (smile) But before we do that, let’s chant our Friday Chant with as much enthusiasm and sincerity as we can muster. ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through another week of work! It hasn’t been easy, but with your generous help, I made it through. Now, please help me to get sufficient fun, fellowship, rest and relaxation in these two short days off, so that I can be renewed and refreshed in soul, body and mind, to go back out and do it all over again next week, furthering your glorious kingdom with each step I take. I pray this in Jesus name. Amen.’ And having tried to put the weekend in its proper perspective, let me share that wonderful gem. Yesterday I bought some Chinese food and in the fortune cookie I found this saying: ‘It’s okay to slow down and smell the roses.’ Well Friends, I must say that’s the God-given truth! And most of know it, but we still refuse to live up to it. Instead we engage in the rat-race we so nicely term the busy life. Oh Friends, if we don’t slow down every so often, sometimes even stop completely, and take stock of what’s really and truly going on around us, we’re going to go crazy, both literally and figuratively. Believe it my people, man was not made to live at the frantic pace we’re currently living at. This non-stop, continuously go, go pace the powers that be are trying to force on us is NO GOOD! It has very negative effects on us, physically, mentally and emotionally. Just consider the high incidence of stress amongst even the young people of our society, who have grown up with this fast lifestyle. They are dropping off and out like flies at a much too tender age because they can’t keep up with the torrid pace the world’s setting. So you can imagine what’s happening to the older folks who are not accustomed to that stressful lifestyle. All this multi-tasking and doing several jobs, just to keep up, is slowly but surely killing us. It’s normal now to claim that we’re so busy, we don’t have time for our friends, families, God or ourselves. What are we so busy doing eh? And what do we have time for then my people? No wonder Cousin Sol, in his experimenting, discovered that wisdom was much better than strength. Listen to him declare it in our Bit: ‘I returned, and saw under the sun, that the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, neither yet bread to the wise, nor yet riches to men of understanding, nor yet favour to men of skill: but time and chance happeneth to them all.’ And that’s an indisputable fact Friends! So whether we’re fast, strong, rich or skilful, there’s no guarantee we’ll survive and/ or prosper because of our attributes, since unforeseen things happen to us all, regardless of our station in life. That’s why it’s not so wise to go running after the things the world considers important. Wisdom, understanding, peace of mind and a strong faith in Almighty God are what we need, especially in these very confused and troubled times. As Jeremiah so rightly declares, re the knowledge of God is man’s glory: ‘Thus saith the Lord, Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, neither let the mighty man glory in his might, let not the rich man glory in his riches: But let him that glorieth glory in this, that he understandeth and knoweth me, that I am the Lord which exercise LOVING-kindness, judgement (justice) and righteousness, in the earth: for in these things I delight, saith the Lord.’ (Jer.9:23-24) Oh Friends, the Lord made His wishes quite clear to us many, many moons ago, but yet we still insist on following the direction set by the world, which is in the death grip of greedy, evil, ungodly men. How can we then live the life God planned for us if we don’t follow what He says in His Guide Book eh? Obviously we can’t! Oh my brethren, I know that some of you will take umbrage at what I’m saying, claiming I don’t know your personal situation, but that’s too bad. If you don’t want to accept the gospel truth from the Good Book there’s nothing I can do about that. We each have to make our own choices, then live with them here on earth and later answer to God about them. However, unless we all slow down a tad and enjoy the things we work so hard and long for, as well as the people close to us, we’ll be missing out on the true value and meaning of life. Please my people, please stop and take a look at your situation, look at all the stuff you figured you must have, so you worked your butt off to get them. Then ask yourself when last, or if ever, you have truly enjoyed them? Include in that, the nice houses that we so desperately wanted, and we now have. Do we have or take the time to truly enjoy them? Not at all, because we’re too busy working to meet the mortgage payments. My brethren, I implore us to wake up, then stop a minute and smell the beautiful aroma, the ‘unclonable’ perfume of the roses God made to enrich our sense of smell, because we’re missing out on a whole lot of God’s grace and bounty, when we try to keep up with, or run faster than the world. That’s true wisdom! Much LOVE!…he who has ears to hear…let him hear…or he’ll eventually feel…
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