Today’s Scrip-Bit   11 February 2024   2 Corinthians 3:5

2 Corinthians 3:5.        Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think any thing as of ourselves; but our sufficiency is of God.

Welcome to another Sunday of LOVE, fellowship and worship in the Lord’s sanctuary, my fellow believers! It’s so good when we get together and share the joy of the Lord, and all the many good things He’s promised us in His Word. Promises that He will NEVER renege on, because He’s an ever-faithful God. And as Jesus said: ‘For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.’ (Matt. 18:20). And yuh know friends, if Jesus is with us, then great joy, LOVE and peace will be continuously flowing, because that’s what He is all about. 

So, let’s respond to His goodness and LOVING-kindness with sincere worship from the depths of our hearts, as we acknowledge in this marvellous and very truthful song, written by the husband-and-wife duo of Joyce and Colbert Croft and titled ‘I Can’t Even Walk Without You Holding My Hand.’ Therefore, let’s offer up sweet sacrifices of praise in a heartfelt, soulful version of the song, a la Jessy Dixon in the Gaither Homecoming Festival. 

Singing. ‘I thought, that number one, would surely be me. I thought I could be what I wanted to be. I thought I could build on life’s sinking sand. But now I can’t even walk, without you holding my hand. I thought that I, could do a lot on my own, I thought, I could make it in this big world, all alone. I thought, thought of myself as a mighty, mighty, mighty big man, But Lord I can’t even walk, without you holding my hand. Oh Lord, I can’t even walk, without you holding my hand, 

For the mountain, is too high, and the valley, is too wide, It’s down on my knees, that’s where I learned how to stand, Because I can’t even walk, without you holding my hand. I can’t even walk, without you holding my hand. Glory to God! And I think I’ll make Jesus my all and all. And if I’m in trouble, on that powerful name, I’ll call. And if I didn’t trust Him, I’d be less of a man ‘Cause Lord I can’t even walk without you holding my hand. Ohh Lord, I can’t even walk, without you holding my hand, For the mountain is too high, and the valley is too wide, 

It’s down on my knees, I learned how to stand, I learned how to pray, Because I can’t even walk, without you holding my hand. I can’t even walk, without you holding my hand. Lord I’m lost without you. I don’t even know my way back home Lord unless you lead me. Yes my Saviour, I can’t even walk without you holding my hand. Thank you for teaching me that through your Word…I can’t even walk without, without holding your hand…Yes Lord, I can’t even walk without you holding my hand…’ 

Wonderful worship my people! And I’m sure it was much appreciated in heaven. And you know it’s oh so true that we can’t walk safely and securely unless Jesus holds our hand, for when we become born again, we’re like little children just learning to walk on the straight and narrow path, and if Jesus doesn’t hold our hands until we learn the way and can stand somewhat strong on our own, then we’ll surely falter, stumble and fall. But yet, so many of us still believe that we’re so big and strong and don’t need anyone’s help, and can walk this road of life alone, but that’s a fallacy, for in this rough and tumble world we always need help. 

But foolishly we go off and build our lives on sinking sand, despite Jesus’ strong warning that anyone who doesn’t build on Him, the Rock, is building on sinking sand, and when the storms of life come they will be washed away. (Matt. 7:24:27) That’s why Cousin Sol also said in Ecclesiastes that two are better than one, because they can help each other if they fall and keep one another warm, something that a lone person cannot do. Ah friends, in these evil and ungodly times, we need all the help we can get, especially the help of Jesus. 

And He said it very clearly too. ‘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) Oh my people, it couldn’t be put any plainer than that. If you don’t have Jesus and His Holy Spirit dwelling in you, your efforts to live this life successfully will be thwarted at every step. And furthermore, as Jesus continues: ‘If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned.’ (John 15:6) 

So you see friends, if you don’t have Jesus securely holding your hand, then you are cast off like a dead branch and burned in the fires of hell. And Bruh Paul, in his second letter to the church at Corinth, said it thus: ‘Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think any thing as of ourselves; but our sufficiency is of God.’ (2 Cor, 3:5) That means we cannot think that we are more than we are, because we are merely frail, fallible human beings with a short lifespan and whatever big works we do, they are all in the Lord’s grace and strength. 

Bruh Paul explains that to the Corinthians in his first letter. ‘For I am the least of the apostles, that am not meet (worthy) to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. But by the grace of God I am what I am: and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain; but I laboured more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me.’ (! Cor. 15:9-10) 

Yes, my fellow believers, Bruh Paul didn’t start out so good, being a persecutor of the church. But once Jesus got Him in grip, he was the hardest worker of all the apostles, and all the tragedies he suffered and all the great work he did could only have been done though God’s grace. And no one knew that better than him. And as Sister Joyce (Joyce Meyer) likes to say, ‘It’s not where or how you begin, but where and how you end up that’s most important.’ And that’s the indisputable truth! So please, this Sunday morning let’s remember that and make every effort to end with Jesus in heaven, for that’s our Promised Land. Much LOVE!

…on Jesus Christ…the solid Rock I stand…for all else is sinking sand…

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Today’s Scrip-Bit   22 October 2023 John 15:5b.

John 15:5b. for without me ye can do nothing.

Come Sunday morning, me and my friends, are going to church to worship the Lord, to sing His praises, strengthen our faith and renew our spirits. As these words of the Sons of Korah from Psalm 84 so beautifully describe the situation. ‘How amiable are thy tabernacles (how lovely are they dwellings), O Lord of hosts! My soul longeth, yea, even fainteth for the courts of the Lord: my heart and my flesh crieth out for the living God. Yea, the sparrow hath found an house, and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may lay her young, even thine altars, O Lord of hosts, my King, and my God. Blessed are they that dwell in thy house: they will still be praising thee. Selah.’ (Ps. 84:1-4) 

Yes mih bredrin, believers ought to be longing for the presence of our God, and ofttimes, the best place to find Him is in His house. Even the brainless birds, the sparrow and the swallow know that the Lord’s house is a safe and wonderful place to build their nests and take care of their young. So what’s with us eh, that we don’t want to go to the Lords’ house come Sunday mornings? Like everything else the Lord ‘s done, is doing and will do is chiefly for our benefit, so let’s stop being reluctant and foolish to seek His face and His awesome presence nuh, because it’s only for our good. Sermon done mih people! (smile) 

Now for the good part, that’s the celebrations, we’ll begin by singing that soulful but oh so true Christian song, ‘I can’t even walk without You holding my hand,’ written by Joyce and Colbert Croft and first released by the U. S. group The Kingsmen in 1975, and since then recorded umpteen times by other artists in several different styles. Today, however, we’re going to do a truly soulful, mid-tempo version, a la Miss Shirley Caesar, the First Lady of Gospel Music. So let’s put some deep, heartfelt feeling in the music as we offer up our sacrifice of praise this Sunday morning. 

Singing: ‘I thought that number one, would surely be me. I thought I could be what I wanted to be. I thought I could build on life’s sinking sand. But now, I can’t even walk, without you holding my hand. I thought that I, could do a lot on my own, I thought, I could make it in this big, big world, all alone. I thought, thought of myself as a mighty, mighty, mighty big man, But Lord I can’t even walk, without you holding my hand. 

Oh Lord, I can’t even walk, without you holding my hand, For the mountains are too high, and the valleys’ too wide, It’s down on my knees, that’s where I learned how to stand, Because I can’t even walk, without you holding my hand. I can’t even walk, without you holding my hand. Glory to God! And I thank God that I made Jesus my all and all. And if I’m in trouble, on that powerful name, I’ll call. And if I didn’t trust Him, I’d be ever so much less of a man, Cause Lord I can’t even walk without you holding my hand. 

Ohh Lord, I can’t even walk, without you holding my hand, For the mountains are too high, and the valleys’ too wide, It’s down on my knees, I learned how to stand, It’s there I learned how to pray, Because I can’t even walk, without you holding my hand. I can’t even walk, without you holding my hand. Lord I’m lost without you. I don’t even know my way back home Lord unless you lead me. Yes my Saviour, I can’t even walk without you holding my hand. Thank you for teaching me that through your Word…I can’t even walk without, without holding your hand…Yes Lord, I can’t even walk without you holding my hand…’ 

And if that isn’t the blessed truth my fellow believers, then I don’t know what is! For without Almighty God we’re nothing. And it’s not me saying so nuh, but Jesus Christ, when He unequivocally proclaims: ‘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) 

What a mighty, but oh so true statement my people! Without the power of our Triune God, we are incapable of most things. That’s why it’s so important to have Jesus as our Lord and Saviour, for it’s through His death on the cross, the shedding of His sinless blood and His amazing resurrection that our lives have been saved from eternal death and damnation! That’s also why Bruh Paul wrote to the church at Corinth: ‘Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think anything as of ourselves, but our sufficiency is of God.’ (2 Cor. 3:5) 

And the sooner many of us in this selfish, opinionated, intolerant, think-we-know-it-all, supposedly brilliant society come to recognize that truth, the better off we and our world will be. And furthermore, as Bruh Paul wrote in his first letter to the Corinthian church: ‘For I am the least of the apostles, that am not meet (worthy) to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. But by the grace of God, I am what I am: and the grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain; but I laboured more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me.’ (1 Cor. 15:9-10) 

More wonderful truth my brethren! It is the grace of God that enables us to do anything at all….even to the very breath we draw. If He takes His grace away then we shrivel up and die. As St. Therese of Lisieux, the Little Flower (1873-1897) so wisely and famously said over a hundred years ago: ‘Everything is grace!’ And as one writer puts it: ‘Grace is simply God’s intimate powerful presence . Grace is not something, but Someone! I AM, I AM with you! Always!’ 

Yes my fellow saints, for our own benefit, let’s acknowledge that we are the recipients of God ‘s amazing and awesome grace, and without it, we can’t do anything, our lives aren’t worth the proverbial plugged nickel! Much LOVE!

…it’s obvious that our Creator…controls our lives… 

Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ