The Necessity for Believers to ALWAYS Rise Again whenever They Stumble and Fall!

Proverbs 24:16.         For a just (righteous) man falleth seven times, and riseth up again: but the wicked shall fall into mischief (stumble into calamity).

So it’s the first Sunday after Christmas and many of us are tired from all the preparing and celebrating, but please, let’s not forget the necessity for going to the Lord’s house today to thank Him for all He’s done, is doing and has promised to do for us, especially sending us the greatest gift ever; Jesus, to live and die and bring us salvation, eternal life, and wonderful reconciliation with Himself. Nothing can be better than that my people! 

That’s why today we’ll sing this most appropriate song, Drinking From My Saucer, letting the Lord know how grateful we are for His grace and mercy. And we’ll do the song in the slow, soulful, heartfelt manner as that done by the Jamaican Gospel Artist, Jabez. First, we pray: ‘We Worship You Lord, we worship You with all of our hearts, souls, bodies and minds.’ 

Then we offer up our sweet sacrifices of praise, singing: ‘I’ve Never Made A Fortune, And It’s Probably Too Late Now, Oh but I Don’t Worry About That Much, Cause I’m Happy Anyhow. And As I Go Along Life’s Journey, I’m Reaping Better Than I Sow. I’m Drinking From My Saucer, Because My Cup Has Overflowed. I haven’t Got A Lot Of Riches, And Sometimes The Going’s Rough, But I’ve Got a friend in Jesus, And That Makes Me Rich Enough. I Thank God For all His Blessings on me, And The Mercies He’s Bestowed. I’m Drinking From My Saucer Because My Cup Has Overflowed. 

I Remember Times When Things went Wrong, And my Faith Wore Somewhat Thin, But All At Once The Dark Clouds Broke, And the Sun Peeped Through Again, (Monologue) You know, right now you may be going through some rough times in your life, but I’m here to encourage you today, not to give up. NEVER, NEVER, NEVER GIVE UP! I pronounce a blessing upon your life, upon your family. You must prosper and be in good health in the name of Jesus. I believe it with all my heart’ (singing:) 

So Lord, Help Me Not To Grumble and complain About The Tough Rows That I’ve Hoed. I’m Drinking From My Saucer Because My Cup Has Overflowed. And If God Gives Me Strength And Courage to go on living, When The Way Grows Steep And Rough I’ll Not Ask For Other Blessings Jesus, For I’m Already Blessed Enough, And May I Never Be Too Busy, To Help Others Bear Their Loads, Then I’ll Keep Drinking From My Saucer Lord, Because My Cup Has Overflowed! Yes, I’ll keep drinking from my saucer Lord, Cause my cup has overflowed, Oh my cup has overflowed…. Yes My cup has overflowed…’ 

And yes my fellow believers, did our cups ever overflow that Christmas night two thousand years ago when Jesus Christ was born in that smelly barn in Bethlehem. And what’s even better, is that our cup is still overflowing with the great sacrifices He’s so selflessly endured for us. As the song so rightfully says, most of us will never amass a lot of earthly wealth, and in any case, it might just be too late for some of us to do that, but the good thing about it all is that we’re not worried, because we’re still happy, and as we go along life’s journey, we’re reaping better than we sow; so much so that our cup is overflowing, causing us to drink from our saucer. 

Now what else can we ask for eh friends? When one’s reaping more than one sows, and your cup is overflowing so that you are forced to drink from the saucer, then there’s nothing whatsoever to complain about. And even though the going ofttimes gets rough, we don’t question it, because we know that we have a wonderful friend named Jesus, who will look after us through all the storms of life, and will eventually make the dark, stormy clouds disappear and the sun to shine again.. And that makes us rich enough! Glory be! 

And the monologue is very encouraging, exhorting us to NEVER, NEVER GIVE UP! Now that is a veritable no-no for believers in Christ Jesus, for in His kingdom, there is NO giving up whatsoever! It’s as Cousin Sol says in Proverbs: ‘For a just (righteous) man falleth seven times, and riseth up again: but the wicked shall fall into mischief (stumble into calamity).’ (Prov. 24:16) And that’s the modus operandi of the Christian believer. 

As this commentary explains: ‘The verse signifies that while good people face hardships and failures (falling), their defining characteristic is their resilience and persistence to get back up (rise again), contrasting with the wicked who collapse in disaster. The phrase “fall seven times, stand up eight” is a common interpretation, emphasizing that no matter how many times you’re knocked down, you must always get up one more time. 

The core message is about perseverance through life’s trials, emphasizing that falling isn’t the end; rising is what matters. It highlights the difference between the just, who recover from setbacks, and the wicked, who ultimately succumb to calamity. In essence, this proverb serves as a powerful reminder that setbacks are temporary and that faith, persistence, and a refusal to quit are key to overcoming life’s challenges.’ 

Oh my faithful brethren, I could not have said it any better! So, let’s not grumble and complain about the tough times nuh, for it’s all a part of this pilgrim’s life we’re living down here on earth for Jesus, who is always blessing us, even when we don’t deserve it. That means we must grin and bear our burdens, hard though it may be, while helping others to bear theirs, for we have the greatest promise of all to look forward to, that from the book of Romans: ‘And we know that all things work together for good to them that LOVE God, to them who are called according to his purpose.’ (Rom. 8:28) 

Yes friends, we must believe that God will eventually work everything out for our good as He’s so faithfully promised. Until then, we must keep on fighting the good fight, while drinking from our saucers, as our cups overflow with His grace, goodness and mercy. Much LOVE!

…it’s a proven fact…that GOD’s LOVE NEVER FAILS… 

Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien

Today’s Scrip-Bit 26 July 2020 Ephesians 1:18.

Ephesians 1:18.     ​The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints
 

And the summer days pass by…steadily and stealthily. Meanwhile the situation in our world seems to be getting worse rather than better. The pandemic is resurging in places where it seems to have been brought under control while ratcheting up its profile in other areas. And the strife and protests in our streets…well they continue unabated. Hn! So what’s a body to do eh? 

The first thing is to stop being afraid, worried and panicked because the Creator of the universe still sits upon His throne and has everything under control! And in His good time our problems will be solved. Don’t ask me how or when? (smile) I just know that like all problems these too will pass at some juncture. In the meantime, it’s our job to pray and be strong, fruitful, generous and encouraging, and do whatever is necessary to stay safe. 

So this Sunday morning let us have church nuh. Come let us worship the Lord by any means possible, either individually or corporately. Let us sing out our sacrifices of praise. And today’s song is a li’l soulful ditty I discovered this week, although it seems to have been around for some time. It’s titled: ‘Drinking From My Saucer.’ So in soulful harmony with sincere hearts, let’s allow our praises to rise to heaven on high. 

‘I’ve Never Made A Fortune And It’s Probably Too Late Now Oh but I Don’t Worry About That Much Cause I’m Happy Anyhow And As I Go Along Life’s Journey I’m Reaping Better Than I Sow, I’m Drinking From My Saucer Because My Cup Has Overflowed. I haven’t Got A Lot Of Riches And Sometimes The Going’s Rough But I’ve Got a friend in Jesus And That Makes Me Rich Enough I Thank God For all His Blessings on me And The Mercies He’s Bestowed, I’m Drinking From My Saucer Because My Cup Has Overflowed. 

I Remember Times When Things went Wrong And my Faith Wore Somewhat Thin But All At Once The Dark Clouds Broke And the Sun Peeped Through Again So Lord, Help Me Not To Grumble and complain About The Tough Rows That I’ve Hoed, I’m Drinking From My Saucer Because My Cup Has Overflowed. 

And If God Gives Me Strength And Courage to go on living When The Way Grows Steep And Rough I’ll Not Ask For Other Blessings I’m Already Blessed Enough And May I Never Be Too Busy To Help Others Bear Their Loads, Then I’ll Keep Drinking From My Saucer Lord Because My Cup Has Overflowed! Yes, I’ll keep drinking from my saucer Lord, Cause my cup has overflowed, Oh my cup has overflowed…. Yes Lord, thank You, My cup has overflowed…’ 

Oh my people, are those ever-true words for so many of us! I know they’re very true for me because I’ve been so blessed despite the hard times I’ve been through. And many of us will acknowledge it too, if we seriously sit and consider all the dark times we’ve experienced but how the Lord brought us safely through them with renewed strength and even greater faith. And I just LOVE the analogy, drinking from my saucer because my cup has overflowed. A lot of young people won’t understand that because they don’t know anything about cups and saucers. 

In my day, you’d never give a person a cup of anything without placing it in a saucer – a small plate. That was just the way it was done. It was also a good way to catch any spillage or overflow. Some people even drank from their saucer if the liquid in the cup was too hot. But unfortunately, nowadays saucers have gone the way of the dinosaurs; extinct. We no longer use the small, dainty cups and matching saucers, but talk instead about mugs, etc. Now I need to find a scripture passage to tie that all together… Soon come. (smile) 

Oh friends, I’m back, after about five or six minutes…and I’m not sure if this is the most appropriate scripture, but it’s the one that keeps speaking to me. (smile) So here goes. It’s Bruh Paul’s prayer for knowledge and understanding for the Ephesians. ‘Wherefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus, and LOVE unto all the saints, Cease not to give thanks for you making mention of you in my prayers; 

That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him ( a disposition consisting of wisdom and revelation in knowing Him): The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints, 

And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power, which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set (seated) him at his own right hand in the heavenly places, Far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world (age) but also in that which is to come: And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church, Which is his body, the fullness of him that filleth all in all.’ (Eph. 1:15-23) 

And what does all of that mean, you ask? The scholars offer some explanations. ‘1:18-19. When the figurative terms are removed from the eyes of your understanding being enlightened, the clause means that “your mind’s understanding may be fully enlightened.” This clause further explains verse 17. That ye may know signifies that the believer comes to know three things upon being enlightened: 

(1) what is the hope of his calling; that is, he realizes how sure and certain is his heavenly destiny; (2) what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints; that is, the illuminated Christian recognizes more and more both the priceless value of his salvation, and what a priceless treasure he is to God; and (3) what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe: perceiving how God’s power has changed him since conversion, he experiences to a greater extent this divine strength in daily living.’ 

Ah friends, the long and short of the story is that the Father has raised Christ above everybody and everything except Him, and it’s only when we become illuminated believers, mature Christians, that we truly understand the importance of Christ in both our lives and the world, and can thus turn to Him in ALL situations, be they good or bad, full-well knowing that He will look after us, and allow us to drink from our saucers because our cups are overflowing. (smile) Much LOVE!

…Jesus is the fixer of any and every problem…call on Him at any time…