Psalm 107:43. Whoso is wise, and will observe these things, even they shall understand the LOVING-kindness of the Lord.
Today’s Scrip-Bit 2 March 2013 Psalm 107:43
02 Mar 2013 Leave a comment
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: affliction, Christian walk, christianity, disobedience, fauthfulness, grace, great is thy faithfulness, heavenly blessings, LOVE, loving kindness, mercy, oppression, peace, rewards, righteousness., sincerity, sorrow, steadfast faith, transgressors, truth, understanding, upright in heart, wisdom, wise of heart
Today’s Scrip-Bit 28 February 2013 Ephesians 4:3
28 Feb 2013 Leave a comment
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: accept Christ as Saviour, action oriented, Bible Study, change, Christ's Church, conundrum, demoralization, destruction, dissensions, divisions, don't put off for tomorrow, faithfulness, February, growing in faith, growing in LOVE, homeless, humility, in deeper fellowship with Jesus, long-suffering, meekness, New Year's resolution, ONE Lord, passion, patience, peace, ponder our spiritual lives, poverty, power, prosperity, sick, spirituality, strength, suffering, unity, walking closer with Jesus, walking in LOVE
Ephesians 4:3. Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.
Oh Friends, today is the last day of February! Can you believe it? I also hope it’s the last day of the lousy snowstorm that messed up everything yesterday. I did get out to the Bible Study last night, though the place is still covered with the dirty white stuff, now that man has been through it. And astonishingly my people, two months of 2013 have already flown by. It’s like time is spinning away ever faster and faster, like the world in which we now live. That’s why it’s so important to be very aware of what’s happening in our lives. We can’t afford to put off for tomorrow, things that we can do today, because we don’t know what tomorrow will bring, even if there’ll be a tomorrow. Consequently, we also decided to check at the end of every month, rather than at some longer time period, on that most important New Year’s Resolution we made, about walking closer, in deeper fellowship with Christ, growing in LOVE and appreciation, while carrying out His dictates and wishes in a fuller and more complete manner. So today, please, let’s all take a few moments to ponder if we’re truly keeping that resolution, if our spiritual lives are being enriched with God’s Word, if our faith is growing, and if we’re putting that faith into action so that others can see and experience it and be caused to accept Christ as their Lord and Saviour too. And if we discover that we’re not doing as well as we should, then let’s ask the Lord, who hears and answers all sincere prayers, to help us do better, since we can’t improve without His awesome help. Now let me share a li’l something I wrote recently, but lost sight of until just now. I guess now is its appointed time. (smile) It’s simply titled ‘UNITY’ and says: ‘Unity is…brings strength. Unity is…brings power. Unity is…brings prosperity. Unity is…brings peace. But above all…Unity is simply walking in LOVE! Walking in LOVE…like Jesus did. Unity is just being decent to each other.’ Yes Friends, without Unity, we’ll NEVER have peace, prosperity, power, strength or LOVE! That’s why our world, and in particular Christ’s church is so divided. We all want the good things in life, but either don’t know, or stubbornly refuse to recognize the fact that we can’t get them, in a lasting manner, unless and until we’re unified under the umbrella of Christ and His church. That brings us to our Bit, where Bruh Paul is speaking to the Ephesians re the Unity of the Spirit. ‘Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.’ Ah Friends, it’s one of those conundrums, where without unity, you can’t have peace, and without peace, you can’t have unity. Like we argue about which came first, the chicken or the egg? But to get one, you must have the other. Now hear what Bruh Paul has to say before our Bit. ‘I therefore, the prisoner of (in) the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation (calling) wherewith ye are called. With all lowliness and meekness (gentleness), with long-suffering, forbearing (bearing with) one another in LOVE.’ (Eph.4:1-2) Oh my brethren, yuh see what it takes to bring about unity and peace. It’s all about humbling ourselves before our God, living in a manner befitting His commandments and doing what He’s called us to do to the best of our ability. As Bruh Paul continues after our Bit. ‘There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling; One Lord, one faith, one baptism. One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.’ (Eph.4:4-6) And the scholars comment on that scripture thus: ‘This passage elaborates on the “unity of the Spirit” (v.3). This oneness among Christians refers to having (1) one body – the body of Christ, the Christian church; (2) one Spirit – the same Holy Spirit who imparts the same spiritual life to all believers; (3) one hope – all Christians share the same future certainty and are headed toward the same heavenly destination; (4) one Lord – all submit to the same divine ruler, Jesus; (5) one faith – all believers have placed the same trust in Christ for salvation; (6) one baptism – Holy Spirit baptism at the time of salvation (1 Cor.12:13); and (7) one God and Father – all believers in Christ have the same God and heavenly Father.’ So friends, our unity is all about ONE! Not me, I, or you, but about One body of Christ, of faith, etc, until we get to the real ONE, who brings and keeps it all together, our Heavenly Father. So my brethren, let’s all sincerely try and come together as ONE nuh, as Jesus so desperately desires. For without unity, all we have to look forward to is more of the same strife, anger, divisions, dissensions, selfishness and ungodliness as is so disastrously personified by the state of our current world. Oh fellow believers, I’m sure that none of us likes the way our world is being ground down, demoralized and destroyed by the powers of evil that control it. But as I also keep reminding us, it’s only us true believers in Jesus, who want to see a better world, that can make any changes to it, and bring about the unity we so desperately need. And to do that, we have to consciously and seriously get up off of our inflated fannies and do whatever it takes to bring about those changes. It won’t come by only mouthing and spouting plenty scripture, but also by being action oriented; actually helping others, like the sick, the poor, the homeless, the hungry, the lost, those whom Jesus had a passion for and came to save. We have to stop beating our chests in foolish pride, like the hypocrite Pharisees and them, as though we’re doing such a great job in our faith, because we aren’t. If we were, there’d never be so much pain, poverty, misery and heartache in our world. So Friends, let’s stop all the talk and concentrate more on action nuh, because all the talk in the world won’t fill any empty bellies, clothe any naked bodies, put rooves over the heads of the homeless, cure the sick or find the lost. The only thing that will do those things is physical action, where as a supposed unified body, we have been tried, and found sadly lacking. Much LOVE!…the Word of God…is always more readily accepted…when it follows the faithful, physical actions of God’s people…
Today”s Scrip-Bit 26 February 2013 James 3:16
26 Feb 2013 Leave a comment
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: anger, bitterness, blessings, carnal, confusion, corruption, crime, death, destruction, envy, evil work, fleshly lusts, gentleness, godless society, good fruits, greater toronto area, growth, guns, holy spirit, human-rights, hypocrisy, idol worship, jealousy, LOVE, mercies, murder, partiality, peace, peaceable, pure, resentment, righteousness., strife, topsy-turvy weather, violence, wisdom, young people
James 3:16. For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work.
Ah Friends, yesterday has passed, and today is upon us again, with all of God’s new mercies and blessings! And His people offered a loud, ‘Thank you Lord! We praise and bless Your Holy Name!’ Unfortunately though, many of us in the Greater Toronto area won’t be pleased with it, because the weatherman has been warning us for the last few days about another terrible storm coming our way, starting this evening and continuing into sometime Wednesday. The temperature is supposed to be around 4 Celsius, so let’s hope that we are lambasted by rain, rather than the dreaded white stuff, as the weather people seem to expect. It only looks beautiful when it’s undefiled by man. Anyway, as true and strong believers in, and followers of Jesus Christ, we’ll handle it, with His most valuable help. I guess that means some breathing tests I’m supposed to have tomorrow will be cancelled again, like they were last week when the rather inclement weather struck. (smile) These days I’m so tired of the topsy-turvy weather that I’m not going out if it’s bad, unless it’s for some thing very, very important. The tests can wait. It’s not like I’m still sick and suffering from bronchial congestion like I was a few weeks ago. Anyway, enough of my unimportant problems, let’s turn to our Bit, which is way more important. It’s the same one as yesterday. ‘For where envying and strife is (self seeking exists), there is confusion and every evil work.’ And we saw yesterday that that was indeed truth of the highest order, especially in our modern, selfish, evil, godless, idol-worshipping world. Now yesterday we ended by saying that violence and strife are possibly the number one products of our present world. Ah Friends, the crime, violence, and widespread corruption within our nations are heart-rending. And here we’ll use T&T, Trinidad and Tobago as an example. It’s been recently reported that in the first forty something days of 2013, there have been sixty something murders in the twin island Republic of between 1 and 2 million people. And that’s without any major incidents from the recent Carnival celebrations, which the police said was the cleanest and least problematic in years. Now I’m not crying down T&T, just using it as a broad example because I have the figures, for violence is widespread all over the globe. And to bring that point home, right here in ole Toronto the Good, young people, all be it from 15 years old have recently been shooting up each other, in broad daylight too. In fact, young people less than 25 years of age have been recently committing most of the gun crimes. That certainly doesn’t say much about the respect that our young people have for the human life; very little for both theirs and others. And the sad part is that these shootings are over very petty stuff. Most of them can’t even spell their blooming names or even wash themselves properly, but they’re quick to pull a gun over some foolish, petty, imagined slight. Now we won’t even bother to talk about the U.S. which seems intent on returning to the days of the Wild West with its proliferation of legal guns and crimes. Please note that in several states guns are now been legally worn openly. Ah Lord eh! When is going to end? When are we going to understand and wake up to the fact that guns only foster violence? When are we going to truly believe the age-old adage, that he who lives by the sword, and also the gun, dies by the sword and the gun too? As Bruh Paul so rightly told the Corinthians: ‘For ye are yet carnal: for whereas there is among you envying and strife, and divisions (dissensions), are ye not carnal (fleshly), and walk as men (live according to man)? (1 Cor. 3:3) Yes my brethren, we are indeed carnal, almost totally living by the dictates of man and not God. And unfortunately a carnal mind hinders the growth of the Holy Spirit in mankind. So please, for all our sakes, let’s see if we can’t bring our world around nuh, beginning with our immediate families, to what James describes as the optimal situation. ‘But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be entreated (willing to yield), full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy.’ (James 3:17) Oh my fellow believers, that’s the only way we’ll ever turn our strife filled world around and see our children’s children live in harmony, peace and LOVE, rather than anger, bitterness, resentment and the resultant strife that only leads to untold, untimely and unnecessary death and destruction. That’s the wisdom for this age. Much LOVE!…and the fruit of righteousness…is sown in peace…of them that make peace… (James 3:18)
Today’s Scrip-Bit 20 February 2013 Psalm 3:5
20 Feb 2013 Leave a comment
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: afraid, anxious, assurance of God's presence, awaken, blessings of obedience, busy, christianity, confidence, eternal, friends and neighbours, future, gospel truth, inwardly digest, Jesus' desires, mark, material prosperity, past, peace, prophet, psalm 3, read, secret smile, seer, sleep, The Lord sustains, The Lord's a shield, the Lord's guidance, today, tomorrow, trust, ungodly world, victory, walk safely, wisdom
Psalm 3:5. I laid me down and slept; I awaked; for the Lord sustained me.
Oh Friends and neighbours, yesterday has flitted away to time eternally past, and tomorrow has not yet come in from the cold, or if you prefer, from the eternal future. But glory of glories, today’s here! So please let’s use it wisely nuh. It’s all we have, so let’s not waste it, for it will never come again. Yes, I know that when tomorrow comes we’ll call it today, but no two days are ever the same, regardless of what you call them. The opportunities and problems of today are all we’re sure of. Some may be better tomorrow, or they may be worse, but we can only work with what we have at hand. Consequently, I’m asking us to work positively, efficiently and in an excellent manner with what we have today, as Jesus desires of His followers. That’s why He encouraged us to: ‘Take therefore no thought for the morrow (do not worry about tomorrow): for the morrow shall take thought (worry) for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil (trouble) thereof.’ (Matt.6:34). Now that doesn’t mean we should not make general plans and such for tomorrow, but it’s best to concentrate on the problems and opportunities of today. That brings us to the question; when you got up this morning, did you wonder how you achieved it? I’m sure many of us didn’t because we were too busy and anxious getting ready to face the day in the evil, ungodly world in which we live. But Friends, I’ll let you in on a li’l secret; (smile) let you know why and how you got up this morning. Our Bit says it all: ‘I laid me down and slept; I awaked; for the Lord sustained me.’ And that’s the gospel truth people! The only reason you were able to lie down and sleep, then get up, most likely refreshed in body, soul and mind, is because the great God who created the universe and all therein made it happen. He granted you sleep, and sustained you through it all. It’s one of the blessings of obedience He promised the Israelites long ago, and by extension all who serve and worship Him thereafter. ‘If you walk in my statutes, and keep my commandments, and do (perform) them; Then I will give…’ and He goes on to specify material prosperity, victory over enemies, the assurance of His presence, and personal freedom. (Lev.26:3-13) But the particular verse we’re interested in is verse 6, the first half: ‘And I will give peace in the land, and ye shall lie down, and none shall make you afraid:’ No wonder our world is topsy turvy and confused, with a large portion of the population so anxious, worried and stressed out, needing man-made drugs and psychoanalysis to cope with everyday life and help them to sleep. Yes Friends, we don’t need a seer or prophet to tell us that we’re one of the most sinful generations ever, that’s why our society is going downhill so quickly. In any case, just like the Israelites of old, when the seer or prophet warns us of our iniquities and their consequences, we don’t pay them any attention, but rather try to hurt, humiliate, ruin and even run them out of town. Oh my brethren, without a doubt, the obedient nation or person will flourish under the Lord’s watchful and LOVING guidance! Hear how Zophar, Job’s buddy describes it, if Job gives us his sinful ways and walks in righteousness. ‘And thou shalt be secure, because there is hope; yea, thou shalt dig about thee, and thou shalt take thy rest in safety. Also thou shalt lie down, and none shall make thee afraid; yea, many shall make suit with thee (court thy favour).’ (Job 11:18-19) And please note the superscript to Psalm 3 from which our Bit comes; A prayer of confidence in God, written by Bruh David when he fled from Absalom his son, who was trying to usurp his throne. In verse 3 He confidently acknowledges: ‘But thou, O Lord, art a shield for (around) me; my glory, and the lifter up of (the one who lifts up) mine head.’ One can’t get any more confident than that my fellow believers.He also penned Psalm 4; An evening prayer of trust in God, where he boldly declares: ‘Thou hast put gladness in my heart, more than in the time that their corn (grain) and their wine increased. I will both lay me down in peace, and sleep: for thou Lord, only makest me dwell in safety.’ (Ps.4:7-8) Oh Friends, it’s only through the Lord’s goodness and mercy that we rise up everyday and walk safely! And we’ll end with some further words of wisdom from Cousin Sol, exhorting us to obedience. ‘Then shalt thou walk in thy way safely, and thy foot shall not stumble. When thou liest down, thou shalt not be afraid: yea, thou shalt lie down, and thy sleep shall be sweet. Be not afraid of sudden fear (terror), neither of the desolation of (trouble from) the wicked, when it cometh. For the Lord shall be thy confidence, and shall keep thy foot from being taken (caught).’ (Prov.3:23-26) Never have truer words been spoken my brethren! So please let’s take them to heart today; read, mark and inwardly digest them, then try and bring our attitudes and behaviour into line with God’s Word, that we may rest in peace and awaken to walk safely, under His great protective umbrella of LOVE, peace, mercy and forgiveness. That Friends and fellow believers, is the wisdom of the wise. Much LOVE!…Oh Lord…when I lay me down to sleep…my soul I pray you’ll keep…and when I awaken to a brand new day…my feet, I pray you’ll guide in safety and peace…
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 19 January 2013 Isaiah 39:8
19 Jan 2013 Leave a comment
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: christian brotherhood, Christianity in action, generous givers, good news of the gospel, let God be God, many blessings, men of faith, peace, stop fighting God, true christianity, truth
Isaiah 39:8. Then said Hezekiah to Isaiah, Good is the word of the Lord which thou hast spoken. He said moreover, For there shall be peace and truth in my days.
Oh Friends, what shall we say to this new day that the Lord has made eh? The best thing we can do is be thankful for it; be thankful that we’re blessed more than most of the other earthlings. Then to show our true Christian brotherhood, we should make a decision to actually share some of those many blessings with the less fortunate, because that’s why we’re so blessed. Yes Friends, please remember that all we’re blessed with is not solely for ourselves and our immediate families, but also to share with friends, neighbours and strangers, any others who are in need. We’re supposed to be generous sharers not greedy hoarders. But I doubt that we’re doing a very good job of it since there are so many in need who are not receiving any blessings from us. And please note, we cannot fulfill Jesus’ mandate unless we’re willing to give of what we have, sometimes even sacrificially. ‘Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.’ (Matt.25:40) Remember true Christianity isn’t only talk, but also plenty action! It’s good to tell people about God, but how does that help the hungry, the homeless, naked and sick eh? We first need to minister to their physical wants, then tell them the good news of the gospel. That way they can actually see and experience the gospel in real action. And having reminded us of our basic purpose, let’s turn to our Bit. ‘Then said Hezekiah to Isaiah, Good (Just) is the word of the Lord which thou hast spoken. He said moreover, For (at least) there shall be peace and truth in my days.’ Yesterday we saw how the story unfurled that caused our Bit. Today, we’ll look at a few other examples where men of faith simply accepted the Lord’s authority and wisdom without fighting back. We’ll begin way back in Genesis 24, when Abraham sent his servant back to his homeland to find a wife for his son Isaac. The servant, as the Lord would have it ended up at the city of Nahor. Using his smarts, he stopped by a well outside the city because he knew that at that hour the women came out to draw water. Then he implored the Lord to show kindness to his master Abraham. ‘And let it come to pass, that the damsel to whom I shall say, Let down thy pitcher, I pray thee, that I may drink; and she shall say, Drink, and I will give thy camels drink also: let the same be she that thou hast appointed for thy servant Isaac; and thereby shall I know that thou hast showed kindness unto my master.’ (Gen.24:14) And before he was even done speaking, the beautiful Rebecca appeared and did exactly as he had implored the Lord. Ah mih people, here we see how our God really works in mysterious ways His high-level plans to accomplish. Because Rebecca ‘who was born to Bethuel, son of Milcah, the wife of Nahor, Abraham’s brother…’ (Gen.24:15) I believe that made her Abrahams grand-niece. Anyway, the long and short of the story is that Rebecca’s brother Laban and father Bethuel came out to the well to meet Abraham’s servant, and after he told them what had happened; ‘Then Laban and Bethuel answered and said, The thing proceedeth from the Lord: we cannot speak unto thee bad or good. Behold Rebecca is before thee, take her, and go, and let her be thy master’s son’s wife, as the Lord hath spoken.’ (Gen.24:50-51) Yes Friends, our God is wonderful! Is there a better dramatist, a better matchmaker? No way! Everything just fell into place like a jigsaw puzzle, that Laban and Bethuel had no choice but to give their approval. Now here’s another example of simply accepting the Lord’s word, this time though because of wrongdoing. We find it in 1 Samuel chapter 3. This happens when Samuel tells Eli, the chief priest what God had said about the destruction he would cause to Eli’s family, because of his failure to rein in his two evil sons. And when Samuel was done telling Eli of the promised demise, Eli’s words were simply: ‘It is the Lord let him do what seemeth good.’ (1 Sam.3:18) Oh my brethren, sometimes we just have to bow to the Lord’s actions without a fuss or fight. Remember He’s the omnipotent One, whose intellect, purpose and plans are higher than ours. He is the controller of everything. And besides, causing a fuss when the Lord’s made a decision, doesn’t usually do us any good. So why bother and get all upset eh? Sometimes the Lord’s even trying to test us, to see our response to calamity and to His dictates. And we’ll end with one more example, that from Acts 5, where the Jewish council in Jerusalem is trying to figure out how to stop Peter and the apostles from preaching Christ crucified to the multitudes, since they hadn’t listened the first time, telling them, ‘We ought to obey God rather than man.’ (Acts 5:29) Then they preached Christ to the council. (Acts 5:30-32) Hn! This only made them angry. ‘When they heard that, they were cut to the heart (furious), and took counsel to slay them.’ (Acts 5:33) However, one of the wise and respected council members, Gamaliel, Bruh Paul’s teacher, cautioned them. After recalling two other religious upstarts, Theudas, and Judas of Galilee, who eventually perished and their followers dispersed, he declared: ‘And now I say unto you, Refrain (keep away) from these men, and let them alone: for if this counsel or this work be of men, it will come to nought: But if it be of God, ye cannot overthrow it; lest haply ye be found even to fight against God.’ (Acts 5:38-39) Oh Friends, let’s ponder on those examples today nuh, and see if are any things going on in our lives where we are fighting God, and stop it. That’s wisdom at its zenith, because we’re never going to win those battles. Much LOVE!…the best way to function on this earth…is just to let God be God in our lives…
Today’s Scrip-Bit 13 January 2013 John 4:10
13 Jan 2013 Leave a comment
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: atoning death, faith, forgivenss, gift of God, God's incomparable LOVE, grace, iniquities, intercession, Jesus, jesus and the samaritan woman, justification, living water, meaningful lives, mercy, peace, righteousness., salvation, sin, suffering servant, trust
John 4:10. Jesus answered and said unto her, If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it was that saith to thee, Give me to drink, thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water.
Today’s Scrip-Bit 5 January 2013 Deuteronomy 28:2
05 Jan 2013 Leave a comment
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: blessed, choose life, commandments, contentment, curses and blessings, harmony, Jesus Christ, LOVE, lowly job, peace, praise and thanks, Promised Land, prosperity, sacrifical death, stromy passion, trust in the Lord, wonderful god, wonderful news
Deuteronomy 28:2. And all these blessings shall come on thee, and overtake thee, if thou shalt hearken unto the voice of the Lord thy God.
Oh Friends, I have some wonderful news to share with you this morning! I want to tell you that, ‘I, I am blessed. Yes, I’m saying that I, I am blessed. I want to tell the world, that I. I am blessed! Oh mih people, we out here in Western society are so blessed, we have so much to be thankful for, and yet we don’t appreciate it. We’re always complaining about what we don’t have and never seem to stop wanting more, even when we can’t use what we already have. But Friends, if you have a roof over your head, clothes on your back, food on your table, a job to go to, no matter how lowly and humble – remember Jesus was a lowly carpenter – and your children are healthy, then you can join me and sing: ‘I, I am blessed. Tell the world that I, I am blessed. Let’s tell the world, that we, we are blessed!’ Oh my brethren, the followers of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ are the most blessed people in the whole wide world! Please let’s act like it nuh. What could be better than the sure promise of LOVE and peace, harmony and contentment, salvation, eternal life and joy in heaven, where there will be no more tears, no more pain and no more sorrow eh? My people, we have such a lot to be thankful for here on earth; 90 percent of the world has so much less than us. And we have so much to look forward to when Jesus comes again. Let us therefore give much praise and thanks and glory everlasting to our great and wonderful God, who LOVES us with such a stormy passion, that He even sent His One Son, Jesus, to die a horrible sacrificial death on our behalf, so that we could be reconciled, be reunited with Him. That’s the greatest blessing ever! So let’s sing again, and really mean it. ‘Oh we, we are blessed. Let’s tell the world that believers, followers of Jesus are blessed.’ Oh Friends, I don’t even know who sings the song, but I’ve heard on the radio a few times. It’s a nice l’il reggae ditty that just resounds with so much truth, that I couldn’t help but sing the chorus. And today, the Lord just made it erupt in my soul and share it with you. So for whatever it’s worth, let’s sing again nuh, let’s give thanks and praise to the Most High, the Father of LOVE and all wonderful things: ‘Oh I, I am blessed. Yes we, we are blessed. Let’s tell the world that God’s children are blessed!’ And there’s absolutely no doubt about that my breddren, as is clearly stated in our Bit, which falls under the blessings of obedience. ‘And all these blessings shall come on thee, and overtake thee, if thou shalt hearken unto the voice of the Lord thy God.’ My fellow believers, from the very beginning, the Lord promised to bless us if we followed His dictates. That’s the just, kind, righteous and thoughtful God that He is. Hear how Moses put it to the Israelites at the outset of their journey through the wilderness, en route to the Promised Land. ‘And it shall come to pass, if thou shalt hearken diligently unto the voice of the Lord thy God, to observe and to do all his commandments which I command thee this day, that the Lord thy God will set thee on high above all the nations of the earth.’ (Deut.28:1) Now here are some of the blessings the Lord promised for obedience to His Will. ‘Blessed shalt thou be in the city, and blessed shall thou be in the field. Blessed shall be the fruit of thy body (offspring), and the fruit of thy ground, and the fruit of thy cattle, the increase of thy kine (cattle), and the flocks of thy sheep. Blessed shall be thy basket and thy store (kneading bowl). Blessed shall thou be when thou comest in, and blessed shall thou be when thou goest out.’ (Deut.28:3-6) Oh Friends, how could there be any better promise than that eh? No way! The scholars even say that those three verses contain six blessings that extend to every sphere of life. So why wouldn’t we follow the Lord’s Word eh, if such goodness and mercy is going to follow us when we’re obedient to it. And is not like we haven’t seen it in action. It worked for the Israelites and for numerous nations over the ages. But somehow or other when we get fat and prosperous by following the Lord, some weird thing creeps into our minds and souls that then tends to turn us away from Him. I believe we get a bit too big for our britches, thinking that all the prosperity was our doing, when in fact it had everything to do with God’s goodness to obedient followers. So what happens then? When we get too proud and arrogant for our own good, the Lord simply takes away His goodness and mercy and allows us to do it our way, which eventually ends up in a fiasco every time. Note our present situation. A couple decades aback, when we were obedient and prosperous the little gnat from Lucifer invaded our minds and told us that it was all our doing. And fools that we were, we believed him and removed Jehovah God from the prominent position He once held in our society to an also ran role. Now look at the sorry state we’re in. Ah mih people, I don’t know what to say or do to get us to see the light nuh. And what I find interesting is that in this chapter the section on blessings only runs from verses 1-14, but that on curses for disobedience runs from verses 15-68. Wow! Doesn’t that tell us something Friends? I’d strongly suggest that we read Deuteronomy Chapter 28 a few times, just to get it indelibly imprinted on our minds, that disobedience is both foolish and way way more disastrous than obedience to the Creator’s Will. In closing Friends, I ask that we listen to these oh so truthful words of the psalmist: ‘It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in man. It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in princes.’ (Ps.118:8-9) Now my people, please, please let’s write them in our hearts, minds and souls so that we can obey God and be blessed. That’s wisdom at its highest height! Much LOVE!…I have set before you…life and death…blessing and cursing…therefore choose life…that both thou and thy seed may live… (Deut.30:19)
Today’s Scrip-Bit 10 December 2012 Romans 12:21
10 Dec 2012 Leave a comment
in Inspirational Living Tags: Christmas, complaining, confidence, enthusiasm, evildoers, fearful attitude, Glory be to God, good cheer, goodwill to man, high on the hog, humble servants, LOVE, Monday Morning, overcome evil with good, peace, peace on earth, rejuvenation, steadfast faith, the birth of Jesus, tribulation, vitality, warmongers
Romans 12:21. Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.
Well Friends, it’s Monday once again… And all true believers shouted a most grateful ‘Glory be to God, who provides for His children in all situations!’ Now that’s gospel truth Friends! It’s also the kind of talk I like to hear on a Monday morning. (smile) By the way, our heavenly Father likes to hear it too, instead of the whining, the complaining and hang-dog looks He’s got to endure every week simply because we have to go out and labour for a living. All of us want to live high on the hog, but very few are willing to put in the time and effort that entails. But if getting up and going out today proves to be somewhat difficult, then please view it as one day closer to Christmas Day, 24 hours closer to that wonderful day when we celebrate the birth of our marvellous Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Hopefully that will put you in a better frame of mind. And I don’t mean the food, the gifts and all the other ancillaries of the season, but the true meaning; that Jesus was born so that we could be saved, that we could be eventually washed clean of our dreadful sins and be reconciled to the Father. And all God’s people loudly proclaimed, ‘Glory to God in the highest, and peace on earth, goodwill to man!’ Oh Friends, we certainly rocking and rolling this morning! Now let’s not forget our favourite Monday Morning Battle Hymn, which raises our adrenalin and gets us in the mood to serve Jesus. So let’s sing it out, loud and clear, in perfect harmony, with plenty unadulterated joy in our clean hearts. Altogether now: ‘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!’ Yeh mih breddren, that was beautiful! And you know when we sing and pray and praise so sincerely, all the heavenly hosts sit up and take notice. The Father’s face lights up with a glorious, glowing smile, and Jesus shouts, ‘Awright!’ as He punches the air with a powerfully clenched right fist, glorying in the fact that His people are on the ball, on the move to bigger and better things. Now don’t laugh Friends, because that’s exactly the kind of gung-ho, rising to excellence move that heaven wants to see from us down here on earth. We still have lots of work to do though before Jesus comes back, and it looks like He might soon come, so enough of the pussyfooting, the laziness, the excuses, the pity parties that we so easily get enmeshed in. TODAY is a NEW DAY, my people! One in which we up the ante several notches. For though Jesus was proud of our singing this morning, in general He’s disappointed over our lazy, inept, lackadaisical, fearful attitude, letting the hard earned gains our forefathers made slip through our fingers like grains of sand, while not doing as much we ought to bring lost souls to Him. And remember that’s our basic purpose down here on earth my brethren; to bring the lost to Jesus, so that they can also believe in Him, and thus be redeemed, cleansed, sanctified and have their names written in the Lamb’s Book of Life, and then dwell with Him in Peace and LOVE till eternity. That’s our earthly mission, not to kill ourselves running behind worldly pleasures and material possessions. Remember the Father doesn’t want to lose even one of His precious human creations to the evil fool Lucifer. And we have to admit, that we’re not doing such a hot job in bringing the lost to Christ, otherwise our world, nor its inhabitants, would be in such a sad, sinful, horrendous, ungodly, war-like mess. And I hope you also realize that it’s only believers who can improve the sorry state of our planet through our patient, but persistent, LOVING, Christ-like attitude. The warmongers and evildoers like things as they are, so it’s up to us to make a positive difference, to get the LOVE Revolution up to speed. It’s time we began fighting back with the fearlessness of a cornered animal, because we are indeed cornered by the both the physical and spiritual wickedness of this world. And as Bruh Paul says to the Roman church in our Bit: ‘Be not overcome of (by) evil, but overcome evil with good.’ That’s how Jesus did it my people, and that’s how he expects us to do it too. But we have to get a move on, for time is running out on us. And I’m thrilled to be able to close with some very soothing and encouraging words from our Leader, Saviour, Master, Advocate and Prince of Peace; Jesus Christ. ‘These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.’ (John 16:33) Oh Friends, Jesus said it all in those two sentences! So all I can do now is to plead with you to work with me in getting the LOVE Revolution happening as it should. Please, for our children’s sake, if not for ours. Much LOVE!…for any organization to thrive and grow…its followers must take their leaders directives seriously…and diligently practice them…even when it hurts to do so…
Today’s Scrip-Bit 5 December 2012 Jeremiah 32:17
05 Dec 2012 Leave a comment
in Inspirational Living Tags: and not faint, chaos, Creator, everlasting God, eye of a needle, faith, fearful mind, God's gracious help, happiness, heaven and the earth, Lord God Jehovah, man of God, nothing's too hard for God, peace, praise his holy name, renewed strength, run and not be weary, stressful lifestyle, troubled heart, veritable truth, walk, wings like eagles
Jeremiah 32:17. Ah Lord God! behold, thou hast made the heaven and the earth by thy great power and stretched out arm, and there is nothing too hard for thee.
Oh Friends, with the gracious and generous help of Almighty God, and some decent rest, the ole fella’s feeling somewhat better this morning. Praise His Holy Name! I’m not fully recovered, but I’m getting there. What amazes me though, is that in Tobago I never felt this tired. Can one day of travelling, from one climate to another, and one hour of gained or lost time, make such a big difference? I guess so, for there are no other variables that I can think of. Anyhow, here’s an interesting quote, attributed to Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826), the third President of the U.S, one of its founding Fathers and writers of the Declaration of Independence. It says: ‘Happiness is not being pained in body nor troubled in mind.’ And if we could ever achieve that nirvana in these times, then it would be a veritable truth. But with the busy, stressful lifestyle that our world now dictates, and the aches and pains of old age, we need to learn to be happy in spite of those drawbacks. And the best way to do that my brethren is to surrender our souls, our very lives to the wisdom and guidance of the Most High God Jehovah. Why, you ask? Because as Jeremiah so rightly declares in our Bit: ‘Ah Lord God! behold, thou hast made the heaven and the earth by thy great power and stretched out arm, and there is nothing too hard (difficult) for thee.’ Yes Friends, the Lord created the universe and all therein, and controls it in His infinite might and wisdom. We might not agree with His will or direction for it, but since it’s His creation, He can therefore do whatever He wants with it, and the contents thereof, including mankind. So if we’re smart, we’ll do our very best to get on His good side and then stay in His good books. (smile) Yesterday we began looking at some scriptures that reinforced the statements made in our Bit. Beginning with the first part, re God’s awesome power and creation of our world, we looked at Hezekiah’s prayer, (2 Kin.19:15) and the psalmist’s cry in distress, (Ps.102:24-27). Today we’ll continue with some more scriptures that deal with the might and glory of our wonderful God. Hear Jeremiah declare it in an earlier chapter about yokes and bonds of Israel. ‘And command them to say unto their masters, Thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel; Thus shall ye say unto your masters; I have made the earth, the man and the beast that are upon the ground, by my great power and by my outstretched arm, and have given it unto whom it seemed meet unto (proper to) me.’ (Jer.27:4-5) Yes my people, the earth and all it contains is the Lord’s, and He does as He pleases with it! Now listen to that great man of God, Isaiah, tell it in all its majesty and truth: ‘Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? there is no searching of his understanding. He giveth power to the faint (weak); and to them that have no might he increaseth strength. Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall: But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles, they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.’ (Is.40:28-31) Oh Friends, what more do we need to hear to believe in the wondrous power and works of Almighty God eh? I can personally testify to His amazing grace just through my activities on Monday, and I’m sure many of you can also attest to His strengthening powers in your own lives. So why are we so hesitant and reluctant to let ourselves go, to surrender our all to the One who created us, still LOVES us a whole bunch despite our rebellious and sinful nature, and truly desires to make our lives interesting and fruitful, by bringing us to salvation and eternal life with Him, through belief in His Son Jesus? That’s certainly not wisdom, my brethren! No wonder our lives and our world are in such chaos. And now, moving on to the second part of our Bit; ‘and there is nothing too hard for thee,’ here are some scriptures that appropriately address the topic. One example which we all ought to know, comes from Genesis, when the Lord promised Abraham and Sarah a son of their own loins in their old age, and Sarah laughed, prompting the Lord to tersely declare: ‘Is there any thing too hard for the Lord? At the time appointed I will return unto thee, according to the time of life, and Sarah shall have a son.’ (Gen.18:14) And she did bear a son, Isaac, in her nineties! Oh fellow believers, if the Lord truly created the world and everything in it, then it shouldn’t be a problem for Him to cause an old man and woman to have a child. That would be like child’s play to Him. Meanwhile, the Good Book, in the same chapter from which our Bit comes, later states: ‘Then came the word of the Lord unto Jeremiah, saying, Behold, I am the Lord, the God of all flesh: is there any thing too hard for me?’ (Jer.32:26-27) And the obvious answer to that my people, is a very emphatic NO! And we’ll end, as we like to whenever possible, with the definitive words on the subject from Jesus. This comes from when He told the young, rich man to go and sell all his earthly possessions, then come and follow Him, which the fellow was obviously reluctant to do. That brought forth this statement from Jesus: ‘And again I say unto you, It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God. When the disciples heard it, they were exceedingly amazed, saying, Who then can be saved? But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, With men this is impossible, but with God, all things are possible.’ (Matt.19:24-26) End of story my brethren! So Friends, let’s stop trying to live this life by our own will and power nuh. Instead, let’s wisely hand them over to the One who made us, and has a good plan for each and every life. When we do that, then we’ll have the peace that Jesus promised. ‘Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.’ (John 14:27) Words of absolute truth and wisdom, my people! Words that I want us to truly consider today, so that our lives can be greatly improved in this evil and troubled world. Much LOVE!…to think that the creation can ever be greater than the Creator…is nothing but foolish pride and wishful thinking…
