petty grievances | SCRIP-BITS

Matthew 5:14. Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hid.

Ah Friends, our world is in such a sad state of disrepair and confusion, it hurts to the very core. There are so many more negative than positive happenings, that when you look around all you can see is man’s terrible and ever increasing inhumanity to his fellow man. Not too long ago, it was reckoned in millions, but now it’s counted in billions.

Ah Lord eh! And the atrocities taking place in our supposed civilized world are innumerable and real, real… Hn! I can’t seem to find a word worse than atrocious nuh, so I guess atrocious it is. And the sad part is that many of these atrocities are being committed in the name of some god or the other. And wonder of wonders, all these gods are supposed to be deities which exude peace and LOVE as their main platforms!

Chuh! I guess that’s what I get for reading the newspapers, because they’re simply littered with all the negative aspects of our world, since that’s what is considered worthwhile news today. Very few of the relatively few good things happening in our world are ever reported.

I have to stop here and chuckle yes Friends, because when I was growing up, I could never understand about the constant warfare reported in the Bible and the History Books. And, fortunately or unfortunately, I still don’t understand them, or those happening today. I don’t see what real or useful purpose they serve, for it’s all death and destruction.

So you won the war, big deal! Numerous amounts of your citizens are dead, including your friends and family, your once proud and prosperous land is laid waste… But you won the war, so that makes you a mighty conqueror!

Steups! Pure foolishness Friends! I think I’ll just remain in my lack of understanding and naivety yes. (smile) The Lord might have been wiser though to let all of mankind perish in the flood, because even with that new beginning through Noah and his family, it didn’t take us long to revert to our truly evil ways, and it seems that since then, each generation has gotten progressively worse.

We claim that the Lord made us to have a good personal relationship with Him, but how much of humanity is doing that eh, even amongst the ones that do know about Him? The corrupting things of the world are having a much greater impact on mankind than the things of God, which do not corrupt.

So where does that leave us, eh mih breddren? It leaves the proportionate few who sincerely believe in the ONE TRUE GOD of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob; the God of LOVE, mercy, grace, forgiveness, salvation and eternal life, to work harder at spreading the good news of Christ and His redeeming work.

Oh Friends, we definitely and desperately need to outwork and outshine Lucifer and his evil hordes, if we truly desire to bring success to Jesus’ LOVE Revolution. To do that though, we need to develop an extraordinary amount of unbelievable faith to be able to put up with all the abuse, persecution and negativity thrown at us by the numerous evil doers of this world.

We need a faith as talked about by Martin Luther (1483-1546) the German minister who played a large part in bringing about the Protestant Reformation a few centuries ago. Now when I went on the Net to check out the dates of his birth and death, I happened to come across the same quote that I planned to share, but in a slightly different form. I considered trying to put them together, but couldn’t get it to work properly, so I’ll just give us both versions.

Version 1, from my Devotional. ‘Faith is a living and unshakeable confidence, a belief in the grace of God so assured that a man would die a thousand deaths for its sake.’

And version 2, from the Net. ‘Faith is a living, bold trust in God’s grace, so certain of God’s favour that it would risk death a thousand times trusting in it.’

Wow! Oh my fellow believers, which ever version you choose, it sure calls for a lot of faith! And right now it’s also obvious that our faith is still too small to successfully conquer the heathen. Without great faith, Martin Luther would not have had the ability to fight the Catholic Church, to stand strong and bring about the Protestant Reformation, which was, and still is, possibly the biggest change in religious attitudes since Christ birthed Christianity.

And Friends, with the great power that evil doers currently possess in our world, it will take a great upheaval, something akin to the Reformation, to bring the heathen to Christ. That’s where the LOVE Revolution comes in my people. We have to put on the greatest show of LOVE the world has seen, since Jesus sacrificed His sinless live on Calvary’s cross, for us to get the world’s attention and cause them to want what we so joyfully possess, to come to Christ to gain salvation and eternal life.

And I’m sorry, but the truth be told, we’re definitely not doing such a good job at it right now. There are too many divisions, too many petty grievances, too much hypocrisy, and simply not enough unity for unbelievers to take us seriously.

So what’s the answer eh mih breddren? We just have to get serious about doing Jesus’ work, to dig down deeper in our souls, find ways to strengthen out faith and trust in Almighty God, so that we’re willing to die a thousand deaths on His behalf.

That means Friends, we need to be two things. The first is to be a bright and genuine reflection of our Bit. ‘Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hid.’ For as Jesus explains: ‘Neither do men light a candle (lamp), and put it under a bushel (basket), but on a candlestick (lamp stand); and it giveth light unto all that are in the house.’ (Matt.5:15)

And secondly, we truly have to be the salt of the earth! Why is that, you ask?

Listen to Jesus, and all of this comes from the Sermon on the Mount. ‘Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour (flavour), wherewith (by what) shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men.’ (Matt.5:13)

Yes Friends, salt adds flavour to our food, acts as a preservative, heals wounds and salt water is the best therapeutic remedy in the world. That means we have to be bright and flavourful, compassionate, comforting, healing wounds, whether physically or psychologically, add taste, flavour and light to our bland, tasteless, dark world.

Yes my people, unless we are the true salt and light of this God-forsaken world, then things will just keep going downhill, which we certainly cannot afford to let happen.

So therefore we need to take Jesus’ advice very seriously. ‘Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.’ (Matt.5:16)

And that my fellow believers is divine wisdom straight from our Leader, our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. So please let’s put it into action as soon as possible nuh. It’s our bounden duty. Much LOVE!

…until the followers of Jesus truly become…the salt of the earth…and the light of the world…His church won’t make serious inroads into Lucifer’s camp…

Psalm 116:9: I will walk before the Lord in the land of the living.

Oh Friends, it’s Monday! But before you steups and make yourself miserable, just look ahead and you’ll see our great God’s faithfulness in another beautiful day breaking on the horizon.

Yes my fellow believers, the sun is rising in a blaze of glory, but please remember that the SON has already risen in His even bigger blaze of glory, which brought with it, the faithful promise of a brand new life for all of us who believe in Him!

With that selfless act, He redeemed our sinful souls from the throes of eternal death and damnation. And if that isn’t something to be extremely glad and thankful for, then I certainly don’t know what is!

So on this Monday morning when we’re faced with the difficult task of getting up to go to work, let’s remember what Jesus did for us, and put away all the petty grievances and ills, especially the hangovers from the too hectic Father’s Day celebrations yesterday (smile) and rise and shine like He asked us to.

Let’s allow that bright light of His that dwells in us to shine through brightly in our words and actions today as we interact with others in the work world, be they believers or non-believers! That’s the mark of a real follower of Jesus!

So with that proper perspective now running in our souls, let’s sing our Monday Morning Battle Hymn with great gusto, for Christ is risen indeed, and so have we, to another glorious day on planet earth, one chock-filled with God’s new blessings and mercies!

Now let’s sing in harmony, as one voice, one body of Christ Jesus, our wonderful Lord and Saviour!

‘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!’

Awright mih people! That was marvellous! Even the Father applauded and gave us a standing ‘O’! Wow!

There’s great joy in heaven this Monday morning Friends, so let’s replicate that joy down here on earth nuh. In light of what’s happening in heaven, it’s the only wise and sensible thing to do.

Now let’s turn to our Bit, which seems rather appropriate to all that’s gone before. ‘I will walk before the Lord in the land of the living.’

Oh Friends, that’s certainly a powerful statement and promise for the psalmist to make! Now why did he feel obliged to make it eh? The psalm itself is superscripted ‘Praise for deliverance from death,’ and just before our Bit, the psalmist explains the reason for that most worthwhile promise:

‘The Lord preserveth the simple: I was brought low, and he helped (saved) me. Return unto thy rest, O my soul: for the Lord hath dealt bountifully with thee. For thou hast delivered my soul from death, mine eyes from tears, and my feet from falling.’ (Ps.116:6-8)

Ah my brethren, that definitely sounds like a rather good reason for making a promise to walk before the Lord in the land of the living!

Now many of us have been saved from similar life threatening circumstances, but have we afterward ever made such a bold promise to God for showing us His infinite mercy and compassion? Not as many as should!

And for those few who have, are we keeping that promise? I surely hope so, since our God doesn’t take kindly to broken promises. Better not to promise, than promise and not pay. (Eccl.5:5)

And in the verse after our Bit, the psalmist makes another provocative statement: ‘I believed, therefore have I spoken:’ (Ps.116:10a)

Now though that sounds simple, it’s such a powerful and compelling scripture that Bruh Paul uses it in his second letter to the Corinthians, re living by faith. ‘We having the same spirit of faith, according as it is written, I believed, and therefore have I spoken; we also believe, and therefore speak;’ (2 Cor.4:13)

Oh my people, I ask us now, do we believe? And if so, have we spoken? I surely hope so, because it’s a very important part, in fact a necessity in our Christian heritage to speak what we believe, otherwise our beliefs are selfish and consequently useless to others.

It just shows that we don’t think highly enough of our faith to talk about what we believe, and that’s simply making a mockery of Jesus and His sacrificial death.

Please note Bruh David’s similar statement to our Bit in Psalm 27, ‘The Lord is my light and my salvation.’ He declares with certain confidence and trust: ‘I had fainted, unless I had believed to see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.’ (Ps.27:13)

Oh my people, we too are in the land of the living, and likewise claim to believe in the same God, therefore we should also exercise and claim that same confidence and trust in the goodness and magnanimity of our God, otherwise we’re just fakes and hypocrites, which we obviously don’t want to be.

So just as we begun today with affirmations in the Lord, let’s end the same way nuh.

Listen to the psalmist: ‘What shall I render unto the Lord for all his benefits toward me? I will take the cup of salvation, and call upon the name of the Lord. I will pay my vows unto the Lord now in the presence of all his people….

I will offer thee the sacrifice of thanksgiving, and will call upon the name of the Lord. I will pay my vows unto the Lord now in the presence of all his people. In the courts of the Lord’s house, in the midst of thee, O Jerusalem. (Hallelujah) Praise ye the Lord.’ (Ps.116:12-14, 17-19)

Oh Friends, that’s the proper response and reaction to faith, trust and thanksgiving to Almighty God!

Let’s go forth today and act in like manner nuh, since we all have put our faith and trust in Him, and we surely have a lot to be thankful for. Much LOVE!

…true believers ought to have a heart burning with LOVE…just like Jesus…and a life shining brightly…reflecting His awesome light…

SCRIP-BITS

Today’s Scrip-Bit 10 November 2013 Matthew 5:14

Today’s Scrip-Bit 17 June 2013 Psalm 116:9

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