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 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
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 2 January 2013 2 Chronicles 24:20
02 Jan 2013 Leave a comment
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: body of Christ, civil tongues, closer walk with God, commandments, differences, dissensions, doctrines, evil spirits, fellowship, glorify God, God's righteous kingdom, goodwill, heartfelt plea, New Year's resolutions, pleas, pleasant demeanour, positive change, power hungry, prosperity, religion, sacrifice, transgressions, true heart of Christ, unity
2 Chronicles 24:20. And the Spirit of God came upon Zechariah the son of Jehoiada the priest, which stood above the people, and said unto them, Thus saith God, Why transgress ye the commandments of the Lord, that ye cannot prosper? because ye have forsaken the Lord, he hath also forsaken you.
Oh Friends, it’s day 2 of 2013, and for many of us the common grind and daily task begins again today. But can I plead one heartfelt plea with us? Please, as this Christmas and New Year seasons wind down, please let us not go back to the crude, rude, unmannerly, resentful, disgusting way we’ve been treating each other in the past year. It’s just not becoming of us, my people. For once in our life, let’s allow the goodwill and fellowship of the season to continue right through the New Year nuh. We don’t have to hug and kiss, or even like everybody we come into contact with, but we can surely have a more civil tongue in our heads and more pleasant demeanour. That doesn’t cost us anything, but it shows the true heart of Christ. As I said yesterday, there’s only one New Year’s resolution our entire world needs to make, and that’s to purpose a closer walk with Jesus! And being kind and considerate to our fellow humans is the first step in that direction. As the great philosopher Plato reputedly said eons ago; ‘The beginning is the most important part of the work.’ And that’s no lie Friends! I can attest to that just in writing the Bit everyday. The biggest hurdle is to get started. But once I do, everything comes together smoothly. And I’m sure most of you can also attest to the universal fact that making the first move in anything, always takes the most effort and courage. The Chinese Proverb puts it this way: ‘The longest journey begins with the first step.’ That’s also undeniable truth! So if we really want to have a closer walk with Jesus this year, it means we have to begin at the beginning, for though it’s the hardest part of the process, it’s also the most important. For to accomplish anything, we have to begin somewhere, sometime. Now does that get me any marks as a philosopher? (smile) From the lukewarm response, I’d guess not. But it’s the truth anyway. Now turning to our Bit: ‘And the Spirit of God came upon Zechariah the son of Jehoiada the priest, which stood above the people, and said unto them, Thus saith God, Why transgress ye the commandments of the Lord, that ye cannot prosper? because ye have forsaken the Lord, he hath also forsaken you.’ Oh Friends, I believe this will be the most important Bit of this year 2013, because it’s where we take stock of ourselves and those connected to us, of our individual society and of our world. It’s when we seriously try to turn the tables on the evil spirits and people who are currently controlling our lives and our world and ruining them. And what amazes, as well as disturbs me, is that the answer to all our problems is so easy, it’s right before our very eyes; turning back to having a true and sincere faith in Almighty God and having Him play significant roles in our individual lives and our societies. But for some unexplainable reason we seem afraid and/or reluctant to do it. But I do know it’s the right thing for us to do. It’s the only action that will get us out of the sad state we’re currently mired in. But unfortunately, right now, most of us seem to be listening to a different tune from Lucifer and his evil cronies, and thus they are now holding sway. Believe me though, my brethren, if only we, the church, the body of Christ could get back to working AS ONE, instead of fighting each other, we’d eat up, defeat the enemy in no time at all. But it’s the foolish divisions among Christ’s people that allow Beelzebub’s minions to rule the roost. The enemy is successfully using the old divide and conquer tactic on us. But unless and until the mostly petty and unimportant dissensions and differences are seriously addressed and worked out between Christ’s people, His church will not attain any real victory here on earth. But the devil’s in the details; reducing things like power struggles, streamlining doctrines, etc. etc. It’s always the selfish, power hungry, have to be right attitudes that spoil the show. And sadly, that’s not the attitude championed by Christ. It’s time Friends, for us to put up, or simply shut up. It’s time for Christ’s church to come together, to form a cohesive group, preaching what Christ preached, not what we want to preach or hear. If this doesn’t happen very soon, the church is just going to get more fractured and lose what little authority and acceptance it has left. And it’s only true believers, those who are willing to make the sacrifice, like Jesus did, who will affect or cause positive change in the evil doings of our world. But until we work together as ONE, that will never happen. Oh please, my fellow brethren in Christ, I’m appealing, pleading, begging, whatever action it takes, for us to get real serious about our faith, to get together and fight for it, otherwise we’re going to eventually lose it. Just look at some of the other faiths nuh, who though they worship dead and incompetent gods, their great belief, courage and zeal has them fighting tooth and nail to promote their unrighteous cause. Meanwhile, we, the Christians, who supposedly worship the ONE and ONLY TRUE GOD, fight amongst ourselves, sit on our laurels, seeking individual fame and glory, and refuse to make the effort to seriously come together and make a concerted effort to win the world for Christ, as He so humbly asked us to do. Oh Friends, I’m chuckling here, because this is one of those times when I was led to just get on our case about our dissensions and divisions, our inactivity, our hypocrisy, and all the wrong and bad things in the church, as we know it. Ah Lord eh! When will we learn my people, when will we wake up to the reality that life’s passing us by, and that our efforts are both lacklustre and insufficient? I don’t know if my pleas will make any difference to anything, but Friends, somebody’s got to cry out for unity between Christ’s people and His church, or else we’ll all just keep on going down to hell in the hand basket of petty divisions, of evil and worldly lusts we’ve chosen to put ourselves into. In closing, I just hope and pray that the Lord will take us to task this notable year of 2013, and put it in our hearts to truly be an example of righteousness to the unbelievers, as well as the believers, because they too need proper examples to help them guide their lives on the right path. But Friends, most of that can, or will never happen unless we start to truly LOVE our God, truly LIVE our Christian Faith, and truly SPREAD the WORD of God, as we ought to. Much LOVE!…may the good Lord convict our hearts and minds…at the start of this New Year…RIGHT NOW…to walk ever closer to Him…and thus increase and glorify His righteous kingdom…Amen…
Today’s Scrip-Bit 1 January 2013 2 Chronicles 24:20
01 Jan 2013 Leave a comment
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: 2013, closer walk with God, commandments, faithful promises, forgiveness, forsaken God, gospel truth, Happy New Year, heady times, heartfelt greetings, LOVE, loving kindness, mercy, never give up, New Year resolutions, New Year's Day, prosperity, Spirit of God, transgressions, victory, wisdom, words of wisdom, worldly things, worldy idols
2 Chronicles 24:20. And the Spirit of God came upon Zechariah the son of Jehoiada the priest, which stood above the people, and said unto them, Thus saith God, Why transgress ye the commandments of the Lord, that ye cannot prosper? because ye have forsaken the Lord, he hath also forsaken you.
Aye Friends, it’s New Year’s Day 2013! Wow! That calls for enthusiastic, heartfelt greetings. Happy New Year to all my Scrip-Bit Family! And please remember that 2013 will be an even better year for us than 2012 was. The Lord’s promised this, and we all know that He faithfully keeps all of His promises. I guess you also realized that the Bit would be late today, because like many of you, I did a bit of partying last night, celebrated New Year’s all around the world, right up to Calgary at 2 a.m. my time. The party was small, just family, but rousing and interesting. Made me believe the wisdom of staying home, cause when I got tired in the wee hours, I just went upstairs to my bed. And I admit that it was a bit difficult getting up this morning. When the Lord woke me up around 5 a.m. I pleaded, ‘No Lord, please, not yet!’ (smile) And in His wisdom and wonderful LOVING-kindness, He granted me another hour’s rest. Yuh see why I LOVE Him so! No doubt many of you are in the same boat, not in a rush to read my words of wisdom this first day of 2013, (smile) as I wasn’t in a rush to write them. But like the mail, the Bit must go out! Better late than never. Now turning to the problem of resolutions… yes, it has become a problem, because we rush to make them at the beginning of the year, often with good intentions, but a short while thereafter, we either forget them or intentionally discard them. That’s mainly because they are mostly worldly things. However Friends, you know there’s only one resolution we really need to make at the beginning of each year; and that’s just to promise that we’ll walk closer with Jesus. Now that encompasses everything! If we simply concentrate on walking closer with Christ, then everything else will fall into their rightful places. That’s why Jesus was so emphatic and adamant with those memorable words: ‘But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.’ (Matt.6:33) And that, my brethren, is the only strategy we really need to follow in this current, evil, ungodly age! That brings us to our first Bit of this New Year, one I consider rather appropriate for these undoubtedly wicked times. ‘And the Spirit of God came upon Zechariah the son of Jehoiada the priest, which stood above the people, and said unto them, Thus saith God, Why transgress ye the commandments of the Lord, that ye cannot prosper? because ye have forsaken the Lord, he hath also forsaken you.’ And that’s the gospel, gospel truth my people! If you’re honest with yourselves, you’ll realize that many of the woes and disasters that have recently befallen our individual societies, and our world in general, is because like the foolish, fickle Israelites of old, who were supposed to know better, we too have turned away from Jehovah God and taken to worshipping Lucifer and his evil, worldly desires. A few days ago, while doing my daily Bible reading, I came upon our Bit, and it struck me as being so relevant to our times that I wanted to rush and use it, but I was guided to hold it until today, a more significant occasion, where people were liable to pay more attention to it. And in one of His small, but nonetheless mysterious and miraculous movements, the Lord caused me to hear a song last night that fits in very appropriately with it. The title of the song is simply ‘Superior’ by an artist called Gentleman. And the chorus goes like this: ‘I know Jah LOVING is superior. Your devil complex inferior. Worshipping material. Bowing to your silver and gold.’ Oh my brethren, that is such an apt description of our current world, that I couldn’t let it go by unnoticed! Unfortunately though, I don’t know what to say or do to change that evil, unwise behaviour, since all my best words and actions seem to fall on deaf ears, so powerful is the current lure of Beelzebub and his worldly lust. But what makes us the champions that we truly are, my fellow believers, is that we don’t EVER give up. The victory has already been won; it’s just for us to keep on fighting tooth and nail to ensure that it stays that way. Oh my people, this year of 2013 gives us the great opportunity to make a brand new start, to seriously consider all the options available to us, and to wisely choose to follow Jesus, cause he’s the ONLY way to salvation and eternal life! I won’t badger us with much scripture today, because I know that even in the best of times we seem reluctant to read it, so you can imagine the resistance this New Year’s day, with all the celebrations going on. However, I will badger us to use logic and common sense, to just look around and see what’s really happening in our world, and remember, if you’re old enough, the bye gone days when our world leaned more towards righteousness and Jehovah God than the evil of Lucifer, and consequently it was also much more prosperous, merciful, LOVING, and forgiving. And if you’re too young to remember those heady times, then please read your Bible, ask your parents or older associates, and check out the history of your own country and the world over the last fifty years, and you’ll understand what I’m talking about. Anyway, enough for today. Please, let’s all give much thanks and praise to our heavenly Father for bringing us safely through another fateful year, and allowing us to see this new one, where we’ll all seriously endeavour to walk closer with Him. That’s my special wish and prayer for us this wonderful upcoming year of 2013! And all God’s people said a loud, grateful and enthusiastic ‘Praise the Lord! Amen.’ Yes Friends, 2013 will be a most memorable and victorious year, not only for believers, but also for our entire world. Please believe it, see it with your eyes of faith, so that with God’s help, we can bring it to reality. Much LOVE!…just a closer walk with thee…this year of 2013…blessed Jesus is my plea…walking ever closer to thee…let it be…dear Lord…please let it be…
Today’s Scrip-Bit 8 December 2012 Psalm 116:7
08 Dec 2012 Leave a comment
in Inspirational Living Tags: abundance, bountiful, Comforter, confidence, distress, good times, grace, gracious Lord, grateful hearts, hearts, heavy burdens, inclement weather, joy, LOVE, loving kindness, merciful, mercy, minds, praise, prosperity, provider, rest, righteousness., sincerity, sing unto the Lord, souls, thanks, trust, truth
Psalm 116:7. Return unto thy rest, O my soul; for the Lord hath dealt bountifully with thee.
Ah Friends, it’s another grey, cloudy, rainy morning in my neck of the woods. But despite the inclement weather, life is good, and for that we are all very grateful. Therefore, let’s raise a mighty shout of joy to heaven, praising and thanking the Lord God Jehovah for His goodness, LOVING-kindness and mercy towards the undeserving children of men. And all God’s people declared in loud voice, with grateful hearts: ‘Almighty God, we praise You, and bless Your Holy Name, for all you’ve done and are planning to do for us!’ And we find a poignant example of praise for God’s goodness in Psalm 116, Praise for deliverance from death. ‘I LOVE the Lord, because he hath heard my voice and my supplications. Because he hath inclined his ear unto me (hath listened to me), therefore will I call upon him as long as I live. The sorrows of death compassed (surrounded) me, and the pains (distress) of hell gat (laid) hold upon me: I found trouble and sorrow. Then called I upon the name of the Lord; O Lord, I beseech thee, deliver my soul. Gracious is the Lord, and righteous, yea, our God is merciful. The Lord preserveth the simple: I was brought low, and he helped (saved) me.’ (Ps.116:1-6) Yes Friends, the Lord of hosts is our refuge, our hiding place, our rock, our shield, our provider, our comforter! In times of want and trouble, He is the first One we ought to call upon. Now don’t forget to give Him thanks and praise in the good times too. So in other words, believers ought to be doing as Bruh Paul advised the Ephesians: ‘Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ;’ (Eph.5:20) And not only that, but also as He told the Philippians: ‘Rejoice in the Lord always: and again I say, Rejoice.’ (Phil.4:4) Oh my people, whatever life brings us, lemons or honey, we ought to rejoice and give thanks to our great God! It’s as simple as that. Note I didn’t say easy, but with God’s help and some practice, it’s certainly doable. That’s why the psalmist in our Bit today, could say with great confidence and joy: ‘Return unto thy rest, O my soul; for the Lord hath dealt bountifully with thee.’ That Friends, is the wonderful modus operandi of our God; dealing bountifully with those who cry out to Him in all sincerity and truth! But far too many of us are too proud, stubborn, rebellious and independent to ask for help, as Jeremiah shows, when talking about the destruction of Judah. ‘Thus saith the Lord, stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls. But they said, We will not walk therein.’ (Jer.6:16) Oh what stupidity we embrace my brethren when we refuse to walk in the traditional ways of true righteousness! Doing our own thing only leads to disaster and destruction. But our God LOVES us so much, that even when we blatantly ignore Him and choose to go our own way, He still doesn’t give up on us. Listen to Jesus with this great invitation: ‘Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of (from) me; for I am meek (gentle) and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.’ (Matt.11:28-30) Oh Friends, there’s no better invitation than that to be found anywhere in this whole wide world. For who doesn’t want rest for their weary soul in this evil, ungodly, tiresome, fraudulent, busy world? And Jesus is willing to bear our heavy burdens, like He bore the cross all the way to Calvary, and our sins all the way to eternity. So why are we so reluctant, or should I say adamant in not putting our trust in Him eh, especially when we see the sorry state of our world, because we have placed our trust in unworthy, unfaithful man? Fellow believers, it’s time to put our utmost and entire trust in Jesus, since He is the only one who can help us escape from the deep mire in which we’re now wallowing. In Psalm 119, the psalmist wisely asked the Lord to ‘Deal bountifully with thy servant, that I may live, and keep thy word. Open thou mine eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of thy law.’ (Ps.119:17-18) Those are the kinds of things we ought to be asking for Friends; the ability to live righteously and abide in His Word, discernment and focus through His Holy Spirit, so that we can understand and enjoy all the wonderful things that He’s provided for us in His law. When we do those things, then like the second half of our Bit, we’ll be able to say in all truth, that the Lord has dealt bountifully with us. And like Bruh David, we can also confidently declare: ‘I will sing unto the Lord, because he hath dealt bountifully with me.’ (Ps.13:6) Yes my people, when we diligently and sincerely seek the Lord and try to do His will, then He deals bountifully with us, even more bountifully than we can ask or imagine! So what’s holding us back eh? Let’s come to the Lord today in all diligence and sincerity, surrender our lives to Him, rest under His strong, protective wings, that we may find the peace and joy He’s faithfully promised, and last but not least, enjoy the prosperity and abundance that comes to those who open their hearts, minds and souls to Him. That’s wisdom at its zenith, my brethren! Much LOVE!…to know, know, know Him…is to LOVE, LOVE, LOVE Him…
Today’s Scrip-Bit 6 December 2012 Ecclesiastes 5:13
06 Dec 2012 Leave a comment
in Inspirational Living Tags: accumulation of wealth, affliction, brought nothing, futility, God's Word, greed, hope, hurt, LOVE of Money, misfortune, old man, prayer of Hope, prosperity, robert h schuller, severe evil, spirituality, stored riches, strained muscles, truthful words, understanding, wasted lives, wealth, will take nothing, wisdom
Ecclesiastes 5:13. There is a sore evil which I have seen under the sun, namely riches kept for the owners thereof to their hurt.
Oh Friends, I thought I was improving on all fronts yes, but was I ever wrong, for yesterday I suddenly developed some pains in my left side. I believe they come from strained muscles, caused by lifting up our heavy suitcases several times on Monday, no doubt in the wrong manner, in the rush to get about. Then my ole back began to act up too. They have me walking like a true old man, with mincing steps and halting gait. (smile) The strange thing though is that this all happened almost two days after the travel, with no prior warning. But you know what Friends, I have the ‘rightest’ antidote for all those aches and pains right here, and I’m going to share it with you. It’s taken from the Hour of Power Devotional by Robert H Schuller, and titled, ‘A Prayer of Hope.’ Please pray it with me, because we all need that wonderful energizing emotion called HOPE. ‘I have a strong, serene feeling that God is planning something good for me today. I cannot explain it, but I have a deep feeling that wonderful things are in store for me. I am expecting God to surprise me with His tender mercy. He will turn my hurts into halos. He is guiding my life in such a way that whatever happens to me will prove to be a beautiful blessing. Thank you, Lord. Amen.’ Now doesn’t that make us feel better? It sure does, even by just lightening our emotional load a tad. That brings us to our Bit, taken from a passage called the vanity of life. ‘There is a sore (severe) evil which I have seen under the sun, namely riches kept for the owners thereof to their hurt.’ Oh my people, those are indeed wise and truthful words from Cousin Sol! And he continues to warn us thus: ‘But those riches perish by evil travail (misfortune): and he begetteth a son, and there is nothing in his hand. As he came forth of his mother’s womb, naked shall he return to go as he came, and shall take nothing of his labour, which he may carry away in his hand. And this also is a sore (severe) evil, that in all points as he came, so shall he go: and what profit hath he that hath laboured for the wind? All his days also he eateth in darkness, and he hath much sorrow and wrath with his sickness.’ (Eccl.5:14-17) Oh my brethren, we all know that we brought nothing in to this world and will take nothing with us when we leave, yet we continuously create this great desire to accumulate earthly wealth, too often just for the sake of accumulating wealth. But as the scholars wisely note: ‘Wealth is easily lost and is therefore an unsure foundation for life.’ How true that is fellow believers! And Cousin Sol wisely continues his warnings in the next chapter, the vanity of riches. ‘There is an evil which I have seen under the sun, and it is common among men: A man to whom God hath given riches, wealth, and honour, so that he wanteth (lacks) nothing for his soul (himself) of all that he desireth, yet God giveth him not power to eat thereof, but a stranger eateth it: this is vanity (futility), and it is an evil disease (affliction).’ (Eccl.6:1-2) That’s a situation we see everyday Friends, yet we still hunger and thirst to achieve those earthly showpieces of wealth. We even go to terrible lengths; kill, deceive, suppress and oppress to achieve them. All to what purpose eh? For as the scholars again so wisely point out: ‘Prosperity is not necessarily good. Accumulation of wealth does not always result in the use of it.’ Instead my people, we should be hungering and thirsting after the righteousness of God, through His Son, Jesus Christ, because that’s where true satisfaction, salvation and eternal life lies. Listen to Cousin Sol again: ‘If a man beget a hundred children, and live many years, so that the days of his years be many, and his soul be not filled with good (satisfied with good things), and also that he have no burial; I say, that an untimely birth (a stillborn child) is better than he. For he cometh in with vanity (futility), and departeth in darkness, and his name shall be covered with darkness.’ (Eccl.6:3-4) Ah mih breddren, if we do no good in this world, with or without riches, then our lives are wasted. An untimely birth is better than an unsatisfied life. So are we going to take these lessons to heart, and stop running down material wealth, earthly power and influence? I certainly hope so. And just as a gentle reminder, I’ll leave us with the wise words of Bruh Paul on the subject, written long after Cousin Sol’s warnings, but just as powerful and appropriate, especially in this crazy, troubled, evil and misguided world. ‘For the LOVE of money is the root of (all kinds of) evil; which while some coveted after, have erred from the faith (for which some in their greediness have strayed from the faith), and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.’ (1 Tim.6:10) Undeniable words of truth and wisdom my Friends! So please pay attention, and today let’s turn our hearts and minds to considering how our personal attitude to the accumulation of earthly wealth fits in with God’s Word. And then, let’s truly try to make it fit better nuh, for from such things are wisdom and understanding acquired. Much LOVE!…at birth, we brought nothing…at death, we’ll carry nothing…so why the unwise desire for endless accumulation during life eh…
Today’s Scrip-Bit 6 September 2012 Jeremiah 33:3
06 Sep 2012 Leave a comment
in Inspirational Living Tags: a future, ever-faithful God, gracious, hope, Jesus Christ, LOVE, manna, mercy, peace, prosperity, righteous, sacrificial lamb, titillate, truth
Jeremiah 33:3. Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and show thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not.
Ah mih people, it’s a new day, but the ole fella doesn’t have anything new to titillate your senses with in my intro. (smile) Oh there’s lots of stuff I could write, but unfortunately it wouldn’t fit with the God-inspired theme that we want to perpetuate in the Scrip-Bit. So I guess I’ll just have to stick with the tried and true approach, telling you about giving thanks and praise to Almighty God for showing us the extraordinary favour of seeing another beautiful day on planet earth. And I don’t care how bad our problems might be down here on earth, none of us are really ready to go and join Him up there in the wild, blue yonder. And I would be certainly amiss in my duties if I didn’t remind us of all the wonderful blessings that the Lord’s prepared to shower down on us this balmy Thursday in September 2012. Remember too, that these mercies and blessings are new every single day. Our God is so great and generous that He insists on bestowing new stuff on us every day. No going back into yesterday’s bag of goodies. So you can be assured that every day you spend on this evil and troubled earth, you will be endowed with new favour, new manna from above. As they say, yesterday is past, tomorrow hasn’t yet arrived, but today, the present is here, so enjoy today’s presence and presents. No need to worry about tomorrow, for Jesus promised that tomorrow would look after itself. (Matt.6:34) A new batch of presents will arrive from our heavenly Father everyday, if we continuously seek to do His will. So let’s stop worrying and being anxious about out troubles, neither of those things will help, but instead make our situations worse. To solve our earthly problems, we need to do as our Bit says: ‘Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and show thee great and mighty (inaccessible) things, which thou knowest not.’ And Friends, that’s the gospel truth. Many of us can testify to that. And yuh know my people, our God is so wonderful that long before I began walking seriously with Him – though I didn’t live the way He wanted, I never forgot His Word – there are several occasions that I can remember where I was in a serious jam, from which I couldn’t extricate myself in my own strength, and I cried out to Him, and He did provide solutions to my problems. Yes Friends, we can all tell stories of crying out to our heavenly Father in times of dire need and having Him respond with LOVE and mercy. So why then are we still so reluctant to truly follow Him eh? I guess deep down, our basic human nature still desires the things of the world, the glitter and glamour still capture our fleshly senses, and with Lucifer’s able assistance and prodding, those fleshly lusts rise up above the spiritual common sense. But Friends, nobody knows our fallen nature better than the One who created us. And the wonderful thing about it all is that He doesn’t expect us to be perfect, but He does expect us to try and elevate ourselves in His Word and His Will, to try and become more like His Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus, our shining example. So when we occasionally make a mess of things, we shouldn’t be too proud to call on Him for help, especially since He’s really the only one who can offer us lasting help. Listen to this wonderful promise He made to the people of Judah, through Jeremiah, after severely punishing them for their gross disobedience. ‘For thus saith the Lord, That after seventy years be accomplished at Babylon I will visit you, and perform my good word toward you, in causing you to return to this place. For I know the thoughts that I have toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil (calamity), to give you an expected end (a future and a hope). Then shall ye call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken (listen) unto you.’ (Jer.29:10-12) And my brethren, we all know that our ever-faithful God, faithfully fulfilled that promise. It’s also a promise that still stands and holds good for us today my people! Our amazing God only has good thoughts towards us; thoughts of peace and prosperity. But we first have to engage Him in conversation and communication. When we do our part, He will do His. Hear how Bruh David says it in Psalm 145, re the Lord is gracious. ‘The Lord is righteous in all his ways, and holy (gracious) in all his works. The Lord is nigh unto all them that call upon him, to all that call upon him in truth. He will fulfill the desire of them that fear him: he also will hear their cry, and will save them.’ (Ps.145:17-19) And Bruh David certainly knew about the Lord’s goodness and graciousness from personal experience! So please Friends, let’s turn our thoughts and our hearts towards Almighty God nuh. He is the One who created us, and only in Him, through the sacrificial lamb, Jesus Christ, can we find that sense of true peace, LOVE and prosperity, for which all of us are seeking. That’s the ultimate wisdom for this, and every age! Much LOVE!…and ye shall seek me…and find me…when ye shall search for me…with all your heart… (Jer.29:13)
Today’s Scrip-Bit 5 September 2012 Jeremiah 33:3
05 Sep 2012 Leave a comment
in Inspirational Living Tags: active, answer, call me, candle, confidence, deliverance, faithful, fear, generation, glorify, goodness, heart and soul, Jesus Christ, Jesus' words, life, passion, prosperity, sin, torch, tremble
Jeremiah 33:3. Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and show thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not.
Oh my beautiful Friends, sincere and true believers in our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, top o’ the morning to all of you! I hope that brought a chuckle to your hearts, but also a seriousness that underscores the life we live in and for Christ, since it’s the most important aspect of who and what we are. And to highlight that, let me share a most appropriate quote. I’m not sure if I’ve shared it before, but even if I have, it’s relevant enough to share it again. It’s one of those quotes we ought to bury deep in our consciousness and keep it always before us as a guiding light. It comes from the Irish playwright, George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950) and says: ‘Life is not a “brief candle.” It is a splendid torch that I want to make burn as brightly as possible before handing it over to future generations.’ And therein lies it’s importance my people; it describes our duty, our bounden duty to live faithful Christian lives, simultaneously teaching those that come after us, so that when we’re gone, like the passing of the Olympic torch, they can carry on the great Christian tradition and commission, then further pass it on those who come after them. Only in that way shall Jesus’ words stand the test of time in a physical, human context. ‘Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.’ (Matt.24:33) Spiritually speaking Jesus’ words will last forever, but if we don’t pass them down to the young generation, they will be lost to this world even before heaven and earth pass away. Unfortunately we have already done serious damage to Jesus’ words by not speaking them and living them enough before our children. We surely don’t want to erode it any further. And our Bit shows us one of the ways to help ensure that we do pass on the Word to our descendants. Note too that all this was passed on to Jeremiah while he was in prison. ‘Thus saith the Lord the maker thereof, the Lord that formed it, to establish it; the Lord (Yahweh, Jehovah) is his name; Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and show thee great and mighty (inaccessible) things, which thou knowest not.’ We had to include the previous verse to keep the context. In this chapter, the Lord’s promising a glorious return of the Jewish captives in Babylon to their homeland. ‘And I will cause the captivity (captives) of Judah and the captivity of Israel to return, and will build them (those places), as at first. And I will cleanse them from all their iniquity, whereby they have sinned against me; and I will pardon all their iniquities, whereby they have sinned, and whereby they have transgressed against me. And it shall be to me a name of joy, a praise and an honour before all the nations of the earth, which shall hear all the good that I do unto them: and they shall fear and tremble for all the goodness and for all the prosperity that I procure unto (provide for) it.’ (Jer.33:7-9) Oh Friends, what a wonderful promise the Lord made to the Jewish captives that would be taken away to Babylon. But before any of that could even begin to take place, the Jewish remnant had to call sincerely on the Lord, and stay faithful to His Will and His Word. If we don’t seek Him, we’ll not find Him, consequently He won’t be able to answer us. I guess a good example of that was my serious drop off in confidence yesterday. Now I could have tried to resuscitate it on my own, but who knows if and when I’d be successful? However, because I’m trying to delight myself in the Lord, I did what He advised; I called out…hn, hn! It was more like I cried out to Him in utter despair! (smile) And knowing that I needed confidence to write the Bit, which is all about spreading His LOVE and His Word, He rejuvenated my ailing spirit. Remember He doesn’t give you a job to do without the help and necessary tools to do it. Hear how the Psalmist Asaph puts it in Psalm 50; God is the judge: ‘Offer unto God thanksgiving; and pay thy vows unto the Most High: And call upon me in the day of trouble: I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify me.’ (Ps.50:14-15) And that’s no lie my people! If we steadfastly offer thanks and praise to God and live as faithful a life as we can, He will hear us when we call on Him in troubled times, and will gladly deliver us, thus glorifying His holy, precious Name. Remember His main purpose for creating us was to glorify Him. However, I believe we’ve seriously fallen down on the job in that respect. We’re not active and passionate enough, don’t take the bull by the horns and wrestle the evil minions of Lucifer to the ground, so that God’s glory can rise up in our society, and men see His awesome power working in and through us. Anyway Friends, we’ll end with a beautiful scripture, from Zechariah, where he talks about the cleansing of Jerusalem and the smiting of the Lord’s shepherd, Jesus, our Messiah. And he ends by saying: ‘And I will bring the third part through the fire, and will refine them as silver is refined, and will try (test) them as gold is tried (tested): and they shall call on my name, and I will hear (answer) them: I will say, It is my people: and they shall say, The Lord is my God.’ (Zech.13:9) Oh my brethren, what sweet words of encouragement! Please, let’s rise up and make ourselves worthy nuh to be amongst the third part that the Lord will save. Let’s rise up and be successfully tested, and call on His name so that He can hear us, and gladly declare that we are His people, and we can joyfully respond; ‘The Lord is my God!’ My Friends, that’s the only wise and sensible route to take in this turbulent and very troubled world of ours. Much LOVE!…but if from thence…thou shalt seek the Lord thy God…thou shalt find him…if thou seek him…with all thy heart…and with all thy soul… (Deut.4:29)
Today’s Scrip-Bit 2 September 2012 Proverbs 3:3
02 Sep 2012 1 Comment
in Inspirational Living Tags: commandments, favour, glorify God, God's Law, Good God, great commission, guard your heart and mind, heart, high esteem, Hurricane Isaac, hypocrisy, long life, mercy, mind, oneness of purpose, prosperity, Sunday, thanks and praise, thanksgiving, truth
Proverbs 3:3. Let not mercy and truth forsake thee: bind them about thy neck; write them upon the table of thine heart.
Oh Friends, let’s begin today by giving much thanks for life, health and liberty! And all God’s people declared a grateful, ‘Thank You Lord for all the blessings in my life!’ Let’s also be thankful that the young Christian girl imprisoned in Pakistan for supposed blasphemy, allegedly burning some pages of a holy book, will be safe from the mob that’s been crying out for her breath of life, for at least another two weeks. That’s when her case comes up again. What ignorance and hypocrisy eh! And closer to home, let’s also offer heartfelt thanks that Hurricane Isaac didn’t do as much damage to Louisiana and the other South-western States as expected. This time the anchors (levees) held, unlike when Katrina descended upon them. Oh Friends, our God is certainly a GOOD GOD! He’s so wonderful, that even in the midst of tragedy, believers can always see the light of His LOVING presence, and feel His gentle, saving touch. Now remember that today is Sunday, so all those who celebrate the Sabbath on Sunday, if at all possible, please get out and fellowship with other believers, giving thanks and praise to God in unity and oneness of purpose. For as we’ve been saying over the last few days, a unified church is very essential in successfully fulfilling Jesus’ Great Commission. (Matt. 28:19-20) And before we get to our Bit, let’s hear how Cousin Sol in exhorting us to obedience, opens Chapter 3, as a lead up to it. ‘My son, forget not my law; but let thine heart keep my commandments: For length of days, and long life, and peace, shall they add to thee.’ (Prov.3:1-2) Now that’s the living truth my people! For when we keep the Lord’s law, then we are divinely blessed with peace and long, prosperous lives. And now we can segue smoothly into our Bit: ‘Let not mercy (LOVING-kindness) and truth forsake thee: bind them about thy neck; write them upon the table of thine heart.’ Yes Friends, those two things, mercy and truth, are of the utmost importance in the lives of EVERY believer. Why? Cousin Sol continues with more valuable advice. ‘So shalt thou find favour and good understanding (high esteem) in the sight of God and man.’ (Prov.3:4) Now we all desire those things in this earthly life, but the only way to truly and lastingly accomplish that is by having mercy (LOVING-kindness) and truth always in our sights. They’re so important that we’ve even been advised and encouraged to ‘Bind them about thy neck.’ That means the Lord’s teachings should be as much a part of us as an adornment or necklace around our necks. In other words, always present and standing out. Just goes to show how important those two attributes are my brethren. And later on in Chapter 6, when warning against adultery, Cousin Sol reiterates the importance of keeping the Lord’s law. ‘My son, keep thy father’s commandment, and forsake not the law of thy mother: Bind them continually upon thine heart, 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. For the commandment is a lamp; and the law is light; and reproofs of instruction are the way of life: To keep thee from the evil woman, from the flattery of the tongue of a strange woman (seductress). (Prov.6:20-24) In this particular case he advocates it against the wiles of an evil woman, but keeping the Lord’s law is material in every aspect of our everyday lives. And we shouldn’t only have the law close to our bodies like a necklace, but also ‘write them upon the table of thine heart.’ That’s our minds. We need to write them first and foremost in our minds, for as our minds go, so goes the rest of our body. The mind is our most important organ, it’s a unique, marvellous and ‘unclonable’ bit of engineering, and since within it lie the true controls of our bodies, it is thus extremely important in understanding and successfully living this earthly life. That’s why Lucifer always seeks first to infiltrate our minds, cause he knows that once he’s in control of our controls, he’s home free. Consequently it’s of the utmost necessity we guard our hearts and minds very closely. No wonder Bruh Paul strongly advised the Philippians. ‘Rejoice in the Lord always: and again I say, Rejoice. Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand. Be careful (anxious) for nothing; but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep (guard) your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.’ (Phil.4:4-7) And we’ll close with some words from the scholars which will help us understand that last verse. ‘The peace of God is that tranquility of mind freeing the believer from fear and worry. “Peace” which passeth all understanding means (1) peace divinely bestowed in times of anxiety, so wonderful that it exceeds one’s ability to understand it; and (2) God’s peace far surpassing one’s own understanding of the problem, and his ability to cope with and solve it. Shall keep means “shall guard.” This is a military term for a sentinel standing guard duty. As Philippi was guarded by a Roman garrison, and its citizens were accustomed to seeing soldiers protecting the city, this word would be especially appreciated by the readers.’ Oh Friends, let’s hope we not only appreciate what we’ve read here today, but that we also go out and put it into practice in our daily lives. It’s the best way to glorify God and show Jesus that we truly care about the sacrifice He made for us on the cross at Calvary. In Jesus Name, I pray. Amen. Much LOVE!…without solid foundations of mercy and truth…believers will always come up short in Christ…
Today’s Scrip-Bit 20 August 2012 Psalm 37:8
20 Aug 2012 Leave a comment
in Inspirational Living Tags: advice, anger, awe, conquerors, dreams, enthusiasm, evil, eyes of faith, fear, humble servant, imagination, invincible, joy, pride, prosperity, righteous, sin, songs of praise, vitality, wisdom, wrath
Psalm 37:8. Cease from anger, and forsake wrath: fret not thyself in any wise to do evil.
SCRIP-BITS 