Today’s Scrip-Bit 16 May 2017 Exodus 34:6.

Exodus 34:6.   And the Lord passed by before him (Moses), and proclaimed, The Lord, The Lord God, merciful and gracious, long-suffering, and abundant in goodness and truth.

Aye mih people, my sincerest apologies for the Bit’s tardiness today, (smile) but I had one of those real late early mornings, and the ole bod simply refused to get up when I asked it to. But as they say, better late than never. 

And though a light drizzle is falling in my area, making it a somewhat grey morning, we know that our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ is shining brightly in our hearts, minds, bodies and souls! Glory Hallelujah! 

And today, I want to share with us some exciting and reassuring words from Father Bob Colaresi’s opening remarks in the Spring Edition of ‘Between Friends,’ the newsletter of the Friends of the Society of the Little Flower (St. Therese of Liseux). 

He is talking about hope and renewal: ‘Spring is a time of HOPE. God is our God of HOPE. The Gospel is about HOPE – Renewed Life. The celebration of the death and resurrection of Jesus speaks to the human drama of dying and rising – always rising to new possibilities, sometimes beyond our imagining.’ 

And isn’t that the indisputable truth my fellow followers of Christ? It surely is! For it was HOPE that our glorious Lord and Saviour was born, died and rose from the grave for us to have; so that we can embrace a new future filled with good things. 

And as the article in the Between Friends Newsletter also says: ‘Spring is a time to reflect on what we need to let go of so we can be alive with God’s grace, possibilities and freedom.’ 

Oh what a profound and true statement my brethren! Spring is not only the time to clean our homes and garages and get rid of unnecessary junk, but it’s also a time to clean our hearts, bodies and souls of the worthless stuff that’s gathered there, and is keeping us from having the true and right relationship with our heavenly Father that we so desperately need to have. 

So I invite us to day to have what we shall call ‘spring thinking,’ where we endeavour to cleanse ourselves of anything that’s not moving us towards God’s will for our lives. 

And one of the ways we can do that is simply by concentrating on the goodness of our God, as enshrined in our Bit. ‘And the Lord passed by before him (Moses), and proclaimed, The Lord, The Lord God, merciful and gracious, long-suffering, and abundant in goodness and truth.’ 

Yeh friends, one of the easiest ways to avoid evil, is to concentrate on good; so that the mind has no place for the lies and deceits of the prince of darkness. But listen to what the Lord told Moses after our Bit. 

‘Keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, and that will by no means clear the guilty; visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and upon the children’s children, unto the third and fourth generation.’ (Ex.34:7) 

Now the end of that statement sounds somewhat harsh, but with the coming of Jesus that was somewhat mitigated, for everybody now has to bear the consequences for their own transgressions. 

But Glory to God, there’s still mercy and forgiveness of sin! And nowhere is God’s goodness spelled out more succinctly than in Bruh Paul’s words to the Ephesians on the terms of grace and faith. 

‘But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great LOVE wherewith he LOVED us, Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us (made us alive) together with Christ, (by grace ye are (have been) saved;) 

And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus: That in the ages to come he might show his grace in his kindness toward us through (in) Christ Jesus.’ (Eph.2:4-7) 

How magnanimous is that eh my precious people! Our wonderful God LOVED us so much, that even when we were dead in our transgressions, He gave us an option to be lifted out of the mire, to rise godly and righteous, through the selfless sacrifice of His most adorable Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! 

Wow! I can’t help saying it friends: ‘What a wonderful God we serve and worship! There’s NONE else like Him in all the world! Praise and Bless His Holy Name!’ 

Now let’s go home declaring our Tuesday Mantra, extolling who and whose we are. With strong conviction now: ‘I’m not what I do. I’m not what I have. I’m not what people say about me. I am the beloved of God, that’s who I am. No one can take that from me. I don’t have to worry. I don’t have to hurry. I can trust my friend Jesus and share His LOVE with the world.  Amen!’ 

So if that’s what we are about my brethren, then let’s go out now and share it with the rest of the world, as our friend Jesus desires of us. Much LOVE!

…spring…the time of resurrection…of cleansing…of new beginnings…

 

 

 

 

Today’s Scrip-Bit 30 April 2017 Psalm 103:2.

Psalm 103:2.   Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits.

Aye friends, it’s a wet morning, as promised by the weather forecasters, so please get your hats, brollies and raincoats out for your trip to church today. 

And to open our section on praise and worship, we couldn’t do any better than this old Fanny Crosby hymn; ‘To God be the Glory.’ So let’s belt it out with sure confidence and trust, offering up the sacrifice of praise to heaven with our earthly voices. 

‘To God be the glory, great things He hath done, So loved He the world that He gave us His Son, Who yielded His life our redemption to win, And opened the life-gate that all may go in. 

(Refrain: Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, Let the earth hear His voice; Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, Let the people rejoice; Oh, come to the Father, through Jesus the Son, And give Him the glory; great things He hath done.) 

Oh, perfect redemption, the purchase of blood, To every believer the promise of God; The vilest offender who truly believes, That moment from Jesus a pardon receives. (Refrain) 

Great things He hath taught us, great things He hath done, And great our rejoicing through Jesus the Son; But purer, and higher, and greater will be Our wonder, our transport when Jesus we see. 

(Refrain: Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, Let the earth hear His voice; Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, Let the people rejoice; Oh, come to the Father, through Jesus the Son, And give Him the glory; great things He hath done.’ 

Oh my beautiful saints in Christ, our great God has certainly done great things, both in our individual lives and in the world! None greater though than the sacrificial offering of His sinless Son, Jesus Christ for the atonement of our abominable sins! 

Consequently, as grateful people, we ought to praise and thank Him with the very deepest of gratitude and sincerity, each and every moment that we breathe His wonderful and enabling breath of life! 

That’s why our Bit is ever so applicable, especially at this Easter Season of renewal and resurrection. ‘Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits.’ 

Now, if we are true believers, then I don’t see how we could ever do that. But unfortunately, there are many, Christians included, who do it. But I won’t get on that horse today, (smile) I’ll just continue to point out scripture that validate our Bit and the benefits proclaimed by Bruh David. 

And today we’ll look at the second part of verse 3: ‘who healeth all thy diseases.’ Now isn’t that something else! For our God is known as the Great Physician, the Great Healer! And that, He has certainly proven numerous times down during the ages. 

And if you don’t believe me, listen to Moses at the bitter waters of Marah, where the Israelites on their exodus from Egypt, threatened to rebel, until the Lord caused Moses to sweeten the waters. 

Then Moses made this rule for the people to test them. ‘If thou wilt diligently hearken to the voice of the Lord thy God, and wilt do that which is right in his sight, and wilt give ear to his commandments, and keep all his statutes, I will put none of these diseases upon thee, which I have brought upon the Egyptians: for I am the Lord that healeth thee.’ (Ex.15:26). 

Yeh mih people, remember the many plagues that the Lord brought down on Egypt when Pharaoh refused to let them go out of his bondage? Well the Lord promised then, and that promise still stands to this day, that if we are obedient to His will and law, that we won’t be plagued by sickness. 

But have you noticed that recently, despite our great advancements in medical science, that we are seeing the comeback of certain diseases that we thought we’d already conquered? 

And that there is also a big scare that the current strains of bacteria in our society are getting so powerful that our medicines can no longer kill them? 

I wonder why that is eh my people? Can it have something to do with our not following God’s will and law?   Selah. Yeh friends, think on that for a moment or two nuh. 

And we’ll close today with these immortal verses form Isaiah, re the suffering servant, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. ‘Surely he hath borne our griefs (sicknesses), and carried our sorrows (pains): yet we did esteem (reckon) him stricken, smitten of (struck down by) God, and afflicted. 

But he was wounded (pierced through) for our transgressions, he was bruised (crushed) for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes (terrible blows that cut into him) we are healed.’ (Is.53:4-5) 

Yeh mih breddren, plenty of us like to rhyme of that last verse without much thought of its true meaning, but today let’s sit down and ponder what it truly means nuh. Let’s consider its real purpose in our Christian lives, and how it is especially important in this Easter Season. Much LOVE!

…ALL healing comes from Almighty God…our Maker and Healer…through the suffering of Jesus…  

 

Today’s Scrip-Bit 10 January 2014 Romans 13:10

Romans 13:10.   LOVE worketh no ill (does no harm) to his neighbour: therefore LOVE is the fulfilling of the law.

Hello there mih people, it’s Friday… And the raucous shouting begins: ‘Oh Lord, oh Lord, the weekend’s here! Work soon finish, then is time to behave like leggo beast! Oh Lord, oh Lord, it’s Friday… party time! Thank the Lord is Friday yes!’ (smile)
 
But Friends, you better believe that there are a lot of us out there with that mentality, that the weekend’s the time to go crazy. However, that’s a sad fallacy.
 
Granted, you do deserve to let down your hair some, after a long and hard week’s work, but definitely not to behave like leggo beast and put a big, broad grin on Beelzebub’s evil face. It’s supposed to be more a time of renewal than dissipation.
 
And to help us use the weekend the right way, let’s chant our Friday Chant as one loud, harmonious, groovy chorus. ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through another week of work! It hasn’t been easy, but with your generous help, I made it through.
 
Now, please help me to get sufficient fun, fellowship, rest and relaxation in these two short days off, so that I can be renewed and refreshed in soul, body and mind, to go back out and do it all over again next week, furthering your glorious kingdom with each step I take. I pray this in Jesus name. Amen.’
 
Now that’s how we should approach the weekend my brethren, not with the earlier carryings on! It’s all about perspective people; about having the right perspective to this earthly pilgrimage.
 
And what better perspective to life is there than the godly sentiments contained in our Bit? ‘LOVE worketh no ill (does no harm) to his neighbour: therefore LOVE is the fulfilling of the law.’ None whatsoever!
 
Oh my fellow believers, we’re talking about LOVE, the essence of the omnipotent God Jehovah, Creator and Controller of the universe!
 
LOVE was the emotion that drove Him to save us from our sinful selves, thus giving us the wonderful, life-saving opportunity to be reconciled to Him, and not spend eternity in eternal darkness and separation. 
 
In light of all that, what could be a better perspective to living, than a life of LOVE eh? Nothing really my brethren!
 
As the old reggae song by Culture states: ‘It was LOVE that caused our first heartbeat.’ Gospel truth indeed! 
 
And Culture also declares that ‘LOVE shines brighter than the morning sun.’ And it sure does Friends, if we allow it to. 
 
That’s why Jesus kept reiterating the importance of and the necessity for LOVE in our lives. When asked by the ole hypocrite Pharisees about the greatest commandment, what was His reply eh?
 
‘Thou shalt LOVE the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt LOVE thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.’ (Matt.22:37-40)
 
Now why would Jesus expand and expatiate (smile) on the importance of LOVE, if it wasn’t a big deal eh?
 
But for some unfathomable reason, be it foolish pride, persistent rebellion, or our basic sinful nature, we seem to find it very difficult to LOVE; to show it, to put it into action. And that deficiency covers the whole spectrum; from God, right back to ourselves and our neighbours.
 
However my brethren, without that ‘agape’ LOVE, the spiritual kindness, consideration and decency towards, God, ourselves and each other, our world will only keep sinking into a dreary and murky mire of lawlessness, Godlessness, anger and strife.
 
In fact, we’ve already gone too far for comfort, down that unwise, devilish path. And the only thing that can bring us back is a serious revolution of LOVE, engendered by Christ’s followers!
 
Yes my fellow believers, it’s only through our combined and diligent efforts of LOVE that our world will ever be turned around!
 
Aren’t you tired of seeing our beautiful world constantly careening to lower and lower levels and standards, where the negative and evil things in life are dominating the positive and godly things? I surely am!
 
So please help me fix it nuh! It’s our job, our bounden duty! And if we don’t fix it, who will eh? Surely not the unbelievers and evil powers that be!
 
So Friends, in Jesus’ Name, today I’m asking us to all come together, as ONE, as the church, the body of Christ, and spread LOVE all around the world! Because as Culture also says: ‘LOVE shines brighter every day.’ That’s provided we allow it to.
 
So if we truly LOVE Jesus, then let’s allow the LOVE that’s buried deep in our hearts and souls to shine brighter today, and each and every day hence; for our world, and our children’s sake That’s godly wisdom! Much LOVE!
 
…oh, to LOVE…and be LOVED…are the greatest feelings in the world…  
 
P.S.  Sorry the Bit’s a tad late, but the ole body just couldn’t get up very early this morning. Please show some LOVE, and forgive my human weakness. (smile) Much LOVE!
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  

Today’s Scrip-Bit 2 April 2013 Malachi 3:10

Malachi 3:10.    Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the Lord of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it.
 
Oh Friends, on this Resurrection Tuesday morning, the ole fella’s coming out shouting: ‘I, I am blessed. I want to tell the world, that I, I am blessed!’ 
The man Melo G sings that song, and says that if you have a roof over your head, shoes on your feet, clothes on your back and food on your table, then you’re indeed blessed. And mih people, I have all those things, therefore I must be blessed! Most of us also have them all, that means you too are blessed! So we can all sing: ‘We, we are blessed. Let’s tell the world that we, we are blessed!’ And that’s the gospel truth Friends! So please don’t forget it. When things aren’t looking so good, remember that we’re more blessed than 90 percent of the world, and that 90 percent will very gladly take what we have and be exceedingly grateful. Now here’s a most pertinent quote for this time of year, attributed to the famous American Poet, Emily Dickinson (1830-1886). It says: ‘Spring is a happiness so beautiful, so unique, so unexpected, that I don’t know what to do with my heart.’ And that’s oh so true! Those of you who have never experienced the deadness and deadliness of winter, won’t be able to understand the depth of emotion that spring brings. It’s such a refreshing joy, such newness of life, with everything growing, just springing up, being alive again, the air filled with all the beautiful sights, sounds and smells of a renewed, resurrected Mother Nature. It’s just like this season of Easter, with Jesus rising triumphantly from the grave after a winter in Hades. (smile) Now let’s turn to our Bit: ‘Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat (food) in mine house, and prove (test) me now herewith, saith the Lord of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it.’ Ah Friends, though our Bit has been in existence for donkey’s years (smile), it still causes serious contention even to this day. The first mention of tithes is when Melchizedek the king of Salem blessed Abraham, when he was still Abram, after he’d fought off the heathen kings who had besieged Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding area. (Gen.14:1-16)  ‘And Melchizedek king of Salem brought forth bread and wine: and he was the priest of the most high God. And he blessed him, and said, Blessed be Abram of the most high God, possessor of heaven and earth. And blessed be the most high God, which hath delivered thine enemies into thy hand. And he gave him tithes (a tenth) of all.’ (Gen.14:18-20) And since this is such a misunderstood subject, I guess we should include some explanation on that scripture from the scholars. ‘Melchizedek king of Salem probably was not a theophany (a visible manifestation to human kind of God or a god, or simply the appearance of God) but an actual king of Jerusalem or Salem (cf.Ps.76:2). He typifies Christ and His priesthood according to Psalm 110:4 and Hebrews 7. He is a priest of the most high God. It is interesting to note believers besides Abram and his descendants in this limited account (chs.12-50). He gave him tithes of all: Abram paid tithes to Melchizedek, indicating Melchizedek’s superior priesthood, since Levi (Israel’s high priest) was considered to be in the body (seminally) of Abram when he paid tithes to Melchizedek (Heb.7:9-10).’ But the whole tithe scene seems to have really unfolded when the Lord appeared to Jacob at Bethel and blessed him, and he in return promised: ‘And Jacob vowed a vow, saying, If God will be with me, and will keep me in this way that I go, and will give me bread to eat, and raiment to put on, So that I come again to my father’s house in peace; then shall the Lord be my God: And this stone, which I have set for a pillar, shall be God’s house: and of all that thou shalt give me I will surely give the tenth (a tithe) unto thee.’ (Gen.28:20-22) And we all know how the Lord blessed Jacob after that, with much goods and many offspring and changed his name to Israel, from whom the many (12) tribes of Israel were descended. Later on, for those same 12 tribes of Israel, it became an unchangeable edict in the laws Moses gave to the Israelites from God. ‘And all the tithe of the land, whether of the seed of the land, or of the fruit of the tree, is the Lord’s: it is holy unto the Lord. And if a man will at all redeem aught of his tithes, he shall add thereto the fifth part thereof. And concerning the tithe of the herd, or of the flock, even of whatsoever passeth under the rod, the tenth shall be holy unto the Lord. He shall not search whether it be good or bad, neither shall he change it: and if he change it at all, then both it and the change thereof shall be holy: it shall not be redeemed.’ (Lev.27:30-33) Oh fellow believers in Christ, yuh see how adamant the Lord was about the givings of His people! And the scholars’ have a good explanation to all of that. ‘The tithe, comprising 10 percent of all the produce, is regarded as the offering due from the people to the true owner of the land (God) (25:23). If the tithe were to be redeemed, the normal 20 percent premium was to be paid to the priests. This chapter points out that holiness is more than a matter of divine call and correct ritual. It actually requires the total consecration of a man’s life to God’s service. It involves giving oneself, one’s family and all of one’s possessions to God.’ And isn’t that the living truth my brethren? It sure is! It’s also interesting that the law dictated if you try to redeem your tithe, you have to pay a 20 percent premium. It’s just like our mortgages or most contracts we sign today; (smile) we have to pay extra to get out of them early, or just to get out of them period. Oh my people, our God doesn’t want merely a part of us, the part that we find it most convenient to give, but He wants ALL of us! And so it should rightfully be, because He’s our Creator, our Provider, our Protector and our Saviour. In fact He determines EVERYTHING about our lives! That means we can’t just be part-time believers and followers as so many of us seem to think and try to be. Anyway Friends, time and space are upon us, so we’ll end here for today, and continue tomorrow with this most interesting and very controversial topic, with the Lord’s consent of course. But believe me, it’s a tried and true formula! Till tomorrow then. In the meantime, please, let’s ponder our personal situation re tithes, and see how we match up to it, and try to match up as best we can. Remember we can’t fool our omnipotent, omniscient, omni-present God. Much LOVE!…the Lord knows our substance…and blesses us in proportion to our giving to His holy church… P.S. Oh Friends, please excuse the lateness of the Bit. It’s long but very informative and I spent more time editing it than I’d intended to. Plus I had to run outside just now and put out the garbage, since I heard the garbage truck tooling around in the neighbourhood. But lo and behold, what do you think greeted me out there; snow flurries. Hn! And this is supposed to be the third week of spring. But them’s the breaks! We just have to grin and bear it, while rolling with the punches. (smile) Much LOVE! 

 

Today’s Scrip-Bit 2 October 2012 Psalm 139:17

Psalm 139:17.      How precious also are thy thoughts unto me, O God! How great is the sum of them!     

Well Friends, it’s now October! Wow! Next week is Canadian Thanksgiving, then it’s Halloween, American Thanksgiving and finally Christmas once again! Doesn’t it seem like we had Christmas just the other day? This year has flown by so fast that I’m not sure of all that happened in it, but it definitely was a momentous year, filled with plenty mind boggling stuff, and we still have three more months to go. So by the end, who knows what other interesting and/or calamitous stuff is going to happen. But thankfully, we don’t have to worry about it all because our caring and considerate God has promised to protect us come what may, and He does keep His promises. And to show you just how faithful He is, check out this awesome prayer from Dr. Robert H. Schuller’s Hour of Power Devotional. It’s called, What a Friend. ‘You have never failed, Lord, to be my one, essential, intimate friend. When I was: Lonely in striving – you encouraged me. Lonely in struggling – you lifted me. Lonely in serving – you supported me. Lonely in suffering – you comforted me. Lonely in sinning – you forgave me. Lonely in sinking – you renewed me. Lonely in succeeding – you rejoiced with me. What a friend I have in Jesus! Thank you, Lord. Amen.’ Now isn’t that the gospel, gospel, gospel truth my brethren! And all God’s children unequivocally declared: ‘All thanks and praise to Almighty God who created us and takes care of us in every circumstance!’ Yes Friends, our God has never failed us yet! In whatever area we struggle, He always helps us. Even when we were so lost, so deep in sin, unto eternal death, He readily gave His ONLY Son, Jesus, as a sacrifice to wash our unspeakable abominations away, so that we could once again have communion with Him. How awesome and caring is that eh! I doubt that many, if any of us would have made such a sacrifice for unworthy creatures. Bruh David knew the awesomeness of the God of his fathers, not only from their stories, but more importantly from his own experience. That’s why in Psalm 139, The everlasting presence and power of God, from which our Bit is taken, he proclaims in glorious wonder: ‘How precious also are thy thoughts unto me, O God! How great is the sum of them!’ More undeniable truth Friends! And the verse after our Bit nicely sums it up. ‘If I should count them, they are more in number than the sand: when I awake, I am still with thee.’ (Ps.139:18) Oh my people, with all this LOVING-kindness showered upon us by the most Wonderful God Jehovah, I don’t understand how we could ever go a-whoring after other supposed gods, for our Heavenly Father is the epitome of a God! He is exactly what a God should be; omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent, and full of mercy, LOVE, kindness, justice, truth and forgiveness on top of all that. Wow! Listen to how Job says it in acknowledging God’s justice: ‘I know it is of a truth: but how should man be just with God (can a man be righteous before God)… He is wise in heart, and mighty in strength: who hath hardened himself against him, and hath prospered? …Which doeth great things past finding out; yea, and wonders without number. Lo, he goeth by me, and I see him not: he passeth on also, but I perceive him not. Behold, he taketh away, who can hinder him (turn him back)? Who will say unto him, what doest thou?’ (Job 9:2, 4, 10-12) Nobody in his or her right mind will do, or rather try to do that my Friends! That means therefore, that the many in this world who despise God, ignore, abuse, try to control or put Him out of business must have more than a few screws missing, because it just cannot be done by mere mortals, insignificant beings comprised of fallible, easily destroyed, flesh, blood and bones. And we’ll end today with the immortal words of Bruh Paul on the subject. Ever noticed how he has a take on almost every topic? (smile) This one is exceedingly good though. To the church at Rome he gloriously declares: ‘O the depths of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgements, and his ways past finding out! For who hath known the mind of the Lord? or who hath been his counsellor? Or who hath first given to Him, and it shall be recompensed (repaid) unto him again? For of him, and through him, and to him, are all things: to whom be glory for ever. Amen.’ (Rom.11:33-36) Yes Friends, in there Bruh Paul uses his vast knowledge of the Old Testament and quotes Is.40:13, Jer.23:18, Job 36:22, Job 41:11. Now hear how the scholars explain that last verse. I think it’s important for us to understand it. ‘God is the source of all things – of him; God is the channel of all things – through him; God is the goal of all things – to him; and Man’s only proper response to God is to worship Him.’ That says it all my people! Now let’s go out there and worship our God, like we ought to. Much LOVE!…our duty is to…LOVE our God…LIVE our Faith…and SPREAD His Word…