Proverbs 15:8. The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the Lord: but the prayer of the upright is his delight.
Buenos dias mi amigos! That’s Espanol, Spanish for Good Morning Friends! What a way the ole fella is waxing linguistically these days eh! (smile) But please don’t ask me to say much more than good morning or good evening cause the old brain, through lack of use, has forgotten most of the French and Spanish it once knew. Now just a gentle reminder for those who celebrate the Sabbath on Sunday, that it’s very important we get together with other believers and encourage ourselves in our wonderful God with praise, thanksgiving and joyful worship. Remember Christ’s church is ONE body, though made up of many individual parts, and unless those parts work together in harmony, meaning believers working in faithful tandem, the body won’t progress, won’t stay strong and grow, but will regress and eventually fall apart like our human bodies do when we abuse or don’t take good care of them. And we certainly don’t want Christ’s church to fall apart, so, if at all possible, let’s get out today and celebrate the awesomeness of the God we so enthusiastically serve and worship. That brings us to our Bit: ‘The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the Lord: but the prayer of the upright is his delight.’ That’s the living truth my people! The Lord doesn’t want anything to do with the wicked. Hear the scholars comment on it. ‘The best that the wicked can offer God religiously is completely rejected.’ And why not, since they are not sincere in their efforts. What the Lord desires more than anything else is sincerity in our dealing with Him, and for that matter, also with our fellow man. As our Bit rightly declares; ‘but the prayer of the upright is his delight.’ And remember Friends, we can fool ourselves and each other, like the Pharisees, with our outward show of righteousness, but we can’t fool God, who looks at the motives of our hearts and not simply our outward actions. We all know the famous words of Samuel to Saul, when he disobeyed God’s orders to destroy all of the Amalekites and their property, but he saved the king, Agag, and allowed the people to keep spoil to offer blood sacrifice. ‘Hath the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams. For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft (divination), and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because thou hast rejected the word of the Lord, he hath also rejected thee from being king.’ (1 Sam.15:22-23) It’s the same relationship we cultivate with our children, where we want them to do as we ask, rather than what they think we want. And the scholars note that: ‘Those verses reinforce the Old Testament viewpoint that religious ritual devoid of spiritual reality and a life of total allegiance to a sovereign LORD is worthless. (cf. Ps.40;6-8; Is.1:10-20; Mic.6:8)’ Absolute truth my people! And since I know many of you won’t look up the scriptures provided, I’ll include some of them here. In Psalm 40, Praise for answered prayer, Bruh David proclaims: ‘Sacrifice and offering thou didst not desire; mine ears hast thou opened: burnt offering and sin offering hast thou not required. Then said I, Lo, I come: in the volume (scroll) of the book it is written of me. I delight to do thy will, O my God: yea, thy law is within my heart.’ (Ps.40:6-8) And that’s how it should be! Now listen to this excellent example of the ritual worship, when Isaiah calls to the people of Judah to repent. ”Hear the word of the Lord ye rulers of Sodom; give ear unto the law of our God, ye people of Gomorrah. To what purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices unto me? saith the Lord: I am full of the burnt offering of rams, and the fat of fed beasts; and I delight not in the blood of bullocks, or of lambs, or of he goats. When ye come to appear before me, who hath required this at your hand, to tread (trample) my courts? Bring no more vain oblation (futile sacrifices); incense is an abomination unto me; the new moons and sabbaths, the calling of assemblies, I cannot away with (endure); it is iniquity, even the solemn meeting.’ (Is.1:10-13) The scholars have an excellent commentary on that: ‘The prophet addressed the people of Judah as if they were the inhabitants of Sodom and Gomorrah. His criticism of their hypocritical religion should not be taken as a rejection of the divinely ordained sacrificial system. Rather, it is a condemnation of their superficial worship. They were merely going through the ritual of religion with no real heart for God. Vain oblations are worthless offerings. Even the solemn meeting became nothing more than a sinful gathering because of their wrong motives.’ Unfortunately though Friends, a lot of that stuff is also happening today. Too many of us are just talking God, with no serious intent in our hearts, merely going through the outward motions. But that doesn’t sit well with our God at all. If there’s no genuine delight in Him, and a faithful following of His dictates, then all our prayers, sacrifices, etc, will be worthless. And we’ll close with the poignant words of Micah on the subject. ‘Wherewith shall I come before the Lord, and bow myself before the high God? shall I come before him with burnt offerings, with calves a year old? Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams, or with ten thousands of rivers of oil? shall I give my first-born for my transgression, the fruit of my body (my own child) for the sin of my soul? He hath showed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the Lord require of thee, but to do justly, and to LOVE mercy (LOVING-kindness), and to walk humbly with thy God?’ (Mic.6:6-8) Nuff said my people! Please, let’s allow wisdom to lead and guide us in the dealings with our God. Much LOVE!…the words and actions of an insincere heart…will never get God’s attention…much less His approval…
Today’s Scrip-Bit 7 October 2012 Proverbs 15:8
07 Oct 2012 Leave a comment
in Inspirational Living Tags: abomination, Christ's Church, faithfulness, fellowship, gentle reminder, humble walk, joyful worship, LOVE, obedience, One Body, outward show, religious ritual, righteousness., Sabbath Day, sacrifice, sincerity, spiritual reality, wickedness
Today’s Scrip-Bit 6 October 2012 Romans 8:32
06 Oct 2012 Leave a comment
in Inspirational Living Tags: atonement, breath of life, christianity, faith, good morning, good news, gospel, grace, Jesus, justification, reconciliation, righteousness., sacrifice, salvation, the Life, the Light, the Truth, the Way
Romans 8:32. He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things.
Bonjour mes amis! (smile) That’s supposed to be the French equivalent of ‘Good morning my Friends.’ And though in my area it was a wet, rainy night, and the day has begun cloudy and damp, it is definitely a good morning! First of all because we’re alive and kicking, with the breath of life from God flowing generously and graciously through our bodies. Then, most importantly, we have Jesus as our Lord and Saviour! Wow! So how could it be anything but a good morning eh my people? And I have a li’l something to share that helps make life even better. I don’t think I’ve shared it before, and it seems like something I’ve rustled up myself. It’s not earth shattering, but certainly enlightening and helpful. It says: ‘The Gospel is the GOOD NEWS of Jesus Christ and His offer of Salvation, through His Birth, Death, Burial and Resurrection, to be received by Faith!’ And without a doubt Friends, that’s indeed GOOD NEWS! In fact it’s the BEST NEWS available here on earth! And it blends in beautifully with our Bit: ‘He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things.’ That’s just simple logic and common sense my brethren. For if the Lord sacrificed the life of His ONLY Son Jesus for us, which is the greatest sacrifice that was ever made, why wouldn’t He give us the lesser things we need to live a righteous earthly life eh? No reason why not! And the verse that precedes our Bit, which we all know and like to quote conveniently, certainly enhances it. ‘What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?’ (Rom.8:31) And the emphatic answer to that question my Friends, is a big NOBODY! I think we can best explain our Bit by turning to Romans 5, where Bruh Paul talks about the results of justification. Beginning in verse 6, he rightfully declares: ‘For when we were yet without strength, in due time (at the right time), Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet peradventure (perhaps) for a good man some would even dare to die. But God commendeth his (demonstrates his own) LOVE toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, being now (having been) justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him. For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more being (having been) reconciled, we shall be saved by his life. And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement (reconciliation).’ (Rom.5:6-11) Yes Friends, if while we were still abominable sinners, and thus enemies of the holy, righteous and just God, He allowed His Son to be sacrificed for us, then all things; joy, reconciliation, salvation, etc. etc. are now and forever more ours, if we believe in Jesus as Lord and Saviour. And the scholars add this colour commentary on our Bit. ‘For us all: This does not teach or necessitate limited atonement (the view that Christ died only for the elect), for Christ died for all the sins of all the world (2 Cor.5:19). His death is effective unto salvation, however, only for those who call upon the name of the Lord. (Rom.10:13,17).’ Yes my brethren, contrary to some opinions, Christ didn’t die for the elect few, but paid the price for ALL sin, for ALL time, for ANY INDIVIDUAL who acknowledges Him as the WAY, the TRUTH, the LIFE, and the LIGHT, and thus the ONLY MEANS by which Salvation can be had! And earlier on in Romans 4, where Bruh Paul talks about the promise realized through faith, and says of Abraham: ‘He staggered (wavered) not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong (strengthened) in the faith, giving glory to God; And being fully persuaded (convinced) that, what he had promised, he was able also to perform. And therefore it was imputed to him for righteousness. Now it was not written for his sake alone, that it was imputed to him; But for us also, to whom it shall be imputed, if we believe on him that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead; Who was delivered for (because of) our offenses, and was raised again for (because of) our justification.’ (Rom.4:20-25) Here’s the scholar’s commentary: ‘But for us also: The principle of justification valid for Abraham is valid for all believers. Raised again for our justification: Because Jesus was raised from the dead we know that His sacrifice on Calvary was accepted in God’s sight and Jesus’ righteousness is available to all.’ Yes Friends, ALL that Jesus did, is available to ALL who call on the Father through His Holy, glorious name. That’s what is so great about Christianity; it’s an all inclusive body, not exclusive like some other faiths. And all you need to do is to call on Jesus’ name in sincere repentance and receive salvation through the free gift of God’s wonderful grace! How can anything be better than that on this troubled planet earth eh? So my people, I implore us to remember our wonderful heritage as Christians, and the awesome price Jesus paid for our redemption. Consequently let’s do our best to use it wisely, and spread His Word as He commissioned us, (Matt.28:19-20) because it will be our great loss if we don’t. Much LOVE!…Christians should use the power of Christ to build His church…as He desires…not to tear it down…as some are doing…
Today’s Scrip-Bit 1 October 2012 Psalm 67:4
01 Oct 2012 Leave a comment
in Inspirational Living Tags: adrenalin, complaining, enthusiasm, evildoers, invincible, Jesus Christ, LOVE, majesty, Monday blues, praise God, rejuvenation of spirit, renewed vitality, righteousness., spiritual armour, strength, sure conquerors, whining
Psalm 67:4. O let the nations be glad and sing for joy: for thou shalt judge the people righteously, and govern the nations upon earth. Selah.
Oh Friends, mankind is really something else yes! We’re like chameleons, constantly changing from one minute to the next, to suit our current desire. I’ve been thinking about how joyful most of us were on Friday, high-fiving each other and shouting ‘TGIF! Thank God is Friday!’ But today, on Monday, only a couple days later, all I can hear is a set of moaning and whining: ‘Yuh mean to say is really Monday already? Ah really have to go to work today boy? Ah wonder how much sick time I have left eh…or which of mih family hasn’t died yet…? And besides, just look at the rain pelting down out there nuh…or the snow and the sleet…Mama Yo! And yuh see how the wind blowing crazy out there? It must be a hurricane or something yes! And they want me to go out there in that kinda weather…Steups!’ Hn, hn, hn! Yes Friends, that’s the way many of us behave, come Monday morning. We’ll use every trick in the book, find every excuse not to go to work. But you know, as true followers of Jesus, we’re not supposed to do that, especially in these precarious times when jobs are scarce and hard to come by, plus many of us are in debt way above our heads. But to help us overcome our lack of enthusiasm for work this morning, let’s sing our Monday Morning Battle Hymn, loud and strong, as though we really mean it, and eventually it will become the reality. As one now, let’s make Jesus proud of us: ‘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!’ Now doesn’t that make us feel better? The natural adrenalin, plus the deep LOVE for Jesus has awakened the sleeping, tired tiger in us, so that we’re just rearing to get out into the evil world and clean up those evildoers! (smile) Ah mih people, I wish it was that easy, but we all know it’s not. However, to enable us to keep our light, enthusiastic frame of mind, I’ve found an uplifting, positive Bit, and some uplifting, positive scriptures to back it up. So let’s get into our Bit. ‘O let the nations be glad and sing for joy: for thou shalt judge the people righteously, and govern the nations upon earth. Selah.’ Yes my brethren, let’s pause and consider that statement for a moment. It’s just chocked full of truth; all nations ought to sing and jump for joy because we have such a just and righteous leader in the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, or Elohim, the God of all people! Now hear these moving, positive and truthful words from Psalm 93. ‘The Lord reigneth, he is clothed with majesty; the Lord is clothed with strength, wherewith he hath girded himself; the world also is stablished, that it can not be moved (shaken). Thy throne is established of old: thou art from everlasting.’ (Ps. 93:1-2) And if you don’t believe that, then listen to this from Psalm 96; A call to praise God. ‘O worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness: fear (tremble) before him, all the earth. Say among the heathen (Gentiles) that the Lord reigneth: the world also shall be (is firmly) established that it shall not be moved (shaken): he shall judge the people righteously.’ (Ps.96:9-10) Now listen to this from Psalm 68, God has gone before his people. ‘Sing unto God, sing praises to his name: extol (praise) him that rideth upon the heavens by his name JAH (Lord), and rejoice before him. A father to the fatherless, and a judge (defender) of the widows, is God in his holy habitation.’ (Ps.68: 4-5) Words of absolute truth my people! And we’ll end appropriately with the words that follow our Bit. ‘Let the people praise thee, O God; let all the people praise thee. Then shall the earth yield her increase (give her produce); and God, even our own God, shall bless us. God shall bless us; and all the ends of the earth shall fear him.’ (Ps.67:5-7) And that’s gospel my brethren! So please, I implore us to encourage ourselves and each other in our wonderful God, today and everyday, to do our best to sincerely live our faith in this evil world that surrounds us, so that the heathen will see our great joy in the Lord of Hosts, and thus desire to know and LOVE Him too. That’s our purpose down here on earth. Much LOVE!…to know, know, know Him…is to LOVE, LOVE, LOVE Him…
Today’s Scrip-Bit 27 September 2012 Ephesian 6:12
27 Sep 2012 Leave a comment
in Inspirational Living Tags: anger, awesome truth, bounden duty, cruelty, encourage yourself in God, encouragement, enthusiasm, false doctrines, flesh and blood, giving, greed, hate, high places, hope, LOVE, oppression, prayer, righteousness., salvation, showing, sincerity, spiritual armour, suppression, truth, violence, wickedness
Ephesians 6:12. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.
Oh Friends, oh Friends, the ole fella’s extremely bright and bubbly this morning! Wow! I can’t even wait to write the Bit, my enthusiasm level is so high. Don’t ask me why I’m so enthusiastic this early in the morning, because nothing in particular happened over the past twenty four hours to excite me this much. I can only guess, that like Bruh David, my efforts to encourage myself in the Lord are working. (1 Sam.30:6) And all I can say is: ‘Praise be to the Lord our God, who never rejects those who seek him with sincere hearts!’ Now here is a chorus from a song by Ras Shiloh that I heard yesterday and found it rather appropriate to our current world situation. Ras Shiloh melodiously chants: ‘Give a little LOVE. Show a little LOVE. Live in righteousness. Give a little LOVE. Show a little LOVE. That’s what the world needs today.’ And isn’t that the God awesome truth my people! LOVE given and shared is about the only thing that will tone down the raging fires of hate, anger, greed, violence, cruelty, oppression and suppression that are terrorizing our wonderful world today! And undoubtedly that giving and showing of LOVE needs to start with us Christians, because the evildoers are not interested in the beautiful emotion of LOVE. However, LOVE is the mainstay of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, that’s why He sacrificed His, Holy, sinless life for us. If the Godhead that we worship didn’t LOVE us so much, none of that would ever have happened. So it’s our responsibility to keep that LOVE going…and remember, with no conditions attached – unconditionally. That’s a very important part of the whole equation my brethren. It’s our bounden duty to rise up and further the LOVE Revolution that Jesus started. And here’s the best way to begin doing so. It comes from the title of another song, one by Mavado, simply titled, ‘HOPE and PRAY.’ Yes Friends, before we can achieve anything worthwhile, we first have to engage in those two actions; HOPE and PRAY. For without HOPE we won’t last very long in, or be very attentive to any activity in which we’re involved. And without PRAYER… Oh Friends, I don’t need to tell us that without SINCERE PRAYER to our heavenly Father, most, if not all of our activities will get bogged down in failure. That means we need to first have HOPE for our families and ourselves, our neighbours, our nations and our world. Then we have to PRAY SINCERELY for the Lord to bless us and move the LOVE, mercy, forgiveness, truth, wisdom and understanding that He’s already sown in our souls, in a faithful and positive manner, so that we can make serious inroads into the evil that currently has our world in its vice-like grip. It means that we ‘be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.’ (Eph.6:10) Unfortunately though my brethren, the wickedness of Lucifer has spread all over, upstairs, downstairs and sideways, like the tentacles of an octopus. That’s why our Bit warns us so strongly about the fight we’re in. ‘For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world (age), against spiritual (hosts of) wickedness in high places.’ It’s obvious that a lot of the evil that’s permeating our world must be in the high echelons, otherwise it wouldn’t be as pervasive and powerful as it is. Many of us would be surprised to know of the great amount of demon worship that happens in high places. It brings to mind the high places in the Old Testament where the Israelites in their rebellious times worshiped foreign gods. The only difference now is that we’re doing it much more secretively. That’s why Bruh Paul says we need to ‘Put on the whole armour of God, that we may be able to stand against the wiles (evil schemes) of the devil.’ (Eph.6:11) And the armour of God, as Bruh Paul declares in Eph.6:13-18, consists of; the helmet of salvation, the breastplate of righteousness, the belt of truth, the sandals of peace, the shield of faith and the sword of the Spirit, the Good Book. Oh Friends, unless we’re fully dressed in that spiritual armour, we’ll have an exceedingly hard time fighting the evil demons that are trying to take over our world. So please, everyday we awaken, let’s first dress ourselves in that armour. Even if we’re not leaving home, it’s still important to put it on, because we never know how, when and where Lucifer and his evil minions will strike. They can attack us right in our own homes. And we’ll end with some interesting and important words on the subject from the scholars. ‘Several activities in the Bible may involve demons. Sometimes they cause physical disease or mental suffering. However, not all mental disorders are demonic in origin. Demons also tempt people into immoral practices. They originate and propagate false doctrines taught by heretical religious groups (1 Tim.4:1). The Bible also teaches that some people were possessed by demons (Mark 1:23). Although demons are committed to do evil, God will use them to accomplish His plan during the end of the age (Rev.16:14) Illustrations: Demons are also objects of worship in various occult practices forbidden by God. These include divination (an illegitimate means of determining the will of God), necromancy (efforts to communicate and interrogate the dead), magic (using formulas and incantations), sorcery (perhaps the nonmedical use of drugs), witchcraft, and astrology (Deut.18:10-12) Application: When the Ephesian Christians who were “dabbling” in the occult repented, there was a great revival in that place. No Christian can ever justify his participation in demonic activities. (Ex.7:11; Eph.6:12; Heb.1:4) There you have it Friends. No participation in demonic activities. Rather fight them to the death in our spiritual armour. Please pay serious attention to this message, because if we’re not prepared, Lucifer will breach our souls and cause us much heartache. Much LOVE!…if you’re not properly attired for battle…then you’ve lost before you’ve even begun… P.S. Please read the scriptural references provided by the scholars. They are authentic and will give us greater understanding of the subject. Much LOVE!
Today’s Scrip-Bit 23 September 2012 Proverbs 21:2
23 Sep 2012 Leave a comment
in Inspirational Living Tags: alive and kicking, deceit, defile, discernment, fellowship, gathered together, glorify God, hypocrites, knowledge, praise and worship, right motives, righteousness., Sabbath, sin, strength in numbers, truth, turbulent times, wickedness
Proverbs 21:2. Every way of a man is right in his own eyes: but the Lord pondereth the hearts.
Oh Friends, we’re still alive and kicking this Sunday morning! Wow! Praise the Lord for continuing to keep the breath of life in us, along with all the other goodies He blesses us with daily! And for those of us who celebrate the Sabbath on a Sunday, let’s all endeavour to go to church and get in some invaluable praise and worship with fellow believers nuh. Remember Jesus’ promise: ‘For where two or three are gathered together in my name; there I am in the midst of them.’ (Matt.18:20) So please my people, let’s gather together today, as much as possible, and thus allow Jesus to come into the buildings and our hearts in a serious way, so that we can also glorify Him in a serious manner, as we ought to. Remember too that there is strength in numbers, so the more of us gathered in sincere celebration and worship, the bigger footprint we’ll leave, and shadow we’ll cast, both here on earth, and in heaven too. Now here are a couple lines I recently heard in a song – I don’t remember its name or the singer – but these two lines from the chorus struck me as being real meaningful. They claim that: ‘Knowledge is the root of survival. Truth is the way of life.’ And I tend to agree, because if you don’t have knowledge; first of what you want to do, and also of what’s going on in and around you, your chances of survival are slim. We cannot live in a world, especially such a turbulent and troubled one as ours, without knowing what’s happening in it, else we’d soon be swept up and/or away by the evil, ungodly forces that are running rampant right now. And there’s no doubting that for a believer, living in truth is the ultimate lifestyle for us. For if Jesus is the WAY, the TRUTH, the LIGHT, and the LIFE, and we’re not living in truth, then we’re just make-believe followers, and have no true calling. And our Bit today talks about just that. ‘Every way of a man is right in his own eyes: but the Lord pondereth (weighs) the hearts.’ Yes Friends, most of us believe that whatever we do is right and thus truthful, and oftimes that’s correct. But in many cases we’re just fooling ourselves and those around us, but not God. That’s because He simply doesn’t take our outward actions as being gospel, since He knows how deceitful and sinful we truly can be. And that’s why He chooses to look at our hearts, at our true motives before dealing with us. As Cousin Sol says in an earlier chapter; ‘All the ways of a man are clean in his own eyes; but the Lord weigheth the spirits.’ (Prov.16:2) Or as the scholars put it: ‘The Lord is the great discerner of motives.’ And if the Lord wasn’t smart enough to first check our hearts and spirits, can you imagine the great amount of stuff we’d do and get away with based on wrong motives? But Friends, the Lord created us, and I know of no creation that’s smarter or wiser than its creator. By the same token, I don’t know when some of us will smarten up and realize that, and stop trying to pull the wool over His eyes, because it foolishly hampers our communication and thus the tenor of our earthly lives with our heavenly Father. Even computers that do such miraculous stuff nowadays need to be programmed, guided, told what to do and how to do it, otherwise we’ll end up with the wasteful situation of garbage in, garbage out. And that’s unfortunately what’s happening to a lot of us today, my brethren. We’re filling our lives, our hearts, minds and spirits with the garbage, the wickedness and ungodliness of the world. So what else can we expect to come back out but wickedness and ungodliness eh? Remember Jesus said it’s not what we put into our stomachs, that’s like eating with unwashed hands, that defiles us, because that’s passed out in the draught, but it’s the evil that comes out of our hearts and mouths that defile us. (Matt.15:17-20) And with our basic sinful nature, plus what’s currently happening in the world, we have to be very careful of what we say and do. As Cousin Sol states later in Proverbs: ‘If thou sayest, Behold, we knew it not; doth not he that pondereth (weighs) the heart consider it? And he that keepeth thy soul, doth not he know it? And shall he not render to every man according to his works?’ (Prov.24:12) Yes Friends, that sounds like many of us, claiming we didn’t know, when we very well knew. Now we might get away with that on other men, but definitely not with God, for He knows all, and first digs deep into our souls to discern our true motives before compensating or rewarding us for our works. And if the motives aren’t right, then sorry, there’ll be little or no compensation or reward. So Friends, please let’s stop being like the Pharisees; hypocrites, men-pleasers, who put on a nice outward show, making it seem we’re so righteous and wonderful, but on the inside we’re really just stink and evil. Sadly, that attitude is ever so prevalent in these corrupted and troubled times. So please, I implore us to be very careful not to fall in that trap of Lucifer’s, for it will only put us in God’s bad books, a place we certainly don’t want to be. Much LOVE!…only from a truly righteous heart…can a man reap true righteousness…
Today’s Scrip-Bit 16 September 2012 Proverbs 14:34
16 Sep 2012 Leave a comment
in Inspirational Living Tags: blessed, broken vessels, comfort, disgrace, exalt, fellowship, flourish, light of the world, living waters, reproach, reverence, righteousness., shame, sin, wicked, worship
Proverbs 14:34. Righteousness exalteth a nation: but sin is a reproach to any people.
Oh my fellow believers in Christ, may grace and peace from our heavenly Father flood our souls this bright and bountiful Sunday morning! And may He also guide and comfort us in all our doings this day. And for those of us who celebrate the Sabbath on Sunday, one of the best ways to get all that wholesome, comforting stuff from the Father is by going to church and fellowshipping with other believers; offering Him much thanks, praise and reverence. Remember there’s always strength in numbers, so the more people that get together to sincerely worship, the louder, and hopefully more receptive will be those activities in heaven. And speaking of acceptance in heaven, let’s hear what our Bit says about that. ‘Righteousness exalteth a nation: but sin is a reproach (shame and disgrace) to any people.’ And isn’t that the awesome truth my Friends! Sin, whether it is from an individual or a nation is unacceptable in the sight of our heavenly Father. However, true righteousness is always welcome in heaven. So Friends, shall we see how the nations of our world stack up against our Bit? I don’t have to tell you that we stack up very poorly. Because our societies are so sinful, evil and ungodly, we are a shame and disgrace to the Lord! His anger is bubbling and calamity is coming our way much more frequently than before. Remember when God was truly an integral part of our society? I guess only the old fogeys can remember that. But back then our nations were exalted. They were prosperous and had peace for lengthy periods of time. And my brethren, that wasn’t so long ago – a half century or so. Back then we were lenders and not borrowers; quite obviously the head and not the tail; sure conquerors too. We were also fairly righteous and succeeding as the psalmist so wisely and truthfully declares: ‘The righteous shall flourish like the palm tree: he shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon (tall and proud).Those that be planted in the house of the Lord shall flourish in the courts of our God. They shall still bring forth fruit in old age; they shall be fat (plump) and flourishing (green). To show that the Lord is upright: he is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in him.’ (Ps.92:12-15) Yuh see Friends, even the old and righteous shall bear fruit in their latter years, because our God is just and faithful, and will not forsake the righteous. And that’s how we were growing my people, because as Psalm 33 proudly proclaims: ‘Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord; and the people whom he hath chosen for his own inheritance.’ (Ps.33:12) Yes Friends, at one time the nations of the Western Hemisphere were blessed because the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob was truly our God, and we were guided by the dictates of His Holy Word. But then, the same prosperity we received because of our righteousness, turned our heads and hearts away from the ONE TRUE GOD. Our worship and reverence towards Almighty God began to drop off, and we started worshipping the things we made with our own hands, blatantly flouting the Lord’s decrees, which led to officially removing Him from most public places. Then, in accordance with His Word, that peace and prosperity we had enjoyed, slowly began melting away, until we are no longer lenders, but have become the biggest borrowers; we’re slowly moving away from the head towards the tail; we’re no longer conquering heroes, but subservient in many respects, and held up to cheap ridicule in many places. Oh, how have the mighty fallen! But we have no one to blame but ourselves because we clearly had the Israelites as an example, who on several occasions, once they became prosperous, forgot about the God who enabled them to become prosperous and have peace, foolishly believing that it was the work of their own hands and minds. Several times they paid a steep price through invasion, bondage and wandering in the wilderness for forty years. But still they never learned, so stubborn and rebellious was their spirit. And our modern society is following pall mall in their foolish footsteps, without a thought for how it will all end. As Cousin Sol says earlier in Proverbs 11: ‘By the blessing of the upright the city is exalted: but it is overthrown by the mouth of the wicked.’ (Prov.11:11) And believe me my brethren, there are many more wicked than upright in our society these days! Jeremiah says it in spades: ‘Hath a nation changed their gods, which are yet no gods? but my people have changed their glory for that which doth not profit. Be astonished, O ye heavens, at this, and be horribly afraid, be ye very desolate, saith the Lord. For my people have committed two evils; they have forsaken me the fountain of living waters, and hewed them out cisterns, broken cisterns, that can hold no water.’ (Jer.2:11-13) Yes Friends, we have exchanged the ONE TRUE GOD for man made idols, which in the long wrong profits us nothing but destruction, and have replaced the fresh, pure living waters of God, for the polluted, contaminated man made vessels that are broken and thus can’t hold water. How wise have we been eh? Oh my people, listen to these words of everlasting truth from Psalm 146, the blessedness of trusting God: ‘Put not your trust in princes, nor in the son of man (human beings), in whom there is no help (salvation). His breath goeth forth (his spirit departs), he returneth to his earth; in that very day his thoughts perish. Happy is he that hath the God of Jacob for his help, whose hope is in the Lord his God: Which made heaven, and earth, and all that therein is: which keepeth truth for ever.’ (Ps.146:3-6) And if we do that consistently my people, then one day we’ll be able to sing these words from this hymn of praise in Isaiah. ‘In that day shall this song be sung in the land of Judah; We have a strong city; salvation will God appoint for walls and bulwarks. Open ye the gates, that the righteous nation which keepeth the truth shall enter.’ (Is.26:1-2) That’s how it will be in the New Jerusalem, with only spiritual and no physical boundaries. So Friends, let’s make a conscious, serious decision TODAY to turn our society around nuh. If we want our descendants to prosper and have peace, we have to do it NOW, not tomorrow or next week. The wicked is doing his thing, so should we believers with urgency and determination. And we’ll end with some choice words from Bruh Paul to the Philippians, as how we can bring this LOVE Revolution about in our time: ‘Do all things without murmurings (grumbling) and disputings. That ye may be blameless and harmless (innocent), the sons (children) of God, without rebuke (fault), in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation (generation), among whom ye shine as lights in the world.’ (Phil.2:14-15) That’s how we’ll get back in God’s good graces my brethren! Much LOVE!…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)
Today’s Scrip-Bit 12 September 2012 2 Samuel 23.3
12 Sep 2012 Leave a comment
in Inspirational Living Tags: blessings, bureaucracy, commandments, cooperation, corruption, fallen nature, God's glorious kingdom, heartfelt thanks, Jesus, justice, laws, mercy, praise to God, reign, righteousness., truth, unchanging, wise advice
2 Samuel 23:3. The God of Israel said, the Rock of Israel spake to me, He that ruleth over men must be just, ruling in the fear of God.
Oh Friends, another beautiful day is in the offing! Let’s give our most wonderful God some praise for that nuh. ‘Oh Lord, you are so generous and merciful to your often ungrateful earthly children. However, today, we give You much heartfelt thanks and praise for favouring us with the breath of life and allowing us to see, for at lest one more day, all the wonders of creation that You have designed and made for our enjoyment. We also offer thanks for the many other blessings that You have prepared to shower us with today. We LOVE You Lord, and ask that You help us to walk worthy of You down here on this wicked, ungodly earth, furthering your glorious kingdom as we go. All this we pray in the Holy Name of Your Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, who shed His precious blood at Calvary, so that we could once more be connected to You, and enjoy your everlasting mercies. Amen!’ Ah mih people, the ole fella got carried away there, because there’s so much to thank our ever-LOVING God for! I’m not sure though how many of us realize how truly lucky… no not lucky, but truly blessed we are to be living the comparatively good life that we currently enjoy. We’re living better than approximately 90 % of the world. But do we even know that? And if we do, do we give sufficient thanks for our blessed situations? Remember Bruh Paul’s wise and timely advice to the Ephesians: ‘Giving thanks ALWAYS for ALL things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.’ (Eph.5:20) I do believe though, that if more of us would give more thanks, more often, our world would improve quite a lot. So Friends, let’s try and improve our giving of thanks nuh, so that our world would become a much better place, and thus raise up brethren who can, and will comply with our Bit. ‘The God of Israel said, the Rock of Israel spake to me, He that ruleth over men must be just, ruling in the fear of God.’ Now yesterday we looked at some scripture that dealt with the meaning of the term ‘Rock’ in our faith, and saw that it was basically a description of a stable, unchanging, powerful Deity, who, amongst other things, offers His followers peace, rest, safety and eternal salvation. And we also noted that the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob was the ONLY ONE in possession of such amazing attributes. Today, let’s look at the second part of our Bit; ‘He that ruleth over men must be just, ruling in the fear of God.’ Hn! It will certainly be difficult to find that kind of ruler in this day and age yes Friends! But unfortunately it’s exactly the kind of leader’s we need to try and bring some semblance of balance and righteousness to our very unbalanced, very disturbed, troubled and ungodly world. And the sad part is that when such leaders rise up, the evil minions of Lucifer do their very best to beat and/or keep them down, while the righteous mostly sit around and wring their hands in anxiety, but don’t do too much to help. Ah mih breddren, be it known that a leader is only as good as the people he leads. That’s why the saying ‘people get the leaders they deserve’ is oh so true. Look at Moses; one of the greatest leaders of all time. He was doing his very best to lead some two million people through the wilderness, but do you think they would cooperate with him, even after seeing all the miracles their God had performed in their favour? No sir! They just kept on grumbling and complaining about every little inconvenience. Shades of us nowadays eh! The stress and strain of leading that rebellious and disobedient people were certainly taking a toll on Moses until his father-in law, Jethro, gave him some wise and wonderful advice. ‘Thou wilt surely wear away, both thou and this people that is with thee: for this thing is too heavy (much) for thee; thou art not able to perform it thyself alone. Hearken now unto my voice, I will give thee counsel (advice), and God shall be with thee: Be thou for the people to Godward, that thou mayest bring the causes unto God: And thou shalt teach them ordinances and laws, and shalt show them the way wherein they must walk, and the work that they must do. Moreover thou shalt provide out of all the people able men, such as fear God, men of truth, hating covetousness; and place such over them to be rulers of thousands, and rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens: And let them judge the people at all seasons: and it shall be, that every great matter they shall bring unto thee, but every small matter they shall judge: so shall it be easier for thyself, and they shall bear the burden with thee.’ (Ex.18:18-22) Sure words of wisdom my brethren! However, in today’s society it sets up too many levels of authority, which only lead to unwieldy bureaucracy, and is a sure breeding ground for all kinds of corruption. But it’s still the best way for men to rule, for one man cannot do it all, and do it properly too, regardless of how just, righteous and reverential he is. I guess it will just have to continue like that until the righteous reign of the branch of Jesse is entrenched. Please read Isaiah 11: 1-5 for that, as we don’t have time nor space to include it. Yes Friends, when Jesus finally comes to reign over His followers in a world without sin and evil, then there’ll be need for only ONE Ruler! Please, let’s think on that today, and let it guide us as we go along our righteous way. Much LOVE!…when men rule over men…there will always be problems…because of our fallen nature…
Today’s Scrip-Bit 25 August 2012 James 3:13
25 Aug 2012 Leave a comment
in Inspirational Living Tags: blessings, criticising, death & destruction, demons, ego, eternal life, good conduct, good works, humility, jealousy, judging, knowledge, mature faith, peace, practicality, preacher, resentment, righteousness., salvation, selfish desires, selfishness, strife, teacher, the Word, true wisdom, understanding, wrong path
James 3:13. Who is a wise man and endued with knowledge among you? let him show out of a good conversation his works with meekness of wisdom.
All hail Friends! The morning sun is rising to bring its light to a dark and evil world, just like the Son rose from the grave in everlasting brilliance to bring us salvation and eternal life! Please give Him some thanks and praise for that, and let’s show our eternal gratitude for His LOVE and selfless behaviour by endeavouring to live earthly lives that truly reflect His character and His desires, for that’s what true followers do. Now that’s a sentence worthy of Bruh Paul’s stylistic manoeuvrings! (smile) And one of the very important things we have to safeguard in this life as believers, is the distinction between true and false wisdom. There is a lot of the latter going around these days, and it’s leading many people down the wrong path – that which leads to death and destruction. So how do we figure out right from wrong wisdom eh? James, in our Bit today gives us a clue: ‘Who is a wise man and endued with knowledge (has understanding) among you? let him show out of a good conversation (conduct) his works (that his works are done) with meekness of wisdom.’ That means my brethren, that whoever is blessed with knowledge and understanding ought to conduct his or herself suitably, ensuring that their works are done in humility. In other words, the wise person must have godly wisdom and then exhibit that wisdom in a practical, humble manner, with truth as their watchword. The scholars claim that ‘One cannot teach what one does not live.’ James then continues: ‘But if ye have bitter envying and strife (self-seeking) in your hearts, glory not (do not boast), and lie not against the truth.’ (James 3:14) And right there is the crux of many our problems my people. We have too much strife; anger, resentment, selfishness, jealousy and greed in our souls, which obviously causes us to be short-sighted, short circuited and thus distort the truth. So we obviously won’t be able to impart the truth in true humility as we ought to. As James informs us: ‘This wisdom descendeth not from above, but is earthly, sensual, devilish (demonic). For where envying and strife is (self-seeking exists), there is confusion and every evil work.’ (James 3:15-16) And isn’t that the living truth Friends? It sure is, as can easily be seen by the confused, evil state of our world. That’s why in these turbulent times my people, where information, both true and false, is so readily available and can be easily manipulated to suit anyone’s purpose, we have to be very careful to whom we listen, as well as what we listen to, because we can be so unwittingly led astray by sweet-talking lying lips and guileful, snake-charming tongues. ‘But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be entreated (willing to yield), full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy. And the fruit of righteousness is shown in peace of them that make peace.’ (James 3:17-18) Yes Friends, those are some of the attributes we have to seek in a teacher, preacher or anyone who claims to have wisdom, and/or wants to spread the Word. I guess that includes me. (smile) Now I’m certainly not perfect, not at the top of the class either, but I do believe I have most of those attributes in sufficient quantity to do what I do reasonably well. And all praise to God, I’m growing and hopefully getting better with each passing day! As Sister Joyce, Joyce Meyer likes to say, I’m not where I want to be as yet, but I’ve surely come a long way from where I began. And that’s the gospel truth Friends, as some of you who have been with me from the early days can attest to. And that’s one of the things we believers have to recognize so we don’t get too frustrated; we don’t all begin at the same point in our walk of faith, neither do we all mature at the same rate. And we cannot mature unless we read and hear the Word, study it, and fellowship with other believers. No believer can exist in a vacuum all by themselves. That’s why Christ planted His Church, so that we can get together and help each other. Ah Friends, I didn’t mean to go off on that tangent, but it just seemed appropriate. Now getting back to our theme, let’s get some explanation from the scholars. They declare that: ‘Two wisdoms are expounded by teachers. The one from God is pure and promotes peace, ending in righteousness (vv 17-18). But the other is natural and demonic; visible in the teacher as jealousy and ambition (strife, Gr. eritheia). The result of such teaching is evil living and confusion.’ Now thank the Lord that I don’t have a jealous bone in my body! (smile) Oh, I might want what you have, but I won’t begrudge you it, or wish you ill because I don’t have it. And neither is my ambition that excessive that I will manipulate the Word to suit my own purposes. So Friends, you can rest assured that whatever I say, is what I believe to be the truth. Now we’ll end with some words of Bruh Paul to the Galatians, re our topic: ‘For if a man think himself to be something, when he is nothing, he deceiveth himself. But let every man prove (examine) his own work, and then shall he have rejoicing in himself alone, and not in another. For every man shall bear his own burden.’ (Gal.6:3-5) Yes Friends, when we think ourselves above moral reproach, with no sympathy for the faults of others, then we begin to get swell-headed. As the scholars conclude; ‘Joy comes not from comparing one’s moral strengths with the weaknesses of others, but in realizing that one measures up to God’s standard by God’s help.’ Let us therefore stop judging and criticising others, as we are wont to do, and instead, help them to come up higher, as Jesus desires. Till tomorrow then, if we find favour with God, may we all go in the peace and harmony that comes from Him, and liberally blesses all who seek to serve and worship Him. Much LOVE!…please check your ego at the door…before entering the halls of God…
Today’s Scrip-Bit 17 August 2012 Ecclesiastes 9:11
17 Aug 2012 Leave a comment
in Inspirational Living Tags: busy, enthusiasm, frantic pace, Friday chant, God's kingdom, justice, life, loving kindness, multi-tasking, passion, rat-race, righteousness., sincerity, smell the roses, stress, TGIF!, Thank God it's Friday, the race is not for the swift
Ecclesiastes 9:11. I returned, and saw under the sun, that the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, neither yet bread to the wise, nor yet riches to men of understanding, nor yet favour to men of skill: but time and chance happeneth to them all.
Oh Friends, it’s Friday, and I hear you calling out in delirious pleasure: ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday! And I have another little gem to share today. (smile) But before we do that, let’s chant our Friday Chant with as much enthusiasm and sincerity as we can muster. ‘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.’ And having tried to put the weekend in its proper perspective, let me share that wonderful gem. Yesterday I bought some Chinese food and in the fortune cookie I found this saying: ‘It’s okay to slow down and smell the roses.’ Well Friends, I must say that’s the God-given truth! And most of know it, but we still refuse to live up to it. Instead we engage in the rat-race we so nicely term the busy life. Oh Friends, if we don’t slow down every so often, sometimes even stop completely, and take stock of what’s really and truly going on around us, we’re going to go crazy, both literally and figuratively. Believe it my people, man was not made to live at the frantic pace we’re currently living at. This non-stop, continuously go, go pace the powers that be are trying to force on us is NO GOOD! It has very negative effects on us, physically, mentally and emotionally. Just consider the high incidence of stress amongst even the young people of our society, who have grown up with this fast lifestyle. They are dropping off and out like flies at a much too tender age because they can’t keep up with the torrid pace the world’s setting. So you can imagine what’s happening to the older folks who are not accustomed to that stressful lifestyle. All this multi-tasking and doing several jobs, just to keep up, is slowly but surely killing us. It’s normal now to claim that we’re so busy, we don’t have time for our friends, families, God or ourselves. What are we so busy doing eh? And what do we have time for then my people? No wonder Cousin Sol, in his experimenting, discovered that wisdom was much better than strength. Listen to him declare it in our Bit: ‘I returned, and saw under the sun, that the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, neither yet bread to the wise, nor yet riches to men of understanding, nor yet favour to men of skill: but time and chance happeneth to them all.’ And that’s an indisputable fact Friends! So whether we’re fast, strong, rich or skilful, there’s no guarantee we’ll survive and/ or prosper because of our attributes, since unforeseen things happen to us all, regardless of our station in life. That’s why it’s not so wise to go running after the things the world considers important. Wisdom, understanding, peace of mind and a strong faith in Almighty God are what we need, especially in these very confused and troubled times. As Jeremiah so rightly declares, re the knowledge of God is man’s glory: ‘Thus saith the Lord, Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, neither let the mighty man glory in his might, let not the rich man glory in his riches: But let him that glorieth glory in this, that he understandeth and knoweth me, that I am the Lord which exercise LOVING-kindness, judgement (justice) and righteousness, in the earth: for in these things I delight, saith the Lord.’ (Jer.9:23-24) Oh Friends, the Lord made His wishes quite clear to us many, many moons ago, but yet we still insist on following the direction set by the world, which is in the death grip of greedy, evil, ungodly men. How can we then live the life God planned for us if we don’t follow what He says in His Guide Book eh? Obviously we can’t! Oh my brethren, I know that some of you will take umbrage at what I’m saying, claiming I don’t know your personal situation, but that’s too bad. If you don’t want to accept the gospel truth from the Good Book there’s nothing I can do about that. We each have to make our own choices, then live with them here on earth and later answer to God about them. However, unless we all slow down a tad and enjoy the things we work so hard and long for, as well as the people close to us, we’ll be missing out on the true value and meaning of life. Please my people, please stop and take a look at your situation, look at all the stuff you figured you must have, so you worked your butt off to get them. Then ask yourself when last, or if ever, you have truly enjoyed them? Include in that, the nice houses that we so desperately wanted, and we now have. Do we have or take the time to truly enjoy them? Not at all, because we’re too busy working to meet the mortgage payments. My brethren, I implore us to wake up, then stop a minute and smell the beautiful aroma, the ‘unclonable’ perfume of the roses God made to enrich our sense of smell, because we’re missing out on a whole lot of God’s grace and bounty, when we try to keep up with, or run faster than the world. That’s true wisdom! Much LOVE!…he who has ears to hear…let him hear…or he’ll eventually feel…
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