rise to the top | SCRIP-BITS

Matthew 16:24. If any man will come after (follow) me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross and follow me.

It’s a somewhat damp and foggy Tuesday morning in my neck of the woods, so please be careful all you who have to get out on the road, because you know the kind of craziness that exists on our roadways these days. If you can wait until the fog lifts, please do so. And today we’re going to look at a very interesting quote from one of the leading Protestant Theologians of our age, Jurgen Moltman (1926) of the German Reformed Church. And the quote says: ‘The more passionately we LOVE life, the more intensely we experience the joy of life.’

And isn’t that the gospel truth friends! When we’re passionate about life, or anything really, we enjoy the experience that thing brings more than if we’re not passionate about it. And there’s nothing to be more passionate about than the LOVE of God and the LOVE of life! Unfortunately though, too many of us have lost the passion we once had for real life and for God, and instead have embraced the unrealistic, soul destroying, short-lasting and unproductive passion for worldly stuff. We have to remember that life is not, and will never be completely smooth sailing, but a combination of storms and calms, highs and lows, and ‘choosing to live life on its terms brings enthusiasm and passion into our experiences. Our decision to LOVE life – despite the highs and lows – allows us to delight in the highs and to accept the lows as unavoidable, but momentary setbacks.’

Yeh friends, as someone once said, ‘setbacks are only opportunities in disguise.’ Therefore, though we may not like them, and they may prove to be difficult and frustrating, we still need to embrace them as important aspects of our lives, because we know that it is only through setbacks and adversity that we truly grow. We can’t hide from the difficult things, or those we don’t like, else we’ll never know or experience the true fullness and joy of life. Those who are passionate and enthusiastic about life, despite its many shortcomings, are the ones who rise to the top of the enjoyment heap. (smile)

And the BEST way to handle life’s ups and downs is through the acceptance of Jesus Christ in our everyday lives! If you didn’t know that before, then you know it now! (smile) Oh my people, with Jesus as the mainstay, the mainmast, the pilot of our lives, we can remain calm through every storm, and handle every high and low with equanimity. But only the LOVE and acceptance of Jesus enables us to have those wonderful qualities! And why is that eh? Because when Jesus enters into our hearts and lives He puts the power of His Holy Spirit to dwell within us, and it’s that Holy Spirit that leads and guides, teaches and convicts, comforts and LOVES us, so that we can handle whatever comes against us with a good and sane attitude.

Now, before we go any further, let’s make one thing real clear; following Jesus is wonderful, but it’s not always easy! And unless you’re ready to truly hunker down and do what He asks, then you’ll find yourself frustrated and unhappy from the very get go. So let’s look at some of the important but difficult stuff that Jesus laid out for His followers. The first and most important, but also most difficult requirement is laid down in these words of our Lord and Saviour to the disciples. ‘If any man will come after (follow) me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross and follow me.’ That statement there usually stops many of us right in our tracks! The idea of denying ourselves and taking up a cross doesn’t sit well with any of us, but to follow Jesus they are necessary prerogatives.

And here’s what the scholars have to say about it. ‘16:22-28. Deny himself, that is, refuse his own claims upon himself. Take up: The meaning is “lift up.” It is a stronger word than that used in 10:38, and implies a lifting up of the cross on high, so that all may see it. This is the strongest statement in the New Testament about the disciple’s need to crucify himself, by yielding to the claims of Christ’s lordship over him.’ Ah mih people, although it seems like we’re asked to give up so much for Christ, the reality is that we get back much much more than we give up when we’re steadfast and sincere.

Now here’s what I LOVE about Jesus; He can give you comfort at the same time as promising adversity. Listen to Him to the disciples, and consequently to all His future followers. ‘These things I have spoken unto you, that ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.’ (John 16:33) Oh glory be my faithful brethren! What a mighty promise! The world is full of trials and tribulation, but when we embrace Jesus, we can have His peace! And what kind of peace is that? Listen to Jesus again: ‘Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.’ (John 14:27)

And hear how Bruh Paul describes that peace to the Philippians nuh. ‘And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep (guard) your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.’ (Phil.4:7) And what kind of peace is all of that? The scholars explain: ‘4:7. 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.’

Yeh friends, when you walk sincerely with Jesus, ALL bases are covered! That’s not say you won’t have problems and face adversity, but you will be able to handle them with the awesome help of the Holy Spirit! Wow! Now, for those of us who truly believe and try to be faithful, let’s go home lifting up our crosses high, so the whole world can know who and whose we are. In strong voice, with sincere hearts: ‘In God’s eyes, 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 let’s go out and do exactly that nuh my faithful brethren, as it behooves us as true followers of Christ. Much LOVE!

…to walk with Christ…is to walk in true peace…

Psalm 37:7a. Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for him:

Well another wet and cloudy day seems to be our lot this Saturday morning friends. Good sleeping-in weather for those who desire to do so. I tried some sleeping-in, only to get up with my usual aching back, the sad result of what seems to be too much lying down. (smile)

Ah Lord eh! How to beat it? They say that rest is so essential, but in my case there seems to be a caveat of ‘not too much at once.’ Hn, hn! But as the man says, ‘That’s life!’ We just have to grin and bear the quirks of life and move on with God’s available help.

And the trees are doing that right now, because their leaves are finally turning to different shades of brown, yellow and gold, in admittance that fall is finally here. They held out for a long while with the good weather, but like us, they know that their time has come at last.

No more trying to stretch out the longevity of their beautiful green leaves as the God designed cycle of seasons brings about their downfall for another year. And so, we as Christians need to accept whatever God has designed and placed in our lives, for He is the Maker and Creator of all that exists.

Trying to fight His plans are a waste of time. But enough palavering (smile), let’s see what quotes our friend Anselm offered us this past week, in his noble attempt to inspire us for a better tomorrow. Listen to this first one:‘A star wants to see himself rise to the top. A leader wants to see those around him rise to the top.’

And that’s the way it’s supposed to be, since stars seek a more self-interested path, are more interested in their own aggrandizement, while leaders theoretically raise the level of their followers in whatever context in which they are leading.

And this next quote sort of upgrades the last one. ‘A leader must be inspired by the people before a leader can inspire the people.’ I guess a true leader will not want to lead those who don’t inspire him to do so.

Why bother eh, if there is no inspiration coming from those whom you want or hope to lead? For like everyone else, a leader also needs inspiration to do his or her job, and that doesn’t just come out of thin air.

Now hear this one: ‘When you compete against everyone else, no one wants to help you. But when you compete against yourself, everyone wants to help you.’ I believe this means when you’re up in arms against everybody, you’ll get little or no help from anyone. But if you’re not fighting everybody, some of those you’re not fighting will consider helping you, which makes perfect sense.

And as always, I try to save the best quote for last. ‘Working hard for something we don’t care about is called stress: Working hard for something we LOVE is called passion!’ Ah mih people, there is plenty truth in that statement! When we do things dear to our hearts we usually don’t feel stressed out.

So in light of that, I want to take that statement to a different level. Does our apathy and lethargy and stress-like behaviour in doing our Christian work, signify we don’t LOVE Jesus?

From a mere onlooker’s viewpoint, it would certainly seem so, because there is NO REAL PASSION in our Christian walk! But the evildoers are getting together and passionately doing their evil deeds, while we supposed Christians just seem to laze along, trying desperately not to stir the pot.

But friends, that is exactly why Jesus came to earth; to stir the pot! Back then, the status quo was unacceptable, just like it is today. I guess we blasé Christians don’t inspire our leaders, so our leaders don’t get the necessary inspiration to inspire us. Hn!

And I certainly hope that our lacklustre work on Christ’s behalf does not stem from the words of our Bit. ‘Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for him:’

Oh yes friends, it does mean not to get ahead of God, not to try and make things happen in our own strength, to wait for the Lord’s guidance. But while we are waiting, we must continue to be diligent and passionate in what we can do, for there is always stuff for us to do in our wonderful partnership with Christ.

Remember a partnership means the involvement of at least two entities in a mutual agreement, and usually more than one job to get done. And that’s how it is with Jesus and us. He has His part to do, and we have ours. Now sometimes we can’t do our part until He does His, but we still need to keep on working at what we can.

Some of us can’t wait and speed ahead and spoil things, while others wait too much and get nothing done. We need balance my people, and that can only be found by being in sincere and constant communication with Almighty God, and having a passion for doing His work.

Remember, ALL that God is doing is not for Himself nuh, but for OUR benefit! God needs NOTHING, for He already has EVERYTHING.

We have NOTHING, which means we need EVERYTHING. And since EVERYTHING comes from God, then we certainly NEED God! Let’s remember that and wisely put it all into the right perspective. Much LOVE!

…where there is no action…means there is no real passion…since passion…induces action…

SCRIP-BITS

Today’s Scrip-Bit 14 October 2017 Psalm 37:7a.

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