Psalm 34:4. I sought the Lord, and he heard me, and delivered me from all my fears.
Well Friends, it’s Tuesday! How was the first day back at work in this new year of 2015 eh? I do hope that it was not too strenuous and you did not fall asleep either literally or figuratively at the wheel, that you took it in full, complete and victorious stride. (smile)
For remember that our task here on earth is to take hold of the grace of our wonderful God to endure our afflictions with patience, without growing weary, knowing that in the due process of time, He will perfect, establish, strengthen and settle us.
We must learn to wait on the Lord with His perfect timing and be of good courage, for He will always come through for us… and in time too, for He’s never late!
Now hear this quote from my Friend Anselm with one of his daily quotes, Inspiring You for a Better Tomorrow. This one talks about a change of address, and it might sound familiar, because I believe I have shared it before. But anyway, it is still a good message to hear and accede to, especially at the start of this new year.
Listen up: ‘This is my change of address notice for 2015. I have moved out from 1 Beggars Alley, located at 2 Poverty Lane at the corner of Bleak and Buster Circle. As of today, I have a brand new home. My new address is: Living Well on 3 Abundance Drive, located at the corner of Blessings Street and Prosperity Peak.
No longer will I allow myself to travel on Begging Peter to pay off Paul route, located at a dead end Intersection called: I Don’t Have, it connects with Borrowers Junction. I no longer hang out at Failure’s Place, near Excuses Avenue, next to Procrastination Point.
I’ve moved on to an Upscale Community called Higher Heights with unlimited potential and opportunities for me to succeed. Look at me, each day that I’m awake, I am thankful to be a product of my new environment. All my clothes are tailor made. I’m dressed in life’s finest.
Let me introduce you to all of them: Conceive, Believe, Act on, Have Faith, Be Persistent, and Always be Prepared to Achieve. Life is good because God is good! Care to change your address?’
Oh my people, that’s an interesting question, and I do hope that all of us would jump up and shout an emphatic ‘Yes!’ because so many of us do need to change our addresses, to move up to Higher Heights from Beggar’s Alley and Poverty Lane.
And so we come to our Bit: ‘I sought the Lord, and he heard me, and delivered me from all my fears’
Oh Friends, that is exactly what will happen, if and when you sincerely seek the face and ear of Almighty God! He will NEVER let you down, or leave you in the lurch, for He’s promised that, (Heb. 13:5) and we all know that God is ALWAYS faithful to His promises.
Hear what Bruh David said in a couple of verses later. ‘This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him, and saved him out of all his troubles.’ (Ps.34:6)
Glory be, my people! He just verified our Bit! And today we’ll look at a couple more scripture passages which lend verity, veracity, credence and truth to it. (smile)
We’ll begin with Jonah, who tried to run from God, having disobeyed God’s command to go and preach the truth to the sinful city of Nineveh. In God’s wise plan, Jonah ends up in the belly of a big fish.
Please note that the Lord didn’t merely destroy him for His disobedience, but gave him a chance to make matters right between them. And Jonah eventually comes to his senses and makes good use of that second chance.
The Good Book relates it thus: ‘Then Jonah prayed unto the Lord his God out of the fish’s belly, And said, I cried by reason of mine (because of my) affliction unto the Lord, and he heard (answered) me; out of the belly of hell cried I, and thou heardest my voice.
For thou hadst cast me into the deep, in the midst (heart) of the seas; and the floods compassed me about (surrounded me): all thy billows and thy waves passed over me. Then said I, I am cast out of thy sight; yet I will look again toward thy holy temple.
The waters compassed me about, even to the soul: the depth (deep) closed me round about, the weeds were wrapped about my head. I went down to the bottoms (foundations, bases) of the mountains; the earth with her bars was about (closed behind) me for ever: yet hast thou brought up my life from corruption (the pit),
O Lord my God. When my soul fainted within me I remembered the Lord: and my prayer came in (went up) unto thee, into thine holy temple. They that observe lying vanities (worthless idols) forsake their own mercy (LOVING-kindness).
But I will sacrifice unto thee with the voice of thanksgiving; I will pay that that I have vowed. Salvation is of the Lord. And the Lord spoke unto the fish, and it vomited out Jonah upon the dry land.’ (Jon.2:1-10)
Wow Friends! Imagine that nuh; having to undergo such affliction before we truly come to our senses and sincerely seek Jehovah God!
But sadly, that’s what happens to us in real life. When things are good, we don’t remember or have any use for God. It’s only when affliction and disaster strike, that we rush to our heart’s door and let Jesus in, where He’s been knocking the whole time. And then we expect Him to work miracles on our behalf right away.
That’s not right my brethren, but our God is such a magnanimous and merciful Deity, that whenever we do cry out to Him in sincerity, He hears and answers us. Now hear are some interesting notes on those verses from the scholars.
‘2:1-9. Jonah’s prayer is poetic in form and has three movements, each beginning with a rehearsal of the prophet’s impossible situation, and each culminating in an expression of his faith in spite of his impossible circumstances. The first movement is in verses 2-4. The second movement is in verses 5 and 6. The third movement is in verses 7-9.’
Ah my people, please allow Jonah’s story – first his disobedience and then his undying faithfulness and courage, to stir us up today, and keep us in strong communication with Almighty God, so that we don’t stray too far from the remaining flock of His verdant pasture. That is wisdom of the highest order!
I know that we promised two sets of scriptures, but time and space have run out on us. So, God willing, we’ll continue in this same vein tomorrow. Till then, please walk safely with Jehovah God as our most able guide and veritable embodiment of our strength. Much LOVE!
…walking closely with Jesus…is such a beautiful, beautiful thing…
Today’s Scrip-Bit 6 January 2015 Psalm 34:4
06 Jan 2015 Leave a comment
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Today’s Scrip-Bit 22 December 2014 Genesis 50:20
22 Dec 2014 Leave a comment
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Genesis 50:20. But as for you, ye thought (intended) evil against me; but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive.
Oh mih people, mih people, is Monday! Yes Friends, it’s the Monday before Christmas Day! Only two more days and the world will erupt with joy and thanksgiving, praise and worship, with awe and wonderment at the miracle birth of Christ! Glory Hallelujah!
That means my brethren that today must also be a joyful day. All the days ought to be joyful, but this is one of those yearly occasions where the level of joy and glorification of Almighty God is raised to higher heights!
That’s because the incarnate birth of His Son is one of the greatest gifts that our magnificent and magnanimous God has ever bestowed on undeserving mankind!
We don’t deserve anything of the kind, but such is God’s care, concern and unconditional LOVE for us, that He inaugurated a mind-bending plan, to give us relief, forgiveness from our sins.
Unfortunately it was the only solution possible, taking into account God’s justice system, where sin must be paid for by death, by the shedding of blood. And the only unblemished, sinless soul beside Him was His Son Jesus Christ. But He readily gave Him up as a sacrificial Lamb, whose shed blood would blot out our sins for all time.
Ah mih people, that is what you call real and true LOVE! So please feel LOVED, LOVED by Jehovah God! Because if He didn’t bear that glorious emotion towards us in spades, He would never have offered up Jesus as a sacrifice for us.
So please stop thinking and saying that God doesn’t LOVE you, stop allowing the enemy to play mind games with you on that subject, for it is an enormous fallacy. God LOVES you more than anything else in all of His creation! I don’t know what else He could have done to prove that.
So this Christmas Monday morning let’s raise the roof of heaven with our powerful, harmonious and melodic rendition of our Monday Morning Battle Hymn. With everything we’ve got now Friends!
‘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!’
Yes Friends, that was a most fitting rendition for a Christmas week. Wow! The heavenly hosts were duly impressed and responded with a standing ‘O’ and a loud shout for an encore! (smile) By the way, that included Jesus and the Father too.
So we’ve begun this workweek on a good foot my people, please let’s keep it like that all day and all week. Let the adrenalin build up and the rising level of faith in the Holy Spirit make us amenable to His leading and guiding as we go about doing good today, just like Jesus did in His time.
That brings us to our Bit, another instance where God’s plans seemed very unjust, but through His higher level of knowledge and wisdom were actually meant for exceeding good. Listen to Bruh Joseph as he speaks to his evil brothers, who had sold him into slavery in Egypt.
‘And Joseph said unto them, Fear not: for am I in the place of God? But as for you, ye thought (intended) evil against me; but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive. Now therefore fear ye not: I will nourish (provide for) you, and your little ones. And he comforted them, and spake kindly unto them.’ (Gen 50:19-21)
Yes Friends, it was the very same intention God had, when, heart-broken, He put His plan for salvation and eternal life into place that first Christmas morning. His eventual goal was to also save much people alive
Only thing though, this was not a physical alive, like Bruh Joseph and his family, but a spiritual alive, to give all people a chance to come to Him in repentance for forgiveness, reconciliation and salvation.
This was to put a new vision in their hearts, whereby the Spirit of God would dwell in a believer’s body and guide and direct him or her into a fulfilling relationship with all members of our Godhead, the Holy Trinity – God the Father, God the Son, Jesus Christ, and God the Holy Spirit.
So this Christmas my people, let us truly rejoice in the birth of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Please consider the very hurtful and hurting emotions that the Father went through to come to such a momentous, life and universe changing decision, to send His only Son amongst us, to undergo terrible and uncalled for persecution, then die that horrendous death on the cross at Calvary…but all for our good.
Let’s remember that and then sincerely believe that our God, our Creator, truly LOVES us, otherwise He would have allowed us to languish forever in Hades with Lucifer, as we deserved, instead of providing a way out for us to spend eternity in heaven with Him.
Oh what a wonderful God we serve and worship my brethren! Please believe it, because it is gospel truth, and then act accordingly, with wisdom! Much LOVE!
…all I can say is…to know, know, know Him…is to LOVE, LOVE, LOVE Him…
Today’s Scrip-Bit 14 December 2014 Jeremiah 31:31
14 Dec 2014 Leave a comment
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Jeremiah 31:31. Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah.
Oh Friends, it’s a new week! Yeh! And today, Sunday, is the first day in it. So let’s give our wonderful Creator and God big thanks of praise and glory for bringing us safely through the dark, demon-filled night into the bright, brilliant, bountiful and ever so beautiful Son-light of Jesus Christ, our most LOVING Lord and Saviour!
And on this auspicious day of the Lord, the Sabbath, let’s joyfully remember the reason for the seasons we’re celebrating; Advent, the eagerly awaited expectation of the Christ child; Christmas, the actual birth of the Christ child.
And all God’s people gave out with a heartwarming shout of grateful praise. ‘Thank You heavenly Father, for sending Jesus to sacrifice and atone for our sins. We’re not worthy of Your LOVE, but You still bless us with it because You are a merciful and ever-LOVING God.
We praise Your Holy Name, and will endeavour to live lives that are pleasing to You, and glorify You. This we pray in the name of Jesus, whose birth at Christmas gave us hope for a new future, heralded a new era in our lives, and whose death on the cross at Calvary, along with His resurrection and ascension brought Your promise of a new covenant to pass.
And we can’t end without saying a big, big thank You to Jesus for selflessly sacrificing His holy and sinless life for us. He didn’t have to do it. But He was obedient to Your will. Help us to be likewise obedient to Your dictates. Thank You Jesus! We bow to Your eternal majesty, and confess that You are indeed Lord of All! Amen.’
Ah mih people, that prayer might seem long and disjointed, but the important thing is that it came from the heart, as all prayers ought to, regardless of their length or correctness of language. (smile) And please don’t forget that today is the day for worship, praise and fellowship with both man and God.
Please let’s fill God’s sanctuaries with our bodies as well as with joy, thanks and gladness of heart, because our Bit is now in a sure mode of fulfillment. ‘Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah.’
Yes Friends, that wonderful promise was set in motion through Christ’s birth and His selfless actions as a young man. We’re now awaiting its culmination through His Second Coming in blazing glory!
And today I want to share some important explanations of the scholars, re that covenant, because they are invaluable in helping us to understand it. I don’t know how much I’ll be able to get in, because it takes up almost an entire page of the Good Book.
But here goes: ’31:31-34. The new covenant is the culmination of God’s covenant-making with Israel. It may be viewed as a document of God’s prophetic programme and of His policies of administration.
As an administrative document, it renders obsolete and succeeds the old Sinaitic covenant that served as the manual of procedure for carrying out the moral, civil, and ceremonial regulations relative to national Israel in the pre-Christian era (cf. Deut.7:6-11; Heb.8:7-13).
Some features of the old covenant are carried over into the new covenant: (1) There is in the new covenant a stress on the importance of the unchangeable principles of God’s law.
However, these will now be written not on stone but in the hearts of God’s people – they will become part of their inward code for living, and will conform in all respects to the moral law of the Scriptures.
Accordingly, the ideal that the old covenant called for (cf. Deut. 6:6-7; 10:16; 30:6) in external commandments will be internalized under the terms of the new covenant.
(2) With the establishment of the covenant at Sinai, Israel had become nationally God’s people (Ex. 6:6-7; 19:5-6). As such, they were to be a faithful and obedient people, reflecting His standards in their lives (Deut. 14:1-2; 26:16-19).
In a far greater way, the intimacy of the believer with God makes the realization of God’s relation to His people under the terms of the new covenant to be a full and living experience. Moreover, not just the Israelites but all believers (those who know God, v.34) are now called under the new covenant my people. (See 2 Cor.6:16; Gal.3:6-9, 15-18, 26-29; Titus 2:14)
These features of vital inwardness and a universality of the knowledge of God stand out as the two great distinctive elements in the new covenant.
(3) A third feature that represents continuity with the old covenant, yet superiority under the new covenant is the matter of forgiveness. Although God is said to forgive their iniquity under the administration of the Sinaitic covenant (Ex.34:6-7; Num.14:18; Deut.5:9-10; cf. Ps.86:15; Joel 2:13), in the stipulations of the new covenant, God will remember their sin no more.
This feature is a reminder that men in Old Testament times were saved in anticipation of the finished work of Calvary. Under the old economy, believers approached God in their worship experience through human mediators (Ex.20:19); but with the completed redemption by Christ, the members of the family of God now have direct access to God (cf. 1 Tim.2:5-6; Titus 2:11-14, 3:5-7; Heb. 9:1-10:22).
Where full forgiveness has been granted, there is no more remembrance of sin. Positionally and experientially, with the living reality of both God’s law in the heart and the indwelling Christ (Col.1:20-27) in the believer, there is not only full and continuous forgiveness of sin (1 John 1:8-9), but full provision for faithful and victorious living.’
And we’ll stop there for today. I do hope that some of that explanation does improve our understanding of some of the differences between the old and new covenants. I apologize for some of the big words and terms the scholars use that might have you running to your dictionary. But that’s just the nature of the beast – scholars just use big words because they feel that shows their scholarship. (smile)
So basically Friends, the new covenant writes God’s law in our hearts, rather than on outward things like tablets of stone; allows us to go directly to God not through some other human mediator, and in addition to forgiving our sins, now throws them far behind God’s back, never to be remembered again.
As I keep saying, what a wonderful God we serve and worship! And whoever rejects Him is a total idiot. Much LOVE!
…to know, know, know Him…is to LOVE, LOVE, LOVE Him…
Today’s Scrip-Bit 24 November 2014 Psalm 16:9
24 Nov 2014 Leave a comment
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: a light shining in the window, a tree of life, adults, Aloha, Amen, babes, blessings, confidence, Creator of the universe, drinking milk, eating solid food, enthusiasm, eternal life, evil, faith, fall t the ground, fellow believers, fleshly concerns, friends, full of surprises, glorify God, glorious kingdom, gospel truth, grace, growing in the word of God, hearts and minds, holy spirit, hope, hope thou in God, humble servants, invincible, Jesus Christ, jobs, joy, Lamentations, lies, lord god almighty, LOVE, maturing, mercy, Monday Morniing Battle Hymn, Monday Morning, my flesh dwells securely in hope, my glory rejoices, my heart is glad, peace, Praise the Lord, reconciled to the Father, rejuvenation of spirit, relaxation, renewed vitality, rest, rock heaven and earth, sacrifice, salvation, shock, sinless life, spiritual armour, spirituality, steadfast faith, trust, ungodly world, victory, vim and vigour, Why art thou cast down o my soul, wisdom
Psalm 16:9. Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoiceth: my flesh also shall rest (dwell securely) in hope.
Today’s Scrip-Bit 11 November 2014 1 Corinthians 11:24
11 Nov 2014 Leave a comment
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: anticipation of Christ's return, believing sinner, blame, bread, Bruh Paul, ceremony of Holy Communion, Christ's atoning death, clawing back, commemorate Jesus' sacrifice, corrupt, crooks, don't walk it, eternal life, eternal redemption, fallen down in our responsibility, free country, free life, free society, freedom, fruits of the vine, glorify our Saviour Jesus Christ, grateful hearts, greedy, half-truths, he brake it, heifer dust, holy and sinless body, honouring the memories, hypocritical, inefficient, insensitive, Jesus, Jesus Christ, Jesus took the cup, lack of sufficient government support, lies, LOVE, mediator, mental and physical help, New Covenant, pensions, redemption, remembrance, Remembrance Day, sacrifice, salvation, show enough actual caring, society owes them a living, speak up enough, spiritual partaking, stark reality, struggling families, swaggering, symbol of Christian worship, talk a good talk, tardiness, teach our children, thankful espression, the broken body of Christ, the church at Corinth, the Good Book, the government don't care about the veterans, the Lord's death, the Lord's Supper, the new testamnet in my blood, the powers that be, the shed blood of Christ, this do in remembrance of me, this is my body which is broken for you, travesty, unconcerned, veterans, war veterans, wars, when he had given thanks
1 Corinthians 11:24. And when he (Jesus) had given thanks, he brake it (the bread), and said, Take, eat: this is my body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me.
Oh Friends, it’s Remembrance Day; the solemn occasion when we remember with grateful hearts, spirits and souls, all those who either gave up their lives or fought in the many terrible wars we’ve experienced in the past century!
All the powers that be, will turn out in full force, ostensibly to honour those who fought and died that we can enjoy the many freedoms that we do. They will also trudge out some of the surviving vets, as a showpiece. But the stark reality of the situation is that the governments don’t really give a damn about these poor veterans!
And why do I say that? Simply because in real life the veterans are indeed poor and are suffering terribly from lack of sufficient government support! A lot of them have mental and physical issues stemming from their wartime activities, but they are in a constant fight with the governments to get proper mental and physical help. Steups!
Their pensions are a travesty to their efforts; to the way they laid their lives on the line for us when we so desperately needed them to do so. The corrupt, greedy, inefficient Canadian government is even clawing back money from the vets, if they make a few extra dollars on the side.
But the insensitive and hypocritical crooks will get up today and spout a whole lot of lies and half-truths about how much they care for the vets. Heifer dust my brethren!
Just ask some of the many struggling families of the dead and living vets how much their governments care about them nuh? You’ll be most surprised at the answers you’ll receive.
But yuh know what; we can’t only blame the governments for the poor treatment meted out to the vets. We, the supposedly fine, upstanding citizens are also to blame, because we don’t speak up enough for the vets, or show them enough actual caring. We talk a good talk too, but don’t walk it.
However, it is essential that we do remember them, and also teach our children to appreciate the efforts of the many men and women who fought so that they can now live a basically free life, in a free country and society.
I think we have also fallen down in our responsibility in that regard too, not teaching our children enough about the war veterans, for many are not even aware of the veterans, so how can they be appreciative of their efforts.
And it’s very important that the youth of today understand why and how, they can go about doing what they do without too many restrictions; swaggering about unconcerned, believing that society owes them a living.
Anyway my brethren, enough of my ranting. (smile) Please, let’s remember to give our own individual thanks to the vets, and help the surviving ones and the families of those who succumbed in any way we can. It’s only fitting that we do so.
But my people, it is even more fitting that we respect, remember and glorify our Saviour Jesus Christ in the fateful and memorable words of our Bit, which Bruh Paul penned to the church at Corinth.
‘And when he (Jesus) had given thanks, he brake it (the bread), and said, Take, eat: this is my body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me.’
Yes Friends, our most important remembrance should be that of Jesus Christ, sacrificing His holy and sinless body for us!
And the Good Book continues: ‘After the same manner also he (Jesus) took the cup, when he had supped (after supper), saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood: this do ye, as oft as you drink it, in remembrance of me. For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do show (proclaim, remember) the Lord’s death till he come.’ (1 Cor.11:25-26)
That’s the figurative, ceremonial manner in which Jesus desires us to remember Him!
Unfortunately though, for whatever reason(s), a lot of us choose not to do so. But it ought to be a conscious and continual rite though of every believer to participate in the ceremony of Holy Communion, wherein we commemorate Jesus’ tremendous sacrifice on our behalf!
That commemorative ceremony is also called the Lord’s Supper, and the scholars have an interesting take on it. ’11:20. The Lord’s supper is the distinctive symbol of Christian worship instituted by the Lord on the eve of His death, being a spiritual partaking of bread and the fruits of the vine.
These elements are presented as a thankful expression of Christ’s sacrifice, taken in fellowship with Him and with one another. It is a memorial conducted in remembrance of Christ’s atoning death, anticipating His return to earth. The two symbols of this ordinance are the bread, representing the broken body of Christ, and the cup, representing His shed blood.’
And re the ‘new testament’ part of Christ’s words, the scholars say: ’11:25. New Testament: Christ is the Mediator of the New covenant, who “by his own blood entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us.” (Heb.9:12-15) Notice the emphasis on the blood. This signifies our Lord’s death, which in turn signifies the grounds on which eternal salvation is applied to the heart of the believing sinner.’
Therefore Friends, we can see why Holy Communion, and our active participation in it, is of tremendous importance in the lives of all believers! Yes my brethren, it’s through that solemn ceremony that we show a true remembrance of Christ, a true appreciation of His sacrifice, both physically and spiritually.
So my people, on this day of Remembrance, let’s sincerely ponder on, gratefully remember and give plenty thanks for the veterans who fought so heroically for us to have safe and free earthly lives, as well as to Jesus, who died that we might have salvation and eternal spiritual life. Much LOVE!
…no greater remembrance can we have…than honouring the memories of all those who died in our stead…especially Jesus…
P.S. Please excuse the Bit’s tardiness, but it was just one of those late nights… and thus the body rebelled against getting up early. (smile) Much LOVE!
Today’s Scrip-Bit 28 September 2014 Hosea 7:13
28 Sep 2014 Leave a comment
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: 24/7 society, almighty god, be wise, bindage, blessings, derision, destruction unto them, devise evil, disasters, disobedience, do the right thing, Egypt, encourage ourselves, eternal life, faith, favour, favouritism, fellowship, focus on God, foreordained, forsaken the Lord, friends, give thanks and praise, glory hallelujah, God made man in His image, God's people, God's Word, he who has ears to hear, hope, I have redeemed them, Israel, it takes two to tango, Jesus Christ, Judah, justice, laws, LOVE, mercy, ONE body in Christ, Praise the Lord, raised him up from the dead, rebelled, rebellion, redeemed, redemption, relationship, relationships, relax from labour, responsibilities, reverence, rules, sacrifice, salvation, setbacks, strengthen our faith, sufferation, Sunday, the cross at Cakvary, the foundation of the world, the God of Abraham Isaac and Jacob, the one who made you for Himself, the precious blood of Christ, the Promised Land, the Sabbath Day, they have fled from me, they have spoken lies against me, they have transgressed against me, Tobago day, true image of God, unconditional LOVE, woe unto them, wonder, worship, your faith and hope might be in god
Hosea 7:13. Woe unto them! for they have fled from me: destruction unto them! because they have transgressed against me: though I have redeemed them, yet they have spoken lies against me.
Today’s Scrip-Bit 22 July 2014 Mark 5:36b
22 Jul 2014 Leave a comment
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: Abraham Isaac and Jacob, all things are possible with Jesus, be not afraid, be wise, belief, belief can move mountains, believe, believing, blessed, buried in our souls, comfort, compassion, crapaud smoke yuh pipe, earthly pilgrimage, encourage others to believe, eternal separation from God, faith, faithfulness, faithless, forgiveness, friends, glory hallelujah, God created man in his own image, God's bountiful earth, God's omnipotence, God's purposes, God's word is truth, great to be alive, hardest of hearts, holy spirit, Holy Trinity, into the world, Jesus Christ, Jesus prayed for us, joyful shout, kindness, long and short of the story, LOVE, Lucifer, may be as one, mercy, moment of truth, Most High God, My Lord and my God, omni-presence, omniscience, on the cross, one and only true God, only believe, our bounden duty, pay our sin debt, penny section, power of belief, refused to believe, sacrifice, sanctify, saved, serious trouble, sinless life, spiritual unity, the print of the nails, Thomas' unbelief, truth, understanding, wisdom, wonderful journey with Jesus, words of the apostles
Mark 5:36b. Be not afraid, only believe.
Oh Friends, oh Friends, isn’t it great to be alive, to see another beautiful day on God’s bountiful earth? It certainly is, regardless of all our troubles!
And all God’s people raised a joyful shout of ‘Glory Hallelujah! Sing praises to the Most High God, for He is indeed worthy of praise, being such an awesome and magnanimous God!’
And that He most definitely is my brethren. He is just the ‘MOSTEST!’ (smile) The ‘Mostest’ in everything; LOVE, mercy, kindness, forgiveness, wisdom, faithfulness, understanding, compassion, comfort, etc. etc. etc. And we can go on listing the etcs’ forever. Wow!
Oh my people, it never fails to amaze me when I consider the mighty God we serve and worship, for there is none other like Him to be found anywhere in the entire universe!
And that’s why it is so important that ALL His creation believe in Him who created us in His own image; in His Son Jesus Christ who sacrificed His holy and sinless life on the cross to pay our sin debt in full and reconcile us to the Father; and in the Holy Spirit who lives and dwells in us, those who BELIEVE, to guide and comfort us along the oftimes rough and rugged pathway of our earthly pilgrimage.
And consequently, it’s imperative that we do as Jesus so wisely tells us in our Bit: ‘Be not afraid, only BELIEVE!’
And when we do that simple act my brethren, what an awesome change it brings to our lives; peace and mercy, LOVE and compassion, wisdom and understanding, faithfulness and righteousness… if fact all the wonderful attributes of our omnipotent, omniscient and omni-present Deity are transferred into our souls, thus bringing us into right thinking and living with our Creator, which is basically all He asks of us.
But Friends, the first step of the wonderful journey is always BELIEF; sincere Belief!
Yes, believe that the Holy Trinity is who and what they say they are. For without that strong belief, that strong faith buried in our souls that wonderful journey with Jesus is impossible.
Enough of me though trying to convince you, let’s hear it from Jesus Himself. And the first instance is when Jesus prays for His own. ‘Sanctify them (set them apart) through thy truth: thy word is truth. As thou hast sent me into the world, even so have I also sent them into the world.
And for their sakes I sanctify myself, that they also might be sanctified through the truth. Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word. That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they may also be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me.’ (John 17:17-21)
Yes Friends, Jesus is praying there for all like you and I, who believe on the words of the apostles and those who come after them. Imagine that nuh, Jesus prayed for us some two thousand years ago!
And the scholars offer these explanations: ’17:17. Sanctify means to “set apart” or “separate for God’s purposes.”
17:18. Sent me…sent them means the mission of the church, corresponding to that of Christ. Their tasks are alike – in fact, in purpose, and in results, as this prayer shows.
17:21. They…may be one conveys spiritual unity, not organizational unity (cf. 1 Cor.12:13; 2 Cor.1:11; Eph.2:19; 4:3-16; Heb.10:25).’
Please take the time to read those scriptures Friends, I did, and they are all interesting, helpful passages.
Ah mih people, the power of belief, especially belief in Jesus, it is so strong that it can move mountains, and even the hardest of hearts! (smile)
Then we come to that seminal moment of truth, re Thomas’ unbelief. When Jesus rose from the dead and visited His disciples, on the first occasion Thomas was absent. However, when the others told him later on that they had seen the Saviour, he outright refused to believe, saying: ‘Except I shall see in his hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and thrust my hand into his side, I will not believe.’ (John 20:25)
How foolish Friends! But eight days later, Jesus again appeared to the disciples, and this time Thomas was there. And it’s certainly revealing and important how He picked out Thomas and said to him: ‘Reach hither thy finger, and behold my hands; and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into my side: and be not faithless (unbelieving), but believing.
And Thomas answered and said unto him, My Lord and my God. Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed.’ (John 20:27-29)
Yes Friends, those who haven’t seen and yet have believed, like us, are truly blessed! Such is the power of BELIEF!
And the scholars have an interesting note here: ’20:28. Lord…God: These words from Thomas form the climax of John’s gospel and summarize its theme.’
Oh my people, it’s all about BELIEF; belief in the ONE AND ONLY TRUE GOD, He of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob!
Now the long and short of the story is, if you believe, you’re blessed and saved; but if you don’t believe, crapaud smoke yuh pipe, you’re in serious trouble, facing eternal separation from Almighty God, the worst thing that can happen to a living soul.
So let’s be wise and believe nuh, it’s as simple as that. And furthermore, after we believe, let’s live a believing life and encourage others to believe, for remember the Father doesn’t want to lose even one single soul to that ole crook Lucifer.
And that’s the final message on belief from Jesus… And I hear the sighs of relief and the clapping of hands from the penny section. (smile)
And now may the Lord bless and keep us, those who believe, and also enable us to go out and help others to believe, for that is our bounden duty. Much LOVE!
…only believe…all things are possible with Jesus…only believe…
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