SCRIP-BITS

Matthew 4:19.      And he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men. And they straightway left their nets and followed him.

So, finally we come to Saturday, that in-between day where you can either do plenty or nothing at all! (smile) And though many of us choose to do the latter, a lot of folks are busy doing their household chores like laundry, house cleaning and grocery shopping, things they could not do during the work week. 

That means the malls and other business places are pretty busy on a Saturday. It’s probably the worst day to go shopping, since all those who can’t do it during the week are out shopping today. And with some of the mask restrictions lifted and the weather warming up, though it’s cloudy right now, a lot of us who have been shut in for so long, will just be out there spreading our wings and learning how to fly again. (smile) 

But before you go out and spread those wings, let’s note some good information on the subject, through the quotes our friend Anselm sent us this past week, as he aspires to inspire us for a better tomorrow. And the first one tells us that ‘Vision without a task is only a dream. A task without a vision is but drudgery. But vision with a task is a dream fulfilled.’ 

Now that seems very logical, because visions and tasks go together, one without the other is like a ship without a rudder or a sail. One guides and informs the other. As the man says, if you don’t have a practical point to your vision, then it’s only a dream, a figment of your imagination. And if you’re just doing practical stuff without a purpose or have a positive focus, then all you’re doing is mindless, uninspiring, fatiguing hard labour. 

That brings us to the next quote, which says: ‘A leader has the vision and conviction that a dream can be achieved. He inspires the power and energy to get it done. A leader’s role is to raise people’s aspirations for what they can become and to release their energies so they will try to get there.’ 

And it is the gospel truth my brethren! That’s why leaders are so important in all walks of life. They ought to possess the vision and conviction in making a dream happen, as well as the necessary ability to encourage others, to help them aspire to higher levels, and to walk with them sincerely and faithfully through the challenges, through the fire that any worthwhile dream will present before it’s successfully accomplished. 

Now that’s why there have been few real leaders down through the ages. Some have the vision and conviction, but not the leadership skills to encourage others to walk their path. Meanwhile, others have the charisma, the innate power through their speaking ability to draw followers to them, but their causes are not worthwhile and eventually go up in flames. 

But down through the ages, there’s been ONE man who stood out as a leader, who had ALL that was necessary to lead. We know Him as our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. The One who came down from heaven to die on the cross to atone for the sins of man, to give us the options of salvation and eternal life. He was truly a man with a vison and strong conviction on the kingdom of heaven, as well as the unerring sense to draw people to Him, to encourage them to follow in His footsteps. 

Yuh see how easy He got Peter and Andrew, two busy fishermen to follow Him. While walking by the sea of Galilee, Jesus saw them fishing, ‘And he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men. And they straightway left their nets and followed him.’ (Matt. 4:19-20) Now that’s what you call the ability to inspire others! But a short while later, it got even better. Jesus saw James and John sitting in their boat mending nets with their father Zebedee and called them. And in response to that call, the Good Book says: ‘And they immediately left the ship and their father, and followed him.’ (Matt. 4:22) 

Mama Yo! Without even a ‘by your leave,’ they just left their poor father and followed a man whom they didn’t know from Adam. But that’s what Jesus does to you. He inspires you to reach higher, to get better, to attain to excellence through diligence and faith in Him. And that’s why this next quote is so valuable. It says: ‘Sometimes it’s worth risking it all for a dream only you can see.’ Especially if it’s a dream that Jesus has put in your heart! 

Yes friends, many of us have dreams that others can’t see or don’t agree with, but oftentimes that dream is worth risking it all to try and accomplish. Just look at the numerous inventors, like Henry Ford with the combustible engine in a car, and Thomas Edison with electricity and his many other inventions. They thought their dreams worthwhile and risked it all. Now not everyone who does that is successful, for one reason or another, but I’m here to tell you that if it’s something Jesus puts in your heart, then He will see that it’s successful. 

And I’m talking here from personal experience. This Scrip-Bit was not my idea. Never in a million years did I ever dream that I would be writing on scripture. But the Lord broached the idea and I laughed, just like Sarah did when told she would produce a boy child in her old age. But despite my pleas that I couldn’t write on scripture because I didn’t know it, the Lord refused to take ‘No’ for an answer. Just like He didn’t take Moses’ excuse saying he stuttered and couldn’t be expected to talk to Pharaoh, the most powerful man in the world at the time. 

Now don’t get me wrong, I’m nowhere near Moses’ class, and so the Lord didn’t get as annoyed with me as He did with Moses (smile), but He certainly kept prodding me until I agreed. Now, fifteen years later, through His awesome faithfulness, I’m writing on scripture, although I still don’t know as much as I think I ought to. But the Lord isn’t complaining, because He knows that I’m sincerely trying, and that through His encouragement, grace and mercy, I’ve come a long way since that first Bit of one scripture verse in 2007. 

And the next quote is a perfect segue: ‘Success is no accident. It is hard work, perseverance, learning, studying, sacrifice, and most of all, LOVE of what you are doing or learning to do.’ And there again, I can vouch for the truth of that quote, because it’s only through those things that I’ve reached the level I’m now at, and to grow, I must continue doing them. 

Now, in our current society, we all see a lot of people enjoying the benefits of their success and we envy them, and want to be like them, but few of us are willing to go through the hardship and pain that it takes to be successful. We like the end results but not what it takes to get there. But my people, it’s only through perseverance and hard work will we ever become successful. So, if you’re planning on being a success in anything, you’d better prepare yourself for plenty hard knocks. 

And this last quote nicely closes today’s session. ‘Raise the bar a little higher each time you succeed.’ Yes my people, each time we have success, we need to set our cap a li’l higher and climb to the next level, because staying the same place, sitting on your laurels only breeds laziness, inertia and lethargy which kill your spirit and eventually set you on the road to decline and destruction. You can see examples in the fall of all the great nations and organizations that became successful then just sat on their laurels, making no efforts to keep their standards high. 

That’s why Cousin Sol’s advice is ever so important: ‘The heart of the prudent getteth knowledge; and the ear of the wise seeketh knowledge.’ (Prov. 18:15) And if you don’t understand that, (smile) here is the MSG (Message version). ‘Wise men and women are always learning, always listening for fresh insights.’ Yes friends, we must never stop learning, striving to be better, for when we do, we die. Much LOVE!

…the standards of a person, organization or society…say a lot about them…whether they are growing…or in decline… 

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