Today’s Scrip-Bit 29 June 2016 John 6:48

John 6:48.   I am that bread of life.

Awright friends, let’s begun the show with a li’l praise and worship nuh, like we ought to. Let’s sing the first two verses of the beautiful hymn, ‘Joyful, joyful…’ 

In full voice now: ‘Joyful, joyful, we adore You, God of glory, Lord of LOVE, Hearts unfold like flowers before You, Opening to the sun above. Melt the clouds of sin and sadness; Drive the dark of doubt away; Giver of immortal gladness, Fill us with the light of day Hallelujah we adore You! Hallelujah! Amen! Amen! Amen!’  

Oh my people, that was indeed a rousing rendition! Nothing like giving thanks and praise to uplift one’s soul! Now let’s keep up the positive vibes by getting into this poem from our One Year Book of Bible Promises with writings By Ruth Harms Calkin. This one’s titled ‘Irreversible Yes.’ 

And it says: ‘God, You have done A beautiful thing for me. You have freed me from the dissatisfaction Of so many empty days and months. Into my impoverished heart You have poured life-changing thoughts of You Making each new day gloriously rich. 

You have struck a deep artesian well in my soul As sheer joy springs forth. All because in an act of honest surrender When life had lost its challenge I said an irreversible YES to You!’  

Oh friends, that’s the joy and beauty that springs forth when we say an irreversible ‘YES’ to God! Glory Hallelujah! 

Those who refuse to say yes to Him, surely don’t know what they’re missing nuh, but it’s our bounden duty to point it out to them through our words and the godly actions of our lives. So please let’s do that sincerely and diligently nuh, so that we can glorify our heavenly Father and spur on His glorious kingdom as we ought to! 

And we not done yet mih people; more positive vibes to come as we declare our Wednesday Wail with plenty vim and vigour, showing that we truly believe and mean it.  (smile) 

Wailing now: ‘Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: I’m so glad to be alive on this Wednesday! Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: Thank God the breath of life is still flowing through me on this Wednesday! 

I am halfway home. My hands are fixed securely on the plough, and I’m not turning back. I’m not looking back at the past, not focusing on what has gone before. But my eyes are fixed straight ahead; straight ahead to a glorious future with Jesus. Glory Hallelujah!’ 

Oh my fellow believers, am I ever glad to be alive, having Almighty God’s awesome breath of life flowing through me this Wednesday morning at then end of June 2016! I surely hope you are too. For what good is being alive if you’re not enjoying it eh? None whatsoever! 

And if we’re happy to be alive, then we need to do the things that keep the joy surging forth in our spirits, meaning keeping our hands firmly to the plough and focusing on the future, that glorious future that Jesus has planned for us. 

And all God’s people declared a loud and thankful ‘Hallelujah! Amen!’ 

Now let’s turn to our Bit, which is also the promise upon which the ‘Irreversible Yes’ poem was based. And it’s such a simple but awesomely powerful statement made by our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. ‘I am that bread of life.’  

What confidence and assurance our Saviour displays! Earlier on, He’s been trying to teach His listeners about what truly matters. They were seeking signs of Him that would encourage and fortify their belief. Then they taunted Him by saying: ‘Our father’s did eat manna in the desert; as it is written, He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’ (John 6:31) 

I guess Jesus spirit must have been moved, and He sadly shook His head at their ignorance. ‘Then said Jesus unto them, verily, verily, I say unto you, Moses gave you not that bread from heaven; but my Father giveth you the true bread from heaven. 

For the bread of God is he which cometh down from heaven, and giveth life unto the world. Then said they unto him, Lord, evermore give us this bread.’ (John 6:32-34) 

No doubt the hungry crowd was thinking in terms of physical bread, but Jesus was talking about spiritual stuff. ‘And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life; he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.’ (John 6:35) 

What a powerful statement friends! The problem though, is do we believe it, or are we like those who heard it spoken from Christ’s lips, but remained unmoved? I certainly hope that we do believe it with all our souls, bodies, hearts and minds, otherwise crapaud smoke we pipe! 

Why do I say that? Listen to this explanation from the scholars. ‘6:35. I am the bread of life means the bread that gives life. The life of which He speaks is spiritual and eternal.’ 

Oh my people, that means if we don’t believe we won’t have eternal life! And that’s the worst thing that can happen to a human being! Just imagine being eventually cast into the lake of fire with Beelzebub and all his evil minions nuh? Think what it would be like to endure such tribulation? 

Yuh think our earthly trials and tribulations are bad? Well that will take the cake! And all because we did not believe the simple words of our Lord and Saviour. It boggles my mind to think that so many of them saw the signs and wonders He did here on earth and yet still refused to believe. 

Oh friends, we didn’t see those personally, but thankfully we do believe, and our belief is strong and irrepressible because in these modern times, He’s also wrought signs and wonders in our personal lives. 

Let’s keep on believing friends, and keep on doing what He desires of us, for that is undoubtedly the wisdom of heaven! Much LOVE!

…blessed are they that have not seen…and yet have believed… (John 20:29b)

 

 

Today’s Scrip-Bit 20 May 2016 Psalm 46:1

Psalm 46:1.   God is our refuge and strength, a very present (an abundantly available) help in trouble.

One more day friends, just one more day, and then we’ll all have the short rest we so badly crave… 

But unbeknownst to me, the word had already been spread that it was Friday, and the joyful shouts all around the place were deafening. 

‘TGIF! Thank God is Friday yes mih breddren! Hurrah for the weekend, when we do our own thing! No more massa and his slave labour to worry about for two, whole big days! Thank God for Fridays yes mih people!’ 

And so it went on. The working people were surely glad to have a couple days off from what has become pure drudgery in this supposed enlightened and advanced world. 

Just the commuting alone; twice a day, five days a week, in the ever-increasing traffic jams is enough to cause untold stress. It’s a wonder we don’t find more people just dead from heart attacks while sitting in the stifling and irritating traffic jams. 

Anyway my Christian friends, that’s where the patience and long-suffering of our Christian belief comes in. (smile) Now let’s chant our Friday Chant which gives us a fine perspective on how to spend our weekends. All together now: ‘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.’ 

Yes my fellow believers, that’s the route we ought to follow if we expect to be bright and fresh and reinvigorated on Monday morning. 

Now here’s an interesting poem from our One Year Book of Bible Promises, with writings by Ruth Harms Calkin. This one is titled: ‘You Did All The Rest.’ 

And it says: ‘O Lord God! I did what You asked me to do: I just opened windows Wide… Wide… And You did all the rest! You poured into my heart A blessed, blissful contentment. You saturated my mind With gigantic thoughts of You. 

You struck an artesian well within me Until sheer joy sprang forth. You led me out of the valley of despair Into a succession of incredible happenings. Problems which seemed insurmountable Melted like wax before my eyes. Fears faded away like threatening clouds. 

You startled me You amazed me With the glory of Your revelation. It is true Gloriously true – I have literally walked and breathed with God. I just opened windows Wide… Wide… God, You did all the rest!’ 

Oh my fellow believers isn’t that truly beautiful? It surely is! And the awesome thing about it is that it’s also gospel truth! For that’s how we feel when we sincerely look to and patiently wait on Jesus. 

In His time He opens doors and provides opportunities and gives us our heart’s desires and just fills our souls with His joy and peace, like we never thought possible. 

And the Bible Promise for that writing is our Bit. ‘God is our refuge and strength, a very present (an abundantly available) help in trouble.’ 

And if that is true, then this corollary from the sons of Korah, the psalmists, obviously applies: ‘Therefore will not we fear, though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst (the heart) of the sea: Though the waters thereof roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with the swelling thereof.   Selah.’ (Ps.46:2-3) 

Yes friends, let’s just sit and ponder that for a moment nuh. If our God is all that we claim Him to be, then we shouldn’t be afraid of anything that happens in our world. Unfortunately though, it’s not the way it happens in real life. Too many Christians live afraid and anxious lives, despite the assurance of God. 

What does that say about us eh? That although we talk the good talk, deep down we’re still not as strong and faithful as we ought to be. That we have not truly or fully surrendered our hearts, minds, bodies and souls to our Creator, and we don’t trust and obey Him like we ought to. 

But yuh know what friends, our wonderful God knows our weaknesses and our frailties because He made us, and despite it all, He still LOVES us with that unimaginable, unconditional, never-ending LOVE of His. 

And all God’s people shouted a loud, proud and grateful: ‘Glory to God! Praise His Holy Name! May He reign for ever and ever!’ 

Oh my fellow believers, once we’re doing our sincere best to follow and be obedient to Almighty God, there’s no need to worry. He will undoubtedly stand beside us and help us along our pilgrim’s way. 

Now let’s end with some of Bruh David’s thoughts on the subject from Psalm 62 – God only is my rock and my salvation. ‘My soul, (silently) wait thou only upon God; for my expectation (hope) is from him. He only is my rock and my salvation: he is my defense; I shall not be moved (shaken). 

In God is my salvation and my glory: the rock of my strength, and my refuge, is in God. Trust in him at all times; ye people, pour out your heart before him: God is a refuge for us.   Selah.’ (Ps.62:5-8) 

Oh my brethren, that says it all! It’s up to us now to put all of that into action, if we desire to see better days both down here on earth and in heaven. Much LOVE!

…if the omnipotent God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob is our God…then there’s absolutely no need for believers to be afraid…