James 1:25. But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed (in what he does).
Awright friends, it’s Monday morning, so let’s get up and get ourselves ready to go to work nuh. No whining and complaining about how we feeling sick and tired and otherwise. We know that we have to go back to work every Monday morning, so it behooves us to get ourselves together for that time.
And especially as followers of Christ, we shouldn’t be full of whimpering excuses for not wanting to work. Jesus is sick and tired of us and our less than Christian attitude towards work. So let’s throw all of that out the window, and instead sing a rich and moving rendition of our Monday Morning Battle Hymn.
As one earthly choir, but sounding heavenly, with Jesus as our choirmaster, let’s sing: ‘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 that was most excellent my people! Jesus was very pleased. Yuh see how we can come up to scratch when we need to, and when we put our hearts and souls in it. Now let’s go out into that wicked and foolish world and use that adrenalin that’s currently pumping through our veins and bodies to help us do what we’re supposed to do; win souls for Christ!
And we’re going to continue with the Bit of the last few days. ‘But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed (in what he does).’
And that’s gospel truth! That’s the way our God operates; you do what He desires and He blesses you.
Now we’ll continue looking at some of the passages that the scholars referenced when they spoke about the ‘perfect law of liberty.’ ‘It is a law of liberty because it frees from the principles of sin and death.’ And one of the references for that was this one, where Bruh Paul talks to the Roman church about ‘Life in the Spirit.’
‘There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death. For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for (on account of) sin, condemned sin in the flesh:
That the righteousness (righteous requirement of) the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. For they that are after the flesh, do mind (set their minds on) the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit, the things of the Spirit.’ (Rom.8:1-5)
Yeh friends, that’s as simple as it gets. Jesus came to set us free from the bondage of sin, through righteousness. But we have to give up the things of the flesh and live by the things of the Spirit if we want to accomplish that wonderful ideal.
Now here are a couple of notes from the scholars. ‘8:1. Many manuscripts omit “who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.” They don’t say why, but it seems that the sentence is better explained with those last few words.
‘8:3. Law…was weak: There is nothing inherently wrong with the law. The presence of sin renders the believer powerless to do what the law demands. The likeness of sinful flesh: Christ was truly human but not a sinner. (2 Cor.5:21).’
So my brethren, we see that the basic problem with mankind is his fallen nature, his sinful leanings based on the lusts of his flesh. That’s what Jesus came to correct through the righteousness of those who believe in Him, and live according to the law of His Holy Spirit, not in accordance with man’s fleshly lust.
And as Jesus said: ‘For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.’ (Matt.6:21) That means if we are bent on seeking earthly treasure, then our hearts will be grounded in the world and the things of the flesh.
However, if, as Jesus desires, we are more concerned with seeking heavenly treasure, then our hearts will be set on the things of heaven, the things of Jesus, and we’ll be living by the law of His Spirit, not by that of man, and the prince of darkness, Lucifer.
And we’ll conclude today with that most important aspect of our Christian faith. Now let’s show the world as we go forth today, that our treasures and our hearts are indeed set on the things of heaven and not those of earth, for that is indeed true wisdom. Much LOVE!
…the treasures of earth are corruptible…but those of heaven are incorruptible…and thus much better for laying up…
SCRIP-BITS 