sojourn on earth | SCRIP-BITS

Ephesians 2:8. For by grace are ye (you have been) saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:

Well hello there all you beautiful people out there in Scrip-Bit Land! Welcome to a terrific Thursday morning on God’s planet Earth! The sun’s shining, the birds are singing and all nature is showing respect to our Creator. So, as God’s most important creation, it is only meet and right that we too should offer a few words of thanks.

Please say with me: ‘This is the day the Lord has made, we WILL rejoice and be glad in it!’ Yes Friends, we don’t know how long our sojourn will be on this earth, so it is in our best interest to enjoy it as much as possible, and that can only be done successfully if we’re walking under the protective umbrella of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Saviour.

And all God’s children said ‘Glory Hallelujah! All thanks and praise be to our wonderful God!’

Now hear these words from our One Year Book of Bible Promises with writings by Ruth Harms Calkin. This one’s titled ‘Rare Moments of Delight.’ ‘

Because You are God and Your Word is unquestionable There are things I assuredly know Even when my heart is a brambled desert And every ounce of emotion is drained: I know Your LOVE is everlasting I know You will never forsake me Nor will you leave me comfortless I know I may come to you boldly I know you will teach and instruct me

You will guide me with Your eye I know my past is forgiven And my future is secure. But oh, dear God How I praise You for the marvel Of those rare, mysterious moments When suddenly, without a flash or a sound You add to my knowing The ecstasy of feeling And I am lifted to peaks of delight!’

Oh my people, aren’t those beautiful sentiments? They surely are! For when you have your sure knowledge of God enlightened even more by ‘the ecstasy of feeling,’ then you have the ultimate experience of godly life! And that can only work to our benefit.

And the Bible verse associated with that poem are words of Bruh David from Psalm 108 – Israel looks to God for help. ’Be exalted, O God, above the highest heavens. May your glory shine over all the earth.’ (Ps.108:5)

And that my Friends, is something we need to work very diligently at having come to pass. For it’s not going to happen on its own, especially in such a godless world as we currently have.

We believers have to make up our minds and then get out there and with patience and perseverance, make sure that our great and wonderful God is exalted over all the earth. That is our bounden duty, so please let’s not abdicate it.

Now let’s turn to our ever uplifting and encouraging Bit of so many previous days. ‘For by grace are ye (you have been) saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:’

Oh my people, what words of heartwarming and absolute truth! I refuse to even think of what our lives would have been like without that awesome and free gift of grace from our ever-LOVING God! It would not only have been hell on earth, but also hell in hell too! (smile)

And all God’s people cried out with true and heart-felt gratitude: ‘Oh thank You heavenly Father for Your awesome gift of grace that set me free from sin and the damnation of hell, through the sacrificial shedding of the precious blood of your Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ on the cross at Calvary!’

Yes my brethren, that is the greatest gift that mankind has ever received! But unfortunately most of mankind has chosen to reject it. What stupidity! Now the unenviable task of making them see sense and reason has been giving to us the comparative handful of believers.

But you know what my people? We shall persevere, and with the Lord’s help, we shall WIN in the end! Please have no doubts about that. For the Lord won’t give us a task to perform that He knows we are unable to complete.

Now let’s look at some scripture passages in this the last message on this Bit about God’s awesome grace. And I hear a lot of ‘Thank the Lord!’ emanating from the supposed true believers. (smile) But seriously Friends, if we truly desire to learn God’s Word, we just can’t expect to deal with a different subject every day.

The Bible is a comprehensive guide to earthly living and to know and follow it, one has to delve deep, get deeply involved in it, not just simply a page, or a topic a day, but oftimes repeating the same page and topic for several days, until we fully understand it.

Now listen to Bruh Paul as he talks to the Galatians about living by faith. ‘Behold, I Paul say unto you, that if ye be circumcised, Christ shall profit you nothing. For I testify again to every man that is circumcised, that he is a debtor to do (obligated to keep) the whole law.

Christ is become of no effect unto you (You have become estranged from Christ), whosoever of you are justified (attempt to be justified) by the law; ye are fallen from grace. For we through the Spirit (eagerly) wait for the hope of righteousness by faith. For in Jesus Christ neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision; but faith which worketh by LOVE.’ (Gal.5:2-6)

And the scholars offer us these explanations on those verses. ‘5:2. If ye be circumcised: Circumcision was the external ritual symbolizing acceptance of the law (v.3). In such a case, one depended on legal works rather than on God’s grace as the means of salvation. Christ, then, shall profit you nothing.’

‘5:4. This verse could be translated: “You will be severed from Christ, if you try to be justified by law; you will forfeit the favour in God’s eyes which Christ won for you.” This does not teach the loss of salvation which one earlier possessed. Rather it means that if the readers truly renounces grace through faith alone as the way of salvation, if they depend on legalism to secure divine favour, then they show that they never really knew God’s grace in the first place.’

‘5:5. Through the Spirit means that by the Holy Spirit’s help, which is obtained by faith, believers wait for the hope of righteousness, that is, live the Christian life awaiting the consummation of their salvation.’

‘5:6. For justifies the importance given faith in verse 5. In Christianity one does not profit spiritually either by being circumcised or uncircumcised. Faith which worketh by LOVE means “faith that is produced by LOVE.” Faith is man’s response to God who LOVES him, and this divine LOVE that produces human faith results in his justification.’

Oh Friends, I do hope that these explanations help us understand God’s Word more fully, for that’s my intention of including them in the Bit. But you have to take them seriously and let them seep into, then steep in your souls, so that you can get the maximum benefit from them.

Now let’s end this series of messages on grace, with a final word from the Rock, Peter. ‘But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and for ever. Amen.’ (2 Pet.3:18)

Oh my people, I could not have put it any better! So please let’s go out and do what Peter advises nuh, for that’s indeed heavenly wisdom! Much LOVE!

…oh what joy it is…to be blessed with the grace of God…there’s absolutely nothing in this world to compare…

P.S. Yes Friends, it’s long and late, but it is ever so uplifting and encouraging that you can’t help but longingly delve into it. (smile) Much LOVE!

Acts 5:20. Go, stand and speak in the temple to the people all the words of this life.

Oh Friends, oh Friends, I have a most wonderful way for us to begin our day today! I was driving out in my car yesterday evening when this song came up on the C.D player and immediately awakened me to some of the simple ills of the world that we can all fix without any problems.

I was also guided to share it again with you. It’s a song from Johnny Reid, a wonderful song of acclamation. So let’s acclaim together this Thursday morning nuh. ‘Today I’m going to try and change the world. I’m gonna take it one day at a time. I made my resolution, opened up my eyes.

Today I’m going to try and change the world. I’m going to say hello to my neighbour, gonna greet him with a smile, and shake the hand of a stranger; sit and talk to him for a while. I’m gonna tell someone I LOVE them from the bottom of my heart.

Today I’m going to try and change the world. I’m gonna make sure my children know right from wrong. Never turn my back on those who need someone. Always going to see my self through another’s eyes. Today I’m going to try and change the world. Gonna take it one day at a time. Yes, I’ve made my resolutions. I’ve opened up my eyes. Today I’m going to try and change the world.’

And Jesus, looking down from His high heaven, pumped His right hand with a clenched fist and said, ‘Yessss! That’s how I want my people to live, each and every day!’

Wow mih breddren, Wow! What a statement that would make in Jesus’ name eh, if we could just go out and do those simple things everyday! Because yuh know, that is exactly what Jesus did during His sojourn here on planet earth. He just went out and did good everyday. And that’s all we need to do to follow in His footsteps.

Oh yes my people, it’s time for the Holy Spirit of Jesus to be moving mightily in our hearts, minds, bodies and souls, like it did with the apostles and the other believers back then in the incredible aftermath of that memorable Pentecost day!

And following on from yesterday, where the multitudes were believing and coming to Jerusalem to be healed, we see the anxiety of the Jewish leaders.

Listen to the good Book tell it: ‘Then the high priest rose up, and all they that were with him, (which is the sect of the Sadducees,) and were filled with indignation (jealousy). And laid their hands on the apostles, and put them in the common prison. But the angel of the Lord by night opened the prison doors, and brought them forth, and said, Go, stand and speak in the temple to the people all the words of this life.’ (Acts 5:17-20)

Oh Friends, it never ceases to amaze and amuse me, the way our God moves in such mysterious and devious ways to accomplish His purpose!

Now, in this current day and age, if the same scenario took place, how many of us would do what the angel said eh? I dare say, not too many, for fear of what the authorities would say and do. But the apostles back then were filled with the power of the Holy Ghost, which by the way we too are, and they immediately obeyed.

‘And when they heard that, they entered into the temple early in the morning and taught. But the high priest came, and they that were with him, and called the council together, and all the senate of the children of Israel (council of elders), and sent to the prison to have them (the apostles) brought.

But when the officers came and found them not in the prison, they returned, and told (reported), Saying, The prison truly found we shut with all safety (security), and the keepers standing without (outside) before the doors: but when we had opened, we found no man within.

Now when the high priest and the captain of the temple and the chief priests heard these things, they doubted of them (wondered) whereunto this would grow. Then came one and told them, saying, Behold, the men whom ye put in prison are standing in the temple, and teaching the people.’ (Acts 5:21-25)

Now my people, generally speaking, the Lord isn’t asking us to go and stand up on the street corners or in the church and preach, although that might be the calling of some. All He’s asking is that we live a decent and upright life, like in our acclamation above.

We only live one day at a time, so it’s obvious we can only make changes one day at a time too. But if everyday, each one of us does a little, makes some little improvement in our lives and somebody else’s, eventually we’ll turn our troubled world around.

But it has to begin with us; the true believers, the serious followers of Christ. Each of us has to take it upon ourselves to fix what we can in our small sphere of influence. We have to adopt Jesus’ great optimism. For yes, He was, and still is the eternal optimist!

Why else would He choose 12 men, yes my brethren, 12, low of status, uneducated men to proselytize the entire world eh? 12 men simply filled with Holy Spirit of Christ!

And my people, you’ll notice that they did it! 12 men filled with only the Holy Spirit of Christ changed the entire world! Glory Hallelujah! Two thousand years later we’re still talking about them.

Please, I implore us; let them be talking about us that same way nuh, with pride and wonder, if our troubled world lasts another two thousand years.

Let’s go down in the annals of history, of Christianity, as having left a legacy of true faith and good works, so that all can declare: ‘They truly believed!’ That’s all Jesus is asking of us. Much LOVE!

…Jesus would never have given the apostles the task of proselytizing the world…if He thought it was impossible…and that goes for us too in this modern age…

SCRIP-BITS

Today’s Scrip-Bit 18 June 2015 Ephesians 2:8‏‏‏‏‏

Today’s Scrip-Bit 19 June 2014 Acts 5:20

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