study God’s Word | SCRIP-BITS

Psalm 119:97. Oh how I LOVE thy law! It is my meditation all the day.

And another hot one is on the way friends! So please make sure you are lathered in your sunscreen, have on your long sleeves and your hat, and even your gloves (smile) before you venture out into the hot sun today, because it will save you from much grief later on.

Yeh, I use to laugh at warnings like that too, but recently I’ve discovered that if I do too much sun, I get a heat rash on my arms, especially when driving and the sun is coming through the glass of the window. And believe me that kind of rash, or actual sunburn can be quite irritating and uncomfortable and even lead later on to things like skin cancer, etc. etc. So please be prepared.

Now hear this quote from one Robert Grant. There were so many, I couldn’t figure out which one said it. (smile) But whichever one said it, surely had his mind securely on the pulse of the matter. ‘Thy mercies how tender, how firm to the end, our Maker, Defender, Redeemer and Friend!’

Wow mih breddren, that’s gospel truth! And Jesus is certainly all those things, from beginning to end, and steadfast all the time, no ups and downs in His behaviour! We couldn’t ask for a better partner in this life. And from that, our Bit ought to logically follow in our lives. ‘Oh how I LOVE thy law! It is my meditation all the day.’

Yeh mih people, if we think that Jesus is so wonderful, then His Word, His Law and all the other names used for His communication with us, ought to have a high place of honour in our earthly lives, such that we’re always meditating upon it, contemplating it, pondering it, And if that is not truly happening, then we’re not telling the truth and only fooling ourselves.

And here is this explanation by the scholars of the word ‘LAW.’ ‘The multifaceted character of God’s word is revealed by at least eight key synonyms for it in the psalm.

(1) Law (torah) is the most frequent of the words. It comes from a verb meaning “to teach,” and thus came to be applied to a wide range of revelation, from an individual directive to the entire Pentateuch (first 5 Books of the Bible, assumed to have been written by Moses). It emphasizes that God has taught us in His Word what He requires of us.’

So there we have it friends: basically, the ‘law’ is God’s directions for godly living here on earth. Consequently, we can only live a godly life when we know the law and what’s required of us. That’s why we need to meditate and ponder and consider it a great deal. That’s why the psalmist says so profoundly in Psalm 1 –Blessed are the righteous.

‘Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly (wicked), nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. But his delight is in the law of the Lord; and in his law doth he meditate (ponder, talking to oneself) day and night. And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers (channels) of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.’ (Ps.1:1-3)

Glory be mih people! Yuh see what happens when we concentrate on God’s Word and put it into action! Our lives prosper! What more can we ask eh? So I really don’t know why we foolishly insist on following Lucifer and his wicked ways that the world embraces and trumpets as wisdom. And I think it’s only appropriate that we hear the rest of the scripture after our Bit, which makes up the portion of the psalm titled ‘MEM.’

‘Thou through thy commandments (commander’s authority, necessity of obeying God’s charge) hast made me wiser than mine enemies: for they are ever with me. I have more understanding than my teachers: for thy testimonies (God’s own testimony in His word) are my meditation. I understand more than the ancients (aged), because I keep thy precepts (instructions from a superior).

I have refrained (restrained) my feet from every evil way, that I might keep thy word (content of God’s revelation). I have not departed from thy judgements (ordinances from God as judge to make earthly behaviour conform to His heavenly standard): for thou hast taught me. How sweet are thy words unto my taste! Yea, sweeter than honey to my mouth. Through thy precepts (instructions) I get understanding: therefore I hate every false way.’ (Ps.119:98-104)

Oh my brethren, I just LOVE that line about the Lord’s words being sweeter than honey! Mama Mia! What an apt description! And that’s how it’s supposed to be with ALL believers!

So my people, I implore us today to make the Lord’s word of great importance in our lives, because it is the road map, the guide to the kind of life He wants us to live down here on earth, the kind of life that will prepare us for life in heaven with Him.

Now let’s go home declaring our Thursday Blessings, which our heavenly father has so generously bestowed on us. In strong voice and sincere heart now: ‘I declare that I am blessed with God’s supernatural wisdom and receive clear direction for my life! I declare today that I am blessed with creativity, courage, talent and abundance! I am blessed with a strong will, self-control and self-discipline!

I am blessed with a great family, good friends, good health, faith, favour and fulfillment! I am blessed with success, supernatural strength, promotion and divine protection! I am blessed with a compassionate heart and a positive outlook on life! I declare that any curse or negative word that’s ever been spoken over me is broken right now in the name of Jesus! I declare that everything I put my hands to will prosper and succeed! I declare it today and everyday! Amen!’

Ah friends, now let’s go out and share those blessings with the less fortunate, for that’s why they were given to us. Much LOVE!

…you can’t know God’s requirements…unless and until you study His Word…

Psalm 119:11. Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.

Oh Friends, once more our gracious God has seen it fit to bless us with another day of life on planet earth. For such a wonderful blessing we ought to be most thankful, since a large number of our fellow earthlings, for whatever reason (s) have not been so gifted.

The breath of life is one of the most important blessings we have received from our Creator, and too many of us take it for granted, and are most surprised on that fateful day when we don’t open our eyes. (smile)

So please, every morning that you open your eyes to a new day, please remember to give the Lord genuine thanks for allowing you to witness another sunrise, or even another rainy, gloomy day, for every day, many who don’t arise, would have given all they possessed just to see another day, regardless of how it turned out. And you know that there’s nothing our God likes better than our heartfelt thanks and gratitude for His blessings.

That brings us to an interesting sentence hiding under the guise of a Danish Proverb. ‘The sky is not less blue because the blind man doesn’t see it.’

And really my people, we can’t find any fault with that statement because it is the truth. But Friends, the same thing can be said about our lives. The choices most of us make don’t change the reality of the world around us.

We can choose to be optimistic, caring, giving and joyful, or to be angry, resentful and despair of the world’s goodness. But none of that will truly change the world; it will still be whatever it is. However, our choice will either make us broken and sad, or optimistic and enthusiastic. It all depends on how we choose to view the world around us.

And I strongly advise that choosing the optimistic and enthusiastic route is the much better one for true believers, in fact for every single soul on planet earth, because it gives us hope, despite what is actually happening around us. Hope that God is with us, and that ALL His promises will be faithfully fulfilled in His time, if we are obedient to His will. Hope is also contagious and helps us to encourage others.

But where can we find that hope that sustains us in all kinds of weather eh my brethren? In God’s Word of course! Listen to the psalmist as he asks that question, then wisely declares the answer. ‘Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? By taking heed thereto according to thy word.’ (Ps.119:9)

‘Elementary my dear Watson!’ as our renowned sleuth Sherlock Holmes would say. Unfortunately though, in this modern world, reading the Good Book and following its dictates has fallen into great disfavour. But then we wonder why our lives and the world around us are in such a terrible state. Hn!

Now hear how the palmist continues: ‘With my whole heart have I sought thee: O let me not wander from thy commandments. Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.’ (Ps. 119:10-11)

Oh what words of wisdom my Friends! If only more of us would sincerely allow those desires to permeate our hearts and souls, we’d all be much better off. I particularly like the expressed intentions of our Bit: hiding God’s Word in our hearts, so that we don’t disobey Him. How resourceful my brethren!

But before we can hide His Word in the uttermost depths of our being, we first need to READ IT!

That however is where the problem comes in. It’s awfully hard to get people, even sincere believers, to read the Good Book on a consistent basis these days. But that’s the only way we’ll ever know what it says, and be able to hide it in our hearts.

We have all sorts of excuses why we can’t read the Word regularly, like being so busy and otherwise. But Friends, that’s pure hogwash, pure heifer dust! We find time to do all sorts of other stuff of much less importance. Don’t tell me if the Lord was important enough in your life that you couldn’t find a fifteen minutes or half an hour each day to study His Word.

And note I said STUDY, not merely peruse, or give a cursory glance through. Like all the other stuff we need to study to enhance our careers, so too we need to STUDY GOD’S WORD, so that we can know what it says and be obedient to it!

I’m tired with all the business and busyness we claim to have. Something must be wrong with me then, because I don’t seem to have that much business or busyness, but I still have to consciously make the time to read the Word, or else my time will be taken up with much less important things.

Friends, we DON’T FIND TIME, we MAKE TIME, especially when it comes to God’s Word!

And most of us would be surprised to find that our lives would blossom ever so brightly, if we just made the time to spend a few minutes everyday poring over the Word. Yes my brethren, please remember that the Good Book is our guide to earthly living, and if we don’t pay serious attention to it, then we WILL go astray.

And I don’t have to tell us that that is the gospel truth, because it is highlighted right before our very eyes; the total disarray in which our world now finds itself, because it has ceased making the Word of God its guide.

Oh my people, I can only encourage us to read and follow God’s Word, every individual has to take the responsibility upon him or herself to do so or not. Remember though, that you will also have to bear the consequences of whatever path you follow. Much LOVE!

…to truly find our way on our earthly pilgrimage…to not get lost in the darkness of this evil world…it’s essential to read and follow our guide book…THE HOLY BIBLE…

SCRIP-BITS

Today’s Scrip-Bit 28 June 2014 Psalm 119:11

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