Today’s Scrip-Bit 30 November 2012 Proverbs 8:32
30 Nov 2012 Leave a comment
in Inspirational Living Tags: blessed, drunk or sober, earthly lust, encouragement, Friday chant, LOVE, meditate on God's Word, peace, ponder, rainbow, salvation, TGIF!, wonders of nature
Today’s Scrip-Bit 23 November 2012 Proverbs 11:10
23 Nov 2012 Leave a comment
in Inspirational Living Tags: animalistic behaviour, Black Friday, callaloo, commercial culture, curry crab, evil doings, Friday chant, giving thanks, God's kingdom, heartache, pain, perish, rejoicing, righteous, suffering, TGIF!, undeniable truth, wicked, wreaking havoc
Today’s Scrip-Bit 9 November 2012 Psalm 91:5
09 Nov 2012 Leave a comment
in Inspirational Living Tags: Christian fellowship, ever-faithful God, faith, fear, Friday chant, furthering God's kingdom, God our refuge & fortress, God's promises, God's protection, helping others, long life, plentiful descendants, pray diligently, terror, TGIF!
Psalm 91:5. Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night; nor for the arrow that flieth by day.
Oh Friends, it’s Friday, and sadly many workers can’t rejoice over the coming weekend, because many are still in darkness, cold, confused and frightened by the natural disasters of the past week. That means there’s not much mouthing of ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday!’ And that’s as it should be. But that also means we, the lucky ones, who still have a roof over our heads, and are warm and comfortable, with full stomachs, need to help however we can, but most importantly, to pray diligently, and keep praying diligently for the unfortunate ones. And to add a modicum of circumspection to our enthusiasm, in godly respect for those beset by tragedy, let’s chant our Friday Chant. ‘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 people, those of us who are lucky to still have all the benefits of life, must act responsibly on the weekend, so that Lucifer doesn’t have a chance to invade our space and lay his evil eggs. That brings us to our Bit. ‘Thou shalt not be afraid for (of) the terror by night; nor for the arrow that flieth by day.’ And that’s something all true believers need to write indelibly in their hearts, especially if you’re currently undergoing some real difficult times. Too many of us get scared as soon as any misfortune strikes. We shouldn’t though, provided we’ve bought into the Psalm from which our Bit is taken, that God is our refuge and fortress. And as believers, we desperately need to do that, so we can be free from fear and terror. Remember the Lord, through His servant Isaiah, guaranteed that: ‘No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgement thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and their righteousness is of (from) me, saith the Lord.’ (Is.54:17) That’s a mighty promise of God, upon which we can all stand assured my brethren! Now hear how the psalmist continues after our Bit: ‘Nor for the pestilence that walketh in darkness; nor for the destruction that wasteth (lays waste) at noonday. A thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand; but it shall not come nigh thee. Only with thine eyes shalt thou behold and see the reward of the wicked. Because thou hast made the Lord, which is my refuge, even the Most High, thy habitation (dwelling place).’ (Ps.91:6-9) Yes Friends, when we take up residence in the Lord’s enclave, then no evil shall be able to destroy us, cause we’re under the Lord’s protection. Hear how Job describes it: ‘He shall deliver thee in six troubles: yea, in seven there shall no evil touch thee. In famine he shall redeem thee from death: and in war from the power (hand) of the sword. Thou shalt be hid from the scourge of the tongue: neither shalt thou be afraid of destruction when it cometh. At destruction and famine thou shalt laugh: neither shalt thou be afraid of the beasts of the earth. For thou shalt be in league (have a covenant) with the stones of the field: and the beasts of the field shall be at peace with thee. And thou shalt know that thy tabernacle (your tent) shall be in peace; and thou shalt visit thy habitation, and shalt not sin (find nothing amiss). Thou shalt know also that thy seed (descendants) shall be great, and thine offspring as the grass of the earth (plentiful). Thou shalt come to thy grave in a full age, like as a shock of corn cometh in in his season. Lo this, we have searched it, so it is, hear it, and know thou it for thy good (for yourself).’ (Job 5:19-27) Oh my people, it cannot get any better than that! Now let’s end with one more mighty promise from our wonderful, ever-faithful God, the Lord, the ONLY Redeemer. Listen to Isaiah tell it. ‘O Israel, Fear not: for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name; thou art mine. When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon (scorch) thee. For I am the Lord thy God, the Holy One of Israel, thy Saviour:’ (Is.43:1b-3a) Ah Friends, with that kind of backing from the Lord God Jehovah, Creator and Controller of the universe, we ought not to fear anything in this life! We ought to be concerned and act responsibly, but fear of circumstances and people should not stop us from doing the Lord’s work, neither from living the way He desires. We have enough fulfilled promises from the Almighty over the ages, and in many of our own lives, that’s more than sufficient to boost our faith and make it supreme over any fear that Lucifer tries to instil in us. So my fellow believers in Christ, please, let’s stand strong on the wonderful promises of our magnificent God nuh, and diligently do His will without fear, in true faith and upstanding LOVE! Much LOVE!…to acquire true faith…so that we can conquer fear…means we have to be fully engaged in the trenches of action…not cowering weakly on the sidelines…
Today’s Scrip-Bit 2 November 2012 1 Peter 2:9
02 Nov 2012 Leave a comment
in Inspirational Living Tags: darkness, expectant hope, Friday chant, intercessory prayers, Jesus, light, LOVE, man's humanity to man, mercy, opportune time for repentance, physical and emotional hurt, pray diligently, prayer of the righteous, proclaim God's praises, ravages of Sandy, TGIF!, Thank God it's Friday, wake up call, weekend
1 Peter 2:9. But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should show forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light.
Oh Friends, it’s Friday, but unfortunately many of us in North America and the Caribbean are not as jolly as we usually are on a Friday. There are very few shouts of ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday!’ and even the few that we’re hearing lack the usual joy and expectant hope that the weekend usually brings. And we can lay it all at the feet of super-storm Sandy, which has seriously ravaged us over the past week. Millions of people are seriously hurting, both physically and emotionally, without food and light. Some have no water, while others have too much, from the resultant flooding. Oh Friends, this is a very disastrous time in which man’s humanity to man needs to be shown, must take first place. So please, let’s concentrate on helping those in dire need now, and most importantly, let’s pray diligently for them. Remember the Lord heareth the prayer of the righteous (Prov.15:29), and also, as we saw yesterday, intercessory prayers are one of our major responsibilities. So let’s get seriously praying nuh Friends and fellow believers. This is also an excellent opportunity for all nations to come together in prayer to Almighty God. We need to use it as a wake up call, an opportune time for nations to repent and return to diligently worshipping and serving the Most High God Jehovah, Creator and Controller of us all. It’s time to return to His caring and LOVING confines, for who knows if He specifically designed Sandy as a means of drawing us closer to Him, since it’s mostly in times of dire need that many of us run to Him seeking His powerful help and fatherly mercy. Yes my brethren, it’s the opportune time to reinvigorate the LOVE Revolution we’ve been trying to forge without much success. But as everything to do with true (agape) LOVE, it must first start with believers. Why? Because God is LOVE, and we are His LOVING subjects. And as our Bit so rightly reminds us: ‘But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a peculiar (his own special) people; that ye should show forth (proclaim) the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light.’ Yes Friends, as representatives of Christ here on earth, we need to be at the forefront of helping, giving, caring, sharing and LOVING, because that’s what Jesus is about. And though it’s never easy to walk in Jesus’ footsteps, as His loyal followers we have to at least attempt to do so. With that in mind, let’s boost our spirits some and remind ourselves of the true purpose of the weekend, by chanting our Friday Chant. As one 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.’ Ah my brethren, hopefully that gets us to stop for a moment and ponder our personal goals and directions in Jesus this weekend. Now let’s continue looking at some scripture that validates our Bit. Yesterday we looked at two passages from Isaiah, today we’ll continue with another from Chapter 42, re the Lord’s servant coming to glorify Him. ‘And I will bring the blind by a way that they knew not; I will lead them in paths that they have not known: I will make darkness light before them, and crooked things (places) straight. These things will I do unto them, and not forsake them.’ (Is.42:16) Oh Friends, every time I read about God’s awesome promises, it makes me shake my head in wonder at our lukewarm acceptance of them, or our complete disbelief. No wonder our lives and our world are so messed up. Now hear this scripture from Acts, where Bruh Paul testifies of his conversion on the road to Damascus to king Agrippa. While lying flat on his back, having been blinded by a burst of heavenly light, Jesus informs him. ‘But rise, and stand upon thy feet: for I have appeared unto thee for this purpose, to make thee a minister and a witness both of these things which thou hast seen, and of those things in the which I will appear (reveal) unto thee; Delivering thee from the people, and from the Gentiles, unto whom I now send thee, To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan into God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and an inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith in me.’ (Acts 26:16-18) There we go Friends, from the very beginning, God’s purpose was definitely to take us out of the darkness of sin, by introducing us to the light found in His Son Jesus. Now why can’t we understand that and live by it eh? I really don’t know nuh. And we’ll end with some more energizing words from Bruh Paul, from his message to the Corinthians, re God’s power in the ministry. ‘For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord; and ourselves your servants for Jesus’ sake. For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.’ (2 Cor.4:5-6) What an awesome and caring kindness on God’s part my people! Now let’s go and do our part by seriously and diligently living for Jesus. That’s the least we can do, after all the selfless sacrifices He’s made for us. Much LOVE!…to truly know Jesus…is to LOVE Him…and greatly desire to live your life for Him…
Today’s Scrip-Bit 19 October 2012 Proverbs 4:7
19 Oct 2012 Leave a comment
in Inspirational Living Tags: discretion, enthusiasm, Friday, furthering God's kingdom, knowledge, moral discipline, perversity, principal thing, Proverbs, renewed in body & mind, right heart, successful living, TGIF!, truth, understanding, weekend, wickedness, wisdom, Wisdom of Solomon
Proverbs 4:7. Wisdom is the principal thing: therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding.
Oh Friends, it’s Friday, and I know we’re all eager to see the end of it, so that we can relax and enjoy the weekend. But please, let’s be patient and careful in our enthusiasm, for much can happen betwixt the start and end of the day. Let’s not be hasty and rush into anything as we declare ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday!’ And to help us curb that enthusiasm, let’s chant our Friday Chant. In full voice 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.’ And in that chant Friends, we adhere to the sagacity (smile) of our Bit. ‘Wisdom is the principal thing: therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding.’ That’s undeniable truth my people! And we should all know by now that WISDOM and understanding come from God. But it’s only when we seek them of Him with a sincere and right heart, that He will grant them to us. And no doubt some of you are unhappy that we’re talking about wisdom for yet another day, but the truth of the matter is if we had been suitably and sufficiently imbued with wisdom and understanding, we would not have made many of the mistakes we’ve made in our lives. And furthermore, if the wisest man ever, Cousin Sol, didn’t believe that wisdom was such an important aspect of our lives, he wouldn’t have spent so much time in Proverbs talking about it, even to purposely declaring in our Bit that it was the principal thing for us to acquire on this earthly journey. And for us to be able to achieve that goal, there must be directives and instructions for us to follow, as well as the consequences of not following them. Thus from the opening of Proverbs, Cousin Sol declares his purpose in penning them; ‘To know wisdom and instruction: to perceive (understand or discern) the words of understanding; To receive the instruction of wisdom, justice, and judgement, and equity; To give subtilty (prudence) to the simple, to the young man knowledge and discretion.’ (Prov.1:2:4) And here are some explanations from the scholars: ‘Wisdom is the key word of the book and basically means “skill in living;” the skill to live life successfully. Instruction refers to moral discipline of one’s life, not to classroom instruction. Understanding means the capability to distinguish between true and false, good and bad, what matters most and what does not matter at all. Wisdom, a different Hebrew word from that used in verse 2, means, “wise behaviour, wise dealing, good sense.” Justice is the same word as righteousness and refers to conformity to God’s law. Judgement is a legal term used of a judge’s verdict and refers to right behaviour. Equity is fairness in one’s dealing with others.’ Now that puts us all on the same page as to the meaning of the words. And having defined his purpose, Cousin Sol goes on to relate how it will affect us. ‘A wise man will hear, and will increase learning; and a man of understanding shall attain (inquire) unto wise counsels:’ (Prov.1:5) That means, anyone, educated or not, with a desire to learn, can be wisely instructed by obeying the instructions of the book. And in every chapter he declares some aspect of WISDOM, some of which we’ll look at, as time and space dictate. In Chapter 2, Cousin Sol deals with the reward of heeding wisdom: ‘When wisdom entereth into thine heart, and knowledge is pleasant unto thy soul; Discretion shall preserve thee, understanding shall keep thee: To deliver thee from the way of the evil man, from the man that speaketh froward things (perversity).’ (Prov.2:10-12) And in Chapter 3, we saw yesterday that wisdom and understanding made man happy and gave him all sorts of good things in this earthly life. (Prov.3:12-18) We also saw that the Lord used wisdom to create the universe. (Prov.3:18-20) Then in Chapter 4, Cousin Sol talks about a ‘father’s wisdom,’ that gives wise advice to children. ‘Get wisdom, get understanding: forget it not; neither decline (turn away) from the words of my mouth. Forsake her not, and she shall preserve thee: LOVE her, and she shall keep thee.’ (Prov.4:5-6) Then he goes into our Bit and tells about some more good stuff that comes from wisdom, that we heard yesterday. (Prov.4:7-9) After that, he acknowledges that there are two paths to follow: ‘Hear, O my son, and receive my sayings; and the years of thy life shall be many. I have taught thee in the way of wisdom; I have led thee in right paths. When thou goest, thy steps shall not be straightened (hindered); and when thou runnest, thou shalt not stumble. Take fast (firm) hold of instruction; let her not go: keep her; for she is thy life.’ (Prov.4:11-13) And on the second path he advises thus: ‘Enter not into the path of the wicked, and go not in the way of evil men. Avoid it, pass not by it (do not travel on it), turn from it and pass away. For they sleep not, except (unless) they have done mischief (evil); and their sleep is taken away (robbed), unless they cause some to fall. For they eat the bread of wickedness, and drink the wine of violence…The way of the wicked is as darkness: they know not at what they stumble.’ (Prov.4:14-17,19) And since time and space are against us, we’ll end here with a significant verse that Cousin Sol saw fit to include in the spiel about the wicked, but which I left out. Listen closely now. ‘But the path of the just is as the shining (bright) light, that shineth more and more (ever brighter) unto the perfect day.’ (Prov.4:19) And that my Friends is the gospel truth! So please let’s grasp it and hold on to it very firmly, that we might come to know true WISDOM, and get true understanding. Much LOVE!…keep thy heart (mind) with all diligence…for out of it…are (flow) the values of (abundant) life… (Prov.4:23)
Today’s Scrip-Bit 12 October 2012 Psalm 39:1
12 Oct 2012 Leave a comment
in Inspirational Living Tags: criminal purposes, fellowship, fraud, Friday chant, God's glorious kingdom, mass communication, relaxation, restrain our tongues, self-awareness, temptation, TGIF!
Psalm 39:1. I said, I will take heed to my ways, that I sin not with my tongue: I will keep my mouth with a bridle, while the wicked is before me.
Ah Friends, you don’t know how many of us have been dying to see this day, this day called Friday! Some of us have been focused on it since leaving home on Monday morning to go to work. So much so, that by lunchtime on Monday, we’re asking, ‘Isn’t it Friday yet?’ And you wouldn’t believe the note of disbelief in our voices, that Friday could be taking so long to come. (smile) But that’s how much we seem to value Fridays. Well Friends, I come bearing good tidings, today is Friday. At last Friday has arrived. And all the worker bees joyfully declare: ‘Yeah! TGIF! Thank God is Friday yes!’ So to celebrate the universal looking-forward to the day before a short freedom from the drudgery of the workplace, let’s joyfully and enthusiastically chant our Friday Chant. As one beautiful voice 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.’ And now that we’ve straightened out our focus and perspective for the weekend, let’s have a gander at our Bit: ‘I said, I will take heed to my ways, that I sin not with my tongue: I will keep (restrain) my mouth with a bridle, while the wicked is before me.’ And sadly, that’s something we all need to try and accomplish, especially in these times of so much easy and quick communication. The technology is encouraging us to talk a lot more than we should, and behold, the wicked are often the providers and controllers of the technology we use to communicate in this accelerated age of mass communication. Now what does that mean to the believer? In terms of our Bit, it means first of all that we shouldn’t become too deeply involved with, or totally entrenched in the social media apparatus, because they all have built in features to grab your private information and spread it to whomsoever they will, often for a price. So when we put too much of our private information out there, it’s scary to think of the places it could end up and the dishonest uses it could be put to. This social media set up is being used for a lot of fraudulent and criminal purposes. But then, if you can’t resist the temptation of the social media juggernaut, then please, I implore you again, be very careful what you say or write, because as we see everyday, somebody is getting in trouble for the info they shared. It’s also a matter of simple logic Friends; the more we say or write, the more opportunities we have to say or write the wrong thing. Remember what James says about the tongue? ‘Even so the tongue is a little member, and boasteth great things. Behold how great a matter (forest) a little fire kindleth (sets on fire). And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity: so is the tongue (set) among our members (bodily parts), that it defileth the whole body, and setteth on fire the course of nature (existence); and it is set on fire of hell.’ (James 3:5-6) Yes Friends, that’s the living truth, for our tongues have either directly or indirectly caused the majority of the problems in our world today. And in these times of plenty written communication, the tongue is now also wagging the finger when it writes. The sad part is that most of us don’t have much of real importance to say. Or if we do, it can often be communicated in seconds. So why keep on eh? Because we have been conditioned to think that the social media stuff is so great, the greatest thing since sliced bread, and if you’re not totally involved in it, then you’re outside the mainstream of society. Ah mih people, the evil, ungodly followers of Lucifer are just pulling our strings like a puppet, and we are allowing them to do so. Our Bit comes from a psalm of Bruh David, where he’s praying for self-understanding, and I’d like to suggest that we should all be searching for that, instead of just thoughtlessly expatiating in the new medium. It’s time for us to look inside ourselves to see what’s wrong in there, rather than outside, where there’s a lot of heartache and trouble to be found. Bruh David continues after our Bit: ‘I was dumb (mute) with silence, I held my peace, even from good; and my sorrow was stirred. My heart was hot within me; while I was musing (meditating) the fire burned: then spake I with my tongue, Lord, make me to know mine end, and the measure of my days, what it is; that I may know how frail I am.’ (Ps.39:2-4) Yes Friends, it’s to our God we should be turning, not the evil stuff that’s sprouting up all over our world, nicely called the social media. Don’t get me wrong, it has it’s useful purposes, but too many of us are being too easily caught up in its all consuming web of lies and deceit. That’s enough for us to ponder today. More on the subject tomorrow if the Lord sees it fit to give us life. Till then, please, let’s keep our talking and writing to a minimum, so that we stand less chance of getting in trouble, and if we have a problem, please, let’s look to our Great God first. That’s as it ought to be. Much LOVE!…words of wisdom…stop…listen…and think…before talking or writing… P.S. I sure hope I did that. (smile) Much LOVE!
Today’s Scrip-Bit 28 September 2012 Psalm 120:1
28 Sep 2012 Leave a comment
in Inspirational Living Tags: affliction, cry out, deceitfulness, deliverance, disobedience, distress, fellowship, Friday chant, glorious kingdom, integrity, Jonah, refreshed soul, rejuvenation, right perspective, righteous, TGIF!, Thank God it's Friday, welfare
Psalm 120:1. In my distress I cried unto the Lord, and he heard me.
Oh Friends, I must say that I’m not as bright and bubbly as I was yesterday because my allergies are acting up. They had me feeling real lousy earlier on with the sneezing and sniffling, but I eventually took some medication and they are settling down now. And though I’m still not 100 %, my heart is still encouraged in our God. Praise Him for His tender mercies! Nonetheless, today is Friday, and as my buddy James remarked when I asked how he was doing: ‘Rough mih brother. Ah work out mih soul case this week. But yuh know what… Thank God is Friday yes, and the weekend soon come!’ Yes Friends, the weekend is here for us to rest up and refocus ourselves. So as always, let’s chant our Friday Chant with much enthusiasm nuh, while eagerly looking forward to the couple of days off. All together as one voice 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.’ Ah mih people, we have to keep our lives totally focused and in the right perspective at all times, otherwise we’re liable to fall prey to the evil of Beelzebub. But even when that happens, we ought not to fear, for as our Bit so faithfully declares: ‘In my distress I cried unto the Lord, and he heard me.’ Yes my brethren, that’s exactly what we need to do when we’re under any stress or strain. The psalmist, befuddled by the wrong that was being done to him, continues: ‘Deliver my soul, O Lord, from lying lips, and from a deceitful tongue.’ (Ps.120:2) Ah Friends, many of us have personally experienced the harsh and often wrong criticism, ridicule and deceitfulness cause by others spreading lies and false innuendo. And we know that it hurts a lot, for as Willie Shakespeare claims in one of his plays – I don’t remember which one – if you steal my purse, you’re stealing trash; but my good name, my integrity, now that’s a horse of a different colour. So our good name and integrity do mean a lot, especially to believers operating under Jesus’ triumphant banner. We cannot allow our character to be besmirched, because it reflects badly on our Saviour and our faith. But the wise thing to do, if and when that happens, or any calamity at all strikes us, is to first cry out to God for help. I can tell you that from personal experience, since there are many times I’ve cried out to Him for one reason or another, some of them when I couldn’t find a Bit or figure out what to write. And the good news Friends, is that our God has always helped me to come up over my problems. And on the matter of crying out to Him in distress, there’s no better example than Jonah in the belly of the great fish. Though Jonah was disobedient to God’s directive, spending some time in the fish’s stomach woke him up to the reality that his God was both powerful and merciful. ‘Then Jonah prayed unto the Lord his God out of the fish’s belly, And said, I cried by reason (because) of my affliction unto the Lord, and he heard me; out of the belly of hell cried I, and thou heardest my voice.’ (Jon.1:1-2) So Friends, if the Lord could forgive Jonah for his disobedience when he cried out in distress, why won’t He hear our cry when we’re wronged and persecuted eh? No reason whatsoever my people! Bruh David hit the nail on the head when he declared in Psalm 34, the Lord hears the righteous: ‘The eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous, and his ears are open unto their cry…The righteous cry, and the Lord heareth, and delivereth them out of all their troubles. (Ps.34:15,17) And nobody knew that better than Bruh David. Then again in Psalm 65 he’s correct, when he says: ‘O thou that hearest prayer, unto thee shall all flesh come.’ (Ps.65:2) And that’s the gospel truth Friends, as Isaiah proclaims on the Lord’s behalf. ‘For as the new heavens and the new earth, which I will make, shall remain before me, saith the Lord, so shall your seed and your name remain. And it shall come to pass, that from one new moon to another, and from one sabbath to another, shall all flesh come to worship before me, saith the Lord.’ (Is.66:22-23) Oh my people, there’s our God talking, and He doesn’t talk simply for talk sake, but because He wants us to get to know Him and His ways. And one of the things He sincerely wants us to know and do is to come to Him in prayer; cry out to Him when disaster strikes, for He’s totally interested in our welfare, the way a good, kind and merciful God should be about His subjects. So Friends, please don’t be afraid or ashamed to call upon His Holy Name when things get rough, for that’s what He desires of us. Remember that even Jesus cried out to Him when the going got tough, so why shouldn’t we, mere mortals that we are. Much LOVE!…what’s the purpose of having a God…if you can’t cry out to Him for help in times of trouble…
Today’s Scrip-Bit 21 September 2012 Colossians 2:6
21 Sep 2012 Leave a comment
in Inspirational Living Tags: deep roots, Divine One, false teachers, false teachings, Friday chant, frolic, fun, God's glory, Messiah, personal glory, receive Christ, refreshed, renewed, salvation, submission, TGIF!, Thank God it's Friday, ungodly, walk with Christ, warnings, weekend
Colossians 2:6. As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him.
Oh my beautiful Friends in Christ, it’s Friday, and I hear you expressing that fact in a most joyous fashion, by you exclaiming ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday!’ Yeh, even the really tired ones get a second wind come Friday, and are able to perk up because they know that the weekend is about to unfurl. And as always, we’ll remind us that the weekend is not merely for fun and frolic, but also for some serious face time with God, through fellowship and meditation. So let’s put it all in proper perspective by chanting our Friday Chant. With much verve and mucho gusto 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 people, we have to use our free time wisely and not let Lucifer and his evil minions make any inroads into our lives by doing ungodly stuff. And that warning fits right in with our Bit today. ‘As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him.’ Words of ultimate wisdom and absolute truth my fellow believers! Bruh Paul is there warning the Colossians about false teachers and teachings cropping up to destroy and /or destabilize their faith in Jesus Christ. Hear the scholars explain it: ‘The verse may be paraphrased thus: “Therefore, just as you accepted the teaching that presents Jesus as both Messiah and Lord, so continue to maintain this relationship with Him.” The recipients had been taught that Jesus is (1) Messiah (the One divinely anointed to secure man’s salvation), and (2) Lord (the divine person to whom man submits in obedience). The heretics denied Jesus’ atoning death and Lordship. So the Colossians are urged to keep Him just as they were initially taught – as Messiah and Lord. They are continue to look to Him for salvation and continue in submission to His authority.’ And without a doubt Friends, all of that also applies to us today! Possibly even more so than to the Colossians, because the days now are so evil and ungodly, don’t know if they have ever been this bad. That makes it very difficult for the ordinary man to discern friend from foe and truth from falsehood. Everybody’s peddling something, and much of it for personal gain. Thankfully I don’t count myself amongst that lot, since I’m not making any physical gains, like money from what I’m doing. However I am benefiting from my studying and writing in the sense that I am becoming more aware of and mature in Christ, and hopefully helping others to do the same. That’s why true believers have to be oh so careful about whom and what they listen to, for all sorts of scam artists are out there pretending to preach and teach the word. Plenty are sincere, but too many are using it for their own glorification and not God’s. That’s why we believers today have to be just like Bruh Paul advised the Colossians: ‘Rooted and built up in him, and stablished in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving. Beware lest any man spoil you (plunder you or take you captive) through philosophy and vain (empty) deceit, after (according to) the tradition of men, after (according to) the rudiments (basic principles) of the world, and not after (according to) Christ. For in him dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead bodily. And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power (rule and authority).’ (Col.2:7-10) And we’ll end with an informed explanation of that last verse by the scholars. ‘Ye are complete in him (or, “you are filled by Him”); Believers have been filled by Jesus with all the spiritual blessings they need; hence they are “complete” and lacking nothing. This, too refutes the heresy that denied the sufficiency of Christ and encouraged Christians to look to other spiritual beings for help. Five of these blessings, with which believers have been filled, are listed in verses 11-15. They are (1) spiritual circumcision, verse 11; (2) being raised form the old life verse 12; (3) new life, verse 13; (4) the removal of the curse of the law, verse 14; and (5) the conquering of Satan and his demonic forces, verse 15.’ And that’s the gospel truth Friends! Believers lack nothing that’s needed to live successfully in this world. All the necessary seeds have been planted in us from the day we received Jesus and His Holy Spirit that then came to dwell in us. Now we just need to allow that Spirit to raise and grow the seeds of righteousness that are planted in us. Let them develop strong, sturdy roots, so that we can resist the vicious attacks, lies and deceits of the enemy. Therefore my brethren, let’s all contemplate and ponder our individual situations today nuh, re our ‘rootedness’ in Christ. Then let’s take serious action to improve it, for we all can use some improvement in our spiritual lives, especially in these rough and troubled times. Much LOVE!…without the basic principles of Jesus’ teachings…deeply rooted in our souls…believers will not make much headway against Beelzebub…
Today’s Scrip-Bit 14 September 2012 Proverbs 17:13
14 Sep 2012 Leave a comment
in Inspirational Living Tags: bless, blessed, curse, enthusiasm, evil, exuberance, faith, Friday chant, good, heritage, injustice, legacy, modicum of circumspection, perspective, revenge, righteous kingdom, suffering, TGIF!, trials, tribulations, weekend
Proverbs 17:13. Whoso rewardeth evil for good, evil shall not depart from his house.
Today’s Scrip-Bit 17 August 2012 Ecclesiastes 9:11
17 Aug 2012 Leave a comment
in Inspirational Living Tags: busy, enthusiasm, frantic pace, Friday chant, God's kingdom, justice, life, loving kindness, multi-tasking, passion, rat-race, righteousness., sincerity, smell the roses, stress, TGIF!, Thank God it's Friday, the race is not for the swift
Ecclesiastes 9:11. I returned, and saw under the sun, that the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, neither yet bread to the wise, nor yet riches to men of understanding, nor yet favour to men of skill: but time and chance happeneth to them all.
Oh Friends, it’s Friday, and I hear you calling out in delirious pleasure: ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday! And I have another little gem to share today. (smile) But before we do that, let’s chant our Friday Chant with as much enthusiasm and sincerity as we can muster. ‘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.’ And having tried to put the weekend in its proper perspective, let me share that wonderful gem. Yesterday I bought some Chinese food and in the fortune cookie I found this saying: ‘It’s okay to slow down and smell the roses.’ Well Friends, I must say that’s the God-given truth! And most of know it, but we still refuse to live up to it. Instead we engage in the rat-race we so nicely term the busy life. Oh Friends, if we don’t slow down every so often, sometimes even stop completely, and take stock of what’s really and truly going on around us, we’re going to go crazy, both literally and figuratively. Believe it my people, man was not made to live at the frantic pace we’re currently living at. This non-stop, continuously go, go pace the powers that be are trying to force on us is NO GOOD! It has very negative effects on us, physically, mentally and emotionally. Just consider the high incidence of stress amongst even the young people of our society, who have grown up with this fast lifestyle. They are dropping off and out like flies at a much too tender age because they can’t keep up with the torrid pace the world’s setting. So you can imagine what’s happening to the older folks who are not accustomed to that stressful lifestyle. All this multi-tasking and doing several jobs, just to keep up, is slowly but surely killing us. It’s normal now to claim that we’re so busy, we don’t have time for our friends, families, God or ourselves. What are we so busy doing eh? And what do we have time for then my people? No wonder Cousin Sol, in his experimenting, discovered that wisdom was much better than strength. Listen to him declare it in our Bit: ‘I returned, and saw under the sun, that the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, neither yet bread to the wise, nor yet riches to men of understanding, nor yet favour to men of skill: but time and chance happeneth to them all.’ And that’s an indisputable fact Friends! So whether we’re fast, strong, rich or skilful, there’s no guarantee we’ll survive and/ or prosper because of our attributes, since unforeseen things happen to us all, regardless of our station in life. That’s why it’s not so wise to go running after the things the world considers important. Wisdom, understanding, peace of mind and a strong faith in Almighty God are what we need, especially in these very confused and troubled times. As Jeremiah so rightly declares, re the knowledge of God is man’s glory: ‘Thus saith the Lord, Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, neither let the mighty man glory in his might, let not the rich man glory in his riches: But let him that glorieth glory in this, that he understandeth and knoweth me, that I am the Lord which exercise LOVING-kindness, judgement (justice) and righteousness, in the earth: for in these things I delight, saith the Lord.’ (Jer.9:23-24) Oh Friends, the Lord made His wishes quite clear to us many, many moons ago, but yet we still insist on following the direction set by the world, which is in the death grip of greedy, evil, ungodly men. How can we then live the life God planned for us if we don’t follow what He says in His Guide Book eh? Obviously we can’t! Oh my brethren, I know that some of you will take umbrage at what I’m saying, claiming I don’t know your personal situation, but that’s too bad. If you don’t want to accept the gospel truth from the Good Book there’s nothing I can do about that. We each have to make our own choices, then live with them here on earth and later answer to God about them. However, unless we all slow down a tad and enjoy the things we work so hard and long for, as well as the people close to us, we’ll be missing out on the true value and meaning of life. Please my people, please stop and take a look at your situation, look at all the stuff you figured you must have, so you worked your butt off to get them. Then ask yourself when last, or if ever, you have truly enjoyed them? Include in that, the nice houses that we so desperately wanted, and we now have. Do we have or take the time to truly enjoy them? Not at all, because we’re too busy working to meet the mortgage payments. My brethren, I implore us to wake up, then stop a minute and smell the beautiful aroma, the ‘unclonable’ perfume of the roses God made to enrich our sense of smell, because we’re missing out on a whole lot of God’s grace and bounty, when we try to keep up with, or run faster than the world. That’s true wisdom! Much LOVE!…he who has ears to hear…let him hear…or he’ll eventually feel…
