Psalm 107:2. Let the redeemed of the Lord say so, whom he hath redeemed from the hand of the enemy;
Oh my people, let us give thanks unto the Lord this cold but bright and sunshiny Thursday morning nuh, for He is good: for His mercy, His LOVING-kindness endures forever! (Ps. 107:1) What a wonderful and obedient and wise way to begin our days.
Yes friends, every day that we draw breath in the Lord’s great universe, the first words that issue out of our mouths should be thanks and praise to Almighty God for allowing us to see another day and for having all the good things He has in store for us, like brand new mercies and compassions. For we can get that kind of wonderful treatment nowhere else, from no other deity but the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
That’s why the opening verse of Psalm 107 is so important in the believer’s life. And until we realize the utmost importance of giving thanks, our lives will never be as rich and fulfilling as they ought to be. Remember Jesus said that He came so we could have life, and have it in abundance. (John 10:10) And one of the ways of having an abundant life is by constantly giving thanks.
Now the second verse of Psalm 107 is equally as important as the first. ‘Let the redeemed of the Lord say so, whom he hath redeemed from the hand of the enemy;’ (Ps. 107:2) Yes my fellow saints in Christ, if Christ has redeemed us from the evil enemy, which He has done, we ought to be bold and courageous and say so, not hem and haw like too many of us are wont to do when people ask us if we are Christians.
Remember, if you are ashamed to acknowledge Jesus as your Lord and Saviour, He will refuse to acknowledge you before His Father as a follower and worthy entrant into the halls and corridors of salvation. And is not me who saying so nuh, but Jesus. ‘Whosoever therefore shall be ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation; of him also shall the Son of man be ashamed when he cometh in the glory of His Father with the holy angels.’ (Mark 8:38)
And yuh better believe this is indeed a sinful and adulterous generation, possibly the worse that’s ever been! So you see friends, Jesus is making a close connection between Himself and His words. And Jesus reiterates it when He speaks about the worth of mankind versus the worth of sparrows.
‘Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven. But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven.’ (Matt. 10:32-33) It’s all very plain and straightforward my brethren, as Jesus is wont to be. Deny Him, be ashamed of Him, and He will do the same to you before His heavenly father.
It’s just like He says, if you don’t forgive others their trespasses, the Father won’t forgive you yours. It’s a situation of one hand washes the other my people. You sow what you reap, that’s the basic premise of God’s economy.
And the scholars share an interesting explanation of the above verses. ‘10:32-37. Confess me means “Acknowledge that you belong to Me.” In reality, secret discipleship is a practical impossibility. Jesus constantly called for an open confession of Himself by His followers. That our confession is to be before men clearly indicates that a public confession of true Christian faith is a virtual necessity.
The warning whosoever shall deny me is a comprehensive historical aorist tense, (hn!) referring not to one moment of denial (such as Peter’s), but to an entire lifelong resistance to Christ. Therefore a single act of denial does not make one unworthy of being a disciple, but a refusal to confess Christ at all eliminates one from being a true follower of Jesus Christ.’
But why should there even be one instance of denying Christ as our Lord and Saviour eh? It’s not like anybody is going to imprison or kill us in this society, But still, every day, hundreds of supposed Christians deny Christ, either by an outright lie, or the hemming and hawing that we like to do when asked about our religious beliefs in public.
Ah mih bredrin, it doesn’t say much about us, our faith, and strength and courage if we deny Jesus, especially in these troubled times, when we Christians are needed more than ever to show our true mettle, be the bright lights and flavourful salt that Christ expects of us. This is indeed a time when believers ought to be shouting Christ from the rooftops of their houses since they can’t go out and do it because of the Corona virus. (smile)
Oh friends, we believers do need to stand strong, despite all the stuff that’s coming against us, and as believers in Christ, we do have the wherewithal to do so. Remember these two scriptures we LOVE to quote. ‘I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.’ (Phil. 4:13) And this one: ‘God will supply all of my needs according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.’ (Phil. 4:19)
Whatever happened to their efficacy in our current tough times eh? This is when we ought to be living them. And our God’s so magnificent and magnanimous that He’s shone out by giving us a whole lot of blessings that we can do His earthly work. So, as we go home now, let us boldly and courageously declare (yeh!) those numerous attributes that we call our Thursday Blessings.
As one strong and assured voice. ‘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!’
And with all of that divine blessing upon us, it’s obvious that we must now share it as generously with others as God has shared it with us. Remember friends, these are the times, and those are the blessings for which we were specifically made. So let’s confess Christ in the biggest way possible nuh! Much LOVE!
…to accept Christ is one thing…but to deny Him after that…hn…that’s really foolish…
SCRIP-BITS 