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Psalm 119:176. I have gone astray like a lost sheep; seek thy servant; for I do not forget thy commandments.

And after a thorough cleansing from a steady drizzle last night, Wednesday had opened windy and sunshiny, but unfortunately some dark clouds are now entering the fray, and the power of the sun seems to be waning. However, we cannot afford to allow the weather, whatever it might be, to thwart our major purpose down here on earth; that’s spreading the good news of Christ’s gospel and living the way it says we’re supposed to live. That’s being the salt of the earth and the light of the world, showing our LOVE for each other in true discipleship.

And the Good Library just opened at an interesting point, the last section of the longest psalm, Psalm 119. And I don’t believe I’ve ever really considered before, but it does contain invaluable wisdom to help us do God’s work. So let’s read it together. ‘Let my cry come near before thee, O Lord; give me understanding according to thy word. Let my supplication (prayer of supplication) come before thee: deliver me according to thy word.

My lips shall utter praise when thou hast taught me thy statutes. My tongue shall speak of thy word: for all thy commandments are righteousness. Let thine hand help me; for I have chosen thy precepts. I have longed for thy salvation, O Lord; and thy law is my delight. Let my soul live, and it shall praise thee; and let thy judgements help me. I have gone astray like a lost sheep; seek thy servant; for I do not forget thy commandments.’ (Ps. 119:169-176)

Ah friends, such heartfelt prayer is what’s needed in these tough and troubled times. And we’ll notice two important things in the passage; the psalmist is crying out for the Lord’s help, but he’s also entreating Him to teach him His statutes, and commandments and to give him understanding so he can navigate the Lord’s word. It’s a combination of sentiments that cannot be separated. If we want the Lord’s help, we must lean His word and then give Him the praise He’s due.

Hear these pleas: ‘give me understanding…deliver me…when thou hast taught me thy statutes…my tongue shall speak of thy word…I have chosen thy precepts…I have longed for thy salvation…thy law is my delight…’ Can we say those same things in utter sincerity my fellow believers? I don’t think so, because our current behaviour does not point in that direction. Too many of us supposed believers don’t read the Lord’s word, either because we claim to be too busy, or we’re simply not interested. But we surely are interested in receiving His mercy, grace and favour!

However, we will not get one without the other. You’ll notice how the psalmist longed to know the word of the Lord because he found it to be righteous, it was his delight. But not many of us feel that way today. And the marvellous thing about learning the Lord’s word is that it encourages us to give Him praise. The psalmist declares (yesss!!!) ‘my lips shall utter praise…my tongue shall speak of thy word…let my soul live, and it shall praise thee…’ As the old people would say, it takes two to tango, and one hand can’t wash itself, it needs two.

That’s the way our God has designed His universe: We are partners with Him; and partners all have a part to perform to make the partnership successful. The Lord has already done most of His, by sending his Son Jesus Christ to die on the cross so that our sins could be forgiven, washed clean, then help those who want help to come to the knowledge of His Son’s saving grace. Meanwhile we need to believe, to learn His word, and practice it. And sadly, we’re not doing such a good job, otherwise our world would not be in the disastrous and chaotic state it’s currently in.

Yes my fellow Christians, if we had put up a better Christian performance down through the last few years, our world would definitely not have sunk so low in the devil’s evil morass. But no, we have disregarded our bounden duty so much that it has allowed the evil one to gain a strong foothold in our world. The good news though is that we’re not beaten…that is if we get up our godly gumption and come out fighting on the Lord’s behalf. No, all is not lost, but we have to retool; be unified, get into the word in a serious manner, then sincerely live it, while crying out for God’s help!

You know there are several billion Christians on the planet, and if each one of us just made one good Christian decision each day, and put it into action, you’d be surprised at the difference we’d make in a short space of time. But we have to get serious and sincere…RIGHT NOW…for time is running out, and each day we delay, the enemy gets stronger and thus it gets harder to defeat him. And it’s not like the Lord isn’t there, only too willing to help us, but we need to pull ourselves together first.

And this last verse of Psalm 119 seems like a most appropriate cry for most of us: ‘I have gone astray like a lost sheep; seek thy servant; for I do not forget thy commandments.’ (Ps. 119:176) Ah mih people, if that cry came up to heaven with all sincerity, I’m sure the Lord would not refuse to help us, but He must see sincerity and true desire in the motives of our hearts not simply a means to achieve our lustful desires. Remember His awesome promise in Jeremiah: ‘And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.’ (Jer. 29:13)

Now that’s what it will take for us to get the ball rolling, seeking Almighty God with all of our heart! So, let’s do it nuh mih bredrin. We have nothing to lose and so much to gain! And in light of al that we’ve said, it’s time to go home sincerely declaring (chuh man!!!) our Wednesday Wail, letting the whole world know our awesome position in Christ Jesus!

As one strong voice: ‘Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: I’m so glad to be alive on this Wednesday! Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: Thank God the breath of life is still flowing through me on this Wednesday! I am halfway home. My hands are fixed securely on the plough, and I’m not turning back. I’m not looking back at the past, not focusing on what has gone before. But my eyes are fixed straight ahead; straight ahead to a glorious future with Jesus. Glory Hallelujah!’

And there’s this added promise; that if we endure to the very end with Jesus, then that future will be even more glorious than we ever ask or imagine! Wow! So let’s all promise to meet up there at the very end nuh! Much LOVE!

…living for God is a serious full-time business…and takes serious work and sacrifice…

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Romans 12:13. The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light.

And then it was Tuesday…Monday’s gone bye bye! And isn’t it interesting how one day morphs into the next so easily, ofttimes without us even noticing it. Oh, how quickly today becomes yesterday and tomorrow today, with us looking forward to another tomorrow! But the truth of the matter is that tomorrow never comes. We only have today, and that’s why we must live today as best we can, without thinking too much about tomorrow, for who knows if we’ll be alive on what we consider tomorrow.

That’s why our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ made this profound statement in His famous Sermon on the Mount. ‘Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil (trouble) thereof.’ (Matt. 6:34) And there’s’ great wisdom in that statement my brethren. In other words, Jesus is saying to us, don’t worry too much about tomorrow, for tomorrow will take care of itself, but rather, concentrate on today, which is what you have, and all that you may ever have.

It’s wise to consider tomorrow to some extent, just in case we live to see it, (smile) but today is the essence of our lives, when we need to buckle down and make things happen, for us and through us! We can’t wait and put everything off for tomorrow, as so many of us do, for in the meanwhile, the important things of today are passing us by without any or much input on our part. And once the opportunities of today have passed us by, then they are usually gone forever. That’s why Bruh Paul in his letter to the Roman church, after warning them to LOVE each other: ‘LOVE worketh no ill (does no harm) to his neighbour: therefore LOVE is the fulfilling of the law.’ (Rom. 13:10)

He turns around and warns them about rising from sleep, or putting off God’s demands. ‘And that knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we firsr believed. The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light. Let us walk honestly (properly), as in the day; not in rioting (revelry) and drunkenness, not in chambering (licentiousness) and wantonness (lewdness), not in strife and envying. But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfill the lusts thereof.’ (Rom. 13:11-14)

Now friends, that’s a wakeup call we also need very badly today, in these dark, evil and ungodly times. And what does it all really mean? The scholars explain it thus. ‘Sleep means insensitivity to the demands of Christ on the Christian’s life. Now is our salvation nearer: The coming of Christ to deliver us from this sinful world grows nearer every day. The night is the time while Christ is out of the world, and the world has been delivered into the control of the prince of the power of the air (Eph. 2:2). The day is a reference to the time when Christ will return and establish His reign of righteousness.’

Ah mih people, Christ’s return draws closer every day and there are still a lot of people who don’t know and accept Him as Lord and Saviour, who are still living in the darkness induced by the enemy, and also many of us believers who are not living up to the covenant we have with the Lord. And as we said right at the beginning, we cannot wait until tomorrow to set our lives straight and help others come to Christ, we must do it today. For what if Christ comes back tomorrow eh, or today? A lot of us will be found wanting.

That’s why that last verse warns us to put on Christ and refuse to fulfill the lusts of the flesh, to satisfy our carnal desires. The scholars say: ‘One should not seek opportunities to satisfy the deep-seated desires of the sin nature, but should seek occasion to manifest works that are consistent with the new life in Christ.’ It’s like Bruh Paul wrote to the church at Corinth: ‘Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature (creation): old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.’ (2 Cor. 5:17)

That means once we receive Christ as Lord and Saviour, all the old stuff we used to do that involved our carnal nature, should be laid aside in favour of new things that are associated with Christ. As Bruh Paul continues: ‘And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given us the ministry of reconciliation.’ (2 Cor. 5:18) Yes friends, it’s all been God’s doing. He took the awesome responsibility to reconcile or bring us back to His fold through Christ Jesus, and for that we ought to be very grateful, otherwise we would still be on the wide and winding path to hellfire and damnation.

So, we have serious responsibilities to consider and perform. Bruh Paul states it thus: ‘Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray (implore) you in Christ’s stead (behalf), be ye reconciled to God. For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin: that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.’ (2 Cor. 5:20-21) Ah my fellow believers, we are indeed agents or ambassadors for Christ, therefore we must behave in the required manner, bringing positive results to His church, to His name.

Oh my people, Christ paid such a high price for our reconciliation to God; taking all our sin on His shoulders, so that we could receive God’s righteousness. The least we can do is try to live righteously and thus set a good example, so that others will want to come to Him. Now, for those of us who are sincerely attempting to do that, let’s go home declaring (awright!!!) our Tuesday Mantra, letting the whole world know to whom we belong lock, stock and barrel.

In confident but humble voice: ‘In God’s eyes, I’m not what I do. I’m not what I have. I’m not what people say about me. I am the beloved of God, that’s who I am. No one can take that from me. I don’t have to worry. I don’t have to hurry. I can trust my friend Jesus and share His LOVE with the world. Amen!’

And having said that, it now behooves us to go out and share that amazing LOVE and friendship of Christ with others, so that they too can come to know and LOVE Him like we do! Much LOVE!

…Christians need to stop talking so much…and begin doing much more…for time is running out on us…

Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZJ8

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Today’s Scrip-Bit 30 August 2023 Psalm 119:176.

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