Today’s Scrip-Bit 23 February 2016 Psalm 53:1‏

Psalm 53:1. The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. Corrupt are they, and have done abominable iniquity: there is none that doeth good.

And then it was Tuesday… Yes my people, another brand new day on God’s great earth with all His numerous blessings and mercies brand new, just as the day! Glory Hallelujah!

Isn’t it wonderful to begin each new day from scratch? It surely is! All yesterday’s sins and problems will be washed away and forgiven… as far as the east is from the west, they have been thrown away. So let’s begin on a clean page today nuh; no anxieties, fears, concerns or whatever from yesterday. 

Let’s get up and greet our God with pure hearts and clean hands; confessing all our known sins and weaknesses and prayerfully asking for forgiveness and wise guidance to handle the day’s problems and opportunities. 

And to help us do that, let’s declare our Tuesday Mantra with sincerity and strong belief. All together now: ‘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.’ 

Oh friends, I just LOVE that Mantra! Why? Because it reminds me of who I truly am; a child of God and a friend of Jesus! Glory to God! It doesn’t get any better than that my people. 

So please, if we remember nothing else, let’s remember those two fundamental and foundational truths; as faithful believers, we are all children of God, redeemed by Jesus’ blood shed on the cross, and thus His friend and brother. You can’t beat that my brethren! 

And what do I have to share with you today eh? Not much nuh. I’m a tad under the weather and thus not functioning on all cylinders. (smile) 

Oh yes, I now know what I have to share; my interesting and frustrating activities from last Saturday. We checked out of the hotel in Trinidad shortly after 2 p.m., took a taxi to the ferry docks – definitely no more walking in the hot sun with all that luggage. (smile) 

On that point of interest, when we mentioned our walk down Wrightson Road with our luggage to our friend from south, she unceremoniously declared: ‘They must have thought that you all were two country bookies come to town – walking down the street with so much luggage!’ 

And some very well might have thought so, but that’s neither here nor there now, we’ll just chalk it up to ignorance and experience. (smile) 

So we’re sitting in the waiting area about three o’clock waiting for the ferry’s four o’clock departure. At that time there was some excitement out on the docks, which turned out to be the arrival of the 7 a.m. ferry from Tobago. 

Apparently it had broken down in the middle of the ocean and two tug boats had been sent to tow it into port. Now can you imagine the concern, the anxiety, frustration and anger of those people trapped on it from 7 in the morning to 3 in the afternoon. 

Now for the next problem; that was the same ferry that was supposed to take us to Tobago at 4 o’clock. So we all sat there patiently waiting, just hearing rumours of what was going to happen. Four o’clock came and went… and we still heard nothing from the Port Authority people. 

At about 4.45, and announcement was made that they were fixing the problem and hopefully it wouldn’t be too long before we left. 

Time continued on its own sweet way, and we heard nothing else until at approximately six thirty a couple of workers came and said we’d be boarding shortly, Hn! 

And though they said that we’d be boarding by sections, if yuh see how everybody just got up and rushed for the exit door. Ah Lord eh! The herd mentality was surely in evidence there. The policeman amongst the workers had to make a big speech and get everybody to sit back down, then move us section by section. 

The whole problem with the situation was that the authorities provided us with no explanations or updates whatsoever. Some people left and went back home, others had paid for hotels in Tobago and their time was burning up for reasons they couldn’t understand. I was looking at having to pay for another night’s stay at the hotel. 

It just was very terrible customer relations! But I understand that’s how they do it, and apparently the boats break down fairly often. Ah Lord eh, only in T&T you say. 

One more interesting point. The talk had been circulating that if they couldn’t fix the ferry, they would send us back on the one that was due in from Tobago. Now shortly before we boarded, that one appeared on the horizon, but wonder of wonders, it had to stop out in midstream because there was only one dock for the ferries. Apparently both of them could not be in the same port at the same time. 

Again, only in T&T you say! So we never left Port of Spain until around seven p.m., only to be told that the trip would take three and a half hours instead of the usual two and a half, because we were only motoring along on three engines. That meant we didn’t dock in Tobago until minutes to eleven, and I didn’t get home until minutes to twelve, tired and miserable. 

What a travesty of public relations! So that’s how I spent my Saturday afternoon and evening. 

Now finally, let’s see how much we can say about our Bit. ‘The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. Corrupt are they, and have done abominable iniquity: there is none that doeth good.’ 

And as we noted yesterday, there are certainly many fools in our time too, too many really! That’s why our world is in such a terrible state. 

As Cousin Sol warns in Proverbs: ‘The fear (reverential awe) of the Lord is the (principal) beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction.’  (Prov.1:7) And isn’t that the awful truth! 

Again, it’s why our societies are so corrupt and inefficient! Our leaders figure they know how to run the universe better than the One who created it. Steups! 

Now hear the scholars’ explanation of that verse. ‘1:7. The fear of the Lord means submission to the Lord and His revelation. When one is afraid of something, he either runs from it or submits to it. The latter idea is in view here. It is a healthy fear, like the fear of electricity or the fear of one’s parents, which causes one to act in an appropriate manner. 

The beginning does not mean that “the fear of the Lord” is left behind in the course of acquiring wisdom, but that it is the controlling principle of wisdom.’ 

And on that solid note of wisdom we’ll end today. And as usual, please let’s ponder all that we’ve said, and with God’s help try to improve our Christian walk. Much LOVE!

…each day…with God’s help…we ought to grow in our likeness to Christ…

 

 

Today’s Scrip-Bit 11 November 2014 1 Corinthians 11:24

 1 Corinthians 11:24.   And when he (Jesus) had given thanks, he brake it (the bread), and said, Take, eat: this is my body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me.
 
Oh Friends, it’s Remembrance Day; the solemn occasion when we remember with grateful hearts, spirits and souls, all those who either gave up their lives or fought in the many terrible wars we’ve experienced in the past century!
 
All the powers that be, will turn out in full force, ostensibly to honour those who fought and died that we can enjoy the many freedoms that we do. They will also trudge out some of the surviving vets, as a showpiece. But the stark reality of the situation is that the governments don’t really give a damn about these poor veterans!
 
And why do I say that? Simply because in real life the veterans are indeed poor and are suffering terribly from lack of sufficient government support! A lot of them have mental and physical issues stemming from their wartime activities, but they are in a constant fight with the governments to get proper mental and physical help. Steups!
 
Their pensions are a travesty to their efforts; to the way they laid their lives on the line for us when we so desperately needed them to do so. The corrupt, greedy, inefficient Canadian government is even clawing back money from the vets, if they make a few extra dollars on the side.
 
But the insensitive and hypocritical crooks will get up today and spout a whole lot of lies and half-truths about how much they care for the vets. Heifer dust my brethren!
 
Just ask some of the many struggling families of the dead and living vets how much their governments care about them nuh? You’ll be most surprised at the answers you’ll receive.
 
But yuh know what; we can’t only blame the governments for the poor treatment meted out to the vets. We, the supposedly fine, upstanding citizens are also to blame, because we don’t speak up enough for the vets, or show them enough actual caring. We talk a good talk too, but don’t walk it.
 
However, it is essential that we do remember them, and also teach our children to appreciate the efforts of the many men and women who fought so that they can now live a basically free life, in a free country and society.
 
I think we have also fallen down in our responsibility in that regard too, not teaching our children enough about the war veterans, for many are not even aware of the veterans, so how can they be appreciative of their efforts.
 
And it’s very important that the youth of today understand why and how, they can go about doing what they do without too many restrictions; swaggering about unconcerned, believing that society owes them a living.
 
Anyway my brethren, enough of my ranting. (smile) Please, let’s remember to give our own individual thanks to the vets, and help the surviving ones and the families of those who succumbed in any way we can. It’s only fitting that we do so.
 
But my people, it is even more fitting that we respect, remember and glorify our Saviour Jesus Christ in the fateful and memorable words of our Bit, which Bruh Paul penned to the church at Corinth.
 
‘And when he (Jesus) had given thanks, he brake it (the bread), and said, Take, eat: this is my body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me.’
 
Yes Friends, our most important remembrance should be that of Jesus Christ, sacrificing His holy and sinless body for us!
 
And the Good Book continues: ‘After the same manner also he (Jesus) took the cup, when he had supped (after supper), saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood: this do ye, as oft as you drink it, in remembrance of me. For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do show (proclaim, remember) the Lord’s death till he come.’ (1 Cor.11:25-26)
 
That’s the figurative, ceremonial manner in which Jesus desires us to remember Him!
 
Unfortunately though, for whatever reason(s), a lot of us choose not to do so. But it ought to be a conscious and continual rite though of every believer to participate in the ceremony of Holy Communion, wherein we commemorate Jesus’ tremendous sacrifice on our behalf!
 
That commemorative ceremony is also called the Lord’s Supper, and the scholars have an interesting take on it. ’11:20. The Lord’s supper is the distinctive symbol of Christian worship instituted by the Lord on the eve of His death, being a spiritual partaking of bread and the fruits of the vine.
 
These elements are presented as a thankful expression of Christ’s sacrifice, taken in fellowship with Him and with one another. It is a memorial conducted in remembrance of Christ’s atoning death, anticipating His return to earth. The two symbols of this ordinance are the bread, representing the broken body of Christ, and the cup, representing His shed blood.’
 
And re the ‘new testament’ part of Christ’s words, the scholars say: ’11:25. New Testament: Christ is the Mediator of the New covenant, who “by his own blood entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us.” (Heb.9:12-15) Notice the emphasis on the blood. This signifies our Lord’s death, which in turn signifies the grounds on which eternal salvation is applied to the heart of the believing sinner.’
 
Therefore Friends, we can see why Holy Communion, and our active participation in it, is of tremendous importance in the lives of all believers! Yes my brethren, it’s through that solemn ceremony that we show a true remembrance of Christ, a true appreciation of His sacrifice, both physically and spiritually.
 
So my people, on this day of Remembrance, let’s sincerely ponder on, gratefully remember and give plenty thanks for the veterans who fought so heroically for us to have safe and free earthly lives, as well as to Jesus, who died that we might have salvation and eternal spiritual life. Much LOVE!
 
…no greater remembrance can we have…than honouring the memories of all those who died in our stead…especially Jesus… 
 
P.S. Please excuse the Bit’s tardiness, but it was just one of those late nights… and thus the body rebelled against getting up early. (smile) Much LOVE!