Ephesians 6:12. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.
Oh Friends, oh Friends, the ole fella’s extremely bright and bubbly this morning! Wow! I can’t even wait to write the Bit, my enthusiasm level is so high. Don’t ask me why I’m so enthusiastic this early in the morning, because nothing in particular happened over the past twenty four hours to excite me this much. I can only guess, that like Bruh David, my efforts to encourage myself in the Lord are working. (1 Sam.30:6) And all I can say is: ‘Praise be to the Lord our God, who never rejects those who seek him with sincere hearts!’ Now here is a chorus from a song by Ras Shiloh that I heard yesterday and found it rather appropriate to our current world situation. Ras Shiloh melodiously chants: ‘Give a little LOVE. Show a little LOVE. Live in righteousness. Give a little LOVE. Show a little LOVE. That’s what the world needs today.’ And isn’t that the God awesome truth my people! LOVE given and shared is about the only thing that will tone down the raging fires of hate, anger, greed, violence, cruelty, oppression and suppression that are terrorizing our wonderful world today! And undoubtedly that giving and showing of LOVE needs to start with us Christians, because the evildoers are not interested in the beautiful emotion of LOVE. However, LOVE is the mainstay of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, that’s why He sacrificed His, Holy, sinless life for us. If the Godhead that we worship didn’t LOVE us so much, none of that would ever have happened. So it’s our responsibility to keep that LOVE going…and remember, with no conditions attached – unconditionally. That’s a very important part of the whole equation my brethren. It’s our bounden duty to rise up and further the LOVE Revolution that Jesus started. And here’s the best way to begin doing so. It comes from the title of another song, one by Mavado, simply titled, ‘HOPE and PRAY.’ Yes Friends, before we can achieve anything worthwhile, we first have to engage in those two actions; HOPE and PRAY. For without HOPE we won’t last very long in, or be very attentive to any activity in which we’re involved. And without PRAYER… Oh Friends, I don’t need to tell us that without SINCERE PRAYER to our heavenly Father, most, if not all of our activities will get bogged down in failure. That means we need to first have HOPE for our families and ourselves, our neighbours, our nations and our world. Then we have to PRAY SINCERELY for the Lord to bless us and move the LOVE, mercy, forgiveness, truth, wisdom and understanding that He’s already sown in our souls, in a faithful and positive manner, so that we can make serious inroads into the evil that currently has our world in its vice-like grip. It means that we ‘be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.’ (Eph.6:10) Unfortunately though my brethren, the wickedness of Lucifer has spread all over, upstairs, downstairs and sideways, like the tentacles of an octopus. That’s why our Bit warns us so strongly about the fight we’re in. ‘For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world (age), against spiritual (hosts of) wickedness in high places.’ It’s obvious that a lot of the evil that’s permeating our world must be in the high echelons, otherwise it wouldn’t be as pervasive and powerful as it is. Many of us would be surprised to know of the great amount of demon worship that happens in high places. It brings to mind the high places in the Old Testament where the Israelites in their rebellious times worshiped foreign gods. The only difference now is that we’re doing it much more secretively. That’s why Bruh Paul says we need to ‘Put on the whole armour of God, that we may be able to stand against the wiles (evil schemes) of the devil.’ (Eph.6:11) And the armour of God, as Bruh Paul declares in Eph.6:13-18, consists of; the helmet of salvation, the breastplate of righteousness, the belt of truth, the sandals of peace, the shield of faith and the sword of the Spirit, the Good Book. Oh Friends, unless we’re fully dressed in that spiritual armour, we’ll have an exceedingly hard time fighting the evil demons that are trying to take over our world. So please, everyday we awaken, let’s first dress ourselves in that armour. Even if we’re not leaving home, it’s still important to put it on, because we never know how, when and where Lucifer and his evil minions will strike. They can attack us right in our own homes. And we’ll end with some interesting and important words on the subject from the scholars. ‘Several activities in the Bible may involve demons. Sometimes they cause physical disease or mental suffering. However, not all mental disorders are demonic in origin. Demons also tempt people into immoral practices. They originate and propagate false doctrines taught by heretical religious groups (1 Tim.4:1). The Bible also teaches that some people were possessed by demons (Mark 1:23). Although demons are committed to do evil, God will use them to accomplish His plan during the end of the age (Rev.16:14) Illustrations: Demons are also objects of worship in various occult practices forbidden by God. These include divination (an illegitimate means of determining the will of God), necromancy (efforts to communicate and interrogate the dead), magic (using formulas and incantations), sorcery (perhaps the nonmedical use of drugs), witchcraft, and astrology (Deut.18:10-12) Application: When the Ephesian Christians who were “dabbling” in the occult repented, there was a great revival in that place. No Christian can ever justify his participation in demonic activities. (Ex.7:11; Eph.6:12; Heb.1:4) There you have it Friends. No participation in demonic activities. Rather fight them to the death in our spiritual armour. Please pay serious attention to this message, because if we’re not prepared, Lucifer will breach our souls and cause us much heartache. Much LOVE!…if you’re not properly attired for battle…then you’ve lost before you’ve even begun… P.S. Please read the scriptural references provided by the scholars. They are authentic and will give us greater understanding of the subject. Much LOVE!
Today’s Scrip-Bit 27 September 2012 Ephesian 6:12
27 Sep 2012 Leave a comment
in Inspirational Living Tags: anger, awesome truth, bounden duty, cruelty, encourage yourself in God, encouragement, enthusiasm, false doctrines, flesh and blood, giving, greed, hate, high places, hope, LOVE, oppression, prayer, righteousness., salvation, showing, sincerity, spiritual armour, suppression, truth, violence, wickedness
Today’s Scrip-Bit 23 September 2012 Proverbs 21:2
23 Sep 2012 Leave a comment
in Inspirational Living Tags: alive and kicking, deceit, defile, discernment, fellowship, gathered together, glorify God, hypocrites, knowledge, praise and worship, right motives, righteousness., Sabbath, sin, strength in numbers, truth, turbulent times, wickedness
Proverbs 21:2. Every way of a man is right in his own eyes: but the Lord pondereth the hearts.
Oh Friends, we’re still alive and kicking this Sunday morning! Wow! Praise the Lord for continuing to keep the breath of life in us, along with all the other goodies He blesses us with daily! And for those of us who celebrate the Sabbath on a Sunday, let’s all endeavour to go to church and get in some invaluable praise and worship with fellow believers nuh. Remember Jesus’ promise: ‘For where two or three are gathered together in my name; there I am in the midst of them.’ (Matt.18:20) So please my people, let’s gather together today, as much as possible, and thus allow Jesus to come into the buildings and our hearts in a serious way, so that we can also glorify Him in a serious manner, as we ought to. Remember too that there is strength in numbers, so the more of us gathered in sincere celebration and worship, the bigger footprint we’ll leave, and shadow we’ll cast, both here on earth, and in heaven too. Now here are a couple lines I recently heard in a song – I don’t remember its name or the singer – but these two lines from the chorus struck me as being real meaningful. They claim that: ‘Knowledge is the root of survival. Truth is the way of life.’ And I tend to agree, because if you don’t have knowledge; first of what you want to do, and also of what’s going on in and around you, your chances of survival are slim. We cannot live in a world, especially such a turbulent and troubled one as ours, without knowing what’s happening in it, else we’d soon be swept up and/or away by the evil, ungodly forces that are running rampant right now. And there’s no doubting that for a believer, living in truth is the ultimate lifestyle for us. For if Jesus is the WAY, the TRUTH, the LIGHT, and the LIFE, and we’re not living in truth, then we’re just make-believe followers, and have no true calling. And our Bit today talks about just that. ‘Every way of a man is right in his own eyes: but the Lord pondereth (weighs) the hearts.’ Yes Friends, most of us believe that whatever we do is right and thus truthful, and oftimes that’s correct. But in many cases we’re just fooling ourselves and those around us, but not God. That’s because He simply doesn’t take our outward actions as being gospel, since He knows how deceitful and sinful we truly can be. And that’s why He chooses to look at our hearts, at our true motives before dealing with us. As Cousin Sol says in an earlier chapter; ‘All the ways of a man are clean in his own eyes; but the Lord weigheth the spirits.’ (Prov.16:2) Or as the scholars put it: ‘The Lord is the great discerner of motives.’ And if the Lord wasn’t smart enough to first check our hearts and spirits, can you imagine the great amount of stuff we’d do and get away with based on wrong motives? But Friends, the Lord created us, and I know of no creation that’s smarter or wiser than its creator. By the same token, I don’t know when some of us will smarten up and realize that, and stop trying to pull the wool over His eyes, because it foolishly hampers our communication and thus the tenor of our earthly lives with our heavenly Father. Even computers that do such miraculous stuff nowadays need to be programmed, guided, told what to do and how to do it, otherwise we’ll end up with the wasteful situation of garbage in, garbage out. And that’s unfortunately what’s happening to a lot of us today, my brethren. We’re filling our lives, our hearts, minds and spirits with the garbage, the wickedness and ungodliness of the world. So what else can we expect to come back out but wickedness and ungodliness eh? Remember Jesus said it’s not what we put into our stomachs, that’s like eating with unwashed hands, that defiles us, because that’s passed out in the draught, but it’s the evil that comes out of our hearts and mouths that defile us. (Matt.15:17-20) And with our basic sinful nature, plus what’s currently happening in the world, we have to be very careful of what we say and do. As Cousin Sol states later in Proverbs: ‘If thou sayest, Behold, we knew it not; doth not he that pondereth (weighs) the heart consider it? And he that keepeth thy soul, doth not he know it? And shall he not render to every man according to his works?’ (Prov.24:12) Yes Friends, that sounds like many of us, claiming we didn’t know, when we very well knew. Now we might get away with that on other men, but definitely not with God, for He knows all, and first digs deep into our souls to discern our true motives before compensating or rewarding us for our works. And if the motives aren’t right, then sorry, there’ll be little or no compensation or reward. So Friends, please let’s stop being like the Pharisees; hypocrites, men-pleasers, who put on a nice outward show, making it seem we’re so righteous and wonderful, but on the inside we’re really just stink and evil. Sadly, that attitude is ever so prevalent in these corrupted and troubled times. So please, I implore us to be very careful not to fall in that trap of Lucifer’s, for it will only put us in God’s bad books, a place we certainly don’t want to be. Much LOVE!…only from a truly righteous heart…can a man reap true righteousness…
Today’s Scrip-Bit 18 September 2012 3 John 4
18 Sep 2012 Leave a comment
in Inspirational Living Tags: compassion, disappointment, discouragement, eternal life, faith, forgiveness, glory, good news, gospel, honour, justice, LOVE, mercy, peace, power, salvation, steadfastness, thick skin, truth, understanding, winning, wisdom
3 John 4. I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth.
And a blessed good morning to all you beautiful people out there in Scrip-Bit Land! It’s supposed to be cool and rainy in my neck of the woods today, (it’s already raining) but that’s of no importance. Why, you ask? Because just like neither sleet nor snow stops the mail delivery, so nothing stops the followers of Jesus on their earthly mission to spread the good news of the gospel to all and sundry. And what’s the good news? The peace, LOVE, mercy, forgiveness, compassion, truth, justice, wisdom, understanding, salvation and eternal life that’s found in Jesus and His humble but ever so powerful way! And all God’s people shouted a joyous: ‘Glory Hallelujah!’ But the truth of the matter my Friends is that it’s not always easy to follow in Jesus’ path, for Lucifer and his evil minions have made believers the number one target of their wicked and ungodly fiery darts. Today though, I have a few words to share from the Hour of Power Devotional by Robert H. Schuller which will help us in repelling Lucifer and his evil works. The words are: ‘If you will learn how to be disappointed without being discouraged, you need never be defeated.’ What an awesome truth Friends! And when I read them today, a flashlight just went off in my brain, and I knew I had to share them. It’s a simple but powerful strategy, for what’s the first thing or thought we embrace when we experience disappointment? It’s discouragement, oftimes laced with a strong desire to just give up, to let it all go to waste. But my people, that’s the wrong attitude to adopt, for disappointment doesn’t always mean failure or defeat, and if we truly learn to endure disappointment without it making us want to throw away all our hard work, then we’re winning. Believers need to have what the old people called ‘a thick skin.’ That means not letting unimportant things get us down or all worked up. I’m learning that with writing this Scrip-Bit, because not everybody agrees with or like what I write. And believe you me, supposed believers can be the nastiest critics when they’re ready. However, please remember that giving up on Jesus is NOT an option in a believer’s playbook! Those words don’t exist in Jesus’ vocabulary, which means we have to stand strong and steadfast regardless of what or who comes against us. That’s why John so happily declared in our Bit: ‘I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth.’ He was exceedingly happy to hear that his buddy Gaius was standing strong and true in the faith. And he also expresses that joy in his second epistle, where he begins thus: ‘The elder unto the elect (chosen) lady and her children; whom I LOVE in the truth; and not I only, but also they that have known the truth. For the truth’s sake, which dwelleth (abides) in us, and shall be with us for ever.’ (2 John 1-2) Now the ‘elder’ there is John himself, and according to the scholars, the ‘elect (chosen) lady’ could either mean a personal friend and her family or a local church. Now, re the truth John speaks of, it will be helpful to have some explanation from the scholars. They declare that: ‘To LOVE in the truth means (1) truly, really to LOVE, and (2) to LOVE in a fashion consonant with the Christian meaning of that word. The truth which John and others have known is a combination of factual knowledge regarding the Word of God and personal knowledge of Jesus Christ.’ Also, ‘John LOVES his readers for the truth’s sake or “because of the truth,” which likely has reference to the personal presence of Christ (John 14:6) The cardinal fruit of the Spirit of Christ is LOVE (Gal..5:22)’ Then a couple verses later, John states: ‘I rejoiced greatly that I found (some) of thy children walking in truth, as we have received a commandment from the Father.’ (2 John 4) Listen to the scholars here again: ‘Walking is a Jewish idiom for “living.” John is saying that we should “live by the truth,” or in accordance with God’s revealed word and will.’ That’s gospel my brethren! How else can we live for God if we don’t live by His Word and His Will eh? It’s just like living in any group, be it two or more; certain rules and regulations must be laid down and followed, if there is to be harmony and not anarchy in the group. Likewise if there’s to be harmony amongst the followers of Jesus, then we all need to live in close agreement and joyful practice of His dictates. And not to be outdone, when Bruh Paul couldn’t go to visit the Thessalonians, he also told them of his happiness at their steadfastness in the faith. ‘For what is our hope, or joy, or crown of rejoicing? Are not even ye in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at his coming? For ye are our glory and joy.’ (1 Thess.2:19-20) Yes my brethren, all believers should be filled with unspeakable joy when they hear of others walking steadfastly in the LIGHT and LOVE of Jesus, for that’s what this life is all about. And what better way to end than with the words of Jesus. When Pilate asked Him if He was a king, Jesus answered: ‘Thou sayest (rightly) that I am a king. To this end was I born, and for this cause came I into the world, that I should bear witness unto the truth. Every one that is of the truth, heareth my voice.’ (John 18:37) End of story Friends! So now, if we have indeed heard Jesus’ voice, then let’s go out and sincerely and energetically live that truth nuh! Much LOVE!…to truly LOVE Jesus…we must walk steadfastly in His way…just like He walked steadfastly in His Father’s…
Today’s Scrip-Bit 12 September 2012 2 Samuel 23.3
12 Sep 2012 Leave a comment
in Inspirational Living Tags: blessings, bureaucracy, commandments, cooperation, corruption, fallen nature, God's glorious kingdom, heartfelt thanks, Jesus, justice, laws, mercy, praise to God, reign, righteousness., truth, unchanging, wise advice
2 Samuel 23:3. The God of Israel said, the Rock of Israel spake to me, He that ruleth over men must be just, ruling in the fear of God.
Oh Friends, another beautiful day is in the offing! Let’s give our most wonderful God some praise for that nuh. ‘Oh Lord, you are so generous and merciful to your often ungrateful earthly children. However, today, we give You much heartfelt thanks and praise for favouring us with the breath of life and allowing us to see, for at lest one more day, all the wonders of creation that You have designed and made for our enjoyment. We also offer thanks for the many other blessings that You have prepared to shower us with today. We LOVE You Lord, and ask that You help us to walk worthy of You down here on this wicked, ungodly earth, furthering your glorious kingdom as we go. All this we pray in the Holy Name of Your Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, who shed His precious blood at Calvary, so that we could once more be connected to You, and enjoy your everlasting mercies. Amen!’ Ah mih people, the ole fella got carried away there, because there’s so much to thank our ever-LOVING God for! I’m not sure though how many of us realize how truly lucky… no not lucky, but truly blessed we are to be living the comparatively good life that we currently enjoy. We’re living better than approximately 90 % of the world. But do we even know that? And if we do, do we give sufficient thanks for our blessed situations? Remember Bruh Paul’s wise and timely advice to the Ephesians: ‘Giving thanks ALWAYS for ALL things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.’ (Eph.5:20) I do believe though, that if more of us would give more thanks, more often, our world would improve quite a lot. So Friends, let’s try and improve our giving of thanks nuh, so that our world would become a much better place, and thus raise up brethren who can, and will comply with our Bit. ‘The God of Israel said, the Rock of Israel spake to me, He that ruleth over men must be just, ruling in the fear of God.’ Now yesterday we looked at some scripture that dealt with the meaning of the term ‘Rock’ in our faith, and saw that it was basically a description of a stable, unchanging, powerful Deity, who, amongst other things, offers His followers peace, rest, safety and eternal salvation. And we also noted that the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob was the ONLY ONE in possession of such amazing attributes. Today, let’s look at the second part of our Bit; ‘He that ruleth over men must be just, ruling in the fear of God.’ Hn! It will certainly be difficult to find that kind of ruler in this day and age yes Friends! But unfortunately it’s exactly the kind of leader’s we need to try and bring some semblance of balance and righteousness to our very unbalanced, very disturbed, troubled and ungodly world. And the sad part is that when such leaders rise up, the evil minions of Lucifer do their very best to beat and/or keep them down, while the righteous mostly sit around and wring their hands in anxiety, but don’t do too much to help. Ah mih breddren, be it known that a leader is only as good as the people he leads. That’s why the saying ‘people get the leaders they deserve’ is oh so true. Look at Moses; one of the greatest leaders of all time. He was doing his very best to lead some two million people through the wilderness, but do you think they would cooperate with him, even after seeing all the miracles their God had performed in their favour? No sir! They just kept on grumbling and complaining about every little inconvenience. Shades of us nowadays eh! The stress and strain of leading that rebellious and disobedient people were certainly taking a toll on Moses until his father-in law, Jethro, gave him some wise and wonderful advice. ‘Thou wilt surely wear away, both thou and this people that is with thee: for this thing is too heavy (much) for thee; thou art not able to perform it thyself alone. Hearken now unto my voice, I will give thee counsel (advice), and God shall be with thee: Be thou for the people to Godward, that thou mayest bring the causes unto God: And thou shalt teach them ordinances and laws, and shalt show them the way wherein they must walk, and the work that they must do. Moreover thou shalt provide out of all the people able men, such as fear God, men of truth, hating covetousness; and place such over them to be rulers of thousands, and rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens: And let them judge the people at all seasons: and it shall be, that every great matter they shall bring unto thee, but every small matter they shall judge: so shall it be easier for thyself, and they shall bear the burden with thee.’ (Ex.18:18-22) Sure words of wisdom my brethren! However, in today’s society it sets up too many levels of authority, which only lead to unwieldy bureaucracy, and is a sure breeding ground for all kinds of corruption. But it’s still the best way for men to rule, for one man cannot do it all, and do it properly too, regardless of how just, righteous and reverential he is. I guess it will just have to continue like that until the righteous reign of the branch of Jesse is entrenched. Please read Isaiah 11: 1-5 for that, as we don’t have time nor space to include it. Yes Friends, when Jesus finally comes to reign over His followers in a world without sin and evil, then there’ll be need for only ONE Ruler! Please, let’s think on that today, and let it guide us as we go along our righteous way. Much LOVE!…when men rule over men…there will always be problems…because of our fallen nature…
Today’s Scrip-Bit 6 September 2012 Jeremiah 33:3
06 Sep 2012 Leave a comment
in Inspirational Living Tags: a future, ever-faithful God, gracious, hope, Jesus Christ, LOVE, manna, mercy, peace, prosperity, righteous, sacrificial lamb, titillate, truth
Jeremiah 33:3. Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and show thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not.
Ah mih people, it’s a new day, but the ole fella doesn’t have anything new to titillate your senses with in my intro. (smile) Oh there’s lots of stuff I could write, but unfortunately it wouldn’t fit with the God-inspired theme that we want to perpetuate in the Scrip-Bit. So I guess I’ll just have to stick with the tried and true approach, telling you about giving thanks and praise to Almighty God for showing us the extraordinary favour of seeing another beautiful day on planet earth. And I don’t care how bad our problems might be down here on earth, none of us are really ready to go and join Him up there in the wild, blue yonder. And I would be certainly amiss in my duties if I didn’t remind us of all the wonderful blessings that the Lord’s prepared to shower down on us this balmy Thursday in September 2012. Remember too, that these mercies and blessings are new every single day. Our God is so great and generous that He insists on bestowing new stuff on us every day. No going back into yesterday’s bag of goodies. So you can be assured that every day you spend on this evil and troubled earth, you will be endowed with new favour, new manna from above. As they say, yesterday is past, tomorrow hasn’t yet arrived, but today, the present is here, so enjoy today’s presence and presents. No need to worry about tomorrow, for Jesus promised that tomorrow would look after itself. (Matt.6:34) A new batch of presents will arrive from our heavenly Father everyday, if we continuously seek to do His will. So let’s stop worrying and being anxious about out troubles, neither of those things will help, but instead make our situations worse. To solve our earthly problems, we need to do as our Bit says: ‘Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and show thee great and mighty (inaccessible) things, which thou knowest not.’ And Friends, that’s the gospel truth. Many of us can testify to that. And yuh know my people, our God is so wonderful that long before I began walking seriously with Him – though I didn’t live the way He wanted, I never forgot His Word – there are several occasions that I can remember where I was in a serious jam, from which I couldn’t extricate myself in my own strength, and I cried out to Him, and He did provide solutions to my problems. Yes Friends, we can all tell stories of crying out to our heavenly Father in times of dire need and having Him respond with LOVE and mercy. So why then are we still so reluctant to truly follow Him eh? I guess deep down, our basic human nature still desires the things of the world, the glitter and glamour still capture our fleshly senses, and with Lucifer’s able assistance and prodding, those fleshly lusts rise up above the spiritual common sense. But Friends, nobody knows our fallen nature better than the One who created us. And the wonderful thing about it all is that He doesn’t expect us to be perfect, but He does expect us to try and elevate ourselves in His Word and His Will, to try and become more like His Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus, our shining example. So when we occasionally make a mess of things, we shouldn’t be too proud to call on Him for help, especially since He’s really the only one who can offer us lasting help. Listen to this wonderful promise He made to the people of Judah, through Jeremiah, after severely punishing them for their gross disobedience. ‘For thus saith the Lord, That after seventy years be accomplished at Babylon I will visit you, and perform my good word toward you, in causing you to return to this place. For I know the thoughts that I have toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil (calamity), to give you an expected end (a future and a hope). Then shall ye call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken (listen) unto you.’ (Jer.29:10-12) And my brethren, we all know that our ever-faithful God, faithfully fulfilled that promise. It’s also a promise that still stands and holds good for us today my people! Our amazing God only has good thoughts towards us; thoughts of peace and prosperity. But we first have to engage Him in conversation and communication. When we do our part, He will do His. Hear how Bruh David says it in Psalm 145, re the Lord is gracious. ‘The Lord is righteous in all his ways, and holy (gracious) in all his works. The Lord is nigh unto all them that call upon him, to all that call upon him in truth. He will fulfill the desire of them that fear him: he also will hear their cry, and will save them.’ (Ps.145:17-19) And Bruh David certainly knew about the Lord’s goodness and graciousness from personal experience! So please Friends, let’s turn our thoughts and our hearts towards Almighty God nuh. He is the One who created us, and only in Him, through the sacrificial lamb, Jesus Christ, can we find that sense of true peace, LOVE and prosperity, for which all of us are seeking. That’s the ultimate wisdom for this, and every age! Much LOVE!…and ye shall seek me…and find me…when ye shall search for me…with all your heart… (Jer.29:13)
Today’s Scrip-Bit 2 September 2012 Proverbs 3:3
02 Sep 2012 1 Comment
in Inspirational Living Tags: commandments, favour, glorify God, God's Law, Good God, great commission, guard your heart and mind, heart, high esteem, Hurricane Isaac, hypocrisy, long life, mercy, mind, oneness of purpose, prosperity, Sunday, thanks and praise, thanksgiving, truth
Proverbs 3:3. Let not mercy and truth forsake thee: bind them about thy neck; write them upon the table of thine heart.
Oh Friends, let’s begin today by giving much thanks for life, health and liberty! And all God’s people declared a grateful, ‘Thank You Lord for all the blessings in my life!’ Let’s also be thankful that the young Christian girl imprisoned in Pakistan for supposed blasphemy, allegedly burning some pages of a holy book, will be safe from the mob that’s been crying out for her breath of life, for at least another two weeks. That’s when her case comes up again. What ignorance and hypocrisy eh! And closer to home, let’s also offer heartfelt thanks that Hurricane Isaac didn’t do as much damage to Louisiana and the other South-western States as expected. This time the anchors (levees) held, unlike when Katrina descended upon them. Oh Friends, our God is certainly a GOOD GOD! He’s so wonderful, that even in the midst of tragedy, believers can always see the light of His LOVING presence, and feel His gentle, saving touch. Now remember that today is Sunday, so all those who celebrate the Sabbath on Sunday, if at all possible, please get out and fellowship with other believers, giving thanks and praise to God in unity and oneness of purpose. For as we’ve been saying over the last few days, a unified church is very essential in successfully fulfilling Jesus’ Great Commission. (Matt. 28:19-20) And before we get to our Bit, let’s hear how Cousin Sol in exhorting us to obedience, opens Chapter 3, as a lead up to it. ‘My son, forget not my law; but let thine heart keep my commandments: For length of days, and long life, and peace, shall they add to thee.’ (Prov.3:1-2) Now that’s the living truth my people! For when we keep the Lord’s law, then we are divinely blessed with peace and long, prosperous lives. And now we can segue smoothly into our Bit: ‘Let not mercy (LOVING-kindness) and truth forsake thee: bind them about thy neck; write them upon the table of thine heart.’ Yes Friends, those two things, mercy and truth, are of the utmost importance in the lives of EVERY believer. Why? Cousin Sol continues with more valuable advice. ‘So shalt thou find favour and good understanding (high esteem) in the sight of God and man.’ (Prov.3:4) Now we all desire those things in this earthly life, but the only way to truly and lastingly accomplish that is by having mercy (LOVING-kindness) and truth always in our sights. They’re so important that we’ve even been advised and encouraged to ‘Bind them about thy neck.’ That means the Lord’s teachings should be as much a part of us as an adornment or necklace around our necks. In other words, always present and standing out. Just goes to show how important those two attributes are my brethren. And later on in Chapter 6, when warning against adultery, Cousin Sol reiterates the importance of keeping the Lord’s law. ‘My son, keep thy father’s commandment, and forsake not the law of thy mother: Bind them continually upon thine heart, and tie them about thy neck. When thou goest, it shall lead thee; when thou sleepest, it shall keep thee, and when thou awakest, it shall talk with thee. For the commandment is a lamp; and the law is light; and reproofs of instruction are the way of life: To keep thee from the evil woman, from the flattery of the tongue of a strange woman (seductress). (Prov.6:20-24) In this particular case he advocates it against the wiles of an evil woman, but keeping the Lord’s law is material in every aspect of our everyday lives. And we shouldn’t only have the law close to our bodies like a necklace, but also ‘write them upon the table of thine heart.’ That’s our minds. We need to write them first and foremost in our minds, for as our minds go, so goes the rest of our body. The mind is our most important organ, it’s a unique, marvellous and ‘unclonable’ bit of engineering, and since within it lie the true controls of our bodies, it is thus extremely important in understanding and successfully living this earthly life. That’s why Lucifer always seeks first to infiltrate our minds, cause he knows that once he’s in control of our controls, he’s home free. Consequently it’s of the utmost necessity we guard our hearts and minds very closely. No wonder Bruh Paul strongly advised the Philippians. ‘Rejoice in the Lord always: and again I say, Rejoice. Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand. Be careful (anxious) for nothing; but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep (guard) your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.’ (Phil.4:4-7) And we’ll close with some words from the scholars which will help us understand that last verse. ‘The peace of God is that tranquility of mind freeing the believer from fear and worry. “Peace” which passeth all understanding means (1) peace divinely bestowed in times of anxiety, so wonderful that it exceeds one’s ability to understand it; and (2) God’s peace far surpassing one’s own understanding of the problem, and his ability to cope with and solve it. Shall keep means “shall guard.” This is a military term for a sentinel standing guard duty. As Philippi was guarded by a Roman garrison, and its citizens were accustomed to seeing soldiers protecting the city, this word would be especially appreciated by the readers.’ Oh Friends, let’s hope we not only appreciate what we’ve read here today, but that we also go out and put it into practice in our daily lives. It’s the best way to glorify God and show Jesus that we truly care about the sacrifice He made for us on the cross at Calvary. In Jesus Name, I pray. Amen. Much LOVE!…without solid foundations of mercy and truth…believers will always come up short in Christ…
Today’s Scrip-Bit 21 April 2012 Psalm 19:12
21 Apr 2012 Leave a comment
in Inspirational Living Tags: cleanse, dominion, earthly wealth, forgiveness, Godly communication, loving kindness, mercy, power, psalm 19, repentance, secret faults, sin, sinner, truth, wisdom, world standards
Psalm 19:12. Who can understand his errors? Cleanse thou me from secret faults.
Oh Friends, on this glorious Saturday morn, where it’s raining cats and dogs outside, (smile) I have a spot of wisdom to share; one of the many I’ve found on the fly leaves of my mother’s Bible. This one says: ‘The most deadly sins do not leap upon us. They creep up on us.’ And isn’t that the awful truth my people! We do all sorts of wrong stuff and realize that they are wrong, possibly because they are so blatant, done fairly openly or others might point them out to us. Those we can fix, if we so choose, because we’re aware of them. But its the silent wrongs which grow and build up in our spirits, the ones of which we’re not really aware, that are the real killers. We’re not aware of them until one day the Lord decides to open our eyes, through some person or incident. And then we either deny it, or cry out in anguish to God, saying: ‘Oh Lord was I really doing that? I didn’t realize it. I repent of that terrible sin, and will try my best to stop it. Please help me and forgive me! I pray this in Jesus’ name. Amen.’ And then we beat ourselves up for being so blind and foolish. But please remember Friends, God has brought our hidden sins to light for several different reasons: First off, so He can test our mettle, our faith, to see what we’re really made of, if we’re truly serious about walking in His will. He might also be looking at our reaction; to see how we respond to that sudden negative disclosure. Some of us will no doubt get irate and doubt it, while others will readily accept it. Then the Lord wants to cleanse us of it, because any sin in our lives reduces the effective communication with God. And most of all, He greatly desires to forgive us, if we come to Him in true repentance. Once we’re aware of that sin, we need to work on it, with God’s help of course. Now don’t feel badly and start brow-beating yourself, trying to find any hidden sins in your life (smile) for all of us have them. Oftimes they are things we don’t even consider sinful, having dropped our standards to that of the ungodly world, so we don’t pay much attention to them until the Father points them out. Don’t worry, when the time’s right, He will make them known to us. No wonder Bruh David declares in our Bit: ‘Who can understand his errors? Cleanse thou me from secret faults.’ He knew that there’s stuff hidden in the deepest recesses of our souls that wouldn’t sit well with the Father, so he decided to take in front, before in front took him, (smile) by asking the Lord to cleanse him of any secret wrongs. Is a long time I haven’t heard that bit of parochial wisdom. The old people might not have had a lot of book learning, but they certainly had a lot of wisdom in living everyday life, that’s why so many of their sayings are still pertinent today. Then Bruh David further asks: ‘Keep back thy servant also from presumptuous sins; let them not have dominion over me: then shall I be upright, and I shall be innocent from the great (much) transgression.’ (Ps.19:13) Oh Friends, our world is filled with much more sin today than righteousness, plenty presumptuous ones too, for we have taken it upon ourselves to act independently, to play God, and/or worship idols of our own creation. How do you think Jesus feels when He looks down on the mess we’ve made of this life, especially when He came to earth to show us the right way to live? Don’t you think some days He wishes He didn’t sacrifice His innocent life for such ingrates? So many of us are turning to Lucifer, selling our souls for earthly power and material wealth, that Jesus’ followers are now in the minority. And sadly Friends, as long as that’s the case, our world will always be filled with turmoil and calamity, because that’s the mark of Lucifer. Plenty, plenty more of us have to come to Christ for cleansing and forgiveness before we can make serious inroads into Lucifer’s evil collective. We have to do like Bruh David did in Psalm 51, when the prophet Nathan confronted him with his hidden sin involving Bathsheba. (2 Sam.12) ‘Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy LOVING-kindness: according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin is ever before me. Against thee, thee only have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight: that thou mightest be justified (found just) when thou speakest, and be clear (blameless) when thou judgest.’ (Ps.51:1-4) Yes my people, even men of great faith, men considered friends of God, can be humbled by hidden sin. We need to be wary of stuff we do without fully recognizing their implications; that they are truly sins against God. But when we do discover them, we need to sincerely repent as quickly as possible and ask for forgiveness. But by the same token, once the Lord’s granted us forgiveness, we need to faithfully receive it and let go of the guilt, for that’s a major problem with many Christians today: we sin, ask for forgiveness, the Lord forgives us, but we don’t truly receive the forgiveness, wrongly believing that the Lord can’t forgive such a horrible sin and keep saving the guilt in our hearts. Ah Friends, forgiveness is wasted unless and until we accept it and stop dwelling on it. Then we ought to say something like what Bruh David does at the end of Psalm 19: ‘Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, my strength (rock), and my redeemer.’ (Ps.19:14) Oh my brethren, those are immortal words that would do us good to keep close to our hearts and minds, so they can have a restorative effect on us in anxious times. Much LOVE!…it doesn’t matter which came first…the sin or the sinner…because Jesus is the ONLY ONE who can cleanse them both…
Today’s Scrip-Bit 23 March 2012 Numbers 23:1
23 Mar 2012 Leave a comment
in Inspirational Living Tags: amazing god, eternal life, faithfulness, promises, salvation, truth, unchanging, unconditional LOVE
Oh Friends, it’s that wonderful day again, Friday! And a loud shout rises from the workforce: ‘TGIF! Thank God is Friday yes!’ Yes mih people, the weekend is upon us, bringing a brief respite from our labours. But since it’s so short, we need to use it wisely. And to help us do that, let’s chant our Friday Chant, as one grateful body 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 set the proper perspective for the weekend, let’s turn to our very profound and encouraging Bit: ‘God is not man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? Or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?’ Oh my people, words of gospel truth from the living God we worship! Yesterday we looked at several scriptures that dealt with the first half of our Bit: ‘God is not man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent:’ Today I have one more to share on that subject. It comes from James in his discourse on faith and humility. He wisely and sincerely tells us: ‘Do not err (be deceived), my beloved brethren. Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness (variation), neither shadow of turning.’ (James:16-17) Now here’s a word from the scholars on that; ‘Since all changes are either for the better or for the worse, God is unchanging because He is perfect and cannot get better nor become worse. The Scriptures describe God’s nature, will, and character as immutable or unchanging. Illustration: To be immutable, however, does not mean to be immobile. God also has the qualities of personality and can act, think, create, and make decisions. Application: God is unchanging, therefore, Christians can depend on His LOVE and power, because God has not changed since biblical times.’ And all God’s people made a joyful noise to God for His wonderful attributes and His unchanging nature! Now let’s turn to the second part of our Bit: ‘hath he said, and shall he not do it? Or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?’ Oh yes my brethren, all that our great God says, He’ll definitely do and make good, no doubt about it! Listen to Him admonish Moses when the Israelites cried out for meat, which the Lord promised, but Moses doubted His ability to provide. ‘And the Lord said unto Moses, Is the Lord’s hand waxed short (Is the Lord’s power limited)? thou shalt see now whether my word shall come to pass unto thee or not.’ (Num.11:23) Later on, quail rained down like water around the Israelite camp. Oh Friends, that shows that even a man of great faith like Moses, who had seen so many miracles, was still only a man, thus limited by finite faith and intelligence. Then there’s Cousin Sol, who at the end of his great prayer: ‘And he stood, and blessed all the congregation of Israel with a loud voice, saying, Blessed be the Lord, that hath given rest (peace) unto his people Israel, according to all that he promised: there hath not failed one word of all his good promise, which he promised by the hand of Moses his servant.’ (1 Kin.8:55-56) And we’ll end with an everlasting declaration of truth and faithfulness, after the Lord successfully moved the Israelites into the Promised Land: ‘And the Lord gave unto Israel all the land which he sware to give unto their fathers; and they possessed it, and dwelt therein. And the Lord gave them rest (peace) round about, according to all that he sware unto their fathers: and there stood not a man of all their enemies before (against) them; the Lord delivered all their enemies into their hand. There failed not aught (Not a word failed) of any good thing which the Lord had spoken unto the house of Israel; all came to pass.’ (Josh.21:43-45) Oh Friends, there’s no more to say! We’ve heard it all! Our God is truthful, faithful and all powerful! Whatever He says or promises will come to pass, both negative and positive stuff! So if we’re wise, we’ll follow the One who truly LOVES and cares for us, the Lord God Jehovah. He’s already shown that great and wonderful unconditional LOVE by offering His Son Jesus as a one-time sacrifice for all our sins, then from His eternal store of grace, offers us free salvation and eternal life by just believing on Jesus. Wow! What an awesome and magnanimous God we serve my people! Please, don’t ever doubt or forget it! Much LOVE!…there are no suitable words in man’s limited vocabulary to truly describe our amazing God…
SCRIP-BITS 