Matthew 22:21. They say unto him, Caesar’s. Then saith he unto them, Render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar’s; and unto God the things that are God’s.
And then it was Friday! That recognition was greeted with joyous shouts in work places all over the world: ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday!’ Yes Friends, the weekend’s upon us once again, granting us a short respite from our labours. And I know how we all look forward to it, but as everything else, there’s a right and wrong way to spend it. So let’s chant our Friday Chant that helps us to put the weekend into proper perspective. All together 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.’ Now that should hold and guide us for the next couple days. (smile) So let’s turn to our Bit, another interesting one – sorry, all of them are interesting since they come from the Good Book – (smile). This one features a serious principle espoused by our Lord, Saviour and Leader, Jesus Christ. ‘They say unto him, Caesar’s. Then saith he unto them, Render (pay) therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar’s; and unto God the things that are God’s.’ Oh Friends, I chose, or rather the Lord guided me to this Bit today, because it’s related to the tithing situation we’ve been discussing over the last few days. It was even our footnote, thought for the day, yesterday. Now here’s some background on the scene as it was played out. As usual, the Pharisees were trying to entrap Jesus, so that they could have solid grounds to persecute Him. ‘And they sent out unto him their disciples with the Herodians, saying, Master, we know that thou art true, and teachest the way of God in truth, neither carest thou for any man: for thou regardest not the person of men. Tell us therefore, What thinkest thou? Is it lawful (permitted) to give tribute (pay taxes) unto Caesar, or not? But Jesus perceived (knew) their wickedness, and said, Why tempt (test) ye me, ye hypocrites? Show me the tribute (tax) money. And they brought unto him a penny (Gr. denarius). And he saith unto them, Whose is this image and superscription (inscription)?’ (Matt.22:16-20) Then Jesus delivered the coup de grace, which is our Bit. And the Good Book continues: ‘When they had heard these words, they marvelled (were amazed), and left him, and went their way.’ (Matt.22:22) Oh Friends, as the saying goes; there’s none so blind, as they who refuse to see. That applies to many of us in these current times, as well as the Pharisees and other groups who tried to get Jesus to incriminate Himself during the three years of His earthly ministry. They were too dimwitted, egotistical and steeped in the traditions of men to see that every time they posed an incriminating question, His answer was always astute and impeccable. Unfortunately, many of us today behave the same way; we allow the traditions of men, rather than the true principles of God to run our lives. That’s why so many of us lead such miserable and unfulfilled lives, and sadly don’t understand why. Anyway, here’s some historical background and further explanations from the scholars’. ‘The Herodians were a party that favoured the dynasty of Herod and stood for the Roman connection. They cared little or nothing for religion and normally were bitterly opposed to the Pharisees. The statements recorded in verse 16 are insincere and intended as hypocritical flattery. Their question was intended to place the Lord in a dilemma. If he says yes, He can be held up to the people as a traitor. If He says no, He can be denounced to the Roman authorities. Caesar was the Roman Emperor and head of the Roman state. Caesar was the family name of Julius Caesar, the first man who aspired to autocracy (absolute government, controlling influence). The name was taken over from him by his adopted son Octavian, afterward titled the Emperor Augustus. Render therefore unto Caesar: The Lord means that we are to give the civil magistrates all that is due to them, as long as it does not interfere with the honour due to God. Jesus had broken the Herodians dilemma by making light of the ultimate significance of Caesar’s claim. The idea is: “If the penny is his, let him have it.” Jesus’ response, render unto God the things that are God’s, exposed the spiritual failure of the Herodians. In essence, Jesus made light of Caesar’s temporal claim in favour of God’s greater claim over men’s lives.’ And that’s the undeniable truth my Friends! Therefore all of us should also embrace that same distinction, for it’s God who created us, in His own image to boot, not sinful, fallible, short-lived man. And we’ll stop there for today. It’s enough for us to contemplate, what with our short attention spans and busy schedules. (smile) Tomorrow though, God willing, we’ll continue with giving to man what belongs to him, and to God what’s His. It’s a major principle in our Christian faith, and there are lots more scriptures concerning it, to be looked at. Till then, please, let’s all try and walk worthy of our most awesome and LOVING God. And may He bless and keep us safely as we do our earthly pilgrimage, allowing His shining countenance to light on us, and give us His wonderful peace that passes all human understanding. We pray this in Jesus’ Holy Name, and His sacrificial blood that was spilled on the cross at Calvary to pay for our abominable sins and cleanse our unworthy souls. Amen. Much LOVE my fellow followers of Christ!…though everything belongs to God…He’s ordained that some things will be looked on as belonging to earthly rulers… and true believers should acknowledge them as such…
Today’s Scrip-Bit 5 April 2013 Matthew
05 Apr 2013 Leave a comment
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: abominable sins, blind, Christian faith, cleanse our souls, Cross of Calvary, egotistical, Friday chant, glorious kingdom, Herodians, human-rights, hypocrites, incriminating questions, insincerity, jesus name, LOVE, loving god, miserable, Pharisees, proper perspective, religion, right perspective, spiritual failure, steeped in tradition, tempt, TGIF! Thank God it's Friday!, the things of Caesar, the things of God, theology, undeniable truth, unfulfilled lives, weekend
Today’s Scrip-Bit 22 March 2013 1 John 4:2
22 Mar 2013 Leave a comment
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: anathema, christianity, confess Jesus Christ, confession, dumb idols, faith in Christ, fellowship, Friday chant, frolic, fun, God's glorious kingdom, God's Word, grace of God, human emotion, in the flesh, Jesus Christ, joy, LOVE, pagan worship, perfect harmony, real flesh and blood, relaxation, rest, righteousness., salvation, speaking in tongues, Spirit of God, spiritual gifts, spring, TGIF! Thank God it's Friday!, traffic jams, week of work, weekend, weekend gig
1 John 4:2. Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God.
Oh brothers and sisters in Christ, it’s Friday… And all around the world, joyous shouts rise up to heaven: ‘TGIF! Thank God is Friday and labouring finish for another week yes!’ Well not quite mih breddren, because we still have to labour today Friday, but just the idea, the expectation of not having to face the evil, ungodly people we work with, the traffic jams and snowy, icy roads for a couple days raises the human emotion of joy to a higher level. And on that point, I looked outside just now and saw my driveway covered in snow. Hn! I thought this was supposed to be spring. But spring obviously hasn’t sprung as yet, because the banks of the roads are still snow covered, and instead of rain we’re getting flurries of the white stuff. In my area though we still need to be very thankful because we haven’t gotten as much snow as many other places. But back to our weekend gig. Just a reminder that it’s not all for fun and frolic. So let’s chant our Friday Chant that brings the whole situation into its proper perspective. All together 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, it’s all about resting up and fellowshipping so we can go back out next week and continue the battle in Jesus’ Name. Now let’s turn to our Bit: ‘Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God.’ A most interesting Bit that my people! And we’ll continue from yesterday, where we saw that there are many false prophets and spirits trying to gain control of our lives, but there’s ONLY ONE, that’s truly worthwhile, that of Jesus Christ. And John told us that the easiest and best way to know whether there’s truth in a spirit or doctrine is if Christ is spoken of as being real flesh and blood, during His earthly sojourn. We also saw where Jesus declares that a lot of those claiming to be His followers will be turned away at the end time because they only had outward facades of Christianity, while their hearts were truly tuned into the frequency of Beelzebub. So Friends, a reminder that we have to be very particular of whom and what we let into our lives and our souls. Bruh Paul, in talking to the Corinthians about spiritual gifts, had this to say on the subject. ‘Ye know that ye were Gentiles, carried away unto these dumb (silent) idols, even as ye were led. Wherefore I give you to understand, that no man speaking by the Spirit of God calleth Jesus accursed (anathema): and that no man can say that Jesus is Lord, but by the Holy Ghost.’ (1 Cor.12:2-3) Yes my brethren, if the Spirit of God is truly in us, we can’t speak badly of Jesus, and the only way we can acknowledge Him as Lord and Saviour is through the Holy Spirit. Now here’s some info from the scholars re the ‘Dumb idols: The pagan worship at Corinth involved a pagan exercise of “tongues.” The practice of “ecstatic utterances” was common in the cults and in the worship of various Greek gods and goddesses.’ I guess this could have an impact or caused some confusion between the idol worship and the Christian speaking in tongues, with the possibility of the idolaters using it to influence early Christians. Anyway, turning to Bruh Paul and the Romans. In speaking of righteousness being obtained by faith in Christ, he declares: ‘But what saith it? The word is nigh (near) thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart; that is the word of faith, which we preach; That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. For scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on Him shall not be ashamed (put to shame).’ (Rom.10:8-11) And here’s an important note from the scholars on the last two verses. ‘Confession is made unto salvation: One is not saved by his mouth’s confession, but rather, the mouth testifies readily of the grace of God in Christ, which has been received by faith.’ That means salvation is much more than just confessing Jesus with our mouths. Our hearts, faith and the grace of God, all joined in perfect harmony, are necessary to be saved. Now that’s enough info for us to process today Friends, so we’ll end on that note. Tomorrow we’ll pick up the topic again, the Lord in favour, for there’s more scripture to be highlighted on this most important subject of divining the true Spirit of Christ. Till tomorrow then, please walk safely in fellowship with Almighty God and man. And may the Lord bless us and give us His awesome peace which passes all human understanding. Much LOVE!…it’s time for all believers to step up and sincerely…LOVE Our God…LIVE Our Faith…and SPREAD His Word…
Today’s Scrip-Bit 18 March 2013 2 Peter 2:9
18 Mar 2013 Leave a comment
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: battle hymn, christianity, confidence, Creator of the universe, day of judgement, evil world, fight on strong, final judgement, glorious kingdom, government work, hard work, harmonious choir, heavenly host, humble servants, invincible, Jesus, jobs, judgement, lies, Monday Morning, punishment, religion, right frame of mind, spiritual armour, steadfast faith, sure conquerors, surrender to God, temptations, Thank God is Monday., the tough get going, theology, trials of temptation, ungodly world, weary souls, weekend, when the going gets tough, wicked taunts
2 Peter 2:9. The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations, and to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgement to be punished.
And then it was Monday…! And all of God’s children shouted a joyous, ‘Thank God is Monday yes! Time to go back to work. Ah tired being cooped up in this ole house all weekend, just washing and cooking and cleaning and looking after children and a lazy spouse. Steups! Ah doh work so hard in the government work nuh!’ Yes Friends, that’s the dilemma we often find our selves in. Home for the weekend, saddled with all the housework and dying to get out. Then by Tuesday evening, crawling in the endless traffic, we yearn for Friday and the weekend. No need to feel badly, we all experience that type of situation sometimes. Let’s just sing our Monday Morning Battle Hymn and get ourselves in a right frame of mind to handle the outside world. As one loud, sweet, harmonious choir now. Let Jesus and all the heavenly host sit up and take notice. ‘Oh Lord God Almighty, Creator of the universe and all therein! We, your humble servants, praise your Holy Name and thank you that this Monday morning we have jobs to go to; jobs we don’t like, jobs that are unfair, difficult and even dangerous, but which serve a useful purpose here on earth; keeping lives and families together. We also thank you Father for the renewed vitality and enthusiasm you’ve wrought in our weary souls over the last two days. It’s that rejuvenation of Spirit which allows us now to sally forth with confidence into the evil, ungodly world that surrounds us, to begin a new week of work, constantly buffeted and bombarded by the enemy’s wicked taunts, wiles and lies. But heavenly Father, we’re not afraid, for we know we’re invincible, sure conquerors, once we’re wearing your powerful, protective spiritual armour. We surrender our all to you, and humbly ask that you let your incredible aura of LOVE, the Holy Spirit, lead and guide all your servants as we go out to meet the enemy in battle. Fill us with steadfast faith, so that we can make worthwhile inroads into the enemy’s ranks, and thereby further your glorious kingdom. We pray this in the Holy Name of your Son, and our Saviour, Jesus Christ. AMEN!’ Awright mih breddren! The whole heavenly host was pleased. There was plenty applause, and we even got a standing O. Wow! So let’s go out into the evil world in which we work, carrying that same enthusiastic, faith filled, Christ-LOVING, people- LOVING attitude and win some needy souls for Christ, because that’s our earthly mandate! Now let’s see what wisdom we can glean from our Bit: ‘The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations, and to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgement to be punished.’ And that’s the living truth Friends! Our God certainly knows how to bail out or help the faithful through the trials of temptation, but He also knows how to handle the evil pack that will be destroyed when He decides to wrap up this whole creation thing in the final judgement. Oh my brethren, I’m sincerely pleading, please don’t let us be found on the wrong side of the mighty ledger, the unjust and wicked side, because our end, come that final day, which only the Lord knows, will be real painful and sorrowful. And there’s nothing wrong with temptation, unless we give in to it, since we all are tempted sometime, in one fashion or another. And as Bruh Paul warned the church at Corinth, re Israel being used as a warning example: ‘Now all these things happened unto them for examples: and they are written for our admonition (instruction), upon whom the ends of the world (ages) are come. Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall. There hath no temptation taken (overtaken) you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able bear (endure) it.’ (1 Cor.10:11-13) Yes my people, our wonderful God will always help us in temptations. But the scholars bring up an interesting point here. ‘Make a way to escape (lit. “an egress” or “way out”): In early Greek usage, this term had the sense of a landing place for a ship. The idea is thus not that He will enable us to escape temptation, but that He will enable us to land intact on the other side.’ So it’s not that Lord will always keep temptation away, make us never suffer it, but more that we won’t get more than we can handle, and after undergoing it, He promises to bring us out safely. In other words, though we may get caught up in the temptation, with it swallowing us, like the fish did Jonah, the Lord will enable us to bear the burden, just like He did for Jonah, after he’d understood and repented of his wrong doing. So, please don’t despair when temptation comes, you’re not alone, all humans are tempted by the evil one and his evil cronies. Just hold on tight and fight with all your might, knowing that our God has promised to see you through it, and He faithfully keeps all His promises. The temptation may last longer than we like, or be more difficult than we appreciate, but note that there’s always a very good reason for whatever the Lord allows in our lives, and will not waste anything we’ve gone through, but use it for our eventual good. It’s all part of maturing us, bringing us more like Jesus. Don’t forget that, keep the faith and fight on strong like a good soldier of Christ. In time we’ll reap the rewards. Much LOVE!…when the going gets tough…that’s when the tough…the followers of Jesus get going…with His help of course…
Today’s Scrip-Bit 15 March 2013 Matthew 12:33
15 Mar 2013 Leave a comment
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: action, adultery, blasphemy, cast into the fire, corrupt fruit, corrupt tree, daily blessings, deeds, evil thoughts, faith, false prophets, false witness, fellowship, fornication, Friday chant, fun, glorification of God, glory hallelujah, God's glorious kingdom, good fruit, good tree, internal intent, murder, new mercies, relaxation, rest, TGIF! Thank God it's Friday!, theft, theology, weekend, what comes out defiles
Matthew 12:33. Either make the tree good, and his fruit good, or else make the tree corrupt, and his fruit corrupt: for the tree is known by his fruit.
Oh Friends, Friday’s up…! And it’s not Robinson Crusoe’s man… (smile) It’s another new today named Friday, bringing all the new daily mercies and blessings of our wonderful God! And the effervescent cries, shouts, hoots and hollers of ‘TGIM! Thank God is Friday, and the labouring for another week soon finish!’ echo all around the globe. But sadly they echo in too many polluted areas, a fact that causes untold problems for the human breathing apparatus. But that’s the price of progress, they say… Hogwash! The price of cheap, greedy, ‘gravalicious’, doh-care-about the planet progress yes! Anyway mih people, it’s Friday and a lot of the world’s happy because they won’t have to labour for massa for two whole days. And all God’s children gave a mighty shout of ‘Glory Hallelujah!’ Yes my brethren, it’s certainly nice not having to hit the road and the unending traffic jams for two days, but by the same token, we need to use that time off wisely. So let’s chant our Friday Chant that helps us put the weekend into proper perspective. ‘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 reminded ourselves of how to use the weekend properly, let’s turn to our very interesting and important Bit. ‘Either make the tree good, and his fruit good, or else make the tree corrupt (bad), and his fruit corrupt (bad): for the tree is known by his fruit.’ And that’s gospel truth Friends! Now yesterday we saw where Jesus told the multitude that stuff we put into our mouths doesn’t defile, but what comes out of us does. (Mat.15:10-11) Later though, Peter came back and asked Jesus to explain the parable because the Pharisees had been angered by it. (Matt.15:15) And Jesus gets a little testy with Peter. ‘Are ye also yet without understanding? Do not ye yet understand, that whatsoever entereth in at the mouth goeth into the belly, and is cast out (eliminated) into the draught? But those things which proceed out of the mouth come forth from the heart; and they defile the man. For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies: These are the things which defile a man; but to eat with unwashen hands defileth not a man.’ (Matt.15:16-20) Oh my people, that’s the living truth, as we all know, if we’re honest with ourselves. That’s because deep down inside of us, our souls, is really where all our good and evil thoughts and actions begin, take root, sprout, then are noised abroad. So again we have to be rather careful about what’s in our souls, for what’s there will eventually come forth from our mouths, and if they are evil intents, then evil words will emanate and unfortunately spoil our witness. Jesus felt that our internal intent was so important, that He also used the good and bad tree analogy when talking about false prophets. ‘Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening (ravenous) wolves. Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil (bad) fruit. A good tree cannot bring forth evil (bad) fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.’ (Matt.7:15-20) Please note Friends, the emphasis Jesus places on the fruit; the work, the action, the deeds of those involved in ministry. What we say is important, but lots of times, what we do is actually much more important. Our actions should at all times reflect our words. As James says, ‘faith without works is dead.’ (James 2:20) Meaning we can talk all we want, but if we don’t back up that talk with action, the talk is of no use, simply wasted breath. And we’ll end with another analogy of Jesus to trees and fruits, where He talks to the disciples about the vine and the branches. ‘Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing. If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned. If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it will be done unto (for) you. Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit, so shall ye be my disciples.’ (John 15:4-8) Oh Friends, Jesus could not have explained the philosophy of His ministry any simpler or clearer! Now it’s up to us to embrace it and comply with it as fully as we can. If we don’t, then we’ll be cut down like the useless, withered branches and cast into the fire, as well as have to account for all our words on the judgement day. So let’s be very careful of what we say and how we act, because inappropriate words and actions not only affect our witness here on earth, giving Jesus a bad name, but also where we spend eternity. Much LOVE!…Christians…by their very nature…with the Holy Spirit dwelling in them…ought to be always good trees…thus always bearing good fruit…
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 26 October 2012 Jude 3
26 Oct 2012 Leave a comment
in Inspirational Living Tags: blasphemy, Christmas Carols, deception, destruction, exploitation, faith, false prophets, falsehood, fellowship, Friday chant, heresy, Jesus Christ, meditation, Parang, prayer, salvation, sensibilities in Jesus, TGIF! Thank God is Friday, truth, weekend
Jude 3. Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints.
Oh Friends, it’s Friday! The day we all LOVE to see come around, because it heralds the weekend; two days of no labouring for Massa. But you know what’s already happening in T&T? Christmas Carols and Parang (local folk music with a Spanish influence) are already being played on the T&T radio stations. Wow! I was somewhat surprised to hear them being aired so early, 2 months before Christmas. And I haven’t heard any up here as yet. But as we all know, Christmas is a big time in the Twin Island Republic, especially in this 50th year of Independence. So you can imagine how the Parang sides are already lined up with their quatros (a small, guitar like instrument) to go out to sing and celebrate the wonderful birth of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! And today, everybody’s singing to quatro accompaniment: ‘TGIF! Thank God is Friday! Work done for the week! Is my time now! Thank God is Friday!’ But Friends, to get the proper perspective for the weekend, we need to tone down the rhetoric and party time some, and ramp up the influence of Jesus. So let’s do that by chanting our Friday Chant nuh, with much spirit and enthusiasm. 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.’ Yes mih people, the weekend isn’t for partying alone, it’s also a time to renew and refresh our sensibilities in Jesus, especially with fellowship on whatever day you celebrate the Sabbath. That’s one way to adhere to the advice of our Bit: ‘Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints.’ When we renew our acquaintance with Christ, through study, prayer, meditation and fellowship, it enables us to better understand what we’re all about in Him, and thus to stand up stronger for the TRUTH of our FAITH. And some of you probably get a little miffed because I keep harping on TRUTH and standing strong in the FAITH, but Friends, there’s a very good reason for that, namely the falsehood, prevarication and all the other anomalies that are so prevalent in Christ’s church today, in all aspects of its being; from clergy to congregation, to doctrine and practices. And unless we know the TRUTH and stand up strong to protect it, then Christ’s church will eventually become even more divisive than it is now, and of even less positive repute. And that’s something I’m sure none of us want to happen, but it will unless WE ALL get actively involved in building and strengthening it. Now let’s get into some serious scripture on the subject, Listen to Peter, as he wisely warns of false prophets and teachers: ‘But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily (secretly) shall bring in damnable (destructive) heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction. And many shall follow their pernicious (destructive) ways, by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of (blasphemed). And through covetousness shall they with feigned (deceptive) words make merchandise of (exploit) you: whose judgement now of a long time lingereth not (has not been idle), and their damnation (destruction) slumbereth not.’ (2 Pet.2:1-3) Yes Friends, it happened back then and it’s happening now too, more widespread, with even greater fervour because of the ease of communication, and numerous lost, anxious humans looking for, seeking some kind of healing balm for their emotional and spiritual wounds. Now we’ll end with some observations from the scholars on those verses. ‘The opposite of true revelation is the message of false prophets and false teachers who deceive God’s flock and bring in damnable heresies. These heresies (unorthodox teachings) include an open denial of Christ Himself. Denying the Lord that bought them indicates that Christ’s atonement potentially extends to all men, including those false teachers who reject Him. Therefore they will experience destruction because they themselves will be deceived by their own teaching and continue to reject the way of truth.’ Oh Friends, please take all this seriously, because it concerns each and every believer, and the TRUTH or falsehood we allow into our lives. Much LOVE!…beware of sweet-tongued teachers and preachers…for those with the gift of gab…can lead even the most faithful astray… P.S. It’s a good thing that I don’t have a sweet tongue or the gift of gab. (smile)
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 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.
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