Yahweh | SCRIP-BITS

Psalm 81:9. There shall no strange (foreign) god be in thee; neither shalt thou worship any strange god.

Oh Friends, another new morn is here with new blessings, mercies and forgiveness! Wow! Are we ready to receive this new day and all the positive things it brings with joy, gladness and humble appreciation? I certainly hope so, because if we’re not, then we’ll lose out on the best stuff that Almighty God has to offer.

And all God’s children joyfully declared: This is the day the Lord has made, WE WILL REJOICE AND BE GLAD IN IT!’

Yes mih people, that’s the way I like to hear us shout out loud and proud in the name of Jehovah God! It’s the only way to go, otherwise we’re showing ourselves unappreciative of His wonderful blessings, mercies and forgiveness.

Now, while going through some papers here just now, I came upon this little note I’d taken from an article of the June issue of In Touch Magazine. It’s simple, but it says a whole lot. ‘The way you live your life everyday is a picture of your soul.’

Now that sounds like gospel truth to me! Why? Because we generally live our lives the same way everyday, and thus they are true reflections of how we feel, think and behave.

And to expand on that, I’m saying that we should therefore live everyday of our lives as though everything matters. We should try to make a difference, a positive one that is, and stop focusing on ourselves, and our little, insular worlds.

As believers we ought to live lives of excellence, lives of significance that impact positively in, and on the lives of others. Then and only then, will we be showing the LOVE and true discipleship that Jesus desires of His followers.

Now here’s our Bit: ‘There shall no strange (foreign) god be in thee; neither shalt thou worship any strange god.’

Oh Friends, that verse comes from Psalm 81, where the psalmist Asaph is writing of God’s goodness and the Israelites waywardness. But in fact it’s the very first commandment the Lord gave His people when He brought them out of bondage in Egypt way back in time.

‘And God spake all these words, saying, I am the Lord thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. Thou shalt have no other gods before me.’ (Ex.20:1-3)

Oh my brethren, those words are self-explanatory, simple and to the point, as are most of the words of our great God! That meant the Israelites were entering into an exclusive covenant with Yahweh, the One, True God.

But as we all know, they were a rebellious and stubborn people and did not keep the covenant for very long. In fact they reneged on it several times during their long, stormy and catastrophic history.

This led the psalmist to write of God. ‘But my people would not hearken (heed, listen) to my voice; and Israel would (have) none of me. So I gave them up unto their own hearts lust (stubbornness): and they walked in their own counsels.’ (Ps.81:11-12)

Ah Friends, there’s a direct connection and relationship between the Israelites turning away from God, and our present behaviour, for we are doing the very same thing. We’re refusing to walk in covenant with God, and instead are taking Him out of lives; schools, public places and even homes, as quickly as we can.

And like the Israelites, the Lord has allowed us to walk in our own counsel. Hence the negative results, just like it befell the Israelites, EVERY TIME they turned away from the God of their forefathers.

I don’t have to paint a picture for you of the wars and rumours of war, of the strife, greed, anger foolish pride and idolatry that’s engulfing, no sorry, that’s already engulfed our ungodly world. And it’s getting worse everyday my friends. Everyday we’re sinking ever deeper into the bottomless morass of sin and ungodliness.

That brings to mind the psalmist’s writing, re God’s response. ‘Oh that my people had hearkened unto (listened to) me, and Israel had walked in my ways! I should soon have subdued their enemies, and turned my hand against their enemies…. He should (would) have fed them also with the finest of the wheat: and with honey out of the rock should (would) I have satisfied them.’ (Ps.81:13-14,16)

Oh my people, our wonderful God is mouthing the same mournful lament today, as He sadly sees us wallowing in the mire of wickedness as put forward by Lucifer. But He’s also willing and able to help us. However, we need to first turn back to him in sincere repentance and start living obedient to His dictates.

The Israelites belatedly realized this, but they were smart enough to turn back to Yahweh when it finally dawned on them. And in accordance with His covenant their society prospered. But again, that holding on to the covenant only lasted as long as it took for them to become prosperous, and they then forgot who made them so.

We’re guilty of the same stupid crime today my people. Some years ago, when times were really tough, a majority of society worshipped the Lord God Jehovah, and eventually the land prospered. But then, as is our sinful nature, we got fat, lazy and complacent and forgot who brought us to the dance.

We began believing that it was our own hands that had brought us the prosperity. So the Lord left us to our own foolish ways. Now every thing is falling down, coming apart at the seams, because there’s no single, uniform authority, namely Almighty God, to hold it together.

Oh Friends, when are we going to learn that our omnipotent God controls the entire universe and all that happens in it eh?

Listen to what He said long ago through the prophet Isaiah. ‘I, even I, am the Lord; and beside me there is no saviour. I have declared, and have saved, and I have showed (proclaimed), when there was no strange (foreign) god among you: therefore ye are my witnesses, saith the Lord, that I am God. Yes, before the day was I am he; and there is none that can deliver out of my hand: I will work, and who shall let (reverse) it?’ (Is.43:11-13)

Yes mih breddren, the Lord’s omnipotence rules over His universe, and just like the Israelites, we are witnesses to it, especially with the coming of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.

We’ve seen what Jehovah can do, so why are we so foolishly turning away from Him only to suffer the pangs of want and deprivation, when we could be comfortably enjoying peace and prosperity under the protective umbrella of His LOVING-kindness?

It makes no sense Friends, especially when history has a whole lot of societies buried in His dust, when they got too big for their ‘britches.’

So let’s be wise nuh mih breddren, and start turning back to Almighty God. That’s provided we want to see our topsy-turvy, troubled world stable and prosperous again. Now that’s certainly wisdom of the highest order! Much LOVE!

… what is history eh….history provides a record of the past…to light the way of the future…but this foolish generation refuses to see the light of the future…Jesus…

Psalm 37:1: Fret not thyself because of evildoers, neither be thou envious against the workers of iniquity.

Oh Friends, as Jesus opened the windows of heaven this morning, before He could even look out, an unfamiliar strain from earth reached His ears. It sounded like a chant, but one that He’d never heard before. So He leaned out the window to try and hear it better. Lo and behold my people, a warm, fuzzy smile broke out over His radiant countenance as He heard these words rising up to heaven.

‘TGIM! Thank God it’s Monday! Time to be up and about Jesus’ business! The battle will soon be joined, for Jesus is already at the front lines! Up and at them Christian soldiers! For the victory is ours, through Jesus! Amen!’

Ah Friends, what a blessed day that will be eh, when we begin the workweek in such a joyful and godly mood and state of mind! But don’t worry, we’re working on it. It will become reality in God’s good time. But until then, let’s lustily sing our Monday Morning Battle Hymn.

As one sweet, sounding harmonious choir now: ‘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!’

Ah mih breddren, that was good! Jesus was pleased. So with the adrenalin pumping, the faith, strength and confidence soaring, let’s go out now and engage Lucifer and his evil buddies in a fight to the death!

And our Bit ties in quite nicely with all of that my people. ‘Fret not thyself because of evildoers, neither be thou envious against the workers of iniquity.’

Oh Friends, I know that is often very difficult to do in this evil and ungodly world, when it seems that the wicked is forever prospering, while the righteous struggle and suffer. But please remember my fellow believers, that even the psalmist and man of great faith, Asaph, also had that problem, as he tells us in Psalm 73, the mystery of prosperous wickedness.

‘But as for me, my feet were almost gone (I had almost stumbled); my steps had well-nigh slipped. For I was envious at the foolish (boastful), when I saw the prosperity of the wicked.’ (Ps.73:2-3)

But Bruh David then tells us why we should not be jealous of the prosperous evildoers. ‘For they shall soon be cut down like the green grass, and wither as the green herb.’ (Ps.37:2)

Now that’s the true state of the wicked my brethren! And I’m sure we don’t want to be a member of any group that’s eventually going to be destroyed by Almighty God.

Note too, that Moses in his only psalm, ‘From everlasting to everlasting thou art God,’ acknowledges God’s eternal staying power and man’s short, flimsy and futile nature. ‘For a thousand years in thy sight are but as yesterday when it is past, and as a watch in the night. Thou carriest them away as with a flood; they are as a sleep: in the morning they are like grass which groweth up. In the morning it flourisheth, and groweth up; in the evening it is cut down and withereth.’ (Ps.90. 4-6)

Meanwhile Friends, the author of Psalm 92, in his praises for the Lord’s goodness, puts it thus: ‘Oh Lord, how great are thy works! And thy thoughts are very deep. A brutish man knoweth not; neither doth a fool understand this. When the wicked spring (sprout, spring up) as the grass, and when all the workers of iniquity do flourish; it is that they shall be destroyed for ever: But thou, Lord, art most high for evermore.’ (Ps.92:5-8)

And that’s undeniable, unalterable, indisputable gospel truth my brethren, for our God is the Creator and Controller of this universe and all therein! Please let’s not forget that very significant and salient point, because in doing so, we jeopardize our eternal destiny.

Yes Friends, with His omnipotence, omniscience and omnipresence, there’s NOTHING or NO ONE greater than Yahweh, the Most High God Jehovah, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob!

It thus behoves us to pay serious attention to His Word, His commands, His statutes and His dictates, if we want to live a long, prosperous and righteous life, encompassed by salvation through the sacrificial death of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, with eternal life in heavenly places as our final reward.

And that, my fellow believers, is true wisdom, wisdom of the everlasting kind! Much LOVE!

…wickedness will never prosper for very long…because in the eyes of our righteous and just God…it is an abomination to His exalted Being…and therefore must be destroyed…

SCRIP-BITS

Today’s Scrip-Bit 5 September 2013 Psalm 81:9

Today’s Scrip-Bit 26 August 2013 Psalm 37:1

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