Today’s Scrip-Bit   23 April 2022 John 8:32.

23 Apr 2022 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

John 8:32.      And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. ​

And then it was Saturday; the Jack of all trades day, meaning you can work, rest and/or party comfortably, without any self-recriminations on Saturdays. (smile) Some of us choose to work, especially around the house, doing the personal things we don’t have time for during the work week. Others choose to be simply couch potatoes for the entire day, in front of the boob-tube. And then there are those of us who think that Saturdays were simply made for partying…and nothing else. 

For us though here on the Bit, Saturday means checking out the quotes that our friend Anselm sent us this past week as he aspires to inspires us for a better tomorrow. And the first one says: ‘Setting goals is the first step in turning the invisible into the visible.’ And that seems true enough, for you can’t do something or go somewhere unless you’ve first decided what you’re going to do or where you’re going to go. It all begins in the mind’s eye. And that’s also the first law of Christ’s kingdom: You’ll see it when you believe it. That means walking by faith and not by sight. (1 Cor. 5:7) 

Remember Jesus’ words to Martha before He raised her brother Lazarus from the dead. ‘Said I not unto thee, that if thou wouldest believe, thou shouldest see the glory of God?’ (John 11:40) The same thing applies to us today my faithful brethren; we won’t see the glory of Almighty God unless and until we believe that He is able to do anything and everything. Likewise, in our personal lives, we won’t bring anything to reality unless we first envision it in our minds and then believe, with God’s help we can make it real. 

That brings us to this next quote: ‘On any given Monday I am one sale closer and one idea away from being a millionaire.’ And that’s no lie! On any new day it’s possible to do great things, because we are always, only one step away from greatness, from doing the improbable, especially if the Lord God Jehovah is in our corner and He thinks the time is right for a monumental blessing. And surprisingly, it often takes only ONE of anything, to propel us to lofty heights. Which seems sort of contrary to this next quote, which tells us that ‘If you really look closely, most overnight successes took a long time.’

 Now that’s gospel truth, especially in the entertainment business. Somebody who we’ve never heard of before comes up with a hit song or something, and we quickly claim that they’re an overnight success. But we never hear of the years they been toiling in the trenches for a pittance, begging for breaks they never got, or being ripped off by unscrupulous promoters. Most of them have done their time, have spent time learning their craft, living hand to mouth, doing odd jobs so they can survive. But we never hear about that, just the seemingly quick path to success. 

However, there are some true overnight successes, but they never last. They are here today and gone tomorrow. And the truth is, if we want to make it big in anything at all, and remain at a decent level, we have to put in the time, the elbow grease, the disappointments, the wondering if we will ever succeed, or if we made a mistake doing what we’re doing. But remember too, that without perseverance and endurance you will never get to the winner’s circle. 

And there’s no field of endeavour in which that’s truer than in our Christian walk of faith. Without taking up our crosses and bearing them with a good attitude, which can only be fuelled by serious meditation on God’s word and serious time spent talking to Him, we will never become model Christians for others to see and want to emulate. It’s why Christ calls us, or rather desires us, to be the salt of the earth and the light of the world. We are needed to add flavour and light to a dark and desolate world, which, unfortunately, we are not doing such a good job at, otherwise the world would still not be as dark and desolate as it is currently. 

This Easter Season, we’ve made a big fuss over Jesus, His death and resurrection, just like we do over his birth at Christmas, but then in the twinkling of an eye we forget all the wonderful things we claim He’s done, is doing, and will do for us, and we revert to our normal behaviour; that of living more in the world than in the kingdom of God. No wonder the world doesn’t get any better. Shame on us friends! 

Then we come to this quote: ‘There is no harm in repeating a good thing.’ Technically speaking, that’s true, especially where learning is concerned, but in our current society nobody wants to hear, see, or do the same thing over and over. Our penchant nowadays is for something new, with new seasons for cars, clothes, phones, even for people, (smile) although we have not understood or hardly used the last new thing. That’s made us into a ‘throwaway society.’ And then we wonder why there is so much junk in our world and why our environment is being so badly abused. 

The hard fact of the matter though is that we only learn anything by repetition, doing it over and over. And again, that is oh so true of our Christian faith. We can only learn God’s ways by reading and studying His word over and over. And that’s exactly what He said to Joshua when he made him leader of the Israelites after the death of Moses. ‘This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.’ (Josh. 1:8) 

And I guess that explains why so many of us supposed Christians aren’t prosperous and don’t have good success: we don’t meditate on God’s word, and therefore don’t do what it says. That brings us to this last quote. ‘No one is more hated than he who speaks the truth.’ And I’m in a quandary over that one, because we all hate those who tell lies, but at the same time if we consider the word of God as being the truth, then many are disliked when they speak it. And we are all supposedly searching for and seeking truth, which is basically facts, the actuality of things or events and reality. 

But with Jesus, truth comes from Him, as He says, ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life…’ (John 14:6) His truth stems from the fact that we are all purveyors of sin, but He tells us that, ‘If ye continue (abide) in my word, then ye are my disciples indeed; And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.’ (John 8:31-32) But by the same token, Jesus warned about those who hold to His truth. ‘And ye shall be hated of all men for my name’s sake: but he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.’ (Mark 13:13) 

Yes, my fellow saints, there’s no better way to end this Saturday morning than on those words of truth. The world doesn’t like followers of Christ and will do its best to make our lives miserable, but we know the truth, that’s Jesus, and that awesome knowledge has set us free, and we WILL abide in it right to the very end! Much LOVE!

…in this world…EVERYTHING revolves around Jesus…from Creation to Salvation…that’s the truth…

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

Today’s Scrip-Bit 27 August 2021 Galatians 5:22.

27 Aug 2021 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Galatians 5:22.     But the fruit of the Spirit is LOVE, joy, peace, long-suffering…

And then there was a big collective sigh…with a mumbling of ‘TGIF! Thank God is Friday oui! I couldn’t go on for one more day like this nuh!’ Ah friends, we always think we can’t go on, that we’ve come to the end of our rope, because our capacity for stress and strain is ever so low these days in our affluent, entitled society. But in truth, when the heifer dust really hits the fan, we discover that there’s another gear we can put our lives into; that’s the one where Christ Jesus reigns. Glory be! 

Yes, if we needed to go on one, or even two more days, He would have enabled us to do it, because He is our enabler, the pent up or emergency strength that gives us our second wind. As Bruh David so assuredly writes in Psalm 138: ‘Though I walk in the midst of trouble, thou wilt revive me: thou shalt stretch forth thine hand against the wrath of mine enemies, and thy right hand shall save me.’ (Ps. 138:7) 

Wow! What a most definitive promise my people! That’s exactly what I was saying; the Lord will always give us the strength to go on, even though we think we don’t have it. And when Jesus says in His spiel on LOVING your enemies: ‘And whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain (two).’ (Matt. 5:41) How do you think we will get the strength to do that eh? He will provide it because we are doing whatever it is in His name, as His agent and ambassador! 

Ah friends, despite having the Lord God Almighty in our corner, these days we give up much too easily. That’s because we have become too soft and lazy, living the good life with all the wonderful amenities our society provides. We don’t have to struggle much for anything nowadays, for almost everything is right at our fingertips, which means our patience level has also declined, we want everything so quickly, sometimes even like yesterday. But in Christ’s economy friends, waiting, that’s patience, is a must! 

And the first thing we need to know is that patience doesn’t come overnight or easily. It is born of trials and tribulations. So, if you are thinking about acquiring patience, just be sure that you will endure problems, because that’s the only way to acquire it. And it’s ever so important in a believer’s life because it is listed as one of the fruit of the Spirit. ‘But the fruit of the Spirit is LOVE, joy, peace, long-suffering…’ (Gal. 5:22) Yes, that’s patience. It’s only a nice word for long-suffering. (smile) 

Now let’s look at a few scriptures that try to teach us about patience nuh. And we’ll begin with this one from Jesus, that we seldom pay attention to. It’s when He is talking about the end times. He says to the disciples: ‘And ye shall be hated of all men for my name’s sake. But there shall not a hair of your head perish. In your patience possess ye your souls.’ (Luke 21:17-19) That means we need to have patience and wait until whenever the Lord decides to do His thing. But in the waiting, we won’t be harmed. 

Meanwhile Hebrews tells us this about Abraham. ‘And so, after he had patiently endured, he obtained the promise.’ (Heb. 6:15) And we all know that the Lord called Abraham out from among his family to go out to an unknown land, and promised him a son from his own loins, but it all took a long time with much wandering and frustration, but Abraham kept the faith and eventually received all that the Lord had promised Him. 

Meanwhile we have this amazing but oh so truthful verse from Bruh David out of Psalm 37 that says it loud and clear. ‘Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for him: fret not thyself because of him that prospereth in his way, because of the man who bringeth wicked devices (schemes) to pass.’ (Ps. 37:7) And Bruh David, like Abraham, was another man of God, promised great things, anointed king in his teens, but had to endure a lot of hardship and learn patience before he received the promise. 

We can never leave out this awesome verse from Isaiah either. ‘But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.’ (Is. 40:31) And Bruh Paul adds a few scriptures of his own too. First off, he tells Timothy: ‘Howbeit for this cause I obtained mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might show forth all long-suffering (patience), for a pattern to them which should hereafter believe on him to life everlasting.’ (1 Tim. 1:16) 

Yes friends, Bruh Paul endured a lot of hardship for Christ, so that the Gentile believers, including us, could learn from him. Then to the church of Rome, he declared (steups!!!) ‘But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience (perseverance) wait for it.’ (Rom. 8:25) Then to the Colossians on the subject of Christian virtues, he strongly advised: ‘Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved bowels of mercies (tender mercies), kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, long-suffering.’ (Col. 3:12) 

And it’s obvious the wisest man ever must have had something to say on patience, because he didn’t get to be the wisest and richest overnight. (smile) Listen to Cousin Sol. ‘He that is slow to wrath is of great understanding: but he that is hasty of spirit (impulsive) exalteth folly.’ (Prov. 14:29) And you can count on Cousin Sol to hit the nail on the head. 

And we’ll end with a timely word from James. ‘Be patient therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord. Behold, the husbandman (farmer) waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience for it, until he receive the early and latter rain. Be ye also patient; stablish (establish) your hearts: for the coming of the Lord draweth nigh (has come near).’ (James 5:7-8) We can never go wrong with those words of wisdom my faithful brethren! Living for Christ does take a lot of patience, waiting, perseverance and long-suffering! But we can all do it, because He enables us with His awesome strength and power. 

Now, let’s end as we always do on a Friday, by going to God in prayer, through our Friday Chant. As one voice: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through this past week. You know it’s been rough… what with all the anxiety, the confusion and havoc that the Covid-19 virus and our many other problems are causing. We can’t seem to fix it on our own Lord, that means we desperately need your help. Oh heavenly Father, with your omnipotent help, and our trusting faith, we know that we can stand strong and steadfast and defeat both the virus and the unrest in our streets. 

So Lord, we sincerely ask you today to give the governments and those involved in the forefront of this serious and unexpected storm, the wise guidance to handle the situation properly, with the least amount of loss to life and property as possible. And please help those of us who must go out to work amidst all the confusion, to be responsible and to stay safe, and avoid any more serious setbacks. 

And Lord, we fervently pray that You’ll use this situation to bring a lot of backsliders back to your fold, show them the error of their ways. Also, please introduce a whole new flock, who will embrace your LOVE and compassion by the example, we, your faithful believers set. Yes Lord, please use this pandemic and the unrest in the streets as a means of restoring faith in You, so that our sinful world can wake up and smell the coffee, sweet and strong! We pray this in the name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen!’ 

And I must remind us, that the answers to our prayers will only be as positive to the extent that we keep our promises. Much LOVE!

…wait (patiently) on the Lord…be of good courage…and he shall strengthen thine heart…wait (patiently)…I say, on the Lord… (Ps. 27:14)                                                                                                                                   

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

Today’s Scrip-Bit 19 April 2021 Matthew 10:22.

19 Apr 2021 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Matthew 10:22.​     And ye shall be hated of all men for my name’s sake: but he that endureth to the end shall be saved.

What a bizarre time we’re going through my people! One day we hear that the police are authorized to make random stops to find out where you’re going, but the police refuse to do it. So, next day, we hear that authority has been rescinded. The government and the medical people don’t seem to be on the same wavelength at all, as there are too many conflicting statements on how to best handle the pandemic situation. But there’s no way to fix it without a fair amount of consensus among all parties. And when you add all the controversy surrounding the vaccines the whole scene is one chaotic mess. 

But let me remind us, that as sincere believers in Christ Jesus, we always have Him to turn to in times of doubt and despair. Life will never be easy or comfortable, especially when we’re living for Jesus, but He has faithfully promised that whatever negative stuff we are experiencing in the world, we can always turn to Him and receive His awesome peace and comfort that are way better than what the world offers. So, with all the bickering and dispute that’s currently going on, now is definitely a time to turn to Him for solace, comfort and wise guidance. 

A time to remember His amazing words of promise, like these. ‘These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.’ (John 16:33) Yes friends, that’s sometimes hard to understand and accept when our whole world seems to be falling apart. But we need to keep speaking it, keep believing it, until it sinks into our very soul and becomes a natural tool for us to handle unpleasant situations. 

And what about this other warning of persecution. ‘Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless (innocent) as doves. But beware of men: for they will deliver you up to the councils, and they will scourge you in their synagogues…And ye shall be hated of all men for my name’s sake: but he that endureth to the end shall be saved.’ (Matt. 10:17-18, 22). And as the scholars explain: ‘In the ancient Near East the serpent was commonly regarded as the wisest of beasts. A cautious wisdom was necessary in order to deal with the fierce opposition that the disciples would face.’ 

And up to this day, the situation has remained the same: believers have to be wise and cautious in their dealings with the world. In some places today, the persecution is just as bad as in the days of the early church, but you see what a huge difference the perseverance and strong belief of the disciples made in the world, despite the terrible odds they faced. 

And in our western world, we don’t even have an ounce of the persecution they faced, yet we’re whining and crying. That ought not to be so friends. We are supposed to be the salt of the earth and the light of the world. The ones to lead others to Christ and all the good benefits He has to offer. And please remember that nothing worthwhile is ever easy to accomplish. 

Now listen to some more inspirational words of Jesus nuh. ‘If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you. If ye were of the world, the world would LOVE his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you.’ (John 15:18-19) That’s something we too often forget my fellow saints; that we are IN the world, but not OF the world. So let’s stand up strong and face the world mano a mano nuh. Remember Jesus has already overcome it, and we only need to keep the victory going, with His help obviously. 

And in what is known in some circles, as the long version of the Lord’s Prayer (John 17) Jesus didn’t only pray for the disciples but also for us. ‘Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word. That they all may be one: as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me.’ ( John 17:20-21) 

Yuh see that mih bredrin, Jesus knew that His plan would work, and that down through the ages people would believe in Him having not seen Him in person, and He wanted them to be separate, sanctified, living as one, not as the many warring denominations we now have. But as we say, while there is life, there’s always hope, and I believe these difficult times were meant to bring us together and back to God, so let’s do just that nuh, be as one, in sincere prayer, and offer up what we term our Monday Morning Battle Hymn. 

Altogether now: ‘Our Father, who art in heaven, we, Your humble servants, praise Your Holy Name and thank You that this Monday morning we’re alive and standing in faith despite the mass confusion that’s currently prevailing in our world. We desperately need Your divine help, for You are the ONLY ONE with the power to solve our many problems; the pandemic of Covid -19, the racial, political, and religious strife that’s ignited worldwide, plus the many natural disasters that now seem more prevalent than ever. 

Heavenly Father, we admit that we have all sinned and seriously come short in obedience and compliance to Your Word, but we know that You are a merciful, forgiving and gracious God, and You have faithfully promised to hear and answer our prayers when we humble ourselves, pray, and sincerely seek Your face. That’s why we come to You now, with sincere repentance in our hearts, pleading with You to give us, ordinary folks, as well as our leaders, employers and medical personnel, wise guidance and direction to bring our problems under control. 

And for those who are currently suffering from the many negative situations, we pray that You will ease their suffering and heal them. Father, please show them Your awesome grace and mercy, and keep Your promise that You’ll hear our prayer, forgive us, and heal our land if we turn from our evil ways. Show this evil world that You are indeed Jehovah Rapha; the God who heals! We pray this in the holy and blessed name of Your Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen! And again we say: Amen!’ 

Now, having said all of that, we need to show true humility and sincere repentance, if we want God to affirmatively answer our plea. Much LOVE!

…bear patiently the slings of the world…and your reward will be great…both in heaven and on earth… 

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

Today’s Scrip-Bit 3 January 2015 Matthew 10:16

03 Jan 2015 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Matthew 10:16.     Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless (innocent) as doves.

Well Friends, it’s a Saturday morning that’s calling for snow and rain and freezing rain! Wow!

Over these next two days like we’re going to run the whole gamut of weather problems. We really can’t complain too much though, because we’ve been fairly snow and rain free for at least a couple of weeks now. And besides that, we’re God’s children and a little bad weather doesn’t deter us from doing Jesus’ work. (smile)

Of course it could get fairly rough, like the ice storm we had last year, but even then, we brave the elements like true soldiers of God’s army. What wonderful designations we embrace my people; a child of God, and a soldier in His army! His army of pioneers and pilgrims, going forth to spread His holy Word all over the universe He’s created.

And in the remarkable words of our Bit, Jesus sends us forth, just like He did the first disciples, to do just that: ‘Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless (innocent) as doves.’

And the scholars tell us, re ‘Wise as serpents (cf. Gen.3:1). In the ancient Near East, the serpent was considered the wisest of beasts. A cautious wisdom was necessary to deal with the fierce opposition that the disciples would face.’

Yes my people, it is a wonderful honour to work for Jesus, winning souls for Him, or rather causing lost souls to come to Him for comfort and succour, salvation and eternal life! But unfortunately it is a job that can also entail severe repercussions. That’s why Jesus warned the disciples, and has the same warning for us.

‘But beware of men: for they will deliver you up to the councils, and they will scourge you in their synagogues. And ye shall be brought before governors and kings for my sake, for a testimony against (to) them and the Gentiles. But when they deliver you up, take no thought (do not worry about) how or what ye shall speak: for it shall be given you, in that same hour what ye shall speak. For it is not ye that speak, but the Spirit of your Father which speaketh in you.

And the brother shall deliver up the brother to death, and the father the child: and the children shall rise up against their parents and cause them to be put to death. And ye shall be hated of all men for my name’s sake: but he that endureth to the end shall be saved. But when they persecute you in this city, flee ye into another: for verily I say unto you, ye shall not have gone over (through) the cities of Israel, till the Son of man be come.’ (Matt.10:17-23)

Oh my fellow believers, working for Jesus can indeed be a dangerous job. All the stuff that Jesus spoke about befell the disciples. They suffered serious persecution on Jesus’ behalf, and so will we, possibly not to the death, as they did, and some are still experiencing in some parts of the world, but serious enough to cause us to consider our options.

But when times do get rough, just remember Jesus’ advice: ‘Don’t worry about what you’ll say, for the Holy Spirit will tell you what to say.’ Yes Friends, the Holy Spirit is our guide and director, and He will not leave us helpless and defenceless when we stand up strong for Jesus!

And then we come to the most important part of His message; that those who endured, who withstood the trials and tribulations in His name would be saved. And all God’s children shouted a lusty ‘Glory Hallelujah! Blessed is the Lamb that was slain for us!’

Yeh mih people, we can shout all sorts of niceties now, but when the time of persecution comes, will we still sing that song? For all our sakes, I do hope so. It’s just that in these spoiled, selfish and easy living times, most of us have lost our belly and backbone, and cave in and give up under the smallest of trials.

But remember too, that we’ve promised that this year of 2015 will be one in which we will rise, without fear and anxiety, to each and every occasion to promote Jesus and His lifestyle.

Now let’s take a gander at some explanations of the scholars for those verses. ‘!0:17-22.  Take no thought means “Do not be anxious.” (See Mark 13:9-13; Luke 12:11-12). It shall be given you promises that the inner prompting of the Holy Spirit would tell them what to say in each situation they would face.

For my name’s sake: They would endure great persecution because of their identification with Jesus Christ. But he that endureth to the end shall be saved is a promise of perseverance, not a teaching that salvation may be lost. Rather, it indicates that those who are truly saved will indeed endure to the end.’

And that’s the gospel truth my people! If we persevere to the end, great shall be our rewards in heaven!

And I want to close with a very true and enlightening quote that’s rather appropriate to our situation. It’s attributed to Margaret Mead (1901-1978), the world renowned American anthropologist. And it says: ‘Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.’

And she doesn’t lie Friends, for look at what a small group of twelve men started. It changed the world! And we are proud and grateful recipients of their commitment. Now let’s go out and do likewise, even though we Christians are in the minority, for with Jesus in the mix, anything and everything is possible. Much LOVE!

…today is all we have…so let’s use it wisely…

 

 

Today’s Scrip-Bit 20 August 2014 Psalm 119:33

20 Aug 2014 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Psalm 119:33.  Teach me, O Lord, the way of thy statutes; and I shall keep it unto the end.

Ah Friends, it’s a damp Wednesday morning in my area, due to some sprinkles of blessings overnight. It’s also been forecasted to have thunderstorms during the day, so please dress appropriately those of you who live in the surrounding area; walk with your raincoat, your hat and your brolly (umbrella). (smile)
 
But the good news is that we’re half way through the workweek already. Praise the Lord! So just hang on in there, like Sloopy, the old song that only the old fogies will know, but everyone can imitate. Just another couple days and the weekend will burst upon us, and everyone will give a great sigh and declare a loud ‘Thank You God!’
 
But until then, let’s put our hands to the plough and don’t look back, look straight ahead, neither to the right nor to the left, and let’s run the race that’s set before us with a strong sense of purpose, trust, faith, hope and LOVE!
 
That’s the only way we’ll discover all that the Lord has in store for us, for remember He’s promised to give us a life with a future and hope of a better tomorrow. (Jer.29:11)
 
So let’s just get with the programme, no whining or complaining, regardless of the difficulties we encounter along the way, because our wonderful God has also promised that He will bring us safely through whatever storms we have to weather, and in better shape too.
 
Therefore we have nothing to fear, and whatever comes against us, we will handle with faith. And all God’s people joyfully declared: ‘This is the day the Lord has made, we WIIL rejoice and be glad in it!’ Yes Friends, that’s the only way to endure this pilgrim’s journey successfully!
 
That brings us to our Bit, from the great Psalm 119, divided into 22 sections, one for each of the letters in the Hebrew alphabet. Our section today is ‘He’, the section that petitions the Lord for understanding. ‘Teach me, O Lord, the way of thy statutes; and I shall keep it unto the end.’
 
Yes my brethren, there’s no better gift we can ask of our heavenly Father than understanding of His Holy Word. That’s because when we understand where He’s coming from, we’ll be able to go where He desires us to go.
 
In other words, understanding opens up a whole new palette for us to paint on; discernment, direction and focus are brought to light, we’re illuminated, and guidance is totally enabled by the Holy Spirit.
 
And we have the perfect example of that in Cousin Sol. When the Lord anointed him king over Israel, and asked what he desired, Cousin Sol was wise enough to say: ‘Give therefore thy servant an understanding (hearing) heart to judge thy people, that I may discern between good and bad: for who is able to judge this thy so great a people.’ (1 Kin.3:9)
 
Oh my fellow believers, the Lord was so pleased that Cousin Sol hadn’t asked for stuff like riches and power, that He nonetheless made him the wisest and richest man ever. (1 Kin.3:10-14) Wow!
 
And the psalmist in Psalm 119 feels so strongly about the attainment of understanding that he proclaims: ‘Give me understanding, and I shall keep thy law; yea, I shall observe it with my whole heart. (Ps.119:34)
 
Oh my people, are we that hungry for understanding too? I surely hope so, because without understanding God’s Word, we can easily be led astray by the enemy and his evil minions. Now it’s not an easy thing to attain, nor maintain. It takes time, and diligence, and perseverance, and faith and trust.
 
For as Jesus said: ‘And ye shall be hated of all men for my name’s sake: but he that endureth to the end shall be saved.’ (Matt.10:22) What an awesome promise Friends!
 
And we can see it, serious persecution still happening in many parts of the world, simply because of believing in Jesus. But if we endure the trials and tribulations with a staunch faith, as we said above, the Lord has promised to bring us out stronger, more Christ-like, on the other side.
 
However, to be able to do all of that successfully, we must first understand what the Lord and His Word are all about. And the psalmist makes a good argument of why understanding is so helpful, so vital and so necessary.
 
‘Make me to go in the path of thy commandments; for therein do I delight. Incline my heart unto (cause me to long for) thy testimonies, and not to covetousness. Turn away mine eyes from beholding vanity (looking at worthless things); and quicken (revive) me in thy way.
 
Stablish (establish) thy word unto thy servant, who is devoted to thy fear (fearing thee). Turn away my reproach which I fear: for thy judgements are good. Behold, I have longed after thy precepts: quicken (revive) me in thy righteousness.’ (Ps.119:35-40)
 
Yes my fellow believers, every word there rings with indisputable truth! For understanding is the key to success in anything at all. With it, we know where to go, and where not go; what to do, and what not to do.
 
So today my Friends, let’s wisely turn to our magnanimous God, who’s generosity, like His LOVE, is unlimited, and ask Him for that key, that understanding we need to be successful in this evil, ungodly, troubled world that currently surrounds us.
 
Remember, Jesus’ promise in Revelation, during His message to the seven churches: ‘And he that overcometh, and keepeth my works unto the end, to him will I give power over nations….He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.’ (Rev.2:26; 29)
 
So today my people, let’s seek to understand and thus endure nuh. It’s the wisdom of heaven. Much LOVE!
 
…understanding is the sure foundation…upon which we can build the endurance…that we so desperately need to be successful…

P.S. Late night, spent mostly communing with the Lord. And that’s the gospel truth! (smile) And then to make matters even worse, just as I was about to send out the Bit, the so and so computer froze on me. Ah Lord eh! The trials and tribulations we have to go through to spread God’s Word eh! (smile) Much LOVE!