Today’s Scrip-Bit 14 October 2023 Genesis 49:33.

Genesis 49:33.       …he gathered up (drew up) his feet into the bed, and yielded up the ghost (breathed his last), and was gathered unto his people.

Well, it’s a fine ole lazy-day Saturday in my area; cloudy and rainy. Just perfect for the lazing around, do nothing kind of day we want. Unfortunately though, I could not lie abed and enjoy it for as long as I desired because my back and neck would not work together and find a comfortable position for me to lie in. So, I decided I might as well get up and be about my Father’s business. And the first item on our agenda, as always, is to say our Lazy-Day Saturday Prayer. 

Together then, let’s offer up a sincere, heartfelt prayer. ‘Lord, I want to be with You now. Please slow my thoughts and quiet my soul. Let my muscles relax, my breath deepen. You are here with me – Your peace and LOVE are present. I marvel to think You can’t be contained, that Your LOVE both surrounds and fills me. Thank You for this tenderness, Lord. I praise You for Your unceasing nearness. Increase my awareness of You today, that I may know You all the more. Amen!’ 

And in the quiet of the morning, our prayer floats up to heaven, then an overwhelming peace, with God’s silent presence fills our souls and bodies, and opens us up to a new dimension of grace in this earthly realm. Oh, the power of sincere prayer my people! If we could only exercise more of it, our lives would be ever so much more fruitful! Now let’s turn to that mighty story of Bruh Joseph and see how it’s progressing. (smile) 

Yesterday, we reached the point where Jacob (Israel) blessed his eleven sons. The Bible then tells us: ‘And he (Jacob) charged them, and said unto them, I am to be gathered unto my people: bury me with my fathers in the cave that is in the field of Ephron the Hittite. In the cave that is in the field of Machpelah, which is before Mamre, in the land of Canaan, which Abraham bought with the field of Ephron the Hittite for a possession of a burying place. There they buried Abraham and Sarah his wife; there they buried Isaac and Rebekah his wife; and there I buried Leah (his first wife). The purchase of the field and of the cave that is therein was from the children of Heth.’ (Gen. 49:29-32) 

I like how Jacob demanded or insisted that they bury him in the family’s burying place in Canaan. And I do want to be buried in my homeland of Tobago, but unlike Jacob, I don’t have a burial spot at this time. But yuh know what, anywhere in Tobago will suit me fine, just as long as by bones rest for eternity in God’s li’l acre, that sweet land of Robinson Crusoe! (smile) 

Don’t know if I’ll be able to do like Jacob in this respect either. The Good Library continues thus: ‘And when Jacob had made an end of commanding his sons, he gathered up (drew up) his feet into the bed, and yielded up the ghost (breathed his last), and was gathered unto his people.’ (Gen. 49:33) 

Ah friends, many of us don’t get to go over to the other side so easily; we are wracked with pain, even unconsciousness, and have no inkling of what’s happening around us. That’s why we ought always to be prepared, to have our house in order, for we know not if and/or when we’ll be suddenly called to the other side of the Jordan. 

Then, after Jacob’s death, the Bible informs us: ‘And Joseph fell upon his father’s face, and wept upon him, and kissed him. And Joseph commanded his servants the physicians to embalm his father: and the physicians embalmed Israel. And forty days were fulfilled for him; for so are fulfilled the days of those which are embalmed: and the Egyptians mourned for him threescore and ten days.’ (Gen: 50:1-3) I guess that goes to show how revered both Joseph and his father were in the eyes of the Egyptians. 

Now, here’s some interesting information from the scholars. They say: ‘Jacob was embalmed and Joseph commanded his servants, the physicians to do the work. Medicine and the embalming were two distinct professions. He may have employed the physicians so as to avoid the magic and mysticism of the embalmer and priests. The threescore and ten days for mourning accord with the traditional period for mummification and mourning. The various internal viscera (organs) were removed and placed in canopic jars of natron (a mixture of sodium carbonate and sodium bicarbonate), causing rapid dehydration and preventing decomposition of the body.’ 

And that’s today’s lesson 101 in Mummification! (smile) It’s interesting though,that back then they went to such lengths to save the actual body for reuse in the afterlife. Meanwhile, today we don’t need to do that, for with Jesus Christ as our Lord and Saviour, we’ve been promised a renewed body in the next life. And I’ll use this excerpt from an article by Matt Perman on whether we receive the same body we had on earth during the resurrection. 

He writes: ‘Philippians 3:20-21 says that our earthly body is transformed into conformity with Christ’s body in the resurrection, not that God creates a new body from scratch: “For our citizenship is in heaven, from which also we eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ; who will transform the body of our humble state into conformity with the body of His glory, by the exertion of the power that He has even to subject all things to Himself.” 

That means our bodies will be glorified, made like Christ’s when He rose from the grave. And we saw that it was the same basic outer shell, with the scars in his hands and side, but it was all glorified both internally and externally; heightened, transformed from perishable or human to imperishable or immortal. 

As Bruh Paul says, “Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed. In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump; for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible (imperishable), and we shall be changed. For this corruptible (perishable) must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. So when this corruptible (perishable) shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory.’ (1 Cor. 15:51-54) 

Yes friends, we don’t need to worry about our mortal bodies for when Jesus comes for His church in the Rapture our mortal and perishable bodies will become imperishable and immortal just like Christ’s. Now isn’t that something to look forward to? Of course! So, let’s get serious and truly live this life for Christ nuh. Much LOVE!

…Christianity is the only belief system…that guarantees immortality… 

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Today’s Scrip-Bit 17 June 2014 Acts 5:3

Acts 5:3.   But Peter said, Ananias, why hath Satan filled thine heart to lie to the Holy Ghost, and to keep back part of the price of the land? 
 
Tuesday! Glorious Tuesday! A most precious gift from the Most High God, Creator of the universe and all therein!
 
And Friends, the sleep that that same wonderful Deity provided was so sweet, that I didn’t open my tired eyes until minutes to six on this glorious morn. (smile) But hopefully, that extra sleep will stop me from faltering too early in the day.
 
Anyway, let’s begin with a prayer of thanksgiving nuh. Please pray with me: ‘Oh Father in heaven, we bless your Holy Name, and sincerely thank You for all the new mercies and blessings you are about to bestow, to shower down on us this fateful day.
 
We thank You for life and health, and humbly ask that You lead and guide us successfully today, through the amazing and awesome power of your Holy Spirit.
 
Please help us to grow more in Christ-like character today, so that we can do your Holy Will and thus glorify your Name. We pray this on the blood of your Son and our Saviour Jesus Christ, which was shed for us on the cross of Calvary. Amen!’
 
Yes my people, we can’t sensibly and successfully go through our day without some sort of acknowledgement of and praise to Almighty God! For He is the One who provides for us, and also enables us to walk upright and safe on this evil and ungodly earth.
 
Now here’s a bit of wisdom attributed to Sholem Asch (1880-1957), a Polish-born, American Jewish writer, who seems to have bridged both the Old and New Worlds, but fit into neither. Don’t think I’ve ever shared this before, but it just seemed so timely today.
 
And Sholem tells us that it’s ‘Not the power to remember, but the power to forget is a necessary condition for our existence.’
 
And is there ever lot’s of truth and wisdom in that statement my brethren! For if we keep dragging up the past, our relationships will never prosper. We all make mistakes, but once acknowledged, they should be let go, set free, and all the ‘I told you so’s’ and ‘you should have listened,’ ought not to be continually dredged up.
 
Remember that there’s no bigger forgiveness in the entire universe than that which our heavenly Father has bestowed on us, and He doesn’t drag up our earlier sins every time we commit another one.
 
How does Bruh David put it in Psalm 103, Thanksgiving for God’s mercy? ‘As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us.’ (Ps.103:12)
 
And all God’s people gave a loud and grateful shout of: ‘Praise the Lord God for His LOVING-kindness to the undeserving children of men!’ 
 
Therefore Friends, today, let’s learn to allow bygones to be bygones nuh, and just forgive others the way our gracious Father has forgiven us.
 
However my people, we cannot do that successfully unless we’re filled with the power of Jesus and His Holy Spirit, because it is they who give us the wherewithal to live a godly and righteous life.
 
And that brings us to our Bit: ‘But Peter said, Ananias, why hath Satan filled thine heart to lie to the Holy Ghost, and to keep back part of the price of the land?’
 
Yeh Friends, the story of Ananias and his wife Sapphira is a very instructional one in the understanding of the power of the Holy Spirit. We saw yesterday how Ananias presented only a portion of the proceeds of the sale of his possession to the apostles, as though that was the overall price. And for that hypocrisy, the Holy Ghost struck him dead right there on the spot.
 
Mama Mia! What awesome power that Spirit of Christ possesses my brethren! That’s why we would be exceedingly wise to stay on its good side. But unfortunately, that wasn’t the end of the story.
 
Hear how the Good Book tells it: ‘And it was about the space of three hours after, when his wife (Sapphira), not knowing what was done, came in. And Peter answered unto her, Tell me whether ye sold the land for so much? And she said, Yes, for so much. (Remember she was privy to the deception)
 
Then Peter said unto her, How is it that ye have agreed together to tempt (test) the Spirit of the Lord? behold, the feet of them which have buried thy husband are at the door, and shall carry thee out.
 
Then fell she down straightway (instantly) at his feet, and yielded up the ghost (breathed her last): and the young men came in, and found her dead, and carrying her forth, buried her by her husband. And great fear came upon the church, and upon as many as heard these things.’ (Acts 5:7-11)
 
Oh Friends, oh Friends, I surely hope that we learn a useful lesson from that story, for although it’s not the norm nowadays, it still remains a very great possibility, showing just how powerful God’s Holy Spirit is.
 
And so I caution us to day, to be very careful in how we deal with and handle the Holy Spirit of Christ that dwells within us, and is desirous to lead and guide us on a straight and upright path.
 
Please do not knowingly provoke Him to anger through unholy doings, for we never know how He will react when provoked, when ignored and dismissed as irrelevant and out of date, unimportant and simply an old wife’s tale.
 
Please allow the story of Ananias And Sapphira to guide our doings today. For that’s indeed wisdom from the high heavens! Much LOVE!
 
…to lie to ourselves and our fellow man…that’s one thing…but to lie to Almighty God…hn…now that’s certainly a horse of an entirely different colour…  
 
P.S. Long time I haven’t heard that old saying; a horse of a different colour. (smile) But they just seem to pop up when the time warrants. And then the oh so efficient Outlook platform froze on me. Steups! So I had to crash it and reboot. Ah Lord eh! The trials and tribulations we have to go through to spread God’s Word eh! (smile) Much LOVE!