Bits and Pieces – 136th Edition – October 16, 2022

     These days writers are encouraged to write in short sentences so that their productions will be concise and to the point.  Paul, in his epistles, was not concerned about the niceties of modern writing but about getting the message out.  That Gospel message was so great in its height and depth that often Paul’s heart overflowed.

     In Ephesians chapter 1 Paul begins to list the spiritual blessings the Christian enjoys in Christ Jesus, and he is so taken up with the subject that he cannot bring himself to close the sentence.  From the third to the fourteenth is one unbroken sentence of 269 words in English (205 in Greek).  Periods or full stops have been placed after the sixth and twelfth verses in the English version, but in reality, they are not necessary.

     That enormous sentence is crammed with immense spiritual blessings the believer enjoys in Christ Jesus – election, predestination, adoption, redemption through the blood, forgiveness, the revelation of God’s will, and the sealing of the Spirit, to name the most obvious ones.

     These blessings come to us not because we have earned them but because God, through the riches of His grace, has given them to us according to the good pleasure of His will.  A sovereign God dispenses sovereign blessings.

     Faced with such great spiritual privileges, we should learn each day to count our blessings.  So often, people focus on what they have no and become depressed and despondent.  Centre rather on the things you do have in Christ Jesus, and you will enter each day with a song.  This new day holds great promise.  Commence it not with grumbling and complaining but with prayer and rejoicing.

     Frequently on the lips of many people today is the observation, “what is the world coming to?”  This is in response to the increase of murders and killings of our day.   It is one thing for criminals to die, but now little children are butchered, and increasing numbers of policemen are being killed in the line of duty.

     The writer was born and bred in Northern Ireland.  During his teenage years there was rarely more than two murders in a year.  Sadly, those days are long gone and sinful practices are on the increase.

     The Lord, through His prophet Isaiah, describes the wicked world of today:

“Ah sinful nation, a people laden with iniquity, a seed of evildoers … they have forsaken the Lord, they have provoked the Holy One of Israel unto anger”  [Isaiah 1:4].

     Noah’s day was also on of great iniquity and led directly to judgment by flood.  The Lord warned us that, “as it was in the days of Noe, so shall it be also in the days of the son of man.”   Surely, “the coming of the Lord draweth nigh.” [James 5:8].   Are you ready?

     Did any servant of the Lord suffer more than the apostle Paul?  2 Corinthians chapters 4 and 11 list some of the afflictions that befell Paul as he furthered the ministry of the Gospel.  He illustrated his messages to ensure that they were fastened to the minds of the people.  One such illustration was “the earthen vessel.”

      When someone gets a valuable watch or piece of jewellery it invariably comes in a nice, velvet-lined box.  How foolish it would be to throw the ring away and treasure the box.  The servants of God are the containers displaying the treasure, but the Gospel itself is the precious jewel.

     God is looking for “earthen vessels” [4:7]. They may not feel very strong, and have a tendency to crack easily, but in the hands of the great Potter thy can be very useful in the Lord’s service.

     When Noah was building the Ark he was in the minority – but he won.

     When Joseph was sold into Egypt by his brothers  he was in the minority – but he won.

     When Gideon with 300 men and pitchers and lamps put the Mideanites to flight he was in the minority – but he won.

     When David, ridiculed by his brothers, went out to meet Goliath he was in the minority – but he won.

     When Martin Luther nailed his theses to the church door in Wittenberg he was in the minority – but he won.

     When Jesus Christ was crucified by the Roman soldiers He was in the minority – but He WON!