Wealth and possessions, this is a gift from God. The ability to enjoy wealth and possessions, to accept our lot and plot, to be happy in our toil—this too is a gift from God. (Ecclesiastes 5:19)
Lord, thanks fer the station aboard ship ya ‘ave assigned me. Thanks fer the good things that fall inter my lap without any hard effort on my part. Thanks fer the work joy I find in the lift and fall of this vessel, the laughter of the crew after a good day’s work, fer how the tasks assigned ter me strengthen my muscles and grow gray matter. Not all treasures be found in a chest stowed under a bunk. You alone bring out heaven’s riches fer those who fear ya.
When you and your children return to the Lord your God and obey him with all your heart and with all your soul according to everything I command, then the Lord your God will bring much good upon ALL the work you do. Deuteronomy 30:9
Thank you, Father, that you desire to bring much good to all the work I do. Please search my heart and if you find any offense, please bring it to mind that I might repent, turn, and obey you with all my heart and soul.
May these words of my mouth and this meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, Lord, my Rock (Psalm 18:2) and my Redeemer (Isaiah 47:4). (Psalm 19:14)
A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of. (Luke 6:45)
Oh, Lord, may I bury your words in my heart.
The person who delights is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on his law day and night, is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does, prospers. (Psalm 1:2-3)
Oh, Lord, may I delight in your words, your laws, your decrees, your statutes. When I lay down and when I awake may your law be in my heart. Not simply in order that you would bless me, though you will, but that my joy in you may be complete.
Who can discern their own errors? Who can forgive their own hidden faults? Oh, Lord, keep your servant from willful sins. Oh, Lord, may my sins not rule over me. Only after you discern my errors, expose my hidden faults, restrain me from my willful disobedience, and save me from sinning over-and-over, will I be blameless in your sight. Oh, Lord, may I be innocent of great transgressions. Let it be, Lord. Let it be! (Psalm 19:12-13)
The fear of the Lord is pure. The fear of the Lord endures forever. The decrees of the Lord are firm and sure. The decrees of the Lord are righteous. The decrees of the Lord are gold like much pure gold. The decrees of the Lord are are sweeter than honey, like honey from the honeycomb. The decrees of the Lord warn your servant. Keeping the decrees of the Lord bring great reward. (Psalm 19:9-11)
Looking fer a 100% guarantee? Look ter Skip’s words. His words be pure, sure, firm, and endure. His words be more valuable than all the gold buried on Treasure Island. His words be sweet in the mouth and go down slick like honey. Skip’s words warn us from danger. Keep Skip’s Code of Conduct and yer treasure ‘ill be great mate, ya may lay ter that.
From infancy, if our mum and pop trained us up properly, we be familiar with the Holy Scriptures. When we follow Skip’s Code of Conduct, his law kin make us wise fer salvation through faith in his Son. (2 Timothy 3:15)
Only thar be another group that claims Skipper’s Law be not perfect, but flawed.
“God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” (Genesis 3:5)
In response ter this lie from the devil, Skipper said ter that lying snake, “Cursed are you!” (Genesis 3:14)
Cursed, indeed, we all be, fer we fell fer that lie. In response Skip offered us a way back inter his loving arms. “If you obey me fully and keep my covenant, then you will be my treasured possession.” (Exodus 19:5) Fer a while we did everything Skip said. (Exodus 19:8)
Then we went back ter our old sinning ways.
In this way Skip’s truth be revealed: all who rely on works of the law be cursed under the law. (Galatians 3:10) Not a single one of us kin keep Skip’s law. (Romans 3:23)
“Cursed is anyone who does not uphold the words of this law by carrying them out.” (Deuteronomy 27:26)
Cursed we be.
Or were.
Now we be set free from the curse of sin. Not because we kin keep Skip’s laws, but ’cause his Son kept them fer us. Skip gives us his Spirit ter work miracles among us, not by the works of the law, but by believing what we heard and read ’bout his Son. (Galatians 3:5)
Skip’s law be but obedience. (Galatians 3:12)
Freedom from the curse of sin comes because Skip’s Son became accursed fer us. (Galatians 3:13)
Skip’s law does not set aside the covenant established between Skip and Abraham, fer if our inheritance of Skipper’s promises depend upon us keeping his law, then the promise of our inheritance be not a promise, but a transaction. (Galatians 3:17-18)
Does Skip’s Code of Conduct oppose his promises? Heaven ferbid!
Fer if a law had been given that could impart life, then righteousness would certainly have come by the law. But Skip’s Code of Conduct locked up everything under the control of sin, so that what was promised, being given through faith in the Son, might be given to those who believe. Befer the coming of the Son, we whar held in custody under the law, chained, as it whar, until the faith that was to come would be revealed. So the law whar our guardian until the Son arrived. In this way we be justified by faith, not by works and holding ter every law. (Galatians 3:21-25)
Because we believe in the Son as our savior, we are no longer be under the guardianship of Skip’s Code of Conduct.
Only, if we do not ‘ave faith in the Son as our savior, then we remain under the supervision of the law and subjects ter it.
Does Skip’s law promote sin? Heaven ferbid! We would not know what sin whar except fer the law. (Romans 7:7) Apart from Skip’s Code of Conduct, sin be dead. But when the commandments arrived, sin sprang ter life like a snake. Bit us, sin did, and in that moment we died. (Romans 7:9)
Skip’s law be holy. His Code of Conduct be holy. (Romans 7:12)
And the only way we get back inter the loving arms of a holy skipper is ter be holy. We kin not be holy on our own. Skip’s Code of Conduct proves this. Only through the blood of his Son kin we be holy.
Praise be Skip’s Son kept ever’ command and died in our place fer our sins so that we might be with him in his Father’s house. This be a mysterious journey, but one which, if we ‘ill dare take, leads ter peace and a joy that ‘ill ne’er end.
In the heavens God has pitched a tent for the sun. It is like a bridegroom coming from God’s pavilion. It is like a champion rejoicing to run his course. The sun rises at one end of the heavens and makes its circuit to the other. Nothing is hidden from its heat. (Psalm 19:4-6)
When seen, we feel the sun’s heat. Unseen, we still feel its heat.
The sun be above all. Skipper’s Son also be above all.
The sun comes like a bridegroom.
Skippers’s Son comes ter us as our bridegroom, fer we, his Church, be his bride. (John 3:29) (Matthew 9:15) (Mark 2:19) (Luke 5:34) (Revelation 22:17) (2 Corinthians 11:2) (Luke 5:35) (John 2:9) (Revelation 19:7) (Mark 2:18) (Ephesians 5:25-27) (Matthew 9:14-15)
The sun rejoices in its daily run.
Skipper’s Son rejoiced when his work on the cross whar completed, fer his joy was complete. (John 15:11) (Luke 15:5-7) (John 17:13) (Hebrews 12:2)
Nothing is hidden from the sun.
Nothing is hidden from Skip’s Son.
Nothing is hidden from the sun’s heat.
Nothing is hidden from Skip’s Son’s intense heat.
Praise be that the sun that warms man and the earth and provides us with life-sustaining warmth.
Praise be that Skipper’s Son provides us with eternal life through his shed blood on the cross.
May we look up at the heavens, see the sun, and praise Skipper fer his Son, our Lord and Savior.
