Today’s Scrip-Bit 21 October 2007 Psalm 34:4&6 Psalm 35:28.‏

21 Nov 2007 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Inspirational Living

Psalm 34:4&6, 35:28    I sought the Lord, and he heard me, and delivered me from all my fears. This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him, and saved him out of all his troubles.  And my tongue shall speak of thy righteousness and of thy praise all day long.
 
Thank you, thank you, thank you Lord, thank you! Over the last couple weeks, the ole fella’s been struggling with a particular matter, very near and dear to his heart, and just could not figure out how to handle it. Of course I asked for Heavenly Guidance, and several sensible, workable options that seemed to come from up yonder registered on my mental network. Unfortunately though, when I tried putting them into effect, all of them eventually fell through, for one reason or another. I was getting more frustrated and irritable with each passing day that saw no progress. I didn’t seem to be getting any help from man nor God, and time was running out on me, the problem was getting worse. Finally, yesterday, I just threw up my hands in anguish and despair and said, that’s it yes Lord! I can’t do anymore. I don’t know how to handle this, because every time I think you’ve given me the answer, that solution falls apart. I’m just letting it go now, because it’s slowly killing me. Just leaving it up to you now, and whatever happens, happens. I obviously did not give up completely, but I relaxed a little. Lo and behold, today a small breakthrough occurred, a glimmer of hope surfaced. Now it’s only a glimmer, but at least this option seems to be telling me that I’m on the right track. And who says prayer doesn’t work eh? I guess I was just too impatient, I wanted immediate answers and solutions. But the Most High apparently wasn’t ready to grant them. As He says, our time is not necessarily His time. I can now understand how David felt when he claimed that he sought the Lord, and he delivered him from all his fears. This poor ole fella certainly cried out! And it seems as though Infinitely Everything heard him. However, I’m not going to get carried away just yet. I’m crossing my fingers, knocking on some wood and keeping on praying. And most definitely Friends, most definitely, my tongue shall speak of His righteousness and I shall give Him praise all day, as well as every day, for He is a most generous and loving God. Much LOVE…and keep on praying…it may take time, but keep on praying!

Today’s Scrip-Bit 20 October 2007 Psalm 34:1-3‏

21 Nov 2007 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Inspirational Living

Psalm 34:1-3.    I will bless the Lord at all times: his praise shall continually be in my mouth. My soul shall make her boast in the Lord: the humble shall hear thereof, and be glad. O magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt his name.
 
More poignant words from the Psalmist  David. And believe me, he had plenty cause to sing the Lord’s praises, the numerous times The Most High saved his bacon. This Psalm was reputedly written after David, on Jonathan’s warning, fled from Saul to the priest Ahimelech.(1 Samuel 20, 21) David lied to him about having to leave in haste on a secret mission for Saul, that’s why he only had a few men, no food and no weapons. The poor, frightened priest, not knowing that his good deed would cost him and many of his fellow priests their lives, gave David hallowed bread and Goliath’s sword. Then David went to A’chish, King of Gath. But the king’s servants recognized David as a mighty warrior, this made him so afraid that he feigned madness, drooling spittle on his beard. But A’chish didn’t want a madman around him, so David then fled to the cave Adullam in the wilderness with his small band of followers. Hn,hn! David was surely a man of many parts and did plenty wrong stuff, but apparently throughout all his wrongdoings, he never seemed to have lost sight of his Protector; The Most High, and found time to sing His praises and give Him thanks. And whenever the Lord draped him up, called him to account for a particular sin, he seems to have admitted it without too much hemming and hawing, and paid whatever price the Lord deemed sufficient. Friends, that’s the way we need to be; admit our sins and pay the price without too much squawking, but also continuously give thanks and praise to Our God. We need to let our hearts be so full of Him, that when the humble hear about Him form us, they’ll be so glad, that they’ll jump for joy and shout with us, "Oh magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt His Name together!" Much LOVE…as little wrongdoing as possible…continuous praise and much exalting of his Holy Name.

Today’s Scrip-Bit 19 October 2007 2nd Timothy 4:6-8‏

21 Nov 2007 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Inspirational Living

2nd Timothy 4: 6-8.    For I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand. I have fought a good fight. I have finished, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith. Henceforth is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing.
 
Paul was winding down his ministry when he wrote this second Epistle to Timothy. He knew that his mortal days were numbered and was trying to instil just a little more encouragement into his young protégé, Timothy. In yesterday’s Bit, Hebrews 12:1-2, Paul encouraged us to be hardy and persevering and run our race without too  much complaining. Today, he’s saying that he did just that. He kept the faith, fought the good fight, and of the utmost importance, finished the race. Friends, it’s imperative that we finish our race. It doesn’t matter what position you are, first or last, but you must cross over that finish line. When you look at all these modern day marathons you’ll see that folks are just as happy to see the last person cross the line as they are the first…well that’s perhaps stretching it a bit, but people are always happy to see the runners finish. It just says some thing about them, about their ‘stick-to it-tiveness.’  The same goes for our race of life people. We show our heart, desire, perseverance and loyalty to J.C when we run to the finish. Paul then goes on to witness that a crown of righteousness had been put away for him by the Righteous Judge; The Most High, which he would receive on Judgement Day. He ends by saying that a crown of righteousness was not only in his future, but also for all of us Believers who LOVE  J.C and look forward to His coming again in glory. Oh Friends, what a heart-warming promise, what a magnificent occasion to look forward to! Let’s hope, no forget the hope, let’s definitely, positively, assuredly, all work together, in faith, so that at the end of our earthly journey, we’ll be able to say, like Paul, I’ve run a good race, finished as high as I could, and am now awaiting the victor’s crown. Much LOVE…and again, plenty faith…with much needed perseverance to run a demanding but glorious race.

Today’s Scrip-Bit 18 October 2007 Hebrews 12:1-2.‏

21 Nov 2007 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Inspirational Living

Hebrews 12:1-2    Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us. Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.
 
We all have an individual race to run, one that’s different from everybody else’s, and, as Believers, nobody’s race is easy. That’s just the way it is. We are surrounded by unbelievers living a worldly, lustful, attractive lifestyle that keeps on flashing and dangling its enticing bait before us, plus other believers, either checking us out to see if we’re walking our talk, or simply making life difficult for us, and a whole host of other things, some of which aren’t necessarily wrong, but just don’t fit the Christian mould. Paul is saying though, that we should set aside all the problems that burden us and just hold our heads high, shoulders back, and simply run our race. Easier said than done Paul mih son!  And everybody doesn’t possess his fortitude and evangelical zeal. But in all fairness, he then shows us how to do it; by looking unto J.C, who’s already run the race, already blazed the trail for us and hit the finish line in a brilliant burst of glory. His Heavenly Father gave Him a difficult, agonizing race to run here on earth, but He buckled down, with the help of the Holy Spirit and endured the inhumane suffering of the cross, all for our sakes. So how can we now be ungrateful, fussing and complaining about  the little He’s asked of us eh? It’s nothing compared to what He went through. Obviously we don’t have His righteousness, so we will make mistakes and falter every so often, but if we seriously buckle down to the task, with the help of the ever present Holy Spirit, and looking unto J.C as our Guiding Light, we can bear up under the pressure and turn in an excellent performance. Remember, Friends, although the road may be rough and rugged, He never sets us a task without  giving us the tools to accomplish it. And as Paul pointed out, look at where J.C ended up after running His race without any complaining; at the right hand of the throne of God. Wow! And Friends, we can end up the same place if we persevere in doing his bidding. Much LOVE…careful running and plenty perseverance, until we meet at J.C’s right hand!
 
P.S. Our God is really something else yes! Just now, as I finished the rough draft of Today’s Bit, before coming over to the computer, I began cleaning up some stuff on my desk and muttering under my breath about the amount of things I had to do and when would I be finished. Then suddenly I burst out laughing, because I realized that that was exactly what I had just written about, and I needed to take that message to heart too, take my medicine like everybody else, just shut up, buckle down and do it! Isn’t He sweet, the way He gets our attention!

Today’s Scrip-Bit 17 October 2007 Revelation 21:1-4.‏

21 Nov 2007 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Inspirational Living

Revelation 21:1-4.    And I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and first earth were passed away: and there was no more sea. And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying; Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God. And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.
 
Oh Believers, what a beautiful picture! What a comforting, reassuring vision! What a glorious beginning! That’s just how J.C promised it: When He comes again, the old world will be no more, He’ll cast it and the savage, disgusting enemy out. Instead, there’ll be a new Jerusalem, pretty as a picture, like a bride a on her wedding day. And God will dwell with us; we’ll be His people, and obviously He’ll be our god. And in His ever merciful and loving kindness, He’ll alleviate our misery. He’ll wipe away all our tears. And wonder of wonders, there’ll be no more death, or sad, gory stuff like sorrow and crying, and pain, because Infinitely Everything would have banished all those negative things to the nether world forever. It’ll be a New Dawning, of a New Day! We’ll get a wonderful opportunity to start over from scratch with Our Saviour. Lots of singing and dancing and praising and thanksgiving! Friends, we’ve got to hold on to that promise, envision that vision for ourselves. It’s our Lifeline! If we intend to follow J.C, we’ve got to believe that He’ll come again as He promised, riding in His golden chariot amongst the billowing clouds, surrounded by a Heavenly Host, singing Hallelujah! Christ is come! In the meanwhile we’ve got to wait patiently, but be prepared, with a song of praise in our hearts and obediently do His bidding, for only the Father knows when that time will be. Much LOVE… Hope to party with all of you on that Glorious Salvation Morn!

Today’s Scrip-Bit 16 October 2007 Proverbs 31: 30-31.‏

21 Nov 2007 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Inspirational Living

Proverbs 31: 30-31.    Favour is beautiful and beauty is vain: but a woman that feareth the Lord, she shall be praised. Give her of the fruit of her hands: and let her own works praise her in the gates.
 
What a beautiful sentiment! And ole Solomon should know about women. For much too long women have been considered second class citizens, mentally inferior to the most ignorant man, just because they’re women. But that’s … well, in a scriptural text, I guess I can’t use the terminology I really want to, so we’ll just say that it’s not true. It all stems from man’s macho, fearful, chauvinistic instinct of not being number one. Anyway, education wise, in terms of formal schooling, women were, until recently, purposely refused it because mankind proclaimed they were only good for child bearing and house work. But are there any two things more difficult than bearing children and running a household? I doubt it. And most men would fail at both. It’s also sad to see that until the late 19th, early 20th centuries, women were still considered chattels; mere things, possessions like animals, bought and sold, given away, whatever, without regard to their feelings or welfare. And in some societies the animals were more important. Unfortunately, it’s still that way today in too many stupid, patriarchal societies. Neither were women able to vote until they got together as a group and demanded the right in the first half of the 20th century. Today, they are still channelled towards the lowliest, menial work, still paid less than men for equal work, still kept under the glass ceiling, unable to rise to their full potential by the subtle and often not so subtle machinations of the old boys network. They’re often used and abused by their own spouses and families. So why is all this still happening when men are spouting all these praises to the women in their lives? On every awards show, it’s thanks to God, my mother, my wife, or some woman. Until recently women weren’t even allowed to hold any high lay post in the Church, much less become preachers. Even Paul, in his so called wisdom in 1st Timothy Chapter 2, declared that nonsense about women should not teach or usurp authority over men, but should be silent, reasoning that Adam was first formed, and Eve was the first transgressor, not Adam. However, in 2nd Timothy, Chapter 1, he reminds him, that his, Timothy’s faith was first nourished in his grandmother Lois, and his mother Eunice. So what’s the point? They can have faith but not share it, not noise it about just because they’re women? And how did Timothy get started? Through his maternal relatives. I hope it was just Paul’s macho, chauvinistic side showing up. Because, as Solo says, favour and beauty in a woman isn’t worth much, but those who believe in and respect the Most High should be greatly praised. They should be allowed to do their own thing and receive the praise and benefit from it. I believe that Lois and Eunice were exactly the kind of women Solo was referring to. And in my own life, most of the good attributes I have, I owe to several strong women who’ve passed through my life at different times, starting with my mother Molly, and my great grand mother Lee. They were all strong believers and lived decent Christian lives. Two of my favourite preachers are Rev. Anne Smith in my church and Joyce Meyer on t.v. In fact I’m going to listen to Joyce after I’ve sent this. So should women be denied their birthright as God’s children, just because they’re women? Absolutely not! But women, there’s also another side to the coin: You also have a part to play. You can’t just use your physical beauty and woman’s wiles to get by. If you want to genuinely make a difference, you can’t play the same, stupid, hypocritical games that men do. You’ve got to rise above the petty concerns that rule men, and show them that you’re worth your salt, and can do a better job of running the world than they’ve done. Awright Daughters! Much LOVE…and Women, stand up and fight the good fight! The Most High is also your, Saviour, Father, Guide and Protector. And Men…Let’s LOVE our Women nuh!  Although they can be annoying at times. (smile) LOVE’S THE ONLY WAY!

Today’s Scrip-Bit 15 October 2007 Malachi 4:1-2‏

21 Nov 2007 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Inspirational Living

Malachi 4:1-2.    For behold, the day cometh, that shall burn as an oven; and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble: and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the Lord of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch. But unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings; and ye shall go forth, and grow up as calves of the stall.
 
Behold, the day of thunder, hellfire and brimstone! It’s coming people, it’s coming. When? We don’t know. But for sure it’s going to come. Possibly sooner than we expect, so we had better be ready, because if it comes and we’re found wanting…Hn! Then crapaud smoke we pipe yes! Things going to be real bad with us. As the Prophet Malachi told the Israelites, that day will come when the proud and wicked will be burned, erasing all signs of them and their families. However, for those of us who fear His name; revere and respect Him, who believe in Him and obediently accept and  follow His loving guidance, then, on that day of Armageddon, then the Sun of righteousness shall arise, the everlasting kingdom of Jesus Christ shall be proclaimed. He shall come forth in a dazzling burst of glory, with healing in His wings, to protect and keep us safe from the fiery situation engulfing the world. On that day, believers shall be honoured with His fatherly LOVE, made strong and free, and taken to live happily ever after with Him as His loving children in that Heavenly mansion He’s prepared for us. Friends, I implore you, let’s try and be amongst those chosen few, because the other side of the coin is unthinkable. And also, let’s try and get The Word out to so many that have not heard it, so that they too will have a fighting chance come that dreadful, but for believers, glorious Day of Judgement. Much LOVE…plenty, plenty effort in spreading The Word!

Today’s Scrip-Bit 14 October 2007 Isaiah 41:10‏

21 Nov 2007 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Inspirational Living

Isaiah 41:10.    Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.
 
More powerful, encouraging words of Scripture; this time spoken by the Prophet Isaiah, many, many, moons ago. And nothing has changed. It is still as fresh and powerful and relevant today, as it was back then. This verse deals with Fear; something we all face many times over the course of our mortal lives. And it’s only natural to be afraid of things that seem more powerful than us, especially in our current, violence ridden world. But who is the most powerful eh? Who is the Mightiest of the Mighty? Undoubtedly the Lord God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob!  And we are called Believers because we BELIEVE this fact wholeheartedly. So let’s do some logical thinking: If we believe that Our Heavenly Father is the most powerful Being in the Universe, and if one of His prophets, one of His spokespeople brings us a message from Him, saying, don’t fear or be dismayed, because I am your God, and I will always be by your side, in good times and bad. I will help you, strengthen you and keep you safe and uplifted with My powerful right hand, then why should we be afraid eh? If we are, then possibly our belief mechanism is not strong enough and we need to get The Word, the dependable, reliable, trustworthy promises of The Most High more entrenched, more deeply rooted in our minds and souls. Now don’t get me wrong, all of us have just cause to be fearful of certain things, but as somebody said, bravery is not the absence of fear, but rather ploughing ahead in spite of that fear. Friends, the sad thing about fear is that it’s capable of paralyzing us if we give into it. We can have done something a million or more times over, but on that one occasion when we allow fear to get the upper hand, we can behave as though we’ve never performed that task before. Friends, I’m asking us today, not to let Fear take over our lives, to get the upper hand on us. It’s okay to be afraid, but not to let Fear control us. We have the faithful promise of the most awesome, most powerful Being in existence, ‘Infinitely Everything’ that He will always be with us to help, strengthen and guide us. So there’s no need to Fear. Let’s LOVE instead nuh, because GOD IS LOVE…and LOVE CONQUERS ALL!  Much, much LOVE Friends…and as little Fear as possible.

Today’s Scrip-Bit 13 October 2007 Psalm 104:33-34.‏

21 Nov 2007 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Inspirational Living

Psalm 104: 33-34    I will sing unto the Lord as long as I live:  I will sing praise to my God while I have my being. My meditation of him shall be sweet:  I will be glad in the Lord.
 
But nuh must! What beautiful, empowering, encouraging words from my favourite poet, David. He certainly had an excellent way of talking about and communicating with His God. One can’t help but fall under its spell. He’s not afraid or ashamed to proclaim, "I will sing unto the Lord as long as I live. I will sing praise to my God while I have my being." That’s showing enormous trust and confidence in The Most High. It means He was deeply rooted in David’s soul, fastened with unbreakable, unmoveable bonds. And when he says, "My meditation of him shall be sweet," I can just picture the young man, David, out in the vast wilderness with just his sheep and His God for company. Imagine him sitting alone under a wilting tree, searching for some shade and relief from the hot, desert sun, whittling a piece of wood, whistling or singing a Psalm, or practising with his sling shot, and on a quiet, beautiful night, lying in the open, under the brilliant stars, peacefully communing with His Maker. There was nothing else for him to do if the sheep were quiet and restful. No cell phones, no i-pods, no laptops. Just him and His God. That must surely be where he acquired that awesome inner strength, that total sense of trust and confidence in the God of his Fathers. Lots of time just to sit and meditate, sit and ponder the whys, wonders and wherefores of the universe; feel the aura of God surrounding him in love and safety. With all of that going for him, he was certainly justified in proclaiming, "I will be glad in the Lord!" Friends, please, please, let’s try and do likewise: let’s all sing His praises, ponder Him in sweet wonder and be eternally glad and joyous in His Holy Name. Much LOVE…Plenty singing and praising and meditating in joyful gladness!

Today’s Scrip-Bit 12 October 2007 Luke 12:15.‏

21 Nov 2007 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Inspirational Living

Luke 12:15.    And he said unto them, Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man’s life consisteth not in the abundance of things which he possesseth.
 
As the old folks would say, that’s the gospel truth! And we shouldn’t need J.C to remind us of that. Here, some fellow wanted Him to tell his brother to divide their inheritance equally, but J.C with his usual aplomb and dry wit, asked the man who made Him a judge or divider over them. Then He spoke Today’s Bit, and followed it up with the parable about the  man who had so much material wealth, but no where to store it. So, in his great wisdom, he decided to tear down what he had and build bigger and better structures that would be able to hold all his material possessions. Hn! The Most High however, had other ideas, and required the soul of the man that night. So what good was all those possessions to him? None, since he could not take any of it with him. And we are foolishly following in that man’s footsteps. J.C. must be sadly shaking His head in Heaven, seriously concerned about us, because our world is so rife with materialism. It’s all about what and how much material possessions you possess. And not only that, but also whose is better. It’s like a crazy free for all out there; everybody’s encouraging you to buy, buy, buy. Get this new this, or this new that, then tomorrow it’s outdated, made obsolete by another new fangled toy. Consider, the recent surge in computer technology, cell phones, i-pods, hand held wireless devices, plasma, wide screen and whatever other kind of TV’s, home theatre systems, cars, houses and the upcoming battle between the two kinds of DVD’s. Like we never learned anything from the Beta and VCR confusion.  And it all costs more money, but has less substance than ever. Everything is hyped so much now, that you wonder what they’ll do for an encore. And although we know we can’t take any of it with us, we still persist in the break-neck, rat race pursuit of amassing worldly possessions. And like the man asking J.C about talking to his brother, we leave a lot of stuff behind for our families and lawyers and hanger’s on to fight over, thus creating further turmoil in our already apathetic world. Almost every death of a wealthy person provokes some kind of lawsuit. Check James Brown and Anna Nicole Smith. Friends, we should try to improve our economic situation and live comfortably, but not at the expense of other stuff. Accumulation of things should not be so far above everything else on our agenda, that we don’t have time for those other pursuits. Remember in the parable above, J.C considered the man a fool for wanting to build bigger and better, and ended it by saying, "So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich towards God." (Luke 12:21)  In light of that Friends, let’s try not to be too foolish nuh. Instead , let’s focus on the things of God.  Much LOVE…as little foolishness as possible…and plenty, plenty richness towards The Most High!

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