Today’s Scrip-Bit 21 December 2007 Micah 6:8‏

21 Dec 2007 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Inspirational Living

Micah 6:8    He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good, and what doth the Lord require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God.
 
This is a continuation of yesterday’s Bit, where the Prophet Micah is talking to the Israelites, after the Lord invited them to ‘testify against me.’ Micah’s reminding them of all the good things the Lord had done for them; bringing them out of bondage in Egypt and looking after them in the wilderness. Then the question of how they should approach the Most High in atonement for their sins came up; should it be with burnt offerings, year old calves, thousands of rams, rivers of oil, or the life of their firstborn? Micah however dismissed those actions by quoting Today’s Bit. He explained that the Most High had already shown them what was good and what he required of them. It was simply to live right, be just and fair with each other, to love mercy. Note, He did not merely say be merciful, but rather LOVE being merciful. It’s something that deserves a high priority, be right at the top of our how to live list and should come naturally from us as Christians. Friends, it’s a two way street: We can’t ask or expect the Lord to shew us mercy and forgiveness and not do the same to our fellow man. That would be totally hypocritical, a style which too many of us are comfortable with. But please remember, our Heavenly Father despises, hypocrites, fools and proud, arrogant individuals, that’s why His last requirement is to walk humbly with your God. Follow the example of Jesus. He was the first but made Himself the last, in obedience to His Father’s will. That’s what we’ve got to do if we really want to be numbered amongst His obedient followers. Yes Friends, we all know it’s not easy, but it’s very possible with the Holy spirit working in us…anything is. Much LOVE!…as Burning Spear says…humble yourself my little one…humble yourself…

Today’s Scrip-Bit 20 December 2007 Micah 6:3‏

20 Dec 2007 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Inspirational Living

Micah 6:3    O my people, what have I done unto thee? and wherein have I wearied thee? testify against me.
 
Wow! Now isn’t that the mark of a just and fair God? The Lord was in a quandary. He didn’t know, couldn’t understand why His people Israel had forsaken Him. Through His servant, the Prophet Micah, He declares, ‘…for the Lord hath a controversy with His people and he will plead with Israel.’ And this he does in Today’s Bit. Which other God would even consider that He might have done something  to cause His people to turn against Him eh? Well…none really, because there’s no other God except the One we worship. But that just goes to show the lengths He’s willing to go for us. He’d brought the Israelites out of bondage in Egypt, looked after them in the wilderness, yet they’d still been disobedient. He just could not fathom it, and humbled Himself, asking what He’d done to make them forsake Him. ‘Testify against me,’ He says. Talk to me. Tell me the problem, because after all the good things I’ve done on your behalf, I can see no good reason for your backsliding. O Friends, I’m sure that hurt the Lord’s heart considerably, the same way it does when we turn away from Him for no good reason, after all the loving kindness and mercy He’s shown us. It all comes right back to that attitude of gratitude. That’s all He’s asking of us. The Israelites obviously didn’t show it and neither do we. It seems that we’re by nature a selfish, forgetful, ungrateful being. And that’s not right nor good people. It doesn’t play out well even amongst our human selves, much less in relation to our Heavenly Father. He’s our Creator, our Father, our God, our Guide, Provider, Protector…you name it, and He’s that to us. How then can we in all good conscience…and wisdom too, turn away, ignore, disrespect and disobey Him eh? Friends, it’s like that old cliché says ‘cutting off our nose to spite our face.’ It’s just downright dumb and stupid! However, another old cliché says, ‘a word to the wise is sufficient.’  Much LOVE! …being grateful for His goodness…that’s all he asks of us…

Today’s Scrip-Bit 19 December 2007 1 Chronicles 14:10..14..16..‏

19 Dec 2007 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Inspirational Living

1 Chronicles 14:10..14..16..   And David enquired of God… Therefore David enquired again of God… David therefore did as God commanded him…
 
Yuh see people, that’s why the Most High liked Bruh David so much; he enquired of Him, then he enquired again, before finally doing as the Lord commanded. Even so should we Friends. But all of this happened during David’s early warrior king days when the Philistines came a calling. The first time he asked about engaging them in battle, the Lord said yes. So he went out and smote them. But I particularly like what he said afterwards: ‘God hath broken in upon mine enemies by mine hand like the breaking forth of waters.’  Notice Friends, that although Bruh David wrought the actual physical damage, he was wise enough to realize that the victory was only accomplished through the backing of the Most High. Now the second time David asked about fighting the Philistines, the Lord said no, don’t go face to face with them, go over by the mulberry trees and wait. When you hear the sounds like fighting coming through the treetops, then attack, ‘for God is gone forth before thee to smite the host of the Philistines.’ And obedient son that he was, Bruh David followed the Master Strategist’s orders and routed the Philistines, ‘from Gibeon to Gazer.’  I don’t know how far that is, but it sure sounds like a good distance. Those resounding victories over the hitherto invincible Philistines caused Bruh David’s fame to spread far and wide, ‘and the Lord brought the fear of him upon all nations.’  Friends, I want us to focus on the fact that in every circumstance, every act, every action, the Most High was significantly involved. Bruh David consulted Him each time, took His advice on both occasions and gave Him deserved praise afterwards. The second time it was the Lord Himself who lead the first charge and all Bruh Dave had to do was basically mop up. At the end, it was the Lord again who made his name a household word that instilled and injected fear into the hearts of his enemies. O People, that’s how we’re supposed to operate. We have the Greatest Consultant ever, who not only gives the best advice but also consults for free! So why aren’t we using Him more eh? He wants, desires, even pleads with us to consult Him before we do anything, anything at all. He has only our best interests at heart and will never lead us astray, like a lot of those earthly so called experts, who only charge large fees and dole out worthless advice. Friends, I’m pleading with us, let’s start consulting the Greatest Consultant more nuh. It doesn’t matter whether it’s fifty or five hundred times a day. He’s always ready, willing and able to help us through the rough and rugged journey that’s life. But we’ve got to first approach Him. Much LOVE!…remember…His door is always open…and His phone is never busy…please seek Him and His counsel…
 

Today’s Scrip-Bit 18 December 2007 Psalm 92:1&4‏

18 Dec 2007 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Inspirational Living

Psalm 92:1&4   It is a good thing to give thanks unto the Lord, and to sing praises unto thy name, O most High. For thou Lord hast made me glad through thy work. I will triumph in the works of thy hands.
 
I most definitely will! Thank you Lord, Thank you! And again I say, Thank you! Oh Friends it’s such a wonderful thing to give thanks to our Heavenly Father, especially when He’s been good to us. Bear with me people. I’m on a high right now, a natural one, so if I write nonsense, just excuse me. The Good Lord has made me glad…no, glad is insufficient, it’s more like exceedingly joyful, through His wondrous work today, so I need to give thanks. And who knows more about giving thanks than Bruh David eh? That’s why I searched his copious library for something appropriate. And though I’ve used  the first verse as a Bit already, I didn’t care since it suited the occasion perfectly. And who says we can’t use them more than once? What happens when the Good Book runs out of worthy quotes eh? Then we’ll have to start all over again, like I had to do just now, when I lost the first version of this Bit. But that means we’ll be doing this for a long, long time. Hurrah! Another reason to give Him Thanks and Praise! Anyway, enough digression. It’s just something that’s been bugging me for a while, reared it’s ugly head full force earlier today. And whenever something’s riding the ole fella’s chest, he doesn’t enjoy peace until he gets it off. Smile children, you know how it is. So this afternoon I went right to the heart of the problem, aired my concerns. Lo and behold people, the Most High, in one of His mysterious, wonderful moves, immediately solved the problem, much to my immense surprise and satisfaction. All Thanks and Praise! It’s something I considered long overdue, that I agonized over from time to time and asked for His help in resolving. But obviously the Lord had a different timetable. He had it scheduled for solving today. And as I keep preaching, no keep emphasizing; Prayer and Patience people, Prayer and Patience. Although apparently I’m not following it myself. Shows I’m only human too. But that’s the only way Friends. Make your desires known, then patiently wait for Him to shower you with blessings, and then…excuse me a moment, I’m choking up…and then people just give Him thanks…a multitude of thanks…a whole heap of thanks and  praise for His loving kindness towards the children of men, who oftimes don’t deserve it. I sincerely appreciate all that you’ve done for me Lord. I’ve triumphed and been made joyful through the work of your wondrous hands. That’s why I’m saying, Thank You Lord, Thank You! Amen! As always Friends, Much LOVE!…nothing pleases Him more than a joyful heart, exuding sincere thanks and praise…

Today’s Scrip-Bit 17 December 2007 1 Samuel 12:24‏

17 Dec 2007 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Inspirational Living

1 Samuel 12:24.   Only fear the Lord, and serve him in truth with all your heart: for consider how great things he hath done for you.
 
Samuel was talking to the Israelites after they pleaded with God to give them a king, saying that although they had done evil, they should not turn aside from following the Lord because He would not forsake His people if they were obedient. Samuel himself promised to continue praying for them and their King, considering it a sin against the Lord if he stopped. He also promised to teach them the good and right way. And the good and right way my people is Today’s Bit. It’s pretty simple too. Fear the Lord; respect, revere, adore and worship Him. Serve Him in truth with all your heart. Just be obedient to His will. Do the things you know He wants you to do. Have a sincere, genuine desire to please Him. Live in LOVE. Eschew evil, do good. It’s nothing new. We’ve been hearing it since day one, but our inherent disobedience continually pushes us towards the negative side of life that He abhors. And finally, be thankful for all the wonderful things He’s done for us. As we said yesterday, have an attitude of gratitude. There’s nothing the Most High dislikes more than a proud, ungrateful sinner. The good and right way is simply showing genuine respect, obedience and thankfulness. That’s it in a nutshell Friends. Or as Dennis Hopper (Marshall Mcloud) would say in the old Detective T.V. Series, ‘Mcloud’…There you go! So Friends, let’s put a whole lot more effort into living THE RIGHT WAY nuh. Because Samuel ended his little chat with a solemn warning; if their wickedness continued, they and their King would be utterly consumed. And I know that we definitely don’t want that to happen to us. No way! Much LOVE!…just live in LOVE…that’s all it takes.
 

Today’s Scrip-Bit 16 December 2007 Psalm 86: 11-13‏

16 Dec 2007 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Inspirational Living

Psalm 86: 11-13    Teach me thy way O Lord, I will walk in thy truth: unite my heart to fear thy name. I will praise thee, O Lord my God, with all my heart: and I will glorify thy name for evermore. For great is thy mercy toward me: and thou hast delivered my soul from the lowest hell.
 
This psalm is simply titled ‘A Prayer of David.’ And it’s a simple prayer. Throughout it, he acknowledges his need for God’s help with all the problems in his life, while praising Him. In Today’s Bit, he particularly asks the Most High to teach him His ways, so that he can walk in obedience to them. He wants the Lord to work on his heart so that he can have true respect and adoration for His name. That’s what I like about Bruh David. He wasn’t afraid or ashamed to pour out the hurt and angst of his soul to his God. He was a man of passion; a mover and shaker, lived life to the full, made many mistakes, like all of us, but never forgot which side his bread was buttered on. He always remained true to the God of his fathers. And I guess that’s why Infinitely Everything liked him too, and pledged that He would never forsake his offspring. Many generations later, He tells them that He only looked upon them with grace and favour because of their forefather David. Friends, that’s the way our Heavenly Father wants us to come to Him: repentant but not grovelling, admitting our faults, our wrongs, our hurts, whatever’s troubling us, while acknowledging His sovereignty and loving kindness. That’s why Bruh David could say with a heavy, but thankful and hopeful spirit: ‘I will praise thee O Lord my god, with all my heart: and I will glorify thy name for evermore. For great is thy mercy towards me: and thou hast delivered my soul from the lowest hell.’ Friends, let’s turn to Him with the same kind of attitude nuh; an attitude of gratitude, crying out for His help and mercy and desiring to walk in obedience to His truth, while acknowledging the good things He has already done for us, and giving thanks in anticipation of what He’ll do in the future. Much LOVE!…remember…He says…my phone is never busy…my door is always open…come to Me…anytime.
 

Today’s Scrip-Bit 15 December 2007 Philippians 1: 27-28…‏

15 Dec 2007 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Inspirational Living

Philippians 1: 27-28…    Only let your conversation be as it becometh the gospel of Christ: that whether I come and see you, or else be absent, I may hear of your affairs, that ye stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel. And in nothing terrified by your adversaries…
 
ONE! That’s the magic number in Paul’s little discourse to the Philippians. As though Bruh Paul could ever say it simply eh. (smile) Anyway, he’s telling them to very careful what they talk about. To make sure their conversations are within the acceptable bounds of J.C’s teachings, and does not contravene the Word, or cause it to gain a negative reputation, that will eventually hamper or curtail it’s dissemination. What he always wants to hear about their congregation, whether he’s there with them or not, is that they stand together as ONE: ONE Spirit; ONE Mind; ONE Body of People working together, going in the same direction, striving for the same thing; the spreading of a positive, affirmative and effective gospel, based on the ONE and ONLY true God. And that Friends, is the only way the Word can be spread effectively, and more unfortunate people offered the good news of eternal salvation through Christ. We need to stick together as ONE; like a closely knit family, which we are in Christ. Those selfish, unchristian egos, like who’s the better preacher, the more religious, or whatever, are causing unnecessary animosity, contention and petty jealousy. Oh People, those negative emotions are creating too much divisiveness, leading to too many divisions in what is supposed to be a unified body; ONE Church.  The same thing Paul wanted to prevent with the Philippians, is the same thing we’ve allowed  to happen today. The enemy has infiltrated our inner sanctum and caused us to lose sight of our objective. We’ve become afraid to stand up for what we believe in, afraid of what the wicked world will think of us. Paul also warned the Philippians about being scared of the naysayers…in nothing be terrified by them. It’s not always easy, but we’ve got to be fearless, or fight scared, if that is what it takes. Friends, it’s not too late for us to retake what was lost. But we’ve got to stand fast as ONE: ONE Mind, ONE Spirit, ONE Body in Christ. Much LOVE!… remember…stand strong…the battle is the Lord’s.

Today’s Scrip-Bit 14 December 2007 Psalm 84: 10-12‏

14 Dec 2007 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Inspirational Living

Psalm 84: 10-12.    For a day in thy courts is better than a thousand. I had rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God, than to dwell in the tents of wickedness. For the Lord God is a sun and a shield: the Lord will give grace and glory: no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly. O Lord of hosts, blessed is the man that trusteth in thee.
 
Oh definitely Friends! One day in the place where our Heavenly Father dwells is much better than a thousand anywhere else. That’s a no-brainer! And who wouldn’t rather be a lowly servant in the Lord’s house, whether it be the physical church, or where He actually dwells, than to live with overly sinful and wicked people eh? Just imagine wandering around the gardens and rooms of Heaven nuh! What beauty and splendour! It’s strange though, some people would actually prefer to dwell amongst the evil doers, lured by their pretty but empty promises of an easy life, filled with fleshly lusts and earthly riches. But thankfully not those of us who profess belief in Jesus Christ, and try to live obedient to His will. For we know that the easy life is fraught with problems, while everything that glitters is not gold, and the lusts of the flesh only lead to death and destruction. But in the strength of the Most High, there is salvation and everlasting life! As the Psalmist says, the Lord God is a sun and shield. He simultaneously enlightens, and enriches our lives, as well as protects us from all harm. He’s a giver of grace and an uplifter of His followers. And if we walk in obedience to Him, hn, then people, He’ll shower us with mercy and blessings untold, withholding nothing good from us. Praise Him Friends! That’s much better than anything the evil doers can offer. And the fact that our God has proven His reliability and steadfastness over many, many generations, just bolsters our belief and faith in Him. Blessed is the man who places their utmost trust in the Most High. He will never be disappointed. Much LOVE!…just picture yourself hanging out with God in heaven nuh (smile)…
 

Today’s Scrip-Bit 13 December 2007 Isaiah 35: 3-4‏

13 Dec 2007 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Inspirational Living

Isaiah 35: 3-4    Strengthen ye the weak hands, and comfort the feeble knees. Say to them that are of a fearful heart, Be strong, fear not: behold your God will come with vengeance, even God with a recompense, he will come and save you.
 
Yes Friends, Be Strong, Fear Not! Our God will come and save us! That’s for sure! These are certainly rough times in which we live, and we need all the help and encouragement that we can get, just to make it through each day. As Christians, we also have the extra duty, the added responsibility of walking in Christ’s footsteps, big shoes to fill, but with His help, through the Holy Spirit, we can do a worthwhile job. But we’ve got to stand strong in the faith! That’s why the Most High was sending out encouragement through Isaiah to the Israelites: ‘Strengthen the weak hands and comfort the feeble knees.’ We’re all one big family in Christ, and the only way we’ll survive and eventually win, is by helping each other, encouraging one another, boosting each other’s hope and faith in the low, emotional and physical moments that we all experience at some time in our Christian journey. O People! Like the weakest link in a chain, if we don’t strengthen it, then the chain will break asunder and everything will come crashing down. Yes…everything crash! And we definitely don’t want that to happen to our family in Christ now, do we? So we’ve got to pull up our socks, our bootstraps, whatever cliché you find fitting, and get on with the job assigned to each of us. We cannot afford to be lazy, idle or asleep, because the enemy never is. He’s always out there, constantly on the lookout for the slightest opportunity, the smallest opening to infiltrate the Christian family with his ungodly ways. That’s his avowed purpose. Friends, we cannot allow that to happen. So let’s stand strong! Let’s help each other! Strengthen the weak! Comfort the feeble! Encourage the fearful of heart! Be patient! Until our loving God comes to redeem us…And He will. Much LOVE!…remember His promise…I will never leave you nor forsake you…
 

Today’s Scrip-Bit 12 December 2007 Daniel 4:37‏

12 Dec 2007 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Inspirational Living

Daniel 4:37    Now I Nebuchadnezzar praise and extol and honour the King of heaven, all whose works are truth, and his ways judgement: and those that walk in pride, he is able to abase.
 
Yes Friends, Nebuchadnezzar deserves one more day for those words of common sense and faith. And he learned them from hard experience, from suffering the hard knocks of life. After yesterday’s Bit, he expounded on a dream he had, which none of his people could interpret, but Daniel did. And although it was not wonderful, in fact rather macabre, Nebu did show poise and restraint when Daniel told him that it meant he would be driven out of the kingdom to live with beasts, like a beast. However, he would not lose the kingdom forever, just for about seven years, until he understood ‘that the Most High ruleth the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever he will.’ And sure as day, some twelve months later, while Nebu was strutting about in his magnificent palace, preening and gloating about his wonderful kingdom that he had built ‘by the might of my power and for the honour of my majesty’ a voice from heaven announced that the kingdom would be taken from him, plus all the other things Daniel had said. And in that same hour, Nebu was driven out; he did eat grass like an oxen, his hair grew like eagle’s feathers, and his nails like bird claws. But at the end of the appointed time, Nebu lifted up his eyes to heaven and his understanding returned to him and he blessed the Most High. He finally realized who was the real boss, the real mighty one. It’s sad that he had to go through so much humiliation just to learn the lesson of too much pride. The old saying of pride goes before a fall was truly exemplified by Nebu’s situation. Now don’t laugh or gloat either Friends, we are guilty of the same thing. If we look back through our lives, I’m sure we’ll all find numerous examples of when the Lord put us through some unpleasant circumstances, possibly not as rough as Nebu’s, but for the same reason, to teach us a lesson about being too proud. So People, please remember Nebu’s undoing when the enemy comes a calling, encouraging us to puff out our chest and march with boastful pride in the power of our own accomplishments. Much LOVE!…also remember his words…those that walk in pride, He is able to abase…
 

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