Today’s Scrip-Bit 21 March 2011 Psalm 33:1‏

21 Mar 2011 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Inspirational Living

Psalm 33:1.    Rejoice in the Lord. O ye righteous: for praise is comely for the upright.

Alas Friends, it’s Monday, the day so many of us dread! That’s because it means going back out to labour once again, after a mere two days off, and instead of using the time productively in rest and fellowship, we frolicked it away and now we’re still tired. (smile) But fortunately, with the help of our Monday Morning Battle Hymn, we can surely light a fire under tired believers. So let’s sing it loud and brave. ‘Forte y Bravissimo!’ (smile) ‘Oh Lord God Almighty, Creator of the universe and all therein! We, your humble servants, praise your Holy Name and thank you that this Monday morning we have jobs to go to; jobs we don’t like, jobs that are unfair, difficult and even dangerous, but which serve a useful purpose here on earth; keeping lives and families together. We also thank you Father for the renewed vitality and enthusiasm you’ve wrought in our weary souls over the last two days. It’s that rejuvenation of Spirit which allows us now to sally forth with confidence into the evil, ungodly world that surrounds us, to begin a new week of work, constantly buffeted and bombarded by the enemy’s wicked taunts, wiles and lies. But heavenly Father, we’re not afraid, for we know we’re invincible, sure conquerors, once we’re wearing your powerful, protective spiritual armour. We surrender our all to you, and humbly ask that you let your incredible aura of LOVE, the Holy Spirit, lead and guide all your servants as we go out to meet the enemy in battle. Fill us with steadfast faith, so that we can make worthwhile inroads into the enemy’s ranks, and thereby further your glorious kingdom. We pray this in the Holy Name of your Son, and our Saviour, Jesus Christ. AMEN!’ And now that we’ve lit that fire under ourselves, a fire that’s as strong and blazing hot as those under a jet propulsion rocket, let’s take off with that same power into the evil world and show them what Christ’s followers are truly made of. That’s the awesome power of prayer and praise my Friends! It lifts us up spiritually, emotionally and physically! No wonder the psalmist in our Bit enthusiastically declares: ‘Rejoice in the Lord, O ye righteous: for praise is comely (beautiful) for the upright.’ Oh my people, when we lift our voices in praise to our Sovereign God, it opens up a whole new world of power for us. It all stems from the fact that: ‘By the word of the Lord were the heavens made; and all the host of them by the breath of his mouth.’ (Ps.33:6) Yes Friends, the world was created solely by the words of the Lord’s mouth, and it’s the same way our words generally produce the images we declare. That’s why believers are encouraged to speak what they seek, because in the spiritual realm words are very powerful. And mih breddren, there’s no greater use that we can put our words to than rejoicing in and praising our great and wonderful God! There’s nothing He likes better than our sincere praise and adoration. Men of strong faith have encouraged this from way back when. Here are a few examples. Bruh David in Psalm 32, The blessedness of forgiveness, proudly proclaims: ‘Be glad in the Lord and rejoice, ye righteous: and shout for joy, all ye that are upright in heart.’ (Ps.32:11) And in Psalm 97, The Lord is far above all gods, the psalmist puts it this way: ‘Rejoice in the Lord, ye righteous; and give thanks at the remembrance of his holiness (for the memory of His holy name). (Ps.97:12) Now that theme of rejoicing was Bruh Paul’s motto, so to speak. In Chapter 3 of Philippians, where he talks about pressing toward the mark, his first words are: ‘Finally, my brethren, rejoice in the Lord.’ (Phil.3:1) And we all know of his famous advice to that same church in Philippi: ‘Rejoice in the Lord always: and again I say, Rejoice.’ (Phil.4:4) It’s a strong call to faith under all circumstances, based on the premise that Christians believe in a wise, powerful and ever-LOVING God who is always working for our good. If that’s true, then we can indeed, always rejoice. Oh Friends, it’s very fitting that this Monday morning, in the first days of spring, where things are renewed and reborn, that we should acknowledge the Lord’s goodness and rejoice in the blessings that He’s so generously showered on our undeserving souls; blessings of grace, forgiveness, mercy, LOVING-kindness, salvation and eternal life. Through the sacrifice of Jesus’ precious blood, He’s offered us a reprieve, a pardon from the eternal death and separation we so justly deserve for our abominable sins. Please, I beg of us, let’s be wise, accept it, be obedient to His will and eternally grateful for His LOVE.  Much LOVE!…we can offer no greater adoration to our God…than to joyously sing His praises…and to rejoice in His goodness…

 

Today’s Scrip-Bit 20 March 2011 Isaiah 43:11‏

20 Mar 2011 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Inspirational Living

Isaiah 43:11.    I, even I, am the Lord; and beside me there is no saviour.

Hurrah! Glory Hallelujah! It’s the first day of spring Friends! Only according to the calendar though, for there are still eleven days left in March, and it’s very unlikely that it will both come in and go out as a lamb. So I won’t be surprised if there’s yet more cold weather in the offing. But that matters not, since we believers are truly hardy folk (smile) and can withstand whatever comes against us in the strength and wisdom of Jesus. And all God’s people shouted a loud: ‘Amen!’ Now here’s another pearl of wisdom from Gloria Copeland’s ‘Hidden Treasures,’ re abundant living in the riches of proverbs. This comes from Chapter 12: Dealing wisely in the affairs of life. ‘You must have diligence and faith to deal wisely in the affairs of daily life. So diligently plant God’s Word in your heart, and then speak it forth by faith into your circumstances.’ Yes Friends, that’s oh so true! To live good lives, our hearts, souls and minds must be filled with the Word, and we must use it to drive us daily. It’s like a car that needs gas to run its motor and thus move its wheels, else it will stay stationary. Our hearts, souls and minds are our motor, which can only run and function properly when harnessed to God’s law, for that’s our earthly fuel. It’s what educates, motivates, drives and encourages us to live godly lives. And that, my people, is exactly what makes our Bit so true. ‘I, even I, am the Lord; and beside me there is no saviour.’ Oh my brethren, there is none else in the universe as powerful as our God, who created it and all therein! And as the superscription to Isaiah Chap.43 so rightly declares: ’The Lord the only redeemer.’ Yes Friends, He made us, and only He can save us from our diabolical sins. In the verse before our Bit, the Lord solemnly proclaims: ‘Ye are my witnesses, saith the Lord, and my servant whom I have chosen: that ye may know and believe me, and understand that I am he: before me there was no God formed, neither shall there be after me.’ (Is.43:10) That means to find favour with Him, we must know what he desires of us, which is found in the Good Book, and then we need to obey it. Now listen to this definitive statement of our God: ‘Assemble yourselves and come; draw near together, ye that are escaped of (have escaped from) the nations: they have no knowledge that set up (carry about) the wood of their graven image, and pray unto a god that cannot save. Tell ye, and bring them near; yea, let them take counsel together; who hath declared this from ancient time? who hath told it from that time? have not I the Lord? And there is no God else beside me; a just God and a Saviour; there is none beside me. Look (turn) unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth: for I am God, and there is none else. I have sworn by myself, the word is gone out of my mouth in righteousness, and shall not return, That unto me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear (take an oath).’ (Is.45:20-23) Now Friends, does that sound like a wishy-washy, unsure being? Absolutely not! So why are that many humans foolishly turning to Lucifer, the original fool, who tried to overthrow Almighty God and was summarily disgraced, being sentenced to forever tread the rough and rugged earth in shame, suffering and darkness? What can someone with so little sense as to try and dethrone the Most Powerful, do for us against that same Mighty Being eh? Absolutely nothing mih breddren! He can only lead us down the nice looking garden path to death and destruction, and have us end up like him, separated from the Lord Jehovah forever. So my brethren, I implore us not to put our trust in Beelzebub, because he and his evil minions are helpless against the forces of good, and he’s only looking for people to keep him company in that dark and dismal place of death, Hades. And the only way to do that successfully is to fill our lives with the Word…eat, sleep, drink, talk and walk the Word! Much LOVE!…I am the Lord thy God…ever since the land of Egypt…and thou shalt know no god but me…for there is no saviour besides me… (Hos.13:4)

 

Today’s Scrip-Bit 19 March 2011 John 7:7‏

19 Mar 2011 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Inspirational Living

John 7:7.    The world cannot hate you; but me it hateth, because I testify of it, that the works thereof are evil.

And the balmy springtime weather continues my Friends! Thank the Lord! Any little respite from winter is okay by me, (smile) for this has certainly been the winter of my discontent. Now, from the Gloria Copeland book ‘Hidden Treasures,’ re abundant living in the riches of proverbs, here are some important, in fact very essential words on which to build our lives. ‘The foundation of prosperity in every realm of life is a continual lifestyle built on the Word and the wisdom of God.’ And that’s the living truth my people! It’s based on Chapter 8 of Proverbs, the Foundation of a Prosperous Life. Every which way we turn in this world, our success, or lack thereof, depends on our obedience to God’s Word and the wisdom His Holy Spirit desires to impart to us. Without a good relationship between both aspects of God in our lives, we’ll never become first class citizens of His kingdom. We’ll continually falter…and eventually fall. As Jesus says in our Bit: ‘The world cannot hate you; but it hateth me, because I testify of it, that the works thereof are evil.’ So logically speaking, if the works of the world are evil, then to stay true believers of Christ, amongst a mostly ungodly population, we have to embrace God’s Word and wisdom with grateful acknowledgement and enthusiasm. And our world is evil Friends. No doubt about that. But comparing Jesus’ time to ours, is like comparing kindergarten and university levels of education, for it seems the more we advance in knowledge and technology, the more advanced our systems of evil become. And though Jesus testified against the world and its wicked ways, He didn’t come to destroy it. ‘For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. And this is the condemnation, that (the) light is come into the world, and men LOVED darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For everyone that doeth (practices) evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved (exposed). But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God.’ (John 3:17-21) Ah mih people, Jesus came to save the world by being a shining light in its darkness, especially in the darkness of men’s hearts. But because our deeds are so evil, we shy away from Jesus’ light, so that they are not exposed. But remember my brethren, we worship an omnipotent, omni-present, omniscient God from whom we cannot hide, like so many evil and unwise humans try to do. It’s therefore better, and wiser, to come before our Creator and heavenly Father with our evil hearts in our hands, acknowledging our inadequacy, our inability to live a good and prosperous life without His guidance and wisdom. Only in so doing will the darkness and sinful deeds of our earthly existence be purged. Now let’s consider a few things of note: The world disliked Jesus because He pointed out its evil ways. It also dislikes us because we’re His followers who do the same thing. But don’t forget that Jesus did not come to destroy the world, but to save it, and our duty is also to bring as many unbelievers to Christ as possible. So it’s imperative that we be fully spiritually armed at all times with God’s indestructible, unbeatable weapons of war, both to repel Lucifer’s evil attacks, and also to help us convict some of his evil followers and lead them to Jesus. That’s our earthly responsibility. And we’ll end with some appropriate words of our Saviour. ‘And ye shall be hated of all men for my name’s sake; but he that endureth to the end shall be saved.’ (Matt.10:22) Oh my people, please realize that our earthly journey is not a sprint race, but one of endurance. So if we want to be successful in the furthering of Jesus’ kingdom, we need to band together, do like He says, and hang in there to the end…just like Bruh Paul did after Jesus anointed him to spread His gospel…just like Jesus did when the Father sent Him to earth to save us from sinful death and eternal separation. Much LOVE!…the race is not for the swift…but for the sure of foot…those who have what it takes to stay the course…to the very end…

 

Today’s Scrip-Bit 18 March 2011 John 7:7‏

18 Mar 2011 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Inspirational Living

John 7:7.    The world cannot hate you; but me it hateth, because I testify of it, that the works thereof are evil.
 
Oh Friends, enjoy this spring-like weather while it lasts, but don’t get your hopes up too high, for winter isn’t done as yet. The double-digit temps sure are nice, but they will surely subside when March picks up its cold weather again. And isn’t it a kicker that this March break week, when everybody’s heading south for the warm climes, the North country is ablaze in glorious sunshine and spring time temps. Who says our God doesn’t have a sense of humour eh! Anyway, it’s Friday, and as usual many of us are just dying for it to end so we can go home and become couch potatoes. But Friends, that’s the wrong attitude. Please join me in the right one, as we chant our Friday Chant. ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through another week of work! It hasn’t been easy, but with your generous help, I made it through. Now, please help me to get sufficient fun, fellowship, rest and relaxation in these two short days off, so that I can be renewed and refreshed in soul, body and mind, to go back out and do it all over again next week, furthering your glorious kingdom with each step I take. I pray this in Jesus name. Amen.’ Yes my people, that’s how we ought to handle the weekends. And turning to our Bit: ‘The world cannot hate you; but me it hateth, because I testify of it, that the works thereof are evil.’ Oh mih breddren, those words were spoken by Jesus, some two thousand years ago, when His brothers urged Him to go to the feast of tabernacles in Jerusalem, ostensibly that His disciples could see His work, and He could gain greater exposure. ‘Depart hence, and go into Judea, that thy disciples also may see the works that thou doest. For there is no man that doeth anything in secret, and (while) he himself seeketh to be known openly. If thou do these things, show thyself to the world.’ (John 7:3-4) But Jesus could distinguish the thin red line between walking bravely or foolishly in the world. He had stopped preaching in Judea because the Jews were plotting to kill Him, now His brethren, who by the way didn’t believe in Him, were possibly seeking some sort of confrontation between Him and the elders at Jerusalem. So Jesus simply told them: ‘My time is not yet come: but your time is always ready…Go ye up unto this feast: I go not up yet unto this feast; for my time is not yet full come.’ (John 7:6,8) The time for His death and glorification as our Saviour had not yet arrived, so Jesus was not going to foolishly walk into the lions den, with a whole bunch of disciples behind Him, thereby giving the Jewish leaders a greater chance to do him harm. Sadly though my people, those words Jesus spoke to His brethren in our Bit, sandwiched between the last quote, have had a great impact on the lives of believers from then, right up till now. The world disliked the believers then, and still does today. For the very same reasons; we consider its deeds evil and we testify against it. Now listen to Jesus as He describes the world’s hatred to the disciples: ‘If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you. If ye were of the world, the world would LOVE his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you.’ (John 15:18-19) And isn’t that the gospel truth Friends? Followers of Jesus are supposed to be in the world, but not a part of it. We ought to adhere to Jesus’ lifestyle in this evil world; that of godly obedience, LOVE, kindness and fellowship with other believers. Now that’s certainly not an easy thing to do while living and working among the heathen and evildoers, who greatly despise us for our holier than thou attitudes. I hate to say it, but sometimes they are right, because at times we can be so self-righteous and hypocritical that we turn off even our fellow believers. We do the Pharisee’s thing, behaving as though we’re so much better than others just because we are Christians. But that attitude just gives the world greater ammunition and more reason to dislike and persecute us. Granted they will dislike us just for being Christians, but we don’t need to stoke their dislike by our uncalled for behaviour. Oh Friends, we don’t necessarily want the world to like us, but we definitely need them to respect us and our way of life. That’s the only way they will ever come to believe in Jesus and be His follower. That means to be successful in bringing others to the kingdom, we have change our abrasive and aggressive attitudes, turn down the rhetoric and let our kind, gentle and LOVING actions speak for us. Please remember these words of Jesus as we go about our daily walk. ‘A good tree cannot bring forth evil (bad) fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.’  (Matt.7:18-20) Truer words were never spoken my brethren! So please, let’s go forth with the true Spirit of Jesus in our hearts and bear good fruit. Much Love!…by your LOVING and kind actions…the world will know that you are my disciples…

Today’s Scrip-Bit 17 March 2011 Deuteronomy 30:11‏

17 Mar 2011 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Inspirational Living

Deuteronomy 30:11.    For this commandment which I command thee this day, it is not hidden from thee, neither is it far off.
 
Oh Friends, we have not read our names nor seen our pictures in the today’s obits, so that means we must be still alive and kicking! Glory Hallelujah! Now the important question is to what purpose are we going to put the next 24 hours? I surely hope that we’ll put them to wise, godly use, starting right now with our Bit: ‘For this commandment which I command thee this day, it is not hidden from thee (too mysterious for thee), neither is it far off.’ Yes Friends, our God is an up front Being. He doesn’t mince words or say things in secret, but says them out in the open for all to hear and understand. Hear Isaiah with His words on that score: ‘I have not spoken in secret, in a dark place of the earth: I said not unto the seed of Jacob, Seek ye me in vain: I the Lord speak righteousness, I declare things that are right.’ (Is.45:19) And just as He gave the commandments openly and up front to Israel through Moses, the same way He is giving them to us today. ‘It is not in heaven, that thou shouldest say, Who shall go up for us to heaven, and bring it unto us, that we may hear it, and do it? Neither is it beyond the sea, that thou shouldest say, Who shall go over the sea for us, and bring it unto us, that we may hear it, and do it? But the word is very nigh unto thee, in thy mouth, and in thy heart, that thou mayest do it.’  (Deut.30:12-14) Yes my people, we don’t have to search for God’s word because it’s right there in our hearts and souls and therefore our mouths. And the commandment He’s giving us today my brethren is: ‘See, I have set before thee this day life and good, and death and evil; In that I command thee this day to LOVE the Lord thy God, to walk in his ways, and to keep his commandments and his statutes and his judgements, that thou mayest live and multiply: and the Lord thy God shall bless thee in the land whither thou goest to possess it.’ (Deut.30:15-16) Oh Friends, it’s a straightforward condition. We have the option to choose life and good over death and evil, by LOVING the Lord our God and doing His will, which will cause us to prosper. But there are always two sides to every story. Oh I know mankind says three; your side, my side and the truth. However, with our magnificent God, there are only two; obey me and reap the rewards, or disobey my law and be punished. And here’s how God put the second side of His story: ‘But if thine heart turn away, so that you wilt not hear, but shall be drawn away, and worship other gods, and serve them; I denounce (announce) unto you this day, that ye shall surely perish, and that ye shall not prolong your days upon the land, whither thou passest over Jordan to go to possess it.’ (Deut.30:17-18) There we go again my brethren, straight to the point; disobey and perish. Yuh know our God must really LOVE and care for us a whole lot yes mih people, the way He’s taken such pains to put everything down so clear, simple and concise. He doesn’t want us to be confused by or misunderstand His rules and regulations. That means we have no excuses for there are no intermediate paths; we either obey or disobey, end of story. And He was even nice and thoughtful enough to provide conditions for the restoration of blessings if we happened to disobey and fall under the curse. What a kind and considerate God we serve my Friends! So why is our world in such a mess eh? Why has there been such a steady flow from godliness to ungodliness? Why have the lustful and idolatrous pleasures of Lucifer’s evil world taken us away from following Almighty God eh? I guess the pride and ego involved in our economically and technologically successful nations fooled us into thinking that we did it all on our own strength. Which we know is a lie. Then we believers who stayed on firm ground, did not do enough, have not shown enough Christ-like behaviour to draw others to His kingdom, what with so much dissension and resentment amongst ourselves, plus our hypocritical attitudes. Neither have we taught this young generation to sufficiently revere and venerate God, consequently they’ve been even more susceptible to Lucifer’s evil lures then any generation before them. And finally, Lucifer’s cronies have installed themselves in the halls of power and have been waging a very strong and successful war against us, while we unfortunately have sat idly by, allowing them to remove the many aspects of God in our society; in schools, government, and just in general, with the not too subtle help of the heathen newcomers. Oh Friends, all of this obviously adds up to the weakening of God’s forces on earth. But I am here to tell us that this situation can be reversed, can be remedied, if we tackle it the right way, RIGHT NOW, because the forces of good, when mounted together in unity will always be stronger than and be able to defeat those of evil. And we’ll end with Moses’ heart-rending call to His people, way back when, which is still very applicable to us today, because the Word of our God never changes. Therefore I’m solemnly imploring us today my people with the words of our God: ‘I call heaven and earth to record (announce) this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live.’ (Deut.30:19) Now all you believers in Christ, let’s press on, mobilize, unify and mount a serious campaign of peace, LOVE and godly intentions against the forces of evil, and retake our world, so that our children can live safe, comfortable, prosperous and godly lives. Much LOVE!…wisdom is crying out…desperately calling aloud…please choose life and blessing…
 

Today’s Scrip-Bit 16 March 2011 Deuteronomy 11:26‏

16 Mar 2011 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Inspirational Living

Deuteronomy 11:26.    Behold, I set before you this day a blessing and a curse.
 
Oh Friends, we’ve been generously granted another day on God’s earth! Please, let’s be thankful for it, both in word and deed. And no, we have not finished with this Bit as yet: ‘Behold, I set before you this day a blessing and a curse.’ Why? Because we worship such a wise and magnanimous God, who, knowing our penchant for sin and disobedience, provided not only the original rules for receiving blessing and curse, but also a way out of the curse, back into the state of blessing. And all God’s people joyfully shouted: ‘Thank you Father God for LOVING us so much and making a way to reverse the curse on our disobedient lives and bring us back to blessings again!’ And so Friends, in the Lord’s usual, straightforward way, to avoid confusion, the conditions for restoration and blessing are purposely outlined in Deut.30. Oh my people, the change of status, from curse to blessing, hinges totally on sincere repentance, then receiving God’s forgiveness, and last and most important, staying obedient. It’s a call for us to make a rather strong and important decision: Life and blessing, or death and cursing. And yuh better believe that I’m opting for life and blessing! The death and cursing are too horrible for my liking. As for me and mine, we shall follow the Lord! Now, per how the curse and blessing works in real life, we have an excellent example of it with Israel, the Lord’s chosen people, who for their shameful sins and disobedience after entering the Promised Land and becoming prosperous through God’s help, were besieged by the Chaldeans in Jerusalem. The unfortunate outcome was God’s city of Jerusalem left in ruins and it’s people taken captive to Babylon. However, true to the Lord’s Word, some seventy years later, through the prayerful and repentant efforts of faithful people like Ezra and Nehemiah, Israel was eventually restored to the fullness of blessing. Now here are the basic principles for turning curse to blessing:  ‘And it shall come to pass, when all these things are come upon thee, the blessing and the curse, which I have set before thee, and thou shalt call them to mind (cause them to return to your heart) among all the nations, whither the Lord thy God hath driven thee, And shalt return unto the Lord thy God, and shalt obey his voice according to all that I command thee this day, thou and thy children, with all thine heart, and with all thy soul; That then the Lord thy God will turn thy (bring you back from) captivity, and have compassion upon thee, and will return and gather thee from all the nations, wither the Lord thy God hath scattered thee….And the Lord thy God will bring thee into the land which thy father’s possessed, and thou shalt possess it; and he will do thee good, and multiply thee above thy fathers. And the Lord thy God will circumcise thine heart, and the heart of thy seed, to LOVE the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, that thou mayest live. And the Lord thy God will put all these curses upon thine enemies, and on them that hate thee, which persecuted thee. And thou shalt return and obey the voice of the Lord, and do all his commandments which I command thee this day. And the Lord thy God will make thee plenteous (abound) in every work of thine hand, in the fruit of thy body (offspring), and in the fruit of thy land, for good: for the Lord will again rejoice over thee for good, as he rejoiced over thy fathers.’ (Deut.30:1-3, 5-9) Ah Friends, it’s so simple: to live long and prosperous, follow God’s commandments. If we don’t, then we’ll be punished with all the curses He’s outlined. But just supposing, now is only suppose we supposing eh, (smile) that we become disobedient and endure His curse, if one day we finally wake up and learn sense, then it is possible to return to that wonderful state of blessing that we’d first known. But my brethren, in that case we have to be real serious about repentance. We can’t just be going through the outward motions because the Lord is going to check our hearts before He showers us with any blessings again. Then, as always, we have to RECEIVE His mercy and forgiveness. And sadly, that’s where a lot of us falter. We ask, but we don’t receive. Oh Friends, there needs to be an actual act of receiving on our part, and then behaving as though we’re forgiven, for many of still unwisely bear the guilt and shame although God has forgiven us. And now mih people, having gone through the blessings, curses and restoration of blessings again in the Good Book, and knowing the ungodliness and disobedience to God’s Word in our world, what is your opinion of it’s overwhelming negative situation? Can you be a true believer and not rack up some of our disasters, our negativity, to our turning away from God, especially after considering the more godly situation of say fifty years ago and the prosperity we enjoyed back then? I don’t think so. But Friends, it’s a decision we all have to make, individually and hopefully nation-wide, else our world will continue to bathe in negativity, to slide down its very slippery slope, until it is finally destroyed, and quite possibly by our own hands too. Fortunately though my brethren, it’s not too late for us to activate those conditions for restoration and blessing. But we have to put them in motion NOW! Not at some later date, for time is of the essence. So please, let’s think about all the wrong we’ve done, in particular not teaching our children to walk properly with the God of our fathers, and let’s sincerely repent and ask our LOVING and merciful heavenly Father for forgiveness, then receive it and live obediently for ever more. It’s the only way to bring about change in our unhappy, violent, evil and confused world. Much LOVE!…is it going to be life and blessing…or more death and cursing…it’s our call…
 

Today’s Scrip-Bit 15 March 2011 Deuteronomy 11:26‏

15 Mar 2011 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Inspirational Living

Deuteronomy 11:26.    Behold, I set before you this day a blessing and a curse.
 
   Oh Friends, the situation seems to be worsening daily on Japan’s devastated east coast. Having undergone the earthquake and tsunami attack, the unfortunate people are now faced with the distinct possibility of radiation exposure due to the damage of nuclear power stations in the area. What’s next eh? As I’ve urged, we have to pray fervently and diligently for their safety and recovery, and give whatever aid we can, be it physical or monetary. And though we’ve seen many catastrophes and disasters recently, this seems to be one of the worse in a time of peace. The devastation in terms of property and buildings is horrendous, as it was a highly developed and prosperous area. It’s too early to quantify human losses, but that too will be very high. And don’t forget fellow believers, that Jesus warned us of these situations: ‘Take heed that ye be not deceived: for many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and the time draweth near: go ye not therefore after them. But when ye shall hear of wars and commotions, be not terrified: for these things must first come to pass, but the end is not by and by (is not coming immediately). Then he said unto them, Nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: And great earthquakes shall be in divers (various) places, and famines, and pestilences: and fearful sights and great signs shall there be before heaven. But before all these, they shall lay their hands on you, and persecute you, delivering you up to the synagogues, and into prisons, being brought before kings and rulers for my name’s sake.’ (Luke 21:8-12) Unfortunately all of that is happening now my Friends in Christ. There’s been a worldwide resurgence in the persecution of Christians, simply for their beliefs. But Jesus, in His great wisdom, also provided an answer for that: ‘And it shall turn to you for a testimony.’ (Luke 21:13) Yes my people, those persecutions will be excellent opportunities for us to rise up and give sterling testimony of Christ! Now please, let’s not fool ourselves into thinking that all these disastrous happenings have nothing to do with our ungodly behaviour, because to some extent they do. Our Bit plainly states the two opposing possibilities re our earthly existence. ‘Behold, I set before you this day a blessing and a curse.’ And with our current worldwide domination of evil, violence, idolatry and ungodliness, there’s no doubt, if we believe God’s Word, that we’re in a season of curse. No ifs and buts about that mih breddren! I won’t get into all the curses that were promised for constant ungodliness, and are befalling us right now, because they are too numerous. Read Deut. 28:15-68 and you’ll see them. But just remember that the opposite of all the blessings are our lot for such disobedient behaviour. We shall no longer be the head, but the tail, which we are, for the heathen economies have risen to prominence. And re lending and borrowing, we are now borrowers. Those same heathen economies have been propping up our Western nations for some time now. First it was Japan, then the oil rich Arabs, and now China and the other emerging Asian nations are becoming the lenders of note. 
  And why all these trials and tribulations my Friends? It’s simple common sense, not rocket science. ‘Because thou servedst not the Lord thy God with joyfulness, and with gladness of heart, for the abundance of all things.’ (Deut.28:47) Yes mih people, in our time of abundance we forgot the ONE who truly caused it. Sadly, man’s pride and ego, in conjunction with Lucifer’s lies, led us to foolishly think it was our own might and power that begot us such abundance. Consequently, we’re now paying a very steep price for the unwise forsaking of Almighty God. Oh Friends, please remember that the Lord’s Word is the ultimate truth, and if we continually disobey it we will pay a disastrous price. A word to the wise in this instance should be more than sufficient my brethren. So let’s show our wisdom to the world nuh. Much LOVE! …there’s no sugar coating it…the wages of sin is undoubtedly death…eternal separation from the Lord God Jehovah…   P.S. This beta, or rather alpha format of our Bit is brought to you courtesy of my daughters, who, since I mentioned my friend’s recent complaint re lack of paragraphs, have persisted in claiming that paragraphs and more spacing makes it more reader friendly. I’m not convinced of that, and it certainly makes it longer, but here it is anyway, for your approval or rejection. It’s been so long since I’ve written anything with paragraphs, that I’ve forgotten how to do so. (smile) Much LOVE!
 

Today’s Scrip-Bit 14 March 2011 Deuteronomy 11:26‏

14 Mar 2011 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Inspirational Living

Deuteronomy 11:26.    Behold, I set before you this day a blessing and a curse.

Oh Friends, it’s Monday! Time to rise and shine and prepare to join the battle; both spiritually and physically, for it will indeed be a fight to get to work, on the highways, the buses, the subways, and wherever we go to labour. And remember this is the first Monday after the daylight savings time change, when they say we have more accidents than normal, so be exceptionally careful on the roads today. But yuh know, it’s real amazing that with all our brilliance and advances in technology, medicine, etc. we can’t devise a way to stop, or even curtail the daily traffic jams and people pushing and shoving, morning and evening, to get to work and then to get home. No wonder we’re such a tired, stressed out, frustrated, angry society, given to such outbursts that we so nicely call road-rage! I’m sure that more time is lost collectively in the Western world everyday from people sitting in long lines of traffic, than is done in productive work. By the time we do arrive at work, especially if we didn’t get our morning fix of java, (smile) or home in the evenings, we’re cranky, miserable and stressed out, and not in a very productive frame of mind. Unfortunately there isn’t much we can do about that right now, except for us fortunate believers who have Christ as our guiding light, to give us some peace and calm during the tension-filled hours. So without further ado, let’s sing our Monday Morning Battle Hymn in powerful voice. ‘Oh Lord God Almighty, Creator of the universe and all therein! We, your humble servants, praise your Holy Name and thank you that this Monday morning we have jobs to go to; jobs we don’t like, jobs that are unfair, difficult and even dangerous, but which serve a useful purpose here on earth; keeping lives and families together. We also thank you Father for the renewed vitality and enthusiasm you’ve wrought in our weary souls over the last two days. It’s that rejuvenation of Spirit which allows us now to sally forth with confidence into the evil, ungodly world that surrounds us, to begin a new week of work, constantly buffeted and bombarded by the enemy’s wicked taunts, wiles and lies. But heavenly Father, we’re not afraid, for we know we’re invincible, sure conquerors, once we’re wearing your powerful, protective spiritual armour. We surrender our all to you, and humbly ask that you let your incredible aura of LOVE, the Holy Spirit, lead and guide all your servants as we go out to meet the enemy in battle. Fill us with steadfast faith, so that we can make worthwhile inroads into the enemy’s ranks, and thereby further your glorious kingdom. We pray this in the Holy Name of your Son, and our Saviour, Jesus Christ. AMEN!’ Oh my people, I sure hope that got us all going, gave us a first, second or third wind, depending on what time of our busy day we sang it! And now it’s time to turn to our Bit. ‘Behold, I set before you this day a blessing and a curse.’ What a powerful statement mih Friends! And yes, the Lord does give us a choice everyday, as to whether we will live blessed or cursed. Now yesterday we dealt with the blessings of obedience, running through all but one verse of the blessings, from Deut. 28:1-15. Today we’ll deal with the curse aspect, the consequences of disobedience. However mih breddren, we certainly can’t write them down, or even paraphrase them all in one day, because they run from Deut.28:15-68. Yes Friends, the curse is more than three times as long as the blessing. Now doesn’t that tell you right away that the Lord was mucho serious when He laid down His laws? And I have to ask Him now for guidance in dealing with all these curses since I am convinced that the human animal does not take the detrimental stuff seriously until it stares them straight in the face. So here goes: ‘But it shall come to pass, if thou wilt not hearken unto (obey) the voice of the Lord thy God, to observe to do (observe carefully) all his commandments and his statutes which I command thee this day; that all these curses shall come upon thee, and overtake thee.’ (Deut.28:15) Yes my brethren, the same way the blessings will overtake thee, the same way the curses will: ‘Cursed shalt thou be in the city, and cursed shalt thou be in the field. Cursed shall be thy basket and thy store (kneading bowl). Cursed shall be the fruit of thy body (offspring), and the fruit of thy land, the increase of thy kine (cattle), and the flocks of thy sheep. Cursed shalt thou be when thou comest in, and cursed shalt thou be when thou goest out. The Lord shall send upon thee cursing, vexation (confusion), and rebuke, in all that thou settest thine hand unto for to do, and until thou perish quickly; because of the wickedness of thy doings, whereby thou hast forsaken me.’ (Deut.28:16-20) Ah mih people, it’s all self-explanatory, and I strongly believe that some of the confusion and tribulation we’re experiencing today is because of our disobedience. The Lord has set His curse in motion against us. But time and space are against us, so we will continue this topic tomorrow, our God willing. Till then, please pay serious attention to the Lord’s Word, so we can eventually change the curse back to a blessing. Much LOVE!…man’s wisdom…is like fool’s gold…not worth very much…

 

Today’s Scrip-Bit 13 March 2011 Deuteronomy 11:26‏

13 Mar 2011 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Inspirational Living

Deuteronomy 11:26.     Behold, I set before you this day a blessing and a curse.

Oh Friends, we‘re all on the same time now. Oh goody! In our supposed wisdom, North America has returned to daylight saving time, although I don’t know what we really save, for I was reading a statistic today that claims we have more traffic accidents on the first Monday after the forward time change than on other Mondays. But who am I eh, to argue with the powers that be re the benefits of jumping an hour back and forth each year? Many countries don’t do it and they get along just fine, some of them even better than us. Anyway, let’s get to more important matters, like our Bit. ‘Behold, I set before you this day a blessing and a curse.’ Now that’s what our leaders should be more concerned with, not the time change, because our Bit involves something much bigger and much more important; a positive life changing system. And mih people, what I especially like about our God, besides the normal stuff, such as goodness, mercy, LOVE etc. is His straightforwardness. He doesn’t mince words. He’s a straight shooter; straight from the hip to us. And in this particular instance, He gives it to us in such straightforward terms that even if we’re moronic, we should be able to understand. ‘A blessing, if ye obey the commandments of the Lord your God, which I command you this day. And a curse, if ye will not obey the commandments of the Lord your God, but turn aside out of the way which I command you this day, to go after other gods, which ye have not known.’ (Deut.11:27-28) Oh Friends, what can be simpler than that eh? It comes right back to His lament: ‘O that there were such a heart in them, that they would fear me, and keep all my commandments always, that it might be well with them, and with their children for ever!’ (Deut.5:29) And it’s not like the Israelites are hearing all of that for the first time. From Genesis to Joshua, the Lord keeps saying; obey me, and things will be well with you, disobey me and life will be very rough. Moses even spelled out individually, both the blessings and curses that they would endure, so they had no excuses. Let’s look at some of the blessings of obedience. ‘And it shall come to pass, if thou shalt hearken diligently unto the voice of the Lord thy God, to observe and to do all his commandments which I command thee this day, that the Lord thy God will set thee on high above all nations of the earth; And all these blessings shall come on thee, and overtake thee, if thou shalt hearken unto the voice of the Lord thy God.’ (Deut.28:1-2) Oh my people, what better promise can we receive eh? Obey, and we’ll be the first among nations. Furthermore the blessings of the Lord won’t only follow us, but overtake us, more than we can even handle. And that’s not all: ‘Blessed shalt thou be in the city, and blessed shalt thou be in the field. Blessed shall be the fruit of thy body (offspring), and the fruit of thy ground, and the fruit of thy cattle, the increase of thy kine (cattle), and the flocks of thy sheep. Blessed shall be thy basket and thy store (kneading bowl). Blessed shalt thou be when thou comest in, and blessed shalt thou be when thou goest out.‘ (Deut.28:3-6) Oh Friends, obeying the Lord God will cause all our endeavours, be they personal or business to flourish; wherever we go and whatever we do blessings will pour down on us. And the Lord’s goodness doesn’t even cease there: ‘The Lord shall cause thine enemies that rise up against thee to be smitten (defeated) before thy face: they shall come out against thee one way, and flee before thee seven ways. The Lord shall command the blessing upon thee in thy storehouses, and in all that thou settest thine hand unto; and he shall bless thee in the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee. The Lord shall establish thee a holy people unto himself, as he hath sworn unto thee, if thou shalt keep the commandments of the Lord thy God, and walk in his ways. And all the people of the earth shall see that thou art called by the name of the Lord; and they shall be afraid of thee.’ (Deut.28:7-10) What more can we ask eh mih breddren? But our great and generous God offers even more: ‘The Lord shall open unto thee his good treasure (storehouse), the heaven to give the rain unto thy land in his season, and to bless all the work of thine hand: and thou shalt lend unto many nations, and thou shalt not borrow. And the Lord shall make thee the head, and not the tail; and thou shalt be above only, and thou shalt not be beneath; if that thou hearken (heed) unto the commandments of the Lord thy God, which I command thee this day, to observe and to do them. And thou shalt not go aside from any of the words which I command thee this day, to the right hand, or to the left, to go after other gods to serve them.’ (Deut.28:12-14) Oh Friends what was there in all of that for the Israelites to misunderstand eh? Nothing really! And it’s not even like the commandments of the Lord are so onerous. But yet they disobeyed, and paid the price, several times too. And wandering in the desert for forty years is serious punishment. I don’t think they even realized that that was all a part of God’s punishment. Note that their clothes didn’t grow old and tattered, neither did their shoes and other stuff. It’s only the disbelievers, the disobedient from the previous generation that waxed old and eventually died off. And since the Lord doesn’t change my Friends, that means that all those promises and conditions haven’t changed over the thousands of years and thus still apply today. We have the wonderful opportunity to obey God, and be blessed, even more now with Jesus having sacrificed His holy, innocent life to pay for our sins, and also giving us salvation and eternal life. Why we’d choose any other lifestyle, boggles my imagination. But each individual has to make their own choice and stand or fall by it. Tomorrow we’ll look at the curses, our God in favour. Till then, please take my advice and walk safely with the Lord God Jehovah. It’s the only sensible thing to do. Much LOVE!…he who hath ears to hear…let him hear…

 

Today’s Scrip-Bit 12 March 2011 Deuteronomy 5:29

12 Mar 2011 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Inspirational Living

Deuteronomy 5:29.     O that there were such a heart in them, that they would fear me, and keep all my commandments always, that it might be well with them, and with their children for ever!

Ah my Friends, another natural disaster of great magnitude has cruelly assaulted our already troubled and turbulent world. We’re talking of the 8.9 level earthquake that triggered the devastating tsunami on Japan’s east coast yesterday. I can’t remember ever hearing of such a powerful earth tremor, and it surely caused unspeakable devastation. But what is it about the last few years that’s caused our world, already rocked by much violence and strife, to be also plagued by all the possible natural disasters; floods, famines, earthquakes, volcanoes, tsunamis, hurricanes, heat-waves, cold-waves, etc? You name it, we’ve recently experienced it. This apparently has been the worst natural disaster to hit Japan in centuries. And the sad part is that we can’t do a whole lot for them in physical and economical terms, for we’re all going through some very rough times. We’ve still got to do what we can though. One thing we can certainly do is pray for them. There’s no limit to that or shortage of it. So please, my brethren, let’s offer up some serious, heartfelt prayers for the unfortunate people of Japan. This brings us to the age old question of how much are we responsible for our disasters? I can’t quantify it, but I’m sure we’re responsible to some extent on two fronts. The first is our stupid messing with the delicate balance of the universe’s systems. The numerous chemicals and waste matter we spew into the atmosphere, the water and the land, undoubtedly affects our weather patterns. Cutting down so much of the rain forests that holds the soil together also adds to the negative effects, like soil erosion. And the constant drilling in the earth’s core, all over the world, using stuff like dynamite to achieve our selfish and greedy ends, plus all the other bombings and detonations being set off by wars and terrorist activities, will surely affect the earth’s crust and core after a while. In our mad rush for supposed glory and earthly riches we seem not to truly comprehend the precision with which the world and all therein was made, and just like man and many man-made things, if the whole is not in sync, then problems will eventually arise. Turning now to the second front of our culpability. Unfortunately our Bit spells it out in spades. ‘O that there were such a heart in them, that they would fear me, and keep all my commandments always, that it might be well with them, and with their children for ever!’ Again Friends, I can’t say how much of our disasters are the result of our ungodliness, but I’m sure that it does play a part. And if you believe the Good Book, then you’ll agree, for from day one the Lord God who created the universe, gave man dominion over it, but He also decreed that man was to walk in His will or serious repercussions would result. (Gen.1:27-28) But Adam and Eve disobeyed. ‘Therefore the Lord God sent him from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from whence he was taken.’ (Gen.3:23) And from then Friends, we’ve been fighting a losing battle, trying to make it on our own. We have the telling example of the Israelites, God’s chosen people; prospering when they obeyed Him, but falling on extremely hard times when they didn’t. And basic history is just filled with nations and societies who fell to their untimely demise through ignoring God’s Word and His warnings. The prophets delivered the warnings, but man heeded them not and paid the severe price. Isaiah says it the best. In talking about the futility of relying on man: ‘Woe to the rebellious children, saith the Lord, that take counsel, but not of me, and that cover with a covering (devise plans, weave a web), but not of my spirit, that they may add sin to sin.’ (Is.30:1) Then in Chapter 57, he condemns Israel’s idolatry. ‘The righteous perisheth, and no man layeth (takes) it to heart: and merciful men are taken away, none considering that the righteous is taken away from the evil to come (the presence of evil) He shall enter into peace: they shall rest in their beds, each one walking in his uprightness….But the wicked are like the troubled sea, when it cannot rest, whose waters cast up mire and dirt. There is no peace, saith my God, to the wicked.’ (Is.57:1-2, 20-21) In Chapter 58, he continues the condemnation of Israel: ‘Cry aloud, spare not (do not hold back), lift up thy voice like a trumpet, and shew (tell) my people their transgression, and the house of Jacob their sins.’ (Is.58:1) Then in Chapter 59, talking about national corruption and consequent suffering, he lays it on thick: ‘Behold the Lord’s hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither his ear heavy, that it cannot hear. But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear. For your hands are defiled with blood (bloodshed), and your fingers with iniquity; your lips have spoken lies, your tongue hath muttered perverseness.’ (Is.59:1-3) Yes Friends, we are guilty of all that and more, so if the Bible is true, as we believe, then it’s obvious that the Lord will at some stage inflict some kind of punishment on our evil based world. We are obviously seeing some of it now, for when we weren’t as advanced, but more godly, it was never this bad. Unfortunately, our advancement has led us to terrible ungodliness, with disastrous results. Only by returning to the straight and narrow can we avoid further destruction. Much LOVE!…for the wages of sin…is death…

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