Today’s Scrip-Bit 11 March 2012 Proverbs 4:23

11 Mar 2012 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Inspirational Living Tags: , , , , , , ,

Proverbs 4:23.     Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.

Ah Friends, working for the Lord God Jehovah is no easy task nuh. I just spent a good forty minutes looking for a Bit I could get my head and heart around. To make matters worse, the move back to Daylight Saving Time tonight, meant I had an hour less to play with. However, that time I spent poring over the Word was definitely not wasted, because I came across a lot of stuff that I either didn’t know before, or just never paid attention to, figuring it was not significant. But believer me brethren, EVERY WORD IN THE GOOD BOOK IS SIGNIFICANT! Every time you open it, you’ll see something that you’ve never seen or understood before. That’s the beauty of God’s Word! And though God’s work can be difficult, Friends, it’s always rewarding! I eventually came across a scripture verse that immediately spoke to my head and heart, saying; ‘I am Today’s Bit!’ (smile) It’s a rather timely verse too, words of wisdom from Cousin Sol: ‘Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.’ And that’s the gospel, gospel truth my people! Now I’ll let the scholars give us a brief dissertation on the subject, so that we can get the right perspective. (smile)  ‘The Old Testament word heart often refers to the physical organ of the circulatory system. Both Testaments also see the heart figuratively as the centre of the personality or spiritual life. The heart is the seat of intellect, emotions, will, and moral consciousness. It is the personality which has that extraordinary ability to perceive itself. The heart is presented as the seat of conscious life and the fountainhead of life. Jesus taught that sin came out of the heart of people, thus defiling them. Yet after conversion, one of the characteristics of Christians is that they have the law of God written in their hearts (Heb-8:8-12)’ And the heart, my fellow believers, is indeed the fountain of life; for it keeps the blood pumping through our bodies, and thus the breath of life flowing within us, and it’s also the repository for our emotions, whether we do good or evil. No wonder Jesus placed so much emphasis on it in His teaching. Listen to some of His words on the subject. In talking about good and bad fruit, He staunchly declares: ‘O generation (brood, offspring) of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak good things? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh. A good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things: and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things.  But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgement. For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned.’ (Matt.12:34-37) Oh Friends, we’ve all encountered problems in that respect. Then regarding things that defile, Jesus rebuked His listeners thus: ‘Do not ye yet understand, that whatsoever entereth in at the mouth goeth into the belly, and is cast (eliminated) out into the draught? But those things which proceed out of the mouth come forth from the heart; and they defile the man. For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies: These are the things which defile a man: but to eat with unwashen hands defileth not a man.’ (Matt.15:17-20) Yes Friends, it’s not what we put into our inner man that really defile us, but what comes out of it. And when talking about a tree being known by its fruit, Jesus solemnly proclaims: ‘For a good tree bringeth not forth corrupt fruit; neither doth a corrupt (bad) tree bring forth good fruit. For every tree is known by his own fruit. For of thorns men do not gather figs, nor of a bramble bush gather they grapes. A good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is evil: for of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaketh.’ (Luke 6:43-45) Oh my people, Jesus left no doubt that what goes on in our hearts is of the utmost importance in our lives. And if we want to truly follow Him, we have to clean up our hearts. Now let’s end with His most significant pronouncement on the affairs of the heart, something that all Christians need to do, if they are serious about their faith. ‘Thou shalt LOVE the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment.’ (Matt.22:37-38)  Ah mih breddren, we all know that in our minds, but how many of us truly follow it our hearts eh? Not nearly enough, otherwise our world would not be in such a sad state. I ask us today to sit down and explore our hearts, right down to the deepest regions, and see whether we’re harbouring any evil there, then ask the Lord to forgive us, so that He can make our faith strong and our way prosperous. Much LOVE!…the heart is the fountain of…wisdom, life, hope and faith…if it’s not right with God…then nothing in our lives will be right…

 

Today’s Scrip-Bit 10 March 2012 Psalm 78:32‏

10 Mar 2012 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Inspirational Living Tags: , , , , , , , , , , ,

Psalm 78:32    For all this they sinned still, and believed not for his wondrous works.

Oh Friends, who says our world and weather aren’t shrouded in mystery and eccentricity these days eh? Two mornings ago, I woke up and it was raining. Yesterday morning it was snowing.  This morning it will possibly be frozen hard and cold like ice, with the only constant over those three days being the cold, blustery March winds. But please remember that since Jesus is our Leader, there’s no need to worry, for in His awesome power we can handle anything that comes against us. Now listen to some of what our Jesus is and does; from Anne Graham Lotz’s book, ‘My Jesus is…Everything.’ ‘My Jesus: He discharges the debtors. He delivers the captives. He defends the feeble. He blesses the young. He serves the unfortunate. He regards the aged. He rewards the diligent. He beautifies the meek. He is the key to knowledge. He is the wellspring of wisdom. He is the foundation of faith. He is the doorway of deliverance. He is the pathway to peace. He is the roadway of righteousness. He is the gateway to glory. He is the highway to happiness. My Jesus is…Everything!’ Selah. Oh my people, please spend a few moments contemplating all those attributes of our Lord and Saviour. Then tell me if He isn’t the GREATEST! Without a doubt! And He hasn’t changed from DAY ONE! That’s why the Israelites’ behaviour through the wilderness en route to the Promised Land is so perplexing, as our Bit declares: ‘For all this they sinned still, and believed not on his wondrous works.’ Yesterday we saw them crying out for water in Rephidim, and the Lord had Moses smite the rock in front of the elders to give them water. So He gives them manna, heavenly food, and water, but they’re still not satisfied and cry out for meat. At that point Moses cries out to God, even to take his life, because the stress of leading the ingrates was telling on him. (Num.11:10-15) This kindled the Lord’s anger and He told Moses to get seventy of the elders and bring them with him before the tabernacle. ‘And I will come down and talk with thee there: and I will take of the spirit which is upon thee, and will put it upon them; and they shall bear the burden of the people with thee, that thou bear it not thyself alone. And say thou unto the people, Sanctify, yourselves (set yourselves apart) against tomorrow, and ye shall eat flesh (meat); for ye have wept in the ears of the Lord, saying, Who shall give us flesh to eat? for it was well with us in Egypt: therefore the Lord will give you flesh, and ye shall eat. Ye shall not eat one day, nor two days, nor five days, neither ten days, nor twenty days; But even a whole month, until it come out at your nostrils, and it be loathsome unto you: because that ye have despised the Lord which is among you, and have wept before him, saying, Why came we forth out of Egypt?’ (Num.11:17-20) Oh Friends, isn’t our God wonderful! Yuh want flesh eh, then you’ll get so much, so quickly, you soon won’t want it! I’m sure that will remind some of us of our youth, when we were overly greedy and our parents did likewise; gave us so much that we soon got tired of it. Moses himself questioned the Lord about providing meat for so many people, only to be rebuked: ‘Is the Lord’s hand waxed short (Is the Lord’s power limited)? Thou shalt see now whether my word shall come to pass unto thee or not.’ (Num11:23) Oh Friends, our God might be a sweetheart, but He’s definitely no pushover. And after the Lord came down and spoke to the elders and Moses outside the tabernacle, the elders began to prophesy as the Lord’s Spirit came upon them. Then they heard that two elders who had remained in the camp were also prophesying. Joshua told Moses to stop them, but Moses was so fed up, he wished that God would put His Spirit on everybody and let them all be prophets. Then they returned to the camp, and a wind came forth from the Lord, and it began raining quails; enough to fill a day’s journey on either side of the camp, and two cubits (36 inches, 3 feet) high. And the greedy Israelites gathered quails for two days and a night, then they began to feast. (Num.12:24-32) But sadly Friends, they didn’t understand the Lord’s motives: ‘And while the flesh was yet between their teeth, ere it was chewed, the wrath of the Lord was kindled against the people (the Lord’s anger was aroused), and the Lord smote (struck) the people with a very great plague. And he called the name of that place Kibroth-hattaavah (Graves of craving): because there they buried the people that lusted (yielded to craving).’ (Num.12:33-34) Ah Friends, one more indication that the Lord doesn’t speak in jest. And I don’t think that’s it’s the complaints themselves that really irked the Lord, because if you’re in the wilderness without food and water, it can be problematic. But what got Him angry were their short memories, their spirit of rebellion, their ungratefulness and lack of faith in His promises to lead and guide them safely. How quickly they forgot the many miracles He did on their behalf, invoking our present day mantra of, what have you done for me lately? It’s obvious they doubted His faithfulness in spite of all that He’d previously done. Unfortunately Friends, our current society is jut like that of the Israelites: we want and expect everything now for now, behaving as though life owes us a living, constantly wanting more, and sadly forgetting who brought us the prosperity we had; the Lord God Jehovah. My brethren, please let this be a lesson to us in these troubled times. We have not walked obediently before the Lord our God, therefore our society has been filled with much anguish, sorrow, disappointment and pain. Those things have not happened by chance, but through the Lord’s doings. And the only way to solve our problems is to return to God’s fold, as a nation, walking obediently to His dictates, otherwise our world will keep sinking deeper in the mire in which we’re now wallowing, until we’re completely swallowed up. Much LOVE!…history is a record of the past…and we study it…so that we can learn about the present…

 

 

 

Today’s Scrip-Bit 9 March 2012 Psalm 78:32‏

09 Mar 2012 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Inspirational Living Tags: , , , , , , , , , ,

Psalm 78:32.   For all this they sinned still, and believed not for his wondrous works.
 
Oh my blessed Friends in Christ, it’s Friday! The end of the workweek is here! And all God’s people declared a lusty shout of  ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday!’ Whatever tiredness prevailed in their souls, bodies and minds from the week’s struggles was lifted with the thought of the weekend of rest, of fellowship and the praising of God in like-minded company. And to bring all the weekend entails into proper perspective, let’s chant our Friday Chant with godly power. In unison now: ‘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.’ Yeh mih people, sometimes the weekend seems busier than the workweek, because we have so much private stuff to do, so that we can get time to go and labour. But instead of worrying too much about the prerogatives of this world, let’s concentrate on those of Jesus and our heavenly home, so that we won’t end up like the Israelites in our Bit: ‘For all this they sinned still, and believed not for his wondrous works.’ It really boggles my imagination when I think about the ungratefulness, lack of faith and trust that permeated the Israelite culture. After the Lord heard their crying about the woeful conditions of their slavery in Egypt, and showed His awesome power by all the plagues He unleashed on Egypt, but not on them. Then when Pharaoh finally allowed them to leave, He found a way for them to leave with a lot of Egypt’s earthly treasure. Furthermore, the Lord parted the Red Sea so that they could get away from the pursuing Egyptian army, then destroyed their pursuers. He kept them away from war by not passing them through the land of the Philistines, led them by a pillar of cloud in the day, and by a pillar of fire in the night. And yet they complained about bitter water and no food. So the Lord took care of those in His miraculous ways. But yuh think that meant anything to them. No sir! Neither did they give thanks when He led them to the oasis at Elim. But when they came out of the wilderness of Sin and pitched camp in Rephidim, where there was no water, they quickly got on Moses’ case though. ‘And the people thirsted there for water; and the people murmured against Moses, and said, Wherefore is this that thou hast brought us up out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and our cattle with thirst? And Moses cried unto the Lord saying, What shall I do unto this people? they be almost ready to stone me (to death). And the Lord said unto Moses; Go on before the people, and take with thee of the elders of Israel; and thy rod, wherewith thou smotest (struck) the river, take in thine hand, and go. Behold, I will stand before thee there upon the rock in Horeb, and thou shalt smite the rock, and there shall come water out of it, that the people may drink. And Moses did so in the sight of the elders of Israel. And he called the name of the place Massah (Tempted), and Meribah (Contention), because of the chiding of the children of Israel, and because they tempted (tested) the Lord, saying, Is the Lord among us, or not?’ (Ex.17:3-7) Oh Friends, it’s the same way we have behaved in this last generation; questioning both the presence of God and His goodness to us, after he’d made our way to flourish and prosper when our fathers paid Him His deserved obeisance. Like Israel, we have forgotten where our manna and daily bread come from. ‘This book of the law shall not depart out of (be constantly in) thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.’ (Josh.1:8) Yes my people, that’s where the success of an individual, a society, a nation and a world comes from! And that’s why our society has stopped flourishing and is quickly heading downhill, like a snowball hurrying down to Hades, which is where we’ll end up if we don’t change our evil ways and return to the Lord God who created us, protects and provides for us. It’s not rocket science people, just pure and simple common sense. But I forgot that doesn’t exist in our society again. Please let’s get it back, so that our society, our nation and world will survive, not in iniquity, but in righteousness and prosperity. Much LOVE!…only a fool…or a madman…knowingly spoils his own life…
 

Today’s Scrip-Bit 8 March 2012 Psalm 78:32‏

08 Mar 2012 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Inspirational Living Tags: , , , , ,

Psalm 78:32.   For all this they sinned still, and believed not for his wondrous works

Oh Friends, yesterday was indeed a beautiful spring day in my neck of the woods, except for a somewhat blustery wind! And it’s expected to get up to about 12 Celsius again today. What a joy! But I’m still concerned and perturbed by this unseasonable weather, and all the other abnormal weather patterns that we’ve been experiencing around the world for the last few years. I guess abnormal weather is now the order of the day. But thankfully my brethren, we have the ONE and ONLY Jesus Christ, our Lord and Saviour to rely on, so that whatever comes against us, we can stand up sure and strong in His Holy Name and either defeat it or ride it out! And the true believers offered a sincere prayer of gratitude. ‘Oh thank you Lord, for your LOVING-kindness to the children of undeserving men!’ Oh, if those children of Israel had only been as thankful and true, then the whole course of History would have been changed. Unfortunately though, as our Bit says: ‘For all this they sinned still, and believed not the for his wondrous works.’ Ah Friends, I hope that yesterday we pondered on how those words related to our personal situations, as I asked, and that we made amends with our forgiving and merciful God for any shortcomings thereof. Now let’s continue looking at the Israelites journey. Yesterday we left them enjoying the easy life in the oasis of Elim, without any complaints. But then they entered the wilderness of Sin, a rather appropriate name, for they immediately began to complain against Moses and Aaron, saying: ‘Would to God we had died by the hand of the Lord in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the flesh pots (pots of meat), and when we did eat bread to the full; for ye have brought us forth into this wilderness to kill this whole assembly with hunger.’ (Ex.16:3) Ah Friends, how we like to always have it easy and our way eh! But despite His disappointment at His chosen people’s lack of faith, after all that He had done for them, our God, being such a wonderful Deity, declared unto Moses: ‘Behold, I will rain bread from heaven for you; and the people shall go out and gather a certain rate (amount) every day, that I may prove (test) them, whether they will walk in my law, or no.’ (Ex.16:4) So the Lord tested them with manna, and they failed, because instead of gathering on the sixth day, enough also for the seventh, some went out to gather it on the Sabbath Day. But they found none, because, as per the Lord’s decree, it was only provided for six days. Obviously this displeased the Lord, and He asked Moses: ‘How long refuse ye (do you refuse) to keep my commandments and my laws?’ (Ex.16:28) Oh Friends, that’s exactly the same question the Lord is asking of us today? When will we stop being so ungodly and return to His fold eh? That’s part of the reason why our world is in such a confused and troubled state. And until we return to a state of godliness and obedience to His commandments, we will continue to live in a confused and troubled state. Thankfully the Israelites eventually learned about the manna. ‘So the people rested on the seventh day. And the house of Israel called the name thereof Manna: and it was like coriander seed, white; and the taste of it was like wafers made with honey.’ (Ex.16:30-31) One more miracle for those unbelieving, ungrateful people. And that doesn’t sound like a bad tasting food either; ‘wafers made with honey.’ But I guess if you have it morning, noon and night, seven days a week, it can get somewhat tiresome. Will we eventually wake up though from our sinful, ungodly, lustful life before it’s too late? I certainly hope so. Now here’s what the scholars have to say about manna: ‘The manna literally means ‘What is it?’ Not only was it remarkable for its size, shape, colour, taste, and variety of uses (Ex.16:14, 23, 31; Num.11:7-8), but especially for its daily appearance at dawn, its tremendous abundance, its strange capacity for breeding worms at the end of each day except the sixth, and its sudden and permanent disappearance as soon as the Israelites entered Canaan (Josh.5:12). It taught the people to look Godward for their daily bread, and it pointed toward the One who claimed to be the true bread from heaven, even ‘the bread of life.’ (John 6:32,35) Oh my people, do we look to our God EVERYDAY for our daily bread, like the Israelites were taught to do, and like Jesus taught us in the Lord’s Prayer: ‘Give us this day our daily bread.’ (Matt.6:11) I sure hope so, because that’s what the Lord expects from us, and also why He sends us new mercies and blessings every day. It’s all a part of His overall plan to have us trust Him anew each day, so that He can show His genuine and unconditional LOVE for us. Please, let’s accept His LOVING-kindness with joy and thankfulness and do our best to walk in His godly ways, so that He can continue to bless and keep us safe. That’s the only healing medicine for what ails us today my people, so let’s be wise and accept it with gracious thanks nuh. Much LOVE!…it is better to trust in the Lord…than to put confidence in man… (Ps.118:8) 

Today’s Scrip-Bit 7 March 2012 Psalm 78:32‏

07 Mar 2012 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Inspirational Living Tags: , , , , , ,

Psalm 78:32.    For all this they sinned still, and believed not for his wondrous works.
 
Oh mih people, as I write this, another beautiful day on God’s wonderful earth is in the offing! And I’m serious, for in my area, in the first week of March, the temperature is supposed to rise up around 12 Celsius. And all God’s people in the northern climes emitted a loud and grateful; ‘Thank you Lord! You are indeed the greatest!’ Now Friends, there’s no disputing that our Lord is the greatest, for He truly is, and the initial revelation of today’s high temp is exceedingly wonderful, on the surface, but deep down, what does it really signify? It really signifies that our weather patterns have indeed gone haywire, no matter how some of us try to deny it. For this winter so far, we’ve gotten almost as many warm days with rain as we’ve gotten cold ones with snow. In the thirty odd years I’ve been in Canada, living in the same general area, I’ve never seen this phenomenon before. Meanwhile, consider the numerous tornadoes that ripped through the U.S. this past week. I can’t remember ever hearing about so many tornadoes in quick succession either. And to bring it full circle parts of Europe and Asia were recently hit by cold spells and blanketed with snow like they haven’t experienced in ages. And we haven’t even taken into consideration the warming of the waters in the Arctic and the melting of the icebergs. Putting it all together Friends, I don’t think it portends much good at all. Between our mishandling of the earth’s attributes, and God’s retribution for our disobedience, a period of climate change has been unleashed that can no longer be called subtle. But has it brought us to our senses? Unfortunately NO! And just like the Israelites, our Bit is a disgraceful condemnation of our modern society. ‘For all this they sinned still, and believed not for his wondrous works.’ Now let’s get some pertinent background on the Israelite situation, so that we can better understand our own. Oh my brethren, our God is so concerned about us that we don’t know the half of it. And why am I saying this? Because I just noticed something in the Good Book that I never noticed before, and it moved me. Don’t know if you ever noticed it, but I find it significant enough to mention. When the Lord took Israel out of Egypt, ‘God led them not through the way of the land of the Philistines, although that was near; for God said, Lest peradventure the people repent (change their minds) when they see war, and they return to Egypt: But God led the people about, through the way of the wilderness of the Red Sea: and the children of Israel went up harnessed (in orderly ranks) out of the land of Egypt.’ (Ex.13:17-18) But yuh know that made no difference whatsoever, for the Israelites still complained and disobeyed no end while going through the wilderness to the Promised Land, that’s why it took them forty long, hard years, and only Joshua and Caleb from all those who came out of Egypt ever set foot there. The Lord also having promised to lead and guide them, did just that: ‘And the Lord went before them by day in a pillar of cloud, to lead them the way; and by night in a pillar of fire, to give them light; to go by day and night. He took not away the pillar of the cloud by day, nor the pillar of fire by night, from before the people.’ (Ex.13:21-22) He even used the cloud to prevent the Egyptian army camped behind them at the Red Sea from seeing them (Ex.14:20) But they showed no appreciation for that either and instead complained about the army back there ready to slaughter them. The Lord solved that problem by having Moses part the sea, allowing them to cross over on dry land, then engulfed Pharaoh’s army by returning the water to its original position. (Ex.14:21-30) ‘And Israel saw that great work which the Lord did upon the Egyptians: and the people feared (stood in awe of) the Lord, and believed the Lord, and his servant Moses.’ (Ex.14:31) But for how long my brethren? Only a short period, for after three days in the wilderness without water their complaints began again. And when they did find water, it was bitter and undrinkable (Marah). ‘And the people murmured against Moses, saying, what shall we drink? And he cried unto the Lord; and the Lord showed him a tree, which when he had cast it into the waters, the waters were made sweet: there he made for them a statute and an ordinance (regulation), and there he proved (tested) them, And said, If thou wilt diligently hearken to the voice of the Lord thy God, and wilt do that which is right in his sight, and wilt give ear to his commandments, and keep all his statutes, I will bring none of these diseases upon thee, which I have brought upon the Egyptians: for I am the Lord that healeth thee.’ (Ex.15:24-26) Now that was the first incentive the Lord gave Israel to be obedient unto Him. ‘And they came to Elim, where were twelve wells of water, and three score and ten palm trees: and they encamped by the waters:’ Now at Elim, there were no complaints, not a word of dissatisfaction was heard, because the living at that juncture was beautiful. It was a true oasis; 70 palm trees for shade, and 12 wells of fresh, drinkable water. What was there to complain about? Nothing! But please note Friends, there didn’t seem to be any praise and thanks either. Doesn’t that remind you of us? How we complain when things get rough, but when God is generous with us, and things are going good, we forget to give Him praise and thanks. Oh Friends, that’s our ‘ponderation’ for today; where in our lives have we complained, but where also have we not given thanks for God’s goodness. Let’s try and make some amends for our ungrateful behaviour today. Much LOVE!…to return ungratefulness for kindness…is the mark of the unrighteous…
 

Today’s Scrip-Bit 6 March 2012 Matthew 22:37,39‏

06 Mar 2012 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Inspirational Living Tags: , , , , , ,

Matthew 22:37,39.    Thou shalt LOVE the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind…Thou shalt LOVE thy neighbour as thyself.
 
Aye mih people, a fine Tuesday morning to you and yours! Now we all know that our God moves in mysterious ways, so listen to this mysterious way He worked in me yesterday morning. Just before midday, He sent me this zeppo, this little message, by the Holy Spirit, and the strange thing is that when I sat down and really considered it, what He says makes oodles of sense. And it’s not rocket science either, but plain simple logic and common sense. Well enough suspense, (smile) the theory is…Oh sorry, this is no theory, these are hard, solid facts! Well then, the facts run something like this: Our world is presently in pretty bad shape, and if we don’t do something about it real soon, it’s liable to implode and/or explode. The forces of iniquity are winning the battle right now, but we believers in Jesus know that the powers of darkness are no match whatsoever for the brilliance of our wonderful Lord and Saviour. The iniquity workers, led by that old scoundrel Lucifer, are purveyors of hate, anger, confusion and strife. However, we Christians, led by Jesus Christ, are the purveyors of Peace, LOVE, and Human Kindness. And one thing for sure in this ongoing battle is that the powers of darkness definitely can’t overpower the forces of light. We, the soldiers of Jesus, work with the most awesome weapon ever invented…no, not invented, for you can’t invent LOVE. We, the followers of Jesus, work with LOVE, the greatest weapon ever created! Yes, that sounds better. And it is only a matter of time before the good guys, that’s us believers, come out victorious, because our omnipotent God has imperiously declared that: ‘No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgement thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and their righteousness is of (from) me, saith the Lord.’ (Is.54:17) He’s also incontestably declared that: ‘Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that LOVED us.’ (Rom.8:37) However Friends, though those promises are wonderful and will be kept, our victories won’t happen by chance, or by just sitting down and wishing them to happen by faith. No! Just like the iniquity soldiers, who work hard to promote and justify their cause, likewise, we, the children of the Most High God Jehovah, have to go out into the fields of evil and sow some good seed, in and with faith. We have to out work and out battle Lucifer’s boys, and right now I believe that they are outworking and out battling us. And that’s not a very good situation for our world my brethren. So since we have the biggest and most powerful bazooka in town, LOVE, let’s get out there and use it nuh mih people. The poor, the sick, the suffering, lonely, lost and oppressed are plentiful out there, yuh know. And they’re waiting to be delivered by us, the helpers of Jesus. Unfortunately we can’t do that by sitting on our comfortable rear ends. It’s certainly going to take a lot of effort and sacrifice, patience, strong faith and fortitude from all God’s soldiers to pull of this LOVE Revolution that He’s planned to save our fast deteriorating world. Oh my Friends, that is the only solution available to us who believe! It’s the only plan that will return our world to its senses and its rightful place, under the outstretched and protective wings of the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the ONE, TRUE GOD of this vast universe! Please let’s wake up and smell the roses, or rather the pungent scent of the destruction that’s underway. LOVE is the ONLY WAY TO VICTORY! And as Bruh Paul so wisely told the Thessalonians: ‘But as touching (concerning) brotherly LOVE ye need not that I write unto you: for ye yourselves are taught of God to LOVE one another. And indeed ye do it toward all the brethren which are in Macedonia: but we beseech you, brethren, that ye increase more and more.’ (1 Thess.4:9-10) Yes mih people, to change our world, our LOVE Walk has to be ramped up much higher than it currently is. We won’t win any battles, much less wars with the puny attempts at LOVE we’re currently making. If we’re truly to be considered Friends and Followers of Jesus, then there’s only one way to win this ongoing war. As Jesus declared so long ago in our Bit: ‘Thou shalt LOVE the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind…And Thou shalt LOVE thy neighbour as thyself.’ Yes people, that’s the winning formula! And since LOVE is an action word, please, let’s put it into serious action nuh. For our children’s sake, let’s do it nuh. Much LOVE!…simply talking LOVE…and not actively walking it…does not any battle win…
 

Today’s Scrip-Bit 5 March 2012 Matthew 20:16‏

05 Mar 2012 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Inspirational Living Tags: , , , , ,

Matthew 20:16.    So the last shall be first, and the first last: for many be called, but few chosen.

Oh Friends, another bright and beautiful Monday Morning is upon us, so let’s be up and at ‘em! Hn, hn! No, I haven’t been doing anything to distort my perspective of reality. (smile) The true reality is that all God’s days are bright and beautiful! Sometimes not physically, (only -14C now) but always spiritually, since He clothes them all in new mercies and blessings. Thus I’m luxuriating in the grace of God that has miraculously enabled me to see another day on this amazing planet earth, which sadly we are doing our level best to destroy – doing a very good job of it too. But fellow believers, please remember that it’s our God-given duty to stop the iniquity workers from destroying God’s handiwork, whether it be earth, sky, man or beast. To therefore boost our spirits and bring out the holy warrior in us, let’s sing our Monday Morning Battle Hymn with mucho gusto. On three now; one, two, three: ‘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!’ Hopefully Friends, that got your adrenalin a pumping and you’re now rearing to battle in Jesus’ Name. Now let’s check out our Bit: ‘So the last shall be first, and the first last: for many are called but few are chosen.’ And isn’t that the gospel truth! Not only in the spiritual realm which Jesus was referring to, but in so many walks of earthly life; namely cattle-calls (auditions), job interviews, sports teams etc, where many people show up for a handful of positions, and where being amongst the first doesn’t guarantee you anything. The same goes for the heavenly kingdom Friends. Jesus spoke those words after relating the parable of the vineyard workers, where the last ones hired got the same pay as the first, but the first figured that was wrong because they had put in more hours of work. This caused the vineyard owner to rebuke them, saying: ‘Friend, I do thee no wrong: didst not thou agree with me for a penny (in wages)? Take that thine is, and go thy way: I will give unto this last, even as unto thee. Is it not lawful for me to do what I will with mine own? Is thine eye evil, because I am good?’ (Matt.20:13-15) He reminded them that he’d paid them the amount agreed on, and it was his prerogative to do as he pleased with what was his. Then Jesus declared our Bit. It’s going to be the same way in heaven my brethren. Not because you were a believer first means you’re going to automatically be blessed more than the last ones on board, for the Lord offers us all equal blessings, the same way He LOVES us all equally. You might get more if you banked more heavenly rewards from here on earth. But by the same token a latecomer could also bank more rewards if you were simply sitting down here on your laurels, while he was busy doing God’s work. Friends, that was Jesus’ way of warning us against jealousy and impure motives in serving Him. Sadly though, His church is full of jealousy, petty rivalries and divisions. Obviously we didn’t get the message, thus allowing Lucifer to make a mockery of Christ’s church. And my people, Christ said those same words at least two other times. The first time was back in Matthew 19, where he told the rich young ruler to go and sell his possessions and come and follow Him, if wanted to receive salvation. The young man went away sad and despondent because he had much earthly possessions, which led Jesus to make the statement re it being easier for a camel to go through a needle’s eyes that for a rich man to enter heaven. Then in the last two verses He further clarifies the situation re when He comes again in glory: ‘And every one that hath forsaken houses, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my name’s sake, shall receive a hundredfold, and shall inherit everlasting life. But many that are first shall be last; and the last shall be first.’ (Matt.19:29-30) Oh Friends, the sacrifices we make in Jesus’ name here on earth are ever so important, and then we’ve got to do them with a right heart and good motive, otherwise we’re liable to lose out on the blessings He’s stockpiled for us. Then in Matthew 22, Jesus talks about the parable of the marriage feast, where the invited guests disdain his invitation, so people off the street are invited. This one unfortunate however isn’t dressed in wedding attire, and when the king asks him why, he can’t answer. ‘Then said the king to the servants, Bind him hand and foot, and take him away, and cast him into outer darkness; there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth, For many are called, but few are chosen.’ (Matt.22:13-14) Now we’ll let the scholars explain the parable. ‘The bidden guests are the people of Israel, whereas those in the highways are the Gentiles. Both bad and good (vs.10) refer to the moral and immoral sinners who alike need God’s gracious invitation. The man without the wedding garment came to the feast but disregarded the propriety of the king’s provision, since such garments were normally supplied by the host. The reference seems to be to the ‘robe of righteousness,’ which we must receive from the Lord in order to attend the marriage feast. Casting the unclad guest into outer darkness symbolizes the eternal judgement of the lost.’ With that explanation in mind Friends, I implore us to take hold of all that our gracious God has provided for us, and to do all that He asks, so that we don’t end up like the unprepared, improperly dressed guest and suffer the negative outcome. Much LOVE!…living amongst the damned in purgatory with Lucifer, is true hell…so be wise now…change your evil ways while there’s yet time…that you may live forever in heaven…with Jesus…

 

Today’s Scrip-Bit 4 March 2012 Psalm 119:89‏

04 Mar 2012 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Inspirational Living Tags: , , ,

Psalm 119:89.     For ever, O Lord, thy word is settled in heaven.

Oh Friends, ‘Do you want to know what is on the mind of God? Then look at Jesus! Do you want to know the will of God? Then Look at Jesus! Do you want to know what is in the heart of God? Then look at Jesus! Jesus is the exact revelation of what is on the mind and in the heart and in the will of God!’ Those are words of awesome truth from my current favourite book, ‘My Jesus is …Everything,’ by Anne Graham Lotz. She breaks down her topics so simply and nicely that I’m being led to share several of them with you. Yes my people, if you want to know anything about the omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent, LOVING, faithful, kind, merciful, forgiving God we worship, then all you have to do is look at Jesus! For He was and is the earthly incarnation of the Most High God Jehovah! Only because He came to earth in a body like ours and lived amongst us, do we have some true semblance of what our God is really like. Until that time, though God communicated with us through His prophets, no one had ever seen Him in living colour. And such is the human mind that it tends to believe only what it sees, stuff in the physical realm. However with Jesus’ coming, our spiritual dealings with God were now also made manifest in the flesh, and thus more understandable. It also gave greater meaning to the words of the psalmist in our Bit and the two verses that follow: ‘For ever, O Lord, thy word is settled (stands firm) in heaven. Thy faithfulness is unto all generations: thou hast established the earth, and it abideth (endures). They continue this day according to thine ordinances: for they are all thy servants.’ (Ps.119:89-91) Without a doubt Friends, the heavens and earth work for the Lord and operate on the solid foundation of His Word! In Ethan the Ezrahite’s contemplation on God’s sure promises to Bruh David, he solemnly declares: ‘I will sing of the mercies of the Lord for ever: with my mouth will I make known thy faithfulness to all generations. For I have said, Mercy (LOVING-kindness) shall be built up for ever; thy faithfulness shalt thou establish in the very heavens.’ (Ps.89:1-2) Meanwhile, Isaiah gives it a more earthy feeling: ‘The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: but the word of our God shall stand for ever.’ And that’s the undeniable truth my brethren! The Lord’s Word is the solid, immovable, unchangeable rock upon which we can totally build our lives; both earthly and heavenly, without fear of ever being misled, misguided or deceived. And if you don’t believe me, then listen to Jesus: ‘Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.’ (Matt.24:35) We couldn’t ask for it any plainer or simpler than that Friends. And that’s one of the things I admire about Jesus and His teaching; He never gets into any long discourse or diatribe, but breaks it down as simply and plainly as possible, so that even the dumbest of us can understand, (smile) except in some of the parables where He intentionally tries to confuse His listeners. Then we have Peter’s words on the subject, where he calls for Christian dedication: ‘Being born again, not of corruptible (perishable) seed, but of incorruptible (imperishable), by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever. For all flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of grass. The grass withereth, and the flower thereof falleth away. But the (spoken) Word of the Lord endureth for ever. And this is the word which by the gospel is preached unto you.’ (1 Pet.1:23-25) Yes Friends, strong, and true words from one who walked with Jesus! In verses 24 and 25, he even quotes Isaiah’s words on the subject, keeping that connection between the Old and New testaments that Jesus Himself forged. Now here’s the last word on the topic from the scholars: ‘Being born again (lit. having been born again) refers to all believers having been regenerated by the Holy Spirit through the Word of God, which communicates His offer of salvation to mankind. Thus, our salvation rests, from the human perspective, upon our willing reception of that offer.’ Oh my brethren, have we willing received that free offer of salvation and eternal life from Jesus? I sure hope so. And if we have, then let’s go out and tell the many others who haven’t even heard about it, so that they too can hear the Word, believe it, and humbly bow before the cross of Christ, accepting Him as their ever-LOVING Lord and Saviour, for that’s what we’ve been called to do. Much LOVE!…our great commission…Go ye therefore, and teach all nations…baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost…Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you… (Matt.28:19-20)

 

Today’s Scrip-Bit 3 March 2012 Psalm 18:20

03 Mar 2012 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Inspirational Living Tags: , , , , ,

Psalm 18:20.  The Lord rewarded me according to my righteousness; according to the cleanness of my hands hath he recompensed me.

Oh Friends, I can’t seem to come up with a bright or witty intro this morning, (smile) but I’m going to do even better by sharing some words of enormous truth and wisdom that someone else wrote. I found both quotes on the fly leaves of my mother’s Bible, so I don’t know where she got them from or who said them, but whoever said them undoubtedly knew what they were saying. The first quote says: ‘The Bible is God’s Word to us. Still fresh through all the ages. And if we read it, we will find God’s wisdom on its pages!’ And isn’t that the gospel truth my Friends? God’s Word though written many centuries ago is still as fresh and applicable today as back then, because neither our God nor His Word ever changes. Selah. And the second quote says: ‘One truth from the Bible is worth more than all the wisdom of man!’ There’s more gospel truth my brethren! Since the Lord’s thoughts and ways are so much higher than ours, it follows that even one truth from His Word is more valuable than all of man’s wisdom combined. That’s how powerful the Word of our God is! Consequently, Bruh David, who tried his best to adhere to God’s law and truth, after he was delivered from his enemies, especially Saul, he could therefore truthfully say in our Bit and beyond: ‘The Lord rewarded me according to my righteousness; according to the cleanness of my hands hath he recompensed me. For I have kept the ways of the Lord, and have not wickedly departed from my God. For all his judgements were before me, and I did not put away his statutes from me. I was also upright before (with) him, and I kept myself from mine iniquity. Therefore hath the Lord recompensed me according to my righteousness, according to the cleanness of my hands in his eyesight.’ (Ps.18:20-24)  Yes Friends, when we consciously and diligently try to obey the Lord, He eventually rewards us by lifting our weighty burden from our shoulders and giving us peace. One of those instances where Bruh David restrained himself before the Lord was when he had opportunity to kill Saul at the cave in the wilderness of Engedi, when he came hunting him like a wild animal. In spite of his associates’ encouragement to kill Saul, he refused, saying: ‘The Lord forbid that I should do this thing unto my master, the Lord’s anointed, to stretch forth mine hand against him, seeing he is the anointed of the Lord.’ (1 Sam.24:6) As Saul left, Bruh David called out to him and made obeisance to him, pleading his innocence. (1 Sam.24:8-15) When Saul realized his error, he said: ‘Is this thy voice, my son David? And Saul lifted up his voice and wept. And he said to David, Thou art more righteous than I: for thou hast rewarded me good, whereas I have rewarded thee evil. And thou hast showed this day how thou hast dealt well with me: forasmuch as when the Lord had delivered me into thine hand, thou killedst me not. For if a man find his enemy, will he let him go well away (get away safely)? Wherefore the Lord reward thee good for that thou hadst done unto me this day. And now, behold, I know well that thou shalt surely be king, and that the kingdom of Israel shall be established in thine hand.’ (1 Sam.24:16-20) Oh my people, we are considered victorious in the Lord’s sight not only by overcoming our enemies, but oftimes more by showing them mercy in the Lord’s name, by dashing down their pride and arrogance and humbling them before Him. So remember that not every conquest calls for the physical destruction of the enemy, sometimes just destroying his lustful pride will win more kudos from the Lord, especially if the enemy worships Him thereafter. And we’ll end with an appropriate scripture from Job, where his friend Elihu reasons with him, re God calls men to repent. ‘’If there be a messenger with him, an interpreter (a mediator), one among a thousand, to show unto man his uprightness; Then he is gracious unto him, and saith, Deliver him from going down to the pit: I have found a ransom (an atonement). His flesh shall be fresher than (young as) a child’s: he shall return to the days of his youth: he shall pray unto God, and he will be favourable unto him (delight in him): and he shall see his face with joy: for he will render (restore) unto man his righteousness.’ (Job 33:23-26) Oh Friends, it all comes right back to God’s universal law of what ever we sow, the same we shall reap. So please let’s make it a habit to sow good seed in the Lord’s sight, so that in His time, we might be suitably rewarded. Much LOVE!…if we sow in righteousness…then in righteousness shall we reap…

 

Today’s Scrip-Bit 2 March 2012 Matthew 18:11‏

02 Mar 2012 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Inspirational Living Tags: , , , ,

Matthew 18:11.    For the Son of man is come to save that which was lost.
 
Oh my fellow believers in Christ, it’s Friday! Yes, the weekend’s here at last. But uncharacteristically the shouts of ‘TGIG! Thank God is Friday! aren’t as loud and lusty as usual because we seem to be adding a little more decorum to our Lenten behaviour. (smile) It reminds me of the days when you couldn’t hear a calypso on the radio in T&T – the land of carnival and calypso – during the entire Lenten season, except on St. Patrick’s Day, because they were thought to be too immoral and sinful, inappropriate music for that particular period. Granted some might have been, but the whole genre suffered because of a few. And isn’t that the way life seems to move; where because of a few miscreants, a whole body is negatively labelled and punished? Anyway, we’ve got Jesus – our be all and end all – so there’s no need to worry. With that security in mind, let’s then chant our Friday Chant to get us set for the weekend. In one loud, persuasive voice now: ‘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 mih people, what a joy it is to believe in a God who LOVED us so much that He sent His only Son to save us worthless beings! Our Bit states it plainly and simply: ‘For the Son of man is come to save that which was lost.’ Now it wasn’t Jesus alone who declared this saving grace of His, for Isaiah prophesied it way back when: ‘Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel (God with us).’ (Is.7:14) The angel of the Lord also appeared in a dream to Joseph, Mary’s betrothed, while he was wrestling with the problem of a pregnant fiancée, telling him: ‘And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name Jesus (Saviour): for he shall save his people from their sins.’ (Matt.1:21) This was done so that Isaiah’s prophecy above could be fulfilled. Now Jesus wasn’t bashful about saying it either for it was the truth and He wanted to make sure that people really understood why He had left His comfortable home in heaven to come to hell on earth. Listen to Him expound on the subject: ‘For God so LOVED the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth on him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.’ (John 3:16-17) And all God’s people raised their heads, eyes, hearts and hands to heaven and uttered a grateful, ‘Thank you Father God for sending your Son Jesus to redeem us from our sins! We LOVE you, and bless and praise your Holy Name!’ What would we have done without Jesus eh Friends? As the ancients would say, ‘crapaud would surely smoke we pipe,’ our eternal lives would certainly be in great jeopardy, having to spend eternity in Hades with Lucifer. Oh what a horrible thought! But thank the Lord there’s Jesus, ever on the lookout for the lost, hurting, sick and oppressed. And He shows this so plainly in Luke 15 where He tells the parables of the lost sheep, the lost coin and the lost son, where the shepherd, the coin’s owner and the father of the lost son diligently seek for what they’d lost. And when they’d found it, they rejoiced with their friends and neighbours. It’s only fitting to end with Jesus’ words after each parable: ‘I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine just (upright) persons, which need no repentance… Likewise I say unto you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth…It was meet (right) that we should make merry, and be glad: for this thy brother was dead, and is alive again; and was lost, and is found.’ (Luke 15:7,10,32) Oh Friends, are we on the lookout for the poor, hungry, sick and suffering too? If not, then we’re not following in Jesus’ footsteps. So let’s get a right perspective and change it all, so that we can truly deserve to be called Christians – followers of Christ. Much LOVE!…you’re not a true follower…unless you truly follow your leader…


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