Today’s Scrip-Bit 4 April 2012 Psalm 80:3‏

04 Apr 2012 Leave a comment

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

Psalm 80:3      Turn us again, O God, and cause thy face to shine; and we shall be saved.

Oh my people, it’s Wednesday; day three of Holy Week, two days to your crucifixion! Are you worried and concerned? Of course! Sitting on pins and needles? For sure! Are your palms sweating and your stomach tied up in knots? That’s expected! Well let us think now how Jesus felt, with just two short days before His number was called up yonder, and act accordingly; with care and compassion, LOVE and kindness, mercy and forgiveness, the same way He did, although He was under great stress and strain. Now let’s look at our Bit: ‘Turn (Restore) us again, O God, and cause thy face to shine; and we shall be saved.’ And isn’t that the living truth Friends! The only way our evil, ungodly, disobedient world can be saved is by the Lord restoring us to righteousness. For remember Jesus’ words when He spoke about the vine and the branches: ‘for without me ye can do nothing.’ (John 15:5) That also is undeniable truth Friends! So if we want to return to a safe, prosperous, caring world, then it’s obvious we have to turn to Jesus for help. And how do we do that? By repenting of our sins, asking for mercy and forgiveness, receiving it, then living a righteous, obedient life to God’s will thereafter. Psalm 80 is Asaph’s prayer for restoration of the fortunes of Israel, and he considers our Bit so important to his beseeching God, that he includes it three times in the psalm. Yes my brethren, verses, 3,7, and 19 are all the same petition. And I don’t see how it could be any less important in these very troubled and calamitous times that we are currently experiencing. I like how Asaph bewails the condition of his people. ‘O Lord God of hosts, how long wilt thou be angry against the prayer of thy people? Thou feedest them with the bread of tears; and givest them tears to drink in great measure. Thou makest us a strife unto our neighbours: and our enemies laugh among themselves. Turn us again, O God of hosts, and cause thy face to shine; and we shall be saved.’ (Ps.80: 4-7) Ah mih breddren, the Lord’s certainly angry with us right now too; bread is short and tears are plentiful. As Isaiah says, the Lord is feeding us with ‘the bread of adversity, and the water of affliction,’ (Is.30:20) for our turning away from Him en masse and embracing the evil Lucifer with open arms. How could it be otherwise eh my people? The Lord is a holy, jealous, just and righteous God, therefore he cannot allow our disobedience to go unpunished. Jeremiah says it quite aptly: ‘I have surely heard Ephraim bemoaning himself thus: Thou hast chastised me, and I was chastised, as a bullock unaccustomed to the yoke (an untrained bull): turn (restore) thou me, and I shall be turned (return); for thou art the Lord my God.’ (Jer.31:18) Now hear the scholars take on that verse. ‘A first step in repentance is confession of sin and a prayer for the Lord’s effective enablement of the believer’s life. True repentance involves the work of the whole person in recognizing and sorrowing over sin, and renouncing it so as to turn to God in full heart’s devotion to His lordship.’ And they reference Psalm 32; The blessedness of forgiveness, and Psalm 51; A prayer for cleansing.’ But Friends, is it happening like Jeremiah says: ‘Surely after that I was turned, I repented; and after that I was instructed, I smote upon (struck myself on) my thigh: I was ashamed, yea, even confounded (humiliated), because I did bear the reproach of my youth.’ (Jer.31:19) I’d like to think so, but in any case the numbers are way too small to effect any large-scale and worthwhile improvement in our world today. Now don’t get me wrong, the Lord will gladly accept even one truly repentant sinner, however we need a whole lot more to further our LOVE Revolution and enable us to sincerely and successfully turn things around. Listen to Peter’s ending when he pleaded with the Jews in Jerusalem to repent: ‘Unto you first God, having raised up his Son (Servant) Jesus, sent him to bless you, in turning away every one of you from his iniquities.’ (Acts 3:26) My fellow believers, we all know that, but for some reason(s) or other, we just don’t seem to be too keen on making the changes needed to bring about that transition. I guess not enough of us both desire the changes and are also willing to pay the price to make them happen. But believe me Friends, the price to get back into God’s good graces, is extremely cheap, compared to that of continuing to support Lucifer and his evil works. If yuh think we’re suffering calamity now, just wait and see what happens if we continue along our present path. My people, in closing, let’s offer up a prayer that Jeremiah offered up long ago in his Lamentations, but which is still very appropriate for our troublesome situation today. And let’s do it with a truly repentant heart if we want our God to take notice and help us. As one now, lifting our heads, hearts, eyes and hands to heaven: ‘Wherefore dost thou forget us for ever, and forsake us so long time? Turn thou us unto (back) to thee O Lord, and we shall be turned; renew our days as of old.’ (Lam.5:20-21) And all God’s people said a prayerful, heartfelt ‘Amen!’ Much LOVE!…it’s the same old story…if you don’t hear, you’re going to feel…
 

Today’s Scrip-Bit 3 April 2012 Proverbs 23:7‏

03 Apr 2012 Leave a comment

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

Proverbs 23:7.   Let not thine heart envy sinners; but be thou in the fear of the Lord all the day long.
 

Oh Friends, it’s Tuesday; day two of Holy Week! Remember yesterday we promised to put ourselves in Jesus’ position this week? Well there are three more days to go before your crucifixion. How did you feel when you woke up this morning? Were you anxious and apprehensive? Of course! More so than yesterday? But nuh must! Because the day of serious affliction is growing nearer, our fear and apprehension level is definitely growing. So please consider how Jesus must have felt. With His human emotions and physical feelings of pain, He surely was in some turmoil. But with His heavenly Father’s help, He was able to keep things under control and still go about His daily duty. Likewise, whatever fears or anxieties we have eating away at us today, with the Father’s help, we can dim them down, so that they don’t affect our daily walk with Him too much. And one of the things we badly need to do in this lustful, ungodly world that will enable us to be in concert with God, is to follow the eternal wisdom of our Bit: ‘Let not thine heart envy sinners; but be thou in the fear of the Lord all the day long.’ Oh Friends, unfortunately at this particular juncture in time, our world is just running amok, slavishly enamoured of the things of Lucifer. Meanwhile, the things of God have been either hidden on the back burner or blatantly thrown out. How sad and foolish! That means the emphasis is therefore on each believer ‘to test his own personal relationship with God. That alone provides the ultimate satisfaction available to the believer who witnesses the affluence of the wicked.’ (Scholar’s note on Psalm 73) Yes Friends, it’s our individual responsibility, with God’s help of course, to avoid the trappings of the world ‘confuffling’ our minds and making us jealous and envious of those who have plenty of it. Now yesterday we saw where the psalmist, Asaph, (Ps.73) stumbled and almost fell when he saw how the wicked were prospering. And not much has changed since then, for the wicked are still prospering today. But thankfully when he entered the God’s house, he received a divine outlook on the situation and was able to pull himself together. He finally realized that the wicked had sold their souls to Beelzebub for filthy lucre and earthly possessions. That obviously does not sit well with our God, thus a terrible judgement has been set up for them. Sadly though, just like throughout all history, many of us seeing the prosperity of the wicked have rushed headlong into Lucifer’s fold to get those worldly possessions that rust, decay and be eaten by moths. That’s a huge mistake Friends, for that ungodly, disobedient behaviour only puts us in God’s bad books, amongst the wicked, to be judged severely in the Lord’s time. Now I’m sure none of us really want to feel the Lord’s judgement, which can be very terrifying. So what do we do? The Lord would much rather His children follow the advice of Bruh David in Psalm 37, titled, the true state of the wicked. There, Bruh David proclaims with sure, unshakeable faith: ‘Fret not thyself because of evildoers, neither be thou envious against the workers of iniquity. For they shall soon be cut down like the grass, and wither as the green herb. Trust in the Lord, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily shalt thou be fed (feed on his faithfulness). Delight thyself also in the Lord; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart. Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass. And he shall bring forth thy righteousness as the light, and thy judgement (justice) as the noonday. Rest in the Lord and wait patiently for him: fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way, because of the man who bringeth wicked devices (schemes) to pass. Cease from anger, and forsake wrath: fret not thyself in any wise to do evil (it only causes harm). For evildoers shall be cut off (destroyed): but those that wait upon the Lord, they shall inherit the earth.’ (Ps.37:1-9) Oh my brethren, that says it all! We should not worry about the wicked prospering, just mind our own business in God’s domain; trust Him, delight in Him, commit our lives to Him, and He will give us peace, Love, understanding and the desires of our hearts. The wicked though will be eradicated from the earth and the annals of God. And my people, there’s no better time to stop envying the wicked and their prosperity than RIGHT NOW! So let’s get to it seriously nuh, so we can reverently serve the Lord God Jehovah in truth, word, spirit and action, all day long, and thus receive His faithful promise to inherit the earth. Much LOVE!…it’s all a matter of hearing the right word…then sowing the right seed…so you can reap the right harvest…
 

Today’s Scrip-Bit 2 April 2012 Proverbs 23:7‏

02 Apr 2012 Leave a comment

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

 Proverbs 23:7.     Let not thine heart envy sinners; but be thou in the fear of the Lord all the day long.

Oh Friends, it’s Monday! Time for the lucky ones with a job to get out and labour another week for their pittance. But it’s also a sad week in the lives of believers, because it’s Holy Week; that time when Jesus agonized over His upcoming trials and tribulations, until He was crucified on Good Friday. We whine and complain about going to work, especially on a Monday morning, as though it’s such a terrible hardship. Yes, it can be inconvenient and difficult at times, but just consider Jesus’ plight, His anxiety level when He arose this Holy Week Monday morning, two thousand years ago, and realized that the hour for which He was born was only four short days away. Don’t you think He was anxious and apprehensive? Of course He was! For remember that though He was God, He was also man with lots of our feelings, both physical and emotional. So it was never going to be an easy walk in the park for Him. Friends, let’s take a Selah moment here and consider Jesus’ position, then our own, weigh them both, then truthfully decide if we have that much to complain about. If we’re honest, the answer for most of us would be a resounding NO! So please let’s stop whining and complaining as much as we do, over the truly petty, insignificant things that we make such a fuss over nowadays. Instead, today, and everyday of this Holy week, I want us to put ourselves in Jesus’ position, behave as though we were going to be crucified on Friday, then note our reactions. Let’s see how we behave each morning we arise, knowing that our terrible, painful, innocent demise is one day closer to becoming reality. Now to help us with that exercise, plus the normal ups and downs of everyday, workweek life, let’s sing our Monday Morning Battle Hymn with loud, truly thankful voices. Thought I’d forgotten it eh? (smile) All together now: ‘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 having thus boosted our spirits my brethren, let’s go out into our evil, ungodly, troubled world and do as our Bit so wisely advises: ‘Let not thine heart envy sinners; but be thou in the fear of the Lord all the day long.’ Now therein lies a WOW! factor Friends, for those are certainly Words Of Wisdom! And we have a perfect example of the stupidity of envying sinners from the psalmist Asaph, when he laments the prosperity of the wicked: ‘Truly God is good to Israel, even to such as are of a clean (pure) heart. But as for me, my feet were almost gone (had almost stumbled); my steps had well-nigh slipped. For I was envious of the foolish (boastful), when I saw the prosperity of the wicked.’ (Ps.73:1-3) Now why would Asaph choose to do that eh? ‘For there are no bands (pangs or pain) in their death: but their strength is firm. They are not in trouble as other men; neither are they plagued like other men. Therefore pride compasseth them about as a chain (serves as a necklace); violence covereth them as a garment. Their eyes stand out with fatness (bulge with abundance): they have more than heart could wish. They are corrupt (scoff), and speak wickedly concerning oppression: they speak loftily (proudly)….And they say, How doth God know? And is there knowledge in the Most High? Behold, these are the ungodly, who prosper (are always at ease) in the world; they increase in riches.’ (Ps.73:5-8, 11-12) Oh Friends, that’s a mirror image of our world today! And sadly, like Asaph, too many of us see the wicked prospering, are envious of them and unwisely buy into their evil schemes. They figure that Almighty God is not watching or doesn’t know their evil deeds. But He is watching and does know, because He is the ultimate controller of all things in our universe. So let them fool themselves into thinking that their ill-gotten riches and their wicked doings will serve them well, they are in for a rude awakening, because their day of judgement and tribulation will come, even though it may take a lifetime. Oh my brethren, let’s hope and pray that those of us who are jealous of the wicked and their earthly possessions wake up soon and realize our folly. Like Asaph, hopefully, we’ll soon be able to say: ‘Until I went into the sanctuary of God; then I understood their end…. My flesh and my heart faileth: but God is the strength (rock) of my heart, and my portion for ever.’ (Ps.73:17, 26) And that’s the gospel truth my people! Much LOVE!…envy and jealousy are like blinders…they prevent us from seeing the truth…

 

Today’s Scrip-Bit 1 April 2012 Matthew 21:9‏

01 Apr 2012 Leave a comment

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

Matthew 21:9.    And the multitudes that went before, and that followed, cried, saying, Hosanna to the son of David: Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord; Hosanna in the highest.

 PALM  SUNDAY!

All hail the triumphal entry of Jesus into His city of Jerusalem! Oh Friends, it was a bright and sunny day like today, two thousand years ago, when Jesus triumphantly entered the sacred city of Jerusalem on a lowly donkey, using people’s clothing as a saddle, riding over palms and clothes on the cobbled stone streets, while the crowds enthusiastically greeted Him. The next time though my brethren, it will be an entirely different story! That time He came humbly, on the next occasion though, Jesus will enter Jerusalem with much pomp, power and glory, as a conquering hero, having already crushed His enemies underfoot. And to show how the Good Book is a cohesive work of God from beginning to end, and not simply man’s imagination, the shouts of our Bit: ‘Hosanna to the (Save, we pray, thou) Son of David: Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord; Hosanna in the highest,’ echo the words of Psalm 118: 24-25. ‘Save now (Hosanna) I beseech thee, O Lord: O Lord, I beseech thee, send now prosperity. Blessed be he that cometh in the name of the Lord: we have blessed you out of the house of the Lord.’ The triumphant entry of Jesus also recalls and fulfills the prophecy of Zechariah: ‘Rejoice greatly, O Daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem: behold, thy King cometh unto thee: he is just (righteous), and having salvation; lowly (humble), and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass.’ (Zech.9:9) The donkey was a symbol of peace, which was what Jesus, Israel’s King came to bring, so He wasn’t coming on any snorting, prancing charger which the kings of the earth rode when they came to wreak havoc and destruction. Thus the rabbi’s of Zechariah’s time and thereafter could not understand how their Messiah, their victorious warrior-king, could ride up triumphantly on such a meek and lowly animal. But their vision was grossly distorted, for instead of the Messiah being a warmonger, as they envisioned Him, He came then as an angel of Peace. Now that doesn’t mean He isn’t also a most formidable general, in fact the best ever, but back then that was His Father’s plan, so that the many prophecies about Him could be fulfilled. Note too Jesus’ words when He sent the two disciples to get the donkey: ‘Go your way into the village over against you (opposite), and as soon as ye be entered into it, ye shall find a colt tied, whereon never man sat; loose him, and bring him. And if any man say unto you, Why do ye this? Say ye that the Lord hath need of him; and straightway he will send him hither.’ (Mark 11:2-3) And it happened just as Jesus predicted. They found the colt and untied it, but were accosted about their intentions. However when they said that Jesus needed it, there were no further problems. An important point here are the words; ‘whereon never man sat’ Per the scholars, ‘An animal devoted to a sacred purpose must not have been put to common use.’ (Num.19:2, Deut.21:3) Those scriptures talk about the unblemished animals that were to be used as sacrifices; similarly, this donkey could not have been ridden by anyone else before Jesus. Ah Friends, that first Palm Sunday was such a great occasion, with the great outpouring of peace and LOVE that the celebration engendered. But such was the fickle and selfish nature of mankind back then, that after welcoming Jesus into Jerusalem with such joy on Palm Sunday, five days later, on Good Friday, many of those same ones were crying out for Him to be crucified. And unfortunately, we are still as fickle and selfish – no, even more so than two thousand years ago. One day we climb on one bandwagon, say Jesus’, then when it no longer suits our selfish needs, we jump on another one, most likely Beelzebub’s. But my people, our lives will never improve if we retain that finicky, fickle, jump from one side to the other. Only when we stay constant and steadfast on one track, preferably Jesus’ will improvement ever be possible. There’s much truth in the saying that when we don’t stand strong for something, we’ll fall easily for anything. That’s exactly what happened to those people back then: they didn’t stand true and steadfast for Jesus; He was merely treated as the flavour of the day. And so, because of their wishy-washy attitude, they eventually lost out on salvation and eternal life. Please my brethren, let’s not be like them nuh. We’re much luckier, and I surely hope smarter, having the good news of the gospel and two thousand years of history to draw from. Sadly though, too many of us are still drawing the wrong conclusions. If we consider ourselves believers in Jesus, then let’s be willing to stand up proudly and be counted, come what may. Let’s stop jumping from pillar to post whenever we think the grass looks greener on the other side, because invariably it’s not, which only leads to more disappointment. Oh my people, Jesus was the only man who walked this earth claiming Godly status, and actually proved it by His extraordinary actions. Therefore we know that His word is true, that He’s faithful and trustworthy, so let’s be wise and stand strong in His Name nuh! This Palm Sunday let’s imagine ourselves back there on the streets of ole Jerusalem, waving palms, throwing clothes, crying out Hosanna’s to the Son of David, our hearts bursting with LOVE and joy as the Prince of Peace triumphantly enters on His lowly steed, fulfilling the Bible prophecies. It’s the only sensible response for a believer. Much LOVE!…true believers stay true…even in the most difficult of times…

 

Today’s Scrip-Bit 31 March 2012 Ecclesiastes 3:8‏

31 Mar 2012 1 Comment

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

Ecclesiastes 3:8,      A time to LOVE, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace.

Aye Friends, there’s a question I’ve been meaning to ask you all for some time, but I’ve never gotten around to it until now. If I’ve been amiss in my duty, please forgive me, because it’s a rather important question; possibly the most important question that each of us can ask ourselves right now. But then again, it might have simply been penciled in all along for today on the Lord’s calendar, so I’m right on time. (smile) However, before we get to the million-dollar question, let’s take a look at our Bit: ‘A time to LOVE, and a time of hate; a time of war, and a time of peace.’ We all know that comes from the famous chapter of Ecclesiastes on there being a time for every thing. And that’s the living truth Friends! And what time is this? The time for LOVE and PEACE! Oh my people the time for hate and war are over, long gone. It’s a new era now; one where peace and LOVE abound. That’s why this question is so important. And without further ado, here it is: Have you enlisted yet as a soldier in the LOVE Revolution of Jesus? Now the answer to that should ‘utopianly’ be a loud, unified, unanimous acclamation of YEAHHHHHHH!!! But unfortunately it’s not – far from it too. That’s why Jesus is now looking for soldiers, and in particular foot soldiers like Him, not those who want to sit in fancy offices in pretty uniforms with plenty medals covering their chests and give lots of orders, but soldiers who are ready and willing to go out into the field and make a difference by spreading LOVE! Oh Friends, how wonderful a job – no it’s not a job, neither a duty, but more…more of a calling, an enlightenment. So how wonderful that calling can be is something you’ll never truly comprehend from the outside looking in. You have to make a serious, conscious commitment to Jesus, to become involved in His LOVE Revolution before you can reap the benefits that are spread throughout the hard times. And believe you me, there will be hard times, I can testify to that from personal experience. But unless you get personally involved, neither will you ever know the refreshing, peaceful, exotic feeling you get when you suffer through those hard times without too much complaining, simply trusting in Jesus to fulfill the promises to see you through the difficult times, to never leave nor forsake you. Remember what Jesus said about simply working for Him. ‘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) But He also said ‘These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.’ (John 16:33) Therefore people, in the midst of all the hate and war, anger and resentment that are currently plaguing our world, Jesus has given us the power to have peace and good cheer as well as the ability to LOVE those around us. Hn! I can’t get over it nuh. What a wonderful Lord and Saviour we have mih bredden! One who hides nothing from us, tells it like it is, and keeps all His promises too! Wow! There’s NONE else like Him in the world! So Friends, why don’t we appreciate Him much more than we do eh? It grieves Him. I know that for a fact, because He wants ALL His family to come home to Him. He doesn’t want to lose even a single one to Beelzebub. And that’s what His LOVE Revolution is all about; bringing all His Father’s children home, to live in salvation and everlasting peace. So won’t you join the fight today? Open your heart. Jesus is calling, inviting you to come to Him, right this moment. And if you can’t come, or won’t come, He will gladly and willingly come to you, for He’s not too proud to do so. All you have to do is ask, and He’ll be there instantly. So as the old people would say; put your money where your mouth is nuh! Join up and let’s shower the world with LOVE in a LOVE Revolution led by none other than Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who gave His holy, innocent and sinless life so that we undeserving sinners could be saved. Oh Friends, too many people either have not had the opportunity to hear the good news of the gospel, or they are fighting it tooth and nail. But LOVE is what makes the world go round and round, up and down. However, before people can accept it, we have to put the concept of LOVE out there for them, first in words and then most importantly IN ACTION! And we’ll end with some stirring words of Jesus that explains the whole concept: ‘A new commandment I give unto you, That ye LOVE one another; as I have LOVED you, that ye also LOVE one another. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have LOVE one to another.’ (John 13:34-35) Oh Friends, that’s so plain and simple, self-explanatory really, like most of Jesus’ sayings. How can we not take them to heart and join His earth-shaking LOVE Revolution, which aims to revolutionize this angry, hateful, bitter world with the most wonderful emotion in existence, LOVE! Please join us today. The rewards – salvation and eternal life – are incomparable, and cannot be gotten anywhere else but under the LOVING embrace of Jesus! So before it’s too late, and there will come a time when it is, I implore us to wise up and try Jesus – RIGHT NOW! Much LOVE my brethren!…only insomuch as one LOVES…can one understand the true meaning of life…

 

Today’s Scrip-Bit 30 March 2012 Leviticus 19:18

30 Mar 2012 Leave a comment

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

Leviticus 19:18.     Thou shalt not avenge, nor bear any grudge against the children of thy people, but thou shalt LOVE thy neighbour as thyself: I am the Lord.

Oh Friends, it’s the big day, Friday! And all God’s people breathed a grateful sigh of relief and mouthed in true gratitude; ‘Oh, thank God it’s Friday!’ I know some of us have had a rougher week than others, but the beauty of having Jesus as our Saviour is that we can all lay down our burdens and rest in Him, in His peaceful, calm and caring personality. So let’s throw off that tiredness by now putting it in His hands, and also chanting our Friday Chant, to give us a better perspective on the upcoming weekend. As one loud and prayerful 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.’ And with that perspective Friends, let’s see if we can’t do what our Bit commands us nuh: ‘Thou shalt not avenge (take vengeance), nor bear any grudge against the children of thy people, but thou shalt LOVE thy neighbour as thyself: I am the Lord.’ Some of you are displeased because we’re still focused on this Bit, but that’s just a spoiled brat attitude. And furthermore, how can we move on when we haven’t learned all the lessons it teaches? It’s like repeating a year or semester of school because we have failed our exams. And believe you me people, we are definitely failing this lesson of LOVING our neighbours as ourselves, else our world would not be in such a troubled state. The truth is that we will never be calm, peaceful and filled with true joy until we truly begin LOVING others as ourselves. But perhaps I’m being a bit presumptuous here, because if we’re not carrying out the first and greatest command of our God; to LOVE Him wholeheartedly, how can we be expected to carry out the second one; to LOVE our neighbours as ourselves? As the scriptures ask, how can you LOVE a God you can’t see, and not a neighbour that you can see? It is somewhat confusing, but believe me, it’s often much easier to LOVE the God you can’t see than the neighbour whose behaviour rankles our very being. But as believers, that’s what we’re called to do, and we’ll continue with some scriptures on the topic that I never got to yesterday. And we can only be blessed by hearing Jesus’ words once more. When asked about the most important commandments, He declared that LOVING the Father was the first and most important: ‘And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt LOVE thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these.’ (Mark 12:31) Friends, those are words we ought to write indelibly in and on all parts of our beings to continually remind us of them. Then we ought to put them into sincere practice if we want to be seen as true Christians, and not the hypocrites that many, with good reason, take us to be. My brethren it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to tell us that we’re definitely not obeying the two most important commands of the ONE and ONLY TRUE God, Jehovah, and that if we continue this disobedience we’ll only end up in more hot water and greater calamity than we’re already facing. In Romans, Bruh Paul wisely advises us thus: ‘Let LOVE be without dissimulation (hypocrisy). abhor that which is evil; cleave to that which is good.’ (Rom.12:9) That should be simple common sense, not only for believers, but for all those who wish to live calm and peaceful lives, since evil only brings strife and stress. Later on, to the same Roman church, Bruh Paul, in talking about our LOVE walk, tells them: ‘Owe no man anything, but to LOVE one another: for he that LOVETH another hath fulfilled the law….LOVE worketh no ill to his neighbour; therefore LOVE is the fulfilling of the law.’ (Rom.13:8,10) James also weighs in on the problem with these words of wisdom: ‘If ye fulfill the royal law according to the scripture, Thou shalt LOVE thy neighbour as thyself, ye do well.’ (James 2:8) Oh Friends, isn’t it very encouraging to know that we’re doing well if we LOVE our neighbours as ourselves? It should be, but unfortunately it isn’t to too many of us. However, let’s go home with a biting bit of scripture from Bruh Paul to the Galatians: ‘For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this; Thou shalt LOVE thy neighbour as thyself. But if ye bite and devour one another, take heed that ye be not consumed one of another.’ (Gal.5:14-15) Oh my people, truer words were never spoken, because we can now see it taking place in our crazy world, where there’s little or no LOVE, and we’re consuming each other like gluttons. How sad! But that’s the current nature of the beast. I implore us though to make positive changes as soon as possible, or else with all the strife and anger, resentment and call for vengeance, the greed and jealousy, plus the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, we’ll eventually wipe ourselves off of Mother Earth. All that’s now left to say is let’s wake up and smell the fresh bread that Jesus is so LOVINGLY baking for us, if we only do as He asks. It would surely be a sin if we allow it to go to waste, just because we didn’t LOVE each other. Much LOVE!…he who has ears to hear…let him hear…the consequences of disobedience is calamity…and ultimately death…

 

Today’s Scrip-Bit 29 March 2012 Leviticus 19:18‏

29 Mar 2012 Leave a comment

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

Leviticus 19:18.     Thou shalt not avenge, nor bear any grudge against the children of thy people, but thou shalt LOVE thy neighbour as thyself: I am the Lord.
 

Hi there mih people! How goes it? I hope it all goes well with you. And if by chance it doesn’t, then I certainly hope that you are resting safe and secure in the LOVING arms of Jesus, giving ALL your problems to Him, while taking up His easy yoke and light burden, for that’s why He sacrificed His holy, innocent life on our behalf. He redeemed our sins so that we could live a decent, comfortable, prosperous life here on earth. But by the same token, we also have a very important part to play in making His words come true. And today Friends, you’re not going to hear much from me, cause I’m going to jam us with scripture. And I can hear some of you in the background saying, ‘Thank you Lord.’ (smile) Today we’re going to invest in scripture that pertains to the second most important command of our God, which we are not obeying, and which is causing a myriad of serious problems in our world. And it all begins with our Bit: ‘Thou shalt not avenge (take vengeance), nor bear any grudge against the children of thy people, but thou shalt LOVE thy neighbour as thyself: I am the Lord.’ Yesterday we looked at scripture that pertained to the first part, vengeance, today we’ll look at some that deal with the second half; LOVING our neighbours as ourselves. But first, here’s a scripture on vengeance that I just discovered and felt compelled to share. It’s from Proverbs, wise words of Cousin Sol. ‘Say not thou, I will recompense (repay) evil; but wait on the Lord, and he shall save thee.’ (Prov.20:22) Please remember that Friends: REVENGE is the Lord’s job, not ours. We have to wait patiently and let Him do His thing on our behalf in His own, good time. Now moving on to the second part of our Bit: ‘thou shalt LOVE thy neighbour as thyself.’ Oh Friends, when I consider how we disobey that command, I just have to bow my head in shame and ask the Lord to be merciful unto us, because our lack of decency towards each other is the major source of most of our problems. We will never like everybody, but it’s our God-given responsibility, as Christians, to treat each other decently; be kind, merciful and forgiving. Remember Jesus said that whatever we sow we shall eventually reap. And my people, that’s exactly what’s happening in our world today; we’re reaping the evil fruits of the evil seeds we’ve sown. Can you imagine what a truly wonderful world this would be if we just treated each other the way we’d like to be treated? Oh mih breddren, there’d be such joy in heaven and also here on earth! But we’ve become so selfish and greedy that we expect others to treat us well, even though we treat them like garbage. Anyway, enough of me, let’s get to the scriptures I promised before time and space runs out. And we’ll start with Jesus during the famous Sermon on the Mount, where He proclaimed: ‘Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt LOVE thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy. But I say unto you, LOVE your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully (spitefully) use you, and persecute you. That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven; for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust. For if ye LOVE them which LOVE you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans (tax collectors) the same? And if ye salute (greet) your brethren only, what do ye more than others? do not even the publicans so? Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.’ (Matt.5:43-48) Oh Friends, that’s the bedrock of Jesus’ philosophy; do good regardless of the circumstances. And I did not plan to quote all of that, but the Spirit said to do it, so therefore being the obedient son I am, I did. (smile) Then later on in Matthew 19, when the rich, young ruler asks Jesus about gaining eternal life, He quotes him the Ten Commandments, amongst them being: ‘Honour thy father and thy mother: and, Thou shalt LOVE thy neighbour as thyself.’ (Matt.19:19) Again, when some smart aleck lawyer tries to give Jesus a run for His money and asks about how to inherit eternal life, Jesus asked him what was written in the law? The lawyer replied: ‘Thou shalt LOVE the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbour as thyself. And he (Jesus) said unto him, Thou hast answered right: this do, and thou shalt live.’ (Luke 10:27-28) But like most lawyers, thinking they’re so smart, he tries to one-up Jesus by asking who was his neighbour. This led Jesus to tell them the parable of the Good Samaritan. And right there Friends, we have what’s wrong with our world. The priest and Levite, supposed holy and righteous men of his own culture were too busy and selfish to look after the injured man. But the Samaritan, a veritable enemy, had the Love, mercy and kindness to stop and look after him. Oh my brethren, that’s the kind of world Jesus wants us to build! As He said earlier, LOVE thine enemies, that way they’ll see the real Christian Spirit of Jesus in us. Think back to the Bit a few days ago where we spoke of the Anglican minister with the two Muslim workers, working in harmony to help all and sundry, regardless of race or creed. That’s what LOVING our neighbours as ourselves truly is. And for all of our sakes, let’s try to do more of that nuh Friends, so that out heavenly Father will smile down on us. It’s definitely in our own best interest. Much LOVE!…it can’t be said too often… you reap what you sow…so sow good seed…that you may reap good fruit…
 

Today’s Scrip-Bit 28 March 2012 Leviticus 19:18‏

28 Mar 2012 Leave a comment

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

Leviticus 19:18.     Thou shalt not avenge, nor bear any grudge against the children of thy people, but thou shalt LOVE thy neighbour as thyself. I am the Lord.

Oh Friends, morning has broken, beautiful and serene, just like that first morning eons ago! And our Creator, the Lord God Jehovah, is still sitting pretty on His throne, still running things, just like back then, and will continue to do so throughout eternity. So how can we not bow in praise, thanksgiving and worship to such an omnipotent Being eh? And just to show how mighty is our God-head, let’s listen to some of the attributes of the Son, Jesus, our Lord and Saviour, from Anne Graham Lotz’s book, My Jesus is…Everything: ‘My Jesus – He guards the young. He seeks the stray. He finds the lost. He guides the faithful. He rights the wronged. He avenges the abused. He defends the weak. He comforts the oppressed. He welcomes the prodigal. He heals the sick. He cleanses the dirty. He beautifies the barren. He restores the failure. He mends the broken. He blesses the poor. He fills the empty. He clothes the naked. He satisfies the hungry. He elevates the humble. He forgives the sinner. He raises the dead! My Jesus is… Everything!’ And that’s the living truth Friends! Jesus is all that and even more! And though we know that Jesus is our be all and end all, yet we still go against the second most important command in His Word, which our Bit so poignantly describes: ‘Thou shalt not avenge (take vengeance), nor bear any grudge against the children of thy people, but thou shalt LOVE thy neighbour as thyself: I am the Lord.’ What’s so hard to understand in that eh people? The verse contains three basic facts: Don’t bear any grudges or try to avenge any wrongdoing on your own. That’s MY job! LOVE your neighbour as yourself. That’s YOUR task! And last but not least; the Lord, He is God! Two, simple, straightforward commands, and one definite statement. But somehow or other, we can’t seem to understand and/or accept them, for down through the ages we’ve been thoroughly disobedient on each count. Let’s take a closer look at the first command: ‘Thou shalt not avenge (retaliate), nor bear any grudge against the children of thy people.’ But what’s ruling the world right now eh Friends? Grudges and vengeance! Strife and resentment, some that even date back centuries, are currently front and centre, causing most of our troubles. There’s strife and violent rivalries between parents, siblings, whole families, economies and nations. Gang warfare in both large and small neighbourhoods is on the increase at a time when we can least afford it, causing untold fear and worry to the residents. And instead of putting a stop to it, we seem to be stoking the fires a little more every day, with some new arena of strife coming on board, but unfortunately none leaving. Oh my brethren, the Good Book tells us several times that vengeance belongs to the Most High God whom we worship, not us. So why are we still trying to do it ourselves? Let’s refresh our memories with some of those scriptures; hopefully they’ll bring a new outlook to our minds. In Deuteronomy, the Lord once again lays down the law in no uncertain terms: ‘To me belongeth vengeance, and recompense; their foot shall slide in due time: for the day of their calamity is at hand, and the things that shall come upon them make haste.’ (Deut.32:35) Then in 1st Samuel, when Bruh David has the opportunity to kill his deadly enemy Saul, he instead follows the Lord’s command and tells Saul: ‘The Lord judge between me and thee, and the Lord avenge me of (on) thee: but mine hand shall not be upon thee. As saith the proverb of the ancients, Wickedness proceedeth from the wicked: but mine hand shall not be upon thee.’ (1 Sam.24:12-13) Oh people, how many of us would have passed up such a glorious opportunity for revenge eh? Most of us would have surely sent Saul to his maker. But Bruh David understood the principle and wisely left Saul to God. Then in Romans, Bruh Paul painstakingly reminds us of the vengeance situation. ‘Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is Mine; I will repay, saith the Lord. Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink: for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head. Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.’ (Rom.12:19-21) Oh Friends, Bruh Paul is there quoting our Bit and the verse from Deuteronomy above, as well as Proverbs 25:21-22. Then he ends with the basic philosophy of Jesus; do good and not evil. Please, if we’re going to be true followers of Jesus, we need to get on board the train for good deeds, not the one for evil. It’s the only way our children, our world, and some of us will survive. Much LOVE!…don’t fear…we’ll all get our comeuppance… in the Lord’s time…
 

Today’s Scrip-Bit 27 March 2012 Leviticus 19:18‏

27 Mar 2012 Leave a comment

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

Leviticus 19:18.       Thou shalt not avenge, nor bear any grudge against the children of thy people, but thou shalt LOVE thy neighbour as thyself: I am the Lord.

Top o’ the morning to all you, my beautiful Friends in Christ Jesus! May He bless and keep you safe this day that He’s seen fit to breathe the breath of life into your temporal body. Hn! What a way the ole fella waxing preacher-like this morning. (smile) Ah Friends, we’re indeed quite lucky to be granted another day on this wonderful but very troubled planet. Now, originally I wasn’t planning to share this story, but the Spirit kept prodding me about it, so here it is. Last night I went to an Anglican Church Women’s Corporate Communion service, where, as is becoming the norm, the priest and I were the only two men amongst a bevy of women. Now whether that’s good or not, we won’t comment. (smile) However, the guest speaker, a female Anglican priest doing ministry in a lower class neighbourhood of Toronto, with a very diverse group of people and religions, told this story. To begin with, the two people who work for her are Muslims, but their religion doesn’t interfere with their daily roles of helping others who can’t help themselves. They don’t try to convert each other, although the Muslim and Christian faiths are the only two of the high profile ones that preach conversion. People of all different faiths and backgrounds, especially a lot of new immigrants come through their doors for help, and though they see her priest’s collar, know that she’s an Anglican minister, that doesn’t matter in the least, because life is not about religion, but about helping each other. And as she points out, that’s what Jesus was all about; helping others. And though He ostensibly came to save His people, Israel, He hobnobbed with all sorts of people; rich, poor, of different faiths, cultures and religions, sick, healthy, you name it and He stood up for them. But He never made conversion to His faith a basis for getting His help. Unfortunately though, in our selfish, small-minded, parochial religious world, lots of times, that’s often the case. The guest speaker gave a very telling example of this unchristian action. Recently her ministry was turfed out of their place in a neighbourhood Plaza and had to move into a condominium basement since there wasn’t enough funds to rent something more suitable. Anyhow, before it actually happened, a minister from another Christian denomination came to see how he could help, but unfortunately could not because his denomination didn’t offer help without efforts at conversion. How sad eh! She said she saw how broken up and disappointed the man was because his personal feelings were being forced aside by the foolish and selfish dictates of his denomination. Oh Friends, Christ never did, and never will turn anyone away, regardless of their personal faith, if they sincerely came to Him for practical, physical help in this sinful, ungodly world! His testimony was helping all those who needed help despite their personal beliefs. But hypocritical mankind in our subservience to Lucifer and his evil powers, seem to see it otherwise. That reminds me of some friends of my younger daughter who are of different faiths and ethnicity, but they associate very nicely together. They come to our house, eat, drink, sleep and converse without religion being a controversial topic, because we all respect the other’s faith. And that’s the way it ought to be! And isn’t it sad that the biggest players on the controversial religious stage, Muslims, Christians and Jews, are all the descendants of our father Abraham? He must be turning over in his grave, or very upset up in heaven, at the sordid mess his descendants are making of God’s beautiful planet Earth. Oh Friends, we all know that there’s ONLY ONE TRUE GOD, and that same God has seriously instructed and warned us that the most important thing in our lives after LOVING Him, is to LOVE our fellow man as ourselves, because we’re all made in His image, regardless of the faith we profess. I guess we’ll use that as our Bit, since I don’t have one as yet. ‘Thou shalt not avenge (take vengeance), nor bear any grudge against the children of thy people, but thou shalt LOVE thy neighbour as thyself: I am the Lord.’ Oh my people the Lord gave us that directive thousands of years ago, and it still holds true, but it’s time for us to wake up and realize that religion should be a practical exercise, a practical challenge in LOVE and help, not merely a mental exercise that brings no true practicality to the basic, everyday needs of life, which Jesus was all about. Granted, He laid out doctrines, but the doctrines were never more important than the practical aspects of His ministry. So fine, the doctrine says you shouldn’t work on the Sabbath, but does that mean you shouldn’t help someone who’s suffering because it’s the Sabbath? Of course not! But unfortunately that’s the way we’re operating on too many levels. Remember religion is supposed to be the opiate of the people; something that eases pain, brings peace and calm to our souls and lives. But it’s definitely not doing that! How could it with all the divisions and divisiveness that are currently working in all the major faiths? Oh Friends, I don’t know if this Bit is cohesive and well written, because it comes from my heart and not my mind, but I implore us to get rid of our personal hang-ups, of those of our religious denominations, and to start living the practical life of LOVE that Jesus lived and died for. If we’re not living a practical life of LOVE, then we’re not walking in Jesus’ footsteps, for all He did, each and every day, was go out into the world and help whomever He could. Now that should also be our goal, both personally and as a part of His Church. As I keep telling my family, you can’t talk LOVE, you’ve got to walk it, live it out in your lives. Please, let’s concentrate on doing that nuh, rather than trying to tear each other up or down, simply because of the faith we belong to. Jesus came to unite, not separate us, so let’s concentrate on unity and not separation. In Jesus’ Name I pray. Amen! Much LOVE mih people!…LOVE means action…doing something to show you care…not a whole set of useless talk…  

Today’s Scrip-Bit 26 March 2012 Romans 12:2‏

26 Mar 2012 Leave a comment

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

Romans 12:2.    And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect will of God.

Oh Friends, our heavenly Father has once again blessed us this Monday morning with a strong breath of life, so let’s be up and about His business nuh; no mewling and whimpering. Remember Jesus’ answer when confronted by His parents, after He remained in Jerusalem reasoning with the elders in the temple: ‘How is it that ye sought me? Wist (knew) ye not that I must be about my Father’s business?’ (Luke 2:49) Well Friends, unfortunately we also have important duties to perform for our God. I know it’s Monday and difficult to get moving, but it’s what we signed up for when we accepted Jesus. So let’s get energized by singing our Monday Morning Battle Hymn in full voice. As one now: ‘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!’ That ought to get our adrenalin flowing. And to further propel us, let’s consider the wise advice of our Bit: ‘And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect will of God.’ Now the whole purpose of becoming a Christian is to become like Christ, as much as is humanly possible. However, that doesn’t come naturally, for our basic human nature fights against it, thus we have to consciously remake, retool ourselves in Christ’s image. And to do that we need to take three ground floor actions; don’t conform to the world’s sinful, ungodly nature, but transform ourselves, by first renewing our mind, changing the way we think, and therefore act, which will then be the way God wants us to act. John describes this quite nicely in his first Epistle: ‘LOVE not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man LOVE the world, the LOVE of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.’ (1 John 2:15-17) Wow! Friends! That’s true, true gospel! If we follow the world and its unholy lusts, we’ll definitely end up in Hades with Lucifer and all his evil cohorts, separated from the living God for all eternity. And believe me, that’s the worst thing that can ever happen to a spiritual being, such as we are! So if we truly want to ‘prove what is (the) good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God,’then we have to take Bruh Paul’s advice to the Ephesians: ‘And be renewed in the spirit of your mind; And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.’ (Eph.4:23-24) That means refraining from things like; lying; letting anger seethe in our souls, thus allowing Lucifer a foothold for evil; stealing, but instead working honestly; gossiping, but rather talking encouraging and uplifting stuff. (Eph.4:25-29) Bruh Paul then sums it up with this poignant verse: ‘And grieve not the Holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.’ (Eph.4:30) Yes Friends, the Spirit of God is truly grieved and disappointed when we claim to be His children, but do things that obviously fall outside His will. Therefore, if we really want to be excellent soldiers in Christ’s army, we have to continually, read, study and meditate on His Word, then take those actions He desires us to take, not our own, or the world’s. It’s the only way to be a true believer. Much LOVE!…the transformation from sinner to saint…is a rigorous…but oh so rewarding process…

 

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