Today’s Scrip-Bit 15 January 2012 Nehemiah 1:7‏

15 Jan 2012 Leave a comment

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

Nehemiah 1:7.    We have dealt very corruptly against thee, and have not kept the commandments, nor the statutes, nor the judgements, which thou commandedst thy servant Moses.

Well a good Sunday morning to all you beautiful people out there in Scrip-Bit Land! I hope the day has found you in good spirits, and for those who celebrate the Sabbath on Sundays, you have either gone or are preparing to go to church and fellowship with other believers. And for those who celebrate the Lord’s Day on Fridays and Saturdays, I sure hope you fellowshipped with those of your faith, that it was good, you praised and worshipped in genuine communion, and that you are set to endure another week in this evil world, furthering God’s kingdom. Now some of you may recognize our Bit from Nehemiah’s prayer, when he was told in Babylon that Jerusalem was a sad mess; the people were in great distress, the walls were broken down and the gates burned. (Neh.1:2-3) This caused a great sorrow to rise up in Nehemiah’s soul, leading him to fast and pray to the God of his fathers, confessing the many sins of the Israelites against Him over the centuries. Then he gets to our Bit: ‘We have dealt (acted) very corruptly against thee, and have not kept the commandments, nor the statutes, nor the judgements (ordinances), which thou commandedst thy servant Moses.’ Oh Friends, words like those have been used throughout all of mankind’s association with the Lord God Jehovah. I’ll quote two here, that of Ezra, the prophet before Nehemiah, who laid the groundwork for Jerusalem’s rebuilding. In his prayer, Ezra said: ‘Since the days of our fathers have we been in a great trespass unto this day; and for our iniquities have we, our kings, and our priests, been delivered into the hand of the kings of the lands, to the sword, to captivity, and to a spoil (plunder), and to confusion of face (humiliation), as it is this day.’ (Ezra 9:7) And the second comes from Psalm 106, where the psalmist declares with great sadness: ‘We have sinned with our fathers, we have committed iniquity, we have done wickedly.’ (Ps.106:6) But my brethren, at no time in man’s history has that kind of prayer been more urgently needed than right now when our society is filled with confusion, and our world is on the brink of destruction because we have become so sinful, evil and ungodly. Few generations have been as corrupt, idolatrous and given to worldly, fleshly matters as ours. We have gone out of our way to remove God from public places, schools, and in too many instances our very lives. No wonder our society and our world is suffering such disturbing calamity. Things like poverty, sickness, homelessness, hunger and joblessness are running rampant, even in the supposed first world nations. And why is that? Because the wealth is being hoarded by a few, and the majority are being slowly but surely impoverished. Oh Friends, it’s not the total amount of wealth that’s the problem nuh, but the inequity of its distribution. Those who have are greedy, refusing to share, just piling it up more for themselves and their families, not caring if the masses suffer. Even in the supposed poor nations, the rulers are gratifying themselves, while their subjects live in abject poverty. They are allowing their greed to colour their wisdom, failing to realize that the constantly oppressed, in their desperate state of hopelessness, with nothing left to lose, eventually turn on their oppressors. Oh my people, all around our world today, the rich and powerful are blatantly and unconscionably living high on the hog while the ordinary man sinks deeper in the mire. But check out the Arab Spring of 2011 and our own Occupy Movement; the people are so tired of being oppressed and/or marginalized by the wealthy and powerful that they are rising up. Though not with as much success as expected or needed, for the masters refuse to take off their blinkers, thinking that their arms, armies and lackeys will protect them and allow them to continue their evil, oppressive ways. But everything’s only for a time Friends, and one by one they will eventually crumble before the wrath of the people. Sadly too, many of these evil, greedy masters, claim godliness in their talk, but fail to show it in their walk. Just check out the Republican Primary in the U.S. All the rich men vying for the Presidential Nomination claim to be some sort of Christian, but their actions certainly don’t reflect that. My brethren, the whole thing just boils down to plain and simple disobedience to God’s will. Listen to Moses warning the Israelites re the consequences to disobedience. ‘But it shall come to pass, if thou wilt not hearken unto (obey) the voice of the Lord thy God, to (carefully) observe to do all his commandments and his statutes which I command thee this day; that all these curse shall come upon thee, and overtake thee.’ (Deut.28:15) And my people, if we read the rest of that chapter, verses 16-68, we’ll see the terrible stuff the Lord allows to happen if we continually disobey His ordinances. Please take out your Bible and read it. Then compare it to the stuff that’s happening in our world today, and if after that you still want to and /or keep disobeying God, then all I can is that I’m truly sorry for you. Our God doesn’t make empty promises. We have seen this from the days of the stubborn, disobedient Israelites right up to our time. But for some reason we seem to think that we’re above those other nations who met a sad fate because they disobeyed the voice of God. Oh Friends, if the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob is our Creator, Provider and Protector, as we claim, then why are we so insistent on disobeying Him eh? That’s the million dollar question for us to ponder today. Much LOVE!…he who refuses to hear…he will certainly feel…

 

Today’s Scrip-Bit 14 January 2012 Psalm 101:3‏

14 Jan 2012 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Inspirational Living Tags: , , , ,

Psalm 101:3.    I will set no wicked thing before mine eyes: I hate the work of them that turn aside; it shall not cleave to me.

Oh Friends, another day has dawned in many places on planet earth –dark and cold in my neck of the woods though – but our great God’s mercies and blessings are still being rained down on us from heaven per His faithful promise in Lamentations: ‘It is of the Lord’s mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.’ (Lam.3:22-23) So despite our physical surroundings and circumstances, we can still stand strong in the goodness of God. Consequently, we ought to be truly committed to living for Him. As Bruh David says in the first two verses of Psalm 101, a commitment to holy living: ‘I will sing of mercy (LOVING kindness) and judgement (justice): unto thee, O Lord, will I sing (praises). I will behave myself wisely in a perfect way. O when wilt thou come unto me? I will walk within my house with a perfect (blameless) heart.’ (Ps.101:1-2) Yes Friends, that’s how we ought to behave as believers in the sight of God. In addition to being positively focused on the Lord, Bruh David staunchly declares in our Bit: ‘I will set no wicked (worthless, evil) thing before mine eyes: I hate the work of them that turn aside: it shall not cleave (cling) to me.’ That’s the other side of the coin; to not engage in wicked, worthless, deceitful behaviour. That sentiment is first of all upheld by the psalmist in Psalm 119, when he vehemently declares: ‘Depart from me, ye evildoers: for I will keep the commandments of my God.’ (Ps.119:115) Then in Psalm 97, the Lord is far above all gods, the psalmist enthusiastically proclaims: ‘Ye that LOVE the Lord, hate evil: he preserveth the souls of his saints; he delivereth them out of the hand of the wicked.’ (Ps.97:10) And that’s gospel Friends! If we LOVE the Lord we cannot like evil. For as Jesus says: ‘No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and LOVE the other; or else he will hold to (be loyal to) the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon (riches, evil, Lucifer).’ (Matt.6:24) So we either going to serve God and be holy or Lucifer and be evil, no riding the fence, which, sadly, some of us try to do. And furthermore, we ought not to accept the work(s) of, or engage in any dalliance with those who turn aside from the ONE TRUE GOD, Jehovah. And the biggest and worse example of that, beside Lucifer himself, is Cousin Sol. The Good Book says: ‘For it came to pass, when Solomon was old, that his wives turned away his heart after other gods: and his heart was not perfect with the Lord his God, as was the heart of David his father.’ (1 Kin.10:4) Ah Lord eh! But can you imagine that people? Bruh David must have turned over in his grave when he saw that. For who would have ever expected that of Cousin Sol eh? The man whom God blessed with the most wisdom and wealth in the history of mankind and who wrote some of the most beautiful verse in God’s name. He was very wise in his youth when it’s common to be foolhardy, but dotish and irresponsible in his later years, when all the wisdom of his life experience was supposed to be his strength. So Friends, don’t ever think that the power of evil can’t touch us and make our hearts turn from God, for the wiles and lies of the enemy, and the glamour and glitz of their doings are indeed powerful in our natural state. It is only when we cling tightly and tenaciously to the Word, Will and Promises of God that we are able to defeat Beelzebub and his evil cronies. Now let’s end with an overview of Psalm 101 from the scholars’ perspective. ‘This psalm describes the perfect king. It expresses David’s own aims but, at the same time, is a picture of Christ, his descendant, who will in fact fulfill this ideal picture. The ideal king sings to the Lord (v.1), keeps his personal life pure (vv. 2-4), and administers social justice (vv.5-8)’ I didn’t include verses 5-8 because of space and time limitations, but please read them and it will give you a true picture of the ultimate commitment to holy living. And I sincerely implore us to let that be our goal as we move forward in Christ in this make or break year of 2012, when we will absolutely LOVE our God, LIVE our Faith and SPREAD His Word like never before. And all God’s people declared a loud and exuberant: ‘Glory Hallelujah!’ Till we meet again then my people, either here on earth, or in heaven above. Much LOVE!…to live right and holy before the Lord God Jehovah…should be the motto engraved on every believer’s heart…

 

Today’s Scrip-Bit 13 January 2012 Proverbs 20:27‏

13 Jan 2012 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Inspirational Living Tags: , , , ,

Proverbs 20:27.    The spirit of man is the candle of the Lord, searching all the inward parts of the belly.
 
Oh people, oh people, I’m here to tell you all that it’s Friday; the start of the weekend! ‘Wow!’ one listener replies in disbelief. ‘Yuh really mean to say is Friday ahready? Ah been so busy this week, ah don’t even know what day it is.’ Meanwhile, another listener replies with a sense of grateful relief. ‘Thank God is Friday yes! Ah work so hard this week, that ah tired everlasting!’ Then a third response comes rolling in, this one in an exuberant voice: ‘Thank God is Friday! Thank God is party time!’ But a fourth voice steups’ loudly and declares in a dark tone: ‘Ah don’t know what you so happy about nuh. Yuh doh know today is Friday the thirteenth, Black Friday? Bad things going to happen today.’ Yes Friends, those are some of the varying responses possible on this last day of the work week, the one we all die to see from the time we step out to battle on a Monday morning. Isn’t it strange though, the different reactions we can get? How our response differs in regards to our activities, circumstances and perceptions? Well to set us all on the right path, let’s chant our Friday Chant. That will give us the true response and right perception for it. All as one 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 now that we’ve been set straight, (smile) let’s check out the wisdom of our Bit: ‘The spirit of man is the candle (lamp) of the Lord, searching all the inward parts (chambers) of the belly.’ And that my Friends is gospel truth! The spirit of man here is the Holy Spirit of God that dwells in us and acts like a housekeeper, a nanny, a chief cook and bottle washer. It gets into every nook and cranny of our being, because it’s there to lead and guide us, clean us up when we get dirty, pick us up when we fall and bring us to heel when we stray. It’s the workhorse of the Trinity. Here’s how Job describes it: ‘But there is a spirit in man: and the inspiration (breath) of the Almighty giveth them understanding.’ (Job 32:8) That’s so true Friends. Without the breath of God, His Spirit in our souls, we’d even more ignorant, sinful and ungodly than we already are. Now listen to Bruh Paul’s take on the subject. Talking to the Corinthians re wisdom being God’s gift, quoting Is. 64:4, he boldly declares: ‘But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that LOVE Him. But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God. For what man knoweth the things of man, save (except) the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God.’ (1 Cor.2:9-11) And we’ll end with an explanation from the scholars on those verses. ‘The apostle Paul deals with three vital doctrines. In verse 10 he touches on the doctrine of revelation. The truth Paul is talking about is contained in the record God has given to us – the Bible. This is the eternal and unchanging truth of God. Verse 11 deals with the doctrine of illumination, which has to do with human understanding of divine truth. The subject of verses 12 and 13 is the doctrine of inspiration. In verse 12 Paul talks about the content of inspiration. In verse 13 his concern is with the communication of inspiration. Paul’s message was not of human contrivance. He was a channel, simply communicating God’s truth.’ See Gal.1:11-12, for that pronouncement. Ah mih people, I hope that clarifies any problems we might have had on the subject. Obviously we did not get into verses 12 and 13, but I trust that you’ll read it for yourselves and thus get understanding on the whole topic of the way God reveals Himself to us and lets us know what He desires of us. Please follow this up with your own investigations of the Good Book, for remember the Bit is only a tool to keep us focused on the Almighty and can only deal with so much given the space and time allotments. We each must still read, meditate, pray, praise and question on our own. Now may the good Lord bless us and keep us safe this day, as we try to live a life of faith. Much LOVE!…without the amazing Spirit of God working in us…we’d be lost and tossed…like a rudderless ship on a stormy sea…

 

Today’s Scrip-Bit 12 January 2012 Psalm 22:23‏

12 Jan 2012 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Inspirational Living Tags:

Psalm 22:23.    Ye that fear the Lord, praise him; all ye the seed of Jacob, glorify him; and fear him, all ye the seed of Israel.
 
Oh Friends, it’s already the twelfth day of the New Year! Wow! And here are some quotes to set you straight for it. I got them from Rob Kelly’s Real Estate newsletter. The first one says: ‘An optimist stays up until midnight to see the new year in. A pessimist stays up to make sure the old year leaves.’ Hn, hn! That’s attributed to one Bill Vaughan, and it does contain a sense of weird, truthful humour. Like seeing the glass half full or half empty. The second quote, whose author is unknown, declares that: ‘People are so worried about what they eat between Christmas and the New Year; but they really should be worried about what they eat between the New Year and Christmas.’ Now that’s an awesome truth! What we eat between Christmas and New Years doesn’t have as much bearing on our health and figure, since that’s only a few weeks time. But the twelve months between New Years and Christmas can certainly make or break us. I think the first part is still breaking me now though, because I can’t get out of the Christmas eating as yet. (smile) But it’ll soon be over though. The wonderful Christmas cake and other goodies will soon be finished, and without them I’ll leave the ice cream alone. In fact I should be doing some fasting for some blood work, but I just can’t get around to it yet. The duchess is cooking too much good food. Glory Hallelujah! And our last quote is attributed to Oprah Winfrey: ‘Cheers to a new year and another chance for us to get it right.’ Now that’s full of truth my people! We do have another chance to get it right in 2012. But regardless of what year it is, we’ll never get it right until we turn our fate and faith back to the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. And that’s an undeniable fact! And doing as our Bit advises, plays a great part in that: ‘Ye that fear the Lord, praise him; all ye the seed (descendants) of Jacob, glorify him; and fear him (hold Him in awesome reverence), all ye the seed of Israel.’ Yes Friends, our duties here on earth include fearing the Lord, not in a scared or frightened, timid manner, but rather having a healthy respect for His awesome power, knowing what He can do if He so pleases. We also need to praise, glorify and reverence Him. Why? Because that’s what He desires and expects of us. That’s His will, and as believers we’re supposed to do what He dictates. And by doing so we not only affirm our faith and trust in Him, but we’ll also be blessed by His good hand upon us. So it’s a kind of two way street: we acknowledge His majesty and do His will, and He blesses us in return. As Bruh David, in this cry of anguish and song of praise, continues after our Bit: ‘For he hath not despised nor abhorred the affliction of the afflicted; neither hath he hid his face from him; but when he cried unto him, he heard.’ (Ps.22:24)Yes Friends, our God has a soft spot in His heart for the poor, downtrodden and afflicted, and when we cry out to Him in times of trials and tribulations, He doesn’t hide His face, but hears our plea and helps us. Consequently, Bruh David declares: ‘My praise shall be of thee in the great congregation: I will pay my vows before them that fear him. The meek shall eat and be satisfied: they shall praise the Lord that seek him: your heart shall live forever.’ (Ps.22:25-26) Oh my people, common sense sure is a hard thing to finds these days yes. Over the last couple of decades we’ve removed Jehovah God from a place of eminence in our individual lives and society as a whole. And what’s happened since then? Despite all our wonderful scientific and technological breakthroughs, our world is fast going to hell in a hand basket. Can’t we see, don’t we understand, that without the Creator of the universe and all therein, we don’t stand a snowball’s chance in Hades to make it on our own? And that’s simply because we weren’t designed to make it on our own, we were made to be attached to the Lord. Like all the technological devices we sport around nowadays, without batteries or electrical power they are useless. In the same way, without Almighty God, Jehovah Jireh, our Provider, we are of no use my people. So let’s wake up and make this year of 2012 a significant one in the annals of mankind nuh. Let’s get some common sense and hopefully some wisdom and turn back to the Lord with all sincerity and truth, in praise, worship, reverence and glorification, so that our lives will once again rise from the ashes like the phoenix and we’ll again become pure and wholesome in His sight. And we’ll end with these precious words from Psalm 135, the greatness of the Lord and the vanity of idols. ‘Bless the Lord, O house of Israel: Bless the Lord, O house of Aaron: Bless the Lord, O house of Levi: ye that fear the Lord, bless the Lord. Blessed be the Lord out of Zion, which dwelleth at Jerusalem. Praise ye the Lord.’ (Ps.135:19-21) That’s great advice my people, please, let’s take it. Much LOVE!…it’s definitely not common sense or wisdom…but arrogant stupidity…to bite the hand that feeds you…
 

Today’s Scrip-Bit 11 January 2012 Matthew 22:39‏

11 Jan 2012 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Inspirational Living Tags: , , ,

Matthew 22:39.    And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt LOVE thy neighbour as thyself.

Oh Friends, it’s a new day, and all’s well! Okay, so I might be a tad crazy for saying that, (smile) but if we look closely and truthfully at many of what we consider problems, we’ll find that they are mere hiccups with which we can either live comfortably, or handle in our stride with God. We’ve become such a soft, whining, petty society that now we complain loudly about things we wouldn’t have even mentioned a decade ago. However, in trying to get this LOVE Revolution train on a fast, safe and positive track, I found a quote that’s very appropriate for the next step. Yesterday we spoke about God’s LOVE for us and ours for Him. The next step for us to master is found in this quote from David G. Jones: ‘In LOVING myself I gain the power of identity that is necessary before LOVE for others is possible.’ Friends, I find that to be very truthful. We can’t truly LOVE someone else until we’re capable of LOVING ourselves. And LOVING ourselves doesn’t mean a selfish, narcissistic fixation on oneself, but appreciating our good points – and we all have some – while not allowing the bad ones to make us feel unworthy. I believe that the LOVE of self that exists today is the more selfish, chest pounding, egotistic actions that’s so encouraged, rather than the I’m comfortable in my skin, in who I am, in whom the Lord made me to be. Now learning to LOVE ourselves is no easy task, especially if we’re not living up to our expectations. However, that doesn’t mean we’re unworthy or unLOVABLE. We need to accept ourselves, offer ourselves the same kind of breaks, care, kindness and acceptance that we offer others. That’s why Jesus broke down the commandments to two: LOVE thy God, ‘And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt LOVE thy neighbour as thyself.’ How can we LOVE our neighbours in the spirit that Jesus advocates if we don’t first LOVE ourselves eh? Oh my people, it all boils down to the old adage; ‘do unto others as you would have them do unto you.’ That’s the practical reality of LOVING your neighbour as yourself. You ought to treat your neighbour the way you’d like him/her to treat you. And it doesn’t mean being all goody goody and syrupy, but just being decent to others. Unfortunately though, it seems like a lot of us in this current world don’t like ourselves, judging from the terrible way we treat others. And that stems from the high level of selfishness that permeates our society. In many minds, it’s okay to treat others like garbage, but Lord forbid anybody treating us the same way. Remember the T&T saying; ‘do so ent like so.’ Sadly, this state of mind is very prevalent amongst the wealthy and those in power. Ah Friends, it’s time we start taking the way we treat others seriously, for what goes around comes around. As the Good Book makes a habit of saying from Genesis to Revelation; ‘whatever you sow you’ll reap.’ And that’s gospel! Oh my people, we can’t expect to mount a LOVE Revolution, a return to the God of our fathers, unless we show the practical side of LOVE: feeding the hungry, tending to the sick, helping the widows and orphans, caring for the poor. That’s the true test of Christianity! I’ll remind us again that Christianity is an action movement! Jesus went around mostly DOING good everyday, not simply talking it, like we tend to do nowadays. That’s what LOVING your neighbour as yourself means; wanting them to be as comfortable as you are. Oh Friends, there’s far too much poverty, starvation, sickness, greed and oppression in our world to ever say that we’re keeping the second great commandment. And it’s not a new commandment either, because way back in the wilderness, the Lord told Moses to inform the Israelites: ‘but thou shalt LOVE thy neighbour as thyself: I am the Lord.’ (Lev.19:18b) So Jesus was just reiterating the centuries old directive of His Father. And Bruh Paul, in talking to the Roman church about walking in LOVE, had this to say. ‘Owe no man anything, but to LOVE one another: for he that LOVETH another hath fulfilled the law. For this Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not kill (murder), Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Thou shalt not covet; and if there be any other commandment, it is briefly comprehended (summed up) in this saying, namely, Thou shalt LOVE thy neighbour as thyself. LOVE worketh no ill to his neighbour: therefore LOVE is the fulfilling of the law.’ (Rom.13: 8-10) Ah mih breddren, I don’t know what else to say to get us to accept ourselves with all our frailties, and be as good to ourselves as we are to others. It’s a veritable conundrum: we need to LOVE others like we LOVE ourselves, but far too often we don’t really LOVE ourselves the way we ought to. And until we do, our world can’t really get on the right track, so let’s ponder these things nuh, look deeply at the relationship we have with ourselves and then try to bring it into line with what we know our God desires for us. I sure hope this all makes sense. But if it doesn’t, then I hope you all are wise enough to pick sense from nonsense. (smile) Much LOVE!…until the engine of the LOVE Train is firing on all cylinders…the LOVE Revolution won’t be as effective as it ought…  

Today’s Scrip-Bit 10 January 2012 Proverbs 10:12‏

10 Jan 2012 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Inspirational Living Tags: , , , ,

Proverbs 10:12.    Hatred stirreth up strifes: but LOVE covereth all sins.

share it withOh Friends, oh Friends, can you feel the joy, the hope, the excitement, the enthusiasm and expectations of this new day? Wow! What a great God we serve and worship, no doubt about it! Everyday He just replenishes us with manna, with mercy, and most of all with His continuous, never ending unconditional LOVE! And after reading an uplifting poem yesterday in Dr. Robert Schuller’s Hours of Power Daily Devotional, I just knew I had to share it with you. So please read, enjoy, believe and secret it in your hearts and souls. It’s titled: GOD LOVES ME! Thank you, Lord, for this holy sentence, this good news, this happy report, this exciting thought, this graceful truth, this fantastic lesson. God LOVES me! Even when I’m at my worst – God LOVES me. Even when my faith is dim – God LOVES me anyway! It’s incomprehensible and fantastic! Thank you, Father. Amen. Yes mih people, that’s the greatest gift of all from our most wonderful heavenly Father: His undying LOVE, regardless of our reaction to it! Please remember that always, and act on it positively in all circumstances, for it’s the basis of all things which emanate from the Most High God Jehovah. And since we were starting with a word on LOVE, I figured we’d just dedicate this Bit to the greatest of all emotions, the very essence of our God’s being, so I went looking for a suitable Bit and found this one: ‘Hatred stirreth up strifes: but LOVE covereth all sins.’ Now that’s one of the most truthful and provocative statements ever made my brethren! I’m sure if each one of us looks back in our lives, we can all find instances of the truth in it. So many times people do us bad stuff and we get angry and want to retaliate, but somehow when the power of LOVE takes control of our emotions, we find all the anger and desire for retribution vanishes, and we simply want to make peace and let go of all the negatives brought on by the initial action. And the good thing about that LOVE flowing into us Friends, is that it not only makes us feel better mentally and emotionally, but also physically! Why is that? Because that’s the way the Lord planned it! And I’m chuckling here because the Lord’s been so good to me this morning, showing His great LOVE, for as I’m writing this, I’m also listening to some sweet, rocking Soca in the background from Wack 90.1 FM in T&T – the good kind, not the nonsense that passes for Soca nowadays. Yes Friends, this is truly a special day, because when I’m writing the Bit I usually seek peace and quiet, thus keeping the distractions to a minimum. But today, before I began writing, I was listening to some uplifting gospel music on Wack, and at six o’clock their time, they segued into some hot, thumping Soca, and it just felt good in my spirit, and my pen never stopped flowing, so I just continued. But I turned it off when I came to put it on the computer, not wanting to push my luck too much. (smile) Oh mih breddren, our God never ceases to amaze me! Everyday, some little thing happens in my life that causes me to turn my eyes to Him, and I just have to chuckle and say ‘Thank you Lord.’ Now it’s not always something that I want or even like, but the important thing is that I see His hand moving in it, which reminds me that He is always moving in my life, for good, sometimes ever so subtly, that I don’t realize it. But without a doubt, His LOVE is always around me. Now that’s something we ought to bring more powerfully and constantly in to our lives my people! Our God LOVES us and only wants the best for us, and is always with us, even though we might not feel it or see it. That’s what our eyes of faith are for! And one of the best ways to stay tuned to the Lord’s LOVE is by looking closely at the things, especially the small ones, that happen in our lives everyday, because everyday He does something in our lives that shows and proves His LOVE for us. And what better way to end this LOVE Bit than with some of the attributes of LOVE from the greatest chapter in the Good Book, the LOVE Chapter; 1 Corinthians 13: ‘Charity (LOVE) suffereth long, and is kind; LOVE envieth not; LOVE vaunteth not (does not brag on) itself; is not puffed up (arrogant), Doth not behave itself unseemly (rudely), seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil (keeps no accounts of evil); Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.’ (1 Cor.13:4-7) Yes mih people, those are just some of the wonderful attributes of the world’s greatest emotion, and therefore of our God, since He is the epitome of LOVE! Now since we are followers of Jesus, then it’s incumbent on us to be also practitioners of LOVE. So I implore us to learn these attributes, write them indelibly in our hearts and souls, then put them into action! For how can we have a LOVE Revolution without LOVE eh? And as the song on the radio is saying ‘Keep pressing on.’ Yes Friends, in this year of 2012, let’s keep pressing on in Jesus’ Name. Amen. Much LOVE!…only as there is LOVE in our hearts and souls…will there be peace in our lives and in our world…

Today’s Scrip-Bit 9 January 2012 John 16:1‏

09 Jan 2012 Leave a comment

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

John 16:1.    These things have I spoken unto you, that ye should not be offended (made to stumble).

Oh Friends, it’s Monday, time to rise and shine and be about your Father’s business! The holiday season is ended, the extended partying is done now! Time to return to the rough and tumble world of reality, which means getting up and going out to labour. It’s a rough life, but it’s the only one we have, therefore let’s make the best of it. And to help us do that, to put some passion in our souls and fire in our bellies, let’s sing our Monday Morning Battle Hymn with great gusto. 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!’ Yes my people, that ought to get us moving, ready to battle the evil out there!  Now please note carefully Jesus’ words in our Bit. ‘These things have I spoken unto you, that ye should not be offended (made to stumble).’ It was a warning to His disciples of the persecution to come for those who believed in Him. Having just told them of the hatred of the world: ‘If ye were of the world, the world would LOVE his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you.’ (John 15:19) And it still hates us even till today Friends, and will continue to do so until we convert it all to Christ. And all God’s people said a loud and expectant ‘Hallelujah! Amen!’ Then after our Bit, Jesus continues His warning: ‘They shall put you out of the synagogues: yea, the time cometh that whosoever killeth you will think that he doeth God service. And these things will they do unto you, because they have not known the Father, nor me.’ (John 16:2-3) And that prophecy was fulfilled by Bruh Paul’s initial cruelty towards believers, beginning with the martyrdom of Stephen. (Acts 8:54-60) Ah mih people, the Christian life is not an easy one, especially living in such an evil world as this current incarnation. But lived right, with the Spirit of God leading and guiding us, following Jesus can be a wonderful, exciting and incredible journey! And that’s the crux of the whole situation Friends; the way we approach the Christian life. We first have to see it as an ongoing process, with many ruts and bumps along the way, mere annoyances, (smile) while remembering that we already have all the tools and promises through the Holy Spirit and the Word, to do a good job.  It’s just left for us to take them to heart and act on them diligently, enthusiastically, and urgently, all the time seeking excellence in Jesus’ Name. Now let’s hearken back to Jesus words when the disciples of John the Baptist came to ask if he was the Messiah. He ends with: ‘And blessed is he, whosoever shall not be offended in me (made to stumble because of me).’ (Matt.11:6) Yes my brethren, if we stand faithful and strong through our trials and tribulations caused by believing in Jesus, we will definitely be richly blessed. Not always in this earthly life, but for sure in the one to come. And what better way to end than with those promises from Jesus’ own lips. We know them as the Beatitudes: ‘Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness’ sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.’ (Matt.5:10-12) The definitive words on the subject Friends! So let’s grab a hold of them, and doh leggo, no, doh ever leggo, come what may! That’s wisdom at its zenith! Much LOVE!…the only way for believers to live successful lives…is by steadfastly holding on to the promises of God, found in His Word…and the guidance of His Spirit, found in their souls…

Today’s Scrip-Bit 8 January 2012 Psalm 62:5

08 Jan 2012 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Inspirational Living Tags: , , ,

Psalm 62:5.    My soul, (silently) wait thou only upon God: for my expectation (hope) is from him.

Oh Friends, a few days ago I listened to two sermons on the T.V. One pastor I usually watch, the other, I just happened to tune in by chance, or through the Spirit’s guidance. But what struck me is that both of them were preaching on faith, and more to the point, the expectancy aspect of our faith. It’s clear that both pastors feel that believers have faith, and pray in faith, but lack the final piece of the puzzle; the expectation, the expectancy that God will answer their prayers. And after thinking about it, I came to the same conclusion, for if we look around, include ourselves, we’ll see a whole lot of supposedly faithful, praying, but yet unhappy Christians, because their prayers are not being answered. Why is that eh? Possibly because we’re not doing as James says: ‘But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering (not doubting). For he that wavereth (doubts) is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. For let not that man think that he shall receive anything of the Lord. A double-minded man is unstable in all his ways.’ (James 1:6-8) Yes Friends, we have to ask in sure faith, not doubting, then expect to receive it. Granted, Jesus said: ‘Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.’ (Matt.7:7) But He was also more specific later on: ‘And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, BELIEVING, ye shall receive it.’ (Matt.21:22) And that seems to be the fly in the Christian ointment my people; that word ‘BELIEVING.’ We have to believe that we’ll get what we ask for, provided it aligns with God’s Word and Will, because if we don’t see us receiving our prayer requests through our eyes of faith, then both our faith and prayers are worthless. As Bruh Paul said to the Romans: ‘For we are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for? But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience (perseverance) (eagerly) wait for it.’ (Rom.8:24-25) And the operative words there my brethren are ‘patience and eagerly.’ We have to wait patiently, keep persevering, until the Lord judges that the time is right to grant our requests. But we also have to wait with enthusiasm and eagerness, like children looking forward to gifts on Christmas Day, with great anticipation and hearts full of joy. That’s how true believers are expected to behave, not the joyless, cynical, unenthusiastic plodders that so many of us have become. No my people, our God wants us to be bold and brave, exuding confidence, full of joy and anticipation while waiting on Him! That’s why I’m targeting 2012 for an overwhelming increase in passion, fire, joy, peace, contentment and unconditional LOVE in the Christian movement, starting with our Scrip-Bit Family. I want us to get that reformation going in our hearts and souls, and then spread it around the world, hopefully like wildfire. (smile) Seriously though Friends, 2012 has to be a year of epiphany, of understanding, of enlightenment, of new beginnings, of arousal, of urgency in our Christian walk, otherwise we’ll just keep falling behind the 8 ball, and the enemy will continue to be predominant. Is that what we want? Is that the way we intend to repay Jesus for His enormous sacrifice on our behalf? I certainly hope not. Then let’s get that fire and passion burning in our bellies and go out there and do Jesus’ work nuh! The long and short of the story my brethren is that the iniquity workers are just a happier bunch of people than we supposed believers, though we have so much more promised to us by our great and wonderful God. They seem to enjoy their work more than we do, and until that changes, believers will always be bottom feeders. That means Jesus’ selfless sacrifice is being wasted. What a shame mih bredden! But let’s see if I can stir us up, rekindle some of that fire and passion, with some words of encouragement, promise and urgency from Bruh David, beginning with our Bit: ‘My soul, (silently) wait thou only upon God: for my expectation (hope) is from him. He only is my rock and my salvation: he is my defense; I shall not be moved (shaken). In God is my salvation and my glory: the rock of my strength, and my refuge, is in God. Trust in him at all times; ye people, pour out your heart before him: God is a refuge for us. Selah.’ (Ps.62:5-8) Oh Friends, with such wonderful promises filling our spirits, how can we not be cheerful, upbeat, enthusiastic and overjoyed in serving our God eh? And all God’s people joyfully shouted: ‘Glory Hallelujah! Great and most worthy to be praised is the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob!’ And on that joyous, praiseworthy note my people, let’s go out into the evil world and work diligently, faithfully and expectantly in Jesus’ name nuh. That’s all He asks of us; precious little compared to what he’s done for us. Much LOVE!…and the annals of history will show…that 2012…marked the start of the 2nd Reformation…the resurgence of Christianity…of Christ…as the world’s spiritual Leader…

 

Today’s Scrip-Bit 7 January 2012 Philippians 1:6‏

07 Jan 2012 Leave a comment

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

Philippians 1:6.    Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ.

Oh Friends, can you believe we’re already one week into 2012? Wow! Time sure flies when you’re having fun! (smile) I do hope though that all of us are awash with the joy of the Lord, both in our bodies and souls, so that we can do His work with enthusiasm, determination and excellence, because our Saviour Jesus Christ expects higher than average standards from His followers. Now before we get into Today’s Bit, let me share some thoughts of the scholars on the word ‘sanctification.’ You’ll understand why later. ‘The word sanctification means ‘‘to be set apart.’’ The Holy Spirit is attempting to make the believer holy (set apart) and spiritual (reflecting the character of God). This is being accomplished in three phases. First, the believer is forgiven and set apart to God at his conversion (positional sanctification). Second, the believer is constantly being set apart from sin when he utilizes the means of grace (e.g. the Word and prayer) in his life (progressive sanctification). Third, complete sanctification begins at death, or at the Rapture, and is completed when the believer’s spirit is reunited with his resurrection body. We Christians should recognize that God uses all things to accomplish His purpose of making us like Jesus; therefore we should cooperate with the Holy Spirit.’ Yes Friends, God’s purpose for all His adopted children is to become like His perfect only Son, Jesus: holy, sanctified. It’s a lifelong process. When we become believers, the Holy Spirit comes to live in us and moulds us on our earthly journey into the likeness of Christ. Obviously we can never be perfect like Him, because He’s God, but we’re all expected to try. As Jesus so eloquently says when asked: ‘What shall we do, that we might work the works of God? Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent.’ (John 6:28-29) Please remember my people, that everything revolves around us becoming like Jesus. And it’s all borne out in Bruh Paul’s contention to the Roman church: ‘And we know that all things work together for good to them that LOVE God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the first-born among many brethren.’ (Rom.8:28-29) Thus he could confidently say in our Bit to the new believers at Philippi: ‘Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform (complete) it until the day of Jesus Christ.’  And that’s gospel Friends! The work of grace begun in each believer at conversion or acceptance of Christ as Lord and Saviour will not stop until the day Jesus returns in glory to found His new eternal kingdom. And why should it eh, when the sole intention of the grace deposited in us by the Holy Spirit is to remake us in Christ’s image? Therefore Friends and fellow believers, it’s up to us, both as individuals and in fellowship with each other, to faithfully accept the grace flowing from the Holy Spirit and work diligently with it to enhance our Christ-like image. Every so often, with the Holy Spirit’s assistance, we should check to see if we can distinguish any Christ-like improvements to our image. Now if we’re truly maturing as Christians, then hopefully every time we check, we should be able to pick out something in our character, our behaviour that has brought us closer to the likeness of Christ. Obviously this is not something we can or should do everyday, but more like every few months, thus allowing enough time for whatever improvements are made to securely sink in and truly become a part of us. Oh Friends, this constant working of grace in us through the Holy Spirit is what guarantees us eternal security in our great, wonderful and LOVING God! His purpose in refining us in this rough and tough kiln of earthly life has always been to see us as shining lights in the nature of Jesus.  And we can all rest assured that He will never stop working on and in us until the job’s done to His standard of excellence. So now it’s entirely up to us to work with the Spirit or not. But just remember that if we don’t, we’ll be jeopardizing our souls and our eternal future. That’s how important this subject is. So please pay particular attention to it. Much Love!…the fool says in his heart…there is no God…but the wise man knows that’s pure foolishness…

 

Today’s Scrip-Bit 6 January 2012 Psalm 149:6‏

06 Jan 2012 Leave a comment

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

Psalm 149:6.    Let the high praises of God be in their mouth, and a two-edged sword in their hand.
 
Yes mih Friends, once again it’s Friday, the start of the weekend! And ah know that the remnants of the Christmas and New Years sprit still bubbling in many of you, though for some it’s simply morphing into a Carnival sprit (smile), so there’s still plenty of enthusiasm still around to shout ‘TGIF! Thank God is Friday!’ But as always, we need to curtail some of those weekend activities, so we don’t go overboard and get embarrassed by falling into the enemy’s clutches. Therefore, to help us keep the weekend in proper perspective, let’s chant our Friday Chant. All together now, with the same enthusiasm and vocal might that we shouted ‘TGIF!’ ‘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 now that we have the weekend on a tight rein – hn – let’s look a little further ahead; to the whole year of 2012. In so doing, let’s give plenty thanks that 2012 IS a year of accomplishment, healing and renewal for us individually, as well as for our violent, strife-torn, confused, ungodly, oppressive, greedy, sinful world. We’re seeing this through the eyes of faith my brethren, knowing that as a united group, God’s people will make a big and positive difference right here on earth this year. Oh Friends, if our world gets any worse than it is, then we’ll be in such dire straits that recovery may be impossible, for right now we’re just teetering on the brink of destruction. That’s why 2012 is the watershed year, a year of awakening, where old things become new, broken relationships are fixed, where commonsense and wisdom come to the fore and thus improve the selfish, antagonistic atmosphere currently prevailing. Oh Friends, 2012 just has to be a big year for us. I feel it in my bones that this year is special, and special in a good way too. And how could it not be eh, when believers are getting together instead of separating, renewing their faith and trust in Christ, fully surrendering their all to Him, and battling Beelzebub and his evil cronies with a renewed intensity, fanned by the blazing flames finally rekindled in our bellies. (smile) I might be smiling Friends, but this is serious business. Saving our world for our children, for posterity, is no laughing matter. In the last two decades we’ve allowed Jesus’ kingdom to go downhill, but unfortunately most of us only have one more decade here on earth in which to build it back up, and make it progress even further. That means we have to work extraordinarily hard to redo the twenty years damage in only ten. Consequently, from here on in, we all have our work cut out for us. But we know that with Jesus on our side, anything is possible. And to help us reinvigorate the kingdom, our Bit is invaluable. ‘Let the high praises of God be in their mouth, and a two-edged sword in their hand.’ Yes Friends, it’s a dual purpose job; uplifting the righteous and simultaneously fighting the wicked. And we definitely need the former if we’re to be successful at the latter. We can’t win any battles without the sounds of praise and worship in both our individual and collective lives. Oh my people, I don’t know if I’m successfully imparting the urgency that I feel, but believe me, our world is facing a very grave time. We’re at a significant crossroads, and the wrong move(s) can send us all plummeting into further strife and confusion, from which we may never recover. That’s why it’s so important that believers put on the full armour of God (Eph.6:11-20) and get out there and seriously fight the enemy, with the Sword of the Spirit, the mighty weapon that cuts deeply to bring about conviction and repentance. ‘For the word of God is quick (living), and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of (able to judge) the thoughts and intents (intentions) of the heart. Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in (hidden from) his sight: but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do (must give account). (Heb.4:12-13) Oh my people, that’s how powerful the Word is, and as believers we have to use it in our earthly fight, for in the end we shall all be held accountable. And I’m sure that none of us wants to get a thumbs down sign from Jesus when we’re called to account. So mih breddren, let’s get up off our fat fannies and do the job we’ve signed up to do nuh, otherwise the consequences might be catastrophic!  Much LOVE!…to be told on the day of reckoning…well done good and faithful servant…we first have to stand strong and tall in Jesus’ name…down here on earth…

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