Today’s Scrip-Bit   4 June 2023 Psalm 37:5.

04 Jun 2023 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Psalm 37:5.       Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass.

It’s that joyful time again my faithful brethren! I’m talking about gathering in the Lord’s sanctuary on His day to fellowship with other believers and give our great God much wonderful thanks and praise! There’s no other time like that in our busy, mundane lives, (smile) and besides it’s something we’ve been strongly advised to do, so that we can also stir up and encourage each other. The author of Hebrews tells us: ‘Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is, but exhorting one another; and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.’ (Heb. 10:25) 

And the day of Jesus’ return is fast approaching my people, so we need to get with the programme and gather together regularly, so that we can raise each other’s faith and spirit. And one of the best ways of doing that is by joining together in sacrificial praise to Almighty God. And today, we open with a marvellous song that highlights exactly what we need in these turbulent times in much greater amount from those who call themselves believers; that’s strong, true, sure, undefiled commitment to Christ Jesus The song is called ‘I Am Committed!’ originally done by the popular Jamaican Evangelist and Gospel Singer, Maxine Duncan. 

Yes friends, there’s nothing that Jesus needs more from us right now than our sincere commitment to His most worthy cause. So, let’s raise the roof of the sanctuary with our sweetly flavoured sacrificial voices of praise, in a sincere, heartfelt, scintillating, soulful rendition of this beautiful song. Singing:  ‘Hn, hn, hn! Dear Lord! Thank You Jesus! Oh yeah! Oh yeah! Early this morning, I woke from my sleep I heard His voice speak softly to me He says my child you have had some lonely nights That’s why I am here to comfort you if you only believe 

(Chorus: That’s when I committed my life to Him Cause I know that He cares for me Yes I have committed my life to Him I know he cares, He’ll always be there That’s why I am committed.) It was in the dark, He revealed Himself to me He said my child I am your destiny Lonely nights I spent in agony As I prayed secretly, I started to cry I am committed [Yes I have committed my life to Him I know that he cares for me Yes I have committed my life to Him I know he cares, He will always be there That’s why I am committed) 

When Trials come and they seem so hard to bear Yes Jesus knows what you are going through Your circumstances, He will fix it for you He’ll take your hand, he’ll lead you on You will always be strong. (Yes I have committed my life to Him Cause I know that He; cares for me Yes I have committed my life to Him I know he cares, He will always be there That’s why I am committed. I know he cares He will always be there That’s why I am committed. I know he cares He will always be there That’s why I am committed’  

Oh my people, that was wonderful! There wasn’t a dry eye in heaven, because they heard the sincerity in our voices. That means we can’t let them down now, we have to actually show that serious commitment in our daily walk with Christ. And since the last days seem to be on the horizon, this is a time when true commitment is badly needed so we can get as many people as possible under Christ’s umbrella of salvation before it’s too late for them. And there are so many scriptures in the Good Library that deal with commitment that we can only highlight a few here. 

Now, possibly the most widely known one is that penned by Bruh David in Psalm 37: ‘Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass.’ (Ps. 37: 5) Then there’s this one by Cousin Sol, when he dedicated the temple to the Lord, that most of us don’t know. He told the congregation of Israel: ‘Let your heart therefore be perfect with the Lord our God, to walk in his statutes, and to keep his commandments as of this day.’ (1 Kin. 8:61) 

And I like how the scholars explain that verse. They say, Cousin Sol ‘closes his prayer with a challenge to Israel to be perfect with the Lord, that is, fully and wholly (completely) committed to His person and standards (cf. Matt. 5:48) for a growing spiritual maturity.’ And my fellow saints, that is the challenge that I’m throwing out to all of us this day. We need to be fully and completely committed to Jesus and rise to the occasion to fulfill His Great Commission in whatever way we can. Time is of the essence and we cannot afford to dilly dally any longer or just talk a good talk, we desperately need to walk the walk, right now! 

And by the way, the reference above there to Matthew 5:48, just happens to be Jesus teaching on LOVING one’s enemies, and He ends on this note. ‘Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.’ That means possessing a complete LOVE like God’s. and we can only get close to that goal by being truly committed to walking in His ways. Meanwhile, there are some scriptures that Bruh Paul wrote to Timothy in his second letter about being committed. 

Listen up: ‘Wherefore I am appointed a preacher, and an apostle, and a teacher of the Gentiles. For the which cause I also suffer these things: nevertheless I am not ashamed: for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against (until) that day.’ (2 Tim. 1:11-12) And therein lies a major problem with why more believers are not fully committed to Jesus: they are afraid of the sacrifices they might be called on to make, and they are also ashamed of Jesus and what He stands for. How then can we ever get real kingdom work done when so many are not committed eh? 

Then there’s this advice Bruh Paul gave to Timothy: ‘Study (be diligent) to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.’ (2 Tim. 2:15) And the scholars explain that thus: ‘The command to study means “give diligence and be zealous.” It involves a total effort of mind, emotion and will. Rightly dividing (lit., “cutting straight” the word of truth. The apostle appeals for effort to be made to properly interpret the word of God.’ And do we ever need proper interpretation of God’s word in these deceitful and treacherous times! 

And when it’s all said and done friends, we ought to be able to truthfully say words like Bruh Paul did. ‘For I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure (death) is at hand. I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course (race). I have kept the faith. Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them that LOVE his appearing.’ (2 Tim. 4:6-8) 

Oh my people, not all of us can be as zealous as Bruh Paul in Christ’s cause, but we can all be more zealous than we currently are. So, please, let’s raise our level of commitment today nuh, if we truly LOVE Jesus! Much LOVE!

…no cause can be won or accomplished…unless its devotees are truly committed to it…and are willing to input the necessary elbow grease… 

 Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ        

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Today’s Scrip-Bit   3 June 2023 Jeremiah 29:13.

03 Jun 2023 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Jeremiah 29:13.       And ye shall seek me and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.

Well friends, it looks like this lazy-day Saturday is going to be another hot, dry, sunshiny summer’s day. Mother Earth is crying out for some water, for some respite from the lack of heavenly blessings, and I’m crying out for an end to the allergy nonsense that’s been harassing me all week. I haven’t had any allergy problems like this for years, and the sneezing, weepy eyes and runny nose are rather inconvenient and positively annoying. (smile) And the medication only seems to relieve it for such a short time. Chuh! But as they say: that’s life! And we just have to grin and bear it as best we can. 

And by the way, I have decided to use that prayer I shared last Saturday from the In Touch Devotional as our Lazy-Day Saturday Prayer, since it seems appropriate for a quiet, lazy, relaxing, God-filled day. (smile)  However, unlike our other Scrip-Bit Prayers, this one will come at the beginning rather than at the end. So, without further ado, let’s pray our Lazy-day Saturday Prayer. 

As one sincere voice: ‘Lord, I want to be with You now. Please slow my thoughts and quiet my soul. Let my muscles relax, my breath deepen. You are here with me – Your peace and LOVE are present. I marvel to think You can’t be contained, that Your LOVE both surrounds and fills me. Thank You for this tenderness, Lord. I praise You for Your unceasing nearness. Increase my awareness of You today, that I may know You all the more. Amen!’ 

Yes mih people! I like it, because it’s calming and soothing and takes us into the presence of God, where we diligently seek to find and know Him, which is exactly what He says He desires of us. And we can find one instance of that scripture in Jeremiah 29, where the Lord promises the Israelites their captivity in Babylon will only last for seventy years, then they will return home. 

‘For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil (calamity), to give you an expected end (a future and a hope). Then shall ye call upon me, and ye shall pray unto me, and I will hearken unto (listen to) you. And ye shall seek me and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.’ (Jer. 29:11-13) 

Yes my fellow believers, our God desires us to seek and search for Him with all our heart, that’s diligently. And what does diligently seeking God mean? ‘It means we keep seeking God until we find Him, not resting until we hear from Him in our situation or circumstance. Doing something “diligently” means doing it energetically and persistently.’ 

Now, how many of us can truly say that’s how we are seeking God eh, if we are seeking Him at all? Are we truly seeking Him with all of our heart, or diligently, in these evil and trying times eh? It’s certainly not as many as ought it to be, otherwise our sway and power, that’s God word in the world would be much stronger. 

And why do we need to seek God, besides His command? This commentary tells it nicely. ‘You long to be noticed, understood, and valued – to feel at home. When we feel out of place – like exiles – God is listening to us. He reminds us of his presence and his promise to bring us home.’ 

Oh, that’s for sure my fellow believers! And it’s just a reflection of our Lazy-Day Saturday Prayer, where we’re in an uncomfortable, unsure frame of mind, and need assurance of our worth and value, that someone out there truly LOVES and desires the best for us…and that someone is God Almighty! He is the ONLY One that LOVES us in that understanding and unconditional manner. All those others who claim to LOVE us have conditions attached to their LOVE, but not our heavenly Father. 

That’s why we can behave unseemly, inappropriately and His LOVE for us will not change. Oh, we will pay a price for our disobedience, but that doesn’t change His LOVE one iota. Our heavenly Father practices what I believe we call tough LOVE. That’s means His LOVE is steadfast, but you won’t get away with nonsense, you will pay for your disobedience. And oh, how I wish that more of us earthly parents had practiced tough LOVE on this current generation, for they would certainly not have been as irresponsible, entitled and ungodly as they are. But that’s another sermon for another time. (smile) 

And as always, Cousin Sol has something to cover every scripture. For our scripture of diligently seeking God, he says: ‘I LOVE them that LOVE me; and those that seek me early (diligently) shall find me.’ (Prov. 8:17) There’s no doubt about that my people! 

And the psalmist in Psalm 91, concurs with all that we’ve been saying, when he wrote these marvellous words of reassurance in our wonderful God. ‘Because he hath set his LOVE upon me, therefore will I deliver him: I will set him on high, because he hath known my name. He shall call upon me, and I will answer him: I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him, and honour him. With long life (length of days) will I satisfy him, and shew him my salvation.’ (Ps. 91:14-16) 

Mama Mia! That’s what we get for seeking God diligently and sincerely my faithful brethren! We all want honour and safety and long life and salvation, and we go about seeking it either on our own or through man’s unfaithful help, but the surest way to get that is by sincerely and diligently seeking God. It’s the gospel truth friends! And there’s no better way to end this lazy-day Saturday, than with these astounding words of truth and faith from Jesus as He winds down His Sermon on the Mount. 

He sincerely advises: ‘Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you. For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened. Or what man is there of you, whom if his son ask bread, will he give him a stone? Or if he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent? If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?’ (Matt. 7:7-11) 

That says it all friends! And I’m pleading with us, on this lazy-day Saturday, let’s take some time to ponder our relationship to our heavenly Father, consider whether we are truly seeking Him diligently and sincerely, in other words, with all of our hearts, because the quality of our lives depend on it, as that’s what we were made for! Much LOVE!

…God created man…to seek Him…above everything else… 

 Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ       

Today’s Scrip-Bit   2 June 2023   2 Chronicles 33:13b.

02 Jun 2023 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

2 Chronicles 33:13b.      Then Manasseh knew that the Lord he was God.

And then it was Friday… and the shouts of ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday!’ reverberate around the world. But in my neck of the woods there are also shouts of ‘Summertime! True summer weather at last!’ Then in the background comes another shout of a somewhat different nature: ‘O Lord, it so hot! Turn on the A.C! Please turn on the A.C!’ And that last one was my shout yesterday as the summer heat descended upon us with a vengeance. By yesterday afternoon all the A.Cs in the neighborhood were merrily humming along. 

I was amazed that the temperature in the family room was 80 degrees Fahrenheit, which meant it was even hotter in the bedrooms upstairs, where I intended to relax for a spell. Meanwhile the basement is as cool and comfortable as ever. One would think that the higher you went, the cooler it would become, but apparently not. Thank goodness the Duchess wasn’t at home then, because turning on the A.C is one of the things we bicker over a lot of the time. 

Yuh see, she spends a lot of her day on the main floor, which is never as hot as the bedrooms upstairs where I spend most of my afternoons, and which for whatever reason, are always hotter than downstairs. And surprisingly, she never uttered one word of dissent when she came home. Perhaps after being out in the hot sun, she was thankful to come home to a cool house. (smile)  But enough of my marriage peculiarities, let’s see what the Lord wants us to talk about today. 

And the Good Library opened unto the Book of 2nd Chronicles, where it talks about the reign of certain kings of Israel, in particular that of Manasseh. It says: ‘Manasseh was twelve years old when he began to reign, and he reigned fifty-five years in Jerusalem (the longest of any king). But did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord, like unto the abominations of the heathen, whom the Lord had cast out before the children of Israel. For he built again the high places (places for pagan worship) which Hezekiah his father had broken down, and he reared up altars for Baailim, and made groves (wooden images), and worshipped all the host of heaven (the gods of the Assyrians), and served them. 

Also he built altars in the house of the Lord, whereof the Lord had said, In Jerusalem shall my name be for ever. And he built altars for all the host of heaven in the two courts of the house of the Lord. And he caused his children to pass through the fire in the valley of the son of Hinnom: also he observed times (practiced soothsaying), and used enchantments (witchcraft), and used witchcraft (sorcery), and dealt with a familiar spirit (consulted mediums), and with wizards (spiritists): he wrought much evil in the sight of the Lord, to provoke him to anger. 

And he set a carved image, the idol which he had made, in the house (temple) of God, of which God had said to David and to Solomon his son, In this house and in Jerusalem, which I have chosen before all the tribes of Israel, will I put my name for ever.’ (2 Chr. 33:1-7) 

Can you imagine Manasseh engineering that complete turning away from God, even to the desecration of God’s house, after the godly reign of his father Hezekiah. The scholars explain it thus: ‘The wickedness of Manasseh, the son of the godly Hezekiah, emphasizes the need for parents to communicate personal godliness to their children. Children must make their own personal choice for God and not depend simply on their parents’ relationship to God.’ 

And that’s the gospel truth! But unfortunately, not every child who sees a godly relationship in their parents, will naturally follow that path. As the ole people would say, you make the children, but you don’t make their minds. And it’s obvious that Hezekiah didn’t influence Manasseh’s mind as per the relationship with God. The Book of Chronicles then continues: ‘So Manasseh made Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem to err, and to do worse than the heathen, whom the Lord had destroyed before the children of Israel. And the Lord spake to Manasseh, and to his people: but they would not hearken.’ (2Chr. 33:9-10) 

Oh friends, that is exactly what’s happening in our world today. We have gone astray from God, even to the point of trying to remove Him completely from our society, which of course will never happen, and He’s desperately trying to bring us back to His fold before even more disastrous disasters befall us, because disaster always befalls the disobedient and ungodly. It’s just a matter of time. The Lord’s promised it all throughout His word. The wicked will be destroyed. 

Why can’t we believe him eh, and turn from our evil ways? Is it because of obstinate and stubborn pride? But remember too, that the Lord hates pride with a passion, because it means you think you don’t need Him. The saying that pride goes before a fall, is also gospel truth. And if you don’t believe me, just listen to what happened to the wicked Manasseh and his people. ‘Wherefore the Lord brought upon them the captains of the host of the king of Assyria, which took Manasseh among the thorns (with nose hooks), and bound him with fetters (bronze chains), and carried him to Babylon.’ (2 Chr. 33:11) 

Yes friends, we all get our comeuppance eventually. But why is it that we can’t listen to the many warnings, but have to go through all the tribulation before we wake up to the reality of the situation like Manasseh did eh? The Bible tells us: ‘And when he (Manasseh) was in affliction, he besought the Lord his God, and humbled himself greatly before the God of his fathers. And prayed unto him: and he was intreated of him, and heard his supplication, and brought him again to Jerusalem into his kingdom. Then Manasseh knew that the Lord he was God.’ (2 Chr. 33:12-13) 

I don’t understand it. There’s so much proof that the wicked suffer and are eventually destroyed but yet we still turn to evil, that is until the truth of God’s word hits us where it really hurts. It’s like the Babylonian King, Nebuchadnezzar, in the Book of Daniel, who thought he was so great, walking in the wonderful palace that he built, until the Lord pulled him down, drove him crazy, and had him eating grass for seven years until he woke up and smelled the coffee, and said: ‘Now I Nebuchadnezzar praise and extol and honour the King of heaven, all whose works are truth, and his ways judgement (justice): and those that walk in pride he is able to abase (humble).’ (Dan. 4:37) 

Now, if a pagan king can make such a statement and apparently mean it, why can’t we supposed believers do the same eh, and live it? I don’t know, but please, wisdom dictates that we go to the throne of grace right now, through our Friday Chant and ask for divine help and understanding to deal with our current untenable situation. 

As one voice: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through this past week. You know it’s been rough… what with all the confusion and anxiety caused by the pandemic and our many other serious problems. We can’t fix them on our own Lord, so we desperately need your help. Oh heavenly Father, with your omnipotent help, and our trusting faith, we know that we can stand strong and steadfast and defeat the simmering unrest in our land. So Lord, we sincerely ask you today to give those involved in the forefront of this serious and unexpected storm, the wise guidance to handle the situation properly, without further serious setbacks. 

And please help those of us who must go out to work amidst all the confusion, to be responsible and to stay safe. And Lord, we fervently pray that You’ll use this situation to return backsliders to your fold, show them the error of their ways. And please introduce a new flock of believers, who will embrace your LOVE and compassion by the example, we, your faithful believers set. Yes Lord, please use this pandemic, the bubbling discontent and dissatisfaction in our land, as a means of restoring faith in You, so that our sinful world can wake up and smell the coffee, wake up and smell it sweet and strong! We pray this in the name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen!’ 

And if we truly want to receive divine help, then we’ve truly got to change our evil ways and become obedient to God! Much LOVE!

…if yuh don’t hear…you will certainly feel… 

 Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ      

Today’s Scrip-Bit   1 June 2023 Ephesians 2:8.

01 Jun 2023 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: , , , , ,

Ephesians 2:8.       For by grace are ye (you have been) saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God.

Come Thursday, everything will be all right! Yes friends, it’s Thursday, and all’s right with the world, it’s moving along as it should. (smile) And just for your information, it’s also the first day of June 2023. Wow! Have we already reached the middle of the year? Yes! And in record time too! (smile) 

Ah mih people, the days certainly seem to be flying along like there’s no tomorrow. I guess we’re so busy with our many problems that we don’t have time to pay attention to the individual days, as they go sailing by, which brings us to a different problem. If the days are going by quickly, that means the time for Jesus’ return is also coming up quickly and will most certainly come as a thief in the night, that’s unexpectedly, without warning. We then have to ask if we’re ready for such a momentous occasion, because if He returns and we’re not ready, then things will be really bad with us. 

We’ll be facing eternal separation from our Maker and eternity in hellfire with Satan. And I’m sure however you look at that situation it cannot be an encouraging one. And the ONLY way to avoid such a terrible situation is by receiving Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour, and thus be entitled to salvation and eternal life with Him in heaven, or wherever He chooses to be. And that life with Him will be extraordinary; one of peace, LOVE and joy. 

Now here’s a little insight into what life with Jesus will be like in the days of eternity. John writes it thus in the Book of Revelation. ‘And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God. And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.’ (Rev. 21:3-4) 

Mama oh Mama! What a wonderful life that sounds like it will be! With Almighty God dwelling right there with you, and no more pain, death, tears, etc. etc. Wow! You can’t beat that my brethren! Furthermore, John informs us: ‘And there shall be no night there; and they need no candle (lamp), neither light of the sun; for the Lord God giveth them light : and they shall reign for ever and ever.’ (Rev. 22:5) 

Oh my people, it couldn’t get any better than that! No long, dark, arduous nights to go through…and the light of Almighty God constantly shining around you! Wow! Yes, that’s all I can say! (smile) Life with Jesus through eternity is obviously going to be a good, blessed life, the best there can be. But the only way to be there to enjoy it is to accept Him as Lord and Saviour before you die or He returns, for if either one of those things happen and you’re not ensconced in His LOVING arms, your name’s not written in His Book of Life, then you’ll be S.O.L. 

You won’t see heaven and spend eternity with Him. And I’m sure none of us want to miss the good things and times slated to happen with Jesus during that long time called eternity, because the only other option is hellfire and damnation with Satan. And I don’t think that really compares to heaven any which way you shape it. That’s why it’s of the utmost importance that we get ready RIGHT NOW since we don’t know the time of our death, or that of Jesus’ return, either of which could happen at any time without any warning. 

Therefore, like the old people would say, make hay while the sun shines, for you can’t do it when it rains. Meaning we have to come to Jesus NOW while we’re alive and He’s yet to return. And how do we do that, you ask? It’s a simple process. You confess that you’re a sinner and ask the Lord to come into your life and make you what He wants you to be, and promise to be obedient to His will and word. 

And once you accept Him as Lord and Saviour His Holy Spirit, the third member of our Triune God will come to dwell in you to lead and guide you along the narrow pathway that’s the Christian life. It’s not necessarily an easy life with so many people and things coming against believers, but it’s always interesting, adventuresome and very worthwhile, especially the ending of heaven, with eternal life and good times with Jesus. 

It’s important to note though, that your big part in the process of salvation is accepting it. That’s because, as Bruh Paul said to the Ephesians: ‘For by grace are ye (you have been) saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God.’ (Eph. 2:8) Salvation is God’s gift to mankind. He LOVED us so much and saw that we were headed inexorably to hell through our disobedience and idolatrous ways, that He wanted to provide us with another much better option. 

It meant Him breaking His own heart by sending His Son Jesus to die to pay the price necessary to wash away our sins. But that’s how much He LOVED us, His most precious and favourite creation. The Bible puts it thus: ‘But God commendeth (demonstrated) his (own) LOVE toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.’ (Rom. 5:8) 

That’s the wonderful kind of God we serve my fellow saints. So, I don’t understand why we can’t respond with the same sort of LOVING reaction to Him. But that’s why He gave us free will, to make our choice whether we want to dance with Him in heaven or with Satan in hell. It’s all the individual’s choice. End of sermon! 

Now let’s go home declaring (yesss!!!) our Thursday Blessings so that they can be activated and become available to us to use in God’s great work here on earth. Altogether now: ‘I declare that I am blessed with God’s supernatural wisdom and receive clear direction for my life! I declare today that I am blessed with creativity, courage, talent and abundance! I am blessed with a strong will, self-control and self-discipline! 

I am blessed with a great family, good friends, good health, faith, favour and fulfillment! I am blessed with success, supernatural strength, promotion and divine protection! I am blessed with a compassionate heart and a positive outlook on life! I declare that any curse or negative word that’s ever been spoken over me is broken right now in the name of Jesus! I declare that everything I put my hands to, will prosper and succeed! I declare it today and every day! Amen!’ 

It now behooves us to go out and share those blessings just as generously with others as the Lord shared them with us! Much LOVE!

…there are only two eternal options…heaven or hell…the choice is ours… 

 Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ     

Today’s Scrip-Bit   31 May 2023 Luke 18:8.

31 May 2023 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Luke 18:8.        Nevertheless, when the Son of Man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?

And the week’s moving ahead very quickly; taking no prisoners whatsoever! (smile) Yes friends, it’s already Wednesday, mid-week, the day we try to catch our second wind. But the way the week’s galloping along, we might not be able to do that. That’s just for the unbelievers though, for with Jesus by our side, at our helm, all around us, we can do anything. Wow! What a scripture: ‘I can do ALL things through Christ who strengthens me!’ (Phil. 4:13) And if you don’t believe that, then you’re no true believer, only a poser. 

Ah mih people, I believe that’s the major ingredient that’s missing in our Christian walk these days; we talk the scriptures, the many promises and scenarios that make up our faith, but we don’t truly believe them, otherwise our church and our individual lives would not be so lacking in faith and good works. We are supposed to be the salt of the earth and the light of the world now that Jesus no longer walks the earth, but are we truly those things? Does the heathen see our good works and thus want to glorify our God that is in heaven? 

Hn! I don’t think so, or there wouldn’t be the great exodus from the church that’s currently taking place and Beelzebub and his evil cronies wouldn’t be the powerful force in our world that they currently are. And by the way, they seem to be getting stronger every day, while Christ’s church seems to be getting weaker, because it’s supposed devotees are not putting in the faith, effort and perseverance we need to see it prosper. 

Recently I heard a preacher consider Jesus’ question: ‘Nevertheless, when the Son of Man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?’ (Luke 18:8).Those are the closing words of Jesus’ parable of the persistent widow, found just before that scripture, and I began seriously considering it myself. Will He, my fellow believers, or will our faith have sunk to such a low level that it might as well be non-existent?  

And thankfully I was able to find one commentary that throws a somewhat positive light on the situation. It says: ‘Perhaps, as members of the Church trust with all their hearts, transform their hopes and beliefs into action, and seek to align themselves with the will of the Lord, the answer to the question the Savior asked 2,000 years ago will be a resounding “Yes, He will find faith.’ 

And oh, how I do hope and desire with all my heart, that before it’s too late, that we, the members of Christ’s Church will come to that high level of trust and transform our hopes and beliefs into action, for that’s the ONLY way, Jesus will ever find faith when He returns to earth. Yes my fellow saints it’s only if we get up off of our fat, lazy, well-fed, entitled fannies and do what we’re supposed to do, that’s stand up strong for Jesus and spread the good news of His wonderful gospel all around the world, that faith will ever be found when Jesus returns to earth as the King of Glory! 

That’s why we have to listen to the author of Hebrews when he exhorts us, re holding fast to the faith. ‘Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus, By a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say his flesh; And having an high priest over the house of God; Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water. 

Let us hold fast the profession (confession) of our faith (hope) without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;) And let us consider one another to provoke (stir up) unto LOVE and to great works: Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.’ (Heb. 10:19-25) 

Yes friends, the shed blood of Christ which makes Him the eternal sacrifice and therefore our High Priest forever, allows us to go into the holiest of holies, right to the throne of God, that’s to say a new and living way by which we have direct access to God, and don’t have to wait for the priest to make atonement for us once a year. And with that new and living way made available through Christ’s breaking the veil of the holies, we need to come close to Him with pure hearts, baptized with His Holy Spirit, washed in His blood, and assured of the promises He made us. 

But it all takes a strong and assured faith to do so; a faith that should lead us to stirring up each other to do the good works that’s required of us. And one of the best ways to do that is by gathering together regularly, and encouraging each other, especially in these troubled and evil times, when it seems the last days are upon us. 

And as the author of Hebrews says a little later on: ‘Cast not away therefore your confidence, which hath great recompence of reward. For ye have need of patience (endurance, perseverance), that after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise. For yet a little while, and he that shall come will come, and will not tarry (delay). Now the just shall live by faith: but if any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him. But we are not of them who draw back unto perdition (destruction): but of them that believe to the saving of the soul.’ (Heb. 19:35-39) 

There you have it my people: we need to stand strong in faith and do the works we are supposed to do, thus breaking the stranglehold that the evil body has on our world. And as the scriptures say, we are not shirkers of our duty, we don’t draw back. But it takes plenty belly and back bone, guts, perseverance, determination and strong belief in the promises of Christ to stand up strong for Him against the wily and evil enemy. And don’t forget that Christ will come in due time and reward those whom He finds standing in faith. 

So, let’s write these two scriptures indelibly in our hearts, so that we can raise them up when necessary. The first is the one we began with: ‘I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.’  And the second is like unto it (smile): ‘But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.’ (Phil. 4:19) That says it all! Now let’s go home declaring (yesss!!!) our Wednesday Wail, letting all and sundry know of our marvellous position in Christ Jesus. 

As one strong, confident and sincere voice: ‘Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: I’m so glad to be alive on this Wednesday! Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: Thank God the breath of life is still flowing through me on this Wednesday! I am halfway home. My hands are fixed securely on the plough, and I’m not turning back. I’m not looking back at the past, not focusing on what has gone before. But my eyes are fixed straight ahead; straight ahead to a glorious future with Jesus. Glory Hallelujah!’ 

And yuh better believe, that if we endure right down to the very end with Jesus, that that future will be even more glorious than we can ever ask or imagine. Wow! So please let’s use that as encouragement to endure down to the very end nuh mih bredrin! Much LOVE!

…Christians need to step up RIGHT NOW…and LIVE their faith…if they hope to make a difference in this world…. 

 Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ    

Today’s Scrip-Bit   30 May 2023 Job 13:15.

30 May 2023 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Job 13:15.        Though he slay me, yet will I trust him: but I will maintain (defend) mine own ways before him.

Then it was Tuesday – more sunshine and warm weather. And if we’re not careful, we might just get addicted to such beautiful weather yes! But let’s remember, like Job said to his wife, when she wanted him to curse God and die after the terrible losses they suffered: ‘What, shall we receive (accept) good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive evil (accept calamity)?’ (Job 2:10) 

Now that’s something many of us are guilty of; we jump for joy and praise God to the high heavens when we receive good things, but when the opposite happens, we are totally distressed and ready to make all sorts of disparaging comments about Him; wondering where He is, what kind of God He is to allow such calamitous things to happen to such righteous folks. 

But God never promised that there’d be no hiccups, or disasters or distressing circumstances in our lives just because we believe in Jesus. A lot of us get the wrong idea, that belief in Jesus and all the talk of salvation, abundant and eternal life means easy street for the rest of our lives, with no problems. However, what God promised was to work all things out for our eventual good, if we hold on to our belief in His Son Jesus and do His will. (Rom. 8:28) That’s a horse of an entirely different colour. 

Our world is full of evil things, people and circumstances, and therefore, at some time or other some unfair, unwarranted, unexpected, unfortunate, undeserved stuff is going to happen to us. And the big difference between us believers and the unbelievers is that when unfortunate things happen to us, we have Jesus to turn to for help and comfort. 

Remember as Bruh Paul said to the church at Corinth: ‘Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort; Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble (tribulation), by the comfort wherewith we ourselves were comforted of God.’ (2 Cor. 1:3-4) 

Now that’s a very important scripture for to us to bury deep in our hearts, minds, bodies and souls and not be afraid to use whenever needed. Who do you think comforted Job in his distress? It wasn’t his wife, his family or his friends, who came and taunted him about the sins they thought he’d committed for such calamity to befall him. But the Bible tells us that: ‘There was a man in the land of Uz, whose name was Job; and that man was perfect (blameless) and upright, and one that feared God, and eschewed (shunned) evil.’ (Job 1:1) 

So Job obviously was no big time sinner like some of us, and his friends and family must have known that, but they had the mindset set that many of us still have, that tough times only befall you when you commit some sin or the other and God is therefore punishing you for it. But that is the furthest thing from the truth. God does meet out punishment for wrongdoing in His own way and time, but not every mishap that occurs to us means it’s because of sin. 

And like Job, if we know that we have not committed any terrible sin, why should we think that God is punishing us for it? That’s just the enemy playing with our minds, one of his many deceitful pranks, hoping we’d blame God for our misfortune and thus turn away from Him. But again, like Job, we need to be secure in our faith, and whatever happens, even when it doesn’t make sense, and we don’t understand it, don’t blame God, but surely turn to Him for comfort and solace, because He is the God of all comfort, and He can make things right. 

That should be one of our strongest beliefs, if we hope to live a successful Christian life, for in this evil and ungodly world, we are constantly bombarded by all sorts of wrongdoings and hurtful circumstances, and if we don’t have a place of refuge to turn to, when those things happen, then we’re in big trouble. And the Lord God Almighty is the ONLY One who can address such hurts in a compassionate and caring manner. 

Bruh David in his many trials and troubles said it thus in Psalm 25. ‘Unto thee. O Lord, do I lift up my soul. O my God, I trust in thee: let me not be ashamed, let not mine enemies triumph over me. Yea, let none that wait (in faith) on thee be ashamed: let them be ashamed which transgress (deal treacherously) without cause. Shew me thy ways, O Lord; teach me thy paths. Lead me in thy truth, and teach me: for thou art the God of my salvation: on thee do I wait all the day.’ (Ps. 25:1-5) 

Now that’s how we ought to be thinking my fellow believers! Take it to God in prayer and ask for divine help, rather than blame and abuse Him for causing our problems, like so many of us tend to do. Very few of us will ever undergo the trials and tribulations Bruh David went through, or commit the magnitude of sins that he committed, but he never wavered in his faith, because he knew who was on his side, the God of his forefathers, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. And thus, he did not fear or worry, just kept taking all his problems to Him. 

Likewise Job, in all his calamity, never once blamed it on God, though I’m sure he wondered why such misfortune had befallen him when he was trying his best to live right. And in the midst of all his problems and the castigation by his friends, his faith was strong enough that he could make these most memorable statements. ‘Though he slay me, yet will I trust him: but I will maintain (defend) mine own ways before him. He also shall be my salvation: for an hypocrite shall come before him. Hear diligently my speech, and my declaration (yesss!!!) with your ears.’ (Job 13:15-17) 

Wow! What awesome words of faith my brethren! Do we have such faith? Not many of us do in these tough, ungodly and evil times, but that is exactly the measure of faith we need, if we intend to successfully navigate through this turbulent world. And for those of us who are sincerely trying to develop such amazing faith, let’s go home now declaring (awright!!!) our Tuesday Mantra, letting the whole world know to whom we belong, lock, stock and barrel. 

Altogether now: ‘In God’s eyes, I’m not what I do. I’m not what I have. I’m not what people say about me. I am the beloved of God, that’s who I am. No one can take that from me. I don’t have to worry. I don’t have to hurry. I can trust my friend Jesus and share His LOVE with my immediate neighbours, as well as with the whole wide world! Glory be!’ 

Now, it’s our bounden duty to go out and share that amazing LOVE and friendship of Christ with all we meet, so that they too can come to know and LOVE Him like we do! Much LOVE!

…without strong hope, trust and belief …strong faith is impossible… 

 Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ   

Today’s Scrip-Bit   29 May 2023 Matthew 24:13.

29 May 2023 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Matthew 24:13.       But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.

Prologue: Ah friends, I know it’s long and late, but life happened to the ole fella… and is it ever so good. (smile) 

And the unbreakable cycle of our working lives continues its everlasting journey, revolving once more to park for a brief moment of time on the day we call Monday; the day we all LOVE to hate. (smile) Unfortunately though, it’s all a part of the Creator’s great plan for our universe, and unless we want to live it despondently and without the joy we were meant to have, then we’d best learn to grin and bear it, making the best of our earthly days, which, though sometimes rather short, can be very enjoyable, especially if we know Jesus Christ as our Lord and Saviour. 

In fact, Christians ought to be the most joyful people on the earth, with all the many promises of our faith, like salvation and eternal life with Christ through His earthly ministry, where He died on the cross to pay for our sins and set us free from the impending doom in hellfire with the evil Satan. But sadly, many of us who consider ourselves believers, tend to eke out a miserable existence, always sour and unhappy with life, whether it’s because of our unfortunate circumstances and not trusting God to help us fix them, or because of the false belief that Christians should always be poor and metaphorically dragging themselves in the dirt, the picture painted of the old-time pilgrims. 

But if that’s true, then Christ wasted His time in dying for us. Why die, if we would still be the scum of the earth? On the contrary, Jesus said: ‘I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.’ (John 10:10) And I’m sure the abundant life is not one of just getting by in a continuously troubled and unhappy frame of mind. But as they say, to each his own, and I’m going to make sure I enjoy my life to the fullest, making Jesus my Number One priority, for I know that with Him at the helm of my good ship Life, I’ll be as safe and comfortable as heavenly possible. (smile) 

And while we in Canada and many other parts of the world go out to work today, the U.S will be commemorating their Memorial Day Holiday. ‘That’s a holiday dedicated to those who died while serving in America’s wars. To commemorate the day, which falls on the last Monday in May, people flock to Washington to decorate the graves of fallen military service members, attend parades and visit national monuments.’ And it’s certainly sad and disheartening to think that despite the many who have fallen unnecessarily and uselessly in the wars over the years, that wars and rumours of wars are still such a big part of our human existence. 

Like the human animal is not satisfied unless he is constantly clashing swords with his fellow man. And now, at the height of our intelligence, technology and prosperity, instead of using those tools to work towards peace, LOVE, understanding and godliness in our world, we are still trying to outdo each other in building a bigger, better and more reprehensible weapon of mass destruction; one that will most likely annihilate everything within many, many miles of the eye of its atomic explosion, like the force of a hurricane radiates outwards from its eye, from its centre. 

And that’s the kind of foolish, short-sighted, greedy, egomaniacal, evil and ungodly world that’s highlighted in our 21st century. But then again, we might only be fulfilling the prophecy of Jesus found in Matthew 24, where He expounds to the disciples re His Second Coming and the end of the world. ‘Take heed that no man deceive you. For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many. And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers (various) places. All these are the beginning of sorrows.’ (Matt. 24:4-8) 

So, when the many wars and natural disasters begin occurring in our world, it’s not yet the end of the world, but just the ‘beginning of sorrows’ or the beginning of the end. And I doubt that anyone currently alive will doubt that all those things Jesus spoke about are happening with alarming frequency and heightened tension right now in our world. That brings us to Jesus’ continuation of the prophecy. ‘Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted (for tribulation), and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name’s sake. 

And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another. And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many. And because iniquity (lawlessness) shall abound, the LOVE of many shall wax (grow) cold. But he that shall endure unto the end shall be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations: and then shall the end come.’ (Matt. 24:9-14) And all of God’s people said a loud and grateful: ‘Amen!’ 

 So there we have it friends, the decline in goodness and godliness and the rise in evil and hatred, that will preface the end of this church age. And we have seen all of those sad happenings down through the last years; the many false prophets and messiahs that have arisen and are still arising, preaching false doctrines, and leading many astray into false religious cults. Then there’s the increasing frequency and devastation of famines and pestilence and natural disasters all over, as well as worldwide tribulation, with an increase in hatred, as well as the abounding lawlessness that now has our world in its evil grip. 

And there’s absolutely no doubt that the LOVE of many, have indeed waxed or grown cold. I don’t know that there’s ever been a time when LOVE has been so absent from and so badly needed in our world. But the two most important aspects of it all my brethren are that the gospel of Christ will be preached all over the world. The missionary expansion of Christ’s church must first be accomplished to all the inhabited world, and we’re steadily getting there with all our new technology, so it shall not be too long before we also reach that prophesied goal. 

However, the clincher in all of that rhetoric my people, are these few but life-saving and life-giving words of Jesus. ‘But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.’ (Matt. 24:13) Now those are the words we should be most concerned with, for we cannot do anything much about the condition of our world, but we can certainly save our souls by hanging on tightly to Jesus, like white on rice. And to help us do that, let’s go, right now, to the throne of grace, through our Monday Morning Battle Hymn, seeking wisdom and guidance during this upcoming week. 

As one voice: ‘Our Father, who art in heaven, we, Your humble servants, praise Your Holy Name and thank You this Monday morning for life and strong faith in Christ, despite the mass confusion in our world. We desperately need Your divine help, for You are the ONLY ONE with the power to solve our many problems. Heavenly Father, we admit that we have all sinned and seriously disobeyed Your Word, but we know that You are a merciful, forgiving and gracious God, who has faithfully promised to hear and answer our prayers when we humble ourselves, pray, and sincerely seek Your face. 

That’s why we come to You now, with sincere repentance in our hearts, pleading with You to give us wise guidance and direction to alleviate our problems.  And Father, we pray that you will ease the pain of the many who are suffering from negative situations. Please show them Your awesome grace and mercy, and keep Your promise that You’ll hear our prayer, forgive us, and heal our land if we turn from our evil ways. Show this evil world that You are indeed Jehovah Rapha; the God who heals! We pray this in the holy and blessed name of Your Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen! And again, we say: Amen!’ 

Now, its’ time for us to step up to the plate, change our evil ways and endure right down to the very end with Jesus! Much LOVE!

…the ONLY hope for man…is embracing Jesus…and NEVER letting Him go…

 Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ       

Today’s Scrip-Bit   28 May 2023   2 Corinthians 1:3.

28 May 2023 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

2 Corinthians 1:3. Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort;

Welcome my Scrip-Bit friends and family to the Lord’s sanctuary, on one of the most auspicious Sundays on our Christian Calendar, the Day of Pentecost! Wow! It’s a day of plenty drama, the day that Christ’s Church was officially born. The day that our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ kept His promise to the disciples to baptize them with the amazing power of the Holy Spirit, the Comforter or Helper that the Father would send to replace Him. The Spirit that would remind them of all the things He had spoken about to them, and to lead and guide them in doing His earthly work, the Great Commission. 

The Good Library tells the story thus: ‘And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord (one purpose or mind) in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared unto them cloven (divided) tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues (in other (languages) as the Spirit gave them utterance.’ (Acts 2:1-4) 

And from that day, the Holy Spirit of God has indwelt ALL believers! That’s about the first thing that happens to you when you put your trust in Christ Jesus and accept Him as Lord and Saviour. And yuh better believe when that information got out into the great crowd from all over the known world, that was then in Jerusalem to celebrate the Feast of Weeks, and they heard the believers speak in their native tongues or languages, they were amazed and wondered what was happening. Some even mocked them, saying that the believers were drunk. 

But Big Peter set them straight, getting up and telling them that they were not drunk at nine o’clock in the morning, but it was the fulfillment of the promise made by the prophet Joel. ‘And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my spirit upon all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams.’ (Acts 2:17) Then Peter went on to explain the rest of Joel’s prophecy and the significance of the day, preaching the greatest sermon of His life and one of the best and most important in the annals of Christianity. 

You can read all about in it Acts 2: 18-47. And the prophecy of Joel can be found in Joel 2:28-32. Please read both passages, so you can become more mature and learned in the scriptures. (smile) And having said all of that, let’s turn to some praise and worship, singing this popular song written by Tracy Dartt in 1974, when, as a builder of swimming pools in California he was experiencing some significant business troubles, his partner gave up his half of the business, leaving him on the brink of bankruptcy. 

And he writes: ‘In the midst of the turmoil, I awakened from a troubled sleep one night. It was two o’clock in the morning. A tune was echoing in my troubled brain. I picked up a tablet and a pencil and began to write, “Life is easy when you’re up on the mountain, and you’ve got peace of mind like you’ve never known. But, when things change and you’re down in the valley, don’t lose faith, for you’re never alone.” “Thank You, Lord,” I prayed, “for being God in my valley.” The chorus came, “The God on the mountain is still God in the valley. When things go wrong, He’ll make them right…” In all, it took about thirty minutes. I again prayed, “Thank You, Lord,” and then settled back down to sleep. 

Morning came, breakfast and prayer time. “Lord, show us Your will.” Then he went off to work, and like a miracle, during the next little while several calls came through for new swimming pools, and they were able to finish all their projects and eliminate all debts without bankrupting the business. As he says: ‘God had taken us through the valley.’ And that’s what He will do for you too my friends, if you stick closely to Him. Now let’s send up some sweet smelling sacrifices of praise by singing a soulful, heartfelt version of that song ‘God on the Mountain,’ which went on to become a number one hit and has been recorded by numerous artists over the years. 

Singing: ‘Life is easy, when you’re up on the mountain And you’ve got peace of mind, like you’ve never known. But things change, when you’re down in the valley. Don’t lose faith, for you’re never alone. For the God on the mountain, is the God in the valley. When things go wrong, He’ll make them right. And the God of the good times is still God in the bad times. The God of the day is still God in the night. 

You talk of faith when you’re up on the mountain. But talk comes so easy when life’s at its best. But it’s down in the valley, of trials and temptations That’s where your faith, is really put to the test. For the God on the mountain is the God in the valley. When things go wrong, He’ll make them right. And the God of the good times is still God in the bad times. The God of the day, is still God in the night.’ 

And is that ever the gospel truth my friends! It’s the same God we worship if we’re up or if we’re down, and the same one who will eventually work everything out for our good, just like He did for Tracy Dartt, in an unexpected, miraculous fashion. It’s all about sincere faith and trust, and not just talking it, but more importantly living it. And I’m sure if you’ve been walking with Christ for any length of time you can also remember those times when things looked really rough and you had no idea what to do, but in some small and seemingly insignificant manner He put things in motion to make it right. 

And who do you think comforted Mr. Dartt that troubled night, gave him the words of comfort and peace and a song that would make world history? The Holy Spirit, our heavenly Comforter and Helper, that’s who! And there are so many scriptures that encourage us to stand strong and steadfast and trust in the Lord during times of adversity, that we only have time and space for a few. 

Listen to this one by Bruh Paul to the church at Corinth. ‘Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort; Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble (tribulation), by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God.’ (2 Cor. 1:3-4) Now can you beat that for comfort? Obviously not! Because it comes from the God of all comfort. 

Then there is this li’l gem. ‘For the Lord hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of LOVE, and of a sound (disciplined) mind.’ Wow! More comforting scripture from 2 Tim. 1:7. And as always, we’ve saved the best for last. These magnificent words of faith, comfort and trust from Bruh David’s paean or tribute to our wonderful God, Psalm 23. ‘Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me: thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. (Ps.23:4) 

Oh my people, what more do we need the Good Shepherd to do eh? He’s promised to lead and guide us even in the valley of the shadow of death, so please let’s get out there on this day of Pentecost and sing and be merry and not be afraid, for we have the Creator of the Universe, the God of all comfort, to look after us! Much LOVE!

… when you believe God’s promises…they will be fulfilled in your life… 

 Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ      

Today’s Scrip-Bit   27 May 2023 John 14:18.

27 May 2023 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

John 14:18.       I will not leave you comfortless (as orphans): I will come to you.

Well friends, a blessed Pentecost lazy-day Saturday to you. And if there ever was cause for a lazy day in these parts, this was it, because it’s not only gloriously bright and sunshiny, but you can also feel the heat from the rays of the sun. I went out earlier today to our annual Pentecost Prayer Breakfast and as soon as I got outside, I could feel the sun’s hot rays, and eventually had to take off the light jacket I was wearing. 

And it was a wonderful Prayer Breakfast, with lots of good fellowship, plenty singing and moving, with uplifting prayer and encouraging speeches from our Host Priest, Father Jeff, and the guest speaker, Roshni, a young female priest, a recent incumbent from a nearby parish. It’s good to see young women going into the service of God. The food was also plentiful and excellent, with the result that after I came home, I had to lie down and rest before I could even consider writing the Bit. 

But I’m up and about now, fresh and rearing to go. (smile) And I want to begin with this beautiful and very appropriate prayer for this lazy-day Saturday, that I found in this month’s In Touch Devotional. So please pray with me. ‘Lord, I want to be with You now. Please slow my thoughts and quiet my soul. Let my muscles relax, my breath deepen. You are here with me – Your peace and LOVE are present. I marvel to think You can’t be contained, that Your LOVE both surrounds and fills me. Thank You for this tenderness, Lord. I praise You for Your unceasing nearness. Increase my awareness of You today, that I may know You all the more. Amen!’ 

Wow! Isn’t that a beautiful and heartfelt prayer my people! It most certainly is! And I even considered making it our regular Lazy-day Saturday Prayer. (smile) But I haven’t quite made up my mind on that. Will have to check with the Big Boss about it. And the last line of that prayer reminded me of these heartwarming and encouraging words of the song, ‘No One Ever Cared For Me Like Jesus, sung by Christian songstress, Grace Brumley of the Family Worship Centre in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. 

The song emphasizes these wonderful and oh so true sentiments. ‘The longer I serve Him, the sweeter He grows. The more that I LOVE Him, more LOVE He bestows. Each day is like heaven, my heart overflows. The longer I serve Him, the sweeter He grows.’ Mama Mia! 

Oh my fellow believers if you don’t experience that amazing experience while walking with Jesus, then something’s seriously wrong with your walk. For I can personally testify to those overwhelming sentiments. Each day you get up and decide to continue following Jesus is like a brand-new experience. As I keep reminding us, truly walking with Him is not always easy, but it’s always interesting and adventuresome. And that’s better than easy any day! 

And I believe that’s a good way to judge your maturing or is it maturation (smile) in Christ. If you’re not feeling more joyful and Spirit-filled as your time with Him goes by, then you’re not doing something right, or something’s simply missing from your walk. Because as we grow in Christian maturity, we are supposed to become even more Spirit-filled and obedient to God’s Will and Word, which in turn ought to bring us greater, peace, LOVE and joy. 

And with this Pentecost Sunday upon us, where the Holy Spirit first indwelled believers, we ought to be concerned with walking in the Spirit of God, the third member of our Holy Trinity and constantly being led, guided, refueled and replenished by Him. And I guess tomorrow the fireworks will be happening all over the world as we celebrate that most memorable day in our Christian faith. (smile) 

But please, let’s not get carried away by the drama of the situation, but stay more focused on what the dramatics actually did; that’s bring God’s Spirit, the Comforter and Helper that Jesus promised His disciples after He returned to heaven. ‘If ye LOVE me, keep my commandments. And I will pray the Father to give you another Comforter (Helper), that he may abide with you for ever; Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you. I will not leave you comfortless (as orphans): I will come to you.’ (John 14:15-18) 

Yes friends, the Holy Spirit then surrounded the disciples and the other believers, but eventually it was going to come and dwell within them and give them the great power and authority they needed to carry out His Great Commission. That’s why, before His ascension back to heaven, Jesus told them, not to depart from Jerusalem, ‘but wait for the promise of the Father, which, saith he, ye have heard of me. For John truly baptized with water, but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence….

But ye shall receive power, after (when) the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth. And when he had spoken these things, while they beheld (looked on), he was taken up: and a cloud received him out of their sight. ’ (Acts 1:4-5; 8-9) And ten days later on Pentecost Sunday, which we will celebrate tomorrow, that marvellous promise came true! 

Wow! Doesn’t that renew and strengthen your faith in Christ? It most surely should, making you believe more than ever that He is indeed whom He says He is, and will indeed do the things He’s promised to do! Please, let’s take a li’l time today and ponder the state of our faith nuh, and see if we’re growing, stagnating or backsliding, for in the tempting and evil world in which we’re currently living, we need to be continually monitoring our Christian faith! Much LOVE!

…each day we spend with Christ should be like heaven…for the longer we serve Him…the sweeter He grows… 

 Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ      

Today’s Scrip-Bit   25 May 2023 Psalm 8:9.

26 May 2023 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Psalm 8:9.       O Lord our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth.

‘Sunshine, lollipops and roses!’ That’s what it seems like on this bright, sunshiny but somewhat cool Friday morning! Now, that certainly adds some enthusiasm to our shout of ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday!’ And our God is most definitely in fine form this morning, for when I opened the Good Library just now to find something to talk about, it opened unto the Book of Psalms, in particular Psalm 8, which most appropriately celebrates ‘God’s Excellent Name.’ And so it should be. 

Bruh David writes: ‘O Lord our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth! who has set thy glory above the heavens. Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings (nursing infants) hast thou ordained (established) strength because of thine enemies, that thou mightest still (silence) the enemy and the avenger.’ (Ps. 8:1-2) And that last verse might seem insignificant, but it was quoted by Jesus after His celebrated entry into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday, when He cleansed the temple of all the money changers and the other evil-doings that were taking place there, then began healing the lame and the blind. 

The Bible reports it thus: ‘And when the chief priests and scribes saw the wonderful things that he did, and the children crying in the temple, and saying, Hosanna to the son of David; they were sore displeased, And said unto him, Hearest thou what these say? And Jesus saith unto them, Yea: have ye never read, Out of the mouths of babes and sucklings (nursing infants) thou hast perfected praise. And he left them and went out of the city into Bethany; and he lodged there.’ (Matt. 21:15-17) 

Ah friends, it must have been fun and eye-opening to walk around with Jesus and listen to His conversations with the ruling Jewish elite. He certainly didn’t mince words with them or cut them any slack, just put them in their place in a gentlemanly fashion (smile) And Bruh Paul in his first letter to the church at Corinth takes that idea even further, when he says: ‘But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound (put to shame) the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound (put to shame) the things which are mighty; 

And base (insignificant) things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and the things which are not, to bring to nought (nothing) things that are: That no flesh should glory in his presence. But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto (became for us) wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption: That according as it is written, He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord.’ (1 Cor. 1:27-31) And just for your information, (smile) that scripture about glorying in the Lord can be found in Jeremiah 9.23-24, and 2 Corinthians 10:17. Please look them up. 

So, we have ascertained that the Lord, in His unfathomable wisdom and awesome power has made that which the world considers wise or important to seem unwise and insignificant, so that none of His human creation can glory in what little success and power they might enjoy for the short time here on earth. But although He has made sure that man stays in his rightful place, it doesn’t mean that He doesn’t LOVE and cherish His most wonderful creation. 

Listen as Bruh David continues his theorizing on God’s incomparable and incomprehensible behaviour towards man. He says: ‘When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained, What is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest (pays attention or cares for) him?’ (Ps. 8:3-4) 

Now those are very good questions my brethren. Why would such a magnificent and omnipotent being make us and then shower so many blessings on us eh? The answer’s simple: We are the only thing He didn’t speak into existence, but He formed us with His own two hands, from the very dust of the earth, then breathed His own breath of life into us. That means we are totally His, and He LOVES us like He LOVES nothing else that He’s created. 

Therefore, it should come as no surprise that He’s done what Bruh David writes: ‘For thou hast made him a little lower than the angels, and thou hast crowned him with glory and honour. Thou madest him to have dominion over the works of thy hands; thou hast put all things under his feet. All sheep and oxen, yea, and the beasts of the field. The fowl of the air, and the fish of the sea, and whatsoever passeth through the paths of the seas.’ (Ps. 8:5-7) 

And that should not surprise us, for after God made the physical universe and made man, the Good Library tells us: ‘And the Lord God took the man (Adam) and put him into the Garden of Eden to dress (tend, cultivate) it and to keep it.’ (Gen. 2:15) That was the beautiful and prosperous garden the Lord created to provide all the necessities of life for His wonderful creation, He so LOVINGLY termed, ‘man.’ No wonder Bruh David could end the psalm with this marvellous and magnificent verse: ‘O Lord our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth.’ (Ps. 8:9) 

Unfortunately though, in these troubled and rather calamitous times the Lord’s name is not revered as much as it should be. In fact, it’s more blasphemed than ever, with a staunch, but foolish movement to rid our society of His presence. But we who hold him in awesome reverence know that that will never happen, because He long ago proclaimed that He will never give His power and glory to anyone, nor His praise to graven images.(Is. 42:8) And He has both the power and temperament to make that be true. However, in our current circumstance, we down here on earth do need a ton of help from Him to fix what’s wrong. 

Thus, let’s go right now to the throne of grace, through our Friday Chant and ask for divine assistance. Altogether now: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through this past week. You know it’s been rough… what with all the confusion and anxiety caused by the pandemic and our many other serious problems. We can’t fix them on our own Lord, so we desperately need your help. Oh heavenly Father, with your omnipotent help, and our trusting faith, we know that we can stand strong and steadfast and defeat the simmering unrest in our land. 

So Lord, we sincerely ask you today to give those involved in the forefront of this serious and unexpected storm, the wise guidance to handle the situation properly, without further serious setbacks. And please help those of us who must go out to work amidst all the confusion, to be responsible and to stay safe. And Lord, we fervently pray that You’ll use this situation to return backsliders to your fold, show them the error of their ways. 

And please introduce a new flock of believers, who will embrace your LOVE and compassion by the example, we, your faithful believers set. Yes Lord, please use this pandemic, the bubbling discontent and dissatisfaction in our land, as a means of restoring faith in You, so that our sinful world can wake up and smell the coffee, wake up and smell it sweet and strong! We pray this in the name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen!’

Now, after all that pleading, let’s get serious and clean up our act, for that’s the only way we’ll ever receive divine assistance. Much LOVE!

…the Lord LOVES us with an undying LOVE…but He WILL NOT put up with…or reward constant disobedience…   

 Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ             

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