Today’s Scrip-Bit 8 January 2010 John 12:24‏

08 Jan 2010 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Inspirational Living

John 12:24     Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth fruit.
 
Oh Friends, the first week of January is finished already! Wow! It certainly has flown by quickly. Just a few days ago we were partying, celebrating New Year’s, now we’re stuck in the old, everyday bump and grind once again. I’m glad it’s passing so quickly though, hopefully it will get rid of the cold, nasty winter weather sooner rather than later. Brrr! And hope is what our quote today deals with. ‘All human wisdom is summed up in two words: wait and hope.’ Those are the reputed words of Alexandre Dumas, (1802-1870) the prolific 19th century author, playwright, and historian. He’s the author of such prominent works like The Three Musketeers, The Count of Monte Cristo and The Man in the Iron Mask, and obviously knew something about life cause his statement is true. And it was just borne out by my own words, hoping that the winter passes quickly. I’m hoping that it does, but all I can do is wait and see. In reality that quote sort of enters into every facet of our lives, for almost everything we do is a matter of wait and see and hope. It’s the same principle that Jesus expounds in Today’s Bit. ‘Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn (grain) of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth (remains) alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth fruit.’ Yes Friends, no seeds can bear fruit unless they’re first planted in dark, soggy ground, unless they’re buried, shut in a place of darkness. It’s strange, and rather unique, the way God planned it; that a seed must be in darkness to germinate, to be able to reproduce itself and fruit. Logically speaking, one would expect the seed to need lots of light to go through the reproduction cycle, but our God, in His eternal and everlasting wisdom decreed it differently. The seed needs to die first, before it can be born again as a new tree, bearing new fruit. And oh my people, the same principle applies to us believers. We cannot become true believers unless we die first; die to ourselves, our selfishness and to the lusts, frailties and many temptations of this evil world. To truly receive Christ, we must be born again, become a new person spiritually, get rid of all the old habits associated with Beelzebub and his evil ways. Then a new respect for both God and man flourishes within us. Being born again is like the seed buried in the cold, dark earth, where we first exist in cold, evil darkness following the enemy. But when Jesus comes into our lives, when the seed of the gospel is planted in us, that old enemy is buried forever. However, like the seed that sprouts strong roots in the darkness of the earth and which eventually bursts forth into the light, as a new entity, through God’s awesome inbuilt power, we too are granted the power to rise from the throes of death through Jesus’ Holy Spirit. Friends, when we bury Lucifer and his wickedness, a new, strong motivating force develops within us and a new man arises from the ashes. That same principle also applies to the resurrection of our spiritual beings after our physical death. Our Lord and Saviour Jesus was so brilliant and focused in His thinking that he could tie all three things together with one simple example that the agrarian society of His day could understand. They all knew that new seed and fruit could only be had by planting seed, but now He also points out that a true believer, like a seed, must first die to themselves and be reborn before they can receive salvation and enter into His fold. The same goes for eternal life: we can’t receive it until we die a physical death. Then through the wonderful and astonishing power of Christ, we are able to rise again spiritually and pass into everlasting life with Him. Oh Friends, I don’t know if I’m doing a good job explaining this, so let’s defer right now to a better explainer, Bruh Paul, as he discourses on the spiritual body. ‘But some man will say, How are the dead raised up? and with what body do they come? Thou fool, that which thou sowest is not quickened (made alive) except it die. And that which thou sowest, thou sowest not that body that shall be, but bare (mere) grain, it may chance (perhaps) of wheat, or of some other grain: But God giveth it a body as it hath pleased him, and to every seed his own body.’ (1 Cor.15:35-38) Yes Friends, all God’s creations have their own special bodies; humans, fishes, animals, star, sun, moon, earth etc. as well as different glory as Bruh Paul goes on to explain; (vs.39-41) ‘So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown in corruption (a perishable state); it is raised in incorruption (imperishable) It is sown in dishonour; it is raised in glory: it is sown in weakness; it is raised in power: It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body.’ (1 Cor.15:42-44) Yes Friends, that’s the miracle of the dead seed sown in the dark earth and also the miracle of Jesus’ Spirit sown in our evil sinful souls. Let’s contemplate on those miracles and honour our God and Saviour for their many mercies and blessings that we don’t deserve and can never repay. Much LOVE!…from the darkness of the earth and soul…comes glorious rebirth…through Jesus…
 

Today’s Scrip-Bit 7 January 2010 Psalm 67:2‏

07 Jan 2010 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Inspirational Living

Psalm 67:2     That thy way may be known upon earth, thy saving health among all nations.
 
Well top o’ the morning to all you beautiful people out there in Scrip-Bit Land. (smile) It’s a new day and with it comes new mercies, new beginnings and new endings, but in all of that the Word of the Lord still stands predominant, still prevails over the land. Sing a loud ‘Hallelujah!’ for that my people. Now Alexander Pope reputedly said that ‘A little learning is a dangerous thing,’ and it can be argued both ways. If you don’t know enough, you’re liable to make mistakes. But then again, if you have no learning, what can you do, of what use are you? And that relates to all things and topics. At least with a little knowledge, if you’re smart, you can ask questions. And that Friends is what we’re talking about today: knowledge of the Lord God Jehovah. I put it to you that a little knowledge of our God is much better than none at all. The writer of Psalm 67 was indeed learned in the Lord, that’s why it’s titled; ‘Let all the people praise thee.’ It’s a song of thanksgiving, gratitude and high confidence in the Heavenly Father, which begins thus: ‘God be merciful unto us, and bless us; and cause his face to shine upon us; Selah.’ (Ps.67:1) Ah my people, only if you’re acquainted with the Lord God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob will you be able to write those words. You must first know that He’s merciful, blessed, and provides emotional upliftment to those who seek Him. And why does the Psalmist call for these things? ‘That thy way may be known upon earth, thy saving health among all nations.’ Yes Friends, the most important thing on this earth is God’s Word, and our most important task is to spread it. And how is it to be spread? Jesus said it: ‘Go therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost; Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world.’ (Mat.28:19-20) Wow! What a daunting, but oh so worthy task! And note the promise of His presence always and forever. That gives us strength and assurance to go forth and spread the Word without fear. Here is an excellent example. It’s the story of Apollos, Bruh Paul’s associate. ‘And a certain Jew named Apollos, born at Alexandria, an eloquent man, and mighty in the scriptures, came to Ephesus. This man was instructed in the way of the Lord; and being fervent in the spirit, he spake and taught diligently (accurately) the things of the Lord, knowing only the baptism of John. And he began to speak boldly in the synagogue: whom when Aquila and Priscilla had heard, they took him unto them, and expounded (explained) unto him the way of God more perfectly (accurately). And when he was disposed to pass into Achaia, the brethren wrote, exhorting the disciples to receive him: who, when he was come, helped them much which had believed through grace. For he mightily convinced (refuted) the Jews, and that publicly; showing by the scriptures that Jesus was Christ.’ (Acts 18:24-28) Friends, that’s how it goes! Apollos, though very eloquent and learned in the Old Testament, only had a little learning re the New Covenant of Christ, but when Aquila and Priscilla heard him speak in the temple they took him under their wing and taught him the new way. He eventually became a popular missionary, even rivalling Bruh Paul in some believer’s hearts. That’s what the Psalmist and Jesus were seeking; believers spreading God’s Word upon earth, ‘thy saving health among all nations.’ And that ‘saving health’ my people is salvation; God’s saving grace. What good is knowing or hearing the Word if nobody accepts it, along with the saving grace that God offers? Isaiah rightfully declared: ‘The Lord hath made bare his holy arm in the eyes of all the nations; and all the ends of the earth shall see the salvation of our God.’ (Isa.52:10) Will we ever my brethren!That’s because the Lord has revealed His awesome might and power to all the world. Some of us know it, but many others don’t and it’s our job to teach it to them. Psalm 98 rejoices with Praise to God for His salvation: ‘O sing unto the Lord a new song; for he hath done marvellous things: his right hand, and his holy arm, hath gotten him the glory. The Lord hath made known his salvation: his righteousness hath he openly revealed (showed) in the sight of the heathen.’  (Ps.98:1-2) That’s the gospel truth people, acknowledged by none other than Bruh Paul in his missive to Titus. ‘For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world. Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ. Who gave himself for us that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.’ (Tit.2:11-14) There you have it Friends; strong words on salvation from the both the Old Testament and the New Covenant of Christ. To Him may all praise and glory be given for His super-human efforts on our behalf. And may we go forth, believing in Him and spreading His Holy Word to all the world as he asked. Salvation is meant for all, but you can’t get it unless you’re told about it. Friends, that’s our job. Let’s rise up sincerely this year and do it to the best of our ability. Much LOVE!…salvation is not a secret…but good news to be spread…to everyone…everywhere…  
 

Today’s Scrip-Bit 6 January 2010 Psalm 8:1‏

06 Jan 2010 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Inspirational Living

Psalm 8:1     O Lord our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth! who hast set thy glory above the heavens.
 
Oh Friends, Psalm 8 is a song of Bruh David about God’s glory and man’s honour, but I have a quote to share that casts serious doubts on the latter. It says: ‘Advertising may be described as the science of arresting human intelligence long enough to get money from it.’ Hn! Those are the words of Canadian humorist, Stephen Leacock and they ring very true, because we fall prey so often to the advertiser’s con game of buying stuff we don’t really need, or even want, but since it looks like such a good bargain we purchase it. We’ve been conditioned, brain washed to look for the good bargains by the powers of commercialism. But Friends, you know what’s really remarkable about that quote? It comes from a book by Leacock, ‘Garden of Folly,’ published in 1924. I don’t know if advertising was even born then, and if it was, it was surely still in its infancy. However, Leacock was enough of a visionary to see the signs that lead it to where it is today; one of the biggest, glitziest, most wasteful and least trustworthy industries in our world. Now compare that to Bruh David’s opening remark of Psalm 8. ‘O Lord our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth!’ The Lord our God sure has a better standing in our society than the advertising industry. Even with some of Lucifer’s cronies, which says a lot. Our God is reliable, sincere, LOVING and true. Whatever He says, we can believe, unlike the advertising industry. And as Bruh David asks; ‘What is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man that thou visitest him? For thou hast made him a little lower than the angels and hast crowned him with glory and honour.’ (Ps.8:4-5) That’s a very good question mih people. Why does our God care about and pay so much attention to us eh? It’s simple, because He LOVES us. We are the work of His hands, and as such are special to Him. A special place is reserved in His heart only for us. It’s no different to our making things, or children. Because they are of our creation, they occupy a distinctive and unique place in our emotions. Friends, it’s the same with our God, the Most High God Jehovah, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. To Him we’re unique, special, distinctive and any other synonymous adjectives. And it shows up in the fact that the Lord’s excellence is praised throughout the Good Book. Listen to this poignant example: ‘Let them praise the name of the Lord: for his name alone is excellent (exalted); his glory is above the heaven and earth. He also exalteth the horn of his people, the praise of all his saints; even the children of Israel, a people near unto him. Praise ye the Lord!’ (Ps.148:13-14) Yes Friends, shout ‘Hallelujah!’ for the Lord is so great that He doesn’t only exalt Himself but also those who sincerely follow Him. ‘Thou madest him to have dominion over the works of thy hands; thou hast put all things under his feet.’ (Ps.8:6) He provides strength and dominion to those who follow Him in truth and righteousness, who are obedient to His commandments, who have entirely surrendered their being to Him. That is what makes Him such a great God. His unselfishness and unconditional LOVE puts Him way above any other supposed deities. He wants only the best for His children, and only asks that we pay Him the homage He’s due, glorify His Holy Name as we ought. As Bruh David declares in the second part of our Bit: ‘who hast set thy glory above the heavens.’ That’s a fact my brethren! The Lord God Jehovah has indeed set His glory and majesty above all, as acknowledged by the Psalmist: ‘When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained.’ (Ps.8:3) That’s just the way it is my people! The Lord made the universe and all therein, and it’s so wonderfully made that when we consider it, chills of admiration and wonderment come to our hearts and minds. We’re reminded with much astonishment and everlasting gratitude that the same omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent Being that made such a marvellous world, also created us with the same LOVING care and kindness that He used on the inanimate objects. Sorry, that should be more LOVING care and kindness, cause we’re made in His image, and judging from our humble status, anything we make in our image we spend much time and consideration in creating it, and then we prize and treasure it greatly. Why would our God be any different in that respect eh, since we’re a reflection of Him? As the Psalmist reflected, we’re wonderfully made, and though in a position a little lower than the angels, we’ve still been crowned with honour and glory. Friends, that means we’re a select, special people, so let’s begin acting like it nuh. Let’s start honouring our God and heavenly Father, glorifying His Holy Name the way we should, and He expects. In truth my people, all the Lord has asked of us really is just to glorify Him in all we do. Nothing else. If we do that, then He’ll be a most happy God, and will shower us with endless blessings. Now note, we’re not glorifying Him only to get blessings. We’re glorifying Him because He deserves it, it’s His rightful due, and we’re very grateful for all He’s done on our behalf. Remember, it’s the heart He checks; all else is secondary. And Friends, all of this dovetails so nicely with our resolution that 2010 will be the year of the Lord, of righteousness, of renewal, of turning back to Him, the year when His followers will stir up a mighty LOVE Revolution in His Name. So let’s get on with the action nuh, we’ve talked about it long enough. Much LOVE!…t’is the time to…turn, turn, turn…back to the Lord…and glorify His Holy Name…
 

Today’s Scrip-Bit 5 January 2010 Psalm 8:1‏

05 Jan 2010 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Inspirational Living

Psalm 8:1     O Lord our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth! who hast set thy glory above the heavens.
 
Well Friends, I guess everything is slowly getting back to what we consider normal after the Christmas season. We’re back on the treadmill of rushing off to work from home only to sit in a traffic jam and crawl along. School is open too, so we have to get the children ready for the baby sitter and all that. By the time we get to work we’re exhausted, especially if we didn’t have time to grab that morning cup of coffee. Then in the evening, it’s rush out of work, sit in a traffic jam again, pick up the children, make supper, get them ready for bed, fix stuff for the next day, then fall into bed exhausted, only to wake after a few hours of restless sleep to a shrill alarm and begin the whole cycle again. No wonder our stress levels are so high, the demands of our society don’t give us enough respite from the wear and tear of everyday life. But remember Friends, this is 2010, and we promised ourselves not to allow life to run us like it’s been doing. Instead, from here on in, we’re going to take hold of the reins and we’ll run life. Many of the things we do are important and necessary, but many are also unimportant and unnecessary. We have to look closely at our lives and weed out the unimportant, unnecessary things, learn to prioritize those many demands that are placed on us. At some stage we have to say no to some, else we’ll just ruin our health and not enjoy life at all, if we try to do them all. The Lord didn’t make us to go full out for ever. There’s supposed to be some semblance of balance in our lives if we intend to live to a healthy, decent age. So please slow down, get your priorities straight and enjoy your life as you go along. It’s the only one you’ll ever get, so make time to stop and smell the roses. Yes make time. This whole exercise has to be done on a conscious level with a conscious effort, else we’ll just continue along the same old path. You have to do it. It won’t happen just by wishing. And here’s a healthy helper as suggested by Elsa Maxwell: ‘Laugh at yourself before anybody else can.’ Yes Friends, laughter in general is good for the soul, body and mind. It’s one of the best preventive medicines we have. It’s cheap, costs nothing and is also great at restoring a sense of balance. We all need some humour, some levity in our lives, and lack of it is one of the reasons why we’re always so stressed out and uptight; we take life a little too seriously and go about with a sour demeanour. But laughter relaxes us, and they say it takes fewer muscles, and consequently, less effort to smile than to frown. And it not only brightens up our individual lives, but also those around us. Laughter is very contagious, so let’s try to have at least one good, hearty laugh each and every day. Mih people, it’s much better than many of the pills and whatever we’re popping to keep us going. Remember Jesus died so that we could have a good life, which means not only work, but fun and laughter too. Many of us feel though that to laugh or have a light-hearted attitude is frivolous, but that’s not true at all Friends. With a pleasant, light-hearted attitude you can get much more accomplished in less time because you’re relaxed, not tense and uptight, therefore you’re better able to concentrate on your tasks. It’s not to say we shouldn’t be serious about our lives and the things around us, but our society has become so crazy and high tensioned that we go around like robots or automatons, nobody smiling, only a friendly few, no time for the niceties of human interaction. And have you noticed our attitudes at work Friends? We’re rude, aggressive and unmannerly to both the public we serve as well as our co-workers. That kind of atmosphere is definitely not healthy, neither is it conducive to the smooth and efficient running of any workplace. And sadly, that attitude ruins our work ethic and breeds inefficiency. Now don’t even start me on that nuh. With all the supposed helpful technology we have today, our businesses are much more inefficient than before. It’s been over two months now I instructed one of the big banks up here to stop transferring money from one account to another, but it’s still going on. I’ve called and left messages, but to no avail. Ah Friends, call me old-fashioned yes, but I prefer the slower pace of life when you dealt with people whom you could trust to actually get things done. And if they didn’t, you could get them on the phone, not just an answering machine and unreturned calls. The trouble is that everybody wants to get into the technological swing, but very few seem to know what they’re doing, plus the staff has either been poorly trained and /or just don’t care. The state of the economy and the world in general certainly don’t make people feel comfortable in their jobs or normal lives, which again leads to more stress and tension. Hn, hn! Oh Friends, it seems that the Holy Spirit blindsided me, as it is won’t to do every so often, and have me writing what I didn’t plan to write. But He’s my guide and director, I’m just the lowly scribe, the messenger. And I guess today He wanted to send a message that we should all try and reduce our stress levels this year, cause it’s part of our New Year’s resolution of raising our righteousness at least one notch. We obviously can’t be righteous if we’re tired, stressed out and miserable. And truly Friends, if we lightened up some, we’d see such a marked change in ourselves, our surroundings and our society; more friendly people with smiling faces, less sour demeanours. Overall we’d be a better and more godly society, which is exactly what we’re trying to accomplish. So let’s lighten up nuh and get in a few hearty chuckles everyday, it will do us a world of good. Don’t worry, we’ll get into the Psalm tomorrow, God willing. Much LOVE!…a little laughter…can prevent many tears…
 

Today’s Scrip-Bit 4 January 2010 Proverbs 10:4‏

04 Jan 2010 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Inspirational Living

Proverbs 10:4     He becometh poor that dealeth with a slack hand: but the hand of the diligent maketh rich.
 
Oh Friends, can you believe that Scrip-Bit is now in its fourth calendar year! Wow! What a far cry from its humble beginnings in Feb/March of 2007. Hn, hn! I distinctly remember chuckling long, but not too hard, at the absurdity of the idea, when the Lord first broached it. Then I sadly informed Him that I wasn’t capable of writing on scriptural matters. Me, write about scripture? What a blast! I wasn’t qualified. But when He sets something in motion, He never takes no for an answer, as I eventually found out. However, as He’s always said, and certainly proven in this case, He never assigns us a task without the wherewithal to do it. Surprisingly too, three years later, a fair number of people are seriously interested in what I write, and I have certainly matured in my Christian walk. It hasn’t always been easy, though not truly difficult in the real sense of the word. It’s been mostly time consuming, and above all, requiring much perseverance. There were many times I didn’t know what to write about and pleaded for help. And yuh know what Friends? Our God always came through. Not always how or when I desired, but He always made a made way, and still does. Yes mih people, it’s been all the Lord’s doing. It’s only through His strength and guidance that I’ve been able to sustain it for so long. As Bruh Paul so rightly declared: ‘I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase.’  (1 Cor.3:6) That’s so true my brethren; it’s always the Lord who gives whatever increase or success we achieve. It might appear that our hard work made all the difference, and it does make some, but without God’s positive and purposeful intervention, nothing will ever prosper. By the same token, we just can’t leave everything to God and expect it to flourish, because accepting Jesus as our Lord and Saviour means we’ve entered into a partnership with Him, and partners always have a specific role to play. Now if we play our part, then the Lord will play His, but we’ve usually got to play ours first, through some unwavering faith, trust and surrender to His omniscient will. As our Bit says: ‘He becometh poor that dealeth with a slack hand.’ Meaning that if one is continually negligent and uninspired, you certainly won’t increase and poverty will be your eventual lot. And as Cousin Sol further contends: ‘Slothfulness (laziness) casteth into a deep sleep; and an idle soul shall suffer hunger.’ (Prov.19:15) Oh Friends, have you ever wondered how Sol came up with all those wise, truthful sayings? Even though the Lord imbued him with enormous wisdom, Sol himself obviously didn’t deal with a slack hand. He obviously had to put plenty elbow grease into his divinations. I don’t know if we can call him the inventor of research, but he surely spent a lot of time studying nature and human behaviour. He undoubtedly practiced what he preached: ‘but the hand of the diligent maketh rich.’ Now that is so true, for without diligence; meaning things like active searching  for ideas, information and materials, plus positive effort, perseverance and perspiration, no project or scheme will ever come to successful fruition. Listen to some more of Sol’s wise words on the subject. ‘The hand of the diligent shall bear rule: but the slothful shall be under tribute.’ (Prov.12:24) Words to live by mih people! The diligent and hardworking shall rule, while the lazy shall be put to forced labour. And isn’t that the way life usually evolves? Those with get up and go usually lord it over the lazy and slothful. And lest we forget Friends, those two words, lazy and slothful, do not exist in Jesus’ vocabulary, neither should they exist in those of His followers. Remember the number one goal in all of Jesus’ activities, and hence His followers, is excellence. We should always aspire to be excellent. That is one of the attributes that separates believers from the usual run of the mill, ordinary individuals; believers try to do things well, or don’t do them at all. So if you’re lazy, or given to slackness, then you can’t truthfully call yourself a Christian, because you’re not exerting yourself to further Christ’s kingdom, and that’s the mark of a true believer. Hear some more of Sol’s wisdom on the matter. ‘The soul of the sluggard desireth, and hath nothing: but the soul of the diligent shall be made fat.’ (Prov.13:4) More words of gospel my brethren! Lazy, sluggish people have great desires, want a lot, but really have nothing. Just sitting idly by and wanting or desiring doesn’t make it so. But the person who gets up and does something positive about those wants and desires will eventually get them. And sadly Friends, today’s society is riddled with too many lazy, uncouth sluggards, those who want all the finery life has to offer but refuse to work for it. And it’s not even so much a matter of honesty, because a successful crook has to work twice as hard as an honest man, but it’s more in the value of doing something and attempting to do it well. There’s so much enticement, ‘eye-candy’ out there, and so many invitations from the enemy, pointing out the ease with which we can try or acquire them, that one has to be spiritually strong to resist most of the temptations. But unfortunately, a lot of us, especially the youth, don’t have that spiritual belly and backbone to say no to many of the worldly lusts thrust at us. Oh my people, I’m imploring us to not let laziness filled with great want and lust for worldly things be our way of life, but rather, let’s work on the principle of excellence in all things worthy of Jesus’ Name. Much LOVE!…by the sweat of thy brow…thou shalt eat bread…
 

Today’s Scrip-Bit 3 January 2010 Psalm 130:4‏

03 Jan 2010 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Inspirational Living

Psalm 130:4     But there is forgiveness with thee, that thou mayest be feared.
 
It’s day number three of 2010 Friends! How are we doing with those resolutions? I sure hope one of them was to conscientiously celebrate the Sabbath, refreshing your mind, body and soul in the Lord with praise and fellowship, so that you can face the enemy fresh, lively and agile on Monday morning, and you’re not already breaking it this the first week of the New Year. A Bruh Paulian sentence! (smile) Anyway, as promised, we’ll continue talking today about forgiveness, and how it brings such peace to one’s soul. Now, in many cases it’s not easy to forgive those who’ve wronged or hurt us severely, and it might take a long while to accomplish, but the point is, if we expect forgiveness from others for our wrongs, then we must also be prepared to forgive others. That was Jesus’ first, last and only word on the subject. And like many things in life, we won’t accomplish it unless we work steadfastly at it, cause if we let  unforgiveness grow and fester in our hearts and souls, then we’ll just become bitter people, fixated on hatred and revenge. And you know what that means Friends? That we’re in cahoots with the enemy, because a bitter, resentful person cannot truly work on God’s behalf since the overwhelming, essential part of God’s being is LOVE, from which flows everything else. Oh Friends, contrary to what many think, forgiveness is not for the other person, it’s mainly for us, for our peace of mind. We are the chief beneficiaries of forgiveness. Remember too, our quote from yesterday said that ‘To forgive is the highest, most beautiful form of LOVE.’ And if you don’t believe it, just check out our God. Why do you think He sent His Only Son Jesus into the world to die for us? Because in addition to being LOVING, He’s also just and righteous. In His LOVE alone, He could have wiped out our sins with a simple wave of His hand, but to fulfill the just and righteous part, our monumental mountain of sins had to be paid for, and by a totally innocent person, otherwise the whole exercise would be rendered trite and meaningless. And who are the only totally innocent, sinless persons in the world eh? The triune Godhead! The Father couldn’t come cause He was running the show. Neither could The Holy Spirit cause He was the messenger. That left only the Son, Jesus. Poor fella. He had to bear the brunt, pay the exorbitant ransom for our sins with His innocent life? Why? Because the Father LOVED us so much, was hurting due to our excessively sinful nature, and wanted to bring us back to Him in a way that would never require or necessitate any more sacrifices. Oh my people, I doubt we can ever truly understand or comprehend the nature of that LOVE cause it’s so overwhelming. We all LOVE our children, but how many would really volunteer to sacrifice their only son for a bunch of worthless, ungrateful sinners? Not very many, unless you didn’t really LOVE your son. But that’s how much the Lord LOVED us. It was the only way our sins could be forgiven in a just and righteous manner. And even before the Lord sent Jesus to die for us, His mercy and forgiveness were well known. Yesterday we heard what He said to Moses on Mt.Sinai, and how Nehemiah stressed His forgiving nature when he pleaded for help to rebuild Jerusalem. Let’s look now at some other instances where the Old Testament faithful proclaimed the Lord’s great attribute of forgiveness. And yuh know Friends, nobody says it better then mih boy, Bruh David. Yes, I’m biased. (smile) ‘For thou, Lord, art good, and ready to forgive; and plenteous in mercy unto all them that call upon thee.’ (Ps.86:5) And surely Bruh David wouldn’t lie about something so serious. Neither would Isaiah, that great spokesperson of God, when he said: ‘Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the Lord, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.’ (Isa.55:7) Now hear Daniel, another Old Testament stalwart. ‘To the Lord our God belong mercies and forgivenesses, though we have rebelled against him.’ (Dan.9:9) So Friends, we see that from long before Jesus came, our God was real big on forgiveness. Then to top it all, He sent Jesus to pay the whopping price needed to redeem us, so that we could be forgiven forever if we believed on Jesus’ Name. Why? Because of His exceeding great LOVE for us. Price was no object. He’d pay any price just to get His beautiful, handmade creations, created in His image, back to His fold. He was too concerned with our eternal life to just let us be lost forever in outer darkness with the evil Lucifer as our guardian. And Friends, if that most dramatic, touching and heart-warming story of such an overwhelming LOVE, with no conditions whatsoever attached, planned and perfectly executed by the Lord on our behalf, doesn’t grip, touch and move you right down in the very depths of you heart, soul and spirit; if the greatest LOVE Story ever told doesn’t make you a firm believer…Hn! Then I don’t know what will. Much LOVE!…to err is human…to forgive is divine…let’s become divine nuh…

Today’s Scrip-Bit 2 January 2010 Psalm 130:4‏

02 Jan 2010 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Inspirational Living

Psalm 130:4     But there is forgiveness with thee, that thou mayest be feared.
 
Oh Friends, it’s the second day of 2010! How are we doing with those New Year resolutions? Have we broken any as yet?  In particular, are we keeping the one that I asked us to make, stepping up our righteous living a notch? Hn! I guess some of us are still in partying mode, but that shouldn’t prevent us from leading a righteous life, since the two are not mutually exclusive. However, I want to share a quote that will certainly raise our standing with God if we take it to heart and adopt it. Robert Muller claims: ‘To forgive is the highest, most beautiful form of LOVE. In return you will receive untold peace and happiness.’ And that my people is gospel! Forgiveness is a unique thing that brings peace to one’s soul and spirit. You feel like a great weight has been lifted off your chest or shoulders. I can personally attest to that. Forgiveness sets you free my people! And lack of it is one of the main causes of all the problems in our world. Too many of us are too ignorant and stubborn to forgive, so we go around riddled with resentment, anger and hatred, holding a lot of petty things in our hearts against friends, families and even strangers. Unfortunately that only increases our stress level and causes further illness. Oh my brethren, we’ve become so self-centred and small-minded that we take umbrage at the smallest slight, then to make matters worse we go around carrying that unnecessary baggage of resentment and/or anger. It oftimes shows up in acts of revenge; some non violent, like verbal and emotional abuse, but far too many of a violent nature, stabbings, shootings, beatings and terrorist activities. And sadly, it seems to be very ingrained in our youth and they are bearing the brunt of it. A lot of the time too, we’re only doing ourselves harm, cause the person(s) to whom our righteous anger and unforgiveness is directed either doesn’t know or care. Please remember what Jesus said about forgiveness: ‘For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.’ (Mat.6:14-15) And what is the prayer pattern Jesus taught us, which most of us pray, though often by rote, not really thinking about what we’re saying? ‘And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. (Mat.6:12) It’s plain, simple language Friends: as we forgive, so will we be forgiven. We can’t ask the Father to forgive us, if we’re not forgiving others. Now what does our quote say? ‘To forgive is the highest, most beautiful form of LOVE.’ And where does LOVE come from? From God! So if we’re not forgiving then we’re not truly LOVING either. And as the Psalmist asks: ‘If thou, Lord, shouldest mark iniquities, O Lord, who shall stand?’ (Ps.130: 3) Oh Friends, none of us will stand, because we’re all children of iniquity. ‘But there is forgiveness with thee.’ That’s for sure my people! Our God is the most forgiving Being in the universe. He declared it from the very start: ‘The Lord, the Lord God, merciful and gracious, long suffering, and abundant in goodness and truth. Keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin…’ (Ex.34:6-7) Yes Friends, those were the Lord’s own words, so how can we doubt them eh? He proclaimed them to Moses through a cloud, his second time up Mt. Sinai to have the Ten Commandments written over. If He wasn’t very forgiving and merciful the Israelites would not have had so many chances of disobedience. Nehemiah also acknowledged the Lord’s great penchant for forgiveness. Having admitted his people’s sinful behaviour, he said; "but thou art a God ready to pardon, gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and forsook them not.’ (Neh.9:17) And if you read that whole chapter, you will see how Nehemiah itemizes all Israel’s ungodly deeds, but always returns to the Lord’s forgiveness and mercy. So my people, how can we deign to ask forgiveness of our God, or anyone else, and not reciprocate eh? That brings to mind Jesus’ parable of the unforgiving servant, who owed his master ten thousand talents, but begged for mercy and time to pay when his master called for payment. The master had compassion on him, forgave him the entire debt. But that same servant, when asked for mercy by one of his fellow workers on a hundred pence debt, refused and had him cast in jail. The other workers told the master about it. He got angry and said to the unforgiving man; ‘O thou wicked servant, I forgave thee all that debt, because thou desiredst me. Shouldn’t not thou also have had compassion on thy fellow servant, even as I had pity on thee?’ (Mat.18:32-33) Then he had him thrown in jail till he paid his debt. And what was Jesus’ point? ‘So likewise shall my heavenly Father do also unto you, if ye from your hearts forgive not everyone his brother their trespasses.’ (Mat.18:35) Note Friends, ‘from your hearts,’ not a superficial forgiveness, because the heart is where our God always looks. Time has run out, so we’ll continue this tomorrow, God willing. Till then, Much LOVE!…the most important element of LOVE…FORGIVENESS…
 

Today’s Scrip-Bit 1 January 2010 Ezekiel 43:2‏

01 Jan 2010 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Inspirational Living

HAPPY NEW YEAR.

 Ezekiel 43:2     And, behold, the glory of the God of Israel came from the way of the east: and his voice was like a noise of many waters: and the earth shined with his glory.
 
Oh Friends, it’s 2010! Happy New Year! That means we’ve now entered the two thousand and tenth year since the birth of Christ. All praise and glory be to Him who sacrificed His innocent life that we worthless sinners could enjoy a renewed relationship with Almighty God! And though, from day one, His followers have been unjustly persecuted like Him, His Church and His Word have remained constant. They’ve both withstood the stringent tests and ravages of time, are still going strong, and will continue to do so forever. Why? Because they were founded on the sure, strong, true foundation that’s Jesus, His Father and the Holy Spirit, the three most potent beings in the universe. And that’s what I want us to concentrate on doing for the entire world this year; set it back on the strong, godly foundation that it once had, and even improve it, make it impregnable from here on in. That’s why for Today’s Bit I chose a passage that speaks of the power and majesty of our God in the world, because it’s my sincere wish that this year 2010 will be one in which the power and glory of The Most High God Jehovah reverberates around our world like never before. I hope that God’s glorious and imposing majesty will overtake us, shine like a beacon in the dark and lead us to a much better and more godly life this year. I pray that all our desires, attitudes, decisions and movements will be judged and decided on God’s attributes of LOVE, mercy, peace and forgiveness. Our world cannot be allowed to sink any further into the quicksand of anger, resentment, hatred, violence, greed and envy in which we’re currently mired, else we’ll surely drown. So for this year Friends, people, brethren, I want us to make just one, simple New Year’s resolution; that we’ll all try to live a more godly and righteous life. That isn’t so hard is it? We only need to step our lives up one notch. And if we all did that… Wow! Just imagine the glory, the power and the testimony we can achieve in God’s name nuh. Yes people, only a little bit from each of us will lift our world to heights we cannot imagine. Now we’re not going to reach our zenith in one year, because it didn’t only take us 365 days to reach the nadir. That’s assuming we’ve already reached the lowest point. God help us, if we haven’t. Note too, it’s always harder to climb out than to sink down, and since we’ve fallen so far, we have a long climb back up, especially if we’re truly trying to build on the sure foundation that’s Christ. Oh Friends, I want us to dedicate 2010 as a year of blessing, of rejuvenation, of healing, of people coming together in spite of their differences, for though our cultures and physical appearance may differ, we all are made in the same image; that of the Most High God Jehovah. We therefore share a sacred kinship which we should try to build on rather than break down. We all had happy greetings and good wishes for our friends, families and strangers over the last few weeks, let’s continue that LOVING, caring attitude nuh. If we can do it for a few weeks, we can certainly do it for a few months, and eventually all the time. Like they say, practice makes perfect. We just have to make up our minds, ask the Lord for the willpower and do it. Oh mih people, aren’t you tired reading, hearing and seeing the unnecessary destruction, hatred and violence in our world everyday? Let’s wake up and smell the roses nuh, else there’ll soon be no roses to smell, just the terrible offensive odour, the stench of death and destruction. And mih breddren, there is one thing we can’t do, that’s leave the state of our world up to Lucifer and his cohorts, because they are only interested in destroying it. That means it’s up to us Christians, followers of Jesus to band our bellies and start making some meaningful changes and deep inroads into the working, the functioning of our world, since it seems we’re the only group interested in building and bettering it. But that won’t happen unless we get up and get some action going, do some serious proselytizing; reaching out, talking, helping, spreading the Word, setting an example through our lifestyle, and thereby bringing others to God, to His safe fold of peace, mercy, LOVE and righteousness. Friends, those are the building blocks I want us to use this momentous year of 2010… Yes, I expect it to be a year of great signs and wonders, because it’s time we took the bull by the horns and made some serious steps into a more godly realm of peace, justice and LOVE. So we’ve got to stop the infighting, the dissension, put away our mostly superficial differences and begin acting like the ONE we’re supposed to be; the ONE body of Christ. I pray this in Jesus’ Name. Amen! Much LOVE!…we must give to the poor…heal the sick…cleanse the unclean…help the lame…feed the hungry…house the homeless…and preach the gospel to all…
 

Today’s Scrip-Bit 31 December 2009 Matthew 12:34‏

31 Dec 2009 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Inspirational Living

Matthew 12:34      O generation of vipers, how can ye being evil, speak good things? for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh.
 
Oh Friends, New Year’s Eve, the big party day, is here at last! Everybody’s taking out their best party clothes and polishing up their dancing shoes, cause tonight’s going to be a big night on the town; lot’s of fun and plenty hoopla! Anyway, let’s remind everybody to be super careful: NO drinking and driving; NO hassles or arguments. LEAVE your guns, knives and whatever weapons you possess at home. We want tonight to be a clean night, one of just fun and frivolity, of peace and LOVE, celebrating the end of a painful year for our world. Let’s not make it any worse than it already is. However, as we can see from our Bit, it’s difficult, if not impossible for the offspring of evildoers to speak good tidings. ‘O generation of vipers, how can ye being evil, speak good things?’ Jesus made this statement when talking about good and corrupt fruit. He states: ‘Either make the tree good, and his fruit good; or else make the tree corrupt, and his fruit corrupt: for the tree is known by his fruit.’ (Mat.12:33) And that’s no lie my people. We can tell almost any tree from the fruit it bears. The same goes for people. So how can evil, sinful people do good eh? John the Baptist likewise admonished the Pharisees and Sadducees when they came to be baptized. ‘O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Bring forth therefore fruits meet for repentance.’ (Mat.3:7-8) Meaning to say that baptism would be of no avail, unless they changed their evil ways and did deeds that were worthy of repentant sinners, worthy of Jesus’ name. Later on, Jesus again denounced the scribes and Pharisees: ‘Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers, how can ye escape the damnation of hell?’ (Mat.23:33) Yes Friends, iniquity workers, purveyors of evil will not escape eternal darkness and damnation since they bring forth evil fruit. Heaven is reserved for those bringing forth good fruit. And as it’s impossible for a tree to bring forth both good and evil fruit at the same time, then we must produce either one or the other. As James queries: ‘Doth a fountain send forth at the same place sweet water with bitter? Can the fig tree, my brethren, bear olive berries? either a vine, figs? so can no fountain both yield salt water and fresh.’ (James 3:11-12) Likewise my Friends, we can’t produce good and bad at the same time. Whatever is predominant in our nature, in our hearts, is what will come out. As Jesus clarifies: ‘for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh.’ It means my people, that if our heart is predominantly evil, then mostly evil will flow from our mouths. And believe me, there are a lot of evil hearts currently floating around in our society, judging by the large number of evil words and deeds being spoken and perpetrated. Bruh David justified not killing Saul, when he both had the chance and good reason, by saying: ‘As saith the proverbs of the ancients, Wickedness proceedeth from the wicked: but mine hand shall not be upon thee.’ (1 Sam.24:13) He was insinuating that Saul’s soul was evil, since he came out, hunting him down like a wild animal, when he’d done no wrong. However, he, Bruh David, would not touch the Lord’s anointed, because he highly valued his soul before his good and perfect God. And in talking, re the coming reign of the righteous king, Isaiah said: ‘For the vile (foolish) person will speak villainy (foolishness), and his heart will work iniquity, to practice hypocrisy (ungodliness) and to utter error against the Lord, to make empty (unsatisfied) the soul of the hungry, and he will cause the drink of the thirsty to fail.’ (Isa.32:6) Yes my people, the state of our hearts will most certainly dictate our words and deeds, for as our Saviour rightly declared; It is not what we ingest that destroys us, ‘But those things which proceed out of the mouth come forth from the heart; and they defile the man.’ (Mat.15:18) Therefore Friends, it’s imperative that we continuously monitor the state of our hearts, and make sure that they are good and Christ inspired because, in Jesus’ words again: ‘A good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things: and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things. But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgement. For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned.’ (Mat.12: 35-37) There we have it Friends, the ultimate authority on the matter; our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. I can only encourage us to do as He advises. We therefore need to check our hearts, clean them up, make them right hearts, so that whatever issues forth from us is good and decent, edifying, as Bruh Paul says. For remember, we’ll be saved or condemned by our own words. Much LOVE!…may the words of my mouth…and the meditation of my heart…be acceptable in thy sight…O Lord…
 

Today’s Scrip-Bit 30 December 2009 Ephesians 2:1‏

30 Dec 2009 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Inspirational Living

Ephesians 2:1     And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins.
 
Oh Friends, it’s the Eve of the Eve of the New Year. We’re getting closer to that long awaited, euphoric moment of ringing out the Old Year and ringing in the New, with all our life-changing resolutions. But does it really make a difference, does anything really change, do we keep those resolutions, and if so, how many? I humbly offer that nothing really changes except the date on the calendar. It’s merely a contrived moment of euphoria, a time to party to excess, to make us feel good about ourselves and provide a window of self-delusion whereby we can make all sorts of promises, which deep down, we know we’ll never keep. Some of us do sincerely embrace the resolutions and really try to keep them, but generally speaking, our New Year’s promises can be compared to Jesus’ parable of the sower, where the seed is dispersed over different types of ground, with limited success, for only a few fall on good ground and actually live long enough to bear fruit. It’s the same with our resolutions; only a minute amount ever comes to fruition. Okay, so I’m raining on your New Year’s parade. (smile) Well, not really, I’m just trying to point out the foolhardiness of the situation, for come the 2nd of January, we’ll all go right back to the rude, crude, obnoxious, aggressive, resentful behaviour we displayed before the Christmas season began. I guess the only way to change that and keep our friendly Christmas spirit is to celebrate Christmas all year round. (smile) Then we might eventually become truly friendlier and more concerned about each other and lose much of the hypocrisy that pervades the season of Christ’s birth. Now, how different is the New Year’s hullabaloo to the changes put forth in our Bit. Bruh Paul, in expounding on grace and faith, joyously declares: ‘And you hath he quickened who were dead in trespasses and sins.’ Praise God! And that’s a fact we cannot dispute people. Why? Because before Jesus came and died for us, we were dead; dead in the sense that we were completely wrapped up in evil and wickedness, the greed, violence, the lust for power and the material, non-enduring things of this world. In other words we were fully ensconced in the enemy’s camp. As Bruh Paul puts it: ‘Where in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air (Lucifer), the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience. Among whom also we all had our conversation  (conducted ourselves) in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others.’ (Eph.2:2-3) It’s the same thing he said to the Colossians: ‘And you being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven your trespasses; Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances (certificate of debt with its decrees) that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross.’ (Col.2:13-14) Oh shout some praises to Jesus’ name mih people for nailing that death warrant of our sin to His cross, thereby eliminating it forever! Ah Friends, we were certainly in a bad way back then. But the Lord God, whose LOVE for us was, and still is, so great, sent His ONLY Son, Jesus, to die for us, to pay for our sins, so that we could be set free from an unholy bondage to Beelzebub, if we so desired. Note, there’s still the element of choice, but because of Jesus’ death we now have the opportunity to be quickened, made alive again, reborn. ‘But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great LOVE wherewith he LOVED us, Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus.’ (Eph.2:4-5) Wow! What a most wonderful God! Yes my people, it’s only by the gift of the GRACE of God, which flows from His vast, never-ending store of unconditional LOVE, that we can exult today in righteousness with the faithful promise of salvation and eternal life. It all stems from God’s divine power. ‘And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places.’ (Eph.1:19-20) Yes Friends, that quickening, that rebirth of our souls and spirits was all accomplished through the divine might, power, brilliant planning and execution of said plans by the Most High God Jehovah. Without His undying affection for us, the carefully crafted work of His hands, we’d still be in bondage to the evil one. So, since we’re reborn, and have the unexpected opportunity to live a new life in Christ, let’s ensure; ‘That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight (trickery) of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive. But speaking the truth in LOVE, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ.’ (Eph.4:14-15) Oh Friends, I can’t put it any better than that. I can only encourage us to do our bounden duty, which is to LOVE our God, LIVE our Faith, and SPREAD His Word. Much LOVE!…Jesus died so we could be free…but we must first… desire to be free…then actively seek that freedom…
 

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