Today’s Scrip-Bit 4 August 2009 Psalm 16:11‏

04 Aug 2009 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Inspirational Living

Psalm 16:11    Thou wilt show me the path of life: in thy presence is fullness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.
 
Oh my Friends, it’s been a cool, sunny, beautiful day in my area. The Caribana festivities are over for another year. They seemed to have gone off without any serious violence and the people are going back to work now to rest. Hn! What a preposterous but true statement! I didn’t do much ‘festivalizing’ myself, merely hung around home and caught up on some long overdue work. And I was feeling fine until shortly before I came to write the Bit. Then that spoilsport, Lucifer, injected certain thoughts in my brain that caused a draining of my joy. But Friends, you’d be proud of the ole fella! I didn’t let those negative thoughts take root; I immediately commanded the devil to get away from me, that I wouldn’t let him steal the source of my strength, and to further ‘diss’ him, I decided to write on joy again tonight. Thank you Lord! The ole fella praises your Holy Name! Selah! And Friends, when in doubt or sorrow, there’s nobody better to turn to than Bruh David for comfort and encouragement. Psalm 16 is one of his many contemplative writings, where he’s seeking preservation and blessing; searching for the right path of life, because he knows that once he attains that path, his life will be filled with joy. But Friends, that path of righteousness is a difficult one to find and then manoeuvre along. Jesus said it best: ‘Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.’  (Mat.7: 14) But if we want to be full of the joy that comes from following Jesus, then we need to diligently search for the right way then rigorously adhere to its directions and instructions. In this Psalm, Bruh David offers us a few tips on how to do it. He opens with a simple but strong passage of faith: ‘Preserve me O God: for in thee do I put my trust.’  (vs.1) He’s asking for God’s constant surveillance over his life, cause he’s surrendered his all to him. Then he continues; ‘O my soul, thou hast said unto the Lord, Thou art my Lord: my goodness extendeth not unto thee.’ (vs.2) Here he’s solemnly admitting that he’s nothing without the Lord’s help; he cannot be righteous without assistance from the Most High. ‘But to the saints that are in the earth, and to the excellent, in whom is all my delight.’ (vs.3) This applies to other seekers of righteousness, others with whom he can worship and fellowship, who can encourage and lift him up. He confirms this later by saying: ‘I am a companion of all them that fear thee; and of them that keep thy precepts.’ (Ps.119:63) Along the rough and rugged road of life, fellowship is extremely important my people, cause we need others to help and guide us, while we do the same for them. Bruh David then addresses our idol worship. ‘Their sorrows shall be multiplied that hasten after another god: their drink offerings of blood will I not offer, not take up their names unto my lips.’ (vs.4) That verse is key my people! It’s a true and rightful declaration that those who follow other gods will suffer severely, but Bruh David insists, is adamant that he will have no part of it, neither the worshipping or sacrificing to other gods. And he specifies it in Psalm 106. ‘And they served their idols: which were a snare unto them. Yea, they sacrificed their sons and daughters unto devils. And shed innocent blood, even the blood of their sons and of their daughters, whom they sacrificed to the idols of Canaan: and the land was polluted with blood.’  (Ps. 106:36-38) It’s hard my Friends to live in an ungodly world and not be a part of it, but we have to seriously set ourselves to that task, since it’s in the ungodly world where we’ll find the lost souls that need bringing to Christ. Remember too, that our God is a very jealous God, and from day one, He warned His people. ‘And in all things that I have said unto you, be circumspect: and make no mention of the name of other gods; neither let it be heard out of thy mouth.’ (Ex.23:13) He couldn’t be any clearer than that mih people! And before Joshua died, he too warned Israel: ‘That ye come not among these nations, those that remain among you; neither make mention of the names of their gods, nor cause to swear by them, neither serve them, nor bow yourselves unto them. But cleave unto the Lord your God, as ye have done unto this day.’ (Josh.23:7-8) That’s how important it is my brethren not to get caught up in other cultures with different beliefs, because those beliefs tend to seep unconsciously into our souls and distract our focus and attention away from Almighty God. Bruh David then goes on to sing the Lord’s praises. ‘The Lord is the portion of my inheritance and of my cup: thou maintainest my lot. The lines are fallen unto me in pleasant places; yea, I have a goodly heritage.’ (vs.5-6) The Lord’s upholding him, providing him with a goodly inheritance, a good life. ‘I will bless the Lord, who hath given me counsel; my reins also instruct me in the night seasons.’ (vs.7) God’s advice is very helpful to him, even in sleep, his heart is filled with guidance and advice. ‘I have set the Lord always before me: because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved.’ (vs.8) He’s declaring his everlasting worship and admiration, for with the Lord beside him, he’s strong and unmovable. ‘Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoiceth: my flesh also shall rest in hope. Thou wilt not leave my soul in hell; neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption.’  (vs. 9-10) Ah my people, there’s the magic of believing in the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob; the gladness of heart, glorious rejoicing, and the hope of peace and rest in this world and the life hereafter. The Lord won’t allow the righteous, certainly not His Son, to suffer eternal death. ‘But thou wilt show me the path of life: in thy presence is fullness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.’ Yes my people, that’s the God awesome truth, as Bruh Paul confirms in Acts 2:25-35, where he uses Ps.16:8-11, to authenticate the fact that Jesus went down that path of life, and therefore blazed the trail for all who come after Him. To close, let’s quickly paraphrase what the true path of life consists of: It first takes a righteous man to seek and follow it; one having an attitude of complete trust and surrender, of great gratitude, of much pleasure in other believers and fellowshipping with them, of not worshipping other gods, of being satisfied with what the Lord provides, of praise and thanks for His unceasing and unerring advice, of being steadfast and strong in spiritual devotion, of being hopeful and joyful in this earthly life, with a certainty that in bodily death, the spirit will be set free from all its manacles to be with Jesus for all eternity. Oh Friends, if we follow that prescription then our woes will be few and our joy plentiful. That’s Jesus’ promise. Let’s take Him up on it nuh. We have nothing to lose and so much to gain. Till next time, God willing, Much LOVE!…losers zig zag on Satan’s wide road…but winners stay straight on Jesus’ narrow path…
 

Today’s Scrip-Bit 3 August 2009 John 15:11‏

03 Aug 2009 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Inspirational Living

John 15:11     These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full.
 
Oh mih Friends, who says the ole fella doh work hard on these Bits eh? While flipping through the One More Day Devotional earlier on, I glimpsed a quote on joy that set me to thinking it was an excellent topic for today. But Lucifer, in the form of laziness intervened and I didn’t check the exact location of the quote. So now, when I came to write the Bit, aimless flipping didn’t help, I had to check through from the beginning, thirty something pages, to find it. Moral of that story; laziness and procrastination don’t pay. But that was the easy part, cause when I sought a suitable passage on joy from the Good Book, I looked through all that dealt with it, until I came to the one from Jesus that finally satisfied my soul. It’s strange though, how the Spirit sometimes guides me; I will go through several scriptures, then end up using the very first one. Other times, like tonight, one will just hit me, and I know that’s it. But what better authority to quote on joy, than the One who died so that our souls could be cleansed, and our joy restored in the Lord? Let me give you the quote from the Devotional first, just in case I forget it. (smile) Someone by the name of Tahuma is reputed to have declared that ‘Joy waits for no man.’ And it’s true Friends. Joy doesn’t wait for us, or come to us on its own accord, we have to actively seek it, and then through discipline and hard work, hold on to it. Yes mih people, it takes a lot of hard work to hold on to that ephemeral emotion we term joy, for it can be with us in great abundance at one moment, then completely gone the next. And one of Lucifer’s favourite tricks is to put things or circumstances in place to steal our joy, because he knows that ‘the joy of the Lord is your strength.’ (Neh.8:10) Oh my brethren, that is an awesome truth that we must all realize, and instil in the very depths of our souls. Only as strong as we are in the Lord Jehovah, will we find joy and be joyful. It’s because of His many promises, His faithfulness, that we in turn can trust Him, and know that He will always take care of us, so we don’t need to worry about anything. When we surrender our lives to Christ, then fear and worry are thrown out the window and replaced by joy, for those three emotions can’t exist together in one soul, in large quantities. Wherever there’s much fear and worry, little joy will prevail. But where joy abounds, fear and worry will be non-existent. Now we’ve been talking so much about joy that some of us will probably be wondering exactly what we’re referring to. Well the dictionary defines joy as: ‘vivid emotions of pleasure; gladness; things that cause delight, ecstasy, rejoicing, effervescence, expansiveness, and buoyancy.’ In other words the uplifting of the human Spirit. That’s where Jesus comes in. Friends, nobody can uplift the human Spirit like Him. He likens Himself to the Good Shepherd, who comes to lead and care for mankind, to give us a new and better life. ‘The thief cometh not, but for to steal and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly. I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.’ (John 10:10-11) And that He did my people, so that our souls would be cleansed and our lives greatly improved. We are free from sin, blessed with the faithful promise of salvation and eternal life, so there’s nothing for us to worry about. And after spending much time explaining who He was and His role on earth, Jesus finally told the disciples: ‘These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full.’ While He was there with them, they felt safe and secure, had nothing to fear or worry about, so their spirits were generally joyful. But tell me Friends, how can it be otherwise eh, if we hanging out with Jesus? (smile) However, knowing that He had to leave them soon, and the hard times and persecution they would face solely by invoking His Holy Name, Jesus wanted to reassure them, to let them know that everything would be fine. ‘I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.’ (John 15:5) That’s gospel mih breddren! So let’s read, remember, inwardly digest and live according to that principle. For if you can’t do anything without Jesus, and Jesus brings abundant life and joy, then if you’re not following Him, it’s like you’re stranded in the middle of a vast desert: no food, water, joy, LOVE, friendship and fellowship. And later on, in his first Epistle, the intro, Testimony to Christ, John continues Jesus’ teaching on the subject. ‘And these things write we unto you, that your joy may be full.’ (1 John 1:4) Now Friends, it’s our turn to keep on spreading that joy that ‘s only found in our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, for it’s the only way to grow and mature and become more like Him. Remember, He never allowed too much to get Him down and sorrowful; neither should we. I know life’s not easy, but that’s exactly why we’re proclaiming Jesus; because when He lives in your heart and soul, then you have the wherewithal to handle anything that the evil world, or Beelzebub and his goons throw at you. So let’s conclude with some more applicable words of Jesus, for if it’s one thing our world badly needs right now, it’s joy. ‘If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.’ (John 15:7) Then, He tells them that though they’ll be sad and sorrowful on His departure, their sorrow will be turned to joy when He rises from the dead and the Holy Spirit comes upon them. ”And ye now therefore have sorrow: but I will see you again, and your heart shall rejoice, and your joy no man taketh from you… Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name: ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full.’ (John 16:22,24) Much LOVE!…ask…not in greed, selfishness or evil…but in faith, kindness, LOVE and forgiveness…
 

Today’s Scrip-Bit 2 August 2009 Exodus 14:14‏

02 Aug 2009 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Inspirational Living

Exodus 14:14      The Lord shall fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace.
 
Well my Friends, it’s now two Caribana Day parades I’ve missed, and surprisingly I’m not disappointed. I don’t even know how it turned out. No one’s said anything to me and I haven’t asked any questions. What a significant change in behaviour! A few years ago I would have died if I missed the day on the road to make a fool of myself, but since they put it on the Lakeshore, it’s lost it’s lustre, plus most of those I played the fool with don’t seem to go any longer. This year I was hovering on the fence, until I read that they intended to put up six foot barricades to stop the people from joining in on the road. That made my mind up. Carnival is a participating activity, not a spectator sport. Now, continuing from yesterday… Awright, I know that once I got up on my soapbox, I didn’t have the time nor space to give you the quotes I promised of the Lord fighting for His people. So we’ll begin with Joshua leading his people into the Promised Land; on the defeat of the Amorites. ‘And the Lord said unto Joshua, Fear them not: for I have delivered them into thine hand; there shall not a man of them stand before thee.’ (Josh. 10:8) And whom Joshua missed, ‘the Lord cast down great stones from heaven upon them unto Azekah, and they died: they were more which died with hailstones, than they whom the children of Israel slew with the sword. Then spake Joshua to the Lord…and he said in the sight of Israel, Sun stand thou still upon Gibeon; and thou Moon, in the valley of Ajalon. And the sun stood still and the moon stayed until the people had avenged themselves of their enemies….And there was no day like that before or after it, that the Lord hearkened unto the voice of a man: for the Lord fought for Israel.’ (Josh.10:11-14) Yes my people, our God does intervene on His people’s behalf. He killed more that day with His hailstones than the Israelites with their swords, then He allowed Joshua to bring the sun and moon to a halt so that they could finish the job. Likewise, when Moab invaded Judah, and Zechariah’s son, Jehaziel was stirred by the Spirit to declare: ‘Be not afraid nor dismayed by reason of this great multitude; for the battle is not yours but God’s.’ (2 Chron.20:9) Next day, they went out to battle singing and praising the Lord, who set up ambushes against their enemies and a great victory was won with much spoil. ‘And the fear of God was on all the kingdoms of those countries, when they had heard that the Lord fought against the enemies of Israel.’ (2 Chron.20:29) We should also talk about the Lord’s involvement at the Red Sea. First, He moved the pillar of cloud which had been leading them, to their back side, blocking them from the Egyptian’s sight and   making it dark for them, but bright for the Israelites. ‘And Moses stretched out his hand over the sea: and the Lord caused the sea to go back by a strong east wind all that night, and made the sea dry land, and the waters were divided. And the children of Israel went into the midst of the sea upon dry ground: and the waters were a wall unto them on their right hand and on their left.’ (Ex.14:21-22) But when the Egyptians followed, the Lord discomfited them by malfunctioning their chariot wheels; ‘so that the Egyptians said, Let us flee from the face of Israel; for the Lord fighteth for them against the Egyptians.’ (Ex.14:25) After that, the Lord told Moses to stretch his hand over the sea again; ‘and the sea returned to his strength when the morning appeared; and the Egyptians fled against it; and the Lord overthrew the Egyptians in the midst of the sea…and all of the host of Pharaoh that came into the sea after them; there remained not so much as one of them. But the children of Israel walked upon dry land in the midst of the sea…Thus the Lord saved Israel that day…and Israel saw the Egyptians dead upon the sea shore. And Israel saw that great work which the Lord did upon the Egyptians: and the people feared the Lord, and believed the Lord, and his servant Moses.’ (Ex.14:27-31) Then Moses sang unto the people: ‘The Lord is my strength and song, and he is become my salvation: he is my God, and I will prepare him a habitation; my father’s God, and I will exalt him. The Lord is a man of war: the Lord is his name.’ (Ex.15:2-3) Yes my people, the Israelites saw the great miracle the Lord performed on their behalf, they believed and Moses sang praises. Unfortunately, that didn’t last very long, for three days later in the wilderness of Shur, when bitter water was all they could find to drink, ‘the people murmured against Moses, saying, what shall we drink?’ (Ex.15:24) That sounds just like us today my Friends; no matter what or how much the Lord does for us, we’re never satisfied. For some strange reason we seem to think that the Lord’s there to jump to our every need as soon as it arises, or better yet, He should prevent the need from arising period. But Friends, as I reminded us yesterday, the Lord is not there to please us. He made us to please Him; to be His children, and do what He wants, not the other way around. He’s paying the piper, so He’s entitled to call the tune. He will work with us, but not for us simply because we ask. In everything, there’s a part for us to play. The Israelites, on that particular day, were told to hold their peace, be quiet, which they did. But in general, as His chosen people, they were expected to have faith, believe, trust, LOVE, honour and obey Him. When they adhered to the agreement, life went well with them. However, when they broke the covenant, the Lord punished them severely. The same thing goes for us my people; if we obey, life will be good, and if we disobey, we’ll suffer, as we’re doing now. Sin, disobedience, evil and ungodliness has reached such intolerable heights that the Lord has begun allowing the world to falter and stumble through natural disasters and man’s increasing inhumanity to man. Oh my people, let’s wake up and see what’s happening nuh. We’re not only wallowing in the mire of disobedience, but also drowning in the quicksand of evil that’s currently enveloping our world, and the only hand that can lift us out of our despair is the Lord’s. So let’s turn to Him with our sincere pleas before it’s too late nuh. He’s fought for His people many times before and there’s no reason why He won’t again, but we all have to come together as one and sincerely invoke His mercy and forgiveness. When we do that, He’ll be gracious and kind enough to lift us up out of the miry quicksand we’ve so foolishly gotten ourselves trapped in. Much LOVE!…the Lord will bend over backwards to help us…if only we ask in faith…and be truly grateful afterwards…
 

Today’s Scrip-Bit 1 August 2009 Exodus 14:14‏

01 Aug 2009 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Inspirational Living

Exodus 14:14    The Lord shall fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace.
 
Oh mih Friends, the pan was sweet! The ole fella took in the Caribana Pan Alive Competition last night and the music was excellent. I even had to eat mih words after ‘dissing’ the Hamilton Youth Steel Orchestra re their not warranting a spot in the competition. Then they came up and threw dirt in mih face with some wonderful music that left me feeling they should come second to the reigning champions, the Sala Academy Band from Montreal. Oh Uncle John, you’d LOVE them, for they beat pan as it was meant to be, rich and harmonious. One older lady put it all in perspective by calling it, ‘sweet pan;’ the kind that just gets into your soul and has you automatically rocking and swaying. I didn’t stay for the results, but I’m sure there’ll be controversy as usual. It was also a Michael Jackson tribute day, for almost every side beat one of his songs as their tune of choice. One side even beat two Michael songs. Any way mih people, in some other good news; the T.O garbage strike is over. Hurrah! Praise the Lord! So all you fearful believers and otherwise, who listened to the propaganda machine, the foolish American media with the untruths about T.O overwhelmed with garbage, oonoo can come back now. And Today’s Bit is a continuation of what Moses told the Israelites when the Egyptians had them cornered at the Red Sea. After commanding them to ‘Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord, which he will work for you today…’ he continued: ‘The Lord shall fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace.’ Oh Friends, there are so many instances of the Lord fighting for His people in the Old Testament that I can only quote a few. But first, hear this quote the Lord provided for today. Hn, Hn! I got so taken up in the pan that I almost forgot it, and it’s rather appropriate since it’s a Jewish Proverb. ‘From happiness to suffering is a step; from suffering to happiness is an eternity.’ And isn’t that the gospel truth mih people? It only takes a minute to go from joy to sorrow, but it seems to take forever to turn it around. And this is what the Israelites were then undergoing. After coming to Egypt and living the good life for a while, they ended up suffering ages of inhumane oppression, and even when it seemed they would get away from it all, the Egyptians refused to allow them to go peacefully. But we know that our most faithful God keeps all His promises, and so He did that momentous day. I like how He asked Moses: ‘Wherefore criest thou unto me? speak to the children of Israel that they go forward: But lift thou thy rod, and stretch out thine hand over the sea, and divide it: and the children of Israel shall go on dry ground through the midst of the sea.’ (Ex.14:15-16) Wow mih Friends! Only someone with the utmost faith could have even contemplated the Lord’s command, much less tell the frightened multitude, then go and attempt it. But that’s the kind of faith, trust and courage the Lord inspires in His lieutenants. It was nothing hard for Him to do, but He needed people to believe that He was indeed the One and Only True God in the universe, to glorify His Name, so He had to put on a big show for their simple minds. And He tells Moses that clearly. ‘And I, behold, I will harden the hearts of the Egyptians, and they shall follow them: and I will get me honour upon Pharaoh, and upon all his host, upon his chariots, and upon his horsemen. And the Egyptians shall know that I am the Lord, when I have gotten me honour upon Pharaoh, upon his chariots, and upon his horsemen.’ (Ex.14:17-18) But would you believe it Friends, that after a million and one miracles, over eons of time, the Lord our God is still fighting to get honour and glory amongst men? Talk about a stupid, stubborn, hardheaded lot of humanity! After all this time, and so much outstanding work on our behalf, we shouldn’t be struggling to glorify His Holy Name today. But sadly, we are. Like the Israelites planted the seeds of the saying; ‘what have you done for me lately?’ and we are reaping the sad effects of doubt, disbelief, disobedience, greed and not believing until we see. But Friends, by the time we see, it’s usually too late. And let me also remind us that the Most High God Jehovah doesn’t really need anything from us. He’s sitting quite comfortably on His throne in heaven on high and nothing that happens on earth will affect His Sovereign Lordship. Yes, He would like us to LOVE, honour and obey Him, though that’s not for His sake, but for ours. If we don’t, nothing’s going to happen to Him, except He’ll be heartbroken, but we’ll end up in Hades with Lucifer and his evil cronies, suffering death, damnation and eternal darkness. He was already overly nice to send His only son Jesus to die for us, to pay our sin death. What else do we want eh? He doesn’t have any more sons to send. That’s it; matter closed. If we don’t believe on Jesus, then crapaud smoke we pipe! I’m just trying to point out here that we sometimes mistakenly and arrogantly believe that we’re doing God a favour by worshipping and adoring Him. But please forget, discard and throw away that silly notion immediately mih people. We’re not doing God any favours. We’re doing ourselves a great kindness, filled with much wisdom and common sense when we believe on Jesus, try to be like Him, and praise His Name. It’s essential we remember that. Ah mih people, I have to laugh yes, cause it seems I’ve gotten up on my soap box and the Spirit just led me on to proclaim whatever I’ve proclaimed. But note that I’m just the lowly messenger, so please don’t shoot me (smile) because it’s a rather important message I’m bringing; one the whole world needs to hear, believe and adopt. So please help me spread it by listening, then checking it out yourselves in the Good Book, and finally talking to our Father in Heaven about it. He’s waiting patiently for your call. All the lines are open, for busy signals don’t exist in heaven. And doh worry, we’ll continue the story tomorrow, once we don’t read our names in the obits. So till then, please, let’s just joyfully LOVE our God, and truly LIVE our Faith! It’s not that hard to do and it will be all to our ultimate benefit. Much LOVE!…we can either grow with God’s help…or suffer endlessly without it…our choice…
 

Today’s Scrip-Bit 31 July 2009 Exodus 14:13‏

31 Jul 2009 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Inspirational Living

Exodus 14:13  And Moses said unto the people, Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord, which he will show you today: for the Egyptians which ye have seen today, ye shall see them again no more for ever.
 
Well Mornin’ mih good Friends and Neighbuhs! It’s another beautiful day on planet earth, and the Good Lord is up to His usual tricks. He’s again provided a quote that suits Today’s Bit, and this one is so true that I had to laugh when I first read it. It’s attributed to Joseph Addison, and says: ‘There is nothing which we receive with so much reluctance as advice.’ Now doesn’t that grab you by the short and narrow? It ought to, for those are some of the truest words ever written. Whether the advice is good or bad, we’re always hesitant, sceptical and doubtful, taking it with a grain of salt, or under advisement, and many times with anger and disdain. There’s just some insidious thing about advice that seems to rub the human personality the wrong way. We tend to think it’s belittling, calling into question our capabilities and restricting our independence. Those are all reasons why Moses had such a hard time with the Israelites. Nobody wanted to listen to him, to heed his god-given advice cause they all figured they knew better, that is, until the effluent hit the proverbial fan. When the Israelites saw Pharaoh’s army coming upon them, ‘they were sore afraid: and the children of Israel cried out unto the Lord.’ (Ex. 14:10) That sounds just like many of us believers through the ages, even unto today; we only call out to the Lord when we’re in trouble, but forget His very existence when all’s going well. Then they castigated poor Moses, who was only trying to help them: ‘Because there were no graves in Egypt, hast thou dealt thus with us, to carry us forth out of Egypt? Is this not the word we did tell thee in Egypt, saying, Let us alone, that we may serve the Egyptians? For it had been better for us to serve the Egyptians, than that we should die in the wilderness.’ (Ex. 14: 11-12) As Jesus said, ‘O ye of little faith!’ And I’ll add, ungrateful hypocrites!  Having cried out to the Lord in Egypt re their inhumane and servile bondage, when the Lord in His mercy and LOVING kindness takes pity on them and punishes the Egyptians until they let them go, then they squeamishly balk at the first sign of trouble. Just like we do my people. We seem to expect the Lord to lead us in crimson and clover all the time, with no hardships whatever along the way. But that’s definitely not the Lord’s style. He expects us to pay some dues and tolls along the broad and dusty highway that’s life, so that we can be moulded into the likeness of His Son, our Saviour Jesus Christ; become less selfish, more understanding and appreciative. But He always provides a way out, though it’s not always easy. Now can you imagine the people’s consternation when Moses simply replied to their horrific situation with, ‘Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord, which he will show you today: for the Egyptians whom ye have seen today, ye shall see them again no more for ever.’ Hn! Can you imagine saying that to a tired, scared group of people in the hundreds of thousands, loaded down with all their possessions, many travelling on foot, running from slavery, with the slave master’s army breathing down their necks, ready to annihilate and/or herd them back to cruel bondage? The Lord must certainly have imbued Moses with much manly parts and courage, though I don’t think it was bravery so much as the faith and trust that Moses had acquired from His constant dealings with the Lord. For it’s under those circumstances that the whole idea of belief and trust comes in. You can’t have trust and believe one time when it seems easy and plausible, then renege when it seems humanly impossible because that simply negates the entire principle of faith, which by definition is absolute belief and trust under all circumstances. It’s the same advice the Psalmist gives in Psalm 46 that’s titled, ‘God is our refuge and strength.’ He says; ‘Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in all the earth.’ (vs.10) Now, be still doesn’t necessarily mean don’t move, but rather, pay close attention. That’s what Moses wanted the Israelites to do; take stock of how the Lord would operate in their favour that day; ‘see the salvation, (the deliverance) of the Lord.’ Yes my Friends, we so often take the Lord’s mercy for granted that we don’t pay sufficient attention to what’s really happening in our lives, we miss all the small, but very important nuances that occur. But if we were to stop regularly and contemplate His LOVING kindness and His numerous other attributes that play such important roles in our daily lives, we’d realize how lucky, how blessed we really are to be worshipping such a marvellous and powerful Deity. Today, I’m asking us, like Moses did the Israelites on that momentous occasion, to stop, ignore the contrived busyness around us, and take stock of all the Lord has done and is doing in our lives and the lives of those around us. Then we’ll see how truly indebted we are to the Most High God Jehovah, and that realization will hopefully reawaken and re-energize us to faithfully worship Him, give Him the thanks and praise that He so richly deserves, as well as live a life that glorifies His Holy Name. Friends, that’s our assignment for today. Till tomorrow, God willing, Much LOVE! …it’s inventory time…time to stop and count our many blessings…then say a most grateful…Thanks Lord!…
 

Today’s Scrip-Bit 30 July 2009 Exodus 14:13‏

30 Jul 2009 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Inspirational Living

Exodus 14:13     And Moses said unto the people, Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord, which he will show you today: for the Egyptians whom ye have seen today, ye shall see them again no more for ever.
 
Wow! What bold, outstanding and encouraging words mih Friends! And we also found another beautiful quote that again dovetails admirably with the Bit I was led to. Yes my people, that shows the Lord is still on His throne, in full control of things, so let’s give Him a big, ‘Thank you Lord!’ And the quote is credited to Helen Hayes, (1900-1993) named ‘The First Lady of American Theatre,’ for her outstanding work on the stage through most of the 20th century. During that time she won all four of the American performance awards -Tony, Emmy, Grammy and Oscar. She was also awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1986. With that kind of résumé she ought to know what she’s talking about. ‘Positive attitudes -optimism, high self-esteem, an outgoing nature, joyousness, and the ability to cope with stress- when established early in life, may be the most important basis for continued good health.’ Note Friends, she lived from 1900 to 1993, through some of the worst and best times the world’s ever seen. But it’s also now been proven scientifically that the more ebullient our nature, not the outrageous extreme, and the earlier we develop it, the better we are able to deal with stress, with life on a whole. And with the crazy, stressful times we’re currently going through, where anxiety and fearfulness are regarded as the number one killer, and a silent one that oftimes doesn’t give any warning, we will do well to take Helen’s advice to heart; learn to relax, not be so uptight and anxious. Obey Moses’ command to the Israelites as they were leaving Egypt. ‘Fear ye not.’ Oh my people, that is the first lifestyle commandment we need to write deep in our hearts today and follow without fail, for fear is where the whole problem begins. The negative energy it generates, robs us of the power, the wherewithal we need to overcome the same obstacles of which we’re afraid. I recently heard a brain researcher on Joyce Meyer’s show claim that all the positive and negative religious stuff we talk about, like joy, happiness, faith, LOVE, despair, fear, hopelessness etc. have now been proven to correspond with actual physical, chemical reactions and storage spaces in the brain. That means any emotion or thought actually releases chemicals that change our outlook, personality or temperament by storing them, which leads to the statement that we truly become what we think or focus on. So you don’t have to be religious to get the benefits of a positive or happy outlook. But coming back to the statement, ‘Fear ye not,’ the Lord dictated its use numerous times in the Old Testament. We first hear it when the Lord promises Abram in a dream, saying, ‘Fear not, Abram: I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward.’  (Gen.15:1) He said the same thing later on to Jacob also in a dream. ‘I am God, the God of thy father: fear not to go down to Egypt; for I will there make of thee a great nation.’ (Gen.46:3) We also hear it when Moab invades Judah and king Jehoshaphat seeks the Lord, prays for deliverance and proclaims a fast throughout the land. And in our Lord’s penchant for drama, while the people stand before Him, His Spirit comes upon Jehaziel, Zechariah’s son, in the midst of the congregation and he declares: ‘Hearken ye, all Judah, and ye inhabitants of Jerusalem, and thou king Jehoshaphat, Thus saith the Lord unto you; Be not afraid nor dismayed by reason of this great multitude; for the battle is not yours, but God’s.’ (2 Chron.20:15) Yes my people, as believers in Jesus, all the battles we face in this life, big and small, belong to the Lord. On our own, we’d be anxious and fearful, but once we take them to Him in prayer, like Jehoshaphat did, we need not fear any longer, for He will deal with them in a suitable manner. That’s the whole basis of faith my Friends, and of our Christian faith in particular; believing and trusting in a higher power that can do more than we can either ask or imagine. And I’m here to remind us mih breddren, that nothing has changed since way back then: The Most High God Jehovah, the everlasting Deity, Infinitely Everything, Alpha and Omega, unchanging and ever faithful, is still ruling His creation and His promises still stand as strong today, as when He first uttered them eons ago. Consequently, we too should ‘Fear not,’ for if He looked after His people then, He will do the same now. We’ve got to hold on to that belief; think positively and expect the best. Life might not be the greatest at present, but once it exists, then so does hope. It only takes one iota of God’s forgiveness, blessing and mercy to turn things around. And our God is so wonderful that even after promising to destroy Israel for their prolonged and wilful disobedience, He never wrote them off completely, never gave up on them. He’s just that kind of God who never gives up on us. Instead, He put these words in Isaiah’s mouth. ‘Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.’ (Isa.41:10) Yes my Friends, as believers and followers of Jesus, we can take those same words to heart, cause they are so secure, like money in the bank. And although our world is in turmoil, we can rest on the faithful promises and assurances of our God, absolutely believing that He will work everything out in our favour, for our good. So ‘FEAR YE NOT!’ Much LOVE!…the best antidote for fear…prayer… To be continued.

Today’s Scrip-Bit 29 July 2009 1 Corinthians16:58‏

29 Jul 2009 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Inspirational Living

1 Corinthians 16:58    Therefore my beloved brethren, be ye steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.
 
Oh my Friends, today I read a beautiful quote from George Bernard Shaw in my One More Day Devotional, and it’s so applicable to the Christian life that I just had to share it with you. Then I went looking for a Bit and was led to Bruh Paul’s exhortation to the Corinthians which dovetailed so nicely with the quote, that it could only be the Lord’s doing. And the quote says: ‘Life is not a "brief candle." It is a splendid torch that I want to make burn as brightly as possible before handing it on to future generations.’ Now doesn’t that capture the believer’s raison d’être perfectly? We’re like relay runners, doing the best we can on our leg of the journey, before passing it on to those that come after us. And for us to have any chance of winning the race, we must each gain some small advantage that the later runners can build on. That’s why Bruh Paul exhorts his readers: ‘Therefore my beloved brethren, be ye steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord…’ We can only make significant headway against the powers of darkness, or a useful contribution in Jesus’ name, by being well disciplined in mind, body and spirit, standing firm in our beliefs while having a strong work ethic, re our faith and how best to advance it. Peter gave the same advice. ‘Wherefore beloved, seeing that ye look for such things, be diligent that ye may be found of him in peace, without spot and blameless.’ (2 Pet.3:14) Those things are found in verse13: ‘Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness.’ Believers should therefore try to be diligent and blameless in the Lord’s work until that time. Yes my people, nothing worthwhile is ever accomplished without much discipline and diligence, and working for Jesus is the most worthwhile job we can ever have. That in turn dictates we must always put our best foot forward, extend our best efforts, both in public and private as representatives, as ambassadors for our Saviour. Some of you might be wondering why I specified similar efforts in both public and private endeavours. Simply because we don’t want to live hypocritical lives, practising one thing in private and something else in public. And though it’s possible to pull it off for a while, sooner or later your double standards will come out and put another black mark against Jesus’ name. And remember too, the Most High is watching, not only our outward actions, but more importantly, the true state of our hearts, and judging us on that. Therefore we cannot afford to deviate from the path of discipline and diligence, else we’re liable to bring shame and disgrace on the Saviour’s Holy Name, which we never want to do. And as Bruh Paul points out, the good thing about working for Christ is not only the personal satisfaction we get from winning lost souls in His Name, but, ‘forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.’ Yes my Friends, when we work for the Lord we get a rather comprehensive package of rewards; personal satisfaction, salvation and eternal life, just to name the big benefits. But the package also contains many minor ones; some in this life, and others in the hereafter. What a good thing we have going my people! There’s no need for strikes, lockouts, or other labour dissension, for Jesus is the best employer ever. There are no arguments over who should get what, since you always get what you deserve, and sometimes even more. Bruh Paul outlined this earlier in the same letter. ‘Now he that planteth and he that watereth are one: and every man shall receive his own reward according to his own labour.’ (1 Cor.3:8) Jesus empowers us to do everything. None of our abilities comes from any other source. And it’s only fitting we close with Jesus’ own words on the subject. ‘Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle and put it under a bushel, (basket) but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.’ (Mat.5:14-16) Oh Friends, there it is, right from the Saviour’s mouth! And if you’re a follower, then let’s get out there and follow Him, do as He asks. Remember, He’s our beloved leader, and His Church will only grow in direct proportion to our efforts. Much LOVE! …Bang!….goes the starter’s pistol…the race is on…hold your torch high…let it burn brightly for Jesus…

Today’s Scrip-Bit 28 July 2009 Psalm 56:3-4‏

28 Jul 2009 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Inspirational Living

Psalm 56:3-4     What time I am afraid, I will trust in thee. In God I will praise his word, in God I have put my trust; I will not fear what flesh can do to me.
 
Oh my wonderful Friends in Christ, can we also truthfully claim the sentiments that Bruh David expresses in Today’s Bit? I sure hope so, cause we ought to have that capacity. And if we can’t, then something’s wrong with our belief system, something’s gone awry with our faith. It seems Bruh David penned this psalm, a confident prayer for help, when he was running for his life from Saul and his other enemies. Now he must have had much manly parts, or simply nowhere else to run in his own land for he ended up in Gath, seeking succour in the Philistines land, his mortal enemies, especially since he killed their champion Goliath, and the two nations were never far from war. But unfortunately the king’s servants recognized him and asked; ‘Is this not this David the king of the land? did not they sing one to another of him in dances, saying, Saul hath slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands?’ (1 Sam.21:11) That scared Bruh David so much that when they brought him before Achish, the king, he pretended to be mad. ‘And he changed his behaviour before them, and feigned himself mad in their hands, and scrabbled on the doors of the gate, and let his spittle fall down upon his beard.’ (1 Sam.21:13) Ah Friends, I guess that’s one of the reasons the Lord called him a man after his own heart, cause in whatever negative situation he fell into, he always seemed able to extricate himself; with the Lord’s help of course. Like our God, he was a man for all times and seasons. With that crazy behaviour, the king obviously wanted no part of him and berated his servants for bringing a crazy man into his presence. That suited Bruh David just fine, for he then escaped to a cave in the Adullam area. But that’s only one aspect of Bruh David’s genius, for lack of a better word. Here’s another side: Now he’s sitting somewhere in Gath, alone and lonely, innocent of any crimes, bone   weary and tired of running for his life. While sitting there, he sadly contemplates his troubled life that had held such wonderful promise in his younger days. Then he sorrowfully lifts his head, eyes, hands and heart heavenward and pleads: ‘Be merciful unto me, O God: for man would swallow me up; he fighting daily oppresseth me. Mine enemies would daily swallow me up: for they be many that fight against me, O thou Most High.’ (Ps.56: 1-2) That’s another reason why I guess the Lord favoured Bruh David, because he was never afraid to pour out his heart and soul to Him, to bare his innermost feelings, whether they were of joy or sorrow. He never pretended to be anything more than a sinful, mortal man. But while recognizing his sinful nature, he still held and also publicly displayed an infinite trust and faith in the Lord God of his fathers Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. We can clearly see this from the Bit, where, after pleading for mercy, he staunchly declares; ‘What time I am afraid, I will trust in thee.’ Yes my people, that’s an attitude, a state of mind and heart we all need to cultivate. And though it flows logically from our Christian belief, where we consider the Lord our Creator, Father, Strength, Caretaker and Provider, I know it’s still a difficult hurdle for many of us to overcome. But it’s the only way we’ll ever mature in the faith. Note, even Jesus was fearful before His crucifixion, but His automatic, unquestioned reaction was to pray to His Heavenly Father. To be true followers of Jesus, my Friends, it’s essential that we turn to Him in times of fear, of anxiety, of trouble. Remember, He’s promised never to leave nor forsake us, promises we can definitely hold on to. That’s something Bruh David probably learned early in life, while out in the dangerous, unpredictable wilderness with his sheep. He was forced to, as there was no one else out there to cry to for help when the predators attacked his flock. Then he says; ‘In God I will praise his word, in God I have put my trust.’ Ah Friends, we also need to build and display such absolute trust in our God. Bruh David didn’t mince words. He stated it as a done deal, as a fait accompli; he would praise the Word of his God, in whom he’d already placed his entire trust. Oh my people, that’s the kind of faith we need today to be successful in living for Jesus in this wicked world. We need a factual feeling of total surrender, of no doubt, of sincere trust that governs all aspects of our lives. Our faith should be so strong that we’re not afraid to stand on any platform, in any part of the world, and declare; ‘I will not fear what flesh can do to me.’  I know it’s all easier said than done my people, but that’s the surety we should all be aiming for and genuinely working towards. The Christian walk is no bed of roses, but when it truly encompasses our entire being, then we’re filled with the wherewithal to make statements like Isaiah did. ‘Now the Egyptians are men, and not God; and their horses flesh, and not spirit. When the Lord shall stretch out his hand, both he that helpeth shall fall, and he that is holpen (helped) shall fall down, and they all shall fail together (perish)’ (Isa.31:3) Yes my Friends, once we give our lives fully to Christ, that’s the kind of assurance and strength we’ll develop. Remember our faith is based on things not seen, yet believed, and that’s always difficult, but with proper training, meditation on the Word and fellowship with other believers, we can all attain that higher state which Jesus desires. Now here’s some strong, encouraging words form Jesus Himself: ‘And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.’ (Mat.10:28) And with those meaningful words of our Saviour in mind Friends, let’s all sincerely try to boost our faith to higher levels, so that we can stand strong for Jesus and do the work He requires of us. Much LOVE!…strong belief breeds trust…trust encourages full surrender…full surrender leads to true faith in action…
 

Today’s Scrip-Bit 27 July 2009 Lamentations 5:20-21‏

27 Jul 2009 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Inspirational Living

Lamentations 5:20-21     Wherefore dost thou forget us for ever, and forsake us so long time? Turn thou us unto thee, O Lord, and we shall be turned; renew our days as of old.
 
Ah my Friends, it’s one of those days when I feel like being joyful; singing and dancing while giving thanks and praise to the Most High! But unfortunately the guiding Spirit led me to Lamentations, and since I’m pledged to obedience, (smile) I must follow it’s leading. So here we are. Jeremiah’s lamenting the ‘sufferation’ of his people. ‘Remember, O Lord, what is come upon us: consider, and behold our reproach. Our inheritance is turned (over) to strangers, our houses to aliens. We are orphans and fatherless, our mothers are as widows…Our necks are under persecution: we labour, and have no rest. Our fathers have sinned and are not; and we have borne their iniquities. Servants have ruled over us: there is none that deliver us out of their hand.’ (Lam.5:1-3, 7-6) Yes my people, those are some of the misfortunes that struck the inhabitants when the kingdom of Judah fell and the holy city of Jerusalem was destroyed. All of that befell the nation and the city because of the people’s sin; forsaking the Lord God of their fathers Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. This continuous, wilful, disobedience invoked a severe judgement from the Lord. Apparently Jeremiah was an eye witness to the tragedy and seeing all that suffering drove him to put his thoughts to paper, lamenting his people’s sinful plight, outlining their trials and tribulation to the Lord and crying out for mercy and forgiveness. ‘Our skin was black (hot) like an oven, because of the terrible (fever of) famine. They ravished the women in Zion, and the maids in the cities of Judah. Princes are hanged up by their hand: The faces of the elders were not honoured. (respected) They took the young men to grind, (at the millstones) and the children fell under the wood. (staggered under loads of wood) (Lam.5:10-13) Oh my people, those are some of the unfortunate things that happen when one country invades another. The inhabitants are made to bear the brunt of the physical and menial labour while only receiving crumbs in return, and it’s sure a long, hard, excruciating fall from master to suddenly slave. Now that’s what happened to Judah because of their disobedience, their total lack of respect for Almighty God. He sent Jeremiah long before to warn them, but they didn’t listen, they thumbed their noses at Him. But Friends, patience is one of the many attributes in which our God abounds. As they say, time longer than twine, and He patiently bided His time, for, as we’ve been saying, the wicked always falls, it just depends on the Lord’s timetable. So Judah went on thumbing their noses at the Most High God for years until Babylon destroyed them. The vengeance of the Lord befell His chosen people. Then there was much moaning and groaning and gnashing of teeth. But it’s the simple story of if you don’t hear you’ll eventually feel. And the Lord had to make an example of them, otherwise everybody would think that they could sin, be disobedient, worship idols and get away with it. They’d then assume that the Lord’s bark was much worse than His bite. But Friends, Jeremiah lived to tell the opposite; the Lord’s bite is terrible. ‘The elders have ceased from the gate, the young men from their music. The joy of our heart is ceased; our dance is turned into mourning. The crown is fallen from our head: woe unto us that we have sinned.’ (Lam.5:14-16) And right there Jerry hit the nail on the head people; ‘ woe unto us that we have sinned.’ I guess that’s why the Spirit led me to Lamentations although I was not in a lamenting frame of mind. It wanted to point out to us in bright, living, Technicolor what happens when a people consistently disobeys the Word of the Lord, and makes a mockery of His statutes. And Friends, there’s no set way for the Lord to invoke His displeasure and punishment, but He always gives sufficient time and warnings for the wrongdoers to change their evil ways. Then the punishment can come in one sudden big blast, like Sodom and Gomorrah, or it can be long and drawn out, like it was with Judah. But again too, the Lord always makes a way where there seems to be none. In this case there was Jeremiah, who though he felt for his people, stood strong and acknowledged the Lord’s dominion on their behalf. ‘Thou, O Lord, remainest for ever; thy throne from generation to generation.’ (Lam.5:19)Then he pleads for them: ‘Wherefore dost thou forget us for ever, and forsake us so long a time? (Lam.5:20) That hearkens back to the Psalmist’s plea: ‘How long wilt thou forget me O Lord? for ever? How long wilt thou hide thy face from me? How long shall I take council in my soul, having sorrow in my heart daily? How long shall mine enemy be exalted over me?’  (Ps.13:1)Ah my people, there’s only one antidote for the sin of disobedience; that’s repentance. And Jeremiah knew this. Thus he urges it, claiming; ‘Turn thou us unto thee O Lord, and we shall be turned; renew our days as of old.’ (Lam.5:21) Jeremiah’s pleading that God in His faithfulness, righteousness and mercy would work on his people’s hearts so that they would turn back to Him in godly sorrow and repentance. It’s like Rachel’s mourning comforted: ‘I have surely heard Ephraim bemoaning himself thus: Thou hast chastised me, and I was chastised, as a bullock unaccustomed to the yoke: turn thou me, and I shall be turned: for thou art the Lord my God.’ (Jer.31:18) Oh Friends, let’s all pray for that to happen in all our hearts, before the Lord becomes thoroughly dissatisfied with our sinful behaviour and causes even more evil to befall us than has already occurred. I believe we’re coming close to that time when the Lord will reach the end of His rope, and severely punish us for our wilful disobedience and rejection of His law. Right now we’re just in the waiting stages, so it’s not too late to repent and make amends to Almighty God, but we all must do it my people, it must be nationwide to make any impact. So let’s do our best to get everybody on the same page and cry out in repentance and godly sorrow to the Most High God Jehovah, for mercy and forgiveness. Much LOVE!…let’s take in front (repent)…before in front (disaster) takes us…
 

Today’s Scrip-Bit 26 July 2009 Jeremiah 48:25‏

26 Jul 2009 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Inspirational Living

Jeremiah 48:25     The horn of Moab is cut off, and his arm is broken, saith the Lord.
 
Well Friends, I have no tales of friendly, godly interference today, (smile) but sadly one of godly destruction; that of the Moabites. Now why did the Lord destroy Moab? It’s simple: ‘Make ye him drunken: for he magnified himself against the Lord: Moab also shall wallow in his vomit, and he shall also be in derision.’ (Jer.48:26) Yes my people, it’s one of the worst things an individual, a society or nation can do; consider themselves greater and more important than the Lord God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. The first part of the verse, ‘Make ye him drunken,’ refers to the cup of wrath for all nations that the Lord gave to Jeremiah. ‘For thus saith the Lord God of Israel unto me; Take the wine cup of this fury at my hand, and cause all the nations, to whom I send thee to drink it. And they shall drink and be moved, (stagger) and be mad, because of the sword that I will send among them. Then took I the cup at the Lord’s hand, and made all the nations drink, unto whom the Lord hath sent me.’ (Jer.25:15-17) And Friends, the Lord sure was in a punishing mood then, for He sent Jeremiah to almost every kingdom in the then known world, beginning with Jerusalem and the cities of Judah, Pharaoh King of Egypt, the mixed multitude of Uz, the Philistines, Ashkelon, Azzah, Ekron. Ashdod, Edom, Moab, ‘And all the kings of the north, far and near, one with another, and all the kingdoms of the world, which are upon the face of the earth: and the King of Sheshach (Babylon) shall drink after them.’ (Jer.25:26) The Lord was clearly in foul humour, commanding poor Jerry to tell them; ‘Drink ye, and be drunken, and spew, and fall, and rise no more, because of the sword which I will send among you.’ (Jer.25:27) And if they refused, he was to tell them; ‘Ye shall certainly drink. For lo, I begin to bring evil on the city which is called by my name, and should ye be utterly unpunished? Ye shall not be unpunished: for I will call for a sword upon all the inhabitants of the earth, saith the Lord.’ (Jer.25:29) Wow! The Lord was real serious mih people! Now if He’s willing to destroy the city with His name, Jerusalem, why wouldn’t He destroy the other wicked ones too? And yuh know what Friends? All those nations that Jeremiah mentioned (Jer.25:18-26) were all destroyed, never to be heard from again or rise to prominence, except Jerusalem; the Lord’s own. As we keep saying, our God doesn’t make idle threats or promises. So when He intones, ‘The horn, (strength) of Moab is cut off, and his arm is broken,’ it’s no joking matter. In Psalm 75, a warning to the wicked, the Psalmist, Asaph, uses the same imagery of wine and drunkenness. ‘For in the hand of the Lord there is a cup, and the wine is red; it is full of mixture; (fully mixed) and he poureth out of the same: but the dregs thereof, all the wicked of the earth shall wring them out, (drain it) and drink them…All the horns of the wicked also will I cut off; but the horns of the righteous shall be exalted.’ (Ps.75: 8,10) And sadly, my brethren, history is thickly populated with nations, cities, and societies that have not paid heed nor homage to Almighty God and have suffered severe destruction. Sodom and Gomorrah are amongst the most famous. But Nero supposedly fiddled while Rome burned, and Belshazzar partied, drinking from the vessels of God’s house, while the Persians diverted the Euphrates River that ran through the almost invincible city, walked up the shallow riverbed and captured it. Yes my Friends, the Lord moves in many different ways, both secret and open. But as Asaph said, we’re sure of two things: ‘But God is the judge: he putteth down one, and setteth up another.’ (Ps.75:7) And when He says your strength will be cut off and your arm broken, rest assured it will happen. I have to chuckle at how the Lord spoke to Ezekiel re broken arms: ‘Son of man, I have broken the arm of Pharaoh king of Egypt; and lo, it shall not be bound up to be healed, to put a roller to bind it, to make it strong to hold the sword.’ (Eze.30:21) Pharaoh’s arm is broken and a splint won’t be applied to hold it together so it can heal properly and allow him to commit atrocities again. Friends, the purpose of Today’s Bit is to draw our attention to the wicked and evil nations of the world that preceded us and show how they were severely punished, even God’s chosen people, when they turned away from Him. Our world is just as wicked, and even more so in some respects, since a lot of the evil we now have didn’t exist back then. And there is much evidence all around us of warnings from the Most High God Jehovah: all the untimely and unnatural pattern of disasters, plus our abuse of the earth; like global warming, the melting of the ice cap, the puncturing of the protective ozone layer, the recent spurt of greed, violence and lack of respect for each other that’s permeating our world, which all contributed to our current financial crisis. Friends, the long and short of the story is that we’ve become an extremely greedy, selfish, violent, ungodly world that’s already feeling the effects of such negative behaviour, and if we continue along the same lines, we’ll be eventually destroyed like all the other great, ungodly societies before us, becoming another footnote in history of a people who didn’t learn that Almighty God rules. And an even worse scenario to contemplate is that many generations hence, someone like me, will be trying to warn their people about the suicidal nature of living in sin, in disobedience to the Lord. But my people, this senseless destruction can be avoided if we few, tried, tested and true believers, all over the world, joined together in a united, concerted effort to turn the tide of wickedness back to one of righteousness. We’ve got to put aside our selfish, petty, jealousies, disagreements and opinions and come together for the bigger and greater cause; the glory of Christ’s Church. That’s the only way to avoid sure destruction, one that’s  already begun. It’s not too late though Friends, remember while there’s life, there’s hope, and we can nip it in the bud, turn this ungodly world around, if we all pledge to do our individual best right where we are, right now; starting with friends, family, neighbours and co-workers. It’s what Jesus desires of us; that Jesus spirit we’re supposed to develop, where we sincerely LOVE our God, and truly LIVE our Faith. Much LOVE!…stand up, stand up for Jesus…the trumpet sound obey…till every foe is vanquished…and Christ is Lord indeed…
 

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