Matthew 13:22. He also that received seed among the thorns is he that heareth the word; and the care of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, choke the word, and he becometh unfruitful.
Oh Friends, it’s going to be another hot, sweltering day in my area! Summer seems to be finally hitting us with a big stick! Last night I went for a walk around midnight, and it was still so hot and humid that even the insects refused to come out and play. (smile)
The best part though, was when I came back, I sat down on my porch and devoured a cold, delicious Julie mango. My, my, my, was it ever tasty! Now usually I don’t like them cold, but that was just what the doctor ordered for that particular time.
Anyway, here’s an interesting, but also very important question for us. Are we ready to receive the bountiful blessings, mercies and forgiveness that’s about to descend on us today from heaven?
We better had be ready, be on the lookout for them, otherwise we’ll miss them, and our day will not be as wonderful and joyful as it could have been. The darkness that’s now giving way to light in the physical world will also be lifted from our souls and be filled with the everlasting LIGHT that’s Jesus, so we can go about His business here on earth.
That brings us to our Bit: ‘He also that received seed among the thorns is he that heareth the word; and the care (cares) of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, choke the word, and he becometh unfruitful.’
Ah mih people, that is so true of many of us today, it’s not funny. We hear the Word, even know the Word, but the lusts of our flesh overrules it way too often. So much so that we become unfruitful, we’re not working successfully for Jesus, our lives and actions are not a testimony to His LOVING-kindness, mercy and forgiveness.
But Friends, it’s very important that our lives bear testimony to Jesus, for as He asks, after foretelling His passion: ‘For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?
For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels: and then he shall reward every man according to his works.’ (Matt.16:26-27)
Oh my brethren, do we want to gain the world and things it has to offer, all of which will eventually be destroyed, and lose our soul in the process? I doubt it very much. Though the things of the world seem bright and flashy and golden and beckon us with great promises, they’re mostly dressed up garbage, stuff adorned with beautiful exteriors, but inside they’re worthless, they have no real substance.
But if we want to save our souls, we need to raise our standards, elevate our level of Christianity, both as individuals and as the body of Christ, the church. Remember yesterday we said that as the individual members go, so does the body, the church. And the only way to change that is by rising up, first as individuals, then as the church, and pursuing true Christian behaviour and habits.
Our motto should be: ‘Excellence in Jesus’ Name!’
But we can’t do that if we’re concentrating too much on the things of the world. For as James so rightly says: ‘Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of (with) the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will (wants to) be a friend of the world is (makes himself) the enemy of God.’ (James 4:4)
And that’s gospel Friends! We definitely can’t be a LOVER of God and of the world at the same time. We therefore have to choose one to follow, and in my humble opinion, following God is the wisest choice.
For as John so wisely advises us: ‘LOVE not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man LOVE the world, the LOVE of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever!’ (1 John 2:15-17)
Ah mih breddren, truer words were never spoken!
Now we’ll end with some info from the scholars on those verses. ‘World for John signifies the evil desire and sin so much a part of human existence. Though all people are tempted differently, according to their individual weaknesses, temptations follow patterns. They appeal to three fundamental areas of life: (1) the lust of the flesh (physical desires); (2) the lust of the eyes (personal desires); and (3) the pride of life (self-interest).
Illustration: When Satan caused the fall of the race, he appealed to each of these areas of weakness (Gen.3:6). He also appealed to them when he tempted Christ (Matt.4:1-11), who defied Satan’s temptations by relying on the authority of the Scriptures.
Application: The Christian today should also depend on the Scriptures to defeat temptation. (First Ref. Gen.3:1-6; Primary Ref. 1 John 2:15-17; cf. Rom.5:12)’
So my people, as I regularly ask us to do, with all that important info at hand, let’s take a few moments to ponder how it all affects us personally nuh. Then let’s sincerely ask the Father to help us make whatever changes are necessary, so that we can come ever closer in line to the plan He has for our lives.
That’s both wisdom and common sense at their zenith! Much LOVE!
…when we covet the things of the world…it turns our hearts away from the things of heaven… and thus of God…
Today’s Scrip-Bit 16 July 2013 Mathew 13:22
16 Jul 2013 Leave a comment
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: a heart for any fate, all knees shall bow, all tongues confess, be not conformed to this world, be up and doing, become unfruitful, believers in Christ, cares of the world, choke the word, Christ's Church, Christian dedication, comfort zone, conduct, deceit, deceitfulness of riches, dramatic days, enthusiasm, faith, fatal attraction, friend of God, friend of the world, glory to Jesus, god the father, henry wadsworth longfellow, humdrum lives, hypocrisy, ignorance, Jesus christ is Lord, LOVE Revolution, lusts, make a difference, passion, precious lives, present thinking, renew your mind, resentment, righteousness., routine, sower of seed, take action, taking risks, talk the talk, things of the world, thorns, trust, unforgiveness, value systems of the world, walk the walk
Today’s Scrip-Bit 15 July 2013 Philippians 1:10
15 Jul 2013 Leave a comment
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: almighty creator, approve excellent things, aura of love, battle hymn, be a person of excellence, discernment, enthusiasm, fruits of righteousness, glorify God, glorious endeavour, glorious kingdom, holy spirit, humble servants, inebriated with joy, interact with unbelievers, invincible, Jesus Christ, jobs, lazy, lies, loving kindness, Monday, Monday Morning, morally pure, my people, overly comfortable, prayer, raise heaven's roof, rejuvenation of spirit, renewed vitality, scared, selfish, sincere, spread the gospel, steadfast faith, sure conquerors, talk the talk, thanksgiving, the day of Christ, too big for our britches, ungodly world, walk the walk, weary souls, wicked taunts, wiles, win souls for Christ, work ethic
Philippians 1:10. That ye may approve things that are excellent; that ye may be sincere and without offense till the day of Christ.
Oh Friends, it’s our favourite day of the week, Monday! And I hear all sorts of complaining, many wondering if I’m mad or just stupid. Hn, hn! No Friends, I’m not any of them…well possibly a little of each, (smile) but not so much that it will affect my credibility.
Now don’t you think that Jesus likes Mondays? He surely does! Because that gives His followers many more opportunities to go out and interact with unbelievers, showing them His philosophy of LOVE through their actions of LOVING-kindness, and also spreading the Good News of the gospel.
So why shouldn’t we like Monday’s too eh? Aren’t we supposed to like whatever Jesus likes? For sure! But we’re just a combination of scared, lazy, selfish, overly comfortable and generally gotten too big for our britches followers. We talk the good talk, but don’t walk the necessary walk.
Anyway my people, it’s Monday and we have to go out and labour if we want to eat, so let’s get over our puny, miserable selves, get up and get ourselves together and go out and win souls for Christ as we ought to.
And to help us in that most glorious endeavour, let’s sing our Monday Morning Battle hymn with plenty gusto and sincerity. All together now, in one, loud, harmonious voice. Let’s raise the roof on heaven!
‘Oh Lord God Almighty, Creator of the universe and all therein! We, your humble servants, praise your Holy Name and thank you that this Monday morning we have jobs to go to; jobs we don’t like, jobs that are unfair, difficult and even dangerous, but which serve a useful purpose here on earth; keeping lives and families together.
We also thank you Father for the renewed vitality and enthusiasm you’ve wrought in our weary souls over the last two days. It’s that rejuvenation of Spirit which allows us now to sally forth with confidence into the evil, ungodly world that surrounds us, to begin a new week of work, constantly buffeted and bombarded by the enemy’s wicked taunts, wiles and lies.
But heavenly Father, we’re not afraid, for we know we’re invincible, sure conquerors, once we’re wearing your powerful, protective spiritual armour. We surrender our all to you, and humbly ask that you let your incredible aura of LOVE, the Holy Spirit, lead and guide all your servants as we go out to meet the enemy in battle.
Fill us with steadfast faith, so that we can make worthwhile inroads into the enemy’s ranks, and thereby further your glorious kingdom. We pray this in the Holy Name of your Son, and our Saviour, Jesus Christ. AMEN!’
Awright mih people! We did indeed raise heaven’s roof! Jesus was singing with us, as He always does, but this time He was also laughing heartily, pointing to the Father and saying: ‘Yuh see Father, them’s my people! They truly believe in me, and will go out and glorify me, so that we can all glorify You! I know there was a good reason why I sacrificed my life for them!’
The Father just smiles indulgently, looks at Jesus, who’s inebriated with joy that His people were putting on such a good show, and says: ‘Thank You Son! I know it was a bit much to ask, but I surely didn’t want to lose any of them, especially to that fallen fool Lucifer.’
And Jesus, positively gushing with enthusiasm and confidence, assures Him. ‘Don’t worry Father, my people, my body, my church, in conjunction with the Holy Spirit, won’t let us down. You won’t loose one single one to that foolish fool Beelzebub. My people will help us to reconcile them all to You. I solemnly promise.’
Now yuh hear that mih breddren! Jesus promised the Father that we’ll take care of business down here with the Holy Spirit’s help, and we certainly cannot disappoint Him, after all He’s sacrificed for us! So this Monday morning, let’s raise the level of our LOVE, passion for, and faith in Jesus and just go out and do our best to make that promise come true nuh.
Remember our two basic jobs on earth are to spread the gospel and glorify God, neither of which we’re currently doing to the best of our ability. And if you want to work for Jesus, you have to display a wonderful work ethic, because He only deals in excellence, not no wishy-washy, compromising, any old how behaviour like our world currently seems to favour.
Now I have to go and find a Bit that encompasses all that. (smile) But no worries. Soon come!
I’m back people! It took me a little longer than I expected, about fifteen minutes, but that’s because I had a few options to consider. However, once I saw this scripture, I felt that would be the one. But we’ll start with the verse before it, and continue with the one after it, to keep everything in the proper context.
This is Bruh Paul talking to the Philippians about thanksgiving and prayer. ‘And this I pray, that your LOVE may abound yet more in knowledge and in all judgement (discernment); That ye may approve things that are excellent; that ye may be sincere and without offense till the day of Christ; Being filled with the fruits of righteousness, which are by Jesus Christ, unto the glory and praise of God.’ (Phil.1:9-11)
Yes Friends, we need to try our best to be excellent in all things. Remember we saw this verse recently, when talking about ‘Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform (complete) it until the day of Jesus.’ (Phil/1:6)
That’s when the scholars explained that ‘Things that are excellent means “things that really matter.” This refers to important issues. As the Philippians LOVE increases in knowledge and discernment (vs.9), they will be able to accurately distinguish the vital and worthwhile things in life from those that are not.’
The Philippians are worried about Bruh Paul’s imprisonment, but he wants them to realize that his imprisonment was important, serving a useful purpose in God’s plans, causing him to spread the gospel to those around him, and thus working everything out for good as He’d promised. (Rom.8:28)
Bruh Paul wants the Philippians to be sincere, morally pure in their daily dealings, thus bearing fruits of righteousness that will glorify God. Oh my people, the very same thing applies to us today!
And though we’ve heard the scholars take on (vs.11) before, we can definitely stand to hear it again. ‘This verse could be translated, “Filled with the fruit that is righteousness, which comes through Jesus Christ for the purpose of glorifying and praising God.” The believer who is pure and without offense before God (v.10) has divinely developed in him a practical “righteousness” or daily moral life that measures up to God’s standards in character and conduct. The ultimate purpose for this “righteousness” is to glorify God.’
And that’s gospel Friends! So let’s go out and do our bounden duty nuh! We have all the tools we need, plus the expert help of the Holy Spirit, so what are we waiting for eh? Please get a move on, for we just cannot disappoint Jesus. Much LOVE!
…our God doesn’t deal in halfway or half-hearted measures…it’s simply…all…or nothing at all…
Today’s Scrip-Bit 14 July 2013 Psalm 94:11
14 Jul 2013 Leave a comment
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: 787 Boeing plane, Adam and Eve, amazing fruit, Bastille Day, brow beaten man, Christ, disasters, don't glory in man, Dreamliner, fall from grace, feudalism, foolishness with God, forgiveness, futile thoughts, Garden of Eden, God sees all sins, heavenly nectar, heavenly smell, julie mango, Lucifer, man's thoughts are vain, master deceiver, omnipotent god, omniscient God, psalm 94, repent, rocky road to hell, sovereign God, spirituality, superior to God, sweet aroma, technology, the wisdom of this world, thoughts of man
Psalm 94:11. The Lord knoweth the thoughts of man, that they are vanity.
Oh Friends, yesterday I couldn’t come up with a preamble of my own, today though I have one. (smile) And this first part presents a rather interesting theory. A few days ago, I was on my back deck eating a julie mango, when it suddenly dawned on me that the fruit tree in the middle of the Garden of Eden, the one Adam and Eve were not supposed to eat from, was indeed a julie mango tree! Selah.
Yeh people, think on that for a moment nuh. The julie I had was big and firm, with a golden brown and pinkish skin. And when I passed it below my nose… oh such a tantalizing odour wafted off from it.
Now just imagine that ole crook, the master deceiver, Lucifer showing such a beautiful looking julie, to Eve, then passing it under her nostrils. And when she inhaled that sweet aroma, she must have considered it a heavenly smell.
And don’t talk about when he peeled back that golden skin and showed her the luscious yellow flesh inside, with some of the heavenly nectar already running down his hand …poor Eve, she was totally captivated by the amazing fruit! So how could she refuse it eh?
And now you know! It was a julie mango that caused sin to come into the world! God made it so beautiful, luscious and sweet tasting that Eve just could not resist the temptation to try it. And when she handed it to Adam, brow beaten man that he already was, how could he say no to her eh? (smile)
Oh Friends, I guess by now you’ve realized that a julie mango is my favourite fruit, and as far as I’m concerned, the best fruit God ever made! Matter finish! No arguments! Yes mih breddren, when you get a really nice julie mango, there’s no nicer fruit in the world!
However, on a serious note, what’s happening to our world eh? We’re supposed to be at the height of our technological prowess, but everyday we’re hearing of and seeing more disasters, disasters that we can’t seem to figure out and/or understand how they happened.
Check out the train en route from Paris to some other part of France on Friday evening, with over three hundred unaware souls on board, many to join friends and family for summer vacation and to celebrate France’s big day, Bastille Day.
It’s celebrated on July 14, commemorating the end of feudalism in France, when the people of Paris in July 1789, stormed the Bastille, the prison-like fortress that was used to hold citizens, political and otherwise, unlawfully.
Twenty minutes out of Paris, some of the cars just seemed to derail without any observable cause, creating total havoc and utter chaos, with numerous injuries, loss of life and millions of dollars in damages.
Then the 787 Boeing plane, the Dreamliner, the latest one on the market, while sitting idle on a back part of Heathrow Airport in London, England, suddenly catches fire. Hn! The same type of plane that’s been causing problems since it recently went into service.
The technology nowadays seems to me more exotic than reliable, cheap too. And in spite of all of the computer assisted, design, build and quality control features, we seem to be falling behind, rather than moving ahead. Just look at the millions of vehicles being recalled every year over the last decade or so! I don’t remember there being so many recalls, when men had a bigger hand in building them.
Anyway Friends, I don’t have answers to all the questions in the preamble, it’s just food for thought. But when we turn to our Bit, now that’s an entirely different story. ‘The Lord knoweth the thoughts of man, that they are vanity (futile).’
That my brethren, is the epitome of truth! And it relates to both side of the equation; that the Lord knows man’s thoughts, and also that those thoughts are vain and utterly futile.
But sadly, on both counts, man seems to think otherwise. And that’s one of the major reasons why our world is in such shambles and getting worse every day. We’re hurtling down the rocky road to hell because mankind thinks he’s so big and bright and wonderful.
With all his technological skill and knowledge, he now considers himself superior to God, and thus no longer has any use for Him, so he’s doing his utmost best to remove God from our lives. And unfortunately he’s succeeding, because we, the supposed believers are not putting up a big enough fight.
But Friends, listen to this passage of scripture, when Job’s supposed friend, Zophar, reproves him, because he believes that Job’s committed some dreadful sin, thus his sudden fall from grace.
He asks: ‘Canst thou by searching find out God (search out the deep things of God)? Canst thou find out the Almighty unto perfection? It is as high as heaven; what canst thou do? deeper than hell; what canst thou know?
The measure thereof is longer than the earth, and broader than the sea. If he cut off (passes by), and shut up (imprisons), or gather together, then who can hinder (restrain) him? For he knoweth vain (deceitful) men: he seeth wickedness also; will he not then consider it?
For vain (empty headed) man would be wise, though man be born like a wild ass’s colt (when a wild donkey’s colt is born a man). If thou prepare thine heart, and stretch out thine hands toward him.’ (Job 11:7-13)
Yes my people, mankind cannot fathom the moves of our omnipotent God, because our minds are so small and finite, neither can we stop Him once He chooses a certain pathway, though we certainly try.
Instead though, man who is born with the mentality much like a wild ass in comparison to God, ought to sit up and take notice and repent and reach out to Him for forgiveness, because the sovereign, omniscient God sees all our sins.
Friends, God made us and thus knows everything about us. It’s just like when we make something, we tend to know everything about it. Now listen to Bruh Paul on the subject to the church at Corinth, re men being God’s temple.
‘Let no man deceive himself. If any man among you seemeth to be wise in this world (age), let him become a fool, that he may be wise. For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is written, He taketh the wise in their own craftiness. And again, The Lord knoweth the thoughts of the wise, that they are vain (futile).
Therefore let no man glory in men. For all things are yours. Whether Paul, or Apollos, or Cephas, or the world, or life, or death, or things present, or things to come; all are your; and ye are Christ’s; and Christ is God’s.’ (1 Cor.3:18-23)
And we’ll let those words of absolute wisdom take us home today my people. Please, let’s read and inwardly digest them, and ponder them seriously, to ensure that we’re not caught up in the common and very prevalent trap of thinking that we’re oh so wise, when we’re really, oh so foolish. Now that’s the height of wisdom. Much LOVE!
…to him who thinks he’s something great…when he’s not…God will eventually set him straight…though not necessarily in the nicest of ways…
Today’s Scrip-Bit 13 July 2013 Psalm 92:8
13 Jul 2013 Leave a comment
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: attributes, Beelzebub, blessings, cedars of Lebanon, contrite heart, disaster-prone times, dismay, evil works, evil world, faith, faithfulness, forgiveness, give thanks, God is everlasting, grace, how have the mighty fallen, humble spirit, idolatry, jehovah god, joy, living truth, LOVE, loving kindness, Lucifer, merciy, modus operandi, Old Testament, palm trees, prince of darkness, psalm 92, shame, sing praises unto God, the righteous will flourish, triumph, trust, understanding, ungodly world, wicked shall be destroyed, works of thy hands
Psalm 92:8. But thou, Lord, art most high for evermore.
Oh Friends, I don’t know how to begin today’s Bit nuh. I don’t have any bright ideas or smart-aleck stuff to impart, to preamble with. And I know that some of you are wondering if it’s possible that I don’t have anything to say. But unfortunately these things do happen occasionally even to the best and brightest of us. (smile)
Today’s Scrip-Bit 12 July 2013 Psalm 92:8
12 Jul 2013 Leave a comment
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: Alpha and Omega, anointed, blessings, body soul and mind, cedar of Lebanon, chinks in our armour, christianity, courts of God, Creator of the universe, enemies, faith, fellowship, First and the Last, forgiveness, Friday chant, fun, generous help, glorify, glorious kingdom, God of Abraham Isaac and Jacob, iniquity workers, Jehovah-Jireh, Jesus, Lucifer, mercy, Most High, no accounting for taste buds, old age, only true God, palm tree, prince of darkness, psalm 92, race of life, refreshed, relaxation, religion, renewed, rest, salvation, setting our sights on heaven, smart money, surrender to Christ, sweet jesus, Thank God it's Friday, thanks and praise, the righteous shall flourish, the wicked, trust, truth, weekend, wisdom
Psalm 92:8. But thou, Lord, art most high for evermore.
Today’s Scrip-Bit 11 July 2013 Psalm 90:14
11 Jul 2013 Leave a comment
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: a friend in Jesus, a-whoring, anger, believe in Jesus, benefits, bless the Lord, blessings, busyness, disasters, disbelief, do God's will, everything to God in prayer, evil ways, faith, faithful promise, fear, forgiveness, gladness, God's LOVING-kindness, hard times, healing, human failings, maturity, mental and emotional radar, needless pain, negative stuff, new blessings, obey God, Old Testament, one true God, petition God, petty differences, positive stuff, praise, pride, privilege to carry, prosperity, rejoice and be glad, salvation, satisfy us with mercy, sins and griefs to bear, something for nothing, souls of humans, summer, thanksgiving, the Good Book, true believer, truth, turn away from God, unified body of Christ, walk in God's ways, wisdom, worship
Psalm 90:14. O satisfy us early with thy mercy; that we may rejoice and be glad all our days.
Aye Friends, how are we this summer Thursday morning in July eh?
Hn! Summer! Steups! Believe me it feels more like spring or fall in my neck of the woods. And I can say that because around 4 a.m I went for a walk to clear my mind – and I sure got it cleared in a hurry by the brisk wind and rather cool temperature. I even had to shorten my intended walk, because it must have been in the mid teens.
But none of that really matters nuh Friends, when we’re all being chased down and pursued this morning by numerous new blessings and God’s LOVING-kindness, as so faithfully promised by the Good Book!
And I surely hope that they will soon catch up to us and overwhelm us with positive stuff. So much so that the negative stuff won’t even show up on the screens of our mental and emotional radar.
Oh I know it seems a lot to hope for, but that’s where out faith and level of maturity in Jesus come in. The Lord’s promised those things to those who believe on His Son, so it’s up to us receive them by faith now, if we truly believe.
And I want to share the first verse of an old but still popular hymn that will help us to do just that. ‘What a friend we have in Jesus. All our sins and griefs to bear. What a privilege to carry, Everything to God in prayer! O, what peace we often forfeit. O, what needless pain we bear, All because we do not carry, Everything to God in prayer.’
Now my people, that’s one of our major failings today. For one reason or another, we don’t take our problems to God in prayer, although He begs us to do so. I don’t know if it’s pride, the stupid and false kind, fear, busyness, disbelief, or some combination of them all, but that’s definitely not a wise move on our part.
I’m therefore imploring us, starting today, RIGHT NOW, to take EVERYTHING to the Lord in prayer – and BEFORE you take it anywhere else too, because that’s the wisdom of a true believer in Christ!
And now that I’ve said my piece, (smile) let’s turn to out Bit: ‘O satisfy us early with thy mercy; that we may rejoice and be glad all our days.’
And doesn’t our Bit jibe ever so well with what we were saying before – turning to God in prayer?
Moses, the author of Psalm 90, knew that only the Lord God Jehovah could grant true mercy and bring gladness to the souls of humans. But before we can get that gladness and mercy, we have to do our part, that’s walk in His ways and do His will.
Though our God is merciful and bounteous, there’s no getting some thing for nothing, although that’s the prevalent approach in our current society. Getting much more of whatever the world offers, than we’re willing to give, is a motto that too many of us live by.
Unfortunately though Friends, our God doesn’t operate like that. We have to walk in faith, with praise, worship and thanksgiving, otherwise our blessings will dry up. And you can see that already happening from the sad state that our world’s currently in. Blessings are indeed drying up, but disasters are multiplying, because of our turning away from God.
And as we said yesterday, Moses wasn’t the only one who recognized our human failings and petitioned God for mercy. In Psalm 85, God has removed his anger from Israel, the sons of Korah say it thus: ‘Turn (restore) us, O God of our salvation, and cause thine anger towards us to cease.
Wilt thou be angry with us for ever? Wilt thou draw out (prolong) thine anger to all generations? Wilt thou not revive us again: that thy people will rejoice in thee? Show us thy mercy, O Lord, and grant us thy salvation.’ (Ps.85:4-7)
Yes my brethren, we need to come to God with petitions like that, but we also have to change our evil ways, if we expect the Lord to hear us and grant our petitions. Until we do that, all the petitions in the world won’t make any difference.
You’ll notice throughout the Old Testament that whenever Israel obeyed God, they prospered, but whenever they went a-whoring after other gods, they fell on extremely hard times. Well that’s exactly what’s happening to us today Friends, and we’ll only return to prosperity when we return to truly worshipping the ONE TRUE GOD, He of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob!
And here are some appropriate ending words from Bruh David on the subject, taken from Psalm 103, Thanksgiving for God’s mercy. ‘Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits: Who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases; Who redeemeth thy life from destruction; who crowneth thee with LOVING-kindness and tender mercies;
Who satisfieth thy mouth with good things; so that thy youth is renewed like the eagle’s… Bless ye the Lord, all ye his hosts; ye ministers (servants) of his, that do his pleasure. Bless the Lord, all his works in all places of his dominion: bless the Lord, O my soul.’ (Ps.103:2-5, 21-22)
Oh my fellow believers, those are words of absolute and eternal truth! But we need to get ourselves together as one, unified body in Christ to make them come true. Fighting each other over petty differences and being more interested in the things of the world more than those of heaven will get us absolutely nowhere.
And we can only get together by truly pursuing LOVE for God and LOVE for each other as Jesus told us to do. So do we really want mercy and gladness all our days?
Well then, let’s do the things that will bring them to pass nuh! Let’s truly live for Jesus, do what He desires of us! Otherwise we’ll just keep on falling, going downhill, until we end up in Hades. And I’m sure we don’t want that. Much LOVE!
…he who has ears to hear…let him hear…for the price of disobedience…is awfully high…
Today’s Scrip-Bit 10 July 2013 Psalm 90:14
10 Jul 2013 Leave a comment
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: atonement, be glad all our days, common sense, compassion, evil, flood waters, fountain of lfe, from everlasting to everlasting, God is good, God's mercy, good times, goodness and mercy, height of wisdom, iniquities, light, LOVE of God, LOVE Revolution, magnanimous god, negativity, omnipotent god, one more chance, petitions, prayer, psalm 90, river of pleasures, shadow of God's wings, some semblance of normalcy, steadfast in God's LOVE, strife, the Promised Land, transgressions, trigger finger surgery, ungodly, walk worthy of God, wandering in the wilderness, we may rejoice, wonderful god
Psalm 90:14. O satisfy us early with thy mercy; that we may rejoice and be glad all our days.
And then it was Wednesday Friends, hopefully a day of very little or no rain, so that the earth and all other things can dry out and return to some semblance of normalcy. Thankfully the rain wasn’t too bad yesterday, mostly drizzle and dark, cloudy skies, giving the flood waters some time to drain off.
But hear this interesting scenario nuh. Yesterday morning, after writing the Bit, I got myself together and went down to the hospital to have the stitches removed from my trigger finger surgery. I got there around nine thirty, traffic being stop and go most of the way.
But lo and behold, when I entered the appropriate section of the hospital, the waiting room was empty, that’s highly unusual, and the place looked a little dark and foreboding. The truth of the tale though is that the hospital had no power, just a little emergency lighting. There were no doctors or support staff, just a few nurses.
So see me there getting antsy, figuring that I had put myself out to travel all that distance in bad traffic to boot, then not have the stitches removed. But Friends, please remember that our God is a good and wonderful God, and He’ll never leave you in the lurch.
The nurses eventually took pity on me and carried me to a room with a big plate glass window, that provided enough light shining from the outside, so that they could see to remove the stitches. I obviously thanked them a great deal, and fifteen minutes after I arrived, I was winging my way back home.
Ah Lord eh Friends, when it’s not one thing in this life, it’s always another! But when we remain steadfast in God’s LOVE, He always finds a profitable way out for us.
And who knew this better than Moses, who wrote Psalm 90,’ From everlasting to everlasting thou art God,’ from which our Bit is taken: ‘O satisfy us early with thy mercy; that we may rejoice and be glad all our days.’
Yes my people, we certainly do need God’s mercy, if we’re to have true gladness and joy here on earth. Before we get into the Bit though, here’s some valuable info from the scholars on the origin and purpose of Psalm 90.
‘This psalm is the only one written by Moses and thus the oldest in the Psalter. From verses 7-12 we may judge that it was written at the end of the 38 years of wandering in the wilderness. It is a prayer for the new generation of Israelites who will enter the Promised Land.’
I guess Moses was on the verge of dying, and knowing his people’s penchant for turning away from God, he aspired to leave them something to keep them focused.
Now about our Bit. It’s a verse of the last part of the psalm, where Moses petitions God to give the Israelites one more chance to do His work; that is going in and capturing the Promised Land.
He begins the petition thus: ‘Who knoweth the power of thine anger? Even according to thy fear, so is thy wrath. So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom (gain a heart of wisdom). Return, O Lord, how long? And let it repent thee concerning (have compassion on) thy servants.’ (Ps.90:11-13)
Yes my people, today, more than ever, we need to get wisdom and understanding, since our world has become unbelievably evil and ungodly. And if we’re ever to enjoy some good times here on earth, we also need the Lord’s mercy and compassion like never before, with all the strife and negative stuff that currently surrounds us.
And Moses wasn’t the only one to recognize the great need of God’s mercy and compassion for the people. Bruh David for one, declared it on several occasions. Hear him in Psalm 36, ‘The steadfast LOVE of God.’
‘How excellent (precious) is thy LOVING-kindness, O God! Therefore the children of men put their trust under the shadow of thy wings. They shall be abundantly satisfied with the fatness (fullness) of thy house; and thou shalt make them drink of the river of pleasures. For with thee is the fountain of life: in thy light shall we see light.’ (Ps.36:7-9)
Oh my brethren, truer words were never spoken! That’s a most excellent description of our omnipotent and magnanimous God!
And we’ll end with these words of Bruh David from Psalm 65, ‘God is powerful in nature,’ because I’m being very mindful of the length of the Bit today. (smile)
Here, he again confidently declares: ‘O thou that hearest prayer, unto thee shall all flesh come. Iniquities prevail against me: as for our transgressions, thou shalt purge them away (provide atonement). Blessed is the man whom thou choosest, and causest to approach unto thee, that he may dwell in thy courts: we shall be satisfied with the goodness of thy house, even of thy holy temple.’ (Ps.65:2-4)
Yes my brethren, all the goodness and mercy in our lives depend solely on the bountifulness and the magnanimity of the Lord God Jehovah! As we keep His Word and do His Will, so shall we experience His mercy and LOVING-kindness. No wonder our world is in such sad shape.
So today, I implore us to renew our efforts to walk worthy of our Creator and heavenly Father, so that we may once again be blessed and satisfied with His mercy, and thus rejoice and be glad during the rest of our days.
That my Friends, is not only the height of wisdom, but pure and unadulterated common sense, neither of which seem to be very prevalent in our world today, hence its continual degradation.
But as true believers, we’ve been given the task and all the tools to turn it all around. So let’s get to it nuh, let’s get some godly action going, action that enhances and enables the LOVE Revolution of Jesus! Much LOVE!
…without God deeply involved in man’s life…his days will always be unfruitful…as he’ll be always encamped in the wilderness of life…
Today’s Scrip-Bit 8 July 2013 Matthew 25:35-36
08 Jul 2013 Leave a comment
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: affliction, apocalypse, apocalyptic vision, aura of love, confidence, debts, do good, evil world, faith, fire and brimstone, floods, food, holy spirit, humble servants, hungry, invincible, islamist militants, Jesus Christ, Jesus' holy blood, jobs, lies, mighty wings of LOVE, Monday Battle Hymn, Monday Morning, naked, Nigerian school burnt, oppression, orphans, plane crash, prayer, prison, province of quebec, pure religion, recent disasters, rejuvenation of spirit, renewed vitality and enthusiasm, runaway freight train, sick, steadfast faith, stranger, sure conquerors, the most powerful force, the sinful soul, train derailment, ungodly world, violence, wicked taunts, widows, wiles, works
Matthew 25:35-36. For I was an hungered, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in: Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me.
Oh Friends, it’s Monday! And I know some of you are complaining, wondering what I’m so enthusiastic about, when you had a hard weekend of partying, and now you have to get up and go to work, when you don’t really feel up to it. But my people, see if you’d prefer to be in these situations that occurred last week and over the weekend.
We know that Calgary and High River and other parts of the Western Province of Alberta were flooded out, with loss of lives and millions of dollars of property damage. The same thing happened in Northern India. Then, over the weekend a runaway freight train, supposed properly parked on a hill in the Province of Quebec, somehow got loose and rolled through the tourist town of Lac-Megantic.
Just imagine nuh, a freight train with seventy something tankers of volatile crude oil on the loose, derailing in the middle of town and bursting into flames in the late night, early morning hours. One eyewitness said, “It was like an apocalyptic vision.’ And you know what the apocalypse is supposed to be like; pure fire and brimstone.
That’s not all either, for on the weekend a big passenger plane crash landed in San Francisco’s airport, killing many, with the plane catching fire after it landed. Luckily some people were able to get out through the emergency chutes before it went up in flames.
And then there’s the Islamist militants setting fire to a boarding school in Nigeria, killing around thirty innocent children. All in the name of Allah. Ah Lord eh! The things we claim to do in God’s name.
Now Friends, would you prefer to be involved in anyone of those disasters, or would you much prefer to get up from your comfortable bed and go to work, even though you don’t feel so hot? You don’t need to tell me the answer, because I already know it. So just offer the Lord some heartfelt thanks for your fairly safe situation, then get up and let us sing our Monday Morning Battle Hymn with a loud voice and much enthusiasm, ever thankful that we’re alive without such disastrous problems.
All together now: ‘Oh Lord God Almighty, Creator of the universe and all therein! We, your humble servants, praise your Holy Name and thank you that this Monday morning we have jobs to go to; jobs we don’t like, jobs that are unfair, difficult and even dangerous, but which serve a useful purpose here on earth; keeping lives and families together.
We also thank you Father for the renewed vitality and enthusiasm you’ve wrought in our weary souls over the last two days. It’s that rejuvenation of Spirit which allows us now to sally forth with confidence into the evil, ungodly world that surrounds us, to begin a new week of work, constantly buffeted and bombarded by the enemy’s wicked taunts, wiles and lies.
But heavenly Father, we’re not afraid, for we know we’re invincible, sure conquerors, once we’re wearing your powerful, protective spiritual armour. We surrender our all to you, and humbly ask that you let your incredible aura of LOVE, the Holy Spirit, lead and guide all your servants as we go out to meet the enemy in battle. Fill us with steadfast faith, so that we can make worthwhile inroads into the enemy’s ranks, and thereby further your glorious kingdom. We pray this in the Holy Name of your Son, and our Saviour, Jesus Christ. AMEN!’
So now that we’re fully awake, let’s get a move on, out into the ungodly world and fight a good fight for Jesus, and praying for those people involved in those disasters we spoke about above. We might not be able to help them physically or monetarily, but we can certainly help them spiritually, with prayer, the most powerful force in the universe.
Now let’s see what our Bit has to offer. ‘For I was an hungered (hungry), and ye gave me meat (food): I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in: Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me.’
Sorry Friends, but yesterday Isaiah took up all our time and space. Today though I want to quickly point out some other scriptures that deal with our Bit. First up is Ezekiel, chapter 18, where he talks about the soul that sinneth dies, and tells us what the Lord requires of us. ‘And hath not oppressed any, but hath restored to the debtor his pledge, hath spoiled none by violence (robbed), hath given his bread to the hungry, and hath covered the naked with a garment.’ (Ezek.18:7)
Oh my brethren it would do us well to read all of Ezekiel chapter 18, so that we can get the full import of God’s desires. Now listen to James on the subject. ‘Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, to visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.’ (James 1:27)
And more James: ‘What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? can faith save him? If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food, and one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled; notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body, what doth it profit? Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone.’ (James 2:14-17)
And that’s gospel truth my brethren! We can have all the saving faith in the world, but if we don’t help anybody in need, our faith is basically useless. Yes, we will still get into heaven, because we believe in Jesus, but our rewards will be next to nothing, because we have not done any Jesus-like acts to earn them.
Anyway Friends, I think we’ll end here, because time and space is running out, and I have to keep in mind our short attention spans and our oh so busy schedules. (smile) But the Lord in favour, we’ll continue with this topic tomorrow, because I believe it’s very important that we get the message; that it’s not about us and our talking faith, but our faith in action in helping others.
Till tomorrow then, may the Lord bless and keep us safely under His mighty wings of LOVE, and may He cause His peace that exceeds all understanding to flow through our hearts, as we go about our daily deeds, praising and glorifying His Holy Name. I pray this on the holy and innocent blood of Jesus shed on our behalf at Calvary. Much LOVE!
…to be a true follower of Jesus…we must pattern ourselves after Him…that means going about doing good…just as He did…
