Today’s Scrip-Bit   15 September 2022 Matthew 12:25.

15 Sep 2022 Leave a comment

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

Matthew 12:25.       Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and every city or house divided against itself shall not stand.

Oh friends, these last few days of September summer have been ever so glorious, beautiful sunshine with warm, shirtsleeve temps. You know we have a habit of cursing September, believing that as soon as Labour Day passes the cold spell sets in. But it hasn’t been that way this year at all. The temperature has dropped some during the night hours, but still at comfortable levels that I can leave my bedroom window open. 

Anyway, since we don’t know how much longer this good spell of weather will last, please, let’s enjoy it, make the most of it, give much thanks, especially when others are experiencing either violent floods or terrible drought. And for those unfortunate ones living in those areas, if we cannot offer physical or monetary aid, then we ought to at least offer up prayers for their welfare in their time of calamity. Remember the Good Book tells us that ‘The effectual (effective) prayer of a righteous man availeth much.’ (James 5:16) And since we consider ourselves saints of God, children of God, then we must be righteous, and our prayers very effective. 

Ah mih people, with the surprising increase in communication technology, our world has now become more like a global village than ever. That means we have to take more notice of each other, our pains and our tears, and do much more to help one another. The small-minded, insular attitudes we have, or had when there wasn’t as much easy communication, now has to change. We need to adopt a bigger, or global vision, especially for Christ’s church, which is supposed to be one of the biggest movers and shakers all over God’s world. 

But unfortunately, we are not living up to that designation. We are still mostly concerned about, and concentrating on our own li’l insular space. But Christ desires a worldwide ministry, one of togetherness and unity, not the divided and dissension filled church that now passes for His ministry. Remember Jesus words: ‘Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and every city or house divided against itself shall not stand.’ (Matt. 12:25) 

And since Jesus only spoke truth, it’s obvious that if His church is now more divided and dysfunctional than ever, it either won’t stand for long, or will not be very useful in doing His work of spreading the gospel to all ends of the earth and bringing the lost and enslaved to His welcoming kingdom. I don’t believe that there’s ever been a time like right now, when Christ’s church needs to get together more than ever. 

Unfortunately though, every day we see more drifting apart, with new denominations and sub-denominations, cults and other cliques being formed. That obviously is not good for Christ’s ministry, since it means that supposed believers cannot agree on the important aspects of their faith. But please, please, let’s remember Bruh Paul’s words to the Ephesians when he wrote to them about the unity of all believers, both Jewish and Gentile. 

‘But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes (since) were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ. For he (himself) is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition (division) between us. Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances: for to make (create) in himself of twain (the two) one new man, so making peace. And that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having slain (put to death) the enmity thereby.’ (Eph. 2:13-16) 

And the long and short of all that my brethren is that Jesus by His death on the cross, unified the Jewish and Gentile believers under one banner, the Christian Church, removing the enmity, or the middle partition that the Mosaic law the Jews wrongly felt gave them superiority over the Gentiles. So, if the enmity between Jews and Gentiles has now been dispelled, and unity achieved in one common church of Christ, then why are Gentiles splitting up like crazy eh? 

Oh my fellow believers, we all know that division and/or dissension never accomplish a common purpose, which Christ’s church is supposed to have, so it’s time to stop the childish, selfish, power-seeking behaviour that’s rampant in the church right now. Time to stop the bleeding my brethren, because that same divisiveness and infighting is driving many possible believers away from Christ instead of toward Him. The simple fact of the matter is that nothing survives if it keeps on dividing and becoming smaller and less important. 

And with the myriad of problems currently engulfing our world, the one constant body throughout it all ought to be Christ’s church! That’s why He founded it! It ought to be a place of help and refuge for the lost and dispossessed, where food and succour can be found regardless of race, colour and creed. A place to provide peace and salvation when the physical wants of the body have been satisfied. But is that what the church is about these days? I don’t think so nuh…or at least not to the extent that it ought to be. 

And it’s because we are falling down in our basic responsibilities that people are not turning to Christ and His church as much as they should. There’s not enough confidence in what we’re doing, in the examples we’re setting, to draw people to Christ. And the only way that will ever change is when we believers start uniting instead of dividing, and truly start living for one and only one purpose, the glory and manifestation of Christ Jesus. And for those of us who are sincerely trying to do that, the Lord has bestowed upon us tools to accomplish His purpose. We call them our Thursday Blessings, and we activate them by declaring (oh no!!!) them out loud. 

So as one strong, sincere and confident voice. ‘I declare that I am blessed with God’s supernatural wisdom and receive clear direction for my life! I declare today that I am blessed with creativity, courage, talent and abundance! I am blessed with a strong will, self-control and self-discipline! I am blessed with a great family, good friends, good health, faith, favour and fulfillment! I am blessed with success, supernatural strength, promotion and divine protection! I am blessed with a compassionate heart and a positive outlook on life! I declare that any curse or negative word that’s ever been spoken over me is broken right now in the name of Jesus! I declare that everything I put my hands to, will prosper and succeed! I declare it today and every day! Amen!’ 

And now that we have activated those blessings, let’s go out and use them to bring others to Christ nuh, like we ought to. Much LOVE!

…united, we stand…divided, we fall…it’s as simple as that… 

Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZJ8​        

Today’s Scrip-Bit   14 September 2022 John 10:11.

14 Sep 2022 Leave a comment

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

John 10:11.       I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.

So friends, another day has dawned, one we call Wednesday, and we’re still around – no mention of us in the obits – and for that we give much thanks and praise! That’s why we are just bursting with vim and vigour to do the Lord’s work in an excellent and diligently manner, so that His name can be exalted and glorified in all the earth! And all God’s children said a loud and grateful: ‘Praise the Lord for His goodness and mercy to the unworthy children of men! Amen!’ 

Yes friends, we’re not worthy, do not deserve the Lord’s blessings and LOVING-kindness, but He gives it to us anyway, because He LOVES us. He created us for communion and fellowship with Him, and though, down through the ages, we’ve turned away from him, been disobedient and prideful, He still LOVES us with a passion that can never be replicated, and desires that we all come home to Him, so that we can spend eternity in His amazing presence. 

Oh, I know that the idea of God’s unconditional and undying LOVE for us His disobedient and unfaithful children can sound like a fairy tale, but it’s the gospel truth. Our God has no choice but to LOVE us since His greatest attribute is LOVE! And it’s not just a talk of LOVE like so many of us do, but He’s shown that awesome LOVE by actually sending His Son Jesus Christ in the flesh, as a man, like other men, to die on the cross of Calvary so that our sins could be forgiven, and we could be reconciled back to His LOVING arms and tender mercies. 

Now why wouldn’t we accept such amazing kindness eh? I really don’t know. Perhaps, because we’re just foolish, selfish, prideful and filled with a false sense of our own importance. But please understand that whatever is keeping us away from accepting Almighty God as our heavenly Father and His awesome Son, Jesus, as our Lord and Saviour, consists of nothing but terrible lies and diabolical deceit. And if you knew and understood these true and faithful words of Jesus, the whole situation would suddenly become clear to you. 

Listen as He explains. ‘Verily, verily, I say unto you, I am the door of the sheep. All that ever came before me are thieves and robbers: but the sheep did not hear them. I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and he shall go in and out, and find pasture. The thief cometh not, but for to (except to) steal, and 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 10:7-11) 

And that’s exactly what He did friends; sacrificed His sinless life, bore all the weight of our sins on His shoulders, so that we could be imbued with His righteousness! Now, does an ordinary or not caring man do something as radical and emotional as that? Obviously not! There has to be a very good reason for such unselfish and redeeming behaviour. 

And Jesus’ reason was to open the door to his sheepcote so that sinners like you and I could enter in and find life, life abundant and eternal, protection and good pasture on which to feed and grow in all goodness and honour to the glory of God the Father, who was the originator of the whole process, because of His great LOVE and compassion for us, not wanting to lose even one creation to the enemy. 

Wow! It all comes right back, full circle to the Father’s unexplainable grace and mercy towards us, His sinful, disobedient children. And if you’re a parent, you ought to understand that apparent contradiction, because ofttimes our children go astray, their decisions and behaviour anger and disappoint us, but we don’t throw them away, simply put them out – at least not the first few times. (smile) We make an effort to turn them around to the right way of thinking and behaving, so that they don’t get into deeper waters, into greater trouble. 

Now that’s exactly what our heavenly Father is trying to do; keep us away from the lies and deceits of Satan, who doesn’t LOVE us one iota, but only wants to get our souls for revenge against God, for kicking him out of heaven when he foolishly tried to overthrow Him. How foolish can one be eh? How can the created overthrow the Creator eh? But you know what, we’ve listened to so many of Satan’s lies that we now believe like he did, that it’s possible to remove Almighty God, the Creator of the universe and all therein, from His creation! What fallacy, what foolishness! 

My fellow believers, if we believe those fairy tales, then just like Satan we will suffer the ignominy, the humiliation and great disappointment of never entering the pearly gates of heaven, but being entrapped forever in the ungodly fires of hell, with his satanic majesty, suffering whatever retribution he suffers. 

And what’s truly wonderful about our great God is that He never puts us out or turns us away even when we are going down into the sorry pits of hellfire and damnation! No! Instead, that’s when He makes His most valiant effort to take us up out of the deadly mire in which Satan has us engulfed. As the true saying goes: ‘when we are at our lowest, that’s when God is at His best!’ Glory be my people! 

And just to show how sincere and desperate the Lord is for sinners to come back to Him, listen to this synopsis of three parable Jesus told when the Pharisees criticized Him for eating with sinners. Those were the lost sheep, the lost coin and the lost son. In each case, He said the owners of that which was lost left the rest of what they had; sheep, coins and sons, and went searching diligently, high and low until they found what was missing. And they rejoiced greatly with their neighbours over the finding of what and who were lost. (Luke 15:1-32) 

Mama oh Mama! And here’s the great reason behind those parables, as Jesus explains: ‘I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine just (upright) persons, which need no repentance.’ (Luke 15:7) Remember Jesus came to save the lost, the sick, those in bondage to sin, to bring light to those living in darkness, not for the upright who need no saving. That means the Lord is on our side, and He’s done and still doing His best to bring us onside, but He won’t do it against our will. That’s why He gave us free will, so we could make the choice between life and death. 

And for those of us who have already chosen life, let’s go home declaring…chuh man!!! I spelt it right in my mind, but my fingers let me down. (smile) But be that as it may, let’s go home declaring (yayyy!!!) our Wednesday Wail, letting all and sundry know of our wonderful position in Christ Jesus. 

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

Yes my brethren, that’s wisdom in spades! And just a li’l extra encouragement; if we endure right to the very end, then that future will be even more glorious than we can ever ask for or imagine. So please let that strengthen our resolve to live for Jesus to the very end! Much LOVE!

…choosing heaven over hell…is what we call a no brainer… 

Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZJ8​       

Today’s Scrip-Bit   12 September 2022 John 3:16.

12 Sep 2022 Leave a comment

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

John 3:16.        For God so LOVED the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

Another Monday friends, another week of work…but we can handle it with kid gloves because we have the Holy Spirit of Christ dwelling within us, plus we went to church yesterday, fellowshipped with other believers, got encouraged and rebuilt our confidence, so that we can go out into the evil and ungodly world and do the Lord’s work! Glory be! 

No wonder, my fellow believers, the Good Book tells us that in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that LOVED us.’ (Rom. 8:37) That’s our Creator, our heavenly Father, who showed His mighty and amazing LOVE for us through the sacrificial death of His Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord and Saviour. 

And we can’t doubt that, because it’s written in the truth of the scriptures: ‘But God commendeth (demonstrated) his LOVE toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.’ (Rom. 5:8) So I don’t see how we can ever doubt God’s unconditional and deep-seated LOVE for us. 

Would you send your son to die for somebody if you didn’t care for them greatly? Obviously not! Why is it so difficult then to believe that Almighty God LOVES us eh? I don’t know what else He has to do to prove it to us. He’s already given us His Son as a Saviour, His Holy Spirit and His Word as Guide and Guidebook for earthly living, and all we have to do is believe on His Son and follow the guidance of His Spirit and His Word. 

But you know what, I suspect that the fleshly lures of the world, plus our inherent sinful nature keep us in bondage to a life of sin and ungodliness. We enjoy the illicit pleasures of the world too much, so we reject Jesus, believing that if we accept Him as Lord and Saviour, we will have to give up all those wonderful, sinful, fleshly pleasures. And yes, we will have to give up most, if not all of them, depending on what they are, and what kind of hold they have on us. 

But my brethren, our Jesus is so wonderful that He helps us to do whatever we need to do to come to Him. Remember what He said to the disciples when He told them that He had to go back to the Father. ‘I will not leave you comfortless (as orphans): I will come to you.’ (John 14:18) And when He left, he sent the Holy Spirit to indwell all believers on the first Day of Pentecost after His ascension. 

Oh my people, at all times, our Jesus is only a prayer away, so there’s no need to fret or worry. Like Bruh Paul told the church at Philippi: ‘Be careful (anxious) for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God which passeth all understanding, shall keep (guard) your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.’ (Phil. 4:6-7) 

Yes friends, our omnipotent, omniscient and omni-present God has made provision for all our needs, regardless of our situation. But it must all begin with simply believing, simple belief in His Son, Jesus Christ, which Jesus spelled out quite clearly in that famous verse of scripture which we all know, but are so hesitant to accept. ‘For God so LOVED the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.’ (John 3:16) 

It’s straight to the point friends. And it gets better when you add this other scripture where Jesus says that He is the way, the truth and the light, and the only avenue to the Father. (John 14:6) You can’t ask for any clearer explanation. But as I said earlier on, we just LOVE the sinful, ungodly things of the world, which makes it difficult for us to come to Christ sincerely and totally. But maybe these thought provoking and oh so true words of John from his first epistle might just stir us up enough to truly come to faith. (smile) 

‘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 (physical desires), and the lust of the eyes (personal desires), and the pride of life (self-interests), 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) 

Now, if John’s kind and gentle reproach doesn’t work for you, (smile) let’s see if James’ rough and tumble, take no prisoners approach will do the trick. James says without mincing words: ‘Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of (with) the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God.’ (James 4:4)  

That’s cutting right to the chase, getting right to the heart of the matter my brethren, and if you’re not willing to accept it, then crapaud smoke yuh pipe; you’ll just have to suffer whatever consequences come of your disbelief. But as the Good Book so wisely advises, let’s go to God with prayer and supplication and thanksgiving through our Monday Morning Battle Hymn, pleading for His awesome grace and mercy. 

As one voice: ‘Our Father, who art in heaven, we, Your humble servants, praise Your Holy Name and thank You this Monday morning for life and strong faith in Christ, despite the mass confusion in our world. We desperately need Your divine help, for You are the ONLY ONE with the power to solve our many problems. 

Heavenly Father, we admit that we have all sinned and seriously disobeyed Your Word, but we know that You are a merciful, forgiving and gracious God, who has faithfully promised to hear and answer our prayers when we humble ourselves, pray, and sincerely seek Your face. That’s why we come to You now, with sincere repentance in our hearts, pleading with You to give us wise guidance and direction to alleviate our problems.  

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

And if we truly desire God’s grace and mercy, then we have to believe and apply ourselves accordingly. Much LOVE!

…Satan’s passing earthly pleasures…can never compare to the eternal ones of Jesus… 

Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZJ8​          

Today’s Scrip-Bit   11 September 2022 Psalm 34:3.

11 Sep 2022 Leave a comment

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

Psalm 34:3.       O magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt his name together. 

Oh my fellow believers, it’s Sunday, it’s Sunday! Time to gather and sing, praise and worship our Lord God Jehovah, for that’s one of the major reasons He created us! Yes, there’s no day like a Sunday, when our world sees a li’l bit of peace, quiet, LOVE and godliness, as believers extricate themselves from the busyness of the world and gather to worship our wonderful God. So let’s ‘begin the beguine’ with my favourite worship song as today’s song of praise and thanksgiving. 

Yuh know, yesterday when I asked the Lord what song we should sing today, He answered me immediately – Psalm 34. O Taste and See that the Lord is Good. And there was definitely no hesitation in my acknowledging the Lord’s request. I just jumped for joy, because I simply LOVE that piece of music as sung by the Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir. There isn’t a more appropriate song of praise and worship. (smile) If you’ve never seen the video, then I strongly recommend that you check it out on You Tube. 

Oh friends, every time I see it, a wonderful spirit of joy just rises up within me, making me want to sing and dance and praise our amazing God! (smile) And what I believe makes it such an extraordinary recording, is that the musicians are into the song as much as the choir and the congregation. And when musicians truly feel a song, it just raises their level of playing and thus the level of the song. So, enough talk, I know like me, you’re dying to sing. Let’s offer up our voices then in sweet sacrificial praise, harmonious, melodious, full of joy and heartfelt sincerity. 

Singing: ‘I sought the Lord And He answered me And delivered me From every fear. Those who look on Him Are radiant They’ll never be ashamed They’ll never be ashamed. This poor man cried And the Lord heard me And saved me from My enemies. The Son of God Surrounds His saints He will deliver them He will deliver them. Magnify the Lord with me Come exalt His name together Glorify the Lord with me Come exalt His name forever. Oh taste and see That the Lord is good Oh blessed is he Who hides in Him. Oh fear the Lord Oh all you saints He’ll give you everything He’ll give you everything. 

(Magnify the Lord with me Come exalt His name together Glorify the Lord with me Come exalt His name forever. Repeat) (Let us bless the Lord Every day and night Never ending praise May our incense rise. Repeat 4 times) Magnify the Lord with me Come exalt His name together Glorify the Lord with me Come exalt His name forever. {Repeat} Oh taste and see That the Lord is good. He’ll give you everything He’ll give you everything. Oh taste and see That the Lord is good. He’ll give you everything He’ll give you everything. …He’ll give you everything…’ 

Oh beautiful mih people, beautiful! That’s certainly one of those times when there can be no doubt whatsoever in heaven that we sang truly from our hearts! Wow! Now listen to a few comments on the video nuh. ‘This is how it would be like in heaven. Every voice, musician, race, soul praising the name of God. Amen!!’ Another comment says: ‘Every frame, every beat, every note, perfectly executed. THIS is musical perfection in gospel music.’ And it certainly is! 

Then hear this one: ‘Every time I listen to this song, I imagine myself along with all the other saints in heaven worshipping. This song carries a strong anointing. You can feel the presence of the heavenly hosts.’ For sure! And this last one takes the cake: ‘I just imagine being in heaven worshipping with this magnificent choir, just magnifying our great God! Hallelujah!!’ And if that’ how it’s done in heaven, then you can most definitely count me in! (smile) 

And we do need to give thanks to Shane Barnard for taking those words of Bruh David in Psalm 34, subtitled – The Lord hears the righteous – and turning them into such a wonderful worship song. Also, it wouldn’t be right if we didn’t read the parts of the psalm itself that was inculcated into such a marvellous song. So please read these inspiring and encouraging words of Bruh David with me, because inspiration and encouragement are a couple of things we come to church to receive.

Reading: ‘I will bless the Lord at all times: his praise shall continually be in my mouth. My soul shall make her boast in the Lord: the humble shall hear thereof, and be glad. O magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt his name together. I sought the Lord, and he heard me, and delivered me from all my fears. They looked unto him, and were lightened (radiant): and their faces were not ashamed. This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him, and saved him out of all his troubles. 

The angel of the Lord encampeth round about them that fear him, and delivereth them. O taste and see that the Lord is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him. O fear the Lord, ye his saints: for there is no want (lack) to them that fear him. The young lions do lack, and suffer hunger: but they that seek the Lord shall not want (lack) any good thing.’ (Ps. 34:1-10) 

Mama Mia! That says it all my fellow saints! If you LOVE and trust the Lord, you will not want for anything! And we cannot forget that Bruh David said it so eloquently in Psalm 23: ‘The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.’ (Ps, 23:1) That’s a big statement, highlighting total trust and surrender to our great God. And if you don’t believe it with every breath of your being, then you’re doing yourself a terrible injustice! Why? Because good shepherds never allow their flocks to want, and our great God Jehovah is indeed a good shepherd! 

And believe me friends, when Bruh David wrote Psalm 34, it was a personal testimony because he had just escaped death from the hands of his arch enemy, King Saul and had to run to the king of Gath, seeking succour, playing the role of a madman. You can read it all in 1 Samuel 21:10-15. Bruh David was surely a man of many parts! (smile) But let’s read a few more verses of Psalm 34, because it’s filled with lots more encouragement and good advice. 

Reading: ‘Come ye children, hearken unto (listen to) me: I will teach you the fear (reverence) of the Lord. What man is he that desireth life, and LOVETH many days, that he may see good? Keep thy tongue from evil, and thy lips from speaking guile (deceit). Depart from evil, and do good; seek peace, and pursue it. The eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous, and his ears are open unto their cry.’ (Ps. 34: 11-15) And that’s the gospel truth my faithful brethren! 

So please, let’s wake up and realize that time is swiftly passing us by, meanwhile, the evil and ungodliness of the world is increasing by leaps and bounds, and we’re not doing enough to bring others to Christ so that His kingdom could be magnified and glorified and exalted. In other words, we are shirking our bounden duty as His ambassadors on this planet earth. And that’s not a very good thing to do, because we’ll eventually pay the price for it. So please, let’s get with the programme nuh! Much LOVE!

…a word of warning to the wise…is sufficient…  

Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZJ8​         

Today’s Scrip-Bit   10 September 2022 Romans 8:31.

10 Sep 2022 Leave a comment

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

Romans 8:31.       ​ What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?

Well my people, it’s a beautiful late summer Saturday, ideal for lazing. (smile) And earlier on, I enjoyed some lazy time lolling around in my bed, although my back was aching, recommending my getting up. But it was just nice to lie there, contemplating life for a while, thanking the Lord for opening my eyes to another day in which I could enjoy His new mercies and compassions. Now isn’t that a great way to greet the day? It certainly is! A bit of peace and quiet before the busyness of the day gets into your spirit. 

But as they say, good things do come to an end, and eventually I had to get up and be about the Lord’s business, which on Saturdays, means checking out the quotes our friend Anselm sent us this past week, as he aspires to inspire us for a better tomorrow. And this first quote is very interesting and mind-bending. It says: ‘Change, like healing, takes time.’ That’s the gospel truth friends. A lot of us desire change, but expect it to come as soon as we wish for it, but just like our wounds, physical or emotional don’t heal suddenly or overnight, change doesn’t usually occur in a split instance, although there are instances when it can. 

And I do like what the opening paragraph of an article on change says on the website bibletools.com/ topical verses. ‘What does the Bible say about change and how can it inspire us in times of change? There seems to always be a guarantee in life that change will happen. Change is something we tend to fear and become anxious about because we do not feel in control of life. The good news is that God has a plan for your life that includes hope, future, and prosperity. We need to learn to trust in God and allow the change to grow us to become more like Jesus Christ.’ 

Now that’s the truth in spades my faithful brethren! Why? Because our most faithful and powerful God has promised that change, though inevitable throughout life, with sincere trust and faith in Him it will not deter us from our planned purpose in His will. This foundational verse says it all. ‘And we know that all things work together for good to those that LOVE God, to them who are called according to his purpose.’ (Rom. 8:28) 

Yes friends, if we believe in Almighty God, then although we might not want or need change, when it does happen, we will not be afraid since we know that in the end, over time, which therefore calls for patience and perseverance, it will all work out for our good through the Lord’s goodness and mercy. That brings us to this next quote. ‘Yesterday I was clever, so I wanted to change the world. Today I am wise, so I am changing myself.’ That’s wisdom to the nth degree! 

It’s all well and good to desire to change the world, but before we do the big things, most of us are first required to do the small things, like change ourselves. We all have areas in which we can improve, and that’s where we need to begin. It’s like Jesus said, why consider the mote or speck in your brother’s eye, and not the beam or log in your own. (Matt. 7:3) And we all do that at some time or other. But it’s always best to consider what changes we need before trying to change others. And these verses of scripture lead us along the right path to good and consistent change. 

Bruh Paul writes to the church at Rome: ‘And be not conformed to this world, but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.’ (Rom. 12:2) And he hit the nail right on the head there, for change can only come through the renewing of one’s mind, or changing the way one thinks, because our mind is the controlling centre of our body, everything passes through there before it becomes a reality. Cousin Sol said it long ago: ‘As a man thinks, so is he.’ (Prov. 23:7) 

And the best change we can ever make in our lives is to become a follower of Jesus Christ, which brings us into an entirely new dimension of life, a spirit-filled experience. Oh yes, once we encounter Christ, it’s whole new ball game. As Bruh Paul says in 2 Corinthians: ‘Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature (creation): old things are passed away; behold all things are become new.’ (2 Cor. 5:17) 

Yes mih people, when you come to Christ you become a new person! But note, like we said of healing above, that change doesn’t happen overnight. It takes a while for you to understand, accept and put into practice the new aspects of life in Christ. In fact it’s a life journey. Like babies drink milk and soft foods at the beginning of life, so too, as new believers, early on, we handle the easier aspects of our transformation, but as we live out our faith, we daily become more mature in it.  

That allows us to segue into this next quote. ‘If I am not for myself, who will be for me? But if I am only for myself, what am I? And if not now, when?’ Those are all good questions my brethren, so let’s see if we can answer them. The first one is the easiest and the best. You don’t need to be for yourself, because Almighty God is always there for you! It says it right there in the scriptures: ‘What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?’ (Rom. 8:31) Not a single soul can be against us if God is for us! That’s the living truth! But you first have to be for Him. 

And per the next question; if you’re only concerned with yourself then you’re selfish, and not a sincere believer in Christ Jesus, because Christ didn’t have a selfish bone in His body, else He never would have sacrificed His life for us. And that is where the transformation, the changing and renewal of your mind comes in to play, because to follow Jesus we have to be willing to sacrifice everything we have, even our lives. And as always, the best time to initiate necessary change is RIGHT NOW! If we know we need to change, and how to make it, then there’s no need to put it off for later. The sooner we implement that change, the sooner our lives will improve. 

Then there’s this last quote. ‘Things change. And friends leave. Life doesn’t stop for anybody.’ More glorious, though heart-hurting truth! (smile) Things are continually changing, both inside and outside. One of those changes is that friends leave us, sometimes suddenly, and ofttimes we don’t even know why. But it happens, and we just have to learn to deal with it. And again, LOVED ones die and leave us behind. We grieve, but we must carry on, because the world and life doesn’t stop for anybody. That’s just a fact of life. 

And the best way to handle all the change, all the topsy turviness in our world is to be a sincere follower of Jesus Christ, because He will lead and guide you through all the changes and storms, and comfort and LOVE you when you need it, through the indwelling presence of His Holy Spirit that comes to live with you when you accept Him as Lord and Saviour. Wow! That tells us that the best way to handle this life is by having Jesus as the mainstay of our lives! But don’t just take my word for it; try it. you’ll find it’s oh so true! Much LOVE!

…you can’t critique or criticize Jesus…until you try Him… 

Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZJ8​        

Today’s Scrip-Bit   9 September 2022 Psalm 105:4.

09 Sep 2022 Leave a comment

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

Psalm 105:4.       Seek ye the Lord, and his strength: seek his face evermore.

Oh friends, it’s Friday, and many of us around the world have already shouted that seminal phrase: ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday!’ But unfortunately, many of us around the world are also mourning the passing yesterday of Her Royal Highness Queen Elizabeth II, in her 97th year, having reigned for almost 71 consistent years on the throne of Great Britain, after being unexpectedly thrown into the spotlight by the abdication of her uncle and the death of her father. 

Just the numbers alone say a lot, and regardless of how you felt about the Queen herself, her family or the monarchy, you have to admit that we’ve lost one of the very few strong and steadfast leaders in our crazy world. Much of her power has been eroded over the years, but her diplomacy was legendary, and she was undoubtedly the one steady spoke in the wheel that kept the United Kingdom and many parts of the universe from falling apart or going on dangerous strategic runs. 

Let us pray that her son, King Charles III will keep that steadfastness and diplomacy of his mother going, because we desperately need a lot of that in our leaders, instead of the despotic, autocratic and dictatorial attitudes that are currently prevalent. Our sincere condolences to the Royal Family. We forget that they are people just like us, with the same human frailties and feelings. May the Lord receive you into His glory Queen Elizabeth the second! 

Ah mih people, with strife and hatred prevalent in more places around the world than peace and LOVE, it’s sad and frustrating to lose one of the few people who sincerely tried to keep matters on an even keel. But that’s life, we all have to go home to our Maker one day, and the world goes on in whatever fashion without us. And much to our chagrin, very few leaders in this day and age can be said to have made a positive difference in the lives of their people, and in the world in general. 

It’s interesting to note that the U.K now has a new King, or titular leader, and also a new Prime Minister, or active leader, a female at that. Hopefully that’s a sign for better days to come. In the meanwhile though, all of us plebs, (smile) must continue to do as the psalmist advises in Psalm 105. ‘Seek ye the Lord, and his strength: seek his face evermore. Remember his marvellous works that he hath done; his wonders, and the judgements of his mouth.’ (Ps. 105:4-5) 

Yes friends, seeking God’s face and remembering all that He’s done in our lives is extremely important, especially in times of serious change like our world is currently experiencing. That’s because the Lord God Almighty is the One who has brought us this far, and who will determine our future by our righteousness. 

Remember the promise of God the prophet Jeremiah made to the people of Israel, when they were in captivity in Babylon? ‘For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil (calamity), to give you an expected end (a future and a hope). Then shall ye call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto (listen to) you. And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.’ (Jer. 29:11-13) 

Oh my brethren, that is exactly what the Lord is saying to us today too. We desperately need to come to Him with full surrender and trust, seek Him with all our hearts, if we want our world to be improved. There are no ifs, ands, and buts about that! Only if we sincerely seek the face of the Lord God Jehovah, turn away from all the evil idols we’re currently worshipping, give up all the ungodly things of the world that are still so much a part of our lives, will we ever find the One, True, Living God, He of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob! 

Jesus also made that very clear when He commanded us: ‘But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.’ (Matt. 16:33) All of us know that foundational scripture, yet we refuse to practice it. Instead, we continue running down the things of the world like wealth and power, on our own. That’s the total opposite of what Jesus taught and what the heavenly Father expects. And please don’t think that because you are a Christian you cannot possess a lot of the earth’s wealth and power, because there are a lot of rich and powerful believers in the world, but you just have to do it according to the Lord’s will and timing. 

And it is of the utmost importance that we read, know, inwardly digest and practice these words of scripture from the first epistle of John. ‘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 (physical desires), and the lust of the eyes (personal desires), and the pride of life (self-interests), 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 my fellow saints, when are we going to stop paying lip service to our God and His will eh? When are we going to begin taking His edicts and promises very seriously eh, and realize that a lot of our current suffering rests on our own sinful and ungodly desires and behaviour? Until we wake up and be transformed in our minds and actions, our world will continue to go down the drain in spectacular fashion. So, having said all of that that, the first thing on our agenda of change, is prayer. So, in confident but humble voice, let’s go to the throne of God, through our Friday Chant and ask for His benevolent help. 

Altogether now: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through this past week. You know it’s been rough… what with all the anxiety, the confusion and havoc that viruses and our many other problems are causing. We can’t seem to fix it on our own Lord, that means we desperately need your help. Oh heavenly Father, with your omnipotent help, and our trusting faith, we know that we can stand strong and steadfast and defeat both the viruses and the unrest in our streets. 

So Lord, we sincerely ask you today to give the governments and those involved in the forefront of this serious and unexpected storm, the wise guidance to handle the situation properly, with the least amount of loss to life and property as possible. And please help those of us who must go out to work amidst all the confusion, to be responsible and to stay safe, and avoid any more serious setbacks. And Lord, we fervently pray that You’ll use this situation to bring a lot of backsliders back to your fold, show them the error of their ways. 

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

And if we sincerely want divine help, then we must keep our promises, and have right motives in our hearts. Much LOVE!

…true leaders lead by example…as Jesus did…not by deceit or force…as Satan does… 

Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZJ8​       

Today’s Scrip-Bit   8 September 2022 Proverbs 25:28.

08 Sep 2022 Leave a comment

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

Proverbs 25:28.       He that hath no rule over his own spirit is like a city that is broken down, and without walls.

Awright my Scrip-Bit friends and families, we down to the penultimate day of the work week… But wait, is it really Thursday already? Brother, these days passing too quickly for me yes…and I don’t think I’m bearing sufficient fruit in them nuh. It’s also the 8th of September too! The month and week just began, and they are already speeding away from us. But I guess that’s just life, how the Lord designed His universe to function, and those of us who don’t keep up with nature’s momentum, are just going to be like the word that falls on barren ground…left in the dust…fruitless. (smile) 

Anyway, yesterday I did bear one good fruit, that of cleaning up a stack of papers I had sitting below my computer for ages. You know when you are a writer, or claim to be one, you always have li’l bits of paper with notes and such scribbled on them. Well, I’ve been meaning to go through that stack for a while now, but could never get around to it. Don’t go clapping yet, I have another stack on the other side to go through too. (smile) And when I finally got around to it yesterday, lo and behold I discovered this gem of a prayer that I haven’t seen for years. 

That’s one of the benefits of going through old papers; you often find marvellous stuff in them. Now I must have shared this prayer before, because it’s too nice and too appropriate a prayer for me not to have shared, and I guess that’s why it’s been amongst those bits of papers, waiting to be shared again. (smile) It was apparently published in 2015 in a post named ‘Mary’s Musings – Life and times of a small town Nana.’ And is it ever appropriately titled – ‘A Prayer for Later Years.’ 

So please pray with me: ‘Lord, thou knowest that I am growing older. Keep me from becoming too talkative, and particularly keep me from falling into the tiresome habit of expressing an opinion on every subject. Release me from the craving to straighten out everybody’s affairs. Keep my mind free from the recital of endless details. Give me wings too to get to the point. Give me the grace, dear Lord, to listen to others describe their aches and pains. Help me to endure the boredom with patience and keep my lips sealed, for my own aches and pains are increasing in number and intensity, and the pleasure of discussing them is becoming sweeter as the years go by. 

Teach me the glorious lesson that, occasionally, I might be mistaken. Keep me reasonably sweet. I do not wish to be a saint (saints are so hard to live with), but a sour old person is the work of the devil. Make me thoughtful, but not moody; helpful, but not pushy; independent; yet able to accept with graciousness favours that others wish to bestow on me. Free me of the notion that simply because I have lived a long time, I am wiser than those who have not lived so long –(although it’s often true- my addition). 

If I do not approve of some of the changes that have taken place in recent years, give me the wisdom to keep my mouth shut. Lord knows that when the end comes, I would like to have a friend or two left. The author is unknown but I wish I had written it. I think it is appropriate for those of us of a “certain age.”  

And is it ever my brethren! Yuh know the older you get, the more you believe you have the freedom and the right to do and say as you please. (smile) You believe you have earned that liberty simply by living a long time and seeing many changes. But even when we’re old, we still need to somewhat curtail our mouths and tongues, and not give free reign to every thought that comes into our often forgetful minds. 

But yuh know what, that prayer isn’t only appropriate for old folks, but also for young ones…possibly even more so, as the young uns nowadays just like to talk and carry on about stuff they know nothing about. In our days it was, don’t speak until you’re spoken to, and then with as few words as possible. But today, with the lack of manners taught to this generation by we the parents – yes some of the blame must fall on our shoulders – and with the introduction of the internet and social media, the freedom to open our yaps, and anonymously too, is driving our society into the barren ground of chaos and upheaval. 

And what does it all mean eh? I guess that in today’s busy and crazy world, the fruit of the Spirit termed self-control is sadly lacking. And what is self-control? One writer describes it thus: ‘Self-control (“temperance” in the KJV) is, of course, the ability to control oneself. It involves moderation, constraint, and the ability to say “no” to our baser desires and fleshly lusts.’ And is our fleshly lusts and baser instincts ever getting away with the proverbial act of murder nowadays! 

Why is that eh? Because too many believers are still dallying with stuff that drives them to sin. And yes, self-control ought to help us avoid them, but oftentimes, the only way to overcome some of those bad habits is to stay completely away from the things that cause them. And there are several scriptures that talk about self-control, like this famous one from Bruh Paul to Timothy. ‘For the Lord hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of LOVE, and of a sound (disciplined) mind.’ (2 Tim. 1:7) 

That means we have the Spirit of self-control. But why put ourselves unnecessarily in places where we have to use it to a great extent, when we can simply avoid some of those places eh? Cousin Sol also had a lot to say on the subject. Check out these two verses. ‘He that is slow to anger is better than the mighty; and he that ruleth his spirit than he that taketh a city.’ (Prov. 16:32) And the other verse says: ‘He that hath no rule over his own spirit is like a city that is broken down, and without walls.’ (Prov. 25:28). 

Yuh see friends, how important self-control is! If you don’t have it, you’re like a defenseless city, open to the invasion of sin. But when you have it…oh…you’re better than the strong man and the conqueror of cities! Wow! And unfortunately, self-control is one of our world’s biggest problems, driving all sorts of strife, evil and ungodly doings. But thankfully, our great and wonderful God has given us tools to handle any situation we encounter, including what we call our Thursday Blessings. So please, declare them with me now, so that we can activate them and get ourselves straightened out. 

As one strong and confident voice. ‘I declare that I am blessed with God’s supernatural wisdom and receive clear direction for my life! I declare today that I am blessed with creativity, courage, talent and abundance! I am blessed with a strong will, self-control and self-discipline! I am blessed with a great family, good friends, good health, faith, favour and fulfillment! 

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

Oh my fellow saints, with all those tools in our toolbox, there’s nothing that we can’t handle, especially with God’s added help. So please let’s get out into the world and do our best to spread His gospel nuh, bring good news and glad tidings to the downtrodden and oppressed, so that they too can join His merry band of followers. That’s our bounden duty! Much LOVE!

…if you can’t handle the heat…then stay out of the kitchen… 

Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZJ8​             

Today’s Scrip-Bit   7 September 2022 Revelation 19:16.

07 Sep 2022 Leave a comment

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

Revelation 19:16.       And he hath on his vesture (robe) and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.

It’s Wednesday friends, and we’re alive and kicking, though still somewhat tired if we made mas on Eastern Parkway in Brooklyn a couple of days ago. (smile) And are we ever thankful to the Good Lord for allowing us to see another glorious day in His magnificent universe. Oh, there’s no doubt that we’ve made a mess of the wonderful planet He created for us to enjoy in His company, but there’s still nothing as marvellous and imaginative that’s ever been created, except possibly the human body. 

That’s why Bruh David wrote these awesome words to open Psalm 24. Subtitled- The king of glory. ‘The earth is the Lord’s, and the fullness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein. For he hath founded it upon the seas, and established it upon the floods (rivers). Who shall ascend into the hill of the Lord? Or who shall stand in his holy place? He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart; who hath not lifted up his soul unto vanity (to an idol), nor sworn deceitfully. He shall receive the blessing from the Lord, and righteousness from the God of his salvation.’ (Ps. 24:1-5) 

Yes my people, that’s how it’s been from the beginning of time, and how it will be until the end! The Lord desires those who belong to Him to have clean hands and a pure heart, not given to idol worship. But can we say that truthfully in these trying, troubled and evil times? Can we truthfully say like Bruh David did: ‘This is the generation of them that seek him, that seek thy face, O Jacob.  Selah.’ (Ps. 24:6) I don’t think so. We certainly don’t seek the Lord the way we ought to. 

On the contrary many of us are more concerned with ridding our society and world of Him, rather than seeking His holy face. But we’re such a foolish and egotistical bunch of frail, fragile and finite beings, so blinded by the lies and deceit of the devil, who has never won any war he’s ever fought. When He tried to rebel against God in heaven as the Archangel Lucifer, He lost, and was summarily kicked out of heaven. Then, as the master of hell, he also lost the battle of death, hell and the grave to Jesus, who died and rose again, making him a toothless lion. 

So why can’t we realize that Satan has no power over us except what we give him, and furthermore, that God will NEVER allow us to remove Him from the universe He created, and that He still overseers and controls. He’s not as short-sighted as we are to let His creations rule over Him, like we are allowing our creations, what we so proudly call Artificial Intelligence to take over our lives. And if we continue on the same path, it’s only a matter of time before artificial intelligence will be running our world and us. We will have given over all our functions to it and then be unable to live without it. 

We’re already halfway there. Yuh see how the slightest glitch in our computer systems can cause grief all around the world? And with us driving so fast to see how we can stop doing anything for ourselves, we’ll soon lose the little strength and wisdom we now retain. Remember the old saying; if you don’t use it, you’ll lose it. And that’s where we’re headed if we desire to computerize and artificially engineer all the tasks in our lives. 

Yes, just like we are still slaves to sin, although we have the means of freedom in Christ Jesus, we’ll eventually be a set of slaves, live in bondage to automation and computerization…in fact we already are. Many of us can’t function without our cellphones, our computers, video games and whatever electronic devices that capture our fancy and then enslave us. The immobile and sedentary nature of these devices are also causing us physical pain since we sit before them for hours on end and thus lose physical movement in our bodies and aches and pains in our joints. 

And then we claim that we’re too busy to seek God, because those things keep us addicted to them, when we should be addicted to God. Oh friends, I think it’s high time we acknowledge God’s sovereignty and our need for righteousness before Him and then sing songs of glory in His majestic and righteous name, like Bruh David declared in the psalm. ‘Lift up your heads, O ye gates, and be ye lifted up ye everlasting doors; and the King of glory shall come in. Who is this King of glory?  The Lord strong and mighty, the Lord mighty in battle… The Lord of hosts, he is the King of glory.  Selah.’  (Ps. 24:7-8, 10) 

And just to give us a better understanding of whom that King of glory is, let’s read these fateful and true words from the Book of Revelation, as revealed to the apostle John on the island of Patmos. He writes: ‘And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war.  His eyes were a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself. 

And he was clothed with a vesture (robe) dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God. And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean. And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite (strike) the nations (destroy all unbelievers): and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God (God’s fierce judgement). And he hath on his vesture (robe) and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.’ (Rev; 19: 11-16) 

Yes my fellow saints, that’s who the King of glory is; our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, when He comes back to fulfill His twofold role of judge and warrior. There’s none more powerful than Him, so please, I implore us to make it our first and foremost desire to bow down and worship Him, if we desire to see long life and abundant days, not only here on earth, but even more so, in the afterlife. Because it’s the ONLY wise option we have. 

Now for those of us who are sincerely trying to live for Christ, let’s go home declaring (steups!!!) our Wednesday Wail, letting all and sundry know of our marvellous position in Christ Jesus. Altogether now: ‘Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: I’m so glad to be alive on this Wednesday! Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: Thank God the breath of life is still flowing through me on this Wednesday! I am halfway home. My hands are fixed securely on the plough, and I’m not turning back. I’m not looking back at the past, not focusing on what has gone before. But my eyes are fixed straight ahead; straight ahead to a glorious future with Jesus. Glory Hallelujah!’ 

And to further encourage us, let’s remember that if we endure until the end, then that future will be even more glorious than we can ever ask or imagine! Wow! Much LOVE!

…why look to Beelzebub for solace eh…when He can’t even help himself…look to Jesus…the Master of the universe… 

Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZJ8​            

Today’s Scrip-Bit   6 September 2022 Proverbs 3:31.

06 Sep 2022 Leave a comment

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

Proverbs 3:31.       Envy thou not the oppressor, and choose none of his ways. 

Well, it’s a beautiful sunshiny Tuesday morning in early September, and the last long weekend of the summer season of 2022 is now history, lost in the annals of time. (smile) Yes, all the Labour Day celebrations are over and done with! That means it’s time to look forward to and prepare for the cool weather and beautiful colours of the upcoming autumn season. And though we might not like the cool, ofttimes damp and foggy weather that comes with the fall season, we must admit that colour-wise, it is probably the most beautiful of the four seasons, with its great variety of colours, ranging from brown, through red, yellow and gold. 

Obviously the least noticeable colour is green because that pertains to life, while the others are associated with lack of life. In human situations though, the colour green is associated with something entirely different, that’s envy and jealousy, activities and attributes that are now being indiscriminately flaunted throughout our society. And the sad part is that in the Good Book we have so many references, commands and wise advice to shun that kind of ungodly behaviour. But the devil and his evil minions and doings are rampant in our current world, and I believe we need some reminding re the necessity of shunning envy, jealousy and greed. 

So let’s get right to it nuh, with these ever so wise words of Cousin Sol from Proverbs chapter 3, as he speaks on the treatment of neighbours. He ends that section by saying: ‘Envy thou not the oppressor, and choose none of his ways. For the froward (perverse person) is abomination to the Lord: but his secret (council) is with the righteous.’ (Prov. 3:31-32) And as true believers in Almighty God, we desperately need to believe that, if we’re not to fall under that dark cloud of envy, jealousy, selfishness and greed that is quickly taking over our society. 

And Cousin Sol amplifies his distaste for those values by sharing this most important information. ‘The curse of the Lord is in the house of the wicked: but he blesseth the habitation (dwelling) of the just. Surely he scorneth the scorners: but he giveth grace unto the lowly (humble). The wise shall inherit glory, but shame shall be the promotion (legacy) of fools.’ (Prov. 3:33-35) 

Oh my people, do we want to endure the curse, the scorn and shame bequeathed to the wicked and unwise? Or do we greatly desire the secret council, the blessing and glory of God that’s granted to the wise and righteous? I’m sure that all of us will obviously choose the latter. However, to attain those goodies, we must stop doing wrong, stop associating with the wicked, stop doing the things the envious, jealous and greedy do. 

And apparently Cousin Sol was big on this topic because he addresses it several times in Proverbs. Listen to this one: ‘Be not thou envious against (of) evil men, neither desire to be with them: For their heart studieth destruction (devises violence), and their lips talk of mischief (trouble).’ (Prov. 24:1) The unfortunate part of it all is that from the very beginning of time we’ve been hearing about the ills of jealousy, envy and covetousness. To show how important it was to keep those things out of our lives, the Lord even made it one of the Ten Commandments. 

And for those of us who don’t know it, (smile) here it is, the tenth one, in black and white. ‘Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour’s house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbour’s wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor anything that is thy neighbour’s.’ (Ex. 20:17) That’s it in spades my brethren! It’s not wrong to want some of the things our neighbours might have, but when it gets to the point where it affects our godliness, then that’s where the problems begin. 

And Bruh David also made it very clear that those unwise, ungodly emotions will be the death of us, in Psalm 37 – The true state of the wicked – when he declares (steups!!!): ‘Fret not thyself because of evildoers, neither be thou envious against the workers of iniquity. For they shall soon be cut down like the grass, and wither as the green herb.’ (Ps. 37:1-2) We couldn’t desire a stronger warning from a man who knew about all those things personally, like his coveting of Bathsheba, Uriah’s wife, and the murderous actions it led him to. 

Meanwhile, the apostle James, Jesus’ brother, had this to say when commenting on true and false wisdom. ‘But if ye have bitter envying and strife (selfishness) in your hearts, glory not (do not boast), and lie not against the truth. This wisdom descendeth not from above, but is earthly, sensual, devilish (demonic). For where envying and strife is (self-seeking exists), there is confusion and every evil work.’ (James 3:14-16) And there is no disputing that my friends! Wherever you have negative things like, envy, selfishness, jealousy and pride, there is always confusion, with anger, hatred and violence a natural consequence. 

Then Peter offered these words of wisdom on the matter. ‘Wherefore laying aside all malice, and guile, and hypocrisies, and envies, and all evil speakings, As newborn babes, desire the sincere (pure) milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby.’ (1 Pet. 2:1-2) Now doesn’t that just warm the cockles of our hearts? It certainly does! The best way to avoid the workers of iniquity and their evil doings is by having the pure word of God richly and steadfastly entrenched in our hearts, souls, bodies and minds. 

And these words of Psalm 1 – Blessed are the righteous -I believe are most fitting to end this discourse. (smile) ‘Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly (wicked), nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. But his delight is in the law of the Lord; and in his law doth he meditate (ponder) day and night. And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers (channels) of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither, and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.’ (Ps. 1:1-3) And all of God’s people declared (chuh!!!) a loud and grateful ‘Amen!’ 

Yes friends, that’s what we can look forward to when we stay away from the evil and wicked, the envious and jealous ways of the ungodly. Now for those of us who are attempting to live in a godly manner, let’s go home declaring (yeahhhhh!!!) our Tuesday Mantra, letting the whole world know to whom we belong lock, stock and barrel. As one strong and confident voice: ‘In God’s eyes, I’m not what I do. I’m not what I have. I’m not what people say about me. I am the beloved of God, that’s who I am. No one can take that from me. I don’t have to worry. I don’t have to hurry. I can trust my friend Jesus and share His LOVE with the world. Amen!’ 

Now let’s go out and do just that, share Christ’s amazing LOVE and friendship with those we meet, so that they too can come to know and LOVE Him like we do. Much LOVE!

…LOVE is patient…LOVE is kind…it does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud… (1 Cor. 13:4) 

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