Today’s Scrip-Bit 7 May 2009 Isaiah 60:1‏

07 May 2009 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Inspirational Living

Isaiah 60:1    Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee
 
Oh Friends, that’s the gospel truth! Rise and shine my people, for day has dawned and the sun, the flowers, the birds and all God’s daytime creatures are up and about making music and shining brightly. Isaiah wasn’t talking so much about physical as spiritual light, however it suits our purposes admirably as an opening statement, an incentive for us to get up and get going on God’s project, whatever that might be in our personal life. So with that, I’ll say, ‘Morning neighbour!’ (smile) In Chap. 60, Isaiah is foreseeing the future glory of Zion; when Jesus returns and the Holy City is once again the hub of the universe. But we don’t need to wait till then to ‘Arise, shine;’ for our light, Jesus, has already come. And as Bruh Paul declared; ‘Wherefore he saith, Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light.’ (Eph.5:14) Yes my Friends, the Most High God Jehovah is inviting us all, unbelievers, backsliders, and those low in faith to turn from sin, promising that spiritual strength and enlightenment will be granted to all who need it. But we have to embrace and fully believe the concept of Jesus, who profoundly declared: ‘I am come a light into the world, that whosoever believeth on me should not abide in darkness.’ (John 12:46) Oh Friends, I can’t help but admire Jesus’ style and strength of purpose, for earlier on, when He decided to go into Judea to raise Lazarus, the disciples asked if He wasn’t scared to go back there since the last time He was there, the Jews wanted to stone Him. ‘Jesus answered, Are there not twelve hours in the day? If any man walk in the day, he stumbleth not, because he seeth the light of this world. But if a man walk in the night, he stumbleth because there is no light in him.’ (John 11:9-10) No wonder His disciples often couldn’t understand Him, for in one sentence He talks about the light of this world, the sun, but in the next He talks of the light within the person himself, referring to their sinful, evil nature. And it’s so true my people: when we walk in darkness, associating with the enemy and all his evil cronies, then we’re sure to stumble and fall eventually. However, when we embrace Jesus; His wonderful teachings, philosophy, lifestyle and the numerous other things that make up His awesome concept, then we’re confident of walking in the light, whether it’s physical night or day, and though sometimes we might stumble, we’ll never fall, for Jesus is always with us, through the Holy Spirit, protecting and aiding us to live a life worthy of Him. Oh Friends, it’s so important that we sow the concept of Jesus deep in our hearts and minds, for He is the ONLY ONE who teaches the way of LOVE, Forgiveness, Mercy, Kindness, Understanding, Peace and Goodwill to ALL MEN. No one else even comes close to that all embracing theology. Why? Because He is indeed the WAY, the TRUTH and the LIGHT! The only avenue through which Salvation and Eternal Life can be had, cause His death on the cross paid our sin debt in full, and His Resurrection assures us that there is indeed Life after Death. Oh my people, Jesus is alive! And kicking too! Though He died, He rose again, and if we sincerely believe in Him, when we die, we will also rise again. No one else can promise you life after death. Why? Because our Lord and Saviour is the only one who ever did it. He both promised, (Mark 9:31) and delivered it. (Mark 16:6) That’s why I’m imploring us Friends, to ‘Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen.’ Isaiah prophesied that centuries before Jesus actually came, but come He did and also fulfilled every prophetic scripture that referred to Him. Doesn’t that prove the truth of it all? And Isaiah further stated; ‘For, behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people: but the Lord shall arise upon thee, and his glory shall be seen upon thee. And the Gentiles shall come to thy light, and kings to the brightness of thy rising.’ (Isa.60:2-3) Oh Friends, the Lord has risen and shone His light over the world, but many have not seen it, and still dwell in darkness, either by choice or ignorance of the Word. But we, my people, those who have seen the light, represent the renewed, reborn Zion, and it’s our bounden duty to go out their and shine that light in all the dark places, with excitement and enthusiasm, showing real fervour and belief in the Word, telling it to those who haven’t heard it. What did Jesus say? ‘Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.’ (Mat.5:16) That’s our directive from our Leader, so like good and able followers, let’s do something constructive about it nuh. Oh Friends, in these rough, tumultuous and uncertain times, when all our supposed strong institutions and beliefs are unravelling right before our very eyes, this is a wonderful opportunity to spread the Word; to talk about Jesus; to get people’s hope, faith and courage back up again; to get them out of spiritual darkness into the light of Jesus, so that we can build a new society on a proper, solid, unbreakable, ‘unbreachable,’ indestructible foundation, that’s our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Let’s close with some words of hope and faith from Malachi: ‘But unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings; and ye shall go forth and grow up as calves of the stall.’ (Mal.4:2) Oh Friends, what an excellent promise! If we revere Him, then both the Sun and the Son shall shine brightly on us, and we’ll prosper. Oh Friends ain’t that good news? It sure is! And the Spirit has certainly enthused the ole fella today, (smile) let’s hope I can transfer some of that enthusiasm, plus a sense of urgency to you, my people. Much LOVE!…it’s time…time to spread that good news…
 

Today’s Scrip-Bit 6 May 2009 John 12:44‏

06 May 2009 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Inspirational Living

John 12:44    Jesus cried and said, He that believeth on me, believeth not on me, but on him that sent me.
 
Arise my Friends and greet a new day full of the Lord’s mercy and kindness, for they are bright and fresh every morn. Tell Him good morning, and give Him some thanks and praise for all that He’s done, doing and planning to do for you. For He is the Father, the Godhead from which all things flow. Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ admitted this when He said, ‘Whosoever shall receive one of such children in my name, receiveth me: and whosoever shall receive me, receiveth not me, but him that sent me.’ (Mark 9:37) Jesus made it quite clear, He was a member of the Holy Trinity, but the Father was the boss. (smile) Jesus was the link, the go between us and the Father. Our sinful state was so bad that if the father had personally dealt with us, He might have just destroyed us again, like He did our ancestors in Noah’s time. But fortunately His LOVE was stronger than His anger and disappointment, so He devised the awesome plan to send His Son to deal with us; to die for our sins, become our Lord and Saviour, our advocate and whatever else we might need. In our sinful state it was difficult, if not impossible to approach God’s throne. But since Jesus paid the price for our sins, we can now approach the throne with confidence. Bruh Paul says, ‘Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.’ (Heb.4:16) It’s like in childhood, when we did wrong and were afraid to face our father, knowing that his punishment, though just, would be too harsh for our liking, so we tried to find an intermediary, our mother or someone who could talk to him first, to plead our case, and hopefully lessen both his anger and punishment. Well my people, that’s the kind of role Jesus plays in our lives. Without Him we could not have restored a right relationship with the Father. We placed Him in an untenable position, a quandary of sorts: We were His children, His creation, and He LOVED us unconditionally, however, He is also the God of righteousness and justice and could not let our numerous sins go unpunished, else He would be abrogating His responsibility as a just and righteous God. Our relationship with our children is the same. We LOVE them, but have a responsibility to raise them in a godly manner. When they disobey, we are called to punish them, though it hurts us. Don’t you think it hurt the Father to send His only Son, Jesus to die for us, knowing that He would have to punish Him for wrongs He did not commit? It surely did. But He stood strong, and if we don’t, then we’re not fulfilling our responsibility as parents. Punishment doesn’t always mean something terrible, but whatever it is, it should act as a deterrent. And that sadly my Friends is a failing this generation has as parents. We have failed our children either through fear or a false sense of LOVE, by not suitably disciplining them for their misdeeds. That’s why they don’t know the meaning of the word respect; have none for themselves, their peers, their parents or any authority figure. We’ve given them whatever they wanted, pandered to their whining and selfish tantrums. Whatever the commercials said they should have, we gave them, whether it was good for them or not, either because we were too busy or just plain scared to say no. Why do you think so many commercials are slanted towards children? Because the ad makers know the power of children, their innate sense of manipulating adults. Why does a baby cry? Because it’s seeking attention. Ah Friends, I just broke out chuckling, wondering how I’d gotten on that track. I guess in trying to show the similarity between Jesus pleading for us with His heavenly Father and mortal intermediaries doing the same with our earthly parents, that sore point of mine; the young generation’s unseemly behaviour and lack of respect, though they’re quick to shoot you if you ‘dis’ them, just unconsciously rose up and flowed out. But now the Spirit’s encouraging me to stick with it. I know some people disagree with my opinion of the younger generation, but I think we should take off our blinkers and stop making excuses for them. Consider how you behaved when you were growing up and compare it to the youth of today, and tell me if you like the vast difference. We might have found our parents too strict, but it served a purpose, taught us respect, responsibility and regard for others. And don’t blame the system now for all that’s wrong! We are always quick to blame the system! But who is the system? We are the system: you, me, home, church, school and government. Adults run them all. So if the system’s at fault, then it’s the adults to blame. And I totally agree. The same way our parents were responsible for our ‘broughtupcy,’ so we are responsible for our children’s. And I think we’ve failed them, because we’ve made it too easy for them. Consequently, their work ethic and sense of responsibility have fallen drastically; all their standards are way too low. A society only rises or flourishes when its standards are set a high level. Check out Jesus’ behaviour. He set high standards. He strived for excellence in all He did. But it seems we’ve lowered the standard for what’s considered excellent, awesome and great, cause those words are now routinely attached to mediocre doings, while unproductive simpletons are now superstars. Steups! Friends, forgive me if you don’t like the Bit, but that’s just how it came out. Remember, as a Christian, a follower of Christ, it’s your responsibility to forgive a poor, misguided believer. (smile) Seriously though Friends, a real fall in our standards is what has us in this current economic mess. Things were too free and easy; lacking in substance and truth, like our beloved stock market, based on a sandy foundation. And when things aren’t right or truthful, the Word says they will be corrected in the Lord’s time. So let’s see if we can’t raise back those standards nuh mih people. Let’s put back some truth, righteousness and substance to our lives, fairness in our dealings with others, inject some trust and faith, so that what we see or hear is real, not all smoke and mirrors. Now is the time, in this rebuilding mode, to lay a proper foundation, one built on the Most High God Jehovah, that will last and serve future generations wisely. Oh Friends, it’s not too late for us to leave a worthwhile legacy. Think seriously on it nuh. Much LOVE!…note…there’s only one Superstar…Jesus Christ…
 

Today’s Scrip-Bit 5 May 2009 Deuteronomy 26:7‏

05 May 2009 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Inspirational Living

Deuteronomy 26:7    And when we cried unto the Lord God of our fathers, the Lord heard our voice, and looked on our affliction, and our labour, and our oppression.
 
Morning neighbour! Oh, and doh forget to walk with yuh darkers mih Friends, cause our God is out there again, sitting in sartorial splendour over the horizon, in all His brilliant majesty. And if you try to look at Him with naked eyes…Wow! His brilliance going to blind you. (smile) Ah mih people, it’s so good to be alive and see another day of relative prosperity. Give Him thanks and praise! We’re real lucky yes, because of the 6 billion or so sinners on the planet, at least 5 billion, if not more, shaking it real rough, rougher than they should; no food, water, clothing or shelter in either drought and famine conditions or watery, swamp like places. Meanwhile we complain about a few inconveniences. I was guided today to Deuteronomy Chap. 26, which deals with the offering of first fruits. I guess the Good Lord wants to keep our focus on gifts and offerings to His Church and His people. The Israelites were instructed to offer the first fruits of their harvest to the Lord when they were entrenched in the Promised Land. That doesn’t seem like a lot to ask after all He’d done for them. ‘And when we cried unto the Lord God of our fathers, the Lord heard our voice, and looked on our affliction, and our labour, and our oppression.’ Oh Friends, I must include the scripture of their cry, or else the Bit won’t make sense. ‘And it came to pass in process of time, that the king of Egypt died: and the children of Israel sighed by reason of the bondage, and they cried, and their cry came up to God by reason of the bondage. And God heard their groaning, and God remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac and with Jacob. And God looked upon the children of Israel, and God had respect unto them.’ (Ex.2:23-25) Oh my people, what a magnanimous, benevolent and faithful Deity we worship! His awesome attributes never cease to amaze me. And when the cry of Israel’s children reached the Lord’s ears, what was His reaction? He remembered His covenant with their fathers and executed judgement on the oppressor.  ‘And the Lord brought us forth out of Egypt with a mighty hand, and with an outstretched arm, and with great terribleness, and with signs and wonders. And he hath brought us into this place, and hath given us this land, even a land that floweth with milk and honey. And now behold, I have brought the first fruits of the land, which thou O Lord, hast given me. And thou shalt set it before the Lord thy God, and worship before the Lord thy God: And thou shalt rejoice in every good thing which the Lord thy God hath given unto thee, and unto thine house, thou and the Levite, and the stranger that is among you.’ (Deut.26:8-11) Oh my Friends, Brethren, People, right there is the prescription for success! The Israelites prospered when they followed that directive, and so did our fathers in more modern times. When we old timers were growing up, there was a much more concerted effort amongst the Christian Community to keep the Word alive and spread it, not only by talk, but also by example. But just like those Israelites, when our generation prospered, we got uppity and full of ourselves, conveniently forgetting who really gave us the good life. We started believing in our own power and prowess, rather than the mighty hand of God. We stopped giving the unblemished first fruits of our harvest to God as instructed. At times in our self-delusional righteousness, we gave the last, blemished fruits, figuring we were being so generous. And many times, we gave no fruits at all. So, like the foolish, disobedient Israelites, our bubble finally burst. With an insufficient amount of good fruit going to the Church, it could not maintain the fight against Lucifer, whose coffers were brimming over with illicit gain. As the saying goes; ‘B.S talks, but money walks.’ Because of our reneging on our promise, the Lord withdrew His prosperous hand from us, and we were no match for the enemy when he set his battle plan in motion to drive the Lord out of our lives. And today our situation is one of fear, struggle and unease about jobs, homes, food and money. But fortunately my people, the Lord is still in control, His mighty powers are still intact, and His LOVING kindness, mercy and forgiveness are even greater than before. But as they say, it takes two to tango. The Lord is there, ready, willing and able. Now we have to step up and ask Him to dance with us. Just like the children of Israel cried out to Him in Egypt, so should we. Now it doesn’t only mean pleading for help, but also giving generously and cheerfully to His Church, so that His work can be done. Also bringing Him back into our lives in a bigger and better way; getting a renewed faith and truly living a Christian lifestyle, not just talking it, as we’re so adept at doing. It entails praising Him, giving much thanks, being obedient in all things, being kind, generous and LOVING to ourselves and each other. Oh my people, there’s only one way to prosper successfully, that’s by keeping a steadfast focus on the Most High God Jehovah. He’s the only One that can help us in this time of true need. We’ve fallen short of our responsibility during these past times of false prosperity and ease. What we failed to understand is that living a plentiful and easy life doesn’t mean we have to forget or ignore God. On the contrary, that’s when we most need to share our prosperity, to praise, thank and worship Him for all He’s done and doing, so that our good life can continue. Oh Friends, let’s rise up today and start a godly revolution nuh! First within ourselves, then with our neighbours, and build it from the ground up on the solid foundation of our God, so that our land, our families and future generations can prosper successfully. It’s the only way. Much LOVE!…the action word is LOVE…our God… our neighbour…and ourself…
 

Today’s Scrip-Bit 4 May 2009 2 Corinthians 8:11‏

04 May 2009 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Inspirational Living

2 Corinthians 8:11    Now therefore perform the doing of it; that as there was a readiness to will, so there may be a performance also out of that which ye have.
 
Yes my Friends, it’s another Tobago morn; bright and beautiful! (smile) The Lord’s in His heaven and everything’s right with His world, but possibly not with ours. It was rough in Bruh Paul’s time too, when he wrote his second letter to the church at Corinth. And what was that all about? Well, the Christian church has always been poor and scraping for funds, however, according to the historians, on March 23. 37 A.D. in the reign of Caligula, a great earthquake struck the Judean region, followed by another a few years later, in the reign of Claudius, accompanied by widespread famine. The Christians, then the poorest of the poor, suffered terribly, but eventually got help from the church at Antioch. ‘And in those days came prophets from Jerusalem unto Antioch. And there stood up one of them named Agabus, and signified by the Spirit that there should be great dearth throughout all the world; which came to pass in the days of Claudius Caesar. Then the disciples, every man according to his ability, determined to send relief unto the brethren which dwelt in Judea: Which also they did, and sent it to the elders by the hands of Barnabas and Saul.’ (Acts 11:27-30) Yes people, that’s where the whole Christian giving thing began; and later on, 50 A.D. at the Council of Jerusalem, they added a special plea to the original decree, requiring Jews living outside of Palestine, and the Gentile Christians to remember and help their suffering brethren in Judea. It seems after this Bruh Paul made missionary giving a standard part of any church he organized. Hn! And what has this to do with Today’s Bit eh? Well, apparently in all the hullabaloo, the Corinthians had promised to donate to the fund, but a year later had not, (vs.10) so Bruh Paul in this second missive, took them to task. I like how he doesn’t mince words, calls a spade a spade. The Corinthians seem to be satisfactory in all other areas. ‘Therefore, as ye abound in everything, in faith, and utterance, (talk) and knowledge, and in all diligence, and in your LOVE to us, see that ye abound in this grace also.’ (2 Cor.8:7) Bruh Paul was so adroit at handling people. He continues: ‘I speak not by commandment, but by occasion of the forwardness of others, and to prove the sincerity of your LOVE.’ (vs.8) He wasn’t ordering them to do that which they had promised, but sort of shaming them into doing it, since all the others had been diligent in honouring their pledges, and also to test their true regard for him and the ministry. Oh Friends, doesn’t that sound like our current world, where it’s common practice to pledge donations, or make promises and never fulfill the obligations. That’s why Bruh Paul draped up the Corinthians; they weren’t walking their talk in that regard. ‘Now therefore perform the doing of it; that as there was a readiness to will, so there be a performance also out of that which ye have.’ It was time to put up or shut up. That attitude describes many of us so-called believers; we’re full of talk, but when the time comes to back it up, we’re suddenly absent. This is certainly not acceptable behaviour my people. In fact it’s ‘unchristian.’, not Christ like at all. Remember the Church can only run on what we believers contribute in terms of time, skill and money. And as Bruh Paul points out, we’re only expected to give of what we have, what we can afford, not to burden us, but to bring some semblance of equality to the proceedings, for those who have to share with their have not brethren. (vs.12-14) That’s why so many churches are failing in today’s time of plenty. The haves don’t want to share with the have-nots, but they consider themselves Christians. Steups! Ah mih people, what they going to do with us eh? Then Bruh Paul does his thing; quotes the Old Testament: ‘As it is written, He that had gathered much had nothing over; and he that had gathered little had no lack.’ (vs.15) That refers to Exodus 16:18. My Friends, the Bible calls for us to tithe; give at least one tenth of our provision back to the Lord, who’s the giver in the first place. But it’s not even so much about the amount we give, but that we give what we can afford and give with a right heart, for our God LOVES a cheerful, generous giver. So let’s stop being selfish and greedy nuh. The Lord’s work will never get done; the Word will never be spread to the four corners of the earth, as Jesus desired, if we supposed faithful don’t support it with our gifts of time, talents and money. It’s been proven that those who tithe and/or give generously, never lack or want. You won’t necessarily get rich, though you can, but you’ll always have enough to maintain your standard of giving. So let’s show our true Christian colours nuh, and support our churches the way we ought. We’ll close with some wise words from Sol. ‘There is that scattereth, and yet increaseth; and there is that withholdeth more than is meet, but it tendeth to poverty.’ (Prov.11:24) Please listen up my people! Much LOVE!…be generous…and you won’t lack…be stingy…and you’ll suffer want…
 

Today’s Scrip-Bit 3 May 2009 Isaiah 51:9‏

03 May 2009 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Inspirational Living

Isaiah 51:9    Awake, awake, put on strength, O arm of the Lord; awake, as in the ancient days, in the generations of old. Art thou not it that hath cut Rahab, and wounded the dragon?
 
‘Morning, neighbour, morning!’ Ah my Friends, that’s such a simple greeting, but said with heartfelt enthusiasm can be so uplifting and encouraging. That’s why 3 Canal is my favourite ‘rapso’ group out of T&T. Their ‘riddim’ is always catchy and infectious, but their real strength is their lyrics; a combination of down to earth, controversial, topical and mind engaging comments. It’s like Isaiah in Chap. 51 calling the faithful to be strong and courageous. That’s us Friends. And the only way to do that is to look to the Lord. He implores, ‘Hearken to me, ye that follow after righteousness, ye that seek the Lord: look unto the rock whence ye are hewn, and to the hole of the pit whence ye are digged.’ (vs.1) But sadly my people, before we can do that we need to, ‘Awake, awake;’ awaken from the slothful slumber that’s cocooned us for so long. The times now are difficult partly because we’ve been spoiled by the easy living under the enemy’s rule and stopped seeking the Lord, like we use to, unwisely allowing the wily devil to turn our focus away from the service and worship of the Most High. But when trouble comes, when the enemy’s false hopes and dreams are shattered, then we’re quick to cry out to Him with words like Bruh David’s: ‘Awake, why sleepest thou O Lord? Arise, cast us not off for ever.’ (Ps.44:23) But Friends, it’s not our God who must arise, but us, lacklustre believers. He’s always there, awake, willing and eager to help us, but since He gave us the freedom of choice we so badly wanted, He now waits for us to come to Him; and rightly so. However, once we’ve awakened from the listless slumber, and shrugged off the lethargy that’s enveloping us, then we can cry; ‘put on strength, O arm of the Lord,’ though He doesn’t need to put it on at any specific time, cause as the Psalmist acknowledges, the Lord’s power is always in evidence. ‘The Lord reigneth, he is clothed with majesty; the Lord is clothed with strength, wherewith he hath girded himself: the world also is stablished that it cannot be moved.’ (Ps.  92:1) There again my people, it’s the law of offer and acceptance: we can accept the Lord’s offer of His strength or refuse it. But the offer is always on the table. Remember, He doesn’t change: He’s the same from start to finish. Any changes, occur in us. He laid down His terms and conditions from the very beginning, and they are the same now as then. Foolishly though we chose not to accept them. So when we cry out for Him to ‘ awake as in the ancient days of old,’ it’s not His slumber that’s causing the problem, but ours. Isaiah’s here playing to the Psalmist’s tune: ‘We have heard with our ears, O God, our fathers have told us what work thou didst in their days, in the times of old. How thou didst drive out the heathen with thy hand, and plantedst them; how thou didst afflict the people, and cast them out. For they got not the land in possession by their own sword, neither did their arm save them: but thy right hand, and thine arm, and the light of thy countenance, because thou hadst a favour unto them.’  (Ps.44:1-3) And there my Friends, lies the crux of the problem. Like the Israelites of old, we didn’t suffer and struggle to survive, life came a little too easily for us, and with our contradictory human nature, we never seem to appreciate the things we get easily, as much as those we earn with much sweat from our brow. But my brethren, please note that there’s always a price to pay for everything, even those we get quickly, easily and cheaply. I can testify from hard experience, that you’ll pay dearly later on. So when Isaiah asks, ‘Art thou not it that hath cut Rahab, (Egypt) and wounded the dragon?’ It’s stale news. We’d know it, if we chose to read it. AS Job said: ”He divideth the sea with his power, and by his understanding he smiteth through the proud. By his spirit he hath garnished the heavens; his hand hath formed the crooked (fleeing )serpent.’ (Job 26:12) And when the Psalmist chose to mention the glories of Zion, what did he say? ‘I will make mention of Rahab, and Babylon to them that know me: behold Philistia, and Tyre, with Ethiopia; this man was born there.’ (Ps. 87:4) The reference to the dragons or sea monsters, serpents, can also be found in the Psalms. ‘Thou didst divide the sea by thy strength: thou brakest the heads of the dragons in the waters.’ (Ps.74:13) The moral of the story Friends, is that the Lord is always present, always available to us. We have oodles of stories of His strength, faithfulness, mercy and compassion, but they won’t just fall on us. We have to get up off our rear ends, expend some serious energy, call out to Him sincerely, then walk in obedience to His laws. If not, our societies will either fall or suffer serious structural damage, like ours is doing now. There’s only one answer my people; Look unto the Lord, like we used to do, ‘For the Lord shall comfort Zion: he shall comfort all her waste places; and he will make her wilderness like Eden, and her desert like the garden of the Lord; joy and gladness shall be found therein, thanksgiving, and the voice of melody.’ (Isa.51:3) Yes Friends, let’s awake and seek His face once more nuh! Much LOVE!…diligently seek Him…and He will be found of you…
 

Today’s Scrip-Bit 2 May 2009 Psalm 92:5‏

02 May 2009 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Inspirational Living

Psalm 92:5    O Lord, how great are thy works! And thy thoughts are very deep.
 
Well a blessed Saturday morn to all you faithful believers, wherever you are! Or as 3 Canal would say; ‘Morning neighbour, morning!’ That means many of us have lived to see another day dawn, further meaning that the Good Lord is still in control from His throne in Heaven on high. And if we truly consider not only our blessings, but the make up of the entire world, (our bodies, nature and all its flora and fauna, the sea, the mountains) it’s self-sufficiency, yet it’s interdependence; in fact the great interconnection between all God’s creations, then we can’t help but end up astonished, and utter words of praise like Bruh David: ‘O Lord, how great are thy works!’ Oh Friends, the works of our Lord are indeed astonishing! How does the moon set and the sun rise on a regular 24 hour period, for eons eh? Who manipulates the seasons in the northern and southern climes? They come around like clockwork every year. Meanwhile that around the equator is kept fairly constant. Whose work is that eh? Who sets our hearts a beating in our mothers wombs, then keeps them pumping when we’ve broken the bond of that life giving umbilical cord? And have you ever really wondered about that 9 month gestation period, how it runs so smoothly, with us getting all the food and nutrients we need? Huge trees grow from little seeds planted in the dark cloister of the earth; flowers miles away from each other are pollinated so that they can grow and multiply. How is all that done, when there is no apparent entity that physically controls or does it? Oh my people, it’s all the work, the ingenious craftsmanship of our great and mighty God, Jehovah! As Bruh David rightly extols in an earlier song; ‘Many O Lord my God, are thy wonderful works which thou hast done.’ (Ps.40:5) They are so numerous and of such outstanding value that Bruh David declares; ‘A brutish (senseless) man knoweth not; neither doth a fool understand this.’ (Ps.92:6) The angels of heaven put it this way: ‘And they sang the song of Moses the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, Great and marvelous are thy works, Lord God Almighty; just and true are thy ways, thou King of saints.’ (Rev.15:3) Now hear Jeremiah’s prayer of praise: ‘Great in counsel and mighty in work: for thine eyes are open upon all the ways of the sons of men: to give everyone according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings.’ (Jer.32:19) The Lord said it through Isaiah: ‘For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.’ (Isa.55:9) Bruh David seconds that emotion: ‘And thy thoughts are very deep.’ That’s the best a human can do, since our intelligence is so inferior to His that we simply can’t fathom His thoughts and works. Isaiah explains it: ‘This also cometh from the Lord of hosts, which is wonderful in counsel, and excellent in working.’ (Isa.28:29) Bruh David hit the nail on the head with two passages. In the first, he declares; ‘and thy thoughts which are to us-ward: they cannot be reckoned up in order unto thee: if I would declare and speak of them, they are more than can be numbered.’  (Ps. 40:5) Then later on he says in amazement: ‘How precious also are thy thoughts unto me; O God! How great is the sum of them! If I should count them, they are more in number than the sand! When I awake, I am still with thee.’ (Ps. 139:17-18) Yes my people, all of us have much to be thankful for, especially Jesus dying for our sins, so let’s be grateful and show our appreciation nuh. That’s all our Lord wants. I like how Bruh David puts it: ‘When I awake, I am still with thee.’ It’s our God who keeps us safe in slumber and allows us to wake refreshed the next day. It’s long, but these words of Bruh Paul tie it all together nicely, and make a fitting end. ‘O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgements and his ways past finding out!’ (Rom.11:33) How true my Friends! Then as his wont, he takes different parts of scripture and puts them together. ‘For who hath known the mind of the Lord? or who hath been his counsellor? or who hath first given to him, and it shall be recompensed unto him again?’ (Rom.11:34-35) That’s a combination of Job, Jeremiah and Isaiah. They are all excellent questions, but the answer to them all is, NO ONE! For our God is Alpha and Omega; the First and the Last. And as Bruh Paul rightly ends: ‘For of him, and through him, and to him, are all things" to whom be glory for ever. Amen.’ (Rom.11:36) Oh my people, today let’s take a serious look at ourselves, inside and out, and also around us, and take note of the many wonders of our God and His goodness to the undeserving children of men. Much LOVE!…count your many blessings…count them one by one…then give many thanks… for what your God has done…

Today’s Scrip-Bit 1 May 2009 1 Corinthians 10:31‏

01 May 2009 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Inspirational Living

1 Corinthians 10-31     Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.
 
It’s May Day my Friends! Time to dance the maypole!  Reminds me of back at Bishops High in sweet Tobago. In the merry month of May we’d have a Mayfair on the school grounds, with the centre of attraction being the flagpole in the middle of the lawn, bedecked with flowers and streamers for the festive occasion, while costumed dancers did their thing around it. Those were the days people, when life was simple, but much more satisfying. There wasn’t as much haste, hassle or busyness as there is today. You could stop and smell the roses for a moment, or admire a sparkling sunrise, a fiery sunset, or a multihued rainbow without feeling like you were wasting time or missing something. Our God created created these things for us to admire, to wonder at their beauty, and consequently praise and glorify Him for putting such remarkable moments in our lives. Bruh Paul wrote very true words when he penned this advice; ‘Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.’ Why? Because to glorify the Most High is our main purpose here on earth. Jesus said: ‘Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.’ (Mat.5:16) The Lord God Jehovah Himself announced from olden times that come what may, He will be glorified. When Aaron’s sons, Nadab and Abihu, unasked, offered incense and strange fire to God, they were instead devoured by God’s fire. ‘Then Moses said unto Aaron, This is it that the Lord spake, saying, I will be sanctified in them that come nigh me, and before all the people I will be glorified. And Aaron held his peace.’ (Lev. 10:3) Poor Aaron could only meekly accept it, cause it was the Lord’s doing. Ezekiel was also instructed to inform the  Zidonians: ‘Thus saith the Lord God; Behold, I am against thee O Zidon; and I will be glorified in the midst of thee: and they shall know that I am the Lord, when I shall have executed judgements in her, and shall be sanctified in her.’ (Eze.28:22) Yes my Friends, our God is a jealous God, as He, Himself declared, and He created us to walk and talk with Him; to praise and thank Him for the wonderful things He does for us, and overall, just to exalt His Holy Name. It’s logical then, that whatever we do should be appraised and judged by how it reflects on God’s name. Before doing any thing we must first consider the question: Does it bring glory to His Name? And only if the answer is a resounding ‘Yes!’ should we do it. I know that trying to make our every action, thought and word glorify God isn’t an easy task, cause sometimes we don’t have time to think, just to react. But like most things in life, that too takes time, experience and effort. Only when we become fairly mature believers will that action become semi-automatic. The mind, body and soul would have been programmed along the way to immediately embrace or deny certain things because they don’t jive with God’s Word and don’t glorify Him. So we shouldn’t feel badly if we make mistakes, or occasionally forget to stop and ponder the wisdom of our behaviour. Once we’re aware of the requirement, and sincerely try to practice it, our God will understand. Even Bruh Paul admitted he didn’t always do what he should, although he knew better, and couldn’t understand it.  Because our flesh naturally lusteth toward sin. My brethren, we live in a rough, crazy world, and life can oftimes be like a roller coaster; up and down, round and round. But I can assure us of one thing; if we concentrate our efforts on serving and glorifying the Most High God, Jehovah, our lives won’t be as topsy-turvy. It won’t stop rolling along, but at a more sedate pace, one that we can more easily deal with. Let’s close with some passages of excellent advice on the topic. Bruh Paul put it this way to the Ephesians. ‘Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God.’ (Eph. 5: 20-21) Meanwhile, to the Colossians he said: ‘And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.’ (Col.3:17) And Peter said it thus: ‘If any man speak, let him speak as the oracles of God; if any man minister, let him do it as of the ability which God giveth: that God in all things may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom be praise and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.’ (1 Pet.4:11) Oh my Friends, please, let’s heed those wise and wonderful words of advice from those men of faith, so that we can achieve some semblance of peace and security in our lives, in this rather tumultuous world. Much LOVE!…to acknowledge God in all we do…is to glorify Him…
 

Today’s Scrip-Bit 30 April 2009 1 Corinthians 6:19‏

30 Apr 2009 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Inspirational Living

1 Corinthians 6:19    What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?
 
Ah my Friends, another beautiful spring day is in the offing! The birds will soon begin their Hallelujah Chorus outside my bedroom window, giving our Creator thanks and praise for allowing them to see another day and experience His many blessings. And so should we. We have an even greater duty to praise His Holy Name, cause He lives in, guides and directs us. I like how Bruh Paul puts it; an expression of surprise, possibly disappointment too, at the Corinthians lack of such important information. ‘What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God…’ Now that’s one of the first things a believer must know and understand. God has His temple in the physical church building, the crowd of believers, collectively known as the Church, and also in each individual believer. His presence is in all three places. The first thing that happens when we become believers is that the Spirit of the Lord, the Holy Ghost comes to dwell in us, to aid us in living our new lives for Jesus. So the logic is simple: If the Holy Spirit doesn’t dwell in you, then you can’t be a true believer. However, when that glowing Spirit is alive and awash in your soul, then you’ve become an ambassador for the Lord. Your thoughts, words, deeds and actions are no longer yours to do as you please, but must then be coloured by the Word and the actions of Jesus. Just like a political ambassador from one country goes to another to look after it’s people and interests there, we’re likewise expected to take care of God’s business here on earth. It’s so important to clarify this my Friends that I’m going straight to the fountainhead. Listen to Jesus as He explains the situation to His disciples. ‘If ye LOVE me, keep my commandments. And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you forever. Even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth in you, and shall be in you. I will not leave you comfortless. I will come to you.’ (John 14:15-18) There my people, Jesus promised His disciples and whoever LOVED Him and kept His commandments, to come and dwell in them, after His ascension, through the Holy Spirit. Then He further explains: ‘But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.’ (John 14:26) So there we have it my Friends; right from Jesus’ mouth. That means, once the Spirit dwells in us, we no longer belong to ourselves, ‘and ye are not your own.’ We then belong to God. ‘For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are Gods.’ (1 Cor.6:20) Yes my brethren, Christ bought us with His innocent blood when He died on the cross to cleanse our sinful souls. So it’s profoundly important we realize, that from the moment we claim to be born again, through the Holy Spirit of Jesus, then we no longer act on our own behalf, but as Christ’s eyes, ears and mouth on earth. That’s why we have to keep our bodies and souls as pure and clean as possible. We can’t defile the individual temple of God, else the whole collective, termed the Church will be tainted, since it’s individuals who make up the collective temple. Consequently, we have to be careful of what we do, think and say, because all eyes are focused constantly on us, to see if we’re walking our talk, just waiting for an opportunity to deride our faith and therefore our God: An unthinkable thought! So it’s no surprise when Bruh Paul asks in 2 Corinthians; ‘And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.’ (2 Cor.16:6) And all God’s people sang a glorious ‘Amen!’ Oh my people, I know it’s not an easy life that we have chosen as a believers in Christ, but it sure is a worthwhile one. And though we may not get the rewards here on earth for trying to walk in righteousness like Christ, we will surely receive them when our Saviour comes again. So let’s forget earth’s baubles, and try to store up the real treasure in heaven nuh. Till next time: Much LOVE!…as He is Holy…let us try also to be Holy…
 

Today’s Scrip-Bit 29 April 2009 Psalm 65:9‏

29 Apr 2009 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Inspirational Living

Psalm 65:9    Thou visitest the earth, and waterest it: thou greatly enrichest it with the river of God, which is full of water: thou preparest them corn, when thou hast so provided for it.
 
Welcome my Friends to another day of God’s tender mercies and numerous blessings! It’s springtime! That joyous period when life as it were, returns to the northern climes, and today I want us to celebrate the Lord’s awesome power in nature; the beautiful sights and sounds He’s graced us with, and also the bountiful provision which flows from His generous blessing upon the land. Bruh David says it so well: ‘Thou visitest the earth, and waterest it.’  Oh Friends, it’s like the Promised Land that Moses described to the Israelites; God pays attention to it like a good husbandman: ‘it is a land of hills and valley, and drinketh water of the rain of heaven: A land which the Lord thy God careth for: the eyes of the Lord thy God are always upon it; from the beginning of the year even unto the end of the year.’ (Deut.11:11-12) We are indeed blessed with the beauty and richness of our land, for ‘thou greatly enrichest it with the river of God, which is full of water:’ Yes my people, that’s why we should ‘sing unto the Lord with thanksgiving; sing praise upon the harp unto our God:’ For it is He ‘who covereth the heaven with clouds, who prepareth rain for the earth, who maketh grass to grow upon the mountains.’ (Ps.147:7-8) Sadly, many of us just take Mother Nature for granted, but the green grass, the beautiful flowers and the birds singing songs of LOVE in the leafy branches of the tall trees don’t just happen by chance, they’re provided for us by a LOVING God, for our visual and aural pleasure. The food that grows from the seeds we plant is another miracle of nature for which we should be extremely thankful. How else can you classify a dry, dead-looking seed being put deep into the dark, clogged earth and sometime later blossoming into a wholesome plant that gives us sustenance for our bodies and beauty for our eyes. It has to be a miracle! But how much of it do we really appreciate eh? Back in the days of the agrarian society, the people depended on the land for everything. But today, with our modern technology and all the other confusion, the land is hardly appreciated. Note how much farmland is constantly being taken out of production to erect ‘concrete jungles.’ There’s a certain road in my area that I drive down every so often, and every time I just shake my head in disappointment, cause I see another housing development being built. Just two years ago I could drive down this road and see big swatches of beautiful undulating, grassy farmland dotted with tall trees. Today, there isn’t an ounce of farmland left. It’s all covered in concrete. They call it progress. But what happens when all the land is used up for concrete structures? As we already know, this new generation has no inclination to farm. It’s hard, backbreaking work even with the modern machinery, which is quite expensive, and then the returns seldom make it feasible. The farmers don’t get a lot for their produce, but the price of food in the grocery stores is astronomical, and going up more every day. So who’s making the money? The big combines are now doing most of the agriculture. The small man is being forced out, either subtly by the big boys, or through poor small-scale economics. So what’s the answer Friends? All over the world people are moving from the land to the cities. Less food is being produced in the rural areas, but more is needed in the big centres. We’re building ourselves a dilemma, where everybody wants abundant fresh food, but few are willing to put out the necessary labour or money. Then when the big combines make drastic changes to the genetic structure of the crops, we complain about the quality and the evils of genetic engineering. It’s the same with all our food today; it’s all scientifically enhanced to either grow bigger or last longer. Just look at the ingredients on any food label, it’ll make you cringe. You’ve never heard about most of the stuff added to it. And what passes for organic, the new term for fresh, non-invasive food, is either too expensive or still suspect. Ah my Friends, whatever happened to those good ole days when the land was looked upon as our very lifeblood, the source from which all our needs flowed and were met? When the people could say of their God; ‘thou preparest them corn, when thou hast so provideth for it.’ It seems that we’ve stopped looking to God to provide us with suitable food, just like we’ve stopped looking to Him for many other things, then we wonder why our lives are such a mess. It’s simple; today we look to too many man made solutions, which are actually doing us more harm than good. Just check out the smog in the air we breathe, the pesticides and the acid rain in the earth, the chemical pollutants we still pour into our rivers and lakes, that fish no longer can survive there, not forgetting the steroids and whatever else we use to enhance the growth rate or meat of our animals. No wonder diseases like cancer are flourishing, since the human body wasn’t made to handle the amount of carcinogens we ingest today. Oh my people, I know we can’t go back to the days when everybody lived off the land. But the road we’re on is fraught with much danger, since proper testing is not done before these products are rushed to market. All we can do is pay closer attention to what we eat, try to find food that’s not too genetically engineered or have too many additives. And, as with everything else we do, ask for help and guidance in from our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Much LOVE!…enjoy the beauty of nature…stop and smell the flowers…
 

Today’s Scrip-Bit 28 April 2009 James 4:6‏

28 Apr 2009 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Inspirational Living

James 4:6    But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble.
 
Oh my Friends, I don’t know why, but it seems the Lord wants us to consider pride and humility again today, for after much searching and checking, this is where I was eventually led. Yesterday we looked at Augur’s words about foolishly exalting ourselves and devising evil within our hearts, also the appropriate way to counter that negative action, which is first to stop doing it. Now today, in Chap.4, talking about worldliness and pride, James condemns our inherently sinful nature that creates strife amongst us, which stems from our unsatisfied, selfish desires. ‘From whence comes wars and fightings amongst you? come they not hence, even of your lusts that war in your members.’  (James 4:1) He then questions that ‘the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God. Do you think that the scripture saith in vain, The spirit that dwelleth in us lusteth to envy?’ (vs.4-5) That’s all the living truth my Friends, for the ways of the world are directly opposed to those of God, and all who bow to the world are indeed enemies of the Most High. It’s also true that our spirit naturally leans to envy and jealousy. ‘And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.’ (Gen.6:5) Oh my Friends, that grieved God so much that He decided to destroy everything He’d so proudly made. What a waste eh! We all know that feeling of deep disappointment in creating, whether it be children, animals or inanimate objects with high hopes for their activity and actions that sadly never pan out. That’s how our Creator felt way back then. But luckily, ‘Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord.’ (Gen.6:8)And we all know about the Ark and the flood and the severe destruction the Lord wrought. Unfortunately though, in our second incarnation, mankind became even more wicked and sinful. That’s why James could make those statements about out lustful nature. But God always has our best interest at heart. When one door closes, another opens. And so, though we are vain, prideful, envious, jealous, spiteful and ‘gravalicious,’ the Lord in His merciful wisdom has provided a way out for us. ‘But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble.’ That refers to Sol’s wisdom: ‘Surely he scorneth the scorners: but he giveth grace unto the lowly.’ (Prov. 3:34) Yes my people, the Lord dislikes the proud, the arrogant and the know it all, because they believe they have no need for Him. But how foolish is it to think that we have no need for our Creator, when He’s still the One who provides for and looks after us? I’d say very foolish. However, our God is always willing, in fact, overjoyed and ecstatic when we reject the world and turn to Him. And James gives us the prescription for accomplishing that wise and most worthwhile venture. ‘Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.’ (vs.9) It’s true. I’ve noticed it, and I’m sure many of you have too. The more you say no to the enemy, the less he harasses you. It doesn’t mean he’ll go away and not bother you, but when he realizes he’s not making any headway with you, he backs off, and instead of constant bombardment, chooses his situations more carefully, puts on his sly, fox like veil. So ‘Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you.’ (vs.8) Another statement of fact my brethren. When the Lord sees your desire to get close to Him… Oh my people, His heart just bubbles with joy and he rushes out to meet you! (See 2 Chron.15:2) But first we need to ‘Cleanse your hands, ye sinners.’ (vs.8) Isaiah says: ‘Wash you and make you clean: put away the evil of your doings from before mine eyes; cease to do evil.’ (Isa.1:16) Then, ‘purify your hearts ye doubleminded.’ (vs.8) Peter puts it thus: ‘Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned LOVE of the brethren, see that ye LOVE one another with a pure heart.’ (1 Pet.1:22) The important word there my Friends, is ‘unfeigned,’ meaning real and true, not false and hypocritical. ‘Be afflicted and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning; and your joy to heaviness.’ (vs.9) When times are sad; lament, weep, grieve, cry. It’s a normal response to misfortune, for tears and sadness cleanse the soul. Jesus said in the Beatitudes: ‘Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.’ (Mat.5:4) And finally my people; ‘Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.’ (vs.10) Oh Friends, that’s gospel! And it doesn’t mean grovelling or being a ‘poor me one,’ but not constantly blowing your own horn, especially if you can’t blow properly; generally having a down to earth attitude and preferring others to yourself; walking like Jesus did, who though He was God, didn’t give Himself a setta airs and graces. If we deserve to be exalted, then the Lord will do it in His time. Job says; ‘When men are cast down, then thou shalt say, There is lifting up; and he shall save the humble person.’ (Job 22:29) My Friends, the saying pride goes before a fall is so true, and sometimes it takes that fall to smarten us up. The smart ones will learn from it, but the smarter ones will learn from seeing it happen to others. Please, let’s be numbered amongst the smarter ones. Much LOVE!…oh, how have the mighty fallen…mostly through foolish pride…
 

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