Today’s Scrip-Bit 17 October 2007 Revelation 21:1-4.‏

21 Nov 2007 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Inspirational Living

Revelation 21:1-4.    And I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and first earth were passed away: and there was no more sea. And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying; Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God. And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.
 
Oh Believers, what a beautiful picture! What a comforting, reassuring vision! What a glorious beginning! That’s just how J.C promised it: When He comes again, the old world will be no more, He’ll cast it and the savage, disgusting enemy out. Instead, there’ll be a new Jerusalem, pretty as a picture, like a bride a on her wedding day. And God will dwell with us; we’ll be His people, and obviously He’ll be our god. And in His ever merciful and loving kindness, He’ll alleviate our misery. He’ll wipe away all our tears. And wonder of wonders, there’ll be no more death, or sad, gory stuff like sorrow and crying, and pain, because Infinitely Everything would have banished all those negative things to the nether world forever. It’ll be a New Dawning, of a New Day! We’ll get a wonderful opportunity to start over from scratch with Our Saviour. Lots of singing and dancing and praising and thanksgiving! Friends, we’ve got to hold on to that promise, envision that vision for ourselves. It’s our Lifeline! If we intend to follow J.C, we’ve got to believe that He’ll come again as He promised, riding in His golden chariot amongst the billowing clouds, surrounded by a Heavenly Host, singing Hallelujah! Christ is come! In the meanwhile we’ve got to wait patiently, but be prepared, with a song of praise in our hearts and obediently do His bidding, for only the Father knows when that time will be. Much LOVE… Hope to party with all of you on that Glorious Salvation Morn!

Today’s Scrip-Bit 16 October 2007 Proverbs 31: 30-31.‏

21 Nov 2007 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Inspirational Living

Proverbs 31: 30-31.    Favour is beautiful and beauty is vain: but a woman that feareth the Lord, she shall be praised. Give her of the fruit of her hands: and let her own works praise her in the gates.
 
What a beautiful sentiment! And ole Solomon should know about women. For much too long women have been considered second class citizens, mentally inferior to the most ignorant man, just because they’re women. But that’s … well, in a scriptural text, I guess I can’t use the terminology I really want to, so we’ll just say that it’s not true. It all stems from man’s macho, fearful, chauvinistic instinct of not being number one. Anyway, education wise, in terms of formal schooling, women were, until recently, purposely refused it because mankind proclaimed they were only good for child bearing and house work. But are there any two things more difficult than bearing children and running a household? I doubt it. And most men would fail at both. It’s also sad to see that until the late 19th, early 20th centuries, women were still considered chattels; mere things, possessions like animals, bought and sold, given away, whatever, without regard to their feelings or welfare. And in some societies the animals were more important. Unfortunately, it’s still that way today in too many stupid, patriarchal societies. Neither were women able to vote until they got together as a group and demanded the right in the first half of the 20th century. Today, they are still channelled towards the lowliest, menial work, still paid less than men for equal work, still kept under the glass ceiling, unable to rise to their full potential by the subtle and often not so subtle machinations of the old boys network. They’re often used and abused by their own spouses and families. So why is all this still happening when men are spouting all these praises to the women in their lives? On every awards show, it’s thanks to God, my mother, my wife, or some woman. Until recently women weren’t even allowed to hold any high lay post in the Church, much less become preachers. Even Paul, in his so called wisdom in 1st Timothy Chapter 2, declared that nonsense about women should not teach or usurp authority over men, but should be silent, reasoning that Adam was first formed, and Eve was the first transgressor, not Adam. However, in 2nd Timothy, Chapter 1, he reminds him, that his, Timothy’s faith was first nourished in his grandmother Lois, and his mother Eunice. So what’s the point? They can have faith but not share it, not noise it about just because they’re women? And how did Timothy get started? Through his maternal relatives. I hope it was just Paul’s macho, chauvinistic side showing up. Because, as Solo says, favour and beauty in a woman isn’t worth much, but those who believe in and respect the Most High should be greatly praised. They should be allowed to do their own thing and receive the praise and benefit from it. I believe that Lois and Eunice were exactly the kind of women Solo was referring to. And in my own life, most of the good attributes I have, I owe to several strong women who’ve passed through my life at different times, starting with my mother Molly, and my great grand mother Lee. They were all strong believers and lived decent Christian lives. Two of my favourite preachers are Rev. Anne Smith in my church and Joyce Meyer on t.v. In fact I’m going to listen to Joyce after I’ve sent this. So should women be denied their birthright as God’s children, just because they’re women? Absolutely not! But women, there’s also another side to the coin: You also have a part to play. You can’t just use your physical beauty and woman’s wiles to get by. If you want to genuinely make a difference, you can’t play the same, stupid, hypocritical games that men do. You’ve got to rise above the petty concerns that rule men, and show them that you’re worth your salt, and can do a better job of running the world than they’ve done. Awright Daughters! Much LOVE…and Women, stand up and fight the good fight! The Most High is also your, Saviour, Father, Guide and Protector. And Men…Let’s LOVE our Women nuh!  Although they can be annoying at times. (smile) LOVE’S THE ONLY WAY!

Today’s Scrip-Bit 15 October 2007 Malachi 4:1-2‏

21 Nov 2007 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Inspirational Living

Malachi 4:1-2.    For behold, the day cometh, that shall burn as an oven; and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble: and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the Lord of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch. 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.
 
Behold, the day of thunder, hellfire and brimstone! It’s coming people, it’s coming. When? We don’t know. But for sure it’s going to come. Possibly sooner than we expect, so we had better be ready, because if it comes and we’re found wanting…Hn! Then crapaud smoke we pipe yes! Things going to be real bad with us. As the Prophet Malachi told the Israelites, that day will come when the proud and wicked will be burned, erasing all signs of them and their families. However, for those of us who fear His name; revere and respect Him, who believe in Him and obediently accept and  follow His loving guidance, then, on that day of Armageddon, then the Sun of righteousness shall arise, the everlasting kingdom of Jesus Christ shall be proclaimed. He shall come forth in a dazzling burst of glory, with healing in His wings, to protect and keep us safe from the fiery situation engulfing the world. On that day, believers shall be honoured with His fatherly LOVE, made strong and free, and taken to live happily ever after with Him as His loving children in that Heavenly mansion He’s prepared for us. Friends, I implore you, let’s try and be amongst those chosen few, because the other side of the coin is unthinkable. And also, let’s try and get The Word out to so many that have not heard it, so that they too will have a fighting chance come that dreadful, but for believers, glorious Day of Judgement. Much LOVE…plenty, plenty effort in spreading The Word!

Today’s Scrip-Bit 14 October 2007 Isaiah 41:10‏

21 Nov 2007 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Inspirational Living

Isaiah 41:10.    Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.
 
More powerful, encouraging words of Scripture; this time spoken by the Prophet Isaiah, many, many, moons ago. And nothing has changed. It is still as fresh and powerful and relevant today, as it was back then. This verse deals with Fear; something we all face many times over the course of our mortal lives. And it’s only natural to be afraid of things that seem more powerful than us, especially in our current, violence ridden world. But who is the most powerful eh? Who is the Mightiest of the Mighty? Undoubtedly the Lord God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob!  And we are called Believers because we BELIEVE this fact wholeheartedly. So let’s do some logical thinking: If we believe that Our Heavenly Father is the most powerful Being in the Universe, and if one of His prophets, one of His spokespeople brings us a message from Him, saying, don’t fear or be dismayed, because I am your God, and I will always be by your side, in good times and bad. I will help you, strengthen you and keep you safe and uplifted with My powerful right hand, then why should we be afraid eh? If we are, then possibly our belief mechanism is not strong enough and we need to get The Word, the dependable, reliable, trustworthy promises of The Most High more entrenched, more deeply rooted in our minds and souls. Now don’t get me wrong, all of us have just cause to be fearful of certain things, but as somebody said, bravery is not the absence of fear, but rather ploughing ahead in spite of that fear. Friends, the sad thing about fear is that it’s capable of paralyzing us if we give into it. We can have done something a million or more times over, but on that one occasion when we allow fear to get the upper hand, we can behave as though we’ve never performed that task before. Friends, I’m asking us today, not to let Fear take over our lives, to get the upper hand on us. It’s okay to be afraid, but not to let Fear control us. We have the faithful promise of the most awesome, most powerful Being in existence, ‘Infinitely Everything’ that He will always be with us to help, strengthen and guide us. So there’s no need to Fear. Let’s LOVE instead nuh, because GOD IS LOVE…and LOVE CONQUERS ALL!  Much, much LOVE Friends…and as little Fear as possible.

Today’s Scrip-Bit 13 October 2007 Psalm 104:33-34.‏

21 Nov 2007 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Inspirational Living

Psalm 104: 33-34    I will sing unto the Lord as long as I live:  I will sing praise to my God while I have my being. My meditation of him shall be sweet:  I will be glad in the Lord.
 
But nuh must! What beautiful, empowering, encouraging words from my favourite poet, David. He certainly had an excellent way of talking about and communicating with His God. One can’t help but fall under its spell. He’s not afraid or ashamed to proclaim, "I will sing unto the Lord as long as I live. I will sing praise to my God while I have my being." That’s showing enormous trust and confidence in The Most High. It means He was deeply rooted in David’s soul, fastened with unbreakable, unmoveable bonds. And when he says, "My meditation of him shall be sweet," I can just picture the young man, David, out in the vast wilderness with just his sheep and His God for company. Imagine him sitting alone under a wilting tree, searching for some shade and relief from the hot, desert sun, whittling a piece of wood, whistling or singing a Psalm, or practising with his sling shot, and on a quiet, beautiful night, lying in the open, under the brilliant stars, peacefully communing with His Maker. There was nothing else for him to do if the sheep were quiet and restful. No cell phones, no i-pods, no laptops. Just him and His God. That must surely be where he acquired that awesome inner strength, that total sense of trust and confidence in the God of his Fathers. Lots of time just to sit and meditate, sit and ponder the whys, wonders and wherefores of the universe; feel the aura of God surrounding him in love and safety. With all of that going for him, he was certainly justified in proclaiming, "I will be glad in the Lord!" Friends, please, please, let’s try and do likewise: let’s all sing His praises, ponder Him in sweet wonder and be eternally glad and joyous in His Holy Name. Much LOVE…Plenty singing and praising and meditating in joyful gladness!

Today’s Scrip-Bit 12 October 2007 Luke 12:15.‏

21 Nov 2007 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Inspirational Living

Luke 12:15.    And he said unto them, Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man’s life consisteth not in the abundance of things which he possesseth.
 
As the old folks would say, that’s the gospel truth! And we shouldn’t need J.C to remind us of that. Here, some fellow wanted Him to tell his brother to divide their inheritance equally, but J.C with his usual aplomb and dry wit, asked the man who made Him a judge or divider over them. Then He spoke Today’s Bit, and followed it up with the parable about the  man who had so much material wealth, but no where to store it. So, in his great wisdom, he decided to tear down what he had and build bigger and better structures that would be able to hold all his material possessions. Hn! The Most High however, had other ideas, and required the soul of the man that night. So what good was all those possessions to him? None, since he could not take any of it with him. And we are foolishly following in that man’s footsteps. J.C. must be sadly shaking His head in Heaven, seriously concerned about us, because our world is so rife with materialism. It’s all about what and how much material possessions you possess. And not only that, but also whose is better. It’s like a crazy free for all out there; everybody’s encouraging you to buy, buy, buy. Get this new this, or this new that, then tomorrow it’s outdated, made obsolete by another new fangled toy. Consider, the recent surge in computer technology, cell phones, i-pods, hand held wireless devices, plasma, wide screen and whatever other kind of TV’s, home theatre systems, cars, houses and the upcoming battle between the two kinds of DVD’s. Like we never learned anything from the Beta and VCR confusion.  And it all costs more money, but has less substance than ever. Everything is hyped so much now, that you wonder what they’ll do for an encore. And although we know we can’t take any of it with us, we still persist in the break-neck, rat race pursuit of amassing worldly possessions. And like the man asking J.C about talking to his brother, we leave a lot of stuff behind for our families and lawyers and hanger’s on to fight over, thus creating further turmoil in our already apathetic world. Almost every death of a wealthy person provokes some kind of lawsuit. Check James Brown and Anna Nicole Smith. Friends, we should try to improve our economic situation and live comfortably, but not at the expense of other stuff. Accumulation of things should not be so far above everything else on our agenda, that we don’t have time for those other pursuits. Remember in the parable above, J.C considered the man a fool for wanting to build bigger and better, and ended it by saying, "So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich towards God." (Luke 12:21)  In light of that Friends, let’s try not to be too foolish nuh. Instead , let’s focus on the things of God.  Much LOVE…as little foolishness as possible…and plenty, plenty richness towards The Most High!

Today’s Scrip-Bit 11 October 2007 1 Corinthians 14:1-4‏

21 Nov 2007 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Inspirational Living

1 Corinthians 14:1-4.    Follow after charity, and desire spiritual gifts, but rather that ye may prophesy. For he that speaketh in an unknown tongue speaketh not unto men, but unto God; for no man understandeth him; howbeit in the spirit he speaketh mysteries. But he that prophesieth speaketh unto men, to edification, and exhortation, and comfort. He that speaketh in an unknown tongue edifieth himself; but he that prophesieth edifieth the church.
 
Hn! Paul in his usual highfalutin manner. He’s encouraging the Corinthians to be charitable, loving, kind hearted and wish for spiritual things, but he feels it’s better to be able to prophesy. He claims that if we get too hung up on the spiritual gifts, like speaking in foreign languages, then only God will understand you, the people listening to you won’t. However, when you prophesy, you come down to earth and speak the language that people understand, on their level, then it becomes beneficial; educational, encouraging and comforting to your listener. It’s the same for all of us. If we communicate with others in language they don’t understand, we’re wasting time, just impressing ourselves, but when we do it so they understand, then we’re teaching them. Personally, I find Paul guilty of this, possibly because he was highly educated, but his language often seems too high for the ordinary individual, and instead of being straightforward, he meanders all over the place, in the vernacular, he beats about the bush a lot. Okay children, no smirking, I know I do it too. So Friends, that means when we’re trying to spread The Word, we need to both talk to our listeners in a tongue that they understand, as well as on an educational level that they can comprehend. No need speaking to them in Greek, when they only understand Spanish, or expounding on a Ph.D level when they’ve only got an Elementary School education. Let’s prayerfully ask the Most High to instill in us the most beneficial choice of language for us to use when we are trying to spread His Word. Much LOVE…and PLENTY, PLENTY spreading of the UNDERSTANDABLE Word! It’s getting late, and numerous people have still not heard it.

Today’s Scrip-Bit 10 October 2007 Isaiah 61:9‏

21 Nov 2007 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Inspirational Living

Isaiah 61:9:    And their seed shall be known among the gentiles, and their offspring among the people: all that see them shall acknowledge them, that they are the seed which the Lord hath blessed.
 
Isaiah was on a mission to bring the Israelites back to God, telling them all the good things that their God promised if they obeyed Him. Today’s Bit promises that their children would not only be well known, but also acknowledged by all who saw them as being blessed by the Lord. That promise also applies to all of us Believers today. As the children of Abraham, through faith, and followers of J.C, we too have inherited those promises. That means we shall also be well known amongst the unbelievers. Consequently, because of the life we live for Christ: happy and prosperous; loving and caring; generous and forgiving; patient and long suffering; persevering unto fortitude; wise yet humble; not given to too much vulgarity or immorality; willing to teach, but also to listen; contented yet striving; being serious and focused in whatever we do, but doing all with a joyful countenance, they shall undoubtedly see that we are most definitely of the seed, the seed of Abraham and J.C which the Lord hath blessed. Friends, let’s not make Isaiah a liar nuh(smile). Let’s go out there, far and wide, and do the Lord’s work, successfully showing them that we are truly blessed. How else could we be so happy and prosperous eh? Much LOVE…Much Good Work…and Many Many Blessings!

Today’s Scrip-Bit 9 October 2007 Isaiah 61:10‏

21 Nov 2007 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Inspirational Living

Isaiah 61:10    I will greatly rejoice in the Lord, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, he hath covered me with the robe of righteousness; as a bridegroom decketh himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorneth herself with jewels.
 
The partying is over now. The harvest has been brought in and celebrated. It’s back to ploughing and sowing so that we can reap another bountiful harvest next year to give thanks for. But that doesn’t mean we should just be mournful and sorrowful till then. In fact, there’s no room for negative things like sloth, lethargy and apathy in our lives. Even though the work may be difficult and we can’t see the fruits of our labour, as Today’s Bit states, we should always have much rejoicing in the Lord, and our spirits should always be joyful in Him, because He’s the one who’s given us all the good things we possess. Isaiah calls it ‘the garments of salvation’ and ‘the robe of righteousness.’ He likens it to a wedding, where the bride and groom are bedecked with beautiful things. If that’s so, then Friends we should be happy, busily going about the Lord’s work with a pleasant, encouraging countenance, a heart full of LOVE, and a spirit overflowing with joy. I know that’s not always easy to do in this cruel, ugly world of ours, and it sounds Utopian, but as followers of J.C. that’s what we should always strive for. Here’s a rather appropriate quote from a novel I recently read, called ‘Apple Tree Lean Down’ by Mary Pearce. Those couple lines spoke to me very eloquently and I wrote them down, intending to put it with some other quotes that I have on the computer, but for some reason never got around to doing so. Now I know why,  because the bit of paper it’s written on is still sitting right in front of me. I did not even have to move anything. I got the Utopian idea and simply raised my head, and there it was. Another one of His mysterious movements.? Who knows. Anyway, in the book a young girl is talking to a slightly older fellow, he has a very serious interest in the poor, working class. "Is Utopia possible?" she asks. His reply was: "It should always be the aim. A goal kept constantly in sight."  Much LOVE…and hopefully not too much after effects from the partying (smile) 

Today’s Scrip-Bit 8 October 2007 Psalm 92:1‏

21 Nov 2007 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Inspirational Living

Psalm 92:1    It is a good thing to give thanks unto the Lord, and to sing praises unto thy name, O Most High!
 
                                            HAPPY THANKSGIVING FRIENDS AND NEIGHBOURS!

Yes, it is Thanksgiving Day in this beautiful, land of milk and honey called Canada. So let’s do exactly that: enjoy the fruits of our labour, sharing with those less fortunate than us, while giving unending thanks to the One who made it all possible. Let there be dancing and singing and praising of His Holy Name! Extol His Love and Kindness! Even though we be unworthy, He’s always with us to help and guide us. In return, as the Psalmist says, it’s a good thing to give thinks and praise His Name. That’s the least we can do. Much LOVE…Much Enjoyment…Plenty, Plenty Thanks and Praise!

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