Today’s Scrip-Bit 1 October 2013 Psalm 135:15

01 Oct 2013 Leave a comment

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

Psalm 135:15.    The idols of the heathen are silver and gold, the work of men’s hands.
 
Oh Friends, oh Friends, oh Friends…. One more time I have to ask, what is really wrong with our world eh?
 
Oh Chuh man! Ponder this story nuh, this atrocity. Some time in the last two weeks, the people in an undeveloped province in Northern Pakistan suffered two serious earthquakes, with many deaths and severe damages to the area. Now apparently there are some militants in the province fighting for political separation and determination.
 
Now that’s all well and good, for sometimes there is cause to stand and fight. But instead of rushing to help the people in their unfortunate circumstances, it seems these militants were ambushing and killing the Federal people bringing supplies and medical help. Now tell me, is that the kind of people I want to govern and lead me? No way Jose!!!
 
How can you be killing people who are coming to help me in my time of dire need eh? Steups! And then you want to run my province? Not on yuh life, mih brother! If you see me suffering and deny me help, just to suit your political agenda, can you imagine what you’re going to do to me when you get in power?
 
Ah Lord eh! But unfortunately, these days that seems to be the modus operandi of all the supposed militants all over the word; they are only interested in one thing, political power, and too bad for anybody, even their own people, who get in their way.
 
And then they talk about it being in the name of God… Pure Hogwash! They’re simply worshipping at the altar of the idol of power!
 
And like our Bit says: ‘The idols of the heathen are silver and gold, the work of men’s hands.’ 
 
Too many of us talk God, but when it comes down to the nitty gritty, its the things of the world that we truly lust after and spend our lives following. But as we’ve been saying Friends, that’s a fool’s wisdom, because God sees and knows the true motives of our hearts.
 
Now hear this scripture from way back when, a time when Hezekiah, king of Judah received a threatening letter from Sennacherib, king of Assyria, which stated: ‘Let not thy God in whom thou trustest deceive thee, saying, Jerusalem shall not be delivered into the hand of the king of Assyria.’ (2 Kin.19:10)
 
Then the letter went on to boast about all the kings and gods of the lands that Assyria had conquered and wiped out, so why should Judah be any different? But Friends, please note Hezekiah’s actions when he received that letter, for it is very instructional to all of us today.
 
The Good Book says: ‘And Hezekiah received the letter of the hand of the messengers, and read it: and Hezekiah went up into the house of the Lord, and spread it before the Lord. And Hezekiah prayed before the Lord, and said, O Lord God of Israel, which dwellest between the cherubim, thou art the God, even thou alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth; thou hast made heaven and earth.
 
Lord, bow down thine ear, and hear: open, Lord, thine eyes, and see: and hear the words of Sennacherib, which hath sent him to reproach the living God. Of a truth, Lord, the kings of Assyria have destroyed the nations and their lands, And have cast their gods into the fire: for they were no gods, but the work of men’s hands, wood and stone: therefore they have destroyed them.
 
Now therefore, O Lord our God, I beseech thee, save thou us out of his hand, that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that thou art the Lord God, even thou only.’ (2 Kin.19:14-19)
 
Ah mih people, yuh see how we should ALL respond to EVERY crisis in our lives? Go straight to our wonderful, mighty, ever-LOVING God in prayer! That is definitely true wisdom, my brethren!
 
But how many of us do that eh? Certainly not enough! We first run to humans. And only if they can’t fix it, do we turn to God, with weeping and all sorts of beseeching, foolishly, but fully expecting Him to fix our problems right away.
 
Unfortunately though Friends, our God doesn’t operate like that. We need to be like Hezekiah; stay faithfully tuned to God when things are good, then run to Him FIRST, when things begin to go awry! 
 
Even though Isaiah had promised Hezekiah that the Lord would save Jerusalem, (2 Kin.19:6-7) he didn’t rely on the prophet’s words, but went himself before the Lord and placed his request, quite rightly acknowledging the Lord’s omnipotence and singular Deity over all the world.
 
Oh my people, when are we truly going to get that in our hearts eh, and stop allowing the things of the world prominence over the things of Almighty God? It’s only when we do that, that our world will move away from the nonsense it now elevates and treasures, and some semblance of reason and prosperity will return.
 
As the scholars say: ‘Hezekiah was truly a man of trust. He takes his concerns to God in prayer, believing that God would vindicate His name and deliver Jerusalem.’ 
 
That only says that we don’t truly believe and trust in God to fulfill His promises to us when we run to Him last and not first. Oh my people, I can only point us in the right direction, it’s up to each of us to follow it. If we do, we’ll surely be rewarded. But if we don’t, then we’ll certainly pay the price… and it’s usually a hefty one.
 
On a point of interest, you can read all about Hezekiah’s decent reign in 2 Kings Chapters 18-19, and the particular scripture I quoted above, can also be found in Isaiah Chapter 37. 
 

So then my fellow believers, today, let’s up the ante nuh; let’s raise our level of faith and trust in the Lord God Jehovah, not merely in words, but even more importantly in deeds, for that’s the only way we will ever improve our own lives and also bring the heathen to believe in the ONE and ONLY TRUE GOD, He of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Much LOVE!
 
…only the God who made us…can truly help us…
 
      
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
   

Today’s Scrip-Bit 10 September 2013 Job 9:1-2

10 Sep 2013 Leave a comment

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

Job 9:1-2.   Then Job answered and said, I know it is so of a truth: but how should man be just with God?
 
Oh Friends, the ole fella’s a tad tired this morning. I don’t really know why, because I’ve had lots of sleep. I was even late in getting down here to write the Bit. But you know what, in my time of need there, I asked the Lord to help me put on my spiritual armour, because I realized that the enemy was coming strong against me.
 
Then I declared one of the affirmations on my desk, that I can do EVERYTHING through Christ who provides new opportunities for me each and every day, and I’m not settling for where I am now, but reaching out, stretching myself and pursuing what God has put in my heart. So now, through the working of the Holy Spirit, I’m bubbling over and ready to go. (smile)
 
Oh Friends, believe me, we do serve and worship a most wonderful God! And He’s put it in my heart this morning to give us the monthly reminder to check and see how we’re doing in our New Year’s Resolution to walk with Him in a stronger, more LOVING and trusting relationship for this year of 2013.
 
So please let’s check on that, and however we’ve done over the past month, prayerfully ask the Lord to help us improve, because I know that NONE of us have yet reached that plateau, that maturity where we don’t need to grow anymore.
 
In fact, I strongly doubt if any of us will ever reach such ‘heightful’ heights in this earthly life. So good luck… Chuh! I keep forgetting that there’s no such thing as luck with believers in Christ, that it’s all God’s planning and His blessings! So may He bless us all as we review our ever-growing intimacy with Him.
 
Now let’s turn to our Bit where Job acknowledges God’s justice. ‘Then Job answered and said, I know it is so of a truth: but how should man be just with God (how can a man be righteous before God)?’
 
Oh Friends, it’s IMPOSSIBLE for a man to be justified with God! For He is a supreme, immortal, infinite Being, way above the finite, mortal, inept sinful man we represent. 
 
And as Job continues: ‘If he will contend with him (one wished to argue with him), he cannot answer him one of a thousand (one time out of a thousand). He (God) is wise in heart, and mighty in strength: who hath hardened himself against him, and hath prospered? (Job 9:3-4)
 
Absolutely NO ONE my Friends! For NO MAN can match wits or strength with His Creator, Almighty God! That’s like the created becoming greater than the creator, a usually unheard of circumstance.
 
And as the scholars say of Job’s questions: ‘Job complains that one cannot argue with an infinite God about justice; God could ask a thousand unanswerable questions.’ And isn’t that the gospel truth my people!
 
It’s also interesting how Job’s buddy Eliphaz puts forth that same question when he rebukes Job earlier on. ‘Shall mortal man be more just than God? Shall a man be more pure than his Maker? Behold, he put no trust in his servants; and his angels he charged with folly (error):
 
How much less in them that dwell in houses of clay, whose foundation is in the dust, which are crushed before the moth? They are destroyed (broken in pieces) from morning to evening: they perish for ever without any (anyone) regarding it. Doth not their excellency which is in them go away? They die, even without wisdom.’ (Job 4:17-21)
 
Ah mih people, in spite of so much evidence to the contrary, yet so many of us weak-fleshed mortals, still try to fight against God, who’s been around since the beginning of time, and will still be on his mighty and glorious throne till eternity.
 
Now listen to Eliphaz again, as he further reproves Job in a later chapter. ‘What is man, that he should be clean? and he which is born of a woman, that he should be righteous? Behold, he (God) putteth no trust in his saints; yea, the heavens are not clean in his sight. How much more abominable and filthy is man, which drinketh iniquity like water?’ (Job 15:14-16)
 
All of that my brethren is unquestionable truth! Man in his natural sinfulness cannot be righteous with God!
 
It’s only by the most generous grace and LOVING-kindness of Jehovah, through the sacrifice of His holy and innocent Son, Jesus Christ, whose shed blood paid the debt for our abominable sins, that we are even able to stand in God’s presence. And until we truly realize that my people, we’ll always be on the outside of God’s heaven, tearfully and despondently looking in.
 
So Friends, let’s ask God to help us stop thinking more highly of ourselves that we actually are nuh. We were formed from the dust of the earth, and through the holy breath, breathed in to us by the Most High God, we were given life. 
 
Consequently, whenever He chooses to remove that breath of life from our frail bodies, we have absolutely no say in the matter. Then right back to the dust of the earth from which we were created, we will return.
 
Therefore let’s sincerely honour and worship the great God, the Creative Creator who created us to be in a LOVING relationship with Him. That, my people, is the wisdom of the ages! Much LOVE!
 
…to live this earthly life…and NOT LOVE Almighty God…is a fool’s wisdom…
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Today’s Scrip-Bit 12 June 2013 Psalm 64:1

12 Jun 2013 Leave a comment

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

Psalm 64:1:     Hear my voice, O God, in my prayer: preserve my life from fear of the enemy.
 
Oh Friends, oh Friends, another new day has dawned, just like so many others down through the ages! Wow!
 
Aren’t you excited? I sure hope so, because this new day is also loaded with blessing and mercies just like every other day that has so far dawned! So let’s give our most wonderful God and Creator some thanks and praise for that nuh.
 
Please pray with me. ‘Father God, our minds are small compared to yours. That means our vocabulary is also small, and consequently we have to use the same words most of the time to thank and praise You. But we know that You’re a magnificent and magnanimous God, very aware of our frailties and deficiencies, and thus understands our situation. So You don’t mind if we repeat ourselves, once our hearts are filled with the right spirit and motives.
 
Today we thank You, many times over, for creating and looking after us. And we just want to tell You this morning, that we LOVE You Lord! Yes Father, we truly do. And we’re also eternally grateful for all You’ve done, are doing, and plan to do for us, even though we don’t deserve most of it.
 
Oh, and we can never thank You enough for sacrificing Your innocent, sinless Son Jesus, so that we could have salvation and eternal life in Your awesome presence.
 
Oh gracious Lord, we thank and praise You this Wednesday morning, humbly asking that You keep allowing Your Holy Spirit to work in us, to lead and guide us along that straight and narrow path that joyfully ends in your heavenly embrace.
 
We LOVE You Lord, and glorify Your Holy Name! All this we pray on the shed blood of Jesus that washed us clean from all sin.’ And all God’s people declared a loud and heartfelt ‘AMEN!’
 
Oh mih people, you know that you can’t let the ole fella loose! You have to keep him on a tight rein, otherwise he’ll just run off, like a rider-less horse. (smile)
 
But seriously though, once you get caught up in praying and thanking our heavenly Father, it just seems right, easy and never ending. You feel His Spirit just moving and grooving in you, awakening and raising up all the wonderful stuff He’s embedded in us from the day we acknowledged His amazing Son Jesus as our Lord and Saviour. That’s because we were created to be praying and prayerful beings.
 
No wonder Bruh David prayed so often, and wrote so many heartfelt prayers, like this one in our Bit. ‘Hear my voice, O God, in my prayer (meditation or complaint): preserve my life from fear of the enemy.’
 
And today we’ll continue looking at scriptures that show us the value of sincere prayer. Let’s begin with King Hezekiah’s prayer in his time of sickness and healing as revealed in Isaiah 38.
 
‘In those days was Hezekiah sick unto (and near) death. And Isaiah, the prophet the son of Amos came unto him, and said unto him, Thus saith the Lord, Set thine house in order: for thou shalt die, and not live.
 
Then Hezekiah turned his face toward the wall, and prayed unto the Lord, And said, Remember now, O Lord, I beseech thee, how I have walked before thee in truth and with a perfect (loyal) heart, and have done that which is good in thy sight. And Hezekiah wept sore (bitterly). (Is.38:1-3)
 
Oh Friends, that solemn, heartfelt prayer of Hezekiah’s, reminding the Lord how he had always walked with and sought after Him with a right heart, caused the Lord to send Isaiah back to Hezekiah with this awesome promise.
 
‘Go and say to Hezekiah, Thus saith the Lord, the God of David thy father, I have heard thy prayer, I have seen thy tears: behold, I will add unto thy days fifteen years. And I will deliver thee and this city out of the hand of the king of Assyria: and I will defend this city.
 
And this shall be a sign unto thee from the Lord, that the Lord will do this thing that he hath spoken; Behold, I will bring again the shadow of the degrees (on the sundial), which is gone down in (which has gone down with the sun on) the sun dial of Ahaz, ten degrees backward. So the sun returned ten degrees, (on the dial) by which degrees it was gone down.’ (Is.38:5-8)
 
Oh Friends what an awesome, powerful and amazing God we worship! God knew all that Hezekiah had done, but until he came to Him in sincere prayer, his life was going to be filled with sickness, even close to death. Then you see the awesome miracle He worked as a sign; turning the sundial back ten degrees.
 
Wow! Who else could accomplish such an amazing feat eh? None but the One who had created the sun in the first place!
 
It’s the same way, my fellow believers that the Lord knows all of our doings, but He made us to come to Him, and until we do that on a right basis, we won’t be granted all the relief or blessings and mercies possible.
 
Now listen to Bruh David pleading in prayer for deliverance from evil men. ‘Deliver me, O Lord, from the evil man: preserve me from the violent man; Which imagine mischiefs (plan evil things) in their heart, continually are they gathered together for war. They have sharpened their tongues like a serpent; adders (asps’) poison is under their lips.  Selah.
 
Keep me, O Lord, from the hands of the wicked; preserve me from the violent man; who have purposed to overthrow my goings (make my steps stumble). The proud have hid a snare (set a trap) for me, and cords; they have spread a net by the wayside; they have set gins (traps or snares) for me.  Selah.’ (Ps.140:1-5)
 
Oh Friends, if great and powerful kings could bow down to Jehovah God and plead for respite from their problems, who are we eh, to think that we can get by otherwise?
 
That again is a fool’s wisdom my people! That’s because part of our purpose is to be consistently on our knees, bowing before Almighty God, giving Him thanks and praise, as well as asking for help in time of need.
 
Please, let’s all remember that and therefore do as we ought; pray to and praise Almighty God, for that’s the true wisdom of all the ages. Much LOVE!
 
…when in sincere prayer we come to God…He listens with a fatherly ear…and then answers as a LOVING father would…
 
 
 
 
 
    

Today’s Scrip-Bit 11 June 2013 Psalm 64:1

11 Jun 2013 Leave a comment

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

Psalm 64:1:    Hear my voice, O God, in my prayer: preserve my life from fear of the enemy.
 
Well hello there you beautiful people of God! How goes it with you on this wet, rainy Tuesday in almost mid-June? I sincerely hope that there are many more positives than negatives in our lives.
 
But whatever our circumstances this day, I trust and pray that we’ll be dealing with them in the best way possible; that is in humble reliance on Almighty God, for He is absolutely the BEST person for us to consult on EVERYTHING in our lives, be they good or bad.
 
Well it’s been raining in my area since yesterday morning, and though the showers of blessings are welcome, like most things, too much of them is no good. Moderation in all aspects of life is the key to successful living. 
 
And in regards to too many showers of blessings, please note the serious flooding currently plaguing several countries in Europe, and send up some prayers for their well-being. 
 
And talking about prayers, here’s this one from Dr. Schuller’s Hour of Power Devotional, re wanting to LOVE ourselves and consequently others, which takes great courage and fortitude. He offers this prayer that can lead us to a new life, also suggesting that we pray it everyday for thirty days.
 
‘Christ – here is my brain – think through it. Christ – here is my face – glow through it. Christ – here are my eyes – look at people through them. Christ – here is my heart – LOVE people with it.’
 
Now that’s really surrendering, truly giving ourselves over to God! And if we’re serious about learning to LOVE, then we’ll genuinely embrace it with hungry hope and steadfast faith.
 
And we’ll continue in the vein of prayer with our Bit, from another great man of God, Bruh David, as he cries out in anguish, re plots and punishment. ‘Hear my voice, O God, in my prayer (meditation or complaint): preserve my life from fear of the enemy.’
 
Now that’s something we all could cry out!
 
And Bruh David continues with his heartfelt plea: ‘Hide me from the secret counsel of the wicked; from the insurrection (tumult) of the workers of iniquity.
 
Who whet (sharpen) their tongue like a sword, and bend their bows to shoot their arrows, even bitter words. That they may shoot in secret at the perfect (blameless): suddenly do they shoot at him, and fear not.’ (Ps.64:2-4)
 
Oh Friends, one of the things I LOVE about Bruh David is that he wasn’t ashamed, afraid or too proud to open his hurting and anguished soul to God, to cry out to Him for help, regardless of his kingly estate here on earth, because he knew that the God of his fathers was much higher than him, and was also very faithful to those who sincerely trusted in and sought Him.
 
And because our God is unchangeable, nothing is different my people, except us, except our attitude to Him. We’ve grown too proud to cry out to God for help. We’ve foolishly adopted the world’s ways of looking first to ourselves, friends, families, neighbours and supposed experts. And it’s only when all of those fail to come up with a plausible solution that we turn at last to Jehovah God, and then expect Him to expedite a solution right then and there.
 
But that’s a fool’s wisdom my Friends!
 
The Lord God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob is the FIRST one we should turn to in each and every circumstance, NOT the last! Then if He wants us to consult others, He’ll guide and direct us thus.
 
And I’ll repeat that for all the hard ears people (smile): In each and every situation, GOD MUST ALWAYS COME FIRST! And that’s the gospel truth!
 
Now let’s look at some other passages of scripture that corroborate the importance of prayer. First up is Bruh David’s cry in Psalm 55 against deceitful friends. ‘Give ear to my prayer, O God; and hide not thyself from my supplication. Attend unto me, and hear me: I mourn (wander) in my complaint, and make a noise (moan noisily);
 
Because of the voice of the enemy, because of the oppression of the wicked: for they cast iniquity (bring down trouble) upon me, and in wrath they hate me. My heart is sore (severely) pained within me: and the terrors of death are fallen upon me.
 
Fearfulness and trembling are come upon me, and horror hath overwhelmed me. And I said, Oh that I had wings like a dove! For then would I fly away and be at rest. Lo, then would I wander far off, and remain in the wilderness.  Selah. I would hasten my escape from the windy storm and tempest.’ (Ps.55:1-8)
 
Oh Friends, I never intended to include all of that scripture nuh, but after reading it a couple times, I realized that it only conveys the true rending of the heart in its fullness, its entirety. And I know that many of us can definitely understand and identify with those hurtful circumstances, for there’s nothing like being betrayed by a trusted friend. 
 
But the problem is that too few of us go to God with our prayers and supplications, trusting instead to the vain and proud ways of man. Please remember the psalmist’s wise advice: ‘It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in man. It is better to put trust in the Lord than to put confidence in princes.’ (Ps.118:8-9)
 
Hopefully though, these few words of mine (smile) and the scripture involved therein, will encourage us to go to God FIRST in ALL situations, because that’s where the heart of true wisdom lies.
 
More on this topic tomorrow, provided God’s in favour. Till then my wonderful brethren in Christ, let’s lift up ALL our hopes and fears to heaven in sincere prayer.
 
And may the good and great God that we serve, our Creator and Provider, bless and keep us safe from all harm, and give us His awesome peace that our simple minds cannot begin to comprehend! Much LOVE!
 
…God created prayer so that His hurting children could commune with Him…come to Him for succour in times of need…
 
  
 
 
 
  
 

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