a horse of a different colour

The Importance of Being Prepared!

29 Jul 2024 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: a horse of a different colour, a still small voice, be prepared, being proactive, Bible, divine aid, Dr. Charles Stanley, faith, forgotten our mistakes, get enough rest, god, have good success, he will guide you into all truth, holy spirit, humble servants, Jehovah Rapha, Jesus, Jesus Christ, like a chicken with our heads cut off, LOVE, make thy way prosperous, mercy, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, more than you sow and later than you sow, obey God and leave all the consequences to him, one of the realities of nature, pay for our sins sooner or later, power to solve our problems, pray and sincerely seek your face, pray without ceasing, put the word into action, ready fro whatever may come, rebellious, renew our fellowship with God, salvation, shall not depart out of thy mouth, shew you things to come, sincere meditation on God's word, sinful behaviour, speak the word, take us by surprise, the God who heals, the guidance of the Holy Spirit, this book of the law, to show us the truth of Jesus, truth, turn from our evil ways, vacillating nature, when he the Spirit of truth is come, wisdom, wise guidance, you reap what you sow

John 16:13a. Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth:

And once again Monday has graced us with its presence, as it will many more times in our long lives. It’s just one of the realities of nature; day will change to night some seven times … and bother it all, Monday will appear again. (smile) So, since we know it’s going to keep cropping up every seven days, we ought to be prepared for it.

But because of our vacillating nature, and our penchant for overdoing the weekend festivities, Monday seems to take us by surprise, thus, often we’re not ready for it and we get miserable and frustrated by our lack of preparation. And all being prepared means is ‘being proactive and taking steps to ensure that you are ready for whatever may come your way.’

And if we know that Monday is coming, then hopefully on Sunday, we go to church and renew our fellowship with God and other believers, then we stop partying in time for us to get enough rest and get all of our stuff ready for the next morning, so that there will be no need to rush and get angry over the lack of preparation. But knowing what’s right and doing it, are two entirely different things.

So, because of our proud and rebellious nature, plus the deceitful egging on of the devil, we end up foolishly believing that we can handle it all in the morning. But when the morning arrives and we get up late and tired and have to rush around like a chicken with our heads cut off, then it’s a horse of a different colour. And we berate ourselves for not getting enough rest, and not having our things in order, and promise ourselves to do better in future.

However, by the time the next weekend rolls around, we’ve conveniently forgotten our mistake(s) of the previous week and simply do it again, allowing it to become a frustrating cycle. And how do we break that cycle? First, by not listening to the father of lies, the devil, when he sneaks into our subconscious and encourages us to do stuff that we know is obviously wrong. Then we get on the positive track and do what is right by listening to the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

As Jesus promised the disciples: ‘Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself (on his own authority); but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come. He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine (what is mine), and shall shew (declare) it unto you.’ (John 16:13-14)

Yes friends, that’s one of the major purposes of the Holy Spirit in a believer’s life; to show us the truth of Jesus, so we can repel the lies of Satan. But, unfortunately, that doesn’t happen automatically. We also have a role to play in the proceedings; that’s to attune our hearts and souls to the working of the Holy Spirit, by listening to His still small voice, and paying close attention to the circumstances He creates or changes in our lives.

But that calls for continual prayer, or as Bruh Paul says, ‘Pray without ceasing.” (1 Thess. 5:17) Then sincere meditation on God’s Word, and finally, putting the Word into action in our lives, with help of the Holy Spirit. And all of that ties in quite nicely with what the Lord told Joshua when He made him the leader of the Israelites after the death of Moses.

‘This book of the law shall not depart out of (shall be constantly in) thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.’ (Josh. 1:8) It’s not rocket science friends, just good, ole, diligent work: study the Word, speak it and put it into action.

That’s the basic formula for godly success. But too many of us supposed believers find that too hard to do, and thus resist the prodding of the Holy Spirit, while listening to lying voice of Satan, encouraging us to do the easy thing, to give into our carnal lusts and desires. And carnal lusts and desires can be indeed nice for a period of time, but please, let’s remember that all our actions have consequences, either bad or good, and there comes a time when that rebellious and sinful behaviour must be paid for.

And no, we won’t like the steep payment required, for as the Maytag repair man famously said: ‘You can pay me now or pay me later, but later will be more expensive.’ That’s why we ought to consider the consequences of our actions before we commit them. And the easiest way to do that, is as the late departed Uncle Charles (Dr. Charles Stanley) liked to say: ‘Obey God and leave all the consequences to Him.’

Yes my fellow saints, our major aspiration should be simply obeying God, for if we do that, then He will take care of all of the consequences. And for help to do just that, lets’ go to the throne of grace, through our Monday Morning Battle Hymn. Altogether: ‘Our Father, who art in heaven, we, Your humble servants, praise Your Holy Name and thank You this Monday morning for life and strong faith in Christ, despite the mass confusion in our world.

Heavenly Father, You are the ONLY ONE with the power to solve our many problems. Yes, we have all sinned and seriously disobeyed Your Word, but You are a merciful, forgiving and gracious God, who has faithfully promised to hear and answer our prayers when we humble ourselves, pray, and sincerely seek Your face. So, we come to You now, with sincere repentance in our hearts, pleading for wise guidance and direction to alleviate our problems.

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

Now friends, the long and short of the story is, only if we turn from our evil ways, with humility, prayer and sincerely seeking God, will divine aid be forthcoming. Much LOVE!

…you reap what you sow…more than you sow…and later than you sow… (Dr. Charles Stanley)

Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien

Today’s Scrip-Bit 26 July 2023 Acts 1:8b.

26 Jul 2023 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: a horse of a different colour, a pronouncement of victory, accustomed to the easy life, added bonus, after the Holy ghost is come upon you, ambassadors of Christ, and lo I am with always, baptizing them, cast blasphemous aspersions at Christ, endure to the end, even unto the end of the world, go ye therefore and teach all nations, grow in Christian maturity, hands on the plough, I'm halfway home, LOVE, make hay while the sun shines, my eyes are fixed straight ahead, never live perfect lives, not trying hard enough to spread the word, not turning back, reap the great harvest of unbelievers, resting on our laurels, rose-coloured glasses, second wind day, sincere trying, talk a good talk, teaching them to observe all things, thank God, the breath of life, the Christian life, the Great Commission, the risen Saviour, the triumphant living Lord, to a glorious future with Jesus, toguth sledding against a persistent enemy, unto the uttermost parts of the earth, we only grwo in tough times, Wednesday Wail, whatsoever I have commanded you, win souls for Christ, ye shall be witnesses unto me, ye shall receive power

Acts 1:8b. … and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.

And then it was Wednesday, that restorative, second wind day! And it looks like it’s going to be a hot one in my area, for all my computer says about it is ‘HEAT!’ But whatever comes our way, we’re ready and able for it because we have the ONE and ONLY Jesus in our lives, through whom we can do and face anything! Wow! Which other faith can say that eh? NONE! And that’s why we must be careful to live our lives, without giving the heathen cause to cast nasty and blasphemous aspersions at Christ Jesus, our Lord and Saviour.

Oh, we’ll never live perfect lives, because we’re not perfectly made, and whatever we say or do, somebody will take umbrage at it, and refuse to come to Jesus for the awesome solace and refuge that He provides, but once we can truly say that we’ve tried, we’ve done our best, that’s all Jesus is looking for from us. It’s all in the sincere trying my fellow believers, and sadly that’s exactly where we’re falling down; not enough of us are trying hard enough to spread the good news gospel of Jesus, both in word and deed.

We’ve gotten so accustomed to the good things and the easy life that our world now provides that we’ve fallen prey to Satan’s deceits and lies and are just resting on our laurels, not making a sincere effort to win souls for Christ. But please, let’s remember that as His followers, we are His face down here on earth, and telling others about Him, and living the way He desires is one of our main responsibilities. We can’t remind us enough of the Great Commission Jesus gave to His disciples before He returned to heaven.

‘All power (authority) is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach (make disciples of) all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world.’ (Matt. 28:18-20) Now friends, that was a very important moment in the annals of our faith, and it’s become even more important today as evil and ungodliness sweep our world.

And I just LOVE how the scholars explain its importance. ‘The Great Commission brings the first Gospel (that of Matthew) to a grand finale. Christianity is not represented here as the mere reverential devotion of disappointed men who honour their martyred leader. Here is a far different scene. The triumphant, living Lord sends forth His ambassadors to proclaim His gospel throughout all the world. The Great commission is not just and order but a pronouncement of victory by the risen Saviour through His disciples. All power or authority is now in the hands of Christ, in heaven and on earth. On the basis of that power and authority the Christian disciple is to carry out the Great Commission of the church.’

Wow! And it was so important that Christ reiterated it just before His ascension when He instructed the disciples to remain in Jerusalem: ‘But ye shall receive power, after (when) the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.’ (Acts 1:8)

And now I hope we all see the great importance of our position as followers, ambassadors and agents of Christ on this evil earth! It’s not a request of Jesus, but an order that we get out into the world and teach others about Him and all the good and wonderful news He’s brought to mankind. That is, if we are His sincere followers. And I can’t help but say this because it’s true; not enough of us are making a sincere effort to follow the directives of Christ’s order.

Yes, it is not always easy to live the way He desires, and sometimes it will call for some sacrifice, but look at how Christ sacrificed His sinless life for our sinful ones nuh, just think about all the ‘sufferation’ He bore for us, what’s a li’l pain here and there for Him eh? We should be glad to bear a li’l pain in His name, for that’s when we grow in Christian maturity. We don’t grow when times are good, only when they are tough.

But how many of us are truly interested in growing in Christian maturity eh, especially when it takes some pain? Not very many. We all talk a good talk, but when it comes time to walk that talk, it’s a horse of a different colour, we’re not so mouthy and brave then. But yuh know what, many of us see the Christian life through rose-coloured glasses, all joy and gladness, salvation and everlasting life, and because Jesus LOVES us so much, He won’t cause us any pain.

However, that’s a sad and sorrowful approach to Christianity, for remember Jesus’ requirements for being His disciple. ‘If any man will (desires to) come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.’ (Luke 9:23) That means that Christianity is not always wine and roses, or a Sunday walk in the park, but very often it’s tough sledding against a persistent and evil enemy called Satan, who is trying to undo all the good that Christ has done!

Oh my people, I do hope that I’m making some headway in convincing us of the great importance of our talk and behaviour as disciples of Christ. Remember we are all the unbelievers might ever see of him, and if we don’t reflect and mirror Him properly, then they will just turn away from His wonderful invitation. Now we don’t want to be responsible for people turning away from Christ, but for them turning to Him. So please, let’s wake up nuh man, time is running out, every day we’re a day closer to death and to Christ’s return and we need to make hay while the sun still shines, to get out into harvest and reap the great harvest of unbelievers that are there to be reaped. That’s our bounden duty!

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

Then there’s this added bonus. (smile) If we endure to the end with Jesus, then that future will be even more glorious than we can ever ask or imagine! Wow! Hope to see you at the end enjoying that even more glorious future! Much LOVE!

…working for Jesus carries many responsibilities…but the rewards are very worthwhile…

Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ

Today’s Scrip-Bit 25 September 2019 John 11:28.

25 Sep 2019 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: a glorious future with Jesus, a horse of a different colour, all ye that labour, believe on me, bread form heaven, casting all your care upon him, come out fighting for Jesus, come to our senses, come unto me, complaining, damnation, die on the cross, eternal death, evil enemy, focusing on, foolishness, for he careth for you, gentle in heart, going to hell, gospel truth, halfway home, hardhearted, having a better life with Christ, heavy laden, humble yourselves therefore, I am meek, I am the bread of life, I will give you rest, in a handbasket, in due time, in the desert, intrude in our affairs, Israelites, learn of me, life is a problem, manna, may exalt you, Moses, my burden is light, my hands are fixed, my yoke is easy, not looking back, ole hypocrites, problems, sacrifice, saints of Christ, securely on the plough, shall never hunger, shall never thirst, stubborn, stupidity, take my yoke upon you, the breath of life, the great invitation, the greatest offer, the trash heap, to pay for our sins, under the mighty hand of god, unto your souls, wake up, Wednesday Wail, ye shall find rest

John 11:28. Come unto me all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

Well hello there you beautiful saints of Christ! How goes it this Wednesday morning eh? Hope it all goes well. (smile) Yeh, I know some of you are steupsing and complaining because something, or someone is causing problems in your lives. But what yuh going to do eh? It’s just life! Life in itself is oftimes a problem.

No one said it would be easy or not be problem filled, but as believers in Christ Jesus, we do have the greatest problem solver the world has ever seen! Bless His holy name my people! And He’s invited us to bring ALL our problems to Him, lay them at His feet and He will resolve them, in His own time.

Listen to Him nuh, listen to this Great Invitation, that NO ONE else has ever deigned to offer, or can ever deign to offer because no one else has the parts to do those things, NONE but Jesus Christ! ‘Come unto me all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of (from) me; for I am meek and lowly in heart (gentle and humble): and ye shall find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.’ (Matt.11:28-30)

Oh my brethren, what’s there not to understand eh? That’s one of the greatest, if not the greatest offer ever made to mankind! But we’re so stubborn and hardhearted, we either don’t believe or are reluctant to let our problems go to some invisible spiritual Being. Peter said it best. ‘Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time: Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.’ (1 Pet.5:6-7)

Oh friends, that’s gospel truth! How could you ever doubt that Jesus cares for you when He made such a sacrifice on your behalf eh? Why else would He come down from heaven and die on the cross to pay for your sins and mine if He didn’t care? None of us would do anything like that unless we cared for somebody or something! So refusing to take Him up on His most wonderful offer is just pure foolishness and stupidly on our part.

We’re allowing the sinful and evil enemy to intrude in our affairs and keep us from having a better life with Christ. That’s not wisdom is it? I very much doubt it! Listen to Jesus again as He pleads with us to come to Him. I wonder why He’s pleading so much with us, if He doesn’t sincerely care eh? The foolish Israelites refused to believe Him despite all the signs and wonders that He did, and the truth He spoke.

Hear them nuh: ‘Our fathers did eat manna in the desert; as it is written, He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’ (John 6:31) And the sad part is that their forefathers didn’t even appreciate the manna, but complained about it because it was plain tasting and didn’t taste like their food back in Egypt. The ole hypocrites and them!

‘Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Moses gave you not that bread from heaven: but my Father giveth you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is he which cometh down from heaven, and giveth life unto the world. Then they said unto him, Lord, evermore give us this bread.’ (John 6:32-34)

Yuh see friends, like so many of us today, they weren’t interested in the spiritual side of life, but merely wanted the material aspects, like real bread to eat. But Jesus didn’t come to just give them belly-filling victuals for ever, but spiritual food for their souls. ‘And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life; he that cometh unto me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.’ (John 6:35)

Yes friends, Jesus is the giver of life! As the scholars explain: ‘6:35. I am the bread of life means the bread that gives life. The life of which He speaks is spiritual and eternal.’ The fact of the matter is that Jesus also gives and takes physical life! So anyhow you shake it He is the one who controls ALL life!

So why are we so reluctant to accept and follow Him eh? I really don’t know. But we quick to follow the foolish Satan, who gives nothing but eternal death and damnation! We LOVE the glitzy, glamourous things he flashes in front of us, but they have no substance and are soon thrown in the trash heap. Oh my people, let’s wake up nuh, let’s come to our senses and see that Jesus is the ONLY wise and sensible way to go!

Just look at how our world is going to hell in a handbasket under the evil rule of the enemy nuh. Is that what we want for our children and grand-children? Certainly not! So please, please, let’s wake up and come out fighting for Jesus, for our children’s sake! That’s the ONLY way we will ever improve our world and defeat the enemy!

Now for those of us who have indeed received the message and taken it to heart, let’s go home declaring (steups!) our Wednesday Wail, letting all and sundry know of our unchangeable position in Christ Jesus. In strong voice, with sincere hearts: ‘Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: I’m so glad to be alive on this Wednesday! Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: Thank God the breath of life is still flowing through me on this Wednesday!

I am halfway home. My hands are fixed securely on the plough, and I’m not turning back. I’m not looking back at the past, not focusing on what has gone before. But my eyes are fixed straight ahead; straight ahead to a glorious future with Jesus. Glory Hallelujah!’

And if you truly believe, then you will know that that future will be even more glorious than we can ever ask or imagine! Much LOVE!

…to refuse Satan’s invitation is one thing…to refuse Jesus’…that’s a horse of an entirely different colour…

Today’s Scrip-Bit 13 December 2018 Luke 1:27.

13 Dec 2018 1 Comment

by randyobrien50 in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: a horse of a different colour, a virgin, alive and kicking, all things work together for good, angel Gabriel, betrothed, blanketing, Bless His Holy Name, blessed, breathtaking beauty, buried treasure, called according to His purpose, Christ-like, christianity, Christmas, compassionate heart, curse, diamonds, displeasure, engaged, espoused, faith, fantasy, fill the gap, Galilee, God is good, god's greatest gift, highly favoured, inheret in the name, intangible, Jesus, John the Baptist, Joseph, joy, Lisa O'Brien, mar, Mary, mere mortals, Nazareth, negative word, never reneges, out of wedlock, perfection, perplexing situation, positive outlook, power, prince of peace, prosper, raped, salutation, self-control, self-discipline, sense of anticipation, serenity, share, snow, step up, success, The alluring beauty of snow, the house of David, the less fortunate, Thursday Blessings, to those that love God, tongues to wag, troubled, virginal, white, winked out, wispy cotton

Luke 1:27. To a virgin espoused (engaged, betrothed) to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary.

Aye friends, is Thursday…and we still alive and kicking! Thanks and glory be to our wonderful heavenly Father for that energizing gift of life. Life might be a tad on the rough side, but our God is good, so we don’t have anything to worry about. Bless His Holy Name!

And outside is white; a decent amount of snow fell during the night. It wasn’t there when I went to bed, at some early hour (smile) but I looked outside around four a.m. and there it was, covering everything, blanketing it all white. And I said yes, today is the perfect day for that poem!

Hn! I’m talking about one I recently read on the wall of my young daughter’s room, something she must have written ages ago when she toyed with the idea of becoming a writer. There is no title attached to the poem, but I’m naming it ‘The Alluring Beauty of Snow.’ Hope that title satisfies you daughter? (smile)

Now please read with me, ‘The Alluring Beauty of Snow,’ by Lisa O’Brien. ‘I watched the snow drift lazily down from the overcast sky. I marvelled at the breathtaking beauty of the picture being painted right before my eyes: Snowflakes gently caressed the barren branches of the trees, leaving them awash in a dazzling whiteness. Virgin snow carpeted the streets and rooftops…

And if I didn’t know better, I would have sworn that thousands of tiny little diamonds winked out at me that early December morn… like a buried treasure…a fantasy that wasn’t real… that was intangible as the wispy cotton of the clouds! And then I waited…waited with a breathless yet uneasy sense of anticipation, for something to come along and mar this beautiful scene of serenity and perfection.’

Yeah mih young D! That was exactly how it looked out there this early December morn! But sadly, as always, mankind eventually comes along and dirties everything he touches. And the snow on the ground is no longer virginal, but has been raped by the cars and the feet and the bikes we use to get us around in this fallen world.

And for those of you who have never seen virgin snow covering everything in a dim, white darkness, (smile) it does look really beautiful. But trudging and driving through it is a horse of an entirely different colour. But enough about snow, it’s the Christmas season, so let’s deal with the real reason for the season; Jesus!

Wow friends, what a mighty name that is! Wherever it’s spoken it causes tongues to wag, either in joy, or displeasure. But the name of Jesus is never mouthed without discussion, even to the point of coming to blows. Isn’t that strange, when He is the Prince of Peace? That just goes to show the power that’s inherent in the name!

Now let’s have a glimpse of how the whole thing began nuh. The Good Book tells us: ‘And in the sixth month (of Elizabeth’s pregnancy; John the Baptist’s mother) the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth, To a virgin espoused (engaged, betrothed) to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary.

And the angel came in unto her, and said, Hail (Rejoice), thou that art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women.’ (Luke 1:26-28)

Ah friends, sometimes the way our God introduces Himself and His desires can be truly heart stopping. If our hearts aren’t strong we can certainly go under. Just imagine this teenaged Jewish girl nuh, sitting quietly in her house one afternoon and all of a sudden this angel shows up in all His glory and greets her in such a gracious manner. How would you react eh? It would obviously be a rather perplexing situation to us mere mortals!

But the Good Book continues: ‘And when she (Mary) saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and cast (considered) in her mind what manner of salutation (greeting) this should be.’ (Luke 1:29)

But our God is so wonderful that whenever He comes a calling with a task, He never leaves us without a decent explanation…according to His standards that is. (smile) We might however not be satisfied with His explanation, because He always leaves it somewhat open-ended, leaving room for our faith to step up and fill the gap.

‘And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God. And behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS (Yahweh is Salvation). He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest (Most High): and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David: And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end.’ (Luke 1:30-33)

Mama Yo mih breddren! Can you imagine Mary’s consternation when Gabriel lays all that heavy stuff on her? She’s already engaged, but then she shall have a son, apparently out of wedlock. Can you imagine what her small, closed knit, hypocritical society will do to her? She would be the absolute scorn of the whole town! And poor Joseph would be the laughingstock!

But friends, our God does not put us in situations we, or He can’t handle. Please remember these immortal words of Bruh Paul on the Lord’s behalf, and let our faith be strong and steadfast in whatever He asks us to do. ‘And we know that all things work together for good to them that LOVE God, to them who are the called according to His purpose.’ (Rom.8:28)

Yeh friends, if God calls us and we sincerely acknowledge that calling with genuine LOVE for Him, then He will eventually work it all out for our good. That’s His promise! And our ever-faithful God NEVER reneges on a promise! So we can afford to stand strong in any circumstance whatsoever!

Now let’s go home declaring our Thursday Blessings, goodness and mercy that the Lord has bestowed on those who LOVE Him and willingly do His work!

In strong voice with sincere hearts: ‘I declare that I am blessed with God’s supernatural wisdom and receive clear direction for my life! I declare today that I am blessed with creativity, courage, talent and abundance! I am blessed with a strong will, self-control and self-discipline!

I am blessed with a great family, good friends, good health, faith, favour and fulfillment! I am blessed with success, supernatural strength, promotion and divine protection! I am blessed with a compassionate heart and a positive outlook on life!

I declare that any curse or negative word that’s ever been spoken over me is broken right now in the name of Jesus! I declare that everything I put my hands to will prosper and succeed! I declare it today and everyday! Amen!’

And His raison d’etre (purpose) for granting us so many wonderful blessings, is for us to go out and share them with the less fortunate. So, especially at this Christmas time, when there are so many poor and lonely folks out there, let’s share generously with them nuh, so that they too can enjoy the season of Christ’s birth; God’s greatest gift to man! Much LOVE!

…sharing with others…is Christ-like…and what Christianity is truly all about…

Today’s Scrip-Bit 23 May 2018 Psalm 33:18.

23 May 2018 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: a bridle for the ass, a glorious future, a horse of a different colour, a rod for the fool's back, a whip for the horse, as the horse, as the mule, be with Jesus, Behold, better late than never, blaspheming God's name, breath of life, death throes, deliver their soul from death, depart from evil, desires life, destroy our lives, do good, doing our own thing, dread, embracing God, excessive heat, fires, glad to be alive, God will never let us down, greatest desire, guide thee with mine eye, hands on the plough, Hawaiian volcano, he that keeps Israel, herd mentality, hope in his mercy, in His own time, instruct, joy, keep them alive in famine, keep them in our prayers, keep thy tongue from evil, lava, loves many days, Maria Goff, need bit and bridle, neither slumber nor sleep, not getting burned again, not looking back, obsessing, off kilter, once burned twice shy, one of those days, plumes of steam, pursue it, seek peace, surrender our will, teach thee, thanksgiving, the eye of the Lord, the face of the Lord, the Lord hears, the righteous cry, them that fear him, thy lips from guile, wait patiently, Wednesday Wail, when the fire comes, wisdom, with expectancy

Psalm 33:18. Behold, the eye of the Lord is upon them that fear him, upon them that hope in his mercy.

Ah friends, it’s just one of those days. Life interspersed itself into my circumstances, as it so often likes to do and threw everything off kilter, that’s why I’m only now writing the Bit at ten o’clock. But not to worry, as they say better late than never. (smile)

And I have an interesting quote to share from a lady named Maria Goff, from her book, ‘Once Burned Twice Shy.’ And Maria tells us that ‘It won’t be the fires that destroy our lives and our faith. It will be the obsessing over not getting burned again.’

How true that seems when we look at the way our society obsesses over stuff. We get that herd mentality over a particular thing, and then it’s ever so hard to break it. Dread of things to come, many of which never come, plays a large part in our current society. But friends, as believers, we know that when the fire comes, we won’t be around to get burned. So there is nothing for us to be worried about, much less to obsess over. (smile)

But on a more serious note, the fire, lava from the volcano in Hawaii is causing serous problems; it’s run through the jungles down to the sea, causing tremendous plumes of steam with excessive heat to rise into the atmosphere. It’s not even safe to go to the beach.

Ah Lord eh! As the ole people would say, when it’s not one thing it’s another. But thankfully it has not exploded in a serious explosion just yet. Now that would be a horse of an entirely different colour. Let’s keep them in our prayers.

And our Bit today is one of great assurance. ‘Behold, the eye of the Lord is upon them that fear him, upon them that hope in his mercy.’ Yes friends, that is ever so true! The psalmist tells us in Psalm 121: ‘He that keepeth thee, will not slumber. Behold, he that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep.’ (Ps.121:3b-4)

Oh how wonderful is our God, that He never slumbers nor sleeps so that he can keep a watchful eye over us! ‘To deliver their soul from death, and to keep them alive in famine.’ (Ps.33:19)

I don’t think there is any more we can ask of our God nuh my people. We just have to surrender our will to His and wait patiently, with expectancy, for Him to do His thing in His own time. One thing we’re sure of though, is that He will NEVER let us down, and will eventually cause everything to work in our favour. And Job concurs with the words of our Bit. ‘He withdraweth not his eyes from the righteous:’ (Job 36:7a)

Meanwhile, we have these immortal words of Bruh David from Psalm 33: ‘I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will guide thee with mine eye. Be ye not as the horse, or as the mule, which have no understanding: whose mouth must be held in with bit and bridle, lest they come near unto thee.’ (Ps.32:8-9)

Ah mih people, how often has our God promised and admonished us as to the way we ought to behave eh? Numerous times! But do we listen? Not really. We still insist on doing our own thing, even when that is not successful. We end up like the horse and the mule, which need a bit and bridle to guide them in the right paths.

And I’m chuckling here as I discover this bit of wisdom on the topic from Cousin Sol. ‘A whip for the horse, a bridle for the ass (donkey), and a rod for the fool’s back.’ (Prov.26:3)

Oh friends, so many of us need a rod for our backs in these end times, because so many of us are behaving so foolishly! Turning away from the Lord, blaspheming His holy name, trying to run Him out of our society. No wonder our society is in the death throes that it’s in!

Please, let’s listen to Bruh David and do as he recommends. ‘What man is he that desireth life, and LOVETH many days, that he may see good? Keep thy tongue from evil, and thy lips from speaking guile (deceit). Depart from evil, and do good; seek peace, and pursue it.’ (Ps.34:12-14)

And you ask why should we follow that advice? Because, ‘The eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous, and his ears are open unto their cry. The face of the Lord is against them that do evil, to cut off (destroy) the remembrance of them from the earth. The righteous cry, and the Lord heareth, and delivereth them out of all their troubles.’ (Ps.34:15-17)

It couldn’t get any plainer than that my people. So why don’t we just show our great wisdom by embracing our wonderful God with joy and thanksgiving nuh? It’s oh so easy to do!

And now, for those of us who choose to do so, let’s go home declaring our Wednesday Wail, letting the world know our true and ever-improving position with Jesus. As one voice, with a strong sense of purpose and sincere heart: ‘Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: I’m so glad to be alive on this Wednesday! Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: Thank God the breath of life is still flowing through me on this Wednesday!

Ah mih people, what a great joy it is to be involved with Jesus! Life just doesn’t get any better than when we are a member of His fold! And the future will be even more glorious than we can think or imagine! Much LOVE!

…to be with Jesus forever…ought to be every human’s greatest desire…

Today’s Scrip-Bit 17 June 2014 Acts 5:3

17 Jun 2014 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: a horse of a different colour, a righteous life, almighty god, Ananias, Ananias And Sapphira, anger, apostles, as far as the east is from the west, awesome power of the Holy Spirit, bless your Holy Name, blessings, condition for our existence, crash and reboot, Creator of the universe, do your holy will, dragging up the past, evil and ungodly earth, faltering, fateful day, father in heaven, fear, filled with the power of Jesus, forgiveness, glorify God, glorious morn, God has removed our sin, grow more in christ-like character, Holy Ghost, holy spirit, hypocrisy, I told you so, lead and guide us, let bygones be bygones, lie to the Holy Ghost, LOVE, loving kindness, mercies, on its good side, Peter, Praise the Lord, praise to Almighty God, prayer of thanksgiving, precious gift from God, Sapphira, Satan, Sholem Asch, Spread God's Word, struck dead, test the Spirit of the Lord, thanks for life and health, thanksgiving for god's mercy, the blood of Jesus, the cross of Calvary, the Holy Spirit, the power to forget, the power to remember, the Spirit of Christ, the wherewithal to live a godly life, truth, Tuesday, understanding the power of the Holy spirit, undeserving children of men, unholy doings, useful lesson, walk upright and safe, wisdom, wise, yielded up the ghost, you should have listened

Acts 5:3. But Peter said, Ananias, why hath Satan filled thine heart to lie to the Holy Ghost, and to keep back part of the price of the land?

Tuesday! Glorious Tuesday! A most precious gift from the Most High God, Creator of the universe and all therein!

And Friends, the sleep that that same wonderful Deity provided was so sweet, that I didn’t open my tired eyes until minutes to six on this glorious morn. (smile) But hopefully, that extra sleep will stop me from faltering too early in the day.

Anyway, let’s begin with a prayer of thanksgiving nuh. Please pray with me: ‘Oh Father in heaven, we bless your Holy Name, and sincerely thank You for all the new mercies and blessings you are about to bestow, to shower down on us this fateful day.

We thank You for life and health, and humbly ask that You lead and guide us successfully today, through the amazing and awesome power of your Holy Spirit.

Please help us to grow more in Christ-like character today, so that we can do your Holy Will and thus glorify your Name. We pray this on the blood of your Son and our Saviour Jesus Christ, which was shed for us on the cross of Calvary. Amen!’

Yes my people, we can’t sensibly and successfully go through our day without some sort of acknowledgement of and praise to Almighty God! For He is the One who provides for us, and also enables us to walk upright and safe on this evil and ungodly earth.

Now here’s a bit of wisdom attributed to Sholem Asch (1880-1957), a Polish-born, American Jewish writer, who seems to have bridged both the Old and New Worlds, but fit into neither. Don’t think I’ve ever shared this before, but it just seemed so timely today.

And Sholem tells us that it’s ‘Not the power to remember, but the power to forget is a necessary condition for our existence.’

And is there ever lot’s of truth and wisdom in that statement my brethren! For if we keep dragging up the past, our relationships will never prosper. We all make mistakes, but once acknowledged, they should be let go, set free, and all the ‘I told you so’s’ and ‘you should have listened,’ ought not to be continually dredged up.

Remember that there’s no bigger forgiveness in the entire universe than that which our heavenly Father has bestowed on us, and He doesn’t drag up our earlier sins every time we commit another one.

How does Bruh David put it in Psalm 103, Thanksgiving for God’s mercy? ‘As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us.’ (Ps.103:12)

And all God’s people gave a loud and grateful shout of: ‘Praise the Lord God for His LOVING-kindness to the undeserving children of men!’

Therefore Friends, today, let’s learn to allow bygones to be bygones nuh, and just forgive others the way our gracious Father has forgiven us.

However my people, we cannot do that successfully unless we’re filled with the power of Jesus and His Holy Spirit, because it is they who give us the wherewithal to live a godly and righteous life.

And that brings us to our Bit: ‘But Peter said, Ananias, why hath Satan filled thine heart to lie to the Holy Ghost, and to keep back part of the price of the land?’

Yeh Friends, the story of Ananias and his wife Sapphira is a very instructional one in the understanding of the power of the Holy Spirit. We saw yesterday how Ananias presented only a portion of the proceeds of the sale of his possession to the apostles, as though that was the overall price. And for that hypocrisy, the Holy Ghost struck him dead right there on the spot.

Mama Mia! What awesome power that Spirit of Christ possesses my brethren! That’s why we would be exceedingly wise to stay on its good side. But unfortunately, that wasn’t the end of the story.

Hear how the Good Book tells it: ‘And it was about the space of three hours after, when his wife (Sapphira), not knowing what was done, came in. And Peter answered unto her, Tell me whether ye sold the land for so much? And she said, Yes, for so much. (Remember she was privy to the deception)

Then Peter said unto her, How is it that ye have agreed together to tempt (test) the Spirit of the Lord? behold, the feet of them which have buried thy husband are at the door, and shall carry thee out.

Then fell she down straightway (instantly) at his feet, and yielded up the ghost (breathed her last): and the young men came in, and found her dead, and carrying her forth, buried her by her husband. And great fear came upon the church, and upon as many as heard these things.’ (Acts 5:7-11)

Oh Friends, oh Friends, I surely hope that we learn a useful lesson from that story, for although it’s not the norm nowadays, it still remains a very great possibility, showing just how powerful God’s Holy Spirit is.

And so I caution us to day, to be very careful in how we deal with and handle the Holy Spirit of Christ that dwells within us, and is desirous to lead and guide us on a straight and upright path.

Please do not knowingly provoke Him to anger through unholy doings, for we never know how He will react when provoked, when ignored and dismissed as irrelevant and out of date, unimportant and simply an old wife’s tale.

Please allow the story of Ananias And Sapphira to guide our doings today. For that’s indeed wisdom from the high heavens! Much LOVE!

…to lie to ourselves and our fellow man…that’s one thing…but to lie to Almighty God…hn…now that’s certainly a horse of an entirely different colour…

P.S. Long time I haven’t heard that old saying; a horse of a different colour. (smile) But they just seem to pop up when the time warrants. And then the oh so efficient Outlook platform froze on me. Steups! So I had to crash it and reboot. Ah Lord eh! The trials and tribulations we have to go through to spread God’s Word eh! (smile) Much LOVE!

SCRIP-BITS

The Importance of Being Prepared!

Today’s Scrip-Bit 26 July 2023 Acts 1:8b.

Today’s Scrip-Bit 25 September 2019 John 11:28.

Today’s Scrip-Bit 23 May 2018 Psalm 33:18.

Today’s Scrip-Bit 17 June 2014 Acts 5:3

Pages

Categories

Archives