Today’s Scrip-Bit 13 April 2021 Isaiah 11:3.

13 Apr 2021 Leave a comment

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

Isaiah 11:3.     ​The wolf will dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them.

Oh friends, it’s Tuesday! Give thanks and praises unto our wonderful God that He has blessed us with another beautiful and bountiful day on planet earth; His beautiful universe! What a wonderful God we serve my faithful brethren! There’s no other deity like Him in this evil and godless world, and every day He gives us the strength to do whatever He needs us to do. No other supposed deity does that either. 

So why shouldn’t we praise and worship and glorify Him eh, since we know from practical experience that He’s a great and good God? No reason whatsoever! That’s why I think this poem from our One Year Book of Bible Promises with writings by Ruth Harms Calkin is ever so appropriate for today, any day really. (smile) It’s titled‘Only Goodness.’What a wonderful title! 

So please pray with me. ‘What glorious words of wonder Come from the Apostle Peter. He wrote, “But we are looking forward To God’s promise of new heavens And a new earth afterwards Where there will only be goodness.” (2 Pet. 3:13) O dear God “Where there will be only goodness.” After centuries of war, greed, and lust After indulgences shamelessly practiced After hatred, hostility Jealousy and abuse. Murder and martyrdom Crime and cruelty Curses and rebellion. After whimpering cries from starving children After tragedy and catastrophe Loneliness and despair At last…at long last “There will be only goodness.” O dear Lord Your promise is Your guarantee But please hurry a little.’ 

Yes, my fellow saints in Christ, one fine and glorious day, our Lord would have had enough of this sinful world and replace it with a world where there is only goodness. He has promised it, and we know that His promises are ever faithful, so it’s only a matter of time. And yes, I know that some of us are rather impatient, we can’t wait for that day to come, but as always, it’s in God’s timing, whenever He is ready, and He’s never in a rush like we are, neither is He ever late. I can testify to that! 

And it’s not a new promise nuh mih bredrin. From since the days of the prophet Isaiah, the Lord faithfully promised: ‘And there shall come forth a rod (shoot) out of the stem (stock or trunk) of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow (bear fruit) out of his roots. And the spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord; And shall make him of quick understanding (his delight shall be in the) fear of the Lord; and he shall not judge after the sight of his eyes (by what he sees), neither reprove after the hearing of his ears (decide by what he hears): 

But with righteousness shall he judge the poor, and reprove with equity (decide with uprightness) for the meek of the earth: and he shall smite (strike) the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips shall he slay the wicked. And righteousness shall be the girdle (belt) of his loins, and faithfulness the girdle of his reins (the belt of his waist).’ (Is. 11:1-5) 

Yes, friends, that was the Lord’s promise of the Messiah’s Millennial Kingdom to His people Israel. But they misunderstood the whole thing. They expected a warrior king to come and release them from the bondage of Rome and were very disappointed when He came as a quiet, peaceful, LOVING rabbi. In any case, that particular promise was not supposed to happen in His first coming, but in the second. As John describes it in Revelation 21; the scripture promise on which our poem is based. 

‘And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the 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. 

And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful. And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst (who thirsts) of the fountain of the water of life freely.’ (Rev. 21:1-6) 

Oh my people, that’s what the faithful of God have to look forward to! It may not happen for a while yet, but we can be sure that it will happen when the Lord decides the time is right! That means we have to hang in there, keep being faithful even during these evil and godless times, because the promise is not for little while, but for eternity, which is forever! And as the prophet Habakkuk so rightly declared: ‘For the vision is yet for an appointed time, but at the end it shall speak, and not lie: though it tarry, wait for it; because it will surely come, it will not tarry.’ (Hab. 3:3) 

Yes friends, the time will eventually come when ‘the wolf will dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them.’ (Is. 11:6) Oh what a beautiful picture of peace and harmony! Those shall be the characteristics of Christ’s eventual kingdom! Glory be mih people! No more predatory stuff, no sin, no evil no pain and sorrow, only goodness and mercy, dwelling with our Triune God, till the end of time! 

Wow! What a glorious time to look forward to! And for those of us who are eagerly looking forward to it, let’s go home now declaring (yeahhh!) our Tuesday Mantra, letting the whole world know who and whose we are. In strong and sincere voice: ‘In God’s eyes, I’m not what I do. I’m not what I have. I’m not what people say about me. I am the beloved of God, that’s who I am. No one can take that from me. I don’t have to worry. I don’t have to hurry. I can trust my friend Jesus and share His LOVE with the world. Amen!’ 

Now it’s time to stop talking and go out and share Jesus’ LOVE and friendship with those who don’t know it. Much LOVE!

…faith without works is dead… (James 2:26)  

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Today’s Scrip-Bit 11 September 2017 Isaiah 11:6.

11 Sep 2017 Leave a comment

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

Isaiah 11:6.   The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them.

Come on friends, it’s Monday, time to roll out of our sleeping bags and get ourselves together to go and labour. We had the chance to rest and relax over the weekend, and it’s our fault if we didn’t do so. Now both the Master and massa are calling out our names for work this morning. 

Oh, I know Mondays are hard for many of us, that’s why we have our Monday Morning Battle Hymn to liven us up. So let’s sing it now with as much enthusiasm as we can muster. You’ll be surprised at how it will drive away your Monday morning blues. 

As one now: ‘Oh Lord God Almighty, Creator of the universe and all therein! We, your humble servants, praise your Holy Name and thank you that this Monday morning we have jobs to go to; jobs we don’t like, jobs that are unfair, difficult and even dangerous, but which serve a useful purpose here on earth; keeping lives and families together. 

We also thank you Father for the renewed vitality and enthusiasm you’ve wrought in our weary souls over the last two days. It’s that rejuvenation of Spirit which allows us now to sally forth with confidence into the evil, ungodly world that surrounds us, to begin a new week of work, constantly buffeted and bombarded by the enemy’s wicked taunts, wiles and lies. 

But heavenly Father, we’re not afraid, for we know we’re invincible, sure conquerors, once we’re wearing your powerful, protective spiritual armour. We surrender our all to you, and humbly ask that you let your incredible aura of LOVE, the Holy Spirit, lead and guide all your servants as we go out to meet the enemy in battle. 

Fill us with steadfast faith, so that we can make worthwhile inroads into the enemy’s ranks, and thereby further your glorious kingdom. We pray this in the Holy Name of your Son, and our Saviour, Jesus Christ. AMEN!’ 

Yes friends, that’s the antidote for Monday’s apathy!  (smile) And as the adrenaline is now rushing through our bodies, let’s take advantage of it nuh and get going, for there’s plenty kingdom work to be done. 

Ah mih people, the times they are rough, and getting rougher by the minute, and there are still lots of lost and unsaved souls in the world. That means we have plenty work ahead of us; convincing the many unbelievers that accepting Christ as their Lord and Saviour and living for Him is the wisest thing they can do. One of the things we can point out to them is the everlasting peace that will envelop the world when Jesus sets up His eventual kingdom. 

Our Bit paints such a lovely picture of those times. ‘The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them.’ How beautiful that is to the mind’s eye! That’s the total opposite to what’s happening today. And even we believers can take heart from that awesome promise of our great God. 

And if you believe that is just ‘jestering,’ on God’s part, then hear Him promise the same thing through Hosea to the Israelites as He woos them back, because of His great LOVE for them. ‘And in that day will I make a covenant for them with the beasts of the field, and with the fowls of heaven, and with the creeping things of the ground: and I will break (shatter) the bow and the sword and the battle out of the earth, and will make them to lie down safely. 

And I will betroth thee unto me for ever; yea, I will betroth thee unto me in righteousness, and in judgement (justice), and in LOVING-kindness, and in mercies. I will even betroth thee unto me in faithfulness: and thou shalt know the Lord. (Hos.2:18-20) 

What awesome promises friends! Only the omnipotent Creator of the universe can make such promises! And if you’re thinking, well that was oh so long ago, who says it still hold true? Then listen to the Lord’s promise in Revelation. 

John confidently declares in his vision of the new heaven and the new earth: ‘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.’ (Rev.21:3-4) 

Oh my brethren, if that doesn’t touch you deep down in your soul and bring tears of joy to your spirit, then I don’t know what will nuh! For that means all sin and it’s ugly, negative derivatives, would have been wiped out and we’d be living in peace and eternal harmony with our wonderful God right there with us! Mercy, mercy me! I really can’t think of a better situation than that!  

And according to the scholars, when that takes place: ‘A primary purpose of redemption will be accomplished: the complete fellowship of God with His redeemed people. In the eternal state, there will be no tears, death, sorrow, crying or pain. Everything will become new. God’s promises are true, and He is always faithful to His Word (cf.19:11).’ 

Beelzebub can’t promise anything remotely resembling that friends, so please let’s wake up and get a move on for Jesus, as the time for His return is drawing nigh – it gets closer every day. And who isn’t saved by then… well… crapaud smoke them pipe! Much LOVE!

…to live and work for Jesus…is the wisest decision ever…