The Great Importance of Longing for God and Seeking Him, especially in Difficult Times!

06 Oct 2025 Leave a comment

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

Psalm 42:1.        As the hart (deer) panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God.

And even if you don’t like Mondays, you must admit that this is certainly a beautiful one; summer in October, and that alone should boost your spirits and encourage you to do a good job for Jesus today, this first day of our work week. (smile) In fact, we ought to be reminded of these marvellous words from Psalm 42, as the Sons of Korah sincerely declare: ‘As the hart (deer) panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God. My soul thirsteth for God, for the living God: when shall I come and appear before God?’ (Ps. 42:1-2) 

Yes my faithful brethren, in these terrible and uncertain times, many of us are thirsting for God, we have a deep longing for Him, because we’re lost and don’t know which way to turn. Frustration is our lot, regardless of what we do. We confess like the psalmists: ‘My tears have been my meat (food) day and night, while they continually say unto me, Where is thy God?’ (Ps. 42:3) 

And sadly my people, many of us are facing such trying times as our world goes to hell in a handbasket. The unbelievers are indeed laughing at us, when we profess our faith and yet are not making any or much headway in this life. They mock us by asking where is the great God we talk about; the One who is supposed to help us make it successfully through this earthly life? 

But like the Sons of Korah further declare: ‘When I remember these things, I pour out my soul in me: for I had gone with the multitude, I went with them into the house of God, with the voice of joy and praise, with a multitude that kept holyday (a pilgrim feast).’ (Ps. 42:4) And it can indeed be tough when we believe we’re doing all the right things, but are getting the wrong results. Thus, we question: ‘Why art thou cast down (bowed down), O my soul? and why art thou disquieted in me? Hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise him for the help of his countenance (presence).’ (Ps. 42:5) 

Now that last half of the verse is how we should be standing strong and steadfast despite all our hardships and difficulties. Why? Because the Lord did not promise that we would not see tough times, but that in the long run He would work everything out for our good. (Rom. 8:28) Therefore, despite circumstances that cause our souls to be cast down and disquieted, we need to still praise the Lord, while remembering all that He’s done for us in the past. 

And though the psalmist continues his lament, he nonetheless does just that. ‘O my God, my soul is cast down within me: therefore will I remember thee from the land of Jordan, and of the Hermonites from the hill (mount) Mizar. Deep calleth unto deep at the noise of thy waterspouts (waterfalls): all thy waves and thy billows are gone over me.  Yet the Lord will command his LOVING-KINDNESS in the daytime, and in the night his song shall be with me, and my prayer unto the God of my life.’ (Ps. 42:6-8) 

And will we ever be surprised at how our attitude changes when we remember all the things that God has done in our lives. So, though we still sadly lament: ‘I will say unto my rock, Why hast thou forgotten me? Why go I mourning because of the oppression of the enemy? 

As with a sword in my bones (a shattering of my bones), mine enemies’ reproach (revile) me; while they say daily (all day long) unto me, Where is thy God? Why art thou cast down (bowed down), O my soul? and why art thou disquieted within me? hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise him, who is the health of my countenance (my salvation).’ (Ps. 42:9-11) 

Yes my fellow believers, once we come to faith in Christ, we will possibly find more problems simply because of that fact. For as Jesus said: ‘And ye shall be hated of all men for my name’s sake: but he that endureth to the end shall be saved.’ (Matt. 10:22) So the important thing is never to give up, regardless of how tough times and things might get. 

Now, here are the encouraging and reassuring words of another man of God who had a hard life, lamented much, but never gave up. We’re talking about the prophet Jeremiah, who wrote in his Lamentations: ‘The Lord is my portion, saith my soul; therefore will I hope in him. The Lord is good unto them that wait for him, to the soul that seeketh him. It is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the Lord.’ (Lam. 3:24-26) 

And there’s no better advice that that in the Bible. But it’s also hard to take it when things are tough. So, let’s go to the throne of grace, through Our Monday Morning Battle Hymn, seeking divine aid with our many problems. 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!’ 

And as our prayer indicates, to receive that divine aid, we need to improve our Christian witness with acts like sincere repentance, turning from our evil ways, and seeking God more than ever! That means the situation is in our hands…So what are going to do about it eh? Much LOVE!

…God has not given us the spirit of fear…but of power…and of LOVE…and of a sound (disciplined) mind… (2 Tim. 1:7)  

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

Today’s Scrip-Bit 1 September 2020 Psalm 56:3.

01 Sep 2020 Leave a comment

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

Psalm 56:3.     ​What time I am afraid, I will trust in thee. 

‘Happy days are here again! Happy days are here again!’ Yeh mih people, happy days are here again…in fact, yuh know they never went anywhere, (smile) is just our attitude changed because we had them riding on the backs of our circumstances instead of on the cross of Jesus; in His mighty blood, His sacrificial death and awesome resurrection! Wow! Anytime we belittle or place those things low down on our totem pole, then unhappiness will surely filter through into our hearts, minds and souls. 

And yes, we somewhat late this morning because of late rising -what else is new eh – (smile) and some chores I had to do before I could get down to the Bit. But as I keep saying, better late than never, once you get the Bit, it doesn’t matter how late it is. In fact lateness is simply a matter of our own confused mental situations. (smile) And today, like Bruh David did so long ago, we going to cry out to our wonderful God with a confident prayer of help from Psalm 56 a contemplation of Bruh David, when he ran from Saul’s murderous pursuit and ended up in the Philistine city of Gath. (1 Sam. 21:10) 

Can you imagine that – Bruh David running from his own people to the people of Goliath whom he had slain in battle as a young boy. ‘And the servants of Achish, the king of Gath, said unto him, Is not this David the king of the land? did they not sing one to another of him in dances, saying, Saul hath slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands? And David laid up these words in his heart (took these words to heart), and was sore (very much) afraid of Achish the king of Gath.’ (1 Sam. 21:11-12) 

But they didn’t know that Bruh David was a man of many parts – a mighty warrior, a talented musician, poet and a man of God, but also a marvellous actor. Listen to how he handled that situation of being between a rock and a very hard place. ‘And he changed his behaviour before them, and feigned himself mad in their hands (feigned madness), and scrabbled (scratched) on the doors of the gate, and let his spittle (spit) fall down upon his beard. Then said Achish unto his servants. Lo, ye see the man is mad (insane): wherefore then have ye brought him to me? Have I need of mad men, that ye have brought this fellow to play the mad man in my presence? shall this fellow come into my house?’ (1 Sam. 21:13-15) 

Ah mih people, I have to laugh at Bruh David’s saving tactics in that dreadful situation, although from the king’s words ‘play the mad man’ he might have suspected Bruh David’s act. But all of that aside, what I really want us to hear is how this man of God, caught up between deadly enemies, confidently prayed in that situation. ‘Be merciful unto me, O God: for man would swallow me up; he fighting daily oppresseth me. Mine enemies would daily swallow me up (hound me): for they be many that fight against me, O thou Most High. What time I am afraid, I will trust in thee. In God I will praise his word, in God I have put my trust: I will not fear what flesh can do unto me.’ (Ps. 56:1-4) 

Oh mih bredrin, our situation is tough, but certainly not as dire as Bruh David’s was way back then. And yet still he evoked such a confidence in the God of his forefathers that we can’t seem to understand or replicate, though we talk a good talk of faith and trust in Almighty God. Yes, as supposedly true believers, we still allow the enemy to deposit his foolish fear in our hearts, souls and minds, thus negating whatever faith we might have, and thus making our faithless prayers unanswerable. 

And Bruh David continues: ‘Every day they wrest (all day they twist) my words: all their thoughts are against me for evil. They gather themselves together, they hide themselves, they mark my steps, when they wait for my soul (lie in wait for my life). Shall they escape by iniquity? In thine anger cast down the people, O God. Thou tellest (count or take account of) my wanderings: put thou my tears into thy bottle: are they not in thy book?’ (Ps. 56:5-8) 

Now, we all have people that come against us, but I doubt like those of Bruh David, rather anxious to take our lives. And the Lord does see our troubles and marks them in His book, but we need to have the strong faith, the sure belief that He will hear our cry and attend to our needs in the way He think is best. Hear how Bruh David puts it: ‘When I cry unto thee, then shall mine enemies turn back: this I know; for God is for me.’ (Ps. 56:9) 

Oh precious people of God, do those words ring true in our mouths and lives in our time, in this time of serious adversity? That’s the kind of faith we need to project to ourselves and those around us. Then will we be bringing Jesus’ desires to pass; being the salt of the earth and the light of the world, leading those in darkness into His wonderful light and being the good example of a true Christian. 

And Bruh David continues: ‘In God will I praise his word: in the Lord will I praise his word. In God have I put my trust: I will not be afraid what man can do unto me. Thy vows are upon me (are binding upon me), O God: I will render praises unto thee. For thou hast delivered my soul from death: wilt thou not deliver my feet from falling, that I may walk before God in the light of the living?’ (Ps. 56:10-13) 

Oh yes friends, our wonderful God WILL deliver our feet from falling, so that we can do His awesome work in the land of the living. Our problem seems to be we don’t believe that as strongly as we should, despite all the good and faithful things that the Lord has done in our lives. Now listen to the scholars’ interesting explanation of the psalm. 

‘Psalm 56. The superscription relates the psalm to David’s first stay in Gath under Achish (1 Sam. 21:10-15) The refrain of verses 4, 10, and 11 mark off two sections in the psalm. First, David contrasts his threatening enemies with his faithful God (vs. 1-4). Second, he expresses the truth that he is watched from two directions: on the one side by his enemies; on the other by God, his Protector (vs. 5-11). The refrain of verse 4 is now strengthened and expanded into two verses (10-11). The two final verses serve as a conclusion that assumes his upcoming deliverance as a present reality.’ 

Yes friends, that’s the basic difference between Bruh David’s attitude and ours: his faith is strong enough to really make him feel the reality of something he hasn’t seen! And until our faith allows us to do the same, then we’ll always be doubtful of our God, of His intentions towards us, and His ability to do what he claims He can do. So for those of us who are truly aspiring to grow our faith, let’s go home declaring (yeahhh!) our Tuesday Mantra, unashamedly telling the whole world who and whose we are. 

In strong voice with sincere hearts: ‘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 let’s allow our actions to reflect those sincere words nuh. Much LOVE!

…faith…the sense of proof… the assurance of things hoped for…the reality that’s currently unseen… 

Today’s Scrip-Bit 8 December 2017 Isaiah 2:8.

08 Dec 2017 Leave a comment

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

Isaiah 2:8.   Their land also is full of idols; they worship the work of their own hands, that which their fingers have made.

And behold friends, it’s a bright and sunshiny morning in my neighbourhood! But it’s cold! And that’s the big difference between the light of the Sun and the light of the Son. 

The light of the sun can be so intense, you can’t even look at it without eye protection, but at the same time, depending on what part of the world you are, in certain seasons, there is no warmth in its brilliance. 

The light of the Son though is an entirely different story: His light is ALWAYS warm and comforting, regardless of where you are in this great big world! It could be in the mind-numbing cold of the Arctic or Antarctica, or the excessive heat of the Equator; Jesus is, and will forever be a warm, shining light that you can look at without eye protection. 

And all of God’s people declared a loud, proud and grateful: ‘Glory Hallelujah!’ Yeh, so even though the workingman has bright sunshine in which to declare his anthem today, he still has to be bundled up to do so. 

And it doesn’t stop him, as he vociferously declares: ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday and another week of slavery done! And I don’t understand it nuh; the slave master could be so evil and unkind, even as he claims to be a man of God. He want to fire me because I refuse to work overtime on the weekend. Steups! 

But what he expect eh? The weekend is the one li’l time I have off to do my business, and he expect me to give it up for the few lousy cents he want to pay me. Chuh pool! But not to worry, I going to enjoy my weekend, eat drink and be merry, and some way, get my pound of flesh from that ole crook, who call himself a Christian! Hn! That’s why I have to say thank God for Fridays and the weekends yes!’ 

And right there we have one of the problems that exist in our Christian faith; supposed Christians behaving in an un-Christian-like manner. Now we don’t have to give in to all the requests of our employees, but we do have to treat them in a fair and Christian manner, otherwise that’s the conception they develop of us; an hypocritical one, and rightly so. 

And talking about being unfair and unkind, listen to this scenario. You all know the Republican Party in the U.S is trying to pass a very bad Tax Bill, very much weighted in favour of the already rich, but one element of that Bill is supposedly removing the provision of deductions for loss of property from things like wildfires and earthquakes. Hn! 

Can you imagine the devastating effect that will have on those people in California who have already been through wildfires earlier on in the year, and those who are currently undergoing the tremendous calamity of the now raging, out of control fires in that State? 

No wonder we say that man’s inhumanity to man, makes countless thousands mourn. In this case though, it will be more like countless millions. Let’s hope wiser minds prevail, and that Tax Bill, or at least that provision does not get passed. Let’s pray on it please friends. 

Now let’s chant our Friday Chant, which is a tad more spiritual than the workingman’s song. (smile) All together now: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through another week of work! It hasn’t been easy, but with your generous help, I made it through. 

Now, please help me to get sufficient fun, fellowship, rest and relaxation in these two short days off, so that I can be renewed and refreshed in soul, body and mind, to go back out and do it all over again next week, furthering your glorious kingdom with each step I take. I pray this in Jesus name. Amen.’ 

Yeh mih people, that’s more in tune with our Christian heritage; seeking God’s will rather than ours. That brings us to a rather appropriate Bit, where Isaiah talks about the day of the Lord, His judgement on the proud. ‘Their land also is full of idols; they worship the work of their own hands, that which their fingers have made.’ 

And isn’t that the living truth friends? In this sinful and secular society today, we worship the things we have made, running behind the wealth and other foolish trappings of the world, instead of seeking God and His awesome righteousness. In fact we’re trying our hardest to remove God completely from our society. 

How foolish is that eh? How can you remove the One who created you? And how can you worship something that you have made with your own hands eh; something that has no life or power? 

As the psalmist so wisely and rightly puts it in Psalm 115 – Trust in God, not in idols. ‘Their idols are silver and gold, the work of man’s hands. They have mouths, but they speak not: eyes have they, but they see not: They have ears, but they hear not: noses have they, but they smell not: They have hands, but they handle not: feet have they, but they walk not: neither speak they through their throat. They that make them are like unto them; so is every one that trusteth in them.’ (Ps.115:4-8)  

That says it all friends! Why worship the inanimate objects that you yourself have made eh? That makes absolutely no sense. What makes sense is to do as the psalmist says afterwards. ‘O Israel, trust thou in the Lord: he is their help and their shield.’ (Ps.115:9) 

And with those words of awesome wisdom, we’ll close today. Please, my brethren, let’s take them to heart and follow them nuh, for they will be exceedingly beneficial to us. Much LOVE!

…what’s the use of worshipping idols…if they have no power to do anything for you…

 

Today’s Scrip-Bit 9 April 2016 Exodus 33:14

09 Apr 2016 Leave a comment

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

Exodus 33:14.   And he said, My presence shall go with thee, and I will give thee rest.

And then it was Saturday, and the next couple days in my area are supposed to be cold and snowy and wet and rainy. Steups! Whatever happened to that thing called spring eh? In winter we didn’t get any snow, and now in what’s supposed to be spring, it’s too often cold and snowy! Chuh! And yet they insist that climate change is not real. 

But anyway, whether it is real or not, we believers in Jesus Christ don’t have to let it worry us. Oh yes, the weather will become irascible like many of us, (smile) but we can’t afford to allow that to dictate our lives, that ought to be done by our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.  

So to help us handle all the unwanted stuff we have to handle, let’s pray this prayer taken from a Devotional titled ‘A Journey of LOVE. Walking with St. Therese of Liseux’ – The Saint of the Little Flower. I’ve shared it before, but in these troubled times, times of hate and anger and doubt and all the negative stuff that’s predominant in our world, we need something to counteract that negativity. 

And the only thing able to do that is LOVE, and we have been assigned the vocation of LOVE. So let’s pray for help in our vocation. Please pray with me: ‘Jesus, I desire above all else to centre my life in you. Only you can give me the courage to face up to my responsibilities, to be compassionate and forgiving, to let go of what is not important and to embrace what is important. 

I am called to accept and to cherish your LOVE for me and to allow your LOVE to go out from me to all your people, Help me to walk in your steps without compromise and to be open to your presence in all of the people I meet. I make my prayer through Christ our Lord. Amen.’ 

Yes friends, the irony of it all is that we cannot do God’s work without God’s help! And the most effective way to receive that help is through prayer.  The Lord has promised that when we diligently and sincerely seek Him, He will be found by us. That’s why prayer is so important in a believer’s life. 

That’s also why Bruh Paul told the Ephesians to pray ALWAYS; (Eph.6:18) the Thessalonians to pray WITHOUT CEASING; (1 Thess.5:17) and his young protégé Timothy to pray EVERYWHERE. (1 Tim:2:8) So to all intents and purposes, prayer MUST BE an integral part of a believer’s life, because in doing so we will always be in the presence of God, which is ever so important for our earthly journey. 

Moses, one of God’s greatest prophets was adamant about not continuing the journey through the wilderness if the Lord’s presence was not going to be with him. That is even after God promised in our Bit: ‘And he said, My presence shall go with thee, and I will give thee rest.’ 

Ah mih people, without God’s wonderful presence in our lives, innumerable trials and tribulations will come our way, from which we’ll have little or no leeway to escape. However, when we are basking in the Father’s presence, we are assured of His help to get through the difficulties, though not necessarily complete escape. 

That’s because He has promised to work everything out for the good of those who LOVE Him and are called according to His purpose. (Rom.8:28) And if there’s one thing we can rest comfortably on, is that our ever-faithful God NEVER reneges on His promises. 

Now let’s look at some scripture that exalts the glory and wisdom of being in God’s presence. And we can’t talk about that without including words from Bruh David’s heartfelt declarations. This comes from Psalm 31 – In thee, O Lord, do I put my trust. 

‘Oh how great is thy goodness, which thou hast laid up for them that fear thee; which thou hast wrought for them that trust in thee before the sons of men! Thou shalt hide them in the secret of thy presence (secret place) from the pride (plots) of man: thou shalt keep them secretly in a pavilion (shelter) from the strife of tongues. Blessed be the Lord: for he hath showed me his marvellous kindness in a strong city. 

For I said in my haste, I am cut off from before thine eyes: nevertheless thou heardest the voice of my supplications when I cried unto thee. O LOVE the Lord, all ye his saints: for the Lord preserveth the faithful, and plentifully rewardeth the proud doer. Be of good courage, and he shall strengthen your heart.’ (Ps.31:19-24) 

And we can’t argue with Bruh David because in spite of his mistakes, he was still considered a man after God’s own heart, so intense was His longing for Him. 

Meanwhile, in Jeremiah, when the Lord is dealing with the false prophets, He promises: ‘Therefore, behold, I, even I, will utterly forget you, and I will forsake you, and the city that I gave you and your fathers, and cast you out of my presence. And I will bring an everlasting reproach upon you, and a perpetual shame, which shall not be forgotten.’(Jer.23:39-40) 

Yes friends, that’s the kind of thing that happens when we are cast out of God’s presence. Please pray that it never happens to us. And we’ll end with this great example from the prophet Jonah. 

The Lord had said to Jonah: ‘Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry (out) against it: for their wickedness is come up before me. But Jonah rose up to flee unto Tarshish from the presence of the Lord, and went down to Joppa; and he found a ship going to Tarshish: so he paid the fare thereof, and went down into it, to go with them unto Tarshish from the presence of the Lord.’ (Jon.1:2-3) 

Now how foolish was that eh my brethren? As a prophet, a man of God, Jonah should have known better than that. And we all know the story of the terrible storm that arose, due to Jonah’s disobedience, and how he was thrown overboard and spent three days and nights in the belly of a great fish, before coming to his senses and repenting. And the Lord in His great mercy and LOVING-kindness forgave him and gave him a second chance. 

Oh my fellow believers, fleeing from the Lord is not easy if He doesn’t want us to flee. But why should we want to flee from Him anyhow eh, when He is the Alpha and Omega, the First and the Last, the Creator and Provider of all? That’s certainly not wisdom. So please, let’s be wise today and seek the Lord’s presence rather than try to flee from it. Much LOVE!

…the Christian’s desire ought to be…to continually seek God’s face…and to continually bask in His presence…  

Today’s Scrip-Bit 8 October 2014 1 Kings 17:24

08 Oct 2014 Leave a comment

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

1 Kings 17:24.     And the woman said to Elijah, Now by this I know that thou art a man of God, and that the word of the Lord in thy mouth is truth.

Aye Friends, it’s just one of those days when the old body completely rebelled. It finally said: ‘Enough is enough! You can’t have me constantly going to bed late and yet expect me to get up early! I’m not superman, just flesh and bones yuh know; a simple mortal…and a fairly old one at that! I’m not as young as I used to be, so I can’t stand the constant jammings like I used to before!’
 
And what could I say eh? Nothing but, ‘I’m sorry, and please accept my most humble apologies…and please forgive me, and I’ll try not to do it again. Mea culpa…mea culpa…’
 
And yuh know what, being the good Christian body that he is, he LOVINGLY forgave me. Glory Hallelujah! Now we’re best buddies again, with hugs and kisses all around! Oh what a wonderful friendship, just like the kind we’ve been speaking about the last few days.’ (smile)
 
Ah mih people, that might all sound a bit trite and foolish, but it’s loaded with truth and wisdom. We can’t keep on misusing and abusing our physical bodies without suffering its eventual rebellion and breakdown.
 
Unfortunately though, in this superficially busy world, too many of us are trying to light the proverbial candle at both ends simultaneously and keep it lit there for a long time. But that only brings misfortune in the end, because our bodies, as well as our minds were not made to take that kind of stress and strain on a long term basis.
 
And I’m sure all of us will agree that the amount of physically and mentally broken people in our society nowadays is way too high, especially amongst our young people, especially with the kind of prosperity we’re experiencing.
 
Although the facts and figures do show that our supposed prosperity is only superficial, like everything else around us, for actual prosperity is only going to the already rich, who are becoming richer with each passing day, while the poor are in fact becoming poorer.
 
Our society is suffering from a terrible inequity of resources, and until that is straightened out, things will only get worse, not better. So please, my people, let’s try to be wise and sensible where our minds and bodies are concerned nuh, since they are our basic foundation, and like all foundations, once they get too weak, the whole edifice which they support will eventually collapse.
 
And I have to laugh here, because that is definitely not the beginning I envisaged for today’s Bit. But I guess the Lord had a different plan in mind.
 
Here is what I had written while listening to some music from an Hour of Power religious programme: Oh Friends, it’s Wednesday morning, the middle of the workweek, and we’re alive… All praise to God! And even better yet, we’re winning the battle, standing steadfast and strong for Jesus! What else can one ask eh? Nothing really.
 
However, while listening to the music I was blessed with this great idea… And it’s not rocket science either. The way I see it, the things I want, the desires of my heart that God has put there, are basically to write words and music and to run horses…and TO HELP!
 
Yes Friends, HELP! That’s the most important of those four things. Why? Because regardless of how successful we are at our worldly pursuits, if we don’t HELP, then they are all worthless and meaningless in God’s great scheme of things.
 
Remember what Jesus came to earth to do? To HELP us, to save us from our sinful selves. And we term that most wonderful selfless act of Jesus as LOVE!
 
So therefore, if Jesus LOVED us so much that He wanted to HELP us and willingly sacrificed His life that we could be free from the bondage of sin, then that logically means that HELP is certainly akin to LOVE!  And when you add Faith, and Hope, the most important become HELP and LOVE!  
 
The problem though is that in our basically selfish, I, me, and mine society, the words LOVE and HELP don’t resonate with us the way they used to a generation or so ago. And to make matters even worse, there are more people desperately seeking LOVE and HELP than ever before, especially in a time of general peace.
 
That unfortunately makes it even more difficult since there’s less LOVE and HELP to spread round now to more people. Ah Lord eh! What a mess we’ve made of our world my fellow believers! And I know a lot of us who are expected to help, also need help in a bad way.
 
But yuh know what: when we give of the little we have, like Jesus noted of the poor widow who threw her last two mites into the collection plate, then our lives become even more blessed.
 
Here is how the Good Book recounts it: ‘And Jesus sat over against (opposite) the treasury, and beheld how people cast money into the treasury: and many that were rich cast in much. And there came a certain poor widow, and she threw in two mites (small copper coins worth something like one-eight of a cent), which makes a farthing (a Roman coin).
 
And he (Jesus) called unto his disciples, and saith unto them, Verily I say unto you, That this poor widow hath cast more in, than all they which have cast into the treasury. For all they did cast in of their abundance (surplus); but she of her want (out of her poverty) did cast in all that she had, even all her living (her whole livelihood).’ (Mark 12:41-44)
 
Oh my people, as the scholars explain: ‘12:43-44. God does not measure giving by conventional human standards.’
 
Yes my brethren, when we give of the little we have, our wonderful God sees the generosity of our hearts and expands our source so that we can give even more.
 
It’s like how He sent Elijah to the poor widow of Zarephath for food, who herself only had a little flour and little oil to make the last cake for her son and herself, then she was expecting to die after that. But she listened to Elijah’s plea instead and fixed her last bit of food for him.
 
And yuh see what happened? She and her household miraculously had food for many days after that. Elijah even raised her son from a death-like state. (1 Kin.17:8-23)
 
That finally brings us to our Bit: ‘And the woman said unto Elijah, Now by this I know that thou art a man of God, and that the word of the Lord in thy mouth is truth.’
 
Yes my people, that is what is expected of us, every time we open our mouths – truth! And even more so if we are expounding on the Word of our omnipotent and LOVING God!
 
So please, as we diligently and faithfully go about doing God’s work today, let’s make sure that we try to HELP and LOVE others, and that every word we speak is truth, so that we can bring glory to Him, like Elijah did with the poor widow. That’s our bounden duty! Much LOVE!
 
…oh when we…HELP and GIVE and LOVE…from the goodness of our hearts…Jesus smiles down on us with even more blessings… Glory Hallelujah! 
 
P.S. Sorry about the lateness and length of the Bit Friends, but all I can say is that the Lord had His special purpose for it, allowing me to write the things I’ve done. So don’t shoot the messenger, (smile) just enjoy it and put it into practice in your lives. Much LOVE!