Today’s Scrip-Bit   14 December 2023 Luke 1:46-47.

14 Dec 2023 Leave a comment

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

Luke 1:46-47.        And Mary said, My soul doth magnify (exalt) the Lord, And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour.

And then it was Thursday; the penultimate day of the work week, and also one day closer to  the birth of Christ! And as I go around my neighbourhood, I can see all the activity, all the busyness that this time of year spurs. And it’s certainly the case in my home, as the Duchess is slowly ramping up the Christmas spirit. I can’t walk anywhere in the house without encountering some kind of Christmas decoration, some of which I don’t like, and I believe makes the place even more congested than usual. But apparently I have no say in the matter. (smile) However, the Christmas tree does look luverly. 

And I bring all of that up because I want to find out just how much of all this Christmas activity is actually being focused on Christ and His incarnate birth, or are we more concerned about the time for gifts and feasting and secular celebrations? And for the many who proclaim, ‘Happy Holidays!’ What’s the holidays about eh? It’s about the birth of Jesus! Without the celebration of the birth of Jesus there would be no holidays, no shopping, with the cash registers merrily jingling every few seconds, no gift giving or joyful get togethers. So why can’t we acknowledge Jesus as the true reason for the season eh? 

As our world becomes more evil, secular and ungodly, it’s becoming an uphill battle to remind people that Jesus’ birth is why we celebrate these supposed holidays. But let’s not give up my fellow believers, for if we keep on sending the message, in due course, the heathen, the ungodly, the evildoer, the greedy business person, will all come to recognize why there’s all the hubbub and hoopla at this time of year – the marvellous, miraculous, incarnate birth of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! There’s never before been a birth like it… and there will never again be another one as marvellous and miraculous! 

And today I want to explore the situation of that incarnate birth a little bit more for there are some interesting ramifications to it, like what happens after Mary’s momentous encounter with the angel Gabriel. The Good Library tells us: ‘And Mary arose in those days, and went into the hill country with haste, into a city of Juda. And entered into the house of Zacharias, and saluted (greeted) Elisabeth. And it came to pass, that, when Elisabeth heart the salutation (greeting) of Mary, the babe (John the Baptist) leaped in her womb, and Elisabeth was filled with the Holy Ghost. 

And she spake out with a loud voice, and said, Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb. And whence is this to me, that (why should) the mother of my Lord come to me? For, lo, as soon as the voice of thy salutation (greeting) sounded in mine ears, the babe leaped in my womb for joy. And blessed is she that believed: for there shall be a performance (fulfillment) of those things which were told her from the Lord.’ (Luke 1:39-45) 

Oh my people, doesn’t it astound and astonish you at the amazing dramatics that our God has placed in Hs Word? Listen to that drama there as Mary, the Mother of Jesus greets Elisabeth, the mother of John the Baptist. The Holy Ghost comes upon Elisabeth and John the Baptist jumps for joy in his mother’s womb, spiritually knowing that the One whom he is coming to prepare the way for is close by! Wow! Only our great God could engineer such a dramatic situation! Give Him thanks and praise for His awesome Word nuh! 

But it gets even more dramatic as Mary then proceeds to sing this song, we call ‘The Magnificat.’ ‘And Mary said, My soul doth magnify (exalt) the Lord, And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour. For he hath regarded the low estate (lowly state) of his hand maiden (maidservant): for, behold, from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed. For he that is mighty hath done to me great things; and holy is his name. And his mercy is on them that fear (reverence) him from generation to generation. 

He hath shewed strength with his arm; he hath scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts. He hath put down the mighty from their seats (thrones), and exalted them of low degree (the lowly). He hath filled the hungry with good things; and the rich he hath sent empty away. He hath holpen (helped) his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy; As he spake to our fathers, to Abraham, and to his seed (descendants) for ever.’ (Luke 1:46-55) 

Oh friends, what magnificent sentiments in praise of our God’s goodness and mercy, His strength and His faithfulness! How could an ordinary teenaged girl proclaim such things eh…not unless she was filled with the Holy Spirit! The Bible then informs us: ‘And Mary abode with her (Elisabeth) about three months, and returned to her own house.’ (Luke 1:56) Can you imagine the conversations between the two women, and the way Jesus and John the Baptist were carrying on in their mothers wombs during those conversations. (smile) Only in the Bible, you say! Yes! Only in the Bible! 

And per the name of Mary’s soliloquy ‘The Magnificat’ the scholars tell us it’s based on the first word of the Latin translation (the Vulgate), and is rich in Old Testament imagery, for Jesus’ coming was in fulfillment of Old Testament promises. And that’s the gospel truth my fellow believers! From the very beginning of that noteworthy tome, there have been promises and talk of the coming of our Lord and Saviour. So please, as we go about our shopping and baking and all the etceteras of the season, let’s see if we can’t put a li’l more of our focus, our thoughts on the reason for the season, Jesus Christ. 

Let’s try and keep Him first place in all we do, so that we won’t forget why we’re having this joyful period of the year. And to help us with all that stuff, the Lord has generously bestowed certain blessings on us that we call our Thursday Blessings, but to activate them we need to declare them out loud, so let’s do that right now nuh. Altogether: ‘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 every day! Amen!’ 

And having activated those underserved blessings, it’s now our bounden duty to go out and use them on behalf of others, just as generously as the Lord gave them to us! Much LOVE!

…but for the incarnate birth of Jesus…there would be no holiday season…at this time of year… 

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

Today’s Scrip-Bit   30 November 2023 Proverbs 3:1.

30 Nov 2023 Leave a comment

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

Proverbs 3:1.        My son, forget not my law; but let thine heart keep my commandments.

Well, the penultimate day of this work week, Thursday, and the last day of this month, November, has chosen to open bright and sunny, though somewhat cold. But this is the winter season, so what do we expect eh? (smile) Let’s at least give thanks for the sunshine, which I didn’t have when I was doing my errands yesterday. But with the Lord’s help we did handle them successfully though. And in the long run, that’s the important thing…We can do whatever the Lord desires us to do because He anoints and strengthens us to do it! All glory be to His blessed name! 

And today friends, all we’re going to do is read, peruse, study and find some useful insights into perhaps one of the most important and insightful passages in the entire Bible. Yes, friends, if we follow these simple, but ever so important commands as outlined by Cousin Sol in Chapter 3 of Proverbs, our lives will be filled with the Lord’s grace, mercy and understanding. So let’s read from Proverbs Chapter 3, verse 1. ‘My son, forget not my law; but let thine heart keep my commandments.’ 

Wow! Right there we have the ultimate in fellowship and discipleship. The overwhelming need to remember the commandments of God, if you are a follower of God. Why? ‘For length of days, and long life, and peace, shall they add to thee.’ (Prov. 3:2) And aren’t those things that all of us desire? For sure! So we now know the way to find long life, length of days and peace…keep the commandments of God. We therefore have no more excuses. (smile) 

Then the next verse kindly informs us: ‘Let not mercy (LOVING-kindness) and truth forsake thee: bind them about thy neck, write them upon the table of thine heart (thy mind). So shalt thou find favour and good understanding (high esteem) in the sight of God and man.’ (Prov. 3:3-4) There again we have the formula for finding favour in the sight of both God and man; the strong keeping of mercy and truth in our lives; so strong that they become like an adornment, like a necklace around our necks. 

So now we know how to acquire long life, length of days, peace, favour and high esteem. Mama Mia! Are we ever going to go out and acquire them now! But wait a minute, not so fast, there are still a few other things we have to know and consider. (smile) Listen to the two basic, but perhaps the two most important verses in this section. ‘Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct (make smooth or straight) thy paths.’ (Prov. 3:5-6) 

Yes my brethren, if we practice those three things: trust in the Lord, don’t depend on our own native instincts and acknowledge God, that’s have fellowship and intimacy with Him all through our life, then He will guide our paths, make them straight before us. Now that doesn’t mean we won’t have problems, but when the problems come He will give us the wherewithal to handle them. So how can we ever go wrong if we do those three basic things eh? Never! 

Then there are some other reminders that further build our lives in Almighty God. Hear this one: ‘Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the Lord, and depart from evil.’ (Prov. 3:7) Now that should be a no-brainer! It’s obvious we cannot put too much trust in our finite and puny understanding, while reverencing the Lord and staying away from evil are all important parts of being a Christian. And Cousin Sol tells us just how following that advice helps us. ‘It shall be health to thy navel (body), and marrow (strength) to thy bones.’ (Prov. 3:8) Now good health and strength are things we all desire. So now we know how to get them. (smile) 

And here’s another bit of awesome wisdom: ‘Honour the Lord with thy substance (possessions), and with the firstfruits of all thine increase: So shall thy barns be filled with plenty, and thy presses (vats) shall burst out with new wine.’ (Prov. 3:9-10) There we have it friends; if we want to be blessed with abundance, we need to honour God and man and give generously of our firstfruits, not from the remainder. God must ALWAYS come first! 

And having heard all the comparatively easy things to do in this section of scripture, here comes another important but ofttimes difficult bit of wisdom to handle. And Cousin Sol puts it as nicely as possible. (smile) ‘My son, despise not the chastening of the Lord, neither be weary of (detest) his correction: For whom the Lord LOVETH he correcteth; even as a father the son in whom he delighteth.’ (Prov. 3:11-12) 

Ah mih bredrin, we know that’s a hard pill to swallow, but we won’t always do right, and just like our earthly fathers correct us when we do wrong in their sight, likewise the Lord corrects us when we do wrong in His sight, not because He just wants to punish us, but because He LOVES us. Allowing us to do wrong and not correcting us is not LOVE, but and absence of LOVE, more like encouragement to do wrong. 

And the author of Hebrews, using Cousin Sol’s thoughts, puts it like this: ‘And ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto children (sons). My son despise not thou the chastening (discipline) of the Lord, nor faint (be discouraged) when thou art rebuked of him: For whom the Lord LOVETH he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth.’ (Heb. 12:5-6) 

Yes my fellow saints, even the best of us have faults and foibles that don’t belong in us, which stop us from becoming more Christlike, which is the Lord’s end plan. Therefore, He has to remove them by disciplining us. So let’s not be upset and disappointed when He chastens us nuh, for it’s only for our good. And He’s such a wonderful God that He’s even bestowed numerous undeserved blessings on us to do His earthly work. We call them our Thursday Blessings, so let’s declare (yesss!!!) them out loud now, so that they can be activated. 

As one voice: ‘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 every day! Amen!’ 

And having activated those blessings, it’s now our bounden duty to go out and use them on the Lord’s behalf, just as generously as He bestowed them on us! Much LOVE!

…the fear (reverential awe) of the Lord is the (very) beginning of knowledge…but fools despise wisdom and instruction…(Prov. 1:7) 

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

Today’s Scrip-Bit   26 October 2023 Psalm 73:26.

26 Oct 2023 Leave a comment

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

Psalm 73:26.       My flesh and my heart faileth: but God is the strength (rock) of my heart, and my portion for ever.

And just like Wednesday yesterday, today, Thursday, has opened rainy and somewhat cloudy! Consecutive rainy and cloudy days! But who’s complaining, for we do need some heavenly blessings. Let’s be thankful that we are at least getting a little, some parts of our world haven’t gotten any in a long time and are suffering from severe drought. Let’s pray that they will soon receive some heavenly relief, because there’s nothing worse on this earth than to be without water, both in the human body and on the land. 

And it’s been a long time since we’ve shared something from our One Year Book of Bible Promises with writings by Ruth Harms Calkin. So, today, let’s check out this piece simply titled ‘The Living God.’ Please pray with me. ‘I place my whole confidence In the Living God. Not because things Are going my way. Not because I understand All the inexplainables Or because I am immune To problems and pain and sorrow. But despite my questions My reversals, my disappointments Despite my sorrow and tears I place my whole confidence In the Living God For He alone can see me through. He alone is worthy of my trust.’ 

And that’s the gospel truth friends! The One and ONLY Living God, Yahweh, is the ONLY Being in this universe worthy of our total trust! And why is that you ask? Because whether you believe it or not, He is our Creator and Controller, and nothing happens in our lives or this world unless He instigates or allows it. The problem mankind has though is surrendering their entire life to an unseen Deity, and with our God-given choice of free will, it becomes even harder for man to do so as he increases in worldly knowledge and wisdom. 

Unfortunately though, worldly knowledge and wisdom don’t recognize Almighty God as the titan that He is, but relegates Him to a minor background role, even foolishly desiring to completely rid our society of His awesome presence. But that’s something that will NEVER happen, because the Lord won’t allow it. I don’t know why man doesn’t wake up and recognize his real puny, powerless self. As Jesus so rightly asked: ‘Which of you by taking thought (worrying) can add one cubit to his stature?’ (Matt. 6:27) 

None of us, because we don’t have the power to make any serious increases or decreases to our bodies and our lives in general. Look at how many rich people die despite their wealth and accessibility to the best medical attention the world has to offer. And so many young ones who go home before we think it’s time. And why do some get real sick and don’t pass on, while others are not sick but nonetheless pass over to the other side? If we truly had the power over our lives, wouldn’t we do it differently. 

Of course! But the fact is that when the Grim Reaper comes a calling, we don’t have a snowball’s chance in hell of refusing or not accepting his invitation. So, it’s about time mankind wakes up and realizes that there are only a very few aspects of life that he can really control. And even those, he controls through the goodness and grace of Almighty God. That’s why it’s wisdom of immense proportions to surrender our lives to the One, True and Living God. 

And the Bible Promise for today’s poem comes from Psalm 73, that very significant expose of the psalmist Asaph’s life, where he almost fell captive to the attractiveness of the prosperity of the wicked, but discovered his folly when he went into the Lord’s sanctuary and finally understood the demise God had planned for them. Consequently, he later penned these poignant but oh so true words that Ms. Calkin uses as her Bible Promise for our poem. He writes: ‘Whom have I in heaven but thee? and there is none upon earth that I desire beside thee. My flesh and my heart faileth: but God is the strength (rock) of my heart, and my portion for ever.’ (Ps. 73:25-26) 

Now those are very good scriptures on which to base our total surrender to God, because He is truly the Only One both in heaven and earth that we can sincerely and faithfully depend on. The Only One who will never leave nor forsake us, nor deceive us, like Satan, the father of lies and deceit and his evil cronies do. 

Please remember these true and uplifting words of another psalmist. ‘Put not your trust in princes, nor in the son of man (human beings), in whom there is no help (no salvation). His breath goeth forth (his spirit departs), he returneth to his earth; in that very day his thoughts perish. Happy is he that hath the God of Jacob for his help, whose hope is in the Lord his God: Which made heaven, and earth, the sea, and all that therein is: which keepeth truth for ever.’  (Ps. 146:3-6) 

Now that is the ultimate in wisdom, my brethren! And please pay particular attention to that last statement: ‘which keepeth truth for ever,’ because it is the indisputable truth! Real truth is only to be found in the Word of God! As Jesus so sincerely stated as He reverently prayed to the Father for the disciples: ‘Sanctify them (set them apart) through thy truth: thy word is truth.’ (John 17:17) And what does that mean? This commentary explains it as simply as possible: ‘God’s Word is truth; what He says is true. We cannot simply discard it because we disagree with it. If we do, we are, in effect calling God a liar.’ And sadly, too many of us do that, or insinuate it every single day. 

No wonder our world is in such a mess. But our great God doesn’t take offence because He knows that in the long run we will all have to come running back to Him if we desire salvation and eternal life. In fact, He’s even generous to a fault, bestowing blessings on us that we don’t deserve, but which are necessary for us to do His earthly work. We call them our Thursday Blessings, and to activate them, we need to declare (yesss!!!) them aloud. So please, let’s do that right now. 

Altogether! ‘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 every day! Amen!’ 

Now, having been blessed, it’s our bounden duty to go out and use those blessings to help others, just as generously as the Lord shared them with us! Much LOVE!

…it is good for me to draw near to God…I have put my trust in the Lord God…that I may declare all thy works… (Ps. 73:28)  

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Today’s Scrip-Bit    21 September 2023 Matthew 6:14-15.

21 Sep 2023 Leave a comment

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

Matthew 6:14-15.        For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.

And then it was Thursday…already? Yes. Already! The days are not waiting for us, they are going about their business, just like we should be going about ours. And if we aren’t, then we have no one to blame but ourselves, for our Lord has not blessed us with a power of fear and procrastination, but has generously bestowed on us the awesome power of His Holy Spirit, LOVE and a sound or disciplined mind. And it’s our bounden duty to use them to the best of our ability. End of Sermon! (smile) 

But to help us in doing those divine duties required of us, here’s this prayer from this month’s In Touch Devotional. Please pray with me. ‘Lord, there’s nothing I need to hide from You. You know everything about me – the healthy parts and the unhealthy, the good desires and those that hold me back. You see it all and yet You stay be my side. No matter what temptations or troubles I face. You are here. Help me to rest – and not cower – in your all-seeing presence. Let me delight in being completely and truly known by You. Amen.’ 

Ah friends, there’s nothing better than being in the Lord’s presence and having communion with Him! How could there be, when that’s what He created us for – to communicate with Him at all times, on all levels, about all things, good, bad or indifferent! And though He knows it all without our telling Him, He still desires to hear it from us, because when we do so, it means we trust Him to be our guide and leading light. And one thing is for sure, we don’t have to cower in His presence. 

No! Because of the work of Jesus, His shed blood at Calvary, we can go boldly, confidently, but humbly, to the throne of grace to receive divine help in time of trouble!. And all of God’s people shouted out a loud and grateful: ‘All praise and glory to the Lamb who was slain for us, the comforting power of his Holy Spirit, and the undying, unconditional LOVE of the Father! Amen!’  

And now that we’ve gotten into the Spirit and grace of God, (smile) let’s see what the Word has to further tell us about the heartwarming story of Bruh Joseph. So, we stopped yesterday where He kept Simeon bound in prison, but sent the other nine brothers’ home with food for their families, food for their journey, and their money in their sacks. Meaning that the food for their families was provided free of cost to them, and also showing the LOVE and largesse of Bruh Joseph to his family, despite the ill treatment they had meted out to him. 

And those, my friends, ought to be two very important traits of our Christian faith walk. However, in this day of rampant greed, selfishness, vengeance and unforgiveness, those traits are certainly not seen as often as they should. But just remember that Jesus said: ‘For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.’ (Matt. 6:14-15) And that’s an abundantly clear and straightforward passage, that we ought to have at the top of our list of scriptures! 

Ah Lord eh, (smile) I keep getting sidetracked from Bruh Joseph’s story, but it shows the many different aspects of life and godly traits that comes out of it, traits which were required then, and are still required now, possibly even more so, because of the confused, dysfunctional, evil and ungodly state of our world.  Anyway, the nine brothers return home. 

The Bible reports it thus: ‘And they came unto Jacob their father unto the land of Canaan, and told him all that befell unto them; saying, The man, who is the lord of the land spake roughly (harshly) to us, and took us as for spies of the country. And we said unto him, We are true (honest) men; we are no spies. We be twelve brethren, sons of one father, one is not (no more), and the youngest is this day with our father in the land of Canaan. 

And the man, the lord of the country, said unto us, Hereby shall I know that ye are true (honest) men; leave one of your brethren here with me, and take food for the famine of your households, and be gone: And bring your youngest brother unto me: then shall I know that ye are no spies, but that ye are true (honest) men: so will I deliver you your brother, and ye shall traffick (trade) in the land.’ (Gen. 42:29-34) 

Now can you imagine poor Jacob, in his later years, possibly already suffering from lack of food because of the famine, hearing such a grievous tale from his sons. His spirit must have sunk to a very low level. But worse was yet to come. For the Good Library continues: ‘And it came to pass as they emptied their sacks, that, behold, every man’s bundle of money was in his sack: and when both they and their father saw the bundles of money, they were afraid.’ (Gen. 42:35) 

Obviously, when they had stopped at an inn along the way, and one of the brothers had discovered his money in his sack, the others had not thought to check their sacks too. But on getting home, found that all their sacks contained all their money. Now, that must certainly have been a most discombobulating, bewildering situation. Because they had all brought home food, but apparently had not paid for it. That brought forth these sorrowful words from Jacob. ‘And Jacob their father said unto them, Me have ye bereaved of my children: Joseph is not, and Simeon is not, and ye will take Benjamin away: all these things are against me.’ (Gen. 42:36) 

We can all understand Jacob’s sad predicament, because losing a child is probably the hardest thing a parent will ever have to go through. However, the story continues: ‘And Reuben spake unto his father, saying, Slay my two sons, if I bring him not to thee: deliver him into my hand, and I will bring him to thee again. And he (Jacob) said, My son shall not go down with you; for his brother is dead, and he is left alone: if mischief (calamity) befall him by the way (along the way) in which ye go, then shall ye bring down my gray hairs with sorrow to the grave.’ (Gen. 42:37-38) 

Yes my brethren, it’s hard to lose one child, but two, and possibly three. No way Jose! Not if you can prevent it! So, it seems Jacob had made up his mind to lose Joseph and Simeon, but certainly not Benjamin too. And who could blame him. Anyhow, we’ve run out of time and space for today, and that’s as good a place as any to end today’s episode. So, God willing, tomorrow we’ll continue looking at the saga of Bruh Joseph. In the meantime, let’s go home declaring (steups!!!!) our Thursday Blessings; those amazing blessings the Lord has so generously bestowed on us so that we can do His earthly work. 

Altogether now: ‘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 every day! Amen!’ 

And having activated those wonderful blessings, we are now expected to go out and share them with others just as generously as the Lord shared them with us! Much LOVE!

…without active LOVE and forgiveness…one cannot be a true believer in Christ Jesus… 

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

Today’s Scrip-Bit    14 September 2023 Genesis 41:38.

14 Sep 2023 Leave a comment

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

Genesis 41:38.       Can we find such a man as this is, a man in whom the Spirit of God is?

Well, it’s a beautiful Thursday morning with lots of sunshine, though it’s somewhat cool. But that’s the normal temperature for these times, so everything seems hunky-dory. (smile) However, we know that things are never completely hunky-dory, for the evil one always tries to insert some kind of problem in our good times. He’s just jealous of us being one with Jesus and enjoying the abundant life that He died for us to have. But then again, with our strong faith in Christ and the amazing power of His indwelling Holy Spirit, we can successfully thwart the evil schemes and wiles of the enemy. 

So, please let’s not concentrate on what’s wrong with our lives, but what’s right, and neither strive to obtain what we don’t have, but be contented with what we do have. For our merciful and compassionate God will give us whatever we need, as Bruh Paul says in Philippians: ‘But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.’ (Phil. 4:19) 

And remember too, as Bruh Paul said earlier on to the church at Philippi: ‘Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform (complete) it until the day of Jesus Christ.’ (Phil. 1:6) That means when God begins a good work in us, He will not stop until Jesus returns. So, we have promises that all our needs will be fulfilled and God will not stop His main desire and job of making us as Christ-like as possible. And that’s the uplifting word for today. (smile) 

Now let’s get back to that riveting saga of Bruh Joseph, where we left him yesterday, telling Pharoah how to successfully handle the upcoming years of plenty and those of famine. And wonder of wonders, referring to Bruh Joseph’s plan that he outlined to Pharoah, the Bible tells us: ‘And the thing was good in the eyes of Pharaoh, and in the eyes of all his servants.’ (Gen. 41:37) 

Wow! Imagine the great Pharaoh listening to the advice of a jailed Hebrew! But our God does wondrous things even through pagan kings and princes to satisfy the needs of His servants. And this Pharaoh was indeed a wise and teachable ruler, unlike the one that Moses dealt with, whom the Bible says: ‘Now there arose up a new king over Egypt, which knew not Joseph.’ (Ex. I:8) But that is nigh impossible, for it’s through Joseph’s wise handling of the famine under the first Pharaoh that Egypt truly became great and wealthy. So, it’s either he did not know the history of his people, or he was just not concerned. I believe it was the latter. 

But anyhow, the wise Pharaoh was impressed with Bruh Joseph’s method of handling the upcoming situation. And please note too that that Pharaoh did not doubt for one moment Bruh Joseph’s interpretation of his dreams, like the one with Moses foolishly doubted that the Lord would do what He said and rain down plague after plague on Egypt until He set His people free. The Good Library then continues: ‘And Pharaoh said unto his servants, Can we find such a man as this is, a man in whom the Spirit of God is?’ (Gen. 41:38) 

Now isn’t it surprising that a pagan king is talking about a man with the Spirit of God? Yes, it is, but that’s how our great God operates. It’s just like when He had the great Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar, praise God’s wonders in the time of the prophet Daniel. After his prideful boast about his greatness, Neb became mentally unhinged for seven years. Then at the end of the seven years, his mind was restored to him, and he joyfully proclaimed: ‘Now I Nebuchadnezzar praise and extol and honour the king of heaven, all whose works are truth, and his ways judgement (justice): and those that walk in pride he is able to abase.’ (Dan. 4:37) 

That’s for certain sure my brethren, as so many prideful people have discovered down through the ages, and the many foolish ones nowadays are still discovering! But getting back to our story, the Bible continues: ‘And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, Forasmuch as God hath shewed thee all this, there is none so discreet (as discerning) and wise as thou art: Thou shalt be over (in charge of) my house, and according unto thy word shall all my people be ruled: only in the throne will I be greater than thou. And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, see, I have set thee over all the land of Egypt.’ (Gen. 41:39-41) 

Mama oh Mama! That was none other than the working of our omnipotent God! For how else would a great ruler hand over all his power to a young man not of his people, of no great repute, whom he had met for the first time a short while before? That was the culmination of all the unfair and unjust situations Bruh Joseph had gone through and borne with a good attitude. It was just what the Lord had planned from day one. Remember Bruh Joseph’s first dream, where people were bowing down to him, and the scorn and dislike his brothers threw at him on hearing it? (Gen. 37:5-8) 

But that’s how our great God works. And He will do the same for each one of us whom He tasks with building His kingdom, and we faithfully and obediently follow His directives. It’s a great lesson in faithfulness, obedience and keeping a good and godly attitude through all our trials and tribulations, until the Lord blesses us with the destiny He has planned for us. 

And He never asks us to do his bidding without giving us the wherewithal, the anointing to do it, just like He gave Bruh Joseph the strength, the anointing to bear up under all the injustice he suffered. And today the Lord has most generously bestowed blessings upon us that we do not deserve but are necessary to do His work. We call them our Thursday Blessings. So, let’s activate them by declaring (steups!!!) them nuh, for a blessing isn’t a blessing until it’s been declared. (yesss!!!) 

As one voice: ‘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 every day! Amen!’ 

And as always, it’s now our bounden duty to take those blessings and go out and use them just as generously in the service of others as the Lord shared them with us, so that we can fulfill our destiny! Much LOVE!

…though trials and tribulation come in working for Christ…the amazing rewards are certainly worth standing strong in His faithfulness…                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ   

Today’s Scrip-Bit   16 March 2023 Psalm 103:8.

16 Mar 2023 Leave a comment

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

Psalm 103:8. The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and plenteous (abounding) in mercy (LOVING-kindness).

Greetings my Scrip-Bit friends and family on this clear and sunshiny Thursday morning in the middle of March 2023! Yes, I said the middle of March. I don’t know if it’s a good or bad thing, but the days of this year are quickly passing by. Nonetheless, fortunately for us, the Good Lord is still in His heaven controlling things and looking down on us, His wonderful children, with oodles of grace and mercy. And all God’s people said a loud and grateful: ‘Thank You Lord!’ 

And yuh better believe that if it wasn’t for His awesome grace, mercy and long-suffering, we’d be already destroyed. So let’s give much thanks that we have such a patient and LOVING heavenly Father, who doesn’t deal with us as we truly deserve. How did Bruh David put it in Psalm 103 subtitled – Bless the Lord’s Holy Character? 

Read with me: ‘The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and plenteous (abounding) in mercy (LOVING-kindness). He will not always chide (strive): neither will he keep his anger for ever. He hath not dealt with us after our sins; nor rewarded us according to our iniquities. For as the heaven is high above the earth, so great is his mercy (LOVING-kindness) toward them that fear (reverence) him. As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us. Like a father pitieth his children, so the Lord pitieth them that fear (reverence) him. For he knoweth our frame, remembereth that we are dust.’ (Ps. 103:8-14) 

Oh my people, that’s a boon, a timely benfit or favour, we can never repay, but we can surely appreciate it much more than we do!  As one commentary puts it: ‘In love and mercy, the Lord has removed His people’s sins from them. He doesn’t simply move our sins onto our doorstep or a mile away; God moves them as far from us as the east is from the west. This is an especially profound analogy.’ In other words, He moves our sins away from us by an ‘infinite amount.’ 

Wow! Can you imagine any of the supposed gods out there doing that? No way! They all desire their pound of flesh when their believers run afoul of them. Now, that is not to say that Jehovah God is a push over and doesn’t expect us to toe the line, but He is understanding and merciful, and LOVES us so much that He doesn’t want to see us destroyed. That’s why He gives us chance after chance to come up to scratch and be the kind of person He desires us to be, so that we can attain to the destiny that He’s prepared for us. 

And please don’t think that you won’t’ pay for your wrongdoing, because you will. The Lord might forgive and forget but He LOVES us too much to let us run around doing evil and feel as though we’re getting away with it. That’s the furthest thing from the truth my brethren. We all pay for our wrongdoings in some fashion or the other.  And Cousin Sol puts it very nicely in Proverbs 3. ‘My son, despise not the chastening of the Lord; neither be weary of his correction: For whom the Lord LOVETH he chasteneth; even as a father the son in whom he delighteth.’ (Prov. 3:11-12) 

That’s oh so true my people! It’s the same way our earthly parents correct us when we do wrong. They LOVE us, but they don’t want to see us go astray. And what does chastise mean? Basically it’s ‘To inflict disciplinary or corrective punishment on; to visit with affliction for the purpose of moral improvement; to correct, discipline, chastise.’ However, it doesn’t mean necessarily terrible punishment, the way we’ve come to understand it in our current society. 

It’s also like how Cousin Sol says in Proverbs. ‘Train up a child in the way he should go: and (even) when he is old, he will not depart from it.’ (Prov. 22:6) And that is the gospel truth my fellow saints! The main point of raising good children is giving them the correct foundation, which is a godly one. And that’s why our children of today are so ungodly and lawless; we did not raise them with the right amount of godly foundation, if any. And let’s not point to the schools or churches insinuating that they are to blame. No. We the parents are to blame, because we are supposed to be the main source of training in our children’s lives. 

And if you don’t teach them about God, then how will they know about Him eh? The scholars tell us that ‘Parental training should help children develop a taste for the things of God. The biblical pattern of effective training emphasizes a balance of instruction and discipline. (cf. Eph. 6:1-4. Bruh Paul’s instructions on raising children). The ideal parent is to be neither overly authoritarian (strict) nor overly permissive. Rather, he must balance LOVE and discipline so as not to “provoke” his child to rebellion.’ 

And sadly, we have not had that balance with our children. Unfortunately, for whatever reason, fear, busyness, lack of interest, whatever, we’ve been too permissive with them. No wonder they don’t care about God or anything much but themselves and their own needs and desires. 

And just for good measure, (smile) here are some ways in which we can train our children in the goodness and reverence of God. ‘ 1) Lead by example. 2) Show them critical thinking skills. 3) Teach them how to LOVE by LOVING them unconditionally. 4) Help them serve others. 5) Share your faith with them through scripture. 6) Pray with them. 7) Allow them to have their own faith.’ Yes friends, if we had spent a little more of our time teaching those things to our children, they would not have been as ungodly and evil-bent as they currently are. 

Anyway, we should never give up on our children, for while we’re alive there’s always hope from our faithful God. So, let’s keep praying for them and doing whatever we can to nudge them in the right direction. For God still answers prayers. Now, let’s go home declaring (yesss!!!) our Thursday Blessings, so generously bestowed on us by the Lord to do His earthly work. Altogether now: ‘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 every day! Amen!’ 

And having activated those blessings, it’s now our bounden duty to go out and share them just as generously with others as Christ shared them with us! Much LOVE!

…truly reverencing Almighty God…is the wisest action a human being can ever take… 

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

Today’s Scrip-Bit   26 January 2023 Philippians 4:6.

26 Jan 2023 Leave a comment

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

Philippians 4:6.       Be careful (anxious) for nothing; but in EVERY THING by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.

Well, it’s another cold and cloudy day, but one with a peculiar difference; the earth, the trees and the rooftops are covered in that white fluffy stuff called snow. (smile) Yes, we finally got a fair amount of the beautiful but ever so dangerous stuff yesterday and it just made a mess of the Greater Toronto Area. Accidents galore, and endless time to get around, that is when you could. Saw a picture of a bus having problems moving in the thick snow. And if a bus could have problems, think about how the smaller and less powerful vehicles managed nuh. 

Oh, and I just heard the snowplough outside finally cleaning my small and insignificant lane. (smile) But we can’t complain too much because it’s the first real snowstorm we’ve had for the year, and it’s definitely not as bad as what some areas have had to suffer through. Our storm probably deposited a few inches, while other areas have had a foot or more. So, we can still say ‘Thanks be to God!’ And if we’re talking about giving thanks, then this scripture from Bruh Paul’s epistle to the church at Philippi, written while he was imprisoned, is one we should certainly review. 

He’s talking about the people who helped him lay and build the church, how their names are being written in the Book of Life. Therefore, he advises the church to: ‘Rejoice in the Lord always: and again I say, Rejoice. Let your moderation (gentleness, graciousness) be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand. Be careful (anxious) for nothing; but in EVERY THING by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.’ (Phil. 4:4-6)  

Oh my fellow believers, I hope you noticed that most significant admonition: ‘in EVERY THING’ we should prayerfully give thanks as we lift up our desires to Almighty God! Yes, whatever it is, however serious or insignificant the problem, our God wants to hear about it, because He desires to work with and help us through whatever difficulties we encounter in this life. But we must endeavour to have a prayerful and grateful attitude regardless of our circumstances. Why? 

Bruh Paul explains: ‘And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.’ (Phil. 4:7) And that’s the gospel truth! When we keep our minds stayed and steadfast on God, He grants us divine peace from worry and anxiety through His wonderful Son Jesus Christ. It’s like Bruh David writes in Psalm 22 – The Plea of the Fearful: ‘Cast thy burden upon the Lord, and he shall sustain thee: he shall never suffer (permit) the righteous to be moved (shaken).’ (Ps. 55:22) 

But it won’t happen unless we believe it and subsequently place all our trust in Almighty God. And that’s also why Jesus taught on the importance of not worrying in His Sermon on the Mount. (Matt: 6:25-32) He explained that we should not worry about food and drink and clothes, how the birds and other animals, plus all the beautiful flowers in nature are looked after by the Father, and since we are more important to Him than them, why wouldn’t He also look after us? No reason whatsoever! 

And anyway, we can’t change anything by worrying about it, so worrying is useless. Like Sister Joyce (Joyce Meyer) likes to say. Worry is like sitting in a rocking chair. You can sit there and rock all day and still get nowhere. You can worry about your problems all day and still don’t have a solution. It’s best to spend your energy on talking to God about your problem, than trying to fix it yourself. 

Hence Jesus’ admonition: ‘But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. Take therefore no thought for the morrow (don’t worry about tomorrow): for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil (trouble) thereof.’ (Matt. 6:33-34) Yes friends, each day has its own problems that we need to handle responsibly, instead of wasting our valuable time looking forward to hypothetical problems that might arise on the morrow. 

That takes us back to Bruh Paul’s admonition to the Philippians, where he continues: ‘Finally brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest (noble), whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise (anything praiseworthy), think (meditate) on these things. Those things which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do: and the God of peace shall be with you.’ (Phil. 4:8-9) 

That’s it in a nutshell my fellow saints: how to get God’s peace and how to keep it. Seek God first, don’t worry about your life, but take everything to God in prayer with thanksgiving, and think on good things, things that encourage, rather than discourage, and the God of peace will provide peace and a good, worthwhile life for us. Obviously it won’t be easy to do, what with the natural ups and downs of life, but with God’s most able assistance, through His Holy Spirit that indwells us, we can have a good and fruitful life, producing even up to a hundred-fold. (smile) 

And our God is so wonderful that He never asks us to do anything without giving us the wherewithal, or the tools to do them. Consequently, He has generously bestowed on us what we call our Thursday Blessings, so that we can do His earthly work. But we need to declare them out loud so that they can be activated. So, let’s do that right now nuh. Altogether: ‘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 every day! Amen!’ 

Now, with those blessings activated in our lives, we are expected to go out and generously use them to bring others to Christ. Much LOVE!

…you can ride out any storm of life…in peace…with Jesus as your pilot…  

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

Today’s Scrip-Bit   22 December 2022 Luke 2:14.

22 Dec 2022 Leave a comment

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

Luke 2:14.        Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill toward men.

Well, Thursday, the fourth day of this Christmas work week has opened bright and sunshiny, but if the weather forecasters are right, we will be engulfed by a major snowstorm sometime today. Let’s hope that they are somewhat over-zealous in their forecast and it will not be a storm of major proportions, although many parts of North America have already seen some heavy snowfall and the snow season has just begun. 

But, turning to a more immediate and much better season, that of Christmas, hopefully you’ve already done all your shopping and whatever else is on your to do list, because if the forecast comes true, it will tie up everything in awful knots, with lots of places inaccessible, or dangerously so. And since the reason for this joyful Christmas season, this happy holiday time, is Jesus, it’s only right that we should talk some about Him. And what shall we say eh? 

Let’s see…that He was the biggest and best present ever given to man! Unfortunately, because of lack of hotel space, He was born in a manger, animal stable, in the city of Bethlehem to parents called Mary and Joseph, who had left their little village of Nazareth to answer the census summons of Herod the king. Everyone had to go to their hometown and register, and since Joseph was of the line of David from Bethlehem, he journeyed there with his pregnant wife to do the king’s bidding. 

The big difference in this couple though was that the child Mary carried was not Joseph’s but that of Almighty God, implanted in her womb by the Holy Spirit, so that the Saviour of the world could be born sinless, not of man, but of God. And that was the most important aspect of the whole scenario, because a child born of sinful man could not pay for the sins of men. It needed a sinless soul to accomplish that task. And, unfortunately, Jesus was the only one available who fit the bill. 

But nonetheless, He was born on Christmas day to much pomp and glory from heavenly angels, who told of His birth to the shepherds in the fields watching over their flocks. The shepherds were quite afraid at the sudden coming of a multitude of angels, singing praises to God, saying ‘Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill toward men.’ (Luke 2:14) 

Oh yes friends, to bring peace to earth and the goodwill of men to each other, was indeed one of Jesus’ jobs! The prophet Isaiah spoke of Him long before, when he said: ‘For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and he shall be called Wonderful Counselor, The Mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.’ (Is. 9:6) 

Wow! That big prophecy come true at Christmas, my people! And isn’t it interesting that the Son of God was born in a stinky animal barn, to poor parents, and the first persons to hear the good news of His birth were poor, ordinary, looked-down-upon shepherds? That’s because God wanted to show that His Son wasn’t coming to be a big-shot, be rich and famous, but to be humble and ordinary, to show that nothing was wrong with being humble and ordinary. 

In fact, the Lord prefers humility to pride and arrogance. Or, as Cousin Sol says in Proverbs, one of the seven abominations to God is a ‘proud look.’ (Prov. 6:17) No friends, our God cannot stand haughty, prideful people because they have no use for Him. That’s why He demotes and debases them with all haste. Unfortunately though, today, in our sinful and ungodly society, pride and arrogance rule the roost! 

Everybody’s avidly searching for individual power, so that they can walk about with pride, then use that power to browbeat others. Today seems to be set once more for the rise of the dictator. And in my early years studying history, I always wondered how people got to be dictators. Well, now I’m seeing it unfurl before my very eyes. Foolish people bow down to arrogant men with a little power, fall for their lies and deceits, which allows them to increase their power, until they are all-powerful and cruelly lord it over the same ones who gave them that power! 

Hn! Echoes of his satanic majesty! But let’s not forget Bruh David’s wise words from Psalm 37: ‘Fret not thyself because of evildoers, neither be thou envious against the workers of iniquity. For they shall soon be cut down like the grass, and wither as the herb.’ (Ps. 37:1) That’s the promise of our ever-faithful God, and it will certainly come to pass in His way and time. 

But we have strayed from the Christmas story. (smile) And, per the humble origins of Christ, that was exactly as planned by the Father. Listen to Jesus as He explains His philosophy to the disciples re greatness in His kingdom, after the mother of Zebedee’s children had asked for them to sit on His right and left hand in His kingdom. 

He said: ‘Ye know that the princes of the Gentiles exercise dominion (lord it) over them, and they that are great exercise authority upon them. But it shall not be so among you: whosoever will be great among you, let him be your minister (servant); And whosoever will be chief (first) among you, let him be your servant (slave). Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto (served), but to minister (serve), and to give his life a ransom for many.’ (Matt. 20:25-28) 

Oh my brethren, Jesus came to serve, not to be served! He wasn’t looking for applause and plaudits from the crowd, but sought to serve and save them from the darkness and evil of Satan’s world. And that’s how we ought also to be as His sincere followers. We can’t allow pride and strife like the world desires, to be numbered amongst our assets, or rather our dysfunctions, if we want to be true disciples of Christ. Peace and humility must be at the top of our list. 

And we’ll stop there for today. Tomorrow, the Lord willing, we’ll continue with the Christmas story, and some of the wonderful things that were born out of it. Now, in strong and sincere voice, let’s declare (yesss!!!) and thus activate, our Thursday Blessings; underserved ones that the Lord has bestowed on us to do His earthly work. 

Altogether: ‘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 every day! Amen!’ 

And having made that declaration, (awright!!!) it’s now our bounden duty to go out and share those blessings with others, so that they can come to know and LOVE Jesus like we do! Much LOVE!

…the Christmas story…everything else is wrapped up in it… 

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

Today’s Scrip-Bit   8 December 2022 Luke 1:38.

08 Dec 2022 Leave a comment

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

Luke 1:38.        And Mary said, Behold the handmaid (maidservant) of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word.

Then Thursday came on board, a mixture of sunshine and cloud, but nice and dry. It’s also another day in the Advent Season, one day closer to that miraculous time of Christmas. And the incarnate birth of Christ was nothing less than a marvellous miracle! A woman becoming pregnant without knowing a man, what else could that be eh? And to be a true believer in Christ, that’s one of the first things we need to believe; that Jesus was indeed the Son of God, with the sperm of God planted in His mother Mary’s womb by the Holy Spirit! 

And if you are unable to believe that, then whatever else you believe is of no consequence, for that’s the foundation of the whole Christmas story, and the basis on which Christ was able to die for us, to redeem our sins and give us His righteousness. As the Good Book says: ‘For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.’ (2 Cor. 5:21) Yes friends, if Jesus wasn’t the de facto Son of God, but the son of a man, he would not have the power to pay for our sins, because a man born of a sinful man cannot pay for other men’s sins. 

Remember too that since the fall of man in the Garden of Eden, all men have been born with a sinful nature, so how could a son of man pay for our sins eh? Impossible! But since with God all things are possible, He fashioned a rather innovative plan to redeem our sinful souls and reconcile us back to himself. 

And the whole situation is certainly extremely interesting. It all began with God sending the angel Gabriel down to the city of Nazareth in Galilee, where he appears ‘To a virgin espoused (engaged) to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David, and the virgin’s name was Mary. And the angel came into unto her, and said, Hail (Rejoice), thou that art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women.’ (Luke 1:27-28) 

Now, you can imagine our consternation in such a situation, even in this day when we know so much about God. Just think how Mary, a teenager from a relatively low-level family in a backward town in Galilee felt when the angel approached her with such a joyful greeting. The Good Book tells us: ‘And when she (Mary) saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and cast in her mind (considered) what manner of salutation (greeting) this should be.’ (Luke 1:29) Of course, we would all wonder why the address in such exalted terms. 

‘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 thou 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) 

And you know what amazes me most about this whole story? Mary’s reaction! She didn’t go crazy and pull out her hair or shout and carry on. She simply took the whole thing in stride, especially knowing how her life would be terribly affected if she was found with child before she was married. And I just LOVE her cool, reasoned response. ‘Then said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man?’ (Luke 1:34) She just got right down to brass tacks. How can I get pregnant if I don’t have sexual intercourse?

 ‘And the angel answered and said unto her, the Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest (Most High) shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing (one) which shall be born of thee, shall be called the Son of God.’ (Luke 1:35) And that’s how Jesus could be sinless, because He was conceived by God, although He was human in every other respect! But Gabriel wasn’t finished with his good news. He continued to Mary: ‘And, behold, thy cousin (relative) Elisabeth, she hath also conceived a son in her old age; and this is the sixth month with her, who was called barren. For with God nothing shall be impossible.’ (Luke 1:36-37) 

Oh my people, another miracle. John the Baptist’s mother Elizabeth had been barren until the Lord stepped in, until it was time for the prophecy as spoken by the prophet Malachi, regarding John the Baptist to be fulfilled. ‘Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me: and the Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in: behold, he shall come, saith the Lord of hosts.’ (Mal. 3:1) And the scholars tell us that prophecy is uniformly applied to John the Baptist, the only prophet besides Jesus who was the subject of prophecy. 

And Matthew in his gospel also acknowledged it, by writing of John the Baptist. ‘For this is he that was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah, (Is. 40:3) saying, The voice of one crying in the wilderness, prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.’ (Matt. 3: 3) You see how our God had everything well planned, with John being born just before Jesus, so their paths could interact to fulfill His prophecy. But the best part of that whole conversation between Mary and the angel Gabriel was her last words to Him. ‘And Mary said, Behold the handmaid (maidservant) of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word. And the angel departed from her.’ (Luke 1:38) 

Oh my fellow saints, that’s what you call mature faith, trust and surrender! And it’s oh so rare to be found in a such a young woman! She didn’t fight it, or throw any tantrums like so many of us would have done! She just calmly accepted the will of the Lord. Oh, how our lives would be so much better if we just accepted His will for our lives like Mary did. And it’s an interesting response, when contrasted with that of Zechariah’s, John the Baptist’s father. When the angel told hm the good news of his wife’s Elizabeth’s pregnancy and the important part his son would play, he doubted and was thus made dumb until the day of John’s christening. (Luke 1:11—25) 

Ah friends, if we’d only believe, if we’d only believe and act on our belief. But there’s still hope for us. And our faithful God has given us the tools to help us believe, build our faith and witness to others. We call them our Thursday Blessings. So, let’s activate them by declaring (steups!!!) them right now nuh. As one voice: ‘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 every day! Amen!’ 

Now, let’s use those undeserved blessings to go out and show others how wonderful it is to be a child of God, a follower of Jesus Christ! Much LOVE!

…if God says to jump…our automatic reaction should be…how high Lord… 

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

Today’s Scrip-Bit   24 November 2022 Psalm 103:2.

24 Nov 2022 Leave a comment

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

Psalm 103:2.       Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits:  

                       HAPPY THANKSGIVING  U.S. OF A !         

And a Happy Thanksgiving Day to our friends, families and neighbours in the U.S. of A! Today’s their biggest holiday, with monumental celebrations all over the country. Let’s hope that you all have good weather and abundant joy, with peace and good cheer, and that much thanks is truly given where it belongs, to Almighty God, the Keeper and Provider of all your good things. And on this foggy Thursday morning, as the month of November and the unforgettable year of 2022 draw to a close, I believe it will be extremely wise and beneficial to ALL of us to remember who gives us life, health and wealth; Jehovah God! 

And on this Thanksgiving Day, there’s no better scripture for us to delve into and write indelibly in our hearts, bodies and souls than Psalm 103 – Thanksgiving for God’s mercy. So please read with me, these awesome words of Bruh David as he opened his heart to the Lord so long ago. ‘Bless the Lord, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless his holy name. Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits: Who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases; Who redeemeth thy life from destruction; who crowneth thee with LOVING-kindness and tender mercies; who satisfieth thy mouth with good things; so that thy youth is renewed like the eagle’s.’ (Ps. 103:1-5) 

Yes friends, all that we have, all that we are and do, is based on the Lord’s mercy and LOVING-kindness. Everything that we will put into our mouths today, the clothes we wear, the rooves over our heads, and EVERYTHING else in our lives belong to and comes from Almighty God. Unfortunately though, too many of us don’t know and/or appreciate that fact, thus we are not very thankful, and thus our lives are not as joyful and abundant as they could be. 

Why do you think there’s so much strife, anger, greed, resentment, hatred, poverty and sickness in our world, despite the highest level of technology, education, medical achievements and other worthwhile inventions we’ve ever attained? Because we have not acknowledged the sovereignty and supremacy of the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and shown gratefulness for all He’s done for us poor sinners and frail humans. 

Now let’s continue reading those marvellous words of Bruh David from Psalm 103, where he further informs us of God’s goodness and mercy. ‘The Lord executeth righteousness and judgement for all that are oppressed. He made known his way unto Moses, his acts unto the children of Israel. The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and plenteous (abounding) in mercy (LOVING-kindness). He will not always chide (strive): neither will he keep his anger for ever. 

He hath not dealt with us after our sins; nor rewarded us according to our iniquities. For as the heaven is high above the earth, so great is his mercy (LOVING-kindness) toward them that fear him. As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us. Like as a father pitieth his children, so the Lord pitieth them that fear him. For he knoweth our frame (understands our constitution); he remembereth that we are dust.’ (Ps. 103: 6-14) 

Oh my people, if many more of us would only realize that fact; that we are dust, created, molded from the dust of the earth by the hands of God, who then breathed His Spirit of life into us. It means we’re not the strong, solid God-like entity we believe we are but, frail and fragile creations who insist on fooling themselves. Please note we have no control over the length and breadth of our lives. Despite all the earthly wealth and power we possess, they can’t save us when the Grim Reaper comes a calling; one moment we’re here, then the next we’re not. That ought to teach us a very important lesson, but sadly it doesn’t, and we keep on seeking and searching for what we’ll never find, at least without God’s help. 

And Bruh David hits the nail on the head when he continues: ‘As for man, his days are as grass: as a flower of the field, so he flourisheth. For the wind passeth over it, and it is gone; and the place thereof shall know it no more (shall not remember it). But the mercy (LOVING-kindness) of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting upon them that fear him, and his righteousness unto children’s children; To such as keep his covenant, and to those that remember his commandments to do them.’  (Ps. 103:14-18) 

That says it in spades my brethren! The Lord created us for His pleasure and fellowship, and the rewards to those that remember and do His commandments are exceedingly abundant. He casts away our sins, and even gave the life of His Son, Jesus Christ to pay for them. That shows how much He cares for us. So why are we so reluctant to return that LOVE and reverence eh? Because we are stubborn, foolish and hard-headed! 

The li’l free-will He gave us has gone to our heads and made us believe that we’re the greatest thing since sliced bread, when in fact, we’re nothing without Him, like a flower in the field that grows up proud and strong in the early morning dew, but then fades and dies when the hot midday sun hits it. When are we going to learn eh, that most of our troubles stem from resisting the call and the power of Almighty God? 

I don’t know, because we’re now bent on removing Him completely from our society, which is a total joke and simply shows how much our brains are addled and the enemy has successfully fooled us. Yes friends, Satan knows that He’s lost the war; in fact he never had a chance from the beginning, but he knows our weakness and keeps pounding away at it. You have to give him and A for perseverance in the face of such total defeat. If only we could be as persevering on the Lord’s behalf. 

Anyway, let’s hope that during these Thanksgiving Day celebrations, many of us will take a moment to ponder the true reasons for our thanks and gratitude and wake up to the fact that God is indeed Lord, and the devil is a defeated foe. And to help us do His work down here on earth, the Lord has generously bestowed numerous blessings, which we call our Thursday Blessings. But they have to be declared out loud to activate them. So, let’s do that right now nuh. 

As one strong and sincere voice: ‘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 every day! Amen!’ 

And if we truly believe that, then we must now go out and use those blessings to teach others about Christ and help them to come to know and LOVE Him like we do! Much LOVE!

…it’s good to give thanks…but before doing so…one must know…to whom thanks is truly owed… 

Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZJ       

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