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The Great Joy Christians Celebrate in Christ’s Coming to Earth!

14 Dec 2025 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: a Christian interpretation of Psalm 98, a minister of the cloth, all that dwell therein, all the days of thy life, all the earth, all the ends of the earth, anxiety, because of God's faithfulness, break forth in song, celebrate Christ's first coming, Christ's Second Coming, cursed is the ground for thy sake, eaten of the tree, emphasizes our joy in the face of God's kingship, faith, far as the curse is found, fellowship, fields and floods, flooding the world, for dust thou art, God's royal kingship, has gotten him the victory, he comes to make his blessings flow, he has done marvellous things, He rules the world with truth and grace, hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, heaven and nature sing, his right hand his holy arm, his righteousness has he openly showed, holy spirit, I will sing praise, in sorrow thou shall eat of it, in the sight of the heathen, in the sweat of thy face, inspiration, isaac watts, Jesus came to save us from our abominable sins, Jesus Christ, Joy to the world, judge the people with uprightness, let earth receive her king, let every heart, let men their songs employ, let the floods clap their hands, let the hills be joyful together, let the sea roar, LOVE, make a joyful noise before the Lord, make a joyful noise unto the Lord, make a loud noise, makes the nations prove, mercy, no more let sins and sorrows grow, O sing unto the Lord a new song, prepare him room, rejoice, remembered his mercy and his truth, repeat the sounding joy, rocks hills and plains, salvation, salvation has been brought to the house of Israel, seen the salvation of the Lord, shout joyfully unto the Lord, sing praise to God, sing unto the Lord with the harp, sound of a song, sweet sacrifices of praise, the celebration of Christ's birth, the fulness thereof, the glories of his righteousness, the Lord comes to judge the earth, the Lord hath made known his salvation, the Lord is come, the most published hymn associated with Christmas, the saviour reigns, the virgin birth of christ, the voice of a psalm, the world, thorns infest the ground, till thou return unto the ground, to pen such beautiful hymns, towards the house of Israel, truth, uncertainty, unto dust shall thou return, wisdom, with righteousness shall he judge, with trumpets and sound of cornet, wonders of his love

Psalm 98:4. Make a joyful noise (shout joyfully) unto the Lord, all the earth: make a loud noise (break forth in song), and rejoice, and sing praise.

One more Sunday friends, the third one in Advent, as we prepare for the celebration of our Lord and Saviour, Christ’s birth on Christmas Day; one of the most important occasions in our Christian calendar. And to help celebrate such an auspicious occasion, as we fellowship in the Lord’s sanctuary today, we’ll sing a season hymn declaring how grateful and joyful we are for Christ’s birth. And yes, you guessed right, it’s that Christmas favourite, Joy to the World, another of Isaac Watts, that master hymnist’s wonderful songs.

And no wonder he wrote so many beautiful songs, because he was said to have shown remarkable precocity in childhood, beginning the study of Latin, in his fourth year, and writing respectable verses at the age of seven. He eventually became a minister of the cloth, which I guess gave him time and inspiration to pen such beautiful hymns. So, without further ado, let’s offer up our sweet sacrifices of praise in an up-temp, scintillating, rousing version, a la Boney M.

Singing: ‘Joy to the world, the Lord is come! Let earth receive her King; let ev’ry heart prepare him room and heav’n and nature sing, and heav’n and nature sing, and heav’n, and heav’n and nature sing. Joy to the earth, the Savior reigns! Let men their songs employ, while fields and floods, rocks, hills, and plains, repeat the sounding joy, repeat the sounding joy, repeat, repeat the sounding joy.

No more let sins and sorrows grow, nor thorns infest the ground; he comes to make his blessings flow far as the curse is found, far as the curse is found, far as, far as the curse is found. He rules the world with truth and grace and makes the nations prove the glories of his righteousness and wonders of his LOVE, and wonders of his LOVE, and wonders, wonders of his LOVE. Joy to the world, the Lord is come…joy to the world, the Lord is come…’

And He certainly has my people! He came to earth to save us from our abominable sins and to show us what the Father was truly like. It’s also interesting to note that Watts did not write this hymn as a Christmas carol, since the lyrics do not reflect the Virgin birth of Christ, but apparently as a hymn celebrating the Second Coming of Christ. However, despite not been a Christmas carol, since the 20th century, in North America, it’s been nonetheless the most published hymn associated with Christmas. Explain that nuh!

But it works very well, since the scholars tell us that Watts’ lyrics are a Christian interpretation of Psalm 98 and Genesis 3. And ‘Psalm 98 is one of the Royal Psalms (Psalms 93-100), so called because they all emphasize God’s royal kingship in various ways. Psalm 98 especially emphasizes our joy in the face of God’s kingship over all the earth.’

And we see that being emphasized all through the psalm: ‘O sing unto the Lord a new song; for he hath done marvellous things: his right hand, and his holy arm, hath gotten him the victory. The Lord hath made known his salvation: his righteousness hath he openly shewed (revealed) in the sight of the heathen. He hath remembered his mercy (LOVING-KINDNESS) and his truth toward the house of Israel: all the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God.

Make a joyful noise (shout joyfully) unto the Lord, all the earth: make a loud noise (break forth in song), and rejoice, and sing praise. Sing unto the Lord with the harp; with the harp, and the voice of a psalm (sound of a song). With trumpets and sound of cornet make a joyful noise before the Lord, the King. Let the sea roar, and the fulness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein. Let the floods (rivers) clap their hands: let the hills be joyful together Before the Lord; for he cometh to judge the earth: with righteousness shall he judge the world, and the people with equity (uprightness).’ (Ps. 98: 1-9)

And all of that is very true, it’s just that it all began with the birth of Christ. Christ’s birth set the stage for salvation and all the other goodness of God to be revealed and enjoyed. That’s why the psalm calls for three groups to rejoice: God’s people (vs. 1-3), the whole earth (vs. 4-6), and all of nature (vs. 7-9) The first and second verses of the hymn deals with heaven and earth rejoicing at the coming of the King, and though Watts was thinking in terms of Christ’s Second Coming, we find it useful to use the hymn to celebrate His First Coming (smile)

Meanwhile, it’s reputed that the third verse of the hymn alludes to Genesis 3:17-19, after Adam and Eve sinned, and the Lord was doling out His punishment. ‘And unto Adam he said, because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow (toil) shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life; Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field; In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.’

Yes friends, it was a tough punishment, but the Lord in His goodness and mercy offered up a reprieve through His Son Jesus Christ’s Crucifixion, and He will return in all His majesty and glory to rule one day when the Father deems the time is right. Thus, the fourth verse of the psalm can allude to Christ’s rule over the nations, who are called to celebrate as the psalm reminds us, that because of God’s faithfulness salvation has been brought to the house of Israel. (Ps. 98:2-3)

So friends, whether we’re celebrating Christ’s First or Second Coming, the important thing is that we’re celebrating the most wonderful thing that has ever happened to mankind; SALVATION! So, let’s keep on celebrating as we go deeper into the Christmas Season, for it is one of the best reasons to celebrate! Much LOVE!

…at Christmas time…joy should be flooding our world…instead of the crushing anxiety and debilitating uncertainty that currently floods it…

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

The Third Sunday of Advent and Its Importance to the Season.

15 Dec 2024 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: a tone of expectation, a tone of rejoicing, all the days of thy life, all the earth, as far as the curse is found, because of Jesus, Bible, break forth n song, bring forth to thee, Christ's blessings, Christ's Millennial Reign, Christ's Second Coming, Christmas, Chritianity, cursed is the ground, eat the herb of the field, eaten of the tree, eternal life, every heart prepare him room, extending victoriously, faith, faithfulness, fellowship, fields and floods, for thy sake, forgiveness of sins, God's faithfulness, God's royal kingship, gotten him the victory, he has done marvellous things, He rules the world with truth and grace, hearkened unto the vice of thy wife, heaven and nature sing, his holy arm, his right hand, his righteousness, his truth, holy spirit, immeasurable, in sorrow, in the sight of the heathen, in the sweat of thy face, insatiable, isaac watts, Jesus Christ, joy to the earth, Joy to the world, let all the joy spill out of our hearts, let earth receive her king, let men their songs employ, LOVE, loving-kindness, made known his salvation, make a joyful noise unto the Lord, make a loud noise, make his blessings flow, mercy, no more let sins and sorrows grow, openly showed, over the realm of sin, Psalm 98, rejoice, rejoicing at the arrival of god's kingdom, repeat the sounding joy, return unto the ground, rocks and hills, sacrificial praise, salvation, shalt thou eat bread, shout joyfully unto the Lord, sing praise, sing unto the Lord a new song, the coming of Jesus, the Gaudete Sunday, the glories of his righteousness, the Lord is come, the Lord's sanctuary, the Royal Psalms, the saviour reigns, the third Sunday of Advent, the undeserving children of men, thistles, thorns, thorns infest the ground, thou shall eat of it, thus thou art, toward the house of Israel, truth, unbreakable love, unconditional, unto dust shalt thou return, wisdom

Psalm 98:4. Make a joyful noise (shout joyfully) unto the Lord, all the earth: make a loud noise (break forth in song), and rejoice, and sing praise.

And it’s Sunday my fellow believers! The third Sunday in the church season of Advent, where we look forward to the birth of Christ and His Second Coming. On this the third Sunday though, called Gaudete (rejoice) Sunday, we simply rejoice, let all the joy spill out of our hearts souls, bodies and minds. Why?

Because as this commentary tells us: ‘The third Sunday in Advent (Advent III) focuses our hearts on rejoicing at the arrival of God’s kingdom with the coming of Jesus. The third Sunday in Advent (Advent III) shifts from a tone of expectation of Christ’s coming to one of rejoicing at the arrival of God’s kingdom with the coming of Jesus.’ And what better way to let that joy spill forth than in ecstatic fellowship in the Lord’s sanctuary.

And today we’ll open our worship with the most-published hymn associated with Christmas in North America in spite of it not being a Christmas carol. It’s simply but oh so appropriately titled: ‘Joy to the World!’ It was written around 1719 by the English minister and Master Hymnist, Isaac Watts (1674-1748). And was supposedly based on Watts’ Christian interpretation of Psalm 98 and Genesis 3. But enough talk for now, let’s lift our voices in sweet sacrificial praise to high heaven, letting all the true joy from our hearts flow out in this up tempo, scintillating version of ‘Joy to the World!’

Singing: ‘(Joy to the world, the Lord is come! Let earth receive her King; let ev’ry heart prepare him room and heav’n and nature sing, and heav’n and nature sing, and heav’n, and heav’n and nature sing.) Joy to the earth, the Savior reigns! Let men their songs employ, while fields and floods, rocks, hills, and plains, repeat the sounding joy, repeat the sounding joy, repeat, repeat the sounding joy.

No more let sins and sorrows grow nor thorns infest the ground; he comes to make his blessings flow far as the curse is found, far as the curse is found, far as, far as the curse is found. He rules the world with truth and grace and makes the nations prove the glories of his righteousness and wonders of his LOVE, and wonders of his LOVE, and wonders, wonders of his LOVE.’

Wow! What sacrificial praise my people! Heaven was truly awakened and surprised by the level of joy in Jesus that emanated from us in the singing of that song. And why not eh? For it’s because of Jesus we have Christmas, Forgiveness of Sins, Salvation and Eternal Life!

Now, earlier on we mentioned that the song was Watt’s interpretation of Psalm 98 and Genesis 3, and was not meant to be a Christmas song, as there was no mention of Christ’s immaculate conception or virgin birth but one celebrating Christ’s Second Coming. Somehow or the other though, it’s become one of the most popular Christmas tunes. Psalm 98 is one of the Royal Psalms (Psalms 93-100), so called because they all emphasize God’s royal kingship in various ways.

Psalm 98 especially emphasizes our joy in the face of God’s kingship over all the earth. And it bids us in no uncertain terms: ‘O sing unto the Lord a new song; for he hath done marvellous things: his right hand, and his holy arm, hath gotten him the victory. The Lord hath made known his salvation: his righteousness hath he openly shewed (revealed) in the sight of the heathen (Gentiles).

He hath remembered his mercy (LOVING-KINDNESS), and his truth (faithfulness) toward the house of Israel: all the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God. Make a joyful noise (shout joyfully) unto the Lord, all the earth: make a loud noise (break forth in song), and rejoice, and sing praise.’ (Ps. 98: 1-4)

Oh friends, that’s exactly what we ought to be doing; rejoicing, and singing praises to our great God, who has created us, LOVED us with an insatiable, unconditional, immeasurable and unbreakable LOVE, despite our disobedience and rebellion! And that’s the kind of emotion Rev. Watts tries to evoke in the first two verses of ‘Joy to the World. The Lord is come! Let earth receive her king; let ev’ry heart prepare him room and heav’n and nature sing, and heav’n and nature sing, and heav’n, and heav’n and nature sing.’

As the scholars explain it: ‘The coming reign of the Lord on the earth is here celebrated as an event of great joy. Therefore three groups are called upon to rejoice: God’s people (vs. 1-3), the whole earth (vs. 4-6), and all of nature (vs. 7-9).’ Yes sir! All of the universe, all of God’s creation ought to rejoice when He comes back to fulfill His Millenium Reign on Earth! There are no ifs, ands or buts about that! But it just so happens that the song can also be associated with joy over the birth of Christ, another joyful occasion in the annals of man.

And as per the third verse ‘No more let sins and sorrows grow nor thorns infest the ground; he comes to make his blessings flow far as the curse is found, far as the curse is found, far as, far as the curse is found.’ Watts is probably alluding to God’s curse on mankind, particularly Adam, after their fall from grace, found in Genesis 3:17-19.

‘And unto Adam he (God) said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow (toil) shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life; Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field; In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.’

Yes friends, that certainly gave us a tough row to hoe. But, as one commentary says: ‘this speaks of Christ’s blessings extending victoriously over the realm of sin, rather than to the psalm text. The cheerful repetition of the phrase “far as the curse is found” has caused this stanza to be omitted from some hymnals. But the line makes joyful sense when understood from the New Testament eyes through which Watts interprets the psalm. Stanza four celebrates Christ’s rule over the nations. The nations are called to celebrate because God’s faithfulness to the house of Israel has brought salvation to the world.’

And so it has my fellow saints; blessedly, so it has! There is no refuting that the world has been granted a reprieve from eternal separation from Almighty God by the most timely coming of Christ to earth to put God’s plan of salvation into action. First to the Jews, then to all the world! And as such all the world ought to rejoice and sing God’s praises for His mercy, grace and LOVE to the underserving children of men. Please, let’s concentrate on doing that this Christmas season, more than on the worldly aspects of it! Much LOVE!

…any coming of Christ to earth…is a cause for much celebration…

Today’s Scrip-Bit 5 October 2016 Psalm 66:4.

05 Oct 2016 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: a glorious future with Jesus, a name higher than any other, alive and kicking, all the earth, appreciation, blessings, call Him Lord, come unto me, comforted me, communion, dr robert h schuller, encouraged, essential, every knee shall bow, exile in Babylon, faith, feast of Tabernacles, forgave me, glorified forever, glory, gospel truth, gracious, halfway home, heavy laden, His sinless, honour, Hour of Power Devotional, I am meek, I will give you rest, intimate friend, Israel's deliverance, Jerusalem, Jesus Christ, joyous feast, labour, learn from me, life, lifted me, lonely, LOVE, loving kindness, lowly in heart, mercies, merciful Deity, millenial reign of Jesus, my burden is light, my hands are on the plough, my yoke is easy, not looking back, obedient to the Father, our Lord and Saviour, pilgrimage, pledge loyalty, praise, reconciled to God, rejoiced with me, reneges, renewed me, Selah, selflessly sacrificed, showered down on us, sing to thy name, sing unto thee, sinking, sinning, striving, struggling, succeeding, supported me, take my yoke, thanks and praise, the breath of life, the glory of God, the great invitation, the great trumpet, the holy mount of Jerusalem, trust, Wednesday Wail, What a Friend, worship, worship the Lord, worthy is the Lamb, Zechariah

Psalm 66:4. All the earth shall worship thee, and shall sing unto thee; they shall sing to thy name. Selah.

And then it was Wednesday… another glorious day to be alive and kicking! All thanks and praise be to our wonderful Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ who selflessly sacrificed His sinless life so that we could be reconciled to the Father, and thus enjoy sincere communion with Him once again!

And all God’s people declared a loud and grateful ‘Praise be to Jesus the Son for being obedient to the Father’s wishes! May He be glorified forever and ever. Amen!’

And the Father did just that by making His name higher than every other name, and having every knee bow to Him and call Him Lord, to the glory of God. (Phil.2:10-11)

But you know what my fellow believers, Jesus is more than just our Lord and Saviour, He is also our best friend. Listen to this poem from Gramps Schuller’s (Dr. Robert H. Schuller) Hour of Power Devotional, titled ‘What a Friend!’ I’m sure I’ve shared it before, but as we say, once it’s nice, we can share it twice, and even thrice. (smile)

Please read with me: ‘You have never failed, Lord, to be my one, essential, intimate friend. When I was: Lonely in striving – you encouraged me. Lonely in struggling – you lifted me. Lonely in serving – you supported me. Lonely in suffering – you comforted me. Lonely in sinning – you forgave me. Lonely in sinking – you renewed me. Lonely in succeeding – you rejoiced with me. What a friend I have in Jesus! Thank you, Lord. Amen.’

And all of that is gospel truth my people! There is no better friend in the entire universe than Jesus! Please remember that so you can take ALL your concerns to Him and be received with comfort and LOVING-kindness. He will NEVER turn you away, regardless of the evil you’ve done.

Remember His Great Invitation: ‘Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of (from) me; for I am meek and lowly in heart (gentle and humble): and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.’ (Matt.11:28-30)

Oh friends, what a marvellous invitation! Please don’t let it go to waste! Now let’s wail our Wednesday Wail, confirming our great appreciation, LOVE, trust and faith in Jesus.

Wailing: ‘Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: I’m so glad to be alive on this Wednesday! Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: Thank God the breath of life is still flowing through me on this Wednesday! I am halfway home.

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

Oh my fellow believers, we need to be ever thankful for the wonderful breath of life that God has blessed us with! We must also stop allowing the past to control us, but instead stay strong and steadfast in our duties and look to the beautiful future Jesus has promised us. Remember He NEVER reneges on a promise.

Consequently, with all wonderful mercies and blessings and grace that God has undeservedly showered down on us, we ought to honour Him by acclaiming our Bit. ‘All the earth shall worship thee, and shall sing unto thee; they shall sing to thy name. Selah.’

Yes friends, the Lord our God certainly deserves all the honour, praise and glory that we can give, for He is a most awesome, gracious and merciful Deity! Now hear what the prophet Zechariah has to say, re the glorious time when Zion shall reign supreme, with Jesus as the Judge.

‘And it shall come to pass, that every one that is left of all the nations which came against Jerusalem shall even go up from year to year to worship the King, the Lord of hosts, and to keep the feast of the tabernacles.’ (Zech.14:16) Oh mih breddren, everybody will be trekking to Jerusalem to worship King Jesus! What a pilgrimage!

And the scholars offer this explanation. ’14:16-21. The feast of tabernacles is the joyous feast of ingathering, rest, and thanksgiving. Israel celebrated it when they returned from the Exile (in Babylon). (Neh.8:14-18). The millennial reign of the Messiah is the realization of the Feast of Tabernacles. No other feast will be observed because the realities they foreshadowed will have been realized.’

Ah my faithful brothers and sisters in Christ, what a time of celebration that will be! Now let’s end with Isaiah’s take on the subject of Israel’s deliverance. ‘And it shall come to pass in that day, that the great trumpet shall be blown, and they shall come which were ready to perish in the land of Assyria, and the outcasts in the land of Egypt; and shall worship the Lord in the holy mount of Jerusalem.’ (Is.27:13)

Yes my fellow believers, ALL roads lead to Jerusalem, where Christ will sit on the throne of His forefather, Bruh David, and rule the world! And all God’s children gave a loud shout of ‘Glory Hallelujah! Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to enact justice in the world, now and forever more. Amen!’

So friends, yuh see what a wonderful life and time we have to look forward to when we sincerely hook up with Jesus and obediently do His bidding? Please, let’s not be foolish and pledge our loyalty to any other, for there is truly NONE like Jesus! Much LOVE!

…oh what a friend we have in Jesus…all our sins and hopes to bear…

Today’s Scrip-Bit 4 October 2016 Psalm 66:4.

04 Oct 2016 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: abundant life, all the earth, chew slowly, china, Christians, cloth napkins, comfort, Daily Menu, eat desert, economic prosperity, enjoy life, enthusiasm, everyday miracle, faith, fresh flowers, fresh herbs, give thanks, glorious, good manners, good news of Jesus, goodness, great conversation, have Jesus in our lives, heads hung down, in the last days, invite someone, Jerusalem, joy, judge, learn war no more, Leila's, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, living in LOVE, Lord and Saviour, LOVE, loving kindness, make a joyful noise unto God, make his praise glorious, make love not war, martyrs, morose existence, mysterious ways, negative sentiments, out of Zion, Papa Joe's, plowshares, prepare every meal with love, pruninghooks, roti, savour every morsel, Selah, set a table, share His love, shoulders drooped, shout joyfully, silverware, sincerity, sing forth, sing to thy name, sing unto thee, spears, swords, the beloved of God, the bright light of Jesus, the day of the Lord, the friend of Jesus, the god of Jacob, the happiest people in the world, the honour of his name, the house of God, the law, the millennial age, the word of the Lord, tools of peace, Tuesday Mantra, war, wash your hands, weapons of war, worship

Psalm 66:4. All the earth shall worship thee, and shall sing unto thee; they shall sing to thy name. Selah.

Welcome to a glorious Tuesday morning friends! Oh I know it’s still dark outside as I write this, but I’m also sure that the bright light of Jesus is shining through the darkness, both physical and spiritual, bringing light and comfort to our hearts, minds, bodies and souls! What a wonderful Lord and Saviour we have my people. And there’s truly NONE like Him!

Oh, and what mysterious and fabulous ways He operates! Check out this small, everyday miracle that happened to me yesterday. I was down the street going to get a roti from the recent hot roti shop, Leila’s. But when I got to the little plaza where it’s situated, I discovered that Leila’s was closed on Mondays.

However, just across the plaza I saw a place called Papa Joe’s, with roti also on its menu. So I decided to check it out. When I entered, Papa Joe was attending to another customer, so I walked around looking at the décor.

And lo and behold on the wall I saw this black, marble like plaque with white italic writing on it, surrounded by a fancy white border, with a place setting of a fork on the left side and a knife and spoon on the right.

Obviously it piqued my interest and I went over to read it. And though I had the Duchess take a picture of it with her phone, I still felt the need to write it down. But now I’ve discovered that my description won’t do it justice, so I’m going to try and send an attachment.

And this is what I read: ‘Daily MENU Give thanks Fill a vase with fresh flowers Set a beautiful table Use fresh simple ingredients Use your best china and silverware Prepare every meal with LOVE Use fresh herbs Invite someone Practice good manners Wash your hands Use cloth napkins Chew slowly. Savour every morsel Have great conversation Eat desert Wash your own dishes’

Oh friends, isn’t that just beautiful! I certainly find so. And I believe the Lord meant me to see it so that I could share it with you today. It’s just a nice, easy, but wonderful way to live our lives!

However, we can’t do that if we don’t have Jesus in our lives, for it is only through Him that we can rise to such simple, but glorious heights. I hope the attachment came out properly and you shared my enthusiasm for it. (smile)

Now let’s do what we do every Tuesday; declare our Tuesday Mantra with sincerity, faith and mucho enthusiasm.

All together now: ‘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!’

Glory be, my people! NOTHING can beat being a beloved child of God and a trusted friend of Jesus! Wow!

Now with all of that goodness and LOVING-kindness, why aren’t’ we Christians the happiest people in the world eh? I certainly don’t know. But we ought to be.

Sadly though, too many of us walk around with our heads hung down, shoulders drooped, with guilt and whatever in our spirits, behaving like martyrs, believing that we should not be happy, enthusiastic and enjoy life.

But that’s totally wrong my brethren, for Jesus said that He came so that we could have life and have it in abundance! (John 10:10)

That means we don’t need to go around sad and miserable to be considered a true Christian. In fact, as true believers, we should be doing what our Bit says: ‘All the earth shall worship thee, and shall sing unto thee; they shall sing to thy name. Selah.’

Now that’s how real Christians should behave. And the psalmist was even more specific and enthusiastic before our Bit.

He begins the psalm thus: ‘Make a joyful noise (shout joyfully) unto God, all ye lands. Sing forth the honour of his name: make his praise glorious. Say unto God, How terrible (awesome) art thou in thy works! Through the greatness of thy power shall thine enemies submit themselves unto thee.’ (Ps.66:1-3)

Yeh friends, that ought to be the everyday behaviour of the true and devout believer, not a sad and morose existence. Now listen to how Isaiah characterizes the day of the Lord.

‘And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of the Lord’s house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow unto it.

And many people shall go and say, come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.

And he shall judge among the nations, and shall rebuke many people: and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks (pruning knives): nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore.’ (Is.2:2-4)

What a blessed day that will be my people! And the scholars tell us: ‘The setting is the millennial age, when the nations of the world will come to the Holy City (Jerusalem) to learn the ways of God.

Christ Himself is pictured as the Judge who will direct the affairs of the nations during His millennial kingdom. Thus the weapons of war will be turned into tools of peace and economic productivity.’

Oh friends, how I look forward to that day; that day when war shall be no more! But why do we have to wait till then eh? We can start right now by pursuing peace, by spreading the good news of Jesus and living in LOVE with God and each other!

So I implore us today, to begin turning our weapons of war, our negative sentiments into tools of peace, LOVE, joy and economic prosperity, for that is indeed wisdom at its zenith! Much LOVE!

…the motto of the true believer…make LOVE…not war…

P.S. Sorry friends, but I could not put the attachment in the Blog, so you will just have to rely on my description. (smile) Much LOVE!

Today’s Scrip-Bit 3 October 2016 Psalm 66:4.

03 Oct 2016 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: a fool's wisdom, a true Christian, adrenaline, aligning oneself, all the earth, antidote, aura of love, confidence, Creator of the universe, do good work for Jesus, endureth for ever, energizes, enthusiasm, enthusiastic, evil, evil hordes, exalth themselves, faith, fellowship, foolish, friends, fun, Gentiles, glory hallelujah, halfhearted, hit the road, holy spirit, homage, humble servants, hymn of praise, invincible, Jesus Christ, joy, lies, LOVE, loving kindness, magnificent and magnanimous God, make like jack, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, omni-present, omnipotent, omniscient, play favourites, Praise ye the Lord, rebellious, rejuvenation of spirit, relaxation, renewed vitality, rest, rewards, salvation, Selah, sing to thy name, sing unto thee, sometime thing, sovereignty, spiritual armour, spreading the good news of Jesus, steadfast faith, the Great Commission, the truth of the Lord, the weekend, the works of God, trust, ungodly world, unwise, wisdom, work time, worship

Psalm 66:4. All the earth shall worship thee, and shall sing unto thee; they shall sing to thy name. Selah.

Ah friends, the second big day of the week is here, and our journey through it will depend on how we handled the first big day of the week. (smile) Yeh mih people, it’s work time once again, and if we’ve used the weekend properly, we’d be all set and ready, enthusiastic and can’t wait to get out into the world and show the godless and the heathen how a true believer in Jesus, a true Christian behaves.

But since many of us have compromised ourselves on the weekend, consequently, we are not ready and able, or willing to face the evil hordes that abound in the working world. But there’s no reason to be anxious or afraid, for we have the right antidote for your problem. It’s called our Monday Morning Battle Hymn and it energizes us, gets our adrenaline running so that we can go out and do good work for Jesus.

So without further ado, let’s raise our voices heavenward in harmony and praise. ‘Oh Lord God Almighty, Creator of the universe and all therein! We, your humble servants, praise your Holy Name and thank you that this Monday morning we have jobs to go to; jobs we don’t like, jobs that are unfair, difficult and even dangerous, but which serve a useful purpose here on earth; keeping lives and families together.

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

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

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

Oh friends, that wasn’t too hot nuh; out of tune and not very enthusiastic, and our choirmaster, Jesus, definitely wasn’t pleased. You could see that by the serious look on His comely face and His unsmiling eyes. Nevertheless, most of us now have our motors idling smoothly, so let’s make like jack nuh, hit the road and do Jesus’ bidding, as per the Great Commission. (Matt.28:19-20)

That brings us to our Bit: ‘All the earth shall worship thee, and shall sing unto thee; they shall sing to thy name. Selah.’

Oh my brethren, that is ever so true! In due course of time, everyone on planet earth will be singing the praises of our wonderful God! Why? Because He is just such a magnificent, magnanimous, omnipotent, omniscient, omni-present, ever-LOVING, ever-caring, ever-faithful, kind, forgiving and compassionate Deity! Wow!

He’s also the Creator of the universe and all therein! And there’s NO OTHER like Him! So why wouldn’t we worship and sing praises to Him eh? Not unless we’re foolish and unwise. And, unfortunately, there are way too many of that type in today’s world. They think that God is a joke, or He just doesn’t exist.

But that’s the furthest thing from the truth my fellow believers, and we know that because God is at work in us, doing all sorts of wonderful things in our lives, as we work for Him down here, spreading the good news of Jesus, while storing up eternal rewards in heaven. Glory Hallelujah!

Listen to how the psalmist continues after our Bit. ‘Come and see the works of God: he is terrible (awesome) in his doing toward the children of men, He turned the sea into dry land: they went through the flood (river) on foot: there did we rejoice in him. He ruleth by his power for ever; his eyes behold the nations: let not the rebellious exalt themselves. Selah.’ (Ps.66:5-7)

Now that last statement is a very serious warning to the unbeliever; they ought not to think too highly of themselves, for with the same speed that they are exalted, the Lord will pull them back down for their false pride and egotistic disregard of His sovereignty. Not aligning oneself with the Creator and Controller of the universe and paying Him great homage is a fool’s wisdom my people.

Hear the psalmist from Psalm 117, the shortest chapter in the Bible. ‘O Praise the Lord, all ye nations (gentiles) praise (glorify) him, all ye people. For his merciful (LOVING) kindness is great toward us: and the truth of the Lord endureth for ever. Praise ye the Lord.’ (Ps.117:1-2)

And the scholars offer up these explanations on the psalm. ‘Psalm 117. This little psalm contains a great message. Though some have denied it an independent existence, attaching it to Psalm 116, Psalm 117 has all three elements of the hymn of praise: a call to praise (v.1), a cause for praise (v.2a, b), and a conclusion, which in this case is a simple praise ye the Lord (v.2c).

The fact that the nations and people (lit. “peoples”) are addressed in verse 1 makes this psalm the only one in the Psalter addressed in its entirety to the Gentile world. Its evangelistic mood was still baffling to some of Paul’s readers. This is one of four passages that Paul quotes from the Old Testament, in Romans 15, to prove that God is interested in saving Gentiles.’

Yeh friends, that’s one of the reasons Almighty God is worthy of much praise; He’s interested in saving EVERYBODY, not just some. Our God doesn’t play favourites, He wants all of His creation to come to Him, and that’s a part of our job. So please let’s get out there today and do it to the best of our ability nuh, obviously with the help of God, through His Holy Spirit that dwells within us. Much LOVE!

…praising our God should be an automatic, joyful and continuous response from believers…not a halfhearted, sometime thing…

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