Today’s Scrip-Bit   25 March 2022 Romans 8:28.

Romans 8:28.      And we know that all things work together for good to those that LOVE God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.

Another brand new day friends, a Friday to boot, when our names don’t show up in the obits! Praise the Lord for His goodness! And though the day may begin damp and cloudy, what really matters is that we have Jesus, the awesome Son of God dwelling in our hearts and souls through His Holy Spirit! Nothing can beat that my faithful brethren, because with Christ Jesus in our lives we can undergo and withstand anything that comes against us! 

Yes, sometimes, like in the last couple of years, life can get real rough, but if we truly believe, we know that Christ makes everything all right in His own time. We just have to keep this great and everlasting promise in the forefront of our lives, as Bruh Paul wrote to the church at Rome. ‘And we know that all things work together for good to those that LOVE God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.’ (Rom. 8:28)  

Oh friends, that’s one of the greatest promises in the Good Book, but it’s definitely the hardest to hold on to! Because it often tries our faith, trust and surrender to God right to the very limit. In so many situations we have to conjure up thoughts of peace, LOVE and joy even when it seems impossible. But please remember that when talking about a camel going through the eyes of a needle, Jesus gave us this divine assurance. ‘With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible.’ (Matt. 19:26) 

And that’s the indisputable truth my fellow believers! The Lord God Jehovah who made the earth, heavens and all therein has the ability and power to do anything He desires! He is omnipotent, omniscient, and omnipresent! Meaning He is ALL powerful, sees everything and is present everywhere at the same time! Now that’s what you call a mighty God! And if it’s one thing I’m sure about is that our God is indeed mighty… and mighty in all aspects of life, because I’ve seen Him in action, both personally and in the lives of others! 

So there is really no need to fear although the storms of life come against us, for He will always bear us up with His righteous right hand. And I think in these perilous and uncertain times we need to hear some scripture that reassures us of God’s awesome care and concern for us, His most valuable creation. So listen up, pay careful attention, and let these scriptures seep into our hearts and souls and keep us faithful and strong. 

And we’ll begin with this marvellous verse of solid, everyday promise from Psalm 68 – God has gone before his people. Bruh David proclaims without any hesitation whatsoever: ‘Blessed be the Lord, who daily loadeth us with benefits, even the God of our salvation.  Selah.’ (Ps. 68:19) Now, how reassuring is it to know that every day the great God of our salvation gives us benefits untold to help in our earthly journey! 

And if you don’t believe that, then hear the prophet Isaiah corroborate it. ‘Behold, the Lord God will come with strong hand (strength), and his arm shall rule for him: behold, his reward is with him, and his work (wage) before him. He shall feed his flock like a shepherd: he shall gather the lambs with his arm, and carry them in his bosom, and shall gently lead those that are with young.’ (Is. 40:10-11) Oh my brethren, if you are a faithful believer in Jesus that should be all you need to reassure your faith in the mighty God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob! 

But if that isn’t enough, then listen to this other scripture from Isaiah. ‘Hearken unto me, O house of Jacob, and all the remnant of the house of Israel, which are borne (upheld) by me from the belly (birth), which are carried from the womb: And even to your old age I am he; and even to hoar hairs (gray hairs) will I carry you: I have made, and I will bear; even I will carry, and will deliver you.’ (Is. 46:3-4) Yes my people, the Lord conceived us in the womb and will take us right through life from conception to birth, to death and then to eternal life! 

And just to reinforce those promises, (smile) let’s listen to the psalmist as he expounds on the subject from Psalm 91 – God is a refuge and fortress. He says: ‘Because thou hast made the Lord, which is my refuge, even the Most High, thy habitation (dwelling place);  There shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling. For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways. They shall bear (lift) thee up in their hands, lest thou dash (strike) thy foot against a stone. 

Thou shalt tread upon the lion and adder (cobra): the young lion and the dragon (serpent) shalt thou trample underfoot. Because he hath set his LOVE upon me, therefore will I deliver him: I will set him on high, because he hath known my name. he shall call upon me, and I will answer him: I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him, and honour him. With long life (length of days) will I satisfy him, and show him my salvation.’ (Ps. 91:9-16) 

Oh saints of Christ, what more can we ask or expect from our wonderful God eh? He’s promised us everything there, and we know he keeps His promises because He LOVES us unconditionally! So much so that He sent His only Son Jesus to die for the atonement of our sins! And if He could go to such awesome lengths to save us, why would He refuse us any lesser thing eh? No reason whatsoever! So, on this Friday morning filled with worldwide problems, let’s take the opportunity to do what He says in that scripture above there nuh, call on Him in time of trouble, so He can answer and deliver us. 

As one confident but humble voice, let’s declare our Friday Chant. ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through this past week. You know it’s been rough… what with all the anxiety, the confusion and havoc that the Covid-19 virus and our many other problems are causing. We can’t seem to fix it on our own Lord, that means we desperately need your help. Oh heavenly Father, with your omnipotent help, and our trusting faith, we know that we can stand strong and steadfast and defeat both the virus and the unrest in our streets. 

So Lord, we sincerely ask you today to give the governments and those involved in the forefront of this serious and unexpected storm, the wise guidance to handle the situation properly, with the least amount of loss to life and property as possible. And please help those of us who must go out to work amidst all the confusion, to be responsible and to stay safe, and avoid any more serious setbacks. 

And Lord, we fervently pray that You’ll use this situation to bring a lot of backsliders back to your fold, show them the error of their ways. And please introduce a whole new flock, who will embrace your LOVE and compassion by the example, we, your faithful believers set. Yes Lord, please use this pandemic and the unrest in the streets as a means of restoring faith in You, so that our sinful world can wake up and smell the coffee, sweet and strong! We pray this in the name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen!’  

But please note, my fellow saints, that God will only answer us positively if we behave like true faithful believers and our hearts are led by the right motives. Much LOVE!

…when we are faithful…God is faithful… 

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Today’s Scrip-Bit 22 September 2015 Isaiah 46:4

Isaiah 46:4.   And even to your old age I am he; and even to hoar hairs (gray hairs) will I carry you: I have made, and I will bear; even I will carry, and will deliver you.

Aye mih people, welcome to another wonderful day in the annals of life! (smile) It looks to be a terrific Tuesday, although a tad chilly and noisy in my area. Oh Lord eh! It’s never amusing, inviting or interesting to awaken to the sounds of heavy machinery rumbling along the roadway and jack hammering pounding away at the road. 

Unfortunately that’s what I awakened to today. I thought they had finished working in the neighbourhood, and all that was left to do was pave the main road. But when I looked out it seems they were digging up around the manholes, after having smoothened out the road for paving last week. Steups! 

Now couldn’t they have dug up around the manholes then, instead of doing it now? To my small mind that would have made much more sense. But the whole enchilada of roadwork and construction this summer has made little sense whatsoever. Anyway it seems as though they have moved on further down the road, so I’m not hearing the noise like before. 

And here’s an interesting prayer that seems to cover all bases. It comes on a single sheet of paper. Somebody gave it to the duchess and she gave it to me, and now I’m going to share it with you…. Another of God’s mysterious movements! (smile) It seems to be taken from a Blog called ‘Mary’s Musings – Life and times of a small town Nana…’ And the prayer is titled ‘A Prayer for Later Years.’ 

Please pray with me Friends. ‘Lord, thou knowest that I am growing older. Keep me from becoming too talkative, and particularly keep me from falling into the tiresome habit of expressing an opinion on every subject. Release me from the craving to straighten out everybody’s affairs. Keep my mind free from the recital of endless details. 

Give me wings to get to the point. Give me the grace, dear Lord, to listen to others describe their aches and pains. Help me to endure the boredom with patience and keep my lips sealed, for my own aches and pains are increasing in number and intensity, and the pleasure of discussing them is becoming sweeter as the years go by. 

Teach me the glorious lesson that, occasionally, I might be mistaken. Keep me reasonably sweet. I do not wish to be a saint (saints are so hard to live with), but a sour old person is the work of the devil. Make me thoughtful, but not moody; helpful, but not pushy; independent; yet able to accept with graciousness favours that others wish to bestow on me. 

Free me of the notion that simply because I have lived a long time, I am wiser than those who have not lived so long. If I do not approve of some of the changes that have taken place in recent years, give me the wisdom to keep my mouth shut. Lord knows that when the end comes, I would like to have a friend or two left.’ 

And all God’s people let out a loud shout of ‘Amen! Praise the Lord!’ 

The paper went on to say: ‘The author is unknown but I wish I had written it. I think it is appropriate for those of us of a “certain age.” 

Now I agree with that to a certain extent, but with the kind of talkative society we now have, I believe people of all ages should embrace that prayer, for it does cover a lot of useful ground. 

I also disagree with the point about ‘the pleasure of discussing my aches and pains is becoming sweeter as the years go by.’ Definitely not! They are certainly increasing, and discussing them only makes me remember them and dread their persistence in my life! (smile) 

Overall though, it’s a blessed good prayer for ALL of us to pray, since we ALL are guilty of a lot of it. And now I’m going to do exactly what the prayer warns about; complain about my aches and pains. (smile) But it serves a useful purpose, explaining why the Bit is so late. 

I went to bed earlier than normal, and woke up at some God-forsaken hour, but refused to get up so early. But as the Lord would have it, after much turning and tossing, I got up late, with a terrible back pain, which I seem to get anytime I lie down too long in bed. So I’m finally convinced that going to bed early is strictly for the birds! End of excuse! (smile)  

Now there’s not a lot of time or space left for our Bit, but it is a very interesting promise of God, especially to us old fogeys. ‘And even to your old age I am he; and even to hoar hairs (gray hairs) will I carry you: I have made, and I will bear; even I will carry, and will deliver you.’ 

Yes Friends, the same God who made us, has also faithfully promised to carry us all the way through this earthly life; right down to our old age with our gray hairs prominently proclaiming our age and our wisdom. Now isn’t that something to be excited about? It certainly is! 

No other supposed deity makes that kind of promise. Instead, they all try their best to brow beat us, push and keep us down, with all sorts of disadvantageous rules and regulations. 

Only the ONE TRUE AND LIVING GOD; He of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, encourages, uplifts and promises to look after us from creation in our mother’s womb till the time our mortal bodies return to the dust from which it was taken, and our immortal spirits soar to meet Him in the high heavens! 

And all God’s people gave out a loud and grateful shout: ‘Oh thank You heavenly Father for being so wonderful, so generous, LOVING, merciful and gracious to us undeserving children of a sinful nature. We LOVE You, praise and adore Your Holy Name, now and forever more. Amen!’ 

Now Friends, may we all walk the path of peace and LOVE, wisdom and understanding, blessed by the wonderful grace and mercy of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Much LOVE my brethren!

…blessed is the man or woman…who follows after Christ… from birth until death…to whom a wonderful earthly life is granted…along with salvation and eternal life…