Today’s Scrip-Bit 9 January 2015 Genesis 49:18

09 Jan 2015 Leave a comment

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

Genesis 49:18.  I have waited for thy salvation, O Lord.
 
Oh Friends, we’re awesome! Yes indeed we are! We have successfully made it through the first real week of work in 2015! Glory Hallelujah!
 
Yes my people, it’s Friday and the weekend looms large and very inviting. And with a heartfelt sigh and a thankful look up to heaven, God’s people declared, with more reverence than usual: ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday! Thank God it’s Friday, and we’ll get some much needed rest!’
 
Now that’s how I like to see us behave; more attuned to the rest and restoration factor than to the party animal attitude. (smile) I guess some of the partying exuberance for the weekend has worn off because we’re still suffering the after effects of the Christmas celebrations, and a week of work hasn’t helped matters any.
 
Anyway, to get us into the right frame of mind, let’s chant our Friday Chant with more maturity and awareness than we’ve hitherto done. As one harmonious chanter now: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through another week of work! It hasn’t been easy, but with your generous help, I made it through.
 
Now, please help me to get sufficient fun, fellowship, rest and relaxation in these two short days off, so that I can be renewed and refreshed in soul, body and mind, to go back out and do it all over again next week, furthering your glorious kingdom with each step I take. I pray this in Jesus name. Amen.’
 
Yes Friends, now that everything has wound down, it’s time to take serious stock of our lives and set the priorities for this new year. Of course the first and foremost one will be to walk in closer harmony with Jesus, and that will bring certain things into line.
 
But then there are a host of other things that we need to seriously consider doing or not doing. These are the days to make a sincere and serious plan, and then without much hesitation, put it into action, for plans that are not actioned are dead and useless.
 
And today I have an interesting quote to share from the famed French playwright and author, Alexandre Dumas (1802-1870), the writer of such acclaimed novels as The Three Musketeers and The Count of Monte Cristo. Alexandre is reputed to have said that ‘All human wisdom is summed up in two words: wait and hope.’
 
And there is a lot of truth in that statement my brethren, because that’s what we spend a large portion of our earthly existence doing; waiting and hoping. Most things or plans of action don’t happen right away, so after putting them into motion, generally speaking we then have to wait for all the necessary pieces to fall into place.
 
And while we’re waiting, we’re hoping that they will fall into place as we hope, expect and desire. In fact, life is one long journey of hoping and waiting; especially in regard to our great and wonderful God Jehovah! The Good Book tells us innumerable times about waiting for and hoping in God.
 
And Jacob, in our Bit, made one of the earliest statements of hoping and waiting, when he prophesied about the fate of his sons and their offspring. ‘I have waited for thy salvation, O Lord.’
 
Simple, but true words my people, words which we all ought to be able to say in sincere truth. The only difference is that we have seen the Lord’s salvation in the person of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ!
 
But the Old Testament people weren’t that lucky, all they had was the promise of God’s salvation. They had to wait and hope through the eyes of faith.
 
As Isaiah says in the song of praise by the redeemed: ‘He will swallow up death in victory (forever); and the Lord God will wipe away tears from off all faces; and the rebuke of his people shall he take away from off all the earth: for the Lord hath spoken it.
 
And it shall be said in that day, Lo, this is our God; we have waited for him, and he will save us: this is the Lord; we have waited for him, we will be glad and rejoice in his salvation.’ (Is.25:8-9)
 
Then again, in chapter 26, a hymn of praise, Isaiah declares: ‘Yea, in the way of thy judgements, O Lord, have we waited for thee; the desire of our soul is to thy name, and to the remembrance of thee.
 
With my soul have I desired thee in the night; yea, with my spirit within me will I seek thee early: for when thy judgements are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness.’ (Is.26:8-9)
 
Yes my brethren, hoping and waiting and trusting in the Lord God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob is indeed a large part of our lives! And it’s something we ought to do with a joyful spirit, otherwise we’ll just be miserable most of the time.
 
And as I read somewhere, this wise and sensible person declared: ‘I reached out to God in expectant faith and hungry hope.’ Now that, my people, is exactly how we ought to reach out to Almighty God.
 
And we’ll close with one of the best known Bible verses on hoping and waiting for God; fateful words of Bruh David from Psalm 27 – the Lord is my light and my salvation. Bruh David ends that psalm with these awesome and mightily inspiring verses.
 
‘I had fainted, unless I had believed to see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait (in faith) on the Lord: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait (in faith) I say, on the Lord.’ (Ps.27:13-14) 
 
Oh Friends, that’s the best advice we can take in these tense and troubled times, for they are words of veritable truth and wisdom! Much LOVE!
 
‘…hope renews me…and let’s me face each day…with the best possible attitude…’

 

 

 

 

Today’s Scrip-Bit 27 October 2013 Matthew 5:8

27 Oct 2013 Leave a comment

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

Matthew 5:8.    Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.
 
Aye Friends, a good Sunday morning to all of you, wherever you may be on God’s great earth! And I do hope that most of you are getting ready to go and worship with other believers, or have already done so, because we do need to come together every so often, preferably at least once a week. Our systems are set up so that it’s essential for us to get the refreshing rejuvenation that the fellowship of God’s children brings to our hearts and souls. Just like an engine can’t function without fuel, likewise Christians can’t function properly without fellowship.
 
And don’t forget that this is the most important day of the week because it also calls for us to rest properly, so that we can be up and about early tomorrow morning, bright eyed and bushy tailed, to go out and both face and change the world for Jesus. And we can’t do that if we’re all tired, miserable and suffering from the after-effects of negative stuff.
 
Enough of that sermon for today though, tomorrow will look after itself. (smile) But as a wise man once said: ‘Keep your eyes on today, but don’t lose sight of tomorrow.’ To tell the truth, I don’t know who that wise man was, it might even have been me, because I sort of just made it up. (smile)
 
But regardless of the identity of the wise man, the good news is that we can do both those things by simply living the words of our Bit: ‘Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.’ 
 
Oh Friends, that’s certainly a most encouraging promise! Wow! If our hearts are pure, then we shall see God… Glory Hallelujah!
 
And having said all of that, the pertinent question then becomes, why aren’t we all pushing and clamouring for pure hearts eh mih people? Is it because we don’t want to see God, or that the pull of the things of the world is greater than our desire to see our heavenly Father?
 
It’s sad, but I believe that the latter answer is the true one. We’d really like to have both, but that’s not possible. And for too many of us, it will be extremely difficult, if not impossible, to cultivate a pure heart, since it would mean giving up a lot of our worldly lusts and desires. But please remember, that if we do decide to seriously give up the things of the world, IT IS POSSIBLE with the help of Almighty God.
 
Anyway, listen to what the scholars have to say on this Beatitude from Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount. ‘5:8. Those who are truly saved shall see God. These are the pure in heart. Their lives have been transformed by the grace of God. They are not yet sinless but their position before God has been changed. They have the New Birth, saving faith, and holiness. The process of sanctification is ever conforming them to the image of Christ (Rom.8:29), which image consists in “righteousness and true holiness” (Eph.4:24).’  
 
Please read those references my brethren, because they are given for our edification, our enlightenment, and you never know when one of these scripture references might just speak to your heart with an upheaval or awareness of a tremendous magnitude. (smile) Now let’s look at some scripture that corroborates our Bit.
 
Regarding our pureness of heart, Bruh David puts it nicely and wisely in Psalm 15. He begins by asking: ‘Lord, who shall abide (sojourn) in thy tabernacle? Who shall dwell in thy holy hill? He that walketh uprightly, and worketh righteousness, and speaketh the truth in his heart.’ (Ps.15:1-2)
 
Yes Friends, if our hearts aren’t right, then we’ll be at a serious disadvantage, for as we all know, it’s our hearts that Jehovah checks when He wants to know what’s really going on with us. So though we may fool mankind with our outward apparently pure actions, we can’t fool God, because He’ll surely see all our false and hypocritical motives when He examines our hearts.
 
Then, in Psalm 24, the King of glory, Bruh David again addresses the question: ‘Who shall ascend into the hill of the Lord? Or who shall stand in his holy place? He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart; who hath not lifted up his soul unto vanity (unto an idol), nor sworn deceitfully. He shall receive the blessing from the Lord, and righteousness from the God of his salvation. This is the generation of them that seek him, that seek thy face, O Jacob.   Selah.” (Ps. 24:3-6)
 
Ah Friends, what wonderful rewards for simply living the way God desires us to! And I do wish that I could say like Bruh David that this was the generation of those who are truly seeking God, but it would be a lie, for the majority of the world right now is trying to get away from God, instead of turning to Him for comfort and succour.
 
Oh, I know that living for God is oftimes a rough row to hoe, but it is definitely a wise, or rather the wisest way to live this earthly life! No doubt about that my brethren!
 
Therefore, let’s ponder on, and consider our individual situations today nuh, then prayerfully go to God, and in all sincerity and truth, ask Him to help us fix whatever is wrong, whatever is hindering our communication with Him. That my Friends, is the zenith of wisdom! Much LOVE!
 
…oh, for a heart that’s pure…that we may see the wondrous face of God…
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Today’s Scrip-Bit 19 December 2012 Luke 1:28

19 Dec 2012 Leave a comment

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

Luke 1:28.    And the angel came in unto her, and said, Hail, thou that art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women.

Ah Friends, it’s another new day in our lives, filled with numerous blessings from our wonderful God! And all God’s children offered up a silent, but heartfelt, ‘Thank You Lord!’ And unbelievable as it might seem, I’m also into my forty-second year of marriage. Oh Brother! Does it ever sound plentiful; like a lifetime. But I guess that’s what marriage is supposed to be about; a lifetime of togetherness. And yuh know Friends, it’s that same lifetime of togetherness with God that all believers are supposed to have. From birth to death, we’re supposed to have the Word of God firmly planted in our souls, so that we can live this earthly life by it, because that’s it’s purpose; to lead and guides us on the right path to salvation and eternal life. And just like our human relationships, because of our inherently sinful nature, there will be ups and downs in our lives re God’s Word and His leading. But I have an interesting prayer from Dr. Robert H Schuller’s Hour of Power Devotional to share today. I just LOVE how Dr. Schuller’s prayers are filled with passion and directness to God. Please say this prayer of New Awareness with me. ‘Deep within myself I have a powerful awareness that I have made the right decision and am moving in the right direction. I will let nothing and no one deter, detour, distract, depress, or defeat me. “No man having put his hand to the plough and looking back is fit for the kingdom of God.” God’s spirit is rising within me now, making me very determined to faithfully keep the beautiful promises I’ve made. I will be faithful. I am reliable. Thank you, God. Amen.’ Yes Friends, that’s how we ought to be at all times; faithful and reliable! And there’s no better example of that in the Good Book than Mother Mary, whose sudden uplifting to glory didn’t seem to discomfit or faze her as much as we’d normally expect from such significant happenings. Our Bit begins the whole shebang: ‘And the angel came in unto her, and said, Hail (Rejoice), thou that art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women.’ Now yesterday we noted Mary’s cool and calm response to the angel’s sudden greeting and the monumental news he bore. We ended with her asking how all he said could be possible with her still being a virgin. ‘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. 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 1:35-37) Oh my brethren, that last verse is of the utmost importance in the lives of all believers, for if we don’t truly believe that EVERYTHING is possible with God, then nothing’s going to work for us in the Christian faith. Now Friends, listen to one of the most faith filled and trusting comments in all of the Good Book. ‘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) Yes fellow believers, though it’s difficult to believe, those simple, unadulterated words of supreme faith and trust came from the heart of a young, teenaged girl, who knew the horrible fate that would befall her when it was discovered that she was pregnant out of wedlock. Even today, with all our freedom, that situation still causes untold problems, so can you imagine what it would have been like in a backward Jewish village two thousand years ago? I don’t know if Mary had thought through all the ramifications of the situation, but whether she did or not, she was still willing to take that chance, that great leap of faith with the God of her fathers. Ah mih people, I wish I could say that most believers today were like Mary. But unfortunately I cannot, because in spite of us being more aware, having more knowledge and information on God and His workings, in spite of having Jesus sacrifice His sinless life so that we could be cleansed and be set free from sin, too many of us are still walking a wish-washy path of faith. Too many supposed believers are still trying to straddle the fence between true Christian faith and action and the temptations and glossy, material things of the world. Like James says in chap.1:6-8, we’re ‘waverers’, constantly moving back and forth from fickle faith to the world. We’re double-minded, and thus unstable and untrustworthy. Now Friends, that’s no way for true believers to act. With the way things are going very negatively in our floundering world, it’s time for all true believers to stand up strong and be counted on the side of true faith and trust in our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. I therefore implore us my brethren, that whatever the Lord asks of us today, and henceforth, please, let’s respond in simple but fervent faith and trust, without any wavering, just like Mary did. Only then, will we be able to really call ourselves, true believers. Our world is badly in need of that kind of people to turn it around, to turn it back to truly serving and worshipping the ONE and ONLY TRUE GOD; the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Much LOVE!…when the Lord says jump…believers should immediately respond in true faith…how high Lord…