Today’s Scrip-Bit   27 January 2023 Isaiah 55:6.

27 Jan 2023 Leave a comment

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

Isaiah 55:6.       Seek ye the Lord while he may be found, call upon him while he is near:

And there’s some sunshine shining on the cold white snow in a cloudy background, which my computer terms as haze. (smile) Yes friends, on this last Friday in January 2023, we declare ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday!‘ in a cold and hazy atmosphere. The important thing though is that our great and wonderful God, Jehovah is still on His heavenly throne, still in control of all earthly movements, although we might not think so. 

And yes, He does give us a lot of leeway to do as we please, but let’s never forget His sage, incisive and sharp-edged words, spoken through His prophet Isaiah. ‘Seek ye the Lord while he may be found, call upon him while he is near: Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the Lord, and he will have mercy; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.’ (Is. 55:6-7) 

And in these evil and ungodly times, do we ever need to return to Almighty God and be pardoned, for the sinful attributes in our world are overwhelming, reaching up to high heaven with a frightful stench that totally boggles the imagination. And those sage and rather incisive words of God continue: ‘For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts higher than your thoughts.’ (Is. 55:8-9) 

Oh my fellow believers, the Lord might give us free will to do and act as we please, but we are never out of His sight nor His thoughts because He is omniscient and omnipresent and will only allow us to get away with so much wrongdoing, while constantly calling us to righteousness. And I don’t understand why we so adamantly refuse His call to godliness and righteousness, especially when He’s made such great provision for us. 

Listen to his words again nuh. ‘For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it to bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater: So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void (empty, without fruit), but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.’  (Is. 55:10-11) 

Yuh hear that friends? Our God is purposely telling us that whatever He sends out His word to accomplish, will be accomplished, and in the exact manner that He desires. Now doesn’t that make us concerned about our culture and lifestyle, our disobedience and ungodliness? It ought to, because His word contains so many promises of the wicked and sinful being destroyed, of being punished in the fires of hell. That ought to make us sit up and take serious notice of His holy and truthful word, and turn to Him, though somewhat belatedly, for the abundant pardon that He holds out to all who come to Him in sincere repentance. 

And listen to this magnificent promise of our great and ever-faithful God to those who avidly and sincerely Him. ‘For ye shall go out with joy, and be led forth with peace: the mountains and the hills shall break forth before you into singing, and all the trees of the field will clap their hands. Instead of the thorn shall come up the fir (cypress) tree, and instead of the brier (plant with a thorny and prickly stem) shall come up the myrtle tree: and it shall be to the Lord for a name, for an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off.’ (Is. 55:12-13) 

Wow mih bredrin! What a magnificent promise! Our God includes us in the everlasting covenant He’s given to his chosen people, Israel. And are we going to refuse it for foolish and prideful self-interest? The scholars tell us that God’s ‘invitation to all men is clearly stated in the appeal, Seek ye the Lord and call ye upon him.’ 

They also inform us that ‘God’s sovereignty and omniscience are extolled by the statements that His thoughts (i.e. purposes or intentions) and ways (directions)  are higher than ours. While God may certainly be known by men, He is still incomprehensible in the totality of His person and purposes. Therefore He reveals Himself to men by His word, which shall not return to Him void (empty, in vain). The Word of God, therefore accomplishes His purpose in announcing salvation to all mankind.’ 

And He’s kept His word by sending His sinless Son, Jesus Christ to die for us on Calvary’s cross, so that our sins can be forgiven, and we be made the righteousness of Christ, be reconciled to our Creator and no longer bear the mark of Satan, but of Christ, and no longer bound for hell fire and damnation, but for the beautiful and peaceful halls of heaven. Now, we would be everlastingly foolish to reject such a marvellous solution to our sinful souls. 

So please, I implore us to day to get serious about Jesus and His amazing way of life. Though it’s not easy and ofttimes sacrificial, it is ALWAYS interesting and adventurous and leads to untold treasures and rewards in heaven that last forever, unlike the earthly treasures we run down, that soon decay and are of no further use. Therefore, in faith, hope and wisdom, through our Friday Chant, let’s go to the throne of God in sincere prayer and ask for His divine help. 

As one confident but humble voice: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through this past week. You know it’s been rough… what with all the confusion and anxiety caused by the pandemic and our many other serious problems. We can’t fix them on our own Lord, so 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 the simmering unrest in our land. So Lord, we sincerely ask you today to give those involved in the forefront of this serious and unexpected storm, the wise guidance to handle the situation properly, without further serious setbacks. And please help those of us who must go out to work amidst all the confusion, to be responsible and to stay safe. 

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

And as always, if we sincerely desire to receive positive answers from our omnipotent God, we need to keep our promises and be obedient to His holy will. Much LOVE!

…God’s provided the way to salvation…it’s up to us…to accept or reject it… 

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Today’s Scrip-Bit 21 January 2020 Hebrews 11:6.

21 Jan 2020 Leave a comment

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

Hebrews 11:6.    ​But without faith it is impossible to please him (God): for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.
 

So we made it through Monday quite nicely, why can’t we do the same today, Tuesday eh? Especially when we have the Creator and Controller of this great universe riding a continual and steady shotgun beside us? No reason whatsoever my faithful brethren since He’s promised to give us all that we need and never leave or forsake us! Brother! Those promises are surely worth more than their weight in gold! 

And yes, in this busy, evil, trouble-filled world, it’s sometimes hard to keep our wits about us and our heads above water, but if we truly believe in the Lord God Almighty and His awesome Son Jesus Christ and the amazing working of the Holy Spirit, then we can do whatever we need to do in their names and strength to fulfill the mandate they’ve given us; that is to spread the gospel all over the world and be obedient to their commands; living a life of LOVE and good fellowship. 

Now here’s a word from Gramps Schuller (Dr. Robert H. Schuller) on the matter from His Hour of Power Devotional, something he calls ‘the Possibility Thinker’s Creed.’ Please pray with me: ‘When faced with a mountain, I will not quit! I will keep on striving until I climb over, find a pass through, tunnel underneath, or simply stay and turn the mountain into a gold mine – with God’s help!’ 

Mamma Mia! That’s what you call tenacity and stick-to-itiveness! (smile) And that’s exactly what is expected of the true believer, the true Christian soul – no giving up, because the words ‘give up’ don’t exist in Jesus’ vocabulary. And how could it eh friends, when He claims to be able to do ALL things, impossible or otherwise, and support us in doing the same? 

And giving up also makes this verse of scripture which we like to quote of no consequence: ‘I can do ALL things through Christ who strengthens me.’ (Phil. 4:13) If that is a true statement then with Jesus’ help, we can keep on keeping on as long as it takes, and as difficult as the task is. 

Yuh see what Gramps Schuller says he’ll do when a mountain gets in his way: He will keep on striving, looking at all the alternatives; climb over it, find a pass through it, tunnel underneath it. And if all of that fails, then he’ll just stay right there and turn the mountain into a gold mine. And that’s how we believers ought to behave; do everything in our power, with God’s help, to succeed, but if none of our efforts are successful, then it means that the Lord wants us to stay right where we are and grow and do His will right there! 

And yuh know what my people, our unsuccessful efforts usually stem from a few basic things. First off, an insufficient amount of mountain moving faith. And one of Jesus’ most critical remarks was: ‘O ye of little faith.’ (Matt.6:30, 8:26, 14:31) Hear His rebuke to the disciples when they could not heal a demon possessed boy and asked Him why. 

‘And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove (move); and nothing shall be impossible to you. Howbeit this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting.’ (Matt.17:20-21) Yes my people, a believer with even a little faith can do a lot of things, especially if his actions are accompanied by sincere prayer and fasting. And I think that’s a catch 22 situation; the li’l faith is built up, made stronger by the prayer and fasting. (smile) 

And the next place we go wrong in living our lives is by ignoring Jesus’ serious command: ‘But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.’ Jesus, as throughout all of the Sermon on the Mount keeps emphasizing the importance of the spiritual living over that of the material. Yes friends, once we have pledged our lives, our allegiance to Christ, we then need to live primarily in the Spirit, and not the flesh, meaning the material things of this world ought not to be our first LOVE. 

‘The believer is to seek first the righteousness that is characteristic of God’s kingdom and then all these things (material things) shall be added to him. When our priority is spiritual, God will take care of the material, for where God guides, He provides.’ It all comes right back to faith my people: if you believe in God, then you must believe that He can and will do whatever He says. 

That’s why Hebrews tells us: ‘But without faith it is impossible to please him (God): for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.’ So basically friends, to be a true believer, we must believe that God exists, then have true faith in Him, and then live the way He wants us to live, not the way we want to live. 

Now for those of us who are sincerely trying to do those things, let’s go home declaring (steups!) our Tuesday Mantra, letting the world know who and whose we are. As one strong and sincere voice: ‘In God’s eyes, I’m not what I do. I’m not what I have. I’m not what people say about me. I am the beloved of God, that’s who I am. No one can take that from me. I don’t have to worry. I don’t have to hurry. I can trust my friend Jesus and share His LOVE with the world.  Amen!’ 

Now let’s go out and share that amazing LOVE and friendship, as Jesus so greatly desires of us nuh! Much LOVE!

…Christianity 101…believe that there is a God…have sincere faith in Him…be truly obedient to His will…

Today’s Scrip-Bit 11 July 2019 John 15:10.

11 Jul 2019 Leave a comment

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John 15:10.    ​If ye keep my commandments; ye shall abide in my LOVE; even as I have kept my Father’s commandments, and abide in his LOVE.
 

Greeting and salutations this summer Thursday morning from our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, to all who truly believe in Him and sincerely strive to be obedient to His holy will! Oh friends, it is necessary to believe in Jesus if you desire to be saved, but that’s just the easy part of it. To truly be a worthwhile part of His kingdom, we also need to obey His rules and regulations. 

I know some of you are going to say that is bunkum, because Christ died to get us away from the rules and regulations of religion. But just think for a moment, how can any organization survive and thrive unless there are some basic rules and regulations for those involved to follow? 

It won’t. It will just turn into a free for all with everybody wanting to and doing their own thing, which is the current reflection of our society, as well as Christ’s church; strife-filled, greedy, selfish, power hungry, filled with cliques that are resentful to each other, immoral, without true LOVE and forgiveness, etc. etc. 

You know that even in the kingdom of the wild animals there are basic rules, or more like basic behaviour patterns that they all uphold, because they know that if they don’t, their species are liable to suffer irreparable harm. But not the great creation, mankind, who behaves even wilder than the wildest wild animal, and will tear his fellow human being to shreds without even a pang of remorse. 

That’s the kind of world we’re living in now my people! A dog eat dog kind of society; where the first person singular is the most important, and the remainder can simply go suffer as best they can! But that’s not how Jesus expects His followers to live and behave. 

Listen to Him as He spells it out for the disciples. ‘As the Father hath LOVED me, so have I LOVED you: continue ye (abide) in my LOVE. If ye keep my commandments; ye shall abide in my LOVE; even as I have kept my Father’s commandments, and abide in his LOVE.’ (John 15:9-10) Yuh see friends, even Jesus had rules from His Father to follow… and He followed them. 

As Bruh Paul puts it to the Philippians: ‘And being found in fashion (appearance) as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. (Phil.2:8) Yeh mih people, yuh think Jesus really wanted to die such a horrible sacrificial death as He did? No way! But because the Father asked, and He respected and LOVED the Father, He did it. 

That’s why the Father exalted Him thus, with the name that’s higher than every other name in the universe, and to whom all knees should bow and every tongue confess that He’s Lord, to the glory of the Father. (Phil.2:9-11) And my fellow believers, though Jesus’ sacrificial death was very important, in and of itself, what’s truly heart stopping, is His level of obedience to the Father’s wishes. 

He never did anything down here on earth without first consulting the Father, and throughout His entire earthly life always noted that He was doing the Father’s will not His own. In like fashion, we, Christ’s supposed followers in this age, His church in these trying and troubled times, ought to be very concerned about doing His bidding. 

Not fighting amongst each other, being hypocritical and compromising, and causing His body to get a bad reputation from the unbeliever, with people turning away from Him in droves. But that’s exactly what we’re doing these days. Yuh think if the majority of supposed Christians would behave like real Christians, walk their talk; our world would be in such a miserable, degraded and degenerate state? 

Of course not! But instead of being the salt and light that Jesus expects us to be, we are behaving just like the evil world; not merely being in it, as He desires, but woefully being a part of it! That’s not good enough my brethren, because all it does is bring disrepute to Christ and all that He stands for. I don’t know how we can stand up and call ourselves Christians when we don’t abide by His commandments. 

Listen to Him to the disciples again. ‘This is my commandment, That ye LOVE one another, as I have LOVED you. Greater LOVE hath no man that this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you.’ (John 15:12-14) 

Oh my fellow saints in Christ, it couldn’t be put any plainer than that! All Jesus requires of us is that we LOVE each other, and that simply means treat others kindly and with respect, and to do as He desires. And if we do, then He considers us His friend. The sad fact of the matter though is that right now too many of us are not His friends, because we’re not doing as He commands. 

But remember friends, we each will have to stand before Him on the judgement day and give account of our earthly lives, and when He tells us to stand on His left hand, not His right because we’re goats and not sheep, (Matt.25:31-46 – Please take a moment and read it), many of us will hold our heads and bawl, but then it will be too late. So please, let’s do as He commands now nuh, while we still have the ability to improve our standing in His organization. That’s wisdom of the highest order! 

And now, having preached fire and brimstone (smile) let’s go home declaring (yeh!) our Thursday Blessings, the Lord’s goodness and mercy so undeservedly showered down on us to help us do His earthly work. In full voice and sincere belief: ‘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 everyday! Amen!’ 

Oh my people, what a wonderful God we serve and worship! No other deity would ever give us all those blessings, even if we deserved them. But remember, they are not for us to selfishly hoard, but to go out and generously share them with others as He generously shared them with us. Much LOVE!

…on the judgement day…to be counted as sheep and not goats…one must obey Christ’s commands…TODAY… 

P.S. Sorry that the Bit’s a tad late, but I went to bed in the early hours of the morning, and thus got up in the late ones. (smile) Much LOVE!

 

 

 

Today’s Scrip-Bit 19 April 2017 1 Peter 1:3.

19 Apr 2017 Leave a comment

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1 Peter 1:3.    Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively (living) hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.

Welcome to Wednesday friends! It’s a brand new day with brand new mercies and blessings! Glory to God for providing us with such abundance! 

In return we ought to give Him much thanks and praise, be obedient to His holy will and enjoy the day. That’s why we can all sincerely shout: ‘This is the day the Lord has made, we WILL rejoice and be glad in it!’ 

And if we don’t follow through with that declaration, then it’s only us losing, foolishly forsaking God’s goodness. The Lord will still be in His high heaven enjoying Himself, but we will be miserable down here on planet earth. 

Consequently, I want to share a poem from our One Year Book of Bible Promises with writings by Ruth Harms Calkin that’s titled ‘So Profound.’ 

And it says: ‘O God I want to sing and dance I want to shout it from the hilltops: There is absolutely nothing In my wretched past That can hinder You From redeeming my future Except my refusal to let You. Thank You for invading my heart With a truth so refreshing So magnificent So profound!’ 

Yeh mih people, we should be singing and dancing and giving praise each and every day that we’re alive, thankful for our wonderful God’s redeeming and forgiving nature! 

And it’s surprising when we live a thankful and grateful life how interesting and adventurous are our days! We don’t sit around moping and groaning and complaining because things aren’t going our way. 

But it’s surprising how many supposed believers unwisely live that miserable sort of life even with God’s goodness and mercy right at their fingertips. 

And we should be especially thankful and grateful at this most important time of year when Jesus rose from the dead to allow us to have the free, God-given options of salvation and eternal life! Glory to God! 

And the Bible Promises used for that poem are some verses from 1 Peter that we recently looked at, but are certainly worthy of sharing again, the first one being our Bit. 

‘Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively (living) hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. 

To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you. Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time’ (1 Pet.1:3-5) 

Ah mih people, our God is so great that our small, finite minds can’t even truly comprehend His greatness! And don’t talk about His LOVE! Wow! That is so out of sight that it boggles our imagination! 

For before we LOVED Him, He LOVED us and sent His Son to die in our place, so that our sins could be forgiven! Now if that isn’t the ultimate in LOVE, then I don’t know what is!  

Now let’s look at some explanations of our verses from the scholars. ‘1:3-2:10. The Christian’s destiny: salvation. Salvation means “deliverance.” Peter’s view of salvation is ultimate salvation, that is, when the believer will be rescued from this world into the presence of God.’ 

‘1:3-12. The plan of salvation. Peter does not look at time from a Western perspective. The Hebrews regarded the present as so fleeting that in their language they have essentially only two tenses: past and future.’ 

‘1:3-5. The portrayal of salvation looks to the future. The author of salvation is portrayed as the blessed God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. The work of salvation (vs. 3-5) is described as to its effect. Hath begotten us again refers to a new stage of life that begins at salvation. 

This lively hope has no element of uncertainty, for it is guaranteed by Jesus’ resurrection from the dead. The believer’s inheritance is described as incorruptible (Gr. aphtharton), imperishable or indestructible, and undefiled (i.e. morally untainted). 

That fadeth not away (Gr. amaranton) means it is not subject to the ravages of time. Further it is reserved (Gr. teteremenen, perfect tense), that is, it has been preserved in the past and still is in heaven. 

Kept is a present passive participle – we are secure because we are continually guarded by God, who never relaxes His vigil. Salvation here refers to final salvation, that is, deliverance from the presence of sin and into the presence of God.’ 

Yeh friends, the explanations might take some effort to understand, but that’s how we get to know the word. And besides, the most important fact is that it’s all for our good! So please make the effort to grasp it and hang on to it. Hope you enjoyed the lesson in Greek too. (smile) 

Now let’s end by sincerely declaring our Wednesday Wail. ‘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!’ 

Now let’s truly live it my brethren! Much LOVE!

…the great gift of salvation…would not be possible without Jesus’ sacrificial death…and His awesome resurrection…

 

 

Today’s Scrip-Bit 7 August 2015 Psalm 119:27

07 Aug 2015 Leave a comment

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

Psalm 119:27.    Make me to understand the way of thy precepts: so shall I talk of (meditate on) thy wondrous works.

And then it was Friday; a short workweek for many of us after the Caribana weekend. And yuh better believe many of us are truly thankful as we tiredly shout: ’TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday yes! Mama yo! Though the week’s been short, it’s been truly rough. So hard to catch yuhself after all the Caribana partying. Thank God for true that is Friday oui!! Definitely going to rest this weekend away.’ Hn, hn!
 
Yes Friends, when we abuse our body it does come back to haunt us. But remember the weekend is not solely for rest, but also for participation in godly fellowship, so to help us keep the right perspective, let’s chant our Friday Chant with whatever verve and gusto we can muster. (smile)
 
As one 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 my people, it’s ever so important that our souls, bodies and minds be renewed and refreshed so that we can go back out with a spring in our step, hungry hope and expectant faith in our souls, to continue putting up a good fight for Jesus against the godless infidel.
 
Yes, because our mission is to be salt and light to a dark and flavourless world, as well as to spread the good news of Jesus all around the globe! Jesus delegated that awesome job to a handful of men before He ascended into heaven, and look at the wonderful work they’ve wrought.
 
Two thousand years later, it is now our turn to spread the Word, to bring Jesus and His wonderful salvation to the masses. And no generation has ever had the ability to really spread the gospel of Jesus all over the world, like we now have, with the many forms of almost immediate communication at our command.
 
So please let’s get a move on with it nuh. No excuses will be tolerated. (smile) Do we want to be labeled the generation who could, but didn’t? Obviously not!
 
Therefore let’s get on our horses and ride; tell others about Jesus, and above all, live a life that’s pleasing and obedient to Him, so that those we talk to will see the genuine LOVE and desire working and reflecting in us. That’s the only way to do it my brethren.
 
That brings us to our most appropriate Bit. ‘Make me to understand the way of thy precepts: so shall I talk of (meditate on) thy wondrous works.’
 
Yes my people, we can’t talk sensibly about what we don’t understand, therefore we need the Lord’s help to bring us to a true understanding of His Word. Like at work, we need a supervisor to explain the instructions, the duties of the job, otherwise we’d just make a mess of things.
 
The psalmist says earlier in this section of Psalm 119, under the heading – Make me to understand thy way: ‘My soul cleaveth unto (clings to) the dust: quicken (revive) thou me according to thy word. I have declared my ways, and thou heardest (answered) me: teach me thy statutes.’ (Ps.119:25-26)
 
Ah Friends, we desperately need to know God’s Word, but unfortunately too many of us are either too lazy, too busy, or simply not interested in making the effort it requires to do so. However we are quite ready, willing and able make the effort to acquire and learn about the things of the world though!
 
I’m sorry Friends, but that’s not the way it ought to be. Remember Jesus said that our first requirement is to seek the kingdom of God and its righteousness, and then all the things of the world that we need would be granted to us. (Matt.6:33)
 
If we unwisely choose to do it the other way, then we’ll just have to suffer the consequences. For remember too that there ARE consequences for disobedience.
 
My people, we need to be able to talk about our God as sincerely as Bruh David does in Psalm 145 – The Lord is gracious. ‘Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised; and his greatness is unsearchable (beyond our understanding). One generation shall praise thy works to another, and shall declare thy mighty acts.
 
I will speak of (meditate on) the glorious honour (splendour) of thy majesty, and of thy wondrous works. And men shall speak of the might of thy terrible (awesome) acts: and I will declare thy greatness. They shall abundantly (eagerly) utter the memory of thy great goodness, and shall sing of thy righteousness.’ (Ps.145:3-7)
 
Oh Friends, are we that passionate about our God, about our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ? I don’t think so. At least not sufficient of us supposed believers. But then again, we can’t be passionate about Jesus when we don’t spend sufficient serious time in His Word.
 
We ought to be able to sincerely shout out like Isaiah: ‘For the grave cannot praise thee, death cannot celebrate thee: they that go down into the pit (grave) cannot hope for thy truth. The living, the living, he shall praise thee, as I do this day: the father to the children shall make known thy truth.’ (Is.38:18-19)
 
Yes Friends, we are the living, and we are the fathers to the children, so please let’s praise and make known our magnificent and magnanimous God, for therein lies the wisdom of the ages. Much LOVE!
 
…only as we diligently learn…and deeply immerse ourselves in the things of  God…can we talk wisely and sincerely about Him…

 

 

 

 

Today’s Scrip-Bit 13 March 2015 1 Corinthians 3:11‏‏‏‏‏

13 Mar 2015 Leave a comment

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

1 Corinthians 3:11. For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ.

 
Well Friends, the wheel of life has spun again and ended up on Friday. And obviously the workers of the world are going to greet it with opened arms and glorious shouts of ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday and the wonderful weekend is upon us! Oh thank our great God that at last it’s Friday and massa work soon done for a couple days!’
 
Yeh mih people, I know that many of us just live to see Friday come around to get out of work, but that’s not the right way to live this earthly and potentially wonderful life.
 
And today some of you are concerned because it’s Friday the 13th, which is recognized in some circles as a Black Friday. Steups! But that’s utter nonsense my brethren, so please pay no attention to it!  
 
Nothing untoward is going to happen just because a Friday falls on the thirteenth of the month. And even if there were some truth to it, the mighty power of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ would be more than sufficient to blast it away.
 
So let’s just put all those Anansi stories and old wives tales out of our minds and chant our Friday Chant to give us the right perspective on the situation.
 
As one glorious 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, that’s more like how we ought to view this Friday and the weekend that follows; with God and rest as our priorities. And today is definitely the last day for this Bit. (smile) ‘For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ.’
 
Words of unalterable truth my people! For everything in this world is based and built on Jesus, the rock of all ages! And nothing prospers for long unless it is founded on Him!
 
So let’s listen to Peter as he talks about Christ, the living stone. ‘To whom coming, as unto a living stone, disallowed (rejected) indeed of men, but chosen of God, and precious, Ye also, as lively (living) stones, are (being) built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ.
 
Wherefore also it is contained in the scripture, Behold, I lay in Zion a chief corner stone, elect (chosen), precious: And he that believeth on him shall not be confounded (put to shame).
 
Unto you therefore which believe he is precious: but unto them which be disobedient, the stone which the builders disallowed (rejected), the same is made the head of the corner (the chief corner stone).
 
And a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offence, even to them which stumble at word being disobedient (being disobedient to the word): whereunto also they were appointed.
 
But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a peculiar people (God’s own special people): that ye should show forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light: which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God: which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy.’ (1 Pet.2:4-10)
 
Oh Friends, what a wonderful thing Jesus did by sacrificing His sinless life for us on the cross at Calvary! Look at the number of benefits that have come forth from it nuh! How can we not be thankful and lead praiseworthy, obedient and thankful lives eh!
 
Now here are some valuable explanations from the scholars. ‘2:4-8. Are built up is the main verb in this section. The choice of the word shows that the building is not haphazard, but is according to an intelligent plan brought to reality by a Master Craftsman, which sets forth the fact of our integration into the body of Christ (v5).
 
The overall design is a spiritual house, which describes the nature of the body of Christ, that is, a house in which God dwells. The material used to build the house is figuratively presented as lively (living) stones.
 
Christ is also described as a living stone (lit. “a worked stone” or “a precious stone that is living”). Disallowed by Israel but acceptable (Gr. eklekton entimon, lit, “elect and precious”) to God.’
 
‘2:9-10. The priesthood of the believer and his unique relationship to God are described by the terms a chosen generation… a royal priesthood… a holy nation. Thus, the New Testament church stands in a unique relationship to God as did Old Testament Israel.’
 
Oh Friends what a unique and privileged set of people we are, with direct access to God, but also a responsibility to be obedient to His Will. That’s the birthright of every Christian! So please, I implore us to use those tools of our birthright with proper reverence, diligence and respect.
 
Let’s praise His Holy Name, do His earthly work by helping, LOVING and giving of our substance to others and praying for each other. That in a nutshell is what Jesus calls us to do my people. So let’s get out there and do it nuh, wisely and diligently! Much LOVE!
 
…to be a part of Jesus’ body…His church…is the greatest thing that can happen to a human being… 
 
P.S.  Ah Friends, you definitely can’t gripe today about the Bit being long. (smile) Much LOVE!

 

 

 

 

Today’s Scrip-Bit 20 January 2015 Psalm 3:8

20 Jan 2015 Leave a comment

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

Psalm 3:8.  Salvation belongeth unto the Lord: thy blessing is upon thy people.   Selah.

Oh Friends, welcome to another one of Jehovah God’s beautiful days – this one called Tuesday!

And would you believe that he made it specially for us; that we could rejoice and be glad in it, while being obedient to His will and having brilliant communication with Him, as a Friend, a Father and our God?

Wow! What an awesome Deity we serve and worship my people!

And that’s not even the whole story; for when we had foolishly sinned, when our forefathers had fallen short of God’s glory, and thus instigated His reproach and our fall from heavenly grace, He did not reject us, but instead, through the wonderful and unconditional LOVE that He bears for us, His most brilliant and amazing creation, He sacrificed His only son, Jesus Christ, so that we could be once again welcomed into Friendship, Fellowship and Fatherly status with Him!

Oh Friends, Almighty God LOVED us so much that he broke His own heart so that reconciliation could be achieved between a sinful creation and a holy and righteous God!

Mama Mia! How truly awesome, amazing, LOVING, generous and kind is our heavenly Father!

And yet so many of us still doubt that He even exists, and that He does indeed LOVE and desire constant and consistent communication with us.

Chuh! If sacrificing the apple of His eye, His Son Jesus Christ doesn’t prove His all encompassing LOVE for us, His ungrateful and sinful children, then I don’t know what else will, for it is the greatest act of compassion, of mercy, and of grace that has ever been made in man’s history!

So my fellow believers and followers of Jesus Christ, let’s raise our heads, hands, hearts and eyes to heaven this chilly Tuesday morning and gratefully utter a few words of thanks to Almighty God.

Please pray with me: ‘Oh heavenly father, You are such an amazing and benevolent parent, that there are no words to truly describe Your LOVING- kindness to us. Our vocabulary is so small and narrow that the most our finite minds can come up with is Thank You! Thank You for being so wonderful to us, although we don’t truly deserve Your grace, mercy and forgiveness.

And above all, we most heartily thank You for sending Jesus to earth to be the atonement for our sins! That alone shows the great compassion and LOVE that You have for us!

And today, we ask that through Your enabling and empowering Spirit, You lead and guide us safely, enable us to do Your Holy Will, to live out the plan You have for our lives, so that we can maintain the wonderful relationship we have forged with You over time.

Please give us Your peace, wisdom and understanding so that we may not stray, but walk the straight and narrow path that leads directly to You. This we pray in the name of Your precious Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen!’

Oh my brethren, I sincerely tried to keep it to a few words, but I just couldn’t cut it any shorter. (smile) And though the length of our prayers isn’t the important thing, sometimes we just have to let what truly is in our hearts just flow out until it comes to its own natural end. That’s what happened with me there just now.

And would you believe that the Spirit of God working in me, is now saying that our God is so great and wonderful that we ought to give Him another glorious shout of thanks and praise! So why don’t we eh? (smile)

‘Yes Lord, Your people are so blessed, so thankful for Your blessings and Your benevolence, that we just want to exclaim another big and loud, ‘THANK YOU! Thank You for all that You’ve done, are currently doing, and has promised to do in our lives!

We give You enormous praise, and promise to be as obedient to Your Will as we humanly can. We pledge this on the precious blood of our dear Jesus, who was sacrificed on Calvary’s cross for our misdemeanors, and because of that, we’re now back in Your fold again, made a new creation through the death, resurrection and ascension of Jesus.

We LOVE You Father, and will praise and glorify Your Holy Name as we lead our earthly lives today, and every day! Please accept our humble, heartfelt prayer in Jesus’ name. Amen!’

Oh mih people, I’m chuckling here, as it seems the Holy Spirit has just led us to a day of prayer. And it’s all consistent with the words of Bruh David proclaimed in our Bit. ‘Salvation belongeth unto the Lord: thy blessing is upon thy people.   Selah.’

Those are words of absolute truth Friends! Salvation is indeed of and from the Lord, His free gift of grace, and His many blessings are so generously bestowed upon His people.

And a mighty torrent of thanks and praise rose up from His grateful children. “Oh thank You, thank You Father! That’s the best that we can say, but You can read the true level of thanks in our hearts!’

Now let’s look at a couple of scripture passages that attest to the truth of our Bit and all that we’ve said today. Listen to Bruh David state the awesome and living truth again from Psalm 28 – A prayer for God’s help.

‘The Lord is their strength, and he is the saving strength of his anointed (Messiah, commissioned One). Save thy people, and bless thine inheritance: feed (shepherd) them also, and lift them up for ever.’ (Ps.28:8-9)

No one else can do those things my brethren! None but Almighty God!

And we’ll close with God’s own words on the subject, spoken through His prophet Isaiah. ‘Tell ye, and bring them near; yea, let them take counsel together; who hath declared this from ancient time? who hath told it from that time? have not I the Lord? and there is no God else beside me; a just God and a Saviour; there is none beside me. Look unto (turn to) me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth: for I am God, and there is none else.’ (Is.45:21-22)

Oh my brethren, I implore us to take those words of absolute truth and write them indelibly in our hearts, souls and minds, so that we can use them to our benefit in these truly trying last days! That’s the wisdom of heaven! Much LOVE!

…the unconditional LOVE…the mercy…the grace…the forgiveness…and the blessings of God…are now flowing through me…in a wonderful pattern of success…

P.S. Friends, it’s late, but it’s wonderful; uplifting and encouraging! (smile) Hope it touches you as much as it touched me in writing it. Much LOVE!