The Beauty and Wisdom of putting One’s Total Trust in Almighty God!

09 Oct 2024 Leave a comment

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

Psalm 4:8.       I will both lay me down in peace, and sleep: for thou, Lord, only makest me dwell in safety.

Ah friends, the cold weather seems to have finally found us! Yes, the past few days have been rather chilly, with temps barely meeting the mid-teens, and just now as I came down to write the Bit, I decided it was time to turn on some heat in the cold house. Some people might find it too early, or it’s not cold enough for heat, dressing up in a pile of sweaters to stay warm in the house, trying to save a few measly dollars, but I’m too old and cold for that foolishness. I like my comfort, and am willing to pay for it. (smile) 

And today we’re going to look at an interesting poem from Our One Year Book of Bible Promises, with writings by Ruth Harms Calkin. This one is titled ‘Beautiful Things Happen:’  And I don’t think I’ve ever shared this one before, because it seems new and unfamiliar to me. But who knows, there are three hundred and sixty-five poems, and though I’ve been sharing them for a number of years, I’m sure I’ve not shared them all. Anyway, they are all interesting and worth hearing over and over. (smile) 

So please read with me: ‘O God such beautiful things happen When I meet you day by day In quietness and confidence. There is a deep inner wholeness And the assurance of Your guidance. I am not so easily disturbed By changing circumstances. I am less dependent on others And more dependent on You. My eyes may be full of tears But my heart is full of joy. In discovering Your hidden treasures I learn how deeply I am treasured by You. When day by day I am responsive To Your whispered secrets You do more for me in one day Than I could do for myself in a lifetime.’ 

And that’s the gospel truth my people! When we listen to God and respond positively to His guidance we are able to do much more in a short period of time than if we tried to do it in our own strength! And that’s the beauty of having a close and intimate relationship with Christ; we accomplish much more than if we work on our own. Oh, if the majority of believers, and the world as a whole could only realize that eh! Can you imagine the wonderful world we’d have! But unfortunately most of us don’t truly listen to the Lord and His Word, or the Holy Spirit that indwells us, and try to do things on our own! No wonder life can be so difficult and not as prosperous for many of us. 

Oh friends, it’s a habit we need to pick up and become addicted to. (smile) That’s meeting in quietness and confidence with God each and every day, so we can get the assurance of His amazing guidance, and not be running around every day, like chickens with our heads cut off as our circumstances change. And I can personally testify to the statement about being less dependent on others when you become more dependent on God. That has happened to me during the last few months of this year. 

And yes, when we realize how treasured we are by our Creator, Almighty God, then, though our prevailing circumstances might cause tears to fill our eyes, however our hearts can be bursting with joy, because we know that we are totally, unconditionally and irrevocably LOVED and our future is in God’s good and powerful hands! It’s not always easy to feel that way, but once we truly know God, our ever-changing circumstances won’t hit us as hard, as if we don’t know Him. 

Now, here are the Bible verses that pertain to this poem. I’ll give you the one in the Book first, that’s the New Living Translation. ‘You have given me greater joy than those who have abundant harvests of grain and wine. I will lie down in peace and sleep, for you alone, O Lord, will keep me safe.’ Now, let’s hear how Bruh David most likely wrote it. (smile) ‘Thou hast put gladness in my heart, more than in the time that their corn (grain) and wine increased. I will both lay me down in peace, and sleep: for thou, Lord, only makest me dwell in safety.’  (Ps. 4:7-8) 

And we hear the same sentiments from Bruh David in Psalm 3 – The Lord Protects His People – written when he ran from his son Absalom, who rebelled against his kingship. He writes: ‘Many there be which say of my soul, There is no help for him in God. Selah. But thou, O Lord art a shield for (around) me; my glory, and the lifter up (the one who lifts up) mine head. I cried unto the Lord with my voice, and he heard me out of his holy hill (mountain). Selah. I laid me down and slept; I awaked; for the Lord sustained me.’ (Ps. 3:2-5) 

And you know my fellow believers that we cannot doubt Bruh David’s testimonies in those matters. When he was on the run from King Saul for all those years, he had a good relationship with the Lord, and the Lord kept him safe. And also when he ran from his son Absalom’s rebellion, although by then he had done much wrong, and that was one of the consequences of his wrong doing, he still had a good relationship with the Lord, and again it was the Lord who protected him, made him win the war and eventually be restored to his rightful place on the throne of Israel. 

So there’s great wisdom and assurance in placing one’s entire trust in the ONE TRUE GOD; He of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. But unfortunately that assurance doesn’t come overnight, or easily. No, it’s built on time spent with God, with experience through the rough times and the good times, and gradually understanding that He is indeed who He says He is, and will indeed do what He says He will do. And these words from the author of Hebrews must form the basis of our belief. ‘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.’ (Heb. 11:6) 

And with those poignant words knocking at our hearts, let’s go home declaring (yesss!!!) our Wednesday Wail, letting the whole world know of our wonderful position in Christ Jesus. As one strong and sincere voice: ‘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!’ 

And if we endure right to the very end with Jesus, then that future will be even more glorious than we can ask or imagine. So please, let’s be wise and plan to meet there nuh! Much LOVE!

…one can NEVER go wrong…in putting one’s entire trust in Jesus…

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

Today’s Scrip-Bit   25 August 2022   Psalm 4:8.

25 Aug 2022 Leave a comment

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

Psalm 4:8.        I will both lay me down in peace, and sleep: for thou, Lord, only makest me to dwell in safety.

And as we come to Thursday, the penultimate day in the work week, many of us are feeling a sense of anticipatory relief quietly washing over us as Friday and the weekend draw near. However, our sense of anticipatory relief should not be emanating from the nearness of the weekend or any man-made factor, but from our nearness to Jehovah God; the personal intimacy we share with the Creator of the universe and all therein, which includes our frail and fragile bodies and souls. 

For ONLY He can give us sincere, rock-solid promises and security when life doesn’t go the way we desire. ONLY our great God can assure us of His peace, mercy, grace and salvation when things go wrong and the darkness and the evil of this ungodly world clouds our very lives. And yuh know what friends? There is so much evil and darkness in our world right now, that at some stage and time of our lives, some of that pervasive negative influence will automatically invade our lives, at least for a short season. 

And if we don’t know Jesus as Lord and Saviour, it will be nigh impossible to get rid of it, once its evil, ungodly, octopus-like tentacles get a foothold in our souls and bodies. But when we know Jesus as Lord and Saviour… Oh then… ‘Beautiful Things Happen!’ Yes, they do my brethren, as this poem from our One Year Book of Bible Promises, with writings by Ruth Harms Calkin ascertains. So please read it with me, with a sense of anticipatory relief. (smile) 

‘O God Such beautiful things happen When I meet you day by day In quietness and confidence. There is a deep inner wholeness And the assurance of Your guidance. I am not so easily disturbed By changing circumstances. I am less dependent on others And more dependent on You. My eyes may be full of tears But my heart is full of joy. In discovering Your hidden treasures I learn how deeply I am treasured by You. When day by day I am responsive To your whispered secrets You do more for me in one day Than I could do for myself in a lifetime.’ 

Wow mih people! That is the God awesome truth! Our great and wonderful God can do so much more for us in one day than we can ever do for ourselves in an entire lifetime! But we have to believe, to buy into Him and His Word with the utmost confidence. We must be filled to the brim with the hope and faith that He is able to do all that He promises. That’s the only way to enjoy the marvellous wonders of a personal intimacy with Him. 

And I don’t know why it’s so hard for us to believe that our Heavenly Father, our Creator LOVES us and only desires the best for us nuh, when He sent His ONLY son, Jesus Christ to die on the cross of Calvary so that our sins could be forgiven and we could get back into His good graces. The Good Book says it so clearly and beautifully: ‘But God commendeth (demonstrated) his (own) LOVE toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.’ (Rom. 5:8) Yes friends, why would anybody, man or God, allow their only child to die for a bunch of sinful ingrates eh, unless they had a real true and genuine LOVE and compassion for them? 

And Jesus Himself said it to the disciples: ‘Greater LOVE hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.’ (John 15:13) And that’s exactly what He went out and did; laid down His life for us, so that we could obtain forgiveness, be reconciled to the Father, and have salvation and eternal life through His substitutionary death. 

So please, let’s forget this foolishness that God doesn’t LOVE us, and remember instead that He is our Sovereign Lord, as well as our Father, and just like we don’t take nonsense from our children, He doesn’t take nonsense from us. And just like we provide rules and regulations for our children to follow, likewise, there are rules and regulations we need to follow if we want to end up in His fold. And just like we punish our children when they don’t toe the line, so He punishes us when we move away from the straight and narrow path. 

But the one big difference between us and our heavenly Father is that He NEVER puts us out of His fold, NEVER asks us to leave when we misbehave to the point where He can’t take it anymore. That’s because He is long-suffering, LOVING and compassionate, while we human parents have a finite amount of patience and LOVE, and when we reach that point, we ask our children to leave our homes, and ofttimes have nothing more to do with them, unless they come up to our levels of responsibility. 

But our heavenly Father doesn’t do that. When we succumb to the evil and darkness of this world, that’s when He gets down and dirty and comes seeking us with a passion that can never be matched by a human parent, and He sticks with us through all the dark and tough times and helps us to renew our strength and confidence. The evil enemy Satan doesn’t do that, because he has no LOVE for us. He just wants to drag us as deep as possible into the mire in which he’s immersed. The deeper we sink, the more he gloats. 

And I’m chuckling here, because in my passion to prove that God LOVES us, it seems like I’ve completely forgotten about our poem, and the Bible Verses on which it was based. But that’s how it is when the goodness and grace of God gets into your spirit. And that’s exactly what our poem is saying; although life can be rough and tough, walking with Jehovah God is so wonderful, so mind boggling, so unexpectedly different, that at any moment anything can happen, a new adventure could just rise up unexpectedly and carry you away to a land of bliss you’ve never known or even expected. 

And finally, (smile) here are the Bible verses on which the poem is based. None other than the last two verses of Psalm 4 – An evening prayer of trust in God. Please read and inwardly digest with me, these wonderful words of Bruh David. ‘Thou hast put gladness in my heart, more than in the time that their corn (grain) and their wine increased. I will both lay me down in peace, and sleep: for thou, Lord, only makest me to dwell in safety.’ (Ps. 4:7-8) 

Oh my fellow believers, how wonderful is that eh! When we sincerely have Christ in our lives, then our hearts are filled with gladness, and we can lie down and sleep in peace despite all the troubles around us! Now it just doesn’t happen overnight, or with no effort on our part, but the Lord is such a good God that He bestows benefits and blessings on us that we don’t truly deserve, but which enable us to do His earthly work, to be good ambassadors on his behalf. We call them our Thursday Blessings, which we need to say out loud for them to be activated. 

So, let’s do that right now nuh. In strong and confident voice: ‘I declare that I am blessed with God’s supernatural wisdom and receive clear direction for my life! I declare today that I am blessed with creativity, courage, talent and abundance! I am blessed with a strong will, self-control and self-discipline! I am blessed with a great family, good friends, good health, faith, favour and fulfillment! 

I am blessed with success, supernatural strength, promotion and divine protection! I am blessed with a compassionate heart and a positive outlook on life! I declare that any curse or negative word that’s ever been spoken over me is broken right now in the name of Jesus! I declare that everything I put my hands to, will prosper and succeed! I declare it today and every day! Amen!’ 

Now, let’s go out and use those magnificent blessings to help others come to Christ. That’s our bounden duty! Much LOVE!

…LOVE never fails…LOVE never gives up…LOVE is the be all and end all… 

Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZJ8​        

Today’s Scrip-Bit 30 September 2020 Psalm 4:7.

30 Sep 2020 Leave a comment

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

Psalm 4:7.     Thou hast put gladness in my heart, more than in the time that their corn (grain) and their wine increased.

Well it’s another brand new day in the life my friends and fellow believers. And yes, like always, it’s filled with all the new mercies and compassions that our Lord God has promised! What a divine blessing and incomparable benefit! But we have to joyfully accept them and then productively use them, for them to be of any real benefit to us. So let’s hope, like the manna the Lord fed the Israelites with so long ago in the wilderness, we have gathered up our mercies and compassions for this day and have put them to work to the benefit of His holy name and will. For that’s the main purpose of our lives on this planet Earth; doing His Will while obeying His Word. 

And that’s all I have to say this morning! (smile) But our friend Ruth Harms Calkin has something wonderful to share with us; it’s a poem called ‘Beautiful Things Happen,’ and it’s taken from our One Year Book of Bible Promises. So please pray with me: ‘O God such beautiful things happen when I meet You day by day In quietness and confidence. There is a deep inner wholeness And the assurance of Your guidance.

 I am not so easily disturbed By changing circumstances. I am less dependent on others And more dependent on You. My eyes may be full of tears But my heart is full of joy. In discovering Your hidden treasures I learn how deeply I am treasured by You. When day by day I am responsive To Your whispered secrets You do more for me in one day Than I could do for myself in a lifetime.’ 

Now isn’t that the gospel truth my brethren! The Lord does more for us in one single, solitary day than we could ever do for ourselves in a whole lifetime! But all those things don’t just come automatically; we have to seek Him and meet and greet and reverence and worship and enjoy His friendship,LOVE, grace and mercy that He gives so freely to those who ask for and receive it. Remember friends, in God’s economy, asking and receiving are very important. Remember these crucial words of Jesus: ‘Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find: knock, and it shall be opened unto you.’ (Matt. 7:7) 

And his brother James follows that up with these immortal words: ‘Ye lust, and have not: ye kill (murder), and desire to have (covet), and cannot obtain: ye fight and war (battle), yet ye have not, because ye ask not.’ (James 4:2) Yes friends, we try to do all those things in our own strength, but the true answer to life is going to our heavenly Father and asking Him for whatever we desire. And James spells out the problem even further: ‘Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts (pleasures).’ (James 4:3) 

And isn’t that the indisputable truth? It certainly is, because when we do ask, we too often ask for unimportant things, lustful things of the world, things that don’t pair up with God’s will for us. And we have this interesting explanation on the subject from the website www.ibelieve.com/faith: ‘Tragedy and shock often prompt us to panic, when it should prompt us to pray. The most powerful weapon we’ve been given to wield often gets shelved for worry, manipulation, and comparison.’ And that’s another indisputable truth! In times of trouble, instead of turning to God with the most powerful tool in the universe, prayer, we unwisely try to manipulate and work things out on our own. 

So the long and short of the story is that we must not only ask, but ask for the right things. And I’m chuckling here because I went off on a tangent there. It wasn’t my intention to talk about all that asking stuff, but it just seemed right and important to mention at this time. 

Anyway, getting back to our poem: ‘Beautiful Things Happen.’ Beautiful things do happen when we surrender our all to God and come humbly and confidently to Him each and every day to renew our fellowship with Him. And though our circumstances might be somewhat rough and difficult, like they are right now, when we encounter Christ, right where we are, though the tears may be flowing like a river from our eyes, because of those unfortunate circumstances, our hearts will be overflowing with joy because we know that our great and wonderful God is ALWAYS near and will ALWAYS look after us once we place our lives in His mighty and oh so compassionate hands. 

Yes friends, our God deeply LOVES and treasures each of His creation. He made NOTHING that He doesn’t LOVE! Remember the remarkable words the Good Book says about the creation? ‘And God saw that it was good…’ (Gen. 1:25) And yes, our sins have disappointed Him greatly, but He still LOVES us so much that He sent His Only Son, Jesus Christ to die for us so that we could be saved from hell fire and eternal damnation! But we need to come to Him! I can’t declare (yeahhh!) how important that is my people. The onus is now on us to accept God’s grace and mercy! 

Now listen to these most reassuring words of Bruh David from Psalm 4 – An evening prayer of trust in God, which are the Bible Promises for our Poem and also our Bit. ‘There may be many that say, Who will show us any good? Lord, lift thou up the light of thy countenance upon us. Thou hast put gladness in my heart, more than in the time that their corn (grain) and their wine increased. I will both lay me down in peace, and sleep: for thou, Lord, only makest me dwell in safety.’ (Ps. 4:6-8) 

Mama Mia! Oh mih people, yuh read them marvellous words of Bruh David! Brother! What could be better than that eh? NOTHING really! When you fellowship and commune with the Lord during the day, you can sleep like a baby at nights, without any worries or real concerns, because He makes those who trust and sincerely believe in Him to sleep in peace! Glory Be! 

Yes, the ole fella’s excited! And if you aren’t excited after reading all that we’ve said today, then ah sorry for yuh yes! And then yuh wonder why life treating yuh so rough and tough. Chuh! It’s simply because yuh not putting enough trust and faith in the Lord God Almighty and living the way He desires you to. And He knows you won’t be perfect, because He’s never made any perfect human beings. But He does require us to come to Him and commune with Him on a regular basis, so that He can give us the desires of our hearts. And not the lustful, ungodly desires, but the true and godly ones! (smile) 

Ah mih people, there’s so much more useful scripture I wanted to quote, but time and space have run out. Maybe tomorrow we can continue, God willing. But now let’s go home declaring (awright!) our Wednesday Wail, letting the whole world know of our most wonderful position in Christ Jesus! 

All together now in strong voice with sincere hearts: ‘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!’ 

And we need to remember, that if we do endure until the end, our future will be even more glorious than we can ever ask or imagine! Give our wonderful God some much deserved praise my people!Much LOVE!

…to know, know, know Him…is to LOVE, LOVE, LOVE Him… 

Today’s Scrip-Bit 27 August 2019 Psalm 4:7.

27 Aug 2019 Leave a comment

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

Psalm 4:7.    ​Thou hast put gladness in my heart, more than in the time that their corn (grain)and their wine increased.
 

Well my people, it’s a rather wet and windy day in my neighbourhood, and most likely in some of yours too. But yuh know what? Through the awesome power of the Holy Spirit which indwells us, we can both enjoy and make good use of the somewhat negative circumstances! Wow! Give our Lord and Saviour much thanks and praise for the enjoyment of life that’s been made ours through His magnanimous sacrifice at Calvary’s cross nuh, for He is fully deserving of it! 

To tell the truth, because of our limited and finite minds, we can’t even come up with a truly ‘gratitudinous’ (smile) answer to His sacrifice, so great is the price He paid for our spiritual freedom! But nonetheless, we’ll muddle along with our limited vocabulary because all He really desires is simple praise and thanks and obedience. 

And just to show how great a relationship is possible with our wonderful God, check out this marvelous poem from our One Year Book of Bible Promises, with writings by Ruth Harms Calkin. It’s titled ‘Beautiful Things Happen!’ And indeed they do when we partner with Jesus! 

Please pray with me: ‘O God Such beautiful things happen When I meet You day by day In quietness and confidence. There is a deep inner wholeness And the assurance of Your guidance. I am not so easily disturbed by changing circumstances. I am less dependent on others And more dependent on You. 

My eyes may be full of tears But my heart is full of joy. In discovering Your hidden treasures I learn how deeply I am treasured by You. When day by day I am responsive To Your whispered secrets You do more for me in one day Than I could do for myself in a lifetime.’ 

Glory to our great and most wonderful God my faithful brethren, because that is the gospel truth! Our Lord does more for us in one day, than we could ever do for ourselves in a whole lifetime! That’s why we ought to treasure and exalt and praise and be obedient to Him! But my favourite line in the poem is ‘I learn how deeply I am treasured by You.’ 

Ah mih people, the Lord certainly treasures us yes, because when we were still sinners, God showed His awesome and unconditional LOVE for us by sending His only Son Jesus Christ to die for us so that we could renew a right relationship with Him! (Rom.5:8) How touching and heartwarming is that eh? Very! Only a truly caring personality would make such a sacrifice! And our God is caring, if nothing else! 

And that’s surely borne out by Jesus’ comments: ‘For the Son of man is come to save that which was lost.’ (Matt.18:11) And also in His parables about the lost, sheep, coin and son: ‘I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine just (upright) persons, which need no repentance.’ (Luke:15:7) 

Oh friends, that just goes to show how much our Godhead treasures even the lost, in fact they don’t want to lose even a single soul to the evil one. And now we come to the scripture passage on which the above poem is based, and which is also our Bit for today. 

From the ever-encouraging words of Bruh David in his evening prayer of trust in God. ‘Thou hast put gladness in my heart, more than in the time that their corn (grain) and their wine increased. I will both lay me down in peace, and sleep: for thou, Lord, only makest me dwell in safety.’ (Ps.4:7-8) 

Oh precious people, that’s the living truth! When we surrender our souls to the perfect trust of God, such joy and gladness permeates our souls, more than even in the time of harvest when we reap the benefits of our labour. And thus we can lie down and sleep in peace, without any worries about what’s’ happening in the world and our individual lives, since our great God, in His awesome trustworthiness keeps us safely under His broad wings, like a mother hen does her chicks! 

Thus the psalmist concludes in Psalm 97, re the Lord is far above all gods. ‘Ye that LOVE the Lord, hate evil: he preserveth the souls of his saints; he delivereth them out of the hand of the wicked. Light is sown for the righteous, and gladness for the upright in heart. Rejoice in the Lord, ye righteous; and give thanks at the remembrance (for the memory) of his holiness (His holy name).’ (Ps.97:10-12) 

Oh my fellow saints in Christ, that is wisdom of enormous proportions! So please let’s be wise and do it nuh. And we can begin right now by declaring (steups!) our Tuesday Mantra, letting the whole world know who and whose we are! In strong, sincere voice now: 

‘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!’ 

So let’s go out and share Jesus’ amazing LOVE and friendship with others, as He’s asked us to do nuh. Much LOVE!

…if you’re a believer…and there’s no joy in your heart…then something’s seriously wrong…talk to the Lord about it… 

P.S. It’s short and sweet today! Give the Lord thanks for that! (smile) 

 

Today’s Scrip-Bit 30 August 2018 Psalm 4:7.

30 Aug 2018 Leave a comment

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

Psalm 4:7.   Thou hast put gladness in my heart, more than in the time that their corn (grain) and wine increased.

It’s a beautiful though somewhat cool Thursday morning! Yeh, the vagaries of the weather are already showing up. And if the weather people are right, today won’t be anywhere as hot as the last two days. But as the man says: ‘That’s life!’ And so we have to live it as it comes. 

And yuh know what friends? When we live this life with God, ‘Beautiful Things Happen,’ as our One Year Book of Bible Promises with writings by Ruth Harms Calkin tells us. 

Please pray with me. ‘O God Such beautiful things happen When I meet you day by day In quietness and confidence. There is a deep inner wholeness And the assurance of Your guidance. I am not so easily disturbed By changing circumstances. I am less dependent on others And more dependent on You. 

My eyes may be full of tears But my heart is full of joy. In discovering Your hidden treasures I learn how deeply I am treasured by You. When day by day I am responsive To Your whispered secrets You do more for me in one day Than I could do for myself in a lifetime.’ 

Indisputable truth friends! All of it! Every last word! When we hang with the Lord daily, beautiful things do happen in our lives! Glory to God, my brethren! Oh, if only the majority of the world would hear that, believe it and do it eh! What a wonderful place our world would indeed be! 

And we would all be saying like Bruh David does in our Bit, taken from his evening prayer of trust in God, which is the Bible Promise associated with the ‘Beautiful Things Happen’ prayer. ‘Thou hast put gladness in my heart, more than in the time that their corn (grain) and wine increased.’ 

Oh precious people of God, isn’t that saying something? It surely is, if we can have more joy in our souls than the people have at harvest time. For harvest time is indeed the most joyful time of the year in an agrarian society. That time when the whole populace exults over the bountiful blessings that the Lord has showered down on them. And if one can get happier than that that, then it is indeed a joyous time, and only possible through close association with our heavenly Father. 

And hear how Bruh David continues nuh. As a consequence of such gladness in God, he proudly proclaims: ‘I will both lay me down in peace, and sleep: for thou, Lord, only makest me dwell in safety.’ (Ps.4:8) 

Oh my people, my people, what assurance we can get when we sincerely befriend our great and LOVING and comforting God! He allows us to lie down and sleep in peace, no worries whatsoever! Now who in their right minds wouldn’t want to have that experience eh? Apparently a lot of people, because a lot of them are turning away from God. 

All I can say to that though friends, is that as for me and mine, we WILL follow the Lord! No ifs and buts about it! Who doesn’t want to follow Him and enjoy the joy and peace of mind it brings, that’s their problem. We can only tell them about it and try to show it in our conduct. They still have to make their own decisions. 

Listen to what another psalmist says on the subject. ‘For thou, Lord, art high above all the earth: thou art exalted far above all gods. Ye that LOVE the Lord, hate evil: he preserveth the souls of his saints; he delivereth them out of the hand of the wicked. Light is sown for the righteous, and gladness for the upright in heart. Rejoice in the Lord, ye righteous, and give thanks at the remembrance (for the memory) of his holiness (His holy name).’ (Ps.97:9-12) 

Oh ye current day saints of God, are you living such joyful lives; rejoicing and giving thanks? I certainly hope so. And if you aren’t, then it’s all your fault, for the Lord our God and faithful Provider has placed it all out there for us to enjoy. It’s now left to us to accept the gladness and mercy that He offers. Please be wise and reach out and accept it, for it doesn’t get any better than God’s goodness. 

Now for those of us who have wisely accepted God’s goodness and seen the prosperity in our lives, let’s go home declaring the myriad blessings that the Lord has showered down on us; so much so that our souls can hardly contain them. (smile) 

As one strong, enthusiastic and sincere voice now: ‘I declare that I am blessed with God’s supernatural wisdom and receive clear direction for my life! I declare today that I am blessed with creativity, courage, talent and abundance! I am blessed with a strong will, self-control and self-discipline! I am blessed with a great family, good friends, good health, faith, favour and fulfillment! 

I am blessed with success, supernatural strength, promotion and divine protection! I am blessed with a compassionate heart and a positive outlook on life! I declare that any curse or negative word that’s ever been spoken over me is broken right now in the name of Jesus! I declare that everything I put my hands to will prosper and succeed! I declare it today and everyday! Amen!’ 

Ah mih people, that shows God’s unsurpassable generosity! Now let’s go out and be just as generous nuh, for that’s why He showered us with so many blessings in the first place. Much LOVE!

…blessings are not truly blessings…until they are shared…

 

 

Today’s Scrip-Bit 30 August 2017 Psalm 4:7- 8.

30 Aug 2017 Leave a comment

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

Psalm 4:7-8.   Thou hast put gladness in my heart, more than in the time that their corn (grain) and their wine increased. I will both lay me down in peace, and sleep: for thou, Lord, only makest me dwell in safety.

Oh mih breddren, it’s Wednesday! Yay! I got it right! After last week’s mess up, I have to check each day before I write. (smile) And yuh know what people, it’s not only Wednesday, but it also looks like it’s going to be a magnificent Wednesday! 

Why, you ask? Well check this out nuh: We are alive and kicking, and both the sun and the Son are shining as brilliantly as ever, and brand new blessings, things like mercies and grace are flowing like crazy down the pipeline from heaven for all those who choose to seek the Lord and His overwhelming LOVING-kindness! 

Wow! Now if that doesn’t portend a magnificent day, then I don’t know what does. But friends, with all of that goodness flooding some of our lives, let’s remember others in prayer, who are suffering, fighting for their very lives as Hurricane Harvey passed through Texas and is now heading for Louisiana, though on a lesser scale. 

Let’s also remember those people out in British Columbia and those in California who are fighting deadly wildfires, some of them for a couple of months now. Not all of us have it fairly easy, and the least we can do is offer up sincere prayers for their safety. 

Now here is another wonderful something else. (smile) It’s an uplifting and reassuring poem from our One Year Book of Bible Promises with writings By Ruth Harms Calkin. I just could not pass up sharing it. It’s titled ‘Beautiful Things Happen.’ 

Please pray with me. ‘O God Such beautiful things happen When I meet You day by day In quietness and confidence. There is a deep inner wholeness And the assurance of Your guidance. I am not so easily disturbed By changing circumstances. I am less dependent on others And more dependent on You. 

My eyes may be full of tears But my heart is full of joy. In discovering Your hidden treasures I learn how deeply I am treasured by You. When day by day I am responsive To your Whispered secrets You do more for me in one day Than I could do for myself in a lifetime.’ 

Glory Hallelujah mih people! That’s the life of a true practicing and mature Christian right there! That’s how our days usually unfold when we lay it all out before the Lord in the early morning hours. 

There is untold joy in living for the Lord God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob even though our individual circumstances might be somewhat rough at any particular time! 

But nonetheless as the Promise for that Poem, which is our Bit, declares: ‘Thou hast put gladness in my heart, more than in the time that their corn (grain) and their wine increased. I will both lay me down in peace, and sleep: for thou, Lord, only makest me dwell in safety.’ 

Yeh friends, words of indisputable truth from Bruh David! That is the kind of trust and assurance we have in Almighty God, when we sincerely surrender our lives to Him. And why shouldn’t we eh, when He is the Creator and Controller of the universe and all therein? That’s only the height of wisdom and common sense! 

As I keep saying, Bruh David knew on which side his bread was buttered, that’s why he kept the God of his forefathers at the very front of his life, and if we are wise, we would also do the same thing. 

And the author of Psalm 97 – The Lord is far above all gods – echoes the same sentiments. ‘Ye that LOVE the Lord, hate evil; he preserveth the souls of his saints; he delivereth them out of the hand of the wicked. 

Light is sown for the righteous, and gladness for the upright in heart. Rejoice in the Lord, ye righteous; and give thanks at the remembrance (for the memory) of his holiness (his holy name.)’ (Ps.97:10-12)  Truer words were never spoken my fellow believers! 

And yuh know what, one of our current problems is that though we say we believe in God, we don’t truly rejoice and be glad in Him like we ought to. 

There’s always some kind of reservation, some holding back of something, we don’t give our all, possibly afraid or in some doubt that such an abundance of awesome joy and LOVE and graciousness could really be true. 

But it truly is friends, and until we truly surrender our all and truly receive all that the Lord has to offer, we will never really be satisfied and fulfilled. 

Now listen to this scripture from Bruh Paul to the people of Lystra, after he had healed a crippled man, and the people mistook him for a god and wanted to offer him sacrifices. In telling them about the One and Only True God, he ended thus: ‘Who in times past (past generations) suffered (allowed) all nations to walk in their own ways. 

Nevertheless he left not himself without witness, in that he did good, and gave us rain from heaven, and fruitful seasons, filling our hearts with food and gladness.’ (Acts 14:16-17) No lie that friends! 

And the scholars offer this explanation. ‘14:17. Even though all men have not received the special revelation of God’s written word, all have received God’s general revelation which is witnessed through the creation and man’s own nature, making man without excuse if he rejects this (Rom.1:18-20: 2:14-15) Romans 1 states that the context of general revelation is that God is holy and all- powerful. Acts 14:17 further states that God is good.’ 

And that we cannot deny my believing brethren! So having all this joy, assurance and gladness in our hearts, let’s go home boldly and sincerely declaring our Wednesday Wail. 

As one voice now: ‘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!’ 

Keep on keeping on my people! Much LOVE!

…there’s nothing better…wiser…more joyful…or more fulfilling…than trusting in Jesus Christ…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Today’s Scrip-Bit 25 August 2015 Psalm 4:7-8

25 Aug 2015 Leave a comment

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

Psalm 4:7-8.   Thou hast put gladness in my heart, more than in the time that their corn (grain) and their wine increased. I will both lay me down in peace and sleep: for thou, Lord, only makest me dwell in safety. 

Well Friends, it’s Tuesday morning, somewhat cloudy in my area, but expected to get bright and sunshiny as the day progresses. And you know what that means? It means that we’ve made it safely through Monday… Glory Hallelujah! 

And the Lord still has a plan in mind for us today. Yes my brethren, we made it safely through the evil world; overcame our fears, anxieties, frustrations and anger, obviously with help from our most wonderful Jehovah God. 

And all Jehovah’s children loudly and proudly and sincerely declared. ‘All power and glory to our great and gracious God on High, in whom we place our entire trust! We surrender our lives completely to Him. Great is His Name…and may He reign forever! Amen.’ 

Ah mih people, such wonderful words of truth and wisdom! Our God is indeed great and powerful, glorious and gracious… And He WILL reign FOREVER! There’s absolutely no doubt about that. 

And to show how that all pans out for good in our lives, listen to these wonderful words from our One Year Book of Bible Promises with writings by Ruth Harms Calkin. It’s aptly titled ‘Beautiful Things Happen.’ 

Please declare with me: ‘O God Such beautiful things happen When I meet You day by day In quietness and confidence. There is a deep inner wholeness And the assurance of Your guidance. I am not so easily disturbed By changing circumstances. I am less dependent on others And more dependent on You. 

My eyes may be full of tears But my heart is full of joy. In discovering your hidden treasures I learn how deeply I am treasured by You. When day by day I am responsive To Your whispered secrets You do more for me in one day Than I could do for myself in a lifetime.’ 

And Friends, if you are a true believer in the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, then that is the absolute and indisputable truth! Because that is exactly how He operates in the lives of true believers. Oh glory to God my people, for the wondrous works He performs in our lives! 

And the promise detailed for that awesome poem is also our Bit for today. ‘Thou hast put gladness in my heart, more than in the time that their corn (grain) and their wine increased. I will both lay me down in peace and sleep: for thou, Lord, only makest me dwell in safety.’ More words of gospel truth my brethren! 

Yes Friends, when we have Almighty God as our guide and safe-keeper then we don’t have to fret and worry about our earthly demise, because He is the ultimate in power and control, and He will let no undue harm come to us. Remember His most awesome and faithful promise as declared by His trusted servant Isaiah. 

‘No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgement thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and their righteousness is of (from) me, saith the Lord.’ (Is.54:17) 

Oh my fellow believers, how great and wonderful and magnanimous is our God! Yuh see the heritage He so generously provides for us? How can we then not LOVE and worship and glorify and thank Him eh? If we claim to be believers and don’t do that, then we are indeed like the Pharisees, as Jesus said to them. 

‘Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For ye are like unto whited sepulchers (whitewashed tombs), which appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men’s bones, and of all uncleanness. Even so ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity.’ (Matt.23:27-28) 

And the scholars offer an explanation on the above verses. ’23:27-33. Whited sepulchers: Since contact with a dead body rendered a person unclean according to the Mosaic Law, graves were customarily painted white to make them conspicuous and give the opportunity of avoiding contact with them.’ 

Unfortunately though, too many of us supposed Christians are actually like those Pharisees of old, and that is why a lot of unbelievers don’t take our beliefs or us seriously, and tend to mock and scorn our faith. Ah Friends, we are ambassadors of Christ, which means that we are expected to show a good and right image of Him and all that He stands for. 

If we are wishy washy in our faith and our behaviour, then that is the image the unbelievers will get of Him. And nobody wants to belong to, or worship some wishy-washy faith. Therefore, if we don’t put our best foot, our best efforts forward, then we are in fact doing Jesus and His Holy Name a grave injustice. 

So please, today, let us all consider the image that we are projecting to the outside world, and make sure that it is the right and proper one; one that lifts up Jesus and his Holy Name, and not one that disgraces it. Now let’s go home with some wonderful words of encouragement and edification from Psalm 97 – The Lord is far above all gods. 

‘Ye that LOVE the Lord, hate evil: he preserveth the souls of his saints; he delivereth them out of the hands of the wicked. Light is sown for the righteous, and gladness for the upright of heart. Rejoice in the Lord, ye righteous; and give thanks at the remembrance (for the memory) of his holiness (His holy name).’ (Ps.97:11-12) 

Oh Friends, what words of eternal wisdom and truth! Please let’s do as it says, so that we can be blessed and enjoy the fruits of God’s goodness. Much LOVE!…God’s promises are faithful and true…but they are of no use…unless and until…we accept them into the depths of our hearts…and make them ours… 

P.S. Please excuse the lateness of the Bit, the ole fella just was not up to scratch this morning. (smile) Much LOVE!