Today’s Scrip-Bit   11 March 2022 Psalm 146:1.

11 Mar 2022 Leave a comment

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

Psalm 146:1.      Praise ye the Lord (shout Hallelujah). Praise ye the Lord, O my soul. 

Well, the ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday!’ slogan is not being met with sunny skies today, but with precipitation of the white stuff. Some fell overnight, and some more is currently falling, but it doesn’t seem to be anything to really worry about, although any amount of snow can be dangerous to the unsuspecting person. Oh, and I think I’ve finally solved the mystery of my clean driveway, as opposed to all the others in the lane being clothed in white.

 I suspect that the last time there was a substantial snowfall, the people who clean my driveway put down salt on it, so that when small amounts fall, it melts automatically. Now that’s the only reason I can come up with, because the same thing’s happening out there right now; my driveway is snow free, while the others are not. And when I went to bed this morning there was snow on it, but by the time I got up, it was clean again. But who knows what’s really happening eh? 

This one thing I do know about though, that’s ‘The blessedness of trusting God.’ Yes friends, we can never go wrong in that regard. And if you don’t believe me, then let’s check out Psalm 146, which bears that most wise and encouraging title. (smile) The psalmist begins by proclaiming ‘Praise ye the Lord (shout Hallelujah). Praise ye the Lord, O my soul.’ (Ps. 146:1) Now there’s no doubt that if we do treasure the Lord’s sovereignty, honour and glory, then praise should continually emanate from our mouths. 

Therefore,  as the psalmist continues, we should all declare, (chuh!!!) I really can’t believe that I’ve spelt that word wrong again, in its simplest form too! It must be the enemy causing me to do it yes! (smile) And that’s why I definitely have to do like the psalmist says. ‘While I live will I praise thee Lord: I will sing praises unto my God while I have any being.’ (Ps. 146:2) And that doesn’t only bring joy to God’s heart but also to ours. It lifts our spirits and renews our confidence in Him. 

Thus, this marvellous bit of wisdom from the psalmist. ‘Put not your trust in princes, nor in the son of man (a human being), in whom there is no help (no salvation).’ (Ps. 146:3) And I do hope we all recognize that gospel truth, for as the psalm further testifies: ‘His (man’s) breath goeth forth (his spirit departs), he returneth to his earth; in that very day his thoughts perish.’ (Ps. 146:4) So, if man’s body returns to the dust from which he was formed and all the thoughts of his life disappear, why then put our trust in him? No reason whatsoever, since it’s not wise to put our trust in something that doesn’t last or can’t help us for any real length of time. 

However, the psalmist does provide this wise solution. He says: ‘Happy is he that hath the God of Jacob for his help, whose hope is in the Lord his God.’ (Ps. 146:5) Wow! But why is that eh? Because God is He ‘Which made heaven, and earth, the sea and all that therein is: which keepeth truth for ever; Which executeth judgement (justice) for the oppressed: which giveth food to the hungry. The Lord looseth (gives freedom to) the prisoners: The Lord openeth the eyes of the blind: the Lord raiseth them that are bowed down: the Lord LOVETH the righteous: The Lord preserveth (watches over) the strangers; he relieveth the fatherless and widow: but the way of the wicked he turneth upside down (makes crooked).’ (Ps. 146:6-9) 

Now those are all most excellent reasons for putting our trust in the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. And why not eh, since He made the heavens, the earth, the sea and all therein, which includes us? So, it makes much more sense to worship the Creator, God the Father, instead of the created human being, who is frail, fickle, not trustworthy and above all, in a few short years, dies and becomes of no account. That brings us to this last very good reason to praise and worship the Creator of the universe. 

The psalmist tells us in no uncertain terms: ‘The Lord shall reign for ever, even thy God, O Zion, unto all generations. Praise ye the Lord.’ (Ps. 146:10) And that just puts the icing on the cake my fellow saints! Man dies and returns to the dust from which he came, but the great, the ONE and ONLY true God; He of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob lives and reigns forever! That’s another fact we cannot dispute, which means it’s safe to put our trust in Him, and all that He stands for. In other words, ‘The blessedness of trusting God.’ 

Ah mih people, I’ve been around a fairly long time, and been associated with God throughout, though not always in close communication, (smile) but I’ve seen enough of His goodness and mercy, both in others and personally, to confidently second all that the psalmist says. The Lord God Jehovah is so wonderful and LOVES us so much, His most wonderful, but not always the brightest creation, that He sent His only Son, Jesus Christ to die for us, so that our sins could be forgiven! Now which other supposed god, could, or would do that eh? NONE! 

That’s why it is undisputed wisdom to put our trust and hope in Him. And the first step in that regard, entails going to Him in prayer, which we can do right now, through our Friday Chant. So, in confident, but humble voice, let’s approach the throne of grace and bare our souls. ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through this past week. You know it’s been rough… what with all the anxiety, the confusion and havoc that the Covid-19 virus and our many other problems are causing. We can’t seem to fix it on our own Lord, that means we desperately need your help. 

Oh heavenly Father, with your omnipotent help, and our trusting faith, we know that we can stand strong and steadfast and defeat both the virus and the unrest in our streets. So Lord, we sincerely ask you today to give the governments and those involved in the forefront of this serious and unexpected storm, the wise guidance to handle the situation properly, with the least amount of loss to life and property as possible. And please help those of us who must go out to work amidst all the confusion, to be responsible and to stay safe, and avoid any more serious setbacks. 

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

Now, it’s fine to pour out our hearts to God, but we must remember to make sure our motives are right, and that we keep any vows that we make, if we expect to receive any positive response. Much LOVE!

…God’s promise to man…for dust thou art…and unto dust shalt thou return… (Gen. 3:19b) 

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Today’s Scrip-Bit   1 October 2021 Psalm 24:1.

01 Oct 2021 Leave a comment

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Psalm 24:1.     The earth is the Lord’s, and the fullness thereof; the world and they that dwell therein.

Can you believe it’s already October my friends? That means the beautiful colours of autumn will soon be upon us…including the chilly days that come with it. (smile) And what’s amazing is that with all the problems we’ve encountered, the year has still gone rushing by without a care for our serious worldwide predicament. It seems to be saying to us that it can’t wait around for us to fix our problems, it has to be about the Father’s business. If we want to stay mired in hatred, strife and anger, then that’s our misfortune, it has nothing to do with the moving forward of the days and the seasons. 

And it’s quite right. The Lord has set the times of the seasons, which means nothing whatsoever will stop them from doing His bidding. I certainly wish the same could be said of His greatest creation, mankind. But no, with the free choice the Lord gave us, instead of being obedient to His word and desires, we have become proud, arrogant, ungodly, stubborn, prone to sin and disunity. And yet we wonder why we have so many problems. 

Ah mih people, who knows how, when, or even if the numerous problems that are now facing us will ever be healed, or brought to some kind of resolution? Every day seems to bring with it a new disaster, be it natural or man-made, and the contentious questions concerning things like the pandemic, climate change, racial inequalities, political disagreement, homelessness and poverty are no closer to being solved. In fact, the temperature is heating up, with more entrenched attitudes and disagreeable words being spouted in a harsher and more strident manner with each passing day. 

It’s a blessing that we have the Lord God Almighty, our Creator and Controller of the universe still on His heavenly throne keeping an eye on things yes. For without His steadying hand on the tiller, we would most likely have already sadistically devoured each other. Thankfully, His plans for the world don’t seem to call for a complete annihilation of mankind, although we are drawing closer to such a possibility everyday with the warlike words and attitudes we continually display. 

It would be good though for all of us to take a moment and read these marvellous and truthful words of Bruh David as he outlines them in Psalm 24 – The king of glory. He confidently proclaims: ‘The earth is the Lord’s, and the fullness thereof; the world and they that dwell therein. For he hath founded it upon the seas, and established it upon the floods (rivers).’ (Ps. 24:1-2) 

Now those are facts we cannot dispute my fellow believers. The Lord brought the world and everything within it into existence from nothing, through His magnificent power and planning. Thus, everything belongs to Him, despite what we foolish humans seem to think. And He will not allow anyone or anything else to take it away or control it. Remember what He said through the prophet Isaiah: ‘I am the Lord: that is my name: and my glory will I not give to another, neither my praise to graven images.’ (Is, 42:8) 

Yes friends, our God is very protective of what is His, and no one or nothing will take the glory and praise that He is entitled to for the creation and maintenance of this world. And I like how this commentary on the subject from the Christianity.com website reads. ‘God founding and establishing the Earth through such a careful degree of meticulousness is so inspiring and comforting. It reveals more about God’s passion and love for the Earth. The Earth is His masterpiece and like an artist, He crafts it and maintains what is His.’ 

Oh my people, even the unbeliever, if he sits quietly and contemplates the universe and all therein, will realize that despite its complexities and idiosyncrasies, and without any apparent overseer, it runs ever so smoothly, like a well-oiled machine. That ought to bring some serious appreciation for the power and majesty of its Creator. We believers already have that great appreciation, that’s why we praise and worship the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, its Creator. For the world did not just appear from nowhere, but careful thought and much planning went into it, before the Lord spoke it into existence, and before He made man in His own image, out of the dust of the earth. 

So yes, man has messed up the universe, but our heavenly Father still keeps an eye over it, because it’s His, and He doesn’t want us to completely destroy it, because He has a plan to restore and renew it some fine day. In the meanwhile though, we believers must try and bring some semblance of peace and LOVE to a greatly divided world; that’s the Lord’s desire. 

He sent His Son Jesus to save us because He didn’t want to lose us to sin and Satan. But that doesn’t mean He will not judge the wicked harshly, those who refuse to believe in His Son, and consequently in Him. Please think about the final judgement and eternal separation from God, that entails being thrown into the lake of fire with Satan and his evil cronies. (Rev. 20:14-15) 

Unfortunately, many of us think of that as a joke, but friends, God doesn’t make jokes in His word. It is the awesome truth! Whatever it says has happened, is happening and will happen! So please get serious about your eternal future. There are only two options: heaven and hell. And I am sure you don’t want to go the latter. That means we must begin right now, talking to God and making our way straight with Him through prayer and obedience to His word. 

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

So Lord, we sincerely ask you today to give the governments and those involved in the forefront of this serious and unexpected storm, the wise guidance to handle the situation properly, with the least amount of loss to life and property as possible. And please help those of us who must go out to work amidst all the confusion, to be responsible and to stay safe, and avoid any more serious setbacks. And Lord, we fervently pray that You’ll use this situation to bring a lot of backsliders back to your fold, show them the error of their ways. 

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

Now let’s go out and live the words ‘trusting faith,’ and ‘faithful believers,’ if we want our prayers to be positively answered. Much LOVE!

…the Lord doesn’t want to lose any of His creation…but He won’t rescind our free choice…                                                                                                                                

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Today’s Scrip-Bit 25 September 2020 1 Corinthians 3:18.

25 Sep 2020 Leave a comment

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1 Corinthians 3:18.     Let no man deceive himself. If any man among you seemeth to be wise in this world (age), let him become a fool, that he may be wise.

Well can you believe it’s Friday! I can’t. As usual, the whole week has passed by and I haven’t done any of the things I claim I want to do. But what to do eh? (smile) I’m not going to berate myself unnecessarily, or feel terribly guilty – there will be a touch of guilt though – (smile) for in these unprecedented times, who knows what unprecedented and abnormal things will happen in our lives. The important thing is to stay connected with God, and to grow in wisdom and knowledge and obedience to His will and holy word and encouraging others as best we can. 

If we’re doing that, then I believe we’re fulfilling our purpose for this time when we can’t, or are not supposed to go out and about like we are, or rather were used to doing. And now that I’ve had my say, (smile) let’s hear what the ordinary workingman has to share this Friday morning in the last week of September of this crazy and mind-boggling year of 2020. 

As usual, he opens with an enthusiastic: ‘TGIF! Thank God is Friday…and the weekend is here at last! Wow! It’s been a good week, nice warm September weather, with temps even in the mid 20’s. But it’s coming…yes people, winter is coming. The trees already bearing out that indisputable and unchangeable fact; they starting to turn colour. And are they beautiful colours; gold, brown, yellow, red… fall is the best, or rather most colourful season of the year. Like the Lord made it beautiful because He knew that winter was coming when everything would be cold as ice and look dead and dreary, so He wanted to give us something to perk us up before that happen. 

But that lead me to wonder what going to happen with this Covid-19 business, if it going to get worse with the cold weather and flu season? And the numbers now going back up again because people not observing the safety precautions. Steups! Like is only when we catch it, we going to learn. Yuh see the virus is no respecter of people, even the leader of the Federal opposition and his wife have it, as well as the leader of the French party. So what it going to take eh? Another lockdown. They done restrict gatherings in Toronto and Peel and Ottawa… Ah Lord eh! Thank God that me an’ mine doing we best to stay safe yes!’ 

Yes my people, that’s why I have serious concerns about the belief that mankind is the wisest animal on the planet. (smile) He certainly doesn’t show that in his everyday actions. That brings me to this interesting, and I believe appropriate bit of scripture from Bruh Paul’s first missive to the church at Corinth, when they were debating and divided over whom to follow, Bruh Paul or Apollos. ‘Let no man deceive himself. If any man among you seemeth to be wise in this world (age), let him become a fool, that he may be wise.’ (1 Cor. 3:18) 

That’s good advice, for as Cousin Sol adds in his two cents worth: ‘Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear (reverence) the Lord, and depart from evil. It shall be health to thy navel (body), and marrow (strength) to thy bones.’ (Prov. 3:7-8) And that’s the gospel truth friends! And if you’re wondering why, then listen to Bruh Paul’s explanation. ‘For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. for it is written, He taketh the wise in their own craftiness. And again, The Lord knoweth the thoughts of the wise, that they are vain (futile).’ (1 Cor.3:19-20) And there Bruh Paul is quoting Job and the psalmist. 

Job says of the Lord. ‘To set up on high those that be low; that those which mourn may be exalted to safety. He disappointeth (frustrates) the desires of the crafty, so that their hands cannot perform their enterprises (plans). He taketh the wise in their own craftiness: and the counsel of the froward (of the wily) is carried headlong (comes quickly on themselves).’ (Job 5:11-13) And the writer of psalm 94 admitted: ‘The Lord knoweth the thoughts of man, that they are vanity (futile).’ (Ps.94:11) So it wasn’t anything new that Bruh Paul was preaching. 

And he concludes: ‘Therefore let no man glory in men. For all things are yours; whether Paul, or Apollos, or Cephas, or the world, or life, or death, or things present, or things to come; all are yours. And ye are Christ’s: and Christ is God’s.’ (1 Cor. 3:21-23) Immortal words of wisdom and truth friends! 

As the scholars explain: ‘3:21-22. For all things are yours: The one who belongs to Christ is a child of God, and his Father will do anything for him. The absurdity of their division over allegiances to any of these men is that God gave them “all” to the Corinthians.’ The same goes for us today; whoever is teaching us, they were ALL given to us by God, for His glory, not for us to be foolishly attached to them. 

Now let’s go home chanting our Friday Chant, asking God for His divine help in these turbulent times. With all sincerity now: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through this past week. Yuh know it’s been rough… what with all the anxiety, the confusion and havoc that the Covid-19 virus and the racial strife causing. We not accustomed to that kind of life Lord, and it really telling on us. And we know we can’t handle it on our own, that we desperately need your help. 

Oh heavenly Father, with your omnipotent help, and our trusting faith, we know that we can stand strong and steadfast and defeat both the virus and the unrest in our streets. So Lord, we sincerely ask you today to give the governments and those involved in the forefront of this serious and unexpected storm, the sure and wise guidance to handle the situation properly, with the least amount of loss to life and property as possible. And please help those of us who must go out to work amidst all the confusion, to be responsible and to stay safe, so that we can avoid any more serious setbacks. 

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

Now it’s time for us to go out and handle the situation like the faithful believers we consider ourselves. Much LOVE!

…anyone can plant…but it’s God ALONE…who gives the increase… 

Today’s Scrip-Bit 7 August 2020 Psalm 49:20.

07 Aug 2020 Leave a comment

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Psalm 49:20.     ​Man that is in honour, and understandeth not, is like the beasts that perish.
 

Prologue! I didn’t mean or expect it to be so long, but I needed to get in all that info, to be able to truly make the point that Christ and not material wealth is the answer. I’m naturally long-winded. (smile) So please ignore the length, just read quietly and let it seep into your souls and release your innate wisdom. Much LOVE! 

Embrace it friends, embrace it! Embrace the beautiful day that God has made, be glad and rejoice in it! That’s why He made us and has us here on earth at this appointed time; to enjoy His generosity and the fruits of our labour, as we joyfully do His will! Glory be! I don’t know why we fight against God’s will nuh, since it’s so much easier and much more productive to give into it. But they say to each his own… and I guess that’s why in His awesome wisdom He gave us the power of free will, so we can do as we like. 

But friends, that’s a rather important and possibly dangerous undertaking, (smile) for if we don’t use that free will right, very serious and painful consequences will eventually befall us. Anyway, it’s Friday, the much looked forward to end of the work week, so let’s not get into fear mongering nuh. (smile) Instead, let’s hear the wisdom of the ordinary workingman, as he goes about his ordinary working life. And he is indeed very appreciative of this being Friday, for he joyfully declares: (yeahhh!) 

‘TGIF! Thank God is Friday oui and the blooming slave labour done for another couple of days! Wow! And is it ever good to have a holiday to start the work week, so that the aging body can rest a li’l more, since it doesn’t handle the physical labour as good, or as effortlessly as it used to. And even more thankfully, I haven’t heard of any atrocious happenings as we finally got into stage 3 of this Covid-19 reopening! Thank the Lord for that yes! 

Hn! Because if we ever have to go back into serious lockdown again, a lotta people going to lose their minds…and even their lives this time, just from the awful frustration and anxiety it brings. So let’s hope people truly wake up and realize the enormity and seriousness of the situation and behave themselves responsibly. Else we could really be in for a rough, rough time. But in the meanwhile, we going to thank God for the weekend and enjoy it as best and as safely as we can!’ 

And who says the ordinary workingman doesn’t have wisdom eh? It might not be book wisdom, but he does have street wisdom, what we call common sense, something that unfortunately is not so prevalent in these modern times of superior technology and far-reaching book knowledge. And ah laughing mih heart out here mih people, because I just glanced at the open Bible next to me and what do you think I espied? This most appropriate and telling bit of scripture, from Psalm 49 – Trust in God, not wealth. The sons of Korah end the psalm thus: ‘Man that is in honour, and understandeth not, is like the beasts that perish.’ (Ps. 49:20) 

Oh my people those few simple words are chocked full of awesome truth! If we don’t have the understanding that God exists and that He is sovereign and supreme and act accordingly, we’re just like the wild beasts who have no understanding whatsoever. As the psalm says earlier on: ‘They that trust in their wealth, and boast themselves in the multitude of their riches; None of them can by any means redeem his brother, nor give to God a ransom for him.’ (Ps. 49:6-7) 

Yes friends, unfortunately, no man can redeem our souls! (‘For the redemption of their soul is precious (costly), and it ceaseth for ever;) That he should still live for ever, and not see corruption (the pit). For he seeth that wise men die, likewise the fool and the brutish (senseless) person perish, and leave their wealth to others. Their inward thought is, that their houses shall continue for ever, and their dwelling places to all generations; they call their lands after their own names. Nevertheless man being in honour abideth not (does not endure): he is like the beasts that perish. This their way (the way of those who are foolish) is their folly: yet their posterity approve their sayings.  Selah.’ (Ps. 49:8-13) 

It’s all truth friends, gospel truth, which we should heed if we’re wise. Hear these explanations from the scholars nuh. ‘Psalm 49. This psalm reads almost like a passage from the Book of Proverbs, (it certainly does) with its bold contrast between the destinies of wicked and righteous. It addresses an age-old question: the prosperity of the wicked. The psalmist lived in a day when many evil men were boasting of their wealth (vs. 5-6). The psalm was therefore written to enable God’s people to rise above the ungodly drive (desire) for riches. 

There is first an invitation to listen (vs. 1-4): the poet calls on all men because the psalm has a universal application. Second, he demonstrates how woefully inadequate riches are (vs. 5-12): in the day of one’s death they cannot redeem (vs. 6-7). Finally, the divergent destinies of the wicked and the righteous are vividly stated (vs. 13-20): the wicked man has no hope beyond this life (vs. 14), but the righteous man will be resurrected to eternal life (vs.15).’ 

Now that is more awesome truth, but the problem is that we need to use our free will wisely if we want to be righteous and live eternally. And that means ONE thing; accepting Christ Jesus as our Lord and Saviour, because He is the ONLY ONE, who can pay the costly price for our redemption! In fact, He has already done that by the sacrificial shedding of His precious, holy and sinless blood on the cross of Calvary! 

And thus receiving Him into our hearts and souls and living for Him, is the ONLY way a man can see eternal life. As He so truthfully declares (steups!) ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.’ (John 14:6) And I’m definitely not going to take the chance and doubt Him. For then we’re just like the beasts, who have no wisdom, and thus we will perish in the pit. 

And no, I have not forgotten our Friday Chant (smile). So let’s declare (awright!) it now nuh in all sincerity. ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through this past week. It’s been pretty rough…some of it from work, as many of us are now back to work in varied ways, but most of our anxiety still comes from all the confusion and havoc that the Covid-19 virus still causing. We not accustomed to that Lord, and it really telling on us. And now, on top of all that, we have racial riots and protests to put up with. Oh Lord, yuh know we can’t handle it on our own and desperately need Your help. 

Yes, heavenly Father, with your omnipotent help, and our trusting faith, we know that we can stand strong and steadfast and defeat both the virus and the unrest in our streets. So Lord, we sincerely ask you today to give the governments and those involved in the forefront of this serious and unexpected storm, the sure and wise guidance to handle the situation properly, with the least amount of loss to life and property as possible. And please help those of us who must go out to work amidst all the confusion, to be responsible and to stay safe, so that we can avoid any more serious setbacks. 

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

And it now behooves us to go out and behave like faithful believers of Christ Jesus! Much LOVE!

…redemption begins and ends…at the foot of Christ’s cross… 

Today’s Scrip-Bit 24 July 2020 Ephesians 5:1.

24 Jul 2020 Leave a comment

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

Ephesians 5:1. Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children;
 

Welcome to another beautiful day on God’s great earth my fellow saints in Christ! And grace and mercy and peace to you from our heavenly Father as we spend the day doing His wonderful work, redeemed, sanctified, justified and made righteous by the awesome blood of His Son Jesus Christ! 

Mama Yo! What a bountiful privilege! And all God’s children said a loud, proud and grateful: “Praise the Lord our great and merciful God, who sends us new mercies and compassions every single day! Who looks after the undeserving children of men! Bless His holy name! Amen!’ 

And I know it’s Friday, the day so many of us look forward to, when our weekly tasks will end for two lousy days, but nonetheless it fills us with happiness. (smile) Look at it this way nuh, the Lord worked six days to create the universe, we’re only working five, which means we’re one up, that should lessen our antipathy to the work week. (smile) 

But let’s hear what the ordinary working man has to say for himself on this bright and sunshiny Friday. And he gushes today: ‘TGIF! Thank God is Friday and that longed for weekend is here! It was the best week for a while now. It wasn’t so hot, and some rain fell and mih body getting used again to the hard, physical labour in the slave master fiery furnace so nicely called a machine shop, so it not hurting so much again! Thank God for that oui, because it not easy to do all the things we need to do, at the speed and consistency we need to do it when every move yuh make hurts like hell! 

I just hope to heaven though that the pandemic and strife business would get settled and be over with, because they still casting a dark cloud over mih life and the world. Yeh, is good to see that they easing the lockdown, but how many people going to pay serious attention to wearing masks and physical distancing when everything gets more open eh? That is the big question, especially since those seem to be the only options we currently have for holding the virus in some sorta check. 

Ah Lord eh! Some of us real dense and stupid yes! We still mouthing off about freedom and trampling of rights, but when we go out there not careful, what yuh think going to happen eh? The same blooming foolishness that happening in the U.S. now! But what do I know eh? I’m just a lowly, ordinary workingman, giving thanks to God for the li’l weekend rest ah going to get come this evening.’ 

Ah friends, the ordinary workingman claims not to know a whole lot, but he does know more than a lot of the so-called upper class and educated people who are not taking our current situation as seriously as they ought to. But that’s where we, the saints of Christ come in; offering prayer and assurance that things will get better, we just don’t know when, and these things will pass, when our God decides it’s time. So let’s go to Him now nuh, corporately, through our Friday Chant, with sincere hearts and plead for His awesome help. 

All together now: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through this past week. It’s been pretty rough…some of it from work, as many of us are now back to work in varied ways, but most of our anxiety still comes from all the confusion and havoc that the Covid-19 virus still causing. We not accustomed to that Lord, and it really telling on us. And now, on top of all that, we have racial riots and protests to put up with. Oh Lord, yuh know we can’t handle it on our own and desperately need Your help. 

Yes, heavenly Father, with your omnipotent help, and our trusting faith, we know that we can stand strong and steadfast and defeat both the virus and the unrest in our streets. So Lord, we sincerely ask you today to give the governments and those involved in the forefront of this serious and unexpected storm, the sure and wise guidance to handle the situation properly, with the least amount of loss to life and property as possible. And please help those of us who must go out to work amidst all the confusion, to be responsible and to stay safe, so that we can avoid any more serious setbacks. 

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

And now that we’ve prayed with sincere hearts my people, what is our next move eh? To put into action what we said above, re God’s faithful people handling the situation with wisdom and compassion. And how do we do that? Like Bruh Paul told the church at Ephesus when he expounded on the ways of the believer. ‘Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children; And walk in LOVE, as Christ also hath LOVED us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling savour (aroma).’ (Eph. 5:1-2) 

And how do we do all of that? As Jesus said: ‘But LOVE ye your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again (in return); and your reward shall be great, and ye shall be the children of the highest: for he is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil. Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful.’ (Luke 6:35-36) 

And if Jesus words don’t appeal to you, then try these from Peter nuh, as he talks about the call to Christian dedication. ‘Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind (prepare your mind for action), be sober, and hope to the end for grace (rest your mind fully upon the grace) that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ;’ (1 Pet. 1:13) 

And the scholars explain that verse thus: ‘1:13. The exhortation to set one’s hope involves an inward resolution. Gird up the loins of your mind: The imagery is that of personal discipline and outward conduct. Be sober: (Gr. nephontes): Be free of every sort of mental and spiritual intoxication. The revelation of Jesus Christ is the Second advent when Jesus returns to earth to set up His kingdom.’ 

Consequently, our behaviour should be: ‘As obedient children, not fashioning (conforming) yourselves according to the former lusts in your ignorance. But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation (conduct); Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy.’ (1 Pet. 1:14-16) 

And for our information, that scripture is found in Leviticus 11:44-45; 19:2; and 20:7. Not only one place, but several, which means the Lord was very serious about it. So please, let’s take holiness seriously too, as we go about doing God’s work each and every day! Much LOVE!

…in troubled times…the saints of God lead the way…

Today’s Scrip-Bit 3 July 2020 Matthew 12:25.

03 Jul 2020 Leave a comment

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

Matthew 12:25.     ​Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and every city or house divided against itself shall not stand.
 

It’s late, it’s late, it’s late! But, with the Lord’s help, it’ll be great, it’ll be great, it’ll be great! (smile) Morning mih bredrin! How goes it this Friday morning in early July eh? I know some people are singing: ‘Summertime, summertime, summertime!’ enjoying the constant warm weather at last. However, many others are more concerned about all the unprecedented problems that have recently raised up their ugly heads in our society. 

But not to worry, our great God is still in control, and He has promised that no weapon formed against His children will prosper. And Jesus’ two most famous words were: ‘FEAR NOT!’ So let’s do just that nuh; don’t be afraid, but work within the parameters of which we are capable and do our li’l part to help remedy the situation, if it’s only being responsible in a positive manner. And the sermon done right there! (smile) 

Now let’s hear what the ordinary workingman has to say. ‘TGIF! Thank God is Friday! Yeah! And the Canada Day holiday broke up the work week nicely! That day of rest in between was wonderful! This is the best I’ve felt after the few weeks that we’ve gone back to work! Glory be! But the sad part is that the same problems we had last weekend, we still have them! Nothing seems to be getting better in either the virus pandemic or the strife and protests! 

And with the 4th of July celebrations this weekend down in the U.S, yuh could imagine the bacchanal that going to happen down there with all the confusion that already taking place! Ah Lord eh! Good thing ah living in Canada yes, where we a li’l more law abiding and responsible. But when will we ever get back to normal eh, and when this systemic racism thing going to get fixed eh? Only God alone seems to know yes! 

But ah certainly hope we see some positive results in either case sometime soon oui. Ah tired with it now. Ah can’t go out as ah want to, and when I do go out, is always somebody marching in the streets or causing some riot somewhere! Steups! Yes, ah know people have problems, and have rights and want rights and all that, but what about my rights eh? Nobody not concerned about them! Nobody concerned that their rights impinging on mine! 

What a world we live in eh Dr. Jack! Ah only hope mih children don’t have to grow up in that sorta mishmash, unruly, divided and irresponsible world nuh! But all I could do right now yes is simply shake mih head and say thank the Lord is Friday, and ah have some time to sit down and contemplate the situation!’ 

Yes friends, we all need to take some time and contemplate the situation; both as individuals, as well as members of the overall society, and see how we can best put our gifts and talents to work to help improve it. It’s our citizenship responsibility. We won’t always agree, but as they say, we can agree to disagree, and thus get rid of the many small, petty and unimportant things that cause the division amongst us. Jesus said it very clearly: ‘Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and every city or house divided against itself shall not stand.’ 

That’s not rocket science my people, but simple common sense. I’m forgetting though, that common sense is in very short supply these days. (smile) And we’re so foolish, that we seem to prefer to destroy our society, rather than come to some workable agreement. Anyway, as saints of Christ, the first thing we ought to do in any given situation is turn to our heavenly Father and pray, ask for wisdom and guidance to handle the prevailing situation. So let’s do that right now nuh; let’s cry out to Him in humble confidence through our Friday Chant, our prayer for mercy and grace, wisdom and understanding. 

As one loud and sincere voice: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through this past week. It’s been pretty rough…some of it from work, as many of us are now back to work in varied ways, but most of our anxiety still comes from all the confusion and havoc that the Covid-19 virus still causing. We not accustomed to that Lord, and it really telling on us. And now, on top of all that, we have racial riots and protests to put up with. Oh Lord, yuh know we can’t handle it on our own and desperately need Your help. 

Yes, heavenly Father, with your omnipotent help, and our trusting faith, we know that we can stand strong and steadfast and defeat both the virus and the unrest in our streets. So Lord, we sincerely ask you today to give the governments and those involved in the forefront of this serious and unexpected storm, the sure and wise guidance to handle the situation properly, with the least amount of loss to life and property as possible. And please help those of us who must go out to work amidst all the confusion, to be responsible and to stay safe, so that we can avoid any more serious setbacks. 

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

Yes friends, the Lord heard our prayer, and as we spoke, He was already putting His plans into action to help us. Now it’s our turn to satisfy our part of the covenant, the partnership we have with Him, time to be responsible and show the true colours of Christianity with which we will conquer this evil world! The Lord is counting on us friends, so please, let’s not disappoint Him nuh! Much LOVE!

…as true salt of the earth…and lights of the world…we can win this thing for Jesus…