Today’s Scrip-Bit 27 May 2018 Psalm 18:2.

27 May 2018 Leave a comment

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

Psalm 18:2.   The Lord is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength; in whom I will trust; my buckler (shield), and the horn (strength) of my salvation, and my high tower (stronghold).

Ah mih people, it’s that day again, the Sabbath! That means it’s time for celebration as well as holiness. And we can begin by joyfully declaring, as the psalmist did so long ago: ‘This is the day which the Lord hath made, we will rejoice and be glad in it.’ (Ps.118:24) 

And while we do that, we can also be wending our way to the Lord’s house to fellowship with other believers, to offer up sincere prayers, worship and give thanks for all the many blessings He has bestowed upon us, as well as to hear His word and regenerate our confidence. Wow! What an awesome God we serve my brethren! 

And as always, we’ll begin the proceedings with song, to loosen up our stony hearts and make them more receptive to the Word. Today’s song is an old but wonderful hymn titled ‘My hope is built on nothing less,’ written by Edward Mote back in the 19th century. And on a point of interest, have you ever noticed that many of our beloved hymns were written way back when. 

Maybe it says something about the level and intensity of Christian praise and worship back then. Anyway, let’s sing, with raised voices and truthful hearts. ‘My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus’ blood and righteousness; I dare not trust the sweetest frame, but wholly lean on Jesus’ name. On Christ, the solid Rock, I stand; all other ground is sinking sand. 

When darkness veils His lovely face, I rest on His unchanging grace; in ev’ry high and stormy gale my anchor holds within the veil. On Christ, the solid Rock, I stand; all other ground is sinking sand. His oath, His covenant, His blood support me in the ‘whelming flood; when all around my soul gives way He then is all my hope and stay. 

On Christ, the solid Rock, I stand; all other ground is sinking sand. When He shall come with trumpet sound, O may I then in Him be found, dressed in His righteousness alone, faultless to stand before the throne. On Christ, the solid Rock, I stand; all other ground is sinking sand.’ 

And isn’t that the indisputable truth my fellow believers! The only real safe and secure foundation on which to build is on Christ, our Rock and our Saviour. Anything else is merely sinking sand, and it’s only a matter of time before the whole edifice erected thereupon crumbles. 

That’s why Bruh David could stand up and declare our Bit with utmost confidence, and so too can we many thousands of years later. ‘The Lord is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength; in whom I will trust; my buckler (shield), and the horn (strength) of my salvation, and my high tower (stronghold).’ 

Ah mih breddren, mih breddren what immortal words of comfort and assurance! And if we have Jesus as our guiding light, then we too ought to be able to declare them with audacity and boldness, for Jesus is indeed all those things to those who sincerely and truly believe in Him. 

And if Jesus is so mighty then, Bruh David is indeed right to declare after our Bit. ‘I will call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised: so shall I be saved from mine enemies.’ (Ps.18:3) And he did call upon the Lord, and the Lord saved him. (Ps.18:.4-16) Friends, yuh see how much time and trouble our Lord took to save Bruh David from his enemies? It’s the same way that He will save us if we call on Him with right hearts and sincere spirits. 

Hear Bruh David again: ‘He sent from above, he took me, he drew me out of many waters. He delivered me from my strong enemy, and from them which hated me: for they were too strong for me. They prevented (confronted) me in the day of my calamity: but the Lord was my stay (support). 

He brought me forth also into a large (broad) place; he delivered me, because he delighted in me. The Lord rewarded me according to my righteousness; according to the cleanness of my hands hath he recompensed me. For I have kept the ways of the Lord, and have not wickedly departed from my God.’ (Ps.18:16:21) 

Oh my people, none of us have as many enemies or problems as Bruh David had back in his day, and if the Lord saved him out of them all, why would He refuse to do the same for us if we bow down and faithfully worship Him and keep His will eh? No reason whatsoever! 

That means it’s all up to us. If we want to see the goodness of God, then we have to do the things that will produce it. We can’t just sit back and expect it to fall in our laps. So let’s get serious and do our part of the partnership nuh, if we want so see fruitful results. 

Remember, we only reap what we sow. And if we don’t sow righteousness and LOVE, we won’t receive the Lord’s blessings. Much LOVE!

…For who is God…save (except) the Lord…or who is a rock…save (except) our God… (Ps.18:31)

 

 

Today’s Scrip-Bit 5 December 2017 Psalm 118:5.

05 Dec 2017 Leave a comment

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

Psalm 118:5.   I called upon the Lord in distress: the Lord answered me, and set me in a large (broad) place.

And the pace picks up, as the days dwindle down to the all-important Christmas Day! Please remember though friends, that it’s not about the world’s confusion and commercialism, but strictly about Jesus; His coming to earth in human form so that He could save said humans who mocked and crucified Him! 

And the sad part is that too many of us supposed believers tend to forget that scenario and just morph into the world system. And we do need to be reminded of the season’s purpose as it get’s easier to join the enemy’s ranks with the constant hoopla of ‘Happy Holidays,’ and not ‘Happy Christmas! So consider yourselves reminded. (smile) 

Now today I want to share a poem from our One Year Book of Bible Promises with writings by Ruth Harms Calkin which so vividly shows what happens to us when we get caught up in the world system. It’s titled ‘Reversal.’ 

Please pray with me: ‘I said, Lord, look at me Just look at me All of life upside down – Tangled emotions smeared with fear Guilt Despair Disgust A prisoner of myself. The hopeless thing is that It’s all decided. I’m defenceless At the end of my rope Locked in And I’ve tried, Lord Tried desperately. 

But how does one see without eyes Or walk without feet? How, Lord? You said, Come unto me. You need not cringe Nor climb Nor compete Nor change Come even without feeling Without tokens Without merit or hope But come. Come now. I came And all of life Turned right side up.’ 

Wow friends! What a magnanimous and magnificent God we serve and worship! Yuh see, even when we allow the things of the world to get us tied up in knots; alone, depressed and fearful, we can go to our heavenly Father for succour…and just as we are too, hurting and lonely and lost. 

We don’t have to change before going to Him. He wants us to come just as we are, right then and there, and He will effect whatever changes are necessary, since we can’t do them for ourselves. 

So, this Christmas season, when so many of us get caught up in the topsy-turvy of the world system, let’s remember those very meaningful words nuh…’Come unto me…Come now…’ And with heavenly wisdom, let’s run into His fatherly embrace and receive the LOVE and the healing we need. 

And the Bible Promise for that poem is our Bit, taken from Psalm 118 – Thanksgiving for the Lord’s salvation. It boldly declares the joyful proclamation of the psalmist: ‘I called upon the Lord in distress: the Lord answered me, and set me in a large (broad) place.’ 

Yes my people, that is indeed the way it is! In times of distress and calamity, when we call upon the Lord with a sincere and humble heart, He will hear us and relieve the pressure upon our human souls. That’s His promise! And we know that He’s NEVER, and WILL NEVER, renege on any of His promises, because He is faithful that promised. 

But WE HAVE to first go to Him with our problems in all sincerity and truth. Note, He said, ‘Come. Come just as you are…’ So the onus is on us to make the first move, otherwise we’ll just stay there stewing in the pot of affliction that we created for ourselves. 

Now listen as Bruh David celebrates the Lord’s goodness from Psalm 18 – Thanksgiving for deliverance – after he had been delivered from the hands of his enemies, especially Saul. ‘The sorrows (pangs) of death compassed (encompassed) me, and the floods of ungodly men (ungodliness) made me afraid. 

The sorrows of hell compassed me about: the snares of death prevented (confronted) me. In my distress I called upon the Lord, and cried unto my God: he heard my voice out of (from) his temple, and my cry came before him, even unto his ears.’ (Ps.18:4-6) 

Yeh friends, our God is the best help in time of trouble! And if you’re wondering what happened after Bruh David cried out to the Lord, the Lord was angry and stirred up the world in Bruh David’s favour (vs.7-17) 

Then finally: ‘They prevented (confronted) me in the day of my calamity: but the Lord was my stay (support).  He brought me forth also into a large (broad) place; he delivered me, because he delighted in me. The Lord rewarded me according to my righteousness; according to the cleanness of my hands hath he recompensed me. For I have kept the ways of the Lord, and have not wickedly departed from my God.’ (Ps.18:18-21) 

And therein lies the secret my brethren; not following the world system and departing from serving the Lord God Jehovah! If we stay faithful to Him, He will be faithful to us and lift us up in time of calamity. Please remember that. 

Now let’s go home proudly declaring to the world who and whose we are, through our Tuesday Mantra. All together now: ‘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!’ 

Glory be, mih people! Now let’s go out and share that wonderful LOVE of Jesus that we just finished talking about, and try to make the world a better place. Much LOVE!

…there’s nothing more fulfilling and heartwarming…than sharing the LOVE of Jesus…

 

Today’s Scrip-Bit 6 September 2017 Psalm 18:20.

06 Sep 2017 Leave a comment

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

Psalm 18:20.   The Lord rewarded me according to my righteousness; according to the cleanness of my hands hath he recompensed me.

Ah friends, not a day seems to pass without some sort of bad news in our world eh? The latest is the hurricane Irma, that’s begun raising Cain in the West Indies yesterday, blowing it’s powerful Category 5 self over Antigua and Barbuda and apparently heading for other islands in the northern end of the archipelago. 

And if it doesn’t change its trajectory, it will most likely hit the eastern side of the North American mainland by the weekend. After the ravages of hurricane Harvey in the past couple of weeks, it would be total chaos if Irma were to hit the mainland. 

This calls for very serious prayer my people, the most powerful force on the earth. It also calls for repentance and turning back to God. Who knows why all these natural disasters are occurring at this time eh? Maybe it’s a warning? God might just be trying to get our attention. But even if it is not, there’s no harm in erring on the right side of the equation? 

And it’s no secret that our society is as sinful and ungodly as it’s ever been, and in a serious negative free fall, what with all the strife and unrest between the powerful nations of the world. We can certainly use some respite from all the posturing and warmongering…and only sincere prayer and repentance can bring that about. 

It won’t, and it can’t happen overnight, but we’ve got to make a start. As the Chinese proverb says: ‘The longest journey begins with the first step.’ 

My people, it’s time we took that first step in returning to worshipping the God of our forefathers, bringing God back into our homes, schools, public places and all areas of our society, because that is the only way that we will survive. 

The Good Book shows where the Lord brought serious adversity on His chosen people, Israel, when they were disobedient and turned to idol worship. But when they repented and turned back to Him, He took them back with LOVING arms, because that’s the kind of God He is; the God of second chances. 

So if the Israelites were smart enough to realize their error, why can’t we be too eh? We’re supposed to be so much wiser and more educated and affluent and have a higher standard of living. But that’s possibly the problem right there; we think we know too much, and in reality we don’t know anything. 

Anyway, a word of warning to the wise; let’s pray, let’s sincerely repent and get back to worshipping the One and Only True Living God, He of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. That’s the wisest thing we can do right now. 

And our Bit certainly points us in that direction. ‘The Lord rewarded me according to my righteousness; according to the cleanness of my hands hath he recompensed me.’ 

Yeh mih people, it’s no secret, the Lord rewards us when we do right, when we live righteously. And by no stretch of the imagination can we say that our world is in a righteous mode right now. In fact unrighteousness is the order of the day! 

Bruh David was a man like all of us, he did his fair share of wrong and suffered his fair share of adversity too, but he knew where his strength came from, on which side his bread was buttered, so he stuck with the Lord God of Israel, who wrought mighty deeds through him. 

Just check out this example. When Bruh David had a chance to kill his archenemy Saul in the wilderness, he refused to do it, because Saul was the Lord’s anointed. (1 Sam.24:1-15) And after Bruh David talked to Saul about the situation, the ole reprobate Saul, said, ‘Is this thy voice, my son David? And Saul lifted up his voice and wept. 

And he said to David, Thou art more righteous than I: for thou hast rewarded me good, whereas I have rewarded thee evil. And thou hast showed this day how thou hast dealt well with me: forasmuch as when the Lord had delivered me into thine hand, thou killedst me not. 

For if a man find his enemy, will he let him go well away (get away safely)? Wherefore the Lord reward thee good for that thou hast done unto me this day.’ (1 Sam.24:16-19) 

Yeh friends, even the evil Saul knew that the Lord rewards righteousness, so why aren’t we seeking more rewards through our righteousness eh? Our world currently seems to be fixated on the things of evil, of darkness of ungodliness, which can only work to our eventual demise my brethren. 

Our job as Christians is to try and prevent that by living for Christ and showing others the way to Him. What say we that we begin doing that seriously now eh, if we want our world to not only survive, but also prosper under the Lord’s generous hand? Our children, and our children’s children are depending on us my brethren. Let’s not fail them. 

And if our hearts are right, then we can sincerely declare 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!’ 

Oh friends, let’s go out and help others to sincerely declare that nuh, for it is the heartfelt desire of Jesus. Much LOVE!

…as disciples of Jesus…we are to share His LOVE with others…not keep it to ourselves…