Today’s Scrip-Bit 20 October 2019 Psalm 18:2.

20 Oct 2019 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).

 

Hear it comes friends, the big day, Sunday; the day of the Lord! And it’s time to gather in His sanctuary to fellowship with other believers, to sing and praise His holy name, hear His Word and be refueled for another week. And as always, we shall open the proceedings with some music of praise, aptly titled ‘Rock of Ages.’ Yes friends, we’re talking about that beautiful Christian hymn written by the English Pastor, Augustus Toplady in 1763.

And the Hymnary.org site informs us: ‘There is a legend that Augustus Toplady was inspired to write this hymn after finding shelter from a thunderstorm in a cleft in a rock at Burrington Combe in Somerset, England in 1776. While evidence to support that story is lacking, it does provide a vivid image through which to understand the hymn. Christ and His redemptive work on the cross are like that cleft in the rock, where we can find shelter from the deluge of sin’s guilt and power.’ 

And I wonder if during that storm Augustus ever considered the similarities when the Lord passed before Moses on Mt. Sinai, when He gave him the Ten Commandments, (Ex.34 & 35) and Elijah in the cleft of the mountain when he ran away from God, after Jezebel promised to kill him. (1 Kin.19:10-15) We’ll never know until we get to heaven and ask Augustus. (smile) So let’s sing his wonderful hymn nuh. As one strong, sincere voice, in sweet, harmonious tones.

‘Rock of Ages, cleft for me, let me hide myself in thee; let the water and the blood, from thy wounded side which flowed, be of sin the double cure; save from wrath and make me pure. Not the labors of my hands can fulfill thy law’s demands; could my zeal no respite know, could my tears forever flow, all for sin could not atone; thou must save, and thou alone. 

Nothing in my hand I bring, simply to the cross I cling; naked, come to thee for dress; helpless, look to thee for grace; foul, I to the fountain fly; wash me, Saviour, or I die. Wash me, Saviour or I die. While I draw this fleeting breath, when mine eyes shall close in death, when I soar to worlds unknown, see thee on thy judgment throne, Rock of Ages, cleft for me, let me hide myself in thee…Let me hide myself in thee…let me hide myself in thee….’ 

Yes my fellow saints in Christ, Almighty God is our refuge and our rock! He’s at once the source of our protection and our strong tower.  We hear it loud and clear in Moses’ song: ‘Because I will publish (proclaim) the name of the Lord: ascribe ye greatness unto our God. He is the Rock, his work is perfect: for all his ways are judgment: a God of truth and without iniquity, just and right is he.’ (Deut.32:3-4)  

And as the scholars explain: ’32:4-9. A faithful God and a faithless people are pictured. The Rock: The word is placed first in the Hebrew for emphasis. It emphasizes the stability and permanence of the God of Israel. His unchanging nature is contrasted with the fickleness of the covenant people.’ 

Unfortunately though, nothing much has changed with us, today’s covenant people; we’re still fickle and faithless. But thankfully our God does not change, but remains the same yesterday, today and forever! And if you don’t believe me, hear Bruh David declare it from Psalm 18 – Thanksgiving for deliverance.

‘I will LOVE thee, O Lord, my strength. 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). I will call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised: so shall I be saved from mine enemies.’ (Ps.18:1-3) Oh friends, you couldn’t get any surer or more trusting than that! 

And Isaiah echoes those same sentiments in his Thanksgiving for God’s mercies. ‘And in that day thou shalt say, O Lord, I will praise thee: though thou wast angry with me, thine anger is turned away, and thou comfortedst me. Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and not be afraid: for the Lord Jehovah is my strength and my song; he also is become my salvation.’ (Is.12:1-2)

Then in his hymn of praise, he solemnly and surely declares: ‘Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on (sustained by) thee. Trust ye in the Lord for ever: for in the Lord Jehovah is everlasting strength (Rock of Ages).’ (Is.26:3-4) Yeah mih people, our God certainly deserves the name Rock of Ages!’ 

And we’ll close with these wonderful and oh so true sentiments from the Godtube site: ‘ Even when we may feel like we are all alone, remember that God is always by our side and will never abandon us. He is truly our light in the dark and our rock that we can stand upon always. What an amazing feeling to be LOVED by such a kind Father and to give praise to His name with the beautiful hymn ‘Rock Of Ages.’ That says it all precious people of God! 

But we’ll reinforce it with the advice of Bruh David. (smile) ‘Ye that fear the Lord, praise him; all ye the seed (descendants) of Jacob, glorify him; and fear him (hold Him in awesome reverence). All ye the seed of Israel. For he hath not despised nor abhorred the affliction of the afflicted; neither hath he hid his face from him; but when he cried unto him he heard.’ (Ps.22:23-24)  

So let’s go home today, renewed and refueled, trusting in the Lord God, our strength and refuge, who will always hear us when we cry out to Him, for He is indeed our Salvation. Much LOVE!

…true salvation…can only be found…in the Rock of All Ages…

Today’s Scrip-Bit 22 October 2017 Isaiah 26:4.

22 Oct 2017 Leave a comment

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

Isaiah 26:4.    Trust ye in the Lord for ever: for in the Lord Jehovah (Yahweh) is everlasting strength (the Rock of Ages).

Ah friends, what can I say about Sunday that hasn’t been said already eh? The Lord’s Day, the best day of the week, a time of rest, a time for gathering in His sanctuary and praising Him and receiving His wonderful blessings and assurance in return, etc. etc! Yes my brethren, Sunday is a wonderful day in our faith calendar. If we don’t use it wisely, we tend to falter and flame out very early in the upcoming week. 

That’s why we need to gather and fellowship at least once a week, to renew our faith, bolster our enthusiasm and be replenished with the Holy Spirit of Christ, who leads and guides us, and enables us to do the will of God down here on Mother Earth.  So, as always, let’s open the day’s proceedings with this favourite old hymn of praise and refuge, ‘Rock of Ages,’ penned by Augustus M. Toplady, around 1776. 

With sincere hearts and strong voices, let’s offer up sacrificial praise to our heavenly Father. ‘Rock of Ages, cleft for me, Let me hide myself in Thee; Let the water and the blood, From Thy wounded side which flowed, Be of sin the double cure, Save from wrath and make me pure. Not the labor of my hands Can fulfill Thy law’s demands; Could my zeal no respite know, Could my tears forever flow, All for sin could not atone; Thou must save, and Thou alone. 

Nothing in my hand I bring, Simply to Thy cross I cling; Naked, come to Thee for dress; Helpless, look to Thee for grace; Foul, I to the fountain fly; Wash me, Savior, or I die. While I draw this fleeting breath, When my eyes shall close in death, When I rise to worlds unknown, And behold Thee on Thy throne, Rock of Ages, cleft for me, Let me hide myself in Thee.’ 

Oh friends, there’s nowhere safer in this universe than under the mighty wings of our omnipotent and wonderful God! And our Bit acknowledges it in spades: ‘Trust ye in the Lord for ever: for in the Lord Jehovah (Yahweh) is everlasting strength (the Rock of Ages).’ 

Those are words from the song of praise that will be sung when the redeemed enter the millennial kingdom. And the song continues to exalt the Lord’s strength: ‘For he bringeth down (low) them that dwell on high; the lofty city, he layeth it low, even to the ground; he bringeth it even to the dust. The foot shall tread (trample) it down, even the feet of the poor, and the steps of the needy.’ (Is.26:5-6) 

What a mighty God we serve and worship my people! There’s NONE like Him! And if you don’t believe me, then listen to Moses in his song of praise to the God of his forefathers. ‘Because I will publish (proclaim) the name of the Lord: ascribe ye greatness unto our God. He is the Rock, his work is perfect: for all his ways are judgement: a God of truth and without iniquity, just and right is he.’ (Deut.32:4) 

And the scholars tell us: ‘32:4-9. A faithful God and a faithless people are pictured (in those verses). The Rock: The word is placed first in the Hebrew for emphasis. It emphasizes the stability and permanence of the God of Israel. His unchanging nature is contrasted with the fickleness of the covenant people…’ 

When will we ever learn eh my brethren? The same thing is happening today; a minority of us are putting our trust and faith in Almighty God; the Creator and Controller of ALL THINGS!  That surely doesn’t make much sense, in no way is it wisdom in any form or fashion. Lucifer, whom most of us are bowing down to in these rough and disastrous end times, cannot offer us anything but hell fire and damnation. And if that is what you desire, then go right ahead and get it, but as for me and mine, we WILL follow the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob! 

Why? Just listen to Bruh David from Psalm 18 – Thanksgiving for deliverance, when the Lord delivered him from all his enemies, in particular Saul. ‘I will LOVE thee, O Lord, my strength. The Lord is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength (my rock), in whom I will trust; my buckler (shield), and the horn (strength) of my salvation, and my high tower (fortress, stronghold). I will call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised: so shall I be saved from mine enemies.’ (Ps.18:1-3) 

What greater testimony to our Lord’s greatness and power can there be eh friends? And I like how all these men of great faith put their exaltation in song. Listen as we end with words from Asaph’s song, Psalm 83 – A prayer for the destruction of Israel’s enemies. ‘So persecute (pursue) them with thy tempest, and make them afraid with thy storm. Fill their faces with shame; that they may seek thy name, O Lord. Let them be confounded and troubled (ashamed and dismayed) for ever; yea, let them be put to shame, and perish. That men may know that thou, whose name alone is JEHOVAH (Lord), art the Most High over all the earth.’ (Ps.83:15-18) 

And friends, that is exactly what the Lord is doing all over the earth these days; letting us know that He is the ONE and ONLY TRUE LIVING GOD, and if we don’t bow down and worship Him, we will eventually perish! It’s as simple as that! The Bible warns us of the penalty for sin and disobedience from Genesis right through to Revelation, so we can’t say we’re ignorant of the facts. Please, I implore us, let’s be wise and repent and get in the good graces of Almighty God nuh, before it’s too late! Now that is wisdom of eternal proportions! Much LOVE!

…remember that God doesn’t make idle promises…and He promised…that the wages of sin is death…

 

 

Today’s Scrip-Bit 19 February 2017 Psalm 139:23-24.

19 Feb 2017 Leave a comment

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

Psalm 139:23-24.   Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my (anxious) thoughts. And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.

It ‘s Sunday friends, what we consider the Lord’s Day! That means it’s time to get ready and join other believers in the sanctuary to praise and worship, glorify and exalt our magnificent and magnanimous God! 

Wow! How excellent it is to have the chance every week to offer up our thanks and praise, our gratefulness for His awesome and undeserving grace and mercy, and have Him strengthen our faith and refill, renew our souls with His Holy Spirit, so that we have the wherewithal to face another trying but joy-filled week! 

And to begin the celebrations, let’s offer up a sacrifice of praise with our lips, through the singing of this old but wonderful hymn – Rock of Ages. 

In full voice and sincerity of heart, let’s sing: ‘Rock of Ages, cleft for me, Let me hide myself in Thee; Let the water and the blood, From Thy wounded side which flowed, Be of sin the double cure; Save from wrath and make me pure. Not the labor of my hands, Can fulfill Thy law’s demands; Could my zeal no respite know, Could my tears forever flow, All for sin could not atone; Thou must save, and Thou alone. 

Nothing in my hand I bring, Simply to the cross I cling; Naked, come to Thee for dress; Helpless look to Thee for grace; Foul, I to the fountain fly; Wash me, Savior, or I die. While I draw this fleeting breath, When mine eyes shall close in death, When I soar to worlds unknown, See Thee on Thy judgment throne, Rock of Ages, cleft for me, Let me hide myself in Thee.’ 

Oh my precious people of God, there’s no better place to run for help and succour than to our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, for He has already paid the exceedingly great price for our sins by His selfless sacrifice on the cross at Calvary! Glory to God! And by His stripes we are healed! 

So if we don’t run to Him, and cling to Him, and find security and comfort, rest and LOVE with Him, then His most awesome sacrifice would have been a complete waste of time. Remember He offered up His Holy and precious life so that we could be saved from sin, be made righteous in the eyes of our heavenly father and receive eternal life. 

Ah friends, every time I think about how great Jesus is, I just want to jump and shout for joy – Glory Hallelujah! All praise and glory to the Lamb that was slain for us! He is indeed the Greatest!’

But let me curb my enthusiasm a tad and get to our Bit, (smile) otherwise I can take up all the time and space by just adding adoration upon adoration. That’s the kind of space I’m in right now.  Not that that’s wrong, but it’s not our avowed purpose at the present time. 

So hear these heartfelt words of Bruh David to his God. ‘Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my (anxious) thoughts. And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.’ 

Yes my fellow believers, I’ve expanded the Bit today, because the first part just didn’t seem right without the second. For why are we asking the Lord to search our hearts, but to see if there’s anything wrong or wicked therein, and then to correct it through His LOVING and merciful guidance? 

Now let’s put some flesh on the bones of our Bit with other scripture that corroborate it. Listen to Job, when he speaks to his supposed friends of his integrity. ‘Doth not he see my ways, and count all my steps?  If I have walked with vanity (falsehood), or if my foot hath hasted to deceit; Let me be weighed (let him weigh me) in an even balance, that God may know mine integrity. 

If my step hath turned out of the way, and mine heart walked after mine eyes, and if any blot hath cleaved (any spot adheres) to mine hands: Then let me sow, and let another eat; yea, let my offspring (harvest) be rooted out (uprooted). (Job 31:4-8) 

Ah friends, Job knew that he had not committed any great sin or sins, which had caused his sudden, dramatic downfall. Now a lot of us end up being blamed for things we haven’t done, and nothing we can say to our accusers will change their minds. But once we are sure of our innocence, let us take heart that our Lord, the righteous judge, will in His time recompense us for all that we’ve lost and suffered. 

And Job is also a very good example of that, as the Good Book informs us. ‘And the Lord turned (restored) the captivity (losses) of Job, when he prayed for his friends: also the Lord gave Job twice as much as he had before.’ (Job 42:10) 

Please note a couple of things here though my people. The Lord restored Job’s wealth and family and friends, after he prayed for his friends. And as the scholars explain: ‘The point to be garnered from the book is not that God intends to deal with every servant as abundantly as He did with Job; rather that God holds sovereign and LOVING sway over every human life. Therefore, He can be trusted implicitly in all things (cf. Rom.8:28).’ 

Yes friends, if our God is as great and good as we claim, the Creator of the universe and all therein, then we have to acknowledge His sovereignty and trust Him to do the best on our behalf, otherwise our claims are spurious and useless. 

Unfortunately time and space have run out, so until tomorrow, the Lord in favour, please sincerely ponder all that we’ve talked about. And may He bless and keep us safe, shine His regal presence upon us and give us His peace which passes all understanding. Much LOVE!

…if we can’t trust our Maker…then whom can we trust eh…

 

 

Today’s Scrip-Bit 7 August 2016 Matthew 11:28.

07 Aug 2016 Leave a comment

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

Matthew 11:28.    Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 

Well mih people, Sunday, the first day of the week has rolled around again! And what a beautiful day it ought to be, one filled with praise and worship and fellowship celebrating the Sabbath of our great and awesome God! 

So it’s only right that we begin the proceedings today with some worship in the form of the old and greatly beloved hymn, ‘Rock of Ages,’ written in 1763 by the Rev. Augustus Montague Toplady. Let’s belt it out with plenty verve, enthusiasm and sincerity nuh. 

‘Rock of Ages, cleft for me, let me hide myself in thee; let the water and the blood, from thy wounded side which flowed, be of sin the double cure; save from wrath and make me pure. Not the labors of my hands can fulfill thy law’s demands; could my zeal no respite know, could my tears forever flow, all for sin could not atone; thou must save, and thou alone. 

Nothing in my hand I bring, simply to the cross I cling; naked, come to thee for dress; helpless, look to thee for grace; foul, I to the fountain fly; wash me, Savior, or I die. While I draw this fleeting breath, when mine eyes shall close in death, when I soar to worlds unknown, see thee on thy judgment throne, Rock of Ages, cleft for me, let me hide myself in thee.’ 

Yes friends, that’s the wisest and most sensible move a human being can ever make; turning to the Rock of all ages, Jesus Christ for comfort and succour! For He is the ONLY Being who can provide ALL that we need! Other beings can provide some of this and some of that, but Jesus Christ is the repository of everything that’s needed to live life successfully, both on earth and in heaven. 

NEVER forget that my brethren! Whatever we need, Jesus has it – and in abundance too, and He is also very willing to share whatever it is with those who come to Him in humility, sincerity and truth! 

Otherwise, why would He extend to all mankind what we refer to today as the Great Invitation eh, which is our Bit for today? ‘Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.’ 

Oh my fellow believers, how wonderful is that invitation eh? No other living being in the history of mankind could ever truthfully offer such an invitation! None but our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! And that’s not even all of His wonderful invitation. 

Listen to the remainder. ‘Take my yoke upon you, and learn of (from) me; for I am meek and lowly in heart (gentle and humble): and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.’ (Matt.11:29-30)  

Tell me friends, have you ever received a better invitation than that? Certainly not! Because no one else can match it! That’s why men of God, men of strong faith like Bruh David and Peter advise us to: ‘Cast thy burden upon the Lord, and he shall sustain thee: he shall never suffer (permit) the righteous to be moved (shaken). (Ps.55:22) ‘Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time: Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.’ (1 Pet.5:6-7) 

Now why would two such godly men tell us to cast all our care on Almighty God if it wasn’t true eh? But as usual, we the finite, know it all humans, refuse to do as advised. Yeh, we think that we know more and can do more than the One who created us and still provides for us. Hn! 

Instead, we listen to that fool Lucifer, who has nothing that’s good or lasting to offer us. All he has going for him are lies and deceit, plus fancy, flimsy, gold-plated worldly goods set up in a false front, a facade. But yuh know what friends, behind all that gloss and glamour there’s nothing but sin, death and hell! 

Oh, we all know that working for Jesus is not glamorous, but it certainly is glorious and adventurous! And besides, the same worldly goods you get from Lucifer, you can get from working for Jesus, and these last much longer than Lucifer’s flimsy, marginal stuff. 

It makes me wonder though, why sensible people follow an unwise dissident like Lucifer, who had it all going for him as the Lord’s right hand man, but foolishly tried to overthrow Him, was kicked out of heaven, and now walks the earth to and fro seeking to do evil to all that he can. 

Remember friends, the evil one has no real power over us, unless we allow him to. Christ has already defeated him, trod him underfoot and captured the keys to hell, death and the grave. So there’s nothing to really fear from him, unless we let the glamorous but unsustainable things of the world that he offers, trip up our minds and hearts. 

Anyway, enough about Lucifer, we didn’t come here to talk about him, but about God. (smile) And by the way, let me offer my sincere apologies to my second homeland, Jamaica on the 54th anniversary of their Independence which was celebrated yesterday! Chuh! I knew of it, but yet I forgot it. I can imagine the celebrations that took place. 

And though I may live all over the world, Jamaica will always have a special place in my heart. I experienced some of the roughest days of my life there, but also some of the most heart-warming and adventurous. As the old people would say, it’s there that I turned man. (smile) Happy 54th Xaymaca – the Land of Wood and water! 

Now let’s end with this Benediction from Uncle Charles (Charles Stanley) adapted from his writing ‘Enter His Gates.’ ‘Yesterday’s troubles, today’s problems, and tomorrow’s circumstances are all part of the pilgrimage you’re on with God, through the good times and the bad. Someday you’ll reach the finish line, and your exhaustion and perplexity will be over. 

And when that day comes, you’ll be in the Lord’s presence forever. But right here, right now, your life has meaning and purpose. Don’t ever give up. Always remember that the Lord Jesus Christ is there for you, with you even now. He alone is the source of our strength, our endurance to continue, and our reward when the journey is done.’ 

Gospel truth all of that my fellow believers! So please let’s take it all to heart and put it into action – right now, if not before, for it is indeed the wisdom of heaven! Much LOVE!

…Christ is our end all and be all…the first and the last…the Alpha and Omega…