climate change | SCRIP-BITS

Today’s Scrip-Bit 13 July 2023 Joshua 1:9.

13 Jul 2023 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: adopted children of God, be not afraid neither be thou dismayed, be strong and of a good courage, Christ paid our sin debt in full, climate change, compassionate heart, curse, divine protection, eternal life, favour, fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body, fear not them which kill the body, God's strength is made perfect in my weakness, have good success, I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me, lack confidence in our Triune God, LOVE, meditate therein day and night, my grace is sufficient for thee, negative word, not able to kill the soul, talk a good talk, the Lord thy God is with thee wherever you go, then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, this book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth, Thursday Blessings, to handle whatever comes against us, walk a woeful walk, without me ye can do nothing

Joshua 1:9. Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee withersoever thou goest.

And after a late night, early morning of constant drizzle, Thursday has opened sunny and cool, but with some cloudy overtones. The computer is saying it’s going to be windy and humid. But in these days of climate change anything is possible, so we just have to learn to handle whatever comes against us weatherwise, like we have learned to handle whatever circumstances come against us in our regular lives.

And it all begins with knowing, and even more importantly living like Jesus Christ is our true and enabling Lord and Saviour. As he says, without Him, we can do nothing. (John 15:5). But then again, we can do ALL things though Christ who strengthens and enables us! (Phil. 4:13) And don’t forget either that God’s grace is sufficient for all we do, because His strength (power) is made perfect in our weakness. (2 Cor. 12:9)

Wow! What a mighty force is our God! And He ought to be, since He created the earth, the heavens, the seas and all therein, and also controls everything within them, so that all the hairs of our heads are numbered and not even one grain of it falls of and He doesn’t know it. Neither does even one little sparrow, which is a cheap and seemingly unimportant bird die and the Lord doesn’t know it. (Matt. 10:29-32)

So, taking all of that into consideration, the question then becomes, why are we who claim to be great believers in Almighty God, with Jesus Christ as our Lord and Saviour are so fearful of the things of the world and the evil that lurks therein? Remember Jesus said quite authoritatively: ‘And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.’ (Matt. 10:28)

And, if you didn’t know it, the ONLY One who can destroy both our souls and bodies is the Lord God Almighty! That means, if we’re to fear any Being, it’s Jehovah God we should fear! But since He’s our heavenly Father, having adopted us after Christ died and paid for our sins, (Rom. 8:14-15) and therefore LOVES us with a mighty unconditional LOVE, there’s no need to fear Him in the true sense of the word, but to reverence, to honour and obey Him, like children do their fathers.

But unfortunately, that is something too many of us on this disaster-filled planet are not doing, that’s why our lives are so pitiable and miserable! If we don’t have the LOVE and reverence of God in us, how can we ever live joyful and successful lives eh? Remember, the Bible tells us that the joy of the Lord is our strength. (Neh. 8:10)

And remember too, these amazing and wise words from the mouth of the Lord Himself to Joshua. ‘This book of the law shall not depart out of (shall be constantly in) thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.’ (Josh. 1:8)

Oh my brethren that’s all we really need to know yes! Read and constantly meditate on God’s Word, then put it into action in our lives! That’s it in a nutshell! But how many of us even read the Lord’s Word, much less meditate on it, and live it? Not nearly enough! And if you didn’t believe what the Lord said to Joshua back there, then listen to what He followed it up with: ‘Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee withersoever thou goest.’ (Josh. 1:9)

Mama Mia my fellow saints! What else do we need for God to do for us or to tell us eh, before we can live the way He desires of us? He’s told us to read and study His word, then live it. Then to not be afraid but strong and courageous because He’s with us wherever we go. Then to crown it all, He sent His Son Jesus Christ to die for us so that our sin debt could be paid in full and give us the option of spending eternity in His marvellous company…

What else do we need eh? For Him to come and hold each of our hands personally and lead us over the threshold of heaven? Brother! We’ve become such frail, feeble and fearful folks that even when we’ve been given everything we need to live the abundant and successful life that Jesus died for us to have, we’re still mewling and afraid like little children.

Sorry, I take that back, little children might be afraid, but they have confidence in their parents and elders and follow them anyway. But we obviously don’t have the confidence we’re supposed to have in Christ Jesus, our heavenly Father, neither the Holy Spirit, who all bend over backwards to help us!

And furthermore, we can’t even stay united as one church, one body of Christ like we should be, but allow the enemy to divide and conquer us with all the foolish divisions and denominations we’ve created and all the petty and selfish things that we foolishly use to keep us apart. When are we going to wake up and realize that unless there is more unity in Christ’s church, that we can never win the war we’re supposed to be fighting? We talk such a good talk, but our walk is woeful in comparison, not nearly as good as it ought to be.

And though I’m chuckling here at what I’ve written, because I never came out to write it, but apparently was led there by the Holy Spirit, because we definitely do need to wake up and get working for Christ if we ever expect to see positive changes in our world anytime soon. Let’s hope that this will be a wakeup call for many of us, and believers in Christ will begin doing what they need to do: read and study God’s word, then live it with courage and strength of purpose!

And now, let’s go home declaring (ah Lord eh!) our Thursday Blessings, which the Lord has generously bestowed on us to do His earthly work. As one 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, we desperately need to go out and share those blessings with others, just as generously as the Lord shared them with us! Much LOVE!

…we have all the tools for abundant and successful living…why aren’t we using them to enrich our world like Jesus desires…

Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ

Today’s Scrip-Bit 17 May 2023 Luke 18:1.

17 May 2023 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: beware of what you ask for, calamity all around the globe, climate change, endure to the end, for the wages of sin is death, get down on our knees and pray, God gives us the anoining to face problems, halfway home, hand on the plough, his sweat were like great drops of blood, Jesus devoted Himself to prayer, Jesus spake a parable unto them to this end, keep on praying and not lose heart, looking straight ahead, LOVE, men ought to pray and not faint, not turning back, our God can do anything, pray without ceasing, prayer is our biggest privilege, prayer is our most powerful weapon, reduction of pollution, tampered with God's weather system, thank God, the breath of life is still flowing through me, the cup of sufferation, the dangers of polluting our atmosphere, the God of Abraham Isaac and Jacob, to a glorious future with Jesus, Wednesday Wail, with all perseverance and supplication for all saints, you use it or lose it

Luke 18:1. He spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought to pray and not faint.

Now what’s happening weatherwise eh? Last Wednesday I said that that would be three consecutive days of bright sunshine, and this Wednesday, we’re still counting. (smile) As the old folks would say, beware of what you ask for, for when you get it, you’ll realize that it was not all it was cracked up to be. And so many steady days of sunshine without even a drop of heavenly blessing is definitely not good. Just note the heat and lack of rain that caused the wildfires out in Alberta, that by the way, are still burning. It’s never good to have too much or too little of anything…well, except where sin is concerned – a little is always good. (smile)

But since we’ve tampered with God’s finely tuned and balanced weather systems with all the pollution we’ve released into the atmosphere and the water, there’s not much we can do about it, except to pray. Some of us are making a rather belated effort to try and clean things up, but climate change didn’t happen overnight, it took some time to get to this stage where we’re feeling the dastardly effects.

And it’s not that we weren’t warned about the dangers of polluting our atmosphere and water a long time ago, but in the usual high-handed, arrogant manner of mankind, we, or rather those in power and those whose wealth would be affected by any reduction of the pollution, refused to believe that negative stuff could happen if we continued our stubborn, greedy activities.

Now we’re paying the price for it. And would you believe that there’s a sizeable portion of our population that still don’t believe that climate change is a reality at all, much less a worsening one. And as always, it’s mainly those in a position of power and wealth, who stand to lose the most if cleaner methods of production were instigated. That means, no real improvement can be implemented if those who have the power to make a difference don’t agree to do so. So what do we do eh?

As I said before, pray. That’s our most powerful weapon. And all of us pray to some God or other, and we claim to believe in prayer, so it’s time for us to shut up and put up! It’s time for us to unite, despite our faith, get down on our knees and pray that the negative and very difficult situations that are already causing calamity all around the globe, would be changed, or at least slowed down or halted by the blessed hand of our powerful and merciful God. Individually, we also need to do whatever we can to lessen pollution. It might just be a small deed like not throwing plastic in the water or the land fill, but each individual act when put together can make some significant difference.

Although, who knows if we stop all our polluting that our weather systems and the chunk we’ve taken out of our protective ozone layer would return to its original state? Maybe we’ve already gone too far, and we now have to grin and bear the calamitous effects that are coming our way. However, some of us do believe in the God who created the universe and all therein, that’s the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, whom we believe can do anything He so desires. And how do we communicate with this magnificent Deity, through the medium of prayer, which is basically talking to Him, expressing our desires and listening to Him as He answers our prayers.

And there’s no more telling duty or requirement in all faiths than to pray. In the Christiaan faith, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, the Son of God, made that very clear when He advised His followers thus. ‘He spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought to pray and not faint.’ (Luke 18:1) That’s mankind ought to keep on praying and not lose heart or give up, for prayer is the most important privilege we have, and we must use it.

And being the honourable kind of man He was, He didn’t give advice and not keep it Himself, like the scribes and Pharisees did. While down here on earth, though being God, a member of the Holy Trinity, He always made time to pray to the Father in heaven, so that He could know the Father’s will, and have His human spirit be replenished to enable Him to fulfill His destiny. And there’s no better example of that than on the night before His crucifixion, when He was filled with anguish and torment over the upcoming ‘sufferation’. He repaired to the Garden of Gethsemane and devoted Himself to prayer.

Three times He cried out to His Father asking if the cup of ‘sufferation’ could be removed, ending each time with the statement, ‘not my will but thine be done.’ (Matt. 26:39) But He received no answer whatsoever. That’s because He knew, as well as the Father did, that there was no other way to forgive the abominable sins of man righteously and justly without Him paying the high, dehumanizing price it required. The Bible, God’s Word says: ‘For the wages of sin is death.’ (Rom. 6:23)

That means for sin to be considered paid for, death has to occur. And not any ordinary human being, but someone who was sinless. And since Jesus was the only sinless person available, the awful task fell to Him. And though the Father did not answer Jesus’ prayer, the gospel of Luke tells us that in his time of agony, that ‘He prayed more earnestly: and his sweat was like it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground. And there appeared an angel unto him from heaven, strengthening him.’ (Luke 22:43-44)

So, the Father did not leave Him completely hopeless; He strengthened Him so that He could perform the necessary task. And that’s how He often is with us too. We might want to get away from something, but in His will or plan for us, He believes it necessary for us to go through the trial, so instead He gives us the grace, the strength, the anointing to face the problem. And we should also note what Jesus said to the disciples in the Garden when He found them sleeping instead of praying. ‘What, could ye not watch with me one hour? Watch and pray that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.’ (Matt. 26:40-41)

And that’s the gospel truth my people, our spirit is willing to keep us praying, but our flesh is weak and doesn’t want to do it. That’s why Bruh Paul in all his missives advised his readers to pray. To the Thessalonians he wrote: ‘Pray without ceasing. In every thing give thanks for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.’ (1 Thess. 5:17-18)

Meanwhile to the Ephesians at the end of his treatise on putting on the armour of God (Eph. 6:10-17) he exhorted them: ‘Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints.’ (Eph. 6:18) So although one puts on the protective armour of God, prayer is still essential to making it work.

Oh my fellow saints, please, let’s understand that the Christian life is based on prayer, and it’s to our benefit, not God’s, to have a good prayer life. Now, for those of who know and understand that and try to implement it, let’s go home declaring (awright!!!) our Wednesday Wail, letting the whole world know of our wonderful position in Christ Jesus.

Altogether 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!’

And the beauty of it all friends, is that if we endure right down to the very end with Jesus, then that future will be even more glorious that we can ever ask or imagine! Let’s therefore use that as encouragement and inspiration to stick with Jesus right to the very end nuh! Much LOVE!

…prayer is our biggest privilege…and like most things…if we don’t use it…we lose it…

Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ

Today’s Scrip-Bit 30 August 2022 2 Corinthians 12:9a.

30 Aug 2022 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: a Sunday stroll in the park, a thorn in the flesh, an inexact science, be glad with exceeding joy, be of good cheer I have overcome the world, blasphemed, blessed are ye, climate change, constant prayer, for my sake, glory in my infirmities, god's grace is always enough, hurry, I am the beloved of god, in me ye might have peace, in the world ye shall have tribulation, Jesus - the veritable anchor of our lives, LOVE, my grace is sufficient for thee, my strength is made perfect in weakness, on their part he is evil spoken of, on your part he is glorified, persecute you, rejoice, say all manner of evil against you, share His love with the world, the Beatitudes, the eternal destiny of all things, the fiery trial which is to try you, the power of Christ may rest upon me, think it not strange, to test our faith, trust my friend Jesus, Tuesday Mantra, weather forecasting, when his glory shall be revealed, when I am weak then I am strong, when men shall revile you, worry, ye are partakers of Christ's suffering

2 Corinthians 12:9a. My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength (power) is made perfect in weakness.

Well, it seems like today we might at last get some of the rain promised yesterday, after strong winds blew away the rain clouds. The skies are dark outside and a sprinkle of heavenly blessing has already fallen. But who knows, in these days of climate change anything is possible. So many times in the recent past we’ve been promised rain, and did see dark clouds all around, but no rain fell, at least in my area. (smile)

But just to show how crazy our world has gotten, I recently read that in some eastern European country, two top meteorologists were fired when they forecasted a big storm for some national holiday and thus all the celebrations were postponed. But unfortunately, no storm happened. Imagine the ignorance in that nuh! Weather forecasting is an inexact science, so you can’t hold the forecasters to any rigid details, especially when our weather patterns have recently changed and are still changing as we speak.

But I guess that’s life in these modern times. That’s why it’s ever so important for us to have Jesus as the foundation, the veritable anchor in our lives, so that those kinds of unfortunate things don’t get us too down and eventually drive us crazy. And to help us handle the madness of today’s world, promises of Jesus, like this one, should be indelibly stenciled in the forefront of our minds: ‘These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.’ (John 16:33)

Now that’s a most reassuring scripture! It won’t always change our circumstances, but it will surely help us to handle those circumstances in a more positive manner, driving away the desire to give up on our faith and our lives. And per the earthly life, that’s one of the major reasons to believe in Jesus. He doesn’t take away all our problems, but helps us to handle them in a positive manner.

Too many of us supposed believers though, think that as soon as we accept Jesus as Lord and Saviour that life will just run as smoothly as a rippling stream. But that’s a total fallacy, for sometimes life gets more complicated with more problems as Jesus allows stuff to enter our lives to test our faith, to see how strong we really are. And whatever comes against us, God will give us all the grace we need to handle the situation. We need to believe that very deeply.

And we have the perfect example of that in Bruh Paul’s situation in 2 Corinthians 12, where he had some thorn in his flesh, nobody knows for sure what it was, some malady, sickness or affliction that was obviously causing him problems and three times he asked the Lord to take it away but the Lord refused, telling him: ‘My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength (power) is made perfect in weakness.’ (2 Cor. 12:9a)

So, sometimes when we pray for relief from a problem, that’s the kind of answer we may receive, and then we must do like Bruh Paul did when he received that answer to his problem. He went on to say: ‘Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities (weaknesses), that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ’s sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.’ (2 Cor, 12:9b-10)

Yes friends, though it’s never easy, sometimes we just have to grin and bear our problems, knowing that the grace of God is always with us, even when we seem to be at our lowest and most hurting point. All of us have strengths and weaknesses, and as we glory in the strengths, so should we accept the weaknesses or flaws, knowing that God will not allow them to destroy us, if we are faithful to Him and His word.

Oh, living the real Christian life was never meant to be easy, a Sunday stroll in the park, but it surely is an interesting life, with all sorts of unexpected adventures, both good and bad. And when the bad ones come upon us, we need to remember these soul-searching words of Peter, as he writes about us being good stewards of God’s grace. ‘Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you:

But rejoice, inasmuch as (to the extent that) ye are partakers of Christ’s sufferings: that when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy. If ye be reproached (insulted) for the name of Christ, happy (blessed) are ye; for the spirit of glory and of God resteth upon you: on their part he is evil spoken of (blasphemed), but on your part he is glorified.’ (1 Pet. 4:12-14)

Yes mih bredrin, we will all suffer some kind of reproach or insult on Christ’s behalf, but we need to take it in our stride and not always react in the same manner, but consider it a blessing, because the Spirit of God dwells within us and gives us the power and the grace to handle whatever comes against us in Jesus’ name. Remember how Jesus said it in the Beatitudes in the Sermon on the Mount. ‘Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely for my sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.’ (Matt. 5:11-12)

And yes, it will be difficult to rejoice when you are being persecuted, be it physically or through slander and blasphemy. But the scholars offer this interesting explanation of that last verse. ‘5:12. Rejoice is the command that grows out of the blessedness of the believer. The phrase Rejoice, and be exceeding glad means even more, exult! Great is your reward in heaven focusses attention on the eternal destiny of all things. If God is as real as He claims, if the Bible is true, if heaven is to be gained, then no temporary earthly trouble or persecution can dispossess the child of God of joy in the prospect of the eternal glory that lies ahead.’

Now that’s saying a mouthful, but it’s the awesome truth. If all that we believe is true, then the earthly troubles we encounter are no match for the heavenly rewards to come. And we need to believe that and hold on to it tightly, otherwise we won’t be able to handle the earthly problems properly. And the only way to do that successfully is by constantly delving deep in the word of God, talking to Him through constant prayer, and fellowshipping regularly with other believers!

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

And now my fellow believers, it behooves us to go out and share that amazing LOVE and friendship of Christ with others, so that they too can come to know and LOVE Him like we do! Much LOVE!

…God’s grace is never in short supply…there’s always enough to see us through every problem…

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

Today’s Scrip-Bit 24 July 2022 1 Thessalonians 5:6.

24 Jul 2022 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: an intellectual accommodation, be sober, children of God, children of light, climate change, evil and calamitous times, for a helmet, God hath not appointed us to wrath, heaven help the black man if he struggles one more day, heaven help the boy who never had a home, heaven help the girl who walks the street alone, heaven help the roses if the bombs begin to fall, heaven help the white man if he turns his back away, Heaven help us all, hold on to the trappings of our faith, immense poverty and starvation, in high fashion or low style, keep hatred from the mighty, keep the mighty from the small, let us not sleep as do others, let us watch and be sober, Lord hear us when we call, natural disasters, offer up sacrifices of praise in sweet harmony, poor economic outlook, putting on the breastplate of faith and love, Ron Miller, seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, Stevie Wonder, taught by the precept of men, the hope of salvation, they labour in vain that build it, to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ, turn back to the God of our forefathers, unless the Lord builds the house, worldwide sickness and disease

1 Thessalonians 5:6. Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober (self-controlled).

Come on friends, it’s time to gather for another Sunday session of praise, worship and thanksgiving! Glory be! Sometimes I just can’t wait for Sunday to come around so we can get together to celebrate the Lord’s Day in high fashion, or low style, (smile) which ever one is more appropriate to our circumstances.

Yes, there is just something unique and wonderful about a bunch of people from different creeds, cultures and races gathering in one place to enjoy fellowship with each other in the holy presence of our great God Jehovah. And while we give Him thanks and praise, He blesses us, gives us the strength and confidence to go out and face the world like what we truly are – children of God!

Now, the song to open today’s proceedings is a fairly new one, written in 1970 by Ron Miller and first performed by Stevie Wonder. We’re talking about that soulful number, ‘Heaven Help Us All’, which was very appropriate back then and sadly, is still relevant to our times today. So, let’s get soulful and sincere as we offer up our sacrifices of praise in sweet harmony, in a mid-tempo version, a la Ray Charles and Gladys Knight.

Singing: ‘Heaven help the boy who never had a home Heaven help the girl who walks the street alone And Heaven help the roses if the bombs begin to fall Lord, won’t you help us all? Heaven help the black man if he struggles one more day Heaven help the white man if he turns his back away Heaven help the man who kicks the man who has to crawl Heaven help us all. (Chorus: Heaven help us all, Heaven help us all, help us all. Heaven help us, Lord, hear our call when we call)

Oh, yeah Heaven help the boy who won’t reach twenty-one And Heaven help the man who gave that child a gun And Heaven help the people with their backs against the wall Lord, won’t you help us all? (Chorus: Heaven help us all…when we call) Gladys – monologue: “I want everybody within the sound of my voice this evening to fall down on their knees and say a prayer; asking for His guidance, His grace, His mercy. You might want to say: Lord, Lord, Lord, have mercy!”

Now I lay me down before I go to sleep In a troubled world, I pray the Lord, the Lord to keep. Keep hatred from the mighty and the mighty from the small, Heaven help us all, Heaven help us all, help us all. Heaven help us, Lord, hear our call when we call. We need You Jesus so won’t you hear us when we call. We can’t do without You, so please hear us when we call. Heaven help us all, Heaven help us all, help us all, Heaven help us, Lord, hear our call when we call… Heaven help us all…’

And my faithful friends, do we ever need a lot of help from heaven in these very evil and calamitous times! Without help from heaven we certainly won’t make it through the dismal and disastrous days that our world is currently undergoing. What with the unprecedented amount of strife and warfare all over the globe, the immense poverty and starvation of billions of people, the poor economic outlook, made even worse by worldwide sickness and disease…

And that’s just some of the manmade stuff. When you add the natural disasters like serious drought and famine, floods, fires, hurricanes, tornadoes and earthquakes that seem to be more prevalent than before, possibly because of climate change, it’s easy to see why we need heavenly help…and quickly too.

However friends, I don’t believe we will get that heavenly help as quickly as we need it unless we quickly turn back to the God of our forefathers and give up the idols and foolishness that the world sees as valuable. Remember Jesus words, His memorable advice from the Sermon on the Mount? ‘But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.’ (Matt. 6:33)

Yes my bredrin, the only way to get heaven’s help is by sincerely seeking God and His righteousness. We can’t go worshipping the things of the world and doing the ungodly things the world wants us to do, and expect godly help. But that’s exactly what we’re doing. We’re only paying lip-service to God. It reminds me of what the Lord spoke through the prophet Isaiah re Israel’s blindness. ‘Wherefore the Lord said, For as much as this people draw me with their mouth, and with their lips do honour me, but have removed their heart far from me, and their fear (reverence) toward me is taught by the precept of men.’ (Is. 29:13)

Ah mih people, it’s the same thing we’re doing now that Israel did back then; simply honouring God with our mouth and lips but not our hearts. And our reverence is being ‘taught by the precept of men,’ meaning, as the scholars tell us, it’s ‘merely an intellectual accommodation. For true worship must begin with a proper reverence for God and His Word.’

And if we don’t do that, if we don’t wake up to the realities of life asap…then crapaud smoke we pipe. The Lord’s not going to put up with our dalliance with the devil for ever. He might be long-suffering and all that, but at some stage He’s going to say enough is enough, like He did with Israel when they became unfaithful and with so many other proud and foolish nations, who in their prosperity, turned away from Him unwisely believing that their prosperity was their own doing.

That’s totally wrong my people. It’s the Lord’s goodness and mercy that causes a nation to prosper. And the psalmist tells us in no uncertain terms. ‘Unless the Lord build the house, they labour in vain that build it; Except the Lord keep (guards) the city, the watchman waketh but (stays awake) in vain.’ (Ps. 127:1) And I believe these words from Bruh Paul to the Thessalonians when he talks about Jesus coming as a thief in the night might just be a good wake up call for us.

Listen closely please. ‘But ye brethren are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief. Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness. Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober (self-controlled). For they that sleep sleep in the night; and they that are drunken are drunken in the night. But let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and LOVE; and for a helmet, the hope of salvation. For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ.’ (1 Thess. 5:4-9)

Oh my fellow saints, if we are the children of light, then we must behave as such; wake up and seriously and sincerely hold on to the trappings of our faith, and do our best to encourage others to do the same. We already have all we need to do the job, and if heaven sees that we’re serious, heaven will certainly help us. But we need to take the first step to help ourselves. Much LOVE!

…heaven won’t help us…until we start helping ourselves…that’s for sure…

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Today’s Scrip-Bit 18 June 2022 Proverbs 20:13.

18 Jun 2022 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: a positive reputation travelling fast, a time to every purpose under heaven, aspires to inspire us for a better tomorrow, become a sun in the centre of every constellation, bring forth much good fruit, by their fruits ye shall know them, climate change, glorify your father in heaven, he that observeth the wind shall not sow, he that regardeth the clouds shall not reap, I am the vine ye are the branches, Let your light so shine before men, LOVE, love not sleep lest thou come to poverty, make hay while the sun shines, no advertisement as powerful, open thine eyes, people of good will and decency, project positivity all around you, savage winds, see your good works, surround oneself with positive productive people, the harbinger of light, the purveyor of darkness, thou shalt be satisfied with bread, to everything there is a season, when you are joyful say yes to life, without me ye can do nothing, Ye are the light of the world

Proverbs 20:13. LOVE not sleep, lest thou come to poverty; open thine eyes, and thou shalt be satisfied with bread.

Oh brother, did we ever have some savage winds blow yesterday… all day and into the night. It seems like they wanted to blow away everything, and it did do some damage, but the strange part is that through it all, the sun shone brightly with not a cloud in the sky and people went about their business as usual. And that strong wind looks like it wants to continue today as the trees outside are still having a rough time of it.

This makes me think that it’s just another factor in the climate change scenario, because I don’t remember ever having so many strong windstorms, especially in the summertime, until the last few years. But recently an intense wind system has become the norm. Anyway, as Cousin Sol says so wisely in Ecclesiastes. ‘To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven… He that observeth the wind shall not sow; and he that regardeth the clouds shall not reap.’ (Eccl. 3:1, 11:4)

So, let’s not observe the wind or regard the clouds, but do what it’s time for under the heaven this Saturday morning, (smile) that’s checking out the quotes our friend Anselm sent us this past week, as he aspires to inspire us for a better tomorrow. The first one tells us that ‘In every day, there are 1,440 minutes. That means we have 1,440 daily opportunities to make a positive impact.’ Yes, there are 1440 minutes in a day, and when you put it like that, it appears like we have plenty time available to make a good impact for Christ.

However, in reality, it doesn’t work that way because we need time to sleep and do other functions that aren’t conducive to making positive impacts on others. That means, to be a good ambassador of Christ, we have to use the time left very wisely, we can’t afford to waste even a minute of it, because every minute lost, means a soul possibly lost to Christ. That’s why we have wise sayings like ‘make hay while the sun shines,’ and Cousin Sol’s words from Proverbs; ‘LOVE not sleep, lest thou come to poverty; open thine eyes, and thou shalt be satisfied with bread.’ (Prov. 20:13)

In other words, don’t be lazy or procrastinating, but be up and about, actively producing a positive impact in the world for yourself and Christ. And the next quote says: ‘There is no advertisement as powerful as a positive reputation travelling fast.’ Now that’s very true, but not very easy to do, especially in a slanderous, evil, greedy and strife-filled world like that in which we currently live. But thankfully our friend Anselm has given us some useful pointers in the other quotes that he’s sent us this week, so we’ll just use them to paint a beautiful picture…all for Jesus Christ.

Before we get to those quotes though, we must make one definite pronouncement, remembering that we can’t do anything worthwhile without Christ in our lives. He said it as plainly as it can be said. ‘I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.’ (John 15:5) And if the Son of God, who is the way the truth and the light, the only way to the Father, says that, then it must be true. So the basic foundation of creating a positive and fulfilling reputation is by having Christ in our lives.

Then, as Anselm says in the next quote: ‘It’s most important that you surround yourself with positivity always, and have it in your mind at all times.’ Yes friends, we can’t do positive things if we are not filled with positive thinking, but positive thinking based on the word of Christ. That’s the crucial aspect of it all. Christ is the most positive thinker there’s ever been, therefore, to think like Him, His word must always be uppermost in our minds. That brings us to the next quote, the next step in the building process. ‘I surround myself with positive, productive people of good will and decency.’

Now, that’s possibly the most essential part of the whole building process! Why? Because, although we personally have all the parts necessary for the purpose, we can’t build anything strong and worthwhile by ourselves, without good material, without good folks around us. And though we might prefer them to be Christian like ourselves, they don’t have to be, since there are good, decent hard-working folks out there who are not believers in Christ, and likewise, plenty supposed believers whom you don’t want around you at all. If you get my meaning. (smile)

That’s how Christ desires us to build our lives and consequently His church; first on the strong foundation of His word, and then with good, positive, productive helpers, for nothing good is ever constructed with poor, negative, lazy help. And I like this last quote, because it is the sum of all that we’ve spoken about so far, it brings all those things into a Christ-like fulfillment. It says: ‘When you are joyful, when you say yes to life and have fun and project positivity all around you, you become a sun in the center of every constellation, and people want to be near you.’

Oh my people, that’s the gospel truth! When we’ve taken what Christ has given us, the fruit of the Spirit, and used it wisely, there’s a heavenly joy that rises up in us that nothing or no one can take away from us, and people see and recognize it and want to be continually around us; ‘like a sun in the centre of every constellation!’ Wow! I like that analogy because it blends in beautifully with what Jesus asks and expects of His followers.

Remember these poignant words of His in the Sermon on the Mount? ‘Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle (lamp), and put it under a bushel (basket), but on a candlestick (lampstand); and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.’ (Matt. 5:14-16)

Oh my fellow saints, that is what Jesus expects of us, especially in these times of so much fear and confusion! He expects us to be the ones showing a positive outlook to the world since we have all the good things that He’s bequeathed to us, that He’s died for us to have, like forgiveness of sins, peace, LOVE, joy, salvation and eternal life!

But we are not doing such a good job, because, if we were, the enemy, the purveyor of darkness would not have the death-like grip he currently has on the world. Instead, the harbinger of light; that’s Jesus, would have been in the ascendancy. So please, let’s get to work nuh. Since we claim to be true believers, it’s high time we do as Jesus desires of us, to bring forth much good fruit. We have all the tools, all the necessary credentials…so what’s holding us back eh? Much LOVE!

…wherefore…by their fruit…ye shall know them… (Matt. 7:20)

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Today’s Scrip-Bit 14 June 2022 Philippians 4:7.

14 Jun 2022 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: a calm and balanced fashion, a pillar of steadfastness, can't make the proverbial lemonade, climate change, cry out to God for divine help, dear Lord calm me, flotsam in a storm, free to be myself, give balance to my boggled mind, God has our best interest at heart, God should always be our first avenue, hit rock-bottom, hurry, I am the beloved of god, in god's eyes, infuse me with your poise and power, keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus, life hands us sour lemons, lock stock and barrel, LOVE, multitask, One Year Book of Bible promises, prayer with thanksgiving, pull me off the merry-go-round, Ruth Harms Calkin, share His love with the world, stubborn hard-headed beings, the number one disease and killer is stress, the peace of Christ, the peace that surpasses all understanding, the tension etching my somber face, the vicissitudes of life, too many irons in the fire, trust my friend Jesus, Tuesday Mantra, What's Myself Doing to Myself, worry

Philippians 4:7. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep (guard) your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

And Tuesday has opened bright and sunshiny! Praise the Lord! What glorious summer weather we are having before the real summer time begins. (smile) Just hope that it will continue in a calm and balanced fashion, not in a topsy-turvy unbalanced one, what with the problems that climate change is supposedly having on the current weather patterns.

That’s why it’s so important that we remember the faithfulness and steadfastness of our God. He never changes, but is the same yesterday, today and forever. Unlike the vicissitudes of life, the unexpected changes of circumstances that have us discombobulated, like flotsam in a storm, (smile) our God is a pillar of steadfastness, a refuge in that crazy storm, always there to help us whenever we cry out to Him. And I do believe that this poem from our One Year Book of Bible Promises with writings by Ruth Harms Calkin describes too many of us supposed believers in the crazy, strife-filled world of today. It’s aptly titled ‘What’s Myself Doing to Myself?’

Please read with me. ‘With childish intensity she asked “What’s myself doing to myself?” I couldn’t help but smile As she stood before the mirror Struggling so impatiently With a stubborn jacket zipper. But I’m not smiling now, Lord As I pass my own mirror and glance at the tension Etching my somber face. I’m frightened, Lord. Her innocent question clutches me: “What am I doing to myself?” Frustrated, frantic So often breathless Too many irons in the fire…

What am I doing to my body – To my mind, my emotions? What am I doing to my family? What am I doing to Your Plan For my personal fulfillment? Why do I live like this, Lord As though Your world Couldn’t exist without me? Why do I so often Tear myself from your control? Dear Lord, calm me. Pull me off the merry-go-round Of converging conflicts. Give balance to my boggled mind. This very hour, Lord Infuse me with your poise and power Until my total self Is submerged in You – Yourself. Only then will I be free To be myself.’

And that’s the gospel truth my people! Only when we give ourselves entirely over, surrender ourselves completely to our good and wonderful God can we ever be calm and free to be our true selves! Now how many of us do see ourselves in that poem eh? ‘Frustrated, frantic…too many irons in the fire…living like the world couldn’t exist without us…allowing the vicissitudes of life to tumble us over and over, riding the merry-go-round that’s so much a part of our world in these confused and contrary days?

Too many of us my brethren! That’s why psychologists, psychiatrists, supposed stress relief providers and medications are having a heyday in our current society. Why the number one disease and killer is stress. Because we all are trying to multitask, do too many things at the same time, and thus do nothing properly, or as well as we can. Why do you think the Lord only gave us two of everything eh…well of most things, like hands, feet, ears and eyes? Because He did not think it necessary to give us more for what He had in mind for us. (smile)

If He wanted us to be doing a multitude of things at the same time, He would have made us like cherubim and seraphines with plenty hands, feet and eyes. But as always, we just like to invalidate God’s Master Plan, thinking that our puny and finite minds can do better than His infinite wisdom and omnipotence. Unfortunately though friends, that’s the furthest thing from the truth, and too many of us only realize that when life hands us plenty sour lemons at the same time and we can’t handle them, can’t make the proverbial lemonade, so, in frustration and panic, we finally come to our senses and cry out to God for divine help.

I guess it’s only when we find ourselves completely maxed out, at our lowest point, that the thought of God enters our minds. But that’s so unwise my people. God should always be our first avenue for all our problems, desires and whatever… Why wait until we hit rock-bottom to turn to Him eh, when He has a marvellous plan in place for each of us, where we just have to go to Him and ask about it? That doesn’t make sense at all. But we have been, and possibly will always be stubborn, hard-headed beings, always wanting to do it our way…until we find that our way isn’t working.

And a lot of the time and money we are spending on the shrinks and medication can be easily curtailed if we will only wake up and follow the Lord’s plan, His guidebook called the Bible. Just listen to the Bible verses associated with that poem nuh. They come from Bruh Paul’s epistle to the Philippians. ‘Be careful (anxious) for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep (guard) your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.’ (Phil. 4:6-7)

Wow! What wonderful words of wisdom! Yes friends, our God is always near. That means we don’t have to worry or be anxious about anything. However, as the scholars point out. ‘This is no summons to irresponsibility or an invitation to dismiss legitimate concern. The solution to undue anxiety is prayer in every thing, “in any matter of life.” The way to be free of anxiety is to be prayerful about everything. While God is eager to hear our requests, they are to be accompanied with thanksgiving.’

Yes, my fellow saints, our first response to any and everything should always be prayer with thanksgiving. In that way the Lord will give us a tranquility of mind freeing us from fear and worry, while guarding our hearts and minds with a divine peace that’s greater than our finite minds can understand. And it’s not like we don’t know it friends, for it’s all written there large in black and white. Jesus said it quite clearly. ‘Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.’ (John 14:27).

But stubbornness, hard headedness and foolish pride stop us from going to God, the ONLY ONE, who always has our best interest at heart, and can also solve ALL of our problems. But it’s our terrible loss if we don’t accept His invitation. However, for those of us who gladly accept it and try our best to do His will, let’s go home declaring (yesss!!!) our Tuesday Mantra, letting the whole world know to whom we belong lock, stock and barrel.

As one confident voice: ‘In God’s eyes, I’m not what I do. I’m not what I have. I’m not what people say about me. I am the beloved of God, that’s who I am. No one can take that from me. I don’t have to worry. I don’t have to hurry. I can trust my friend Jesus and share His LOVE with the world. Amen!’

Now let’s go out and do exactly that; share the amazing LOVE and friendship of Christ with others, so that they too can come to know and LOVE Him like do! Much LOVE!

…the peace of the world…can never match…the peace of Christ…

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Today’s Scrip-Bit 8 June 2022 Hebrews 13:8.

08 Jun 2022 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: a refuge in times of trouble, a wise man which built his house house on a rock, all of them shall wax old like a garment, an Everlasting God, climate change, contrary weather, endure to the end, every good and every perfect gift is from above, God is an unchanging God, God is not a man that he should lie, God's laws are written in stone, halfway home, hands on the plough, I am the Lord I change not, Jesus Christ, looking forward to a glorious future with Jesus, LOVE, no shadow due to change, no variation, not looking back, only one road to glory- through Jesus, renounce the sovereign authority of God, thank God, the breath of life is still flowing through me, the Father of lights, the heavens are the work of thy hands, the Immutability of God, the Lord shall endure for ever, the same yesterday today and forever, therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed, tithes, Wednesday Wail

Hebrews 13:8. Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and today, and for ever.

And so Wednesday has opened bright and sunny, though somewhat cool, because it’s still officially spring. The problem though is will it stay bright and sunshiny all day long? Unfortunately, these days of climate change have the days being very contrary, beginning one way, then changing to something else, sometimes even changing back and forth within the same day. So, you can never trust what you see when you open your eyes on a morning to be the same throughout the day. But praise the Lord that our great God is an unchanging God!

Yes friends, that’s one thing we’re very sure of! How do we know that? Because it says so in His Word, very often too. And His Word does not lie! Of course not! As explained in this scripture from the Book of Numbers. ‘God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? Or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good? Behold, I have received commandment to bless: and he hath blessed; and I cannot reverse it.’ (Num. 23:19-20) And that from the false prophet Balaam, whom Balak, the king of Moab, had hired to curse the Israelites.

So, let’s look at a few of the scriptures that talk about the unchanging nature of our God nuh. As one commentator says: ‘God does not change. Why would He? God is perfect in all His ways. You can’t get better than perfect! God’s laws don’t change, they are written in stone for a distinct purpose.’ And that’s so His people can have a strong and steadfast way of life, not one like the weather we’re currently having; wishy-washy, and constantly changing.

As James, Jesus’ brother writes: ‘Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness (variation), neither shadow of turning.’ (James 1:17) And that’s the gospel truth! One translation puts it thus. ‘Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.’

And per the Immutability of God, the scholars say: ‘Since all changes are either for the better or for the worse, God is unchanging because He is perfect and cannot get better nor become worse. The Scriptures describe God’s nature, will, and character as immutable or unchanging. Illustration: To be immutable, however, does not mean to be immobile. God also has the qualities of personality and can act, think, create, and make decision. Application: God is unchanging; therefore Christians can depend on His LOVE and power because God has not changed since biblical times. (First Ref. Ps. 9:7; Primary ref. James 1:17; cf. Lev. 19:2.)’

Yes my brethren, the Lord’s our Creator, thus He is much more stable than we could ever be. And as Bruh David declares in Psalm 9: ‘But the Lord shall endure for ever: he hath prepared his throne for judgement. And he shall judge the world in righteousness, he shall minister judgement to the people in uprightness. The Lord also will be a refuge (stronghold) for the oppressed, and a refuge in times of trouble. And they that know thy name will put their trust in thee: for thou, Lord, hast not forsaken them that seek thee.’ (Ps. 9:7-10) Now, if our God can be all those things for those who seek Him, then He must be strong, stable, steadfast and just!

And I like this verse about God’s unchanging nature from the book of Malachi, when he talks about the nonpayment of tithes. He solemnly declares: ‘For I am the Lord, I change not: therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed.’ (Mal. 3:6) And nothing has really changed since then, for many of today’s churchgoers are doing the same thing; not giving their tithes to God. We give money to all sorts of other worthless and fraudulent causes without a murmur, but to give a penny to God’s church it’s like pulling teeth without anesthetic.

As the scholars explain. ‘These Israelites have done what no man should presume to attempt, namely, to defraud God in tithes and offerings. The payment of tithes and heave offerings was a recognition of their subjection to God and that He owned them and all that they had. To withhold the tithe is to renounce the sovereign authority of God and to be guilty of the same sin as Lucifer in the beginning.’ And there’s no doubt that our current society has renounced the sovereignty of God over it, and thus are guilty of the same sin that Lucifer (Satan) was kicked out of heaven for; abominable pride which led to foolish rebellion!

But I’m getting off course here, (smile) so let’s move on to the next scripture on God’s unchanging nature, which comes from the book of Hebrews. And it simply but quite clearly and confidently states: ‘Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and today, and for ever.’ (Heb. 13:8) And if all it says about Jesus in the Good Book is true, then He must be a stalwart, unbreakable, unchanging foundation for us to build on.

That’s why Jesus characterized Himself as the rock to build on when he told the people. ‘Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a (the) rock. And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house, and it fell not: for it was founded upon a (the) rock.’ (Matt. 7:24-25) Oh my fellow saints, when we build our houses on the rock, the foundation that’s Jesus, nothing in this whole wide world can ever beat or break it down, for Jesus is the solid, rock-like foundation of the world! Give Him some much deserved thanks and praise!

And then there’s this marvellous scripture, the last one, we have time and space for. It comes from Psalm 102 – A cry in distress – and it declares: ‘Of old hast thou laid the foundation of the earth: and the heavens are the work of thy hands. They shall perish, but thou shalt endure (continue): yea, all of them shall wax (grow) old like a garment; as a vesture (cloak) shalt thou change them, and they shall be changed: But thou art the same, and the years shall have no end.’ (Ps: 102:25-27) Now that’s the indisputable truth: the world will grow old and change, even be destroyed, but our God will last forever, because that’s his name and nature… an Everlasting God!

And for those of us who sincerely believe and are doing our best to live for Him, let’s go home declaring (yeah!!!) our Wednesday Wail, letting all and sundry know of our most 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 a last word of encouragement and reassurance, (smile) please remember that if we endure to the very end, then that future will indeed be even more glorious than we can ever ask or imagine! Much LOVE!

…there is only one road to glory…that’s through Jesus…

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

Today’s Scrip-Bit 17 May 2022 Luke 10:42.

17 May 2022 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: a this-worldly unbelieving attitude, as far as the east is from the west, Beautiful Belonging, before I knew you Lord, behold the beauty of the Lord, but for that which endureth unto everlasting life, but one thing is needful, climate change, dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, flaunt my culinary art, growing from glory to glory, he remembereth that we are dust, hinders proper attention to the things of God, hot hazy days of summer, I am the beloved of god, I can trust my friend Jesus, in god's eyes, labour not for meat which perisheth, lasting spiritual insight, lock stock and barrel, Mary hath chosen the good part, maturing in Christ, Monday's in the history books, not rewarded us according to our iniquities, perishable secular knowledge, pities us like a doting father, plenteous in mercy, serve your gentleness, share His love with the world, slow to anger, so far hath he removed our transgressions, spiritual nourishment, the Lord is merciful and gracious, them's the breaks, thou art careful and troubled about too many things, to express neighbourly concern, to snatch every weed from our yard, Tuesday Mantra, which shall not be taken away from her

Luke 10:42. But one thing is needful; and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her

. Well friends, the rainy Monday of yesterday is gone, it has moved into the history books, and Tuesday has opened bright and sunshiny in my area, though a tad cool. But we’ll take the sunshine anytime over a dark and dreary looking day. For sure! The important thing right now is that the days are getting longer and warmer, and after a long, cold, confusing winter, we just can’t wait for those hot, hazy days of summer!

And I’m sure that with the climate change situation we’re going to have some real hot ones that will drive us crazy. But them’s the breaks. Those are simply the negative consequences of our actions, of abusing Mother Earth. Now she’s just giving us back what we deserve. And that’s so unlike the great God Jehovah that we serve. He doesn’t give us our just desserts, but blessings that we don’t deserve. As Bruh David so wisely says in Psalm 103 – Thanksgiving for God’s mercy:

‘The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and plenteous (abounding) in mercy (LOVING-kindness). He will not always chide (strive): neither will he keep his anger for ever. He hath not dealt with us after our sins; nor rewarded us according to our iniquities. For as the heaven is high above the earth, so great is his mercy (LOVING-kindness) toward them that fear him. As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us. Like as a father pitieth his children, so the Lord pitieth them that fear him. For he knoweth our frame (understands our constitution); he remembereth that we are dust.’ (Ps. 103: 8-14)

Oh friends, that says it all! Our God knows that we are only figures of dust, because that’s what He made us from, and thus doesn’t bring all of His power or anger to bear on us when we commit our iniquities, since it would just swallow us up completely. Instead, He uses LOVE, grace and compassion to relieve our iniquities, removes them ‘as far as the east is from the west,’ and pities us like a doting Father, because He knows our inferior substance. What a gracious and merciful God we serve my brethren! And yet, for all the grace and mercy, we still refuse to obey and live according to His Word.

But here’s this interesting poem from our One Year Book of Bible Promises, with writings by Ruth Harms Calkin that ought to wake us up to reality. It’s aptly titled: ‘Beautiful Belonging.’ So please read with me: ‘Before I knew You, Lord It was terribly important To flaunt my culinary art With a moist and tender roast. Now that I’m Yours It is far more important To serve Your gentleness To our guests.

Before I knew You It was terribly important To snatch every weed From our meticulous yard. Now that I’m Yours It is far more important To express neighbourly concern Over the back fence. Before I knew You It was terribly important To check the television schedule from night to night. Now that I am Yours It is far more important To check Your plan From day to day. What an incredible change…This Beautiful belonging!’

And yes, it surely is beautiful belonging to our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! For, belonging to Him gives us a whole new, different and better perspective on this earthly life. The things of the world that we once thought were so important, now seem immaterial when compared to a life lived for Jesus. We now believe that mercy and kindness and LOVE are more important than the pretentious and pretensive doings of the world. And Jesus made that very clear when He admonished Martha, Lazarus’ sister, when she complained about her sister Mary not helping her in the kitchen but was sitting at Jesus’ feet listening to Him teach.

And it’s also the Bible verses associated with today’s poem. The Good Book tells it thus: ‘And Jesus answered and said unto her, Martha, Martha, thou art careful (worried) and troubled about many things: But one thing is needful; and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her.’ (Luke 10:41-42)

Oh my people, the same thing can be said about many of us. But let’s listen to some explanations from the scholars on those verses. Re 10:41: ‘The repetition of her name denotes a gentle and sympathetic reply. Careful (see 1 Cor. 7:32-35) often indicates a this-worldly unbelieving attitude that hinders proper attention to the things of God; that is to be unduly concerned about secondary matters.’ And all of us are guilty of that at some time or other in our lives.

And per 10:42: One thing: This can be explained in two ways here. Jesus may be saying that only one simple dish is required for a meal; Martha can handle the preparations without Mary’s help. In this case Martha is being primarily rebuked. Or Jesus may by ‘one thing’ refer to the spiritual nourishment craved by Mary. In this case Jesus is implying that Martha, too, should leave her housework for a time and concentrate on a more urgent matter.’

The same thing applies to us even more today with the burgeoning amount of earthly stuff out there to notice, and our natural reluctance to the importance of the things of God. But Jesus warned several times about paying undue attention to the things of this world, like this occasion when teaching in Capernaum and he claimed the crowds followed Him not because they saw His miracles, but because they ate of the food He provided and was filled. Then He warned. ‘Labour not for the meat (food) which perisheth, but for that meat (food) which endureth unto everlasting life, which the Son of man shall give unto you: for him hath God the Father sealed.’ (John 6:27)

That’s spiritual food friends, like the water that satisfies, things that last forever, that’s what we need to be urgently and sincerely seeking, instead of the things of this world that all perish eventually. And Bruh David said it so well in Psalm 27 – the Lord is my light and my salvation. ‘One thing have I desired of the Lord, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty (delightfulness) of the Lord, and to inquire in his temple.’ (Ps. 27:4)

Yes my fellow saints, when we can sincerely claim such a desire, truly have a desire to know and live according to the Lord’s Word, then we are getting the right idea, maturing in Christ, growing from glory to glory. And now, for those of us who are trying to live right, let’s go home declaring (chuh!!!) our Tuesday Mantra, letting the whole world know to whom we belong lock, stock and barrel.

In strong voice: ‘In God’s eyes, I’m not what I do. I’m not what I have. I’m not what people say about me. I am the beloved of God, that’s who I am. No one can take that from me. I don’t have to worry. I don’t have to hurry. I can trust my friend Jesus and share His LOVE with the world. Amen!’

Now let’s go out there and keep that promise, by sharing the amazing and awesome LOVE and friendship of Christ with others, so that they too can come to LOVE and worship him like we do. Much LOVE!

…lasting spiritual insight into the ways of Christ…is much more important than the perishable secular knowledge of the world…

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

Today’s Scrip-Bit 4 May 2022 Matthew 21:22.

04 May 2022 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: a state of spiritual perception, April showers bring May flowers, believing ye shall receive it, bow to the Father's will, climate change, confess your faults one to another, endure to the end, for God's greater good, fraught with all kinds of pitfalls, halfway home, hands on the plough, he shall guide thy paths, hits the nail on the head, if ye abide in me and my words abide in you, in all thy ways acknowledge him, is any among you afflicted let him pray, is any merry, lest ye fall into temptation, let him sing psalms, looking straight ahead, LOVE, not turning back, not what I will but what thou wilt, pray for one another, pray without ceasing, raise our maturity level, resist the enemy's wiles and schemes, right living, sufferation, take this cup away from me, the future will be even more glorious, the prayer of faith shall save the sick, this is the confidence that we have in Him, to a glorious future with Jesus, Trust in the Lord with all thine heart, watch ye and pray, Wednesday Wail, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer

Matthew 21:22. And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.

Oh, it’s been a very persistent drizzle; right from yesterday afternoon, through the night…and believe it or not, (smile) it’s still happening in my neighbourhood! So, this middle day of the week, Wednesday is wet and cloudy. It’s the kind of day we expected in April, you know, April showers that bring May flowers. But it hasn’t worked out that way. It’s May, and we still haven’t seen any flowers. What’s with that eh? But after a somewhat colder than normal April, the trees are now venturing to bud.

And we’re laying it all at the feet of climate change. Now isn’t it strange that we always find something or someone else to blame for our problems rather than the usual cause, that’s ourselves? For sure! We don’t like to accept blame, even when it’s staring us full in the face. And our society is daily getting worse in that respect. But I’m not going to go any further into that topic, because it’s one fraught with all kinds of pitfalls. (smile) But rather, I’m going to revisit our Bit of yesterday, the reassuring and uplifting words of Jesus on prayer. ‘And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.’ (Matt. 21:22)

And why is that you ask? Simply because some of the scriptures I had planned to share yesterday never got shared, and I believe they are important enough for us to consider on the subject of prayer. And the first scripture we want to address is this one that Jesus prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane the night before His crucifixion, when His heart was heavy and His spirit pretty low. ‘And he said, Abba, Father, all things are possible unto thee; take away this cup from me: nevertheless not what I will, but what thou wilt.’ (Mark 14:36)

Yes friends, we need to note there, that although Jesus would have liked to be spared the ‘sufferation’ of the cross, He was willing to bow to the Father’s will. We saw the same thing with Bruh Paul yesterday, when the Lord refused to remove the thorn from his flesh because it showed the Lord’s power more in his weakness. And that’s the same thing we must understand. God will not always answer our prayers, the way we want them, when our problems serve for His greater good. You can see that instead of taking away the ‘sufferation’ of the cross, He gave Jesus the wherewithal to handle it, and likewise with Bruh Paul, He gave him the strength to handle whatever was the annoying thorn in his flesh.

So please don’t be dismayed if we ask for relief in some way and the Lord provides it in a different way. Remember, whatever we ask for, must be in line with the Lord’s will, and there will be times, when we truly believe we need genuine relief from problems, but facing those problems will accentuate His glory and raise our maturity level, so He might just give us the strength to face them, instead of removing them completely.

Then there is this very interesting and true statement from Jesus to the disciples, after He came and found them sleeping, instead of watching and praying with Him. He said to them: ‘Watch ye and pray, lest ye fall into temptation. The spirit truly is ready, but the flesh is weak.’ (Mark 14:38) And that’s the indisputable truth my people! Our flesh is easily ruled by our sinful nature, and we need to be in a state of spiritual perception to be able to resist the wiles and evil schemes which the enemy constantly throws at us.

And the best way to do that is through prayer. For when we are praying, temptation cannot overcome us. Now listen to Jesus again to the disciples after telling them that He was the vine and they the branches. (John 15:5) ‘If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto (for) you.’ (John 15:8) And that relates directly to the fact that we ask for whatever in Jesus’ name, because it’s only through His work on the cross and His name, that we have access to the Father. So only if we are His true agents and ambassadors, living His Word, will using His name work.

And these words of James, Jesus’ brother, on the topic of prayer, really tell us how important it is in the believer’s life. He says: ‘Is any among you afflicted (suffering)? let him pray. Is any merry? let him sing psalms. Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord: and the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him. Confess your faults (trespasses) one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual (effective) fervent prayer (supplication) of a righteous man availeth much.’ (James 5:13-16)

Yes my fellow saints, prayer should be our number ONE response to everything! As Bruh Paul said to the Thessalonians: ‘Pray without ceasing.’ (2 Thess. 5:17) The Lord our God ought to be the first person we tell about any problem. Then He will direct us to the best road to take. As Cousin Sol so wisely and rightly says in Proverbs. ‘Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct (make straight) thy paths.’ (Prov. 3:5-6)

Truer words were never spoken or written my friends! That’s why we can turn to the first epistle of John to read and hopefully learn these most valuable lessons. ‘Beloved, if our heart condemn us not, then have we confidence toward God. And whatever we ask, we receive of him, because we keep his commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in his sight.’ (1 John 3:21-22)

Now the scholars give us a very good warning about those passages of scripture. ‘We have confidence toward God if our lives are in line with the standard of Christian living set forth by John in the earlier passages. John is not saying that whether a person is right or wrong is simply a matter of how he subjectively feels about himself. That is why John has given so many indicators and commands for Christians to take note of and assess themselves by. And one of the great results of a life lived in purity before God is a life where there is effective prayer. Right living is an important part of successful praying.’

And that hits the nail right on the head my brethren! Prayer is non-functional unless we are living right. In other words, right living determines the successfulness of our prayers! And for those of us who are endeavouring to live right, let’s go home declaring (yesss!!!) our Wednesday Wail, letting all and sundry know of our most wonderful position in Christ Jesus!

And the corollary to that is this: if we endure to the very end, then the future will be even more glorious and marvellous than we can ever ask or imagine! Now doesn’t that give us good reason to endure right down to the very end? It surely does! Much LOVE!

…and this is the confidence that we have in him…that if we ask anything…according to his will…he heareth us… (1 John 5:14)

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Today’s Scrip-Bit 19 April 2022 Isaiah 33:22.

19 Apr 2022 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: blow me down, Buccoo, Buccoo Goat Racing Stadium, climate change, committed all judgement unto the Son, Easter Monday, every knee shall bow to me, every tongue shall confess to God, fear ye not the reproach of men, Goat racing, He was ordained of God, his tongue talketh of judgement, hurry, I am the beloved of god, in god's eyes, lock stock and barrel, LOVE, Mother Nature, neither be ye afraid of their revilings, share His love with the world, stand before the judgement seat of Christ, straight from the horse's mouth, the law of God, the Lord is our judge, the Lord is our king, the Lord is our lawgiver, the mouth of the righteous speaketh wisdom, the people in whose heart is my law, the purpose of the law, the spiritual law deals with man's relationship to God, there is one lawgiver, to be the judge of the quick and dead, to reveal the sovereignty of God, trust my friend Jesus, Tuesday Mantra, who is able to save and to destroy, worry

Isaiah 33:22. For the Lord is our judge, the Lord is our lawgiver, the Lord is our king; he will save us.

Oh, what a sad ending to a beautiful Easter Monday in my area – rain in the afternoon, and then wet snow in the early evening. I had a nap while it was raining, and on getting up, I looked outside, and, as the Bajans would say, ‘Blow me down!’ was I ever surprised to see the whole place covered in white, and the wet white stuff still coming down hard. It must have messed up the evening commute, but thankfully, the roads seem clean now, although the land is still covered in white. That’s Mother Nature for you in these days of climate change!

Anyway, today’s a new day – Easter Tuesday, and everything’s set for the big do on that day – Goat Racing in Buccoo, in sweet Tobago! Yes mih people, I hope you have yuh dan-dan (pretty clothes) ready to get down to that stadium in Buccoo built mainly to hold goat racing. And yuh better get there early if you want to get a seat, because they are coming from all over to check out this spectacular event, held only in Tobago. And was I ever surprised a few years ago when I went down there and saw the stadium.

Oh, it’s nice and all that, but I don’t think it can ever capture the atmosphere of the old Goat races, further up the road, on a strip of land between some houses, where everybody gathered around the track, in a more intimate setting. And in those days, I believe they also had crab races. But the best part of the day was the parties they had in the houses surrounding the track! Yes! I remember one particular year in my teens, my buddies and I getting totally inebriated, and a friend’s sister and I partying up the place. (smile) Yuh remember that one Harry? Possibly not, since he might have been into the waters even more than me.

I guess you would call those the good ole days. And they were, because our society was not as evil, ungodly and stressful as it is now. Today, it’s all about greed, selfishness, money, power and sinful pleasures, with God and His things of no real account. But, for the comparative handful of us who still hold Almighty God as El Numero Uno – Number One, who have unequivocally placed our hope and trust in Him, there is good reason to be joyful. Why? Because the scriptures, the immovable, unchanging everlasting true Word of God tells us so.

Listen to these words of the prophet Isaiah spoken to the people of Israel ages ago. ‘For the Lord is our judge, the Lord is our lawgiver, the Lord is our king; he will save us.’ (Is. 33:22) Wow mih bredrin! What a mighty God we serve if He is truthfully all those amazing things to us! And if you don’t believe me, then let’s check out some scriptures which ought to make you believe.

As per the Lord is our judge; listen to Peter preaching to the Gentiles. ‘And he (Jesus) commanded us to preach unto the people, and to testify that it is he which was ordained of God to be the Judge of quick (living) and dead. To him give all the prophets witness, that through his name whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission (forgiveness) of sins.’ (Acts 10:42-43) And there you have two of the promised things; Judge and Saviour.

Meanwhile, Bruh Paul said to the church at Rome. ‘But why dost thou Judge thy brother? or why dost thou set at nought (despise) thy brother? For we shall all stand before the judgement seat of Christ. For it is written, As I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God. So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God.’ (Rom. 14:10-12) Now, as per verse 11 above there, we are familiar with it coming from Phil. 2:10-11), but Isaiah declared it long before that in Is. 45:23)

And there’s never any better source of information than right from the horse’s mouth. So, check out these words of Jesus to the hypocritical Jews of His time. ‘For as the Father raiseth up the dead, and quickeneth (gives life to) them; even so the Son quickeneth (gives life to) whom he will. For the Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgement unto the Son…And hath given him authority to execute judgement also, because he is the Son of man.’ (John, 5:21-22, 27) That’s straight from the horse’s mouth friends, so you better had believe it! And in there you also have about being saved by the Son of man that God sent to give us life eternal.

Now, re God being our lawgiver, listen again to Isaiah, as he calls the faithful to courage. ‘Hearken unto me, my people; and give ear unto me, O my nation: for a law shall proceed (go forth) from me, and I will make my judgement (justice) to rest, for a light of the people…Hearken unto me, ye that know righteousness, the people in whose heart is my law; fear ye not the reproach of men, neither be ye afraid of their revilings.’ (Is. 51:4, 7)

Then James says on the subject: ‘Speak not evil of one another, brethren. He that speaketh evil of his brother, and judgeth his brother, speaketh evil of the law, and judgeth the law: but if thou judge the law, thou art not a doer of the law, but a judge. There is one lawgiver, who is able to save and to destroy: who art thou that judgest another.’ (James 4:11-12) Please remember that friends: there is only ONE lawgiver, Almighty God! And hear how Bruh David puts it in Psalm 37. ‘The mouth of the righteous speaketh wisdom, and his tongue talketh of judgement (justice). The law of his God is in his heart: none of his steps shall slide.’ (Ps. 37:30-31)

And the scholars offer a marvellous explanation on the ‘Law of God. 37:31. The law of God is the extension of God’s nature and expression of God’s will in His creation. God’s law is expressed in different forms, relating to different areas of His creation. The physical law of God includes the laws of nature which govern the continuous physical existence of this world (Gen. 8:22; Col. 1:17).

The moral law, also called “the perfect law of liberty” (James 1:25), governs the immaterial issues of life (2 Tim. 3:17). The social law of God affects interpersonal relationships and can be summarized by the “royal law” (James 2:8). The spiritual law deals with a man’s relationship with God. It is summarized in “the first and great commandment” (Matt. 23:37).

Illustration: The purpose of the law is to reveal the sovereignty of God (Ex. 20:2), to place a restraint on the sinner (68:7-8), to show the greatness and reality of sin (Rom. 3:19-20), and to lead the sinner to Christ (Gal. 3:24). The purpose of the law did not change with the gospel. When the Judaizers in Galatia sought to teach their erroneous view of the law, they failed to realize that the law has never been able to save anyone. Application: As Christians, we should be concerned to live decently and orderly. (First ref. Gen. 2:17; Primary Ref. Rom. 7:7-14; cf. Ex. 3:13).’

Wow! That’s a lot of scripture to reference, but that’s the only way we can truly learn it. So please, take some time and check out as many of them as you can nuh. I assure you it will lift your scriptural knowledge and increase your awareness of the law and LOVE of our great God. And, as per the saving part of our Bit, we don’t really need to talk about it, because that’s what we’ve been focused on and celebrating all weekend, the Saving Grace of our Lord Jesus Christ so selflessly accomplished through His crucifixion on Good Friday, then His triumphant resurrection on Easter Sunday!

It’s done friends! Like Jesus said on the cross before He gave up the ghost; ‘It is finished!’ Yes, it is! Salvation has finally come. Now it’s up to us to accept or refuse it. And for those of us who have wisely and confidently accepted it, let’s go home declaring (yeahhh!!!) our Tuesday Mantra, letting the whole world know to whom we graciously belong, lock, stock and barrel.

As one strong 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!’

And having made that boast, it now behooves us to go out and share that awesome LOVE and friendship of Christ with others, so that they too can come to know and LOVE Him like we do! Much LOVE!

…Easter…the season of forgiveness, of redemption and salvation…

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

SCRIP-BITS

Today’s Scrip-Bit 13 July 2023 Joshua 1:9.

Today’s Scrip-Bit 17 May 2023 Luke 18:1.

Today’s Scrip-Bit 24 July 2022 1 Thessalonians 5:6.

Today’s Scrip-Bit 18 June 2022 Proverbs 20:13.

Today’s Scrip-Bit 8 June 2022 Hebrews 13:8.

Today’s Scrip-Bit 4 May 2022 Matthew 21:22.

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