Today’s Scrip-Bit 23 September 2014 Psalm 118:8-9

23 Sep 2014 Leave a comment

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

  Psalm 118:8-9. It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in man. It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in princes. 

Oh Friends, it’s the dawning of another new day in Paradise – a godly Tuesday morning Wow! So the day has already dawned, so big deal! (smile) And if you’re still alive, please give God some thanks and praise for instilling and keeping that breath of life in your mortal body.
 
And having done that, I want to remind us, as Bubba Joel (Joel Osteen) says, that ‘TODAY IS MY DAY!’ Yes Friends, it’s my day, your day, our Day! God blessed us with it so that we could live it abundantly, all to the glory of His Holy Name. Now we’ve done this before, but I believe it’s time for us to do it again.
 
So let’s make this acclamation, this declaration of faith, per Bubba Joel. Please declare with me: ‘God has destined me to be a barrier breaker! He created me to be uncontainable. I have talent and potential given to me by the Creator of the universe. There are seeds of greatness inside of me.
 
Today, I choose to break free from a limited mindset and enlarge my vision. Today, God is taking me places that I’ve never even dreamed of before. Today, God is fulfilling His purpose and destiny in my life. Today, I will experience His favour like never before in every area of my life.’
 
And all God’s people said a loud and joyful, ‘Praise the Lord! Amen!’
 
Believe it my brethren, and then please, let’s put it into action, because words without action are simply a waste of both words and valuable time. 
 

Now let’s turn to our Bit: ‘It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in man. It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in princes.’
 
I think today is the last day for that particular scripture, but obviously I can’t promise it, since there are so many scripture passages that encourage and promote trust in Almighty God instead of man, that one never knows where the Holy Spirit will guide us. (smile)
 
So those of you who like to have a new Bit everyday, just hold on to your horses, and remember that your wonderful, ever-LOVING, ever-faithful God ALWAYS works on your behalf, for your good, regardless of the prevailing circumstances. And who knows, He might just be trying to teach you patience with the continuation of this particular Bit. (smile)
 
Now let’s delve into a few more scripture passages that ever so wisely and strongly advise us to put our all, our utmost trust, faith and confidence in Almighty God.
 
Let’s begin with the wisdom of Cousin Sol from Proverbs 25. ‘Confidence in an unfaithful man in time of trouble is like a broken (bad) tooth, and a foot out of joint.’ (Prov.25:19)
 
Ah mih people, those words are ever so true! And I like how Cousin Sol brings it right down to the nitty gritty, down to the practical, day-to-day activities of life.
 
And the scholars’ add their two cents worth by saying: ’25:19. Faith is only as good as its object, and an unfaithful man is useless.’
 
All of us have had some bad experiences with that kind of thing, but yet we continue to place undue faith and trust in unfaithful and untrustworthy mankind, instead of Jehovah God, our Creator and Provider.
 
But as the old people would so rightfully say: when you don’t hear, yuh certainly going to feel. And that’s especially true in this current unreliable, fraudulent and crooked society in which we live.
 
And from 1 John, we learn: ‘These things I have written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.
 
And this is the confidence we have in him, that if we ask anything according to his will, he heareth us: And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired (asked) of him.’ (1 John 1:13-15)
 
Oh my fellow believers how could it get any better than that eh? NO WAY JOSE! (smile)
 
Then Bruh David declares it thus in Psalm 65 – God is powerful in nature. ‘Blessed is the man whom thou choosest, and causest to approach unto thee, that he may dwell in thy courts: we shall be satisfied with the goodness of thy house, even of thy holy temple.
 
By terrible (awesome) things in righteousness wilt thou answer us, O God of our salvation; who art the confidence of all the ends of the earth, and of them that are afar off upon the sea. Which by his strength setteth fast (established) the mountains; being girded with power: which stilleth the noise of the seas, the noise of their waves, and the tumult of the people.’ (Ps.65:4-7)
 
Now tell me Friends, why do we put overmuch trust and confidence in mortal man, when we have such an omnipotent and LOVING God eh? We shouldn’t, but unfortunately, for whatever reasons, we still do, much to our misfortune and personal chagrin.
 
And we’ll close, end this Bit (smile) with wise words from Hebrews, words we all know, but don’t follow as much as we should. ‘Cast not away therefore your confidence, which hath great recompense of reward. For ye have need of patience (endurance, perseverance), that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise.’ (Heb.10:35-36)
 
Yes my people, the Lord of hosts created us and provides for us, and is still the most powerful and caring force in the universe! So please let’s show our wisdom, faith, trust and confidence in Him nuh, by solidly leaning on His exceedingly strong, everlasting arms, and safely sheltering under His awesome protective wings. Now that is the true wisdom of life! Much LOVE!
 
…All State Insurance might claim to have safe hands…but until you check out Jehovah God…you’ll never know what truly safe hands are… 
 
P.S. Oh Friends, it sure was a smiley kind of day today…and why shouldn’t it be eh, since my half-brother and his wife are visiting from sweet Tobago. That means there was plenty laughter and joy in the house yesterday, which obviously led to a late night, filled with reminiscences of the past and the making of new memories for the future.
 
And that joy and laughter will undoubtedly continue over the next few days of their visit. My sincerest apologies for the lateness of the Bit, but as you can very well see, there are extenuating circumstances for it. (smile) Much LOVE!

 

 

Today’s Scrip-Bit 22 September 2014 Psalm 118:8-9

22 Sep 2014 Leave a comment

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

Psalm 118:8-9.   It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in man. It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in princes. 

Oh Friends, that day that many of us have been dreading, and a few of us longing for, is finally here! Yes, it’s Monday! Give the Lord a shout of praise for that nuh!
 
And you better believe that the shout was a mere whimper in comparison to the moans and groans and complaints. (smile) That means that many of us still did not prepare properly yesterday for today, consequently the whining is plentiful this Monday morning.
 
But my people we have no choice, if we want to eat and have a roof over our heads, then we must work. So let’s be up and at ‘em nuh. Let’s have the sense of purpose that Jesus had, and desires all His followers to also have, whereby we come up over our problems with His faithful help, rather than endlessly whine and complain.
 
And to assist us in doing that, let’s sing our Monday Morning Battle Hymn with much vim and vigour. Let’s kindle a fire, a burning desire in our souls to get out there and do His bidding. As one harmonious body now, let’s light up the universe with song:
 
‘Oh Lord God Almighty, Creator of the universe and all therein! We, your humble servants, praise your Holy Name and thank you that this Monday morning we have jobs to go to; jobs we don’t like, jobs that are unfair, difficult and even dangerous, but which serve a useful purpose here on earth; keeping lives and families together.
 
We also thank you Father for the renewed vitality and enthusiasm you’ve wrought in our weary souls over the last two days. It’s that rejuvenation of Spirit which allows us now to sally forth with confidence into the evil, ungodly world that surrounds us, to begin a new week of work, constantly buffeted and bombarded by the enemy’s wicked taunts, wiles and lies.
 
But heavenly Father, we’re not afraid, for we know we’re invincible, sure conquerors, once we’re wearing your powerful, protective spiritual armour. We surrender our all to you, and humbly ask that you let your incredible aura of LOVE, the Holy Spirit, lead and guide all your servants as we go out to meet the enemy in battle.
 
Fill us with steadfast faith, so that we can make worthwhile inroads into the enemy’s ranks, and thereby further your glorious kingdom. We pray this in the Holy Name of your Son, and our Saviour, Jesus Christ. AMEN!’
 
Not bad at all Friends, not bad at all! Sufficient to ignite our spirits and cause the adrenalin to bubble up and flow like a lively stream just skipping along delightedly over its bed unconcerned, not worrying where it was going, or how and when it would get there, because it knew that it was in in good hands, the hands of its Creator. So too should we be my people.
 
And with that we’ll segue into our Bit. ‘It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in man. It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in princes.’
 
Yes my brethren, confidence is a helluva thing, and it’s oh so important where we put it, and where we get it from! And the psalmist is definitely right when he declares that the Lord God Almighty, our Creator and Provider, is the most appropriate personage in whom to place our trust and confidence, rather than in mortal man, be they lowly or powerful.
 
And it’s a very logical conclusion since mortal man does not control the universe, has no effective control even over his own destiny. He’s here today and gone tomorrow, blown away in the wind and forgotten, like the dust from which he was formed. He has no control over the breath of life in his finite body, which was breathed into him by the infinite Jehovah God, His Maker.
 
So why should we put our confidence and trust in such a flimsy and unsure body eh?  Meanwhile, as the scriptures tell us, the Lord, our omnipotent God, endures from generation to generation. He was the FIRST, and He will be the LAST! No doubt about that my fellow believers!
 
Now let’s check out some scriptures that wisely advise us to put our trust and confidence in the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. And we’ll get the ball rolling with some wise words from Cousin Sol. ‘In the fear of the Lord is strong confidence: and his children shall have a place of refuge. The fear of the Lord is a fountain of life, to depart (turn one away) from the snares of death.’ (Prov.14:26-27)
 
And in my humble existence Friends, I can find nothing to dispute the truth of those words.
 
Meanwhile, the sons of Korah staunchly declare in Psalm 84: ‘For the Lord God is a sun and shield: the Lord will give grace and glory: no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly. O Lord of hosts, blessed is the man that trusteth in thee.’ (Ps.84:11-12)
 
Oh my brethren, in my three score and odd years, I’ve found no reason to doubt those words either.
 
Now listen to Bruh David expound on God’s goodness and power from Psalm 40 – praise for answered prayer. ‘And he hath put a new song in my mouth, even praise unto our God: many shall see it, and fear, and shall trust in the Lord. Blessed is the man that maketh the Lord his trust, and respecteth not the proud, nor such as turn aside to lies.
 
Many, O Lord my God, are thy wonderful works which thou hast done, and thy thoughts which are to us-ward: they cannot be reckoned up in order unto thee (recounted): if I would declare them, they are more than can be numbered.’ (Ps.40:3-5)
 
Now Friends, if we have a powerful and trustworthy Deity like that looking after our affairs, then why should we trust relatively powerless and unwise mortal man eh? No reason whatsoever my people.
 
But unfortunately, a lot of us can’t believe what we don’t see and/or feel, and are also greatly influenced by the lustful appetites of the world. Therefore we still put our sincere trust and confidence in wicked mortal man, though we are disappointed by him most of the time.
 
Oh Friends, if we ever hope to turn this evil and ungodly world around, then we have to start making wise decisions. And the first and wisest of them all is to stop trusting in untrustworthy man and begin trusting in a faithful and LOVING God. That’s wisdom at its zenith! Much LOVE!
 
…to trust…to trust…and yet to trust in Almighty God…that is the duty of man…

 

 

 

 

 

Today’s Scrip-Bit 24 August 2013 Jeremiah 17:9

24 Aug 2013 Leave a comment

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

Jeremiah 17:9.   The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked (incurably sick): who can know it?
 
And then it was Saturday… Hip, hip hurrah! (smile) Long time I haven’t heard that one. Yes Friends, it’s Saturday with all its late rising due to tiredness from the workweek, plus from Friday night’s partying, with more plans for partying later on. Let’s hope though, that somewhere in our busy and /or lazy weekend, there are also plans for church and fellowship with other believers.
 
Unfortunately, some people work harder at home on the weekends than they do during the week at their places of employment. What with young children to look after – no baby sitter then, laundry to be done, groceries bought, the house cleaned, and all the necessary preparations for the following week.
 
Some people, especially mothers long for the week to begin. And with school soon opening, hn! That means more shopping for new fashionable stuff to wear, and all the other accoutrements for back to school. It’s a good thing my days for that stuff are over. Thank You Lord!
 
No wonder a lot of parents aren’t too enamoured of the weekends since their personal lives get even busier than during the week. But Friends, that’s the price they say we have to pay for progress, although I really don’t see how we can call it progress, when we’re so busy that we don’t have much time for ourselves.
 
And with both parents out working now, often at more than one job, just to make ends meet, that seems to be a step backwards rather than forwards, especially when you add stuff like the breakdown of the family, the high unemployment rate and the constant fear in the air of losing one’s job to outsourcing in some undeveloped country.
 
Anyway my brethren, I know it’s rough out there for many of us, and it’s liable to get rougher before it gets better. But as believers, we need to stand strong in Christ and the faithful promises of our wonderful and ever-faithful God.
 
Now He never promised that life would always be sunshine and roses, but that He will not cause us to suffer more than we can bear, and will bring us out of anything He allows us to go through, refined by the fire. So we need to let our faith soar, to take heart and believe that our Creator will come through for us, as He’s promised.
 
And talking about heart, let’s finally bring in our Bit: ‘The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked (incurably sick): who can know it?
 
And that’s gospel, gospel truth my people! Our hearts are so deceptive, and change so quickly, like chameleons, from one extreme to the next, who can really know what’s truly buried in them eh?
 
That’s why Jeremiah continues speaking on God’s behalf: ‘I the Lord search the heart, I try (test) the reins (mind, most secret parts), even to give every man according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings (deeds). (Jer.17:10)
 
Oh Friends, the Lord’s lucky, He can see into the depths of man’s soul and reveal their true motives. Meanwhile, we humans can only judge another’s heart basically by their words and outward actions. And sadly that leads to an inordinate amount of lies, deceptions, heartbreaks and other evil deeds.
 
Now before we get into some relevant scripture, hear these important words from the scholars. ’17:9-10: The heart (cf. Prov.4:23) means man’s innermost being. The bent of man’s natural disposition, apart from God’s redeeming grace, is described as deceitful (lit. crooked) and desperately wicked (incurably sick).
 
Therefore man cannot trust his own heart but must leave all to God who alone knows the heart and judges all men fairly. Only a person with a redeemed heart can live in proper fellowship with God. (Job 11:13; 1 John 3:18-24).’
 
Yes my people, because of the naturally evil disposition of our hearts, trust in man is a very uncertain and hazardous act. No wonder the psalmist so strongly advised: ‘It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in man. It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in princes.’ (Ps.118:8-9) Please note that he specified that not even royalty can be trusted.
 
But all of this untrustworthiness began right at the very beginning when Adam and Eve disobeyed God’s command not to eat of the tree of life and knowledge. When the Lord came looking for them, they hid, because they knew they had disobeyed Him. Their eyes were also opened and thus they realised their nakedness and attempted to cover up themselves. And when God asked them what had happened, the blame laying began. Adam blamed Eve, and she blamed the serpent. 
 
Ah Lord eh! But God was having none of their deceitfulness and kicked them out of the beautiful garden. (Gen.3)  And sadly Friends, from that day onwards, man’s heart just kept getting more and more evil.
 
Until the day God finally took stock of man: ‘And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination (thought or intent) of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually (all the day long). And it repented the Lord (the Lord was sorry) that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart.’ (Gen.6:5-6)
 
So much so, that He decided to destroy everything that He’d so tenderly made. Ah mih breddren, when man’s heart becomes so wicked that it alarms God and grieves Him so much that He considers destroying all the beautiful things He’s made, you must know that things are in a really bad state.
 
And we’ll end with some more important words from the scholars on those two verses. ‘Repented does not imply that God made a mistake in His dealing with men, but rather indicates a change in divine direction resulting from the actions of man.
 
It is “an anthropopathism” (a human emotion applied to God), describing the pain that is caused God by the destructiveness of His creatures. It is used 30 times with God as its subject, each time speaking of a change of mind or intention that accords with His righteous purposes, and results in action commensurate with those purposes.’
 
Wow! We’ll soon need someone to explain the explanations! (smile)
 
Oh mih people, there’s a lot more to come tomorrow, God willing of course. But let’s ponder today’s stuff with an open heart, remembering that it’s only as we turn to Almighty God with a redeemed heart, that we’re able to stand in His holy presence. That ought to give us plenty of food for thought. Much LOVE!
 
…who knows the true thoughts of a man’s heart…only the Lord God Jehovah…
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Today’s Scrip-Bit 11 June 2013 Psalm 64:1

11 Jun 2013 Leave a comment

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

Psalm 64:1:    Hear my voice, O God, in my prayer: preserve my life from fear of the enemy.
 
Well hello there you beautiful people of God! How goes it with you on this wet, rainy Tuesday in almost mid-June? I sincerely hope that there are many more positives than negatives in our lives.
 
But whatever our circumstances this day, I trust and pray that we’ll be dealing with them in the best way possible; that is in humble reliance on Almighty God, for He is absolutely the BEST person for us to consult on EVERYTHING in our lives, be they good or bad.
 
Well it’s been raining in my area since yesterday morning, and though the showers of blessings are welcome, like most things, too much of them is no good. Moderation in all aspects of life is the key to successful living. 
 
And in regards to too many showers of blessings, please note the serious flooding currently plaguing several countries in Europe, and send up some prayers for their well-being. 
 
And talking about prayers, here’s this one from Dr. Schuller’s Hour of Power Devotional, re wanting to LOVE ourselves and consequently others, which takes great courage and fortitude. He offers this prayer that can lead us to a new life, also suggesting that we pray it everyday for thirty days.
 
‘Christ – here is my brain – think through it. Christ – here is my face – glow through it. Christ – here are my eyes – look at people through them. Christ – here is my heart – LOVE people with it.’
 
Now that’s really surrendering, truly giving ourselves over to God! And if we’re serious about learning to LOVE, then we’ll genuinely embrace it with hungry hope and steadfast faith.
 
And we’ll continue in the vein of prayer with our Bit, from another great man of God, Bruh David, as he cries out in anguish, re plots and punishment. ‘Hear my voice, O God, in my prayer (meditation or complaint): preserve my life from fear of the enemy.’
 
Now that’s something we all could cry out!
 
And Bruh David continues with his heartfelt plea: ‘Hide me from the secret counsel of the wicked; from the insurrection (tumult) of the workers of iniquity.
 
Who whet (sharpen) their tongue like a sword, and bend their bows to shoot their arrows, even bitter words. That they may shoot in secret at the perfect (blameless): suddenly do they shoot at him, and fear not.’ (Ps.64:2-4)
 
Oh Friends, one of the things I LOVE about Bruh David is that he wasn’t ashamed, afraid or too proud to open his hurting and anguished soul to God, to cry out to Him for help, regardless of his kingly estate here on earth, because he knew that the God of his fathers was much higher than him, and was also very faithful to those who sincerely trusted in and sought Him.
 
And because our God is unchangeable, nothing is different my people, except us, except our attitude to Him. We’ve grown too proud to cry out to God for help. We’ve foolishly adopted the world’s ways of looking first to ourselves, friends, families, neighbours and supposed experts. And it’s only when all of those fail to come up with a plausible solution that we turn at last to Jehovah God, and then expect Him to expedite a solution right then and there.
 
But that’s a fool’s wisdom my Friends!
 
The Lord God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob is the FIRST one we should turn to in each and every circumstance, NOT the last! Then if He wants us to consult others, He’ll guide and direct us thus.
 
And I’ll repeat that for all the hard ears people (smile): In each and every situation, GOD MUST ALWAYS COME FIRST! And that’s the gospel truth!
 
Now let’s look at some other passages of scripture that corroborate the importance of prayer. First up is Bruh David’s cry in Psalm 55 against deceitful friends. ‘Give ear to my prayer, O God; and hide not thyself from my supplication. Attend unto me, and hear me: I mourn (wander) in my complaint, and make a noise (moan noisily);
 
Because of the voice of the enemy, because of the oppression of the wicked: for they cast iniquity (bring down trouble) upon me, and in wrath they hate me. My heart is sore (severely) pained within me: and the terrors of death are fallen upon me.
 
Fearfulness and trembling are come upon me, and horror hath overwhelmed me. And I said, Oh that I had wings like a dove! For then would I fly away and be at rest. Lo, then would I wander far off, and remain in the wilderness.  Selah. I would hasten my escape from the windy storm and tempest.’ (Ps.55:1-8)
 
Oh Friends, I never intended to include all of that scripture nuh, but after reading it a couple times, I realized that it only conveys the true rending of the heart in its fullness, its entirety. And I know that many of us can definitely understand and identify with those hurtful circumstances, for there’s nothing like being betrayed by a trusted friend. 
 
But the problem is that too few of us go to God with our prayers and supplications, trusting instead to the vain and proud ways of man. Please remember the psalmist’s wise advice: ‘It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in man. It is better to put trust in the Lord than to put confidence in princes.’ (Ps.118:8-9)
 
Hopefully though, these few words of mine (smile) and the scripture involved therein, will encourage us to go to God FIRST in ALL situations, because that’s where the heart of true wisdom lies.
 
More on this topic tomorrow, provided God’s in favour. Till then my wonderful brethren in Christ, let’s lift up ALL our hopes and fears to heaven in sincere prayer.
 
And may the good and great God that we serve, our Creator and Provider, bless and keep us safe from all harm, and give us His awesome peace that our simple minds cannot begin to comprehend! Much LOVE!
 
…God created prayer so that His hurting children could commune with Him…come to Him for succour in times of need…
 
  
 
 
 
  
 

Today’s Scrip-Bit 2 June 2013 Philippians 2:8.

02 Jun 2013 Leave a comment

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

Philippians 2:8.      And being found in fashion (appearance) as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.
 
Oh Friends, oh Friends, recently the bruised, battered and broken image of Jesus being led like an innocent lamb to the slaughter, has been appearing rather frequently on my mental screen. I don’t know why, but guess that I’m finally coming to a somewhat fuller realization of the awesome price He paid to save my sinful soul from eternal death and damnation.
 
And everyday I have to chuckle at the mysterious, innovative, unique and eccentric ways that God operates in my life. This last image appearance happened about four days ago, as I was sitting on the deck at the back of my house around twilight, sipping some caffeine, just enjoying the cooler evening weather, for the day had turned out beautifully, hot and sunny, at definite odds to the earlier forecast of rain.
 
Anyway, as I sat there listening to some birds chirp their evening praise, the words of one of my old favourite hymns suddenly drifted in to my mind. I’m talking about:  ‘When I survey the wondrous cross on which the Prince of Glory Died.’
 
Unfortunately I didn’t remember all the words, so I had to look them up, and then was guided to share them here with you. It was written by Isaac Watts in 1707, and is based on Gal.6:14.
 
‘When I survey the wondrous cross, On which the Prince of glory died, My richest gain I count but loss, And pour contempt on all my pride. Forbid it, Lord, that I should boast, Save in the death of Christ my God!
 
All the vain things that charm me most, I sacrifice them to His blood. See from His head, His hands, His feet, Sorrow and LOVE flow mingled down!
 
Did e’er such love and sorrow meet, Or thorns compose so rich a crown? Were the whole realm of nature mine, That were a present far too small; LOVE so amazing, so divine, Demands my soul, my life, my all.’
 
Oh my fellow believers, what powerful, soul-searching words!
 
And then the true picture came into focus. You know when we see pictures of Jesus hanging on the cross, it’s always a frontal view – and that’s really a blessing in disguise, for can you imagine what a bloody mess His back must have been, from all the flogging etc. Many of us would most likely faint at the gruesome sight.
 
All of that just led me to think what a bunch of super ingrates we are. We talk a whole lot about Jesus, talk up a storm, but when the time comes for us to brave that storm, to walk through it, hn… we shudder with a sad mixture of fear and shame and step back into a harbour of safe shelter.
 
Oh my brethren, the returns we’re paying Jesus on His selfless sacrifice are woefully inadequate. Granted, we can never repay Him in full, but what we’re currently paying, through the less than stellar lives we’re living, is totally insufficient.
 
In terms of interest rates, since we can’t ever pay the principal, we’re paying even less than what the crooked, criminal banks are paying, and they have now been at their lowest point for quite some time.
 
Come on my people, We can surely raise our interest rates, do a better job of living for Jesus, of LOVING Him, of LIVING our Faith in true Christian fashion, not as hypocritically as we’re currently doing, and SPREADING His Word with much more confidence and passion and much less fear and shame.
 
Please note the sad but stoic tenor of our Bit: ‘And being found in fashion (appearance) as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.’
 
Ah mih people, after all that Jesus suffered on our behalf, we can most assuredly up the ante, little by little, until we come to a decent rate. Now that’s my admonition for today! And I pray that we’ll all take it seriously and try our best to improve our standing with Jesus.
 
And if we’re truthful with ourselves, we’ll all admit that we can do a better job of living for Him. For remember my brethren, that He is the ONLY ONE who can truly help us in this mish-mash life, in these rough, hard, scary and troubled times.
 
Man can’t help us, seeing that he can’t even help himself. As the psalmist so wisely advises us: ‘It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in man.’ (Ps.118:8) 
 
So Friends, I’m imploring us to not forget that Jesus died to help us, to bring us out of bondage to sin, that’s the ONLY reason He sacrificed His sinless life!
 
Therefore, with songs of praise and joyful countenances, let’s board the train that leads to wherever He is! Let’s get passionate about our faith, knowing that at some stage of the game, we’ll go home to be with Him forever!
 
But until then, let’s do our best to honour and glorify Him down here on earth, for He is truly worthy of much honour and glory! Much LOVE!
 
…Jesus, Jesus…oh how I LOVE that name…Jesus, Jesus…I’ll shout it out loud…without any shame…
 
 
 

Today’s Scrip-Bit 26 March 2013 Isaiah 51:12

26 Mar 2013 Leave a comment

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

Isaiah 51:12.     I, even I, am he that comforteth you: who art thou, that thou shouldest be afraid of a man that shall die, and of the son of man which shall be made as grass.

Ah Friends, it’s another day in the life, in the spring of 2013. Only thing is we haven’t seen any of that spring rain yet, a whole week after its official declaration. And though the temps are above freezing during the day, the nights are still fairly chilly, and there are still mounds of snow all over. One would have thought that all the snow would have melted away by now. But unfortunately that hasn’t happened. The only true indication of spring so far, is the joyful singing of the birds as they offer up their thanks and praise to the Creator in the early morning hours. Hope we supposed sensible humans are doing the same. Anyway, as true believers, we just have to press on and have the faith that sooner or later, hopefully sooner, we’ll see all the lovely attributes of spring; no snow, some blessed rain, that will cause green grass and beautiful flowers to pop up from the refreshed and regenerated ground, with the trees excitedly showing their rejuvenation through budding leaves on their now naked branches. Oh Friends, spring is such an awakening in these parts, that only a real hardhearted fool doesn’t appreciate it. Oh by the way, I want to make a point here, re believers and followers of Jesus Christ. I believe I read it in the In Touch Devotional yesterday. According to Uncle Charles, Charles Stanley, there is a huge difference between mere believers and awesome followers. Believers, believe in Jesus, are saved and will go to heaven. But followers are believers who in addition to believing, follow, or do, or obey God’s commands. The difference my people could really be substantial. So please let’s all aim to be steadfast followers rather than mere believers. Let’s get the action going in Christianity, let’s move the mountains on behalf of Christ and His church! And now we’ll turn to our Bit: ‘I, even I, am he that comforteth you: who art thou, that thou shouldest be afraid of a (mortal) man that shall die, and of the son of man which shall be made as grass.’ Yesterday, we began dissecting it by looking at the first of the three parts, ‘I, even I, am he that comforteth you:’ that’s the comfort that our God both promises and faithfully delivers. Today we’ll continue the dissection by looking at the other two parts; fear of man and his lifespan. As pertaining to the fear of mortal man, ‘who art thou, that thou shouldest be afraid of a (mortal) man that shall die…’ let’s look at some reassuring scriptures from the Psalms. The first one comes from Psalm 118; Thanksgiving for the Lord’s salvation. The psalmist boldly writes: ‘The Lord is on my side, I will not fear: what can man do unto me? The Lord taketh my part with them that help me: therefore shall I see my desire upon them that hate me. It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in man. (Re the scholars, that’s the middle verse of the Bible). It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in man.’ (Ps.118:6-9) And all of that is the living truth my people! There’s no better place to put our trust and faith than in Almighty God! And Bruh David concurs with that in Psalm 56, a confident prayer for help, when he ran to his enemies, the Philistines in Gath, away from his own people, who wanted to do him in. He confidently declares: ‘When I cry unto thee, then shall mine enemies turn back this I know; for God is for me. In God will I praise his word: in the Lord will I praise his word. In God I have put my trust: I will not be afraid what man can do unto me.’ (Ps.56:9-11) Oh my brethren, those words certainly convey the gospel truth! For what can mortal man do to us if we are truly ensconced in the powerful arms of Jehovah God eh? Absolutely nothing! And the final scripture on the fear of man is a biggie, one we all know and like to spout, but from our actions, don’t seem to as strongly believe in our hearts. Bruh David boldly and proudly proclaims: ‘The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?’ (Ps.27:1) And as always my people, the answer to that question is a big and bold, ‘NO ONE!’ And Bruh David goes on to further state: ‘When the wicked, even mine enemies and my foes, came upon me to eat up (devour) my flesh, they stumbled and fell. Though a host (an army) should encamp against me, my heart shall not fear: though war should rise against me, in this will I be confident.’ (Ps.27:2-3) Oh Friends, that’s the kind of awesome confidence we should have in our mighty, ever-LOVING and ever-faithful God! So please, let’s stop allowing the mortal man like ourselves to make us afraid, even though he be evil. For just like us, he’ll one day return to the dust from which we all were formed. And though some may have a bit more power than us here on earth, eventually we all have to answer to Jehovah God. That brings us to the last part of our Bit: ‘and of the son of man which shall be made as grass.’  Isaiah describes this in spades when talking about comfort through trust in God. ‘The voice said, Cry (out). And he said, What shall I cry (out)? All flesh is grass, and all the goodliness (loveliness) thereof is as the flower of the field: The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: because the spirit (breath) of the Lord bloweth upon it: surely the people is grass. The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: but the word of our God shall stand for ever.’ (Is.40:6-8) Oh Friends, what words of godly assurance! And there’s no better way to end than on them. So please remember all that we’ve learned; namely, God is our comfort and strength, therefore we shouldn’t be afraid of mere mortals like ourselves, even the evil ones with earthly power, because they too shall wither and die like the grass and the flowers, taking nothing with them. ONLY the WORD of the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob will last forever. Much LOVE!…true logic declares…fear not the creation…but rather…fear the Creator of the creation…  P.S. You can blame some of the lateness of the Bit on my daughters who skyped me a while ago and had me talking, while yet complaining that the Bit was late. Ah Lord eh! You can’t please people nuh. (smile) Much LOVE my fellow followers of Christ!