Genesis 18:10. And he said, I will certainly return unto thee according to the time of life; and lo, Sarah thy wife shall have a son. And Sarah heard it in the tent door, which was behind him.
Aye mih Friends, is Monday morning! Wow! And all God’s people are joyously singing, ‘TGIM! Thank God is Monday! TGIM! Thank God is Monday! What a joyful day!’
Yes my people, it is Monday, and it is indeed a joyful day! In fact every day we open our eyes in God’s beautiful universe ought to be a joyful day, for it’s in the joy of the Lord that our strength lies. (Neh.8:10)
And I know that some of us still have that bad Monday morning attitude – blue and miserable and tired – an ungodly attitude which sadly permeates our modern world, and consequently drags it down. But don’t worry my brethren, never fear, our great God is in control, and slowly but surely He will turn the tide in our favour.
Anyway, to help us get with it this mid-November morning, let’s joyfully sing our Monday Morning Battle Hymn. As one now, let’s allow our beautiful voices to soar in prayer, praise and thanksgiving to the high heaven.
‘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!’
Oh mih people, that was magnificent! All heaven was accompanying us, Jesus was rocking, and the Father was tapping His feet in time to the groovy riddim! And since the Lord has granted all our requests – His Spirit is now moving and grooving in us – let’s then go out and do what we have promised, do our bounden duty, fight a good fight in Jesus’ name.
And speaking of promises, listen to this awesome one from our Bit, made, or rather reiterated by our God to Abraham, when the three angels visited him. (Gen.18:1-9) ‘And he said, I will certainly return unto thee according to the time of life; and lo, Sarah thy wife shall have a son. And Sarah heard it in the tent door, which was behind him.’
And why should we consider that such an awesome promise? We’ll let the Good Book explain. ‘Now Abraham and Sarah were old and well stricken in age; and it ceased to be with Sarah after the manner of woman (Sarah had passed child-bearing age). Therefore Sarah laughed within herself, saying, After I am waxed (grown) old shall I have pleasure, my lord being old also?
And the Lord said unto Abraham, Wherefore did Sarah laugh, saying, Shall I of a surety bear a child, which am old? Is anything too hard for the Lord? At the time appointed I will return unto thee, according to the time of life, and Sarah shall have a son. Then Sarah denied, saying, I laughed not; for she was afraid. And he said, Nay; but thou didst laugh.’ (Gen.18:11-15)
Oh Friends, what a moving bit of Scripture! Now here’s what the scholars have to say, re that most memorable occasion. ’18:1-15. The three men who appeared to Abraham were the preincarnate Christ (Yahweh) and two angels (v.22; 19:1) Here we find an example, not only of “entertaining angels unawares” (Heb.13:2), but also of God becoming the guest of one of His saints (cf. John 14:23; Rev.3:20).
Sarah laughed within herself either because she did not know of the promise of 17:19 or because she was unconvinced it would be fulfilled. In either case, one of the three men was now clearly identified as Yahweh, who knew Sarah’s thoughts.’
Now some of you might find all that somewhat controversial, but if you’ll notice vs.13 says; ‘And the Lord,’ and vs.14 continues that trend: ‘Is there anything too hard for the Lord?’ And in vs.15, it shows that the man speaking, must have read Sara’s thoughts, since she had not laughed aloud. Do angels read minds? I don’t know.
But to get a little deeper on that topic, let’s go back to some notes the scholars have on Chapter 16, when the angel speaks to Hagar at the well after she ran away from Sarai.
’16:7. In the Old Testament, and angel identified as the “angel of the Lord” (v.7), the “angel of God” (21:17), the “angel of his presence” (Is.63:9), and the “messenger of the covenant” (Mal.3:1) appeared to individuals. A closer look at the context of His appearances reveals that He is more than another angel. He is God. The expression usually signifies a preincarnate appearance of Christ, and is sometimes called a “Christophany,” meaning the visible and bodily manifestation of God the Son before His incarnation.
Illustration: That He is not merely another angel is evident in those appearances where He is called God. This was recognized by Hagar (v.13), Abraham (22:14), Moses (Ex.3:14), Gideon (Judg. 6:22), and Manoah (Judg.13:18, 22). The expression is also used of men, but on such occasions is translated “the Lord’s messenger” (Hag. 1:13).
Application: The Angel of the Lord no longer appears to men today, since God has commissioned Christians to be His messengers to the world. (First Ref. and Primary Ref; Gen.6:17.)’
And there we have it Friends; the argument for “Christophany.” But before we make any decisions, for or against it, please let’s check out all the references.
Now we’ll end today with a little Christian ditty that I hear every so often on the radio. I heard it last night and it just seemed so appropriate for today’s ending.
A young lady is singing quietly, but with feeling: ‘If God be for you, who can be against you? Let God be God. Let God be God, in your life.’
And that my fellow believers is divine truth and wisdom. So let’s ponder and digest what we’ve read today, then simply let God be God in our lives. That’s the way He desires it. Much LOVE!
…we can’t be really in tune with God…unless and until we truly surrender our lives to Him…thereby giving Him full control…
Today’s Scrip-Bit 11 November 2013 Psalm 46:9
11 Nov 2013 Leave a comment
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: aura of love, conquerors, death, Dieppe, divine truth, footsteps of Jesus, freedom, get lost in the woodwork, God's glorious kingdom, good life, grief, handouts, health care, heavenly advocate, humble servants, hypocrisy, In Flanders Field, invincible, Jesus Christ, just rewards, justice, Lest we forget, lies, long & short of story, LOVE, lust, make ends meet, man's inhumanity to man, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, nickel and dime, pain, Patriarch, peace, political purposes, politicians, power, refuge & strength, rejuvenation of spirit, Remembrance Day, renewed vitality, sacrifices, sons of Korah, sorrow, spiritual armour, steadfast faith, taunts, thirst, true nature of God, undeniable truth, useful purpose, veterans, Veterans Day, Vimy Ridge, war, wealth, weary souls, week of work, wiles
Psalm 46:9. He maketh wars to cease unto the end of the earth; he breaketh the bow, and cutteth the spear in sunder; he burneth the chariot in fire.
DAY OF REMEMBRANCE FOR OUR VETERANS !
Oh Friends, I can’t help reminding us of the mysterious and wonderful workings of our awesome God nuh, because everyday He shows me something from His powerful arsenal! Now yesterday I got to writing about the foolishness of war, without even remembering that this was the weekend to remember the many fallen in war, through Remembrance Day in Canada and the British Commonwealth, and Veterans’ Day in the U.S.
I never realized it until I got to church and saw the minister, Father Jeff, putting up a Canadian flag on the altar and seeking someone to read the commemorative poem, ‘In Flanders Fields,’ and I just had to chuckle.
But the Lord wasn’t done with His mysterious workings, for just then, a most appropriate line from the once very popular song, ‘War’ suddenly popped into my mind. I believe it was first done by Edwin Star, but also covered by several others, including the Temptations. And the very apt line was: ‘WAR! What is it good for? ABSOLUTELY NOTHING!’
And that’s the undeniable truth Friends! Because all it brings to God’s great universe is a host of negative things like grief, sorrow, pain, mourning, destruction and ultimately, in great numbers, unnecessary death! At the time I even wondered why I never remembered that line yesterday, but then figured out that the Lord wanted me to use today.
Ah mih people, so many unfortunate humans have lost their lives, many at rather tender ages, because of man’s insatiable lust and thirst for wealth and power! But many have also died for freedom, so that we can live freely in a certain amount of peace and tranquility, and it behoves us to remember them. As the slogan says: ‘LEST WE FORGET!’
The problem though is that most of the veterans of the early wars are dying out and I’m not sure that this current generation knows much about them, has any idea of what they went through, so that they can live the good, irresponsible, no respect for authority lifestyle they’re currently living. And even the comparative few, who do know about the veterans’ sacrifices, don’t seem to pay much attention because they figure it doesn’t affect them.
But they’re ever so wrong! For without the millions who died in foreign places like Vimy Ridge and Dieppe, Korea, Vietnam and places around the Pacific Ocean, they definitely wouldn’t be enjoying the good life they do today. So Friends, just like we need to teach the children God’s Word, we also need to teach them about those veterans, and the ones we’re currently creating from places like Iraq and Afghanistan.
The sad part about this whole Remembrance and Veterans Day business is that it involves a lot of hypocrisy. The politicians get up on their pedestals and talk so glowingly of the veterans, trotting out a few to add as exhibits, then nickel and dime them in terms of jobs, health care, pensions and proper housing. Numerous veterans are suffering in many countries, unable to make ends meet, while governments even claw back money from them.
The long and the short of the story my people, is that in real life the veterans are not being properly taken care of. They’re just being used for political purposes whenever convenient, then are expected to get lost in the woodwork and accept whatever handouts they receive and say the Lord be praised. Steups!
As we noted yesterday, man’s inhumanity to man… Chuh! It’s truly something else yes! But please remember Friends that all of us will have to stand before Almighty God one fateful day and give account for our earthly lives. I guess the veterans will have to wait until then to get their just rewards and justice they so rightly deserve.
Now, lest we also forget, to day is Monday, and though it’s a holiday in many places, in our 24/7 society, it’s still a work day for many people. So please let’s sing our Monday Morning Battle Hymn with a special appreciation, in grateful memory of those who selflessly gave their lives so that we could enjoy ours in relative peace and freedom.
As one voice now: ‘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!’
That was excellent Friends! I’m sure our heavenly Advocate and Patriarch both felt the spirit of gratitude rising in our hearts.
Now let’s turn to our Bit, which is so appropriate for these warring times. In this psalm, ‘God is our refuge and strength,’ the Sons of Korah invite us in the verse before our Bit to: ‘Come behold the works of the Lord, what desolations he hath made in the earth. He maketh wars to cease unto the end of the earth; he breaketh the bow, and cutteth the spear in sunder; he burneth the chariot in fire.’
And that my people is divine truth! However, unfortunately another truth is staring us in the face; that of time and space running out. The Bit’s already ‘longish’ and since I don’t want to tax or strain our mental capabilities too much, (smile) we’ll close for today. Tomorrow though, God in favour, we’ll continue this topic.
Till then, let’s consider all that we can enjoy because of the veterans, pray to God to help us treat them better, and walk safely in the footsteps of Jesus. Much LOVE!
…the followers of Jesus must embrace…peace, not war…LOVE, not hate…for that’s the true nature of our Lord and Saviour…
Today’s Scrip-Bit 4 November 2013 Matthew 5:12
04 Nov 2013 Leave a comment
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: Advocate, angels, anguish, apostle Stephen, atonement, aura of love, backbone, battle, be exceeding glad, believers, belly, betrayers, buffeted, call to account, civil war, confidence, conquerors, contrite, dangerous, difficult, disposition, earthly battles, encore, enemy's ranks, engage the enemy, enthusiasm, epitome, eternal life, evil minions, faith, fervour, fool's wisdom, fortitude, glorious kingdom, glory hallelujah, heathen lands, heaven, holy spirit, humble servants, impenitent, inroads, invincible, Jesus Christ, Jewish Council, jobs, keeping God's law, King of Kings, lead and guide, lies, Lord of Lords, Lucifer, magnificent, maturity, milk, Monday morning attitude, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, murderers, perilous times, persecuted, pilgrims, praise and worship, prince of peace, regret, rejoice, resist the Holy Ghost, rewards, salvation, Saul of Tarsus, shame, solid food, spiritual armour, standing ovation, statue of Jesus, steadfast faith, strong faith, stubborn, Syria, talk the talk, taunts, thankfulness, the Just One, transgressions, unrepentant, useful purpose, vitality, walk the walk, week of work, Western world, wiles, wisdom
Matthew 5:12. Rejoice and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.
Oh Friends, oh Friends, a good Monday morning to all you beautiful believers in the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, our wonderful Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, our Emmanuel – God with us, our Prince of Peace, our heavenly Advocate and so much more!
And all God’s children gave a mighty shout of joy: ‘All praise and power and thanks be to Jesus Christ, the innocent Lamb who was slain as atonement for our transgressions!’ Yeh mih people, what a close Friend and Brother our Saviour is to all!
And just to show how powerful and cohesive a force He is, listen to this story as reported in Sunday’s edition of the Toronto Star Newspaper. The medium sized headlines boldly declare: ‘Amid Syria’s civil war, giant figure of Jesus rises!’ Then in smaller letters: ‘Factions call truce while statue erected on mountain.’ Aye Mama!
The long and short of the story though people, is that in spite of the savage and cruel civil war going on in Syria, all three factions involved, apparently let up so that a 12 metres (approx. 39 ft.) tall statue of Jesus, standing on a base that makes it approximately 32 metres (approx. 105 ft.) high, could be erected on a mountaintop overlooking a pilgrim’s route in olden times, from Constantinople to Jerusalem.
The paper says it took eight years to be completed and was erected on October 14, 2013. And why erect a statue of Jesus in such war-filled times? One church leader was quoted as saying, ‘Because Jesus would have it done.’ And that’s a most appropriate answer. If Jesus wants it done, then it WILL be done!
And that Friends, brings us right back to our Bit: ‘Rejoice and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.’
The Christians in Syria are facing persecution from all sides of the war, yet in their strong faith, they’ve found the time, energy, belly, backbone and fortitude to erect a statue of their Lord and Saviour. That surely deserves shout of ‘Glory Hallelujah!’
Would we have done that our here during such perilous times? I doubt it very much. But that just goes to show the kind of faith we need to acquire before we can truly call ourselves real followers of Christ.
Now that doesn’t mean our efforts aren’t worthwhile, but compared to some of those believers living in heathen lands, we’re merely ‘kindergarters,’ still drinking milk, while they are eating solid food, not simply talking the talk, but walking their walk at a much higher level than us. (Heb.511-14; 1 Pet.2:2)
Oh Friends, that’s a state or stage of maturity which ALL of us in the Western world ought to aspire to! And I hope you have noticed that I’m not haranguing us today about our usual poor Monday morning attitude. (smile)
Anyway, having seen what our fellow believers, are capable of in the midst of war, with Jesus obviously on their side, let’s sing our Monday Morning Battle Hymn with exceptional fervour and thankfulness, so that we too can go out today and engage the enemy in serious battle. And please remember to put on your spiritual armour before you engage Lucifer and his evil minions.
Now let’s raise heaven’s roof with our sweet, melodic voices as we belt out our song of praise and worship. ‘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!’
Oh mih people, mih people, that was magnificent, mucho magnifico! (smile) But with Jesus as our conductor, how else could it be eh? Wow!
The Father even gave us a standing ‘O’ (ovation), while vigorously clapping and shouting out, ‘Encore, encore!’ Unfortunately though, we have to disappoint Him because we have to go out and fight our earthly battles to glorify His precious Name.
And finally, let’s hear the scripture that I couldn’t get in yesterday. It deals with the second half of our Bit: ‘for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.’
Listen to the apostle Stephen speak these memorable words at his trial before the Jewish Council, after which he was stoned to death, martyred through the evil machinations of Bruh Paul, in his earlier incarnation as Saul of Tarsus, the feared Christian hunter.
‘Ye stiffnecked (stubborn) and uncircumcised in heart and ears (impenitent), ye do always resist the Holy Ghost; as your fathers did, so do ye. Which of the prophets have not your fathers persecuted? and they have slain them which showed before (foretold) of the coming of the Just One; of whom ye have been now the betrayers and murderers: Who have received the law by the disposition (direction) of angels, and have not kept it.’ (Acts 7:51-53)
And sadly Friends, thousands of years later, we’re still stubborn and unrepentant, still killing God’s people, and still not keeping His law. However, in the long run, we shall ALL have to answer for our actions, so please, let’s instead concentrate on being contrite, repentant and following the law of our heavenly Father, so that we don’t have to bow our heads in as much shame, anguish and regret, when He finally calls us to account.
That my people, is the epitome of wisdom! Much LOVE!
…why jeopardize our salvation and eternal life with Jesus…by letting the evil, deceitful Lucifer into our lives eh…that’s a fool’s wisdom…
Today’s Scrip-Bit 14 October 2013 Deuteronomy 26:10
14 Oct 2013 Leave a comment
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: adrenalin, appreciation, aura of love, Beelzebub, best big country, blessings, bountiful grace, British Columbia, Canada, celebration, circumstances, confidence, conquerors, Creator of the universe, Deuteronomy, enemy, enthusiasm, ever-LOVING God, first fruits, forgiveness, friends, giving thanks, glorious kingdom, good spirits, gospel truth, grateful heart, harvest, health, holy spirit, house of the Lord, humble servants, inebriated, invincible, Jesus Christ, jobs, Labrador, land of milk and honey, levites, lies, life, lord god almighty, LOVE, loving kindness, manna, mercy, Monday Battle Hymn, Newfoundland, not afraid, offerings, open mind, poor and needy, Prairies, refreshed, rejoice, Rejoice in the Lord always, rejuvenation of spirit, renewed, renewed vitality, rich and greedy, Rocky Mountains, saviour, sober, spiritual armour, steadfast faith, surrender, thankful heart, thanksgiving, Thanksgiving Day, the Lord thy God, Tobago, undisputable truth, ungodly world, useful purpose, wealth, weary souls, wicked taunts, wiles, win win, worship, worthwhile inroads
Deuteronomy 26:10. And now, behold, I have brought the first fruits of the land, which thou, O Lord, hast given me. And thou shall set it before the Lord thy God, and worship before the Lord thy God.
HAPPY THANKSGIVING DAY CANADA!
And then it was Monday…!
But Monday with a twist Friends, because today, Canada, the BEST big country in the world is celebrating our Thanksgiving Day! Yes fellow believers, from the shores of Newfoundland and Labrador in the East, right across this great and wonderful land, through the granary that’s the Prairies, over the towering Rocky Mountains, down to the teeming waters of British Columbia in the West, we’re celebrating Thanksgiving Day!
Doing it in style too! (smile) We’re giving our majestic, magnificent and ever-LOVING God, thanks and praise for all the blessings and good things He’s rained down on us this past year! And He has indeed flooded us with His bountiful grace, LOVE, mercy, manna, and forgiveness every single day!
And though there are still too many who are poor and needy, and also too many who are rich and greedy, overall, we’ve had a very good year. So let’s do, especially today, as Bruh Paul advised the Philippians: ‘Rejoice in the Lord always: and again I say, Rejoice,’ (Phil.4:4)
Yes my brethren, regardless of our circumstances, we ought to always rejoice in the Lord our God, for it is Him who cause us to have life, health and wealth! Now that means many Canadians won’t be going out to labour today, but in support of those who have to go and mind our 24/7 industries, let’s sing a loud and most joyful Monday Morning Battle Hymn, to get their adrenalin going.
As one now: ‘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!’
Now it’s been a rainy Sunday in my area, so that might have caused any planned outdoor activities to be moved inside, but I very much doubt it dampened the proceedings in general. Let’s hope that today will be a perfect day, so that we can all celebrate in good spirits.
And I didn’t mean the liquid kind… (smile) well not too much of it anyway, for remember Granny’s warning; sober or inebriated, please mind your business, because it’s during times of celebration when it’s easiest for Beelzebub to get into our souls and lead us astray.
So let’s bring in our Bit: ‘And now, behold, I have brought the first fruits of the land, which thou, O Lord, hast given me. And thou shall set it before the Lord thy God, and worship before the Lord thy God.’
Yeh Friends this weekend was the time to bring our offerings to God, from the first fruits of our harvest, to show appreciation for all He’s done in making us prosperous.
It was God’s instructions to the children of Israel, to bring the first fruits of the harvest to the House of the Lord, to show their appreciation for His LOVING-kindness, for bringing them out of Egypt and installing them in the land of milk and honey, as well as to provide food for the priests and Levites who spent their time looking after the Lord’s affairs, and also to help feed the poor, the needy and the stranger. And it was to be done with a kind and grateful heart.
Then the Good Book instructs after our Bit: ‘And thou shalt rejoice in every good thing which the Lord thy God hath given unto thee, and unto thine house, thou, and the Levite, and the stranger that is among you.’ (Deut.26:11)
So Friends, Thanksgiving is meant to be both a time of grateful appreciation as well as celebration! You can read all about God’s instructions re the harvest in Deuteronomy 26. And I remember growing up in Tobago; Harvest Weekend was one of my favourite times. The church would be decorated with all the produce enabled by God’s divine mercy, then on Monday, all the stuff would be taken to the school to be sold.
Obviously there would be no classes, and a fine time would be had by all, checking out all the wonderful stuff. Oh, I was even lucky enough when I went to Tobago last year in late November, to be in time for the Harvest Sunday celebrations, and I enjoyed it tremendously.
Anyway Friends, I know you all are busy people, either have to go to work, or go out and celebrate, (smile) so I’ll close with one passage of scripture that encourages constant thanksgiving. It comes from Psalm 95; a psalm of praise to the great God.
Listen with an open mind and thankful heart, as the psalmist most wisely declares: ‘O come, let us sing unto the Lord; let us make a joyful noise (shout joyfully) to the rock of our salvation. Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving, and make a joyful noise unto him with psalms (songs). For the Lord is a great God, and a great King above all gods.’ (Ps.95:1-3)
Oh my brethren, those certainly are words of indisputable, gospel truth! And I hope all of us went to the House of the Lord this weekend and did exactly that, because it’s always a win, win situation: God is pleased, and we are refreshed and renewed. It doesn’t get any better than that my people. Much LOVE!
…we’re giving thanks…for all we’ve got…giving thanks…whether or not…giving thanks for the life in us…we’re giving thanks…yes, we’re giving thanks… (Based on the song ‘Giving Thanks’ by Beres Hammond)
Today’s Scrip-Bit 23 September 2013 1 John 5:14.
23 Sep 2013 Leave a comment
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: adrenalin, aura of love, autumn, blessed, chomping at the bit, christianity, circumcised of heart, circumcision, colourful hues, confidence, conquerors, death traps, disdain, earthly privileges, enthusiasm, eternal life, evil workers, eye candy, faithful, favour with God, fear of the Lord, foolish, fountain of life., Gentiles, glorious kingdom, glory, God's will, hibernation, holy spirit, human attainment, humble servants, invincible, Jesus Christ, Jews, jobs, Judaizers, Law of Moses, lies, lord god almighty, LOVE, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, mutilation, panoramic scenes, place of refuge, pomp, praise, pressing towards the mark, rejuvenation of spirit, renewed vitality, reverence, righteousness., salvation, scavengers, snares of death, spiritual armour, steadfast faith, thanks, the enemy's ranks, the flesh, theology, true believers, truth, ungodly world, useful purpose, weary souls, wicked taunts, wiles, wisdom, wise, worthwhile inroads
1 John 5:14. And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask anything according to his will, he heareth us.
Oh Friends, it’s Monday – officially the second day of autumn, that beautiful, unique season between summer and winter, when nature starts to go into hibernation mode, but before doing so, bathes us in bright, colourful hues and splendid, panoramic scenes. I guess you can call autumn (fall) the season of eye-candy! (smile)
Anyway Friends, the Lord, in His usual mysterious movements, wanted me to remind us that ‘We, we are blessed! If you’re a believer, then you, you are blessed. So let’s tell the world, that we, we are blessed!’ That’s a take on the song ‘I am Blessed,’ by I believe it’s sung by Kay Morris and her group. But my people, it’s ever so important that this Monday morning, as we get up to go back out to labour in God’s name, and it’s in His name that we’re working, not man’s, that we remember we’re BLESSED in all that we do. For without His blessing we can do very little.
And having brought that fact in to focus, let’s sing our Monday Morning Battle Hymn to get us ready to go out and battle Lucifer and his evil cohorts. And since we’re not as tired as we usually are, because we’ve gotten some decent rest this weekend, let’s let it all hang out and sing with pomp and glory nuh. (smile)
As one voice now: ‘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!’
Awright mih people, the engine’s revving and the adrenalin’s flowing, so let’s get out there and be worthy soldiers in Jesus’ army. Remember, He’s already at the front lines, and, like His magnificent steed, He’s just chomping at the bit, waiting for us to arrive and engage the enemy.
Now let’s get to our Bit: ‘And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask anything according to his will, he heareth us.’ And that my Friends, is what’s called absolute truth!
That brings us to supporting scripture. And we’ll begin with some wise words from the wisest man ever, Cousin Sol, as he contrasts the wise and foolish. ‘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).
Wow! Wise words indeed my brethren! When we have a proper reverence for Almighty God our confidence never wavers, always stays strong, because we know we can always turn to Him in times of need. There’s always a place of refuge for us under His wide and ever-LOVING wings. That reverence will also keep us alive and kicking, in that it will keep us from falling for, and into the death traps that the enemy lays for us.
Next we’ll turn to Bruh Paul, as he talks to the Ephesians about pressing towards the mark. ‘Beware of dogs, beware of evil workers, beware of the concision (mutilation, circumcision). For we are the circumcision which worship God in the spirit, and rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh.’ (Phil.3:2-3)
Ah mih people, Bruh Paul was here warning the Ephesians of the Judaizers, those supposed Christians who were preaching that you still need circumcision, per the Law of Moses to receive salvation, which was a total lie. He called them dogs, because dogs were regarded as shameful, despicable, creatures, just running around behaving like scavengers, and the Jews held the Gentiles in the same disdain that they held for stray dogs.
Bruh Paul even refuses to refer to them as ‘the circumcision’, instead using it for those circumcised of heart in Jesus, and not of the flesh. He turns the table on those false Christians, the Judaizers, and calls them ‘dogs’ instead.
And here’s what the scholars have to say about verse 3. ‘3:3. The circumcision or true people of God are described here in three ways. (1) They are those who worship God in the spirit. Their worship of God is prompted, directed, and enabled by the Holy Spirit. (2) Real Christians also rejoice in Christ. They boast and take pride in Him, not in themselves.
(3) They have no confidence in the flesh. “Flesh” here means one’s earthly privileges, human attainments, and religious accomplishments. God’s people refuse to depend on such things for their salvation; instead, they rely upon Christ to obtain favour with God.’
And that’s it for today Friends! As usual, I hope the message moves us further along the continuum to maturity in Christ Jesus, for that’s the ultimate purpose; to help us grow a little more each day, in wisdom, righteousness and LOVE. That’s God’s plan for us, so please, with His awesome help, let’s keep working faithfully towards it. Much LOVE!
…if our hearts aren’t truly circumcised in Christ…then we can’t really be true believers…
SCRIP-BITS 