Today’s Scrip-Bit 24 May 2017 Psalm 27:1.

24 May 2017 Leave a comment

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

Psalm 27:1.   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?

Oh people, oh people, we’re alive on this blessed Wednesday morning! Wow! Give thanks and praise to our wonderful God for that marvellous blessing! 

And if you’re wondering why, just think about the many people who went to bed alive last night but did not wake up alive this morning! 

Oh glory to God my faithful brethren! The Lord looked down on us with special favour because He has great plans for our lives today and everyday He keeps us treading this bountiful earth, therefore much praise and thanks ought to be going up to high heaven from us, His blessed people! 

And in keeping with our theme of courage from yesterday, we’ll continue with the second part of Gramps Schuller’s (Dr. Robert H. Schuller) ‘Courage Is a Decision,’ talk from his Hour of Power Devotional. 

And he emphatically declares in the second half: ‘I have it! My fears are going, going, gone! I feel a mysterious calm, quiet, tranquil assurance rising deep within my being. This remarkable spirit of courage is overpowering me. 

It is the very presence of God working peace at the core of my invisible soul. Thank You Lord. All my fears are gone. What a relief! Amen.’ 

Glory Hallelujah my people! For that’s exactly how we feel when Almighty God works His miracle of courage and peace in our souls! It’s invigorating, overwhelming, surprising, but oh so real! And we rise up with a newfound power, anxious to do His daily work. 

And remember, ONLY belief, trust, surrender and faith in the Lord God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob can bring that kind of feeling and emotion to our beings! So we’d be rather foolish to reject His awesome LOVE and thus deny ourselves the wonderful opportunity to enjoy His heavenly favour. 

And ONLY if you are a true believer, can you proclaim with genuine passion and sincerity, the uplifting words of our Bit, like Bruh David so long ago. ‘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?’ 

Yes friends, ONLY when Jehovah God is our guiding light, can we utter such confident words. And we see this overwhelming confidence in God throughout the Good Book. Hear Bruh David expound from Psalm 86 – Teach me thy way, O Lord. 

‘Among the gods there is none like unto thee, O Lord; neither are there any works like unto thy works. All nations whom thou hast made shall come and worship before thee, O Lord; and shall glorify thy name. For thou art great, and doest wondrous things: thou art God alone.’ (Ps.86:8-10) 

Oh friends, what a marvellous declaration; one of indisputable truth, as the last four words remind us! ‘Thou art God alone!’ That is the basic foundation of our faith! There’s ONLY ONE God; the One we serve and worship! 

And until we get that straight and clear in our hearts, minds, bodies and souls, we’ll never be able to truly enjoy the peace, LOVE, forgiveness, mercy, salvation and eternal life that proceeds from His magnificent and magnanimous Being. 

Bruh David was so assured of this, that he continues in Psalm 86: ‘Teach me thy way, O Lord; I will walk in thy truth: unite my heart (give me singleness of heart) to fear (have reverential awe for) thy name.

I will praise thee, O Lord my God, with all my heart: and I will glorify thy name for evermore. For great is thy mercy toward me: and thou hast delivered my soul from the lowest (depths of) hell.’ (Ps.86:11-13) 

Mama Mia! Oh friends, that’s the kind of confidence we develop when we accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Saviour! We know His awesome power and relinquish our all to it. Fear and all its negative associates cannot pierce the shield of courage and faith that we derive from a true relationship with the Creator of the universe and all therein. 

Now listen to Moses as he counselled the Israelites on the law concerning war. ‘And it shall be, when ye are come nigh unto the battle, that the priest shall approach and speak unto the people, And shall say unto them, 

Hear, O Israel, ye approach this day unto battle against your enemies: let not your hearts faint, fear not, and do not tremble, neither be ye terrified because of them; for the Lord your God is he that goeth with you, to fight for you against your enemies, to save you.’ (Deut.30:2-4) 

Yuh see friends, even in the heat of battle, our God is working on our behalf. Yes, He certainly is in the spiritual warfare that we’re currently fighting, so please don’t lose heart, don’t fear or be terrified, because the victory is ours, it has been guaranteed by our great God. 

Consequently, we can afford to go home in peace, with courage, declaring these truths from our Wednesday Wail. All together 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!’ 

Have a most blessed day my fellow believers in Christ! Much LOVE!

…ONLY when we know Christ…can we be strong and courageous in this evil world…

 

 

 

Today’s Scrip-Bit 29 November 2016 Daniel 9:9.

29 Nov 2016 Leave a comment

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

Daniel 9:9.   To the Lord our God belong mercies and forgivenesses, though we have rebelled against him. 

Oh friends, doesn’t it feel good to be alive on this Tuesday morning? It certainly does, especially when we are members of that glorious body, the church of Jesus Christ! 

Wow! What a privilege and a blessing to be numbered amongst the brothers and sisters of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! 

Consequently, our attitude should be one of great appreciation and a burning desire to do the Lord’s will. In keeping with all that, then let us sincerely declare, as the psalmist did so long ago: ‘This is the day the Lord has made. We WILL rejoice and be glad in it.’ (Ps.118:24) 

Yes my brethren, though the day may look dark and bleak, we know for a fact that the light of Jesus is shining in our hearts, souls, bodies and minds, and therefore we have the wherewithal to go out into the evil world and make a positive difference on His behalf. 

And to boost, to bolster our faith and courage, to reaffirm our sense of purpose, let’s declare our Tuesday Mantra, with certainty and passion. As one now: ‘I’m not what I do. I’m not what I have. I’m not what people say about me. 

I am the beloved of God, that’s who I am. No one can take that from me. I don’t have to worry. I don’t have to hurry. I can trust my friend Jesus and share His LOVE with the world.  Amen!’ 

Ah mih people, as I said earlier on, it’s sure good to be in league with Jesus and the heavenly father. How can we be beaten or discouraged when we are God’s beloved and the friend of Jesus eh? No way Jose! 

But we also need to remember that we have a part to play in the relationship; and our part is to share the LOVE of Jesus with others, so that they too can come to know Him, to receive His awesome offer of salvation and eternal life! 

And all God’s people declared a loud, sincere and appreciative: ‘All praise and glory be to the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit for taking us under their mighty wings and keeping us safe and warm, like babes in their mother’s arms!’ 

And in so doing friends, the Holy Trinity takes the interest of each believer and deals with them personally, helping them to walk the straight and narrow path that leads to God, while they spread the good news of Jesus’ wonderful gospel. 

Nothing could be better than that my brethren! And when we consider the glorious words of our Bit, we become even more appreciative of God’s LOVE for us, His greatest creation. ‘To the Lord our God belong mercies and forgivenesses, though we have rebelled against him.’ 

Oh what a wonderful God we serve and worship my fellow believers! No other Deity is willing to offer mercy and forgiveness to rebellious followers. That means the Lord must be strong and secure in His own Spirit. For only a very powerful and secure Being could afford to be so generous. And for that generosity, we offer a most heartfelt thanks! 

Now let’s continue looking at some scriptures that uphold the argument of our Bit. And we’ll begin with words from the prophet Joel, as he calls Israel to repentance and fasting. 

‘Therefore also now, saith the Lord, turn ye even to me with all your heart, and with fasting, and with weeping, and  with mourning: 

And rend (tear) your heart and not your garments, and turn (return) unto the Lord your God: for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness (LOVING-kindness), and repenteth him of the evil (relents from doing harm).’ (Joel 2:12-13) 

And the scholars have an interesting commentary on those verses. ‘2:12-13. The customary way a Jew showed his grief was to tear his outer garment. This external sign could be meaningless. The tearing of the outer garment is useless, unless the heart is broken in repentance and contrition.’ 

And that still holds true up to these ungodly times my people. Outward show does not move God’s heart. That’s why He seeks our true motives by examining the state of our own hearts before answering our prayers. 

Now listen to the words of Bruh David from Psalm 86 – Teach me thy way, O Lord. ‘Rejoice the soul of thy servant: for unto thee, O Lord, do I lift up my soul. For thou, Lord, art good, and ready to forgive, and plenteous in mercy unto all them that call upon thee.’ (Ps.86:4-5) 

And nobody knew God’s forgiveness and mercy better than Bruh David. Now let’s end with some more of his awesome words from Psalm 86. ‘I will praise thee, O Lord my God, with all my heart: and I will glorify thy name for evermore. For great is thy mercy toward me: and thou hast delivered my soul from the lowest (the depths of) hell. 

O God, the proud are risen against me, and the assemblies of violent men (mobs) have sought after my soul; and have not set thee before them. But thou, O Lord, art a God of compassion, and gracious, long-suffering, and plenteous in mercy and truth. 

O turn unto me, and have mercy upon me; give thy strength unto thy servant, and save the son of thine handmaid. Show me a token (a sign) for good: that they which hate me may see it, and be ashamed: because thou, Lord, hast helped me, and comforted me.’ (Ps.86:12-17) 

Oh friends, definitely a great prayer on which to begin our day! Now let’s go out there feeling helped and comforted by our God and do His wondrous will for our lives. Much LOVE!

…with our wonderful God…mercy and forgiveness are possible…even though rebellion fills our hearts…

 

 

Today’s Scrip-Bit 3 March 2015 Psalm 27:11

03 Mar 2015 Leave a comment

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

Psalm 27:11. Teach me thy way, O Lord, and lead me in a plain (smooth) path, because of mine enemies. 

Oh Friends, the ole fella woke up late, somewhat tired and out of sorts this morning, so you have to cut him some slack eh. (smile)
 
But nonetheless, I remembered to give our wonderful God some thanks and praise for bringing me safely through the dark night into the beautiful and brilliant light of His awesome Son Jesus, on this glorious Tuesday in Lent!
 
That’s because it is only through His enduring and never ending mercy and LOVING-kindness that I’m alive to see another day. I also remembered to ask Him for strength, guidance, wisdom and confidence to stay on the straight and narrow path that leads to Him, while spreading His Word, as well as the peace and LOVE that He desires of me.
 
Oh my people, that’s a daily ritual we’ll all go through if we’re smart and walking with Jesus! For when we begin the day on a positive note with Almighty God, our day goes much better than if we begin with a set of negative, worldly, anxious thoughts flooding our frail and gullible minds.
 
Beginning the day with Jesus, we move from strength to strength, going up the ladder of success and prosperity. However, starting out with Lucifer invading our thoughts, just keeps taking us down lower and lower, and finally into the depths of fear, anxiety and despair. And that certainly is never a good place to be my brethren!
 
So please, let’s remember to begin each and every day on the right note, with Jehovah God, so that even if our whole world seems to be falling down around us, we will still have the calm and peace of God, and His everlasting confidence to face the tribulations, knowing that He is in perfect control, and will eventually work everything out for our good.
 
Life is already difficult as it is, why make it more difficult by holding on to the lies and deceit of the enemy eh, when we can hold on to the true, generous, faithful and wonderful promises of our omnipotent and magnanimous God? And that’s today’s sermon! (smile)
 
Now let’s turn to our most appropriate Bit, just one verse after the one of yesterday, for that’s where I was led. And in it, Bruh David sincerely declares: ‘Teach me thy way, O Lord, and lead me in a plain (smooth) path, because of mine enemies.’
 
Yes Friends, we all have people and things that come against us, but when we are true followers of Jesus, and have His Word engraved in our hearts, we can stand strong in those tough times and walk a path that’s smooth and calm, with Jesus leading the way.
 
As we said above, if we give in to Beelzebub and his deceitfulness, then we’ll experience a path strewn with obstacles that we’re too afraid and anxious to deal with.
 
Now Jesus doesn’t necessarily calm our storms, but He does give us the wherewithal to face and go through them without a whole lot of fear and anxiety. And that’s the beauty of knowing His ways and faithfully walking with Him in them!
 
Now listen to some scripture that upholds our contention, starting with Bruh David from Psalm 25 – A prayer for guidance and protection. He again seeks to know the ways of God. ‘Show me thy ways, O Lord; teach me thy paths. Lead me in thy truth, and teach me: for thou art the God of my salvation; on thee do I wait all the day.’ (Ps.25:4-5)
 
Yeh Friends, we do need to look to the Most High God for guidance and salvation! For he is the One who, through His great and unconditional LOVE for us, sent His Son Jesus Christ to die on the cross to procure the atonement of our abominable sins.
 
But remember too that sometimes our pleas will not be answered right away, so there will be some waiting involved. But note that our God is NEVER LATE, for He is the God of just in time!
 
And we all know these fateful and faithful words of Psalm 119, where the psalmist beseeches God: ‘Teach me, O Lord, the way of thy statutes; and I shall keep it unto the end.’ (Ps.119:33) Again my brethren, we have to note the last words of that verse ‘and I shall keep it unto the end.’
 
For what good is the Lord teaching us His ways, if we don’t keep them eh? None whatsoever!
 
But unfortunately, many of us only want to learn His ways to get through whatever difficulty is currently confronting us, and after that is resolved, we forget about those ways until the next time we find ourselves in a difficult situation.
 
But that’s not how it ought to be my people. We ought to learn the ways of the Lord and faithfully keep them from that time until forever! That’s what he desires and expects of us, and really the only path in this world that makes any sense at all.
 
And we’ll end with some more appropriate words of Bruh David from Psalm 86 – Teach me thy way, O Lord. ‘Teach me thy way, O Lord; I will walk in thy truth: unite my heart (give me singleness of heart) to fear thy name (to have reverential awe for you).
 
I will praise thee, O Lord my God, with all my heart: and I will glorify thy name for evermore. For great is thy mercy toward me: and thou hast delivered my soul from the lowest hell (from the depths of Hades).’ (Ps.86:11-13)
 
Oh my brethren, what words of indisputable truth and glory! For it is indeed the Lord God who truly has delivered our souls from the sure destination of Hades, through the sacrificial atonement of Jesus’ death on the cross of Calvary.
 
Otherwise, without the option of heaven, we would all be surely bound for death and destruction with Lucifer, the prince of darkness. And that’s not a very pleasant thought or destination!
 
So all God’s children declared a loud and grateful: ‘Thank You Father for sending Jesus to be our redeemer and deliverer! And thank You Jesus for being selfless and obedient to the Father’s will, thus setting us free from the bondage of sin. We glorify You and praise Your holy name! Amen!’
 
Now Friends, let’s go out into the cruel and evil world and put all that we’ve spoken about today into action. Remember that Christianity is an action based and action packed movement, not simply a talk show, as we often tend to make it. Much LOVE!
 
…happy is he that hath the God of Jacob for his help…whose hope is in the Lord his God… (Ps.146:5)
 
P.S.  It’s pretty late, but with God’s help, also pretty good! (smile) Much LOVE!

 

 

Today’s Scrip-Bit 13 August 2013 Psalm 116:1

13 Aug 2013 Leave a comment

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

Psalm 116:1.    I LOVE the Lord, because he hath heard my voice and my supplications.
 
Oh Friends, oh Friends, the ole fella shame! Why? Because the end of this month marks the second anniversary of my mother Molly’s death, and yesterday was the first time I went to look for her in her new resting place.
 
And though I have lots of excuses – like the weather, the distance, the traffic, work, and general busyness, I believe the most prominent reasons were truly laziness, forgetfulness and a lack of sufficient commitment.
 
What a crying shame! Yes, I certainly agree. But yesterday with the urging of the Spirit, I decided it was definitely the day I would do my long postponed sonly duty. And as the Lord would have it, everything worked out perfectly. I had a couple of errands to run in Toronto, and since I was finished by midday, I just headed north on the Don Valley and on to the 404.
 
And strangely enough, in death, as well as in life, the only real guilt I feel over my mother is not visiting her as often as I believe I should have. But not to worry Friends, though the ole girl obviously wasn’t thrilled by my long absence, she understood that the son she bore so long ago was merely human and thus liable to possess many faults and frailties, and she readily forgave me. Praise the Lord!
 
But that’s the kind of person she was. And in my opinion, sometimes too willing to forgive, as we’ve had arguments over the years, when people close to her did her wrong, and she didn’t make a big fuss over it.
 
Anyway, we had a good visit, as I stood over her gravestone in the cool of the cloudy afternoon, surrounded by the well-manicured lawns of the cemetery.
 
And on an aside, the difference between cemeteries here and those in the West Indies have always fascinated me. In the West Indies you wouldn’t be caught dead (smile) in a graveyard just chatting or admiring the scenery, because we have a certain amount of fear or dread attached to it back there and they’re not as well kept.
 
But here the cemeteries are some of the most beautiful and well kept places on God’s earth, and it’s very easy and comfortable to even just walk through them.
 
But getting back to my visit. Mols and I chatted about the current happenings in my family’s life, and we also reminisced about bygone days, when it was just the two of us against the world. And believe me, there were some rough times.
 
And as luck would have it, I met a lady at the Calypso show last weekend who remembered me from one of those tough times, when we lived downstairs of her aunt out in Bacolet. But the wonderful thing about Mols is that I never heard her complain. It was always my well-being that drove her wagon train.
 
Yuh know, I thought I’d cry when I went to visit her, but funnily enough, the opposite happened, we did a lot of laughing. That should not have surprised me though, because from my earliest recollections she was always a cheerful person.
 
We visited for somewhere between twenty minutes and half an hour, during which time we prayed the prayer of St. Francis, as we always did when she was alive. Then she blessed me, and I sincerely promised not to let so much time go by before I visited her again.
 
I also promised to try and walk in such a way as to not besmirch her good name, basically fulfilling the words engraved on her tombstone. ‘To truly follow Christ, One must walk, talk, live and LOVE good – as she did.’
 
And that’s the gospel truth Friends! Though she was not one of those holier than thou persons, she did live as Christ-like a life as most of us will ever do.
 
So okay Mols baby, Sonny boy has done his mea culpa’s, and his conscience has been assuaged, cleansed, (smile) time to turn to our Bit now. ‘I LOVE the Lord, because he hath heard my voice and my supplications.’
 
And that my brethren is the usual and normal reaction of most human beings; to LOVE and cherish those who help them. But sadly in this evil world, there are many whose selfishness and greed propel them to take advantage of those who treat them good. Steups! That just reminds me of one such situation my mother encountered when we lived out in Bacolet.
 
Anyway, the psalmist continues: ‘Because he hath inclined his ear unto (listened to) me, therefore will I call upon him as long as I live. The sorrows of death compassed (surrounded) me, and the pains (distress) of hell gat hold upon (took hold of) me. I found trouble and sorrow. Then called I upon the name of the Lord; O Lord, I beseech thee, deliver my soul.
 
Gracious is the Lord, and righteous; yea, our God is merciful. The Lord preserveth the simple: I was brought low, and he helped (saved) me. Return unto thy rest; O my soul; for the Lord hath dealt bountifully with thee. For thou hast delivered my soul from death, mine eyes from tears, and my feet from falling. I will walk before the Lord in the land of the living.’ (Ps.116:2-9)
 
Yes my people, that is indeed the nature of our magnificent God! The souls of those who continually seek Him and call upon His most worthy name will be delivered from persecution and even from death.
 
Bruh David recognized that fact from young and made it his habit to live for the Lord. Thus he was later able to declare in Psalm 18: ‘I will LOVE thee, O Lord, my strength. The Lord is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength (rock), in whom I will trust; my buckler (shield), and the horn (strength) of my salvation, and my high tower (stronghold).’ (Ps.18:1-2) 
 
Oh Friends, those are extremely strong and passionate words! But if you are a believer, then they ought to be also true of you! And just supposing they are, meaning that you have received mercies and blessing from Almighty God, how can we thank and honour Him for those oftimes undeserving benefits eh?
 
As the psalmist confidently declares: ‘What shall I render unto the Lord for all his benefits toward me? I will take the cup of salvation, and call upon the name of the Lord. I will pay my vows unto the Lord now in the presence of all his people.’ (Ps.116:12-14)
 
Yes Friends, the only proper way to thank our wonderful God is to live a life that honours Him, and spread His Word and His LOVING-kindness to all we meet. And if at all possible, shout your LOVE for Him from the rooftops, so that the whole world can hear you! (smile)
 
Now that’s not only wisdom, but courage, faith and trust! Much LOVE!
 
…the challenge of our earthly existence…to truly LOVE our God…sincerely LIVE our Faith…and zealously SPREAD His Word…
 
P.S. It’s a bit long and a bit late, but the important thing is that it comes from the heart. Much LOVE!