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 29 April 2014 Leviticus 19:1-2

29 Apr 2014 Leave a comment

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

Leviticus 19:1-2.    And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, Speak unto all the congregation of the children of Israel, and say unto them, Ye shall be holy: for I the Lord your God am holy. 
 
Good morning, good morning, Friends, neighbours, families, believers, unbelievers, and whoever else is out there! I just want to say, or rather ask just one thing – whom do you think enabled you to see this blessed day eh, and what can we attribute it all to? Well I guess that’s two things… (smile)
 
Anyway, we’ll answer the last question first by asking another question, one asked by the group Sister Sledge in their old song ‘Thinking of You:’ – ‘What do you think brought the sun our today? ‘ And the fabulous answer: ‘IT’S LOVE! FOR WITHOUT LOVE THERE’S NO REASON TO LIVE!’ And isn’t that the awesome, gospel truth my brethren? It surely is!
 
Now that answers the last question. ‘It was LOVE that caused our first heartbeat.’ Everything that’s happened in our world was caused by that wonderful emotion – LOVE!
 
Now the next and most important question is who, or what possessed that immense LOVE to cause it all?
 
And the CORRECT answer, regardless of what you might think or believe, is your Creator, your Heavenly Father, El Shaddai, the Lord God Almighty, the Lord of Hosts, the ONE AND ONLY TRUE GOD, who’s alive and kicking – kicking mightily too – He of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, Creator of the universe and all therein!
 
Your Provider and Controller, your Rock, Strong Tower, Mighty Fortress, and Deliverer through His sinless and wonderful Son Jesus Christ, to whom ALL knees must and WILL bow, and ALL tongues must and WILL confess that He is Lord of Lords and King of Kings!
 
Glory Hallelujah to our omnipotent, omniscient and omnipresent Triune God, whose Holy Spirit lives and dwells within us to lead and guide us into all truth and righteousness! Amen!
 
And now that we’ve gotten that one, or rather two facts straight Friends- the Who and Why of our earthly existence, let’s move on to our Bit. No rambunctious rambling this morning, per the Holy Spirit, (smile) because there’s lots of scripture to be covered.
 
‘And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, Speak unto all the congregation of the children of Israel, and say unto them, Ye shall be holy: for I the Lord your God am holy.’ 
 
Now yesterday we got some info from the scholars, per God’s Holiness, today we’ll get some more, just on a somewhat different level. ’19:2. Chapter 18 dealt with holiness in sexual behaviour: this chapter deals with holiness in social ethics. Ye shall be holy: for I the Lord your God am holy: This certainly could be termed the motto of Leviticus.
 
“Holy” (qadosh) and its cognate terms, for example, sanctify and holiness, occur 152 times in Leviticus (about 20 percent of the total occurrences in the Old testament). Israel’s fundamental calling was to be a “holy nation” (Ex.19:6). They were to be “separated from sin” and “to cling unto the Lord.” God’s holiness served as the model for all the congregation.’
 
And I’m here to tell us my brethren, that that model still stands today for us all. Unfortunately though it is a model which we have chosen in our stupid and foolish worldly ways to ignore – sadly, as we can see and feel, to our great expense.
 
Anyway, here comes the really interesting part of the scholars’ info. ‘Jewish scholars have seen in the material of this chapter (19) a counterpart of the Ten Commandments, the precepts of which are recapitulated as follows: the first and second in verse 4; the third in verse 12; the fourth and fifth in verse 3; the sixth in verse 16; the seventh in verse 29; the eight and ninth in verses 11-16; and the tenth in verse 18.’
 
And knowing that we are a busy and lazy bunch, (smile) who find it difficult to check out stuff in the Good Book, I’m going to spoon feed us (smile) with these scriptures.
 
Now what does verse 4 say. ‘Turn ye not unto idols, nor make to yourselves molten (molded) gods: I am the Lord your God.’ (Lev.19:4) That pertains to the first and second commandments.
 
Then in verse 12, you’ll find the third: ‘And ye shall not swear by my name falsely, neither shalt thou profane the name of thy God: I am the Lord.’ (Lev.19:12)
 
In verse 3, lies the fourth and fifth rule: ‘Ye shall fear (revere) every man his mother, and his father, and keep my sabbaths: I am the Lord your God.’ (Lev.19:3)
 
In verse 16, we’ll find the sixth: Thou shalt not go up and down as a talebearer among thy people, neither shalt thou stand against the blood (life) of thy neighbour: I am the Lord your God.’ (Lev.19:16)
 
Meanwhile, you can check out verse 29 for the seventh commandment: ‘Do not prostitute thy daughter, to cause her to be a whore; lest the land fall to whoredom, and the land become full of wickedness.’ (Lev.19:29)
 
The eight and ninth statutes are found in verses 11-16: ‘Ye shall not steal, neither deal falsely, neither lie one to another. (v.12 is already above) Thou shalt not defraud thy neighbour, neither rob him: the wages of him that is hired shall not abide with thee all night until the morning.
 
Thou shalt not curse the deaf, nor put a stumbling block before the blind, but shalt fear thy God: I am the Lord. Ye shall do no unrighteousness in judgement (justice): thou shalt not respect the person of the poor, nor honor the person of the mighty: but in righteousness shalt thou judge thy neighbour.’ (Lev.19:11,13-15) And you already have verse 16 above.
 
And the tenth commandment is recapitulated in verse 18: ‘Thou shalt not avenge (take vengeance), nor bear any grudge against the children of thy people, but thou shalt LOVE thy neighbour as thyself: I am the Lord.’ (Lev.19:18)
 
And there we have it my Friends and fellow believers – another instance of our wise God, getting the overall message to us in a slightly different form and place to keep it fresh and ever-recurring to us.
 
And do we ever need to hear God’s Word and message my people! So that we counter the evil and ungodly message that the world is putting forth and unfortunately is taking great hold, being so very prevalent amongst our young generations.
 
Oh Friends, the only way we’ll ever counter Lucifer and his evildoers is by returning to those Ten commandments which the Lord enshrined as His Law so many ages ago. And since our God doesn’t change, is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow, it means His Law hasn’t changed either. We are still expected to abide by it.
 
Hope you enjoyed today’s Bit; the slight difference in format, but nonetheless still abounding with meaningful scripture!
 
And your homework for today is to check out the Ten Commandments found in Exodus 20, and see if they truly relate to the stuff we described in Leviticus 19.
 
Now please do your homework, for you will be questioned on it in class tomorrow. (smile) Much LOVE my brethren!
 
…the only wise and decent way to live…is by following God’s Law…the Ten Commandments…  
 
P.S. Please excuse the tardiness of the Bit, but I got up late and then found that what I wanted to write took more time and was longer than I expected. But it’s all good! Much LOVE!

 
 

Today’s Scrip-Bit 28 February 2014 2 Chronicles 15:1.

28 Feb 2014 Leave a comment

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

2 Chronicles 15:1.     And the Spirit of God came upon Azariah the son of Oded.
 
And then it was Friday… Carnival Friday to boot! So you can imagine the huge amount of joyful and raucous shouts of ‘TGIF! Thank God is Friday!’ that are going up to heaven. It’s getting so deafening that the Lord has to put in earplugs to safeguard His hearing. (smile)
 
And if most of those shouts were truly godly grateful, it wouldn’t be so bad, but the fact of the matter is that most of them are simply mouthed platitudes for us to go and enjoy the earthly and sinful pleasures involved in the carnival bacchanal. You can imagine the highly ‘partyfied’ state of Rio, New Orleans and T&T!
 
But Friends, at no other time is Granny’s warning more important than at Carnival time, because we know it’s so easy to fall into the pleasurable traps of the enemy. So please, I beg of you all, this weekend especially, to remember that drunk or sober, you are expected to mind your business.
 
And be exceedingly careful of that brown girl in the bottle… or whatever colour girl she might be, for all of them are very capable and very likely to lead us down dark and dangerous paths, if we imbibe too much. We tend to get very loose and irresponsible then, and can suffer serious, life changing effects and situations through that irresponsibility.
 
And to help us guard against our natural irresponsible tendencies, let’s chant our Friday Chant in all seriousness. As one loud voice now: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through another week of work! It hasn’t been easy, but with your generous help, I made it through.
 
Now, please help me to get sufficient fun, fellowship, rest and relaxation in these two short days off, so that I can be renewed and refreshed in soul, body and mind, to go back out and do it all over again next week, furthering your glorious kingdom with each step I take. I pray this in Jesus name. Amen.’
 
Yes mih people, this weekend, more than ever, we need to take our Friday Chant very seriously because it can prevent us from making some silly but very serious mistakes. And the ole fella’s talking from personal experience here, not hear say! (smile)
 
Now let’s turn to our Bit: ‘And the Spirit of God came upon Azariah the son of Oded’
 
Yeh Friends, in olden times the Lord’s Spirit wasn’t dwelling in every believer as it is now, after the coming of Jesus and Pentecost. Back then the Lord empowered certain individuals for a particular purpose when He needed them.
 
And yesterday we saw a time when Israel was real idolatrous and ungodly and the Lord, in exasperation, left them to their own devices. (Judg. 2:16-23) Just as He’s currently leaving us to our own ungodly and disobedient devices, and we’re suffering the pangs of rebellion in a very catastrophic world. 
 
So the Lord left the pagan nations around Israel to test their determination and sincerity to walk in obedience to His commandments. (Judg. 3:1-4)
 
The Good Book describes it thus: ‘And the children of Israel dwelt among the Canaanites, Hittites, and Amorites, and Perizzites, and Hivites, and Jebusites: And they took their daughters to be their wives, and gave their daughters to their sons, and served their gods.
 
And the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord, and forgat the Lord their God, and served Baalim (Baals, name or symbol of Canaanite gods) and the groves (Asherahs, names and symbols of Canaanite goddesses.’ (Judg.3:5-7)
 
The scholars tell us that ‘the groves were the detestable sacred trees or poles used in Canaanite worship centres as symbols of life and fertility. These were sacred to the worship of the Canaanite fertility goddess Asherah. Moses had warned against their use and given instructions to Israel to destroy them when they entered the land of Canaan (cf. Ex.34:13; Deut.7:5; 12:3; 16:21-22).
 
Unfortunately the use of such poles would prove to be a continuing fascination for Israel and a source of deepening apostasy. (cf. 2 Kin.17:9-11).’
 
Oh mih breddren, that’s exactly what we are doing today; intermarrying and associating with the heathen in a big way. But even worse, instead of bringing them to belief in the ONE, TRUE GOD of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, we’re embracing their paganism.
 
Don’t you think that will anger our God now, just as it angered Him back in the disobedient days of Israel? It surely will! And here’s how he dealt with Israel.
 
‘Therefore the anger of the Lord was hot against Israel, and he sold them into the hand of Chushan-rishathaim king of Mesopotamia: and the children of Israel served Chushan-rishathaim eight years.’ (Judg.3:8)
 
What else did they expect eh? And that warning goes for us today too Friends! But fortunately for the Israelites and us, our God is very merciful and forgiving.
 
‘And when the children of Israel cried unto the Lord, the Lord raised up a deliverer to the children of Israel, who delivered them, even Othniel the son of Kenaz, Caleb’s younger brother.
 
And the spirit of the Lord came upon him, and he judged Israel, and went out to war: and the Lord delivered Chushan-rishathaim king of Mesopotamia into his hand; and his hand prevailed against Chushan-rishathaim. And the land had rest forty years. And Othniel the son of Kenaz died.’ (Judg.3:9-11)
 
Oh my fellow believes, how I hope and pray that the Lord would raise up someone like Othniel today in out dire time of need, so that he or she could defeat the pagan powers that are controlling us, albeit through our disobedience, and give our land some godly peace and rest from the continuous struggles and strife that’s been plaguing it for oh too long. Please pray for God to positively address the situation very soon.
 
Remember though, that godly assistance WILL NOT COME WITHOUT SINCERE CONVICTION AND REPENTANCE! So if we want to see godly improvement in our world any time soon, then we need to start working RIGHT NOW, to seriously bring conviction and repentance to it.
 
With those two things permeating our society, we CAN NEVER GO WRONG! Why? Because that’s the wisdom of heaven! Much LOVE!
 
…in sinful and ungodly times…the proven formula for redress…is sincerely turning back to serving and worshipping Jehovah God…
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 

 

 

Today’s Scrip-Bit 7 January 2014 Isaiah 49:7

07 Jan 2014 Leave a comment

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

Isaiah 49:7.    Thus saith the Lord, the Redeemer of Israel, and his (its) Holy One, to him whom man despiseth (the despised of soul), to him whom the nation abhorreth, to a servant of rulers, Kings shall see and arise, princes also shall worship, because of the Lord that is faithful, and the Holy One of Israel, and he shall choose (has chosen) thee.
 
Oh Friends, welcome to the Big Freeze, the Big Chill, for the winter weather seems to have most of North America in a stranglehold! What with record freezing temps, howling winds, creating blowing snow, whiteouts, accidents, more ice storms and what else have you!
 
The high in my area today is supposed to be minus 15 Celsius. Hn! And that’s good, some other places will be worse than that. But it’s winter, and we’re in the North Country, so we just have to grin and bear it. (smile) However, if you’re going out today, please dress as warmly as you can; coat, hats, gloves, scarves, boots, etc. etc.
 
But here’s an interesting and amusing story I’ve been meaning to tell along, but keep forgetting. During the summer a wasp (jack spaniard) nest appeared on a branch on a maple tree outside my kitchen window, it hung very close to the sidewalk, so there was some consternation from passersby. 
 
My wife was delegated to look after it, because she’s the horticulturist in the family. I never heard anything more about the situation, so I forgot about it. But lo and behold, a few days ago, I looked out the window and there was said jack spaniard nest still hanging quite comfortably on the end of a tree branch half the width of a noodle.
 
I had to laugh, because during all the snow, wind and ice storms, it remained steadfast and strong. Other bigger and supposedly stronger branches than that broke off the tree, but not the one with the nest. It’s still standing there, dark grey and proud.
 
I wondered if the wasps were still in it. But my wife told me that the nest had been sprayed. So why didn’t they take down the nest then, I asked? It was suppose to disintegrate, was the answer I received. Disintegrate my eye! I checked it out just now, and as I said before, it’s still standing out there, with some snow at the top, but otherwise, dark grey and proud!
 
And Friends, though we be harassed and persecuted, that’s how we believers in Jesus Christ ought to be standing; strong, steadfast, faithful and proud! And talking about faithful, here’s a little prayer I found in my Mother’s Bible, which is very appropriate for this Bit and this time.
 
It says: ‘Father in heaven, we thank You for Your faithfulness during the past year. Help us to remember that Your faithfulness will go with us into the New Year. In Jesus’ Name. Amen!’
 
Oh my brethren, that’s something we desperately need to remember! But let’s not forget either, that our faithfulness to God, also needs to run into the New Year, because it’s a two-way street, a covenant relationship. We know that the Lord’s always faithful, since He can’t be anything else but.
 
However, when we are faithful too, it becomes a win-win situation, the best kind of relationship that there could ever be. So please let’s seriously concentrate on our faithfulness to our wonderful, merciful, forgiving and ever-LOVING God, as this New Year opens nuh.
 
And having said all of that, let me go and see if I can find an appropriate Bit. (smile)
 
Aye Friends, it took me a little longer than I expected, because I had to make sure that the Duchess was properly attired for the weather, and got off to work safely. (smile) I feel sorry for her, having to go out in this inclement weather, but them’s the breaks. She left earlier than usual, so she should be okay with our faithful God watching over her for me.
 
Now let’s get right to our Bit from Isaiah, concerning the Lord’s servant, Israel. ‘Thus saith the Lord, the Redeemer of Israel, and his (its) Holy One, to him whom man despiseth (the despised of soul), to him whom the nation abhorreth, to a servant of rulers, Kings shall see and arise, princes also shall worship, because of the Lord that is faithful, and the Holy One of Israel, and he shall choose (has chosen) thee.’
 
Oh my people, remember how many centuries before Christ, our Messiah came, that Isaiah prophesied the Lord’s promise of a deliverer, of a Holy One? I believe it’s like four hundred years before. But despite the length of time it took, it was still faithfully fulfilled!
 
And that’s the hallmark of our great God; faithfulness! Remember too, that He is the undisputed BOSS and He runs the show, everything runs according to His plan and timing. Plus His timeline, and the nature of His heart, are completely different to ours.
 
For as Peter says: ‘But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some men count slackness, but is long-suffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.’ (2 Pet.3:8-9)
 
Yes Friends, our God views time and promises in a much more mature and faithful way than mankind does. So let’s get in a few more scriptures on His faithfulness before we close nuh, beginning with words of immortal truth from that great Psalm, 119.
 
‘Righteous art thou, O Lord, and upright are thy judgements. Thy testimonies that thou hast commanded are righteous and very faithful.’ (Ps.110:137-138) We certainly can’t query that!
 
And moving right along, listen to Bruh Paul from his first missive to the church at Corinth. ‘God is faithful, by whom ye were called unto the fellowship of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord.’ (1 Cor.1:9) No room for queries there either!
 
Now hear how he puts it to the Thessalonians. ‘Faithful is he that calleth you, who will also do it.’ (1 Thess.5:24) Gospel truth my brethren, gospel truth! 
 
And we’ll end with this bold, true and very moving proclamation from Hebrews, which we all know and LOVE, but which we don’t practice as faithfully as we should. 
 
‘Let us hold fast the profession (confession) of our faith (hope) without wavering: (for he is faithful that promised;)’ (Heb.10:24) Now my people, that says it all! It’s the litmus test of our faith.
 
So please, let’s all go out today, and everyday hence, and walk, talk, and stand in true faithfulness to Almighty God, to ensure that our land, our families and our societies can be blessed. Cousin Sol would surely call that the wisdom for all time! Much LOVE!
 
…the Lord doesn’t need to prove His faithfulness to us…because He’s already done so…but we need to prove our faithfulness to Him…
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  

Today’s Scrip-Bit 4 April 2013 Malachi 3:10

04 Apr 2013 Leave a comment

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

Malachi 3:10.    Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the Lord of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it.
 
Oh Friends, oh Friends, the ole fella’s up and about with surprising spunkiness this Resurrection Thursday morning! Yes my people, please remember that it’s only been a few days since our Lord and Saviour Jesus defeated that ole cowardly crook Lucifer, and triumphantly rose from the grave, which had no power to hold Him captive for long. And all God’s people declared a loud and grateful, ‘Glory Hallelujah! Blessed is the Lamb that was slain but rose again with absolute power and might, to whom all knees shall bow and every tongue confess that He is God!’ (Rom.14:11) Yes mih Friends, our Advocate, Deliverer, Leader, Prince of Peace, etc. etc. is riding high in the world this week. Please let’s keep Him riding high all year long, because that’s what He expects, desires and most assuredly deserves. The heathen will try to put Him down, try to make Him of no account, but we, His true believers and followers know that He is indeed the Most Wonderful Being in ALL the universe! Let’s make sure that others know it, and by our faithful words and actions, draw them into His ever increasing and most worthy fold, so that they too will experience the LOVE, the Brotherhood, the Salvation and Eternal Life that we’ve been guaranteed. And all God’s children said a loud and hearty. ‘Amen!’ Yeh mih breddren, the ole fella’s chuckling here because he certainly seems to be on a roll this morning. The Good Lord didn’t even give me a chance to ask for strength and guidance, but just got me going, jump-started me right away. No wondering what to write at all. And all I can say is a hearty, ‘Thank You Lord! You are so wonderful to me, that I don’t know what I’d do without You in my life! And thankfully I’ll never have to find that out, since You’ve faithfully promised never to leave or forsake me, but be with me all the days of my life, even into eternity. Thank You again Lord!’ Awright Friends, enough of that now, or else I’ll just get carried away and continue with much deserved thanks and praise to our wonderful God. (smile) And today we’ll continue with our Bit that deals with tithes. ‘Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat (food) in mine house, and prove (test) me now herewith, saith the Lord of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it.’ And that’s the living truth, my brethren! If we do as God declares, we’ll be so blessed that we won’t have room to store the great magnitude of blessings He’ll pour down on us. And remember, that’s not because of what or how much we give, but because of our obedience, which signifies that we hold the Lord in true sovereignty and reverence. Now let’s look at a true example of tithing bringing great blessing. It deals with King Hezekiah’s provision for priests and Levites in olden Israel. Having set the work assignments for both groups, he then made provision for them to concentrate on their numerous duties without having to worry about food and shelter too. ‘Moreover he commanded the people that dwelt in Jerusalem to give the portion of (due to) the priests and the Levites, that they might be encouraged in (devote themselves to) the law of the Lord. And as soon as the commandment came abroad, the children of Israel brought in abundance the first fruits of corn, wine, and oil, and honey, and of all the increase of the field; and the tithe of all things brought they in abundantly. And concerning the children of Israel and Judah, that dwelt in the cities of Judah, they also brought in the tithe of oxen and sheep, and the tithe of holy things which were consecrated unto the Lord their God, and laid them by heaps. In the third month they began to lay the foundation of the heaps (lay them in heaps), and finished them in the seventh month. And when Hezekiah and the princes came and saw the heaps, they blessed the Lord, and his people Israel. Then Hezekiah questioned with the priests and the Levites concerning the heaps. And Azariah the chief priest of the house of Zadok answered him, and said, Since the people began to bring the offerings into the house of the Lord, we have had enough to eat, and have left plenty: for the Lord hath blessed his people; and that which is left is this great store (abundance).’ (1 Chr.31:4-10) Yes my people, the Lord is indeed faithful to all His promises! Now here’s some info from the scholars that I think is very important to us all. ‘Tithing is the practice of giving 10 percent of one’s income to the Lord. It is called “storehouse tithing” by some who require that the tithe be given to the Lord through the local church. Illustration: while some Christians disagree, the principle of “God’s place” for worship is the basis for storehouse tithing. (Deut.12) The temple in the Old Testament (1) was the central place characterized by God’s presence; (2) possessed the symbols of redemption; and (3) was where the man of God served. In the New Testament, these three attributes characterize the local church. Hence the principle of storehouse tithing continues into the church age. Application: Some people withhold their tithe from their local church because they disagree with its expenditure of funds. These Christians should join another church where they can wholeheartedly make their contributions in good conscience. Because our actual tithe belongs to the local church, giving to parachurch organizations should be in addition to the tithe. (First Ref, Gen.14:20; Primary Ref, Mal.3:10; cf. Matt.22:21) Ah Friends, I know that that will complicate some of our lives, including mine, but we’ll just have to step up to the plate as best we can. And please, let’s not beat ourselves to death if we’re guilty of not fully tithing. The Lord knows our circumstances and the state of our hearts, and once we do our best to repair the situation, He will still look down favourably on us. Remember His mercy and LOVING-kindness know no bounds. Now let’s allow Cousin Sol to take us home with some of his wise words on the topic. ‘Honour the Lord with thy substance (possessions), and with the first fruits of all thine increase: So shall thy barns be filled with plenty, and thy presses (vats) shall burst out with new wine.’ (Prov.3:9-10) And that my Friends is the gospel, gospel truth! So let’s try and catch up as best we can nuh, starting NOW! Much LOVE!…give to Caesar…the things that belong to him…and to God…the things that belong to Him… (Matt.22:21) 
 
 

Today’s Scrip-Bit 10 March 2012 Psalm 78:32‏

10 Mar 2012 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Inspirational Living Tags: , , , , , , , , , , ,

Psalm 78:32    For all this they sinned still, and believed not for his wondrous works.

Oh Friends, who says our world and weather aren’t shrouded in mystery and eccentricity these days eh? Two mornings ago, I woke up and it was raining. Yesterday morning it was snowing.  This morning it will possibly be frozen hard and cold like ice, with the only constant over those three days being the cold, blustery March winds. But please remember that since Jesus is our Leader, there’s no need to worry, for in His awesome power we can handle anything that comes against us. Now listen to some of what our Jesus is and does; from Anne Graham Lotz’s book, ‘My Jesus is…Everything.’ ‘My Jesus: He discharges the debtors. He delivers the captives. He defends the feeble. He blesses the young. He serves the unfortunate. He regards the aged. He rewards the diligent. He beautifies the meek. He is the key to knowledge. He is the wellspring of wisdom. He is the foundation of faith. He is the doorway of deliverance. He is the pathway to peace. He is the roadway of righteousness. He is the gateway to glory. He is the highway to happiness. My Jesus is…Everything!’ Selah. Oh my people, please spend a few moments contemplating all those attributes of our Lord and Saviour. Then tell me if He isn’t the GREATEST! Without a doubt! And He hasn’t changed from DAY ONE! That’s why the Israelites’ behaviour through the wilderness en route to the Promised Land is so perplexing, as our Bit declares: ‘For all this they sinned still, and believed not on his wondrous works.’ Yesterday we saw them crying out for water in Rephidim, and the Lord had Moses smite the rock in front of the elders to give them water. So He gives them manna, heavenly food, and water, but they’re still not satisfied and cry out for meat. At that point Moses cries out to God, even to take his life, because the stress of leading the ingrates was telling on him. (Num.11:10-15) This kindled the Lord’s anger and He told Moses to get seventy of the elders and bring them with him before the tabernacle. ‘And I will come down and talk with thee there: and I will take of the spirit which is upon thee, and will put it upon them; and they shall bear the burden of the people with thee, that thou bear it not thyself alone. And say thou unto the people, Sanctify, yourselves (set yourselves apart) against tomorrow, and ye shall eat flesh (meat); for ye have wept in the ears of the Lord, saying, Who shall give us flesh to eat? for it was well with us in Egypt: therefore the Lord will give you flesh, and ye shall eat. Ye shall not eat one day, nor two days, nor five days, neither ten days, nor twenty days; But even a whole month, until it come out at your nostrils, and it be loathsome unto you: because that ye have despised the Lord which is among you, and have wept before him, saying, Why came we forth out of Egypt?’ (Num.11:17-20) Oh Friends, isn’t our God wonderful! Yuh want flesh eh, then you’ll get so much, so quickly, you soon won’t want it! I’m sure that will remind some of us of our youth, when we were overly greedy and our parents did likewise; gave us so much that we soon got tired of it. Moses himself questioned the Lord about providing meat for so many people, only to be rebuked: ‘Is the Lord’s hand waxed short (Is the Lord’s power limited)? Thou shalt see now whether my word shall come to pass unto thee or not.’ (Num11:23) Oh Friends, our God might be a sweetheart, but He’s definitely no pushover. And after the Lord came down and spoke to the elders and Moses outside the tabernacle, the elders began to prophesy as the Lord’s Spirit came upon them. Then they heard that two elders who had remained in the camp were also prophesying. Joshua told Moses to stop them, but Moses was so fed up, he wished that God would put His Spirit on everybody and let them all be prophets. Then they returned to the camp, and a wind came forth from the Lord, and it began raining quails; enough to fill a day’s journey on either side of the camp, and two cubits (36 inches, 3 feet) high. And the greedy Israelites gathered quails for two days and a night, then they began to feast. (Num.12:24-32) But sadly Friends, they didn’t understand the Lord’s motives: ‘And while the flesh was yet between their teeth, ere it was chewed, the wrath of the Lord was kindled against the people (the Lord’s anger was aroused), and the Lord smote (struck) the people with a very great plague. And he called the name of that place Kibroth-hattaavah (Graves of craving): because there they buried the people that lusted (yielded to craving).’ (Num.12:33-34) Ah Friends, one more indication that the Lord doesn’t speak in jest. And I don’t think that’s it’s the complaints themselves that really irked the Lord, because if you’re in the wilderness without food and water, it can be problematic. But what got Him angry were their short memories, their spirit of rebellion, their ungratefulness and lack of faith in His promises to lead and guide them safely. How quickly they forgot the many miracles He did on their behalf, invoking our present day mantra of, what have you done for me lately? It’s obvious they doubted His faithfulness in spite of all that He’d previously done. Unfortunately Friends, our current society is jut like that of the Israelites: we want and expect everything now for now, behaving as though life owes us a living, constantly wanting more, and sadly forgetting who brought us the prosperity we had; the Lord God Jehovah. My brethren, please let this be a lesson to us in these troubled times. We have not walked obediently before the Lord our God, therefore our society has been filled with much anguish, sorrow, disappointment and pain. Those things have not happened by chance, but through the Lord’s doings. And the only way to solve our problems is to return to God’s fold, as a nation, walking obediently to His dictates, otherwise our world will keep sinking deeper in the mire in which we’re now wallowing, until we’re completely swallowed up. Much LOVE!…history is a record of the past…and we study it…so that we can learn about the present…

 

 

 

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