Today’s Scrip-Bit 22 December 2018 Micah 7:6.

22 Dec 2018 Leave a comment

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

Micah 7:6.   ​For the son dishonoureth the father, the daughter riseth up against her mother, the daughter-in-law against her mother in law; a man’s enemies are the men of his own house.
 
Saturday, Christmas Saturday! And everybody is busy doing their last minute Christmas shopping and preparations! Thank the Lord that does not include the ole fella nuh! (smile) Yeh friends, the ole fella’s recuperating nicely I suppose. I’ve been up for some time now because I could not find a comfortable position in the bed, one that would alleviate all the aches and pains. 

Yuh know how it is; when you find a comfort zone for one ache, it causes another to act up. And then I sat at the kitchen table having a coffee and a Saturday morning chat with the duchess – have to take them when I can get them (smile), so that’s why I’m only now getting to the Bit. That’s my story, and I’m sticking to it! 

Now let’s see what words of wisdom our friend Anselm sent us this week, as he aspires to inspire us for a better tomorrow. And the first quote simply says: ‘Lighten up, just enjoy life, smile more, laugh more, and don’t get so worked up about things.’ Oh mih people, those few words do contain lots of good advice and wisdom! 

In this stressful and busy world we all need to lighten up and relax and just go with the flow! Have you ever walked down a busy street and seen how people are tense and serious, with very few smiling, everyone just intent on going about their business? 

And it always amuses me when I get in an elevator and all the others in the car keep looking up at the roof, everybody apparently dreading making eye contact with a stranger. Chuh friends! Our society definitely needs to lighten up and not take ourselves so seriously, because it only draws us to unnecessary disaster. That’s why stress is the biggest killer in our midst right now, causing all sorts of illnesses! And then we wonder why so many of us are dying so young! 

And the next quote declares: ‘Life is like playing a violin in public and learning the instrument as one goes on.’ I guess that means you cannot learn life in private, and only as you go along that you really learn it. It’s a process and you can only deal with it as it comes against you. As the old people would say, ‘what ent meet you ent pass you!’ In other words, people can tell you about life, but you don’t truly learn life until you yourself come face to face with it. 

And the last quote says: ‘At the end of the day, life is about being happy being who you are, and I feel like we are so blessed to have the support system and the best family to really just support each other no matter what we’re going through.’ Ah friends, I wish that was so much truer of our world than it actually is! 

We ought to be happy being who we are, especially in Christ, and we do need good support systems to help us in those perilous times that all of us undergo at some time or the other. But unfortunately the basic unit of our society, the family, is being undermined and destroyed by the callous, greedy and uncaring attitudes and culture that proliferate in these modern times. Families turn against each other for small and petty reasons, as each one fights to make their mark in this evil world. 

Steups! We don’t have to, and we won’t always agree, but when it comes to family, we ought to stick together, for who else are we going to turn to eh, since there is no unit smaller than that supposedly close knit group titled ‘family.’ Right here I’ve got to give thanks for my family yes! We don’t always agree, but we’re always there for each other! 

That’s what family is about, why it’s called family. But nowadays there are so many feuds and disagreements between those of the same household, for whatever reason, that our society is falling apart. Whatever happened to that bond, that trust that families exuded once upon a time eh? 

That brings us to this scripture where the prophet Micah describes a morally sinful Israel, a true reflection of our modern day society. ‘The good (faithful or loyal) man is perished out of the earth: and there is none upright among men: they all lie in wait for blood; they hunt every man his brother with a net. That they may do evil with both hands earnestly (successfully), the prince asketh (asks for gifts), and the judge asketh for a reward (bribe); and the great man, he uttereth his mischievous (evil) desire: so they wrap it up (scheme together).’  (Mic.7:2-3) 

And isn’t that exactly what is going on in our society today people? I don’t think we’ve ever seen a time that’s corrupt and evil as this one! But Micah is not done with us: ‘The best of them is as a brier: the most upright is sharper than a thorn hedge: the day of thy watchmen and thy visitation (punishment) cometh; now shall be their perplexity.’ (Mic.7:4) Ah mih people, things are so bad, that even the best of us are sharp and thorny! 

But as the Lord has warned so often in His word, continual disobedience will eventually bring His wrath and punishment! And we are seeing it in the failings of our supposed great and modern society; sickness, famine, poverty, natural and man-made disasters are proliferating in the richest times ever. 

That’s why Micah advises: ‘Trust ye not in a friend, put ye not confidence in a guide (companion): keep (guard) the doors of thy mouth from her that lieth in thy bosom. For the son dishonoureth the father, the daughter riseth up against her mother, the daughter-in-law against her mother in law; a man’s enemies are the men of his own house.’ (Mic.7:5-6) 

And when all those things are occurring, as they are in our current society, that means our society is on the way down and out unless we turn back to God as Micah so wisely advises: ‘Therefore I will look unto the Lord; I will wait for the God of my salvation: my God will hear me.’ (Mic.7:7) 

Yes friends, that’s the only way our society will ever rise up out of the morass that it’s currently embedded in! So please, let’s turn to our great and faithful God and LOVE Him with all our hearts, minds, bodies and souls, as He desires nuh, so that our society will not go the way of the dodo bird – extinction! Much LOVE!

…the Lord fulfills ALL His promises…be they to uplift…or to destroy…please remember that…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Today’s Scrip-Bit 8 February 2015 Colossians 3:13‏

08 Feb 2015 Leave a comment

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

 Colossians 3:13.   Forbearing (bearing with) one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye.

Aye mih people, it’s the first day of a new week; Sunday, the Day of the Lord, the Sabbath Day, that day when the Lord rested after creating the universe and all therein.

In it we are supposed to rest, relax, gather together for fellowship, to recognize and respect His power and glory, adore His magnificence and majesty, with worship, praise and thanksgiving. It is therefore most fitting for us to declare, that this is the day the Lord has made, we shall rejoice and be glad in it!

Yes Friends, everything that draws breath this morning ought to be thanking and praising our wonderful God for His mercy, forgiveness and LOVING-kindness.

Let’s hope therefore that we all attended His sanctuary and fellowshipped with other believers, sending much praise and thanks to heaven and receiving strength, faith and comfort, for that’s also a part of worshipping.

It’s just another of God’s basic laws; when we give we receive, just like whatever we sow, we reap. So let’s hope that we all gave plenty and sowed much good seeds, so that we will be truly blessed.

The Lord made sure that I got up on time this week, and I went to the small but comfy and homely and beautifully decorated St. Francis church close to me down the road in Bon Accord. Obviously I encountered people who knew me from way back when, even from Elementary School, from High School and from the days when I lived up Darrel Spring Hill and one of my cousins, Stanley Beard was there too.

They were a very welcoming congregation, so I felt right at home. It was a good service with obviously a close knit group. There wasn’t a band or organ to play music, simply a couple of tambourines and a drum, but the voices were raised magnificently in praise and worship. That’s the way we ought to raise our voices in sincere celebration to our wonderful and merciful God!

As the scriptures say: ‘By him therefore let us offer up the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is the fruit of our lips giving thanks to (confessing to) his name.’ (Heb.13:15)

Oh Friends, the Lord was surely happy with the sacrifices of praise offered up to him this morning in that little church in Bon Accord!

Re adventures, nothing much happened yesterday. I went to the beach in the evening, for a li’l dip, watched the golden sun sink below the horizon, then went looking for souse and black pudding. The lady who we went to look for apparently didn’t come out again this weekend, but we found another lady selling souse down in Buccoo, so I wasn’t completely disappointed. And it didn’t taste bad at all!

After that I watched the Leafs win their first game in some 11 tries. And all the Leafs faithful must be shouting ‘Glory Hallelujah’ this morning!

And they going to kill me with bake and saltfish in Tobago oui! I say that because they had a food sale after church this morning, featuring, yes, bake and saltfish, which I came home and had for breakfast. I’m not really complaining though, just making a statement, because I do enjoy the local food.

Wonder of wonders, they had two collections, passed the offering plate around twice! The second to put towards some much needed church improvements. And nobody griped or seemed to mind. They just gave what they could afford.

Hn! I don’t know if we’d get away with that in my St. Francis church back in Canada. But I guess though we are all supposed to be Christians, we all think differently about the church of Christ.

But it’s time to get with our Bit on the all-important topic of forgiveness. ‘Forbearing (bearing with) one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye.’

Yes my brethren, it’s ever so important that we practice forgiveness. As we saw yesterday, it releases us from tension, resentment, hatred and bitterness. It frees up our souls, brings us peace, while unforgiveness only causes negative tension and harmful emotions. Remember we are the ones it hurts most of all, not the people we refuse to forgive.

It’s not always easy, because some hurts can be really terrible, and cause much pain, but it’s always in our best interest to forgive, for it releases us from the pressure building up inside of us. For want of a better comparison, I’ll liken it to a burp. (smile)

Yuh know when you burp, you release the pent up gas in your body, well it’s the same with forgiveness. When you forgive, you release the pent up negative pressures in your soul. And besides being healthy for our emotional and physical well-being, forgiveness is also rather important for our spiritual enhancement.

Now here are some interesting and important words on the subject from the scholars. ‘3:13. The fact of believers being urged to assume the virtues of verse 12 (bowels of mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, long-suffering), signifies that none has yet “arrived” spiritually.

As the believer is developing these virtues, he must be forbearing and forgiving toward his fellow church member. For his Christian brother is also in the process of acquiring the virtues of verse 12 and therefore retains some flaws, deficiencies, and weaknesses. Hence the need of forbearance and forgiveness.’

And all that’s absolute truth, so please remember it when we get into disagreements with others. Now listen to Jesus tell it like it is: ‘Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.

And when ye stand praying forgive, if ye have aught (anything) against any: that your Father also which is heaven may forgive you your trespasses. But if ye do not forgive, neither will your Father which is in heaven forgive your trespasses.’ (Mark 11:24-26)

Oh my people, that says it all! If we don’t forgive, our God won’t forgive us. That couldn’t be any simpler or clearer. And please note that when the disciples asked Jesus to teach them to pray, a significant aspect of what He taught, which we know today as the Lord’s Prayer, deals with forgiveness. ‘And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.’ (Matt.6:12) So as in the proportion to which we forgive, so will we be forgiven.

There’s no more to say Friends! Three of the basic laws of God are: give and you will receive, you reap what you sow, and if you forgive, you will be forgiven.

Simple laws my brethren, but often difficult to execute in this sinful, ungodly world. Therefore let’s put out best efforts forth to obey them in a positive manner nuh, so that our lives will be blessed. That’s wisdom of the heavenly kind! Much LOVE!

…forgiveness is a cleansing and soothing balm…for both body and soul…

 

 

 

Today’s Scrip-Bit 3 February 2014 Ephesians 1:3

03 Feb 2014 Leave a comment

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

Ephesians 1:3.     Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ.

Oh Friends, it’s Monday… And poor me, ah crying because is only three days left before I have to leave God’s Little Acre and return to the cold, dark, North Country. Steups! But what yuh going to do eh? Them’s the breaks! So you just have to grin and bear it. And most importantly, I know that our great and wonderful God will bless me wherever He leads me on His beautiful planet Earth.

So there’s really no need to worry, although the hot sun is much preferable to the cold one. (smile) Anyway, yesterday was a great day in memory lane travel. After writing the Bit, I went by Aunt Cicely for some home-cooked food. And it did taste better than and different to the store bought stuff I’ve been living on for most of the last two weeks.
 
Then my Uncle Foster came over and spent the night with us. We watched Barbados beat T&T in regional cricket competition, and Seattle blow out Denver in the overhyped Super Bowl. I felt real sorry for Peyton Manning though, because from the first snap of the ball, which went over his shoulder into the end zone, before he even appeared ready for it, you could tell that it would be a rough day for him.
 
Seattle however did deserve to win with their excellent play, both on defence, offence and special teams. That’s how teams are supposed to play; with all aspects positively contributing to the overall effort.  
 
But Friends, yuh know in all the reminiscing that’s been going on for the past two weeks, last night’s was the most important, because my Uncle Foster and I had a very special relationship when we lived bachey (as bachelors) in Trinidad in the early 70’s. We made so many memories, or as he termed them adventures, that some he mentioned, I had no recollection of them whatsoever. He obviously remembers more of them than I do.
 
And yuh better believe that the Duchess and him had their own private tete a tete, reliving their own memories, since she was always his favourite. And though I tried to stay out of their business, they still found some way to gang up on me, like they did in the past. Anyway, it was a most excellent time, with some of everything involved, even serious arguments. But the disagreements didn’t last long, because that’s the way we’ve always been.
 
And now Friends, on this Monday morning in early February 2014, let’s raise the roofs of both heaven and earth, with a miraculous rendition of our Monday Morning Battle Hymn. Let’s make it so sweet, that our Father in heaven will automatically get up from His throne and passionately begin singing the music and doing a feisty two step dance to it. (smile)
 
And remember my fellow believers, we can do anything with His help. So let’s sing up a godly storm. On three: one, two, three: ‘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 yes mih people! We did it! We did it! The soulful harmony touched our heavenly Father’s very soul, and had him up singing and dancing His own version of the two step. And can the Father move! You bet!
 
During that time, Jesus stood aside smiling, clapping and urging Him on, for it had been a long time since He’d seen the Father so happy that He wanted to bust a move. So we know for sure that heaven will be a somewhat happier place today, but what about planet earth eh?
 
It won’t be so great unless we believers get out there and work some good works for Jesus! And since we have the Father prepped and in the mood for celebrations, we can’t afford to let Him down now. So please Friends, let’s try our very best to walk worthy of Him today nuh.
 
And how can we even contemplate doing otherwise after looking at our Bit and the resultant benefits and blessings that flow from it? ‘Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ.’ 
 
So let’s continue from where we left off yesterday; talking about how He predestinated us as His adopted children through Christ, through His fatherly LOVING-kindness. And why did He do all that?
 
‘To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved (bestowed grace – favour – on us). In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace.’ (Eph.1:6-7)
 
And since the scholars have excellent explanations of those verses, let’s hear them. ‘1:6. The reason God predestined us to be His sons (v.5) is expressed in the words to the praise of the glory of his grace, that is, in order to magnify the splendour of His goodness to us. Wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved may also read, “which (grace) He has bestowed on us by the Beloved.” Through Christ, we are the recipients of God’s unmerited favour.’
 
And there can be no argument about that Friends, for all our blessings, etc. etc. come straight from the goodness of the Father’s heart. That should be obvious, since in our natural, sinful state, we could never do anything to earn or even deserve His holy acceptance.
 
And re verse ‘1:7. Redemption referred to the release of a slave or captive upon receipt of ransom. But the following words, the forgiveness of sins, show “redemption” is used here in a moral sense. Christians are therefore released from their enslavement to sin and the resulting divine wrath. Redemption is effected for us through his blood, that is, by Christ’s atonement secured by His death on the cross.’ 
 
Oh my brethren, what else can we say but oodles of heartfelt ‘thank you’s’ to Almighty God, for the greatest gift ever bestowed on mankind, Christ’s atonement for our abominable sins on the cross of Calvary! What a blessed day! For without it, we would all be staring at a dark and disastrous eternity in the dungeons of hell, with Lucifer as our evil leader and companion.
 
However, fortunately for us, with Christ’s selfless sacrifice, His shed blood paid once and for all for all our sins, and now we’re able to look forward with great joy to spending eternity in heaven, holy, sanctified and reconciled to our Creator and Provider!
 
Wow! What a blessed future awaits us! So please my fellow believers, today, let’s ponder on those significant events, and try, with God’s help obviously, to bring our lives into line, into obedience with His plans for us. That’s the height of wisdom and common sense! Much LOVE!
 
…he who forsakes His Maker…will be forsaken by His Maker…as simple and straightforward as that…