Today’s Scrip-Bit 20 July 2012 Proverbs 19:1

20 Jul 2012 Leave a comment

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

Proverbs 19:1.    Better is the poor that walketh in his integrity, than he that is perverse in his lips, and is a fool.

Oh Friends, it’s Friday, and the drought continues! Though people are still excitedly trilling, ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday!’ the parched land is definitely not so thrilled. Now something has to be wrong with my area yes, because yesterday was much cooler than the past many days, it was also very cloudy, and at least three times that I know of, a few drops of rain fell. And when I say a few drops, I really mean a few. Hn! It happened to me a couple times while I was out driving yesterday evening, and neither time did I have to even make one pass of my wiper blades, the drops of blessing were so few. Ah Lord eh! But for all that Friends, we must still be excited and passionate about serving the Lord, for we know that He works out all things for good to those whom He calls and who LOVE, worship and serve Him sincerely. (Rom.8:28) Yes mih people, the Lord God Jehovah, creator of heaven, earth and all therein, is still on His lofty throne controlling all things in His universe, at a height of intelligence that we can never meet or even comprehend. That’s why He’s given us faith, hope, LOVE and all the promises; so we can believe in Him and be assured of His unconditional care and concern for us. So with all that in mind, let’s forget about the world and chant our Friday Chant, so that we can bring the excitement of Friday and the weekend into proper perspective. Now, as one sweet, heavenly voice, (smile) let’s chant! ‘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.’ And having put the weekend in its right perspective, let’s see if we can’t do the same with what our Bit talks about nuh: ‘Better is the poor that walketh in his integrity, than he that is perverse in his lips, and is a fool.’ Wow mih breddren! Isn’t that a remark of awesome truth? It sure is! Why? Because that word ‘integrity’ is a must have trait, one that must exist in all followers of Jesus! We can’t truly be followers of Jesus until or unless we’re also people of high, outstanding integrity. And what does integrity mean? The dictionary talks about ‘uprightness as evidenced in character and actions.’ So it’s basically about things like honesty, dependability, trustworthiness, goodness, morality, truthfulness and virtue. All the positive things that make the Lord look down on us with favour. It speaks of a person with a reliable image, whose character we can trust. Unfortunately that’s another trait, like wisdom, that’s disappeared from our modern society. Nowadays we can’t even trust our preachers, the supposed men of God, for too many of them are mere charlatans and crooks. And why is our world, its economy, relationships within and between nations, as well as relationships within and between religions in such a mess eh? Because the people whom we trusted to take of it lacked, and still lack sufficient integrity to do so properly. They were instead impelled by personal aggrandizement, greed and all the evils associated with the followers of Beelzebub. So Friends, it’s truly much better to be poor and of good character and integrity than it is to be rich, a fool and a crook. Cousin Sol says it thus later on: ‘Blessed is the poor that walketh in his uprightness (integrity), than he that is perverse in his ways, though he be rich.’ (Prov.28:6) So though you’re rich and have no integrity – which sadly a lot of rich people don’t have because their gains have come by ill gotten means – you’re still a jerk and a fool, and of no use in God’s kingdom, except as an example of what not to be. Yes Friends, unless we diligently seek and aspire to have a character like Jesus, one that’s honest, reliable and trustworthy, we’re fooling ourselves about working for the kingdom. Now we all can’t be perfect, but we certainly have to try hard. That’s why Jesus lambasted the Pharisees in Matthew 23. Jesus really ripped them apart because they put on a good outward show, but inside they were, totally selfish, greedy and evil. And because Jesus saw through them and wanted to clip their wings, they tried so desperately to run Him out of town. They were supposed to be the righteous, the leaders of the society, but unfortunately lacked the integrity to do the job aright. So my brethren, if our leaders, priests, and those in high places lack the necessary integrity and character, as is being so blatantly showcased and revealed nowadays, how can we expect to have a godly, truthful, or even prosperous society eh? Oh Friends, I keep reminding us of this absolute truth: our society and world cannot improve unless we have leaders and other people in high positions with exemplary character and integrity. And sadly that’s not going to happen unless and until we believers get up off our fat fannies and do something serious about it. We’re very good at griping and complaining, but it’s time for us to stand up and be counted, become people of true integrity and try to rebuild our fallen society with people of that same bent. And it’s got to start with each one of us, then move on to our friends, families and neighbourhoods. Only then will we have a serious chance of regaining control of God’s universe from Lucifer and his evil cohorts. That’s the thought for us to ponder today Friends. And please ponder it seriously, for our actions now, will later on affect the livelihood of our children’s children. Till we meet again, God willing, please walk with Him in peace, LOVE and integrity. Much LOVE!…take care of your character…and your reputation will take of itself…true words of wisdom my people…

 

Today’s Scrip-Bit 18 July 2012 Ecclesiastes 2:13

18 Jul 2012 Leave a comment

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

Ecclesiastes 2:13.    Then I saw that wisdom excelleth folly, as far as light excelleth darkness.
 
Oh Friends, yesterday was certainly one of, if not the hottest day of the year in my area. You could feel the heat just bore through you, as you stepped outside. Even the strong breeze, which is usually cool, was as hot as Hades. (smile) However, later in the evening, around 8 p.m, the Duchess and I went for a walk down the boulevard, and it was still steamy. I did my usual 1/4 mile, but she made the whole tour of the area. I guess she’s younger and stronger than me. Hn, Hn! But I don’t really care nuh people. I’m just glad that I can walk even that distance, cause last year this time, what with my prostate cancer and knee problems, I could barely make it across the street to the mail box without falling over. So I’m giving some big, hearty and grateful thanks and praise to the Lord for that small mercy. Shortly after we came back though, the thunder and lighting began, and around 9.30, a few drops of rain fell. I heard it on my window upstairs and rushed down to see what it looked like. By the time I got outside though it had already petered out. The part of the road covered by and overhanging tree in my front yard wasn’t even wet. Just goes to show how little rain really fell. I couldn’t even stay outside long because the lightning was in action again, and I remembered the folks who got struck by it a couple days before in the East End. Now that’s my story, and I’m sticking to it. But seriously though Friends, what’s happening with our young people today eh, what’s going on in their minds? Two nights ago in Scarborough, the eastern hub of Greater Toronto, at an area barbecue, with roughly two hundred people in attendance, apparently two young fools took out their ‘make me feel like a big man toys’ and began shooting wildly at each other in the midst of the gathering, eventually killing two innocent people and injuring at least a dozen or more. A couple weeks earlier, one bright (read darm foolish) young man, in broad daylight, opened fire on another two in the Eaton’s Centre, the big downtown mall in the heart of Toronto. Two young people died from that attack, which was apparently in retaliation for the attacked having knifed up the attacker some time before, leaving him half dead in the streets of T.O. Now I can certainly understand the retaliation factor involved there, but what floors me is the foolish brazenness of these young punks, doing the nonsense in broad daylight amongst a group of innocent bystanders. They apparently don’t give two deleted expletives about the rest of the society, and if that’s true, then it’s a very sad thing. There’s already been a fair amount of gunplay in the area already this year, supposedly activated by turf wars between gangs. So when and how is it going to play out and end eh? Oh Friends, if that’s the sort of young people we’re raising, with no respect for society and/or human life, can you imagine the kind of Wild West scenes that are eventually going to take place? The police are already thinking that there will be some sort of retaliation over this incident. I guess none of the young people ever saw the Jack Lord western movie of long ago, I forgot the name, where one participant made an incredibly wise remark that went something like this: ‘If you live by the gun, you’ll die by the gun. Ecclesiastes 1:2.’ The scripture reference might be wrong Friends, but the statement is surely correct! And sadly this sort of scene is taking place all over the world. Granted it took Cousin Sol a fair amount of time to do all his experimentation and research into the way of and reason for man’s life, before he came to the realization that our Bit describes: ‘Then I saw that wisdom excelleth folly, as far as light excelleth darkness.’ Yes my people, wisdom will excel over folly any and every time! Unfortunately though, wisdom seems to be a very scarce commodity, and daily becoming scarcer in our modern society. Why is that eh? Are we too busy being selfish, greedy, ungodly, lustful and too taken up with the things of the world, that we hold human life so cheaply? I don’t know the answers nuh mih breddren, but I do know that our Bit is right, and so is the continuation of Cousin Sol’s results in his research. ‘The wise man’s eyes are in his head; but the fool walketh in darkness: and I myself perceived also that one event (death) happeneth to them all.’ (Eccl.2:14) Now that realization shook up Cousin Sol and made him a bit mental, wondering what was the purpose of life if both the fool and the wise man both died the same way and were eventually forgotten. Oh Friends, time and space are against us, and since I don’t want any complaints about the Bit being too long, I guess you’ll simply have to tune in tomorrow, God in favour, for the continuation of this saga. (smile) Till then, please walk in peace, LOVE and wisdom with God. Much LOVE!…a foolish son is a grief to his father…and bitterness to her that bare him… (Prov.17:25) P.S. Sorry it’s a tad late, but it seems I was too exhausted from my physical activities yesterday to get up any sooner. (smile) Much LOVE!
 

Today’s Scrip-Bit 14 April 2012 Matthew 7:24

14 Apr 2012 Leave a comment

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

Matthew 7:24.    Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock.

Ah Friends, the parched land in my area is desperately calling out for drink from the heavens! I believe the weather forecasters are forecasting rain sometime this weekend. Let’s hope they are right, unlike this past week when they forecasted it several times, but nary a drop of heavenly blessings fell from the few dark clouds that accumulated over the land. And sadly my brethren, a whole lot of people in our world are starved for nourishment, both physically and spiritually. The physically hungry are indeed plentiful, but I believe the spiritually malnourished are even more numerous. What does that say about our world eh? Not a very good recommendation is it? Sometimes we might not have the wherewithal to satisfy their bodily hunger for more than just a short period of time, but as true believers in Jesus, we ALWAYS have what it takes to fulfill their spiritual yearning. As they say, to give a person a fish when they’re hungry is all well and good, but what happens when their hunger reoccurs? However, if you teach them to fish, then they’ll have the ability to eventually feed themselves. The same goes for the Good News of Jesus my people! We can always throw out choice bits of scripture, to the spiritually hungry from our enormous storehouses; like scraps to the hungry, or pearls before swine, then beat our chests in personal pride because we believe we’ve done such a wonderful job. But Friends, how does that help them in times of true spiritual poverty eh? Not in any real sense, for they can’t find true spiritual satisfaction from a mere handful of scriptures thrown at them without any substantive reasoning. Fellow believers, we first have to teach the spiritually impoverished about Jesus; who He is, what He’s done, and how it affects us all, up to this very day and forever more. Unless they have a strong foundation to build on they will not last long in the Word. As we saw yesterday, that’s part of the reason Luke claims he wrote his gospel and Acts; so that Theophilus could have good groundings, a solid foundation on the stuff that he’d heard. So it’s our responsibility to first teach others about Jesus, then encourage them to also put those teachings into practice. Our Bit emphasizes this: ‘Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, (the Sermon on the Mount) and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a (the) rock.’ Jesus reminds us that the lives of anyone simply hearing His Word, won’t be changed. Not until they begin doing them, living them in their day to day lives will any serious change occur. Then, as always, using simple contrasts, Jesus unequivocally states: ‘And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a (the) rock. And everyone that heareth these sayings of mine, (the Sermon on the Mount) and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it.’ (Matt.7:25-27)  And unfortunately my people, so it is with everything that does not have a solid foundation on which to sit. It will be easily destroyed. Thus our duty to teach the spiritually hungry properly; with the full teaching of Jesus, not a few choice morsels that only enhance our images in ourselves, and does nothing for the poor listeners. Note what happened after Jesus spoke those words: ‘And it came to pass, when Jesus had ended these sayings, the people were astonished at his doctrine (teaching): For he taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes.’ (Matt.7:28-29) Yes Friends, Jesus taught with authority because it was based on His own life, He was His own authority, while the scribes depended on tradition for theirs. We should also teach with authority Friends; the authority of Jesus. If we truly believe, then there should be conviction and confidence in our teaching to others. Here’s an interesting aside from the scholars: ‘The elements of the closing illustration are drawn from the simplicity of nature itself, the rock, the rain, and the winds. The man whose house collapsed was at fault, not because he failed to labour, but because he did not lay the proper foundation. The shifting sand represents human opinion and the doctrines of men as opposed to ‘these sayings’ (v.28)’ And that is the gospel truth my brethren! All you have to do is look around our society, our world, and see the things places, people and traditions that are crumbling, both literally and figuratively, because they have been built on weak foundations. Even our church is falling apart in some places and some respects, because the body, its members are not doing what Jesus said. Instead we’re more concerned with furious infighting over petty things that are consequently driving us apart. Oh Friends, that’s no way to keep Christ’s church going, and ultimately building it until it’s spread over the whole wide world, as He desires. Therefore, from today, from RIGHT NOW, let’s seriously promise ourselves to put aside all the petty grievances that are driving us apart, and not only be hearers of Jesus’ Word, but even more importantly doers, and also teach those to whom we minister, the great importance of that principle. It’s the only way Christ’s church will be stabilized and have a chance of lasting till eternity. Much LOVE!…the only true and strong foundations in this world…the Good Book…and Jesus…

 

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