Today’s Scrip-Bit   2 December 2021 Romans 5:5a.

02 Dec 2021 Leave a comment

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

Romans 5:5a.     And hope maketh not ashamed (does not disappoint); 

Oh friends, unfortunately, Thursday has not opened as nicely as Wednesday did; it’s wet and cloudy, but as always, the wonderful news and Spirit of Jesus lifts us up regardless of the quality of the physical day. And we’ve drawn breath today, so that makes it even more important! That’s why we confidently declare: ‘This is the day the Lord has made, we will rejoice and be glad in it!’ 

Yes mih bredrin, life might not be a bed of roses, but since we have life, we have hope.. ‘And hope maketh not ashamed (does not disappoint); because the LOVE of God has been shed abroad (poured out) in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.’ (Rom. 5:5) Oh my people, what we have in Christ Jesus through His Holy Spirit is more than hope, it’s a certainty of our eternal home and destination. 

But here’s how the bibleref.com website explains it nuh. They say: ‘Paul introduced a challenging idea in the previous verses (1-4): that Christians can see suffering as a cause for rejoicing. He did not mean by this that anyone should necessarily feel happy or enthusiastic about hard circumstances. Instead, those who are saved—who have expressed faith in Christ—can declare to ourselves that this suffering is worthwhile. It provides an opportunity to grow into the people that God is calling us to be. 

He began by showing that suffering produces endurance: a deeper, longer trust in God. This produces character, meaning we more consistently choose to do what honors God. This, in turn, produces hope, where we experience growing certainty that our ultimate destiny is an eternity of good in God’s presence. Now Paul concludes this chain by saying that our hope will never put us to shame. By that, Paul means our hope will be fully vindicated. We will never, in the end, be disappointed for hoping to receive God’s goodness forever.’ 

And of that we can be certain sure my fellow believers, because our wonderful God has already proven His awesome LOVE for us by sending His Son Jesus to die on the cross for us while we were yet sinners. Yes, through His shed blood we’ve been justified, sanctified, redeemed, saved from God’s wrath, received salvation, been reconciled to the Father, atoned for and all the other wonderful things we gain by being true believers in Christ Jesus! 

Wow! Which other supposed God has anything better to offer eh? NONE! Because they are not real gods, just wannabe imitations of the One and Only True Living God, He of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob! And that’s the indisputable truth! There is no other God but Yahweh, Jehovah, Elohim, whatever name we choose to address Him by! 

That’s why Bruh Paul could also write in his second letter to the church at Corinth, these encouraging words. ‘For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, who was preached among you by us, even by me and Silvanus and Timothy, was not yea, and nay, but in him was yea. For all the promises of God in him are yea, and in him Amen, unto the glory of God by us. Now he which establisheth us with you in Christ, and hath anointed us is God; Who also hath sealed us, and given the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts.’ (2 Cor. 1:19-22) 

Oh friends, the promises of God in Christ Jesus are all yes, yes, yes! Now hear the scholars’ explanation of that passage of scripture. ‘1:20-22. Amen is equivalent to yea. Whether one is a Gentile (yea) or a Hebrew (amen), the promises of God are sure. But the force of Paul’s analogy is that his word is as good as the gospel, because he which establisheth us with you in Christ…is God. 

Sealed us: The sealing of the Holy Spirit has a threefold significance in the New Testament: (1) to indicate ownership (we belong to God, through Christ Jesus); (2) to indicate genuineness; (3) to preserve and keep safe (cf. Eph. 4:30; 2 Tim. 2:19; Rev. 7:2-3). This last idea is amplified with the earnest of the Spirit. The Holy Spirit Himself is the down payment, or pledge , of redemption. The indwelling Spirit is the surety and the “security” of all that is to follow in the final salvation of the believer (cf. Rom. 8:9-11, 23; 2 Cor. 5:5; Eph. 1:14).’ 

What more can we ask eh friends? Nothing really. God didn’t only send Christ to pay for our sins, but He also sent the Holy Spirit to seal us as His personal property. The Good Book tells it thus: ‘For ye are bought with a price: (the blood of Jesus): therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.’ (1 Cor. 6:20) Yes my people, we belong lock, stock and barrel to God! And He stakes His claim on us by sending His Holy Spirit to indwell us, as well as to give us security and surety of His promises. 

That means our bodies are the temple of the Holy Spirit, consequently, we need to behave in a manner worthy and appropriate of such a high honour. Please, let’s try doing that nuh. We all know what it means and what it takes, but we need to put out a serious effort to make it happen, especially in these tough times. And our God is so good and wonderful that He even gives us the tools, numerous blessings, so we can do just that, and show the world what a magnificent God He is. And since those blessings don’t take effect until we declare them, let’s declare what we call our Thursday Blessings right now nuh. 

As one strong and sincere voice: ‘I declare that I am blessed with God’s supernatural wisdom and receive clear direction for my life! I declare today that I am blessed with creativity, courage, talent and abundance! I am blessed with a strong will, self-control and self-discipline! I am blessed with a great family, good friends, good health, faith, favour and fulfillment! I am blessed with success, supernatural strength, promotion and divine protection! 

I am blessed with a compassionate heart and a positive outlook on life! I declare that any curse or negative word that’s ever been spoken over me is broken right now in the name of Jesus! I declare that everything I put my hands to, will prosper and succeed! I declare it today and every day! Amen!’ 

Now, the onus is on us to go out and share those blessings just as generously with others, as God shared them with us. Much LOVE!

…and grieve not the Holy Spirit of God…whereby ye are sealed…unto the day of redemption… (Eph. 4:30) 

Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZJ8          

Today’s Scrip-Bit 6 August 2020 Acts 10:38.

06 Aug 2020 Leave a comment

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

Acts 10:38.     ​How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed with the devil; for God was with Him.
 

Well, well, well, if it isn’t another beautiful day on God’s great earth, another chance to do God’s great work! And all God’s children said a loud and proud and grateful: ‘Praise the Lord! Bless His Holy Name! For He is indeed worthy of much thanks and praise!’ And so He is my people! 

And we need to thank Him especially for getting me up at a still decent hour even though I went to bed real real late; like around 6. Hn! Hn! My eyes opened at 8, but I wasn’t able to crawl out of bed until 9. Yes, I agree that it’s hard to teach an old dog new tricks, so as they say, better late than never. (smile) And I’m chuckling here because the Lord never gave me a particular time to send out the Bit, it’s just my own assertion and conviction that it should go out at a fairly early hour. So I am basically suffering through my own law, by my own works of the flesh. (smile) 

And though they say the month of August has come in bleating, more like a spring lamb than a roaring lion, with cool temps and breezes, after the hottest July in many a day, do not fear, it will get hotter as it goes along. Don’t know if that’s bad or good news, (smile) but anyway, be that all as it may, here’s a most important thought for us to remember today: ‘The first duty of LOVE is to listen!’ So let’s raise up our LOVE listening today nuh, for it will do us and all those we come into contact with, a world of good. 

And that’s what we basically ought to be about my brethren; doing good. That brings to mind this wonderful and very expressive scripture: ‘How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed with the devil; for God was with Him.’ (Acts. 10:38) What a marvellous bit of scripture my people; a most worthwhile example of how we should be, a gentle reminder that we ought to follow the beautiful example of our Leader, of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. 

Now please don’t say that we can’t, because we’re not like Jesus. Oh yes we are! God has also anointed us with the Holy Ghost! Remember after that memorable Pentecost Day when all believers immediately began receiving the Holy Ghost and its miraculous power? (Acts 2:1-4) So we have basically the same power that Jesus had. And if you don’t believe me, then listen to Bruh Paul to Timothy: ‘For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power (Holy Ghost power), and of LOVE, and of a sound (disciplined) mind.’ (2 Tim. 1:7) 

We all spout that scripture, like so many others, but never really put them into action when they are truly needed, that’s why so many of us live fearful, anxious lives when there’s absolutely no need to. And if you don’t fancy Bruh Paul’s words, then hear Jesus’ nuh. ‘Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father. And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that my Father may be glorified in the Son. If ye shall ask anything in my name, I will do it.’ (John 14:12-14) 

Oh my people, how much clearer can it get eh? And if you still don’t believe Jesus, then I don’t know what else to say nuh. (smile) Oh, let’s see if these explanations of the scholars help any. ‘14:12. Greater works: Greater in quantity, certainly not quality. Christ’s ministry was primarily to Israel. His followers were going to reach the limits of the world.’ ‘14:13-14. In my name means “as My agent.” The promise of answered prayer is based on the disciple acting as the agent of Jesus’ will (cf. 16:23-26). It is also linked here especially in the accomplishment of the “greater works.” The promise is for unlimited resources to do the works of God.’ 

Ah friends, that’s the kind of God we serve; most magnificent, majestic and magnanimous! He will NEVER ask you to do His work without giving you the necessary tools and power and grace to successfully complete it! And I won’t tell you to read the scriptures quoted above in the scholars’ explanations, because I know that it will fall on too many deaf ears, (smile) but I will spoon feed you with the most important verse of that scripture, another one we know but don’t sufficiently put into action. 

Here it is: ‘Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name: ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full.’ (John 16:24) Mama Yo! What more we expect Jesus to do eh people – spoon feed us everything? He says to ask in His name and we’ll receive… with joy untold too! What more must He say eh? Obviously He doesn’t mean for us to be greedy and foolish and sinful and ask for all sorts of nonsense, but for worthwhile and necessary stuff so that we can do His will. 

And yes, I know we often feel intimidated, or bashful or prideful about asking for things, but that’s what Jesus, our Leader, our Lord and Saviour says to do. And asking for stuff you believe you need is merely being obedient to His will. And you won’t get everything you ask for when you ask for it, especially if it’s a frivolous request. But I can promise you, that if you truly need it, you will receive it in His time, and believe me, He might be a bit tardy in our estimation, (smile) but He’s NEVER LATE! I can guarantee that from my personal experiences. 

And as we go home today, let’s declare (brother – the devil must be at work here yes! just can’t spell that word) our Thursday Blessings, showcasing the magnanimity of our magnificent and majestic God, as He showers us with untold blessings to use in our daily walk, as we faithfully serve Him. All together now: ‘I declare that I am blessed with God’s supernatural wisdom and receive clear direction for my life! I declare today that I am blessed with creativity, courage, talent and abundance! 

I am blessed with a strong will, self-control and self-discipline! I am blessed with a great family, good friends, good health, faith, favour and fulfillment! I am blessed with success, supernatural strength, promotion and divine protection! I am blessed with a compassionate heart and a positive outlook on life! I declare that any curse or negative word that’s ever been spoken over me is broken right now in the name of Jesus! I declare that everything I put my hands to will prosper and succeed! I declare it today and everyday! Amen!’ 

Yes my beautiful and precious people of Jehovah God, of Yahweh, of Elohim, let’s now go out and share those blessings just as generously as they were shared with us nuh! Much LOVE!

…listen in LOVE…so you can walk in LOVE…and do good… 

Today’s Scrip-Bit 2 March 2016 Psalm 77:13‏‏

02 Mar 2016 Leave a comment

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

Psalm 77:13.   Thy way, O God, is in the sanctuary (holiness): who is so great a God as our God?

Well hello there my beautiful fellow believers in the ONE and ONLY Jesus Christ; Lord and Saviour of sinful mankind, Son of God, Prince of Peace, Wonderful, Counselor, the mighty God, the everlasting Father, etc. etc….! 

Yes friends, that is the magnificent Being, Deity, and God we serve! Now one would be extremely foolish to serve and worship any other! 

However, as sad as it is, there are many, too many on His planet earth who serve and worship other non-gods, foolishly placing them above the ONE who made the heavens, the earth and all therein. 

To them we can only say, ‘that’s madness,’ in a decent and LOVING manner now (smile), try to tell them about our great Saviour Jesus, who sacrificed His holy and sinless life on the cross at Calvary to pay for our sins, theirs included, and bring us once more into the eternal fold of His Father, Jehovah God. 

But even more importantly, while telling them all that, we should endeavour to live the kind of LOVING, caring, compassionate, forgiving and peaceful life that our Lord and Saviour espouses. For as they say, more flies are caught with honey than with vinegar. 

Yes my believing brethren, we cannot afford to brow beat the unbelievers, as so many of us do, because that will only turn them away. Best we lure them to Jesus with our sweet words and positive actions. 

Hn, hn! And I have to chuckle here friends, because I don’t know where all of that just came from, because I didn’t plan it. But came it did, and it does make wonderful sense, providing a useful template for us all to follow in our earthly relationships. 

Now it’s a beautiful Wednesday in Paradise, unfortunately my last, so let’s wail our Wednesday Wail with much enthusiasm, sincerity and conviction. 

As one proud and loud wailer 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!’ 

And I will add another ‘Glory Hallelujah’ to that my brethren, because I’m so thankful for being alive in sweet Tobago on such a beautiful day! Glory to God my fellow believers! Now how can I look back at the past and dwell in it eh, when there’s such a glorious future to be had with Jesus? 

Remember we’ve got to keep looking straight ahead, so we can create straight furrows, for as Jesus says, he who looks back is not worthy to be in the kingdom. And we all see what happened to Lot’s wife when, against the Lord’s directive, she looked back as they were hurrying away from the godly devastation that was Sodom and Gomorrah; she became a pillar of salt. (Gen.19:26) 

We obviously wouldn’t want any such calamity to befall us, that is why we have to keep on worshipping and serving the Lord of the Universe, who provides us with sufficient to meet our earthly needs. 

That brings us to our very timely Bit. ‘Thy way, O God, is in the sanctuary (holiness): who is so great a God as our God?’ 

Ah mih people, as per the second half of that sentence, there are so many scriptures to show the might and power of our God, that I don’t even know where to begin. But as they say, the best place to begin is at the beginning. 

So let’s consider how He made the universe and all therein nuh. He spoke it into existence. Note, He used mere words to create the universe, not any kind of heavy or busy action, just simple words. How much more powerful can we get eh? And if you don’t believe me, you can read all about it in the first chapters of Genesis. (smile) 

And note how He made man too eh: by simply forming him from the dust of the ground, then breathing His own spiritual breath of life into him. Up to now no other supposed deity or even the brilliance and ingenuity of present man can do that. 

Look at how He brought His chosen people, Israel out of Egypt nuh. Starting with the mind games He played with Pharaoh, the nine plagues and the killing of the Egyptians first born, from which the Jewish Passover was derived. You can check that out in Exodus chapters 7-10. 

Then look at how He got the Egyptians to give and lend their jewels to the Israelites, so that when they finally left Egypt after four hundred and thirty years, many of those under tough bondage, they left very wealthy. (Ex.11:1-3) All praise and glory to our great and powerful God! 

And what about the crossing of the Red Sea eh? Who else could have caused the simple stretching out of Moses’ hand over it, to part and allow the Israelites to cross over on dry land eh? Then when the Egyptian army tries to pursue them, Moses again stretches out his hand over the sea, and the water rushes back together and drowns the entire army? (Ex.14:21-30) 

The Good Book ends that chapter with these words. ‘And Israel saw that great work which the Lord did upon the Egyptians: and the people feared (stood in awe of) the Lord, and believed the Lord, and his servant Moses.’ (Ex.14:31) 

Aye mih people, that’s just the beginning of God showing His awesome might and power! We’ll continue with it tomorrow, the Lord in favour, because I doubt we can stand to hear about all of our God’s mighty works in one sitting; it’s liable to boggle our frail and simple minds. (smile) 

And our homework for today is to sit and ponder how mighty is our God, and seriously consider why we, or anyone else, would even consider serving and worshipping any other deity. Much LOVE!

…Elohim…O Elohim…God of exceeding strength and mighty power…

Today’s Scrip-Bit 22 February 2016 Psalm 53:1

22 Feb 2016 Leave a comment

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

Psalm 53:1.   The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. Corrupt are they, and have done abominable iniquity: there is none that doeth good.

Alas friends and neighbours, it’s Monday; the day which begins the work week… 

And I hear God’s people loudly declare ‘Glory Hallelujah that it’s Monday!’ 

And I have to shake my head to see if I’m dreaming… God’s people happy to see Monday roll around…? Wow! 

A few moments later though, I realized that Lucifer was only playing mind games on me. Chuh! 

What the people had actually shouted was: ‘Oh Lord, yuh mean is Monday already! Yuh mean ah got to go back and slave for massa again! When this every week work thing going to finish eh? Steups!’ 

And that’s a very good question friends. The answer to which is when you retire, get fired, quit the job, or die!  

Now let’s sing our Monday Morning Battle Hymn without further ado to boost our spirits as we face another worrisome week of work. 

As one harmonious choir now. ‘Oh Lord God Almighty, Creator of the universe and all therein! We, your humble servants, praise your Holy Name and thank you that this Monday morning we have jobs to go to; jobs we don’t like, jobs that are unfair, difficult and even dangerous, but which serve a useful purpose here on earth; keeping lives and families together. 

We also thank you Father for the renewed vitality and enthusiasm you’ve wrought in our weary souls over the last two days. It’s that rejuvenation of Spirit which allows us now to sally forth with confidence into the evil, ungodly world that surrounds us, to begin a new week of work, constantly buffeted and bombarded by the enemy’s wicked taunts, wiles and lies. 

But heavenly Father, we’re not afraid, for we know we’re invincible, sure conquerors, once we’re wearing your powerful, protective spiritual armour. We surrender our all to you, and humbly ask that you let your incredible aura of LOVE, the Holy Spirit, lead and guide all your servants as we go out to meet the enemy in battle. 

Fill us with steadfast faith, so that we can make worthwhile inroads into the enemy’s ranks, and thereby further your glorious kingdom. We pray this in the Holy Name of your Son, and our Saviour, Jesus Christ. AMEN!’  

Oh my brethren, that wasn’t so great nuh. You could read the displeasure in our choirmaster, Jesus’ serious eyes and face. But being the wonderful Deity that He is, He forgives us, because He knows our frail and fallible human nature. Now let’s go out there with that adrenaline perking in us and do His will despite our shortcomings. 

That brings us to our Bit: ‘The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. Corrupt are they, and have done abominable iniquity: there is none that doeth good.’ 

Oh my people, how sad are those statements eh? How can any sensible person even think that eh? Notice it’s in their hearts, the very seat of their decision making that that thought lies, is being generated. 

Now some might say it out loud, while others might just think it and then act on that premise, by perverting the truth that God does exist. Consequently, they become corrupt and do abominable sins. 

And we only have to look around our strife-filled world to see that that’s ever so true. Abomination and corruption are running rampant throughout our entire world, and that my friends cannot foreshadow good things for us and our descendants. 

Now Psalm 53 is a slightly revised version of Psalm 14. According to the scholars: ‘Two major differences are apparent: this psalm substitutes the generic word for God, Elohim, for the personal name of God used in Psalm 14, Yahweh. This was done evidently to give the psalm a wider appeal. Second, verse 5 has been rewritten and has become an encouraging affirmation of God’s protection.’ 

And are we ever in need of anything that affirms and encourages us re God’s protection in these very trying and troublesome times! But above all my brethren, we are not to fear, because that just demeans and belittles our faith; faith that we need to help us stand strong and steadfast against the enemy and his deceitful declarations. 

Now here how Bruh David continues the psalm nuh. ‘God looked down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there were any that did understand, that did seek God.’ (Ps.53:2) 

And wonder of wonders, what did He discover? ‘Every one of them is gone back (have turned aside): they are altogether become filthy (corrupt); there is none that doeth good, no, not one.’ (Ps.53:3) 

Now how do you think God felt when He saw such sinfulness and ungodliness in the world back then eh? And how does He feel now, when He performs the same exercise and gets the same basic answer eh? 

Obviously not very pleased or encouraged! No wonder He asks: ‘Have the workers of iniquity no knowledge? Who eat up my people as they eat bread: they have not called upon God.’ (Ps.53:4) 

But why would that surprise Him eh, when we’re still like Jeremiah said on His behalf so long ago. ‘For my people is foolish, they have not known me; they are sottish (stupid or silly) children, and they have none (no) understanding; they are wise to do evil, but to do good they have no knowledge.’ (Jer.4:22) 

And isn’t it amazing, but depressing and disturbing that so many truths from the Old Testament are still true today. Steups! Obviously we have not learned that we cannot continually disobey God and get away with it scot free. 

The calamity which befell so many other great societies who disobeyed and turned away from Jehovah God obviously doesn’t mean anything to us. But friends, the saying that history repeats itself is very true, and we are currently in great disobeying mode, and if we continue thus, we will feel the Lord’s hand upon us, and it won’t be very good. I can guarantee us that. 

Who knows if we aren’t already feeling it, through the many unusual natural disasters, that are blamed on climate change, plus the economic decline and ever increasing poverty and strife that’s now battering our world. 

Hn! I have to sadly chuckle here yes friends, because in all reality the Lord doesn’t have to do anything to bring us to our knees nuh, we are already doing it to ourselves, beginning with our insistence to remove God from the very bowels of our society. 

And we’ll stop there for today, because I don’t want to give us too much to ruminate upon. (smile) But please friends, do ruminate on what we have spoken about today, and let each of us see, of course with God’s help, how we can better our lives, and thus our quickly deteriorating world. For that’s wisdom of immense proportions! Much LOVE!

…if God made us and everything else that exists…how can we hope to survive without His help eh…that doesn’t sound logical at all…

 

 

Today’s Scrip-Bit 13 September 2014 Psalm 67:1

13 Sep 2014 Leave a comment

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

Psalm 67:1.      God be merciful unto us, and bless us; and cause his face to shine upon us;   Selah.

Aye Friends, do you realize that we’re already in the middle of September…and it was just last week we celebrated Labour Day? (smile) Ah brother! The days they surely seem to be passing rather quickly. I don’t know if time is actually speeding up, or it’s simply our perception that it’s going by faster; just our imagination playing tricks on us. (smile)

If I were to guess though, I’d say that it’s our imagination playing tricks on us. Our days have become so busy with work and looking after home and family and the myriad of things those tasks entail, including the presence of worry and anxiety, that the time just speeds away on us before we even realize what’s really happening.

Even a generation ago, our lives weren’t so busy. What’s happened eh? Unlike what we were led to expect and believe, in spite of all the technological innovations and modern conveniences, we seem to have lees spare time, less down time where we can just sit and relax. It seems like we’re always on the go.

Now there’s no separation between work, home and play, they all seem to have morphed into one seamless continuum. With our wonderful technological devices we now work everywhere; at home, at work and at play. We’re now constantly at the beck and call of the technology monster and its feeding frenzy. If we’re not constantly in touch with the social happenings then we feel lost and behind the times, not in the swing of things. 

And sadly, that feeling is perpetrated by the greedy business people who are just out to grab whatever they can from us, without caring even one iota about our situations. It’s all about the money. That’s a big part of the reason for the unnecessary tension, frustration, resentment, anger, selfishness and rudeness in our current society.

Our standards, including morals, work ethic, dress, education and otherwise have fallen so low, that now we glorify as superior, of superstar status, what was once considered mediocre, and even of no account.  And yet we expect to flourish.

How foolish of us Friends, for societies only flourish when truly high standards are the norm, not the exception. As standards fall, so do the societies themselves. And if you don’t believe me, just check out man’s history that’s littered with so many examples.

And before we go any further my people, let me remind us that there’s ONLY ONE SUPERSTAR in this evil, ungodly world – that’s our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! And don’t you forget it! Stop buying into the nonsense that the world is selling us; putting people on pedestals who can’t even run their lives properly.

Anyway, that’s enough pontification from me for today. (smile) Let’s see what our Bit has to say: ‘God be merciful unto us, and bless us; and cause his face to shine upon us;   Selah.’

And yuh better believe my brethren that we desperately need such godly attention today, right now, if we’re ever going to turn this wicked and ungodly society around. As the psalmist so wisely and truthfully continues: ‘That thy way may be known upon earth, thy saving health (salvation) among all nations.’ (Ps.67:2)

But for that to happen, the psalmist tells us: ‘Let the people praise thee, O God; let all the people praise thee. O let the nations be glad and sing for joy: for thou shalt judge the people righteously, and govern the nations upon earth.   Selah.

Let all the people praise thee, O God; let all the people praise thee. Then shall the earth yield her increase (give her produce); and God, even our own God, shall bless us. God shall bless us; and all the ends of the earth shall fear him.’ (Ps.67:3-7)

Yes Friends, without God’s blessings, we’re doomed, and we won’t get God’s blessings unless and until we praise and worship Him in faithful obedience and trust.

And according to the scholars: ‘Psalm 67. This national psalm of thanksgiving expresses the gratefulness of the people to their God and their confidence in His continued blessings. The point of the psalm seems to be that God’s blessing on Israel is only a harbinger of divine blessings for the entire world.

This universal outlook is revealed not only by the explicit statement of the final verse, but by the exclusive preference of the general word for God, Elohim, to the complete exclusion of the personal name of Israel’s God, Yahweh.’  

So you can see Friends, from early on, God planned to have the entire world, His entire creation, bowing at His feet, praising and worshipping Him, while He showers them with untold blessings and mercies. Unfortunately though, that plan has gone somewhat awry, because of our rebellious and disobedient nature.

But  He’s such a LOVING, generous and patient Father, that He gave us a second chance by sending Jesus to die on the old rugged cross at Calvary, so that we could be reconciled to Him. What a marvellous Deity!

That means  the ball is now in our court, my people. It’s now up to us to embrace the lifeline that He’s thrown out to us through His son Jesus. Please, let’s show heavenly wisdom and grab hold of the wonderful opportunity that has been presented to us.

And now, may the Lord bless and keep us and cause His face to shine upon us as we praise and worship Him in all truth and sincerity. Much LOVE!

…as the praise and worship of Almighty God increases…so will the blessings and mercies that are showered down upon earth…