Today’s Scrip-Bit    27 September 2023 Genesis 44:12b.

27 Sep 2023 Leave a comment

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

  

Genesis 44:12b.         …and the cup was found in Benjamin’s sack.

Oh my people, beautiful days are still here! Glory Hallelujah! Yes friends it’s another sunshiny autumn day with shirtsleeve temperatures. And how can we not give thanks to our wonderful God for that eh? He’s awesome! Giving us life, health and beautiful days, along with the forgiveness of sins earned by the blood of the Lamb that was slaughtered on Calvary’s cross for us ungrateful children of men! Wow! And all God’s children shouted in gratitude: ‘Praise the Lord for His goodness to the children of men. His goodness endureth forever!’ And so it does my fellow saints, each and every day of our lives. 

And having shown some gratitude for God’s goodness, let’s now turn to the amazing story of Bruh Joseph. Yesterday we saw him lunch with his brothers and the Egyptians of his household, though they were all at separate tables. Bruh Joseph by himself, the brothers by themselves and the Egyptians by themselves. What a crazy way to dine together! But apparently protocol, or man’s foolish and selfish rules, called for it. And on the outside, everything looked good. But Bruh Joseph was not finished testing his brothers. 

When they departed the next morning, sacks filled with grain, and their money back in them, they had no clue what was about to happen. Bruh Joseph had told his steward to put his silver cup in Benjamin’s sack, and before they got very far, he sent the steward after them. ‘And he (the steward) overtook them, and he spake unto them these same words, (the words Bruh Joseph had told him to speak). ‘Wherefore have ye rewarded (repaid) evil for good? Is not this it in which my lord drinketh, and whereby indeed he divineth (practices divination)? ye have done evil in so doing.’ (Gen. 44:4b-5). 

‘And they said unto him, wherefore saith my lord these words? God forbid that thy servants (far be it from us that we) should do according to this thing: Behold, the money, which we found in our sacks’ mouth we brought again unto thee out of the land of Canaan: how then should we steal out of thy lord’s house silver or gold? With whomsoever of thy servants it be found, both let him die, and we also will be my lord’s bondmen (slaves). And he (the steward) said, Now let it be according unto your words: he with whom it is found shall be my servant (slave); and ye shall be blameless.’ (Gen. 44:6-10) 

Yes friends, life can be filled with lots of intrigue and deceit, especially in these very selfish, ungodly and evil days. That’s why we need to be very careful with whom we speak or associate, and also guard what we say. For in these times of social media, words are being poured out by the millions without any thought to whom they might hurt or defame. That leads us to some very wise words from James. ‘Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath.’ (James 1:19) 

Then later on he expounds: ‘Even so as the tongue is a little member, and boasteth great things. Behold, how great a matter (forest) a little fire kindleth (sets on fire)! And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity: so (likewise) is the tongue among our members, that it defileth the whole body, and setteth on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire of hell.’ (James 3:5-6) And the scholars rewrite that last verse thus: ‘The tongue is a system (world) of iniquity that sets on fire the whole course of life, and is even set on fire by Satan.’ 

And it certainly is my brethren. It’s one of the smallest members of our body, but possibly the most powerful for it causes wars and stops wars, conveys LOVE, and stops LOVE! You name it, and our tongue is involved somewhere or other. And that’s why Cousin Sol says in Proverbs: ‘Whoso keepeth his mouth and his tongue keepeth his soul from trouble.’ (Prov. 21:23) Truer words were never spoken my people! And though I didn’t intend to deviate to the problems of the tongue, it’s always a good thing for us to hear scriptures on it, because it plays such a large part in our lives. 

But getting back to Bruh Joseph’s story. The steward agrees that anyone in whose sack his master’s silver cup is found, will be their slave, but the others will be blameless. ‘Then they speedily took down every man his sack to the ground, and opened every man his sack. And he (the steward) searched, and began at the eldest, and left at (finished with) the youngest: and the cup was found in Benjamin’s sack. Then they rent (tore) their clothes, and laded (loaded) ever man his ass (donkey), and returned to the city.’ (Gen. 44:11-13) 

Can you imagine the kerfuffle finding Bruh Joseph’s silver cup in Benjamin’s bag. The Bible tells us: ‘And Judah and his brethren came to Joseph’s house: for he was yet there: and they fell before him on the ground. And Joseph said unto them, What deed is this that ye have done? wot (know) ye not that such a man as I can certainly divine (practice divination)? 

And Judah said, What shall we say unto my lord? what shall we speak? or how shall we clear ourselves? God hath found out the iniquity of thy servants: behold, we are my lord’s servants, both we, and he also with whom the cup is found. And he (Bruh Joseph) said, God forbid (far be it from me) that I should do so: but the man in whose hand the cup is found, he shall be my servant; and as for you, get you up in peace unto your father.’ (Gen. 44:14-17) 

Oh my people, the ball was certainly in Bruh Joseph’s court, and he was surely playing hard ball, giving no inch!! But listen to these explanations from the scholars. They say, ‘There was a sacred character attributed to the cup, for he called it a divining cup (cf. vs. 5,15). This theft may have been punishable by death (cf. 31-32). Divining was fundamentally alien to Israel; God revealed His will explicitly (cf. Num. 23:23) Joseph would certainly not have used these means, but he was playing a role and testing his brothers. He wanted to see if they would seize the opportunity to get rid of Benjamin (like they had gotten rid of him). Would they stand with him? Had their hearts been changed?’ 

Now that was the big question. And like all good drama stories, we’ll leave you right there in suspense. (smile) But if God so desires, tomorrow we’ll find out the answer to the big question. Right now though, let’s declare (chuhhh!!!) our Wednesday Wail, letting the whole world know of our marvellous position in Christ Jesus. 

Altogether: ‘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 it’s been further promised that if we endure with Jesus right down to the very end, then that future will be even more glorious than we can ever ask or imagine! Wow! So please, let’s plan on enduring to the very end with Christ nuh! Much LOVE!

…a word fitly spoken (at the right time)…is like apples of gold…in pictures (settings) of silver… (Prov. 25:11)                                                                                                                                                                

Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ         

         

Today’s Scrip-Bit   28 August 2022   Ephesians 2:8.

28 Aug 2022 Leave a comment

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

Ephesians 2:8.      For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God.​

​My fellow believers, let’s come together right now, to praise, worship and give thanks to our great and wonderful God, for that’s the major reason He created us! Consequently, Bruh David could joyfully declare (chuh!!!) in the opening verse of Psalm 122: ‘I was glad when they said unto me, Let us go into the house of the Lord.’ That’s where we’re supposed to be sometime this last Sunday in August of 2022. 

And besides being made to praise and worship God, the psalmist also declares: (yesss!!!) ‘Oh that men would praise the Lord for his goodness (LOVING-kindness), and for his wonderful works to the children of men! For he satisfieth the longing soul, and filleth the hungry soul with goodness.’ (Ps. 107:8-9) That’s even more reason to praise and worship Him. 

And as always, we have a marvellous song of worship to open the proceedings. Today’s hymn is one of our very ‘favouritest’ (smile) aptly titled ‘Amazing Grace.’ It was supposedly written ‘to illustrate a sermon on New Year’s Day of 1773.’ by the sailor, slave trader, turned Anglican priest and abolitionist John Newton (1725-1807). The story goes that Newton, who was brought up in a Christian home rejected his mother’s teachings and became a real profane and wicked individual. 

However, during one of his voyages, a wicked storm (smile) enveloped his ship and threatened to drown them, but during the storm, his mind turned to Christ, and later, finding a New Testament he began reading it. And apparently Luke 11:13 changed his mind about being too wicked to be saved. ‘If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?’ 

Now that’s a terribly important question. And the answer is the Lord will give us ever so much more than we can give our children! Obviously, Newton must have asked for the power of the Holy Spirit and the Lord granted it to him. And isn’t that just the way our Lord LOVES to work; take us up, rescue us when we are at our lowest point. It’s a perfect example that we can never fall too low for the Lord’s grace and mercy to reach us and pull us out of the evil mire in which we’re ensconced. 

Anyway, enough talk for now. If you didn’t know the general background of the hymn, now you know it, so let’s sing it in a soulful, harmonious, mid-tempo version. I hate hearing people sing it like a dirge, for it’s not a sad song but a happy one. A song of salvation should never be sad. So, with voices raised to the max, let’s offer up sacrificial praise, singing like we truly feeling the overpowering sentiments of the song. 

‘Amazing grace! How sweet the sound That saved a wretch like me! I once was lost, but now am found; Was blind, but now I see. Through many dangers, toils and snares, I have already come; ’Tis grace hath brought me safe thus far, And grace will lead me home. The Lord has promised good to me, His Word my hope secures; He will my Shield and Portion be, As long as life endures. 

Yea, when this flesh and heart shall fail, And mortal life shall cease, I shall possess, within the veil, A life of joy and peace. The earth shall soon dissolve like snow, The sun forbear to shine; But God, who called me here below, Will be forever mine. When we’ve been there ten thousand years, Bright shining as the sun, We’ve no less days to sing God’s praise Than when we’d first begun.’ 

Ah mih people, that was marvellous! Heaven couldn’t doubt that we were sincere! And I particularly like this comment in an article on the song from the website Godtube. It says: ‘This song isn’t a song of theology – it’s John Newton’s own heartfelt expression of gratitude to God, who helped him turn from his profane and wicked life and eventually fight against the ills he practiced.’ 

Yes friends, it must be amazing when we can go from one end of the spectrum right to the opposite end! And although the song might not be a theological text (smile) it’s only God’s grace can cause that to happen. For as Bruh Paul wrote to the Ephesians: ‘For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God. Not of works, lest any man should boast.’ (Eph. 2:8-9) 

And I guess Newton full well recognized that fact, having later become and Anglican priest, for in the song, he acknowledged this most important fact: ‘’Tis grace hath brought me safe thus far. And grace will lead me home.’ And that’s for certain sure my fellow believers, for as James, Jesus’ brother tells us: ‘Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness (variation), neither shadow of turning. Of his own will he begat us with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.’ (James 1:17-18) 

Yes precious saints of Christ, everything good comes from our heavenly Father, who is immutable, doesn’t change. And as we said at the beginning, He made us, His most important creation to have fellowship with Him, to be the first step in His redemption plan for all creation. And as the song concludes: ‘When we’ve been here ten thousand years, Bright shining as the sun, We’ve no less days to sing God’s praise Than when we first begun.’ 

Now isn’t that the glorious truth? It surely is! As long as there’s’ life in our bodies, physical or spiritual, we’ll always have occasion to sing the Lord’s praises, for that’s why we were made!  So, let’s remember that nuh and keep singing God’s most deserved praises each and every day of our lives as the Good Book instructs us to do. ‘O praise the Lord, all ye nations: praise (glorify) him, all ye people. For his merciful (LOVING) kindness is great toward us: and the truth of the Lord endureth for ever. Praise ye the Lord (shout Hallelujah!)’ (Ps. 117:1-2) 

And that only comes when we truly believe, and thus have the joy, the truth, and the grace of God moving majestically within us! Much LOVE!

…it’s never too late…or one’s never too far gone…to receive God’s grace…

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

Today’s Scrip-Bit   16 March 2022 Isaiah 33:22.

16 Mar 2022 Leave a comment

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

Isaiah 33:22. For the Lord is our judge, the Lord is our lawgiver, the Lord is our king; he will save us.

And now that we’ve come to Wednesday, the middle of the work week, hopefully we can take a restful breath and catch our second wind, especially after the snowfall we endured yesterday afternoon that tied up the traffic and caused numerous problems, as it has the bad habit of doing. (smile) But, as believers in Christ Jesus, we are expected, hard as it might be at times, to rise above the worries and problems of this world, through the leading and guiding of Christ’s Holy Spirit that dwells within us for that very purpose. 

However, that only happens when we listen and are obedient to the Spirit’s guidance. So, to all of us, I plead, please, please, let’s pay serious attention to the Holy Spirit nuh, so that our earthly journeys can be less difficult and frustrating than they otherwise will be. End of sermon! (smile) 

And since the Lord has seen it fit to give us another day on earth to continue His important work, let’s return to those marvellous words of Isaiah that we’ve been studying for the last couple days. ‘For the Lord is our judge, the Lord is our lawgiver, the Lord is our king, he will save us.’ (Is. 33:22) Yes friends, our God is all of those things to His most magnificent creation. Give Him thanks and praise for His goodness to us underserving children of men! 

Now, today we will tackle the last and possibly the most important aspect of them all, ‘he will save us.’ And why is that you ask? Because God can be our judge, lawgiver and king, but if He doesn’t save our sinful souls, we’ll still be ending up in ole hades with the demonic master. So, saving us is of the utmost importance! And Jacob, the father of the twelve tribes of Israel, knew this, for when prophesying over His sons, said about Dan: ‘I have waited for thy salvation, O Lord.’ (Gen. 49:18) 

But, being the wise and wonderful Deity that He is, Jehovah God obviously had a plan for that from the very beginning, and made it clear in several passages of His Guide Book for Earthly Living: the Bible. And if you don’t believe me, then listen to these magnificent scriptures of the promise of salvation, beginning with these most encouraging and reassuring words from Bruh David from Psalm 37 – The true state of the wicked. 

He ends the psalm thus: ‘But the salvation of the righteous is of the Lord: he is their strength in the time of trouble. And the Lord shall help them, and deliver them: he shall deliver them from the wicked, and save them, because they trust in him.’ (Ps. 37:39-40). And we know that our God doesn’t make idle promises! 

Then Isaiah, in talking about Israel’s restoration to Zion, delivers this message from God: ‘Say to them that are of a fearful heart, be strong, fear not: behold, your God will come with vengeance, even God with a recompense: he will come and save you.’ (Is. 35:4) All through His word the Lord’s been reassuring His people of salvation and a good end. And Isaiah again, in The song of praise by the redeemed, confidently declares: ‘And it shall be said in that day, Lo, this is our God, we have waited for him, and he will save us: this is the Lord; we have waited for him, we will be glad and rejoice in his salvation.’ (Is. 25:9) 

Yes, my faithful brethren, ONLY, the Lord God Jehovah can give us salvation! And He spelt it right out, so that there could be no misunderstanding, through this mighty promise of scripture from Isaiah that we all know, re the birth of the Prince of Peace, Jesus, the Messiah, the Saviour of the world. 

‘For unto us a child is born, unto us a Son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgement and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this.’ (Is. 9:6-7) 

Oh, what a powerful picture that is my people of our Lord and Saviour, Immanuel! A benevolent ruler, who will eventually bring peace and LOVE to our fractured world! And that Prince of Peace, Jesus Christ was born on Christmas Day and grew into the man who declared His Sonship of God, and the fulfillment of God’s promises, His mighty plans of deliverance and salvation for His people, through these awesome words. ‘For God so LOVED the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him, should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world ; but that the world through him might be saved.’ (John 3:16-17) 

Game, set and match, mih bredrin! Matter done! Salvation has been provided! God’s awesome promises have been fulfilled! And it’s so simple: all we have to do is believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and truly died on the cross of Calvary to atone for our sins! John, the apostle, who walked with Christ, agrees and says it thus: ‘And we have seen and do testify that the Father sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world. Whosever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwelleth in him, and he in God.’ (1 John 4:14-15) 

Wow! None of the other supposed gods make it that easy to come to them. They can’t, because they don’t exist. But the Lord God Jehovah can do so because He is the One True and Living God who has the omnipotent power to save with righteousness and justice! All glory be to His mighty and holy name! 

Ah friends, all I can say is that the option Jesus provides is much better than that provided by the enemy Satan. And since there are only two options, I believe, or rather I know, that Jesus is the wiser choice. However, we each have to make our own decisions. But please remember that there are serious consequences to either choice, and do take the consequences into consideration before making your personal choice. 

For those of us though, who have already made the decision to follow Jesus, let’s go home declaring (yesss!!!) our Wednesday Wail, letting all and sundry know of our wonderful position in Jesus. As one confident voice 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 as we remind ourselves every Wednesday; if we endure to the end, the future will be even more glorious than we can ask or imagine! So please let that encourage us to endure to the end nuh! Much LOVE!

…JESUS…the Saviour of the world…He defeated death…and now offers Eternal Life…to any who believe… 

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

    

Today’s Scrip-Bit   20 December 2021 Psalm 60:11.

20 Dec 2021 Leave a comment

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

Psalm 60:11.     Give us help from trouble: for vain is the help of man. 

Come on friends, time to roll out and get on with the Monday morning show! The real winter season seems to be finally here, with temps now consistently in the minus category, that means we need to give ourselves some extra time to warm up the cars and ourselves. We can’t be late for work…Jesus was never late for anything, (smile) and as His ambassadors we need to aim for the same heights of diligence and excellence. And I’m only partially joking, because Jesus does want His people to be upstanding and excellent representatives of His kingdom. 

On the other hand though, the traffic might not be as bad as it normally is, since a lot of people might be returning to work from home situations, or have no work at all, because of the new Covid-19 regulations handed down this past week, in an effort to stem the crazy spread of the Omicron variant, which they say might not be as dangerous as its forerunners, but spreads more quickly than them. Whatever our situation though my brethren, we must all be diligent and aware and take the necessary precautions to keep us safe, because this virus doesn’t seem to be going away any time soon, what with all the confusion and disagreement over what it is and how to stem its tide. 

But on an interesting note, a little while ago I was looking through the psalms for something to talk about today and hit upon what I believe is a rather appropriate comparison to our current situation. It’s a situation found in Psalm 60 – A prayer for help against the foe. It seems while Bruh David was doing battle in the north, other enemies attacked in the south, so he had to split up his army and send his mighty warrior Joab to deal with the situation down there. And these were some of the words Bruh David voiced. ‘O God, thou hast cast us off, thou hast scattered (broken) us, thou hast been displeased; O turn thyself to us again (restore us again). (Ps. 60:1) 

And there is ample reason to believe that God is very displeased with us right now and has left us to fight our battles on our own as we so adamantly desired. What with all the sinfulness, ungodliness, irreverence and blasphemy raging all over the world, why should that surprise us. And Bruh David continues: ‘Thou hast made the earth to tremble; thou hast broken it: heal the breaches thereof; for it shaketh.’ (Ps. 60:2) 

Now there is absolutely no doubt that the Lord has made the earth to tremble in the last few years. Please note the unusual amount of earth trembling and shattering things like earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, hurricanes and tornadoes during that time, and also the unusual intensity of them all. And only through God’s mighty hand can the resulting breaches be healed. 

But I like the next verse, as Bruh David shows his prowess also with words. He says: ‘Thou hast showed thy people hard things: thou hast made us to drink the wine of astonishment (staggering).’ (Ps. 60:3) Oh friends, has the Lord ever showed us hard things and made us to drink the wine of astonishment! So many tough situations have come upon us recently, not to mention the ongoing Covid virus pandemic, the numerous strife-filled areas of our world, with more coming on board every day. 

Don’t talk about the famines and droughts, the economic disasters, the worldwide poverty in the face of untold wealth and all the inhumanity we are showing to each other. I don’t know if there’s ever been a time when the saying, ‘man’s inhumanity to man makes countless thousands mourn,’ has ever been truer. 

And I know that many of us don’t think that the Lord has anything to do with the terrible state our world is currently experiencing, but I think that’s a fool’s wisdom. He might not be causing some of the disasters, but He’s surely not putting forth His hand to help us the way we expect Him to. And what else can we expect when we don’t reverence Him and obey His commandments eh, but are instead desperately trying to rid our society of His name and memory? 

But yuh know what, Bruh David despite all his problems and his laments over them, knew exactly on which side his bread was buttered, on the Lord’s side. That’s why he ended the psalm thus. ‘Give us help from trouble: for vain is the help of man. Through God we shall do valiantly: for he it is that shall tread down our enemies.’ (Ps. 60:11-12) And that’s the indisputable truth my fellow saints! Only God can right our world, and only if we acknowledge that He is our Creator and Controller, our God and heavenly Father, the One and Only True and Living God! 

What will it take for us to discover and acknowledge that our bread is buttered on His side eh? Look at the mess man has made and is still making of the world. Are we going to continue to put our trust in man’s evil ways, his greed and perfidy? That’s his deceptive ways, his duplicity and inability to keep promises. I certainly hope not. So, since there’s no time like the present to begin the turnaround, let’s go to fountain of life, that’s God, for help through prayer nuh, sincerely voicing our Monday Morning Battle Hymn. 

Altogether now: ‘Our Father, who art in heaven, we, Your humble servants, praise Your Holy Name and thank You this Monday morning for life and strong faith in Christ, despite the mass confusion in our world. We desperately need Your divine help, for You are the ONLY ONE with the power to solve our many problems. 

Heavenly Father, we admit that we have all sinned and seriously disobeyed Your Word, but we know that You are a merciful, forgiving and gracious God, who has faithfully promised to hear and answer our prayers when we humble ourselves, pray, and sincerely seek Your face. That’s why we come to You now, with sincere repentance in our hearts, pleading with You to give us wise guidance and direction to alleviate our problems.  

And Father, we pray that you will ease the pain of the many who are suffering from negative situations. Please show them Your awesome grace and mercy, and keep Your promise that You’ll hear our prayer, forgive us, and heal our land if we turn from our evil ways. Show this evil world that You are indeed Jehovah Rapha; the God who heals! We pray this in the holy and blessed name of Your Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen! And again, we say: Amen!’ 

Now if we are serious and want positive answers to our prayers, then we must keep our promises, else the Lord will just ignore us. Much LOVE!

…to God be the glory…for His goodness to the children of men…who don’t seem to want or appreciate it…                                                                                                                                                           

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