Today’s Scrip-Bit   23 October 2022   Lamentations 3:22-23.

23 Oct 2022 Leave a comment

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

Lamentations 3:22-23.        It is of the Lord’s mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.

Here it is again my people, Sunday, The day of the Lord! The Sabbath Day, that we should keep holy and gather in sweet fellowship to praise and give thanks to Almighty God our Creator and Provider for all that He’s done, is doing, and has promised to do for us. And all God’s children gave a mighty and grateful shout of ‘Praise the Lord!’ 

Now, today’s song is a very popular one amongst the brethren, and is aptly titled ‘Great is Thy Faithfulness.’ And would you believe we’ve never sung it in our Sunday worship. I was most amazed when I decided to sing it today and went looking for it amongst the archives. But it was nowhere to be found, so I had to research it from scratch. The song was written by Thomas O. Chisholm born in Franklin, Kentucky – (1866-1960). He wrote the poem in 1923 about God’s faithfulness over his lifetime and sent it to William Runyan in Kansas, who set it to music. It was published the same year by the Hope Publishing Company with which Runyan was affiliated and soon became popular among church groups. 

So let’s put our hearts and voices together and sing a rousing, mid-tempo, soulful, but oh so scintillating version of this amazing song, so that heaven will have no doubt that we are indeed grateful for God’s awesome faithfulness. Singing: ‘Great is thy faithfulness, O God my Father, there is no shadow of turning with thee. Thou changest not, thy compassions, they fail not; as thou hast been, thou forever wilt be. (Refrain: Great is thy faithfulness! Great is thy faithfulness! Morning by morning new mercies I see; all I have needed thy hand hath provided. Great is thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me!) 

Summer and winter and springtime and harvest, sun, moon, and stars in their courses above join with all nature in manifold witness to thy great faithfulness, mercy, and LOVE. [Refrain] Pardon for sin and a peace that endureth, thine own dear presence to cheer and to guide, strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow, blessings all mine, with ten thousand beside! [Refrain] Great is thy faithfulness! Great is thy faithfulness! Morning by morning new mercies I see; all I have needed thy hand hath provided. Great is thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me!)’ 

That was wonderful my brethren! Now there’s no doubt in heaven about our sincerity. So let’s look at some background info on the song. It seems that Chisholm’s life was ordinary. He grew up on a farm, was converted to Christianity at age 26, then became a minister in 1903, and according to one article ‘His aim in writing was to incorporate as much Scripture as possible and to avoid flippant or sentimental themes.’ And He’s certainly done that in this one. 

Then, in 1994, Greg Scheer wrote these words about the song and it’s author. ‘Unlike many hymns that have heart-wrenching stories behind them (for instance “It Is Well With My Soul”), “Great Is Thy Faithfulness” is inspired by the simple realization that God is at work in our lives on a daily basis. He (Chisholm) wrote, “My income has not been large at any time due to impaired health in the earlier years which has followed me on until now. Although I must not fail to record here the unfailing faithfulness of a covenant-keeping God and that He has given me many wonderful displays of His providing care, for which I am filled with astonishing gratefulness.” The hymn reminds us that God doesn’t only work in dramatic or miraculous ways, but also in simple, everyday ways. It also reminds us that Jesus has never failed us in the past, so we have no reason to doubt his faithfulness in the future.’ 

And isn’t all of that the God-awesome truth my fellow saints! It certainly is! For we serve a marvellous God filled with compassion and faithfulness. And apparently it’s these heart opening words of truth found in Jeremiah’s Lamentations that the song is based on. ‘It is of the Lord’s mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.’ (Lam. 3:22-23) And believe me, that’s the gospel truth, for if our God wasn’t merciful and compassionate, we’d have been destroyed long ago. 

And I like how this second commentator compares Chisholm’s experiences to that of Jeremiah. He says: ‘Jeremiah, on the other hand, was in tumultuous circumstances when writing Lamentations. The people to whom he prophesied did not listen, and he was ostracized and completely alone because of what God called him to do. He also lamented the consequences of their faithlessness. God allowed them to be conquered by the Babylonians, resulting in their entire world being laid to waste. 

But in the midst of that utter devastation, Jeremiah still offers them hope on the horizon: they are not completely destroyed because of the LORD’s compassion and faithfulness, and in the morning, after this “dark night of the soul,” things will be better. So whether we are at a place in our lives where everything is pretty ordinary, or whether we are in a period of grief: no matter what our circumstances, God never changes and is faithful to us, sustaining us in his compassion and faithfulness each and every day.’ 

More gospel truth friends, for which we should be eternally grateful. Now let’s look at a few scriptures that corroborate and solidify what we’ve been saying. And I like this first one from the prophet Malachi, when talking to his people about the payment of tithes. ‘For I am the Lord I change not: therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed. Even from the days of your fathers ye are gone away from mine ordinances, and have not kept them. Return unto me, and I will return unto you, saith the Lord of hosts. But ye said, Wherein, (in what way) shall we return?’ (Mal. 3:6-7) 

And yuh know what friends? It’s the very same thing the Lord is saying unto us today. We have turned away in great droves from Him, being sinful and disobedient, but He’s still pleading with us to  return to His fold, where we will find goodness and mercy, rest and peace. And do we ever need those things in these turbulent times. But we stubbornly refuse to accept His call, despite the serious problems in which our world is currently floundering and going down for the count. 

Then, there’s this verse from the pen of the psalmist Asaph. He writes: ‘But he (God), being full of compassion, forgave their iniquity, and destroyed them not: yea, many a time turned he his anger away, and did not stir up all his wrath.’ (Ps. 78:38) Oh my people, we cannot dispute those sentiments of Asaph, because they are totally true. How many times have we turned away from the God of our forefathers eh, and He has not completely destroyed us? We shouldn’t even be alive to tell the tale right now, but for His mercy and compassion for his frail and foolish creation. And yet we claim that He does not LOVE us. Hogwash! 

And we’ll end with these words from Psalm 36, where Bruh David declares: (yesss!!!) ‘Thy mercy (LOVING-kindness), O Lord, is in the heavens, and thy faithfulness reacheth unto the clouds. Thy righteousness is like the great mountains (mountains of God): thy judgements are a great deep (ocean): O Lord, thou preservest man and beast. How excellent (precious) is thy LOVING-kindness, O God! therefore the children of men put their trust under the shadow of thy wings.’ (Ps. 36:5-7) 

And if we want to alleviate the sure destruction that seems in store for our world, if we continue on our current path, I can assure us that there is no better place for mankind to put their trust right now, than in the Lord God Jehovah! So please my people, I am pleading with us to take time and sincerely and seriously ponder that wisdom today. For it will do us a world of good. Much LOVE!

…a word to the wise…is usually sufficient…  

Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZJ             

Today’s Scrip-Bit 21 March 2014 Psalm 78:38

21 Mar 2014 Leave a comment

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

Psalm 78:38.   But he, being full of compassion, forgave their iniquity, and destroyed them not: yea, many a time turned he his anger away, and did not stir up all his wrath.
 
Aloha Friends! Yuh know it’s Friday…? Apparently you do, because I can hear you round the corner singing loud and clear: ‘TGIF! Thank God is Friday yes! Another week of labour done. And now is my time… my time to enjoy the weekend as I please… Free from massa slavery…!’
 
Now that’s quite true my brethren, but it’s also not the entire picture. Though we are indeed free to do whatever we so desire on the weekend, as believers in Jesus Christ, the holy and sinless Son of God, who selflessly sacrificed His life for us on the cross at Calvary, we have other things to consider besides fleshly enjoyment.
 
Things like not overdoing the party scene and allowing the evil one to get a foot hold in our lives, anymore than he already has. We need to control our fleshly lusts, be somewhat circumspect about our behaviour.
 
And it’s not only on the weekends that we need to be careful in our faith walk – the weekends just provide more freedom to do so – but each and every minute and hour of every day, because the enemy doesn’t ever take a break from trying to infiltrate our souls.
 
Sometimes it might seem like he’s leaving us alone, but you can bet your bottom dollar that he’s lurking somewhere nearby, possibly in disguise too, like a sheep in wolves’ clothing, just waiting to pounce when we step out of God’s will.
 
Anyhow, as always, let’s chant our Friday Chant to help us remember that the weekend is not all about wine, women and song, but also very much about Almighty God! 
 
So as one, big, honey-voiced, harmonious chanteuse, (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.’
 
Yeh mih people, we have to try and stay within certain safe parameters, so that we don’t need to invoke our Bit too often: ‘But he, being full of compassion, forgave their iniquity, and destroyed them not: yea, many a time turned he his anger away, and did not stir up all his wrath.’
 
And why did the Lord restrain His anger? Because as our Creator, He knows all our weaknesses and frailties. And as Asaph, the psalmist continues: ‘For he remembered that they were but flesh; a wind that passeth away, and cometh not again. How oft did they provoke (rebel against) him in the wilderness, and grieve him in the desert!
 
Yea, they turned back and tempted God, and limited the Holy One of Israel. They remembered not his hand (his delivering power), nor the day when he delivered them from the enemy.’ (Ps.78:39-41)
 
Yes Friends, Israel’s memory was very short indeed! Once they became free and/or prosperous, they forgot the Lord God of their fathers, He of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, their Redeemer and strong shield, and they began hungering and thirsting for the worthless things of the world.
 
And yuh know what my people? That is exactly what we are doing today! 
 
During the last few decades, as our technology improved by leaps and bounds, and our lives became filled with earthly wealth and material things, we gradually turned away from the God who had made all that prosperity possible.
 
Oh my fellow believers, our society only prospered because we were walking more in God’s Will back then, than in disobedience. However, now the tables have turned; since we’re walking in much more disobedience and sinfulness, our prosperity has also declined – and a whole lot too.
 
Like Israel, we have forgotten who brought us to the dance, we have forgotten those awesome and immortal words of wisdom and absolute truth that the Lord spoke to Joshua when He appointed him the new leader of Israel, after the death of Moses.
 
‘Only be thou strong and very courageous, that thou mayest observe to do according to all the law, which Moses my servant commanded thee; turn not from it to the right hand or to the left, that thou mayest prosper (have success or act wisely) whitherseover thou goest.
 
This book of the law shall not depart out of (be constantly in) thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein; for then shalt thou make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.’ (Josh.1:7-8)
 
Oh my people, what’s so difficult to understand there eh? Nothing! It’s as plain as day!
 
And those are possibly two of the most important verses in the entire Good Book, for if we follow them conscientiously, we WILL have success and prosperity! 
 
And if you’re wondering why our western society is floundering and quickly going down hill, just consider those two verses and our current relationship to them.
 
Oh my fellow believers, if we ever hope to restore our success and prosperity we need to repent and return to worshipping Almighty God, like the Israelites did!
 
It’s not too late, because our God is a God of many chances, but never believe that He won’t destroy us, if we don’t comply with His law. So let’s rise up today, in fact, RIGHT NOW, and try to change the foolish, disobedient mindset of our society.
 
That’s the ONLY WAY we’ll ever rise from the mire in which we’re now steadily sinking, and thus give those who come after us, a fighting chance to enjoy success and prosperity all the days of their lives.
 
Please, let’s make that our everlasting legacy nuh! Much LOVE!
 
…a society can only rise from its ashes…like the phoenix…when it sincerely repents…and genuinely returns to obeying the Word of God…