Deuteronomy 28:1. And it shall come to pass, if thou shalt hearken diligently unto the voice of the Lord thy God, to observe and to do all his commandments which I command thee this day, that the Lord thy God will set thee high above all nations of the earth.
Ah mih people, in this rough and rugged world, when it’s not one thing, it’s certainly another yes. Now yesterday my allergies were bothering me, but I beat them off. Today though, I couldn’t get up. Like the ole body was more tired than I thought.
However, as the old people would say; better late than never. So if the Bit’s a tad late, please bear with the ole fella, let your tender mercies and forgiveness, your Christian compassion come to the fore, as you remember that he’s only human and thus very fallible. (smile) And that’s why they say B.S. baffles brains!
But I have an interesting acclamation to share today. It comes from Bubba Joel (Joel Osteen), so those of you who deal with him might have already seen it, but for the many who don’t, it’s very useful to share.
And Bubba Joel excitingly declares in the title: ‘TODAY IS MY DAY! God has destined me to be a barrier breaker! He created me to be uncontainable. I have talent and potential given to me by the Creator of the universe. There are seeds of greatness inside of me. Today, I choose to break free from a limited mindset and enlarge my vision.
Today, God is taking me places I’ve never even dreamed of before. Today, God is fulfilling His purpose and destiny in my life. Today, I will experience His favour like never before in every area of my life.’
Yes Friends, we all need to enlarge our vision and change our mindset to one that expects God’s favour, His goodness and mercy, every day of our lives, otherwise we’re more than likely to short-change ourselves.
Oh I know that lots of people cry down what’s generally called prosperity and positive thinking, but why not embrace it instead eh? Jesus said that He came to earth so that we could have life, and have it more abundantly. (John 10:10)
So what does that mean eh? It surely doesn’t mean we should live poor, downtrodden lives. But neither does it mean that every believer will become filthy rich in worldly goods and live high on the hog, as some preachers preach, and some believers believe. I think it means that generally speaking, true believers will live a decent, above average life.
For as our Bit so wonderfully puts this everlasting promise of our great and wonderful God: ‘And it shall come to pass, if thou shalt hearken diligently unto the voice of the Lord thy God, to observe and to do all his commandments which I command thee this day, that the Lord thy God will set thee high above all nations of the earth.’
As usual Friends, our God’s pronouncements are plain and simple: obey, and you’ll be blessed. ‘And all these blessings shall come upon thee, and overtake thee, if thou shalt hearken unto the voice of the Lord thy God.’ (Deut. 28:2)
Ah mih people, how wonderful He is eh! He even goes on to spell out in more detail, the many fabulous blessings He has in store for us, if we obey His rules.
‘Blessed shalt thou be in the city, and blessed shalt thou be in the field. Blessed shall be the fruit of thy body (offspring), and the fruit of thy ground, and the fruit of thy cattle, the increase of thy kine (cattle), and the flocks of thy sheep. Blessed shall be thy basket and thy store (kneading bowl). Blessed shalt thou be when thou comest in, and blessed shalt thou be when thou goest out.
The Lord shall cause thine enemies that rise up against thee to be smitten (defeated) before thy face: they shall come out against thee one way, and flee before thee seven ways. The Lord shall command the blessing upon thee in thy storehouses, and in all that thou settest thine hand unto; and he shall bless thee in the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee.’ (Deut.28:3-8)
Oh my brethren, what’s in that not to understand eh? But being foolish, rebellious, prideful, think we know it all, trusting in our own sub-par provision, we’ve turned from the Lord. And what’s the result? We’re obviously reaping what we’ve so stupidly sown with our disobedience; poverty, sickness, economic distress, war, strife, and all other sorts of disasters and calamities.
But do you think we’ll even for a moment sit down and seriously ponder the situation? Oh no! Because Beelzebub has us in grip, we’re so firmly ensconced in the palms of his hands, we can’t escape his evil hold, for we’ve sold our souls to him for the worthless treasures of this soon to be destroyed world.
And we’ll end with this simple, straightforward, but oh so important verse of scripture. ‘The Lord shall establish thee a holy people unto himself, as he hath sworn unto thee, if thou shalt keep the commandments of the Lord thy God, and walk in his ways.’ (Deut.28:9)
Oh Friends, it can’t get any simpler and more straightforward than that! So please, today, as true believers in Jesus Christ, let’s all pluck up our courage, pick ourselves up from wherever we’ve fallen, and believe God for a good and decent life, if we follow His dictates.
And it’s not like we haven’t seen it played out just as He said, all down through the centuries; from the days of Jewish prosperity, to their calamities when they disobeyed, right down to our earlier prosperity when we were a more godly people, to our now divisive, disaster and strife torn world, as we’ve become very idolatrous and disobedient.
So it’s not like the words of the Good Book haven’t been played out and found to be true. It’s just that we’re obstinate, rebellious, prideful and foolish.
So please my people, let’s try and make some wise changes nuh, once again becoming obedient to God’s Word, starting TODAY! That’s wisdom of the most immense proportions. Much LOVE!
…if you want to disobey…then know that you’ll surely pay…and pay large too…
Today’s Scrip-Bit 14 November 2013 Genesis 12:2.
14 Nov 2013 Leave a comment
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: aberration, Abram, Abram's behaviour, altar, be a blessing, bless thee, calamity, Canada, colour the situation, curse, dust of the earth, eat one's words, evil, expected end, fellow believers, forgiveness, fortitude, future, God's pronouncements, God's reserved space, God's Spirit, great faith, great nation, Haran, Hebron, heir, hem and haw, hope, jesus name, job frustration, lacked for nothing, leading and guiding, lift up your eyes, Lot, make tracks, Mamre, mercy, negatives, nomadic journey, obedience, obey God's dictates, omnipotent god, politics, positives, praise Your Holy Name, promises, pull up stakes, reality, renege on a promise, Sodom & Gomorrah, T&T, Thank You Lord, thoughts of peace, unknown God, words of wisdom, work ethic
Genesis 12:2. And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing.
Ah mih people, once again the Lord has seen it fit to bless us with another glorious day of life on Planet Earth! Isn’t that wonderful? It sure is! And for that let’s give Him a loud shout of ‘Thank You Lord, for being so good to us! We praise You and Bless Your Holy Name. Amen.’
And I won’t get into any long preamble today, (smile) because in this promise there’s a lot of scripture I want to share. Remember we’re currently dealing with the promises of God to man. And today’s promise is one of the greatest promises ever given by our omnipotent God to one of His creations. It’s His call to Abram.
Hear how it starts: ‘Now the Lord had said unto Abram (High Father), Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house, unto a land that I will show thee. And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing. And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all the families of the earth be blessed.’ (Gen.12:1-3)
Oh Friends, what a great promise for a move of obedience. The Lord called Abram to leave his father’s house in Haran to go out, only the Lord knew where.
However my fellow believers, it’s very important that we study, pay great attention to Abram’s behaviour, his great faith and fortitude, for as believers, the Lord’s constantly leading and guiding us to do things and go places that seem to have no basis in the reality of our situations. But like Abram, once we’re convinced the guidance and direction is of our God, then we need to make tracks and do it.
Now Abram had no way of knowing where the Lord was planning to take him, or what sort of life he was going to have. For heaven’s sake, he was already seventy-five years old, wealthy and quite settled in his ways. The only thing he lacked was a child, an heir from his own loins.
So why would he pull up stakes at that late stage of his life and head out with his whole family and his possessions on some nomadic journey that some unknown God told him to take eh?
On the face of it, the many negatives definitely outweighed the positives. In fact, judging from the outward aspects of the situation, there were no positives whatsoever. But despite all the negatives that seemed to colour the situation, something in Abram made him do it.
I guess the Lord filled that little reserved space in Abram’s soul with His Spirit. The same space that is reserved for God alone in all His human creations.
The promises were indeed enormous, but I don’t know if at seventy-five, with wealth and comfort to last my lifetime, I’d want to journey into the great unknown, just to father a great nation, or to make my name great.
Oh, I’d better shut up here yes, because knowing the Lord’s penchant for making one eat one’s words and for drama, at seventy five, He’ll just find some new mountain for me to climb. (smile)
‘So I’m sorry Lord. I take that back. That was just a slight aberration on my part. Please forgive me. I’ll go anywhere you send me, at any age. Thank You Lord for your mercy and forgiveness. In Jesus’ name I pray.’
Doh laugh nuh Friends, I’ve made that kind of mistake before, and paid dearly for it.
Anyway people, God also made other promises to Abram. When Abram and his nephew Lot separated – remember Lot went with him on the nomadic journey – because the land was too small for all their herds and people to live comfortably.
While Lot went toward the sinful cities of Sodom and Gomorrah, the Lord said to Abram: ‘Lift up now thine eyes, and look from the place where thou art northward, and southward, and eastward, and westward: For all the land which thou seest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed (descendants) for ever.
And I will make thy seed as the dust of the earth: so that if a man can number the dust of the earth, then shall thy seed also be numbered. Arise, walk through the land in the length of it and in the breadth of it; for I will give it unto thee. Then Abram removed his tent, and came and dwelt in the plain of Mamre, which is in Hebron, and built there an altar unto the Lord.’ (Gen13:14-18)
The only problem though Friends, is that Abram was possibly eighty by then, and his wife Sarai around seventy, so where were these descendants like the dust of the earth going to come from eh? But that didn’t seem to bother Abram, he kept on believing in the Lord, having faith in His pronouncements.
Another key point here is how would we have reacted? Right now we know more about God and His strengths, purpose and plans than Abram ever dreamed about, but yet we still hem and haw when God directs us to do simple tasks in His Name.
Can you imagine if forty years ago, He’d told to me to pull up stakes in T&T and go to cold, rough, foreign Canada where I’d make a big name for myself, what would my reaction had been? I doubt I would have just done it. Though, for all you know, He might have purposely engineered the job frustration I felt in T&T, which eventually made me leave.
Like Abram, I was doing well, lacked for nothing in the Government’s job, except job satisfaction, with all the foolish politics being played in higher places hampering the work I was hired to do. And since my mother was already in Canada, I figured it wouldn’t be too difficult to get here.
But it hasn’t been easy, and the job satisfaction hasn’t really been any better. At least in T&T we don’t pretend to have this great work ethic, as they do in Canada. In T&T I would certainly have had a much easier and possibly more successful life.
So Friends, please be careful of what you wish for, of the frustration you find in what you have or do, because in many cases, what you rush off to, is much worse than what you left behind.
Anyway my brethren, with those words of wisdom, we’ll close for today. I have to chuckle because I never planned to get into my situation, but the Spirit just brought it to mind, and it just seemed to fit naturally. In any case I couldn’t have got in all the scriptures I wanted today, so God willing, tomorrow we’ll continue looking at Abram and all the promises God made him.
Till then, please let’s listen closely to whatever God is saying to us, and obey His dictates, because He knows the plans He has for us, ‘thoughts of peace, and not evil (calamity), to give you an expected end (a future and a hope). (Jer.29:11) That’s a divine promise, so please let’s be wise and heed it. Much LOVE!
…our omnipotent God…has NEVER…and WILL NEVER renege on a promise…since He can do whatever He promises…
Today’s Scrip-Bit 10 November 2013 Matthew 5:14
10 Nov 2013 Leave a comment
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: abuse, almighty god, atrocities, belief, Bible, bounden duty, Calvary's cross, Catholic Church, christianity, compassionate, confidence, conquer the heathen, corrupt things, dark world, death, destruction, die a thousand deaths, divine wisdom, divisions, eternal life, evil doers, evil ways, faith, flavour, flood, foolishness, forgiveness, glorify God, God's favour, good for nothing, good news of Christ, good works, grace, grace of God, heals wounds, heaven, hypocrisy, inhumanity, Jesus, Jesus' work, lack of understanding, laid waste, let your light shine, light of the world, Lord and Saviour, LOVE Revolution, Lucifer, Martin Luther, mercy, naivety, negativity, new beginning, Noah, one true God, Peace and Love, persecution, personal relationship, petty grievances, preservative, prosperous land, redeeming work, Reformation, religious attitudes, salt of the earth, salvation, show of love, therapeutic remedy, things of God, trodden underfoot, trust, trust in God, unbelievers, unity, war, wonder of wonders
Matthew 5:14. Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hid.
Ah Friends, our world is in such a sad state of disrepair and confusion, it hurts to the very core. There are so many more negative than positive happenings, that when you look around all you can see is man’s terrible and ever increasing inhumanity to his fellow man. Not too long ago, it was reckoned in millions, but now it’s counted in billions.
Ah Lord eh! And the atrocities taking place in our supposed civilized world are innumerable and real, real… Hn! I can’t seem to find a word worse than atrocious nuh, so I guess atrocious it is. And the sad part is that many of these atrocities are being committed in the name of some god or the other. And wonder of wonders, all these gods are supposed to be deities which exude peace and LOVE as their main platforms!
Chuh! I guess that’s what I get for reading the newspapers, because they’re simply littered with all the negative aspects of our world, since that’s what is considered worthwhile news today. Very few of the relatively few good things happening in our world are ever reported.
I have to stop here and chuckle yes Friends, because when I was growing up, I could never understand about the constant warfare reported in the Bible and the History Books. And, fortunately or unfortunately, I still don’t understand them, or those happening today. I don’t see what real or useful purpose they serve, for it’s all death and destruction.
So you won the war, big deal! Numerous amounts of your citizens are dead, including your friends and family, your once proud and prosperous land is laid waste… But you won the war, so that makes you a mighty conqueror!
Steups! Pure foolishness Friends! I think I’ll just remain in my lack of understanding and naivety yes. (smile) The Lord might have been wiser though to let all of mankind perish in the flood, because even with that new beginning through Noah and his family, it didn’t take us long to revert to our truly evil ways, and it seems that since then, each generation has gotten progressively worse.
We claim that the Lord made us to have a good personal relationship with Him, but how much of humanity is doing that eh, even amongst the ones that do know about Him? The corrupting things of the world are having a much greater impact on mankind than the things of God, which do not corrupt.
So where does that leave us, eh mih breddren? It leaves the proportionate few who sincerely believe in the ONE TRUE GOD of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob; the God of LOVE, mercy, grace, forgiveness, salvation and eternal life, to work harder at spreading the good news of Christ and His redeeming work.
Oh Friends, we definitely and desperately need to outwork and outshine Lucifer and his evil hordes, if we truly desire to bring success to Jesus’ LOVE Revolution. To do that though, we need to develop an extraordinary amount of unbelievable faith to be able to put up with all the abuse, persecution and negativity thrown at us by the numerous evil doers of this world.
We need a faith as talked about by Martin Luther (1483-1546) the German minister who played a large part in bringing about the Protestant Reformation a few centuries ago. Now when I went on the Net to check out the dates of his birth and death, I happened to come across the same quote that I planned to share, but in a slightly different form. I considered trying to put them together, but couldn’t get it to work properly, so I’ll just give us both versions.
Version 1, from my Devotional. ‘Faith is a living and unshakeable confidence, a belief in the grace of God so assured that a man would die a thousand deaths for its sake.’
And version 2, from the Net. ‘Faith is a living, bold trust in God’s grace, so certain of God’s favour that it would risk death a thousand times trusting in it.’
Wow! Oh my fellow believers, which ever version you choose, it sure calls for a lot of faith! And right now it’s also obvious that our faith is still too small to successfully conquer the heathen. Without great faith, Martin Luther would not have had the ability to fight the Catholic Church, to stand strong and bring about the Protestant Reformation, which was, and still is, possibly the biggest change in religious attitudes since Christ birthed Christianity.
And Friends, with the great power that evil doers currently possess in our world, it will take a great upheaval, something akin to the Reformation, to bring the heathen to Christ. That’s where the LOVE Revolution comes in my people. We have to put on the greatest show of LOVE the world has seen, since Jesus sacrificed His sinless live on Calvary’s cross, for us to get the world’s attention and cause them to want what we so joyfully possess, to come to Christ to gain salvation and eternal life.
And I’m sorry, but the truth be told, we’re definitely not doing such a good job at it right now. There are too many divisions, too many petty grievances, too much hypocrisy, and simply not enough unity for unbelievers to take us seriously.
So what’s the answer eh mih breddren? We just have to get serious about doing Jesus’ work, to dig down deeper in our souls, find ways to strengthen out faith and trust in Almighty God, so that we’re willing to die a thousand deaths on His behalf.
That means Friends, we need to be two things. The first is to be a bright and genuine reflection of our Bit. ‘Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hid.’ For as Jesus explains: ‘Neither do men light a candle (lamp), and put it under a bushel (basket), but on a candlestick (lamp stand); and it giveth light unto all that are in the house.’ (Matt.5:15)
And secondly, we truly have to be the salt of the earth! Why is that, you ask?
Listen to Jesus, and all of this comes from the Sermon on the Mount. ‘Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour (flavour), wherewith (by what) shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men.’ (Matt.5:13)
Yes Friends, salt adds flavour to our food, acts as a preservative, heals wounds and salt water is the best therapeutic remedy in the world. That means we have to be bright and flavourful, compassionate, comforting, healing wounds, whether physically or psychologically, add taste, flavour and light to our bland, tasteless, dark world.
Yes my people, unless we are the true salt and light of this God-forsaken world, then things will just keep going downhill, which we certainly cannot afford to let happen.
So therefore we need to take Jesus’ advice very seriously. ‘Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.’ (Matt.5:16)
And that my fellow believers is divine wisdom straight from our Leader, our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. So please let’s put it into action as soon as possible nuh. It’s our bounden duty. Much LOVE!
…until the followers of Jesus truly become…the salt of the earth…and the light of the world…His church won’t make serious inroads into Lucifer’s camp…
Today’s Scrip-Bit 9 November 2013 Philippians 4:12
09 Nov 2013 Leave a comment
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: abase, abound, adversity, affirmations, be contented, be full, calms, Christ's Church, Christian maturity, circumstances, complaining, contact with the Father, discipline, doubt, earthly sojourn, evil world, fear, forgiveness, go without, God is always victorious, God is always with us, God is faithful, God is good, God's always watching, God's in control, God's LOVE, God's never late, goodness, grumbling, have plenty, having too much, highs and lows, hungry, indisputable truth, integral part, jesus name, just in time, last minute, lean times, life's ups and downs, live humbly, loving kindness, low faith, mantra, mercy, no pleasure in fools, not enough, pleases God, promises, prosperity, raging billows, sentiments, strength, succour, suffer need, the sea of life, tighten the belt, times of struggle, true wisdom, ungodly behaviour, vital, vow, well-fed
Philippians 4:12. I know both how to be abased (live humbly), and I know how to abound (live in prosperity): every where and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need.
Oh Friends, sadly on this autumn Saturday morning my mind is blank. And though I’m trying to wait patiently for the words I need to flow from heaven, as Jesus promised, so that I can reach out to you with God’s LOVE, mercy, goodness, and forgiveness, they seem to be taking their own sweet time to come. (smile) But I have no doubt that they’ll come, just in the Lord’s own time.
Yuh know that’s the only problem I have with the Lord; His timing. He obviously wrote the book on the just in time method that manufacturers are using these days. Sometimes I just can’t handle this last minute business that He likes to indulge in.
But believe me people, though in our opinion, our God might be a bit tardy in answering our supplications, I can guarantee us one thing; He’s NEVER LATE! And that’s the gospel truth! I can testify to that with all my heart, because it’s happened to me often enough over the years, and not once has He ever let me down.
So until the Lord decides it’s time to let those words flow into my spirit, let’s check out this poem, re ‘God’s Promise,’ which I’ve shared with you before, but which is still good to hear and run through our souls every so often. I don’t remember where I got it from, but it’s very appropriate and invaluable in helping us to live a good Christian life.
And it says: ‘I will not fear; God is always with me. I will not doubt; God is always in control. I will not despair; God is always good. I will not falter; God is always watching. I will not fail; God is always victorious.’
Yes Friends, those are indeed thoughts, words, affirmations, or whatever you choose to call them, which we should hang on to for dear life, possibly make them a mantra, because each statement is indisputably true! For God is always with us, always in control, always good, always watching over us, and always victorious! Let’s never forget those things my brethren! Instead, let’s write them indelibly in our hearts, minds and souls, since they can be of great help in times of struggle or low faith.
And there we have it my people, the words I’ve been waiting for from heaven. (smile) I told you that our God is faithful and wouldn’t leave me in the lurch. He NEVER HAS, and NEVER WILL leave any of His children to walk the rough, ungodly paths of this evil world alone.
And all God’s people gratefully declared: ‘Thank You Lord for looking out for us, although we don’t deserve Your LOVING-kindness! We truly LOVE You, and will try to improve our ungodly behaviour. We pray this in Jesus’ Name. Amen.’
Now those are most excellent sentiments Friends, but please remember we should not make promises, especially to God, unless we intend to keep them. For as Cousin Sol so wisely informs us: ‘When thou vowest a vow unto God, defer (delay) not to pay it; for he hath no pleasure in fools: pay that which thou hast vowed. Better is it that thou shouldest not vow, than thou shouldest vow and not pay.’ (Eccl.5:4-5)
Words of true true wisdom mih breddren! Now let’s turn to our Bit: ‘I know both how to be abased (live humbly), and I know how to abound (live in prosperity): every where and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need.’
Ah my fellow believers, being contented, though not necessarily happy, regardless of our circumstances, is an exceedingly vital and integral part of Christian maturity! For without it, we’d just go crazy, being constantly buffeted by life’s ups and downs.
And that steadying influence can only come from steadfastly standing on the promises of Jesus, who suffered the same highs and lows in His earthly sojourn, but found strength and succour by staying in constant contact with the Father. That’s what we also need to do my brethren, if we hope to survive the raging billows, and then the sudden calms of the sea of life.
Now here are some thoughts from the scholars on our Bit. ‘4:12. By listing some specific examples, this verse elaborates upon the very general and broad “in whatsoever state I am” of verse 11. Be abased means literally to discipline oneself, that is, to tighten the belt in lean times. To abound means to live in prosperity. Every where and in all things I am instructed (or, “in all circumstances I have learned the secret of how”) to be full, that is, “well-fed.”
To abound means to have plenty. To suffer need means to go without. Paul has acquired the skill required for successfully living with little and with much, the latter probably being harder: “For one man who can stand prosperity, there are a hundred that will stand adversity.” (Thomas Carlyle)’
Yeh Friends, sometimes having too much is harder to handle than not having enough. Anyway, the important thing is that we learn to bear whatever state we’re in without too much grumbling and complaining, for that’s what pleases our God. Much LOVE!
…earthly circumstances will change…but our God and His promises…NEVER WILL…and until Christians truly believe that…and also act on it…Christ’s church will never become all that it’s capable of becoming…
Today’s Scrip-Bit 7 November 2013 Psalm 118:24
07 Nov 2013 Leave a comment
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: affirmations, awe, awesome truth, be glad, born again, chains break, Christ's Church, Christian, complaining, Controller, Creator, Detroit, disputing, divisions, faith, faithful, fear, feeble-minded, fools despise wisdom, footsteps of Jesus, forgiveness, fortitude, God is good, God working in us, God's Spirit, God's will & purpose, gospel truth, grief, grumbling, heaven, hope, hope in God, Hour of Power, immovable, Jesus' presence, joy, joy of the lord, knowledge, Lamentations, learn to know God, life's not fair, mercy, miserable, obedience, power to get wealth, promises, prosperity, provider, quarrelling, reconciling, rejoice, rest in God, reverence, right tone, salvation, saved soul, shootout, spiritual walls, strength, strong, targets, testing, tests, Thank you Jesus, troubles, truth, unconditional LOVE, understanding, victims, wait pateintly, wild wild west, without me you can do nothing
Psalm 118:24. This is the day which the Lord hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.
Aye mih people! What’s cooking this glorious new morn in the fall of November 2013? I hope it’s all good. But just in case it isn’t, please don’t panic, just get yourself to rest quietly in God, and He will most definitely see you through.
Now it might not be right away, or in a manner that you like, but remember He’s smarter than us and has plans for us which include a myriad of testing. And if we pass those tests, then He’ll most certainly uplift us. Wow! That wasn’t how the rough draft went nuh, but that’s how the Spirit orchestrated the final copy. (smile)
Now let’s briefly touch on a shootout in East Detroit yesterday, where apparently two cars pulled up in front a barber shop, a known gambling den, and opened fire, reminiscent of the days of similar shootouts in the Wild Wild West. Two people in the barbershop were killed and nine others were wounded. Ah Lord eh!
And as you can see, we’re slowly but surely moving up the ladder, from one person shooting, to several involved in the gunfire. I’m not going to get into it though, just ask that we pray faithfully, diligently and constantly that the nonsense will soon come to an end, because until then, we’re all potential victims and targets. Nuff said.
And to dissipate that negativity, let’s hear an intriguing and interesting poem from Gramps Schuller (Robert H. Schuller), taken from his Hour of Power Devotional.
And this poem is titled: ‘Learn to Know God – Dear Jesus, I’ve got to get to know you better: Please help me! I can feel my spiritual and emotional walls crack. I can hear old chains break. I can feel my heart opening like a heavy door whose ancient seals have just begun to break.
I can sense the footsteps of Jesus walking into my life. I am beginning to experience the joy of a soul that is being saved, a life that is being born again. Thank You, Lord! Life’s not fair, but God is good. Amen.’
Yes Friends, I’m sure we can all hear those old chains breaking, our hearts opening, and sense Jesus coming more fully into our lives, which consequently are now seemingly being reborn and filled with the joy of His presence. Mama Mia!
And all the true followers of Jesus declared a mighty shout of: ‘Thank You Jesus! Thank You for saving us, and reconciling us to the Father! We LOVE You and praise Your Holy Name!’
Oh mih people, that’s exactly how we ought to move! And today I was moved to make it and Affirmation Day; one just filled with li’l bits of scripture that we can raise up from the depths of our souls and use whenever the need for strength, hope, faith and fortitude arises.
And as you can see, our Bit: ‘This is the day which the Lord hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it,’ is certainly one of those affirmations that we can affirm everyday, especially when we first arise from sleep. It truly sets the right tone for our day; rejoicing in the fact that the Lord has granted us another day on Planet Earth.
It might be rough down here, but I doubt that many of us are yet ready to give it up for heaven’s golden aisles and pathways. (smile) And to increase that rejoicing factor, let’s move on to Nehemiah, where he sincerely reminds us that ‘the joy of the Lord is your strength.’ (Neh.8:10)
Now that’s undeniable truth my brethren! For you’ll notice that 99.9 % of the time, if you’re not filled with the Lord’s strength, you’re usually miserable and feeble-minded. That’s because God’s Spirit is not working properly in us.
So let’s turn now to those famous Lamentations of poor, ole Jeremiah, and check out where he confidently declares, even in the midst of his lamenting: ‘The Lord is my portion, saith my soul; therefore will I hope in him.’ (Lam.3:24)
Bingo my brethren! That strikes right at the heart of our fear and joy! Hoping in the wonderful and mighty God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob is the BEST thing, the BEST attitude a human being can ever adopt! For remember, He’s our Creator, Controller and Provider, the one who gives us the power to get wealth and prosperity in this earthly life, provided we are obedient to His dictates. (Josh.1:8-9)
Now here is another big one Friends, one of the biggest and most important, from the wise pen of Cousin Sol, where he confidently proclaims: ‘The fear (reverential awe) of the Lord is the (principal) beginning of knowledge; but fools despise wisdom and instruction.’ (Prov.1:7)
Ah mih people, without that understanding and knowledge of God we’re really powerless to do anything, because all things in His universe begin and end with Him. Remember too Jesus’ words to the disciples, re the vine and the branches: ‘for without me ye can do nothing.’ (John 15:5b) Words of awesome truth people!
And as Bruh Paul also told the Philippians: ‘For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of (according to) his good pleasure.’ (Phil.2:13) Yes Friends, it is God working in us the desire to do His will and also the actual accomplishment of His purpose.
But then Bruh Paul warns them that to truly accomplish God’s will and purpose, they needed to ‘Do all things without murmurings (grumbling) and disputings.’ (Phil.2:14)
That means, my fellow believers, no grumbling or complaining about our difficulties and trials, which will invariably come upon us when we do God’s will, and above all, quarrelling amongst ourselves is strictly prohibited.
Hn! Bruh Paul’s head must be sadly shaking up in heaven everyday as he beholds the terrible murmurings, disputings, divisions and futile, petty quarrelling that daily engulfs Christ’s church.
And now we’ll close with one more affirmation from Jeremiah’s Lamentations. ‘It is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the Lord.’ (Lam.3:26)
Oh Friends, that’s the indisputable, unchallengeable, undeniable, gospel truth! So despite our troubles and the grief in our souls, please, let’s promise ourselves to wait patiently on the Lord, with hope in His salvation, quietly rejoicing, for He is indeed faithful that promised. Much LOVE!
…it is overwhelming combination of…hope…faith…joy…mercy…forgiveness…promises… and unconditional LOVE…from a most faithful God…that keeps a Christian…strong and immovable…
Today’s Scrip-Bit 29 October 2013 Matthew 5:9
29 Oct 2013 Leave a comment
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: ambassadors of God, Anglican Journal, Beatitudes, blessed, Blessed are the peacemakers, bloody sacrifice, busy lives, cares of the world, changed life, cheerful, children of God, Church of Christ, citizens of Jesus' kingdom, cloud our judgement, come hell or high water, complaining, difficult, disservice, divine wisdom, easy or hard, enmity with God, excuses, forgiveness, free, good or bad, heavenly Father, holier than thou, in sickness or in health, in the world, indulgent, Jesus' example, justification, justified by faith, keep silent, let calm reign, live in peace, logic, make peace, meaningful realationship, mercy, never looked back, new creation in Christ, not of the world, obedient son, our Lord Jesus Christ, patient, peace with God, peacemakers, pushed on, put His hand to the plough, rebellious ingrates, reconciliation, saints, saving grace, short attention spans, simple, stand still, stop complaining, strife, troubled world, uncoditional love, ungodly earth, want to talk, whining, wisdom, words of truth, yet telling
Matthew 5:9. Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.
Oh Friends, the ole fella’s a bit tardy and tired this autumn Tuesday morn. I guess the old body didn’t get enough rest last night. But like the mail, come hell or high water, in sunshine, snow or rain, in sickness or in health, the Bit has to go out! (smile) So here it is.
And to get us going, here’s this interesting poem I found in the November issue of the Anglican Journal Newspaper. The source is unknown, but the words and message are invaluable.
The title is: ‘Why were the saints saints? Because they were cheerful when it was difficult to be cheerful, patient when it was difficult to be patient; and because they pushed on when they wanted to stand still, and kept silent when they wanted to talk, and were agreeable when they want to be disagreeable. That was all. It was quite simple and always will be.’
Oh my people, those are indeed words of truth and much wisdom! I LOVE it because it’s so simple, yet very telling!
The people we consider saints weren’t really holier than thou, they just did what they had to do without all the complaining and whining that we see in God’s people today. They simply followed Jesus’ example.
Yuh think He really wanted to come to earth and be a bloody sacrifice for a bunch of rebellious ingrates? No way! But the Father required it of Him, and being the obedient Son He was, He put His hand to the plough and never looked back.
And today Friends, the same is required of us; just do whatever the Lord calls us to do, whether it’s good or bad, easy or hard, and stop complaining and looking for excuses to get out of it.
Please note what our Bit says: ‘Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.’ So if we want to be known as God’s children, then we have to be amongst those who endeavour to make peace, not war, to let calm reign, instead of strife.
Now hear what the scholars say about this Beatitude: ‘5:9. The next description deals with the peacemakers. They are at peace with God and desire to live in peace with all men (cf. Rom.5:1). Their peace with Christ enables them to be ambassadors of God’s message to a troubled world. Hence, they shall be called the children of God.
Throughout the Beatitudes Jesus clearly underscores that only those who have the qualities of a changed life, herein described, are citizens of His kingdom.’
Yeh mih breddren, unless we change our worldly ways, become a new creation in Christ, we CANNOT enter His kingdom!
And knowing that many of you won’t check the reference above, I’ll quote Romans 5:1. I sincerely hope though, that my doing so is not a disservice to you all, by making it too easy. Well, even our heavenly Father is sometimes indulgent (smile).
Anyway, Bruh Paul is here talking about the results of justification. ‘Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.’ (Rom.5:1)
And the scholars explain: ‘5:1. Justified by faith (lit. “because we have been justified by faith”): It was God’s doing, not man’s. Peace with God: This is not a feeling, but a standing. God and the believer are no longer at enmity but have been reconciled (cf. 5:10-11; 2 Cor. 5:18). This is a primary result of our justification.’
So my fellow believers, all the good things that happen to us as believers, as members of the body, the church of Christ, are not of our doing, but of God. He wanted the enmity between Him and His most valuable creation to end. Thus He conceived that awesome, most marvellous plan of reconciliation, whereby those who wanted to be reconciled to Him, to return to worship, adore and live by His will, at least had an avenue to do so.
And all we have to do to receive it, is simply to believe on His Son Jesus; rustle up and ramp up our faith and believe.
Ah mih people, it couldn’t get any better than that yuh know! And the beauty of it all is that the plan is so simple, so easy, and most of all FREE! Yes Friends, I just want to remind us that God’s saving grace is indeed FREE!
Yet today we make it seem so difficult, because the cares of the world and the outwardly beautiful but really flimsy, unworthy things they manifest get in the way. They cloud our judgement to such an extent that we cannot have a meaningful relationship with our Creator. But please remember Friends, that we’re only supposed to be IN the world, but certainly not OF the world! (John 17:14-16; Rom.12:2)
And though I have some more stuff to say, re our Bit, we’ll end here for today, because it would make the message too long and burdensome for our busy lives and short attention spans. See how I’m looking out for you, my people! (smile) So tomorrow we’ll continue with this Beatitude, of course, provided that the Good Lord is in favour.
Till then though, let’s ponder what we’ve said today, and please, please, I implore us, let’s sincerely try and improve our relationship with Almighty God nuh, because that’s the only thing that makes sense on this evil, ungodly earth.
Remember, He is our Creator, Controller and Provider, and without Him we can do nothing. Indeed, we are NOTHING, without His saving grace, His magnanimous mercy, His unconditional LOVE, and His undeserving forgiveness! Much LOVE!
…only if we embrace Jesus and all that He stands for….will we ever enjoy eternal life with Him…that’s simple logic…but also divine wisdom…
Today’s Scrip-Bit 26 October 2013 Matthew 5:7
26 Oct 2013 Leave a comment
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: 1 corinthians 13, absolute truth, awesome truth, Beatitudes, believers, blessed, born again, brave, Christ's representative, Christian attitude, Christians, compassion, confess wrongdoing, divine Love, divine majesty, divine undestanding, divine wisdom, embrace Jesus, enemies, faults, fool's wisdom, forgive our debtors, forgiveness, frailities, generosity, God's grace, God's mercy, good news, good things, gospel truth, holy spirit, illness, in tune with God, Jesus Christ, kind, King of Kings, Lord of Lords, lost, merciful, mercy, offspring, poor and needy, punishment, shortcomings, show mercy, sin, sleeping in, Society of the Little Flower, spiritual strength, St. Therese, St. Thresa of Avila, the Lord's prayer, the right way, time of trouble, troubling circumstances, unfortunate masses, unregenerate men, wonder-working spirit, you reap what you sow
Matthew 5:7. Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.
Well hello there you beautiful believers in Jesus Christ; King of Kings and Lord of Lords! How goes it this wonderful Saturday morning eh? I guess many of you are enjoying a rare morning of sleeping in, that is until your young offspring start clamouring for food and attention. All I can say there though, is better you than me yes. (smile) I went through that many moons ago.
Anyway, today I want to share a poem I got from the Between Friends Magazine published by the Friends of the Society of the Little Flower. It comes from an article written by its Director, Father Bob Colaresi. He himself was quoting a Spanish Carmelite Nun, St. Teresa of Avila. She’s different to the society’s patron Saint, St. Therese, also a Carmelite Nun, but of French origin.
It’s claimed that St. Teresa taught this poem. ‘Christ has no body but yours, No Hands, no feet on earth but yours, Yours are the eyes with which he looks Compassion on this world, Yours are the feet with which he walks to do good, Yours are the hands, with which he blesses all the world.
Yours are the hands, yours are the feet, Yours are the eyes, you are his body. Christ has no body now but yours, No hands, no feet on earth but yours, Yours are the eyes with which he looks compassion on this world. Christ has no body now on earth but yours.’
And that Friends, is the gospel truth, because Christ left us here on earth to do His work; to spread the good, exciting news of His gospel; the wonderful rewards of salvation and eternal life, if we embrace His Deity. It’s now our duty to go around the world, with our eyes, feet ears, hands and bodies, be His representative, and let the lost and unfortunate masses know of all that He’s accomplished on our behalf.
But again, to do Jesus’ work successfully, we need physical, mental and spiritual strength backed by divine wisdom, which can only be had by being in tune with Almighty God. Today’s Bit, another Beatitude, tells us: ‘Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.’
And that is absolute truth in more ways than one. First of all, like Jesus taught us in the Lord’s Prayer; ‘And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.’ (Matt.6:12) If we don’t forgive we won’t be forgiven. The same goes for mercy; if we don’t show mercy to others, neither will the Lord show us any. It’s basically the universal motto of, you reap what you sow.
You cannot be neither merciful nor forgiving and yet expect to receive forgiveness and mercy. Hn! Although that seems to be the prevailing wisdom in our world today. Generally speaking, forgiveness is NOT getting the punishment we deserve, while mercy is getting the good things that we DON’T deserve.
Then we have this take from the scholars: ‘5:7. Those who are merciful…shall obtain mercy has reference to those who have been born again by the mercy of God. Because divine LOVE has been extended to them, they have the work of the Holy Spirit in them producing a mercy that defies explanation by unregenerate men. Jesus Himself became the ultimate example of this when He cried from the cross, “Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do.” (Luke 23:34)’
Oh Friends, I like that part about ‘a mercy that defies explanation by unregenerate men.’ And that’s the God-awesome truth! For mankind still can’t figure out or understand how Christians can be so merciful and forgiving when faced with serious and troubling circumstances. But it all depends on that Holy Spirit of His Divine Majesty dwelling in us, which shows us the right way.
Unfortunately, mankind will never understand the Christian attitude unless and until he wholeheartedly embraces Jesus, and consequently receives that wonder-working Spirit in his own soul. It all bolls down to, NO JESUS, NO HOLY SPIRIT, and therefore no divine understanding!
And when we talk about God’s mercy, there’s no better example in receiving it, than Bruh David. Listen to him from Psalm 41, Abuse and Assurance. ‘Blessed is he that considereth the poor (helpless, powerless): the Lord will deliver him in time of trouble. The Lord will preserve him, and keep him alive; and he shall be blessed upon the earth: and thou wilt not deliver him unto the will of his enemies.
The Lord will strengthen him upon the bed of languishing (his bed of illness): thou wilt make all his bed in his sickness (restore him in his sickbed). I said, Lord be merciful unto me: heal my soul; for I have sinned against thee.’ (Psalm 41:1-4)
Oh my people, two things are evident there: One must be kind and/or show mercy to the poor and needy, and secondly, one must confess one’s own wrongdoing to Jehovah God. Bruh David knew that, and tried to live that way. That’s why the Lord was so merciful to him, in spite of all his shortcomings and wrongdoings.
Unfortunately though, today, many of us figure that confessing our wrongdoings is for the birds, therefore we lose out on God’s precious grace and mercy. And sadly my people, that’s a fool’s wisdom!
Oh Friends, the Lord doesn’t expect us to be perfect, because He never made us that way. But He does expect us to be man and woman enough to own up to our faults and frailties.
Please, let’s be brave and admit our wrongs, so we can receive God’s generous grace, forgiveness and mercy. Now that’s truly divine wisdom! Much LOVE!
…O give thanks unto the Lord…for He is good…for His mercy endureth for ever… (1 Chr.16:34)
Today’s Scrip-Bit 14 October 2013 Deuteronomy 26:10
14 Oct 2013 Leave a comment
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: adrenalin, appreciation, aura of love, Beelzebub, best big country, blessings, bountiful grace, British Columbia, Canada, celebration, circumstances, confidence, conquerors, Creator of the universe, Deuteronomy, enemy, enthusiasm, ever-LOVING God, first fruits, forgiveness, friends, giving thanks, glorious kingdom, good spirits, gospel truth, grateful heart, harvest, health, holy spirit, house of the Lord, humble servants, inebriated, invincible, Jesus Christ, jobs, Labrador, land of milk and honey, levites, lies, life, lord god almighty, LOVE, loving kindness, manna, mercy, Monday Battle Hymn, Newfoundland, not afraid, offerings, open mind, poor and needy, Prairies, refreshed, rejoice, Rejoice in the Lord always, rejuvenation of spirit, renewed, renewed vitality, rich and greedy, Rocky Mountains, saviour, sober, spiritual armour, steadfast faith, surrender, thankful heart, thanksgiving, Thanksgiving Day, the Lord thy God, Tobago, undisputable truth, ungodly world, useful purpose, wealth, weary souls, wicked taunts, wiles, win win, worship, worthwhile inroads
Deuteronomy 26:10. And now, behold, I have brought the first fruits of the land, which thou, O Lord, hast given me. And thou shall set it before the Lord thy God, and worship before the Lord thy God.
HAPPY THANKSGIVING DAY CANADA!
And then it was Monday…!
But Monday with a twist Friends, because today, Canada, the BEST big country in the world is celebrating our Thanksgiving Day! Yes fellow believers, from the shores of Newfoundland and Labrador in the East, right across this great and wonderful land, through the granary that’s the Prairies, over the towering Rocky Mountains, down to the teeming waters of British Columbia in the West, we’re celebrating Thanksgiving Day!
Doing it in style too! (smile) We’re giving our majestic, magnificent and ever-LOVING God, thanks and praise for all the blessings and good things He’s rained down on us this past year! And He has indeed flooded us with His bountiful grace, LOVE, mercy, manna, and forgiveness every single day!
And though there are still too many who are poor and needy, and also too many who are rich and greedy, overall, we’ve had a very good year. So let’s do, especially today, as Bruh Paul advised the Philippians: ‘Rejoice in the Lord always: and again I say, Rejoice,’ (Phil.4:4)
Yes my brethren, regardless of our circumstances, we ought to always rejoice in the Lord our God, for it is Him who cause us to have life, health and wealth! Now that means many Canadians won’t be going out to labour today, but in support of those who have to go and mind our 24/7 industries, let’s sing a loud and most joyful Monday Morning Battle Hymn, to get their adrenalin going.
As one 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!’
Now it’s been a rainy Sunday in my area, so that might have caused any planned outdoor activities to be moved inside, but I very much doubt it dampened the proceedings in general. Let’s hope that today will be a perfect day, so that we can all celebrate in good spirits.
And I didn’t mean the liquid kind… (smile) well not too much of it anyway, for remember Granny’s warning; sober or inebriated, please mind your business, because it’s during times of celebration when it’s easiest for Beelzebub to get into our souls and lead us astray.
So let’s bring in our Bit: ‘And now, behold, I have brought the first fruits of the land, which thou, O Lord, hast given me. And thou shall set it before the Lord thy God, and worship before the Lord thy God.’
Yeh Friends this weekend was the time to bring our offerings to God, from the first fruits of our harvest, to show appreciation for all He’s done in making us prosperous.
It was God’s instructions to the children of Israel, to bring the first fruits of the harvest to the House of the Lord, to show their appreciation for His LOVING-kindness, for bringing them out of Egypt and installing them in the land of milk and honey, as well as to provide food for the priests and Levites who spent their time looking after the Lord’s affairs, and also to help feed the poor, the needy and the stranger. And it was to be done with a kind and grateful heart.
Then the Good Book instructs after our Bit: ‘And thou shalt rejoice in every good thing which the Lord thy God hath given unto thee, and unto thine house, thou, and the Levite, and the stranger that is among you.’ (Deut.26:11)
So Friends, Thanksgiving is meant to be both a time of grateful appreciation as well as celebration! You can read all about God’s instructions re the harvest in Deuteronomy 26. And I remember growing up in Tobago; Harvest Weekend was one of my favourite times. The church would be decorated with all the produce enabled by God’s divine mercy, then on Monday, all the stuff would be taken to the school to be sold.
Obviously there would be no classes, and a fine time would be had by all, checking out all the wonderful stuff. Oh, I was even lucky enough when I went to Tobago last year in late November, to be in time for the Harvest Sunday celebrations, and I enjoyed it tremendously.
Anyway Friends, I know you all are busy people, either have to go to work, or go out and celebrate, (smile) so I’ll close with one passage of scripture that encourages constant thanksgiving. It comes from Psalm 95; a psalm of praise to the great God.
Listen with an open mind and thankful heart, as the psalmist most wisely declares: ‘O come, let us sing unto the Lord; let us make a joyful noise (shout joyfully) to the rock of our salvation. Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving, and make a joyful noise unto him with psalms (songs). For the Lord is a great God, and a great King above all gods.’ (Ps.95:1-3)
Oh my brethren, those certainly are words of indisputable, gospel truth! And I hope all of us went to the House of the Lord this weekend and did exactly that, because it’s always a win, win situation: God is pleased, and we are refreshed and renewed. It doesn’t get any better than that my people. Much LOVE!
…we’re giving thanks…for all we’ve got…giving thanks…whether or not…giving thanks for the life in us…we’re giving thanks…yes, we’re giving thanks… (Based on the song ‘Giving Thanks’ by Beres Hammond)
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