Today’s Scrip-Bit 14 May 2019 Ephesians 6:11.

14 May 2019 Leave a comment

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

Ephesians 6:11.    ​Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles (devious schemes) of the devil.
 

Welcome, welcome, one and all to rainy day Tuesday! Yes the rain has not really eased up nuh. It drizzled most of the night. Good thing it’s mostly drizzles and not big downpours. I guess we can be thankful for small mercies there. But chuh! I’m tired talking about the rain yes! (smile) 

If it’s going to fall, just let it fall and ignore it. It’s got to stop at some time since the Lord promised that He wouldn’t ever destroy the earth by flooding again…but please note He didn’t say anything about no warnings by flooding! (smile) 

Anyway, remember last week when we heard from Gramps Schuller (Dr, Robert H. Schuller) from his Hour of Power Devotional on allowing trouble to lift you up, to let it be a golden opportunity to rise higher? Well today we’re going to continue in that vein, where he says: ‘Let Your Problems Lead You to God!’ And isn’t that the wise and sensible thing to do! 

Now listen as Gramps Schuller elucidates: ‘No problem leaves you where it found you. Read this affirmation out loud: “I will be a different person when this problem is past. I will be a wiser, stronger, more patient person; or I will be sour, cynical, bitter, disillusioned, and angry. It all depends on what I do with this problem. 

Each problem can make me a better person or a worse person. It can bring me closer to God, or it can drive me away from God. It can build my faith or it can shatter my faith. It all depends on my attitude. I intend to be a better person when this problem leaves me than I was when it met me.’ 

Glory be my precious people! That’s the ONLY wise way to go! Too many of us though go the wrong way, and then allow the problems to leave us BITTER and not BETTER! That’s a fool’s wisdom my faithful brethren! As true believers in Christ we are supposed to come up over the problem, and the first step in doing that is taking it to the Almighty, to whom we ascribe that nothing is impossible, and who promises to faithfully help us solve all our problems. 

So if we have someone to whom nothing is impossible, and whose help is assured, why don’t we run to Him with every problem eh? I’d guess that foolish pride or disbelief, or a combination of both keeps us from running to God first with our problems. Only when we discover we can’t handle them by ourselves, do we go cap in hand, miserably seeking the Father’s help. 

And one of the many ways He helps us is by providing protective armour for us in our earthly battle with the forces of evil and ungodliness. As we saw yesterday, Bruh Paul said that it was ever so important we: ‘Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles (devious schemes) of the devil.’ 

Yes friends, the devil is always out there like a roaring, but toothless lion, looking for someone to trip up and deceive, and if we’re not wearing our protective spiritual armour, then we’re easy pickings for him. 

Now let’s refresh our memories about what exactly is this spiritual armour we’re talking about. Listen to Bruh Paul to the Ephesians: ‘Stand therefore, having your loins girt about (girded your waist) with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace. Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked (one). And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.’ (Eph.6:14-17) 

Oh my brethren when we have those necessary pieces of protection, helmet, sword, shoes, shield and breastplate, then and only then are we ready to engage the enemy in battle. 

Now let’s see what the scholars have to say about those individual pieces of spiritual armour. ‘6:14-17. The whole armour of God consists of six pieces. (1) Truth (v.14a) is a knowledge of the truth of God’s Word. The ancient soldier’s loins (waist) were girt about with a leather belt which held most of the other pieces of his armour in place. Similarly, the other pieces of the Christian’s armour depend on, and are held in place, by his spiritual “belt” or his knowledge of the truth of scripture. 

(2). The breastplate of righteousness (v14b) may be read “the breastplate which is righteousness.” It represents a holy character and moral conduct. Obedience to the “truth” known produces a godly life (righteousness) (3) Preparation of the gospel of peace (v15) means “eagerness that comes from the gospel of peace.” 

That is, as the Roman soldier wore special shoes called ‘caligae’ on his feet, enabling him to advance against the enemy, so the Christian must have on his feet (possess) a sense of “eagerness” or “willingness” to advance against the devil and take the fight to him. Such “eagerness” to contend with Satan “comes from the gospel of peace.” The gospel gives peace to the believer, freeing him from anxiety though he advances against such a powerful opponent. 

(4) The shield of (which is) faith (v.16) means taking God at His word by believing His promises. Such trust will protect one from doubts induced by Satan. (5) The helmet of salvation (v.17a): Since the readers are already Christians (2:8) they are not here urged to be saved. First Thessalonians 5:8 describes this helmet as “the hope of salvation” that is, the certainty (assurance) of salvation. (6) The sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God(v.17b): The Greek term rendered “word” is not ‘logos,’ referring to the whole word of God, but ‘rhema,’ referring to certain portions or selected verses of Scripture.’ 

Oh my people, I know it all sounds very complicated, but if we sincerely and regularly read, study and meditate on God’s Word, most of those things will come naturally to us. We’ll know the truth of His Word, as well as have a good knowledge of Scripture, that will lead us to a moral and godly life, and the peace that we find in the Word will just make us eager to go out and fight God’s battles, protected by the assurance of salvation and the strong and sturdy shield of our faith, with Bible verses just saturating in our hearts with which to rebuke the devil! 

Remember though friends that the Word is sharp like a two edged sword that cuts right down to the bone! It’s a dangerous weapon my people, so we have to be very careful how we wield it. (smile) Anyway, enough on the spiritual armour topic, it’s turned out to be longer than I planned, but it’s all for our benefit. 

And having absorbed all the above, (smile) let’s go home fully clothed in our spiritual armour sincerely and vociferously declaring (bingo!) our Tuesday Mantra, letting the world know who and whose we are! All together now: ‘In God’s eyes, I’m not what I do. I’m not what I have. I’m not what people say about me. I am the beloved of God, that’s who I am. No one can take that from me. I don’t have to worry. I don’t have to hurry. I can trust my friend Jesus and share His LOVE with the world.  Amen!’ 

Isn’t that just a wonderful situation my faithful saints of Christ! Now let’s go out and share His awesome LOVE and amazing friendship, as He so greatly desires of us. Much LOVE!

…only when faced with adversity…can we know the true strength and maturity…of our Christian faith…

 

 

 

 

Today’s Scrip-Bit 7 May 2019 Hebrews 4:19

07 May 2019 Leave a comment

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

Hebrews 4:19.   ​Let us therefore come boldly (confidently) unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

 

Oh my people, my people, it’s certainly true that wonders never cease in this God-given and God controlled universe, but daily they increase! Wow! Would you believe that we finally had two, note TWO sun filled days without rain? Glory be! 

And would you also believe that the ole fella took advantage of that wonderful and unexpected situation by sitting, for the first time this year on my front porch in just my old bathrobe and soaking up the warm and healing rays of the early afternoon sun as it came cascading down from a bright blue heaven? 

Oh, was it ever marvellous to feel some warm sunshine after having been incapacitated for the last couple of weeks by an unrelenting cold and cough! I sat down out there for over half an hour, while God’s healing LOVE just shone down on me, as well as enjoying the wonderful sight of God’s amazing springtime handiwork with the dry branches of the much deflated and weather conflicted trees, as they finally push forth some green buds. 

It was also nice and encouraging to see people driving by in shirtsleeves with their windows down and their arms propped thereon to catch some long missed energizing rays! The only thing that spoiled my excitement was a moment when a neighbour decided to come out with his lawn mower to cut the li’l piece of grass that he calls his. 

Chuh! Does it ever annoy and irritate me when these lawn mowers get going exactly when I’m trying to rest! It began since Saturday…and yes, my li’l patch of grass needs cutting too, and no doubt my groundskeeper will show up sometime this week in the afternoon hours to disturb my afternoon rest. But I guess that’s the price one has to pay for living in the suburbia. 

Overall though the li’l stint in the hot sun was quite enjoyable…so much so that when I came back inside I felt drunk, yeh, intoxicated, inebriated, black up from the unaccustomed rays of a warm sun! Now that’s my yesterday story and I’m sticking to it! 

And what’s my today story, you ask? Well that’s simply I care about you my faithful readers so much that I am up at five in the morning to write the Bit because I have to go into the concrete jungle named Toronto for an early morning medical appointment! Wouldn’t want you to be receiving it too late now! (smile) 

Now here’s an interesting poem from our One Year Book of Bible Promises with writings by Ruth Harms Calkin. It’s titled ‘This Too Is Faith!’ Please pray with me: ‘Lord, I am desperately afraid Of tempestuous waves. Had I been on the ship The day you stilled the storm (Matt.8:23-27) I would have been the first To scream for help – This I shamelessly admit. But, Lord, this too is faith: Boldly expecting You To do something about it.’ 

Yes friends, as I read that yesterday, it occurred to me that that was quite true. Not because you are afraid and cry out for help means you don’t have faith; perhaps not enough, but merely crying out to God and expecting Him to do something to ease your situation is also a measure of faith! 

Nowhere does it say in the Good Book that we won’t ever be accosted by the enemy’s attempts to have us succumb to the negative emotion of fear, but it does say that when those times come, we must have sufficient faith to cry out to God; cry out with confidence that He can and will do something about it! 

And the Scripture Promise for that poem is also our Bit for today; these glorious and ever so encouraging words. ‘Let us therefore come boldly (confidently) unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.’ 

Oh my faithful followers of Christ, that is such a heart-warming and encouraging scripture! Why? Because it lets us know in no uncertain terms that whatever is our problem we can always come confidently, but humbly and reverently, before God’s throne and receive His ever-available grace and mercy! 

We are Sons of God now, and that means we can go to our heavenly Father, just like we do to our earthly ones, for help and succour in our times of need! And the reason for all of that goodness and mercy is simply the work of Jesus Christ. 

Listen to these two preceding verses: ‘Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into (through) the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession. For we have not a high priest which cannot be touched (sympathize) with the feeling of our infirmities (our weaknesses); but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.’ (Heb.4:14-15) 

Yes my brethren, Jesus suffered temptation, just like we’re doing, so He can therefore understand our problems with the enemy. The only difference is that He did not sin. Unfortunately though, we’re not that blessed, so we have to resort to Him and the Father to gain the strength to withstand the enemy’s attacks. 

And I like how the scholars explain our Bit. ‘4:16. Only Christianity provides such boldness for sinful men before a holy God, and that boldness is possible only because of our High Priest; Jesus Christ. The figure of a throne suggests a place of authority and provision. It is the place to obtain God’s grace when it is especially needed.’ And isn’t that the awesome truth my fellow saints in Christ! Glory to our great God! 

Now let’s be assured of all that we’ve spoken about today and go home sincerely declaring (right ho!) our Tuesday Mantra, loudly telling the world who and whose we are. As one now: ‘In God’s eyes, I’m not what I do. I’m not what I have. I’m not what people say about me. I am the beloved of God, that’s who I am. No one can take that from me. I don’t have to worry. I don’t have to hurry. I can trust my friend Jesus and share His LOVE with the world.  Amen!’ 

And if we really mean it, then let’s go out and action it nuh, as Jesus so greatly desires of us. Much LOVE!

…in Jesus Christ…we have ALL that we’ll ever need…give Him much thanks and praise…  

P.S. Would you believe that outside is wet? Ah Lord eh! We couldn’t make three days straight of sunshine! (smile)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Today​’s Scrip-Bit 16 April 2019 Joshua 1:8.

16 Apr 2019 Leave a comment

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

Joshua 1:8.   ​This book of the law shall not depart out of (shall continually be 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 thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.
 

So it’s Tuesday and everybody is back into the work groove now! ‘Hn! What work groove eh?’ some of us snarl, as though anybody could ever get into the work groove! But we can all get into the party and good life groove though! 

Ah friends, what a lazy and feckless society we are, nobody wants to work, but everybody wants to enjoy the good times! How do they think we get the wherewithal to have good times eh? It’s by working! And those things are quickly used up…and again, they can only be replaced by the letting of blood, sweat and tears! So work is essential in this life! 

And along with reminding us of that fundamental fact, I also want to bring to mind two other very important life principles: The first is that the Bible is God’s Word to us and it remains fresh through all the ages. Thus, if we read it, we will certainly find God’s wisdom in its pages. That means if we need to acquire God’s wisdom and plans for our lives, then we need to read His Word. 

And secondly, I want to remind us that One Truth from the Bible is worth more than all the wisdom of man! Glory be my brethren! So if we want to acquire wisdom and truth, the reading, studying and meditating upon God’s Word is absolutely necessary! Yes friends, like everything else in this world, if you want to learn about God and His Word and Ways, you have to spend time with Him, reading and talking and listening to Him. 

You can’t become well acquainted with anything or anybody unless you spend oodles of time with it or them. The same applies to our Triune God. The problem these days though is that we all want to know about God, but we don’t want to take the time to get to know Him. We spend lots of time learning about our modern day toys and all the foolishness that’s currently in the world, but that apparently doesn’t apply to God too. We can’t find time to spend with Him, cause we’re too busy following the foolishness and ungodliness of the evil world! 

I guess we expect to learn about Him through osmosis nuh, where it just seeps naturally and unconsciously into our sinful souls. But that is just a pipe dream yes my people! The Lord expects conscious and purposeful attention on our part to His Word and Ways. There’s NO OTHER WAY by which we can get a sincere and useful insight and knowledge of His doings and thoughts!  

And talking about wisdom and truth being available from the Bible, the necessity for meditating on God’s Word is also greatly portrayed and recommended there. Let’s look at a few examples. And I guess the most important word on it might be from the Lord Himself, when He commanded Joshua after making him the Leader of the Israelites on the death of Moses. 

‘This book of the law shall not depart out of (shall continually be 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 thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.’ 

Oh friends, it couldn’t get any plainer than that! And it’s from the Lord Himself! To have true prosperity and good success, we need to meditate on God’s Word and keep it close to our hearts and mouths! Now meditation is not rocket science; it’s simply thinking about things, quietly pondering on stuff, trying to get deeper into it. 

And meditation was happening long before the Lord spoke to Joshua. In Genesis we are told: ‘And Isaac went out to meditate in the field at the even-tide…’ (Gen.24:63a) That’s when He saw his father’s servant returning from his homeland with Rebekah his future wife. 

And we all know the wonderful words of Psalm1: ‘Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly (wicked), nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. But his delight is in the Lord; and in his law doth he meditate (ponder, contemplate) day and night.’ (Ps.1:1-2) 

And we all know what happens to the man who does that! ‘And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.’ (Ps.1:3) Oh Mama Mia! Again we see that prosperity and success comes from meditating on the Lord’s Word and obeying it! What more do we need to understand, believe, and put that into action eh? 

Hear Bruh David nuh: ‘My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow (the best) and fatness (abundance); and my mouth shall praise thee with joyful lips: When I remember thee upon my bed, and meditate on thee in the night watches. Because thou hast been my help, therefore in the shadow of thy wings I will rejoice.’ (Ps.63:5-7) And we all know Bruh David’s great intimacy and success, and prosperity with God being his Number ONE! So I don’t know why we’re so afraid or foolish not follow his example. 

And lastly, listen to Bruh Paul to Timothy: ‘Till I come, give attendance to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine (teaching). Neglect not the gift that is in thee, which was given thee by prophecy, with the laying on of the hands of the presbytery (council of elders). Meditate upon these things; give thyself wholly (entirely) to them; that thy profiting (progress) may appear (be evident) to all.’ (1 Tim.4:13-15) 

And having read and inwardly digested all of that (smile) let’s go home declaring (right ho!) our Tuesday Mantra, letting the whole world know who and whose we are! In strong voice and sincere hearts: ‘In God’s eyes, I’m not what I do. I’m not what I have. I’m not what people say about me. I am the beloved of God, that’s who I am. No one can take that from me. I don’t have to worry. I don’t have to hurry. I can trust my friend Jesus and share His LOVE with the world. Amen!’ 

And the corollary to that is we now go out and share that wonderful friendship and LOVE of Jesus with the unfortunates who don’t know Him! That’s our bounden duty! Much LOVE!

…read…meditate…think on…ponder…contemplate…obey God’s Word…the first step to success and prosperity…

Today​’s Scrip-Bit 9 April 2019 Romans 8:35.

09 Apr 2019 Leave a comment

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

Romans 8:35.   ​Who shall separate us from the LOVE of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?
 

Well a fine Tuesday morning to all you beloved saints of Christ Jesus! Hope the Lord is blessing you and keeping your paths straight as you walk in obedience to His holy edicts. And if we’re not doing so well in our faith walk, then let’s declare some stuff that will help us remember God’s goodness and help us stand strong in these difficult times. 

So let’s acclaim some acclamations nuh! (smile) And as always, the first one is ‘This is the day the Lord has made, we WILL rejoice and be glad in it!’ (Ps.118:24) Yeh friends, what’s the point of being alive eh, if we don’t enjoy the wonderful days and life that the Lord has so magnanimously granted us? None whatsoever! 

And on top of that we know without a doubt that ‘God will supply ALL our needs through His riches in glory through Christ our Lord and Saviour!’ (Phil.4:19) Oh glory to our great God, who knows what we need and supplies it to us. And with all of that we are imbued with such strength and power and contentment, that we can say with all surety and sincerity: ‘I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me!’ (Phil.4:13) 

Yes my faithful brethren, what ever we need to do, our great God, through His wonderful Son WILL give us the wherewithal to do it! Praise His holy name! And how can we forget this most wonderful acclamation? ‘If God be for me, who can be against me eh?’ (Rom.8:31) NOBODY friends! NOBODY can stand against us if God is on our side! Please remember that! 

And how about this one? ‘I am an overcomer through Christ!’ Oh friends, oh friends, that is such a strong foundation to stand and build our faith on that I have to quote these two relevant scriptures. John says it thus in his first epistle: ‘For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith. Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God?’ (1 John 5:4-5) 

What powerful and encouraging scriptures my people! Through Christ we’re so empowered that it boggles the mortal mind! (smile) And here’s what the scholars have to says about those verses. ‘5:4. Whatsoever refers to every believer born of God.’ ‘5:5. There is conquering power through this confession because God is sovereign over the world, and only through His Son does man have access to and find favour with God.’ 

Now that’s telling it like it is! If you’ve been born again with the Spirit of Christ, then you have the power to overcome any and everything that’s in this evil world! Remember too what Christ said: ‘In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.’ (John 16:33b) So if you’re a believer you have very good grounds to expect victory in your faith walk because of Jesus’ victory. 

Therefore, Bruh Paul was able to write these immortal words to the church at Rome. ‘Who shall separate us from the LOVE of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? …Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that LOVED us. For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the LOVE of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.’ (Rom.8:35, 37-39) 

And the scholars explain it thus: ‘8:38-39. We cannot be separated from God’s LOVE, because it is set forth in a person who is God Himself, Jesus Christ, our Saviour. God’s desire to redeem believers cannot be frustrated because He is infinitely greater than any potential enemy. His plan will be realized because it is His purpose (cf. v.28).’ 

Yeh friends, God is the GREATEST! And we are children of the GREATEST, so nobody can mess with us and get away with it! How wonderful to know that eh! And I’ll be nice and spoon feed us here with something that we should all already know and believe. It’s God’s purpose for us! ‘And we know that all things work together for good to them that LOVE God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.’ (Rom.8:28) 

Most definitely my fellow believers, for all of us who are called to God’s divine purpose for our lives and respond obediently, He will, in the end, work out everything for our good. We might not see or appreciate His workings right now, but as true believers, we can be sure that it will be all right in the end! Glory to God my people! 

Now let’s go home sincerely declaring (right ho) our Tuesday Mantra, letting the world know who and whose we are. In strong voice and a true sense of purpose: ‘In God’s eyes, I’m not what I do. I’m not what I have. I’m not what people say about me. I am the beloved of God, that’s who I am. No one can take that from me. I don’t have to worry. I don’t have to hurry. I can trust my friend Jesus and share His LOVE with the world. Amen!’ 

And now it’s time to go out and share that friendship and LOVE of Jesus with the many who desperately need it today. Much LOVE!

…when we’re down…nothing lifts us up…like God’s Word…that’s filled with all His wonderful promises…

P.S. I’m here chuckling because this wasn’t the lesson I intended to teach this morning…in fact I didn’t have anything in mind. (smile) But this is where I was led. Thanks to our ever-faithful God! And I believe it is encouraging and uplifting. Let’s hope you find it so too. Much LOVE!

Today​’s Scrip-Bit 26 March 2019 Deuteronomy 31:8.

26 Mar 2019 Leave a comment

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

Deuteronomy 31:8.   ​And the Lord, he it is that doth go before thee; he will be with thee, he will not fail thee, neither forsake thee: fear not, neither be dismayed.
 
Well a blessed and prosperous day to all you my Scrip-Bit friends and family! We’ve gotten over our Monday Blues and we’re now headed steadfastly for the Promised Land of Friday and another exciting weekend! Isn’t that good news? It surely is! 

Ah mih people, we all know that life’s not easy, especially in these unfortunate times of much war and strife, but as true believers in Christ Jesus, we do have that assurance that all will be well with us, if we just hold on to Him and stay the course like good soldiers. And it is our avowed intention through the Bit to help us do just that!

We’re not here to ‘preachify’ (smile) but to act as a catalyst, a way and means of staying focused and grounded in the Lord and His Word, for that’s the only way we will ever grow, mature and have good success! So please don’t think that reading the Bit is enough. No! It’s only the beginning, the start of your own intimate and personal daily journey of prayer, study and meditation. It hopefully gets you going and keeps your mind on the Lord and His wonderful Word. 

And I think you’ve gotten the picture by now, so enough talk. (smile) Here is something from our One Year Book of Bible Promises with writings by Ruth Harms Calkin that will help us handle the day, whatever it brings against us. It’s titled, ‘At Such Times.’ 

Please pray with me: ‘God, there are times In the midst of heartache and heartbreak When there is no comfort, no solace Anywhere at all. There are times When in my crumbling state of mind I feel I can no longer endure – Not for a day, not even an hour. 

It is at such times, O God That I draw heavily Upon your unfathomable LOVE. At such times I implore Your transforming peace. At such times I live By the power and promises Of a Father who cares infinitely more Than I can begin to grasp or comprehend. Today, dear God, is “such a time.” 

Ah friends, as I said above, what confident and quiet reassurance we have in the trust and promises of our wonderful God! And if by chance, today is a day where you are shaking it real rough, then don’t be afraid to cry out to Him for help and comfort! Because that’s what He’s there for! 

Just like our children cry out to us earthly fathers when they find themselves perplexed or in trouble, our heavenly Father wants, expects us to call out to Him before anyone else! So please don’t put yourself through any unnecessary worry, stress and strain by looking to others to help solve your problems. Look to God FIRST, and if He so desires, He will guide you to someone else to help! 

Please don’t allow foolish pride and any other nonsense to keep you from seeking and enjoying the benefits that the Lord has provided for His saints. And the Bible promise for today’s poem is also our Bit. ‘And the Lord, he it is that doth go before thee; he will be with thee, he will not fail thee, neither forsake thee: fear not, neither be dismayed.’ 

Oh what magnificent words of comfort and reassurance spoken by Moses to the Israelites! But yuh know, because of foolish pride or whatever, they didn’t believe nor follow them, that’s why they wandered aimlessly in the wilderness for forty years and never entered the Promised Land. And the same thing will happen to us today if we don’t seriously take hold of God’s promises and apply them to our daily lives! 

Please remember that whatever is written in the Good Book is for OUR BENEFIT, not the Lord’s, and when we follow it we are the ones who benefit, not the Lord. Granted, He’s happy when we follow His Word, but nothing will happen to Him if we don’t, we are the ones who will suffer the consequences. 

So please, please, let’s wake up and smell the roses nuh. Let’s not be like the unbelieving, unfaithful Israelites! Would you believe that only two verses before our Bit, Moses also encouraged them with these fateful words? ‘Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the Lord thy God, he it is that doth go with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.’ (Deut.31:6) 

Oh my people, how many times do we have to hear that the Lord goes both before and with us in this life before we truly believe it eh? Many of us have experienced His wonderful blessings before in times of trouble, but forget them when more trials appear. 

That’s wrong friends. Those are times on which to build our faith, so that when more trials appear, as they surely will, we won’t be so discombobulated, because we remember God’s goodness, His mercy, LOVE, grace and forgiveness in earlier times. And if He’s done it for us once, there’s no reason for Him not to do it again! 

And all God’s children declared (right ho) a loud and grateful: ‘Praise the Lord for His undeserving goodness to the children of men. We LOVE you and bless your holy name! Amen!’ Awright mih breddren! So let’s take heart, be of good courage and trust in the Lord, so that He will make our paths straight. 

Now let’s declare (right ho) our Tuesday Mantra, letting the whole world know who and whose we are. In strong voice and sincere sense of purpose: ‘In God’s eyes, I’m not what I do. I’m not what I have. I’m not what people say about me. I am the beloved of God, that’s who I am. No one can take that from me. I don’t have to worry. I don’t have to hurry. I can trust my friend Jesus and share His LOVE with the world.  Amen!’ 

And if you really mean it, then let’s go out and share that LOVE and friendship with others as Jesus so greatly desires of us. Much LOVE!

…if you won’t accept the promises…then what’s the sense in believing…

 

Today​’s Scrip-Bit 19 March 2019 Matthew 6:19.

19 Mar 2019 Leave a comment

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

Matthew 6:19.   ​Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt (ruin), and where thieves break through and steal:
 
Ah friends, what a shock it is to the system when one gets up and sees your whole area clothed in white! Hn! Especially after the warm weather of the past week has conditioned one’s mind – falsely it would seem – to believe that all that white stuff business was a thing of the past and the distant future of next winter! But obviously that’s not so! 

And though it’s not a great amount of snow, no amount of snow at all is welcome! (smile) But since we’re such sturdy people, especially we believers, with plenty backbone and belly, we’ll just grin and move along as normal, what with the Lord providing ALL our needs through His riches in glory, through Jesus Christ our wonderful Lord and Saviour! 

And all God’s children loudly, proudly and gratefully declared (right ho): ‘All praise to the name of Jesus, the innocent Lamb of God who was slaughtered to pay for our abominable sins! Bless His holy name and worship sincerely at His cross!’ 

Oh my people, what would we have done without Jesus eh? I shudder at the very thought of not having all the wonderful stuff He has made available to us, and greatly desire to be able to make others understand what it all means; how if they don’t have Him in their lives, they’re totally lost, headed for hell and eternal damnation with the fallen evil angel Satan, and what that would mean for their eternal livelihood. 

But since the Lord in His eternal wisdom gave us free will, free will to choose whatever kind of life we want to live, it is an uphill battle to convince others to accept Jesus and leave the flashy, but empty and hell bent things of the world alone. 

Oh, it’s not that Jesus doesn’t want us to have nice things and to be prosperous, otherwise He wouldn’t have made this telling statement: ‘The thief cometh not but for (except) to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.’ (John 10:10) 

Yes friends, Jesus died so that we could have life, a full and prosperous one, wisely living it in full communion with Him. Otherwise, what would be the purpose of His dying eh? The problem though, is that with our natural sinful nature, we tend to gravitate to the sinful, lustful things and treasures of the world. 

But hear how Jesus classified that stuff nuh: ‘Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt (ruin), and where thieves break through and steal:’ 

Ah mih people, truer and more sensible words were never spoken! And it doesn’t take a genius mentality to see that. All the things of the earth that we treasure at some stage either rot or can be destroyed, or stolen, and to make matters worse, when we die we can’t carry any of them with us. So why spend our earthly lives foolishly trying to amass treasures of the world eh? 

Instead, as Jesus so wisely proclaims: ‘But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal:’ (Matt.6:20) Glory be my people! The treasures we need to accumulate are the ones that will not rot or be destroyed by insects or stolen…and the only treasures of that kind are found in heavenly places! 

That means to be wise, we have to concentrate on accumulating the heavenly kind of treasure, for as Jesus also mentioned: ‘For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.’ Matt.6:21) And that’s the gospel truth my fellow believers! If we are concentrating on earthly treasures, then our hearts will be here on earth with them, but if heaven is our future destination, then out thoughts and efforts will be aligned with heavenly things. 

And it’s not like when we live for Jesus that we become poor and needy, but on the other hand all our needs are fulfilled. Listen to Jesus again: ‘But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.’ (Matt.6:33) 

Oh my people, our wise and wonderful God knows that we need food, clothes, money and houses to live and He has faithfully promised that if we live for Him, keep Him first place in our lives, that all those things will be provided for us. As Bruh David so rightly says in Psalm 27 – The Lord is my light and my salvation. ‘I had fainted, unless I had believed to see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.’ (Ps.27:13) 

Yeh friends, what’s the purpose of believing in the Lord if you don’t expect to see the things He’s promised eh? None whatsoever! And if you still don’t believe that you can get all things through Christ, then please remember who is still regarded as the richest and wisest man who ever lived… Cousin Sol! 

And why and how? Because he believed sincerely in the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and asked for wisdom to rule his people, not wealth and long life, but our God is so wonderful and so magnanimous, that He also gave him those things in abundance, just like how Jesus died so that we can have life in abundance. 

Wow! I just hope all this makes a difference to somebody today! (smile) But for those of us who already sincerely believe, let’s go home declaring (right ho) our Tuesday Mantra, letting the whole world know who and whose we are! In strong voice and deep sense of purpose: 

‘In God’s eyes, I’m not what I do. I’m not what I have. I’m not what people say about me. I am the beloved of God, that’s who I am. No one can take that from me. I don’t have to worry. I don’t have to hurry. I can trust my friend Jesus and share His LOVE with the world.  Amen!’ 

Now let’s go out and share it all with those who don’t believe for that’s what Jesus desires of us! Much LOVE!

…when you live for Jesus…you live for eternity in heaven with Him…

 

Today​’s Scrip-Bit 12 March 2019 Psalm 25:1-2.

12 Mar 2019 Leave a comment

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

Psalm 25:1-2.   ​Unto thee, O Lord, do I lift up my soul. O my God, I trust in thee: let me not be ashamed, let not mine enemies triumph over me.
 
Ah friends, in the words of that old, venerable Jamaican singer, Prince Buster: ‘I had a rough night! It was a hard night…! ‘ And for those of you old enough to remember the song I’m talking about, NO! I’m not talking about sexual activity, like the Prince was doing way back then!

Sorry to disappoint you! (smile) I’m simply talking about the aches and pains holding sway over the ole fella’s ole bod in his attempt to get some much needed rest last night. 

Brother! I could not find a comfortable spot to rest for any length of time. It seems like somewhere hurt in every position I tried. So obviously this morning I’m dragging around like a real old man. (smile)

But I’m not worried friends, and neither should those of you have the same, or any infirmities at all assailing your bodies. And why is that you ask? Because of this unassailable promise from our One Year Book of Bible Promises with writings by Ruth Harms Calkin. 

It says in no uncertain terms: ‘All Will Be Well!’ Glory be! So please pray with me: ‘O Lord God In the midst of consuming sorrow When despair and loneliness hedge me in You understand my frailties – My hesitancies, my fears. As I scamper from doubt to doubt You forgive so quickly my outbursts. 

Never do you drive me away When I rail against You In peevish rebellion. When I scream “Don’t You even care?” You quiet my fragmented heart. You work in me silently Always planning in LOVE. You refine me in the white flamed Furnace of affliction. In the silent darkness You whisper: Trust me – all will be well.’ 

And so it shall be my fellow believers, because our ever-faithful God has promised it! Give Him a whole heap of thanks and praise for His abundant grace, mercy, LOVE and forgiveness to the children of undeserving men! Wow! What a wonderful God we serve and worship! 

Yes, I know He refines us in ‘the fires of affliction,’ but He doesn’t let us go through them alone. He’s always there right by our sides, just like He was with the three Jewish boys, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego when the mighty king of Babylon, Nebuchadnezzar threw them in the fiery furnace, heated seven time hotter than usual, and they came out without a hair singed, not even the smell of smoke permeated their protected bodies. Glory to God! 

And that’s exactly how our wonderful God will be with any and all of us who humbly and sincerely call on Him for heavenly help! Isn’t that just glorious to behold? It certainly is! And the Bible Promise for that awesome prayer above is also our Bit for today, and it comes from a man who had a very intimate relationship with God, and experienced His many blessings, as well as the fires of affliction, but he stood tall throughout them all! 

Yes, we talking bout Bruh David here friends – the man after God’s own heart! Listen to how he puts it in Psalm 25 – A prayer for guidance and protection: ‘Unto thee, O Lord, do I lift up my soul. O my God, I trust in thee: let me not be ashamed, let not mine enemies triumph over me.’ 

And yuh know what my people? The Lord never allowed his enemies to triumph over him! Yes, occasionally they might have had a slight edge, they might have won a battle here and there, but ultimately they did not win the war! And that’s exactly how our God will react to all and any of us who come to Him in true sincerity. 

As He proclaimed long ago: He does not change! He is the same yesterday, today and forever! So whatever He did for somebody long ago, He will still do for us today! Yes, He is still in the helping and miracle working business! Praise His holy name! 

And the good thing about Bruh David is that he didn’t just pray for himself. Hear how he continues after our Bit: ‘Yea, let not none that wait (in faith) on thee be ashamed: let them be ashamed which transgress (deal treacherously) without cause.’ (Ps.25:3) Ah friends, that’s one of the great aspects of our faith, our ability and responsibility to pray for others, especially other believers. 

And we just can’t stop there – Bruh David didn’t. (smile) He continued by beseeching his God: ‘Show me thy ways, O Lord; teach me thy paths. Lead me in thy truth, and teach me: for thou art the God of my salvation; on thee do I wait all the day. Remember, O Lord, thy tender mercies, and thy LOVING-kindness; for they have been ever of old. Remember not the sins of my youth, nor my transgressions, according to thy mercy remember thou me for thy goodness sake, O Lord. Good and upright is the Lord: therefore will he teach sinners in the way.’ (Ps.25:4-8) 

Oh my people, yuh think any God with a truly LOVING nature would refute such a sincere and heartfelt plea? NEVER! Despite his human shortcomings, and like us, he had plenty, Bruh David never wavered, in his faith, never gave up on the God of his forefathers. And neither should we! That’s why God called Bruh David a man after his own heart! He simply had a heart for God…and so should we in these trying times! 

Awright, enough preaching…(smile) Let’s go home declaring (right ho) our Tuesday Mantra, letting the world know in no uncertain terms, who and whose we are. Altogether now, in strong voice with a sincere and real sense of purpose: ‘In God’s eyes, I’m not what I do. I’m not what I have. I’m not what people say about me. I am the beloved of God, that’s who I am. No one can take that from me. I don’t have to worry. I don’t have to hurry. I can trust my friend Jesus and share His LOVE with the world.  Amen!’ 

And having declared that (right again), let’s go out and put it into practice, as Jesus verily desires of us! Much LOVE!

…LOVING Jesus…and working for Him…it’s such an awesome privilege…I wouldn’t trade it…for anything else in this whole wide world…

 

 

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