Today’s Scrip-Bit 2 December 2012 Proverbs 8:32

02 Dec 2012 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Inspirational Living Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

 

Proverbs 8:32.    Now therefore hearken unto me, O ye children: for blessed are they that keep my ways.
Oh Friends, oh Friends, our God is indeed a great God, there’s no doubt about that! That’s why we can sing so heartily, truthfully and appreciatively: ‘All things bright and beautiful, All creatures great and small, All things wise and wonderful, The Lord God made them all. The bright and sunny weather, Our sparkling waters pure, Are gifts from God as well as, The white sand on our shore. (Chorus) The mangoes in the summer, The sea grapes growing wild, Guinep and plums and guavas, Are gifts for every child. (Chorus) The waters round our island, Are brimming full with food; Grouper and crab and lobster, That do our Bodies good. All things bright and beautiful, All creatures great and small, All things wise and wonderful, The Lord God made them all.’ Truths for  now and all time Friends! And all God’s people raised up a mighty shout unto heaven: ‘Glory Hallelujah! Praise be to Him that sits on the throne on high and looks after His children down here on earth.’ Sorry this is so late my brethren, but I was about God’s business, fellowshipping with other believers at the Harvest /Thanksgiving service at my old church, St. Andrew’s Anglican in Scarborough. I had no idea that the celebration would be so long, three hours, from 8-11 am. But it was beautiful! With a West Indian flavour that can’t be beat. The last Harvest Festival I went to there, must have been some fifty years ago, before Hurricane Flora blew down the old church in 1963. As usual, I saw friends and family that I haven’t seen in donkey years. (smile)  It was also good to see all the produce of the fertile earth on display in the church, and the singing and praising was wonderful. After that I bought some of the goodies they were selling, then they held me back for lunch. I never got back home until after one, having left shortly after seven. So what else can I do but give Almighty God thanks and praise for the many blessings He’s poured down on me in the last two weeks here on His Li’l Acre? And it’s not done yet, because I still have some rounds to make later this afternoon. And even while I’m trying to write the Bit on the porch of my cosy cottage at Store Bay, under cloudy skies, people are calling and disturbing me, but I have to be nice and pleasant as our God dictates. Anyway, our Bit: ‘Now therefore hearken unto me, O ye children: for blessed are they that keep my ways,’ has made it to day 3, because it’s very important and there are several scriptures still left to bring to our attention. The first one today comes from Psalm 119, the longest chapter in the Good Book, titled, The Lord’s judgements are righteous. And true to its title, it opens thus: ‘Blessed are the undefiled (blameless) in the way, who walk in the law of the Lord. Blessed are they that keep his testimonies, and that seek him with the whole heart.’ (Ps.119:1-2) Oh my people, how can anyone be anything other than blessed if they walk continually with the Most High God eh? Impossible! For He’s the kind of God that abundantly blesses those who diligently seek Him. I just wish more unbelievers, and supposed believers too, could truly get that into their hearts and minds, and forget the foolish Lucifer and his empty, frivolous nonsense. And as I keep saying, all the material possessions we can get by selling our souls to Lucifer, are also available from the Lord, in even greater abundance, plus they are more secure and last longer, if we get them through God’s largesse. Oh, the duchess brought a piece of roast bake and some ginger beer outside for me. Oh Tobago, sweet Tobago! Am I ever going to miss you when I’m gone! And now is a piece of sweet bread. (smile) So why bother with a ‘chupid’ fellow like Lucifer eh, one who had it all, but threw it away by unwisely trying to overthrow the Creator, and is now forced to walk in sin, disobedience and destruction? Now listen to Isaiah postulate and expatiate (smile) in wisdom and truth on the matter. ‘Thus saith the Lord, Thy Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel; I am the Lord thy God which teacheth thee to profit, which leadeth thee by the way that thou shouldest go. O that thou hadst hearkened (heeded, listened) to my commandments! then had thy peace been as a river, and thy righteousness as the waves of the sea: Thy seed also had been as the sand, and the offspring of thy bowels (body) like the gravel (grains of sand) thereof; his name should not have been cut off nor destroyed from before me.’ (Is.48:17-19) And if you don’t believe that, just check out Israel’s history. When they followed the Lord, they prospered; when they rebelled, they suffered true hell here on earth. So which path are you going to choose eh my brethren? I certainly hope it’s the path that’s led by Jesus, for He is indeed the WAY, the TRUTH, the LIFE and the LIGHT! And hear Him tell it. One day while Jesus was preaching His family came to look for Him but couldn’t get through the big crowd. Eventually somebody told Jesus that His mother and brethren wanted to see Him. And His answer was: ‘My mother and brethren are these which hear the word of God, and do it.’ (Luke 8:21) If Jesus could say that about His earthly family, most of whom never believed in Him when He was alive, who am I to say different eh? And another time, while talking about a house divided against itself can’t stand, and about unclean spirits, (Luke 11:14-26) a woman in the crowd, generously declared: ‘Blessed is the womb that bare thee, and the paps (breasts) which thou hast sucked.’ (Luke 11:27)  However, Jesus’ reply declared something somewhat different: ‘Yea, rather (more than that), blessed are they that hear the word of God, and keep it.’ (Luke 11:28) Matter fixed Friends! And the scholars hit the nail on the head  with these conclusions. ‘These verses are unique to Luke. They show that spiritual relationship with Jesus is more important than family ties, and that blessedness is a matter of both hearing and doing God’s word.’ Ah Friends, I don’t know what else to say to encourage us to live for God and obey His Word nuh. I know that I am trying my best to do so, and I’m certainly benefitting from it. Now everything is not, and will never be, strictly wine, roses and song, but it’s surely always interesting, even in the difficult times. So who ever doesn’t want to do likewise, I’m sorry for them, but each individual has to make their own decisions on this particular matter. And we’ll end with the chorus of a well known hymn that we sang in church this morning in thanks for the bountiful harvest. ‘Count your blessings, Name them one by one. Count your many blessings, See what God has done.’ Oh people, please let’s do that seriously today, so that we can see and understand the wonders our God is doing in the lives of His children down here on Mother Earth. Much LOVE!…as for me and mine…we’ll definitely follow Jesus…

Today’s Scrip-Bit 22 August 2012 1 John 4:16

22 Aug 2012 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Inspirational Living Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

1 John 4:16.      And we have known and believed the LOVE that God hath to us. God is LOVE; and he that dwelleth in LOVE dwelleth in God, and God in him.
 
Oh Friends, the word for today is LOVE! It is the supreme attribute and characteristic of the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Therefore it should also be the supreme characteristic of those who claim to follow Him. And how do we know that LOVE is the major attribute of our God eh? Because His Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ told us so. ‘For God so LOVED the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.’ (John 3:16) And Jesus later corroborates that feeling of LOVE by saying: ‘Greater LOVE hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you.’ (John 15:13-14) And what did Jesus do shortly after that? He gave His sinless, holy life as a sacrifice on the cross at Calvary for His Friends, those who were doing as He instructed! Wow! What a champion my people! Just think about it nuh Friends, Jesus gave up His good life in heaven to come to earth and die for us, a bunch of unworthy sinners, so that we could be reconciled to The Father, and receive forgiveness of our sins, salvation and eternal life. Now if that isn’t the highest form of selflessness, which in this case denotes absolute LOVE, I don’t know what is. Jesus walked His talk! And so should we. But sadly Friends, our world is desperately lacking in that kind of selflessness. Instead everything begins and ends with ‘Me, My, I and Mine.’ In contrast to that, selflessness talks about ‘You and Yours,’ puts the other person’s welfare first. Can you imagine what our lives would be like if God, then Jesus, had said: ‘Chuh pool! They’re just a bunch of ignorant, disobedient, rebellious, lustful, fleshly, pleasure bound no goods. Leave them be, and let them fend for themselves. They think they know everything anyway. And if they want to follow that fool Lucifer, then let them. They’ll pay the price of death and eternal separation for their stupidity, just like he will.’ But no my brethren, the Lord God Jehovah made every one of us, and just like we LOVE even our most rebellious, disobedient children, He LOVES us the same way too! Please note when our children do wrong and end up in the courts, or prison, we still don’t give up on them, although they may justly deserve their punishment. No, we still pray for them, talk to them, and try to show them the error of their ways, notwithstanding that we’ve been preaching the same sermon to them from their youth. Friends, it’s the same way our great, omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent God felt, and still feels about us. As John says in our Bit: ‘And we have known and believed the LOVE that God hath to us. God is LOVE; and he that dwelleth (abides) in LOVE dwelleth in God, and God in him.’ Those are powerful words of truth my people! If God could do us such a great favour, we should also be able to do it to our fellow humans. And it doesn’t necessarily mean actually giving up one’s physical life, although in some cases it can, but it refers to more of a selfless attitude towards others, thinking about their well-being above ours, making sure they are well taken care of, helping them in any way we can. Oh my Friends, the basic premise of God’s LOVE is that we don’t only look out for ourselves, but also for others. As John asks earlier on: ‘But whoso hath this world’s good (goods), and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion (heart) from him, how dwelleth the LOVE of God in him?’ (1 John 3:17) It obviously doesn’t, my people! Now listen to Jesus, when Judas Iscariot asked how He would manifest Himself to the disciples and the world. ‘If a man LOVE me, he will keep my words; and my Father will LOVE him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode (home) with him.’ (John 14:23) It’s simple Friends, if we truly LOVE Jesus, we will keep His commandments. As the scholars say: ‘The divine indwelling (of the Holy Spirit) is conditional on LOVE, and obedience to Jesus’ words. The Word of the gospel is primarily (though not exclusively) in view here.’  And John tells it this way: ‘And this is His commandment, That we should believe on the name of his Son Jesus Christ, and LOVE one another, as he gave us commandment. And he that keepeth his commandments dwelleth in him, and he in him. And hereby we know that he abideth in us, by the Spirit which he hath given us.’ (1 John 3:23-24) Oh Friends, that’s the gospel truth! Please let’s ponder that scripture today and see how it works in our lives, so that we can better represent Jesus here on earth. More on this tomorrow, provided we’re still breathing. Till then, let’s all try and walk in as much LOVE as possible nuh. Much LOVE!…he who truly walks in LOVE…is a true reflection of Jesus…and truly pleases Him…
 
 

Today’s Scrip-Bit 18 August 2012 Psalm 135:1

18 Aug 2012 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Inspirational Living Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

 Psalm 135:1. Praise ye the Lord. Praise ye the name of the Lord; praise him, O ye servants of the Lord.
 
Oh my wonderful Friends in Christ Jesus, we’re on the cusp of another beautiful day on God’s great earth! And all God’s people raised a mighty and grateful shout of joy heavenward: ‘Thank You Lord!’ Now why are we still here breathing the earth’s air; refreshing in some places, almost poisonous in others, and not up yonder enjoying the excellent life eh? Because there’s still work to be done down here; lots of it too. That work includes spreading the Word of God, and the right and true way of Jesus, as He asked us to do in what’s termed the Great Commission. (Matt.28:19-20) So let’s roll up our sleeves and seriously get going on that nuh my people. A very large percentage of the world has never heard about the wonderful God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, nor of His Redeeming Son Jesus, neither of the divine Helper and Comforter, the Holy Spirit, and it’s our job to introduce them to all of that, help them to believe, then seek the kingdom of righteousness thereafter, so that their souls can be saved from eternal death and separation from God in the last days, that might soon be upon us. And how do we do that? By educating them on the Word, by encouraging them in difficult situations, by practical and/or physical help, and very importantly by being worthy examples of all that we preach and teach. And last, but definitely not least, let us not forget another important aspect of our faith walk; the aspect of Praise! Yes Friends, Praise is of the utmost importance in a believer’s life, but sadly, I don’t think we do enough of it, that’s why I chose our Bit today from Psalm 135, re the greatness of the Lord, and the vanity of idols. ‘Praise ye the Lord. Praise ye the name of the Lord; praise him, O ye servants of the Lord.’ And why should we do that? The psalmist continues by telling us: ‘Praise ye the Lord; for the Lord is good: sing praises unto his name; for it is pleasant… For I know that the Lord is great, and that our Lord is above all gods.’ (Ps.135:3,5) Without a doubt my brethren, our God is a great God and worthy of our praise! It says so numerous times in the Good Book, with good reason too. Let’s look at a few of those scriptures, beginning with Psalm 50; a Psalm of Asaph, superscripted, God is the judge. And Asaph loudly and truthfully proclaims: ‘Whoso offereth praise glorifieth me: and to him that ordereth his conversation (conduct) aright will I show the salvation of God.’ (Ps.50:23) Yes my people, one of the reasons our God created us was to glorify Him, and one way of doing that is by showering Him and His Holy Name with praise! Meanwhile, Psalm 33, titled Praise to the Lord for his creation, opens with this wonderful declaration: ‘Rejoice in the Lord, O ye righteous: for praise is comely for the upright.’ (Ps.33:1) Once again Friends, we’re advised that praise to the Most High God Jehovah is right and comely for all those who worship and believe in Him. And isn’t that the living truth! Then Psalm 111, Praise the Lord for His care, tells us: ‘Praise ye the Lord (sing Hallelujah)! I will praise the Lord with my whole heart, in the assembly of the upright, and in the congregation. The works of the Lord are great, sought out of (studied by) all them that have pleasure therein. His work is honourable and glorious: and his righteousness endureth forever.’ (Ps.111:1-3) And the Psalms are not the only place where praise is declared unto God, though it’s found there more than anywhere else in the Good Book. Now listen to Daniel, after the Lord showed him the interpretation of Nebuchadnezzar, the Babylonian king’s dream. ‘Then was the secret revealed unto Daniel in a night vision. Then Daniel blessed the God of heaven. Daniel answered and said, Blessed be the name of God for ever and ever: for wisdom and might are his: And he changeth the times and the season: he removeth kings, and setteth (raises) up kings: he giveth wisdom unto the wise, and knowledge to them that know (have) understanding: He revealeth the deep and secret things: he knoweth what is in the darkness, and the light dwelleth with him. I thank thee, and praise thee, O thou God of my fathers, who hast given me wisdom and might, and hast made known unto me now what we desired (asked) of thee: for thou hast now made known unto us the king’s matter.’ (Dan.2:19-23) Oh my brethren, isn’t that just cause for great praise? It surely is! Now listen to Moses immortalize praise for God in his song of victory over Pharaoh’s army: ‘Who is like unto thee, O Lord, among the gods (mighty ones)? Who is like thee, glorious in holiness, fearful in praises, doing wonders?’ (Ex.15:11) And the answer to ALL those questions Friends, is an unequivocal NOBODY! And in Deuteronomy, Moses again encourages the Israelites to praise the God of their fathers. ‘Thou shalt fear the Lord thy God; him shalt thou serve, and to him shalt thou cleave (hold fast), and swear by his name. He is thy praise, and he is thy God, that hath done terrible (awesome) things which thine eyes have seen. Thy fathers went down into Egypt with threescore and ten persons; and now the Lord thy God hath made thee as the stars of heaven for multitude.’ (Deut.10:20-22) Most excellent reasons to serve and praise the Lord my people! And not to disappoint you all, I will end with a few words from Bruh David, (smile) who praised the Lord more than most. This comes from Psalm 52, caution to the prideful wicked. ‘Lo, this is the man that made not God his strength; but trusted in the abundance of his riches, and strengthened himself in his wickedness (destruction). But I am like a green olive tree in the house of God (see Jer.11:16): I trust in the mercy of God for ever and ever. I will praise thee for ever, because thou hast done it: and I will wait on thy name; for it is good before thy saints.’ (Ps.52:7-9) And all God’s people uttered a loud and glorious ‘Praise the Lord, for He is worthy to be praised! Amen!’ Yes Friends, our God sure is worthy to be praised. So let’s go out and prise Him today and for ever more nuh. That’s wisdom at its highest! Much LOVE!…praise to our great God…is what He rightly deserves… 
 

Today’s Scrip-Bit 9 April 2012 Matthew 28:6

09 Apr 2012 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Inspirational Living Tags: , , , , , , , , , , ,

Matthew 28:6.    He is not here: for he is risen, as he said. Come see the place where the Lord lay.

 

EASTER  MONDAY

Ah mih people, it’s Easter Monday, and for those lucky ones who have the day off, the partying is still going strong. But unfortunately some working stiffs have to labour on what’s supposed to be a tremendously joyous occasion. That means we still need to sing our Monday Morning Battle hymn to help them on their way. That’s what good Friends are for! (smile) So with exceptionally loud and joyful voices that truly reflect Jesus’ resurrection, let’s belt it out in all faithfulness. On three now: one, two, three: ‘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!’ And for those of you going to work, may the Lord bless and keep you safe as you battle the evil enemy in His Name. Meanwhile, those of you who are lucky to be at home, or out enjoying food, drink and good company, please remember the reason for the season and your celebrations. Somewhere in the festivities please spend some time contemplating Jesus’ passion, which resulted in your wonderful free gift of Salvation and Eternal Life, and whisper, or better yet, shout up some thanks to heaven, acknowledging your sincere gratitude for His selfless sacrifice. Now let’s look at our Bit. ‘He is not here: for he is risen, as he said. Come see the place where the Lord lay.’ That’s what the angel of the Lord told the women who came to visit Jesus’ tomb on Easter Sunday. They were obviously afraid when they saw the stone rolled back from the tomb’s mouth and the angel sitting on it. But he convinced them that everything was okay and they should go and tell the rest of the disciples that Jesus was risen. Here is some interesting info from the scholars, re Christ’s Resurrection: ‘The resurrection of Christ included five accomplishments: (1) the physical renewing of His life; (2) the reunion of His body and His Spirit; (3) the subjugation of death under Him; (4) the attachment of His new position; and (5) His receiving a transfigured body. Application: Because of the Resurrection, the Christian receives both eternal life (John 11:25) and spiritual power (Eph 1:19,20). Christ’s resurrection also provides for the future resurrection of the believer (1 Cor.15:20) and is the key to victory in the Christian life because of our union with Christ (Eph:2:6)’ And all God’s people raised a triumphant shout of joy to heaven: ‘Oh thank you Jesus for saving our sinful souls from the pangs of death and eternal separation from the Father. Without your obedient intercession it wouldn’t be possible. We therefore praise and bless Your Holy Name! Amen!’ Yes Friends, please read those scriptures listed above so you can better understand what they’re talking about, and every time we think about Jesus’ unselfish action on our behalf, we ought to offer up some sincere thanks and praise, then try to live a life worthy of him and His principles, for that’s all we can ever do to show our gratitude. Now here is a scripture I planned to share and it just turns out to be the scholars First Reference in their info above. It comes from Psalm 16, Bruh David’s Michtam (Contemplation) where he seeks preservation and blessing: ‘I have set the Lord always before me: because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved. Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoiceth: my flesh also shall rest (dwell securely) in hope. For thou wilt not leave my soul in hell; neither wilt thou suffer (allow) thine Holy One to see corruption. Thou wilt show me the path of life: in thy presence is fullness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for ever more.’ (Ps.16:8-11) Oh my people the verse that the scholars talk about is (10) the one in bold lettering, but the whole passage was too appropriate to this Easter season with the promise of hope, joy and the Lord’s presence, that I had to include it all. The ole fella can get emotional! (smile) And here’s another verse that tells about resurrection and life after death from Psalm 49, Trust in God, not wealth: ‘They that trust in their wealth, and boast themselves in the multitude of their riches; None of them can by any means redeem his brother, nor give God a ransom for him: For the redemption of their soul is precious (costly), and it ceaseth for ever: But God will redeem my soul from the power of the grave: for he shall receive me.  Selah. (Ps.49:6-8,15) Ah Friends, that brings to mind some of Jesus words on the subject: ‘For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul? (Matt.17:26) And the answer to that Friends, is a big, fat NOTHING! Therefore let’s enjoy the Easter season, celebrate and rejoice that the triumvirate God we worship, LOVED us enough to pay such a hefty sacrifice to redeem our sinful souls. But now it’s time for us to go out and do our duty by spreading that good news to all the earth, so that all the earth can rejoice and be saved, thus glorifying God and furthering His glorious kingdom. Much LOVE!…when others get to hear about and know the real Jesus…they will accept and LOVE Him… just as much as we do…   P.S. Ah Friends, I don’t know if the Bit is as cohesive and coherent as I’d like, because I struggled through some external distractions as well as my own mental insufficiency. But I’m not worried since I know that true believers have the God-given ability to pick sense from nonsense. (smile) Much LOVE!

 

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