The Overwhelming Importance of Obedience to God’s Commandments in the Christian Life!

08 Oct 2025 Leave a comment

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

John 14:15.        If you LOVE me, keep my commandments.

And the rain ceased, although it was mostly drizzle, and therefore Wednesday opened bright and sunshiny once more, though somewhat windy and cool, with a small bit of cloud cover. But the important thing is seeing the sun and feeling at least some of its effects. Unfortunately though friends, today we’re on the late, late bus, because I went to my church group this morning, then immediately after went out to breakfast with the Duchess, because today is her Special Day. And it’s obvious after all that activity, the ole fella needed to rest and recoup his energy, before I could tackle writing the Bit. (smile) 

However, when I got up, the Duchess insisted on me doing a couple of chores she felt could not wait, and although I disagreed, I went along with her contention. You know the old adage; a happy wife makes for a happy life. And to make matters worse, just as I sat down to write the Bit, a sick friend called to inform me of his illness. Obviously I had to sit and talk with him for a while, which set me even further behind the eight ball. But as they say, better late then never. So now that you know the story of my life, (smile) let’s get down to brass-tacks and see what the Lord wants us to talk about today. 

And His desire seems to be the biggest obstacle or misunderstanding between Him and his human creation; that’s the subject of OBEDIENCE! Yes friends, from day one, obedience has been the major disagreement between God and man. We see it in Genesis 3, where our first mother was beguiled by the evil serpent into eating of the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil in the middle of the Garden of Eden, which the Lord forbade them from eating. And her foolish husband, Adam, allowed her to lead him astray into also eating the forbidden fruit, when he should have known better. 

And I have to chuckle at Eve’s excuse when God asked her about her disobedience. She said, ‘The serpent beguiled (deceived) me, and I did eat.’ (Gen. 3:13) And unfortunately from that day to this, sin and death and all the negative evils we now suffer, invaded our world. But eventually, the Lord, because of His great LOVE for us, sent His Son Jesus to die on our behalf and thus give us an opportunity, an option of turning away from sin. But before we get into the meat of the subject, here’s an interesting prayer on obedience, as offered by the In Touch People on the prayer cards they recently sent out. 

Please pray with me: ‘Lord Jesus, thank You for LOVING me enough to die for me. I owe you everything, and I want to show You my LOVE through obedience. Keep me close. When my eyes are fixed on you, Your commands are a pleasure. Help me to discern Your voice and to resist the distractions that draw me away from You. For when I obey you, I experience true joy. Your burden is indeed light, and your fellowship my greatest reward.’ And all God’s people said a loud and sincere ‘Amen!’  

Yes my fellow believers, joy and good fellowship with Christ is exactly what we receive when we are obedient to his commands. And all through His earthly sojourn, Jesus was adamant about people being true to what He desired. And the scripture verse attached to the above prayer was none other than Christ’s simple, but oh so important declaration to the disciples, and consequently to all believers: ‘If you LOVE me, keep my commandments.’ (John 14:15) Now that says it all my brethren! If we truly LOVE Jesus, then we’ll do as He says. 

And John, in his first epistle, clearly spells it out, when he writes. ‘Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God: and every one that LOVETH him that begat LOVETH him also that is begotten of him. By this we know that we LOVE the children of God, when we LOVE God, and keep his commandments. For this is the LOVE of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous (burdensome). 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 5:1-5) 

There we have it in living colour friends! LOVING Jesus means keeping His commandments, which also includes LOVING ourselves and our fellow human beings. Remember when the foppish Pharisee lawyer, trying to tie up Jesus, asked, ‘Master, which is the great commandment in the law? Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt LOVE the Lord with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt LOVE thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.’ (Matt. 22: 36-40) 

In other words, all that the prophets had been teaching, and all the laws they had proclaimed, basically called for the keeping of those two commandments. Yes my fellow believers, the Bible is simply a means of God showing us how important it is to keep His commandments. And most of us who try to keep them know that they can sometimes be tough, but they are definitely not burdensome, for Jesus in His awesome grace and mercy aided by His Holy Spirit, helps us to keep them. 

And now that we’ve had an overview of obedience and what it entails, let’s promise ourselves and our God that we will indeed try to be more obedient in the future. That means we can now go home declaring (chuh!!!) our Wednesday Wail, letting all and sundry know of our wonderful position in Christ Jesus! 

As one strong and sincere voice: ‘Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: I’m so glad to be alive on this Wednesday! Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: Thank God the breath of life is still flowing through me on this Wednesday! I am halfway home. My hands are fixed securely on the plough, and I’m not turning back. I’m not looking back at the past, not focusing on what has gone before. But my eyes are fixed straight ahead; straight ahead to a glorious future with Jesus. Glory Hallelujah!’ 

And it’s been further promised that all who endure with Jesus to the very end, will indeed experience such a glorious future, that their finite minds cannot think or imagine. So, wisdom dictates that we are obedient, and endure to the end, so that we can enjoy that more than glorious future together! Much LOVE!

…ponder the words of Jesus in scripture…and let your LOVE grow…as you follow Him…

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Today’s Scrip-Bit   20 December 2023 Psalm 119:176.

20 Dec 2023 Leave a comment

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

Psalm 119:176.       I have gone astray, like a lost sheep; seek thy servant; for I do not forget thy commandments.

And then it was Wednesday, the second-wind day of our work week, but unlike yesterday, today has more cloud than sunshine, however it’s dry. And one out of two is never bad! (smile) We are also late,  because on most Wednesdays at ten a.m. I go to a small church service lasting about half an hour, consisting on average of around seven people. But it’s a close knit and cozy gathering, without a lot of church rhetoric, more like a discussion group, although we do pray for those who’ve asked the church for prayers, and receive communion. 

And believe me, I sometimes get more out of that small gathering than the big, church service. But that might just me, with my contrary self. (smile) And after that, I had to run around and do a couple of errands before coming home, which made me even later. But here we are at last. (smile) Anyway, enough palaver, let’s get down to brass tacks. Now,  today, we’re going to look at a rather appropriate verse of scripture for these trying and ungodly times. It comes from the longest chapter in the Good Library, Psalm 119. And the verse most expressively and wisely says: ‘I have gone astray, like a lost sheep; seek thy servant; for I do not forget thy commandments.’ (Ps. 119:176) 

And that, my fellow believers, is something that could be said about many of us in these difficult and mind boggling times. Many of us, for whatever reason(s) have gone astray like lost sheep, but deep down in our hearts the Lord’s commandments are still there. We’re just not following them. Consequently, the psalmist, because he’s recognized his mistake, is asking the Lord to search for Him, like a shepherd goes out and looks for a lost sheep, and so bring him back to His fold. 

Oh my people, many of us could surely benefit from that prayer; asking the Lord to search for us and bring us back to Him. Remember what Isaiah said on the subject. ‘All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.’ (Is. 53:6) Yes, that’s a very good description of our current society. Everyone, including believers, is intent on doing his or her own thing. That’s just the way of today’s world. Rules and regulations are bypassed without even a bat of an eyelash. We seem to truly believe the saying that rules were made to be broken. No wonder our world is in such chaos, for where law and order don’t exist, or are not treated as important, then chaos will prevail, as it’s certainly doing in numerous parts of our groaning planet earth. 

Cousin Sol said it this way in Proverbs: ‘Where there is no vision (prophetic vision or revelation) the people perish (cast off restraint): but he that keepeth the law, happy is he.’ (Prov. 29:18) And that’s exactly what’s happening today; there’s no prophetic vision or revelation in our society; God’s Word, His moral law, is not recognized by many, and that’s what keeps a society balanced and on the right path. Consequently, if God’s moral law is being disdained and refuted, as Cousin Sol so wisely says, the people will perish. And that’s exactly what’s happening to us right now, we’re perishing, because we have cast off any restraint we had when we followed God’s moral law. 

But the good news my people, is that there’s still hope for us. That old saying, where there’s life there’s hope,’ is oh so true! And most importantly, please remember that we have a Good Shepherd, who is totally interested in us and our whereabouts. His name is Jesus Christ, and in a few days, at Christmas we’ll be celebrating His magnificent incarnate birth. However, when He became a man, He made these bold bit true and faithful statements per our safety and protection. ‘I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth is life for the sheep.’ (John 10:11) Then, He went out and did just that; died of us on the cross at Calvary. 

He also said; ‘I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of them.’ (John 10:14) Yes friends, Jesus knows who belongs to Him, and we ought to know that we belong to Him, for He bought us with the price of his precious blood which flowed on Calvary’s hill. (1 Pet. 1:18-19) 

And furthermore, Jesus acknowledged His shepherd’s duties and values towards us, when He told this parable of the lost sheep. ‘How think ye? If a man have an hundred sheep, and one of them be gone astray, doth he not leave the ninety and nine, and goeth into the mountains, and seeketh that which was gone astray? And if so be that he find it, verily I say unto you, he rejoiceth the more of that sheep, than of the ninety and nine which went not astray. Even so it is not the will of your Father which is in heaven, that one of these little ones should perish.’ (Matt. 18:12-14) 

How wonderful is that my fellow saints! Our heavenly Father doesn’t want any of us to perish, but we must take the proactive action and seek Him out. He’s always there, but the choice has to be ours; we must want to be a part of His fold. He will never refuse us, but neither will He force us to accept Him against our will. He’s always cognizant of our whereabouts and our state of mind, body and soul, and lurking just in the background, anxiously waiting for our cry for help, so He can quickly jump in and restore us to the beautiful relationship He’s planned for all of His children. But please remember, that although sometimes God invites us, the onus is on us to make the connection, and/or accept the invitation. That’s why He gave us free will. 

And having straightened out those matters, (smile) let’s go home declaring (yesss!!!) our Wednesday Wail, letting the whole world know of our most wonderful position in Christ Jesus. Altogether now: ‘Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: I’m so glad to be alive on this Wednesday! Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: Thank God the breath of life is still flowing through me on this Wednesday! I am halfway home. My hands are fixed securely on the plough, and I’m not turning back. I’m not looking back at the past, not focusing on what has gone before. But my eyes are fixed straight ahead; straight ahead to a glorious future with Jesus. Glory Hallelujah!’ 

And it’s also been faithfully promised that those who endure with Jesus down to the very end, will enjoy an even more glorious future than they can ask or imagine! Wow! Hope to se you there! Much LOVE!

…if you’re lost and want help…please cry out to the Good Shepherd…He’ll be there in a jiffy… 

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Today’s Scrip-Bit 7 July 2019 Revelation 1:18.

07 Jul 2019 Leave a comment

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

Revelation 1:18.    ​I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell (Hades) and of death.
​

Now just in case you did not realize it, I’m here to inform you that the weekly cycle of life has come full circle again! (smile) This is the Lord’s Day, the Sabbath, the day on which He rested after spending the entire week creating the universe and all therein. It’s also the day that we ought to rest from our labour and journey to His sanctuary to fellowship with other believers, praising and exalting His Holy Name, giving Him exceeding thanks for all that He’s done for us. 

And last, but definitely not least, to hear His Holy Word, so that our spiritual selves can be refreshed and renewed, to enable us to rebuke and repel the evil enemy as we venture back into the ungodly working world tomorrow. And all of God’s children said a loud, proud and sincere: ‘Praise the Lord! Magnify His Holy Name!’ 

So let’s get right into the praise section by singing this old but much LOVED ‘Christian hymn, ‘Abide with Me,’ written by Scottish Anglican Henry Francis Lyte. He wrote it in 1847 while he lay dying from tuberculosis; he survived only a further three weeks after its completion.’ And was it ever a fitting going away present to leave to posterity, as he indeed wrote a telling, thoughtful and true hymn! So, in one accord, let’s sing it like we really mean it nuh. 

‘Abide with me; fast falls the eventide; the darkness deepens; Lord, with me abide. When other helpers fail and comforts flee, Help of the helpless, O abide with me. Swift to its close ebbs out life’s little day; earth’s joys grow dim; its glories pass away; change and decay in all around I see; O thou who changest not, abide with me. I need thy presence every passing hour. What but thy grace can foil the tempter’s power? Who, like thyself, my guide and stay can be? 

Through cloud and sunshine, Lord, abide with me. I fear no foe, with thee at hand to bless; ills have no weight, and tears not bitterness. Where is death’s sting? Where, grave, thy victory? I triumph still, if thou abide with me. Hold thou thy cross before my closing eyes; shine through the gloom and point me to the skies. Heaven’s morning breaks, and earth’s vain shadows flee; in life, in death, O Lord, abide with me.’ 

Oh friends, those are such powerful, moving and gospel true words! Nobody else can help us in this life like Jesus can! And I like the descriptions: ‘Help of the helpless.’ That’s exactly what Jesus came to do! ‘O thou who changest not…’ More glorious truth! ‘I need thy presence every passing hour…’ And do we ever my believing brethren! Without it, we’d quickly be toast against the enemy. ‘What but thy grace can foil the tempter’s power? Who, like thyself, my guide and stay can be?’ Exactly what we were just saying: only with Jesus in our lives can we ever hope to overcome the evil and diabolical enemy called Satan! 

Consequently, ‘I fear no foe, with thee at hand to bless.’ Oh my people, living with and for Christ, certainly raises our level of courage to great heights, because we know that with Him in our corner we can conquer any and every foe! And when he asks? ‘Where is death’s sting? Where, grave thy victory?’ The thrilling, victorious answer comes: ‘I triumph still, if thou abide with me.’ 

And that’s for certain sure friends, because Christ defeated hell, death and the grave by His sacrificial death and His awesome resurrection! Note His words to John in the vision on the isle of Patmos: ‘I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell (Hades) and of death.’ 

Oh friends and fellow believers, the victory is indeed ours through Christ Jesus! Never forget that! Isaiah prophesied it: ‘He will swallow up death in victory (forever); and the Lord God will wipe away tears from off all faces; and the rebuke of his people shall he take away from off all the earth: for the Lord hath spoken it. ‘ (Is.25:8) And we all know that our great and faithful God doesn’t make idle promises, His word doesn’t return to Him void, but accomplishes all its purposes. 

And Jesus certainly made mincemeat of Satan!  That’s why Bruh Paul could be so exuberant and cocksure when he wrote to the Corinthians: ‘Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is thy sting? O grave (Hades), where is thy victory? The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.’ (2 Cor. 15:54a-57) Oh mih people, shout and jump for joy, for victory is ours! Sing ‘Glory Hallelujah!’ Praise the wonderful name of the Lord for He has indeed done marvellous things on our behalf! 

And Bruh David said it too in Psalm 68 – God has gone before his people. ‘Blessed be the Lord who daily loadeth us with benefits, even the God of our salvation.   Selah. He that is our God is the God of salvation: and unto God the Lord belong the issues (escapes) from death.’ (Ps.68:19-20) But my people, all that good and wonderful news of victory through Christ, doesn’t mean we can just sit on our laurels and don’t do anything to help our cause. 

That’s why Bruh Paul at the end of his victory speech, warned the Corinthians:  ‘Therefore my beloved brethren, be ye steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain (futile) in the Lord.’ (2 Cor.15:58) And it most definitely is not, for all good work will eventually be rewarded in God’s time.

Friends, I sincerely recommend then, that we all take that warning to heart and get down to brass tacks right now, standing steadfast in Christ, rebuking and repelling the enemy who is trying to be a spoilsport and curdle our victory! Please don’t let him! Much LOVE!

…Christ won the victory…but we have to keep it alive…

 

 

Today’s Scrip-Bit 13 September 2015 Matthew 7:20

13 Sep 2015 Leave a comment

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

Matthew 7:20.    Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.

Welcome all you saints of Jesus to this blessed day called Sunday! It’s the day when most believers gather together to sing, praise, worship, give thanks, adore and glorify our most wonderful heavenly Father, His remarkable Son Jesus Christ and our earthly comforter, Holy Spirit. 

What a triumvirate they are my brethren! There’s nothing else in this universe like them! And how could there be eh, when they created the universe and still control it? Oh glory to God my people! 

And we all ought to be eternally thankful and grateful that they LOVED us so much, that the Father sent the Son to sacrifice His holy and sinless life so that we worthless and sinful wretches could be reconciled to Him, obtain salvation and the promise of eternal life. 

Then to complete the cycle, when Jesus ascended back to heaven, they sent the Holy Spirit to live within us, to lead and guide and comfort us on our earthly pilgrimage. Oh all thanks and glory be to the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, now and forever more! 

Unfortunately though, many supposed believers don’t seem to understand and appreciate the seriousness and gravity of the Christian situation and just muddle along nonchalantly. But Friends, that is the most important aspect of our earthly sojourn; where we will spend eternity. Now you can be frivolous about it and just continue your merry way rejoicing, hoping that it will all fall into place on its own. 

But take my word, it won’t. We all have to make definite decisions about whether we’re going to follow Christ or not. And if we do decide to follow Him, then we have to get down to brass tacks and sincerely do what He desires of us. A wishy-washy, haphazard attitude won’t do, because Jesus desires diligence, faithfulness, and excellence from His followers. 

As His earthly ambassadors we need to reflect a good and proper image of Him and all that He stands for, both in our words and deeds. Remember Jesus’ words of warning in the Sermon on the Mount? ‘Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening (ravenous) wolves.’ (Matt.7:15) 

And believe me Friends, there are a lot of false prophets in existence nowadays leading God’s people astray. But Jesus gave us a way to figure them out. ‘Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles?  Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil (bad) fruit. A good tree cannot bring forth evil (bad) fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.’ (Matt.7:16-18) 

Simple logics that my brethren. If you’re corrupt inside, you cannot bring forth anything that’s good. And if you’re good, you cannot bring forth bad or corrupt fruit. No wonder Jesus later on declared: ‘Not that which goeth into the mouth defileth a man; but that which cometh out of the mouth, this defileth a man.’ (Matt.15:11) 

Yes my people, it’s what comes from the depths of our souls and our hearts that defile us. So we had better make sure that what’s in our hearts is good, so that we can produce good fruit. For as Jesus continues before our Bit. ‘Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.’ (Matt.7:19-20) Gospel truth that Friends! 

Now here are some interesting explanations on those verses from the scholars. ‘7:16-20. A true test of a prophet was the conformity of his doctrine to the Scriptures (cf. 1 Cor.14:37; Deut.13:1-5). Their fruits refers not only to actions of their lives, but also to the doctrines they proclaim. The two trees are contrasted in relation to the fruit they produce. 

Every good tree bringeth forth good fruit consistently, while a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit continually. Therefore, the normal and consistent production of fruit, whether good or evil, in a person’s life will bear evidence whether or not that life is of God. Verse 19 illustrates the unfruitful life of the unregenerate who is cast into the fire, a picture of eternal punishment in hell.’ 

Now there it is in black and white Friends, exactly as I said at the beginning.  To be a true and worthy follower of Jesus we have to know and proclaim His doctrines, then bear good fruit which comes from an internally good soul, spirit and heart. 

On the other hand, if our internal self is rotten and wicked, then we won’t spread true and proper doctrines, neither will we able to bear good fruit, with the unfortunate result that we’ll eventually be cast into the consuming fires of hell. 

Oh my fellow believers, I don’t think any of us wants to suffer that calamitous situation. Therefore, I will encourage us to pay close attention to the words of Jesus that we’ve discussed, as well as these ultra-important ones. 

‘Enter ye in at the strait (narrow) gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat. Because strait (how narrow) is the gate, and narrow (difficult or confined) is the way, which leadeth to life, that few there be that find it.’ (Matt.7:13-14) 

Yes mih breddren, as the scholars further explain. ‘One must come through the narrow gate in order to reach the path that leads to eternal life. Though many are on the broad…way, that leadeth to destruction (eternal separation from God), the gate that leads to life is so narrow that few there be that find it. Christ Himself is both the gate and the way (cf. John 14:6), and God enables men to find that gate (cf. John 6:44).’ 

So Friends, let’s get us off to church today and continually seek that strait and narrow path that leads to eternal life, for that is the wisdom of the ages! Much LOVE!

…Jesus saith unto him…I am the Way…the Truth…and the Life…NO man cometh unto the Father…but by ME…  (John 14:6)

 

Today’s Scrip-Bit 5 June 2015 Psalm 37:5‏‏

05 Jun 2015 Leave a comment

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

Psalm 37:5.   Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass.

So what it is eh my people? (smile) How all yuh doing? Hope all yuh doing good! But just in case oonoo not doing so good, then I certainly hope that you all are in constant communication with our wonderful Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. For He is the ONLY One who can truly ease and/or solve our problems.

Yes Friends, He’s even invited us with the Great Invitation to come to Him when we are heavily burdened, and He will give us rest and peace for our tired and burdened souls. (Matt.11:28-30) And that is not an invitation to be sneered at or taken lightly, for He will indeed do as promised.

Ah Friends, it’s a proven fact that when we’re doing poorly, that’s when we most need to communicate with the Saviour. For the best antidote for sadness and sorrow, or anything that discombobulates us, is prayer! Never forget that.

So having said all of that, I guess we can get down to brass tacks now. (smile) And I guess you all know that today is Friday…

And as expected, I’m greeted with a joyous shouting of ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday! And we going to have a wonderful weekend; good weather, good food, good LOVE, plenty laughter, joy, compassion and forgiveness…Oh Glory to God! Thank Him for the weekend!’

What wonderful sentiments my brethren! And I do hope that our weekend does turn out that way, as we get involved in praise and worship and fellowship and enriching family time, for the name of the game is good relationships; both with each other and with Jehovah God!

Now let’s chant our Friday Chant to help us stay on the straight and narrow path. As one chanter now: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through another week of work! It hasn’t been easy, but with your generous help, I made it through.

Now, please help me to get sufficient fun, fellowship, rest and relaxation in these two short days off, so that I can be renewed and refreshed in soul, body and mind, to go back out and do it all over again next week, furthering your glorious kingdom with each step I take. I pray this in Jesus name. Amen.’

Yes my people, that is how we ought to use the weekends, not merely for partying and our own amusement. And yuh know what? If we follow the wise advice of our Bit, we won’t have any real problems living life the way we ought to. ‘Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass.’

Oh Friends, there’s absolutely no doubt in that statement, for our gracious and most merciful God is indeed a faithful keeper of His promises! So whenever you come to Him, He will never turn you away.

Listen to how Cousin Sol puts it in Proverbs, in his exhortations to obedience. ‘Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct (make smooth or straight) your paths. Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the Lord, and depart from evil. It shall be health to thy navel (body), and marrow (strength) to thy bones.’ (Prov.3:5-8)

Oh my brethren, in all the Good Book, there is no better advice than those four verses. If we live our lives by them, we will never go wrong… Oh you know what I mean; we’ll live under the shade of the golden umbrella of our omnipotent, omniscient and omnipresent God!

Now that doesn’t mean we won’t have trials and tribulations, but when we go through them, we’ll know, we’ll be assured that Almighty God is there with us through all the sadness and mayhem. And on top of it all, He won’t give us more than we can bear, and will bring us out of the negative situations better than before, meaning more Christ-like, for that is often the purpose of our problems.

And Bruh David offers these wonderful words of advice after our Bit. ‘And he shall bring forth thy righteousness as the light, and thy judgment (justice) as the noonday. Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for him: fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way, because of the man who bringeth wicked devices (plans, schemes) to pass.

Cease from anger, and forsake wrath: fret not thyself in any wise to do evil (it only causes harm). For evil doers shall be cut off (destroyed): but those that wait upon the Lord, they shall inherit the earth.’ (Ps.37:6-9)

Oh mih lovelies, why is it so difficult for us to take such simple advice and live faithfully by it eh – especially when we know that it’s all gospel truth? I don’t know the answer nuh. I can only surmise that our natural sinful nature is getting the upper hand of us in these relatively sinful and godless times.

Plus the fact that Lucifer and his evil minions are in control of the day to day world, and are making a protracted push with lots of worldly things and advice, to get us to move away from God.

But my people, we are supposed to be the best creation of our God, therefore we cannot allow the wicked and wickedness of this world to get the better of us. But we can only do so if and when we take the Word of God seriously and truly live by it. Otherwise we’ll be very susceptible to the wiles and lies of the enemy.

And we’ll end today with some more encouraging advice from Bruh David from Psalm 37. ‘The steps of a good man are ordered (established) by the Lord: and he delighteth in his way. Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down: for the Lord upholdeth him with his hand.’ (Ps.3723-24)

Oh Friends, that’s gospel truth! And I can personally vouch for it, because though I’m not the greatest or the most godly and righteous, yet the Lord has upheld me with His mighty hand several times over the years! So you can imagine what He’ll do for the very godly and righteous.

Oh mih people, mih people, there’s only one wise and sensible path to follow in this crazy, calamitous and disaster-prone world – the straight and narrow one, which leads directly to Jesus and our heavenly Father! And we can successfully do that if we allow the Holy Spirit which indwells us to lead and guide us in all truth. That’s our ‘ponderation’ for today my people. (smile) Much LOVE!

…only as we sincerely trust…and have true faith in God…will we see Him work in our lives…

Visit the Scrip-Bit Blog at https://randyobrien50.wordpress.com

 

Today’s Scrip-Bit 20 January 2014 Psalm 5:3

20 Jan 2014 Leave a comment

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

Psalm 5:3.    My voice shalt thou hear in the morning, O Lord; in the morning will I direct my prayer unto thee, and will look up.

Oh Friends, it’s Monday: Monday 20 January 2014! The year that the Lord God Jehovah will make a mighty impact on this planet Earth, that He created! Fellow believers, this year we’re going to receive such a wake up call that we’ll be unable to avoid the Lord’s call to arms.

 
You’ll notice that since 2014 stepped in the strife around the world and the natural disasters have escalated. And believe me Friends, if we, the ones appointed by Jesus to take the good news of His saving and redeeming gospel all over the world, don’t do it, then we’ll see even worse strife and disasters, many of the latter man-made.
 
Oh my people, the talk about wars and rumours of wars is no longer prophetic, for it’s been currently fulfilled, with serious strife in more places than those where some semblance of peace reigns. So mih breddren, if we truly want our children to live to see a brighter day, then WE have to seriously step up to the plate and do some serious proselytizing, since it’s only by spreading the Word around the globe, that LOVE, peace, equal rights and justice will ever find a true foothold.
 
Oh my people, it’s high time we stop the mickey-mouse stuff we’ve been fooling ourselves with and get down to brass tacks, because the enemy; the powers of evil, Lucifer and his evil cohorts, have stepped up their programme of evil devastation and destruction. That means we have to take even bigger steps than them, if we even want to catch up, much less to pass them.
 
Friends, this is not just my feeling, but it’s right there out in front of us for all and sundry to see. But please remember that there’s none so blind as those who refuse to see. And sadly, a great many believers are either too taken up with the things of the world, or are foolishly hiding their heads in the sand like the ostrich, hoping that the evil tendencies will disappear on their own.
 
But Friends, I have news for us; that’s a fallacy, a very foolish one too! If we try to run and hide from the situation, it will only get worse, and eventually catch up to us and engulf us in its evil claws. So please, let’s stop trying to side step the problems nuh, for we’re only doing ourselves irreparable harm.
 
Oh Friends, this is the day of the awakening! This is the day that God’s people must rise up and take the fight to the enemy! And as our Bit so wisely advises, the best way to do that, is to begin the day in prayer, in serious communication with the Most High. ‘My voice shalt thou hear in the morning, O Lord; in the morning will I direct my prayer unto thee, and will look up.’
 
So now my people, as we always do on a Monday morning, let’s look up, and raise our voices, direct our prayer, our Monday Morning Battle Hymn to our wonderful Creator, Provider and Protector. As one harmonious, blessed union, let’s pray.
 
‘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 with that adrenalin now pumping through our veins my brethren, let’s go out into the evil world that surrounds us, this first day of the work week, and make a serious and worthwhile difference in Jesus’ name nuh.  I don’t like to keep harping on it, but it’s only through our strong, indefatigable and sustained efforts, RIGHT NOW, that our grandchildren will inherit a half-decent world.
 
Remember how we recently talked about changing the world, one day at a time? Well now it’s become imperative that we do so!
 
Now let’s get into the last scripture in this series of messages on the importance of prayer in a believer’s life. It comes from the epistle of James, recognized as Jesus’ earthly half brother. One of those who, in the early days chastised Him and didn’t believe, but who later came to see the light, as I’d like us to do.
 
And in talking about patience in affliction, James boldly proclaims: ‘Is any among you afflicted (suffering)? let him pray. Is any merry? let him sing psalms. Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him.
 
Confess your faults (trespasses) one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual (effective) fervent (supplication) prayer of a righteous man availeth much. Elijah was a man subject to like passions as we are (with a nature like ours), and he prayed earnestly that it might not  rain: and it rained not on the earth (land) by the space of (for) three years and six months. And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth brought forth her fruit.’ (James 5:13-18)
 
Oh Friends, I can’t say it better than that! I can only hope and pray that this Monday morning, we will all go out and stand up steadfast and strong for Jesus. In His Holy name, we pray. And all God’s people gave a loud and rousing shout of ‘So be it! Amen!’ Much LOVE my brothers and sisters in Christ!
 
…only as the church of Christ comes together…and fights a serious and unified fight…will it ever be victorious…otherwise the enemy will keep on dividing and conquering us…