Today’s Scrip-Bit 24 December 2011 Jeremiah 13:16‏

24 Dec 2011 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Inspirational Living Tags: , , , ,

Jeremiah 13:16.    Give glory to the Lord your God, before he cause darkness, and before your feet stumble upon the dark mountains, and, while ye look for light, he turns it into the shadow of death, and make it gross darkness.

And then there was one! Yes Friends, it’s Christmas Eve! One day before the big ONE! There are such great expectations in the air, let’s hope people aren’t disappointed after the big build up. Although how could we ever be disappointed in Jesus eh, with all the wonderful, selfless, life saving things He’s done and endured for us? We’d be somewhat ungrateful if disappointment shows up on our radar screen at all. That would only prove we’re not really interested in Jesus, but the things of the world. Just think back some two thousand years ago nuh, to poor Joseph trudging along the country roads in the cold, with pregnant Mary, close to term, possibly riding a donkey, all the way from Nazareth to Bethlehem to pay taxes.  I have to laugh when I consider the irony, for in the next couple of months we too will be rushing to make sure our taxes are in order. So apparently the person who declared that there are only two things in this life we cannot escape, death and taxes, did know what he was talking about. But thankfully Jesus was born, died and resurrected so that we could escape one kind of death, the spiritual kind. Therefore Friends, let us be very thankful as we celebrate His Birth, and do as our Bit cautions: ‘Give glory to the Lord your God, before he cause darkness, and before your feet stumble upon the dark mountains, and, while ye look for light, he turn it into the shadow of death, and make it gross darkness.’ Sadly though my people, darkness – spiritual, emotional and physical – is currently covering much of the earth and its people, because in our selfish, egotistical, conceited ignorance and independence, we have turned away from the Lord God Jehovah to worship instead the things of Lucifer and this fallen world. We have become as Isaiah says when he talks of national corruption and consequent suffering. ‘Their feet run to evil, and they make haste to shed innocent blood: their thoughts are thoughts of iniquity; wasting and destruction are in their paths. The way of peace they know not; and there is no judgement (justice) in their goings (tracks): they have made them crooked paths: whomsoever goeth therein shall not know peace. Therefore is judgement (justice) far from us, neither doth justice (righteousness) overtake us: we wait for light, but behold obscurity (darkness); for brightness, but we walk in darkness (gloom, blackness).’ (Is.59:7-9) Yes my brethren, that’s a very true and accurate picture of our world today. No wonder the Lord is asking, like he did in Jeremiah’s time? ‘Thus saith the Lord, What iniquity (injustice) have your fathers found in me, that they are gone far from me, and have walked after vanity, and are become vain? Neither said they, Where is the Lord that brought us up out of the land of Egypt, that led us through the wilderness, through a land of desserts and of pits, through a land of drought, and of the shadow of death, through a land that no man passed through, and where no man dwelt?’ (Jer.2:5-6) Now those are very good questions Friends, which we should all individually ponder, asking ourselves why we have personally gone astray? That’s because we can’t answer for anyone else’s deviation from God’s path, only our own. Oh my people, this is a most opportune time, with Christmas and the approaching New Year, for all of us, believers and non-believers to consider our ways and see where we have fallen away from God and ascertain the reasons why our world so closely resembles this word portrait of Isaiah: ‘And when they shall say unto you, Seek unto them that have familiar spirits (are mediums), and unto wizards that peep (whisper), and that mutter: should not a people seek unto their God? for the living to the dead (should they seek the dead on behalf of the living)? To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them (they have no dawn). And they shall pass through it, hardly bestead (hard pressed) and hungry: and it shall come to pass, that when they shall be hungry, they shall fret themselves (be enraged), and curse their king and their God, and look upward. And they shall look unto the earth; and behold trouble and darkness, dimness (gloom) of anguish; and they shall be driven to darkness.’ (Is.8:19-22) Yes Friends, this is the perfect time for serious contemplation and change, if we expect out world to come up aces again. Much LOVE!…to open their eyes…and to turn them from darkness to light…and from the power of Satan unto God… (Acts 26:18a)

 

Today’s Scrip-Bit 22 December 2011 Jeremiah 13:16

22 Dec 2011 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Inspirational Living Tags: , ,

Jeremiah 13:16.    Give glory to the Lord your God, before he cause darkness, and before your feet stumble upon the dark mountains, and, while ye look for light, he turn it into the shadow of death, and make it gross darkness.
 
And then there were three! Yes Friends, only three more days to the biggest celebration on earth; Christmas Day! What a pleasure and a privilege we Christians enjoy since our God sent His Son Jesus down to earth to live amongst us in human form, so that we could see and experience exactly what He’s like, as well as give us an example that we can understand and follow. Our God sure is a kind and caring Deity! No doubt about it Friends. And while we’re on the subject of caring, here’s a prayer I wasn’t planning to share today, but was guided by the Spirit to do so. It’s a prayer for the church leaders, a group we truly don’t pay as much attention to as we ought. We simply take the running and guidance of our churches for granted, forgetting that it takes a fine group of dedicated and devoted people, working mostly in the background, to keep them functioning properly. So here’s this prayer I found in the front of my mother’s Bible, in their honour. It says: ‘Thank you Lord for the gift of church leaders. Guide them as they face difficult decisions. Give then courage to contend for the faith. Fill them with Grace and Truth. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.’ Yes Friends, especially in this busy season of Christmas, our church leaders are doing lots of wonderful things on our behalf. Let’s make a special effort then to thank them whenever we encounter them. And I would like to say a special thanks to the group at my local church who are currently in the midst of securing a new priest for our parish. May the Lord bless and guide them in their search and grant them the wisdom and understanding to choose the best person available, so that our parish can grow and further His kingdom. Now turning to our Bit: ‘Give glory to the Lord your God, before he cause darkness, and before your feet stumble upon the dark mountains, and, while ye look for light, he turn it into the shadow of death, and make it gross darkness.’ Oh Friends, that’s a serious bit of business, a serious warning from our kind and considerate, but also just and righteous God, who cannot allow sin to run rampant amongst His people. And today we’ll look at one example of God’s justice system, from way back in Joshua’s time. After the fall of Jericho, the Israelites were warned not to take any prisoners or spoil, just save Rahab and her family and the precious metals for the Lord’s treasury. But a little later on they suffered a terrible defeat at the hands of the men of Ai, which caused Joshua to fall on his face before the Lord and ask why? (Josh. 6,7) Unfortunately, the Lord informed him that Israel had sinned by taking spoil from Jericho, although expressly forbidden to do so. Eventually it was discovered that a young man by the name of Achan had committed the crime. “And Joshua said unto Achan, My son, give, I pray thee, glory to the Lord God of Israel, and make confession unto him; and tell me now what thou hast done; hide it not from me. And Achan answered Joshua, and said, Indeed I have sinned against the Lord God of Israel, and thus and thus have I done: When I saw among the spoils a goodly Babylonish garment, and two hundred shekels of silver, and a wedge of gold of fifty shekels weight, then I coveted (desired) them, and took them; and behold, they are hid in the earth in the midst of my tenth, and the silver under it.’ (Josh.7:19-21) The spoil was found exactly where Achan said it was hidden, then they took him, all his family and all their possessions out to a valley called Achor. ‘And Joshua said, Why hast thou troubled us? the Lord shall trouble thee this day. And all Israel stoned him with stones, and burned them with fire, after they had stoned them with stones. And they raised over him a great heap of stones unto this day. So the Lord turned from the fierceness of his anger. Wherefore the name of that place was called, the valley of Achor (trouble), unto this day.’ (Josh.7:25-26) Oh Friends, that sure seems like a harsh punishment for the crime, but God’s proclamation was disobeyed, and the crime had to be paid for. It’s just like Saul disobeyed Samuel and usurped the priest’s office (1 Sam.8-18), and thus lost the crown of Israel. Oh my people, let’s understand once and for all that our God is a most wonderful God, but because of His holy and righteous nature constant sin and disobedience cannot be tolerated under His justice system. There’s no sugar-coating it. And we just have to look at the havoc that our turning away from Him has caused in our world, to know that eventually divine justice and retribution will fall upon those who insist on disobeying God’s edicts. Oh Friends, please let us learn from those gone before us, as well as from what’s happening around us today, and repent and turn back to the God of our fathers, so that our world will be saved from total destruction. It’s the only way to prevent our eventual annihilation. Much LOVE!…a word to the wise…is usually sufficient…but those who don’t hear…will certainly feel…