The Overwhelming Importance of Believers knowing God’s Amazing Faithfulness!

22 Sep 2024 Leave a comment

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

Lamentations 3:22-23.       Because of the LORD’s great LOVE we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.

And once more, in the many times in our lives, we are called on to celebrate the Lord’s Day, preferably in His sanctuary, but wherever two or three believers are gathered, He’s promised to be there and listen to our prayers, our voices of thanksgiving and worship. So the important thing is not so much the place we are gathered, but that we are gathered in a place. (Matt. 18:20) (smile) 

And today’s song of worship is a most appropriate one in these dreadful and disastrous times. It was written by Franklin, Kentucky born, Thomas O. Chisholm. (1866-1960) He apparently wrote the poem in 1923 about God’s faithfulness over his lifetime then sent the song to William Runyan in Kansas. Runyan set the poem to music, and it was published that same year by Hope Publishing Company and became popular among church groups. 

And it is still very popular to this very day because it reassures us of God’s goodness and faithfulness. So, let’s send up sweet sacrifices of praise to heaven as we sing a mid-tempo, soulful version of the marvellous hymn, ‘Great is Thy Faithfulness!’ 

Singing: ‘Great is thy faithfulness, O God my Father, there is no shadow of turning with thee. Thou changest not, thy compassions, they fail not; as thou hast been, thou forever wilt be. (Refrain: Great is thy faithfulness! Great is thy faithfulness! Morning by morning new mercies I see; all I have needed thy hand hath provided. Great is thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me!) 

Summer and winter and springtime and harvest, sun, moon, and stars in their courses above join with all nature in manifold witness to thy great faithfulness, mercy, and LOVE. [Refrain] Pardon for sin and a peace that endureth, thine own dear presence to cheer and to guide, strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow, blessings all mine, with ten thousand beside! 

(Refrain: Great is thy faithfulness! Great is thy faithfulness! Morning by morning new mercies I see; all I have needed thy hand hath provided. Great is thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me! Oh yes, Lord, great is thy faithfulness unto me! Each and every day I experience it… And I give you much thanks and praise for it… For great is thy faithfulness Lord, yes, great is thy faithfulness…unto me…’ 

And isn’t that gospel truth my fellow believers? It most certainly is! Every single day we enjoy God’s faithfulness and new mercies because that’s the kind of God He is. And we see the author quoting James in the very first verse. ‘Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variableness (variation), neither shadow of turning. Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.’ (James 1:17-18) 

Yes friends, God is the Creator of the universe and all therein, setting everything as stable as they can possibly be…until mankind interferes with them. However, He himself is as stable as the rock of ages. He’s immutable; does not change, which means we can rely on His awesome stability or faithfulness, in every circumstance. 

And one of the good things about this song is as this commentary states: ‘Unlike many hymns that have heart-wrenching stories behind them (for instance “It Is Well With My Soul”), “Great Is Thy Faithfulness” is inspired by the simple realization that God is at work in our lives on a daily basis. The hymn reminds us that God doesn’t only work in dramatic or miraculous ways, but also in simple, everyday ways. It also reminds us that Jesus has never failed us in the past, so we have no reason to doubt his faithfulness in the future.’ 

And that’s more gospel truth friends! The sad problem though is many of us don’t seek or even perceive God in the little things in our daily lives, we only think of Him being in the big things. But in reality, He is there in EVERYTHING! That’s how He operates, He takes pleasure in being involved in whatever we are doing, and that’s why His faithfulness is so awesome. For nothing we do escapes His presence, as He so faithfully promised through Moses, so long ago. ‘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.’ (Deut. 31:8) 

Now, if we’re indeed true believers, and really looking for assurance, that’s a scripture we ought to have buried deep in our hearts, minds and souls, for it is the quintessential promise of God – Never to leave nor forsake us. So whatever is happening with us, He’s there right in the middle of it, we just have to acknowledge Him and ask His help. 

And in closing, I’d like to offer this other interesting commentary on the song and its writer. It says: ‘Thomas Chisholm, author of “Great is Thy Faithfulness” led a pretty ordinary life. He did not write this hymn during a period of intense grief or after encountering God in a profound way. Instead, he found truth in the words he encountered in Lamentations 3:22-23: “Because of the LORD’s great LOVE we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.” 

Jeremiah, on the other hand, was in tumultuous circumstances when writing Lamentations. The people to whom he prophesied did not listen, and he was ostracized and completely alone because of what God called him to do. He also lamented the consequences of their faithlessness. God allowed them to be conquered by the Babylonians, resulting in their entire world being laid to waste. 

But in the midst of that utter devastation, Jeremiah still offers them hope on the horizon: they are not completely destroyed because of the LORD’s compassion and faithfulness, and in the morning, after this “dark night of the soul,” things will be better. So whether we are at a place in our lives where everything is pretty ordinary, or whether we are in a period of grief: no matter what our circumstances, God never changes and is faithful to us, sustaining us in his compassion and faithfulness each and every day.’ 

Oh my fellow saints, please, please, let’s remember that and put it to good use in these treacherous, strife-filled and hateful times, because it’s only for our benefit, not for God’s! Much LOVE!

…when one is offered the faithfulness of Almighty God…it’s foolish to turn it down…

Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien

Living for our Unchangeable God from whom ALL Goodness comes!

09 Jul 2024 Leave a comment

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

James 1:17a.       Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights,

O.K!  Tuesday is here in all its summer glory; sunshiny and warm, and we’ve forgotten Monday, forgotten all the frustrations and concerns it might have caused us, because Tuesday is a new day! And what do we say when a new day dawns? ‘This is the day the Lord has made, we will rejoice and be glad in it!’ (Ps. 118:24) Yes friends, that’s exactly why the Lord gave us a new day, so that we could enjoy it with all of His mercies and compassions that are brand new every day! (Lam. 3:22-23) 

Wow! What an awesome God we serve my brethren! Good and faithful is He from the beginning right down to the very end. As James so rightly says in his epistle: ‘Do not err (be deceived) my brethren. Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variableness (variation), neither shadow of turning. Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of first fruits of his creatures.’ (James 1:16-18) 

What reassuring scriptures my faithful believers. But what does it all mean? These two commentaries spread some light on the situation. The first one says: ‘So, if “there is no shadow of turning,” that means there is no darkness in Him. He is light and He doesn’t change. As we move in and out of the light and the earth moves, our shadow shifts. Not true for God. He is the source of light – there is no shadow because there is no movement (turning) in Him.’ 

And the second tells us: ‘James is encouraging believers in Christ to tell themselves the truth: God gave you every single good thing in your life. He is the source of all the good you have and all the good you crave. Who God is does not change when our circumstances change.’ And that’s the gospel truth my people! Our God never changes, from day one to the end of time, He has been, He is, and will be the same; merciful, forgiving, LOVING, compassionate, long-suffering, slow to anger, etc. etc. God. 

But don’t forget that though He is longsuffering and slow to anger, He will not put up with our foolish, ungodly ways for ever, and we certainly don’t want to feel His wrath. Remember how the Israelites felt it when they refused to live the way He desired and chose to worship man-made idols instead. And remember too how He destroyed the world by flood when the world was so sinful and ungodly. So, although He’s good and LOVING and all those other marvellous things, His wrath can be very destructive. 

Now that means we should be careful of how we live, but it’s exactly what we’re not doing, for the world is more sinful and ungodly than its ever been! And sadly, many of us supposed believers are helping it along by being OF it, rather than simply living IN it as Jesus desires. So who knows where our world is headed? We’re sure of only one thing, that it’s going through a rather tragic and disastrous time with all sorts of man made strife and natural disasters like we’ve never seen before. 

Some say it’s a sign of the end times, while others say no. But whatever it is, we can only work on the premise that Jesus is the answer…the way the truth and the life, and no man gets to see the Father’s face unless we go through Jesus. (John 14:6) That means sincerely living for Jesus is the wisest decision and best action we can ever take. Being good agents, ambassadors and disciples for His kingdom. And let’s remember what that means in Jesus own words. ‘If any man will (desires to) come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.’ (Luke 9:23) 

That says it all friends! To follow Jesus we have to be much more like Him than we currently are! We have to stop allowing the world to control us as much as it’s doing, and live sacrificially for Him, like He did for us, while LOVING each other, the way He LOVED us. Remember these poignant words of His. ‘A new commandment I give unto you, That ye LOVE one another; as I have LOVED you, that ye also LOVE one another. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have LOVE one to another.’ (John 13:34-35) 

Now, can we truly say that the members of Christ’s church, truly LOVE one another? Definitely not! With the amount of divisions, dissensions, the serious infighting and petty jealousies that cause much strife in the body of Christ, truly LOVING each other is far from being a reality! And that’s why the heathen don’t see us as true disciples of Christ, and don’t show us any respect. In fact many of them laugh at us and call us hypocrites, because we’re so good at talking the talk, but terrible at walking the walk. 

And until we change our hypocritical, two-faced ways like the Pharisees of old, we will never climb to the standard that Jesus desires of us, and one that will make others believe us and want what we claim to have. So, if we are truly desiring to live for Jesus, then we know what we all have to do; stop being as hypocritical as we currently are, reduce the divisions, dissensions and infighting in the church, and start sincerely LOVING each other! And that only means being good to each other, treating each other with courtesy and respect, helping each other in times of need. In other words, basic human kindness. And if we can’t show basic human kindness to those around us, then we have no claim to be called Christians. End of Sermon! 

Now, for those of us who are sincerely trying to live for Jesus, let’s go home declaring our Tuesday Mantra, letting all and sundry know to whom we belong, lock, stock and barrel. As one voice: ‘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 my immediate neighbours, as well as with the whole wide world! Glory be!’ 

And having made that declaration (yesss!) it’s now our bounden duty to go out and share the amazing LOVE and friendship of Christ with others, so that they too can come to know and LOVE Him like we do! Much LOVE!

…true believers ought to live like Jesus did…without much fanfare…but with much kindness and compassion…

Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien

Today’s Scrip-Bit   27 January 2024 Hebrews 13:8.

27 Jan 2024 Leave a comment

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

Hebrews 13:8.        Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and today, and for ever.

Ah friends, I don’t know what to say about our recent weather patterns nuh. Remember, yesterday I said how it was so wet and cloudy in my neighbourhood and we couldn’t hope for much of a change. Well, lo and behold, when I went back upstairs a couple hours later, I was greeted by brilliant sunshine and almost dry streets. And though the brilliant sunshine did not stick around for the rest of the day, it certainly made it’s presence known and the place remained dry. And by the way, just for your information, on this lazy-day Saturday, the last one in the month of January 2024, it’s damp and cloudy out there right now. (smile) 

But thankfully, that is immaterial at present, for we have God with us, so let’s get to our Lazy-Day Saturday Prayer and appeal to our heavenly Father with true conviction. As one sincere voice: ‘Lord, I want to be with You now. Please slow my thoughts and quiet my soul. Let my muscles relax, my breath deepen. You are here with me – Your peace and LOVE are present. I marvel to think You can’t be contained, that Your LOVE both surrounds and fills me. Thank You for this tenderness, Lord. I praise You for Your unceasing nearness. Increase my awareness of You today, that I may know You all the more. Amen!’ 

And with those words of prayer floating up to heaven, we find the Lord’s presence floating down to us, in such abundance that we cannot handle it. But that’s the generous kind of Deity we serve. The more you LOVE Him, the more LOVE He bestows. Ah Lord eh! What would we do without Him eh? Just crumple up and die, I suppose. For who truly knows what to expect from anything or anybody in these confusing and convoluted days? The ONLY person we can be sure of is our great and wonderful God Jehovah! 

Yes my people, it’s only God we can trust because He is ever-faithful and reliable, He never changes, remains the same all the time. Please beleive it my faithful brethren, our God is unchanging. The Bible tells us so. The prophet Malachi says it thus: ‘For I am the Lord, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed.’ (Mal. 3:6) And are we ever thankful for that, because if He was liable to change and wishy-washy like so many of the other false gods, we would have  been destroyed long ago. As Jeremiah so aptly says in his Lamentations. ‘It is of the Lord’s mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not.’ (Lam. 3:22) Words of indisputable truth! 

Meanwhile the author of Hebrews reminds us: ‘Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and today, and for ever.’ (Heb. 13:8) That means ‘While everything around us is changing, we can depend on God continually showing us His grace, LOVE, and compassion.’ How awesome is that eh! And this commentary puts it nicely into perspective. ‘What does it mean that God doesn’t change? We call this attribute immutability. This means He doesn’t change His character, His plan, or His mind. Frankly, with the instability of life, this is the security we all long for—consistent unconditional LOVE. The Unchanging God.’ 

It couldn’t get any better than that friends! With God being the same all the time, we know exactly what to expect from Him, no hemming and hawing or constantly changing His mind, but a steadfastness and reliability that no one or nothing else can ever match. That’s why James could write these encouraging words to his readers. ‘Do not err (be deceived) my beloved brethren. Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness (variation), neither shadow of turning. Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.’ (James 1:16-18) 

And so it should be, now and forever! God is good – ALWAYS GOOD – and doesn’t change, and we the redeemed, are the first step in His redemption of all creatures. Now if you want to find more information on that last aspect, the scholars give a reference to Romans 8:18-27. And it might not be a bad idea to check out that scripture, because it does deal with some interesting stuff. (smile) Finally, turning to Psalm 102, we find the unknown psalmist writing about the ‘Lonely Soul,’ and making some profound statements re the everlasting and unchanging nature of our most marvellous and magnificent God. 

He writes: ‘My days are like a shadow that declineth; and I am withered like grass. But thou, O Lord, shall endure for ever; and thy remembrance unto all generations…. I said, O my God, take me not away in the midst of my days: thy years are throughout all generations. Of old thou hast laid the foundation of the earth: and the heavens are the work of thy hands. They shall perish, but thou shalt endure (continue): yea, all of them shall wax (grow) old like a garment; as a vesture (cloak) shalt thou change them, and they shall be changed: But thou art the same, and thy years shall have no end.’ (Ps. 102: 11-12; 24-27) 

Oh my fellow saints, I don’t know about you all nuh, but being reminded of all that stuff, I do feel refreshed and revitalized knowing that our God is good and generous, He’s unchangeable, is compassionate and LOVING, and will endure forever with the redeemed of His people! Now isn’t that wonderful news? It certainly is! So let’s accept it with opened arms and enjoy the abundant life that Christ died for us to have. Otherwise it doesn’t make any sense being a Christian, reconciled, justified and set apart by Almighty God! Much LOVE! 

… in this ever changing and unstable world…it’s good to know we have a stabilizing and unchanging rock of ages…Jesus Christ…to rely on…

Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ                 

Today’s Scrip-Bit   31 December 2023 Lamentations 3:22.

31 Dec 2023 Leave a comment

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

Lamentations 3:22.        It is of the Lord’s mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not.

Sunday, Sunday, Sunday! New Year’s Eve Sunday! Another damp and cloudy day! Time for the year’s biggest party, as all around the world the old year will be rung out and the new one rung in with all the hoopla we can manage. And I don’t know why we continue to fool ourselves with the façade of the big New Year’s Eve bash nuh, because nothing much, if anything changes. We keep on doing the same evil, ungodly things; the wars won’t stop, hunger and poverty won’t be eliminated, or even greatly reduced. We might even get more hunger and poverty with all the displaced people from the strife torn parts of our world. 

And I don’t mean to be a spoilsport or killjoy, but as always, the commercial aspect of it all rules the roost. Thankfully though, it’s also Sunday, which means a fantastic gathering of believers in the Lord’s sanctuaries, singing, praising and worshipping His Holy Name. And to help us get started we’ll sing this most appropriate hymn titled ‘Great Is Thy Faithfulness.’  

Apparently the song was written as a poem in 1923 by one Thomas O Chisholm (1866-1960) born in Franklin, Kentucky, who held several jobs including teacher and newspaper editor until he entered the ministry in 1903. He eventually sent the song to William Runyan in Kansas who was affiliated with both the Moody Bible Institute and Hope Publishing Company. Runyan set the poem to music, and it was published that same year by Hope Publishing Company and became popular among church groups. 

It seems that Chisholm’s ‘aim in writing was to incorporate as much Scripture as possible and to avoid flippant or sentimental themes.’ And I like how Gregg Scheer explains it in his commentary. He says: ‘Unlike many hymns that have heart-wrenching stories behind them (for instance “It Is Well With My Soul”), “Great Is Thy Faithfulness” is inspired by the simple realization that God is at work in our lives on a daily basis. He (Chisholm) wrote, “My income has not been large at any time due to impaired health in the earlier years which has followed me on until now. 

Although I must not fail to record here the unfailing faithfulness of a covenant-keeping God and that He has given me many wonderful displays of His providing care, for which I am filled with astonishing gratefulness.” The hymn reminds us that God doesn’t only work in dramatic or miraculous ways, but also in simple, everyday ways. It also reminds us that Jesus has never failed us in the past, so we have no reason to doubt his faithfulness in the future.’ 

And all true believers know that! So, having some insight into the history of the song, lets offer it up with sincere sacrifices of praise, in a mid tempo, joyful version. Singing: ‘Great is thy faithfulness, O God my Father, there is no shadow of turning with thee. Thou changest not, thy compassions, they fail not; as thou hast been, thou forever wilt be. (Refrain: Great is thy faithfulness! Great is thy faithfulness! Morning by morning new mercies I see; all I have needed thy hand hath provided. Great is thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me!) 

Summer and winter and springtime and harvest, sun, moon, and stars in their courses above join with all nature in manifold witness to thy great faithfulness, mercy, and LOVE. [Refrain] Pardon for sin and a peace that endureth, thine own dear presence to cheer and to guide, strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow, blessings all mine, with ten thousand beside! [Refrain: Great is thy faithfulness! Great is thy faithfulness! Morning by morning new mercies I see; all I have needed thy hand hath provided. Great is thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me!’  

Oh my people those are indeed true and marvellous words, and we sang them beautifully. (smile) Right in the opening verse we see one of the great statements about our wonderful God; ‘there is no shadow of changing with thee. Thou changest not… as thou hast been, thou forever wilt be.’ That’s His immutability, His unchangeability, as stated by James in his epistle. ‘Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness (variation), neither shadow of turning.’ (James 1:17) And because of God’s unchanging nature we can comfortably and safely place our trust and faith in Him, unlike mankind who displays chameleon-like qualities; erratic, unpredictable and constantly changing. 

Then the chorus itself is amazing as it reflects the words of the prophet Jeremiah, when he was going through a rough time. One commentator puts it thus. ‘Chisholm led a pretty ordinary life. He did not write this hymn during a period of intense grief or after encountering God in a profound way. Instead, he found truth in the words he encountered in Lamentations 3:22-23: ‘It is of the Lord’s mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.’ 

Jeremiah, on the other hand, was in tumultuous circumstances when writing Lamentations. The people to whom he prophesied did not listen, and he was ostracized and completely alone because of what God called him to do. He also lamented the consequences of their faithlessness. God allowed them to be conquered by the Babylonians, resulting in their entire world being laid to waste. 

But in the midst of that utter devastation, Jeremiah still offers them hope on the horizon: they are not completely destroyed because of the LORD’s compassion and faithfulness, and in the morning, after this “dark night of the soul,” things will be better. So whether we are at a place in our lives where everything is pretty ordinary, or whether we are in a period of grief: no matter what our circumstances, God never changes and is faithful to us, sustaining us in his compassion and faithfulness each and every day.’  

Yes friends, it’s because of the Lord’s overwhelming LOVE for us that we have not been totally consumed, been wiped off the earth. His LOVE for us is so great and unchanging that He sent His Son Jesus to die on the cross so that we could be saved from eternal separation from Him.  As the song says: ‘Pardon for sin and a peace that endureth, thine own dear presence to cheer and to guide, strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow, blessings all mine, with ten thousand beside!’ 

And just to make sure that we know how much He truly LOVES us, every day He showers us with new LOVE! Wow! What an awesome God we serve my brethren. We’d certainly be foolish not to appreciate all that He’s done, is doing, and has promised to do for us in the future. So, as we ring out the Old Year and ring in the New One, please let’s concentrate on counting our blessings, and stop complaining about what we lack, while being obedient to His will, so that God has a good reason to keep showering us with mercies, compassion and LOVE, each and every day! Much LOVE!

…happy is he that hath the God of Jacob for his help…whose hope is in the Lord his God…. (Ps. 146:5) 

Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ                  

Today’s Scrip-Bit 11 February 2015 Deuteronomy 16:17

11 Feb 2015 Leave a comment

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

Deuteronomy 16:17. Every man shall give as he is able, according to the blessing of the Lord thy God which he hath given thee.

Morning Neighbour, morning! What’s cooking on this fine February day eh? A day filled with all sorts of new blessings, mercies and God’s LOVING-kindness!

It’s Wednesday, and we’re halfway through the work week. That means there’s no turning back now, we just have to keep pressing forward with all we’ve got; as the popular saying goes, give a hundred and ten percent! But’s that nothing new to us followers of Jesus Christ, because that’s how we’re expected to operate each and every day. And with God’s help that certainly is possible.

So please, let’s just keep pressing on, possibly faltering a little, but definitely NO GIVING UP! The words ‘giving up’ don’t exist in Jesus’ vocabulary, and neither should they exist in ours.

Now here’s an interesting quote of a few days ago from my friend Anselm, Inspiring you for a better tomorrow. ‘Winners stand firm on values but compromise on petty things; Losers stand firm on petty things but compromise on values.’

Oh Friends, oh Friends, if there’s one thing we should NEVER compromise on, it’s our values, for once we do that, we leave ourselves open to all kinds of evil and ungodly  nonsense!

Now, because of the complexities and vagaries of life, there must be some compromises if we expect it to run fairly smooth, but as Anselm points out, they should only be on petty, basically unimportant things, NEVER on anything that has to do with the Word of God; its doctrine, it’s belief system and the way we should live obedient to God’s will.

For that will only bring it into disrepute, and there are enough people around the world already doubting the Word and spreading negative assumptions and assertions about it. No need for us to make things worse by compromising the godly values that it stands for.

As per adventures, I didn’t do anything much yesterday, just went to the beach, Pigeon Point, as the duchess desired. What a good, LOVING, and obedient husband I am eh! (smile) But I wasn’t happy with the beach, at least the one that she liked, because it was very shallow and with no sudden drop down as you entered the water.

But I disliked it with the stones on the beach and in the water, and I couldn’t even float properly, much less swim, since the water where the protective rope was placed, barely reached to my waist, and that’s a fair way from shore. The other side of the rock pile though was better. The rope was further out and the water reached my chest. Still not the greatest, by my standards, but good enough to enjoy.

Oh, at one stage where we were sitting at the top of the rock pile between the two beaches, a small guana (iguana) showed up, sunning himself on the rocks, completely ignoring the duchess, myself and an old British couple who were sitting nearby.

I tried taking some pictures of him, but since I didn’t have my glasses handy, and I’m not versed in the duchess’ I-pad – she was in the water then – I don’t know if any of them came out properly. I completely forgot about them, and must look at them later.

After the beach, we stopped at the grocery for a few things, then came home and rested for the rest of the day, simply enjoying the serenity and beauty of our surroundings. (smile)

And today my people, since we’ve spoken recently of compassion and forgiveness, we’ll talk about another most important aspect of a Christian’s life; giving. Our Bit put’s it admirably and very succinctly. ‘Every man shall give as he is able, according to the blessing of the Lord thy God which he hath given thee.’

Oh mih people, mih people, that was God’s command from way back when to the Israelites, when they celebrated their feasts! And since neither our God nor His Word ever changes, then that command applies even unto us in these present times.

And earlier on in the same chapter as our Bit, Moses spoke God’s command to the people thus: ‘And thou shalt keep the feast of weeks unto the Lord thy God with a tribute of a freewill offering of thine hand, which thou shalt give unto the Lord thy God, according as the Lord thy God hath blessed thee. (Deut. 16:10)

Yes Friends, the basic idea is to give freely, from our hearts, according to the provisions with which the Lord has blessed us. What we give depends on what we have. Obviously if we don’t have a lot, we can’t give a lot, but of whatever we have, we ought to be generous with it.

For let us remember and practice these fateful words of Bruh Paul in his second missive to the Corinthians. ‘But this I say, He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully (with blessings, generously) shall reap also bountifully.

Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity (compulsion): for God LOVETH a cheerful (joyful) giver. And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work.’ (2 Cor.9:6-8)

Yes Friends, God LOVES it when we give with a cheerful heart, not grudgingly. And remember, as we give, He will give to us, we will always have sufficient for ourselves and some left over to give to others. That’s the beauty of our God!

Now let’s close with some explanations from the scholars re those verses. ‘9:6. One’s return is determined by his investment (cf. Prov. 11:24, Luke 6:38; Gal.6:7). The expression ep’ eulogiais ordinarily translated “with blessings” here has the sense of “generously.” While it does not suggest indiscriminate giving, it does denote “unrestrained” giving.’

‘9:7. Cheerful giver: The giver is to have a willing heart and a sincere desire to participate in the offering. Paul is not so much interested in their money. Nor is God, for that matter, as the passage from Proverbs 22:9 indicates. (Please check it out). The Greek term hilaron, from which the English “hilarious” derives, is best rendered as the English text suggests, “cheerful.” Giving is not a joke. It is serious business, but it is a delightful experience all the same.’

Ah mih breddren, those last two sentences puts giving in the right perspective. For giving is indeed a blessing in itself. When one gives, one feels good. Not a slimy, smarmy (smile) hypocritical, negative good like the Pharisees did. But a cleansing, healing and healthy good, as the Lord desires.

So please, let’s ponder our giving today, and try, with God’s help of course, to bring it into line with His Word. That is the ultimate in wisdom. Much LOVE!

…as we give…God gives even more to us…so that we can increase our giving…

P.S. I checked out the pictures of the iguana, and one is attached. You might have to zoom in or out to see him properly. He wasn’t a big boy, but big enough. (smile) Unfortunately readers of the Blog, I can’t put a picture of the reptile here. Much LOVE!

 

Today’s Scrip-Bit 17 May 2013 Isaiah 26:13

17 May 2013 Leave a comment

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

Isaiah 26:13.     O Lord our God, other lords besides thee have had dominion over us; but by thee only will we make mention of thy name.

    Oh Friends, it’s Friday, the day that heralds the coming of the weekend! And a mighty shout rises from the people: ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday! Thank Him that work will soon be done for another week! Thank You great God Almighty!’

And in the British Commonwealth of Nations, this shout is going to be even louder today, because it’s a long weekend in celebration of Queen Victoria’s (1819-1901) birthday on Monday. She reigned for some 63 years, from 1837 to her death, longer than any other British monarch. The current Queen Elizabeth I believe has just hit her sixtieth year on the throne.

   Anyway, that means many people won’t be going back to work until Tuesday, which brings us the need for Granny’s warning: ‘Sonny boy, remember, drunk or sober, please mind yuh business.’ (smile) Yes Friends, we have to be very careful when we we’re celebrating this weekend, because it’s usually in times of celebration, when we let our hair down, that the ole scoundrel Lucifer manages to finagle his way into our souls and cause us to disobey God.

   But luckily we have a starting prescription for that problem, our Friday Chant. So let’s chant it now and set the right tone for the upcoming weekend. ‘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.’

   Now remember Friends, that’s only the opening prescription. You also have to take other stuff like praying, reading the Good Book and fellowshipping with other believers, if you want to keep away the wiles and lies of the enemy this long weekend.

   And we seem to have a rather appropriate Bit to help us do that, taken from Isaiah’s hymn of praise for Israel. ‘O Lord our God, other lords besides thee have had dominion over us; but by thee only will we make mention of thy name.’

   Yes my brethren, it’s high time to cast aside all the other gods, worldly idols and images which have kept us away from the ONE TRUE GOD, He of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob! For without a doubt, that disobedience is what’s ruining our lives in this modern age.

   And remember too that our God, His Word and dictates never change. So if He said long ago, ‘Thou shalt have no other gods before me,’ (Ex.20:3) then that admonition still prevails today. And we’ll consider a pertinent example from the Old Testament of how our God works when we don’t obey.

   It’s in the time of Rehoboam, Cousin Sol’s son, who reigned after him. Foolishly, Rehoboam increased the yoke of burden on the people, and eventually those of the kingdom of Israel rebelled against the house of Bruh David. But Rehoboam continued reigning in the kingdom of Judah.

   Now this is the telling passage. ‘And it came to pass, when Rehoboam had established the kingdom, and had strengthened himself, he forsook the law of the Lord, and all Israel with him.’ (2 Chr.12:1) So you can imagine the apostasy and the sinful living and whatever that went on then.

   But Friends, as the old people were wisely wont to say; ‘time longer than twine.’ And as usual, they were right, for as the Good Book declares: ‘And it came to pass that in the fifth year of king Rehoboam Shishak king of Egypt came up against Jerusalem, because they had transgressed against the Lord.’ (2 Chr.12:2)

   Yes my brethren, the Lord did not allow Judah to go a whoring forever, just for five years. ‘And he (Shishak) took the fenced (fortified) cities which pertained to Judah, and came to Jerusalem. Then came Shemaiah the prophet to Rehoboam, and to the princes of Judah, that were gathered to Jerusalem because of Shishak, and said unto them,

   Thus saith the Lord, Ye have forsaken me, and therefore have I also left you in the hand of Shishak. Whereupon the princes of Israel and the king humbled themselves; and they said, the Lord is righteous. And when the Lord saw that they humbled themselves, the word of the Lord came to Shemaiah, saying,

   They have humbled themselves; therefore I will not destroy them, but I will grant them some deliverance; and my wrath shall not be poured out upon Jerusalem by the hand of Shishak. Nevertheless they shall be his servants; that they may know (distinguish) my service and (from) the service of the kingdoms of the countries.’ (2 Chr.12:4-8)

   Oh Friends, our God doesn’t make jokes over His sovereignty! Please remember that. He might put up with our shenanigans for a while, but sooner or later He’ll take us to task. As in Rehoboam’s case, Shishak took away all his treasure, even the gold shields that Cousin Sol had made, leaving Rehoboam to make shields of brass, and not very many either, as the Good Book describes. (2 Chr.12:9-11)

   So my fellow believers, unless you’re thoroughly blind, you can see that a lot of the negativity, the turmoil and confusion that’s currently engulfing our world is a direct result of our constant and wilful disobedience to God’s Word. We have to band together and bring the world back to its Creator. For He’s very willing, able and exceedingly glad to grant mercy and forgiveness to those who turn to Him in sincere repentance.

   A fact that’s proven by this scripture. ‘And when he (Rehoboam) humbled himself, the wrath of the Lord turned from him, that he would not destroy him altogether: and also in Judah things went well.’ (2 Chr.12:12)

   So if we want things to start going right with our world again, we have to cause and/or encourage, repentance, humility and reverence to be brought before Almighty God. Now that’s certainly wisdom at its zenith! Much LOVE!

   …the equations are simple…obedience to God’s law equals prosperity and longevity…disobedience to it equals wrath, death and damnation…