Today’s Scrip-Bit 25 March 2017 1 John 1:9.

25 Mar 2017 Leave a comment

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

1 John 1:9.   If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Well my people, it’s that day we call Saturday; a boon for some, a bane for others, depending on how you choose to spend it. And there will be no trivialities this morning, (smile) we’ll get straight to our friend Anselm’s quotes because he has a couple of interesting long ones. He’s been really out to inspire us this week with a title of ‘How to Motivate Yourself:’ 

The first one says: ‘Compare yourself with yourself. Not with others. Comparing what you have and your results to what other people have and have accomplished can really kill your motivation. There are always people ahead of you. Most likely quite a bit of people. And a few of them are miles ahead. So focus on you. On your results. And how you can and have improved them.’ 

And that’s gospel truth friends! The worst thing you can do to your self-worth is to compare yourself to others because there will always be people doing better than you, and as Anselm says, that can likely kill your get up and go. 

And he continues with the motivational theme by advising: ‘Ask uplifting questions in the morning. Here’s what you do; every morning ask yourself five empowering three-part questions this way: What am I ______ about in my life right now? What about it makes me _______?  How does it make me feel? Put in your own value in the blank space. 

For instance, a couple of my questions are: What am I happy about in my life right now? What am I excited about in my life right now? It’s important that you really feel how it makes you feel. When I think about the last part about what makes me happy right now I really feel it. These morning questions are great because the way they are set up makes you recognize things you take for granted and then they really get you to feel those positive feelings.’ 

I can find no fault with that friends, because we always need to have positive vibes in our lives, and the best way to do that is to concentrate on the things for which we are truly thankful, the things and /or people who bring a flood of light and joy into our lives. That’s why we keep saying when we hit the rough times to remember the good things that God has done for us in the past, don’t just concentrate and mope on the negative things you’re currently going through. 

So my people, when things aren’t so good, look up to heaven, rather than down to hell. The Lord’s on His throne, in full control of His universe and He will hear your sincere pleas and confessions and answer them. As our Bit so truthfully says:  ‘If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.’ 

And if you’ve reached a decent stage of Christian maturity, you ought to know and believe that and put it into practice. Now listen to one of the most sincere and heartfelt confessions of sin found in the Good Book; that when the prophet Nathan confronted Bruh David with the sin of his adultery with Bathsheba. 

Hear Bruh David cry out to the merciful and forgiving God of his fathers from Psalm 51 – A prayer for cleansing. ‘Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy LOVING-kindness: according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin is ever before me. 

Against thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight: that thou mightiest be justified (found just) when thou speakest, and be clear (blameless) when thou judgest. Behold, I was shapen (brought forth) in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me. Behold, thou desireth truth in the inward parts: and in the hidden part thou shalt make me to know wisdom. 

Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. Make me to hear joy and gladness; that the bones which thou hast broken may rejoice. Hide thy face from my sins, and blot out all my iniquities. Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right (steadfast) spirit within me. Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy Holy Spirit from me. Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free (generous) spirit. 

Then will I teach transgressors thy ways; and sinners shall be converted unto thee. Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God, thou God of my salvation: and my tongue shall sing aloud of thy righteousness. O Lord, open thou my lips; and my mouth shall show forth thy praise. For thou desirest not sacrifice; else would I give it: thou desirest not burnt offering. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.’(Ps.51:1-17)  

Ah friends, what a pouring out of the soul! Bruh David knew where his bread was buttered and realized that he had screwed up mightily with Bathsheba. Now here are some insights into the psalm from the scholars. 

‘Psalm 51. The psalm gives expression to why David was “a man after God’s own heart”: he was not perfect, but he had a sensitivity to sin that few knew about. Notice especially the use of the first person singular: mine iniquity, my sin (v.2), my transgressions (v.3), and so on. The first two verses are an introductory petition, rich with meaning in the use of four figures for forgiveness. After confessing his guilt (vs.3-6), David prays for inner renewal (vs.7-12), and promises thanksgiving and ministry (vs.13-17). 

This passage clearly teaches that those who have failed God may be restored to the service of God. The prayer take not thy Holy Spirit from me (v.11) need never be offered by a New Testament saint, since the Holy Spirit indwells every Christian permanently (1 Cor.6:19). David’s cry here may reflect only the fear, not the reality of losing the Spirit, and being rejected by God. Thus, he asks God to restore the joy of his salvation, not salvation itself.’ 

Ah mih people, I hope we can take comfort from Bruh David’s words, and not be afraid to come to God with EVERY problem, EVERY sin we feel deep inside, knowing that sincere confession and true regret will bring forgiveness EVERY time. For that’s the magnanimous and merciful and forgiving God we serve and worship. Much LOVE!

…a broken spirit…a contrite heart…that’s all God’s looking for…

 

 

 

Today’s Scrip-Bit 4 February 2014 Ephesians 1:3

04 Feb 2014 Leave a comment

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

Ephesians 1:3.    Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ.  

Oh Friends, oh Friends, the ole fella’s moaning in his cups, crying in his wine, because he only has two more days left in Paradise. ‘Bahhh!’ Then I won’t be able to rise every morning, come out to my balcony and greet my wonderful God and the new day rising above the trees on the eastern horizon.

In two more days, I won’t be able to gaze out at the lush greenery and rejoice in the peace and awe of God’s majesty that it provides my soul. How sad my people. (smile) But as we keep saying, while there is life, there’s always hope, and while I’m alive, I will keep on hoping and praying that the God of my salvation will enable me to live out my days, or some portion thereof, in Sweet Tobago.

If it’s His will, then it will undoubtedly come to pass. But if not, then I will just have to grin and bear it. But in the meantime, I’m making memories so that in whatever physical space or state I might eventually find myself, there will be lots of joyful and entertaining thoughts flowing through my mind. For as we all know, memories are one of the few things which never leave us. So Friends, let’s all try and make as many good memories as possible today nuh, to enliven and enlighten our later years.
 
And mih breddren, I made some excellent ones yesterday. I don’t remember how it all went, but these are the highlights. I took my uncle Foster down to the airport around 9 a.m. to buy his ticket back to Trinidad. We also bought breakfast down there. Oh mih people, Tobago has certainly become a real food industry place; everywhere food is being sold.
 
We dropped him home, then came home ourselves, and had breakfast; fry bake and saltfish, washed down with some cold, gloriously tasting mauby. Hn! Then after writing the Bit, we headed for the beach.
 
In my contrariness (smile) and since I was the only one bathing, I went to Grange Beach, far from the madding crowd, and also close to an area in which I wanted to check out a friend. I was the only person on the beach, and though the tide was coming in, making the water somewhat choppy, I enjoyed myself. And while there, under a clear blue sky, a shower of rain suddenly came down.
 
Now the forecast had called for rain all day, but that was the first time we’d seen any. And Friends, just like there’s nothing sweeter than playing mas in rain, so there’s nothing better than being in the sea during a heavenly downpour! The pellets of heavenly blessing just kept falling on my head, as I laughed and swam, while the Duchess hid out in the car.
 
And since it didn’t make sense to come out of the water and get wet again in the rain, I just stayed there until the rain ended, some ten to fifteen minutes later. By the time I came out, an older Indian gentleman had set up a coconut stall by the side of the road, next to the beach, and since we hadn’t had any coconuts yet, we decided to check them out.
 
They weren’t bad, but the amusing thing is that while enjoying the nuts, the rain came down again. The wife ran back to the car, while I stood out there in my bathing trunks and my already wet towel around my neck, enjoying the coconut and chatting with the gentleman. 
 
Some ten minutes later the rain ended and we headed out to find this friend, whom I’d been unable to find a couple days earlier. But this time with better directions, I eventually found him. His name is Rees Jack. Apparently he suffered a stroke some two months ago, which unfortunately left him with little movement on his right side. But thankfully, otherwise he was mentally and emotionally alert, and still full of the joy of life. We had a short but excellent visit, recalling old times.
 
That reminds me of another old friend that I’d visited two days before. His name is Harvey Anthony, and he’s sort of housebound too, the result of an infected wound on his right foot, which isn’t healing as it should because he’s also a diabetic.
 
Friends, please remember them in our prayers. Ask the Lord to heal and comfort them in their time of trial and need. For remember that prayer is the greatest power on earth, and that the prayer of a righteous person can be very effective.
 
Now after visiting Rees, we stopped in at Cowie’s Bakery in Carnbee, one of the oldest, and in my youth, the most popular bakery in Tobago. And though they now seem to be a shadow of their former selves, with much more competition around, they still have some of the finest baked goods around. Their butter bread is still to die for, while their coconut tart is the best I’ve tasted so far, and their currants roll is still mouth-watering. 
 
After that, the Duchess and I ran around looking for food, but couldn’t find anything to thrill us, and we ended up in the mall, sitting on high chairs at a high table, eating ice-cream and gazing like awe-struck lovers into each other’s eyes. Hn, hn, hn! She might not agree with that description though. Then we came home and sampled the delights from Cowie’s Bakery. Now those were major good memories I made yesterday.
 
And finally let’s turn to our Bit: ‘Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ.’
 
And my fellow believers, as our Bit so wisely points out, and as I keep asking everyday, how can we not LOVE and serve the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, when He’s done so much for us, simply because of His great, unconditional LOVE for us undeserving souls? 
 
Yesterday we talked about His redemption, forgiveness and showers of grace, through the shed blood of Jesus. Today let’s continue with a couple more verses of Bruh Paul’s first letter to the Ephesians, outlining how Jehovah God had planned to, and eventually redeemed us.
 
‘Wherein he hath abounded towards us in all wisdom and prudence (understanding); Having made known unto us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself.’ (Eph.1:8-9)
 
Ah Friends, yuh see again, that all the Lord has done is through His own LOVING-kindness, not through any actions on our part. In fact our actions would normally have caused Him to eradicate us. But His LOVE was so strong and awesome, that it caused Him to come up with a plan to save us from our sinful selves.
 
Now let’s hear the scholars’ comments on those verses. ‘1:8. This verse could be rendered, “He lavished upon us this grace which consists in all sorts of wisdom and prudence (or, insight). The word ‘wisdom’ refers to a knowledge of the true nature of things; prudence has to do with the practical application of this wisdom leading to the right course of action. But the specific “wisdom and prudence” Paul has in view here concerns a future aspect of God’s will, as delineated in verses 9,10.’
 
And re ‘1:9. This verse more precisely identifies that “wisdom and prudence” (v.8) that God lavished on us. This “wisdom and prudence” have to do with God’s making known unto us the mystery of his will. “Mystery” here refers to a divine truth that is incapable of being discovered by human ingenuity and that, until recently, has been kept secret. Why did God disclose this mystery to us? It was according to (because of) his good pleasure which he hath purposed (planned) in himself.’
 
So there we have it my fellow believers! God planned His plan, and when the time was right, laid it out one step at a time to his greatest creation, mankind. So why aren’t we more appreciative and grateful eh? I can’t explain it.
 
I can only say that if we don’t change our sinful ways and turn back to Almighty God soon, then many of us will be left out in the cold, or rather in the eternal ‘sufferation’ of hell fire. And I don’t think that is going to be a fun time. So please let’s err on the side of caution and wisdom. Much LOVE!
 
…to him who obeys the call of disobedience…will the wrath of God surely fall upon…   

Today’s Scrip-Bit 9 May 2013 Psalm 38:21-22

09 May 2013 Leave a comment

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

Psalm 38:21-22.    Forsake me not, O Lord: O my God, be not far from me. Make haste to help me, O Lord my salvation.
 
Oh Friends, another new day, with new mercies and blessings is upon us! Do you ever get tired of it? I surely hope not, cause that’s our lifeline, our very lifeblood, our saving grace. If we weren’t getting rich, new stuff everyday, where would we be eh? The Lord only knows. And I refuse to even consider it for one moment. But on another point of interest, do we take these new daily blessings and mercies for granted? I sincerely hope we don’t, but give the Lord ample thanks and praise for them every day we awaken and see the light of God in our lives. And I guess you’re wondering what brought that all about? Well it was all brought on when I got up and heard the birds singing their sweet morning songs of praise and thanksgiving through my opened bedroom window. And as I sit in my basement office writing this now, I can still hear them outside dallying in sweet song. Now these mindless creatures instinctively know to whom their very existence is dependent on, and give appropriate praise. But are we, the creation with the wonderful mind built into each of us, as mindful to praise and thank the One who created us and provides for us? Unfortunately, I don’t think we are as mindful to exalt and extol Almighty God as we should. That’s because we take certain things for granted, and also allow the flim-flam stuff of the world to dazzle us and thus take our thoughts away from God. Oh Friends, that just isn’t right or good enough for true followers of Jesus. We definitely need to do better in that respect. Our eyes of faith and our hearts are supposed to be set on the surety of heaven, not on the uncertain things of earth. For as Jesus so wisely noted: ‘For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.’ (Matt.6:21) That means if we keep looking to the things of the earth, we’ll lose the focus on heaven we’re supposed to have. And still on the wonders of creation, I’m reminded of the lovely multi-coloured tulips the duchess has blossoming and blooming in her front garden. Jesus describes it so rightly. ‘And why take ye thought for raiment (worry about clothing)? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin: And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed (clothed) like one of these.’ (Matt.6:29-29) So Friends, if God was, and is, so gracious and generous to His lesser creations, how much more gracious and generous is he going to be to His greatest creation, mankind? Obviously much more. But sadly, in our sinful, rebellious, LOVE the destructive and destructible things of the earth state, we don’t appreciate our good fortune as we should. But as soon as something goes dreadfully wrong in our lives, we’re quick to hold our heads and bawl, ‘O God!’ and mouth insincere platitudes for help. Now our Bit today is indeed a cry for help: ‘Forsake me not, O Lord: O my God, be not far from me. Make haste to help me, O Lord my salvation.’ But the big difference is that it’s a cry from a penitent heart. Psalm 38 is titled – the prayer of a penitent heart. Apparently at the time of writing, Bruh David was shaking it very rough indeed; sick, deserted by his friends and surrounded by enemies. Those three circumstances all together would certainly cause a sinful heart to be penitent. But our problem nowadays seems to be, if we don’t hear from God speedily, we tend to lose faith in Him. On the other hand, if we do receive His unfailing mercy, then once the crisis has passed, we tend to forget or relegate Him to the background of our lives once again. That my brethren is definitely not kosher! The Lord God Jehovah MUST ALWAYS have priority, first place in our lives, otherwise He’s unhappy and not prone to respond to our pleas for help. Bruh David was constantly crying out to the Lord for help, one instance being in Psalm 22 – A cry of anguish and song of praise. ‘But be thou not far from me, O Lord: O my strength, haste thee to help me. Deliver my soul from the sword; my darling (precious life) from the power of the dog. Save me from the lion’s mouth: for thou hast heard me from the horns of the unicorns (And from the horns of the wild oxen! You have answered me). I will declare thy name unto my brethren: in the midst of the congregation will I praise thee.’ (Ps.22:19-22) Another example of his cry for help is found in Psalm 35 – A prayer for rescue from enemies. ‘This thou hast seen, O Lord: keep not silence: O Lord be not far from me. Stir up thyself, and awake to my judgement (vindication), even unto my cause, my God and my Lord. Judge (vindicate) me, O Lord my God, according to thy righteousness; and let them not rejoice over me.’ (Ps.35:22-24) And God usually answered his plea for help. Why? Because his heart and mind were constantly tuned to God’s frequency! And though he lost contact every so often, when he did regain the connection, he admitted his wrong doing and sincerely tried to do better. Oh my people, our God made us and knows all of our failures, frailties and shortcomings and thus does not expect us to be perfect. But He does expect the first portion of our lives. He does expect to be front and centre in all we think and do, not just to be called upon in calamitous times and expect to be delivered right away. And sadly, I think that’s the way a lot of supposed believers behave today. God is in the back of our minds until we come upon a serious problem we can’t solve ourselves. But please remember Friends, our God, Creator, Controller and Provider wants to be involved in ALL and EVERY aspect of our lives, without any exceptions whatsoever! So, starting today, right now, let’s see if we can’t give Him some more prominence in our lives nuh, the prominence He so rightly deserves. It’s not going to happen overnight, but it won’t happen either unless we make a serious and conscious decision to do it. Remember my people, that the true seeds of wisdom and knowledge are sown in the reverence of God; as we revere Him, so grows our wisdom and knowledge. Much LOVE!…if we keep God always before us…then we’ll walk our earthly paths without fear of stumbling…