Today’s Scrip-Bit 30 April 2012 Psalm 146:5

30 Apr 2012 Leave a comment

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

Psalm 146:5.     Happy is he that hath the God of Jacob for his help, whose hope is in the Lord his God.

Oh Friends, we’ve been mightily blessed to see the light of another glorious day on Planet Earth! Praise, the Lord, send joyful shouts up to heaven, thank Him for all His wonderful blessings and mercies! And some of you are looking askance at me, as though I’m crazy. No I’m not. I’m just happy in the Lord! Remember the joy of the Lord is our strength, (Neh.8:10) which means if we’re not joyful in the Lord, then we’ll be just a bunch of weaklings, unable to fight Lucifer. And it doesn’t matter either that it’s Monday and we’ve got to go and slave for Massa. That’s all part of God’s glorious plan for our lives, which we know will eventually turn out fine, because He’s promised it. (Rom.8:28) And for those of us who are still miserable and joyless, for whatever reason, let’s sing our Monday Morning Battle Hymn, which should put joy in our hearts, strength in our spirits and a smile on our faces, which in turn will have the enemy frustrated when we respond with LOVE and peace, rather than anger and resentment to their evil works. All together now: ‘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!’ Wow Friends, what a powerful anointing! Now let’s ride that Jesus high all the way to work and back, while thanking God for all the trials that come our way, with each one bringing us more like Jesus. Ah mih people, the ole fella’s on a roll this morning! That’s because I’m enthused and joyful, even though I’m being harassed by a cough and some asthma problems, for as our Bit so truthfully declares: ‘Happy is he that hath the God of Jacob for his help, whose hope is in the Lord his God.’ The God of Jacob has become my help, and I’ve placed all my hope and trust in Him. So why shouldn’t I be happy eh? If you’ve claimed the Bit as yours and you’re not happy, then something’s wrong somewhere, and you need to evaluate your situation again. Now don’t think you’re alone in that respect, because many Christians are sad, joyless people, who unfortunately feel that’s the way believers ought to behave. But that mindset just makes these words of Jesus useless and of no account. ‘These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full.’ (John 15:11) And also: ‘These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.’ (John 16:33) Words to live and die by Friends! And please note, when we talk of joy here, it’s not necessarily being happy with our outward circumstances, but about an inner peace and contentment, knowing that our lives are in the faithful, trustworthy hands of Jesus. That therefore means our whole world could be crumbling around us, but we’ll still manage a smile and a kind word to someone else, putting our plight in the background. And coincidentally, there’s no better way to forget your problems than by helping someone else with theirs. Now enough of me, let’s listen to some scriptures that back up my contention and our Bit’s words. Psalm 125, with the superscription, God surrounds his people, is as good a place as any to begin. ‘They that trust in the Lord shall be as mount Zion, which cannot be removed (moved), but abideth for ever. As the mountains are round about (surround) Jerusalem, so the Lord is round about his people from henceforth even for ever.’ (Ps.125:1-2) What more can we ask eh mih breddren? Nothing really. It’s left up to us to accept His tender mercies and providence. And Isaiah, in his appeal to Israel to turn to the Lord for help, solemnly declares: ‘And therefore will the Lord wait, that he may be gracious unto you, and therefore will he be exalted, that he may have mercy upon you: for the Lord is a God of judgement (justice): blessed are all they that wait for him.’ (Is.30:18) Oh my people, like Isaiah, I’m appealing to us, right now, to turn to the Lord God Jehovah for help, because our world is in a sorry state and only He can help us. Now hear God’s promise of deliverance to Ebed-melech through Jeremiah, in the face of Babylon’s attack. ‘But I will deliver thee in that day, saith the Lord: and thou shalt not be given into the hand of the men of whom thou art afraid. For I will surely deliver thee, and thou shalt not fall by the sword, but thy life shall be for a prey (as a prize) unto thee: because thou hast put thy trust in me, saith the Lord.’ (Jer.39:17-18) And finally Friends, listen to Bruh David’s simple but eloquent declaration: ‘O taste and see that the Lord is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him. O fear the Lord, ye his saints: for there is no want (lack) to them that fear him.’ (Ps.34:8-9) Oh fellow believers, it’s my sincere hope that all we’ve read and said here today will light a fire in and under us; will create such enthusiasm, such passion for Christ in our souls that we’ll just go out into the evil, ungodly world and overrun the enemy with LOVE! I pray this in Jesus’ name. Amen. Much LOVE mih people!… no contest is ever won without…fervour, enthusiasm and passion…and that’s what’s sadly lacking in today’s believers…

 

Today’s Scrip-Bit 3 April 2012 Proverbs 23:7‏

03 Apr 2012 Leave a comment

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

Proverbs 23:7.   Let not thine heart envy sinners; but be thou in the fear of the Lord all the day long.
 

Oh Friends, it’s Tuesday; day two of Holy Week! Remember yesterday we promised to put ourselves in Jesus’ position this week? Well there are three more days to go before your crucifixion. How did you feel when you woke up this morning? Were you anxious and apprehensive? Of course! More so than yesterday? But nuh must! Because the day of serious affliction is growing nearer, our fear and apprehension level is definitely growing. So please consider how Jesus must have felt. With His human emotions and physical feelings of pain, He surely was in some turmoil. But with His heavenly Father’s help, He was able to keep things under control and still go about His daily duty. Likewise, whatever fears or anxieties we have eating away at us today, with the Father’s help, we can dim them down, so that they don’t affect our daily walk with Him too much. And one of the things we badly need to do in this lustful, ungodly world that will enable us to be in concert with God, is to follow the eternal wisdom of our Bit: ‘Let not thine heart envy sinners; but be thou in the fear of the Lord all the day long.’ Oh Friends, unfortunately at this particular juncture in time, our world is just running amok, slavishly enamoured of the things of Lucifer. Meanwhile, the things of God have been either hidden on the back burner or blatantly thrown out. How sad and foolish! That means the emphasis is therefore on each believer ‘to test his own personal relationship with God. That alone provides the ultimate satisfaction available to the believer who witnesses the affluence of the wicked.’ (Scholar’s note on Psalm 73) Yes Friends, it’s our individual responsibility, with God’s help of course, to avoid the trappings of the world ‘confuffling’ our minds and making us jealous and envious of those who have plenty of it. Now yesterday we saw where the psalmist, Asaph, (Ps.73) stumbled and almost fell when he saw how the wicked were prospering. And not much has changed since then, for the wicked are still prospering today. But thankfully when he entered the God’s house, he received a divine outlook on the situation and was able to pull himself together. He finally realized that the wicked had sold their souls to Beelzebub for filthy lucre and earthly possessions. That obviously does not sit well with our God, thus a terrible judgement has been set up for them. Sadly though, just like throughout all history, many of us seeing the prosperity of the wicked have rushed headlong into Lucifer’s fold to get those worldly possessions that rust, decay and be eaten by moths. That’s a huge mistake Friends, for that ungodly, disobedient behaviour only puts us in God’s bad books, amongst the wicked, to be judged severely in the Lord’s time. Now I’m sure none of us really want to feel the Lord’s judgement, which can be very terrifying. So what do we do? The Lord would much rather His children follow the advice of Bruh David in Psalm 37, titled, the true state of the wicked. There, Bruh David proclaims with sure, unshakeable faith: ‘Fret not thyself because of evildoers, neither be thou envious against the workers of iniquity. For they shall soon be cut down like the grass, and wither as the green herb. Trust in the Lord, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily shalt thou be fed (feed on his faithfulness). Delight thyself also in the Lord; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart. Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass. And he shall bring forth thy righteousness as the light, and thy judgement (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 (schemes) to pass. Cease from anger, and forsake wrath: fret not thyself in any wise to do evil (it only causes harm). For evildoers shall be cut off (destroyed): but those that wait upon the Lord, they shall inherit the earth.’ (Ps.37:1-9) Oh my brethren, that says it all! We should not worry about the wicked prospering, just mind our own business in God’s domain; trust Him, delight in Him, commit our lives to Him, and He will give us peace, Love, understanding and the desires of our hearts. The wicked though will be eradicated from the earth and the annals of God. And my people, there’s no better time to stop envying the wicked and their prosperity than RIGHT NOW! So let’s get to it seriously nuh, so we can reverently serve the Lord God Jehovah in truth, word, spirit and action, all day long, and thus receive His faithful promise to inherit the earth. Much LOVE!…it’s all a matter of hearing the right word…then sowing the right seed…so you can reap the right harvest…
 

Today’s Scrip-Bit 15 March 2012 Psalm 41:13‏

15 Mar 2012 Leave a comment

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

 Psalm 41:13.    Blessed be the Lord God of Israel from everlasting, and to everlasting. Amen, and Amen.

Oh Friends, it didn’t take long for the crazies to come out of the woodwork; the fast, loud cars and loud music, the motor bikes, and the skimpy clothing. As though summer’s really here. But I guess when the weather inhibits one from doing those outdoor things for long periods of time, then the first, or any opportunity at all, is not to be disregarded. And you certainly won’t hear me complaining about the beautiful weather, cause it’s what my arthritic bones need. Now we’re only missing the sea and sand. (smile) And I’m not worried about that either, because I know in God’s good time, I will certainly get that too. I even went for a walk yesterday afternoon on my wonky knees. Wow! Wonders never cease, but daily they increase! And Friends, if we sit down and really look at out lives, we’ll find that that is the gospel truth! With each passing day the Lord does more wondrous things in our lives. For that, let’s give Him some thanks and praise: ‘Oh Lord God Jehovah, we the undeserving children of men, do praise and glorify Your Holy Name, and give You much thanks for looking after our earthly needs. We pray that we will keep on being faithful to You, as You are to us, and that our communion with the Holy Trinity will continue right through to eternity. On the precious, spilt blood of Jesus, Your wonderful Son and our Saviour we pray this. Amen!’ Yes Friends, if the Lord wasn’t looking after us, imagine how much more difficult our circumstances would be. That’s why it’s so important for us to stay under the protective umbrella of His LOVING-kindness, His mercy and forgiveness, and at all and any appropriate time give Him the thanks and praise for which He is eminently worthy. Praise like our Bit staunchly proclaims: ‘Blessed be the Lord God of Israel from everlasting, and to everlasting. Amen, and Amen.’ Please note the two Amens. That shows how truly heartfelt Bruh David’s blessing is. Those words eventually become a doxology; a church formula for praising God. The psalm itself is about abuse and assurance: ‘Blessed is he that considereth the poor (helpless, powerless): the Lord will deliver him in time of trouble. The Lord will preserve him, and keep him alive; and he shall be blessed upon the earth: and thou wilt not deliver him unto the will of his enemies. The Lord will strengthen him upon the bed of languishing (sick bed): thou wilt make all his bed in his sickness (restore him in his sick bed).’ (Ps.41:1-3) Oh my people, how can we not be eternally grateful to a Deity who treats us with such tender mercies eh? And Cousin Sol follows in Bruh David’s footsteps in Psalm 72, The reign of the righteous king, one of only two Psalms he wrote. The other is Psalm 127. In Psalm 72, Cousin Sol joyfully declares: ‘Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, who only doeth wondrous things. And blessed be his glorious name for ever: and let the whole earth be filled with his glory. Amen, and Amen.’ (Ps.72:18-19) Now those two men certainly had lots to be thankful for, just like we have, and they voiced their pleasure and their trust in the God of their fathers publicly and vociferously! Oh Friends, are we doing that too? Are we giving our great and gracious God public and enthusiastic thanks for all His wondrous works on our behalf? I sure hope so, else we’d be short-changing our wonderful Lord. And that’s one thing we never want to do, because if He ever stops blessing us, then ‘crapaud will truly smoke we pipe;’ much more calamity will certainly befall us. Ethan the Ezrahite, in Psalm 89, his great contemplation on God’s sure promises to Bruh David, also invokes the blessing on God at the end. ‘Blessed be the Lord for evermore. Amen, and Amen.’ (Ps.89:52) Note again, not one, but two Amens. Then in Psalm 106, Israel sins against God’s LOVE, the psalmist ends with the same message: ‘Blessed be the Lord God of Israel from everlasting to everlasting: and let all the people say, Amen. Praise ye the Lord. (Hallelujah).’ (Ps.106:48) And most fittingly, the last Psalm, #150, is one that encourages praise, and ends with a slightly different but still reverent form of the doxology: ‘Praise ye the Lord (sing Hallelujah). Praise God in his sanctuary: praise him in the firmament of his power. Praise him for his mighty acts: praise him according to his excellent greatness…Let everything that hath breath praise the Lord. Praise ye the Lord. (sing Hallelujah).’ (Ps.150:1-2, 6) Oh Friends, right in that last, simple verse is the eternal hope for our future. Our future depends entirely on our praise, thanks, reverence, glorification, worship, appreciation and obedience to our God; He of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. I cannot stress enough the importance of doing those things which please Him. So today, please, let’s all take some extra and some special time, especially in this Lenten Season, to show God that we really and truly do LOVE and appreciate Him. It’s the least we can do, in return for all that He’s done, and is still doing for us. Much LOVE!…all our God asks of us…is true reverence and undying LOVE…
 

Today’s Scrip-Bit 8 March 2012 Psalm 78:32‏

08 Mar 2012 Leave a comment

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

Psalm 78:32.   For all this they sinned still, and believed not for his wondrous works

Oh Friends, yesterday was indeed a beautiful spring day in my neck of the woods, except for a somewhat blustery wind! And it’s expected to get up to about 12 Celsius again today. What a joy! But I’m still concerned and perturbed by this unseasonable weather, and all the other abnormal weather patterns that we’ve been experiencing around the world for the last few years. I guess abnormal weather is now the order of the day. But thankfully my brethren, we have the ONE and ONLY Jesus Christ, our Lord and Saviour to rely on, so that whatever comes against us, we can stand up sure and strong in His Holy Name and either defeat it or ride it out! And the true believers offered a sincere prayer of gratitude. ‘Oh thank you Lord, for your LOVING-kindness to the children of undeserving men!’ Oh, if those children of Israel had only been as thankful and true, then the whole course of History would have been changed. Unfortunately though, as our Bit says: ‘For all this they sinned still, and believed not the for his wondrous works.’ Ah Friends, I hope that yesterday we pondered on how those words related to our personal situations, as I asked, and that we made amends with our forgiving and merciful God for any shortcomings thereof. Now let’s continue looking at the Israelites journey. Yesterday we left them enjoying the easy life in the oasis of Elim, without any complaints. But then they entered the wilderness of Sin, a rather appropriate name, for they immediately began to complain against Moses and Aaron, saying: ‘Would to God we had died by the hand of the Lord in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the flesh pots (pots of meat), and when we did eat bread to the full; for ye have brought us forth into this wilderness to kill this whole assembly with hunger.’ (Ex.16:3) Ah Friends, how we like to always have it easy and our way eh! But despite His disappointment at His chosen people’s lack of faith, after all that He had done for them, our God, being such a wonderful Deity, declared unto Moses: ‘Behold, I will rain bread from heaven for you; and the people shall go out and gather a certain rate (amount) every day, that I may prove (test) them, whether they will walk in my law, or no.’ (Ex.16:4) So the Lord tested them with manna, and they failed, because instead of gathering on the sixth day, enough also for the seventh, some went out to gather it on the Sabbath Day. But they found none, because, as per the Lord’s decree, it was only provided for six days. Obviously this displeased the Lord, and He asked Moses: ‘How long refuse ye (do you refuse) to keep my commandments and my laws?’ (Ex.16:28) Oh Friends, that’s exactly the same question the Lord is asking of us today? When will we stop being so ungodly and return to His fold eh? That’s part of the reason why our world is in such a confused and troubled state. And until we return to a state of godliness and obedience to His commandments, we will continue to live in a confused and troubled state. Thankfully the Israelites eventually learned about the manna. ‘So the people rested on the seventh day. And the house of Israel called the name thereof Manna: and it was like coriander seed, white; and the taste of it was like wafers made with honey.’ (Ex.16:30-31) One more miracle for those unbelieving, ungrateful people. And that doesn’t sound like a bad tasting food either; ‘wafers made with honey.’ But I guess if you have it morning, noon and night, seven days a week, it can get somewhat tiresome. Will we eventually wake up though from our sinful, ungodly, lustful life before it’s too late? I certainly hope so. Now here’s what the scholars have to say about manna: ‘The manna literally means ‘What is it?’ Not only was it remarkable for its size, shape, colour, taste, and variety of uses (Ex.16:14, 23, 31; Num.11:7-8), but especially for its daily appearance at dawn, its tremendous abundance, its strange capacity for breeding worms at the end of each day except the sixth, and its sudden and permanent disappearance as soon as the Israelites entered Canaan (Josh.5:12). It taught the people to look Godward for their daily bread, and it pointed toward the One who claimed to be the true bread from heaven, even ‘the bread of life.’ (John 6:32,35) Oh my people, do we look to our God EVERYDAY for our daily bread, like the Israelites were taught to do, and like Jesus taught us in the Lord’s Prayer: ‘Give us this day our daily bread.’ (Matt.6:11) I sure hope so, because that’s what the Lord expects from us, and also why He sends us new mercies and blessings every day. It’s all a part of His overall plan to have us trust Him anew each day, so that He can show His genuine and unconditional LOVE for us. Please, let’s accept His LOVING-kindness with joy and thankfulness and do our best to walk in His godly ways, so that He can continue to bless and keep us safe. That’s the only healing medicine for what ails us today my people, so let’s be wise and accept it with gracious thanks nuh. Much LOVE!…it is better to trust in the Lord…than to put confidence in man… (Ps.118:8) 

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