Today’s Scrip-Bit 18 February 2020 Proverbs 27:1.

18 Feb 2020 Leave a comment

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

Proverbs 27:1.    ​Boast not thyself of tomorrow; for thou knowest not what a day may bring.

 

And yuh see how life could turn back and bite yuh! Yes, for all of you in the G.T.A, who were crowing yesterday morning because you didn’t have to go to work, yuh see the dangerous and messy conditions you have to go out in today…the white enemy all over, after a heavy snowfall last night! Serve yuh right for lording it over those who had to go and labour yesterday! (smile) 

Ah friends, it’s just another winter’s day in the northern climes, and as you valiantly forge through it, you must have a good attitude, laugh and chuckle, hope for and think of the sunshine and good weather that soon come, otherwise it’s just going to drive you crazy, as you slip and slide through it. You might not like the snow, but the wise thing to do is to mentally embrace it, with Jesus’ help of course, so you’re not always flustered and bothered when you encounter it. 

Yes, that can be easier said than done, but like everything else in this world, we have been endowed with the parts to live a pleasant and abundant life, we just have to put our best foot forward in Jesus’ name. And all of that brings us to this ever so important principle of scripture and life in general. Hear these immortal, truthful and wise words of Cousin Sol. ‘Boast not thyself of tomorrow; for thou knowest not what a day may bring.’ 

And Jesus described it ever so well in the parable of the rich fool, who had so much wealth and not enough space to store it, that he decided to tear down all and build bigger and better… ‘and there will I bestow (store) all my fruits (crops) and my goods. And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry.’ (Luke 12:18-19) Yes my brethren, that’s how too many of us behave, believers included. We live too much for the world’s wealth and pretty but worthless possessions. 

And Jesus continued His parable with these words of everlasting wisdom. ‘But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided?’ Yeh friends, for the lawyers and other professionals involved in the tremendous and foolish litigation that will follow his death! We see that played out everyday in the lives of the rich and famous: somebody is never satisfied with their portion of the estate, or unhappy that they didn’t get any. 

And the warning is also in the Old Testament. In 1 Kings 20, when Ben-hadad, king of Syria, threatened Ahab, king of Israel to destroy Samaria unless he gave up his wealth and power voluntarily, Ahab answered: ‘Tell him, let not him that girdeth on his harness boast himself as he that putteth it off.’ (1 Kin. 20:11) Yes my people, we never know what’s going to happen in between time. And Ben-hadad in his righteous anger was defeated by Israel, obviously with God’s help, when he finally came against them. 

But getting back to Jesus’ parable of the rich fool. Here is how He ended it. ‘So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.’ (Luke 12:21) And the scholars explain: ‘12:21. Here Jesus brings out the meaning of verses 16-20. Notice that what Jesus calls for follows quite logically out of His own example (2 Cor.8:9), as well as out of God’s graciousness toward all who seek Him (Rom.10:12). Jesus is thus not speaking of a pay-as-you-go faith, but of participation in a relationship in which God already provides what He wishes His people to give back to Him.’ 

Oh my people, remember all that we have belongs to God, and we’re just stewards of His belongings, so it’s rather boldfaced of us to think that we’re giving Him our things. (smile) Anyway, we have space to highlight those two scriptures the scholars quote above. ‘For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich.’ (2 Cor. 8:9) Yes, when coming to sacrificial LOVE, Jesus is the poster child for that, the mightiest example to be ever found! 

And the next verse declares (yeah!): ‘For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed. For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him.’ (Rom.10:11-12) I put in verse 11 so that the context could be better understood, that our God is rich in mercy, grace, forgiveness, what ever have you, towards all and any that call on Him, in sincerity of heart, be they Jew or Gentile! So it doesn’t make sense for us to become so attached to the things of the world, as so many of us are. 

Now hear James theorize on the subject: ‘Go to (come) now, ye that say, Today or tomorrow we will go into such a city, and continue there a year, and buy and sell, and get gain (make a profit): Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away. For that ye ought to say, If the Lord will, we shall live, and do this or that. But now ye rejoice (boast) in your boastings (arrogance): all such rejoicing is evil. Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin.’ (James 4:13-17) 

And the scholars offer a couple of explanations. ‘4:15. This, or that: This verse teaches that God does have something for Christians to do and that they should plan accordingly. James condemns only elaborate planning that omits God (cf. Prov. 16:9).’ ‘4:17. To do good here requires including God in one’s plans. Omitting God is not merely bad planning; it is sin.’ Now if all of that doesn’t grab our attention and teach us not leave God out of any of our business, then I don’t know what will. (smile) 

Now let’s go home declaring (yeah!) our Tuesday Mantra, letting the whole world know who and whose we are! In strong voice with sincere hearts: ‘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 the world.  Amen!’ 

And the end goal is to now go out and share that wonderful friendship and amazing LOVE with those who don’t know Him! Much LOVE!

…a man’s heart deviseth (plans) his way…but the Lord directeth his steps… (Prov.16:9)

Today’s Scrip-Bit 10 March 2018 Luke 12:15.

10 Mar 2018 Leave a comment

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

Luke 12:15.   And he said unto them, Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man’s life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth. 

Come on friends, it’s a beautiful morning, so let’s go outside for a ride nuh! Oh, I forgot that it’s still somewhat chilly in my neighbourhood. (smile) But when the Sun and the SON are both shining forth so brilliantly it detracts from the freezing cold and you don’t even notice it. 

Hn! And I hear some of you mutter in the background: ‘Good for you! You might not notice the cold, but I certainly will.’ Ah mih people, life is short, so why not enjoy as much of it as possible eh? A li’l cold never kill anybody yet! ‘That’s what you say,’ comes the reply. 

Anyhow, we won’t argue over such trivial things on such a beautiful day. (smile) Let’s simply agree that it’s a beautiful Saturday morning, and therefore time to check out what quotes our friend Anselm sent us this week, in his attempt to inspire us for a better tomorrow. 

Hear this first one: ‘You are never strong enough that you don’t need help.’ And that’s gospel truth my friends and fellow believers! Regardless of how strong we become, we’ll ALWAYS need the help of others, simply because we can’t do it all on our own. So please, don’t ever get so proud that you refuse to ask for help, because that’s what family, friendship and fellowship are for. 

And the second quote says: ‘There is no better than adversity. Every defeat, every heartbreak, every loss, contains its own seed, its own lesson on how to improve your performance the next time.’ More gospel truth my brethren! For in the seed of every failure lies a part of the answer to our improvement. As they say; we must learn from our mistakes. And it only makes sense. If we do something one way, and it fails, why do it the same way again eh? 

And as Christians, we know that we only learn, mature and grow under the umbrella of adversity. When times are good we don’t grow or mature as much because everything is fine and there’s nothing much to tax our mental, spiritual and physical well-being. But when times are rough, we need to hunker down and figure out how to make them smooth again. 

Now here comes the last quote: ‘Learn to be thankful for what you already have, while you pursue all that you want.’ More gospel truth people! But unfortunately, in our current society; too many of us are not thankful for what we have. We keep on wanting and seeking for more worldly stuff, without ever considering being thankful for what we already have. 

And don’t be surprised, it’s not only the ungodly who do that, many Christian brethren do it too. We simply hunger after things, then quickly forget them once we possess them. That’s a sad state of affairs. The problem might just be that we simply have too much. I’m sure if we had half as much as we do, and it was incredibly difficult to get any more, like how it is for the greater portion of our world, we’d certainly be thankful for the little that we had. 

But prosperity and plenty in today’s world, just doesn’t seem to lead to thankfulness, as it should. Thus Jesus’ warning in our Bit, from His parable of the rich fool. ‘And he said unto them, Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man’s life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth.’ 

Ah friends, that’s oh so true, but too many of us don’t seem to realize it, as we continue to run down the world’s wealth, despite the inherent problems contained therein. As Jesus described the rich fool who had so much and only thought of himself, wallowing in his worldly wealth and contemplating how to increase it. 

‘And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry. But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided? So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.’ (Luke 12:19-21) 

Now the scholars offer an interesting explanation of all that. ‘12:21. Here Jesus brings out the meaning of verses 16-20. Notice that what Jesus calls for follows quite logically out of his own example (2 Cor.8:9), as well as out of God’s graciousness toward all who seek Him (Rom.10:12). Jesus is not speaking of a pay-as-you-go faith, but of participation in a relationship in which God already provides what He wishes His people to give back to Him.’ 

Meanwhile, to clarify that explanation, I’ll quote those verses listed above. The first one talks about Jesus’ example. ‘For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich.’ (2. Cor.8:9) 

And the next one refers to God’s graciousness to all men. ‘For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him.’ (Rom. 10:12) Yes friends, God is rich and generous to all who come to Him in sincerity and truth, and we don’t need to run down the world’s fallible wealth, because God will provide sufficient to meet all our needs when we honour and obey Him. 

And you know what happens when we die and leave great wealth? Some of the worst fights erupt over their dispossession. That’s when the real nasty nature, the evil and greed of mankind truly comes out, and the lawyers end up getting most of what we left behind. So please let’s be wise and seek God’s kingdom first, and lay up treasure in heaven rather than down here on earth nuh. Much LOVE!

…be thankful…and covet not …

 

Today’s Scrip-Bit 8 January 2015 Psalm 143:8

08 Jan 2015 Leave a comment

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

Psalm 143:8.   Cause me to hear thy LOVING-kindness in the morning; for in thee do I trust: cause me to know the way wherein I should walk; for I lift up my soul unto thee.

Ah Friends, it’s another bitterly cold and windy morning in my neck of the woods! Wow! Like winter is finally here to stay! But at least we can be thankful that there is no precipitation to further muddy the already muddy waters! (smile)

As usual though, all we can do is grin and bear it and continue with whatever tasks God has put before us. Don’t forget that He WILL empower us to do whatever He asks of us. So there is no real need to worry or be afraid. And it’s just a little cold weather, no big thing. (smile)
 
Now this morning I have a rather interesting and most likely very appropriate story to share with you. It comes from the One Year Book of Bible Promises with writings by Ruth Harms Calkin.
 
This one is titled ‘Another Year’ and says: ‘Another new year! How did it steal in so silently? How did it arrive so quickly? So many things I determined to do in January of last year are still completely undone. So many notes and letters still unwritten. Friends I planned to entertain were never invited.
 
The books I planned to read haven’t been opened. The cupboards and drawers I hoped to clean are still cluttered with things I don’t need or use. Clothes I no longer wear still crowd my closet. I planned to have coffee with our neighbours, but often I managed no more than a quick wave between errands.
 
If only I could have held on to the old year a little longer! But the old year is gone. I must put it away with all its failures and broken resolves. There is no way I can reclaim even one week of last year. I see that the road to good intentions is wide and circular. I’ve walked around it until I am utterly exhausted.
 
I confess my failures, my procrastination. I know God, in his graciousness, will forgive me. I have one more request. I pray for God’s power to keep my forgiveness up-to-date.’
 
Oh Friends, how true that story is of so many of us who are caught up in the busy lifecycle of this busy and fractured world! After reading that yesterday I just couldn’t pass up sharing it with you. And I’m sure that many of us, to whom it so appropriately applies, are now chuckling at its wisdom and truth.
 
But I want to point out two very important things in it. Firstly, that despite all her foot dragging, the author acknowledges God’s graciousness and knows without a doubt, that she will be forgiven for it. And secondly, her prayer for God’s power to keep her forgiveness on track.
 
Oh my people, many of us badly need to come to God for all kinds of forgiveness but are hesitant and afraid to do so for whatever reason. But until we surrender all our worries and problems to Him, our lives will not be as full and prosperous as they can be.
 
Now the promise attached to that story was ‘Let me hear of your unfailing LOVE to me in the morning, for I am trusting you. Show me where to walk, for I have come to you in prayer.’ (Ps.143:8) That’s the version from the New Life Translation (NLT), but we will use the King James Version as our Bit this morning.
 
I don’t know why, but I’m just partial to the King James Version in most of the scriptures. (smile) Anyway, the KJV spells it out this way: ‘Cause me to hear thy LOVING-kindness in the morning; for in thee do I trust: cause me to know the way wherein I should walk; for I lift up my soul unto thee.’
 
Oh Friends, that just sounds more poetic and soulful to me than the NLT version, which sounds sort of commonplace and pedestrian. (smile) But that’s just me.
 
The important thing though is that we get the essence of the scripture, which is basically crying out to God for His grace, mercy and direction, as we put our whole and entire trust in Him.
 
And remember my people, until we do that, our lives will never be completely fulfilled. There will always be a little something missing that just nags at us and makes us uncomfortable.
 
And we’ll check out now, a couple of scriptures that verify our Bit. The first one comes from Psalm 46 –God is our refuge and strength- which He is indeed.
 
‘There is a river, the streams whereof shall make glad the city of God, the holy place of the tabernacles (dwelling places) of the Most High. God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved (shaken): God shall help her, and that right early (at the break of dawn). (Ps.46:4-5)
 
Yeh Friends, our great and wonderful God is wherever we are, and will certainly help us in our time of need, and very early at that. That’s His promise, and we can be assured that He will fulfill it!
 
Now listen to Moses as he warns the Israelites. ‘For the Lord thy God walketh in the midst of thy camp, to deliver thee, and to give up thine enemies before thee; therefore shall thy camp be holy: that he see no unclean thing in thee, and turn away from thee.’ (Deut.23:14)
 
Oh my people, our God is always around us, but we need to be obedient, humble and reverent if we want to enjoy the full scope of His blessings!
 
And we’ll end with this most encouraging scripture from the prophet Isaiah, re Thanksgiving for God’s mercies. ‘And in that day shall ye say, Praise the Lord, call upon his name, declare his doings (deeds, works) among the people, make mention that his name is exalted.
 
Sing unto the Lord; for he hath done excellent things: this is known in all the earth. Cry out and shout, thou inhabitant of Zion: for great is the Holy One of Israel in the midst of thee.’ (Is.12:4-6)
 
Oh my fellow believers, I couldn’t say it any better than that! However, I’m asking us to sincerely embrace that worshipful attitude and trust in Almighty God this new year of 2015, so that our lives can be more fulfilled and prosperous, as He would have them. That, my people, is indeed true wisdom! Much LOVE!
 
…whatever the problem…call out to Jesus…don’t be afraid…for He is there waiting to help us…but WE have to  call…