Today’s Scrip-Bit 3 April 2013 Malachi 3:10

03 Apr 2013 Leave a comment

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

Malachi 3:10.    Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the Lord of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it.

Oh Friends, it’s Wednesday morning and I am very unhappy because I just opened my mailbox and found it had all been changed to the foolish, stupid looking and very inconvenient Outlook nonsense. I don’t know who designs these sites, but as far as I’m concerned they should be shot! It’s a very poor use of space and I can’t move anything the way I want to or am accustomed to doing. But I guess we’re at the mercy of the owners of the websites, unless we want to pay for it, so as I keep saying we just have to grin and bear it. I now have to develop a whole new way of working or move to a different provider, which will just be like starting over again. Okay, I’ve had my rant (smile) but I’m still not happy, and since I know the Lord will provide a way, where there seems to be no way, let’s forget them and move on to our Bit. ‘Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat (food) in mine house, and prove (test) me now herewith, saith the Lord of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it.’ Oh Friends, yesterday we saw where tithes first came into being; from Abram, to Jacob and then the official law through Moses. Today we’ll look at some more scripture dealing with that very contentious and controversial topic of tithes. First, let’s see how it cropped up in our Bit. The prophet Malachi was talking to his people about the approach of the day of judgement, (Mal.3:1-5) re who would survive it, and what the people needed to do to get on God’s right side. ‘Return unto me, and I will return unto you, saith the Lord of hosts. But ye said, Wherein (in what way) shall we return? Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say, wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings. Ye are cursed with a curse: for ye have robbed me, even this whole nation. (Mal.3:7b-9) Then our Bit comes in, and the Lord continues. ‘And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, and he shall not destroy the fruits of your ground; neither shall your vine cast her fruit before the time in the field (fail to bear fruit), saith the Lord of hosts. And all nations shall call you blessed: for ye shall be a delightsome (delightful) land, saith the Lord of hosts.’ (Mal.3:11-12) Now before we go any further, listen to the scholars on those verses (&-12). ‘These Israelites have done what no man should presume to attempt, namely, to defraud God in tithes and offerings. The payment of tithes and heave offerings was a recognition of their subjection to God and that He owned them and all that they had. To withhold the tithe is to renounce the sovereign authority of God and to be guilty of the same sin as Lucifer in the beginning. Pour you out a blessing: The blessings come not because God received His due portion, but because in giving the tithe the believers put themselves in the place of proper obedience and subjection to God. Tithing was clearly commanded in the Old Testament and served as the minimum standard for giving in the New Testament. See Matthew 6:1-4 in the Sermon on the Mount, where true spirituality exceeds the outward demands of the Law.’ Wow! What challenging words! Now here’s the billion dollar question my people. Having taken all that’s been said above, both by the scholars and the Good Book, can the fact that our land is not delightsome today be because of our robbing God, like the Israelites did way back then? Can it be because we’re not giving Him His rightful due, what’s lawfully His, that our countries and our world are plagued by such wide scale negativity and disasters, from economic to physical and spiritual? I want to strongly suggest that there is a direct correlation between our dealing with God and the sad state of our world. How can turning away from Him and desperately trying to eradicate Him from our society and our consciences not have a negative effect on us eh? As He says earlier: ‘For I am the Lord, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed. Even from the days of your fathers ye are gone away from mine ordinances, and have not kept them.’ (Mal.3:6-7a) And that’s the undeniable truth my brethren! So the logic here is really simple: If we want to have true prosperity, then we have to return to sincerely and diligently worshipping Almighty God, the Creator of the universe and all therein, paying whatever He requires of us from whatever He allows us to have. End of story Friends! If we continue with our current foolish attitude of ignoring God and trying to remove Him from our society, then we’re simply going to continue paying a serious and hefty price for that disobedience. Remember Friends, our God doesn’t change, neither do His laws. So basically all the stuff in the Good Book still pertains to us today, and we’ll be well advised to return to Him, rather than trying to get away from Him. That, my people, is wisdom at its very zenith. More on this tithing subject tomorrow, God in favour. Till then, please let’s all consider our situations, re our personal relationships with God and fellow believers, and try our best to work for a speedy return to worshipping and serving the Most High God Jehovah in truth and deed, per the LOVE Revolution, so that all may be well with our societies and our world, as true wisdom dictates. Much LOVE!…he who has ears to hear…let him hear…else He will certainly feel…

 

Today’s Scrip-Bit 7 February 2013 Job 34:21

07 Feb 2013 Leave a comment

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

Job 34:21.     For his eyes are upon the ways of man, and he seeth all his goings.
 
Oh my fellow believers, our great God in His infinite wisdom and mercy has done it again.! Yes Friends, He’s blessed us with another day of life on this earth. And though the earth’s a mess, we believers have been given the honourable task of fixing it in Jesus’ Name. Isn’t that wonderful? But mih people, like every other project in life, if we’re not excited to do it, then we won’t give of our best. The same goes for the work of Jesus. If we’re not excited to live a life of faith, and good works in action, backed up by the Word, then we’re wasting our time and Jesus’ too. In the first place, it’s not an easy job, with Lucifer and all his evil minions fighting against us. In the second, only as much as we put out, will we get back. It’s the old story of you reap what you sow. And Friends, I don’t have to tell us that in these trying times our witness for Jesus, both in words and deeds is certainly not good enough! So today, let’s each one of us, search our hearts and ways, and see where we’re falling down on the job, and sincerely try to improve it nuh. That’s the only way we’ll ever improve the situation, ever get the LOVE Revolution really ‘revoluting.’ (smile) Anyway, I have a serious invitation for you, from the famous British poet and playwright, Robert Browning (1812-1889). And the invitation is to ‘Grow old along with me! The best is yet to come.’ And that’s gospel Friends! I’m finding these latter days to be the best days of my life. I’ve done most of what I’ve always wanted to do. Not necessarily to the level I’d hoped, but I now know how to do all the things I’ve imagined. I’ve achieved a fair state of economic well-being. My children are grown and on their own, and I’ve found a peace so peaceful in Jesus, that in spite of the problems I still encounter, I don’t worry about them no more. I do the best I can, then leave the rest to the Lord. That doesn’t mean I agree with all God’s decisions, or don’t have concerns, and oftimes serious ones too, but the difference now is that I’ve found a level of faith to truly believe that the Lord will bring me out of them, sometimes battered and bruised, but usually better off and with stronger faith than before. Having surrendered my soul to Him, all I can do nowadays is say ‘Thanks Lord,’ then grin and bear it as best I can. So my brethren, I’m asking us to grow old together in the peace and LOVE of Jesus. It’s the greatest thing since sliced bread! (smile) And why shouldn’t we, since it’s the wisest choice in light of our Bit? ‘For his eyes are upon the ways of man, and he seeth all his goings.’ If our God sees everything we do, then we’d be foolish to do stuff that doesn’t sit well with Him. For as Cousin Sol says in Proverbs 15: ‘The eyes of the Lord are in every place, beholding the evil and the good.’ (Prov.15:3) It’s just like when we were young and wanted to do mischief, we’d try to hide from our parents. With them we could have been successful, because they couldn’t see us all the time. But even then, as they kept telling us, the things done in darkness usually come to light, and eventually they’d find out, and we’d pay the price. However Friends, the difference with our God is that we simply cannot hide from Him because He watches us ALL the time. So the wise money should be on doing good in His awesome, all seeing sight. Listen to how Jeremiah puts it in his prayer, re our God: ‘Great in counsel, and mighty in work (deeds): for thine eyes are open upon all the ways of the sons of men: to give every one according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings.’ (Jer.32:19) Oh my people, it couldn’t be any plainer than that. Yet we still insist on doing what we know is wrong, somehow hoping to get away with it. But hear how Hosea says it, re Israel’s rebellion against God. ‘When I would have healed Israel, then the iniquity of Ephraim was discovered (uncovered), and the wickedness of Samaria: for they commit falsehood (fraud); and the thief cometh in, and the troop (band) of robbers spoileth without (plunders outside). And they consider not (do not say) in their hearts that I remember all their wickedness: now their own doings (deeds) have beset (surrounded) them about; they are before my face.’ (Hos.7:1-2) And please remember Friends that the Lord has not changed, from day one to the end, He is and will be the same. So what makes us think that we’re so special eh, that our wrongdoings won’t be looked upon with judgement and justice like the Israelites of old? If the Lord can punish His chosen people, why would He spare us, some of the most ungodly and evil humans who ever walked the earth? And we’ll end with this poignant and powerful scripture that encapsulates all we’ve been talking about. It’s from Hebrews 4, re the present danger of unbelief. ‘For the word of God is quick (living), and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of (able to judge) the thoughts and intents (intentions) of the heart. Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight (hidden from Him): but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do (must give account).’ (Heb.4:12-13) Now here’s the scholar’s explanation of those verses. ‘For the word of God: The reason given for one’s careful scrutiny of his life involves the reality that God is intently scrutinizing it. His word is quick (living). This word is first in the Greek and is the emphasis. God’s Word is not old or archaic; it is alive. It is not inept or inactive; it is powerful (active). It reaches into the inner secrets of man’s mind to discern even his thoughts and intents. Likewise, God’s eyes sees man as though he were naked, unable to hide behind excuses or pretense.’ Amen mih breddren! And if that doesn’t wise us up, then I really don’t know what will nuh. Much LOVE!…the awesome power of the Word…and the all seeing eyes of God…should cause us to wake up…repent…and do right…
 
 

Today’s Scrip-Bit 18 June 2012 Ephesians 6:4

18 Jun 2012 Leave a comment

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

Ephesians 6:4.   And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.
 
Oh Friends, it’s Monday; that fateful day which unfortunately means, to labour, to labour, once again to labour. Chuh! We don’t like it, but it’s a condition of earthly life, so we just have to grin and bear it. Now if I didn’t know better, sometimes I’d think the Lord takes pleasure in afflicting us for no apparent reason yes. For example, yesterday morning I left home to go to church, as bright and bouncy as ever (smile). On the way, I stopped and put some gas in my ole limo, then continued to church without any mishaps. However, as I got out of the car in the church parking lot, a sudden excruciating pain ran through my left knee. Friends, I swear that if I wasn’t holding on to the car door, I would have crumpled to the ground from both the surprise and pain. At first I thought it was a cramp, but after massaging it for about a minute, it didn’t go away, so I limped into the church. And would you believe that all through the service it pained me, making my attention to the Lord’s business less than optimal. Now I’m pretty sure I didn’t do anything physical to bring that on, so it was possibly just my arthritic nemesis simply acting up. But when I cried out to the Lord for some sort of answer, I obviously got no reply. So the long and short of the story is that I said, thank you Lord, went home, iced and rested it, which reduced the pain somewhat. In my humble opinion, that was another unwarranted affliction to grin and bear. And the sad part is that I had taken the arthritis medication about an hour before, so there shouldn’t have been that kind of sudden pain. But them’s the breaks, Friends! As believers, we need to accept that whatever happens to us usually has a higher motive than we can understand, and we know that the Lord will use whatever comes against us for good and not evil, as He promises in Jer.29:11, and Rom.8:28. Anyway, enough of my pity party. (smile) Let’s get ourselves together to go out and do God’s will by singing our Monday Morning Battle Hymn with plenty gusto. 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!’ Yes mih people, that should boost our enthusiasm, raise our passion for Christ and enable us to take on the enemy without any fear. Now let’s check out our Bit: ‘And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture (training) and admonition of the Lord.’ And not because Father’s Day has passed, means we can’t talk to, reach out to the fathers. In fact, the state of fatherhood in our anything goes society is so bad, that we should be talking to them everyday. Today though, I just want to share some appropriate scriptures, so that we can understand how important fatherhood is, was, and always will be in the eyes of our God. And what better place to start that at the very beginning, where Moses tells the Israelites: ‘And these words (the Ten Commandments), which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.’ (Deut.6:6-7) Later on, in basically the same words, Moses again reminds them of the importance of teaching their children the laws of God. (Deut.11:19) Then in Psalm 78, Asaph’s reminder of God’s goodness to Israel, he declares that the old stories they heard from their fathers: ‘We will not hide them from their children, showing to the generation to come the praises of the Lord, and his strength, and his wonderful works that he hath done.’ (Ps.78:4) Meanwhile, in Proverbs’, Cousin Sol proclaims in no uncertain terms: ‘Train up a child in the way he should go: and (even) when he is old (mature), he will not depart from it.’ (Prov.22:6) And finally, listen to Bruh Paul’s words to Timothy: ‘And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.’ (2 Tim.3:15) Yes Friends, parents have an awesome responsibility to raise their children on the Word and ways of God, especially fathers, who are considered the nominal head, the guide, the leader of the household. Anything less on the part of parents is a sin against Almighty God, because that’s the only way the Word and will of God will continue from generation to generation. So let’s get serious and do our duty nuh people! It’s about time, don’t you think? Much LOVE!…when believers don’t teach their children about God…they’re shirking their greatest responsibility as parents…and doing both their children and society irreparable harm…

 

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