24 May 2019
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: acknowledge him, always at ease, asaph, be joyful, be more careful, bright light of Jesus, cast them down into destruction, consumed with terrors, declare all thy works, destroy the wicked, envious at the foolish, equal society, fellowship, Friday chant, fun, generous help, go a whoring from thee, go outside and frolic, God is the strength of my heart, good for me, he shall direct thy paths, his passion on his sleeve, his seed begging bread, I went into the sanctuary of God, in all thy ways, in soul body and mind, increase in riches, inequality, lean not, look after the righteous, LOVE, Memorial Day, more conservative, my feet were almost gone, my flesh and my heart faileth, my portion for ever, not seen the righteous forsaken, overtime, party party party!, physical weather, politicking, put my trust in the Lord, relaxation, remembrances, renewed and refreshed, rest, second class citizens, set them in slippery places, slave driver, TGIF!, Thank God is Friday, the ordinary workingman, the prosperity of the wicked, the weekend's here, to draw near to God, unashamedly wearing, understood I their end, unfaithful to God, unto thine own understanding, veterans, week of work, wisdom
Psalm 73:26. My flesh and my heart faileth: but God is the strength (rock) of my heart, and my portion for ever.
Another beautiful day has dawned in my area friends…hope it did in yours too! But regardless of the physical weather, most of us will just be glad that it’s Friday, and having the bright light of Jesus shining in our souls on top of that, what’s happening outside doesn’t matter that much!
Yes, glory to God my faithful saints in Christ! It’s the start of the weekend, a short workweek for us in Canada, with the Queen Victoria Day holiday on Monday gone. But we’ll be looking on in envy as the U.S. celebrates its Memorial Day holiday next Monday, while we have to go and labour for the whole five days!
So for all you Scrip-Bit friends and family in the U.S. of A, please remember Granny’s warning: ‘Sonny boy, drunk or sober, please mind yuh business!’ And don’t give the enemy a chance to find a chink in your spiritual armour and thus cause confusion in your soul! (smile)
The Memorial Day holiday remembers those brave and unfortunate souls who fell while serving in the country’s Armed Forces. And as always, there’ll be lots of politicking and remembrances, while unfortunately, many of those who served but are still alive, are being treated like second-class citizens and suffering want like you’d never belief!
It’s certainly amazing how they can trot out the veterans at times like this, then forget them for the rest of the year. But I guess that’s just the inequality that’s to be found in a supposedly equal society. Out of sight, out of mind! But enough of me, the ordinary workingman is just dying to bellow out his weekend song:
‘TGIF! Thank God is Friday oui! And thank God that the week was short too! But yuh know that slave driver of a boss is something else yes! What yuh think he do last Tuesday? He try to outsmart we to do two days work in one, by promising some extra money for overtime! Steups! But ah not sure if anybody at all take him up on the offer nuh! Normally, the ole crook, the cheap so and so, doh like to pay overtime, but since everything fall behind, he trying to play nice nuh!
Good for him yes! I work hard enough in a regular week, what I want to work overtime for when I get a break on a holiday eh? But forget he though yes! The weekend’s here! Wow! And the weather should be decent enough to go outside and frolic! So just bring it on! Party, party, party! Thank God for Fridays and weekends oui!’
Ah mih friends, it’s oftimes refreshing to see how the ordinary workingman just lays it all out there, unashamedly wearing his passion on his sleeve! Unfortunately though, we, as sincere believers in Jesus Christ can’t afford to break down as many walls. We need to be a tad more conservative, but it doesn’t mean we can’t be joyful, just be more careful! (smile) And so our Friday Chant is somewhat different to the workingman’s song. Let’s chant it out now nuh with sincerity and true sense of purpose.
As one loud voice! ‘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!’
Yeh friends, we can party too, but we just have to run a constant interference check on the enemy, because he’s only too happy to jump gleefully on us when we get out of Jesus’ loop! That’s why we need to constantly remind ourselves and sincerely proclaim these immortal words of Asaph, the psalmist. ‘My flesh and my heart faileth: but God is the strength (rock) of my heart, and my portion for ever.’
Yes precious people, our flesh and hearts are weak, sinful and tend naturally to ungodliness, that’s why we need a strong tower, a rock to cling on to, and that rock is our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. No wonder He warned the disciples in the Garden of Gethsemane, when they could not stay awake and pray with Him. ‘Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.’ (Matt.26:41)
And isn’t that the awesome truth! We see it happening to Asaph, as he declares (yes!): ‘But as for me, my feet were almost gone (had almost stumbled); my steps had well nigh slipped. For I was envious at the foolish (boastful), when I saw the prosperity of the wicked.’ (Ps.73:2-3)
Ah mih breddren, that is so easy to do! The wicked are prospering all around us today too, and we say to ourselves, like Asaph: ‘Behold, these are the ungodly, who prosper in the world (are always at ease); they increase in riches.’ (Ps.73:12) But how can that be eh, when the Lord promised us so much for following Him?
And I like how Asaph discovered the truth: ‘Until I went into the sanctuary of God; then understood I their end. Surely thou didst set them in slippery places: thou castedst them down into destruction. How are they brought into desolation, as in a moment! They are utterly consumed with terrors.’ (Ps.73:17-19)
Yes friends, the Lord has promised to look after the righteous and destroy the wicked, and He does keep His promises. So we must not allow what we see going on in the world to make us doubt Him. He will do all He promised in due time, in His time. As Bruh David said in Psalm 37 – The true state of the wicked. ‘I have been young, and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed (descendants) begging bread.’ (Ps.37:25)
And as Asaph concludes his psalm: ‘For, lo, they that are far from thee shall perish: thou hast destroyed them all that go a whoring from thee (who are unfaithful to thee). But it is good for me to draw near to God: I have put my trust in the Lord God, that I may declare (right ho!) all thy works.’ (Ps.73:27-28)
Now that my brethren is wisdom to the highest heaven! Please, let’s take it for ourselves nuh! Much LOVE!
…trust in God…with all thine heart…and lean not…unto thine own understanding…In all thy ways acknowledge Him…and He shall direct thy paths… (Prov.3:5-6)
30 Sep 2017
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a better tomorrow, abhor, acknowledge God, advice, Anselm, as bad as, buckle down, calm.feeling fine, Canadian weather, chasten, consistently, correction, cover all bases, depart from evil, diligently, earthly living, fail, failure is never final, fear the Lord, giving up, God's plan for you, gold, Good Book, grace, have a vision, he shall direct thy paths, health to thy navel, heavenly Father, house work, in all thy ways, intimate fellowship, Jesus Christ, laze around, lean not, Lord and Saviour, LOVE, manual, marrow to thy bones, nothing of any consequence, one-liners, peaceful, possessions, precious jewels, profit, purpose for living, put God's plan into action, run errands, Saturday, scripture 101, silver, stop trying, strength, succeed, success, that's life, thine own understanding, trust in the Lord, truth, understanding, vagaries of our climate, vats, what is your why, windstorm, wine, wisdom, with all thine heart, woke up freezing, work on your gift, you want to breathe
Proverbs 3:5. Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him and he shall direct thy paths.
Welcome to a fairly bright Saturday friends! It’s a day some of us like because we can just laze around and do nothing of any consequence, while others abhor it, because they have to do house work and run errands outside.
And who knows what’s going to happen today eh? Just to give you an example of the vagaries of our current climate. Yesterday morning after the little rain fell, at least in my area, because others complained of a good downpour, it was bright and sunny, then by mid afternoon a wicked windstorm blew up and continued for most of the night.
Right now though, it’s so peaceful and calm, you’d never believe the crazy way the trees were dancing yesterday. And if that wasn’t enough, last night I went to bed at an early hour, around 11 – that’s real early by my standards – feeling fine, but a couple of hours later I woke up freezing.
I wasn’t sure whether I was just hungry, or the house was indeed cold, but to cover all bases, I came downstairs, had something to eat and turned on the heat. And now I’m thinking that it must have been both, because at minutes to eight in the morning the temperature is only 6 degrees Celsius in my area.
But that’s our Canadian weather! A few days ago I was blasting chilly wind through the house, today it’s the hot stuff! (smile) Anyway as the song says, ‘That’s life!’ And since it’s Saturday, let’s look at what words of wisdom our friend Anselm graced us with this past week, as he endeavoured to inspire us for a better tomorrow.
And it was even a shorter set of one-liners than last week. So let’s see if I can arrange them in some sort of sequence that makes sense. First off is ‘What is your “Why?” I guess that means what is your purpose for living? What is the plan God has for your life? And He does have a plan for each and every life He creates. But do you know yours?
And then with that gift in mind, you should ‘Have a vision.’ Have a vision of how you are going to put God’s plan into action. And one of the most important aspects of it all is to ‘Work on your gift.’ Yeh friends, we can only get better at anything if we work consistently and diligently at it.
So whatever gift God has given us we have to just buckle down and work on it. With that comes the option to ‘Succeed as bad as you want to breathe.’ That means we must have this awesome desire to do God’s work. Consequently, we’ll ‘Fail our way to success.’
Just keep on doing and doing and doing…until we succeed. For failure is never final, until we stop trying. And we all know that the words ‘giving up’ don’t exist in the vocabulary of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.
But the most important part of all that stuff above is to include our heavenly Father in EACH and EVERY aspect of our lives, for He IS interested in ALL THAT WE DO! And furthermore, we won’t be able to do all that we have or want to do without His help. So it only makes sense to involve Him in our everyday lives.
This brings us to our Bit, and some of the best advice in the Good Book, that invaluable manual for earthly living. Listen to Cousin Sol as he declares: ‘Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him and he shall direct thy paths.’
Oh my brethren, truer words were never spoken! And Cousin Sol just goes on to lay it down with grace and truth. ‘Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the Lord, and depart from evil. It shall be health to thy navel (body), and marrow (strength) to thy bones.
Honour the Lord with thy substance (possessions), and with the first fruits of all thine increase: So shall thy barns be filled with plenty, and thy presses (vats) shall burst out with new wine.
My son, despise not the chastening of the Lord; neither be weary (detest) his correction: for whom the Lord LOVETH he correcteth; even as a father the son in whom he delighteth.
Happy is the man that findeth wisdom, and the man that getteth understanding. For the merchandise (gain) of it is better than the merchandise (profit) of silver, and the gain thereof than fine gold.’ (Prov.37:14)
Oh friends, that’s the condensed version of right living right there in those few verses! If we have to read anything at all in the Good Book, those verses should be a priority, because they teach us everything we need to know to live a godly life.
Trust in God and not in our finite, fallible and small minds. Have intimate fellowship with Him. Honour Him in all we do and share what He allows us to have with Him and with others. And don’t get upset when He corrects or punishes us, because He’s only doing so because of His great and awesome LOVE for us.
And therein lies wisdom and understanding, which are more precious and valuable than silver, gold and other precious jewels! And that my brethren, is the lesson for today.
Please, please, let’s learn it and write it deep in our hearts, minds and souls, so that we can observe it each and every day. Much LOVE!
…Scripture 101…look to the Lord for EVERYTHING…in EVERY circumstance…
23 Jul 2017
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a brand new day, calamity, Christians, cleansing flood, confidence, creation, Creator, deceptive times, devotion, fellowship, forgiveness, get with the program, glory, Good understanding gains favour, grace, he shall direct thy paths, I can do all things, intimacy, Jesus, Job, lean not unto thine own understanding, my rock, native instincts, new mercies, Philippians, pour our your heart, Proverbs, put confidence in man., raise the roof, refuge, rest upon his promise, salvation, Selah, self, sense of purpose, sin, straight paths, strength, the test of time, Though he slay me, through Christ who strengthens me, tis so sweet to trust Jesus, trust, Trust in the Lord with all thine heart, truth, weekly dose, wisdom, yet will I trust him
Job 13:15a. Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him…
Oh friends, please forgive the ole fella for that brilliant typo (smile) I made in yesterday’s Bit. Steups! I really don’t know where my head was when I wrote that the Bit came from Proverbs instead of Job nuh. I hope you all noticed it and realized that the ole brain wasn’t functioning properly. Getting old is a helluva thing yes! (smile)
And on a point of interest, Proverbs 13:15a says thus: ‘Good understanding giveth (gains) favour…’ And how true that is my fellow believers!
Anyhow, it’s brand new day, with brand new mercies, grace and forgiveness, and it’s also Sunday morning, time for exciting praise and worship as we gather together in the Lord’s sanctuary to get our weekly dose of fellowship. And to get the proceedings underway, let’s raise the roof of the sanctuary with our sweet voices as we sincerely declare in song: ‘Tis so sweet to trust in Jesus.’
It’s a hymn that was written way back in the late 19th or early 20th centuries by Louisa Stead and William James Kirkpatrick that has marvelously stood the test of time, and is rather a good fit for today’s Bit. So without further ado, let’s offer the sacrifice of praise with our lips and voices and send sincere feelings of trust heavenward.
’Tis so sweet to trust in Jesus, Just to take Him at His word; Just to rest upon His promise; Just to know, Thus saith the Lord (Refrain: Jesus, Jesus, how I trust Him, How I’ve proved Him o’er and o’er, Jesus, Jesus, Precious Jesus! O for grace to trust Him more.) O how sweet to trust in Jesus, Just to trust His cleansing blood; Just in simple faith to plunge me, ’Neath the healing, cleansing flood. (Refrain)
Yes, ’tis sweet to trust in Jesus, Just from sin and self to cease; Just from Jesus simply taking Life, and rest, and joy, and peace. (Refrain) I’m so glad I learned to trust Thee, Precious Jesus, Savior, Friend; And I know that Thou art with me, Wilt be with me to the end. Jesus, Jesus, how I trust Him, How I’ve proved Him o’er and o’er, Jesus, Jesus, Precious Jesus! O for grace to trust Him more.’
And wouldn’t we all benefit tremendously from being blessed with grace to trust Jesus more than we already do eh? Our lives would be so much easier and better directed; there wouldn’t be as much anxiety and frustration because our faith would be stronger and we’d have a better and more relevant sense of purpose. We’d know for sure deep down in our hearts and souls that Jesus was in perfect control.
That’s why Job could stand so strong even though he lost everything in one fell swoop. His memorable declaration in our Bit is a testament to his enormous faith. ‘Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him…’
Yes friends, I don’t know how many of us would be able to truthfully mouth words like those if we experienced anything close to Job’s calamity. But that’s the kind of faith and trust we’re called upon to have as sincere Christians.
Oh, I know that all of us are at different stages along the continuum of faith, but that’s the level to which we ought to aspire. And it’s not easy, but as with everything else in this world, we can attain it with God’s help. That’s the miracle working formula; with God’s help! Otherwise the words of Bruh Paul to the Philippians which we are quick to spout are meaningless. ‘I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.’ (Phi.4:16)
Now let’s check out some more scripture passages that deal with trust. And these are two of the most important ones as succinctly declared by the psalmist. ‘It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in man. It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in princes.’ (Ps.118:8-9) Oh my people, truer words were never spoken! And especially in these fraudulent and deceptive times, it is certainly unwise to put too much trust in mankind.
Now listen to Cousin Sol’s immortal declaration. ‘Trust in the Lord with all thine heart, and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him; and he shall direct thy paths. (Prov.3:5-6) Words of eternal wisdom friends!
And the scholars offer this interesting explanation of those verses. ‘3:5-6. Three commands are given: trust, meaning “rely on, depend on”; lean not, meaning do not depend on you own native instincts, and acknowledge him, meaning have fellowship and intimacy with God in all of life. The result of such devotion is that God will make the paths straight before you.’
And which of us wouldn’t greatly desire to have straight paths in this cruel, evil, crazy, topsy-turvy world eh mih breddren? But that can only come by trusting the Lord God Jehovah with all our heart, mind, body and soul! And we’ll end with some wonderful words of Bruh David from Psalm 62 – God only is my rock and my salvation.
In it, he staunchly proclaims: ‘My soul wait thou (silently) only upon God; for my expectation (hope) is from him. He only is my rock and my salvation: he is my defense; I shall not be moved (shaken). In God is my salvation and my glory; the rock of my strength; and my refuge, is in God. Trust in him at all times; ye people, pour out your heart before him: God is a refuge for us. Selah.’ (Ps.62:5-8)
And all of that is indisputable truth friends! Almighty God is indeed our rock, our strength, our salvation and a perfect refuge, amongst many other things! So please my people, if we want to be successful and prosperous, let’s get with the program today nuh, let’s acknowledge and trust God the way we ought to, since He is the Creator of it all! Much LOVE!
…if you don’t trust the Creator of Creation… then whom are you going to trust eh…
20 Apr 2017
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a believer's armoury, a compassionate heart, a gold mine, a perfect heart, a positive outlook, a willing mind, abundance, acknowledge God in all thy ways, advice, be not wise in thine own eyes, blessings, cast you off for ever, climb over, courage, creativity, curse, depart from evil, divine protection, dr robert h schuller, face a mountain, faith, faithful followers, faithfulness, family, fear the Lord, forgiving will, forsake him, friends, fruitless, good conscience, happy in Jesus, he shall direct thy paths, health to thy navel, imaginations, innate pride, last minute solution, lean not to thine own understanding, marrow to thy bones, merciful, Mountain Mover's Prayer, mover every mountain, negative word, obituaries, of Jesus, our own power, patience, perception, possibilities, prosper, quit, self-control, self-discipline, sensible action, serve him, sorry state of the world, strength, succeed, talent, Thanks be to God, the god of thy father, the Good Book, the land of the living, the Lord searches all hearts, thoughts, to keep on striving, trust and obey, trust in the Lord, tunnel underneath, understands, wisdom, wisdom of the world, with God's help
Proverbs 2:6. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct (make smooth, make straight) thy paths.
One more day, one more day in the land of the living my people! Thanks be to God!
We haven’t seen our names and/or pictures in today’s obituaries, that means the Lord has a purpose for us to be still down here on His planet earth!
And as faithful followers of His Son and our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, I know that we will do our best, exert all our energy and move every mountain to bring His wonderful, merciful and forgiving will to pass.
Now that leads us directly to this simple but uplifting directive from Gramps Schuller (Dr. Robert H Schuller), which he titles ‘The Mountain Mover’s Prayer.’ We’ve shared it several times before, but it’s one of those prayers that are always applicable to our earthly lives.
Please pray with me. ‘Lord, when I face a mountain, do not let me quit! Give me the strength to keep on striving until I climb over; Find a pass through, or tunnel underneath. And if my best efforts fail, Give me the patience to stay, and the perception to see the possibilities of turning my mountain into a gold mine with your help. Amen!’
Yeh friends, I know that each and everyone of us is facing some kind of unbreachable mountain in our lives right now, and we desperately need some wisdom, help, strength, faith and advice to overcome it.
And there it is in a nutshell! Seeking God’s help to handle our mountains is the only wise and sensible action in a believer’s armoury! For without Him on our side, remember we can do nothing at all!
The problem though is that too many of us don’t remember that li’l detail, and we foolishly try to do a lot of stuff under our own power and strength. And finally, when our efforts prove fruitless, then and only then do we turn to God as a last minute solution.
That’s very unwise my people, because our wonderful Creator and Provider wants us to come to Him for help first, not last, and also in each and every circumstance, not only in ones we feel unable to handle.
Oh, I know that our innate pride and the supposed wisdom of the world tells us that we must be able to handle our own affairs, but the sad and sorry state of the world, and all those who are trying to do it on their own just proves that supposition is totally wrong.
And yuh know what friends, I’m here chuckling now, because our God is so wonderful and faithful. Oh give Him endless thanks and praise my brethren!
And no doubt you’re wondering why I’m chuckling. Well, I’ve been writing so far without a Bit or any idea of where I really wanted to go, and I simply felt lost. So just now I asked, well it’s more like cried out to Him for help to find a Bit, help to climb over my mountain. (smile)
Then I opened my Bible, and the first words my eyes beheld were those of our Bit. ‘In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct (make smooth, make straight) thy paths.’
Ah my fellow believers, that’s just what we were talking about! So how can I now in all good conscience doubt His everlasting faithfulness eh? I certainly can’t! And I do hope that it goes a long way to convince you of our God’s faithfulness when we sincerely turn to Him for help and advice.
And one of the best pieces of advice given from one human to another in the Good Book is that from Bruh David to his son Cousin Sol, re the building of God’s temple.
‘And thou, Solomon my son, know thou the God of thy father, and serve him with a perfect heart and with a willing mind: for the Lord searcheth all hearts, and understandeth all the imaginations of the thoughts: if thou seek him, he will be found of thee; but if thou forsake him, he will cast thee off for ever.’ (1 Chr.28:9)
Oh my people what wonderful advice! It’s obvious though that not enough of us have given that same advice to our offspring, otherwise so many of them would not be turning away from God today.
And isn’t it amazing that our Bit comes from the words of Cousin Sol himself. Now hear what he says in the full context of our Bit.
‘Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct (make smooth, make straight) thy paths. Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the Lord, and depart from evil. It shall be health to thy navel (body), and marrow (strength) to thy bones.’ (Prov.3:5-8)
Ah my people, if we sincerely take that advice and live up to it, then there’s no doubt that our magnificent and magnanimous God will shower us with our Thursday Blessings! So let’s declare them now nuh, for remember they are not applicable until they are declared over someone or something.
In sincere sincerity now: (smile) ‘I declare that I am blessed with God’s supernatural wisdom and receive clear direction for my life! I declare today that I am blessed with creativity, courage, talent and abundance! I am blessed with a strong will, self-control and self-discipline!
I am blessed with a great family, good friends, good health, faith, favour and fulfillment! I am blessed with success, supernatural strength, promotion and divine protection! I am blessed with a compassionate heart and a positive outlook on life!
I declare that any curse or negative word that’s ever been spoken over me is broken right now in the name of Jesus! I declare that everything I put my hands to will prosper and succeed! I declare it today and everyday! Amen!’
Yes friends, now that we’ve declared those heavenly blessings over ourselves, let’s go out and declare them over others nuh, so that they can be spread over all and sundry as Jesus desires. Much LOVE!
…trust and obey…for there’s no other way…to be happy in Jesus…but to trust and obey…
05 Jun 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a wonderful weekend, acknowledge God in all thy ways, and he shall bring it to pass, antidote, be not wise in thine own eyes, Bruh David, cease from anger, Christ-like, Commit thy way to the Lord, communication with Jesus, compassion, Cousin Sol, depart from evil, directed by the Lord, evil minions, evildoers shall be cut off, faith, faithful, family time, fear the Lord, fellowship, food, forgiveness, forsake wrath, Friday chant, friends, fun, furthering God's glorious kingdom, generous help, get down to brass tacks, glorious kingdom, glory to God, God doesn't give us more than we can bear, good relationships, gospel truth, gracious, he shall direct thy paths, he shall not be utterly cast down, he will never turn you away, health to thy navel, holy spirit, jehovah god, joy, laughter, lean not unto thine own understanding, LOVE, Lucifer, marrow to thy bones, merciful, negative situations, praise, prayer, promises, Proverbs, relaxation, renewed and refreshed in soul body and mind, rest, Rest in the Lord, sadness, saviour jesus christ, smile, sorrow, TGIF! Thank God it's Friday!, the great invitation, the steps of a good man, the Word of god, though he fall, trials, tribulations, trust also in him, Trust in the Lord with all thine heart, wait patiently for the Lord, weather, wisdom, worship
Psalm 37:5. Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass.
So what it is eh my people? (smile) How all yuh doing? Hope all yuh doing good! But just in case oonoo not doing so good, then I certainly hope that you all are in constant communication with our wonderful Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. For He is the ONLY One who can truly ease and/or solve our problems.
Yes Friends, He’s even invited us with the Great Invitation to come to Him when we are heavily burdened, and He will give us rest and peace for our tired and burdened souls. (Matt.11:28-30) And that is not an invitation to be sneered at or taken lightly, for He will indeed do as promised.
Ah Friends, it’s a proven fact that when we’re doing poorly, that’s when we most need to communicate with the Saviour. For the best antidote for sadness and sorrow, or anything that discombobulates us, is prayer! Never forget that.
So having said all of that, I guess we can get down to brass tacks now. (smile) And I guess you all know that today is Friday…
And as expected, I’m greeted with a joyous shouting of ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday! And we going to have a wonderful weekend; good weather, good food, good LOVE, plenty laughter, joy, compassion and forgiveness…Oh Glory to God! Thank Him for the weekend!’
What wonderful sentiments my brethren! And I do hope that our weekend does turn out that way, as we get involved in praise and worship and fellowship and enriching family time, for the name of the game is good relationships; both with each other and with Jehovah God!
Now let’s chant our Friday Chant to help us stay on the straight and narrow path. As one chanter now: ‘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.’
Yes my people, that is how we ought to use the weekends, not merely for partying and our own amusement. And yuh know what? If we follow the wise advice of our Bit, we won’t have any real problems living life the way we ought to. ‘Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass.’
Oh Friends, there’s absolutely no doubt in that statement, for our gracious and most merciful God is indeed a faithful keeper of His promises! So whenever you come to Him, He will never turn you away.
Listen to how Cousin Sol puts it in Proverbs, in his exhortations to obedience. ‘Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct (make smooth or straight) your paths. Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the Lord, and depart from evil. It shall be health to thy navel (body), and marrow (strength) to thy bones.’ (Prov.3:5-8)
Oh my brethren, in all the Good Book, there is no better advice than those four verses. If we live our lives by them, we will never go wrong… Oh you know what I mean; we’ll live under the shade of the golden umbrella of our omnipotent, omniscient and omnipresent God!
Now that doesn’t mean we won’t have trials and tribulations, but when we go through them, we’ll know, we’ll be assured that Almighty God is there with us through all the sadness and mayhem. And on top of it all, He won’t give us more than we can bear, and will bring us out of the negative situations better than before, meaning more Christ-like, for that is often the purpose of our problems.
And Bruh David offers these wonderful words of advice after our Bit. ‘And he shall bring forth thy righteousness as the light, and thy judgment (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 (plans, schemes) to pass.
Cease from anger, and forsake wrath: fret not thyself in any wise to do evil (it only causes harm). For evil doers shall be cut off (destroyed): but those that wait upon the Lord, they shall inherit the earth.’ (Ps.37:6-9)
Oh mih lovelies, why is it so difficult for us to take such simple advice and live faithfully by it eh – especially when we know that it’s all gospel truth? I don’t know the answer nuh. I can only surmise that our natural sinful nature is getting the upper hand of us in these relatively sinful and godless times.
Plus the fact that Lucifer and his evil minions are in control of the day to day world, and are making a protracted push with lots of worldly things and advice, to get us to move away from God.
But my people, we are supposed to be the best creation of our God, therefore we cannot allow the wicked and wickedness of this world to get the better of us. But we can only do so if and when we take the Word of God seriously and truly live by it. Otherwise we’ll be very susceptible to the wiles and lies of the enemy.
And we’ll end today with some more encouraging advice from Bruh David from Psalm 37. ‘The steps of a good man are ordered (established) by the Lord: and he delighteth in his way. Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down: for the Lord upholdeth him with his hand.’ (Ps.3723-24)
Oh Friends, that’s gospel truth! And I can personally vouch for it, because though I’m not the greatest or the most godly and righteous, yet the Lord has upheld me with His mighty hand several times over the years! So you can imagine what He’ll do for the very godly and righteous.
Oh mih people, mih people, there’s only one wise and sensible path to follow in this crazy, calamitous and disaster-prone world – the straight and narrow one, which leads directly to Jesus and our heavenly Father! And we can successfully do that if we allow the Holy Spirit which indwells us to lead and guide us in all truth. That’s our ‘ponderation’ for today my people. (smile) Much LOVE!
…only as we sincerely trust…and have true faith in God…will we see Him work in our lives…
Visit the Scrip-Bit Blog at https://randyobrien50.wordpress.com
18 Apr 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a future and a hope, acknowledge God in all thy ways, and lean not unto thine own understanding, as for me and mine, at odds with God's direction, be not wise in thine own eyes, blueprint for living a godly life, calamity, cast into the lake of fire, comfort, common sense, compassion, cry out to God for help, depart from evil, disobedience, ever-faithful God, fear the Lord, friends, give generously, glory hallelujah, glory to God, goals, God's plan for our lives, Hades, he shall direct thy paths, health, health to thy navel, honour the Lord with thy substance, how to live to purpose, humble yourself before God, I know the thoughts that I think toward you, joy, living God, LOVE, Lucifer, made in the image of God, magnificent and magnanimous God, marrow to thy bones, masterpiece of man, miracle, no way Jose, our heavenly Father, pay a price for disobedience, personal experience, possessions, praise his holy name, Praise the Lord, prince of darkness, rule the roost, sinful desires, sinful souls, singing praises to God, sufferation, the breath of life, the first fruits, thy barns be filled with plenty, thy presses burst out with new wine, top dog, Trust in the Lord with all thine heart, trust in the Lord with all thy heart, truth, understanding, usurp God's kingdom, wake up and smell the coffee, wake up and smell the roses, we move and have our being, we will follow the Lord, wealth, wisdom
Proverbs 3:5. Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.
Well Friends, yesterday was another beautiful day in my area; lots of sunshine and blue skies, with unseasonably warm temperatures, and above everything else, a most magnificent and magnanimous God, controlling it all!
Oh, Glory to God! What more can I say eh? Not a whole lot, because my vocabulary is limited when coming to singing the praises of God. And in any case, ‘Glory to God’ says it all.
Yes my people, He is indeed the God in whom we move and have our being. The very breath of life that percolates through our frail and finite bodies comes from Him, and to top it off, we’re also made in His likeness, His wonderful image. What a miracle!
And all God’s faithful people declared a loud, proud and grateful, ‘Praise the Lord! He is indeed a great God! The One who gives us everything we need to live this earthly life; health, wealth, comfort and joy, LOVE and compassion, wisdom and understanding. Glory Hallelujah! Praise His Holy Name!’
Oh Friends, our heavenly Father is indeed a most wonderful God! In fact, He is the ONLY true and living God in existence! All other supposed deities are dead, but He is most certainly alive and kicking, and running the marvellous universe He created, the way He desires, with no one to tell Him yay or nay! (smile)
And one of His most important rules is that we, His most important creation, live and LOVE the way He does. But unfortunately too many of us refuse to do so. We’re more interested in living and LOVING the way our naturally sinful souls desire, which is most often at odds with God’s direction.
And if we don’t look sharp, we’ll pay all sorts of harsh and hefty prices for our disobedience.
Anyway, here is an interesting quote that addresses the matter somewhat. It’s attributed to Michel de Montaigne (1533-1592), one of the significant philosophers of the French Renaissance. He reputedly declared: ‘The great and glorious masterpiece of man, is to know how to live to purpose.’
And there’s a lot of truth to that statement my brethren. To live a successful life we must set proper goals and also take good care of ourselves, all in accordance with God’s plan for our lives. However many of us in today’s sinful, ungodly world don’t care about God’s plan for our lives, so we do our own thing. Then when the ‘sufferation’ comes, we quick to run to God and cry out for help!
But life doesn’t work that way my people. God’s Word wisely tells us in our Bit: ‘Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.’
That my Friends, is one of the most significant and important passages of the whole Bible! If you follow that and nothing else, you will never go wrong, for it encompasses everything. In this chapter of Proverbs, Cousin Sol is exhorting us to obedience to God, because our God takes it very seriously.
Now hear how he continues after our Bit. ‘In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct (make smooth or straight) thy paths. Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the Lord, and depart from evil. It shall be health to thy navel (body), and marrow (strength) to thy bones.
Honour the Lord with thy substance (possessions), and with the first fruits of all thine increase. So shall thy barns be filled with plenty, and thy presses (vats) shall burst out with new wine.’ (Prov.3:6-10)
Oh my people, my people, those 6 verses (5-10) are the everlasting blueprint for living a godly life! Humble yourself before God, don’t be too proud, let Him guide you, and then give generously of your possessions to His cause. Oh Friends, it’s so simple that we think it couldn’t be true. But believe me, it is true, and I’m talking here from personal experience.
Instead, we foolishly follow the worldly lusts and dictates of Lucifer. But my brethren, if Lucifer was so smart, he would not have tried to usurp God’s kingdom, and he’d still be top dog, the number one angel in heaven. But no, he wanted to be king and rule the roost, so he rebelled against the Father, the same senseless thing that so many of us are doing in this current age.
But how can the created ever overthrow the creator eh? Not in this life, or any other! Granted, Lucifer is now the top dog, but in the darkness of Hades and in this sinful world which will eventually be destroyed and he and his minions cast into the lake of fire.
So Friends, if that is where you want to end up, you just have to keep on following the sinful desires of our nature and the lusts of this evil world, ruled over by the prince of darkness. But that’s not wisdom, common sense or the plan that God has in mind for any of us.
Remember the words He spoke through Jeremiah. ‘For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil (calamity), to give you an expected end (a future and a hope).’ (Jer.29:11)
Now my brethren, after hearing that wonderful promise from our ever-faithful God, how can we ever go and get seriously involved with Lucifer eh? Steups! No way Jose!
But everybody has to make their own decision, and I guess, though we may all speak the same language, we don’t necessarily have to think alike. Just look at the wicked, evil, war-like, greedy, ungodly, vengeful state of our world nuh. How could you ever want to be involved with those who are running it eh?
Oh my people, let’s smarten up nuh. Let’s ask God for the wisdom to make right and good choices, and stop depending on our sinful nature and limited mentality, for as James says, He gives it liberally to all who ask and without reproach too. (James.1:5)
So Friends, let’s wake up and smell the roses, the coffee, or whatever it takes to follow the Lord God Jehovah nuh, for that is the essence of wisdom and common sense. Much LOVE!
…as for me and mine…we will follow the Lord till our dying day…
11 Oct 2014
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: acknowledge God in all thy ways, affliction, Amen, be not far from me, belly of hell, bless your Holy Name, blessings, Bruh Paul, burning passion, by His blood we've been set free from sin, by His stripes we are healed, came to his senses, come boldly before the throne of grace, deceitful, disobedience, duty, find grace to help, for trouble is near, generous Deity, Gentiles, God will work it all out for out good, God's unconditional LOVE, God's wrath, goodness, grace, have a blessed day, he shall direct thy paths, heartfelt thanks, hearts, honour and glory, hope thou in God, in rough times still praise god, in time of need, jehovah god, Jesus Christ, Jonah, lead and guide, longing for God, LOVE, loving kindness, mercy, motives, Nineveh, our Saviour, outward show, Praise the Lord, proclaim light unto the people, rebellion, rise from the dead, salvation is of the Lord, Saturday, sin, teach him a lesson, thanks and praise, thanskgiving, that we may obtain mercy, the bondage of sin, The God of second chances, the help of his countenance, the Lord's helping hand, the voice of thanksgiving, there is none to help, times of trouble, truth, undeniable truth, unreliable, Why art thou cast down o my soul, wisdom, wisdom of the highest order, worthless idols, write it indelibly in our hearts
Psalm 22:11. Be not far from me; for trouble is near; for there is none to help.
Well Friends, since it’s Thanksgiving weekend here in good ole Canada, it’s only mete and right that we give some thanks at the beginning of the proceedings, this chilly Saturday autumn morn.
Please pray with me: ‘Dear Father in heaven, we’ve set aside this weekend to celebrate your generous Deity; to give you much deserved praise and thanks for all the LOVING-kindness, grace, mercy and prosperity you’ve bestowed on us this past year. In reality Father, one weekend is nowhere near enough to satisfy your goodness. We need to do it each and every day…and even then it still won’t be sufficient.
But Father, that’s the beauty and wonder of your unconditional LOVE! Even though our efforts are insufficient, you still LOVE us with a burning passion, because we are your greatest creation. Today, we praise you, we bless your Holy Name and give you our heartfelt thanks, humbly asking that you continue to bless and LOVE us, even though we are unworthy.
Please lead and guide us, so that we can do your work down here on earth, all to your honour and glory. We pray this in the blessed name of your Son, and our Saviour, Jesus Christ, by whose stripes we are healed, and by whose blood we’ve been set free from the bondage of sin.’ And all God’s people declared a loud and grateful: ‘Praise the Lord! Amen!’
Yes Friends, thanks and praise are supposed to be an integral part of every believer’s life! Unfortunately though, we get so caught up in the busyness of life, that we forget it’s our duty. But the good thing about our wonderful God is that he doesn’t need a whole lot of bowing and scraping to satisfy His desire for praise and thanks.
In fact that outward show doesn’t move Him at all! What He requires is a simple, genuine thank you from our hearts. And that we can do at any time, several times throughout the day. Remember, He judges us by the motives that govern our hearts, not by our outward actions, which can be very hypocritical, totally different from our inner desires.
So this coming year, let’s try and be a little more thankful during each and every day nuh. Every time something good happens, let’s give our God some genuine thanks! And even when bad stuff happens, let’s still give Him thanks, because we know that eventually He is going to work out all the bad stuff for our good, for our improvement, and promotion. (Acts 8:28)
And above all Friends, let’s remember the words of our Bit: ‘Be not far from me; for trouble is near; for there is none to help.’
And that is ever so true my brethren! There is none to truly help us but our omnipotent and ever-faithful God! For man’s help is unreliable and often deceitful too.
Now let’s continue looking at some scriptures that impart that message, starting with some wise words from Psalm 42 – An intense longing for God. ‘Why art thou cast down (bowed down, depressed) O my soul? And why art thou disquieted in me? Hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise him for the help of his countenance (presence).’ (Ps.42:5)
Now that my people is undeniable truth! It brings to mind what we just said above; that even in in rough times we must constantly hope in and praise our merciful God. And we have an excellent example of that in Jonah’s trials; when he disobeyed God’s direction to go to the wicked city of Nineveh and warn them of God’s forthcoming wrath if they did not repent.
He foolishly went in the opposite direction and ended up in the belly of a great fish, which the Lord had prepared to teach him a lesson. He spent three days and nights in the belly of that giant fish before he came to his senses.
‘Then Jonah prayed unto the Lord his God out of the fish’s belly, And said, I cried by reason of mine (because of my) affliction unto the Lord, and he heard (answered) me; out of the belly of hell cried I, and thou heardest my voice… Then said I, I am cast out of thy sight; yet I will look again toward thy holy temple…
When my soul fainted within me, I remembered the Lord: and my prayer came in (went up) unto thee, into thine holy temple. They that observe lying vanities (worthless idols) forsake their own mercy (LOVING-kindness). But I will sacrifice unto thee with the voice of thanksgiving; I will pay that that I have vowed. Salvation is of the Lord. And the Lord spake unto the fish, and it vomited Jonah upon the dry land.’ (Jon2:1-2, 4, 7-10)
Yes my fellow believers, our God is so wonderful, it’s truly unbelievable! (smile) That’s why He is called the God of second chances! Who else would have made a way out for Jonah after such serious rebellion eh, and given him another chance to do His bidding? None but Jehovah God!
Now listen to Bruh Paul as he testifies to King Agrippa, re his conversion and the Lord’s helping hand. ‘For these causes the Jews caught (seized) me in the temple, and went about to kill me. Having therefore obtained help of God, I continue unto this day, witnessing both to small and to great, saying none other things than those which the prophets and Moses did say should come:
That Christ should suffer, and that he should be the first that should rise from the dead, and should show (proclaim) light unto the people, and unto the Gentiles.’ (Acts 26:21-23)
Oh my people, our God is ALWAYS there for us in times of trouble! Please believe and remember that!
And we’ll close with these most encouraging words from Hebrews. ‘Let us therefore come boldly (confidently) unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.’ (Heb.4:16).
Oh Friends, please, I implore us to write that indelibly in our hearts, so that we can always remember and act on it, for it is wisdom of the highest order! Now let’s go out and have a blessed day, trusting in, and working on behalf of Jehovah God! Much LOVE!
…in all thy ways acknowledge him…and he shall direct (make smooth) thy paths… (Prov.3:6)
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