Today’s Scrip-Bit   2 December 2022 Psalm 146:5.

02 Dec 2022 Leave a comment

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

And it’s Friday, so everyone’s joyfully shouting: ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday and the work week is over! Glory be!’ You know it always amuses me at our different reactions on Mondays and Fridays; one of anger and frustration and the other of happiness. But the fact is that life goes on as planned, regardless of our reactions. And despite all of our advancements, none of us know what’s going to happen on any particular day of our lives, nor in our oh so messed up and confused world. So why not enjoy every day that we are alive, regardless of what day it is eh, and whether we have to go to work or not? 

The truth is that ONLY the Lord God Almighty knows what’s going to happen, and He’s not telling, because He desires us to put our sincere trust, faith, and hope in Him, to rely completely on His mercy, grace and LOVING-kindness. And that makes very good sense since He is the Creator and Controller of the earth and all therein. Why look to anyone or anything else for safety, comfort, prosperity and health when we have the ONE who created and controls it all to look to eh? 

And Psalm 146 puts it so nicely and wisely. ‘Put not your trust in princes, nor in the (a) son of man (human being), in whom there is no help (salvation). His breath goeth forth (spirit departs), he returneth to his earth; in that very day his thoughts perish. Happy is he that hath the God of Jacob for his help, whose hope is in the Lord his God: Which made heaven, and earth, the sea, and all that therein is: which keepeth truth for ever.’ (Ps. 146:3-6) And that’s so easy to do, through the medium of prayer. As they say, Jesus is only a prayer away; that means a couple of breaths and words away. 

But no, because we have free will, we figure we are entitled to do what we want, when we want, and with whom we want. But that’s a great fallacy my brethren. The Lord didn’t give us free will to run amok and do the devil’s evil bidding, but to choose to come to Him in LOVE and true fellowship. No wonder there are consequences for all of our behaviour, both good and bad. And believe me, some of those consequences are very far reaching, even to the destiny we face at the end of this earthly life. Please remember Bruh Paul’s very serious warning to the Roman church. ‘For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through (in) Jesus Christ.’ (Rom. 8:23) 

Now that’s possibly the most significant warning in all the Bible, because it gets right down to brass tacks, doesn’t mince words about our eternal fate. Now, whether or not you believe Bruh Paul’s warning is entirely up to you, but be assured that it is the truth, and a life of sin will be paid for by death, both physical and spiritual. And since we were all born in sin, because of our forefather Adam’s sinfulness, we are automatically labelled for death: ‘For all have sinned, and come (fallen) short of the glory of God.’ (Rom. 3:23) 

And for that we will pay a hefty price unless we repent, turn from our evil ways and receive Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour, whom the Father sent to die on the cross at Calvary, so His sinless blood could be shed and pay for our sins. Yes friends, our sin debt has been paid in full by Jesus Christ. As Bruh Paul writes in his second letter to the church at Corinth: ‘For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.’ (2 Cor. 5:20) 

Oh my fellow saints, how great and wonderful is our Father God! How deep and marvellous is His LOVE for us, that He sent His only begotten Son to die for a bunch of ungrateful sinners like us! You must admit that He had to think very highly of us to do such an amazing and selfless deed. Jesus said it thus: ‘For God so LOVED the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.’ (John 3:16-17) 

That says it all right there friends! Jesus came so that we could be saved, because the Father LOVED us so much, He didn’t want to see His most precious creation languish in hell, in pain and suffering for eternity. So He gave us another option; one of redemption and reconciliation, through belief on the shed blood of His Son Jesus Christ. But the choice is all up to us. That’s the crux of the matter. And my heartfelt advice is that we do like Moses told the Israelites: ‘I call heaven and earth to record (witness) this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live.’ (Deut, 31:19) 

Oh friends it couldn’t be any clearer than that! And for those of us who have chosen life, let’s go to God in prayer, through our Friday Chant, asking for His divine guidance and continued grace and mercy. Altogether now: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through this past week. You know it’s been rough… what with all the anxiety, the confusion and havoc that the several viruses and our many other problems are causing. We can’t seem to fix it on our own Lord, that means we desperately need your help. 

Oh heavenly Father, with your omnipotent help, and our trusting faith, we know that we can stand strong and steadfast and defeat both the viruses and the simmering unrest in our land. So Lord, we sincerely ask you today to give the governments and those involved in the forefront of this serious and unexpected storm, the wise guidance to handle the situation properly, with the least amount of loss to life and property as possible. And please help those of us who must go out to work amidst all the confusion, to be responsible and to stay safe, and avoid any more serious setbacks. 

And Lord, we fervently pray that You’ll use this situation to bring a lot of backsliders back to your fold, show them the error of their ways. And please introduce a whole new flock, who will embrace your LOVE and compassion by the example, we, your faithful believers set. Yes Lord, please use this pandemic, the discontent and dissatisfaction in our land that’s threatening to boil over, as a means of restoring faith in You, so that our sinful world can wake up and smell the coffee, wake up and smell it sweet and strong! We pray this in the name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen!’ 

Now, if we truly want a positive answer to our prayer, then we’d better wake up and smell that coffee and turn from our evil ways. Much LOVE!

…sin brings punishment…godliness brings rewards… 

Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZJ          

Today’s Scrip-Bit   14 July 2022 Psalm 73:26.

14 Jul 2022 Leave a comment

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

Psalm 73:26.      My flesh and my heart faileth; but God is the strength (rock) of my heart, and my portion forever.

And it’s another bright, sunshiny, cool summer’s day in my neck of the woods! Glory be! We had better thoroughly enjoy each day yes, because with them just a hurtling by, it will be soon cold, locked up weather again. (smile) And winter doesn’t pass half as quickly as summer. But have you ever noticed how the good times in life pass ever so quickly, but the bad ones just seem to drag on forever? 

That’s why we need a strong foundation to sustain us, and the ONE and ONLY foundation strong enough to do that is the Lord God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, because He is the One who created the heavens, the earth and all therein and still maintains and controls it.  Bruh David puts it very simply but clearly in Psalm 24, when he proclaims: ‘The earth is the Lord’s, and the fullness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein. For he hath founded it upon the seas, and established it upon the floods (rivers).’ (Ps. 24:1-2) 

And He’s such a wonderful God that He even sent His only Son Jesus Christ to die on the cross, to shed His sinless blood to wash our souls clean of the abominable sins that had made us His enemy. So, who better to turn to for strength and succour eh? Nobody! And I believe that this poem from our One Year Book of Bible Promises with writings by Ruth Harms Calkin, aptly titled ‘The Living God,’ admirably speaks to and supports that claim. 

Please read with me: ‘I place my whole confidence In the Living God. Not because things Are going my way. Not because I have what I want. Not because I understand All the unexplainables Or because I am immune To problems and pain and sorrow. But despite my questions My reversals, my disappointments Despite my sorrow and tears I place my whole confidence In the Living God For He alone can see me through. He alone is worthy of my trust.’ 

Now, is that ever the indisputable truth my brethren! Jehovah God is the ONLY One in this crazy world that’s worthy of our trust! That’s why the psalmist penned these magnificent sentiments. ‘While I live will I praise the Lord: I will sing praises unto my God while I have my being. Put not your trust in princes, nor in the son of man (human beings), in whom there is no help (salvation). His breath goeth forth (his spirit departs), he returneth to his earth; in that very day his thoughts perish. Happy is he that hath the God of Jacob for his help, whose hope is the Lord his God: which made heaven, and earth, the sea, and all that therein is: which keepeth truth for ever.’ (Ps. 146:2-6) 

Yes friends, that’s whom we must put our wholehearted trust in, Almighty God; our Creator and Controller. That only makes logical sense (smile). If He created us and still controls us, then why should we put our trust in any other being eh? No reason whatsoever! Now, here is the Bible Promise associated with the poem we just shared. It comes from that magnificent psalm of Asaph, Psalm 73, when he was dealing with the problem of seeing the wicked prosper. He acknowledges: ‘But as for me, my feet were almost gone I 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) 

And sadly, today many of us, like Asaph back then, are still finding it difficult to deal with that particular problem. Yes, the wicked do seem to prosper in their wickedness. But thankfully, Asaph finally understood the end of the wicked when he went into God’s sanctuary. (vs. 17) The Lord has indeed ‘set them in slippery places, and castedst them down into destruction.’ (vs. 18) But all in His own time. That’s what we need to understand. The Lord has made it very clear in many instances in His word that the wicked will face destruction, but only when He is ready to do it. 

And until we understand that, we will continually have a problem seeing the wicked prosper and being sorely tempted, like Asaph, to follow their example and sell our souls to Beelzebub instead of the Lord God Jehovah! But hopefully, also like Asaph we will come to our senses, sooner, rather than later. 

Here’s how he describes it. ‘How are they brought into desolation, as in a moment! They are utterly consumed with terrors. As a dream when one awaketh; so, O Lord, when thou wakest, thou shalt despise their image. Thus my heart was grieved, and I was pricked in my reins (pierced in my mind). So foolish was I, and ignorant: I was as a beast before thee. Nevertheless I am continually with thee: thou hast holden (held) me by my right hand. Thou shalt guide me with thy counsel, and afterward receive me to glory.’ (Ps. 73:19-24) 

And isn’t that the awesome truth! The Lord will destroy the wicked as He has promised and receive the righteous to glory, just in His own time. And as Asaph finally declares (steups!!!): ‘Whom have I in heaven but thee? And there is none upon earth that I desire beside thee. My flesh and my heart faileth; but God is the strength (rock) of my heart, and my portion forever.’ (Ps. 73:25-26) 

Yes my fellow saints, that’s the conclusion we must also come to, if we are to live the enjoyable and abundant life that Christ died for us to have. And by the way, those are the verses, the Bible Promises associated with the poem. (smile) I guess I just found it necessary to give us a fuller understanding of the situation, put it into better context. 

And having said that, then there is no reason to exclude the last two verses of the psalm, which are also very enlightening and reassuring. ‘For, lo, they that are far from thee shall perish: thou hast destroyed all them that go a whoring from thee (who are unfaithful to You). But it is good for me to draw near to God: I have put my trust in the Lord God, that I may declare (yesss!!!) all thy works.’ (Ps. 73:27-28) Hopefully, those words will also confidently rise up from our hearts and sincerely fall from our lips as we place our eternal trust in the Lord our God. 

Now, let’s go home declaring (awright!!!) and thus activating our Thursday Blessings, the many blessings He’s so generously bestowed on us to do His earthly work. Altogether now: ‘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 every day! Amen!’ 

And if we’re true and faithful, we’ll now go out and put those blessings into action on God’s behalf! Much LOVE!

…true safety is ONLY found…in Christ Jesus… 

Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZJ8​         

Today’s Scrip-Bit   22 June 2022   2 Timothy 3:1.

22 Jun 2022 Leave a comment

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

2 Timothy 3:1.      ‘This know also that in the last days perilous times shall come. 

And then it was Wednesday, another hot and sunshiny day in God’s world, with temps again somewhere in the thirties, and we are all enthusiastic to be alive to see and experience all the wonderful things God has in place for us today! Glory Hallelujah! For as the man says in his song: ‘No doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.’ And of that we can be very sure because our God is the very beat planner there is, ever was, or ever will be, and nothing that He plans ever goes awry. (smile) That’s how much confidence and assurance we have in Him! For He has never let us down, and we believe He never will. 

Why, you ask? Because He is God, the Creator and Ruler of the universe, omnipotent, omniscient and omnipresent and can do ALL things. So why would He promise something that He can’t do eh? Remember too that there is NOTHING He cannot do! And as the false prophet Balaam said to the Balak, the king of Moab. ‘God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? Or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?’ (Num. 23:19) 

And I like how the scholars explain that verse. They say: ‘The immutability (unchangeability) of God is stated. The word repent is parallel to lie and is coloured in tone by this very association. Here His repenting is related to falsehood. The concept of the truth of Yahweh is related to immutability. Since God is truth, He does not lie; in fact, He cannot lie. He is unchanging. God is utterly different from man. Something that comes far too easily for many men is impossible for Almighty God. He cannot lie.’ 

And that’s where our God wins out over all the other supposed gods! He doesn’t change, He doesn’t behave like fragile and unstable, unreliable men. He is stable, the foundation of all we hold dear, thus we can put our utmost trust in Him. That’s why the psalmist warns us in Psalm 146 – The blessedness of trusting God: ‘Put not your trust in princes, nor in the son of man (a human being), in whom there is no help (salvation). His breath goeth forth (spirit departs), he returneth to his earth, in that very day his thoughts perish. Happy is he that hath the God of Jacob for his help, whose hope is in the Lord his God.’ (Ps. 146:3-5) 

Yes friends, that’s the awesome truth! And possibly the biggest reason why our world is in such a confused and evil mess. We don’t trust the Lord God Jehovah like we use to do, even one generation ago. We’ve now placed our trust in princes, leaders, human beings who by their very nature are unstable, unreliable, untrustworthy and most important of all die, return to the dust from which they were created, ofttimes suddenly and without notice, and then are of no use to us. 

However, the great God, I AM, has been around since everlasting, and will be around till the end of time, and is all powerful and all knowing, therefore we can put our trust in Him! As He says through the prophet Isaiah: ‘I, even I, am he that comforteth you: who art thou, that thou shouldest be afraid of a man (mortal man) that shall die, and of the son of man which shall be made as grass.’ (Is. 51:12) 

Ah mih people, why then are we so intent on ridding our society of Almighty God who only has our best interests at heart eh, and who is the ONLY ONE we can ever turn to with assurance and certainty in our time of need? Because we are listening to the workers of iniquity, the disciples of the devil, leaders and false prophets who only want to cause harm and strife amongst God’s people. It’s pride and arrogance, self-importance and self-aggrandizement that’s currently driving our world and unfortunately too many of us are listening to, believing and doing what those evil, ungodly leaders are putting forth. 

Remember what Bruh Paul wrote in his second letter to Timothy about the coming apostasy (turning away from God). ‘This know also that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous (money lovers), boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, without natural affection, trucebreakers (irreconcilable), false accusers (slanderers), incontinent (without self-control), fierce (brutal), despisers of those that are good, Traitors, heady (reckless), high-minded (haughty), lovers of pleasures more than (rather than) lovers of God: Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof (mere religion without spiritual power): from such turn away.’ (2 Tim. 3:1-5) 

Oh my fellow saints, it’s like if Bruh Paul is living with us right now, for all that he’s said in those few verses have become reality in these last days! The scholars tell us that ‘The last days began with the birth of Christ and will culminate in His return to earth to set up His kingdom. The prediction of perilous times indicates that apostasy will characterize the final days of the church age.’ And only if you are completely out of your mind you won’t realize the truth of the sadly fallen, and still falling standards of our society. We are no longer respecters of men nor God! 

Unfortunately, the devil and his evil minions are now ruling the roost, but that doesn’t mean they will eventually gain the victory, because Jesus has already assured us of that. As one commentator on the agodman.com website writes: ‘The Lord Jesus has already won the battle – He has won the victory, and now our work as the church on earth is to maintain Christ’s victory. Hallelujah, the victory has been won, and we can apply it, stand in it, proclaim it, and make it real to the enemy wherever we are and wherever we go!’ 

And that’s the gospel truth friends. So, let’s allow these upcoming scriptures to fill our hearts, minds, bodies and souls. The first says: ‘…For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil.’ (1 John 3:8) Yes friends, when Christ rose from the dead, it meant He defeated Satan, hell, death, and the grave. And, as He said to John in the Book of Revelation. ‘Fear not; I am the first and the last. I am he that liveth, and was dead; and behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death.’ (Rev. 1:17-18) 

Please let those verses reassure us of Christ’s victory, never forgetting though that we still have to work hard to retain that victory. Consequently, we can now go home declaring (awright!!!) our Wednesday Wail, letting all and sundry know of our wonderful position in Christ, that we are indeed keeping the battle going in His mighty name. 

Altogether now: ‘Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: I’m so glad to be alive on this Wednesday! Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: Thank God the breath of life is still flowing through me on this Wednesday! I am halfway home. My hands are fixed securely on the plough, and I’m not turning back. I’m not looking back at the past, not focusing on what has gone before. But my eyes are fixed straight ahead; straight ahead to a glorious future with Jesus. Glory Hallelujah!’ 

And please, never never forget that if we endure to the very end, that that promised future will be even more glorious that we can ever ask or imagine! Wow! So, let’s make sure we endure to the very end nuh! Much LOVE!

…only in and through Christ Jesus…is salvation and eternal life possible… 

Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZJ8​      

Today’s Scrip-Bit 26 October 2020 Psalm 146:5.

26 Oct 2020 Leave a comment

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

‘Come Monday, everything will be all right. Come Monday, I’ll be holding you tight.’ Ah friends, just hoping that this Monday morning in this crazy year of 2020, we’ll be holding on tightly to Jesus and nobody else, because, as we can see from the confusion that’s currently reigning, there’s no one else that we can trust to tell us the truth in these troubled times. 

That’s why the psalmist wisely warned us so long ago. ‘Put not your trust in princes, nor in the son of man (a human being), in whom there is no help (salvation). His breath goeth forth (his spirit departs, he dies), he returneth to his earth; in that very day his thoughts perish.’ (Ps. 146:3-4) Yeh friends, once the prince, or the human being dies, all his thoughts perish with him, and he is no longer of any real use to you, can’t offer any advice or do anything for you. 

As Isiah concurs with the palmist. ‘Cease ye from man, whose breath is in his nostrils, for wherein is he to be accounted of?’ (Is. 2:22) Good question my brethren. And Jeremiah puts it this way: ‘Thus saith the Lord; cursed be the man that trusteth in man (man’s strength), and maketh flesh his arm, and whose heart departeth from the Lord. For he shall be like the heath (a shrub) in the desert, and shall not see when good cometh; but shall inhabit the parched places in the wilderness, in a salt land and not inhabited.’ (Jer. 17:5-6) 

Yuh see what trusting mankind brings? And I think that should be enough scripture for now to show us that trusting in mankind is definitely not wisdom. However, listen as the psalmist continues: ‘Happy is he that hath the God of Jacob for his help, whose hope is in the Lord his God:’ (Ps. 146:5) 

Brother, oh brother! What wisdom! And Jeremiah corroborates it when he proclaims the blessedness of trusting the Lord. ‘Blessed is the man that trusteth in the Lord, and whose hope the Lord is. For he shall be as a tree planted by the waters, and that spreadeth out her roots by the river, and shall not see (fear) when heat cometh, but her leaf shall be green; and shall not be careful (anxious) in the year of drought, neither shall cease from yielding fruit.’ (Jer. 17:7-8) 

Ah mih people, who else can make those kinds of true and faithful promises eh? Nobody but the Lord God Jehovah; He of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob! That’s why He’s the ONLY person we should put our total trust in, because He’s the ONLY One with the power, might and whatever else it takes to bring us successfully through the valley of the shadow of death and the storms of life that constantly buffet and harry us! 

And that’s the gospel truth, for hear what Jeremiah says about the human condition. ‘The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked (incurably sick): who can know it?’ (Jer. 17:9) Only God alone! For He says: ‘I the Lord search the heart, I try (test) the reins (mind, the most secret parts), even to give every man according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings (his deeds).’ (Jer. 17:10) 

Yes my brethren, I hope those scriptures were sufficient to have us thinking in a wise and godly manner, re putting too much trust in mankind. But just in case it wasn’t, here is some lagniappe from Cousin Sol. (smile) ‘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 (guide) 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. 3:5-10) 

I rest my case friends. We’ll let the Holy Spirit work those scriptures into your spirit now. I’ve done all I can. Oh sorry, there’s one more thing I can do, (smile) that’s lead us in prayer, our Monday Morning Battle Hymn, taking all our problems to God in prayer, as He desires us to do. So altogether now in strong voice, in humble confidence: 

‘Our Father, who art in heaven, we, Your humble servants, praise Your Holy Name and thank You that this Monday morning we’re alive and standing in faith despite the mass confusion that’s currently prevailing in our world. We desperately need Your divine help, for You are the ONLY ONE with the power to solve our many problems; the pandemic of Covid -19, the racial, political, and religious strife that’s ignited worldwide, plus the natural disasters like storms, famine, drought, plagues, climate change, wildfires, earthquakes and erupting volcanoes that suddenly seem to be blossoming more and more as time goes by. 

Heavenly Father, we admit that we have all sinned and seriously come short in obedience and compliance to Your Word, but we know that You are a merciful, forgiving and gracious God, and You have faithfully promised to hear and answer our prayers when we humble ourselves, pray, and sincerely seek Your face. That’s why we come to You now, with sincere repentance in our hearts, pleading with You to give us, ordinary folks, as well as our leaders, employers and medical personnel, wise guidance and direction to bring our problems under control. 

And for those who are currently suffering from the many negative situations, we pray that You will ease their suffering and heal them. Father, please show them Your awesome grace and mercy, and keep Your promise that You’ll hear our prayer, forgive us, and heal our land if we turn from our evil ways. Show this evil world that You are indeed Jehovah Rapha; the God who heals! We pray this in the holy and blessed name of Your Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen! And again we say: Amen!’ 

And please remember the Lord is searching our hearts to see if we’re since about that repentance, and it’s not just talk. So we have to make good our vows. Much LOVE!

…trust can only be earned through faithfulness…and in this fallen world…ONLY the Lord God Jehovah is truly faithful… 

Today’s Scrip-Bit 1 January 2020 Psalm 146:2.

01 Jan 2020 Leave a comment

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

Psalm 146:2.    ​While I live will I praise the Lord: I will sing praises unto my God while I have any being.
 

HAPPY  NEW  YEAR !

Well we’re wishing all and sundry a Happy 2020 indeed! Yes 2019 was sort of rough for many of us, but we’re definitely going to keep keeping on in 2020, fighting the good fight, hoping for, and by our strong faith, eagerly expecting the best! Our God is a good God, so why shouldn’t we expect the best from Him eh? No reason whatsoever! And I hope that you all had a wonderful New Year’s Eve celebration last night, but didn’t give the evil Lucifer any room to raise his ugly head in your affairs. My celebrations were minimal, but I did get to bed rather late, hence the tardiness of the Bit. (smile) 

But most of all, I hope that we ALL made the significant resolution to walk with Jesus even closer in this new year, this new decade! Why? Because it’s the most significant and productive resolve we can ever have in this life. If He’s truly the Way, the Truth and the Life, then who else can you follow and be successful eh? NOBODY! So let’s wake up and smell the roses, the coffee, whatever will put sense and wisdom in our heads, and help us to get as tight as possible with Jesus this year my people. 

Remember, He is the great ‘butterer’ of our bread, the one who enables us to get true wealth and success! He is also a maker and keeper of wonderful promises, the giver of second chances and new beginnings. So on this first day of this new year of 2020, let’s celebrate all of God’s goodness with this poem from our One Year Book of Bible Promises with writings by Ruth Harms Calkin, appropriately titled ‘HAPPY NEW YEAR!’ 

Please pray with me: ‘This very first day Of the fresh new year I sing a new song – A joyful, exalted song! With Israel’s sweet singer I exclaim: “How good it is to sing God’s praise How delightful and how right.” The volume increases The tempo accelerates. With glorious anticipation I shout a rousing welcome To the up-and-coming days. The future cannot daunt me Every inscrutable mystery Becomes a consolation of joy For with You in control, dear God The worst may happen but the best is yet to come.’  

And isn’t that the God awesome truth my faithful brethren! The Best is yet to come for all true believers in Christ Jesus! Wow! What a way to begin this new year with high and glorious expectations and a rousing shout of joy, knowing that our Most Venerable Father God is still on the throne, running things, with His most able assistant and right hand man Jesus in the wings watching over our every move and step, providing heavenly and angelic hands to guide us and keep us from falling. And all God’s people gave a loud and proud and grateful cheer of: ‘Hallelujah! The Lord is great! Great and most worthy to be praised in all the earth and heavens! Amen!’ 

And thus our Bit for today is the same as the Bible Promise for our poem; the magnificent words of the psalmist as he declares (yeah!) the blessedness of  trusting God. So please sing with me in loud and sincere voice: ‘Praise ye the Lord (shout Hallelujah). Praise the Lord, O my soul. While I live will I praise the Lord: I will sing praises unto my God while I have any being.’ (Ps.146:1-2) Yes my people, praising our great God is indeed wisdom of the highest order! 

And that’s not all, the psalmist continues his wise advice: ‘Put not your trust in princes, nor in the son of man (a human being), in whom there is no help (no salvation). His breath goeth forth, he returneth to his earth; in that very day his thoughts perish.’ (Ps.146:3-4) What gospel truth my brethren! Mankind really doesn’t have much to offer because he was made from the dirt and that’s where he eventually returns when the Lord recovers his breath of life. 

But hear the ultimate wisdom nuh: ‘Happy is he that hath the God of Jacob for his help, whose hope is in the Lord his God.’ (Ps.146:5) Mamma Mia! What an awesome bit of advice and everlasting truth! The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob is the ONLY ONE worthy of worship! 

Why? Because Hs is the ONE ‘Which made heaven, and earth, the sea, and all that therein is: which keepeth truth for ever: Which executeth judgement (justice) for the oppressed: which giveth food to the hungry. The Lord looseth (gives freedom to) the prisoners: The Lord openeth the eyes of the blind: the Lord raiseth them that are bowed down: the Lord LOVETH the righteous: The Lord preserveth (watches over) the strangers; he relieveth the fatherless and widow: but the way of the wicked he turneth upside down (makes crooked).’ (Ps.146:6:9) 

Now friends, if you can show me another deity who does all of that, plus give us Jesus Christ as our Lord and Saviour, then I’ll certainly bow down and worship him. But until then, I’ll stick with the One I know, He of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, because there simply is not another capable of His mighty deeds, amazing compassion and unconditional LOVE, neither is there any other who can provide salvation. End of story! 

Now let’s go home declaring (yeah!) our Wednesday Wail, with much gusto and sincerity, letting the world know in no uncertain terms our awesome position in Christ. As one now: ‘Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: I’m so glad to be alive on this Wednesday! Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: Thank God the breath of life is still flowing through me on this Wednesday! I am halfway home. My hands are fixed securely on the plough, and I’m not turning back. I’m not looking back at the past, not focusing on what has gone before. But my eyes are fixed straight ahead; straight ahead to a glorious future with Jesus. Glory Hallelujah!’ 

And my people, what a truly glorious future that will be if we persevere and endure in strong faith till the end. Much LOVE!

…let’s up the ante in 2020…by walking closer to, and with God…each and every day…it’s true wisdom…

Today’s Scrip-Bit 4 March 2017 Jeremiah 17:7.

04 Mar 2017 Leave a comment

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

Jeremiah 17:7.   Blessed is the man that trusteth in the Lord, and whose hope the Lord is.

Saturday, O Saturday: balm for some, bane of others! Yeh friends, for some of us Saturday means not doing a whole lot, possibly sleeping in late, then moving to the couch to watch the tube. Hn! 

While for others, Saturday means cleaning and grocery shopping and doing odd jobs around the house that you never had a chance to do during the week. Some of us work harder at home on Saturdays, than we do at work all week. But that’s the joy of prosperous living! (smile) We can either vegetate or work ourselves to the bone. 

Anyway on Saturdays too we also look at a few of our friend Anselm’s quotes, as he aspires to inspire us for a better tomorrow. And this first one is ever so true. ‘Any change, even a change for the better, is always accompanied by drawbacks and discomforts.’ 

Yes people, that’s why many of us don’t like change, even though it might improve our lives, for change doesn’t just roll in smoothly, it always causes hiccups, and sometimes some real bad ones too.

Now this second quote offers a wealth of good advice. ‘Align yourself with people that you can learn from, people who want more out of life, people who are stretching and searching and seeking some higher ground in life.’ 

That’s the only way we can truly grow friends! If we sincerely wish to grow, then we must surround ourselves with wise people who are striving to do the same. We ought not to be always the smartest, wisest or most accomplished person in our group, else whom are we going to learn from eh? 

And this last quote is also interesting and very true. ‘Most people fail in life not because they aim too high and miss, but because they aim too low and hit.’ Bingo! Setting goals is a very serious and thoughtful action friends. We can either set them too low and hit them, but not accomplish much. Or we can set them too high and not reach them, with the same result as setting them too low. 

That reminds me of the old people’s saying: Never hang your hat where you can’t reach it. But my breddren, goals should be set where they are just out of reach, where you need to extend yourself some, get a bit out of your comfort zone, otherwise they are not worth setting. 

That brings us to our Bit. ‘Blessed is the man that trusteth in the Lord, and whose hope the Lord is.’ 

Oh my fellow believers, that’s wisdom of the highest order! That’s why I don’t understand why more of us, including supposed Christians don’t follow it. If the Lord is the Creator and Controller of the universe, El Numero Uno, as we claim, then why aren’t we putting our absolute trust in Him eh? I guess some of us don’t truly believe what we spout, and try to hedge our bets by not giving God all our trust.  

But please remember what we read yesterday from Psalm 146: ‘Put not your trust in princes, nor in the son of man (human beings), in whom there is no help (salvation). His breath goeth forth (spirit departs), he returneth to his earth; in that very day his thoughts perish.’ (Ps.146:3-4) 

That’s gospel truth friends! We die and return to the dust from which we were created, while God lives on forever, and also knows the beginning from the end. So whom is the best one to trust eh? Both logic and wisdom tell us the Lord God Almighty! 

So let’s look at some scripture that will help me convince you to put ALL your trust in the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Listen to Cousin Sol from Proverbs. ‘He that handleth a matter wisely (wisely heeds the word) shall find good: and whoso trusteth in the Lord, happy is he.’ (Prov.16:20) 

And if you don’t believe Cousin Sol, then hear Bruh David from Psalm 34 – The Lord hears the righteous. ‘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. The young lions do lack and suffer hunger: but they that seek the Lord shall not want (lack) any good thing… The Lord redeemeth the soul of his servants: and none of them that trust him shall be desolate (condemned).’ (Ps.34:8-10; 22) I can’t dispute any of that nuh people, so I just have to believe it. 

And we’ll end with something from Isaiah, where he’s appealing to his people to turn to the Lord for help, the very same thing I’m trying to do in these tumultuous times. ‘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) 

And the scholars add this explanation. ‘30:18-33. Because God is gracious and has been willing to wait for His people to return to Him, He will certainly bless those who wait for him. “Waiting” is a confident and dependent trust in God.’ 

What more can I say eh friends? Not a whole lot, for I am just the messenger aspiring to deliver the message that our world needs the Lord God Jehovah more than at any other time in our existence. I just hope that the message doesn’t fall on deaf ears, and that every Christian will endeavour to put into action in their own lives, then spread it far and wide, so that our children’s children will have the chance to live in a good and beautiful world. That’s my sincere prayer for us today! Much LOVE!

…if we can’t trust our God and Creator…whom then can we trust…