Today’s Scrip-Bit   26 November 2023 Deuteronomy 33:27a.

26 Nov 2023 Leave a comment

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

Deuteronomy 33:27a.        The eternal God is thy refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms:

And would you know that it’s Sunday again, which means it’s time to worship and fellowship with other  fellow believers in the Lord’s sanctuary, or wherever two or three people are gathered in His name. He’s promised to be there, and we all know that He keeps every promise faithfully. And today friends, when our world is in a state of deadly chaos and total uproar, when we all need something to hold on, to give us some kind of comfort, to be a bright light in our shining world, to lend encouragement to our puny efforts to turn things around, we’ll open with this old but ever favoured hymn written in the late 1880’s by Anthony J Showalter  and Elisha Hoffman, most appropriately titled ‘Leaning On the Everlasting Arms.’ 

It’s reputed that the hymn came into being when Showalter was answering letters from two of his of his former pupils who had earlier written informing him of the death of their wives. And in answering them, this verse from Deuteronomy 33:27 inspired him. ‘The eternal God is thy refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms: and he shall thrust out the enemy from before thee, and shall say, Destroy them.’ Yes my brethren, that is indeed a powerful verse of scripture. And it’s so powerful that later on Showalter realized that the verse would make a great theme for a hymn. Thus was born this great hymn for times of solace, as we are encouraged to lean on the Everlasting Arms of God when seeking comfort. 

And I don’t know if there’s ever been a time in this modern world when we need comfort more desperately than right now. So let’s open our hearts and mouths and allow sacrifices of sincere praise to rise to high heaven, as we offer up a soulful, mid-tempo version of the hymn. And as one commentary advises, as we sing the hymn, let’s ‘contemplate what it truly means to find refuge in our Father’s arms in times of fear and trial, and to allow His joy and peace to replace our loneliness and anxiety.’ Oh friends, we could not get better advice than that this Sunday morning in these trying times. So please let’s do it. 

Singing: ‘What a fellowship, what a joy divine, leaning on the everlasting arms; what a blessedness, what a peace is mine, leaning on the everlasting arms. (Refrain: Leaning, leaning, safe and secure from all alarms; leaning, leaning, leaning on the everlasting arms.) O how sweet to walk in this pilgrim’s way, leaning on the everlasting arms; O how bright the path grows from day to day, leaning on the everlasting arms. [Refrain]What have I to dread, what have I to fear, leaning on the everlasting arms? I have blessed peace with my Lord so near, leaning on the everlasting arms. Leaning, leaning, safe and secure from all alarms; leaning, leaning, leaning on the everlasting arms, Leaning, leaning, safe and secure from all alarms; leaning on the everlasting arms…leaning on the everlasting arms of Jesus… oh how good it is to be, leaning on the everlasting arms of Christ my Saviour….’ 

And that’s the gospel truth my fellow believers! It doesn’t get any better than that! Even Moses in his only psalm acknowledges it, when he declares (steups!!!) in the opening verses of Psalm 90: ‘Lord , thou hast been our dwelling place (refuge) in all generations. Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever thou hadst formed (gave birth to) the earth and the world, even from everlasting thou art God.’ (Ps. 90:1-2) And Moses had so many close and intimate dealings with God, he ought to know what he was talking about! (smile) 

Meanwhile, the author of Psalm 91, enlarges on the scene with even greater figurative splendour. (smile) Please read with me: ‘He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God: in him will I trust. Surely he shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler (bird trapper), and from the noisome (deadly) pestilence. He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust (take refuge): his truth shall be thy shield and buckler (small shield). 

Thou shalt not be afraid for (of) the terror by night; nor for the arrow that flieth by day. Nor for the pestilence that walketh in darkness; nor for the destruction that wasteth (lays waste) at noonday. A thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand; but it shall not come nigh (near) thee. Only with thine eyes shalt thou behold and see the reward of the wicked. Because thou hast made the Lord, which is my refuge, even the most High, thy habitation (dwelling place). There shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh to thy dwelling. For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways. They shall bear (lift) thee up in their hands, lest thou dash (strike) thy foot against a stone. Thou shalt tread upon the lion and the adder (cobra): the young lion and the dragon (serpent) thou shalt trample under feet.’ (Ps. 91: 1-13) 

Ah friends, that’s the kind of security one will find when you make the Most High God your refuge and dwelling place. Obviously we will have problems, but they will not overwhelm us or make us afraid and anxious. But the psalmist left the best for last. As the scholars tell us: ‘There are two distinct voices in the psalm, and each speaks to the trusting believer in the Lord. The first voice assures the faithful of God’s protection (vs. 1-13). The second voice is that of the Lord Himself who likewise pledges His watchcare (vs. 14-16).’ 

Listen to them: ‘Because he hath set his LOVE upon me, therefore will I deliver him: I will set him on high, because he hath known my name. He shall call upon me, and I will answer him: I will be with him in trouble: I will deliver him, and honour him. With long life will I satisfy him, and shew him my salvation.’ (Ps. 91:14-16) 

Oh my fellow saints, that’s the kind of stuff we have to look forward to when we place our trust in Jehovah God, when we lean on His everlasting arms. Fear doesn’t overcome us, a divine joy is ours, blessed peace envelops us, while our path grows brighter day by day. How can we ever refuse such security and blessedness for the only other option available, that of Satan’s evil desires and eternal damnation. Not if we are wise! Much LOVE!

…everlasting security…can only be obtained…through Jesus Christ… 

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Today’s Scrip-Bit   7 April 2022 Isaiah 65:24.

07 Apr 2022 Leave a comment

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

Isaiah 65:24.       And it shall come to pass, that before they call, I will answer; and when they are yet speaking, I will hear.

It’s a beautiful Thursday morning out there my people! Only wish there could be a li’l more heat in the sun though. (smile) But that will come eventually; all in God’s good time. That’s one thing about our great God, He might not come exactly when we want Him to, but He is aware of all our situations, and rest assured, He’s NEVER late! Glory be my faithful brethren! 

The promises of our God are ever so important because oftentimes that’s all we have to base our faith and trust on, remembering that He’s never broken one in the past and has both the desire and power to never break any at all. So today, let’s look at one interesting promise made by the prophet Isaiah on the Lord’s behalf, when he spoke to his people about new heavens and a new earth. ‘And it shall come to pass, that before they call, I will answer; and when they are yet speaking, I will hear.’ (Is. 65:24) 

Yes friends, that’s how quick the communication will be! The Lord promises to answer before we even call, and to answer while we are still speaking! Wow! That’s how it will be in the New Jerusalem! Can you imagine that beautiful and serene scene, where ‘The wolf and the lamb shall feed together, and the lion shall eat straw like the bullock (ox): and dust shall be the serpent’s meat (food). They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain, saith the Lord.’ (Is. 65:25) Oh, I know some of us won’t believe it until we see it, but that’s what it takes to live in God’s kingdom; you believe it before you see it! 

Now, let’s look at some other promises that branch off from that one nuh, where the Lord assures and reassures of His faithfulness. And Isaiah in his true description of religion, reiterates God’s promise. If his people will give up their wicked and idolatrous ways and do what God desires of them: ‘Then shall thy light break forth as the morning, and thine health (healing) shall spring forth speedily: and thy righteousness shall go before thee; the glory of the Lord shall be thy rearward (rear guard).

Then shalt thou call, and the Lord shall answer; thou shalt cry, and he shall say, here I am. If thou take away from the midst of thee the yoke, the putting forth (pointing) of the finger, and speaking vanity (wickedness). And if thou draw out (extend) thy soul to the hungry, and satisfy the afflicted soul; then shall thy light rise in obscurity (darkness), and thy darkness (gloom) be as the noonday. And the Lord shall guide thee continually, and satisfy thy soul in drought (famine), and make fat (strengthen) thy bones: and thou shalt be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water, whose waters fail not.’ (Is. 58: 8-11) 

Oh my people, who wouldn’t want to enjoy such a beautiful life eh? But it requires keeping our promise to live for the Lord. He will do almost anything for us if we live the way He desires, with Him being FIRST in all we do. Yes, we all LOVE the good life, but we don’t want to work for it. Unfortunately though, the good life only comes through obedience, hard work and sacrifice! 

Now listen to these wonderful words of promise from Psalm 91 – God is a refuge and a fortress. The psalmist confidently declares of the Lord: ‘Because he hath set his LOVE upon me, therefore will I deliver him: I will set him on high, because he hath known my name. He shall call upon me, and I will answer him: I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him, and honour him. With long life (length of days) will I satisfy him, and show him my salvation.’ (Ps. 91:14-16) You couldn’t get a better promise than that my people! But then again, it requires some serious and sincere effort on our part towards our heavenly Father. 

And what about this miraculous happening in the answer of prayer from the words of Daniel? He says: ‘And while I was speaking, and praying, and confessing my sin, and the sin of my people Israel, and presenting my supplication before the Lord my God for the holy mountain of my God; Yea, while I was speaking in prayer, even the man Gabriel, whom I had seen in the vision at the beginning, being caused to fly swiftly (being weary with weariness), touched (reached) me about the time of the evening oblation (offering). 

And he informed me, and talked with me, and said, O Daniel, I am now come forth to give thee skill and (in) understanding. At the beginning of thy supplications the commandment (word, order) came forth, and I am come to show (tell) thee; for thou art greatly beloved: therefore understand (give heed to) the matter, and consider (understand) the vision.’ (Dan. 9:20-23) 

Now doesn’t that just warm the cockles of your hearts my fellow saints? It ought to, for before Daniel was even finished praying the angel Gabriel came to talk with him; exactly what the Lord promised in those other scriptures we’ve read this morning. He even showed him a vision of Israel’s future. But that was because Daniel was an obedient servant of the Lord. And He would do the very same with us, if we truly became His obedient servants. 

And the scholars offer this interesting explanation on those verses. ‘9:20-23. The answer of God to Daniel’s prayer came immediately through the angel Gabriel. Although Daniel’s prayer was primarily for God’s forgiveness and restoration of the Jews to their land, his initial concern for God’s programme for Israel (vs.2) caused the Lord to reveal to him an outline of Israel’s future from that point on.’ And that vision of Israel has held true right down through the ages. 

But friends, receiving the goodness of God, almost always depends on us doing what He requires. It’s as simple as that. As the ole people would say, ‘it takes two to tango, and one hand washes the other.’ One person can’t tango by themself, neither can one hand wash itself, and we need to remember that we are in a partnership with God, which means both sides have their parts to do. Our part is to serve and worship the Lord fervently and obediently. His is to look after us when we do that. 

And yuh know what, He’s so good, that He even gives us stuff that we don’t deserve, like what we call our Thursday Blessings, but they enable us to do His work. So, we don’t even have cause to complain that we don’t have the tools to do His work. (smile) Now let’s declare those blessings in loud and proud voice, so that they can take effect in our souls, and thus in our everyday lives. 

‘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 want to see real benefits in our earthly walk, then we need to go and put those blessings to work in the lives of others, just as generously and unselfishly as the Lord did in ours. Much LOVE!

…what’s in a promise…one’s heart and soul… 

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