Today’s Scrip-Bit 19 October 2017 Psalm 94:16.

19 Oct 2017 Leave a comment

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

Psalm 94:16.   Who will rise up for me against the evildoers? Or who will stand up for me against the workers of iniquity?

And then it was Thursday, the penultimate day of our workweek! And some people shout ‘Glory to God!’ thankful that the week is almost over. Hn, hn! It’s amusing that we don’t give God glory when the week begins, but are quick to do so when it ends. 

Anyway, though the day has dawned somewhat cloudy, chilly and windy, it’s always nice to know that our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ is still out there shining as brilliantly as ever, both in our hearts and souls, so that we can be safely guided to do His will and accomplish whatever plans He has for our lives. 

Now that is something for which we should all be shouting ‘Glory to God!’ The wise believers will undoubtedly do so. But let me share a li’l something from Sister Joyce (Joyce Meyer) that I found in one of her articles in a recent Enjoying Everyday Life Magazine. 

She succinctly states: ‘The distinction between dreams and reality is called action.’ And that’s ever so true friends! Dreams will never turn into reality until we DO something with them. Otherwise, they will simply remain dreams; a glorious vision in our imagination. 

Unfortunately that seems to be something that’s happening a lot in our Christian faith today. We all have dreams, some placed in our hearts by God, and we talk a lot about what we’re going to do for Christ, but nothing much ever happens, because we don’t get behind the talk and action our dreams and desires. 

It’s one reason why the enemy is slowly pushing us back, and moving God out of our society. We’re not being active enough in repelling the evil stuff that’s coming against us. Everybody’s talking about their rights but Christians. And it seems that our rights are the ones that are constantly being trampled upon, and even abrogated or eliminated. 

But we’re not up in arms about it. We talk some, but sit passively by, while others raise a hue and cry and eventually get what they desire. Then we claim they are taking away our rights. Steups! 

That brings us to our Bit, an interesting verse from Psalm 94 – How long shall the wicked triumph? ‘Who will rise up for me against the evildoers? Or who will stand up for me against the workers of iniquity?’ 

The psalmist was there bewailing the rise and prosperity of the wicked, but he did not have the Holy Spirit dwelling in him, as we now do, so he had to look to the Lord totally for help. 

Thus he continues: ‘Unless the Lord had been my help, my soul had almost (would soon have) dwelt in silence. When I said, My foot slippeth; thy mercy, O Lord, held me up.’ (Ps.94:17-18) 

And of course friends, when the going gets too rough for us, the Lord’s mercy will hold us up. But until then we have the Holy Spirit indwelling us so that we can do God’s will, make disciples of others, which also means fighting against the workers of iniquity. Otherwise why have the Holy Spirit indwelling us eh? 

The church is Christ’s body, His organization here on earth, and we’re supposed to uphold all that He stands for! Are we doing that? Definitely not as much as we should! 

In the first place we’re too fractured, too divided. Then overall we’re too passive, too compromising, too comfortable living the good life of the world. And remember the Lord did die that we might have life, and have it more abundantly, (John 10:10) but not the way Lucifer and his evil cohorts envision it. 

So what am I saying? Listen to Jesus’ words, for He says it much better than I can. ‘Ye are the salt of the earth” but if the salt have lost his savour (flavour), wherewith (by what) shall it be salted? It is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men. 

Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle (lamp), and put it under a bushel (basket), but on a candlestick (lampstand); and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.’ (Matt.5:13-16) 

There you have it my fellow believers, the words, the instructions, the desire of our Lord and Saviour, our Leader Jesus Christ. He wants us to be the salt of the earth, add His Christian, Christ-like flavour to the earth. And also shine like bright beacons; like the lighthouses that were once set on hills to guide the passing ships. 

People won’t come to Him unless they see good and favourable examples in us. And sadly, I must say that right now we’re not being either salt or light because too many unbelievers are looking at us and instead of declaring us Christians, they are crying out ‘Hypocrites!’ And I doubt that that sits very well with Christ. 

So let’s try and do better nuh mih people. Remember we have the Lord’s help, and with that we can do ANYTHING, if we so desire. But we must first have the desire.  Now let’s go home declaring our Thursday Blessings… And friends, with such wonderful blessings being bestowed on us, how can we not have a great desire to serve and worship the Lord eh? 

‘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!’ 

And the corollary to that is to go out and share our blessings with others. Much LOVE!

…we have ALL we need…to be the salt of the earth…and the light of the world…except possibly the desire…

 

 

 

 

 

Today’s Scrip-Bit 23 August 2017 Jeremiah 7:23.

23 Aug 2017 Leave a comment

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

Jeremiah 7:23.   But this thing commanded I them, saying, Obey my voice, and I will be your God, and ye shall be my people: and walk ye in all the ways that I have commanded you, that it may be well unto you.

Oh friends, I looked out my bedroom window when I got up a while ago and was pleasantly greeted by a riot of colour in my backyard garden! 

Wow! The duchess’ green thumb is certainly on display with a profusion of red, green, yellow, pink, purple and white flora flourishing in the sunshine! 

Oh how I wish that our Christian faith could be flourishing as well as those flowers. But unfortunately it’s not. What with our numerous divisions and petty differences and stubborn refusal to come together, plus the ardent work of the evil enemy, our faith seems to be floundering some, with the enemy’s evil kingdom in the ascendancy right now. 

And all I can realistically do is call upon us, who read the Bit to energize ourselves, get truly serious about the spreading the gospel of Jesus and encourage those around us to do the same, if we want our faith to grow instead of falter and eventually die. For that’s exactly what it will come to if we continue our less than stellar efforts to advance it.

Each of us has to do our part in our little enclave of the world to bring it all together. That’s the desire of our Lord and Saviour, our venerable Leader Jesus Christ. 

Now here is something from our One Year Book of Bible Promises with writings by Ruth Harms Calkin which exemplifies what we’re talking about. It’s titled, ‘I Stake My Life.’ 

Let’s pray: ‘I stake my life totally Completely Permanently On the integrity of Jesus. Lord, Your integrity means You will do all You promised. You will see me through Every fiery furnace Every tempestuous storm. If not, Dear God Then nothing in this life Makes any sense whatever. Your part is to perform what You promised. My part is to trust and obey.’ 

Now that says it all my fellow believers! And the Lord IS doing His part, keeping His promises. However we ARE NOT doing ours, trusting and obeying, to the best of our ability, that’s why our lives and our faith are sub-par, not as flourishing as they could and should be. 

And the Bible Promise for that poem, our Bit for today, is ever so appropriate. ‘But this thing commanded I them, saying, Obey my voice, and I will be your God, and ye shall be my people: and walk ye in all the ways that I have commanded you, that it may be well unto you.’ 

Ah mih breddren, it’s obvious we’re not fully obeying the command of our God, otherwise our lives and our societies and nations and world would not be in such a strife-filled and stressful mess. 

It’s obvious that we’re doing like the Lord said the Israelites did. ‘But they hearkened not, nor inclined their ear, but walked in the counsels and in the imagination (stubbornness) of their evil heart, and went backward, and not forward.’ (Jer.7:24) 

Oh my fellow believers, can’t we see that we’re going backward and not forward with the elevation of the enemy in most walks of our lives? I believe, that as Christians we’ve become too comfortable and satisfied with the status quo. We’ve come to value the easy life and the pursuit of worldly things more than the pursuit of God’s righteousness. 

Our world is currently so full of distractions, and we’ve become so soft and flabby and fearful in our mental and emotional beings that the enemy finds it quite easy to draw us away from the things of God. 

Can you imagine God’s heartache as He desires so greatly to commune with us, His covenant people, but finds that we don’t seem interested in communing with Him? 

And as the Lord further instructed Jeremiah: ‘But thou shalt say unto them, This is a nation that obeyeth not the voice of the Lord their God, nor receiveth correction (instruction): truth is perished, and is cut off from their mouth.’ (Jer.7:28) 

How abysmally sad that is my people, but it is the absolute truth concerning this society, where truth has fallen by the wayside, been made a mockery of, with foolish and foppish celebrations of all kinds and levels of truth. 

Steups! How can there be more than one kind of truth eh people? Truth is simply truth! Or else it’s false! Something is either true, or it is not. 

And this last word from Jeremiah which describes our current society to a ‘T.’ ‘And they bend their tongues like their bow for lies: but they are not valiant for the truth upon the earth; for they proceed from evil to evil, and they know not me, saith the Lord.’ (Jer.9:3) 

Ah friends, can we begin being valiant for the truth? It will warm the cockles of God’s heart so much, that He’ll increase the blessings that He’s already bestowed on us, if that is at all possible. 

Remember friends, it’s ALL FOR OUR BENEFIT, not the Lord’s! And let’s sincerely ponder and consider all that we’ve said today as we go home declaring our bountiful Thursday Blessings. 

‘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!’ 

And since blessings are meant to be shared, let’s go out and share them most generously with others, like the Lord did with us nuh, for that’s our bounden duty. Much LOVE!

…in God’s society…when we obey…we prosper…

 

 

 

Today’s Scrip-Bit 18 July 2016 Philippians 1:12

18 Jul 2016 Leave a comment

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

Philippians 1:12.    But I would ye should understand, (want you to know) brethren, that the things which happened unto me have fallen out (turned out) rather unto the furtherance of the gospel.

‘TGIM! TGIM! Thank God it’s Monday!’ the Christian workers joyfully declared. ‘Thank God it’s Monday and we get to go back out into the cruel and oppressive work world and win souls for Christ! What a glorious endeavour!’ 

Oh friends, that’s the stuff dreams are made of! And please note that our wise and wonderful Creator would not have given us the gift of imagination, the power to dream, if He hadn’t wanted us to use it. 

And we must not dream too small either. I read just recently, I believe it’s in one of Gramps Schuller’s devotions (Robert H. Schuller), where he said that if you could accomplish your dream on your own, then it was too small. Our dreams have to be big enough so that we need to enlist God’s help with them. 

And that’s gospel truth my people! Dreams by definition are supposed to be bigger than us. And can you believe what monumental improvement, thinking like we opened with, would make to our war-torn and strife filled world! Mama Mia! 

But sadly I don’t see that change, that upliftment in Christian thinking happening any time soon. Thankfully though, there are no limits, no restrictions on dreaming. (smile) Now let’s keep that dream alive by singing our Monday Morning Battle Hymn with the same enthusiasm and pizazz that we began with. 

So in sweet harmony and strong, melodious voice, let’s sing. ‘‘Oh Lord God Almighty, Creator of the universe and all therein! We, your humble servants, praise your Holy Name and thank you that this Monday morning we have jobs to go to; jobs we don’t like, jobs that are unfair, difficult and even dangerous, but which serve a useful purpose here on earth; keeping lives and families together. 

We also thank you Father for the renewed vitality and enthusiasm you’ve wrought in our weary souls over the last two days. It’s that rejuvenation of Spirit which allows us now to sally forth with confidence into the evil, ungodly world that surrounds us, to begin a new week of work, constantly buffeted and bombarded by the enemy’s wicked taunts, wiles and lies. 

But heavenly Father, we’re not afraid, for we know we’re invincible, sure conquerors, once we’re wearing your powerful, protective spiritual armour. We surrender our all to you, and humbly ask that you let your incredible aura of LOVE, the Holy Spirit, lead and guide all your servants as we go out to meet the enemy in battle. 

Fill us with steadfast faith, so that we can make worthwhile inroads into the enemy’s ranks, and thereby further your glorious kingdom. We pray this in the Holy Name of your Son, and our Saviour, Jesus Christ. AMEN!’ 

Now that was beautiful my people! You could see the fire in Jesus’ eyes and the energy in His spirit as He vigorously swung His conductor’s baton, guiding us in song.  

Wow! What a wonderful beginning to this Monday morning! And with our motors firing on all cylinders, and the adrenalin coursing mightily through our bodies, let’s go out into the sinful and disgusting world and do what we need to do to truly win souls for Christ! 

And all God’s people gave a purposeful shout of ‘Praise the Lord, for He is indeed worthy of our praise!’ 

Oh friends, the ole fella’s certainly on a roll this morning! (smile) But what’s the purpose of living, if we can’t be in high spirits more often that we’re in low ones eh? What did Jesus say about His coming to earth? He came that we, the sheep of His marvellous flock could have life in abundance. (John 10:10) 

And it would be a sacrilege, a sin, to live an abundant life in a lackadaisical, doh care manner. Life was meant to be lived my brethren, so let’s live it nuh! And that doesn’t mean in lustful and worldly fashion, but in a godly and righteous manner.  

Now I want to introduce our Bit here that shows how our God works in mysterious though sometimes difficult ways for His followers. We’ll continue today, from where we left off yesterday, that is with the missive that Bruh Paul wrote to the Philippians while in jail in Rome. 

‘But I would ye should understand, (want you to know) brethren, that the things which happened unto me have fallen out (turned out) rather unto the furtherance of the gospel.’ Now that’s a very interesting scripture my people. But let’s keep reading, before we try to dissect it. 

‘So that my bonds (chains) in (for) Christ are manifest (well known) in all the palace (by the palace guard), and in all other places (the rest of places). And many (most) of the brethren in the Lord, waxing (becoming) confident by my bonds (chains), are much more bold to speak the word without fear.’ (Phil.113-14) 

Ah friends, what a strange, but rather efficient way to spread the gospel. But our God is full of works that we can’t understand. Now the listen to the scholars: 1:12. Things… have fallen out means “have occurred.” Paul tells the readers that his imprisonment has occurred for the purpose of furthering or spreading the gospel. 

The word rather suggests that the Philippians were anticipating bad news as a result of Paul’s captivity. He informs them rather to the contrary. In His wisdom and sovereignty God has deliberately designed His servant’s present circumstances, as undesirable as they may be, for the gospel’s benefit. 

Two positive results of Paul’s imprisonment are given in verses 13,14. (1) Caesar’s palace learned the gospel from him (v.13); and (2) many Roman Christians were stirred to preach the gospel during his bondage (v.14).’ 

And who says our God doesn’t move in mysterious ways eh? The Lord caused Paul to be imprisoned so he could have the close attention of the palace guards. If he had been preaching out on the street corner, he would never have had the undivided attention of such a large and influential audience. 

And even better yet, because of Bruh Paul’s captivity, the brethren outside got confident, found confidence in the Lord and began preaching the gospel too without fear. Now friends, those last two words -without fear – are very important, because they show the level of maturity and spiritual strength that Roman Christians got from the whole situation. 

Likewise my fellow believers, many of us might be in tight or tough circumstances and wondering why, but the Lord has obviously put us there for a purpose. So please, instead of crying and complaining, consider Bruh Paul’s attitude and look around and see if there be any you can minister to, for God might just have put you there for that very purpose. 

And most important of all; please, let’s all preach the gospel of Christ WITHOUT FEAR, for in the gospel itself, we have oodles of protection. Much LOVE!

…in whatever circumstances a Christian finds him or herself…they are expected to share the good news of Christ…

 

 

Today’s Scrip-Bit 6 June 2016 Matthew 24:4

06 Jun 2016 Leave a comment

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

Matthew 24:4.    And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you.

And then it was Monday – the first day of the new work week. And all the workers joyfully declared: ‘Glory Hallelujah! Thank God for Mondays! We can’t wait to get back out to work. What a joy to be going back out to work today! Bless the day of Monday!’ 

Awright friends, I know I might never see or rather hear that joyful appreciation of Mondays, but that’s why the Lord built imagination and dreams into our basic DNA. If we couldn’t dream and imagine, then life would be boring and pointless.  What I do know is that we should not be as reticent and complaining about going back to work on a Monday as we are. 

Oh I know that there is a lot of pressure and unfortunate stuff involved in going out to work, but then if we don’t work, how will we survive eh, how will we provide for our families? Like Job says, we have to learn to take the bad with the good. (Job 2:10)  We need to just band our jaw and get to it. 

And don’t forget that Jesus is waiting out there at the front line for us to lead us into battle. So if we have the Messiah, the most powerful Field Marshall in the universe as our Leader, then we should be going out confident and proud.  But since we are only human with lots of frailties, to aid us in our early week endeavours, let’s sing our Monday Morning Battle Hymn with much spunk, plenty chutzpah and heavenly harmony. (smile) 

As one now: ‘Oh Lord God Almighty, Creator of the universe and all therein! We, your humble servants, praise your Holy Name and thank you that this Monday morning we have jobs to go to; jobs we don’t like, jobs that are unfair, difficult and even dangerous, but which serve a useful purpose here on earth; keeping lives and families together. 

We also thank you Father for the renewed vitality and enthusiasm you’ve wrought in our weary souls over the last two days. It’s that rejuvenation of Spirit which allows us now to sally forth with confidence into the evil, ungodly world that surrounds us, to begin a new week of work, constantly buffeted and bombarded by the enemy’s wicked taunts, wiles and lies. 

But heavenly Father, we’re not afraid, for we know we’re invincible, sure conquerors, once we’re wearing your powerful, protective spiritual armour. We surrender our all to you, and humbly ask that you let your incredible aura of LOVE, the Holy Spirit, lead and guide all your servants as we go out to meet the enemy in battle. 

Fill us with steadfast faith, so that we can make worthwhile inroads into the enemy’s ranks, and thereby further your glorious kingdom. We pray this in the Holy Name of your Son, and our Saviour, Jesus Christ. AMEN!’  

Now that was a good rendition my brethren. Not the best, but it brought a smile to Jesus’ face, and that’s sufficient. Now let’s try and keep that adrenaline running as we go out into the ungodly world and influence people and win souls for Christ, through our Christ like talk and godly behaviour. 

And that brings us to our Bit, a wise word of warning to the disciples from our Lord and Saviour. ‘And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you.’ 

Oh friends, unfortunately that warning still holds true today, possibly even more so than in Jesus’ time, since there are more deceivers running wild today than in Jesus’ time. 

And before we go further, let’s look at when and where Jesus warned them. He had been in the temple talking to His disciples as well as the Scribes and Pharisees re the ill treatment meted out to the prophets at the hands of their forefathers, about His death and resurrection, the destruction of the temple and His Second Coming. (Matt.23:1-39) 

Then He left them and went out to the Mount of Olives so He could look down at the temple courtyard. ‘And as he sat upon the Mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? And what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world (age)?’ (Matt.24:3) 

Then Jesus began with the warning in our Bit, and then continued: ‘For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many.’(Matt.24:5) And isn’t that the gospel truth my people. 

As the scholars explain: ‘Many shall come refers to the parade of false messiahs who have now spanned the centuries of church history and have led many astray into false religious cults.’ 

And sadly, if only because of the world population explosion in recent times, it’s happening in even greater numbers today. Almost every minute of every day, a new religion, a new cult, a new denomination is born, further fracturing the already fractured movement of Christianity.  

Bruh Paul also issued that warning about false teaching to the Colossians. ‘And this I say, lest any man should beguile (deceive) you with enticing (persuasive) words. For though I be absent in the flesh, yet I am with you in the spirit, joying and beholding your (good) order, and the steadfastness of your faith in Christ. 

As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him. Rooted and built up in him, and stablished in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving.’ (Col.2:4-7) 

Ah friends, what wise and wonderful advice from Bruh Paul. Advice that we badly need in these last days too.  Now let’s check out some scholarly explanations. 

‘2:6. The verse may be paraphrased thus: “Therefore just as you accepted the teaching that presents Jesus as both Messiah and Lord, so continue to maintain this relationship with Him.” The recipients had been taught that Jesus is (1) Messiah (the One divinely anointed to secure man’s salvation), and (2) Lord (the divine person to whom man submits in obedience). 

The heretics denied Jesus’ atoning death and lordship. So the Colossians are urged to keep Him just as they were initially taught – as Messiah and Lord. They are to continue to look to Him for salvation and continue in submission to His authority.’ 

Well my people, we have been taught the same things as the Colossian’s, so it’s only logical that we also need to keep our relationship with Jesus as Lord and Messiah as strong as possible and don’t bow to any false and deceptive teachers, if we truly desire to see His salvation. Much LOVE!

…the only way to heaven…through Jesus…

 

Today’s Scrip-Bit 3 May 2014 Jeremiah 16:12

03 May 2014 Leave a comment

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

Jeremiah 16:12.     And ye have done worse than your fathers; for, behold, ye walk every one after the imagination (stubbornness ) of his evil heart, that they may not hearken unto me.
 
Oh Friends, another wonderful day is in the offing…!
 
And all God’s people responded with a grateful shout of joy: ‘Bless the Lord oh my soul! Bless Him for His goodness and His mercy, His forgiveness, and above all for His unconditional LOVE, which enables the world to go around!’
 
Yes my brethren, it’s essentially the LOVE of our magnanimous and omnipotent God that keeps our world turning and our lives on a fairly reasonable keel. And today I have a rather interesting quote to share from Rev. Francis Hutcheson (1694-1746), a Scottish / Irish philosopher.
 
Francis is reputed to have said that: ‘Wisdom denotes the pursuing of the best ends by the best means.’ 
 
Now I find that to be gospel truth Friends! Why? Because it all indicates a high standard of whatever we’re doing. We should always use the best means to pursue the best ends. None of that foolishness that the ends justify the means, because that is exactly what is leading our world on the downward spiral on which it is currently moving.
 
Too many of us think that it’s okay to do anything to get what we want, and unfortunately are putting it into practice. But that’s a fool’s wisdom, my people. For whatever we do, usually boomerangs back on us at some time or other.
 
And that quote struck me as being oh so appropriate to our faith! Now it says that we ought to pursue the best end. And what’s the best end? Why, HEAVEN of course!
 
And we should pursue it by the best means. That’s obviously our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ!
 
Therefore, Wisdom is the pursuit of HEAVEN through Jesus Christ! ‘Elementary, my dear Watson!’ as Sherlock Holmes would tell his sidekick.
 
And that’s why I can’t understand, can’t fathom or believe the shoddy, evil, egotistical and ungodly way we’re currently living our lives. Our Bit summarizes it so well. ‘And ye have done worse than your fathers; for, behold, ye walk every one after the imagination (stubbornness) of his evil heart, that they may not hearken unto me.’ 
 
Now how could there ever be wisdom in that style of life eh Friends? It’s impossible to be peaceful and calm and LOVING, when exploding all around us are mostly negative things like strife, hate, greed, jealousy, fraud, gossip and lies.  This surely doesn’t sound like wisdom or godliness to me.
 
Now listen to the scriptures on how we are supposed to live, but instead are doing like the Israelites of old. And here Jeremiah is talking about the punishment for Judah’s rebellion. ‘But this thing commanded I them, saying, Obey my voice, and I will be your God, and ye shall be my people: and walk ye in all the ways that I have commanded you, that it may be well unto you.’ (Jer.7:23)
 
Oh mih people, mih people, that’s all so plain and straightforward! And after the Lord had brought them out slavery in Egypt, you’d think that they’d be ever so eager to follow His dictates. Hn!
 
‘But they hearkened not, nor inclined their ear, but walked in the counsels and in the imagination (stubbornness) of their evil heart, and went backward and not forward.’ (Jer.7:24)
 
Ah mih breddren, that must ring a loud bell in our souls! For that’s the exact way that we are behaving today: everybody’s doing their own thing with little or no respect to God or our fellow man. No society can function properly like that for any length of time.
 
Now hear the Lord again: ‘Since the day that your fathers came out of the land of Egypt unto this day I have even sent unto you all my servants the prophets, daily rising up early and sending them: Yet they hearkened not unto me, nor inclined their ear, but hardened (stiffened) their neck: they did worse than their fathers.’ (Jer.7:25-26)
 
That truly sounds like our world today my brethren! The Lord has been sending, and is still sending His messengers to warn us about the perils of our disobedience, but to little or no avail.
 
And our God continues: ‘Therefore thou shalt speak all these words unto them; but they will not hearken to thee: thou shalt also call unto them; but they will not answer thee. But thou shalt say unto them, This is a nation that obeyeth not the voice of the Lord their God, nor receiveth correction (instruction): truth is perished, and is cut off from their mouth.’ (Jer.7:28)
 
And that Friends, is also the state of our world! 
 
Now let’s go home with possibly the most important  of our scripture verses today, namely: ‘Then will I cause to cease from the cities of Judah, and from the streets of Jerusalem, the voice of mirth, and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom, and the voice of the bride: for the land shall be desolate.’ (Jer.7:34)
 
And we’re already seeing that in our streets and alleys my people. And we all know that the Israelites were taken into captivity again. Our God doesn’t joke Friends. Yes, He is patient and longsuffering, but at some time even His patience will wear out in the face of such gross disobedience as we are showing.
 
So what’s it to be eh my fellow believers? Shall there be the voice of mirth and gladness in our land, or shall it be desolate? That’s the trillion dollar question we must each ask ourselves, then do whatever we think is wise and right.
 
Remember though, we WILL pay for our misdeeds at some point, if we don’t hearken to the Word of our God. Much LOVE!
 
…true wisdom…is following Jesus…on the straight and narrow path…that leads to salvation and eternal life…with Him in heaven…

 

 

Today’s Scrip-Bit 20 August 2012 Psalm 37:8

20 Aug 2012 Leave a comment

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

Psalm 37:8.    Cease from anger, and forsake wrath: fret not thyself in any wise to do evil.

It’s Monday morning Friends! And all God’s people jumped out of bed with abundant joy in their hearts, a sweet song of praise on their lips, and the sincere intention to go out into the new work week and diligently work in Jesus’ Holy Name! Wow! Now wouldn’t that be something mih people! The evil doers wouldn’t be able to stop us. They’d drop like flies in honey, and once we had their undivided attention, we could teach and show them all about our wonderful Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Oh what marvellous gifts of dreams and imagination that our Creator built into us eh! And He gave them to us so that we could imagine sensational scenarios like the whole world coming to know and accept Christ as their Lord and Saviour, and to dream those big, beautiful dreams of Him not losing even one single, human soul to Beelzebub. Now those are not impossible happenings Friends, since nothing is impossible if we work with Jesus. However, we believers have to first believe them, see them through our eyes of faith, then go out and diligently work towards them. However, until we all reach that high point of maturity, where we look forward to Mondays, (smile) we’ll just have to continue singing our Monday Morning Battle Hymn to get our faith and our adrenalin in motion. So all together now, in loud, enthusiastic, sincere voice, let’s sing: ‘Oh Lord God Almighty, Creator of the universe and all therein! We, your humble servants, praise your Holy Name and thank you that this Monday morning we have jobs to go to; jobs we don’t like, jobs that are unfair, difficult and even dangerous, but which serve a useful purpose here on earth; keeping lives and families together. We also thank you Father for the renewed vitality and enthusiasm you’ve wrought in our weary souls over the last two days. It’s that rejuvenation of Spirit which allows us now to sally forth with confidence into the evil, ungodly world that surrounds us, to begin a new week of work, constantly buffeted and bombarded by the enemy’s wicked taunts, wiles and lies. But heavenly Father, we’re not afraid, for we know we’re invincible, sure conquerors, once we’re wearing your powerful, protective spiritual armour. We surrender our all to you, and humbly ask that you let your incredible aura of LOVE, the Holy Spirit, lead and guide all your servants as we go out to meet the enemy in battle. Fill us with steadfast faith, so that we can make worthwhile inroads into the enemy’s ranks, and thereby further your glorious kingdom. We pray this in the Holy Name of your Son, and our Saviour, Jesus Christ. AMEN!’ Now didn’t that get the motor running? On a Monday morning, many of us are like a cold car engine on a winter’s morn, where the oil is heavy and unwieldy, and won’t flow smoothly until the engine runs for a few minutes and warms it up. Well consider ourselves warmed up now, with minds, bodies and hearts all beating in an even tempo, in tune with Christ’s song, and His orchestral direction. In other words my brethren, we’re ready to face the evil world, and fight to the death for Jesus! And our Bit provides some wisdom essential for us to do just that. ‘Cease from anger, and forsake wrath: fret not thyself in any wise to do evil (it only causes harm).’  Oh Friends, that’s some of the best advice we can ever get! It’s very appropriate for every aspect of our earthly journey; home, school, work, and even play. Bruh Paul rephrased our Bit thus to the Ephesians: ‘Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath: neither give place (an opportunity) to the devil.’ (Eph.4:26-27) Meanwhile, Bruh David, in Psalm 4; and evening prayer of trust in God, puts it this way. ‘Stand in awe (tremble), and sin not: commune with your own heart upon your bed, and be still.  Selah.’ (Ps.4:4) And the author of Psalm 119, had this to say on the subject. ‘Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.’ (Ps.119:11) Oh Friends, those are all strong truths for believers to establish in their faith walk. Now here’s Cousin Sol’s advice on the topic. ‘Let not thine heart envy sinners; but be thou in the fear of the Lord all the day long. For surely there is an end (a hereafter); and thine expectations (hope) shall not be cut off.’ (Prov.23:17-18) Oh my people, if we follow that wise advice, then we’ll surely cut down on our anger, and consequently give Lucifer less opportunity to invade our lives. And if you think that’s not so, then listen to the psalmist Asaph when he didn’t follow it in Psalm 73, the mystery of prosperous wickedness. ‘Truly God is good to Israel, even to such as are of a clean (pure) heart. 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…Until I went into the sanctuary of God; then understood I their end.’ (Ps.73:1-3, 17) Yuh see mih breddren, Asaph didn’t understand the end of the wicked, until he got in serious touch with his godly side. So it’s very possible for even the most righteous to slip and fall if we’re not careful, for the enemy is always on the prowl, and he’s also very smart and versatile in his trickery. And there’s no better way to end than with the opening verse of Psalm 37, the true state of the wicked,  from which our Bit is taken. ‘Fret not thyself because of evildoers, neither be thou envious against the workers of iniquity. For they shall soon be cut down like the grass, and wither as the green herb. Trust in the Lord, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed (feed on his faithfulness).’ (Ps.37:1-3) Wise words indeed from Bruh David! Please Friends, let’s inwardly digest them, then put them into diligent action nuh, so that our earthly lives will be much improved. That’s wisdom for all the ages! Much LOVE!…abide in me…and I in you…as the branch cannot bear fruit of itself…except it abide in the vine…no more can ye…except ye abide in me… (John 15:4)