Today’s Scrip-Bit 4 December 2020 Isaiah 59:2.

04 Dec 2020 Leave a comment

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

Isaiah 59:2.     ​But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear.

Well folks, we real late this snowy Friday morning. And if by chance yuh wondering why, it’s the same ole excuse; late to bed, late to rise. Hn! This morning was a real late one too. I won’t even tell you all what time I went to bed. (smile) But suffice it to say that I am now up, alive and kicking butt! So let’s turn right away to the words of the ordinary workingman, no time for me to ‘lablache’ this morning. (smile) 

And he begins with a shake of his tired head and a sour ‘TGIF! Thank God is Friday! But why eh? What ah thanking Him for eh? Ah don’t have no work, or money, and ah don’t know when next I going to have either of them because of this Covid-19 business! Steups! What ‘s happening to our country…and our world eh? Ah doing my part, behaving responsible and staying in mih yard and yet still the Covid-19 numbers not going down, but staying up. So what is the problem eh? 

Like is just me and my family who being responsible, and everybody else just going about their business regardless? And to make it worse, ah not seeing any money coming from the government like I did before. So what they expect me to do eh? They shut down mih workplace, and begging me to stay home, how they expect me to feed mih children eh? We can’t exist on wind pie and nothing chops for ever! And they keep talking about a vaccine coming soon…but how soon is soon eh? When half the people dead? 

Ah Lord eh! And every day ah hearing or reading how the rich getting richer in this pandemic time…Hn! Yuh believe it? But it must be true, otherwise they wouldn’t keep on saying it. Now why should that surprise me eh, when I know from long time that the rich don’t really give a darm about the poor, is only talk deh talk! 

Deh not only rich, but they could talk a good talk too, till even the poor man believe what deh say. Deh great at doublespeak, or as the Indians use to say in the movies, they speak with forked tongues. But what to do eh? I guess I just have to keep on praying, looking to God for some kinda relief yes, because it don’t seem like any coming from man nuh!’ 

Now friends, that’s the most sensible idea right now yes. Look to God for relief. But let me read you a passage from Isaiah why that might be a somewhat difficult task too. It all has to do with national corruption and consequent suffering. Isaiah informed Israel thus: ‘Behold, the Lord’s hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither his ear heavy, that it cannot hear: But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear. 

For your hands are defiled with blood (bloodshed), and your fingers with iniquity; your lips have spoken lies, your tongue hath muttered perverseness. None calleth for justice, nor any pleadeth for truth: they trust in vanity (empty words), and speak lies; they conceive mischief (trouble or evil), and bring forth iniquity.’ (Is. 59:1-4) And so it goes on – the sins of the people of Israel for another 15 verses. 

And also our iniquity my brethren, for it’s our sinfulness that’s keeping us from God! We can’t expect to be abominable, unrepentant sinners and still receive God’s grace and mercy! It just doesn’t work like that. If we expect to have good times in our land, then we need to be obedient to God and His word. Worship Him in spirit and truth, not just talk. 

Remember all the promises He made? Remember most of them depended on us being sincere and obedient? And there’s no way we can say that our current world is either obedient or true to God and His word. So obviously there are consequences to our disobedience and demonic worship, and right now we’re experiencing the fruits of our disobedience and outright, doh care sinfulness. So there’s no one to blame but ourselves. 

However, our God is such a wonderful Deity that He has also made provision for us to turn from our sinful ways and be reconciled to Him. So what say we use wisdom this very day and turn to Him for succour eh? Let’s do what He says, pray in earnest, with right motives in our hearts. So what we waiting for eh? Let’s get on our sinful knees and divulge the contents of our hearts to Him, through our Friday Chant. 

Altogether now: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through this past week. Yuh know it’s been rough… what with all the anxiety, the confusion and havoc that the Covid-19 virus and the racial strife causing. We not accustomed to that kind of life Lord, and it really telling on us. And we know we can’t handle it on our own, that 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 virus and the unrest in our streets. 

So Lord, we sincerely ask you today to give the governments and those involved in the forefront of this serious and unexpected storm, the sure and 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, so that we can avoid any more serious setbacks. And Lord, we fervently pray that You’ll use this situation to also bring a lot of backsliders back to your fold, show them the error of their ways. 

It’s also a good opportunity to introduce a whole new flock, who will embrace your LOVE and compassion because of the way we, your faithful believers, handle the situation. Yes Lord, please use this pandemic and the unrest in the streets as a means of restoring faith in You, so that our sinful world can wake up and smell the coffee, sweet and strong! We pray this in the name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen!’ 

And I don’t need to remind us that the Lord won’t bother with us if, or when He looks at our hearts and found insincerity and selfish motives there. So we better had buck up and be faithful believers and handle the situation properly! Much LOVE!

…it won’t get better…until we get better… 

Today’s Scrip-Bit 14 February 2018 1 John 3:18.

14 Feb 2018 Leave a comment

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

1 John 3:18.   My little children, let us not LOVE in word, neither in tongue, but in deed and in truth.

Oh boy, it’s another bright, sunshiny day in the neighbourhood! Thank You Lord! If we have to put up with the snow and cold, then we should at least have some sunshine to brighten up the gloom those things produce in our spirits. (smile) 

And I’m in a quandary here; don’t know what to write on; Ash Wednesday or Valentine’s Day, as both of them fall on the same day. Hn! The former begins the season of Lent for believers; a serious time of introspection, fasting and prayer. 

On the other hand, the latter is a time of joy and celebration and the time of the biggest display of LOVE in our hate-filled, angry and resentful society. And even though it smacks of a lot of insincerity and commercialism, how can you write off any kind of LOVE at all eh, when we so badly need it? 

I guess in one sense you can say that the bacchanal of Carnival is over now, and we begin the season of Lent with a fiery burst of LOVE! Oh how wonderful that would be if the LOVE went a li’l deeper and was more sincere and lasting! But beggars can’t be choosers, so if we get even a small amount of LOVE in this LOVELESS world we have to be grateful and say, ‘Thank You Lord!! 

Meanwhile, on the Lenten side of the ledger, we need to get serious about our walk with God and delve into what it truly means to be walking in sincere tandem with Him. We need to empty our spirits, as Jesus did when He was led into the wilderness to suffer forty days of temptation at the hands of the evil Lucifer. 

He spent His days in prayer and contemplation with fasting, a way of building His belly and backbone to withstand the rigours of His upcoming ministry. He knew that His ministry would not be easy, and that was the Lord’s way of strengthening Him. 

And in this season of Lent we ought to try and be strengthened in like manner my faithful and believing brethren. If we want to be like Jesus, to grow in Christ-likeness, then we have to do some of the things He did, follow in His footsteps as much as possible. And tuning out more of the world than usual, in these next forty days, is something we can do, and ought to embark on. 

I guess you can call it the yearly cleansing of our spirits. But however we do it, the important thing is to get closer to God, by putting aside some of the worldly things that usually occupy our time, and giving Him more of our time, studying His word more closely and meditating on it, so we can discover its true meaning for our lives. 

And yuh know what friends? As we spend more time in serious reflection, we will understand God better, and His most wonderful attribute, that of LOVE, will seep into our hearts and souls even more. Wow! How amazing that would be if we could get the majority of the world to reflect on God’s Word and discover His awesome and unconditional LOVE! 

And on this Ash Wednesday and Valentine’s Day, I believe the most appropriate Bit for today, is the same one we had yesterday. ‘My little children, let us not LOVE in word, neither in tongue, but in deed and in truth.’ 

Yeh mih people, please, please, I implore us to bring out true LOVE in our daily lives, show it to our fellow man in living colour, in sincere actions, because that’s the only way we will truly make this world a better place. Not to mention that it’s only true, sincere actions of LOVE, that anyone will truly want to come to Christ. If we keep preaching that Christ is LOVE, and don’t show true LOVE, then we’re making a mockery of Christ and all that He stands for. 

As John says earlier on: ‘For this is the message that ye heard from the beginning, that we should LOVE one another. Not as Cain, who was of that wicked one, and slew (murdered) his brother (Abel). And wherefore slew he him? Because his own works were evil, and his brother’s righteous.’ (1 John 3:11-12) 

Now listen to the scholars’ explanation of that last verse. ‘3:12. See Genesis 4:8. Of that wicked one refers to a child of the Devil (v.10). Cain killed Abel because their conflicting allegiances (Cain’s to Satan, Abel’s to God) were plain to see by their respective actions. 

John seems to be saying: “If even wicked Cain could see that a man’s character is revealed ultimately, not in what he says he believes, but in what he does, should not Christians be able to see this as well?” 

Of course we should my brethren! As we said yesterday, LOVE is an action word, and only through our actions can we outwardly manifest it. But sadly, so many of us lack LOVE in our souls, that we obviously can’t show it. We can’t give what we don’t have. 

However, if we’re serious about giving LOVE, then all we have to do is go to God and sincerely ask Him to fill us with it. But then that means spending time with Him, something that so many of us unfortunately shy away from. 

Anyway friends, this Ash Wednesday/Valentine’s Day is the right time for us to come to the trough and drink of God’s grace, mercy, LOVE and forgiveness. Remember, it did not just happen by chance, but God programmed it that way, to accomplish His purpose. 

Now let’s go home declaring our Wednesday Wail, letting the world know our blessed position in Christ. All together 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!’ 

Now that’s truth and wisdom of everlasting proportions! Much LOVE!

…if one is consistently hanging with Jesus…then one’s future can only get brighter and brighter…

 

 

 

Today’s Scrip-Bit 16 July 2014 Mark 5:36b

16 Jul 2014 Leave a comment

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

Mark 5:36b.     Be not afraid, only believe.

Oh Friends, oh Friends, the ole fella experienced a Eureka moment yesterday afternoon! Glory Hallelujah! I don’t know if I’ve ever shared this info before, but in the last little while I’ve developed this theory, and yesterday afternoon, while out on my deck eating a Julie (July) mango, the last few threads fell into place.
 
And the conclusion my people – wait for the drum rolls braising brass and clanging symbols – is that the nonsense about Eve giving Adam an apple to eat in the garden of Eden, that made mankind fall into the dire clutches of sin is just that –nonsense! The forbidden fruit that they disobediently ate was a Julie mango!
 
Oh mih breddren, the Julie I ate yesterday was pretty nice; so nice that when I was finished you could only see the white of the seed. Now that’s how a Julie should have you going; right down to the seed!
 
It just puts me in mind of those wonderful Julies we use to steal, or rather get unofficially (smile) from the Botanical Gardens back in Tobago when I was growing up. And this one, though nice, was no match for those. So you can imagine what the ones in the Garden of Eden were like. Mama Mia!
 
So from now on Friends, when you hear about the forbidden fruit in Paradise, just remember that it was a sweet, succulent, golden yellow Julie mango, with a beautiful aroma wafting from it that just titillated all the senses – sight, smell, touch and taste – and sound too, as you bite into the juicy, mouth watering flesh!
 
And all God’s people said a loud and joyful ‘Amen!’
 
Oh Friends, life is too short not to enjoy it. Remember that Jesus said He came that we might have abundant life. And in any case, who is there that has overwhelming facts to prove my theory wrong eh? Nobody!
 
And though Lucifer might not be too bright in trying to overthrow Almighty God, he was smart enough not to try and entice Eve with a simple apple, when there was that exotic Julie mango available; looking so good, and smelling so nice.
 
So now that we’ve had our daily fun, let’s turn to our walk of faith with Jehovah God. And today I want to share this inspiring poem from Dr. Robert H. Schuller’s Hour of Power Devotional. It’s simply titled, ‘My Walk.’
 
‘O God, I’m inspired. For you have just impressed this truth into my mind: The most powerful force in the world is a positive idea in the mind of a believer who is walking in your will! I now reach forth my life and say, “God, put my life into the centre of your will.” Amen.’
 
Yes my people, there’s nothing more powerful than a God-given idea in the mind of a true and faithful believer! That’s why we have to look to God for direction in our lives, and why Jesus encouraged Jairus, the synagogue leader, and consequently us in our Bit: ‘Be not afraid, only believe.’
 
Yes my brethren, it all begins with belief, strong belief, aka faith! And today we’ll look at some other passages of scripture where Jesus enjoined the people of His day, and now of our day, to believe, to have faith.
 
Let’s start with the demon spirit in the child that the disciples could not drive out. What did Jesus say to the father who came seeking His compassion and His help? ‘Jesus said unto him, If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth.’ (Mark 9:23) Strong, but very truthful words, my people!
 
‘And straightway the father of the child cried out, and said with tears, Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief.’ (Mark 9:24)
 
And the scholars have an interesting footnote to that last verse. ‘9:24. He had a certain faith; but it was confession of his undeniable inner turmoil and doubt that marked his faltering faith as truly authentic, if imperfect, trust. Before God honesty is a wise course.’
 
And isn’t that the obvious truth! Yet so many of us go to God with a less than honest approach. He sees all, and knows all, so why try to fool Him eh, when it’s simply IMPOSSIBLE to do that? It just shows up our stupidity, insincerity and lack of true faith and understanding.
 
Now in Luke’s gospel, re the instance of our Bit, where the people of Jairus’ household came and told him that his daughter was dead and so to stop bothering Jesus, it’s told like this. ‘But when Jesus heard it, he answered him, saying, Fear not: believe only, and she shall be made whole.’ (Luke 8:50)
 
And then we come to the passage of scripture, where shortly after Jesus’ resurrection, He’s walking along the road to Emmaus with two believers who obviously don’t recognize Him, and they are recounting the confusion and disbelief back in the disciples camp in Jerusalem, as to whether Jesus was really risen or not.
 
‘Then he said unto them, O fools, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken: Ought not Christ to have suffered these things, and to enter into his glory? And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself.’ (Luke 24:25-27)
 
Now here is what the scholars have to say about those verses. ’24:26. Ought (Gr. dei) bespeaks a divine necessity; what the prophets had foretold (see Is:53, Ps.16; 22) must and did come to pass. The disciples had been ready to see in Jesus a glorious deliverer, but Jesus’ rebuke (vs.25) relates to their unwillingness to take seriously the many Old Testament texts that speak not only of the Messiah’s glory, but also of His suffering.’
 
’24:7. The entire Old Testament is indispensable for a grounded grasp of the identity and significance of Jesus.’
 
And right there Friends, is where a whole lot of believers fall down; wrongly thinking that the Old Testament is just that; old and out of date! But without understanding the Old Testament, we can NEVER fully understand the New, because they are both so closely intertwined.
 
The New is basically the Old brought to life, to fulfillment through Jesus. It’s like the saying; you can’t know where you’re going, if you don’t know where you came from. So Friends, please don’t decry, don’t disparage and cry down the Old Testament, because you do so at your own peril of understanding.
 
And we’ll close with these memorable words of Jesus to Nicodemus, the Jewish ruler who came by night to Jesus, looking for answers. ‘Verily, verily, I say unto thee, we speak that (what) we do know, and testify that (what) we have seen; and ye receive not our witness. If I have told you earthly things, and ye believe not, how shall ye believe, if I tell you of heavenly things?’ (John 3:11-12)
 
And unfortunately Friends, even to this day, we refuse to believe the truthful words of Jesus! How sad my people.
 
But fortunately, a few of us do believe, and that few will soldier on in faith, until we bring all the earth to repentance and salvation, as Jesus desires; to the recognition of His glory and majesty and Lordship! That’s our sincere belief and wish for all believers today! Much LOVE!
 
…fear not…only believe…only believe…only believe…

 

 

Today’s Scrip-Bit 5 April 2013 Matthew

05 Apr 2013 Leave a comment

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

Matthew 22:21.     They say unto him, Caesar’s. Then saith he unto them, Render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar’s; and unto God the things that are God’s.
 
And then it was Friday! That recognition was greeted with joyous shouts in work places all over the world: ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday!’ Yes Friends, the weekend’s upon us once again, granting us a short respite from our labours. And I know how we all look forward to it, but as everything else, there’s a right and wrong way to spend it. So let’s chant our Friday Chant that helps us to put the weekend into proper perspective. All together now: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through another week of work! It hasn’t been easy, but with your generous help, I made it through. Now, please help me to get sufficient fun, fellowship, rest and relaxation in these two short days off, so that I can be renewed and refreshed in soul, body and mind, to go back out and do it all over again next week, furthering your glorious kingdom with each step I take. I pray this in Jesus name. Amen.’ Now that should hold and guide us for the next couple days. (smile) So let’s turn to our Bit, another interesting one – sorry, all of them are interesting since they come from the Good Book – (smile). This one features a serious principle espoused by our Lord, Saviour and Leader, Jesus Christ. ‘They say unto him, Caesar’s. Then saith he unto them, Render (pay) therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar’s; and unto God the things that are God’s.’ Oh Friends, I chose, or rather the Lord guided me to this Bit today, because it’s related to the tithing situation we’ve been discussing over the last few days. It was even our footnote, thought for the day, yesterday. Now here’s some background on the scene as it was played out. As usual, the Pharisees were trying to entrap Jesus, so that they could have solid grounds to persecute Him. ‘And they sent out unto him their disciples with the Herodians, saying, Master, we know that thou art true, and teachest the way of God in truth, neither carest thou for any man: for thou regardest not the person of men. Tell us therefore, What thinkest thou? Is it lawful (permitted) to give tribute (pay taxes) unto Caesar, or not? But Jesus perceived (knew) their wickedness, and said, Why tempt (test) ye me, ye hypocrites? Show me the tribute (tax) money. And they brought unto him a penny (Gr. denarius). And he saith unto them, Whose is this image and superscription (inscription)?’ (Matt.22:16-20) Then Jesus delivered the coup de grace, which is our Bit. And the Good Book continues: ‘When they had heard these words, they marvelled (were amazed), and left him, and went their way.’ (Matt.22:22) Oh Friends, as the saying goes; there’s none so blind, as they who refuse to see. That applies to many of us in these current times, as well as the Pharisees and other groups who tried to get Jesus to incriminate Himself during the three years of His earthly ministry. They were too dimwitted, egotistical and steeped in the traditions of men to see that every time they posed an incriminating question, His answer was always astute and impeccable. Unfortunately, many of us today behave the same way; we allow the traditions of men, rather than the true principles of God to run our lives. That’s why so many of us lead such miserable and unfulfilled lives, and sadly don’t understand why. Anyway, here’s some historical background and further explanations from the scholars’. ‘The Herodians were a party that favoured the dynasty of Herod and stood for the Roman connection. They cared little or nothing for religion and normally were bitterly opposed to the Pharisees. The statements recorded in verse 16 are insincere and intended as hypocritical flattery. Their question was intended to place the Lord in a dilemma. If he says yes, He can be held up to the people as a traitor. If He says no, He can be denounced to the Roman authorities. Caesar was the Roman Emperor and head of the Roman state. Caesar was the family name of Julius Caesar, the first man who aspired to autocracy (absolute government, controlling influence). The name was taken over from him by his adopted son Octavian, afterward titled the Emperor Augustus. Render therefore unto Caesar: The Lord means that we are to give the civil magistrates all that is due to them, as long as it does not interfere with the honour due to God. Jesus had broken the Herodians dilemma by making light of the ultimate significance of Caesar’s claim. The idea is: “If the penny is his, let him have it.” Jesus’ response, render unto God the things that are God’s, exposed the spiritual failure of the Herodians. In essence, Jesus made light of Caesar’s temporal claim in favour of God’s greater claim over men’s lives.’ And that’s the undeniable truth my Friends! Therefore all of us should also embrace that same distinction, for it’s God who created us, in His own image to boot, not sinful, fallible, short-lived man. And we’ll stop there for today. It’s enough for us to contemplate, what with our short attention spans and busy schedules. (smile) Tomorrow though, God willing, we’ll continue with giving to man what belongs to him, and to God what’s His. It’s a major principle in our Christian faith, and there are lots more scriptures concerning it, to be looked at. Till then, please, let’s all try and walk worthy of our most awesome and LOVING God. And may He bless and keep us safely as we do our earthly pilgrimage, allowing His shining countenance to light on us, and give us His wonderful peace that passes all human understanding. We pray this in Jesus’ Holy Name, and His sacrificial blood that was spilled on the cross at Calvary to pay for our abominable sins and cleanse our unworthy souls. Amen. Much LOVE my fellow followers of Christ!…though everything belongs to God…He’s ordained that some things will be looked on as belonging to earthly rulers… and true believers should acknowledge them as such…