The Overwhelming Importance of knowing on which side One’s Bread is buttered!

12 Oct 2024 Leave a comment

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

Proverbs 6:16.        These six things doth the Lord hate: yea seven are an abomination unto him (his soul).

Oh, it’s a beautiful lazy-day Thanksgiving Saturday in my neighbourhood; bright and sunshiny, though somewhat windy and cool. But it’s the middle of October in the northern climes, so what do we expect eh? We’re blessed that it’s not colder at this time of year, and temps are still getting up into the teens. 

But be that as it may, I certainly enjoyed the largesse of our lazy-day Saturday, by lolling around in bed quite late. That was only made possible though by my going to bed at a rather late hour this morning, consequently, the Bit is even later than usual. But it’s a lazy-day Saturday…and what’s a lazy-day Saturday for if not to loll around and do very little …or even nothing? (smile) 

Anyhow, enough of my excuses, let’s offer up our Lazy-Day Saturday Prayer with all sincerity. As one voice: ‘Lord, I want to be with You now. Please slow my thoughts and quiet my soul. Let my muscles relax, my breath deepen. You are here with me – Your peace and LOVE are present. I marvel to think You can’t be contained, that Your LOVE both surrounds and fills me. Thank You for this tenderness, Lord. I praise You for Your unceasing nearness. Increase my awareness of You today, that I may know You all the more. Amen!’ 

And, oh, how our lives and our world would benefit enormously if many more of us would turn to God and sincerely seek greater intimacy with Him! Remember, that’s one of the major reasons for which He created us; to have strong communion with Him, and share LOVE back and forth! But sadly, our world and many in our Christian faith don’t seem to see it that way, thus, comparatively speaking, there’s a big void, very little intimacy between our Creator and the millions of His creation who walk this ungodly and disaster-prone earth. 

And that could never be a good or pleasant situation my fellow believers. How could it be when we have little true and sincere communication between ourselves and the One who created us and still controls our lives eh? And it doesn’t make any sense when we’re down here struggling in these fearful times, having tried all of man’s solutions without success, that we simply refuse to turn to God, which is the best option there is. 

The one good thing about the Israelites of old is that when they strayed from God and He punished them for it, they had the good sense to run back to Him as quickly as possible in repentance and soul searching. But we, we have grown so big for our britches, so sinful and ungodly, with all our wonderful technology and modern inventions, that we don’t even give turning back to God a thought, a possible solution, when our world is falling apart around us. Hn! What foolish, arrogant, stubborn and hardhearted creatures we’ve become. 

Please my people, let’s remember these wise words of Cousin Sol in Proverbs. ‘These six things doth the Lord hate: yea seven are an abomination unto him (his soul). A proud look (haughty eyes), a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, An heart that deviseth wicked imaginations (devises wicked plans), feet that are swift in running to mischief (evil), A false witness that speaketh lies, and he that soweth discord among the brethren.’ (Prov. 6:16-19) And unless you’re living on some other planet, you will know that all those things that are abominations in the Lord’s sight are the very things that are currently very prevalent on this planet Earth! 

Now, if the Lord so strongly dislikes those practices, it’s obvious that He will also dislike and reject the people who practice them. And right there we have ample reason to contemplate the sad state of our world and all the disasters that are  suddenly befalling it with greater frequency than usual. I don’t know why, but with every new disaster, natural or man-made, I keep thinking that this is a warning from God. 

And even if I am wrong, what do we have to lose by sincerely turning back to God, giving up our evil ways, renewing our communion with Him, and thus getting back into His good graces. It’s foolish to be wanting to stay in Satan’s good graces when he can do nothing but negative stuff for us, when the One True God, Jehovah who created the word and all therein, is waiting with wide open arms to welcome us back to His magnificent fold. 

That’s the wise position we ought to pursue, but unfortunately Satan has so many of us so wrapped up in his evil doings, so caught in sinful bondage, while keeping us in total darkness, that it’s become rather difficult for us to break through the darkness and the bondage of sin. 

But friends, if we truly desire to do that, all we have to do is call on the name of Jesus and He will come and save us from both the bondage of sin and the oppressing darkness that Satan has us wrapped up in. He will break those bonds of sin and take us into the bright and powerful light that He represents, while offering forgiveness of sins, salvation and eternal life, instead of the eternal death and separation from God that followers of the enemy will suffer. 

As the Bible so wisely and truly tells us: ‘For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.’ (Rom. 6:23) And the very important thing to notice there my brethren is the last phrase; ‘through Jesus Christ our Lord.’ Yes, eternal life or any serious communication with God can only be accomplished through Jesus Christ, for, as the Son of God during His short tenure here on earth He outrightly declared (chuh!!!) ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.’ (John 14:6) 

And that’s the gospel truth friends! If you want to see or associate with the Father, you have to go through the Son Jesus! Why? Because the Father has promoted Him to the highest name ever for His obedience and LOVE in taking the sins of the world on His sinless shoulders and dying on the cross at Calvary so that we sad and sorrowful sinners could be set free. 

So please, on this Thanksgiving Saturday, let’s contemplate all that we’ve said, and make a wise decision to sincerely seek Christ with all of our hearts, souls, bodies and minds, for it’s what He truly desires! Much LOVE!

…man was made to live in godly light…not sinful darkness…

Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien

The Overwhelming Importance of Sincere LOVE in the Christian Life!

05 Oct 2024 Leave a comment

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

John 13:34.       A new commandment I give unto you, That ye LOVE one another; as I have LOVED you, that ye also LOVE one another.

Oh friends, it’s another beautiful sunshiny summer-like day in my neck of the woods. And I’ve been taking full advantage of the lazy-day Saturday laziness. (smile) I’ve just come back from out on my front porch enjoying the heat of the sun pulsing through my aging bones. You know, you never truly appreciate the heat of the sun until you’re getting on in age, and your bones keep needing more heat to keep them warm. Hope you understand the parable in that. (smile) And since we’re thankful for the breath of life that’s still flowing through us, through the new mercies and compassions of our great God, let’s offer up our Lazy-Day Saturday Prayer in all sincerity and truth. 

As one voice: ‘Lord, I want to be with You now. Please slow my thoughts and quiet my soul. Let my muscles relax, my breath deepen. You are here with me – Your peace and LOVE are present. I marvel to think You can’t be contained, that Your LOVE both surrounds and fills me. Thank You for this tenderness, Lord. I praise You for Your unceasing nearness. Increase my awareness of You today, that I may know You all the more. Amen!’ 

And there’s no feeling our God enjoys more than when His children come to Him sincerely seeking His presence, seeking more intimacy with Him. And why is that you ask? Oh, it’s a simple but ever so beautiful answer. It’s because one of His major reasons for creating us was to have close intimacy with Him. That’s why He’s always so pleased and cannot refuse any sincere request to draw closer to Him. So, on this lazy-day Saturday let’s bask in the sunshine of God’s awesome presence, as He pours out His amazing LOVE and compassion on us. 

And  although I don’t want to spoil the quiet, peaceful moments in God’s presence, we do have to face the reality of our earthly situation. For the last few days we’ve been considering the state of our world as concerning the signs of the last days of the church age, and we’ve been sadly found wanting. Now to top it all off, here’s a most depressing and discouraging statement I received via e-mail today. It says: ‘4,200 religions in the world and 1 devil, yet they are still not winning.’ 

Now, if the amazing number of religions is anywhere close to true, and we’re still not winning the war against the 1 devil, then things are really bad with us. What I do know is that there are many denominations within the Christian religion, but they are so divided and alienated on a lot of petty circumstances and doctrines, that the enemy has little or no problem in making our work for Jesus of no account. That’s why Jesus said to the disciples, and consequently to all believers: ‘A new commandment I give unto you, That ye LOVE one another; as I have LOVED you, that ye also LOVE one another.’ (John 13:34) 

And it couldn’t get any plainer or clearer than that. If we truly want to work for Jesus then true togetherness is required, otherwise we’d just be working at odds with each other and making no headway whatsoever. Yes my fellow believers, the first thing Christ’s church needs before it can make any real inroads on the enemy, is togetherness! For without it, the enemy simply divides and conquers us. In fact he doesn’t even have to do any division, because we do it ourselves. He just sits and waits for us to spoil each other’s testimony and witness. 

That’s why Jesus also told the disciples and all future believers: ‘By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have LOVE one to another.’ (John 13:35) And that is certainly something the many denominations of Christ’s church don’t have for each other. There is so much petty bickering among the denominations, and even within the denominations that we spend more time fighting amongst ourselves than doing Christ’s work. No wonder the devil is winning! 

And the sad part is that Jesus kept pounding into our heads the great necessity for LOVE amongst the brethren. He said it twice more to them in John 15. ‘This is my commandment, That ye LOVE one another, as I have LOVED you.’ (John 15:12) Then again a few verses later. ‘These things I command you, that ye LOVE one another.’ (John 15:17) 

Oh my fellow saints, why would Jesus say the same thing so often if it wasn’t very important eh? And it’s not like we don’t know the importance of LOVE and working together to make a dream or a purpose come true. But for some reason or other, we can’t seem to put it all together to do the work Jesus commissioned us to do. And John even reminds us of it in his first epistle, where he writes: ‘For this is the message that ye heard from the beginning, that we should LOVE one other.’ (1 John 3:11) 

Then John takes it a step further in his treatise on LOVE. He exhorts: ‘Beloved, let us LOVE one another: for LOVE is of God; and every one that LOVETH is born of God, and knoweth God. He that LOVETH not knoweth not God; for God is LOVE.’ (1 John 4:7-8)  Ah friends, John hits the nail right on the head there. So many of us talk glibly about LOVE, but it’s only lip service, for we don’t practice it, that means we don’t truly know God, for God is LOVE. And if we truly knew God, we’d be practicing LOVE like He demands of us. 

It’s as Jesus said of the religious leaders in His time. ‘This people draweth nigh (near) unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips, but their heart is far from me.’ (Matt. 15:8) That’s the very same thing that exists on a rather large scale today, that’s why Christ’s church is not more effective in spreading His gospel and thus bringing more people to Him seeking salvation and eternal life. 

And we’ll end with one more quote on the subject from John’s first epistle. He quite clearly explains: ‘Herein is LOVE, not that we LOVED God, but that he LOVED us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so LOVED us, we ought also to LOVE one another.’ (1 John 4:10-11)

 And if all this talk on LOVING God and each other, doesn’t make a dent in our hard , stony hearts and bring some improvement to our behaviour, then I truly don’t know what else to say! Much LOVE!

…with our great God…it’s all about LOVE…everything begins and ends with LOVE…

Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien

Today’s Scrip-Bit   30 December 2023   1 John 2:15a.

30 Dec 2023 Leave a comment

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

1 John 2:15a.        LOVE not the world, neither the things that are in the world.

And here it is, another lazy-day Saturday clouded in darkness and drizzle! The eve of New Years’s Eve to boot! The time when preparations for the big day are at an all time high. But I don’t think the inclement weather will stop the celebrations, or even curtail it much, for in years past when it was snow instead of rain, everything went on as normal. It seems we will brace any kind of weather to celebrate the incoming New Year. However, for those of us who are not into all the hoopla of the time, and just want to be lazy and relax quietly with God and our thoughts, after all the hullabaloo of Christmas, this wet and cloudy day is admirably suited for it. 

So let’s turn to God and open up our hearts and souls to him, through our Lazy-Day Saturday Prayer. As one sincere voice: ‘Lord, I want to be with You now. Please slow my thoughts and quiet my soul. Let my muscles relax, my breath deepen. You are here with me – Your peace and LOVE are present. I marvel to think You can’t be contained, that Your LOVE both surrounds and fills me. Thank You for this tenderness, Lord. I praise You for Your unceasing nearness. Increase my awareness of You today, that I may know You all the more. Amen!’ 

Ah friends, it’s ever so good to be quiet and talk to out heavenly Father, knowing that He hears us and will react favourably to our requests to grow closer to Him. And there’s really nothing in this world that pleases God more than when we seek to have greater intimacy with Him, because that’s the main purpose for which He created us; to have close fellowship, enjoyable communion together. And sadly, that’s where many of us believers, and the world in general has fallen down; we don’t favour close fellowship and communion with God, our Creator and Controller. 

Now, isn’t that somewhat foolish, not to want to communicate with the One who made you and still pulls all your strings? I would say it’s downright foolish, since within our own strength we can’t do a whole lot. Jesus puts it very clearly: ‘without me ye can do nothing.’ (John 15:5) And as Moses says in the Good Library: ‘But thou shalt remember the Lord thy God: for it is he that giveth thee power to get wealth that he may establish (confirm) his covenant which he sware unto thy fathers, as it is this day. And it shall be, if thou do at all forget the Lord thy God, and walk after other Gods, and serve them, and worship them, I testify against you this day that ye shall surely perish. As the nations which the Lord destroyeth before your face, so shall ye perish; because ye would not be obedient unto the voice of the Lord your God.’ (Deut. 8:18-20) 

No wonder we’re suffering so many trials and tribulations in these ghastly times! We have certainly turned away from the Lord God Jehovah and served and worshipped other supposed gods. We are even attempting to get rid of Him completely from our society. What madness, what foolishness! Do you really think the Creator of the universe will allow some mickey mouse creation of His, called mankind, to overthrow Him? No way Jose! Look at Satan, as the archangel Lucifer, he tried the same foolishness, to overthrow God. 

And what happened to him eh? He was unceremoniously kicked out of heaven along with the other foolish angels who sided with him, to walk the earth and dwell in hellfire in sorrow and pain, eternally separated from the One True God! Is that what we want for ourselves and our families? It would certainly seem so, since so many of us have turned away, or are turning away from the God of our forefathers and embracing some pagan form of religion like materialism that the world favours so much. But friends, that’s the wisdom of a fool, for you cannot carry any of that material stuff with you when you die. You only take what you brought with you, your soul! 

And as Jesus so gravely warned. ‘And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.’ (Matt. 10:28) But we seem to fear mankind who can only kill our bodies, much more than Jehovah God who can destroy both our bodies and souls in hell, as he has already done with the fool Satan, the prince of darkness and foolishness, whom we seem so intent on following. Oh my people the scriptures tell us so often that it’s unwise to follow any other deity than the One and ONLY True God. 

That’s the God of Abraham, Issac and Jacob, who created the world and all therein and stills controls it, and will NEVER give up what He created. But we simply refuse to listen and keep going our own way, only to suffer the pangs of the devil and hell. When are we going to wake up and realize that the devil is only out to cause confusion, hatred and violence on the earth eh? Anything that will turn us away from God is what the enemy is searching for and ever so ready and willing to use. And unfortunately, we give him so many opportunities to enter our souls and disturb and destroy them when we don’t stay close to God; don’t read His word, don’t pray, don’t talk to Him and obey His holy will. 

That’s why James also warns us to ‘Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw nigh (near) to God and he will draw nigh (near) to you… Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.’ (James 4:7, 8a, 10) And Peter likewise cautions us: ‘Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time. Casting all your care upon him, for he careth for you.’ (1 Pet. 5:6-7) And the Lord showed His heartfelt care and compassion when He sent His only Son, Jesus Christ to die on the cross at Calvary to save us from our abominable sins. So how can we believe, much less say that He doesn’t care for us eh? 

And we’ll close with this other warning from John written in his first epistle. ‘LOVE not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man LOVE the world, the LOVE of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh (physical desires), and the lust of the eyes (personal desires), and the pride of life (self-interest), is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.’ (1 John 2:15-17) 

Oh friends, when are we going to wake up to the reality that there’s no greater force in this world than Jehovah God, it’s Creator and Controller, and He cares for us and desires us to spend eternal life with Him? If we allow Satan to plunge the world in much more darkness, then it might just be too late. Let’s be wise and make the necessary changes in our lives and in our world right now nuh. Much LOVE!

…he who doesn’t hear…will surely feel…  

Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ                 

Today’s Scrip-Bit 27 July 2021 Psalm 90:12.

27 Jul 2021 Leave a comment

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

Psalm 90:12.      So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom (gain a heart of wisdom).

More new mercies and compassions from heaven on this new morning friends! Wow! Who else blesses His people with such wonderful gifts each and every day eh? No One but the mighty God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob! So why do so many of us obstinately refuse to praise and worship Him eh? Just stupid, sinful human pride yes! We think because we’ve reached such glorious heights of evolution that we are the rulers of our own destiny…

Hn! What a joke! And if we’re so great, why can’t we avoid things like death and taxes eh? (smile) Because we are not the greatest thing since sliced bread. Yeh, I know that we are supposed to be the smartest and most wonderful creation in the universe. But we certainly don’t show our wisdom when we deliberately turn away from our Creator, the One and Only Living God Jehovah and worship all sorts of idols and dead things that can do absolutely nothing for us. 

And though the Jewish people way back in time might have been dense and obstinate, when life got rough and tough with them because of their disobedience, they immediately turned back to the God of their forefathers and were once more gently and LOVINGLY ensconced in the arms of their Creator. But not this generation of humanity! 

Because of the medical and technological strides we’ve made, we simply think that we are so great, we don’t need anybody else, especially some God far away in someplace called heaven. So this pandemic that’s been riding roughshod over our world for over a year now, and shows no signs of really going away anytime soon, hasn’t even made us think about returning to the fold of God. Instead, many of us are still touting the disgraceful and foolish idea of ridding our society of God period! 

That’s why Moses in his only psalm, Psalm 90, and thus the oldest one in the Psalter, wrote these marvellous words of truth and wisdom. ‘Lord, thou hast been our dwelling place (place of refuge) in all generations. Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever thou hadst formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, thou art God.’ ( Ps. 90:1-2) Yes friends, those statements must have great truth in them because no other human being had as much intimacy with God as Moses did. So he should know a thing or two about God. 

And thus, he continues: ‘Thou turnest man to destruction; and sayest, Return ye children of men.’ (Ps. 90:3) And that’s exactly what our heavenly Father is pleading with us to do right now in these sick and oh so turbulent times my people! Our magnificent and magnanimous God desperately wants us to come back to his fold, so that He can heal both us and our land. But instead of listening to and obeying Him, we are becoming more stubborn, arrogant, prideful, disobedient and stupid with each passing day! 

Listen to how Moses explains it nuh. ‘For a thousand years in thy sight are but as yesterday when it is past, and as a watch in the night. Thou carriest them away as with a flood; they are as a sleep: in the morning they are like grass which groweth up. In the morning it flourisheth, and groweth up; in the evening it is cut down, and withereth. For we are consumed by thine anger, and by thy wrath are we troubled (terrified).’ (Ps. 90:4-7) 

Yes my brethren, we ought to be terrified at God’s wrath, but obviously we are not, if we’re still being totally sinful, disobedient and ungodly! And any sensible creation would realize that something is dreadfully wrong with its way of life if at one and the same time its world is being plagued by sickness and poverty, strife and all kinds of natural disasters, even to the point of abnormal weather patterns. But no, mankind, the supposed greatest creation ever, doesn’t seem to think anything’s seriously wrong with his immoral, sinful and godless lifestyle. It’s not a factor in the troubled times he’s now experiencing. 

But hear Moses again nuh: ‘Thou hast set our iniquities before thee, our secret sins in the light of thy countenance. For all our days are passed away in thy wrath; we spend our years as a tale that is told (a mere sigh). The days of our years are three score years and ten (our lives are seventy years long); and if by reason of strength they be fourscore years, yet is their strength (boast only) labour and sorrow; for it is soon cut off and we fly away. Who knoweth the power of thine anger? Even according to thy fear, so is thy wrath.’ (Ps. 90:8-11) 

Friends, please, let’s wake up and realize that our God is not a joke or a plaything. He’s been in existence long before we were, and will still be there long after we aren’t! Remember a thousand years to Him is only like a night watch, three hours, and consequently our lives are like a vapour that floats away after a li’l time. It’s ‘like a blade of grass that sprouts, fades, withers, and dies in a day.’ So why do we insist on being so arrogant, stubborn, prideful and disobedient eh, when we have no proper grounds to do so? 

As the old people would say ‘we just smelling our aram.’ Meaning we think more highly of ourselves than we ought to, we believe ourselves to be wiser and more powerful than we really are. And these words of Moses, written so far back in the past, are surprisingly still of immense importance today. He writes: ‘So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom (gain a heart of wisdom). Return, O Lord, how long? And let it repent thee concerning (have compassion on) thy servants. O satisfy us early with thy mercy; that we may rejoice and be glad all our days.’ (Ps. 90:12-14) 

Yeh precious people, the indisputable truth is that our world will only get better if we turn back to our God in repentance and obedience. For regardless of what or how we think, in the long run, we are definitely not masters of our own fate! And the sooner we wake up and realize that li’l fact, the better off we’ll all be. Now, for those of us who already recognize it (smile), let’s go home declaring (yeahhh!!!) our Tuesday Mantra, letting the world know who and whose we are. 

In strong voice: ‘In God’s eyes, I’m not what I do. I’m not what I have. I’m not what people say about me. I am the beloved of God, that’s who I am. No one can take that from me. I don’t have to worry. I don’t have to hurry. I can trust my friend Jesus and share His LOVE with the world. Amen!’ 

And the upshoot of that, is we must now go out and share that awesome LOVE and amazing friendship of Christ with others, so that they too can come to know and LOVE Him! Much LOVE!

…it’s so wonderful living and working for Jesus…but not always easy… (smile)                                                                                                     

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

Today’s Scrip-Bit 6 June 2021 Mark 1:11.

06 Jun 2021 Leave a comment

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

Mark 1:11.     And there came a voice from heaven, saying, Thou art my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.

And the heat wave is on this Sunday morning in Southern Ontario! Hope your A/C units are working well, otherwise you are liable to burn up in the heat – a small preview of what hell is like. (smile) And come to think of it, that might just motivate us to turn to Christ! For if we can’t stand this minor earthly heat, then how we going to stand the blazing heat that’s supposed to exist in Hades eh? But since we not going there, we don’t have to concern ourselves about how hot it is, just think about getting through this earthly summer weather in good stead with Christ, our Lord and Saviour. 

And as is our custom when we gather to worship on the Lord’s Day, be it in person in His sanctuary, or through technological means, we open with a song of praise and worship. And today’s hymn titled ‘I Need Thee Every Hour’ is a magnificent anthem to how much we do need Jesus Christ. The song was written by Anne Hawks, an American poet and gospel hymnist, in 1872, with the music annotated by Pastor Robert Lowry. 

The website Godtube claims that Hawks explained the purpose of the hymn thus:”For myself, the hymn was prophetic rather than expressive of my own experiences, for it was wafted out to the world on the wings of love and joy, instead of under the stress of personal sorrow.” And they report Lowry as saying: “I believe it was the expression of her own experience. It came to me in the form of five simple stanzas, to which I added the chorus to make it more serviceable. It inspired me at its first reading. It first appeared in a small collection of original songs prepared for the National Baptist Sunday-school Association, held in Cincinnati, Ohio in November 1872, and was sung on that occasion.”  

Meanwhile the website umcdiscipleship.org claims ‘to have a personal account of the genesis of the song: Hawks writes, “One day as a young wife and mother of 37 years of age, I was busy with my regular household tasks during a bright June morning [in 1872]. Suddenly, I became so filled with the sense of nearness to the Master that, wondering how one could live without Him, either in joy or pain, these words were ushered into my mind, the thought at once taking full possession of me — ‘I Need Thee Every Hour…'” 

However, ‘Following the death of her husband, Hawks reflected on the power of her song: “I did not understand at first why this hymn had touched the great throbbing heart of humanity. It was not until long after, when the shadow fell over my way, the shadow of a great loss, that I understood something of the comforting power in the words which I had been permitted to give out to others in my hour of sweet serenity and peace.”Ah friends, such is the mysterious working of our great God. He causes us to do stuff that doesn’t take on any serious personal importance until much later on, when something happens in our lives, and that same stuff is there to comfort and help us. 

So, having gotten all that info on the hymn, let’s finally sing it nuh, lifting up our hearts and voices to heaven with sincere need.‘I need thee every hour, Most gracious Lord, No tender voice like thine, Can peace afford. (Chorus: I need thee oh I need thee, Every hour I need thee, Oh bless me now my Saviour, I come to thee.) I need thee every hour, Stay thou near by, Temptations lose their power, When thou art nigh (Chorus) 

I need thee every hour, In joy or pain, Come quickly and abide, or life is vain. (Chorus) I need thee every hour; teach me thy will, and thy rich promises in me fulfill. (Chorus) I need thee every hour, Most holy one, Oh make me thine indeed Thou blessed Son. (Chorus: I need thee oh I need thee, Every hour I need thee, Oh bless me now my Saviour, I come to thee. I need thee, Oh I need thee, Oh bless me now my Saviour, I come to thee…I come to thee…’

Oh my people, what heartfelt sentiments, sentiments that are all basically about intimacy with God. And today, we’re just going to look at some scriptures that deal with that intimacy. Now it was a hard choice because there are so many, and I therefore chose those that spoke to my heart. And the first one is obviously these words of Moses to the Israelites, which Jesus hailed as the greatest commandment. ‘And thou shalt LOVE the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.’ (Deut. 6:5) If we’re talking about intimacy with God, we must totally give our all to Him. 

Then there are these magnificent words of intimacy written by Bruh David: ‘As the hart panteth after (deer long for) the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God. My soul thirsteth for God, for the living God: when shall I come and appear before him?’ (Ps. 42:1-2) And if those words of Bruh David didn’t inspire you to intimacy with God, then try these: ‘O God, thou art my God; early will I seek thee: my soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee in a dry and thirsty land.’ (Ps. 63:1) How much more intimate can we get than by sincerely longing to be with our Maker, our Provider and our God eh? 

Now hear Jesus to the disciples. ‘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.’ Wow! That’s intimacy personified! One abiding in the other! You couldn’t get any closer than that! 

And we obviously could not leave out this gem from Bruh Paul: ‘But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ…That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death.’ (Phil. 3:7, 10) Yes friends, Bruh Paul wants to experience the stuff that Christ went through so that he could have a real personal experience, suffering His death, as well as His resurrection. Now that’s what you call hungering for real intimacy! 

Now, let’s close with what I believe is the most intimate scripture, that at Christ’s baptism: Mark describes it thus: ‘And it came to pass in those days, that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee, and was baptized of John in Jordan. And straightway coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens opened (torn open), and the Spirit like a dove descending upon him: And there came a voice from heaven, saying, Thou art my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.’ (Mark 1:9-11) 

Oh my fellow saints, I think that is the greatest picture of intimacy we can ever get; that wonderful interaction between Father, Son and Holy Ghost, our wonderful Triune Godhead! I’m sure it warmed the cockles of Jesus’ heart, that the Father chose to acknowledge Him before the earthly crowd, and have His Spirit empower Him for His upcoming ministry. 

Now, since we are representatives of Christ, we surely need to have intimacy with Him. And the best way to get it is, as He says, abide in Him, and let Him abide in us, for when we do that, both the Father and the Holy Spirit will also come to abide in us. Then we can show intimacy to those around us. It’s all in a day’s walk with Jesus my people! Much LOVE!

…our God created us…above all else…for intimacy with Him…                                                            

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

Today’s Scrip-Bit 10 September 2020 Romans 8:18.

10 Sep 2020 Leave a comment

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

Romans 8:18.     ​For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.

Well Thursday has opened wet and gloomy… Let’s hope it doesn’t stay that way. But the caffeine is excellent – strong and sweet. (smile) And though life might be filled with trials and adversities, anxieties and fears, we believers are able to keep on moving forward successfully because the most powerful person in the universe, Jesus Christ, dwells within us, and we are also in Him! Wow! What a wonderful situation to be in my brethren! That’s why we say with such positivity and assurance: ‘I can do ALL things through Christ who strengthens me!’ (Phil. 4:13) 

That’s basic logic. If you are indwelt by the ONE to whom nothing is impossible, then you must also be a champion in life like Him! Glory be! So today, please let us not fall prey to the wiles and deceits and outright lies of the enemy as he tries to encumber our lives with more confusion than we already have. Let’s remember who we are; children of the Most High God Jehovah, believers in Christ Jesus, who ought to be living a Spirit filled life. As Bruh Paul said to the church at Rome: ‘There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.’ (Rom. 8:1) 

Yes friends, as believers who are indwelt by the Holy Spirit of Christ, we ought to listen to Him and follow His direction, because He is our guide, comforter and general advisor. And Bruh Paul continues: ‘For they that are after the flesh do mind (set their minds on) the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit.’ (Rom. 8:5) And it’s been clearly stated that believers in Christ need to live by the Spirit of Christ else they don’t belong to Him. 

Hear How Bruh Paul puts it. ‘For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.’ (Rom. 8:14-15) Oh my people, what beautiful, faith filled scriptures! We have not received Christ and his Spirit only to be filled with fear again, but have been made fearless children of God, through adoption. 

Listen to the scholars. ‘8:15. The Spirit of adoption: The Holy Spirit places the believer as a son in God’s family. Abba (Aram for “father”): This is the intimate name used only by members of the family. It’s use here denotes the intimacy of the believer’s relation to God.’ Now isn’t that a most magnificent and desirous position to be in? Certainly! How can one not desire to be in an intimate relationship with Almighty God – Creator and sustainer of ALL – and be able to go to Him with father-like intimacy, just like we can go to our earthly fathers? That’s definitely not wisdom! 

So Bruh Paul relates: ‘The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together. For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.’ (Rom. 8:16-18) 

Mama Mia! Yuh hear that mih people? If we suffer for and with Christ, we’ll also be glorified with him! And what we suffering down here on earth today can’t be compared with the glory of life with Christ when His kingdom rules! Glory be! So instead of pouting and complaining about the sufferings down here, we should be concentrating on the joys and pleasures that we will receive later on when we’re glorified with Christ! 

But let’s hear what the scholars have to say: ‘8:16. The witness of the Spirit is the inner assurance of God’s truth. One of the conditions of this inner conviction concerning the things of God is obedience to His known will (John 7:17). God uses this ministry of the Holy Spirit to convince us of truth that cannot be understood other than through divine help (Matt. 16:17). 

Illustration: This witness was obvious in Peter’s confession of Christ (Matt. 16:16-17) Even though others had observed Christ and drawn certain erroneous conclusions, Peter received spiritual insight from God as to who Jesus really was (Matt. 16:17). This enlightenment did not mean he had nothing more to learn, because perhaps within minutes of his confession, he was being rebuked by Jesus for his lack of spiritual insight – (Get thee behind me Satan) (Matt. 16:23)

Application: Christians should be careful always to obey the clearly revealed will of God, so as not to hinder this ministry in their lives. (first ref. Matt. 16:17; Primary Ref. Rom. 8:16, cf. Heb. 6:1-2).’ 

‘8:17. Joint-heirs with Christ: All believers share all of the inheritance together. They also have the promise of glorification if their lives are lived devotedly and sacrificially unto the Lord.’ Yeh friends, just like the inheritance business works down here on earth, so it going to work in Christ’s kingdom…if we live obedient to God. ‘8:18. The sufferings of this present time: See 2 Corinthians 4:17-18. The glory which shall be revealed: The blessed hope of the Christian looks ahead with anticipation to this great moment. See also 1 Thessalonians 4:15-18; Titus 2:13.’ 

It’s all about anticipation precious people, about belief, about faith! And I wanted to share some of those scriptures, but we just don’t have the time or space…maybe tomorrow, if the Lord wills. But if you can, please peruse some of them, they are all very relevant to our Christian life. Now let’s go home declaring (steups!) our Thursday Blessings, which have been magnanimously bestowed on us to help us in our earthly ministry. 

All together now, in strong, sincere voice: ‘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 having confessed all those wonderful blessings, let’s get to sharing them just as magnanimously nuh! Much LOVE!

…walk in the Spirit…so we don’t fulfill the lusts of the flesh… 

Today’s Scrip-Bit 17 January 2018 Psalm 27:4.

17 Jan 2018 Leave a comment

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

Psalm 27:4.   One thing have I desired of the Lord, that I will seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty (delightfulness) of the Lord, and to inquire in his temple.

Ah mih people, a friend who reads the Bit told me yesterday that everyday I complain about the weather. Well, today, I’m just going to say that it’s sunny and cold. (smile) And oh… that it’s better in Tobago. It certainly is! 

Now let’s move on to something more worthwhile than the weather. It’s a poem titled ‘Beauty’ by Gramps Schuler (Dr. Robert H. Schuller) from His hour of Power Devotional. I’m sure I’ve shared it before, but as they say, when it’s nice you’ve got to share it at least thrice. (smile) 

Please pray with me. ‘Thank you, Father, for filling the world with beauty. I thank you for the beauty of life, the beauty of LOVE, the beauty of children, and the beauty of old people. I thank you for the beauty of Christ and for the beauty of any life where Christ is invited through the Holy Spirit. Thank you, Father, that you have made my life beautiful too. Amen.’ 

Isn’t that special friends? It surely is! And you young people will notice that there’s also beauty in old people. (smile) When we’re imbued with Christ and the Holy Spirit, we can see beauty in almost any and everything! That’s because Christ Himself is beautiful and He opens our eyes to the beauty of the things around us. 

If we don’t have Christ in us, then our eyes are clouded and nothing looks beautiful. And how does this all happen eh? The Daily Bread tells us that ‘The Holy Spirit transforms us through His LOVE and by His grace.’ What powerful tools my people; LOVE and grace, through which despicable sinners like you and me can be transformed into righteous believers, to be called the righteousness of Christ! 

And all God’s children declared a loud and grateful: ‘Thank You heavenly Father for filling us with your grace and LOVE and bringing us into righteous fellowship with You, through Your Son Jesus Christ. We LOVE and adore You and will continue to do our best to live the way You want us to. In Jesus name we pray. Amen!’ 

That brings us to the heartfelt desire of Bruh David in our Bit. ‘One thing have I desired of the Lord, that I will seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty (delightfulness) of the Lord, and to inquire in his temple.’ 

Oh friends, when we take time to really know our God, we’ll find that He is truly delightful. But we can only discover that wonderful aspect of His character by taking time to spend with Him and getting to know Him intimately. Many of us claim we know God, but as soon as something negative happens and He doesn’t fix it immediately, we turn on Him. 

But we have to remember that God is the potter and we are the clay, and we have to abide by His decisions, be they convenient and/or comfortable for us. And when we abide by His decisions, without a whole lot of complaining, however they may affect us, that’s when we come into true intimacy with Him and He shows us His true delightful self by blessing us with His LOVE and mercy. 

It’s just like being with our earthly fathers. Unless we spend sufficient time with them, (pay attention children) we won’t know their true ways. But when we do, and learn their likes and dislikes, and generally stay on their good side, we see the delightfulness of our fathers and are usually showered with LOVE and blessings. Our God is no different; He wants our constant attention and expects us to do His will. 

What did Bruh David say in our Bit? ‘…that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life…’ Oh my brethren, do we feel that way; like we want to dwell with the Lord for our entire lives? If we’ve truly surrendered our lives to Him, then we ought to. 

And if we haven’t surrendered our lives to Him, then we ought to right now, today, because time is of the essence; Jesus is coming back soon, and once He returns there will be no more chance for surrender. 

And we all know that although Bruh David wasn’t perfect, made mistakes for which he paid dearly, he faithfully trusted the Lord in all aspects of his life, and was quick to ask for forgiveness, thus the Lord’s LOVING-kindness towards him. We can have the same kind of life friends, if we do our best to walk in step with God. 

Hear how Bruh David ends Psalm 27. ‘I had fainted, unless I had believed to see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait (in faith) on the Lord: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the Lord.’ (Ps.27:13-14) 

Words of everlasting wisdom my people! Words that we ought to follow in our own lives, if we sincerely want to experience the goodness of God. Nuff said! 

Now let’s go home declaring our Wednesday Wail, letting the world know of our wonderful relationship with the Lord. In all sincerity and truth 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 we all know that it will be indeed a glorious future, so let’s do our best to encourage others to join us in looking forward to it nuh. Much LOVE!

…the more time we spend with God…the more intimate we’ll get with Him…

 

 

Today’s Scrip-Bit 24 September 2016 Proverbs 3:5-6.

24 Sep 2016 Leave a comment

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

Proverbs 3:5-6.    Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct (make smooth or straight) thy paths.

Well friends, it’s the first Saturday in the northern climes fall season.  So what is it to you eh, you ask? Well if you’re living in a tropical climate, then it means zero, zilch (smile). But if your abode is in the north country, then you have to start taking out jackets, sweaters, long pants, and long johns for some, and put away the skimpy tops and shorts till next summer. 

The thing that annoys me about autumn though is that sometimes the days look so bright and warm and sunny, and you go out dressed for such, but as soon as the sun begins to set, the cold weather creeps in, and you find yourself not suitably dressed for it. And yet, many of us still flaunt the macho image by being not properly dressed in those in-between times. 

That’s why so many people get sick around this time. Anyway, to each his own, and as the man said, if you don’t pay me now, you’re going to pay me much more later on, when things like arthritis begin to take their toll. It’s just like Christians who don’t do what they are supposed to, and pay a hefty price later on. (smile) 

Now since it’s Saturday, let’s turn to a couple of quotes from our friend Anselm, who always aspires to inspire us. And the first one is certainly good advice. ‘Consult not your fears but your hopes and your dreams.  Think not about your frustrations, but about your unfulfilled potential.  Concern yourself not with what you tried and failed in, but with what it is still possible for you to do.’ 

Yes friends, we should not dwell on the negatives in our lives, but we must learn from them and then move on to the bright future that lies ahead, gloriously waiting for us, as we follow Jesus. 

And the second one is ever so true. ‘Lots of people want to ride with you in the limo, but what you want is someone who will take the bus with you when the limo breaks down.’ 

Gospel truth mih people, and I can testify to that on a small level. But you’ll notice the numerous hangers’ ons, the large entourages that travel around with the reigning celebrities in good times. However, when the rough times come, a lot of it from spending lavishly on those same leeches and parasites, they simply disappear and look for another sucker.  

And the best way to prevent such shenanigans is by paying heed to our Bit. ‘Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct (make smooth or straight) thy paths.’ 

Ah friends, truer words were never spoken, or better advice ever given! 

Hear how the scholars explain it nuh.  ‘3:5-6. Three commands are given: trust, meaning “rely on, depend on”; lean not, meaning do not depend on your own native instincts; and acknowledge him, meaning have fellowship and intimacy with God in all of life. The result of such devotion is that God will make the paths straight before you.’ 

It makes perfect sense my brethren! God is the omnipotent, omniscient, omni-present Creator of the universe and He controls every aspect of it, so He is obviously the best person to get into partnership and fellowship with, if we truly want to be successful. 

Now one thing is for sure, He will not forsake you when times get rough and you have to ride the bus rather than preen in the limousine. He will be right there riding the bus beside you. That’s the kind of God we worship my people; faithful and trustworthy to the very end! 

And listen to how Cousin Sol continues after our Bit. ‘Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the Lord and depart from evil. It shall be health to thy navel (body), and marrow (strength) to thy bones.’ (Prov.3:7-8)  

More wonderful words of wisdom my fellow believers! Unfortunately though, we can give others the best advice possible, but it’s still their decision to act on it or not. As they say, you can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make it drink. The same goes for human beings, especially in these godless and ever so lustful and sinful times! 

And then again, sometimes we try it, but don’t get the results we want, or they don’t come as quickly as we desire, so we lose faith. But if we pay serious attention to Bruh David’s words from Psalm 37 – The true state of the wicked – we’ll see that after he says: ‘Trust in the Lord, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed (feed on his faithfulness).’ He then specifies: ‘Delight thyself also in the Lord; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.’ (Ps.37:3-4) 

Yuh see friends, we need to take pleasure in being obedient to God, before we can get the desires of our hearts. The Lord doesn’t just give out desires for no good reason; we first have to invest time, energy, trust and faithfulness in the relationship. Another thing we need is patience, here considered perseverance. 

Bruh David ends Psalm 27 – The Lord is my light and my salvation thus: ‘Wait on the Lord: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the Lord.’ (Ps.27:14) Notice how he emphasizes waiting, both at the beginning and at the end of that wonderful encouraging and uplifting verse. 

Ah friends, impatience is one of the serious mistakes we make as Christians. We want to apply the now for now system of the world, but that is not God’s way. He will give us all we desire, but in His own time and in His own way. And until we learn to wait patiently on Him, while keeping a good attitude and being obedient, we’ll never fully attain the great plans He has for our lives. 

More on this tomorrow, the Lord willing. Till then, may He bless and keep us safely, and cause His wonderful countenance to shine upon us, and give us His peace which surpasses all understanding. That’s my prayer for us this day. Much LOVE!

…only as we obey…trust in…give thanks…delight in…and are faithful to Almighty God…will our lives be truly blessed…

 

 

Today’s Scrip-Bit 29 May 2016 Matthew 5:16.

29 May 2016 Leave a comment

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

Matthew 5:16.    Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.

Well my people, a new week has begun! Yes it’s Sunday, the Lord’s Day, the day for worshipping and praising and fellowshipping and rejuvenating our spirits at God’s sanctuary, or wherever two or three of God’s children choose to gather! 

That’s the beauty of our faith; we don’t have to meet in a physical building, although that’s nice, but we can meet anywhere at all, under any conditions, and still invoke the Spirit of Christ to lead us in praise and worship. 

Neither do we have to always meet in great numbers, although that too would be desirable, but we can have church with only two or three believers. I remember doing that some years ago. On a particularly cold winter’s morn, just the priest, Rev. Anne, the lay reader and I showed up for the 8.30 service. So they called me up to the altar, and we had church. 

And you know there’s something about having church with only a few people that I like. I don’t know if it’s because there seems to be more intimacy with God and with each other. As the saying goes, there’s more room for God in an empty church. (smile) 

Anyway, enough of my rambling, let’s move along, because we have plenty stuff to share this last Sunday morning in May of 2016. And we are going to begin with this prayerful poem of Gramps Schuller (Robert H. Schuller) from his Hour of Power Devotional. It’s called ‘Fill Me!’ And it was so fine, I had to play it one more time. (smile) 

Please pray with me. ‘O Lord, like the thirsty deer which goes to drink from the mountain spring; like the growing flower which turns hungrily to the satisfying sun; like the empty pitcher which is carried to the fountain to be filled; so I come, O God, knowing that in this time of prayer my soul will be filled with your LOVE and your truth. Thank you! Amen.’ 

Yes Friends, we definitely need our souls to be filled with God’s LOVE and truth so that we can sincerely and successfully perform what Jesus asks of us in our Bit. ‘Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.’ 

Remember yesterday we spoke about being the salt of the earth and the light of the world; our condition and our mission? Well that salt and light ought to morph into good works which will glorify, exalt, and raise the esteem of our heavenly Father. The unbeliever will see our faithful service and thus come to embrace the living Christ as their Lord and Saviour too. 

Now Jesus, as is His wont, is putting it nicely to us here my fellow believers, but He didn’t have to, because that’s our bounden duty, it’s our main purpose here on earth, why we were created in the first place; to have fellowship with God, to glorify and exalt Him with our truly Christian conduct and consequently lead others to Him. 

And I hope that we sincerely pondered our individual situations on the subject as I asked, and then prayed to God for help to rectify and/or improve our personal testimonies of being salt and light in a dark, bland and evil world. 

Oh my people, it’s ever so important that we let our lights shine brilliantly wherever we are so that Jesus’ LOVE Revolution can grow, and we can spread the good news of His gospel to the entire world as He commanded in the Great Commission. 

‘Go ye therefore, and teach (make disciples of) all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost; Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always(s), even unto the end of the world.’ (Matt.28:19-20) 

Yes friends, all of that is included in being salt and light on God’s great earth! 

Now hear how Peter puts it when he talks about living as servants of God. ‘Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul; 

Having your conversation (conduct) honest (honourable) among the Gentiles: that whereas they speak against you as evildoers, they may by your good works, which they shall behold, glorify God in the day of visitation. 

Submit yourselves to every ordinance (institution) of man for the Lord’s sake: whether it be to the king, as supreme; Or unto governors; as unto them sent by him for the punishment of evildoers, and for the praise of them that do well. 

For so is the will of God that with well doing ye may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men. As free, and not using your liberty for a cloak of maliciousness (evil), but as the servants of God. Honour all men, LOVE the brotherhood. Fear God. Honour the king.’ (1 Pet.2:11-17) 

Yes my brethren, that’s basically how we as Christians, followers of Christ, ought to live! Submit to authority, have a kind heart to everyone, especially to fellow believers, and above all, honour, reverence, fear, glorify and exalt Almighty God, our Creator and Provider! 

Now, as we all know, it’s not easy living sincerely and successfully for Christ in this evil world, filled with numerous lusts and temptations, but if we walk and talk and be led by the Holy Spirit of God that dwells within us, we can make a positive difference in the world. 

And yuh know friends, that’s all Jesus really desires of us; to make a positive difference in our earthly sojourn, no matter how small and seemingly negligible it might be. We can’t all be worldly movers and shakers, but we can ALL be effective believers and doers of the Word in our small spheres of influence. So let’s do it nuh. Much LOVE!

…even the smallest good deed in Christ’s name…will be well rewarded by our heavenly Father…

 

 

Today’s Scrip-Bit 28 January 2016 Psalm 40:4

28 Jan 2016 Leave a comment

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

Psalm 40:4.    Blessed is that man that maketh the Lord his trust, and respecteth not the proud, nor such as turn aside to lies. 

Ahoy there friends and fellow believers! From my little cottage by the sea in Tobago, I write these words of LOVE to you!

Yes mih people, it is wonderful being in Tobago. I haven’t done much as yet, but just the warm weather and salty air has me feeling less pained up and tired, plus I finally got a good night’s sleep last night.

Now what did I do after we last spoke yesterday? Well after sending out the Bit, while the duchess was sleeping, I went down to a li’l waterhole close to my cottage and soaked in the salt water for about half an hour. Well it’s not really a water hole, but just a man-made inlet on this side of the bay.

Thankfully this space has sand and not rocks or coral like a couple of other places along the shoreline. Oh friends, being in the sea felt so wonderful, I…I can’t find words to describe it.

For a few minutes I just lay floating on my back, arms outstretched, legs together, cross-like, looking up at the blue sky with white clouds drifting gently by and the bright sun going down in the east, giving thanks to my creator for bringing me home to Tobago to renew, refresh and revitalize my tired soul, body, spirit and mind.

Then later in the evening, when the duchess got up, we went down to the grocery, Penny Saver, and stocked up on food. Then we came home, had a quiet evening, with no t.v. because apparently when the rain falls, the cables which are foolishly run underground get wet and malfunction. Ah Lord eh!

Strangely enough, both yesterday and today have been cloudy with intermittent short bursts of rain. This is usually the dry season, with not much rain, and even the forest on the other side of the lagoon seems brown and dry. Hopefully my arrival brought the blessings, (smile) and not climate change.

And this morning it was nice to sit outside and do my daily devotions, looking at the tumbling sea and the beautiful scenery, while feeling the cool wind as it blew along, instead of being cloistered up in a cold house. One could hardly ever refuse to pray and give thanks under such excellent conditions.

The only thing that has surprised me so far, is that the wind has kept up a brisk pace all yesterday and today. The poor trees have had to dance along with little respite.

Now let’s get to what I had originally planned to write. It’s a poem from the One Year Book of Bible Promises with writings by Ruth Harms Calkin. This one is simply titled: ‘I TRUST.’

And it says: ‘O God, thank You That Your promises are valid As long as the world lasts. They do not suddenly dissolve When my faith is feeble And my courage fails. When You have given a promise You will perform it – Sight or no sight Feeling or no feeling.

You may take me Through the darkest night The deepest waters. The very worst may happen But out of it You will bring the very best For Your word remains secure. Lord, keep me faithful in my trust. When I can articulate no other prayer May my waiting heart Continually avow: I trust! I trust!’

Oh Friends, not enough trust is the bane, the downfall of every believer! When times are good, there’s no problem in trusting our heavenly Father, but when times are rough, that is the time we need to trust the most and when we seem to trust the least.

And what we need to remember is that total surrender means total trust. So if we are prone to doubt, that means we have not completely surrendered. And as such, we will not see the full working of God in our lives. As Jesus said to the blind men: ‘According to your faith be it unto you.’ (Matt.9:29)

Yes my people, according to our faith, so will it be unto us too, because faith implies surrender and trust. So how much you surrender and trust, that’s how much you will receive. And from personal experience, I can tell you that’s gospel truth, since over the years as I surrendered more fully and my faith and trust grew, so did the quality of my life!

And the verses pertaining to that poem are ones we all ought to know and follow, but we obviously don’t, that’s why our lives can be so topsy-turvy.

Hear these wonderful words of wisdom from Cousin Sol. ‘Trust in the Lord with all thine heart, and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct (make straight or smooth) thy paths.’ (Prov.3:5-6)

Ah mih breddren, there’s no disputing those words! If only we would follow them in our everyday lives eh! And the scholars have some interesting and wise thoughts which I’m sure I’ve shared before, but they are indeed important enough to share again.

‘3:5-6. Three commands are given: trust, meaning “rely on, depend on;” lean not, meaning do not depend on your own native instincts; and acknowledge him, meaning have fellowship and intimacy with God in all of life. The result of such devotion is that God will make the paths straight before you.’

Oh friends, the important word in all of that is ‘DEVOTION!’ It’s no different to our normal behaviour; we treat those who are devoted to us better than those who are not. It’s just a natural facet of our nature. Likewise, God will treat those who are devoted to Him better than those who are not.

And we’ll close with our Bit for today, which also greatly stresses the importance of trust in our heavenly Father. ‘Blessed is that man that maketh the Lord his trust, and respecteth not the proud, nor such as turn aside to lies.’ Much LOVE!

…whatever you put into an earthly relationship…is what you will usually get back…the same applies to God…

P.S. The duchess went out the street for a walk some time ago. Next thing, I got a phone call saying she’s up the road at the Hotel Magdalena having coffee on the balcony. Well that’s fine by me, the walk will do her good. Don’t think I could have walked so far – well not as yet.

However, I’m going to have some ‘souse’ now on my not as spiffy balcony! Glory to God! Unexpectedly I found the souse person outside Penny saver last night, and tonight I’m going back to get some black pudding…Oh, am I in heaven or what! Much LOVE!

 

 





 

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