Today’s Scrip-Bit 26 January 2012 Isaiah 43:13

26 Jan 2012 Leave a comment

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

Isaiah 43:13.      Yea, before the day was I am he; and there is none that can deliver out of my hand: I will work, and who shall let it?

Oh Friends, as I keep saying our Lord does indeed work in mysterious ways! And what made me say that this time? Well I’ve been reading this Devotional by Dr. Robert Schuller, Hours of Power, for a few years now, and most of the devotionals strike some familiar chord as I read them year after year, but this one, hn! Truthfully this is the first time I really noticed this one. Today it just jumped out at me, and I realized that I had to share it. The title is Begin Each Day With A Positive Seed Thought. And it says: ‘Dress your mind when you dress your body. No discreet person would go into the world half dressed. No wise person will consider himself well dressed unless his mind is wearing a “positive idea” as a shield against the negative forces that will strike him before his workday begins. Make a hobby of collecting “shields for the spirit” that can fortify your mind as you move into the workaday world. Try these spirit shields.’ Then he goes on to give a few uplifting scriptures that can be used as shields. I won’t include them because we can all find the ones that are most appropriate and helpful to us personally. But Friends, I daresay that’s a jolly good idea! It could be immensely helpful when we get dressed in the body in the morning to also dress our minds and souls with affirmations of scripture. It will surely boost our spirits, filling us with pride and courage to go out and further the Saviour’s kingdom. Now turning to our Bit, which I had no trouble finding today, for as I opened the Good Book, that was the first passage my eyes fell on. Oh thank you Lord! And our Bit says: ‘Yea, before the day was I am he; and there is none that can deliver out of my hand: I will work, and who shall let it (reverse it)?’ And the simple, obvious, truthful answer to that Friends is ‘NOBODY!’ For there’s nobody greater or higher than our God! He created the universe and all therein, and still controls it. He says, ‘before the day was I am he.’ And Moses concurs in Psalm 90 by enthusiastically declaring: ‘Lord, thou hast been our dwelling place (refuge) in all generations. Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever thou hadst formed (gave birth to) the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting thou art God.’ (Ps.90:1-2) And Moses should really know about our God, for he had so many miraculous dealings with Him. It therefore follows that if the first part of our Bit is true, then the next part ‘and there is none that can deliver out of my hand,’ must needs be also true, for if our God is the greatest and existed before the universe was created, then who can overpower Him? And the same answer applies: ‘NOBODY!’ Hear again what the Lord says through His prophet Isaiah: ‘Come ye near unto me, hear ye this; I have not spoken in secret from the beginning; from the time that it was, there am I: and now the Lord God, and his Spirit hath sent me.’ (Is.48:16) Yes my people, our God has never spoken in secret, He’s always told it like it is right from the beginning with our forefather Adam. According to the scholars, many people have seen a reference to the Holy Trinity in that verse. It does sound plausible, if one asks the question, who is it that the Lord and His Spirit have sent? The last line of our Bit is also a powerful acclamation of our omnipotent God. He calmly but with great confidence says: ‘I will work, and who shall let it be (reverse it)?’ And that answer once again Friends is a resounding, ‘NOBODY!’ Job, who underwent a mighty test from God, said it this way: ‘He (God) is wise in heart, and mighty in strength: who hath hardened himself against him, and hath prospered?…Behold he taketh away, who can hinder him (turn him back)? Who will say unto him, What doest thou?’ (Job 9:4,12) And Isaiah concurs with: ‘This is the purpose that is purposed upon the whole earth: and this is the hand that is stretched out upon all the nations. For the Lord of hosts hath purposed, and who shall disannul it? and his hand is stretched out, and who shall turn it back?’ (Is.14:26-27) Ah Friends, as believers in the Most High God Jehovah, and followers of His most precious Son Jesus Christ, we know without a doubt that nobody or nothing in this universe is greater than, stronger, wiser, more LOVING, kind, merciful and forgiving than our heavenly Father. So let’s allow that to eliminate the fear in our souls nuh, the fear that this crazy, confused, unjust, evil world has caused to seep in there. Faith in the omnipotence of the Holy Trinity should make us unafraid of what the world can do. As Jesus 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) And that’s how we ought to operate Friends! In this auspicious year then of 2012, please let it be said that believers in Jesus Christ threw fear out of their souls and increased their faith so much, that they made a meaningful difference in the ongoing LOVE Revolution, and thus brought a greater modicum of peace to God’s wonderful world. Much LOVE!…fear restricts true LOVE…but faith empowers it…

Today’s Scrip-Bit 21 January 2012 Isaiah 43:19

21 Jan 2012 Leave a comment

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

Isaiah 43:19.     Behold, I will do a new thing; now it shall spring forth; shall ye not know it? I will even make a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert.

Oh Friends, this Saturday morning, as the universe unfurls as it should, let’s give our God a loud, hearty and grateful, ‘Thank You Lord!’ for safely bringing us through the long, dark night into a bright new day, filled with His blessings and unconditional LOVE. What an amazing God we serve! Unfortunately too many of us don’t see, understand and appreciate the amazing stuff He does in our lives every day. That’s because we’re always thinking in terms of big miracles, of selfish wants and needs. Meanwhile, His bounty is constantly being poured out in small amounts, on small problems, in so many different parts of our lives. Oh Friends, it’s the little things, the little everyday miracles that keep us so amazed by and enthralled with God, which keep us LOVING Him and wanting to give our all, do our best for Him. He’s faithfully kept all the promises He’s ever made, and in this YEAR OF JESUS, He’s reiterated one found in our Bit: ‘Behold, I will do a new thing; now it shall spring forth; shall ye not know it? I will even make a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert.’ Oh my brethren, what an awesome promise! Now yesterday we looked at some of the scriptures pertaining to doing new things in the lives of believers, and there are more, but instead to day I want to check out some pertaining to the last part of our Bit: ‘I will even make a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert.’ This is the practical application of the promise. First up is water being miraculously supplied for the Israelites in the wilderness to appease their whining and complaining and wanting to return to Egypt. ‘And the Lord said unto Moses, Go on before the people, and take with thee the elders of Israel; and thy rod, wherewith thou smotest (struck) the river, take in thine hand, and go. Behold, I will stand before thee there upon the rock in Horeb; and thou shalt smite the rock, and there shall come water out of it, that the people may drink. And Moses did so in the sight of the elders of Israel. And he called the name of the place Massah (Tempted), and Meribah (Contention), because of the chiding (contention) of the children of Israel, and because they tempted (tested) the Lord, saying, Is the Lord among us, or not?’ (Ex.17:5-7) The second scripture also deals with the Israelites complaining about the lack of water. Moses and Aaron prayed to the Lord for guidance outside the tabernacle entrance. ‘And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, Take the rod, and gather thou the assembly together, thou, and Aaron thy brother, and speak ye unto the rock before their eyes; and it shall give forth his water, and thou shalt bring forth water to them out of the rock: so thou shalt give the congregation and their beasts drink. And Moses took the rod from before the Lord, as he commanded him. And Moses and Aaron gathered the congregation together before the rock, and he said unto them, Hear now, ye rebels; must we fetch you water out of this rock? And Moses lifted up his hand, and with his rod he smote the rock twice: and the water came out abundantly, and the congregation drank, and their beasts also. And the Lord spake unto Moses and Aaron, Because ye believed me not, to sanctify (hallow) me in the eyes of the children of Israel, therefore ye shall not bring this congregation into the land which I have given them.’ (Num.20:7-13) Now Friends, not only were the Israelites worrisome, but here Moses was also disobedient to God’s direction. In the first passage He told him to strike the rock with the rod, but in that last one he was supposed to speak to the rock. But in his anger he struck the rock twice instead, and by not carrying out God’s instruction, he failed to sanctify, elevate, honour Him in the Israelites eyes, and consequently forfeited the privilege of leading them into the Promised Land. Then later on, the Lord warned them to not get too big for their breeches and forget’ Who led thee through that great and terrible wilderness, wherein were fiery serpents, and scorpions, and drought, where there was no water; who brought thee forth water out of the rock of flint; who fed thee in the wilderness with manna, which thy fathers knew not, that he might humble thee, and that he might prove (test) thee, to do thee good at thy latter end. And thou say in thine heart, My power and the might of mine hand hath gotten me this wealth.’ (Deut.8:15-17) Ah Friends, but the Israelites turned out to be a bunch of selfish, stubborn, ignorant people and did exactly what the Lord warned them not to do, several times too. And sadly we have followed in their foolish, selfish, egotistical footsteps and have thus found ourselves in the current mess we’re in. Please Friends, let’s not adopt the ‘what have you done for me lately credo’ that the Israelites had. The Lord is working for us everyday, and this year He wants to do many new things in our lives, set us up as never before, give us the wherewithal that we so badly need to further His glorious kingdom. So let’s be fully attentive and appreciative. Now let’s end with a most fitting ending: ‘And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful. And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst (who thirsts) of the fountain of the water of life freely.’ (Rev.21:5-6)  Please Friends, let’s thirst for that water of life, let’s listen to what the Lord’s saying in our hearts today, and allow Him to uplift and enlighten us and bring us closer to Jesus. That’s wisdom at its highest. Much LOVE!…this year, let’s purposely…LOVE our God…SPREAD His Word…and LIVE our Faith…as diligently as we ought…

 

Today’s Scrip-Bit 20 January 2012 Isaiah 43:19‏

20 Jan 2012 Leave a comment

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

Isaiah 43:19.     Behold, I will do a new thing; now it shall spring forth; shall ye not know it? I will even make a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert.
 
Oh Friends, it’s Friday, the start of the weekend, and I hear you rejoicing: ‘TGIF! Thank God is Friday!’ Now nothing’s wrong with declaring TGIF, Thank God is Friday, but we have to be sober and sensible about our ensuing thoughts and actions. Please, let’s not fall back into the bad habits of yesteryear. The Good Book says; ‘Remember ye not the former things, neither consider the things of old.’ (Is.43:18) And Bruh Paul righteously informed the Corinthians: ‘Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature (creation): old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.’ (2 Cor.5:17) This is a new year my people, 2012, with new beginnings, and if we want to experience the Lord’s best, we have to step up to the plate and make improvements in our lives. The Lord’s plaintively beseeching us in our Bit: ‘Behold, I will do a new thing; now it shall spring forth; shall ye not know it? I will even make a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert.’ Yes Friends, our God is doing, or wanting to do new things in all of our lives this year. So why don’t we listen to what He’s saying, then allow Him to do whatever new things He desires? Remember, whatever He does is always for our good, for our benefit, not His. Everyday He’s trying to mould us closer to the image of His wonderful, obedient Son, Jesus. Now who wouldn’t want to be like Jesus, even in some small way eh? Only the evil and foolish! It’s not an easy thing to do by any means, especially with all the fiery darts of the enemy being constantly let loose on us. But with our focus on Jehovah, the constant prayer, praise and reading of His Word, we can, and will come out victorious, if we stay the course. And here’s another scripture I want us to remember: ‘Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that LOVED us.’ (Rom.8:37) Friends that means that anytime we work sincerely and diligently with Jesus we’re assured of success. But without Him on our side, in our plans, be they big or small, our chance of success is drastically lessened. So to get us into the frame of mind where the Lord can work His miracle working powers on us, let’s chant our Friday Chant in strong unison: ‘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.’ And if we chanted that sincerely, gratefully and enthusiastically, then Friends, I believe we set the Holy Spirit of Jesus moving in our souls with purpose, presence and eventual prosperity in all aspects of our lives. Remember prosperity is not simply money, but encompasses everything that happens in both our private and public lives. It includes getting along with friends and family, as well as co-workers, having a job, having good health, doing good in our community, for whatever touches our lives can either be good or bad and make us happy or sad. And since one of the reasons Jesus died was that we could have joy, why foolishly choose sadness as a believer eh? ‘These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full.’ (John 15:11) Yes mih people, those are the words of Jesus. He knew that we would be afflicted here on earth, even persecuted for simply believing in Him and even worse for spreading the good news that He was alive and kicking and was the only way to get salvation, free and clear, and there was no earning it. Now let’s end with His promise of cheer and being able to handle the world with all its evil and ungodliness. ‘These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation, but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.’ (John 16:33) What wonderful news Friends! We don’t have to fear what the world brings against us, once He’s safely ensconced in our hearts, for He’s already put the world at His feet, and therefore all who truly believe in Him should have peace, joy and contentment in their hearts, though the going be rough. Yes my brethren, let’s buckle down this new year and stir up a wild and crazy storm for Jesus, so that all we come into contact with will want to know where we found our strength and joy and want to partake of it with us. Remember Friends, THIS IS THE YEAR OF JESUS! This is the year that His LOVE Revolution takes off for soaring heights, and I’d like all of us to be a part of it. Much LOVE!…in the joy of Jesus…believers find their strength…