Today’s Scrip-Bit   14 December 2021 Proverbs 3:1.

14 Dec 2021 Leave a comment

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

Proverbs 3:1.     My son, forget not my law; but let thine heart keep my commandments.

The grace and peace of Almighty God to you my faithful brethren, this Tuesday morning in the Advent Season of this crazy year of 2021! And though the waters are troubled and there’s danger all around, I just want to remind us that our great God is standing by, and He’s faithfully promised that if we hold on to His marvellous Son, Jesus, the One who sacrificed His sinless life on the cross at Calvary so unselfishly for us, we will be able to ride out any storm that threatens to overwhelm us. 

That’s why Cousin Sol wrote these wise words in Proverbs, under the divine inspiration of the Holy Spirit. ‘My son, forget not my law; but let thine heart keep my commandments. For length of days, and long life, and peace, shall they add to thee. Let not mercy (LOVING-kindness) and truth forsake thee: bind them about thy neck (like a necklace); and write them upon the table of thine heart (thy mind). So shalt thou find favour and good understanding (high esteem) in the sight of God and man.’ (Prov. 3:1-4) 

Ah mih people, it couldn’t get any clearer than that. Just look at the wonderful benefits that will accrue to us if we are obedient to God’s will and purpose and let mercy and truth guide our lives. We talking about seeing things like prosperous days in a long and productive life, with favour and high esteem from both God and man. Now it couldn’t get any better than that, could it? Certainly not! 

And if you don’t believe Cousin Sol, then listen to Moses as he instructed the Hebrew children long before that. ‘All the commandments which I command thee this day shall ye observe (be careful to observe) to do, that ye may live and multiply, and go in and possess the land which the Lord sware unto (promised) your fathers.’ (Deut. 8:1) Yes friends, the blessings of God will always fall on the obedient, faithful, truthful and merciful! 

So, I wonder why our world is in such an angry uproar and consumed by so much violence and strife? Could it be because we have not kept those traits above there that please our Creator and heavenly Father? I would tend to say that our disobedience and evil ways have played, and are still playing a big part in our current worldwide misfortune and calamity. Now the Lord knows that living for Him will not always be easy, but He expects us to make a sincere effort and even went to the awesome length of sacrificing His only Son Jesus so that those who believe in Him will have divine help to live the way He desires. 

And yuh know what, Cousin Sol was so conscientious and interested in our welfare that he broke down the rules for us into their most basic form. Listen as he admonishes and guides us in his wisdom. ‘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) thy paths.’ (Prov. 3:5-6) That’s wisdom in spades my people. 

And if you still don’t understand it all, then listen as scholars explain. ‘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 of your life straight before you.’ Now that doesn’t mean you won’t have problems, but you can be assured that He will guide you through them, eventually working it all out for your benefit. 

And Cousin Sol didn’t stop there. He continued with his wise advice. ‘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 or refreshment) to thy bones. Honour the Lord with thy substance (possessions), and with the first fruit of all thine increase: So shall thy barns be filled with plenty, and thy presses (vats) shall burst out with new wine.’ (Prov. 3:7-10) 

Oh friends, the whole duty and wisdom of man is laid out in those verses from 1-10. If you follow them sincerely you will be so blessed and productive and prosperous that you won’t know what to do with yourself! (smile) As we said, it’s not easy to live that life in this world, but that’s why God gave us all the help He did. But we need to grasp that help and hold on to it tightly, if we want to receive the blessings that flow from living for Jesus. 

And please excuse me, there’s one more important thing that Cousin Sol mentions. And this is probably the most difficult one to accept. (smile) He says: ‘My son, despise not the chastening of the Lord; neither be weary of (detest) his correction. For whom the Lord LOVETH he correcteth; even as a father the son in whom he delighteth.’ (Prov. 3:11-12) 

Ah mih bredrin, that’s a hard one, for none of us likes to be chastened or corrected, even when we do wrong. But our God knows that in our frailty and weakness we will make mistakes and since He is our heavenly father, it is His bounden duty to correct us, like our earthly fathers do. And He only corrects us because He LOVES us so deeply and doesn’t want to see us go astray and be lost from His fold. 

And the author of Hebrews, in talking about God’s discipline, quotes those verses of Cousin Sol, then adds his two cents worth. ‘If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not? But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards (illegitimate), and not sons. 

Furthermore, we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we gave them reverence (respect): shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live? For they verily for a few days chastened us after their own pleasure (as seemed best to them); but he (God) for our profit, that we might be partakers of his holiness. Now no chastening (discipline) for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised (trained) thereby.’ (Heb. 12:7-11) 

Yeh friends, living a disciplined life is tough, and when we make mistakes and get punished, we are never happy right then and there, but later on we realize that it was really for our good and it helped make us better people. And the purpose of all that we’ve said today is simply to have us use wisdom, the divine kind to live this earthly life, because when we do, it improves our entire life and existence and even flows down to the generations that come after us.  

So, for those of us who are sincerely trying to live right, let’s go home declaring (yeahhh!!!) our Tuesday Mantra, letting the whole world know to whom we belong, lock, stock and barrel. As one strong and confident 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 having proclaimed that proclamation (smile), we now must go out and share the awesome LOVE and friendship of Christ with others, so that they too can come to know, LOVE and serve him like we do. Much LOVE!

…man was made to serve…to revere…and to LOVE God…with all his heart, body and soul… 

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

Today’s Scrip-Bit 1 June 2021 Proverbs 3:1.

01 Jun 2021 Leave a comment

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

Proverbs 3:1.     My son, forget not my law; but let thine heart keep my commandments:

Can you believe it friends, this is already the first day of June, the sixth month? The year is just flying by despite all the problems currently engulfing the world! And it’s certainly a good thing that we have a strong, staunch, unchangeable, immovable God, who is the same yesterday, today and forever, otherwise we would be an easy prey to the numerous evil elements lurking around almost every corner! So it’s rather wise to call out to our great God at all times; in the morning, in the evening and in the midnight hour, for He is indeed our very help in times of trouble and tribulation. 

And that’s why these monumental words of scriptural wisdom from Cousin Sol are so important to our earthly travels. ‘My son, forget not my law; but let thine heart keep my commandments: For length of days, and long life, and peace, shall they add to your life.’ (Prov. 3:1-2) Yuh see the importance of obedience to God’s commandments friends? It shall only add long life and peace to your days here on earth! 

Then Cousin Sol continues: ‘Let not mercy (LOVING-kindness) and truth forsake thee: bind them about thy neck; write them upon the table of thine heart. So shalt thou find favour and good understanding (high esteem) in the sight of God and man.’ (Prov. 3:3-4) Ah mih bredrin, that’s the incomparable benefit of walking in mercy and truth! And the scholars offer these explanations: ‘3:3. About thy neck: The teachings should be made as much a part of one’s adornment as a necklace. The table of thine heart, that is, the mind.’ 

But Cousin Sol doesn’t stop there, he gets deeper into his exhortations on obedience. ‘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.’ (Prov. 3:5-6) More incomparable wisdom friends! 

Now hear the scholars on those two verses. ‘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.’ Now what more can we ask for eh my fellow believers? 

However, there is much more available, as Cousin Sol tells it, tells it straight and true. ‘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. Honour the Lord with all thy substance (possessions), and with the first fruits of all thine increase. So shall thy barns be filled with plenty, and thy presses (vats) shall burst out with new wine.’ (Prov. 3:7-10) 

Oh my people, if there was only one set of scriptures to describe the kind of life a believer in Jesus is supposed to live, those first ten verses of Proverbs 3, would be it! It covers everything from obedience to length of life, from trust to health, to increase and prosperity; the how’s, whys and wherefores of living for our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ! Now why aren’t we living that wise kind of life eh? Who knows? But wisdom dictates that that’s how we ought to live, and if we don’t, then we will suffer the consequences for wrongdoing and sinful living. 

But even then, our God is so wonderful, as Cousin Sol explains: ‘My son, despise not the chastening of the Lord; neither be weary of (detest) his correction: For whom the Lord LOVETH he correcteth; even as a father the son in whom he delighteth.’ (Prov. 3:11-12) Wow! What a wonderful God we serve and worship my people! As the scholars say of those verses: ‘God’s correction shows His LOVE (cf. Heb. 12:5-6).’ 

And we certainly will check out those verses which deal with God’s discipline. ‘And ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto children (sons), My son despise not thou the chastening (discipline) of the Lord, nor faint (be discouraged) when thou art rebuked of him. For whom the Lord LOVETH he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth.’ (Heb. 12:5-6) So you see that discipline is as much a heavenly measure as it is an earthly one. (smile) 

And the author of Hebrews takes the discipline matter a little further. ‘If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not? But if ye be without chastisement, wherefore all are partakers, then are ye bastards (illegitimate), and not sons. Furthermore, we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we gave them reverence (respect): shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live? For they verily for a few days chastened us after their own pleasure (as seemed best to them); but he for our profit, that we might be partakers of his holiness.’ (Heb. 12:7-10) 

Now that’s a very good question my brethren? If we respect our earthly fathers who punish us according to their whims and fancies, why won’t we reverence our heavenly Father, the One who gives us life and all the good things thereof, when He disciplines us for our profit, our benefit eh? Because we’re foolish, sinful, prideful and disobedient! 

And the author of Hebrews concludes that message with this insightful comment: ‘Now no chastening (discipline) for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised (trained) thereby.’ (Heb. 12:11) And that’s the indisputable truth friends. Discipline or punishment never seems good for the present moment, but later on, when we look back at the situation, we usually see the benefits of it. 

Anyway, if, after reading all of the above, we still continue in our foolish and disobedient ways, then what am I to say eh…except crapaud smoke yuh pipe! But for those of us who are sincerely trying to be wise and obedient, let’s go home declaring (awright!) our Tuesday Mantra. 

As one strong, heart-felt 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 now, as our duty entails, let’s go out and share the awesome friendship and amazing LOVE of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Much LOVE!

…to obey is better…than to sacrifice…and to hearken…than the fat of rams… (1 Sam. 15:22) 

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