Today’s Scrip-Bit 27 February 2015 Psalm 62:7

27 Feb 2015 Leave a comment

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

Psalm 62:7.  In God is my salvation and my glory: the rock of my strength, and my refuge, is in God.

Well…and like it was suddenly Friday! And the clamour from working people all around the world rose up to high heaven. ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday yes, and we have the weekend to look forward to; to play and party and do whatever we want!’

But Friends, that’s not quite true. Regardless of time, place and opportunity, we still have to put our Creator and Provider, Almighty God FIRST! And to help us do that, let’s chant our Friday Chant.
 
All together now, with true sincerity. ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through another week of work! It hasn’t been easy, but with your generous help, I made it through.
 
Now, please help me to get sufficient fun, fellowship, rest and relaxation in these two short days off, so that I can be renewed and refreshed in soul, body and mind, to go back out and do it all over again next week, furthering your glorious kingdom with each step I take. I pray this in Jesus name. Amen.’
 
Now that’s a little more like it ought to be. So let’s hope it alters our perception in a suitable manner. (smile) And Friends, you know there’s truly no place like home!
 
I got back to the cold North Country around 7 p.m last night and looking out over the city of Toronto from the plane, all I could see was white. Hn! And when I came out of the airport and the first blast of the chilly weather hit me, it sorta rocked my soul.
 
After a month of constant high twenties and low thirty degrees weather, the body was a bit shocked by the minus 17 degrees chill. Lord have mercy! But the human being is such a wonderfully made and adaptable body, that by the time I got home and settled in, it was just like I’d never been away.
 
And here I am once again down in my basement office tapping away at my old desk top listening to the furnace next door, instead of being on my verandah in Lowlands, on my laptop, looking out at the beautiful scenery of flowers, green trees and sky blue seas. Ah Chuh!
 
And this morning when I got up and looked out my bedroom window, all I could see was white…snow everywhere. It was a shock to the system. But life goes on, and I have to get on with the real thing, not the fairy tale one. So it’s back to the daily grind and common task.
 
I have a whole set of mail sitting on my desk to go through eventually, and I’m sure it’s a combination of mostly bills and charities begging for money. What a blessing that I haven’t had to deal with that for a whole month! Glory Hallelujah!
 
But I’m truly tired of these supposed charities begging all the time. And the worst mistake you can make is to give them one time, for after that they constantly bombard you with pleas for assistance.
 
And the sad part is that a lot of the funds received don’t get to where they are supposed to, they are siphoned off to pay the fundraisers, which is now a huge business, and for administrative purposes.
 
But the Lord says to give and you will receive, so we have to give some, just be careful of whom we are giving to and how much. End of sermon! (smile)
 
Now turning to our Bit, which again comes from Psalm 62 – God only is my rock and salvation. Bruh David proclaims it without any doubt or hesitation whatsoever. ‘In God is my salvation and my glory: the rock of my strength, and my refuge, is in God.’
 
And that my people is indisputable, irrevocable, gospel and all other kinds of truth!
 
The Lord God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob is indeed our salvation as He has proven through the sacrificial death of His Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! He’s also our glory, our strength and refuge! The One to whom we look to for things mighty and majestic, for help in ALL our daily activities, be they big or small.
 
And He certainly is the One we run to when we can’t handle the trials and tribulations of this ungodly world, and where we certainly receive help and succour without any untoward questions asked! What a mighty and wonderful God is our heavenly Father! He is the ONLY ONE who can help and save us in times of trouble!
 
That’s why Bruh David wisely advises us in the next verse: ‘Trust in him at all times; ye people, pour out your heart before him: God is a refuge for us.   Selah.’ (Ps.62:8) More wonderful words of heavenly wisdom and truth my brethren!
 
And the prophet Jeremiah said it this way: ‘A voice was heard upon the high places (bare heights), weeping and supplications of the children of Israel: for they have perverted their way, and they have forgotten the Lord their God. Return, ye backsliding children, and I will heal your backslidings.
 
Behold, we come unto thee; for thou art the Lord our God. Truly in vain is salvation hoped for from the hills, and from the multitude of mountains: truly in the Lord our God is the salvation of Israel.’ (Jer.3:21-23).
 
Oh Friends, it’s uncanny how those same words are so pertinent to our situation in today’s world! For just like Israel back then, we in this current age have indeed forsaken the God of our fathers. That’s why there is so much weeping and gnashing of teeth all over the world.
 
When man turns away in droves from Jehovah God to foolishly follow the lusts of the world, what else can we expect eh? Granted that it is difficult to reject the worldly baubles and bangles and bright shining things of the world when they are constantly pounded in our ears, eyes and minds by the secular advertising entities, using all the psychological tools at their disposal.
 
That’s why my fellow believers it is of the utmost importance that we are very careful in whom and what we watch, read and listen to, for our weak and frail minds are very fallible and gullible to those new fangled ways of Lucifer.
 
And we’ll end with another true and wonderful and confidence building insight on the subject from Bruh David, from Psalm 3 – A prayer of confidence in God. ‘Salvation belongeth unto the Lord: thy blessing is upon thy people.  Selah.’ (Ps.3:8)
 
Oh Friends, please let’s remember those insightful words, and all the others that we’ve spoken about today, as we journey forth into the evil, disgusting world to live for Jesus, for that’s wisdom at its zenith! Much LOVE!
 
…let’s remember that our duty is to…LOVE our God…LIVE our Faith…and SPREAD His Word…

 

 

Today’s Scrip-Bit 24 February 2015 Romans 12:2

24 Feb 2015 Leave a comment

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

Romans 12:2. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

Ah Friends, it’s Tuesday, and we’re in the last days of our stay in Paradise! And as I gaze out at the wonders of nature, hear the birds and insects sing their songs of praise to their Creator, with the seas at high tide bashing against the rocky shore, I sadly realize that in another couple days I won’t be waking up to this beautiful panorama of God’s making, but to a scene of snow and ice, of cold and darkness.

Ah Lord eh! And the ole heart stutters and flutters as it comes to grip with the great seismic change. (smile) But you know the ole fella will take it in his stride, because that’s where the Lord has me based for the present time. This was only a vacation, a blessed change and reprieve from the uncomfortable aspects of winter in the North Country.

And if I claim to have faith and trust in our omnipotent God, and have surrendered my will to Him, then I have no choice but to grin and bear whatever He allows to come against me, trusting in His faithful promises that He won’t give me more than I can bear, neither will He leave nor forsake me, while working everything out eventually for my good.

Oh my people, what a good and mighty God we serve and worship! And I’ve been walking with Him long enough now to be fully aware and fully cognizant of His everlasting faithfulness. He’s brought me through enough rough situations before, so why should He stop now eh, especially when I’m more faithful to Him now than I’ve ever been?

So although there’s sadness and disappointment in my upcoming departure from God’s Little Acre, I am also bolstered by the fact that my God is able to do whatever He promises, and will provide for me in whatever situation I may be in.

Consequently, I’d like to share this prayer from a devotional titled ‘A Journey of LOVE – Walking with St. Therese of Liseux; the Saint of the Little Flower, who promised to spend her heaven doing good on earth, letting fall a shower of roses as her signature. However Friends, in these very rough and trying times, we shouldn’t wait till we get to heaven to do good on earth, we need to do that RIGHT NOW!

And what better time to begin than in this Lenten season of both intro and retrospection!

Please pray with me: ‘Lord, help me to live always in the light of your presence. Should any darkness challenge my belief and LOVE for you, dispel that darkness so that I might witness to your merciful and gracious LOVE. Grant me the wisdom to confront a secular and egocentric world with your message of care and compassion for all people. We make this prayer through Christ our Lord. Amen.’

Yes my people, there’s so much darkness and evil in our current world that it’s only with the omnipotent help of Almighty God, His Son Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit that we can ever hope to dispel and remove them from our lives. And it can ONLY be done through LOVE and compassion! So please let’s come together seriously nuh, and do what we know is meet and right for us to do.

The sad part of the situation is that we full well know what is right, but yet we allow the façade of the world’s false and short lasting beauty to lure us into wrongdoing and ungodly behavior. If we are truly children of God, then we desperately need to be walking according to the dictates of our Bit: ‘And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.’

That’s the gospel truth my brethren! And it reminds me of a quote of James Baldwin (1928-1987), the controversial African American novelist, playwright, poet and social critic, who continually reflected on his experience as a black man in white America, penning such insightful works as ‘The Fire Next Time and Another Country.’

Well James is reputed to have said: ‘The future is like heaven – everyone exalts it but no one wants to go there now.’ And that’s a very accurate reflection of Christians nowadays! We all want to live a godly life, but just not yet, first we want to enjoy the pleasures and lusts of the fleshly world.

But Friends we can’t afford to wait one minute longer to live for Jesus, because we don’t know when He’s coming back. It could be today or tomorrow. And if we’re found wanting when He returns, like the five foolish virgins who didn’t prepare for a long wait with extra oil for their lamps, (Matt.25:1-12) we’ll be simply excluded from His train of glory, and forced to spend eternity in Hades with Lucifer, the prince of darkness.

And as I keep reminding us, that my brethren is the worst thing that could ever happen to a human being! So let’s get to it nuh, let’s begin living serious godly lives, putting into effect these wise and true words of Bruh Paul to the Ephesians: ‘That ye put off concerning the former conversation (conduct) the old man, which is corrupt according to deceitful lusts;

And be renewed in the spirit of your mind; And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness. Wherefore putting away lying, speak every man truth to his neighbor: for we are members one of another. Be ye angry and sin not; let not the sun go down upon your wrath; Neither give place to the devil…

Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice: And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.’ (Eph.4:22-27, 31-32)

Oh my Friends, that’s how we’re supposed to live! Those are just some simple, every day, practical guidelines as to how we can put aside the ‘old man’ and assume ‘the new man,’ in our everyday lives. They’re definitely not very difficult to do, so let’s begin doing them seriously, diligently and Right Now nuh, so that we won’t be caught napping whenever Jesus comes.

Let’s put into effect these memorable words of Jesus. ‘Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh.’ (Matt.25:13)

That’s heavenly truth and wisdom my fellow man, words for us to ponder today, and see if we’re ready to receive Jesus, just in case He returns today. Much LOVE!

…to create a better world…it’s essential that we put into effect…LOVE for God…for ourselves…and for our neighbours… plus sincere care and compassion for each other…

 

 

Today’s Scrip-Bit 27 February 2014 2 Chronicles 15:1.

27 Feb 2014 Leave a comment

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

2 Chronicles 15:1.    And the Spirit of God came upon Azariah the son of Oded.
 
Greetings and salutations to all you beautiful people in my Scrip-Bit Family! It is with great joy and LOVE that I come to you this cold Thursday morning in the North Country – only somewhere between minus 10 and minus 19 degrees Celsius.
 
Now my outside might be cold, but Friends, believe me, inside I’m just burning up with LOVE! And that’s gospel truth! (smile) That’s because I keep trying to live for and like Jesus. Now I’m not always successful, but the basic attributes of LOVE, peace and goodwill to all are certainly there.
 
It’s also been said that St. Therese, the Saint of the Little Flower declared that she would spend her heaven doing good on earth, letting fall a shower of roses. Now that’s all well and good if you are in heaven, but even more so, Jesus desires that we do much good while we’re right down here on this troubled and ungodly earth. We certainly can’t afford to wait until we get to heaven to do good on earth, or else we might never get to heaven. 
 
And in line with that train of thought, here is a rather appropriate quote attributed to one Eva Rose York. Now from the many Eva Rose York’s I found, I couldn’t specify exactly which one said it. And though I believe I’ve shared this quote before, it’s one of those that’s necessary to repeat every so often, so that we don’t forget it.
 
And it says: ‘I shall not pass this way again; Then let me now relieve some pain, Remove some barrier from the road, Or brighten (lighten) someone’s heavy load.’
 
Yes my fellow believers in Jesus Christ, that’s exactly what EACH OF US needs to say and do EVERYDAY we draw breath on God’s earth. For that is exactly what Jesus expects of His true and beautiful followers.
 
And now that we’ve straightened out that little matter, (smile) let’s turn to our Bit. ‘And the Spirit of God came upon Azariah the son of Oded.’
 
And today we’ll look at another pertinent example of how God allowed His Holy Spirit to come upon one of His chosen people, to try and bring them to their senses.
 
Oh Friends, it’s amazing how many times Israel turned from following the God of their forefathers to worshipping the pagan gods of those who lived around them. Instead of being dominant and bringing the pagans to their God, they were weak and easily enticed into serving the pagan gods. And it’s also amazing how many times the Lord saved them from themselves and their enemies, despite their gross disobedience.
 
As the Good Book says: ‘ Nevertheless, the Lord raised up judges, which delivered them out of the hand of those that spoiled (plundered) them. And yet they would not hearken unto their judges, but they went a whoring after (played the harlot with) other gods, and bowed themselves unto them: they turned quickly out of the way which their fathers walked in, obeying the commandments of the Lord; but they did not so.
 
And when the Lord raised them up judges, then the Lord was with the judge, and delivered them out of the hand of their enemies all the days of the judge: for it repented the Lord because of (the Lord was moved to pity by) their groanings by reason of them that oppressed them and vexed (harassed) them.
 
And it came to pass when the judge was dead, that they returned, and corrupted themselves more (behaved more corruptly) than their fathers, in following other gods to serve them, and to bow down unto them; they ceased not from their own doings, nor from their stubborn way.
 
And the anger of the Lord was hot against Israel; and he said, Because that this people hath transgressed my covenant which I commanded their fathers, and have not hearkened unto my voice; I also will not henceforth drive out any from before them of the nations which Joshua left when he died:
 
That through them I may prove (test) Israel, whether they will keep the way of the Lord to walk therein, as their fathers did keep it, or not. Therefore the Lord left those nations, without driving them out hastily (immediately); neither delivered he them into the hand of Joshua.’ (Judg. 2: 16-23)
 
Ah mih breddren, doesn’t that sound very familiar? It sure does! I never intended to write all of it, but after reading it, it sounded so much like what we’re currently doing, that I just had to share it all.
 
And it’s also what the Lord is doing to a certain extent right now; leaving us up to our own idolatrous and disobedient ways and purposes, consequently allowing us to suffer whatever fate befalls us. Please note too, like Israel, the many nations around us, who want to conquer us and have us bow to their pagan gods.
 
And I must share these words from the scholars re the passage of scripture above. ‘2:17-19. The recurring cycle of Israel’s apostasy, oppression and repentance, and deliverance by heaven-sent deliverers forms the key theme of the Book of Judges.
 
It was a period of repeated spiritual apostasy, growing immorality, social degradation, and political instability. Israel’s “second generation” had forgotten the spiritual victories of the generation of the conquest. Only the mercy of a gracious God kept Israel from disappearing as a nation.’ 
 
Oh mih people, mih people, if I didn’t tell you otherwise, I’m sure you’d think that those word were written about this current world situation, because it resembles the present time down to the nth detail! And it’s only a gracious and merciful God who is preventing us from sliding into oblivion.
 
But please note, He’s getting tired of our disgusting behaviour, and like He did with Israel, is allowing us to suffer the painful pangs of disobedience in a turmoil-filled and calamitous world. And if we don’t smarten up and do like the Israelites, return to seriously serving and worshipping Him, then… crapaud smoke we pipe!
 
So please my people, let’s wake up NOW and smell the roses nuh, get some common sense and wisdom, so that with humble hearts and repentant souls, we can return to worshipping and serving the ONE and ONLY TRUE and LIVING GOD, He of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob!
 
Let’s stop ploughing ahead in disobedience and rebellion, concentrating on removing God from our society, rather than increasing and glorifying Him. For that my Friends, is a fool’s wisdom. And as followers of Jesus, we should not be numbered amongst fools. Much LOVE!
 
…the fool hath said in his heart…there is NO GOD…(Ps.14:1)…and that’s exactly why he is a fool…  
 
P.S. Sorry for the slight change of direction, but that’s where the Spirit led me. With the Lord’s favour though, we’ll get back to it tomorrow. Much LOVE!
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

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