Despite’s Man’s many advancements, the Lord God Jehovah is still sovereign over all his thoughts and deeds!

22 Nov 2024 Leave a comment

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

Proverbs 16:1.        The preparations of the heart in man (plans of the heart belong to man), and the answer of the tongue, is from the Lord.

So, finally, it’s the big day of Friday, and as we shout: ‘TGIF Thank God it’s Friday!’ we’re looking forward to either a very restful weekend, or one filled with much partying and frolicking. But either way, we take the weekend to be our God-given right to do as we please. (smile) Be careful though, for the Lord ofttimes has something to say about our doings. 

And let’s remember the old saying, ‘man plans, but God laughs.’ The adage is a reminder that life is unpredictable. Yes friends, the Road of Life is certainly unpredictable, and despite our most careful planning, unexpected changes can happen; changes that can be either disappointing or exhilarating. As one commentary puts it: ‘We might have driving and destination strategies but scenic new vistas might beckon us or unforeseen roadblocks can deter us.’ 

That brings us to the wise words of Cousin Sol in Proverbs 16, which deal with man’s plans and God’s reaction. The chapter opens with this most appropriate and intriguing pronouncement. ‘The preparations of the heart in man (plans of the heart belong to man), and the answer of the tongue, is from the Lord.’ (Prov. 16:1) Yes my brethren, although we have the ability and the right to plan, in the long run it’s what the Lord says that triumphs. Or, as the scholars put it: ‘The Lord is sovereign, even over a man’s thoughts and words. 

And Cousin Sol follows that verse with this other important one. ‘All the ways of a man are clean in his own eyes; but the Lord weigheth the spirits.’ (Prov. 16:2) And so it is. We believe that all our doings are right and good, but the Lord doesn’t base His approval on what we do, as much as on why we do it. The Lord mainly looks at our motives for doing things. As the scholars state, ‘The Lord is a great discerner of motives.’ That’s why Cousin Sol later states: ‘When a man’s ways please the Lord, he maketh even his enemies to be at peace with him.’ (Prov. 16:7) 

And that’s the gospel truth! When the Lord’s happy with our motives, He makes us to find favour even with out enemies. It’s like Bruh David says in that most famous Psalm 23: ‘Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies; thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.’ (Ps. 23:5) Oh my people, that’s how our Lord blesses us when we do things His way and not our own. For as Cousin Sol repeats in Proverbs 16: ‘A man’s heart deviseth (plans) his way: but the Lord directeth his steps.’ (Prov. 16:9) And per the scholars: ‘The Lord is sovereign over man’s scheming and planning.’ 

So the long and short of the story is that if the Lord desires to thwart our best laid plans He can. Again, as the old saying goes; the best laid plans of mice and men often go astray. And we can all appreciate and agree with that, because many times our best laid plans have indeed been foiled by unfortunate or unforeseen circumstances. That’s just life. But Cousin Sol also tells us in Proverbs 16, how to make our plans not go astray as often. And how is that you anxiously ask? He says: ‘Commit thy works unto the Lord, and thy thoughts shall be established.’ (Prov. 16:9) 

As simple as pumpkin pie my people! If we don’t want too many of our schemes and plans to go awry, then we have to begin by basing them on God’s word and His will; be obedient to them. The problem though with this current society is that we believe we know everything, even more than God. So much so we’re fighting tooth and nail to rid our society of Him. But friends, that’s an impossible, fool’s dream, if there ever was one. Because the Lord created the universe and still runs it, and will not give up His power to anyone, especially Satan. 

Mark His words from way back when, through the prophet Isaiah. ‘I am the Lord: that is my name: and my glory will I not give to another, neither my praise to graven images.’ (Is. 42:8) Let’s hope that puts some sense in our heads, for the Lord will not lie down and allow His foolish creations, man and Satan to take over a world He so LOVINGLY created, and has great future plans for. And I don’t know why it’s so difficult for us to understand that God created us and still pulls our strings, although He gives us free will to do a lot of stuff, which we use to do foolishness, like turning away from Him, and trying to erase Him from our society. 

But believe me friends, the Lord will have the proverbial last laugh for He is the Creator and Controller of this entire universe. And the sooner we come to that realization, the better off we will be. And to help us get there, let’s go to the throne of grace, through our Friday Chant, seeking divine aid to ease our problems. 

Altogether. ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through this past week. You know it’s been rough…  because our many serious problems are escalating instead of improving. And it’s obvious we can’t fix them on our own, so Lord, we’re desperately crying out for your help. Oh heavenly Father, with your omnipotent help, and our trusting faith, we know that we can stand strong and steadfast and defeat the simmering unrest in our land. We therefore ask you Lord to give our leaders the wise guidance to handle these unexpected storms properly. And please help the rest of us to be responsible and to stay safe amidst all the anxiety and confusion of these ungodly times. 

We fervently pray too Lord that you’ll use the discontent and dissatisfaction in our land as a means of restoring faith in you. Return backsliders to your fold. Show them the error of their ways. And please introduce a new flock of believers, who will embrace your LOVE and compassion by the example, we, your faithful believers set. So that our sinful world can wake up and smell the coffee, wake up and smell it sweet and strong! We pray this in the name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen!’ 

And if we don’t wake up and become better examples of Christian living, then we will not see any divine aid. It’s as simple as that. The ball is now in our court, so let’s use it wisely nuh. Much LOVE!

…free will is not so much about doing what we want…as about using it to choose God…

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

Today’s Scrip-Bit   15 February 2024 Psalm 51:10.

15 Feb 2024 Leave a comment

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

Psalm 51:10.       Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right (steadfast) spirit within me.

Ah friends, let me apologize for the lateness of the Bit, but I had to go into Toronto early this morning for some cataract surgery on my right eye. Now, I had planned to do the Bit before I went off, but as they say, ‘the best laid plans of mice and men usually go astray,’ as well as ‘man plans but God laughs.’ Then to make maters worse I had to wait a couple of hours for the surgery, and afterwards wait for the doctor to check it out, so I wouldn’t have to go back tomorrow morning. 

What riled me though was having to wait a half an hour to get transportation back, and when it did show up, the snow had begun falling, so you know the drive back was even slower than normal, and we arrived home to find our driveway and area already covered in the white stuff. And does it ever look beautiful from inside. (smile) However, enough idle chatter, let’s get to saying some thing of greater value before my eye shuts down on me. It was fine all along, but now  that I’m home, it’s become somewhat swollen, as it loses the effect of the anesthetic they’d put in it. 

Today, we’re going to share the monthly prayer from the In Touch Devotional for February. So please pray with me. ‘Lord, it’s easy to lose focus, to drift away from You in the mundane details of my life. I long to be aware of Your presence all my days, to find Your fulness even in small, quiet moments. Bring me back to my true self, and bring me back each moment to You, with each breath, In Jesus’ name, Amen.’ 

Oh my people, those few words can be ever so important in our lives, especially in these times of much turbulence and uncertainty. For though I’m not drifting away from God, I desperately need to regain my focussing power, as I find myself easily distracted these days. The devil seems to have recently acquired a tad of power over me in that area. But one thing in that prayer at which I’m good at though is finding God’s presence and gracious hand in the small things of life. 

Unfortunately, that’s something many unbelievers can’t feel because they only look for God in the big, miraculous, momentous moments. But those are few and far between, while God’s hands are all over and in all of our daily, supposedly mundane doings. And if you seek Him in those small, apparently unimportant things, that’s where you’ll find continual joy, for He delights in being involved in every aspect of our banal lives. They might seem banal to us, but definitely not to Him! 

That’s why, in this Lenten season, we all need to take time to inspect ourselves, do a spiritual checkup, then turn to God and ask Him to help us improve in whatever way we need to. All of us have good points, but we all also have some bad ones, that need cleansing.  We need to say something like Bruh David did in Psalm 51, in the section on a Plea for Cleansing. And we need to mean it too, not let be only lip service., as so many other things we say. In sincere repentance, Bruh David cried out: 

‘Purge me with thy hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. Make me to hear joy and gladness; that the bones which thou hast broken may rejoice. Hide thy face from my sins, and blot out all mine iniquities. Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right (steadfast) spirit within me. Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy holy spirit from me. Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free (generous) spirit. Then will I teach transgressors thy ways; and sinners shall be converted unto thee.’ (Ps. 51:7-13) 

Yes friends, many, if not all of us can use a good purging of our iniquities in this Lenten season, so we can start back from scratch. Remember how as young children growing up in the West Indies, before the start of every school term we’d get a  much hated physical purge, with the castor oil, the Epsom salts and what have you? (smile) Well, right now we need a good spiritual purge, and this season of Lent, of fasting, repentance, prayer and soul-searching, is about the best time for it. So let’s get serious about out God and His Holy Will nuh, and allow Him to create that clean heart and right spirit within us. 

And while we’re at it, let’s remember these words of Bruh Paul to the church at Rome, which echo those sentiments. ‘And be not conformed to the 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.’ (Rom. 12:2) Now, the Lord has already given us the power to do that, through the gifts of the Spirit, and furthermore, through what we call our Thursday Blessings, He’s also bestowed on us undeserved blessings, to enable us to do His earthly work. So let’s declare (chuh!!!) them, so we can activate them. 

Altogether now: ‘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 every day! Amen!’ 

And having activated those blessings, we need to now go out and use them to do God’s work, sharing them as generously with others as God shared them with us. Much LOVE!

…both our bodies and souls…need a good purge every so often…

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

Today’s Scrip-Bit   5 May 2023 Proverbs 16:9.

05 May 2023 Leave a comment

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

Proverbs 16:9.      A man’s heart deviseth (plans) his way, but the Lord directeth his steps.

Well, it’s another cloudy start to this first Friday in May, but nonetheless, the shouts of ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday and the weekend is here at last!’ have gone out all around the world. I guess we don’t really care what kind of day Friday is, once it’s Friday, and the weekend looms large ahead. The trouble is that too many of us are more taken up with what the world has to offer for the weekend and not what Almighty God has in store. But then again, that’s why our world is in such a mess, such an evil, ungodly mess. If you blatantly and continually ignore the Creator and Controller of the universe you must end up with serious problems. 

Remember that the best laid plans of mice and men go astray, if they are not in sync with the will and word of God. And then there’s the Yiddish saying, ‘Man plans, but God laughs.’ And it’s all a fact, for as Cousin Sol says in Proverbs 16: ‘The preparations (plans) of the heart in man (belong to man), and the answer of the tongue, is of the Lord.’ (Prov. 16:1) In other words, as the scholars say: ‘The Lord is sovereign, even over a man’s thoughts and words.’ Now we should certainly think on that before making our grandiose plans for the weekend, or anytime really. 

And Cousin Sol further spells it out later in the chapter. ‘A man’s heart deviseth (plans) his way, but the Lord directeth his steps.’  (Prov. 16:9) And that’s oh so true friends! How many times have we planned to do something only to find ourselves doing something else, and we’re not sure why? That’s because the Lord guided us to the other thing. That makes the scholars to opine that: ‘The Lord is sovereign over man’s scheming and planning.’ And I don’t know why it’s so difficult for us to wake up and see the futility of trying to plan our own lives right down to the nitty gritty, when the Lord has His own plan for each and every life that He’s created. 

And if you still don’t believe me, then listen to Cousin Sol as he gives forth on the subject again, (smile) this time from Proverbs 19. He wisely expounds: ‘There are many devices (plans) in a man’s heart; nevertheless the counsel of the Lord, that shall stand.’ (Prov. 19:21) And it’s not like we haven’t seen it proven over and over in our lives. If the Lord desires to thwart our plans, He has the right and the power to do it. We just have to ‘wisen’ up, realize it and try to walk in His will rather than ours. 

Now, I guess Cousin Sol found the subject rather interesting and/or important that in another chapter of Proverbs, he once again broached the topic. Listen here: ‘Man’s goings (steps) are of the Lord; how can a man then understand his own way?’ (Prov. 20:24) And if the first part is true, then the second part is totally logical, since you cannot understand where you’re going, if you don’t control where you’re going. (smile). And I don’t know what it will take for some of us to finally figure that out and stop trying to force our plans over those that God has set out for us. 

Friends, turning to God and asking for His will for our lives, or even bringing what we desire to do before Him before we try to initiate them is wisdom of the ages! Because if He definitely doesn’t want us going one way, He will not allow us to go there. Since He’s given us free will, He doesn’t like to get into our affairs too much, but sometimes what we’re doing is either so dangerous, outrageous or will cause so much confusion, that He intercedes and puts a spoke in our wheel. And that’s only because He LOVES us so much, He doesn’t want to see us make mistakes that are either irreparable or will cause us much heartache later on. 

And Isaiah spells it out for us in even greater detail as he speaks of God’s Spoken and Purposed Will. ‘Remember the former things of old: for I am God, and there is none else; I am God, and there is none like me. Declaring (yesss!!!) the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure:’ (Is. 46:9-10) Oh my faithful believers, I don’t see how God could make it any plainer than that nuh! His counsel and plans are what will stand. He will do as He pleases, because it’s His universe, and contrary to what we might think, He still controls it. 

And Bruh David concurs with all that Cousin Sol and Isaiah say, when he proclaims in Psalm 37: ‘The steps of a good man are ordered (established) by the Lord: and he delighteth in his way. Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down: for the Lord upholdeth him with his hand.’ (Ps, 37:23-24) Wow! What good news that is my brethren! When we walk with God, even if we stumble and fall, we will not be totally cast down, because the Lord will raise us back up again. And Cousin Sol further elaborates on that by saying: ‘For a just man falleth seven times, and riseth up again: but the wicked shall fall into mischief (stumble into calamity).’ (Prov. 24:16) 

And that’s the gospel truth! A righteous man will never give up, regardless of how often he falls, for the Lord will always help him to rise again to his feet. Now let’s hear the end of this thing, (smile) as per the psalmist in Psalm 33. ‘Let all the earth fear the Lord (reverence Him): let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him. for he spake, and it was done; he commanded, and it stood fast. The Lord bringeth the counsel of the heathen (unbelievers) to nought: he maketh the devices (plans) of the people of none effect. The counsel of the Lord standeth for ever, the thoughts of his heart to all generations.’ (Ps. 33:8-11) 

Now friends, with all of the wonderful, enlightening scripture percolating in our hearts, minds, bodies and souls, (smile) let’s go to God, through our Friday Chant, to find succour for our earthly problems. As one voice: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through this past week. You know it’s been rough… what with all the confusion and anxiety caused by the pandemic and our many other serious problems. We can’t fix them on our own Lord, so we desperately need your help. 

Oh heavenly Father, with your omnipotent help, and our trusting faith, we know that we can stand strong and steadfast and defeat the simmering unrest in our land. So Lord, we sincerely ask you today to give those involved in the forefront of this serious and unexpected storm, the wise guidance to handle the situation properly, without further serious setbacks. And please help those of us who must go out to work amidst all the confusion, to be responsible and to stay safe. 

And Lord, we fervently pray that You’ll use this situation to return backsliders to your fold, show them the error of their ways. And please introduce a new flock of believers, who will embrace your LOVE and compassion by the example, we, your faithful believers set. Yes Lord, please use this pandemic, the bubbling discontent and dissatisfaction in our land, as a means of restoring faith in You, so that our sinful world can wake up and smell the coffee, wake up and smell it sweet and strong! We pray this in the name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen!’ 

Now, if we sincerely want to see positive changes in our world, then we need to make the necessary changes in our lives that will encourage God to help us. It’s as simple as that. Much LOVE!

…to avoid unnecessary heartache…wisdom dictates…we take our plans to God for His approval… 

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Today’s Scrip-Bit   28 October 2021 Proverbs 27:1.

28 Oct 2021 Leave a comment

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

Proverbs 27:1.     Boast not thyself of tomorrow; for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth.

And then it was Thursday, the penultimate day of the work week, and some of us are getting excited as the work week winds down, eagerly looking forward to the weekend and all the frivolity it plans to bring. Yes sir, from the beginning of the week, all some of us look forward to is the weekend and what goodies it has in store for us. But I want to pull us up short with some wise advice from Cousin Sol on the matter of thinking too far ahead, without the Lord’s will reckoned in. He says: ‘Boast not thyself of tomorrow; for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth.’ (Prov. 27:1) 

And that’s wise advice we all should heed my brethren, for none of us knows what lies ahead in each day for us, but we still make golden plans for them. Just check the obits to see how many of us who went to bed last night, presumable hale and hearty, but did not arise this morning. Or how many of us leave to go to work on a morning and don’t ever arrive back home in the evenings. Life is unpredictable and we should not be overly presumptuous and make sumptuous plans for our days. (smile) Now that doesn’t mean we can’t make plans, but plans that consider the will of God in them. 

Here’s how James, Jesus’ brother puts it, referring to it as unchristian conduct. ‘Go to now (come now), ye that say, Today or tomorrow we will go into such a city, and continue there a year, and buy and sell, and get gain (make a profit): whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away. For that ye ought to say, If the Lord will, we shall live, and do this, or that. But now ye rejoice (boast) in your boasting (arrogance): all such rejoicing is evil. Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin.’ (James 4:13-17) 

Yes friends, there’s a lot we can learn from those scriptures; like when we are being foolish and plan as though we control our destiny, or presume we have the resources to control it, when we don’t. Remember all the earth and what’s therein, including us, belongs to the Lord, and He doles it out to whom He wishes in what amount He desires. So, in making plans we must consider Him, at least consult Him and see what He has to say. 

For, as we’ve been told throughout the Good Book and have seen for ourselves, our lives are like a vapour, a column of steam or smoke that appears on earth for a short while, then quickly vanishes without a trace. And since we don’t know when our column of vapour will disappear, we have to take the Creator’s will into our planning as best we can. And the scholars offer these interesting explanations on those verses. ‘4:15. This, or that: This verse teaches that God does have something for Christians to do and that they should plan accordingly. James condemns only elaborate planning that omits God (cf. Prov. 16:9).’ 

And I’ll be charitable here and quote that verse for us. (smile) Cousin Sol says there: ‘A man’s heart deviseth (plans) his way: but the Lord directeth his steps.’ (Prov. 16:9) That’s because the Lord is sovereign over everything a man does, including his ungodly scheming and planning. As the ole people would say; man plans, but God laughs. And that’s the awesome truth as so many of us have found out to our detriment, when we don’t include God in our earthly plans. 

But let’s get back to the scholars and the last verse of James that we read. ‘4:17. To do good here requires including God in one’s plans. Omitting God is not merely bad planning; it is a sin.’  Now that’s a tough row to hoe, but it does make sense. If you are a Christian, a believer in God, and you know how to do good, but don’t do it, then that should automatically put a black mark against your name. And unfortunately, that happens a lot in our Christian circles today. Too many of us know the good we ought to do, but blatantly and stubbornly refuse to do it. No wonder our world is in such a mess and the unbelievers don’t take us seriously. 

And just in case you don’t believe what James says above there, then listen to this parable about the rich fool from his brother, Jesus. Having said to His listeners: ‘Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man’s life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth.’ (Luke 12:15) He then proceeded to tell them about the rich man whose land brought forth a plentiful crop, and he had nowhere to store it, so he decided to pull down all the old barns and build a bigger one so he could store all his harvest. 

‘And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease; eat, drink, and be merry. But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided (stored up)? So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.’ (Luke 12:19-21) Oh my people, it’s only common sense to be rich to our Creator, who owns everything and gives us everything, including the breath of life that keeps us going. 

And I like the explanation the scholars offer as per ‘12:21. Here Jesus brings out the meaning of verses 16-20. Notice that what Jesus calls for follows quite logically out of His own example (2. Cor. 8:9), as well as out of God’s graciousness toward all who seek Him (Rom. 10:12). Jesus is thus not speaking of a pay-as-you-go faith, but of participating in a relationship in which God already provides what he wishes His people to give back to Him.’ 

And I would not be a good teacher if I did not quote those verses the scholars referenced above there. (smile) It’s going to make the Bit longer, but all of us wiser. So here goes. 2 Cor. 8:9 says: ‘For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich.’  In other words, Jesus was, is, and always will be the supreme example of sacrificial LOVE! Meanwhile, Rom. 10:12 tells us: ‘For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him.’ 

Yes my people, whomsoever shall call upon the Lord shall be saved, regardless of race, creed, colour or class! So, having read, understood and digested all that scripture, (smile) let’s go home declaring (yeahhh!!!) our Thursday Blessings; blessings that the Lord has so benevolently bestowed on us to do His earthly work. Altogether now: ‘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 every day! Amen!’ 

It’s now our duty to go out and share those blessings with others just as generously as the Lord shared them with us. Much LOVE!

…true wisdom entails…including God in EVERYTHING we do…                                                                                                                

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