Today’s Scrip-Bit   5 February 2024 John 3:16.

05 Feb 2024 Leave a comment

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

John 3:16.       For God so LOVED the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

Welcome to Monday friends… and sadly, we don’t have the beautiful sunshine like we had yesterday to open this new work week, but there’s a shadow of sunshine under the cloudiness. (smile)  And just for your information, all the groundhog prognosticators, I believe it’s four of them, three in Canada and one in the U.S. came out of their lairs this past week to check on the status of our upcoming weather forecast. Now, the good news is that none of them saw their shadows, so the consensus is an early spring, and not another six weeks of winter, if they had seen their shadows. 

What beautiful weather forecasting. Can you imagine it? In these ultra scientific times, such simple-minded folklore is still such a big deal. But I guess it’s okay to get back to some of our old ways, remember the simpler times when nature played a much bigger part in our lives, before the world was overwhelmed with scientific knowledge and logic. But yuh know what friends, there is some natural, or rather supernatural knowledge that the scientific community cannot disprove with their supercomputers and whatever instruments they use to measure their data. 

That is that Jesus Christ is our Lord and Saviour! That He came into the world from heaven above to sacrifice His sinless life, taking the sins of sinful man on His worthy shoulders, so that sinful man could be reconciled back to God, be saved through God’s grace and have the option of spending eternity with Him! Now let me see the scientists disprove that nuh! And the smart ones know that it is quite okay and wise to be a scientist and a Christian, for one does not negate the other. 

Yes, it’s been proven that a man named Jesus, who was born in Bethlehem in Judea some two thousand years ago, was crucified on a Roman cross to save us from Satan and his evil lies and wiles. And He proclaimed to all and sundry, these marvellous words of encouragement and life. ‘For God so LOVED the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.’ (John 3:16) Now that’s possibly the most important words ever spoken on this planet earth! Words for all mankind to live by! 

But foolishly, a majority of us are not living by them, but by the deceits, the treacherous plans that Satan has rolled out in this evil world. Remember what James, Jesus’ brother said in his epistle. ‘Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of (with) the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be (wants to be) a friend of the world is (makes himself) the enemy of God.’ (James 4:4) That says it all friends: you cannot be a friend of God and a friend of Satan. Or as Jesus so wisely said: ‘Ye cannot serve God and mammon (material wealth.)’ (Matt. 6:24) 

And we all know that we cannot sincerely and loyally serve two masters at the same time, so I don’t know why so many of us are trying to serve God and Satan too, trying to straddle the fence, having one foot in hell and one in heaven, hoping to enjoy the benefits of both camps at the same time. But that’s not going to work my fellow believers. You are either wholly in one camp or the other. This jumping back and forth is useless and will only get you more confused and in more trouble than you’re in already. 

The wise money is on Jesus all the way! For He will win…in fact He’s already won, by rising from the dead and thus defeating hell, death and the grave, (1 Cor. 15:55) and all authority has been given to Him both in heaven and earth, which makes Him the Number One power in the universe, (Matt. 28:18) to whom all knees must bow, and all tongues confess that He is Christ the Lord indeed. (Phil. 2:9-11) So why be foolish and put your money on a dead horse like Satan eh? 

Now listen to Jesus make His case, then tell me if Satan can do better. ‘For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.’ (John 3:17) And we’ve already seen how that will be accomplished, through belief. But let’s clarify it, just in case you did not get it the first time. (smile) Jesus warns: ‘He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.’ (John 3:18) 

It’s simple friends; you just have to believe in Jesus, that He’s the Son of God and that He died to save you from your sins. What’s so hard about that eh? Nothing, unless you fall into the category Jesus further talks about. ‘And this is the condemnation, that light (the light – Jesus) has come into the world, and men LOVED darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For every one that doeth (practices) evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved (exposed). But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God.’ (John 3:19-20) 

There it is friends, sweet and simple, not rocket science. If your deeds are evil, then you’ll certainly shy away from Jesus, because you don’t want your evil deeds exposed to the light. However, if they are wrapped in truth, goodness and LOVE, then you will gladly come to the cross of Christ and receive redemption! And since in some form and fashion, we have all sinned and come short of the glory of God, and our world is in such a woeful state, let’s go to His throne of grace right now, through our Monday Morning Battle Hymn, confidently, but humbly asking for divine help to handle our many problems. 

As one voice: ‘Our Father, who art in heaven, we, Your humble servants, praise Your Holy Name and thank You this Monday morning for life and strong faith in Christ, despite the mass confusion in our world. Heavenly Father, You are the ONLY ONE with the power to solve our many problems. Yes, we have all sinned and seriously disobeyed Your Word, but You are a merciful, forgiving and gracious God, who has faithfully promised to hear and answer our prayers when we humble ourselves, pray, and sincerely seek Your face. 

So, we come to You now, with sincere repentance in our hearts, pleading for wise guidance and direction to alleviate our problems. Oh Father, please ease the pain of the many suffering from negative situations, show them Your awesome grace and mercy. And faithfully keep Your promise to prosper us if we turn from our evil ways. Show this evil world that You are indeed Jehovah Rapha; the God who heals! We pray this in the holy and blessed name of Your Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen! And again, we say: Amen!’ 

The next move friends is to turn from our evil ways…if we expect to receive divine help. Much LOVE!

…ONLY BELIEVE…that’s all Christ is asking…ONLY BELIEVE…

                                        

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

Today’s Scrip-Bit   30 October 2023 Colossians 3:17.

30 Oct 2023 Leave a comment

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

Colossians 3:17.       Whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.

Is it Monday already? Yes! But how can it be, when the weekend just began, and I haven’t recovered from last week’s work as yet! (smile) Oh, I know that’s a question that floats around the world every Monday morning. The insinuation is that the two days off over the weekend are not sufficient to recuperate from the five days of consecutive work. And in some places and professions this has been accepted and a four-day work week has been implemented. 

But I can assure you that come Monday morning after the three-day weekend, the result is exactly the same as after the two-day weekend. The time off was not enough! But I believe what happens in that instance is that there’s too much time off between work periods. We get so accustomed to being at home, relaxing for three days, that it then becomes difficult to resuscitate ourselves, to get ourselves back into the work ethic frame of mind. And it will be even worse when we go to the three-day work week, as some are advocating for. 

And how do we solve this problem eh? I really don’t know, and can only suggest that we become true and serious disciples of Jesus Christ and sincerely embrace His work ethic, one of constant diligence and excellence and complete obedience to will of the Father. And as the Bible teaches us, ‘Whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.’ (Col. 3:17) That’s the only way my finite mind can think of to get rid of the Monday morning blahs, and all the foolish excuses we dredge up not to go to work. (smile) 

And the scholars agree with me, when they explain that verse thus: ‘The beneficial influence produced by the indwelling word of Christ is not only to affect public and private worship (vs. 16), but it is also to control ALL areas of Christian life.’ Yuh see that friends, the indwelling of the Holy Spirit is responsible for all we believers do, to keep us on the straight and narrow path. And I know telling you to look up verse 16 for yourself  is a waste of time, (smile) so let’s look at it together. It wisely advises: ‘Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.’ (Col. 3:16) 

And as the scholars explain: ‘When believers are forbearing, forgiving (vs. 13), and LOVING (vs. 14), toward one another, when peace reigns among God’s people (vs. 15), then the church is fertile soil for the blessings produced by the word of Christ.’  And that is what we’re supposed to be striving for; making the church of Christ’s soil fertile for His rich blessings by living in peace, harmony and LOVE with each other, regardless of our colour, creed or race. 

Remember, yesterday we noted where Jesus said that He had two flocks, Jews and Gentiles, which He would eventually combine into ONE, with only ONE Shepherd. (John 10:16) That means if the two flocks don’t behave the way Jesus wants, then the whole show will crumble. And sadly, that’s exactly what’s happening today; there are too many divisions and denominations in the church, with too many petty differences driving and keeping them apart. That’s why Jesus said to the disciples: ‘A new commandment I give unto you, That ye LOVE one another; as I have LOVED you, that ye also LOVE one another. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have LOVE one to another.’ (John 13:34-35) 

Now, are we keeping that commandment my fellow believers? Not on your life! There’s more infighting and petty resentments in the church than in Satan’s kingdom! That ought to tell us something! That we’re not true disciples of Christ. If we were, there wouldn’t be so many divisions and as much infighting in Christ’s church. We’d be standing proud in unity and working diligently to defeat the enemy by spreading Christ’s gospel all around the world like He asked us to do. But no, we’re so busy fighting each other that in the meanwhile the enemy is taking over the world, and the evildoers are being triumphant. 

What saddens me the most, is that the enemy doesn’t even have to use the usual tactic of divide and conquer, because we are dividing ourselves and allowing him to thus get the better of us. And to make matters even worse, too many of us supposed believers have gotten so comfortable in this evil world, surrounded by all its’ amenities, that we’re much more interested in sitting on our fannies and enjoying our creature comforts than getting out into the evil world and teaching others about the wonderful Lord and Saviour we have in Christ Jesus. 

That’s why they say the worst kind of Christian is a comfortable Christian. And it’s the truth in spades! When we get too comfortable we don’t want to make any sacrifices for Christ. And I’m sure Jesus is not happy with the poor performance of His church in spreading the good news of His kingdom, and the longer we continue to fight each other, and not do what Jesus demands of us, the worse things are going to become. So what’s the answer eh? The first thing for a believer to always do is pray. So let’s take that step right now by going to the throne of grace, through our Monday Morning Battle Hymn asking for divine help to solve our many earthly problems. 

Altogether now: ‘Our Father, who art in heaven, we, Your humble servants, praise Your Holy Name and thank You this Monday morning for life and strong faith in Christ, despite the mass confusion in our world. Heavenly Father, You are the ONLY ONE with the power to solve our many problems. Yes, we have all sinned and seriously disobeyed Your Word, but You are a merciful, forgiving and gracious God, who has faithfully promised to hear and answer our prayers when we humble ourselves, pray, and sincerely seek Your face. So, we come to You now, with sincere repentance in our hearts, pleading for wise guidance and direction to alleviate our problems. 

Oh Father, please ease the pain of the many suffering from negative situations, show them Your awesome grace and mercy. And faithfully keep Your promise to prosper us if we turn from our evil ways. Show this evil world that You are indeed Jehovah Rapha; the God who heals! We pray this in the holy and blessed name of Your Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen! And again, we say: Amen!’ 

And if we listen closely to our prayer, we’ll realize that to get divine help, we first have to turn from our evil ways and sincerely seek God’s face. And until we do that, nothing’s going to change in our favour! Much LOVE!

…whether therefore ye eat or drink…whatsoever ye do…do all to the glory of God… (1 Cor. 10:31) 

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

Today’s Scrip-Bit   16 October 2023 Genesis 50:12.

16 Oct 2023 Leave a comment

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

Genesis 50:12.       And his (Jacob’s) sons did unto him according as he commanded them.

And as surely as the sunshine follows the rain, and the moon the sun, so does Monday follow Sunday. It’s a day that many of us don’t like because it wakes us from our weekend slumber, but it’s all a part of this thing we call life, and instead of complaining about it, we had better grab it by the tail and swing with it, if we want to enjoy the abundant life that Christ died for us to have. And all God’s people said, ‘Praise the Lord!’ 

Yes, for our own sakes, we had better hold on to God. Do like Bruh Joseph did despite his many trials and much tribulation, most of which were unfair and unjust. And as the Lord promised, when the time was right, He came through for him. The Lord will do the same for each one of us who faces our storms with a good attitude and keep Him first place in our lives. 

Now, the last time we saw Bruh Joseph his father Jacob had died after blessing his sons and making them promise to bury him in the land of Canaan with his fathers, Isaac and Abraham. Bruh Joseph had therefore had Jacob’s body embalmed and the Egyptians mourned for the patriarch for sixty days. 

The Bible then tells us: ‘And when the days of his mourning were past, Joseph spake unto the house of Pharaoh, saying, If now I have found grace (favour) in your eyes, speak, I pray you, in the ears of Pharaoh, saying, My father made me swear, saying, Lo, I die: in my grave which I have digged for me in the land of Canaan, there shalt thou bury me. Now, therefore let me go up, I pray thee, and bury my father, and I will come again. And Pharaoh said, Go up, and bury thy father, according as he made thee swear.’ (Gen. 50:4-6) 

It’s obvious that Pharaoh was very proud of and understanding where Bruh Joseph was concerned. And he had just cause because Bruh Joseph had saved Egypt from certain ruin during the years of the severe famine, and even made Pharaoh richer than he had previously been. 

Thus, the Bible relates: ‘And Joseph went up to bury his father: and with him went up all the servants of Pharaoh, the elders of his house, and all the elders of the land of Egypt. And all the house of Joseph and his brethren, and his father’s house: only their little ones, and their flocks, and their herds, they left in the land of Goshen. And there went up with him both chariots and horsemen: and it was a very great company.’ (Gen. 50:7-9) 

Wow! Jacob certainly had a big, royal-like send off. But he deserved it for he was indeed royalty; the patriarch of Israel. And it’s interesting how the Egyptians treated the Hebrews in the early days, as opposed to four hundred years later, under the Pharaoh who supposedly didn’t know of Bruh Joseph and the history of the Hebrew children in Egypt. 

And the Good Library continues: ‘And they came to the threshing floor of Atad, which is beyond Jordan, and they mourned with a great and very sore (solemn) lamentation: and he made (observed) a mourning for his father seven days. And when the inhabitants of the land, the Canaanites, saw the mourning in the floor of Atad, they said, This is a grievous mourning to the Egyptians: wherefore the name of it was called Abel-mizraim (Mourning of Egypt), which is beyond Jordan.’ (Gen. 50: 10-11) 

Imagine that nuh, the great sorrow expressed by the Egyptians over a Hebrew man. That was when the Hebrews were a mere handful of people, before they grew into such a substantial amount of people, that they threatened the Egyptian’s security, and had to be enslaved to keep them quiet. 

‘And his (Jacob’s) sons did unto him according as he commanded them. For his sons carried him into the land of Canaan, and buried him in the cave of the field of Machpelah, which Abraham bought with the field for a possession of a buryingplace of Ephron the Hittite, before Mamre. And Joseph returned into Egypt, he, and his brethren, and all that went up with him to bury his father, after he had buried his father.’ (Gen. 50:12-14) 

Oh mih people, can you imagine the spectacle that funeral must have been? With Egyptians and Hebrews, chariots and horses, plus food carts and whatever moving over the land from Egypt to Canaan. And on the way to Canaan land, they stopped for seven days and partied on the threshing floor of Atad. It was such an immense spectacle that the Canaanites changed the name of the place to Abel-mizraim (the Mourning of Egypt). 

At that moment in time, all of the great Hebrew patriarchs, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, had finally been put to rest in the land that their God had promised to their descendants. And the Hebrew people went on growing and prospering in the land of Goshen in Egypt, through the generous auspices of their great God. Likewise, we can also prosper if we sincerely turn to Him for help… and do we ever need a monumental amount of help in our world right now. 

So, through our Monday Morning Battle Hymn, let’s go to the throne of grace in confident humility and ask for divine help to handle our many earthly problems. As one voice: ‘Our Father, who art in heaven, we, Your humble servants, praise Your Holy Name and thank You this Monday morning for life and strong faith in Christ, despite the mass confusion in our world. Heavenly Father, You are the ONLY ONE with the power to solve our many problems. 

Yes, we have all sinned and seriously disobeyed Your Word, but You are a merciful, forgiving and gracious God, who has faithfully promised to hear and answer our prayers when we humble ourselves, pray, and sincerely seek Your face. So, we come to You now, with sincere repentance in our hearts, pleading for wise guidance and direction to alleviate our problems. 

Oh Father, please ease the pain of the many suffering from negative situations, show them Your awesome grace and mercy. And faithfully keep Your promise to prosper us if we turn from our evil ways. Show this evil world that You are indeed Jehovah Rapha; the God who heals! We pray this in the holy and blessed name of Your Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen! And again, we say: Amen!’ 

It’s obvious then, that our next step is to change our evil ways…if we truly desire to receive divine help. Much LOVE!

…with sincere obedience…divine help is only a prayer away… 

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

Today’s Scrip-Bit    18 September 2023 Genesis 42:3.

18 Sep 2023 Leave a comment

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

Genesis 42:3.       And Joseph’s ten brethren (brothers) went down to buy corn (grain) in Egypt.

And as the day follows the night, and the sunshine the rain, likewise Monday follows Sunday, come rain or shine! (smile) Yes friends, that’s just the way it is, how the universe was set up by its Creator, Almighty God. And try as hard as we might, we won’t change it, one day will always follow the next like clockwork. It therefore behooves us to just try and make the best of those days called Mondays. With the Lord’s help, prepare to meet them head on, don’t try to run away from them, for remember, the best method of defence is attack! 

So, with those words of wisdom for this Monday morning, let’s get back to the riveting story of Bruh Joseph in Egypt. We last saw him in the seven years of abundance, during which time the Lord blessed him with two sons by his Egyptian wife Asenath; the first he called Manasseh, ‘for God, said he hath made me forget all my toil, and all my Father’s house.’ (Gen. 41:51) In other words, the hardship brought upon him by his envious brothers was a thing of the past. And the second son, he named Ephraim, ‘For God hath caused me to be fruitful in the land of my affliction.’ (Gen. 41:52) 

Now, it’s time to move on to the drama of the seven years of famine. And the Bible informs us thus: ‘And the seven years of plenteousness, that was in the land of Egypt, were ended. And the seven years of dearth (famine) began to come, as Joseph had said: and the dearth (famine) was in all lands; but in all the land of Egypt there was bread. And when all the land of Egypt was famished, the people cried to Pharoah for bread: and Pharoah said unto all the Egyptians, Go unto Joseph, what he saith to you, do. 

And the famine was over all the face of the earth: And Joseph opened all the storehouses, and sold unto the Egyptians; and the famine waxed sore (became severe) in the land of Egypt. And all countries came into Egypt to Joseph for to buy corn (grain); because the famine was so sore (severe) in all lands.’ (Gen. 41:53-57) 

And yuh know what friends, right now there is severe famine in many countries, in many parts of the earth, but the sad part is that those experiencing the famine either have no means, that’s money or transportation, to go and buy food elsewhere, assuming that other countries would even sell it to them. Yes, even in this supposed humanitarian age, and these times of plenty, way too many people around the globe are starving for food and the other basic necessities of life; clothing and shelter. 

But then, all the natural disasters that have recently struck our world; forest fires, hurricanes, tornadoes, floods and earthquakes, pandemics, just to name a few, are only making life increasingly difficult for all of us to handle. And that’s why we so badly need a LOVE REVOLUTION: a powerful uprising of LOVE for God and each other, under the compassionate and protective umbrella of the Lord God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob! For that’s the only way we will ever break ourselves out of the total mess, the strife, the resentment, hatred, anger and ungodliness in which we’re currently mired. 

Unfortunately though, the soldiers of Satan’s evil empire are fighting us tooth and nail to prevent the LOVE REVOLUTION from being successful. And the only way to counter that is by increasing our godly ardour and valiantly fighting back safely clothed in the full armour of God. So, since we know what to do, let’s get together and do it nuh! Let’s unite as one and batter down the enemy, for it’s what our Lord and Leader, Jesus Christ expects of us. And all God’s people said a loud and positive ‘Amen! So be it!’ 

Now, let’s get back to that famous famine where Bruh Joseph was the man controlling the food. And this is where the drama really gets ramped up. The Good Library records: ‘Now when Jacob saw that there was corn (grain) in Egypt, Jacob said unto his sons, Why do ye look one upon another? And he said, Behold, I have heard that there is corn (grain) in Egypt: get you down thither, and buy for us from thence; that we may live, and not die. And Joseph’s ten brethren (brothers) went down to buy corn (grain) in Egypt. But Benjamin, Joseph’s brother, Jacob sent not with his brethren; for he said, Lest peradventure mischief (some calamity) befall him.’ (Gen. 42:1-4) 

Ah mih people, yuh see how difficult it is, if not impossible, to get over the loss of a child, especially a favoured one. It’s obvious that Jacob was still thinking, some twenty years later, about what had happened to his other young son Joseph, and was afraid to let Benjamin, the child of his old age out of his sight. But what Jacob and the rest of us consistently fail to remember is that the life of mankind is strictly controlled by the greatest dramatist and planner in existence, that’s the Lord God Jehovah! And having made that oh so true statement, let’s take this precious opportunity to go to Him, through our Monday Morning Battle Hymn, for divine help with our many earthly problems. 

As one voice: ‘Our Father, who art in heaven, we, Your humble servants, praise Your Holy Name and thank You this Monday morning for life and strong faith in Christ, despite the mass confusion in our world. Heavenly Father, You are the ONLY ONE with the power to solve our many problems. Yes, we have all sinned and seriously disobeyed Your Word, but You are a merciful, forgiving and gracious God, who has faithfully promised to hear and answer our prayers when we humble ourselves, pray, and sincerely seek Your face. 

So, we come to You now, with sincere repentance in our hearts, pleading for wise guidance and direction to alleviate our problems. Oh Father, please ease the pain of the many suffering from negative situations, show them Your awesome grace and mercy. And faithfully keep Your promise to prosper us if we turn from our evil ways. Show this evil world that You are indeed Jehovah Rapha; the God who heals! We pray this in the holy and blessed name of Your Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen! And again, we say: Amen!’ 

And since we’ve just said, that to get divine help, we need to humble ourselves, pray, and sincerely seek God’s face, let’s do just that nuh! Much LOVE!

…Satan can be defeated…but only if God’s people rise up and fight as ONE… 

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

Today’s Scrip-Bit   14 August 2023   1 Samuel 3:7.

14 Aug 2023 Leave a comment

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

1 Samuel 3:7.        Now Samuel did not yet know the Lord, neither was the word of the Lord yet revealed unto him.

Monday, oh sweet Monday! It’s so good to see you once again with all your busyness and confusion, your call to work and to spread the gospel of Christ! Like Bruh Paul wrote to the church at Rome: ‘How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things..’ (Rom. 10:15) Now that’s what we ambassadors of Christ need to go out and do on this sunshiny, but somewhat cool August Monday; take glad tidings of the good news of Jesus with us and share it with those we meet. 

And in our Bit today, let’s continue looking at the life of the prophet Samuel, one of Israel’s early and great prophets. So, what have we learned so far about him eh? From 1 Samuel 1&2, we learned that his mother Hannah was barren and socially despised for her condition, and she prayed fervently to God for a boy child, whom she promised to give into His service all his life. The Lord granted her request, blessing her greatly with three sons and two daughters. 

Hannah kept her promise and when Samuel was around three was given to Eli the priest to bring up in the Lord’s service and she sang her song of praise. But please note that Hannah did not lose sight of God’s grace and her motherly responsibility where Samuel was concerned, for every year that her family went up to Shiloh to make their sacrifice, she brought Samuel a little coat that she had personally made. That’s a nice motherly touch to the story, isn’t it? (smile) ‘And the child Samuel grew before the Lord.’ (1 Sam. 2:21) 

Now, the next installment in Samuel’s story is also rather interesting, showing us how our great God moves in mysterious and unexpected ways. It happened that the priest Eli was growing old and losing his sight, and one night while they slept Samuel heard a voice calling out to him. Thinking that it was Eli, he got up and went to him, but Eli had not called him. That happened three times. The Bible tells us: ‘Now Samuel did not yet know the Lord, neither was the word of the Lord yet revealed unto him.’ (1 Sam. 3:7) 

However, on the third occurrence Eli perceived that it was the Lord who had called Samuel. ‘Therefore Eli said unto Samuel, Go lie down: and it shall be, if he call thee, that thou shalt say, Speak, Lord; for thy servant heareth. So Samuel went and lay down in his place.’ (1 Sam. 3:9) And as was expected, ‘The Lord came, and stood, and called as at other times, Samuel, Samuel. Then Samuel answered, Speak for thy servant heareth. And the Lord said to Samuel, Behold, I will do a thing in Israel, at which both the ears of every one that heareth it shall tingle. 

In that day I will perform against Eli all things which I have spoken concerning his house: when I begin, I will also make an end. For I have told him that I will judge his house for ever for the iniquity which he knoweth; because his sons made themselves vile, and he restrained (rebuked) them not. And therefore I have sworn unto the house of Eli, that the iniquity of Eli’s house shall not be purged (atoned for) with sacrifice nor offering for ever.’ (1 Sam. 3:10:14) 

Brother, can you imagine the Lord laying such weighty matters on poor Samuel for his awakening in the Lord’s business, when he was possibly still a teenager, but surely no more than a young adult. No wonder the Good Library continues: ‘And Samuel lay until the morning, and opened the doors of the house of the Lord. And Samuel feared to show Eli the vision. 

Then Eli called Samuel, and said, Samuel, my son. And he answered, Here am I. And he (Eli) said, What is the thing that the Lord hath said unto thee? I pray thee hide it not from me: God do so to thee, and more also, if thou hide any thing from me of all the things that he said unto thee. And Samuel told him every whit (everything). And he (Eli) said, It is the Lord, let him do what seemeth him good.’ (1 Sam. 3:15-18) 

Wow! Samuel must have felt the pressure of the tense situation, with the Lord vowing to destroy Eli’s house and take away the favour of the priesthood because of the sinful behaviour of his sons Hophni and Phineas, who made it a well-known habit of sleeping with the women who assembled at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation. And Eli had rebuked them, but they paid him no attention and continued their sinful behaviour. (1 Sam. 3:22-25) 

And what Samuel told Eli about the Lord’s retribution, wasn’t news to him, for earlier on a man of God, (a prophet) had come to Eli and warned him of the Lord’s vengeance, where in one day both his sons would die, and his descendants would come begging the new line of priesthood for food and jobs. (1 Sam. 3:27-36) 

Yuh see friends, when the Lord exacts vengeance, He doesn’t do it in small amounts. And that brings us to an interesting explanation of the scholars. Re verse 2:25. ‘The sins of Eli’s sons were not only crimes against their fellowmen (vs. 13-17, 22), but against God Himself. Such conduct could only draw severe judgement (cf. vs. 34 with 4:11). The case of Eli’s sons demonstrates the need for firm parental instruction and supervision, especially in the home of one who ministers in the name of the Lord (vs. 29; cf. 3:13; 1 Tim. 3:4-5).’ 

And that’s the indisputable truth my fellow believers. The children of the Lord’s teachers and priests ought to set higher standards, but unfortunately, even today, the children of preachers, (P.K’s) are known to be wild and cause a multitude of problems for their parents, rebelling possibly because of that same firm parental instruction and supervision. And tomorrow, if God spares life, we’ll delve a little deeper into Samuel’s colourful story. Now let’s go to the throne of grace though our Monday Morning Battle Hymn, pleading for help to handle our many problems. 

Altogether now: ‘Our Father, who art in heaven, we, Your humble servants, praise Your Holy Name and thank You this Monday morning for life and strong faith in Christ, despite the mass confusion in our world. Heavenly Father, You are the ONLY ONE with the power to solve our many problems. 

Yes, we have all sinned and seriously disobeyed Your Word, but You are a merciful, forgiving and gracious God, who has faithfully promised to hear and answer our prayers when we humble ourselves, pray, and sincerely seek Your face. So, we come to You now, with sincere repentance in our hearts, pleading for wise guidance and direction to alleviate our problems. 

Oh Father, please ease the pain of the many suffering from negative situations, show them Your awesome grace and mercy. And faithfully keep Your promise to prosper us if we turn from our evil ways. Show this evil world that You are indeed Jehovah Rapha; the God who heals! We pray this in the holy and blessed name of Your Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen! And again, we say: Amen!’ 

And we all know that if we expect heaven’s help, then our earthly behaviour must improve. So, let’s start doing that right now nuh! Much LOVE!

…God expects high standards of conduct… from those who serve Him…as well as their families… 

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

Today’s Scrip-Bit   21 November 2022 Proverbs 24:17.

21 Nov 2022 Leave a comment

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

Proverbs 24:17.       Rejoice not when thine enemy falleth, and let not thine heart be glad when he stumbleth:

Prologue: Please excuse the lateness of the Bit, but I had some personal stuff that needed immediate attention, and it took longer than I expected. But as they say, ‘better late than never.’ (smile) 

Now friends, let’s just be glad and ever so thankful that we didn’t get the terrible snowstorm that the city of Buffalo, across the U. S. border got this weekend. The city was shut down for the entire weekend. Oh, we got a decent amount of the beautiful white, but ever so dangerous stuff, but God be praised that this Monday morning, as the work week opened, our roads were dry and clean and the sun’s shining ever so brightly in a cloudless sky! 

Let’s not laugh though at Buffalo or crow over their misfortune for sooner or later we will get our fair share of the winter blues. (smile) And that just draws my attention to the wise words of Cousin Sol on the subject of mocking one’s enemies from the Book of Proverbs. Please listen carefully, as he wisely advises: ‘Rejoice not when thine enemy falleth, and let not thine heart be glad when he stumbleth: Lest the Lord see it, and it displease him (be evil in his eyes), and he turn away his anger from him.’ (Prov. 24:17-18) 

Oh my people, that is such a wise scripture, especially in these turbulent times, of strife, envy and greed and autocratic behaviour. And I like how one commentary explains it. ‘God commands you to LOVE your personal enemies, and it is one of the chief measures of a true Christian. Such LOVE includes being grieved when your enemy falls or stumbles in life. If you are glad or rejoice when he is hit by adversity, you have sinned.’  And I know some of us will find that a hard scripture to accept, but it’s one of the basic tenets of our faith. As Christ said, LOVING our neighbour as ourselves is the second greatest commandment in the law of God. (Matt. 22:39) 

And just look at how God LOVED us when we were totally clothed in sin and disobedience. He could have laughed and gloated and turned away from us, but He didn’t. The Bible tells us that instead, ‘But God commendeth (demonstrated) his LOVE to us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.’ (Rom. 5:8) That means, if we want to be like God, show grace and mercy, then we cannot gloat over the demise of our enemies. 

And I guess one of the best examples of that is found in the Book of the prophet Obadiah, when the Lord threatened Edom, the descendants of Esau, for failure to help their cousins, the sons of Jacob, that’s Judah when they were besieged by their enemies, as well as their constant hostility towards them. 

The prophecy reads: ‘For thy violence against thy brother Jacob shame shall cover thee, and thou shalt be cut off for ever. In the day that thou stoodest on the other side, in the day that the strangers carried away captive his forces, and foreigners entered into his gates, and cast lots upon (for) Jerusalem, even thou wast as one of them. But thou shouldest not have looked, (gazed on, gloated over) on the day of thy brother in the day that he became a stranger (captive); neither shouldest thou have rejoiced over the children of Judah in the day of their destruction; neither shouldest thou have spoken proudly in the day of distress. 

Thou shouldest not have entered into the gate of my people in the day of their calamity; yea, thou shouldest not have looked on their affliction in the days of their calamity, nor have laid hands on their substance in the day of their calamity; Neither shouldest thou have stood in the crossway (crossroads), to cut off those of his that did escape; neither shouldest thou have delivered up (made captive) those of his that did remain in the day of distress.’ (Obad. 10-14) 

I guess that solidly states the case for not rejoicing over the demise of one’s neighbours. (smile) And as always, God’s prophecies do come true. It seems that the Edomites who lived in the fortress-like hill country neighbouring Judah, were brash and bold, figuring that they could not be subjugated because of their hilly terrain. They also seemed to have gotten wealthy by taxing those who passed through their land. The scholars tell us the ‘Edomites remained a constant threat to the Israelites until Bruh David conquered them (2. Sam. 8:13-18). 

Ah friends, you should read that scripture and see the mighty warrior king Bruh David became with God’s help, as he subdued all those nations around him and united Israel for the first time. However, when Israel again became a divided land, the monarchy was broken up, the Edomites regained their independence and their constant hostility towards God’s people, their cousins, was frequently denounced by Israel’s prophets. But as the Lord had promised, they were later subjugated by Assyria and eventually overrun by the Nabateans in the third century B.C. 

Wow! That should teach us never to doubt the promises and prophecies of God, no matter how long they take to come to pass, for, like He told the prophet Habakkuk: ‘For the vision is yet for an appointed time, but at the end it shall speak and not lie: though it tarry, wait for it; because it will surely come, it will not tarry.’ (Hab. 2:4) That’s why, as we raise our voices in prayer through our Monday Morning Battle Hymn, let’s understand that it’s all about God’s timing, not ours, and our duty is simply to pray and then wait for His answer. 

Altogether now: ‘Our Father, who art in heaven, we, Your humble servants, praise Your Holy Name and thank You this Monday morning for life and strong faith in Christ, despite the mass confusion in our world. We desperately need Your divine help, for You are the ONLY ONE with the power to solve our many problems. 

Heavenly Father, we admit that we have all sinned and seriously disobeyed Your Word, but we know that You are a merciful, forgiving and gracious God, who has faithfully promised to hear and answer our prayers when we humble ourselves, pray, and sincerely seek Your face. That’s why we come to You now, with sincere repentance in our hearts, pleading with You to give us wise guidance and direction to alleviate our problems. 

And Father, we pray that you will ease the pain of the many who are suffering from negative situations. Please show them Your awesome grace and mercy, and keep Your promise that You’ll hear our prayer, forgive us, and heal our land if we turn from our evil ways. Show this evil world that You are indeed Jehovah Rapha; the God who heals! We pray this in the holy and blessed name of Your Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen! And again, we say: Amen!’ 

Now, my fellow saints, let’s do our part, and wait patiently, expectantly, with strong faith, for the Lord to do His. Much LOVE!

…recompense to no man…evil for evil…be not overcome of evil…but overcome evil with good… (Rom. 12:17, 21) 

Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZJ          

Today’s Scrip-Bit   12 September 2022 John 3:16.

12 Sep 2022 Leave a comment

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

John 3:16.        For God so LOVED the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

Another Monday friends, another week of work…but we can handle it with kid gloves because we have the Holy Spirit of Christ dwelling within us, plus we went to church yesterday, fellowshipped with other believers, got encouraged and rebuilt our confidence, so that we can go out into the evil and ungodly world and do the Lord’s work! Glory be! 

No wonder, my fellow believers, the Good Book tells us that in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that LOVED us.’ (Rom. 8:37) That’s our Creator, our heavenly Father, who showed His mighty and amazing LOVE for us through the sacrificial death of His Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord and Saviour. 

And we can’t doubt that, because it’s written in the truth of the scriptures: ‘But God commendeth (demonstrated) his LOVE toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.’ (Rom. 5:8) So I don’t see how we can ever doubt God’s unconditional and deep-seated LOVE for us. 

Would you send your son to die for somebody if you didn’t care for them greatly? Obviously not! Why is it so difficult then to believe that Almighty God LOVES us eh? I don’t know what else He has to do to prove it to us. He’s already given us His Son as a Saviour, His Holy Spirit and His Word as Guide and Guidebook for earthly living, and all we have to do is believe on His Son and follow the guidance of His Spirit and His Word. 

But you know what, I suspect that the fleshly lures of the world, plus our inherent sinful nature keep us in bondage to a life of sin and ungodliness. We enjoy the illicit pleasures of the world too much, so we reject Jesus, believing that if we accept Him as Lord and Saviour, we will have to give up all those wonderful, sinful, fleshly pleasures. And yes, we will have to give up most, if not all of them, depending on what they are, and what kind of hold they have on us. 

But my brethren, our Jesus is so wonderful that He helps us to do whatever we need to do to come to Him. Remember what He said to the disciples when He told them that He had to go back to the Father. ‘I will not leave you comfortless (as orphans): I will come to you.’ (John 14:18) And when He left, he sent the Holy Spirit to indwell all believers on the first Day of Pentecost after His ascension. 

Oh my people, at all times, our Jesus is only a prayer away, so there’s no need to fret or worry. Like Bruh Paul told the church at Philippi: ‘Be careful (anxious) for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God which passeth all understanding, shall keep (guard) your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.’ (Phil. 4:6-7) 

Yes friends, our omnipotent, omniscient and omni-present God has made provision for all our needs, regardless of our situation. But it must all begin with simply believing, simple belief in His Son, Jesus Christ, which Jesus spelled out quite clearly in that famous verse of scripture which we all know, but are so hesitant to accept. ‘For God so LOVED the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.’ (John 3:16) 

It’s straight to the point friends. And it gets better when you add this other scripture where Jesus says that He is the way, the truth and the light, and the only avenue to the Father. (John 14:6) You can’t ask for any clearer explanation. But as I said earlier on, we just LOVE the sinful, ungodly things of the world, which makes it difficult for us to come to Christ sincerely and totally. But maybe these thought provoking and oh so true words of John from his first epistle might just stir us up enough to truly come to faith. (smile) 

‘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-interests), 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) 

Now, if John’s kind and gentle reproach doesn’t work for you, (smile) let’s see if James’ rough and tumble, take no prisoners approach will do the trick. James says without mincing words: ‘Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of (with) the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God.’ (James 4:4)  

That’s cutting right to the chase, getting right to the heart of the matter my brethren, and if you’re not willing to accept it, then crapaud smoke yuh pipe; you’ll just have to suffer whatever consequences come of your disbelief. But as the Good Book so wisely advises, let’s go to God with prayer and supplication and thanksgiving through our Monday Morning Battle Hymn, pleading for His awesome grace and mercy. 

As one voice: ‘Our Father, who art in heaven, we, Your humble servants, praise Your Holy Name and thank You this Monday morning for life and strong faith in Christ, despite the mass confusion in our world. We desperately need Your divine help, for You are the ONLY ONE with the power to solve our many problems. 

Heavenly Father, we admit that we have all sinned and seriously disobeyed Your Word, but we know that You are a merciful, forgiving and gracious God, who has faithfully promised to hear and answer our prayers when we humble ourselves, pray, and sincerely seek Your face. That’s why we come to You now, with sincere repentance in our hearts, pleading with You to give us wise guidance and direction to alleviate our problems.  

And Father, we pray that you will ease the pain of the many who are suffering from negative situations. Please show them Your awesome grace and mercy, and keep Your promise that You’ll hear our prayer, forgive us, and heal our land if we turn from our evil ways. Show this evil world that You are indeed Jehovah Rapha; the God who heals! We pray this in the holy and blessed name of Your Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen! And again, we say: Amen!’ 

And if we truly desire God’s grace and mercy, then we have to believe and apply ourselves accordingly. Much LOVE!

…Satan’s passing earthly pleasures…can never compare to the eternal ones of Jesus… 

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

Today’s Scrip-Bit   1 August 2022 Psalm 7:8.

01 Aug 2022 Leave a comment

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

Psalm 7:8.      The Lord shall judge the people: judge me, O Lord, according to my righteousness, and according to mine integrity that is in me.

And then it was Monday again. But thank the Lord, in this goodly land of Canada, many of us don’t have to worry about work because it’s a civic holiday. In Ontario, it’s called Simcoe Day, celebrating the life and times of John Graves Simcoe, the first Lieutenant Governor of Upper Canada in 1791 when the Province of Ontario was created, and Toronto was then known as York. 

This holiday on the first Monday in August also provides a good ending for the Caribana Celebrations, with many of the visitors on their way back home, after having a rollicking good time, but with many still here to take in the numerous last lap festivities. So you can imagine what’s happening tomorrow when the work week kicks in again…sick calls galore… Supervisors will possibly be pulling out their hair over the shortage of workers, but there’s not much they can do about it, because it’s just the nature of the beast. Plenty partying will also bring plenty tiredness and therefore plenty unavailability for work. (smile)  

That brings us to these interesting words of our Bit from Psalm 7 – A prayer for deliverance – as Bruh David implores the Lord. ‘The Lord shall judge the people: judge me, O Lord, according to my righteousness, and according to mine integrity that is in me.’ (Ps. 7:8) Now many of us will say that asking the Lord to judge us before the official judgement day is going a tad too far. Why? Because we know that our level of righteousness and integrity are way below par and are afraid to face the Lord in judgement now, hoping that by the final day we would be in a better position. (smile) 

But friends, the whole purpose of our Christian existence is to live a life that’s pleasing to Almighty God ALL THE TIME! Not simply try and clean it up just before we die. The point is that if we are living a sincere and half-decent Christian life, we won’t be afraid of going before the Lord. We will never be perfect, and He knows that, but it‘s all about the trying, trying to live every day to please Him, and thus earn rewards in heaven, and not have to answer too many difficult, embarrassing and soul crushing questions on the judgement day. (smile) 

And I guess that’s one of the things the Lord liked about Bruh David, he wasn’t afraid to come before Him with anything, despite his less than stellar living at times, which is putting it mildly, for we can instead say, his totally sinful and abominable moments. It’s also very interesting to note that he made those uncomfortable remarks to God three other times in his writings. Listen to them. 

In Psalm 26, he opens by crying out to God: ‘Judge (vindicate) me, O Lord; for I have walked in mine integrity: I have trusted also in the Lord; therefore I shall not slide (slip). Examine me, O Lord, and prove (try) me: try (test) my reins (mind) and my heart. For thy LOVING-kindness is before mine eyes: and I have walked in thy truth.’ (Ps. 26:1-3) Oh my people, how wonderful it would be if we were able to make such a remarkable request eh! But, unfortunately, many of us know that we are nowhere near that position, so we obviously shy away from such petitions. 

Meanwhile, in Psalm 35 – A prayer for rescue from enemies – Bruh David again asks for vindication against his enemies. ‘Judge (vindicate) me, O Lord my God, according to thy righteousness, and let them not rejoice over me.’ (Ps. 35:24) That certainly speaks to his enormous trust in the God of his forefathers and his confidence in the quality of life he was living. I don’t know how many of us today would be bold and confident enough to go to God and tell Him: ‘Lord vindicate me against my enemies because you know I’m living a righteous life that deserves it.’ 

Then in Psalm 43 – A prayer for deliverance from the ungodly, he opines: ‘Judge (vindicate ) me, O God, and plead my cause against an ungodly nation: O deliver me from the deceitful and unjust man. For thou art the God of my strength: why dost thou cast me off? Why go I mourning because of the oppression of the enemy? O send out thy light and thy truth: let them lead me; let them bring me unto thy holy hill, and to thy tabernacles. Then will I go unto the altar of God, unto God my exceeding joy: yea, upon the harp will I praise thee, O God my God. Why art thou cast down, O my soul? And why art thou disquieted within me? Hope in God: for I shall yet praise him, who is the health of my countenance (my salvation), and my God.’  (Ps. 43:1-5) 

Ah friends, yuh see what happens to us when we have a heart filled with sincere LOVE for God? Though our lives might be far from right, we are not afraid to go to God with our problems. And that’s exactly how Bruh David functioned. Despite his many, faults, foibles and frailties, he never stayed away from or feared going to God with his problems. And that’s exactly how we ought to be in these very deceitful, disastrous and trying times, not afraid to consult and communicate with our wonderful Creator. 

So, let’s take this marvellous opportunity to go to Him in confidence right now nuh, through our Monday Morning Battle Hymn, laying out our petitions and problems before His heavenly throne. As one sincere and steadfast voice. ‘Our Father, who art in heaven, we, Your humble servants, praise Your Holy Name and thank You this Monday morning for life and strong faith in Christ, despite the mass confusion in our world. We desperately need Your divine help, for You are the ONLY ONE with the power to solve our many problems. 

Heavenly Father, we admit that we have all sinned and seriously disobeyed Your Word, but we know that You are a merciful, forgiving and gracious God, who has faithfully promised to hear and answer our prayers when we humble ourselves, pray, and sincerely seek Your face. That’s why we come to You now, with sincere repentance in our hearts, pleading with You to give us wise guidance and direction to alleviate our problems. 

And Father, we pray that you will ease the pain of the many who are suffering from negative situations. Please show them Your awesome grace and mercy, and keep Your promise that You’ll hear our prayer, forgive us, and heal our land if we turn from our evil ways. Show this evil world that You are indeed Jehovah Rapha; the God who heals! We pray this in the holy and blessed name of Your Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen! And again, we say: Amen!’ 

Now it’s time for us to go out and turn from our evil ways! Much LOVE!

…there is no fear in LOVE…perfect LOVE casts out all fear… (1 John 4:18) 

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

Today’s Scrip-Bit   11 July 2022 Hebrews 12:3.

11 Jul 2022 Leave a comment

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

Hebrews 12:3.       For consider him that endured such contradiction (hostility) of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds (become discouraged).

Heads up my people! It’s Monday, and that means no dilly dallying, we’ve got to hit the pavement running, charging into the enemy’s ranks, not foolishly, but wisely, spunky and unafraid, living out the gospel of Christ in our godly, worthwhile actions. Yes, we’ve got to take Monday by storm and let it know unequivocally that we mean business, this first day of the work week…and each and every day after that too! 

Ah mih bredrin in these troubled times it is indeed necessary for us to run our race, to run a good race for Christ, one without too many hindrances. And we can only accomplish that if we follow the guidelines of the Good Book. The author of Hebrews tells us in no uncertain terms: ‘Wherefore seeing (since) we are compassed about with (surrounded by) so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset (snare) us, and let us run with patience (perseverance) the race that is set before us.’ (Heb. 12:1) 

Yes friends, we have a whole ‘cloud of witnesses’ looking on, that’s the heroes of our faith referred to in chapter 11, and we need to do them proud; set the same kind of example that they set, living by strong faith in Christ. However, to do that successfully, we must first remove any impediments that are weighing us down, be it excessive clothing or body weight. Then get ourselves out of any entangling sin that’s holding us back and finally move forward with endurance, keep persevering, because this is a race for salvation and eternal life, one race in which we cannot quit, cannot give up. 

In fact, we can’t even come second, (smile) we’ve got to win it for those who need to come to Christ. And the best way to do all of the above is like the author of Hebrews continues: ‘Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher (originator and perfector) of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.’ (Heb. 12:2) 

Oh my people, there could be no better example for us to follow than that of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, who first blazed the trail of our faith and crossed the finish line miles ahead of all the other participants. We’ve got to keep our eyes fixed steadfastly on that finish line and just keep going in the direction that He set without turning to the right nor to the left. And the next verse puts it all in true perspective. ‘For consider him that endured such contradiction (hostility) of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds (become discouraged).’ (Heb. 12:3) 

Yes faithful believers, we must remember the suffering and rejection that Jesus went through on our behalf and not become tired and/or discouraged when we face the many problems that will crop up in all of our lives. That’s just par for the course. Remember though that we have the Holy Spirit dwelling within us to empower, lead and guide us in all righteousness, so it’s not as difficult as it would otherwise be. 

And here’s the sort of situation we ought to end up in. They are Bruh Paul’s words to Timothy. He said: ‘For I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure (death) is at hand. I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course (race), I have kept the faith. Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them that LOVE his appearing.’ (2 Tim. 4:6-8) 

Wow! What a powerful testimony! That’s how we need to go out of this world my fellow saints; a winner in the race of life, ready to receive that crown of righteousness from our ever-faithful God! Now, all that we’ve said above is both true and wonderful, but the whole process has got to begin somewhere, and that beginning somewhere is always prayer! So, let’s go confidently to the throne of grace in prayer, outlining our current position through our Monday Morning battle Hymn. 

As one voice: ‘Our Father, who art in heaven, we, Your humble servants, praise Your Holy Name and thank You this Monday morning for life and strong faith in Christ, despite the mass confusion in our world. We desperately need Your divine help, for You are the ONLY ONE with the power to solve our many problems. 

Heavenly Father, we admit that we have all sinned and seriously disobeyed Your Word, but we know that You are a merciful, forgiving and gracious God, who has faithfully promised to hear and answer our prayers when we humble ourselves, pray, and sincerely seek Your face. That’s why we come to You now, with sincere repentance in our hearts, pleading with You to give us wise guidance and direction to alleviate our problems. 

And Father, we pray that you will ease the pain of the many who are suffering from negative situations. Please show them Your awesome grace and mercy, and keep Your promise that You’ll hear our prayer, forgive us, and heal our land if we turn from our evil ways. Show this evil world that You are indeed Jehovah Rapha; the God who heals! We pray this in the holy and blessed name of Your Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen! And again, we say: Amen!’ 

Now friends, we’ve got to wait with eager and expectant patience (smile) for heaven’s answer, and while doing that, keep our promises and develop right heart motives. That’s the only way we will receive positive answers. Much LOVE!

…JESUS…our champion and glowing example…in the race of life… 

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

Today’s Scrip-Bit   4 July 2022 Psalm 103:2.

04 Jul 2022 Leave a comment

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

Psalm 103:2.      Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits.

‘Come Monday, it will be all right…’ Yes friends, today is Monday, and everything will be all right because we have Jesus in our corner and His Holy Spirit within us! Wow! How can we ever go wrong with those mighty persons leading and guiding our lives eh? And if that isn’t enough, we also have the Father overseeing the whole operation. And all God’s children confidently declared: ‘Praise the Three in One; our Holy Trinity!’ And do they ever deserve oodles of praise for all the many wonderful and undeserving things they’ve done on our behalf, which we tend to quickly forget when things are going well. 

And today, when we give a shout of ‘Happy Fourth of July’ to the U.S of A, as they celebrate the birth of their nation in 1776, I believe it’s time for a refresher course. (smile) Yes, we ought to review some of those things our amazing and omnipotent God has done for us. And there’s no scripture more appropriate to do so than Psalm 103, where Bruh David talks about Thanksgiving for God’s mercy. 

Please read with me. ‘Bless the Lord, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless his holy name. Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits. Who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases; Who redeemeth thy life from destruction; Who crowneth thee with LOVING-kindness and tender mercies; Who satisfieth thy mouth with good things, so that thy youth is renewed like the eagle’s.’ (Ps. 103:1-5) 

Just look at all those things the Lord has done for us nuh my people! And yet so many of us refuse to give Him His much-deserved thanks and praise, foolishly believing that we’ve obtained whatever we have through our own resources. But that’s the furthest thing from the truth, for we need to remember as Bruh David says in Psalm 24: ‘The earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof: the world, and they that dwell therein. For he hath founded it upon the seas, and established it upon the floods (rivers). (Ps. 24:1-2) 

That means all the earth, as well as the things and people in it, belong to God, and we are simply stewards, or managers of it for Him. That’s why Moses could confidently tell the Israelites: ‘But thou shalt remember the Lord thy God: for it is he that giveth thee the power to get wealth, that he may establish (confirm) his covenant which he sware unto thy fathers, as it is this day.’ (Deut. 8:18) 

So there you have it friends! Nothing on this earth and in our lives happens by accident or coincidence. It’s all tied up with God’s plan for each of us and for the world as a whole. That means we have to stop believing the lies of the enemy and his evil co-workers, about how we contribute so much to our health, wealth and salvation. 

And that’s not all the Lord’s done for us either. Listen as Bruh David continues in Psalm 103. ‘The Lord executeth righteousness and judgement (justice) for all that are oppressed. He made known his way unto Moses, his acts unto the children of Israel. The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and plenteous (abounding) in mercy (LOVING-kindness). 

He will not always chide (strive): neither will he keep his anger for ever. He hath not dealt with us after our sins; nor rewarded us according to our iniquities. For as the heaven is high above the earth, so great is his mercy (LOVING-kindness) toward them that fear (reverence) him. As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us.’ (Ps. 103:6-12) 

Oh my faithful brethren, just for that last act of mercy alone, casting our transgressions far away and not remembering them anymore, we ought to be everlastingly grateful to the Lord God Almighty! For can you imagine if He took us to task for the numerous, abominable sins we’ve committed, what would be our end state? And that’s one of the many reasons why we say that our God is good… not just some of the time, but all of the time~! 

So, listen to these last two verses. ‘Like as a father pitieth his children, so the Lord pitieth them that fear him. For he knoweth our frame (understands our constitution); he remembereth that we are dust.’ (Ps. 103:13-14) Now that ought to put the icing on the cake, make us look at our Triune God with ever so much more LOVE, faithfulness, reverence, and trust. And I do hope that this li’l refresher course (smile) on the benefits of being under God’s protective umbrella will serve as a wakeup call, will help rebuild the passion in our lives that we’ve recently lost, and so desperately need to regain. 

Now, like Christ taught us, let’s go to the throne of grace and lay our many problems before the God of our forefathers, through our Monday Morning Battle Hymn. As one voice: ‘Our Father, who art in heaven, we, Your humble servants, praise Your Holy Name and thank You this Monday morning for life and strong faith in Christ, despite the mass confusion in our world. We desperately need Your divine help, for You are the ONLY ONE with the power to solve our many problems. 

Heavenly Father, we admit that we have all sinned and seriously disobeyed Your Word, but we know that You are a merciful, forgiving and gracious God, who has faithfully promised to hear and answer our prayers when we humble ourselves, pray, and sincerely seek Your face. That’s why we come to You now, with sincere repentance in our hearts, pleading with You to give us wise guidance and direction to alleviate our problems. 

And Father, we pray that you will ease the pain of the many who are suffering from negative situations. Please show them Your awesome grace and mercy, and keep Your promise that You’ll hear our prayer, forgive us, and heal our land if we turn from our evil ways. Show this evil world that You are indeed Jehovah Rapha; the God who heals! We pray this in the holy and blessed name of Your Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen! And again, we say: Amen!’ 

And to receive positive answers from God, we now need to keep the promises we’ve just made and show that the motives of our hearts are right. Much LOVE!

…to our God we owe everything…from our very life…to salvation and all it entails… 

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