Today’s Scrip-Bit   7 December 2023 Psalm 18:1.

07 Dec 2023 Leave a comment

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

Psalm 18:1.       I will LOVE thee O Lord, my strength.

And, due to a somewhat snowy Wednesday night, we have ended up with a snow tinged Thursday morning. (smile) Yes, some snow, not a whole lot, just enough to cover everything, fell during the night hours, but by the time the day opened the roads were mostly clear and the white intruder had begun melting. But we still need to be careful as we go out today, because it’s still wet and possibly slippery. In other words, welcome to a damp and cloudy day! And as always, possibly a li’l more so today because of the wet, gloomy weather, before we step out of the house, we have to ask our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ for His protection and guidance as we go about our business. 

For He is the ONLY sure thing we have in this evil and ungodly world! And we have these strong and sure sentiments of Bruh David from Psalm 18, to prove it. He uttered these words in song when the Lord delivered him from all his enemies, especially King Saul. ‘I will LOVE thee O Lord, my strength. The Lord is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength (rock), in whom I will trust; my buckler (shield), and the horn (strength) of my salvation, and my high tower (stronghold). I will call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised: so shall I be saved from mine enemies.’ (Ps. 18:1-3) 

We can’t get any stronger or more faithful sentiments than those my brethren! And let’s hope that those are words we all believe, that we have written indelibly in our hearts, minds, bodies and souls, for without that strong trust in Almighty God, who knows what will happen to us at any given time, on any given day! Only when we have surrendered our all, placed our complete trust in Christ Jesus can we walk in comparative safety. For Jesus is the able pilot of our good ship Life, and He, and He alone can pilot us safely through the storms that most certainly will come upon each of us. 

Remember these word of His: ‘These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.’ (John 16:33) And yes, I know that’s easier said than done, for when the unexpected troubles and tribulations suddenly come upon us, sometimes we don’t even have time to think before we need to respond to them. But if we walk faithfully with that peace that comes from a strong and intimate relationship with Christ, then He will ensure that we have whatever time we need to think, before responding to our unfortunate situation. 

Yes my people, it’s all about building the kind of faith in Jesus that will allow us to go about our business and His, with a type of peace that only comes from Him. as He says in the gospel of John: ‘Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.’ (John 14:27) And it’s ever so important to note that Jesus’ peace is way different to what the world touts as peace. His peace is that peace which passes all human understanding. It’s so far above our understanding, so powerful and refreshing, that we who posses it don’t understand it either, but we know that it’s there, indwelling us through the awesome power of the Holy Spirit! 

Wow! And it doesn’t mean that we won’t feel fear, anxiety or any of the other negative emotions when tough times invade our souls, but that we will have the peace of Jesus to handle them without them taking us under. However, in those rough times, we need to stand strong in faith, by remembering all that Jesus has already done for us, and His promise never to leave nor forsake us, (Heb. 13:5) otherwise, all our talk will be in vain. He’s also promised that we won’t ever be faced with spirit-crunching fear because as Bruh Paul told Timothy: ‘God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of LOVE, and of a sound (disciplined) mind.’ (2 Tim. 1:7) 

So you see, we have all the tools to handle the world’s attempts to drive us into the evil arms of Satan. That’s the peace of God which passes all human understanding; the promise of God never to leave nor forsake us, and God’s indomitable, invincible Spirit of power, LOVE and a sound mind! But unfortunately they don’t work unless and until we put them together in that big ball of strong faith required to defeat the enemy and his many attempts to overcome us. That brings to mind this added scripture of promise; the encouraging words of Bruh Paul to the church at Rome. 

He writes: ‘Who will separate us from the LOVE of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written, for thy sake we are killed all the day long, we are counted as sheep for the slaughter. Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that LOVED us. For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the LOVE of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.’ (Rom. 8:39) 

Mama Mia! What powerful words my fellow saints! Words that we should all be able to truly espouse in our hearts, bodies and souls, if we want to live the abundant life that Christ died for us to have. Jesus said it thus: ‘The thief cometh not, but for (except) to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.’ (John 10:10) There we have it friends, Jesus died so that we can have an abundant life down here as well as in heaven, but unfortunately it doesn’t happen automatically, we have an important part to play in the process: that’s putting all the tools we’ve been granted together to make the whole come right. 

But yuh know what, in addition to those tools, our God is so generous and forthcoming, that He’s also bestowed a number of undeserved blessings on us to use in our advancement of His kingdom. We call them our Thursday Blessings. So let’s declare (yesss!!!) them now that they can be activated in our lives. As one voice: ‘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’re now responsible to go out and share them with others, just as generously as the Lord shared them with us! Much LOVE!

…God’s given us all we need to succeed in life…it’s up to us how we use His gifts… 

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

Today’s Scrip-Bit   26 September 2021 Psalm 18:2.

26 Sep 2021 Leave a comment

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

Psalm 18:2.     The Lord is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength (rock), in whom I will trust, my buckler (shield), and the horn (strength) of my salvation, and my high tower (stronghold). 

Oh my fellow believers, once again it’s Sunday, the Lord’s Day! So please, let’s heed the call to worship nuh, be it in the newfound freedom of His sanctuary, (smile) as some of the restrictions of the pandemic have been lifted, or through the miracle of modern technology. But come Sunday, worship is a must! And as always, we begin each Sunday session of worship with a song of praise. 

Today’s song is a favourite Christian hymn authored by the Reverend Augustus Toplady in the latter half of the 18th century. And though there is no evidence to back up what’s since become a legend, the story goes that the Reverend ‘drew his inspiration from an incident in the gorge of Burrington Combe in the Mendip Hills in Somerset, England. Toplady, a preacher in the nearby village of Blagdon, was travelling along the gorge when he was caught in a storm. 

Finding shelter in a gap in the gorge, he was struck by the title and scribbled down the initial lyrics. The fissure that is believed to have sheltered Toplady is now marked as the “Rock of Ages”, both on the rock itself and on some maps, and is also reflected in the name of a nearby tea shop.’ By now you must know that today we are singing the definitive Christian hymn ‘Rock of Ages.’ And such a moving and powerful song does need such a miraculous background to help us keep the faith. 

So, let’s sing it in harmony and sincerity, in a soulful, up-tempo riddim, because it’s not a sad song, but one of encouragement and safety, one that brings joy to the human soul and spirit. As one strong voice raised to heaven in sacrificial praise: ‘Rock of Ages, cleft for me, let me hide myself in thee; let the water and the blood, from thy wounded side which flowed, be of sin the double cure; save from wrath and make me pure. Not the labours of my hands can fulfill thy law’s demands; could my zeal no respite know, could my tears forever flow, all for sin could not atone; thou must save, and thou alone. 

Nothing in my hand I bring, simply to the cross I cling; naked, come to thee for dress; helpless, look to thee for grace; foul, I to the fountain fly; wash me, Saviour, or I die. Wash me, Saviour or I die. While I draw this fleeting breath, when mine eyes shall close in death, when I soar to worlds unknown, see thee on thy judgment throne, Rock of Ages, cleft for me, let me hide myself in thee…Let me hide myself in thee…let me hide myself in thee….’ 

And believe me friends, there is no better place to hide in this universe than in Christ Jesus! For He is indeed our refuge and place of safety. Bruh David says it best in Psalm 18 – His prayer of Thanksgiving for deliverance from all his enemies. ‘I will LOVE thee, O Lord, my strength. The Lord is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength (rock), in whom I will trust, my buckler (shield), and the horn (strength) of my salvation, and my high tower (stronghold). I will call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised: so shall I be saved from mine enemies.’ (Ps. 18:1-3) 

And that’s exactly what the song ‘Rock of Ages’ is saying to us. Jesus is our strength, our Saviour, the one to whom we can turn in any situation and receive comfort and safety, encouragement and resuscitation. And the Hymnary.org website lends a valuable insight into the song. It says: ‘While evidence to support that story (of Reverend Toplady’s adventure) is lacking, it does provide a vivid image through which to understand the hymn. Christ and His redemptive work on the cross are like that cleft in the rock, where we can find shelter from the deluge of sin’s guilt and power.’ 

Wow mih bredrin! What gospel truth that is! And not only Bruh David uses the rock as a metaphor for God; His strength, staying power and comfort, but listen to Moses in his song to the children of Israel. ‘Give ear, O ye heavens, and I will speak; and hear, O earth, the words of my mouth. My doctrine (teaching) shall drop as the rain, my speech shall distil as the dew, as the small rain upon the tender herb, and as the showers upon the grass: because I will publish (proclaim) the name of the Lord: ascribe ye greatness unto our God. He is the Rock, his work is perfect: for all his ways are judgement: a God of truth and without iniquity, just and right is he.’ (Deut. 32:1-4) 

And if any human being should know of God’s strength, truth and righteousness it’s surely Moses who had so many miraculous dealings with the Lord! The prophet Isaiah, another great man of God, also described the Lord in rock-like terms. In his hymn of praise, he declares: ‘Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on (sustained by) thee: because he trusteth in thee. Trust ye in the Lord for ever: for in the Lord Jehovah is everlasting strength (the Rock of Ages).’ (Is. 26:3-4) 

Now friends, if godly men like Moses, Isaiah and Bruh David could consider the Lord as being the Rock of Ages, who are we to say them nay eh? We should be shouting it even louder than them, because we now have Jesus fulfilling the Lord’s promises of safety, succour, refuge and comfort! 

And we’ll close with these uplifting words from the website Godtube, which say: ‘Even when we may feel like we are all alone, remember that God is always by our side and will never abandon us. He is truly our light in the dark and our rock that we can stand upon always. What an amazing feeling to be LOVED by such a kind Father and to give praise to His name with the beautiful hymn ‘Rock Of Ages.’ Hearing the story behind the hymn made this classic song even more powerful. What a way to worship!’ 

Yes my people, it is indeed a wonderful way to worship! So please, let’s allow all the good things we’ve said today to stir us up nuh, to raise the level of our passion for Christ, so that we can do justice to His name and bring glory to the Father as we ought to. Much LOVE!

…to God the Father be the glory…through Jesus Christ, the Son…                                                                                                                          

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