Today’s Scrip-Bit 18 November 2019 2 Thessalonians 3:3.

18 Nov 2019 Leave a comment

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

2 Thessalonians 3:3.    But the Lord is faithful, who shall stablish (establish) you, and keep you from evil (the evil one).
 

Here we go again friends, the beginning of another work week! I know sometimes we shake our heads, sigh, and wonder if they will ever end. (smile) But the sad truth is that they won’t. They will keep cropping up every seven days, until they drive us crazy and we end up in the loony bin, we just get tired and give up, which, as a believer is not a viable option, or we get too old for the work force and they put us out to pasture, or the last option; the Lord calls us home. Until one or all of those things happen my people, most Monday mornings we will have to arise, whether we like it or not, ofttimes in the dark and in the cold, and join the human throng unhappily headed for a place called work. 

And please remember Bruh Paul’s warning to the Thessalonians, that he who doesn’t work, shouldn’t eat? (2 Thess. 3:10) So I don’t know why we don’t try and plan for it properly, so we’re not disgruntled and frustrated come Monday morning. You know the human spirit can rise above anything  if it really wants to, and if you are a sincere follower of Jesus, He will enable you to get over these weekly Monday morning blues. But as always, just in case you stumble, (smile) we’re here to catch you with our Monday Morning Battle Hymn, the perfect antidote for your ailment. So let’s turn to the most powerful tool in the universe, prayer, to help get our day started right. 

All together now: ‘Oh Lord God Almighty, Creator of the universe and all therein! We, your humble servants, praise your Holy Name and thank you that this Monday morning we have jobs to go to; jobs we don’t like, jobs that are unfair, difficult and even dangerous, but which serve a useful purpose here on earth; keeping lives and families together. We also thank you Father for the renewed vitality and enthusiasm you’ve wrought in our weary souls over the last two days. It’s that rejuvenation of Spirit which allows us now to sally forth with confidence into the evil, ungodly world that surrounds us, to begin a new week of work, constantly buffeted and bombarded by the enemy’s wicked taunts, wiles and lies. 

But heavenly Father, we’re not afraid, for we know we’re invincible, sure conquerors, once we’re wearing your powerful, protective spiritual armour. We surrender our all to you, and humbly ask that you let your incredible aura of LOVE, the Holy Spirit, lead and guide all your servants as we go out to meet the enemy in battle. Fill us with steadfast faith, so that we can make worthwhile inroads into the enemy’s ranks, and thereby further your glorious kingdom. We pray this in the Holy Name of your Son, and our Saviour, Jesus Christ. AMEN!’ 

And yes, precious people of God, before we could even finish praying, the Holy Spirit had already begun working His miracles in our souls and spirits! Wow! What a magnificent and magnanimous God we serve and worship! Please give Him some much deserved thanks and praise because most of us are now ready and able to go out and join the tumultuous fray that’s the working world, on Jesus’ behalf! And the thing we so badly need to remember here friends is that our God is FAITHFUL! Whatever we ask for in sincere belief, He will provide, if it’s within His will or plan for our lives. 

And Bruh Paul reminds us of that most salient and important fact: ‘But the Lord is faithful, who shall stablish (establish) you, and keep you from evil (the evil one).’  No doubt whatsoever about that! And we’re just going to wind down with some scriptures on the Lord’s faithfulness. Bruh Paul mentioned it quite a few times. To the Thessalonians, he also said: ‘Faithful is he that calleth you, who also will do it.’ (1 Thess. 5:24) 

Then to the Corinthians: ‘God is faithful, by whom ye were called unto the fellowship of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord.’ (1 Cor. 1:9) And also: “There hath no temptation taken (overtaken) you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear (endure) it.’ (1 Cor. 10:13) Then to Timothy: ‘If we believe not (are faithless), yet he abideth faithful: he cannot deny himself.’ (2 Tim. 2:13) 

And it’s most appropriate to close with this compelling verse from Isaiah, re, Israel, the Lord’s servant. ‘Thus saith the Lord, the Redeemer of Israel, and his (its) Holy One, to him whom man despiseth (the despised of soul), to him whom the nation abhorreth, to a servant of rulers, Kings shall see and arise, princess also shall worship, because of the Lord that is faithful, and the Holy One of Israel, and he shall choose (has chosen) thee.’ (Is.49:7). That was all about the coming of the Messiah, and we know that it was fulfilled with the coming of Jesus. 

Yes friends, our God is faithful; He will do whatever He’s promised, but in His own time. Look how long it took for the promised Messiah to come, centuries. But He did come…in God’s good time. I know His timing isn’t usually in concert with ours, but I can assure you, from personal experience, He’s NEVER late! Much LOVE!

…without faith…it is impossible to please…a faithful God…

Today’s Scrip-Bit 29 May 2019 Romans 11:33.

29 May 2019 Leave a comment

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

Romans 11:33.    ​O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgements, and his ways past finding out!

 

Yes, it was a ‘riney’ day yesterday! It drizzled all day long into the evening hours. And the way it looks damp and gloomy out there, it looks like it just might be another ‘riney’ day today! And the ‘riney’ is just my way of trying to copy the accent  – it seems like Scottish brogue – of the man in the radio ad. ‘It was a riney day…blah, blah blah!) (smile) 

But enough blather, we have plenty of interesting and wise info to share today…not like I don’t share plenty good and interesting info every day! (smile) And the first set of info is this quote from Lord Chesterfield (1694-1773). ‘Philip Dormer Stanhope, 4th Earl of Chesterfield, KG, PC was a British statesman, diplomat, man of letters, and an acclaimed wit of his time.’ 

These wonderful words of advice are attributed to him. ‘Know the true value of time; snatch, seize, and enjoy every moment of it. No idleness, no laziness, no procrastination, never put off till tomorrow what you can do today.’ Oh me oh my! What awesome words of wisdom! And I’m sure they will resonate with many of us this Wednesday morning! 

With me for sure, as I look back at the desk behind me cluttered with unopened mail and all sorts of other paper work that I should have taken care of some time ago. Ah mih people, laziness and procrastination are the work of the devil! Every moment that we’re alive is so precious that we ought to endeavour to use each one productively for Jesus. 

And having said that, here is this interesting and wise poem from our One Year Book of Bible Promises with writings by Ruth Harms Calkin. It’s short and sweet, and titled, ‘Never Too Late.’ Please pray with me: ‘Sometimes, dear Lord You work so slowly!’ And the answer to that childish, faithless complaint comes back ever so simply but most provocatively: ‘Tell Me, dear child Have I ever been too late?’ 

And who says I don’t admire the Lord’s wit eh! Because that’s the gospel truth! I know it from personal experience because that’s the only problem I have with Him; His timing just seems to be so different from mine. But then I do have to admit, like many of us ought to; though He too often comes just in the nick of time, He’s NEVER late! 

And to tie that all together, let’s turn to Gramps Schuller (Dr. Robert H. Schuller) from His Hour of Power Devotional, something appropriately titled ‘Impatient Dreamers.’ Please read with me: ‘What is the single quality that more than any other identifies those who succeed? It is patience. Impatient dreamers will look for painless shortcuts and cheap discounts on the price of success. 

And failing to spot the expedient paths, unknowing, impatient dreamers will too often, too easily, and too painfully turn away from the divine dream. Later, when it’s too late, they will discover that in choosing the painless, easy road they were in fact going down a primrose path to boredom, shame, emptiness, failure, poverty. If only they had not been afraid of the discipline that the dream demanded!’ 

Oh friends, what gospel truth all of that is, especially in these times of everybody looking for the easy life, where laziness, and procrastination abound in times of plenty! Where discipline is a much dreaded and very seldom invoked word! I’m sure all of us can attest to some of Gramps Schuller’s harsh admonitions, because working and living for Jesus does desire a whole lot of patience and perseverance, of taking the high, difficult road, and not the low easy one, of going the extra mile when it all seems futile! 

Our current society is a now for now one! We want everything in a rush, like even yesterday! No one wants to wait for anything. But the truth of the matter is my people, that the ones who have a li’l patience and perseverance are the ones who get the best deal, not the ones who rush headlong into life without proper thought. Yes, we must be prepared to take advantage of opportunities that come along unexpectedly, but rushing into stuff is not Christ like. (smile) 

And our Bit for today is the Bible Promise of our poem: ‘O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgements, and his ways past finding out!’  Yes friends, the wisdom and knowledge of God, and of Him are so deep and unfathomable, that our puny minds can never attain to understanding them! 

As He so eloquently puts it in the mouth of His servant Isaiah: ‘For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.’ (Is.55:8-9) Matter fix mih people! (smile) I just like how the Lord doesn’t beat around the bush, and simply tells it like it is! You either LOVE it or lump it! 

And now, please listen carefully to the corollary to all that we’ve spoken about this morning from Gramps Schuller on ‘Impatient Dreamers.’ ‘The people who win in life are the people who have harnessed the power of patience. You can move a mountain, Christ said – but He didn’t say how long it would take.’ End of story! 

So then, let’s go home declaring (right ho!) our Wednesday Wail, letting all and sundry know of our unbeatable position in Christ! Altogether now: ‘Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: I’m so glad to be alive on this Wednesday! Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: Thank God the breath of life is still flowing through me on this Wednesday!

I am halfway home. My hands are fixed securely on the plough, and I’m not turning back. I’m not looking back at the past, not focusing on what has gone before. But my eyes are fixed straight ahead; straight ahead to a glorious future with Jesus. Glory Hallelujah!’ 

And just a reminder that if we stay the course, that future will be even more glorious and remarkable and amazing than we can ever ask or imagine! Much LOVE!

…who hath directed the Spirit of the Lord…or being his counselor…hath taught him…? (Is.40:13)

 

 

Today’s Scrip-Bit 31 July 2012 Proverbs 9:9

31 Jul 2012 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Inspirational Living Tags: , , , , , , , , ,

Proverbs 9:9.     Give instruction to a wise man, and he will be yet wiser: teach a just man, and he will increase in learning.
 
Oh Friends, the ole fella’s in a rut this morning. I can’t come up with a rousing, inspiring intro to boost your spirits, to get your adrenalin truly flowing, so that your feet will be in a dancing mood, and your heart and mind wisely functioning on God’s wonderful wavelength of truth, justice, mercy, LOVE and forgiveness! Although, as usual, before starting to write, I asked the Lord for guidance and discernment to know and understand what He wants me to write, because I don’t want to write any wrong stuff, He’s yet to get me rolling. But as I keep saying, there’s method to the Lord’s madness, and we just have to persevere in His Word and His promises and eventually He’ll make all things right. That’s why I don’t doubt that this will be a ‘dynomite’ Bit! (smile) There we go Friends, the Spirit’s up and running! How can I then not LOVE the wonderful God we serve and worship eh mih people? For though He seems to leave us in the lurch longer than we desire, He’s promised to never leave nor forsake us, and that’s a promise I’m sincerely counting on and living by. One more thing Friends; the Lord’s NEVER LATE with His help! I speak thereof from hard experience. All of us would like His help now for now, but that’s not how He operates. He likes the just in time formula, which often gets us worried and frustrated. But be sure of this one thing: HE WILL SHOW UP ON TIME! Anyway, enough of my rambling. Here’s a quote from Joseph Addison (1672-1719) the English essayist and poet. He says: ‘There is nothing which we receive with so much reluctance as advice.’ Gospel truth mih people, gospel truth! None of us take kindly to receiving advice, especially if it goes against what we think. And sometimes we get so indignant about advice that we go and do the exact opposite, although deep down we know that it’s right and true. Why is that eh? I guess there are basically two main reasons. First off is that the human animal doesn’t like to be told what to do. A sense of independence has been bred into his nature, no wonder colonized nations, at some stage in their development, also get all hyped up over their independence from the Mother countries. Advice also has a negative connotation to many of us. It makes us feel inferior, as though we’re unable to paddle our own canoe, shape our own destiny. And often, once we hear about advice, our suspicions and protective instincts immediately rise up and negativity fills our mind. The problem my people is that two kinds of basic advice exists; the good and bad kind. The goodness or badness often depends on the circumstances of a particular situation, as well as the people involved. In the long run though, others can only offer us advice, we still have to make the final decisions. So it’s possible to get good advice and yet make bad decisions, as well as vice versa. But thankfully Friends, our Bit today guides us along the right path. ‘Give instruction to a wise man, and he will be yet wiser: teach a just man, and he will increase in learning.’ That’s oh so true my brethren! A wise man will heed good advice and thus get wiser. I guess because he’s already wise, he knows how to sift good advice from bad. But then too our Bit proclaims that if we teach a just man, that he will increase in learning. Why is that eh? Perhaps because the just man aspires to walk the straight and narrow path of God, he has a heightened sense of right and wrong, good and bad, thus he will seek to improve his mental faculties, instead of thinking he knows it all, which would only lead him down the proud and arrogant path to certain destruction. Hear what Cousin Sol says about the wise man at the very beginning of his thought provoking sayings: ‘A wise man will hear, and will increase learning; and a man of understanding shall attain (inquire) unto wise counsels.’ (Prov.1:5) Yes Friends, that means he won’t depend solely on his own thinking, but will seek knowledge and advice from others who seem to be well acquainted with the pros and cons of his particular project. Remember though, that the final decision will still be his, but the important thing is that he is wise enough to seek out pertinent information that will assist him in making as good a decision as he can. Now how many of us do that eh? Obviously not enough, otherwise our world wouldn’t be suffering as much as it is from a host of bad decisions made by a host of supposed experts. Anyway brethren, we’re going to end here today, because it will get too long if I put in all I want to say, and I respect your time and attention span. (smile)  But tomorrow, God willing, we’ll continue this topic. In the meanwhile, please, let’s ponder our personal situations re the taking of advice, and make serious plans to improve our response to the subject in a wise manner. Much LOVE!…a wise man will hear…and follow good advice…while a fool will not…and therefore will wallow in his own folly…