Today’s Scrip-Bit 3 June 2018 Psalm 92:1.

03 Jun 2018 Leave a comment

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

Psalm 92:1.   It is a good thing to give thanks unto the Lord, and to sing praises unto thy name, O Most High:

Sorry friends, but it has just been a rough morning. I even went to bed at a decent hour, feeling all right too, intending to get up early and write the Bit before going to church.

Hn! But as they say, ‘the best laid plans of mice and men oftimes go astray,’ as well as, ‘Man plans, but God laughs.’ Hn! And was He ever chuckling this morning because he had a different plan in mind for me. 

In the first place I did not get up as early as intended, and then all the old bones and joints were crying out for mercy. Brother! It boggles the imagination to wake up feeling worse than when you went to bed.

Nevertheless, my ailing and aching chariot and I doddered our way to church. And was it ever the wisest decision, for in the small, intimate gathering that characterizes the early service, everybody LOVED on me! Wow! Glory be my people! 

That’s the beauty of fellowship! That’s why fellowship is so important in the believer’s life. You get hugs and kisses, handshakes and physical contact which we all need, as well as encouraging words to boost your spirit.

And though the LOVE I received didn’t take away or ease my aches and pains, it certainly lifted my spirit and helped me to bear the negative stuff in a better frame of mind. 

And I guess that was God’s plan: He thought I needed a personal refresher testimony to the importance of fellowship that I keep preaching about. Ah Lord eh! The mysterious movements of our God! Who knows His comings or goings? None but Him! (smile) 

So in honour of His name and great glory, let’s do as our Bit declares: ‘It is a good thing to give thanks unto the Lord, and to sing praises unto thy name, O Most High:’ Yes, let’s sing praises for the Lord’s goodness.

And today we’ll sing some new, contemporary music written by Chris Tomlin, Ed Cash and Jesse Reaves, titled ‘How great is our God!’ You can check out You Tube for Chris Tomlin’s version. 

Now let’s raise our voices in praise: ‘The splendor of a King, clothed in majesty Let all the earth rejoice All the earth rejoice He wraps himself in Light, and darkness tries to hide And trembles at His voice Trembles at His voice (Chorus: How great is our God, sing with me How great is our God, and all will see How great, how great is our God) 

Age to age He stands And time is in His hands Beginning and the end Beginning and the end The Godhead Three in One Father Spirit Son The Lion and the Lamb The Lion and the Lamb (Chorus) Name above all names Worthy of our praise My heart will sing How great is our God. 

Name above all names Worthy of our praise My heart will sing How great is our God. (Chorus: How great is our God, sing with me How great is our God, and all will see How great, how great is our God (2).’ 

And that’s the gospel, indisputable truth my brethren! Our God is indeed great and worthy to be praised! The song does Him full justice, as full as our mortal words and thoughts can do Him justice. 

And the psalmist proclaims later on: ‘O Lord, how great are thy works! And thy thoughts are very deep. A brutish man knoweth not; neither doth a fool understand this.’ (Ps.92:5-6) But thankfully my people, we’re neither brutish nor fools, so we understand the might and power of the Lord God Jehovah, as much as our finite minds can understand it! 

And furthermore, the psalmist declares: ‘The righteous shall flourish like the palm tree: he shall grow (strong and tall) like a cedar in Lebanon. Those that be planted in the house of the Lord shall flourish in the courts of our God. They shall still bring forth fruit in old age; they shall be fat (plump) and flourishing (green); To show that the Lord is upright: he is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in him.’ (Ps.92:12-15) 

Oh friends, oh friends, yuh see what happens when we accept the Lord and hold on to His righteous right hand? We grow strong and tall and even flourish and prosper and bear good fruit in our old age! Glory to the Most High for His grace and mercy to the undeserving children of men! 

So why are we foolishly looking to other avenues for righteousness and prosperity eh, when only the Lord in His high heaven can do it with any certainty? We’re just letting the enemy lead us astray. And it’s high time we stop doing that. Remember friends, Lucifer only has power over us when we allow him to, for Jesus has already conquered, hell, death and the grave and nothing can stop us. 

As the Good Book says: we’re more than conquerors; like Jesus we’ve conquered life and the enemy through His victory. So let’s live like it’s true nuh, otherwise Jesus just wasted His time and life in sacrifice on our behalf. Much LOVE!

…great is our Lord…and of great power…His understanding is infinite…so sing unto the Lord with thanksgiving…sing praise upon the harp to our God… (Ps.147:5,7)

 

 

 

 

 

Today’s Scrip-Bit 10 January 2017 Matthew 5:13-14.

10 Jan 2017 Leave a comment

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

Matthew 5:13-14.   Ye are the salt of the earth…Ye are the light of the world…

Ah friends, it’s a snowy Tuesday afternoon in my neighbourhood, and I so wanted to get the Bit our earlier, but as they say the best laid plans of mice and men usually go astray. 

I’m still trying to find a new balance in this era of heart problems and it’s not proving to be very easy. But fear not, our wonderful and omnipotent God is in full command and in His time, all will work it self out for good. 

And to help us come to terms with whatever problem(s) we are facing today, here is this li’l reminder from our Hour of Power Devotional by Gramps Schuller (Dr. Robert H Schuller) that’s simply titled ‘GOD LOVES ME!’ 

Please pray with me: ‘Thank you, Lord, for this holy sentence, this good news, this happy report, this exciting thought, this graceful truth, this fantastic lesson. God LOVES me! Even when I’m at my worst – God LOVES me. Even when my faith is dim – God LOVES me anyway! It’s incomprehensible and fantastic! Thank you, Father. Amen.’ 

And isn’t that the gospel, gospel truth friends? Our wonderful, amazing, awesome and incomprehensible heavenly Father LOVES us in what ever state we may be in; good, bad or indifferent! And that will NEVER change! Glory Hallelujah! We are so blessed and don’t truly realize it nuh. 

Now let’s turn to our Bit. ‘Ye are the salt of the earth…Ye are the light of the world…’ Yes my fellow believers, that’s how our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ desires us to be in this lost and fallen world – salt and light! 

Yesterday we looked at the salt aspect, today, let’s look at the light portion. Jesus puts it thus: ‘Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle (lamp), and put it under a bushel (basket), 

But on a candlestick (lamp stand); and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.’ (Matt.5:14-16) 

Ah mih people, our Saviour wants us to shine, and shine so brightly that we light up this entire world of darkness! 

Hear how the scholars explain those verses. ‘5:14-16. Ye are the light of the world describes the essential mission of the Christian to the world. He is the condition (salt) to meet the world’s needs and he has a mission (light) to the world. His light is to clearly shine forth into the darkness of human depravity. 

He is to set his light upon a candlestick, not hide it under a bushel, that is a basket. Darkness is the absence of light; and darkness alone cannot dispel the light, but the smallest light can dispel the greatest darkness.’ 

Always remember that please friends; the smallest light can displace great darkness! Once there is light, the darkness will flee! That’s why we need to shine, regardless of the intensity, for any bit of light is better than darkness. 

And as always, the bottom line of our earthly behaviour is to glorify our heavenly Father! That’s our number one reason for being! I wonder how many of us though, even consider the effect our actions have on the glorification of our great God? 

And I think that’s where a lot of us err; we don’t think enough, or sincerely about the effect our actions have on the glory of God. 

Oh, I know it’s not possible to consider the effect of every action, but overall I believe we can do a better job in that department, because that’s where people are either drawn to Christ or are turned away from Him. 

And I do believe that too many people are being turned away from Him these days by our less than stellar salt and light actions. But friends, it is of the utmost importance in these days of worldwide strife, anger and bitterness, we followers of Jesus give the world a peaceful and comforting place to come and lay down all their burdens. 

It’s becoming more essential everyday that we be true salt and light in this wicked world. So let’s try and up the ante nuh, so that others can find a true place of rest in Jesus. Now let’s go home declaring our Tuesday Mantra with a positive outlook and sense of purpose. 

As one now: ‘I’m not what I do. I’m not what I have. I’m not what people say about me. I am the beloved of God, that’s who I am. No one can take that from me. I don’t have to worry. I don’t have to hurry. I can trust my friend Jesus and share His LOVE with the world.  Amen!’  Much LOVE!

…shine on…shine on…you believers…shine on…shine on for Jesus…

 

 

 

 

Today’s Scrip-Bit 12 September 2013 Habakkuk 2:4

12 Sep 2013 Leave a comment

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

Habakkuk 2:4.   Behold, his soul which is lifted up (proud) is not upright in him: but the just shall live by his faith. 

 
Oh Friends, another God-sent day is on the horizon. But whether it’s going to be hot and sunny, like the past two days, or cold and rainy, I can’t tell you, because I’ve seen two different forecasts in the last few hours. Around 10 p.m. last night, it said 31 degrees and rain, but at 2.30 this morning, it’s saying 24 and sunshine, and that’s after rain, thunder and lightning last night. So you go figure nuh!
 
The weather forecaster’s job right now is one of the most unpredictable in the world. But my brethren, regardless of what happens with the weather, believers in Jesus will stand strong, steadfast and upright because of their enduring faith, as our Bit so wisely declares: ‘Behold, his soul which is lifted up (proud) is not upright in him: but the just shall live by his faith.’ 
 
And I guess you’re wondering why there’s no wandering preamble? Well I have plenty stuff to share, and I want to get it all in today, while keeping the Bit at a reasonable length. So right away, let’s get to some scholarly explanations re our Bit.
 
‘2:4. Two classes of people are contrasted (1) the proud, haughty Chaldeans who will be the victors in the forthcoming conflict; and (2) the righteous ones of Judah who will appear to be defeated in the forthcoming conflict, but in reality will be the victors because of their faith in the Lord.
 
The just shall live by his faith is often quoted in the New Testament in support of the doctrine of justification by faith. (See Rom.1:17; Gal.3:11; Heb.10:38) Thus, this Old Testament prophecy anticipates the New Testament gospel which shall ultimately conquer the nations and bring them to Christ.’
 
And that’s exactly what the New testament Gospel has been doing Friends; conquering both individuals and nations and having them kneel at Christ’s footstool in true repentance to receive His ultimate gifts of salvation and eternal life! What can be more pleasing to our heavenly Father eh? Nothing, except for the whole, entire earth to believe and receive salvation, not losing a single soul to the enemy Beelzebub!
 
But just remember my fellow believers, that our most important job here on earth, our bounden duty, is to help bring those lost souls to Jesus. So if we don’t do right, that’s LOVE God, LIVE our Faith, and SPREAD His Word, then we’re part of the problem and not of the solution.
 
Oh, and by the way, I hope you all checked out the reference from yesterday, Daniel 5:30-31, where Habakkuk’s prophecy came through in the middle of the night. Belshazzar, the Chaldean king was slain and Darius the Mede took over the kingdom.
 
And today’s certainly your lucky day Friends, sorry blessed day (smile) because I’ve planned to quote all the scriptures the scholars referenced above, including this one from John.
 
 ‘The Father LOVETH the Son, and hath given all things into his hand. He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth (remains) on him.’ (John 3:35-36)
 
Yes my people, those who don’t believe in the light and life of the Son, darkness, death and destruction will continue to dog them forever. And as Bruh Paul said to the Roman church, when he talked about the power of the gospel and the guilt of mankind.
 
‘For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, the just shall live by faith. For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness.’ (Rom.1:16-18)
 
Ah mih breddren, the gospel of Christ is so powerful that it can propel you from the very demonic gates of sin, death and Hades right to the golden arches of heaven, through salvation, so you can enjoy life eternal.
 
Wow! I say it every day: what a mighty and LOVING God we serve my people! Everyday we should just be falling all over ourselves to live for Him, to give Him the thanks and praise He so worthily deserves!
 
But instead we foolishly resist His entreaties and advances, push Him aside, and live with hate, bitterness, anger and revenge as the prominent emotions in our lives, rather than those of Peace, LOVE, Mercy and Forgiveness which flow from Him.
 
And then we wonder why life is so rough. Hn! The answer is so simple; we’ve turned away from Almighty God. We no longer obey His commandments, so how do we expect to receive His blessings and LOVING-kindness eh?
 
Oh Friends, I think I have to change my plans here yes, because I’ve just seen some explanations from the scholars re the last two verses above, which I believe will help us understand those scriptures better, so here goes.
 
‘1:17. Righteousness, God’s essential attribute is revealed. It is not man’s invention; it is God’s revelation. Left to himself, man would never have thought of it. From faith to faith: It’s source and end are the same. To those who possess God’s righteousness Paul pronounces, The just shall live by faith. What one believes does make a difference. If he believes the gospel he has life (union with God); otherwise he has death (separation from God).
 
1:18. The wrath is not the revelation of a future judgement of God or of the Great Tribulation, but a present revelation that parallels the present revelation of God’s righteousness (cf.1:17). This revelation comes from heaven.
 
Ungodliness is failure in the religious realm. Unrighteousness is failure in the moral sphere or injustice toward man. Who hold (lit. “hold down,” “suppress”) the truth in unrighteousness. They received the truth concerning the wrath of God but hindered it and prevented it from completing its work.’
 
Oh my fellow believers, I do hope that brings a clearer understanding of those scriptures. So we’ll end there, and if God’s willing, will continue this topic tomorrow, for we all know that the best laid plans of mice and men usually go astray, (smile) and it’s the Lord’s plan that carries the day.
 
Till we meet tomorrow then, may we walk in the sunshine of God’s countenance, may peace and LOVE guide our footsteps as we continue looking to Jesus for strength and faith to face this evil, ungodly world. Much LOVE!
 
…if you don’t believe in Jesus…then you’ll pay the price…just like Lucifer is doing…