​Today’s Scrip-Bit 8 October 2019 Nehemiah 1:7.

08 Oct 2019 Leave a comment

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

Nehemiah 1:7.  We have dealt (acted) very corruptly against thee, and have not kept the commandments, nor the statutes, nor the judgements (ordinances), which thou commandedst thy servant Moses.

Greetings my people! It’s somewhat late, but the sun is shining brightly and the temp is somewhere up in the high twenties! Wow! It’s a bit cloudy though, so it’s obscuring the downtown and harbour scene somewhat… Ah friends, the ole fella’s in sunny Jamaica! Yeh, the land of wood and water! And ah know some of you jealous too, (smile) wondering how he could be travelling so much. But friends, no one was sorry for me when I never left good ole Canada for three sickly years, from March 2016-October 2018. No one was there when I lay in the lonely bed looking out at the planes flying by and wondering when, if ever, I’d be able to travel in one again! 

No one heard my sobs and cries to Almighty God asking what’s going on? Neither did they hear His rely of ‘Keep your peace my son! All in good time! Just trust me!’ And I did. Now He’s keeping the promise He made, enabling me to fly all over the world! So how can I not LOVE Him eh? He’s always done as He says…though not necessarily on my timetable! (smile) All praise and glory to our wonderful and faithful God my fellow saints in Christ, for He is indeed a keeper of His Word! 

But the real reason I’m in J.A. right now is to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the 1969 Graduating Class of the University of the West Indies, of which I am a member. That means I’m going to see some people I haven’t seen for fifty odd years! Can you believe it? I saw some of them when I was down here a year ago, and will most likely see them again, but there are many others I haven’t seen since 1969. That just brings back the good memories…and a few of the rough ones…that I experienced back then, when J.A. didn’t have as many problems as it now has, was a comparative paradise!  

And talking about problems, I’m having one here with my hitherto trustworthy mouse. Steups! The bloody thing not working. I thought it might have been the battery, went and bought two new ones at some exorbitant price, only to find out that the battery is not the problem. And since I’m not the fingers guy on the computer, I’m having a hard time doing some of the stuff I want to do, like highlighting stuff. Don’t laugh mih young daughter. But the ole fella’s plodding along nonetheless. And I know the Lord will help us to do a good job anyway…because that’s just the kind of helpful Deity He is! Bless His holy name! 

So what we writing about today eh? Let me open the Good Book and see what the Lord has in mind nuh. Soon come. And I’m back in less than a minute, chuckling too, for the Good Book opened at this rather appropriate verse of Nehemiah’s prayer: ‘We have dealt (acted) very corruptly against thee, and have not kept the commandments, nor the statutes, nor the judgements (ordinances), which thou commandedst thy servant Moses.’ Now I believe we might have used that for a Bit just recently, I’m not sure, but even if we have, it’s still the Lord’s prerogative to tell us again, because it is still a most appropriate scripture for these evil and ungodly times! 

Oh friends, our world is so evil and ungodly nowadays that it just boggles the imagination! I don’t know if there’s ever been a generation that’s as bad as this one. Maybe it’s just that we have easier and faster communication these days, so we know about more stuff. But the same quick communication is itself causing all sorts of evil and ungodliness in our world! Without the social media and all the platforms that facilitate it, many of those who are pursuing evil now would not have been able to pursue it, especially so blatantly, recklessly and anonymously! 

Sometimes when I hear about some of the stuff that’s pervading social media, as well as the atrocities committed in many of our societies, by our own supposed leaders, especially those against women and innocent children, it just makes me want to hold mih head and bawl! How can we be so cruel and evil to our own people eh? I guess I must be just naïve yes. But I like me the way I am. And the sad part is that many who are committing these atrocities are calling themselves Christians too. What a crying shame! And even declaring that some of those awful deeds are being done in the name of Jesus! Steups! 

Ah Lord eh! It’s a good thing the Lord is still on His throne oui, looking down at things and taking notes until He’s ready to act. The old people say, ‘time longer than twine,’ and is true, but ‘even the longest rope does have an end.’ And I wouldn’t want to be around when the Lord reaches the end of His rope nuh because it will be hellfire and damnation for the wicked! And it’s very instructive to listen to the voice of Daniel in his prayer from so long ago, because the content of his words still resonate very loudly today. 

‘To the Lord our God belong mercies and forgiveness, though we have rebelled against him; Neither have we obeyed the voice of the Lord our God, to walk in his laws, which he set before us by his servants the prophets.’ (And in our time, that includes Jesus.) ‘Yea, all Israel have transgressed thy law, even by departing, that they might not obey thy voice; therefore the curse is poured upon us, and the oath that is written in the law of Moses the servant of God, because we have sinned against him.’ (Dan.9:9-11) Oh my people, our sin profile today is much like the Israelites’ back then, way too high, and if we continue along the same sinful path, we will also pay the price for our ungodliness. 

And as Daniel writes: ‘As it is written in the law of Moses, all this evil (disaster) is come upon us: yet made we not our prayer before the Lord our God, that we might turn from our iniquities, and understand thy truth.’ (Dan.9:13) Yes my people, the Lord has given us an out from the calamity stored up for the wicked, but we have not, and apparently are not going to repent of our sinful ways and go back to obeying His commandments. But please, please remember these fateful words of Daniel: ‘Therefore hath the Lord watched upon the evil (kept the disaster), and brought it upon us: for the Lord our God is righteous in all his works which he doeth: for we obeyed not his voice.’ (Dan.9:14) 

Friends, God cannot, and will not tolerate sin, and if we continue to blatantly disobey God’s commandments, as we are currently doing, you think we’re going to get away Scot free? Not on your life! Remember what Samuel said to Saul: ‘Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken (listen) than the fat of rams.’ (1 Sam.15:22) Saul didn’t do what the Lord commanded him to do, so he lost the kingship. And remember too, what the Lord promoted Jesus to the highest name there is besides His…for OBEDIENCE! Nuff said! Much LOVE!

…sin can be forgiven…but only through repentance…belief in Jesus…and righteous living…

P.S. Certainly hopes this turns out good yes, cause I had a hell of a time writing it! (no smile)  Much LOVE!

Today’s Scrip-Bit 24 October 2017 John 10:10.

24 Oct 2017 Leave a comment

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

John 10:10.   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.

And then the rains fell – soft and gentle upon the thirsty land. Oh friends, what a joy it is to see and hear the rain falling gently, especially when you’re lying in bed with your special someone beside you! (smile) 

Oh yes, the rain fell in my neighbourhood most of yesterday afternoon and last night. And thankfully it wasn’t a great flood-like outpouring of water, but a constant, steady drizzle that resembled a gentle caress rather than a fierce bear hug. 

And I believe both the land and its inhabitants benefit more from that type of rainfall than big, gushing streams of water all at once. 

Now here is a quote attributed to Jürgen Moltmann (April 8, 1926 -) a Reformed German theologian and Professor Emeritus of Systematic Theology at the University of Tübingen, Germany. 

He is most noted as a proponent of his “theology of hope” and for his incorporation of insights from liberation theology and ecology into mainstream Trinitarian theology. Whatever that means. (smile) 

But he is obviously a man of some learning and some importance in the church, and thus we should pay some attention to what he writes. ‘The more passionately we LOVE life, the more intensely we experience the joy of life.’ 

And that my people is gospel truth! The more we LOVE life, and throw ourselves into it, the greater joy we receive from it. It’s all about the passion we bring to whatever we do, especially the living of life itself! We can’t always hide from life, for that’s unhealthy. 

But as the devotion from our One More Day Daily Meditations for People with Chronic Illness tells us. It’s better to ‘live the drama, LOVE it, cry with it, and at times even hate it. Choosing to live life on its terms brings enthusiasm and passion into our experiences. 

Our decision to LOVE life – despite the highs and lows – allows us to delight in the highs and to accept the lows as unavoidable, but momentary setbacks. Although hiding from reality can sometimes insulate us from the pain, it also blinds us to the joys and wonderment of living fully.’ 

Now we all know that the basic philosophy of our Christian faith is to live life to the full, as Jesus our leader declares in our Bit. ‘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.’ 

And the only way to have a truly abundant life is by getting passionately involved with it, whether it be for good or for evil. 

Obviously it’s much better to live a passionate life entrenched in goodness, by being fully yoked to the aims and desires of Jesus Christ, so that we can enjoy all the good things, the wonderful rewards He has in store for those who sincerely believe in and work for Him. 

Unfortunately though my brethren, that passion for Christ that we’re talking about seems to be sadly lacking in His church these days. 

A handful of us might be showing such passion, but most of us are simply just plodding along, taking life as it comes, which we sometimes need to do, but generally speaking, not responding with the energy and enthusiasm we need to overcome it. 

Please note that Jesus didn’t just give us abundant life, He had to painfully earn if for us, by sacrificing His sinless self on the cross. So who are we now to just expect to go through life without any problems eh? 

Remember what Job said to his wife in the middle of his calamity? She said to him: ‘Dost thou still retain thine integrity? Curse God and die. But he said unto her, Thou speakest as one of the foolish women speaketh. What? Shall we receive (accept) good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive evil (accept calamity)? In all this did not Job sin with his lips.’ (Job 2:9-10) 

Yeh friends, it’s not easy to accept calamity with a smile, but when we look at the overall picture, sometimes we need to do it. We just cannot afford to let life dig us into a hole in both our circumstances and our emotions, because that’s a hole from which it is often very difficult to get out of. 

Now here’s an interesting explanation from the scholars on those two verses from Job. ‘2:9. Job’s wife suggested that Job do what Satan had predicted: curse God. After all she had been through, it is no wonder she was ready to give up all hope. 

But Job recognized that both good and evil come from God’s hand, though one by His active will and the other by His permissive will. God can permit evil things to happen for good ends (cf. Gen.50:19-20). In all this did not Job sin is proof enough that Satan was wrong and was sorely defeated. Satan does not appear in the book again.’ 

Good riddance! So friends, in general, what we bring to life, is what life gives to us. But at times, life can be quite contrary, so as believers, we need to stand strong and with the help of Jesus, fight life on our terms, not on his. And we can only do that when we bring a strong and passionate LOVE for Christ to the table. 

Now let’s go home declaring that passion we have for Jesus in our Tuesday Mantra. ‘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!’ 

Now let’s go out and action that LOVE…with passion. Much LOVE, my faithful brethren in Christ!

…from today…I will be enthusiastic about life…regardless of what it brings…

 

 

 

Today’s Scrip-Bit 6 March 2014 Daniel 2:20

06 Mar 2014 Leave a comment

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

Daniel 2:20.   Daniel answered and said, Blessed be the name of God for ever and ever: for wisdom and might are his. 
 
Ah Friends, this being the season of winter, it’s nothing special to wake up and find a beautiful layer of snow covering the ground. I can’t help remarking how wonderful the snow looks when it lies quietly in the dark, or even in the sunshine, as yet undisturbed, undefiled by human hands and feet. (smile)
 
But you know that once we humans get into anything, or any place, we always cause disturbances and confusion. I guess that such is the nature of the beast. But that doesn’t mean because something’s in our nature that we have to automatically give into it.
 
For though sinfulness is our natural state, we don’t have to be always or thoroughly sinful, because Christ died and paid for our sins, so that we could be set free and live in holiness and righteousness before Almighty God.
 
And this Lenten season is a time for us to consider who God is, and what He means to us. It’s a time to delve into the Word of God to discover His truth, and also delve into our own souls to see how the contents of both match up. 
 
Then we need to aspire to, and work diligently to bring them into sync. For unless our lives are in sync with God’s Word, we are being disobedient, being rebellious, and will eventually pay a hefty price for that disobedience and rebellion.
 
So Friends, this is the ‘rightest’ time to consider how we’ve done so far in keeping our New Year’s Resolution to improve our walk with Christ this very meaningful year of 2014. Has there been noticeable progress, have we regressed, or have we just stood still? Only you and God can decide the answer to that question.
 
But it’s rather important that we monitor our walk with Christ, to ensure that we are indeed growing and maturing, as we journey along on our earthly pilgrimage. And we can see from the Scriptures that that is what Daniel and his three amigos, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah (their Jewish names) were doing, when Daniel blessed the God of heaven and declared in our Bit:
 
‘Daniel answered and said, Blessed be the name of God for ever and ever: for wisdom and might are his.’ And there’s not one iota of doubt on that proclamation my brethren!
 
For as Daniel continues: ”And he changeth the times and the seasons: he removeth kings, and setteth (raises) up kings: he giveth wisdom unto the wise, and knowledge to them that know (have) understanding: He revealeth the deep and secret things: he knoweth what is in the darkness, and the light dwelleth with him.
 
I thank thee and praise thee, O thou God of my fathers, who hast given me wisdom and might, and hast made known unto me now what we desired of thee: for thou hast now made known unto us the king’s matter.’ (Dan.2:21-23)
 
Yes mih people, our omnipotent, omniscient and omni-present God does all those things… and more! And I guess some of you who don’t know the story of Daniel are wondering what all the fuss is about.
 
Well Friends, it was a rather serious matter, one of life and death! The powerful Babylonian king, Nebuchadnezzar, had a dream that deeply disturbed him, and so he called his wise men, his magicians and sorcerers to interpret it for him.
 
But when they asked him to tell them the dream, he refused. He wanted the wise men to both tell him the dream, then its interpretation. On top of that, he threatened to kill them all if they couldn’t do both things. (Dan.2:1-9)
 
In exasperation, the wise men finally told the king: ‘There is not a man upon the earth that can show the king’s matter: therefore there is no king, lord, nor ruler, that asked such things at any magician, or astrologer, or Chaldean.
 
And it is a rare (difficult) thing that the king requireth, and there is none other that can show it before (no other who can tell it to) the king, except the gods, whose dwelling is not with flesh.’ (Dan.2:10-11)
 
And they were quite right my fellow believers, except for one point; not ‘gods’, but the ONE and ONLY TRUE LIVING GOD, He of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, who is a most mighty and powerful Spirit!
 
Now that answer certainly didn’t sit well with king Neb, and he commanded that all the wise men in Babylon be destroyed. Now Daniel and his buddies were numbered amongst the king’s advisers, but when Daniel heard of the king’s decree from Arioch, the captain in charge of the cleansing, he wondered about the king’s haste, and was told the reason by the captain.
 
Daniel therefore went before the king and asked for some time to consider the matter. (Dan.2:12-16) And the scholars’ note here that ‘Daniel was obviously held in high esteem, as his ready access to the king demonstrates.’
 
And the Good Book declares: ‘Then Daniel went to his house, and made the thing (decree) known to Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, his companions: That they would desire (seek) mercies of the God of heaven concerning this secret; that Daniel and his fellows should not perish (be destroyed) with the rest of the wise men of Babylon. Then was the secret revealed unto Daniel in a night vision. Then Daniel blessed the God of heaven.’ (Dan.2:17-19)
 
Then our Bit comes in. Oh Friends, oh Friends, I can’t help reminding us every day of the wonderful God we serve and worship!
 
The problem though is that you’ll never see it until you truly believe it! And unfortunately, there are too many of us who don’t believe it, consequently we don’t do the things necessary for God to show up in our lives, that’s why we are sadly plodding along in desperation.
 
But you can see, as the scholars wisely note, that ‘Even though Daniel had special, God-given attributes, he and his friends still had to pray.’
 
And that’s the crux of the problem right there, my people! We’re never too mature, too holy, too righteous, or too anything else that we don’t need to pray. If even, Jesus Christ, the mighty Son of the mighty Jehovah God had to pray, why wouldn’t we, poor mortal minions, His fickle and fallible creation, need to do likewise eh?
 
So Friends, please, let’s note the necessity of prayer in all our lives. For prayer is the method of close and positive communication with our Creator, and without it, we can do NOTHING, NOTHING AT ALL, in our own strength!
 
Please let that bit of wisdom sink deep into our hearts and souls today, so that we can walk a better and truer path to heaven and Father God Himself! Much LOVE!
 
…no prayer…means no communication with our Maker and heavenly Father…truly an unwise deed…for the consequences can be rather painful…