Today’s Scrip-Bit 22 July 2017 Job 13:15a.

22 Jul 2017 Leave a comment

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

Job 13:15a.   Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him…

Ahoy there mih friendlies! (smile) It’s a cloudy Saturday morning in my neck of the woods, perfect for pure, unadulterated lazing around the house! (smile)  Is that your perception too? 

Oh, yuh know our lives are so busy now, that even on our days off, some of us can’t afford to just lay around and do nothing. Steups! 

Whatever happened to the promises that as our world became more motorized, our lives would become freer eh, we would have more spare time? That’s a joke! Because with all the supposed amenities we now have, we’re still busier than we’ve ever been. 

Anyhow, just one word of warning; however you choose to spend today, just make sure that our heavenly Father is at the centre of it, let Him lead and guide you as He so desires. For that’s the ultimate in wisdom my Christian brothers and sister! 

Now, since it’s Saturday, let’s look at quotes from our friend Anselm from this past week, as he aspires to inspire us for a better tomorrow. And like our buddy Anselm had a problem-filled vision this week, for they all revolve around problems. (smile)  

Here is the first one: ‘It is wise to direct your anger towards problems – not people; to focus your energies on answers – not excuses.’ Now that’s very true, but it’s not always easy turn our anger away from others, because invariably they are the source of our problems. 

And the second says: ‘Most people spend more time and energy going around problems than in trying to solve them.’ That’s also true, because it’s usually easier to dance around the problem than fight through it. 

Now this one, we should all pay serious attention to. ‘Relationships survive on trust, and if that is broken at any point, it’s pretty much the end of the relationship. Besides, inability to communicate leads to problems.’ 

And is that ever so true my people! There’s nothing that destroys a relationship as quickly and totally as a failure of trust. Sometimes they can be repaired, but very often they just disintegrate, leaving behind all sorts of acrimony and bitter feelings, because it’s so hard to replace trust once it’s lost. 

And to make it even more difficult, nowadays, despite all the many wonderful methods of communication that exist, we still don’t communicate with each other as well as we should. It seems like true communication is a lost art of this society that’s predominantly focused on communication. Hn! What a paradox! 

Now here is another meaningful quote. ‘You may not always have a comfortable life and you will not always be able to solve all of the world’s problems at once but don’t ever underestimate the importance you can have because history has shown us that courage can be contagious and hope can take on a life of its own.’ 

Yeh friends, we must never ever underestimate our importance, because we never know what sort of influence our words and/or behaviour might have on others. We often make great and lasting impressions on people we don’t even know, which can change their lives, as well as the course of history. 

Now here’s the last quote, and my favourite. ‘Expect problems and eat them for breakfast!’ Isn’t that beautiful mih breddren? We all know problems will crop up, but let’s not allow them to disturb our God-filled mien (mood, character), let’s just eat them up and spit them out – with God’s help of course!  

Ah mih people, we’ve spent so much time and space on those quotes, that we don’t have much left for our Bit, which is one of the most powerful statements in the Bible, and the epitome of trust. 

We’re talking about those memorable words of Job when he experienced terrible disaster; almost immediate loss of his health, family and fortune. His friends and family thought that his calamity was caused by some secret sin, and his wife even encouraged him to ‘curse God and die.’ (Job 2:9b) 

However, Job stood tall, defended his integrity and faithfully declared: ‘Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him…’ 

Ah current saints of God, how many of us say words akin to those when we are going through some calamity eh? I don’t think as many as should. And that’s possibly because we don’t hold our great and wonderful God in as high esteem as Job did. 

In our current society, the popular term is ‘what have you done for me lately?’ So if God hasn’t come through for us lately, we’re quite liable to dismiss Him as being a fraud and a charlatan like the fallen angel Lucifer. But that’s the biggest mistake we can ever make my people! 

Remember, God isn’t there to cater to our whims and fancies, we were made to serve and worship Him. He is the boss! Whatever He says goes…and when He says it too. 

But He isn’t a petty tyrant, like so many of the other supposed gods that don’t truly exist. Instead, He’s a compassionate and LOVING Father who only wants us to do His will. 

And please notice Job’s later behaviour, after the Lord took him to task and humbled him for a spot of arrogance. The Good Book tells us: ‘And the Lord turned the captivity of Job (restored his losses), when he prayed for his friends: also the Lord gave Job twice as much as he had before… so the Lord blessed the latter end of job more than his beginning…’ (Job 42:10, 12a) 

Yes my brethren, that’s how our Lord will bless us when we stand humble but strong in integrity, faith and trust before Him. Please let that be lesson, a great motivator for us. Much LOVE!

…in proportion to our trust in…and reverence of God…so shall be our portion of blessings…

 

 

 

 

 

Today’s Scrip-Bit 19 February 2017 Psalm 139:23-24.

19 Feb 2017 Leave a comment

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

Psalm 139:23-24.   Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my (anxious) thoughts. And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.

It ‘s Sunday friends, what we consider the Lord’s Day! That means it’s time to get ready and join other believers in the sanctuary to praise and worship, glorify and exalt our magnificent and magnanimous God! 

Wow! How excellent it is to have the chance every week to offer up our thanks and praise, our gratefulness for His awesome and undeserving grace and mercy, and have Him strengthen our faith and refill, renew our souls with His Holy Spirit, so that we have the wherewithal to face another trying but joy-filled week! 

And to begin the celebrations, let’s offer up a sacrifice of praise with our lips, through the singing of this old but wonderful hymn – Rock of Ages. 

In full voice and sincerity of heart, let’s sing: ‘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 labor 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, Savior, 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.’ 

Oh my precious people of God, there’s no better place to run for help and succour than to our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, for He has already paid the exceedingly great price for our sins by His selfless sacrifice on the cross at Calvary! Glory to God! And by His stripes we are healed! 

So if we don’t run to Him, and cling to Him, and find security and comfort, rest and LOVE with Him, then His most awesome sacrifice would have been a complete waste of time. Remember He offered up His Holy and precious life so that we could be saved from sin, be made righteous in the eyes of our heavenly father and receive eternal life. 

Ah friends, every time I think about how great Jesus is, I just want to jump and shout for joy – Glory Hallelujah! All praise and glory to the Lamb that was slain for us! He is indeed the Greatest!’

But let me curb my enthusiasm a tad and get to our Bit, (smile) otherwise I can take up all the time and space by just adding adoration upon adoration. That’s the kind of space I’m in right now.  Not that that’s wrong, but it’s not our avowed purpose at the present time. 

So hear these heartfelt words of Bruh David to his God. ‘Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my (anxious) thoughts. And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.’ 

Yes my fellow believers, I’ve expanded the Bit today, because the first part just didn’t seem right without the second. For why are we asking the Lord to search our hearts, but to see if there’s anything wrong or wicked therein, and then to correct it through His LOVING and merciful guidance? 

Now let’s put some flesh on the bones of our Bit with other scripture that corroborate it. Listen to Job, when he speaks to his supposed friends of his integrity. ‘Doth not he see my ways, and count all my steps?  If I have walked with vanity (falsehood), or if my foot hath hasted to deceit; Let me be weighed (let him weigh me) in an even balance, that God may know mine integrity. 

If my step hath turned out of the way, and mine heart walked after mine eyes, and if any blot hath cleaved (any spot adheres) to mine hands: Then let me sow, and let another eat; yea, let my offspring (harvest) be rooted out (uprooted). (Job 31:4-8) 

Ah friends, Job knew that he had not committed any great sin or sins, which had caused his sudden, dramatic downfall. Now a lot of us end up being blamed for things we haven’t done, and nothing we can say to our accusers will change their minds. But once we are sure of our innocence, let us take heart that our Lord, the righteous judge, will in His time recompense us for all that we’ve lost and suffered. 

And Job is also a very good example of that, as the Good Book informs us. ‘And the Lord turned (restored) the captivity (losses) of Job, when he prayed for his friends: also the Lord gave Job twice as much as he had before.’ (Job 42:10) 

Please note a couple of things here though my people. The Lord restored Job’s wealth and family and friends, after he prayed for his friends. And as the scholars explain: ‘The point to be garnered from the book is not that God intends to deal with every servant as abundantly as He did with Job; rather that God holds sovereign and LOVING sway over every human life. Therefore, He can be trusted implicitly in all things (cf. Rom.8:28).’ 

Yes friends, if our God is as great and good as we claim, the Creator of the universe and all therein, then we have to acknowledge His sovereignty and trust Him to do the best on our behalf, otherwise our claims are spurious and useless. 

Unfortunately time and space have run out, so until tomorrow, the Lord in favour, please sincerely ponder all that we’ve talked about. And may He bless and keep us safe, shine His regal presence upon us and give us His peace which passes all understanding. Much LOVE!

…if we can’t trust our Maker…then whom can we trust eh…

 

 

Today’s Scrip-Bit 7 October 2014 John 15:13

07 Oct 2014 Leave a comment

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

John 15:13.   Greater LOVE hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.

One more day Friends, one more day! Wow! We’ve been granted life anew for another day, so let’s use it wisely please. Let’s use it like the present God desires it to be, with all the new mercies, blessings, forgiveness and LOVE that He’s showering down on us.
 
Let’s keep our focus on God: praise and serve Him diligently and sincerely, and do the works He desires of us. He has given us all we need to accomplish the tasks on our task sheets, so there should be no serious problems involved.
 
But if perchance, one does crop up, we have the freedom, or rather we’re expected to call on Him for assistance, which He’ll never refuse, once we’re sincere. For as Jesus says in His Great Invitation: ‘Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
 
Take my yoke upon you, and learn of (from) me; for I am meek (gentle) and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.’ (Matt.11:28-30)
 
So my fellow believers, with those words of comfort and encouragement bubbling in our souls, let’s not allow anything or anyone to cause us anxiety, fear or worry today. Let’s stand strong in the Lord Jesus Christ our Saviour, and try our very best to make a positive difference in this crazy, troubled world in which we now live.
 
That’s what Jesus desires of us! And remember that He is indeed our be all and end all! He is our Healer, our Helper, our Redeemer and our Friend! What more can we ask eh? Nothing really.
 
So let’s look at our Bit: ‘Greater LOVE hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.’
 
And it’s worth repeating and remembering that after He spoke those purposeful words, He went out and died for us at Calvary… as Friends, not servants.
 
And we’ll continue looking at the interplay of ‘friends and friendships’ as found in the Good Book. Then there was Job and his supposed friends. They ostensibly came to comfort him in his sorrow and grief, but unfortunately ended up beating him down emotionally, claiming that his hidden sins had caused his disastrous experience.
 
And God’s wrath was kindled against them, because they had not spoken rightly of Him as His servant Job had done, and He commanded them to repent and offer burnt offerings.  (Job 42:7-9)
 
But hear this: ‘And the Lord turned (restored) the captivity (losses) of Job, when he prayed for his friends: also the Lord gave Job twice as much as he had before.’ (Job 42:10)
 
Yes my people, the Lord turned Job’s adversity around when he prayed for his friends, and also worked some serious miracles on his behalf, blessing him with twice as much as he had lost. Oh how good our God is to us!
 
That brings us to this rather important point; the importance of praying for others, even when they’ve done us wrong. I know that’s sometimes pretty hard to do, but it’s required of believers.
 
Jesus said it loud and clear: ‘But I say unto you, LOVE your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully (spitefully) use you, and persecute you; That ye may be children (sons) of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and the unjust.’ (Matt.5:44-45)
 
So if you ought to pray for your enemies, it’s logical to assume that you ought to pray for your friends and fellow believers too. (smile)
 
Now let’s look at some wisdom of Cousin Sol, re ‘friends and friendships’ as divined in Proverbs. He declares first of all that: ‘The poor is hated even of (by) his own neighbour: but the rich hath many friends (the LOVERS of the rich are many).’ (Prov.14:20)
 
And isn’t that the gospel truth! The scholars explain it thus: ’14:20-21. Social standing is improved with riches, but the good neighbour will have concern for all, regardless of their status.’ That’s how it ought to be, but sadly in this topsy-turvy world of ours, we still look down on the poor and up at the rich.
 
And here’s a fitting companion to that Proverb. ‘Wealth maketh many friends; but the poor is separated from his neighbour (friend).’ (Prov.19:4) 
 

And we see that everyday. Many of us have also experienced it. When times are good and we are rolling in plenty, we have plenty supposed friends around us, but as soon as the good times stop flowing, they all disappear.
 
Now listen to these Proverbs. ‘A froward (perverse) man soweth strife: and a whisperer separateth chief (the best of) friends.’ (Prov.16:28) Or as the scholars say: ’16:28. Gossip destroys friendships.’ That we all know and have experienced too.
 
Here is a companion to that one. ‘He that covereth a transgression seeketh LOVE; but he that repeateth a matter separateth very (the best of) friends.’ (Prov.17:9) More reflections on gossip.
 
Then we have this bit of wisdom. ‘A man that hath friends must show himself friendly (may come to ruin): and there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother.’ (Prov.18:24)
 
The scholars explain that this way: ’18:24. A man that hath friends must show himself friendly may also be translated, “A man of many friends comes to ruin.” In other words, a man must not spread himself too thin among many superficial relationships. Far better it is to have genuine friends who become like family and LOVE at all times. (17:17).’
 
And isn’t that the gospel, gospel truth my people! It surely is!
 
And we’ll close with this priceless gem of wisdom from Cousin Sol. ‘Iron sharpeneth iron; so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend.’ (Prov.27:17)
 
Mama Mia! Wisdom from heaven Friends!
 
The scholars explain it thus: ’27:17. As the proper tool shapes and sharpens iron for its desired use, so a man sharpens his friend morally and intellectually by their personal friendship.’
 
Now that’s the kind of friends we need to have and need to be! Friends, who encourage, comfort, exhort, educate and uplift each other in as many walks of life as possible.
 
So let’s go out today and be that kind of friend nuh mih people. It could only make our world a better place for our children and us. Much LOVE!
 
…the fewer the friends…the less possibility of strife and troublesome friendships…