Today’s Scrip-Bit 26 November 2015 Psalm 118:1

26 Nov 2015 Leave a comment

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

Psalm 118:1.   Oh give thanks unto the Lord; for he is good; because his mercy (LOVING-kindness) endureth for ever.

HAPPY  THANKSGIVING  U.S. OF A !

Well a Happy Thanksgiving Thursday to all you fine folks in the U.S. of A! Let’s hope that it will indeed be a happy one, with lot’s of thanks and giving and LOVING, as there ought to be. 

We are indeed blessed in these challenging times and should truly pay homage to the One who has brought us such prosperity. I know things aren’t all hunky dory, but believe me, we in the West are having it much better than many others in the rest of the world, and that is enough to be thankful for. 

Now here is an interesting and appropriate poem from our One Year Book of Bible Promises with writings by Ruth Harms Calkin, entitled ‘Thanksgiving Day Dream.’ 

And it says: ‘On this fragrant, frosty Thanksgiving Day The huge turkey browns beautifully In our king-size oven. The tender yams are evenly candied; The corn soufflé is beginning to bubble; The congealed salad is ready to unmold. 

The homemade bread with its crunchy texture Is wrapped in foil for reheating. The ice cubes are bagged in plastic; The relishes are artistically arranged On a round crystal plate. The pumpkin pies are still slightly warm. Fresh yellow chrysanthemums Grace the long, colourful table. The house glistens and shines. My makeup is evenly applied… 

So dear family How about settling down In our favourite chairs For an hour of relaxation Before our guests arrive! Lord I dream of this happening Some ethereal Thanksgiving Day!’ 

Yes Friends, I know that most of you dream that a Thanksgiving Day could play out as simply and efficiently as that. But the truth of the matter is that that seldom happens, because there are always last minute preparations and hustle and bustle to complete before the guests arrive. 

I guess though, that is a part of all that makes the Thanksgiving Day special, especially since this is probably the biggest and most widely celebrated holiday in the U.S. with everybody heading home, or to some where, to meet and greet long lost or long unseen friends and family and enjoy turkey and pumpkin pie, and good relations. 

Oh, it’s never all sugar and spice when families get together, but it doesn’t have to be nasty and ungodly. Now please be careful. Enjoy it, but don’t over do it! Remember to give plenty thanks, because that’s what the holiday is all about. 

Oh, and don’t forget Granny’s words of heavenly wisdom: ‘Sonny boy, drunk or sober please mind your business!’ (smile) 

Unfortunately though, many residents of the U.S will not be enjoying such a Thanksgiving Day because of a lack of family or LOVED ones, because of poverty and homelessness, or being sick in the hospital, or incarcerated. So please, as much as is within your means do help those who don’t have as much as you do. 

Remember Nehemiah’s admonition when the Jews returned to Jerusalem from captivity in Babylon and first heard the Word of God read to them. ‘Then he said unto them, Go your way, eat the fat, and drink the sweet, and send portions unto them for whom nothing is prepared: for this day is holy unto our Lord: neither be ye sorry; for the joy of the Lord is your strength.’ (Neh.8:10) 

And it is indeed my brethren. So in your joy today, please don’t forget those who have no joy, or anything to celebrate with. 

That brings us very appropriately to the promise to which our earlier poem was linked. ‘Then shall the king say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: for I was an hungered (hungry), and ye gave me meat (food): 

I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in. Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me.’ (Matt.25:34-36) 

Yes my fellow believers, that’s what Jesus wants to see from us, especially on such an important, but also one of the loneliest days of the year. So please help whomever and wherever you can, so that the light of Jesus can shine brightly in this too dark world. 

And finally, we come to our Bit. ‘Oh give thanks unto the Lord; for he is good; because his mercy (LOVING-kindness) endureth for ever.’ 

Oh what a wonderful scripture my precious people! And it shouldn’t only be followed on Thanksgiving Day, but EVERYDAY, because we have so much to be thankful for EVERYDAY! 

And sadly, somehow or the other we’ve lost that attitude of gratefulness, of thankfulness that our fathers had. I don’t know if that’s because they had to depend so much on Almighty God for their livelihood, or we have just become such an ungrateful, selfish and thankless bunch. 

Now we are just going to end with a couple of scriptures that wisely advise the giving of continual thanks. Listen to Bruh David from his psalm of thanksgiving. ‘Give thanks unto the Lord, call upon his name, make known his deeds among the people. Sing unto him, sing psalms unto him, talk ye of all his wondrous works.’ (1 Chr.16:8-9) 

And Jeremiah reminds us of what will happen when Judah is revived; all the desolation will be removed, and this will occur. ‘The voice of joy, and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom, and the voice of the bride, the voice of them that shall say, 

Praise the Lord of hosts: for the Lord is good; for his mercy endureth for ever: and of them that shall bring the sacrifice of praise into the house of the Lord. For I will cause to return the captivity of the land (cause the captives of the land to return), as at the first saith the Lord.’ (Jer.33:11) 

So Friends, on this glorious day, with the wonderful breath of Jehovah God flowing through our bodies, let’s all offer the sacrifice of praise to Him nuh, because we all have so much to be thankful for. Much LOVE!

…in every thing give thanks…for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus…concerning you… (1 Thess.5:18)

 

 

 

Today’s Scrip-Bit 19 March 2015 Psalm 89:1‏‏

19 Mar 2015 Leave a comment

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

Psalm 89:1.  I will sing of the mercies of the Lord for ever: with my mouth will I make known thy faithfulness to all generations.

Oh Friends, mea culpa, mea culpa, mea culpa! Truthfully, I don’t know what happened this morning. I went to bed at my normal hour, around two o’clock, expecting to get up by seven. Unfortunately though I got up after five to go to the bathroom and after that… Lord have mercy, I just turned and tossed, trying to find a comfortable position to ease the pain in my aching shoulders. Steups!

Somewhere along the line, I must have eventually fallen asleep because when I did open my eyes, it was after eight. And to make matters even worse, I got up with a cramp in my left thigh! Glory Hallelujah! What more can I say eh? (smile) And now I’m drinking a cup of caffeine that really doesn’t thrill me – not strong or sweet enough, but since I’m trying to cut back on my coffee and sugar intake, I just have to grin and bear it.

And those are my early morning woes! (smile) But yuh know what my people, I’m still very glad and thankful to be alive, regardless of my petty inconveniences. Lots of others have it much worse than you and I, so please let’s not complain too much when we’re beset by unfortunate circumstances.

Let’s just learn to take it in our stride, knowing that our wonderful God is looking after our every move. And though we might not understand how and why, He’s working it all out for our good. He has promised that and He ALWAYS fulfills His promises. So though the morning has begun on a somewhat rough note, I’m sure it will end up very well. Glory to God!

And my Friends, this morning I have a poem to share with you from the One Year Book of Bible Promises with writings by Ruth Harms Calkin. It describes us to a T. When I read it yesterday, I just had to laugh. It’s titled ‘What Is Your Schedule, God?’  

And it reads: ‘Lord Many years ago Martin Luther said “It’s God’s nature To make something out of nothing. That is why God cannot make anything Out of him who is yet nothing.” In ways I had never anticipated, Lord Slowly but persistently You continue Your hammering and crushing In every hidden crevice of my life.

You seem determined to reduce me to nothing In order to make me something. I wonder… What is Your schedule, God? As You creatively continue To reshape and remake me How long will the process last? Lord, could You hurry a little?’

Oh Friends, doesn’t that sound just like us? The Lord’s trying to remake us in the image of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, but it doesn’t happen easily or quickly, and having become accustomed to the easy life and impatience of our times, we can’t stand the pain or the waiting. We want to be a beautiful image of Christ, but we don’t want to suffer the changes or spend the time necessary on the potter’s wheel of the Lord.

And the promise for that poem is a rather appropriate one. ‘Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform (complete) it until the day of Jesus.’ (Phil.1:6)

Yes my fellow believers, our God will continue whatever work He has begun in us until that day that Jesus returns in all His splendour and glory. So there’s no need to worry about what we’re going through, for we have a Master Builder and Master Potter looking after us.

That’s why Friends, we can confidently say like the Ethan the Ezrahite in our Bit: ‘I will sing of the mercies of the Lord for ever: with my mouth will I make known thy faithfulness to all generations.’

Yes my people, though it is indeed our duty to pass on the Lord’s goodness and faithfulness to the up and coming generations, our souls should be so full of the joy of the Lord that all those things should just come naturally to us.

And there’s no better example of that than Bruh David in his songs. Listen to this one, his psalm of thanksgiving, when the Ark of the Covenant was brought up to Jerusalem.

‘Then on that day David delivered first this psalm to thank the Lord into the hand of Asaph and his brethren. Give thanks unto the Lord, call upon his name, make known his deeds among the people. Sing unto him, sing psalms unto him, talk ye of all his wondrous works.

Glory ye in his holy name: let the heart of them rejoice that seek the Lord. Seek the Lord and his strength, seek his face continually. Remember his marvellous works that he hath done, his wonders, and the judgement of his mouth; O ye seed of Israel his servant, ye children of Jacob, his chosen ones.

He is the Lord our God; his judgements are in all the earth. Be ye mindful always of his covenant; the word which he commanded to a thousand generations; Even of the covenant which he made with Abraham, and of his oath unto Isaac; and hath confirmed the same to Jacob for a law, and to Israel for an everlasting covenant,

Saying, Unto thee will I give the land of Canaan, the lot (allotment) of your inheritance. When ye were but few, even a few, and strangers in it. And when they went from nation to nation, and from one kingdom to another people. He suffered no man to do them wrong: yea, he reproved kings for their sakes, Saying, Touch not mine anointed, and do my prophets no harm.

Sing unto the Lord, all the earth; show forth from day to day his salvation. Declare his glory among the heathen; his marvellous works among all the nations. For great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised: he also is to be feared (held in reverential awe) above all gods.’ (1 Chr.16:7-25)  

Oh Friends, we have to stop there, because the psalm is at least half as long again, and we don’t have the time nor space to capture it all. But it does show how Bruh David tied in all the different aspects of Israel’s dealings with their God. It was also a teaching tool, so that the people could learn of Israel’s history, something to be orally passed down to the generations, since writing and reading weren’t as universal as they are today.

Let us therefore remember Friends, not only the Lord’s goodness to Israel in their time, but also His LOVING-kindness to us in these trying days. And thus cause our voices to be raised in song, in thanksgiving for His everlasting mercies to us, His people, the flock of His pasture, so that others can hear it, and come to know Him like we do. That is indeed heavenly wisdom. Much LOVE!

…to true followers of Jesus…singing His praises…ought to come naturally and constantly…as breathing His breath of life…