The Testing of a Believer’s Faith

22 Jun 2024 Leave a comment

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

Job 23:10.       But he knoweth the way that I take: when he hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold.

And on this lazy-day Saturday, the second official day of summer, the weather is sunny and fairly cool, compared with earlier this week, when summer came in like a mighty lion with temperatures in the constant thirties. Let’s hope that it will stay in the mid-twenties for a while now. The heat’s nice, much preferable to the cold, but we do need a modicum of circumspection, for too much of anything is no good. (smile) 

Now, let’s get serious and offer up our Lazy-Day Saturday Morning Prayer in all sincerity. As one voice:  ‘Lord, I want to be with You now. Please slow my thoughts and quiet my soul. Let my muscles relax, my breath deepen. You are here with me – Your peace and LOVE are present. I marvel to think You can’t be contained, that Your LOVE both surrounds and fills me. Thank You for this tenderness, Lord. I praise You for Your unceasing nearness. Increase my awareness of You today, that I may know You all the more. Amen!’ 

And because the motives of our hearts were right, we can now feel the Lord’s presence, His LOVE and peace truly hovering around us in even more abundance than before. And I like this prayer because it’s one of those that touch the cockles of God’s heart. You’re sincerely asking for more of Him, and He will never refuse such a prayer, since it’s His greatest desire for His human creation to sincerely seek Him with all their hearts, minds, souls and bodies. 

So, as we promised yesterday, if the Lord spared life today, we would continue looking at some scriptures that speak to the testing of our faith. And all God’s children said a grateful: ‘Thank You Lord for allowing us to see another day on your great earth!’ 

Let’s begin then with this interesting scripture from Isaiah re God’s deferred anger. ‘For my name’s sake, will I defer (delay) my anger, and for my praise will I refrain (restrain) for thee, that I cut thee not off (destroy you). Behold, I have refined thee, but not with (as) silver; I have chosen (tested) thee in the furnace of affliction. For mine own sake, even for mine own sake, will I do it: for how should my name be polluted (profaned)? and I will not give my glory unto another.’ (Is. 48:9-11) 

Yes friends, for the Lord’s own sake, that we do not profane His holy name, He refines us in the fires of affliction. And those fires are never very nice, but they do serve to refine us, grow us in spiritual maturity, and keep us on the right path. Now, hear these awesome words of the psalmist. 

‘O bless our God, ye people, and make the voice of his praise to be heard: Which holdeth our soul in life (among the living), and suffereth not our feet to be moved (slip). For thou, O God, hast proved (tested) us: thou hast tried (refined) us, as silver is tried. Thou broughtest us into the net; thou laidst affliction upon our loins. Thou hast caused men to ride over our heads; we went through fire and through water: but thou broughtest us out into a wealthy (an abundant) place.’ (Ps. 66:8-12) 

Yuh see that mih bredrin, though the Lord tries and afflicts us, it’s always for our own good, for our benefit. He brings us out of the afflictions in a better place than when we went in. Then there’s this interesting scripture from Bruh Paul in 1 Corinthians. ‘According to the grace of God which is given unto me, as a wise masterbuilder, I have laid the foundation, and another buildeth thereon. But let every man take heed how he buildeth thereupon. For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ. 

Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble (straw); Every man’s work shall be made manifest (become evident); for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try (test) every man’s work of what sort it is. If a man’s work abide (endures) which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward. If any man’s work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved: yet so as by (through) fire.’ (1 Cor. 3:10-15) 

Oh my people, come the judgement day, even our works will be tested to see how they held up to Christ’s service. And if they don’t survive the fire, because they are built on hay, wood or straw, then we will lose rewards, but not our salvation. For as the scholars explain: ‘The stress in this entire passage is not on a person’s relationship to Christ, but on service to Christ.’ 

Meanwhile, Job in his great trial said it thus: ‘Behold, I go forward, but he (God) is not there; and backward, but I cannot perceive him. On the left hand, where he doth work, but I cannot behold him: he hideth himself (turns) on the right hand, that I cannot see him: But he knoweth the way that I take: when he hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold.’ (Job 23:8-10) 

Job’s friends thought that his sins caused his downfall, that he was filled with rubbish, but he maintained that God knew when He tested him, pure gold would come out of the fires of his affliction. Can we be that sure of our situations? Who knows? But we’ve got to do our best to pass through the fires refined as pure gold. 

Now here’s this last scripture, another famous one, this from Peter, where, writing about the incorruptible inheritance reserved in heaven for us, says: ‘Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness (distressed) through manifold temptations: That the trial (genuineness) of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried (tested) with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing (revelation) of Jesus Christ: Whom having not seen, ye LOVE; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory: Receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls.’ (1 Pet. 1:6-9) 

And the scholars offer these explanations on those verses: ‘The problem of salvation looks to the present. Earthly trials constitute  a problem of our salvation, but they are only for a season, or temporary. Manifold temptations means diversified trials. True faith cannot be destroyed though God is in the process of refining faith through our trials.’ 

Oh my fellow saints, living for Christ seems like a tough life, and it sometimes truly is, but let’s remember that the rewards of putting Christ first are well worth the trials and testings we go through in this evil and ungodly world. The long and short of the story is we know our salvation is assured through God’s gift of grace, and if we live the way Christ desires, great will be our rewards in heaven! Much LOVE!

…building on the solid foundation of Christ…is the wise earthly way to go…

Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien

Today’s Scrip-Bit   15 October 2021 Psalm 119:105.

15 Oct 2021 Leave a comment

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

Psalm 119:105.     Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.

Well it’s certainly not as beautiful out there today, as it was yesterday. It’s cloudy and miserable with rain forecasted during the day, but as I always say, what a good thing we have Jesus to otherwise brighten up our day! For even when the skies are cloudy and gray, and the storms are pounding down on us, the light and LOVE of Jesus is always present within His followers to lead and guide them along the pathway of righteousness. No wonder the psalmist confidently and gratefully declared: ‘Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.’ (Ps. 119:105) 

Yes friends, obedience to Christ’s dictates is a must if we want to sincerely live for Him. But how do we know His dictates? By reading His Word which gives us wisdom and knowledge. That means His Word is a lamp to guide us through the perilous pathways of this evil and ungodly world. And I like how the bible.com website illustrates the message on verses 105 -112 of the Psalm. It says: ‘By your words I can see where I am going; they throw a beam of light on my dark path. I’ve committed myself and I’ll never turn back from living by your righteous order. 

Everything’s falling apart on me, GOD; put me together again with your Word. Festoon me with your finest sayings, GOD; teach me your holy rules. My life is as close as my own hands, but I don’t forget what you have revealed. The wicked do their best to throw me off track, but I don’t swerve an inch from your course. I inherited your book on living; it’s mine forever – what a gift! And how happy it makes me! I concentrate on doing exactly what you say – I always have and always will.’ 

Now that could be an everyday prayer, because every day we are tempted by the wicked to forego and forget God’s word and the rules for righteous living found therein. But when we keep meditating on His word, it will guide our path like a light. Remember how the Lord had the cloud by day and fire by night when He brought the Israelites out of Egypt. The Good Book tells it thus: ‘And the Lord went before them by day in a pillar of a cloud, to lead them the way; and by night in a pillar of fire, to give them light’ to go by day and night.’ (Ex. 13:21) 

Oh saints of Christ, you can see from the beginning of time that the Lord has safely guided His people. He always does it. Back then He did it with the Israelites through a pillar of cloud and a pillar of fire, because they were just learning about the Lord and had no written material to turn to, but we now have his holy word in print, in a physical form that we can always turn to for good and wise guidance. And we ought to be continually in it if we want to stay true to God’s dictates, for that is its stated purpose. 

Remember God’s admonition to Joshua? ‘This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.’ (Josh. 1:8) Brother! The Lord’s point is so clear, as it always is! Meditate on my law and keep it, and you will be prosperous! What’s so hard to understand about that eh? 

And we know from their history that when the Israelites did as God said, they prospered, and when they turned from Him, they fell on hard times, adversity swallowed them up. And the same thing is happening to us right now! We have turned away from the word of God and living in total sin, not reading or following His word. So what do we expect happen eh? Wine roses and song? Absolutely not! Calamity, adversity and tribulation is our much deserved lot, and that’s exactly what we are getting. 

All through the Good Book we are warned about disobedience, and see example after example where disobedient societies fall prey to adversity and calamity. So why do we think that because we have supposedly reached a higher level of civilization that we are exempt from God’s everlasting law eh? We aren’t! In fact, much more is expected of us because we know and understand more than those who have gone before us. But we choose to continue in our disobedience and evil doings, even trying to completely rid our society of God, and yet expect to prosper for a long time. 

That’s the devil’s lie, his favourite deception, for the word of God doesn’t change, and if He said way back when, obey me and you will be prosperous, then that command still stands today, and if we were smart, we would choose to do it wholeheartedly. And as always, Cousin Sol had his wise two cents worth to throw in, during his warning against adultery. He says: ‘For the commandment is a lamp; and the law is light; and reproofs of instruction are the way of life.’ (Prov. 6:23) And if anybody should know about the law and its effects, it’s Cousin Sol, who went from being God’s shining star, in his early life, to the doghouse in his later days. 

But the wonderful thing about our God is that when we wake up from our evil ways, we can always come back to Him through sincere prayer and true repentance. So please, let’s go to Him right now nuh, through our Friday Chant, spilling out our problems in sincere repentance, asking for forgiveness and His wise help. Altogether now: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through this past week. You know it’s been rough… what with all the anxiety, the confusion and havoc that the Covid-19 virus and our many other problems are causing. We can’t seem to fix it on our own Lord, that means we desperately need your help. 

Oh heavenly Father, with your omnipotent help, and our trusting faith, we know that we can stand strong and steadfast and defeat both the virus and the unrest in our streets. So Lord, we sincerely ask you today to give the governments and those involved in the forefront of this serious and unexpected storm, the wise guidance to handle the situation properly, with the least amount of loss to life and property as possible. And please help those of us who must go out to work amidst all the confusion, to be responsible and to stay safe, and avoid any more serious setbacks. 

And Lord, we fervently pray that You’ll use this situation to bring a lot of backsliders back to your fold, show them the error of their ways. And please introduce a whole new flock, who will embrace your LOVE and compassion by the example, we, your faithful believers set. Yes Lord, please use this pandemic and the unrest in the streets as a means of restoring faith in You, so that our sinful world can wake up and smell the coffee, sweet and strong! We pray this in the name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen!’ 

And please don’t forget that the Lord’s response to our entreaties will depend on our faithful behaviour and the right motives of our hearts. Much LOVE!

…you reap what you sow…so you can’t sow sin and expect to reap righteousness…                                                                                                             

Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZJ8                   

Today’s Scrip-Bit 16 August 2021 Numbers 23:19a.

16 Aug 2021 Leave a comment

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

Numbers 23:19a.     God is not man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: 

These weeks passing too quickly for me yes friends! We are already into the middle of August, and we just finish celebrating the 1st of August long holiday weekend. (smile) That means fall, or autumn is just around the corner. But them’s the breaks, time waits on no one, and we must therefore conclude that this Monday in the middle of August is another excellent opportunity for us to take the bull by the horns, grab the baton and run with it, put into motion, the amazing plan that our wonderful God has designed for us from time everlasting! 

And yes, we have used a lot of clichés back there, but yuh know what, things become clichés because they are either the truth, or help us to understand the truth better. And the greatest truth in this universe is the Word of God found in His holy book, the Bible, our blueprint, our guide, our map for earthly living! So when we read in it, things like: ‘For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil (calamity), to give you an expected end (a future and a hope).’ (Jer. 29:11) 

We know, we are totally assured that we are hearing the honest to goodness truth., because it comes from the Word of our God. Our Creator has good plans for each one of us, plans He created us to fulfill. And you are even further empowered to believe His Word, when it says: ‘God is not man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? Or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?’ (Num. 23:19) 

What a confidence builder that verse is my brethren! Our God has no need to lie, because He is omnipotent, possesses the power and the ability to do whatever He says He is going to do! As Jesus said to His disciples, talking about a camel passing through the eye of a needle: ‘With men, this is impossible, but with God, all things are possible.’ (Matt. 19:26) And we need to remember that most salient fact my people. Nothing is too big or too small for our God to do! He can do anything and everything! Therefore, there’s no situation He cannot put us into or take us out of. 

But I want to go back to that verse from Numbers about God not lying, because the scholars offer an interesting explanation of it. ‘23:19. The immutability (unchangeability) of God is stated. The word repent is parallel to lie and is coloured in tone by this very association. Here His repenting is related to falsehood. The concept of the truth of Yahweh is related to immutability (His unchanging nature). Since God is truth, He does not lie; in fact, He cannot lie: He is unchanging. God is utterly different from man. Something that comes far too easily for many men is impossible for Almighty God. He cannot lie (cf. Is. 31:2; 51:6,8; Jer. 4:28; Mal. 3:6).’ 

Oh friends, those are some good verses for you to look up, I just did, and they are all interesting, revolving around the Lord’s unchanging nature and the keeping of His word. But I will only spoon feed us the last one from Malachi, (smile) which we all ought to know anyway. ‘For I am the Lord, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed.’ (Mal. 3:6) And we better had be thankful for that yes my people, because just like the Lord’s mercy and LOVE are overwhelming, so is His wrath, and you definitely don’t want to feel it. 

And His wrath is not just vengeful anger, but as Romans 2:5-6 says: ‘But after thy hardness (stubborn) and impenitent (unrepentant) heart treasurest up (stores up) unto thyself wrath against the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgement of God (when His righteous judgement will be revealed); Who will render to every man according to his deeds.’ (Rom. 2:5-6) 

So wrath is basically God’s justice for disobedience and thus rounds out His basic attributes of Mercy, LOVE and Justice, or as one commentator asserts: ‘A God who didn’t have wrath towards sin would not be a God of LOVE, because how could a God of LOVE allow sin to go unpunished?’ Good question that my people. And believe me, it will not! However, our ever-LOVING God, has also ‘provided a way of redemption; faith in the atoning blood of his Son.’

Anyway, it’s the start of our work week and many of us have fears, anxieties and concerns, re the state of our lives and our world, weighing heavily on our souls and spirits, so let’s take this opportunity to carry them to the throne of grace in prayer nuh. As one strong, confident but humble voice, let’s declare our Monday Morning Battle Hymn. 

‘Our Father, who art in heaven, we, Your humble servants, praise Your Holy Name and thank You this Monday morning for life and strong faith in Christ, despite the mass confusion in our world. We desperately need Your divine help, for You are the ONLY ONE with the power to solve our many problems. 

Heavenly Father, we admit that we have all sinned and seriously disobeyed Your Word, but we know that You are a merciful, forgiving and gracious God, who has faithfully promised to hear and answer our prayers when we humble ourselves, pray, and sincerely seek Your face. That’s why we come to You now, with sincere repentance in our hearts, pleading with You to give us wise guidance and direction to alleviate our problems. 

And Father, we pray that you will ease the pain of the many who are suffering from negative situations. Please show them Your awesome grace and mercy, and keep Your promise that You’ll hear our prayer, forgive us, and heal our land if we turn from our evil ways. Show this evil world that You are indeed Jehovah Rapha; the God who heals! We pray this in the holy and blessed name of Your Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen! And again, we say: Amen!’ 

And as always, the answer to our prayers depends on keeping our promises and the right motives of our hearts. Much LOVE!

…obey God…and leave all the consequences to Him…  (Dr. Charles Stanley)                                                                                                                       

Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZJ8                   

Today’s Scrip-Bit 12 July 2021 John 15:5b.

12 Jul 2021 Leave a comment

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

John 15:5b.        …for without me ye can do nothing.

Don’t look now friends, but it’s that big day, Monday, the first day of the new work week! (smile) And since some of those pandemic restrictions have been lifted, I guess more of us will be going back out to work today – some joyfully, others sadly, as their extended holiday is over. But let’s remember that whatever the circumstances, we can handle them successfully if we have the Holy Spirt of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ dwelling within us. That’s one of the many differences and improvements between believers and the infidel; with Jesus, we can do any and everything, through Him who strengthens us. Give Him thanks and praise my people! 

And how do we get and stay strong in Christ? Listen to His immortal words on the subject, to the disciples. ‘Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me.’ (John 15:4) How sweet is that eh mih bredrin! That’s how we get and stay strong in Christ. And if you didn’t get it the first time, He goes on to further explain. ‘I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.’ (John 15:5) 

Wow! How direct and to the point is Jesus eh! Unless we stick with Him, we cannot do anything! And that’s the gospel truth my people! It’s only with Christ as the catalyst and moving agent in our life that we are able to do anything truly worthwhile down here on planet earth. 

And the scholars give us some useful info on that verse, re the Union with Christ.‘15:5. The uniqueness of the Christian experience results from the union of Christ and the believer. This is expressed in Scripture as Christ being in the believer and the believer in Christ. Ten times Paul uses the Greek preposition sun (“together”) to describe this relationship. Believers were crucified (Gal. 2:20), dead (Col. 2:20), buried (Rom. 6:4), quickened or made alive (Eph. 2:1-5; Col. 2:13), raised (Col. 3:1; Eph. 2:6), seated (Eph. 2:6), and glorified (Rom. 8:17) together with Christ. 

Illustration: Jesus used the image of the vine and its branches to describe His union with the believer. Application: On the basis of this union, the apostle Paul showed how the successful Christian life can be opened with four key words in Romans 6: know (vs. 6), reckon (vs. 11), yield (vs. 13), and obey (vs. 17). The Christian can conquer sin because Christ lives in him (Gal. 2:20). (First Ref. John 7:37-38; Primary Ref. John 15:1-5; cf. 1 John 5:13).’ 

Well, there you have it friends, our Bible Study for today! (smile) Lots of Scriptures for us to look up. And please do look them up, for it will be to our benefit, as they will only enhance our knowledge and understanding of God’s Word. It’s all about inner growth or spiritual maturity my people. And that takes us to Bruh Paul’s prayer for just that in his missive to the church at Ephesus. 

‘That He (Christ) would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man. That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye , being rooted and grounded in LOVE, May be able to comprehend (understand) with all saints what is the breadth (width), and length, and depth and height; And to know the LOVE of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fullness of God.’ (Eph. 3:16-19) 

Oh Mama, Mama! What a powerful prayer! And the scholars explain it all thus: ‘3:16-19. In these verses Paul makes three prayer requests for the addressees: (1) That they would be strengthened with might by His Spirit (vs. 16), that is, that they be divinely enabled to successfully live the Christian life. (2) That the readers be able to comprehend…the LOVE of Christ, that is to better understand the enormous LOVE Christ has for them. And (3) that they might be filled with all the fullness of God, that is, that the life, character, and virtues of God Himself may be fully developed in them.’ 

Now that does sound like a big programme for believers to undertake, but Bruh Paul knew what he was doing. Listen to how he ends that passage nuh. ‘Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen.’ (Eph. 3:20-21) Yes friends, Bruh Paul was not making those prayer requests for too much, because he was asking the One who could do ever so much more than we can ask or think; that’s Almighty God. 

So please don’t think that you can’t do anything because it’s too big for you. It might seem so, but it is definitely not too big for our God; the One who created us and still LOVES us dearly, despite all our faults and failures. That means we can go to Him right now with our problems and ask for His awesome help. So as one strong, confident, but humble voice, let’s offer up our Monday Morning Battle Hymn. 

‘Our Father, who art in heaven, we, Your humble servants, praise Your Holy Name and thank You this Monday morning for life and strong faith in Christ, despite the mass confusion in our world. We desperately need Your divine help, for You are the ONLY ONE with the power to solve our many problems. 

Heavenly Father, we admit that we have all sinned and seriously disobeyed Your Word, but we know that You are a merciful, forgiving and gracious God, who has faithfully promised to hear and answer our prayers when we humble ourselves, pray, and sincerely seek Your face. That’s why we come to You now, with sincere repentance in our hearts, pleading with You to give us wise guidance and direction to alleviate our problems. 

And Father, we pray that you will ease the pain of the many who are suffering from negative situations. Please show them Your awesome grace and mercy, and keep Your promise that You’ll hear our prayer, forgive us, and heal our land if we turn from our evil ways. Show this evil world that You are indeed Jehovah Rapha; the God who heals! We pray this in the holy and blessed name of Your Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen! And again, we say: Amen!’ 

But let me warn us, that we won’t get our desires unless we sincerely turn away from our evil ways and seek God with right motives in our hearts! Much LOVE!

…we can never sell God short…for He is bigger than anything we can ask or imagine…                                                                                          

Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZJ8       

Today’s Scrip-Bit 28 August 2014 Psalm 31:20

28 Aug 2014 Leave a comment

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

 Psalm 31:20.   Thou shalt hide them in the secret of thy presence (the secret place) from the pride (plots and plans) of man: thou shalt keep them secretly in a pavilion (shelter) from the strife of tongues.

And then it was turtle Thursday! Turtle Thursday in the sense that Thursdays always seem to go slowly. We want them to rush on into Friday, but they just seem to take their own sweet time to get there. But remember Friends, patience and perseverance are the things that get us where we really want to go.
 
As they say, the race is not for the swift, but for the sure of foot. That’s why the turtle beat the hare in the race. He was slow and steady, while the hare was in a hurry and somewhat capricious, guided by whims and feelings.
 
And I don’t know whether I’ve shared this bit of wisdom before, but even if I have, I believe it’s worth another go round today. It comes from a small four by five inch card I have sitting at the front of my desk in my study. Ostensibly you should see it as soon you enter the study, but that rarely seems to happen. It did sometime yesterday though, and I had to chuckle when I noticed it.
 
These are the refreshing words it displays. ‘God’s tape measure goes around hearts NOT heads.’
 
And that’s an indisputable fact, my brethren! The Lord doesn’t judge us by the size and cleanliness of our heads, but by the LOVE and right motives in our hearts. God isn’t looking for big heads, but rather big hearts! Hearts that can encompass His LOVE and goodness, then share them with others who are in need of His LOVING-kindness.
 
So my people, I ask you now, which group do you belong to, the big heads, prideful, boasters group, or the big hearts, humble, LOVING-kindness group? I certainly hope you all will instantly jump up and shout: ‘The big hearts, humble, LOVING-kindness group of course!’
 
And that’s the right answer, but for your sake I hope it’s the true one, because you can fool me and those around you, but remember you cannot fool Almighty God, since He doesn’t take your words and outward actions as proof of your genuine character.
 
So I would strongly suggest that today we take a genuine look at our internal attitudes and make sure that we do have a big, godly heart and not a big, proud head.
 
Remember too that ‘a proud look… and a heart that deviseth wicked imaginations (devises wicked plans and schemes)’ are two of the abominations that our wonderful God greatly despises. (Prov.6:16-19)
 
That’s why Bruh David unequivocally declares in Psalm 31, from which our Bit is taken, his certain trust in the Lord. ‘Oh how great is thy goodness, which thou hast laid up for them that fear thee; which thou hast wrought for them that trust in thee before the sons of men!
 
Thou shalt hide them in the secret of thy presence (the secret place) from the pride (plots and plans) of man: thou shalt keep them secretly in a pavilion (shelter) from the strife of tongues.’ (Ps.31:19-20)
 
Yes my brethren, the ONLY antidote for human pride that’s so prevalent in these prideful, ungodly times, is sincere trust and surrender to Almighty God! For as our Bit says, He shall hide us in a secret place, where the pride and plots of man will not touch us. But before He can do that, we have to give our entire lives over to Him.
 
And just to show how our God dislikes pride, let’s look at few scriptures that point it out. First up is Cousin Sol, who in his marvellous wisdom declares: ‘In the mouth of the foolish is a rod of pride: but the lips of the wise shall preserve them.’ (Prov.14:3)
 
Now listen to Isaiah as he condemns Ephraim. ‘Woe to the crown of pride, to the drunkards of Ephraim, whose glorious beauty is a fading flower, which are on (at) the head of the fat (verdant) valleys of them that are overcome with wine!
 
Behold, the Lord hath a mighty and strong one, which as a tempest of hail and a destroying storm, as a flood of mighty waters overflowing, shall cast (them) down to the earth with the hand.
 
The crown of pride, the drunkards of Ephraim, shall be trodden (trampled) underfoot… In that day shall the Lord of hosts be for a crown of glory, and for a diadem of beauty, unto the residue of his people.’ (Is.28:1-3,5)
 
Then hear Jeremiah in his prophecy concerning Edom. ‘For, lo, I will make thee small among the heathen (nations), and despised among men.
 
Thy terribleness (fierceness) hath deceived thee, and the pride of thine heart, O thou that dwellest in the clefts of the rock, that holdest the height of the hill: though thou shouldest make thy nest as high as the eagle, I will bring thee down from thence, saith the Lord.
 
Also Edom shall be a desolation (an astonishment): every one that goeth by it shall be astonished, and shall hiss at all the plagues thereof.’ (Jer.49:15-17)
 
Yes Friends, the Lord doesn’t make joke when it comes to the prideful dealings of man!
 
And we’ll close with some beautiful and very instructive words from 1John. ‘LOVE not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man LOVE the world, the LOVE of the Father is not in him.
 
For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.’ (1 John 2:15-17)
 
Oh my people, truer words were never spoken!
 
So today, let’s sincerely check our hearts and souls and see whether there be any pride and worldly lusts therein nuh. Then, as usual, let’s call out to our mighty, merciful and forgiving God for help to cleanse them. That, my Friends, is heavenly wisdom! Much LOVE!
 
…pride goes before a fall…and the haughty shall surely feel the wrath of God…