The Importance of Acknowledging that God is the Creator and Controller of the Universe!

1 Corinthians 10:26.         For the earth is the Lord’s, and the fullness thereof.

So it’s Friday, and we’re all overjoyed at the prospect of the weekend hovering right around the corner; time to rest and /or party. And many of sent up the cry of ‘Thank God it’s Friday!’ whether sincerely thanking God, or just mouthing the platitude, only you alone know. But hopefully, many will be truly thankful to see another day in God’s great universe, because that’s the right and wise way to be. 

Remember the Lord created the universe and everything within it as Bruh David says in Psalm 24: ‘The earth is the Lord’s, and the fulness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein. For he hath founded it upon the seas, and established it upon the floods (rivers).’ (Ps. 24:1-2) Meanwhile Bruh Paul in his first letter to the Corinthians reminds them thus: ‘For the earth is the Lord’s, and the fullness thereof.’ (1 Cor. 10:26) And Ethan the Ezrahite puts it this way in Psalm 89. ‘The heavens are thine, the earth is also thine: as for the world and the fullness thereof, thou hast founded them.’ (Ps. 89:11) 

Yes friends, not only did God establish the universe and all therein, but He still controls it and rules sovereignly over it! For as Ethan the Ezrahite continues in Psalm 89: ‘Thou hast a mighty arm: strong is thy hand, and high is thy right hand. Justice and judgement (righteousness and justice) are the habitation (foundation) of thy throne: LOVING-KINDNESS and truth shall go before thy face.’ (Ps. 89:13-14) So the Lord our God is also strong and mighty, and only deals in truth, justice and righteousness. 

And because of that, Ethan could further say: ‘Blessed is the people that know the joyful sound (make a joyful noise to the Lord): they shall walk, O Lord in the light of thy countenance. In thy name shall they rejoice all the day: and in thy righteousness shall they be exalted. For thou art the glory of their strength: and in thy favour our horn (strength) shall be exalted. For the Lord is our defence; and the Holy One of Israel is our king.’ (Ps. 89:15-18) And that’s the living truth my brethren! The Lord God Jehovah is our shield, our defence our strong arm in the time of battle. 

Listen as the psalmist tells it. ‘When the wicked spring (sprout) as the grass, and when all the workers of iniquity do flourish; it is that they shall be destroyed for ever: But thou, Lord, art most high for evermore. For, lo, thine enemies, O Lord, for, lo, thine enemies shall perish; all the workers of iniquity shall be scattered. But my horn (my strength) shalt thou exalt like the horn (strength) of a unicorn (wild ox): I shall be anointed with fresh oil. Mine eye also shall see my desire on mine enemies, and mine ears shall hear my desire of the wicked that rise up against me.’ (Ps. 92:7-11) 

That tells it like it is my people! The Lord will destroy the wicked, the workers of iniquity in His own time and strengthen those who sincerely trust in Him. And on top of all that, the psalmist furthermore proclaims: ‘The righteous shall flourish like the palm tree: he shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon (tall and strong). 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 and flourishing (plump and green); To show that the Lord is upright: he is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in him.’ (Ps. 92:12-15) 

Now friends, who wouldn’t want to be a part of all that eh? Strong, exalted, flourishing, bringing forth good fruit even in your old age, with the Lord being your rock and strength and defence! It doesn’t get any better than that my people! And yes it’s hard to withstand all the temptations of the wicked enemy, but fortunately the Lord has given us all the tools to do it, with the Holy Spirit dwelling within us to lead and guide us. And if all that fails, then we even have the option of going to the throne of grace directly to ask for divine aid. So, let’s do that right now nuh, through our Friday Chant. 

Altogether: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through this past week. You know it’s been rough…  because our many serious problems are escalating instead of improving. And it’s obvious we can’t fix them on our own, so Lord, we’re desperately crying out for your help. Oh heavenly Father, with your omnipotent help, and our trusting faith, we know that we can stand strong and steadfast and defeat the simmering unrest in our land. We therefore ask you Lord to give our leaders the wise guidance to handle these unexpected storms properly. And please help the rest of us to be responsible and to stay safe amidst all the anxiety and confusion of these ungodly times. 

We fervently pray too Lord that you’ll use the discontent and dissatisfaction in our land as a means of restoring faith in you. Return backsliders to your fold. Show them the error of their ways. And please introduce a new flock of believers, who will embrace your LOVE and compassion by the example, we, your faithful believers set. So that our sinful world can wake up and smell the coffee, wake up and smell it sweet and strong! We pray this in the name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen!’ 

Ah my fellow saints, unfortunately it’s not only the sinful world that needs to wake up and smell the coffee, no, many of us supposed believers also need to do that too, because we’re not pulling our weight, we are not doing our best to represent God in this ungodly world, we’re behaving too much like the world, and that will never do. It will never help us to turn things around. So please, let’s wake up and do what we know we’re supposed to do nuh; that’s stand strong and work for Christ! Much LOVE!

…regardless of what you believe…God IS the Creator and Controller of the universe…and those who disobey His will…will suffer the consequences…               

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

Today’s Scrip-Bit 14 July 2021 Psalm 103:5.

Psalm 103:5.     Who satisfieth thy mouth with good things; so that thy youth is renewed like the eagle’s.

Well it’s Wednesday, the middle day of the work week, and life’s humming along, not necessarily wonderfully, but humming along it is! (smile) That’s the thing about life; nothing stops it from moving along, not rain, snow or shine, not war, famine or disease, not disaster nor good times. Despite all the many things that can, and do happen, life just keeps on chugging along as though nothing but itself exists. 

And that’s why it is ofttimes so difficult to deal with life, since it seems like it doesn’t care. And to tell the truth, life doesn’t really care nuh, it has a job to do, and it just does it. Who can blame it eh? (smile) Wish we could be so tunnel-visioned about our job with Jesus. 

And here is why we ought to be so focussed on Jesus and His work. This poem from our One Year Book of Bible Promises, with writings by Ruth Harms Calkin shines a bright and eye-opening light on the beauty and benefits of serving Jesus. It’s aptly titled ‘Lord You LOVE to say Yes.’ 

Please pray with me. ‘Lord, I asked you for abundant life Rich, challenging, full of adventure And You said Yes. I asked You for an undisturbable joy Independent of transitory change And You said Yes. I asked You to thread my tears into a song When I was shattered and torn with grief And You said Yes. I asked You to steady me when I staggered – To hold me when I struggled To seize me when I resisted And You said Yes. 

I asked You to forgive my vain grasping My foolish fears, my willful pride And You said Yes. I asked You to be my Helper, my Friend My light in the darkness And You said Yes. I asked You to guide me all my life With Your wisdom, Your counsel Your captivating LOVE And You said Yes. Sometimes Lord I feel like a spoiled child Who gets whatever he asks for. You overwhelm me with joy. For you LOVE to say Yes!’  

Oh my fellow saints in Christ isn’t that beautiful…and ever so true? It certainly is! I’ve never thought about our life in Christ like that, but it definitely makes life a whole lot sweeter, better, more enjoyable and much easier to live, when you look at it from that perspective. We are indeed spoiled brats! With abundant life full of challenges and adventure. Then there’s joy everlasting…and even our tears and grief are threaded into a song. What more can one ask eh? 

Well, what about help in our struggles and disobedient times? There’s that too! As well as forgiveness for vain and prideful attitudes. And what about being just a normal Helper and Friend, a Guide in the darkness of life? We also have that! And then we are showered with wisdom and wise guidance…But most of all it’s the captivating LOVE that is available, that’s what really rocks the house! It’s the sugar and spice that truly livens up the whole concoction! 

Oh friends, please give our wonderful God much thanks and praise nuh for His amazing shepherding of our lost and inept souls nuh. And I really can’t say why we act the vapid and disobedient way we do, when He is so good to us. Instead, we should be more focussed on words and attitudes like those written about by Bruh David in Psalm 103, most appropriately sub-titled – Thanksgiving for God’s mercy. 

So please pray with me again…this is a morning of prayer. (smile) ‘Bless the Lord, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless his holy name. Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits: Who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases: who redeemeth thy life from destruction; who crowneth thee with LOVING-kindness and tender mercies; Who satisfieth thy mouth with good things; so that thy youth is renewed like the eagle’s.’ (Ps. 103:1-5) And that last verse is our Bit as well as the Bible Promise on which the poem was based. 

Ah mih people, right there within those few verses we have a true exposition of God’s everlasting LOVE to His children, to those who choose to come under His big, marvellous and comforting umbrella called home. And the important thing to note there my brethren is that it’s a choice. The Lord doesn’t force us to come to Him and obey His dictates, for He has given us free-will in all our earthly doings. But to enjoy all that He has to offer, His magnanimous bounty, one has to consciously choose to enter His fold, believe in His Son, Jesus Christ, and abide, as best as possible, by His regulations found in His Holy Word, the Bible. 

And for the life of me, I just can’t fathom why so many people choose not to enter God’s fold when it’s so wonderful. I guess it’s just because we value our free-will so much, and entering God’s fold means walking a straight and narrow path instead of the broad, vain, prideful and destructive one our sinful souls think we ought to walk. But please remember friends, that all our actions have consequences, and though our God is kind, generous and LOVING to a fault, He’s no pushover. His other attributes of righteousness and justice also have to be met, if He is to truly be the just and righteous God, He declares himself to be. 

That means there will be judgement and justice for wrongdoing. Yes friends, it’s not all fun and games with no penalties for disobedience and unrighteous behaviour. However, those who accept His fatherly guidance do enjoy a great life down here on earth, with the faithful promise of an even more glorious one in the near future. And for those of us who have bought into Christ’s promises, let’s go home now declaring (awright!!!) our Wednesday Wail, letting the whole world know of our oh so exciting and wonderful position in Christ Jesus. 

As one strong and sincere voice: ‘Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: I’m so glad to be alive on this Wednesday! Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: Thank God the breath of life is still flowing through me on this Wednesday! I am halfway home. My hands are fixed securely on the plough, and I’m not turning back. I’m not looking back at the past, not focusing on what has gone before. But my eyes are fixed straight ahead; straight ahead to a glorious future with Jesus. Glory Hallelujah!’ 

And please remember that if we endure until the very end, that the future will be even more glorious than we can ever ask or imagine. Much LOVE!

…to truly know Jesus…is to LOVE Him…with every beat of our heart…                                                                                                    

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