Today’s Scrip-Bit 7 November 2016 Ecclesiastes 5:1.

07 Nov 2016 Leave a comment

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

Ecclesiastes 5:1.    Keep thy foot (walk prudently) when thou goest to the house of God, and be more ready to hear (draw near to hear, rather) than to give the sacrifice of fools: for they consider not that they do evil.’

Awright friends, it’s Monday, so what’s it going to be eh? Are we going to be grumpy and complain, or are we going to rise and shine with a good, joy-filled attitude, ready and eager to go out and face this new workweek? The choice is up to us, but I do hope that as true believers in Jesus Christ we would adopt the latter option, for it is the more Christ-like one. 

However, I know that all of us are human, filled with human frailties, so it’s not every Monday morning  we’ll be filled with energy and enthusiasm to take the bull by the horns and wrestle him to the ground. (smile) 

That’s why we have an antidote for such days. It’s called our Monday Morning Battle Hymn. It gets us all fired up so we can meet the enemy head on and defeat him. 

So let’s sing out in full, harmonious and melodic voice now. ‘Oh Lord God Almighty, Creator of the universe and all therein! We, your humble servants, praise your Holy Name and thank you that this Monday morning we have jobs to go to; jobs we don’t like, jobs that are unfair, difficult and even dangerous, but which serve a useful purpose here on earth; keeping lives and families together. 

We also thank you Father for the renewed vitality and enthusiasm you’ve wrought in our weary souls over the last two days. It’s that rejuvenation of Spirit which allows us now to sally forth with confidence into the evil, ungodly world that surrounds us, to begin a new week of work, constantly buffeted and bombarded by the enemy’s wicked taunts, wiles and lies. 

But heavenly Father, we’re not afraid, for we know we’re invincible, sure conquerors, once we’re wearing your powerful, protective spiritual armour. We surrender our all to you, and humbly ask that you let your incredible aura of LOVE, the Holy Spirit, lead and guide all your servants as we go out to meet the enemy in battle. 

Fill us with steadfast faith, so that we can make worthwhile inroads into the enemy’s ranks, and thereby further your glorious kingdom. We pray this in the Holy Name of your Son, and our Saviour, Jesus Christ. AMEN!’ 

Yes mih breddren, except for a few hoarse voices, that was a decent rendition. Our choirmaster, Jesus, had an amused twinkle in His eyes as He guided us with His baton. And once Jesus is happy with us, then all’s right with the world! (smile) 

So now that we’ve jump started our engines, let’s keep them running at high speed, keep the pedal to the metal, so to speak, and just go out there in a good frame of mind and do excellent work for Jesus, for that’s what He expects of us. 

And I do hope, for our sakes, we kept the wisdom of our Bit yesterday: ‘Keep thy foot (walk prudently) when thou goest to the house of God, and be more ready to hear (draw near to hear, rather) than to give the sacrifice of fools: for they consider not that they do evil.’ What awesome words of wisdom my fellow believers! 

And here’s how the Preacher ended that passage. ‘Suffer not (do not let) thy mouth to cause thy flesh to sin; neither say thou before the angel (messenger) that it was an error, wherefore should God be angry at thy voice (excuse) and destroy the work of thy hands? For in the multitude of dreams and many words there are also divers vanities (futility abounds): but fear thou God.’ (Eccl.5:6-7) 

Ah mih people, more wonderful words of wisdom! Yuh know, if we’d just follow the first 7 verses of that chapter, we’d be almost perfect! We can start by walking prudently, drawing near to hear, rather than that to expatiate, not give the sacrifice of fools, thinking that we’re not evil. That’s an awesome beginning! 

As Samuel admonished Saul when he disobeyed God’s order to fully destroy the Amalekites. ‘And Samuel said, Hath the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams. For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft (divination), and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because thou hast rejected the word of the Lord, he hath also rejected thee from being king.’ (1 Sam.15:22-23)  

Yes friends, obedience to God’s word is the zenith of wisdom! And the scholars tell us, re those verses: ‘15:22-23. These verses reinforce the Old Testament viewpoint that religious ritual devoid of spiritual reality and of a life of total allegiance to a sovereign Lord is worthless (cf. Ps.40:6-8; Is.1:10-20; Mic.6:8).’ 

And that’s gospel truth! Why do you think the Lord checks our hearts instead of just simply accepting our outward show eh? Because He knows that the real you is on the inside, and it doesn’t necessarily match with what you are showing on the outside. Many of us today, are just like the Pharisees in Jesus’ time; put on a great religious outward show, but are empty and evil inside. 

Now let’s continue looking at those 7 verses at the start of chapter 5. The 2nd verse warns us not be rash with our mouths and make hasty statements to God; to let our words be few. Oh friends, what a godsend it would be to this world, if most of us would stop talking as much as we do! And that lines up nicely with the wisdom of verse 3; ‘a fool’s voice is known by multitude of words.’  

And we’ll end with the best advice; don’t make a promise to God and not keep it, because He doesn’t take pleasure in broken promises. It is better not to promise, than promise and not pay. And as I said yesterday, that also pertains to our dealings with fellow human beings. 

So let’s keep that in mind as we go out to labour today nuh, for it will certainly stand us in good stead, both with God and man. Much LOVE!

…it’s time Christians learn to do less talking and more listening…

 

Today’s Scrip-Bit 31 October 2014 Psalm 4:1.

31 Oct 2014 Leave a comment

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

Psalm 4:1.  Hear me when I call, O God of my righteousness: thou hast enlarged (relieved) me when I was in distress; have mercy upon me (be gracious to me), and hear my prayer.

 Ah Friends, once again it’s Friday…! And as usual there are loud and joyful shouts of ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday! Thank God for bringing us safely through another week of work! Praise His Holy Name!’ 
 
Yes my people, we do indeed need to thank our heavenly Father for allowing us to successfully complete another week of life, both in the general world and in our particular place of work.
 
Many people can’t say that at all, so please let’s learn to appreciate the wonderful blessings we have, by giving some thanks and praise to our Creator and Provider, for without Him, we’d be all alone out on some lonely back street, languishing in abject poverty, as numerous others are unfortunately doing today.
 
And I don’t know why, but I got up a while ago humming the chorus to our old and dear hymn, ‘What a Friend we have in Jesus.’ And just in case it was a sign (smile) I decided to include it in our discourse today.
 
Please sing the first verse with me. ‘What a Friend we have in Jesus, all our sins and griefs to bear! What a privilege to carry everything to God in prayer! O what peace we often forfeit, O what needless pain we bear, All because we do not carry everything to God in prayer.’
 
Yeh mih breddren, we have such a wonderful Lord and Saviour, such a wonderful High Priest and Advocate, to whom we can carry all our cares and problems for sure help, yet we foolishly decline to do so. Thus we suffer, endure so many unnecessary burdens and cares. That’s not very wise my people.
 
Jesus is inviting us to bring ALL our troubles to Him (Matt.11:28-30), so that He can ease our sorrows and relieve our pains. So please, let’s be wise and gratefully accept His most generous invitation nuh. We’re only hurting and depriving ourselves of wonderful opportunities to live that abundant life which Jesus died to provide for us.
 
We quickly turn to fickle and fallible man for help, when our omnipotent God should ALWAYS be our FIRST source of help. Let’s try and rectify that unfortunate situation today nuh. Let’s focus on taking our prayers to God, like Bruh David does in this evening prayer of trust in God – Psalm 4.
 
He opens it with the sincere and endearing request of our Bit: ‘Hear me when I call, O God of my righteousness: thou hast enlarged (relieved) me when I was in distress; have mercy upon me (be gracious to me), and hear my prayer.’
 
Friends, it’s simple and to the point. There’s no denying what he desires. And that’s all it takes to go to God; a sincere heart with a heartfelt plea. The Lord knows all our problems, but He requires us to come to Him to help us solve them. It’s true that He could solve them all with a simple snap of His fingers or a word from His lips, but that would make Him our lackey, rather than our Lord and God.
 
Please remember that we are in covenant with Him, and we need to perform our part in the covenant relationship, else the covenant becomes null and void. And today, since that’s the direction it seems our Lord wants us to go, we’ll look at a few instances where the importance and power of prayer are highlighted in the Bible, God’s divine Word to us.
 
And the greatest and best example of participating in prayer is obviously Jesus! The Good Book declares it thus: ‘And it came to pass in those days, that he (Jesus) went out into a mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God.’ (Luke 6:12)
 
Ah Friends, if Jesus, the Son of God, God incarnate Himself, still felt the need for prayer, who are we then, mere sinful mortals to think that we don’t eh?
 
And again, we turn to Jesus, this time as He positively promotes the act of prayer. ‘And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.’ (Matt.21:22)
 
Oh my people, our Lord and Saviour, Redeemer and Atonement for our abominable sins said it, so it must be true!
 
And way back when, Isaiah declared this word from our God on the subject. ‘Even them (those who take hold of my covenant) will I bring to my holy mountain, and make them joyful in my house of prayer: their burnt offerings and their sacrifices shall be accepted upon mine altar; for mine house shall be called a house of prayer for ALL people.’ (Is.56:7)
 
Oh my fellow believers, our God couldn’t be any clearer and simpler than that! His invitation is open to all those who are willing to accept it. So why don’t we do so today eh? Now that’s the million-dollar question! It’s not an idle or false and deceitful invitation like so many of man’s entreaties and advertisements.
 
We have oodles of examples, from Genesis to Revelation, where all the true servants of God prayed fervently to Him and received answers and benefits. So why are we so stubborn, so adamant in refraining from something that can only benefit us eh? I really don’t know nuh.
 
But in accordance with all we’ve written, we’ll go home with our own prayer today, our Friday Chant. No I didn’t forget, (smile) just thought it would be more appropriate today at the end rather than at the beginning.
 
So as one loud, grateful and prayerful voice, let’s chant: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through another week of work! It hasn’t been easy, but with your generous help, I made it through.
 
Now, please help me to get sufficient fun, fellowship, rest and relaxation in these two short days off, so that I can be renewed and refreshed in soul, body and mind, to go back out and do it all over again next week, furthering your glorious kingdom with each step I take. I pray this in Jesus name. Amen.’
 
Yes Friends, it’s short and simple, but as James so wisely and truthfully tells us: ‘Confess your faults (trespasses, sins) one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual (effective) fervent prayer (supplication) of a righteous man availeth much.’ (James 5:16)
 
And when we follow that heavenly wisdom my people, we certainly won’t go wrong. Much LOVE!
 
…to pray…to pray…and yet to pray…that is the pilgrim’s role…
 
 

 

 

 
 
 
 

Today’s Scrip-Bit 24 May 2014 Proverbs 17:1

24 May 2014 Leave a comment

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

Proverbs 17:1.     Better is a dry morsel, and quietness therewith, than a house full of sacrifices with strife.

Oh Friends, the ole fella’s physically tired this Saturday morning… but the brain is as quick-witted as ever! (smile) And that’s no thanks to me, but to our heavenly Father. In His vast wisdom, He’s enabling my mental faculties so that I can write a decent Bit, glorifying His Holy Name. And my humble response to that is a lusty: ‘Glory Hallelujah!’
 
And what do we have on tap for this glorious day eh? Well good stuff as usual. And today we’re going to talk about the family, starting with this quote attributed to Randall Jarrell (1914-1965), an American, poet, author and literary critic. Here is Randall’s observation: ‘The dark, uneasy world of family life – where the greatest can fail and the humblest succeed.’
 
Words of indisputable truth my brethren! For we all know supposedly great and successful people in the world in various professions and walks of life with very terrible family histories.
 
Success in the world doesn’t automatically transfer to success in family life, but more often than not success in family life can translate into a successful walk in the world. That’s because when a family is tight, is standing together and supporting each other, without petty resentments and jealousies, then the individuals are free to rise up without the weight of those negative emotions.
 
How many wealthy families are brought to their knees by poor family relationships eh? Countless numbers!
 
Now that doesn’t necessarily mean that poor families are always a tight knit and supportive group either. But it is possible for poor families to have very strong relationships. It just goes to show that material wealth doesn’t always mean good family ties. In fact it’s usually the opposite.
 
I guess a lot of that can be attributed to the fact that we choose our friends, while God chooses our family for us. Unfortunately we don’t have much choice in the situation, so we just have to put up with whom He’s given us, or, as so often happens, live estranged and hateful family lives.
 
No wonder, Cousin Sol in our Bit, so wisely and warily informs us: ‘Better is a dry morsel, and quietness therewith, than a house full of sacrifices (sacrificial meals or feasting) with strife.’
 
And that’s the living truth my people! However, in these modern times where the family is no longer the bulwark, the strong fortress of our society, strife is sadly rampant in too many of our families. The dysfunctional family seems to be more the norm today than the exception. It certainly seems as though Jesus’ statements, re signs of the end times, are coming true.
 
Mark puts it this way: ‘Now the brother shall betray the brother to death, and the father the son; and children shall rise up against their parents, and shall cause them to be put to death.’ (Mark 13:12)
 
Meanwhile Luke says it thus: ‘And ye shall be betrayed both by parents, and brethren, and kinsfolk, and friends; and some of you shall they cause to be put to death.’ (Luke 21:16)
 
Oh Friends, how true that is in this ever more strife torn world. Families are falling apart daily because of the stress and strain being put on them by this busy, ungodly world. So where are we to find help eh my people?
 
Cousin Sol gives us an idea: ‘Better is little with the fear of the Lord, than great treasure and trouble therewith.’ (Prov.15:16) Now that’s the gospel truth! Only in strong, serious and sincere communion with Almighty God can families withstand the pressure to fight and strive against each other in these treacherous times.
 
As the scholars in great wisdom tell us: ’15:16. Spiritual riches are better than material riches.’
 
Oh Friends and fellow believers, I know that many of you don’t think so, and thus are still striving after much material wealth, but please stand back for a moment and take a look at what that is doing to your family life nuh.
 
If you’re constantly working that means you don’t have much time for your family, and you’re continually stressed, short-tempered and irascible. Some members of your family might even be afraid to approach you on important matters because of those negative elements. And relentlessly pursuing your material dreams will undoubtedly affect your health at some stage of the game.
 
And what will you have to show for it then eh? Just a few material things, but nobody to console you. As somebody once said, when our time comes to go to the other side, we don’t ask to see our possessions nuh, we ask to see people. Whichever way you cut it my brethren, seeking material gain above all else is a fool’s wisdom. Please get that buried deep in your conscience.
 
And all those materially wealthy people, those who built great empires at the cost of a poor family life, where are they now? Either sick and suffering and lonely somewhere, fighting with family over their possessions. Or they have passed on to the next side and left the much prized possessions for the family to fight over, and foolishly have most of it end up in the hands of greedy and crooked lawyers.
 
You see and hear about those kinds of stories every day, but yet still we run behind the things of the world, rather than the things of God. Let’s wake up and smell the roses nuh my people, and stop running down the inferior and destructible things of the world, and instead concentrate on storing up treasure in heaven, where moth nor rust can destroy it, nor thieves steal it.
 
And we’ll end with another wise saying from Cousin Sol on the subject. ‘Better is a dinner of herbs (vegetables) where LOVE is, than a stalled ox (fatted calf) and hatred therewith.’ (Prov.15:17)
 
That’s indeed heavenly wisdom Friends, so let’s try and attain unto it today nuh. Much LOVE!
 
…only through a return to godly family life…can we ever hope to fuel the LOVE Revolution…and right our wrong leaning world…

 

 

Today’s Scrip-Bit 16 April 2014 Psalm 19:14

16 Apr 2014 Leave a comment

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

Psalm 19:14.    Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, my strength (rock), and my redeemer.
 
And then Friends, it was Wednesday morning of Holy Week! Wow! That most amazing and awesome time is fast approaching! We’re talking about the Easter weekend when Jesus, our mighty Lord and Saviour turned the whole world upside down with His crucifixion and eventual resurrection!
 
And all God’s people declared a loud shout of joy: ‘Oh bless the name of Jesus, our champion and our Holy Redeemer!’
 
Yes my people, the name of Jesus is indeed worthy of incomparable blessing, thanks and praise for the overwhelming change He’s wrought in the world and in our personal lives.
 
And speaking of change Friends, here is an interesting quote from one Irene Peter, taken from my One More Day Devotional. There were so many Irene Peter’s listed when I checked for some info on her, that it was impossible to decide which one it was.
 
Anyway, Irene says that: ‘Just because everything is different, doesn’t mean anything has changed.’ And that can often be true my brethren!
 
We are continually growing – hopefully in a good and positive manner – but ofttimes that growth is gradual and we don’t realize or recognize the change (s) until an event, or some events, wake us up to the reality of the situation.
 
And though our lives may sometimes end up being completely different, deep down inside we are still the same basic person; still having the same unique personality that God has so amazingly granted us. We are still warm, caring, LOVING and faithful people, but we have grown in certain respects.
 
And it’s always nice to know that though we have grown, through all the changes, our basic personality has remained the same. And oh my people, one of the best ways to grow is by allowing the faithful and immortal words of Bruh David in our Bit, to take hold of, and rule our souls. 
 
‘Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, my strength (rock), and my redeemer.’ 
 
What a powerful statement, my fellow believers! One that we should all be trying to practice!
 
And though it is not always an easy task – what with all the ungodliness and evil that continually badger and buffet us – with Jesus’ help, we can certainly do it most of the time.
 
That’s provided we’re serious about it, and retain a strong self-control, not allowing our tongues to start blabbering before our hearts and minds consider the situation and are able to formulate a godly response.
 
And we have Bruh David again pleading in Psalm 51, his prayer for cleansing after the prophet Nathan draped him up for his adultery with Bathsheba.
 
He prayerfully declares: ‘O Lord, open thou my lips; and my mouth shall show forth thy praise. For thou desirest not sacrifice; else I would give it: thou delightest not in burnt offering. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.’ (Ps.51:15-17)
 
Yes Friends, our God doesn’t desire outward and/or material sacrifices so much as true inner contrition. And that’s where a lot of us, even supposed believers, are sadly lacking today!
 
We certainly talk a good talk, and sometimes even walk the talk, but yet, like the Pharisees in Jesus’ time, our hearts are not truly turned to God, or in sync with Him and His directives. That’s why He wisely chooses to investigate our hearts, the inner recesses of our souls, to ascertain our true motives.
 
And we’ll close with these beautiful words and intentions from Psalm 104 – God’s preservation of nature. ‘I will sing unto the Lord as long as I live: I will sing praise to my God while I have my being.
 
My meditation of him shall be sweet: I will be glad in the Lord. Let the sinners be consumed out of the earth, and let the wicked be no more. Bless thou the Lord, O my soul. Praise ye the Lord. (Shout Hallelujah!).’ (Ps.104:33-35) 
 
And my people, there’s no better time than this Easter Season to shout a glorious ‘Hallelujah! Praise and blessings to our awesome God, and to His most wonderful Son, Jesus Christ, the true King of Glory!’ 
 
Let’s now go forth in all truth and wisdom to LOVE and serve the Lord! Much LOVE!
 
…God’s people are at their best…when their hearts and mouths are filled with His praise… 
 
P.S. Oh Friends, please excuse the lateness of the Bit, but it was all my fault. I got up late, and then at one point Internet Explorer began acting up, as it has been doing since they supposedly made some improvements. Hn!
 
But at one stage all I could get were capital letters, and there I was thrashing Explorer. I even stopped and got on to Google Chrome, only to experience the same situation. Then it suddenly dawned on me, the capitals lock was on.
 
Hn, hn! How ‘geekish’ eh! A perfect example of what I was talking about; letting our hearts and minds consider the situation before letting out tongues wag. Ah Lord eh! Our God certainly knows how to drive home a lesson.
 
Please note too how short the Bits are these days. (smile) Much LOVE, my brothers and sister in Christ!
 

Today’s Scrip-Bit 19 November 2013 Genesis 21:1.

19 Nov 2013 Leave a comment

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

Genesis 21:1.   And the Lord visited Sarah as he had said, and the Lord did unto Sarah as he had spoken.
 
Oh Friends, what our world needs now is LOVE, sweet LOVE! Not just for some, for a favoured few, but for everyone, for all and sundry! It’s the only thing that there’s too little of.
 
Most definitely my people! Our world badly, most desperately needs lots more LOVE, as the words of that old song so rightly declare. And if you look closely at our problems, you’ll discover that the majority of them are derived from, or arise from the lack thereof, or absence of LOVE.
 
And what is this LOVE, you ask? Well according to this definition, which I believe I got from Uncle Charles (Charles Stanley), ‘LOVE is the unselfish, sacrificial giving of oneself.’
 
And therein lies the rub my brethren; ‘the unselfish, sacrificial giving!’ Hn! Our world is anything but unselfish and sacrificial, more like selfish and non-sacrificial. 
 
And when we think of unselfish and sacrificial giving the first person that comes to mind is obviously our Lord and Saviour Jesus, for He was so unselfish that He sacrificed His sinless life for us; a bunch of ingrates, flagrantly committing abominable sins.
 
And that’s what true LOVE is all about Friends! We don’t necessarily have to go to the lengths that Jesus did and sacrifice our physical lives for others, but our sacrifices must come from actions like praying for, giving and helping those in need, even though we might also be needy and hurting.
 
That brings to mind the latest natural disaster to hit our world, and one fairly close to home too. We’re talking about the serious tornadoes and thunderstorms that yesterday lashed the U.S Midwest and parts of Southern Ontario and Quebec. There have been some deaths, lots of destruction, and lots of people without power or shelter.
 
So please let’s pray for them in their time of need, and also contribute whatever we can to assist them in rebuilding their lives and homes. That’s the true reality of LOVE, my fellow believers!
 
Now turning to our Bit: ‘And the Lord visited Sarah as he had said, and the Lord did unto Sarah as he had spoken.’
 
Oh my brethren, those are words which ought to build enormous hope and faith in our souls! Remember God’s promise from yesterday? ‘And he said, I will certainly return unto thee according to the time of life; and lo, Sarah thy wife shall have a son…. Is anything too hard for the Lord? At the time appointed I will return unto thee, according to the time of life, and Sarah shall have a son.’ (Gen 18:10,14)
 
So now the Lord, faithful as ever, returns as He had promised. And what happens? What else but what He promised? ‘For Sarah conceived, and bare Abraham a son in his old age, at the set time of which God had spoken to him. And Abraham called the name of his son that was born unto him, whom Sarah bare to him, Isaac (lit. Laughter).
 
And Abraham circumcised his son Isaac being eight days old, as God had commanded him. And Abraham was a hundred years old, when his son Isaac was born unto him. And Sarah said, God hath made me to laugh (lit. made laughter for me), so that all that hear will laugh with me.
 
And she said, Who would have said unto Abraham, that Sarah should have given children suck (nurse children)? for I have borne him a son in his old age. And the child grew, and was weaned: and Abraham made a great feast the same day that Isaac was weaned.’ (Gen.21:2-8)
 
Ah mih people, what other supposed gods keep their word, their promises, like ours eh? NONE WHATSOEVER! Because they are all dead, inanimate objects, some even man-made. Whereas our God is the ONE AND ONLY TRUE GOD, A LIVING DEITY, faithfully looking over His remarkable creation, our universe, and His unique creation, mankind. What could be better than that eh Friends? Nothing really!
 
Please note Friends, that Abraham circumcised Isaac eight days after his birth, in keeping with the covenant sign he had made with God.
 
Now a couple notes from the scholars. The first says: ‘Thou shalt call his name Isaac: The name means “He laughs” and was to serve as a reminder to Abraham of the unlikely means by which he was brought into the world, and his response in 17:17, and Sarah’s reaction in 18:12′
 
Yuh see Friends, how our God can be sweet but also devious, doing things to remind us of our failures and misgivings. So in the name Isaac, Sarah and Abraham would forever remember their doubt and laughter when the Lord promised them a son in their old age.
 
However, as the scholars further state: ’21:3: Isaac was the miraculously born son of Abraham and Sarah and was the forefather of the Jews. Both Abraham (17:17) and Sarah (18:12) laughed at the promise of a son in their old age, but later laughed for joy at his birth (vv.1-8). He represented the ancestral line of the promised Messiah.’
 
That my Friends, is the wonder of our amazing and most awesome God! He always wraps up our doubtful and faithless moments in times of joy! So how and why we don’t truly trust Him, I just can’t understand. That’s simply foolishness, ignorance of the highest order on our part my brethren!
 
Anyway, it’s time to close. I surely hope that we have gained some good insights into both the workings of our great God and the truthfulness of His Word.
 
So let’s ponder it all and thereby try to increase our hope, faith and trust in Almighty God to a point of total surrender. For therein lies the ultimate expression of true wisdom, my people! Much LOVE!
 
…the fool says in his heart…there is no God…pure foolishness that…

 
     
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Today’s Scrip-Bit 11 November 2013 Psalm 46:9

11 Nov 2013 Leave a comment

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

Psalm 46:9.     He maketh wars to cease unto the end of the earth; he breaketh the bow, and cutteth the spear in sunder; he burneth the chariot in fire.

DAY OF REMEMBRANCE FOR OUR VETERANS !

Oh Friends, I can’t help reminding us of the mysterious and wonderful workings of our awesome God nuh, because everyday He shows me something from His powerful arsenal! Now yesterday I got to writing about the foolishness of war, without even remembering that this was the weekend to remember the many fallen in war, through Remembrance Day in Canada and the British Commonwealth, and Veterans’ Day in the U.S.

I never realized it until I got to church and saw the minister, Father Jeff, putting up a Canadian flag on the altar and seeking someone to read the commemorative poem, ‘In Flanders Fields,’ and I just had to chuckle.

But the Lord wasn’t done with His mysterious workings, for just then, a most appropriate line from the once very popular song, ‘War’  suddenly popped into my mind. I believe it was first done by Edwin Star, but also covered by several others, including the Temptations. And the very apt line was: ‘WAR! What is it good for? ABSOLUTELY NOTHING!’

And that’s the undeniable truth Friends! Because all it brings to God’s great universe is a host of negative things like grief, sorrow, pain, mourning, destruction and ultimately, in great numbers, unnecessary death! At the time I even wondered why I never remembered that line yesterday, but then figured out that the Lord wanted me to use today.

Ah mih people, so many unfortunate humans have lost their lives, many at rather tender ages, because of man’s insatiable lust and thirst for wealth and power! But many have also died for freedom, so that we can live freely in a certain amount of peace and tranquility, and it behoves us to remember them. As the slogan says: ‘LEST WE FORGET!’

The problem though is that most of the veterans of the early wars are dying out and I’m not sure that this current generation knows much about them, has any idea of what they went through, so that they can live the good, irresponsible, no respect for authority lifestyle they’re currently living. And even the comparative few, who do know about the veterans’ sacrifices, don’t seem to pay much attention because they figure it doesn’t affect them.

But they’re ever so wrong! For without the millions who died in foreign places like Vimy Ridge and Dieppe, Korea, Vietnam and places around the Pacific Ocean, they definitely wouldn’t be enjoying the good life they do today. So Friends, just like we need to teach the children God’s Word, we also need to teach them about those veterans, and the ones we’re currently creating from places like Iraq and Afghanistan.

The sad part about this whole Remembrance and Veterans Day business is that it involves a lot of hypocrisy. The politicians get up on their pedestals and talk so glowingly of the veterans, trotting out a few to add as exhibits, then nickel and dime them in terms of jobs, health care, pensions and proper housing. Numerous veterans are suffering in many countries, unable to make ends meet, while governments even claw back money from them.

The long and the short of the story my people, is that in real life the veterans are not being properly taken care of. They’re just being used for political purposes whenever convenient, then are expected to get lost in the woodwork and accept whatever handouts they receive and say the Lord be praised. Steups!

As we noted yesterday, man’s inhumanity to man… Chuh! It’s truly something else yes! But please remember Friends that all of us will have to stand before Almighty God one fateful day and give account for our earthly lives. I guess the veterans will have to wait until then to get their just rewards and justice they so rightly deserve.

Now, lest we also forget, to day is Monday, and though it’s a holiday in many places, in our 24/7 society, it’s still a work day for many people. So please let’s sing our Monday Morning Battle Hymn with a special appreciation, in grateful memory of those who selflessly gave their lives so that we could enjoy ours in relative peace and freedom.

As one voice now: ‘Oh Lord God Almighty, Creator of the universe and all therein! We, your humble servants, praise your Holy Name and thank you that this Monday morning we have jobs to go to; jobs we don’t like, jobs that are unfair, difficult and even dangerous, but which serve a useful purpose here on earth; keeping lives and families together.

We also thank you Father for the renewed vitality and enthusiasm you’ve wrought in our weary souls over the last two days. It’s that rejuvenation of Spirit which allows us now to sally forth with confidence into the evil, ungodly world that surrounds us, to begin a new week of work, constantly buffeted and bombarded by the enemy’s wicked taunts, wiles and lies.

But heavenly Father, we’re not afraid, for we know we’re invincible, sure conquerors, once we’re wearing your powerful, protective spiritual armour. We surrender our all to you, and humbly ask that you let your incredible aura of LOVE, the Holy Spirit, lead and guide all your servants as we go out to meet the enemy in battle.

Fill us with steadfast faith, so that we can make worthwhile inroads into the enemy’s ranks, and thereby further your glorious kingdom. We pray this in the Holy Name of your Son, and our Saviour, Jesus Christ. AMEN!’

That was excellent Friends! I’m sure our heavenly Advocate and Patriarch both felt the spirit of gratitude rising in our hearts.

Now let’s turn to our Bit, which is so appropriate for these warring times. In this psalm, ‘God is our refuge and strength,’ the Sons of Korah invite us in the verse before our Bit to: ‘Come behold the works of the Lord, what desolations he hath made in the earth. He maketh wars to cease unto the end of the earth; he breaketh the bow, and cutteth the spear in sunder; he burneth the chariot in fire.’

And that my people is divine truth! However, unfortunately another truth is staring us in the face; that of time and space running out. The Bit’s already ‘longish’ and since I don’t want to tax or strain our mental capabilities too much, (smile) we’ll close for today. Tomorrow though, God in favour, we’ll continue this topic.

Till then, let’s consider all that we can enjoy because of the veterans, pray to God to help us treat them better, and walk safely in the footsteps of Jesus. Much LOVE!

…the followers of Jesus must embrace…peace, not war…LOVE, not hate…for that’s the true nature of our Lord and Saviour…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Today’s Scrip-Bit 29 May 2013 Matthew 22:36

29 May 2013 Leave a comment

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

Matthew 22:36.     Master, which is the great commandment in the law?
 
Oh Friends, it looks like today will be another rainy one in my area. In fact there hasn’t been much relief from the showers of blessing since they began yesterday morning. But if that’s our biggest problem, then we surely can handle it.
 
However some water from heaven is the least of our problems right now. And I’m saying that because yesterday morning I got a zeppo, a message that says it’s time for Christians to rise up, rise up in the LOVE REVOLUTION! It’s time for Christianity to take over, to rule the world!
 
Yes Friends that’s the very serious intention and purpose of our great and wonderful Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! And He’s saying, loud and clear, it’s time for us to get a move on.
 
But unfortunately, we His followers can only successfully do His bidding if we unite and live in peace and LOVE with each other and our God. All the divisions, dissensions and foolish fighting amongst ourselves is hurting the Saviour’s cause.
 
Remember what Jesus said when the hypocritical Pharisee asked Him our Bit. ‘Master, which is the great commandment in the law?’
 
‘Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt LOVE the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt LOVE thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.’ (Matt.22:37-40)
 
Yes my people, it’s so simple. There are only two laws we have to worry about; LOVING God and our neighbour, which includes LOVING ourselves, since we can’t truly LOVE anyone else until we have some decent regard for ourselves. And from those two simple commands flow all the other good stuff. It’s the way a true believer ought to live!
 
So please my Friends, neighbours, enemies, whoever you are, all mankind, please for the LOVE of God, let’s get together and stop all the foolish wars of jealousy and greed, stop the senseless hate and violence that only deteriorates to and breeds murder and mayhem, with NO LOVE, NO JOY, NO PEACE.
 
Oh my people, is that the way we truly want to live? Is that the dream our God, our Creator, the great and LOVING Artist put in our hearts? And the answer is a resounding NO!
 
So please let’s do what is right nuh, it’s so simple and easy. When we LOVE and obey God, we prosper. When we don’t, then we suffer the severe consequences, like we’re doing right now. Is simple common sense mih breddren. Oh sorry… I forgot that common sense is no longer in style, it’s not the current vogue of mankind.
 
Nowadays we’re only interested in the foolish and senseless things of Mammon. But remember what happens to those who revere Mammon and his sinful ways. The Good Book says they will surely suffer, pay an exceedingly high price for their disobedience.
 
And I won’t even bother to quote any scripture to that nuh, since on almost every page of the Good Book, and sometimes several times on one page, it reminds us to be obedient, because disobedience only causes havoc, destruction and unnecessary suffering. The world will give us enough suffering. We don’t need to create anymore for ourselves.
 
I’ll quote one scripture here though, and it’s a big one, one that we all know, but few of us really follow. And we’re talking about when Samuel accosted Saul, after he disobeyed God’s directive to totally destroy the Amelakites. (1 Sam.15:1-21)
 
‘And Samuel said, Hath the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams. For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft (divination), and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because thou hast rejected the word of the Lord, he hath also rejected thee from being king.’ (1 Sam.15:23)
 
Yes Friends, Saul lost everything because he had not obeyed. And that’s exactly what is happening to us today, we’re losing everything; our joy, peace and prosperity because we haven’t obeyed the dictates of Almighty God. And we’re committing an even greater sin by trying to remove, to totally eradicate Him from our society. Ah Lord eh!
 
Oh mih people, there are so many examples of great societies that floundered and eventually fell because of their disobedience, why do we think ours will fare differently eh? Not very likely!
 
So let’s wake up and smell the roses nuh! Let’s reignite our passion for God, unite and live in PEACE, LOVE, UNDERSTANDING, TRUTH and JUSTICE, for once in our long and foolish existence nuh, for that’s wisdom at it’s finest! 
 
Oh Friends, I sincerely pray this in Jesus’ Name; in the blood that flowed from His bruised and battered body on that fateful day on Calvary’s Cross, when He selflessly gave His holy and sinless life in exchange for our unholy, sinful souls.
 
And for that, we thank Him more than words can ever say. But when He reads our hearts, He’ll surely see and know how much we truly LOVE Him.
 
And all God’s people declared a long, loud and glorious, ‘Praise the Lord! Amen! And again we say, Amen! Praise the Lord!’
 
Much, much LOVE, my beautiful fellow believers!
 
…to not truly live for and obey God…especially in these troubled times….only makes us look real foolish…and Jesus’ sacrificial death…a sad and sorrowful waste…
 
       
 
 
      

Today’s Scrip-Bit 16 May 2013 Psalm 40:6

16 May 2013 Leave a comment

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

Psalm 40:6.    Sacrifice and offering thou didst not desire: mine ears hast thou opened: burnt offering and sin offering hast thou not required.
 
And the choir sang: ‘One more morning, One more day. Filled with blessings and mercies new. One more morning, One more day. The Lord’s opened the windows of heaven, and sent us grace, through forgiveness; sufficient for One more morning, One more day.’ Oh Friends, are we ready to receive the steady showers of grace, mercy, blessings and forgiveness that our wonderful God is preparing to rain down on us today? I surely hope so. Because, if we’re not, then we’ll be missing something very special in our lives, something only believers can experience and receive. And therein lies the rub; the reception of God’s goodness. Many of us know and talk about it, but don’t really receive it. And that part is solely up to us. It’s just like if someone offers us something physical. If we don’t accept and receive it, we’ll never have it. It’s the same principle with God’s LOVING-kindness, only this time it’s spiritual and not physical offerings, but you still have to actually receive it in and by faith. A good example is when we ask for forgiveness, the Lord grants it, but until we acknowledge it ourselves, and actually feel forgiven, the forgiveness is wasted. So it’s essential that each and everyday, we brace ourselves to sincerely receive God’s grace, mercy and blessings through our faith and the help of the Holy Spirit that indwells us. That will enable us to get on and stay on the path to righteousness. I pray this in Jesus’ Name. And all God’s people gave a mighty shout of ‘Praise the Lord! Amen!’ And in passing, I’d like to say that the weatherman actually got it right yesterday, because by mid-morning the sun had come our bright and sparkling, though the wind played a hard and fast tune all day. Hurrah for the weatherman! (smile) When he screws up, we let him know, so in all fairness we should applaud him when he gets it right. And he says it’s going to be hot and sunny again today. Let’s hope he can get it right two days straight. And now turning to our Bit: ‘ Sacrifice and offering thou didst not desire: mine ears hast thou opened: burnt offering and sin offering hast thou not required.’ Words of awesome truth my brethren! Sacrificing things or animals doesn’t cut it with our God. As we saw yesterday, it’s our penitent and contrite hearts and minds that He’s interested in. Today, we’ll continue to highlight scriptures that deal with this fact. Listen to the prophet Amos on God’s behalf, in a call to repentance. ‘I hate, I despise your feast days, and I will not smell (savour) in your solemn (sacred) assemblies. Though ye offer me burnt offerings and your meat offerings, I will not accept them: neither will I regard the peace offerings of your fat beasts. Take thou away from me the noise of thy songs; for I will not hear the melody of thy viols (stringed instruments). But let judgement (justice) run down as waters, and righteousness as a mighty stream.’ (Amos 5:21-24) That’s surely telling us eh!  The scholars explain that scripture thus. ‘I hate, I despise your feast days:  Religious activity without heart reality is repugnant to God. God-ordained forms of worship and religious expression without heart reality become only nauseating, empty formalism: and they anger rather than appease God.’ Truth in spades my people! And if we read Hebrews 10:1-18, we’ll find the subject discussed in greater detail, where we see Jesus, the unblemished Lamb of God, being the once and for all time atonement for sin. Hear the Good Book: ‘But in those sacrifices there is a remembrance again made of sins every year. For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins.’ (Heb.10:3-4) And that’s the honest truth! Under the Old Covenant, sacrifices for the remission of sins had to be made every year. But God, in His infinite wisdom did away with that under the New Covenant, where Christ atoned for the sins of ALL mankind for ALL time. We surely are wonderfully blessed, my fellow believers! There’s no other faith but Christianity where forgiveness of sins can be had by contrite repentance and acceptance of Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour. What a kind and caring God we worship! So I can’t understand why we’re so bent on removing Him from our society. He is the One who created us, cares for us, causes us to get health, wealth, peace, wisdom and understanding. And have you noticed that since we embarked on the erroneous task of removing God from our lives, that we’ve had much less of all those things mentioned above. Everything has gone into a deathlike tailspin because God is the One who causes all of that to happen, and if we’re not dealing consistently and truthfully with Him, then He’ll obviously stop blessing us. Now let’s end with another very informative and telling scripture. This from the prophet Micah, re the requirement of the Lord. ‘Wherewith shall I come before the Lord, and bow myself before the high God? Shall I come before him with burnt offerings, with calves of a year old? Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams, or with ten thousands of rivers of oil? shall I give my first-born for my transgression, the fruit of my body (my own child) for the sin of my soul? He hath showed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the Lord require of thee, but to do justly, and to LOVE mercy (LOVING-kindness), and to walk humbly with thy God.’ (Mic.6:6-8) That says it all Friends! So today, let’s ponder our individual situations and see how we shape up per those requirements, then ask the Lord to help us rectify whatever is wrong in that respect. That’s truly wisdom of the highest order. Much LOVE!…he who has ears to hear…let him hear…or else he’ll pay an exorbitant price for his disobedience…
 
    
 
   

Today’s Scrip-Bit 15 May 2013 Psalm 40:6.

15 May 2013 Leave a comment

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

Psalm 40:6.    Sacrifice and offering thou didst not desire; mine ears hast thou opened: burnt offering and sin offering has thou not required.
 
And here we are again Friends, alive and kicking on another God-given day here on Planet Earth. My kicking is a bit less than normal though, for I apparently have the cold or my allergies are in full swing, been sneezing and blowing ever since I came down to write. But that won’t stop anything really, just make it a tad inconvenient. And I wonder what’s happening with our weather service. Yesterday it said that today would be rainy in my area, and outside it is raining, but as I turned on the computer just now and looked at the forecast, it says bright and sunny all day with a high temp of 21. Ah Lord eh! But yuh know what? The sun is shining beautifully in many other parts of the world, and although I may not be able to see it, I know for sure that it’s somewhere up there, as it has been for ages, and will continue to be, until our great God decides otherwise. And all God’s people gave a mighty shout of joy: ‘Praise the Living Lord, for He is most worthy to be praised!’ And that’s a veritable fact my people! He is so awesome and amazing in might and glory, power and majesty, that there is NONE like Him, NEVER was, and NEVER will be! And today we have a Bit which tells us exactly what He does not require of us: ‘Sacrifice and offering thou didst not desire; mine ears hast thou opened: burnt offering and sin offering has thou not required.’ Now that’s as close to the truth as we’ll ever get my brethren! And while looking for a Bit just now, when my eyes beheld that verse, a little shiver of joy passed through my soul (smile) because I knew that it’s something we desperately need to address in this modern society, and that there were several Bible verses that dealt with it. Now let’s look at some of those verses. And I guess the first and possibly best known comes from Samuel, when Saul, Israel’s first king did not completely obey the Lord’s command to totally destroy the Amalekites and all their belongings. Instead Saul kept the king alive and some of the choicest livestock, ostensibly to use as burnt offerings and sacrifices to God. But as Samuel later informed him: ‘Hath the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams. For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft (divination), and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because thou hast rejected the word of the Lord, he hath also rejected thee from being king.’ (1 Sam.15:23-24) Yuh see mih people, Saul lost the Lord’s favour and his kingship by simply not obeying the totality of His commands! That’s what happens when we disobey, or are not totally obedient to the Lord’s directives. Then we have Bruh David solemnly declaring in Psalm 51, his prayer for cleansing, after the prophet Nathan draped him up for his affair with Bathsheba. ‘O Lord, open thou my lips; and my mouth shall show forth thy praise. For thou desirest not sacrifice; else would I give it: thou delightest not in burnt offering. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.’ (Ps.51:15-17) Yes my brethren, what the Lord desires from us is a repentant heart and spirit coming to him in sincerity and truth, not offering other stuff as atonement for our disgusting sins. From our own hearts, souls and minds is where He expects the regret to come. And I like the way the Lord say it through Jeremiah. ‘To what purpose cometh there to me incense (frankincense) from Sheba, and the sweet cane from a far country? your burnt offerings are not acceptable, nor your sacrifices sweet unto me.’ (Jer.6:20) Now here’s the last scripture for today. It comes from Jeremiah, from a section dealing with the punishment for Judah’s rebellion. ‘Thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel; Put (add) your burnt offerings unto your sacrifices and eat flesh. For I spake not unto your fathers, nor commanded them in the day that I brought them out of the land of Egypt, concerning burnt offerings or sacrifices. But this thing commanded I them, saying, Obey my voice, and I will be your God, and ye shall be my people: and walk ye in all the ways that I have commanded you, that it may be well with you. But they hearkened not, nor inclined their ear, but walked in the counsels and in the imagination (stubbornness) of their evil heart, and went backward, and not forward.’ (Jer.7:21-24) Oh Friends, does that ring a bell? It should, and very loudly too, because it’s the same thing we are doing today! We have not listened to the Lord, in fact have tried to take Him out of our society, and as a result we’re going backward, not forward, with our world and many of our individual lives in a state of terrible confusion and turmoil. And we’ll close with this appropriate explanation from the scholars. ‘These verses do not minimize the importance of the Old Testament sacrifices, but call attention to the necessity of the believer living a life of total obedience and devotion to God. The Scriptures consistently teach that religious observances devoid of spiritual reality are worthless. (cf. 1 Sam.15:22-23; Ps.40:6-8; Is.1:10-20; Mic.6:8) So Friends, today, let’s ponder our individual situations and see if we’re in total obedience to God’s will. And if not, then let’s come before Him with a penitent heart and contrite spirit and ask for His forgiveness, mercy and grace. That’s wisdom at its zenith. Much LOVE!…the three requirement for following God…obedience…obedience…obedience…
 
  
 
 

Today’s Scrip-Bit 9 January 2013 Song of Solomon 2:4

09 Jan 2013 Leave a comment

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

Song of Solomon 2:4.     He brought me to the banqueting house, and his banner over me was LOVE!
 
Top o’ the morn Friends! Unfortunately my neck of the woods – dark, dreary and snowy – doesn’t engender enthusiasm to the physical sight and senses. In fact it’s rather depressing to keep seeing that sort of bleak, uninviting landscape everyday. However, when we look through our eyes of faith, we can plainly see calm, clear, blue waters gently breaking over golden brown, sandy sea shores, with a brilliant, hot sun reigning supreme in a cloudless blue sky. And why is that my people? Because of God’s LOVE for us! He puts that unnatural ability in our hearts through faith in His Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. And from the moment I read this poem in Dr. Robert Schuller’s ‘Hour of Power Devotional earlier on, I just knew that I had to share it with you. And you’ll realize why, because it’s titled: ‘GOD LOVES ME!  Thank you, Lord, for this holy sentence, this good news, this happy report, this exciting thought, this graceful truth, this fantastic lesson: God LOVES me! Even when I’m at my worst – God LOVES me. Even when my faith is dim – God LOVES me anyway! It’s incomprehensible and fantastic! Thank you, Father: Amen.’ Oh Friends, one of the reasons I like Dr. Schuller’s writings is because they are always full of bright, and strong faith, with vibrant expectations of good things to come, using encouraging words and uplifting language! One of the serious problems with believers these days is that we’re too dreary and dead, lacking in real life, our enthusiasm doesn’t come out in our prayers and our every day lives the way it should. Too many of us still believe that to be a true Christian we must walk around cowed, with head bowed, shoulders limp and low, and a sad, ugly countenance. I guess that’s our erroneous definition of being humble. But Friends, I’m here to tell us that that’s a most blatant lie that Lucifer perpetrates to get us to lose our joy in Jesus. Remember that the joy of the Lord is our strength. (Neh.8:10) And if we lose it, then what do we have? Nothing! Please my brethren, with all the good things Jesus did for us; dying that ugly, horrible death on the cross to pay for our sins, being resurrected and ascending into heaven so that we can have salvation and eternal life, plus the wonderful promises of never forsaking us and always being with us through the wonderful aura of His Holy Spirit, Christians should be the happiest and most cheerful people in the universe. We should be laughing, enthusiastic and exuberant every minute of every day. Even when we’re asleep, there should be a beatific smile on our faces, because we’re dreaming of heaven and God and all the great things that await us there. Sadly though, too many of us allow the cares and concerns of this evil, ungodly world to drive us to doom and gloom. Remember Friends, Jesus said that in this world we’d surely find trials and tribulation, but since He’s already overcome it, we should therefore be filled with peace and good cheer and enjoy the benefits of His sacrifice. (John 16:33) Otherwise all His sacrifices would have been in vain. I know we can’t always go around grinning like Cheshire cats, but we certainly need to be more alive, enthusiastic, encouraging and expectant than a lot of us are. Oh Friends, the greatest thing in this world is LOVE! And LOVE brings joy! No wonder in our Bit, Cousin Sol describes the bride’s admiration of her groom with these choice and moving words of truth. ‘He brought me to the banqueting house, and his banner over me was LOVE!’ Aye people, that’s exactly what our Creator, the Lord God Jehovah has done for us! He brought us to the banqueting house of salvation and eternal life through the sacrificial death of His Son, Jesus Christ. For that we should be eternally grateful and joyful. Remember the Good Book says that ‘God is LOVE; and he that dwelleth (abides) in LOVE dwelleth (abides) in God, and God in him.’ (1 John 4:16) LOVE is the dominant characteristic of our God, and should therefore be also the dominant characteristic of the true believer. Now let’s hear some appropriate scripture on LOVE, it’s power and how it ought to cause us to live. And we’ll begin with Cousin Sol, from his Song. ‘Set me as a seal upon thine heart, as a seal upon thine arm: for LOVE is strong as death; jealousy is cruel (severe) as the grave: the coals (flames) thereof are coals of fire, which hath a most vehement flame. Many waters cannot quench LOVE, neither can the floods drown it: If a man would give all the substance (wealth) of his house for LOVE, it would utterly be contemned (despised). (Song 8:6-7) Yuh see that mih people? LOVE is as strong as death, you can’t drown it, nor buy it! Now listen to ole Jeremiah. When talking about the restoration of Israel, he boldly declares: ‘The Lord hath appeared of old (from afar) unto me, saying, Yea, I have LOVED thee with an everlasting LOVE: therefore with LOVING-kindness have I drawn thee.’ (Jer.31:3) Oh mih breddren, again we see the power of LOVE, and the Lord’s LOVING-kindness that He uses to envelop us, to wrap us in His LOVING embrace. Meanwhile, in talking about the Lord’s LOVE for faithless Israel, the prophet Hosea says of God: ‘I drew them with cords of a man (gentle cords), with bands of LOVE: and I was to them as they that take off the yoke on their jaws (necks), and I laid meat unto them (stooped and fed them).’ (Hos.11:4) But foolishly they refused to be drawn to Him. Please my people, please don’t let us follow that foolish path of disobedience, cause there will only be severe punishment later on. Come to think of it, that’s what we’re facing right now; punishment for turning away from the God of our fathers and embracing the evil Lucifer and the worldly lusts of the flesh. Now hear Jesus, as He lambastes the hypocrite Pharisees: ‘But I know you, that ye have not the LOVE of God in you.’ (John 5:42) Yes Friends, if the LOVE of God is not in us, then we’re not His children. And we don’t have the space or time for one of the most profound writings on LOVE; 1 Corinthians 13, titled ‘The Way of LOVE,’ from the godly pen of Bruh Paul. But I ask us all to read it today, so that we can get a new or refreshed look and attitude towards the world’s most wonderful characteristic – LOVE. And you know that, whenever possible, we like to give Jesus the final, definitive word on the subject. ‘A new commandment I give unto you, That ye LOVE one another as I have LOVED you, that ye also LOVE one another. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have LOVE one to another.’ (John 13:34-35) Oh Friends, that says it all. Our Leader commands it, so please let’s go out and do it nuh. It will certainly enrich our souls more than we can ever imagine. Much LOVE!…and now abideth faith…hope…LOVE…these three…but the greatest of these is…LOVE… (1 Cor.13:13)
 

Previous Older Entries Next Newer Entries