Today’s Scrip-Bit 16 January 2016 Psalm 78:11

16 Jan 2016 Leave a comment

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

Psalm 78:11.       And forgat his works, and his wonders that he had showed them.

Well my fellow believers, it’s Saturday morning in the depths of winter, though it’s been raining instead of snowing, (thank the Lord!) and the ole fella doesn’t have a clue as to what to write about. (smile) 

But I’m not worried, because I know the Good Lord in His tender mercy and LOVING-kindness will eventually look down on me and bless me with whatever subject(s) He desires me to write on today. 

This is the ninth year that He’s been doing it, so why should He stop now eh? Brother, I really can’t believe that I’ve been writing the Bit for so long. It seems like just yesterday (2007) that the Lord broached the idea, and like Sara, I laughed and declared I couldn’t do it because I wasn’t sufficiently versed in His Word and my lifestyle, though not terrible, did not suit such undertaking. 

Hn, hn! But little did I know that Lord very seldom, if ever, takes no for an answer. And tenaciously, He kept coming back with the same idea, until I finally gave in. And what a ride, what a journey it has been my people! It hasn’t been all wine and roses, but it has certainly been very interesting!  

I remember the first Bits in early 2007 being simply a verse or two from the Bible. But as time went on, and I got more confident and knowledgeable, and felt the leading of the Holy Spirit more, I began to add some words and explanations of my own. Until now, many of you think I write too much. (smile) But I simply write what and how much I believe I’m led by the Spirit to write.  

Now look at that eh! A few minutes ago I didn’t know what to write, but through the Lord’s mysterious workings, I’ve written something, and an idea is forming in my mind. 

All of that leads me to point out one of the major problems many of us Christians have today; in times of trouble, we simply forget, or choose not to remember what the Lord did for us in the past. Now that doesn’t make any sense friends. If the Lord helped us out before, especially when our faith wasn’t as strong as it is now, why would He not continue helping us eh? 

And the best example of that is the Israelites, when the Lord brought them out of Egypt. Back in Egypt, when Pharaoh refused to let them go, the Lord brought several plagues upon the Egyptians. (Ex. Chaps.7-10) Finally Pharaoh agreed to let them go and they left with much wealth. (Ex. 11-12) Then He parted the Red Sea so they could walk over dry land, and afterwards consumed the Egyptian army by drowning them. 

Let’s listen though to the voice of Asaph the psalmist as he describes their foolhardiness in Psalm 78 – A reminder of God’s goodness to Israel. ‘The children of Ephraim, being armed, and carrying bows, turned back in the day of battle. They kept not the covenant of God, and refused to walk in his law; And forgat his works, and his wonders that he had showed them.’ (Ps.78:9-11) 

Oh friends, our Bit says it all. I believe that many of us behave like those Israelites; we forget all the good things that the Lord has done for us in the past, and consequently our faith suffers, it doesn’t grow as it should. When times get hard and problems abound, the first thing we need to do is remember how the Lord helped us in the past. 

Hear the sad story as Asaph continues: ‘Marvellous things did he in the sight of their fathers, in the land of Egypt, in the field of Zoan. He divided the sea and caused them to pass through; and he made the waters to stand as a heap. In the daytime also he led them with a cloud, and all the night with a light of fire. 

He clave (split) the rocks in the wilderness, and gave them drink as out of the great depths. He brought streams also out of the rock, and caused waters to run down like rivers.’ (Ps.78:12-16) 

Now after 400 hundred years of slavery and hard labour in Egypt, one would think that any sensible people would recognize the Lord’s goodness and power and thus obey His commands. But unfortunately, not so the Israelites. 

‘And they sinned yet more against him by provoking (rebelling against) the Most High in the wilderness. And they tempted (tested) God in their heart by asking meat for their lust (for food according to their desires). Yea, they spake against God; they said, Can God furnish (prepare) a table in the wilderness? Behold he smote the rock, that the waters gushed out, and the streams overflowed; can he give bread also? Can he provide flesh for his people?’ (Ps.78:17-20)  

Can you believe it my brethren? After all the Lord had done for them, they still doubted His power and His LOVING-kindness to them. Chuh! 

But we shouldn’t cry down the Israelites too much, because we are not very faithful either. Most of our Western Societies were built on the Christian belief and faith, and the Lord caused them to prosper. But look at us now nuh, we’re in the stranglehold of the prince of darkness because we have forgotten who brought us to the dance. 

We definitely didn’t come by ourselves. It was the Lord God Almighty who caused us to prosper and to gain wealth because we were walking in His will. But once that prosperity set in, we conveniently ‘forgat his works and his wonders,’ just like the Israelites. And now we’re trying our best to remove Him completely from our society. 

Oh my people, that is certainly not wisdom, that is stupidity in the highest! Do we want future generations to look upon us askance and shake their heads in pity, as we now do the Israelites? I doubt it very much, but if we continue the way we’re going, they will certainly have cause to do so. 

More on this tomorrow, God willing. Till then, please let’s consider our society and the godless path it is following, and try to turn it around nuh. Now that is wisdom of the highest order! Much LOVE!

…onward Christian soldiers…marching as to war…with the cross of Jesus…going on before…

 

 

 

 

 

Today’s Scrip-Bit 29 August 2015 Psalm 119:9

29 Aug 2015 Leave a comment

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

Psalm 119:9.   Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? By taking heed thereto according to thy word.

Ah Friends, this Saturday morning is one of those where I don’t know what to write. I can’t come up with a nice, unorthodox greeting, something to get you all hot and bothered and excited to hear what comes next, where you just hang on my every word, as the pundits of writing decree one’s opening remarks should do. (smile) 

So please excuse the ole fella if today’s Bit is not as thrilling and delightful as it ought to be. But I know one thing for sure; it will contain God’s holy and truthful and profitable Word, and that is the most important thing on the face of this earth! So I’m not worried about the lack of a mind-grasping beginning or a thrilling ending, because ALL of God’s Word is mind grasping and thrilling. And that’s the awesome truth my people! 

Now here is something interesting from our Friend Anselm, who aspires to inspire us for a better tomorrow. He claims that ‘Striving for success without hard work is like trying to harvest where you have not planted.’ 

Those again are words of gospel truth and everlasting wisdom, for they reflect the basic principle of God’s world; what you sow, that shall you reap, and also, in proportion to how much labour, energy and thought you put into a project, so shall your rewards and harvest be. 

Therefore, with the laziness, lack of work ethic and procrastination so prevalent today, it is no wonder that a lot of people, especially amongst the young, are unsuccessful. We all want to be rich and successful, but we don’t want to invest the time and energy that it requires. And we see that so blatantly in the current explosion of casino gambling and lottery tickets. 

Everybody wants to be a winner by simply rolling a few dice, pulling the handle on a crooked machine, turning over a few cards or purchasing a lottery ticket. The chances of doing so are one in many millions. And the few who are lucky enough to do it, soon lose or spend it all, because they have no sense, or appreciation, of  having put in a real effort to get it, neither have they been trained in how to handle money successfully. 

Remember, it’s easier to make a million dollars than to keep it. Just look at all the people who have made millions several times and still don’t have anything to show for it. It’s a good thing I was never much into those things. The few times I bought a lottery ticket I hardly ever got more than two numbers.  I was taught that by the sweat of my brow I shall earn bread. (smile) 

And the one gambling vice I had, betting on horses, soon disappeared too, because my losses constantly outweighed my winnings. Now I can easily go to a racetrack, watch a few races and don’t bet on any, without any qualms whatsoever. Praise the Lord! 

What we don’t seem to realize is that to be a success in, or at anything at all, plenty hard work and perseverance are involved. Even to be a successful crook or criminal, one has to work extra hard so you can always be two steps ahead of the law. 

That brings us to our rather appropriate Bit. ‘Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? By taking heed thereto according to thy word.’ Yes Friends, that’s exactly where young people ought to begin setting the standards for their lives; by following God’s Word! 

The psalmist further declares: ‘With my whole heart have I sought thee: O let me not wander from thy commandments. Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee. Blessed art thou, O Lord: teach me thy statutes. With my lips have I declared all the judgements of thy mouth. I have rejoiced in the way of thy testimonies, as much as in all riches. I will meditate in thy precepts, and have respect unto (contemplate) thy ways. I will delight myself in thy statutes: I will not forget thy word.’ (Ps.119:10-16) 

Oh my people, what marvelous sentiments from the psalmist. But how many of us today even read the Word, much less meditate and ponder on it eh? And how many of us can ever say that we have rejoiced in the way of God’s testimonies, as we do in worldly riches? Definitely not too many of us, and for sure not enough! 

But Friends, in God’s Word is where we find the formula for prosperity and success. The Lord Himself told it to Joshua in no uncertain terms, when He made him leader of the Israelites after the death of Moses. ‘This book of the law shall not depart out of (be constantly in) 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) 

Ah mih breddren, our God could not have made it any simpler or more straightforward! Constantly read and understand and practice my word, and you will be prosperous and successful.  Friends, it’s not rocket science! And we know that when the Israelites did as the Lord decreed, they were successful and prosperous. And when they fell by the wayside, they suffered serious negative consequences. 

Even our nations, when they were first formed as Christian nations they were successful and prosperous. But like so many other nations before us, when we reached those heights, we forgot who brought us to the dance, and began to dismantle our godly society, and consequently our success and prosperity began to wane, until now we are merely hulking shadows of our former selves, sinking deeper and deeper into the mire of ungodliness and poverty. 

And until we wise up and realize on which side our bread is buttered, and repent and return to sincerely worshipping and serving the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, our society will keep on disintegrating, until we’re simply another footnote in the annals of history. 

Please my people, for our children’s sake, let’s try our best, obviously with God’s help, not to let that happen, for it would make all of Jesus’ sacrifice of no account. Much LOVE!

…in the sweat of thy face…shalt thou eat bread…till thou return unto the ground…for out of it wast thou taken… (Gen.3:19)

 

 

 

 

 

Today’s Scrip-Bit 2 May 2015 Psalm 55:22

02 May 2015 Leave a comment

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

Psalm 55:22.    Cast thy burden upon the Lord, and he shall sustain thee: he shall never suffer (permit) the righteous to be moved (shaken).

Well a pleasant Saturday morning to you, my Scrip-Bit family! I do hope that all is well with you, but just in case it isn’t, then please take heart, our heavenly Father knows what you are going through, and will eventually work it all out to your benefit in His way and time. If you have surrendered your life to Him, then you don’t have a choice, you have to bear the trials that come your way.

But be assured that if you stand your bounce, you will be well rewarded. Living for Jesus is not easy, but it’s the best school of life there is. When you graduate, you find yourself full of wisdom, knowledge, peace, compassion, understanding and many other wonderful things, especially LOVE! And that’s not something to sneeze at my people. Being a mirror image of Christ is the greatest thing that can happen to us.

Sorry, it doesn’t just happen, the Lord wills it, and we play our part with belief, hope, faith, trust, dignity, integrity and excellence. So if things aren’t going your way, please don’t lose hope and heart, and above all, talk to the Father, let Him know how you feel. He will never turn you away, but will listen with an open mind and answer your pleas as He sees fit.

The problem with us though, is that oftimes we want what we want, when we want it, and don’t want to wait on God to say, yay, nay, or not now. But my people, one of the greatest lessons we can ever learn is that taught by our Bit. ‘Cast thy burden upon the Lord, and he shall sustain thee: he shall never suffer (permit) the righteous to be moved (shaken).’  

That’s one of our God’s biggest promises.  And if you don’t believe, me then turn to the gospel of Matthew, the Sermon on the Mount, where Jesus talks about serving one master, and then goes on to say: ‘Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for (do not worry about) your life, what you shall eat, or what ye shall drink: nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not life more than meat (food), and the body than raiment (clothing)? …  But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things will be added unto you.’ (Matt.6:25, 33)

Ah Friends, we all know the scripture, but putting it into action is something else. As I said before, sincerely serving Jesus in this evil, ungodly word is not easy, but if you are faithful and do your best, He will lead you through some experiences that will amaze you. I can tell you that from personal experience, and I haven’t gotten that far in His school as yet. (smile)

And there are several scriptures in the Good Book that advise us to put it all in God’s hands from people who actually did so. Hear Bruh David from Psalm 37 – The true state of the wicked. ‘Commit thy way unto (roll off on to) the Lord; trust also in him: and he shall bring it to pass. And he shall bring forth thy righteousness as the light, and thy judgement (justice) as the noonday.

Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for him: fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way, because of the man who bringeth wicked devices (schemes) to pass. Cease from anger, and forsake wrath: fret not thyself in any wise to do evil (it only causes harm). For evildoers shall be cut off (destroyed): but those that wait upon the Lord, they shall inherit the earth.’ (Ps.37:5-9)

Oh Friends, I couldn’t put it any better. And we all know how Bruh David placed his trust in the Lord, and the Lord never let him down, despite his disobedience. That’s what happens when the Lord sees that our hearts are right, that our motives are pure. 

And in that same Psalm 37, Bruh David makes this most encouraging statement. ‘The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord: and he delighteth in his way. Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down: for the Lord upholdeth him with his hand.’ (Ps.37:23-24) Words of wisdom and absolute truth my brethren, as can be seen from Bruh David’s own life!

And we’ll end today’s message on complete surrender to God, and then depending on Him for all things, with the words of another stalwart, Peter. He tells us: ‘Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time: Casting all your care upon him: for he careth for you. Be sober, be vigilant, because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:

Whom resist steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in (experienced by) your brethren that are in the world. But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish (confirm), strengthen, settle you. To him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.’ (1 Pet.5:6-11)

Ah Friends, we can get no better advice than that.  So please, I implore us to take it seriously. In fact, let’s take all the advice that’s been giving in our Bit today; from Jesus, Bruh David, from Peter, and even the little that I gave, (smile) and let’s put it into action nuh, for it is all indeed heavenly wisdom, and will only serve to benefit us, down here on earth now, and later on up in heaven. Much LOVE!

…to our God…surrender means totally giving up our will…and depending on Him completely…