26 May 2016
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a compassionate heart, a godly life, a positive outlook on life, abundance, anxiety, believers, belly and backbone, belt, bounden duty, broken, challenge, Christian foundation, courage, creativity, curse, direction for my life, divine protection, doubt, eagerness, family friends, favour, fulfillment, generously gifted, girded, girt about, God's protective armour, godly armour, good, health, hoighty toighty, holy character, I am blessed, in the name of Jesus, indispensability of prayer, Jesus Christ, knowledge, loins, LOVE, moral conduct, negative word, obedience, opportunity, peace, perseverance, prayer, praying, promises, promotion, prosper, put on the whole armour of God, quench, ridicule, righteousness, saints, Satan, schemes., Scrip-Bit family, self-control, self-discipline, serve our Lord and Saviour, shod, sinful world, sitting ducks, soldier, spiritual belt, stand, strong will, succeed, success, supernatural strength, supplication, talent, the breastplate of righteousness, the devil, the fiery darts, the gospel of peace, the helmet of salvation, the preparation of the gospel, the shield of faith, the sword of the Spirit, the wicked one, the wiles of the devil, the Word of god, Thursday Blessings, trust, truth, waist, watching, willingness, wisdom, ye may be able to stand
Ephesians 6:11. Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles (schemes) of the devil.
Greetings and salutations my wonderful Scrip-Bit family on this glorious Thursday morning! It’s another most worthwhile opportunity for us to serve our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ in this evil and ungodly world.
In fact, it’s not a choice, but our bounden duty as believers, and we only heap ridicule on Jesus’ holy name if we don’t pursue that challenge as we ought to.
And there’s no time to lose, so let’s get busy and declare our Thursday Blessings that will feed our faith, uplift us, and give us the wherewithal to go out and face the enemy with much needed belly and backbone.
Altogether now: ‘I declare that I am blessed with God’s supernatural wisdom and receive clear direction for my life! I declare today that I am blessed with creativity, courage, talent and abundance! I am blessed with a strong will, self-control and self-discipline!
I am blessed with a great family, good friends, good health, faith, favour and fulfillment! I am blessed with success, supernatural strength, promotion and divine protection! I am blessed with a compassionate heart and a positive outlook on life!
I declare that any curse or negative word that’s ever been spoken over me is broken right now in the name of Jesus! I declare that everything I put my hands to will prosper and succeed! I declare it today and everyday! Amen!’
Oh glory to our wonderful God my precious people, for He has generously gifted us with all that we need to succeed in this sinful world! Now let’s go out and succeed…
But first we need to do this absolutely necessary thing as directed by our Bit: ‘Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles (schemes) of the devil.’
Yes friends, without God’s protective armour, we’re just like innocent, naïve, sitting ducks for the enemy. He’d be all over us in no time at all. That’s why Bruh Paul seriously warned us about wearing God’s armour at all times.
And I’m going to repeat the verses of yesterday about what the spiritual armour of God consists of, because I want to share some very useful info from the scholars on the subject. And don’t get hoighty toighty with me now because you think we’re wasting time by repeating those verses. (smile)
Friends, we can never hear those verses enough since they are a major part of our basic Christian foundation and the deeper we write them into our souls, the better off we will be.
Now hear Bruh Paul pontificate. ‘Stand therefore, having your loins girt about (girded your waist) with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench the fiery darts of the wicked (one).
And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints.’ (Eph.6:14-18)
Listen to the scholars now: ‘6:14-17. The whole armour of God consists of six pieces. (1) Truth (v.14a) is a knowledge of the truth of God’s Word (cf.4:21). The ancient soldiers loins (waist) were girt about with a leather belt which held most of the other pieces of his armour in place.
Similarly, the other pieces of the Christian’s armour depend on, and are held in place by his spiritual “belt” or his knowledge of the “truth” of Scripture.
(2) The breastplate of righteousness (v.14b) may be read “the breastplate which is righteousness.” It represents a holy character and moral conduct. Obedience to the “truth” known produces a godly life (righteousness).
(3) Preparation of the gospel of peace (v15) means “eagerness that comes from the gospel of peace.” That is, as the Roman soldier wore special shoes called caligae on his feet, enabling him to advance against his enemy, so the Christian must have on his feet (possess) a sense of “eagerness” or “willingness” to advance against the Devil and take the fight to him.
Such “eagerness” to contend with Satan “comes from the gospel of peace.” The gospel gives peace to the believer, freeing him from anxiety though he advances against such a powerful opponent.
(4) The shield of (which is) faith (v.16) means taking God at His word by believing His promises. Such trust will protect one from doubts induced by Satan.
(5) The helmet of salvation (v.17a): Since the readers are already Christians (2:8), they are not here urged to be saved. First Thessalonians 5:8 describes this helmet as “the hope of salvation” that is, the certainty (assurance) of salvation.
(6) The sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God (v.17b): The Greek term rendered “word” is not logos, referring to the whole Word of God, but rhema, referring to certain portions or selected verses of Scripture.’
And that takes care of the basic armour of God. But we’re not done yet my people. Listen to these other explanations from the scholars.
‘6:18. Praying is grammatically linked to “stand” in verse 14. Without prayer God’s armour is inadequate to achieve victory. Prayer is indispensable. Always means “on every occasion,” that is, when Satan attacks.
In the Spirit signifies that with the Spirit’s help such prayer for divine aid is made. Watching thereunto means “being vigilant in this very matter” of prayer. They are to pray not just for themselves but also for all saints; spiritual combat is both an individual and corporate matter.’
And thus ends this refresher course on the armour of God! (smile) Oh friends, I know that some of the explanations might be somewhat confusing, but if you take your time and concentrate on what you read, you will understand what’s been said.
And above all, please note the indispensability of prayer! Without it, the armour of God is ineffective. Now may the Lord bless and keep us as we go forth clothed in His protective armour, totally backed up by sincere prayer! Much LOVE!
…no Christian soldier goes out to battle without his godly armour…and prayer…
06 Jan 2016
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: 2016, a negative outlook, a positive attitude, abundant life, blessed, blessedness, by their fruits you shall know them, come together in Christ, come up over our problems, confession, deceit, drought of summer, effects of unconfessed sin, faith without works, forgiven, forgiveness, God is good, godly, good graces of God, gospel truth, guile, I acknowledge my sin, I am halfway home, I will confess my transgressions, I'm not looking back, I'm not turning back, I'm so glad to be alive, jump for joy, life is not fair, LOVE, mine iniquity have I not hid, moan and groan, my eyes are fixed straight ahead, my hands are on the plough, personal witness, platitudes, ponder our sins, pray, repentance, Scrip-Bit family, Selah, separate the sheep from the goats, step up to the plate, take them to god in prayer, the breath of life, the happiness of the forgiven man, thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin, thou mayest be found, to a glorious future with Jesus, transgression, troubles, true believers, unconfessed sin, unhappy lives, vitality, Wednesday Wail, wisdom, works
Psalm 32:5. I acknowledged my sin unto thee, and mine iniquity have I not hid. I said I will confess my transgressions unto the Lord, and thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin. Selah.
And then it was Wednesday! How yuh going mih Scrip-Bit family? Hope the new year is progressing smoothly and that you are managing everything nicely through the good graces of our wonderful God.
It’s going to be an awesome year, this 2016! So with that in mind, let’s all perk up and seriously come together in Christ and do His works nuh, works that are necessary to show ourselves as true believers.
Remember Jesus said, by their fruit ye shall know them, (Matt.7:20) and the past few days we’ve been reading James, who declares that faith without good works is meaningless. That means we have got to come up over our problems and inject more of our faith into the things we do and say.
And we can begin today by declaring our Wednesday Wail. Altogether now: ‘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!’
Ah Friends, doesn’t that just lift your spirits? It surely does mine! I am glad to be alive, and looking forward, not backward….and oh…the promise of that glorious future with Jesus just makes me want to jump for joy and shout His wonderful name! (smile)
Oh my people, we all know that life is not fair or easy, but God is good, and our attitude towards life is what separates the goats from the sheep. Some of us bring a positive attitude to it and therefore have more enjoyment, despite the many problems we all face.
Meanwhile, others portray a negative outlook, and thus live shallow, meaningless, miserable and unhappy lives. That is not the kind of life Jesus died for us to have. He sacrificed His holy and sinless life so that we could have life and even have it more abundantly. (John 10:10)
The problem though is that we have to step up to the plate with good attitudes to embrace that abundant life. It doesn’t just come up on its own. And good attitudes don’t just spring up on their own either. We need to come to God for help in achieving them.
That brings us to our Bit, taken from Psalm 32 – The blessedness of forgiveness. ‘I acknowledged my sin unto thee, and mine iniquity have I not hid. I said I will confess my transgressions unto the Lord, and thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin. Selah.’
This is Bruh David at his best. As the scholars declare: ‘Psalm 32. The psalm describes the blessedness of forgiveness as no other does. This is the theme of especially the first five verses, which include the happiness of the forgiven man (vv.1-2), the physical and psychological effects of unconfessed sin (vv.3-4), and the simple remedy of confession to obtain God’s forgiveness (v.5).
On this basis David can experience prayer (vv.6-7), divine instruction (vv.8-9), and personal witness (vv.10-11).’
Now that’s all true my people, but I want to point out one thing here, though the remedy of confession might be simple, it certainly needs to be sincere, if we expect our sins to be forgiven. We just can’t go to God and ask for forgiveness, if we don’t feel it in our hearts, because that’s the first place He’s going to look, not just listen to the platitudes that we mouth.
Anyway, let’s get into the Psalm. ‘Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. Blessed is the man unto whom the Lord imputeth not (does not charge his account with) iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no guile (deceit).
When I kept silence, my bones waxed (grew) old through my roaring (groaning) all the day long. For day and night thy hand was heavy upon me: my moisture (my vitality) is turned into the drought of summer. Selah.’ (Ps.32:1-4)
Yeh friends, yuh see what happens to us when we live with unconfessed sin? We moan and groan all day long, the Lord’s hand is heavy upon us, and our vitality is sapped like the summer’s drought. So living with unconfessed sin is not a very wise thing to do.
And today would be a very good day for those of us who feel old and dried up and miserable and can’t get ourselves together, to consider what sin(s) we might be withholding and go to God and confess them.
Oh my brethren, I can tell you from personal experience that when you get any sin at all off your chest, you feel like a million dollars compared to how you felt before. Bruh David learned that the hard way, as no doubt some of us are doing.
But there’s absolute truth in our Bit my people, so much so that it’s worth repeating again.‘I acknowledged my sin unto thee, and mine iniquity have I not hid. I said I will confess my transgressions unto the Lord, and thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin. Selah.’
And there’s no better time than right now, the start of this pivotal year, for us to go to God and spill out our hearts to Him in all sincerity and truth. Friends, our Creator and Provider is waiting for us to come to Him in sincere repentance.
As Bruh David says after our Bit. ‘For this shall every one that is godly pray unto thee in a time when thou mayest be found: surely in the floods of great waters they shall not come nigh unto him. (Ps.32:6)
Gospel truth that, my brethren! So please, today, let’s take a few minutes to ponder our sins, our troubles, whatever is wrong in our lives and then sincerely take them to God in prayer nuh. For that is wisdom at its absolute best. Much LOVE!
…a life filled with unconfessed sin…is no life at all…
10 Oct 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a future and a hope, a place in heaven, be of good courage, dreams are like hope the true essence of our lives, end up with nothing, excellence, expectant faith, For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, God's never late, grace, he shall strengthen thine heart, hungry hope, I hope in thy word, I know on which side my bread is buttered, I wait for the Lord, I've seen the light, immorality, in his word do I hope, in limbo, in the land of the living, insubstantial stuff, live an abundant life, living for Jesus, LOVE, mediocrity, mercy, my soul doth wait, my soul fainteth for thy salvation, never give up on a dream, not of calamity, peace, quality, quantity, righteousness., Scrip-Bit family, second class, seek Jesus and his righteousness, sheds this earthly coil, simmering on the back burner, team up with Jesus, the bells and whistles, the Good News of Christ, the goodness of God, the Lord is my light and salvation, the rate race, thoughts of peace, throw in the towel, to give you an expected end, trust in the Lord, ungodly world, wait on the Lord, we will be glad and rejoice in his salvation, wealth, wisdom
Psalm 130:5. I wait for the Lord, my soul doth wait, and in his word do I hope.
Aye Friends, grace and peace and LOVE and mercy to all my Scrip-Bit family from our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! It’s so wonderful to team up with Jesus to do this life, and it’s so sad to realize that those who don’t, will never know what they’re missing.
They foolishly believe that the bells and whistles and wealth and immorality, the outward show and otherwise of this world are so great that they spend their entire lives chasing that insubstantial stuff, and in the end, end up with nothing.
Meanwhile Jesus places quality and excellence above quantity and mediocrity, and if you seek Him and his righteousness you will get all that you need to live an abundant life in this world, plus a place in heaven when your mortal body eventually sheds this earthly coil and returns to the dust from which it was originally formed.
So why would we want to get involved in the rat race of this ungodly world eh, when Jesus has so much more and so much better to offer? I don’t know the answer to that puzzling question nuh Friends, I can only talk for myself, and since I’ve come to really know Jesus, I’ve seen the light and know on which side my bread is buttered. (smile)
All we can do is tell others about the good news of Christ and live in a worthwhile manner; one which is an excellent representation of that good news in action.
Now check out this recent quote from our friend Anselm, who is always trying to inspire us to have a better tomorrow. This one says: ‘Never give up on a dream just because of the length of time it will take to achieve it. The time will pass anyways.’
And there’s much truth to that statement my people, for dreams don’t usually come to pass overnight, but in our busy and rushed society, we expect them to. And if you’re living for Jesus, then that dream may take even longer to come to pass, because it won’t until He decides that you’re ready for it, or all the other stuff that’s necessary to fulfill it are in place.
And a lot of us supposed believers give up on our dreams and throw in the towel, simply because they are taking too long to come pass. I can tell you about waiting on God to have dreams fulfilled. I’ve had several over the years, some have come true, but some that I consider important, some that He’s placed in my heart are still in limbo, still simmering on the back burner. I’ve done what I can do and just have to bide my time until He believes the timing is right.
And over the years Friends, I’ve learned from hard experience, never to push or rush some of those dreams because they inevitably fail if they’re not in God’s plan for your life, or in His time frame. The one thing though, is that we must never give up on our dreams, otherwise we might as well be dead, for a life without a dream to pursue is essentially a stagnant, unproductive life.
Dreams are like hope; once we’re alive, there is always a chance that they can come true. So please hold on to your hopes and your dreams because they are the true essence of our lives. No wonder in Psalm 130 – My soul waiteth for the Lord – the psalmist declared with much confidence in our Bit: ‘I wait for the Lord, my soul doth wait, and in his word do I hope.’
Oh my fellow believers, in these troubled and confused times that is exactly what we need to do; trust in the Lord and wait for Him with hungry hope and expectant faith, for that is the only way we will ever have true peace, joy and comfort down here on earth!
How did Isaiah put it? ‘And it shall be said in that last day, Lo, this is our God; we have waited for him, and he will save us: this is the Lord; we have waited for him, we will be glad and rejoice in his salvation.’ (Is.25:9)
Yes my people, waiting patiently on the Most High God Jehovah is of the utmost importance in the lives of His followers! We can always try to do stuff in our own strength, but usually it fails or ends up second class.
The writer of Psalm 119 knew this, and gladly acknowledged it. ‘My soul fainteth for thy salvation: but I hope in thy word. Mine eyes fail for thy word saying, when wilt thou comfort me? For I am become like a bottle (wineskin) in the smoke; yet do I not forget thy statutes.’ (Ps.119:81-83)
Yuh see my brethren, although the psalmist was having his problems, he still felt confident enough in the God of his fathers to wait patiently for Him and do His will.
Meanwhile, in Psalm 27 – The Lord is my light and my salvation – Bruh David confidently proclaimed. ‘I had fainted, unless I had believed to see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait (in faith) on the Lord: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait (in faith) I say, on the Lord.’ (Ps.27:13-14)
Yeh Friends, if we don’t expect to enjoy God’s goodness down here on earth, what’s the purpose of believing and trusting and having faith eh?
Remember Jesus died that we might have abundant life, not only in heaven, but also down here on earth. And He does provide that for us, but we can’t want and expect to have everything now-for-now, like the world demands, we must learn to wait on His timing, though He often cuts it rather close to the wire. (smile) But He’s NEVER late, that much I can vouch for.
So this Saturday morning, let’s settle down and wait on the Lord, as we ought, and stop allowing Lucifer and his greedy, evil minions to play head games with us, and draw us away from the LOVING, and caring arms of our heavenly Father. Now that’s wisdom to the nth degree! Much LOVE!
…for I know the thoughts that I think toward you…saith the Lord…thoughts of peace…and not of evil (calamity)…to give you an expected end (a future and a hope)… (Jer.29:11)
06 Oct 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: affirmation, anger, as God for Christ's sake, be kind to one another, be ye angry and sin not, bitterness, blessings, children of the Most High God, clamour, corrupt communication, edifying, encouraged, everything to God in prayer, evil speaking, forgiveness, forgiving one another, foul language, glory hallelujah, God of peace and love, goodness of character, gracious speech, Gramps Schuller, grieve not the holy Spirit of God, hath forgiven you, honest work, Hour of Power Devotional, I am not what people say about me, I am the beloved of god, I can trust my friend Jesus, I don't have to hurry, I don't have to worry, I'm not what I do, I'm not what I have, integrity, kindness, labour, let him that stole steal no more, let not the sun go down upon your wrath, lifted me, lonely, LOVE, malice, maturity, members one of another, mercies, minister grace unto the hearers, morality, my one essential intimate friend, neither give place to the devil, putting away lying, putting on the new man in Christ, resentment, righteous indignation, Scrip-Bit family, serving, share His love with the world, sinking, sinning, speak every man truth, striving, struggling, succeeding, suffering, supported me, tenderhearted, the characteristic that defines us, the Holy Spirit, the straight and narrow path, theft, Tuesday Mantra, until the day of redemption, What a Friend, what a friend i have in Jesus, what a privilege to carry, whereby ye are sealed, working the thing that is good, wrath, you comforted me, you forgave me, You have never failed Lord, you rejoiced with me, you renewed me
Ephesians 4:30. And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.
And a fine good morning to you all, my Scrip-Bit Family! And it is indeed a fine day to be alive, since new, unexpected blessings and mercies are in the offing! May the God, our God of peace and LOVE bless us all this Tuesday morning as we go about doing His holy will.
And since today is Tuesday, I guess that calls for us to recite our Tuesday Mantra. So in one strong and sincere voice let’s affirm this wonderful affirmation. (smile)
‘I’m not what I do. I’m not what I have. I’m not what people say about me. I am the beloved of God, that’s who I am. No one can take that from me. I don’t have to hurry. I don’t have to worry. I can trust my friend Jesus and share His LOVE with the world. Amen!’
Yes my brethren, the most important aspect of our lives is that we are children of the Most High God Jehovah! That’s the telling characteristic that defines us! What we do and what we have are immaterial and unimportant when matched up with the fact that we are God’s children. Please remember that.
And to corroborate what we just said about Jesus being our Friend, listen to this poem from Gramps Schuller’s (Dr. Robert A Schuller) Hour of Power Devotional. I don’t know if I have ever shared it before, but it certainly is very apropos for today. So please pray this prayer with me titled ‘What a Friend!’
‘You have never failed, Lord, to be my one, essential, intimate friend. When I was: Lonely in striving – you encouraged me. Lonely in struggling – you lifted me. Lonely in serving – you supported me. Lonely in suffering – you comforted me. Lonely in sinning – you forgave me. Lonely in sinking – you renewed me. Lonely in succeeding – you rejoiced with me. What a friend I have in Jesus! Thank you, Lord. Amen.’
Oh my people, my people, that is gospel truth! I can testify to it, as many of you can, because in the darkest, roughest and loneliest hours of our lives, our ever-faithful Friend, Jesus, is ALWAYS there with us, and helps us to come through those unnerving times. Glory Hallelujah!
NO ONE else is ever ALWAYS with us! And for that reason we ought to feel safe and comforted in each and every circumstance and be able to fulfill the words of our Bit. ‘And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.’
Yes Friends, that’s something we should always try to do, because it shows a lack of trust and character on our part. The Holy Spirit indwells us to lead and guide us aright, on the straight and narrow path that leads to God. So if we continually grieve Him, then we’re showing a terrible lack of integrity, of morality and goodness of character.
And how do we grieve the Holy Spirit? Hear how Bruh Paul puts it to the Ephesians. ‘Wherefore putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbour: for we are members one of another. Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath. Neither give place (an opportunity) to the devil.
Let him that stole steal no more: but rather let him labour, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth. Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers. And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.
Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice: And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.’ (Eph.4:25-32)
Now that’s how we grieve not the Holy Spirit my brethren! Basically by letting go of all our past behaviour and putting on the new man that’s in Christ. As we keep saying, it’s not always easy to give up our former habits and friendships, but with God’s ever-present help, we certainly can move along that long and challenging continuum of maturity in Christ Jesus.
Now here are some more detailed explanations from the scholars. ‘4:25-5:2. This section gives practical guidelines as to how “the old man” (v.22) can be laid aside and how “the new man” (v.24) can be assumed in daily living. The passage specifies five sins to be discarded, the virtues that are to replace them, and the motive for such an exchange:
(1) Lying is to be replaced by truth-telling, since Christians are fellow members (v.25). (2) Sinful anger is to be replaced by (briefly held) righteous indignation, that the devil may not be given opportunity (vv.26-27). (3) Theft is to be replaced by honest work, in order that one may have the means to meet the needs of others, (v.28).
(4) Foul language is to be replaced by gracious speech, that it may edify others (v.28) and not grieve the Spirit (vv.29-30). (5) Resentment and wrath are to give way to kindness and forgiveness, since God has forgiven us (vv.31-32).’
And there we have it in spades Friends; how not to grieve the Holy Spirit! So please, today let’s ponder all what we’ve read and, obviously with God’s help, try to improve our individual situations, re the grieving of the Holy Spirit, for that is indeed wisdom of the highest order! Much LOVE!
…what a Friend we have in Jesus…all our sins and griefs to bear…what a privilege to carry…everything to God in prayer…
P.S. You’ll notice that the font is slightly bigger, that’s because one reader complained that it was too small for her deteriorating eyes. I wanted to tell her, well just go and get some glasses nuh. (smile) But that would have been rude and unmannerly, and we pride ourselves on not being that way. Hope it helps some others with the same problem.(smile) Much LOVE!
17 May 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a mere mortal, a strangle hold, abound to your account, according to his riches, actions, Amen, an acceptable sacrifice, aroma, be glory for ever and ever, behaviour, belief in Jesus, bring us together, Bruh Paul, busy lives, celebrate, Christians, church leaders, cliques, confident certainty, courage, deeds, denominations, desire fruit, differences, different functions, dignity, divide, divine destiny, divisions, dominon, ecstatic joy, evil minions, factions, faith, faithfully worship God, food for thought, fragrant scent, fulfill Jesus' mandate, generosity, giving thanks, glorifying God, God's sanctuary, God's word and will, grateful, Herculean task, holding my breath, hope, I do know, in cahoots with the world, inscribed me. in the palms of your hands, insular, investment, Jesus' church is one body, joy, Jude, keep keeping on, keep us apart, kindness, LOVE, lustful things, majesty, mercy, motives, Now unto God our Father, odour, our Saviour, petty, Philippians, pleasant fragrance, power, purpose, reaping, Ruth Harms Calkin, sad commentary, satisfaction, Scrip-Bit family, selfish, sheer delight, similaritites, sing and shout, soar, sob, sowing, spreading the gospel all over the world, strength, Sunlit morning, thankful, the church at Philippi, the God of the universe, the life of the Son, the Lord loves a generous giver, the love of the Father, the One Day Book of Bible Promises, the power of the Holy spirit, the prince of darkness, the things of the world, the work and treasures of heaven, thoughts, trust, ungodly world, united, uniting Christ's church, unlimited resources, uplifting, well pleasing to God, what a wonderful God we serve and worship, wise God, words, work together
Philippians 4:20. Now unto God our Father be glory for ever and ever. Amen.
A warm and welcome, gracious and LOVING Sunday morning to you my Scrip-Bit Family! (smile) I do hope that you are in the process, or will soon be in the process of getting ready to go to God’s sanctuary to celebrate and faithfully worship Him with other believers, as He desires of His followers.
For as I say every week, Jesus’ church is ONE body, made up of many believers, and in fellowship together we find strength, courage, hope and faith to keep keeping on in this ungodly world. And being ONE body, it means that all the parts, though graced with different functions, NEED to work TOGETHER if we’re to fulfill Jesus’ mandate of spreading the gospel to all and sundry, throughout the entire world. (Matt. 28:19-20)
Unfortunately though, there are too many divisions, cliques, religions, factions, denominations and what have you that divide us. That’s why the prince of darkness and his evil minions have such a strangle hold on the world.
Ah Friends, what a serious splash Christians would make in this world if we were truly joined together, united as ONE! Now I’m sincerely hoping for that, but I’m not holding my breath, because it doesn’t seem like it’s going to happen any time soon.
Why? Because we tend to let our differences – many of which are petty, insular and selfish – keep us apart, rather than let our similarities – like our basic faith, trust and belief in Jesus – bring us together. What a sad commentary on our actions and behavior as Christians, my brethren!
But I guess it doesn’t bother our church leaders sufficiently for them to seriously work at uniting Christ’s church. And even if they truly tried coming together, it would be still a Herculean task, because too many of Christ’s supposed flock are in cahoots with the world and the lustful things thereof. Anyway Friends, let that provide ample food for thought today as we go about our too busy lives.
Now here is something much more uplifting, that I couldn’t resist sharing from the One Day Book of Bible Promises with writings by Ruth Harms Calkin. It’s titled ‘The Beautiful Sunlit Morning.’
And these are the wonderful sentiments it declares. ‘Dear God On this beautiful sunlit Morning in May You’ve drenched me With ecstatic joy. I want to sing and shout I want to soar with sheer delight. At the same time I want to sob – So utterly overwhelmed I am With the magnitude of You. O God, I know I do know With serene satisfaction And confident certainty That I belong to the God of the universe – To the Creator of all that exists.
I do know That I, a mere mortal Am forever linked to divine destiny – That my life has purpose and dignity. I do know That You have chosen me As the object of Your lavish LOVE That Your thoughts toward me Are thoughts of kindness and mercy That You have inscribed me In the palms of Your hands.
I do know That all the LOVE of the Father And the Life of the Son And the Power of the Holy Spirit Are freely, inseparably mine – Now and through all eternity. O God On this beautiful sunlit Morning in May I do know.’
Oh what a beautiful declaration of faith that is my people! But how many of us, if we declare it, will then have God sadly shake His head when He looks at motives of our hearts eh? Too many, my people, too many. And that is why Christianity isn’t as strong as it used to be; too many people are not truly motivated by the Word of God, we allow the things of the world to have more sway over us than God’s Word and Will.
We’ll leave that alone for today though. (smile) Let’s concentrate on the promise that the beautiful poem was based on, and is our Bit for today. ‘Now unto God our Father be glory for ever and ever. Amen.’
Now that’s what we’re supposed to be about my brethren; giving thanks to and glorifying our heavenly Father with our words, deeds and actions!
The church at Philippi did that concerning Bruh Paul, because that was the only one that consistently sent him gifts, although he never asked them to. And though he was grateful and thankful for their interest in his well-being, as he told them: ‘Not because I desire (seek) a gift: but I desire (seek) fruit that may abound to your account.’ (Phil.4:17)
He didn’t want them to think that he was just after their money, but rather that their gift was, as the scholars explain: ‘a sure investment in the work and treasures of heaven, each one yielding rich dividends.’
Yes Friends, likewise, when we make sincere investments in the lives of others, those investments will bring forth good fruit on earth, and rich rewards for us in heaven. That’s the basic law of God, re sowing and reaping.
And Bruh Paul continues: ‘But I have all (have received all), and abound: I am full, having received of Epaphroditus the things which were sent from you, an odour of a sweet smell (a pleasant aroma), a sacrifice acceptable, well-pleasing to God. But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Jesus Christ.’ (Phil. 4:18-19)
And the scholars explain those two verses thus. ‘4:18. I have all means that Paul has received their gifts. And abound signifies that he has plenty, since all needs are now met through their generosity. God looks on their gift to Paul as an odour of a sweet smell (a fragrant scent) and a sacrifice acceptable, well pleasing.’
‘4:19. Because the Lord is aware of the sacrifice (v.18) the Philippians made in meeting Paul’s need, God will surely supply all their need. God will meet their “need” (1) according to his riches, that is in proportion to His unlimited resources; (2) in glory, that is He will meet their need “gloriously” or “in a splendid manner”, and (3) by Christ Jesus.’
Ah Friends, what a wonderful God we serve and worship! And we’ll end with a benediction that resembles our Bit, but from Jude, Jesus’ half-brother.
‘Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling (stumbling), and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy, To the only wise God our Saviour, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen.’ (Jude 24-25)
Much LOVE, my brethren!
…if one wants to receive bountifully…then one must learn to give generously… for the Lord LOVES a generous giver…
02 May 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a roaring lion, aboslute truth, adversary, afflictions, be sober, be vigilant, bear the trials, belifef, best school of life, Bruh David, cast thy burden upon the Lord, cease from anger, christ jesus, Commit thy way to the Lord, compassion, dignity, disobedience, don't lose hope, evil, evildoers shall be cut off, excellence, faith, forsake wrath, fret not thyself, gospel of Matthew, he shall never suffer the righteous to be moved, he shall sustain thee, hearts are right, hope, humble yourselves, inherit the earth, integrity, judgement, knowledge, living for Jesus, LOVE, mirror image of Christ, motives are pure, noonday, not something to sneeze at, ordered by the Lord, peace, Peter, promises, Rest in the Lord, righteousness., Saturday morning, Scrip-Bit family, seek ye first the kingdom of God, Sermon on the Mount, stand your bounce, surrender, take heart, take no thought for your life, talk to the Father, the devil, the God of all grace, the Lord wills it, the steps of a good man, the true state of the wicked, trust, trust also in him, under the mighty hand of god, understanding, ungodly world, wait on God., wait patiently for the Lord, well rewarded, wisdom
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…
14 Mar 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: aim high, boosts our emotional state, brain cramp, bring about improvements, challenge, change your attitude, Christ-like courage, Christian tasks, corrupt, corruption, covetous, ease of life, faith, forward, friends, gain some altitude, get going, go ye into all the world and preach the gospel, good wishes, greedy, healing, lazy, LOVE Revolution, make a difference, move, non-committal, none that doeth good, petty divisions, plana takeoff, prayer is the most powerful force on earth, prayers, relief from pain, rest on our laurels, Scrip-Bit family, self-defence, spiritual forces, stomach cancer, sufferation, the fool said in his heart, the wicked, there is no god, there is strength in numbers, through the pride of his countenance, true church of Christ, Unknown Cancer fighter, wield power, will not seek after God, wishy-washy
Psalm 10:4. The wicked, through the pride of his countenance, will not seek after God. God is not in all his thoughts. (All his thoughts are, there is no God).
Oh Friends, I’m cogitating, considering, pondering, thinking how to start the Bit on this spring-like Saturday morning! (smile) Obviously the brain isn’t coming up with anything that will grab my readers’ attention right off the bat, as a good author is supposed to do.
But in self-defence, I plead the fact that I’m a mere human, and thus liable to lapses and breakdowns in my mental functions, especially at my advanced age. In other words Friends, the ole fella’s suffering a brain cramp. (smile).
However though, on a serious note, I do have the perfect way to continue our discourse, and that’s by asking us all to pray for the healing and relief from pain of a friend and fellow church goer, who has recently been diagnosed with some form of stomach cancer. I won’t mention her name because she’s a very private person, and when she reads this – yes, she is a member of our Scrip-Bit family- I know she will be embarrassed.
But that’s okay, I don’t think she’ll mind too much if our prayers and good wishes help her to handle her tough situation with Christ-like courage and faith. I guess we can call her the Unknown Cancer Fighter, for she is a fighter, and the Lord in His great wisdom will know whom we are talking about.
Remember prayer is the most powerful force on earth, so please let’s use it to help alleviate her unfortunate situation. And what’s great about prayer is that even when our prayers haven’t been answered, just knowing that there are fellow believers out there caring, rooting and praying for us, that fellowship gives us a lift, boosts our emotional state. So please, let’s remember our Scrip-Bit family member, the Unknown Cancer Fighter in our prayers.
And for this Saturday morning we also have a quote to make us get up off our fat fannies. (smile) It’s one I received a couple of days ago from my friend Anselm, inspiring us for a better tomorrow. It says: ‘Get going. Move forward. Aim High. Plan a takeoff. Don’t just sit on the runway and hope someone will come along and push the airplane. It simply won’t happen. Change your attitude and gain some altitude. Believe me, you’ll love it up here.’
And that’s a challenge we all ought to accept my brethren, because we have become a lazy, slovenly, uninspired society, spoiled by the relative ease of life that we enjoy. And life will never improve, but just keep deteriorating, if we don’t get up and get a move on. Friends, that also goes for believers, because we too have been very lazy, wishy-washy and non-committal to our Christian tasks.
That’s one of the reasons why the dark and evil aspects of our society are currently in the ascendance over the good, Christian, spiritual forces. We can’t just sit down and expect things to get better my people. We have to do positive and constructive stuff to make them improve. And it’s only by bonding together, like the true church of Christ, not in small petty divisions, that we can wield real power and make a real difference, bring about much needed improvements to our crazy mixed up world.
And why is our world in such a mess? Because the wicked are ruling it! And here is what the psalmist says about the wicked in Psalm 10, from which our Bit comes. ‘The wicked in his pride doth persecute (hotly pursues) the poor: let them be taken in the devices (plots) that they have imagined (devised).
For the wicked boasteth of his heart’s desire, and blesseth the covetous (greedy), whom the Lord abhorreth. The wicked, through the pride of his countenance, will not seek after God: God is not in his thoughts. (All his thoughts are, there is no God)’ (Ps.10:2-4)
Oh Friends that’s true in one sense, but not so much in another. Yes, the wicked is too proud to seek God, and He doesn’t sit and meditate on His word, but God is in his thoughts in the sense that he is very aware of Him, of His might and power, and thus plots to destroy Him and all those who follow Him.
But as Bruh David declares in Psalm 14 – The foolishness of men: ‘The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none that doeth good. The Lord looked down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there were any that did understand, and seek God. They are all gone aside, they are altogether become filthy (corrupt): there is none that doeth good, no, not one.’ (Ps.14:1-3)
Oh my people, that’s a rather harsh judgement of our fellow man, but unfortunately there are too many who are wicked and live their lives doing evil instead of good. Corruption is the middle name for our world right now. And it is our job as believers and followers of Jesus Christ to break down those evil walls and systems of the wicked and corrupt.
But we won’t be able to make even a dent in the world of wickedness unless we become active rather than passive, and come together in true power, rather than in small, unable to do much alone divisions. Friends, our world is desperately crying out for a LOVE Revolution; the LOVE Revolution of Jesus Christ and His followers!
Are we going to move it along, or are we just going to rest on our laurels and let it stagnate and finally drift into oblivion? I do hope not, else Jesus’ death and all His ‘sufferation’ on our behalf would be a wasted effort.
And I’m sure that we don’t want to remembered as the generation that let Jesus down. So please, let’s get our act together nuh, remember there is strength in numbers, and let’s get going to retake our world. It’s the only way it will improve. Much LOVE!
…and He said unto them…go ye into all the world…and preach the gospel to every creature… (Mark 16:15)
04 Mar 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a job, a rewarder of them that diligently seek him, a roof over your head, aches and pains, alive and kicking, appreciate our blessedness, bask in the glow, because of mine enemies, believing, bloodletting, bonday, clothes on your back, complacent attitudes, confidence, confuesed, deterioration of our society, dismantle, earthly sojourn, enemies in our society, energy, evil clutches, evil ungodly world, faith, fall for any nonsense, fellow believers in Christ, fight to keep what we have, figuratively, find grace in thy sight, food on your table, freedom to worship, freedoms, friends, frothing at the mouth, give their eye teeth, God never declines our requests, God's children, God's Word, grace, gracious, guidance, health issues, heavenly Father, homlessness, I am blessed, I will give thee rest, If I have found grace in thy sight, introspective, lead me in a plain path, Lenten season, let our voices be loudly heard, literally, lost, LOVE, loving, magnanimous god, Moses, my presecnce shall go with thee, no turning back, nourish, O Lord, omnipotent, our heavenly Father, petitions, petty inconveniences, pilgrim's journey, plowing straight ahead, poverty, Praise the Lord, Scrip-Bit family, serious action, short attention span, show me now thy way, smile, smug, stamina, stand up strong and steadfast, starvation, stay on the straight and narrow path, strength, take it for granted, take roots in our hearts, Teach me thy way O Lord, tell the world, tenaciously, that I may know thee, the body of Christ, the Father's way, the middle of the week, the providence of God, this nation is thy people, trying times, water, Wednesday, wisdom, without faith it is impossible to please God, wrongs
Psalm 27:11. Teach me thy way, O Lord, and lead me in a plain (smooth) path, because of mine enemies.
Aye mih Scrip-Bit family, it’s another beautiful day on God’s great earth! And all His children declared a loud and thankful ‘Praise the Lord!’
Yes Friends, this is the day we call Wednesday, the middle of the workweek. And once we’ve gotten there, there’s no turning back, just plowing straight ahead with the providence of God!
It’s obvious that I woke up late. (smile) I went to bed late too. But unfortunately, these days the ole bod doesn’t have the stamina and energy to go to bed late and get up early, so please learn to put up with the varying times that the Bit arrives. (smile) Once I’m alive and kicking, it will get there, I just can’t promise that it will be very early.
Anyway, for whatever reason the Lord has, I woke up with my right knee aching this morning, so I’m sort of limping around until it decides to play right. And that’s one of the things I detest about my aches and pains; their inconsistency. I’ll be fine for a while, then out of the blue, for no apparent reason, various parts of my anatomy will start to act up.
But yuh know what my brethren? Our God is so wonderful that He also caused me to wake up singing the chorus to the reggae song, ‘I am blessed.’ Yes Friends, ‘I, I am blessed! I want to tell the world, that I, I am blessed!’
Yes family, if you have a roof over your head, clothes on your back, food on your table, have a decent job to go to, and can also read this, then you are indeed blessed. So please sing the chorus with me. ‘I, I am blessed! I want to tell the world that I, I am blessed!’
One more time, more enthusiastically and gratefully than the first. ‘We, we are blessed! Let’s tell the world that we, we are blessed!’ And again: ‘We, we are blessed! Let’s tell the world that God’s children are blessed!’
Oh my people, we are so blessed that we don’t truly recognize it and take it all for granted. But at least three quarters of the world, consumed by starvation, poverty, joblessness, homelessness and health issues, would gladly give their eye-teeth (smile) for what we have.
Yet we walk around with smug, complacent attitudes, complaining about small, petty inconveniences. It’s high time we stop doing that Friends, and learn to truly appreciate our blessedness, especially in this Lenten season, where we are supposed to be introspective, looking inside to see what areas of our souls and lives we can clean up.
Thankfulness for the great gifts we have and the freedom to worship Almighty God without fear of persecution should be ranked at the top of our list. But we have to work hard and stay faithful if we want to keep those wonderful gifts in these very trying times.
We just can’t assume that we’ll always have them, because there are enemies in our society who are just dying, frothing at the mouth to take them away.
So while we can bask somewhat in the glow of our blessings, we just can’t sit around, as we have been doing, and allow this evil and ungodly world to take away, to dismantle our blessedness. We have to fight to keep what we have my brethren!
That means we have to stand up steadfast and strong; let our voices be loudly heard all over the land, about the wrongs that are being done. And more importantly, as the body of Christ, we need to take some serious action to stop the bloodletting and deterioration of our society.
Our freedoms won’t handed to us on a silver platter. They were won by fighting fiercely and tenaciously for them, and we’ll only keep them the same way.
Enough of me now though, time for our Bit: ‘Teach me thy way, O Lord, and lead me in a plain (smooth) path, because of mine enemies.’
Oh Friends those are words and sentiments we can pray at the start of each and every day! They are that important because they take us to our heavenly Father to ask for His strength and guidance in our rough pilgrim’s journey. And that’s the only way we can handle our earthly sojourn with the strength and confidence we need.
If we don’t know the Father’s way, then we’ll get all confused and lost and fall for any nonsense that mankind proposes. And believe me, there is plenty nonsense in our world today just looking to grab us and keep us in bondage, both literally and figuratively. But when we look to the Father first and foremost, they will not be able to get us in their evil clutches.
And Friends, asking the Father for guidance is nothing new. Listen to Moses when the Lord appointed Him to lead the Israelites out of bondage in Egypt. ‘Now therefore, I pray thee, if I have found grace in thy sight, show me now thy way, that I may know thee, that I may find grace in thy sight: and consider that this nation is thy people.’ (Ex.33:13)
A very reasonable request my people. And the Lord’s reply was: ‘My presence shall go with thee, and I will give thee rest.’ (Ex.33:14)
Oh my brethren, when we ask God for guidance and His presence in our affairs, He NEVER declines our requests! But after asking for it, we still need to have the faith that He’s going to intervene and make it all right. For without true faith, we can’t come before Him with our petitions.
‘But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.’ (Heb.11:6) So Friends, it’s not just simply asking, but also believing that our requests will be heard and worked upon by our omnipotent and magnanimous God.
And I think I’ll stop there for today, don’t want to give us too much to ponder on all at once, for I know our short attention spans. (smile) So my fellow believers in Christ, please, let’s truly consider the words we’ve heard today nuh, and let them take deep and serious roots in our hearts.
Let’s also water and nourish them so that they will grow and help us stay on the straight and narrow path that leads directly to our most gracious and LOVING heavenly Father, for that is truly wisdom at its zenith! Much LOVE!
…God’s children need to stop simply talking faith…and rather take action…act zealously and faithfully on God’s Word…
30 Jan 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: alive in Paradise, all must bow, burdens, Christ, complaining, confess that Jesus is Lord, death inducing pain, don't give up, easy yoke, exaltation, excruciating, faithful promise, Friday chant, friends, generous help, glory, God satisfies the thirsty soul, God's hand of blessing, hang in there, Jesus Christ, Jesus' suffering, joy comes in the morning, King of Kings, light load, Lord of Lords, LOVE, meditate on God's Word, mercy, morning songs of praise, my lips shall praise thee, my mouth shall praise thee, our Saviour, peace, relaxation, renewed vitality, rest, rest for our weary souls, rough times, rough times don't last forever, Saviour of mankind, Scrip-Bit family, serve the Lord, stepping stone, TGIF! Thank God is Friday, thy loving-kindness is better than life, to the glory of the Father, trials and tribulations, true believers in Christ, weeping endures for a night
Psalm 63:3. Because thy LOVING-kindness is better than life, my lips shall praise thee.
Well hello there my beautiful Scrip-Bit family! It’s a bright and sunny, slightly cloudy, exhilarating, and coming up hot Friday morning!
And before I could say anything further, the people rose up with one voice: ‘TGIF! Thank God is Friday yes! This week was a rough one. I didn’t know if I would make it through. But as usual, with the Lord’s help, I finally aced this week of slave labour! Thank God for Friday and the weekend!’
Ah Friends, that’s the lot of us who inhabit this planet earth. We have to do something positive to keep our minds and bodies functioning properly.
Right now I’m just thankful to see another glorious day, as I’m sitting out on my verandah, feeling somewhat better than yesterday, though still not up to scratch, sipping a cup of caffeine tinged with cough syrup, looking out over the well landscaped grounds at the fairly calm waters of the bay, listening to the waves lapping at the shore and the birds singing their morning songs of praise, giving thanks too that I’m alive and in Paradise!
Wow Friends! I sure am thankful for this break, although I haven’t had a chance to truly enjoy it as yet. But I know it’s going to happen sooner or later. The Lord wouldn’t bring me all this way to be sick most of the time.
Yuh know after the rough times come the good ones; like night follows day, and vice versa. So whatever tough times you’re going through right now my people, I implore you, don’t give up, don’t even contemplate it, because rough times don’t last forever, but true believers in Christ do.
And as the Good Book encourages, weeping and sorrow might last for the night, but joy comes in the morning. (Psalm 30:5) So let’s hang in there mih people, fellow believers in Christ. Our Saviour knew what it was to have hard times.
In fact, I don’t know if any other human being ever experienced the trials and tribulations, not to mention the excruciating, death inducing pain that He bore for our sakes. And He did it without much complaining. That’s why He was so well rewarded by the Father, with exaltation and glory – Lord of Lords, King of Kings, Saviour of mankind, to whom all must bow and confess that He is Lord indeed, all to the glory of the Father. (Phil.2:8-11)
So whenever times get rough, let’s just remember Jesus’ suffering and how he bore it, and use that as a stepping stone to enable us to bear our burdens. And when they really seem to be getting too heavy, we have the faithful promise and invitation to take them to Him, leave them at His feet, and take up the light load, easy yoke and rest for our weary souls that He has waiting there for us. (Matt.11:28-30)
So however we cut it Friends, we have welcome avenues to help us in our earthly pilgrimage. As for adventures in Paradise, I didn’t have any more yesterday. At the end of the Bit, I said I was going shopping, but thankfully the lady from whom I rented the car came by, and I sweetly asked her to take the duchess shopping for me.
The duchess had been waiting for some time for me to finish and I knew that she was silently boiling inside, because she doesn’t like to wait, although she claimed differently. Yuh see how the Lord looks after me, even when I’m in misery! (smile)
Oh, about the car tire. It seems that when I touched the curb of the parking lot the other afternoon when I came home, it cut the new expensive Michelin tire. And would you believe they couldn’t find a Michelin tire to replace it in sweet Tobago. Steups! It had to be ordered from Trinidad.
Poor girl! She must have thought that I was a godsend when I came into her life. But little did she know the problems I’d cause her. But don’t worry Jennel sugar, in due course the Lord will amply reward you for your LOVING-kindness towards the duchess and me. So just hang in and bear up with a smile.
So last night was just another lazy night. The wife brought back some really tasty Chinese food, which I thoroughly enjoyed, even went back for seconds, although I wasn’t feeling for food. The very thought of food these past two days turns me off. I’ve mostly been drinking fluids (water and pop) since I’ve been here. I have to force myself to eat. Being off my victuals is a sure sign that the ole fella is not really up to scratch.
Oh Friends, the breeze out here is beautiful, although the temperature is starting to rise. Got to go back inside and make another cup of java. Soon come!
I’m back my people, some ten minutes later. This second cup doesn’t taste as good as the first though. But I’m too lazy to go back inside and doctor it. Anyway Friends, now I have to go and find a Bit that’s appropriate for this writing. Bear with me.
Oh mih breddren, our God is so great and helpful that in less than five minutes I’m back with a most appropriate Bit. This from Psalm 63, God satisfies the thirsting soul, written by Bruh David when he was in the wilderness of Judah hiding from his enemies. But instead of begging for mercy in his rough times, he gives praise instead.
Let’s pray these fateful words together. ‘Because thy LOVING-kindness is better than life, my lips shall praise thee. Thus will I bless thee while I live: I will lift up my hands in thy name. My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow (the best) and with fatness (abundance); and my mouth shall praise thee with joyful lips: When I remember thee upon my bed, and meditate on thee in the night watches. Because thou hast been my help, therefore in the shadow of thy wings will I rejoice.’ (Ps.63:3-7)
Words to live by Friends! Now let’s go home chanting our Friday Chant. I almost forgot it, but the Lord reminded me. He’s so good to me. Now as one: ‘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.’
Have a wonderful day my people, filled with the LOVE of our wonderful God! Much LOVE!
…those who diligently serve the Lord…will always see His hand of blessings…work meaningfully in their lives…
11 Dec 2014
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a hearty welcome, a man sent from god, a pattern of success, action movement, another brand new day, anxiety, awe, be on our p's and q's, bear witness, born not of blood, Christ's birth, christianity, Christmas, commercialism, David Thomas, encouraging, excitement, faith, fear, fear not, feel the action of God flowing through us, fight the enemy, forgiveness, friends, fruitful life, full of grace and truth, gain footholds, glory hallelujah, go overboard, heavenly rewards, human form, In the beginning was the Word, indisputable truth, infiltrate our lives, inroads, Jesus Christ, John, keep plugging and plodding on, leading, live a successful life, lot of chances, loving kindness, lustful desires, magnificent and magnanimous God, minding our business, miracle, miraculous birth of Jesus christ, never be thnkful enough, never-ending mercy, our heavenly Father, our Lord and Saviour, power to become the sons of God, power. material things, redeeming sacrifice, respect, reverence, Scrip-Bit family, se;fless act, surrender, Thank you Jesus, Thank You Lord, the biography of souls, the Holy Spirit, the Life. the Light, the light of men, the light shines in the darkness, the most radiant pages in the biography of souls, the Son of God, the things of the world, the Truth, the Way, the will of God, the will of man, the will of the flesh, the Word was God, the word was made flesh, the Word was with God, true believers, trust, ungodly and evil world, unselfish and noble actions, we love you, we shall rejoice and be glad in it, we will follow you to the ends of the earth, wonder, wonders of your glory, worldly trappings, worry, writing from the heart
John 1:1. In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
Well a warm and hearty Thursday welcome to all you Friends and Scrip-Bit family members out there in this ungodly and evil world. Fear not, for our wonderful God has provided us with another brand new day filled with His never-ending mercy, forgiveness and LOVING-kindness.
Wow! What a magnificent and magnanimous Deity we serve and worship! And all God’s children declared a loud and lusty: ‘Thank You Lord for giving us this new day, filled with all the wonders of your glory! We will praise Your Holy Name and rejoice and be glad in it, just as you desire us to! Amen!’
Yes Friends, it’s time to just keep pressing on and feel the action of God flowing through our lives in a pattern of success. And here’s a quote attributed to one David Thomas. Now I’m not sure which David Thomas it is, because there are so many around.
However, the quote is remarkable and can stand on its own, and highlights and reflects the kind of success we’re talking about. It simply says: ‘Unselfish and noble actions are the most radiant pages in the biography of souls.’
And that surely is indisputable truth my brethren! For our lives usually shine brighter and brightest when we do unselfish and noble acts, regardless of how small or insignificant they may seem. And even better yet, our heavenly Father notes them and heavenly rewards are attached to our names. Nothing could be better than that my people!
And we wouldn’t be true believers if we failed to mention the most unselfish act ever done in this whole wide world; that of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, leaving His comfortable home in heaven to come to earth in human form and offer His holy and sinless life as a redeeming sacrifice for us and our abominable sins.
And all Jesus’ followers cried out: ‘Thank You Jesus! We LOVE You! And we will follow You to the ends of the earth!’
Oh Friends, for that selfless act on Jesus’ part, we can never be thankful enough; there’s nothing we can ever do to repay that selflessness. But there again, Jesus doesn’t want our thanks so much in words, but more in deeds, for His movement, Christianity, is action oriented.
He wants us to believe in Him, that He is indeed the Way, the Truth, the Life and the Light of this evil and sinful world, and live the way He prescribes. Unfortunately though, His way of living runs counter to that of the world, which glorifies power, material things and lustful desires.
And sadly too, a lot of mankind are more enamoured with the things of the world than with those of Jesus. So what are we believers to do eh? Simply keep plugging and plodding on my brethren, and our great and generous God will give us everything we need to live a successful life and fight the enemy.
There’s not supposed to be any fear, worry or anxiety that keeps us from living a right and fruitful life that glorifies Him and helps us bring others to Him. But then again, these are not always easy things to do, especially in the kind of selfish, greedy and ungodly world in which we now live.
Those things take time, faith, trust and sure surrender. So we need to be always on our p’s and q’s, minding our business, not allowing the enemy to make any inroads into our lives.
And this season of Christmas is one of those times when we tend to go overboard and give the enemy a lot of chances to infiltrate our lives and gain footholds therein.
How you ask? By paying too much attention to the worldly trappings which surround it, and not enough to the cause of and reason for it; the wonderful and miraculous birth of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.
Oh Friends, I’m chuckling here because I have no idea where this is going. I don’t even have a Bit as yet. It’s one of those days that I like, when I’m writing from the heart, writing what I believe the Holy Spirit of God is leading and encouraging me to write.
So hearkening back to our last point, that of paying more attention to the worldly trappings of Christmas than the real cause for it, Jesus’ birth, I admonish us to try and change the balance in that equation. Let’s tone down the commercialism aspect of the situation, which sadly is being increased every year.
Instead, let’s allow the wonder, the excitement and miracle of Christ’s birth to be number one in our spirits, rather than the presents, food, and other trimmings. We obviously can’t disregard the latter stuff, but instead let’s raise up the former to the prominence that it deserves nuh.
For, remember without the birth of Christ, there’d be no Christmas, and thus no family gatherings and celebrations, no gifts, no food, nothing but another uneventful day.
And I think I’ve said my piece, (smile) now let’s see if I can find an appropriate Bit for all that. Soon come!
Oh Friends, it took les than two minutes. Glory Hallelujah! I was just led to share this most important section of scripture in its entirety. ‘In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not anything made that was made. In him was life; and the life was the light of men. And the light shineth in the darkness; and the darkness comprehended (apprehended) it not.
There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. The same came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all men through him might believe. He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light. That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world.
He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not. He came unto his own, and his own received him not. But as many as received him, to them gave he power (the right) to become the sons (children) of God, even to them that believe on his name:
Which were born, not of blood, nor the will of the flesh, nor the will of man, but of God. And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.’ (John 1:1-14)
Oh Friends, that says it all; all about Jesus! And the season we’re now celebrating, Christmas, is when that Word was made flesh and dwelt among us, the birth of that Light, the birth of the Word that was God, the birth of Jesus Christ!
So please, please let’s show the proper respect, reverence and awe to such an exceptional and miraculous event. Much LOVE!
… the trappings of Christmas are not as important as the reason for Christmas…the birth of Christ…for without Christ’s birth…there’d be no Christmas…and would that be a sad thing…
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Today’s Scrip-Bit 17 May 2015 Philippians 4:20
17 May 2015 Leave a comment
by randyobrien50 in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: a mere mortal, a strangle hold, abound to your account, according to his riches, actions, Amen, an acceptable sacrifice, aroma, be glory for ever and ever, behaviour, belief in Jesus, bring us together, Bruh Paul, busy lives, celebrate, Christians, church leaders, cliques, confident certainty, courage, deeds, denominations, desire fruit, differences, different functions, dignity, divide, divine destiny, divisions, dominon, ecstatic joy, evil minions, factions, faith, faithfully worship God, food for thought, fragrant scent, fulfill Jesus' mandate, generosity, giving thanks, glorifying God, God's sanctuary, God's word and will, grateful, Herculean task, holding my breath, hope, I do know, in cahoots with the world, inscribed me. in the palms of your hands, insular, investment, Jesus' church is one body, joy, Jude, keep keeping on, keep us apart, kindness, LOVE, lustful things, majesty, mercy, motives, Now unto God our Father, odour, our Saviour, petty, Philippians, pleasant fragrance, power, purpose, reaping, Ruth Harms Calkin, sad commentary, satisfaction, Scrip-Bit family, selfish, sheer delight, similaritites, sing and shout, soar, sob, sowing, spreading the gospel all over the world, strength, Sunlit morning, thankful, the church at Philippi, the God of the universe, the life of the Son, the Lord loves a generous giver, the love of the Father, the One Day Book of Bible Promises, the power of the Holy spirit, the prince of darkness, the things of the world, the work and treasures of heaven, thoughts, trust, ungodly world, united, uniting Christ's church, unlimited resources, uplifting, well pleasing to God, what a wonderful God we serve and worship, wise God, words, work together
Philippians 4:20. Now unto God our Father be glory for ever and ever. Amen.
A warm and welcome, gracious and LOVING Sunday morning to you my Scrip-Bit Family! (smile) I do hope that you are in the process, or will soon be in the process of getting ready to go to God’s sanctuary to celebrate and faithfully worship Him with other believers, as He desires of His followers.
For as I say every week, Jesus’ church is ONE body, made up of many believers, and in fellowship together we find strength, courage, hope and faith to keep keeping on in this ungodly world. And being ONE body, it means that all the parts, though graced with different functions, NEED to work TOGETHER if we’re to fulfill Jesus’ mandate of spreading the gospel to all and sundry, throughout the entire world. (Matt. 28:19-20)
Unfortunately though, there are too many divisions, cliques, religions, factions, denominations and what have you that divide us. That’s why the prince of darkness and his evil minions have such a strangle hold on the world.
Ah Friends, what a serious splash Christians would make in this world if we were truly joined together, united as ONE! Now I’m sincerely hoping for that, but I’m not holding my breath, because it doesn’t seem like it’s going to happen any time soon.
Why? Because we tend to let our differences – many of which are petty, insular and selfish – keep us apart, rather than let our similarities – like our basic faith, trust and belief in Jesus – bring us together. What a sad commentary on our actions and behavior as Christians, my brethren!
But I guess it doesn’t bother our church leaders sufficiently for them to seriously work at uniting Christ’s church. And even if they truly tried coming together, it would be still a Herculean task, because too many of Christ’s supposed flock are in cahoots with the world and the lustful things thereof. Anyway Friends, let that provide ample food for thought today as we go about our too busy lives.
Now here is something much more uplifting, that I couldn’t resist sharing from the One Day Book of Bible Promises with writings by Ruth Harms Calkin. It’s titled ‘The Beautiful Sunlit Morning.’
And these are the wonderful sentiments it declares. ‘Dear God On this beautiful sunlit Morning in May You’ve drenched me With ecstatic joy. I want to sing and shout I want to soar with sheer delight. At the same time I want to sob – So utterly overwhelmed I am With the magnitude of You. O God, I know I do know With serene satisfaction And confident certainty That I belong to the God of the universe – To the Creator of all that exists.
I do know That I, a mere mortal Am forever linked to divine destiny – That my life has purpose and dignity. I do know That You have chosen me As the object of Your lavish LOVE That Your thoughts toward me Are thoughts of kindness and mercy That You have inscribed me In the palms of Your hands.
I do know That all the LOVE of the Father And the Life of the Son And the Power of the Holy Spirit Are freely, inseparably mine – Now and through all eternity. O God On this beautiful sunlit Morning in May I do know.’
Oh what a beautiful declaration of faith that is my people! But how many of us, if we declare it, will then have God sadly shake His head when He looks at motives of our hearts eh? Too many, my people, too many. And that is why Christianity isn’t as strong as it used to be; too many people are not truly motivated by the Word of God, we allow the things of the world to have more sway over us than God’s Word and Will.
We’ll leave that alone for today though. (smile) Let’s concentrate on the promise that the beautiful poem was based on, and is our Bit for today. ‘Now unto God our Father be glory for ever and ever. Amen.’
Now that’s what we’re supposed to be about my brethren; giving thanks to and glorifying our heavenly Father with our words, deeds and actions!
The church at Philippi did that concerning Bruh Paul, because that was the only one that consistently sent him gifts, although he never asked them to. And though he was grateful and thankful for their interest in his well-being, as he told them: ‘Not because I desire (seek) a gift: but I desire (seek) fruit that may abound to your account.’ (Phil.4:17)
He didn’t want them to think that he was just after their money, but rather that their gift was, as the scholars explain: ‘a sure investment in the work and treasures of heaven, each one yielding rich dividends.’
Yes Friends, likewise, when we make sincere investments in the lives of others, those investments will bring forth good fruit on earth, and rich rewards for us in heaven. That’s the basic law of God, re sowing and reaping.
And Bruh Paul continues: ‘But I have all (have received all), and abound: I am full, having received of Epaphroditus the things which were sent from you, an odour of a sweet smell (a pleasant aroma), a sacrifice acceptable, well-pleasing to God. But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Jesus Christ.’ (Phil. 4:18-19)
And the scholars explain those two verses thus. ‘4:18. I have all means that Paul has received their gifts. And abound signifies that he has plenty, since all needs are now met through their generosity. God looks on their gift to Paul as an odour of a sweet smell (a fragrant scent) and a sacrifice acceptable, well pleasing.’
‘4:19. Because the Lord is aware of the sacrifice (v.18) the Philippians made in meeting Paul’s need, God will surely supply all their need. God will meet their “need” (1) according to his riches, that is in proportion to His unlimited resources; (2) in glory, that is He will meet their need “gloriously” or “in a splendid manner”, and (3) by Christ Jesus.’
Ah Friends, what a wonderful God we serve and worship! And we’ll end with a benediction that resembles our Bit, but from Jude, Jesus’ half-brother.
‘Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling (stumbling), and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy, To the only wise God our Saviour, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen.’ (Jude 24-25)
Much LOVE, my brethren!
…if one wants to receive bountifully…then one must learn to give generously… for the Lord LOVES a generous giver…