Today’s Scrip-Bit   18 July 2023 Daniel 9:3.

18 Jul 2023 Leave a comment

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

Daniel 9:3.       And I set my face unto the Lord God, to seek by prayer and supplications, with fasting, and sackcloth, and ashes:

And it looks like it’s going to be a glorious summer Tuesday in my neck of the woods! Praise the Lord! Except that I have to drive into the big metropolis of Toronto this afternoon for a doctor’s appointment. Chuh! Usually, I would take the Government’s Go Bus and enjoy a cool, quiet and stressless ride, and do the same thing coming back. But unfortunately, some wise Alec, and I’m being nice and Christian there, decided to change the bus route for their own convenient purposes and threw a lot of people out of convenient transportation. 

And they didn’t even have the good manners to ask for queries or inform the public that it was going to happen. They just threw it up unexpectedly. And it’s not like it wasn’t a profitable route, because the bus was always well stocked with commuters, especially students going to school in Toronto. One friend who’s been taking the bus for several years now, summer, spring, winter and fall, don’t know how she did it, now has to stay all week in Toronto with her daughter and be away from the rest of her family because what’s available is now too inconvenient. 

And to top it all off, the mighty city of T.O. doesn’t want people driving into its congested, under construction and badly paved roadways, but yet they are allowing convenient, profitable bus routes into the city to be discontinued. As the man would say, ‘beat me down yes!’ (smile) But that’s my rant for today. Now let’s see what the Lord has to say about it all. And the Good Library opened today unto the Book of the prophet Daniel at this particular spot where he was about to pray for His people Israel during their seventy year captivity in Babylon. 

It states: ‘And I set my face unto the Lord God, to seek by prayer and supplications, with fasting, and sackcloth, and ashes: And I prayed unto the Lord my God, and made my confession, and said, O Lord, the great and dreadful (awesome) God, keeping the covenant and mercy (LOVING-kindness) to them that LOVE him, and to them that keep his commandments. We have sinned and committed iniquity, and have done wickedly, and have rebelled, even by departing from thy precepts and from thy judgements: Neither have we hearkened unto thy servants the prophets, which spake in thy name to our kings and princes, and our fathers, and to all the people of the land.’ (Dan. 9:3-6) 

Now my fellow believers, unless we are the devil’s own children, we will agree that our society is very reminiscent of the one Daniel was referring to way back then in Israel! For we have indeed rebelled against the rules of God and committed such iniquity, iniquity that’s never ever been seen before in all the days of mankind on the earth. And I just have to sadly shake my head when I think of some of the stuff that routinely goes on in our most wonderful and enlightened society. Steups! I hope you caught the sarcasm. 

Like mankind is just going out of his way to search for the worst kind of iniquity possible. Instead of seeking for the kingdom of God and his righteousness, we’re adamantly seeking for the kingdom of Satan and his evilness. It seems like the most depraved, vile, nefarious, pernicious and corrupt situations are what we are consistently after. It must be, if we have no place for God in our hearts and are demanding He be driven out of our society. 

But as the Good Library and I keep saying, that’s a fool’s wisdom, something that will NEVER happen, because the Lord God Almighty, Creator and Controller of this mighty universe, will not allow himself to be kicked out of what He created. Now, He might allow a lot of sinful and iniquitous nonsense to go on for a time, like how a cat plays with a mouse before it finally delivers it from its torture, but the day of the wicked and its purveyor of wickedness Satan are numbered. 

The Good Library tells us in the Book of Revelation, that after the Millennium reign of Christ, during which time the devil will be locked up and unable to tempt anyone, he will be released and continue with his stupid actions, causing the wicked to fight the saints of God. But then, after the last battle, here’s what happens. ‘And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever.’ (Rev. 20:10) 

Oh my people, however you want to put it, the simple fact is that Satan and his minions, any who are foolish enough to follow his deceitful and evil ways, will eventually be destroyed. That’s the long, short and in between of the story. And it’s been repeated over and over throughout the whole of the Good Library. So, I don’t understand how we can continue with the foolish and unwise action of listening to Satan and doing his evil deeds, when certain destruction is in the offing for evil doers. 

And as Daniel said way back then: ‘As it is written in the law of Moses, all this evil is come upon us: yet made we not our prayer before the Lord our God, that we might turn from our iniquities, and understand thy truth.’ (Dan. 9:13) Yes friends, despite all the evil both in and around us, we still refuse to take our problems to the God of the universe who has faithfully promised to help us in every and any way necessary, so that we can live righteously, for Him and His kingdom. 

Apparently, the lure of Satan and his fake and fancy baubles and bangles are greater than the imperishable rewards that will be stored in heaven for the righteous. As usual, with our greedy lust of the eyes, we want to see it before we believe it. But I definitely don’t want to be there when those who fall for Satan’s lies and deceptions see their promised destruction coming upon them. Now, let’s hope that what we’ve said has gotten home to all of us, and will deter us from turning away from Almighty God and keep us revelling in His awesome grace and mercy. 

And for those of us who are intent on doing just that, let’s go home declaring (yesss!!!) our Tuesday Mantra, letting all and sundry know to whom we belong lock, stock and barrel. As one voice: ‘In God’s eyes, 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 worry. I don’t have to hurry. I can trust my friend Jesus and share His LOVE with my immediate neighbours, as well as with the whole wide world! Glory be!’ 

Now let’s get out into the evil and ungodly world and share that awesome and amazing LOVE and friendship of Christ with all we meet, so that they too can come to know and LOVE Him like we do! Much LOVE!

…it’s time for Christians to stop talking…and instead get to doing some serious action for Christ… 

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Today’s Scrip-Bit   4 March 2022 Isaiah 42:8.

04 Mar 2022 Leave a comment

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

Isaiah 42:8.     I am the Lord: that is my name: and my glory will I not give to another, neither my praise to graven images.

So now it’s Friday…and our spirits are lifted because work will soon be done and the weekend will be open for fun and frolic. But please remember that we are now in the Lenten Season, which means we have cut down some on the fun and frolic, getting a li’l more serious about our life with Christ. Concentrating on opening up our true selves to Him, and getting to know Him better, through prayer, meditation, fasting and sincere brotherly LOVE. 

In this time, we ought to be seriously concerned about the sin in our lives and truly seeking the kingdom of God and His righteousness with a sense of purpose, so that we can be liberated by His awesome power and our worldly needs met through His divine intervention. Ah friends, if there’s ever a time when we need to seek God it’s in this season of Lent and the numerous problems facing us worldwide. 

It recalls the words of the prophet Hosea when he entreated Israel to return to the Lord with these prophetic statements. ‘O Israel, return unto the Lord thy God; for thou hast fallen by thy iniquity. Take with you words, and turn to the Lord: say unto him. Take away all iniquity, and receive us graciously: so will we render the calves (sacrifices) of our lips. Ashur (Assyria) shall not save us; we will not ride upon horses: neither will we say anymore to the work of our hands, Ye are our gods: for in thee the fatherless findeth mercy.’ (Hos.14:1-3) 

Oh my people, if we ever hope to improve our worldly condition, we ought to pay serious attention to the words of the prophet, because there’s no doubt that we have replicated Israel’s situation from way back then. We have turned away from God, foolishly worshipping the idols of our own hands and minds. Yes, our iniquity has completely overtaken us, like it had done to Israel, no wonder the sad and sorry state of confusion, strife and disaster we are now experiencing. 

And the scholars offer this explanation of those verses above. ‘14: 1-3. Calves of our lips: The word calves (Heb. par, “a young bull or produce”) is best understood metaphorically, referring to the words that the lips produce – in this context praise to the Lord. The nation (of Israel) had used its lips to praise the idolatrous calves, now it will use its lips in praise to the Lord God.’ 

And that’s exactly what we have been doing for the last generation – praising idols, but it’s time now to turn back to the God of our forefathers, who is the Only One who can protect us and keep us save from the wiles and deceits of the enemy. He is the Only One who can provide grace and mercy to us, who are so badly in need of a gracious and merciful Father. Other created men and animals, or our dead self-created idols cannot save or help us; only the One who created us in the first place, can now provide sanctuary and solve our many serious problems. 

And this other verse from Hosea re Israel’s rebellion also applies to our recent folly. ‘Woe unto them (Israel)! for they have fled from me: destruction unto them! because they have transgressed against me: though I have redeemed them, yet they have spoken lies against me.’ (Hos. 7:13) 

Yes friends, although our good and ever-faithful God has redeemed us through the sacrificial blood of His Son Jesus, we have still turned away from Him and been blaspheming and lying on Him with such a fierceness that many others have also turned away from Him, and now it’s our concerted effort to remove Him completely from our society. 

But as I keep saying, that’s a fool’s wisdom, for it will never happen, because the Lord will never give up His power and glory to any other. He’s said that quite clearly through the prophet Isaiah. ‘I am the Lord: that is my name: and my glory will I not give to another, neither my praise to graven images.’ (Is. 42:8) 

That to me is quite plain and straightforward, but so many of us seem to believe otherwise, else we would not be trying to replace the Creator with dead graven images. However, this verse from the Book of Hebrews points us in the direction in which we ought to go if we truly need salvation. It says: ‘By him (Jesus) therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is the fruit of our lips giving thanks (confessing to) his name.’ (Heb. 13:15)

Yes my brethren, it’s certainly time to turn back to our Creator and offer our prayers and praise to Him instead of the evil enemy who’s only bent on keeping us in his evil clutches, away from the grace and mercy of our heavenly Father. And the first step in that direction is always sincere prayer. So let’s go there right now nuh, through our Friday Chant and place our desires with confidence before the heavenly throne, knowing that sincere prayer will never be turned away by our Creator. 

Altogether now: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through this past week. You know it’s been rough… what with all the anxiety, the confusion and havoc that the Covid-19 virus and our many other problems are causing. We can’t seem to fix it on our own Lord, that means we desperately need your help. Oh heavenly Father, with your omnipotent help, and our trusting faith, we know that we can stand strong and steadfast and defeat both the virus and the unrest in our streets. 

So Lord, we sincerely ask you today to give the governments and those involved in the forefront of this serious and unexpected storm, the wise guidance to handle the situation properly, with the least amount of loss to life and property as possible. And please help those of us who must go out to work amidst all the confusion, to be responsible and to stay safe, and avoid any more serious setbacks. And Lord, we fervently pray that You’ll use this situation to bring a lot of backsliders back to your fold, show them the error of their ways. 

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

Now, please remember that we have to keep our promises, if we expect the Lord to keep His. Much LOVE!

…how can dead man-made idols…save living creations of Almighty God…it’s totally impossible… 

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Today’s Scrip-Bit 31 July 2015 Matthew 5:14‏

31 Jul 2015 Leave a comment

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

Matthew 5:14.    Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hid.

Ah Friends, after one time is really two yes! Yesterday this time I felt so light and airy and pain free that I could have flown away. Hn! Today I’d have to be a helicopter to lift off the ground, because I can hardly walk, at least not pain free.

Ah Lord eh! Our God does move in mysterious ways that we humans definitely can’t understand nuh. Yesterday evening I went into my bathroom and simply put my left foot up on the bathtub level, intending to go up there, but brother, by the time I placed the weight on it, a sudden and entirely unexpected pain ran through my left knee, and it’s been bugging me ever since.

No rhyme or reason whatsoever for it. And my knees have been the least of my worries for the longest while, merely the occasional pain, but nothing that lasts as long and as excruciating as this.

A while ago I went outside to greet the day and say good morning, it seems like another beautiful one, and as I stepped back inside, the pain unexpectedly ricocheted through my soul and sent my cries reverberating through the house. I doubt anybody heard though, because they are all still asleep.

Chuh Steups! And the sad part is that today is the Caribana Steelband Competition, the only Caribana event that I still go to regularly. But I can’t go if I can walk without excruciating pain, because it does entail some walking, and even worse, climbing steps to get a good view of the celebration.

And believe me, I won’t be a happy camper if I don’t get to go. But yuh know what Friends, we’re supposed to be people of faith, of strong faith, so I’m just going to put that faith to work. If the pain could rear up its ugly head so unexpectedly, the same way it can disappear just as suddenly. Oh glory to God!

Now let’s deal with more important matters, today being Friday…

‘Thank God for that yes!’ the shouts reverberate around me. ‘Oh TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday, Caribana Friday to boot, and a long weekend too. Mama Mia! It’s party time!’

Awright Friends, that’s all true, but let’s just remember that ole crook Beelzebub, waiting patiently in the weeds to jump and latch on to any faux pas or ungodly behaviour that we might unwisely engage in. So please be careful and keep our wits about us, this Caribana weekend, for there will be plenty of opportunity to fall prey to the enemy.

And to help us with that, let’s chant our Friday Chant with great gusto.  ‘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.’

Yeh Friends, we have to remember what lies ahead after the partying is over, the daily grind and common task once again, and include it in our deliberations on how to spend the weekend. Oh, and don’t forget Granny’s wise advice: ‘Sonny boy, please, ah beg yuh, remember, drunk or sober, please mind yuh business.’ (smile)

Oh my people, we couldn’t get any better advice than that in such a small nutshell, in such few words. Now let’s go out and practice it along with the overall duty set out in our Bit by our Lord, Leader and Saviour Jesus Christ. ‘Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hid.’

Oh my fellow believers, it is indeed our bounden duty to bring the light of Jesus to this darkened and ungodly world. It is a truly big and difficult task, but only we who have seen the blessed light can accomplish it.

Luke in his gospel, when Jesus is talking about seeking the kingdom of God before anything else, quotes Him as saying: ‘Let your loins (waist) be girded about, and your lights burning.’ (Luke 12:35)

And the scholars explain it thus. ’12:35-48. Jesus recommends constant readiness in light of the approaching Judgement Day.’

’12:35. Loins be girded: One’s outer robe had to be tucked into a belt before working, running, doing battle, or the like. Jesus is saying, “Be alert!”

And that we certainly need to be my brethren, for we know not when our Lord will return in all His glory, but when he does return, He expects his people to be ready and waiting.

Jesus spells this out on several occasions. One of them is right there in Luke 12:36-40,when talking about the lord returning from a wedding and the servants waiting up to greet him. And ending with this admonishment. ‘Be ye therefore ready also: for the Son of man cometh at an hour when ye think not.’ (Luke 12:40)

He also talks about having our lights burning and waiting patiently in the parable of the ten virgins who went out to meet the bridegroom. (Matt.25:1-13) Five of them were wise and took extra oil for their lamps, just in case the bridegroom took longer than expected, while the other five were foolish and took no extra oil with them.

The long and short of the story is that the bridegroom came later than expected and the five foolish virgins who had to go and get oil, were eventually locked out of the party. This all has to do with the church being the bride of Christ and we being attendants at the wedding.

So please let’s all try to be wise and keep extra oil for our lamps, and keep them burning continuously, (1) so that others will be able to see the figurative light of Jesus shining through us, and thus want to know and surrender their miserable lives to Him.

And (2) whenever Jesus returns, we won’t be found wanting, we will be ready, with our lamps burning ever so brightly and waiting with bated breath and heavenly excitement to sit and sup with Him! Now that’s wisdom at its zenith my people! Much LOVE!

…watch therefore…for ye know neither the day nor the hour…wherein the Son of man cometh… (Matt.25:13)