Today’s Scrip-Bit 21 June 2021 Romans 5:5.

21 Jun 2021 Leave a comment

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

Romans 5:5.     And hope maketh not ashamed (does not disappoint); because the LOVE of God is shed abroad (poured out) in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.

Oh praise the Lord, Monday has come around again! And I know that many of us don’t like Mondays, because it means we have to go out to work, to face the drudgery and same old, same old after a relaxing weekend. At least it used to mean that in the pre-pandemic times. (smile) But fellow believers, regardless of what day it might be, in whatever situation we might find ourselves, we should find a joy in just being alive one more day with God’s Holy Spirit leading and guiding us into all truth. 

Remember, once we’re alive, we have hope, that marvelous expectation that rises up in us, that never says die. As one commentator says: ‘Hope is something we can’t live without. Real Hope comes from God and is ours when we put our trust in Him.’ And that hope breeds faith, which keeps us fighting on because we are children of the Most High God Jehovah! We who have been justified by faith in Jesus Christ, who was raised from the dead so that we could be made the righteousness of God in Christ. 

And Bruh Paul tells it thus to the church at Rome. ‘Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience (produces perseverance); And patience (perseverance), experience (character); and experience (character), hope: And hope maketh not ashamed (does not disappoint); because the LOVE of God is shed abroad (poured out) in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.’ (Rom. 5:1-5) 

Yes friends, as believers in Christ Jesus, we have everything to live for, and everything we need to live through whatever situations we encounter in this cruel, crazy and godless world! The trials and tribulations we encounter down here only build us up, make us stronger in Jesus. Now isn’t that enough to make us come alive, despite whatever problems we’re currently facing? It should be. And if it’s not, then there are a whole lot of other scriptures of hope, faith and promise for us to feast on, scriptures that will strengthen us, give us some much needed belly and backbone for the tough times that will come our way at some time or other in our earthly lives. 

So let’s look at a few of those scriptures nuh, bury them deep in our hearts, minds and souls, so that we can resurrect them in our time of need. First up is that magnificent promise our God made way back when through the prophet Jeremiah. ‘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) 

And that promise has not changed. In fact, it’s gotten even better, because after that God sent Jesus to die for us, so we could have salvation and eternal life if we believed in Him. Now there’s no hope or future that’s better than that! And God’s children joyfully and gratefully shouted: ‘Thank You Lord for Jesus!’ 

Now listen to this other old, but more easily understood and practical promise; this one through the prophet Isaiah. ‘Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? there is no searching of his understanding. He giveth power to the faint (weak), and to them that have no might he increaseth strength. Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall: But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary, and they shall walk, and not faint.’ (Is. 40:28-31) 

Oh my people, how can such a mighty scripture not lift our spirits and renew our faith eh! Now listen to Job, whom we consider the father of patience, of perseverance, on the subject of hope. ‘And thine age (thy life) shall be clearer (brighter) than the noonday; thou shalt shine forth, thou shalt be as the morning. And thou shalt be secure, because there is hope; yea, thou shalt dig about thee, and thou shalt take thy rest in safety. Also thou shalt lie down, and none shall make thee afraid, yea, many will make suit unto you (shall court your favour).’ (Job 11:17-19) 

Mama Yo! What encouraging words my brethren! And we all know that though Job lost all his wealth and family, because he stood strong in the Lord, the Lord replenished him with twice what he lost. And furthermore, listen as he states his faith. ‘I know that my Redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter (last) day upon the earth. And though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God.’ (Job 19:25-26) Powerful words of hope and faith friends! Words that ALL believers ought to be able to say in all sincerity and truth. 

And the last scripture on hope is very appropriately from Bruh Paul, explaining the reason for Old Testament hope. ‘For whatsoever things were written aforetime (beforehand) were written for our learning, that we through patience (perseverance) and comfort of the scriptures might have hope.’ (Rom. 15:4) Yes my fellow believers, the scriptures were written so that we could have hope. But that means we have to seriously study them, they are not going to simply seep into our consciousness by osmosis. Or as Bruh Paul says: ‘Rejoicing in hope; patient (persevering) in tribulation; continuing instant (steadfastly) in prayer.’ (Rom. 12:12) 

And since there’s no doubt that we are currently facing much tribulation, let’s take Bruh Paul’s advice nuh, to rejoice in hope, stand strong in the tribulation, and steadfast in prayer, by taking our troubles to the Lord in sincere prayer right now through our Monday Morning Battle Hymn. As one strong voice: ‘Our Father, who art in heaven, we, Your humble servants, praise Your Holy Name and thank Youthis Monday morning for life and strong faith in Christ, despite the mass confusion in our world. We desperately need Your divine help, for You are the ONLY ONE with the power to solve our many problems. 

Heavenly Father, we admit that we have all sinned and seriously disobeyed Your Word, but we know that You are a merciful, forgiving and gracious God, who has faithfully promised to hear and answer our prayers when we humble ourselves, pray, and sincerely seek Your face. That’s why we come to You now, with sincere repentance in our hearts, pleading with You to give us wise guidance and direction to alleviate our problems. And Father, we pray that you will ease the pain of the many who are suffering from negative situations. 

Please show them Your awesome grace and mercy, and keep Your promise that You’ll hear our prayer, forgive us, and heal our land if we turn from our evil ways. Show this evil world that You are indeed Jehovah Rapha; the God who heals! We pray this in the holy and blessed name of Your Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen! And again, we say: Amen!’  

Now, we must prove to the Lord that we mean business by changing our evil ways. Much LOVE!

…now may the God of hope…fill you with all joy and peace in believing…that you may abound in hope…by the power of the Holy Spirit… (Rom. 15:13) 

Today’s Scrip-Bit 14 June 2021 John 15:13.

14 Jun 2021 Leave a comment

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

John 15:13.     ​Greater LOVE hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.

Up, up and away friends! It’s Monday, the beginning of a brand new work week! That means there are things to do, places to go and people to see, so please, let’s get a move on, for time waits on no one! Awright, thanks for reminding me that some of you still don’t have jobs, and still can’t go to some of the places you want to go to, like the gym, hair salon and barbershop, despite the lifting of some lockdown restrictions. Yes mih bredrin, life can certainly be rough at times oui! 

But please don’t get discouraged, let’s look at the flip side of the coin instead nuh. We have life, which means there is hope, and most of all we have Jesus…Glory be mih people! That then means we have the awesome benefits of grace, mercy, LOVE and salvation! Wow! What a treasure trove of benefits! And all God’s children gave out a loud shout of gratitude and praise. ‘Thank you Jesus, for saving our sinful souls from hellfire and damnation, through your selfless sacrifice on the cross of Calvary!’ 

Oh my fellow saints, every time I sit down and ponder on Jesus, contemplate His awesome LOVE and selflessness, and the terrible pain and ‘sufferation’ He endured on our account, my heart pains me because I just can’t imagine myself suffering to that degree for someone else. And that selflessness just makes me LOVE and appreciate Him even more. That leads me to consider these heartfelt and life-giving words that He shared with the disciples as His time of sacrifice drew near. 

‘If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto (for) you. Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples. As the Father hath LOVED me, so have I LOVED you: continue (abide) in my LOVE. If ye keep my commandments; ye shall abide in my LOVE; even as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his LOVE. These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full. 

This is my commandment, That ye LOVE one another, as I have LOVED you. Greater LOVE hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you. Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you. 

Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained (appointed) you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you. These things I command you, that ye LOVE one another.’ (John 15:7-17) 

Oh friends, just look at all the important statements in those few verses nuh. But please note they are all based on one condition: obedience to His commandments. The scholars characterize them thus: ‘abiding in His LOVE (vs.10), full joy (vs.11), LOVE for one another (vs. 12-13, 17; cf. 13:34-35), friends, not servants (vs.14-15), fruit remains (vs.16), and answered prayer (vs.16) Not forgetting that it was Christ who chose them. ‘It was by His appointment, not by their choice they were taken out of the world (vs.19) and sent out to bear fruit.’ 

But the verse I am especially interested in today is our Bit. ‘Greater LOVE hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.’ How beautiful is Christ eh, that after calling us friends, and making that statement, that’s exactly what He went out and did; lay down, sacrifice His sinless life for us, sinners, whom He considered friends, disciples, ambassadors and earthly representatives. 

No wonder Bruh Paul wrote these powerful words in his missive to the church at Ephesus, re the ways of the believer. ‘Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children; And walk in LOVE, as Christ also hath LOVED us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God, for a sweet-smelling savour (aroma).’ (Eph. 5:1-2) You can’t argue with that sentiment friends, for it’s the indisputable truth! 

Furthermore, listen to John in his first epistle as he talks about LOVING each other. ‘Hereby perceive we the LOVE of God, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. But whoso hath this world’s good (goods), and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion (his heart) from him, how dwelleth the LOVE of God in him? My little children, let us not LOVE in word, neither in tongue (mere word); but in deed and in truth.’ (1 John 3:16-18) 

There’s nothing to argue with in those verses either my people. What we need to do, especially in these tough times of sickness, poverty and strife is put them into action; help each other, LOVE each other, the way Christ LOVED and helped us. That’s when we show the world and Christ that we are His true disciples! Now, let’s go talk to the Lord in prayer, pour out our troubles and woes to Him, through our Monday Morning Battle Hymn. 

Altogether now: ‘Our Father, who art in heaven, we, Your humble servants, praise Your Holy Name and thank You this Monday morning for life and strong faith in Christ, despite the mass confusion in our world. We desperately need Your divine help, for You are the ONLY ONE with the power to solve our many problems. 

Heavenly Father, we admit that we have all sinned and seriously disobeyed Your Word, but we know that You are a merciful, forgiving and gracious God, who has faithfully promised to hear and answer our prayers when we humble ourselves, pray, and sincerely seek Your face. That’s why we come to You now, with sincere repentance in our hearts, pleading with You to give us wise guidance and direction to alleviate our problems. 

And Father, we pray that you will ease the pain of the many who are suffering from negative situations. Please show them Your awesome grace and mercy, and keep Your promise that You’ll hear our prayer, forgive us, and heal our land if we turn from our evil ways. Show this evil world that You are indeed Jehovah Rapha; the God who heals! We pray this in the holy and blessed name of Your Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen! And again, we say: Amen!’ 

Now let’s remember the number one reason for divine help and blessings: OBEDIENCE! Much LOVE!

…plenty talk…with no action…is useless…it helps no one…                                                                        

Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZJ8           

Today’s Scrip-Bit 31 May 2021 Job 21:15.

31 May 2021 Leave a comment

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

Job 21:15.     What is the Almighty, that we should serve him? And what profit should we have, if we pray unto him?

Oh brother, it’s Monday again! That means another week has begun! Some people think that in this time of pandemic, the days are moving ever so slowly, in fact they would say that they are practically dragging, (smile) but for me the weeks are passing ever so quickly! And the sad part is that I am not accomplishing most of what I plan to accomplish. 

So what’s going on eh? Is it that I am simply planning to accomplish too much? I don’t think so. I think the time just gets away from me…(smile) Good excuse eh. But I am promising myself that this week, I won’t allow the time to get away from me, and I will make a big dent in my scheduled plans. Stay tuned for a good report next Monday…provided the Lord sees fit to give us life at that time. 

And today we are going to look at an interesting verse of scripture as Job bemoans the prosperity of the wicked. In his sorrow and discouragement, he asks? ‘What is the Almighty, that we should serve him? And what profit should we have, if we pray unto him?’ (Job 21:15) Now why does Job ask such a question eh? He is refuting his friends’ assumption that the wicked are judged and the righteous are blessed. He considered himself righteous, but look at what happened to him. In a cruel moment he lost everything, which led his friends to believe that he was wicked. 

And the scholars tell us that ‘if one looks at life objectively: the wicked’s children are established (vs.8), his house is safe (vs.9), his cattle reproduce (vs.16), and so on. He even receives an honourable burial (vs. 32-33).’ And it’s hard to argue with Job’s points, even today friends, but it is indeed wisdom to serve and pray to the Lord. Why you ask? It’s good to look back at another instance where a mortal man asked the same question that Job does above. We talking about the Pharaoh of Egypt. 

When Moses asked him to allow the Israelites to go into the wilderness and feast and worship the Lord, his arrogant reply was: ‘Who is the Lord, that I should obey his voice to let Israel go? I know not the Lord, neither will I let Israel go.’ (Ex. 5:2) And instead of letting them go into the wilderness to sacrifice to their God, he made their labour heavier. And despite several entreaties by Moses, and several plagues that fell upon the land of Egypt, Pharaoh refused to set God’s people free. 

Not until the tenth plague did he agree to let them go. That’s when all the first born of Egypt, of man and beast, died, and those of Israel survived, because they followed God’s instructions and sacrificed an unblemished lamb, placing its blood on the front of their houses, so when the angel of death passed over and saw the blood they did not destroy those within it. And that’s how the feast of the Passover came to be. That story can be found in Exodus 12. But Pharaoh was still so arrogant and full of himself, that even after allowing them to leave, he pursued them with his mighty army. 

And we have another wonderful example of why it’s important to serve and pray to Almighty God. The Lord parted the Red Sea for the Israelites to cross over on dry land, but drowned Pharaoh and all his host, fulfilling His promise to the Israelites as they stood afraid on the banks of the Red Sea watching Pharaoh and his mighty host approach. ‘And Moses said unto the people, Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation (deliverance) of the Lord, which he will show to you today: for the Egyptians whom ye have seen today, ye shall see them again no more for ever. The Lord shall fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace (be quiet).’ (Ex. 14:13-14) 

Yes friends, our God does not make empty promises, so please listen carefully to this one from the prophet Malachi, re the coming day of the Lord, a promise that pointedly ends the Old Testament. ‘For, behold, the day cometh, that shall burn as an oven; and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble: and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the Lord of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch. 

But unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings; and ye shall go forth, and grow up as calves in the stall (grow fat like stall fed calves). And ye shall tread down (trample) the wicked: for they shall be ashes under the soles of your feet in the day that I shall do this, saith the Lord of hosts.’ (Mal. 4:1-3) 

Oh my people, that day of the Lord is the coming of the Great Tribulation, and I don’t think we want to be involved in it nuh, for much anguish and pain will befall the wicked, that’s Satan and his followers. But please notice, that Sun of righteousness, the Messiah, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, has already made His entrance, with healing in His wings. So please don’t doubt that the rest of the promise will also come true. Thus, in light of that, I’m asking those of us who sincerely serve the Lord and seek righteousness, to join me right now, in prayer to our wonderful God, for His divine assistance with our many problems. 

As one strong voice, let’s send up our Monday Morning Battle Hymn to heaven. ‘Our Father, who art in heaven, we, Your humble servants, praise Your Holy Name and thank You this Monday morning for life and strong faith in Christ, despite the mass confusion in our world. We desperately need Your divine help, for You are the ONLY ONE with the power to solve our many problems. 

Heavenly Father, we admit that we have all sinned and seriously disobeyed Your Word, but we know that You are a merciful, forgiving and gracious God, who has faithfully promised to hear and answer our prayers when we humble ourselves, pray, and sincerely seek Your face. That’s why we come to You now, with sincere repentance in our hearts, pleading with You to give us wise guidance and direction to alleviate our problems. 

And Father, we pray that you will ease the pain of the many who are suffering from negative situations. Please show them Your awesome grace and mercy, and keep Your promise that You’ll hear our prayer, forgive us, and heal our land if we turn from our evil ways. Show this evil world that You are indeed Jehovah Rapha; the God who heals! We pray this in the holy and blessed name of Your Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen! And again, we say: Amen!’ 

Now, please remember that the Lord will only answer our prayer positively, after checking the motives of our hearts and seeing that they are right and sincere. Much LOVE!

…blessed are the righteous…and cursed are the ungodly…                                                          

Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZJ8             

Today’s Scrip-Bit 24 May 2021 Matthew 5:13a, 14a.

24 May 2021 Leave a comment

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

Matthew 5:13a, 14a.     Ye are the salt of the earth: Ye are the light of the world.

Let’s get to it people! Let’s get to Monday nuh! There’s a lot of work to be done, even though it’s a holiday in these parts. Why do you think we are alive today eh? Because the Lord has important work for us to do, towards furthering His kingdom. Stuff that He’s planned from the beginning of time. As Bruh David so prophetically declares in Psalm 139: ‘Thine eyes did see my substance, yet being unperfect (unformed); and in thy book all my members were written, which in continuance were fashioned, when as yet there was none of them.’ (Ps. 139:16) 

That means exactly what it says, the Lord planned our lives before He even made one of our bones! And this is our time, the moment in history that He earmarked for us to be alive and producing on His behalf! So let’s get with it nuh. And, by the way, there’s nothing that says you can’t enjoy yourself and do Jesus’ work at the same time eh. (smile) So even if you’re in a party, hopefully a small one, you can still let Jesus and His wonderful vibes flow from your spirit. 

In fact, He deeply desires others to see Him shining forth in our normal behaviour, where the fruit of the Spirit – LOVE, joy peace, long-suffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, meekness and self-control, are prominent in the way we always carry ourselves! And yes, I know that’s not always easy to do, but if we set our minds to it, and request Christ’s help, we can certainly accomplish it a fair amount of the time. 

The truth is, if people don’t see Christ shining forth in us, then they won’t be inclined to believe what we say about Him, or want to invite Him into their lives. That’s why Jesus desires us to be like salt and light. As He says:‘Ye are the salt of the earth:but if the salt have lost his savour (flavour), wherewith (by what) shall it be salted? It is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden underfoot of men.’ (Matt. 5:13) 

Yeh friends, we all know the many uses of salt, and that we could not survive without it. Back in Jesus time though, it was even more useful and more important. And that’s how He would like His followers to be; useful and important…not self-important, but important to our communities, leading by example. The same thing goes for light. Jesus says: ‘Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hid.’ (Matt. 5:14) 

And that’s the gospel truth; the light of a city set on a hill can be seen for miles around. It’s like a beacon in the dark night, drawing others to it for safety. And that’s how we ought to be; sentinels, beacons, lighthouses shining in the darkness of this evil world to show others the light that’s Jesus and draw them to Him for their eternal protection. And Jesus puts it into perfect perspective when He declares: ‘Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.’ (Matt. 5:16) 

It couldn’t be said any better than that my brethren! Trust Jesus to know how to clothe it with just enough dig to get our dander up, but not be too self-conscious and ashamed. Oh my people, in those two simple statements – the salt of the earth, and the light of the world – Jesus sums up the basic character of the believer’s life. 

As the scholars explain: ‘5:14-16. Ye are the light of the world describes the essential mission of the Christian to the world. He is the condition (salt) to meet the world’s needs and he has a mission (light) to the world. His light is to shine forth into the darkness of human depravity. He is to set his light upon a candlestick, not hide it under a bushel, or basket. Darkness is the absence of light; and darkness alone cannot dispel the light, but the smallest light can dispel the greatest darkness.’ 

Words of indisputable truth my fellow believers. And from that, we can logically draw the conclusion that our world is so clothed in darkness because Christ’s followers are not putting forth enough light to quell the darkness. What a crying shame my friends! But starting today, I know we are going to make significant changes; we’re going to flavour up our salt and turn up the light in our lamps, so that the world can see Jesus through us. Now it won’t be easy, but since we know that God will help us do whatever needs doing for His glory, let’s go to Him now in prayer, through our Monday Morning Battle Hymn, sincerely asking for His assistance. 

Altogether now: ‘Our Father, who art in heaven, we, Your humble servants, praise Your Holy Name and thank You this Monday morning for life and strong faith in Christ, despite the mass confusion in our world. We desperately need Your divine help, for You are the ONLY ONE with the power to solve our many problems. 

Heavenly Father, we admit that we have all sinned and seriously disobeyed Your Word, but we know that You are a merciful, forgiving and gracious God, who has faithfully promised to hear and answer our prayers when we humble ourselves, pray, and sincerely seek Your face. That’s why we come to You now, with sincere repentance in our hearts, pleading with You to give us wise guidance and direction to alleviate our problems. 

And Father, we pray that you will ease the pain of the many who are suffering from negative situations. Please show them Your awesome grace and mercy, and keep Your promise that You’ll hear our prayer, forgive us, and heal our land if we turn from our evil ways. Show this evil world that You are indeed Jehovah Rapha; the God who heals! We pray this in the holy and blessed name of Your Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen! And again, we say: Amen!’ 

And we all know the necessary drill; show sincere repentance if we want our prayers answered in a positive manner. Much LOVE!

…for our world to improve…Christian influence…must become much more prominent than it is currently…                                                   

Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZJ8            

Today’s Scrip-Bit 17 May 2021 Psalm 16:1

17 May 2021 Leave a comment

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

Psalm 16:1.     Preserve (watch over) me, O God: for in thee do I put my trust.

Chuh! I wish I could help it friends, but I can’t. Monday has come around again! And we all know what that means…work, for those of us who have it. But I have one good bit of news, though it’s somewhat selfish. At long last, the weather seems to be finally warming up enough for me to sit on my front porch or back deck without much clothes on. (smile) Awright! 

And right now, that’s of great benefit, especially when in this lockdown, we’re not supposed to wander hither and yon from home without good reason. It gives me a semblance of freedom from being constantly locked up in the house with windows and doors tightly shut because of the cold outside. And I know some of you readers in the permanently warm climes are chuckling at my predicament, but I’ll grin and bear it, since it’s just an unavoidable consequence of living in the northern countries. 

However, my people, regardless of whether or not we have a job, or are struggling with other problems in these uncertain times, the important thing to realize is that as true believers in Christ, we have His endless grace and mercy to look forward to every day, as well as His forgiveness and LOVE, all nicely wrapped up in the peace and joy of His salvation. Praise His holy name! 

And why do we value them so highly? Because they are things that cannot be bought or earned; they are gifts of our sovereign God, generously bestowed on us when we believe in His only Son Christ Jesus and try to live the way He desires us to. That means, whatever our particular situation or circumstance, there should always be a level of trust and confidence in our approach to solving them; a positive rather than a negative attitude should prevail, simply because we know Christ is walking with us on this pilgrim’s journey and He won’t let us stumble and fall without lending a helping hand. 

And Bruh David puts it so well in Psalm 16 when he seeks preservation and blessing. ‘Preserve (watch over) me, O God: for in thee do I put my trust. O my soul, thou hast said unto the Lord, Thou art my Lord: my goodness extendeth not to thee (is nothing apart from thee); But to the saints that are in the earth, and to the excellent (they are the excellent), in whom is all my delight. Their sorrows shall be multiplied that hasten after another god: their drink offerings of blood will I not offer, nor take up their names into my lips. 

The Lord is the portion of mine inheritance and of my cup: thou maintainest (uphold) my lot. The lines are fallen unto me in pleasant places; yea, I have a godly heritage (inheritance). I will bless the Lord who hath given me counsel; my reins (heart) also instruct me in the night seasons. I have set the Lord always before me: because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved.’ (Ps. 16:1-8) And all God’s people gave a big, grateful shout of ‘Glory Hallelujah! Praise the Lord for His goodness to the children of men!’ 

Now listen to these interesting explanations from the scholars.‘Psalm 16.The attitude of the righteous man is described in life (vs. 1-8) and death (vs. 9-11). In life, his attitude is one of trust (vs. 1), gratefulness for God’s goodness (vs. 2), delight in God’s people (vs. 3), separation from idolatrous worship (vs. 4; cf. Ex. 23:13; Deut. 12:3), satisfaction in God’s gracious provisions (vs. 5-6), praise for the Lord’s counsel (vs. 7), and steadfastness in spiritual devotion (vs. 8).’ 

And that is the basic way that the saints of Christ ought to live this earthly life; always looking to God, regardless of our circumstances. And we couldn’t have a better human example than Bruh David, for though he was anointed, he made mistakes and brought disgrace to God’s kingdom, but was still considered a friend of God and a man after His own heart because he never veered from the path that led to God, despite His weaknesses, sins and failures. His eyes were always focused on the God of his forefathers. 

Likewise, our eyes should be steadfastly focused on the God of our forefathers, through the amazing feats of His Son Jesus Christ and the godly working in us of the Holy Spirit. So let’s work on the life aspect of the situation today nuh, and tomorrow, God spare life, we will look at how the saints of Christ ought to look at death. And now, it’s time to go to God in prayer, with thanksgiving, and sincerely open up our hearts and souls to Him, as He desires of us. Let’s pour out all our hopes, dreams and fears through our Monday Morning Battle Hymn. 

Altogether now: ‘Our Father, who art in heaven, we, Your humble servants, praise Your Holy Name and thank You this Monday morning for life and strong faith in Christ, despite the mass confusion in our world. We desperately need Your divine help, for You are the ONLY ONE with the power to solve our many problems. 

Heavenly Father, we admit that we have all sinned and seriously disobeyed Your Word, but we know that You are a merciful, forgiving and gracious God, who has faithfully promised to hear and answer our prayers when we humble ourselves, pray, and sincerely seek Your face. That’s why we come to You now, with sincere repentance in our hearts, pleading with You to give us wise guidance and direction to alleviate our problems. 

And Father, we pray that you will ease the pain of the many who are suffering from negative situations. Please show them Your awesome grace and mercy, and keep Your promise that You’ll hear our prayer, forgive us, and heal our land if we turn from our evil ways. Show this evil world that You are indeed Jehovah Rapha; the God who heals! We pray this in the holy and blessed name of Your Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen! And again, we say: Amen!’ 

And let me remind us that the answer to our prayer will depend on the state of our hearts, whether we’re sincere or not. Much LOVE!

…if we can’t trust our God…then whom or what can we trust eh…                                            

Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZJ8                  

Today’s Scrip-Bit 10 May 2021 Matthew 28:19a.

10 May 2021 Leave a comment

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

Matthew 28:19a.    ​Go ye therefore, and teach (make disciples of) all nations,

Awright friends, it’s Monday, so let’s be up and at ‘em nuh! It’s a new day, with new mercies and compassions; a new work week for those still with jobs to go to. And even if you don’t have a paying job in the world, and you are a believer in Christ, you still have something important to do each day in His name. 

What’s that you ask? As always, Jesus spelled it out loud and clear for us before He ascended back up to heaven. ‘All power (authority) is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach (make disciples of) all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world.’ (Matt. 28:18-20) 

That’s what we call ‘The Great Commission!’ Yes, my fellow believers, after His resurrection, Jesus was given total power over both heaven and earth. As the Good Book tells it: ‘Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of (those) things in heaven, and (those) things in earth, and (those) things under the earth. And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.’ (Phil. 2:9-11) 

So you see Jesus wasn’t lying when He told the disciples He had all authority in heaven and earth. It was therefore in His power to command them to go and spread His gospel, the good news of salvation which He had imparted to them, all over the world, to the very ends of the earth. That way, all the earth would know of the mercy, forgiveness and eternal life available through belief in Him. 

And I like how the scholars characterize the Great Commission. They say: ‘Christianity is not represented here as the mere reverential devotion of disappointed men who honour their martyred leader. Here is a far different scene. The triumphant, living Lord sends forth His ambassadors to proclaim His gospel throughout the world. The Great Commission is not just and order but a pronouncement of victory by the risen Saviour through His disciples.’ 

Wow! Yuh hear that mih people? The Great Commission is a pronouncement of victory by the risen, Living Lord!! Glory be! The only problem is that we His disciples, His ambassadors, His agents, His representatives, or whatever we choose to call ourselves, need to go out every day and proclaim that victory to whomever we meet! That’s the ONLY way they will know about it! 

And that’s why I said at the beginning, even if you don’t have a worldly job to go to today, as believers in Jesus, you always have something important to do; that’s spread the good news of His victory over Satan, over hell, death and the grave, and His wonderful promise of salvation and eternal life to all who sincerely accept Him as Lord and Saviour! 

So please, let’s not think that our lives are being wasted if we don’t have physical jobs, we always have a spiritual job to perform for Jesus. To be living examples of His goodness and mercy, so that others can see the wonderful relationship we enjoy with Him, and also come to desire that wonderful relationship. We can’t always preach people into accepting Jesus, but we can always lead them to Him by the life we live. And that’s all He’s asking of us. 

As the opening lines of the old classic book ‘Joseph Andrews’ by Henry Fielding, published in 1742 state. “It is a trite but true observation that examples work more forcibly on the mind than precepts.” That’s indisputable truth. Or as the old people would say, ‘Monkey see, monkey do.’ We just seem to live more by what we see than what we hear. That’s why many of us got licks as children, because we didn’t follow our parents’ advice: ‘Do as I say, and not as I do.’ And it’s only human nature to want to do what others do, especially if they tell us not to do it. (smile) 

So please my brethren, let’s remember that our heavenly Father has a purpose and a plan for all of our lives, which include remaking us into the image of Christ, and also spreading His gospel around the world. That’s why He said through the prophet Jeremiah: ‘For I know the thoughts that I think towards 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) And that future and hope are all wrapped up in Christ and His good news of salvation. 

Now, what would Monday be like if we didn’t offer up our Monday Morning Battle Hymn eh, especially in these very trying and troubled times? (smile) So, as one strong and sincere voice: ‘Our Father, who art in heaven, we, Your humble servants, praise Your Holy Name and thank You this Monday morning for life and strong faith in Christ, despite the mass confusion in our world. We desperately need Your divine help, for You are the ONLY ONE with the power to solve our many problems. 

Heavenly Father, we admit that we have all sinned and seriously disobeyed Your Word, but we know that You are a merciful, forgiving and gracious God, who has faithfully promised to hear and answer our prayers when we humble ourselves, pray, and sincerely seek Your face. That’s why we come to You now, with sincere repentance in our hearts, pleading with You to give us wise guidance and direction to alleviate our problems. 

And Father, we pray that you will ease the pain of the many who are suffering from negative situations. Please show them Your awesome grace and mercy, and keep Your promise that You’ll hear our prayer, forgive us, and heal our land if we turn from our evil ways. Show this evil world that You are indeed Jehovah Rapha; the God who heals! We pray this in the holy and blessed name of Your Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen! And again, we say: Amen!’ 

Now, it’s all up to us to show God that we really mean what we just prayed. Much LOVE!

…the Christian motto…be not overcome of evil…but overcome evil with good… (Rom. 12:21)                                      

Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZJ8             

Today’s Scrip-Bit 26 April 2021 Psalm 40:4.

26 Apr 2021 Leave a comment

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

Psalm 40:4.     ​Blessed is the man that maketh the Lord his trust, and respecteth not the proud, nor such as turn aside to lies.

Ah mih people, Monday has rolled around once more…that’s just a bad habit it has. (smile) But we cannot change the days and times of the Lord, so we are forced to deal with it as best we can. Once upon a time, that’s before the Covid pandemic, Monday was the whipping boy of the week. Many people disliked it because it meant going back out to work after a lazy or partying weekend, and we were usually tired and not very enthusiastic about resuming another week of labour to earn our daily bread. 

However, with the coming of the pandemic and the loss of so many jobs, Monday is not as badly maligned as before because many of us now have nowhere to go on a Monday morning. It’s an amusing though yet a sad occurrence, for now fear, anxiety, sickness, lack of money and worldly goods have become much more problematic than they were before our whole world went into lockdown. But friends, there is no need to worry. 

Oh, there is need for concern…but worry…no. For the Lord God Almighty, the Creator and Controller of the universe and all therein, is still on the throne. He’s still running things, and nothing happens in this life unless He allows it. That means there must be a reason, and a good one too, why He’s allowing this pandemic and all our other problems to come upon us at this time. And I believe that’s because He’s feeling hard done by, feeling left out of our society, relegated to an unimportant role in our modern way of life. 

And if that’s the case, we really can’t blame Him, because so many of us have turned away from Him, even to the point of trying to uproot and throw Him completely out of our society. But here’s a li’l secret friends; that will NEVER happen, because the sovereign power of the universe will not allow it. Remember Satan tried to overthrow God when he was the archangel Lucifer, but he got kicked into fiery furnace of hell and eternal damnation? And that’s what will happen to anyone or ones who try to get rid of the Lord God Almighty. 

What we should be doing instead, is getting closer to Him, getting to know Him and His awesome Son, Jesus Christ better, not listening to our fellow man, the minions of Satan, who’s avowed purpose is to stir up rebellion, and get as many of us as he can to be tossed into hell with him. And the scriptures, the Word of God, tells us so often not to trust in man, but in God, but we’re so hard-headed and stubborn, with an inherent sinful nature, that we don’t listen. So today we’re going to play back some of those scriptures which we all know, to help us turn back to the one and only true Living God. 

Listen to these scriptures from the psalms. ‘It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in man. It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in princes.’ (Ps. 118:8-9) And hear this from Psalm 146. ‘Put not your trust in princes, nor in the son of man (a human being), in whom there is no help (salvation) His breath goeth forth (his spirit departs), he returneth to his earth; in that very day his thoughts perish. Happy is he that hath the God of Jacob for his help, whose hope is the Lord his God: which made heaven, and earth, the sea, and all that therein is: which keepeth truth for ever.’ (Ps. 146:3-6) 

What more do we need to come to our senses eh friends? If the God of Jacob is the most powerful being in the universe, why are we foolishly trying to rebel against Him eh, especially when we have numerous examples of what happens to those who do so? But hopefully a couple more scriptures might help turn us around. (smile) Hear Bruh David from Psalm 60 – A prayer for help against the foe. He pleads to the God of his forefathers: ‘Give us help from trouble: for vain is the help of man. Through God we shall do valiantly: for he it is that shall tread down our enemies.’ (Ps. 60: 11-12) 

And that’s the indisputable truth my brethren, for the help of man is uncertain and deceitful, and like the grass, he’s here one minute, then the next, gone back to the earth from when he originally came. Now here is the last scripture from the psalms. Bruh David’s words again, this time from Psalm 40 – Praise for answered prayer. He joyfully and truthfully proclaims: ‘Blessed is the man that maketh the Lord his trust, and respecteth not the proud, nor such as turn aside to lies.’ (Ps. 40:4) And remember people, Bruh David and the other psalmists didn’t write these words from hearsay, but from personal experience. Thus, it is certainly in our best interest to believe them and do what they say. 

Now here is one last scripture, but not from the psalms (smile). It’s even more important, because it’s from the Lord Himself, when He made Joshua leader of the Israelites after Moses’ death. He told him, in no uncertain terms: ‘This book of the law shall not depart out of (be constantly in) thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.’ (Josh. 1:8) And whenever Israel complied with the Word of God, thy had good success. When they didn’t, they had serious calamity, like we’re now having. 

So let’s get with some wisdom nuh and turn back to God. And there’s no time like the present time to do so. So right now, let’s go to Him in prayer, pleading for His forgiveness, mercy and grace, without which, we’ll certainly be goners. As one voice, let’s offer up our Monday Morning Battle Hymn. ‘Our Father, who art in heaven, we, Your humble servants, praise Your Holy Name and thank You that this Monday morning we’re alive and standing in faith despite the mass confusion that’s currently prevailing in our world. 

We desperately need Your divine help, for You are the ONLY ONE with the power to solve our many problems; the pandemic of Covid -19, the racial, political, and religious strife that’s ignited worldwide, plus the many natural disasters that now seem more prevalent than ever. Heavenly Father, we admit that we have all sinned and seriously come short in obedience and compliance to Your Word, but we know that You are a merciful, forgiving and gracious God, and You have faithfully promised to hear and answer our prayers when we humble ourselves, pray, and sincerely seek Your face. 

That’s why we come to You now, with sincere repentance in our hearts, pleading with You to give us, ordinary folks, as well as our leaders, employers and medical personnel, wise guidance and direction to bring our problems under control. And for those who are currently suffering from the many negative situations, we pray that You will ease their suffering and heal them. 

Father, please show them Your awesome grace and mercy, and keep Your promise that You’ll hear our prayer, forgive us, and heal our land if we turn from our evil ways. Show this evil world that You are indeed Jehovah Rapha; the God who heals! We pray this in the holy and blessed name of Your Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen! And again, we say: Amen!’ 

Now let’s go out and show that sincere repentance and humility nuh, if we want the Lord to positively answer our prayer. Much LOVE!

…the Lord doesn’t just listen to our words…He looks at the motives of our hearts… 

Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZJ8               

Today’s Scrip-Bit 19 April 2021 Matthew 10:22.

19 Apr 2021 Leave a comment

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

Matthew 10:22.​     And ye shall be hated of all men for my name’s sake: but he that endureth to the end shall be saved.

What a bizarre time we’re going through my people! One day we hear that the police are authorized to make random stops to find out where you’re going, but the police refuse to do it. So, next day, we hear that authority has been rescinded. The government and the medical people don’t seem to be on the same wavelength at all, as there are too many conflicting statements on how to best handle the pandemic situation. But there’s no way to fix it without a fair amount of consensus among all parties. And when you add all the controversy surrounding the vaccines the whole scene is one chaotic mess. 

But let me remind us, that as sincere believers in Christ Jesus, we always have Him to turn to in times of doubt and despair. Life will never be easy or comfortable, especially when we’re living for Jesus, but He has faithfully promised that whatever negative stuff we are experiencing in the world, we can always turn to Him and receive His awesome peace and comfort that are way better than what the world offers. So, with all the bickering and dispute that’s currently going on, now is definitely a time to turn to Him for solace, comfort and wise guidance. 

A time to remember His amazing words of promise, like these. ‘These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.’ (John 16:33) Yes friends, that’s sometimes hard to understand and accept when our whole world seems to be falling apart. But we need to keep speaking it, keep believing it, until it sinks into our very soul and becomes a natural tool for us to handle unpleasant situations. 

And what about this other warning of persecution. ‘Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless (innocent) as doves. But beware of men: for they will deliver you up to the councils, and they will scourge you in their synagogues…And ye shall be hated of all men for my name’s sake: but he that endureth to the end shall be saved.’ (Matt. 10:17-18, 22). And as the scholars explain: ‘In the ancient Near East the serpent was commonly regarded as the wisest of beasts. A cautious wisdom was necessary in order to deal with the fierce opposition that the disciples would face.’ 

And up to this day, the situation has remained the same: believers have to be wise and cautious in their dealings with the world. In some places today, the persecution is just as bad as in the days of the early church, but you see what a huge difference the perseverance and strong belief of the disciples made in the world, despite the terrible odds they faced. 

And in our western world, we don’t even have an ounce of the persecution they faced, yet we’re whining and crying. That ought not to be so friends. We are supposed to be the salt of the earth and the light of the world. The ones to lead others to Christ and all the good benefits He has to offer. And please remember that nothing worthwhile is ever easy to accomplish. 

Now listen to some more inspirational words of Jesus nuh. ‘If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you. If ye were of the world, the world would LOVE his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you.’ (John 15:18-19) That’s something we too often forget my fellow saints; that we are IN the world, but not OF the world. So let’s stand up strong and face the world mano a mano nuh. Remember Jesus has already overcome it, and we only need to keep the victory going, with His help obviously. 

And in what is known in some circles, as the long version of the Lord’s Prayer (John 17) Jesus didn’t only pray for the disciples but also for us. ‘Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word. That they all may be one: as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me.’ ( John 17:20-21) 

Yuh see that mih bredrin, Jesus knew that His plan would work, and that down through the ages people would believe in Him having not seen Him in person, and He wanted them to be separate, sanctified, living as one, not as the many warring denominations we now have. But as we say, while there is life, there’s always hope, and I believe these difficult times were meant to bring us together and back to God, so let’s do just that nuh, be as one, in sincere prayer, and offer up what we term our Monday Morning Battle Hymn. 

Altogether now: ‘Our Father, who art in heaven, we, Your humble servants, praise Your Holy Name and thank You that this Monday morning we’re alive and standing in faith despite the mass confusion that’s currently prevailing in our world. We desperately need Your divine help, for You are the ONLY ONE with the power to solve our many problems; the pandemic of Covid -19, the racial, political, and religious strife that’s ignited worldwide, plus the many natural disasters that now seem more prevalent than ever. 

Heavenly Father, we admit that we have all sinned and seriously come short in obedience and compliance to Your Word, but we know that You are a merciful, forgiving and gracious God, and You have faithfully promised to hear and answer our prayers when we humble ourselves, pray, and sincerely seek Your face. That’s why we come to You now, with sincere repentance in our hearts, pleading with You to give us, ordinary folks, as well as our leaders, employers and medical personnel, wise guidance and direction to bring our problems under control. 

And for those who are currently suffering from the many negative situations, we pray that You will ease their suffering and heal them. Father, please show them Your awesome grace and mercy, and keep Your promise that You’ll hear our prayer, forgive us, and heal our land if we turn from our evil ways. Show this evil world that You are indeed Jehovah Rapha; the God who heals! We pray this in the holy and blessed name of Your Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen! And again we say: Amen!’ 

Now, having said all of that, we need to show true humility and sincere repentance, if we want God to affirmatively answer our plea. Much LOVE!

…bear patiently the slings of the world…and your reward will be great…both in heaven and on earth… 

Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZJ8                   

Today’s Scrip-Bit 12 April 2021 Hebrews 13:8.

12 Apr 2021 Leave a comment

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

Hebrews 13:8.     ​Jesus Christ, the same yesterday, and today, and for ever.

Ah mih people, the days just keep rolling along, from one to the other, without any apparent recognition of mankind’s many problems. Some things change, while others remain the same, but throughout it all, we still need to deal with all sorts of controversial situations and upheavals, not knowing what will happen from one day to the next. But those ole days don’t seem to care at all, they just keep doing their thing; running changelessly into each other, detailing weeks, months, seasons, years, and even centuries. 

But fortunately for us, there’s been ONE Being, that’s remained constant over the many topsy-turvy days of mankind, that’s our Creator: Almighty God. Yes friends, He’s been there from the very beginning…and wonder of wonders, He’ll be there right to the very end! And why is that eh? Because as He says in His word, He is unchangeable, immovable, immutable, irreplaceable, the ONLY Living God! So let’s hear some scripture that will remind us of our God’s omnipotence, omniscience, omni-presence, steadfastness, unchangeability and immutability. 

And we’ll begin with His message to Cyrus the pagan king, through the prophet Isaiah. ‘I am the Lord, and there is none else, there is no God beside me: I girded thee, though thou hast not known me. That they may know from the rising of the sun, and from the west (to its setting), that there is none beside me. I am the Lord, and there is none else. I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil (calamity): I the Lord do all these things.’ (Is. 45:5-7) And yes, the Lord does create physical evil or calamity, not moral evil or sin. And yes, the Lord did use pagan kings, like Cyrus and Nebuchadnezzar as conduits to fulfill His eventual will. 

Moving on, we come to Malachi, where through that prophet, the Lord confronts His people Israel about turning away from Him and their lack paying tithes. He says: ‘For I am the Lord, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed. Even from the days of your fathers ye are gone away from mine ordinances, and have not kept them. Return unto me, and I will return unto you, saith the Lord of hosts. But ye said, Wherein shall we return?’ (Mal. 3:6-8) 

Oh friends, that’s the exact thing the Lord is saying to us today, and the very same answer we are giving Him. We have turned away from Him, and instead of returning to Him like He desires, we are trying to turf Him and His ordinances out of our society. So what can we expect but calamity eh? 

Now listen to the author of Hebrews, as he talks of service well pleasing to God. ‘Remember them which have the rule over you (who lead you), who have spoken unto you the word of God; whose faith follow, considering the end (outcome) of their conversation (conduct). Jesus Christ, the same yesterday, and today, and for ever. Be not carried about with divers (various) and strange doctrines (teachings). For it is a good thing that the heart be established with grace; not with meats (foods), which have not profited them that have been occupied therein.’ (Heb. 13:7-9) 

But do you think we have followed, or are following that directive? Oh no sir! Instead, we are being led away by a whole set of strange teachings and proceedings that don’t profit those who practice them. Steups! How sad it is my people! And then we wonder why our world is in such a mess. 

So, let’s now consider James words on the subject. ‘Do not err (be deceived) my brethren. For every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness (variations, unexpected, unforeseen changes), neither shadow of turning. Of his own will he begat us with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.’ (James 1:16-18) 

Oh my people, our God created everything that exists, and mankind as the jewel of His creations, that’s why He so desires to redeem us all, and not lose any to the enemy. And he gave us His holy word that we should walk in it. But being the disobedient, stubborn, hard-headed creatures we are, we have refused to do so, with disastrous consequences to our ungodly actions. 

Now here is the last scripture from John the Revelator, from the mouth of Jesus Himself. ‘And behold I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last.’ (Rev. 22:12-13) All I can now say friends is that wisdom dictates that we return to the waiting arms of our Creator. And if you agree, then please join me in offering up our Monday Morning Battle Hymn in heartfelt prayer. 

As one sincere and humble voice now: ‘Our Father, who art in heaven, we, Your humble servants, praise Your Holy Name and thank You that this Monday morning we’re alive and standing in faith despite the mass confusion that’s currently prevailing in our world. We desperately need Your divine help, for You are the ONLY ONE with the power to solve our many problems; the pandemic of Covid -19, the racial, political, and religious strife that’s ignited worldwide, plus the many natural disasters that now seem more prevalent than ever. 

Heavenly Father, we admit that we have all sinned and seriously come short in obedience and compliance to Your Word, but we know that You are a merciful, forgiving and gracious God, and You have faithfully promised to hear and answer our prayers when we humble ourselves, pray, and sincerely seek Your face. That’s why we come to You now, with sincere repentance in our hearts, pleading with You to give us, ordinary folks, as well as our leaders, employers and medical personnel, wise guidance and direction to bring our problems under control. 

And for those who are currently suffering from the many negative situations, we pray that You will ease their suffering and heal them. Father, please show them Your awesome grace and mercy, and keep Your promise that You’ll hear our prayer, forgive us, and heal our land if we turn from our evil ways. Show this evil world that You are indeed Jehovah Rapha; the God who heals! We pray this in the holy and blessed name of Your Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen! And again we say: Amen!’ 

Now let us go and keep our solemn vows to our wonderful, forgiving and LOVING God! Much LOVE!

…God is the ONLY thing in this universe that has NOT changed…and will NEVER change…whether you believe it or not is immaterial… 

Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZJ8              

Today’s Scrip-Bit 5 April 2021 Psalm 95:6.

05 Apr 2021 Leave a comment

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

Psalm 95:6.     ​O come, let us worship and bow down: let us kneel before the Lord our maker.

Once more unto the breach dear friends; once more on to a brand new Monday morning, in this most recent and very controversial pandemic lockdown! It’s not surprising that there are so many varying opinions on the status of the lockdown. Some are for it the way it is, some want it even tighter, some want it loser, and some don’t want it at all. And I guess a lot of the opinions boil down to money, the economic factor. If you’re not working, or your business is closed, then you obviously want to get some livelihood going. 

Meanwhile, if you’re a medical proponent, you possible are more concerned with saving lives. It’s a fine balancing act, indeed a most difficult one, and whatever the governments do, many people will be displeased. And many governments are not doing such a great job, in fact some are making an utter mess of the situation. In a recent poll it was found that at the beginning of the pandemic, the citizens were very trusting of the governments to do a good job, but a year into it, they no longer trust the governments to handle it properly. 

And when governments lose the trust of their citizens, that almost always foretells trouble. And we’re indeed seeing a lot of chaos and confusion all over the world right now, due to the handling of the pandemic. So what shall we do to break the stranglehold that this Corona virus has on us eh? You all know my take on the situation; namely that sin and disobedience to God’s laws are too rampant in our world today. Evil is the number one force in the world, instead of LOVE! Selfishness abounds instead of togetherness. 

This means that Almighty God is no longer respected, valued and worshipped to the extent that He should be. We are more concerned with getting rid of Him from our society than placing Him on a pinnacle of glory. Look at the many sad tales of hunger, famine, economic devastation, strife and all the other negative situations in an overall wealthy and prosperous world. It should never be as bad as it currently is my people. The problem is that too few have too much and too many have too little, and until we straighten out that horrible inequity, our world will always be in a state of turmoil. 

But how do we do that, you ask? As far as I am concerned, the answer is very simple; return to sincerely worshipping and obeying the God of our forefathers; the One who created us and still LOVES us, but will not put up with our disobedience and abominable sinful behaviour forever. But we know that the evil one and his henchmen don’t want that, for it will mean losing their current control, and they will fight tooth and nail to retain it. But we Christians need to spring into battle right now, if we’re to make a difference before it’s too late. 

And how do we do that? We can begin by doing what the psalmist says in Psalm 96 – A call to praise God. ‘O Sing unto the Lord a new song: sing unto the Lord all the earth. Sing unto the Lord, bless his name; show forth (proclaim the good news of) his salvation from day to day. Declare his glory among the heathen (gentiles), his wonders among all people.’ (Ps. 96:1-3) 

Now that’s the first move friends; spreading God’s word and His glory over the land. And if we want our efforts to succeed, we can’t be bashful, afraid, or ashamed of doing it, but be strong and stand up like faithful soldiers in Christ’s army, and fight the good fight, keep the faith, like Bruh Paul told Timothy. (2 Tim. 4:7) 

And the psalmist continues his plea for unity and sense of purpose. ‘For the Lord is great, and greatly to be praised: he is to be feared above all gods. For all the gods of the nations are idols: but the Lord made the heavens. Honour and majesty are before him: strength and beauty are in his sanctuary. Give unto the Lord, O ye kindreds of the people, give unto the Lord glory and strength. 

Give unto the Lord the glory due unto his name: bring an offering, and come into his courts. O worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness: fear (tremble) before him all the earth. Say among the heathen (gentiles) that the Lord reigneth: the world also shall be (is firmly) established that it shall not be moved (shaken): he shall judge the people righteously.’ (Ps. 96: 4-10) 

Now that’s the kind of thing believers ought to be doing, not sitting on our fannies, afraid of the evil one, and enjoying the sinful pleasures of the world. We desperately need to do as Psalm 95 tells us. ‘O come, let us worship and bow down: let us kneel before the Lord our maker. For he is our God; and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand (under his care). Today, if ye will hear his voice, harden not your heart, as in the provocation (rebellion), and as in the day of temptation in the wilderness: when your fathers tempted (tried) me, proved me, and saw my work.’ (Ps. 95:6-9) 

Friends, we are being just as stupid as the Israelites were back in the wilderness, trying and testing God with their rebellion and disobedience and surly complaining, forgetting what he had just done for them, bringing them out of four hundred years of bondage in Egypt. And they paid a hefty price for it; wandering aimlessly in the wilderness for forty years, until all the generation that had come out of Egypt were dead, except Joshua and Caleb. And we are running the same foolish, ungrateful joke right now my brethren by trying to move God out of our society. 

I can assure us though, that the consequences will not be pretty, for there are always harsh consequences to stubborn and willful disobedience and sin. So what better time, than this Easter Monday, a day after Christ’s Resurrection, for us to get smart, realize our serious failings and call out to our God, our Maker, for the divine help that only He can give. Therefore, in strong and confident, but humble voice, let’s offer up our Monday Morning Battle Hymn in sincere prayer. 

‘Our Father, who art in heaven, we, Your humble servants, praise Your Holy Name and thank You that this Monday morning we’re alive and standing in faith despite the mass confusion that’s currently prevailing in our world. We desperately need Your divine help, for You are the ONLY ONE with the power to solve our many problems; the pandemic of Covid -19, the racial, political, and religious strife that’s ignited worldwide, plus the many natural disasters that now seem more prevalent than ever. 

Heavenly Father, we admit that we have all sinned and seriously come short in obedience and compliance to Your Word, but we know that You are a merciful, forgiving and gracious God, and You have faithfully promised to hear and answer our prayers when we humble ourselves, pray, and sincerely seek Your face. That’s why we come to You now, with sincere repentance in our hearts, pleading with You to give us, ordinary folks, as well as our leaders, employers and medical personnel, wise guidance and direction to bring our problems under control. 

And for those who are currently suffering from the many negative situations, we pray that You will ease their suffering and heal them. Father, please show them Your awesome grace and mercy, and keep Your promise that You’ll hear our prayer, forgive us, and heal our land if we turn from our evil ways. Show this evil world that You are indeed Jehovah Rapha; the God who heals! We pray this in the holy and blessed name of Your Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen! And again we say: Amen!’ 

Now fellow believers, we have to go out and show that sincere repentance and obedience in all our dealings, so the Lord can positively answer our prayer. Much LOVE!

…the wages of sin is death…only in and with Jesus…can you avoid it… 

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