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Today’s Scrip-Bit 29 November 2013 1 Kings 8:56

29 Nov 2013 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: Abraham, anger, anguish, anxious, Black Friday, blessed be the Lord, body soul and mind, buying stuff, cast off, comes to his senses, concerned, confession, confident, contemplation, convinced, credit, credit cards, debts, deeper in the hole, deleted expletives, didn't waiver, dog trying to catch its tail, economic downfall, fellowship, followers of Jesus christ, food banks, foreign countries, friends, fun, furthering God's glorious kingdom, generous help, global village, glory to God, God will never leave nor forsake us, going round in circles, good works, gospel truth, gracious, greedy, hallmarks of Jesus, He is faithful that promised, hold fast, hope, individual situations, inferior quality goods, infrimity, interest rates, Internet, Israel, Jesus Christ, keep keeping on, less jobs, less pay, live our faith, Lord and Saviour, LOVE, Love our God, meditate, mercy, minimum wage, money, Moses, no reason to doubt, not afraid, not failed one word, outsourced, peace, powerful, refreshed, relaxation, renewed, rest, rich, Selah, shopping, spread His Word, strong faith, taken root in Canada, talk, tender mercies, TGIF! Thank God is Friday, thanksgiving, the Lord's promised, the wherewithal to pull through, U.S., up to our necks, wonders of old, works of the Lord

1 Kings 8:56. Blessed be the Lord, that hath given rest (peace) unto his people Israel, according to all that he hath promised: there hath not failed one word of all his good promise, which he promised by the hand of Moses his servant.

Ah Friends, it’s Friday once again… Unfortunately though, not a regular Friday, where the majority of workers are crying out ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday!’ but what has now come to be known as Black Friday, the biggest shopping day in the U.S. Steups!

Unfortunately too, it’s now spread to and taken root in Canada, where the merchants are trying to retaliate by also having sales on the Friday after the U.S. Thanksgiving Holiday, that hopefully will keep shoppers up here. But I think they’re fighting a losing battle, for even if the bargains down south aren’t much better, the idea of going to shop in the U.S. has taken hold of too many Canadian minds.

The nonsense has even morphed on to the Internet. I had to utter a few deleted expletives when I turned on my computer this morning and saw a whole slew of messages touting Black Friday sales. Chuh!

Ah Friends, when is the nonsense ever going to end eh? It’s fast becoming all about money and buying stuff, a lot of which we don’t need and even more importantly cannot afford. For sadly there are even less people working these days, and many of them for less pay than before.

So where are they expected to get funds to buy all the stuff that’s been forced upon them eh? I guess that CREDIT is the next word. But we’re already up to our necks in debts and credit, and it’s those two that caused the last economic downfall.

And tell me how and when are we going to pay it off, if all the good jobs are being outsourced to foreign countries, and the few, part-time jobs available in the service sector are paying a measly minimum wage that can’t even support a single adult, much less a family.

Oh Friends, we’re going round in circles, like the proverbial dog trying to catch its tail. We work several low paying jobs, but still can’t meet our expenses, so we end up at the food banks, and run up the credit card debts, bearing enormous interest, which puts us even deeper in the hole.

Meanwhile, prices for everything, including inferior quality outsourced goods, are rising all the time. No wonder our economy is in such a mess, and the powers that be, the supposedly smart ones can’t seem to fix it, or simply refuse to at the behest of the greedy rich and powerful. And then they sit back and wonder why people are up in arms all over this worldly global village. Ah Lord eh!

Please be careful my Friends, for there’s a small group that’s trying to dominate the world, having begun by trying to get God out of our lives, and sadly, they are succeeding bit by bit. However, as followers of Jesus Christ, we need to be concerned, but not be afraid and/or overly anxious about our individual situations, for the Lord has promised to look after all His people, regardless of colour, class, creed or race.

Oh Friends, please take note of the true and powerful words of our Bit, uttered by Cousin Sol when he dedicated the Lord’s temple. ‘Blessed be the Lord, that hath given rest (peace) unto his people Israel, according to all that he hath promised: there hath not failed one word of all his good promise, which he promised by the hand of Moses his servant.’

And the most important thing for us to remember there, is that even up to this day, many thousands of years later, ‘there hath not failed one word of all his good promise, which he promised by the hand of Moses his servant.’

Gospel truth mih breddren, gospel truth!

So although the psalmist Asaph cried out in anguish: ‘Will the Lord cast off for ever? And will he be favourable no more? Is his mercy clean gone for ever (ceased completely)? Doth his promise fail for evermore? Hath God forgotten to be gracious? hath he in anger shut up his tender mercies? Selah.’ (Ps.77:7-9)

Obviously not! And after some contemplation, Asaph comes to his senses in the next verse. ‘And I said, this my infirmity (anguish): but I will remember the years of the right hand of the Most High. I will remember the works of the Lord: surely I will remember thy wonders of old. I will meditate also of all thy work, and talk of thy doings.’ (Ps.77:10-12)

Yes my people, our great and wonderful God will never leave nor forsake us, as he’s promised! (Deut.4:31, Heb.13:5) So though life and times seem to be somewhat rough and troubled, we also need to remember the times when the Lord stood solidly in our corner and the things He’s brought us through. There’s no reason to doubt Him now.

True believers ought to have a strong faith in their Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. For as Bruh Paul reminds us of Abraham: ‘He staggered not (didn’t waver) at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong (strengthened) in faith, giving glory to God; And being fully persuaded (convinced) that, what he had promised, he was able also to perform.’ (Rom.4:20-21)

Likewise Friends, we should also be fully convinced that the Lord can do whatever He’s promised. And when we stand strong in faith, we will be able to do what needs to be done to keep on keeping on.

So as the author of Hebrews exhorts us: ‘Let us hold fast the profession (confession) of our faith (hope) without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;) And let us consider one another to provoke (stir up) unto LOVE and to good works.’ (Heb.10:23-24)

And since we all know that LOVE and good works are the hallmarks of Jesus, please my people, let’s stand strong and steadfast in the faith, and keep doing those things regardless of what comes against us, for the Lord WILL give us the wherewithal to pull through.

And now in closing, let’s chant our Friday Chant, so we can get the proper perspective on how to use the weekend. Hn! Thought I’d forgotten it nuh? Not a chance!

All together now: ‘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.’

Much LOVE my brethren in Christ Jesus!

…it’s time to renew our efforts…to truly LOVE our God…sincerely LIVE our FAITH…and diligently SPREAD His Word…

P.S. It’s a tad long and late (smile) but it’s all worthwhile! Much LOVE!

Today’s Scrip-Bit 4 November 2013 Matthew 5:12

04 Nov 2013 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: Advocate, angels, anguish, apostle Stephen, atonement, aura of love, backbone, battle, be exceeding glad, believers, belly, betrayers, buffeted, call to account, civil war, confidence, conquerors, contrite, dangerous, difficult, disposition, earthly battles, encore, enemy's ranks, engage the enemy, enthusiasm, epitome, eternal life, evil minions, faith, fervour, fool's wisdom, fortitude, glorious kingdom, glory hallelujah, heathen lands, heaven, holy spirit, humble servants, impenitent, inroads, invincible, Jesus Christ, Jewish Council, jobs, keeping God's law, King of Kings, lead and guide, lies, Lord of Lords, Lucifer, magnificent, maturity, milk, Monday morning attitude, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, murderers, perilous times, persecuted, pilgrims, praise and worship, prince of peace, regret, rejoice, resist the Holy Ghost, rewards, salvation, Saul of Tarsus, shame, solid food, spiritual armour, standing ovation, statue of Jesus, steadfast faith, strong faith, stubborn, Syria, talk the talk, taunts, thankfulness, the Just One, transgressions, unrepentant, useful purpose, vitality, walk the walk, week of work, Western world, wiles, wisdom

Matthew 5:12. Rejoice and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.

Oh Friends, oh Friends, a good Monday morning to all you beautiful believers in the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, our wonderful Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, our Emmanuel – God with us, our Prince of Peace, our heavenly Advocate and so much more!

And all God’s children gave a mighty shout of joy: ‘All praise and power and thanks be to Jesus Christ, the innocent Lamb who was slain as atonement for our transgressions!’ Yeh mih people, what a close Friend and Brother our Saviour is to all!

And just to show how powerful and cohesive a force He is, listen to this story as reported in Sunday’s edition of the Toronto Star Newspaper. The medium sized headlines boldly declare: ‘Amid Syria’s civil war, giant figure of Jesus rises!’ Then in smaller letters: ‘Factions call truce while statue erected on mountain.’ Aye Mama!

The long and short of the story though people, is that in spite of the savage and cruel civil war going on in Syria, all three factions involved, apparently let up so that a 12 metres (approx. 39 ft.) tall statue of Jesus, standing on a base that makes it approximately 32 metres (approx. 105 ft.) high, could be erected on a mountaintop overlooking a pilgrim’s route in olden times, from Constantinople to Jerusalem.

The paper says it took eight years to be completed and was erected on October 14, 2013. And why erect a statue of Jesus in such war-filled times? One church leader was quoted as saying, ‘Because Jesus would have it done.’ And that’s a most appropriate answer. If Jesus wants it done, then it WILL be done!

And that Friends, brings us right back to our Bit: ‘Rejoice and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.’

The Christians in Syria are facing persecution from all sides of the war, yet in their strong faith, they’ve found the time, energy, belly, backbone and fortitude to erect a statue of their Lord and Saviour. That surely deserves shout of ‘Glory Hallelujah!’

Would we have done that our here during such perilous times? I doubt it very much. But that just goes to show the kind of faith we need to acquire before we can truly call ourselves real followers of Christ.

Now that doesn’t mean our efforts aren’t worthwhile, but compared to some of those believers living in heathen lands, we’re merely ‘kindergarters,’ still drinking milk, while they are eating solid food, not simply talking the talk, but walking their walk at a much higher level than us. (Heb.511-14; 1 Pet.2:2)

Oh Friends, that’s a state or stage of maturity which ALL of us in the Western world ought to aspire to! And I hope you have noticed that I’m not haranguing us today about our usual poor Monday morning attitude. (smile)

Anyway, having seen what our fellow believers, are capable of in the midst of war, with Jesus obviously on their side, let’s sing our Monday Morning Battle Hymn with exceptional fervour and thankfulness, so that we too can go out today and engage the enemy in serious battle. And please remember to put on your spiritual armour before you engage Lucifer and his evil minions.

Now let’s raise heaven’s roof with our sweet, melodic voices as we belt out our song of praise and worship. ‘Oh Lord God Almighty, Creator of the universe and all therein! We, your humble servants, praise your Holy Name and thank you that this Monday morning we have jobs to go to; jobs we don’t like, jobs that are unfair, difficult and even dangerous, but which serve a useful purpose here on earth; keeping lives and families together.

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

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

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

Oh mih people, mih people, that was magnificent, mucho magnifico! (smile) But with Jesus as our conductor, how else could it be eh? Wow!

The Father even gave us a standing ‘O’ (ovation), while vigorously clapping and shouting out, ‘Encore, encore!’ Unfortunately though, we have to disappoint Him because we have to go out and fight our earthly battles to glorify His precious Name.

And finally, let’s hear the scripture that I couldn’t get in yesterday. It deals with the second half of our Bit: ‘for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.’

Listen to the apostle Stephen speak these memorable words at his trial before the Jewish Council, after which he was stoned to death, martyred through the evil machinations of Bruh Paul, in his earlier incarnation as Saul of Tarsus, the feared Christian hunter.

‘Ye stiffnecked (stubborn) and uncircumcised in heart and ears (impenitent), ye do always resist the Holy Ghost; as your fathers did, so do ye. Which of the prophets have not your fathers persecuted? and they have slain them which showed before (foretold) of the coming of the Just One; of whom ye have been now the betrayers and murderers: Who have received the law by the disposition (direction) of angels, and have not kept it.’ (Acts 7:51-53)

And sadly Friends, thousands of years later, we’re still stubborn and unrepentant, still killing God’s people, and still not keeping His law. However, in the long run, we shall ALL have to answer for our actions, so please, let’s instead concentrate on being contrite, repentant and following the law of our heavenly Father, so that we don’t have to bow our heads in as much shame, anguish and regret, when He finally calls us to account.

That my people, is the epitome of wisdom! Much LOVE!

…why jeopardize our salvation and eternal life with Jesus…by letting the evil, deceitful Lucifer into our lives eh…that’s a fool’s wisdom…

Today’s Scrip-Bit 27 August 2013 Psalm 27:14

27 Aug 2013 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: acquired attributes, actively seek God's face, all knees shall bow, all tongues confess, Amen, attuned to Almighty God, barren, be of good courage, be strong and courageous, believer in Jesus, calmness, challenges of life, charles stanley, confidence building words, covered on all fronts, diligence, do it afraid, enabling strength, encouragement, eveidence of things not seen, ever-faithful, evil world, expectation, faith, fear of contradiction, fearful, fearlessness, fertile, firmness, focused, fruit of the land, good courage, gospel truth, hebrews 11, heritage of god's servants, holy spirit, illuminating psalm, internal strength, internally strong, Jesus Christ, Jesus christ is Lord, Joyce Meyer, last trump, lord is my light and my salvation, LOVE, meet danger, my light and my salvation, no weapon formed against us will prosper, omnipotent god, opposition, oppressed, our prayer, patient faith, perseverance, Praise the Lord, psalm 27, purposeful anticipation, quality of mind or spirit, rational, recantation, righteousness., son jesus christ, stay calm, strengthen thy heart, strong faith, struggles, substance of things hoped for, take us home, the Promised Land, ungodly world, wait in faith, wait on the Lord, weakness, wicked prospering, wicked world, wishy-washy

Psalm 27:14.   Wait (in faith) on the Lord: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait (in faith), I say, on the Lord.

Aye mih Friends, these days are going by so quickly, it’s hard to keep up, to stay level with them! Look, just yesterday was Monday, now it’s already Tuesday today! (smile)

The days truly seem to be hurtling by faster and faster. But don’t worry my people, because if you’re a believer in Jesus Christ, you have it covered on all fronts: we have the Holy Spirit here on earth to lead and guide us aright, and when the final trump sounds, Jesus will come and take us home with Him.

Wow! What a magnificent and magnanimous God we serve and worship! And all God’s people gave a mighty and joyful shout of ‘Praise the Lord! Praise His Son, Jesus Christ, to whom all knees shall bow, and all tongues shall gratefully confess and acknowledge that He is Lord of all!’

But unfortunately, despite all the coverage, I know that many believers are still struggling, are still oppressed and fearful, especially when we see the wicked prospering. However my brethren, though it’s hard, we cannot afford to look too closely at what others are doing to progress in this evil, ungodly world. We have to stay fully attuned to Almighty God and His dictates.

That’s why Bruh David in this explosive and illuminating psalm, superscripted, ‘the Lord is my light and my salvation, ends it with the wise, encouraging and confidence building words of Today’s Bit: ‘Wait (in faith) on the Lord: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait (in faith), I say, on the Lord.’

Please note Friends, Bruh David tells us to do two things, and a third will result. First we have to wait on the Lord, and that means waiting with strong, solid faith, not a wishy-washy kind of waiting, but a conscious and purposeful anticipation and expectation.

For as Hebrews 11 tells us: ‘Now faith is the substance (realization) of things hoped for, the evidence (conviction) of things not seen.’ (Hebrews 11:1) For if we can see something, there’s no reason to yet hope for or have faith or expect it to come to pass.

And then he tells us to be of good courage. Hn! Now what does that much used and maligned word mean eh? Here’s a definition from Uncle Charles (Charles Stanley) which some of you might have seen on His programme In Touch some weeks ago. He defines COURAGE as: ‘The quality of mind or spirit enabling us to meet danger, opposition or the challenges of life with fearlessness, firmness and calmness.’

And that’s as good a definition as we’ll ever get my brethren! Courage is truly the ability to stand strong when everything seems to be falling down around us. It helps us stay calm, rational and focused.

Now that doesn’t mean we won’t be afraid, but like Sister Joyce (Joyce Meyer) likes to say, ‘Do it afraid.’ And that’s possible because the faith in God that Bruh David talks about will strengthen and enable us to stand up to whatever difficult or fearful situation that comes against us.

And my brethren, in times of fear and trouble, please remember this awesome promise of our omnipotent and ever-faithful God: ‘No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgement thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and their righteousness is of (from) me, saith the Lord.’ (Is.54:17)

And that’s gospel truth Friends! It’s a promise we can stand upon without fear of contradiction or recantation!

Oh my fellow believers in Christ, our God has been encouraging His people to be strong and courageous ever since time began. Listen to what Moses told the twelve spies that were sent into the Promised Land to reconnoitre it.

‘And what the land is, whether it be fat or lean (fertile or barren), whether there be wood therein, or not. And be ye of good courage, and bring of the fruit of the land. Now the time was the time of the first ripe grapes.’ (Num.13:20)

Yeh mih breddren, whatever we do, we need to do with faith and courage, for this wicked world doesn’t take kindly to weakness. Yuh see how it takes unnecessary advantage of the poor, the sick and needy? It has no mercy whatsoever on those who are not at least internally strong.

And the only way to get that internal strength is through faith in Almighty God! Yes Friends, that strength and courage we need are acquired attributes. We have to consciously go after them with much diligence and perseverance.

And having said all of that this Tuesday morning, now let’s actively seek the face of our great and wonderful God, before we go out to face the enemy hordes, asking Him for that enabling strength and courage that comes to all who wait in patient faith on Him. That’s our prayer for this morning my brethren.

And all God’s people declared a loud, faithful and purposeful, ‘Praise the Lord! Praise His Holy Name! Amen!’ and again we say, ‘Amen!’

Much much LOVE my fellow believers in Christ Jesus!

…only as believers stand and wait on the Lord…in patient faith…shall He strengthen them…

P.S. Even though the Bit’s a tad late, there’s no reason to complain about its length today. It’s pretty short. Even I was amazed. (smile) Much LOVE!

Today’s Scrip-Bit 1 November 2012 1 Peter 2:9

01 Nov 2012 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Inspirational Living Tags: a special people, ambassadors of Christ, broken promises, chosen generation, Church of Christ, darkness, grace, intercessary prayers, light, mercy, New Testament, Old Testament, priesthood of believers, privilege, proclaim God's praises, resolutions, responsibility, save the lost, strong faith, truth

1 Peter 2:9. But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should show forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light.

Oh Friends, it’s already the first day of November! Can you believe that? Soon it will be December, then January 2013! Wow! 2012 has sure passed quickly, and it’s time again to check on the resolutions we made at the start, to see if we really and truly kept them. I sure hope though that we kept the ones where we vowed to increase our LOVE for Jesus, thus becoming more like Him, as well as being more passionate in doing His work here on earth. Remember the Lord doesn’t take very kindly to broken promises. So we have two months left to ramp up that Christian faith in our hearts, and put it into serious action. And why do we need to do that? Because as our Bit explains, we are God’s own people. ‘But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a peculiar (his own special) people; that ye should show forth (proclaim) the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light.’ Yes Friends, we have been chosen by God, through Jesus Christ to do His work, to be ambassadors on His behalf, to bring others to the knowledge of His TRUTH and LIGHT, out of the plague of darkness and sin. This New Testament Church of Christ, to which all believers belong, has a unique and special relationship with God, having been chosen to represent Him, like Israel did in the Old Testament. Now here’s some scholarly info on the Priesthood of believers. ‘Every believer has the privilege and responsibility of direct access to God. Illustration: In the Old Testament, the family of Aaron was designated as a priesthood to God. In the New Testament that priesthood becomes the birthright of every Christian. Like their Old Testament counterparts, believer-priests have the privilege of access to God. Application: With privilege comes a twofold responsibility – sacrifice and intercessory prayer. The sacrifices of the believer are his body (Rom.12:1-2), his praise to God (Heb.13:15), his substance (Rom.12:13), and his service (Heb.13:6) The Christian ought also to pray on behalf of others. (Col.4:12). (First Reference, Job 42:10) Primary Reference, 1 Pet.2:9; cf. 1 Cor.9:19)’ Please check out those scriptures Friends, for they will certainly enhance our understanding about our duties as a chosen people of God. But it’s also important that we note, as Peter continues after our Bit: ‘Which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God: which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy.’ (1 Pet.2:10) And all God’s people gave a mighty shout of ‘Thank You Jesus!’ Yes Friends, before Jesus came, Gentiles had no real relationship with the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, were not accounted as His people, only the Jewish nation. However, through God’s great LOVE and Jesus’ selfless sacrifice on the cross at Calvary, ALL peoples were given the opportunity to become truly associated with the Most High God Jehovah in a personal relationship. Mama Mia! What a great God we serve and worship Friends! For remember, it was nothing that we did or deserved, but the LOVING-kindness and grace of God that brought us out of darkness into the light. So we have no reason whatsoever to boast or beat our chests in self-satisfied pride. Don’t ever forget that it was through God’s undeserved mercy that we were made righteous and reconciled to Him, and not through our own efforts. We need to remember that, because we’re behaving just like the Israelites did on numerous occasions; when they got prosperous, they forgot who brought them to the dance, who allowed them to become prosperous. Yes my brethren, we’re seeing a lot of false pride and idol worship in our society right now, that’s why it’s so ungodly, so messed up and on the brink of destruction. Anyway, let’s look at some scriptures that validate our Bit. And we’ll start off way back when with Isaiah’s prophecy, re the Birth of the Prince of Peace. In strength and in truth, he dutifully proclaimed; ‘The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light: they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined.’ (Is.9:2) Hallelujah! That’s us mih breddren! Can you imagine what we’d be like if Jesus had not come and shone His magnificent, majestic light on us? Hn! I refuse to even consider the negative ramifications of that! And we’ll continue with some more of Isaiah’s prophecy, for he was the prophet entrusted with the most info on the Messiah’s coming. In this section, he’s talking about the servant of the Lord, Jesus, coming to glorify the Lord. ‘I the Lord have called thee in righteousness, and will hold thine hand, and will keep thee, and give thee for a covenant of the people, for a light of the Gentiles; To open the blind eyes, to bring out the prisoners from the prison, and them that sit in darkness out of the prison house.’ (Is.42:6-7) According to the scholars; ‘The ministry of the Messiah is described in verse 6 as a covenant to the Jews and a light to the Gentiles. It therefore foreshadows the twofold purpose of Christ’s ministry to both the Jews and the Gentiles.’ And that prophecy was borne out by the words of Jesus. ‘For the Son of man is come to save that which was lost.’ (Matt.18:11) Yes my people that was Jesus’ intent, and now He has passed the baton to us, to continue that work; saving lost souls in His Name. Please, let’s live our lives so that we may do justice to that great purpose of Jesus, thereby saving many from eternal separation from our Heavenly Father. More on this tomorrow, God in favour. Till then, let’s walk in the light, as the children of light that we’re supposed to be nuh. Much LOVE!…remember…we’re in partnership with God…therefore we need to do our part…

Today’s Scrip-Bit 21 October 2012 Psalm 73:27

21 Oct 2012 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Inspirational Living Tags: autumn, controversy, fight the good fight, jesus name, propsperity, rock the boat, run a good race, squeaky wheel, strong faith, wicked

Psalm 73:27. For, lo, they that are far from thee shall perish: thou hast destroyed all them that go a whoring from thee.

Oh Friends, as the multicoloured leaves fall off the trees, leaving more and more of them naked every day, so are the days in my neighbourhood getting ‘chillier and chillier.’ Note I said chilly, not cold, because the real cold days are yet to come. But as autumn ‘nippily’ races towards its crescendo, you can surely sense the cold days of winter just hovering stealthily in the background. But what’s a body to do eh? That’s how God made this planet earth; some places have four seasons, some only two, wet and dry. But being the wise and kindly God that He is, He made us very adaptable, physically and emotionally able to withstand the rigours of any physical environment we end up dwelling in. Then in even greater affirmation of His wisdom and LOVE for us, He willingly sacrificed His Holy Son Jesus so that we could be cleansed of our abominable sins, and then sent His Holy Spirit to indwell us, so that we can live in spiritual peace. But talking about Jesus, why does the mere mention of His name cause such a stir amongst humans eh? You can call every other name under the sun, and none creates half the controversy that Jesus’ does. I guess it’s because of the awesome power and marvellous majesty inherent in the very name itself! I’m talking about a particular incident that recently took place in a small, backwater Texas town. It seems that the High School cheerleaders had bits of encouraging scripture emblazoned on their banners; stuff like, ‘I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.’ Now would you believe that situation ended up in a court of law, because someone took umbrage re the Christian messages on the banners. Thankfully though, the court decided in the cheerleaders favour, although the supposedly wronged person plans to appeal the decision. Oh Friends, what’s it coming to eh, that you can’t even wave a banner for Jesus in the land of the free and home of the brave? My people, we have to take these seemingly small and innocuous matters seriously, cause it seems okay for other faiths to broadcast their heretical messages in what’s supposed to be a Christian land, but Christians can’t do likewise without some big uproar. Everyday some evildoer jumps up and complains about their rights and freedoms, so what’s happening to ours eh? My fellow believers in Christ, it’s essential that we stand up strong and fight back furiously, or else little by little, they’ll whittle away our freedoms, until we’re a minor player in our own land, which could eventually entail persecution for our beliefs. That’s definitely not acceptable my brethren, especially since the evil cronies of Lucifer have already taken prayer out of our schools and public places. The problem with us Christians is that we’re way too complacent; we talk a lot, but there’s very little action to back it up. We rationalize that we’re leading a comfortable life and don’t want to rock the boat, for fear that it might capsize. But Friends, if the boat isn’t rocking, that means it’s becalmed, nothing’s happening, life’s not moving onward and upward, as it should. And remember it’s the squeaky wheel that get’s the grease. The so-called Christian politicians are appeasing all these complainers, because the votes of the dissatisfied persons are more important to them for the purpose of re-election, than their Christian heritage. Oh my brethren, can’t we see that every other faith stands up and fights for its belief, much more than we Christians do? The Muslims, the Jews, Hindus Sikhs, they don’t take any guff from anybody re their faith. But we Christians just sit back and expect to enjoy the good life forever without putting up some kind of fight for our faith. All these other faiths have come from other lands and are slowly but surely wresting control of the affairs of state, and thus the lives of those who dwell therein. Nobody says that you can’t worship or practice your faith, but certainly not at the expense of mine! Our problem in the western world is that we have gotten too fat, lazy and comfortable. Consequently the fire inside us is slowly dying, or has already died. Just look at one of the biggest problems in our current society, obesity. Meanwhile, more than half the world is starving. That’s the problem with prosperity; it breeds distaste and apathy. Look at the Israelites of olden times. Every time they got prosperous, they forgot who caused them to be thus; the God of their fathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Falsely they believed that it was the work of their own hands and therefore forsook Jehovah God. But then, every time they went their own way, ‘sufferation’ would haunt them, until they’d finally wake up and smell the roses, repent, turn back to God, until the next time they became prosperous. Oh my people, the same situation is happening to us now. We’ve become, fat, lazy and apathetic, worshiping the things of the world over those of God, and the ground is slowly sliding away from under us. But foolishly and with false human pride, we’re not paying attention the basic problems that are eroding our society; lack of trust in our Supreme ruler, and lack of LOVING-kindness for each other. We have allowed greed, envy and selfishness to overtake righteousness, and we are now paying the price. ‘Sufferation is all around us, and it’s not going to get better until our attitude towards Almighty God and each other change substantial for the better. And I’ll simply end with our Bit, from Asaph’s momentous psalm, re the mystery of prosperous wickedness. ‘For, lo, they that are far from thee shall perish: thou hast destroyed all them that go a whoring from thee (who are unfaithful to thee).’ Yes Friends, wickedness prospers some, but not for long. Like the early morning dew, it is soon destroyed by the heat of the rising sun. Please my fellow believers, let’s wake up from our foolish, lazy slumber and start smelling the roses instead of the coffee nuh. It’s time we got our act together and began seriously fighting back against the heathen infidel, otherwise we’ll end up amongst the has beens and also ran, thus not holding true to Bruh Paul’s advice to run a strong and diligent race. Much LOVE!…he who does not hear…will surely feel…eventually… P.S. Sorry that the Bit is a tad late, but I was having problems with Internet Explorer and finally had to change to another programme.

Today’s Scrip-Bit 26 September 2012 Psalm 130:7

26 Sep 2012 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Inspirational Living Tags: abundance, blessings, compassion, encouragement, forgiveness, god, God's image, graciousness, LOVE, mercy, redemption, rend your heart, right heart, seek God, sincerity, strong faith, trials, tribulations

Psalm 130:7. Let Israel hope in the Lord: for with the Lord there is mercy, and with him is plenteous redemption.

Oh mih people, it’s a brand new day, with brand new mercies, blessings and forgiveness from our wonderful God! Wow! What a God! So let’s rejoice and be thankful in it nuh. And all God’s people shouted a loud and grateful, ‘Praise ye the Lord, for He is worthy to be praised!’ Yes Friends, our God is indeed worthy of all the praise we are capable of giving, and then some more, for He’s promised that all who come to Him in sincerity of heart will be accepted, LOVED and cared for until eternity. That’s why I’m telling you today, that ‘In dreams and in LOVE, there are no impossibilities!’ Now I don’t remember where I got that quote from, but it’s been up on my office wall, in big red letters, for the longest time, and after noticing it earlier on today, I decided to share it with you. At times like these, I ask myself why put up all those words of encouragement around the office, when I don’t pay any attention to them? I guarantee that there’s enough stuff on the walls, my desk, and my filing cabinet to encourage me in whatever situation is necessary. But do I go to them, as I should, when my spirit is at low ebb, or do I even read them as I pass by them everyday? No. And as I look over to the wall on my right, I notice a calendar that’s still turned to May, while we’re in September, almost October. Hn! I have an excuse for that though; two other smaller calendars on my desk. (smile) But that calendar still shouldn’t be saying May in September, when I pass by it quite a few times everyday. Anyway friends, please don’t be like me. If you put up stuff to encourage you, then read them, so that you’ll be encouraged, otherwise it’s a waste of time and effort. And I promise to do better also. (smile) Now let’s turn to our Bit. ‘Let Israel hope in the Lord: for with the Lord there is mercy (LOVING-kindness), and with him is plenteous (abundant) redemption.’ Yesterday we dealt with the first part that speaks of HOPE in the Lord. Today we’ll check out the second half that talks about His mercy, LOVING-kindness and plentiful redemption. And believe me Friends, our God is full to overflowing with all those things. If we live till eternity, we’ll never see the end of His awesome cache of mercy and redemption because that’s simply a part of His nature. And it would certainly stand us in good stead if we developed some of those attributes ourselves, for we’re supposed to be a reflection of our Creator, made in His own image, which means we also need to have plenty mercy and forgiveness. Now let’s check out some scriptures that validate the truthfulness of the second half of our Bit. We’ll start with Psalm 86, a prayer of Bruh David, when he bemoans: ‘Teach me thy way O Lord.’ In verse 5, he declares with strong faith: ‘For thou, Lord, art good, and ready to forgive; and plenteous in mercy unto all them that call upon thee.’ (Ps.86:5) Then again in verse 15, he staunchly declares the goodness and mercy of our God. ‘But thou, O Lord, art a God full of compassion, and gracious, long-suffering, and plenteous in mercy and truth.’ (Ps.86:15) Ah mih breddren, I don’t know what would become of us with our sinful, rebellious nature if our God wasn’t so kind, patient and merciful with us nuh. Next we’ll turn to Psalm 145, where Bruh David talks about the Lord’s graciousness. He states these facts with utter certainty. ‘The Lord is gracious, and full of compassion; slow to anger, and of great mercy. The Lord is good to all: and his tender mercies are over all his works.’ (Ps.145:8-9) There is no hint of doubt in them Friends, because Bruh David lived them; saw and experienced the mercy, kindness and compassion of the faithful God of his fathers. So if Bruh David, a man like us with plenty faults, and bigger problems than we’ll ever encounter, can put his trust in and depend wholeheartedly on the Most High God, why can’t we do likewise eh? Please remember though that the Lord didn’t just flood Bruh David with His mercies and kindness, he had to work and struggle too, with the many personal enemies, including Saul and his own son Absalom, plus those of His nation Israel. But whatever came against him, he stood strong and firm in his faith, and for that the Lord considered him righteous. Please note my brethren that Bruh David’s heart was right from the very beginning, as Samuel told Saul when the Lord took away the kingdom from him. ‘The Lord hath sought him a man after his own heart.’ (1 Sam.13:14) We obviously have to clean up our own hearts too, and bring them into right standing with God, before we can expect a whole lot of good stuff to happen to us, amongst all the trials and tribulations we’re normally going to bear in this sinful world, and even more so as followers of Jesus, since that’s where the Lord looks before He decides how to react to our prayers and actions. Hn! A sentence worthy of Bruh Paul. (smile) As Isaiah so rightly proclaims: ‘Seek ye the Lord while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near: Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the Lord, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.’ (Is.55:6-7) Oh my people, there is NO God like ours; Jehovah, the ONE, TRUE GOD, Creator and Controller of the universe and all therein! Please believe that and act accordingly. And we’ll end with some more wonderful words on the nature of our God from the prophet Joel, when he called Israel to repentance. ‘Therefore also now, saith the Lord, turn ye even to me with all your heart, and with fasting, and with weeping, and with mourning; And rend (tear) your heart, and not your garments, and turn (return) unto the Lord your God: for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great (LOVING) kindness, and repenteth him of the evil (relents from doing harm).’ (Joel 2:12-13) Yes Friends, that’s the wonderful Deity that we serve and worship! But as His word dictates, we have to draw near to Him, seek Him with all our hearts, minds, bodies and souls, if we want to enjoy His many blessings and mercies. Much LOVE!…let him who has ears…hear and repent…or he will eventually feel…the might of God’s wrath…

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