Today’s Scrip-Bit   7 March 2024 Psalm 145:1.

07 Mar 2024 Leave a comment

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

Psalm 145:1.        I will extol (praise) thee, my God, O king; and I will bless thy name for ever and ever.

And it’s a beautiful Thursday morning in my neck of the woods; sunshine and fairly warm temperatures! What  more can one ask eh? All praise to God who looks after His people with LOVING care! (smile) And for the first time this week I don’t have anywhere to go or anything to do out the street. Glory Be! So I can just take my lazy ole time and do whatever I want to do here at home. So what shall we talk about today eh? Hang on a sec, let’s see where the Good Library opens…

Voila! It opened unto the Book of Psalms! And we will look at Psalm 145, a Psalm of Praise by Bruh David, titled  – God’s Unsearchable Greatness. And is He ever great, and His greatness not understandable or appreciated by the puny minds of His most important creation. But Bruh David had some inclination of the Lord’s greatness, that’s why he writes: ‘I will extol (praise) thee, my God, O king; and I will bless thy name for ever and ever. Every day I will bless thee; and I will praise thy name for ever and ever.’ (Ps. 145:1-2) 

Yes mih people, that’s what we need to do each and every day that we draw breath on God’s great earth; praise Him, bless His holy name! And why is that you ask? Bruh David tells us as he continues: ‘Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised: and his greatness is unsearchable.’ (Ps. 145:3) And though we might not know exactly how great our God is, because of our finite minds, we ought to know that He’s much greater than us, because He made us, with His own hands, and breathe the breath of His life, His Spirit into our bodies, and still controls our every move down here on planet earth. 

And if we cannot comprehend the Lord’s greatness on our own, then He’s told us about it in no uncertain terms through the prophet Isaiah. ‘For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.’ (Is. 55:8-9) Now that’s telling us! But some of us still foolishly refuse to believe Him and try to go our own way, but eventually fall so low that we can no longer help ourselves and have to turn to Him in frustration, fear and repentance and ask for His forgiveness, grace and mercy. 

That’s why it’s so unwise to turn away from Almighty God, for when we’re flat on our faces, through disobedience and the tribulations of the world, He is the ONLY One, capable of, and ever-willing to lift us up from the mire and restore our fallen selves and broken dreams. That’s why Bruh David writes for our edification: ‘One generation shall praise thy works to another, and shall declare (steups!!!) thy mighty acts.’ (Ps. 145:4) Now that’s how the Lord’s greatness is supposed to be passed down from one generation to another, and has finally reached us. 

Unfortunately though, our generation, Baby Boomers, or whatever we’re called, is certainly not doing a good enough job in passing it down to our children, the next generation, for too many of them have become ungodly. And why is that eh? Many of us parents have turned away from God, through the many foolish beliefs and ideas that are currently permeating our world, all promulgated by his satanic majesty, and even many of us who claim to believe, are too busy with the things of the world, accumulating earthly wealth and power and whatever, so that the truth of God and His word consequently falls by the wayside. 

It’s like Jesus’ parable of the Sower, where ‘Some (of the seed) fell upon stony places, where they had not much earth: and forthwith (immediately) they sprung up, because they had no deepness of earth (no deep roots): And when the sun was up, they were scorched; and because they had not root, they withered away. And some (of the seed) fell among thorns; and the thorns sprung up and choked them. (Matt. 13:5-7)  

Or as explained by Jesus: ‘But he that received the seed into stony places, the same is he that heareth the word, and anon (immediately) with joy receiveth it. Yet hath he not root himself, but dureth (only endures) for a while: for when tribulation or persecution ariseth because of the word, by and by he is offended (he immediately stumbles). He also that received seed among the thorns is he that heareth the word; and the care (cares) of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, choke the word, and he becometh unfruitful.’ (Matt. 13:20-22) 

Yes friends, unfortunately, those two kinds of believers form a large part of our Christian brotherhood today. While what we desperately need are many more where seed fell on good ground and brought forth fruit.’ (Matt. 13:8) Please pay attention though to how Jesus ends the parable, with the warning ‘He who hath ears to hear, let him hear.’ (Matt. 13:9)  And per the seed that fell on good ground, Jesus explains: ‘But he that received seed into the good ground is he that heareth the word, and understandeth it; which also beareth fruit, and bringeth forth (produces), some an hundredfold, some sixty, and some thirty.’ (Matt. 13:23) 

Oh my my, that is exactly what these turbulent and unconventional times call for; sincere believers who are helping others to come to Christ and thus be able to enjoy the abundant life that He sacrificed His sinless life for us to have here on earth, with the eventuality of eternal life with Him. And the first step in it all my fellow saints, is to praise God’s name, then live the life that will show the unbelievers that we’re serious and sincere, not the hypocrites that many of them so rightly takes us for. Now let’s go home declaring (yes!!!) our Thursday Blessings, so we can activate the generous blessings that the Lord has bestowed on us to do His earthly work. 

As one strong and sincere voice: ‘I declare that I am blessed with God’s supernatural wisdom and receive clear direction for my life! I declare today that I am blessed with creativity, courage, talent and abundance! I am blessed with a strong will, self-control and self-discipline! I am blessed with a great family, good friends, good health, faith, favour and fulfillment! I am blessed with success, supernatural strength, promotion and divine protection! I am blessed with a compassionate heart and a positive outlook on life! I declare that any curse or negative word that’s ever been spoken over me is broken right now in the name of Jesus! I declare that everything I put my hands to, will prosper and succeed! I declare it today and every day! Amen!’ 

And now that we’ve activated those undeserved blessings, it’s our bounden duty to go out and use them to benefit others, just as generously as the Lord shared them with us! Much LOVE!

…even if you don’t know Him personally…it’s wise to praise who ever created this awesome universe and all therein…

 Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ

Today’s Scrip-Bit    21 September 2023 Matthew 6:14-15.

21 Sep 2023 Leave a comment

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

Matthew 6:14-15.        For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.

And then it was Thursday…already? Yes. Already! The days are not waiting for us, they are going about their business, just like we should be going about ours. And if we aren’t, then we have no one to blame but ourselves, for our Lord has not blessed us with a power of fear and procrastination, but has generously bestowed on us the awesome power of His Holy Spirit, LOVE and a sound or disciplined mind. And it’s our bounden duty to use them to the best of our ability. End of Sermon! (smile) 

But to help us in doing those divine duties required of us, here’s this prayer from this month’s In Touch Devotional. Please pray with me. ‘Lord, there’s nothing I need to hide from You. You know everything about me – the healthy parts and the unhealthy, the good desires and those that hold me back. You see it all and yet You stay be my side. No matter what temptations or troubles I face. You are here. Help me to rest – and not cower – in your all-seeing presence. Let me delight in being completely and truly known by You. Amen.’ 

Ah friends, there’s nothing better than being in the Lord’s presence and having communion with Him! How could there be, when that’s what He created us for – to communicate with Him at all times, on all levels, about all things, good, bad or indifferent! And though He knows it all without our telling Him, He still desires to hear it from us, because when we do so, it means we trust Him to be our guide and leading light. And one thing is for sure, we don’t have to cower in His presence. 

No! Because of the work of Jesus, His shed blood at Calvary, we can go boldly, confidently, but humbly, to the throne of grace to receive divine help in time of trouble!. And all of God’s people shouted out a loud and grateful: ‘All praise and glory to the Lamb who was slain for us, the comforting power of his Holy Spirit, and the undying, unconditional LOVE of the Father! Amen!’  

And now that we’ve gotten into the Spirit and grace of God, (smile) let’s see what the Word has to further tell us about the heartwarming story of Bruh Joseph. So, we stopped yesterday where He kept Simeon bound in prison, but sent the other nine brothers’ home with food for their families, food for their journey, and their money in their sacks. Meaning that the food for their families was provided free of cost to them, and also showing the LOVE and largesse of Bruh Joseph to his family, despite the ill treatment they had meted out to him. 

And those, my friends, ought to be two very important traits of our Christian faith walk. However, in this day of rampant greed, selfishness, vengeance and unforgiveness, those traits are certainly not seen as often as they should. But just remember that Jesus said: ‘For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.’ (Matt. 6:14-15) And that’s an abundantly clear and straightforward passage, that we ought to have at the top of our list of scriptures! 

Ah Lord eh, (smile) I keep getting sidetracked from Bruh Joseph’s story, but it shows the many different aspects of life and godly traits that comes out of it, traits which were required then, and are still required now, possibly even more so, because of the confused, dysfunctional, evil and ungodly state of our world.  Anyway, the nine brothers return home. 

The Bible reports it thus: ‘And they came unto Jacob their father unto the land of Canaan, and told him all that befell unto them; saying, The man, who is the lord of the land spake roughly (harshly) to us, and took us as for spies of the country. And we said unto him, We are true (honest) men; we are no spies. We be twelve brethren, sons of one father, one is not (no more), and the youngest is this day with our father in the land of Canaan. 

And the man, the lord of the country, said unto us, Hereby shall I know that ye are true (honest) men; leave one of your brethren here with me, and take food for the famine of your households, and be gone: And bring your youngest brother unto me: then shall I know that ye are no spies, but that ye are true (honest) men: so will I deliver you your brother, and ye shall traffick (trade) in the land.’ (Gen. 42:29-34) 

Now can you imagine poor Jacob, in his later years, possibly already suffering from lack of food because of the famine, hearing such a grievous tale from his sons. His spirit must have sunk to a very low level. But worse was yet to come. For the Good Library continues: ‘And it came to pass as they emptied their sacks, that, behold, every man’s bundle of money was in his sack: and when both they and their father saw the bundles of money, they were afraid.’ (Gen. 42:35) 

Obviously, when they had stopped at an inn along the way, and one of the brothers had discovered his money in his sack, the others had not thought to check their sacks too. But on getting home, found that all their sacks contained all their money. Now, that must certainly have been a most discombobulating, bewildering situation. Because they had all brought home food, but apparently had not paid for it. That brought forth these sorrowful words from Jacob. ‘And Jacob their father said unto them, Me have ye bereaved of my children: Joseph is not, and Simeon is not, and ye will take Benjamin away: all these things are against me.’ (Gen. 42:36) 

We can all understand Jacob’s sad predicament, because losing a child is probably the hardest thing a parent will ever have to go through. However, the story continues: ‘And Reuben spake unto his father, saying, Slay my two sons, if I bring him not to thee: deliver him into my hand, and I will bring him to thee again. And he (Jacob) said, My son shall not go down with you; for his brother is dead, and he is left alone: if mischief (calamity) befall him by the way (along the way) in which ye go, then shall ye bring down my gray hairs with sorrow to the grave.’ (Gen. 42:37-38) 

Yes my brethren, it’s hard to lose one child, but two, and possibly three. No way Jose! Not if you can prevent it! So, it seems Jacob had made up his mind to lose Joseph and Simeon, but certainly not Benjamin too. And who could blame him. Anyhow, we’ve run out of time and space for today, and that’s as good a place as any to end today’s episode. So, God willing, tomorrow we’ll continue looking at the saga of Bruh Joseph. In the meantime, let’s go home declaring (steups!!!!) our Thursday Blessings; those amazing blessings the Lord has so generously bestowed on us so that we can do His earthly work. 

Altogether now: ‘I declare that I am blessed with God’s supernatural wisdom and receive clear direction for my life! I declare today that I am blessed with creativity, courage, talent and abundance! I am blessed with a strong will, self-control and self-discipline! I am blessed with a great family, good friends, good health, faith, favour and fulfillment! I am blessed with success, supernatural strength, promotion and divine protection! 

I am blessed with a compassionate heart and a positive outlook on life! I declare that any curse or negative word that’s ever been spoken over me is broken right now in the name of Jesus! I declare that everything I put my hands to, will prosper and succeed! I declare it today and every day! Amen!’ 

And having activated those wonderful blessings, we are now expected to go out and share them with others just as generously as the Lord shared them with us! Much LOVE!

…without active LOVE and forgiveness…one cannot be a true believer in Christ Jesus… 

 Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ    

Today’s Scrip-Bit   17 August 2023 Colossians 1:9b.

17 Aug 2023 Leave a comment

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

Colossians 1:9b.          …desire that ye might be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding;

Then it was Thursday, the second to last day of our work week…and is it ever here quickly! (smile) Yes, I know the days are moving by ever so swiftly, and if we don’t grab hold of them and use them to the fullest, they will just pass us by like a flash of lightning. But one can only do one’s best and leave the rest to the Lord, for no amount of worrying or anxiety on our part will change His plan for our lives, or even speed them up. (smile) 

Now, I had intended to continue delving into Samuel’s story today, but I got a zeppo from above telling me to leave Samuel alone for today and deal with this more immediate subject; that of prayer for others. And we all know that prayer is possibly the most important privilege we have as believers in Christ Jesus, and He said very clearly ‘that men ought always to pray, and not to faint (give up).’ (Luke 18:1) And if Jesus stated it so plainly, then it must be important. 

And one of the best things, or rather a part of our bounden duty is to pray for others. Now I believe we all do that, but how do we do it eh? Jesus gave us an example of how to pray for ourselves in what we call the Lord’s Prayer (Matt. 6:9-15), but Bruh Paul gives us a fine example of how to pray for others in his letter to the church at Colossae. Let’s have a gander at it nuh. 

After his opening address, talking about how he heard of their LOVE for the Lord and their walking in the Spirit and bringing forth good fruit, He declares (steups!!!): ‘For this cause we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to desire that ye might be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God; 

Strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power unto all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness; Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet (qualified us) to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in (the) light: Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated (transformed) us into the kingdom of his dear Son (the Son of His LOVE): In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins:’ (Col. 1:9-14) 

And it is indeed a mouthful, but what beautiful sentiments! You’ll notice that Bruh Paul doesn’t pray for them to be healthy, wealthy or rich in earthly things, but stays strictly within the spiritual realm. He prays for them to get wisdom and understand the will of God for their lives, that they grow in knowledge of God, so that they can walk worthy of Him, bearing much good fruit, strengthened through the power of Christ, thus enabled to handle patience and longsuffering with joyfulness, while giving thanks to the Father. 

Yes friends, that’s the kind of prayers we ought to make for our friends, families and fellow saints, that they and us grow in the knowledge of God and walk in the power and guidance of the Holy Spirit. For as Jesus also plainly stated, if we seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, all the earthly things we need will be added unto us through the Lord’s grace and mercy. (Matt. 6:33) And I know that we need to pray for help in times of sickness, both physical and emotional, as well as for financial problems, but overall, it’s more empowering to pray for the spiritual aspects of the believer’s life to improve. 

Now here are some explanations from the scholars on those verses above. As per 1:9:‘Wisdom is an accurate perception into the true nature of things. Understanding is the skillful application of this wisdom in practical situations. And for 1:10. This verse expresses the reason that in verse 9 Paul wants the Colossians to obtain a knowledge of God’s will. It is that they may walk (live) properly and fully please God. a worthy walk is spelled out by the things he says in vs, 10b-12. 

A worthy walk entails the believer is (1) fruitful in every good work, productive in Christian service; (2) constantly increasing in the knowledge of God, ever coming to know the Lord better; (3) always “strengthened with all might,” becoming spiritually stronger and stronger; and (4) in the habit of giving thanks, sincerely expressing gratitude to God in both the pleasant and unpleasant experiences of life.’  As for ‘1:11. Patience is persevering through problems, trials, tribulations, and so forth. Longsuffering is forbearing the faults and offences of others.’ 

Turning to ‘1:12. This verse also might be translated “thanking the Father, for He made us fit to share the salvation belonging to the saints who are in the light.” Light is the ethical condition in which God’s children live, namely, that of spiritual understanding, with its accompanying morality and happiness.’ And as per ‘1:13. Darkness is the religious state in which unbelievers exist, namely, that of spiritual ignorance with its attending immorality and misery. Finally, for ‘1:14. Blood reminds the Colossians of the enormous price and sacrifice paid to secure their redemption. Redemption then is achieved by the atonement wrought by Jesus’ death. See Ephesians 1:7 for ‘redemption.’ 

And who says living the Christian life is easy eh? No way Jose! At least not if you live it right! And I do hope that we all now have a good and solid foundation re praying for others. However, remember that doesn’t exclude praying for stuff like health, wealth and a long life, but our spiritual encouragement, enlightenment and faith also need to be boosted so that we can walk in the Spirit and bear good fruit. And our God is so wonderful and gracious that He’s showered us with numerous blessings to enable us to do His earthly work! 

So, let’s activate them now nuh. As one strong and sincere voice: ‘I declare that I am blessed with God’s supernatural wisdom and receive clear direction for my life! I declare today that I am blessed with creativity, courage, talent and abundance! I am blessed with a strong will, self-control and self-discipline! I am blessed with a great family, good friends, good health, faith, favour and fulfillment! 

I am blessed with success, supernatural strength, promotion and divine protection! I am blessed with a compassionate heart and a positive outlook on life! I declare that any curse or negative word that’s ever been spoken over me is broken right now in the name of Jesus! I declare that everything I put my hands to, will prosper and succeed! I declare it today and every day! Amen!’ 

And now that those blessings have been activated, it’s our duty to go out and share them with others, just as generously as the Lord shared them with us! Much LOVE!

…What’s Christianity…a sometimes difficult journey…but always a joyful and rewarding walk through all aspects of life with Jesus… 

 Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ          

Today’s Scrip-Bit   16 March 2023 Psalm 103:8.

16 Mar 2023 Leave a comment

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

Psalm 103:8. The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and plenteous (abounding) in mercy (LOVING-kindness).

Greetings my Scrip-Bit friends and family on this clear and sunshiny Thursday morning in the middle of March 2023! Yes, I said the middle of March. I don’t know if it’s a good or bad thing, but the days of this year are quickly passing by. Nonetheless, fortunately for us, the Good Lord is still in His heaven controlling things and looking down on us, His wonderful children, with oodles of grace and mercy. And all God’s people said a loud and grateful: ‘Thank You Lord!’ 

And yuh better believe that if it wasn’t for His awesome grace, mercy and long-suffering, we’d be already destroyed. So let’s give much thanks that we have such a patient and LOVING heavenly Father, who doesn’t deal with us as we truly deserve. How did Bruh David put it in Psalm 103 subtitled – Bless the Lord’s Holy Character? 

Read with me: ‘The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and plenteous (abounding) in mercy (LOVING-kindness). He will not always chide (strive): neither will he keep his anger for ever. He hath not dealt with us after our sins; nor rewarded us according to our iniquities. For as the heaven is high above the earth, so great is his mercy (LOVING-kindness) toward them that fear (reverence) him. As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us. Like a father pitieth his children, so the Lord pitieth them that fear (reverence) him. For he knoweth our frame, remembereth that we are dust.’ (Ps. 103:8-14) 

Oh my people, that’s a boon, a timely benfit or favour, we can never repay, but we can surely appreciate it much more than we do!  As one commentary puts it: ‘In love and mercy, the Lord has removed His people’s sins from them. He doesn’t simply move our sins onto our doorstep or a mile away; God moves them as far from us as the east is from the west. This is an especially profound analogy.’ In other words, He moves our sins away from us by an ‘infinite amount.’ 

Wow! Can you imagine any of the supposed gods out there doing that? No way! They all desire their pound of flesh when their believers run afoul of them. Now, that is not to say that Jehovah God is a push over and doesn’t expect us to toe the line, but He is understanding and merciful, and LOVES us so much that He doesn’t want to see us destroyed. That’s why He gives us chance after chance to come up to scratch and be the kind of person He desires us to be, so that we can attain to the destiny that He’s prepared for us. 

And please don’t think that you won’t’ pay for your wrongdoing, because you will. The Lord might forgive and forget but He LOVES us too much to let us run around doing evil and feel as though we’re getting away with it. That’s the furthest thing from the truth my brethren. We all pay for our wrongdoings in some fashion or the other.  And Cousin Sol puts it very nicely in Proverbs 3. ‘My son, despise not the chastening of the Lord; neither be weary of his correction: For whom the Lord LOVETH he chasteneth; even as a father the son in whom he delighteth.’ (Prov. 3:11-12) 

That’s oh so true my people! It’s the same way our earthly parents correct us when we do wrong. They LOVE us, but they don’t want to see us go astray. And what does chastise mean? Basically it’s ‘To inflict disciplinary or corrective punishment on; to visit with affliction for the purpose of moral improvement; to correct, discipline, chastise.’ However, it doesn’t mean necessarily terrible punishment, the way we’ve come to understand it in our current society. 

It’s also like how Cousin Sol says in Proverbs. ‘Train up a child in the way he should go: and (even) when he is old, he will not depart from it.’ (Prov. 22:6) And that is the gospel truth my fellow saints! The main point of raising good children is giving them the correct foundation, which is a godly one. And that’s why our children of today are so ungodly and lawless; we did not raise them with the right amount of godly foundation, if any. And let’s not point to the schools or churches insinuating that they are to blame. No. We the parents are to blame, because we are supposed to be the main source of training in our children’s lives. 

And if you don’t teach them about God, then how will they know about Him eh? The scholars tell us that ‘Parental training should help children develop a taste for the things of God. The biblical pattern of effective training emphasizes a balance of instruction and discipline. (cf. Eph. 6:1-4. Bruh Paul’s instructions on raising children). The ideal parent is to be neither overly authoritarian (strict) nor overly permissive. Rather, he must balance LOVE and discipline so as not to “provoke” his child to rebellion.’ 

And sadly, we have not had that balance with our children. Unfortunately, for whatever reason, fear, busyness, lack of interest, whatever, we’ve been too permissive with them. No wonder they don’t care about God or anything much but themselves and their own needs and desires. 

And just for good measure, (smile) here are some ways in which we can train our children in the goodness and reverence of God. ‘ 1) Lead by example. 2) Show them critical thinking skills. 3) Teach them how to LOVE by LOVING them unconditionally. 4) Help them serve others. 5) Share your faith with them through scripture. 6) Pray with them. 7) Allow them to have their own faith.’ Yes friends, if we had spent a little more of our time teaching those things to our children, they would not have been as ungodly and evil-bent as they currently are. 

Anyway, we should never give up on our children, for while we’re alive there’s always hope from our faithful God. So, let’s keep praying for them and doing whatever we can to nudge them in the right direction. For God still answers prayers. Now, let’s go home declaring (yesss!!!) our Thursday Blessings, so generously bestowed on us by the Lord to do His earthly work. Altogether now: ‘I declare that I am blessed with God’s supernatural wisdom and receive clear direction for my life! I declare today that I am blessed with creativity, courage, talent and abundance! 

I am blessed with a strong will, self-control and self-discipline! I am blessed with a great family, good friends, good health, faith, favour and fulfillment! I am blessed with success, supernatural strength, promotion and divine protection! I am blessed with a compassionate heart and a positive outlook on life! I declare that any curse or negative word that’s ever been spoken over me is broken right now in the name of Jesus! I declare that everything I put my hands to, will prosper and succeed! I declare it today and every day! Amen!’ 

And having activated those blessings, it’s now our bounden duty to go out and share them just as generously with others as Christ shared them with us! Much LOVE!

…truly reverencing Almighty God…is the wisest action a human being can ever take… 

 Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ         

Today’s Scrip-Bit   2 March 2023 Hebrews 11:6.

02 Mar 2023 Leave a comment

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

Hebrews 11:6.      But without faith it is impossible to please him (God): for he that cometh to God must believe that he is (exists), and is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.

Now I don’t know what area my weather forecasting computer is talking about when it says 2C Cloudy, but it’s certainly not my neighbourhood because outside of my place it’s a dry, bright and sunshiny as ever Thursday morning in early March 2023. And let’s hope it stays that way, because I’ve got to go out the street later and run some errands. And since it seems that the Lord was most willing for us to see another beautiful day on planet earth, then we have to keep our promise and continue looking at scriptures that tell us about faith and its relationship to fear and Jesus. (smile) 

Now, yesterday, we looked at several scriptures that showed where faith is of the utmost necessity if and when we choose to serve God. But first let’s see what exactly faith is. The Bible tells us that ‘Faith is the substance (realization) of things hoped for, the evidence (conviction) of things not seen. For by it the elders obtained a good report. Through faith we understand that the worlds (ages) were framed (prepared) by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear (are visible)’ (Heb. 11:1-3) 

Yes friends, faith is basically believing for things we don’t see, yet hoping that if it’s the will of God, it will happen. It’s all about trusting God to do what’s right in our lives. And it’s so important that the author of Hebrews informs us: ‘But without faith it is impossible to please him (God): for he that cometh to God must believe that he is (exists), and is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.’ (Heb. 11:6) And He goes on to name several men of God, who manifested great faith, like Noah, who built and ark just by God’s say so. 

Then there’s Enoch who pleased God so much that he didn’t die, but was simply translated from the earth, simply walked out of it, simply disappeared. (smile) And Abraham, the father of modern-day faith, who picked up his personal family and belongings and went out into the wild, somewhere unknown, simply because a God he did not know told him to do it and made several promises of what would happen if he did. Abraham was even willing to offer up his one son of his old age Isaac, because God told him to, testing his faith. And you can find all those stories of the heroes of faith in Hebrews 11. 

Now, obviously not all of us will ever reach the level of faith that those heroes achieved, but it’s what we desperately need to work towards if we are to live the victorious life that Christ died for us to have. And the author of Hebrews gives us yet another poignant word on faith, which says: ‘Let us hold fast the profession (confession) of our faith (hope) without wavering (for he is faithful that promised.) (Heb. 10:23) Oh my people we need to steadfastly hold on to our faith in God because our God is ever-faithful, He does not disappoint those who put their sincere trust in Him. 

That doesn’t mean that life will be a bed of roses, and everything we want we will get, but it does mean that most things in God’s will, if it’s in His plan for our lives we will get them. God will not allow anything or anyone but us, to stop our destiny. And sometimes He won’t even allow us to do it, He’ll keep applying the pressure so that we eventually give in and do it His way. I can tell you that from personal experience. For if I had had my way, I wouldn’t be writing the Bit today. But His tenacity eventually forced me to capitulate. (smile) 

And let’s not forget this most important fact: God is not there to please us and make our every whim and fancy come true. We are in existence to please Him, to do His will, to live out the plan He has in store for every life that He creates. Let’s remember that He is the Master and we the slaves, He’s the Father and we the children, He’s the Potter and we the clay, and He can shape us any which way He desires, and we need to go along with His will through staunch and true faith in Him. 

Now here’s this other beautiful scripture on faith versus fear, that comes from the pen of Bruh Paul to his protégé Timothy. He writes: ‘For God hath not given us the spirit of fear, but of power, and of LOVE, and of a sound  (disciplined) mind.’ (2 Tim. 1:7) Wow! What an amazing scripture. It shows that from the very get go, the Lord has given us a spirit of faith, not of fear, but like all the other stuff He’s given us, we need to then nourish that faith. It’s like the fruit of the Spirit, the seeds of which we all have planted in our inner man, but we then have to water and nourish them so that they can grow and be manifested in our actions. 

That means, as Gal. 5:22-23 explains: the seeds of LOVE, joy, peace, long-suffering (patience), gentleness (kindness), goodness, faith (faithfulness), meekness, temperance (self-control) were all planted in us the day we accepted Christ as Lord and Saviour, and the Holy Spirit then came to dwell within us. But those fruit of godliness and righteousness can’t, or won’t manifest themselves in our behaviour until and unless we water and nurture them and help them to grow into beautiful fruit of the Spirit. And please note that faith (faithfulness) is one of those fruit that needs to be nourished and nurtured by us, if we expect them to show forth in Jesus’ name. 

And I’m chuckling here because time and space have again forced us to close for the day, and we haven’t even spoken about Jesus and the subject of faith in His life yet. But hopefully, if God allows us to see tomorrow, we will get to Jesus yet. That’s a promise! (smile) Now let’s go home declaring (chuh!!!) our Thursday Blessings, which the Lord has generously bestowed on us to do His earthly work. 

As one strong and sincere voice: ‘I declare that I am blessed with God’s supernatural wisdom and receive clear direction for my life! I declare today that I am blessed with creativity, courage, talent and abundance! I am blessed with a strong will, self-control and self-discipline! I am blessed with a great family, good friends, good health, faith, favour and fulfillment! I am blessed with success, supernatural strength, promotion and divine protection! 

I am blessed with a compassionate heart and a positive outlook on life! I declare that any curse or negative word that’s ever been spoken over me is broken right now in the name of Jesus! I declare that everything I put my hands to, will prosper and succeed! I declare it today and every day! Amen!’ 

Now, if we were sincere about those declarations, (ah Lord eh!!!) let’s go out and share them just as generously in helping others as Jesus did with us. Much LOVE!

…faith is of the utmost importance in the Christian’s life…but unfortunately…it can only be learned by hard experience… 

 Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ  

Today’s Scrip-Bit   26 January 2023 Philippians 4:6.

26 Jan 2023 Leave a comment

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

Philippians 4:6.       Be careful (anxious) for nothing; but in EVERY THING by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.

Well, it’s another cold and cloudy day, but one with a peculiar difference; the earth, the trees and the rooftops are covered in that white fluffy stuff called snow. (smile) Yes, we finally got a fair amount of the beautiful but ever so dangerous stuff yesterday and it just made a mess of the Greater Toronto Area. Accidents galore, and endless time to get around, that is when you could. Saw a picture of a bus having problems moving in the thick snow. And if a bus could have problems, think about how the smaller and less powerful vehicles managed nuh. 

Oh, and I just heard the snowplough outside finally cleaning my small and insignificant lane. (smile) But we can’t complain too much because it’s the first real snowstorm we’ve had for the year, and it’s definitely not as bad as what some areas have had to suffer through. Our storm probably deposited a few inches, while other areas have had a foot or more. So, we can still say ‘Thanks be to God!’ And if we’re talking about giving thanks, then this scripture from Bruh Paul’s epistle to the church at Philippi, written while he was imprisoned, is one we should certainly review. 

He’s talking about the people who helped him lay and build the church, how their names are being written in the Book of Life. Therefore, he advises the church to: ‘Rejoice in the Lord always: and again I say, Rejoice. Let your moderation (gentleness, graciousness) be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand. Be careful (anxious) for nothing; but in EVERY THING by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.’ (Phil. 4:4-6)  

Oh my fellow believers, I hope you noticed that most significant admonition: ‘in EVERY THING’ we should prayerfully give thanks as we lift up our desires to Almighty God! Yes, whatever it is, however serious or insignificant the problem, our God wants to hear about it, because He desires to work with and help us through whatever difficulties we encounter in this life. But we must endeavour to have a prayerful and grateful attitude regardless of our circumstances. Why? 

Bruh Paul explains: ‘And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.’ (Phil. 4:7) And that’s the gospel truth! When we keep our minds stayed and steadfast on God, He grants us divine peace from worry and anxiety through His wonderful Son Jesus Christ. It’s like Bruh David writes in Psalm 22 – The Plea of the Fearful: ‘Cast thy burden upon the Lord, and he shall sustain thee: he shall never suffer (permit) the righteous to be moved (shaken).’ (Ps. 55:22) 

But it won’t happen unless we believe it and subsequently place all our trust in Almighty God. And that’s also why Jesus taught on the importance of not worrying in His Sermon on the Mount. (Matt: 6:25-32) He explained that we should not worry about food and drink and clothes, how the birds and other animals, plus all the beautiful flowers in nature are looked after by the Father, and since we are more important to Him than them, why wouldn’t He also look after us? No reason whatsoever! 

And anyway, we can’t change anything by worrying about it, so worrying is useless. Like Sister Joyce (Joyce Meyer) likes to say. Worry is like sitting in a rocking chair. You can sit there and rock all day and still get nowhere. You can worry about your problems all day and still don’t have a solution. It’s best to spend your energy on talking to God about your problem, than trying to fix it yourself. 

Hence Jesus’ admonition: ‘But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. Take therefore no thought for the morrow (don’t worry about tomorrow): for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil (trouble) thereof.’ (Matt. 6:33-34) Yes friends, each day has its own problems that we need to handle responsibly, instead of wasting our valuable time looking forward to hypothetical problems that might arise on the morrow. 

That takes us back to Bruh Paul’s admonition to the Philippians, where he continues: ‘Finally brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest (noble), whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise (anything praiseworthy), think (meditate) on these things. Those things which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do: and the God of peace shall be with you.’ (Phil. 4:8-9) 

That’s it in a nutshell my fellow saints: how to get God’s peace and how to keep it. Seek God first, don’t worry about your life, but take everything to God in prayer with thanksgiving, and think on good things, things that encourage, rather than discourage, and the God of peace will provide peace and a good, worthwhile life for us. Obviously it won’t be easy to do, what with the natural ups and downs of life, but with God’s most able assistance, through His Holy Spirit that indwells us, we can have a good and fruitful life, producing even up to a hundred-fold. (smile) 

And our God is so wonderful that He never asks us to do anything without giving us the wherewithal, or the tools to do them. Consequently, He has generously bestowed on us what we call our Thursday Blessings, so that we can do His earthly work. But we need to declare them out loud so that they can be activated. So, let’s do that right now nuh. Altogether: ‘I declare that I am blessed with God’s supernatural wisdom and receive clear direction for my life! I declare today that I am blessed with creativity, courage, talent and abundance! 

I am blessed with a strong will, self-control and self-discipline! I am blessed with a great family, good friends, good health, faith, favour and fulfillment! I am blessed with success, supernatural strength, promotion and divine protection! I am blessed with a compassionate heart and a positive outlook on life! I declare that any curse or negative word that’s ever been spoken over me is broken right now in the name of Jesus! I declare that everything I put my hands to, will prosper and succeed! I declare it today and every day! Amen!’ 

Now, with those blessings activated in our lives, we are expected to go out and generously use them to bring others to Christ. Much LOVE!

…you can ride out any storm of life…in peace…with Jesus as your pilot…  

 Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ   

Today’s Scrip-Bit   19 May 2022 Psalm 37:7a.

19 May 2022 Leave a comment

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

Psalm 37:7a.       Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for him: 

Well, Thursday’s turned up wet and cloudy, but we can’t complain because we’ve had some good weather for the last few days. And as Job said to his wife so long ago in their terrible tribulation: ‘What? shall we receive (accept) good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive evil (accept calamity)?’ (Job 2:10) Yes friends, we’ve got to learn to accept the bad with the good, and that doesn’t come easy, it’s a learned situation, born out of patience and long-suffering. 

And it’s especially necessary for this generation who have all the amenities available to them and figure they are entitled to only good times, to learn that reality. They need to understand that life isn’t one big, long, good time, but a series of ups and downs, of fair and foul weather, and moreover you cannot enjoy the fair weather unless you know the foul. Unfortunately, it’s the bad, the trouble in this life that makes us appreciate the good. 

And Job’s life is a good example of that. He would never have appreciated God’s goodness as much as he did, if trouble had not befallen him. The same goes for us today my people. All the trouble we’re currently going through is helping us to appreciate the Lord’s goodness and mercy, because we know that He will not allow us to suffer for ever, but with every problem will bring a way of escape or the ability to see the trouble through. 

And that’s why these words of Psalm 37 – The true state of the wicked – are so important for us to know, and even more importantly to put into practice, because it doesn’t make any sense to know stuff and not action it. So, let’s renew our acquaintance with the marvellous advice of Bruh David nuh, let those faithful words find rest in our hearts and souls as we work them successfully into our everyday lives. ‘Fret not thyself because of evildoers, neither be thou envious against the workers of iniquity. For they shall soon be cut down like the grass and wither as the green herb.’ (Ps. 37:1-2) 

And yes, it does seem like the wicked are prospering despite that promise of God. But please note, that like all of God’s promises, they will happen in His own time, but happen they will. And if He says that the iniquity workers will be destroyed, then they will be, when He’s good and ready, so you don’t need to worry about them. What you need to be concerned about is your own sense of righteousness, which can be enabled by these other promises. 

‘Trust in the Lord, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed (feed on God’s faithfulness). Delight thyself also in the Lord; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart. Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass. And he shall bring forth thy righteousness as the light, and thy judgement (justice) as the noonday.’ (Ps. 37:3-6) Yes, my brethren, giving our life to the Lord, surrendering our all to Him is how our righteousness and justice is conceived and brought to life. 

And there’s more good advice that makes it even better. (smile) ‘Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for him: fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way, because of the man who bringeth wicked devices (schemes) to pass. Cease from anger, and forsake wrath: fret not thyself in any wise to do evil (for it only causes harm). For evil doers shall be cut off (destroyed): but those that wait upon the Lord, they shall inherit the earth. For yet a little while, and the wicked shall not be: yea, thou shalt diligently consider (look for) his place, and it shall not be. But the meek shall inherit the earth, and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace.’ (Ps. 37:7-11) 

And all of God’s people said a loud and proud ‘Amen!’ because it’s the word of the Lord, and His word is truth! He’s a most wonderful God, and we ought to LOVE Him with all our hearts, minds, bodies and souls, the way He desires of us, and for the many blessings and mercies He bestows on us every single day of our lives, the biggest being giving us the breath of life to see another day on His glorious earth. 

Oh my fellow saints, life’s been laid out so clearly and plainly for us that it’s shameful when we don’t accept it and live it out. Let’s quickly review that lay out of life nuh. First up is, ‘Fret not thyself because of evil doers.’ And yes, sometimes that’s not easy to do when you see the wicked prospering, but who’s the greatest in the universe eh? Almighty God. So, if He says something, then as a faithful believer you ought to believe it. And that leads us to ‘Trust in the Lord,’ so we can enjoy His faithfulness. 

And I do like this one: ‘Delight thyself in the Lord,’ for when I do that, He will give me the desires of my heart. Glory be my brethren! Who doesn’t want to get the desires of their hearts eh? We all do. However, those desires must be in line with God’s will, for good and not for evil, otherwise no dice. Then when we ‘Commit our way unto the Lord,’ He brings it to pass; light and righteousness overtake us like the noonday sun. And this is possibly the most important and surely the most difficult: ‘Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for Him.’ 

Yeh friends, most of us find it difficult to wait for anything, especially in this now for now society, but waiting on God’s immaculate timing is essential if we expect to successfully receive His anointing. And there we have it, the basics of living for God, spelled out so wisely for us even before the coming of Christ. And the only thing He’s changed is that we must believe in Him, accept Him as Lord and Saviour, to get to the Father. 

So friends, why are we so worried, so anxious and discombobulated over the circumstances of our lives eh? There’s no reason whatsoever for it, because the Lord’s promised safety and salvation and He faithfully keeps His promises. And when we faithfully live for Him, then we see such a profusion of blessings that it just boggles our minds. And we have a very good example of that in our Thursday Blessings which the Lord has bestowed on us to help us do His earthly work. Let’s declare them right now nuh, so that we can activate them. 

Altogether now: ‘I declare that I am blessed with God’s supernatural wisdom and receive clear direction for my life! I declare today that I am blessed with creativity, courage, talent and abundance! I am blessed with a strong will, self-control and self-discipline! I am blessed with a great family, good friends, good health, faith, favour and fulfillment! I am blessed with success, supernatural strength, promotion and divine protection! 

I am blessed with a compassionate heart and a positive outlook on life! I declare that any curse or negative word that’s ever been spoken over me is broken right now in the name of Jesus! I declare that everything I put my hands to, will prosper and succeed! I declare it today and every day! Amen!’ 

And having activated those blessings, we’re now required to go out and share them with others just as generously as the Lord shared them with us! Much LOVE!

…despite the heartaches and troubles you may face…you can never go wrong…living for Jesus… 

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

Today’s Scrip-Bit   7 April 2022 Isaiah 65:24.

07 Apr 2022 Leave a comment

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

Isaiah 65:24.       And it shall come to pass, that before they call, I will answer; and when they are yet speaking, I will hear.

It’s a beautiful Thursday morning out there my people! Only wish there could be a li’l more heat in the sun though. (smile) But that will come eventually; all in God’s good time. That’s one thing about our great God, He might not come exactly when we want Him to, but He is aware of all our situations, and rest assured, He’s NEVER late! Glory be my faithful brethren! 

The promises of our God are ever so important because oftentimes that’s all we have to base our faith and trust on, remembering that He’s never broken one in the past and has both the desire and power to never break any at all. So today, let’s look at one interesting promise made by the prophet Isaiah on the Lord’s behalf, when he spoke to his people about new heavens and a new earth. ‘And it shall come to pass, that before they call, I will answer; and when they are yet speaking, I will hear.’ (Is. 65:24) 

Yes friends, that’s how quick the communication will be! The Lord promises to answer before we even call, and to answer while we are still speaking! Wow! That’s how it will be in the New Jerusalem! Can you imagine that beautiful and serene scene, where ‘The wolf and the lamb shall feed together, and the lion shall eat straw like the bullock (ox): and dust shall be the serpent’s meat (food). They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain, saith the Lord.’ (Is. 65:25) Oh, I know some of us won’t believe it until we see it, but that’s what it takes to live in God’s kingdom; you believe it before you see it! 

Now, let’s look at some other promises that branch off from that one nuh, where the Lord assures and reassures of His faithfulness. And Isaiah in his true description of religion, reiterates God’s promise. If his people will give up their wicked and idolatrous ways and do what God desires of them: ‘Then shall thy light break forth as the morning, and thine health (healing) shall spring forth speedily: and thy righteousness shall go before thee; the glory of the Lord shall be thy rearward (rear guard).

Then shalt thou call, and the Lord shall answer; thou shalt cry, and he shall say, here I am. If thou take away from the midst of thee the yoke, the putting forth (pointing) of the finger, and speaking vanity (wickedness). And if thou draw out (extend) thy soul to the hungry, and satisfy the afflicted soul; then shall thy light rise in obscurity (darkness), and thy darkness (gloom) be as the noonday. And the Lord shall guide thee continually, and satisfy thy soul in drought (famine), and make fat (strengthen) thy bones: and thou shalt be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water, whose waters fail not.’ (Is. 58: 8-11) 

Oh my people, who wouldn’t want to enjoy such a beautiful life eh? But it requires keeping our promise to live for the Lord. He will do almost anything for us if we live the way He desires, with Him being FIRST in all we do. Yes, we all LOVE the good life, but we don’t want to work for it. Unfortunately though, the good life only comes through obedience, hard work and sacrifice! 

Now listen to these wonderful words of promise from Psalm 91 – God is a refuge and a fortress. The psalmist confidently declares of the Lord: ‘Because he hath set his LOVE upon me, therefore will I deliver him: I will set him on high, because he hath known my name. He shall call upon me, and I will answer him: I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him, and honour him. With long life (length of days) will I satisfy him, and show him my salvation.’ (Ps. 91:14-16) You couldn’t get a better promise than that my people! But then again, it requires some serious and sincere effort on our part towards our heavenly Father. 

And what about this miraculous happening in the answer of prayer from the words of Daniel? He says: ‘And while I was speaking, and praying, and confessing my sin, and the sin of my people Israel, and presenting my supplication before the Lord my God for the holy mountain of my God; Yea, while I was speaking in prayer, even the man Gabriel, whom I had seen in the vision at the beginning, being caused to fly swiftly (being weary with weariness), touched (reached) me about the time of the evening oblation (offering). 

And he informed me, and talked with me, and said, O Daniel, I am now come forth to give thee skill and (in) understanding. At the beginning of thy supplications the commandment (word, order) came forth, and I am come to show (tell) thee; for thou art greatly beloved: therefore understand (give heed to) the matter, and consider (understand) the vision.’ (Dan. 9:20-23) 

Now doesn’t that just warm the cockles of your hearts my fellow saints? It ought to, for before Daniel was even finished praying the angel Gabriel came to talk with him; exactly what the Lord promised in those other scriptures we’ve read this morning. He even showed him a vision of Israel’s future. But that was because Daniel was an obedient servant of the Lord. And He would do the very same with us, if we truly became His obedient servants. 

And the scholars offer this interesting explanation on those verses. ‘9:20-23. The answer of God to Daniel’s prayer came immediately through the angel Gabriel. Although Daniel’s prayer was primarily for God’s forgiveness and restoration of the Jews to their land, his initial concern for God’s programme for Israel (vs.2) caused the Lord to reveal to him an outline of Israel’s future from that point on.’ And that vision of Israel has held true right down through the ages. 

But friends, receiving the goodness of God, almost always depends on us doing what He requires. It’s as simple as that. As the ole people would say, ‘it takes two to tango, and one hand washes the other.’ One person can’t tango by themself, neither can one hand wash itself, and we need to remember that we are in a partnership with God, which means both sides have their parts to do. Our part is to serve and worship the Lord fervently and obediently. His is to look after us when we do that. 

And yuh know what, He’s so good, that He even gives us stuff that we don’t deserve, like what we call our Thursday Blessings, but they enable us to do His work. So, we don’t even have cause to complain that we don’t have the tools to do His work. (smile) Now let’s declare those blessings in loud and proud voice, so that they can take effect in our souls, and thus in our everyday lives. 

‘I declare that I am blessed with God’s supernatural wisdom and receive clear direction for my life! I declare today that I am blessed with creativity, courage, talent and abundance! I am blessed with a strong will, self-control and self-discipline! I am blessed with a great family, good friends, good health, faith, favour and fulfillment! I am blessed with success, supernatural strength, promotion and divine protection! 

I am blessed with a compassionate heart and a positive outlook on life! I declare that any curse or negative word that’s ever been spoken over me is broken right now in the name of Jesus! I declare that everything I put my hands to, will prosper and succeed! I declare it today and every day! Amen!’ 

And if we want to see real benefits in our earthly walk, then we need to go and put those blessings to work in the lives of others, just as generously and unselfishly as the Lord did in ours. Much LOVE!

…what’s in a promise…one’s heart and soul… 

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

Today’s Scrip-Bit 29 July 2021 Psalm 127:1a.

29 Jul 2021 Leave a comment

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

Psalm 127:1a.      Except the Lord build the house, they labour in vain that build it: 

And then it was a rainy Thursday morning. But oh, does it ever have the earth looking nice and clean! Our great God certainly provided everything for His universe when He created it. In this case, rain to wash it when it gets too mucky and yucky under the unfaithful, uncaring hands of its human occupants. And in like manner, He washes away our sins, though not with water but with the much more potent cleanser; the blood of the holy Lamb, His Son Jesus Christ! 

And all God’s people gave a loud and grateful shout of: ‘Thank You Lord! Thank You for Jesus, who sacrificed His sinless life on the cross of Calvary so that You could wash away our sins with His cleansing blood, forgive us and bring us back into right standing with You!’ 

What an awesome truth that is my brethren! Our souls are washed clean by the blood of the Lamb! Just imagine the magnitude of such an amazing plan nuh…and one that worked…and still works! Only Almighty God could have devised such an out of sight plan, and make it work too. That’s why we praise, worship and LOVE Him with all of our hearts, souls, bodies and minds! He is indeed worthy of such honour and glory! And it’s also why those words combine to produce the first and greatest commandment of our faith! 

No wonder Cousin Sol could write such splendid words and accolades in Psalm 72: ‘Blessed be the Lord God, the God of Israel, who only doeth wondrous things. And blessed be his glorious name for ever and ever: and let the whole earth be filled with his glory. Amen, and Amen.’ (Ps. 72:18-19) What marvellous and true sentiments in honour of our great God! Only Cousin Sol could pen such glowing statements to the God of his forefathers, especially considering how much He had blessed him. 

And just for interest’s sake, the scholars tell us that Cousin Sol only wrote two psalms, 72 and 127. So let’s turn to the latter nuh, which is superscripted ‘The need of relying on God.’ And it sounds just like the other writings of Cousin Sol; very deliberate and to the point. He opens it thus: ‘Except the Lord build the house, they labour in vain that build it: except the Lord keep (guards) the city, the watchman waketh but in vain (stays awake in vain). It is vain for you to rise up early, to sit up late, to eat the bread of sorrows: for so he giveth his beloved sleep.’ (Ps. 127:1-2) 

You could easily think you are reading Proverbs or Ecclesiastes. (smile) But as always, his words contain much truth. And then Cousin Sol turns to the matter of children: ‘Lo, children are an heritage of the Lord: and the fruit of the womb is his reward. As arrows are in the hand of a mighty man (a warrior); so are children of the youth. Happy is the man that hath his quiver full of them: they shall not be ashamed, but they shall speak with the enemies in the gate.’ (Ps. 127:3-5) 

Mama Mia! No wonder Cousin Sol was considered the wisest man in the world! He had a wealth of wisdom and knowledge because that’s what he asked the Lord for when he ascended to the throne of his father Bruh David. The Good Book tells us ‘In that night did God appear unto Solomon, and said unto him, Ask what I shall give thee. And Solomon said unto God… Give me now wisdom and knowledge, that I may go out and come in before this people: for who can judge this thy people, that is so great?’ (2 Chr.1:7,9) 

And it pleased the Lord so much that he hadn’t asked for wealth, long life and victory over his enemies, but wisdom and understanding, that He gave him all of it: wisdom, understanding, wealth, long life and victory over his enemies! Wow! That’s how magnanimous our God can be when our words and actions please Him! But getting back to Psalm 127. It is a serious and wise psalm because it highlights the necessity for relying on God for all of our needs. 

The scholars explain it thus: ‘Psalm 127: The principle of this psalm is that all human efforts are in vain unless they have God’s blessing. This principle is applied to four areas: building a house (vs. 1a), guarding a city (vs. 1b), working long hours (vs. 2), and having children (vs. 3-5). It is possible to accomplish all of these things without God’s blessing, but it is not possible to accomplish them purposefully and with eternal value without God’s blessing. The psalm includes, incidentally, two practical reasons for having children: they bring you joy and they protect you (vs. 5).’ 

Now you can’t argue with any of that, although in this evil and godless era there are many children who don’t bring joy to their parents or protect them. But hopefully those are the exception rather than the rule. Ah friends, we are living in very difficult and troubled times, and I feel sorry for those who don’t count Jesus Christ as their Lord and Saviour because too many are missing out on so much. No peace and joy in their hearts, no hope and promise of salvation and eternal life. 

But all we can do is talk to them about Him, if they allow us, and even more importantly live a life that’s true to His name and ideals. That means we have a lot of important work to do, in probably a very short time. So let’s get right to it nuh. Let’s stop making all kinds of excuses for our laziness and lethargy and pick up the baton of Jesus and run energetically and wisely with it. And to help us do that, He’s granted us so many tools, that we want for nothing to do His earthly work. 

That means it’s time for us to declare our Thursday Blessings. As one strong and sincere voice now: ‘I declare that I am blessed with God’s supernatural wisdom and receive clear direction for my life! I declare today that I am blessed with creativity, courage, talent and abundance! I am blessed with a strong will, self-control and self-discipline! I am blessed with a great family, good friends, good health, faith, favour and fulfillment! 

I am blessed with success, supernatural strength, promotion and divine protection! I am blessed with a compassionate heart and a positive outlook on life! I declare that any curse or negative word that’s ever been spoken over me is broken right now in the name of Jesus! I declare that everything I put my hands to, will prosper and succeed! I declare it today and every day! Amen!’ 

It now becomes our bounden duty to go out and share those awesome blessings, just as generously with others, as the Lord shared them with us. Much LOVE!

…you can accomplish plenty without God’s blessings…but it won’t last…                                                                                                      

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

Today’s Scrip-Bit 1 July 2021 1 Thessalonians 6:17.

01 Jul 2021 Leave a comment

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

1 Thessalonians 6:17.     Pray without ceasing.

It’s Thursday…the first day of July! That means it’s Canada Day! Our Independence Day! And celebrations are in order. Unfortunately though, the problems of the pandemic and racial problems, plus the recent discoveries of several unmarked, unknown burial sites of Indigenous children has marred the celebratory attitude. Many are calling for a boycott of the celebrations, but that won’t change the past, and we all know that every country in the world has some very unpleasant skeletons from terrible atrocities hidden in its closet, that’s just the nature of nation building followed by mankind down through the ages. 

Canada is still one of the best countries in the world, and if we try to tear down all the other good things we’ve built, there will be no going forward, just backward. We need to temper the harshness with some wisdom and common sense, using education and reconciliation and truth to handle this unpleasant news. 

So, despite the heaviness that’s currently sitting on the conscience of our country, I’m wishing us a Happy Canada Day! Celebrate with a modicum of reservation, appreciating the hurt that many others are experiencing today. Right now, our world is such an angry and negative place with so little positivity and compassion that we don’t need any more to drag it further down into the mire. And while looking through our One Year Book of Bible Promises with writings by Ruth Harms Calkin, I came upon this poem which I believe typifies our lives, and thus the current state of our world. It’s rather appropriately titled ‘The Reason.’ 

Please pray with me. ‘God, why am I so often defeated? Why am I so full of dread and anxiety? Why am I so lamentably weak – So perilously susceptible to temptation? Why am I often inhospitable So intolerant of the needs of others? Why am I so undisciplined So restless and dissatisfied? Why do I protest so violently? Above all. God Why do I so frequently lose The sense of Your shining Presence? God, why? Why? — Because you pray so little.’ 

And isn’t that an awesomely accurate portrait of so many of us, and consequently our world in these trying times, in these last days? It certainly is! There is indeed much more negativity than LOVE and compassion! The prince of darkness has our world in the palm of His hand and is trying to squeeze the very life blood out of it. And one of the reasons why that’s possible is because we supposed believers in Jesus Christ don’t pray enough, therefore we are not divinely inspired enough to get up and fight, to beat back the enemy. 

So what’s the answer eh? Obviously, we have to begin by praying more, by sincerely seeking Jesus more, giving Him a bigger space and place in our lives than we’re currently doing. Remember, He’s the answer to ALL our prayers, the calm in the storm, our refuge and fortress, and all those other good things! But if we don’t communicate with him, pray and acknowledge His power and presence, we won’t be able to handle the enemy who’s so intent on coming against us. And the Bible verse that’s used as the promise for our poem are the simple but very powerful words of Bruh Paul to the Thessalonians. ‘Pray without ceasing.’ (1 Thess. 5:17) 

It could not be any simpler or clearer than that my fellow saints in Christ! Prayer is the ultimate means of communication with our heavenly Father, and just as we don’t get much from our earthly fathers if we don’t talk or communicate with them, likewise, lack of communication with God, does little or nothing for us. Bruh Paul said it thus to the Ephesians, when he told them about putting on the armour of God to fight the enemy. ‘Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints.’ (Eph. 6:18) 

Yes friends, even with God’s powerful armour encasing our souls, prayer is still necessary to make it all work. And if you still don’t believe that prayer is absolutely necessary, then listen to these words of Jesus as He rebukes His inner circle in the Garden of Gethsemane when He, Himself went to pray at the most anguished time of His earthly life, the night before His crucifixion. They were supposed to be watching with him, but had fallen asleep. ‘He saith unto Peter, What, could ye not watch with me one hour? Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.’ (Matt. 26: 40-41) 

And we know that’s the gospel truth friends! Our flesh is by nature weak and sinful, so we need the power of the Spirit, the grace of God to be truly strong. Now one last word from Jesus on the subject of prayer. Luke opens chapter 18 with these telling words. ‘And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint (lose heart).’ (Luke 18:1) He could not be more definitive than that my brethren! And we all know that prayer was Jesus’ most powerful passion. As Mark immortalizes it in his gospel. ‘And in the morning, rising up a great while before day, he went out, and departed into a solitary place, and there prayed.’ (Mark 1:35) 

So friends, if the Son of God found it necessary to pray often, to have close communication with His heavenly Father, why would we, mere mortals, finite creations, not have the same expectation and desire eh? I’ll leave that question for each of us to answer in our own way and time. (smile) In the meanwhile, for those of us who are sincerely trying to make a difference, let’s go home declaring (yeahhh!!) our Thursday Blessings, that the Lord has so generously bestowed on us to do His earthly work. 

Altogether now: ‘I declare that I am blessed with God’s supernatural wisdom and receive clear direction for my life! I declare today that I am blessed with creativity, courage, talent and abundance! I am blessed with a strong will, self-control and self-discipline! I am blessed with a great family, good friends, good health, faith, favour and fulfillment! 

I am blessed with success, supernatural strength, promotion and divine protection! I am blessed with a compassionate heart and a positive outlook on life! I declare that any curse or negative word that’s ever been spoken over me is broken right now in the name of Jesus! I declare that everything I put my hands to, will prosper and succeed! I declare it today and every day! Amen!’  

Now it’s time for us to go out and share those blessings just as generously with those we meet on our earthly journey. Much LOVE!

…prayer…the most important tool…in a Christian’s tool kit…                                                                                    

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

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