Today’s Scrip-Bit 27 September 2016 Psalm 91:2.

27 Sep 2016 Leave a comment

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

Psalm 91:2.    I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust. 

Ahoy there me ole shipmates! (smile) Monday’s in the books…Glory be! So let’s begin Tuesday on the right foot nuh by declaring our wise and godly intentions. ‘This is the day the Lord hath made, we WILL rejoice and be glad in it.’ (Ps.118:24) 

Yes friends, that’s the only sensible way to greet this new day of life that we’ve been granted; in joy and gladness! All other ways are filled with numerous pitfalls and disappointments.

At least when we are rejoicing in the goodness of our God, we can be strong and steadfast in times of misfortunes, standing on His ever-faithful promise to never leave nor forsake us. 

Now let’s bolster all of that by declaring our Tuesday Mantra with supreme belief and overwhelming faith and trust. As one now: ‘I’m not what I do. I’m not what I have. I’m not what people say about me. I am the beloved of God, that’s who I am. No one can take that from me.

I don’t have to worry. I don’t have to hurry. I can trust my friend Jesus and share His LOVE with the world.  Amen!’ Ah mih people, what a beautiful and reassuring declaration! 

Wow! Knowing that I am the beloved of God and a true friend pf Jesus is just the ‘mostest’! (smile) There isn’t even a real word to truly convey the importance and satisfaction of those situations.

And to be true followers of Jesus we must base our lives on what Jesus says about us, rather than how the world beholds us. That is ever so important to kingdom living my people! 

And let’s not forget the last part of our Mantra: ‘share His LOVE with the world,’ for that’s one of our basic purposes on planet earth.

In Jesus’ world, we need to both believe and do, otherwise we’re out of sync, out of step with our Lord and Saviour. And that surely won’t do. 

Now here’s a li’l something that ties in with our Leader’s expectations. I’m not sure where I got it from, or if I’ve ever shared it before, but it does hit the nail right on the head in today’s message. 

It says: ‘Choose the best; shun mediocrity. Mediocrity has a way of shrivelling up enthusiasm. But commitment to excellence taps an incredible source of energy. Elect the best, no matter what the price tag!’ 

Oh friends, those are certainly words of truth for anyone to live by, but more so for Christians, because our heavenly intercessor, Jesus, expects us to live by a definite standard of excellence.

And though it’s not an easy motto to live by, we can successfully attempt it through our station as beloved children of the Most High God, Jehovah! 

Especially when we have the faith to declare like the psalmist in our Bit. ‘I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust.’ 

What wonderful words for a believer to both hear and declare my brethren! It just ramps up our faith, encourages us to be bold and confident in all that we do, knowing that God is on our side. And as the scripture says: If God is for us, who can be against us eh? (Rom.8:31) 

NOBODY my people, NOBODY! That’s because our God is the greatest Mover and Shaker in the entire universe! 

And all God’s children gave a loud and grateful shout of ‘Praise the Lord! Bless His Holy Name!’ 

And we have a great example of all that in the unique style of the psalm from which our Bit is taken. Yesterday we saw where the psalmist was declaring God’s wonderful attributes of strength and protection; today we’ll hear where God declares His side of the story. 

Listen up: ‘Because thou hast made the Lord, which is my refuge, even the Most High, thy habitation; There shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling.

For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways. They shall bear (lift) thee up in their hands, lest thou dash (strike) thy foot against a stone. 

Thou shalt tread upon the lion and the adder (cobra): the young lion and the dragon (serpent) shalt thou trample under feet. 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 will I satisfy him, and show him my salvation.’ (Ps.91:9-16) 

Oh friends, what glorious promises from the Creator of the universe for those who sincerely believe in Him and surrender their lives to Him with absolute trust and faith! 

Listen though, to these words of caution from the scholars. Psalm 91: An important caution is necessary here. The great promises of verses 3-13 should not be taken in an absolute sense. One may not be presumptuous in applying them – Satan has already suggested that (Matt.4:6-7). 

Rather, the believer must recall that deliverance still has to do with the will of God and that even if harm should come, he can still be secure (cf. Luke 21:16 with 21:18 and Rom.8:28 with 8:35).’ 

All the scholars are saying friends is that we don’t take everything literally. Harm can still come to us, but even then, we can still be secure in the Lord our God.

Please read those scriptures (that’s your homework) to get a better understanding of what the scholars are talking about. I can’t spoon-feed you all here, (smile) because it’s just too much, and we don’t have the time or space to do it. 

Now let’s go home with a feeling of joy and gladness, based on the strong and true foundation of God’s word, filled with promises of security and deliverance and unconditional LOVE, for that’s the wisdom of the ages! Much LOVE!

…try me…test me…says the Lord Jehovah to the unbeliever…and you’ll find me faithful and true…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Today’s Scrip-Bit 9 September 2016 Proverbs 28:20.

09 Sep 2016 Leave a comment

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

Proverbs 28:20.   A faithful man shall abound with blessings: but he that maketh haste to be rich shall not be innocent (go unpunished). 

And then it was Friday – the day that we all LOVE and anxiously look forward to all week, because it heralds the beginning of the weekend. 

Then we can all joyfully declare ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday and the weekend’s here at last! Glory to God! If I had to go to that so and so work one more day…Steups! I would certainly have gone crazy! I need sometime for mihself, to do what I want to do, without any foolish supervisor constantly looking over mih shoulder and barking orders!  Thank God for Fridays and the weekend yes!’ 

Yeh friends, we all need a break from work, but the problem stems from how we use that break. If we use it just to satisfy our lustful and sensory pleasures then we’re not helping ourselves or fulfilling God’s mandate. But sadly, that’s what too many of us do and consequently we fall into the enemy’s trap. 

So with that in mind, let’s chant our Friday Chant nuh, which gives us a better perspective on how to use the weekend. Chanting as one, in harmony and unison: ‘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.’ 

Now that’s a much better way to handle the weekend – with a good balance of activities and one that will also glorify our heavenly Father! And remember, glorifying Him is one of our main duties on this planet earth. 

So let’s have a look at our Bit, the same one as yesterday. ‘A faithful man shall abound with blessings: but he that maketh haste to be rich shall not be innocent (go unpunished).’ 

Ah mih breddren, our great and wonderful God has spelled it out as simply as possible – if you are obedient to His word, He will bless you abundantly, otherwise you and yours will be cursed forever. Now what is so difficult to understand about that eh? 

I really don’t know nuh, but we still are too closely wedded to the things of the world and not to those of heaven. And then we wonder why blessings are not flowing down upon us like rain, instead of the serious calamity and disasters that are currently flooding our lives and our world. 

Oh friends, a lot of it has to do with our continual and blasphemous rejection of Almighty God, the awesome Creator of heaven and earth and all therein. Our intentional desire to drive Him out of our society will not endear us to Him, so why do we do the sinful things we do, then try to call upon Him when adversity hits eh? That makes absolutely no sense my people. 

Now let’s check out a couple scriptures that point out the gross stupidity of our behaviour, starting with these words of wisdom from Cousin Sol. ‘Blessings are upon the head of the just (righteous): but violence covereth the mouth of the wicked. The memory of the just (righteous) is blessed: but the name of the wicked shall rot… The blessing of the Lord, it maketh rich, and he addeth no sorrow with it.’ (Prov.10: 6-7, 22) 

Oh brother, it just boggles my imagination when we do some of the stuff we do that is totally repugnant to our God and His word, then expect Him to bless us and make us prosper, when it’s so clear that that will never happen. 

Listen here now to one of the great promises of blessings in the Good Book. It concerns tithes, where the Jewish people were disobedient, just like we are today. 

The Lord’s speaking through the prophet Malachi. ‘For I am the Lord, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed. Even from the days of your fathers ye are gone away from mine ordinances, and have not kept them. Return unto me, and I will return unto you, saith the Lord of hosts. But ye said, Wherein (in what way) shall we return? 

Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say, wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings. Ye are cursed with a curse: for ye have robbed me, even this whole nation. Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat (food) in mine house, and prove (test) me now herewith, saith the Lord of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be enough room to receive it. 

And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, and he shall not destroy the fruits of your ground; neither shall your vine cast her fruit before the time in the field, saith the Lord of hosts. And all nations shall call you blessed: for ye shall be a delightsome (delightful) land, saith the Lord of hosts.’ (Mal.3:6-12) 

Oh friends, what could be simpler than that eh? We follow God’s law of tithing, giving ten percent of our earnings to Him, so that His priests and the widows and orphans and strangers can have food, and He’ll bless us so greatly that we won’t even have room to store it! 

Mama Mia! What an awesome promise! And we know that our God is ever faithful to keeping His promises. But I guess most of us don’t appreciate the promise, that’s why we don’t tithe. But please remember friends, that not tithing is disobedience, for the Lord has made it a sure and serious condition of our loyalty to Him. 

Anyway my people, let’s get wise nuh, let’s sit down today and ponder all that we’ve said, and see how we shape up in obedience to God’s word, then sincerely ask Him to help us do better. You know He won’t refuse such a request, because He desires us all to become as Christ-like as possible. Much LOVE!

…promises…promise…promises…oh how faithful and true…rewarding and worthwhile…are the promises of Almighty God…