Today’s Scrip-Bit 6 August 2021 Job 12:13.

06 Aug 2021 Leave a comment

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

Job 12:13.      With him (God) is wisdom and strength, he hath counsel and understanding.

Come on friends, it’s the big day of Friday, the start of this glorious summer weekend! So what’s your plans for it eh? Fun and frolic, wine and song, or just taking it easy and lying in the sun, enjoying its warming rays? Well, a li’l bit of those are all good, but what about some time with our heavenly Father eh? No plans to get together with Him for even a li’l tete a tete? That’s not wise now, for He is the source of all you are, all you have and all you will ever be. 

So please, let’s be wise and make some time to spend with our wonderful God over the next few days nuh, in private prayer, as well as corporate worship. For that’s what truly makes us come alive, enlivens our spirits, strengthens our faith and keeps us going in the right direction. 

Yes friends, without some face time with our God, we become listless and lost, unsure of how to proceed in this rather complicated and unpredictable process we call life, especially when the enemy is getting more active and daring every day, because he thinks he is winning the fight. But we need to show him that he’s oh so wrong. And we can only do that with the grace of our great God flowing from our souls and spirits. And we can only get that ever-powerful grace of God when we sincerely bond and engage with Him. 

For as Job so rightly said when attacked by his supposed friends: ‘With him (God) is wisdom and strength, he hath counsel and understanding.’ (Job 12:13) Oh my brethren, truer words were never spoken! And did Job ever learn a thing or two about God during his innocent ‘sufferation.’ Earlier on he remarked: ‘He (God) is wise in heart, and mighty in strength: who hath hardened himself against him, and hath prospered?’ (Job 9:4) And the obvious answer to that question is ‘NOBODY!’ 

Even the mightiest of His creations, the archangel Lucifer, foolishly tried to overthrow Him but was unsuccessful and ingloriously kicked out from the power and glory he enjoyed in heaven. So, it’s ever so foolish for us lesser mortals to think that we could best God in any respect whatsoever. But we do try, when, like Lucifer, the pride of our looks and doings overwhelm our puny minds. 

It never ceases to amaze me that the created, could ever think that they are more powerful and can thus overthrow or bring down their Creator. It just doesn’t compute friends. The created is like putty in the hands of the Creator, made into whatever image the Creator desires, and the Creator is no fool to imbue the created with so much might and power that the latter could overthrow Him. 

That means all our efforts to rid our society of God is just pure foolishness. And the only thing that’s stopping God from getting rid of us completely is His awesome, though not understandable, unconditional LOVE for us! Remember, He once erased the whole world through a flood when He got tired of humanity’s sin and disobedience. Unfortunately, that new start didn’t work too well either, for we were soon back to our old sinful and disobedient ways. 

And though God promised never to use a flood again, there’s nothing that says He can’t use other means, like fire and brimstone, or sickness and other natural disasters. And who knows what’s really happening in our world right now eh? Look at the serious strife, sickness, fires and upheaval that’s taking place all over the globe! How do we know that’s not the hand of God trying to wake us up, to tell us something eh? We don’t, and apparently many of us don’t care. 

But for the comparative few of us who do care and are concerned about all the ‘sufferation’ in our current world, please, let’s make it our number one desire to spend time with our Maker, our God, our Provider, our Comforter. For it’s only through sincere interaction with Him that our problems will ever be solved, or even lessened. And there’s no better time than right now, to go to Him in prayer, asking for His help to bring back some sense of sanity to our world, for it surely seems to have suddenly gone mad. 

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

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

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

Now friends, let’s remember our promise to be faithful believers, for if we aren’t, our prayers will not be answered. That means, it now depends solely on our behaviour; it’s our choice, to be righteous, or unrighteous! Much LOVE!

…to God…the giver of life…be all the glory…for ever and ever…                                                                                                              

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

Today’s Scrip-Bit 15 June 2020 Jeremiah 13:15.

15 Jun 2020 Leave a comment

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

Jeremiah 13:15.    ​Hear ye, and give ear, be not proud: for the Lord hath spoken. 
 

Monday, Monday, Monday… Chuh! Another blooming day to go to work! And as if going to work wasn’t bad enough after such a relaxing weekend, we have to go amidst all the confusion and chaos caused by the Covid-19 virus and a host of disgruntled and dissatisfied protesters in the street. Ah Lord eh! What a way we world in a sad mess! 

But friends, the news isn’t all bad! No, there’s some good stuff too – namely that the Creator and Controller of this great universe, Almighty God Himself…Yahweh…Jehovah – whatever name you choose – has His people safely ensconced in the palms of His mighty hands, under the shelter of His powerful wings! And all His children declared a loud and proud: ‘Praise the Lord for His goodness and mercy to the children of men!’ 

But the problem we encounter though, is that with our free will it behooves us to come to Him, He won’t simply conscript us like soldiers in time of war. We have to join His army of our own free will, and once we do that, we then need to stick ever so closely to Him, like white on rice. (smile) He will keep and protect us. That’s His ever-faithful promise, and all the storms that are currently besetting us will pass, as they all do – just in His time. 

So there’s no need to fear what’s currently happening in our world, although we must be concerned and do our part to help reshape life in a more equitable and Christian manner. And one of the ways we can ALL participate in that reshaping is through prayer; the most powerful weapon in the universe! It’s the method of communication that the Lord, in His eternal wisdom, devised for us to bring our problems and concerns to Him, as well as to just have friendly chats and tete-`a-tetes with Him. 

So as one strong voice, with sincere hearts, let’s call out to Him right now nuh, invoking our Monday Morning Battle Hymn, asking for His mercy and grace in the worldwide problems that we’re now facing. ‘Our Father, who art in heaven, we, Your humble servants, praise Your Holy Name and thank You that this Monday morning we’re alive, and hopefully haven’t contracted the virus that’s causing havoc around our world. And our anxieties have been recently deepened because some restrictions have been lifted in the lockdown, so more of us are going out to work now without any guarantees of safety. 

Then to complicate matters Father, suddenly, and unexpectedly, just like the virus, worldwide strife and protests have also struck us in this sad time of pandemic, and we don’t have a clue how to handle either situation properly. Mass confusion is currently prevailing in our world, and we desperately need your help to solve both problems, as You are the ONLY One with the power and insight to successfully handle them. 

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

Please show us how to successfully handle these scourges that are currently plaguing Your beautiful earth. Please help our leaders to wisely quell the strife and protests, and the scientists to find a positive solution, a sure antidote to the virus as quickly as possible. And for those who have already contracted the virus, or been injured in the strife, we pray that You will ease their suffering and heal them. 

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

And my people, if our hearts were truly sincere in that prayer, then we know that our faithful God has begun working on the solution to our problems, and they will be eventually conquered, but in His time, when He decides that His purpose for allowing it to happen has been achieved. Until then, we just have to hope and pray and stay strong in His LOVE! And living the way He desires just might help us too. (smile) 

For interest sake, I just opened the Good Book and discovered these inspiring words uttered by the prophet Jeremiah to his people Israel when they were in a period of disobedience. ‘Hear ye, and give ear, be not proud: for the Lord hath spoken. Give glory to the Lord your God, before he cause darkness. And before your feet stumble upon the dark mountains, and while ye look for light, he turn it into the shadow of death, and make it gross darkness.’ (Jer. 13:15-16) Now wise people hearing those words would certainly take some time to ponder their lives and see if they are doing what the prophet advises. For who knows if that is one of the reasons our world is currently so dark, so overrun by darkness? 

And the scholars add this interesting explanation: ‘13:15-17. A third illustration concerns a weary traveller in danger of being overtaken by the falling darkness of night. Such was Judah. It must renounce all pride and give God His rightful glory before the final darkness of national catastrophe engulfs it.’ 

And the psalmist also had these wise words of advice: ‘Give (ascribe) unto the Lord, O ye kindreds of the people, give unto the Lord glory and strength. Give (ascribe) unto the Lord the glory due unto his name: bring an offering, and come into his courts. O worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness: fear (tremble) before him all the earth. Say among the heathen (nations) that the Lord reigneth: the world also shall be (is firmly) established that it shall not be moved (shaken): he shall judge the people righteously.’ (Ps. 96:7-10) 

What more can I say eh friends and neighbours? Just that a word to the wise is usually sufficient, and he who has ears to hear, let him hear! Much LOVE!

…obey God…and all will be well…

Today’s Scrip-Bit 3 February 2014 Ephesians 1:3

03 Feb 2014 Leave a comment

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

Ephesians 1:3.     Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ.

Oh Friends, it’s Monday… And poor me, ah crying because is only three days left before I have to leave God’s Little Acre and return to the cold, dark, North Country. Steups! But what yuh going to do eh? Them’s the breaks! So you just have to grin and bear it. And most importantly, I know that our great and wonderful God will bless me wherever He leads me on His beautiful planet Earth.

So there’s really no need to worry, although the hot sun is much preferable to the cold one. (smile) Anyway, yesterday was a great day in memory lane travel. After writing the Bit, I went by Aunt Cicely for some home-cooked food. And it did taste better than and different to the store bought stuff I’ve been living on for most of the last two weeks.
 
Then my Uncle Foster came over and spent the night with us. We watched Barbados beat T&T in regional cricket competition, and Seattle blow out Denver in the overhyped Super Bowl. I felt real sorry for Peyton Manning though, because from the first snap of the ball, which went over his shoulder into the end zone, before he even appeared ready for it, you could tell that it would be a rough day for him.
 
Seattle however did deserve to win with their excellent play, both on defence, offence and special teams. That’s how teams are supposed to play; with all aspects positively contributing to the overall effort.  
 
But Friends, yuh know in all the reminiscing that’s been going on for the past two weeks, last night’s was the most important, because my Uncle Foster and I had a very special relationship when we lived bachey (as bachelors) in Trinidad in the early 70’s. We made so many memories, or as he termed them adventures, that some he mentioned, I had no recollection of them whatsoever. He obviously remembers more of them than I do.
 
And yuh better believe that the Duchess and him had their own private tete a tete, reliving their own memories, since she was always his favourite. And though I tried to stay out of their business, they still found some way to gang up on me, like they did in the past. Anyway, it was a most excellent time, with some of everything involved, even serious arguments. But the disagreements didn’t last long, because that’s the way we’ve always been.
 
And now Friends, on this Monday morning in early February 2014, let’s raise the roofs of both heaven and earth, with a miraculous rendition of our Monday Morning Battle Hymn. Let’s make it so sweet, that our Father in heaven will automatically get up from His throne and passionately begin singing the music and doing a feisty two step dance to it. (smile)
 
And remember my fellow believers, we can do anything with His help. So let’s sing up a godly storm. On three: one, two, three: ‘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 yes mih people! We did it! We did it! The soulful harmony touched our heavenly Father’s very soul, and had him up singing and dancing His own version of the two step. And can the Father move! You bet!
 
During that time, Jesus stood aside smiling, clapping and urging Him on, for it had been a long time since He’d seen the Father so happy that He wanted to bust a move. So we know for sure that heaven will be a somewhat happier place today, but what about planet earth eh?
 
It won’t be so great unless we believers get out there and work some good works for Jesus! And since we have the Father prepped and in the mood for celebrations, we can’t afford to let Him down now. So please Friends, let’s try our very best to walk worthy of Him today nuh.
 
And how can we even contemplate doing otherwise after looking at our Bit and the resultant benefits and blessings that flow from it? ‘Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ.’ 
 
So let’s continue from where we left off yesterday; talking about how He predestinated us as His adopted children through Christ, through His fatherly LOVING-kindness. And why did He do all that?
 
‘To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved (bestowed grace – favour – on us). In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace.’ (Eph.1:6-7)
 
And since the scholars have excellent explanations of those verses, let’s hear them. ‘1:6. The reason God predestined us to be His sons (v.5) is expressed in the words to the praise of the glory of his grace, that is, in order to magnify the splendour of His goodness to us. Wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved may also read, “which (grace) He has bestowed on us by the Beloved.” Through Christ, we are the recipients of God’s unmerited favour.’
 
And there can be no argument about that Friends, for all our blessings, etc. etc. come straight from the goodness of the Father’s heart. That should be obvious, since in our natural, sinful state, we could never do anything to earn or even deserve His holy acceptance.
 
And re verse ‘1:7. Redemption referred to the release of a slave or captive upon receipt of ransom. But the following words, the forgiveness of sins, show “redemption” is used here in a moral sense. Christians are therefore released from their enslavement to sin and the resulting divine wrath. Redemption is effected for us through his blood, that is, by Christ’s atonement secured by His death on the cross.’ 
 
Oh my brethren, what else can we say but oodles of heartfelt ‘thank you’s’ to Almighty God, for the greatest gift ever bestowed on mankind, Christ’s atonement for our abominable sins on the cross of Calvary! What a blessed day! For without it, we would all be staring at a dark and disastrous eternity in the dungeons of hell, with Lucifer as our evil leader and companion.
 
However, fortunately for us, with Christ’s selfless sacrifice, His shed blood paid once and for all for all our sins, and now we’re able to look forward with great joy to spending eternity in heaven, holy, sanctified and reconciled to our Creator and Provider!
 
Wow! What a blessed future awaits us! So please my fellow believers, today, let’s ponder on those significant events, and try, with God’s help obviously, to bring our lives into line, into obedience with His plans for us. That’s the height of wisdom and common sense! Much LOVE!
 
…he who forsakes His Maker…will be forsaken by His Maker…as simple and straightforward as that…