than to vow and not pay

Today’s Scrip-Bit 21 October 2020 Isaiah 33:22.

21 Oct 2020 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: a bright sunshiny day, a fearful heart, all for our benefit, all the prophets witness, be strong, better not to vow, but after this the judgement, Christ's triumphal entry into Jerusalme, commanded us to preach, defer not to pay it, egg all over my face, endure until the end, even God with a recompense, ever-faithful God, fear not, fear ye not the reproach of men, give you all the praise, glad to be alive, grace mercy forgiveness loving-kindness, guiding and taking care of us, halfway home, hands fixed securely on the plough, hang in there, he hath no pleasure in fools, he will come and save you, he will save us, hellfire and damnation, I should not reign over them, in whose heart is my law, it is appointed unto men, like a garment, lo this is our God, look like a walrus, looked foolish, LOVE, lowly, much deserved thanks and praise, my eyes are fixed straight ahead, my righteousness shall prevail for ever, my salvation from generation to generation, neither be ye afraid of their revilings, not looking back at the past, once to die, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, paid the price for our unfaithfulness, Palm Sunday, pay that which thou hast vowed, promise to try and do better, rejoice greatly O daughter of Zion, rewards, riding upon an ass, see the error of our ways, shall receive remission of sins, suffer not thy mouth, sufficient in Himself, than to vow and not pay, Thank You Lord, the breath of life, the foal of an ass, the Holy One of Israel is our King, the Lord is our defense, the Lord is our judge, the Lord is our king, the Lord is our lawgiver, the moth shall eat them up, the Preacher, the rain is fickle and faithless, the watchwords of the believer, the worm shall eat them like wool, there is one lawgiver, they have rejected me, to a glorious future with Jesus, to be the judge of the quick and dead, to cause thy flesh to sin, to testify, truth, undeserving sinners, unfailingly generous, ungodly times, upon a colt, we have waited for him, we will rejoice and be glad in his salvation, Wednesday Wail, what a wonderful God we serve and worship, when thou vowest a vow unto God, whosoever believeth in him, ye that know righteousness, your God will come with vengeance

Isaiah 33:22. For the Lord is our judge, the Lord is our lawgiver, the Lord is our king; he will save us.

Oh friends, today I’m not going to say anything about the rain falling outside nuh, because yesterday after penning the spiel on it, it made me look like such a walrus. Yes, I looked foolish, because by the time I got upstairs there was no sign of the rainy day that was supposed to be in the offing, but it had turned into a bright, sunshiny day. Steups!

And there I was, with egg all over my face. Hn! Well today it can fall or not fall, do whatever it wants, and I couldn’t care less, because the rain is rather fickle and faithless, like so many of us human beings, including believers. And that’s my spiel for this morning. (smile)

So instead of focusing on the faithless rain, this morning we going to focus on our ever-faithful God, who is so many things to us, re this passage of scripture from Isaiah. ‘For the Lord is our judge, the Lord is our lawgiver, the Lord is our king; he will save us.’ (Is. 33:22).

Oh my people, what a wonderful God we serve and worship; one who is all things to us! One who is sufficient in Himself, and unfailingly generous to provide everything that we can ever need or want in this great universe that He’s so wisely created! Please give Him some much-deserved thanks and praise nuh.

And all God’s children gave a mighty shout of: ‘Thank You Lord! Thank You ever so much for being our be all and end all! Thank You for your grace, your mercy, your forgiveness, and LOVING-kindness to such fickle, faithless and undeserving sinners like us! We promise to try and do better in the upcoming days, but You know that we can’t do anything worthwhile without Your help, so we plead with You, to keep LOVING and guiding and taking care of us, although we don’t deserve it. We thank You and give You all the praise. We pray this in the name of your glorious Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord and Saviour! Amen!’

Ah my fellow saints in Christ, let’s hope that we have not just made an insincere vow to our God to be better behaved and obedient in the upcoming days, for you know what Cousin Sol says in his role as the Preacher in Ecclesiastes: ‘When thou vowest a vow unto God, defer (delay) not to pay it; for he hath no pleasure in fools: pay that which thou hast vowed. Better is it that thou shouldest not vow, than that thou shouldest vow and not pay. Suffer not thy mouth to cause thy flesh to sin…’ (Eccl. 5:4-6a)

And yes my people, those statements hold true even today. It’s best that we not vow at all, than to vow and not pay, an attitude that is rampant in our current world. Oh, how does our mouth cause our flesh to sin in these ungodly times! And the worse thing we can ever do is make a pledge to God and not keep it, although we have been doing it from the beginning of time….but we have also paid the price for our unfaithfulness. No wonder our world is in such an inglorious uproar, with no sign of any improvements soon.

So let’s take our pledge this morning seriously, and with God’s awesome and most generous help, try to do better nuh. Remember, it’s all for OUR benefit, not His! Now let’s check out some scriptures surrounding our Bit: ‘For the Lord is our judge, the Lord is our lawgiver, the Lord is our king; he will save us.’

And the first scripture , re ‘the Lord is our judge,’ comes from Acts, where Peter is preaching to the Gentiles. ‘And he (Jesus) commanded us to preach unto the people, and to testify that it is he which was ordained of God to be the Judge of quick and dead. To him give all the prophets witness, that through his name whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission (forgiveness of sins).’ (Acts 10:42-43) Yeh mih people, Christ will be our judge on that fateful day. For let’s not forget the immortal words of Hebrews: ‘And it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgement.’ (Heb. 9:27)

Now don’t get all upset and scared, for this judgement will not be about hellfire and damnation, but one for believers, who will give account of their lives before Christ, and receive, or lose rewards for the way they used their God-given talents and gifts down here on earth.

Now, per ‘the Lord is our lawgiver,’ hear Isaiah. ‘Hearken unto me, ye that know righteousness, the people in whose heart is my law; fear ye not the reproach of men, neither be ye afraid of their revilings. For the moth shall eat them up like a garment, and the worm shall eat them like wool: but my righteousness shall be for ever, and my salvation from generation to generation,’ (Is. 51; 7-8)

Yes friends, it’s the Lord’s law that will prevail. As James says when he talks about our consideration for a brother. ‘There is one lawgiver, who is able to save and to destroy; who art thou that judgest another?’ (James 4:12). Good question that my brethren. (smile)

And finally, re ‘the Lord is our king; he will save us,’ there are several wonderful scriptures depicting just such a situation. Listen first to Ethan the Ezrahite, from Psalm 89 – God’s sure promises to David. ‘For the Lord is our defense; and the Holy One of Israel is our king.’ (Ps. 89:18)

Remember God’s disappointment when the Israelites asked the prophet Samuel for a king, like all the other nations. Hear God’s words to Samuel. ‘And the Lord said unto Samuel, hearken (heed) unto the voice of the people in all that they say unto thee: for they have not rejected thee, but they have rejected me, that I should not reign over them.’ (1 Sam. 8:7) God gave them what they wanted, as He ofttimes does, just so that we can see the error of our ways.

Now hear Isaiah in the song of praise by the redeemed. ‘And it shall be said in that day, Lo, this is our God; we have waited for him, and he will save us: this is the Lord; we have waited for him, we will rejoice and be glad in his salvation.’ (Is. 25:9) And more Isaiah (smile): ‘Say to them that are of a fearful heart, Be strong, fear not: behold, your God will come with vengeance, even God with a recompense; he will come and save you.’ (Is. 35:4)

And finally this awesome scripture from Zechariah, re Zion’s future king, to which we can all relate. ‘Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem: behold, thy King cometh unto thee: he is just (righteous), and having salvation; lowly (humble), and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass.’ ( Zech. 9:9) And we all know that that prophecy was fulfilled when our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ made His triumphal entry into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday. Wow! What a mighty God and King and Saviour we serve!

Now let’s go home declaring (steups!) our Wednesday Wail, letting all and sundry know of our wonderful, unchangeable, everlasting position in Christ Jesus. In strong voice, with sincere hearts: ‘Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: I’m so glad to be alive on this Wednesday! Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: Thank God the breath of life is still flowing through me on this Wednesday! I am halfway home. My hands are fixed securely on the plough, and I’m not turning back. I’m not looking back at the past, not focusing on what has gone before. But my eyes are fixed straight ahead; straight ahead to a glorious future with Jesus. Glory Hallelujah!’

And we know God’s faithfulness; if we endure until the end, our future will be even more glorious than we can ever ask or imagine. So please hang in there!Much LOVE!

…faithfulness and truth…the watchwords of the believer…

Today’s Scrip-Bit 29 September 2015 Matthew 24:35‏

29 Sep 2015 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: a prophetic statement, abomination, Armageddon, as the days of Noah, at our beck and call, at the back of our minds, be prepared, be ready, Beelzebub, before the flood, better it is not to vow, blossom and prosper, but my Father only, but my words shall not pass away, but of that day and hour knoweth no man, confidence, depravity, eating and drinking, Ecclesiastes, enthusiasm, every evil work, glory hallelujah, God has no pleasure in fools, heaven and earth shall pass away, Hour of Power, I am the beloved of god, I can trust my friend Jesus, I don't have to hurry, I don't have to worry, I'm not what I do, I'm not what I have, I'm not what people say about me, Jesus, Jesus' Second Coming, LOVE, marrying and giving in marriage, normal course of life, on a roll, our Lord and Saviour, pleasure-oriented, promises are made to be broken, self-gratifying, share Jesus' love with the world, take Jesus' warning to heart, talking for talk sake, than to vow and not pay, the coming of the Son of man, the dictates of wisdom, the end of the church age, the impending judgement, the Preacher, this sinful and ungodly world, Tuesday Mantra, ungodliness, vices, we nvever know what number is going to play, when thou vowest a vow unto God, wickedness, words of wisdom

Matthew 24:35. Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.

Aye Friends, welcome to a somewhat cloudy Tuesday morning in my area! Now the sun might not be shining, but we are very sure that the Son is exuding His wonderful light all over God’s great universe, and for that we ought to be eternally gratefully.

And all God’s people said a loud and humble ‘Glory Hallelujah! Thank You Father for giving us Your wonderful Son Jesus as our Lord and Saviour. We promise to LOVE and obey Him through all our days, both down here on earth, and in heaven above! Amen.’

Now Friends, please remember that promise, and let’s do our utmost best to keep it, for as the Preacher has so wisely told us in Ecclesiastes. ‘When thou vowest a vow unto God, defer (delay) not to pay it; for he hath no pleasure in fools: pay that which thou hast vowed. Better it is that thou shouldest not vow, than that thou shouldest vow and not pay.’ (Eccl.5:4-5)

What absolute words of wisdom my people! And by the way, that doesn’t only pertain to our vows to God, but also to out fellow man down here on Planet Earth, because we’re living in some very sad times when vows are not held in much respect, but are considered more like the saying ‘promises are made to be broken.’

And now it’s time for our Tuesday Mantra…

Hn! I see a lot of thoughtful frowns and shaking of heads, and minds saying: ‘I didn’t know we had a Tuesday Mantra…’

Well I didn’t know it either Friends until about two o’clock this morning when I was about to go to bed. I was contemplating what I could talk about today when suddenly the idea to use the prayer I recently shared with you from the Hour of Power came into my mind as the Tuesday Mantra.

I had to laugh and only halfheartedly considered it. But just now as I was about to write something else, the idea surfaced again. I guess the Good Lord desires it, and who am I to thwart His desires eh. At this rate, we soon might have a prayer for everyday. (smile)

So my fellow believers, let’s recite our Tuesday Mantra with much enthusiasm and confidence. ‘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 hurry. I don’t have to worry. I can trust my friend Jesus and share His LOVE with the world. Amen.’

Ah mih breddren, it’s a collection of simple, but very true and very powerful statements, and we need to hold on them, constantly have them at the back of our minds, at our beck and call, so that they can guide us in our daily walk in this sinful and ungodly world.

And at last, we come to our Bit; immortal words of Jesus. ‘Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.’ Note Friends, Jesus wasn’t just talking for talk sake, like so many of us do, but was making a profound and prophetic statement about what was eventually going to come to pass.

And yuh know what’s also interesting, even Jesus didn’t know when that Armageddon would take place, as He continues: ‘But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only. But as the days of Noah were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.

For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered into the ark. And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall the coming of the Son of man be.’ (Matt.24:36-39)

Oh my people, that’s a powerful warning! Please, please, let’s heed it nuh!

And the scholars have an interesting explanation. ’24:35-38. Verses 35 and 36 warn against attempts to set an exact date for Christ’s return at the end of the church age. To speculate that “day’ and “hour” do not eliminate “year” is a gross oversimplification.

The Father only knows the time of Christ’s return since it has been set by His authority (cf. Acts 1:7). However, we are given a comparison to the days of Noah (and the Flood), which illustrate and prefigure the condition of humanity at the time of Christ’s return.

The last generation, like the one of Noah’s day, is pleasure-oriented and self-gratifying by eating and drinking. The reference to marrying and giving in marriage may refer to carrying on the normal course of life without heeding the impending judgement.’

Oh Friends, oh Friends, if ever there was a time of gross ungodliness and wickedness in the history of mankind like Noah’s day, then it is NOW!

For the state of our world has fallen to such a degrading level, where total depravity and sinfulness rule with unbounded power! Where vices and every evil work, every abomination known to man blossom and prosper! And the sad part is that it doesn’t look as though our society will improve, will repent and return to godliness and righteousness any time soon, for Beelzebub seems to be on a roll right now.

That should tell us something significant, shouldn’t it? That the time of Jesus’ Second Coming could be close at hand. But my people, whether that is so or not, the dictates of wisdom do declare that we should be prepared, be ready for whenever it comes; be it today, tomorrow or next year. And I am imploring us to do just that, for we never know what number is going to play when. Much LOVE!

…a wise person is one who takes Jesus’ warning to heart…and is ready for it…whenever it comes…

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Today’s Scrip-Bit 21 October 2020 Isaiah 33:22.

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