Today’s Scrip-Bit   11 March 2022 Psalm 146:1.

11 Mar 2022 Leave a comment

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

Psalm 146:1.      Praise ye the Lord (shout Hallelujah). Praise ye the Lord, O my soul. 

Well, the ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday!’ slogan is not being met with sunny skies today, but with precipitation of the white stuff. Some fell overnight, and some more is currently falling, but it doesn’t seem to be anything to really worry about, although any amount of snow can be dangerous to the unsuspecting person. Oh, and I think I’ve finally solved the mystery of my clean driveway, as opposed to all the others in the lane being clothed in white.

 I suspect that the last time there was a substantial snowfall, the people who clean my driveway put down salt on it, so that when small amounts fall, it melts automatically. Now that’s the only reason I can come up with, because the same thing’s happening out there right now; my driveway is snow free, while the others are not. And when I went to bed this morning there was snow on it, but by the time I got up, it was clean again. But who knows what’s really happening eh? 

This one thing I do know about though, that’s ‘The blessedness of trusting God.’ Yes friends, we can never go wrong in that regard. And if you don’t believe me, then let’s check out Psalm 146, which bears that most wise and encouraging title. (smile) The psalmist begins by proclaiming ‘Praise ye the Lord (shout Hallelujah). Praise ye the Lord, O my soul.’ (Ps. 146:1) Now there’s no doubt that if we do treasure the Lord’s sovereignty, honour and glory, then praise should continually emanate from our mouths. 

Therefore,  as the psalmist continues, we should all declare, (chuh!!!) I really can’t believe that I’ve spelt that word wrong again, in its simplest form too! It must be the enemy causing me to do it yes! (smile) And that’s why I definitely have to do like the psalmist says. ‘While I live will I praise thee Lord: I will sing praises unto my God while I have any being.’ (Ps. 146:2) And that doesn’t only bring joy to God’s heart but also to ours. It lifts our spirits and renews our confidence in Him. 

Thus, this marvellous bit of wisdom from the psalmist. ‘Put not your trust in princes, nor in the son of man (a human being), in whom there is no help (no salvation).’ (Ps. 146:3) And I do hope we all recognize that gospel truth, for as the psalm further testifies: ‘His (man’s) breath goeth forth (his spirit departs), he returneth to his earth; in that very day his thoughts perish.’ (Ps. 146:4) So, if man’s body returns to the dust from which he was formed and all the thoughts of his life disappear, why then put our trust in him? No reason whatsoever, since it’s not wise to put our trust in something that doesn’t last or can’t help us for any real length of time. 

However, the psalmist does provide this wise solution. He says: ‘Happy is he that hath the God of Jacob for his help, whose hope is in the Lord his God.’ (Ps. 146:5) Wow! But why is that eh? Because God is He ‘Which made heaven, and earth, the sea and all that therein is: which keepeth truth for ever; Which executeth judgement (justice) for the oppressed: which giveth food to the hungry. The Lord looseth (gives freedom to) the prisoners: The Lord openeth the eyes of the blind: the Lord raiseth them that are bowed down: the Lord LOVETH the righteous: The Lord preserveth (watches over) the strangers; he relieveth the fatherless and widow: but the way of the wicked he turneth upside down (makes crooked).’ (Ps. 146:6-9) 

Now those are all most excellent reasons for putting our trust in the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. And why not eh, since He made the heavens, the earth, the sea and all therein, which includes us? So, it makes much more sense to worship the Creator, God the Father, instead of the created human being, who is frail, fickle, not trustworthy and above all, in a few short years, dies and becomes of no account. That brings us to this last very good reason to praise and worship the Creator of the universe. 

The psalmist tells us in no uncertain terms: ‘The Lord shall reign for ever, even thy God, O Zion, unto all generations. Praise ye the Lord.’ (Ps. 146:10) And that just puts the icing on the cake my fellow saints! Man dies and returns to the dust from which he came, but the great, the ONE and ONLY true God; He of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob lives and reigns forever! That’s another fact we cannot dispute, which means it’s safe to put our trust in Him, and all that He stands for. In other words, ‘The blessedness of trusting God.’ 

Ah mih people, I’ve been around a fairly long time, and been associated with God throughout, though not always in close communication, (smile) but I’ve seen enough of His goodness and mercy, both in others and personally, to confidently second all that the psalmist says. The Lord God Jehovah is so wonderful and LOVES us so much, His most wonderful, but not always the brightest creation, that He sent His only Son, Jesus Christ to die for us, so that our sins could be forgiven! Now which other supposed god, could, or would do that eh? NONE! 

That’s why it is undisputed wisdom to put our trust and hope in Him. And the first step in that regard, entails going to Him in prayer, which we can do right now, through our Friday Chant. So, in confident, but humble voice, let’s approach the throne of grace and bare our souls. ‘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, it’s fine to pour out our hearts to God, but we must remember to make sure our motives are right, and that we keep any vows that we make, if we expect to receive any positive response. Much LOVE!

…God’s promise to man…for dust thou art…and unto dust shalt thou return… (Gen. 3:19b) 

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Today’s Scrip-Bit 14 August 2017 Psalm 118:8-9.

14 Aug 2017 Leave a comment

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

Psalm   118:8-9.   It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in man. It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in princes.

Monday, oh Monday, How I LOVE thee! Let me count the ways! Oh boy, I can’t wait for you to roll around each week. I get so excited on Sunday, knowing that you’re just round the corner! And why is that you ask? It’s simple: so that I get back out into the evil, ungodly workday world and work hard to spread the good news of Jesus to all and sundry. 

Yeh friends, please remember that bringing people to Jesus, or rather causing them to come to Jesus, through talking about Him and living a life that sincerely mirrors our talk is a major priority in our Christian faith. And we can only do a good job at that when we are sincere and enthusiastic, passionate and energized, truly believing what we preach. 

That’s why proper preparation for Monday on the weekend is ever so important. But since we are all human, fragile, sinful and weak, we don’t always do the right thing. Consequently, we have our Monday Morning Battle Hymn to jolt us out of Monday morning emotional dilemma. (smile) So let’s sing it now nuh, putting all the enthusiasm and passion we have into it. 

As one voice now: ‘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!’ 

Awright mih breddren, I can see that brought on an adrenaline rush! Please don’t lose it, but allow it to catapult you into your day, as you walk with Jesus ever and always behind, beside and before you. Oh glory to God friends that we have such a wonderful Saviour!  

And why do we do what we do? Because we have such an impeccable, unbreakable, heartwarming trust in Him! We fully and rightfully believe what our Bit says: ‘It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in man. It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in princes.’ 

Only a fool, or one wholly committed to evil would deny the awesome truth of those statements, which were inspired by the Holy Spirit of God, who is incapable of lying. That means there can be no doubt as to their wisdom. And if you don’t believe me, then let’s see if these scripture passages can change your mind. (smile) 

First up are exceedingly wise words from Psalm 146 – The blessedness of trusting God. The psalmist unhesitatingly proclaims: ‘While I live will I praise the Lord: I will sing praises unto my God while I have any being. Put not you trust in princes, nor in the son of man (a human being), in whom there is no help (salvation). His breath goeth forth, he returneth to his earth; in that very day his thoughts perish. Happy is he that hath the God of Jacob for his help, whose hope is in the Lord his God: Which made heaven, and earth, the sea, and all that therein is: which keepeth truth for ever:’ (Ps.146:2-6) 

Oh friends, please study those very convincing words very carefully, (smile) for they contain the utmost truth. Now listen to the prophet Isaiah, who corroborates the psalmist by simply saying: ‘Cease ye from man, whose breath is in his nostrils: for wherein is he to be accounted of (why should he be esteemed)? (Is.2:22) 

And why should man really be esteemed eh, especially above God, when he has nothing infinite to offer. The day he stops breathing his flesh dies and returns to the earth and he is no longer a viable entity. Meanwhile Almighty God was there even before the beginning, and will still be there after the end! He has power and might, trust and faithfulness, grace, mercy, LOVE, forgiveness, etc. etc! So wouldn’t it be wiser to put our absolute trust in Him rather than man? 

And all God’s faithful saints declared a loud and sure: ‘Obviously!’ 

And we’ll end with these pointed words from the prophet Jeremiah. ‘Thus saith the Lord; Cursed be the man that trusteth in man (strength), and maketh flesh his arm, and whose heart departeth from the Lord. For he shall be like the heath (a shrub) in the desert, and shall not see when good cometh; but shall inhabit the parched places in the wilderness; in a salt land and not inhabited.’ (Jer.17:5-6) 

Oh my people, I can’t say any more than that. Those are the words of our God, and we chose NOT to believe them at our peril. Please remember that our God does not make idle promises, so whatever He says He truly means.  And if you fall on His negative side through your own fault or disbelief, then, crapaud smoke yuh pipe! Much LOVE!

…trust and obey…for there’s no better way…to be happy in Jesus…than to trust and obey…