Today’s Scrip-Bit 1 September 2019 Psalm 33:1.

01 Sep 2019 Leave a comment

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

Psalm 33:1.    ​Rejoice in the Lord, O ye righteous: for praise is comely for the upright.
 

Well another week has passed my people, and we’re right back at Sunday! Imagine that nuh! And we still alive and going strong, thanks to our wonderful God! And it means that one more time we have to gather in fellowship to give Him thanks and praise for His outstanding mercy and grace this past week, as well as for Him to strengthen our faith, renew our confidence and raise the levels of our joy, so we can do the important work of His salvation ministry in the upcoming week. And all of that is just to say, that today is Sunday, and we ought to find ourselves in church sometime today to celebrate the Lord’s Day with other believers. (smile) 

So without further ado, let’s get our proceedings underway nuh, as usual with a song of praise and worship, exalting the Lord in the highest, just like all the heavenly host constantly do. And today we’re going to sing a contemporary Christian tune by Mat Redman (Matthew James Redman (1974 -) an English Christian worship leader, singer-songwriter and author. And today’s song is his best-known composition, the two-time Grammy Award-winning single, “10,000 Reasons (Bless the Lord)”. It’s a wonderful song, with great lyrics and melody, so let’s raise our voices in prayerful, sincere song and let our great God know how much we LOVE and appreciate Him. In rich, sweet and perfect harmony now: 

‘(Chorus) Bless the Lord oh my soul Oh my soul, Worship His Holy name. Sing like never before Oh my soul, I’ll worship Your Holy name.) The sun comes up It’s a new day dawning It’s time to sing Your song again Whatever may pass And whatever lies before me Let me be singing When the evening comes (Chorus) Bless the Lord oh my soul……I’ll worship your holy name) You’re rich in love And You’re slow to anger Your name is great And Your heart is kind For all Your goodness I will keep on singing Ten thousand reasons For my heart to find. (Chorus: Bless the Lord oh my soul…I’ll worship your holy name) 

And on that day When my strength is failing The end draws near And my time has come Still my soul will sing your praise unending Ten thousand years and then forevermore… forevermore. (Chorus: Bless the Lord oh my soul Oh my soul, Worship His Holy name. Sing like never before Oh my soul, I’ll worship Your Holy name. Bless the Lord oh my soul Oh my soul Worship His Holy name Sing like never before Oh my soul, Jesus, I’ll worship Your Holy name, worship your holy name…worship your holy name.’ 

Oh mih people, such sweet exaltation to Almighty God, that the four beasts that surround the heavenly throne joined us in worship, as well as the elders up there; they fell down before the Lord on His throne, cast their crowns before the throne and lustily sang along with us. (Rev.4:8-10) Wow! Who says that there isn’t spontaneous joy in heaven when the Lord is sincerely praised down here on earth eh? And yuh know the Lord just swallowed up all the praise, because there’s nothing He likes more than praise. And He very well deserves every bit of it too. 

And nobody knew that better than Bruh David and the other psalmists, that’s why they could write praiseful words like: ‘I will sing of the mercies of the Lord for ever; with my mouth will I make known thy faithfulness to all generations…Blessed is the people that know the joyful sound: they shall walk, O Lord, in the light of thy countenance. In thy name shall they rejoice all the day: and in thy righteousness shall they be exalted. For thou art the glory of their strength: and in thy favour our horn (strength) shall be exalted.  For the Lord is our defense; and the Holy One of Israel is our king.’ (Ps.89:1,15-18) That’s Ethan the Ezrahite expounding there on God’s sure promises to Bruh David. 

Then you have Bruh David himself declaring, (steups!) in thanksgiving for God’s mercy: ‘Bless the Lord, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless his holy name. Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits. Who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases; Who redeemeth thy life from destruction; who crowneth thee with LOVING-kindness and tender mercies; Who satisfieth thy mouth with good things; so that thy youth is renewed like the eagle’s.’ (Ps.103:1-5) 

And if all that isn’t reason enough to thank the Lord and praise and exalt His glorious name, then I really don’t know what is nuh! That’s why we ought to keep doing what the writer of Psalm 33 so wisely advises: ‘Rejoice in the Lord, O ye righteous: for praise is comely for the upright.’ And is it ever my people! And that’s one of the reasons the Lord created us, to sing His praise and glory! 

As the psalmist continues: ‘Praise the Lord with harp: sing unto him with the psaltery(lute) and an instrument of ten strings. Sing unto him a new song; play skillfully with a loud noise (shout of joy). For the word of the Lord is right; and all his works are done in truth.’ (Ps.33:2-4) Oh friends, what more can I say eh? Except to quote some more of Bruh David’s words for you. (smile) 

‘I will bless the Lord at all times: his praise shall continually be in my mouth. My soul shall make her boast in the Lord: the humble shall hear thereof, and be glad. O magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt his name together.’ (Ps.34:1-3) 

And that’s exactly what we did this morning friends, magnified the Lord, exalted his name together…and there is joy in heaven…as well as down here on earth! Let’s keep that awesome joy going nuh people, as we continually praise and magnify God’s holy name. That’s our bounden duty! Much LOVE!

…rejoice in the Lord always…and again I say…rejoice… (Phil.4:4)

 


Today’s Scrip-Bit 6 September 2018 Psalm 34:3.

06 Sep 2018 Leave a comment

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

Psalm 34:3.   O magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt his name together.

It’s a cloudy Thursday morning in my neck of the woods…but we’ll take it. Anything to lessen the heat wave we’ve been suffering for the last few days. A li’l rain fell last night, but we can surely use some more. But regardless of the outside circumstances or situations, we believers are settled, comforted and contented inside, thanks to the presence of the Holy Spirit residing within us. Give our great and generous God a shout of praise for that! 

And I don’t know why, but as I got up this morning I just felt the need to glorify and exalt our God more than usual. So please friends, in the immortal words of Bruh David: ‘O magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt his name together.’ 

Now that’s the most praiseworthy thing we can do my brethren! Magnifying our magnificent and magnanimous God is about the highest accolade we can receive. In fact, that’s one of the reasons He created us; to exalt and magnify, praise Him and come before Him with sincere gratitude and thanksgiving. 

Bruh David says it well before our Bit. He opens the psalm thus: ‘I will bless the Lord at all times: his praise shall continually be in my mouth. My soul shall make her boast in the Lord: the humble shall hear thereof, and be glad.’  (Ps.34:1-2)  

Wow friends! If we could only say those words too and sincerely mean them, how wonderful our lives would be eh! For the only thing we ought to boast of in our earthly journey is in the Lord our God! And note how Bruh David says when the humble hear us boasting in the Lord they are glad. That just goes to show how significant our praising God can be. 

And we experience that fully in the ‘Magnificat,’ the famous words of Mary, Christ’s mother, when she received the glorious news that she was the blessed one, chosen to bear the Son of God, the Messiah. Once everything had been explained to her, she joyfully burst out: ‘My soul doth magnify (exalt) the Lord, And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour. 

For he hath regarded the low estate (lowly state) of his handmaiden (maid servant): for behold, from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed. For he that is mighty hath done to me great things; and holy is his name. And his mercy is on them that fear him from generation to generation. He hath showed strength with his arm; he hath scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts. 

He hath put down the mighty from their seats (thrones), and exalted them of low degree (the lowly). He hath filled the hungry with good things; and the rich he hath sent empty away. He hath holpen (helped) his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy; As he spake to our fathers, to Abraham, and to his seed forever.’ (Luke 1:46-55) 

Ah friends, many of us believe that Mary was simply a pimply-faced teenager with not much sense. But from those words above and the way she handled the situation when told she would bear a child without knowing a man, especially when she was already engaged to be married, it shows she had a decent knowledge of the scriptures and a great faith. 

Can you imagine the vitriol she faced in the restrictive Jewish society when it became known she was pregnant without being married? She must have had a very strong internal strength for one of such tender age. I guess that’s why the Lord chose her. 

And Bruh David continues to encourage us to magnify our wonderful God in Psalm 40 – Praise for answered prayer. ‘Let all those that seek thee rejoice and be glad in thee: let such as LOVE thy salvation say continually, The Lord be magnified.’ (Ps.40:16) 

Oh friends, if you LOVE the Lord’s salvation, then say it with me nuh, loud and proud: ‘THE LORD BE MAGNIFIED!’ Wow! Doesn’t that just touch a holy chord in thy soul? (smile) It surely does in mine! 

Now here is an interesting instance when the Lord’s name was magnified. Bruh Paul was in Ephesus, doing miracles and casting out demons, and the seven sons of Sceva, a Jew, and chief of the priests, tried to cast out a demon. ‘And the evil spirit answered and said, Jesus I know, and Paul I know; but who are ye? 

And the man in whom the evil spirit was leaped on them, and overcame them, and prevailed against them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded. And this was known to all the Jews and Greeks also dwelling at Ephesus; and fear fell on them all, and the name of the Lord Jesus was magnified. And many that believed came, and confessed, and showed their deeds.’ (Acts 19:15-18) 

Yuh see friends how it backfires on us when we try to do evil in the Lord’s name, or something we’re not qualified to do? Now let’s go home shouting for joy, magnifying our God, declaring His wondrous Thursday Blessings. In all truth and sincerity 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 everyday! Amen!’ 

And if we’re true believers, then we WILL go out and share those blessings with others, as Jesus meant for us to do. Much LOVE!

…magnifying God…not only lifts up His name…but also lifts up our souls and spirits…

 

 

 

 

 

Today’s Scrip-Bit 5 April 2018 Proverbs 1:20.

05 Apr 2018 Leave a comment

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

Proverbs 1:20.   Wisdom crieth without (calls aloud in the street); she uttereth (raises) her voice in the streets (plazas).

Greetings and salutations this glorious Thursday morning in the springtime of our lives my faithful brethren! (smile) Awright, so some of us might have already passed our best by date, but that doesn’t mean we have to be thrown away. In fact we are the kind of people the Lord finds much use for when the world is no longer interested in us. He uses the poor, the elderly, the broken hearted, the humble to do great things in His name. 

So though we are actually in the winter of our days, we ought not to give up hope and stop trying to do productive stuff. And saying that, here is some encouragement from Gramps Schuller (Dr. Robert H. Schuller) from His Hour of Power Devotional as he talks about being in the valley of the shadow. 

He says: ‘Peace comes to the person who feels the presence of God…. Don’t trust the clouds – trust the sunshine. Don’t set your compass by the flash of lightning – set it by the stars. Trust the sun – don’t trust the shadow. Believe in your dreams – don’t believe in your despairing thoughts. Have faith in your faith – and doubt your doubts. Trust in your hopes – never trust in your hurts.’ Amen friends, Amen! 

And I believe that’s useful not only for the ole fogies, but also for the young uns. The sooner they learn that kind of stuff, the more productive and godly lives they will live. But ALL of us need to pay serious attention to that woman of all women; WISDOM, for without her we are completely lost. 

As Cousin Sol says in Proverbs: ‘Wisdom crieth without (calls aloud in the street); she uttereth (raises) her voice in the streets (plazas). She crieth in the chief place of concourse (concourses), in the openings of the gates: in the city she uttereth her words, saying, How long, ye simple (naïve) ones, will ye LOVE naiveté? And the scorners delight in their scorning, and fools hate knowledge?’ (Prov.1:20-22)  

Ah mih people, those words are ever so true in these tumultuous times, as real wisdom, that of God, is being trampled down by the falsehood that the world purveys as wisdom. And too many of us, Christians included, are foolishly following that supposed wisdom the world perpetrates. However we need to desperately understand that TRUE wisdom comes ONLY from God; from His word, His statues and His commandments. 

As Gramps Schuller says in the passage above: ‘have faith in your faith.’ Otherwise, what’s the purpose of having a faith, if you don’t have faith in it eh? None whatsoever! 

And the scholars offer this explanation. ‘1:20-33. Wisdom is personified here as a prophetess calling in public places to everyone to come to her and learn. Three groups are especially singled out in the appeal: ‘the simple ones, or untaught; the scorners or scoffers; and the fools, or morally dull (v.22). The consequences of rejecting wisdom are immense (vs.26-28).’  

And sadly my brethren, in this supposedly wise society, there seems to be way more of those three groups who are not interested in true wisdom, than those of us who are. But true and godly wisdom keeps crying out: ‘Turn you at my reproof: behold, I will pour out my spirit unto you, I will make known my words unto you.’ (Prov.1:23) 

Yes friends, the wisdom of God is crying out for us to turn back from our sinful, worldly ways and embrace His LOVING-kindness, for that’s the only wise and sensible option open to us. But we don’t seem to be paying any serious attention to His call. 

Thus wisdom continues: ‘Because I have called, and ye refused; I have stretched out my hand, and no man regarded; But ye have set at nought (disdained) all my counsel, and would (have) none of my reproof: I also will laugh at your calamity; I will mock when your fear (terror) cometh. 

When your fear (terror) cometh as desolation (a storm), and your destruction cometh as a whirlwind; when distress and anguish cometh upon you. Then shall they call upon me, but I will not answer; they shall seek me early (diligently), but they shall not find me: For that they hated knowledge, and did not choose the fear of the Lord. 

They would (have) none of  my counsel: they despised all my reproof. Therefore shall they eat of the fruit of their own way, and be filled with their own devices. For the turning away (waywardness) of the simple shall slay them, and prosperity (complacency) of fools shall destroy them.’ (Prov.1:24-32) 

Ah mih people, yuh see the serious consequences involved in rejecting the wisdom of God! And that’s exactly what’s happening in our society today; we are being slain by our waywardness and disobedience, and our complacency is destroying us. 

But it’s not too late to call out to wisdom friends. Please, let’s be wise and do so nuh, that our children and us can benefit from it. ‘But whoso hearkeneth unto me shall dwell safely, and shall be quiet (secure, or at ease) from fear of evil.’ (Prov.1:33) 

And accompanying that peace of mind will be numerous benefits, like those enshrined in our Thursday Blessings. Let’s declare them out now, loud and proud, so that the unbelievers can see what to expect when they wholly embrace the wisdom and ways of Jesus. 

‘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 everyday! Amen!’ 

Now let’s go out and share some of those many blessings as Jesus intends for us to do. Much LOVE!

…blessings only come with obedience…which is a by-product of wisdom…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Today’s Scrip-Bit 17 March 2018 Ephesians 5:20.

17 Mar 2018 Leave a comment

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

Ephesians 5:20.    Giving thanks always for ALL things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Well a Happy St. Patrick’s Day to all my Irish friends and family! Please don’t get too immersed in the green stuff, especially the many different libations of the day. (smile) 

Yeh, St. Patrick’s Day (March 17) is the time the Irish celebrate their culture and religion, the legend being that the missionary St. Patrick introduced Christianity to Ireland somewhere around the fourth century, and eventually drove out all the snakes from Ireland. 

Whatever the truth be though, the 17th of March has become a traditional festival of Irish culture all over the world, especially the imbibing part, with all things green being highlighted. 

What I remember most about St. Patrick’s Day is that as a young boy growing up in T&T, that was the only day you heard a Calypso on the radio, or you could have a party during the season of Lent. Now that state of affairs might have been somewhat stringent, but what happens now is downright ridiculous, with no serious or sincere observance of the Lenten season. 

Anyway, it’s Saturday, so let’s turn our attention to the quotes we got from our friend Anselm this week, as he sincerely aspires to inspire us for a brighter tomorrow. And our friend certainly had some interesting quotes this week, conveniently all tied up together. (smile) 

Listen to this first one: ‘Reflect upon your present blessings, of which every man has plenty; not on your past misfortunes, of which all men have some.’ Now that’s wisdom of untold proportions! As Christians, we’re instructed to count our blessings, and concentrate on them, for they will always add up to more than our misfortunes and keep us happy and contented in the Lord. 

And the second quote declares: ‘When I started counting my blessings, my whole life turned around.’ Oh glory to God my people! That is the gospel truth! Whenever we concentrate on our blessings rather than our misfortunes, our lives suddenly turn around in such dramatic fashion! I don’t understand why more of us aren’t counting the blessings and forgetting the misfortunes. 

And then there’s this invaluable quote: ‘Cultivate the habit of being grateful.’  What wise and wonderful advice my faithful followers of Christ! Everyday we preach that! There’s nothing that affects our lives as being grateful for all that we have, and which has been sent to us from our magnanimous God. 

But then I like this associate quote: ‘Feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it.’ Yeh, what is the point of being grateful if you don’t show it eh? Then no one knows that you’re grateful. It’s like saying you LOVE someone, but not showing them that LOVE. It’s simply wasted. All talk and no play. Gratitude is one of those words that can only be appreciated through our actions. 

And as always, I’ve left the best for last. ‘Thank you’ is the best prayer that anyone could say. I say that one a lot. ‘Thank you’ expresses extreme gratitude, humility, and understanding.’ Oh my people, if only we’d say more ‘thank you’s’ to each other, and to our awesome God, what a wonderful world this would be! 

You know, being grateful, counting our blessings and saying ‘thank you’ are the basic foundation stones of our Christian faith, because they all display LOVE in action! And that’s what Jesus’ people are all about: LOVE in action! 

And our Bit is one of the most encompassing scriptures in the Good Book, on the three topics we’ve covered today. It’s Bruh Paul’s direction to the Ephesians: ‘Giving thanks always for ALL things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.’ 

Ah mih people, it’s something we continually hear, and know deep down in our hearts that we should do, but yet we don’t do it half as much as we should. We ought to be thanking our magnificent and magnanimous God, almost every minute of everyday for all that He’s done for us, especially when we don’t deserve ANY of it! 

Just the mere fact that His wonderful and amazing breath of life is currently coursing through our mortal bodies of dust and clay is sufficient reason to be everlastingly grateful and shout out a whole load of thanks to Him! But what to do eh? Mankind, being the only thinking creation, has always been the most ungrateful creation of the Lord. (smile) 

However, let’s see if we can change that some nuh, by going home declaring these wonderful words of Bruh David from Psalm 34 – The Lord hears the righteous. ‘I will bless the Lord at ALL times: his praise shall continually be in my mouth. My soul shall make her boast in the Lord: the humble shall hear thereof, and be glad. O magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt his name together.’ (Ps.34:1-3) 

Ah friends, there’s nothing better that we can do than magnify and exalt our great God! So let’s get ourselves together and begin doing it much more nuh. It’s basic common sense and wisdom to the nth degree! Much LOVE!

…there’s nothing that lifts our spirits…and warms the cockles of God’s heart…like His people showing gratitude…and giving sincere thanks…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Today’s Scrip-Bit 7 February 2018 Psalm 34:1.

07 Feb 2018 Leave a comment

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

Psalm 34:1.   I will bless the Lord at all times: his praise shall continually be in my mouth.

And the place is white again…Chuh! What’s with this snow business eh? True, it’s not a lot, but snow is snow, regardless of how much falls. (smile) But then again, I’d rather the snow than the 6.4 earthquake that occurred in a tourist area of Taiwan yesterday. A picture I saw showed a big building leaning, like the Tower of Pisa, at about a 40 to 45 degree angle to the ground. 

Ah Lord eh! We have enough natural disasters to undergo, without causing the many man-made ones that constantly bombard us. But friends, let’s never forget that the Lord is in control and nothing happens in this world without His allowing it, for whatever reason or purpose He has in mind. 

For His thoughts and His ways are so much higher than ours. The most we can do is pray for those undergoing disastrous situations, and ask the Lord to lead and guide us safely along the path that He’s planned for each of us. 

Now here is a li’l something from a Laura Palmer; couldn’t figure out which one, because there are so many, but whoever it was, certainly had their wits about them. And the quote says: ‘The past should be culled like a box of fresh strawberries; rinsed of debris, sweetened judiciously, and served in small portions, not very often.’  

And isn’t that the awesome truth friends! We should not dwell in the past. We can’t totally forget it, but we must not let it define our futures. We need to stop dwelling in the past and wishing for the good old days. Why? Because the best days of our lives are still ahead of us! 

And I firmly believe that. Why would the Lord keep us down here if He didn’t have something better planned for us eh? We need to have a positive mindset my people; where we look to the future; a future filled with the Lord’s wonderful promises! 

Looking back at the past too much is only going to taint our vision of the future. Once we learn to not make the same mistakes we did before, we’ll be okay to move forward. As they say, you can’t know where you’re going, unless you know where you came from. But where you came from should not overly colour where you’re going. But what a way the ole fella waxing philosophical this morning eh! (smile) 

And one of the things that will help us keep looking to the future and not the past, is doing like Bruh David declares in our bit. ‘I will bless the Lord at all times: his praise shall continually be in my mouth.’ Yeh friends, if we keep looking to the Lord, keep singing His praises, keep magnifying and glorifying Him, we’ll be too busy looking forward to have time to look back. 

As Bruh David continues: ‘My soul shall make her boast in the Lord: the humble shall hear thereof, and be glad.’ (Ps.34:2) Are we doing that my friends; boasting in the Lord, and not in ourselves or the frivolous and temporary things of man? I certainly hope so, because EVERYTHING but the Lord is expendable! 

And furthermore, if we don’t talk of God, how will others learn of Him eh, especially the weak and poor and sick and humble, who need Him so badly?  And Bruh David provides for that with this glorious invitation: ‘O magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt his name together.’ (Ps.34:3) 

Oh mih people, mih people, I’m extending that very invitation to all of us now! Please magnify and exalt the Lord with me! Besides, it’s our bounden duty; it’s what we were created to do! We’re supposed to be the earthly version of the heavenly praise and thanks crew. 

Listen to the Good Book. ‘And the four beasts had each of them six wings about him; and they were full of eyes within: and they rest (cease) not day and night, saying, Holy, holy, holy, Lord God almighty, which was, and is, and is to come. And when those beasts (living creatures) give glory and honour and thanks to him that sat on the throne, who liveth for ever and ever; 

The four and twenty elders fall down before him that sat on the throne, and worship him that liveth for ever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying, Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created (by your will they exist.)’ (Rev.4:8-11) 

Oh friends, yuh see what a wonderful time is had in heaven, just thanking God, giving Him His rightful due! Now that’s all they seem to do up there, and it would be wonderful if we could do it as much down here. But obviously that’s not possible to the same extent. However, it can be, and definitely needs to be done much more than we’re currently doing it. 

So let’s ‘wisen’ up nuh mih fellow believers, let’s get truly serious about our magnificent and magnanimous God, and exalt His holy name throughout the whole earth! That will bring even more singing and glorifying in heaven! 

Now let’s go home declaring our Wednesday Wail, stating our unashamed position in Christ. All together now, in sincerity and truth: ‘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!’ 

Oh my people, mere words cannot describe how glorious that future really will be nuh! Much LOVE!

…true believers…always find a way…to talk about and exalt their God…

 

 

 

 

 

Today’s Scrip-Bit 23 April 2017 Psalm 92:1.

23 Apr 2017 Leave a comment

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

Psalm 92:1.    It is a good thing to give thanks unto the Lord and to sing praises unto thy name, O most High.  

Oh friends, this Sunday morning, the first after Resurrection Sunday, we’ll lead off with our Bit, because it comes from a song for the Sabbath Day, and is simply the most appropriate way to begin our fellowship. 

‘It is a good thing to give thanks unto the Lord and to sing praises unto thy name, O most High. To show forth (declare) thy LOVING-kindness in the morning, and thy faithfulness every night, Upon an instrument of ten strings, and upon the psaltery (lute, or lyre); upon the harp with a solemn (harmonious or melodic) sound. For thou Lord, hast made me glad through thy work: I will triumph in the work of thy hands.’ (Ps.92:1-4)  

And having said all that, now let’s give thanks and sing praises to our wonderful God whose care and compassion for us can NEVER be matched. So let’s allow sincere sacrifices of praise to emanate from our mouths as we sing this Charles Wesley favourite ‘Jesus LOVER of my Soul.’ 

In full voice now, in harmonious and melodic sound: ‘Jesus, LOVER of my soul,  let me to thy bosom fly, while the nearer waters roll, while the tempest still is high; hide me, O my Savior, hide, till the storm of life is past; safe into the haven guide, O receive my soul at last!  Other refuge have I none; hangs my helpless soul on thee; leave, ah! leave me not alone, still support and comfort me. 

All my trust on thee is stayed, all my help from thee I bring; cover my defenseless head with the shadow of thy wing. Plenteous grace with thee is found, grace to cover all my sin; let the healing streams abound; make and keep me pure within. Thou of life the fountain art; freely let me take of thee; spring thou up within my heart, rise to all eternity.’ 

Oh my fellow believer, there’s no safer place of rest and refuge in this universe than in the bosom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! He is the safest of safe havens, the best guide in stormy times and the most trustworthy of all Beings! Through Him ONLY is the free gift of grace with salvation and eternal life found! 

He is the only true conduit to our heavenly Father, as well as our Chief Intercessor in the court of heaven. What a mighty Being is our Jesus; King of Kings and Lord of Lords, whom the Father exalted for His selfless sacrifice on our behalf at Calvary, giving Him the name above all other names, and before whom all knees must bow and tongues declare that He is Lord of all, to the glory of God! Hallelujah my faithful brethren! 

No wonder the psalmists declare that our God is worthy of infinite praise and thanks. Listen to Psalm 147 – Great is our God and of great power. ‘Praise ye the Lord (shout Hallelujah): for it is good to sing praises unto our God; for it is pleasant; and praise is comely (beautiful)’ (Ps.147:1) And singing praises to out magnificent and magnanimous God is indeed pleasant and beautiful! Why? 

Hear the psalmists declare it. ‘The Lord doth build up Jerusalem; he gathereth together the outcasts of Israel. He healeth the broken in heart, and bindeth up their wounds (sorrows). He telleth (counts) the number of the stars; he calleth them all by their names. Great is our Lord, and of great power: his understanding is infinite (limitless). The Lord lifteth up the meek (humble): he casteth the wicked down to the ground. Sing unto the Lord with thanksgiving; sing praise upon the harp unto our God.’ (Ps.147:2-7) 

And if our God is so great and wonderful and powerful and does all the things the psalmist says, then we should indeed sing His praises with much gratitude and plenty thanksgiving! 

And if all of that did not move you, then hear these immortal words from Psalm 135 – The greatness of the Lord and the vanity (futility) of idols. ‘Praise ye the Lord. Praise ye the name of the Lord; praise him, O ye servants of the Lord. Ye that stand in the house of the Lord, in the courts of the house of our God, Praise ye the Lord, for the Lord is good: sing praises unto his name; for it is pleasant (it is indeed). For the Lord has chosen Jacob unto himself, and Israel for his peculiar (special) treasure. For I know that the Lord is great, and that our Lord is above all gods.’ (Ps.135:1-5) 

And if you believe all of that friends, then you ought to be singing much praise and thanks to your heavenly Father! And we’ll close with these momentous words from Psalm 33 – Praise to the Lord for his creation. 

‘Rejoice in the Lord, O ye righteous: for praise is comely (beautiful) for the upright. Praise the Lord with harp: sing unto him with psaltery and an instrument of ten strings. Sing unto him a new song; play skillfully with a loud noise (shout of joy). For the word of the Lord is right; and all his works are done in truth. He LOVETH righteousness and judgement (justice): the earth is full of the goodness of the Lord.’ (Ps.33:1-5)  

And that’s today’s message my people. Please take it to heart in all wisdom and sincerity, for it is the gospel truth! Much LOVE!

…thou art good…and doest good…teach me thy statutes… (Ps.119:68)

 

 

Today’s Scrip-Bit 24 July 2016 Psalm 34:1

24 Jul 2016 Leave a comment

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

Psalm 34:1.    I will bless the Lord at all times: his praise shall continually be in my mouth.

Aye mih breddren, loverly days are here again… as if they ever went anywhere eh. (smile) 

That’s because every day is a loverly day when our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ is in our life. Especially on a Sunday, when we get to fellowship together in great numbers, to praise and worship Him in sincerity and truth, to hear His word and be revitalized and reinvigorated in soul, body, mind and spirit, so we can face the new work week with great expectations, strengthened faith, and reassurance that we will be victorious walking with Him. 

And all God’s people loudly and proudly declared: ‘Blessed is the name of Jesus, who sacrificed His sinless life for us! Praise His holy name!’ 

Now let’s continue in praise mode by singing this beautiful hymn written in His honour by Fanny Crosby.  In one, strong and harmonious voice now: ‘Praise Him! praise Him! Jesus, our blessed Redeemer! Sing, O earth, His wonderful LOVE proclaim! Hail Him! hail Him! highest archangels in glory, strength and honor give to His holy name! Like a shepherd, Jesus will guard His children; in His arms He carries them all day long: 

{Refrain :} (Praise Him! praise Him! tell of His excellent greatness! Praise Him! praise Him! ever in joyful song!) 

Praise Him! praise Him! Jesus, our blessed Redeemer! For our sins, He suffered and bled and died; He our Rock, our hope of eternal salvation, Hail Him! hail Him! Jesus the crucified. Sound His praises! Jesus who bore our sorrows, LOVE unbounded, wonderful, deep, and strong: [Refrain] 

Praise Him! praise Him! Jesus, our blessed Redeemer! Heavenly portals loud with hosannas ring! Jesus, Savior, reigneth forever and ever; Crown Him! crown Him! prophet and priest and King! Christ is coming, over the world victorious, power and glory unto the Lord belong: 

[Refrain] Praise Him! praise Him! tell of His excellent greatness! Praise Him! praise Him! ever in joyful song!’ 

Yes friends, what a joyous hymn of praise to Christ Jesus! That ought to have lifted our spirits considerably and opened up our hearts, made us totally receptive to the reading of His word. But before we get into that, let me share something I heard on the radio yesterday. It was an old song by the Chi-lites titled ‘There will be no peace until God sits at the conference table.’ 

Oh precious people, I never knew the song in its heyday, but when I heard it yesterday I was consumed by both joy and sadness. Joy, because someone long ago realized the seriousness of the situation and turned it into a song. And sadness, because it is just the God awesome truth! 

We WILL NEVER have peace on this fallen earth until we bring Almighty God, our Creator and Provider back into the equation, for He is the ONLY ONE powerful enough to bring all the dissenting, strife-filled, greedy, selfish, foolish, war-mongering, power-hungry leaders and nations to a sensible and peaceful agreement! And until that time comes, there’ll be no peace…just constant war. 

Anyhow, enough of the negative vibes. It’s Sunday and we’re supposed to be praising and thanking and worshipping and glorifying our heavenly Father, so let’s get back to a more positive  and joyous state nuh. (smile) Let’s introduce our Bit; wise, powerful and faithful words of Bruh David. ‘I will bless the Lord at all times: his praise shall continually be in my mouth.’ 

Oh friends, that’s wisdom to the nth power! For who else is there for us to look up to, to praise and worship eh? NOBODY but Jehovah God! 

And what we have to realize here is that Bruh David has just escaped death at the hands of his nemesis King Saul, and is running from Saul for his very life without food or weapons. He arrives at Nob, to the priest Ahimelech, who is suspicious of Bruh David’s sorry state and enquires of it. 

Bruh David spins him a nansi story about being on secret business for the king and didn’t have time to get bread nor weapons. Whether Ahimelech believed him, we’ll never know, but he’s obviously scared that Saul finds out about his liaison with Bruh David, and  finally gives him the showbread (hallowed bread) because that was all he had, as well as Goliath’s sword. 

I like Bruh David’s remark when Ahimelech told him that Goliath’s sword was in the temple. ‘And David said, There is none like that; give it me.’ (1 Sam.21:9) Yeh friends, that sword must have brought back long ago memories to Bruh David, as he took it and hightailed it away from the hounds of Saul, baying hungrily at his back. (smile) 

Ah mih people, Bruh David didn’t have an easy life, but he NEVER gave up on the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, because over the years, despite his trials and tribulations, the Lord had proven faithful to him. 

The scholars tell us thus about Psalm 34 – The Lord hears the righteous. ‘Psalm 34. The historical background of this acrostic psalm is related in 1 Samuel 21:10-15. It bears all the marks of the testimony of one who narrowly escaped death, just as the passage in Samuel describes. As such, it contains the praise and testimony of the one who was redeemed (vv.1-10) and the seasoned instruction that can stem from such deliverance (vv.11-22).’ 

Yes my brethren, it was only because of the Lord’s faithfulness to him over the years that Bruh David could declare the words of our Bit, and the ones following. ‘My soul shall make her boast in the Lord: the humble shall hear thereof, and be glad. O magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt his name together.’ (Ps.34:2-3) 

Oh friends, those are also my sentiments this Sunday morning. So please, magnify the Lord with me, and let’s exalt His holy and righteous name together, for that is indeed wisdom at its zenith! Much LOVE!

…despite the troubles that come with life…believers ought never to lose faith in Jehovah God…