Today’s Scrip-Bit   1 June 2024 Philippians 4:5b.

01 Jun 2024 Leave a comment

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

Philippians 4:5b.       The Lord is at hand.

And this first day of June 2024, a lazy-day Saturday, has opened bright, sunshiny and warm! All thanks be to God for letting us see another day on this earth with the wondrous help of His Son Jesus Christ looking out for us in heaven, and His Holy Spirit dwelling within us down here to lead, guide and comfort us in all our troubles! What a wonderful God we worship my brethren! And am I ever so sorry and heart-broken for those who don’t feel the same way, because His is the only real truth, LOVE and peace we’ll ever experience in this currently ungodly and evil world. 

Now, let’s show our heavenly Father how much we LOVE and need Him by offering up our Lazy-Day Saturday Prayer with all sincerity of heart. As one voice: ‘Lord, I want to be with You now. Please slow my thoughts and quiet my soul. Let my muscles relax, my breath deepen. You are here with me – Your peace and LOVE are present. I marvel to think You can’t be contained, that Your LOVE both surrounds and fills me. Thank You for this tenderness, Lord. I praise You for Your unceasing nearness. Increase my awareness of You today, that I may know You all the more. Amen!’ 

And as always, if our hearts were sincere, then we know that He heard us and will respond positively to our prayer. For as John says in his first epistle. ‘And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us: and if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions we desired (asked) of him.’ (1 John 5:14-15) Again I say, what a wonderful God we serve! For we know that there is no prayer He likes to hear more than that we LOVE and need Him and desire to spend time with Him. So, by now, if our prayer was sincere, it was answered, and we should be all feeling a sense of peace, rest and joy in the Lord’s LOVING presence. (smile) 

Now yesterday we dealt with the first part of Philippians 4:5 – ‘Let your moderation (gentleness) be known unto all men.’ Today we’ll look at the second half of that verse: ‘The Lord is at hand.’ (Phil. 4:5b) And we all wonder what that means to us in these turbulent times. Well, the scholars, after telling us that Moderation means “graciousness” or “sweet reasonableness.” And that the believer who is at peace with his fellow Christian (vs. 2) and who rejoices always (vs. 4) is indeed a gracious, reasonable person. 

They go on to tell us that  ‘The Lord is at hand means two things. First, His (Jesus’) return to earth is near. His imminent coming as judge encourages the Christian to be “gracious” unto all men, for He will judge the believer for all of his actions toward all people, and will avenge all wrongs committed by others against Him. Second the “Lord is at hand” spiritually. The Lord, being presently near should free the Christian from fear and anxiety. Hence the command of verse 6: ‘Be careful (anxious) for nothing; but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.’ (Phil. 4:6) 

So friends, with the Lord’s coming to judge the earth being imminent, and His powerful presence spiritually abiding with us, we should not be afraid or worried about whatever circumstances we encounter. And as we said in an earlier session, that’s not always easy to do when your whole world seems to be tumbling down around you, but if you constantly pray and give thanks, and study the Word, while saving it deep in your hearts for those troublesome times, then it will help you to find that ‘Peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep (guard) your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.’ (Phil. 4:7) 

And God’s peace is what gets us through those tough times. We probably won’t understand it, but if we are sincere in our devotions and discipleship, we will feel it. Now, I can vouch for that from personal experience, for I felt it very powerfully some years ago when I was vacationing in California. That morning I was in the process of writing the Bit, when they told me I had a phone call from my mother’s helper back in Canada. It was an unexpected call, but deep down I knew that something disastrous had happened. And when she told me that my mother had died, like all the air just went out of my body, and I was like a deflated balloon. 

But shortly thereafter, don’t ask me how, I was suddenly filled with a sense of peace and calm and went on about my business. My friends and family were concerned that I wasn’t crying and grieving, and so was I. And it’s not that I wasn’t sad and disappointed, but that peace that emanates from our good God, had put me in a different space, helping me to understand that there was nothing I could do about it, and therefore should keep my wits about me. But I did grieve and mourn and cry later on. (smile) So, it’s not always easy to put the Lord’s words into action, but if we’re serious about it, with His awesome help it is very possible. 

And I’m chuckling here because I had not intended to go down that path. What I had planned on doing was to share a couple of other scriptures re the ‘Lord is at hand.’ Like this one from James’ epistle. ‘Be patient therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord. Behold the husbandman (farmer) waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience for it, until he receive the early and latter rain. Be ye also patient; stablish (establish) your hearts: for the coming of the Lord draweth nigh (is near). Grudge (grumble) not one against another brethren, lest ye be condemned: behold the judge standeth before the door.’ (James 5:7-9)  

Those are excellent words of warning my people, especially for these unruly and lawless times, when everybody’s doing their own thing, and godliness is sadly lacking in the land. And what better note to close on than these words of Jesus to John in the Book of Revelation. ‘Behold, I come quickly: blessed is he that keepeth the sayings of the prophecy of this book.’ (Rev. 22:7) Ah friends, I plead with us to heed Jesus’ warning, for we know not when He comes, but He can come at any time, like a thief in the night, and if we’re not ready, if we’re found wanting, then crapaud smoke we pipe! Much LOVE!

…a wise believer is always ready…

Hear our podcast at  https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien

Today’s Scrip-Bit   29 June 2023   1 Corinthians 10:10.

29 Jun 2023 Leave a comment

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

1 Corinthians 10:10.      Neither murmur ye (grumble, complain), as some of them also murmured, and were destroyed of the destroyer.

And then it was Thursday, our penultimate day of the work week, with promises of it being mostly sunny…and hopefully no smoke like yesterday. It’s amazing the way the smoke from those wild forest fires is spreading all over the continent and causing so much inhalation and sight problems. But what to do eh, we are suffering from our own lack of foresight in the climate change arena. So we’ve just got to grin and bear it, while doing our best to make what changes we can to improve the situation. 

And as promised, today, since the Lord gave us life (smile) we’ll continue looking at that human phenomenon we term complaining. And whatever the reason(s) for it, complaining has become a serious cancer in our society, causing much controversy, negativity and heartache. Now, yesterday we saw what continuous complaining did for the Israelites; all those who came out of Egypt, except Joshua and Caleb never made it into the Promised Land, and furthermore, they wandered forty years in the wilderness until they all died. 

Now, I’m sure that our constant complaining is also causing us problems that we can’t even define. And throughout the Bible we find scriptures warning against gossip (Rom. 1:29, 2 Cor. 12:20) and slander, busybodies and those who won’t work (1 Tim. 5:13, 2 Thess. 3:11). It’s all a part of the same problem; we do and say what we should not, words and behaviour that are unfitting for Christians. James tells us right up front. ‘Grudge (grumble) not one against another, brethren, lest ye be condemned, behold the judge standeth before the door.’ (James 4:9) 

Yes friends, the Lord’s right there listening, no wonder Bruh Paul warned the Corinthians in his first letter, using Israel’s History as an example of complaining and ungodly behaviour when they came out of Egypt and were making their way through the wilderness. He writes: ‘But with many (most) of them God was not well pleased: for they were overthrown (strewn) in the wilderness. Now these things were (became) our examples, to the intent that we should not lust after evil things, as they also lusted. 

Neither be ye idolaters, as were some of them; as it is written, The people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play. Neither let us commit fornication (sexual immorality), as some of them committed, and fell in one day three and twenty thousand. Neither let us tempt (test) Christ, as some of them also tempted, and were destroyed of serpents. Neither murmur ye (grumble, complain), as some of them also murmured, and were destroyed of the destroyer.’ (1 Cor. 10:5-10) 

Oh my fellow believers, all the misfortune that happened to the Israelites in the wilderness was because of their infidelity and complaining against the merciful God who had brought them out of four hundred and odd years of slavery in Egypt. They were so accustomed to the comparatively easy life in Egypt that they couldn’t handle the trials of the wilderness, which is the exact reason that the Lord took them the long way, so that they could build some belly and backbone. 

But the old folks fumbled the ball, died in the desert, and only the young ones walked through the Promised Land. And I’d encourage us to pay close attention to this next verse, because it is of the utmost importance to us today. Bruh Paul writes: ‘Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples (examples): and they are written for our admonition (instruction), upon whom the ends of the world (ages) are come.’ (1 Cor. 10:11) 

Ah mih people, please understand that all that’s written in the Bible is for our instruction and understanding, to give us wisdom and knowledge in every possible circumstance. The Bible wasn’t just written because God wanted something to do, but so that His wonderful creation could know about Him and how He desires them to live in close and familial communication with Him.  

Now let’s look at a couple of other facts about complaining. And this first one contemplates why we should not complain. The commentary suggests that  ‘A focus on not complaining creates a happier and more positive environment. This leads to everyone being a bit more fulfilled with every day of their lives, not needing to or being tempted to engage in negative discussion around any given topic.’ And that’s certainly true, for if we don’t complain and thus revel in negativity, then our lives will obviously be less stressful and more pleasant. 

Then there’s this treatise on how and why we complain and the physical effects it causes. ‘Some factors that play a role in complaining: Emotional regulation: Sometimes people complain as a way to manage their emotions. By venting their feelings, they hope to lessen the severity of these distressing emotions. Mood: People may be more likely to complain when they are experiencing negative moods. Complaining Rewires your Brain for Negativity, Pessimism, and Unhappiness. 

The human brain loves familiarity and efficiency – so what you feed your brain it will settle for it and seek more of it. In other words, the more you complain, the more you make this the default mode of your brain’s operation. Complaining is a way they have learned to attempt to get this. They use complaining as a form of control, hoping to guilt others into giving them the attention, caring and compassion they seek. Complaining is a “pull” on other people.’ And I’m sure we’ve all experienced some of those things, either as the complainer or the one being complained to. (smile) 

But here’s the best part of the whole program; ‘7 ways to stop complaining: Learn to accept changes. …Think about how you affect others. …Remind yourself to be grateful. …Don’t associate with negative people. …Exercise. …Stop being judgmental. …Lead by example.’ Voila! There we have it! The end to complaining! But unfortunately, some of us will keep complaining because we just like it, and it’s useful for our nefarious purposes. But please remember the fate of the Israelites and too much complaining. Eventually it will come back to bite you in the rump. 

And we’ll end with this magnificent and immortal scripture on the subject, from Bruh Paul to the church at Ephesus. ‘Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers. And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption. Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice: And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.’ (Eph. 4:29-32) 

There could be no better end to complaining than that my brethren! Now, let’s go home declaring (yesss!!!) our Thursday Blessings that have been generously bestowed on us to do Christ’s earthly work. As one strong and sincere voice: ‘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 every day! Amen!’ 

It’s now our bounden duty to take those blessings and go out and share them generously with those we meet, so that they can come to know the LOVE of Christ and His marvellous free gift of salvation! Much LOVE!

…complaining will only get you so far…before it brings negative consequences… 

 Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ