The Greatness of God and the Joyfulness of having Christ as Lord and Saviour!

29 Dec 2024 Leave a comment

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

Psalm 145:3.       Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised: and his greatness is unsearchable (beyond our understanding).

And it’s the Sunday after Christmas, but the joy is still flooding the land in glorious celebration of our Lord and Saviour’s miraculous and wonderful birth! And all God’s people said a joyful and most grateful; ‘Thank You Lord for the gift of Jesus at that Christmas so long ago! It’s really been the beginning of the best gift you’ve given us, after our initial breath of life; the birth of a Saviour, who is Christ the Lord! And consequently, from Him and His sinless, selfless sacrifices flows the proverbial pot of gold at the end of the rainbow, the wonderful option of salvation and eternal life! 

And we’re oh so sorry for those who refuse to accept that marvellous option of Light and LOVE that you have provided and foolishly prefer to hob knob with the prince of darkness, and thus endure eventual separation from you, our most wonderful Creator and God. And the amazing point is that you did not have to give us that option of escaping from our sinless lives and the eventual death it causes, but you simply did it out of your immeasurable, unconditional LOVE for us, your most important creation. And for that we sincerely thank you each and every day…in Jesus’ name. Amen!’ 

And now, having offered up a prayer of praise and thanksgiving, let’s raise the roof of heaven with sweet sacrifices of song, singing that marvellous ‘Hymn of Joy’ – better known as ‘Joyful, Joyful We Adore Thee.’  It’s based on a poem written by Henry van Dyke in 1907 with the intention of musically setting it to the famous “Ode to Joy” melody of the final movement of Ludwig van Beethoven’s final symphony, Symphony No. 9. And is it ever a most appropriate song of worship for this particular Christmas season when our lives are flooded with joy at Christ’s birth. 

So, in a sweet, scintillating up-tempo version of the Hymn of Joy…let’s sing: ‘Joyful, joyful, we adore Thee, God of glory, Lord of LOVE; Hearts unfold like flow’rs before Thee, Op’ning to the sun above. Melt the clouds of sin and sadness; Drive the dark of doubt away; Giver of immortal gladness, Fill us with the light of day! 

All Thy works with joy surround Thee, Earth and heav’n reflect Thy rays, Stars and angels sing around Thee, Center of unbroken praise. Field and forest, vale and mountain, Flow’ry meadow, flashing sea, Singing bird and flowing fountain Call us to rejoice in Thee. Thou art giving and forgiving, Ever blessing, ever blest, Wellspring of the joy of living, Ocean depth of happy rest! 

Thou our Father, Christ our Brother, All who live in LOVE are Thine; Teach us how to LOVE each other, Lift us to the joy divine. Mortals, join the happy chorus, Which the morning stars began; Father LOVE is reigning o’er us; Brother LOVE binds man to man. Ever singing, march we onward, Victors in the midst of strife, Joyful music leads us Sunward In the triumph song of life. You bring us joy, joy, joy, We adore thee…You bring us joy, joy, joy!’ 

Oh friends, does the Lord our God and Saviour, ever bring us joy! The greatest joy that there is to offer, salvation and eternal life! And did we ever light up heaven with our heartfelt sincerity and joy as we sang that wonderful hymn! And this commentary gives the song its rightful pips: ‘This hymn is generally considered by hymnologists to be one of the most joyous expressions of hymn lyrics in the English language.’ And we certainly cannot argue with that. 

But now, on a different note, let’s consider what the song is really about? As another commentary tells us, the author Van Dyke wrote thus of this hymn. ‘These verses are simple expressions of common Christian feelings and desires in this present time—hymns of today that may be sung together by people who know the thought of the age, and are not afraid that any truth of science will destroy religion, or any revolution on earth overthrow the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, this is a hymn of trust and joy and hope.’ 

Wow! And that it certainly is! I like how the author expresses that we Christians will not be afraid that scientific knowledge will destroy religious beliefs, neither will earthly revolutions overthrow the kingdom of God! Because they are both indestructible! Remember what the Bible says about God and His Word? 

‘For the word of God is quick (living, alive), and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts (able to judge) and intents (intentions) of the heart. Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in (hidden from) his sight: but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do (must give account to).’ (Heb. 4:12-13) 

Yes friends, the Bible, the Word of God is not an ordinary book, it is alive and kicking, so powerful that it reaches into the inner recesses of man’s mind to discern his thoughts and intentions. Or, as this commentary so aptly puts it: ‘God’s Word can penetrate through all the layers of impurity and get to the true central issues of life. In line with this conception, we can see that the Bible truly has two edges: condemnation and restoration.’ And I certainly could not have declared that truth any better. 

What we must also remember is that God’s eyes see us as though we’re naked, thus we’re unable to hide from Him behind any foolish excuse or pretence. But getting back to our hymn, it’s basically a song of praise to our great God, to His LOVING-KINDNESS towards us, who don’t deserve one iota of it. And there are so many scriptures on praising God, especially in the Psalms, that we can spend the whole day researching them and still not be done. (smile) However, we’ll close with some verses of this psalm of praise from Bruh David, titled, ‘God’s Unsearchable Greatness.’ 

Please offer praise with me: ‘I will extoll (praise) thee, my God, O king; and I will bless thy name for ever and ever. Every day will I bless thee; and I will praise thy name for ever and ever. Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised: and his greatness is unsearchable (beyond our understanding). One generation shall praise thy works to another, and declare thy mighty acts… The Lord is gracious, and full of compassion; slow to anger, and of great mercy. The Lord is good to all: and his tender mercies are over all his works. All thy works shall praise thee, O Lord; and thy saints shall bless thee.’ (Ps. 145: 1-4; 8-10) 

Yes my fellow saints, that is only a little of the great and constant praise our God deserves, and what we are required to give to Him, if we are true believers. So, without further ado, let’s ramp up our praise level nuh, like we so badly need to do in these evil and ungodly times. Much LOVE!

…true joy…which is of the soul…can only be attained…when Jesus Christ is your Lord and Saviour…

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

Today’s Scrip-Bit   18 August 2023 Psalm 145:8.

18 Aug 2023 Leave a comment

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

Psalm 145:8.       The Lord is gracious, and full of compassion; slow to anger, and of great mercy.

Well then, it’s Friday! So ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday and the weekend is here at long last!’ Yes, it’s nice to see Friday come around, but it’s not such a wonderful day in my area, cool, cloudy and very windy. And after the rain, lightning and thunder we had last evening, a cool, cloudy and windy day doesn’t thrill the soul. (smile) But here’s a li’l something from our One Year Book of Bible Promises with writings by Ruth Harms Calkin that ought to thrill our souls. It’s aptly titled ‘A Woman of Compassion.’ 

So please read with me: ‘A woman of compassion seeks first, always first, the kingdom of God and his righteousness, knowing that all else will be given to her. She has one single purpose: to know and do the will of God. Often she narrows her interests in order to expand her heart for others. She says to her troubled friend, “I feel your pain in my heart. I don’t have a cure-all kit, but I will walk through the dark tunnel with you until the light breaks through again.” 

She says to her reserved husband, “I understand that you don’t want to talk now, but I’m here for you if I can help.” She listens to the outbursts of her children in a way that makes them feel secure. She reminds them of their priceless individuality. She opens her home as well as her heart. she knows that a cup of hot tea and an hour of concerned listening means so much more than “We want to have you for dinner some day.” A woman of compassion rests her total self on the reliability of the Word of God. Consequently she does not live in pieces – she lives in peace.’ 

Mama Mia! What a wonderful way to live! Oh, how our world could use so many more people like that woman of compassion. And please note, that story doesn’t only apply to compassionate women, but also to compassionate men. And what do we mean when we talk of compassion? Simply putting our hearts where our mouths are. Instead of just talking sympathy, we do something to alleviate the need. It’s empathy plus. And who’s the most compassionate of us all? 

Obviously our great God! For as Jeremiah puts it so aptly in his Lamentations: ‘It is of the Lord’s mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.’ (Lam. 3:22-23) Yes friends, it’s because of the Lord’s compassion, His empathy and overwhelming LOVE for us that we’re not totally destroyed for our sinful behaviour and disobedience towards Him! And Jesus showed that same overwhelming LOVE for humanity when He walked this earth. 

And there are several examples of where His heart ached for humanity, so let’s look at a few of them, starting with this commentary. ‘God comforts his people with compassion. Jesus Christ, the Messiah, exemplified compassion during his ministry on earth. One of the most poignant examples of compassion in the Bible is when Jesus showed compassion at the grave of Lazarus. When Jesus saw Lazarus’ friends weeping, he wept alongside them (John 11:33-35). And that last verse is probably the shortest verse in the bible, and also one of the most poignant, for all it states is ‘Jesus wept.’ 

Then we have this instance where Jesus was going around the land, teaching, preaching and healing. The Good Library tell us though: ‘But when he saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion on them, because they fainted (were weary), and were scattered abroad, as sheep having no shepherd. Then saith he unto his disciples, The harvest truly is plenteous, but the labourers are few. Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth labourers into his harvest.’ (Matt. 9:36-38) 

Now, if that isn’t sufficient evidence of Jesus’ compassion, then check out this time when he fed the five thousand with five loaves of bread and two small fishes. That’s after He heard of John the Baptist’s beheading by Herod. He went out by boat into a desert place by Himself, but the multitudes followed Him on foot out of the cities. The Bible tells us: ‘And Jesus went forth, and saw the great multitude, and was moved with compassion toward them, and he healed their sick.’ (Matt. 14:14) 

And later on, when evening came and the disciples wanted to send the crowd away hungry, Jesus again had compassion on them and performed the miracle of the five loaves and two fishes that fed five thousand men beside women and children, and then they collected twelve baskets of fragments afterwards. (Matt. 14:15-21) And what about that time when Jesus went up into a mountain and sat down there and the multitudes came with their ‘lame, blind, dumb (mute), maimed (crippled), and many others, and cast them down at Jesus’ feet; and he healed them. And when the multitude saw His great deeds, they glorified the God of Israel. 

Then Jesus called his disciples unto him, and said, I have compassion on the multitude, because they continue with me now three days , and have nothing to eat: and I will not send them away fasting (hungry), lest they faint in the way.’ (Matt. 15:29-32) And again the disciples questioned His ability to feed so any people on what little they had. This time they had seven loaves of bread and a few fishes. And after commanding the multitude to sit down, ‘He took the seven loaves and the fishes, and gave thanks, and brake them, and gave to his disciples, and the disciples to the multitude. And they all did eat, and were filled: and they took up of the broken meat (fragments) that was left seven baskets full. And they that did eat were four thousand men, beside woman and children.’ (Matt. 15-35-39) 

Ah friends, when we talk of compassion, Jesus is the epitome of that characteristic! And yuh know something else; if we supposed believers would sincerely try to be like Him, as our discipleship demands, our world would be a whole lot better than it currently is. And please remember that it’s only because of the Lord’s great compassion that we’re still alive and kicking, because we certainly don’t deserve it in our own strength and behaviour. And if anybody truly knew of the Lord’s compassion after all his misdeeds, was Bruh David, as he so rightly states in Psalm 145. ‘The Lord is gracious, and full of compassion; slow to anger, and of great mercy. The Lord is good to all: and his tender mercies (compassions) are over all his works.’ (Ps. 145:8-9) 

And that last verse was the Bible verse associated with our ‘Compassionate Woman’ reading earlier on. So please, let’s spend sometime today thinking about our own level of compassion nuh, and sincerely try to improve it, so we can show some true discipleship. Now let’s go to the throne of grace, through our Friday Chant and ask for help come up higher. Altogether now. ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through this past week. You know it’s been rough…   because our many serious problems are escalating instead of improving. And it’s obvious we can’t fix them on our own, so Lord, we’re desperately crying out for your help. 

Oh heavenly Father, with your omnipotent help, and our trusting faith, we know that we can stand strong and steadfast and defeat the simmering unrest in our land. We therefore ask you Lord to give our leaders the wise guidance to handle these unexpected storms properly. And please help the rest of us to be responsible and to stay safe amidst all the anxiety and confusion of these ungodly times. We fervently pray too Lord that you’ll use the discontent and dissatisfaction in our land as a means of restoring faith in you. Return backsliders to your fold. Show them the error of their ways. And please introduce a new flock of believers, who will embrace your LOVE and compassion by the example, we, your faithful believers set. So that our sinful world can wake up and smell the coffee, wake up and smell it sweet and strong! We pray this in the name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen!’ 

And having prayed, it’s time to make good on our promises Much LOVE!

…the hallmark of Christ and His family is…COMPASSION… 

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

Today’s Scrip-Bit   20 January 2023   1 Peter 5:6.

20 Jan 2023 Leave a comment

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

1 Peter 5:6.        Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time:

Oh boy, a bit of midmorning sunshine is happening out here in my area! Glory be! Unfortunately though, there are also dark clouds looming ominously all around the horizon. Well, at least we can be thankful that there’s no precipitation, at least not yet. (smile) Anyway, today I want to continue looking at Psalm 145, Bruh David’s Psalm of praise to God’s Unsearchable Greatness. 

And he hits his stride, when he eloquently and truthfully proclaims: ‘The Lord is gracious, and full of compassion; slow to anger and of great mercy. The Lord is good to all: and his tender mercies are over all his works. All thy works shall praise thee, O Lord; and thy saints shall bless thee, They shall speak of the glory of thy kingdom, and talk of thy power; To make known to the sons of men his mighty acts and the glorious majesty of his kingdom. Thy kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and thy dominion endureth throughout all generations.’ (Ps. 145:8-13) 

Now friends, all that Bruh David says about our great and wonderful God is absolutely true: He is gracious, compassionate, slow to anger, full of tender mercy, His kingdom is magnificent and will endure forever. But are we, the sons of men, making known His mighty acts and speaking of the glorious majesty of His kingdom, as we ought to eh? I don’t think so. Our overall witness and testimony to Almighty God is sadly lacking. But how can it be any better when Christ’s body, His church is in poor shape, divided and filled with much falsehood and many false teachers. And when you add the fear, lethargy and LOVE of the world that so many of us supposed believers exhibit, it can’t be otherwise. 

Remember the words of James, Jesus’ brother: ‘Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of (with) the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will (wants to) be a friend of the world is (makes himself) the enemy of God.’ (James 4:4) It couldn’t be any clearer than that my fellow believers. And the scholars explain, that just ‘as Israel was a spiritual adulteress, unfaithful to God, so the church is a spiritual adulteress when she is the unfaithful bride of Christ (cf. Hos. 2:5, 19-20; Matt. 12:39). One cannot be both a LOVER of God and a LOVER of the world.’ 

No friends, that’s not possible. It’s either one or the other. Jesus said it very plainly in the Sermon on the Mount, when he spoke about laying up treasures in heaven. ‘No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and LOVE the other; or else he will hold (be loyal) to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon (riches).’ (Matt. 6:24) But yet, many of us supposed believers try to do just that, we attempt to sit on the fence and have our feet in both worlds, but we’re only fooling ourselves and making a mockery of God’s word and His church! 

And also remember what James says when talking about obtaining wisdom from God. ‘But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering (not doubting). For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. For let not that man think that he shall receive anything of the Lord. A doubleminded man is unstable in all his ways.’ (James 1:6-8) 

And we cannot dispute that fact my brethren. If we are unstable, waver, doubt and straddle the fence, how will we ever proceed successfully and accomplish anything worthwhile eh? We need to be strong and steadfast, faithful and true to whatever we say we believe in. We can’t be like so many of us Christians, who go to church on Sunday, exhibiting a ton of righteousness, but from Monday to Saturday live like the world. 

And the sad part is that we think we’re fooling somebody, but the truth is that we’re only fooling ourselves, for God see us quite clearly and knows exactly what we are about, and the world also sees us and laughs at us, while snickering ‘hypocrite’ behind our backs. Ah my fellow saints, I don’t know what else to say that will encourage us to drop the façade and become serious Christians, sincerely living our lives for Christ and not hanging on to the coattails of the evil and ungodly world, which only wants to drag us down to hell with it. 

And Peter hits the hail on the head when he writes: ‘Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time: Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you. Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: Whom resist steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren (experienced by everyone) that are in the world.’ (1 Pet. 5:6-9) 

Now that ought to help us stand up strong and resist the enemy, who really has no power over us, but what we allow him to have. And for further help, let’s go to God in prayer, through our Friday Chant, crying out for His divine help. Altogether now: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through this past week. You know it’s been rough… what with all the confusion and anxiety caused by the pandemic and our many other serious problems. We can’t fix them on our own Lord, so 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 the simmering unrest in our land. So Lord, we sincerely ask you today to give those involved in the forefront of this serious and unexpected storm, the wise guidance to handle the situation properly, without further serious setbacks. And please help those of us who must go out to work amidst all the confusion, to be responsible and to stay safe. 

And Lord, we fervently pray that You’ll use this situation to return backsliders to your fold, show them the error of their ways. And please introduce a new flock of believers, who will embrace your LOVE and compassion by the example, we, your faithful believers set. Yes Lord, please use this pandemic, the bubbling discontent and dissatisfaction in our land, as a means of restoring faith in You, so that our sinful world can wake up and smell the coffee, wake up and smell it sweet and strong! We pray this in the name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen!’ 

And as always, whatever promise(s) we’ve made to God in our prayers, we need to keep them, if we want to see any positive answers from Him. Much LOVE!

…why do we foolishly try to hide from God…when He is omniscient…sees everything…                                                                                                                                                                   

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

Today’s Scrip-Bit 30 March 2021 Psalm 145:3.

30 Mar 2021 Leave a comment

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

Psalm 145:3.     ​Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised;and his greatness is unsearchable.

Oh my people, the Lord has blessed us with another wonderful day down here on earth so we can go about and do His marvellous work! Oh what a wonderful privilege that is: working on behalf of Almighty God to bring others to His glory! And it is not a task given to everybody willy-nilly. You have to first believe in and put your sincere trust in his Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. 

And that’s not something we ought to take lightly, because it could mean the eternal salvation or damnation of other folks. So it’s a big responsibility. That means, as we go out today to do His work, we do it with diligence and excellence, with LOVE, joy, forgiveness, mercy and the wise guidance of his Holy Spirit. 

We allow the deep-seated joy of the Lord to be our strength and give us the endurance and perseverance we so badly need to do a good job in His name and bring glory to His kingdom. Consequently, let’s hope that our day begins with LOVE and ends with beautiful memories, so that we will be further encouraged to do the Lord’s bidding. 

And with all of that, I do believe this poem from our One Year Book of Bible Promises with writings by Ruth Harms Calkin is rather appropriate for us to consider today. Yes, it is also most appropriately titled ‘Celebration!’ And isn’t that something we ought to be consistently doing while we are in the Lord’s service? Of course! For we have so much to celebrate when we live and work for the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, Christ Jesus! 

So please declare with me: ‘When I think of Your lavish goodness The longings You’ve satisfied The forgiveness You’ve granted The promises You’ve kept When I think of Your irresistible LOVE Your ceaseless care Your unfailing protection… O Lord God I want to raise flags And fly banners And sound bugles. I want to run with lighted torches And praise You From the mountaintop. I want to write symphonies And shout for joy. I want to throw a festive party For ten thousand guests. I want to celebrate with streamers and bright lights And an elaborate banquet.’ 

What a majestic and worthy celebration that conjures up my faithful brethren! But the best part of it all is the Lord’s answer to our suggestion… ‘Fine, dear child. I’m ready.’ Oh, what a wonderful God we serve and worship my friends! There’s no one who LOVES a celebration like our God, and it’s only right that we should be constantly and consistently celebrating His awesome goodness to the undeserving children of men! 

And can you imagine how big the celebration was in heaven when Christ rose from the dead this upcoming Easter weekend, with the most joyful celebrant being the Father, who got back His first born as well as His most precious but long-lost creation – the sons of man. That’s why praise and joy with celebration is ever so important to believers in Christ Jesus! And the Bible Promise for that poem makes that quite clear. It comes from the wise and praiseful words of Bruh David in Psalm 145 – The Lord is gracious. 

And it reads thus: ‘I will extol (exalt) thee, my God, O king; and I will bless thy name for ever and ever. Every day will I bless thee; and I will praise thy name for ever and ever. Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised; and his greatness is unsearchable.’ (Ps. 145:1-3) What indisputable truth my fellow saints! Our God is certainly great and greatly to be praised, because there’s NO ONE else like Him! 

And if you’re wondering why that is so, just ask yourself these questions. Who gives you the breath of life and keeps you alive every day? Who allows you to get food and wealth and all the necessities of life? And then promises a great life eternal with Him in heaven if you believe in His Son Jesus Christ? It’s definitely not Satan! For Satan has no power to do much of anything but evil, especially since Christ took away the keys of hell death and the grave from him when He arose victorious on that first Easter morn! 

That means Satan has nothing to offer but hell and eternal damnation. So why do we keep on giving him power over us by doing his evil bidding and not God’s good work eh? I guess because our natural nature is sinful and evil, and it takes more of an effort to do good than to do evil. But friends, if we sincerely want to do good, our heavenly Father will indeed give us the wherewithal to do so, we just have to ask Him in all sincerity and truth, and then stick to the message! It’s not always easy, especially in this increasingly evil world, but remember that God is the Creator and Controller and nothing is impossible to Him. That means the problem(s) most often lies with us. 

But here are some encouraging words from Bruh David on the subject from Psalm 145. ‘The Lord is gracious, and full of compassion; slow to anger, and of great mercy. The Lord is good to all: and his tender mercies are over all his works… The Lord upholdeth all that fall, and raiseth up all those that be bowed down. The eyes of all wait upon thee (look expectantly to you); and thou givest them their meat (food) in due season. 

Thou openest thine hand, and satisfiest the desire of every living thing. The Lord is righteous in all his ways, and holy (gracious) in all his works. The Lord is nigh (near) unto all them that call upon him, to all that call upon him in truth. He will fulfill the desire of them that fear him: he also will hear their cry, and will save them. The Lord preserveth all that LOVE him: but all the wicked will he destroy.’ (Ps. 145: 8-9; 14-20) 

Oh people, I don’t know how we can get any more encouragement than that from a created being nuh. And please remember that Bruh David didn’t talk from hearsay, but from real life experience with God, so there is power and truth in his words. Therefore, this last verse of Psalm 145 is also very important. ‘My mouth shall speak the praise of the Lord: and let all flesh bless his holy name for ever and ever.’ (Ps. 145:21) 

And that’s exactly what we have been created to do my people; praise and worship and bring glory to our great God! So let’s go home doing that nuh, as we declare our Tuesday Mantra. In strong voice, with sincere hearts: ‘In God’s eyes, 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 worry. I don’t have to hurry. I can trust my friend Jesus and share His LOVE with the world. Amen!’ 

It now behooves us to go out and share that awesome LOVE and friendship of Christ with the rest of the world! Much LOVE!

…wisdom dictates that one praise and worship…the Great Creator…not the anemic, imbecile destroyer… 

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

Today’s Scrip-Bit 28 November 2016 Daniel 9:9.

28 Nov 2016 Leave a comment

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

Daniel 9:9.   To the Lord our God belong mercies and forgivenesses, though we have rebelled against him.  

Oh friends, oh friends, good news! We have good… no most excellent news this Monday morning! Our bubba Scotty is back home! Our prayers have been answered!  Praise the Lord! 

Scotty actually came out of the hospital on Thursday, but I didn’t know that until I went to church yesterday. All the tests came back negative, and I spoke to him on the phone in the evening. He is indeed alive, but not kicking too hard yet. (smile) However the next few weeks should see him get back to his normal bright and kicking self. 

So let’s keep on praying, keep on sending up those fervent prayers to heaven, that the Lord returns him quickly to full health, because we need him, he is an integral part of our family. Hang in there Scotty mih friend! 

And since we have such good news we should be in fine shape to begin this Monday morning… well except for those party animals down in the U.S. who must be suffering from the Thanksgiving celebrations and the hassles of Black Friday over the weekend. 

Oh, I forgot, it’s Cyber Monday today, another day of extreme and extravagant shopping , this time though online. Steups! It’s a good thing I’m not involved in the nonsense nuh. Anyway, let’s belt out our Monday Morning Battle Hymn with sincerity and strong passion. Let’s see if we can’t bring tears of joy to our choirmaster Jesus’ eyes.  (smile) 

In unison 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!’  

Yes mih breddren, yes! We’ve done it: we’ve brought tears of joy to Jesus’ eyes! Wow! Even the Father had to get up from His throne and do a li’l two step, the music was so sweet! (smile) 

Now with all of that excitement, passion and good news, we have no excuses for not getting a serious move on to the battlefield to fight diligently and passionately for Jesus’ cause.  But let’s also keep our Bit of God’s wonderful attributes in mind, so that we don’t condemn ourselves if perchance we fall short of God’s Word. ‘To the Lord our God belong mercies and forgivenesses, though we have rebelled against him.’ 

Ah friends, our God is so wonderful that there are no words to truly describe Him! Is there any other supposed god who is merciful and forgiving even when their subjects rebel against them? Obviously not! Our God created the universe and rules it as He sees fit. 

As He so nicely tells us in Isaiah. ‘For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts higher than your thoughts.’ (Is.55:8-9) Now that’s telling us what is what and who is who! (smile) He’s just on a higher plane than us! 

So let’s continue looking at some scriptures which corroborate the words of our Bit. And we’ll begin with the words of Bruh David from Psalm 145 – The Lord is gracious. Halfway through the psalm, Bruh David confidently declares: ‘The Lord is gracious, and full of compassion; slow to anger, and of great mercy. The Lord is good to all: and his tender mercies are over all his works.’ (Ps.145:8-9) 

And all followers of Jesus Christ know that to be the absolute truth, which we have learned from personal experience as well as those of other believers. That brings us to an interesting scripture from Nehemiah, re the confessions of the priests and Levites. 

He confesses: ‘But they and our fathers dealt proudly (acted presumptuously or insolently), and hardened their necks (became stubborn), and hearkened not to (did not heed) thy commandments. And refused to obey, neither were mindful of thy wonders that thou didst among them: but hardened their necks, and in their rebellion appointed a captain to return to their bondage: but thou art a God ready to pardon, gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and forsookest them not.’ (Neh. 9:16-17) 

Can you imagine that friends? Even when the Israelites made a molten calf of gold and worshipped it, especially after all the wonders that He had recently done for them, the Lord did not destroy them! 

Hn! He is indeed a merciful and forgiving God! And we should be offering up much more reverence and praise and thanks to Him in appreciation and gratitude for all that He’s done, is doing and has promised to do for us in the future. 

So today, let’s take a few minutes and ponder our personal response and attitude towards Almighty God nuh, and make sure it’s not anything like that of the old time Israelites. Much LOVE!

…when one experiences God’s mercy and forgiveness…it’s unthinkable …sure sacrilege…to turn away from Him thereafter…

 

 

 

 

 

Today’s Scrip-Bit 3 August 2016 Isaiah 35:4

03 Aug 2016 Leave a comment

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

Isaiah 35:4.    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.

Oh friends, what a glorious day is happening out there today! The sun’s shining, the Son is also broadcasting His brilliant light all over Mother Earth, and our magnificent and magnanimous God is on His throne controlling things! 

Wow! That means everything is as it ought to be; the world is unfurling as it should, and there’s no need for us to worry or hurry. 

Now here’s an interesting quote from Henry Ward Beecher (1813-1887), an American Congregationalist clergyman, social reformer, and speaker, known for his support of the abolition of slavery, his emphasis on God’s LOVE, and his 1875 adultery trial. 

His sister was the famous Harriet Elisabeth Beecher Stowe, author of the controversial anti-slavery novel, ‘Uncle Tom’s Cabin.’ 

Henry Ward is reputed to have said: ‘No man is good for anything who has not some particle of obstinacy to use upon occasion.’ That’s totally true! 

And as my One More Day Devotional for People with Chronic Illness reasons: ‘Although we may not want others to label us obstinate (stubborn), it might be that obstinacy is a needed quality for us in the right situations. Sometimes it is healthy for us to be stubborn, to hold steadfastly to what we want and who we are and where we want to be. 

Faith in ourselves and obstinacy can be just what we need to survive a hard day. And we do get by, not because we’re foolish, but because our maturity tells us to hold on to our sense of direction,’ 

Ah my fellow believes, I can think of no better use of and cause for obstinacy than holding on to our wonderful faith in Jesus Christ! That’s one aspect of our lives in which there should be no room for argument! Jesus Christ is our Lord and Saviour and that’s that! Matter fixed! No room for discussion! 

And as we said above, it’s our maturity in Christ and basic living that teaches us to hold on to our sense of purpose and of direction. We can’t be wishy-washy in this evil and ungodly world, otherwise this crazy, fraudulent, hypocritical society will take untold advantage of us. 

We need to be strong and hold on to what we believe in. As they say, if you don’t stand for something, you’ll fall for anything. And that’s gospel truth my brethren! 

We all know, have experienced, and are still experiencing the deceitful attacks of Lucifer and his evil minions trying to get us to give up, to renege on our promise to follow Christ, but that’s one area in which we should not even entertain any discussions, much less give into it. 

Following Jesus Christ should be our most prominent area of stubbornness and obstinacy! And who don’t like it, can simply lump it! Now since it’s Wednesday, let’s declare our Wednesday Wail with plenty belief and obstinacy. (smile) 

Wailing: ‘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 precious people of God, there’s nothing else to match keeping our eyes on Jesus and looking forward to the glorious future He has in store for us! And obviously we need to give immense thanks for the wonderful breath of life that’s still flowing through us, courtesy of our great, compassionate, caring and LOVING Creator! 

You know, there’s nothing that warms the cockles of my heart like waking up every morning and finding that God’s Spirit, His breath of life is still flowing through me. Oh glory to God! 

Enough of my rambling though, (smile) let’s check out our Bit. ‘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.’ 

Oh my fellow believers in Christ, that is indisputable, gospel, unbreakable, sustainable, utter truth…truth of every imaginable kind! For we all know the faithfulness of our omnipotent God! 

He has the power to save us, as well as the faithfulness to do so. So as Christians we have to stand up strong and steadfast, rely on God’s promises if we want to prosperous and also make inroads into the enemy’s camp. 

Now let’s end with these wonderful words of encouragement and reassurance from Psalm 145, Bruh David’s psalm of praise, subtitled – The Lord is gracious – as He indeed is. 

‘The Lord upholdeth all that fall, and raiseth up all those that be bowed down. The eyes of all wait upon thee (look expectantly to you): and thou givest them their meat (food) in due season. Thou openest thine hand, and satisfieth the desire of every living thing. The Lord is righteous in all his ways, and holy (gracious) in all his works. 

The Lord is nigh unto all them that call upon him, to all that call upon him in truth. He will fulfill the desire of them that fear him: he also will hear their cry, and will save them. The Lord preserveth all them that LOVE him: but all the wicked will he destroy. My mouth shall speak the praise of the Lord: and let all flesh bless his holy name for ever and ever.’ (Ps.145:14-21)

Oh friends, oh friends, there could be no better reasons to stand strong, stubborn and obstinate in our belief in Almighty God, Creator of the universe and all therein! Now let’s go out today and do exactly that nuh, while blessing His holy name, for that is indeed wisdom of the highest order! Much LOVE!

…to know, know, know Him…is to LOVE, LOVE, LOVE, Him… 

P.S. Mea culpa, mea culpa, mea culpa… (smile) Much LOVE!

 

 


 

 

Today’s Scrip-Bit 3 July 2015 Psalm 46:1

03 Jul 2015 Leave a comment

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

Psalm 46:1.  God is our refuge and strength, a very present help (an abundantly available help) in trouble.

Well my faithful Friends and believers in Jesus Christ, the big day is here, it’s Friday…

And as expected, a glorious shout rises up to heaven of ‘TGIF! Thank God is Friday!’ The Canadians continued. ‘Thank God it was a short work week with a break in the middle for Canada Day! We now have some time to recuperate from that.’

Meanwhile the U.S Citizens declared: ‘Thank God is the Friday before the Fourth of July holiday yes! The partying going to be immense!’

And that’s no lie Friends! This Fourth of July weekend in the U.S is going to be one massive celebration, for it’s one of their two most celebrated holidays, the other being Thanksgiving.

But my people, please, please remember Granny’s sound advice. ‘Sonny boy, drunk or sober, please mind yuh business.’ We certainly don’t need Lucifer getting any more footholds in our lives.

So as Peter so wisely says: ‘Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: Whom resist steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in (experienced by) your brethren.’ (1 Peter 5:8-9)

Yes Friends, the ole devil is always on the lookout for those whose guard has been let down, and remember we tend to do that a lot during times of celebrations. So please be very careful this weekend. And to help us gain some proper perspective on how to spend the weekend, let’s chant our Friday Chant; loud and proud and sincere.

All together now: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through another week of work! It hasn’t been easy, but with your generous help, I made it through.

Now, please help me to get sufficient fun, fellowship, rest and relaxation in these two short days off, so that I can be renewed and refreshed in soul, body and mind, to go back out and do it all over again next week, furthering your glorious kingdom with each step I take. I pray this in Jesus name. Amen.’

Yes my brethren, a big modicum of circumspection is certainly called for this weekend. (smile) And our Bit today is oh so applicable to what we’ve been talking about so far. ‘God is our refuge and strength, a very present help (an abundantly available help) in trouble.’

Ah mih people, as usual, I can’t help but say it: ‘What a wonderful and mighty and magnanimous and merciful God we serve and worship! Indeed, there is none other like Him!’ And how could there ever be eh?

That’s why the sons of Korah could boldly and confidently proclaim after our Bit: ‘Therefore will we not fear, though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst (the heart) of the sea. Though the waters thereof roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with the swelling thereof.  Selah’ (Ps.46:2-3)

Yeh Friends, that’s how much trust and faith we have in Almighty God! That though calamity befalls the earth, we will still rest in His will. What an awesome feeling my brethren!

But why should it be otherwise, since He is the Creator and Controller of the universe. He it is who stills the howling winds and calms the raging seas, and sent His Son Jesus Christ to die for us on the cross at Calvary to wash away our sins. So it is simply logical, and oh so wise, to place our entire faith and trust in Him and LOVE worship Him with all our being.  

Now hear how Bruh David puts it in Psalm 62 – God only is my rock and my salvation. ‘He only is my rock and my salvation: he is my defense; I shall not be moved (shaken). In God is my salvation and my glory: the rock of my strength, and my refuge, is in God. Trust in him at all times; ye people, pour out your heart before him: God is a refuge for us.   Selah.’ (Ps.62.6-8)

And a refuge He surely is Friends! What confidence Bruh David puts in the God of his fathers! Wow! And he had every reason to do so, because God walked with him and looked after him through all his days. It wasn’t easy though, but David persisted, and the Lord held him together through all his trials and tribulations.

Now why wouldn’t He do the same thing for us if we placed our faith and trust in Him eh? No reason whatsoever my brethren of faith!

And in these few words, Jeremiah concurs with all that Bruh David says. ‘Truly in vain is salvation hoped for from the hills, and from the multitude of mountains: truly in the Lord our God is the salvation of Israel.’ (Jer.3:23)

And not only the salvation of Israel my people, but the salvation of the entire world! That’s why He sacrificed his only Son Jesus; so that all who were interested had the chance, the opportunity to be saved.

And all God’s people lustily cried out: ‘Oh praise the Lord for His goodness to the undeserving children of men!’

And we’ll end with the immortal words of Bruh David from Psalm 145 – The Lord is gracious. ‘The Lord is nigh unto all them that call upon him, to all that call upon him in truth. He will fulfill the desire of them that fear him: he will also hear their cry, and will save them. The Lord preserveth all them that LOVE him: but all the wicked will he destroy. My mouth shall speak the praise of the Lord: and let all flesh bless his holy name for ever and ever.’ (Ps.145.18-21)

Yes Friends, those are indeed the right things to do! So please, let’s all sing and speak the Lord’s praises, and bless His holy name for ever and ever nuh, for that is the wisdom of heaven, and what will carry us safely through down here on earth. Much LOVE!

…how can we not LOVE and adore…the One who created us…who LOVES us unconditionally…and still showers us with blessings every day eh…

 

 

 

Today’s Scrip-Bit 13 May 2015 Psalm 46:1‏‏

13 May 2015 Leave a comment

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

Psalm  46:1.  God is our refuge and strength, a very present help (an abundantly available help) in time of trouble.

 
Bonjour, my Friends and neighbours! What a great day to be alive! It’s a wonderful Wednesday morning, and I’m here to boost our spirits and try and get and keep us closer to Almighty God. Yes my people, I’m here this morning to remind us of the marvellous, magnificent, magnanimous and majestic Deity we serve and worship!

He is just the greatest thing ever! And is He ever faithful and true to His promises! And I can personally vouch for that. Let me give you a recent example. Now, whenever I read my devotionals, I keep an eye out for anything that seems worthy of sharing, but oftentimes I don’t even need an eye open, because they simply jump off the page at me.

Yesterday, while reading, I idly wondered what I would write about today. Soon thereafter though, I came across this poem in the One year Book of Bible Promises that seemed interesting enough to share, but the clincher occurred when I read the promise that it was based on; none other than our Bit. Holy smokes!

I obviously chuckled and said a thankful ‘Thank You Lord!’ That’s because I took it as a sure sign He wanted me to share the poem. And never wanting to be disobedient, (smile) here it is in living colour. It’s titled: ‘You Did All the Rest.’

And it says: ‘O Lord God! I did what you asked me to do: I just opened windows  Wide… Wide… And You did all the rest! You poured into my heart A blessed, blissful contentment. You saturated my mind With gigantic thoughts of You. You struck an artesian well within me Until sheer joy sprang forth.

You led me out of the valley of despair Into a succession of incredible happenings. Problems which seemed insurmountable Melted like wax before my eyes. Fears faded away like threatening clouds. You startled me You amazed me With the glory of your revelation.

It is true Gloriously true – I have literally walked and breathed with God. I just opened windows Wide… Wide…God. You did all the rest!’ 

Oh mih people, that’s exactly how our ever-LOVING God operates, when we genuinely seek Him with open and sincere hearts and minds! And I’m sure many of you readers can attest to that fact this morning. Isn’t it wonderful to serve such a Deity? It surely is!

So this morning Friends, let’s throw open those windows of our souls wide, wide, so that God can come in and do the rest nuh. For like our Bit so truthfully declares: ‘God is our refuge and strength, a very present help (an abundantly available help) in time of trouble.’ 

But you know what too my brethren? God isn’t only a refuge and strength and help in times of trouble, but ALL THE TIME! In good times, in so so times, as well as bad times, He’s always there to guide and keep us! Glory to God!

But note though, we have to open up to Him completely, and like Gramps Schuller (Dr. Robert H. Schuller) said yesterday, let it all go, allow Him to work at His pace, in His time, without continually hanging over His shoulder and trying to tell Him what to do. We don’t like others hanging over our shoulders telling us what to do, so why should our Creator like it eh?

Now let’s look at some scriptures which support our contention – no sorry, not contention, but truth. Listen to the psalmist, re God’s sustaining power. ‘I will lift up mines eyes unto the hills (mountains) from whence cometh my help. My help cometh from the Lord, which made heaven and earth. He will not suffer thy foot to be moved (to slip): he that keepeth thee will not slumber.

Behold, he that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep. The Lord is thy keeper (protector): the Lord is thy shade upon thy right hand. The sun shall not smite thee by day, nor the moon by night. The Lord shall preserve (keep) thee from all evil: he shall preserve thy soul. The Lord shall preserve (keep) thy going out and thy coming in from this time forth, and even for evermore.’ (Ps.121:1-8)

Oh my people, what wonderful promises our mighty God makes! And He faithfully keeps everyone of them. Hn, hn! I wasn’t planning to use the whole psalm, but after reading it, I had no other choice seeing that it was chocked full of God’s grace and power.

Obviously the psalmist wasn’t expecting the hills themselves to help him, but sees them as more of a reflection of the power and majesty of the One who made them.

Now hear the prophet Jeremiah as he expounds on the situation. ‘Truly in vain is salvation hoped for from the hills, and from the multitude of mountains: truly in the Lord our God is the salvation of Israel.’ (Jer.13:23). Gospel truth that Friends!

Now let’s end with some wise and encouraging words of Bruh David from Psalm 145 – The Lord is gracious. ‘The Lord is nigh unto all them that call upon him in truth. He will fulfill the desire of them that fear (revere) him: he also will hear their cry, and will save them.

The Lord preserveth all them that LOVE him: but all the wicked will he destroy. My mouth shall speak the praise of the Lord: and let all flesh bless his holy name for ever and ever.’ (Ps.145:18-21)

Oh Friends, what beautiful and true declarations! Please, as true followers of Christ, let’s go out and put them into action today nuh. For that is indeed heavenly wisdom! Much LOVE!

…to praise and glorify God…that is man’s earthly purpose…

P.S. Please excuse the lateness of the Bit, but the ole fella didn’t get to bed until minutes to three this morning. Don’t ask what I was doing either. That’s for me to know and you find out. (smile) Much LOVE!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Today’s Scrip-Bit 18 November 2014 Psalm 145:4

18 Nov 2014 Leave a comment

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

  Psalm 145:4. One generation shall praise thy works to another, and shall declare thy mighty acts.

Ah Friends, it looks like it’s going to be another day like yesterday in my area; snowy and rainy. But what yuh going to do eh? Not much, but dress for it and take your time along the wet, slick roads. That means you’ve got to leave home even earlier than normal, if you want to get to work on time.

Steups! Some of us can’t leave home much earlier than we already do, and that’s not only in wintry Canada, but all over the world, where traffic snarls are now a twice-daily occurrence. At the rate we’re going, it might just be better for us to sleep at work…Hn, Hn!

Don’t laugh, because it’s true, since the traffic going into the city is backed up before six a.m in my neighbourhood and by 3.00 p.m leaving the city. A lot of people have to leave home at 5 a.m if they want to reach to work for 8. That’s because they bought affordable housing out in the suburbs, and now that affordable housing is being decimated by the long and terrible time wasting commute.

But unfortunately that’s the new reality of modern day life. Lots of people are moving back to the city, but that’s only increasing the prices of accommodation there, so we end up with a catch 22 situation – live in the somewhat affordable suburbs and bear the traffic and commute burden, or buy exorbitant, overpriced accommodation in the city.

What ever you do though, you will pay for it, either in time or money. But Friends, as true believers in Jesus Christ, we can’t afford to let those things worry us, otherwise they’ll just drive us crazy. Oh, we must be concerned and pay close attention to them, but we can’t afford to let them burst our bubble, or kill our spirits and steal our joy.

That’s because we have the awesome promises of the Creator of the universe and all therein, that He will never leave nor forsake us, that nothing, no adversity will overpower us, for He has a wonderful plan and a great future for our lives, and if we trust Him, He will work everything out for our good eventually. Wow!

And all God’s people raised a grateful shout of joy to heaven: ‘Oh thank You heavenly Father for promising to look after us, even though at times we can be very disobedient to your Word. We LOVE You and praise Your Holy Name! Amen!’

And sadly my people, one enormously important area in which we have been very disobedient is not telling our children and the world about Jehovah God. We are indeed very guilty of not following our Bit: ‘One generation shall praise thy works to another, and shall declare thy mighty acts.’

Ah mih breddren, we’ve certainly done our most merciful and gracious God a grave injustice in that respect. We have failed to do as Moses warned the Israelites: ‘Only take heed to thyself, and keep thy soul (yourself) diligently, lest thou forget the things which thine eyes have seen, and lest they depart from thy heart all the days of thy life: but teach them thy sons, and thy sons’ sons.’ (Deut.4:9)

Oh Friends, we haven’t seen as much as the Israelites had seen, but we have indeed seen enough to know that Almighty God is real, a real and living Deity! And if we haven’t taught our sons about Him, who will teach their sons about Him eh, and how will the great message of God be passed on to future generations?

Remember Jesus’ last instructions to His disciples: ‘Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always(s), even unto the end.’ (Matt.28:19-20)

Oh my people, if those old time disciples hadn’t taken that Great Commission seriously and done as Jesus asked, we would never have heard about Him. That just shows how important passing on the message to the next generation is. It’s like the symbolic passing of the torch that we all so rave about in the Olympics. So let’s rave about passing on the wonderful Word of God too nuh!

And sadly, in our fear and lethargy we have allowed the evil powers of this world to take God out of the schools and other public places, resulting in less God in our society. The Ten Commandments, which should be the basic rules of any society that wants to flourish, are now being flouted with immunity, so why are we surprised when our society is quickly going to hell in a hand basket?

As a generation, we have a lot to answer for my people. We have not done as the psalmist Asaph so wisely said in Psalm 78 – A reminder of God’s goodness to Israel. ‘For he (God) established a testimony in Jacob, and appointed a law in Israel, which he commanded our fathers, that they should make them known to their children:

That the generation to come might know them, even the children which should be born; who should arise and declare them to their children. That they might set their hope in God, and not forget the works of God, but keep his commandments. And might not be as their fathers, a stubborn and rebellious generation; a generation that set not their heart aright (did not prepare their hearts), and whose spirit was not steadfast with God.’ (Ps.78:5-8)

And Friends, if we’re honest, that last verse describes us to a T! We talk a whole lot about God, but like the hypocrite Pharisees that Jesus lambasted, we don’t walk the walk as well.

But it’s not too late walk it properly, to do as Bruh David declares after our Bit: ‘I will speak of (meditate on) the glorious honour (splendour) of thy majesty, and of thy wondrous works. And men shall speak of the might of thy terrible (awesome) acts: and I will declare thy greatness. They shall abundantly (eagerly) utter the memory of thy great goodness, and shall sing of thy righteousness.

The Lord is gracious, and full of compassion; slow to anger, and of great mercy. The Lord is good to all, and his tender mercies are over all his works. All thy works shall praise thee, O Lord; and thy saints shall bless thee. They shall speak of the glory of thy kingdom, and talk of thy power;

To make known to the sons of men his mighty acts, and the glorious majesty of his kingdom. Thy kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and thy dominion endureth throughout all generations.’ (Ps.145: 5-13)

Oh Friends, oh Saints, that’s what we should be doing! Please, I implore us to go out and do it, so that the Word of God will keep being passed on from generation to generation. That’s our bounden duty, as well as heavenly wisdom! Much LOVE!

…if we say we LOVE the Lord and don’t pass on His Word…then we lie…and are no better than the heathen…in fact we are much worse…

 


 

 

Today’s Scrip-Bit 16 November 2014 Psalm 145:4

16 Nov 2014 Leave a comment

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

Psalm 145:4.   One generation shall praise thy works to another, and shall declare thy mighty acts.

So my fellow believers, it’s Sunday; the Lord’s Special Day! And I do hope that you are seriously considering going to His sanctuary to fellowship, worship, praise and give sincere thanks with other believers in acknowledgement of God’s never-ending mercy, forgiveness and LOVING-kindness!

But if for some genuine reason you can’t go to the sanctuary – simple laziness doesn’t count – (smile) then let the sanctuary come to you, through worship on the radio or the television. But please, do get in some heartfelt praise and thanksgiving today, keep the Lord’s Day holy, as He desires.

And after reading the poem ‘I Praise You’ from the One Year Book of Bible Promises, I was greatly enthused, because it fit the Lord’s Sabbath perfectly. Please say it with me in a sincere and worshipful manner.

‘I praise You, my Lord! I praise You for all things: For this very moment  For future days  For the past  Often so reckless On my part So filled with Foolish Fantasies. But so gracious On your part  So LOVING  And so totally forgiving. I praise you.’

Wow Friends, what a most appropriate prayer for today…and any day!

And the biblical promise for that comes from Psalm 145, Bruh David’s exaltation –The Lord is gracious. ‘I will extol (praise) thee, my God, O king; and I will bless thy name for ever and ever. Every day I will bless thee; and I will praise thy name for ever and ever. Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised, and his greatness is unsearchable (beyond our understanding).’ (Ps.145:1-3)

And that, my people, segues very nicely into the next verse, our Bit. ‘One generation shall praise thy works to another, and shall declare thy mighty acts.’

Oh Friends, that recounting of God’s great works and His wonderful attributes are of immense importance, totally essential in the lives of all believers and Christ’s church, for that’s the only way God will be remembered and recalled and worshipped and glorified down through the ages!

And that is one of the things Moses tried to drill into the heads of the stubborn and recalcitrant Israelites during their journey through the wilderness, en route to the Promised Land.

In reminding them of the Ten Commandments, he warns: ‘And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: and thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.

And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand, and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes. And thou shalt write them upon the posts of thy house, and on thy gates.’ (Deut.6:6-9)

Yes Friends, that’s how important the Word of the Lord is!

Then in Isaiah, re King Hezekiah’s sickness and healing, the king cries out to God. ‘For the grave cannot praise thee, death cannot celebrate thee: they that go down into the pit cannot hope for thy truth. The living, the living, he shall praise thee, as I do this day: the father to the children shall make known thy truth. The Lord was ready to save me: therefore we will sing my songs to the stringed instruments all the days of our life in the house of the Lord.’ (Is.38:18-20)

Yes my fellow believers, worshipping and serving Jehovah God is a most important matter, or rather THE most important matter in our earthly lives! And as Hezekiah reasons with the Lord, re saving him from death, it is only while God’s breath of life is flowing through our mortal bodies that we can praise Him and make known His mighty works to our offspring.

Unfortunately though, our generation has made a mess, a mockery of that commandment! We haven’t followed it as purposefully and diligently as we should have. That is why today we have a young generation that knows precious little about the Lord God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, and consequently has little time or place in their lives for Him. Instead, the lustful and evil world is their oyster.

But let’s remember that while there is life, there is ALWAYS hope. So let’s try and inculcate some sense and semblance of God into our children, starting right now nuh. It’s not too late. And in any case, it behoves us to try and rectify our serious wrong; the fact that we did not teach them properly about Jehovah God.

And the wonderful thing about it all is that God, even at this late stage, will help us do it. He will direct us; give us the wherewithal, as we sincerely try to teach our children about Him. He will never discourage those who try to spread His Word. Much LOVE!

…what better day to teach our offspring about God…than on the  Sabbath…the Lord’s special day…

 

 

 

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