29 Nov 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a better frame of mind, a closer walk with God, a figment of my imagination, a saline drip, a special kind of comfort, amazing truths from the scriptures, an unexpected medical problem, back home, blessed is the man that trusteth in him, contemplating life, deepen my breath, diplomatic, faith, familiarity, feel closer to our Maker, God's greatest joy, going through hell, his faithfulness unto all generations, his mercy endures for ever, holy spirit, hospitals can be discouraging, I praise you for your unceasing nearness, I want to be with you now, increase my awareness of you today, Jesus Christ, know you all the more, lazy-day Saturday, Lazy-Day Saturday Prayer, LOVE, mercy, my grace is sufficient for thee, my strength is made perfect in weakness, no place like Home, O taste and see that the Lord is good, only the Lord knows, quiet my soul, relax my muscles, salvation, seeking intimacy with Him, seeking medical help, slow my thoughts, thank you for this tenderness, the earthly paradise, the hellish stuff, the long and short of the story, The Lord is good, the Lord moves in mysterious ways, the peace and calm which emanates from God, the Pitch Lake, therapeutic salt water, to get to paradise, Tobago, trials and tribulations, truth, twenty four hour observation in hospital, well mannered, wisdom, with all sincerity and truth, you can't be contained, your love both surrounds and fills me
Psalm 34:8. O taste and see that the LORD is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him.
We home my Scrip-Bits family! We back home in good ole Canada! And there’s’ no place like home! Even if you spend time in a palace, when you return to the l’il hovel you call home, you always feel a special kind of comfort, a special familiarity, that brings out a different vibe. Anyway, today is Saturday, our lazy-day Saturday, where we do little or nothing at all! And believe me, today is one day I don’t want to do anything, but I must write the Bit, since I haven’t done so for what…the last three days, because as I said in the last Bit, whenever that was, (smile) I was going through hell to get to paradise in Tobago, which sadly turned out to be just a figment of my imagination.
But before we get into that hellish stuff, which is all behind us now, let’s offer up our Lazy-Day Saturday Prayer, as one voice, with all sincerity and truth. ‘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 every time we say that prayer, it touches something in me, making me feel somewhat closer to our Maker. And that’s how it ought to be, because what we just asked for is a closer walk with him, increased intimacy. And if you don’t know, or don’t remember, our God’s greatest joy is for us to come seeking intimacy with him, since that was His main purpose in creating us. And now that we have grown closer to our God, and are feeling the peace and calm which emanates from Him, when we ask for it, let’s go back to the hellish stuff we were talking about earlier. (smile)
Well, in the last Bit, I mentioned the tough day in the Pitch Lake in South Trinidad, then having to come back to Port of Spain and go to dinner with some family members, and after that, simply being too tired to write anything. Now, the next morning, Friday, we were up early again, so we could stop off to see my favourite Uncle, Uncle Foster, with whom I lived a wonderful bachelor life back in the day, before heading to the airport, dreaming of some easier time in that earthly paradise called to Tobago.
But unfortunately that was not to be. For after we got settled there on Friday afternoon, the Duchess went off with a couple of friends to get some food, while I waited for a gentleman to bring a rental car for me. And the Lord does move in mysterious ways, because the fella finally showed up in the night when I could not see the car properly, and I almost said leave it until tomorrow, but something told me to take it right then. And it’s a good thing I did, for around nine the next morning, while sipping some coffee, contemplating life on the porch of the villa, looking out at lovely expanse of greenery on a marvellous golf course, that backed on to the villa, the Duchess called me inside and informed me that she had an unexpected medical problem.
Well, hell began again after that. The children came down from their hotel a little ways up the street and began making enquiries about medical help. We finally found a doctor who was willing to see her, and headed out to see him around midday. He, in his medical wisdom decided that she needed to be hospitalized for a twenty four hour period of observation. So we journeyed down to the hospital, which sadly began my journeying back and forth to the hospital. When we got there we sat in the Emerge Dept. for some time, before she was finally admitted to the Triage unit, where apparently they wanted to do some tests, but since she had eaten something shortly before, they had wait some time before doing them.
Oh friends, I don’t know how many times I journeyed back and forth to the hospital, in the rain and in the sun. And would you believe that for two of those days rain fell like crazy. On one day I even had to step into water to get into the car where it was parked at the villa, because the parking spot was flooded. And several times, just like at the pitch lake, especially walking up the hill to the hospital in the broiling sun, I had to ask the Lord for the strength to do it. And He indeed lived up to His Word as He said to Bruh Paul, who had asked Him three times to remove the thorn from his side. ‘And he said unto me, my grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength (power) is made perfect in weakness.’ (2 Cor. 12:9a)
The long and the short of the story though is that they did not do very much for the Duchess at the hospital, except put a saline drip in her arm, and take blood. Sunday eventually came, and the same story. Then later in the day she was transferred to the Surgical Unit. For what purpose? They alone knew. But we knew that there was going to be NO surgery done in Tobago! Sunday evening I went to see her, and she looked worse that she did before being admitted. So obviously I was unhappy. And the sad part is that the doctors and nurses were too arrogant and full of themselves to speak to you properly. But thankfully, they were dealing with the well-mannered and diplomatic Duchess and children and not me.
So Sunday passed away and Monday came. And the same nonsense went on, supposed tests and no real word of anything concrete. Meanwhile the doctor who had admitted her, as well as a medic cousin of mine, were saying there was no need to keep her there when the medical problem had subsided. So Monday evening came, and still nothing. Eventually though, the Duchess decided that she would release herself. And that’s what she did. And from the moment she stepped out of the hospital, she looked better and was in a better frame of mind, because hospitals, unless you’re truly sick, can be rather discouraging and disconcerting if you’re just lying there with no medical treatment.
Anyway, with her release, it meant going back and forth to the first doctor to check on her, and unforunately, with all the running around, I believe it was not until late Tuesday evening, night had already fallen, I was able to get a short dip in the wonderfully therapeutic salt water. Imagine that nuh…in sweet Tobago for five days before immersing the ole, pained up body in the salt. After that though hell became more like the paradise we had hoped for, and we were able to get in some visiting with friends and family, as well as go around the island on Thursday. Then on Friday, it was time to head home.
And here we are, on this lazy day Saturday at the end of November 2025, contemplating what happened back there. Ah friends, only the Lord knows the purpose for all that happened, but even if I didn’t believe before, now I have to, because without the Lord’s amazing strength and grace during those ten days away from home, I most definitely would not have been able to handle the trials and tribulations that I experienced. That’s why we’ll close with these amazing truths from the scriptures. ‘O taste and see that the LORD is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him.’ (Ps. 34:8) ‘For the LORD is good; his mercy endureth for ever; and his faithfulness unto all generations.’ (Ps. 100:5) Much LOVE!
…if you say you believe…then you ought to show it by your trust…
Visit the Scrip-Bit Blog at https://randyobrien50.com
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
03 Aug 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a lesson in every situation, a pox on the judges!, antidote for life's problems, barren womb, better not to vow than vow and not pay, Bible, Christian, delay not to pay it, exalt the horn of his anointed, Exhibition Stadium, faith, girded with strength, Hannah's Prayer, he hath no pleasure in fools, heaven-sent gentleman, I rejoice in thy salvation, inherit the throne of glory, irresponsible judges, Jesus Christ, judge the ends of the earth, Lazy-Day Saturday Prayer, let not arrogancy come out of thy mouth, lifeth up the beggar from the dunghill, LOVE, mediocre show, my heart rejoiceth in the Lord, my mouth is enlarged over mine enemies, no rock like our God, Praise the Lord, salvation, Steelband Competition, the barren hath borne seven, the bows of the mighty men are broken, the Lord is a God of knowledge, the Lord maketh poor and he maketh rich, the Lord moves in mysterious ways, the Lord will keep the feet of his saints, there is none holy as the Lord, they that stumbled, total disrepect for patrons, truth, when thou vowest a vow to God, wisdom
1 Samuel 2:1. And Hannah prayed, and said, My heart rejoiceth in the Lord: my mouth is enlarged over (smiles at) mine enemies; because I rejoice in thy salvation.
Well friends, it’s our lazy-day Saturday, and I took full advantage of it this morning after the horrible evening I had last evening attending the Steelband Competition in Toronto. Ah Lord eh, what a nightmare. First of all, just at the entrance to the city, the traffic was horrendous because of road construction. Then, the new location for the Carnival is in the heart of the big Exhibition Stadium, where several activities were scheduled for the same time, and with several roads closed within the stadium, moving around and parking was another disaster.
Then, when you were finally directed to a parking spot on the grass, with cars packed close together, you had to walk at least a quarter mile to the entrance of the show we wanted to attend. But who says the Lord doesn’t work in mysterious ways, for halfway there, a heaven-sent gentleman offered a middle aged woman and us two old men a ride in his golf-cart. Praise the Lord!
Now that was the good part, for when you got into the show you found that the stands were situated behind the judges and the D.J, and both of them had canopies covering them, so you could not see the full stage, which was in front of them. You either had to sit right down at the very front on the first couple of rows, or go to one end of the stand or the other to see anything. I went to the left side of the judges’ placement, which means I didn’t see the right side of any of the seven bands that performed.
It was such a total disrespect to the patrons who were paying their hard earned money to see a mediocre show in the first place, because only about three or four bands really deserved to be there. Our West Indian community has put on some bad shows in our time, but I’ve never seen such total disrespect for the patrons before. And in talking to the duchess this morning, it was apparently the same way with the King and Queen Show the night before.
And the seven, middle-aged to elderly West Indian men who were the judges just sat in their comfortable seats with no sun shining down on them, oblivious to the sad plight of the paying people! A pox on you judges, who have all been involved in entertainment in the city over the years! You should have been big and responsible enough to speak up and have the covering removed, and not be simply concerned with your own comfort.
Then when the competition was over, you had the long walk back to your car, if you could find it in the crazy maze of cars parked all over the grounds. And the sad part is that instead of driving, we spoke about taking the Go-train which stops at the Exhibition grounds, but figured that the last train home would be too early, and we would have to leave before the show was over, which turned out to be untrue. It’s the earliest I’ve ever seen the show finish; shortly after eleven o’clock.
Anway, if the venue for this Competition is the same place next year, God spare life, I won’t be there! I know they won’t miss me, but neither will I miss the terrible organizing that has characterized West Indian promotions in this city for the last fifty odd years. End of my griping! (smile)
Now let’s offer up our Lazy-Day Saturday Prayer with heartfelt sincerity. 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!’
Yes Lord, thank you for the calm and peace that you’re sending into my soul, as I contemplate the events of last evening. I know there is a lesson somewhere in there for me, please help me to see it and learn it. Yes friends, in every situation we encounter, there’s a lesson embedded there for us, that’s how our Lord moves. The problem though, is for us to discern that lesson and then action it in our lives. So please pray that I will be able to discern whatever it was the Lord desires to teach me, in allowing yesterdays fiasco to happen. (smile)
And as for today’s scriptural lesson, I just opened the Good Library and it opened to Hanah’s Prayer and Song, that’s the prophet Samuel’s mother, as she gave her son Samuel to the duty of Lord, as she had vowed if the Lord heard her prayer and opened her barren womb. And it’s a perfect prayer or song for us to sing today and every day. So let’s pray or sing it, whichever you prefer. (smile)
‘And Hannah prayed, and said, My heart rejoiceth in the Lord: my mouth is enlarged over (smiles at) mine enemies; because I rejoice in thy salvation. There is none holy as the Lord: for there is none beside thee: neither is there any rock like our God. Talk no more so exceeding proudly; let not arrogancy (arrogance) come out of your mouth: for the Lord is a God of knowledge, and by him actions are weighed. The bows of the mighty men are broken, and they that stumbled are girded with strength.
They that were full have hired out themselves for bread; and they that were hungry ceased (to hunger): so that the barren hath borne seven; and she that hath many children is waxed feeble. The Lord killeth, and maketh alive: he bringeth down to the grave, and bringeth up. The Lord maketh poor, and maketh rich: he bringeth low, and lifteth up. He raiseth up the poor our of the dust, and lifteth up the beggar form the dunghill, to set them among princes, and to make them inherit the throne of glory: for the pillars of the earth are the Lord’s, and he hath set the world upon them.
He will keep the feet of his saints, and the wicked shall be silent in darkness; for by strength shall no man prevail. The adversaries of the Lord shall be broken to pieces; out of heaven shall he thunder upon them: the Lord shall judge the ends of the earth; and he shall give strength unto his king, and exalt the horn (strength) of his anointed. And Elkanah (Samuel’s father) went to Ramah to his house. And the child did minister (serve) unto the Lord before Eli the priest.’ (1 Sam. 2:1-11)
Yes my fellow believers that’s the kind of faith and prayer life we should have! Hannah prayed sincerely to have a son as she was undergoing torment in her barren life, and vowed that if the Lord heard her prayed she would enlist him in the Lord’s service. And that’s exactly what she did. Unlike many of us who vow to do stuff if the Lord hears our prayers, then don’t keep our promise. But as we sit today and ponder Hannah’s powerful prayer, let’s also remember these wise words of Cousin Sol from Ecclesiastes. ‘When thou vowest a vow unto God, defer (delay) not to pay it; for he hath no pleasure in fools: pay that which thou hast vowed. Better is it that thou shouldest not vow, than thou shouldest vow and not pay.’ (Eccl. 5:4-5)
And we should not keep our promises only to God, but to all mankind, which will surely increase the faith, trust and LOVE in our faithless and distrustful world! Much LOVE!
…sincerely walking with God…is the best antidote…for the problems of this earthly life…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
14 Jan 2021
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: accepted Christ as our Lord and Saviour, alive and kicking, as the days of Noah, be ye also ready, but my Father only, but of that day and hour knoweth no man, children of God, courage, creativity, curse, death is staring us in the face, dislike computers, expletive deletes, for a rainy day, for in such an hour as ye think not, free choice, give Him all the priase, heaven with Christ, hell with Satan, in the name of Jesus, in what watch the thief would come, joint heirs with Christ, justified, layeth up treasure for himself, lead the easy life, like a thief in the night, LOVE, negative word, new-fangled machine, not rich toward God, not the angels of heaven, obedient to Christ's way of living, one day older and closer to death, our eternal destination, put money in the bank, put up treasure in heaven, reconciled, redeemed, sanctified, sealed by the Holy spirit, self-control, shame shall be the legacy of fools, share the blessings, storing up earthly treasure, supernatural wisdom, talent, tearing my hair out, technological society, the coming destruction, the grim reaper, the joy of the Lord is our strength, the Lord moves in mysterious ways, the parable of the rich fool, the return of Christ, the second coming of Christ, the severity and suddenness, the Son of man cometh, the wise shall inherit glory, this night thy soul shall be required of thee, thou hast provided, Thursday's Blessings, to judge the world, to separate the lost from the saved, watch therefore, we have Christ in us, whose shall those things be
Proverbs 3:35. The wise shall inherit glory: but shame shall be the promotion (legacy) of fools.
Let’s get with it nuh friends, for we are now one day older and thus one day closer to death, when we can’t make any changes in our eternal destination!
Yes, death is staring each of us in the face every single moment of every day, and since we know not when our time will be up, doesn’t it make a whole lotta sense to ensure that our eternal destination will be heaven with Christ and not hell and damnation with Satan! It certainly does!
But oh, I forgot that we have free choice and can do whatever we wish, when we want to…but not this immortal and most important decision. That has to be made while we’re still alive and kicking!
Remember the supposedly wise man in Jesus’ parable of the rich fool? He had plenty, and thought he was going to live for a long time, so he planned to build bigger and better, saying: ‘And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry.’ (Luke 12:19)
Oh my people, a lot of us are behaving like that rich fool, acquiring earthly treasure and storing it up so we can eventually lead the easy life, but what about our treasure in heaven where so many of us hope to spend eternity eh? Just like we put away money in the bank for a rainy day, likewise we need to put up treasure in heaven for that bright and sunny day when we get there.
And we all know what happened to that rich fool: ‘But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided?’ (Luke 12:20) Now that’s a very good question, one we should all ask ourselves.
Yeh friends, the Grim Reaper came calling for him that same night. Now what would happen if the Lord came calling for us sometime today eh, would we be prepared, or would we be caught napping like that rich fool? Would God make this statement towards us as He did towards that rich fool? ‘So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.’ (Luke 12:21)
Friends, are we rich towards God? Are we storing up treasure in heaven, and not only concerned with what’s happening here on earth? I certainly hope not! For Cousin Sol tells us this:‘The wise shall inherit glory: but shame shall be the promotion (legacy) of fools.’(Prov. 3:35)
Oh precious people, I know none of us want to leave a legacy of being foolish, so let’s be wise and take time, RIGHT NOW,to make sure our eternal destination is heaven and not hell nuh!
That means ensuring we have Christ in us, and that we are in Him, we have accepted Him as our Lord and Saviour, and thus are obedient to His way of living, that we are children of God, joint heirs with Christ, have been redeemed, justified, sanctified, reconciled and sealed by the Holy Spirit as God’s own for ever and ever!
Oh what a wonderful and joyful situation to be in my faithful brethren! And that’s what happens when we invite Jesus into our hearts, our lives and allow Him to take control of our eternal destination. We’re flooded with a joy inconceivable to the unbeliever, for the joy of the Lord is our strength. That’s why the enemy works so hard to keep us miserable and unhappy. He knows that’s where our strength lies.
And oh, I forgot, there’s one more constraint on our eternal preparations; the Second Coming of Christ! Yes friends, if Christ comes back before the Grim Reaper comes a calling, then all bets are also off the table. The thing about Jesus’ Second Coming is that we don’t know when that will be either.
As He himself said: ‘But of that day and hour knoweth no man, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only. But as the days of Noah were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.’ (Matt. 24:36-37) Yes mih bredrin, we’ll be eating and drinking and carrying on like they were in Noah’s time, unconcerned about sin and God, when like the flood suddenly came, Jesus will come back, like a thief in the night, unexpectedly.
‘Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left. Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left. Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come. But know this, that if the goodman (master) of the house had known in what watch (hour) the thief would come, he would have watched, and would not have suffered (allowed) his house to be broken up (into). Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh.’ (Matt. 24:40.44)
Those weren’t my words friends, they were Jesus’. So if He took the time to warn us, don’t you think it will be wise for us to heed it? I certainly do. And just in case you don’t understand the seriousness of that situation, listen to this explanation from the scholars.
‘24:39-42.The observation that the people of Noah’s day knew not the severity and suddenness of the coming destruction indicates that the last generation will be totally unprepared for the coming of the Son of man, the return of Christ to judge the world. (See 2 Thess. 1:7-8) The reference to two being in the field or at work at the time of Christ’s return implies the suddenness of His coming to separate the lost and the saved.’
What else can I say eh friends, it’s all there in black and white! All I know that if either the Grim Reaper or Christ comes and we’re not ready, there’ll be much weeping and gnashing of teeth. So let’s get it together right now nuh, and avoid that sad and undesirable scenario. And for those of us who are seriously working on it, let’s go home now declaring (ah Lord eh!) our Thursday Blessings, generously bestowed on us to do Christ’s earthly work.
Altogether 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 the desired consequence of all that, is we go out and share those blessings just as generously with others in need.Much LOVE!
…be wise…be prepared…
Epilogue! And you all wonder why I dislike computers and this technological society that is strangling us. Well over an hour ago, I was almost finished writing the Bit when the one-year-old computer broke down on me in the middle of writing. Steups! Try as I could, I was unable to get it to work. So here I am on my trusty laptop, so much older than that new-fangled machine and still going strong!
And it’s a good thing that I had signed back into OneDrive, only a couple of days ago, else I would have to write over the Bit from start, and would be tearing my hair out and using even more expletive deletes than I am now. (smile) But the Good Lord does move in mysterious ways – give Him all the praise – and we finally finish. Much LOVE!
05 Oct 2020
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: aura of disbelief, be not overcome of evil, Christ will always defeat Satan, come short in obedience, Covid virus, divine help, evil for evil, feed him, forgiveness, give him drink, good will always overcome evil, grace, half-truths, heap coals of fire, humble servants, I will repay, if thine enemy hunger, if thine enemy thirst, innuendoes, Jehovah Rapha, lies, LOVE, mercy, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, natural disasters, overcome evil with good, pandemic of Covid 19, recompense to no man, repentance, shame and remorse, sincerely seek your face, something the Lord allows, strife, the Christian thing to do, the God who heals, the Lord moves in mysterious ways, the poor getting poorer, the rich getting richer, took it for a joke, turn from our evil ways, vengeance is mine saith the Lord, we have all sinned
Romans 12:21. Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.
So what shall we say this Monday Morning in the early autumn days of this unprecedented year of 2020 eh? One thing comes to mind – that the Lord does indeed move in mysterious ways His miracles to perform. Yuh realize how many of the world leaders who never believe in the Covid virus and made fun of it, eventually got it? The leaders of the U.K., Brazil, Guatemala, Honduras, Belarus, and some others whom I don’t remember all contracted the Covid-19 disease because they took it for a joke.
Hn! How can you ever take something the Lord allows, and as widespread and dangerous as it is, especially with its unknown qualities and behaviour, as a joke eh? And friends, I just realized that I left out the most famous (in his own mind) and powerful leader and mocker of them all…the one and only President of the U.S. of A! How could I have done that eh when all yuh hearing on the news these days are uncertainties, lies, innuendoes, and half-truths concerning his supposed illness.
He’s acquired such an aura of disbelief that many people don’t believe that he’s sick, it’s just another ploy in his vast arsenal of tricks and dirty deeds to win the upcoming election. His presidency has been fraught with so much distaste that many normally good-natured folks are praying for him to die from the Covid-19. And it would be a fitting death too, as he has so badly mismanaged the crisis. But all in all, I don’t think that is the Christian thing to do. The Lord will repay him in His own time and way for his wrongdoing.
So let us remember the words of the Good Book and heed its warning. ‘To me belongeth vengeance and recompense; their foot shall slide in due time: for the day of their calamity is at hand, and the things that shall come upon them with haste.’ (Deut. 32:35) Those were Moses words to the Israelites in the early days. And the psalmist, in his writings – How long shall the wicked triumph – cried out in the same manner that many of us are crying out today as the wicked seem to be prospering ever so much, while the righteous are suffering.
‘O Lord God, to whom vengeance belongeth; O God, to whom vengeance belongeth, show thyself ( shine forth). Lift up thyself (rise up), thou judge of the earth: render a reward ( repay with punishment) to the proud. Lord, how long shall the wicked, how long shall the wicked triumph?’ (Ps. 94:1-3) Notice, in his anguish, how he repeats himself for emphasis. And that’s a very relevant question in these difficult and dangerous times friends, for the wicked and the wealthy are prospering even in these lean days.
It’s a proven fact that during this Covid-19 season the rich has gotten immensely richer, while the poor has gotten immensely poorer! No wonder a lot of people are crying out for justice, for vengeance! But then we are led by Bruh Paul to keep our faith, to trust our God, who never fails to keep His promises, just in His own time and manner. Hear him in his missive to the church at Rome.
‘Recompense (repay) to no man evil for evil. Provide things honest in the sight of all men (Have regard for good things). If it be possible, as much as lieth in (depends on) you, live peaceably with all men. Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath (don’t take angry action): for it is written, Vengeance is mine, I will repay, saith the Lord. Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink: for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire (shame and remorse) on his head. Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.’ (Rom. 12:17-21)
What more can I say eh friends? That’s Bruh Paul’s teaching; his revelation from God, so we need to acknowledge and live by it. Let’s wait for our God to take His vengeance upon our enemies nuh, that’s His portfolio. Ours is to live good. And yes, I know that’s difficult to do when we’re surrounded by so much evil and wickedness, but with God’s grace and mercy uplifting us, we can certainly overcome evil with good. Now, let’s go to God in prayer, through our Monday Morning Battle Hymn and release all our anger, frustration, anxieties, fear, needs, wants, desires, and whatever’s troubling us to His listening ear, because that’s His will.
All together now, humbly, but confidently: ‘Our Father, who art in heaven, we, Your humble servants, praise Your Holy Name and thank You that this Monday morning we’re alive and standing in faith despite the mass confusion that’s currently prevailing in our world. We desperately need Your divine help, for You are the ONLY ONE with the power to solve our many problems; the pandemic of Covid -19, the racial, political, and religious strife that’s ignited worldwide, plus the natural disasters like storms, famine, drought, plagues, climate change, wildfires, earthquakes and erupting volcanoes that suddenly seem to be blossoming more and more as time goes by.
Heavenly Father, we admit that we have all sinned and seriously come short in obedience and compliance to Your Word, but we know that You are a merciful, forgiving and gracious God, and You have faithfully promised to hear and answer our prayers when we humble ourselves, pray, and sincerely seek Your face. That’s why we come to You now, with sincere repentance in our hearts, pleading with You to give us, ordinary folks, as well as our leaders, employers and medical personnel, wise guidance and direction to bring our problems under control.
And for those who are currently suffering from the many negative situations, we pray that You will ease their suffering and heal them. Father, please show them Your awesome grace and mercy, and keep Your promise that You’ll hear our prayer, forgive us, and heal our land if we turn from our evil ways. Show this evil world that You are indeed Jehovah Rapha; the God who heals! We pray this in the holy and blessed name of Your Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen! And again we say: Amen!’
And since we’ve just vowed repentance and pleaded for forgiveness, mercy and grace, let’s keep our vow and receive the Lord’s blessings nuh, for that’s what He requires of us. Much LOVE!
…good will always overcome evil…for Christ will always defeat Satan…
02 Oct 2020
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a little lower than the angels, a means of restoring faith, and understandeth not, another weekend, anxiety, bar hopping, behave like leggo-beasts, bring backsliders back to your fold, can't handle it on our own, confusion, Covid-19, denigrating the virus, dictator in waiting, divine help, Donald Trump, embrace your love and compassion, faithful believers, falling down drunk, Friday chant, gallivanting, God offers forgiveness and mercy, handle the situation properly, happy hour, have dominion over the beasts, heavenly Father, hungry for dictatorship power, in the name of Jesus, introduce a whole new flock, is like the beasts that perish, judgement after death, LOVE, make a real and sincere difference, man that is in honour, no respecter of persons, not knowing what happening, omnipotent help, our sinful world, pandemic, pay serious attention to God's Word, physically distance, racial strife, spreading the virus willy nilly, TGIF!, Thank God is Friday, thank the Lord for Fridays and weekends, the dust return to the earth, the Lord moves in mysterious ways, the ordinary workingman, the spirit return to God, those involved in the forefront, time for Christians to stand up strong, unrest in the streets, wake up and smell the coffee, want to party, wash hands, wear a mask, wise guidance, with God all things are possible
Psalm 49:20. Man that is in honour, and understandeth not, is like the beasts that perish.
And yes, at long last is Friday; the day that ends our work week! So we’re joyful and happy and ready to behave like leggo-beasts! But please remember we still can’t go bar hopping and gallivanting on a Friday evening after work like we used to! Forget about the happy hour an’ them and just go straight home and be safe. That’s my li’l chat for today! (smile)
Now let’s see what the ordinary workingman has to say on this first Friday in chilly, leaf turning colour and falling October. ‘Yeah! TGIF! Thank God is Friday and another weekend is here to rest mih tired and somewhat bored bones. Yes, staying home so all the time, especially since the Covid-19 numbers going up again in my li’l corner of the world, is getting somewhat tiresome. Ah not a big go-outer, but when I want to go out, I want to be able to go without having to put on mask and look all around me, and stay away from people, to make sure I don’t catch anything to bring back to mih family.
And the people an’ them, especially the younger ones, just won’t learn to physically distance and wear deh mask and wash deh hands and be careful. No, they want to party… and the sad thing is that they can’t party nuh, they don’t really know how to have a good time. For them that is drinking and falling down stupid and not knowing what happening. Steups!
An’ by the way, yuh see who finally catch the Covid business? The one and only Donald Trump, the august President of the United States, dictator in waiting; a man who been denigrating the virus since it begin, and saying is just stupidness and it soon pass and yuh doh need no mask when it causing so much unnecessary deaths in the U.S.
Well the same way the Lord does move in mysterious ways and is no respecter of people, is the same way Covid does move, so now it finally prove to him the foolishness of his ways…at least ah hope so. But Trump is such an ignorant, arrogant, greedy, hungry for dictatorship power, know it all, that one never know with him nuh.
And ah hope the people living under him finally wake up and see him for what he really is; a blooming … put in yuh own description. (smile) But as for me and my house, we going to try and stay safe and keep thanking the Lord for Fridays and the weekends yes!’
Ah mih people, the ordinary workingman is sure worked up today. And so he should be when people not behaving how they should and just spreading the blooming virus willy nilly! All over the world the Covid numbers climbing again, mostly because people stop paying attention to the safety procedures. So what we expect eh, when those are the only things we have to slow down the spread of the virus? Until we get a good vaccine – and people take it – masks and hand washing and physical distancing are the only useful things we have.
But what does the ole fella know eh? He ain’t no scientist. But hear these magnificent and oh so true words from the Good Book nuh, taken from Psalm 49 – Trust in God, not in wealth – by the sons of Korah. ‘Man that is in honour, and understandeth not, is like the beasts that perish.’ (Ps. 49:20)
Yeh friends, we are supposed to be a little lower than the angels, but higher than the beasts, have dominion over them, but when we don’t pay serious attention to God’s Word, then we become just like the beasts. And hear how Cousin Sol puts it in Ecclesiastes, where he’s writing as the Preacher. ‘For that which befalleth (happens to) the sons of men befalleth beasts; even one thing befalleth them: as the one dieth, so dieth the other; yea, they have all one breath; so that a man hath no pre-eminence (advantage) above a beast: for all is vanity (futility).’ (Eccl. 3:19)
Yes, it would seem that man and beasts share the same common fate, but later on though, in 12:7, Cousin Sol does affirm that man’s spirt returns to God after death. ‘Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it.’ (Eccl. 12:7) So friends, in that most important fact, we are not like the beasts, because our spirits return to God for judgement after death. But when we behave foolishly and ignore God and His Word and Will, then we truly behave like beasts. And unfortunately, in these most disturbing and dangerous times, when we should all have our wits about us, too many of us are behaving like the beasts!
But thankfully, with our great and wonderful God, all things are possible, and He offers forgiveness and mercy without restraint, to all those who call upon Him in sincerity. So let’s do that now nuh, through our Friday Chant, let’s call on Him for divine help. All together now: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through this past week. Yuh know it’s been rough… what with all the anxiety, the confusion and havoc that the Covid-19 virus and the racial strife causing. We not accustomed to that kind of life Lord, and it really telling on us. And we know we can’t handle it on our own, that we desperately need your help.
Oh heavenly Father, with your omnipotent help, and our trusting faith, we know that we can stand strong and steadfast and defeat both the virus and the unrest in our streets. So Lord, we sincerely ask you today to give the governments and those involved in the forefront of this serious and unexpected storm, the sure and wise guidance to handle the situation properly, with the least amount of loss to life and property as possible. And please help those of us who must go out to work amidst all the confusion, to be responsible and to stay safe, so that we can avoid any more serious setbacks.
And Lord, we fervently pray that You’ll use this situation to also bring a lot of backsliders back to your fold, show them the error of their ways. It’s also a good opportunity to introduce a whole new flock, who will embrace your LOVE and compassion because of the way we, your faithful believers, handle the situation. Yes Lord, please use this pandemic and the unrest in the streets as a means of restoring faith in You, so that our sinful world can wake up and smell the coffee, sweet and strong! We pray this in the name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen!’
So the corollary to all that now is for us to go out and behave like faithful and trusting believers – like we claim above – and handle the situation the way the Lord desires us to handle it! Much LOVE!
…it’s time for Christians…to stand up strong…and make a real and sincere difference…
12 Aug 2018
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a man lay down his life, a mountain too high, an ocean too deep, atone for our sins, awesome truth, clarion call of love, cleansing blood, commandments, concentrate on love, diligence, enthusiasm, ever since he touched my heart, excellence, faithful, for his friends, from now until forever, give thanks, God loved us, godly tasks, greater love hath no man, he is my destiny, hear the Word, I always must be, I love him, I will follow him, Jesus Christ, joyous expressions in song, LOVE, Love makes the world go round, LOVE one another, miniscule by comparision, my true love, near him, nothing can keep me from him, our greatest possession, our life, our Lord and Saviour, Paul Mauriat, praise, Pranck Pourcel, receptive, right relationship with the Father, sacrifice, sincerity, softening our hearts, the best of the best, the Lord moves in mysterious ways, the Lord's Day, the Lord's sanctuary, to keep me away, worship
John 15:13. Greater LOVE hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.
Ah friends, another wonderful Sunday is upon us! Glory be! And I know that we’re all headed for the Lord’s sanctuary to give Him thanks and praise, to worship and fellowship with other believers, to hear His awesome Word, and to renew and refresh our souls, so we can take back up our godly tasks this upcoming week and perform them with the excellence and diligence that the Lord requires.
And as always, we’ll begin the proceedings with faithful and joyous expressions in song, thus softening our hearts and making them more receptive to the Word. And who says our Lord doesn’t move in marvellous and mysterious ways eh!
Today’s song is one from way back when. It’s not a hymn either, but a teenybopper’s clarion call of LOVE. I heard it recently and thought, ‘Wow! That’s the same sentiments we ought to have about Jesus. It should make a good Sunday piece. And believe me, when I began to consider a song for today, that was the first and only one to come to mind.
So here it is. ‘I Will Follow Him” is a popular song that was first recorded in 1961 by Franck Pourcel, as an instrumental titled “Chariot”. The song achieved its widest success when it was recorded by American singer Little Peggy March with English lyrics in 1963. Franck Pourcel and Paul Mauriat wrote the music. Arthur Altman adapted it. Norman Gimbel wrote the English lyrics.’
Most of you old fogies should know it, so let’s sing with enthusiasm and sincerity: ‘I Love him, I love him, I love him And where He goes I’ll follow, I’ll follow, I’ll follow – I will follow him, follow him wherever He may go There isn’t an ocean too deep A mountain so high it can keep me away – I must follow him (follow him), ever since he touched my (heart) hand I knew That near him I always must be And nothing can keep him from me He is my destiny (destiny)-
I love him, I love him, I love him And where he goes I’ll follow, I’ll follow, I’ll follow, Jesus will always be my true love, my true love, my true love From now until forever, forever, forever –
I will follow him (follow him), follow him wherever he may go There isn’t an ocean too deep A mountain so high it can keep, keep me away Away from my love (I love him, I love him, I love him) – I love him, I love him, I love him And where he goes I’ll follow, I’ll follow, I’ll follow, Jesus will always be my true love, my true love, my true love From now until forever, forever, forever –
I will follow him (follow him), follow him wherever he may go There isn’t an ocean too deep A mountain so high it can keep, keep me away Away from my love And where he goes I’ll follow, I’ll follow, I’ll follow – I know I’ll always love him, I love him, I love him And where he goes I’ll follow, I’ll follow, I’ll follow – I know I’ll always love him, I love him, I love him.’
Yeh friends, those are words of awesome faith and trust that we ought to continually express in our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ! By the way, I didn’t have the wherewithal to capitalize LOVE, the many times it showed up, (smile) but you all know the high regard in which we hold it. For all that Jesus has done for us, following Him to the top of any mountain and the depths of any sea is miniscule by comparison.
And oh, when we talking about LOVING Him… Mama Yo! Our hearts just burst with the emotions that overflow them! Such is the great feeling we have for Him and His sacrifice on our behalf! No one else LOVED us enough to die for us…
And even if they did, their death did not have the power to do what His did; atone for our sins, cleanse us with His cleansing blood, and most of all bring us back into right relationship with our heavenly Father from whom we’ve been ostracized for oh so long. And Jesus hit the nail on the head when He declared to His disciples in our Bit: ‘Greater LOVE hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.’
And isn’t that the awesome truth? Our greatest possession is our life, and if we give it for someone or something, then we must feel very close to that person or thing. And Jesus laid down His life for us, whom He considered His friends; those that do His commandments.
And here is an even more awesome scripture on the wonderful attribute of LOVE: ‘Herein is LOVE, not that we LOVED God, but that he LOVED us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.’ (1 John 4:10) Mama Mia! It couldn’t get any better than that! That’s the best of the best!
All praise and glory to our wonderful heavenly Father for LOVING us so much that He broke His own heart by giving up His only Son as a sacrifice for us. Therefore, as John continues: ‘Beloved, if God so LOVED us, we ought also to LOVE one another.’ (1 John 4:11) End of sermon!
So friends, in honour of the Lord’s Day, let’s concentrate on LOVE today nuh. Much LOVE!
…LOVE is what makes the world go round…the LOVE of the Father for us…the LOVE of Jesus for us…and our LOVE for Jesus and the Father…
14 Jan 2016
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a new lifestyle, a new nature, anger, aspirations, Barbarian, behold I make all things new, blasphemy, bond, character, Christ is all, Christmas, Colossians, conduct, conversion, drawing closer to God, dreary middle, encompassed about, falsehood, filthy communication, forget God, free, friends of faith, glory to God, God's faithful help, Greek, Greek Olympics, heroes, humanity, I am the truth, impediments, January, Jew, John Hagee, lay aside every weight, lie not, LOVE, malice, mature knowledge of God, mentors, mid-January funk, New Year's hoopla, One Year Book of Bible promises, our best efforts, predicament, put off the old man, put on the new man, put sin to death, renewed in knowledge, renounced, resolutions, Run to win, run with patience, Ruth Harms Calkin, saints, salvation, salve, sinful acts, slump, so great a cloud of witnesses, social distinctions, springtime, the Lord moves in mysterious ways, the race of life, the race that is set before us, the sin which so easily ensnares us, trinkets, values, vices, victorious, words of wisdom, worldly thinking, wrath, year-end sales
Hebrews 12:1. Wherefore seeing (since) we also are compassed about with (surrounded by) so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset (ensnare) us, and let us run with patience (perseverance, endurance) the race that is set before us.
Ah mih people, it’s another cold, bleak winter’s day! But we have to remember that that’s what winter is all about; cold and bleak, though it doesn’t seem so bad when the sun shines through in all its glory. (smile)
And since this is where we live, we just have to learn to live with it, knowing that through God’s faithful help we will be able to handle it, and eventually come out victorious in the glorious springtime. Oh glory to God friends for His unceasing help!
Now here is something from our One Year Book of Bible Promises with writings by Ruth Harms Calkin that probably hits the nail on the head with many of us. I couldn’t help but share it.
It’s simply titled ‘January,’ and reads thus: ‘It’s January, Lord – The drab, dreary middle – And my thoughts are as drab As the miserable month. Does everybody hit a January slump Or am I the only one?
The first week wasn’t too bad: There were Christmas thank-yous to write A few resolutions to store away The huddle of year-end sales. But thank-you notes bring no returns And resolutions are quickly broken And marked-down trinkets fast lose appeal.
When you said Behold, I make all things new Did You forget January, Lord? Or in January do I sometimes forget you?’
Oh friends, that poem certainly does resemble the mid January funk that many of us find ourselves in. The weather is the pits, the Christmas bills are starting to come in, and we don’t know where the money is going to come from to pay them, and added to that anxiety, we’re still physically and mentally tired from all the Christmas and New Year’s hoopla. It certainly is a familiar predicament.
But to answer the poets ending question, the response is a definite Yes! We do seem to forget God in these anxious times, when these are the times we should be drawing ever closer to Him. God doesn’t make mistakes or lie. If he says that everything is made new, then it IS made new!
That means the problem lies with us, which brings us to the promise for that poem, which is also our Bit. ‘Wherefore seeing (since) we also are compassed about with (surrounded by) so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset (ensnare) us, and let us run with patience (perseverance, endurance) the race that is set before us.’
Ah my fellow believers that is exactly the kind of advice we need this cold morning in mid-January. And the Lord moves in such mysterious ways, that it’s only last night I watched Uncle John (John Hagee) preach a sermon on that same verse. He titled it ‘Run To Win!’
And so it should be my fellow believers. Why else would we run a race if it were not to win eh? And the particular race we’re talking about here is the race of life!
Bruh Paul likened our earthly lives to a race, having in mind the ancient Greek Olympics, which we can compare to out own modern day Olympiads.
And the first thing he does is remind us of all the other saints, the heroes that have run this race before us, the ‘great cloud of witnesses,’ who are looking down on us as we run our race. So it’s not like we don’t have any examples or mentors to look back at.
Then we have to ‘lay aside every weight,’ that prevents us from running this race of life. Yes my brethren we have to get rid of all the impediments that weigh us down and prevent us from putting forth our best efforts.
And Bruh Paul refers to some of them in Colossians. ‘But now ye also put off all these; anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth. Lie not to one another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds; and have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him:
Where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcision nor uncircumcision, Barbarian, Scythian, bond (slave) nor free: but Christ is all, and in all.’ (Col.3:8-11)
Oh my precious friends of faith, those are the kinds of things that prevent us from properly concentrating on running this magnificent race of life that’s set before us.
And here are some explanations from the scholars, which will help us to further understand those scriptures. ‘3:9. Seeing means “since.” The old man is all that a person was prior to salvation: his worldly thinking and sinful acts. Since all this was renounced at conversion, one should lie not. Falsehood ill becomes the person claiming to be a disciple of Him who said, “I am the…truth.”
‘3:10. The new man is the person one becomes after conversion: he possesses a new nature, values, aspirations, and a new life-style. This “new man” is constantly being renewed or developed until he attains a mature knowledge of the God who (re)created him. The more a believer knows and understands of God, the more he will be like God in character and conduct.’
‘3:11. Not only is the “new man” to put sin to death, he is also to put away man-made barriers that divide people and that nourish the vices of the old life. Among renewed humanity there are no national, ceremonial, cultural, or social distinctions. To the redeemed Christ is all: that is, He is everything and He is what matters most to them. And Christ is…in all; that is, He dwells in all believers.’
Yes Friends, we’ll end with those wonderful words of wisdom: Christ is everything to the believer, and He dwells in each and every one of us. Oh what a wonderful scenario!
Let’s remember that, and ponder on all that we’ve said to day, so that we can increase in the knowledge and maturity of Christ our Lord and Saviour. Much LOVE!
…to know, know, know Him…is to LOVE, LOVE, LOVE Him…
12 Feb 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a bountiful eye, according to the blessing of the Lord thy God, adversity, blessed, broken relationshp, caring, compassionate, cruel, cursed, destroyed, every man shall give as he is able, evil, eyes glued, family friends, family time, focus on God, forgiving, generosity, generous, give bread to the poor, God is the ultimate giver, God LOVES a cheerful giver, good Samaritans, greedy, heartrending, impersonal, inherit the earth, little cottage from Lowlands, Lord and Saviour, LOVE, me myself and I, no way Jose, paradox, reconciliation, ridiculous, sanctity of the family, Scarborough, school chums, selfish, siblings, smile, social entity, soldiers in Christ, strong and trusting faith in Jesus, temptation, Thank the Lord, thanksgiving, the Lord moves in mysterious ways, the Lord's plan for my life, the righteous showeth mercy, the things of the world, this too shall pass away, trial, truth, ungodly, wicked, winter, wisdom, yellow yam, you can't outgive God
Deuteronomy 16:17. Every man shall give as he is able, according to the blessing of the Lord thy God which he hath given thee.
Well Friends, it’s throwback and thanksgiving Thursday! And I’m writing these beautiful words of LOVE from the verandah of my little cottage in Lowlands, with much thanksgiving! I’m giving thanks for all that I have, all that I am, and all that the Lord is calling me to be.
And not to forget, enormous thanks for being in Paradise on another lovely tropical day, when back in the North Country, snow, ice and cold weather reign supreme!
Oh my people, I truly feel for all of you who are up there undergoing the cruel brunt of winter. And sadly, in another couple of weeks I’ll also be feeling sorry for myself when I return to face it. (smile)
But like the good soldiers in Christ that we are, and with His ever-faithful promises to look after us in each and every trial and temptation, plus the fact that like everything else, winter too shall eventually pass and give way to spring, we shall overcome any and every adversity that comes against us.
Please, let’s believe all of that, and walk with it in our hearts, minds and souls, through strong and trusting faith in Jesus Christ, our ever-LOVING Lord and Saviour!
Enough sermonizing for today though. (smile) Now, re adventures. I didn’t do much yesterday, just went into town to the market, so the duchess could get her yellow yam. Hn! Then we visited a couple of old family friends and a couple of school chums; from one end of Scarborough to the next.
The sun was hot sir! I know I came to get sunshine, but not that hot! (smile) And driving around hill and dale on the narrow, badly maintained roads that are still the same width since my youth, was a task in itself, especially with the duchess as my co-pilot. Hn, hn!
One of the people I visited was a 91, well more like 92 year old woman because her birthday is next month. She still lives by herself and looks very good for that age, still getting around on her own to a certain extent, though people, good Samaritans come around and check on her regularly.
Now that’s something I’d LOVE to do; live out my last days in decent health in sweet Tobago! Hopefully that’s in the Lord’s plan for my life. (smile)
But mih people, the best news I’ve heard in a long while, in Tobago or anywhere else, is the recent reconciliation of one of the school friends I visited yesterday and his younger brother.
Thank the Lord for that! He does move in mysterious and glorious ways! For there can be no better or higher action in human life than reconciliation, especially if the break up was originally over petty, unimportant stuff. It’s just like when Jesus died, so that sinful humanity could be reconciled to the Father.
Oh Friends, there’s nothing as sad as a broken relationship especially between siblings, because then it hurts the overall family, the smallest, but most important social entity in our society. And unfortunately the family, as we know it, is dying out because of too many of those break ups, plus the fact that the world now holds the individual as more important than the family.
How often nowadays, do we who live together in the same house, eat or get together as a family to play some game, or just talk eh? Certainly not as often as we should, if we want to protect the sanctity of the family. We’re all so busy with our individual lives that family time is now not a big consideration.
And it’s definitely something we should try to recapture, although the world with its 24/7 schedule, and its widespread communicating devices are making it very difficult to do. It’s a modern day paradox that we are communicating more, but becoming lonelier, because we’re not actually getting together with each other in person.
And even when we do get together, all we do is pull out our little toys and play on them. Chuh! It’s heartrending to see a group of people sitting together, and none of them talking to the others, or even looking at them, their eyes glued to the little screen in front of them, and their fingers busily typing away. Steups!
It’s become so ridiculous, that they could also be sitting together and tweeting or texting each other, instead of talking. When we prefer to communicate through a device, rather than talk to each other face to face, it only means that our society is going further and further downhill. That’s the selfish, impersonal state to which we have finally sunk.
Ah Friends, with all that unscheduled, but vitally important talk, I don’t know how much space and time we have for our Bit. ‘Every man shall give as he is able, according to the blessing of the Lord thy God which he hath given thee.’
Words of immortal truth my people! But are we putting them into practice in this evil, cruel, ungodly society? Not as much as we ought to, for as we said, we’ve become a selfish, individualistic, greedy society, where ‘me, myself and I,’ are the most important pronouns in our vocabulary.
Now let’s look at some scripture that deals with the subject. Yesterday, we saw where Bruh Paul told the Corinthians that whatever and however they sow, that’s what they will reap, and God LOVES cheerful and generous givers, and He always give us enough for our needs. (2 Cor.9:6-8)
Now the scholars in their explanations mentioned Proverbs 22:9, which I doubt, any or many of you checked out. So here it is in living colour. ‘He that hath a bountiful (generous) eye shall be blessed; for he giveth of his bread to the poor.’ (Prov.22:9)
Yes my people, in God’s kingdom, generosity is ALWAYS blessed!
Meanwhile in Psalm 37 – The true state of the wicked – Bruh David rightly and wisely declares: ‘The wicked borroweth, and payeth not again (does not repay): but the righteous showeth mercy, and giveth. For such as be blessed of him shall inherit the earth (land); and they that be cursed of him shall be cut off (destroyed).’ (Ps.37:21-22)
More gospel and immortal truth that my brethren! And we’ll stop there for today, so that we can ponder all the things that we’ve spoken about. So let’s focus steadily on our God today, rather than the things of the world; allowing His words to function in our lives, by being caring, forgiving, compassionate and giving! For that’s the wisdom of heaven! Much LOVE!
…God is the ultimate giver…and besides…you can’t outgive God…no way Jose…
25 Jun 2014
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: A for effort, accept Jesus, accomplish that goal, broad is the way that leads to destruction, bumps and bruises, Christ, Christ-like, Christian life, destruction, difficult is the way that leads to life, enjoy a blessed day, enter at the narrow gate, eternal life, eternal separation, evil, exciting, find, forgiveness, friends, goodness, gospel truth, greetings, Hallelujah, interesting, irony, Jesus Christ, lead and guide, life gets rockier, live life the best way you can, live life to the fullest, living for Jesus, LOVE, Matthew's gospel, mercies, mess up, mistakes, modus operandi, narrow is the gate, narrow pathway that leads to Christ, personal experience, personal Lord and Saviour, plethora of stuff, Praise the Lord, required effort, Rowland Hill, salutations, salvation, Scrip-Bit family, seek, Sermon on the Mount, special relationship with Jesus, strive, surrender, tests, the irony of it all, the joy and strength of the Lord, the Lord moves in mysterious ways, this is the day the Lord has made, treasure trove, treasury of goodies, trials, tribulations, ungodly world, walk proudly and faithfully, we will rejoice and be glad in it, wide is the gate, wisdom, wise, words of wisdom
Luke 13:24. Strive to enter in at the strait (narrow) gate: for many, I say unto you, will seek to enter in, and shall not be able.
Greetings and salutations my wonderful Scrip-Bit family! May we all enjoy a blessed day as we walk proudly and faithfully in the joy and strength of our omnipotent God, while He showers us with His goodness and LOVE, His abundant mercies and forgiveness, all prepared new and special for this Wednesday morning.
And all God’s people declared a loud and thankful: ‘Praise the Lord! Hallelujah!’ And furthermore Friends, let’s proclaim and acclaim our faithful intentions: ‘This is the day the Lord has made, we WILL rejoice and be glad in it!’
Oh my people, of that there is no doubt, because we’ll strive valiantly to accomplish that goal. And speaking of striving, a funny thing happened on the way to the forum. (smile)
Seriously though Friends, I have an almanac from my Insurance Agent tacked up on the wall on the right side of my desk, a fairly large one too, and if I turn my head to the right, I ought to see it. But it seems like I haven’t turned my head to the right for almost six months…that is until last night. Would you believe it’s still on January? Hn, hn!
Now there are other smaller almanacs on my desk that I use most of the time. But that is certainly ridiculous, especially since I always have a calendar in that position. Now I’ve been known to miss a couple of months, but this is surely the worst. Can you imagine that – not seeing a calendar, a big enough one too, that’s right beside you, for almost six months?
And coming to think of it, the whole plethora of stuff on that wall; acclamations, pictures, etc, I pass by them everyday and don’t even notice them! Chuh! And yet that was my studied purpose for putting them there… that I would notice them whenever I passed by. Oh the irony of it all!
But anyway, when I went to change the calendar last night, to my great surprise, I discovered that it contained a whole lot of quotes on different subjects from different people; a virtual treasury of goodies. Ah Lord eh! But I’m sure that such situations happen to all of us. We go searching for stuff far and wide, when there’s a treasure trove of valuable stuff right in front of us.
Sorry about that Leo (my Insurance Agent), but the Lord does move in mysterious ways. He knew that come June, I’d need some words of wisdom to share. (smile)
Anyway, the first item is titled ‘STRIVE!’ And the quote is attributed to Rowland Hill. Now I can’t say much about him, because there were several people by that name – a preacher, a viscount and a postmaster – when I looked it up. But the quote wisely advises us to: ‘Strive to live your life to the fullest and don’t let one day go by without trying to live it the best way you can!’
And that surely is gospel truth my Friends! Everyday we ought to try and live our lives the best way we can. Some days we will mess up and make a whole lot of mistakes, but the important thing is that we at least get an ‘A’ for effort. And that’s sadly where a whole lot of us Christians fall down. We don’t put in the required effort, and then we wonder why we can’t get ahead.
Oh my brethren, I’m here to tell us that living a truly Christian life takes mucho, mucho effort! And even then, there will be bumps and bruises along the way. Not because we’ve entered into a special relationship with Jesus means that our lives will be easy. His definitely was not easy.
On the contrary, when you accept Jesus as your personal Lord and Saviour, life tends to get rockier, because of the tests, the trials and tribulations the Lord allows or puts us through in order to refine us into a more Christ-like individual. That’s why, when we’re living for Jesus, we have to pay greater attention to how we walk, talk and behave, so that it conforms to His modus operandi.
No Friends, the truly Christian life is not an easy one, especially in this evil and ungodly world that now holds sway. But I can assure you, from personal experience, that it is indeed and interesting and exciting one! Oh my brethren, there’s no life like the one you experience when you truly surrender to God and allow Him to lead and guide you!
That’s why Jesus cautions us in our Bit: ‘Strive to enter in at the strait (narrow) gate: for many, I say unto you, will seek to enter in, and shall not be able.’ If Jesus says so my people, then it must be so!
Meanwhile, Matthew’s gospel relates it this way. ‘Enter ye in at the strait (narrow) gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat. Because strait (how narrow) is the gate and narrow (difficult or confined) is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.’ (Matt.7:13-14)
Now hear are some explanations from the scholars: ‘7:13-14. The closing section of the Sermon on the Mount presents two choices to the listener. These are presented in a series of contrasts: two ways (vv.13-14); two trees (vv.15-20); two professions (vv.21-23); and two foundations (vv.24-29).
This was a common method of teaching in both Jewish and Greco-Roman thought. Enter ye in at the strait gate (narrow) means that one must come through the narrow gate in order to reach the path that leads to eternal life.
Though many are on the broad…way, that leadeth to destruction (eternal separation from God), the gate that leads to life is so narrow that few there be that find it. Christ Himself is both the gate and the way (cf. John 14:6), and God enables men to find that gate (cf. John 6:44).’
And that my Friends, is what this life is all about; striving to find the narrow pathway that leads to Christ, to salvation and eternal life! Please, I implore us, let’s be wise and seek it nuh. Much LOVE!
…the highways are straight and wide…easy to find…but not so the narrow and winding byways…those we must diligently seek to find…
SCRIP-BITS 