Today’s Scrip-Bit   24 August 2022   Psalm 37:23.

24 Aug 2022 Leave a comment

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

Psalm 37:23.      The steps of a good man are ordered (established) by the Lord: and he delighteth in his way. 

Well, it’s Wednesday, the middle day of the work week. So how are we going my dear brethren in Christ at this point in time? Let’s hope that with Christ surrounding us that we are doing pretty good, catching our second wind and moving forward with faith, despite all the confusion and evil workings that currently have our world in grip. 

And regardless of what’s happening in our lives right now, I believe it is of the utmost importance for us to believe these marvellous words promised by Bruh David on God’s behalf from Psalm 37. ‘The steps of a good man are ordered (established) by the Lord: and he delighteth in his way. Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down: for the Lord upholdeth him with his hand.’ (Ps. 37:23-24) Now, if we don’t believe that promise what hope is there for us then eh? None whatsoever! 

And Bruh David drives home that amazing hope in Christ Jesus when he continues: ‘I have been young, and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed (descendants) begging bread. He is ever (always) merciful, and lendeth; and his seed (descendants) is blessed.’ (Ps. 37:25-26) Oh my people, how wonderful is that statement eh? Most wonderful! Why? Because when we walk faithfully with God, it ensures the goodness of God to our families after we are gone. And who doesn’t want that assurance? 

But before it can happen, we must faithfully do certain things. Bruh David puts it simply, but it’s ever powerful in truth. ‘Depart from evil, and do good; and dwell for evermore. For the Lord LOVETH judgment (justice), and forsaketh not his saints; they are preserved for ever; but the seed of the wicked shall he cut off. The righteous shall inherit the land, and dwell therein for ever.’ (Ps. 37:27-29) It couldn’t be put any simpler or more truthfully my people!  The Lord, as it were, bends over backwards for the righteous, while He crushes the wicked without mercy. 

And why would the Lord do that eh? Because ‘The mouth of the righteous speaketh wisdom, and his tongue talketh of judgement (mercy). The law of God is in his heart; none of his steps shall slide (slip).’ (Ps. 37:30-31) Wow! What encouraging and reassuring scriptures! But then we talk about the ‘law of God,’ what exactly is that? Ah friends, the scholars give us a lengthy but very useful discourse on the subject. (smile) 

They say, ‘The law of God is the extension of God’s nature and expression of God’s will in His creation. God’s law is expressed in different forms, relating to different areas of His creation. The physical law of God includes the laws of nature which govern the continuous physical existence of this world (Gen. 8:22; Col. 1:17). The moral law, also called “the perfect law of liberty” (James 1:15), governs the immaterial issues of life (2 Tim. 3:17). 

The social law of God affects interpersonal relationships and can be summarized by “the royal law” (James 2:8). The spiritual law deals with a man’s relationship with God. It is summarized in “the first and great commandment” (Matt. 22:37-38). And we all know what that is: ‘LOVE the Lord with all thy heart, mind and soul…etc. etc.’ 

Illustration: The purpose of the law is to reveal the sovereignty of God (Ex. 20:2), to place a restraint on the sinner (Ps. 68:7-8), to show the greatness and reality of sin (Rom. 3:19-20), and to lead the sinner to Christ (Gal. 3:24). The purpose of the law did not change with the gospel. When the Judaizers in Galatia sought to teach their erroneous view of the law, they failed to realize that the law has never been able to save anyone. Application: As Christians, we should be concerned to live decently and orderly. (First ref. Gen. 2:17; Primary ref. Rom. 7:7-14; cf. Ex. 3:13).’ 

Glory be my people! There’s enough scripture and other info there to keep us occupied for the rest of the day! (smile) And I expect us to look up those scriptures, so that we can get a better understanding of God’s law. Why? Because how can we live a godly life, one in tune with God’s law if we don’t know and understand that law eh? 

Now, I believe there’s one thing, we need to further explain; that’s about ‘the Judaizers.” They were ‘a group of Jewish Christians who insisted that their co-religionists should follow the Mosaic Law and that Gentile converts to Christianity must first be circumcised.’ They considered that the Old Testament laws were still binding on all Christians. 

But Bruh Paul made it quite clear otherwise in his letter to the Galatians.  He begins by saying in 2:15: ‘We who are Jews by nature, and not sinners of the Gentiles,’ That was a derogatory term against Gentiles, who were considered synonymous with sinners, since they didn’t live under the Jewish law, which kept the Jews somewhat restrained in their own sinful behaviour. 

Then Bruh Paul continues: ‘Knowing that a man is not justified (declared righteous) by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of (in ) Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified.’ (Gal. 2:16) 

Please remember that friends. It’s not by works we are saved but by grace, through faith in Christ Jesus. (Eph. 2:8-9) And yes, we definitely ought to do good works, but those works don’t mean anything when it comes to saving us from hellfire and damnation. They may bring us rewards in heaven, but they will NEVER get us to heaven! 

And since we began with the awesome words of Psalm 37, it only makes sense to end with some of them. (smile) And we can never go wrong when we follow this marvellous advice of Bruh David. ‘Wait on the Lord, and keep his way, and he shall exalt thee to inherit the land: when the wicked are cut off, thou shalt see it.’ (Ps. 37: 34) Yes, my fellow believers, waiting patiently and expectantly on our God is one of the best things we can ever do, for He will exalt us in His own time. 

And for those of us who are sincerely trying to do just that, let’s go home now declaring (oh yeahhh!!!) our Wednesday Wail, letting all and sundry know of our wonderful position in Christ Jesus. As one confident and sincere voice: ‘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!’ 

Now my fellow saints, that means we must do whatever it takes to keep on keeping on. And don’t forget, that if we endure to the very end, that future with Christ will be even more glorious than we can ask or imagine! Mama Mia! What an amazing life is to be had with Christ! Much LOVE

…only in Christ…can the real and true life be found… 

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

Today’s Scrip-Bit   19 April 2022 Isaiah 33:22.

19 Apr 2022 Leave a comment

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

Isaiah 33:22.      For the Lord is our judge, the Lord is our lawgiver, the Lord is our king; he will save us.

Oh, what a sad ending to a beautiful Easter Monday in my area – rain in the afternoon, and then wet snow in the early evening. I had a nap while it was raining, and on getting up, I looked outside, and, as the Bajans would say, ‘Blow me down!’ was I ever surprised to see the whole place covered in white, and the wet white stuff still coming down hard. It must have messed up the evening commute, but thankfully, the roads seem clean now, although the land is still covered in white. That’s Mother Nature for you in these days of climate change! 

Anyway, today’s a new day – Easter Tuesday, and everything’s set for the big do on that day – Goat Racing in Buccoo, in sweet Tobago! Yes mih people, I hope you have yuh dan-dan (pretty clothes) ready to get down to that stadium in Buccoo built mainly to hold goat racing. And yuh better get there early if you want to get a seat, because they are coming from all over to check out this spectacular event, held only in Tobago. And was I ever surprised a few years ago when I went down there and saw the stadium. 

Oh, it’s nice and all that, but I don’t think it can ever capture the atmosphere of the old Goat races, further up the road, on a strip of land between some houses, where everybody gathered around the track, in a more intimate setting. And in those days, I believe they also had crab races. But the best part of the day was the parties they had in the houses surrounding the track! Yes! I remember one particular year in my teens, my buddies and I getting totally inebriated, and a friend’s sister and I partying up the place. (smile) Yuh remember that one Harry? Possibly not, since he might have been into the waters even more than me. 

I guess you would call those the good ole days. And they were, because our society was not as evil, ungodly and stressful as it is now. Today, it’s all about greed, selfishness, money, power and sinful pleasures, with God and His things of no real account. But, for the comparative handful of us who still hold Almighty God as El Numero Uno – Number One, who have unequivocally placed our hope and trust in Him, there is good reason to be joyful. Why? Because the scriptures, the immovable, unchanging everlasting true Word of God tells us so. 

Listen to these words of the prophet Isaiah spoken to the people of Israel ages ago. ‘For the Lord is our judge, the Lord is our lawgiver, the Lord is our king; he will save us.’ (Is. 33:22) Wow mih bredrin! What a mighty God we serve if He is truthfully all those amazing things to us! And if you don’t believe me, then let’s check out some scriptures which ought to make you believe. 

As per the Lord is our judge; listen to Peter preaching to the Gentiles. ‘And he (Jesus) commanded us to preach unto the people, and to testify that it is he which was ordained of God to be the Judge of quick (living) and dead. To him give all the prophets witness, that through his name whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission (forgiveness) of sins.’ (Acts 10:42-43) And there you have two of the promised things; Judge and Saviour. 

Meanwhile, Bruh Paul said to the church at Rome. ‘But why dost thou Judge thy brother? or why dost thou set at nought (despise) thy brother? For we shall all stand before the judgement seat of Christ. For it is written, As I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God. So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God.’ (Rom. 14:10-12) Now, as per verse 11 above there, we are familiar with it coming from Phil. 2:10-11), but Isaiah declared it long before that in Is. 45:23) 

And there’s never any better source of information than right from the horse’s mouth. So, check out these words of Jesus to the hypocritical Jews of His time. ‘For as the Father raiseth up the dead, and quickeneth (gives life to) them; even so the Son quickeneth (gives life to) whom he will. For the Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgement unto the Son…And hath given him authority to execute judgement also, because he is the Son of man.’ (John, 5:21-22, 27) That’s straight from the horse’s mouth friends, so you better had believe it! And in there you also have about being saved by the Son of man that God sent to give us life eternal. 

Now, re God being our lawgiver, listen again to Isaiah, as he calls the faithful to courage. ‘Hearken unto me, my people; and give ear unto me, O my nation: for a law shall proceed (go forth) from me, and I will make my judgement (justice) to rest, for a light of the people…Hearken unto me, ye that know righteousness, the people in whose heart is my law; fear ye not the reproach of men, neither be ye afraid of their revilings.’ (Is. 51:4, 7) 

Then James says on the subject: ‘Speak not evil of one another, brethren. He that speaketh evil of his brother, and judgeth his brother, speaketh evil of the law, and judgeth the law: but if thou judge the law, thou art not a doer of the law, but a judge. There is one lawgiver, who is able to save and to destroy: who art thou that judgest another.’ (James 4:11-12) Please remember that friends: there is only ONE lawgiver, Almighty God! And hear how Bruh David puts it in Psalm 37. ‘The mouth of the righteous speaketh wisdom, and his tongue talketh of judgement (justice). The law of his God is in his heart: none of his steps shall slide.’ (Ps. 37:30-31) 

And the scholars offer a marvellous explanation on the ‘Law of God. 37:31. The law of God is the extension of God’s nature and expression of God’s will in His creation. God’s law is expressed in different forms, relating to different areas of His creation. The physical law of God includes the laws of nature which govern the continuous physical existence of this world (Gen. 8:22; Col. 1:17). 

The moral law, also called “the perfect law of liberty” (James 1:25), governs the immaterial issues of life (2 Tim. 3:17). The social law of God affects interpersonal relationships and can be summarized by the “royal law” (James 2:8). The spiritual law deals with a man’s relationship with God. It is summarized in “the first and great commandment” (Matt. 23:37). 

Illustration: The purpose of the law is to reveal the sovereignty of God (Ex. 20:2), to place a restraint on the sinner (68:7-8), to show the greatness and reality of sin (Rom. 3:19-20), and to lead the sinner to Christ (Gal. 3:24). The purpose of the law did not change with the gospel. When the Judaizers in Galatia sought to teach their erroneous view of the law, they failed to realize that the law has never been able to save anyone. Application: As Christians, we should be concerned to live decently and orderly. (First ref. Gen. 2:17; Primary Ref. Rom. 7:7-14; cf. Ex. 3:13).’ 

Wow! That’s a lot of scripture to reference, but that’s the only way we can truly learn it. So please, take some time and check out as many of them as you can nuh. I assure you it will lift your scriptural knowledge and increase your awareness of the law and LOVE of our great God. And, as per the saving part of our Bit, we don’t really need to talk about it, because that’s what we’ve been focused on and celebrating all weekend, the Saving Grace of our Lord Jesus Christ so selflessly accomplished through His crucifixion on Good Friday, then His triumphant resurrection on Easter Sunday! 

It’s done friends! Like Jesus said on the cross before He gave up the ghost; ‘It is finished!’ Yes, it is! Salvation has finally come. Now it’s up to us to accept or refuse it. And for those of us who have wisely and confidently accepted it, let’s go home declaring (yeahhh!!!) our Tuesday Mantra, letting the whole world know to whom we graciously belong, lock, stock and barrel. 

As one strong voice now: ‘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!’ 

And having made that boast, it now behooves us to go out and share that awesome LOVE and friendship of Christ with others, so that they too can come to know and LOVE Him like we do! Much LOVE!

…Easter…the season of forgiveness, of redemption and salvation… 

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