Today’s Scrip-Bit   2 January 2024 Isaiah 43:2a.

02 Jan 2024 Leave a comment

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

Isaiah 43:2a.       When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee,

And then it was Tuesday; still a holiday for many, because the New Year’s holiday fell on a Monday, a regular work day. I do hope that we all have recovered from the numerous festivities of the last couple of days, although I know that some of us are still celebrating, milking it to the very last drop. (smile) But please ensure that you can go to work tomorrow in good health and spirits and so start the work year off on a good footing. Glory be! End of Sermon! 

Now, on this second day of the year, the Lord has guided me to a most appropriate poem for these difficult times, from our One Year Book of Bible Promises, with writings by Ruth Harms Calkin. It’s simply titled: ‘The Pain of Growth.’ I believe I have shared it before, but unfortunately, we all need to grow and mature in Christ and growth always involves some kind of pain, that’s just the way it is. We cannot grow without some discomfort to our souls, minds, bodies and circumstances. Therefore, every so often we need to refresh our perspective on the subject. (smile) 

So, please read with me. ‘O God Growth is a painful process. I frankly confess I am a coward about pain. I don’t like it. Lord, I never pray for it Or get excited over it. In fact, I often resist it. The pain of emotional trauma So overwhelming So baffling and crushing. The deep-cutting pain Of a broken relationship. Physical pain that goes on and on Until my entire body screams. The pain of cruel cutting words. The pain of loneliness, rejection Of financial ruin. The pain of being misunderstood. 

Lord, the very thought of pain Frightens and unnerves me. Yes it is true – Again and again it is true. My greatest spiritual growth Has come through pain. Through heartache and anguish. And very often in my suffering When I sadly thought You were doing absolutely nothing At that very moment You were doing more within me Than I ever dreamed or hoped.’ 

Yes mih bredrin! That’s the way our Lord works! Ofttimes when we think He’s doing nothing, or the devil is excessively on our case for no good reason, it’s actually the Lord working in us to move us along the continuum of maturity, allowing the devil to push us into temptation, so that He can test our faith. And when we refuse that temptation, no matter how tempting it might be, that’s when we grow spiritually. Ah mih people, there’s no shame in been afraid of pain, because it does traumatize us in many different ways. But it is necessary that we learn to bear it as best we can, be it physical, emotional or any other way that pain afflicts us. 

Now, the good thing about pain is that every time we bear it, the next time it’s not so difficult to bear, and that signifies growth in whatever area of pain we’re enduring. And the Bible verses that correspond to that poem are also appropriate verses taken from Psalm 119. They read: ‘I know Lord, that thy judgements are right (righteous), and that thou in faithfulness hast afflicted me. Let, I pray thee, thy merciful kindness (unfailing LOVE) be for my comfort, according to thy word (promise) unto thy servant.’ (Ps. 119:75-76) 

Oh friends, it’s never easy to bear pain, regardless of what kind it is, but with the Lord’s help we can always handle it. Remember His promise that He will never leave nor forsake us? (Heb. 13:5) And that great promise from Isaiah, ought also to enable us to bear our pain. ‘O Israel, Fear not: for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name; thou art mine. When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee, and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned, neither shall the flame kindle upon (scorch) thee. For I am the Lord thy God, the Holy One of Israel, thy Saviour…’ (Is. 43:1-3) 

And we know the Lord is faithful in His promises, as shown by the waters not overflowing the Israelites who walked through the Red Sea and the Jordan River on dry land, and the three Hebrews boys, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, who were thrown into the burning flames, made seven time hotter than usual, but still came out of it, not even smelling of smoke! Wow! That’s the mighty hand of our great God working His miraculous power. And if He could do that for others, He can also help us to bear our pain. 

However, there’s one proviso, (smile) yes, one li’l thing we need to remember, that’s the pain involved in the chastisement or discipline of God. And the author of Hebrews reminds us of it in very fine fashion. ‘If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chastenenth not? But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers (sinners deserving discipline), then are ye bastards (illegitimate) and not sons. Furthermore we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we gave them reverence (respect): shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live? 

For they verily for a few days chastened us after their own pleasure (as seemed best to them); but he for our profit, that we might be partakers of his holiness. Now no chastening (discipline) for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised (trained) thereby. Wherefore lift up (strengthen) the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees; and make straight paths for your feet, lest that which is lame be turned out of the way (dislocated), but let it rather be healed.’ (Heb. 12:7-13) 

Yes friends that’s the truth of the matter. I know that none of us likes to experience any kind of pain, but sometimes it’s necessary, like in times of growth and the Lord administering discipline. Thus, we need to endure the chastening, the discipline of the Lord without much complaining for He’s only doing it for our benefit. Oh my fellow saints, until we realize and accept the fact that whatever the Lord does is ALWAYS  for our benefit, then we’re ALWAYS going to have a very difficult time accepting His pronouncements. 

Now, let’s wake up in this new year of 2024 and truly accept the Lord for who He is: our Creator, Controller and LOVING Father, who desires us to be the best version of His Son Jesus Christ, that we can be. Therefore, let’s go home declaring (yesss!!!) our Tuesday Mantra, letting all and sundry know to whom we belong lock, stock and barrel. As one strong and sincere voice: ‘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 my immediate neighbours, as well as with the whole wide world! Glory be!’ 

Now, it’s our bounden duty 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!

…we cannot escape pain…for it’s a byproduct of this evil world…but thankfully…in the new life it will be absent…Glory to God… 

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

Today’s Scrip-Bit   6 January 2023 Matthew 4:4.

06 Jan 2023 Leave a comment

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

Matthew 4:4.       It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.

And then, finally and thankfully, it was Friday! And though the rain has stopped in my area, the day is still damp and cloudy, but it didn’t stop people from joyfully shouting: ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday!’ Some are glad that they can rest their tired souls and bodies after the Christmas and New Year’s Eve celebrations, while others are just dying to continue those celebrations. (smile) However, let’s remember that although Jesus participated in several feasts as His Jewish faith required, when tempted by Satan, He still rebuked him thus: ‘It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.’ (Matt. 4:4) 

And it will surely do us a wealth of good this year of 2023 if we practice living by God’s Word rather than the materialistic ways of this evil world. Now all Jesus did when He rebuked Satan was quote the word of God to Him. and that quote is actually written in Deuteronomy. Listen, as Moses triggered the Israelites memories of God’s care in the wilderness. 

‘And thou shalt remember all the way which the Lord thy God led thee these forty years in the wilderness, to humble thee, and to prove thee, to know what was in thine heart, whether thou wouldest keep his commandments, or no. And he humbled thee, and suffered thee to hunger, and fed thee with manna, which thou knewest not, neither did thy fathers know; that he might make thee know that man doth not live by bread only, but by every word that proceedeth out of the Lord doth man live. 

Thy raiment waxed not old upon thee (thy clothing did not wear out), neither did thy foot swell, these forty years. Thou shalt also consider in thine heart (know), that, as a man chasteneth his son, so the Lord thy God chasteneth thee. Therefore thou shalt keep the commandments of the Lord thy God, to walk in his ways, and to fear him.’ (Deut. 8:2-6) 

Now my brethren, there’s a lot we can learn from those scriptures. First of all, the Lord allowed His chosen people to suffer so He could test them. And that ought to remind us that since we declare that our God doesn’t change, He’s the same yesterday, and today, and forever, (Heb. 13:8; Mal. 3:6) that means He’s still testing those who call themselves His people. That’s us. And yuh know what? Like the Israelites, we’re not taking the testing too well. (smile) We’re complaining all the way to the Promised Land. 

That’s why some of us are having more difficult lives than others although we seem to live the same lifestyles. Complaining will kill us every time my people, especially if we claim to believe in God’s LOVE for us, and His faithful intent to work out all that happens for our eventual good. (Rom. 8:28) That’s why the Israelites wondered in the wilderness for forty long years: because of disobedience and distrust. Why would our lives today be any different eh? 

The next thing we should note is that although the Lord chastens His people, He never totally leaves them to suffer. Yes, although the Israelites had it rough in the wilderness, their clothes never wore out, their feet didn’t swell and they always had food, heavenly manna, which they didn’t know and didn’t like, but it kept them healthy. (smile) But it was all due to the Lord’s compassion. And it’s the very same way the Lord deals with us today. He chastens us, but does not set us adrift, or apart from Him. His continuing to bother with us proves that He LOVES us unconditionally, as He’s said from the very beginning. 

That brings us to these everlastingly important verses of scripture, especially in these turbulent and unprincipled times. The timely words of the author of Hebrews. ‘For consider him that endured such contradictions (hostility) of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint (discouraged) in your minds (souls). Ye have not resisted unto blood (bloodshed), striving against sin. And ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto children (sons), 

My son, despise not thou the chastening (discipline) of the Lord, nor faint (be discouraged) when thou art rebuked by him. For whom the Lord LOVETH he chasteneth and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth. If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not? But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then ye are bastards (illegitimate), and not sons.’ (Heb. 12:3-8) 

It’s simple friends; just like our earthly fathers discipline us when we do wrong (vs. 9-10), likewise, if we disobey God’s word, He disciplines us. The problem though is that none of us like to be disciplined even when we’ve done wrong, and that’s very emphasized in our current society where the state of entitlement is so prevalent. Meaning that we desire to sin as we want and to not be chastened for it. But as the Bible further enlightens us: ‘Now no chastening (discipline) for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised (trained) thereby.’ (Hebr. 12:11) 

Oh my people, it’s just a natural part of life; if you do wrong, then you have to pay the price. It’s like Uncle Charles (Dr. Charles Stanley) likes to say: ‘You reap what you sow; more than you sow and later than you sow.’ And that’s the gospel truth, it’s a life principle we ought not to forget. And as we look around our strife-filled and sinful world today, let’s remember that our saving grace is to live by the Word of God, and be determined to do that, this year of 2023! 

Now let’s go to God, through our Friday Chant, for divine help to do it. As one sincere voice: ‘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!’ 

Now friends, it’s up to us live those promises so that God can answer us in a positive manner. Much LOVE!

…you can’t expect to live wrong and strong…all the time… 

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

Today’s Scrip-Bit 25 August 2020 Hebrews 12:11.

27 Aug 2020 Leave a comment

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

Hebrews 12:11.     ​Now no chastening (discipline) for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised (trained) thereby.

Well it’s Tuesday, and I’m alive and kicking, not totally true, (smile) but thankful for what I do have, and giving thanks for all the good things that are going to happen to, and through me today. I hope all of you my fine and faithful Scrip-Bit friends and family are doing, or have done the same as the new mercies from heaven on high have greeted you this marvellous summer day. But I do have another li’l something to share; that we won’t only be showered with tender mercies and compassions, but some tough times will also occasionally befall us. 

Those will be times we don’t like or appreciate, but which will all serve a useful purpose, since God allows nothing in our lives that isn’t useful for our godly growth and development. And we must learn to accept them with grace and strength, solemnly remembering the immortal words of Job in his time of immense tribulation. ‘What? shall we receive (accept) good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive evil (accept calamity)?’ (Job 2:10) Great words of wisdom and faith there my brethren! Not very easy to follow and/or accept though. (smile) 

And this Tuesday morning I’d like to share something that will help us bear those rough times; something from our One Year Book of Bible Promises, with writings by Ruth Harms Calkin, appropriately titled ‘Intrusions.’ Please pray with me. ‘A thousand intrusions Have crowded in on my life today. My reaction, Lord? I’ve resented every one. And now I read in Your Word That I’m to put out the welcome signal! In fact, I must welcome each intrusion As a personal friend. (Perhaps even serve tea, Lord?) 

You assure me that You have a purpose For their continual persistence: My faith needs depth My endurance needs development. I have no argument with that, Lord But I had hoped than an hour or two Of trial and testing would suffice. Or a day at most, dear God. But again you remind me That the process must continue Until maturity becomes my password And independence becomes my goal and the Crown of Life becomes my reward.’ 

And isn’t all of that the awesome truth friends! It certainly is. We complain when the trials and testing continue, ofttimes non-stop in our lives, but our great and wonderful God has a purpose for each one of them. And remember Bruh Paul says in the Word that God will work ALL things together for good. (Rom. 8:28) That means He will use both the good and the bad to work out a wonderful scenario in our lives, so we need to be faithful and don’t worry, for the eventual outcome will be good. 

And then it’s written in Hebrews, possibly by Bruh Paul again: ‘No discipline is enjoyable while it is happening – it is painful! But afterward there will be a quiet harvest of right living for those who are trained this way.’ (Heb.12:11) Now that’s the NLT (New Living Translation) used for our poem, and that sounds nice and sugary, but I think it loses the essence of the KJV (King James Version) which says; ‘Now no chastening (discipline) for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised (trained) thereby.’ 

I don’t know why, but the last one just sounds more biblical, more threatening than the first translation. (smile) And I guess it’s all because of my bias towards the King James Version of the Bible. To me, though many of the new translations might explain the situations in more understandable language, they tend to lose the essence of the writings found in the KJV. But whatever the version, they all make it clear that the Lord’s discipline, or any discipline at all, is never liked at the time it’s applied, but in time, we all realize the benefits. 

And we can all testify to that, using our parents’ discipline as the sounding board. As we got older we all realized that our parents disciplined us for our own good, and if we’re truthful, we’ll admit that it often worked out just that way. That still doesn’t mean that we like or appreciate it. It’s the same with our heavenly Father. He uses trials to test and discipline us on the way to our winning the victor’s ‘Crown of Life.’ 

At the end, we ought to be able to truthfully say, like Bruh Paul wrote to Timothy. ‘For I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure (death) is at hand. I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course (race), I have kept the faith: henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that LOVE his appearing.’ (2 Tim. 4:6-8) 

And if there’s one thing we know is that Bruh Paul endured a lot of trials and tribulation in doing the Lord’s will. As he recounts to the Corinthians. ‘Of the Jews five times I received forty stripes (lashes) save (less) one. Thrice was I beaten with rods, once was I stoned, thrice I suffered shipwreck, a night and a day I have been in the deep; In journeyings often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils by mine own countrymen, in perils in the heathen (Gentiles), in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren; In weariness and painfulness (toil), in watchings (sleeplessness) often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness.’ (2 Cor. 11:24-27) 

Ah friends, fortunately I don’t think any of us will be called on to go through the many trials that Bruh Paul went through, but we will be called on to go through some, for the price of discipleship is not cheap. As Jesus warned: ‘If any man will (desires to) come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross and follow me.’ (Luke 9:23) So we can all expect to go through some difficult times in this life, but the good thing about it all is that the Lord never allows us to go through them without His divine presence and help, and in the long run, He works everything out for our good and crowns us with a crown of righteousness. Glory be my people! 

So let’s go home now with fire in our bellies (like Jeremiah) sincerely declaring (yeah!) our Tuesday Mantra, letting the whole world know who and whose we are. In strong voice: ‘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!’ 

So, having proclaimed it, being the faithful believers that we are, (smile) let’s do it then nuh! Much LOVE!

…the consequences of discipleship…are no laughing matters…