Psalm 27:14. Wait (in faith) on the Lord: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait (in faith), I say, on the Lord.
Aye mih Friends, these days are going by so quickly, it’s hard to keep up, to stay level with them! Look, just yesterday was Monday, now it’s already Tuesday today! (smile)
The days truly seem to be hurtling by faster and faster. But don’t worry my people, because if you’re a believer in Jesus Christ, you have it covered on all fronts: we have the Holy Spirit here on earth to lead and guide us aright, and when the final trump sounds, Jesus will come and take us home with Him.
Wow! What a magnificent and magnanimous God we serve and worship! And all God’s people gave a mighty and joyful shout of ‘Praise the Lord! Praise His Son, Jesus Christ, to whom all knees shall bow, and all tongues shall gratefully confess and acknowledge that He is Lord of all!’
But unfortunately, despite all the coverage, I know that many believers are still struggling, are still oppressed and fearful, especially when we see the wicked prospering. However my brethren, though it’s hard, we cannot afford to look too closely at what others are doing to progress in this evil, ungodly world. We have to stay fully attuned to Almighty God and His dictates.
That’s why Bruh David in this explosive and illuminating psalm, superscripted, ‘the Lord is my light and my salvation, ends it with the wise, encouraging and confidence building words of Today’s Bit: ‘Wait (in faith) on the Lord: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait (in faith), I say, on the Lord.’
Please note Friends, Bruh David tells us to do two things, and a third will result. First we have to wait on the Lord, and that means waiting with strong, solid faith, not a wishy-washy kind of waiting, but a conscious and purposeful anticipation and expectation.
For as Hebrews 11 tells us: ‘Now faith is the substance (realization) of things hoped for, the evidence (conviction) of things not seen.’ (Hebrews 11:1) For if we can see something, there’s no reason to yet hope for or have faith or expect it to come to pass.
And then he tells us to be of good courage. Hn! Now what does that much used and maligned word mean eh? Here’s a definition from Uncle Charles (Charles Stanley) which some of you might have seen on His programme In Touch some weeks ago. He defines COURAGE as: ‘The quality of mind or spirit enabling us to meet danger, opposition or the challenges of life with fearlessness, firmness and calmness.’
And that’s as good a definition as we’ll ever get my brethren! Courage is truly the ability to stand strong when everything seems to be falling down around us. It helps us stay calm, rational and focused.
Now that doesn’t mean we won’t be afraid, but like Sister Joyce (Joyce Meyer) likes to say, ‘Do it afraid.’ And that’s possible because the faith in God that Bruh David talks about will strengthen and enable us to stand up to whatever difficult or fearful situation that comes against us.
And my brethren, in times of fear and trouble, please remember this awesome promise of our omnipotent and ever-faithful God: ‘No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgement thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and their righteousness is of (from) me, saith the Lord.’ (Is.54:17)
And that’s gospel truth Friends! It’s a promise we can stand upon without fear of contradiction or recantation!
Oh my fellow believers in Christ, our God has been encouraging His people to be strong and courageous ever since time began. Listen to what Moses told the twelve spies that were sent into the Promised Land to reconnoitre it.
‘And what the land is, whether it be fat or lean (fertile or barren), whether there be wood therein, or not. And be ye of good courage, and bring of the fruit of the land. Now the time was the time of the first ripe grapes.’ (Num.13:20)
Yeh mih breddren, whatever we do, we need to do with faith and courage, for this wicked world doesn’t take kindly to weakness. Yuh see how it takes unnecessary advantage of the poor, the sick and needy? It has no mercy whatsoever on those who are not at least internally strong.
And the only way to get that internal strength is through faith in Almighty God! Yes Friends, that strength and courage we need are acquired attributes. We have to consciously go after them with much diligence and perseverance.
And having said all of that this Tuesday morning, now let’s actively seek the face of our great and wonderful God, before we go out to face the enemy hordes, asking Him for that enabling strength and courage that comes to all who wait in patient faith on Him. That’s our prayer for this morning my brethren.
And all God’s people declared a loud, faithful and purposeful, ‘Praise the Lord! Praise His Holy Name! Amen!’ and again we say, ‘Amen!’
Much much LOVE my fellow believers in Christ Jesus!
…only as believers stand and wait on the Lord…in patient faith…shall He strengthen them…
P.S. Even though the Bit’s a tad late, there’s no reason to complain about its length today. It’s pretty short. Even I was amazed. (smile) Much LOVE!
Today’s Scrip-Bit 10 July 2013 Psalm 90:14
10 Jul 2013 Leave a comment
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: atonement, be glad all our days, common sense, compassion, evil, flood waters, fountain of lfe, from everlasting to everlasting, God is good, God's mercy, good times, goodness and mercy, height of wisdom, iniquities, light, LOVE of God, LOVE Revolution, magnanimous god, negativity, omnipotent god, one more chance, petitions, prayer, psalm 90, river of pleasures, shadow of God's wings, some semblance of normalcy, steadfast in God's LOVE, strife, the Promised Land, transgressions, trigger finger surgery, ungodly, walk worthy of God, wandering in the wilderness, we may rejoice, wonderful god
Psalm 90:14. O satisfy us early with thy mercy; that we may rejoice and be glad all our days.
And then it was Wednesday Friends, hopefully a day of very little or no rain, so that the earth and all other things can dry out and return to some semblance of normalcy. Thankfully the rain wasn’t too bad yesterday, mostly drizzle and dark, cloudy skies, giving the flood waters some time to drain off.
But hear this interesting scenario nuh. Yesterday morning, after writing the Bit, I got myself together and went down to the hospital to have the stitches removed from my trigger finger surgery. I got there around nine thirty, traffic being stop and go most of the way.
But lo and behold, when I entered the appropriate section of the hospital, the waiting room was empty, that’s highly unusual, and the place looked a little dark and foreboding. The truth of the tale though is that the hospital had no power, just a little emergency lighting. There were no doctors or support staff, just a few nurses.
So see me there getting antsy, figuring that I had put myself out to travel all that distance in bad traffic to boot, then not have the stitches removed. But Friends, please remember that our God is a good and wonderful God, and He’ll never leave you in the lurch.
The nurses eventually took pity on me and carried me to a room with a big plate glass window, that provided enough light shining from the outside, so that they could see to remove the stitches. I obviously thanked them a great deal, and fifteen minutes after I arrived, I was winging my way back home.
Ah Lord eh Friends, when it’s not one thing in this life, it’s always another! But when we remain steadfast in God’s LOVE, He always finds a profitable way out for us.
And who knew this better than Moses, who wrote Psalm 90,’ From everlasting to everlasting thou art God,’ from which our Bit is taken: ‘O satisfy us early with thy mercy; that we may rejoice and be glad all our days.’
Yes my people, we certainly do need God’s mercy, if we’re to have true gladness and joy here on earth. Before we get into the Bit though, here’s some valuable info from the scholars on the origin and purpose of Psalm 90.
‘This psalm is the only one written by Moses and thus the oldest in the Psalter. From verses 7-12 we may judge that it was written at the end of the 38 years of wandering in the wilderness. It is a prayer for the new generation of Israelites who will enter the Promised Land.’
I guess Moses was on the verge of dying, and knowing his people’s penchant for turning away from God, he aspired to leave them something to keep them focused.
Now about our Bit. It’s a verse of the last part of the psalm, where Moses petitions God to give the Israelites one more chance to do His work; that is going in and capturing the Promised Land.
He begins the petition thus: ‘Who knoweth the power of thine anger? Even according to thy fear, so is thy wrath. So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom (gain a heart of wisdom). Return, O Lord, how long? And let it repent thee concerning (have compassion on) thy servants.’ (Ps.90:11-13)
Yes my people, today, more than ever, we need to get wisdom and understanding, since our world has become unbelievably evil and ungodly. And if we’re ever to enjoy some good times here on earth, we also need the Lord’s mercy and compassion like never before, with all the strife and negative stuff that currently surrounds us.
And Moses wasn’t the only one to recognize the great need of God’s mercy and compassion for the people. Bruh David for one, declared it on several occasions. Hear him in Psalm 36, ‘The steadfast LOVE of God.’
‘How excellent (precious) is thy LOVING-kindness, O God! Therefore the children of men put their trust under the shadow of thy wings. They shall be abundantly satisfied with the fatness (fullness) of thy house; and thou shalt make them drink of the river of pleasures. For with thee is the fountain of life: in thy light shall we see light.’ (Ps.36:7-9)
Oh my brethren, truer words were never spoken! That’s a most excellent description of our omnipotent and magnanimous God!
And we’ll end with these words of Bruh David from Psalm 65, ‘God is powerful in nature,’ because I’m being very mindful of the length of the Bit today. (smile)
Here, he again confidently declares: ‘O thou that hearest prayer, unto thee shall all flesh come. Iniquities prevail against me: as for our transgressions, thou shalt purge them away (provide atonement). Blessed is the man whom thou choosest, and causest to approach unto thee, that he may dwell in thy courts: we shall be satisfied with the goodness of thy house, even of thy holy temple.’ (Ps.65:2-4)
Yes my brethren, all the goodness and mercy in our lives depend solely on the bountifulness and the magnanimity of the Lord God Jehovah! As we keep His Word and do His Will, so shall we experience His mercy and LOVING-kindness. No wonder our world is in such sad shape.
So today, I implore us to renew our efforts to walk worthy of our Creator and heavenly Father, so that we may once again be blessed and satisfied with His mercy, and thus rejoice and be glad during the rest of our days.
That my Friends, is not only the height of wisdom, but pure and unadulterated common sense, neither of which seem to be very prevalent in our world today, hence its continual degradation.
But as true believers, we’ve been given the task and all the tools to turn it all around. So let’s get to it nuh, let’s get some godly action going, action that enhances and enables the LOVE Revolution of Jesus! Much LOVE!
…without God deeply involved in man’s life…his days will always be unfruitful…as he’ll be always encamped in the wilderness of life…
Today’s Scrip-Bit 30 October 2012 Deuteronomy 31:6
30 Oct 2012 Leave a comment
in Inspirational Living Tags: calamity, courage, dismay, disobedience, dread, evil, faith, fear, God's faithfulness, Hurricane Sandy, Most High God Jehovah, obedience, the Exodus, the Promised Land, wilderness wandering
Deuteronomy 31:6. Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the Lord thy God, he it is that doth go with thee; he will not fail thee nor forsake thee.
Ah Friends, another chapter in our calamitous times is being written, thanks to ‘Frankenstorm’ Sandy. She’s had a hand in at least ten deaths in the U.S. and one so far in Canada, where in Toronto yesterday, a Staples sign blew down in the 60 kilometres per hour winds and struck her. What a sad way to go. Meanwhile Sandy came ashore in New Jersey yesterday, lashing the Eastern U.S. coast with merciless winds and rain. Millions of people are without power now, and flooding is escalating. And the sad part is that though Sandy has been downgraded to a Tropical Storm, she’s not done yet. To put it nicely, we still have a couple days of inclement weather left. Now can you imagine if Sandy had retained its hurricane status? The whole Eastern coast of North America is being lashed with powerful winds and much rain, snow is even predicted in some areas. That would just put the icing, both literally and figuratively on the cake. Thankfully, so far in my area it’s been mostly gusting wind since yesterday afternoon, though still at a level we can handle, and hopefully it won’t reach epic proportions. The wind seems to have been blowing away some of the rain. I went out on my porch around 4.30 a.m. and surprisingly found my Toronto Star newspaper out there as usual, though they had warned that it might be late because of the weather. But Friends, while we on the East Coast of the continent have been perplexed and perturbed by Sandy, the residents on the northern part of the West Coast have been worried about a 7.7 magnitude earthquake that took place some 40 kilometres off the coast of British Columbia on Saturday. A tsunami warning had been issued, but thankfully nothing came of it, except bickering and confusion in B.C. where it’s claimed the U.S. warning came a whole half an hour before the Canadian, although they knew about the earthquake and its possible repercussions at the same time as the U.S. Obviously the Provincial Government and its agencies claim that they acted responsibly, while the local governments and the people who would have been targeted by the tsunami, claim otherwise. Oh mih people, what’s happening to us eh? In these supposedly modern and revolutionary times, when we can do all sorts of technological wonders, we still can’t get together rationally and solve common problems. As someone told me last night, the Lord’s sending us a message, but we’re not listening. And that could certainly be gospel Friends! Times have become so fearful that many are afraid to walk the roads even in broad daylight, because evil is no longer hiding under the cover of darkness, but has become so emboldened that it’s operating openly in the light now. However my brethren, there’s ONE, and ONLY ONE antidote for Fear, that’s FAITH! FAITH IN ALMIGHTY GOD! As our Bit so encouragingly and appropriately declares: ‘Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the Lord thy God, he it is that doth go with thee; he will not fail thee nor forsake thee.’ What part of that don’t we understand eh Friends? If we truly believe in the all-powerful, faithful God we profess to worship, then we should calmly accept such an awesome promise, and consequently there shouldn’t be any fear in our souls, for the Lord has proven His power and faithfulness time and time again. I guess the problem is that a majority of the population don’t believe in the Most High God Jehovah, and those who do, don’t have sufficient faith to stand the rigours of these troubled times. So without further ado, let’s check out some scriptures, re handling fear with faith building. And we’ll begin with Moses reminding the Israelites of their sad, fearful behaviour on their journey from Egypt to the Promised Land. ‘Then I said unto you, Dread not, neither be afraid of them. The Lord your God which goeth before you, he shall fight for you, according to all that he did for you in Egypt before your eyes; And in the wilderness, where thou hast seen how that the Lord thy God bare (carried) thee, as a man doth bear his son, in all the way that ye went, until ye came unto this place. Yet in this thing ye did not believe the Lord your God.’ (Deut.1:29-32) Oh Friends, that’s certainly a telling reproach against the Israelites! The Exodus of the Israelites from Egypt is possibly the greatest exhibition of our God’s great powers, His unending LOVE, and also His powerful anger at continual sin and disobedience. That’s shown in the wandering of Israel for forty years in the desert, culminating with the death of all but Caleb and Joshua of the old generation that came out of Egypt. If anybody in this entire world should have believed in Almighty God, it should have been them, having seen the mighty works He did on their behalf. But obviously they did not, and sadly today we are doing the same thing my people; living in fear, when we have God’s awesome promises to stand faithfully and secure on. We talk up a storm about God, but don’t reflect that talk in our actions, that’s why we’re still so fearful. Now listen to Bruh David’s advice to cousin Sol, when he handed over the throne of Israel to him. ‘Only the Lord give thee wisdom and understanding, and give thee charge concerning Israel, that thou mayest keep the law of the Lord thy God. Then shalt thou prosper, if thou takest heed to fulfill the statutes and judgements which the Lord charged (commanded) Moses with concerning Israel: be strong, and of good courage; dread not, nor be dismayed.’ (1 Chr.22:12-13) Oh Friends what absolutely wise words from a father to a son, especially from one who actually lived the words he spoke, under the calming umbrella of God’s faithfulness. And when Cousin Sol followed them, he became the greatest, wisest and richest king that ever lived! However, in his old age, when he strayed from his father’s words and rebelled against the Lord God of his fathers for the heathen gods of his wives, he lost God’s favour. It’s ever so simple and true Friends: stay faithful to God, and He will stay faithful to you, and under those circumstances, there’s no reason to be overwhelmed by fear. Please, let’s write that indelibly in our hearts, minds and spirits, so that we can continuously recall it, and thus not live in fear. Much LOVE!…we say again…the ONLY thing to conquer fear…is TRUE FAITH in Jehovah God…
Today’s Scrip-Bit 6 July 2012 Psalm 115:1
06 Jul 2012 Leave a comment
in Inspirational Living Tags: batten down the hatches, Friday chant, furthering Jesus' kingdom, glorify God, our bounden duty, renewed and refreshed, rest and relaxation, soul body and mind, TGIF!, the Promised Land, the weekend
Psalm 115:1. Not unto us, O Lord, not unto us, but unto thy name give glory, for thy mercy, and for thy truth’s sake.
Oh Friends, it’s Friday! The eve of two days of freedom, or as close as we’ll ever really get. That’s why everybody’s so happy, and joyfully declaring to each other: ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday!’ Oh Friends, what would most of us do without the weekend to look forward to eh? And believe me, we have to be very careful, diligent and strong to protect it, because if the greedy, evil politicos and their wealthy evil counterparts get the chance, they will gladly even take those two semi-free days away from us. So let’s batten down the hatches, and prepare to fight tooth and nail for that privilege and many others they are either taking away or planning to take away. Our forefathers’ fought too hard, even giving up their lives for the few measly benefits workers now have. We can’t afford to let the evildoers come and retake them. In the meanwhile though, let’s enjoy the weekend, but with ‘a modicum of circumspection’ as Jeeves would say. And to help us do that, let’s chant our Friday Chant with much verve and gusto. All together now, as one glorious voice: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through another week of work! It hasn’t been easy, but with your generous help, I made it through. Now, please help me to get sufficient fun, fellowship, rest and relaxation in these two short days off, so that I can be renewed and refreshed in soul, body and mind, to go back out and do it all over again next week, furthering your glorious kingdom with each step I take. I pray this in Jesus name. Amen.’ Yes mih people, we have to be circumspect about how we use our days off. The Lord God Jehovah should always be front and centre in our consciousness. And our Bit today certainly highlights that sentiment. ‘Not unto us, O Lord, not unto us, but unto thy name give glory, for thy mercy (LOVING-kindness), and for thy truth’s sake.’ What we have to remember Friends is that we’re made for God’s purpose(s), not Him for ours. Thus, whatever happens in our lives, on earth or in heaven, is supposed to be all for God’s glory, not ours, as so many of us wrongly believe. And the Lord has made it clear on several occasions in His Word, that what He does is not always for us, but because He wants His Name to be glorified and not polluted or profaned. The first good example of that is when Moses brought the Israelites out of Egypt, and he tells them: ‘Speak not thou in thine heart, after that the Lord thy God hath cast them out from before thee, saying, For (because of) my righteousness the Lord hath brought me in to possess this land: but for (because of) the wickedness of these nations the Lord doth drive them out from before thee. Not for thy righteousness, or for the uprightness of thine heart, dost thou go to possess their land: but for the wickedness of these nations the Lord thy God doth drive them out from before thee, and that he may perform (fulfill) the word which the Lord sware unto thy fathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Understand therefore, that the Lord giveth thee not this good land to possess it for thy righteousness; for thou art a stiffnecked (stubborn, rebellious) people.’ (Deut.9:4-6) So we see it’s not because the Israelites were so righteous that the Lord brought them out of slavery in Egypt to the Promised Land, because they were not, but because the inhabitants of the land were wicked and He had to keep His promise to their forefathers. Likewise Friends, many times what He does for us, is not because we’re so righteous either, but to protect His name and image or to keep some promise He’s made. Hear what He says about that through Isaiah: ‘I am the Lord: that is my name: and my glory will I not give another, neither my praise to graven images.’ (Is.42:8) Yes mih breddren, the Lord’s very jealous of His name and glory. He has an immaculate image to project and protect, therefore He will not allow anyone to besmirch them. Listen to Him again, this time through Ezekiel: ‘But I wrought (acted) for my name’s sake, that it should not be polluted (profaned) before the heathen, among whom they were, in whose sight I made myself known unto them, in bringing them forth out of the land of Egypt.’ (Ezek.20:9) Oh my people, that just goes to show what lengths the Lord will go to protect His name and His majestic image. And He further reminded them when He promised the future restoration of Israel: ‘Not for your sakes do I this, saith the Lord God, be it known unto you: be ashamed and confounded for your own ways, O house of Israel…Then the heathen (nations) that are left round about you shall know that I the Lord build (rebuilt) the ruined places, and plant that that was desolate: I the Lord have spoken it, and I will do it.’ (Ezek.36:32,36) Ah Friends, strong words from our God, words that still resonate with us today, since He or His Word changes. Therefore let’s do our best to uphold His righteousness and not to provoke His anger any more than we’re already doing with the sinful, ungodly, wicked lifestyle we’re currently promoting in our society. Remember the last days are on the horizon, and the unrighteous are still many, so let’s do our part in our little area to glorify His name and cut down on the numbers that will be destroyed on that fateful day nuh. It is our bounden duty. Much LOVE!…to help others come to Christ…that’s the believers’ main goal…
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