Today’s Scrip-Bit 12 June 2018 Psalm 95:1.

12 Jun 2018 Leave a comment

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

Psalm 95:1.   O Come, let us sing unto the Lord: let us make a joyful noise (shout joyfully) to the rock of our salvation.

So it’s Tuesday friends! What’s new and exciting eh? And you grouchily mumble; ‘same old, same old.’ But that’s not really true, for we have a brand new day to live, courtesy of our magnificent and magnanimous God; a day filled with brand new mercies, grace, forgiveness and LOVE! 

So how can that be the same old, same old eh? Wake up mih breddren, let’s give the Lord God Almighty, our Creator, Controller and Provider some sincere thanks and praise for bringing us through another dark night into a sunny day, filled with the everlasting brilliance of His Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Wow! 

And to help us do just that, here is a reminder from Gramps Schuller (Dr. Robert H. Schuller) from his Hour of Power Devotional, letting us know that no problem is permanent. He says: ‘Every mountain has a peak. Every valley has its low point. Life has its ups and downs, its peaks and its valleys. 

No one is up all the time, nor are they down all the time. Problems do end. They do go away. They are all resolved in time… Storms always give way to the sun. Winter always thaws into springtime. Your storm will pass. Your winter will thaw. Your problem will be resolved.’ And it’s all true my people! 

So with all that in mind, let’s pray with Gramps Schuller nuh. ‘Lord, when I face a mountain, do not let me quit! Give me the strength to keep on striving until I climb over, find a pass through, or tunnel underneath. And if my best efforts fail, give me the patience to stay and the perception to see the possibilities of turning my mountain into a gold mine with your help. Amen!’ 

Ah friends, this earthly life is not easy, but with God’s help we can have hope and faith and keep on keeping on, fighting the good fight of faith, turning our problems into gold mines. (smile) 

And as I opened the Good Book to find a suitable Bit for today, this is what jumped out at me: ‘O Come, let us sing unto the Lord: let us make a joyful noise (shout joyfully) to the rock of our salvation. Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving, and make a joyful noise (shout joyfully) unto him with psalms (songs). 

For the Lord is a great God, and a great King above all gods. In his hand (His possession) are the deep places of the earth: the strength (heights) of the hills is his also. The sea is his, and he made it: and his hands formed the dry land.’ (Ps.95:1-5) 

Oh my faithful believing brethren, those are words of indisputable, inescapable truth! So why aren’t we giving our great God the enormous thanks and praise and reverence He so rightfully deserves eh? I guess we’ve either gotten too comfortable in receiving His LOVE, grace, mercy and forgiveness, that we now take it all for granted and don’t bother to give much thanks for them. Or on the other hand, we simply don’t believe. 

Ah friends, either path is fraught with danger. We give plenty thanks to our fellow men who give us worldly, destructible things, so why not to our Creator and Provider eh, who gives us worldly as well as spiritual things, and so much more than any man? 

Oh my breddren, it behooves us to show plenty gratitude to our wonderful God for undeserved blessings, or those blessings might just stop coming. And if we don’t believe, then we won’t get the blessings and suffer the pangs and numerous injustices of this evil and ungodly world all on our own. Now, even with God’s help, that’s not an easy thing to do, so can you imagine trying to fight this world all on your lonesome? I certainly can’t. 

So please, let’s be wise nuh, let’s get wisdom and understanding, the principal things we need as believers. And when we do that, then we’ll be able to truthfully and sincerely declare like the psalmist: ‘O come, let us worship and bow down: let us kneel before the Lord our maker. For he is our God; and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand (under His care).’ (Ps.95:6-7a) 

Oh my people, my people, that is what we were made for: to have fellowship with our maker; to LOVE and cherish Him, like He does us. Therefore, as the psalmist encourages, ‘Today if you will hear his voice, Harden not your heart, as in the provocation (rebellion at Meribah), and as in the day of temptation (trial or testing) in the wilderness: when your fathers tempted (tried) me, proved me, and saw my work.’ (Ps.95:8-9) 

Oh friends, that was so foolish of our forefathers, for look at what happened as a consequence of that foolish act. ‘Forty years long was I grieved (I was disgusted) with this generation, and said, It is a people that do err in their heart (go astray), and they have not known my ways: Unto whom I sware in my wrath that they should not enter into my rest.’ (Ps.95:10-11) 

And so said, so done! Only TWO of the millions who left Egypt, Caleb and Joshua, entered the Promised Land because of their disobedience and refusal to take God seriously. They wandered aimlessly in the wilderness for forty years until they all died out. Even Moses, the great man of God, only saw it from afar. 

Oh friends, what wasted lives those were. Please, I implore us, please don’t let us become like those Israelites of old nuh, just wandering aimlessly in this world because of our disobedience or unbelief. Instead, let’s be praiseworthy and strong under the unconquerable banner of God! 

Now let’s go home declaring our Tuesday Mantra, proudly telling the entire world, who and whose we are. In strong voice and sincere hearts: ‘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!’ 

The next move then is to go and share Christ’s LOVE, as He so greatly desires of us. Much LOVE!

…fools despise wisdom…but wise men praise God…

 

 

 

 

 

 

Today’s Scrip-Bit 8 October 2016 Psalm 95:2.

08 Oct 2016 Leave a comment

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

Psalm 95:2.    Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving, and make a joyful noise (shout joyfully) unto him with psalms (songs of praise).

Oh friends, it’s a wet and windy Thanksgiving Saturday morning in my neighbourhood. And we are thankful for those showers of blessings, but we also have to be concerned about the savage swath that Hurricane Matthew has cut across Haiti, the Bahamas and Florida, in the last few days. 

And although it has been downgraded somewhat, it still has the ability to do severe damage to the Carolinas’ coast, through storm surges; raising the coastal water level so that it floods the land. Please, let’s offer up sincere prayers for all those unfortunate enough to be caught up in the devastation caused by Matthew. 

And when I think about Haiti, my heart just breaks for those unfortunate people. Steups! Over the last few years they’ve been consistently battered by hurricane, earthquake, sickness, constant poverty and widespread corruption. They don’t seem to get a chance to recover from one devastation before another hits. 

And yet, we up here complain about petty stuff, most of us not knowing the ravages that natural disasters can cause. I can tell you about it, because I saw the wind blow in 1963, when Hurricane flora blew down Tobago in a rather short time period. 

The weather forecast people said the storm would hit somewhere around five in the evening. Hn! Believe me, by three o’clock sweet Tobago was a wasteland. It doesn’t take long, and you can’t believe the damage that the wind can do. 

Anyway my people, let’s give plenty, plenty thanks for our blessed situations and pray sincerely for those not as fortunate. And since it’s Saturday, I’ll share a couple of this week’s quotes from our friend Anselm, who always aspires to inspire us for a better tomorrow. 

Here’s the first one: ‘An eye for an eye only ends up making the whole world blind.’ 

And is that ever so true my brethren. If we follow that foolish policy of revenge it will only make all of us blind. And then we’d be like Jesus says: ‘they be blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch.’ (Matt.15:14) 

I guess that’s why so many of us are in the ditch right now; there are too many blind people leading the blind. I think it’s time we take off the blinkers yes friends, so that we can see where we’re going, so that we can follow the straight and narrow path that leads to Jesus. 

Furthermore, we should listen to Bruh Paul’s admonition to the church at Rome. ‘Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine, I will repay, saith the Lord.’ (Rom.12:19). That’s wisdom of everlasting proportions my brethren. 

And that segues us very nicely into Anselm’s next quote. ‘I don’t have time to hate people who hate me, because I’m too busy LOVING people who LOVE me.’ 

Now if we’d all do that, what a wonderful world this would be! And friends, if it’s one thing I’m very thankful for is that I never had that urge for revenge or the ability to hate, like some of us do. 

Of course I’ve disliked some people over the years, but never so strong as to call it hate. And though I’ve wished for some folks to get their comeuppance, I’ve never been led to have revenge at all costs. Those negative situations just lead to more bitterness and complications in an already bitter and complicated life. 

Oh, enough of all that negative stuff yes, let’s get into some praise and thanksgiving, by declaring these great words of the psalmist from Psalm 95 – A psalm of praise to the great God. 

Please declare with me: ‘O come let us sing unto the Lord: let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation. Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving, and make a joyful noise (shout joyfully) unto him with psalms (songs of praise). 

For the Lord is a great God, and a great King above all gods. In his hand (possession) are the deep places of the earth: the strength (height) of the hills is his also. The sea is his, and he made it: and his hands formed the dry land. 

O come, let us worship and bow down: let us kneel before the Lord our maker. For he is our God; and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand. 

Today if ye will hear his voice, Harden not your heart, as in the provocation (rebellion), and as in the day of temptation (trial or testing) in the wilderness: when your fathers tempted (tried) me, proved me, and saw my work. 

Forty years long was I grieved (disgusted) with this generation, and said, It is a people that do err in their heart (go astray), and they have not known my ways: Unto whom I sware in my wrath that they should not enter into my rest.’ (Ps.95:1-11)  

Oh friends, oh friends, please, on this thanksgiving Saturday morning, let’s not be like the foolish Israelites who saw the great miracles of God when he led them out of Egypt, yet hardened their hearts against Him, so that none of those who left Egypt, except Joshua and Caleb ever entered the Promised Land. Even the great man of God, Moses, only saw it from afar off because of his disobedience.  

Instead, let’s be wise nuh, and worship and bow down and sing songs of joy and be thankful for all the blessings that we enjoy from our rock, our salvation, our magnificent and magnanimous God and Creator, today and every day. For that is indeed wisdom to the nth power! Much LOVE!

…I’m giving thanks for all I have…I’m giving thanks for everything…I’m giving thanks…I’m just giving thanks…giving thanks…for all I’ve got…giving thanks…