Today’s Scrip-Bit 2 February 2021 Proverbs 18:21.

02 Feb 2021 Leave a comment

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

Proverbs 18:21.     Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that LOVE it shall eat the fruit thereof.

Oh friends, come join with me this cold but bright and sunny winter morning to magnify the Lord nuh, for He is ever so good to us! Yes, He woke us up this morning with a new set of mercies and compassions and a strong breath of life so we can do His divine bidding. That’s more than enough to give Him much thanks and praise. 

So as the Good Book decrees: ‘O magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt his name together….The angel of the Lord encampeth round about them that fear him, and delivereth them. O taste and see that the Lord is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him. O fear the Lord, ye his saints: for there is no want (lack) to them that fear him.’ (Ps. 34: 3,7-10) 

Yes my people, that is the indisputable truth! Those who reverence the Lord God Jehovah are protected and want for nothing that’s necessary to live this life. But the onus is upon us to reverence Him. It just doesn’t happen on its own; energy and effort have to be put into it. 

And one of the most important things for believers to do, especially in these uncertain and disastrous times is to speak God’s Word, to be positive and constantly remind ourselves that we are children of the Most High God and thus blessed and favoured, sanctified, justified, reconciled, forgiven and the host of other blessings we receive when we honour Him. 

Remember the Lord spoke the world into existence. The only thing He made manually or physically was man. That means there is lots of power in our words. Remember Cousin Sol’s warning? ‘Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that LOVE it shall eat the fruit thereof.’ (Prov. 18:21) 

Oh mih bredrin that is something we should try and remember all the time because it’s the absolute truth. Our words can either speak life or death. And these words from Rev. Marcia Martin of the Vian United Methodist Church explain the situation very well. 

‘My dad gave me a piece of advice when I was a know-it-all teenager. He said, “Never say in anger what you don’t mean, because you can say you’re sorry, but you can’t take it back.” Satan can use our tongue to cause division, putting others down, bragging, false teaching, exaggeration, complaining, or just flat out lying. 

It only takes a few words to hurt someone. Wounds heal but they leave scars that never disappear…Your words can either speak life, or your words can speak death. Our tongues can build others up, or they can tear them down. 

An unchecked fire doubles in size every minute. Gossip and false teaching are no different. It’s been said that great minds discuss ideas, average minds discuss events, and small minds discuss people.’ 

And I don’t need to tell you that it’s all gospel truth, because you already know it. And that’s one of the reasons why our world is in such a dreadful mess these days; we use words without thinking about their effect, sling hurtful words without thinking twice about what’s coming out of our mouths. And just like Cousin Sol says we’re now enjoying the negative fruit of our negative words. 

Remember what James said in Chapter 3 about the dangers of the tongue. He likened it to the rudder of a ship, the small thing that guides the big ship in the direction that the pilot wants it to go. Likewise, the tongue is a small thing that boasts a lot of power. 

‘Even as the tongue is a little member, and boasteth great things. Behold how great a matter (forest) a little fire kindleth (sets on fire). And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity: so is the tongue among our members (the tongue is so set), that it defileth the whole body, and setteth on fire the course of nature (our existence); and it is set on fire of hell.’ (James 3:5-6) 

Yes friends, as the scholars put it. ‘3:6. The tongue is a system (world) of iniquity that sets on fire the whole course of life, and is even set on fire by Satan (cf. 3:15).’ And that’s the living truth, for it’s the tongue, our words, that mainly cause wars and divisions, disunity, resentment, hate, anger and all the other negative stuff that’s so prevalent in our world today. 

And not only in the world itself, but also in the church of Christ. James must have thought that he was writing to our current church which is filled with so much negative, petty stuff, like slander, gossip, false teaching, etc. etc. 

James continues: ‘But the tongue can no man tame; it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison. Therewith bless we God, even the Father; and therewith curse we men, which are made after the similitude (image) of God. Out of the same mouth proceedeth blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not to be.’ (James 3: 8-10) 

Oh my people, blessing and cursing out of the same mouth is certainly inconsistent, and should not be mentioned amongst our attributes. And how do we solve the negativity of the tongue? The Lord said it quite clearly to Joshua when He appointed him leader of the Israelites after the death of Moses. 

‘This book of the law shall not depart out of (shall be constantly in) thy mouth:’ Josh. 1:8a) That’s it right there friends! We need to keep speaking God’s word; positive, proactive words, thinking before we speak. If we do that, then our tongues won’t do as much damage to our lives. 

But how do we accomplish that, you ask? The Lord also spells it out for us in the same verse: ‘but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein.’ (Josh, 1:8b) It’s not rocket science my people. To constantly speak God’s word, we must constantly read and study God’s word. Simple as that! 

But here is the best part of the Lord’s advice: ‘for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.’ (Josh. 1:8c) Oh fellow saints of Christ, that is the panacea for ALL of our ills! Read and study the word, then speak it, and voila! Success will be ours. Yes friends, true success only comes from sincerely meditating on God’s word and then putting it into action. Nothing less will do! 

So for those of us who are engaged in that wonderful course, let’s go home now declaring (yeahhh!) our Tuesday Mantra, letting the whole wide world know who and whose we are! 

In one 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!’ 

The next step is easy; we go out and share Christ’s LOVE and friendship! (smile) Much LOVE!

…to tame our tongues…we must have on the yoke of Christ… 

Today’s Scrip-Bit 2 July 2019 Psalm 19:14.

02 Jul 2019 Leave a comment

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

Psalm 19:14.    ​Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, my strength (my rock), and my redeemer.
 

Well an end to all good things must be, so the Canada Day party is over now, with some rain in the early morning hours and some cloudy skies. But thankfully no showers of blessings spoiled the party! (smile) Now it’s time to return to the daily grind and common task. 

Yeh, the radiation treatments are upon me again… the ole bod must have breathed a relieved sigh at the lack of treatment for three whole days. (smile) Only another couple of weeks to go though. And since the Lord promised to see me through whatever He chooses to put me through, then I’m not worried about the outcome, just dying for the very inconvenient everyday visit to the hospital to end. But patience…and a stiff upper lip friends! (smile)  

Anyhow, let’s check out this important gift from our One Year Book of Bible verses with writings by Ruth Harms Calkin nuh. It’s titled ‘LISTENING LOVE!’ Please read with me: ‘Listening LOVE is one of the greatest gifts we can give our mates, our families, and our friends. Too often we settle for surface talk or icy silences, for monologues or cutoffs, for defences. What a difference when we follow the principles of listening LOVE! 

Listening LOVE is courteous. It says… I will strive not to interrupt or outguess you. I will not finish your sentences or break into your thoughts. Listening LOVE is attentive. It says… I will give you my undivided attention. I will not turn you off or leave you isolated. Listening LOVE is patient. It says… I will not rush you or insist on a right-now conclusion. Listening LOVE is kind. It says… I will not shame you with sarcastic retorts. I will not belittle you. 

Listening LOVE is objective. It says… I will try to be informative rather than opinionated. I will not attempt to think for you. Listening LOVE is unselfish. It says… I will guard against overconfidence and trite “spiritual” answers. Listening LOVE is prayerful. It says… I will pray for insight, for wisdom, and for gentle reactions.’ 

Oh my people, how wonderful our world would be if we would all show just a li’l more Listening LOVE! If we’re truthful, we’d all acknowledge that too often we interrupt, belittle, are impatient, unkind and otherwise in our conversations, and thus they do not go as well as we want them to, or as they ought to go. Half the time we don’t even truly listen, but while the other person is talking, we are considering our response, and thus miss half of what they are saying. 

And we can’t blame it all on this fast, now for now society in which we now live, but must cast some of the blame on our impatient, know it all selves. I know I’m guilty of some of that ‘unlistening’ LOVE, and sometimes when I catch myself doing it, I berate myself for it, but it’s not easy to change our accustomed behaviour. 

However, there is help for us in the power of the Lord our God, beginning with the Bible verse that’s allocated to our poem today. Yeh friends, the immortal words of Bruh David is our Bit for today: ‘Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, my strength (my rock), and my redeemer.’ 

Oh my fellow saints in Christ, it’s ever so important that our thoughts and words be pleasing to our heavenly Father. But as with so much of life, we can’t do it on our own, that’s why everyday we ought to ask Him for the power to think and speak wisely…in other words, with listening LOVE. 

And there’s no doubt that a lot of the strife and anger that currently exists in our world are caused by thoughtless and selfish words. No wonder Cousin Sol could warn us that ‘He that keepeth (guards) his mouth keepeth (guards) his life: but he that openeth wide his lips shall have destruction.’ (Prov.13:3) And the scholars explain that verse thus: ‘13:3. The reward of cautious speech is fuller life and the avoidance of unnecessary trouble.’ 

Truer words were never spoken friends! Many of us would have so many fewer problems if we’d only watch what we say! That’s why Bruh David seriously asked the Lord in Psalm 141 – Prayer for help in trouble. ‘Set a watch (guard), O Lord, before my mouth; keep (watch over) the door of my lips.’ (Ps.141:3) And if a man of Bruh David’s faith and religious stature could make such a plea, who are we, living in a much more evil, contentious and cantankerous world, not to do the same eh? 

And listen to some more of Cousin Sol’s wise words on the mouth. ‘Whoso keepeth his mouth and his tongue, keepeth his soul from troubles.’ (Prov.21:13) Gospel truth that my brethren! 

And we don’t have time or space to write all that James says about the tongue, but hear these few words. ‘Even so the tongue is a little member, and boasteth great things. Behold, how great a matter (forest) a little fire kindleth (sets on fire)! And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity: so is the tongue among our members, that it defileth the whole body, and setteth on fire the course of nature, and it is set on fire of hell.’ (James 3:5-) And we all know that’s gospel truth! 

The tongue is impossible to tame without God’s help, and it is the cause of many of the world’s most serious problems. What we seriously need in today’s world is Bruh David’s plea: ‘O Lord, open thou my lips; and my mouth shall show forth thy praise.’ (Ps.51:15) What a wonderful world this would be, if we were using our tongues to praise God rather than curse our fellow man! 

And having read and digested all of that, let’s go home declaring (wrong again!) our Tuesday Mantra, letting the world know who and whose we are. In strong voice and sincere sense of purpose: ‘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 if we’re truly sincere, then let’s go out now and share that friendship and LOVE of Jesus with those who unfortunately don’t know Him. That’s our bounden duty as faithful believers! Much LOVE!

…it’s not right…to curse man…and then bless God…with the same tongue…