Today’s Scrip-Bit 5 October 2018 Proverbs 4:26.

05 Oct 2018 Leave a comment

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

Proverbs 4:26.    ​Ponder the path of thy feet, and let all thy ways be established.

 

And I can see all the joyful smiles and hear all the joyful conversation simply because it’s Friday, and the working population has only the upcoming weekend on their minds. What a way our attitudes can change from one day to the next, when something that seems good is on the horizon. Wish we could have that joyful attitude come next Monday morning. (smile) 

And there is no stopping the ordinary workingman come Friday morning, for he will sing his song, come hell or high water. ‘TGIF! Thank God is Friday mih breddren! The weekend come…and while it brings joy to our lives, it brings tears to the slave massa’s eyes, because he has to pay us for not working for two whole days! Glory be! 

You wouldn’t know how that eats away at his thieving sinful soul. But God is good…and fair too. And after plenty fighting and dying we finally get some days off with pay. Wow! And as always, we going to party hearty and celebrate that fact, because we entitled to enjoy the fruits of our labour! Thank God for Fridays and weekends oui!’ 

Ah friends, the workingman does make some good points in his song, but just goes too far out on the limb in pursuit of the ripest, juiciest fruit. Yes my brethren, there is inherent danger in pursuing that at the edge of the limb, it’s liable to break more easily, because it’s usually smaller and more brittle out there. And when the bough breaks, you’ll fall, and down will come cradle, baby and all. (smile) 

And as that pertains to our Christian faith walk, it means allowing the enemy to get into our lives and settling in to spoil them, and have us walk away from Jesus, rather than with Him. Now that’s one thing we definitely don’t want to happen, and the best way to avoid it is to stay away from what appears to be the juiciest fruit at the edge of the limb. 

We need to erect some boundaries as to how far we’re going to go, so that we don’t invite the enemy into our lives. That’s why our Friday Chant is different from the workingman’s song, with more circumspection and awareness of the pitfalls of unbridled carnal living. So let’s chant our Friday Chant nuh, with even more enthusiasm than the workingman, because we know that we have Jesus on our side. Glory to God! 

Altogether now: ‘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.’ 

Ah friends, to live sincerely for Jesus means always being aware of the world around you and its constant efforts to make you succumb to its evil ways. But we’re blessed, for Jesus’ Holy Spirit that dwells within us warns us of the pitfalls. Oh, we don’t always pay attention to, or take heed to the Holy Spirit’s advice, so we have no one else to blame but ourselves, when that unwise attitude gets us into trouble. 

That’s why Cousin Sol warns us in our Bit and beyond: ‘Ponder the path of thy feet, and let all thy ways be established. Turn not to the right hand nor to the left: remove thy foot from evil.’ (Prov.4:26-27) And that jells nicely with these words of the Lord spoken through the prophet Isaiah. ‘And thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, saying, This is the way, walk ye in it, when ye turn to the right hand, and when ye turn to the left.’ (Is.30:21) 

Yes friends, anytime we veer off the straight and narrow path that Jesus advises us to follow, we will hear His Holy Spirit calling us back to it, for the broad way of the world only leads to eventual destruction. As Cousin Sol further declares: (Chuh! Spelled it wrong again). ‘For the ways of man are before the eyes of the Lord, and he pondereth (weighs, observes) all his goings.’ (Prov.5:21) 

So please don’t foolishly believe that we can do stuff that the Lord doesn’t see, because His eyes are always on our goings and comings. That’s why we have to pay close attention to the warning against disobedience in Hebrews: ‘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.12:12-13) 

And the scholars explain: ‘12:12-13. Some of the runners of verse 1 have grown so weary that they have become stooped and need spiritual strength to be straightened up again. They must be given help, yet they themselves also must strengthen their paths by avoiding obstacles that would spiritually trip them up.’ 

Yuh see friends, neither the Lord, nor our fellow man can or will do everything for us. At some stage of the game we need to strengthen ourselves, pull ourselves up by our own bootstraps and set out eyes firmly on that straight and narrow path. 

And here’s a fitting end from Hebrews to today’s message. ‘Follow (pursue) peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord.’ (Heb.12:14) So let’s be wise and try our best to do that nuh my people! Much LOVE!

…there’s only ONE way to stay on the straight and narrow…keep your eyes fixed steadfastly on Jesus…

 

 

Today’s Scrip-Bit 8 June 2013 Proverbs 4:26

08 Jun 2013 Leave a comment

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

Proverbs 4:26:    Ponder the path of thy feet, and let all thy ways be established.
 
Oh Friends, another beautiful day is being heralded all around the world! And we Christians are the luckiest of the lucky! 
 

Why? Because we have a just and faithful Father God to watch over and provide for us; a selfless Saviour who died to cleanse us of our sins, and is now our Advocate and High Priest; and last but certainly not least, we have the Holy Spirit which dwells in us and guides us in all righteousness. Wow! 
 

And that’s not all, for when this mortal life on earth is done, we have the faithful promise of salvation and eternal life with the Trinity of our God-head. So what more can we ask eh my brethren? Nothing really.
 
But that also means that we’re supposed to be the most joyful people on the planet, which unfortunately we’re not. Too many of us are still fearful of the world and the evil things in it. But remember that our Saviour Jesus Christ says that He has overcome the world, so we should not fear, but be of good cheer. (John 16:33) And likewise Bruh Paul cautioned Timothy: ‘For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of LOVE, and of a sound mind.’ (2 Tim.1:7)
 
Oh Friends, it therefore behoves us to stand steadfast, strong and courageous in the faith, to do what we have been called to do, obviously with the able assistance of our triumvirate God-head. And to help us do that, here’s a definition of Courage, from Uncle Charles, Charles Stanley. Some of you might have heard it in a broadcast a few weeks back. He defines courage as: ‘The quality of mind and spirit enabling us to meet danger, opposition or the challenges of life with fearlessness, calmness and firmness.’
 
And that’s indeed courage in a nutshell my people! The ability to face anything, despite abnormal or unfavourable circumstances should be the motto and work of our Christian witness. And remember too that courage doesn’t necessarily mean the absence of fear, but doing it even though we’re afraid, because we have that awesome promise of our faithful God that He will work everything out for the good of those He’s called and who LOVE Him. (Rom.8:28)
 
But my fellow believers, having all that help is of no good unless we use it, unless we do our part. And a portion of our part is to do as our Bit advises. ‘Ponder the path of thy feet, and let all thy ways be established.’ Yes Friends, we need to seriously consider the paths we choose in life, before walking them, because we can be cruelly led astray if we choose the wrong ones.
 
And Cousin Sol warns us of one such wrong path in the next chapter when he talks about adultery. ‘And why wilt thou, my son, be ravished (enraptured) with a strange (an immoral) woman, and embrace the bosom of a stranger (seductress)?
 
For the ways of man are before the eyes of the Lord, and he pondereth (observes, weighs) all his goings. His own iniquities shall take (entrap) the wicked himself, and he shall be holden (caught) with the cords of his sins. He shall die without (for lack of) instruction: and in the greatness of his folly he shall go astray.’ (Prov.5:20-23)
 
Oh my brethren, more awesome words of wisdom and undeniable truth! The Lord sees all our comings and goings, and all the thoughts of our hearts and minds are constantly exposed to His righteous stare, therefore we cannot afford to err foolishly and succumb to wicked devices, for those same evil devices will cause our inevitable and unfortunate downfall. 
 
And here’s some info from the scholars. ‘Another reason for rejecting sexual temptation is that the Lord sees all and will punish the wrongdoer. He shall die does not necessarily mean a physical death, but it refers to an absence of life. The adulterer will miss out on the full and joyous life that God intended.’
 
And all of that is corroborated by the author of Hebrews, when talking about God’s discipline and the running of our earthly race. ‘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 (be dislocated); but let it rather be healed.’ (Heb.12:11-13)
 
Yeh mih people, none of us likes to be disciplined, but it’s often necessary to teach us righteousness. Therefore we have to be strong and courageous and walk the straight and narrow path, else we’ll most certainly go astray.
 
And we’ll end with some more useful info from the scholars. ‘Some of the runners in verse 1 have grown so weary that they have become stooped and need spiritual strength to be straightened up again. They must be given help, yet they themselves also must straighten their paths by avoiding obstacles that would spiritually trip them up.’
 
Oh Friends, it’s definitely not an easy row we have to hoe as believers, but as Bruh Paul so wisely informed the Philippians: ‘I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.’ (Phil.4:13) And so too can all of us my brethren. 
 
So let’s put Christ first and foremost in our lives nuh, thus enabling us to stay on that straight and narrow path, without veering either to the right or to the left. For that’s the very essence of wisdom! Much LOVE!
 
…when our eyes, hearts and minds look to Jesus…then our feet automatically tread the straight and true way…

 
 
 

Today’s Scrip-Bit 6 February 2013 Job 34:21

06 Feb 2013 Leave a comment

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

Job 34:21.     For his eyes are upon the ways of man, and he seeth all his goings.
 
Oh Friends, it’s Wednesday, and the sound of the pre Lenten celebrations are all around. But next week this time, the partying will be over, and we’ll be doing ashes instead, as the Lenten season of praying, fasting and close encounters with Almighty God proliferate. Now isn’t it surprising how at that particular time of the year, how so many of us can turn to God and behave in a somewhat more appropriate fashion? Why can’t we do that through more of the year eh? Partying and seeking God are not mutually exclusive things. In fact, seeking God leads to more joy and happiness in one’s life. So let’s see if we can’t raise the level of our relationship with the Father all through the year nuh, and not just during the Lenten season. Anyway, here’s a little something I want to share. I saw it just now on a 3 x 5 card at the front of my desk. Yes, it’s one of those things I pass everyday, but very seldom see. It says: ‘God’s tape measure goes around hearts, not heads.’ And isn’t that the living truth Friends! God doesn’t measure our heads, otherwise He wouldn’t have a tape measure big enough to go around the many extremely swollen heads that are running around right now. Instead, He measures our hearts; how full, or big they are with true LOVE and adoration for His Son, Jesus, and how obedient we are to His will. And it’s so sad that too many believers will get small measurements when God measures our hearts, because our motives, LOVE for God and each other are not as strong and pure as they should be. That brings us to our Bit: ‘For his eyes are upon the ways of man, and he seeth all his goings.’ Yes mih people, we talk a big talk about our omnipotent, omniscient, omni-present God, then go out and do nonsense; stuff that doesn’t fit who we are as believers. Now if our God is so powerful, all-knowing and all pervasive, isn’t He going to see and know our wrong doings? Of course! But I guess we don’t think about that when the evil Beelzebub gets in our hearts and minds and leads us astray. The time to think Friends is before the deed’s done, not after, when the possible consequences stare us in the face. And despite all the evidence to the contrary, some of us still genuinely believe we can fool God and get away with it. Hn! How wrong, how naive and foolish that is my brethren! For as Elihu, Job’s buddy, continues after our Bit: ‘There is no darkness, nor shadow of death, where the workers of iniquity may hide themselves. For he will not lay upon man more than right (need not further consider a man); that he should enter into judgement with God (go before God in judgement). He shall break in pieces mighty men without number (inquiry), and set others in their stead (place). Therefore he knoweth their works, and he overturneth (overthrows) them in the night, so that they are destroyed (crushed). He striketh them as wicked men in the open sight of others; because they turned back from him, and would not consider any of his ways: So that they cause the cry of the poor to come unto him, and he heareth the cry of the afflicted. When he giveth quietness, who then can make trouble? And when he hideth his face, who then can behold him? whether it be done against a nation, or against a man only (alone): That the hypocrite reign not, lest the people be ensnared.’ (Job 34:22:30) Yes Friends, there is no hiding from our mighty, merciful, but just God! In His time He will set justice upon all who deserve it. Our only hope is to trust in Jesus and follow His lead as best we can, otherwise the Lord will eventually call us to account for all our wrongdoing. And it’s obvious that there’s way too much wrongdoing in all aspects of our lives, all over God’s earth! Do you imagine He will let it all go unpunished? Absolutely not! Even as we speak, He’s in the process of righting some wrongs, and meting out the appropriate punishment. We need to remember that our god is a God of LOVE, but also a God of justice. And justice must be done in His kingdom. Why do you think He went to such extraordinary lengths to lay our sins on Jesus, then sacrifice Him? So that justice could be done, and we wouldn’t have to pay the hefty price of death, eternal separation from Him. That’s why Bruh David warns in Psalm 34 – The Lord hears the righteous. ‘What man is he that desireth life, and LOVETH many days, that he may see good? Keep thy tongue from evil, and thy lips from speaking guile (deceit). Depart from evil, and do good; seek peace, and pursue it. The eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous, and his ears are open unto their cry. The face of the Lord is against them that do evil, to cut off (destroy) the remembrance of them from the earth.’ (Ps.34:12-16) Yes my people, our God doesn’t sleep, neither is He tired. He rules His creation, our universe and all therein with a mighty hand! Just listen to what He spoke through the prophet Jeremiah, against His chosen people Israel, when they went a whoring after other Gods. ‘Behold I will send for many fishers (fishermen), saith the Lord, and they shall fish them; and after will I send for many hunters, and they shall hunt them from every mountain, and from every hill, and out of the holes of the rocks. For mine eyes are upon all their ways: they are not hid from my face, neither is their iniquity hid from mine eyes. And first I will recompense (repay) their iniquity and their sin double; because they have defiled my land, they have filled mine inheritance with the carcases of their detestable and abominable things.’ (Jer.16:16-18) Oh Friends, though the Lord will eventually bring His chosen back to the Promised Land, they will pay for their disobedience. Please, let’s remember that today, and consider our own lives, and repent from any known disobedience, so that we won’t suffer the rightful justice we deserve, but will instead be blessed by His forgiving mercy and grace. That’s wisdom at its highest level. Much LOVE!…continual disobedience may bring big rewards in Lucifer’s world…but in God’s righteous and just kingdom…it brings sure punishment…