Today’s Scrip-Bit   10 December 2021 Psalm 24:1.

10 Dec 2021 Leave a comment

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

Psalm 24:1.     The earth is the Lord’s, and the fullness thereof; the world and they that dwell therein.

Another snowy morning, but it’s Friday, the last day of the work week. So that takes away some of the anxiety and fear we have about venturing out into the snow covered highways and byways. And when we add the trust and faithfulness of Jesus, then we’re filled with courage, remembering that we can accomplish any and everything when He is walking with us. Isn’t that a wonderful feeling my fellow believers? It surely is! For no other Deity offers such strong and truthful reassurance to their followers…. Only Jesus! 

Yes friends…Only Jesus gives us the wherewithal, the grace, mercy and LOVE, to keep on keeping on no matter comes against us in this evil dominated world! With His Holy Spirit living within us, we have an in-house guide and director of personal affairs that no other faith has. That means we can get answers and guidance much quicker than others; almost immediate direction to our tentative and ofttimes anxious and fearful requests. 

But we need not be fearful or anxious because Jesus has promised to be always with us, even to the end of the world, and He keeps all of His promises. For like in everything else we do, as the old saying goes; practice makes perfect. And it’s not until you go to Him several times and see good results that you will feel comfortable. But we first need to step out into unknown territory to experience the grace that comes from knowing and trusting Christ. And every time we need to step out, we must remember what He’s already done, so it becomes easier and raises the level of our trust. 

And if, like the world does, you want to ask Jesus what He’s done for you lately…then just think who allowed you to open your eyes this morning, and who’s breath of life is flowing through you right now? In other words, it’s because of His LOVE and purpose for your life that you are not reading your name in the obits today. And furthermore, whom do you think enabled you to get a job, and a good paying one too, plus the new car that you drive to that good paying job, from that nice house in which you and your family live? 

It’s Jesus my brethren, because everything in this world belongs to Him, and we are only stewards, aka managers of His possessions. And the Good Book tells and reminds us of that most important fact, which many of us might find trivial and nonsensical. Very early in their journey out of bondage in Egypt, Moses let it be known to the people of Israel, when he declared: ‘Behold, the heaven and the heaven of heavens is the Lord’s thy God, the earth also, with all that therein is.’ (Deut. 10:14) There is no hesitation or doubt whatsoever in Moses’ declaration. 

And Bruh David, in offering thanksgiving and prayer, before he anointed Cousin Sol king of Israel in his place, said the same thing in Chronicles. ‘Thine, O Lord, is the greatness, and the power, and the glory, and the victory, and the majesty: for all that is in the heaven and in the earth is thine; thine is the kingdom, O Lord, and thou art exalted as head above all. Both riches and honour come of thee, and thou reignest over all; and in thine hand is power and might; and in thine hand it is to make great, and to give strength unto all.’ (1 Chr.29:11-12) 

Now if that doesn’t convince us of our God’s omnipotence and awesome power, I don’t know what will! For, remember Bruh David rose from a humble shepherd boy to a mighty warrior and king, the greatest of Israel’s many kings, not through his power, but through the grace and anointing of God! And he never forgot that despite all the human mistakes he made. Neither should we forget it, despite the mistakes we make, because the Lord is able to change and work out all things for our good, if we stand strong and faithful in His fold. 

And I believe that Bruh David, in his role as a wordsmith, the magnificent wordsmith that he was, says it best in Psalm 24, where he expounds on The king of glory. Listen and take heart. ‘The earth is the Lord’s, and the fullness thereof; the world and they that dwell therein. For he hath founded it upon the seas, and established it upon the floods (rivers). 

Who shall ascend into the hill of the Lord? Or who shall stand in his holy place? He that hath clean hands, and is pure in heart; who hath not lifted up his soul unto vanity (to an idol), nor sworn deceitfully. He shall receive the blessing from the Lord, and righteousness from the God of his salvation. This is the generation of them that seek him, that seek thy face, O Jacob.  Selah.’ (Ps. 24:1-7) 

Now that all sounds wonderful, but unfortunately this is not the generation that’s seeking the Lord’s face! Rather we are trying to hide from Him, and or remove Him from our society, two notions which are both foolish and impossible. But thankfully, it’s never too late to seek the Lord’s face, and do we ever desperately need to seek it in these disastrous times, because He is the ONLY One who can do anything positive for us. So please, let’s go to Him right now nuh, seeking His awesome help through our Friday Chant. 

Altogether now: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through this past week. You know it’s been rough… what with all the anxiety, the confusion and havoc that the Covid-19 virus and our many other problems are causing. We can’t seem to fix it on our own Lord, that means 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 both the virus and the unrest in our streets. 

So Lord, we sincerely ask you today to give the governments and those involved in the forefront of this serious and unexpected storm, the wise guidance to handle the situation properly, with the least amount of loss to life and property as possible. And please help those of us who must go out to work amidst all the confusion, to be responsible and to stay safe, and avoid any more serious setbacks. And Lord, we fervently pray that You’ll use this situation to bring a lot of backsliders back to your fold, show them the error of their ways. 

And please introduce a whole new flock, who will embrace your LOVE and compassion by the example, we, your faithful believers set. Yes Lord, please use this pandemic and the unrest in the streets as a means of restoring faith in You, so that our sinful world can wake up and smell the coffee, sweet and strong! We pray this in the name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen!’ 

Now, please remember all that we asked for, and what we promised to do, because it’s only if we keep our promises, that the Lord will answer our prayers. Much LOVE!

..the created owns nothing…the world is the Lord’s, He created it…and we’ve been bought with the blood of Jesus…  

Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZJ8       

Today’s Scrip-Bit   1 October 2021 Psalm 24:1.

01 Oct 2021 Leave a comment

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

Psalm 24:1.     The earth is the Lord’s, and the fullness thereof; the world and they that dwell therein.

Can you believe it’s already October my friends? That means the beautiful colours of autumn will soon be upon us…including the chilly days that come with it. (smile) And what’s amazing is that with all the problems we’ve encountered, the year has still gone rushing by without a care for our serious worldwide predicament. It seems to be saying to us that it can’t wait around for us to fix our problems, it has to be about the Father’s business. If we want to stay mired in hatred, strife and anger, then that’s our misfortune, it has nothing to do with the moving forward of the days and the seasons. 

And it’s quite right. The Lord has set the times of the seasons, which means nothing whatsoever will stop them from doing His bidding. I certainly wish the same could be said of His greatest creation, mankind. But no, with the free choice the Lord gave us, instead of being obedient to His word and desires, we have become proud, arrogant, ungodly, stubborn, prone to sin and disunity. And yet we wonder why we have so many problems. 

Ah mih people, who knows how, when, or even if the numerous problems that are now facing us will ever be healed, or brought to some kind of resolution? Every day seems to bring with it a new disaster, be it natural or man-made, and the contentious questions concerning things like the pandemic, climate change, racial inequalities, political disagreement, homelessness and poverty are no closer to being solved. In fact, the temperature is heating up, with more entrenched attitudes and disagreeable words being spouted in a harsher and more strident manner with each passing day. 

It’s a blessing that we have the Lord God Almighty, our Creator and Controller of the universe still on His heavenly throne keeping an eye on things yes. For without His steadying hand on the tiller, we would most likely have already sadistically devoured each other. Thankfully, His plans for the world don’t seem to call for a complete annihilation of mankind, although we are drawing closer to such a possibility everyday with the warlike words and attitudes we continually display. 

It would be good though for all of us to take a moment and read these marvellous and truthful words of Bruh David as he outlines them in Psalm 24 – The king of glory. He confidently proclaims: ‘The earth is the Lord’s, and the fullness thereof; the world and they that dwell therein. For he hath founded it upon the seas, and established it upon the floods (rivers).’ (Ps. 24:1-2) 

Now those are facts we cannot dispute my fellow believers. The Lord brought the world and everything within it into existence from nothing, through His magnificent power and planning. Thus, everything belongs to Him, despite what we foolish humans seem to think. And He will not allow anyone or anything else to take it away or control it. Remember what He said through the prophet Isaiah: ‘I am the Lord: that is my name: and my glory will I not give to another, neither my praise to graven images.’ (Is, 42:8) 

Yes friends, our God is very protective of what is His, and no one or nothing will take the glory and praise that He is entitled to for the creation and maintenance of this world. And I like how this commentary on the subject from the Christianity.com website reads. ‘God founding and establishing the Earth through such a careful degree of meticulousness is so inspiring and comforting. It reveals more about God’s passion and love for the Earth. The Earth is His masterpiece and like an artist, He crafts it and maintains what is His.’ 

Oh my people, even the unbeliever, if he sits quietly and contemplates the universe and all therein, will realize that despite its complexities and idiosyncrasies, and without any apparent overseer, it runs ever so smoothly, like a well-oiled machine. That ought to bring some serious appreciation for the power and majesty of its Creator. We believers already have that great appreciation, that’s why we praise and worship the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, its Creator. For the world did not just appear from nowhere, but careful thought and much planning went into it, before the Lord spoke it into existence, and before He made man in His own image, out of the dust of the earth. 

So yes, man has messed up the universe, but our heavenly Father still keeps an eye over it, because it’s His, and He doesn’t want us to completely destroy it, because He has a plan to restore and renew it some fine day. In the meanwhile though, we believers must try and bring some semblance of peace and LOVE to a greatly divided world; that’s the Lord’s desire. 

He sent His Son Jesus to save us because He didn’t want to lose us to sin and Satan. But that doesn’t mean He will not judge the wicked harshly, those who refuse to believe in His Son, and consequently in Him. Please think about the final judgement and eternal separation from God, that entails being thrown into the lake of fire with Satan and his evil cronies. (Rev. 20:14-15) 

Unfortunately, many of us think of that as a joke, but friends, God doesn’t make jokes in His word. It is the awesome truth! Whatever it says has happened, is happening and will happen! So please get serious about your eternal future. There are only two options: heaven and hell. And I am sure you don’t want to go the latter. That means we must begin right now, talking to God and making our way straight with Him through prayer and obedience to His word. 

Therefore, as one voice, let’s go to Him through our Friday Chant and ask for His help. ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through this past week. You know it’s been rough… what with all the anxiety, the confusion and havoc that the Covid-19 virus and our many other problems are causing. We can’t seem to fix it on our own Lord, that means 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 both the virus and the unrest in our streets. 

So Lord, we sincerely ask you today to give the governments and those involved in the forefront of this serious and unexpected storm, the wise guidance to handle the situation properly, with the least amount of loss to life and property as possible. And please help those of us who must go out to work amidst all the confusion, to be responsible and to stay safe, and avoid any more serious setbacks. And Lord, we fervently pray that You’ll use this situation to bring a lot of backsliders back to your fold, show them the error of their ways. 

And please introduce a whole new flock, who will embrace your LOVE and compassion by the example, we, your faithful believers set. Yes Lord, please use this pandemic and the unrest in the streets as a means of restoring faith in You, so that our sinful world can wake up and smell the coffee, sweet and strong! We pray this in the name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen!’ 

Now let’s go out and live the words ‘trusting faith,’ and ‘faithful believers,’ if we want our prayers to be positively answered. Much LOVE!

…the Lord doesn’t want to lose any of His creation…but He won’t rescind our free choice…                                                                                                                                

Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZJ8     

Today’s Scrip-Bit 4 January 2021 Psalm 24:1.

04 Jan 2021 Leave a comment

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

Psalm 24:1.     ​The earth is the LORD’S, and the fulness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein.

Welcome to the first Monday in 2021! Who knows what it holds for any and all of us eh? Nobody but Jesus! So doesn’t it make sense to get in touch with Jesus, or consult Him if we want to know what’s happening? That seems like the wise and logical thing to do. But sadly, a lot of us refuse to do it, foolishly thinking that we’re better off without Him. But how can that be eh friends, when He controls everything, and everything belongs to Him? Bruh David said it in Psalm 24: ‘The earth is the LORD’S, and the fulness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein. For he hath founded it upon the seas, and established it upon the floods (rivers)’ (Ps. 24:1-2) 

And the New International Readers Version (NIRV) explains it in everyday language: ‘The earth belongs to the Lord. And so does everything in it. The world belongs to him. And so do all those who live in it.’ Yes my people, nothing really belongs to us, we are only stewards of the Lord’s possessions here on earth, and it behooves us to take good care of, to look after what’s His with the same dedication and diligence as if it were ours. And if you are a believer in Christ, then stewardship of His assets are a necessary part of your duties. 

And I like this quote on the Importance of Stewardship found on the Christianity.com website: ‘According to scripture, God created Earth for mankind and we are now stewards of His creation. This means it is our responsibility to look after and take care of this world. We should accept this responsibility and appreciate God’s gift of creation for being our home. Our stewardship of creation involves the caretaking of the environment and animals as well as our families and communities. Being a good steward in this world is one way of expressing our LOVE for God and our gratitude to Him.’ 

And God made His desires very clear right at the beginning of the game. The Good Book tells us that after He made man in his own image, creating both male and female. ‘And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth. (Gen. 1:28) Then later on it further tells us: ‘ The Lord God took the man (Adam) and put him in the garden of Eden to dress (work) it and keep it. (Gen. 2:15) 

Yes friends, Adam and Eve’s job was to work the land, till it, look after the garden like a garden should be looked after. And nothing has really changed since then, except that man has fallen into sin. But the earth is still the Lord’s, and we’re still responsible for taking care of it. And I don’t need to tell us that we haven’t done such a good job, because we can all see it in the ravaged, unpredictable climate, disaster-filled, world we now inhabit. I’m sure that breaks Jesus heart since He also told us during His earthly sojourn that it was our job to look after whatever the Father has given us. 

And the parable of the talents is a good example of that, of personal preparation and faithful service to our Master. ‘For the kingdom of heaven is as a man travelling into a far country, who called his own servants, and delivered unto them his goods. And unto one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one; to every man according to his several (own) ability; and straightway took his journey.’ (Matt. 25:14-15) Now that symbolizes the gifts God has given to each of us. Not all of us got the same ones or the same amount. But He expects us to use whatever He’s given us profitably. We’re all entrusted with different tasks and the gifts or ability to perform them. 

But it turns out that when the Master returned, the one with five talents had invested his and made five more, while the one with two talents had also invested his and made two more. However, the one with only one talent went and hid it in the ground, and only had the Master’s original money to give Him when He came back. Obviously the first two were treated well, ‘Welcome thou good and faithful servants,’ and promised further honour in the future. But the last one was called ‘Thou wicked and slothful (lazy) servant.’ And his talent was taken away and given to those who had more. 

And that’s how it’s going to be when Jesus comes back to sit on His throne; those who have wasted their gifts, not made any productive use of them to further God’s kingdom, ‘shall be cast into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’ (Matt.25.30) And Peter corroborated Jesus’ words when he said: ‘As every man hath received the gift, even so minister the same one to another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.’ (1 Pet. 4:10) 

Oh my people, we are to use our various gifts and talents to serve each other as well as to further God’s kingdom in this evil world. That’s why He entrusted us with the many gifts we have. And Bruh Paul gave this advice to the Colossians, re their domestic life. In particular to the servants. ‘And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men. Knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance: for ye serve the Lord Christ.’ (Col. 3:23-24) 

Yes friends, even servants can carry out their menial tasks with enthusiasm, because in the long run, they are serving God and not man, and from God they will receive the inheritance of salvation not from man. The same thing applies to us my fellow saints in Christ. We must carry out our earthly duties as though we’re carrying them out for God, and not man, because it’s God who will reward us in the end, not mankind. And this last scripture puts it all in a nutshell. ‘For an overseer, as God’s steward, must be above reproach. He must not be arrogant or quick-tempered or a drunkard or violent or greedy for gain.’ (Titus 1:7) Oh so true my brethren! 

Now it’s time to turn to the Lord for help in renewing our activities, so we can better use our gifts and talents to further His kingdom. Let’s plead to Him through our Monday Morning Battle Hymn. As one voice: ‘Our Father, who art in heaven, we, Your humble servants, praise Your Holy Name and thank You that this Monday morning we’re alive and standing in faith despite the mass confusion that’s currently prevailing in our world. 

We desperately need Your divine help, for You are the ONLY ONE with the power to solve our many problems; the pandemic of Covid -19, the racial, political, and religious strife that’s ignited worldwide, plus the natural disasters like storms, famine, drought, plagues, climate change, wildfires, earthquakes and erupting volcanoes that suddenly seem to be blossoming more and more as time goes by. 

Heavenly Father, we admit that we have all sinned and seriously come short in obedience and compliance to Your Word, but we know that You are a merciful, forgiving and gracious God, and You have faithfully promised to hear and answer our prayers when we humble ourselves, pray, and sincerely seek Your face. That’s why we come to You now, with sincere repentance in our hearts, pleading with You to give us, ordinary folks, as well as our leaders, employers and medical personnel, wise guidance and direction to bring our problems under control. 

And for those who are currently suffering from the many negative situations, we pray that You will ease their suffering and heal them. Father, please show them Your awesome grace and mercy, and keep Your promise that You’ll hear our prayer, forgive us, and heal our land if we turn from our evil ways. Show this evil world that You are indeed Jehovah Rapha; the God who heals! We pray this in the holy and blessed name of Your Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen! And again we say: Amen!’ 

Now when He looks at our hearts, please let Him see right motives and sincere desire to do His will. Much LOVE!

…a gracious gift…should always be treasured… 

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