Today’s Scrip-Bit   28 April 2022 Psalm 1:1.

28 Apr 2022 Leave a comment

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

Psalm 1:1.       Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly (wicked), nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. 

It looks like another beautiful day is in the offing, although it’s still a tad chilly for this time of year, but we certainly won’t refuse the sunshine, especially after the recent inclement and topsy-turvy weather in our area. And today friends, we are going to look at the type of person who warms the cockles of God’s heart as it is written in Psalm 1 – titled ‘Blessed are the Righteous.’ 

And with no mincing of words, right at the very beginning the psalm tells us that, ‘Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly (wicked), nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. But his delight is in the law of the Lord; and in his law doth he meditate (ponder) day and night.’ (Ps. 1:1-2) 

Those two simple verses say it all my people. The man who will find God’s favour doesn’t cavort with the wicked, but ponders on God’s word continually, and tries to live by what it says. Remember God’s warning to Joshua when He made him leader of the Israelites after Moses’ death? ‘This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth (shall constantly be in thy mouth); but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.’ (Josh. 1:8) 

That tells us one thing; that a successful life depends on knowing God’s word intimately and putting it into action! And you can see that God was quite serious in His warning to Joshua, because He tells him the same basic thing in verses 6-9; be strong and courageous, read my word and live it, then you will have success. And that’s why the psalmist could confidently write those first verses of our psalm, and it’s perhaps why so many of us supposed believers are not having much success in our lives today. We are possibly hanging out with the wrong crowd, and thus are not knowledgeable enough in God’s word, so we cannot put it into proper action. 

For as the psalmist continues about the blessed man: ‘And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers (channels) of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in season; his leaf shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.’ (Ps. 1:3). Glory be my brethren! Can you imagine that? A person who does the will of God will never suffer want. Whatever the circumstance, they will be successful. 

And Jeremiah reinforces that picture with these marvellous words of promise. ‘Blessed is the man that trusteth in the Lord, and whose hope the Lord is, for he shall be as a tree planted by the waters, and that spreadeth out her roots by the river, and shall not see (fear) when heat cometh, but her leaf shall be green and shall not be careful (anxious) in the year of drought, neither shall cease from yielding fruit.’ (Jer. 17:7-8) It couldn’t be put any better or simpler than that friends. The Lord favours those who walk in the wisdom of His word and power! 

And the scholars offer this interesting explanation of Psalm 1. They say, ‘The key word in the psalm is the word blessed. It serves as a pronouncement upon a man – but a certain kind of man. In essence, the psalm is teaching that the blessed or happy man is the righteous man. The happy man avoids evil influences, deeds, and attitudes (vs.1); he delights in God’s word (vs.2); therefore, God causes him to prosper (vs.3).’ 

That makes total sense. If you do what God desires, lives the way He wants you to live, then He will make your way prosperous. It’s just simple common sense, especially when we consider that the Lord is our Creator, the Sovereign Ruler of the Universe and has ultimate control over our lives and everything that happens therein! But these days, we seem to be forgetting those basic facts and rebelling against His rule, even trying to remove Him from our society. It’s utter foolishness my people, because God has made it so clear that He will not allow anybody to overthrow him or usurp His awesome power. 

Just consider what happened when the proud and foolish archangel Lucifer tried to overthrow the Lord. Him and his foolish cohorts were unceremoniously kicked out of heaven and the good life they lived, to walk the earth in sorrow and pain, till the Lord is ready to finally destroy them. And that’s what will happen to those of us who refuse to accept the risen Christ as Lord and Saviour, and instead bow down to the prince of darkness and this evil and ungodly world. 

The psalmist puts it thus: ‘The ungodly are not so: but are like the chaff which the wind driveth away. Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgement, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous. For the Lord knoweth the way of the righteous: but the way of the ungodly shall perish.’ (Ps. 1:4-6) Very simply and precisely spoken my fellow saints. 

But, as the scholars explain: ‘On the other hand, the ungodly is worth no more than chaff (vs.4), and his destiny is judgement (vs. 5). Finally, the evaluation by the Lord Himself is described (vs.6). For the Lord knoweth the way of the righteous (and it will be blessed), but (He also knows) the way of the ungodly (and it) shall perish. The psalm forms an appropriate introduction to the Psalter since it sets before the readers the three characters who will figure mostly in the psalms: the righteous, the ungodly, and God.’ 

And just for good measure (smile) we are going to add these precious words of another psalmist to the mix. ‘The righteous shall flourish like the palm tree: he shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon. Those that be planted in the house of the Lord shall flourish in the courts of our God. they shall bring forth fruit in old age; they shall be fat (plump) and flourishing (green).’ (Ps. 92:12-14) Yuh see that friends, even in old age the righteous shall be fat and flourishing because they live by the word of the Lord. 

So let’s remember that nuh as we go home today declaring (steups!!!) our Thursday Blessings that our wonderful God has bestowed on us to do His earthly work. Altogether now: ‘I declare that I am blessed with God’s supernatural wisdom and receive clear direction for my life! I declare today that I am blessed with creativity, courage, talent and abundance! I am blessed with a strong will, self-control and self-discipline! I am blessed with a great family, good friends, good health, faith, favour and fulfillment! 

I am blessed with success, supernatural strength, promotion and divine protection! I am blessed with a compassionate heart and a positive outlook on life! I declare that any curse or negative word that’s ever been spoken over me is broken right now in the name of Jesus! I declare that everything I put my hands to, will prosper and succeed! I declare it today and every day! Amen!’ 

And now, having invoked those blessings, it’s our bounden duty to go out and activate them in the service of the Lord, in the lives of others, just as generously as the Lord has shared them with us. Much LOVE!

…the prevailing options for living life…are in righteousness and in evil…but the smart money will always be on the former… 

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

Today’s Scrip-Bit   23 April 2022 John 8:32.

23 Apr 2022 Leave a comment

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

John 8:32.      And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. ​

And then it was Saturday; the Jack of all trades day, meaning you can work, rest and/or party comfortably, without any self-recriminations on Saturdays. (smile) Some of us choose to work, especially around the house, doing the personal things we don’t have time for during the work week. Others choose to be simply couch potatoes for the entire day, in front of the boob-tube. And then there are those of us who think that Saturdays were simply made for partying…and nothing else. 

For us though here on the Bit, Saturday means checking out the quotes that our friend Anselm sent us this past week as he aspires to inspires us for a better tomorrow. And the first one says: ‘Setting goals is the first step in turning the invisible into the visible.’ And that seems true enough, for you can’t do something or go somewhere unless you’ve first decided what you’re going to do or where you’re going to go. It all begins in the mind’s eye. And that’s also the first law of Christ’s kingdom: You’ll see it when you believe it. That means walking by faith and not by sight. (1 Cor. 5:7) 

Remember Jesus’ words to Martha before He raised her brother Lazarus from the dead. ‘Said I not unto thee, that if thou wouldest believe, thou shouldest see the glory of God?’ (John 11:40) The same thing applies to us today my faithful brethren; we won’t see the glory of Almighty God unless and until we believe that He is able to do anything and everything. Likewise, in our personal lives, we won’t bring anything to reality unless we first envision it in our minds and then believe, with God’s help we can make it real. 

That brings us to this next quote: ‘On any given Monday I am one sale closer and one idea away from being a millionaire.’ And that’s no lie! On any new day it’s possible to do great things, because we are always, only one step away from greatness, from doing the improbable, especially if the Lord God Jehovah is in our corner and He thinks the time is right for a monumental blessing. And surprisingly, it often takes only ONE of anything, to propel us to lofty heights. Which seems sort of contrary to this next quote, which tells us that ‘If you really look closely, most overnight successes took a long time.’

 Now that’s gospel truth, especially in the entertainment business. Somebody who we’ve never heard of before comes up with a hit song or something, and we quickly claim that they’re an overnight success. But we never hear of the years they been toiling in the trenches for a pittance, begging for breaks they never got, or being ripped off by unscrupulous promoters. Most of them have done their time, have spent time learning their craft, living hand to mouth, doing odd jobs so they can survive. But we never hear about that, just the seemingly quick path to success. 

However, there are some true overnight successes, but they never last. They are here today and gone tomorrow. And the truth is, if we want to make it big in anything at all, and remain at a decent level, we have to put in the time, the elbow grease, the disappointments, the wondering if we will ever succeed, or if we made a mistake doing what we’re doing. But remember too, that without perseverance and endurance you will never get to the winner’s circle. 

And there’s no field of endeavour in which that’s truer than in our Christian walk of faith. Without taking up our crosses and bearing them with a good attitude, which can only be fuelled by serious meditation on God’s word and serious time spent talking to Him, we will never become model Christians for others to see and want to emulate. It’s why Christ calls us, or rather desires us, to be the salt of the earth and the light of the world. We are needed to add flavour and light to a dark and desolate world, which, unfortunately, we are not doing such a good job at, otherwise the world would still not be as dark and desolate as it is currently. 

This Easter Season, we’ve made a big fuss over Jesus, His death and resurrection, just like we do over his birth at Christmas, but then in the twinkling of an eye we forget all the wonderful things we claim He’s done, is doing, and will do for us, and we revert to our normal behaviour; that of living more in the world than in the kingdom of God. No wonder the world doesn’t get any better. Shame on us friends! 

Then we come to this quote: ‘There is no harm in repeating a good thing.’ Technically speaking, that’s true, especially where learning is concerned, but in our current society nobody wants to hear, see, or do the same thing over and over. Our penchant nowadays is for something new, with new seasons for cars, clothes, phones, even for people, (smile) although we have not understood or hardly used the last new thing. That’s made us into a ‘throwaway society.’ And then we wonder why there is so much junk in our world and why our environment is being so badly abused. 

The hard fact of the matter though is that we only learn anything by repetition, doing it over and over. And again, that is oh so true of our Christian faith. We can only learn God’s ways by reading and studying His word over and over. And that’s exactly what He said to Joshua when he made him leader of the Israelites after the death of Moses. ‘This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.’ (Josh. 1:8) 

And I guess that explains why so many of us supposed Christians aren’t prosperous and don’t have good success: we don’t meditate on God’s word, and therefore don’t do what it says. That brings us to this last quote. ‘No one is more hated than he who speaks the truth.’ And I’m in a quandary over that one, because we all hate those who tell lies, but at the same time if we consider the word of God as being the truth, then many are disliked when they speak it. And we are all supposedly searching for and seeking truth, which is basically facts, the actuality of things or events and reality. 

But with Jesus, truth comes from Him, as He says, ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life…’ (John 14:6) His truth stems from the fact that we are all purveyors of sin, but He tells us that, ‘If ye continue (abide) in my word, then ye are my disciples indeed; And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.’ (John 8:31-32) But by the same token, Jesus warned about those who hold to His truth. ‘And ye shall be hated of all men for my name’s sake: but he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.’ (Mark 13:13) 

Yes, my fellow saints, there’s no better way to end this Saturday morning than on those words of truth. The world doesn’t like followers of Christ and will do its best to make our lives miserable, but we know the truth, that’s Jesus, and that awesome knowledge has set us free, and we WILL abide in it right to the very end! Much LOVE!

…in this world…EVERYTHING revolves around Jesus…from Creation to Salvation…that’s the truth…

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

Today’s Scrip-Bit   25 October 2021 Deuteronomy 8:6.

25 Oct 2021 Leave a comment

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

Deuteronomy 8:6.     ‘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 before thee; he will not fail thee nor forsake thee.’ 

A good Monday morning to you my faithful friends and neighbours! Grace and peace from our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ to all those who sincerely trust and believe in Him. And since the breath of life continues to run through our bodies on this fateful Monday, it means that there is still important work for us to do down here in Christ’s name. Some of us know what that work is, and should faithfully put our shoulders to the wheel and do it without complaints, for He will greatly enable us to perform whatever He calls us to do. 

Meanwhile, for those of us who don’t know our particular purpose, it’s ever so important for us to seek it out with the Lord’s help, for one day we shall all come before Him to answer for what we’ve done with our lives. And I don’t believe that ignorance of our earthly purpose will be a satisfactory answer. (smile) Remember, heavenly rewards are based on the fruit of our earthly labour, and if we didn’t bear any good earthly fruit, how can we expect to reap heavenly rewards eh? 

And how do you find out your earthly purpose, you ask? Simple. Go to God and ask Him. Find a quiet place and some quiet time to spend with Him; read His word, think on it, and talk to Him like you’d talk to a friend, and He will answer your questions. Possibly not all at once, or in a loud voice, but quietly, in your spirit, you will eventually feel a nudging in a certain direction…or it might even be much more than a nudge, a direct command. 

But remember too, that after we pose our questions to God, like in every other conversation, we need to be quiet and listen for His response. And that’s where so many of us fail, and complain that God doesn’t speak to us. It’s obvious that if we don’t listen, we can’t hear Him speaking. However, with the impatience of our current society, we expect to receive the answer right away, but that isn’t how our God operates. Unless it’s a dire emergency, He expects us to be patient and contemplative, not rushing around aimlessly like so much of our world is doing. 

There’s no need to worry friends. If you ask God for directions, He will give them to you, just in His own time and fashion. Don’t worry about Him being late either. He knows what’s important and when and operates on the just in time principle. From personal experience, I know that’s an aggravating principle, but after the first few times, you’ll realize that God is faithful and will not let you down, He will arrive just in time. 

But that means putting your trust in Him, which means spending quality time with Him, getting to know Him as intimately as possible, because trust can only be built through intimacy and sincerity and time spent together. And that trust can’t be built overnight either. It will take time, as much or as little time as you choose to put into the relationship. Remember, our heavenly Father is always there, ready, willing and able to talk to us, and when He feels the need, He will open a conversation with us, but basically, it’s our responsibility to get the ball rolling. 

And in building trust, you must learn to rely wholeheartedly on His promises; promises like His grace is sufficient for us (2 Cor. 12:9); Temptation will not overtake us (1 Cor. 10:13); Victory over death (1 Cor. 15:57) To supply us with every need we have (Phil. 4:19) Eternal life. (John 3:16, 10:28) All things work together for good for those who love and serve Him faithfully (Rom. 8:28) 

But yuh know what my people? Sincere trust also calls for bravery and courage. And believers need them each and every moment of every day if they are to be faithful to God’s desires. They are not easy to come by in this evil and ungodly world either, but God in His everlasting wisdom has also made provision for that. Remember these words of Moses to the Israelites. ‘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 before thee; he will not fail thee nor forsake thee.’ (Deut. 8:6) 

And that’s gospel truth, for you see how He led the Israelites when He brought them out of bondage in Egypt. The Good Book tells us: ‘And the Lord went before them by day in a pillar of a cloud, to lead them the way; and by night in a pillar of fire, to give them light; to go by day and night:’ (Ex. 13:21) But to acquire that bravery and courage, trust and surrender, here’s what the Lord said to Joshua, when He made him leader of the Israelites after Moses’ death. 

‘This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.’ (Josh. 1:8) And therein lies the secret to success in God’s kingdom; learn His Word and put it into action. 

That’s it in a nutshell friends. If you don’t know His Word then you can’t keep His commands. And to truly truly know it, you must also have good and frequent communication with the Lord so He can explain the parts you don’t understand. (smile) And communicating with God is called prayer, and there is never a better time for prayer than the moment you think of it. So, since it’s in our thoughts right now, I think it’s appropriate that we approach the Lord in prayer through our Monday Morning Battle Hymn, laying out our problems and desires before Him. 

As one strong voice: ‘Our Father, who art in heaven, we, Your humble servants, praise Your Holy Name and thank You this Monday morning for life and strong faith in Christ, despite the mass confusion in our world. We desperately need Your divine help, for You are the ONLY ONE with the power to solve our many problems. 

Heavenly Father, we admit that we have all sinned and seriously disobeyed Your Word, but we know that You are a merciful, forgiving and gracious God, who has 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 wise guidance and direction to alleviate our problems.  

And Father, we pray that you will ease the pain of the many who are suffering from negative situations. 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 remember that God not only listens to our words but also checks our hearts to see if our motives are right and true, before He answers our prayers. Much LOVE!

…to truly live for the Lord…one must put a sincere effort into it…meaning blood, sweat and tears…like Jesus did…                                                                                                            

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

Today’s Scrip-Bit 14 November 2020 Deuteronomy 8:18.

14 Nov 2020 Leave a comment

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

Deuteronomy 8:18.     ​Remember the Lord thy God: for it is he who giveth thee the power to get wealth…

Oh, it’s a lazy, hazy Saturday morning… and I’m late and hazy and lazy too! (smile) Did some other things before coming down to write the Bit, and now I’m a li’l miffed at myself for not getting started earlier. But them’s the breaks. Get over it self! (smile) 

And what’s the news this morning eh? Nothing has changed! The world is still in a volatile, unholy, strife-filled mess. And if you like the status quo, then I suppose that’s good news for you. If you don’t… well what can I say eh? Nothing but keep praying, repenting, getting back to God…and tell everyone you know, shout it from the rooftops that that’s the ONLY way our world will ever recover some semblance of normalcy! Nothing much is going to improve until there’s a big God-centred Revival in our world; a LOVE Revolution! Now that’s my stand…and I’m sticking to it! (smile) 

So, since it’s Saturday, let’s see what interesting quotes our friend Anselm sent us this past week as he aspires to inspire us for a better tomorrow. And again, I only got three quotes instead of the usual five. And no, I’m not complaining – no way – because now I only have to wrap my head around three and not five quotes. Glory be! 

And he’s also continuing this new style of prefacing each one with this proviso: ‘Positive affirmation you should tell yourself to remind yourself just how awesome you are. I’m calm, happy, and content.’ But please remember we are only awesome and truly happy, calm and content in Christ Jesus; when He’s in us and we are in Him! Much LOVE and thanks to our wonderful Lord and Saviour! And also as usual, we’ll leave out the proviso from here on in. But please remember it in the context of Jesus. 

So here’s the first quote: ‘I choose not to criticize myself or others around me.’ Now that’s such a wonderful attitude! And besides our world is filled with too much criticism these turbulent days, unsupported criticism at that too. It’s one of our favourite games in this time of social media and rampant technology. And it’s one of those games where we like to give, but can’t take. We all LOVE to criticize, but we can’t accept it, even when it’s useful and true. 

Let’s stop for a moment and remember these awesome words of our Leader, Jesus Christ nuh. ‘Judge not (condemn not, criticize not), that ye be not judged (condemned, criticized). For with what judgement (condemnation, criticism) ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete (use), it shall be measured to you again.’ (Matt. 7:1-2) 

In other words friends, do unto others as you would like them to do unto you, because whatever you do, in whatever measure, it will eventually boomerang right back to you, and most likely you will be appalled at it. (smile) As the ole people would say: ‘Do so ent like so!’ And that’s the gospel truth, for we don’t like getting back the negative stuff we throw in other’s faces. 

But listen to this explanation from the scholars on the subject. ‘7:1-4. Judge not refers to an unfavourable and condemnatory judgement. This does not mean that a Christian should never exercise judgement of any kind under any circumstances. The point being made here is that we are not to judge the inner motives of another. We are not to render a verdict based upon prejudiced information. Nor are we to use ourselves as the standard of judgement for with what…ye mete (measure) you shall be judged. That ye be not judged refers to the ultimate judgement of God rather than our own judgement.’ 

Hope that clarifies the subject and means that our criticism level will drop by at least three quarters, because a lot of the time we criticize, it’s not even that we have prejudiced info, but NO info at all. That’s how bad criticism is in these troubled and uncertain times! 

And the second quote proclaims: ‘My potential to succeed is limitless.’ Now that is certainly true…but again under the right situation and circumstances. One must first be filled with the Holy Spirit of Jesus and being obedient and obeisant to Him, so that we can be calm, happy and contented. But here’s the kicker in these words of Moses to the Israelites: ‘Remember the Lord thy God: for it is he who giveth thee the power to get wealth…’ (Deut. 8:18) Yes friends, unless we are living under God’s protective and powerful umbrella, our lives won’t be as thrilling, adventurous and successful. 

Remember His words to Joshua on remembering and meditating on His word and doing all contained therein? Why? ‘…for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.’ (Josh. 1:8) It couldn’t be any plainer than that my people. And the thing we don’t understand about being successful in God’s mercies, is that with Him, success is lasting, not the uncertain, fleeting kind that comes when we try to accomplish it in our own strength following the ways of the world. 

So here’s the last quote…and it’s a dandy! (smile) ‘Difficult times are part of my journey and allow me to appreciate the good.’ And is that the indisputable truth! Thus the sayings like: ‘you can’t appreciate the sun until you experience the rain,’ ‘you can’t appreciate joy until you have experienced sorrow.’ It’s only when we experience the bad that we can truly appreciate the good. And nowhere is that clearer than in Jesus’ economy, for ofttimes He allows us to go through rough times to test our mettle, to mature us in His style. For we all know that we only truly grow in difficult times, not much in good ones. 

Now in this evil and sinful world difficulties do abound. And Jesus didn’t hesitate to remind us of that when He said: ‘These things I have spoken unto you, that ye might have peace. In the world ye shall tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.’ (John 16:33) And He certainly overcame, hell, death and the grave. So he knows what He’s talking about. 

And His brother James puts it thus: ‘My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations (various trials); Knowing this, that the trying (testing) of your faith worketh (produces) patience. But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire (complete), wanting (lacking) nothing.’ (James 1:2-4) Yes friends, we need to look at our trials from God’s viewpoint; that they are maturing us and making us more like Jesus in character which is God’s eventual plan for ALL of his children.

 And yes, most of us try to find a way to escape from the trials and temptations, but it’s necessary that we go through them if we want to mature and grow in our Christian faith. And remember too that the Lord has promised to always be with us, helping us all the way. Now that belief is what our faith is built on, and with it we can successfully navigate any problems we encounter in this world! So let’s stand strong and steadfast, surrounded by all of God’s faithful promises! Much LOVE!

…when trials and tribulation come…God’s saints successfully rise up over them…  

Today’s Scrip-Bit 26 June 2015 Joshua 1:8b‏

26 Jun 2015 Leave a comment

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

Joshua 1:8b.    …for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.

Oh Friends, oh Friends, although the ole fella didn’t get to bed until four o’clock this morning, hence the lateness of the Bit, he’s still so glad to be alive this last Friday in June 2015, that he doesn’t know what to do with ‘imself! Hn, hn!

And talking about the last Friday in June makes me shake my head in wonder, asking if June is already finished when it just began the other day? (smile)

Ah mih people, the breath of life is so precious that I’m surprised at how so many of us don’t appreciate it and just waste it away in ungodly living or simple apathy.

Anyway, I know you all are waiting for me to say it so that you can shout it out. So here goes. Aye Friends, all yuh know is Friday…?

And the loud shout rises up: ‘But of course! That’s why we’re exclaiming TGIF! Thank God is Friday yes! All hail the glory of God for helping us to see the week through successfully, even though some hard times were involved. Thank God for this weekend break! And furthermore, we going to use it wisely!’

Wow mih brethren, I am proud of you for that tad of wisdom! (smile) But still, since all of us might not feel that way, and consequently want to use the weekend for debauchery and licentiousness, let’s chant our Friday Chant to give us some perspective on the way to truly use it.

As one harmonious chanter 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.’

Yes Friends, the weekend is not to further tire out and misuse our body with ungodly living, but to rest it, to let it recuperate so that we can go back out next week and further God’s kingdom amongst the heathen and ungodly hordes.

And today we’re going to continue with our wise, soul searching Bit from yesterday. ‘…for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.’

And that’s something we all want to have. But how do we do it eh? By seriously and sincerely meditating on God’s Word and then keeping His commandments and statutes found therein.

Oh it’s definitely not a Sunday walk in the park, but as Jesus so assuredly said to the disciples. ‘These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.’ (John 16:33)

Those words of assurance still pertain to us today my people, and though being of good cheer in the midst of our troubles is not easy, it is indeed possible when our hearts, minds, bodies and souls are filled with Jesus and His awe inspiring Word. It’s all about the Word, my Friends!

Now let’s look at some scripture which proclaim that sentiment of absolute truth. While Moses was writing the last book of the Pentateuch, (the first five books of the Bible) Deuteronomy, he exhorted the people to obedience, showing them all that the Lord had done for them.

Then he commanded them in no uncertain terms. ‘Keep therefore the words of this covenant, and do them, that ye may prosper in all that ye do.’ (Deut. 29:9)  

Then when Moses was finished writing Deuteronomy, the Good Book declares: ‘That Moses commanded the Levites, which bare the ark of the covenant of the Lord, saying, Take this book of the law, and put it in the side of the ark of the covenant of the Lord your God, that it may be there for a witness against thee.

For I know thy rebellion, and thy stiff neck: behold, while I am yet alive with you this day, ye have been rebellious against the Lord; and how much more after my death?’ (Deut.31:25-27)

Ah Friends, Moses knew his people! And was he ever right, for though they had the law of God ensconced in the ark, they still made a mess of their lives, turned from the God of their fathers several times to foolishly worship all sorts of other supposed gods and idols.

And unfortunately my brethren, that is exactly the state that we are in today. Numerous people are foolishly turning away from the ONE AND ONLY TRUE GOD to worship all sorts of other nonsense! Why can’t we understand that it is only when we praise, serve and worship Jehovah God that a land, a society, and a people truly prosper for long periods of time eh?

And we’ll end with these wonderful words of advice and assurance from Psalm 1 – Blessed are the righteous. ‘Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly (wicked), nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.

But his delight is in the law of the Lord; and in his law doth he meditate (ponder, by talking to oneself) day and night. And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers (channels) of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.’ (Ps.1:1-3)

Ah Friends, what more can I add to that eh? Nothing really, but to advise us to keep walking with the Lord God Jehovah, if we want to be successful in this earthly life and consequently the one hereafter.

And for those of us who have not yet accepted Jesus Christ as our Lord and Saviour, then I highly recommend that you give Him a try, for you have absolutely nothing to lose and a whole lot of heavenly goodness and wisdom to gain. Much LOVE!

…to sincerely follow Jesus and His Word…is the wisest…most sensible…and most blessed thing a human being can ever do…

 

 

 

Today’s Scrip-Bit 25 June 2015 Joshua 1:8b

25 Jun 2015 Leave a comment

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

Joshua 1:8b.   …for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.

Oh Friends, it’s Thursday! Wow! Another terrific day in the history of civilization is on the way! Glory to God!

So please, let’s give thanks, be glad and rejoice in this day, because it is the wisdom of the age. It just had to be since the Holy One of Israel has a specially prepared fount of blessings on tap for us today. We just have to be obedient to His will and He will shower us with bountiful blessings, show us an awesome time.

And all God’s children declared a loud, proud and grateful ‘Glory Hallelujah! All praise and thanks and honour to the King of Kings and Lord of Lords who sits upon His throne in the high heavens running things according to His wise and holy will!’

Yes my people, our God is indeed a great and magnanimous God! In fact, He is the ONLY TRUE God! And He’s also a LIVING God, which none of the other supposed gods are! It is His wonderful breath of life that courses through our bodies. That’s something we ought always to remember because it’s one of the foundation pillars of our faith.

Now here is an interesting quote on expecting success from Norman Vincent Peale (1898-1993), the famous American minister, author and champion of the ‘Power of Positive Thinking.’

‘Hope is the great power that can move you to success. Why? Because when a man expects to win, he does not hold anything back, but gives his project all that he’s got. Most people fail not because they lack ability, intelligence or opportunity, but they fail because they don’t give it all they’ve got.’

And isn’t that the absolute truth! For when we expect success we put all that we have into it; time, energy and money. It’s the very dedication to our project and the determination to succeed that leads us to success!

So for all of us who have projects on the go, and that includes the living of this earthly life, let’s be dedicated and determined to succeed nuh, obviously with the help of Jesus. And how do we enlist the aid of Jesus? Simply by turning to Him, putting all out trust and faith in Him.

As the Lord told Joshua several times when He anointed him to lead Israel after the death of Moses. ‘Be strong and of a good courage… Only be thou strong and very courageous… Have I not commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee withersoever thou goest.’ (Josh.1: 6, 7, 9)

So in the space of four verses, God warns Joshua three times to be strong and courageous and not afraid. Oh Friends, it’s the same thing that our great unchangeable God is saying to us today; ‘Be strong and of a good courage, and be not afraid.’ For we can’t do His bidding if we’re weak and fearful.

However my brethren, the clincher in the whole story is this verse, verse 8, from which our Bit comes. ‘This book of the law shall not depart out of (shall be constantly in) thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.’  (Josh.1:8)

Yeh Friends, you see the true and real way to be prosperous and have success: be strong and courageous, but even more importantly, meditate on the Lord’s Word day and night. It calls for manly strength and courage, as well as a strong and courageous faith centered in the Word of God. That is the ONLY way to have lasting prosperity and success!

Moses had already warned the Israelites re the choice of a king, and what His most important role was: ‘And it shall be, when he sitteth upon the throne of his kingdom, that he shall write him a copy of this law in a book out of that which is before the priests the Levites:

And it shall be with him, and he shall read therein all the days of his life: that he may learn to fear (stand in awe of) the Lord his God; to keep all the words of this law and these statutes, to do them.

That his heart be not lifted up above his brethren (become proud), and that he turn not aside from the commandment, to the right hand, or to the left: to the end that he may prolong his days (continue long) in his kingdom, he, and his children, in the midst of Israel.’ (Deut.17:18-20)

One simply cannot rule or live justly without the guidance of the Good Book!

And Jesus reiterated that command in the Sermon on the Mount when He told us in no uncertain terms. ‘Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for (do not worry about) your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat (food), and the body more than raiment (clothes)? … But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.’ (Matt.6:25, 33)

Oh my people, how many times must we be reminded that the ultimate in wisdom and common sense decrees that we place our trust in our heavenly Father if we want to be successful in this world eh?

But in spite of it all, we still listen to Lucifer, the ole deceitful wolf in sheep’s clothing and believe, or act on the premise that you have to concentrate on the things of the world and the way the world thinks and acts, to make it. That’s a total lie my brethren!

The necessary material things will be provided for us by God, the Great Provider, if we concentrate on seeking and doing His will. And we won’t have to be fearful and anxious about our needs because the Father knows we need those things to survive, and He has promised that HE WILL provide them if we are true and faithful to His Word.

And what better way to end than with this powerful testimony from Bruh David from Psalm 37 – The true state of the wicked. ‘I have been young, and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed (descendants) begging bread. He is ever merciful (merciful all the day), and lendeth, and his seed (descendants) is blessed. Depart from evil, and do good; and dwell for evermore.’ (Ps.37:25-27)

Oh Friends, all I can do now is to implore us to follow the wonderful advice we have received from several ever-faithful and reliable sources, if we truly desire to be prosperous and successful in this world. Much LOVE!

…true strength and power and prosperity…in other words earthly success…comes only from Almighty God…through obedience to His Word and Will…