Thursday Blessings | SCRIP-BITS

Today’s Scrip-Bit 15 June 2023 Matthew 6:24b.

15 Jun 2023 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: all these things shall be added unto you, curse, divine protection, easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle, if thou wilt be perfect, is not life more than meat, it is he that giveth thee the power to get wealth, it's hard for a rich man to enter heaven, lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, lay up treasures for yourselves in heaven, let them have dominion, LOVE, money can't buy heavenly things, more beautiful than Cousin Sol in all his glory, negative word, no man can serve two masters, promotion, prosper, remember the Lord thy god, seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, self-control, sell that thou hast and give to the poor, succeed, surrender everything to God, take no thought for your life, the birds don't sow or reap, the body more than raiment, the earth is the Lord's and the fullness thereof, the lilies of the field neither toil nor spin, the might of mine hand hath gotten me this wealth, thieves break through and steal, thou say in thine heart, Thursday Blessings, we are managers and stewards not owners, where moth and rust doth corrupt, Ye cannot serve God and mammon

Matthew 6:24b. Ye cannot serve God and mammon (riches, money).

Well, we’ve moved on to Thursday, the second to last day of the work week, and in my area it’s slated to be mostly cloudy, somewhat cool and windy. And I must say the last few days have been more spring-like, with cooler temps and some cloudy periods with rain, than it was earlier in the month with all that sunshine and warmth. But that’s how it is with life; what you don’t get now, you’ll get later, and vice versa. (smile) And no, I haven’t forgotten that we are supposed to continue talking about the value and importance of learning how to handle money, as prescribed in the Good Library.

Now I don’t know if this is true, but someone once said that Jesus talked about money more than anything else in His earthly ministry. But He did talk some about money, so let’s see what He had to say on the subject. And the first and possibly the most important of Jesus’ sayings about money is this: ‘No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and LOVE the other; or else he will hold to (be loyal) to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon (riches, money).’ (Matt. 6:24)

And that’s the gospel truth friends! We cannot serve God and run down material wealth too, although many of us are trying to do just that. God wants to be involved in EVERYTHING we do, so we can’t leave Him out to pursue money, then come back to Him when we feel like.

And here are possibly the two most important quotes in the whole Bible about money and material wealth. The first are the opening words of Psalm 24, as Bruh David says it loud and clear. ‘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) Yes friends, that tells us in no uncertain terms that the earth and all therein belongs to God Almighty, who created it and still controls it. So whatever we have doesn’t really belong to us, we are just stewards, managers of it on this earth.

And maybe this verse from right at the beginning of creation might help us to remember who’s the real BOSS! ‘And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every thing that creepeth upon the earth.’ (Gen 1:26) Please note that God made it all and gave us dominion, or charge over it, He did not say it was ours.

And the next verses we should hallow or think on, when we consider getting earthly riches, are these two spoken by Moses to the children of Israel. He warns them about getting swell headed when they get prosperous. ‘And thou say in thine heart, My power and the might of mine hand hath gotten me this wealth. But thou shalt remember the Lord thy God: for it is he that giveth thee power to get wealth, that he may establish (confirm) his covenant which he sware unto thy father, as it is this day.’ (Deut. 8:18) So there we have it, we don’t get wealth by our power, but through the Lord’s, because it all belongs to Him anyway.

Now let’s get back to some of Jesus’ teaching on money. And just before He spoke about not being able to serve God and mammon or money, He warned. ‘Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon the earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt (ruin), and where thieves break through and steal: But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt (ruin), and where thieves do not break through and steal.’ (Matt. 6:19-20)

Now there’s wisdom for the ages! When you accumulate earthly wealth a lot of it deteriorates with age, or the possibilities are great for thieves to steal it, but in heaven there’s neither moth nor rust nor thieves, so if you desire to accumulate treasure, the best place to do so is in heaven! And in His teachings on worry right after that, Jesus also declares (yesss!!!): ‘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 life more than meat (food), and the body more than raiment (clothing)?’ (Matt. 6:25)

Now that’s a good question. If we don’t worry about food and clothes how will we survive, and we need money to provide those things for ourselves and our families. And to further make His point, Jesus points out how the birds fly around without sowing or reaping, but they eat and live well because God looks after them. Likewise, the lilies of the field, they don’t toil or spin, but they’re even more beautiful than Cousin Sol in all his glory. and Cousin Sol was sure a sight to behold! (smile)

Then Jesus reasons that if the Lord looks after those things of His universe that are not as important as us, why wouldn’t He also take good care of us, since He knows all that we need. Then He comes to the proviso, the thing necessary for that to happen. ‘But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.’ (Matt, 6:33) Now that’s the big one friends. If we want all that God has to offer, then we need to seek Him and his righteousness first, and keep it first place always. And it isn’t that we ought not to work, we should, as 2 Thess. 3:10, and 1 Tim. 5:8 tell us, but that we should stop worrying and learn to trust God.

Now, we only have space and time left for one more of Jesus’ pronouncements on money. And this is indeed a hard one, where He says to the rich young ruler who had everything and kept the law as best he could, but was seeking eternal life. ‘Jesus said unto him, If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me.’ (Matt. 19:21) It’s obvious that the young man went away sad because he had a lot of wealth. Then Jesus went on to tell the disciples how it was hard for a rich man to enter heaven and it was easier for a camel to pass through the eyes of a needle, and with God all things are possible. etc. (Matt. 19:23-30)

But what we’re concerned with here is why Jesus said those tough words to the young man. And this commentary explains it well. ‘These words of Jesus were not given as a general command to all His followers. Rather, they were spoken to a certain rich young ruler who wanted to inherit eternal life. But that doesn’t mean they don’t apply to us today. Jesus’ concern had to do with the grip the man’s wealth had on His heart. If He couldn’t let it go, then He could never really surrender everything to God. What about you? If Jesus asked you to give up everything, would you be able to do so?’

And isn’t that a marvellous question, which all of us are hoping that Jesus never asks us to do, since we all have a fair amount of earthly stuff, to which we’ve become fairly attached. (smile) But that’s a thought for another day, right now, let’s go home declaring (awright!!!) our Thursday Blessings which have been given to us to do Christ’s earthly work.

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 it’s now our bounden duty to get out into the evil and ungodly world and share those blessings just as generously with others as Christ shared them with us! Much LOVE!

…money can buy earthly things…but it cannot buy the things of heaven…let’s remember that…

Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ

Today’s Scrip-Bit 8 June 2023 Matthew 9:37.

08 Jun 2023 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: a curve called failure, a door called confusion, a driver called Jesus, a place called success, a spare tire called determination, abundance, an engine called perseverance, but the labourers are few, caution lights called family, courage, creativity, curse, flats called jobs, God-awesome truth, heaven will seem empty, insurance called faith, lack of family doctors in Ontario, last days of the church age, LOVE, many sheaves of the harvest, negative word, polluted air, pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, private health care system, red lights called enemies, rewards insignificant to the work, roadblocks, send forth labourers into his harvest, smoke and haze from forest fires, speed bumps called friends, talent, the answer is Jesus, the Good News of Christ, the harvest truly is plenteous, the road to success is not straight, Thursday Blessings, wagging the tail of the dog

Matthew 9:37. The harvest truly is plenteous, but the labourers are few;

Well friends this Thursday afternoon I’m faced with a big question: Are the cloudy skies outside indicative of rain as promised by the weather forecasters, or is it only smoke and haze from the forest fires burning in Northern Ontario, like we’ve been getting for the past couple of days? I’d like to think that it’s a foreshadowing of rain, but my computer is telling me that we are having polluted air. So, what do I think or believe eh?

Oh, the pollution from the forest fires is resonating down here, and it seems even as far as New York City. I could smell the smoke and see the hazy skies sitting on my porch two days ago. And it’s definitely not a good sign when the residue from the fires is travelling so far away and beginning to affect the quality of air some people are breathing.

Now, I wonder if that’s affecting the asthmatic problems I’m currently having? (smile) I don’t think so, because I’ve been bugged by allergies or something for the past ten days and nothing I do or take seems to make the problems go away. Guess I’ve got to go and see my family doctor. Been trying to get an appointment since yesterday, but haven’t heard back as yet. And that’s another problem in the country, or at least in this Province of Ontario, a lack of family doctors.

Why? Not many of the graduating doctors are going into family practice because the rewards for the amount of work needed seem insignificant to them. And would you believe that in this supposed first world country there are people who don’t have a family doctor and can’t get one because the few they have are not taking on any new patients. And the government is just talking out of it’s you know what, on the health care issue, trying to make things bad in the public system, so they can have a rigged excuse to get their friends and partners into the private health care system they so badly desire, so they can make even more money than they are currently making.

But yuh know what? As the good Lord says, this too shall pass. And believe me, it will, and those at the head right now will eventually be the wagging tail of the dog. Our God has promised it, and whatever He promises He delivers on! Amen!

And now, on a more positive note, I want to share something that I found while going through some old files on my desk last evening. As so often is the case, I don’t know where I got it from, but it’s old because all the other stuff in that particular file was old, many from the early years of the century. However, the information it contains, still rings straight and true in these turbulent and topsy turvy times.

There is no title, but at the top of the yellow page of paper, it says quite clearly and informatively: ‘The road to success is not straight. There is a curve called failure…a door called confusion…speed bumps called friends…red lights called enemies…caution lights called family. You will have flats called jobs, but if you have a spare called determination…an engine called perseverance…insurance called faith…a driver called Jesus…you will make it to a place called SUCCESS!’

Wow! And that’s the God-awesome truth! With so many roadblocks in your way to success, you definitely need to have all those things, especially Jesus as your Guide and Leader, to ever reach your God-given destiny! And that’s exactly what a lot of us supposed believers are lacking in these crucial and very critical last days of the church age; the spare tire of determination, the engine of perseverance, the insurance of faith, and the driver called Jesus.

Oh many of us have the driver called Jesus, but our spare tires, our engines and our insurance are definitely not up to scratch. Yes friends, we are sadly lacking in those areas, that’s why our witness for Christ is not as good as it ought to be, and it will never get better unless we upgrade those areas in which we’ve fallen behind. Remember, Jesus is only the driver, He goes where we lead Him, and if our spare tires, engines and insurance are not good, then He can’t drive us very far, or on to any rough country roads where the fishing might bring a very good harvest.

Remember what He said to the disciples: ‘The harvest truly is plenteous, but the labourers are few; Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth labourers into his harvest.’ (Matt. 9:37-38) And that’s what we are supposed to be friends, labourers in the great harvest of God, obeying the Great Commission, going out and doing our best to bring others to Christ, by the way we walk and talk, the way we live and conduct ourselves amongst the heathen, setting godly examples for the unbeliever.

And I like what the scholars say about those verses. ‘Verses 37 and 38 constitute one of the great missionary passages of the New Testament. Jesus pictures the world as a great spiritual harvest in need of labourers to gather into the storehouse.’ And indeed it is, and we are the labourers who are supposed to gather the harvest into Christ’s storehouse. But we are not doing such a hot job, are we? Thus, a lot of the harvest is dying, drying up out in the field because we’re not getting to it soon enough to reap it.

As this commentary says: ‘God uses this analogy to highlight the fact that there are a lot of persons who need to be cared for and brought to God.’ And we all know that there are plenty people searching for answers to all the many and difficult questions in their lives, and we know that the ANSWER to them all is JESUS. But unfortunately, we’re not getting out there sufficiently and offering Him to those who are seeking solace, comfort and reassurance in this most desperate and needy time of man’s existence.

But that’s our job friends, and if we’re not doing our jobs to the best of our ability, then we’re letting Jesus down. And I can’t stomach that fact. How can we ever let Jesus down after all that He’s so selflessly done for us eh? No way Jose! So please let’s get out there into the great harvest and reap as much as we can nuh, all in Jesus’s name! And it’s not like we haven’t been given the tools to do the job, we have. So let’s declare the Thursday Blessings that have so generously been bestowed upon us to do that very job.

And having activated those blessings with our declaration (awright!!!) let’s go out and use them in a most generous manner to turn unbelievers to the good news of Christ. Much LOVE!

…if we don’t bring in the many sheaves of the harvest…heaven will seem somewhat empty…

P.S. Looks like the Bit might be late again tomorrow, as I just got a mid-morning appointment with my doctor. Today’s was this late because I had a mid-morning church meeting. Chuh! Too many things demanding my time at the wrong time! (smile) Much LOVE!

Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ

Today’s Scrip-Bit 25 May 2023 Matthew 22:36.

25 May 2023 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: a compassionate heart, a life worth living, a serpent of brass, chaos and destruction, consistent disobedience, courage, creativity, curse, faith, favour, fulfillment, increased busyness, inherent in making a living, lawyers- two faced forked tongue, LOVE, negative word, never free from the tyranny of work, stress the number one illness, the flurry of activity, The Lord our God is one Lord, the main tenets of our faith, the parable of the Good Samaritan, the peace love and joy of God, this do and thou shalt live, thou shalt love the Lord thy God, Thursday Blessings, we don't seek the face of God, we have sinned, which is the great commandment, who is my neighbour, with all thy heart mind and soul

Matthew 22:36. Master which is the great commandment in the law?

So, we’ve finally arrived at Thursday, the day before the big day of Friday. But I’m sure many eyes, hopes and thoughts are not on today, but turned to that day of supposed freedom from work. (smile) However, here’s a li’l secret that I’ve learned in my own journey through life; you’re never free from the tyranny of work! You may sidestep it for a while, but it always brings you back to that flurry of activity inherent in making a living and a life worth living.

And have you noticed that as our society gets more and more amenities and technologies that theoretically are supposed make our life less busy and stressful, we are instead getting busier and more stressed, until we’ve reached the point where stress is the number one illness in the land. Don’t ask me why that is, because I’m not an expert, not one of those qualified to give answers to such deep questions. (smile) But this I do know: our turning away from the God of our forefathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, has something to do with the increased busyness and stress that we’re currently experiencing.

That’s because a majority of us no longer seek His face, and thus cannot enjoy the peace, LOVE and joy that He’s promised to those who seek Him diligently. It’s all very simple yes, and simply spelled out in His Word, the Bible, the Good Library, the Guidebook for earthly living. When our forefathers sincerely followed the Lord, they enjoyed a level of peace, LOVE and joy that most of us in this society have never known. That’s because they acquiesced to His will and His word. And if you don’t believe me, let’s look at a few scriptures that would do us the world of good if we went back to following them.

First of all, let’s look at the main tenets of our faith, the most important things we ought to do under God’s law. These are the words of Jesus, the Son of God when asked the question in a sarcastic manner by a lawyer, a supposed expert in the law, trying to tempt Him. Oh boy, lawyers seem to have been a two faced, forked tongued, distrustful lot from day one. (smile)

Anyway, he asked: ‘Master which is the great commandment in the law? Jesus said to him, Thou shalt LOVE the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt LOVE thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.’ (Matt. 22:36-40)

And that was nothing new to them, for it was the same thing Moses had said to their forefathers in the wilderness, after he led them out of bondage in Egypt. ‘Hear oh, Israel: The Lord our God is one Lord: And thou shalt LOVE the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.’ (Deut. 6:4-5)

Now, according to Luke’s version of the incident, the expert in the law stood up and tried to test Jesus, by asking, ‘Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life? Jesus said unto him, What is written in the law? how readest thou?’ (Luke 10:25-26) And the ole crook gave the same answers that Jesus gave in Matthew’s version. ‘And Jesus said unto him, Thou hast answered right: this do, and thou shalt live. But he, (the lawyer) willing (wanting) to justify himself, said unto Jesus, And who is my neighbour?’ (Luke 10:28-29)

Oh, the deceit and hypocrisy amongst the ruling elite both then and now! But Jesus went along with the lawyer’s little game, and told him the parable of the Good Samaritan, where the priest, the Levite and a Samaritan passed a robbed an injured Jewish man on the road, and only the Samaritan, the hated cousins of the Jews, stopped to attend to him. (Luke 10:30-35) At the end, Jesus asks the ole crook, ‘Which now of these three, thinkest thou, was neighbour unto him that fell among the thieves? And he said, He that shewed mercy on him. Then said Jesus unto him, Go and do likewise.’ (Luke 10:36-37 Jesus certainly put him in his place.

And that’s what happens when we try to play foolish games with God, like turning away from Him, and trying to remove Him and all signs of Him from our society! Remember, He is all powerful, knows everything and sees everything, while we are just His frail and fragile creation from the dust of the earth, to which we all eventually return, who have gotten too big for our britches because of the amazing things we have discovered and invented ONLY through His empowerment! What a sad day it becomes when the created thinks that he is bigger and ‘badder’ than his Creator!

Don’t we remember all the terrible things that the Lord did to the Jewish people for their stubborn and willful disobedience? The many times their land was besieged and captured by warlike enemies. Don’t forget either when they couldn’t wait on Moses to come down from the mountain with the Ten Commandments and they got Aaron, his brother to make then a golden calf, called it their god and worshipped it. Then eventually Moses had the Levites, kill all of the idolaters. (Ex. 32:25-29)

Now check out this scripture: ‘And the people spake against God and against Moses, Wherefore have ye brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? for there is no bread, neither is there any water, and our soul loatheth (detests) this light bread (the manna the Lord fed them every day). And the Lord sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people; and much people of Israel died. Therefore the people came to Moses, and said, We have sinned, for we have spoken against the Lord, and against thee; pray unto the Lord, that he take away the serpents from us.

And Moses prayed for the people. And the Lord said unto Moses, Make thee a fiery serpent, and set it upon a pole: and it shall come to pass, that every one that is bitten, when he looketh upon it, shall live. And Moses made a serpent of brass, and put it upon a pole, and it came to pass, that if a serpent had bitten any man, when he beheld (looked at) the serpent of brass, he lived.’ (Num. 21:5-9) What irony; bitten by a snake, then saved by looking at a snake. Only our God could think up such a life-saving plan. (smile)

But seriously though my people, can’t we see that the Lord’s chosen people, the Israelites suffered so many calamities because of their consistent disobedience. What else can we expect then from ours but the chaos and destruction that’s happening all around us eh? But as I also keep saying, when the Israelites discovered their error, they were quick to repent and turn back to the God of their forefathers who so LOVINGLY forgave them and restored them to righteousness with Him.

Now, doesn’t it make sense for us to do like them and repent and turn from our evil ways and allow Him to heal our world, as He has so faithfully promised to do? But how many of us practice that term nowadays eh? Not a whole lot. That means we’ll continue to go downhill, until we destroy ourselves, for the Lord is certainly not going to lend a helping hand unless we repent and turn back to Him. Anyway, for those of us who are sincerely trying to make that happen, let’s go home declaring (yesss!!!) our Thursday Blessings, which have been generously offered by the Lord for 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!’

Now, it’s time to take those underserved blessings and go out and use and share them as generously with others, as the Lord did with us. Much LOVE!

…LOVE and OBEDIENCE…that’s basically all the Lord our God asks of us…

Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ

Today’s Scrip-Bit 18 May 2023 Ecclesiastes 5:5.

18 May 2023 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: a fool's voice is known by multitude of words, a spirit to know and love you, an inquiring and discerning heart, be more ready to hear, being alive is a memorable occasion, better it is not to vow, courage to do your will, curse, deceit, defer not to pay it, faith, favour, God hath no pleasure in fools, going home to the Lord, insincere promises, keep thy foot, let thy words be few, LOVE, misinformation, negative word, new mercies and compassions, pay that which thou hast vowed, persevere in whatever you lead us to, promise to love and obey you, social media, spiritual discernment, the gift of joy and wonder in all your works, the walls of anonymity, think carefully before you talk, thou should vow and not pay, Thursday Blessings, to give the sacrifice of fools, treachery, uttered out of deceitful mouths', waking up in this evil world, walk prudently, when thou vowest a vow unto God, wisdom

Ecclesiastes 5:5. Better is it that thou shouldest not vow, than that thou shouldest vow and not pay.

And having opened our bleary eyes to another bright and sunshiny Thursday morning, I believe that it’s only right to acknowledge the Lord’s part in such an amazing occasion, by offering Him some thanks and praise for His new mercies and compassions provided specifically for today.

Yes friends, being alive and kicking today is most certainly an amazing and memorable occasion, for please remember the many who did not have the opportunity to awaken from restful slumber today, but have instead gone home to be with the Lord. And yes, in some instances that might have been better than waking up to this evil and ungodly world, but seeing as we are still here, it means that the Lord God Almighty has more work for us to do down here on His behalf.

Now, finally, after all that rambling, (smile) let’s pray. ‘O Lord, thank You for allowing us to see another glorious day on planet earth and we praise Your holy name for all that You’re doing for us. Today though Lord, as our world spirals out of control, we specifically ask that You sustain us with Your Holy Spirit. Please give us an inquiring and discerning heart; the courage to do Your will and to persevere in whatever You lead us to. And please give us a spirit to know and to LOVE You, along with the gift of joy and wonder in all Your works. We promise to LOVE and obey You as best we can. Amen.’

And please believe me, my faithful brethren, that last part of our prayer was the most important: our promise to LOVE and obey God to the best of our ability. For none of the other things will happen until we keep that promise. The Lord did not ask us to make that promise, but we took it upon ourselves to do so, therefore it’s of the utmost importance that we fulfill it. Why is it so important you ask? Well, let’s allow Cousin Sol to tell us why, as the Preacher from the book of Ecclesiastes, where he offers this discourse on honouring vows made to God.

‘Keep thy foot (walk prudently) when thou goest to the house of God, and be more ready (draw near) to hear, (rather) than to give the sacrifice of fools: for they consider not that they do evil. Be not rash with thy mouth, and let not thine heart be hasty to utter anything before God: for God is in heaven, and thou upon the earth: therefore let thy words be few. For a dream cometh through a multitude of business (effort or activity); and a fool’s voice is known by multitude of words.’ (Eccl. 5:1-3)

Oh my people, Cousin Sol must still be alive and writing about our current society, for using his logic, our society indeed overflows with fools, because the multitude of words that flow forth from us is simply mind-boggling. I don’t believe there’s ever been another generation that talks as much as ours. And the sad part is that in this era of rampant social media, most of what we’re talking is utter foolishness, idiocy, many outright lies, overwhelming deceit and treachery and misinformation like never seen before.

Unfortunately though, too many of us get away with the lies and deceit, hiding behind the tight walls of anonymity that the social media apparatus provides. But let’s remember though as Cousin Sol says, that God is in His high heaven, and we are on the evil earth and who knows what can or will happen to us when we engage in folly. But here’s the clincher of the whole story. (smile). He says: ‘When thou vowest a vow unto God, defer (delay) not to pay it; for he hath no pleasure in fools: pay that which thou hast vowed. Better is it that thou shouldest not vow, than that thou shouldest vow and not pay.’ (Eccl. 5:4-5)

And that’s certainly the gospel truth my people! But it’s something we do all the time, make empty promises to God when we pray and ask if He will do this or that, we will do such and so. And when He does it, we completely forget our promise, until the next time we need something else from Him. But that’s pure foolishness my brethren. How long or often do we think we’ll get away with that insincere behaviour eh? Not long at all, for God knows what’s in our hearts better than we do. And He knows the insincere promises before they even are uttered out of our deceitful mouths.

No wonder so many of us see our prayers go unanswered and wonder why. It’s because of the deceitfulness and dishonesty that the Lord sees in our hearts when we come so penitently, piously and innocently before Him. We can fool ourselves, but we can never fool God. And furthermore my fellow saints, as children of God, we should also only make vows to our fellow man if we intend to keep them. That’s another unpleasant aspect of our society, for it’s teeming with deceit and dishonesty.

There’s never been as many fraudulent schemes as they currently are. You can’t answer the phone without someone trying to defraud you. The same goes for social media and internet applications. There’s no one you can safely trust these days. Even close family are selling out each other for a few lousy dollars. That’s why we need the wisdom and discernment of the Holy Spirit that we prayed for earlier on. Otherwise, the many crooks, both in high and low positions will eat us up without us even knowing what happened. Such is the great evil that exists in our society today.

And the best way to avoid most of that evil is by taking this advice of Cousin Sol’s to heart. ‘Suffer not (do not let) thy mouth to cause thy flesh to sin; neither say thou before the angel (messenger), that it was an error: wherefore should God be angry at thy voice (excuse), and destroy the work of thine hands?’ (Eccl. 5:6) Yes, don’t go making silly excuses when you break your vows, admit your mistakes and take your punishment. ‘For in the multitude of dreams and many words there are also divers vanities (futility abounds).’ (Eccl. 5:7)

And that’s oh so true my friends. The more we dream and speak, the more mistakes and trouble we are liable to experience. So please, let’s be careful about how much we say, and about what we say. For remember, God in heaven, sees and knows all, but we down here on earth, don’t have a clue about what’s really going on. And for those of us who are sincerely trying to practice godliness, let’s go home declaring (steups!!!) our Thursday Blessings, that have been so generously bestowed on us by our heavenly Father, so that we can successfully do His earthly work.

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!’

Now, it’s our bounden duty to go out and use those blessings to do the Lord’s work, just as generously as they were shared with us. Much LOVE!

… words are very powerful…they can make or break us…so please…let’s think carefully before we talk…

Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ

Today’s Scrip-Bit 11 May 2023 Deuteronomy 8:18a.

11 May 2023 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: a lengthening of thy tranquility, a sentence of madness, abominable sins, abuse God's goodwill, Blessed be the name of God, break off thy sins by righteousness, brought forth water out of the rock of flint, by the might of my power, compassionate heart, curse, eating grass like an ox, for the honour of my majesty, for wisdom and might are his, free will, get rid of God, he changeth the times and the seasons, he removeth kings, he setteth up kings, if ye forget the Lord thy god, it is he that giveth thee the power to get wealth, LOVE, Nebuchadnezzar, negative word, praise and extol and honour the King of heaven, prosper, succeed, the house of bondage, thine heart be lifted up, thine iniquities by showing mercy to the poor, thou forget the Lord thy God, thou shalt remember the Lord thy God, Thursday Blessings, too big for our britches, walk after other gods, where there was no water, ye shall surely perish

Deuteronomy 8:18a. But thou shalt remember the Lord thy God: for it is he that giveth thee power to get wealth,

Now is it possible for us to get four consecutive days of glorious sunshine in this wet and cloudy spring season…although the supposed experts are saying that it might be mostly cloudy? And the answer is a very affirmative YES! Because they don’t control the weather, but our Lord and Saviour Jesus does, and He can cause it to be totally sunny after all. Praise His holy name!

Yes friends, our great God can do anything He so desires. He desired to create this universe and all therein, and that’s exactly what He did. He desired to give His greatest creation free will, knowing that we could and would abuse it, but He didn’t want a set of robots, so He took the chance on us. And we did abuse His goodwill…and are doing so to this very day…possibly even more so than at any other time of our existence, for now we desire to totally get rid of our Creator.

What kind of gratitude is that eh? None whatsoever! Especially after He gifted us with the life of His sinless Son, Jesus Christ, to pay for our abominable sins and thus have the option of being reconciled back to him through His awesome grace, mercy and forgiveness. But no, we’ve gotten so big for our britches, falsely believing that all the advancements and great wealth we’ve built up in our society to be our doing, and not rightly the Lord’s, through His guidance and direction.

Remember Moses’ warning to the children of Israel, about when they went into the Promised Land and got wealthy? ‘Then thine heart be lifted up (you become proud), and thou forget the Lord thy God, which brought thee forth out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage; Who led thee through that great and terrible wilderness, wherein were fiery serpents, and scorpions, and drought, where there was no water; who brought thee forth water out of the rock of flint.

Who fed thee in the wilderness with manna, which thy fathers knew not, that he might humble thee, and that he might prove (test) thee, to do thee good at thy latter end. And thou say in thine heart, My power and the might of mine hand hath gotten me this wealth. But thou shalt remember the Lord thy God: for it is he that giveth thee power to get wealth, that he may establish his covenant which he sware unto thy fathers, as it is this day.’ (Deut. 8:14-18)

Now, Moses was talking there to the young group of Israelites who were born in the wilderness during the forty wandering years. That’s because the Lord decreed that none who came out of Egypt beside Joshua and Caleb, not even Moses, would enter the Promised Land, for all their disobedience and disgusting behaviour, despite His amazing LOVING-kindness towards them.

But sadly, that is exactly what that young group did when they got in there and got wealthy. They forgot Moses’ warnings, and promptly moved away from the God of their fathers, turned to idols and worshipped the gods of the nations around them, whom the Lord had specifically told them not to associate with, because He knew that was exactly what would happen.

They obviously did not pay heed to these ending words of Moses’ message. ‘And it shall be, if thou do at all forget the Lord thy God, and walk after other gods, and serve them, and worship them, I testify against you this day that ye shall surely perish. As the nations which the Lord destroyeth before your face, so shall ye perish, because ye would not be obedient unto the voice of the Lord you God.’ (Deut. 8:19-20) And perish they did, every time they turned away from the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, they underwent some disastrous calamity.

And believe me friends, that is exactly what’s happening to us today. Look at the chaos in our current society, it all stems from a rejection of Almighty God! He might not be doing it personally, but He’s certainly not stopping us from destroying ourselves, which we would not be doing, if we were living in the LOVE, mercy and forgiveness that He desires of us. What amazes me though, is that every time the Israelites turned away from God and suffered for it, they eventually turned back to Him and were restored in His fellowship.

However, our generation is too proud and arrogant to even consider doing that. We were once a godly society, going along very well, then like Satan we got too proud because of the advancements we were making. Next thing we want to kick out God because we think it’s our own doing. Let me remind us though of the Babylonian King Nebuchadnezzar, who at one time was the most powerful man in the world. He had a dream and the prophet Daniel warned him of its negative consequences if he continued in a certain line of behaviour.

Daniel’s parting words were: ‘Wherefore, O king, let my counsel be acceptable unto thee, and break off thy sins by righteousness (by being righteous), and thine iniquities by shewing mercy to the poor; if it may be a lengthening (prolonging) of thy tranquility.’ (Dan. 4:27) But the king did not listen, and a year later, while walking in the palace, He ‘spake and said, Is not this great Babylon, that I have built for the house of the kingdom (a royal dwelling) by the might of my power, and for the honour of my majesty?’ (Dan. 4:30)

But lo and behold, while the king was speaking, a sentence of madness was right then being pronounced on him, by the Lord God Jehovah. And yes, he was a pagan king, but even pagan kings get power through the hands of the Lord God Jehovah. Remember Daniel’s words when he received the meaning of the king’s dreams. ‘Blessed be the name of God for ever and ever: for wisdom and might are his. And he changeth the times and seasons: he removeth kings, and setteth up (raises up) kings: he giveth wisdom unto the wise, and knowledge to them that know (have) understanding.’ (Dan. 2:20-21)

Yes, whatever happens in the universe comes under the eventual control of Almighty God, regardless of race, creed, colour or culture. That very day, Neb was sentenced to seven years of madness, to eating grass like an ox, ‘until thou know that the most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomever he will.’ (Dan. 4:32) And after seven years of madness, Neb’s senses were reverted, and he praised the Lord God with such enthusiasm. ‘Now I Nebuchadnezzar praise and extol and honour the King of heaven, all whose works are truth, and his ways judgement (justice), and those that walk in pride he is able to abase (humble).’ (Dan. 4:37)

Oh my people why can’t we learn from the examples of the Israelites and Nebuchadnezzar and turn back to the God of our fathers’, who LOVES us so much that He even sent His Son to die to pay for our sins. It’s the only wise move we can make in these very trying times. And for those of us who are attempting to do just that, let’s go home declaring (yesss!!!) our Thursday Blessings, blessings that have been generously bestowed on us by our heavenly Father to help us do His earthly work.

As one voice: ‘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!’

Now, let’s get out into the evil world and use those blessings to make a positive difference in Christ’s name. Remember friends, it all depends on us! Much LOVE!

…the three attributes for man’s wellbeing…obedience…obedience…obedience…

Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ

Today’s Scrip-Bit 4 May 2023 Isaiah 55:12a.

04 May 2023 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: a compassionate heart, a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart, all the trees of the field shall clap their hands, an everlasting sign, as the rain cometh down and the swnow from heaven, be led forth with peace, be made the righteousness of God in Him, curse, God commendeth his own love toward us, God's thoughts and ways are higher than ours, good freinds, great family, he calleth those things be not as though they were, he hath made him to be sin for us, hellfire and damnation, it shall accomplish that which I please, it shall not return unto me void, LOVE, negative word, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, promote Christ's everlasting kingdom, prosper in the thing whereto I sent it, self-control, sharper than any twoedged sword, so shall my word be that goeth out of my mouth, the Creator and Controller of the universe, the mountains and hills shall break forth with singing, the natural rewards of sin, the power of life and death, the Word of god, the Word of God is quick and powerful, Thursday Blessings, watereth the earth, while we were yet sinners christ died for us, ye shall go out with joy

Isaiah 55:12a. For ye shall go out with joy, and be led forth with peace:

Ah Lord eh! Another day of wimpy sunshine and dark clouds…but at least it’s dry! And as they say, one out of three ain’t bad. (smile) Yes friends, the almost constantly drizzling rain, the feeble sunshine and dark clouds do get a bit bothersome and annoying after a while. You’ve got to remember though that it’s spring; springtime when the land is watered after a long, dry, cold spell of winter where everything went into hibernation, and now they need the water to moisten their systems so that they can regain that freedom of life and living once again.

Yes, but what’s happened to the strong sunshine that they also need to grow and refurbish themselves? Why isn’t that making a more regular appearance eh, and not the feeble stuff we’ve been recently receiving? Who knows? We just need to remember, believe and conduct ourselves with the confidence that the Good Lord, the Creator and Controller of the universe is still there running things, and that whatever happens it’s for the best. Remember His thoughts and ways are higher than ours, (Is. 55:8-9) and thus we’ll never understand everything He does, that’s why He is God. If we understood everything He said and did then we’d be like Him and therefore have no need of Him.

That brings us to this interesting scripture right after that passage on His higher thoughts and ways, which seem directed to my contention above, (smile) while describing and setting us clear on His power and intentions towards us. The prophet says on God’s behalf: ‘For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater: So shall my word be that goeth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void (empty, without fruit), but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.’ (Is. 55: 9-11)

Oh friends, the Word of God is amazingly powerful. Remember that’s what He used to create the universe. The only thing He didn’t speak into existence was mankind. And remember too, how the author of Hebrews describes it: ‘For the word of God is quick (living), and powerful and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of (able to judge) the thoughts and intents (intentions) of the heart.’ (Heb. 4:12)

Yes, my fellow believers, that’s the incomparable power of God’s word, which He uses to do His omnipotent will, as well as scrutinizing our lives, and telling us the necessary things, attributes, characteristics. etc. that we need to know about Him. That’s why it’s ever so important to know the word, to read and study it. We can’t know anything about our great God unless we seriously delve into His word, because that’s what He uses to communicate a lot of His desires and demands to us. And that’s how we come to understand what we know about our magnificent Creator.

However, as the scholars tell us: ‘While God may certainly be known by men, He is still incomprehensible in the totality of His person and purposes. Therefore, He reveals Himself to men by His word, which shall not return to Him void (in vain). The Word of God, therefore, accomplishes His purpose in announcing salvation to all mankind.’ And the beauty of our God is that He promised salvation to all mankind long before Jesus ever came to bring the promise to fruition. As Bruh Paul says of God to the Roman church: ‘…he calleth those things which be not as though they were.’ (Rom. 4:17)

Yes, our God has that awesome power to talk about things that have not yet happened as though they have already happened, because He is the source of all the happenings in the universe. But getting back to the early promise of salvation. Listen to Isaiah detail it. ‘For ye shall go out with joy, and be led forth with peace: the mountains and the hills shall break forth before you with singing, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands. Instead of the thorn shall come up the fir (cypress) tree, and instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle tree: and it shall be to the Lord for a name, for an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off.’ (Is. 55:12-13)

Now that’s what God promised His people Israel a long time ago, and in due time, He sent His Son, Jesus Christ to fulfill the promise by sacrificing His sinless life on the cross of Calvary to pay for our sins. As Bruh Paul said in his second letter to the church at Corinth: ‘For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin, that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.’ (2 Cor. 5:21) That’s how much God LOVED us and still LOVES us: putting the weight of all our sins on the shoulders of His sinless Son, so that we could be set free from the bondage of sin, from the hellfire and damnation that are the natural rewards of sin.

And this most outstanding verse from Bruh Paul’s letter to the Romans, says it all. ‘But God commendeth (demonstrated) his own LOVE toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.’ (Rom. 5:8) Ponder on the enormous importance of that statement for a few moments my brethren. God didn’t wait for us to change; He made the first move. That, if nothing else, ought to prove how much He truly LOVES us. All other supposed Gods wait for their followers to come to them, hat in hand, but our most wonderful Father took it upon Himself to get down to our level and show how much He truly cared for His wonderful creation, though we really didn’t deserve it.

But with Him, it’s not about our deserving anything, it’s about Him wishing to give good things to us. And talking about giving good things to us, here is a marvellous example, the undeserved blessings, we call our Thursday Blessings, that He’s so generously bestowed on us to do His earthly work. So let’s declare (yesss!!!) and activate them right now nuh.

Altogether: ‘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!’

Now it’s our bounden duty to go out and use those blessings in a generous manner to promote Christ’s everlasting kingdom! Much LOVE!

…the word of God…has the awesome power of life and death…

Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ

Today’s Scrip-Bit 27 April 2023 Philippians 2:9.

27 Apr 2023 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: author and finisher of our faith, curse, discunity in the church, faith, favour, given him a name above every other name, God hath highly exalted him, good freinds, great family, insufficient financial rewards, jobs that we dislike, King of Kings, Lord of Lords, LOVE, negative word, our shining example, self-aggrandization, share them generously, stress, stress the number one killer, the accumulation of profits, the everlasting Father, the indisputable truth, the mighty God, the penultimate day of our work week, the Prince of Peace, the welfare and benefit of workers, Thursday Blessings, Wonderful Counsellor

Philippians 2:9. Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name:

And now it’s Thursday, the penultimate day of our workweek, and we’re looking forward ever so much to tomorrow, that’s Friday, because for two days, we cease the tiring and unpleasant act of travelling back and forth to a job that many of us despise and dislike, and only perform it, or rather endure it because of the insufficient financial rewards we receive and so badly need if we’re to survive in this rat race we call our civilization! And if that isn’t a Bruh Paulian sentence, then I don’t know what is. (smile)

Ah friends, that statement might seem somewhat degrading and unfair, but it’s the indisputable truth. Many more people dislike their jobs than like them, and many would not go to them if they could find another way to make a living. And can you imagine the drudgery and resentment that so many of us put up with for two or three decades in a job that we dislike and thus don’t do to the best of our ability. I guess that’s because of the way the formulators of commerce and industry have set up our economic system without much thought to the welfare and benefit of the workers, but more so to the accumulation of profit for themselves.

But as I recently said, our current system is so backward and not truly engineered for making the best use of our talents and efforts, as well as being psychologically and emotionally very draining. You’d think that a society that’s been to the moon and various planets around our solar system, could come up with a better system of labour than one that has hordes of people languishing in vehicles morning and evening, not going anywhere fast. It’s no wonder they end up drained and stressed out, and that the new age disease of stress is the number one killer in our society.

Our forefathers didn’t even know the meaning of the word, but today it’s on everyone’s tongue, because we’re always so busy, but in reality going nowhere. We don’t have time to call or visit each other these days, because we’re so busy. But ask us what we’re busy doing, most of us can’t tell. Nevertheless, it’s the number one excuse nowadays for lack of family participation, camaraderie and true friendship. Imagine the sad situation where we have the best means of communication ever, almost instant messaging, but yet we’re possibly the most alone and loneliest generation the world has ever seen.

And the great amount of oppression, suppression, violence, lawlessness, greed, deceit and fraudulent activities that now permeate our world don’t lend themselves to trust and friendship. The recent pandemic and the current upheaval in our political systems, where everyone is fighting for power by any means necessary, doesn’t help the situation either. So, what’s the answer to it all eh? And there can only be one answer; that’s to make Jesus our true Lord and Saviour, our King and Ruler!

Why, you further ask? Because He’s the ONLY ONE who can handle the crazy, negative situation that exists in our world. Check it out nuh: He’s the Prince of Peace, the Wonderful Counsellor, the mighty God, the everlasting Father! (Is. 9:6) Now who else has all those marvellous attributes and talents eh? Nobody! That’s what makes Him fit to rule the world! And when you add some of His other names like the Lion of Judah, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, the Rose of Sharon, the Calmer of Storms, the Best Guide and Pilot ever, on land, sea or air, etc. etc. there’s absolutely no one else more qualified to run our lives and our universe.

Then, when you get down to brass tacks and recognize the truth of the Bible, God’s inspired Word, where it says that because Christ was ‘found in fashion (appearance ) as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those things in heaven, and those things in earth, and those things under the earth; and every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the Gory of God the Father.’ (Phil. 2:8-11)

Now friends, with all of that going for Jesus, who else is better qualified to run our world and our lives eh? Again I say: NOBODY! But yuh think people are running to Him in droves despite the adversity and tribulation we’re experiencing. No! A lot of us are in fact running away from Him! Why is that eh? One big reason is because the body He formed, called His church, is not doing enough to bring people to Him, but is sadly doing a lot to drive them away, with all the infighting, disunity and scandal that’s currently plaguing it.

And we, as induvial believers aren’t doing such a hot job either, because we’re not living the way Jesus commanded us to live, like brothers and sisters, LOVING each other, treating each other with kindness and compassion. That’s one of the reasons there’s so much sickness, poverty and economic stagnation and depression in our world. The church and its members are not doing as much as it ought to stem the woes and the travesty of our society. Remember Jesus said that He came to save those who were lost, the sick and the suffering, the underprivileged and the prisoners, the widows and orphans.

And if He is to be our shining example, our bright LIGHT, the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God: (Heb. 12:2) then it’s obvious that we must make those things that He came and died for our priorities as well. And He’s such a wonderful Saviour that, knowing of our frailty, fragility, and finite shortcomings, He’s generously bestowed on us, all His followers, what we call our Thursday Blessings, to help us do His earthly work. Remember, He never asks us to do something without giving us the power and the tools to do it.

So, this bright and sunshiny Thursday morning in late April, let’s declare (ah Lord eh!!!) our Thursday Blessings, so that we can activate them in our lives. As one strong voice: ‘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!’

Now, let’s take those blessings and go out and share them, use them just as generously in the care and compassion of others, as Jesus used them with us! Much LOVE!

…there’s no getting away from it…ONLY JESUS…is truly qualified to rule the world…

Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ

Today’s Scrip-Bit 20 April 2023 Ephesians 4:27.

20 Apr 2023 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: a compassionate heart, as a roaring lion, be renewed in the spirit of your mind, be ye kind one to another, bounden duty, curse, draw nigh to God, faith, favour, forgiving one another, God for Christ's sake has forgiven you, good health, good to the use of edifying, have life more abundantly, his bark is worse than his bite, it is written, let him that stole steal no more, let not the sun go down upon your wrath, LOVE, minister grace unto the hearers, negative word, neither give place to the devil, resist steadfast in the faith, resist the devil and he will flee from you, satan a toothless lion, seeking whom he may devour, the devil looks for us to make missteps, the God of all grace, the upper hand, Thursday Blessings, your adversary the devil

Ephesians 4:27. Neither give place (an opportunity) to the devil.

Well, it seems that the sun has the upper hand in the weather contest this Thursday morning in early spring. But fear not, the dark clouds are hovering around, ready to slip in, once the sun makes a wrong step. And that is exactly how the devil does with us believers. He’s always there hovering and loitering, waiting for us to make a misstep, then jump right into the opening in our souls and spirits. And that’s why there are so many warnings in the scriptures about being careful of the wiles and evil schemes of Beelzebub.

Jesus even warned us about falsehood and evil in this world. He said in no uncertain terms: ‘The thief cometh not but for (except) to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly. I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.’ (John 10:10-11) And that’s exactly what He did on the cross at Calvary; gave His life for us, the sheep of His pasture. But the devil has no such good intentions towards us. He just wants to wreak havoc amongst us and invade our souls and do the same there, his basic intention being to turn us away from believing in and truly living for Christ.

And that’s why we have to pay serious attention to this scripture from Peter. He writes: ‘Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time: Casting all your care upon him; for he cares for you. Be sober, be vigilant, because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: Whom resist steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in (experienced by) your brethren that are in the world. But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish (confirm), strengthen, settle you. To him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.’ (1 Pet. 5:6-11)

There you have it in black and white friends: the devil is always prowling around to see whom he can snare in his evil trap. And though he pretends to be a lion, he’s a toothless one, with only a frightening roar. That’s because Jesus knocked out all of his teeth when He died and rose from the dead. That was Jesus’ knockout punch to the enemy, thus making him a toothless and powerless foe. Remember, he has no power over us, unless we give it to him. As they say, his bark is worse than his bite, since he has no teeth to bite. (smile) The problem though is that we continually give the devil room to manoeuvre in our lives because we don’t pay sufficient attention to the things we do and say.

And that’s James’ reason for warning us, when he says: ‘Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye doubleminded….Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.’ (James 4:7-8, 10) Yes friends, we must resist the devil. That’s the only way we can get rid of him. And one way of doing that is by turning seriously and sincerely to God. Humbling ourselves before Him, cleansing our hands and purifying our hearts through sincere communication and doing of His holy will.

The devil won’t just go away and leave you alone…at least not for long. As Luke reminds us in the temptation of Jesus. ‘And when the devil had ended all the temptation (testing), he departed from him for a season (until an appropriate time).’ (Luke 4:13) That shows when you resist the devil, he goes away, but only until he sees another opportune time to confound you. But please note too how Jesus resisted the devil during His period of testing; by quoting scripture to him. ‘It is written…that man should not live by bread alone, but by every word of God.’ (Luke 4:4) ‘It is written…Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.’ (Luke 4:8) ‘It is written…Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.’ (Luke 4:12)

Yes my fellow believers, when the devil gets a good dose of scriptures in his evil machinations, he goes away, but only for a time. That’s why we need to read, meditate and remember the scriptures so we can throw it back in his face when he comes a calling. Now, please note that when Jesus shot the scriptures at the devil, he backed off. So don’t think for one moment that Satan doesn’t know the scriptures. He possibly knows them better than us, for remember once upon a time, he was the Archangel Lucifer, the Bright Morning Star, who’s foolish pride caused him to rebel against God and get kicked out of heaven down to the fiery depths of Hades.

And we can’t quote scriptures on resisting the devil and not quote these from Bruh Paul to the Ephesians. (smile) He writes: ‘That ye put off concerning the former conversation (conduct) the old man, which is corrupt according to deceitful lust; And be renewed in the spirit of your mind; And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness. Wherefore putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbour: for we are members one of another. Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath: Neither give place (an opportunity) to the devil.

Let him that stole steal no more: but rather let him labour, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth. Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers. And grieve not the holy spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption. Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice: And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.’ (Eph. 4:22-32)

Oh my fellow saints that’s just the way we ought to live as true believers! And I know that it’s not always easy to live the godly, righteous life, but it’s the best way to fight off the enemy and his evil wiles and schemes. Don’t give him even a toe hold in our lives by doing the things Bruh Paul warns of. And if we live that way, we won’t have to fight off the devil as often. Now, I hope that give us some reassurance in standing up mano a mano to the enemy, but our God is so wonderful that He’s bestowed blessings on us, that we call Thursday Blessings, so that we can do His earthly work and live the way He desires. Let’s declare (steups!!!) them out loud now so we can activate them.

And having activated those blessings, it’s now our bounden duty to go out and use them to help others come to know and LOVE Jesus like we do! Much LOVE!

…living the way Jesus desires…reduces the attacks of the enemy…

Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ

Today’s Scrip-Bit 13 April 2023 Romans 5:8.

13 Apr 2023 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: according to the riches of his grace, But God commendeth his love toward us, celebrate the triumphant resurrection of Christ, Christ died for us, clear direction for my life, crapaud smoke we pipe, curse, Easter, forgiveness, forgiveness of sins, God's supernatural wisdom, got the wheels rolling, his nail-pierced hands, Jesus' sacrificial work, justification, LOVE, negative word, not redeemed with corruptible things, prosper, received the atonement, recociliation, redemption, redemption though his blood, S.O.L, sanctification, self-control, separating the sinner from his sin, spring has sprung, succeed, the birds are singing their songs of joy and praise, the keys of hades, the lamb that was slain for us, the precious blood of Christ, this is the day the Lord has made, Thursday Blessings, we will rejoice and be glad in it, while we were yet sinners, while we were yet sinners christ died for us

Romans 5:8. But God commendeth (demonstrated) his (own) LOVE toward us, in that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us.

Here’s looking at you with LOVE and great expectations, the first Thursday after Easter! You’ve opened so bright and sunny, and so warm too, about 19 degrees Celsius, that for the first time in many a month I can open my windows and allow the cool fresh air to flow through the house! Wow! What a pleasure! Only those who have ever experienced it, know the wonderful feeling of being able to open windows instead of keeping them tightly shut. But it’s all a part of living in the northern climes, and it does provide for some variable and interesting though not always pleasant times. (smile)

And in my neck of the woods this is definitely a day to say, with grateful truth: ‘This is the day which the Lord hath made, we will rejoice and be glad in it.’ (Ps. 118:24) Oh friends, it seems like spring is truly and finally here…Praise the Lord! The birds are singing their songs of joy and praise, while flitting about their own lives, and the flora is beginning to turn green again, awaking from its long winter snooze, and let’s hope that that new life is also blossoming in us believers, especially since spring has sprung right at Easter time, when we celebrate the triumphant resurrection of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, who, having defeated hell, death and the grave, now has the keys to hades in His nail-pierced hands!

And all God’s people gave a joyful shout of: ‘Hallelujah to the Lamb that was slain for us, whose blood was shed to pay for our iniquity! Sing Hallelujah to His precious and glorious name!’ Yes, my fellow believers, we ought to be so grateful to Jesus for the selfless, sacrificial work He did on our behalf at Easter. No one else could have done it…even if they felt so inclined, for He was the only sinless soul, who could pay for our abominable sins. And yuh know what? We haven’t even spoken of the Father’s great LOVE for us as yet, which caused that marvellous debt repayment.

Oh my, my! It was indeed the Father’s unconditional LOVE for His sinful creation that got the wheels rolling, and then Jesus’ obedience to, and LOVE for the Father, that eventually made it happen. And oh how great was that rolling of wheels that rolled on to our redemption, forgiveness, justification, reconciliation and sanctification! Ah my fellow saints, that certainly deserves another Wow! Just imagine nuh, that the death and resurrection of one individual could cause all those marvellous things to happen in our lives nuh. And if you don’t believe me, then let’s look at some scriptures that prove it.

As per redemption, listen to Peter pontificate on the subject. (smile) ‘Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible (perishable) things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation (aimless conduct) received by tradition from your fathers; But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot: Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest (revealed) in these last times for you. Who by him do believe in God, that raised him up from the dead, and gave him glory; that your faith and hope might be in God.’ (1 Pet. 1:18-21)

And all of God’s people said a loud, proud and grateful: ‘Hallelujah! Glory to God in the Highest! Amen!’ And as per forgiveness, Bruh Paul says it loud and clear in Ephesians, speaking of the Father through Jesus. ‘Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children (as sons) by Jesus Christ in himself, according to the good pleasure of his will. To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved (bestowed grace or favour) upon us. In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace; Wherein he hath abounded to us in all wisdom and prudence (understanding).’ (Eph. 1:5-8)

Yes friends, Almighty God with wisdom and understanding, through His awesome grace, forgave our sins because the shed blood of Jesus paid the requisite up-scale price for them. No one, or nothing else could have paid the horrendous high price involved. So please let’s show our eternal gratitude by living sincerely and enthusiastically for Jesus nuh. He’s sacrificed so much for us. And the scholars offer this interesting note on forgiveness. They say, ‘The word forgiveness literally means “to send off or away.” In Scripture this means separating the sinner from his sin. God accomplishes forgiveness by transferring our sin to Christ on the cross and judging it there. When an individual receives Christ as Saviour, he is forgiven by means of this transfer.’

And, as per justification, listen to these marvellous and oh so encouraging words from Bruh Paul to the church at Rome. ‘For when we were yet without strength, in due time (at the right time) Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure (perhaps) for a good man some would even dare to die. But God commendeth (demonstrated) his (own) LOVE toward us, in that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us. Much more then, being now (having been) justified (made right) by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him. For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his son, much more, (having) being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life. And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement (reconciliation).’ (Rom. 5:6-11)

Ah mih people, what a wonderful God we serve! Now which other supposed god would ever make their only Son die for his followers’ wrongdoing eh? NONE whatsoever! Only the mighty God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob has the ability and the LOVE for His people to perform such a miraculous, amazing and LOVING feat! And we should be everlastingly grateful for it, not the offhanded, unconcerned manner so many of us supposed believers exhibit. Anyway, we still have two things to go, reconciliation and sanctification, and since time and space are in short supply, we’ll tackle them tomorrow, God willing, of course.

And no, the mention of reconciliation above, was not the scripture I want to share. Meanwhile, for those of us who truly are trying to live for Jesus, let’s go home declaring (awright!!!) our Thursday Blessings, which have been so generously bestowed on us to do God’s earthly work. As one strong and sincere voice: ‘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!

And now, having activated those blessings, we’re duty bound to go out and share them with others, just as generously as the Lord shared them with us! Much LOVE!

…if it wasn’t for God’s great LOVE for us…we’d certainly be S.O.L… crapaud would certainly be smoking we pipe… (smile)

Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ

Today’s Scrip-Bit 6 April 2023 Matthew 26:28.

06 Apr 2023 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: curse, deny me thrice before the cock crows twice, divine protection, do this in remembrance of me, Eucharist, He said drink ye all of it, Holy Communion, If I your Lord and Master have washed your feet, Jesus set certain parameters in our faith, Jesus took the cup of wine, Jesus washed the disciples' feet, Maundy Thursday, negative word, promotion, receive clear direction for my life, self-discipline, selflessness of Christ, shed for many for the remission of sins, take eat this is my body, the Angel of Death, the cup of blessing, the Garden of Gethsemane, the Jewish Passover, the lamb's blood on the lintel of the door, the Last Supper, the perfect example of humility, the sacrificial Lamb, this is my blood of the new testament, Thursday Blessings, ye also to wash one another's feet

Matthew 26:28. For this is my blood of the new testament (covenant), which is shed for many for the remission (forgiveness) of sins.

And then it was Thursday; Maundy Thursday. And we wish you all a Happy Maundy Thursday! It might not have been such a happy day in Jesus’ life, neither in ours right now, as we contemplate the next few days of tragic happenings, but it was indeed a special one, where He set certain parameters in our faith, and left us several examples to follow. Maundy Thursday was the day in Jesus’ life when, as we say, everything came to bump, meaning that He had finally reached the stage when there’s no turning back.

On that Thursday, certain things happened that reminds us of the passionate moments of Jesus’ life. And we are invited to remember and celebrate these four events: the Last Supper, the Washing of the Apostle’s Feet by Jesus, Christ’s agony and prayer in Gethsemane, and the arrest of Jesus. At the Last Supper, He offered Himself as the sacrificial Lamb, with such humility and selflessness that makes Him the perfect example of those attributes.

Now this was a time of the celebration of the Passover Feast in Jerusalem, one of the most sacred days in the Jewish Calendar, reminding them of that time during their slavery in Egypt, when the Angel of Death passed over Egypt and killed every first born son, but spared the Jews, because of the lamb’s blood on the lintel of their doors. (Ex. 12)

On that night Jesus sat with His twelve disciples celebrating. ‘And as they did eat, he said, Verily I say unto you, that one of you shall betray me. And they were exceeding sorrowful, and began every one of them to say unto him, Lord is it I? And He answered and said, he that dippeth his hand with me in the dish, the same shall betray me. The Son of man goeth as it is written of him: but woe unto that man by whom the Son of man is betrayed! it had been good for that man if he had never been born. Then Judas which betrayed him, answered and said, Master, is it I? He (Jesus) said unto him, Thou hast said (it).’ (Matt. 26:21-24)

Oh my people, can you imagine the consternation, the doubt and grief engendered by Jesus’ comment that one of His closest supplicants would betray Him. And the scholars explain: ‘Jesus’ reply to Judas Thou hast said means “yes.” He that dippeth reveals the personal and intimate nature of the betrayal.’ But that was only the first of several eye-opening occasions on that fateful evening.

After that, the Good Book tells: ‘And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed it, and brake it, and gave it to the disciples, and said, Take, eat, this is my body. And he took the cup (of wine), and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, Drink ye all of it (drink from it all of you). For this is my blood of the new testament (covenant), which is shed for many for the remission (forgiveness) of sins. But I say unto you, I will not drink henceforth of this fruit of the vine, until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom.’ (Matt. 26:26-29)

Right there we have it friends, the celebration of what we call ‘The Eucharist, or Holy Communion,’ as a memorial of the death and resurrection of Jesus, in response to his words at the final meal he shared with his disciples, ‘Do this in remembrance of me.’ (Luke 22:19 ) Thus, when we receive communion, we remember the sacrifice Jesus made for us, and we grow in LOVE for one another as Jesus commanded us.

And what do the scholars say about Jesus’ actions at the Last Supper. As per ‘Jesus took bread: The head of the Jewish household was accustomed to doing this during the Passover feast. Jesus gave a completely new significance to the action.’ Then, as per ‘This is my body: During the Passover feast the Jewish householder took bread in his hand and said, This is the bread of affliction which our fathers ate in the land of Egypt,’ meaning, of course, that one represented the other. By His words the Lord changed the whole significance and emphasis of the feast from looking back to the typical redemption from Egypt to faith in the redemption from sin accomplished by His death.

The bread and wine were only outward symbols of our Lord’s death. Nothing in the gospels indicates that these were to be viewed as a means of grace, sacraments, or that they were physically necessary for one’s salvation.’ Meanwhile, as per ‘The cup: Three cups were passed around by the Jewish householder during the Passover meal; the third, which is probably the one referred to here, being known as “the cup of blessing.”

And ‘My blood of the new testament taken from the Greek Septuagint version of Exodus 24:8, with allusions to Jeremiah 31:31 and Zechariah 9:11. The covenant in Exodus 24: 8 was sealed with blood. Now, as per ‘Shed for many the remission of sins: Here is a clear statement that the death of Jesus was necessary to enable God to forgive sins. It, in fact, made it right or morally justified for Him to do so.’

Ah friends, so much happened on that penultimate day of Jesus’ life that we don’t have time nor space to recount it all in detail. But we do know that after supper Jesus washed the disciples’ feet, (John 13:2-17) which was another eye-opener for the disciples; their Master doing a slave’s job. And when Peter refused, Jesus simply told him: ‘If I wash thee not, thou hast no part with me.’ (John 2:8) It was a powerful example as Jesus told them. ‘If I then, your Lord and Master (Teacher), have washed your feet, ye also ought to wash one another’s feet.’ (John 2:14) That’s a picture of the humility and selflessness we were talking about earlier.

Then Jesus told them about their being offended by the things that were going to happen to Him, but Peter as usual refused to accept Christ’s words, claiming he would never be offended or leave Jesus. At which point, Jesus told Peter about his denying Him thrice before the cock crowed twice. (Matt. 26:31-35) Then they went into the Garden of Gethsemane where Jesus, with heavy heart and sorrowful soul prayed for a reprieve from His Father, but none was forthcoming. (Matt. 26:36-46)

Finally, Jesus was betrayed by Judas and arrested in the Garden of Gethsemane, and all the disciples fled the scene. (Matt. 26:47-57) Then while Jesus was being questioned by the high priest Caiaphas, Peter denied knowing him three times before the cock crowed twice, and the Lord just looked at him, with an ‘I told you so’ look. And Peter went outside and wept bitterly. (Matt. 26:69-75) Yes my fellow saints, Maundy Thursday was indeed a busy and important day for our Lord and Saviour. But you’ll notice that though His soul was burdened, He nonetheless stepped up to the plate and batted the most wonderful innings ever played!

Now that is a most worthy example for us to follow, especially since we’ve been generously granted what we call our Thursday Blessings, of which we’re not worthy, but have been bestowed them to help us do Christ’s work here on earth. So, let’s declare (yesss!!!) them so that they can be activated. 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!’

Now it’s time for us to go out and do the work that we’ve been so generously blessed to do! Much LOVE!

…though also God…in His humanity…Jesus was indeed…a man amongst men…a class act…no doubt about it…

Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ

SCRIP-BITS

Today’s Scrip-Bit 15 June 2023 Matthew 6:24b.

Today’s Scrip-Bit 8 June 2023 Matthew 9:37.

Today’s Scrip-Bit 25 May 2023 Matthew 22:36.

Today’s Scrip-Bit 11 May 2023 Deuteronomy 8:18a.

Today’s Scrip-Bit 4 May 2023 Isaiah 55:12a.

Today’s Scrip-Bit 20 April 2023 Ephesians 4:27.

Today’s Scrip-Bit 13 April 2023 Romans 5:8.

Today’s Scrip-Bit 6 April 2023 Matthew 26:28.

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