Today’s Scrip-Bit   2 January 2024 Isaiah 43:2a.

02 Jan 2024 Leave a comment

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

Isaiah 43:2a.       When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee,

And then it was Tuesday; still a holiday for many, because the New Year’s holiday fell on a Monday, a regular work day. I do hope that we all have recovered from the numerous festivities of the last couple of days, although I know that some of us are still celebrating, milking it to the very last drop. (smile) But please ensure that you can go to work tomorrow in good health and spirits and so start the work year off on a good footing. Glory be! End of Sermon! 

Now, on this second day of the year, the Lord has guided me to a most appropriate poem for these difficult times, from our One Year Book of Bible Promises, with writings by Ruth Harms Calkin. It’s simply titled: ‘The Pain of Growth.’ I believe I have shared it before, but unfortunately, we all need to grow and mature in Christ and growth always involves some kind of pain, that’s just the way it is. We cannot grow without some discomfort to our souls, minds, bodies and circumstances. Therefore, every so often we need to refresh our perspective on the subject. (smile) 

So, please read with me. ‘O God Growth is a painful process. I frankly confess I am a coward about pain. I don’t like it. Lord, I never pray for it Or get excited over it. In fact, I often resist it. The pain of emotional trauma So overwhelming So baffling and crushing. The deep-cutting pain Of a broken relationship. Physical pain that goes on and on Until my entire body screams. The pain of cruel cutting words. The pain of loneliness, rejection Of financial ruin. The pain of being misunderstood. 

Lord, the very thought of pain Frightens and unnerves me. Yes it is true – Again and again it is true. My greatest spiritual growth Has come through pain. Through heartache and anguish. And very often in my suffering When I sadly thought You were doing absolutely nothing At that very moment You were doing more within me Than I ever dreamed or hoped.’ 

Yes mih bredrin! That’s the way our Lord works! Ofttimes when we think He’s doing nothing, or the devil is excessively on our case for no good reason, it’s actually the Lord working in us to move us along the continuum of maturity, allowing the devil to push us into temptation, so that He can test our faith. And when we refuse that temptation, no matter how tempting it might be, that’s when we grow spiritually. Ah mih people, there’s no shame in been afraid of pain, because it does traumatize us in many different ways. But it is necessary that we learn to bear it as best we can, be it physical, emotional or any other way that pain afflicts us. 

Now, the good thing about pain is that every time we bear it, the next time it’s not so difficult to bear, and that signifies growth in whatever area of pain we’re enduring. And the Bible verses that correspond to that poem are also appropriate verses taken from Psalm 119. They read: ‘I know Lord, that thy judgements are right (righteous), and that thou in faithfulness hast afflicted me. Let, I pray thee, thy merciful kindness (unfailing LOVE) be for my comfort, according to thy word (promise) unto thy servant.’ (Ps. 119:75-76) 

Oh friends, it’s never easy to bear pain, regardless of what kind it is, but with the Lord’s help we can always handle it. Remember His promise that He will never leave nor forsake us? (Heb. 13:5) And that great promise from Isaiah, ought also to enable us to bear our pain. ‘O Israel, Fear not: for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name; thou art mine. When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee, and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned, neither shall the flame kindle upon (scorch) thee. For I am the Lord thy God, the Holy One of Israel, thy Saviour…’ (Is. 43:1-3) 

And we know the Lord is faithful in His promises, as shown by the waters not overflowing the Israelites who walked through the Red Sea and the Jordan River on dry land, and the three Hebrews boys, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, who were thrown into the burning flames, made seven time hotter than usual, but still came out of it, not even smelling of smoke! Wow! That’s the mighty hand of our great God working His miraculous power. And if He could do that for others, He can also help us to bear our pain. 

However, there’s one proviso, (smile) yes, one li’l thing we need to remember, that’s the pain involved in the chastisement or discipline of God. And the author of Hebrews reminds us of it in very fine fashion. ‘If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chastenenth not? But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers (sinners deserving discipline), then are ye bastards (illegitimate) and not sons. Furthermore we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we gave them reverence (respect): shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live? 

For they verily for a few days chastened us after their own pleasure (as seemed best to them); but he for our profit, that we might be partakers of his holiness. Now no chastening (discipline) for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised (trained) thereby. Wherefore lift up (strengthen) the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees; and make straight paths for your feet, lest that which is lame be turned out of the way (dislocated), but let it rather be healed.’ (Heb. 12:7-13) 

Yes friends that’s the truth of the matter. I know that none of us likes to experience any kind of pain, but sometimes it’s necessary, like in times of growth and the Lord administering discipline. Thus, we need to endure the chastening, the discipline of the Lord without much complaining for He’s only doing it for our benefit. Oh my fellow saints, until we realize and accept the fact that whatever the Lord does is ALWAYS  for our benefit, then we’re ALWAYS going to have a very difficult time accepting His pronouncements. 

Now, let’s wake up in this new year of 2024 and truly accept the Lord for who He is: our Creator, Controller and LOVING Father, who desires us to be the best version of His Son Jesus Christ, that we can be. Therefore, let’s go home declaring (yesss!!!) our Tuesday Mantra, letting all and sundry know to whom we belong lock, stock and barrel. As one strong and sincere voice: ‘In God’s eyes, I’m not what I do. I’m not what I have. I’m not what people say about me. I am the beloved of God, that’s who I am. No one can take that from me. I don’t have to worry. I don’t have to hurry. I can trust my friend Jesus and share His LOVE with my immediate neighbours, as well as with the whole wide world! Glory be!’ 

Now, it’s our bounden duty to go out and share that awesome LOVE  and friendship of Christ with others, so that they too can come to know and LOVE Him like we do! Much LOVE!

…we cannot escape pain…for it’s a byproduct of this evil world…but thankfully…in the new life it will be absent…Glory to God… 

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Today’s Scrip-Bit 28 May 2021 Psalm 119:75.

28 May 2021 Leave a comment

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

Psalm 119:75.     I know, O Lord, that thy judgements (laws) are right (righteous), and that thou in faithfulness hast afflicted me.

Well at long last, it seems like we might actually have a rainy day! Thank the Lord! The earth is most grateful for it because the little sprinklings we have had recently did nothing to soothe the parched land. What’s amusing and interesting though, is that every time they call for rain, the skies darken, but then the wind comes and blows away the dark clouds bearing the life-giving precipitation. But today, we finally seem to have the real thing, even my computer that was earlier on saying mostly sunny, is now calling for rain! Glory be! 

Oh, I just heard that it’s not only rain, but freezing rain, for the temperature has dropped to around five degrees Celsius. Imagine that nuh, a few days ago we had temps in the high twenties, now they are closer to freezing. But anyway, on this rainy Friday, in these tough times, we are going to turn to a most appropriate poem from our One Year Book of Bible Promises, with writings by Ruth Harms Calkin, to give us a li’l enlightening and encouragement. It’s titled ‘The Pain of Growth.’ And that is exactly what we are supposed to be doing in these trying times; growing in God! 

So please pray with me. ‘O God Growth is a painful process. I frankly confess I am a coward about pain. I don’t like it, Lord I never pray for it Or get excited over it. In fact, I often resist it: The pain of emotional trauma So overwhelming So baffling and crushing. The deep-cutting pain Of a broken relationship. Physical pain that goes on and on Until my entire body screams. The pain of cruel cutting words. The pain of loneliness, rejection Of financial ruin. The pain of being misunderstood. 

Lord, the very thought of pain Frightens and unnerves me. Yet it is true – Again and again it is true: My greatest spiritual growth Has come through pain. Through heartache And anguish. And very often in my suffering When I sadly thought You were doing absolutely nothing At that very moment You were doing more within me Than I ever dreamed or hoped.’ 

Oh Mama, Mama! How true are those words eh? In the hurting and awful times when we think that God has forsaken us, those are the exact times that He is working most desperately in us, to grow us and increase our faith and trust in Him. And right now, in these most uncomfortable times of worldwide sickness and strife, when life is rough with so many of us, that’s the very thing He is doing; growing us, strengthening our faith, teaching us to wait patiently and expectantly on Him, deepening our trust in His awesome promises. 

But as always, there’s a part that we must do, and that’s hold on sincerely and tightly to His word and the promises found therein, where He has promised never to leave nor forsake us, to be with us right to the very end, to have thoughts of peace and not evil towards us, to give us a future and a hope. However, we have to sincerely accept them before we can see them coming to pass. 

And I know that this is a time when the Lord is challenging us to come up higher, to show that we truly believe in Him and His promises. The world is rejecting Him left, right and centre, but He is trusting that His followers will stand up strong although the times seem perilous, and come forth like pure gold when we are tested in these hot and evil fires. 

And the Bible Promise for our poem today comes from that mighty scripture, Psalm 119, where the psalmist confesses: ‘I know, O Lord, that thy judgements (laws) are right (righteous), and that thou in faithfulness hast afflicted me. Let I pray thee, thy merciful kindness (unfailing LOVE) be for my comfort, according to thy word (promise) unto thy servant.’ (Ps. 119:75-76) 

Yes friends, that’s how we have to look at it, otherwise we will just drive ourselves crazy with worry and anxiety, fear and dread of the future, unwisely forgetting Jesus’ wise advice: ‘Take therefore no thought for the morrow (don’t worry about tomorrow): for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil (trouble) thereof.’ (Matt. 6:34) 

Oh my people, everyday has its own problems, and wisdom decrees that we should concentrate on the present or current ones, not the ones we think might come tomorrow, which usually never come. So now, with all that wisdom under our belt, safely stored away in our hearts and souls, (smile) it’s time to get ourselves together and come to our great God in humble prayer through our Friday Chant. 

As one strong and sincere voice: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through this past week. You know it’s been rough… what with all the anxiety, the confusion and havoc that the Covid-19 virus and the racial strife is causing. We can’t seem to fix it on our own Lord, that means we desperately need your help. Oh heavenly Father, with your omnipotent help, and our trusting faith, we know that we can stand strong and steadfast and defeat both the virus and the unrest in our streets. 

So Lord, we sincerely ask you today to give the governments and those involved in the forefront of this serious and unexpected storm, the wise guidance to handle the situation properly, with the least amount of loss to life and property as possible. And please help those of us who must go out to work amidst all the confusion, to be responsible and to stay safe, and avoid any more serious setbacks. 

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

And if we want to receive a positive answer, then it behooves us to change our evil ways and truly be examples of faithful believers. Much LOVE!

…adversity…the greatest spiritual teacher…                                                     

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Today’s Scrip-Bit 7 January 2021 Psalm 119:75.

07 Jan 2021 Leave a comment

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

Psalm 119:75.     ​I know, O Lord, that thy judgements are right (righteous), and that thou in faithfulness hast afflicted me.

Brother! I thought that 2020 went fast, but like this new year planning on going even faster! Is already Thursday the 7th, and the year just started. (smile) Just wish our calamities were going away as quickly. But what to do eh? We brought most of them on ourselves, and we’re not behaving in a manner that will encourage them to leave as quickly as they came. 

What a blessing to have Jesus on our side! The Good Book plainly and truthfully states it: ‘I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.’ (Phil. 4:13) That means, with His help, His awesome grace, mercy and strength, we can handle anything that comes against us, even if it is of our making. And furthermore, we’re also told: ‘But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory through Christ Jesus.’ (Phil. 4:19) 

Yes mih bredrin, if Christ will strengthen me and cause the Lord to provide all my needs, who or what else do I need eh? NOTHING, or NOBODY! For Christ is sufficient in and of Himself! That’s why He instructed us to ‘seek first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.’ (Matt. 6:34) 

Oh friends, when we put Jesus Christ first and foremost in our lives, He will provide all that we need to live an abundant life. And that doesn’t necessarily mean rich in personal possessions, but certainly rich in spiritual things, maturity in spirituality, a good example of Christian living. So I don’t understand how so many of us refuse to follow Jesus, or only give Him lip-service and are not truly faithful to and in sync with Him. 

 I’m guessing that’s partly because living for Jesus is not easy. As His ambassadors, His earthly representatives, He expects a lot of us. He expects us to grow tremendously and shine brightly on His behalf, and that is ofttimes a difficult row to hoe. But as the ole people would say, ‘no pain, no gain.’ And that’s certainly highlighted in this poem from our One Year Book of Bible Promises with writings by Ruth Harms Calkin. It’s appropriately titled ‘The Pain of Growth.’ 

So please pray with me. ‘O God Growth is a painful process. I frankly confess I am a coward about pain. I don’t like it, Lord I never pray for it Or get excited over it. In fact, I often resist it: The pain of emotional trauma So overwhelming So baffling and crushing. The deep-cutting pain Of a broken relationship. Physical pain that goes on and on Until my entire body screams. The pain of cruel cutting words. The pain of loneliness, rejection Or financial ruin. The pain of being misunderstood. 

Lord, the very thought of pain Frightens and unnerves me. Yet it is true – Again and again it is true: My greatest spiritual growth Has come through pain. Through heartache and anguish. And very often in my suffering when I sadly thought You were doing absolutely nothing At that very moment You were doing more within me Than I ever dreamed or hoped.’ 

And that calls for a big ‘AMEN!’ my brethren. For it’s definitely through pain and somewhat uncomfortable circumstances that the Lord grows and matures us in His economy. And there’s nothing in that list of painful things above that Jesus never suffered on our behalf during His earthly sojourn. That’s why He can empathize with our suffering now. 

That’s why the author of Hebrews could confidently proclaim: ‘Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession (confession of faith). For we have not a high priest which cannot be touched (empathize) with the feeling of our infirmities (our weaknesses); but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly (confidently) unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.’ (Heb. 4:14-16) 

Yes my fellow saints in Christ, our Lord and Saviour, our venerable Leader felt every pain and suffering that we’ve ever felt…and more than any of us have ever felt to boot! And in Isaiah 53, Christ suffering is laid out, so much so that He’s known as ‘a man of sorrows.’ (Is. 53:3) And I like how the website www.gotquestions.org explains it. ‘Jesus is called “a man of sorrows” because of how much suffering He had to endure. He suffered first by leaving the glories of heaven and entering the human race as a man. Then He suffered all the things that humanity suffers, and then finally He suffered the wrath of God as the sin-bearer.’ 

So when He asks us to undergo a spot of suffering on His behalf, we ought to just shut our blooming mouths and do it without the hemming and hawing we’re so famous for. What would have happened if He hemmed and hawed about going to the cross for us eh? When Jesus asks us to jump, the correct answer is simply, ‘How high Lord?’ 

And before we run out of time and space, let’s look at the Bible Promise that was used for the poem above. It comes from the great psalm 119: ‘I know, O Lord, that thy judgements are right (righteous), and that thou in faithfulness hast afflicted me. Let I pray thee, thy merciful kindness be for my comfort, according to thy word unto thy servant.’ (Ps. 119:75-76) 

Yes people, the psalmist realized that God in His righteousness and justice would not afflict Him without a good reason. And furthermore, His LOVING-kindness, His unfailing LOVE, would comfort him during his trails, just like He promised. 

So please, if we want to be known as true and serious followers of Jesus, let’s cut out the foolishness nuh, and grow up, stop being selfish, petty and afraid and stand up to anything that comes against, because He’s faithfully promised to bring us safely and stronger through our trials and tribulation. And if you can’t believe His promise, what’s the point in being His follower eh? 

So for those of us who are willing to undergo the troubles of the world without too much complaining, let’s go home now sincerely declaring (oh yeahhh!) our Thursday Blessings, those magnificent blessings the Lord has so generously bestowed on us to do His earthly work. Wow! 

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 everyday! Amen!’  

And please remember, those blessings are not to be selfishly hoarded, but generously shared, just like the Lord generously shared them with us! Much LOVE!

…for whom the Lord LOVETH…He chasteneth… (Heb. 12:6)