Today’s Scrip-Bit 1 November 2019 Psalm 138:7.

01 Nov 2019 Leave a comment

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

Psalm 138:7.    ​Though I walk in the midst of trouble, thou wilt revive me: thou shalt stretch forth thine hand against the wrath of mine enemies, and thy right hand shall save me.

Well my wish has finally been granted…the rain’s stopped! And the sun is even trying to push out against the darkness in the eastern horizon. But the wind is still causing a ruckus as it’s done since I don’t remember how long. And in spite of the seriously inclement weather, can you believe that children were still out there trick or treating last evening! But who am I to say anything eh, it’s not in my generational makeup? (smile) But the workingman might have something to say about it. Let’s hear him nuh. 

‘TGIF! Thank God is Friday…the weekend is finally here…and the rain stop! Brother, is almost two days of straight wind and rain! And it definitely kill Halloween for me. The children were disappointed, but no way was I going out in that foul weather to collect a few pieces of candy! Steups! And the children still too young to go out by themselves. And even if they were older I still wasn’t allowing them to go out there in that kinda weather. Chuh shoot! Can you imagine it still had children come knocking on my door, by themselves to boot! 

What is wrong with parents nowadays eh? Have they lost their minds? Many of them were probably home eating and drinking and partying, while deh children out on the street facing what kinda danger, nobody knows. And they like to talk about safety and child protection and all that stuff, but they still sending them out in such bad weather to get a few candy and expose them to the serious predators out there. And yuh know what? My children not going to be hard up for candy, because they have all the candy that I’d bought to give out and nobody came around to collect. So we have a win win situation! Wow! Thank God for Fridays and weekends yes!’ 

Ah friends, the ordinary workingman might step out far on the fragile limb sometimes, but he still does have his wits about him when it comes to the safety of his children. Now how many of us supposed believers either went out with our children in that bad weather last night, or sent them by themselves eh, all for the sake of a foolish, evil and ungodly tradition? That’s between you and God. (smile) Anyway, let’s raise our Friday Chant to heaven nuh, invoking our wonderful God’s care and concern. 

Altogether now: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through another week of work! It hasn’t been easy, but with your generous help, I made it through. Now, please help me to get sufficient fun, fellowship, rest and relaxation in these two short days off, so that I can be renewed and refreshed in soul, body and mind, to go back out and do it all over again next week, furthering your glorious kingdom with each step I take. I pray this in Jesus name. Amen!’ 

Yes my people, ours is a more structured environment, because our Lord and Saviour doesn’t encourage us to go way out on the fragile part of the branch for fear that the slender branch will break, and we fall off into the waiting arms of the enemy. Yuh know he’s constantly lurking and looking around for believers to make a mistake, so he can jump in and create havoc. 

Oh friends, what a wonderful God we serve and worship! For although He has set boundaries and borders for us, when we foolishly step out of them and endanger ourselves, or life just comes against us, as it ofttimes will, He will still step in and look after us, because we are His beloved children! That’s why Bruh David could proclaim with such certainty in Psalm 138: ‘Though I walk in the midst of trouble, thou wilt revive me: thou shalt stretch forth thine hand against the wrath of mine enemies, and thy right hand shall save me.’ 

Glory be, my faithful saints in Christ! That’s exactly what our great and faithful God will do. And very few of us will have a difficult and dangerous life like Bruh David did, but the Lord saved him from his enemies, despite his many mistakes, because he never gave up on the God of his forefathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob! And the Lord will do exactly the same for us, despite our many mistakes, if we just have true faith in Him and surrender our souls, our lives to His everlasting wisdom, grace and LOVING-kindness! 

And even if we don’t know, or are unfamiliar with the words of our Bit, we do know the immortal and momentous words of Bruh David from Psalm 23, that convey the same sentiments. ‘He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.’ (Ps.23:3-4)

Ah friends, just like the shepherd David protected his sheep with his rod and staff, likewise the Lord, our shepherd, will protect us with His invincible rod and staff! O praise his mighty and glorious name my fellow believers! 

And our God is so great and wonderful and brazen, (smile) here’s the staggering, the awesome limit to which He will take our divine replenishment. ‘Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest me head with oil; my cup runneth over.’ (Ps.23:5) Wow people! That’s the power and the boldness of our God!  He can feed and anoint us in the presence of our enemies!

And since we are the sheep of His pasture, it’s His duty to look after us as best He can. And we can be very sure that He will NEVER renege on His promise or duty, that’s why like Bruh David, we can profoundly believe and proudly and confidently say: ‘Surely goodness and mercy (LOVING-kindness) shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.’ (Ps.23:6) 

All praise and glory to our great God! So let’s rejoice and be glad in all the wonderful things we have going for us today in Jesus Christ my fellow saints! Much LOVE!

…if God be for us…who can be against us eh…NOBODY…not a single soul…

Today’s Scrip-Bit 2 May 2017 Psalm 103:2.

02 May 2017 Leave a comment

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

Psalm 103:2.   Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits.

Well friends, at least we’ve begun today better than we did yesterday. Yeh, there is no fog clouding up the place, though it’s still a tad chilly and blustery. 

Let’s hope though, that the incessant rains that plagued us through most of the later day-time hours and evening don’t return, as promised by the weather forecasters, because I need to go out the street and do some stuff today, and I really don’t feel like trampling around through the rain. (smile) 

But be that as it may, I’m still glad, excited, enthusiastic and ever grateful to be alive on this spring morning of 2017! Glory to our Most High God! 

Now here is a li’l something from our One Year Book of Bible Promises with writings by Ruth Harms Calkin. It’s short and simple and titled ‘The Promise of Abundant Life.’ 

Please declare with me: ‘Lord, you always bring ultimate good to those who LOVE you. May I never surrender to the false conclusion that you have no more for me than what I already have.’ 

But unfortunately that’s something a lot of us Christians feel and believe. However friends, I’m here to tell us today, that our God’s great mercies and blessings and grace and forgiveness have not even begun to truly flow upon us, so vast is His storehouse of those things. 

And the verse associated with that promise comes from Psalm 16, where Bruh David seeks preservation and blessing and faithfully declares: ‘Thou wilt show me the path of life: in thy presence is fullness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.’ (Ps.16:11) And isn’t that the gospel truth my fellow believers? It surely is! 

And that flows very nicely into our ongoing Bit: ‘Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits.’ 

And again, we need to remember that there are numerous benefits to one’s association with the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob! 

Now we’ve been reviewing some of the benefits listed by Bruh David after our Bit. Today we’ll move on to verse 4: ‘Who redeemeth thy life from destruction; who crowneth thee with LOVING-kindness and tender mercies.’ (Ps.103:4) 

Wow! What an awesome verse of promise and assurance friends! And we know that our wonderful God did eventually provide redemption for us through our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, an act of such outstanding, amazing and awesome LOVE; one that has never been, and can never be matched! 

But listen to how Bruh David saw it in his time, and how he engraved it in everlasting words for us from Psalm 5 – A prayer for protection. 

‘But let all those that put their trust in thee rejoice: let them ever shout for joy, because thou defendest them: let them also that LOVE thy name be joyful in thee. For thou, Lord, wilt bless the righteous; with favour wilt thou compass (surround) him as with a shield.’ (Ps.5:11-12) 

So why are we supposed believers not much more joyful than we are in these trying times eh? With such a promise, and many more like that, none of us should be walking around with sad, droopy, poor-me-one attitudes and countenances. 

But we’ll leave that for another day, because I want to finish this Bit today…and I hear a sigh of relief from some quarters. (smile) 

Now let’s move on to verse 5, which tells us of these benefits. ‘Who satisfieth thy mouth with good things; so that thy youth is renewed like the eagle’s.’ (Ps.103:5) 

And we all know the immortal words of Isaiah on this topic. ‘He giveth power to the faint (weak); and to them that have no might he increaseth strength. Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall: 

But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.’ (Is.40:29-31) 

Oh my fellow believers, today I’m imploring us to firmly grasp and hold tight to the many promises of our wonderful God, because in them we find the strength and wherewithal to fight the many battles we encounter in our earthly pilgrimage. 

It won’t always be easy, but if we believe and persevere, we will come through with flying colours, because our ever-faithful God has promised it! 

Now let’s go home declaring our Tuesday Mantra in true belief and sincerity. ‘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 the world.  Amen!’ 

Glory be my people! Now let’s go out and share that awesome LOVE of Jesus with each and every one we meet today, for that’s what He desires of us. Much LOVE!

… the benefits of being associated with God…are so amazing and so plentiful…that our finite minds can’t conceive even half of them…  

P.S. Please let me apologize for my typo at the end of yesterday’s Bit, where I said that everything in this world belongs to God, ‘let’s forget it.’ Obviously it should be ‘let’s NOT forget it.’ I’m sure you all realized that, but please forgive the ole fella anyway. (smile) I corrected it in the Blog later. Much LOVE!

 

 

Today’s Scrip-Bit 17 November 2016 Psalm 28:7.

17 Nov 2016 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Inspirational Living Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Psalm 28:7.    The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusted in him, and I am helped: therefore my heart greatly rejoiceth; and with my song will I praise him.

Yeah mih people, another bright and sunshiny day seems to be upon us! Glory to God! 

In His wisdom and LOVING-kindness, He has granted us another day of life, plus has abundantly showered us with new mercies and new blessings especially prepared for today. Wow! How wonderful is His compassion and care for us! 

Thus we can joyfully and confidently declare: ‘This is the day the Lord has made, we WILL rejoice and be glad in it!’ And we’d be rather foolish and unfaithful not to enjoy it to its fullest. 

Now here is a quote attributed to Oswald Chambers, (1874-1917) the famous Scottish Baptist and Holiness Movement evangelist and teacher of the early 20th century. This comes from his classic of devotional literature ‘My Utmost for His Highest.’  

It concerns faith, and says: ‘Faith never knows where it is being led, but it LOVES and knows the One who is leading.’ 

And is that ever true! For when we become a follower of Jesus Christ, we place our entire will in His hands and allow Him to lead us wherever He wishes. We don’t know exactly where He will lead us, but we do know that he will not lead us astray, and will work it all out eventually for our good, because of our great trust and faith in Him. 

He died to save us, so why would He do us harm eh? Yeh friends, following Jesus is the best thing we can do in this mish-mash world! 

That’s why Bruh David could have so confidently declared in our Bit: ‘The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusted in him, and I am helped: therefore my heart greatly rejoiceth; and with my song will I praise him.’ 

That’s the kind of strong confidence we believers need to embrace in these trying times my brethren. Without it, we’d just be lost, like hungry and tired sheep wandering in the wilderness. 

However, with the living water of Christ energizing us, we are able to do a whole lot more than we can ever believe or imagine. That’s the beauty of being one with Jesus; our spirits are lifted up, and we become strong and active in ministry to the glory of His holy name. What a purposeful life we live then! 

Now let’s hear some scripture that places all of that in the right perspective for us. And it comes from no other than Bruh David, (smile) from His foundational Psalm 118 – Thanksgiving for deliverance. 

‘As for God, his way is perfect: the word of the Lord is tried (proven): he is a buckler (shield) to all those that trust him. For who is God save (except) the Lord? Or who is a rock save our God? 

It is God that girdeth me with strength, and maketh my way perfect. He maketh my feet like hinds feet (the feet of the deer), and setteth me upon my high places. He teacheth my hands to war, so that a bow of steel is broken by mine arms (a bow of bronze can be bent). 

Thou hast also given me the shield of thy salvation: and thy right hand hath holden (held) me up, and thy gentleness hath made me great.’ (Ps.18:30-35) 

Oh friends, what confident faith! Bruh David didn’t know where the Lord was leading him, but he knew that if he hung tight with Him, his life would be successful. He learned that an early age while keeping his father’s sheep in the wilds. 

The same applies to us today, my fellow believers. The more trust and faith we have in Almighty God, the greater things we’ll see and achieve! For as the Good Book tells us: ‘But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.’ (Heb.11:6) 

Ah mih breddren, if we don’t have faith, we can’t come to God for great wonders. What did Jesus say to the two blind men before He healed them? ‘According to your faith be it unto you.’ (Matt.9:29) Likewise my brethren, according to our faith, so will it be unto us. 

Now let’s go home this Thursday declaring our Thursday Blessings nuh. For remember, a blessing is only a blessing when it’s spoken over someone. So with great passion and overwhelming faith let’s declare those wonderful blessings over ourselves. 

In unison 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!’ 

Awright mih people! Now let’s go out and put all of that into action in our lives, behaving the way Jesus desires us, as we diligently do His earthly work with an attitude of excellence, on a solid foundation of true faith. Much LOVE!

…only through faith…can miracles be accomplished in our lives…

 

 

 

Today’s Scrip-Bit 13 May 2015 Psalm 46:1‏‏

13 May 2015 Leave a comment

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

Psalm  46:1.  God is our refuge and strength, a very present help (an abundantly available help) in time of trouble.

 
Bonjour, my Friends and neighbours! What a great day to be alive! It’s a wonderful Wednesday morning, and I’m here to boost our spirits and try and get and keep us closer to Almighty God. Yes my people, I’m here this morning to remind us of the marvellous, magnificent, magnanimous and majestic Deity we serve and worship!

He is just the greatest thing ever! And is He ever faithful and true to His promises! And I can personally vouch for that. Let me give you a recent example. Now, whenever I read my devotionals, I keep an eye out for anything that seems worthy of sharing, but oftentimes I don’t even need an eye open, because they simply jump off the page at me.

Yesterday, while reading, I idly wondered what I would write about today. Soon thereafter though, I came across this poem in the One year Book of Bible Promises that seemed interesting enough to share, but the clincher occurred when I read the promise that it was based on; none other than our Bit. Holy smokes!

I obviously chuckled and said a thankful ‘Thank You Lord!’ That’s because I took it as a sure sign He wanted me to share the poem. And never wanting to be disobedient, (smile) here it is in living colour. It’s titled: ‘You Did All the Rest.’

And it says: ‘O Lord God! I did what you asked me to do: I just opened windows  Wide… Wide… And You did all the rest! You poured into my heart A blessed, blissful contentment. You saturated my mind With gigantic thoughts of You. You struck an artesian well within me Until sheer joy sprang forth.

You led me out of the valley of despair Into a succession of incredible happenings. Problems which seemed insurmountable Melted like wax before my eyes. Fears faded away like threatening clouds. You startled me You amazed me With the glory of your revelation.

It is true Gloriously true – I have literally walked and breathed with God. I just opened windows Wide… Wide…God. You did all the rest!’ 

Oh mih people, that’s exactly how our ever-LOVING God operates, when we genuinely seek Him with open and sincere hearts and minds! And I’m sure many of you readers can attest to that fact this morning. Isn’t it wonderful to serve such a Deity? It surely is!

So this morning Friends, let’s throw open those windows of our souls wide, wide, so that God can come in and do the rest nuh. For like our Bit so truthfully declares: ‘God is our refuge and strength, a very present help (an abundantly available help) in time of trouble.’ 

But you know what too my brethren? God isn’t only a refuge and strength and help in times of trouble, but ALL THE TIME! In good times, in so so times, as well as bad times, He’s always there to guide and keep us! Glory to God!

But note though, we have to open up to Him completely, and like Gramps Schuller (Dr. Robert H. Schuller) said yesterday, let it all go, allow Him to work at His pace, in His time, without continually hanging over His shoulder and trying to tell Him what to do. We don’t like others hanging over our shoulders telling us what to do, so why should our Creator like it eh?

Now let’s look at some scriptures which support our contention – no sorry, not contention, but truth. Listen to the psalmist, re God’s sustaining power. ‘I will lift up mines eyes unto the hills (mountains) from whence cometh my help. My help cometh from the Lord, which made heaven and earth. He will not suffer thy foot to be moved (to slip): he that keepeth thee will not slumber.

Behold, he that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep. The Lord is thy keeper (protector): the Lord is thy shade upon thy right hand. The sun shall not smite thee by day, nor the moon by night. The Lord shall preserve (keep) thee from all evil: he shall preserve thy soul. The Lord shall preserve (keep) thy going out and thy coming in from this time forth, and even for evermore.’ (Ps.121:1-8)

Oh my people, what wonderful promises our mighty God makes! And He faithfully keeps everyone of them. Hn, hn! I wasn’t planning to use the whole psalm, but after reading it, I had no other choice seeing that it was chocked full of God’s grace and power.

Obviously the psalmist wasn’t expecting the hills themselves to help him, but sees them as more of a reflection of the power and majesty of the One who made them.

Now hear the prophet Jeremiah as he expounds on the situation. ‘Truly in vain is salvation hoped for from the hills, and from the multitude of mountains: truly in the Lord our God is the salvation of Israel.’ (Jer.13:23). Gospel truth that Friends!

Now let’s end with some wise and encouraging words of Bruh David from Psalm 145 – The Lord is gracious. ‘The Lord is nigh unto all them that call upon him in truth. He will fulfill the desire of them that fear (revere) him: he also will hear their cry, and will save them.

The Lord preserveth all them that LOVE him: but all the wicked will he destroy. My mouth shall speak the praise of the Lord: and let all flesh bless his holy name for ever and ever.’ (Ps.145:18-21)

Oh Friends, what beautiful and true declarations! Please, as true followers of Christ, let’s go out and put them into action today nuh. For that is indeed heavenly wisdom! Much LOVE!

…to praise and glorify God…that is man’s earthly purpose…

P.S. Please excuse the lateness of the Bit, but the ole fella didn’t get to bed until minutes to three this morning. Don’t ask what I was doing either. That’s for me to know and you find out. (smile) Much LOVE!