Today’s Scrip-Bit   5 March 2024 Proverbs 1:7.

05 Mar 2024 Leave a comment

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

Proverbs 1:7.        The fear (reverential awe) of the Lord is the beginning (principal beginning) of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction.

And then it was Tuesday, the first one in March of 2024, which seems to be turning into a beautiful spring-like day, with temps in double digits. And though the birds are singing like crazy in the early morning and late evening hours, something deep inside refuses to allow me to believe that spring can really be this early. (smile) Usually at this time of the year we’re dressed real warm to prevent the cold March winds from penetrating to the depths of our souls, but now, some of us are walking around half-naked because of the unexpected warm temperatures. 

Don’t get me wrong though, I’m not complaining about the warm, sunshiny weather, no way! It’s just that I’m a bit skeptical about spring in February and March in these winter climes. (smile)  But enough about my skepticism, here’s one of my favourite prayers, one I’ve shared before, but I believe is appropriate to share every so often. (smile) It’s a special prayer prepared by the Life- Study Fellowship , in Noroton, Connecticut, some years ago. I don’t remember how it came into my possession, but I’ve used it on a fairly regular basis since then. 

So please pray with me: ‘Lord Please Accept My Heartfelt Thanks! “Praise the Lord for His Goodness.” ( Psalm 107:8.) Dear Lord, You are so good to me! and I thank You sincerely for the many blessings You send me! I’m very glad to have You in my life day in and day out – whatever I do and wherever I go! You are the One who always does what is best for my happiness! How grateful I am to be able to turn to You for guidance and comfort when troubles come my way! If any situation arises that makes me feel discouraged, You let me know I can lean on You for support! 

And because of Your LOVE for me, somehow I seem to find the strength to keep going – even through the most difficult of times! I’m grateful, too, for peaceful moments like these when I’m all alone with You in prayer! Talking with You NEVER fails to reassure and uplift me! Nothing I say to You goes unheard. You listen with great concern to everything I confide in You! For You truly care about me! As I look to 2024, I Pray that You will continue to watch over me – and grant me even more of Your wonderful blessings! And may I serve You well in my every word, my every deed! Be my guided hour by hour, I pray! Amen.’ 

Oh friends, you see why I like that prayer so much. It seems to cover every angle and say exactly what needs to be said! Like thanks for the many blessings; the guidance and comfort when troubles come, the peaceful moments alone in prayer; the caring and confidence as the Lord listens to us…and on and on and on! (smile) Ah mih people, we have such a wonderful God that I can’t believe so many people refuse to believe in and put their trust in Him. That’s so foolish and unwise. Remember these wise words of Cousin Sol at the beginning of Proverbs: ‘The fear (reverential awe) of the Lord is the beginning (principal beginning) of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction.’ (Prov. 1:7) 

And that last part is ever so true, as can be so widely seen in the foolish actions so prevalent in this ungodly world! And what does all of that mean? The scholars explain: ‘The fear of the Lord means submission to the Lord and His revelation. When one is afraid of something, he either runs from it or submits to it. The latter idea is in view here. It is a healthy fear, like the fear of electricity or the fear of one’s parents, which causes one to act in an appropriate manner. The beginning does not mean that “the fear of the Lord” is left behind in the course of acquiring wisdom, but that it is the controlling principle of wisdom.’ 

And from all of that we can deduce two things; mankind does not fear God, like electricity or our parents, because the world is filled with so many more inappropriate things and behaviour than ever before. Inappropriateness is in fact the very norm for today’s world. We take great pleasure in being inappropriate, and laugh at those who desire to be appropriate. That only leads to the next thing, the leaving behind of God’s controlling principle of acquiring wisdom. We live in a world that does not wish to acquire godly wisdom. Consequently, it’s a world filled with chaos and confusion, strife, anger, and every work of the devil! 

But that seems to be what the majority of the world desires. So how do we overcome that eh? How do we change it all around? For needs we must, because we simply cannot allow our world to go to even greater depths in the mire of Satan and his evil cohorts. No, my fellow believers, we need to wrestle the world away from them in the name and the omnipotent power of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Saviour, who sacrificed His sinless life so that we could be granted the marvellous option of spending eternity with Him. And He’s given us all the tools we need to destroy the enemy, it’s just for us to get up now and do the deed. 

Oh friends, the enemy is ripe for the taking, if we supposed believers would only muster the belly and backbone to get up and get the job done!  But no, we’re too comfortable in this world of so many wonderful and lazy-inducing amenities, and don’t want to disrupt our peaceful existence in this evil-filled world. However, my fellow believers, please give some thought to this: on the day of judgement, we’ll all answer for what we did and didn’t do, and there’ll be no room whatsoever for excuses. So please, let’s wake up and smell the coffee nuh, and think about what we’ll say to Almighty God, when He asks why we didn’t do more with all the blessings and tools that He gave us. 

Please ponder that for a few moments. Hopefully it will wake us up to the sad reality of the situation. Now, for those of us who have already woken up and are trying our best to do God’s work, let’s go home declaring (yesss!!!) our Tuesday Mantra, letting the whole world 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, having said that, it’s our bounden duty to go out and share the amazing LOVE and friendship of Christ with others, so that they too can come to know and LOVE Him like we do! Much LOVE!

…a believer in Christ has important work to do…so please…let’s get up and do it nuh…

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Today’s Scrip-Bit 7 January 2020 Psalm 107:8.

07 Jan 2020 Leave a comment

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

Psalm 107:8.    Oh that men would praise the Lord for his goodness (LOVING-kindness), and for his wonderful works to the children of men!
 
Yes, we’re somewhat tardy this morning, but through no fault of mine. Let me make that abundantly clear! (smile) I went to bed early…well yes and no…but I was up early, had to go and do some blood work though, that’s why we’re running a tad behind. (smile) 

And we’re going to begin today with a prayer, one of my favourites, something I’ve shared before, doubt you’ll remember it though. (smile) But it’s one done by the Life-Study Fellowship Group in Noroton, Connecticut, some years back. It’s titled, ‘Lord, Please Accept My Heartfelt Thanks!’ And the prayer has as it’s Bible promise: ‘Praise the Lord for His Goodness.” (Ps.107:8) And do we ever need to do that my fellow believers in these sad and trying  times. So please pray with me. 

‘Dear Lord, You are so good to me! And I thank You sincerely for the many blessings You send me! I’m very glad to have You in my life day in and day out – whatever I do and wherever I go! You are the One who always does what is best for my happiness! How grateful I am to be able to turn to You for guidance and comfort when troubles come my way! If any situation arises that makes me feel discouraged, You let me know I can lean on You for support! And because of Your LOVE for me, somehow I seem to find the strength to keep going – even through the most difficult times! 

I’m grateful, too, for peaceful moments like these when I’m all alone with You in prayer! Talking with You never fails to reassure and uplift me! Nothing I say to You goes unheard. You listen with great concern to everything I confide in You! For You truly care about me! As I look to 2020 I pray that You will continue to watch over me – and grant me even more of Your wonderful blessings! And may I serve You well in my every word, my every deed! Be my Guide hour by hour, I pray! Amen!’ 

Oh friends, what a marvellous prayer! I think it covers all the bases: gratefulness for guidance and comfort in times of trouble; encouragement and support when necessary. As the old Bill Wither’s song says, ‘Lean on me when you’re not strong. And I’ll be your friend. I’ll help you carry on!’ Now that’s exactly what our God does! And we can surely do that with all confidence because He is an omnipotent, omniscient and omni-present God! And because of His LOVE…oh my people, my people, because of God’s unending, unconditional and unsurpassed LOVE, we find the strength to keep going even in the most difficult of times! Glory Hallelujah! 

As the Good Book says: ‘I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me!’ (Phil. 4:13) Mamma Yo! With a God like that, who else do we need eh? Not a single soul! For our God is more than enough to meet our needs. Again, as He promised: ‘God will meet all of my needs according to his riches in glory through Christ Jesus!’ (Phil.4:19) Wow! But yuh know the best part of that prayer is the peaceful moments experienced when we’re all alone with our Maker in prayer. 

Oh friends, there’s something we experience when we’re communing with Almighty God, our heavenly Father, that cannot be truly defined or put into words. I guess the best we can do is call it peace, or the all encompassing Jewish word ‘Shalom!’ And when you’re talking to him, and know for a fact that He’s listening to you closely, and sincerely cares for you…why wouldn’t He eh, when He made you? A feeling of utmost quiet and stillness and calm, even when it’s rough, comes over you. 

Remember too, the Lord is also the Best Confidante we can ever have. He doesn’t tell our ‘secrats’ to anyone, and we can bring EVERYTHING, yes EVERYTHING to Him in prayer, because He’s interested in EVERYTHING that concerns us, be it big, small or intermediate! That’s the kind of caring and considerate God we serve and worship my people! I know some of us wrongly think that we can’t bother God with small, supposedly unimportant stuff, but He’s truly interested in it all! Just as we like our children to bring even their most personal problems to us, so does our heavenly Father want us to bring ALL our problems to Him. 

Remember, He’s not only our God, our Creator, our Judge and Saviour, but also our Father…and Friend, and He does desire to perform fatherly and friendly duties for and with us! Give Him much thanks and praise my breddren, for He so worthily deserves it! As the psalmist so rightly declares: (steups!) ‘Oh that men would praise the Lord for his goodness (LOVING-kindness), and for his wonderful works to the children of men!’  And do we ever need to thank the Lord for all the blessings He bestows on us, especially the most important one; our Lord and  Saviour Jesus Christ! 

Oh we can never give Him enough thanks and praise for that nuh, because there isn’t enough in all the world to ever make up for Jesus! Bless His holy name! That’s why I’m encouraging us to really get with the programme this year of 2020 my fellow believers, for it’s a watershed year, a year that will make or break us, a year that will set the tone for all the other ones to come! That’s why Christians have to seriously and truly come together in these perilous times, because everything depends on us; the fate of our children and our world rests solely in our hands; placed there by our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ when He gave us the Great Commission: 

‘Go ye therefore, and teach (make disciples of) all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the very end of the world.’ (Matt.28:19-20) And yuh see how kind and caring our Jesus is? Although He’s given us a big and important job to do, He’s also given us the tools to do it, through his Holy Spirit who dwells within us, and by whom He also keeps His promise to be always with us. 

So friends, on this first Tuesday of our new year, let’s sincerely declare (yeah!) our Tuesday Mantra, letting the world know in no uncertain terms, just who and whose we are. In strong voice, with sincere hearts! ‘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 the world.  Amen!’ Now, as we’ve just promised, let’s go out and tell them about our Lord and Saviour, His undying LOVE and amazing friendship! Much LOVE!

…the Lord…He satisfieth the longing soul…and filleth the hungry soul with goodness… (Ps.107:9)