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Today’s Scrip-Bit 29 May 2013 Matthew 22:36

29 May 2013 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: Amen, burnt offerings, Calvary's cross, christianity, common sense, destruction, disobedience, dissensions, divisions, do what is right, first and great commandment, foolish existence, hate, havoc, hypocrites, idolatry, iniquity, Jesus Christ, let's get together, live in peace and LOVE, Love God, LOVE Revolution, LOVE your neighbour, Mammon, mayhem, murder, Praise the Lord, prosperity, sacrifices, saviour jesus christ, showers of blessing, sinless life, sorrowful waste, stop all the foolish wars, stubbornness, the blood of Jesus, the great commandment, things of Mammon, time for Christians to rise up, troubled times, true believer, truth, understanding, unnecessary suffering, violence, wake up and smell the roses, water from heaven, wisdom, witchcraft, wonderful Lord and Saviour

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

Oh Friends, it looks like today will be another rainy one in my area. In fact there hasn’t been much relief from the showers of blessing since they began yesterday morning. But if that’s our biggest problem, then we surely can handle it.

However some water from heaven is the least of our problems right now. And I’m saying that because yesterday morning I got a zeppo, a message that says it’s time for Christians to rise up, rise up in the LOVE REVOLUTION! It’s time for Christianity to take over, to rule the world!

Yes Friends that’s the very serious intention and purpose of our great and wonderful Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! And He’s saying, loud and clear, it’s time for us to get a move on.

But unfortunately, we His followers can only successfully do His bidding if we unite and live in peace and LOVE with each other and our God. All the divisions, dissensions and foolish fighting amongst ourselves is hurting the Saviour’s cause.

Remember what Jesus said when the hypocritical Pharisee asked Him our Bit. ‘Master, which is the great commandment in the law?’

‘Jesus said unto 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.22:37-40)

Yes my people, it’s so simple. There are only two laws we have to worry about; LOVING God and our neighbour, which includes LOVING ourselves, since we can’t truly LOVE anyone else until we have some decent regard for ourselves. And from those two simple commands flow all the other good stuff. It’s the way a true believer ought to live!

So please my Friends, neighbours, enemies, whoever you are, all mankind, please for the LOVE of God, let’s get together and stop all the foolish wars of jealousy and greed, stop the senseless hate and violence that only deteriorates to and breeds murder and mayhem, with NO LOVE, NO JOY, NO PEACE.

Oh my people, is that the way we truly want to live? Is that the dream our God, our Creator, the great and LOVING Artist put in our hearts? And the answer is a resounding NO!

So please let’s do what is right nuh, it’s so simple and easy. When we LOVE and obey God, we prosper. When we don’t, then we suffer the severe consequences, like we’re doing right now. Is simple common sense mih breddren. Oh sorry… I forgot that common sense is no longer in style, it’s not the current vogue of mankind.

Nowadays we’re only interested in the foolish and senseless things of Mammon. But remember what happens to those who revere Mammon and his sinful ways. The Good Book says they will surely suffer, pay an exceedingly high price for their disobedience.

And I won’t even bother to quote any scripture to that nuh, since on almost every page of the Good Book, and sometimes several times on one page, it reminds us to be obedient, because disobedience only causes havoc, destruction and unnecessary suffering. The world will give us enough suffering. We don’t need to create anymore for ourselves.

I’ll quote one scripture here though, and it’s a big one, one that we all know, but few of us really follow. And we’re talking about when Samuel accosted Saul, after he disobeyed God’s directive to totally destroy the Amelakites. (1 Sam.15:1-21)

‘And Samuel said, Hath the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams. For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft (divination), and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because thou hast rejected the word of the Lord, he hath also rejected thee from being king.’ (1 Sam.15:23)

Yes Friends, Saul lost everything because he had not obeyed. And that’s exactly what is happening to us today, we’re losing everything; our joy, peace and prosperity because we haven’t obeyed the dictates of Almighty God. And we’re committing an even greater sin by trying to remove, to totally eradicate Him from our society. Ah Lord eh!

Oh mih people, there are so many examples of great societies that floundered and eventually fell because of their disobedience, why do we think ours will fare differently eh? Not very likely!

So let’s wake up and smell the roses nuh! Let’s reignite our passion for God, unite and live in PEACE, LOVE, UNDERSTANDING, TRUTH and JUSTICE, for once in our long and foolish existence nuh, for that’s wisdom at it’s finest!

Oh Friends, I sincerely pray this in Jesus’ Name; in the blood that flowed from His bruised and battered body on that fateful day on Calvary’s Cross, when He selflessly gave His holy and sinless life in exchange for our unholy, sinful souls.

And for that, we thank Him more than words can ever say. But when He reads our hearts, He’ll surely see and know how much we truly LOVE Him.

And all God’s people declared a long, loud and glorious, ‘Praise the Lord! Amen! And again we say, Amen! Praise the Lord!’

Much, much LOVE, my beautiful fellow believers!

…to not truly live for and obey God…especially in these troubled times….only makes us look real foolish…and Jesus’ sacrificial death…a sad and sorrowful waste…

Today’s Scrip-Bit 28 May 2013 Revelation 22:14.

28 May 2013 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: abominations, adversity, Amen, black and white, blessed, blessings, burn the candle at both ends, city gates, commandments, defiles, disobedience, doing right, dr schuller, empty pitcher, fruit of the righteous, glory and honour, god, God's amazing faithfulness, growing flower, holy spirit, Hour of Power, I come O God, Jesus is the only answer, Lamb's book of life, lies, long and arduous night, LOVE, LOVE one another, mountain spring, my soul, New Jerusalem, no night, on the outside looking in, paradise of God, poem of prayer, positive note, Praise the Lord, rewards, right decision, satisfying sun, straight from the horse's mouth, thank you, the end times, thirsty deer, time of prayer, tree of life, tribulation, truth, vim and vigour, warning, wisdom

Revelation 22:14. Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates of the city.

Oh Friends, oh Friends, it’s been a long and arduous night…of sleep! Hn, hn! My body had its way with me. That’s what happens when you try to burn the candle at both ends simultaneously. (smile) But hopefully, now that the ole bod has had its fill of sleep, it will be able to do the Lord’s work properly, with much vim and vigour.

Anyway, let’s get rolling with a poem of prayer from Dr. Schuller’s Hour of Power Devotional. And it’s truly amazing, that though I’ve been reading the Devotional for several years now, most of the stuff I share from it seems entirely new to me. This poem titled ‘Fill Me!’ falls into that category.

Please read and pray with me. ‘O Lord, like the thirsty deer which goes to drink from the mountain spring; like the growing flower which turns hungrily to the satisfying sun; like the empty pitcher which is carried to the fountain to be filled; so I come, O God, knowing that in this time of prayer my soul will be filled with your LOVE and truth. Thank you! Amen.’

And I certainly hope that all our souls will be filled with God’s LOVE and TRUTH, as we go out this rainy Tuesday morning to do His awesome bidding, securely backed up by His amazing faithfulness.

And all God’s people declared a mighty, ‘Praise the Lord!’

Yes Friends, let’s keep on praising His glorious Name, for He is indeed most worthy of all that praise, and infinitely more than we can ever come up with or imagine.

Now let’s turn to our Bit: ‘Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates of the city.’

Ah mih people, that’s a warning we should all take very seriously and heed immediately! For as we saw yesterday, the adversity and unfixable tribulation of the opposite action, disobedience, is certainly not to be desired. Being on the outside looking in, is definitely not where you want to be at the end times.

And today, I want to look at some appropriate scriptures which corroborate our Bit. And we’re going to start out on a positive note, with the blessings administered for doing right.

John tells us in his first letter: ‘And this is his commandment, That we should believe on the name of his Son Jesus Christ, and LOVE one another, as he gave us commandment. And he that keepeth his commandments dwelleth in him, and he in him. And hereby we know that he abideth in us, by the Spirit which he hath given us.’ (1 John 3:23-24)

That’s plain and straightforward Friends!

And as per ‘the tree of life,’ Cousin Sol describes it thus in Proverbs 11: ‘The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life; and he that winneth souls is wise. Behold, the righteous shall be recompensed (rewarded) in the earth: much more than the wicked and the sinner.’ (Prov.11:30-31)

Now hear Jesus’ warning and promise on it. ‘He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God.’ (Rev.2:7)

Straight from the horse’s mouth my brethren, so it has to be true!

Now as regards ‘the gates of the city,’ of the New Jerusalem, listen to John’s revelation: ‘And the nations of them which are saved shall walk in the light of it: and the kings of the earth do bring their glory and honour into it. And the gates of it shall not be shut at all by day: for there shall be no night there.

And they shall bring the glory and honour of the nations into it. And there shall in no wise enter into it anything that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh (causes an) abomination, or maketh a lie: but they which are written in the Lamb’s book of life.’ (Rev.21:24-27)

And all God’s people said a loud and thankful ‘Amen!’

So there we have it Friends, in black and white. If your name’s not written in the Lamb’s book of life, then you won’t be allowed into the New Jerusalem. And the ONLY way to get your name in that awesome book, is to accept Jesus as your Lord and Saviour, then obey His commandments in this earthly life.

So now the choice is ours. Let’s hope we make the right decision right now, for remember when the end times arrive, there’ll be no chance to change our minds. It’s certainly NOW or NEVER!

So please, please, my brethren, let’s be wise for once in our lives and choose Jesus nuh, for He is the ONLY answer to whatever ails us. Much LOVE!

…I choose Jesus…because He first chose me…and that says a whole lot…

Today’s Scrip-Bit 20 May 2013 Acts 2:4

20 May 2013 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: almighty creator, aura of love, baptism of the Holy Spirit, confidence, Cornelius the centurion, Drunk or sober mind yuh business, energy, Holy Ghost, humble servants, infinite wisdom, invincible, Jesus Christ, jobs, lies, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, New Covenant, Pentecost, Queen Victoria, rejuvenation of spirit, renewed vitality, speaking in tongues, spiritual armour, steadfast faith, sure conquerors, truth, useful purpose, weary souls, wicked taunts, wiles, wonderful god

Acts 2:4. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.

Oh Friends, it’s Monday! And I receive two different reactions to that news: An irritable ‘Chuh! Steups!’ from those who had to get up and go to work. While those with the day off in honour of Queen Victoria, exhaled a grateful sigh of relief, turned off their alarms, rolled over and uttered an enthusiastic, ‘Thank You Lord!’

But what can I say eh Friends? Them’s the breaks. You win some, you lose some, but it will all work out for our good in the end, as our wonderful God has so faithfully promised. (Rom.8:28) Anyway, in solidarity with those who have to venture out to the battlefield of work today, let’s all sing our Monday Morning Battle Hymn, to help them go out there safely, brimming with confidence and energy.

All together now: ‘Oh Lord God Almighty, Creator of the universe and all therein! We, your humble servants, praise your Holy Name and thank you that this Monday morning we have jobs to go to; jobs we don’t like, jobs that are unfair, difficult and even dangerous, but which serve a useful purpose here on earth; keeping lives and families together.

We also thank you Father for the renewed vitality and enthusiasm you’ve wrought in our weary souls over the last two days. It’s that rejuvenation of Spirit which allows us now to sally forth with confidence into the evil, ungodly world that surrounds us, to begin a new week of work, constantly buffeted and bombarded by the enemy’s wicked taunts, wiles and lies.

But heavenly Father, we’re not afraid, for we know we’re invincible, sure conquerors, once we’re wearing your powerful, protective spiritual armour. We surrender our all to you, and humbly ask that you let your incredible aura of LOVE, the Holy Spirit, lead and guide all your servants as we go out to meet the enemy in battle.

Fill us with steadfast faith, so that we can make worthwhile inroads into the enemy’s ranks, and thereby further your glorious kingdom. We pray this in the Holy Name of your Son, and our Saviour, Jesus Christ. AMEN!’

And a word of warning to those who are not going to work; please don’t get too smug and reckless in any celebrations today, because the enemy never takes even one minute off. He’s always on the prowl for ways to cause our downfall. So please remember Granny’s advice: ‘Sonny boy, drunk or sober, mind yuh business.’

And here are the answers to the Bible questions I posed yesterday. Re the most frequently mentioned woman, between Eve, Sarah, the Virgin Mary and Rachel? That’s Sarah! And as to the most frequently mentioned man other than Jesus, between Bruh David, Moses, Abraham and Bruh Paul? The winner, hands down was Bruh David! (smile)

Now let’s look at our Bit. ‘And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.’

And what I want to do today, is offer some enlightenment, some information on the workings of the Holy Spirit. The scholars have provided me with so much info, in different places and contexts, let’s see if I can pull it together and make a coherent whole, so that even the newest believer can get a decent understanding of that miraculous force and power that indwells him.

Now there are two basic acts or parts to the Holy Spirit; baptism and then the filling and regeneration. Baptism occurs when a person receives Christ as Lord and Saviour. As per the scholars: ‘that’s the act by which Jesus, through the Spirit, at conversion brings the believer into relation with Himself and makes the believer part of God’s people, the church.’

We can attest to that from John telling the Pharisees and Sadducees who enquired about his baptism: ‘I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance: but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire.’ (Matt.3:11)

The scholars further explain that ‘John’s baptism in water was not Christian baptism. The death and resurrection of Christ had not yet occurred in order to be depicted by this baptism. John’s baptism was similar to the Old Testament offerings (washings) that symbolized a cleansing of personal repentance on the part of the believer. Notice that Jesus submitted to this baptism to “fulfill all righteousness.” (v 15)’

That’s when Jesus came to John to be baptized. ‘But John forbade him, saying, I have need to be baptized of thee, and comest thou to me? And Jesus answering said unto him, Suffer (allow) it to be so now: for thus it becometh us (is fitting for us) to fulfill all righteousness. Then he (John) suffered (allowed) him.’ Matt.3:14-15)

The scholars then explain Jesus’ baptism by John thus: ‘By identifying Himself with those He came to redeem, Jesus inaugurated His public ministry as the Messiah. In regard to the Jewish religious observances, such as synagogue worship, attendance at feasts, and payment of the temple tax, Jesus always met the duties of a faithful Jew.’

So although, He came to provide a New Covenant, a new way of life, He always met the requisites of the Old, once it did not contradict or contravene His moral requirements.

And we’ll look at one more passage of scripture that deals with the baptism of the Holy Ghost. That’s when Peter is rebuked by the Jewish Christians for hobnobbing with the Gentiles at Cornelius the centurion’s house. (Acts 10)

In his defence, Peter states: ‘And as I began to speak, the Holy Ghost fell on them, as on us at the beginning. (Pentecost) Then remembered I the word of the Lord how that he said, John indeed baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost. Forasmuch then as God gave them the like gift as he did unto us, who believed on the Lord Jesus Christ; what was I, that I could withstand God?’ (Acts 11:15-17)

And that’s a very good question my Friends. Who are we, mere mortals, that we should try to withstand the Living God, Creator of the universe and all therein?

Enough for today though. Let’s now read, mark and inwardly digest all that we’ve heard today, and come back for more tomorrow, God in favour of course. Because it’s ever so important that we learn as much as possible about that mighty power that lives and works in us, the Holy Spirit. Much LOVE!

…in His infinite wisdom…the Father marks us as His…by putting His wondrous Spirit in us…to lead and guide us in all truth…

Today’s Scrip-Bit 3 May 2013 Isaiah 40:11

03 May 2013 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: anxiety, awesome universe, barbecues, be not afraid, christianity, comfort, covenant, doubt, fear, feed his flock, fellowship, Friday chant, fun, gather the lambs, generous help, gently lead, good shepherd, good tidings, good weather, guys and dolls, human incarnation of God, Jesus, lawnmower blues, lawnmowers, like a shepherd, live our faith, living God, Love our God, Messiah, one true God, promises, relaxation, rest, security, spirituality, spread His Word, TGIF! Thank God it's Friday!, the weekend, trust in God, truth

Isaiah 40:11. He shall feed his flock like a shepherd: he shall gather the lambs with his arm, and carry them in his bosom, and shall gently lead those that are with young.

And then it was Friday – a seeming summer Friday to boot! And all the workers around the world, declared a loud and joyful, ‘TGIF! Thank God is Friday yes! Praise the Lord! The weekend’s here at long last!’ Ah Friends, I can imagine what this first warm weekend in the north country will be like; the barbecues will be flaming, the guys and dolls will be out in their summer wear, half-naked, the hot rods have already been going, and so too have my nemesis, the lawnmowers. Chuh! It never fails, just when I lie down to rest, during the day, some lawnmower around the area starts up its irritating noise, and I get up using some expletive deleted language. Sometimes its even my own lawn- maintenance person, but that doesn’t make me feel any better, possibly worse, since it’s right close to my bedroom window. Anyway, I’m thankful that the good weather is here, and for that I can, and will suck up the lawnmower blues. (smile) And more than ever, today, with the wonderful weather in the offing, we need to chant our Friday chant to keep the right perspective of the weekend in front of us. So let’s chant with a right heart and clean spirit. ‘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.’ And now that we’ve set the right tone for the weekend, let’s look at one of the greatest promises that God has made in our Bit. But first a little background. This chapter is titled, ‘Comfort through trust in God.’ And that’s exactly where our best hope for comfort and security lies my people! Isaiah felt the prophecy so keenly that he began the chapter thus: ‘Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith your God.’ (Is.40:1) Yes Friends, the prophet saw a day of salvation coming for God’s people. Then he goes on to lay out this vision: ‘O Zion, that bringest good tidings, get thee up into the high mountain; O Jerusalem, that bringest good tidings, lift up thy voice with strength; lift it up, be not afraid; say unto the cities of Judah, Behold your God! Behold, the Lord God will come with strong hand (in strength), and his arm shall rule for him: behold, his reward is with him, and his work (wage) before him.’ (Is.40:9-10) Now what other God is bold and confident enough to declare those mind-boggling things eh, my people? NONE other than the ONE TRUE and LIVING God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the Creator and Controller of this awesome universe! But He’s not done there, He declares in our Bit: ‘He shall feed his flock like a shepherd: he shall gather the lambs with his arm, and carry them in his bosom, and shall gently lead those that are with young.’ Oh my brethren, don’t you just shake your head in awe and wonder at the prophecies that were made in the Old Testament and then were fulfilled in the New, with the coming of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Hundreds of years before John began crying out in the wilderness re the making straight the crooked and rough places for the Messiah’s coming, the Lord promised that His people, those in serious covenant with Him, would be fed and well looked after by His shepherd, when the time was right. And two thousand years ago, the time became right. Jesus, the human incarnation of God was born, gave us the good news of the gospel, then died for our sins, and rose from the grave to give us salvation and eternal life. And all God’s people declared a mighty shout of ‘Praise the Lord, for His goodness to the children of sinful men!’ So why do we keep on doubting the Word of God eh? Everything that’s been prophesied there, beside the Second Coming of Jesus, has been fulfilled. And there’s no doubt that the Second Coming will happen in God’s good time. Yet doubt and disbelief still linger in the hearts of many of God’s people, because we listen to the heathen who cry down God’s Word with a loud voice. Oh Friends, the volume, nor the insistence doesn’t dictate the truth nuh! So though many are up in arms against Jesus, and cry out vociferously against Him, that in no way denies the truth of His Coming to earth and His shepherd-like duties towards the people in covenant with His heavenly Father. Even Jesus described Himself in those terms. ‘I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.’ (John 10:11) And that He did Friends! So today, let’s release and remove any doubts, fears or anxieties that are preventing us from truly accepting and holding on to God’s great promise of a good, kind and LOVING shepherd in our lives, because we have already seen and experienced Him…and His name is Jesus Christ. More on this tomorrow, God in favour. Till then, please let’s do our bounden duty and truly LOVE our wonderful God, diligently LIVE our Faith and faithfully SPREAD His Word. That’s the wisdom of a true believer. Much LOVE!…promises, promises, promises…unlike man…ALL of God’s come true…

Today’s Scrip-Bit 1 May 2013 Psalm 18:2

01 May 2013 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: awesome truth, benefits, cheap thing no good, cheapness mentality, downsizing, emulate jesus, equal rights, evildoers, exploited, faithfulness, food banks, food kitchens, good thing no cheap, healthy profits, human-rights, justice, Labour Movement, loving kindness, May Day, Maypole, mercy, my deliverer, my fortress, my shield, my strength, obedience, oppressed, outsourcing, poor getting poorer, rich getting richer, surrender, sweatshops, The Lord is my rock, trust, truth, tyranny, wages

Psalm 18:2. The Lord is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my buckler (shield), and the horn (strength) of my salvation, and my high tower (stronghold).

‘May day, May Day, May Day, May Day…!’ That was the shout my Friends, from an announcer in the city of Buffalo, some years back when the winning goal in a hockey game was scored by a player named Brad May. It’s one of the celebrated calls in hockey and serves as a fitting opening for today’s Bit on this first of May. Some of us old fogeys might also remember the opening days of May when we’d dance the Maypole at the annual May fairs. But I guess all those simple, enjoyable things in life have now gone the way of the dodo. Please remember too my people that May 1st is also an important day in the annals of the Labour Movement, when marches and other celebrations took place to celebrate the awakening and upliftment of the working class from the tyranny of those who owned the means of production. Unfortunately, like many things having to do with Labour, those May 1st celebrations have been relegated to the minor leagues now, but as a group, we have to be very careful because the greedy owners of industry are trying to push us back to the bad old days when Labour was woefully exploited and oppressed. And if we give them the chance, they will do just that, because they have no social conscience, and will make even healthier profits by cutting the benefits and wages of the ordinary working man … that is those who have a job, or can get one. The owners of industry don’t give a hoot about the poor, ordinary people who slave for them in their sweatshops. Just witness the disaster last week in Bangladesh, where a structurally unsound building that housed several garment factories collapsed with thousands of poorly paid, exploited workers inside. And it’s not like the owners didn’t know that the building was unsound, they just didn’t care enough to stop the operations, and therefore their enormous profits to try and fix it. And that’s the prevailing attitude these days, not only in the more impoverished countries, but also in the supposed first world nations. Why do you think all this work has been outsourced in the first place? To bolster the bottom line. The cheapness mentality that has recently invaded our society is partly to blame for the sweatshops and other disturbing actions. No longer do we expect to pay a decent price for a decently produced product. Now we expect a good product for next to nothing. That doesn’t ever happen Friends! We seem to have forgotten the old adage, attributed to Confucius: ‘Good thing no cheap, and cheap thing no good.’ Undeniable truth my people! Nowadays even some of the expensive things are no good, so what do we expect from the cheap ones eh? Have you noticed that all the rage these days in downsizing is to either cut the working man’s wage and give him more to do, or lay him off, though his wages are a pittance compared to that of the high and mighty C.E.O, whose remuneration keeps escalating, though the companies they run, keep losing enormous sums of money? The truth is, if they’d fire some of the useless, bloated, top echelon, they’d have enough money to pay the poor man a decent wage, one that he can live on, for now, even those who work several jobs, still have to use food banks and kitchens to make ends meet. What a crying shame Friends! It just speaks of the cruel inequality of resources that are becoming more unequal every day. The rich are getting richer, and the poor, poorer every day! But unfortunately, the social aspect doesn’t ever enter the equation, just the bottom line and the top echelon salary structure are all that matters. Fortunately though, the poor man has a powerful advocate, someone who truly cares about him and will consistently and continually fight on his behalf. Here’s how Bruh David describes Him in our Bit, taken from a Psalm of Thanksgiving for deliverance, when he was delivered from the hands of his enemies. ‘The Lord is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my buckler (shield), and the horn (strength) of my salvation, and my high tower (stronghold).’ And that’s the God awesome truth, my brethren! The Lord God Jehovah is the ONLY ONE who will fight for us tooth and nail, the ONLY ONE who will never leave nor forsake us, the ONLY ONE to whom we can take all out troubles to and be assured that we’ll get a fair hearing, and some action on our oppressed behalf. Oh Friends, are we seeing the Lord in the same manner, the same light that Bruh David saw Him? I surely hope so, because if we’re not, then things will surely turn sour and disastrous for us. And we can see it happening throughout the world now, with God either absent from the hearts of a majority of the population, or He’s being made a mockery of by the surging and prevalent evildoers. Oh my brethren, we can’t allow this ungodly trend to continue, else Christ’s church will eventually be destroyed. It’s already been held in low esteem by many, the next step will be total extinction, if we don’t fight back with all the tools and weapons available to us. And where do we find the wherewithal to fight back? From our great God obviously! Bruh David spells it out again for us in Psalm 28 – A prayer for God’s help. ‘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.’ (Ps.28:7) Oh my people, he believed that and based his whole life on it, and though it wasn’t an easy life, it turned out to be a rather successful one. We’re still talking about him and reading his words thousands of years later. The same way, my brethren, if we base our lives on the Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us, we too can be successful in this earthly life. As I keep saying, it won’t be easy, but it will always be interesting. Remember, Jesus never took an easy step in this world, so if we’re going to emulate His character and lifestyle, then most likely our journey won’t be a bed of roses either. But yuh see how the Father lifted Him up for His obedience and faithfulness to His purpose, so that every knee shall bow and every tongue confess that He’s the mighty One, the Lord of all! Well Friends, it’s the same way the Father will lift us up and reward us for our persistence, faith, trust and surrender to Him. And eventually, we’ll al be able to say, like Bruh David: ‘But I have trusted in thy mercy (LOVING-kindness); my heart shall rejoice in thy salvation. I will sing unto the Lord, because he hath dealt bountifully with me.’ (Ps.13:5-6) Yes my fellow believers, that’s the wise and sensible attitude we need to adopt today, if we want to be successful in this our pilgrim’s journey down here on planet earth! Much LOVE!…only in Christ Jesus…can man be assured of…truth…equal rights…and justice…

Today’s Scrip-Bit 2 March 2013 Psalm 107:43

02 Mar 2013 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: affliction, Christian walk, christianity, disobedience, fauthfulness, grace, great is thy faithfulness, heavenly blessings, LOVE, loving kindness, mercy, oppression, peace, rewards, righteousness., sincerity, sorrow, steadfast faith, transgressors, truth, understanding, upright in heart, wisdom, wise of heart

Psalm 107:43. Whoso is wise, and will observe these things, even they shall understand the LOVING-kindness of the Lord.

Oh Friends, neighbours and fellow believers, may the grace, peace, LOVE, mercy and forgiveness of Almighty God be on us all this Saturday morning, as we enjoy the heavenly blessings of this new day. As the Good Book so reassuringly reminds us: ‘It is of the Lord’s mercies that we are not consumed because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.’ (Lam.3:22-23) And that my brethren, should be our sure foundation for a renewal, for a strengthening of our faith and trust in the Most High God Jehovah at the start of each new day. For if we don’t have that steadfast, unbreakable faith, nothing much is going to happen in our lives. And all God’s people gave a mighty shout of: ‘Praise the Lord, for He is worthy to be praised!’ And as the Good Book again reminds us: ‘But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.’ (Heb.11:6) Therefore Friends, to have a successful Christian walk we must truly believe that God is who he says He is, then we must seek Him sincerely, for those are the people whom He rewards. And even though our Bit doesn’t pertain in particular to those scriptures above, it still corroborates it all. ‘Whoso is wise, and will observe these things, even they shall understand the LOVING-kindness of the Lord.’ Yes my brethren, the wise of heart will understand all things that have to do with God’s goodness, because they trust and seek Him with steadfast faith. Now let’s see what our Bit is specifically referring to. It comes from Psalm 107; God’s wonderful works to the children of men. The Psalm basically recounts some of the Lord’s goodness to Israel during their exodus from bondage in Egypt and exile in Babylon, despite their unfaithfulness and disobedience to Him. The verses before our Bit read thus: ‘Again, they are minished (diminished) and brought low through oppression, affliction, and sorrow. He poureth contempt upon princes, and causeth them to wander in the wilderness (void place), where there is no way. Yet setteth he the poor on high (far) from affliction, and maketh him families like a flock.’ (Ps;107:39-41) Oh Friends, the Lord’s power is unbelievable! It’s so awesome in its magnitude and scope, that our simple minds can’t really fathom it! He can quickly bring us to our knees for disobedience, or just as speedily, lift us up majestically in rough times, if we call out to Him in all sincerity and truth, for He is faithful and gracious to His people. No wonder the psalmist goes on to conclude in the verse before our Bit: ‘The righteous shall see it and rejoice: and all iniquity shall stop her mouth (be silenced). (Ps.107:42) And the moral of the story my fellow believers is – quoting the scholars – ‘a knowledge of God’s steadfastness and LOVE will cause rejoicing among the righteous, silence among the wicked, and meditation among the wise.’ There’s absolutely no doubt about that! Bruh David agrees, and says it thus: ‘And all men shall fear, and shall declare the work of God; for they shall wisely consider of his doings. The righteous shall be glad in the Lord, and shall trust in him; and all the upright in heart shall glory.’ (Ps.64:9-10) And the prophet Jeremiah, in talking about disobedience brings God’s judgement, has this to say on the subject: ‘And I will make Jerusalem heaps (a heap of ruins), and a den of dragons (jackals); and I will make the cities of Judah desolate, without an inhabitant. Who is the wise man, that may understand this? and who is he to whom the mouth of the Lord hath spoken, that he may declare it, for what the land perisheth and is burned up like a wilderness, that none passeth through?’ (Jer.9:11-12) Meanwhile, Hosea puts it this way: ‘Who is wise, and he shall understand these things? prudent, and he shall know them? for the ways of the Lord are right, and the just shall walk in them; but the transgressors shall fall (stumble) therein.’ (Hos.14:9) Gospel truth my people! So Friends, today, let’s see if we can’t put it all together nuh! With all that encouraging and truthful scripture, let’s be wise; understand that the Lord is EL NUMERO UNO, NUMBER ONE in the universe He created. And even more importantly, let’s also act like He is indeed the top priority in our lives. For our God is indeed alive and kicking, a God of action, and one facet without the other is of no use. And furthermore, we need to believe that whatever He does IS RIGHT, and we were made to serve and worship Him in truth, faith, trust, complete surrender and LOVE! Only as we accept and faithfully do those things, will we be well rewarded, both on earth and in heaven. Much LOVE!…there is no wisdom…wiser than bowing to the dictates of Almighty God…

Today’s Scrip-Bit 24 February 2013 Psalm 5:9

24 Feb 2013 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: bitterness, choke hold, christianity, cursing, destruction, faithfulness, fallen creation, forgiveness, generosity, God's faithfulness, heartaches, heavenly hosts, human condition, justice, loving, mercy, misery, mornng by morning, Most High God, new mercies, pain, praise and thanksgiving, religion, sadness, saviour jesus christ, sincerity, spirituality, tears, testimony, trust, truth, worship

Psalm 5:9. For there is no faithfulness in their mouth; their inward part is very wickedness; their throat is an open sepulchre; they flatter with their tongue.

And yet another glorious day in the life begins my Friends, so let’s start it with some thanks and praise nuh. Let’s sing a verse of the old hymn that could probably be called ‘Old Faithful’ because it’s been around for a long time and whenever we sing it, it also regenerates our faith in the faithfulness and trustworthiness of our Wonderful God. Sing with me: ‘Great is thy faithfulness, Lord unto me. Morning by morning new mercies I see. All that I needed, thy hand hath provided. Great is thy faithfulness, Lord unto me.’ And isn’t that the awesome truth my fellow believers! We can all attest to the faithfulness of God in our lives; in the past, the present, and if we continue clinging to Him, also in the future. He’s just that kind of LOVING, trusting, generous and merciful God to all those who serve and worship Him in truth and sincerity. And all God’s people loudly and joyously declared: ‘All praise and thanksgiving be unto the Lord God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, who made the earth, heavens, and all therein, and who controls it with LOVE, mercy, justice and forgiveness! Oh Lord, we your humble servants truly LOVE You, and this Sunday morning we bless and praise Your Most Holy Name! Amen.’ Oh Friends, did you see the big smiles on the faces of our heavenly Father and our Saviour, Jesus Christ as those heartfelt prayers reached up to heaven? Even the heavenly hosts were smiling and adding their own ‘Praise the Lord! For He is good and merciful and forgiving!’ Ah mih bredden, if there could only be such smiles and happiness down here on earth, instead of the many frowns, heartaches, sadness, tears and pain that currently envelop our world, that have us in an ever tightening choke hold. But I guess that’s the price we have to pay for being a fallen creation. And sadly, we’re not helping the situation by consciously steering our lives to the sinful side of our nature, instead of the righteous and godly side. We all have that pocket in our souls permanently reserved for our Maker, which nothing or no one else can fill, but unless we consciously venture to fill it with Him, our lives will end up a total mess. And if you don’t believe me, just take a look around at our society with so many people hurting and searching for relief from their many sorrows. Unfortunately though, they are searching in the wrong places, heading in the wrong direction. They’re turning to manmade aids; drugs, booze, shrinks etc, which are not helping, but making them worse, increasing their pain and sorrows. Ah Friends, there’s only one antidote for the human state, one prescription to ease his pain and suffering: that’s Almighty God, his Maker and Controller! And until we realize that and turn back to Him in droves, just like we’ve turned away in droves, the human state will remain one of exceedingly vile, evil, ungodly conditions. Tragic loss, pain and ‘sufferation’ will continue to be his unenviable lot. That brings us to our very appropriate Bit: ‘For there is no faithfulness (uprightness) in their mouth; their inward part is very wickedness (destruction); their throat is an open sepulchre (tomb); they flatter with their tongue.’ And isn’t that the undeniable truth about the state of our society my fellow believers? It sure is! Now let me share a testimony of our Lord’s delightful faithfulness. When I began writing today, I had no clue what I was going to write about. I had not even opened the Good Book to look for a Bit. I just had the verse of the ‘Old Faithful’ Hymn written on a piece of paper, and contrary to my usual method of writing, where I do a rough copy on paper first, I just began writing on the computer and the words and ideas just flowed, so I continued, until I got to the unenviable lot of humans. Then I began chuckling, asked the Lord to guide me to an appropriate Bit, and opened my Bible. And, lo and behold, according to His great faithfulness, I found one in less than five minutes. Just goes to show Friends, that if we genuinely seek our God, we’ll find Him, and He will answer our prayers, especially where it pertains to His Word. Now let’s turn to some thought provoking scripture to corroborate our contentions. This comes from Bruh Paul’s writing to the Romans. ‘There is none righteous, No, not one: There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God. They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one. Their throat is an open sepulchre (grave); with their tongues they have used deceit; the poison of asps is under their lips: Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness: Their feet are swift to shed blood: Destruction and misery are in their ways: And the way of peace have they not known: There is no fear of God before their eyes.’ (Rom.3″10-18) Oh Friends, doesn’t that describe our world to a T? It certainly does. Bruh Paul uses his vast knowledge of the scriptures, using various bits and pieces to highlight our insufficiency and sad, degenerate state. Listen to the scholars comment on that passage. ‘Paul quotes scripture to prove universal guilt. Scripture, not Paul, is the judge. See Psalm 5:9; 10:7; 14:1-3; 140:3; Isaiah 59:7-8’ Those are some of the scriptures Bruh Paul uses in that very revealing section of Romans. And rather appropriately, just as we began, we’ll end with a glowing testimony from Isaiah on the Lord’s faithfulness. ‘O Lord, thou art my God; I will exalt thee, I will praise thy name; for thou hast done wonderful things; thy counsels of old are faithfulness and truth.’ (Is.25:1) And that’s the gospel truth my brethren! So let’s go out now and do as that great prophet just said; praise and exalt the name of the Most High God Jehovah, for it is right and meet so to do. Much LOVE!…only in the faithfulness of our heavenly Father…can man put absolute trust…

Today’s Scrip-Bit 20 January 2013 John 8:42

20 Jan 2013 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: Abraham's children, adopted sons of God, children of God, eagerness, father of deceit, Hour of Power, Jesus Christ, lies, LOVE, Lucifer, Possibility Thinking, sent from God, son of god, sons of abraham, truth, weak flesh, willing spirit

John 8:42. Jesus said unto them, If God were your Father, ye would LOVE me: for I proceeded forth and came from God; neither came I of myself, but he sent me.

Oh Friends, a whistling windstorm has been barrelling through my neighbourhood for most of the night, first bringing with it some rain, then some wet snow. It seems to have quietened down now, but outside still looks wet and uninviting. Unlike that windstorm though, with all its energy, this morning my spirit is willing but the flesh seems somewhat weak. However, since we can’t live by fleshly feelings, we just have to ramp up the spirit and bring the flesh along. (smile) And to help us do that, here’s a poem from Dr. Robert H. Schuller’s, Hours of Power Devotional. Hn! The Lord just knows when I need one of Dr. Schuller’s bright, positive, informative writings to galvanize my soul to action. This poem is called ‘I AM EAGER.’ ‘Lord, you’ve put the whole world together and you’ve put me in the middle of it because you want to say something to me and through me today. May your beautiful peace fall gently, softly, sweetly, and beautifully upon my mind – now. I am ready to listen and eager to move ahead, today, with “Possibility Thinking.” Amen.’ Yes Friends, I hope, like me, those words added a little spark to your day, and encourage you to get with God and walk in His will for your life, unlike the Pharisees whom Jesus condemned in our Bit. ‘Jesus said unto them, If God were your Father, ye would LOVE me: for I proceeded forth and came from God; neither came I of myself, but he sent me.’ Yeh mih people, the Pharisees claimed to be sons of Abraham, and Jesus acknowledged that in one sense they were; his fleshly descendants. But they certainly were not behaving in Abraham’s spiritual manner, as Jesus pointed out to them, when they persisted in claiming to be sons of Abraham. ‘If ye were Abraham’s children, ye would do the works of Abraham. But now ye seek to kill me, a man that hath told you the truth, which I have heard of God: this did not Abraham. Ye do the deeds of your Father.’ (John 8:39a-41a) But in their pride and haughtiness the Pharisees rejected that contention. ‘Then said they to him, We be not born of fornication; we have one Father, even God.’ (John 8:41b) That’s when Jesus shook them up with our Bit. And He was quite right. If they truly were of God, then they would LOVE and listen to Him, since when you LOVE a parent, you usually feel the same way towards their children. For as John says in his first epistle: ‘Whoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God: and every one that LOVETH him that begat LOVETH him also that is begotten of him.’ (1 John 5:1) In other words, if we truly LOVE God, then we’ll also LOVE Jesus, His Son. Plus, if we really LOVE God, then we’ll also LOVE the other children of God. Oh Friends, are we truly following that directive, or are we, like the Pharisees, only paying lip service to it? Are we like Jesus told them? ‘Ye are of your father, the devil, and the lusts (desires) of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode (stands) not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own (from his own nature): for he is a liar, and the father of it. And because I tell you the truth, ye believe me not.’ (John 8:44-45) Oh Friends, I certainly hope that we’re not like the Pharisees, doubting that Jesus came from God, for we see on at least three occasions in John’s gospel, Jesus verifying that contention. The first is when He tells the disciples about His overcoming the world. ‘For the Father himself LOVETH you, because ye have LOVED me, and have believed that I came out from God.’ (John 16:27) And He does it again in Chapter 17, when praying for the disciples. ‘For I have given unto them the words which thou gavest me; and thy have received them, and have known surely that I came out from thee, and they have believed that thou didst send me.’ (John 17:8) Then lastly: ‘O righteous Father, the world hath not known thee: but I have known thee, and these have known that thou hast sent me. And I have declared unto them thy name, and will declare it: that the LOVE wherewith thou hast LOVED me may be in them, and I in them.’ (John 17:25-26) Yes my people, if we don’t believe that basic premise, that Jesus came from, and was sent by God, to pay the price for our sins, then the whole operation is of no use. For without that foundational truth, nothing else makes sense. That’s why Bruh Paul could write to the Galatians with such authority. ‘But when the fullness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made (born) of a woman, made (born) under the law, To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons. And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father. Wherefore thou art no more a servant, but a son, and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ.’ (Gal.4:4-7) And all God’s adopted children gave a mighty and joyful shout of: ‘All praise to the holy name of the Lord God Jehovah, and to His wonderful Son, our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ! They are indeed both worthy to be praised!’ So Friends, with all that in mind, let’s seriously ponder today, not only whom we consider to be our father, but more importantly, whom our thoughts and actions point to as our father. Let’s hope they point to the Most High God, creator of the universe and author of LOVE, and not the foolish, fallen Lucifer, the father of lies and deceit. Much LOVE!…if you don’t believe that Jesus is the Son of God…then you can’t be an adopted child of God…

Today’s Scrip-Bit 19 January 2013 Isaiah 39:8

19 Jan 2013 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: christian brotherhood, Christianity in action, generous givers, good news of the gospel, let God be God, many blessings, men of faith, peace, stop fighting God, true christianity, truth

Isaiah 39:8. Then said Hezekiah to Isaiah, Good is the word of the Lord which thou hast spoken. He said moreover, For there shall be peace and truth in my days.

Oh Friends, what shall we say to this new day that the Lord has made eh? The best thing we can do is be thankful for it; be thankful that we’re blessed more than most of the other earthlings. Then to show our true Christian brotherhood, we should make a decision to actually share some of those many blessings with the less fortunate, because that’s why we’re so blessed. Yes Friends, please remember that all we’re blessed with is not solely for ourselves and our immediate families, but also to share with friends, neighbours and strangers, any others who are in need. We’re supposed to be generous sharers not greedy hoarders. But I doubt that we’re doing a very good job of it since there are so many in need who are not receiving any blessings from us. And please note, we cannot fulfill Jesus’ mandate unless we’re willing to give of what we have, sometimes even sacrificially. ‘Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.’ (Matt.25:40) Remember true Christianity isn’t only talk, but also plenty action! It’s good to tell people about God, but how does that help the hungry, the homeless, naked and sick eh? We first need to minister to their physical wants, then tell them the good news of the gospel. That way they can actually see and experience the gospel in real action. And having reminded us of our basic purpose, let’s turn to our Bit. ‘Then said Hezekiah to Isaiah, Good (Just) is the word of the Lord which thou hast spoken. He said moreover, For (at least) there shall be peace and truth in my days.’ Yesterday we saw how the story unfurled that caused our Bit. Today, we’ll look at a few other examples where men of faith simply accepted the Lord’s authority and wisdom without fighting back. We’ll begin way back in Genesis 24, when Abraham sent his servant back to his homeland to find a wife for his son Isaac. The servant, as the Lord would have it ended up at the city of Nahor. Using his smarts, he stopped by a well outside the city because he knew that at that hour the women came out to draw water. Then he implored the Lord to show kindness to his master Abraham. ‘And let it come to pass, that the damsel to whom I shall say, Let down thy pitcher, I pray thee, that I may drink; and she shall say, Drink, and I will give thy camels drink also: let the same be she that thou hast appointed for thy servant Isaac; and thereby shall I know that thou hast showed kindness unto my master.’ (Gen.24:14) And before he was even done speaking, the beautiful Rebecca appeared and did exactly as he had implored the Lord. Ah mih people, here we see how our God really works in mysterious ways His high-level plans to accomplish. Because Rebecca ‘who was born to Bethuel, son of Milcah, the wife of Nahor, Abraham’s brother…’ (Gen.24:15) I believe that made her Abrahams grand-niece. Anyway, the long and short of the story is that Rebecca’s brother Laban and father Bethuel came out to the well to meet Abraham’s servant, and after he told them what had happened; ‘Then Laban and Bethuel answered and said, The thing proceedeth from the Lord: we cannot speak unto thee bad or good. Behold Rebecca is before thee, take her, and go, and let her be thy master’s son’s wife, as the Lord hath spoken.’ (Gen.24:50-51) Yes Friends, our God is wonderful! Is there a better dramatist, a better matchmaker? No way! Everything just fell into place like a jigsaw puzzle, that Laban and Bethuel had no choice but to give their approval. Now here’s another example of simply accepting the Lord’s word, this time though because of wrongdoing. We find it in 1 Samuel chapter 3. This happens when Samuel tells Eli, the chief priest what God had said about the destruction he would cause to Eli’s family, because of his failure to rein in his two evil sons. And when Samuel was done telling Eli of the promised demise, Eli’s words were simply: ‘It is the Lord let him do what seemeth good.’ (1 Sam.3:18) Oh my brethren, sometimes we just have to bow to the Lord’s actions without a fuss or fight. Remember He’s the omnipotent One, whose intellect, purpose and plans are higher than ours. He is the controller of everything. And besides, causing a fuss when the Lord’s made a decision, doesn’t usually do us any good. So why bother and get all upset eh? Sometimes the Lord’s even trying to test us, to see our response to calamity and to His dictates. And we’ll end with one more example, that from Acts 5, where the Jewish council in Jerusalem is trying to figure out how to stop Peter and the apostles from preaching Christ crucified to the multitudes, since they hadn’t listened the first time, telling them, ‘We ought to obey God rather than man.’ (Acts 5:29) Then they preached Christ to the council. (Acts 5:30-32) Hn! This only made them angry. ‘When they heard that, they were cut to the heart (furious), and took counsel to slay them.’ (Acts 5:33) However, one of the wise and respected council members, Gamaliel, Bruh Paul’s teacher, cautioned them. After recalling two other religious upstarts, Theudas, and Judas of Galilee, who eventually perished and their followers dispersed, he declared: ‘And now I say unto you, Refrain (keep away) from these men, and let them alone: for if this counsel or this work be of men, it will come to nought: But if it be of God, ye cannot overthrow it; lest haply ye be found even to fight against God.’ (Acts 5:38-39) Oh Friends, let’s ponder on those examples today nuh, and see if are any things going on in our lives where we are fighting God, and stop it. That’s wisdom at its zenith, because we’re never going to win those battles. Much LOVE!…the best way to function on this earth…is just to let God be God in our lives…

Today’s Scrip-Bit 9 December 2012 Psalm 37:29

09 Dec 2012 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Inspirational Living Tags: condemnation, death and destruction, evildoers, God of justice, idolatry, inherit, loving kindness, rejoice and be glad, sincerity, the righteous, the wicked shall persish, truth, walking in God's will

Psalm 37:29. The righteous shall inherit the land, and dwell therein for ever.

Oh Friends, a new day is dawning over half the world, and we’re alive to see it! Wow! What good fortune! Therefore let us declare in thanksgiving for the Lord’s salvation, as the psalmist did: ‘This is the day the Lord hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.’ (Ps.118:24)That’s the way true believers ought to greet each day; with rejoicing and gladness, because the Lord in His mercy and LOVING-kindness has seen fit to give us another day to enjoy down here on Mother Earth, simultaneously filling us with His grace and strength to do His awesome will. Now isn’t that cause for rejoicing my people? It sure is! But we can’t truly rejoice and be glad unless we’re walking in the Lord’s will, walking the righteous path He has laid out for us. And as a reward for walking in obedience to His law, the psalmist rightly proclaims in our Bit: ‘The righteous shall inherit the land, and dwell therein for ever.’ Words of unassailable truth my brethren! However, to accomplish righteousness, we need to ‘Depart from evil, and do good; and dwell for evermore. For the Lord LOVETH judgement (justice), and forsaketh not his saints; they are preserved for ever: but the seed of the wicked shall be cut off.’ (Ps.37:27-28) Yes Friends, our God is a just and righteous Deity. He dislikes evil, and has vowed to make the evildoer pay for his wrongs. Right there in the early stages of Psalm 37, the psalmist expands truthfully on subject: ‘Cease from anger, and forsake wrath: fret not thyself in any wise to do evil (it only causes harm). For evildoers shall be cut off (destroyed): but those that wait upon the Lord, they shall inherit the earth.’ (Ps.37:8-9) But those who LOVE Him, and follow His dictates in trust and faith, He declares righteous and richly rewards them for their efforts. Cousin Sol asserts this in Proverbs 2, the reward of heeding wisdom. ”For the upright shall dwell in the land, and the perfect (blameless) shall remain in it. But the wicked shall be cut off (destroyed) from the earth (land), and the transgressors shall be rooted out of it.’ (Prov.2:21-22) Oh my brethren, this policy is stated in so many parts of the Good Book, and there are so many examples of it happening throughout history, that I can’t understand why we still insist on following the wicked path laid out by Lucifer and his evil cronies. Judging from the way we’ve turned away from the God of our fathers, towards Lucifer and his evil doings in the last generation, it sure seems like we want to be kicked out of the wonderful land that the Lord is preparing for those who serve and worship Him in all truth and sincerity. Surely, the worthless things of this world couldn’t be having such a dramatic magnetic pull on us, can they? Look at all of the negative stuff our endless desire for them is causing nuh people. Our world is daily being consumed with oodles of strife, stress, greed, hatred, resentment, poverty, sickness, oppression and suppression, with NO LOVE for each other! Now is that the kind of world in which we want to spend our golden years? Is it the kind of world we want our children and their children to grow up in? It must be, since we’re doing all the things that lead to death and destruction. I guess that deep down in our sinful nature there’s a death wish that we can’t seem to ignore or overcome. Oh Friends, please listen to what our God and Creator says through His prophet Isaiah, re the condemnation of Israel’s idolatry, and consequently ours. ‘And of whom hast thou been afraid or feared, that thou hast lied, and hast not remembered me, nor laid it to thy heart? have not I held my peace (remained silent) even of old, and thou fearest me not? I will declare thy righteousness, and thy works; for they shall not profit thee. When thou criest (cry out), let thy companies (collection of idols) deliver thee; but the wind shall carry them all away; vanity (a breath) shall take them: but he that putteth his trust in me shall possess the land, and shall inherit my holy mountain.’ (Is.57:11-13) Oh my brethren, it can’t be made any plainer and more straightforward than that! Do evil, and you’ll certainly be punished. But do good and serve the Lord God Jehovah, you will see the future glory of Zion: ‘Violence shall no more (longer) be heard in thy land, wasting (devastation) nor destruction within thy borders; but thou shalt call thy walls Salvation, and thy gate Praise. The sun shall be no more thy light by day, neither for brightness shall the moon give light unto thee: but the Lord shall be unto thee an everlasting light, and thy God thy glory. Thy sun shall no more go down; neither shall thy moon withdraw itself: for the Lord shall be thine everlasting light, and the days of thy mourning shall be ended. Thy people also shall be all righteous: they shall inherit the land for ever, the branch of my planting, the work of my hands, that I may be glorified.’ (Is.60:18-21) Oh people, if after hearing that, we still rush to embrace Lucifer and his wicked ways, then we justly deserve whatever we receive as punishment from the Lord in His august judgement. Much LOVE!…you can lead a horse to water…but you can’t make it drink…likewise…you can lead someone to Christ…but you can’t make them believe…

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