Tuesday Mantra | SCRIP-BITS

Today’s Scrip-Bit 1 August 2023 2 Corinthians 3:5.

01 Aug 2023 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: actions cost a lot, come to the end of our rope, common to man, God is faithful, God will not suffer you to be tempted, hurry, I am the beloved of god, in god's eyes, LOVE, more than you are able t bear, not that we are sufficient of ourselves, our eyes are on you, our sufficiency is in God, overwhelmed by the storms of life, share His love with my neighbours, talk is cheap, the assurance that Jesus will help you, the first day of August, the help of the Holy Spirit, the waters have come up to my neck, there hath no temptation taken you, to think anything as of ourselves, troubles with number surround me, trust my friend Jesus, Tuesday Mantra, we should not trust in ourselves, will also make a way of escape, with the temptation, without me ye can do nothing, worry, ye may be able to bear it

2 Corinthians 3:5. Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think any thing as of ourselves, but our sufficiency is of God.

Now, whether you believe it or not, it is indeed the first day of August, a beautiful Tuesday; cool, sunshiny and without a trace of a cloud in the bright blue sky. Ah Lord eh, the good days just fly by so quickly while the cold and ugly-looking ones take their own sweet time to move along. But that’s life, and like all the other aspects of our earthly days, we just have to learn to accept and handle them, obviously with the help of the Holy Spirit of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, our guide and comfort.

And I know that talk is cheap, while actions cost a lot more, but worrying and agonizing over the things of life we cannot control won’t make them improve or go away. However, with Jesus in your life, you have the assurance that He will help you handle whatever comes against you. Not that He won’t give you more than you can handle, as so many people mistakeably dispense. For all throughout the Bible you can find passages where the Lord gave His servants more than they could humanly handle.

Take for instance when Elijah fought and slew all the 450 prophets of Baal, then faced the wrath of Queen Jezebel, who threatened to kill him, he ran for his life a day’s journey into the wilderness and sat down under a juniper tree, and requested of the Lord that he would die. But as it says in 1 Kings 19:1-8, the Lord fed him through ravens and allowed him to rest.

‘And the angel of the Lord came again a second time, and touched him, and said, Arise and eat, because the journey is too great for thee. And he arose, and did eat and drink, and went in the strength of that meat (food) forty days and forty nights unto Horeb the mount of God.’ (1 Kin. 19:7-8) It’s obvious then that Elijah reached a stage where he just couldn’t handle it anymore, but the Lord looked after him. And that’s what He’s promised to do, for all who sincerely worship Him.

And I like the examples this commentary by Ron Edmonson gives. ‘David, the great war hero and man after God’s own heart, told the Lord that “troubles without number surround me” and “I cannot see”. He couldn’t see clearly, because he was overwhelmed with the storms of life! Another time David said, “Save me, O God, for the waters have come up to my neck.” (Oh how I identify with David there!) Jehoshaphat prayed, “We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you.” (2 Chr. 20:12) It sounds like he was facing more than he could handle on his own.’

So it’s not that God won’t give us more than we can handle but what the scripture says is: ‘There hath no temptation taken (overtaken) you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear (endure) it.’ (1 Cor. 10:13)

What that verse says is that God won’t allow Satan to bring more temptation or enticement to sin than we can handle, and when we are tempted or enticed to sin, He will make a way for us to resist it, because He doesn’t want us to fall into Satan’s clutches, but to live the holy life that Christ desires of us. But He will allow stuff to come on us greater than we handle in our own right, because He wants us to come to the end of our rope and realize that He’s our ONLY HOPE!

And in Bruh Paul’s second letter to the church at Corinth, he tells them of his deliverance from suffering and death in Asia. ‘For we would not, brethren, have you ignorant of our trouble (tribulation) which came to us in Asia, that we were pressed out of measure (burdened), above strength, insomuch that we despaired even of life. But we had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves, but in God which raiseth the dead: Who delivered us from so great a death, and doth deliver: in whom we trust that he will yet deliver us.’ (2 Cor. 1:8-10)

Wow! That time of trouble certainly caused Bruh Paul to keep His focus on Almighty God and not himself. And anytime we get into problems we cannot handle, it should also cause us to do the same! Yes friends, our hope lies only in Christ Jesus! For as Bruh Paul later writes: ‘And such trust have we through Christ to God-ward: Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think any thing as of ourselves, but our sufficiency is of God.’ (2 Cor. 3:4-5)

And until we truly believe and action those sentiments my brethren, we’ll always have problems that cause us unnecessary worry and overwhelming anxiety, instead of the quieting peace of Christ. It’s like Christ says: ‘I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.’ (John 15:5) And there’s never been a truer word ever spoken my fellow saints!

So please let’s take it to heart and place all of our trust in the sinless ONE, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, so that we can handle all the vicissitudes of this interesting but eccentric life. (smile) Now let’s go home declaring (chuh!!!) our Tuesday Mantra, letting all and sundry know to whom we belong lock, stock and barrel. In sincere harmony: ‘In God’s eyes, I’m not what I do. I’m not what I have. I’m not what people say about me. I am the beloved of God, that’s who I am. No one can take that from me. I don’t have to worry. I don’t have to hurry. I can trust my friend Jesus and share His LOVE with my immediate neighbours, as well as with the whole wide world! Glory be!’

Now, it behooves us to go out and share that amazing friendship and LOVE of Christ with those we meet, so that they too can come to know and LOVE Him like we do! Much LOVE!

…trust not in fragile and deceitful man… but in the awesome faithfulness and power of Jehovah God…

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

Today’s Scrip-Bit 25 July 2023 Matthew 13:57b.

25 Jul 2023 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: a prophet is not without honour, complacent about our walk with God, do I value the Bible, familiarity breeds contempt, giving blemished offerings, God is a Spirit, heat waves, hurry, I am the beloved of god, in a halfhearted manner, in god's eyes, in his own house, indifferent toward God, lose the sens of wonder, LOVE, my dissatisfied and distracted mind, not done with a right heart, record temperatures, renewed perspective, routines that make my heart wander, save in his own country, severe weather fluctuations, share His love with my neighbours, stems from maturity, take things for granted, the lackadaisical attitude, the privilege of prayer, trust my friend Jesus, Tuesday Mantra, wishy-washy manner, worry, worship Him in spirit and truth

Matthew 13:57b. A prophet is not without honour, save (except) in his own country, and in his own house.

Well Tuesday doesn’t seem like it’s going to be much different weather wise than Monday was; somewhat cloudy with li’l sprinkles of rain, here and there, then the sun coming out for a while. And you know, not even the rain falls like it used to, we now get mostly drizzles, not full showers of heavenly blessings. But I guess we should be very thankful that’s all we get because some places are getting way too much resulting in terrible floods, while others are getting no rain at all and experiencing terrible drought. And everybody’s getting heat waves that are becoming record temperatures.

That’s 2023 for you! A year of severe weather fluctuations! And although the weather changes make life somewhat uncertain and inconvenient, we’re not worried, because we have Jesus, the great weather controller, on our side. And all God’s people declared (yesss!!!): ‘Praise the name of Jesus!’ We also have the awesome privilege and power of prayer that takes us straight to the throne of grace and mercy as true believers in Christ. So, let’s use some of our prayer power right now nuh. It’s the prayer found in the July edition of the In Touch Devotional.

Please pray with me. ‘Lord, help me to know You in a fresh way – to see you with renewed perspective. Forgive me for letting familiarity with You lead to being complacent about walking with You. Forgive me for mistaking my own lack – my dissatisfied and distracted mind – for a lack in You. Help me now to let go of any expectations, habits, or routines, that make my heart wander from You, my true home. Help me now to notice again the way You surprise me with the grace of your attention and care. Kindly dismantle whatever limits I’ve placed on You and open my eyes to see You as You truly are. Amen!’

Wow! What a timely prayer my people! I don’t know about you, but I see some of myself in there, that I never saw the first time I read it. The part where we get complacent about our walk with God. I think that stems from our maturity. The more we mature, the more we take things for granted, and lose the sense of wonder and openness the new believer has on beginning their walk with Christ. We behave as though God is an old friend and we can take some liberties like we do with our old human friends.

But though God welcomes our friendship, we still need to know our place; He is indeed Father and Friend, but He is also Almighty God, and thus deserves a tad more reverence than we sometimes give Him. And the lackadaisical attitude we sometimes adopt because of our familiarity poisons and retards our advancement in the things of God. So what does it mean to be too familiar with God eh? let’s look at some commentaries and scriptures on the subject.

This first commentary explains it thus: ‘It means that God has met you by grace. It means that he has opened the eyes of your heart to what, without him, you would not see or understand. He has drawn you close to his side. But familiarity often does bad things to us. Often when we become familiar with things, we begin to take them for granted.’ And isn’t that the awesome truth! This commentary further explains: ‘Familiarity is used especially in the expression familiarity breeds contempt to say that if you know a person or situation very well, you can easily lose respect for that person or become careless in that situation.’

And don’t we always do that! We tend to get careless with our good friends, more than we do with our new associates or acquaintances. And it’s fairly easy to do that with God when we reach a certain level of maturity. The scriptures tell us that ‘God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and truth.’ (John 4:24) That means whatever we do with or for God must be done with a right heart, and not in a wishy-washy, complacent manner. And there’s a good example of that found in the Book of Malachi, chapter 1, re the Israelites not taking God seriously.

The priests were dishonouring God by not doing their duties in the temple, offering polluted bread, offering the blind for sacrifice, etc. Meanwhile, the people were giving blemished offerings in a half-hearted manner. God chastised them for profaning His name. ‘But ye have profaned it, in that ye say, The table of the Lord is polluted (defiled); and the fruit thereof, even his meat (its food) is contemptible. Ye said also, Behold, what a weariness is it! and ye have snuffed (sneered) at it, saith the Lord of hosts; and ye have brought that which was torn (stolen), and the lame, and the sick; thus ye brought an offering: should I accept this of your hand? saith the Lord.’ (Mal. 1:12-13)

Obviously not! One commentary explains Israel’s behaviour this way. ‘The offerings Israel made at this time were not done with a right heart. They were becoming indifferent toward God and the way they conducted their lives. They were treating the commands of God with familiarity and carelessness. They came to look upon them as simply ordinary. Thus, He says that He has no pleasure in Israel and would not accept their offerings.’ And one of the best examples of that familiarity breeding contempt is Jesus’ return to His hometown of Nazareth.

‘And when he was come into his own country, he taught them in their synagogue, insomuch that they were astonished, and said, Whence hath this man this wisdom, and these mighty works? Is not this the carpenter’s son? is not his mother called Mary? and his brethren, James, and Joses, and Simon, and Judas? And his sisters, are they not all with us? when then hath this man all these things? And they were offended in (at) him. But Jesus said unto them, A prophet is not without honour, save (except) in his own country, and in his own house. And he did not many mighty works there because of their unbelief.’ (Matt. 13:54-58)

And that’s how it is my people, we don’t give those close to us the honour or notice they really deserve because we feel our knowing them doesn’t call for any hero-worship on our part. But the truth is that heroes desire, place a higher value on the hero-worship of those close to them, than on the general public. And nothing breaks their hearts like when their own families and friends just pass them off as nothing important.

And we’ll end with a test. Please read this commentary with me. ‘Have I become too familiar with God? Do I treat Holy Things as Holy? Do I still believe in the power of prayers or am I just praying for the fun of it? Do I still have the fear of God in me? Do I invite visitors to my church only for the visitors (non-believers) to be the ones telling me to keep quiet in church? Am I hooked in a sinful life all because I take God for granted? Do I value the Bible or treat it as just one of those books?’

Please take a few moments and consider how those words shape up in our own lives nuh Are we over-familiar with God, take Him too much for granted? And if so, let’s make any corrections that are necessary. (smile) Now it’s time go home declaring (awright!!!) our Tuesday Mantra, letting all and sundry know to whom we belong, lock, stock and barrel, bought for a huge price by the precious blood of Jesus.

As one 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!’

That means we must now go out and share the awesome friendship and LOVE of Jesus with others. so that they too can come to know and LOVE Him like we do! Much LOVE!

…God is indeed our friend…but first and foremost He is God…and must always be treated as such…

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

Today’s Scrip-Bit 11 July 2023 James 1:19.

11 Jul 2023 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: a discipline always costs, a listening ear, A Quiet Tongue, action calls for sacrifice, be slow to speak, be ye doers of the word and not hearers only, beloved of God, deceiving your own selves, God works in mysterious ways, hurry, I break into conversation, I cringed, I talk more than I listen, in god's eyes, it's best to listen much, let every man be swift to hear, listening is a discipline, LOVE, my beloved brethren, my enlightened insight, my guilty heart, One Year Book of Bible promises, Ruth Harms Calkin, share His love with my neighbours, slow to wrath, social media revolution, solve the predicament, speak little and not become angry, talk is ever so cheap, talking a mile a minute, the perfect law of liberty, the wrath of man, trust my friend Jesus, Tuesday Mantra, words of eternal wisdom, worketh not the righteousness of God, worry

James 1:19. Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath:

And it’s a fine, sunny Tuesday in the month of July, the height of the summer season! And the weather has been behaving like it’s truly summer for the last few days; hot, humid and muggy, with the occasional sprinkle of heavenly blessings to either cool it down, or increase the humidity, your choice. (smile)

And I’m chuckling here, because our God is indeed a great God who does work in mysterious ways. A while ago I was wondering what to write on today and decided to check our One Year Book of Bible Promises with writings by Ruth Harms Calkin to see if I could find a good topic. And lo, and behold, the second place I opened it to, this marvellous topic opened unto me. It’s simply, but ever so appropriately titled, ‘A Quiet Tongue.’

Don’t know if I’ve ever shared it before, but even if I have, it’s certainly worth sharing again, for our world is desperately in need of more quiet tongues than we currently have. The uproar of voices today, and many of them angry voices, surely seems like the whole world is talking together at the same time, talking a mile a minute on things most of us have no real clue about.

The social media revolution has birthed an incredible amount of talk and opinions that are leading so many of us astray, especially the young, soft minded, easily led folks of this entitled generation. And with everyone talking at the same time, it obviously means that very few of us are listening. But anyway, enough of my rant, (smile) let’s read the poem and see if it can help us keep a quieter tongue.

Please read with me: ‘Lord, a revealing fact Began to surface today: I talk more than I listen. I seem to be thoroughly convinced That my ideas My inspiring experiences My bits of wisdom Are exactly what all my friends need. Too often I break into conversations Confident that my enlightened insight Will solve the predicament – Whatever it is. Obviously, I feel more comfortable When I’m expounding. But this morning at a Bible study I cringed when I read Your command In the first chapter of James.

“Don’t ever forget That it’s best to listen much Speak little, and not become angry.” At first I wanted to run. But as the words kept battering away At my guilty heart I finally circled them with red ink. Now, Lord, please help me to obey them. Remind me daily, hourly That listening is a discipline And a discipline always costs. I know I must pay a price The price for me Is a listening ear And a quiet tongue.’

Oh my people, that poem ought to be shouted from the rooftops, television sets, radios, all social media, and wherever people gather, so that we can see, understand and learn to stop talking as much as we do, and learn to listen more, because we can learn much more by listening than talking! And most of us would already have surmised that the Bible Promise for the poem comes from the age old, but very wise words of James, when he warned, two thousand years ago. ‘Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath:’ (James 1:19)

Wow! What words of eternal wisdom! But are we listening to them today? Obviously not! Because words are being irresponsibly spouted more than at any other time in our long and irresponsible history! And the revolution of social media is not helping, but unfortunately allowing them to be spread more easily and widely than ever before. Now here’s a word from the scholars on the verse from James above. ‘This is a key verse because it expresses three topics that James develops later: hearing, verses 19-27; speaking, chap. 3:1-12; and wrath 4:1-12.’

Now those might be some excellent scriptures for us to spend some time reading and meditating upon in the near future. (smile) For now though, let’s deal with what comes next in James; the matter of hearing and doing. He continues: ‘For the wrath of man worketh not (does not produce) the righteousness of God… But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.’ (James 1:20, 22)

Now that’s another good reminder for many of us, because in our great bursts of speech, like the Pharisees of long ago, we often speak the word, but very seldom do it, seldom put it into action. And we can’t dispute that fact because if we believers were more astute and responsible in doing the word, we are so quick to speak, our world would not be in the dire straits it’s currently in.

And I like how James goes on to expound on our problem. ‘For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass (mirror): For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was. But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed (what he does).’ (James 1:23-25)

Oh my brethren, unfortunately, many of us are ever so guilty of James’ censure. We see ourselves in the mirror then walk away and completely forget who we are, and what we ought to be about in Christ’s kingdom. And as per the ‘perfect law of liberty,’ the scholars tell us it ‘probably refers to the teachings of Christ and His apostles. This law is perfect, since Christ brought to completion the work of the Mosaic Law (cf. Matt. 5:17-20; Rom. 10:4). It is a law of liberty because it frees from the principles of sin and death. (Rom. 8:2-3; Gal. 5:1, 13) James also describes it as the royal law (2:8) for it is the law of the messianic King (cf. Gal. 6:2).’

Ah mih people, I am seriously and sincerely suggesting you take a couple of minutes and look up those scriptures referenced by the scholars. I just did, and believe me, they are interesting and very enlightening on the subjects referred to. But enough for today, we’ll continue on this topic tomorrow, if God spares life obviously. (smile) Now let’s go home declaring (awright!!!) our Tuesday Mantra, letting all and sundry know to whom we belong lock, stock and barrel.

As one strong and sincere voice: ‘In God’s eyes, I’m not what I do. I’m not what I have. I’m not what people say about me. I am the beloved of God, that’s who I am. No one can take that from me. I don’t have to worry. I don’t have to hurry. I can trust my friend Jesus and share His LOVE with my immediate neighbours, as well as with the whole wide world! Glory be!’

And having declared (yesss!!!) that, let’s now go out and put it into practice, be doers of the word, 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!

…talk is ever so cheap…but action calls for sacrifice…

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

Today’s Scrip-Bit 4 July 2023 Amos 3:3.

04 Jul 2023 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: bring people closer together, can two walk together unless they are agreed, for such is the kingdom of God, Happy 4th of July, heaven is about pairing love with music, hurry, in God's eyes, Jehovah God has been forgotten, keep preaching and living the good news of Christ, LOVE, marred by shootings, natural disasters, never give up, share His love with my neighbours, suffer the little children to come unto me, the awesome power of love, the beloved of God, the God-given characteristic of love, the music of love, the sad state of our world, trust my friend Jesus, Tuesday Mantra, we cannot do it alone, we make beautiful music together, when we foll God's instructions, with God's grace, worry

Amos 3:3. Can two walk together, except they be agreed?

HAPPY 4^TH OF JULY U.S.OF A!

Well, the Canada Day festivities are finished for another year now, but the Fourth of July Celebrations are running full steam ahead in the U.S, as they celebrate their country’s birthday. And yes, it’s already been marred by several shootings and much unnecessary partisan political activity, but hopefully it will not detract too much from the overall celebrations and, with God’s grace, might even serve to bring people closer together.

It’s a truly sad state our world’s currently in my people; pure antagonism, rebellion, dissatisfaction, hatred, greed, selfishness, personal aggrandizement and ungodliness seem to rule the roost. The great God Jehovah, the Creator and Controller of the universe and all therein seems to be a forgotten or passed over Being in all the fury and anger that’s lately erupted in our world. And when we add the many natural disasters to our man-made ones, we get a sad and sorrowful picture of our world and consequently our lives.

Is that what Christ came to earth and died for, that we could live in more distaste, aversion, and distrust than the wild animals who have no brains and reasoning power? I doubt it. But the most important thing we need to remember, despite all the negative activities, we, especially believers in Christ, must NEVER GIVE UP! We must never stop preaching and living the good news of Christ’s gospel, the basic foundation of which is the greatest emotion and sentiment in our world, LOVE!

Now, here’s a poignant and heart-touching story about the awesome power of LOVE, from our One Year Book of Bible Promises, with writings by Ruth Harms Calkin. It’s simply titled, ‘Stephanie.’ Please read with me. ‘More than anything else she wanted to play the piano. Her mother called to ask if I would give her lessons. “But I must tell you one thing. Stephanie is fighting an advanced malignancy. Her left arm has been amputated. Her future is critical.” I was startled. How could I teach a little girl with one arm to play the piano? Her mother’s words kept echoing… “More than anything else she wants to take lessons from you.”

God, please help me to teach her the music of LOVE. On her first lesson, she came with her shiny red book. Her eyes sparkled. She could hardly wait! Week after week we sat at the piano learning notes, playing melodies – she with her right hand, I with my left. “I am Mrs. Treble,” she told me. “You are Mr. Bass.” It was a happy joke between us. “We’re really good together,” Stephanie said one day. “But you know what? I could never do it alone.” Stephanie taught me an incredible lesson: When I follow God’s instructions, we make beautiful music together. But I could never do it alone! Stephanie is with Jesus now. What joy it must be for her to play with both hands!’

Oh my fellow believers, what a beautiful and heart-warming story that is! And one that we can, and should learn a lot from. The basic gist of the whole story is that we cannot live this life by ourselves, we have to do it together, and in harmony, not in hate. For as the Lord in His awesome wisdom, asked through the prophet Amos: ‘Can two walk together, except they be agreed?’ (Amos 3:3) And the obvious answer is NO! Two of anything cannot live in harmony unless they are agreed on the basics of their association.

And that’s the sad reflection on today’s world, very few of us agree on anything, so it’s virtually impossible to get a large number of people to walk in harmonic agreement. But as the story we just read so poignantly pointed out, we cannot live this life alone, or in hatred, distrust and enmity with others around us. That’s simply a no brainer. But yet we strive to prove otherwise with all the ridiculous, nonsensical arguments we keep putting forth. And the one thing that’s oh so necessary, the ONE and ONLY thing that can ever improve our lives and circumstances is if we truly learn ‘the MUSIC of LOVE!’

Yes friends, that’s the phrase in the story that hit me right between the eyes, right in the core of my heart, of my very being! Wow! What an awesome society we could be if we only learned the Music of LOVE! But nowadays, LOVE seems to be the furthest thing from human minds, when it definitely needs to be the uppermost thing! And this story from sister Joyce (Joyce Meyer) sort of proves the fact that humans are not interested in LOVE, in what’s good for them, in what they need. She says she’s written over a hundred books and the worst selling ones were those based on LOVE!

That says a whole lot right there my people; that we don’t value LOVE as much as we ought to. No wonder our world and all the societies in them, regardless of colour, creed or race, are in such terrible upheaval. We don’t value the emotion, the attribute, the God-given characteristic of LOVE that brings together. We seem to value more the satanic attribute of hate that tears apart. Consequently, we’re reaping the fruit, the harvest of that crop of hate we’ve been sowing for the last generation or so.

And the scripture promise for our story today, were the telling words of Jesus, when children were brought to Him to be blessed, but the disciples turned them away. He decreed: ‘Suffer (allow) the little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for such is the kingdom of God. Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child, he shall not enter therein. And he took them up in his arms, put his hands upon them, and blessed them.’ (Mark. 10:14-16) That ought to resonate very powerfully in our hearts, my fellow saints.

And now, a couple of acknowledgements from the scholars. They say that ‘Mark often stresses Jesus’ showing of strong feeling. (See 1:41, 43; 3:5; 7:34; 8:34; 9:19)’ Please check out those references. I just did, and they are interesting. The scholars also tell us that ‘Few of history’s religious leaders have shown much concern for children. Jesus however breaks this tradition. And children are highly receptive and incapable of having produced good works to merit heaven. Jesus implies that to such, who are open to His teaching and do not depend on their own presumed goodness, belongs the kingdom of God.’

Unfortunately, the crazy state of our world and our self-dependence presupposes our openness to Christ and His teaching. But for those of us who are still dependent on Jesus, let’s go home declaring (steupsss!) our Tuesday Mantra, letting all and sundry know to whom we belong lock, stock and barrel.

As one 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, let’s go out and generously share that amazing LOVE and friendship of Christ with all we meet, so that they too can come to know and LOVE Him like we do! Much LOVE!

…the pairing of LOVE with music…is what heaven’s all about…and what earth should be following…

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

Today’s Scrip-Bit 27 June 2023 Hebrews 12:2a.

27 Jun 2023 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: a city set on a hill cannot be hid, a drizzle of heavenly blessings, be thankful for what we have, despising the shame, dire seasons of drought, distracting quality of social media, endured the cross, flood our souls with your spirit, for the joy that was set before him, glorify your Father which is in heaven, hurry, in God's eyes, judgement day, Let your light so shine before men, looking unto Jesus, LOVE, mano a mano, Mother Teresa, not by words but by our example, our compassionate and caring example, preach without preaching, Satan's negative influence, see your good works, set down at the right hand of the throne of God, share His love with my neighbours, shine as to be a light to others, shine through us, spread your fragrance, St. Therese of Lisieux, terrified of our own shadow, the author and finisher of our faith, the beloved of God, the catching force, the evident fullness of the Love our hearts bear for jesus, the Little Flower, the sympathetic influence of what we do, trust my friend Jesus, Tuesday Mantra, worry, Ye are the light of the world, ye are the salt of the earth

Hebrews 12:2a. Looking unto Jesus the author (originator) and finisher (perfector) of our faith;

And it seems like Tuesday is going to be just like Monday, drizzly and cloudy. (smile) But let’s not quibble over a little rain and cloud, for in many other parts of our troubled world, our fellow humans are facing dire seasons of drought and famine and would be overjoyed to receive even a drizzle of heavenly blessings. So, let’s be thankful for what we have. Amen!

And to show our thankfulness, let’s pray this Fragrance Prayer that Mother Teresa of Calcutta adapted from one by St, Therese of Lisieux, better known as the Little Flower, and had her Sisters of Charity pray each day after communion. Please pray with me. ‘Dear Jesus, help us to spread your fragrance everywhere we go. Flood our souls with your Spirit and Life. Penetrate and possess our whole being so utterly, that our lives may only be a radiance of yours. Shine through us, and be so in us, that every person we should come in contact with may feel your presence in our soul. Let them look up and see no longer us, but only Jesus.

Stay with us, and then we shall begin to shine as you shine; so to shine as to be a light to others; the light, Jesus, will be all from you. None of it will be ours. It will be you shining on others through us. Let us thus praise you in the way you LOVE best, by shining on those around us. Let us preach you without preaching: not by words, but by our example, by the catching force, the sympathetic influence of what we do, the evident fullness of the LOVE our hearts bear for you. Amen!’

Mama Mia! What a beautiful prayer my people! And it says all that needs to be said! Let Jesus flood our souls with His radiant light, so that we can reflect that awesome light to all we meet! So that others can see only Jesus in us, and thus wish to follow Him. And I certainly like the part about preaching without words, but by our compassionate and caring example, the ‘sympathetic influence of what we do, the evident fullness of the LOVE our hearts bear for Jesus!’

Yes friends, that’s the most important aspect of our discipleship; letting others see the LOVE of Christ showing out in us, shining out of us, through the caring deeds we do! There’s no stronger influence in discipleship than that my faithful brethren! And that’s why Jesus said it so simply but powerfully and radically: ‘Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour (flavour) wherewith (by what) shall it be salted? It is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden underfoot of men.

Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle (lamp), and put it under a bushel (basket), but on a candlestick (lampstand); and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your father which is in heaven.’ (Matt. 5:13-16)

Oh my fellow believers, salt of the earth and light of the world, are two of the most important aspects of walking with and living for Jesus! We must have integrity and compassion like Jesus did, and even more so, show it to the whole wide world, also like He did. Remember He is our great example, the one we ought to look to and try to copy, to emulate. As the Bible tells us: Looking unto Jesus the author (originator) and finisher (perfector) of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him, endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down on the right hand of the throne of God.’ (Heb. 12:2)

And yes, it’s not easy to emulate Jesus, in fact we will never become as faithful and trustworthy as He was to his Father, because we don’t have the godly parts that He had, but we certainly do have enough of Him to give it a good and worthy try and to make a significant difference, a most positive one, in our world if we so desire.

But I believe that’s where we most often falter, in the effort, the giving of ourselves, the sacrificial aspect of living for Jesus, because as our society has grown prosperous and laid back, we believers have also become fat and lazy, and are no longer willing to give up any of our good life to serve Jesus and the many others who still need serving and saving.

And that’s why our world is becoming mucky, dark and distasteful; there’s not enough salt and light from Christ’s followers in it to make it tasty and bright! Satan’s negative influences are shrouding it over in darkness and evil, because we are not standing up strong and fighting him mano a mano, since we are either scared, terrified of our own shadow, or just selfish and couldn’t care less about what happens to our world and our fellow human beings.

But friends, there are two things we should be very cognizant of, or keep uppermost in our minds. The first is that whatever happens down here on earth is liable to have some adverse effect on you too; like wars and all the hate that’s currently inflaming our universe, and being quickly spread by the demonic tool of social media. Yes, social media, although it has some good uses, it’s being used as a tool for the devil and his evil cronies way too much. So if you just sit around and do nothing to improve the state of our world, the negativity it now spurns will very likely come back and bite you, where and when you don’t want it to.

And the next important thing for us to remember is the day of judgement, when we will ALL be called to stand before God and give an account of our lives. And when He asks why we didn’t do much more with what He had gifted us, what’s going to be our answer? We were afraid. That won’t hold any water, because He’s going to say that He gave us faith and strength enough to do our duty. And if we’re boldfaced enough to tell Him that we simply didn’t care. Then He’s going to shoot back that He cared enough to send His ONLY Son to die for ingrates like us, so we should have cared enough to make the effort to improve our world.

Oh my fellow saints, please, let’s admit that there are no good reasons, excuses or lies for our not doing better with what God has given us. And let’s stop fooling ourselves that we will get away with our lack of effort and discipleship, because we certainly won’t. Now, for those of us sincerely trying to do our best, let’s go home declaring (yesss!!!) our Tuesday Mantra, letting all and sundry know to whom we belong lock, stock and barrel.

Now, let’s get out there and share that amazing LOVE and friendship of Christ with all we meet, so that they too can come to know, serve and LOVE Him like we do! Much LOVE!

…there’s absolutely no excuse for Christians…not to show their magnificent salt and light to the needy world…

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

Today’s Scrip-Bit 20 June 2023 Romans 12:21.

20 Jun 2023 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: a new commandment I give unto you, abhor that which is evil, African enslavement, as I have loved you, be not overcome of evil, bless and curse not, by this shall men know that ye are my disciples, Christian living in a nutshell, cling to that which is good, fight the good fight, hurry, I am the beloved of god, in God's eyes, international hatred, Jewish Holocaust, let love be without dissimulation, little godliness, living for Jesus is a lifelong activity, lock stock and barrel, LOVE, make heads or tails of our predicament, makes countless thousands mourn, Man was made to Mourn, man's inhumanity to man, overcome evil with good, recompense to no man evil for evil, share the amazing Love of Christ, so few have so much, so many have so little, that ye love one another, the imbalance of God's provision, trials and tribulations, Tuesday Mantra, vengeance is mine saith the Lord, wars and rumours of wars, we can do all things though Christ who strengthens us, worry

Romans 12:21. Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.

Prologue: I want to apologize right up front for the lateness of the Bit. I got up late, and not feeling up to scratch either. It took me a while to catch myself. And yes, the Bit’s long, but I think it’s good. (smile) So please read, inwardly digest and action it. Much LOVE!

So Monday has fled into the night, and Tuesday has come to take its place… a warm and somewhat sunny but windy day. But life still rolls along like it did on Monday, still full of wars and rumours of wars, untold disasters both natural and man-made, along with many evil doings and comparatively little godliness. Man continues to be unkind to his fellow man, heralding the saying ‘man’s inhumanity to man, makes countless thousands mourn,’ first made popular by the Scottish poet Robert Burns in his poem, the dirge, ‘Man was made to Mourn’ published in 1784.

The relevant stanza says: “Many and sharp the num’rous ills Inwoven with our frame! More pointed still we make ourselves Regret, remorse, and shame! And man, whose heav’n-erected face The smiles of LOVE adorn, Man‘s inhumanity to man Makes countless thousands mourn!”

And, unfortunately, that statement still stands as a testimony to our cruelty and callousness to each other down through the years. Two of the main examples of that atrocious and barbaric behaviour in the last couple of centuries are the Jewish Holocaust in Germany and other parts of Europe and the brutal and ruthless enslavement of African people in the supposed New World of the Americas. And although those two atrocities have now ended in physical form, they are still being enforced through mental and emotional means.

The level of international hatred, rebelliousness and evil doing, poverty, sickness and economic malaise are so ramped up, that the saying should now be replaced by ‘man’s inhumanity to man makes countless millions mourn.’ And if we continue like we’re going, it will soon need to be changed to countless billions, because instead of a growing LOVE and compassion for each other, we seem to be drifting even further apart, with hate, evil doings and resentment growing stronger every day.

And all of that in a world filled with plenty, more than enough to satisfy us all, but because so few have so much, and intend to retain it by any means necessary, while so many have so little, and are intentionally kept from acquiring more, the imbalance of God’s provision and wealth continues to get worse each and every day. I pray that Almighty God will help us before it’s too late, because He is the ONLY ONE who can make heads or tails of our current predicament.

Whatever happened to Jesus’ declaration (steups!!!) ‘A new commandment I give unto you, That ye LOVE one another; as I have LOVED you, that ye also LOVE one another.’ (John 13:34) That’s a very good question, because in these very turbulent and unsettled times, even supposed believers in Christ Jesus are showing immense hatred and resentment for each other, often because of the branch of Christianity or religion they follow. So, if the supposed root of LOVE, Christianity itself is withering, instead of growing and manifesting itself strong in the land, then what hope is there for us eh?

And it’s not like Jesus said it once that we should LOVE each other, but several times, and even more importantly, that the act of LOVING each other would be the distinctive modus operandi that showed who we truly are. Listen to Him elucidate this. ‘By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have LOVE one to another.’ (John 13:35) LOVE is supposed to be the guiding principle of our world, but sadly, right now hate and evil have a strong hold on our reins.

And unless we supposed believers are willing to get up and fight the good fight, like we ought to, the hands of evil will get even stronger and more despicable, for there’s no level at which evil will not stoop to get its own way. We must realize that Jesus is placing, in fact, has placed all His bets on us to overcome the evil of Satan with His LOVE. Now, we can’t go letting him down after all the ‘sufferation’ He endured on our behalf. And LOVE is more powerful than evil, we just have to put it into action.

That’s the problem; we don’t radiate LOVE to each other, so how then can it spread to unbelievers eh? Bruh Paul said it quite practically in his letter to the church at Rome. ‘Let LOVE be without dissimulation (hypocrisy). Abhor that which is evil; cleave (cling) to that which is good. Be kindly affectioned (affectionate) one to another with brotherly LOVE; in honour preferring (giving preference to) one another….Bless them which persecute you: bless and curse not…

Recompense (repay) to no man evil for evil. Provide things honest (have regard for good things) in the sight of all men. If it be possible, as much as lieth (depends on) you, live peaceably with all men. Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord. Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink: for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire (shame) on his head. Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.’ (Rom. 12:9-10; 14; 17-21)

Ah mih people, that’s practical Christian living in a nutshell! And sadly, too many of us believers are not living thus. And no, it’s not easy to turn your head and not repay evil for evil, especially in these evil and advantageous times. But it’s how Jesus wants us to live, and it’s the only way that unbelievers will ever want to come to Christ. We cannot live the old eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth vengeful lifestyle. God says that He will repay the wrongdoing done to us. And if we believe Him, then we have to stop trying to forward vengeance for ourselves, as seems to be the current standard of our world.

Remember Jesus never said following Him was easy, in fact He said that it would be tough, we’d see trials and tribulations, and we must be prepared to take up our cross daily and follow Him, as well as sacrifice on His behalf whenever necessary. (Luke 9:23-24) If we can’t do that, then we cannot be His disciple. But the wonderful thing about it all is that if we sincerely try, Jesus will help us to overcome any of our human frailties and weaknesses. Remember Bruh Paul says that we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us. (Phil 4:13)

And that’s one of the basic differences between a sincere believer and an unbeliever. We can do whatever Jesus wants or expects us to do, because He will give us the strength, the anointing, the grace, or whatever it takes to do His will. And that’s what too many of us supposed believers are not taking advantage of, so that we can live for Christ. We all want the easy, the safe way of life, without any difficulties, but life itself means difficulties; trials and tribulations, and it’s ONLY with the help of Jesus can we successfully overcome them.

And that’s why we have His Holy Spirit dwelling in us; to lead and guide and strengthen us. But unfortunately, many of us ignore the leading and guidance of the Holy Spirit. How then do we expect to live the abundant Christian life eh? It’s simple, without the power of the Holy Spirit, we can’t. And I do hope that these few words of mine (smile) will help wake us up to the reality of the situation and get us going, so that we can fight the good fight for Christ! Now, for those of us who are sincerely trying to do that, let’s go home declaring (yesss!!!) our Tuesday Mantra, letting all and sundry know to whom we belong lock, stock and barrel.

And having made that declaration (awright!!!) we now have to go out into the evil world and share that amazing LOVE and friendship of Jesus, so that others will come to know and LOVE him like we do! Much LOVE!

…living for Jesus is a lifelong activity…that takes courage and belief…

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

Today’s Scrip-Bit 13 June 2023 1 Timothy 6:10a.

13 Jun 2023 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: bid a fond farewell, buy a bed but not sleep, buy a book but not knowledge, buy a clck but not time, buy ahouse but not a home, buy blood but not life, buy medicine but health, buy sex but not love, drown men in destruction, erred from the faith, faith, fall into te, fall into temptation, feeding on the most vulnerable, fight the good fight of faith, follow after righteousness, give it all to God, godliness, have a good godly attitude, haven't learned how to use money, hurry, hurtful lusts, I am the beloved of god, in god's eyes, lay hold on eternal life, LOVE, man comes with nothing and leaves with nothing, meekness, money causes pain and suffering, money is a tool, money isn't everything, O man of God flee these things, pateince, pierced themselves through with many sorrows, scam artists, share His love with my neighbours, the gospel truth, the love of money is the root of all evil, the road to Success, they that will be rich, trust my friend Jesus, Tuesday Mantra, which some coveted after, worry

1 Timothy 6:10a. For the LOVE of money is the root of all (kinds) of evil:

So we’ve said a fond farewell to Monday and bid Tuesday welcome, wondering what it has in store for us in these very unprecedented and uncertain times. Some of whatever it has in store for us we can do nothing about, while some we can change, but what we utterly need to have is a good, godly attitude about it all. That’s the only way we will handle it in a purposeful and successful manner…in other words, give it all to God!

But here’s an interesting poem. on a very important matter, that I also found on that yellow piece of paper where I discovered that profound reading about the Road to Success that I recently shared. Please listen closely because it’s of the utmost importance and can make a whole lotta difference in our lives, if we accept and follow what it says.

There’s no title. It just says: ‘It can buy a House, But not a Home. It can buy a Bed, But not Sleep. It can buy a Clock, But not Time. It can buy you a Book, But not Knowledge. It can buy you a Position, But not Respect. It can buy you Medicine, But not Health. It can buy you Blood, But not Life. It can buy you Sex, But not LOVE. So you see, MONEY isn’t EVERYTHING. And it often causes PAIN and SUFFERING. I tell you this because I am your Friend, and as your Friend, I want to take away your pain and suffering…So send me all your money. And I will suffer for you. Cash is fine.’

Now I do hope that we paid close attention to all that it says, because it’s the gospel truth. Including the part that says send me all your money and I will suffer for you. That’s the wonderful friend I can be. (smile) But unfortunately, that’s what a lot of people, scam artists and fraudsters are doing in great numbers these days, especially feeding on the poor, sick and elderly. It has become so rampant that it has spawned an industry unto itself. What a terrible shame that we can be so despicable and uncaring to those who are the most vulnerable.

Money is great, and it’s a very useful and necessary tool in our society, but that’s just what it is supposed to be, a tool, not the god that so many of us bow down to and worship, kill ourselves to get…sometimes literally too. And you see the worldly things it can buy you, but the godly things it can never get you. A House but not a Home. A Bed, but not Sleep. A Clock, but not Time, A Book but not Knowledge. A Position, but not Respect. Medicine but not Health. Blood but not Life. Sex, but not LOVE!

Yes friends, money is a worldly necessity, but the real good and important things in life cannot be bought, they have to be earned in a true and godly manner. And yuh better believe too that a whole lot of the pain and suffering in our world can be traced directly back to money; the lack of it, the great desire for it, in other words, greed, and to those who have too much of it for their own good and either use it frivolously or for their own selfish purposes, and don’t share it with the many that don’t have enough.

And by the way, the date at the bottom of that poem is 5/11/01. That means it’s not a new poem, but has been around for a long time now, but we still haven’t learned how to use money successfully. And the Good Library does have quite a few things to say about money and its usefulness or lack thereof. So let’s check out a few of those wise biblical truths nuh. And I guess the best known one is that from Bruh Paul to Timothy, where he lectures him thus.

‘But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain that we can carry nothing out. And having food and raiment (clothing…life’s basic necessities) let us be therewith content. But they that will be (whose ambition is to be) rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful (harmful) lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition (ruin and destruction). For the LOVE of money is the root of all (kinds) of evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.’ (1 Tim. 6:6-10)

And all of that is the indisputable truth my people! The LOVE of money has driven so many of us to do so many foolish, wrong and ungodly things, that eventually bring us to ruin and destruction. And it’s a picture we see and hear about in the news every single day. Some poor, greedy, or ill-advised soul dying either literally or metaphorically because they unwisely chased down money. And there’s nothing wrong with making money, but it must not be our sole purpose in life. It ought to be a means to an end, like making a better life for our families, or sharing with others. Money is no good unless it’s used for good and useful purposes.

And instead of running down money, these things that Bruh Paul told Timothy about, they should be the most important things in our lives. ‘But thou, O man of God, flee these things (that come from the LOVE of money); and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, LOVE, patience, meekness. Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called, and hast professed (confessed) a good profession (confession) before many witnesses.’ (1 Tim. 6:11-12)

Yes my fellow believers, that’s where our focus should lie, in the things of God, not the material wealth of the world, which we cannot take with us when we die. So why focus on those things eh? And the scholars wisely tell us: ‘Man enters the world at birth possessing nothing, in order to teach him that he will exit the world in the same manner – taking nothing with him. This is a divine means of showing man that since material wealth is relatively insignificant, he should pursue the important things mentioned in verse 11.’

Now there are some words of wonderful wisdom, which we ought to take to heart my friends. Let’s stop running down money and the material things it can allow us to buy, and instead focus on the things that we cannot buy, but which are even more important in making a good life on this crazy and ungodly earth. And since we’ve run on longer than we expected, we’ll leave the rest of the biblical stuff on money for tomorrow, obviously if God spares life. (smile)

Now let’s go home declaring (awright!!!) our Tuesday Mantra, letting all and sundry know to whom we belong, lock, stock and barrel. As one strong and sincere voice: ‘In God’s eyes, I’m not what I do. I’m not what I have. I’m not what people say about me. I am the beloved of God, that’s who I am. No one can take that from me. I don’t have to worry. I don’t have to hurry. I can trust my friend Jesus and share His LOVE with my immediate neighbours, as well as with the whole wide world! Glory be!’

And having declared that (yesss!!!) let’s now go out and share that amazing LOVE and friendship of Jesus with all we meet, so that they too can come to know and LOVE him like we do. Much LOVE!

…money, money, money…too much of it is no good…neither is too little…but sadly, few of us ever achieve a good balance…

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

Today’s Scrip-Bit 6 June 2023 Psalm 23:1.

06 Jun 2023 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: all the days of my life, chickens have finally come home to roost, claiming God's help through the wilderness, climate patterns compromised, excessive amounts of rain causing floods, for His name's sake, God come through all the time, God is never late, God will never leave you in the lurch, goodness and mercy shall follow me, he leadeth me beside still waters, he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness, he maketh me to lie down in green pastures, he restoreth my soul, help me not to despair, hurry, I am weak weary and worn, I shall not want, I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever, I will fear no evil, in the presence of mine enemies, LOVE, man should pray and not faint, no heavenly blessings of rain, share His love with my neighbours, stop climate change from getting worse, the 23rd Psalm, the beloved of God, the faint of heart, The Lord is my shepherd, the promise, thou preparest a table before me, though I walk through the valley of death, thy rod and thy staff they comfort me, Tuesday Mantra, waiting with bated breath, wildfires from coast to coast, worry, you are true to your word

Psalm 23:1. The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.

Welcome to Tuesday my people, more sunshine, cool weather and polluted air, but no heavenly blessings. Several times yesterday, the skies darkened as though getting ready to release some precipitation, but nothing happened; those dark clouds eventually drifted away with the promise of rain unfulfilled. Our once steady and reliable climate patterns have been thoroughly compromised, so much so that nowadays we don’t know what to expect weatherwise.

And the wildfire season has certainly began with a bang, all over North America. I thought it was somewhat early for that to start, but apparently not, (smile) as they are burning from one coast of the continent to the other. However, in some other places there’s a plethora, excessive amounts of rain, that’s causing deadly flood situations. As they would say, it’s either feast or famine.

The fine balance of God’s weather setup has eventually been thrown out of sync by mankind’s selfish and greedy methods of living and producing. Hundreds of years of putting carcinogens and other deadly stuff in the atmosphere, the earth and the water, those chickens have finally come home to roost, as we were warned that they would. But man’s stubborn pride and greed, particularly those of the rich and powerful class, made him ignore those warnings, and now we’re all paying the price.

And unbelievably, some of us are still denying the existence of climate change, when its many tentacles are showing up all around our world. Thankfully though, some of that message is finally getting through to some of the rich and powerful as they suffer the consequences, and at last, they are trying to do something to clean up the sordid mess we’ve made of God’s wonderful planet. Let’s hope it’s not too late, and even if we cannot reverse the situation, that we can at least prevent it from getting worse.

But thankfully, as with all the troubles and calamities that we believers in Christ Jesus are forced to go through on this evil and sinful earth, we are assured that we ought not to fear. Yes, we ought to pray and not faint or give up, because we have the many faith-filled promises of our omnipotent God to hold on to. And though that’s not always easy to do, most of us find a way, with God’s help obviously to do it. Today, I want to share a poem from our One Year Book of Bible Promises with writings by Ruth Harms Calkin that’s associated with our faith and trust in Almighty God, and most appropriately, it’s simply titled ‘The Promise.’

So please read and inwardly digest with me. (smile) ‘O dear God, I continue to believe Your personal promise still stands Though every quivering emotion within Shouts that it will be broken. I am claiming Your help through the wilderness Despite every frightening shadow and vale. Often You do the most When You seem to do the least. Sometimes secretly Sometimes quietly Often slowly But always most certainly You are true to Your word. And so, my Lord Though I am weak, weary, and worn Help me not to despair. You see me, You hear me. You know I am depending utterly Upon Your unblemished integrity Surely You will keep Your word.’

Most assuredly He will my faithful brethren! The Lord has not failed one person as yet who has put their unmitigated trust in Him…and He NEVER will! The problem usually lies with us, we either don’t fully trust Him, or because we don’t see quick and obvious results, we figure He’s not around and not working. But as the poem says, when God seems to be doing the least, He’s actually doing the most, but we just can’t see what He’s doing in the background to set up the answers to our prayers and petitions.

And, as He sometimes works secretly, He also moves quietly, with no fanfare, and we all know that He very often moves slowly. That’s the bane of our existence, the plague and ruination of many of our best laid plans and desires. (smile) Waiting on God’s timing is possibly the biggest drawback that many of us believers face. And I can tell from personal experience that as the time is drawing near for the bottom to drop out the bucket and the Lord hasn’t shown up as yet, it’s one of the worst feeling we can ever go through.

But, until you believe that He’s NEVER late, and will NEVER leave you in the lurch, you’ll always be plagued by His less than early entrances. Sadly though, you can only learn that most important lesson by going through the fire of waiting with bated breath several times, until you see that He comes through EVERY time. It’s like most things in this life, you only learn by experience, by going through them more than once, until you get accustomed to them. And strong faith in our great God is one of those things we can only learn by experiencing the hard times and seeing Him come through for us, though often right at the very end.

That’s the Lord’s style, and unfortunately we can’t do anything to change it. I guess He just likes to test our faith to see if we’re truly the believers we claim to be. And what’s the Bible Promise for today’s poem you ask? You won’t be surprised to know that it’s none other than these marvellous sustaining and reassuring words of Bruh David found in the 23^rd Psalm. Let’s say them together to give our faith a big boost. ‘The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.’ (Ps. 13:1-3)

Yes friends, that’s as far as the promise for the poem goes. But even in those three short verses oodles of wonderful promises are to be found. For example, the wise guidance of the shepherd, and lack for nothing under His careful watch. And what about lying down in green pastures beside quiet waters eh? Wow! I could certainly use some of that right now! Then the restoration of one’s soul, and the leading of one in paths of righteousness. Where can we ever find better promises than those eh? NOWHERE!

And that’s not the end of it either, there’s much more to come. So, let’s read the rest of that most invigorating and uplifting psalm. ‘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. Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over. 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 for ever.’ (Ps. 23:4-6)

Oh mih people, what wonderful words of reassurance in God’s bountiful kingdom! Yuh know if Bruh David had never written another word, that poem, that mantra to the faithfulness of God would have been sufficient to make his name great, for I believe it’s the most well-known and prayed prayer after the Lord’s Prayer. And now, having had our faith replenished and renewed, (smile) let’s go home declaring our Tuesday Mantra, proudly letting all and sundry know to whom we belong, lock, stock and barrel.

Now, it’s time to go out and share that amazing LOVE and friendship of Christ with all we meet, so that they too can come to know and LOVE him like we do! Much LOVE!

…believing in Christ is not for the faint of heart…but if you believe…He will strengthen your heart…

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

Today’s Scrip-Bit 30 May 2023 Job 13:15.

30 May 2023 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: addicted to good weather, an hypocrite will not come before him, and not receive evil, be secure in our faith, belief, comforts us in our troubles, curse God and die, feared God and eschewed evil, God is a place of refuge, God will work all things out for our good, He also shall be my salvation, hope, hurry, I am the beloved of god, I will maintain mine own ways before him, in god's eyes, Job was perfect and upright, Lead me in thy truth, live a successful life in Christ, LOVE, our bounden duty, shall we receive good at the hand of God, share His love with my neighbours, shew me thy ways O Lord, the enemy playing with our minds, the God of All Comfort, Though he slay me, trust, trust my friend Jesus, Tuesday Mantra, why God allows bad things to happen to good folks, worry

Job 13:15. Though he slay me, yet will I trust him: but I will maintain (defend) mine own ways before him.

Then it was Tuesday – more sunshine and warm weather. And if we’re not careful, we might just get addicted to such beautiful weather yes! But let’s remember, like Job said to his wife, when she wanted him to curse God and die after the terrible losses they suffered: ‘What, shall we receive (accept) good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive evil (accept calamity)?’ (Job 2:10)

Now that’s something many of us are guilty of; we jump for joy and praise God to the high heavens when we receive good things, but when the opposite happens, we are totally distressed and ready to make all sorts of disparaging comments about Him; wondering where He is, what kind of God He is to allow such calamitous things to happen to such righteous folks.

But God never promised that there’d be no hiccups, or disasters or distressing circumstances in our lives just because we believe in Jesus. A lot of us get the wrong idea, that belief in Jesus and all the talk of salvation, abundant and eternal life means easy street for the rest of our lives, with no problems. However, what God promised was to work all things out for our eventual good, if we hold on to our belief in His Son Jesus and do His will. (Rom. 8:28) That’s a horse of an entirely different colour.

Our world is full of evil things, people and circumstances, and therefore, at some time or other some unfair, unwarranted, unexpected, unfortunate, undeserved stuff is going to happen to us. And the big difference between us believers and the unbelievers is that when unfortunate things happen to us, we have Jesus to turn to for help and comfort.

Remember as Bruh Paul said to the church at Corinth: ‘Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort; Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble (tribulation), by the comfort wherewith we ourselves were comforted of God.’ (2 Cor. 1:3-4)

Now that’s a very important scripture for to us to bury deep in our hearts, minds, bodies and souls and not be afraid to use whenever needed. Who do you think comforted Job in his distress? It wasn’t his wife, his family or his friends, who came and taunted him about the sins they thought he’d committed for such calamity to befall him. But the Bible tells us that: ‘There was a man in the land of Uz, whose name was Job; and that man was perfect (blameless) and upright, and one that feared God, and eschewed (shunned) evil.’ (Job 1:1)

So Job obviously was no big time sinner like some of us, and his friends and family must have known that, but they had the mindset set that many of us still have, that tough times only befall you when you commit some sin or the other and God is therefore punishing you for it. But that is the furthest thing from the truth. God does meet out punishment for wrongdoing in His own way and time, but not every mishap that occurs to us means it’s because of sin.

And like Job, if we know that we have not committed any terrible sin, why should we think that God is punishing us for it? That’s just the enemy playing with our minds, one of his many deceitful pranks, hoping we’d blame God for our misfortune and thus turn away from Him. But again, like Job, we need to be secure in our faith, and whatever happens, even when it doesn’t make sense, and we don’t understand it, don’t blame God, but surely turn to Him for comfort and solace, because He is the God of all comfort, and He can make things right.

That should be one of our strongest beliefs, if we hope to live a successful Christian life, for in this evil and ungodly world, we are constantly bombarded by all sorts of wrongdoings and hurtful circumstances, and if we don’t have a place of refuge to turn to, when those things happen, then we’re in big trouble. And the Lord God Almighty is the ONLY One who can address such hurts in a compassionate and caring manner.

Bruh David in his many trials and troubles said it thus in Psalm 25. ‘Unto thee. O Lord, do I lift up my soul. O my God, I trust in thee: let me not be ashamed, let not mine enemies triumph over me. Yea, let none that wait (in faith) on thee be ashamed: let them be ashamed which transgress (deal treacherously) without cause. Shew me thy ways, O Lord; teach me thy paths. Lead me in thy truth, and teach me: for thou art the God of my salvation: on thee do I wait all the day.’ (Ps. 25:1-5)

Now that’s how we ought to be thinking my fellow believers! Take it to God in prayer and ask for divine help, rather than blame and abuse Him for causing our problems, like so many of us tend to do. Very few of us will ever undergo the trials and tribulations Bruh David went through, or commit the magnitude of sins that he committed, but he never wavered in his faith, because he knew who was on his side, the God of his forefathers, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. And thus, he did not fear or worry, just kept taking all his problems to Him.

Likewise Job, in all his calamity, never once blamed it on God, though I’m sure he wondered why such misfortune had befallen him when he was trying his best to live right. And in the midst of all his problems and the castigation by his friends, his faith was strong enough that he could make these most memorable statements. ‘Though he slay me, yet will I trust him: but I will maintain (defend) mine own ways before him. He also shall be my salvation: for an hypocrite shall come before him. Hear diligently my speech, and my declaration (yesss!!!) with your ears.’ (Job 13:15-17)

Wow! What awesome words of faith my brethren! Do we have such faith? Not many of us do in these tough, ungodly and evil times, but that is exactly the measure of faith we need, if we intend to successfully navigate through this turbulent world. And for those of us who are sincerely trying to develop such amazing faith, let’s go home now declaring (awright!!!) our Tuesday Mantra, letting the whole world know to whom we belong, lock, stock and barrel.

Altogether now: ‘In God’s eyes, I’m not what I do. I’m not what I have. I’m not what people say about me. I am the beloved of God, that’s who I am. No one can take that from me. I don’t have to worry. I don’t have to hurry. I can trust my friend Jesus and share His LOVE with my immediate neighbours, as well as with the whole wide world! Glory be!’

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

…without strong hope, trust and belief …strong faith is impossible…

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

Today’s Scrip-Bit 23 May 2023 Galatians 5:25.

23 May 2023 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: begun a good work in you, being confident of this very thing, beloved of God, carnality of human nature, Christ living in me, cleanse your hearts ye sinners, dependability, desires for pleasure, draw nigh to God and he will draw nigh to you, faithfulness, generosity, gentleness, giveth grae unto the humble, God resisteth the proud, goodness, hurry, if we live in the Spirit, joy, let us also walk in the Spirit, live in the world but not like the world, LOVE, lusts, patience, peace, purify your hearts ye doubleminded, self-control, share His love with my neighbours, the fruit of the spirit, the law of God's Spirit, the lusts of the flesh, the testimony of Christ, the traditions of men, trust my friend Jesus, Tuesday Mantra, will perform it until the day of Jesus, worry, ye have not because ye ask not, ye lust and have not

Galatians 5:25. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.

And then it was Tuesday; a mostly sunny day as my computer tells me, with temps in the high teens. Now that’s not too bad for the penultimate week in May, but obviously we’d prefer some warmer times so we can get the real summer programme going. (smile) That hasn’t stopped the walkers, the runners, cyclists or the convertible tops from coming out and the lawn mowers from barking every day. But that’s how it is in these northern climes after a long, cold winter, we’re just dying to get outside in shorts and t-shirts and enjoy the bright, warm, summer weather, not worrying about snow and cold and dressing up warmly.

Now some people might not appreciate the changing seasons, but it does have its own attractiveness. And I hear some murmurs: ‘What blooming attractiveness has winter got eh?’ (smile) Well for some winter enthusiasts that’s the best time of the year; they can go skiing, skating, and all the other fun things they do in the winter. And just for your information, I’m not one of those. (smile)

Anyway, today I believe we should continue looking at the lusts of the flesh and the fruit of the Spirit that we began looking at yesterday. And, we had decided that carnality, or our inherent human nature did not fit in with the law of God’s Spirit, which was very evident from all the stuff that Bruh Paul listed under carnality. (Gal. 5:19-21) Now, I guess it’s only fair that we should discover what’s the opposite of all those evil and heart-wrenching things. (smile)

Bruh Paul calls them the fruit of the Spirit. ‘But the fruit of the Spirit is LOVE, joy, peace, longsuffering (patience), gentleness (kindness), goodness (generosity), faith (faithfulness, dependability), Meekness (courtesy and consideration of others), temperance (self-control): against such there is no law.’ (Gal. 5:22-23) And there you have it friends, the fruit of the Spirit; the things that Christians ought to allow to flourish in their lives, not the evil and insane things that our flesh causes us to lust after.

Now here are some interesting and important words from the scholars on the fruit of the Spirit. ‘In contrast to the works (plural) of the flesh, which any individual is capable of performing, the fruit (singular) of the Holy Spirit can be produced only by God. Christian character thus results from “Christ living in me” (2.20). For this fruit to develop, all nine aspects of the fruit of the Spirit must mature.

Illustration: The character of Christ is the fullest manifestation of this fruit in the New Testament. Though Jesus did not recognize the traditions of men, His enemies were unable to prove any charge against Him. Application: So today, Christians should allow the Holy Spirit to develop this character within them, so they might be blameless before others and not hinder the testimony of Christ. (First Ref. Ex. 35:31; 36:2; Primary Ref. Gal. 5:22-23; cf. Phil. 1:6).’

Yes friends, the best way for us to manifest the character of Jesus is by developing the fruit of the Spirit…all nine of them. And remember it’s singular ‘fruit’ not plural ‘fruits.’ That’s when our light will truly shine and our salt will be saltier than ever! And since I know that very few of us will read those scriptures referenced above, (smile) the first two from Exodus are about the Lord filling certain workmen with the Spirit of wisdom to do His work. You already know the third reference, to the fruit of the Spirit.

And the last are these words of comfort and assurance from Bruh Paul to the Philippians: ‘Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform (complete) it until the day of Jesus.’ (Phil. 1:6) That means if the Lord begins working on the flourishing of the fruit of the Spirit in you, He will not stop it, until He takes you home, or Christ returns.

Now here are some more interesting words from Bruh Paul to the Galatians after telling them about the fruit of the Spirit. He says: ‘And they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections (its passions) and lusts. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. Let us not be desirous of vain glory (conceited), provoking one another, envying one another.’ (Gal.5:24-26) Yes, my faithful brethren, those acts of the flesh simply destroy or not allow the fruit of the Spirit to flourish in us.

And James, Jesus’ brother gives us a very good example of how these things kill our witness and draws us away from God, rather than towards Him. He thus asks: ‘From whence come wars (conflicts) and fightings among you? come they not hence, even of your lusts (desires for pleasure) that war in your members? Ye lust, and have not: ye kill (murder), and desire to have (covet), and cannot obtain: ye fight and war (battle), yet ye have not, because ye ask not. Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts (pleasures).

Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of (with) the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be (wants to be) a friend of the world is (makes himself) the enemy of God. Do ye think that the scripture saith in vain, The spirit that dwelleth in us lusteth to envy (yearns jealously)? But he giveth more grace (greater grace than the world’s attractions). Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble. Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw nigh (near) to God, and he will draw nigh (near) to you. Cleanse your hearts ye sinners; and purify your hearts ye doubleminded.’ (James 4:1-8)

Now that’s excellent advice my people. We have to draw near to God, especially in these very turbulent and confusing times, for He is the true source of our power. And neither can we refute James’ argument at the beginning when He says that our basic human lusts cause many of our problems. We either don’t ask for what we want, or we ask for the wrong things; things to use to satisfy those lustful pleasures. We all know that our God detests the proud spirit of man, so He wants us to come to Him humbly and ask for the right things; things that will uplift us, make the fruit of the Spirit flourish in us, and thus grow our testimony for Christ.

And for those of us who are sincerely trying to do just that, let’s go home declaring (yesss!!!) our Tuesday Mantra, letting all and sundry know to whom we belong, lock, stock and barrel. As one strong 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 friends, it’s our bounden duty to go out and share the amazing LOVE and friendship of Christ with all those we meet, so that they too can come to know and LOVE Him like we do! Much LOVE!

…though Christians must live IN the world…we are not supposed to live LIKE the world…

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

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