Today’s Scrip-Bit 11 March 2014 Romans 12:9

11 Mar 2014 Leave a comment

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

Romans 12:9.    Let LOVE be without dissimulation (hypocrisy). Abhor that which is evil; cleave (cling) to that which is good.
 
Oh Friends, oh Friends, it’s time to rise and shine and give thanks to our great and merciful God for bringing us safely through the dark night of our senses, and graciously illuminating our day, brightening our spirits with the everlasting LIGHT of His wonderful Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Wow!
 
And on top of that, the weatherman’s promising a temperature today of plus 11 degrees Celsius, with bright sunshine! Mama Mia! What a magnanimous and magnificent God we serve and worship my people!
 
And all God’s people gave a loud and rejoicing shout of ‘Praise the Lord God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob! Praise Him with singing and loud shouts of joy, for He is indeed worthy to be praised! Amen!’ 
 
Yes mih people, our majestic God certainly deserves all the praise we shower on Him – and even more. Unfortunately though, since all of His human creation don’t believe in and worship Him, He is being short-changed in His praise and thanksgiving.
 
And though the Lord LOVES to hear and receive praise and thanksgiving, please remember that He DOESN’T NEED IT, but WE NEED the mercies, the grace, the goodness, the LOVING-kindness, and forgiveness that flow from such praising and thankful behaviour. 
 
It’s a good time to remember that the Lord made us to be in relationship with Him, but if we choose not to, though He will be disappointed, it won’t destroy Him. However, WE WILL BE DESTROYED if we don’t form that personal relationship and then keep it going.
 
That’s just to remind us that God isn’t there to be our servant and to bend and bow to our every petty and selfish whim. But rather, HE IS OUR MASTER, OUR CREATOR, AND WE ARE SUPPOSED TO BOW TO HIM AND FOLLOW HIS DICTATES.
 
Just thought I’d throw that in there because many supposed Christians only turn to God in desperation for some worldly thing or purpose, and expect Him to deliver or answer them right away. Nuff said on that for now though.
 
Let’s turn to our Bit: ‘Let LOVE be without dissimulation (hypocrisy). Abhor that which is evil; cleave (cling) to that which is good.’
 
Words of absolute truth my brethren! Without TRUE LOVE and a sincere purpose to do good, the whole edifice of Christianity, of Christ’s church crumbles, because those are the mainstays of its foundation.
 
Now yesterday we looked at scriptures that dealt with the first half of our Bit; having a true heart of LOVE, and not one of hypocrisy, like the Pharisees of old had.
 
Today, we’ll check out scriptures that deal with the second half of our Bit; of clinging to good and forsaking evil. 

And we’ll begin with some awesome words of truth from Bruh David, as he asks in Psalm 15: ‘Lord, who shall abide (sojourn) in thy tabernacle? Who shall dwell in thy holy Hill?
 
He that walketh uprightly, and worketh righteousness, and speaketh the truth in his heart. He that backbiteth not with his tongue, nor doeth evil to his neighbour, nor taketh up (receives) a reproach against his neighbour. In whose eyes a vile person is contemned (despised); but he honoureth them that fear the Lord.
 
He that sweareth to this own hurt, and changeth not. He that putteth not out his money to usury, nor taketh reward against the innocent. He that doeth these things shall never be moved.’ (Ps.15:1-5)
 
Oh Friends, I’m chuckling here because I never intended to quote the whole psalm, but after reading it through, I found that there was no right place to stop until the very end. For it all deals with goodness and truth; the necessities of character of one who hopes to dwell on God’s holy hill, in His holy sanctuary, to be welcomed into His presence.
 
Yes my fellow believers, if we hope to dwell with the Lord, goodness and truth must be firmly embedded in our spirits, our character, and our earthly behaviour, per the Lord’s commandments.
 
Meanwhile, the prophet Zechariah, in promising the restoration of Israel declares: ‘These are the things that ye shall do; Speak ye every man the truth to his neighbour; execute the judgement of truth and peace (for justice, truth and peace) in your gates.
 
And let none of you imagine (think) evil in your hearts against your neighbour; and LOVE no false oath: for all these are things I hate, saith the Lord.’ (Zech.7:16-17)
 
Oh Friends, that spells it right out in perfect simplicity! There’s nothing there that the least of us cannot understand. And we couldn’t write on truth and goodness without quoting these famous words of Bruh Paul to the church at Ephesus:
 
‘And be renewed in the spirit of your mind; And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness. Wherefore putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbour: for we are members one of another.’ (Eph.4:23-25)
 
Ah mih people, more clarification on our earthly status! We are all brothers and sisters in Christ, and as such ought not to lie to each other, but to speak the truth at all times, because that is what our God and our Christian faith are all about.
 
And we’ll end today with some more treasured words from Bruh Paul to the Ephesians. ‘Peace be to the brethren, and LOVE with faith, from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Grace be with all them that LOVE our Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity. Amen.’ (Eph.6:23-24)
 
Oh Friends, I couldn’t say it any better, so please receive that blessing as though it was just spoken over us all. Much LOVE my Christian brethren!
 
…one cannot be a true believer in Jesus Christ…unless one sincerely walks in…LOVE…TRUTH…and GOODNESS…
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Today’s Scrip-Bit 28 January 2014 Psalm 15:1

28 Jan 2014 Leave a comment

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

Psalm 15:1.    Lord who shall abide (sojourn) in thy tabernacle? Who shall dwell in thy holy hill?  

And then Friends, it was Tuesday! Unfortunately, the vacation time is winding down. But not to worry, for there’s yet sufficient time to get in whole lot more activities and make many more memories, so that when I’m sitting in my rocking chair in the cold North Country, I can just reminisce and chuckle at the reminiscences.

And that’s what life really is all about yes people; making good memories. For when old age arrives and you physically can’t do much of anything, all you will have then are memories of the way your life was spent. Therefore it’s very important that we make as many good ones as possible.
 
For as the Johnny Bristol sings in his song of some years ago: ‘Memories don’t leave like people do. They always stay with you. Whether they been good or bad. They’re never something that you had.’
 
Gospel truth my brethren! Memories never leave us. When all else fails, memories will still be there. So let’s try and make as many good ones as possible nuh. Now let’s see what good ones I made yesterday. (smile)
 
Oh, in the early morning hours, some wicked wind and rain lashed my little area – twice to be exact. And what amused me was that in between each episode, the sun came out in all its fiery splendour. Also, around lunch time some friends from Canada came to visit. They are only here for about three days.
 
Then in the afternoon, I went down to Store Bay for my daily constitutional. I believe the last time I mentioned that, I said testimonial, but it was really constitutional I meant. And that’s simply something good that you do for yourself on a fairly regular basis.
 
But lo and behold, as I entered the change room at Store Bay, I saw a man sitting there buckling the straps on his sandals. His face seemed familiar, but his cap was hiding the upper portion of his face. So I looked closer at him, only to realize that it was another old friend from Canada, one whom I hadn’t seen in ages, although we don’t live far from each other in the North Country.
 
But the busyness of life and the disgusting weather often keep people apart for long periods of time. You might talk to them regularly on the phone but hardly ever see them.
 
Anyway, as the Lord would have it, his wife, daughter and himself were just finished bathing and were planning to drop in on us on their way home. So we just visited right there, since they were only in Tobago for the day.
 
Nothing much happened after that. I got my dip, said some thanks to a couple of people who had been instrumental in safely securing my bag last week, stopped in the grocery and a food place, then came home and relaxed as best I could with the stupid headache still bothering me.
 
A couple pardners dropped by for a short visit later in the evening. But other than that it was quiet, had an early night because of the headache, which unfortunately is still bugging me some, almost two days later. I guess though, as the old people would say; after one time is two, since I hardly ever have headaches, especially ones of this magnitude and length. 
 
But for whatever purpose the Lord’s allowing it, I just have to get a grip and keep on doing what I have to, knowing that eventually He will make all things right. And those are the good memories I made yesterday. (smile)
 
Now let’s see what the Lord wants me to write on biblically speaking, today? And Friends it seems like He wants us to focus today on the important question of: ‘Lord who shall abide (sojourn) in thy tabernacle? Who shall dwell in thy holy hill?’ 
 
Yes my fellow believers, that’s an interesting and also very important question! Who is worthy to serve in the Lord’s tabernacle, what are the qualifications necessary for that awesome job?
 
And Bruh David answers the question he just posed in the following two verses. ‘He that walketh uprightly, and worketh righteousness, and speaketh the truth in his heart He that backbiteth not with his tongue, nor doeth evil to his neighbour, nor taketh up (receives) a reproach against his neighbour.’ (Ps.15:2-3)
 
Oh Friends, that means that the person who serves in the tabernacle must have personal purity. But all those things also pertain to the ordinary Christian. EVERY follower of Christ needs to walk uprightly, work righteousness and speak truth from their hearts. It’s all a part of the Christian make up and character. Neither can we be spreading deceit and false rumours with our wicked, hard to control tongues, or doing evil against our neighbours.
 
As Bruh David also asks in Psalm 24, the King of glory: ‘Who shall ascend into the hill of the Lord? Or who shall stand in his holy place? (Ps.24:3)
 
And his answer is basically the same: ‘He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart; who hath not lifted up his soul unto vanity (to an idol), nor sworn deceitfully. He shall receive the blessing from the Lord, and righteousness from the God of his salvation.’ (Ps.24:4-5)
 
Unfortunately though mih breddren, those characteristics are in very short supply these days, even amongst supposed believers! That serious drop in moral standards and otherwise, are why our world is now such a troubled, evil, disaster-prone and calamitous place.
 
The attributes of good character and personal integrity have sadly lost their position of high standing and importance. They are no longer considered necessary aspects of human life. These days fraud, corruption, deceit, unfaithfulness, selfishness, pride and greed rule the roost.
 
And it’s sad that many of us believers dabble too much in such unchristian activity, instead of being the ones to uphold the Christ-like character and integrity. That brings us back to Psalm 15, where Bruh David continues his discourse on the qualifications for working in the Lord’s sanctuary. 
 
One ‘In whose eyes a vile person is contemned (despised); but he honoureth them that fear the Lord. He that sweareth to his own hurt, and changeth not. He that putteth not out his money to usury, nor taketh reward against the innocent. He that doeth these things shall never be moved.’ (Ps.15:4-5) 
 
Yes my people, those are all qualifications that the ordinary but serious believer also needs to possess. We ought not to uphold the works of the unrighteous, but remember they are also God’s creation. And furthermore, at times we also behave unrighteous, and we surely don’t want others to despise or condemn us then.
 
We need to honour those who reverence God, and promises and vows should be taken seriously, neither should we take advantage of the already disadvantaged. But unfortunately all the negative aspects of those things are rampant in our troubled, misguided world. Like the constant and severe oppression and suppression of the poor and needy and the insatiable greed of the wealthy.
 
Oh my brethren, those things should not be happening on such a large scale. And it is our responsibility, the responsibility of the true and serious believer, first to eradicate those negative things from our own lives, set a proper example, then try and eradicate them from our immediate circle and surroundings, then keep moving up to the higher levels of our society, and finally the world.
 
That’s our bounden duty Friends, for nobody else has any real and serious interest in the overall betterment of mankind, which is what Jesus came to do, and what His followers ought to be doing!
 
Therefore, please let’s ponder our individual situations today, re the things we’ve talked about, then, with the Lord’s help obviously, try to make the necessary improvements. And even for those who are already fairly decent, there is always room for improvement.
 
Let’s make Jesus proud of us nuh, by living the kind of life He desires of His followers. That’s heavenly wisdom my people! Much LOVE!
 
…until believers improve their own performance…the unbelievers will rule…and the world will remain in shambles…  

Today’s Scrip-Bit 13 March 2013 Psalm 15:1

13 Mar 2013 1 Comment

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

Psalm 15:1.    Lord, who shall abide in thy tabernacle? Who shall dwell in thy holy hill?
 
Oh Friends, sorry that this is a tad late, but I got up later than I wanted to, then had problems connecting to Hot Mail. I’ve noticed that several times in the last few days. It’s that unreliability which turns me off of computers; just when you want something, you find it’s unavailable, and most of the time you don’t even know or can’t find out why. In essence, you’re at the mercy of the providers. And unfortunately there’s not much we can do about it, but put the patience and perseverance of Jesus to work; that spiritual enabling His Holy Spirit anchors in us. In addition to that, there are many blessings and favours that show up in our lives which totally overshadow the few disappointments. And all God’s people said: ‘That’s for sure! Praise the Lord our God for His goodness to us, children of undeserving men!’ Now turning to our Bit. In it, Bruh David asks a very interesting question. ‘Lord, who shall abide (sojourn) in thy tabernacle? Who shall dwell in thy holy hill?’ In other words, who is worthy to serve in the Lord’s tabernacle, or on His holy hill? What are the qualifications for that most important position? Then he gives us the answer. ‘He that walketh uprightly, and worketh righteousness, and speaketh the truth in his heart. He that backbiteth not with his tongue, nor doeth evil to his neighbour, nor taketh up (receives) a reproach against his neighbour. In whose eyes a vile person is contemned (despised); but he honoureth them that fear the Lord. He that sweareth to his own hurt, and changeth not. He that putteth not out his money to usury, nor taketh reward against the innocent. He that doeth these things shall never be moved.’ (Ps.15:2-5) Ah Friends, yuh see that the qualifications needed to truly serve Almighty God are basically a pure and LOVING heart and personal integrity, reflecting the character of Jesus. However, they differ substantially, are actually the exact opposite of what the world teaches about everyday survival in this current dog eat dog time. Now we all know that we can never achieve perfection like Jesus did, but nonetheless He expects ALL His followers to work towards it. In other words, striving for excellence in all our doings. But the million-dollar question is whether we’re doing that, whether Christians are truly striving for excellence in all our affairs? I sincerely doubt it because there are still too many non-Christian activities taking place in our lives. Things like anger, resentment, strife, jealousy and envy, many of which are petty and spurious in nature, but nevertheless cause serious divisions and dissensions amongst God’s people. Remember Friends, back in the days when Bruh David wrote, only the High Priest could enter the Holy of Holies and come before Almighty God. But thankfully, with Jesus tearing down the veil that separated the Holy Place from the rest of the temple, (Matt.17:51) all believers can now worship without any restrictions, we can all come before Almighty God now. But that also means, since we now have the Holy Spirit of Jesus indwelling us, to lead and guide and strengthen us, we’re ALL now expected to come up higher than the people of the Old Testament who didn’t have the Holy Spirit automatically indwell all believers. My brethren, Christ is certainly asking a lot of us, but as always, He’s also giving us the tools to do His service. Remember, He’ll never allow us to carry more than we can bear, and will continually be at our side as we work through our problems. And if by chance we stumble and can’t continue, then in His awesome LOVING-kindness, He’ll gently lift us on to His strong shoulders and carry us the rest of the way. That’s the wonderful kind of God we serve and worship, my people! And all God’s children offered up a loud and grateful: ‘Thank You Lord! Thank you for sending Jesus to save us. We praise and bless your Holy Name!’ Now let’s end with some further words of Bruh David on the topic. In Psalm 24; the king of glory, he again asks: ‘Who shall ascend into the hill of the Lord? Or who shall stand in his holy place?’ (Ps.24:3) Then he answers it thus: ‘He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart; who hath not lifted up his soul unto vanity (an idol), nor sworn deceitfully. He shall receive the blessing from the Lord, and righteousness from the God of his salvation. This is the generation of them that seek him, that seek thy face, O Jacob.  Selah.’ (Ps.24:4-6) Ah mih breddren, I’m disturbed by that last verse. Is this generation truly seeking God? It certainly doesn’t seem so. But we can surely dream it; see it through our eyes of faith, can’t we? So today, let’s ponder on all the qualifications necessary to serve God in His sanctuary, His holy hill, and life in general, for they are all the same now. Let’s see how we currently rate, then sincerely promise ourselves and God to do better, to climb that ladder of excellence required by Jesus, and thus fulfill the dream to truly seek God on a personal level, and also to share it with others, so that His righteous kingdom can be further expanded and glorified. Much LOVE my brethren!…on our own…we’ll never be worthy to stand before God…but through the sacrificial blood of Jesus…we’ve all been granted entry…into the majestic throne room of the Most High God Jehovah…