Wednesday | SCRIP-BITS

Today’s Scrip-Bit 21 May 2014 Luke 21:19

21 May 2014 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: a bed of roses, alive and kicking, author, backbone, belly, blazed the trail, blessed day, champions, Christian faith, christianity, cloud of witnesses, Colossians, compassed about, complain, deity, despising shame, discouraged, don't worry, emulate, encourage, endeavours for Jesus, endurance, endured the cross, ensnares us, ethical condition, every good work, exciting, exhort, faint, feels great to be alive, filled with the knowledge of God's will, finished the course, finisher, frutiful, give it a try, giving thanks to god, glory hallelujah, God doesn't give us more than we can bear, God will never leave nor forsake us, God works everything out for our good, God's glorious power, God's people, good hands, gospel truth, grow in the image of Jesus, happiness, hostility, human creations, in your patience, increasing in the knwoledge of god, interesting, Jesus Christ, joy, joyfulness, lay aside every weight, leap of faith, light, light at the end of the tunnel, live our lives in faith, longsuffering, Love God, love our neighbours, make this world a better place, mandate, mature, meditiate, misfortunes, morality, negatives, our Lord and Saviour, pains, partakers of the inheritance, patience, peace, perseverance, phenomenal, ponder, possess ye your souls, power of darkness, practical situations, praise Your Holy Name, prayer, prayer for spiritual wisdom, promise to walk worthily, right hand of God, run with patience, serve and worship, setbacks, show Love, sin, sincere effort, sinners, skilful application of God's wisdom, spiritual understanding, spread the word, steadfast and strong, strengthened, thank you heavenly Father, the middle of the week, the patient in spirit, the proud in spirit, the race set before us, the weekend is near, trials, tribulations, true nature of things, uplift, walk worthy of the Lord, walking in Jesus' footsteps, walking in LOVE, wasting our God-given lives, weary, Wednesday, wisdom, wonderful faith, working for Jesus

Luke 21:19. In your patience possess ye your souls.

‘Wednesday, oh Wednesday, oh glorious Wednesday – the middle of the week! A bright light at the end of the tunnel! That means the weekend is near! Glory Hallelujah!’

Yeh Friends, it’s not only on Fridays we should celebrate, but if possible, everyday of the week, for it tells us that we’re alive and kicking through the generous bounty of our great and wonderful God!

And all God’s people declared a loud and grateful: ‘Thank You heavenly Father for allowing us to see another blessed day on planet earth! We bless you and praise Your Holy Name and promise to walk as worthily as we can in the name of Your Son, our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ! Amen.’

Ah mih people, it does feel great to be alive, doesn’t it? It surely does! Despite all the pains, the setbacks, the misfortunes, the trials the tribulations, I don’t think many of us would prefer to be dead.

We complain a lot about the negatives in this life, but remember it’s the only one we have, and furthermore, the only one we’ll ever get. So let’s enjoy it nuh, especially when we have such a wonderful faith like Christianity to live it under.

Remember what Jesus said in our Bit: ‘In your patience possess ye your souls.’

And if we don’t listen to Him and follow His wonderful example, we’ll just be wasting our God-given lives. And that would be such a tragedy!

And for the last day, I’ll like to bombard us with more scripture that teaches patience, perseverance, endurance, backbone and belly. (smile) No my brethren, you don’t have to tell me, for I know from personal experience, that it’s not easy, a bed of roses, working for and walking in Jesus’ footsteps, but it sure is exciting and interesting!

And you’ll never know how interesting and exciting it is, until YOU give it a try!

It’s all about a significant leap of faith Friends! A leap I enjoin us all to sincerely take today, right now, so that we can all work together to make this world a better place.

For that is what we were commanded to do by our leader, Jesus Christ: SPREAD the Word all over the world; LIVE our lives in true Faith, and above all, SHOW LOVE to our magnanimous and magnificent God and also our neighbours!

Wow! What an awesome mandate! Now let’s hear some scripture that’s supposed to encourage, uplift, exhort and keep us steadfast and strong in our earthly endeavours for Jesus.

Let’s start with Bruh Paul’s message to the Colossians, where he’s talking about prayer for spiritual wisdom: ‘For this cause we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to desire that ye might be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding;

(Scholars note: Wisdom is an accurate perception into the true nature of things. Understanding is the skilful application of his wisdom in practical situations).

That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God; Strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power, unto all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness;

(Scholars’ note: Patience is persevering through problems, trials, tribulations and so forth. Longsuffering is forbearing the faults and offences of others).

Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet (qualified us) to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in (the) light: Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated (transferred) us into the kingdom of his dear Son (the Son of His LOVE).’ (Col.1:9-13)

And the Scholars’ note in verse 12: ‘Light is the ethical condition in which God’s children live, namely, that of spiritual understanding with its accompanying morality and happiness.’

Ah Friends, as I said above, it’s not easy, but working for Jesus is surely interesting! Now here these rich and encouraging verses from Hebrews 12, which we all know, but refuse to take seriously.

‘Wherefore seeing (since) we also are compassed about with (surrounded by) so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset (ensnare) us, and let us run with patience (perseverance) the race that is set before 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 at the right hand of the throne of God. For consider him that endured such contradiction (hostility) of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint (discouraged) in your minds (souls).’ (Heb.12:1-3)

Yes mih people, we find the best examples of it all in Jesus!

And the scholars’ have this to say: ’12:2. Just as verse 1 establishes some qualities for the entrance into and the actual running of life’s race, so verse 2 directs one’s eyes to the finish line. Jesus is the author and finisher in that He has already blazed the trail and finished the course.

12:3-4. Though chapter 11 provides many champions for believers to emulate, the supreme example of endurance is Jesus Himself.’

And isn’t that the gospel, gospel truth my brethren! His is a very difficult, and possibly impossible example for most of us to emulate, but try we must. Don’t worry though, our God knows exactly what we are capable of, for He made us, and all He really expects of us is a sincere effort in our daily living.

And if we give that sincere effort, then He will help us to mature and grow in the image of His Son. For remember, our wonderful God doesn’t ever give us more than we can bear. And even then, He’s promised to work out everything for our good, when we’re called to do His bidding.

So there’s no need to worry and fret, for our heavenly Father has us in the palms of His hands, plenty better hands than All State, and will never leave nor forsake us. Ah mih breddren, what a marvellous and magnificent Deity we serve and worship! He’s just so phenomenal! I can’t understand how His human creations choose not to work for and follow His directives.

But we His true followers WILL change that won’t we? For sure, as we go about doing good, spreading His Word and living a life of Christian faith, celebrated with joy, peace and LOVE! Now that’s true wisdom!

And we’ll end here for today. You already have much scripture to ponder and meditate upon, so I won’t burden you with any more. I’m so kind and thoughtful, aren’t I. (smile) Please have a blessed day my brethren, walking in LOVE for Jesus! Much LOVE!

…better is the end of a thing…than the beginning thereof…and the patient in spirit…is better than…the proud in spirit… (Eccl.7:8)

Today’s Scrip-Bit 14 May 2014 Proverbs 4:14

14 May 2014 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: a tree planted by the waters, achievement of excellence, advice, avoid the tempter's snare, blessed are the righteous, brings forth fruit in season, cancer survivor, chaff, complaining about the heat, congregation of the righteous, consent thou not, counsel of the ungdly, Cousin Sol, damned, danger of associating with evil people, Dave Dravecky, delights in the law of God, destruction, don't confuse life with God, don't follow evil men, don't walk the path of the wicked, doomed, eternal life, eternal separation from God, evil men, follow the straight and narrow path, from every evil way, God is good, good and bad times, How I love thy law, Jesus' desires, judgement, leaf doesn't wither, leave the evil way behind, life is not fair, LOVE, lusts, make haste to shed blood, materialism, meditates, pay a hefty price, ponders, prosper, Proverbs, Psalm 1, psalm 119, reject the invitation of criminals, restrained my feet, rise to the occasion, salvation, scornful, separated from Christ, shines brighter and brighter, sincerity, sinners, sinners entice thee, sits in the seat of the scornful, stands in the way of sinners, stumble, summer-like weather, Thank You Lord, that I might keep thy words, the bread of wickedness, the evil path of sinful man, the Good Book, the individual's responsibility, the law of God, the Lord's Word, the middle of the week, the path of the just, the things of God, the way of the righteous, the way of the ungodly shall perish, the way of the wicked is as darkness, the wine of violence, the world worships evil, their feet run to evil, truth, tuned in to our heavenly Father, undisciplined, ungodly, we praise and bless your holy name, wealth without work, Wednesday, wisdom, words to live by

Proverbs 4:14. Enter not into the path of the wicked, and go not in the way of evil men.

Oh Friends, can you believe it’s already Wednesday, the middle of the week! Wow! The days surely are passing rather quickly, and we are having some wonderful summer-like weather!

We’ll soon forget about the lengthy, cold winter and start complaining about the heat. Hn! I guess that’s just man’s nature – not happy unless he’s complaining about something.

Anyway, I have an interesting quote to share today… Oh chuh! They are always interesting! (smile) This one comes from the ex-baseball star, Dave Dravecky, a cancer survivor. In his book, ‘Comeback,’ he writes these memorable words. ‘Life is not fair, but let’s not confuse life with God.’

And isn’t that the awesome truth my people! Our God is good! He doesn’t create our problems, though He might allow them. He fixes them! And if we sincerely adhere to His directives, during both the good and bad times, we will turn out to be wonderful witnesses that life is not fair, but God is Good, in fact, extremely wonderful!

And that’s why Cousin Sol, in today’s Bit, solemnly warns us: ‘Enter not into the path of the wicked, and go not in the way of evil men.’

Oh Friends and fellow believers, we can be given no better advice than that! For if we follow the paths of evil men, we’ll surely be damned, doomed, and eventually separated from Christ, from His wonderful gifts of salvation and eternal life! And that’s not a very nice path to envision at all, at all.

And Cousin Sol was so assured of his reasoning, that he continues: ‘Avoid it, pass not by it (do not travel on it), turn from it, and pass away. For they sleep not, except (unless) they have done mischief (evil); and their sleep is taken away (robbed), unless they cause some to fall.

For they eat the bread of wickedness, and drink the wine of violence. But the path of the just is as the shining (bright) light, that shineth more and more (grows ever brighter) unto the perfect day. The way of the wicked is as darkness: they know not at what they stumble.’ (Prov.4:15-19)

Words to live by my brethren! Words that hearken back to our quote: all those evil happenings are life, or a part of it, but our great and wonderful God is on a completely different level. He shows up in verse 18, as the shining light that ever brightens our day!

And all of God’s people declared in a loud and grateful voice: ‘Thank You Lord! We praise and bless Your Holy Name!’

Yes Friends, we have so much to thank God for, that even if we live till eternity, we won’t have enough time to do it. (smile) Now let’s check out some other scriptures that also warn us about following the evil path of sinful man.

And we’ll begin with an interesting verse from the longest chapter in the Good Book, Psalm 119. The psalmist in the section MEM, How I LOVE thy law, proudly declares: ‘I have refrained (restrained) my feet from every evil way, that I might keep thy word.’ (Ps.119:101)

What a beautiful sentiment my people! Are we doing that too – refraining, restraining from evil so that we might keep the Lord’s Word? I surely hope so, because that is one of the things which keeps us strongly tuned in to our heavenly Father.

Meanwhile, Cousin Sol, right in the opening chapter of Proverbs, warns his offspring: ‘My son, if sinners entice thee, consent thou not… My son, walk not thou in the way with them; refrain (keep) thy foot from their path: For their feet run to evil, and make haste to shed blood.’ (Prov.1:10,15-16)

Ah mih breddren, those are words which we should be constantly teaching our children. But unfortunately, too many of us are not doing so, and that’s why our children are so undisciplined, ungodly and tending more to the lusts and materialism of the world, than to the things of God, for which we’ll all eventually pay a hefty price if it continues.

Now here’s some info from the scholars: ‘1:10. Occasionally the expression my son occurs within a discourse. The wise son rejects the invitation of criminals who promise wealth without work (v.13). The verse stresses the individual’s responsibility to avoid the tempter’s snare. (cf. James 1:14-15).’

But you can’t know of the evil unless you’re first taught it, so it’s still our responsibility to teach our children the dreadful dangers of associating with evil and wicked people.

And we’ll close with words from that beautiful piece of writing, Psalm 1, titled, Blessed are the righteous. ‘Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly (wicked), nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.

But his delight is in the law of the Lord; and in his law doth he meditate (ponder) day and night. And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers (channels) of water, that bringeth forth fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.

The ungodly are not so: but are like the chaff which the wind driveth away. Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgement, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous. For the Lord knoweth the way of the righteous: but the way of the ungodly shall perish.’ (Ps.1:1-6)

Oh mih people, mih people, it couldn’t be put any simpler or clearer than that! So today, let’s rise to the occasion nuh; let’s come up higher, let’s attend to the achievement of excellence, of wisdom, as Jesus desires of His followers!

Let’s leave the evil way behind, and wisely follow the straight and narrow path that leads to salvation and eternal life. It’s the only path that it makes sense to follow in this evil and ungodly world. So let’s follow it nuh, with all sincerity and truth! Much LOVE!

…the world worships evil…which only earns destruction and eternal separation from God…not very good results by any standard whatsoever…

Today’s Scrip-Bit 7 May 2014 Jeremiah 5:23

07 May 2014 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: appointed time of the harvest, aptly describe our society, astonished, awesomeness, boldly declare, can't see the trees for the forest, captivity, catch our second wind, cause of the fatherless, destruction, disgusting behaviour, disobedience, disobedience to God, disobedient nations, don't defend the cause of the needy, don't falter, don't give up, Elementary my dear Watson, exile, fear the Lord our god, flaunting, God's Word, grown rich, he that has ears let him hear, heart-rending, heavenly wisdom, high levels of sin, high tower, History, history is a lesson of the past, history is alive and kicking, history of mankind, history repeats itself, Holy Bible, horrible thing is committed in the land, houses full of deceit, immorality, impregnable fortress, iniquities, irreversible facts of history, Israel, it's you and me against the world, Jeremiah's day, Jesus, Jesus is our fortress, Jesus is our high tower, Jesus is our rock, Jesus' name has inherent strength and power, Let's go Jesus!, listen, magnificence, marathon runner, my people love to have it so, my soul be avenged on such a nation, perplexed, perversity, power, priests rule by their own power, propagating, prophets prophesy falsely, punish, rebellious heart, Revelation, revelling in, Rock, sad, set traps, Sherlock Holmes, shocked disbelief, sins, sleek, sorry and sinful times, strength, suffer a similar fate, surpass the deeds of the wicked, take a deep breath, the latter and former rain, the middle of the week, the people have a revolting and rebellious heart, they catch men, to understand the present and the future, ungodly times, we are a majority, Wednesday, weeks of the harvest, what the Spirit says to the churches, what will you do in the end, why do we learn history, wicked men, wisdom, with Jesus beside us we are invincible, withholden good things

Jeremiah 5:23. But this people hath a revolting and rebellious heart; they are revolted and gone (departed).

And then it was Wednesday; the middle of the week already! Wow!

How we doing mih people? We’re halfway there, so please don’t falter, don’t give up now. Today is the day to catch our second wind.

Like the marathon runner, who halfway to the finish line, finds his breath and strength faltering, let’s take a deep breath, then boldly declare: ‘Let’s go Jesus! It’s you and me against the world! And I know that once You are in my corner, that we are a majority, and can’t be beaten by anybody, ever!’

Yes Friends, with Jesus walking beside, before and behind us, we are invincible, like one of those impregnable fortresses of old. I guess that’s why Bruh David continually referred to Him as his rock, his fortress and his high tower.

There’s a certain strength, power, awesomeness and magnificence inherent in not only the name of Jesus, but also in His abilities, which we will do well not to forget.

Unfortunately though my fellow believers, those of us who can feel that impregnable and invincible aura and spirit seem to be in the minority these days, as most of our world is better described by our Bit: ‘But this people hath a revolting and rebellious heart; they are revolted and gone (departed).’

How sad and heart-rending my brethren, that most of God’s supposed greatest creation have returned to an ungodly time, as did the nation of Israel in Jeremiah’s day!

Listen to the description of those ungodly times: ‘Neither say they in their heart, Let us now fear the Lord our God, that giveth rain, both the former and the latter, in his season: he reserveth unto us the appointed weeks of the harvest. Your iniquities have turned away these things, and your sins have withholden good things from you.

For among my people are found wicked men: they lay (lie in) wait, as he that setteth snares; they set a trap, they catch men. As a cage is full of birds, so are their houses full of deceit: therefore they are become great, and waxen (grown) rich.

They are waxen (have grown) fat, they shine (are sleek): yea, they overpass (surpass) the deeds of the wicked: they judge (plead) not the cause, the cause of the fatherless, yet they prosper; and the right of the needy do they not judge (defend).

Shall I not visit (punish) for these things? saith the Lord: shall not my soul be avenged on such a nation as this?

A wonderful (astonishing) and horrible thing is committed in the land; The prophets prophesy falsely, and the priests bear rule by their means (rule by their own power); and my people LOVE to have it so: and what will ye do in the end thereof?’ (Jer.5:24-31)

Ah mih breddren, mih breddren! How sad and disgusting! And as I said yesterday, those words so aptly and thoroughly describe our current society, that it seems as though the prophet Jeremiah is within our midst penning our awful sinfulness.

And we’ll just share a very interesting note from the scholars’ on one of those verses. ‘5:30. Judah’s sin is so exceedingly evil that it is being described as being appallingly horrible and staggeringly wonderful (wondered at in shocked disbelief).’

That ought to give us some idea of how terrible, how ungodly the situation was back then in Judah. And yuh know, the saying that history repeats itself, is proving to be ever so true in this case. We’re behaving just like Judah did in those sorry and sinful times.

And I daresay worse, because some of the sin, perversity, immorality and disgusting behaviour that we are currently propagating, flaunting and revelling in, were unknown back then. Ah Lord eh!

I’m sure that even the most perverted and sinful in those olden times, would be greatly astonished and perplexed at the extremely high levels to which we’ve taken sin and disobedience to God.

But Friends, as we said above, history often repeats itself, and thus, if we’re behaving like Judah did, then isn’t it logical to expect that we’ll also suffer a fate akin to theirs – namely destruction, captivity and exile from our homeland?

And we all know the words that that astute sleuth Sherlock Holmes would have replied in answer to that question: ‘Elementary, my dear Watson!’

And it is an elementary bit of logic Friends! But sadly, despite the supposed advances in our level of intelligence and otherwise over the intervening years, we’ve become too proud and egotistical, believing that those advances were all our own doing.

Thus we can’t see the proverbial trees for the forest before us, (or is it the other way around – smile) and we consider history as merely a dead thing of the past, which can’t happen to us again. But my people, I have news for us; history is alive and kicking, just like our great God!

And as the Rasta breddren that once taught me History back in High School, many moons ago, was wont to so wisely note, as he put his ‘brogued’ feet on the desk, stroked his scruffy beard with his right hand and deeply intoned: ‘What is History? History is a lesson of the past. And why do we learn History? So that we can understand the present and the future!’

And that’s gospel truth my fellow believers! But just like so many of us, who either refuse to read the Bible, or simply don’t believe it, the same way we’re making fools of ourselves by not paying sufficiently close attention to the very important, indelible and irreversible facts of History!

Oh my brethren, I’m pleading with us today, please, please, let’s not be like those who have gone before us, ignoring the facts of history. But instead, let’s be wiser and pay serious attention to the repeated history of mankind, sorry though it may be, and also give greater attention to God’s Word found in His Holy Bible.

That is wisdom of the heavenly kind, which we so badly need nowadays, and which is the only thing that will save us from destruction, like the ungodly, disobedient nations of old.

Therefore, today, let’s contemplate, let’s seriously ponder those last words of our scripture passage: ‘and what will ye do in the end thereof?’ Now that’s the most important question, we need to answer. Much LOVE!

…how many times does Jesus have to say it eh… before we listen…he that hath an ear…let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches…He says it several times in Revelation…please check it out…and LISTEN…

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Today’s Scrip-Bit 7 May 2014 Jeremiah 5:23

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