Today’s Scrip-Bit   1 March 2023 Psalm 118:6.

01 Mar 2023 Leave a comment

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

Psalm 118:6.       The Lord is on my side: I will not fear: what can man do unto me?

And then it was a damp, cloudy, middle of the week Wednesday, the first day of March 2023. Can you believe it, February’s already over and done with, assigned to the annals of history! The days are certainly not waiting on anyone, they’re just ploughing ahead unceasingly in their God-given duties. And so should it be with us Christian believers; we ought to be relentlessly moving forward with the spreading of Christ’s marvellous gospel, the good news of salvation, forgiveness and eternal life! 

Nothing ought to stop us, least of all the devil and his evil doing cronies. And why do we allow those evil doers to prevent us from doing Christ’s work eh? A lot of it is based on fear. But one of the biggest repeated commands in the Bible is ‘Fear not!’ And Jesus also asked several times, ‘Where is your faith?’ Then He also admonished ‘O ye of little faith!’ So, I guess a lot of our hesitation in doing Christ’s work is based on fear and lack of sufficient faith to overcome our fear. But we have to realize that FAITH is the ONLY thing that overcomes FEAR. 

And today, it seems like a faith versus fear day, with scriptures that will enable us to build our faith and thus lessen our fear. And I guess the most alluring and confidence building scripture to start our journey is that marvellous one from the prophet Isaiah, where he instructs the nation of Israel, God’s chosen people thus: ‘Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness. Behold, all they that were incensed against thee shall be ashamed and confounded (disgraced): they shall be as nothing; and they that strive with thee shall perish.’ (Is. 41:10-11) 

Wow! What awesome words of encouragement my people! That’s the Creator and Controller of the universe, the Almighty God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob telling us not to fear, that He will look after us with His mighty right hand! What more do we want eh? And please don’t tell me that that’s from the Old Testament and that the Lord was speaking to His chosen people of Israel, for who are you? 

You are also His chosen. He sent His sinless Son Jesus Christ to sacrifice himself on the rugged cross of Calvary so that all of His creation, both Jews and Gentiles could be forgiven, reconciled to Him, and receive salvation and eternal life. That means, in no uncertain terms, that those scriptures on fear in both the Old and New Testament apply to all supposed believers in Christ Jesus! 

And having cleared that up, (smile) let’s move on to this interesting scripture from Psalm 118, which says: ‘I called upon the Lord in distress: the Lord answered me, and set me in a large (broad) place. The Lord is on my side: I will not fear: what can man do unto me? The Lord taketh my part with them that help me: therefore shall I see my desire upon them that hate me. It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in man. It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in princes.’ (Ps. 118:5-9) 

Yes friends, when you trust in the Lord, put your faith in Him, He works out everything for your good. The only problem is that you first have to put your faith and trust in Him, before you can see Him working in your life. And the more you trust Him, the more you will see His good works, and the more your faith will grow. Remember, Christianity is not for cowards. 

Please note the strong tone the Lord used with Joshua when he made him the leader of the Israelites after the death of Moses. Having already told Joshua to be strong and courageous several times, (Josh. 1:2-8) He admonished him one last time for good measure. ‘Have I not commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.’ (Josh. 1:9) Now, I can’t say exactly why, but those scriptures from Joshua 1:7-9 are some of my favourite scriptures. They just light a fire in my bones. (smile) 

And Bruh David adds his two cents worth to the situation, when he writes in Psalm 56, after the Philistines took him in Gath. ‘What time I am afraid, I will trust in thee. In God I will praise his word, in God have I put my trust; I will not fear what flesh can do unto me…When I cry unto thee, then shall mine enemies turn back: this I know; for God is for me.’ (Ps. 56:3-4, 9) 

Oh my fellow believers can we sincerely utter those words? Do we know without a doubt that our great and wonderful God is for us? I certainly hope so. For until we do, we will not enjoy all of the many blessings available under His most generous umbrella of care and compassion. 

And what does Jesus say about fear, you ask? Listen up as He warns. ‘And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both the soul and body in hell.’ (Matt. 10:28) And that person my friends is none other than the Lord God Jehovah; the ONLY ONE who can destroy both body and soul. So that’s where our first fear should lie, not in Satan and his evil doers. But even then, it’s not so much fear of God, but more a reverential awe of Him, because we know His awesome power. 

By the way, here’s an interesting point from the scholars. They say: ‘Notice that God is the One who has authority to cast men into hell, and not Satan, who will himself be ultimately cast into everlasting fire.’  Now that’s something we should also consider, Satan can’t cast us into hell, but he can certainly help us get there, which is his raison d’etre, his reason for being, to inveigle us to go against God and eventually end up with him in hades. Conversely, Jesus wants us to end up with Him in heaven, so whom will you choose eh? Let’s hope Jesus. 

And it seems like there’s so much to say on the subject of faith versus fear that we’ve run out of time and space today. That means, the Lord willing, we’ll continue this most important topic tomorrow. In the meanwhile, let’s go home declaring (yesss!!!) our Wednesday Wail, letting all and sundry know of our wonderful position in Christ Jesus. 

Altogether now: ‘Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: I’m so glad to be alive on this Wednesday! Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: Thank God the breath of life is still flowing through me on this Wednesday! I am halfway home. My hands are fixed securely on the plough, and I’m not turning back. I’m not looking back at the past, not focusing on what has gone before. But my eyes are fixed straight ahead; straight ahead to a glorious future with Jesus. Glory Hallelujah!’ 

Yes friends that’s the gospel truth! And when you add this langniappe, this li’l extra to it, that if we endure to the end, that future will be even more glorious than we can ever ask or imagine, it encourages us even more to stick with Jesus to the very end. Now, that’s wisdom to the nth degree! Much LOVE!

…when fear comes a knocking…the best response…send faith to answer it… 

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

Today’s Scrip-Bit   11 December 2021 Psalm 56:3.

11 Dec 2021 Leave a comment

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

Psalm 56:3.      What time I am afraid, I will trust in thee.

And the rains fell…and the land is water-logged and foggy this Saturday morning in the middle of the Advent season, when we’re all looking forward to celebrating the birth of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ on Christmas Day, two weeks hence. Let’s remember the reason for the season though; the birth of Christ, and ensure that He is an integral part of our celebrations, not paying attention to just the festivities surrounding His birth. 

As Christians, we must emphasize the keeping of Christ in Christmas! And that’s no joke, because the pagan world is desperately trying to remove Him from the spotlight and simply make it a pagan festival of shopping, binge eating and drinking. But what’s Christmas all about eh? The coming of Christ! And without Him there would be no season, no holidays, no festivities labelled Christmas. And it’s our job as believers to remind the world of that most salient fact. It’s no ‘Happy Holidays’, but a ‘Merry, Merry Christmas!’ 

Now let’s see what quotes our friend Anselm sent us this past week, as he aspires to inspire us for a better tomorrow. And the first one says: ‘The most wasted of days is one without laughter.’ And is that the gospel truth or what! A day without laughter is indeed a wasted day, because laughter is one of the best medicines for the soul, in fact for whatever ails you. When you laugh, a positive feeling automatically rises up within you and your troubles seem lessened. Of course they are still there, but they don’t bother you as much. 

And on top of all that laughter is FREE! How can you beat such a wonderful remedy eh? And the Good Book is filled with passages of laughter and joy, the most famous being these endearing words of Cousin Sol from Proverbs. ‘A merry heart doeth good like a medicine: but a broken spirit drieth the bones.’ (Prov. 17:22) And the scholars explain that as: ‘A cheerful mind is revitalizing to the entire person.’ That’s for sure! 

And the next quote declares: ‘You must do the things you think you cannot do.’ And I’m here chuckling because that quote applies to me right now. I don’t think I, or rather feel like I can handle the breaking down of the quotes today, because my spirit is at an ebb tide, but I have to handle them…and with God’s help, I certainly will. 

But that just goes to show how the enemy, through our feelings, our emotions, can deceive us and lead us astray, make us think we can’t do certain things, when with Christ’s awesome help we can do anything! That’s why we need the strength, courage, direction and leadership engendered by the Holy Spirit of Christ that dwells within us. 

Then there’s this quote: ‘The job of the conscious is to make the unconscious conscious.’ And I don’t think that’s dealing with the physically conscious or unconscious body but with our mindset, where some of us are simply wandering lost in this dangerous and evil world. And it’s the job of those who have a serious bent, preferably as Christians, to wake up those without a serious cause for living, for life is made for living, and the best life is found when it’s lived for Jesus Christ! And all God’s people said a loud and proud ‘Amen!’ 

Remember what Christ said: ‘The thief cometh not but for (except) to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.’ (John 10:10) So there’s no denying that Jesus’ purpose was to give us a better life, not only in heaven, but one starting right here on earth when we accept Him as Lord and Saviour. As Bruh David so rightly declared in Psalm 27: ‘I had fainted, unless I had believed to see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.’ (Ps. 27:13) 

Yes friends, our God is a good God, and He blesses those who trust and surrender their lives to Him down here on earth. So, let’s look for and expect His goodness to begin right down here in this evil and ungodly world. Wow! And who said I couldn’t do it eh? (smile) The enemy…but as always, he was wrong. 

And the next quote says? ‘The secret of life is to have no fear; it’s the only way to function.’ I don’t agree with that, because there is no such thing as ‘no fear.’ Fear is always with us. It is a human trait, which we can never entirely get rid of, we can lessen it and work around it, but once we are in this world with both physical and spiritual enemies always coming against us, we will always have fear of some kind or other. But the good news is that with Christ in our lives, we can function well even when gripped by fear, for Christ allows us to have courage and overcome our fear. 

There’s no need to fear, or be afraid of fear, for the words ‘fear not’ have been immortalized in the Good Book. One saying has it in there 365 times, one for each day of the year, including a leap year. (smile) Now that’s not true, but it is in there numerous times. And one of Jesus most used phrases was, ‘fear not.’ Check out these passages in the gospel of Mark. 4:39-40; 5:36; 6:50. They all have to do with not being afraid. 

And Bruh David said it best in Psalm 56. ‘What time I am afraid, I will trust in thee. In God I will praise his word, in God I have put my trust; I will not fear what flesh can do unto me.’ (Ps. 56:3-4) And he thought that those words were so important that he repeated them in verses 10-11. Please let us believe their importance too. 

Now the last quote tells us: ‘The forces that unite us are intrinsic and greater than the superimposed influences that keep us apart.’ Now that’s very true! For God made us to be in relationships, both with Him and between ourselves, so He made that innate, inherent aspect where we all long for, or feel better when we are in a relationship. That’s why there are friends, LOVERS, families, neighbourhoods, societies, nations; all having that pull to be together rather than being apart. 

So, although the enemy tries to pull us apart through disagreements, hatred and other negative constraints, we always naturally gravitate back to togetherness. And as believers in Christ Jesus, it’s even more important, because we are all one body in Christ, regardless of our race or nationality. As Bruh Paul says to the church at Rome: ‘So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one (individually) members one of another.’ (Rom. 12:5) And to the church at Corinth, he wrote: ‘For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond (slaves) or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit.’ (1 Cor. 12:13)

Yes friends, in Christ Jesus we are all ONE, regardless of our background or our heritage. Please, let’s remember that and live like it nuh, not the disunited and dysfunctional way we are currently living. I am sure it breaks Jesus’ heart when He sees it. Much LOVE!

…with Christ…you can…if you believe you can… 

Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZJ8      

Today’s Scrip-Bit 12 November 2020 Psalm 56:3.

12 Nov 2020 Leave a comment

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

Psalm 56:3.     ​What time I am afraid, I will trust in thee.

Glory to God mih people! The sun’s shining brightly! And yes, as some killjoy notes, (smile) it’s somewhat chilly because our summery days are over possibly until next year. But in the broad scheme of things that doesn’t really matter because we ALWAYS have the One True Bright Light, Jesus, shining on us anyway! Give Him some thanks and praise for being so faithful in His light giving! 

And to cement our contention there, I just opened the Good Book to Psalm 56, Bruh David’s confident prayer for help, and these magnificent and reassuring words jumped out at me: ‘What time I am afraid, I will trust in thee. In God I will praise his word, in God I have put my trust; I will not fear what flesh can do unto me.’ (Ps. 56:3-4) 

Wow mih bredrin! What surety in Bruh David’s words eh! That was his prayer, his contemplation when the Philistines took hm in Gath. Can you imagine us being in the midst of such a horrible, wicked enemy and declaring (yeahhh!) our unbreakable trust in God? It’s what we ought to be doing though. 

And remember that other time when the Amalekites burned Bruh David’s city in exile Ziklag and took all their families hostage, and his men were so grieved and eventually wanted to stone Bruh David because they blamed him, as though his family wasn’t taken hostage too? Remember what he did? The Good Book says it thus: ‘…but David encouraged himself in the Lord his God.’ (1 Sam. 30:6) 

Yes friends, that’s where Bruh David found his strength and his support, and why despite all his ungodly deeds, the Lord could still call him a friend and a man after His own heart. That’s simply because he always held the Lord in true reverence and adoration. The Lord knew that he was imperfect, but his heart was usually in the right place. And so should our hearts be my people, despite our sprinkling of evil and evil deeds. 

We should know that God is our major refuge and retreat, our stronghold and fortress, the only place that we can be sure to obtain succour in time of need. And this pandemic and strife-filled season is one of those times when we need to be totally God-centred, to turn to Him like no other time in our lives, because without Him we don’t stand a chance, like a snowball in hell, our goose is cooked! 

We desperately need to return to the times when these words of Bruh David from Psalm 55 – A cry against deceitful friends – stood true of our society. ‘As for me, I will call upon God; and the Lord shall save me. Evening and morning, and at noon, will I pray, and cry aloud: and he shall hear my voice… Cast thy burden upon the Lord, and he shall sustain thee: he shall never suffer (permit) the righteous to be moved (shaken).’ (Ps. 55:16-17; 22)

And that’s the gospel truth my people! If we call on the Lord in all sincerity, and live by His will and word, then He will never allow us to suffer want or need, because He has promised that! Remember this awesome promise? ‘If my people, who are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.’ (2 Chr. 7:14) 

All I’m trying to say friends is that our world is in such a terrible state because it’s so fraught with sin and evil, and the only way we’re ever going to come out of this desperate and deadly state is by sincerely turning back to the Lord God Jehovah like our forefathers did! And if we don’t, then crapaud smoke we pipe! So it’s our choice. Do we give up the foolishness of Satan and this evil world and turn to the goodness of God? Or do we stay as we are and suffer the terrible consequences inherent in that decision? 

And just for argument sake, let’s hear these immortal and faithful words of Jesus concerning the subject nuh. ‘But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.’ (Matt. 6:33) That’s it plain and simple my brethren! You seek God first, make Him and His kingdom your Number One Priority, and He will meet all of your needs! 

Like Bruh David said in his most famous writing, Psalm 23: ‘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 (waters of rest). He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. 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.’ (Ps. 23:1-4) 

And Bruh David could write that stuff friends because he lived, he experienced them. It’s not to say that our lives will always be rosy and without problems, since we live in a fallen, evil world, but if we hang with the Lord, we will come out on top most of the time, and we won’t have to walk around in constant fear, but will be assured and comforted even in the tough times like now. But all I can do is talk, or write – I’m done now – (smile), but everyone has to make their own decision as to the path they are going to follow, and my job is to encourage us to follow Christ, the Lord and Saviour of this world. End of spiel. 

And am I ever surprised at the intensity I sometimes feel as the words pour out quicker than I can write them. But I guess that’s because I’m sincere about what I write. (smile) Anyway, for those of us who feel the same way, let’s go home now declaring (awright!) our Thursday Blessings, letting all and sundry know how blessed we are in Christ our Lord. 

Altogether now: ‘I declare that I am blessed with God’s supernatural wisdom and receive clear direction for my life! I declare today that I am blessed with creativity, courage, talent and abundance! I am blessed with a strong will, self-control and self-discipline! I am blessed with a great family, good friends, good health, faith, favour and fulfillment! I am blessed with success, supernatural strength, promotion and divine protection! 

I am blessed with a compassionate heart and a positive outlook on life! I declare that any curse or negative word that’s ever been spoken over me is broken right now in the name of Jesus! I declare that everything I put my hands to will prosper and succeed! I declare it today and everyday! Amen!’  

And if the Lord thought so much of us that He could give us those blessings undeservedly, then we can think the same of others and share them just as generously. Much LOVE!

…it stands to reason…that only the God who made this world…can save it… 

Today’s Scrip-Bit 1 September 2020 Psalm 56:3.

01 Sep 2020 Leave a comment

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

Psalm 56:3.     ​What time I am afraid, I will trust in thee. 

‘Happy days are here again! Happy days are here again!’ Yeh mih people, happy days are here again…in fact, yuh know they never went anywhere, (smile) is just our attitude changed because we had them riding on the backs of our circumstances instead of on the cross of Jesus; in His mighty blood, His sacrificial death and awesome resurrection! Wow! Anytime we belittle or place those things low down on our totem pole, then unhappiness will surely filter through into our hearts, minds and souls. 

And yes, we somewhat late this morning because of late rising -what else is new eh – (smile) and some chores I had to do before I could get down to the Bit. But as I keep saying, better late than never, once you get the Bit, it doesn’t matter how late it is. In fact lateness is simply a matter of our own confused mental situations. (smile) And today, like Bruh David did so long ago, we going to cry out to our wonderful God with a confident prayer of help from Psalm 56 a contemplation of Bruh David, when he ran from Saul’s murderous pursuit and ended up in the Philistine city of Gath. (1 Sam. 21:10) 

Can you imagine that – Bruh David running from his own people to the people of Goliath whom he had slain in battle as a young boy. ‘And the servants of Achish, the king of Gath, said unto him, Is not this David the king of the land? did they not sing one to another of him in dances, saying, Saul hath slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands? And David laid up these words in his heart (took these words to heart), and was sore (very much) afraid of Achish the king of Gath.’ (1 Sam. 21:11-12) 

But they didn’t know that Bruh David was a man of many parts – a mighty warrior, a talented musician, poet and a man of God, but also a marvellous actor. Listen to how he handled that situation of being between a rock and a very hard place. ‘And he changed his behaviour before them, and feigned himself mad in their hands (feigned madness), and scrabbled (scratched) on the doors of the gate, and let his spittle (spit) fall down upon his beard. Then said Achish unto his servants. Lo, ye see the man is mad (insane): wherefore then have ye brought him to me? Have I need of mad men, that ye have brought this fellow to play the mad man in my presence? shall this fellow come into my house?’ (1 Sam. 21:13-15) 

Ah mih people, I have to laugh at Bruh David’s saving tactics in that dreadful situation, although from the king’s words ‘play the mad man’ he might have suspected Bruh David’s act. But all of that aside, what I really want us to hear is how this man of God, caught up between deadly enemies, confidently prayed in that situation. ‘Be merciful unto me, O God: for man would swallow me up; he fighting daily oppresseth me. Mine enemies would daily swallow me up (hound me): for they be many that fight against me, O thou Most High. What time I am afraid, I will trust in thee. In God I will praise his word, in God I have put my trust: I will not fear what flesh can do unto me.’ (Ps. 56:1-4) 

Oh mih bredrin, our situation is tough, but certainly not as dire as Bruh David’s was way back then. And yet still he evoked such a confidence in the God of his forefathers that we can’t seem to understand or replicate, though we talk a good talk of faith and trust in Almighty God. Yes, as supposedly true believers, we still allow the enemy to deposit his foolish fear in our hearts, souls and minds, thus negating whatever faith we might have, and thus making our faithless prayers unanswerable. 

And Bruh David continues: ‘Every day they wrest (all day they twist) my words: all their thoughts are against me for evil. They gather themselves together, they hide themselves, they mark my steps, when they wait for my soul (lie in wait for my life). Shall they escape by iniquity? In thine anger cast down the people, O God. Thou tellest (count or take account of) my wanderings: put thou my tears into thy bottle: are they not in thy book?’ (Ps. 56:5-8) 

Now, we all have people that come against us, but I doubt like those of Bruh David, rather anxious to take our lives. And the Lord does see our troubles and marks them in His book, but we need to have the strong faith, the sure belief that He will hear our cry and attend to our needs in the way He think is best. Hear how Bruh David puts it: ‘When I cry unto thee, then shall mine enemies turn back: this I know; for God is for me.’ (Ps. 56:9) 

Oh precious people of God, do those words ring true in our mouths and lives in our time, in this time of serious adversity? That’s the kind of faith we need to project to ourselves and those around us. Then will we be bringing Jesus’ desires to pass; being the salt of the earth and the light of the world, leading those in darkness into His wonderful light and being the good example of a true Christian. 

And Bruh David continues: ‘In God will I praise his word: in the Lord will I praise his word. In God have I put my trust: I will not be afraid what man can do unto me. Thy vows are upon me (are binding upon me), O God: I will render praises unto thee. For thou hast delivered my soul from death: wilt thou not deliver my feet from falling, that I may walk before God in the light of the living?’ (Ps. 56:10-13) 

Oh yes friends, our wonderful God WILL deliver our feet from falling, so that we can do His awesome work in the land of the living. Our problem seems to be we don’t believe that as strongly as we should, despite all the good and faithful things that the Lord has done in our lives. Now listen to the scholars’ interesting explanation of the psalm. 

‘Psalm 56. The superscription relates the psalm to David’s first stay in Gath under Achish (1 Sam. 21:10-15) The refrain of verses 4, 10, and 11 mark off two sections in the psalm. First, David contrasts his threatening enemies with his faithful God (vs. 1-4). Second, he expresses the truth that he is watched from two directions: on the one side by his enemies; on the other by God, his Protector (vs. 5-11). The refrain of verse 4 is now strengthened and expanded into two verses (10-11). The two final verses serve as a conclusion that assumes his upcoming deliverance as a present reality.’ 

Yes friends, that’s the basic difference between Bruh David’s attitude and ours: his faith is strong enough to really make him feel the reality of something he hasn’t seen! And until our faith allows us to do the same, then we’ll always be doubtful of our God, of His intentions towards us, and His ability to do what he claims He can do. So for those of us who are truly aspiring to grow our faith, let’s go home declaring (yeahhh!) our Tuesday Mantra, unashamedly telling the whole world who and whose we are. 

In strong voice with sincere hearts: ‘In God’s eyes, I’m not what I do. I’m not what I have. I’m not what people say about me. I am the beloved of God, that’s who I am. No one can take that from me. I don’t have to worry. I don’t have to hurry. I can trust my friend Jesus and share His LOVE with the world. Amen!’ Now let’s allow our actions to reflect those sincere words nuh. Much LOVE!

…faith…the sense of proof… the assurance of things hoped for…the reality that’s currently unseen… 

Today’s Scrip-Bit 17 June 2015 Ephesians 2:8‏‏‏‏

17 Jun 2015 Leave a comment

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

Ephesians 2:8.    For by grace are ye (you have been) saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:

Oh Friends, welcome to a beautiful morning in this part of God’s great universe! And it’s Wednesday morning too, which means that it’s Wailing Time! Yes my people, it’s time to wail our Wednesday Wail. So let’s wail on them nuh, let’s wail down the place. (smile)

As one set of harmonic wailers, let’s wail: ‘Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: I’m so glad to be alive on this Wednesday! Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: Thank God the breath of live is still flowing through me on this Wednesday! I am halfway home.

My hands are fixed securely on the plough, and I’m not turning back. I’m not looking back at the past, not focusing on what has gone before. But my eyes are fixed straight ahead; straight ahead to a glorious future with Jesus. Glory Hallelujah!’

Ah mih breddren, it’s such a wonderful feeling to be alive, though our world is more than a bit topsy turvy! But when we have the Creator of the universe as our God and heavenly Father, our guide and protector, there’s absolutely nothing to fear! Glory be!

Remember these wonderful inspiring and uplifting words of Bruh David from Psalm 27. ‘The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?’ (Ps.27:1) And the answer to those questions is simply, NOBODY!

But then, just in case the situation does arise, Bruh David faithfully declares: ‘What time I am afraid, I will trust in thee. In God I will praise his word, in God I have put my trust; I will not fear what flesh can do unto me.’ (Ps.56:3-4) Strong words of faith my people.

Then dwell on these reassuring words of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. ‘And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.’ (Matt.10:28) The death of the body is not the end of life, and the only person with power to destroy both body and soul my Friends is Almighty God!

So He is the ONLY Being we ought to fear. And if we have a personal relationship with Him, then our fear should not be as someone scared, for we can come to Him at any time with confidence and courage, but a respect and reverence for His awesome power and incredible magnanimity.

And that’s shown to full effect by the words of our Bit. ‘For by grace are ye (you have been) saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:’

Oh my people, my people, I certainly don’t understand how anyone can turn away from such a wonderful Deity, for even a little common sense should tell us that’s where our bread is truly buttered, not with the untrustworthy things and evildoers of the world. Now let’s continue looking at scriptures that deal with the truly wonderful blessing of grace.

And we’ll begin with Bruh Paul’s words to the Galatians, when he explained how he came to be an apostle. ‘But when it pleased God, who separated me from my mother’s womb, and called me by his grace, To reveal his Son in me, that I might preach him among the heathen (Gentiles); immediately I conferred not with flesh and blood. Neither went I up to Jerusalem to them which were apostles before me; but I went into Arabia, and returned again unto Damascus.’ (Gal.1:15-17)

And the scholars offer these explanations. ‘1:15-16. Since Paul’s conversion to Christianity was due to God and not man, and since he did not consult with men subsequent to his conversion, then the apostle could not have received the gospel from any but the Lord. To reveal his Son in (to) me: The divine disclosure to man of the person and work of Christ is the essence of the gospel.’

‘1:17. Following his Damascus road conversion Paul made no trip to Jerusalem, where the apostles were, but spent approximately three years in Arabia. It is implied that he conferred with God there. During these three years he was not taught by men.’

But by the grace of God, Friends! How else could he divine all the heavenly stuff that he divined eh? Our God works in so many different ways that it’s nothing but amazing!

And to Timothy, when exhorting him to endurance, Bruh Paul declares: ‘Be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me his prisoner: but be thou partaker of the afflictions (share with me in the sufferings) of the gospel according to the power of God;

Who hath saved us, and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began (before time). But is now made manifest by the appearing of our Saviour Jesus Christ, who hath abolished death, and hath brought life and immortality to light through the gospel.’ (2 Tim.1:8-10)

And the scholars’ tell us: ‘1:8-10. The testimony of our Lord refers to the gospel Paul preached. Me his prisoner indicates that although Paul is actually a prisoner in a dungeon cell in the city of Rome, he regards himself there in the directive will of God. Hence he is really God’s prisoner, and Rome is merely God’s agent to put him where God wants him.

Who hath saved us refers to the ultimate effect: our salvation. And called us with a holy calling looks at the means by which our salvation was effected. His own purpose and grace…was given us indicates that our salvation was totally unmerited.

Abolished death (“having rendered death ineffective”): By His vicarious death, Christ reversed the curse of sin and brought life (eternal union of the soul with God) and immortality (“incorruption”) which is guaranteed by His resurrection.’

Ah Friends, I know it does seem like a lot of heavy stuff, but we need to understand the Good Book as best we can, so that we can make worthwhile decisions and thus live righteous lives.

Now we’ll end today’s message with these well know words from Hebrews. ‘Let us therefore come boldly (confidently) unto the throne of grace, that we obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.’ (Heb.4:16)

Now those are definitely words of awesome heavenly wisdom, so please my people, let’s put them into action in our lives today, and every day that we draw the Lord’s breath of life. Much LOVE!

…this earthly Christian life is nothing but grace…God’s free gift of grace…grace upon grace…so that we can have a beautiful eternal relationship with Him…

 

 

 

 

 

Today’s Scrip-Bit 3 May 2015 Psalm 55:22‏

03 May 2015 Leave a comment

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

Psalm 55:22. Cast thy burden upon the Lord, and he shall sustain thee: he shall never suffer (permit) the righteous to be moved (shaken).

So Friends, it’s Sunday, and I do hope that a significant part of our day has been allotted to going to the Lord’s sanctuary to praise and worship Him with other believers, for that’s what He expects of us on this first day of the week.

And some serious rest and relaxation should also be included, so that we can rise refreshed and renewed tomorrow to go out and face the heathen in the work world, strong and steadfast in the LOVE of Jesus.

Yes Friends, Sunday is possibly the most important day of the week in the lives of those Christians who celebrate the Sabbath, the Lord’s Day of rest on that day.  In fact, on whichever day you celebrate the Sabbath, that should be the most important day of the week for you, for we have been commanded to ‘Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labour and do all thy work.’ (Ex.20:8-9)

And keeping it holy means getting together with the Father in a big way, spending most of the day resting and concentrating on Him and His wonderful promises and deeds on our behalf. And now that I’ve reminded us of all that, let’s hope that I’ve more than just piqued our interest in church and God this morning. (smile)

That means if you are physically able, you will get up and go out to church and praise and glorify God, and in return get godly encouragement, Christian fellowship and spiritual ‘upliftment’ from associating with other believers. Yeh mih breddren, associating with other believers is a very important part of our pilgrim’s journey, for Jesus wants us to be like one total, composite body, though we are individuals and all have our separate roles to play.

He’s staked His reputation on the one body, the church, made of all His followers from all parts and cultures of the earth. So please, let’s try and come together in His name nuh, rather than the serious separation we’re unfortunately witnessing these days.

And one way we can enable and ensure that that happens is by all of us seriously taking the advice of our Bit and putting it into sincere and positive action. ‘Cast thy burden upon the Lord, and he shall sustain thee: he shall never suffer (permit) the righteous to be moved (shaken).’

Oh Friends, what a wonderful God we serve and worship! No other supposed deity makes promises, faithful promises like that, and it is definitely in our best interest to take Him up on His word.

Now let’s look at some scriptures that support our contention. And to start, we’ll go all the way back to the Israelites on their journey to the Promised Land. Many blessings would befall them, if they walked in obedience to God’s Word.

Listen to Moses tell it: ‘If ye walk in my statutes, and keep my commandments and do (observe) them; Then I will give you rain in due season, and the land shall yield her increase, and the trees of the field shall yield their fruit. And your threshing shall reach unto the vintage, and the vintage shall reach unto the sowing time: and ye shall eat your bread to the full, and dwell in your land safely.

And I will give peace in the land, and ye shall lie down, and none shall make you afraid: and I will rid evil beasts (eliminate wild beasts) out of the land, neither shall the sword go through your land.’ (Lev.26:3-6)

Yes Friends, that is what happens when we surrender our lives to God, and walk in obedience to His will. He blesses us and our land mightily. And you can read the rest of the blessings for yourself from Leviticus 26:7-13.

Now hear Bruh David from Psalm 56 – a confident prayer for help. ‘What time I am afraid, I will trust in thee. In God I will praise his word, in God I have put my trust; I will not fear what flesh can do to me.’ (Ps.56:3-4)

Ah mih people, what powerful words of faith and encouragement! But we can only be so brave and bold when we have definitely cast all of our cares on God and are sincerely trying to do His will.

And Isaiah wisely tells us in his hymn of praise: ‘Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on (sustained by) thee. Trust ye in the Lord for ever: for in the Lord Jehovah is everlasting strength (the Rock of Ages).’ (Is.26:3-4)

Yuh see my brethren, all these men of great faith had at least one thing in common; they believed in the Most High God; He of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, and displayed the utmost faith in His promises because they saw them being fulfilled.

Now why can’t you and I develop such awesome trust and faith eh? I don’t know nuh. But I do know that until we totally surrender to Jesus, cast all our cares upon Him, and be obedient to His commandments, we will not be blessed as abundantly as we can and should be.

It all depends on us now Friends; our lives will be blessed or cursed by our response and reaction to Jesus’ outpouring of LOVE.  So we have no one to blame but ourselves, for the way our lives turn out in the long run.

And to solidify all of that advice and promise, I’ll leave us with another most wonderful promise and bit of encouragement from our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. ‘Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.’(John 14:27)

Oh Friends, oh Friends, how can we not be moved by such heartfelt words of heavenly wisdom eh! Now let’s go and put them into action, so that we can become the strong body of the church that Jesus desires and is depending on, to do His will here on earth.  Much LOVE!

…surrendering our lives to Jesus…is a complete no brainer…for when we do…He faithfully grants us His wonderful blessings…

 

 

 

 

Today’s Scrip-Bit 2 August 2014 Psalm 56:1

02 Aug 2014 Leave a comment

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

Psalm 56:1.     Be merciful unto me, O God: for man would swallow me up; he fighting daily oppresseth me. 

Ah Friends, the Big Day, Caribana Saturday is finally here! And I don’t know why, but in the past week or so, there’s been a persistent bug in my ear, urging me to go down to the parade this year. I haven’t been for the last couple of years due to the condition of my ole knees and my lost enthusiasm for what the parade has morphed into.
 
And I was seriously considering it, but after the traffic problems I experienced going into the city last evening to check out the Pan Alive Steelband competition, I very much doubt that I’m going. With the major highway shut down to just two lanes right around the site of the parade, can you imagine the traffic jam that’s going to be out there this morning? 
 

People are already having problems getting into area with the closure of a major bridge, the Burlington Skyway, due to an accident on Thursday evening. Anyway, I’m suffering from Caribana Friday-itis…Hn!
 
And NO, I’m not referring to the after effects of inebriation – I’m too old and wise for that (smile) – I’m just talking about tiredness from a busy day and not getting to bed until after three this morning, hence the lateness of the Bit.
 
And I’m not even going to say much about the Pan competition either, because this year I found it to be rather mediocre. The attendance wasn’t as great as it usually is, and only ONE band out of the 13 that played really moved me – Pan Fantasy.
 
And to make matters worse, just as the last band, Pan Masters came on stage, they put out the main stadium lights, the ones focused directly on the band. Steups! What utter nonsense eh! So it was eleven o’clock, the byelaw wasn’t going to be in jeopardy for another five or ten minutes! Chuh!
 
So the poor band had to play in the darkness, with only the backlights of the stadium on. The fans couldn’t even see them. That just soured the whole situation for me, and I got up and left before they were finished. Subsequently I don’t know the results of the competition.
 
However, the organizers have to accept a large share of the blame, because they know about the eleven o’clock byelaw, though I can’t ever remember seeing it so rigidly enforced, but a show that was billed to start at six p.m. didn’t get underway till about 7.45, almost two hours after the announced starting time. Unfortunately I was one of those who rushed down there for six o’clock.
 
Anyway that’s all over and done with now, time to move on. Let’s get some ‘I CAN’ affirmations to counteract the prevailing sense of tiredness and lethargy nuh.
 
So please say with me: ‘I CAN do ALL things through Christ. God has new opportunities for me. I’m not settling for where I am now, I’m stretching myself and pursuing what He has put in my heart! God’s plan for my life is greater than I could imagine, and I’m determined to be who He wants me to be. This is my declaration of what I CAN do through Christ.’
 
And now that we’ve declared it, my fellow believers, let’s go out and make it reality nuh. For it doesn’t make sense to declare something, then not do it.
 
And that affirmative declaration of what I CAN do through Christ, fits nicely in with our Bit; a cry of Bruh David when the Philistines took him in Gath. (1 Sam.21:11)
 
‘Be merciful unto me, O God: for man would swallow me up; he fighting daily oppresseth me. Mine enemies would daily swallow me up (hound me): for they be that fight against me, O thou Most High.’ (Ps.56:1-2)
 
Yeh Friends, daily, without fail, Lucifer and his evil cohorts come against us, trying to devour our spirits, to make us feel frail, feeble and inferior. But with our omnipotent God, we know that all things are possible!
 
Therefore, when the enemy comes against us, we can say a confident prayer for help, as Bruh David did: ‘What time I am afraid, I will trust in thee. In God I will praise his word, in God I have put my trust; I will not fear what flesh can do unto me.’ (Ps.56:3-4)
 
Oh my brethren, my brethren, what simple but powerful words of faith and trust! Bruh David certainly knew on which side his bread was buttered! That’s why the Lord blessed him so much, despite his nefarious activities.
 
Can we truthfully say those words? We ought to. When the enemy comes against us, do we with hungry hope and expectant faith turn confidently to Almighty God for help, guidance and/or succour? I certainly hope so Friends, because it is ONLY in our heavenly Father that there is rest and freedom from the manipulations of the evil one.
 
Listen to Bruh David’s great faith at work: ‘When I cry unto thee, then shall mine enemies turn back: this I know; for God is for me.’ (Ps.56:9)
 
Oh my people, that is a declaration of faith that ought to be written in the depths of our souls, and then given voice through our mouths, as well as action through our behaviour, EVERYDAY that we’re alive on planet earth, since it’s gospel truth for ALL believers!
 
We need to be sure and confident enough in our God to be able to stand on His promises. For as the Good Book says: ‘What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?’ (Rom.8:31)
 
And the glorious answer to that my fellow believers is NOBODY!
 
And now with that affirmation boldly declared, let’s go home with some more faith building words from Bruh David: ‘In God will I praise his word: in the Lord will I praise his word. In God have I put my trust: I will not be afraid what man can do unto me.
 
Thy vows are upon me (are binding upon me), O God: I will render praise unto thee. For thou hast delivered my soul from death: wilt not thou deliver my feet from falling, that I may walk before God in the light of the living?’ (Ps.56:10-13)
 
Yes Friends, our great and wonderful God will surely deliver us in times of trouble, so that we can walk faithfully with Him, to continue praising and glorifying His Holy Name here on earth!
 
So let’s continue to stand strong and be numbered amongst His most awesome soldiers of faith nuh, for it’s the wisest action a human being can ever take! Much LOVE!
 
…faith in God is great…but it doesn’t come cheaply…it is paid for with the exacting price of experience…