Today’s Scrip-Bit 25 June 2017 2 Corinthians 9:6.

25 Jun 2017 Leave a comment

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

2 Corinthians 9:6.   But this I say, He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully (with blessings) shall reap bountifully.

Well greetings and salutations on this beautiful Summer Sunday morning my fellow believers! May the wonderful grace of God and His awesome peace be with and among us as we meet in His sanctuary to praise, worship, thank and glorify Him. And to get us going, let’s sing those heartfelt words of John Newton written so long ago, when he finally found God, and aptly titled ‘Amazing Grace.’

So with much passion and humble sincerity, let’s raise our voices in sacrificial praise to Almighty God. ‘Amazing grace! How sweet the sound That saved a wretch like me! I once was lost, but now am found; Was blind, but now I see. ’Twas grace that taught my heart to fear, And grace my fears relieved; How precious did that grace appear The hour I first believed. 

Through many dangers, toils and snares, I have already come; ’Tis grace hath brought me safe thus far, And grace will lead me home. The Lord has promised good to me, His Word my hope secures; He will my Shield and Portion be, As long as life endures. Yea, when this flesh and heart shall fail, And mortal life shall cease, I shall possess, within the veil, A life of joy and peace. 

The earth shall soon dissolve like snow, The sun forbear to shine; But God, who called me here below, Will be forever mine. When we’ve been there ten thousand years, Bright shining as the sun, We’ve no less days to sing God’s praise Than when we’d first begun.’ 

Oh friends, what a magnanimous God we serve and worship! His undying and undeserving grace and mercy are what keep us going in this evil world. His is the salvation and eternal life to which we look, like a bright shining beacon in the dark, stormy night, offering guidance and safety from the perils on our earthly journey. 

No wonder Jesus declared, ’I am the light of the world!’ For without Him, our world would be covered in total darkness, the cover Lucifer needs for his evil deeds. So please let’s be everlastingly grateful for the brilliant and lifesaving light of Jesus nuh, which gives us true hope, faith and trust for the future.  

Now let’s turn to our Bit; one of the life principles of our great God. ‘But this I say, He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully (with blessings) shall reap bountifully.’ More awesome truth of Scripture my people! Whatever we give out, shall be given back to us; whatever we sow, we shall reap, and sometimes in greater quantity too, whether it be good or evil. 

And today we’ll simply peruse some scriptures which agree with our premise. So listen to Cousin Sol as he contrasts the doings of the wise and foolish. ‘There is that scattereth, and yet increaseth; and there is that witholdeth more than is meet (right), but it tendeth (leads) to poverty. The liberal soul shall be made fat (prosperous): and he that watereth shall be watered also himself. He that witholdeth corn, the people shall curse him: but blessing shall be on the head of him that selleth it.’ (Prov.11:24-26) 

Oh friends, yuh see, when we scatter, or water, or sell, meaning being generous in our giving, it usually leads to prosperity, but being miserly tends to poverty. So if we are interested in having a full and prosperous life, then we must be generous in our giving and helping. 

Meanwhile, the psalmist in Psalm 112 – Blessed is the man that feareth the Lord – joyfully declares: ‘A good man showeth favour (is gracious), and lendeth: he will guide his affairs with discretion (justice)… He hath dispersed (distributed abroad), he hath given to the poor; his righteousness endureth for ever; his horn (strength) shall be exalted with honour. The wicked shall see it, and be grieved: he shall gnash with his teeth, and melt away: the desire of the wicked shall perish.’ (Ps.112: 5, 9-10) 

Yes precious people of God, as Christians we are called to live righteous and noble lives, giving and helping from humble and sincere hearts as our Leader, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ did in His earthly sojourn, two thousand years ago.  

And Moses warned the Israelites long before that: ‘If there be among you a poor man of one of thy brethren within any of thy gates (towns) in thy land which the Lord thy God giveth thee, thou shalt not harden thine heart, nor shut thine hand from thy poor brother: But thou shalt open thine hand wide (freely) unto him, and shall surely lend him sufficient for his need in that which he wanteth.’ (Deut.15:7-8) 

You can’t get away from it friends, the Lord has shown us LOVE and mercy and grace, and He expects us to do the same with our fellow humans. Now if some of us would only share some of the much we have with others in desperate need, there wouldn’t be as much poverty, sickness, homelessness and despair in our world today. 

But don’t forget, the Lord is watching each of us to see how we use the resources He so generously bestowed on us, and we’ll eventually have to answer for our good or bad stewardship. Now let’s end with a timely word from Bruh Paul to the Galatians. ‘Be not deceived; God is not mocked (fooled, outwitted)” for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.’ (Gal.6:7) Words of utmost wisdom friends! 

So let’s remember that generosity is at the heart of the Lord, and it should also be a major priority in ours, if we sincerely desire to be true disciples of Christ. Much LOVE!

…you can only harvest what you sow…

 

 

 

 

 

Today’s Scrip-Bit 24 June 2017 2 Corinthians 9:6.

24 Jun 2017 Leave a comment

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

2 Corinthians 9:6.   But this I say, He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully (with blessings) shall reap bountifully.

And Saturday has rolled around again… But this time it’s a summer Saturday, hopefully a dry summer Saturday, so that we can get outside and do some fun summer things, not have to stay indoors because of rain, like we had most of yesterday in my area. 

That reminds me that my church has a big used clothing and electronics drive today and tomorrow, so we definitely need two sunny days for that to go off well. I also need to find two strong men to help me lift a couple of big, used TV’s out of my basement. Chuh! What’s the world coming to eh? The ole fella can’t even lift up a TV now. (smile) But as they say, after one time is definitely two yes! 

And since it is Saturday, lazy Saturday, let’s meander into some quotes of this week by our friend Anselm, who sincerely aspires to inspire us for a better tomorrow.  Hear this first one: ‘Don’t let vague fears hold you back from doing what you want. So I have learned to ask myself this: honestly, what is the worst that could happen?’ 

Yes my people, a lot of times we allow some uncertain, hazy, can’t put our finger on it fear to stop us from moving on up. That’s when we need our faith to step in and give us proper guidance. And that fear can ofttimes lead us into this situation. ‘Don’t make a mountain out of a molehill.’ Oh do we ever make mountains out of molehills, especially in this selfish and whining society in which we now live! 

And to stop doing that, we need to ‘Cultivate and live in a positive environment. To be able to stay positive it is essential to have influences in your life that support you and lift you up instead of dragging you down. So carefully consider what you let into your mind.’ And also who you let into your life, because the people in your life can influence your mind. 

But then too, we must ‘Add value and positivity to someone else’s life. What you send out you tend to get back from the world and the people in it.’ Now that’s indisputable truth, because it’s just God’s infallible principle of you reap what you sow. So, if we want to get good things in our lives, we need to sow good things into the lives of others. As simple as that my brethren. 

And this is how Bruh Paul says it to the Corinthians in our Bit. ‘But this I say, He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully (with blessings) shall reap bountifully.’ It couldn’t get any plainer and more straightforward than that friends. 

As the scholars explain: ‘9:6. One’s return is determined by his investment (cf. Prov.11:24; Luke 6:38; Gal.6:7). The expression ‘ep’ eulogiais’ ordinarily translated “with blessings” here has the sense of “generously.” While it does not suggest indiscriminate giving, it does denote “unrestrained” giving.’ 

Yes friends, we don’t have to give willy-nilly, but when we do give, we must give as generously as we can. Our return depends on the size of our investment. The bigger it is, the bigger our return will be. As Bruh Paul continues after our Bit: ‘Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity (compulsion): for God LOVETH a cheerful giver.’ (2 Cor.9:7) 

Ah mih people, Christians ought to take joy in giving, in sharing the blessings our generous heavenly Father has poured out on us. Let’s remember He did not give us all that we have for our use alone, but to share it with the less fortunate. 

And the scholars explain that verse thus:  ‘9:7. Cheerful giver: The giver is to have a willing heart and a sincere desire to participate in the offering. Paul is not so much interested in their money. Nor is God for that matter, as the passage from Proverbs 22:9 indicates. The Greek term ‘hilaron,’ from which the English “hilarious” derives, is best rendered as the English text suggests, “cheerful.” Giving is not a joke. It is serious business, but it is a delightful experience all the same.’ 

And it surely is precious people of God, for when you give from a cheerful and generous heart, you experience a divine feeling, one of helping, of making the heart of someone else glad, which in turn makes your heart glad. Glory to God!  And I guess we ought to see what Proverbs 22:9 says. ‘He that hath a bountiful (generous) eye shall be blessed; for he giveth of his bread to the poor.’ No doubting that my fellow believers! 

Now listen to Jesus, as He adds His two cents worth to the topic. (smile) ‘Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom (pocket). For with the same measure that ye mete (use) withal (with that) it shall be measured to you again.’ (Luke 6:38) 

Yeh friends, whatever measure you use to give, be it a teaspoon, a tablespoon, or a shovel, the same one will be used to give back to you. And please notice I didn’t say that eh; it was Jesus. So if you don’t believe Him, then I don’t know who you’ll believe. Now, from personal experience, I know that the principle is very true. But you will never know for yourself until you try it. Much LOVE!

…as Granny use to say…the more you give…the more you get…

 

Today’s Scrip-Bit 20 July 2013 Proverbs 11:25

20 Jul 2013 Leave a comment

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

Proverbs 11:25.    The liberal soul shall be made fat: and he that watereth shall be watered also himself.
 
Oh Friends, ole Toronto and its environs experienced a wicked rainstorm yesterday evening! In a matter of minutes the sky suddenly changed from bright sunshine to cloudy darkness, the wind blew with a vengeance, and the rain came tumbling down in torrents, making it extremely difficult for drivers to see out their windshields, despite the best efforts of their wipers.
 
But we’ve been expecting that glut of rain, and needed it too, to cool down the hot and humid land. Some more rain began falling after midnight, but mostly drizzles. It’s the lightning that’s been playing out there for a couple hours, continuously lighting up the nightscape with its brilliant flashes.
 
Anyway, here’s a rather relevant prayer I recently found among some papers. I must have gotten it from my mother’s stuff, because I don’t remember it. And very appropriately it’s titled ‘Renew Toronto.’ But Friends, this prayer is desperately needed for our entire world which is undergoing so many negative changes and challenges that we’re powerless to keep up with them, even the odd time when we understand what’s happening.
 
Only with God’s help can we mange and hopefully overcome them. So please pray with me: ‘Gracious God, in your wisdom and LOVE You create us in your image and likeness, You call us to be your Presence in the world.
 
Let the Spirit of Jesus grow with us for this journey – inspire in us insight and vision for our Church community – ready our hearts and hands to bring healing to our sinfulness – move our feet to live the Gospel of Jesus with courage and joy.
 
Renew us, Gracious God. Renew us by your LOVING acceptance of us. Renew us to do justice, to LOVE kindness, and to walk humbly with you, our God, To renew the face of this earth. Amen.’ 
 
Yes my brethren, we do need God’s mercy and grace to help us renew and rebuild our world. And our Bit gives us some insight into one way to do it. ‘The liberal (generous) soul shall be made fat (rich, prosperous): and he that watereth shall be watered also himself.’
 
And there’s plenty of truth in that saying Friends! The generous person shall be made prosperous, because that’s just one of God’s laws. From early times, He stipulated it thus: ‘Every man shall give as he is able, according to the blessing of the Lord thy God which he hath given thee.’ (Deut.16:17)
 
At that particular time they were talking about contributions to feasts, but fellow believers, our God wants that to be an ongoing feature, an everyday occurrence in our lives.
 
Listen to Bruh Paul as he talks to the Corinthians about God LOVING a cheerful giver. ‘But this I say, He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully (with blessings) shall reap also bountifully (with blessings).
 
Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity (compulsion): for God LOVETH a cheerful (joyful) giver. And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work.’ (2 Cor.9:6-8)
 
And that’s the living truth Friends! What we give and how we give it is terribly important in God’s domain, for He’s laid down the foundational law that we will reap whatever we sow.
 
Now here’s some info from the scholars on those verses. ‘9:6. One’s return is determined by his investment (cf. Prov.11:24, Luke 6:38; Gal.6:7) The expression (ep’ eulogiais) ordinarily translated “with blessings” here has the sense of “generously.” While it does not suggest indiscriminate giving, it does denote “unrestrained” giving. 
 
9:7 Cheerful giver: The giver is to have a willing heart and a sincere desire to participate in the offering. Paul is not so much interested in their money. Nor is God, for that matter, as the passage from Proverbs 22:9 indicates. The Greek term ‘hilaron,’ from which the English “hilarious” derives, is best rendered as the English text suggests, “cheerful.” Giving is not a joke. It is serious business, but it is a delightful experience all the same.’
 
And that’s just more truth my people! Giving is sometimes hard, but it always makes us feel better afterwards. Yes, you cheapskates. (smile) And please pay careful attention that last verse, where God will always enable you to have sufficient, so you can generously give away some.
 
So however you cut it my brethren, we can’t lose if we work with God out of a generous and cheerful heart. And we will close today with some most valuable words from Jesus on the subject.
 
 ‘Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom (the fold in a garment used as a pocket). For with the same measure that ye mete (use) withal (with that same measure) it shall be measured to you again.’ (Luke 6:38)
 
Now Friends, if Jesus said it, then it must be true! So let’s go out and practice it nuh. It will certainly help us to renew the face of our planet earth as we prayed earlier on. Much LOVE!
 
…he who refuses to give…or gives unwillingly…will receive the same treatment…in his time of need…