wondrous works | SCRIP-BITS

Today’s Scrip-Bit 9 July 2018 Lamentations 3:22-23.

09 Jul 2018 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: a pick me up, a wind that passeth away, a word of warning, adrenaline, asaph, aura of love, better late than never, blues, boundless, but flesh, cometh not again, compassion, confidence, consumed, disobedience, doctor's appointment, done like dinner, engaged the enemy, enthusiasm, enviable circumstances, flatter, friends, futility, get rid of God, glorious kingdom, glory to God, great is thy faithfulness, grin and bear them, Hades, his compassions fail not, hope, hot off the press, humble servants, in the middle of the day, indefatigable, iniquities, invincible, Jesus Christ, joy, lies, LOVE, loving kindness, Lucifer, manna, mercy, Micah, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, my benefit, new every morning, peace, play him for a fool, rejuvenation of spirit, relaxation, renewed vitality, rest, righteousness., salvation, sin, spiritual armour, spiritual warfare, stale stuff, still enemies, still sinned, taking advantage, taunts, terror, the Lord's mercies, the words of our mouths, trouble, trust, tuned his anger away, ungodly world, vanity, wiles, wisdom, wondrous works

Lamentations 3:22-23. It is of the Lord’s mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.

Ah friends, sorry the Bit is this late, but I had an early morning doctor’s appointment in the city which means everything had to be rearranged. Chuh! If I say I’m not tired with doctor’s appointments now, I’d be lying. But they are for my benefit, so I just have to grin and bear them. And yesterday I planned to add a P.S. note about it, but I forgot. The old mind’s going. (smile) But as they say, better late than never.

So here it is now, hot off the press. And by now most of you are at work, so your day is well advanced and you have already engaged the enemy in spiritual warfare. You might even be still suffering from the Monday blues, so it’s definitely not too late to sing our Monday Morning Battle Hymn, our blues antidote. It’s also nice to have a li’l pick me up in the middle of the day. (smile)

So as one great voice now, let’s sing: ‘Oh Lord God Almighty, Creator of the universe and all therein! We, your humble servants, praise your Holy Name and thank you that this Monday morning we have jobs to go to; jobs we don’t like, jobs that are unfair, difficult and even dangerous, but which serve a useful purpose here on earth; keeping lives and families together.

We also thank you Father for the renewed vitality and enthusiasm you’ve wrought in our weary souls over the last two days. It’s that rejuvenation of Spirit which allows us now to sally forth with confidence into the evil, ungodly world that surrounds us, to begin a new week of work, constantly buffeted and bombarded by the enemy’s wicked taunts, wiles and lies.

But heavenly Father, we’re not afraid, for we know we’re invincible, sure conquerors, once we’re wearing your powerful, protective spiritual armour. We surrender our all to you, and humbly ask that you let your incredible aura of LOVE, the Holy Spirit, lead and guide all your servants as we go out to meet the enemy in battle.

Fill us with steadfast faith, so that we can make worthwhile inroads into the enemy’s ranks, and thereby further your glorious kingdom. We pray this in the Holy Name of your Son, and our Saviour, Jesus Christ. AMEN!’

Ah mih breddren, what a relief to feel the adrenaline course through our veins, to feel the Spirit of Christ just rise up to the forefront once more, and we become indefatigable (not tired) and invincible once again. Glory to our great God!

Now yesterday we were talking about one of God’s many attributes, His compassion, and there is so much in the scriptures about it, that we’ll continue on that most worthwhile and awesome topic. As our Bit so magnanimously states: ‘It is of the Lord’s mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.’

Yeh friends, without God’s compassion we’d be done like dinner long time, roasting in Hades with that fool Lucifer! (smile) But thanks to our God’s magnanimous compassion, we’re not. And what I especially like about His compassion, His mercy, is that they are brand new every day!

Wow! Our God doesn’t give us any stale stuff. It’s like the fresh manna He gave the Israelites every day in the wilderness. Now how can we not appreciate and be grateful for that kind of treatment eh? Under those rather enviable circumstances, I don’t understand our strong desire to get rid of God from our society.

But some of us are just wiser than others, so let’s turn to the scriptures now and check out some more of it that deals with God’s compassion. Yesterday we saw the most important aspect of it, where while we yet His enemies, the Father sent Christ to die for us. (Rom.5:6-9) Yuh can’t beat that friends!

Now listen to Micah proclaim to the world, our God’s compassionate attribute. ‘Who is a God like unto thee, that pardoneth iniquity, and passeth by (over) the transgression of the remnant of his heritage? He retaineth not his anger for ever, because he delighteth in mercy (LOVING-kindness). He will turn again, he will have compassion upon us; he will subdue our iniquities; and thou wilt cast all their (our) sins into the depths of the sea.’ (Mic.7:18-19)

Oh my people, my people, what will it take for us to take the scriptures, the Word of God seriously eh? We’re behaving just like the Israelites did after the Lord brought them out of bondage in Egypt. The psalmist Asaph puts it nicely. Even after the Lord smote their stoutest men for their disobedience: ‘For all this they sinned still, and believed not for his wondrous works.

Therefore their days did he consume in vanity (futility), and their years in trouble (sudden terror). When he slew them, then they sought him: and they returned and inquired early (sought diligently) after God. And they remembered that God was their rock, and the high God their redeemer.

Nevertheless they did flatter him with their mouth, and they lied unto him with their tongues. For their heart was not right (steadfast) with him, neither were they steadfast (faithful) in his covenant. But he, being full of compassion, forgave their iniquity, and destroyed them not: yea, many a time turned he his anger away, and did not stir up all their wrath. For he remembered that they were but flesh; a wind that passeth away, and cometh not again.’ (Ps.78:32-39).

Yeh friends, that’s the same way we are taking advantage of God’s compassion and mercy, making believe that we have right hearts and pure motives. But please remember He does not judge by outward appearances, so no matter how much we flatter Him with the words of our mouths, He will look at out hearts to see if they are sincere or not, and at some stage give us our just desserts.

A word of warning to the wise is supposedly sufficient. Let’s hope that we all accept that warning today. Much LOVE!

…although God’s compassion is boundless…it’s not wise…to try to play Him for a fool…

Today’s Scrip-Bit 3 June 2016 Matthew 5:16.‏‏‏‏

03 Jun 2016 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: a child of God, a fine time, be sober, beginning work, believers in Christ, blasphemed, calm, Christ's sufferings, circumstances, difference, distraught, dominion, duty, ending work, fellowship, fervent charity, fiery trial, focused, Friday chant, fun, generous help, glad, glorified, glorify your Father, glorious kingdom, glory, glory to God, God's child, God's grace, good cheer, good stewards, good works, grumbling, heavenly Father, hobnobbing, hospitality, in Jesus' name, in the midst of the storm, Jesus Christ, joy, let your light shine, LOVE, magnanimous, magnificent, mature Christians, minister, multitude of sins, oracles of god, overcome, parents, peace, perspective, praise, prayer, refreshed, rejoice, relaxation, renewed, rest, sing psalms, sing unto him, suffer, talents, TGIF! Thank God it's Friday!, the ability, the end of all things, the nature of the beast, the weekend, things of the world, tribulation, understanding, watch unto prayer, week of work, wondrous works, work, worthy to be praised

Matthew 5:16. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.

Oh friends, oh friends, it’s the big day…Friday!

And everybody burst out into song: ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday! Thank God for the weekend! We’ve waited all week for this! A fine time will be had by all! Thank God for Fridays and the weekend yes!’

Oh my brethren, it’s certainly interesting how Fridays make such a big difference in our lives. I just wish we could get Monday to make such a difference. (smile) But I guess, because of the nature of the beast, a time for ending work will always be more welcome than one to begin work.

In any case, let’s chant our Friday Chant so than we can get a better perspective on the situation. Chanting: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through another week of work! It hasn’t been easy, but with your generous help, I made it through.

Now, please help me to get sufficient fun, fellowship, rest and relaxation in these two short days off, so that I can be renewed and refreshed in soul, body and mind, to go back out and do it all over again next week, furthering your glorious kingdom with each step I take. I pray this in Jesus name. Amen.’

Yes my fellow believers in Christ, furthering God’s kingdom is our duty, and we can’t perform that duty properly unless we’re well rested and properly focused. And that we definitely can’t get from hobnobbing a whole lot with the things and people of the world.

Now here’s an interesting little poem from our One Year Book of Bible Promises with writings by Ruth Harms Calkin that shows the amazing difference between man and God. This one is titled ‘You’re in My Way.’

And it reads thus: ‘This morning, Lord I heard a distraught mother Say to her lively son “You’re in my way – move.” This very same morning You said to me “You’re in my way – stay.” How good it is to be your child.’

And that’s no lie my people! It is truly awesome to be a child of God! Whereas earthly parents want us to get out of their way, our heavenly Father wants us to be in His way! Glory to God!

And the Bible verse associated with that poem is: ‘Sing unto him, sing psalms unto him, talk ye of his wondrous works.’ (1 Chr.16:9) And is that ever what we should be about my people!

Now let’s get to our Bit, which should be finished today…no promises though, because one never knows what can crop up at the last minute. (smile)

Here is Jesus’ positive directive. ‘Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.’

And this morning we’re going to look at some scripture from 1 Peter where he talks about being good stewards of God’s grace. ‘But the end of all things is at hand: be ye therefore sober, and watch unto prayer. And above all things have fervent charity (LOVE) among yourselves: for charity (LOVE) shall cover the multitude of sins.

Use hospitality one to another without grudging (grumbling). As every man hath received the gift, even so minister the same one to another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.

If any man speak, let him speak as the oracles (utterances) of God; if any man minister, let him do it as of the ability which God giveth: that God in ALL THINGS may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom be praise and dominion for ever and ever. Amen. (1 Pet.4:7-11)

Yes friends, that is how we ought to behave as mature and true Christians; in LOVE, in prayer and hospitality, sincerely using the talents granted unto us, so that whatever we do, our heavenly Father will be glorified. Remember, it’s ALL about Him, not about us!

And Peter continues: ‘Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you: But rejoice, inasmuch as (to the extent that) ye are partakers of Christ’s sufferings; that when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy.

If ye be reproached (insulted) for the name of Christ, happy (blessed) are ye; for the spirit of glory and of God resteth upon you: on their part he is evil spoken of (blasphemed), but on your part, he is glorified.’ (1 Pet.4:12-14)

Oh my people, I know those are some hard scriptures to accept, but accept them we must if we want to be true believers and truly glorify God! It’s a simple philosophy; if you suffer for and with Christ, then when His kingdom comes you will rejoice with Him.

And remember Christ didn’t say that bad or wrong things wouldn’t happen to us down here on earth, but rather He warns of tribulation. ‘These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.’ (John 16:33)

However my brethren, if we stay in Christ, we can have peace despite our tribulations, despite the fiery trails that try us, because He has already overcome the world. So although times will occasionally be rough, let’s not focus on our circumstance, but on our magnanimous and magnificent God, who is able to give us peace and calm, even in the midst of the storm.

And all God’s people declared, loud and proud! ‘Praise His Holy Name, for He indeed worthy to be praised!’

Yes friends, our God is indeed worthy to be praised, so let’s go out today and do whatever He’s called us to do nuh, with a song of praise in our hearts and mouths and His wonderful peace in our souls. Much LOVE!

…our God offers such a high level of peace…that it verily surpasses our finite and limited understanding…

Today’s Scrip-Bit 7 August 2015 Psalm 119:27

07 Aug 2015 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: a dark world, be obedient to god's will, busy, Caribana, consequences, death cannot celebrate thee, desire, diligently learn, disobedience, eagerly utter the memory of thy great goodness, expectant faith, fellowship, flavourless, forms of communication, Friday chant, friends, fun, generous help, get on our horses and ride, glorious kingdom, God's greatness is beyond our understanding, great is the Lord, hope for thy truth, hungry hope, immerse ourselves, Jesus Christ, lazy, light, LOVE, magnificent and magnanimous God, make known thy truth, make me to understand, making the effort, men shall speak of thy awesome acts, not interested, one generation shall praise thy works to another, passionate about God, praise thy works, putting up a good fight for Jesus, quicken me according to thy word, relaxation, rest, righteousness., salt, salvation, seek first the kingdom of God, sing of thy righteousness, so shall I talk of thy wondrous works, spread the good news of Jesus, spread the word, teach me thy statutes, tell others about Jesus, TGIF! Thank God it's Friday!, the father to the children, the godless infidel, the gospel of Jesus, the grave cannot praise thee, the living shall praise thee, the Lord's greatness, the right perspective, the things of God, the things of the world, the way of thy precepts, wisdom, wisdom of the ages, wondrous works

Psalm 119:27. Make me to understand the way of thy precepts: so shall I talk of (meditate on) thy wondrous works.

And then it was Friday; a short workweek for many of us after the Caribana weekend. And yuh better believe many of us are truly thankful as we tiredly shout: ’TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday yes! Mama yo! Though the week’s been short, it’s been truly rough. So hard to catch yuhself after all the Caribana partying. Thank God for true that is Friday oui!! Definitely going to rest this weekend away.’ Hn, hn!

Yes Friends, when we abuse our body it does come back to haunt us. But remember the weekend is not solely for rest, but also for participation in godly fellowship, so to help us keep the right perspective, let’s chant our Friday Chant with whatever verve and gusto we can muster. (smile)

As one now: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through another week of work! It hasn’t been easy, but with your generous help, I made it through.

Yes my people, it’s ever so important that our souls, bodies and minds be renewed and refreshed so that we can go back out with a spring in our step, hungry hope and expectant faith in our souls, to continue putting up a good fight for Jesus against the godless infidel.

Yes, because our mission is to be salt and light to a dark and flavourless world, as well as to spread the good news of Jesus all around the globe! Jesus delegated that awesome job to a handful of men before He ascended into heaven, and look at the wonderful work they’ve wrought.

Two thousand years later, it is now our turn to spread the Word, to bring Jesus and His wonderful salvation to the masses. And no generation has ever had the ability to really spread the gospel of Jesus all over the world, like we now have, with the many forms of almost immediate communication at our command.

So please let’s get a move on with it nuh. No excuses will be tolerated. (smile) Do we want to be labeled the generation who could, but didn’t? Obviously not!

Therefore let’s get on our horses and ride; tell others about Jesus, and above all, live a life that’s pleasing and obedient to Him, so that those we talk to will see the genuine LOVE and desire working and reflecting in us. That’s the only way to do it my brethren.

That brings us to our most appropriate Bit. ‘Make me to understand the way of thy precepts: so shall I talk of (meditate on) thy wondrous works.’

Yes my people, we can’t talk sensibly about what we don’t understand, therefore we need the Lord’s help to bring us to a true understanding of His Word. Like at work, we need a supervisor to explain the instructions, the duties of the job, otherwise we’d just make a mess of things.

The psalmist says earlier in this section of Psalm 119, under the heading – Make me to understand thy way: ‘My soul cleaveth unto (clings to) the dust: quicken (revive) thou me according to thy word. I have declared my ways, and thou heardest (answered) me: teach me thy statutes.’ (Ps.119:25-26)

Ah Friends, we desperately need to know God’s Word, but unfortunately too many of us are either too lazy, too busy, or simply not interested in making the effort it requires to do so. However we are quite ready, willing and able make the effort to acquire and learn about the things of the world though!

I’m sorry Friends, but that’s not the way it ought to be. Remember Jesus said that our first requirement is to seek the kingdom of God and its righteousness, and then all the things of the world that we need would be granted to us. (Matt.6:33)

If we unwisely choose to do it the other way, then we’ll just have to suffer the consequences. For remember too that there ARE consequences for disobedience.

My people, we need to be able to talk about our God as sincerely as Bruh David does in Psalm 145 – The Lord is gracious. ‘Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised; and his greatness is unsearchable (beyond our understanding). One generation shall praise thy works to another, and shall declare thy mighty acts.

I will speak of (meditate on) the glorious honour (splendour) of thy majesty, and of thy wondrous works. And men shall speak of the might of thy terrible (awesome) acts: and I will declare thy greatness. They shall abundantly (eagerly) utter the memory of thy great goodness, and shall sing of thy righteousness.’ (Ps.145:3-7)

Oh Friends, are we that passionate about our God, about our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ? I don’t think so. At least not sufficient of us supposed believers. But then again, we can’t be passionate about Jesus when we don’t spend sufficient serious time in His Word.

We ought to be able to sincerely shout out like Isaiah: ‘For the grave cannot praise thee, death cannot celebrate thee: they that go down into the pit (grave) cannot hope for thy truth. The living, the living, he shall praise thee, as I do this day: the father to the children shall make known thy truth.’ (Is.38:18-19)

Yes Friends, we are the living, and we are the fathers to the children, so please let’s praise and make known our magnificent and magnanimous God, for therein lies the wisdom of the ages. Much LOVE!

…only as we diligently learn…and deeply immerse ourselves in the things of God…can we talk wisely and sincerely about Him…

Today’s Scrip-Bit 10 June 2015 Philippians 4:6

10 Jun 2015 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: a future and a hope, adversity, attitude of prayer, be careful for nothing, benefits of following Jesus, blessed Trinity, blessings, christ jesus, Controller of the universe, earthly pilgrimage, evildoers, fellowship with God, fretting, give God all the glory, giving thanks, glorious future with Jesus, glory hallelujah, God in three persons, God is sovereign, godly advice, grateful, holy holy holy, in every thing give thanks, in everything by prayer and supplication, last days, let your requests be made known unto God, line of communication, lord god almighty, LOVE, make a joyful noise, merciful, mighty, our best interests at heart, our song shall rise to thee, peace, pray without ceasing, praying, promises, rejoice evermore, rejoicing, sinful nature, sing unto the Lord, stop worrying, thanksgiving, the Creator of the universe, the face of adversity, the good and bad times, the heathen, the Holy Spirit, the Lord is a great God, the rock of our salvation, the unbeliever, the voice of thanksgiving, the will of God, Thessalonians, thoughts of peace, to give you an expected end, wash mine hands in innocence, Wednesday Wail, wisdom, wondrous works

Philippians 4:6. Be careful (anxious) for nothing; but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.

Oh Friends, please sing the Wednesday Wail with me to open today’s proceedings! (smile) I’m still not sure if it’s going to be a permanent part of our routine, but for now, let’s sing it for all we’re worth and start our day off on the right foot – with prayer.

In sweet harmony now, let’s sing: ‘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!’

And what a glorious future that promises to be my brethren, for remember what the Lord promises in Jeremiah: ‘For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil (calamity), to give you an expected end (a future and a hope).’ (Jer.29:11)

What a marvelous promise that is my people! Our God only has good thoughts towards us, and a wonderful future in store for those who LOVE Him and sincerely keep His commandments and do His will. So please, let’s stop worrying and fretting about the things of life which we can’t control, and just surrender them all to Jesus, who has our best interests at heart, and is in control of ALL THINGS. Glory to God!

Now Friends, let’s turn to our Bit, which is another piece of encouraging and comforting scripture. ‘Be careful (anxious) for nothing; but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.’

Ah mih people, excellent words of godly advice and wisdom that! And it follows logically that if God is sovereign, supreme and in control, then who better for us to turn to, in whatever state we might be in, be it good, bad or indifferent? NOBODY my brethren!

The Creator of the universe and all therein wants us to come to Him with every problem, every woe, and also when things are right, just to fellowship with Him in peace and LOVE!

So just like we spend time with our earthly fathers, both in the good and bad times, likewise we ought to make it a habit to turn to our heavenly Father regardless of what’s happening in our lives. That’s a line of communication we must keep open at all times, if we are to truly enjoy the blessings and benefits of being a true believer.

But enough of me, (smile) let’s hear some scripture which validates our Bit. Listen to Bruh David from Psalm 26, where he invites the Lord to examine and prove him.

‘I have hated the congregation of evildoers; and will not sit with the wicked. I will wash mine hands in innocency (innocence): so will I compass (go about) thine altar, O Lord: That I may publish (proclaim) with the voice of thanksgiving, and tell of all thy wondrous works.’ (Ps.26:5-7)

Yes Friends, in these difficult and trying last days, we also need to get our lives together and proclaim the wondrous works that God has done in our lives. For how will the heathen, the unbeliever hear about them otherwise eh? It’s all up to us and the Holy Spirit working together in tandem.

Now hear Bruh Paul’s simple but powerful advice to the Thessalonians. ‘Rejoice evermore. Pray without ceasing. In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.’ (1 Thess.5:16-18)

What wonderful words of wisdom my people! Hn! What could be better than rejoicing, praying and giving thanks on a constant basis eh? NOTHING at all folks!

And the scholars give us this explanation. ‘5:18. In every event or circumstance (thing) the Christian is to give thanks to God for the good He can bring out of the event, even should the event be unpleasant. The constant attitude of prayer, mentioned in verse 17, will help the believer to maintain gratitude in the face of adversity.’

And that my brethren, giving thanks even in the face of adversity, though such an important part of our belief system, is much easier said than done. It’s no problem to be grateful when times are good, but being thankful when they are rough, goes against the very grain of our sinful nature.

But it is something that’s required of us, and like most other things in life, we can only get perfect at it by consciously practicing it. So let’s make a conscious choice to practice it nuh, until it becomes and automatic habit.

And then the psalmist, in Psalm 95 – A psalm of praise to the great God, joyfully proclaims: ‘O come, let us sing unto the Lord: let us make a joyful noise (shout joyfully) to the rock of our salvation. Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving, and make a joyful noise (shout joyfully) unto him with psalms (songs). For the Lord is a great God, and a great King above all Gods.’ (Ps.95:1-3)

Oh Friends, there’s no disputing those last statements, therefore it behooves us to approach our heavenly Father with the reverence and thanksgiving that He so rightfully deserves. And if you think all of that is a bit much, then please check out what is happening around God’s throne in heaven, as John the Revelator describes it.

‘And the four beasts had each of them six wings about him; and they were full of eyes within: and they rest (cease) not day and night, saying, Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come. And when those beasts (living creatures) give glory and honour and thanks to him that sat on the throne, who liveth for ever and ever,

The four and twenty elders fall down before him that sat on the throne, and worship him that liveth for ever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying, Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created (by your will they exist.)’ (Rev.4:8-11)

Oh mih people, can you imagine the celebration, the praise and thanksgiving that’s constantly going on in heaven! Mama Mia! Our earthly pilgrimage ought also to reflect that constant joy and praise for the Creator and Controller of the universe and all therein.

So please, let’s get serious about giving God ALL the glory for ALL that we do nuh, for that is certainly the wisdom of both heaven and earth! Much LOVE!

…Holy, holy, holy…Lord God Almighty…early in the morning…our song shall rise to thee…Holy, holy, holy…merciful and mighty…God in three persons…blessed Trinity…

Today’s Scrip-Bit 8 May 2015 Matthew 22:37‏

08 May 2015 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: a foothold in our lives, a modicum of circumspection, a pain in the butt, Abraham Isaac and Jacob, almighty god, angels, backyard parties, barbecues, Beelzebub, Bible, blessings of rain, boundaries, Bruh Paul, celebrate, Christ-like, convertibles, easily provoked, endures, faith, faithful, feed the poor, fellowship, food and drink, Friday chant, generous help, glorious kingdom, glory hallelujah, God's ever-loving heart, grateful, guile, Hades, heavenly Father, hellfire and damnation, henchmen, hopes, I put away childish things, I spoke as a child, iniquity, inveigle, Jesus Christ, learn to love, let our hair down, lies, LOVE, love doesn't brag, love envieth not, Love is kind, Love isn't arrogant, love isn't rude, Love makes the world go round, Love suffers long, loving, Lucifer, man's inhumanity to man, motorcycles, move mountians, mysteries, operative word, overstanding, Praise ye the Lord, prophecy, reconciled to God, rejoices in sin, relaxation, road construction, saved, saving grace, see through a glass dimly, selfish, shallow, sincere, sincerity, sounding brass, steadfast, strong, TGIF! Thank God it's Friday!, the greatest of these is love, the propitiation for our sins, the Way of LOVE, thou shalt love the Lord thy God, tinkling cymbals, tongues of men, truth, ungodly sinners, washed white as snow, when I was a child, wisdom, with all thy heart soul and mind, wondrous works, worthless

Matthew 22:37. Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt LOVE the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.

Well Friends, I don’t need to tell you, (smile) but I will anyway: it’s Friday! And like clockwork, the working masses declare a loud and joyful: ‘Thank God it’s Friday! The weekend’s here! Glory Hallelujah! And what a weekend it will be, with Mother’s Day and the hot weather! Thank God for that yes!’

Yes, the weather’s been pretty good this past week, but still no blessings of rain, and today we’re expecting thirty-degree temps. Wow! Can you imagine the mess it’s going to be with cottages been opened, motorcycles and rag tops (convertibles) out in full swing.

The traffic won’t be any different, and with all the road construction and stuff going on, it’s going to be a real pain in the butt getting anywhere fast. The backyard parties will be a flourishing with barbecues a flaming and drinks and food being guzzled down.

But Friends, please let’s remember to do that all with a modicum of circumspection nuh, and not give the enemy a chance to get a foothold in our lives. For when we celebrate, we tend to let our hair down and thus give him room to deceitfully inveigle himself into our lives.

And as always, to help us gain the right perspective for the weekend, let’s chant our Friday Chant with sincerity, wisdom and overstanding. All together now: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through another week of work! It hasn’t been easy, but with your generous help, I made it through.

Yes my people, we’ve got to set some hard and fast boundaries before we get into the celebrations, so that they won’t be marred by the guile and lies of Lucifer and his evil henchmen.

And the best way to do that is by concentrating on the words of our Bit. ‘Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt LOVE the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.’

Oh Friends, there is no better way to keep Beelzebub out of lives than by focusing on Almighty God, He of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob!

And I guess by now you’ve realized that the operative word for today is again that wonderful emotion called LOVE! Ah my people, LOVE is what makes the world go round, not money or power, and it’s also what our world desperately needs right now, if we’re going to stop it from both imploding and exploding.

For sadly, man’s inhumanity to man has reached a very cruel and critical stage. We no longer seem to care if our fellow man lives or dies, once we’re doing okay. But that’s a very shallow and selfish way to look at life my brethren.

Just stop for a moment and think what we’d be like if the Father had said, ‘Oh chuh! Let’s just leave those worthless, ungodly sinners to suffer in their own mess yes.’

We’d be headed for Hades and the torments of hellfire and damnation! But instead, with His ever-LOVING heart, He developed a plan, a tough one too, on Him and His Son, so that we, the same ungodly sinners could be saved, washed white as snow, and be reconciled to Him!

And all God’s people gave a loud and glorious shout of ‘Praise ye the Lord, for His wondrous works and saving grace to the undeserving children of mankind!’

Yes my fellow believers in Jesus Christ we ought to be very, very grateful to our heavenly Father for all that He’s done for us. But enough talk, let’s get to the meat of the session. And since I can’t get some of you to go to your Bible, I’ve decided to bring the Bible to you in all its glorious and living colour.

Let’s hear Bruh Paul speak rather eloquently on the way of LOVE! Pay serious attention now class. (smile) ‘Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity (LOVE), I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling (clanging) cymbal.

And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity (LOVE), I am nothing. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity (LOVE), it profiteth me nothing.

Charity (LOVE) suffereth long, and is kind; charity (LOVE) envieth not; charity (LOVE) vaunteth not (does not brag on) itself, is not puffed up (arrogant). Doth not behave itself unseemly (rudely), seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil (keeps no accounts of evil); Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.

Charity (LOVE) never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail (cease); whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away (cease). For we know in part, and we prophesy in part. But when that which is perfect (complete) is come, then that which is in part shall be done away.

When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things. For now we see through a glass (mirror) darkly (dimly); but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known. And now abideth faith, hope charity (LOVE), these three; but the greatest of these is charity (LOVE).’ (1 Cor. 13:1-13)

And there you have it brethren, Bruh Paul’s famous treatise on God’s most wonderful attribute! Now let’s allow it all to sink deeply into our consciousness nuh, so that we can become all that God has planned for us to become; strong, steadfast, sincere, faithful and LOVING beings, just like Him.

We talk about becoming Christ-like, well the first step in that transformation is to learn to LOVE! Let’s take it nuh my people. Much LOVE!

…herein is LOVE…not that we LOVED God…but that He LOVED us…and sent His Son…to be the propitiation of our sins… (1 John 4:10)

Today’s Scrip-Bit 26 April 2013 Psalm 119:169

26 Apr 2013 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: absolute truth, abundance, attitudes, body, christianity, comfortable, commandments, fellowship, glorious kingdom, glory hallelujah, God's Law, God's Word, goodness, infallible truth, inferior life, judgements, loving god, mind, my cry, prayer of supplication, precepts, reactions to our workweek, rest, righteousness., salvation, soul, statutes, sufficent fun, testimonies, TGIF! Thank God it's Friday!, understanding, weary traveller, wondrous works

Psalm 119:169. Let my cry come near before thee, O Lord: give me understanding according to thy word.

And the crier, cried: ‘Oh Friends, oh Friends, it’s Fridayyyy! Labour soon done! The weekend’s here!’ And all God’s children gave a joyful shout: ‘TGIF! Thank God is Friday yes! Glory Hallelujah! Ah can’t wait to enjoy the weekend!’ Yuh know Friends, it’s amusing to see the very different responses brought about by Fridays and Mondays in our crazy world. The first brings joy because work will cease for a couple of days, while the second gets us all upset, sad and blue because we have to go to work. What does that say about the attitudes of our society eh? That we’re lazy, don’t like work, gotten too comfortable, even though work is what keeps a roof over our heads and food on our tables? I really don’t know, but the important thing is that we find a better balance between our reactions for the end and beginning of the workweek, or else we’ll be forever miserable; too high on Fridays, and too low on Mondays. And the only way to do that is to get in agreement with our God, do as our Bit says: ‘Let my cry come near before thee, O Lord: give me understanding according to thy word.’ Yes Friends, without true understanding, as it pertains to God’s Word, which according to the scholars, here means ‘an all embracing term for God’s revelation in any form,’ we are truly lost, like a weary traveller in the wilderness with no food, water, or sense of direction. That’s because God’s Word gives us spiritual food, which includes direction and meaning to live this earthly life successfully. As the psalmist continues in this section – I have longed for thy salvation – ‘Let my (prayer of) supplication come before thee: deliver me according to thy word. My lips shall utter praise, when thou hast taught me thy statutes. My tongue shall speak of thy word: for all thy commandments are righteousness. Let thine hand help me; for I have chosen thy precepts. I have longed for thy salvation, O Lord; and thy law is my delight. Let my soul live, and it shall praise thee; and let thy judgements help me.’ (Ps.119:170-175) Oh my people, it’s all about God’s Word! We need to delve into it; read, mark and inwardly digest it, so that we can lead the life Jesus desires of us. But the catch 22 is that we can only do it with God’s help, through His Holy Spirit. Now for us to better understand what the psalmist is talking about, here is a glossary of some of the terms he uses. ‘Law (torah) comes from a verb meaning “to teach,” and thus came to be applied to a wide range of revelation, from an individual directive, to the entire Pentateuch. -5 Books of Moses. It emphasizes that God has taught us in His Word what he requires of us. Testimonies (‘edot) emphasizes the content of the Word as that which God has testified of Himself and His will. Precepts (piqudim) refers to instructions from a superior regarding the duties of those under him, in this case from God to man. Statutes (huqim) is related to a verb meaning “to engrave” and thus implies permanent and unchangeable regulations. Commandments (mitswot) is a word assuming the authority of the commander and the inherent necessity of obeying the content of the charge. Judgements (mispatim) or ordinances refer to decisions God has made as a judge in order to make earthly behaviour conform to His heavenly standard.’ Hope that helps us to better understand the Word. (smile) I hem and hawed about including the meanings of the terms, but common sense won out in the long run, since we can’t understand stuff when we don’t know their meanings in the context of what we’re reading. Yes my brethren, understanding is the key! No wonder the psalmist declares early on in the Psalm: ‘Make me to understand the way of thy precepts: so shall I talk of (meditate on) thy wondrous works.’ (Ps.119:27) And again in verse 144, he states: ‘The righteousness of thy testimonies is everlasting: give me understanding, and I shall live.’ (Ps.119:144) And using the definition of testimonies above, that means that whatever God has testified of Himself and His will is absolute truth, and will not change, just like He doesn’t change! Oh Friends, the simple truth of the matter is that life won’t have much meaning until we really understand what our great and LOVING God is all about. That’s why Bruh David could boldly proclaim in Psalm 145, his song of praise – The Lord is gracious – ‘Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised; and his greatness is unsearchable (beyond our understanding). One generation shall praise thy works to another, and shall declare thy mighty acts. I will speak of (meditate on) the glorious honour (splendour) of thy majesty, and of thy wondrous works. And men shall speak of the might of thy terrible (awesome) acts: and I will declare thy greatness. They shall abundantly (eagerly) utter the memory of thy great goodness, and shall sing of thy righteousness.’ (Ps.145:3-7) Words of infallible truth my brethren! And now, let’s end as Bruh David declared, and sing of the Lord’s righteousness and goodness by chanting our Friday Chant. No I didn’t forget it. (smile) All together now: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through another week of work! It hasn’t been easy, but with your generous help, I made it through. Now, please help me to get sufficient fun, fellowship, rest and relaxation in these two short days off, so that I can be renewed and refreshed in soul, body and mind, to go back out and do it all over again next week, furthering your glorious kingdom with each step I take. I pray this in Jesus name. Amen.’ Yes Friends, let’s enjoy the weekend in the right perspective! Much LOVE!…without a true understanding of God’s Word…mankind is doomed to an inferior life… P.S. Sorry for the lateness of the Bit, but the hemming and hawing about including the meanings of the words above, took up more time than I had bargained for. But I definitely think it was worth it. Much LOVE!

SCRIP-BITS