Today’s Scrip-Bit   22 April 2023 Lamentations 3:26.

22 Apr 2023 Leave a comment

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

Lamentations 3:26.          It is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation (deliverance) of the Lord.

And it’s a perfect lazy day Saturday! The rain fell during the night…and is still drizzling some, the temperature is in the low teens, just the right atmosphere for lying in bed and enjoying a peaceful Saturday morning. Unfortunately though, some of us cannot afford to enjoy those luxuries, those creature comforts, for we have to get up and be about our Father’s business. (smile) And what does our Father want us to talk about on this brand-new day eh, when His mercies and compassions are brand spanking new, not yesterday’s leftovers? 

And it seems to be these wise and encouraging words from the Lamentations of the prophet Jeremiah, which declare (yesss!!!): ‘The Lord is good unto them that wait for him, to the soul that seeketh him. It is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation (deliverance) of the Lord.’ (Lam. 3:25-26) Oh friends, those are such powerful and wise words that if our world would only consider doing them, we’d be living in an earthly paradise rather than the earthly hell that currently surrounds us! 

But no, our thing these days is to turn away from the Lord, the source of our creation and continued breath of life, even to the point of trying to turf Him out of our society. Yes, the evil and darkness in our world is so strong that a lot of us are leaning in that direction. But I’m here to tell us once again, that that will NEVER happen! The enemy might gain a fair amount of power, but the Lord will NEVER give up His hold on His creation and all therein, as He says so plainly in Isiah 42:8. ‘I am the Lord: that is my name: and my glory will I not give to another, neither my praise to graven images.’ 

What’s so difficult about that to understand eh?  It’s very clear and plain as far as I can see. But the wicked and foolish just don’t learn. They don’t see that their leader, Satan himself was no match for God and was kicked out of heaven, and even then, he was further weakened by Christ’s triumphant victory over him at Calvary. For the wise believers though, there are several scriptures throughout the Bible that recommend waiting quietly and patiently upon the Lord. Let’s look at a few of them nuh. 

And right at the very beginning, as the children of Israel stood fearfully watching the mighty Red Sea in front of them, blocking their escape route, with Pharaoh’s army hot on their heels, Moses uttered these words of truth, faith and encouragement to them. ‘And Moses said unto the people, Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation (deliverance) of the Lord, which he will shew to you to day: for the Egyptians whom ye have seen to day, ye shall see them again no more for ever. The Lord shall fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace (be quiet).’ (Ex. 14:13-14)  

And we all know what happened: Moses, through the Lord’s grace, lifted up his rod and parted the Red Sea, the Israelites walked across on dry land, then the Egyptians were swallowed up by the reconverging waters. That’s possibly one of the mightiest acts the Lord ever did in man’s history, but can you believe that those Israelites forget about it in no time and began doubting the Lord and complaining about their circumstances. That’s why they wondered forty aimless years in the wilderness till all the adults who came out of Egypt were dead, with only Joshua and Caleb from that old group making it into the Promised Land. 

And sadly friends, that’s still how many of us are today. The Lord has done all sort of good deeds in our lives, but we’re not very thankful, and forget them as soon as a new, unfortunate circumstance raises its head in our dreary lives. But there is yet hope for us, and we can change our attitudes with hopeful and encouraging words from the scriptures. 

Listen to these encouraging words from Psalm 130 – A Song of Degrees – where the psalmist declares (chuh!!!): ‘But there is forgiveness with thee, that thou mayest be feared (reverenced). I wait for the Lord, my soul doth wait, and in his word do I hope. My soul waiteth for the Lord more than they that watch for the morning. Let Israel hope in the Lord: for with the Lord there is mercy (LOVING-kindness), and with him is plenteous (abundant) redemption. And he shall redeem Israel from all his iniquities.’ (Ps. 130:3-8) 

Now how can we believers argue with those sentiments eh, when they are the gospel truth? But hear this verse from Isaiah, as he talks of the graciousness and mercy of our wonderful God. ‘And therefore will the Lord wait, that he may be gracious unto you, and therefore will he be exalted, that he may have mercy upon you: for the Lord is a God of judgement (justice): blessed are all they that wait for him.’ (Is. 30:18) How can we ever go wrong waiting on our most merciful and gracious God eh? We cannot! But please note that in all our waiting we must exalt and reverence Him. That’s the most important aspect of waiting on His timing. 

And there are many more scriptures in the Good Library on waiting and hoping in the Lord, but I believe Bruh David says it perfectly in Psalm 37, which advises us to trust in the Lord. Please read these marvellous words of wisdom and encouragement with me. ‘Fret not thyself because of evildoers, neither be thou envious against the workers of iniquity. For they shall soon be cut down like the grass, and wither as the green herb. Trust in the Lord, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed (feed on His faithfulness). 

Delight thyself also in the Lord; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart. Commit thy way unto the Lord, trust also in him, and he shall bring it to pass. And he shall bring forth thy righteousness as the light, and thy judgement (justice) as the noonday. Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for him: fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way, because of the man who bringeth wicked devices (schemes) to pass. Cease from anger, and forsake wrath: fret not thyself in any wise to do evil (for it only causes harm). For evildoers shall be cut off (destroyed): but those that wait upon the Lord, they shall inherit the earth.’ (Ps. 37:1-9) 

Oh my fellow saints, what marvellous, true and encouraging words for us to ponder on this rainy, lazy Saturday! So, let’s take a few minutes and do just that nuh, for it will certainly brighten our spirits and our day! Much LOVE!

…it’s not easy to wait on the Lord’s timing…but you can be assured that He’s in total control…and He’s NEVER late…  

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Today’s Scrip-Bit 31 May 2021 Job 21:15.

31 May 2021 Leave a comment

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

Job 21:15.     What is the Almighty, that we should serve him? And what profit should we have, if we pray unto him?

Oh brother, it’s Monday again! That means another week has begun! Some people think that in this time of pandemic, the days are moving ever so slowly, in fact they would say that they are practically dragging, (smile) but for me the weeks are passing ever so quickly! And the sad part is that I am not accomplishing most of what I plan to accomplish. 

So what’s going on eh? Is it that I am simply planning to accomplish too much? I don’t think so. I think the time just gets away from me…(smile) Good excuse eh. But I am promising myself that this week, I won’t allow the time to get away from me, and I will make a big dent in my scheduled plans. Stay tuned for a good report next Monday…provided the Lord sees fit to give us life at that time. 

And today we are going to look at an interesting verse of scripture as Job bemoans the prosperity of the wicked. In his sorrow and discouragement, he asks? ‘What is the Almighty, that we should serve him? And what profit should we have, if we pray unto him?’ (Job 21:15) Now why does Job ask such a question eh? He is refuting his friends’ assumption that the wicked are judged and the righteous are blessed. He considered himself righteous, but look at what happened to him. In a cruel moment he lost everything, which led his friends to believe that he was wicked. 

And the scholars tell us that ‘if one looks at life objectively: the wicked’s children are established (vs.8), his house is safe (vs.9), his cattle reproduce (vs.16), and so on. He even receives an honourable burial (vs. 32-33).’ And it’s hard to argue with Job’s points, even today friends, but it is indeed wisdom to serve and pray to the Lord. Why you ask? It’s good to look back at another instance where a mortal man asked the same question that Job does above. We talking about the Pharaoh of Egypt. 

When Moses asked him to allow the Israelites to go into the wilderness and feast and worship the Lord, his arrogant reply was: ‘Who is the Lord, that I should obey his voice to let Israel go? I know not the Lord, neither will I let Israel go.’ (Ex. 5:2) And instead of letting them go into the wilderness to sacrifice to their God, he made their labour heavier. And despite several entreaties by Moses, and several plagues that fell upon the land of Egypt, Pharaoh refused to set God’s people free. 

Not until the tenth plague did he agree to let them go. That’s when all the first born of Egypt, of man and beast, died, and those of Israel survived, because they followed God’s instructions and sacrificed an unblemished lamb, placing its blood on the front of their houses, so when the angel of death passed over and saw the blood they did not destroy those within it. And that’s how the feast of the Passover came to be. That story can be found in Exodus 12. But Pharaoh was still so arrogant and full of himself, that even after allowing them to leave, he pursued them with his mighty army. 

And we have another wonderful example of why it’s important to serve and pray to Almighty God. The Lord parted the Red Sea for the Israelites to cross over on dry land, but drowned Pharaoh and all his host, fulfilling His promise to the Israelites as they stood afraid on the banks of the Red Sea watching Pharaoh and his mighty host approach. ‘And Moses said unto the people, Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation (deliverance) of the Lord, which he will show to you today: for the Egyptians whom ye have seen today, ye shall see them again no more for ever. The Lord shall fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace (be quiet).’ (Ex. 14:13-14) 

Yes friends, our God does not make empty promises, so please listen carefully to this one from the prophet Malachi, re the coming day of the Lord, a promise that pointedly ends the Old Testament. ‘For, behold, the day cometh, that shall burn as an oven; and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble: and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the Lord of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch. 

But unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings; and ye shall go forth, and grow up as calves in the stall (grow fat like stall fed calves). And ye shall tread down (trample) the wicked: for they shall be ashes under the soles of your feet in the day that I shall do this, saith the Lord of hosts.’ (Mal. 4:1-3) 

Oh my people, that day of the Lord is the coming of the Great Tribulation, and I don’t think we want to be involved in it nuh, for much anguish and pain will befall the wicked, that’s Satan and his followers. But please notice, that Sun of righteousness, the Messiah, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, has already made His entrance, with healing in His wings. So please don’t doubt that the rest of the promise will also come true. Thus, in light of that, I’m asking those of us who sincerely serve the Lord and seek righteousness, to join me right now, in prayer to our wonderful God, for His divine assistance with our many problems. 

As one strong voice, let’s send up our Monday Morning Battle Hymn to heaven. ‘Our Father, who art in heaven, we, Your humble servants, praise Your Holy Name and thank You this Monday morning for life and strong faith in Christ, despite the mass confusion in our world. We desperately need Your divine help, for You are the ONLY ONE with the power to solve our many problems. 

Heavenly Father, we admit that we have all sinned and seriously disobeyed Your Word, but we know that You are a merciful, forgiving and gracious God, who has faithfully promised to hear and answer our prayers when we humble ourselves, pray, and sincerely seek Your face. That’s why we come to You now, with sincere repentance in our hearts, pleading with You to give us wise guidance and direction to alleviate our problems. 

And Father, we pray that you will ease the pain of the many who are suffering from negative situations. Please show them Your awesome grace and mercy, and keep Your promise that You’ll hear our prayer, forgive us, and heal our land if we turn from our evil ways. Show this evil world that You are indeed Jehovah Rapha; the God who heals! We pray this in the holy and blessed name of Your Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen! And again, we say: Amen!’ 

Now, please remember that the Lord will only answer our prayer positively, after checking the motives of our hearts and seeing that they are right and sincere. Much LOVE!

…blessed are the righteous…and cursed are the ungodly…                                                          

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