Today’s Scrip-Bit 10 April 2009 Luke 23:46‏

10 Apr 2009 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Inspirational Living

GOOD FRIDAY

Luke 23:46    And when Jesus had cried with a loud voice, he said, Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit: and having said thus, he gave up the ghost.
 
Oh Friends, I know we promised to continue with the weary, satisfied soul, but we all realize what a sad, bitter sweet taste this day bears. Why? It’s sad and bitter because Jesus, in His innocence, was crucified, suffered a horrible death on that old, rugged cross, which from a sense of justice, was totally wrong, unfair and created a rather sorrowful situation. But on the other hand, it’s a sweet day cause if Jesus had not sacrificed His life for us on that rocky hillside called Golgotha, or Calvary (Latin trans.) we’d still be living under a criminal cloud of sin. His selfless death removed that calamitous cloud from over our sorry, miserable heads. His Father, our Creator, designed a total, complex and far-reaching plan composed of LOVE, wisdom, righteousness, justice and mercy to cleanse our disgusting, disobedient, sinful, ungodly souls. Justice had to be served; a sinless sacrifice was offered to pay the enormous sin debt we’d incurred. Mercy was then granted; sins removed from the multitude to the sacrificial lamb, thereby setting the multitude free to live in righteousness. Wisdom was brought to the table by fixing it all in one fell swoop. And for the greatest my Friends; LOVE! Oh…sacrificing your only son for worthless sinners, though of your own creation, is hard on any parent. If that isn’t the height, the zenith of LOVE, then I don’t know what is. I doubt I can sacrifice any of my children for any reason at all, and I certainly hope the Lord never tries to find out. But our Heavenly Father! Ah my people…He’s so awesome! And He LOVED us so much and desired with all His heart to restore a right relationship between Himself and us, that he came up with an ingenious, but just and merciful way to cleanse our sinful souls. And every time we read, or hear of Jesus’ selfless sacrifice on our behalf, we should be racked with a painful stab to our very heart, in eternal gratitude, for the unselfishness He showed, that we never deserved. Oh Friends, what a rough 24 hours that must have been for Jesus. We see how His soul was heavy and fearful the night before in the Garden of Gethsemane. How He prayed; ‘Saying, Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will but thine.’ (Luke 22:42) He knew deep down that His plea would be refused, but His weak human flesh came to the forefront just then and made Him plead for mercy. A willing spirit decided though, not His will but the Father’s. Then consider when the multitude came; Judas kissed and betrayed Him, while the other disciples ran away and left Him to bear the inhumanity alone. How Peter denied Him thrice in the high priest’s house. How the Jewish rulers used His own words to railroad Him. ‘Hereafter shall the Son of Man sit on the right hand of the power of God.’ (Luke 22:69) How they traipsed Him back and forth between Pilate and Herod, each trying not to be the decision maker, until Pilate cowardly washes his hands and bows to the crowd, stoked up by the elders, to release a seditious murderer Barabbas and crucify Jesus. Imagine the pain and humiliation when they flogged and spit on Him, put a crown of thorns on His head, bowed down and mockingly worshiped Him, then had Him bear His own cross. I guess they only grabbed Simon, the Cyrene to help because they knew after the ordeal they already put Him through, He’d never make it to Calvary carrying it Himself. To make matters worse, they crucified Him between two criminals. Oh Lord eh! Tore apart His garments and threw lots for them, while mocking Him on the cross. But Jesus’ response was magnificent and magnanimous as ever! ‘Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.’ (Luke 23:34) And while one thief berated Him to get them down, if He really was God’s Son, the other told him to shut up and respect God, because Jesus was innocent while they were guilty. And as always, Jesus rewarded heartfelt effort, saying unto the latter thief; ‘Verily I say unto thee, Today shalt thou be with me in Paradise.’ (Luke 23:43) Oh my people, picture this scene nuh: A rocky hill overlooking a squalid gully, with Jesus, already bruised and battered, now nailed to a wooden cross betwixt two thieves, this from about 9.a.m, with the morning sun getting hotter by the minute, meanwhile, soldiers, the Jewish elite, the rabble rousers and His own people all milling around; many shouting insults, one even spearing His side. But the Lord was still in control. From noon until 3 p.m. the whole place grew dark and miserable. ‘And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachtani? that is to say, My God, My God, why hast thou forsaken me?’ (Mat.27:46) The scholars claim that’s the high cost Jesus paid for the atonement of our sins, becoming accursed of His Father when our sins were transferred to Him, suffering the agony of spiritual death for us. Shortly after He said, ‘I thirst.’ (John 19:28) and they gave Him sour wine on a sponge. Then finally, He said, ‘Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit, and having said thus, he gave up the ghost.’ Oh my Friends, can any of us imagine ourselves playing the lead role in that cruel, true life story? Cruelly manhandled, then nailed to a cross for six hours? Certainly not! But I admire Jesus’ spirit, for even when He was down to His last breath, He never gave up; an attitude we must emulate. And when He cried out with that loud voice, it was a shout of triumph, knowing that He had successfully borne the wrath of God’s judgement against sin, and He had defeated Lucifer and the curse of sin. Oh my people, what a painful, but sadly satisfying moment! An awesome debt that we can never repay, but we can certainly be grateful; show our LOVE and gratitude by living lives that honour and glorify our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Much LOVE!…a believer’s death…is only the harbinger of eternal life…earned through Jesus’ sacrifice…

Today’s Scrip-Bit 9 April 2009 Jeremiah 31:25‏

09 Apr 2009 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Inspirational Living

Jeremiah 31:25     For I have satiated the weary soul and I have replenished every sorrowful soul.
 
And for that we are eternally grateful my Friends, as we awaken to begin a new day with new mercies, continuous kindness, constant guidance and direction from an ever-LOVING God, we call, ‘Abba, Father.’ Today’s Bit is taken from one of Jeremiah’s dreams, where he envisioned the land of Judah restored to its earlier prosperity, from the destruction and desolation that the Lord had wreaked on it for its sinful disobedience. ‘And there shall dwell in Judah itself, and in all the cities thereof together, husbandmen, and they that go forth with flocks.’ (vs.24) Oh my Friends, that’s the vision I want us to envision for our land in the coming years! As our faith dictates, we have to see it in our visions, before it becomes reality. But we can only find time to visualize that if we stop the mad rush we’re in to go nowhere, and return to the quiet, refreshing fellowship with the Lord, that we once had. We’re currently like Judah and the surrounding cities, undergoing destruction and desolation for our disobedience to God’s laws, and perpetrating the sinful actions of the enemy. For this we are no doubt being punished. But our God is such a merciful, forgiving Being, that He will not hold our wrongs against us forever. If we acknowledge our wrongdoing and ask His pardon, with a sincere heart, He will mercifully grant it. As He said to Jerry in the dream; ‘For I have satiated the weary soul and I have replenished every sorrowful soul.’ That’s the great extent of His mercy my people! Our God will, with no exceptions, satisfy and refresh every tired and/or sorrowful person that sincerely comes to Him. That’s the basic purpose of the thing we call sleep; to refresh and rejuvenate our tired bodies and souls. The Lord did not make us as automatons, to go on forever without stopping, but rather as man, to be rested and refreshed after a certain period of time, and if we try to force our selves to go on too long without being rejuvenated, our bodies and faculties either cease to function properly or shut down completely. Now that was not happenstance or coincidence, it was a definite plan of our Creator. We know He could have made the heavens, earth and all therein in the blink of an eyelash, but He chose to do it one day at a time, so He could tend to every little detail properly, and after each day He rested. That set’s an example for us my Friends: It’s the same way we should take one day at a time and then rest. We don’t need to get all a twitter, (not the new, insipid use of the word) and try to do more than we can. Remember the Good Book says His mercies are new everyday, not every two or three days. He only gives us enough mercy for one day at a time because that’s how He wants us to live. What does all the striving and straining to do many things accomplish eh? Nothing really! We just end up with more stress that kills both the body and the soul. And why is stress the number one killer, albeit a silent one, in our so advanced society?  Because we foolishly run hither, thither and yon, trying to be busy, but not really accomplishing a commensurate amount of productivity with our great outlay of energy. The economists call it the law of diminishing returns. Once you reach an optimum level, what ever else you put out is wasted. It’s like our car engine; below a certain speed it burns a lot of gas, at a medium speed it gives value for money, and at high speeds it’s just burning your cash. Take this nonsensical idea of multitasking that’s been foisted on a naive, unsuspecting public, by the greedy, short-sighted whoever they are. Fine, you can do more than one task at a time, but you will NEVER, and I repeat NEVER, do any as well as if you gave your full, focused attention to each one separately. Try it sometime daughter. (smile) Everyone’s foolishly rushing to get in on the next new thing, when they haven’t even understood the old. That only adds to the stress level and the inefficiency in our society. I find that our business places are very inefficient today, despite the computers and high level of technology in place. Just try calling any one of these big places for some mundane, simple info. They’re computerized to the hilt, but you either don’t get a human, or the few you get can’t give you an adequate response. Chuh! It just drives me crazy. Ah my Friends, we have to realize that God didn’t make man to be a machine. If He wanted a machine He would have made one. But He desired man; someone to worship and glorify Him, to take their time and do things properly, not rush around haphazardly, like headless chickens, and be inefficient. It’s strange that these same proponents of multi-tasking, the ones who engineered the devices we use for that purpose, they didn’t multi-task when they were creating their wonderful inventions. No! They had their minds and energy completely focused on their one project, else they would never have brought it to fruition. So why should we be forced to do more than our frail, fragile bodies can handle eh? It’s what’s happening with all these lay offs and job losses; the remaining people have to do more than one person’s job for the same money, perhaps even less, just to retain a job. But as the young people would disdainfully ask, ‘what does that ole fella know eh?’ Not much I grant, except for sure, that the Lord made us to live one day at a time; the reason for day following night. Neither to do too much in one day, since our bodies were not made to handle it; the reason for sleep and rest. To enjoy the beautiful surroundings He gave us. To replenish the earth, not drive it to extinction. Oh my people, let’s slow down nuh. We didn’t get where we are overnight, and more speed won’t get us where we’re going any faster, especially with a traffic jam up ahead. The Lord has built in speed and work bumps that make us sick when we try to do too much, too fast. Let’s recognize this and stop for a moment; look at the sad ravage spread around us; admit our wrong doing, then turn to the Lord and be wonderfully refreshed, both in body and soul. Hn,hn! Would you believe that after I wrote the opening greeting, I didn’t have a clue how to proceed? But such is the mercy of our wonderful God, when you earnestly call on Him, that I can’t even finish this today and will have to continue it tomorrow; the Good Lord willing of course.Till then,  Much LOVE!  …remember… as the ole people say…more haste…less speed…
 

Today’s Scrip-Bit 8 April 2009 Romans 13:1‏

08 Apr 2009 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Inspirational Living

Romans 13:1    ‘Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God.’
 
Wonderful words of wisdom my Friends, from that erudite Apostle, Bruh Paul! (smile) Just trying to add some levity to the greeting. But I sincerely pray that those Words find us joyful in the Lord this cold spring morning, waking to enjoy His daily bounty, and hopefully obeying His dictates of honouring authority. Yes my people, it’s man’s duty to honour those in authority. ‘Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers.’ And as Christians, we bear an even greater obligation; ‘For there is no power but of God.’ There is no authority but that which comes from God, or put differently, all authority comes from God, so if we don’t honour those in authority over us, then by extension, we’re disobeying God. ‘Whosoever therefore resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance of God: and they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation.’ (Rom.13:2) Not eternal damnation, but nonetheless a judgement of God, since the gov’t’s power comes from His delegation of authority. ‘For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to the evil. Wilt thou not be afraid of the power? do that which is good, and thou shalt have praise of the same.’ (vs.3) Yes Friends, theoretically, rulers should be suppressing evil works, and not good ones, so if we don’t want to fear the authorities, then we should do what is good, and the powers that be will praise us, or at least not harm us. And in his advice on Christian citizenship to Titus, Bruh Paul declares: ‘Put them in mind to be subject to principalities and powers, to obey magistrates, to be ready to every good work. To speak evil of no man, to be no brawlers, but gentle, showing all meekness unto all men.’ (Tit.3:1-2) There again he contends that we need to show respect to those in authority, and not be contentious citizens, bad mouthing others, but showing kindness and having Christian regard for all. And if you don’t believe Bruh Paul, then listen to Peter. ‘Submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord’s sake: whether it be the king, as supreme; Or unto governors, as unto them that are sent by him for the punishment of evil doers, and for the praise of them that do well. For so is the will of God, that with well doing ye may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men.’ (I Pet.2:13-15) He’s saying the same thing: respect those in authority. ‘For he is the minister of God to thee for good. But if thou do that which is evil, be afraid; for he beareth not the sword in vain: for he is the minister of God; a revenger to execute wrath upon him that doeth evil.’ (Rom.13:4) Oh my brethren, the long and short of the story is that human gov’t is supposed to uphold good and punish evil, deciding what’s right and wrong. And believers should revere and obey the powers that be. But my people, there’s one catch, one codicil to all this my: That reverence and obedience is only lawful and legal if the gov’t doesn’t require the believer to do things that violate the Word of God. As Acts 5:29 declares: ‘Then Peter and the other apostles answered and said, we ought to obey God rather than men.’ Note, Peter is not condoning civil disobedience, as we can see from his earlier quote, but when the civil gov’t’s dictates are opposed to the explicit commands of God’s Word, then believers should obey God and prepare to suffer the consequences. For gov’ts are empowered by God, and their primary focus should be on things that uplift and glorify God. The authority (the sword) to punish evil and reward good is also derived from the Lord’s delegation. That’s why it’s so important that we, as believers, should be actively involved in gov’t, so that we can keep the values entrenched there, consistent with God’s Word. It’s our Christian duty to keep the gov’t running on the right path, which we have not done, hence the serious falling off of godly principles in its halls, leading to our current calamitous situation. Oh Friends, by the apostles creed, we have been judged and sadly found wanting. If we had obeyed God and not man, and stood up to the evil enemy that calls itself the gov’t, and not allowed them to remove as many aspects of Christian culture and living as they’ve done, we certainly would not be in such bad shape now. But as we keep saying; while there is Life, there’s always HOPE. And we need to turn that HOPE into FAITH, then into ACTION; enjoin the battle with the evil enemy and begin to recoup our losses, cause Friends, the further we stray from God, the closer we come to destruction. And that’s no great revelation or prophecy, just simple logic if we believe as Bruh Paul says; ‘For there is no power but of God: and the powers that be are ordained of God.’ So, as loyal, Christian soldiers, we seriously need to do something about the lack of godly principles in the halls of power. It’s not going to be easy, but with Almighty God on our side, who can defeat us eh? Much LOVE!….stand up, stand up for Jesus…..the trumpet call obey…..till every foe is vanquished…..and Christ is Lord indeed…..
 

Today’s Scrip-Bit 7 April 2009 Psalm 131:1‏

07 Apr 2009 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Inspirational Living

Psalm 131:1    Lord my heart is not haughty, nor mine eyes lofty: neither do I exercise myself in great matters or in things too high for me.
 
Welcome once again my Friends, to a new day filled with new mercies from the Most High God Jehovah. And since we did not read our names in the obituaries today, then there should be a rather big smile splaying all over our beautiful faces, and a loud, ‘Thank You Lord!’ issuing from our lips. I have already been a beneficiary of that new mercy; I didn’t have to sweat and search for a Bit, like I sometimes do. I simply opened my Bible at one of the bookmarks; this one bears no special significance, though a couple others do, and my eyes fell on Psalm 131. I read it and it sounded interesting, alive with possibilities, but had I used it before? Fortunately a search of the records said nay, for which I obviously gave much thanks. Friends, I don’t know if you appreciate the difficulty sometimes of finding a meaningful, unused Bit, and they get fewer with each passing day. I guess it’s a combination of my state of mind and the Lord’s purpose for His Word that day; if He’s trying to teach me a lesson or prove a point. But I’m surely thankful when I find one easily, and try to be like Bruh David says; ‘Lord my heart is not haughty, nor mine eyes lofty.’ Come to think of it, those are two problems I’ve never really had; a proud heart, or conceited eyes, as some have mistakenly thought. You could possibly make a better case for the exact opposite. As my old Principal in High School, E.C.R Blackett, consistently wrote on my report cards. ‘The boy is lazy; has no ambition.’  Half-truths. (smile) But my people, in this day and age of the self, it’s a problem too many of us exhibit. Lots of us thing we’re the cat’s pajamas, when we’re nowhere even close. However, our society with its busyness and tendency to value so-called importance encourages us to put on this show of being somebody special. Oh we all are special to someone(s) on earth and to Jesus in heaven, but there’s a fine line we walk when we cater to the cult of self-aggrandizement. We all have that need to feel important in varying amounts, it’s human nature, but we have to be very careful and don’t over value our importance, for it’s sure to boomerang on us some day, when we’re suddenly confronted with the fact that we’re not as important as we thought. And Friends, sometimes the shock of that awareness can do great psychological damage to our fragile egos and emotions. It can sometimes be like dreaming you’re in heaven, but awakening to find that you’re really in hell. Oh people, I certainly hope this is making sense and that it will touch someone, somewhere, who’s afflicted with this problem, and cause them to stop and take a critical look at themselves before it’s too late, for we all know that our God despises the proud and haughty. Jeremiah clarifies it well. ‘And seekest thou great things for thyself? seek them not: for, behold, I will bring evil upon all flesh, saith the Lord: but thy life will I give unto thee for a prey in all places whither thou goest.’ (Jer.45:5) Yes my brethren, those were the words of advice from the Lord, via Jeremiah, to Baruch. Advice all of us should steadfastly heed, for the Lord will not hesitate to bring adversity upon the haughty and arrogant, while giving life as a prize unto those who genuinely honour and glorify His Name, and make of themselves no name, like Jesus did. ‘Neither do I exercise myself in great matters, or in things too high for me.’ Bruh David’s saying he doesn’t concern himself with great matters, or things that are too profound or difficult for him. We should also be careful of that, because oftimes it’s just a sign of our pride and haughtiness showing up; we just want to be involved in weighty affairs to be recognized as an important person. Note though Friends, this doesn’t mean we should not strive to better or improve ourselves and move up the so-called ladder of success, but as with life itself, and most things therein, there’s a thin red line between what we should and shouldn’t do. Life is a scale of checks and balances, and our success depends on how much we keep it in close harmony, not letting it get too out of tune. And there’s a fitting quote on the bookmark I mentioned earlier, from St. Therese, the Little Flower Of Jesus. She says; ‘Jesus does not look so much at the greatness of our actions, or even at their difficulty, as at the LOVE with which we do them.’ And all God’s people said, ‘Amen!’ And for good measure, I’ll leave us with a quote from one who had education, social standing and also something to say on almost everything, (smile) but rather glorified Jesus, and never made of himself  any name; our good Friend, Bruh Paul. ‘Be of the same mind one to another. Mind not high things, but condescend to (associate with) men of low estate. be not wise in your own conceits (estimation) (Rom.12:16) That’s exactly how Jesus behaved my people. And if we follow that advice, then we can all become more like Him, which is one of our earthly mandates. Much LOVE!…..have pride….but be humble….reach high….but for the right reasons….
 

Today’s Scrip-Bit 6 April 2009 John 2:16‏

06 Apr 2009 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Inspirational Living

John 2:16    And said unto them that sold doves, Take these things hence; make not my Father’s house a house of merchandise.
 
Oh my Friends, another day has dawned, bright and sunny in some places, cold and miserable in others, but always bringing the peace, mercy and good tidings of our ever LOVING Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, plus the strength, wisdom and wherewithal to bravely face whatever challenges that may come against us this day. Wow! What an opening! Beat that nuh Bruh Paul! (smile) Anyway Friends, Today’s Bit highlights another cleansing of the temple by Jesus; this one at another Passover earlier on in His ministry, but it’s only recorded by John. I like Jesus’ spirit. He’s a man after mih own heart: a man of action, no beating about the bush. He went up to Jerusalem; ‘And he found in the temple those that sold oxen and sheep and doves, and the changers of money sitting.’ (John 2:14) Now according to the scholars, in those times, pilgrims to Jerusalem brought a variety of currency, but temple dues could only be paid in sacred coinage, hence the need to change your money and the rise of the moneychangers. These pilgrims didn’t bring any animals for sacrifices either, that opened the door to the selling of doves for that purpose. The dove for sacrifice enterprise was also a source of extortion for the family of the high priest, who personally controlled it. Apparently the temple and its surrounding area had the atmosphere of a public bazaar, a combination I guess of our modern day flea and farmer’s markets: a bustling hive of business activity. This obviously infuriated Jesus and got His adrenalin pumping since He took it as a gross misuse of His Father’s House ‘And when he had made a scourge of small cords, he drove them all out of the temple, and the sheep, and the oxen; and poured out the changers money, and over threw the tables.’ (John 2:15) Bravo Jesus! And who says that He didn’t have any manly parts eh Friends? He had ingenuity too; forming a whip out of a bunch of small cords, possibly something like a cat-o-nine tails. Don’t think He had the time or patience to weave them together to form a solid whole. But whatever form that whip took, it was certainly sufficient to do the job. And after that Jesus ‘said unto them that sold doves, Take these things hence; make not my Father’s house a house of merchandise. And His disciples remembered that it was written, The zeal of thine house hath eaten me up.’ (John 2:16-17) This refers to words of Bruh David when he cried out in distress to the Lord. ‘For the zeal of thine house hath eaten me up; and the reproaches of them that reproached thee are fallen on me.’ (Ps.69:9) Malachi also foretold Jesus showing up in the temple. ‘Behold I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me: and the Lord whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in: behold, he shall come, saith the Lord of hosts.’ (Mal.3:1) John the Baptist came and prepared the way, but when Jesus suddenly showed up in the temple and began kicking butt, many people were not delighted with Him, since He disrupted their dishonest but highly profitable livelihood. But seriously though people, Jesus’ semi-violent acts, not once, but twice, in cleansing the temple and its surrounds, plus His many sarcastic conversations with the Jewish elders, shows how disgusted He was with organized religion and the utter contempt He held for it, because it just made a mockery of everything good, serious and godly that He stood for. Under such outrageous conditions He just could not stand idly by and do nothing. Sadly though Friends, today some of our churches are places of big business more than houses of worship. It’s true money is needed to fund God’s operations, but it should not be the main activity, as it is in some of God’s houses. And even worse, too many churches are becoming involved in illegitimate and dishonest schemes, things like tax dodges, and even outright scams by ministers. In many places a thorough cleansing needs to be performed, but since Jesus isn’t here in human form to do it, the distasteful job falls to us, His reps, members of His Church. It’s another bone of contention that unbelievers use to stigmatize us, and unfortunately, too often their snide remarks do hold water. Oh my people, if God’s church can’t be relied on to do the right thing, to not only preach honesty and righteousness, but more importantly to practice it, what else can we expect from onlookers but disgust and ridicule eh? And it only takes one bad apple to spoil everyone’s good name. So let’s make a serious effort to clean up our own backyard nuh, before someone else comes and does it for us. It’s time we purge dishonesty from our Houses of Worship, even though some are built on it. Remember Jesus is watching, and from His actions against organized religion when He was here in human form, you know He’s far from pleased. And the next time He comes, I can assure you, He won’t be swinging a small whip of cords, but something that provides harsher punishment for the moneychangers and extortionists in our midst. It’s our Christian duty and responsibility to start cleaning up our act, right now, so we can restore Christ’s good name to His church. It’s the least we can do. Much LOVE!…honesty and integrity…must be paramount policy of Christ’s Church…
 

Today’s Scrip-Bit 5 April 2009 Matthew 21:5‏

05 Apr 2009 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Inspirational Living

 PALM SUNDAY.

Matthew 21:5    Tell ye the daughter of Zion, Behold, thy King cometh unto thee, meek and sitting upon an ass, and a colt, the foal of an ass.

Oh my Friends, Peace, Grace, LOVE and Good Fellowship to us all from our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, the same one who triumphantly entered Jerusalem on that first Palm Sunday over two thousand years ago, thereby fulfilling the scripture that had been prophesied long before. Isaiah said it thus: ‘Behold the Lord hath proclaimed unto the end of the world, Say ye to the daughter of Zion, Behold thy salvation cometh, behold his reward is with him, and his work before him.’ (Is.62:11) Zechariah though was more to the point: ‘Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion: shout, O daughter of Jerusalem: behold thy King cometh unto thee: he is just, and having salvation; lowly, and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt, the foal of an ass. And I will cut off the chariot from Ephraim, and the horse from Jerusalem, and the battle bow shall be cut off: and he shall speak peace unto the heathen: and his dominion shall be from sea even to the sea, and from the river even to the ends of the earth.’ (Zech.9:9-10) Oh people, what moving, mystifying and prophetic verses of scripture! All written long before Jesus was even a speck in His mother’s eye. (smile) And yet they say the Bible is not God’s inspired Word? How else could too men, living years apart, write in such plain terms about the same event that would take place hundreds of years later eh? But don’t bother with the ignorant unbelievers my Friends, their day will come. Let’s just celebrate the triumphal entry that our Lord made that first Palm Sunday, riding on a lowly donkey, an animal of peace. The kings of the earth enter cities to rain disgrace, destruction, and devastation. But out Lord comes to bring salvation and peace; hence one of His many titles; ‘The Prince of Peace.’ ‘And he shall speak unto the heathen.’ This did Jesus do, preaching His gospel to all mankind regardless of creed, colour, class or race, also instructing His followers to do the same. Thus Bruh Paul took it upon himself to spread the word to the Gentiles; the non-Jews, the unbelievers. Jesus knew it was His job to fulfill the scriptures, that’s why on that prophetic day, when they came to Bethpage, near Jerusalem, he sent two disciples, ‘saying unto them, Go into the village over against you, and straightway ye shall find an ass tied, and a colt with her; loose them and bring them unto me. And if any man say aught unto you, ye shall say, the Lord hath need of them; and straightway he shall send them…And the disciples went and did as Jesus commanded them. And brought the ass, and the colt, and put on them their clothes, and they set him thereon. And a very great multitude spread their garments in the way; others cut down branches from trees, and strewed them in the way. And the multitude that went before, and that followed, cried, saying, Hosanna to the son of David: Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord; Hosanna in the highest. And when he was come in to Jerusalem, all the city was moved, saying, who is this? And the multitude said, This is Jesus, the prophet of Nazareth of Galilee.’ (Mat.21:2-3, 6-11) Ah mih people, it’s such a moving story, I couldn’t cut it any shorter. That’s the day Jesus officially offered Himself to Israel as their long awaited Messiah; riding on a donkey like the kings of Israel were wont to do. And like a king, He asserted His authority: ‘And Jesus went into the temple of God, and cast out all of them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the money changers and the seats of them that sold doves.’  (vs.12) But the audacity eh mih brethren! Conducting their crooked business in the Lord’s house. No respect! And Jesus rightly told them off. ‘It is written, my house shall be called a house of prayer, but ye have made it into a den of thieves.’ (vs.13) Jesus again shows His knowledge and use of the scriptures, for that quote came from two different prophets; Isaiah: ‘for mine house shall be called a house of prayer for all people.’  (Isa.56:7) And from Jeremiah: ‘Is this house, which is called by my name become a den of robbers in your eyes? Behold, even I have seen it, saith the Lord.’ (Jer.7:11) Bruh Paul has that tendency too, to juxtapose bits of scripture from different places. But they all make sense. Then Jesus healed the blind and the lame in the temple. Obviously His sudden popularity and His taking over the temple to heal the poor and downtrodden displeased the Jewish elders, and they accosted Him and said; ‘Hearest thou what these say? And Jesus saith unto them; Yea, ye have never read, Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings thou hast perfected praise.’ (Mat.21:16) Oh Friends, what a way our Lord Jesus had with words! He could tie you up in knots, or whip you, like He did the elders there, referring to His forefather, Bruh David’s words. ‘Out of the mouths of babes and sucklings hast thou ordained strength because of thine enemies, that thou mightest still the enemy and the avenger.’ (Ps.8:2) Yes my people, that’s the awesome power of our God! That out of the mouths of infants He can establish His strength to silence His enemies. Ah Friends, this is a significant day in the Christian calendar. Let’s enjoy it by going to church and/or gathering with other believers, invite some non-believers too, and celebrate by giving thanks and praise to the Most High God Jehovah and His Son Jesus Christ for being so good to us poor sinners. Enjoy today, for in five days time, our hearts will be sadly broken, like Jesus’ body was upon that old rugged cross. Much LOVE My People!…..the crowd cried…..Hosanna….. …..Hosanna….save us please….and Jesus did…

Today’s Scrip-Bit 4 April 2009 Philemon 17‏

04 Apr 2009 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Inspirational Living

Philemon 17    If thou count me therefore a partner, receive him as myself.
 
Well hello there my faithful Friends! ‘Grace to you, and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.’ Just practicing what I preach. (smile) Yesterday we began looking at how Bruh Paul built his case to Philemon, re the runaway slave Onesimus. Today we’ll continue it. After the godly greeting and all the commendations on Philemon’s faith at work, Bruh Paul smartly tacks to windward, avoiding the use of formal apostolic authority to have him take back Onesimus. (vs.8) ‘Yet for LOVE’S sake, I rather beseech thee…I beseech thee for my son Onesimus, whom I have begotten in my bonds.’ (vs.9-10) Remember, though the slave had no rights in Roman law, Bruh Paul now considered Onesimus a son, born of necessity in his imprisonment, a free man in Christ Jesus, and also a brother in the Lord to Philemon, his earthly master. Bruh Paul’s basically putting poor Philemon between a rock and a hard place. He uses incentives like, he wasn’t useful to you before, but now he’s useful to us both, also playing on the meaning of the name, Onesimus, ‘useful’ (vs.11) And Bruh Paul would have kept Onesimus in Rome to help him, but wouldn’t do anything without Philemon’s consent, ‘that thy benefit should not be as it were of necessity, but willingly.’ (vs.13-14) Bruh Paul certainly knew how to manipulate the human mind. He wanted Philemon’s good deed to seem like a willing, Christian act, not like it was forced upon him. And he could jive with the best of them too. ‘For perhaps he therefore departed for a season, that thou shouldest receive him forever. Not now as a servant, but above a servant, a brother beloved, specially to me, but how much more unto thee, both in the flesh and in the Lord.’ (vs.15-16) That’s good ‘lawyering’ my Friends. Imagine Philemon reading this letter nuh, and getting somewhat worked up by all Bruh Paul’s fancy reasoning. But then he throws in the personal side of the argument: ‘If thou count me therefore a partner, receive him as myself. If he hath wronged thee, or oweth thee aught, put that on my account. I Paul have written it with mine own hand, I will repay it: albeit I do not say to thee how thou owest unto me even thine own self besides.’ (vs.17-19) Bruh Paul is showing his generous side, offering to repay Philemon whatever Onesimus owed him, but note the last part of verse 19, where he subtly reminds Philemon of his own debts. What a brilliant strategist my people! In today’s greedy, rapacious world, he would have made a killing with that brilliant mind, if he so desired. And so my people, we come once again to the fact that talk is very cheap, but good deeds not so. But we can only show our faith through our works. And it does take a little more gumption for us to actually step out and do something that will make Christ proud. I don’t know if this was the logic Bruh Paul was following with Philemon, but if Philemon was such a hotshot believer, it sure stood a good chance of working. Then he would be forced to show his Christian faith in action, by taking his ex-slave back as a free man, forgiving him his wrongdoing, and also considering him his brother in Christ. That’s a tall order even by today’s standards, much less back then with life more closely regulated, both politically and religiously, and prone to harsher justice and punishment. But Friends, as Bruh Paul might have told Philemon today, ‘Brother, either put up or shut up nuh. Put yuh money where yuh mouth is!’ (smile) I’m smiling my people, but those same words can also be used against us. They’re still too many sick, hurting, suffering citizens out there, that as true believers, we should be helping, but are not. My Brethren, it’s time to forget ourselves and concentrate on others. There are lots of people out there suffering more than us. If we look around, we can all find at least one Onesimus to help. Jesus didn’t have to come and die for us nuh, but he became selfless and did it because the Father asked Him. That was the only way to cleanse all sin forever. And even when human fear gripped Him in the Garden of Gethsemane, He never faltered. So if we hope to be anything like Jesus, the first thing we must do is to forget about self; me, my and I, remembering Bruh Paul’s prayer for the Colossians, ‘That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God.’ (Col.1:10) That’s also my wish today for all of us my people; that we might walk worthy of the Lord, bearing good fruit in both faith and works, and in the process, coming to know Jesus better. Much LOVE!…Christianity suffers from…too much talk… and too little walk…
 

Today’s Scrip-Bit 3 April 2009 Philemon 6‏

03 Apr 2009 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Inspirational Living

Philemon 6    That the communication of thy faith may become effectual by the acknowledging of every good thing which is in you in Christ Jesus.
 
Wow Friends! That’s vintage Bruh Paul; using plenty words, where few might suffice. But that’s just his style, and who am I to judge him eh, especially since I sometimes suffer from the same affliction? (smile) But anyway, this brief letter to Philemon, a co-worker in Christ’s ministry, shows us some of Bruh Paul’s Christ-like nature; forgiving, asking for forgiveness for others and paying the price for someone else. Apparently Philemon’s slave, Onesimus, which means ‘useful,’ had done him wrong then ran off to Rome, where he met Bruh Paul, was eventually converted to the faith and helped Bruh Paul in his ministry there. Now, Bruh Paul, writing from prison in Rome, is asking Philemon to receive Onesimus back. But as always, he begins with a prayer for grace and peace. ‘Grace to you, and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.’ (vs.3) Now that strikes me as a beautiful opening sentiment, and surprisingly enough the spirit just spurred me into thinking, and suggesting, that it’s one we could all adopt in our letters and missives to each other, and also to unbelievers, those who won’t rant and rave when they read Jesus’ name. I think it extends a warm, caring greeting and flavour to our messages, plus it helps to keep God on our minds. Even the unbelievers, for if they see or hear it often enough, it’s going to seep into their unconsciousness and make them more amenable to accepting Christ as their Lord and Saviour. Note, this isn’t gospel, just my take on the subject. But I’m sure many of us would experience a feeling of joy, relief or some such emotion, if most of our correspondence began with, ‘Grace to you, and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, ‘ or words which convey that sentiment. It sure puts you in a better frame of mind to receive the rest of the message, be it good news or bad. Philemon would certainly need to hear something peaceful and calm if he was to respond like Bruh Paul suggests; accepting Onesimus back, ‘not now as a servant, but above a servant, a brother beloved, specially to me, but how much more unto thee, both in the flesh and in the Lord.’ (vs.16) Here Bruh Paul is trading on Philemon’s faith, as Onesimus now has two new relationships to him, no longer a slave, but above that and also a ‘brother in the Lord.’ Bruh Paul had already softened up Philemon at the beginning: ‘I thank my God, making mention of thee always in my prayers. Hearing of thy LOVE and faith, which thou hast toward the Lord Jesus, and toward all saints. That the communication of thy faith may become effectual by the acknowledging of every good thing which is in you in Christ Jesus.’ (vs.4-6) Oh Friends, when someone says such nice things about you and your ministry for God, it’s hard to turn down even their most painful requests afterwards. Bruh Paul’s praising him for the LOVE and faith he’s shown towards Jesus and all the believers that pass through his life. Wishing that the sharing of his faith becomes very effective. Like he said to the Philippians: ‘And this I pray that your LOVE may abound yet more and more in knowledge and in all judgement: That ye may approve things that are excellent; that ye may be sincere and without offense till the day of Christ. Being filled with the fruits of righteousness, which are by Jesus Christ, unto the glory and praise of God.’ (Phil.1:9-11) Yes my people, that’s also my prayer for every one of us who claims to be a follower of Christ. Why? Because that’s the only way others will know and see us as true believers; when we put our faith to work, not only in words, but also in deeds, especially emotionally difficult and painful deeds. For as James disputes; ‘What doth it profit, my brethren though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? can faith save him?…Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone. Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: show me thy faith without thy works, and I will show thee my faith by my works. But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?’  (James 2:14,17,18,20) And all God’s people said, ‘Amen!’ Yes my Friends, that’s the only way to truly show our faith, by our works. Let’s get out there and do some more works nuh! Much LOVE!…talk is mucho cheap…but good deeds expensive…  To be continued tomorrow…God willing.
 

Today’s Scrip-Bit 2 April 2009 1 Corinthians 4:5‏

02 Apr 2009 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Inspirational Living

1 Corinthians 4:5    Therefore judge nothing before the time until the Lord come, who both will bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and will make manifest the counsels of the hearts: and then shall every man have praise of God.
 
Oh my Friends, how well we know the relevant words of Jesus on that subject! ‘Judge not, that ye be not judged. For with what judgement ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again.’ (Mat.7:1-2)  But do we follow it? Only conveniently; when it suits our purposes, when we are the ones being judged. Unfortunately though my people, our society falls amongst the most judgemental ever, though we profess to have an open, liberal policy. Yes, we’re very quick to judge others, through idle gossip, innuendo, outright lies and our wonderful new era of misinformation. I hope you detected the note of sarcasm there. (smile) Our technological advances in communication has spawned a vast network of invasive media, and though oftimes we only have the surface information, and we know it’s not the full story, or even if it’s the truth, we still plough ahead and make substantial judgements about other people on the basis of that incomplete, possibly erroneous info. And it wouldn’t be so bad if we just kept it to ourselves, but no, we have to tell it to all our cronies, who pass it on with their own embellishments, so by the time it get’s back to you, it’s completely changed. This cult of the celebrity that’s currently ruling our world is a perfect example. Paparazzi now lurk everywhere in the hope of catching some poor slob seen as a celebrity, off guard, so they can make a quick dollar and spread the woeful news around the world. And like a sop, we lap it up. But would we like to be treated in the same manner? Certainly not! What’s good for the goose here, is definitely not so for the gander. Oh Friends, tendencies like that sadly undermine our Christian principles and show us to be real hypocrites. We can’t be one minute gossiping, spreading uncertain info, then next minute be beating our chests, proclaiming we’re such staunch followers of Christ. It’s that kind of behaviour that turns off unbelievers. And even worse, sometimes we’re also guilty of the same things we harshly criticize others for. But there are always good reasons and excuses for our behaviour, though we conveniently forget that others might have good reasons too. As they say, you can’t really judge me until you’ve walked a mile in my shoes, since you don’t know if my shoes are too big, too small, too wide, too narrow or have no sole at all, but each of these conditions will dictate how I walk. That’s why Bruh Paul is exhorting us ‘to judge nothing before the time until the Lord come.’ He himself suffered similar trials and judgements, especially when he turned from persecutor to apostle. It took some time before other Christians trusted him or his motives. ‘Moreover it is required in stewards that a man be found faithful. But with me it is a very small thing that I should be judged of you, or of man’s judgement: yea, I judge not mine own self…but he that judgeth me is the Lord.’ (1 Cor.4:2-4) Yeh Friends, Bruh Paul couldn’t care less if, how or when man judged him. His only true and rightful judge was the Lord. In light of all this, I’m asking us to ramp down the harshly critical attitude we have in our current society, for our own sakes, because when the Lord comes, ‘who both will bring to light the hidden things of darkness…’ Meaning everything done or hidden in the darkness will be brought to light. Jesus warned; ‘Fear them not therefore: for there is nothing covered, that shall not be revealed; and hid, that shall not be known.’ (Mat.10:26) Yes my brethren, all our evil deeds will be brought to light then too, so unless we don’t have any, we’d better not be too quick to judge others. And not only will the hidden deeds be revealed, but Jesus also ‘will make manifest the counsels of the hearts.’ Wow! What a day that will be my people, when the true motives of our hearts are revealed. For ‘Everyman’s work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man’s work of what sort it is.’ (1 Cor.3:13) What a bam bam mih Friends! For none of us have perfect motives. And if our work survives the trial by fire, then we’ll be rewarded. But if not, the work will be lost, but we’ll be saved through the same fire. (1 Cor.3:14-15) That’s because Jesus Christ is the only foundation worth building our lives, our hopes and dreams on. Then my Friends, ‘then shall every man have praise of God.’ Whatever praise we deserve, we’ll have of Jesus on that judgement day my people. So the moral of the story is simply to live as Christ-like as humanly possible; do good deeds through a pure, righteous, kind and LOVING heart, and don’t be overly critical of the faults and mistakes of others, keeping in mind that at the judgement call, all will be revealed, including our evil deeds, and we don’t want out work to perish in the fire, but withstand it, like Daniel and his buddies, thereby bringing generous praise and rewards from our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. So let’s turn down the criticism nuh, instead pray for those whom we think are doing wrong, improve the rightness of our hearts, and go out there and be worthy messengers and servants of Christ. That’s all He asks of us. Much LOVE!…check out the beam in our eyes…before we see the speck in others’… 
 

Today’s Scrip-Bit 1 April 2009 Isaiah 35:3‏

01 Apr 2009 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Inspirational Living

Isaiah 35:3    Strengthen ye the weak hands, and confirm the feeble knees.
 
Oh my Friends, it’s April Fool’s Day, but we’re not fooling. In these troublesome times we are all certainly in need of that blessing, to uplift our weak hands and strengthen our feeble knees, from the lowest to the highest, the richest to the poorest, for when times are rough, we all become more fearful and concerned than when they are good, in spite of our position in society or the quantity of our material possessions. Whew! Shades of Bruh Paul eh? (smile) But the truth nonetheless! Yes my people, it’s rough out there, and it seems to be getting rougher every day. Apparently we have not hit rock bottom as yet, BUT in Chap.35, Isaiah is prophesying of Israel’s return to Zion; when prosperity returns after the great destruction and tribulation. It’s a message of HOPE for the future. I am also trying to instil that message of HOPE into all of us during these dire times. And as Isaiah confidently declares; ‘Say to them that are of a fearful heart, Be strong, fear not: behold, your God will come with vengeance, even God with a recompense; he will come and save you.’ (Isa.35:4) And all God’s people sang; ‘Glory Hallelujah!’ That’s a HOPE and a TRUTH we need to confidently believe right now, my people. As all the supposed strong building blocks of our society are crumbling right before our amazed eyes, we need something of strength, purpose, insight and truth more than ever to hold on to, to reassure us that all is not lost, that there is HOPE for a better tomorrow, a brighter future. And the only thing my Friends, the only thing that does it, has done it throughout the ages, and will continue to do it in the future, right till eternity, is the solid, fateful, faithful Word of Almighty God, the Creator and Giver of all things and people. Job rightly said that the Lord gives and also takes, but we must learn to realize that whatever His reason(s) for taking, like now, that those times will pass, because He said so, and He will once again be generous to those He LOVES unconditionally. But we need to stand strong and keep the faith; don’t give up as soon as things look dark and murky. I have to chuckle because poor Job was so misunderstood by his friends, that although they meant him well and made some good general points, not too many of them really applied to Job. Hear one of these instances, when Eliphaz rebukes him. ‘Behold, thou hast instructed many, and thou hast strengthened the weak hands. Thy words have upholden him that was falling, and thou hast strengthened the feeble knees. But now it is come upon thee, and thou faintest, it toucheth thee, and thou art troubled. Is not this thy fear, thy confidence, thy hope, and the uprightness of thy ways?’ (Job 4:3-6) What did he take Job for, an automaton? If a man loses his family and his possessions in the blink of an eye without any overt reason, he must feel grief and trepidation. However my people, in these tremulous times of much doubt and fear, strife and greed, darkness and sorrow, please, I implore us, let’s not lose our Faith, our Confidence, our HOPE and the Uprightness of our ways, for it’s those very things, if we grasp them firmly and hold on tightly, that will see us through these dark and desperate times. If it’s one thing mankind has in abundance is that incredible power to bounce back from his misfortune, and to keep on bouncing back, but that’s only when he has a solid foundation under him. And we all know that the most solid foundation to build on in this violent, deceitful world is none other than the powerful Word of the Most High God Jehovah, that’s ever so steadfast and unchanging. It’s the surest way to strengthen our sinking, despondent hands and hearts, and to make firm our weakened knees, belly and backbone. And as Bruh Paul both admonishes and encourages us; ‘Wherefore lift up the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees. And make straight paths for your feet, lest that which is lame be turned out of the way; but let it rather be healed. Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord.’ (Heb.12:12-14) Yes my Friends, that’s how we need to operate at all times, but especially in the rough ones. Though things may not look good, we still have to walk the straight and narrow path with care, looking straight ahead, lest we trip and dislocate some joint of our weak and fevered body. We also need to keep peace as a top priority in our lives, righteousness too, for as the man says, without it, we don’t stand a snowball’s chance in hell of seeing God. And since we all desperately want to see the Father, then, ‘let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us. Looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.’ (Heb.12:1-2) Oh my people, if Jesus could endure such suffering, shame and misery on our behalf, why can’t we put up with a little inconvenience and hard times eh? We won’t be killed, and it’s definitely not the end of the world, so let’s stand strong, let’s actually show that faith we profess, show it in action, and run that glorious marathon of life with a firm belief and patience in our merciful God, confidently knowing, that if we so do, at the end, Jesus will reward us with a cheerful greeting; ‘Welcome, thou good and faithful servant!’ and allot us a favoured space on the right hand of His throne. Much LOVE!…stand strong my people…now is not the time to panic…but to stand strong…
 

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