Today’s Scrip-Bit   17 January 2023 Luke 18:1.

17 Jan 2023 Leave a comment

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

Luke 18:1.       And he (Jesus) spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint (lose heart).

Ah well, they say good things never last forever, and who am I to doubt them eh? (smile) It seems like the dry and brilliant sunlit scene we’ve been experiencing for the last few days is now over. Sadly, we’ve gone back to the wet, gloomy, cloudy days of yore. (smile) But we won’t allow it to kill our spirits, because we have the Master of all goodness and encouragement living within us, His august and holy name is Jesus Christ! The name that’s above every other name, and to which every knee will eventually bow. And the sooner we believe and bow, the better off we’ll be. 

Now, as I was sitting here wondering what to write, while skimming through the Good Library, I came upon this most apropos passage of scriptures, where Bruh Paul is praying for the Ephesians not to worry about him and his tribulations. ‘Wherefore I desire (ask) that ye faint not (not lose heart) at my tribulations for you, which is your glory.’ (Eph. 3:13) 

Now only Bruh Paul could pen a verse like that. And the scholars tell us it means that ‘God will use Paul’s tribulations and sufferings in the ministry to spiritually benefit his recipients. Such edification will then bring about glory on their part in that they praise and honour God.’ Yes friends, that’s the benefit of the testimony of other saints; it teaches and encourages us. 

Thus, all the suffering and tribulation that Bruh Paul went through for Christ’s sake should be an eye-opening education and enlightenment also to us in these exceedingly tough and ungodly times. Just like he plowed through the ungodly times in which he lived, we too should be plowing through our times, using him as an example. But what I really want to highlight today, is Bruh Paul’s actual prayer for the church. 

He says: ‘For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, Of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man; That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in LOVE, May be able to comprehend (understand) with all saints what is the breadth (width), and length, and depth, and height; And to know the LOVE of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fullness of God.’ (Eph. 3:14-19) 

Wow! What an empowering and heart felt prayer. It’s not about material riches, but rather spiritual enlightenment and understanding! Let’s check it our verse by verse nuh, so we can better understand it. In verse 14, Bruh Paul is resuming his prayer begun in verse one, but delayed by all the other stuff in verses 2-12. Meanwhile verse 15 illuminates us to the fact that ALL the saints, both past and present are named by God, in other words, they, and subsequently us, derive our spiritual life from God. 

Then In verses 16-19, Bruh Paul prays for three things. (1) ‘That they would be strengthened with might by his Spirit; that is, they be divinely enabled to successfully live the Christian life. (2) That the readers be able to comprehend…the LOVE of Christ; that is, to better understand the enormous LOVE Christ has for them, (as well as for us). And (3) that they might be filled with all the fullness of God; that is, that the life, character and virtues of God Himself may be fully developed in them.’ 

Ah my brethren, that’s the kind of prayer Bruh Paul made for most of the churches that he wrote to; for spiritual enlightenment rather than material advancement. And it’s something we should also consider doing, because it falls into line with Jesus’ command: ‘But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.’ (Matt. 6:34) Yes my people, when we are spiritually inspired, our material wants then naturally fall into place, through God’s grace and mercy, we don’t have to strive to achieve them. 

But wait, Bruh Paul’s not done with his prayer as yet. He continues: ‘Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen.’ (Eph. 3:20-21) 

And that’s possibly the most important part of the prayer. Why? The scholars tell us that ‘in making the three petitions above in vs. 16-19, Paul has not asked for too much. For he prays unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that he can ask or think.’ Yes, he’s praying to Almighty God, the One who can do any and everything! So it’s not an empty, futile prayer to a deity that cannot fulfill it, but to the God who created the universe and still controls it! 

And on the point of prayer, I do believe that our lives lack the proper stimulation because we don’t pray enough, and when we do pray, we don’t ask for the right things, things that are in God’s will. Remember this oh so important Bible verse. ‘And he (Jesus) spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint (lose heart).’ (Luke 18:1) Then James tells us: ‘Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts (desires for pleasure).’ (James 4:3) 

And that’s the gospel truth! Most of the time we go to God in prayer is to ask for stuff, stuff that doesn’t fall into His will, stuff that is mainly for our carnal pleasure. So obviously we won’t get it. Then we get displeased with God and foolishly declare that He doesn’t answer prayer. But it’s the same way when our children come to us for things that we don’t think they should have, we tell them no. I guess though, it’s all right for us to say no to them, but not for God to say no to us. (smile) That’s our typical selfish human behaviour, so wonderfully encapsulated in the cliché: ‘do as I say, not as I do.’ 

Anyway, we’ve said enough for today, (smile) so let’s go home now declaring (yesss!!!) our Tuesday Mantra, letting the whole world know to whom we belong, lock, stock and barrel. In strong and sincere voice: ‘In God’s eyes, I’m not what I do. I’m not what I have. I’m not what people say about me. I am the beloved of God, that’s who I am. No one can take that from me. I don’t have to worry. I don’t have to hurry. I can trust my friend Jesus and share His LOVE with my immediate neighbours, as well as with the whole wide world! Glory be!’ 

Now my fellow believers, let’s go out and do just that nuh; share the amazing LOVE and friendship of Christ with others, so that they too can come to know and LOVE Him like we do! Much LOVE!

…the Spirit-filled life…can bring about the material-filled life…but not vice versa… 

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

Today’s Scrip-Bit   16 January 2023 Psalm 89:18.

16 Jan 2023 Leave a comment

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

Psalm 89:18.       For the Lord is our defense; and the Holy One of Israel is our king.

And the last few days have been perfect winter days in my neighbourhood; cold, but dry, with clean, snowless streets, with the residual snow now residing on the banks of the roads and the rooftops. and above all, bright, glorious sunshine! Glory be! Yes friends, the sun has indeed blessed us recently with its bright and encouraging presence. Wherever it had flown to in those earlier damp and cloudy days, it has certainly returned with a vengeance, shining bright and clear, all day! Now that state of affairs definitely pleased me, because in my opinion, it shouldn’t be cold and also bleak. (smile) 

And although there are warnings of upcoming precipitation from the weather forecasters, it’s evident and wonderful that that’s not going to happen today, because our heavenly Father has generously served up yet another blazing day of sunshine! Bless His Holy Name! Just wish though that I could say blazing hot day! But that’s okay. It’s winter, and I’ll take sunshine anytime over darkness. (smile) And let’s hope and pray that the forecasted precipitation holds off for at a least another couple of days, so that we can enjoy a li’l more of that welcome sunshine! 

But you know what friends, regardless of it being cold or hot, raining or snowing, as faithful children of God, we should all endeavour to do like Ethan the Ezrahite wrote in Psalm 89, subtitled – God’s sure promises to David. He declares: ‘I will sing of the mercies (LOVING-kindness) of the Lord for ever: with my mouth shall I make known thy faithfulness to all generations.’ (Ps. 89:1) 

Now that’s something that should come naturally to all believers, especially those of us who have walked with the Lord for some time and doubtlessly have enjoyed much of His faithfulness and LOVING-kindness along the way. But unfortunately, it seems like a lot of us supposed believers are lacking in sincere gratitude and thankfulness these days. We don’t give our great and faithful God the thanks and praise He deserves, neither do we talk of His LOVE and faithfulness to others like we ought to. 

And whenever we do offer some acknowledgement of His goodness, oftentimes it’s through simplistic platitudes, or dull, meaningless statements that don’t come from the heart. That’s because we are focusing too much on the world and its ungodly ways and schemes, so we don’t have the time nor the inclination to truly thank Jehovah God for all that He’s done, is doing, and has promised to do. But please listen carefully to what the psalmist says later on. ‘And the heavens shall praise thy wonders, O Lord: thy faithfulness also in the congregation of the saints. For who in the heaven can be compared unto the Lord? Who among the sons of the mighty can be likened unto the Lord?’ (Ps. 89:5-6) 

And if we should all be asked those questions, we’d probably all answer ‘No One!’ So why then aren’t we doing as the psalmist says in the next verse? ‘God is greatly to be feared in the assembly of the saints, and to be had (held) in reverence of all them that are about him.’ (Ps. 89:7) And please don’t try to tell me that we supposed believers are holding God in sincere reverence, because we are not. Otherwise, the church would not be in such bad shape; disunited, disjointed with lots of false teaching, too many false and evil leaders and Satan would not be ruling the roost in the world, as he now does. 

Oh my fellow believers, it’s time for us to stand up strong, faithful and true and take control of our world, unless we desire to see it destroyed by the prince of darkness and his evil cohorts. I don’t want to keep knocking our efforts, but the truth is that they have been so far futile and meaningless. We just aren’t being as courageous and faithful as we ought to be. And if we don’t do something serious and worthy now, in the long run we all will suffer for our fear, laziness or whatever it is that’s holding us back from doing the work we were created to do. Remember Jesus’ words of warning: ‘He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.’ (Matt. 11:15) 

Enough laying on of guilt though, (smile) let’s just read the scriptures and enjoy them. And continuing with Psalm 89, the palmist writes: ‘O Lord God of hosts, who is a strong Lord like unto thee? or to thy faithfulness round about thee? Thou rulest the raging of the sea: when the waves thereof arise, thou stillest them. Thou hast broken Rahab (Egypt) in pieces, as one that is slain; thou hast scattered thine enemies with thy strong arm. The heavens are thine, the earth also is thine: as for the world and the fullness thereof, thou hast founded them. 

The north and the south thou hast created them: Tabor and Hermon (mountains) shall rejoice in thy name. Thou hast a mighty arm: strong is thine hand, and high is thy right hand. Justice and judgement (righteousness and justice)are the habitation (foundation) of thy throne: mercy (LOVING-kindness) and truth shall go before thy face. Blessed is the people that know the joyful sound; they shall walk, O Lord, in the light of thy countenance. In thy name shall they rejoice all the day: and in thy righteousness shall they be exalted. For thou art the glory of their strength: and in thy favour our horn (strength) shall be exalted. For the Lord is our defense; and the Holy One of Israel is our king.’ (Ps. 89:8-18) 

Now my fellow saints, I do hope we enjoyed those scriptures that dealt with the strength and faithfulness of our God. For He is strong….and He is faithful. He is indeed our defense and our King too. Thus, He is the most appropriate One to go to for help in our evil, topsy-turvy and ungodly world. So, let’s do that right now through our Monday Morning battle Hymn. 

As one strong and sincere voice: ‘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,  if we want to receive positive answers, then we need to do like we promised; pray, seek God’s face and turn from our evil ways. It’s as simple as that! Much LOVE!

…the faithfulness of God…ought to raise the faithfulness of His believers… 

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

Today’s Scrip-Bit   15 January 2023 Deuteronomy 33:27a.

15 Jan 2023 Leave a comment

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

Deuteronomy 33:27a.        The eternal God is thy refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms:

Come Sunday, it will be all right… Yes friends, come Sunday everything will be fine as we gather in the Lord’s sanctuary on His day to give Him thanks and praise for His awesome goodness to His children! Nothing could be better than communing with our heavenly Father all in one place at one time. As the Lord’s word reminds us in Hebrews: ‘And let us consider one another to provoke (stir up) unto LOVE, and unto good works: Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much more as ye see the day approaching.’ (Heb. 10:24-25) 

And the scholars tell us that ‘This admonition involves far more than erratic attendance. It involves the entire worship of Christ and is an outward indication of an inner condition. The assembling of God’s people provides opportunity for reciprocal encouragement, strengthening, and the stirring up that can be gained from one another (cf. Col. 3:12-16). It consists of participation in worship and fellowship. The church is a body interacting (1 Cor. 12:14-27); it is not merely a dispensary of spiritual food and medicine.’ 

And having been told off in no uncertain terms (smile) let us proceed to interact by offering up some sacrificial praise through this marvellous song of encouragement and strengthening, aptly titled, ‘Leaning On the Everlasting Arms.’  And as we raise our voices in sweet harmony, in an up-tempo version of the hymn, let’s do as the website Hymnary.org advises: ‘As the hymn is sung, contemplate what it means to find refuge in our heavenly Father’s arms in times of fear and trial, and to allow His joy and peace to replace our loneliness and anxiety.’ 

We definitely can’t go wrong, doing that my fellow believers. So let God’s people sing: ‘‘What a fellowship, what a joy divine, leaning on the everlasting arms; what a blessedness, what a peace is mine, leaning on the everlasting arms. (Refrain: Leaning, leaning, safe and secure from all alarms; leaning, leaning, leaning on the everlasting arms.) O how sweet to walk in this pilgrim’s way, leaning on the everlasting arms; O how bright the path grows from day to day, leaning on the everlasting arms. 

[Refrain]What have I to dread, what have I to fear, leaning on the everlasting arms? I have blessed peace with my Lord so near, leaning on the everlasting arms. Leaning, leaning, safe and secure from all alarms; leaning, leaning, leaning on the everlasting arms, Leaning, leaning, safe and secure from all alarms; leaning on the everlasting arms…leaning on the everlasting arms of Jesus… oh how good it is to be, leaning on the everlasting arms of Christ my Saviour….’ 

And you’d better believe that there is certainly no better place to lean than on the everlasting arms of Jesus! The story goes that the hymn came about from the letters of two past pupils of Anthony J Showalter, who informed him that their wives had died, and they were seeking consolation. And while answering their letters he was inspired by these marvellous words of comfort found in Deuteronomy 33:27. ‘The eternal God is thy refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms: and he shall thrust out the enemy from before thee; and shall say, Destroy them.’ 

Apparently though, Showalter had some problems putting the hymn together, so he approached Elisha Hoffman, a prolific gospel writer for help, and together they wrote the song which was eventually published in 1887. Wow! Another oldie but goldie! And it’s revered as one of the greatest hymns for times of solace, as it encourages us to keep ‘leaning on the everlasting arms’ of God when seeking comfort. 

And why not eh, when Bruh Paul writes it so plainly in his first missive to the church at Corinth. ‘Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort, Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble (tribulation), by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God.’ (2 Cor. 1:3-4) 

Mama Mia! What a wonderful God we serve and worship my faithful brethren! He comforts us in our trials, so that we can comfort others in their time of need! What a simple but every effective way to do it. And that’s one of the reasons why consistent church going is important; you can’t be encouraged if you’re not associating with your fellow believers. And the opening lines of the hymn just exude comfort and consolation. ‘What a fellowship, what a joy divine…what a blessedness, what a peace is mine, leaning on the everlasting arms.’ 

Then the chorus declares: ‘leaning safe and secure from all alarms;’ How could we not like this wonderful hymn eh? And for good measure, let’s hear some more of those comforting sentiments. (smile) ‘Oh how sweet to walk in this pilgrim’s way…O how bright the path grows from day to day, leaning on the everlasting arms.’ It certainly does my people. Therefore, ‘What have I to dread, what have I to fear, I have blessed peace with my Lord so near.’ Absolutely! 

That’s why the psalmist could unequivocally state in Psalm 91: ‘I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God, in him will I trust.’ (Ps. 91: 2) Likewise Bruh David in Psalm 27 was not afraid to proclaim: ‘The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?’ (Ps. 27:1)  And we certainly can’t doubt Moses when he sings in his famous song: ‘The Lord is my strength and song (fortress, defense), and he is become my salvation: he is my God, and I will prepare him a habitation (praise him); my father’s God, and I will exalt him.’ (Ex. 15:2) 

Yes friends, that magnificent Library of God’s Word, is filled with such sentiments throughout its pages. And not from hearsay either nuh, but from personal experience, thus it‘s ever so important for us to read, study and sincerely consider the many encouraging and uplifting anecdotes found therein. 

And if you don’t believe me, then listen to the Lord as He speaks to Joshua when He made him the leader of the Israelites on the death of Moses. ‘This book of the law shall not depart out of (shall continually be in) thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.’ (Josh. 1:8) 

Yes my fellow saints, that’s really the only scripture we need to ever learn and follow yes! So please let’s begin doing it seriously and sincerely as of right now nuh. For then we will make our way prosperous and have good success. I‘m sure we all desire that. And it’s right there in the palms of our hands, ready for the taking. So please, let’s be wise and do it. Much LOVE!

…in the storms of life…there is no where else to find true peace and comfort…than leaning on the everlasting arms of Christ our Saviour… 

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

Today’s Scrip-Bit   14 January 2023 Matthew 20:26.

14 Jan 2023 Leave a comment

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

Matthew 20:26.        But it shall not be so among you: but whosoever will be great among you, let him be your minister (servant);

It’s cold and cloudy out there on this lazy day Saturday…and the snow is no longer beautiful because it’s been sullied by man, for anything that mankind touches goes bad, is destroyed, loses its beauty. But we have to keep on keeping on in Christ’s mighty name regardless of what comes against us, because He has sincerely promised that ‘No weapon formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgement thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and their righteousness is of (from) me, saith the Lord.’ (Is. 54:17) 

So friends, as faithful believers, it behooves us to accept that promise and move on in steadfast trust and faith. Now, let’s see what words of wisdom our friend Anselm sent us this past week, as he aspires to inspire us for a better tomorrow. And the first one is certainly interesting. It says: ‘I no longer look for the good in people, I search for the real… because while good is often dressed in fake clothing, real is naked and proud no matter the scars.’ 

And the quote does have a point, because nowadays a lot of what seems good on the outside is really evil on the inside, a lot of faking, fraudulent behaviour and deceit is happening in our society, so you can’t trust all those who seem to be wonderful on the outside. It’s like Jesus said of the religious leaders of His time. ‘Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchres (whitewashed tombs), which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men’s bones, and of all uncleanness.’ (Matt. 23:17) We therefore have to be very careful of whom we listen to and let into our inner sanctums. 

Oh friends, I went upstairs just now to warm my coffee, and would you believe, when I looked out the window, I was almost blinded, like Bruh Paul on the road to Damascus, (smile) because the sun was out shining bright and spunkily! Wow! It’s the first time in ages we’ve seen the sun shining, able to overcome the cloud cover! Miracles do happen still! Glory to God! Hope the sunshine will last for than just a short while though. 

But moving on, the next quote advises: ‘If they respect you, respect them. If they disrespect you, still respect them. Do not allow the actions of others to decrease your good manners, because you represent yourself, not others. Do not lower your integrity for anyone.’ And that’s sound advice, especially if you claim to be a believer in Christ Jesus, for in the Sermon on the Mount, He preached: ‘Blessed are ye when men shall revile (upbraid, angrily scold) you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.’ (Matt. 5:11-12) 

That was indeed Christ’s style. And He set the example for us in spades. How does Peter put it? ‘For what glory is it, if, when ye be buffeted (beaten) for your faults, ye shall take it patiently? but if when ye do well, and suffer for it, ye take it patiently, this is acceptable to (commendable before) God. For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow in his steps: Who did no sin, neither was guile (deceit) found in his mouth. Who, when he was reviled, reviled not again (in return); when he suffered, he threatened not, but committed himself to him that judgeth righteously.’ (1 Peter 2:20-23) 

Now, because of our fallen human nature, we obviously won’t be always able to do it like Jesus did, but we can certainly do better than we’re currently doing. And that segues quite nicely into this next quote: ‘There comes a time in your life, when you walk away from all the drama & people who create it. You surround yourself with people who make you laugh. Forget the bad & focus on the good. LOVE the people who treat you right, pray for the ones who don’t. Life is too short to be anything but happy. Falling down is a part of life, getting back up is living.’ 

There’s no fault to be found with those words of wisdom, especially in these topsy-turvy times when too many people are playing out a whole lot of unnecessary drama. Drama seems to be the name of the game right now. But we believers don’t need that unnecessary stuff. With Jesus, we can just float right along, cruise along in the knowledge and faith of His wonderful grace, mercy and LOVE! Therefore, this other quote should be one we strongly adhere to. ‘Don’t be afraid of change. You may end up losing something good, but you will probably end up gaining something better.’ 

That’s oh so true! And I can testify to that from some recent changes in my life. I unexpectedly lost certain things and figured I’d be completely lost without them. But now I can see some light at the end of that dark tunnel and know that what is in the offing will be better than what I’ve lost. We’re always comforted by what we have and fear what might happen if we succumb to change, but change in the right manner and for the right reasons can be ofttimes better than the old way. Just make sure that we don’t change just for changing sake. 

That brings us to this last simple, but oh so powerful and true quote. ‘Never believe you are above or below anyone. Keep a humble spirit.’ And that’s somewhat difficult to do in these times of overwhelming, pride, arrogance, and hunger for wealth and power. Everyone is seeking to be better than the other, because that’s how the world judges us. But not so in Christ’s kingdom. Bruh Paul wrote it thus in his letter to the Roman church. ‘For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.’ (Rom. 12:3) 

Yes, it’s possible for us to both overestimate and underestimate ourselves. But per Bruh Paul, ‘the righteousness of God will cause the believer to conduct himself with humility.’  And let’s also remember Jesus’ words when the mother of Zebedee’s sons came and asked Jesus for them to sit on his right and left hand in His kingdom and it riled up the other disciples. But Jesus called them and pointed out how the Gentile higher ups lorded it over them. ‘But it shall not be so among you: but whosoever will be great among you, let him be your minister (servant); And whosoever will be chief (first) among you, let him be your servant (slave): Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto (be served) but to minister (to serve), and to give his life a ransom for many.’ (Matt. 20:26-28) 

Yes my fellow believers, humility was one of Jesus’ most important earthly traits, and it should also be ours. Now humility doesn’t mean being weak and dotish, but knowing one’s self, and not being boastful and arrogant about it, but being modest regarding your gifts and accomplishments. Having a modicum of circumspection, as Jeeves would say. (smile) 

And we can’t end without mentioning these wonderful verses on the subject from the letter to the Philippians, where Bruh Paul declares: ‘Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus; who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men, (he emptied himself of all his privileges): And being found in fashion (appearance) as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.’ (Phil. 2:5-8) 

Oh my fellow saints, that’s a good scripture for us to remember when we feel like we’re getting too big for our britches! (smile) So let’s get out there today and fight the good fight for Jesus; be strong, but modest and humble, for that’s the example He set us. Much LOVE!

…although calamity surrounds us…our souls find peace in Jesus… 

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

Today’s Scrip-Bit   13 January 2023 Psalm 27:1.

13 Jan 2023 Leave a comment

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

Psalm 27:1.       The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? the Lord is the strength of my life, of whom shall I be afraid?

Oh what a winter wonderland! Yes! On this ‘TGIF! Thank the Lord it’s Friday!’ occasion, our area is blanketed in that beautiful white precipitate called snow! And what a difference it makes, compared to the wet, dark, dreary, gloomy days we’ve recently been having. As I keep saying, unsullied snow is one of God’s many beautiful creations. And I’m sure many of us didn’t think it was such a good Friday morning, as per being the last day of the work week, but rather what rotten luck to have to commute in such foul circumstances. 

And by the way,  it’s also Friday the 13th, which raises some more negative premonitions to add to your already high level of discomfort. (smile) And I know that we faithful believers in Christ Jesus don’t believe or take those superstitions seriously. Superstitions like not to walk under a ladder on Friday the 13th; neither break a mirror, that’s seven years of bad luck. Then there are other foolish things like not to use a vending machine, open an umbrella inside, don’t spill salt, don’t walk alone in a dark alley, don’t let a black cat cross your path, don’t step on a crack and some other stuff that’s totally nonsensical. 

It’s even more foolish if you have Jesus as your Lord and Saviour, your Guide and Leader, the One who’s the King of Kings, and Lord of Lords, omnipotent, omniscient and omni-present. What is there to fear with such a mighty One in our corner eh? Absolutely NOTHING! Like Bruh David proclaims so staunchly and eloquently in Psalm 27: ‘The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? the Lord is the strength of my life, of whom shall I be afraid?’ (Ps. 27:1) 

And the unequivocal answer to that is absolutely NO ONE! Bruh David places his complete trust and confidence in His God. Why is that eh? Because of his earlier experiences with God, as he continues: ‘When the wicked, even mine enemies and my foes came upon me to eat up (devour) my flesh, they stumbled and fell. Though an host should encamp against me, my heart shall not fear: though war should rise against me, in this will I be confident.’ (Ps. 27:2-3) Oh friends, are we that trusting and confident in our Lord God Jehovah? We ought to be, especially those of us who have enjoyed His awesome grace and mercy down through the years of walking in His wonderful faithfulness. 

And these next two verses should also be our cry: ‘One thing have I desired of the Lord, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to enquire in his temple. For in the time of trouble he shall hide me in his pavilion: in the secret of his tabernacle shall he hide me; he shall set me upon a rock.’ (Ps. 27:4-5) 

Oh my fellow believers, that is the kind of strong and unmovable trust and faith we ought to have in our great God in these very trying and turbulent times, if we hope to get through them unscathed! Life is not getting easier, but harder with all the negative stuff that’s rising up from the depths of hell, and the only way to handle them properly is to push them back down to Hades through the grace, mercy and LOVE of Christ Jesus! 

Believe me friends, the struggle for worldwide supremacy is getting tougher by the day, and we supposed believers are the only ones who are supposedly interested in winning the day for Jesus against the forces of evil. That means we have to step up, not sometime later, but RIGHT NOW, if we want to save our world from the ruin and destruction that the prince of darkness desires to foment in these ungodly times. 

Oh yes, Jesus is coming back, but we don’t know when. In the meantime though, He expects us to keep up the good fight against His erstwhile enemy, Satan and his evil cohorts. That’s our purpose. We are the only people Jesus has down here on earth, and right now we’re not doing as well as we ought. We’re falling prey too much to the enemy’s wiles and evil schemes. We’re not walking as the salt of the earth and shining as the light of the world as we should. That’s why the enemy is currently in ascendance in the world. 

But as we all know, while there is life, there is also hope, especially if you sincerely believe in Jesus. However, to turn that hope into productive action, we have to get really serious about standing tall for Jesus and fighting the good fight in His mighty name. And that’s what I’m pleading with us to do in this banner year of 2023. Yes, let’s take back some of the territory we’ve lost because of our fear of the world and our overall lack lustre behaviour. And we can begin doing that right now with God’s help, through the awesome power of prayer. So, let’s go confidently, but humbly, to the throne of grace, through our Friday Chant, to find divine help in these very desperate times of need. 

As one strong and sincere voice: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through this past week. You know it’s been rough… what with all the confusion and anxiety caused by the pandemic and our many other serious problems. We can’t fix them on our own Lord, so we desperately need your help. Oh heavenly Father, with your omnipotent help, and our trusting faith, we know that we can stand strong and steadfast and defeat the simmering unrest in our land. So Lord, we sincerely ask you today to give those involved in the forefront of this serious and unexpected storm, the wise guidance to handle the situation properly, without further serious setbacks. 

And please help those of us who must go out to work amidst all the confusion, to be responsible and to stay safe. And Lord, we fervently pray that You’ll use this situation to return backsliders to your fold, show them the error of their ways. And please introduce a new flock of believers, who will embrace your LOVE and compassion by the example, we, your faithful believers set. Yes Lord, please use this pandemic, the bubbling discontent and dissatisfaction in our land, as a means of restoring faith in You, so that our sinful world can wake up and smell the coffee, wake up and smell it sweet and strong! We pray this in the name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen!’ 

Now, let’s show that trusting faith, so that we can receive the omnipotent help we so badly need. Much LOVE!

…the battles that are raging over the earth…both physical and spiritual…are serious affairs…and ONLY with the help of Jesus…can we win them… 

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

Today’s Scrip-Bit   12 January 2023 Mark 4:9.

12 Jan 2023 Leave a comment

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

Mark 4:9.        And he said unto them, He that hath ears to hear, let hm hear.

Now what shall we say today eh? That it’s a wet and cloudy morning with a bit of drizzle in the atmosphere. Well, that’s nothing new. ((smile) Neither is the fact that Jesus, our Lord and Saviour is in the wings watching it all and keeping it all under control! That’s one of the many great things about our Jesus: He always has things under control. They might seem out of control to us, but we know that there’s method to His apparent madness, because His thoughts and ways are higher than ours. 

We are just the finite created beings while He is the infinite Creator, that’s why we don’t worry when circumstances come against us, when our whole world feels like it’s falling apart and the unbelievers are holding their heads and bawling. No sir! We, the followers of Jesus, stay calm and unruffled in the storms of life, because we know that we have the most able pilot around…in fact the one who creates and controls the storms, so we can just go about our business, rejoicing and giving thanks to Christ and the Father for their unconditional LOVE, amazing grace and never-ending mercy. 

Wow! And if you agree with and sincerely believe that, then shout out a loud and grateful ‘Glory Hallelujah! Amen!’ (smile) 

Now, here’s an interesting and important parable of Jesus that pertains to faith and belief in Him, to staying strong in His word and bearing good fruit. It’s the parable of the Sower. But before we get into it, let’s get a quick explanation of ‘a parable’ from the scholars. They say ‘a parable is a brief story that makes a comparison. It typically uses an illustration from everyday life to bring out a spiritual truth.’ 

So listen as Jesus weaves this parable to bring out the spiritual truth He desires to share. He said: ‘Hearken; Behold, there went out a sower to sow. And it came to pass, as he sowed, some (seed) fell by the way side, and the fowls of the air came and devoured it up. And some (seed) fell on stony ground, where it had not much earth; and immediately it sprang up, because it had no depth of earth. But when the sun was up, it was scorched; and because it had no root, it withered away. 

And some (seed) fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up, and choked it, and it yielded no fruit. And other (seed) fell on good ground, and did yield fruit that sprang up and increased; and brought forth some thirty, and some sixty, and some and hundred (fold).’ (Mark 4:3-8) 

Oh friends, don’t you just enjoy Jesus’ parables. No one can spin a tale like Him. He’s definitely the greatest storyteller ever! But His stories are ever so important to mankind. And it’s also very interesting how He ends them with some noteworthy statement, like He did with this parable of the sower. Mark writes: ‘And he said unto them, He that hath ears to hear, let hm hear.’ (Mark 4:9) 

Now, the scholars tell us that that statement ‘goes beyond physical hearing and implies an inner spiritual reception of truth.’ This led the disciples to ask: ‘Why speakest thou unto them in parables?’ (Matt. 13:10) ‘Before Jesus had used parables to illustrate His messages, now they formed the basis of the message.’ 

‘And He said unto them, Unto you is given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God (secret or hidden truths): but unto them that are without (outside), all these things are done in parables. That seeing they may see, and not perceive; and hearing they may hear, and not understand; lest at any time they should be converted, and their sins should be forgiven them.’ (Mark 4:11-12) Jesus was referring there to Isaiah’s prophecy about the rejection of His message, that the people should hear but not understand, and see but not perceive.(Is. 6:9-10) 

Then Jesus said unto the disciples: ‘Know ye not (don’t you understand) this parable? And how then will ye know (understand ) all parables?’ (Mark 4:13) Consequently, He explains: ‘The sower soweth the word. And these are they by the way side, where the word is sown; but when they have heard, Satan cometh immediately, and taketh away the word that was sown in their hearts. 

And these are they likewise which are sown on stony ground, who, when they have heard the word, immediately receive it with gladness; and have no root in themselves, and so endure for but a time: afterward when affliction (tribulation) or persecution ariseth for the word’s sake, immediately they are offended (caused to stumble). 

And these are they which are sown among thorns; such as hear the word, And the cares of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts (desires) of other things entering in, choke the word, and it becometh unfruitful. And these are they which are sown on good ground, such as hear the word, and receive it, and bring forth fruit, some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some an hundred.’ (Mark. 4:14-20) 

Oh my people, we have seen all those types in our walk with God. At one stage some of us might have even been in one of those unfruitful categories, but eventually we truly heard, and now we are good ground, the word has been sown deeply in us, it’s rooted and grounded, and we are bringing forth good fruit! Glory to God! 

And our God is so good that He’s bestowed blessings on us so that we can be even more fruitful. We call them our Thursday Blessings, but they need to be activated by declaring (steups!!!) them out loud. So let’s do that right now. As one strong voice: ‘I declare that I am blessed with God’s supernatural wisdom and receive clear direction for my life! I declare today that I am blessed with creativity, courage, talent and abundance! I am blessed with a strong will, self-control and self-discipline! 

I am blessed with a great family, good friends, good health, faith, favour and fulfillment! I am blessed with success, supernatural strength, promotion and divine protection! I am blessed with a compassionate heart and a positive outlook on life! I declare that any curse or negative word that’s ever been spoken over me is broken right now in the name of Jesus! I declare that everything I put my hands to, will prosper and succeed! I declare it today and every day! Amen!’ 

And the corollary to that is we use those blessings just as generously as God gave them to us, to go out and bear good fruit for Him! Much LOVE!

…what kind of soil are you…unresponsive, stony, thorny or good…

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

Today’s Scrip-Bit   11 January 2023   1 Chronicles 29:13.

11 Jan 2023 Leave a comment

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

1 Chronicles 29:13.        Now therefore, our God, we thank thee, and praise thy glorious name.

So we’ve come to Wednesday, the middle of the work week, but nothing much has changed, except the temperature seems to have fallen below the freezing mark. The day is still cloudy, with barely a hint of sunshine, and I know all this gloom has to be affecting many of us negatively. 

But as we keep saying, ‘Thank the Lord for Jesus yes! Without Him in our dreary, same old, same old lives we’d be completely lost! Yes Lord, we give you all the praise and glory for Jesus, who not only saves our souls, but refreshes and replenishes our daily lives with His amazing LOVE!’ And all God’s children said a loud and grateful, ‘Amen!’ 

Yes my faithful brethren, Jesus is the answer; the answer to everything, the only answer we’ll ever need in this life, as well as the next! That brings us to this interesting poem from our One Year Book of Bible Promises with writings by Ruth Harms Calkin that shows just how essential Jesus is to us. It’s aptly titled ‘There Are No Words.’  

So please read with me. ‘How can I put into words, my Lord The flooding transforming power That sweeps my life because of You? How can I explain to anyone The soaring, surging peace That You alone can give? All the wonder-filled things in my life All the joyful, glorious things I owe to Your goodness, Your grace, Your LOVE. Nothing is ever the same since knowing You And the longer I know You The deeper my LOVE.’ And isn’t that the gospel truth my people? It certainly is! Once we get to know Jesus, our lives are never the same. And the longer we know Him, the more we come to LOVE Him because of His exceptional mercy, grace and LOVE! 

Wow! And that’s why He is the answer to EVERYTHING! The only problem is that if you don’t know Jesus, haven’t accepted Him as Lord and Saviour, then you cannot partake of that awesome grace, mercy and LOVE that He has to share, and desires so deeply to share with mankind. Thus, you are missing out on the best things in life! 

Oh, I know some of you think you have life so good because of your power, wealth and physical possessions, but tell me, what’s going to happen to all of that when you give up the ghost of this life to go to the next eh? Will living the way the ungodly world dictates help you then? Will you carry all that wealth and power and stuff with you? Absolutely not! So what’s the big fuss over them all about? 

You can achieve the same level of wealth and power and stuff with Jesus in your corner, but the difference is that with Jesus in your life, at the end, you will go to a place of eternal life and rest, rather than to one of eternal death and damnation. Oh friends, eternal separation from Almighty God is the worst fate that can ever befall a human being! 

So I’m pleading with us to be wise and accept Jesus before it’s too late. For if you die, or He returns before you accept Him, then things will be very sad and disheartening for you, there’ll then be no chance of spending eternity in heaven with Him. And the only other option is hellfire with Satan. That I don’t think you’ll want, as it’s so well described by Jesus in the story of the beggar Lazarus and the rich man. You can find it in Luke 16: 19-31. 

Basically, what it says is that the rich man lived a wealthy and relaxed life here on earth, while Lazarus sat at his gate, begging and eating scraps from his table, as the dogs licked the many sores on his body. However, when they died, the rich man went to hell and Lazarus to heaven. In the torment of hell, the rich man saw Lazarus reclining comfortably in Abraham’s bosom, enjoying the joys of heaven while he was down there in the depths, hot as hell! (smile) 

Then what did he do? ‘And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame. But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented. And beside all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed: so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot; neither can they come from thence.’ (Luke 16:24-26) 

Then the tormented man begged Abraham to send Lazarus to his five remaining siblings on earth to testify to them so they wouldn’t experience his fate. But Abraham nixed that idea too, saying, ‘If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead.’ (Luke 16:31) 

Now friends, those were not my words, but those of Jesus, and if the Son of God, who cannot lie, says there is a not very nice place reserved for those who don’t believe in Him, then whom am I to argue with Him eh? Instead, if I’m wise, I’m going to jump on His bandwagon and do my best to stay there, since I don’t want to end up like that rich man, but like Lazarus. 

And that’s the long and short of the story my people! Our options are either to accept Jesus and live eternally, or do Satan’s bidding and die an eternal death. God’s given us free will, so it’s our choice. And I pray that we will make the wise one. Like Moses told the children of Israel: ‘I call heaven and earth to record (as witnesses) this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live.’ (Deut. 30:19) 

It could not be any clearer than that my people. And that’s why the Bible Promise from our Poem earlier are the words of Bruh David when Israel was making their offering to build the Lord’s temple: ‘Now therefore, our God, we thank thee, and praise thy glorious name.’ (1Chr. 29:13) And that’s how it ought to be my fellow saints! Sincere thanks and praise to our glorious God should continually be issuing from the depths of our saved and redeemed souls! Now, for those of us who are sincerely following Jesus, let’s go home declaring (wowww!!! that’s at least the fourth consecutive time I’ve spelt it right,) our Wednesday Wail, letting the whole world know of our wonderful position in Christ Jesus. 

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

And then there’s this bit of encouragement: if we endure to the end, that future will be even more glorious than we ask or imagine. So please, let’s do the wise thing and endure to the end nuh! Much LOVE!

…there’s nobody else like JESUS…now say it again…there’s nobody else like JESUS… 

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

Today’s Scrip-Bit   9 January 2023 Psalm 139:17.

09 Jan 2023 Leave a comment

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

Psalm 139:17.       How precious also are thy thoughts unto me, O God! How great is the sum of them!

And finally, we come to the first full work week of this new year. Isn’t that just grand? Many of us won’t think so, because we’ve had a few consecutively short work weeks in the recent past. And before that, it was already tough for us to handle the five-day variety, I just wonder what’s going to happen to us now, that we’re going back to the same old, same old. (smile) But I have faith in us, for our awesome God made us to be resilient to the max! 

How did Bruh David describe our exotic creation in Psalm 139? ‘For thou hast possessed my reins (formed my inward parts): thou hast covered (weaved) me in my mother’s womb. I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well (very well). My substance (frame, bones) was not hid from thee when I was made in secret, and curiously (skillfully) wrought in the lowest parts of the earth. 

Thine eyes did see my substance, yet being unperfect (unformed); and in thy book all my members were written, which in continuance were fashioned, when as yet there was none of them, (the plans for my life were written before I was even made). How precious also are thy thoughts unto me, O God! How great is the sum of them! If I should count them, they are more in number than the sand: when I awake, I am still with thee.’ (Ps. 139:13-18) 

Now friends, that’s how important we are to our heavenly Father and Creator! He took His time and perfectly planned out our entire course before He even began to make us! That means we are very precious, special and important to our God. Why would He send His sinless Son Jesus Christ to die for us eh, if we weren’t important to Him eh? Jesus said: ‘For God so LOVED the world…’ (John 3:16) That’s why! 

And Bruh David also addressed the matter of our importance to God in Psalm 40, when he writes: ‘Many, O Lord my God, are thy wonderful works which thou hast done, and thy thoughts which are to us-ward: they cannot be reckoned up in order (counted) unto thee: if I would declare and speak of them, they are more than can be numbered.’ (Ps. 40:5) It just goes to show that we were not simply an afterthought of God, but a greatly desired and well-planned creation. 

Thus, He’s so good, so merciful and gracious unto us. We’re made in His image, living through the breath of His life, and destined to be with Him till eternity! If that doesn’t shout importance, LOVE, and togetherness, then I don’t know what does! The problem though is that our minds are too puny and finite to understand God’s great LOVE for us. As Bruh Paul declares in his epistle to the church at Rome: ‘O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgements, and his ways are past finding out!’ (Rom. 11:33) 

That’s gospel truth my faithful brethren! And the prophet Isaiah said it long before Bruh Paul, when he wrote of our Creator: ‘For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.’ (Is. 55:8-9) That’s putting it mildly my people!  

And the scholars explain: ‘God’s sovereignty and omniscience are extolled by the statement that His thoughts (i.e. purposes or intentions) and ways (directions) are higher than ours. While God may certainly be known by men, He is still incomprehensible in the totality of His person and purpose.’ Simply stated: we can never fully understand or know our Creator! But that’s why He gave us those things called hope and faith, trust and surrender. So that despite our inability to fully know and understand His purposes and intentions, we can rest assured that His intentions to us are always for good. 

Like Jeremiah puts it: ‘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) Now seeing all the good that the Lord has done for us, in spite of our rebellion, disobedience and blasphemy against Him, why is it so difficult to believe that He truly cares for us and wants only our best eh? And why do we fight against this reassuring scripture eh? ‘And we know that all things work together for good to them that LOVE God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.’ (Rom. 8:28) 

Our problem is that we are so selfish, greedy and entitled that we don’t want to have any unfortunate circumstances happen to us, we’re just interested in living for today. We don’t care about it all ending up right, we want it right, right now! But that’s not the way the world or our God operates. And if we don’t hurry up and get smart and accept those facts, then crapaud smoke we pipe! We’re going to pay an awfully high price for not believing and trusting Almighty God. 

But for those of us who have already woken up from our slumber, let’s go to our Creator through our Monday Morning Battle Hymn, offering thanks and praise, then asking for forgiveness and help. As one voice: ‘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 the ball is in our court; time to keep our promises and turn from our evil ways. Much LOVE!

…humans are the most important of God’s creations…His awesome LOVING-kindness to us…though undeserved…shows that in spades… 

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

Today’s Scrip-Bit   8 January 2023   2 Corinthians 5:7.

08 Jan 2023 Leave a comment

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

2 Corinthians 5:7.        We walk by faith, not by sight.

Another Sunday is upon us friends, which means it’s time to get together to fellowship in the presence of our Lord God Jehovah. For those who can make it to the Lord’s sanctuary, that’s the best place, but if you can’t, one of the wonders of today’s technological world is online worship, and you are advised to do that, rather than not fellowship at all. (smile) There are simply no excuses these day for not joining in some worship service or the other. 

Anyway, to open our proceedings today, we’ve chosen a favourite song that very appropriately describes what we hope to accomplish for this new year of 2023, that’s to live more keenly for Christ. And the name of the song is ‘Just a Closer Walk with Thee.’ Yes, it’s the often recorded traditional gospel song, who’s author remains unknown, despite several stories as per its origin and public attention. 

Needless to say, it’s become a big hit over the years, and today we’ll do it justice by singing an up-tempo version, a la Anne Murray, because it’s a song of praise, pleas and gratitude, and such a song ought to be sung in rousing fashion to show the joy in our hearts. So, with sweet harmony, let’s raise our voices in sacrificial praise to high heaven. 

Singing: ‘I am weak but Thou art strong; Jesus, keep me from all wrong; I’ll be satisfied as long As I walk, let me walk close to Thee. (Refrain: Just a closer walk with Thee, Grant it, Jesus, is my plea, Daily walking close to Thee, Let it be, dear Lord, let it be.) Thro’ this world of toil and snares, If I falter, Lord, who cares? Who with me my burden shares? None but Thee, dear Lord, none but Thee. [Refrain] When my feeble life is o’er, Time for me will be no more; Guide me gently, safely o’er To Thy kingdom shore, to Thy shore. [Refrain: Just a closer walk with Thee, Grant it, Jesus, is my plea, Daily walking close to Thee, Let it be, dear Lord, let it be.)’ 

Oh friends, that was a great version of a very uplifting song. The scholars say: ‘The title and lyrics of the song allude to the Biblical passage from 2 Corinthians 5:7 which states, “We walk by faith, not by sight.” and James 4:8, “Come near to God and He will come near to you.” Or, as the King James version puts it: ‘Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you.’ 

And there is great truth to those statements, for we can only walk close to Jesus by first getting to know Him, then sticking with Him through faith, as Romans 8:24-25 so wisely and graciously inform us. ‘For we are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for? But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience (perseverance) (eagerly) wait for it.’ 

Yes my fellow saints, without hope there can be no faith, for hope is the forerunner to faith, and you can only walk with Christ through faith, which is strong trust for the positive expectations of things to come, things that you have not seen, but know deep down that they will eventually come to pass because Jesus promised it. 

There’s also this interesting scripture from 2 Chronicles which puts our walk with God in right perspective. It’s the prophet Azariah’s warning to King Asa. ‘And the Spirit of God came upon Azariah the son of Oded. And he went out to meet (before) Asa, and said unto him, Hear ye me, Asa and all Judah and Benjamin; The Lord is with you, while ye be with him; and if ye seek him, he will be found of you; but if ye forsake him, he will forsake you.’ (2 Chr. 15:1-2) 

And that’s the living truth my people! If we seek Christ sincerely, we will find Him, but if we forsake Him, He’ll just leave us to do our own thing. And we all know the serious ramifications involved in doing our own thing without God’s divine and omnipotent help: the rate of success is few to none. (smile) 

Meanwhile, the website Hymnary.org offers this commentary on the tune. ‘In this song, we acknowledge our human inability to live righteously, but we also express awareness of the grace and strength that God gives us in our daily walk. Even such an esteemed saint as the apostle Paul acknowledged his need for this grace.’ 

Remember Bruh Paul pleading three times with the Lord to remove the thorn from his side. ‘And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength (power) is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities (weaknesses), that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ’s sake: for when I am weak, then I am strong.’ (2 Cor.12:9-10) 

And that’s a fact friends, when our weaknesses come against us, that’s when we’re truly strong, because it’s then that God’s amazing grace rises up to help and protect us. And there are so many useful and encouraging scriptures in the God’s Library on faith and walking with God, that we can spend the whole day talking about them and never exhaust them, (smile) that’s because walking with God in faith is what we’re all about, what God made us to do. 

Unfortunately though, too many of us refuse to get right with God and walk faithfully with Him. Instead in this evil and ungodly world the trend is to walk away from Christ right into the open, deceitful and destructive arms of Beelzebub. How can that ever be a wise decision eh my people, when all Beelzebub has to offer is death and destruction in the fiery halls of hell? 

That’s why this year of 2023 is so important to Christ’s church. We have to turn this exodus from it around, and can only do so by we faithful believers sincerely living for Him, truthfully showing it in our lifestyles and boldly telling it in our speech. That’s the only way to right this ship called the church of Christ! Much LOVE!

…there’ll be no excuses in heaven…when your earthly sojourn…shows a lack of pride, passion and purpose… 

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