Today’s Scrip-Bit 15 June 2010 Matthew 7:28‏

15 Jun 2010 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Inspirational Living

Matthew 7:28     And it came to pass, when Jesus had ended these sayings, the people were astonished at his doctrine.
 
Oh Friends, have you ever noticed that what’s termed Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount, takes up three chapters, 5-7 of Matthew? It’s really an overwhelming speech, an enormous outpouring of Jesus’ heart and soul. It is in actual fact, the greatest philosophical treatise ever laid down. It’s so overpowering in its overall majesty, yet so simple in the specifics, that even if you don’t believe in Jesus as the fleshly incarnation of God, just reading His words and studying His philosophy, one that’s so bold, interactive and innovative yet very humane, your heart will indeed be touched. There’s just no better philosophy of life, no better way for humans or any living organism to live than that espoused by our Lord and Saviour Jesus. Listen to the numerous subjects on which our Leader spoke on that one day, that one momentous occasion nuh. He began with the Beatitudes; those humanitarian attributes and actions for which we’ll be eventually blessed if we faithfully pursue them. Then He talks about the salt of the earth and the light of the world before touching on religious law, anger, adultery, divorce, oaths and LOVE for enemies. Wow! And Friends, that’s only in Chapter 5. In Chapter 6, Jesus holds forth on almsgiving, on prayer, on fasting, on treasures in heaven, the light of the body, and trusting one master. Oh mih people, you’d think He’d be done by then. But no, our wonderful Leader was just getting warmed up. In Chapter 7, He then gives us that great philosophical moment on judging: ‘Judge (condemn) not, that ye be not judged. For with what judgement (condemnation) ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete (use), it shall be measured to you again.’ (Mat.7:1-2) And Friends, there’s more to come; in particular the GOLDEN RULE; the one rule that encapsulates every thing, the one rule by which if all mankind lived, war and strife would cease to exist. And for those of us who don’t know it, or haven’t heard it in a long while, here it is to refresh our memories. ‘Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets. ‘ (Mat.7:12) Oh mih people, all yuh remember that simple but exceedingly great guideline that we were all raised on: do unto others as you’d like them to do to you? I guess it’s such a simple rule that we in our highfalutin expectations consider it too simple to be true or useful. But Friends, it is the ONE, major, basic rule for any successful gathering of more than one living organism. All the lesser animals live it to a much greater extent than we the highest of the high. Instead we think more about the survival of the fittest, and all power to the strong, which unfortunately only engender unnecessary strife in our lives. Come to think of it mih people, that’s the very basis, the heart of Jesus’ philosophy; treat each other the way we’d like to be treated. If we’d all concentrate on that point alone…Oh mih breddren, what a beautiful place our world would be! Truly a wonderful world, as Satchmo (Louis Armstrong) sung of it! Just that simple idea can cause so much change in our selfish, me first world, that it’ll be mind boggling, to say the least. Oh people, I’m sorry…NO, I’M NOT! I was about to apologize for going off on a tangent, but I now realize that it was a very necessary digression, since I too had not consciously considered the GOLDEN RULE for a while, because I live it automatically. However, coming upon it so unexpectedly, just got my blood passionate and boiling about the stupid, nonsensical way we’re living today, when there’s that simple but awesome rule put forth by our Leader Jesus which would make so much more sense to live by. Ah mih Friends, I really don’t know what to say about us nuh. We treat each other like garbage, but then expect to be treated like royalty. Ah brother! I’d better get back to Jesus’ overall sermon yes, because this topic about treating others decently is another aspect of ingratitude, which is a real sore point with me, and which I can write on whole day. (smile) Then after giving us that beautiful rule for living, Jesus spoke about the two gates and paths, one set broad and leading to destruction, the other narrow, leading to eternal life. Next came His famous take on false prophets and the future rejection of claims by those who pretended to know Him, then wrapping it all up with the two foundations on which we can build our lives; the weak, sandy evil of Lucifer, or on His strong, rock-like foundation of LOVE. Oh Friends, how long do you think it took Jesus to preach that sermon eh? I don’t know, but it’s so chocked full, so crammed with life giving and life living essentials that no wonder the crowd was astonished and amazed. ‘And it came to pass, when Jesus had ended these sayings, the people were astonished at his doctrine.’ Oh my brethren, we would also have been astonished at His wonderful, encouraging, enervating teaching. And can you imagine Him just laying it down in such a calm and reasoned, but yet passionate manner, gesticulating to make His point, while all His listeners hung spellbound on His every word! Wow! That’s all that can be said! Oh my people, this teaching of Jesus is undoubtedly the most moving and inspirational message ever delivered by a living, breathing soul. It’s also a comprehensive guide to how we humans should live. Please, let’s make it a habit to review this sermon every so often nuh, especially when our lives seem to be going off the rails. Oh, if we could only bottle it and sell it! Sorry, not sell it, but give it away. What a worldwide change would occur! And yuh know Friends, I just realized that in the Sermon on the Mount we have a true, readymade constitution, the basic foundation on which our LOVE Revolution should be based. So please, let’s read and inwardly digest it, then go out and spread it to all the world, thus enabling that longed for and most desperately needed LOVE Revolution to come to fruition. More tomorrow, God willing. Till then, Much LOVE!…the most enlightening and important body of words ever spoken…Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount…
 

Today’s Scrip-Bit 14 June 2010 Ephesians 6:18‏

14 Jun 2010 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Inspirational Living

Ephesians 6:18     Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints.

 

Oh Friends, none of us wants to be reminded that it’s Monday morning, which means we have to unravel ourselves from our warm cocoons, our LOVE nests, to go out into the cruel, crazy, unfriendly, evil world so we can make a few pennies to keep life and limb together. Unfortunately though, that’s the reality of the situation. However there’s also good news; that if we’re securely ensconced in our spiritual armour, then we’re safely protected from the evil scourge, and mightily empowered to battle the forces of darkness through the Holy Spirit of Jesus Christ! Now isn’t that something to be thankful for mih people! Then let’s say it, loud and proud: ‘Thank you Jesus for protecting us through your Holy Spirit! We praise and glorify your Holy Name! Amen.’ But before we get into the nitty gritty of our Bit, let me share what I hope is an enlightening, affirmative, helpful quote from Theodore Tilton, which declares that ‘Pain is hard to bear…But with patience, day by day, Even this shall pass away.’ And that’s a fact my Friends! Pain is a normal condition of human existence which some suffer more than or longer than others, but we all face its dreadful effects at some time or other in our earthly lives. And though at times it’s awfully hard to bear, like many things in our world, if we stand strong and invoke, call up that reservoir of patience and fortitude that’s planted deep inside of every human, we usually can outlast the pain, whether it be physical, emotional or mental. Please note though Friends, that that is only a general synopsis on pain, because some pain can be so dreadful that only serious medical or psychological attention will reduce them. But in general, most pain will gradually pass away with time, if we bear them steadfastly. This brings us to our Bit: ‘Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints.’ That’s Bruh Paul’s wise and godly advice to the Ephesians. And if you don’t think the Lord moves in mysterious and wondrous ways, then listen to the story of Today’s Bit. Earlier on in the night I’d written the intro; my usual Monday morning spiel about not going to work without your spiritual armour, not knowing what the Bit would be. Then I decided to, or was guided by the Spirit to use the Pain quote, so I went looking for a suitable Bit on either pain or perseverance and found this one, only to discover that it comes directly after Bruh Paul’s advice to the Ephesians on the daily use of that same spiritual armour. (Eph.6:13-17) Obviously it brought a chuckle to my soul and also some reassurance, a sort of sign, that I was indeed headed in the right direction. Now, let’s see what connection the Bit has with the spiritual armour of God. Oh my people, it has everything to do with it, because it describes the manner in which that spiritual armour should be used. First Bruh Paul explains the need for the armour: ‘Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles (schemes) of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness (spiritual hosts) in high places.’ (Eph.6:11-12) However my people, though our loins be girded with the belt of truth so we can always speak it, our chests with the breastplate of righteousness to guard our emotions, our feet shod with the shoes of peace so that we can constantly walk therein, our heads secured with the helmet of salvation to guard our minds, holding in one hand that awesome shield of faith to ward off flaming arrows of evil, and in the other hand the magnificent sword of the Spirit, the undisputed Word that brings conviction and repentance, it’s all to no avail unless we practice our Bit. First, there’s ‘Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit.’ Yes Friends, prayer is very important in these proceedings, in fact it is indispensable, for without it the armour is not sufficient to gain victory against the evil, powerful forces of darkness. ‘And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint (lose heart).’ (Luke 18:1) That’s the introduction to Jesus’ parable of the woman who kept pestering the judge for justice, and finally got it because of her perseverance. (Luke 18:2-5) Yes my people, we need to pray constantly, do it at every opportunity, especially when the enemy rises up against us. And it doesn’t always have to be in a grandiose manner, simple chats with the Lord are sufficient. And divine help must be accessed through the wise, unstoppable force of the Holy Spirit that dwells within us. The Lord won’t pay us any attention unless that Spirit of Jesus is involved. Then my people, we need to be vigilant with our prayer; ‘watching thereunto with all perseverance.’ We can’t let up our vigilance for a moment, because that’s when Lucifer and his evil cohorts sneak in. Jesus said it best to the disciples in the Garden of Gethsemane when He found them sleeping. ‘Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.’ (Mat.26:41) Oh Friends, we all know that our flesh is the weakest part of our human make up, and since followers of Jesus ought to dwell more on the spiritual than fleshly plane, we have to be very careful in all we say and do, especially since our world is now overwhelmed with the lusts of the flesh. And finally Friends, we have to pray for everybody; ‘supplication for all the saints,’ not only ourselves. As the scholars say: ‘Spiritual combat is both an individual and corporate matter.’ We’re all in it together, and can only be victorious if we fight together. And we’ll close with some most appropriate words of Bruh Paul on thanksgiving and prayer to the Philippians. ‘I thank my God upon every remembrance of you, Always in every prayer of mine for you all making request with joy, for your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now. Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform (complete) it until the day of Jesus Christ.’ (Phil.1:3-6)  So Friends, let’s realize that putting on the spiritual armour of God is only the first part of the process, we still need to be watchful and persevering in prayer for everybody, with the aid of the Spirit to truly activate the winning mechanism. Let’s activate that victory power today nuh! Much LOVE!…the believer’s earthly walk…though never easy…is always filled with encouraging signs of victory…along the way…

Today’s Scrip-Bit 13 June 2010 Matthew 18:3‏

13 Jun 2010 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Inspirational Living

Matthew 18:3     Verily, I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.
 
Oh Friends, let’s do as 3 Canal says nuh: ‘Chant a chant and welcome the morning. It’s so good to be alive. Praise Jah!’ And I am in wholehearted agreement with that mih people, because it’s really so good to be alive, plus I’m just coming home from a party…Yes Friends, the ole fella actually went out partying, don’t know since when, but it sure was good. Then on the way home, after hearing 3 Canal, B.B Winans struck up the soulful choir, avidly declaring; ‘Oh happy day, oh happy day, when Jesus washed my sins away.’ And wasn’t that a most joyful day mih breddren! The only one better than that will be when He comes again to take us home, to receive us in glory unto His kingly self. Wow! That’s why I have to look at our Bit and say, Lord forbid that we should not enter heaven. What a disastrous, in fact the most disastrous fate that could ever befall us! But it certainly is possible for those who do not accept Jesus as their personal Lord and Saviour and live according to His will. Before we get into that though, let’s look at what caused Jesus to utter those scary but definitive words. It all sprang from man’s selfish, egotistical nature and worldly desires. The disciples asked Jesus who was the greatest in the kingdom of heaven? Ah my people, why are we always so concerned with greatness eh? It’s not really of that much importance, for like beauty, it’s often only in the mind of the beholder. We all don’t agree on who’s great and who’s not, it’s mostly a matter of conjecture and opinion, and those surely differ, which relegates greatness to the lower reaches of the totem pole. And as Jesus later declared: ‘But many that are first shall be last; and the last shall be first.’ (Mat.19:30) That clearly shows those we consider great on earth won’t necessarily have the same stature in heaven. It’s very possible for them to be of little or no importance there. So please Friends, let’s lose the worldly preoccupation to become great nuh, which these days means some silly celebrity with no real substance, because that sort of thing means absolutely nothing where it counts most, in heaven, and in the eyes of Jesus. When we get to heaven, we’ll notice that many of those we considered great on earth will be missing from our ranks, while numerous others considered of no effect or important status will not only be enjoying its pleasures but in important posts too. Isn’t Jesus wonderful! And that’s my take on greatness. (smile) But seriously my people, let’s look at Jesus’ response to the question of who’s the greatest in heaven. ‘And Jesus called a little child unto him, and set him in the midst of them. And said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.’ (Mat. 18:2-3) Now that must have been a real shocker for the disciples and their egos, for possibly in the backs of their minds they were already considering their roles and positions in heaven, who’d be important and otherwise. But Jesus, as He was wont to do, just calmly deflated their bubbling egos by emphasizing that to enter heaven, we must first be converted and become child-like in our thinking. And as we’ve been saying the last couple days, to be converted means becoming a totally different person, a new person whose life is completely turned over to God, living the way He wants; surrendering our free will to His unerring and merciful guidance. And all of this is likened to the way children are innocently accepting of adult guidance, without fuss or question. That’s how we have to become in Jesus’ eyes; innocent, child-like, accepting that He knows what’s best for us. He doesn’t mean we should become robots, with no minds of our own, but we do need to live within His guidelines, if we want to be considered His worthy followers. And Jesus further explains: ‘Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven.’ (Mat.18:4) Yes Friends, entrance to heaven depends on our belief in Jesus, but important positions there will depend on humility; our willingness to forgive and humble ourselves, to deflate our egos, so that we’re not overly important in our own eyes. Oh we’re all important somebody’s, but we must not let that go to our heads and cause us to behave proud and arrogant. Remember, the Lord despises a proud, arrogant fool more than most other faults because it sends the message that we have no use for Him. Oh my people, truly following Jesus is such an intense and uplifting exercise that for some it can be mind boggling and scary. The scholars describe it thus: ‘It is far more than mental acknowled-gement of the truth or intellectual assent to certain ideas. To become as little children means to be born again (converted) as a newborn spiritual child, characterized by faith and humility. ‘ Wow! That all goes against the sinful, selfish nature of man, so it’s something we need to be constantly aware of and constantly work on, if we truly want to be transformed into the image of Jesus and live the way He wants us to. But don’t worry Friends, Jesus knows it’s a tall order and He doesn’t expect it to happen overnight, but He does expect us to begin that childlike transformation right away. In ending, let’s look at one more verse describing Jesus’ take on the situation. ‘And whoso shall receive one such little child in my name receiveth me.’ (Mat.18:5) Oh Friends, doesn’t Jesus just speak in wonderful figures of speech! Here He’s referring to the new convert, the young believer. If we receive one of them with open arms, then we’re receiving, welcoming Jesus Himself, showing the true basis of Christian fellowship. Jesus was so into children, their innocence and undeniable trust that once when children were brought to Him for blessing and the disciples turned them away, He rebuked the disciples. ‘But Jesus said, Suffer (allow) little children, and forbid them not, to come unto me, for of such is the kingdom of heaven. And he laid his hands on them, and departed thence.’ (Mat.19:14-15) Yes mih people, that’s the stature assigned to humble, innocent, child-like, trusting, surrendering behaviour by our Leader and Saviour Jesus. Please, let’s try and aspire to and acquire those traits, so that we can better show the true nature of our Christian heritage and faith. It’s very important that we do so, if furthering the kingdom is our goal. Much LOVE!…the true LOVE of Jesus is shown…in our humility…our forgiveness…our kind and merciful actions…
 

Today’s Scrip-Bit 12 June 2010 Psalm 24:7‏

12 Jun 2010 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Inspirational Living

Psalm 24:7     Lift up your heads, O ye gates; and be ye lifted up, ye everlasting doors; and the King of glory shall come in.

 

Ah my Friends, today is just another day, yet it is also more than just another day. We’re all one day closer to meeting our Maker, and also one day closer to that time of eternal judgement. Unfortunately, we don’t know when either circumstance will occur, but we’re sure they will. Consequently, if we’re wise, we’ll have already planned for both occasions, and if we have not, then I strongly advise that we do it RIGHT NOW, for either moment can come upon us with no warning whatsoever. And how do we plan for those two days we very desperately hope are in the far future, but which can also be in the here and now? It’s oh so simple my people: by accepting Jesus Christ as our Lord and Saviour, and being reborn to a new way and standard of living under His LOVING and merciful guidance. Wow! Friends, there’s nothing else in this world with such far reaching and enormous consequences that’s so easy! Yesterday we talked about some of it when we looked at the first part of Psalm 24, titled ‘The King of Glory,’ which dealt with the sovereignty of the Lord God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, who created us, and our immense need for righteousness before Him. By the way, the scholars claim that Psalm 24 might have been written when Bruh David retrieved the Ark of the Covenant and placed it in Jerusalem. (2 Sam.6) Today we’ll deal with the second half of the psalm that stresses the glory of the Most High God Jehovah. And Bruh David in full voice, heartily declares: ‘Lift up your heads, O ye gates; and be ye lifted up, ye everlasting doors; and the King of glory shall come in.’ Now if one accepts the scholars’ supposition of when the psalm was written, it’s also possible to suppose that Bruh David was referring to the actual gates around the tabernacle and its entrance doors, following which he would put the ark in its appointed place. However Friends, I believe there is also a higher motive involved; possibly referring to eternal gates and doors of righteousness as described in Psalm 118. ‘Open to me the gates of righteousness: I will go into them, and I will praise the Lord. This gate of the Lord, into which the righteous shall enter.’ (Ps.118:19-20) Isaiah also spoke about gates in his hymn of praise: ‘In that day shall this song be sung in the land of Judah; We have a strong city; salvation will God appoint for walls and bulwarks. Open ye the gates, that the righteous nation which keepeth the truth may enter in.’ (Isa.26:1-2) Jesus talked about gates too. ‘Enter ye in at the strait (narrow) gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat. Because strait (narrow) is the gate, and narrow (difficult or confined) is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.’ (Mat.7:13-14) There we have it Friends, straight from the Saviour Himself! A wide gate leads to a broad road of destruction, and many go down it to their demise. However, the gate and path to eternal life are narrow and difficult to find, so that only a few actually do so. Please note too that in the parable of Lazarus in the bosom of Abraham in heaven and the rich man in hell, begging for a drop of water to wet his scorched tongue, Jesus recalls Abraham’s words: ‘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 pass to us, that would come from thence.’ (Luke 16:26) This leads us to believe Friends that there are indeed barriers, be they gates or whatever to getting into heaven, and once you’re ensconced in either Hades or Heaven, there’s no recourse to anything else, no moving from one place to another, we’re there for all eternity. That’s why my people it is so important to get it right in the first, the one and only instance, because once the breath of life leaves our earthly bodies, that’s it, we’re either Heaven or Hades bound. And since we have absolutely no idea when that will be, we should seek to put our house in order ASAP. And the soonest possible time is RIGHT NOW! Yes my people, it’s time for us to stand up and be counted, to lift up our heads to Heaven, while we open the gates of our hearts so that the King of glory can enter therein. And if like Bruh David, you’re asking, ‘Who is this King of glory?’ He is ‘The Lord strong and mighty, the Lord mighty in battle.’ (Ps.24:8) In this particular case my brethren, He is our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ who sacrificed His innocent life to pay for our disgusting sins, and who the Father then assigned as the ONLY way for us to come into His Holy presence; thus He’s forever revered as the Way, the Truth and the Life. Oh Friends, that’s why I’m imploring us to keep Jesus first place in our hearts and lives, and for us to seriously and sincerely witness to those who don’t know Him, so that they too can look forward to a bright and beautiful future of eternal life with Jesus. Please remember that at the end, those who don’t know Him will be irrevocably hell bent, Hades bound to a life of eternal death and damnation. Now Jesus doesn’t want that to happen to anyone, and we surely wouldn’t wish that on our worst enemy, would we? Certainly not! So let’s get a move on, start winning souls for Christ nuh. It’s what He desires of us. Much LOVE!…as for me and my house…without a doubt…we’ll serve Jesus…

 

Today’s Scrip-Bit 11 June 2010 Psalm 24:1‏

11 Jun 2010 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Inspirational Living

Psalm 24:1     The earth is the Lord’s, and the fullness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein.

 

Oh Friends, isn’t it nice to know that the weekend is upon us, so that we can get some rest and relaxation from the busy, unhealthy rat race that our society has become? No doubt many of you are singing, ‘TGIF, Thank God it’s Friday!’ But remember to truly thank Him sometime over the weekend while fellowshipping with others; meaning go to church, chapel, synagogue or whatever you call your house of worship, for it pleases the Lord mightily when groups of believers get together regularly to offer Him praise and worship. Why is that necessary, you ask? Because, as Bruh David declares in the opening verses of Psalm 24: ‘The earth is the Lord’s, and the fullness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein. For he hath founded it upon the seas, and established it upon the floods (rivers).’ (Ps.24:1-2) Yes my people, all that’s in the world, animate and inanimate, belongs to the Lord God Jehovah, for He is the one who created it all. And the first verse in the Good Book, His Holy Word, categorically declares it. ‘In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.’  (Gen.1:1) Therefore my Friends, that gives Him sole proprietary interest over everything in heaven or on earth. And since we are the only ones He made capable of thought, and also made most marvellously in His image, then it behoves us to pay homage to such an omnipotent being, who created all the beauty of nature by simply speaking it into existence. Humans are the only species He actually created with His hands. Furthermore, the Lord made humans to specifically interact with Him; that includes prayer, praise, worship and glorification. That means we have no excuses whatsoever for not interacting with our Creator, on some level, whether it be high or low. Interaction with Him is a necessary part of our lives, for both our earthly and heavenly success depends on it. And all of this becomes important my people when we take Bruh David’s next question into consideration. ’Who shall ascend into the hill of the Lord? Or who shall stand in his holy place?’ (Ps.24:3) Now those are certainly important concerns my people, because if we don’t have the necessary attributes to at least venture into God’s holy space, then things don’t look too good for us. Yes, believing in Jesus and all that He stands for will get us into heaven. But you can end up in heaven with just the basics, or you can get there with a whole lot of rewards accumulated through your life here on earth. Jesus said it quite clearly: ‘Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt (ruin), and where thieves break through and steal. But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.’ (Mat.6:19-21) Oh Friends, did you notice Jesus great insight into the human mentality? Wherever our treasure is stored, that’s where our hearts will be. Gospel truth mih people! It follows then, that if we’re concentrating on storing up treasure in heaven then our hearts will be focused on heaven and heavenly things, which is exactly what He desires of us. But how do we lay up treasure in heaven, how do we get to tread on holy ground? Bruh David puts it thus: ‘He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart; who hath not lifted up his soul unto vanity (to an idol), nor sworn deceitfully. He shall receive the blessing from the Lord, and righteousness from the God of his salvation.’  (Ps. 24:4-5) Oh Friends, you’ll notice that both before and after the coming of Jesus, the requirements to earn heavenly rewards are the same; clean hands, a pure heart, reverence and fear of the Lord. Note too, Bruh Paul’s warning to Timothy on the subject. ‘Charge (command) them that are rich in this world (present age), that they be not highminded (haughty), nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy. That they do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to distribute (give), willing to communicate (share); Laying up in store for themselves a good foundation against the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life.’ (1 Tim.6:17-19) Oh Friends, we can get into heaven by believing in Jesus and living a complacent life. But Jesus is looking for dynamic individuals, who will not only spread his Word, His philosophy on earth, but more importantly LIVE IT, by helping, serving, doing good works to others, by caring, sharing and putting others before ourselves, even when times are rough, onerous and unfair. That’s when we store up real rewards in heaven. Oh Friends, today I’m asking each one of us, to seriously envision ourselves, through the eyes of faith, as that dynamic person Jesus is looking for, and then let’s work diligently towards becoming everything that He desires us to be. Oh my people, it would bring great joy to Jesus’ heart, and ours too, if He could look upon our time now and associate it with Bruh David’s words: ‘This is the generation of them that seek him, that seek thy face, O Jacob. Selah.’ (Ps.24:6) Oh Friends, please, let’s seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, so that everything we need will be given to us. Jesus promised that. Let’s make Him keep that promise. Much LOVE!…diligently seek His face…and you shall find wealth untold…

 

Today’s Scrip-Bit 10 June 2010 Romans 5:1.‏

10 Jun 2010 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Inspirational Living

Romans 5:1     Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.
 
Oh Friends, we’ll begin today’s message with a quote from William James, (1842-1910) the New York city born pioneering psychologist and philosopher. It says: ‘The art of being wise is the art of knowing what to overlook.’ And that’s indeed true, because there’s so much knowledge in our world, today especially, so it’s very important that we can quickly pick the wheat from the chaff. We don’t need to know everything, and our small brains can hardly hold it, making our ability to quickly differentiate sense from nonsense of inestimable importance. My people, with that consideration in mind, we here posit that one of the wisest moves, or rather the wisest move a human being can ever make is to accept Jesus Christ as their Lord and Saviour. And all Jesus’ people shouted: ‘Glory Hallelujah! Blessed is the Lamb that died for us!’ Yes Friends, if we overlook the monumental effect that Jesus earthly life had on human knowledge and history we surely won’t deserve the appellation of wise. Why? Because it’s the most magnanimous, mountain moving, life changing and far reaching aspect of man’s History; the life of one man that’s changed human history forever. Wow! And if you bypass the most historic event in man’s existence, how then can one ever be considered wise eh? Oh Friends, we all know that our fore parents, Adam and Eve were kicked out of the comfy Garden of Eden for disobeying God, for listening to the beguiling talk of the enemy, and eating of the forbidden fruit of the tree of Life. Since then, their descendants have had it extremely hard; conceived in sin, born into a sinful world, lived and died in and around sin, with no apparent hope of ever getting away from it and suffering the eventual penalty of eternal death. However my brethren, the Good Lord, our Creator, Guide, Provider and Protector in His ever just and righteous nature, devised a sensational plan to reconcile us to Him. In His justice and righteousness He could not tolerate or accept sin, but in His merciful, forgiving and LOVING-kindness, He was heart broken to condemn us all to everlasting damnation. But the only way he could satisfy all aspects of His glorious nature and character was to find a sinless soul to pay for all sins; from day one till the end of time. Unfortunately, the only being whose profile matched that awesome requirement was His only Son Jesus. But such was the LOVE and desire in the Father’s heart to bring us, His most worthy creation, back to Him, that He voluntarily sacrificed His most precious possession, His Son Jesus for us. I’m sure it hurt Him terribly, but realizing that it would be for the greater good, He swallowed His personal feelings and made the way for us lost, disobedient sinners to once more have fellowship with Him, to be able to come in to His presence. However, there’s one proviso to it all people: We can only do that, can only come to Him through His risen Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Why? Because He gave over all the running of the world to Jesus after He made that sublime, sinless, superhuman sacrifice for us. ‘That unto me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear (take an oath.)  ( Isa.45:23) It’s like in many of our earthly societies; you can’t access the ultimate leader directly, but must go through their right hand person first. And that’s the job Jesus is doing for us right now, my people; pleading and intervening with the Father for those who trust and believe in Him. Okay Friends, so now the ball is in our court. The Lord’s made a way for us to be reconciled to Him, to be cleansed of our iniquity and once more become proud, upstanding children of Almighty God. But it requires a conscious choice of every individual, for it’s only through personal belief, through personal trust and faith in Jesus that those redeeming things are possible. And when we accept Jesus into our lives we have to become new people, born again, so to speak, by getting rid of all the sinful junk that’s cluttering up our souls. And to walk confidently in Jesus it takes a real mighty step, that of faith. As believers, we then need to subscribe to the motto: ‘For we walk by faith, not by sight.’ (2 Cor.5:7) And what’s faith you ask? ‘Faith is the substance (realization) of things hoped for, the evidence (conviction) of things not seen.’  ( Heb.11:1) That means we’re hoping and believing for things and matters that we can’t actually see with our earthly eyes, but can visualize with our mind’s eye, our souls, with the aid of the Holy Spirit that comes to live in every believer’s heart. Oh mih people, this faith thing is utterly important, possibly the most important aspect of a believer’s life. For as the author of Hebrews reminds us: ‘But without faith it is impossible to please him (God): for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.’ (Heb.11:6) Friends, that finally brings us to our Bit: ‘Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.’ Yes my brethren, it’s only through faith in Jesus Christ that we’re justified in being at peace with the heavenly Father. And what does justify mean? The dictionary defines it as: ‘showing justice or righteousness of a person, or vindicating circumstances, or declaring a person free from the penalty of sin on the grounds of Christ’s righteousness, or the infusion of grace into a person.’ Wow! They all apply to us my people! It’s only through Christ’s death on the cross, the shedding of His precious and innocent blood which paid for our sins, that we’re able to approach the Father. And to do that we must believe, must trust, must surrender, must have the utmost faith in Jesus: that He is who He says He is, has done what He says He’s done, is doing what He says He’s currently doing, and will do what He’s promised to do in the future. Oh my people, to be truly able to be at peace with the Father, to truly rise up, or kneel and talk to Him in prayer, there must be absolutely no doubt in our hearts souls and minds that His Son Jesus died for us, that that act cleansed us of our sins, and now we’re FREE! FREE to live for Jesus! My Friends, it’s the only way to sensibly, to wisely handle this unpredictable earthly life. So remember, if you want to be wise, you can’t overlook Jesus. He’s the most important Being in our universe. I don’t know if I would make a good lawyer or advocate in our earthly legal system, but Friends, that’s my case on Jesus’ behalf. I stand by it, and sincerely hope that you, the jury of my peers, will find Him worthy and turn to Him; believe, surrender, trust and have faith in Him, for He’s the only one who can help us with or solve our problems in a pleasing and everlasting manner. Much LOVE!.JESUS…the way…the truth…and the life…no one comes to the Father…but by Him…
 

Today’s Scrip-Bit 9 June 2010 Job 29:2‏

09 Jun 2010 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Inspirational Living

Job 29:2     Oh that I were as in months past, as in the days when God preserved me.
 
Oh Friends, I now remember why I don’t go out much during the late afternoon or early evening hours of the summer months. The traffic, normally horrendous, becomes horrific with the addition of roadwork on seemingly every corner. I left home last evening around five thirty to go into the lovely city of Toronto. Normally, even with heavy traffic, that would take me about 45 minutes. Yesterday it took me 90, and only because I went along many back roads, some of which I haven’t travelled in numerous years, for every major road resembled a parking lot rather than a highway. I haven’t seen it that bad in a long while. And coming home around ten p.m wasn’t much better, for two of the three major highways were again clogged with traffic. So I also ended up taking the back roads home. But Friends, you would have been most proud of the ole fella, because I didn’t get angry, didn’t complain too much, just went along stoically, listening to the music, forcing myself to remain calm. A few years ago, under the same conditions, I would have been most annoyed, probably turned around and gone back home. But it seems like the ole fella’s maturing in that respect. ‘Praise the Lord!’  Still my people, sometimes the summer driving up here just makes you long for winter, or the good old days, when traffic was not as bad. It makes you want to declare like Job: ‘Oh that I were as in months past, as in the days when God preserved (watched over) me.’ And who wouldn’t eh? Just listen to Job’s history before sudden disaster struck. ‘Job…that man was perfect (blameless) and upright, and one that feared God, and eschewed (shunned) evil.’ He had 7 sons and 3 daughters, along with ‘seven thousand sheep, and three thousand camels, and five hundred yoke of oxen, and five hundred she asses, and a very great household; so that this man was the greatest of all the men of the east.’ And after his sons and daughters had feasted, ‘Job sent and sanctified them (consecrated them, set them apart), and rose up early in the morning, and offered burnt offerings according to the number of them all: for Job said, It may be that my sons have sinned, and cursed God in their hearts. Thus did Job continually (regularly). (Job 1:1-5) Wow! Job was wealthy, also of excellent character and integrity, so he was well respected, a popular judge, and a generous benefactor to his people, and his sons seemed to be cut from the same cloth. Above all though, Job was considered a righteous man in God’s eyes. Now that’s the best compliment any human can ever receive my people. So why did all this disaster and tribulation suddenly befall him? Obviously because of the evil one, Beelzebub. One day he came before God with the Lord’s other sons and when they got to talking, the Lord boasted about His most excellent servant Job: ‘that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God and escheweth evil.’ ( Job 1:8) But the evil one claimed that was only because the Lord protected him. ‘Hast thou not made a hedge (of protection) about him, and about his house, and about all that he hath on every side? thou hast blessed the work of his hands, and his substance (possessions) is increased in the land. But put forth thine hand now, and touch all that he hath, and he will curse thee to thy face.’ (Job 1:10-11) The Lord agreed, so sure was He of Job, the only exception being that his life be spared. Then the calamity began in Job’s life. Poor Fella. Oh Friends, many of us are undergoing some calamitous times too, which don’t seem to derive from any wrongdoing or negative action on our part. And quite rightly, we’re wondering why the sudden tribulation, when we were truly trying to be righteous? Oh my people, unfortunately I have no definite or distinct answer for that. But I can say with full confidence that the good Lord sees and knows all that we’re enduring, and for some purpose, higher than we can comprehend, He’s allowing the negative activity to overtake our lives. All we can do is take solace from Job’s story. He did nothing wrong, in fact the Lord had the utmost confidence in him, that’s why He allowed Lucifer to rain on his parade. So if we’ve been trying to follow God, be obedient to His will, but tribulation is sadly overtaking us, the best way to handle it is to assume that God’s testing us. He’s testing our trust, faithfulness, obedience, reverence and LOVE for Him. There can’t be any other reason, since our God does not go out of His way to punish or make life hard for those who genuinely seek Him. Let’s behave like Job; stand strong, steadfast, faithful and true, with the attitude that ‘Though he slay me, yet will I trust him.’ (Job 13:15) Yes my people, that’s the only way to live this crazy, unpredictable life without going crazy ourselves. We need to acquire and show a true, unquenchable faith in the Most High God Jehovah, that even though he allows deadly storms in our lives, we’ll go down trusting Him. Oh Friends, the times are hard, but please remember that God is still in control, and He never allows us to undergo anything, good or bad, without a good reason. We may not understand it, but the faith which we live by, that ‘substance (realization) of things hoped for, the evidence (conviction) of things not seen,’ (Heb.11:1) should be strong enough to keep us keeping on, persevering to the end, knowing that eventually things will change, will improve. My people, it did for Job, so why not for us eh? ‘So the Lord blessed the latter end of Job more than his beginning.’ (Job 42:12) Again Friends, if the Lord could give Job so much more than he’d lost, what’s preventing Him from doing the same for us? Nothing! But we have to behave like Job did while we’re going through our own trials and tribulations. My brethren, it’s of the utmost importance that we stand strong, that we let our faith, in conjunction with the Holy Spirit, lead us on a righteous path, regardless of the problems we encounter. It’s not easy. It’s never easy, as Job’s experience shows. But Friends, it’s not impossible. Please remember that with our God’s help, ALL THINGS ARE POSSIBLE in this universe that He created. So let’s see if we can turn down the worry and anxiety as the troubles come pouring down nuh. If we do that, eventually we’ll end up victorious! Much LOVE!…for we live…by faith…not by sight…

Today’s Scrip-Bit 8 June 2010 Colossians 3:16.‏

08 Jun 2010 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Inspirational Living

Colossians 3:16     Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.
 
Oh Friends, there is respite on the horizon, respite from the virtues we’ve been talking about the last how many days. Today just might be the last day on that subject. And I hear many of you muttering ‘Thank you Lord!’  (smile) But why do we tend to shy away from the good, healthy values eh, would rather not talk about them, but so readily embrace the not so good ones in our conversations? Who knows? Is it because our society tends to frown on goody goody people, while saluting and glorifying the loud, boisterous, self-aggrandizing evil doers? I really don’t know mih people. But I do know that the quote I’m about to share from Henri Frederic Amiel, a Swiss philosopher and critic (1821-1888) is indeed full of truth and wisdom. And it says: ‘To know how to grow old is the master work of wisdom, and one of the most difficult chapters in the great art of living.’ And ain’t that the truth my old geezer Friends! It’s not easy growing old, much less doing so gracefully. The physical part is hard and bad enough with all the aches and pains, though medication or joint replacement might alleviate those problems. But what about the emotional aspect of growing old, of knowing that you are one day closer to death’s door, with fear and anxiety growing daily over things that never bothered us when we were young, and no pain killers to ease our hurting psyches? And that sort of thing is even more exaggerated in today’s youth oriented, older folks forgotten and/or marginalized society. Now take that one step further, when we’re retired and have nothing much to really occupy our time and minds. As they say, the devil finds work for idle hands. That’s partially why older folks tend to worry more; simply because they don’t have much to productively occupy their time, so they sit and conjure up all sorts of negative situations. And isn’t it strange how under those conditions, we tend to conjure up more negative than positive scenarios? It’s very seldom the life’s coming up roses thoughts, always more dreadful forebodings. However Friends, the ole fella has the solution to all those negative problems! (smile) Yes, I do. And it’s not rocket science my people. It’s very simple, as all great ideas are. All we have to do is live according to our Bit. Wow! Yes Wow! ‘Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.’ Oh mih people, that deserves another Wow! Why? Because they are truly words of wisdom! If we live the way they advise, we’ll never have to worry about growing old. We’ll be careful and concerned, but not worried and anxious, we won’t fear death or any of the stuff that advanced years brings. For when believers adhere to the virtues that Bruh Paul spells out; forbearance, forgiveness, kindness, LOVE, with peace reigning in our hearts, minds and souls, then we are fertile soil for the word of Christ to dwell richly in us. I like how Bruh Paul says it to the Ephesians. ‘Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in our heart to the Lord.’ (Eph.5:19) Oh mih breddren isn’t that a beautiful way to live! In fact, the ONLY way to live successfully is by continually singing and making melody in our hearts to our God. What could be nicer or more perfect than that eh? Nothing, as far as I’m concerned. And the sad part is that what Bruh Paul’s suggesting is not hard to do at all, plus it’s our godly calling. As believers in Christ we’re duty bound to live in that manner. However Friends, I didn’t come to preach or lecture today. (smile) Be quiet my children. I’m just here to show us how to live successfully in this…I was going to say godforsaken world, but fortunately, He hasn’t quite written us off as yet. So how do we describe our world? As evil, cruel, hate-filled, warmongering, selfish, greedy, violent, but…and it’s a big but Friends, BUT with a small core of kind, peace LOVING, forbearing, forgiving, harmonious and unified followers of Christ, who will eventually turn this whole thing right around with the LOVE Revolution that’s now quietly brewing and fomenting all across the world. And all God’s people shouted in unison: ‘Glory Hallelujah! Long live the kingdom of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Saviour!’ Until that most eventful day my Friends, please, I implore us, let’s seriously attempt to live the way Bruh Paul advises. Let’s sing and make melody in out hearts to our God. ‘And whatever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.’ (Col.3:17)  And for those of us who did not realize it, or were unsure, yesterday’s quote about prayer being a longing of the soul was indeed by Mahatma (great soul) Gandhi. His real name was Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi. And here ends the series on virtue. And they all sighed thankfully. (smile) Much LOVE mih people!…living in Christ…and for Christ…is the ONLY way to live…a successful earthly life…
 

Today’s Scrip-Bit 7 June 2010 Colossians 3:15‏

07 Jun 2010 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Inspirational Living

Colossians 3:15     And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also are ye called in one body; and be ye thankful.

 

Oh Friends, I’m sorry to be the bearer of bad tidings, but unfortunately it’s Monday. That means it’s time again to join the workweek fray with Beelzebub, suitably attired in your spiritual armour of course, having had some rest, plus good fellowship with other believers and our heavenly Father. If you’ve had all that, then you’re in excellent form, fine fettle to do battle with the powers of darkness and their evil minions. So get out there and fight the good fight, to the death if needs be. Show them that the forces of good are way superior to those of evil because our Leader is Jesus; a gentle giant on one hand, but a mighty warrior king on the other. And in passing, here’s a thought from Mohandas Gandhi that might be helpful in our battles. He says that ‘Prayer is not asking. It is a longing of the soul.’ Now there is much truth in that statement Friends, for many times our prayers are not for physical, worldly stuff, but more a longing of our souls for balance and serenity. When we can’t find LOVE and understanding in our physical world, we turn to a higher power, the Most High God Jehovah, for help in balancing them both in our confused, unbalanced lives. That brings us to our Bit. ‘And let the peace of God rule in your hearts.’ Yes my people, those virtues that we’ve studied over the last few days ought to effect peace in our hearts. The harmony and unity our God created among His people is to rule in all our lives. The scholars claim that the Greek word translated as ‘rule’ conveys the sense of an umpire in a game, therefore letting the peace of God rule in our hearts means that when dissension arises between believers, we ought to take the path that best maintains peace and encourages harmony. And so it should Friends! You know that over the years Peace and LOVE has become a battle cry in many societies, but the problem is we simply can’t have one without the other, that’s why it never seems to come to fruition. To have peace in our lives, there must be caring, understanding and all the other virtues glued together by LOVE. And you simply cannot have LOVE without peace for the same reason; LOVE calls for all those Christian virtues that bring peace to our souls and lives. As Bruh Paul advised the Philippians: ‘Be careful (anxious) for nothing; but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep (guard) your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.’ (Phil.4:6-7) Now, here’s how Jesus said it. ‘Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.’ (John 14:27) So my brethren it’s essential that we have peace in our lives and souls. We can’t afford to be overly anxious or worried about anything since those negative emotions detract from our main purpose, our calling to serve the One True God Jehovah, through the gospel of His Son Jesus; ‘to the which also are ye called.’ Oh Friends, we’re most definitely called to serve our God in LOVE and peace. ‘But if the unbelieving depart, let him depart. A brother or a sister is not under bondage in such cases: but God hath called us to peace.’ (1 Cor.7:15) There Bruh Paul is talking to the Corinthians in particular about marriage and divorce between believers and unbelievers, but people, the same basic rule still applies today; ‘God hath called us to peace.’ If others want to go their separate ways, we should try to accomplish that as peacefully as possible, with little or no anger and resentment. But sadly, the family break ups of today are excellent examples of what should not happen. Divorce today is a virtual battlefield. They are now so nasty that the main intention seems to be purely selfish; get as much worldly goods, or hurt the other person as much as you can. Only the greedy lawyers win, leaving former spouses hurting and hating, and innocent children often scarred for life. But Friends, Bruh Paul didn’t only say we’re called to let the peace of God rule in our hearts, but also ‘in one body.’ That means we are called to live in peace and unity, as one body, a unified whole as the Church of Christ. ‘There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling. One Lord, one faith, one baptism. One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.’ ( Eph.4:4-6) That’s what he told the Ephesians. Note his extensive use of the word ‘one.’ Everything under the Lord’s jurisdiction should be clothed in peace and harmony. But that definitely does not show up in today’s church, which is so filled with divisions and dissension that it’s become a joke. Oh Friends, we need to remember that we’re one under Jesus and fight to stop any further erosion of the little unity that’s left in the church, cause if we don’t, it will disappear sooner, rather than later.  And the evil enemy forces would have won. Ah mih people, it all comes right back to those virtues we’ve been talking about. You can’t have unity when self-interest reigns. And if we’d only listen to Bruh Paul we’d all have such better lives. Yuh see what he says at the end of the Bit? ‘And be ye thankful.’ That’s another aspect of our lives that has gone to the dogs in modern day society. We’re seldom thankful, more often demanding and ungrateful, which doesn’t augur well for peace in our lives. Here’s what we should be doing. ‘Rejoice evermore. Pray without ceasing. In everything give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.’ (1 Thess.5:16-18) And that’s not so difficult to do my people, if we’re seriously interested in peace. Moreover, if we’re to live a good life, then peace is essential like air, food and water. Without it, we either remain unfocused, drifting aimlessly, with no productive aims or goals, or we become angry, selfish, bitter, rabid, wild animals. Sadly, we seem to be heading towards the latter full speed ahead. However Friends, please note that our motto should never be peace at any cost, for some things are worth fighting for. Our rule should rather be, peace, according to the dictates of Jesus. Please, let’s sit and seriously consider the disastrous direction in which our world is heading and do our best, both individually and collectively to turn things around. I pray this in Jesus’ Name. Amen. Much LOVE….depart from evil and do good…seek peace and pursue it…’ (Ps.34:14)

 

Today’s Scrip-Bit 6 June 2010 Colossians 3:14‏

06 Jun 2010 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Inspirational Living

Colossians 3:14     And above all these things put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness.

 

Oh Friends, it’s Sunday morning! Are you smiling, are you happy, is their joy in your heart? Well you should be in a positive frame of mind, for in spite of all your problems, you’re alive and kicking, living under the kind, generous, forgiving and LOVING auspices of the Most High God Jehovah. Now that’s something to be surely joyous about eh mih people! If you’re a true believer then that should have you riding mighty clouds of joy! (smile) And if it isn’t, then something’s seriously wrong; our virtue system has not been seriously developed, hasn’t matured. This brings us back to our favourite topic of the week, virtue. And I hear some of us moaning; ‘Oh, not that again! Thought we were all done with that now.’ No Friends, for today we’ll deal with the most important one, the one that holds them all together, the glue, so to speak, and that’s Charity, or in our parlance, LOVE. As Bruh Paul so wisely states: ‘And above all these things put on charity (LOVE), which is the bond of perfectness.’ And the scholars describe it thus: ‘LOVE is the crowning grace completing the list of virtues required for perfectness or spiritual maturity. As a ‘bond’ it binds all other virtues together in harmony and unity.’ Wow! True words of wisdom Friends! They perfectly describe what LOVE is and what it does. Note in 1 Corinthians 13, The way of LOVE, Bruh Paul’s famous treatise on the subject, he ends by saying: ‘And now abideth faith, hope and charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity (LOVE).’ (1 Cor.13:13) And that’s the gospel truth my people! But have you ever noticed the irony of the situation; that one of the most often quoted, appealing and foundational tenets of Christ’s gospel is found in chapter 13, verse 13? Thirteen being a number we associate with bad luck and won’t even number it thus on the floors of our buildings, such is the widespread apprehension. Hn! Just goes to show that our God’s intelligence and thoughts are truly higher than ours. Oh Friends, the Spirit just placed a wonderful suggestion in my mind; that 1 Corinthians 13 should be an essential, required piece of scripture reading every day, individually, as well as whenever believers get together and also whenever a new believer is born again in Christ. Why? Because it’s the elementary building block, the very foundation of Christianity; who we are, or ought to be in Christ, and unfortunately many of us need to be constantly reminded since we stray from it a lot. And from here on in, I’ll try to keep myself out of the message, just bombard us with passages of scripture which promote that godly feeling of LOVE. And we’ll begin with the rock of Christ’s church, Peter. ‘But the end of all things is at hand: be ye therefore sober, and watch unto prayer. And above all things have fervent charity (LOVE) among yourselves: for charity (LOVE) shall cover the multitude of sins.’ (1 Pet.4:7-8) And there Peter’s quoting words from the wisest man ever, Cousin Sol. ‘Hatred stirreth up strifes: but LOVE covereth all sins.’ (Prov.10:12) Yes my brethren, LOVE is the greatest emotion that exists in our world, and when it lives, or is present amongst a group of people…oh, there’s such harmony and unity that it makes us wonder how we could live any other way. That’s because it brings such joy, kindness, forgiveness, long-suffering etc to our sinful, rebellious, disobedient souls, lightens our spirits, has us floating on cloud nine, and most important of all, brings us in line with our Creator, fills us with the very essence of God. Sorry Friends, I forgot I wasn’t going to say much, (smile) but I just can’t help myself when the topic is LOVE. That’s just the Spirit of LOVE from the LOVE of our God, flowing through me, because our God IS LOVE! Now hear John tell it: ‘Beloved, let us LOVE one another: for LOVE is of God; and every one that LOVETH is born of God, and knoweth God. He that LOVETH not knoweth not God; for God is LOVE. ‘(1 John 4:7-8) Then he explains why; primarily of course because the Lord designed a plan where His only Son Jesus died for our sins. Consequently ‘Beloved, if God so LOVED us, we ought also to LOVE one another.’ (1 John 4:11) Perfect logic mih breddren! You can’t beat it any which way you try! And exactly because it unites everything, Bruh Paul calls LOVE ‘the bond of perfectness.’ ‘I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called. With all lowliness and meekness, with long-suffering, forbearing one another in LOVE. Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.’ (Eph.4:1-3) Ah my Friends, it’s the same basic advice Bruh Paul gave to the Ephesians, and the same advice I’m imploring us all to accept many centuries later because those words still hold true. For it’s only with and through LOVE, that our angry, resentful, violent, war-mongering world will ever attain a modicum of peace. That’s right my people; peace will only exist in direct proportion to LOVE. So let’s seriously work on that LOVE Revolution we’ve been talking about nuh. Our world is tearfully yearning, desperately crying out for it. Till tomorrow then, God willing, when we’ll talk some more on this very important topic. Much LOVE!…the believer’s number one priority…LOVE…

 

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