Today’s Scrip-Bit 29 January 2008 Amos 5:8-9‏

29 Jan 2008 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Inspirational Living

Amos 5:8-9    Seek him that maketh the seven stars and Orion, and turneth the shadow of death into the morning, and maketh the day dark with night: that calleth for the waters of the sea, and poureth them out upon the face of the earth. The Lord is his name. That strengtheneth the spoiled against the strong, so that the spoiled shall come against the fortress.
 
Friends, we live in a world that has gone crazy with lust for money, material things and the supposed good life that money buys. Lust for power is overwhelming; the number of dictators and egomaniacs has sky-rocketed. Immorality is rampant. Sin is treated in a cavalier manner. There’s a constant and concerted cry to relegate God to has been status. Greed, violence and strife are more popular than peace, LOVE, and sharing. The enemy appears to be in ascendance right now, just like he was in Amos’ time in Israel. He’s simply working on a larger scale now; a greater number of targets, plus more tools of evil and destruction. But people, that doesn’t mean he will win the war; a few battles along the way, yes, but definitely not the war. However, for that to occur, We, the Army of Truth, must stand strong and not falter. And the only way to do that, is as Bruh Amos said so long ago; ‘Seek Him!’  Reach out to the ONE who made the heavens with all it’s bright, shining stars. The ONE who turns day to night and darkness to light. The mighty ONE that causes the waters of the sea to overcome the earth. Yes Friends, in order to defeat the enemy, we’ve got to call on the help of that mighty Being who controls the earth. As Bruh Amos declared: ‘The Lord is His Name!’ All powerful is He. With His help, the spoiled, the defeated, the weak, the beaten down, both in body and spirit, are boosted, strengthened, even to the point that they are able to rise up and attack the fortress of the strong. So don’t lose hope people, even though the enemy bombards us with pretty enticements from his big bag of tricks. We can, and shall overcome. But only if we seek the Most High, then put our trust and lives in His hand. Without Him, we’re powerless. With Him, hn! All things are possible! Bruh Amos said it out loud and clear in verse 4: ‘For thus saith the Lord unto the house of Israel, Seek ye me, and ye shall live.’  Much LOVE  My Friends!…and steadfastly believe…that good will always overcome evil…
 

Today’s Scrip-Bit 28 January 2008 Matthew 28:18-20‏

28 Jan 2008 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Inspirational Living

Matthew 28:18-20    And Jesus came and spoke unto them, saying. All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen.
 
Those were Jesus’ last instructions to His disciples. The Father gave Him free rein over everything, in reward for sacrificing His life, and He desired the disciples to go out and disseminate the Good News about the redemption of our sins, through His Birth, Death, Resurrection and Ascension. That was to be their life’s work. If they did not spread the Word, then no one would know about it and His sacrifice would have been in vain. That’s why He specifically instructed them to teach all nations, baptizing in the name of the Holy Trinity. Note that Jesus also specified Baptism, so He must have considered it important. It’s like a sign that says ‘Welcome!’; an initiation rite into the following of Jesus, the official coming of the Holy Spirit into our souls. Now Friends, two thousand years later, that directive also applies to us. The calling of all believers is to go out and teach and spread the Faith. Are we doing it? To some extent, but not as much as we can or should, else there would not be as much strife and turmoil in our world. We can’t all be Ministers or Missionaries, concentrating mainly on teaching the word, but all of us in our own way can certainly play a part by living the kind of life that reflects the teachings of Jesus. Remember, He wants us to not only spread the Word, but more importantly, LIVE it. There’s no better testimony than the example our life sets. Yes People, we are required to make a difference in the world, wherever we are, and with whatever we have. The Most High knows what we have and what we can do, so don’t worry about not being able to make large financial contributions, or volunteer a lot of time to worthy causes. All of us have somebody in close proximity who needs some kind of help that we can provide. Jesus told His disciples to teach people to observe all the things He had taught them; things like kindness, forgiveness, patience, perseverance, and above all, LOVE for God and one’s neighbours, from which everything else naturally flows. Friends, that’s also our mandate. Are we fulfilling it? Only God and each individual knows. But if we consider ourselves serious followers of J.C, then it’s very important that we do what He expects of us. So let’s all make a concerted effort; let’s go out there and teach, help, baptize, do whatever  we can to spread His word, so that when He returns, the WHOLE WORLD would have heard it, and joyfully accepted Him as their Lord and Saviour. And Friends, there’s no need to fear, because His last promise was, ‘lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world.’ Much LOVE!…remember…to truly be like Jesus…we must always be ready…to lend a helping hand…

Today’s Scrip-Bit 27 January 2008 2 Thessalonians 1:3-4‏

27 Jan 2008 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Inspirational Living

2 Thessalonians 1:3-4    We are bound to thank God always for you, brethren, as it is meet, because that your faith groweth exceedingly, and the charity of every one of you all, toward each other, aboundeth; So that we ourselves glory in you in the churches of God, for your patience and faith in all your persecutions and tribulations that ye endure.
 
Oh Friends, I am no Paul, not by a long shot, but it sure would be gratifying to earn the right to say those words. Obviously, I thank God for all of you who read the Bit: for those who read it reluctantly; yuh know, just because it’s there; as well as for you faithful few, who can’t wait to get up in the mornings and rush to your computers to see what words of wisdom I’ve dispensed for that day. Of course I’m laughing as I write this, but I do hope that at some time, something in some Bit, does reach out and talk to each one of you: That in some small way, it gives you some kind of encouragement, brings a chuckle to your soul or a smile to your sad face, brightens your day, shines a ray of light on your darkened path, but somehow helps you to bear whatever  heavy load you’re carrying. That’s why the Most High lead me, or rather pushed me to do this. And He would be exceedingly pleased, if my few words, hn! helps to keep your faith strong, and even better, if it helped it to grow. Wow! But this passage touched me most today; ‘and the charity  of every one of you all toward each other, aboundeth;’ Yes People, it would be so wonderful to truthfully say that we are increasing in LOVE for, and fellowship with our neighbours. Nothing warms the cockles of God’s heart and brings a beautiful smile to His face like when His children live in true harmony. Friends, it’s something we should all strive for. Sometimes I think I’m mentally challenged (now don’t all say yeah!) but I simply can’t understand how people can not only live, but thrive in continuous strife and confusion, when it’s so much easier and sweeter to live in LOVE. Sorry, but I will stay mentally challenged. That’s why crazy people are considered happy; they laugh a lot and we, supposedly sane ones, don’t. Anyway, enough rambling. At least I’m like Bruh Paul in that respect; love to ramble. But seriously though, it would be great if at the end of our journey, we all felt fulfilled and fairly satisfied with our efforts to enhance and advance God’s Church, having endured with much patience and strong faith, the necessary trials and tribulations. And Friends, we can certainly do it, if we’ll only curtail our selfish desires and work together with each other… and with God. Much LOVE!…remember…it takes two hands…to clap…the same with success…
 

Today’s Scrip-Bit 26 January 2008 Romans 8:35-37‏

26 Jan 2008 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Inspirational Living

Romans 8:35-37    Who shall separate us from the Love of Christ? Shall tribulation , or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.
 
Trust Bruh Paul to be gung ho and upbeat even in rough times. He’s reassuring the early Christians in Rome, letting them know that there’s nothing, no, not a single negative happening that can break the bond between Christ and us. Once we accept Him as Lord and Saviour, that bond, that connection is unbreakable. It’s the strongest bond in all the world.  He loved us so much that He died for us. What can be stronger than that eh? As Bruh Paul asks, ‘who shall separate us from the love of Christ?’ and he goes on to list negative stuff, like persecution, famine and sword. Not even death, he claims will do it. At that time, rampant persecution of Christians existed, as Paul knew, since he’d been one of the chief culprits before his conversion. That’s why he could say ‘we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.’ In fact, all through the Church’s History, Christians have been persecuted simply for their belief in Jesus Christ. Today it’s not as bad, although the persecution still exists in some places, but despite it all, the Christian Faith has survived two thousand years. It’s been spread all over the world, as J.C asked, and is currently flourishing, reaching even more people through the new technology, like television and the internet. Bruh Paul only had two avenues to spread the Gospel, mostly word of mouth and a little written material, since that is where it all began, but he was so secure in his faith in Christ, that he could discount all the bad possibilities, even the very real fear of death. Friends, today, we don’t have to hide and whisper about our faith, as our early brothers did. We have the most freedom of any age to shout and proclaim Jesus. That’s why we’ve all got to get out there and do our part. Our world’s in crisis and desperately needs to hear about the LOVE and redemption of Jesus.  There’s nothing to be afraid of. Bruh Paul said that in spite of all the negativity, ‘in all these things we are more than conquerors, through him who loved us.’ And that’s the living truth my Friends! We can overcome any situation, conquer anything that comes against us, through the LOVE of Jesus Christ. As always, Much LOVE!…remember…with J.C on our side…there’s nothing to fear…

Today’s Scrip-Bit 25 January 2008 2 Peter 2: 20-21‏

25 Jan 2008 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Inspirational Living

2 Peter 2:20-21    For if after they have escaped the pollutions of the world, through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, they are again entangled therein, and overcome, the latter end is worse than the beginning. For it had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than, after they have known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered unto them.
 
Oh Friends, we all know that a life truly dedicated to Christ can be rough at times. But once we’ve embraced the Faith, we cannot, we must not, go back to where we came from; the materialism and all the other negative aspects of our crazy, misguided world. Peter is saying that having escaped the wickedness of the world through acknowledgement of Jesus as our Lord and Saviour, if we get entangled in that negativity again, and are overcome by it, succumb to it, then it’s a sad, sad day, ‘ the latter end is more than the beginning.’  Friends, turncoats are liked by nobody, because they can’t be trusted to remain loyal to any one side. Bruh Pete claims that we would be better off not having known the Lord at all, than knowing Him and then going back to our wicked ways. The price we pay for jumping ship is much higher than if we had never signed on at all. Bruh Pete maintains that when we make that about turn, we’re living up to the proverb about the dog returning to its vomit, and a washed pig, going back to wallow in the mud, because that’s all they know, and seem to like. Yes people, it’s hard to stay focussed in today’s world with all the glitz and glamour hurled at us from every side. But remember, all that glitters is not gold, but mostly gold plated or just shiny brass. So when these trials come against us, we’ve got to stand strong, call on the Most High to help us resist the temptation to revert to our more sinful ways. Don’t be afraid. The Lord understands. He knows that to genuinely perform our calling, we’ve got to be in the evil world, to be where the sinners are. As Jesus said, He came to save sinners, that’s why He hung out with them. The same goes for us: We can’t help Him, if we sit in our ivory towers, far away from the reality of it all. We’ve got to mix and mingle too, but with the realization that we’re the ones who must instigate change in the world, not the other way around. We’ve got to be in the world, but not of the world. As I keep saying Friends, it’s not easy. There’s a whole lot of lovely stuff out there to make our mouths water, and a whole heap of people to encourage us to partake. However, if it does not fit J.C’s plan, then we’ve got to resist the temptation. And my people, we can do it; through prayer, a strong resolve, maturation in the Word and the able assistance of our help-mate, the Holy Spirit. Much LOVE!…nobody loves a backslider…least of all Jesus…

Today’s Scrip-Bit 24 January 2008 Obadiah 1:3-4‏

24 Jan 2008 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Inspirational Living

Obadiah 1:3-4    The pride of thine heart hath deceived thee, thou that dwelleth in the clefts of the rocks, whose habitation is high; that saith in his heart, Who shall bring me down to the ground? Though thou exaltest thyself as the eagle, and though thou set thy nest among the stars, thence will I bring thee down, saith the Lord.
 
Beware, ye proud and haughty! That’s Obadiah’s warning to the people of Edom. They exalted themselves without consideration of the Most High, and He intensely dislikes those particular traits of pride and ‘self exaltation.’ He likes to be given His just due. Understand this people, we can do nothing without the Lord’s help. So if our star happens to shine rather brightly and we rise to abnormal heights, don’t pound your chest and figure it was all your doing. The Creator, most likely, had a hand in it. Hn! But have you ever noticed that the wealthy and pretentious just seem to gravitate to high places to build their luxurious abodes? It’s always something Hills, Heights, or Cliffs, but invariably the homes of the power brokers tend to be on higher ground than those of ordinary folk. And oftimes, how much you possess, dictates how high up you live. But have you also noticed the contradictory phenomenon, that at the foot of most of these posh mountainsides, resides a poor, ghetto-like enclave? You’ve got to pass through the run down section, to get to the wealthy heights. Friends, there’s nothing wrong with building a nice house in the high hills. The problem develops when you allow that to become a status symbol; believing that you’ve arrived, that it gives you bragging rights, makes you better than others, and you begin strutting like a peacock, forgetting your humble roots, being consumed by the powerful, but also destructive sin of pride. Sadly though, our society today is mired in the adulation of the so-called celebrity; the ego-maniacal system that overnight, creates stars and superstars out of fickle, feeble persons without any real inner strength or substance. Notice too, that these insubstantial stars crash and burn just as quickly. The latest being Heath Ledger; Star Extraordinary, Sex Symbol. It seems he had the world by the tail, but at age 28, he crashed and burned, alone, in a lonely hotel room, apparently of an overdose of something or other. Friends, this fast, high stepping, loose living, better than thou lifestyle that’s so prevalent today, is not conducive to the good, brotherly relationships the Most High wants us to cultivate. It only causes us to try to outdo each other, then primp and preen and boast about what we have and where we live. The acquisition of material wealth is quite acceptable, when used to help our brothers, not lord it over them. As the Crown Prince of Reggae, Dennis Brown, says in one of his songs, ‘Birds fly too fast, miss their nests, and if yuh run, run too fast, yuh bound to tumble down.’  Friends, please don’t let that happen to us. Selfish, high minded living is not what Jesus is about, and if we foolishly exalt ourselves as eagles, and build our nests on high, ‘thence will I bring thee down, saith the Lord.’ Much LOVE!…remember…pride goeth before a fall…always did… and always shall…
 

Today’s Scrip-Bit 23 January 2008 Luke 12:37,38,40‏

23 Jan 2008 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Inspirational Living

Luke 12: 37,38,40.  Blessed are those servants, whom the Lord, when he cometh shall find watching: verily I say unto you, that he shall gird himself, and make them to sit down to meat, and will come forth to serve them. And if he shall come in the second watch, or come in the third watch, and find them so, blessed are those servants. Be ye therefore ready also: for the Son of man cometh at an hour when ye think not.
 
Warning Friends! Urgent Warning! The Master can return at any time. Those are His words of solemn advice, advance notification in Today’s Bit. It therefore behoves us to be ready. Like the servants He talks about, we should always be watching, waiting and ready for whatever time He comes; be it late night or bright noon day. If we’re not ready, then we’ll be left behind. Simple as that. As Jesus says in verse 39, if the house owner knew when the thief was going to come, he would be ready for him. But obviously he doesn’t, that means he’s always got to be on the lookout, since the thief can strike at any time. We are caught in the same kind of dilemma; we know for sure that Jesus is coming back, just not when. It could be today, tomorrow, or many moons yet, that’s why we’ve got to get right with Him, right now. Tomorrow may be too late. Who knows if any of us will wake up tomorrow, or if He’ll come while we’re asleep? That’s why Friends it’s extremely urgent to set our house in order: repent of our sins; acknowledge Him in our hearts as Lord and Saviour, gracefully accept the forgiveness He died to provide us, then live as obediently to His will as possible; spread His word vocally and through our lifestyle, and be constantly on the lookout for His coming again. We don’t want to be caught unawares, that would be a disaster from which we’ll never recover, since the next time He comes will be the LAST. Friends, I don’t want to belabour the point, but it’s one of the most important aspects of our Christian Faith; to be ready for the Lord’s coming. We’ve made our earthly world safe, with provisions for all sorts of disasters; smoke alarms and fire extinguishers in our homes, firemen to out the big ones, police to fight crime, hospitals, health workers, and ambulances for sickness, even 911 and several other Hotlines for different emergencies. But Friends, what about the life after this one eh…eternity? Is your security system in place? Are you ready? If J.C came tomorrow, would He find you watching and ready? Let’s hope so. Otherwise, please, I implore you, please get connected with Him, right now, this very minute, so that you can be ready when He comes again to receive us in Glory. I can’t overstate it’s importance. That’s why Jesus solemnly warned, ‘Be ye therefore ready also: for the Son of man cometh at an hour, when ye think not.’ Much LOVE!…remember… he who hesitates is lost… and Jesus doesn’t want to lose a single soul…
 

Today’s Scrip-Bit 22 January 2008 Psalm 139: 7-10‏

22 Jan 2008 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Inspirational Living

Psalm 139:7-10    Whither shall I go from thy spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy presence? If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there. If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea; Even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me.
 
Wonderful words of strength and encouragement from Bruh David, people! And it ties in beautifully with the theme of the Holy Spirit that we’ve been talking about the last few days. Long before Jesus’ came, Bruh David knew about the all embracing, all knowing power and majesty of God’s Spirit. Discovered it as a lonely shepherd boy, with lots of time to think, and dream and eventually experience the powerful presence of some unknown entity in his soul. He most likely could not name or explain the phenomenon, but he surely felt it moving and working within him. And as he matured, that entity within him also matured, until he finally divined that it was the awe inspiring Spirit of his God that dwelt in him. At some stage of that maturation, he realized that the Spirit was also a guide, not that he always followed its guidance. That’s why he could express his sentiments with such surety. ‘Whither shall I go from thy spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy presence?’ He gratefully acknowledges that wherever he goes, so will his God, within him. Friends, it’s the same with us. When we believe, His Spirit comes to dwell in us, and matures with us as we mature in the Word. Remember, our God exists as a Trinity; Father, Son and Holy Spirit, and being made in His image, we also exist as a Trinity of mind, body and soul, three different functional levels. The Father though, likes to work mostly through the internal, the spiritual side. That’s why we’ve got to pay particular attention, listen closely, to that still, small voice within us, whenever it speaks, even if we don’t agree with it, or do as it says, since it’s often the Most High trying to communicate with us. As Bruh David found out, through hard experience, we can’t run nor hide from it, because it dwells within us, and, like one of our internal organs, goes wherever we go. Meaning, we can neither run nor hide from our God since He lives within us in His Spirit form. And why would we want to run or hide from our Heavenly Father anyway? If we’ve done wrong, and are genuinely sorry, He’s only too willing to forgive us. So who in his right mind would want to run from such a loving and merciful Father eh? However, He gave us the power of choice, and unfortunately, we’ve become a very, disobedient and self indulgent animal who needs to be occasionally reminded that we are not the end all and be all; our God is, and whether we go to heaven or hell, fly away on the wings of the morning or plumb the depths of the sea, ‘Even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me.’ Oh Friends, what an awesome, awesome Truth! Please, listen, believe and follow! Much LOVE! …remember…yuh can’t run…and yuh can’t hide…
 

Today’s Scrip-Bit 21 January 2008 John 14: 16-18‏

21 Jan 2008 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Inspirational Living

John 14: 16-18    And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you forever. Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you. I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you.
 
Another marvellous promise of Jesus: If you believe in Him, He will comfort you through the Holy Spirit. Most definitely my Friends! Today, we’re continuing with Jesus’ last strategy session with His disciples. He knew that His grand entrance on the main stage was imminent, that the curtain would soon rise and set in motion the most powerful story in Man’s History. So like any good general and wise leader, He brought His troops together to finalize their battle plans, so that everyone would be on the same page when the battle was joined. In Today’s Bit, He is reassuring them that they won’t be leaderless, since He would not be there in the flesh, or bear the brunt of battle alone, cause He would pray to the Father, who would send them another Comforter, one that would stay with them forever. The Spirit of Truth would be sent to dwell within them. A Spirit only people like them, who had seen and known Him, and therefore the Father, could receive. Then, with the disciples undoubtedly hanging on His every word, He promised with the utmost sincerity:  ‘I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you.’  Friends, I don’t know how the disciples felt, whether they were really reassured, what with all the controversy Jesus had stirred up in the area by His unconventional teaching, and the turmoil His crucifixion would soon cause, but I do know that we are the lucky recipients of their faith, hard work and suffering. We have no cause to doubt or be afraid. We know for a fact that He kept His promise to have the Holy Spirit dwell within and comfort them, and He does the same for each believer. Jesus knew that His followers would face a lot of difficulty in spreading His Word, which did not jive with the accepted norm, that’s why He arranged a help-mate for us; the Holy Spirit. Friends, that help-mate is Jesus, in Spirit form, keeping His promise. ‘I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you.’  Much LOVE!…remember…the Most High said…Not by might, nor by power…but by My Spirit…

Today’s Scrip-Bit 20 January 2008 John 14: 6-7‏

20 Jan 2008 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Inspirational Living

John 14: 6-7    Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. If ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also: and from henceforth ye know him, and have seen him.
 
More powerful, encouraging, liberating words people, from the One and Only! His answer to the query of doubting Thomas, about where He was going and how He would get there. It’s a continuation of yesterday’s prep talk that Jesus gave His disciples concerning His ascension. Friends, these are some of the most important words ever spoken. ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.’ How profound! But also simple and straightforward. If you want to get into the Father’s presence, you’ve got to go through the Son. Guess we could liken Him to the Executive Assts. of some of today’s CEO’s. You can’t darken their space unless you go through the Assistant first. So there it is Friends, laid out in plain terms for us. If we want to come into God’s presence, we’ve first got to make an appointment with His Executive Asst; His Son; Jesus Christ, otherwise we’ll never get to where the Father’s holding court. Jesus also made another interesting, slightly rebuking comment to His disciples, saying that if they had really known Him, Jesus, they would also have known His Father, but from then, they could consider themselves to have known and also seen Him. That’s because Jesus was just like His Father. As we say, ‘oh, he looks just like his father eh, a chip of the old block!’  But Jesus was more than just a chip, He was the ‘spitting image’: the Father in Son form. That’s why He could afford to make those seemingly rash and outlandish statements. And we’ve also got to understand that the disciples were simple, down to earth, uneducated folk, who had forsaken their friends and families, and in some cases a decent livelihood, to follow this unconventional preacher, who, having put their lives in jeopardy, was now telling them that He was going away and all that other stuff. Of course they would be concerned and confused. Luckily for us though Friends, it’s already been spelt out for us, so we don’t need to be concerned or confused. But it’s also why we have no excuses for not readily accepting the gracious mercy and forgiveness offered through our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. Friends, I strongly suggest that we all get connected with Him right now, because His train is pulling out for the glory land at any time, and in the immortal words of one of Lord Kitchener’s early calypsos, ‘Last train to San Fernando…and if you miss this one, you’ll never get another one…’  People, this is the ONLY train to Glory! Please, please don’t miss it. Much LOVE!…believe Him when He says…I am the only way… it’s the Gospel Truth…! 
 

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