Today’s Scrip-Bit   16 October 2022 Hebrews 4:16.

16 Oct 2022 Leave a comment

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

Hebrews 4:16.       Let us therefore come boldly (confidently) unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.

So friends, Sunday, that day of peace, rest and fellowship, has rolled around once again. It’s interesting to note how quickly it seems to come back. Perhaps that’s because the Lord knows how badly we need to fellowship together and receive His awesome grace and mercy to renew our souls and spirits, while we offer up to Him the thanks and praise He so richly deserves. 

And looking forward to Sunday ought to be one of the joys of the Christian brethren, although some of us find going to church on Sunday an irritating inconvenience, a pain in the neck that just disrupts our sleeping program. Well then, find a church that gathers at a later hour, so you won’t be inconvenienced, (smile) because gathering with other believers in worship is a rather important aspect of the Christian walk of life. 

Anyway, for those of us gathered today, let’s open the proceedings with the usual song of praise. Today’s number is one titled ‘Come Boldly to The Throne of Grace.’ That’s something the Good Book advises us very often to do, but so many of us still refuse to do it. Let’s see if we can’t persuade a few more to do so by singing the song. Therefore, in a sincere, mid-tempo, harmonious riddim, let’s offer up sacrificial voices of praise. 

Singing: ‘Come boldly to the throne of grace, Ye wretched sinners come, and lay your load at Jesus feet, And plead what He has done. How can I come? Some soul may say, I’m lame and cannot walk; My guilt and sin have stopped my mouth, I sigh, but dare not talk. Come boldly to the throne of grace, Though lost, and blind, and lame; Jehovah is the sinner’s friend, And ever was the same. He makes the dead to hear His voice; He makes the blind to see, The sinner lost, He came to save, And set the prisoner free. 

Come boldly to the throne of grace, For Jesus fills the throne; and those He kills, He makes alive; He hears the sigh or groan; Poor bankrupt souls, Who feel and know, the hell of sin within; Come Boldly to the throne of grace; The Lord will take you in. Come Boldly to the throne of grace; The Lord will take you in…the Lord will take you in…Yes the Lord will take you in…take you in.’ 

Oh my people, there’s absolutely no doubt about that last line. Anytime you go boldly to the throne of grace, the Lord will ALWAYS gladly accept you, NEVER turn you away, for He’s in the business of saving souls. What does the song say? ‘Come boldly to the throne of grace, Though lost, and blind, and lame; Jehovah is the sinner’s friend, And ever was the same. He makes the dead to hear His voice; He makes the blind to see, The sinner lost, He came to save, And set the prisoner free.’ 

And that’s the gospel truth my brethren. Listen to how Jesus puts it nuh. ‘For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.’ (John 3:17) Glory Hallelujah! Thank God for Jesus! Because it’s through His selfless work down here on earth that we can now go boldly to the throne of grace, that’s right to the Father’s throne and ask for mercy and forgiveness. 

Hear how Bruh Paul wrote it to the church at Ephesus, when talking about God’s plan from the vey beginning of time. ‘According to the eternal purpose which he purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord: In whom we have boldness and access with confidence by the faith of (in) him.’ (Eph. 3:12) Yes my fellow believers, as the scholars explain, we do ‘have boldness (freedom of speech before God), and access (the right of  entering His presence) with confidence (the assurance of being heard by God) by the faith of him (through relying upon Christ to gain God’s ear.’ 

That’s surely wonderful news, because before Jesus came and spilled His sinless blood on Calvary, only the high priest could venture into the holy of holies, had access to the mercy seat in the inner sanctuary of the temple, one day a year to seek forgiveness for the people. But Jesus’ death, resurrection and ascension tore down that veil, that large curtain in the temple that supposedly hid the Lord from His people. Now all who acknowledge Christ’s name can boldly and confidently go themselves before the Father. 

However, there’s one very important thing we ought to note. We can go to the Father in boldness and confidence, but NEVER in arrogance or pride, ALWAYS humbly, because as Cousin Sol reminds us in Proverbs, the Father still dislikes arrogance, pride or haughtiness; they are all an abomination to Him. (Prov. 6:16-17) So please don’t be fooled by those words ‘boldness’ and ‘confidence,’ they don’t give you a  carte blanche approach to God, freedom to behave however you want, you still have to mind your p’s and q’s. (smile) 

Now listen to a more detailed explanation of that ability to go directly to God by the author of Hebrews, as he talks about the sympathetic Christ. ‘Seeing then we have a high priest that is passed into (through) to the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession (confession of faith). For we have not a high priest which cannot be touched (sympathize) with the feeling of our infirmities (our weaknesses); but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.’ (Heb. 4:14-15) 

Ah mih people, that’s what so great about Jesus, He personally knows what it’s like to suffer the trials and tribulations found down here on earth, so He has the ability to empathize with us in our suffering. No other deity has that ability. That’s why we can carry our burdens, our problems, anxieties, whatever is troubling us to Him. Remember too His Great Invitation, for those who labour and are heavy burdened to come to Him for rest. (Matt. 11:28) So we’re being very foolish if we refuse to carry our troubles to Him who suffered like us, though without sin, and thus understands what trouble is all about. 

But here is the scripture that wraps it up tightly nuh, as the author of Hebrews ends his writing on the sympathetic Christ. ‘Let us therefore come boldly (confidently) unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.’ (Heb. 4:16) And my fellow saints, with the absolute mess that our world is currently in, I don’t think there’s ever been a time in New Testament History that we’ve ever needed God’s grace and mercy like we so desperately do right now! 

So please, let’s turn our sincere steadfast attention to the heavenly throne nuh, and seek that grace and mercy we so badly need if our world is to be saved from total destruction. Much LOVE!

…only God’s saving grace and mercy…can improve mankind’s lot… 

Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZJ      

Today’s Scrip-Bit   15 October 2022 Matthew 14:27.

15 Oct 2022 Leave a comment

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

Matthew 14:27.       Be of good cheer (take heart, courage) it is I, be not afraid.

It’s raining, it’s raining on this lazy autumn Saturday morning! A chill is in the air, ‘cause the wind’s a blowing, so the trees are dancing, their multi-coloured leaves a waving this way and that!  And I’ve been enjoying every bit of this lazy Saturday morning…that is until now, when I can’t put off writing the Bit any longer. Oh, the tough times some of us have to bear eh. (smile) Anyway, as they say, you can run but you can’t hide, especially from the good Lord. So, let’s do what we always do on Saturdays; see if we can make heads or tails of the quotes our friend Anselm sent us this past week, as he aspires to inspire us for a better tomorrow. 

Now this first quote says: ‘I have learned over the years that when one’s mind is made up, this diminishes fear; knowing what must be done does away with fear.’ And that’s true to a certain extent. When we make up our minds on what needs to be done, in other words when we make a purposeful decision, we generally get a feeling of strength behind it, and we let go of the fear and anxiety that indecision usually causes. But what happens when we can’t make a decision eh, when indecision just bathes us in a stream of fear, especially in this crazy world of today. We keep living in fear and anxiety, keep living the substandard life that those emotions produce. 

But when we live for Jesus…Glory be! Fear is no longer our nemesis, for with Jesus as our Lord and Saviour, our Master and Guide, we can move along productively and courageously even in the midst of anxiety and worries. That’s because living for Jesus brings a peace of mind that the world cannot offer. Remember this great promise of our omnipotent God, through the prophet Isaiah? ‘Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee, yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.’ (Is. 41:10) 

Yes friends, that’s the promise Jehovah God made to His people long ago, and He’s kept it up to this day, because He’s not a deity that ever reneges on His promises, like some false gods do. And remember too that some of Jesus’ favourite words were ‘Fear not.’ And He said it so often that we don’t have space nor time to relate them all, only these few. Think of the occasion when Jesus went walking on the water to the disciples on the boat out in the sea. They were terrified as though they saw a ghost and cried out in fear. ‘But straightway Jesus spoke unto them saying, Be of good cheer (take heart, courage) it is I, be not afraid.’ (Matt. 14:27) 

Then there’s that time that Jairus, the synagogue leader came to Jesus to heal his young daughter, but while they were on the way, Jairus’s servants came and told him that the girl was dead. What was Jesus’ response to that news? He told Jairus: ‘Fear not: believe only, and she shall be made whole (saved).’ (Luke 8:50) And what about when Jesus and the disciples were crossing the sea of Galilee and a terrible storm blew up on them, while Jesus lay asleep in the back of the boat apparently unconcerned. They woke him, terrified of drowning. ‘And he saith unto them, Why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith? Then he arose and rebuked the winds and the sea; and there was a great calm.’ (Matt:8:27) 

There you have it in a nutshell my fellow believers. The three basics for handling fear are to believe, take heart or courage, and have faith in Jesus, for He is our Good Shepherd, and the shepherd always looks after the sheep. (smile) That brings us to these next two quotes. The first tells us. ‘If you don’t like the road you’re walking, start paving another one.’ And the second advises. ‘When it comes to luck, you make your own.’ Now I chose to lump them together because I believe they basically say the same thing; you have the power to make your life the way you want it, and to change it whenever you feel like doing so. 

Now again, that’s true only to a certain extent with the free will that God’s given us. But how many of us have tried to change our lives when we felt like doing so and just ran into so many roadblocks that change became virtually impossible eh? That’s because the hand of the Lord was in our affairs, like it always is. (smile) Let’s not forget these very important words of Cousin Sol in Proverbs. ‘The preparations of the heart in man (a man’s plans belong to him), and the answer of the tongue is from the Lord.’ (Prov. 16:1) That means we can plan all we want, but it’s the Lord’s will that will eventually come to pass, because He is sovereign over even the thoughts and words of man. 

And later on in Proverbs, Cousin Sol repeats that advice this way. ‘There are many devices (plans) in a man’s heart; nevertheless the counsel of the Lord, that shall stand.’ (Prov. 19:21) And I can personally testify to that through hard experience. I never planned to be a writer on scripture, had plenty other secular plans in mind, still do, but then the Lord waylaid me, wouldn’t take no for an answer, and eventually brought all my other ventures to an end. Yes friends, the best laid plans of mice and men usually go astray when the Lord peruses them. (smile) So though we have some leeway to make changes in our lives, what the Lord wants is usually what we’ll become. 

And that certainly contradicts this next quote. ‘Our lives are stories in which we write, direct and star in the leading role. Some chapters are happy while others bring lessons to learn, but we always have the power to be the heroes of our own adventures.’ Again, it’s only true to the extent that the Lord allows us to write and star in our own production. But as we all know, He has a plan for each and every life that He creates, and when He’s ready to put His plan into effect, it’s wisest to simply accept it without any hassle, for He will just keep on making your life more miserable until you accept His dictate. 

Trust me, I know what I’m talking about, because that’s what He did to me when He brought up this Bit idea. I laughed and said I couldn’t because I wasn’t sufficiently knowledgeable in scripture, and that was the truth. But He kept after me, placing obstructions in my way, until I had no choice but to agree. And when I began it was merely a verse of scripture. But through my perseverance and His faithfulness, it’s grown over the last fifteen, almost sixteen years, where I now find myself writing too much instead of too little. (smile) And that’s why I can vouch for the Lord’s faithfulness. He never gives you a task without the tools and the help to do it. 

That brings us to this last quote. ‘Don’t try to lessen yourself for the world; let the world catch up to you.’ And that’s the gospel truth, especially if you are a follower of Christ Jesus! We ought never to take a back step to the world, but to step forward into the light and make the world a better place for Jesus. But unfortunately, not enough of us supposed believers are doing that. Instead, we’re playing second fiddle to the dictates, pleasures and evils of the world. 

But please remember that in Jesus’s band, there is only ONE fiddler, that’s Him, and if we want to be a part of it, then we have to come to terms with that fact and stand up strong and steadfast in His marvellous name, and not play second fiddle to the world. As He so passionately desires and zealously stated: ‘Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.’ (Matt. 5:16) 

So please my fellow saints, let’s go out into this evil world and do as Jesus desires of us nuh – shine our lights! That’s our bounden duty. Much LOVE!

…only in Jesus…can we find what our heavenly Father desires for us… 

Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZJ     

Today’s Scrip-Bit   14 October 2022 Philippians 4:5.

14 Oct 2022 Leave a comment

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

Philippians 4:5.       Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand.​

And then it was Friday, the big day, somewhat cloudy in my area, but nonetheless still worth shouting ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday! That’s because many of us are still suffering from the after-effects of the Thanksgiving weekend just past. (smile) Yes, when you’re running on emergency power, it’s always a blessing to find time to recharge those life batteries. 

And that’s what the weekend is really for; rest, relaxation and recharging for another tough workweek. But we’ve become such pleasure-seeking animals in this last generation, that we seldom get much rest and recharging, because we’re out there trying to catch up on all the pleasure and partying we’ve missed during the week. So, when Monday rolls around, as it inevitably does, we have to go back out to work in a tired frame of mind and body again. 

Now it’s obvious that if we’re tired in both body and mind that our work is going to suffer. We’re not going to put out our best effort, and the diligence and excellence that we talk about so much will be lacking. And that’s not good for followers of Christ, because His watchwords are diligence and excellence! As Uncle Charles (Dr. Charles Stanley likes to say: ‘Look your best, be your best, and do your best.’ That should be the basic motto of the Christian believer. Always trying to do our best in Christ’s name. 

And there’s nothing that says we cannot enjoy ourselves, but too much of anything is bad for us. We ought to keep our lives in some semblance of balance. And it’s not always easy to do, especially with the feast of pleasures that are currently available in our pleasure-centred world and are constantly been thrown up in our faces. That’s why Bruh Paul, after telling the Philippians to rejoice, however warned them: ‘Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand.’ (Phil. 4:5) 

And what does all that mean? Here is an interesting excerpt from Godtube website, highlighting the Barnes Bible commentary on the subject. “Let your moderation be known unto all men – That is, let it be such that others may see it. This does not mean that they were to make an ostentatious display of it, but that it should be such a characteristic of their lives that it would be constantly visible to others. 

The word “moderation” – ἐπιεικὲς epieikes – refers to restraint on the passions, general soberness of living, being free from all excesses. The word properly means that which is fit or suitable, and then propriety, gentleness, mildness – They were to indulge in no excess of passion, or dress, or eating, or drinking. They were to govern their appetites, restrain their temper, and to be examples of what was proper for people in view of the expectation that the Lord would soon appear.” 

And as per, ‘The Lord is at hand -The idea is, that the expectation that the Lord Jesus will “come,” ought to be allowed to produce moderation of our passions, in our manner of living, in our expectations of what this world can furnish, and in our desires of earthly good. On him who feels that he is soon to die, and to stand at the bar of God – on him who expects soon to see the Lord Jesus coming in the clouds of heaven, it cannot fail to have this effect. 

People indulge their passions – are extravagant in their plans of life, and in their expectations of earthly good for themselves and for their families, because they have no realizing sense of the truth that there is before them a vast eternity. He that has a lively expectation that heaven will soon be his, will form very moderate expectations of what this world can furnish.’ 

Yes friends, the believer can’t afford to be ostentatious, or overly proud and carry on with the behaviour that rises out of that kind of temperament, for remember that actions speak louder than words, and if we are guilty of too much carousing, pride and arrogance, and such ungodly things then the unbeliever will never come to Christ when we witness to them. They will just laugh at us, realizing that we’re only talking the talk, but not walking the walk. In other words, we are just like them in our actions, where it counts ever so much more. 

And so, to help us handle the tough battle between our flesh and our spirit, Bruh Paul therefore advised. ‘Be careful (anxious) for nothing; but in every thing 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) 

Yes mih bredrin, that’s the only way we can successfully overcome the enemy when he begins throwing all his pleasure-filled darts at us. As they say, take it all to God! And that’s the gospel truth. And if that’s really so, then let’s take our troubles right now nuh to our gracious and merciful God through our Friday Chant. 

As one sincere voice: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through this past week. You know it’s been rough… what with all the anxiety, the confusion and havoc that the several viruses and our many other problems are causing. We can’t seem to fix it on our own Lord, that means 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 both the viruses and the simmering unrest in our land. 

So Lord, we sincerely ask you today to give the governments and those involved in the forefront of this serious and unexpected storm, the wise guidance to handle the situation properly, with the least amount of loss to life and property as possible. And please help those of us who must go out to work amidst all the confusion, to be responsible and to stay safe, and avoid any more serious setbacks. 

And Lord, we fervently pray that You’ll use this situation to bring a lot of backsliders back to your fold, show them the error of their ways. And please introduce a whole new flock, who will embrace your LOVE and compassion by the example, we, your faithful believers set. Yes Lord, please use this pandemic and the threatening to boil over 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, sweet and strong! We pray this in the name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen!’ 

And now, as whenever we go to God in prayer, there are things we need to do before He will do what He needs to do. So please, if we desire Him to work on our behalf, then let’s get busy doing the things we know we ought to be doing nuh. Otherwise our prayers are a waste of time and breath. Much LOVE!

…if our Ying and Yang aren’t in balance…then our souls and spirits can’t function in Christ-like efficiency…  

Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZJ    

Today’s Scrip-Bit   13 October 2022 Deuteronomy 8:18a.

13 Oct 2022 Leave a comment

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

Deuteronomy 8:18a.        But thou shalt remember the Lord thy God: for it is he that giveth thee power to get wealth…

Awright, so it’s a wet and cloudy Thursday autumn morn. But we are still thankful for it, because it means the Lord still believes we are doing good work for Him down here, or, on the flip side of the coin, we’re not doing enough and is therefore giving us another chance to do better. (smile) But whatever the reason, it behooves us to make the most of the day, because who knows if we’ll see tomorrow, or another today. 

And yuh better believe we are indeed grateful for the little rain that fell overnight, because we haven’t seen any heavenly blessings around here for some time. And it’s not like it was big showers, but merely protracted drizzles. However, a little is better than none at all. It also reminds us of the serious drought and famine that so many parts of our world are currently suffering.  As they say, it’s either feast or famine; some are having no rain, while others are being deluged with water from heaven causing floods and so much calamity where life is already very difficult.

 It’s a time for serious prayer my people. A time to return to the God of our forefathers in true repentance because He is the ONLY ONE who can make things right. And we’ve become so arrogant and self-centred with all our technological inventions and immense knowledge that we foolishly believe that we can solve any problems we come across, and thus have chosen to get rid of the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob from our society. What foolishness! For He is the backbone, the foundation of any strong and prosperous society. 

Yuh know, we say that History is a record of the past that helps us to understand the present, but again, arrogantly we have dismissed true history from our minds, even to the point of rewriting it to fall in line with what we are currently promoting. But please note, that regardless of what we call history, the truth of it will always come out. And that truth is simply that any nation or society that eschews the grace and mercy of Jehovah God, eventually suffers and dies. 

And that we can see from the true history of our world. It’s littered with so many originally God-fearing nations, who got prosperous with God’s help, then after a season of prosperity, like we are currently doing, turned away from Him, foolishly deciding that we could handle it on our own. When will we ever learn eh my brethren? We just have to look at the Jewish people, God’s own people, to understand His immense and oh so important role in our lives. 

So, let’s see if we can use a li’l logic and reasoning here to support our position. (smile) Now, Bruh David, one of the foremost Jews of all time, wrote these marvellous words in Psalm 24, subtitled, ‘The king of glory.’ Please read them with me. ‘The earth is the Lord’s, and the fullness thereof; the world and all that dwell therein. For he hath founded it upon the seas, and established it upon the floods (rivers).’ (Ps. 24:1-2) Now that tells us that the Lord God Jehovah created the world and all therein. 

And then in their Holy Book, the Torah, which outlines Jewish history, their leader, Moses unequivocally states. ‘But thou shalt remember the Lord thy God: for it is he that giveth thee power to get wealth, that he may establish (confirm) his covenant which he sware unto thy fathers, as it is this day. And it shall be, if thou do at all forget the Lord thy God, and walk after other gods, and serve them, I testify against you this day that ye shall surely perish. As the nations which the Lord destroyeth before your face, so shall ye perish; because ye would not be obedient unto the voice of the Lord your God.’ (Deut. 8:18-20) 

Yes friends, that’s very clear and concise. As the scholars say: ‘Yahweh alone gave Israel the ability to get wealth, and the blessing the nation enjoyed was the result of His covenant with the people and was the outcome of His promise to their forefathers.’ And in the history of Israel, we so often see that whenever they prospered, God was at the forefront of their nation. 

But unfortunately, the same thing happened to them that’s happening to us right now; whenever they got prosperous, they felt they no longer needed God and turned away to their own devices. And every time they did that, got too big for their britches, the nation went into a tailspin was besieged, conquered or taken into captivity. However, when they woke up, came back to their senses, repented and returned to God’s fold, He forgave them and allowed them to prosper again. 

Now doesn’t that touch a sensible and sensitive chord in our hearts and minds, at least intimating that the Lord God Jehovah has a hand in our destiny, and turning against Him might well spell our demise? And even if you are not convinced by that argument, (smile) then try this one on for size nuh. Since we believe that we are so great and powerful in our own strength, why then is our world in such a sorry state of strife, sickness and poverty eh? We’ve tried every solution, every system known to man to right our world, but nothing seems to work. 

Sorry, there’s one solution we haven’t yet tried, that’s turning repentantly and sincerely back to Almighty God! Now, if nothing else seems to be working, doesn’t it make sense to at least try that? It surely does. And we have nothing to lose, for our own efforts are continually driving us down into the mire of destruction. But with Almighty God at our helm once again, we possibly have a whole lot to gain. So what’s it to be eh my people? Continual descent into the depths of destruction, or an awakening, a renewal of mankind under the mighty, merciful, gracious and forgiving hand of Jehovah God, our Creator and Provider; the one who gives us the ability to prosper in His world? 

The answer is entirely up to us, as individuals and as members of the church of Christ. Now, I’m not saying that the stunning calamity in our world right now is the work of God’s hands, but He surely isn’t preventing it from happening. And that ought to tell us something; He’s trying to convey a serious message to us, namely He doesn’t like our current behaviour and desires us to repent and return to His fold. So friends, since we are supposed to be God’s wisest creation, let’s wake up and admit the error of our ways nuh. The Israelites were mighty stupid at times, but when calamity struck them, they were wise enough to turn back to the God of their fathers, who forgave them and renewed their prosperity. Why can’t be as wise eh? 

And for those of us who are willing to work for God, He has generously endowed us with a marvellous set of tools to do it. We call them our Thursday Blessings. So, let’s declare and thus activate them right now nuh. As one strong and sincere 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!’ 

Now, if we are to reap any positive benefits, let’s go out and sow good seeds in the name of Jesus Christ nuh! Much LOVE!

…you only reap what you sow…sowing sin and disobedience reaps destruction…sowing obedience and righteousness reaps eternal life… 

Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZJ   

Today’s Scrip-Bit   12 October 2022 Romans 13:12.

12 Oct 2022 Leave a comment

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

Romans 13:12.       The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light.

Wow! It’s Wednesday already…and I’m up early! Went to bed early too. (smile) Don’t know if that’s good or bad, but it’s what we have to work with, and it’s what we’ll do. The important thing is that we’re alive, and thus have important work to do for Christ as His followers down here on this crazy planet called earth. And the best time to do it is right now, for remember Bruh Paul’s warning to the church at Rome. ‘And that knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we first believed.’ (Rom. 13:11) 

Oh friends, is that ever the gospel truth! Darkness has covered us for far too long, and it’s been centuries since Bruh Paul wrote that missive to the Roman church, which means Christ’s coming is closer than ever, and gets closer with each passing day, and we cannot afford to let Him return and find us in a state of slumber or inactivity. It’s therefore time for us to get up and begin doing what we know we ought to be doing; that’s encouraging the many souls that are still living in the darkness of the prince of this world, to come out of that repressive and intolerable darkness into the splendid light and freedom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! 

And Bruh Paul continues his warning: ‘The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light.’ (Rom. 13:12) Oh yes my brethren, the truth of the matter is that plenty of us so called believers are also living under the cover of darkness, despite our claim to be living in light. And it’s high time that we recognize our insufficiencies and throw off the cloak of darkness that we’ve been hiding under for oh too long. It’s time believers wake up and get moving, the world is getting darker and more evil every day, and it desperately needs our help to move it toward the light of Christ. 

Remember that old saying, the darkest hour is the one before the dawn? Well right now is the darkest hour of the world! The dawn, that‘s Christ Jesus, will soon be appearing and how will it look if so many of us supposed believers are not ready for His august return eh? And even worse, that we‘ve not helped as many as we should, to be also ready for it. It certainly won’t look good on our report card. For when that day of judgement comes and the Lord asks us what we did with our time down here on earth, what are we going to say eh? 

So as Bruh Paul further advises: ‘Let us walk honestly (properly), as in the day; not in rioting (revelry) and drunkenness, not in chambering (licentiousness) and wantonness (lewdness), not in strife and envying.’ (Rom. 13:13) And the sad fact is that many of us supposed believers are still living the way Bruh Paul sets it out. We are still running down the wealth, power and pleasures of this evil world. And how unseemly and unfortunate is that eh? It sets a rather bad example for those whom we should be reclaiming by our Christian behaviour, not joining with them in their worldly life of revelry and licentiousness. 

And the antidote for that inappropriate behaviour is, as Bruh Paul says: ‘But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfill the lusts thereof.’ (Rom. 13:14) Ah mih people, we all know that resisting the lusts of the flesh in this flesh based world is not easy, but as a child of God, a believer in Jesus Christ, we all have the Holy Spirit dwelling within us, which helps us to refute and refuse the things of the flesh; that is if we are prepared to listen to and heed His guidance. 

And that’s the problem right there. We don’t pay sufficient attention to the leading and guidance of the Holy Spirit which has been purposely sent to help us live the difficult Christian life here on the evil earth. So how can we expect to function as true believers eh? We talk a good talk, but don’t put that talk into action. And we are all guilty of that. Can you imagine the glorious state our world would be in right now, if all the talk that we believers talk was actually put into action? Glory be! Satan would be pulling out what li’l hair he still has in total fright! But unfortunately, it’s we believers who are pulling out our hair in despair over the evil and violence, the horrific darkness that’s quickly overcoming our world. 

Now, here are a few explanations from the scholars re those verses above. As per verses 11-12, they say: Sleep means insensitivity to the demands of Christ on the Christian’s life. Now is our salvation nearer: The coming of Christ to deliver us from this sinful world grows nearer every day. The night is the time while Christ is out of the world, and the world has been delivered into the control of the prince of the power of the air (Eph. 2:2) The day is a reference to the time when Christ will return and establish His reign of righteousness.’ 

And just to jostle our memories and disturb our consciences, (smile), we’ll quote Eph. 2:2. It says: ‘Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience.’ Ah friends, before we were saved by Jesus’ spilled blood on the cross of Calvary, we walked according to the tendencies and purposes of this world, all of which were and still are opposed and hostile to God’s system. But since Jesus saved us, we ought not to be walking that same ungodly wide and destructive pathway. 

That’s why the scholars’ explanation of verse 14: is so important. ‘Make not provision for the flesh: One should not seek opportunities to satisfy the deep-seated desires of the sin nature, but should seek occasion to manifest works that are consistent with the new life in Christ.’ Now, please, please, let’s ponder those words today nuh, and see where we are still trying to satisfy the lusts of our flesh, and take them before the Lord and ask for His divine help to handle them. That’s the only way we will ever truly come into the light from the darkness in which so many of us are sadly still enveloped. 

And for those of us who are sincerely trying to do that, let’s go home now declaring (steups!!!) our Wednesday Wail, letting all and sundry know of our most intimate 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!’ 

Now, just a li’l reminder that if we endure to the end with Jesus, then that future will be even more glorious than we can ever ask or imagine. Wow mih bredren! Just think that we can’t even imagine how great those times with Christ really will be nuh. Let’s hope that will cause us to be even more faithful and trusting…and to endure. Much LOVE!

…finite minds…can never truly comprehend…the events or state of infinity… 

Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZJ  

Today’s Scrip-Bit   11 October 2022 Psalm 31:14.

11 Oct 2022 Leave a comment

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

Psalm 31:14.       But I trusted in thee. O Lord: I said, Thou art my God.

And a fine Tuesday morning, or rather afternoon, to all you fabulous Scrip-Bit readers out there in God’s great kingdom! It’s such a gorgeous fall day in my neck of the woods, too bad I missed a half of it. (smile) And I do hope that after a good and thankful Thanksgiving Day celebration, most of you got to work on time this morning in good form, unlike me, who is only now, at 12.30 in the afternoon sitting down to write the Bit. (smile) 

And no, it wasn’t because of too much partying, because I don’t party that much these days, but it was certainly because of my bad sleep schedule. I went to bed fairly late, even by my standards, (smile) and I did get up at a decent hour, but felt the body wasn’t rested enough to face the day, and so went back to bed for a li’l snooze. Now you know what happens when you do that? It most always turns into a bigger snooze than we desire. 

But the benefit there is that the ole bod feels much better now and is finally ready to face the day, in good fashion, ready to battle the enemy tooth and nail, whatever he decides to throw at me today. And with the certain help of our omnipotent God, who can then defeat me eh? No one! I guess that’s why we are constantly being advised to get sufficient rest, because even with God’s help, we can’t fight the enemy properly if both our body and spirit are not strong. And it’s common knowledge that if our bodies are weak, then that detracts from the strength of our spirit, which then impacts on the level of our faith. 

Oh, enough of my trying to reason away my lateness, (smile) let’s get to whatever aspect of the Lord’s Word that He desires us to ponder on today. And it seems like we have the perfect story for a day such as this. It comes from our One Year Book of Bible Promises with writings by Ruth Harms Calkin and is most appropriately titled, ‘Autumn Glow!’ 

So please read with me. ‘Lord, if You will make The autumn of my life As LOVELY as this Golden autumn morning I will not look back to grieve The passing days of summer. Of all the regal seasons Autumn is most brilliant. Make my life brilliant too.’ 

Oh my people, what a short but sweet and marvellous prayer! And I do hope that as we read it, our spirits drifted up that same plea to heaven, to make our lives as beautiful, golden and brilliant as the season of autumn is. And it’s a most wonderful prayer to make, and our graceful and merciful God would like nothing better than to grant us that marvellous wish, but for Him to do so, it also requires some work or action on our part. And what’s that work or action required on our part, you ask? 

Well, it’s the Bible promise on which our poem is based. The soul searching and uplifting words of Bruh David from Psalm 31. Having been…Chuh man! I considered paraphrasing what went before the promise we’re talking about, but it seems much easier and puts it all into better context to relate the exact words of the psalm. 

Bruh David writes in this section of the lament: ‘Have mercy upon me, O Lord, for I am in trouble: mine eye is consumed (wastes away) with grief, yea my soul and my belly (body). For my life is spent with grief, and my years with sighing: my strength faileth because of mine iniquity, and my bones are consumed (waste away). I was a reproach (a despised thing) among all mine enemies, but especially among my neighbours, and a fear to mine acquaintance: they that did see me without (outside) fled from me. I am forgotten as a dead man out of mind: I am like a broken vessel (perishing). For I have heard the slander of many: fear was on every side: while they took counsel together against me, they devised (schemed) to take away my life.’ (Ps. 31:9-13) 

Yes friends, many of us know some of what Bruh David was suffering at the time he wrote those fateful words, hopefully not all of it at the same time though. (smile) And we know how difficult it is to handle the lies, the evil schemes and the gut-wrenching fear that engulfs us when we fall into those scenarios. However, here is what Bruh David did to assuage his fear, and what we also need to do in those times when we’re alone and afraid. He writes with a humble certainty: ‘But I trusted in thee. O Lord: I said, Thou art my God.’ (Ps. 31:14) 

Oh my fellow saints, that’s such a simple but oh so powerful a statement! One, that if we sincerely believe it and utter it, will give us strength to face our fears and enemies, regardless of who they are! And I keep reminding us all the time, that Bruh David’s life was certainly not one of wine, women and song all the time, he suffered mightily too, some of the consequences through his own poor decisions and actions, just like we do, but through it all he never gave up on, or turned away from the Lord God Jehovah, the God of his forefathers. 

He definitely knew on which side his bread was buttered. He remembered the mighty things the Lord had done in the lives of His people Israel, and also in his own life, and constantly held on to the faith that drove him towards his divine destiny. Now, all of us also have a divine destiny, but to reach it, we have to execute that kind of faith and trust in our Lord God Jehovah, for it is He that allows us to reach that place for which we are divinely destined. 

So please, let’s remember today, that whatever trouble, whatever fear we are facing in this crazy world, the only way out, the only way to successfully reach our goals, our destiny, is through a strong and zealous faith in Almighty God, our Creator and Provider. It’s not always going to be a wine and roses kind of life, but it will be much better than if we embrace the only other option we have, that of living for the world and it’s fading pleasures, for Satan and his iniquitous works, because the end of the enemy is hellfire and damnation, but the end of a child of God is eternal life in heaven with our most marvellous and worthy Godhead; the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. 

Wow! Nothing can ever beat that! And for those of us who are seeking such an end, let’s go home now declaring (yeahhh!!!) our Tuesday Mantra, letting the whole world know to whom we belong, lock, stock and barrel. As one 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, let’s go out and do just that nuh, share the amazing LOVE and friendship of Jesus with others, so that they can also come to know and LOVE Him like we do! Much LOVE!

…only through faithful trust in…and surrender to Jesus…can we ever enjoy the abundant life He died for us to have… 

Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZJ 

Today’s Scrip-Bit   10 October 2022 Philippians 4:6.

10 Oct 2022 Leave a comment

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

Philippians 4:6.       Be careful (anxious) for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.​

It’s Monday friends…but Thanksgiving Monday! That means most of us don’t have to face the stress and strain of the bustling early morning hours and the endless traffic jams to go to work. And most of God’s children said a loud and grateful, ‘Thank the Lord!’ And I guess on Thanksgiving Day, that’s a most appropriate response. (smile) But what about the other aspects of our lives eh, are we thankful for those; do we offer up thanks for them to our heavenly Father, and if we do, are they sincere, or are we merely paying lip service? 

And did we give even a li’l thanks when we opened our eyes this morning for just being alive? Do we give thanks when we manage the snarled traffic and finally get to work safely? And do we give thanks when we reverse course and get home all in one piece? And what about when our children get home safe from school? Ah friends, it’s the giving of thanks for those seemingly li’l and unimportant things that separate the sheep from the goats, the true believers from the hypocrites. Remember the Lord reads the motives of our hearts before He considers the words of our mouths, and if the former isn’t right, then He won’t even acknowledge the latter. 

And please note that thanksgiving isn’t meant to be a one day a year business, but a continuing daily activity. Today is just the day we put it in a colourful box, tie it up with a pink ribbon, add a big bow, and do a big celebration. But every day of our lives ought to be a day of thanksgiving, from the moment we awaken in the morning till we put our heads back on the pillow at night. That’s because there are so many things during each day for us to be thankful for, and there’s nothing the Lord appreciates more than a simple ‘Thank You Lord,’ when we see His marvellous and miraculous hand at work in our lives. 

The problem though is that we are usually too busy trying to fix our troubles to notice God’s hand at work, and even if we do, we usually take it for granted. Yesterday we said that counting our blessings is the best way to understand the blessed life we truly live, since our blessings usually outweigh our problems by many to one. But taking too much stock of our few problems distracts us from the gratitude for our many blessings. And my fellow believers, the giving of sincere thanks throughout our earthly journey is oh so important that we cannot afford to forget or disregard it. 

So, in keeping with this celebration of thanksgiving, like we did yesterday, let’s get a few reminders on the continual giving of thanks from the many scriptures that have been so blessedly bequeathed to us. They are so plentiful that we can spend a whole lifetime and not cover them all. (smile) Let’s open with Psalm 100 – a call to praise the Lord, a psalm of praise or thanksgiving. 

Please read with me. ‘Make a joyful noise (shout joyfully) unto the Lord, all ye lands (all the earth). Serve the Lord with gladness: come before his presence with singing. Know ye that the Lord he is God: it is he that made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture. Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name. For the Lord is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations.’ (Ps. 100:1-5) Now that tells it like it is friends! The Lord made us, we are his people, and in proper reverence to His majesty, sovereignty and goodness to us, we ought to give him much thanks and praise. 

And then there’s this song from Isaiah re Thanksgiving for God’s mercies. Let’s read together again. ‘And in that day thou shalt say, O Lord, I will praise thee: though thou wast angry with me, thine anger is turned away, and thou comfortedest me. Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and not be afraid: for the Lord Jehovah is my strength and my song; he also is become my salvation. Therefore, with joy shall ye draw water out of the wells of salvation. And in that day shall ye say, Praise the Lord, call upon his name, declare his doings (mighty deeds) among the people, make mention that his name is exalted. Sing unto the Lord, for he hath done excellent things: this is known in all the earth. Cry out and shout, thou inhabitant of Zion: for great is the Holy One of Israel in the midst of thee.’ (Is. 12:1-6) 

Oh my people, what beautiful sentiments! The Lord Jehovah is our salvation, our strength, our comforter and has done mighty deeds on our behalf! Thus, He is entitled to much praise and thanks. And then we have these most encouraging and enlightening words from Bruh Paul to the church at Philippi, as he talks about rejoicing in the Lord. Read with me. ‘Rejoice in the Lord always: and again I say, Rejoice. Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand. Be careful (anxious) for nothing; but in every thing 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. 4:4-7) 

Yes, my fellow saints, when we lean upon our great God through prayer and thanksgiving when we do His will, He blesses us with divine grace and mercy, and a peace that cannot be found anywhere else. For all His goodness and mercy to us, we therefore ought to be continually shouting His praise and giving Him thanks of the highest nature. And since it all begins with prayer, let’s do just that nuh, go to God in prayer, through our Monday Morning Battle Hymn and pour out our hearts to Him. 

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!’

 On this Thanksgiving Day of 2022, let’s then be aware of the prayer we just offered up to our great God, and if we truly want a positive response, let’s wisely bring our lives into compliance with it and party sensibly, (smile) for tomorrow is work, and as Uncle Charles (Dr. Charles Stanley) warns, we have to look our best, do our best and be our best for our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, because that’s what He expects of His followers. Much LOVE!

…the giving of continual sincere thanks to our Creator…is the mark of a true believer… 

Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZJ8​        

Today’s Scrip-Bit   9 October 2022   1 Thessalonians 5:18.

09 Oct 2022 Leave a comment

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

1 Thessalonians 5:18.         In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.

HAPPY  THANSKGIVING  CANADA !

And once again we are gathered here to celebrate God’s Day, Sunday, the day He rested from His labours, after creating the world and all therein in the previous six. And on this Thanksgiving Sunday in our blessed country of Canada, we must remember that gathering in the Lord’s name is not simply a suggestion, but our bounden duty, as the author of Hebrews tells us: ‘Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is, but exhorting one another, and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.’ (Heb. 10:25) 

And the scholars explain it thus. ‘The admonition “Not forsaking the assembling,” 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 do I ever like that last line. The body of Christ is one that thrives on total interaction, and we gather not just for spiritual enlightenment but to exhort, to uplift each other in whatever aspect we might need it. So, having seen the many benefits of assembling, (smile) let’s get to giving thanks and praise on this Thanksgiving Sunday by opening with a most appropriate song. It’s fairly new, in comparison to some of our other hymns, and was written by one Johnson Oatman, Jr (1856-1922) an American ordained minster, a very prolific songwriter. 

And the song is one we all know and LOVE, titled ‘Count Your Blessings.’ I chose it for today because I figured that we can never truly give thanks until we are fully aware of what we’re giving thanks for, and counting our blessings reminds us of all that we have to be thankful for. So, let’s open our harmonious voices, sending up sacrificial praise, in a rollicking rendition of ‘Count Your Blessings. 

Singing: ‘When upon life’s billows you are tempest tossed, When you are discouraged, thinking all is lost, Count your many blessings, name them one by one, And it will surprise you what the Lord hath done. (Refrain: Count your blessings, name them one by one; Count your blessings, see what God hath done; Count your blessings, name them one by one; Count your many blessings, see what God hath done.) Are you ever burdened with a load of care? Does the cross seem heavy you are called to bear? Count your many blessings, ev’ry doubt will fly, And you will be singing as the days go by. [Refrain] 

When you look at others with their lands and gold, Think that Christ has promised you His wealth untold; Count your many blessings, money cannot buy Your reward in heaven, nor your home on high. [Refrain] So, amid the conflict, whether great or small, Do not be discouraged, God is over all; Count your many blessings, angels will attend, Help and comfort give you to your journey’s end. [Refrain] 2’ 

That was indeed a rollicking rendition my people! Heaven surely knows that we are sincerely grateful for the many blessings they have poured down on us. And what does ‘Count Your Blessings’ really mean eh? I have a note here, don’t remember where I got it from, (smile) but it defines counting your blessings as ‘to be grateful for the good things in your life, often to stop yourself becoming too unhappy about the bad things.’ And that’s all it is really: being thankful for the breath we breathe, for our friends and families, for our jobs, health, food, clothing and shelter, plus the ability and joy of sharing what we have with others. 

Oh my friends, so much of our world right now is in such bad shape, they have nothing at all, that we should be awfully glad and thankful for whatever little we have. As one quote so rightly advises: ‘If you always find yourself numbering your troubles, you will never find time for counting your blessings. There is no use becoming frustrated in your difficulties while you have all opportunities hiding in them for a turnover.’ And that’s the gospel truth; there are always opportunities in our troubles to begin again, to turn over a new leaf, to find something useful, some blessing in those same troubles. 

The problem though is that we pay more attention to our troubles than our blessings, when the fact is if we write both our blessings and troubles on a sheet of paper, we’ll most likely find that we have way more blessings than troubles. And it’s not like the scriptures doesn’t continually tell us to give thanks, to be grateful for all we have. So, let’s look at a couple of them. 

And this advice from Bruh Paul the Thessalonians as he exhorts the brethren to good works, is one of the most all-encompassing, but very problematic to many of us. He says first of all: ‘Rejoice evermore.’ Then ‘Pray without ceasing.’ And finally: ‘In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.’ (1 Thess. 5:16-18) 

Now those are certainly tough scriptures to continually enact, but with proper understanding and God’s help, we can certainly do them. It’s simply keeping a good attitude regardless of our circumstances, while being in touch with the Lord throughout the day talking to Him about whatever is going on with us and giving Him thanks through Christ for all His help, because that’s what He desires of us. Please remember that the Lord created us so that He could have good fellowship with us, that we should do His will and in so doing, glorify Him. So those three things that Bruh Paul asks of us, is what we were really created for. 

And here is some more advice from Bruh Paul, this time to the Colossians, on the topic of Christian virtues. He writes: ‘And above all these things put on charity (LOVE), which is the bond of perfectness (the crowning grace of Christian virtues). And let the peace of God (harmony) rule in your hearts, to the which ye are called in one body, and be ye thankful. 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. And whatsoever 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. 3:14-17) 

Right there we have the basic virtues of our Christian faith, beginning with LOVE, the crowning glory, and ending with thanks, sincere appreciation for it all. Now, let’s go home this Thanksgiving Sunday with this beautiful and most useful recommendation from the website http://www.godtube. It says: ‘God truly gives us so many blessings each and every single day. Some may even be so small that we might overlook them. The classic hymn ‘Count Your Blessings’ truly reminds us to stop and give thanks for all God has done in our lives. This is definitely a pause we all need to take. Amen.’  

So please my fellow saints, let’s pause today and count our many blessings, then give God our grateful and sincere thanks for them nuh. It will go so much better with us. Much LOVE!

…to God the Father be all the thanks and the glory…through Jesus Christ…the Son… 

Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZJ8​       

Today’s Scrip-Bit   8 October 2022 Proverbs 16:1.

08 Oct 2022 Leave a comment

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

Proverbs 16:1.       The preparations of the heart in man, (man’s plans belong to him), but the answer of the tongue, is from the Lord.

And finally it’s Saturday; our lazy day, our day to wind down from a week of hard, exhausting, much travelling and plenty sitting in traffic jams work! (smile) Yes, sadly, for many of us, getting to and from our workplace is more difficult and stressful than the work we go there to do. Unfortunately though, that’s the way our supposedly enlightened, intelligent system is set up. We can’t afford to live close to work, so we live in the cheaper, more distant places, then spend an inordinate amount of stressful time getting to and from work. 

How brilliant! We don’t seem to think that the actual time lost commuting, plus the energy and stress it produces, detracts significantly from our work ethic and enthusiasm for our work. But it certainly does! No wonder so many of us are miserable and short tempered five days of every week, and are just dying to have Saturday come around. And that’s my rant for today! (smile) Most likely it will go unnoticed by the powers that be, because it makes sense, but the current system works for them, so they don’t have to worry about all the stress and strain involved in our ungainly and self-defeating work set up. Awright! Done now! (smile) 

So what of the quotes that our friend Anselm sent us this week eh, which is supposed to be our Saturday chore? Well, he sent us a bunch, so let’s see what we can do with them. The first one tells us: ‘Live your beliefs and you can turn the world around.’ And although there is some truth to the statement, I still contend that it all depends on what beliefs you hold. And judging from the crazy, mish-mash, dysfunctional, misguided, strife-filled world in which we’re currently living, where there are so many existing belief systems, with everybody trying to advance their own system, it holds to reason that something is significantly wrong with how we’re trying to live. 

I believe that our beliefs can best be boiled down to two major ones, that’s good versus evil, and anything in between is a waste of time, because those two systems don’t leave any room for any others. And obviously, the good system is far superior to the evil one, because the sinless Jesus Christ is the Leader of the good one, and the despicable Satan, the ruler of the evil counterpart. And no two systems could be totally different and opposite. The evil one doesn’t harbour a whiff of good, while the good one doesn’t encourage a whiff of evil. 

And that’s why the rules of the good system strongly advise its followers to ‘Recompense to (repay) no man evil for evil. Provide things honest (have regard for good things) in the sight of all men. (Rom. 12:17) And then it builds on that rule with this one. ‘Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.’ (Rom. 17:21) Now that’s the belief system I think our world ought to totally adopt if we desire to see goodness spread all over it, not the evil system that’s so powerful right now. 

Then there’s this next quote that says: ‘Nobody’s built like you. You design yourself.’ The first part is true, because our Creator, the Lord God Jehovah didn’t make any two persons totally alike. We might look alike and behave alike in some situations, but all of us have our individual difference(s), our unique DNA, as it were, that defines who we are in God’s eyes. But as to the part that we design ourselves, that’s not all true. The Lord does give us some leeway in what and who we become, but in the long run, He it is that decides what path we tread. 

And if you don’t believe me, then listen to Cousin Sol, the wisest man who ever lived. He said quite clearly: ‘The preparations of the heart in man, (man’s plans belong to him), but the answer of the tongue, is from the Lord.’ (Prov. 16:1) Yes friends, the Lord God is sovereign over a man’s thoughts and words. Then later on Cousin Sol revisits the subject. This time he declares (steups!!!): ‘A man’s heart deviseth (plans) his way: but the Lord directeth his steps.’ (Prov. 16:9) Oh my, my! The Lord is also sovereign over our scheming and planning. (smile) 

And if you still believe you have total autonomy to design yourself, then listen to this quote from the prophet Jeremiah, who was only trying to do God’s bidding, when tribulation befell him. Therefore, he finally understood: ‘O Lord, I know that the way of man is not in himself: it is not in man that walketh to direct his steps. O Lord, correct me, but with judgement (justice); not in thine anger, lest thou bring me to nothing.’ (Jer. 10:23-24) Yes my fellow believers, it is certainly within the Lord’s ability to bring us to nothing if He so desires. So please let’s stop believing that we can do whatever we want with our lives nuh. 

Oh, we do have a certain amount of free will, but if God sees us getting outside of His plan for us, He can and will put a stop to it. And thus, the next quote is very interesting. It advises us to ‘Wake up determined, go to bed satisfied.’ And that’s what we all aspire to. However, the only way to make that aspiration come true is to be obedient to the will and plan that God has for our lives. Remember He has a good plan for our lives, one to give us a future and a hope. (Jer. 29:11) And though, in this sinful world we will undoubtedly encounter trials and tribulations, the Lord has promised to eventually work everything out for the good of those He’s called and those who sincerely LOVE Him. (Rom. 8:28) 

That’s why these two next quotes are so important. The first one says: ‘Not having the best situation, but seeing the best in your situation is the key to happiness.’ And is that ever true. You need to have an attitude of gratitude when there doesn’t seem to be anything to be grateful for. But to do that, you must have strong faith in God, and totally believe those two promises we just mentioned above, as well as the fact that He will never give us more than we can handle, in the sense that He will always give us the necessary grace to escape, or otherwise help us through our tumultuous situations. (1 Cor. 10:13) 

Consequently, the corresponding importance of this other quote: ‘It is during our darkest moments that we must focus to see the light.’ Boy oh boy! Truer words were never spoken. It’s when times get really bad that we need to seriously and sincerely focus on Jesus who is the light of this dark and evil world. It’s only with Him, His encouragement, LOVE and compassion bubbling up serenely in our souls that we are able to withstand the darkness and eventually walk out into His bright shining light. Remember His memorable words: ‘I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.’ (John 8:12) 

That’s why we are so enamoured of Jesus, and believe that He is the Real Deal, for without Him, we cannot do anything worthwhile in this world. He also spelled that out to us. ‘I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.’ (John 15:5) Hn! Jesus certainly didn’t mince any words there my faithful brethren, and if we want to bear much fruit and see the light of life, then we can only do what the first part of this last quote says, not the last part. ‘I’m not going to continue knocking on that old door that doesn’t open for me. I’m going to create my own door and walk through that.’ 

Oh, we do have to stop knocking on any doors that seem closed to us, but it’s a fallacy to believe that we can successfully create our own door to walk through, especially if you are a sincere believer in Christ Jesus. Remember what we said at the beginning of the Bit; we make our plans, but it’s God who directs our footsteps. So, if one door seems closed to us, then we need to go to Jesus and seek the door that’s He’s opened elsewhere for us, because whenever He closes one, He opens another. 

And He did tell us to keep on asking, seeking and knocking, and it will be given to us. (Matt.7:7) But He means asking, seeking and knocking on His door, from His righteous kingdom, not of anyone else’s. And with that in mind, let’s go home this lazy Saturday morning feeling encouraged, refreshed and renewed in the service of Jesus, by all the good and enlightening things we’ve spoken about through the quotes of our friend Anselm. Much LOVE!

…only through the light of Jesus…will this world shed it’s darkness… 

Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZJ8​      

Today’s Scrip-Bit   7 October 2022 Hebrews 13:8.

07 Oct 2022 Leave a comment

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

Hebrews 13:8.       ‘Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and today, and for ever.’

Now, contrary to yesterday, those of us in the northern climes, who were blessed to wake up today, when we shouted ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday!’ we also mouthed, ‘but it’s rather chilly too!’ Yes, because the temperature today is barely around the double-digit figure. That’s one of the things I dislike about these here parts; the wide disparity possible in temperatures from one day to the next, especially at this time of year. 

But thankfully, we worship a God who doesn’t change, He is immutable, character-steady, and promise faithful. Sometimes He changes His mind, according to certain circumstances, which is His prerogative, but His actions never go against His Word or His promises. That’s what we call steadfastness of character! And I like how in the Book of Hebrews, its author describes Jesus as being superior to the angels, using some Old Testament scripture – (Is. 61:1-3, and Ps. 102:25-27) 

He joyfully proclaims: ‘Thou hast LOVED righteousness, and hated iniquity (lawlessness); therefore God, even thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows (companions). And, thou, Lord, in the beginning hast laid the foundation of the earth; and the heavens are the works of thine hands. They shall perish, but thou remainest: and they all shall wax (grow) old as doth a garment; And as a vesture (cloak) shalt thou fold them up, and they shall be changed: but thou art the same, and thy years shall not fail.’ (Heb. 1:9-12) 

That led the author of Hebrews, while talking of service well-pleasing to God, to later acknowledge to his listeners: ‘Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and today, and for ever.’ (Heb.13:8) Yes my fellow believers, we can indeed believe and rely on Jesus to be the same yesterday, today and forever, since He doesn’t change. He was there when the worlds were created and will be there when they are annihilated. The same marvellous Lord and Saviour: strong, LOVING, reliable and trustworthy. 

He has had a plan for every life from the beginning as Jeremiah relates: ‘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 that’s the ultimate desire of our wonderful God for each of His marvellous creations. And as Bruh Paul so rightly declares to the Philippians: ‘Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begin a good work in you will perform it (continue doing it) until the day of Jesus Christ.’ (Phil. 1:6) 

Wow mih bredrin! How marvellous is that eh? God will continue working in us, showering us with His most excellent grace, until the day Jesus returns to earth, at which time He will bring it to completion. And as the scholars explain: ‘This speaks of the Christian’s eternal security. For God had a purpose in view when He began His saving work in each of us, and that purpose will neither be abandoned nor unrealized.’ 

And all of God’s children gave a loud and grateful shout of: ‘Praise the Lord Oh my soul! Bless His holy name! For He is indeed worthy to be praised!’ Yes friends, our God is such a mighty God, but yet so graceful and merciful that as hard as we try, we cannot fathom the depths of His character with our finite minds. Which other God in their right mind (smile) would have sent His ONLY Son to die for a bunch of ungrateful, abominable wrong doers and iniquity workers eh? NONE! 

But Jehovah God, our Creator, His LOVE was so strong for us, His most miraculous creation,  that He had to break His own heart and provide the only way possible, the only way just and righteous, to save us from hellfire and damnation. Now why wouldn’t we believe, adore and worship him after all the heartache He put Himself through on our behalf eh? And it wasn’t necessary for Him to do it. He could have just left us to suffer in our abominable sinfulness. But that’s what true LOVE can do! True LOVE sacrifices one’s self, time, talent and treasure for others, without counting the cost! 

That’s why we can put our full and sincere trust in Christ Jesus, surrender our total life to Him, because no sin, no disaster, no complex or simple situation will ever cause Him to abandon us! He’s promised it. We can always cry out to Him in times of need and calamity. As the psalmist Asaph says in Psalm 50: ‘Offer unto God thanksgiving; and pay thy vows to the Most High: And call upon me in the day of trouble: I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify me.’ (Ps. 50:14-15) And that’s why Bruh David could confidently declare in Psalm 18 – Thanksgiving for deliverance: ‘I will call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised : so shall I be saved from mine enemies.’ (Ps. 18:3) 

And that’s exactly what he did, why he was still alive and able to write that marvellous psalm. Hn! Like I can’t spell ‘psalm’ either, been spelling it wrong all through the Bit. (smile) But that psalm (yesss!!!) marked the time that the Lord delivered him from all his enemies, including the most notable and persistent one, King Saul. And all of that my fellow saints is to simply say that our God is a most wonderful LOVING, merciful and gracious Deity, who only wants the best for us, His most marvellous creation. 

And why wouldn’t He eh? It’s just like we want the best for our children. But we do expect them to live decent lives and obey our rules. And that’s all the Lord asks of us; to be obedient to His will and live for Him through His Son Jesus Christ. And look at the wonderful rewards that obedience will bring, as opposed to the heinous consequences to be suffered for disobedience. It’s such a no-brainer to live for Jesus! And it all begins with prayer, that awesome form of communication with our righteous and ever-faithful God. So, let’s go to him right now in prayer nuh, through our Friday Chant, asking for His divine help to right our lives and our world. 

Altogether now: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through this past week. You know it’s been rough… what with all the anxiety, the confusion and havoc that the viruses and our many other problems are causing. We can’t seem to fix it on our own Lord, that means 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 both the viruses and the unrest in our streets. 

So Lord, we sincerely ask you today to give the governments and those involved in the forefront of this serious and unexpected storm, the wise guidance to handle the situation properly, with the least amount of loss to life and property as possible. And please help those of us who must go out to work amidst all the confusion, to be responsible and to stay safe, and avoid any more serious setbacks. 

And Lord, we fervently pray that You’ll use this situation to bring a lot of backsliders back to your fold, show them the error of their ways. And please introduce a whole new flock, who will embrace your LOVE and compassion by the example, we, your faithful believers set. Yes Lord, please use this pandemic and the unrest in the streets as a means of restoring faith in You, so that our sinful world can wake up and smell the coffee, sweet and strong! We pray this in the name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen!’ 

Now, it’s imperative that we keep our promises, change our ungodly ways and sincerely begin living for Jesus, if we expect to receive a positive answer from heaven. Much LOVE!

…the only solid, unmovable, unchangeable thing in this world…the Rock…that’s JESUS… 

Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZJ8​        

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