Today’s Scrip-Bit 23 August 2021 Romans 8:14.

23 Aug 2021 Leave a comment

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

Romans 8:14.     For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. 

Come on mih bredrin, it’s Monday, time to get out into the world and make a living! (smile) Oh, and please don’t forget, that simultaneously, meaning at the same time, we need to be a good witness for Christ and exemplify the lifestyle He desires us to live. And no, there are no conflicts of interest between the two; that’s between making a living and being a good example of a Christian lifestyle. They both can co-exist, otherwise Jesus would not have asked us to do it. 

And yes, they don’t, or won’t always co-exist comfortably, but we have the tools of Christ to make them run together as smoothly as possible. (smile) That’s the beauty of living and working for Jesus; we can do things that the unbelievers can’t do! Remember, we have that most encouraging and authoritative scripture, that we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us. (Phil. 4:13) 

Yes friends, that means that whatever Christ needs us to do on His behalf, or in His name, He can, and will enable us to do it! That’s why we can be in the world and not be a part of it; sanctified, or set apart for Christ’s sole purpose. Not fazed or frazzled by all the evil machinations and spiritual warfare that’s going on around us. And we can do that because once we accept Christ as Lord and Saviour, we become the adopted children of God, co-heirs to the kingdom of heaven with Christ, who then also becomes our big brother. Glory be mih people! 

And hear this great affirming scripture nuh: ‘For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. For we have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear, but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God. And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.’ (Rom. 8:14-17) 

Oh my people, what a wonderful life we come into when we come to Christ in all sincerity and truth. We get Almighty God as our God and Father; Jesus as our Lord and Saviour, our Advocate, our High Priest and Big Brother, plus the Holy Spirit that dwells within us to lead, guide and comfort us, also becomes our close family! Wow! Nothing can be better than that my fellow saints! So please tell me why so many people are turning away from Jesus eh, if they have all of that to look forward to? 

I don’t know for sure nuh, but I can venture a few reasons. First off, our natural human nature tends to evil and ungodliness, and the pull of the evil and ungodly world these days is very strong. Plus the fact that Jesus desires us to travel on the straight and narrow path which entails sacrifices and forgetting oneself to do His will. ‘Then said Jesus unto his disciples, if any man will come after me (be my disciple), let him deny himself, and take up his cross and follow me.’ (Matt. 16:24) 

On the other hand though, the ungodly world offers a do as you like, wide and winding path filled with all kinds of worldly pleasures, but which unfortunately ends in destruction. And let’s not forget this last, but very important reason: we, as followers of and believers in Jesus don’t set a very good example for others to follow. Too many of us supposed Christians behave just like the world, and ofttimes, even worse than the world! 

We don’t show ourselves as the salt of the earth or the light of the world, as Jesus desires us to be. So what incentive does the unbeliever have to come to Jesus eh, if we behave in an unchristian manner? None whatsoever. And to tell the truth friends, our major weapon against the enemy is the example that we set, by living in a Christ-like manner. We can spout all the scripture we want, and don’t live it, then folks won’t turn to Christ. Remember actions speak louder than words. 

Consequently, it’s only when they see us gentle, LOVING, giving and kind, calm in the midst of storm and filled with a joy that transcends our circumstances, will they know that we have something ever so valuable that they don’t have and want to come to know Jesus. And until we show that Christ-like behaviour on a much wider scale, we’re just spinning our tops in mud! 

So what’s it to be eh friends? Are we going to come up higher, sincerely try and do better for Jesus? I certainly hope so. And there’s no better time to begin than right now. That means immediately taking our problems to the Lord in prayer, what we call our Monday Morning Battle Hymn. 

As one strong 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!’ 

Remember though my fellow saints, that it all means nothing, unless we keep our promises. Much LOVE!

…don’t make a promise to God and not keep it…for He has no pleasure in fools…                                                                                                                               

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

Today’s Scrip-Bit 22 August 2021 Psalm 37:4.

22 Aug 2021 Leave a comment

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

Psalm 37:4.     Delight thyself also in the Lord; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.

Oh my fellow believers, it’s Sunday! That means it’s time to come together, once more, to worship Christ in all sincerity and truth! Oh yeah! Nothing can be better, more beautiful or righteous and praiseworthy than that! And as always, we begin our worship with a song of praise and thanksgiving. Today’s song is a Christian contemporary song written in the last century by a couple of American Hit songwriters. It’s titled ‘I asked the Lord.’ 

And what’s interesting about this song is that the writers, Jimmy Duncan, 1927-2011, and Johnny Lange 1905-2006, both had a hand in writing some non-gospel hit songs. Duncan wrote the famous country/western hit ‘My Special Angel’ for Bobby Helms in the late fifties, and Lange wrote the gimmicky song ‘Mule Train,’ made popular by Frankie Laine in 1949. You folks of the younger generation won’t know those songs, but they are classics from your parents’ days. (smile) 

And we are indeed thankful that Duncan and Lange collaborated to give us this wonderful Christian song. I hadn’t heard it in a long time, until a couple of days ago, when someone sent it to me through a WhatsApp video. And I just knew that we had to sing it today because it’s so beautiful and applicable to our lives in these trying and troubled times. Now some people sing it slow, but we’re going to put a medium tempo with a solid, soulful gospel touch to it today. 

So let’s sing: ‘I asked the Lord to comfort me When things weren’t going my way; And He said to me, “I will comfort you And I’ll lift your cares away.” I asked the Lord to walk with me, when darkness was all that I knew; And He said to me “Never be afraid, and I will see you through.” I didn’t ask for riches, but He gave me wealth untold, The moon and the stars, the sun in the sky, and He gave me eyes to behold. 

I thank the Lord for everything, and I count all my blessings each day; For He came to me when I needed Him, I only had to pray. And He will come to you, if you ask Him to, For He’s only a prayer away. I thank the Lord for everything, and I count all my blessings each day; For He came to me when I needed Him, I only had to pray. And He will come to you, if you ask Him to, For He’s only a prayer away.’ 

And is that ever the gospel truth my brethren! God is only a prayer away from us, and all we have to do is ask Him to come and He will gladly come, come running too! Oh friends, Jesus said it several times and several different ways. Let’s hear some of them nuh. This first one He says when He talks about not judging. ‘Ask and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.’ (Matt. 7-8) 

And after He cursed the fig tree, He told the disciples: ‘And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.’ (Matt. 21:22) Then in John, when Jesus declares that He is the only way to the Father, He tells the disciples: ‘And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If ye shall ask anything in my name, I will do it.’ (John 14:13-14) And when He talks about the vine and the branches, He states: ‘If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.’ (John 15:7) 

Then this final scripture, when Jesus tells the disciples about going back to the Father and leaving them, and seeing their sorrow, He offers comforting words. ‘Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name: ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy shall be full.’ (John 16:24) So you see friends, asking is a big part of our relationship with God. However, that asking is not to be frivolous and self-centred, but in the will of God. Hear John explain it in his first epistle. ‘And this is the confidence that we have in Him (Christ), that, if we ask anything according to his will, he heareth us.’ (1 John 5:14) 

And remember too that Jesus said we should ask in His name, that means as His agents or ambassadors, to be able to do His work. God always wants to give us good things, but we must ask persistently, unselfishly and in faith. The important thing my brethren is that we get into God’s will, want what He wants. And when that happens then this wonderful verse from Psalm 37 will come into play. ‘Delight thyself also in the Lord; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.’ (Ps. 37:4) 

As one commentator says: ‘The key here is that the heart of the seeker is changed—when we delight in the Lord, God’s desires begin to become our own. When our desires match God’s, then our prayers are automatically aligned with His will.’ So, asking is good and right, but there are conditions. 

A couple of other important scriptures can be derived from the song. Where it says: ‘And He said to me, “I will comfort you And I’ll lift your cares away.” That points right back the Great Invitation: ‘Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of (from) me; for I am meek and lowly in heart (humble and gentle): and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.’ (Matt. 11:28-30) Yes my fellow saints, there is no other place to find rest, comfort and succour than in the arms, or under the umbrella of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. 

And I want to close with this other important attitude we can derive from the song, that of counting our blessings and giving thanks. Listen up to these wonderful scriptures on the subject. Bruh Paul to the Ephesians: ‘Giving thanks always for all things unto God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.’ (Eph. 5:20) 

To the Philippians. ‘Be careful (anxious) for nothing, but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.’ (Phil. 4:6) And finally from the psalmist: ‘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. 100:4-5) 

That says it all my people! Much LOVE!

…when you consider the greatness of our God…it just takes your breath away                                                                                                                      

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Today’s Scrip-Bit 21 August 2021 Proverbs 24:16.

21 Aug 2021 Leave a comment

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

Proverbs 24:16.      For a just man falleth seven times, and riseth up again: but the wicked shall fall into mischief (stumble into calamity). 

And it seems like it’s going to be another glorious summer Saturday in August! O give thanks to our wonderful God for the many wonders of nature He’s created for us to enjoy! Ah friends, the splendour of the bright noonday sun, the exhilarating colours of the heavens, the flowers, the birds, and all the other bright hued components of nature, just prove that our God is not only omnipotent but also has a great eye for beauty, is indeed the artist for the ages! Give Him much thanks and praise! 

And having done that, let’s get down to brass tacks now, checking out the quotes that our friend Anselm sent us this past week. And the first one says: ‘I prefer to be true to myself, even at the hazard of incurring the ridicule of others, rather than to be false, and to incur my own abhorrence.’ Now that’s a statement that ought to be true of all of us my people! We should always try to be true to ourselves and not capitulate to the wishes and desires of others, regardless of who they may be and their position in our society. 

But, unfortunately, it’s a situation to which many of us fall prey. We accept the rightness of others over that of ourselves and go around thinking much less of ourselves than we ought to. Believe me though, the worse thing we can possibly do in this life is to go around disliking ourselves. And as to the more intense sentiment of abhorring ourselves, brother, that should never ever even enter our minds because that just kills all the joy in our souls. 

Remember, you have to be with yourself every minute of every hour of every day, and abhorrence of oneself will certainly play a big and most likely negative part in the formation and structure of your life. Please do not forget the second great commandment as pronounced by Jesus: ‘Thou shalt LOVE thy neighbour as thy self.’ (Matt. 22:39) And if you dislike or abhor yourself, logic dictates that your LOVE for your neighbour will be poor to non-existent. 

Then we have this interesting quote: ‘It is easier to build strong children than to repair broken men.’ And that’s ever so true! Children are young, malleable and pliable and can much more easily be formed or conformed to the image we desire, than trying to change those already set in their ways. As the saying goes, you can’t teach an old dog new tricks. 

Now it’s not that you can’t, but it’s ever so difficult to teach someone set in their ways and thinking new skills, especially if the skillset needed is completely new to them. That’s like teaching older folks to use a computer in these modern times, where almost everything is computerized. But you’ll note how quickly children acquire those same computer skills, because they have nothing else to compare it to, or nothing to throw out before they can embrace it. 

That brings to mind this scripture from Jesus, where he explains greatness. ‘Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.’ (Matt. 18:3) Meaning that we must all become like children, humble, malleable, teachable and willing to receive and accept His word without a lot of resistance. Just threw that in as a li’l food for thought. (smile) 

Then comes this quote: ‘Power concedes nothing without a demand. It never did and it never will.’ And that’s for certain sure! If you want any kind of power at all, in any sphere whatsoever, you will always have demands made by the very same power you wield! Just look at political leaders, teachers, judges, doctors, etc. They all wield some kind of power, but that same power demands that they do certain things, follow certain rules and behave in certain ways. 

Even dictators, who supposedly can do what they want, are still constrained by that very power in certain circumstances. It’s also true of the lowliest rank of power, like the captain of a kindergarten team. You may pick whom you desire, but you still have rules to follow. (smile) So for those of us who desire power so badly, that we are willing to sell our souls for it, please realize that power itself is a very demanding and ofttimes very intractable (ungovernable) mistress. (smile) 

And the last quote advises: ‘You will face many defeats in life, but never let yourself be defeated.’ Oh, so true, so true, my brethren! And that applies ever so much to Christians, because in Christ, there is NO giving up! Yes my fellow believers, there are no words like defeat or give up in Christ’s vocabulary. You might lose, but you are NEVER defeated, which means you NEVER give up! And Cousin Sol lays it on the line for us: ‘For a just man falleth seven times, and riseth up again: but the wicked shall fall into mischief (stumble into calamity).’ (Prov. 24:16) 

Yes friends, the believer in Christ may fall many times, but he gets back up every time and continues the good fight in Christ’s name. Hear how the prophet Micah puts it nuh: ‘Rejoice not against me, O mine enemy: when I fall, I shall arise; when I sit in darkness, the Lord shall be a light unto me.’ (Mic. 7:8) Truer words were never spoken or written my fellow saints in Christ! We are always expected to stand up again when we stumble, and we can do that because we have the wonderful power of Christ, whereby ‘We can do all things, through Christ who strengthens us!’ (Phil. 4:13) 

But friends, I think it’s also important that we note the other side of the coin, so to speak. Cousin Sol tells us: ‘Rejoice not when thine enemy falleth, and let not thine heart be glad when he stumbleth: Lest the Lord see it, and it displease him (it seems like evil in his eyes), and he turn away his wrath from him.’ (Prov. 24:18) 

Oh, I know it’s not easy, but despite our successes, we are not to laugh at out enemy’s demise or calamity because it is liable to displease God, who doesn’t like us crowing or boasting of our supposedly superior efforts and achievements, especially since He is the one that enables us to rise and be successful. So, in closing, let’s remember to never give up, to get back up each time we fall, but also don’t boast or laugh at our enemies’ problems, for our God doesn’t like it. Much LOVE!

…lording it over others…taking pleasure in their stumbling…displeases our God…                                                                                                                             

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

Today’s Scrip-Bit 20 August 2021 Matthew 5:13a, 14a.

20 Aug 2021 Leave a comment

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

Matthew 5:13a, 14a.     Ye are the salt of the earth: Ye are the light of the world. 

So what’s up this glorious Friday morning in this confusing and anxious summer of 2021 eh friends? With worldwide sickness, strife and turmoil galloping around the planet, I do hope that we are not allowing all that negative stuff to get to us … well not too much, because we are only human and such mind-blowing things will undoubtedly have some negative effect. And then, on top of all that turbulent stuff, here in our fine land of Canada, we now have a Federal Election to look forward to next month, despite it not being officially due for at least another year. 

Ah Lord eh! And it seems no one wants an election during the pandemic…that is, except the politicians. Notwithstanding, that the status quo of a minority government seems to have worked quite well during the height of the pandemic. But yuh know, what  politicians want, they usually get! And can you imagine all the unnecessary headache we will have to go through to make the elections seem safe and fair. 

Thank the Lord though that we don’t have politicians as ignorant and evil as some of those down in the U.S, who insist on spouting lies and disinformation with absolutely no proof to back it up!  Thank the Lord for Jesus Christ too, and the Holy Spirit, who give us the wherewithal to handle all these things in a sensible and safe manner! What would we do without our great God Jehovah eh? Just continue going to hell in a handbasket! 

Unfortunately though, a lot of people still don’t know Him, and if they do, don’t believe in Him. How sad… For He is the Creator of the universe, and also the Protector and Provider. But if you don’t go to Him and ask for His protection and provision, how will you get it eh? You won’t! But truthfully, some of that blame for so many not knowing and accepting Christ as Lord and Saviour falls squarely on the shoulders of us, His ambassadors, His earthly agents, generally known as Christians. 

Why you ask? Because we have not been doing a good enough job to make others want what we have. In other words, we have not been good enough examples of Christ’s wonderful promises and lifestyle to a lost and broken world, living in sin and evil darkness. Yes friends, it boils down to our lack of diligence in doing God’s work. And how is that you again ask? 

Listen to these fateful words of Christ to all who choose to follow Him. ‘Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour (flavour), wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men.’ (Matt. 5:13) And sorrowfully, I am here to tell us this morning my fellow believers that we Christians, the church of Christ, have indeed lost our salty flavour, through inattention, even disobedience to God’s Word, and following the ways of the evil world too much, seeking too much material possessions and earthly power. 

Yes friends, instead of being in the world, but not a part of the world, we have become just like the world, allowing, fear, anxiety, laziness and a lack of enthusiasm to curdle the warm and nourishing milk of Christ that supposedly dwells within us. Therefore, if we are just like the world, it means we can no longer stand up before the world and make a difference. And that’s certainly heartbreaking to Christ! 

And Jesus also describes us thus: ‘Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle (a lamp), and put it under a bushel (basket), but on a candlestick (lampstand); and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.’ (Matt. 5:14-16) There you have it friends; the command to be shining lights to this dark and evil world! 

And as the scholars tell us: ‘5:14-16. Ye are the light of the world describes the essential mission of the Christian to the world. He is the condition (salt) to meet the world’s needs and has a mission (light) to the world. His light is to clearly shine forth into the darkness of human depravity. He is to set his light upon a candlestick, not hide it under a bushel, that is, a basket. Darkness is the absence of light, and darkness alone cannot dispel the light, but the smallest light can dispel the greatest darkness.’ 

However my fellow saints in Christ, we have unfortunately not been adding salt to the wounds of the world, thus not providing healing nor adding flavour to it. And neither have we been a dazzling light in the darkness of this dark and evil world. We have either been hiding our light under a bushel, through fear and anxiety, or worse yet, been joining the world in its dark and evil deeds. Both situations are highly unsatisfactory my people! But then to further muddy the waters, we get up on our high horses and talk a very good talk, but refuse to walk the walk the talk entails. 

Ah friends, to say the least, Christ is very disappointed in us, because if we had put our best foot forward and served Him faithfully, no way would the world be in such an ungodly and sinful state of turmoil that it’s currently in today. But it’s not too late to try and rectify the situation, but we have to begin by going back to God in serious prayer, offering sincere repentance, and pleading for forgiveness. And there’s no better time than right now to do that through our Friday Chant. 

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 Covid-19 virus 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 virus 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!’ 

And, as with all prayers my people, if we don’t keep the promises we make, we won’t get positive answers. Nuff said! Much LOVE!

…he who has ears to hear…let him hear…                                                                                                                            

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

Today’s Scrip-Bit 19 August 2021 John 14:18.

19 Aug 2021 Leave a comment

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

John 14:18.     I will not leave you comfortless (orphans): I will come to you.

Well come on down Thursday, the day before Friday! Are we ever so glad to see you, because it means that Friday is one day closer and the end of the work week is winding down nicely. The only problem is that we still have to deal with you Thursday, before we get to Friday. But with Christ Jesus leading and guiding us through His Holy Spirit, it’s a cinch that we will get it right! (smile) 

However, that totally depends on our obedience to the prompting of the Spirit. Any deviation from His guidance will definitely produce unwanted problems, that will only make our lives more difficult than they already are. Consequently, we must understand the great importance of the Holy Spirit in the lives of believers. 

So let’s check out a few scriptures on that subject nuh. And we going to start right at the beginning where Jesus tells the Samaritan woman at the well of Jacob: ‘God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him spirit and in truth.’ (John 4:24) That’s the first thing we must realize when we come to God; that He is a Spirit Being and worshipping Him entails doing it spiritually, not in flesh and blood. 

And the scholars offer this explanation re, the Definition of God. ‘4:24. John gives three descriptions of God. He is Spirit (John 4:24), LOVE (1 John 4:8), and Light (1 John 1:5). God is a spiritual being who is invisible and without a body. He is a divine person who reveals Himself in perfect intellect, emotion, and will. He is the source and personification of all material and spiritual life. 

He is self-existent; He is eternal in relationship to time. He is unlimited in relationship to the immensity of space; He is immutable (unchanging) in His nature. He is the unity of all existence; and He is consistent in His being – that is, He corresponds in actual fact to His nature and attributes as they are revealed to us. (First Ref. Gen. 1:1; Primary ref. John 4:24).’ 

Yes friends, our God is a Spirit Being, but nonetheless, He is the source of all that exists, both spiritual and material. And sometimes our problems derive from the fact that our mortal minds cannot conceive of, or comprehend the real immensity of the God we claim to worship, thus we tend to underate His size and power, and though we say it, we don’t truly believe that nothing is impossible to Him. 

And that first verse of His Word says it all: ‘In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.’ (Gen. 1:1) It’s speaking of ‘the absolute beginning of the temporal and material world, when God created the original heaven and earth from nothing.’ Now you can’t truly believe in God unless you believe the Creation Story and all it entails, otherwise you will end up minimising the great God you claim to serve, and that means also minimising the benefits and blessings you can receive from Him. 

And I’m chuckling here because I never intended to veer off like I did, but it just seemed so relevant that I could not pass it up. (smile) So, getting back to the doings of the Holy Spirit, the third aspect of our Triune God… Oh that’s another important thing to realize, that the Holy Spirit is a person, a part of our Godhead. I guess you can say it’s the workhorse of the Godhead. He carries out the actual decisions made by them. 

Now hear Jesus again on the subject of spiritual matters. ‘It is the spirit that quickeneth (gives life); the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.’ (John 6:63) Yes my people, spiritual things are more important than fleshly or material stuff, for the body dies, but the spirit lives on. That’s where our real life is found, in our spirit-person. The body is just a temporary cover for it. And that’s why our God communicates through our spirit, why the Holy Spirit is so important in our lives. 

As Bruh Paul says to the Corinthians re Spiritual Wisdom: ‘We have not received the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we may understand what God has freely given us. And this is what we speak, not in words taught by human wisdom, but in words taught by the Spirit, expressing spiritual truths in spiritual words. The natural man does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God. For they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned. But he that is spiritual judgeth all things, yet he himself is judged of no man.’ (1 Cor. 2:12-15) 

What we are seeing here is that the natural or unspiritual man is unreceptive to the truth of God because it is delivered through His Holy Spirit. However, the spiritual man, who ‘has founded his faith on God’s revelation is able to receive the truth of God’s Spirit. He can judge now both earthly and heavenly things. He can discern what is and what is not of the gospel and salvation, and whether a man truly preaches the truth of God.’ 

And then we come to Jesus’ promise of the Holy Spirit to the disciples. ‘If ye LOVE me, keep my commandments. And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever. 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 (orphans): I will come to you.’ (John 14: 15-18) 

Oh friends, what a glorious promise! One which Jesus kept by sending the Holy Spirit to indwell all believers after that fateful Day of Pentecost (Acts 2). And yes, the Holy Spirit is also our Comforter, our advocate, our help in time of trouble. But whereas, Jesus, as a man on earth, could only be at one place at one time, the Holy Spirit can be all about in each believer, all the time! Glory be my people! 

And one of the mighty jobs that the Holy Spirit does is bestowing God’s blessings upon us, what we call our Thursday Blessings, so that we can do His earthly work. Let’s declare (chuh!!!) them now nuh, to give them light and life in our souls and spirits. As one strong voice: ‘I declare that I am blessed with God’s supernatural wisdom and receive clear direction for my life! I declare today that I am blessed with creativity, courage, talent and abundance! 

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

And now, to indeed be true followers of Christ, we need to go out and use and share all of those wonderful blessings with others, just as unselfishly and generously as the Lord shared them with us! Much LOVE!

…only believe on Jesus…and the Holy Spirit automatically indwells you…                                                                                                                      

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Today’s Scrip-Bit 18 August 2021 Philippians 4:13.

18 Aug 2021 Leave a comment

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

Philippians 4:13.     I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.

So Wednesday has rolled around once more, in the quickly passing weeks of summer. And I wish someone could tell me why the weeks of winter don’t pass even half as quickly. (smile) They just seem to drag on and on and on. But that’s life in the northern climes, and with the help of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, we handle them just the same, though we need to be a bit more careful in the nasty weather. That means with Jesus guiding our lives we can do anything that’s necessary. 

We have that ever-faithful promise from the Good Book, where Bruh Paul writes to the Philippians: ‘Not that I speak of in respect of want (in regard of need): for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content. I know both how to be abased (live humbly), and I know how to abound (live in prosperity): everywhere and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need.’ (Phil. 4:11-12) 

Yes friends, in these contrary times we believers must be good examples of contentment so that others can learn from us. And yes, contentment is something that’s learned, not in the classroom either, or overnight, but continuously through the hard knocks of life. We have become so accustomed to easy living that we complain about every single thing, and that’s the wrong attitude for believers to have. 

We need to be much more disciplined than we are; being able to tighten our belts in the hard times, or as the old people would say, band we belly when things rough, and then be able to live without airs and graces when the times get good. But it’s all a learning process, an acquired way of living. And what’s the basic underlying factor of our ability to do with or without? Bruh Paul tells us in no uncertain terms: ‘I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.’ (Phil. 4:13) 

Glory to God my brethren! Yes indeed! Christ is the one who gives us the strength to live that contented life, both in need or in prosperity! Christ is the one who enables us to adapt to the various situations we encounter in this crazy and undisciplined world. Whatever He tells us to do, or wherever He sends us, He gives us the wherewithal to handle whatever comes against us. But the problem is that we don’t pay sufficient attention to Christ’s commands, that’s why we so often find ourselves in hot water, or out of our league. 

Then we blame Him, but we are the ones who need to bear the blame for our lack of obedience to His instructions. Remember Jesus’ warning to the disciples: ‘Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. 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 15:4-5) 

And I like how after all the palaver, Jesus throws in that last statement that clarifies the whole situation: ‘for without me ye can do nothing.’ And that’s a fact friends! Without Christ in our lives, we can’t do much of anything that’s really worthwhile. But with Him running the show, oh brother, we can be supermen, do miracles, show wonders, prophecy, speak in tongues, etc. etc.! That’s why Christ is such a valuable part of our lives. 

And one thing I like about Jesus is that He does not mince words, but tells it straight and true. As He said above, ‘for without me ye can do nothing,’ later on He tells the disciples: ‘Ye are my friends, if ye do what I command you.’ (John 15:14) And earlier on He was just as blunt: ‘If ye LOVE me, keep my commandments.’ (John 14:15) And again He tells them: ‘A new commandment I give unto you, That ye LOVE one another; as I have LOVED you, that ye also LOVE one another. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have LOVE one to another.’ (John 13:34-35) 

Yuh see friends, our entire discipleship is based on keeping the commands of Christ, which basically boil down to having LOVE for each other, that’s treating each other kindly and with compassion, like Christ treats us. And only as we show that LOVE for each other to the world, will they recognize that we are indeed His disciples. And I’m sad and sorry to say that we are not showing that LOVE for each other to the world as much as we need to. 

That’s why so many are turning away from God, or simply refusing to accept Christ as Lord and Saviour. They see us supposed Christians as merely a bunch of ole hypocrites, who talk a good talk, but don’t walk it, like the Pharisees of old did! And they are quite right! There’s too much infighting, dissension and evil doing within Christ’s church; too many petty differences that breed unnecessary resentment and strife. And until we clean up our own backyard, we can’t fault the neighbours for not wanting to run with us. 

So please my brethren, this time of much strife, sickness and natural disaster, is the perfect time for us to do that, the time to come together and show the real beauty of living for Christ. Remember Christ is depending on us, His ambassadors, His earthly agents to do His work with diligence and excellence, something we are currently not doing. Yes, my fellow saints in Christ, let’s raise the level of our standards nuh, instead of following the world and lowering them. That’s Christ’s desire for us in these trying times! 

Consequently, with that on our minds, let’s go home declaring (yeahhh!!!) our Wednesday Wail, letting all and sundry know of our wonderful position in Christ. Altogether now: ‘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!’ 

Oh my, my! And please remember friends, that if we endure to the end, the future will be even more glorious than we can ask or imagine! So please let that wonderful thought drive us this Wednesday morning as we go out to do Christ’s work. Much LOVE!

…until you start living for Christ…you will not know how wonderful it is…                                                                                                                       

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Today’s Scrip-Bit 17 August 2021 Matthew 9:37.

17 Aug 2021 Leave a comment

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

Matthew 9:37.      Then saith he unto his disciples, The harvest truly is plenteous, but the labourers are few: 

Oh my people, may the peace and LOVE of God be with us this cloudy and humid Tuesday morning! Life might be rough, but with the Spirit of God flowing through us we can most definitely handle it without too many problems! That’s one of the many benefits that accrue to us when we sincerely accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour of our lives! 

So why don’t more people accept Him eh? I really don’t know nuh! Possibly because He desires His followers to live on the straight and narrow road, while many of us desire to live on the broad and winding road that has no boundaries or serious responsibilities. Who knows? That’s why it is important we pay attention to this scripture that Jesus imparted to His disciples when talking about there being few labourers for the enormous task He had in mind. 

 But first, let’s get the context of the situation. The Good Book relates it thus: After removing a demon from a demon- possessed man, and the people marvelled, saying, ‘It was never so seen in Israel. But the Pharisees said, He casteth out devils (demons) through the prince of the devils (demons -Satan). And Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people.’ (Matt. 9:32-35) 

Now that’s where we pick up the story. The Good Book tells us of His reaction to the situation He encountered in His travels around the country. ‘But when he saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion on them, because they fainted (were weary), and were scattered abroad, as sheep having no shepherd. Then saith he unto his disciples, The harvest truly is plenteous, but the labourers are few: Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth labourers into his harvest.’ (Matt. 9:36-38) 

Oh friends, those were certainly true words back then, and with many more people in the world today than in Jesus’ time, there is an even greater need for labourers in His harvest. And the scholars give us this interesting explanation. ‘Fainted means they were distressed. The observation that they were as sheep having no shepherd is taken mainly from the Septuagint, the Greek translation of the Hebrew Old Testament, of Numbers 27:17. Verses 37 and 38 constitute one of the great missionary passages of the New Testament. Jesus pictures the world as a great spiritual harvest in need of labourers to gather it into the storehouse.’ 

And that’s no lie my brethren, for the amount of people who refuse to receive Christ in this modern day and age is truly amazing, despite knowing and seeing all the good and desirous things He has done, is doing, and has promised to do for mankind! And since I can’t help spoon feeding us, (smile) let’s look at that scripture in Numbers from which they say Jesus’ words were partly taken. It’s just before Moses dies, and the Lord calls him up on to mount Abarim, so that he could see the Promised Land, which he would not enter because of his earlier disobedience. 

‘For ye rebelled against my commandment in the desert of Zin, in the strife of the congregation, to sanctify (hallow) me at the water before their eyes: that is the water of Meribah in Kadesh in the wilderness of Zin.’ (Num. 27:14) That’s when Moses disobeyed the Lord’s command. Instead of speaking to the rock, as the Lord told him, in anger at the constantly complaining Israelites, he struck the rock with his rod to produce water. (Num. 20:1-13) And for that weighty disobedience, the Lord punished him by not allowing him to lead the people into the Promised Land. But in His magnanimity, the Lord did bring him up the mountain to show him the Promised Land in the distance. 

And Moses knowing and accepting his fate, ‘spake unto the Lord, saying, Let the Lord, the God of the spirits of all flesh, set a man over the congregation, which may go out before them, and which may go in before them, and which may lead them out, and which may bring them in; that the congregation of the Lord be not as sheep which have no shepherd.’ (Num. 27:15-17) 

Ah friends, yuh see the price we pay for sometimes what we consider small disobediences. After all the problems Moses endured while leading the Israelites out of Egypt, he was refused entry into the Promised Land because he smote the rock instead of speaking to it. It produced the same result, water for the people, but it’s ever so important for us to do exactly as the Lord tells us, because He always has a good reason. In this case, I guess He wanted the Israelites to see and experience the power of just His words, having already seen the power of His actions through Moses striking the rock with his rod. 

But whatever the reason, Moses blew it and paid a hefty price. And so too can we, if we don’t pay close attention to what the Lord tells us to do. As we said before, though we might think His instructions can be changed or disregarded, He always has a good reason for them, and we ignore them at our peril. However, after wandering all over, though gleaning good information, (smile) let’s back to our topic, of there being much to harvest, but few labourers to do the work. 

It’s obvious that we do need to pray that the Lord will send forth more of us to do His ever so important work of showing the many needful people in the world, the wisdom of accepting His Son, Jesus Christ as their Lord and Saviour. That brings us to this interesting scripture of Bruh Paul to the Thessalonians, where he calls for prayer. ‘Finally, brethren, pray for us, that the word of the Lord may have free course (run free), and be glorified, even as it is with you: And that we may be delivered from unreasonable and wicked men: for all men have not faith. But the Lord is faithful, who shall stablish you, and keep you from evil (the evil one).’ (2 Thess. 3:1-3) 

And that’s our prayer for all of us today; that we be kept safe and sound as we go forward into this evil world to do God’s bidding. And we know that He is indeed a faithful God who will give us all we need to do His will, and won’t allow us to suffer more than we can handle. So there’s no cause for worry. Now let’s go home declaring (yeahhh!!!) our Tuesday Mantra, letting the whole world know who and whose we are. 

Altogether now: ‘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 the world. Amen!’ 

And having made that declaration, (steupsss!!!) it now behooves us to go out and share that amazing LOVE and friendship of Christ with others who don’t know Him, but desperately need Him! Much LOVE!

…a shortage of labourers…causes a lot of the harvest to not be reaped…thus it spoils and dies…unsaved…                                                                                                                        

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

Today’s Scrip-Bit 16 August 2021 Numbers 23:19a.

16 Aug 2021 Leave a comment

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

Numbers 23:19a.     God is not man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: 

These weeks passing too quickly for me yes friends! We are already into the middle of August, and we just finish celebrating the 1st of August long holiday weekend. (smile) That means fall, or autumn is just around the corner. But them’s the breaks, time waits on no one, and we must therefore conclude that this Monday in the middle of August is another excellent opportunity for us to take the bull by the horns, grab the baton and run with it, put into motion, the amazing plan that our wonderful God has designed for us from time everlasting! 

And yes, we have used a lot of clichés back there, but yuh know what, things become clichés because they are either the truth, or help us to understand the truth better. And the greatest truth in this universe is the Word of God found in His holy book, the Bible, our blueprint, our guide, our map for earthly living! So when we read in it, things like: ‘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) 

We know, we are totally assured that we are hearing the honest to goodness truth., because it comes from the Word of our God. Our Creator has good plans for each one of us, plans He created us to fulfill. And you are even further empowered to believe His Word, when it says: ‘God is not man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? Or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?’ (Num. 23:19) 

What a confidence builder that verse is my brethren! Our God has no need to lie, because He is omnipotent, possesses the power and the ability to do whatever He says He is going to do! As Jesus said to His disciples, talking about a camel passing through the eye of a needle: ‘With men, this is impossible, but with God, all things are possible.’ (Matt. 19:26) And we need to remember that most salient fact my people. Nothing is too big or too small for our God to do! He can do anything and everything! Therefore, there’s no situation He cannot put us into or take us out of. 

But I want to go back to that verse from Numbers about God not lying, because the scholars offer an interesting explanation of it. ‘23:19. The immutability (unchangeability) of God is stated. The word repent is parallel to lie and is coloured in tone by this very association. Here His repenting is related to falsehood. The concept of the truth of Yahweh is related to immutability (His unchanging nature). Since God is truth, He does not lie; in fact, He cannot lie: He is unchanging. God is utterly different from man. Something that comes far too easily for many men is impossible for Almighty God. He cannot lie (cf. Is. 31:2; 51:6,8; Jer. 4:28; Mal. 3:6).’ 

Oh friends, those are some good verses for you to look up, I just did, and they are all interesting, revolving around the Lord’s unchanging nature and the keeping of His word. But I will only spoon feed us the last one from Malachi, (smile) which we all ought to know anyway. ‘For I am the Lord, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed.’ (Mal. 3:6) And we better had be thankful for that yes my people, because just like the Lord’s mercy and LOVE are overwhelming, so is His wrath, and you definitely don’t want to feel it. 

And His wrath is not just vengeful anger, but as Romans 2:5-6 says: ‘But after thy hardness (stubborn) and impenitent (unrepentant) heart treasurest up (stores up) unto thyself wrath against the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgement of God (when His righteous judgement will be revealed); Who will render to every man according to his deeds.’ (Rom. 2:5-6) 

So wrath is basically God’s justice for disobedience and thus rounds out His basic attributes of Mercy, LOVE and Justice, or as one commentator asserts: ‘A God who didn’t have wrath towards sin would not be a God of LOVE, because how could a God of LOVE allow sin to go unpunished?’ Good question that my people. And believe me, it will not! However, our ever-LOVING God, has also ‘provided a way of redemption; faith in the atoning blood of his Son.’

Anyway, it’s the start of our work week and many of us have fears, anxieties and concerns, re the state of our lives and our world, weighing heavily on our souls and spirits, so let’s take this opportunity to carry them to the throne of grace in prayer nuh. As one strong, confident but humble voice, let’s declare our Monday Morning Battle Hymn. 

‘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!’ 

And as always, the answer to our prayers depends on keeping our promises and the right motives of our hearts. Much LOVE!

…obey God…and leave all the consequences to Him…  (Dr. Charles Stanley)                                                                                                                       

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

Today’s Scrip-Bit 15 August 2021 Luke 24:29.

15 Aug 2021 Leave a comment

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

Luke 24:29.     But they constrained him, saying, Abide with us: for it is toward evening, and the day is far spent. And he went in to tarry with them.

And then, once again, it is Sunday; the day we gather to worship our wonderful God, be it in physical or technological togetherness, the important thing being that we are in corporate worship in one form or another on the Lord’s Day. Now, the Lord is anxiously awaiting His praise and thanksgiving, so please let’s not tarry and open with a wonderful hymn written by the Anglican Scottish priest Henry Francis Lyte (1793-1847) some weeks before he died from tuberculosis. 

Apparently in 1818, ‘he underwent a great spiritual change, which shaped and influenced the whole of his after life, the immediate cause being the illness and death of a brother clergyman. Lyte says of him:- “He died happy under the belief that though he had deeply erred, there was One whose death and sufferings would atone for his delinquencies, and be accepted for all that he had incurred”; and concerning himself he adds:- “I was greatly affected by the whole matter, and brought to look at life and its issue with a different eye than before; and I began to study my Bible, and preach in another manner than I had previously done”.’ 

It seems the dying priest ‘convinced Lyte that both had earlier been mistaken in not having taken the Epistles of St. Paul “in their plain and literal sense.” So, he began to preach ‘following the example of four or five local clergymen whom he had previously laughed at and considered “enthusiastic rhapsodists.’ Ah mih people, life certainly takes us through changes we never expect! And the accumulation of all that led to the writing of the marvellous hymn ‘Abide with Me.’ So let’s sing these powerful, encouraging and uplifting words in all sincerity and truth, in good soulful gospel fashion. (smile) 

‘Abide with me; fast falls the eventide; The darkness deepens; Lord, with me abide; When other helpers fail and comforts flee, Help of the helpless, oh, abide with me. Swift to its close ebbs out life’s little day; Earth’s joys grow dim, its glories pass away; Change and decay in all around I see— O Thou who changest not, abide with me. I need Thy presence every passing hour; What but Thy grace can foil the tempter’s pow’r? 

Who, like Thyself, my guide and stay can be? Through cloud and sunshine, Lord, abide with me. I fear no foe, with Thee at hand to bless; Ills have no weight, and tears no bitterness; Where is death’s sting? Where, grave, thy victory? I triumph still, if Thou abide with me. Hold Thou Thy cross before my closing eyes; Shine through the gloom and point me to the skies; Heav’n’s morning breaks, and earth’s vain shadows flee; In life, in death, O Lord, abide with me.’ 

Ah friends, if you have the thoughts expressed in that hymn, filling your hearts and souls, then you can’t go wrong in this life! The author just captures all that Jesus is: He is the light in the darkness; the helper who never leaves, when others do; the help of the helpless; the One that changes not; only through His grace can we foil Satan’s attacks; the guide and fortress of His people. And don’t forget that with faith in Him we fear no foe, troubles don’t bother us, and tears have no bitterness. Therefore the grave and death hold no power over us, for Christ has won the victory! And once He abides in us, and we in Him, life nor death can ever separate us! 

Wow my faithful brethren! The hymn is just a chronicle of the benefits we enjoy when we accept Jesus as our Lord and Saviour! So, who, knowing all that, would still refuse to enthusiastically answer His knock on the door of their hearts eh? Unfortunately, a lot of people foolishly do it. But we are not giving up on them, we will continue to preach His word and live the kind of life that He died for us to have; be good examples of His mercy and compassion. 

And isn’t it interesting to find that the verse of scripture which most likely influenced the title of the hymn is not one where Jesus is inviting someone to abide in or with Him, but rather the two travellers along the road to Emmaus inviting Jesus, not knowing who He was, to abide with them at the end of a day’s journey. The Good Book tells us that along the way: ‘And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he (Jesus) expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself.’ (Luke 24:27) And the scholars explain that verse: ‘24:27. The entire Old Testament is indispensable for a grounded grasp of the identity and significance of Jesus.’ 

But getting back to the Good Book: ‘And they drew nigh (near) unto the village, whither they went: and he (Jesus) made as though he would have gone further. But they constrained him, saying, Abide with us: for it is toward evening, and the day is far spent. And he went in to tarry with them.’ (Luke 24:28-29) It’s interesting to wonder if Jesus would have kept on walking in the darkness of the unsafe Palestine road, if the two disciples had not insisted He tarried with them. 

Although it would not have really mattered, for as Bruh David declares in Psalm 139 – The everlasting presence and power of God. ‘Yea, the darkness hideth not from thee (is not dark to thee); but the night shineth as the day: the darkness and the light are both alike to thee.’ (Ps. 139:12) Yes friends, as far as God is concerned, everything is light, there is no darkness whatsoever, so walking in what we consider darkness would have been no problem to Jesus. 

And I want to end by just highlighting two other instances in the Good Book of insistence on tarrying, or abiding. The first is right at the beginning, where two angels visit Lot in Sodom, and ‘with his face bowed to the ground, he said, Behold, now my lords, turn in, I pray you, into your servant’s house, and tarry all night (spend the night) … And they said, Nay, but we will abide in the street (open plaza) all night. And he pressed upon them greatly (urged them); and they turned in unto him, and entered his house; and he made them a feast, and did bake unleavened bread, and they did eat.’ (Gen. 19:1-3). 

I guess that instance and Abraham’s in Gen. 18:1-3, caused the author of Hebrews to pen this line: ‘Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.’ (Heb. 12:2) Yes my brethren, we must always be courteous to strangers, for we know not what importance they might eventually have in our lives. 

And the second instance of insistent tarrying is found in Acts after the woman Lydia is baptized by Bruh Paul. The Good Book tells it thus: ‘And when she was baptized, and her household, she besought (begged) us, saying, If ye have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come into my house, and abide there. And she constrained us.’ (Acts 16:15) 

We can then end with these words of Jesus on the subject of abiding. ‘If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto (for) you’ (John 15:7) That means, if my teaching abides in you, and controls your thoughts and movements, guides and inspires you, then your prayers will surely be answered. That goes for us in these modern times also my brethren. Much LOVE!

…abiding is extremely important…especially where Jesus is concerned…                                                                                                                    

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

Today’s Scrip-Bit 14 August 2021 John 8:12.

14 Aug 2021 Leave a comment

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

John 8:12.     I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.

Well, well, well, if it isn’t Saturday! So good to see you. Where have you been so long eh? Seems like it took forever for you to get here! But the important thing is that you’re here now, and we do appreciate your coming. (smile) And there’s also another interesting development, our friend Anselm seems to have risen from wherever he was lost, and we have a full slate of quotes to deal with today. I wonder if I can handle them? Like the lady and the traffic yesterday, It hasn’t taken me long to become disaccustomed to handling them. (smile) But with the Lord’s help, we will put our best foot forward and do a good job of it, in His mighty and holy name. 

So here goes: The first quote says: ‘Whoever is happy will make others happy too.’ Now that’s a no-brainer, because happy people just automatically bring a sense of happiness to whomever they are around. Happiness, as well as sadness, usually rubs off on those around us. If you want to have a predominantly happy crowd, then place a happy person in its midst. 

And the same goes for a depressed and sad looking crowd. There’s nothing that will bring down the level of a joyful crowd quicker than the interjection of a sourpuss in it. So, if we want to spread happiness, then it’s necessary for us to be happy, or at least show ourselves to be happy, since many of us have the ability to show happiness on the outside, while on the inside we’re quite sad. 

Meanwhile, the next quote declares: ‘If you set your goals ridiculously high and it’s a failure, you will fail above everyone else’s success.’ I guess that statement could be very true, but I believe the key word there is ‘ridiculously.’ But in this society of low and ever falling standards it’s very easy for your goals to look ‘ridiculously high.’ Yes friends, very low standards and low set goals are one of the main reasons why our society is going to hell in a hand basket. It’s a proven truth, that societies prosper and flourish when they uphold high standards and goals, but fail when their standards fall, as ours are doing. 

Right now, we are honouring the position of the least we can do and get away with it. Very few of us are setting high and meaningful goals, because they are liable to fail in a society of low expectations, and then we look bad, and consider ourselves failures. And if you don’t believe me, then just go out there and try to find a group of people willing to work hard at a difficult job, over a long period of time, despite the rewards been enormous. We’ve simply become a society that’s looking for easy gratification! 

Then we come to this interesting quote: ‘Tell me and I forget. Teach me and I remember. Involve me and I learn.’ That recalls the old story about giving a person a fish, just feeds them for one meal, but teaching them to fish, gives them a livelihood. And it’s oh so true! I am liable to remember something longer if you teach me about it, than just tell me. But it’s always better to involve those who are being taught, as much as possible in the actual learning process, because hands on experience is ever so valuable. That’s why lab work and such stuff is important in things like physics and chemistry. 

Please note too, that ofttimes when you go for a job, the first question they ask is, have you any experience? You learn more, or better, when you are directly involved with your subject. And a good example of that is reading the Good Book. It’s wonderful to hear sermons from good teachers, but you learn and understand a whole lot more when you check out their stories and teachings for yourself. And that’s just a li’l nudge for us to get into more Bible studying. (smile) 

Now listen to this quote: ‘Don’t judge each day by the harvest you reap but by the seeds that you plant.’ I like that. Why? Because it gets us focusing on planting rather than harvesting. You know in our society we are so impatient we can’t wait for anything to happen; it must be now for now, even yesterday. But the problem is that we will only reap what we sow, so if we want to reap a good harvest, we must make sure that the seed we sow is good and planted in good soil, and that takes time, or patience and energy, two things very lacking in our society. 

We can be like the sower in Jesus’ parable; (Matt. 13:1-9) sow seeds by the wayside that are devoured by the birds, or on stony unfertile ground, where they might shoot up, but because their roots are not deep enough, the hot sun soon kills them. Or we might even sow seeds amongst thistles and thorns, that’s amongst people, who allow the cares and riches of the world to drag them away from the truth of the word. 

What we need is to sow seed on good and fertile soil, then tend it carefully and religiously, so that it can grow to maturity and produce plenty fruit. So we are not to spread our seed helter-skelter, that’s without any thought to where we’re sowing it, but to choose what seems like favourable ground, that would provide an immense harvest if we continually water and nurture it. 

And our last quote says: ‘It is during our darkest moments that we must focus to see the light.’ And that’s gospel truth! It’s like people with eye problems, cataracts, glaucoma, etc., where the lenses of their eyes are cloudy and dark. If they want to see, they literally have to concentrate their focus on the place where the little light shines through their darkness. 

So too, in the dark periods of our lives, we need to concentrate our focus on the little light of Jesus that’s flowing through our souls and spirits at that time. For it is only through focusing on the hope and encouragement that we gain from His light, that we can ever come out of that dark period. Please remember Jesus’ promise: ‘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) And what kind of light is that? The light of spiritual life! 

As one commentator says: “ “I am the Light of the world” is the second of seven “I AM” declarations of Jesus, recorded only in John’s gospel, that point to His unique divine identity and purpose. In declaring Himself to be the Light of the world, Jesus was claiming that He is the exclusive source of spiritual light. No other source of spiritual truth is available to mankind.” 

Yes friends, we are born into a world of spiritual darkness, of sin and evil, and Jesus is the only source of spiritual light, that keeps us away from leading a sinful, evil life, and thus being eternally separated from Jehovah God, our Maker and Provider. Believe me, being eternally separated from our Triune God is the worst fate that can ever befall a human being! So please take my advice and hook up with Jesus today, and stay hooked up with Him for ever more! That’s wisdom of everlasting proportions! Much LOVE!

…without the bright light of Jesus in our lives…our world is dark and cloudy…sad and lonely…                                                                                                                      

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

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