Today’s Scrip-Bit 17 April 2009 Philippians 4:19‏

17 Apr 2009 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Inspirational Living

Philippians 4:19    But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory in Jesus Christ.
 
Oh my Friends, that’s one of the bedrocks of our faith, one of the foundation stones on which Christ built His Church; present sacrifice, then patient waiting for the Father to uplift us. Believe and do it before we see it, sort of thing. Bruh Paul here is thanking the Philippians for sending him gifts, knowing that they were not wealthy, but nonetheless were willing to sacrifice together to help meet his needs in Rome. He is doubly thankful, because earlier on in his ministry through Macedonia, they were the only ones who enquired of his needs and actually sent him money and other gifts in Thessalonica. He says: ‘Not because I desire a gift: but I desire fruit that may abound to your account.’ (vs.17) As we talked yesterday, Jesus desires us to bear good fruit. So, more than the joy he got from the actual gifts, Bruh Paul desires that their rewards both on earth and in heaven be built up by their good works. ‘But I have all, and abound: I am full, having received of Epaphroditus the things which were sent from you, and odour of a sweet smell, a sacrifice acceptable, well pleasing to God.’ (vs.18) Ah my people, are there folks out there who can say that of us? That they have received all our gifts, and now have plenty, because their needs were met through our generosity, and that God is well pleased with our efforts, our sacrifice on their behalf? If not, then my people we are not doing Jesus’ work, not fulfilling our mandate, which is to help others, not simply through hope of selfish gain, but from a pure and right heart that just enjoys helping others in need. Under those circumstances our God will look down on us with His own grace and mercy. ‘But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Jesus Christ.’ Because God was aware of the sacrifice the Philippians made in sending Bruh Paul gifts, He would look favourably on them, and in return meet all their needs. As Bruh David staunchly declared in his most famous Psalm: ‘The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. (Ps.23:1) Oh my Friends, that’s such a strong testimony and testament to such an eye opening faith, I don’t know if many of us can say it so positively, then live by it with the enormous patience and belief it takes. Note, Bruh David was not hesitant or unsure when he said it. It was a positive declaration, implying no doubt whatsoever. That is what Bruh Paul’s trying to instil into the Philippians then, and into us now. It’s not easy, but if we keep doing what’s right and obeying God, He will in His time and manner meet all our needs. I can personally vouch for that my Friends. Over the last few years I haven’t been struggling per se, but I haven’t been thriving the way I want to or expected either. But by the same token, I’m still here, living fairly comfortably, doing what I can do, with all my needs, not my wants, (smile) being met, allowing me to continue the few good deeds I do. I ‘d sure like to do more, but my current resources don’t allow it. The important thing my brethren is to do what we can, right where we are, with what we have. We don’t need to be retired or millionaires before we volunteer our time to some useful cause and /or donate money to a worthwhile charity. Just where we are at today, do something for somebody else out of the pure goodness of our hearts, not looking for any real rewards, but hoping that the Lord will have mercy and increase us, so that we can further increase our good deeds. Ah my Friends, these are indeed rough times, and all of us, whether rich or poor are being forced to cut back on some things, but please, don’t let it be our good and charitable works. For if our sacrifices were sorely needed in good times, just think how much more they are needed now, when times are tough. And that is where the strength and passion of our faith comes in. We can take comfort through our trust in God. Listen to Isaiah: ‘Behold, the Lord God will come with strong hand, and his arm shall rule for him: behold his reward is with him, and his work before him. He shall feed his flock like a shepherd: he shall gather the lambs with his arm, and carry them in his bosom, and shall gently lead those that are with young.’ (Is.40:10-11) The Lord has promised that, and we know He never reneges on a promise, so we can rest assured that He will look after our needs. Bruh Paul confirms it. ‘And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work.’ (2 Cor.9:8) Yes my Friends, fear not, though things might not look so good, remember the darkest hour is the one just before the sun rises. That means we’ve got to stand strong, never give up, raise our level of faith another notch; there’s always another one, even when we don’t think so, and keep on doing the good things we’re doing, for the Lord has promised to fulfill all our needs, and He who promised is faithful to deliver. Much LOVE!….when times get hard….just keep on doing good…

Today’s Scrip-Bit 16 April 2009 John 15:5‏

16 Apr 2009 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Inspirational Living

John 15:5    For without me ye can do nothing.

 Ah my Friends there is such a joyous ring of truth to that statement of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, that it just tingles my spine. On our own, we are capable of nothing. He died for us and was given dominion over us by the Father. That means everything we are or hope to be, must go through Him. The full text of that verse is; ‘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.’ Why would I, in my right senses, want to do anything without Him anyway eh? He is the source of everything that I am. My heart, body and soul, all depend on His grace and mercy. As He says, He is the vine; that’s the mainstay of the plant. It’s like the heart in our bodies; it provides the wherewithal to make the body go. And we are the branches; tributaries or arteries feeding off of that main source. If you don’t get sustenance or direction from that vital source, then you either shrivel up and die from lack of food, or you grow in an unwise direction. Remember the offshoots of the main vine grow every which way, some can grow in dangerous places where they can be destroyed, eaten or trampled underfoot. Friends, we’re like the offshoots of that vine, and just like them we need to be careful, even with Jesus’ sustenance in us, where we walk or grow, for the point of the whole exercise is that we mature in the spirit and produce good fruit. Oh my people, Jesus is our source of power! It’s like all the electrical appliances in our homes. If we don’t plug them into an outlet bearing power, they won’t work. The same goes for us; if we’re not constantly plugged into Jesus, we won’t function the way we’re supposed to; that’s like Him. Now we simply don’t plug in and whirl away. The appliance needs to be turned on first. You can plug in the appliance to the power outlet and it will stand there forever and do nothing, unless you turn it on. Likewise my brethren, we have to bring our minds to bear on Jesus. We can always plug into His power source, but He only gives power to those who focus on Him, preferably a steadfast focus. So you can be a regular churchgoer, involved with good activities, but yet spiritually lacking something because you’re not steadfastly focused on Christ. We’ve all seen vines that overall seem to be flourishing, but in certain parts, the offshoots appear yellow and droopy cause something is wrong with the connection to the main trunk line, and, for whatever reason, those non-flourishing parts will be broken off and destroyed. As Jesus said: ‘If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned.’ However, ‘If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you. Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples.’ (John 15:6-8) There it is in a nutshell Friends! It couldn’t be any simpler. That’s one thing about Jesus; He could either make His words difficult or easy to understand. These are certainly easy. He’s just saying, I am your main man; your leader, saviour, lawyer, protector, and provider; your everything. In other words, you’re useless without me. If you don’t associate with me, then you’ll wither and die, or simply plucked off and destroyed. However, if you hang with me, hear my words, study them, and let them live in you, so that you’ll walk where they lead, then you can ask anything, and your wish will be granted. Note though, Jesus wasn’t referring to evil, selfish, foolish wishes, but sensible, sustainable stuff, that had good bearing on our lives. Remember too that Jesus doesn’t deal in fanciful, worthless things, and He listens to needs more than wants. And what does our abiding in Jesus do? Oh Friends, I think it kills several birds with one stone! It first makes us a disciple of Jesus: we stay plugged in to and focused on Him, which leads us to become more like Him every day, and when we behave like Jesus did, then others see it and desire to become like us, meaning that we’re bringing others to Him, that we’re being fruitful, bearing good fruit. And above all my brethren, it means that we’re glorifying our Heavenly Father. And that’s our most important earthly function; to spread His word and bring glory to His Holy Name. As Bruh David cried in Psalm 22: ‘I will declare thy name unto my brethren: in the midst of the congregation will I praise thee. Ye that fear the Lord, praise him; all ye the seed of Jacob, glorify him; and fear him, all ye the seed of Israel. For he hath not despised nor abhorred the affliction of the afflicted; neither hath he hid his face from him; but when he cried unto him, he heard.’ (Ps.22:22-24) And all the people shouted: ‘Praise Him, for He is a good God, and worthy to be praised!’ Yes my Friends, once we walk with God, the whole world is our oyster; there’s nothing good to which we’re not entitled. Jesus has made His promise, which we know He’ll keep. But we have to do our part for the whole thing to work. We’ve got to get plugged in and tuned in to Jesus, and stay that way too. I’ll leave us with some words of a friend, who seems to have an opinion on almost everything, Bruh Paul. (smile) ‘And such trust have we through Christ to God-ward: Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think anything as of ourselves; but our sufficiency is of God.’ (2 Cor.3:4-5) Please my people, let’s understand that and act accordingly. Much LOVE!…get plugged in and turned on to Jesus…He only plays beautiful music…

Today’s Scrip-Bit 15 April 2009 Isaiah 46:12‏

15 Apr 2009 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Inspirational Living

Isaiah 46:12    Hearken unto me, ye stouthearted, that are far from righteousness.
 
Well my Friends, I hope you enjoyed the partying, down Buccoo and elsewhere, cause that’s it! Time to get our noses back to the grindstone and continue the Lord’s work with even more zeal and zest than before. This past Easter weekend should have been an eye opening, wake up call for all of us believers, solidifying our faith in Jesus, renewing our commitments to Him, as we played out what He went through two millennia ago for our benefit. That’s the beauty of the different seasons in the Church’s calendar; they all serve to remind us of some purpose or event in Christ’s earthly journey, which revitalizes and refreshes us, raises our zealous activity, causing us to go out on to the battlefield and wage stronger warfare against the enemy and his evil allies. Hence the cry from Isaiah today: ‘Hearken unto me, ye stouthearted, that are far from righteousness.’ Yes my people, it’s those stubborn minded, hardhearted unbelievers, who either don’t know right from wrong, or just practice wrong for their own selfish benefit, that our Lord wants us to go after, to bring to their awareness His awesome power and unrivalled generosity to those who LOVE and obey Him. Isaiah 46 deals with the Lord’s power and the weakness of idols. ‘Bel boweth down, Nebo stoopeth.’ (vs.1) Those were two prominent Babylonian deities, but they eventually bowed to the Lord, re Nebuchadnezzar’s confession in Daniel after He’d denied our God, ended up crazy and eating grass. ‘And at the end of the days, I Nebuchadnezzar lifted up mine eyes unto heaven, and mine understanding returned unto me, and I blessed the most High, and I praised and honoured him that liveth forever, whose dominion is an everlasting dominion, and his kingdom from generation to generation.’ (Dan.4:34) And all God’s people said, ‘Amen!’ So my Friends, if our God could humble such a powerful wealthy ruler into acknowledging that He, the Most High God Jehovah is omnipotent and everlasting, it’s easy for Him to beat us ordinary mortals into submission. But that is not His desire. He desires us to come to Him willingly, of our own accord. Because we know of, and want, His LOVE, goodness, mercy, forgiveness, His might and power. That we desire to rest in His comforting arms, under the shelter of His protective wings. In Psalm 76, the Psalmist, Asaph, talks about our victorious God, thus: ‘Thou art more glorious and excellent than the mountains of prey. The stouthearted are spoiled, they have slept their sleep: and none of the men of might have found their hands.’  (Ps.76:4-5) Oh my brethren, that’s the gospel truth! Our God is more glorious and excellent than heaps of the spoils of war. Meanwhile the stubborn and hardhearted have been plundered and pillaged, have sunk into a deep, tired sleep, and none of the mighty men can even lift up their hands to war anymore. Why? Because our Lord God is omnipotent! He proudly proclaims: ‘To whom will ye liken me, and make me equal, and compare me, that we may be like?…For I am God, and there is none else; I am God, and there is none like me. Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure.’ (Is.46:5,9,10) Wow! What a powerful testimony from our God, my people! And it’s not like we haven’t proven His words to be true. From the very beginning to now, His pronouncements and promises have all been truthfully verified. So why do we still fight against Him eh? Why do we listen to that foolish fool, Lucifer, who had it made as God’s right hand man, but figured he could overthrow His Creator, His Lord and Sovereign God? Amongst men, the pupil might become more adept than the master. But never will man best His Creator. But it seems some of us still need to try. However, in His unceasing goodness, the Lord calls all men to repentance. As Bruh Paul says; ‘For they being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God.’ (Rom.10:3) That’s a big mistake my people, one of disastrous proportions. But with our God, it’s never too late. As Job’s friend, Elihu reasoned: ‘He looketh upon men, and if any say, I have sinned, and perverted that which was right, and it profited me not; He will deliver his soul from going into the pit, and his life shall see the light. Lo, all these things worketh God oftentimes with man. To bring back his soul from the pit, to be enlightened with the light of the living.’ (Job 33:27-30) Oh people, what more do we need to convince us of the power, goodness, mercy, LOVE and tender-hearted forgiveness of our God eh? What will it take for us to seriously acknowledge His omnipotence, and cause us to humble ourselves before Him in praise, worship, thanksgiving and glorification? It’s all right there for us to see, and it’s up to each individual to accept or deny Him. We are all responsible for our own souls. But as the prophet warned; ‘Hearken unto me, ye stouthearted, that are far from righteousness.’ Oh Friends, the price of disobedience is enormous; the wages of sin is death, so please, let’s make the right decision today; accept Jesus as our Lord and Saviour and live forever. He is the only way! Much LOVE!…he who has ears to hear…let him hear…

Today’s Scrip-Bit 14 April 2009 Luke 24:17‏

14 Apr 2009 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Inspirational Living

Luke 24:17    And he said unto them, What manner of communications are these that ye have one to another, as ye walk and are sad?
 
Well hello there my beautiful Friends! It’s Easter Tuesday! Goat Race Day down Buccoo, in that land of paradise, sweet Tobago, God’s little acre! Oh what a glorious celebration of life! Crabs running; goats running; parties hopping all over the little village; everybody having a good time! And if yuh get there early enough, you just might get a chance to visit the world renowned Buccoo Coral Reef, and catch an exhilarating and relaxing dip in the cool, clear, shallow waters of the famous Nylon Pool close by. Famed for not only its beautiful blue water, but also its shallow nature, though a ways out to sea. Hn, hn, hn! I’m chuckling cause I just remembered my last Goat Race, being rather inebriated and partying down the place with a friend’s sister. But that was many moons ago, when I was a young lad. Now I can neither imbibe as much or party as heartily. But doh make the mistake and write me off nuh, cause I can still hold mih own. (smile) Yes mih Friends, the joys and pleasures of youth! But these two followers whom Jesus appeared to on the first Resurrection Morn, while they were trudging along to Emmaus, a village about five miles away from Jerusalem, they certainly weren’t joyful. ‘And they talked together of all these things which hath happened.’ (Luke 24:14) Like all Jesus’ followers, they too were confused, afraid and emotionally fragile. Jesus had been their leader, their lifeline, but then He’d been crucified, leaving them in a void, adrift and leaderless. Then to further muddy the waters, they’d heard that He was alive, but nobody had actually seen Him. And now, as they walked along this stranger, Jesus, comes up to them and asks why they’re so sad. "But their eyes were holden, (restrained) that they should not know him.’ (Luke 24:16) That seems to be harsh and undeserved; Jesus appearing to His confused and scared followers in an unrecognizable form. But I guess He had His reasons. And who am I anyway to question them, although His first words to the two bear out my contention. ‘What manner of communication are these that ye have one to another, as ye walk, and are sad?’ One of them, Cleopas, asked if he was a stranger to the area, if he hadn’t heard what happened? For only a total stranger could be unaware of all the ‘goings ons’ of the past weekend. But Jesus simple asked, ‘What things?’ And they explained: ‘Concerning Jesus of Nazareth, which was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people.’ They told of His wrongful condemnation and death. ‘But we trusted that it had been he which should have redeemed Israel:’ Ah my people, though many believed Jesus was a genuine prophet, these followers had pinned all their hopes and dreams on Him being the Messiah, Israel’s Redeemer. But with Him dead for three days, they were having a hard time, their confidence in Him and His teachings was being sorely tested. Then they related that that was the third day since His death, how the women and the disciples went to the tomb but found His body missing, seeing visions of angels instead. (Luke 24:18-24) Imagine the sadness and sorrow on their   faces and in their voices nuh, as they told their woeful tale. But surprisingly, instead of empathizing, Jesus   rebuked them. ‘O fools, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken: Ought not Christ to have suffered these things, and to enter into his glory? And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself.’ (Luke 24:25-27) His rebuke centred on the fact that though they rightly believed He was the Messiah, they were too focused on a glorious deliverance and didn’t take seriously enough the Old Testament Scriptures that not only prophesied of His glory, but also His suffering. Without a full grounding in the entire Old Testament, one couldn’t grasp the real significance and identity of Jesus. I still maintain that Jesus was a bit harsh on them, especially since His followers were largely uneducated and of low estate. But luckily Friends, today we don’t have that problem since the whole Bible is printed simply, in numerous languages and anyone with reading skills can find one he can understand, or if not, there are many more people now versed in the Word that can help him. But sadly, there’s still a major problem; too many of us still are not one hundred percent sure of Jesus’ resurrection and all the good things it entails. But as a friend wrote me today quoting, ‘The perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality.’  (1 Cor.15: 53) Meaning, before we can ever see God, we have to undergo a profound change; become immortal and imperishable. And this is the glorious message of Easter. Jesus died, then rose again, successfully accomplishing that change from perishable and mortal, to imperishable and immortal, guaranteeing both then and now, that all who believe in Him will experience the same dramatic experience when they shed this earth’s mortal coil. Thus assuring that ‘Death is swallowed up in victory.’ (1 Cor.15:54) Now the question is my brethren, do we sincerely believe this? If we don’t, then we’ll never see God, but be forever thrown into outer darkness and damnation with Lucifer and his cronies. However, if we sincerely believe; ‘have Easter faith, resurrection faith; the conviction that it will happen; and personal faith; the conviction that it will happen to each believer personally,’ then we’re away and home free. Cause ‘Easter is the evidence that God is far stronger than Satan, that good is stronger than evil, that truth is stronger than the lie, that LOVE is stronger than hate, and that life is stronger than death. Thank God for Easter.’ Oh Friends, those are not my original words, but they sure proclaim my sentiments beautifully. You see we can only receive salvation and eternal life if we believe in big capitals; ‘BELIEVE!’ And Easter is the time all our doubts and fears are put to rest, giving us a solid confidence that Jesus has fulfilled His promise of redemption through His death and resurrection. Unlike His early followers, we’ve had it handed to us on a silver platter, so let’s be grateful and warmly embrace that sacrificial gift nuh. That’s the only wise and sensible thing to do. Much LOVE!…only BELIEVE…that’s all he asks of us…only BELIEVE…

Today’s Scrip-Bit 13 April 2009 Proverbs 3:27‏

13 Apr 2009 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Inspirational Living

Proverbs 3:27    Withhold not good from them to whom it is due, when it is in the power of thine hand to do it.
 
Well Happy Easter Monday my joyous Friends! Blessings in the name of Jesus, whose glorious resurrection we celebrated yesterday. Hope the celebrations didn’t go overboard, (smile) and we made time to fellowship with others, and offer up sufficient thanks and praise to Him who gave His innocent, sinless life as a blood sacrifice that our sins could be cleansed, thereby offering salvation, eternal life and a return to a right relationship with our Heavenly Father. Praise His Holy Name! Yesterday we concentrated on Jesus, today though, the Lord has directed we address our relationship with and treatment of our neighbours. Remember, Jesus said there were two basic commandments: LOVE the Lord, and LOVE your neighbour as yourself. Well I know that many of us don’t LOVE  ourselves, thus treat our neighbours and ourselves shabbily. But that is definitely not what the Lord desires of us. As Sol rightly declares; ‘Withhold not good from them to whom it is due, when it is in the power of thine hand to do it.’ In other words, don’t tell someone you owe, you can’t pay, when you very well can. That’s not the Christian way. Jesus said; ‘Render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar’s; and unto God the things that are God’s.’  (Mat.22:21) Bruh Paul corroborated that by saying; ‘Render therefore to all their dues: tribute to whom tribute is due; custom to whom custom; fear to whom fear; honour to whom honour.’ (Rom.13:7) That seems clear enough; that we are to give everyone his rightful due; pay whatever we owe, if we have it. And ‘Say not unto thy neighbour, Go, and come again, and tomorrow I will give; when thou hast it by thee.’ (Prov.3:28) Oh Friends, that’s a popular action of mankind, both believers and unbelievers. Although we have what we owe, that greedy, sinful part of our human nature, makes us feel so reluctant, and hard done by to part with it. But my people this is not only greedy and selfish, but also foolish and ungodly. That type of action only leads to strife, bitterness and conflict between neighbours, especially if the person owed, knows we are lying. How often have we seen this happen eh? Too often! I’m sure if those of us who do that kind of stuff, cease and desist, life would be much less problematic. No doubt that behaviour was a contributing factor to our current predicament, and it’s possibly going to get worse now, since many of us are fearful for our jobs and livelihood, consequently cutting and scheming to keep ourselves afloat. But Friends, what we don’t seem to realize is that behaviour has a domino effect, particularly in hard, uncertain times like these. If I don’t pay my debt to you, then you can’t pay yours, and that person can’t pay theirs either, so it just keeps spiralling out of control. Besides, the Lord instructed the Israelites long ago: ‘Thou shalt not defraud thy neighbour, neither rob him: the wages of him that is hired shall not abide with thee all night until the morning.’ (Lev.19:13) Oh my people, some of us make that a habit, and it’s so wrong. And it just seems to happen to the poor and downtrodden more than the elite classes. Right now it’s a rampant occurrence, especially amongst employers who hire illegal immigrants, or those who have no avenue for complaint. It seems to be normal to promise a certain wage for a job, then overwork, and either don’t pay or short pay, and if you complain, threaten to report you to the immigration authorities. Ah Lord eh! Man’s inhumanity to man, surely makes thousands mourn yes mih people! Menial workers, like nannies, construction and regular labourers, itinerant farm workers constantly suffer this abuse. And it’s not only the haves, but also some of us have-nots, that are perpetrating this dreadful sin. But when the shoe is on the other foot though, it’s a totally different story. They clamour to high heaven, like a lot of those same greedy, unscrupulous business people are doing today in this historic economic downturn. And sadly, those in power, although aware of this untenable situation, often choose to do nothing about it, since it helps them and their business cronies to control the bulk of the working class. But they are stupid and short sighted, just like any of us who walk in their sinful footsteps, cause it’s like backing an angry, hungry dog into a corner; it has no other choice but to attack you. That’s why my people, Jesus is depending on us, His followers, to put a stop to as much of this advantage taking as possible. I know they say advantage will never finish, but we can certainly lessen it a whole lot, to everybody’s benefit. Therefore, let’s ‘Devise not evil against thy neighbour, seeing he dwelleth securely by thee, (in safety with us) (Prov.3:29) Instead, ‘As we have therefore every opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith.’ (Gal.6:10) Wiser words were never spoken my people. Please, let’s heed them nuh. Much LOVE!…LOVE yourself…and likewise…LOVE your neighbour…

Today’s Scrip-Bit 12 April 2009 John 20:15‏

12 Apr 2009 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Inspirational Living

EASTER SUNDAY

John 20:15    Jesus saith unto her , Woman, why weepest thou? whom seekest thou?
 
Happy Easter my Friends! This is the day we’ve long waited for with bated breath and guarded enthusiasm. Can you imagine the combination of fear and excitement that hung over Jerusalem and its outskirts, or wherever Jesus’ followers lodged. Remember He promised to ‘Destroy this temple and in three days I will raise it up,’ (John 2:19) referring to His body, though His audience thought He meant the real temple, the veil of which was rent when He gave up the ghost. Just picture the scene unfolding on that first Easter Sunday nuh: The sun slowly rising above the picturesque hills of Judea, several women in Jesus’ life; Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, Salome and Joanna trudging sorrowfully through the early morning mist to Jesus’ tomb to anoint Him with sweet spices, wondering who would roll away the stone from the entrance so they could go inside and perform their task of LOVE. But lo and behold, when they got there the stone was already rolled away. (Mark 16:1-4) Though afraid, their inquisitiveness got the better of them and they entered the tomb, only to become more scared and perplexed when they didn’t see Jesus’ body, but found two men dressed in shining garments, standing over the empty bed. To their surprise, the men said to their bowed heads and averted eyes; ‘Why seek ye the living among the dead? He is not here, but is risen: remember how he spake unto you (Luke 9:22) when he was in Galilee, saying, The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again? And they remembered his words.’ (Luke 24:4-8) Wow! Imagine the consternation of those poor, uneducated women! What with all their other trials and tribulation, now Jesus’ body was missing. They did the only thing they could; hurried back to the disciples and told them what had happened, only to find ‘their words seemed to them as idle tales, and they believed them not.’ (Luke 24:11) The scholars claim that this disproves the theory that early Christians were very gullible and would believe anything, but these were tough, sceptical men, who knew that Jesus had died and wasn’t about to believe a fanciful tale of His resurrection. But John and Peter went running out to the tomb. John got there first, but didn’t go in, simply stooped, looked in and saw the linen clothes. But big, bold Peter went in and saw the burial clothes at one end of the bed and the napkin that wrapped His head, neatly folded at the other. That meant the body had not been stolen, for then the clothes would not have been left behind. Then queasy John, drawing strength from Peter’s entrance, went into the tomb, ‘and he saw, and he believed. For as yet they knew not the scripture, that he must rise again from the dead.’ (John 20:8-9) They believed that Jesus was alive, but didn’t know the details of His resurrection. Then John and Peter simply went home. Who’s to say what arguments, doubts or anger transpired between His followers that memorable morning? But there was one who certainly felt it more than the others, Mary Magdalene, from whom Jesus had cast out seven demons. She came back to the tomb again, after Peter and John, and stood outside crying, and while her tears flowed, she stooped down and looked into the tomb, and saw the two angels sitting there. They asked her why she cried? She replied, ‘Because they have taken away my Lord and I know not where they have laid him.’ (John 20:13) Then she stood up, turned around and saw a man standing there, Jesus, who asked her, ‘Woman, why weepest thou? whom seekest thou?’ Thinking that he was the gardener, she pleaded, ‘Sir, if thou hast borne him hence, tell me where thou hast laid him, and I will take him away. Jesus saith unto her, Mary. She turned herself, and saith unto Him, Rabboni; which is to say Master.(Teacher) Jesus saith unto her, Touch me not, for I am not yet ascended to my Father: but go to my brethren and say unto them, I ascend unto my Father, and to your Father; and to my God, and your God.’ (John19:15-17)  According to the scholars, Jesus didn’t mean she shouldn’t touch Him, but more like ‘stop clinging to me. Don’t worry, I’m not going anywhere right now.’ I can just see a distraught and tearful Mary turning around, seeing this man she thought was the gardener, grabbing him by the arm and earnestly pleading with him for info on Jesus’ body. And it all makes sense, since a week later He encouraged Doubting Thomas to touch Him. Ah my Friends, what a jolting experience for poor Mary! She did not recognize Him in His new body, but when He called her name, she recognized His voice, proving the truth of His earlier words: ‘he calleth his own sheep by name…and the sheep follow him for they know his voice.’ (John 10:3-4) And is there some significance to the fact that a woman, one from whom Jesus had cleansed seven demons, was the first person to see Him after His resurrection? I’m sure our God did that on purpose, possibly to accentuate the fact that even those filled with the devil can be cleansed and become a useful believer, and also show the devil’s inferior power. Oh Friends can you imagine the scene when Mary went back and told the disciples she had seen, held and spoken to Jesus? There must have been great joy in some hearts while confusion and doubt still reigned in others. But my people, today, there’s no doubt whatsoever in our hearts and souls! Only joy abounds there, for we know for a fact that our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, died, was buried, and triumphantly rose from the dead on that first Easter morn two thousand years ago! He paved the way for our sins to be cleansed, with salvation and eternal life available…if we believe in Him. Oh Friends, I got so tied up in the story that I forgot to give a shout of praise in between. But what better way to end eh? And all God’s people sang gloriously to the high heavens: ‘Hallelujah, Christ is risen! Praise His Holy Name! Hallelujah, a new day is born! It’s called The Resurrection Morn!’ So let’s spend a joyous day in worship, celebration, praise and thanksgiving for all Jesus has done for us. He is the epitome of LOVE! Much LOVE My People!…in death…Jesus cleansed our sins…in resurrection…He gave us salvation and eternal life…
 

Today’s Scrip-Bit 11 April 2009 Jeremiah 31:25‏

11 Apr 2009 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Inspirational Living

Jeremiah 31:25    For I have satiated the weary soul, and I have replenished every sorrowful soul.
 
Yes my Friends, through the grace of Almighty God, to whom we offer praise, thanks and worship, we’re continuing where we left off two days ago, if I can remember what I planned to write. (smile) Anyway, Good Friday is over now: Jesus has been crucified and laid to rest in an earthly resting place. The next movement in the wonderful story is being eagerly and excitedly awaited all over the world; Easter Sunday morning, when Jesus defeats death and rises majestically from the grave, so that we can all joyously shout; ‘Glory Hallelujah! He is risen!’ My brethren, in a sense that’s what the Lord is saying to all of us right now; that all the tired, down trodden, depressed, emotionally destroyed souls will soon be refreshed and uplifted. ‘For I have satiated the weary soul, and I have replenished every sorrowful soul.’ We finished the last episode by imploring us all to slow down and take stock, both of our surroundings and ourselves and see the senseless stress and destruction in which we’re entrapped. Our world’s in turmoil, with upheaval and dissatisfaction rampant everywhere. But be sure of one thing my people; the Lord God Jehovah, the giver of life and mercy still reigns, and all this too shall pass, for He’s not a God of vengeance, but of LOVE, so He won’t destroy simply for the sake of destroying. Any destruction He allows will have a stated purpose, usually to punish increasing sinful disobedience, and there’s no doubt my people, that over the last decade or so, we’ve become increasingly disobedient and tuned out God and His dictates, preferring to follow the evil enemy and his shallow lustful ways of the flesh. Strangely though, during that period many people seem to have become more spiritually minded or aware, but unfortunately it never manifested itself sufficiently in the society, else we’d probably not be in our current bind. But there’s always method to God’s madness my Friends. Sometimes we don’t discern it, but I believe He caused that spiritual awakening because He needed to teach us a harsh lesson on disobedience, but in His vast wisdom, realized that if everybody was totally crushed and beaten down, there would be none left to start the revival after the punishment. (smile) Just the ole fella’s simple reasoning. And now that He’s rained on our disobedient parade, He’s fixing to lift us up once more, desiring us to again believe and act in accordance with His godly principles. ‘And it shall come to pass, that like I have watched over them, to pluck up, and to break down, and to throw down and destroy, and to afflict; so will I watch over them, to build and to plant, saith the Lord.’ (Jer.31:28) Yes my people, that’s what the Lord has planned for us. And as believers, filled with His Holy Spirit, we’re needed, expected to be at the forefront of the rebuilding process; building on a solid foundation that’s the Lord God Jehovah. We can’t afford to build on the enemy’s sandy, fragile foundation again, otherwise the same fate will eventually befall us. And when we begin rooting out the enemy and returning the Lord to His prized place in our lives, we’ll be pleasantly surprised at the phenomenal turn around both individuals and society will accomplish. Obviously it can’t happen overnight, but the Lord has raised us up spiritually for that purpose; that of rebuilding our society and His Holy Church. And when we begin believing and acting like God is on our side, then it’s going to spread, because actions speak louder than words, people follow actual examples quicker that plain dictum. And with that movement back to the Lord in full swing, we’re going to be satiated and refreshed with God’s goodness, LOVE, mercy and forgiveness and be able to say like Jeremiah; ‘Upon this I awakened and beheld: and my sleep was sweet unto me.’ (Jer.31:26) Yes people, not too many of us can say that now, but when we’re in sync with God, that is what happens. And wise, ole Sol, solidly backs that up. ‘When thou liest down, thou shalt not be afraid: yea, thou shalt lie down, and thy sleep shall be sweet.’ (Prov.4:24) Oh my Friends, isn’t that good to know? But everything now depends on us. God has given and He’s taken away, now He’s ready and willing to prosper us again. He’s promised; an unbreakable act.  Now we have to follow through and do our part; channel our hearts and minds towards Him and actively set good works in motion. And if we do that sincerely, then we are also assured of Sol’s wisdom. ‘Be not afraid of sudden fear (terror), neither of the desolation of (trouble from) the wicked when it cometh. For the Lord shall be thy confidence, and shall keep thy foot from being taken (caught).’ (Prov.4:25-26) So let’s set down stakes in the Lord my Friends, to show that we’re serious, so that we can build that confidence and not fear when disaster strikes. Rebuilding is usually hard and harsh, but it builds confidence, character and faith in Jesus Christ, without which we’re like small boats tossed on stormy seas, and we don’t need that calamity anymore. Much LOVE!…to build to last…build on Jesus…
 

Today’s Scrip-Bit 10 April 2009 Luke 23:46‏

10 Apr 2009 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Inspirational Living

GOOD FRIDAY

Luke 23:46    And when Jesus had cried with a loud voice, he said, Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit: and having said thus, he gave up the ghost.
 
Oh Friends, I know we promised to continue with the weary, satisfied soul, but we all realize what a sad, bitter sweet taste this day bears. Why? It’s sad and bitter because Jesus, in His innocence, was crucified, suffered a horrible death on that old, rugged cross, which from a sense of justice, was totally wrong, unfair and created a rather sorrowful situation. But on the other hand, it’s a sweet day cause if Jesus had not sacrificed His life for us on that rocky hillside called Golgotha, or Calvary (Latin trans.) we’d still be living under a criminal cloud of sin. His selfless death removed that calamitous cloud from over our sorry, miserable heads. His Father, our Creator, designed a total, complex and far-reaching plan composed of LOVE, wisdom, righteousness, justice and mercy to cleanse our disgusting, disobedient, sinful, ungodly souls. Justice had to be served; a sinless sacrifice was offered to pay the enormous sin debt we’d incurred. Mercy was then granted; sins removed from the multitude to the sacrificial lamb, thereby setting the multitude free to live in righteousness. Wisdom was brought to the table by fixing it all in one fell swoop. And for the greatest my Friends; LOVE! Oh…sacrificing your only son for worthless sinners, though of your own creation, is hard on any parent. If that isn’t the height, the zenith of LOVE, then I don’t know what is. I doubt I can sacrifice any of my children for any reason at all, and I certainly hope the Lord never tries to find out. But our Heavenly Father! Ah my people…He’s so awesome! And He LOVED us so much and desired with all His heart to restore a right relationship between Himself and us, that he came up with an ingenious, but just and merciful way to cleanse our sinful souls. And every time we read, or hear of Jesus’ selfless sacrifice on our behalf, we should be racked with a painful stab to our very heart, in eternal gratitude, for the unselfishness He showed, that we never deserved. Oh Friends, what a rough 24 hours that must have been for Jesus. We see how His soul was heavy and fearful the night before in the Garden of Gethsemane. How He prayed; ‘Saying, Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will but thine.’ (Luke 22:42) He knew deep down that His plea would be refused, but His weak human flesh came to the forefront just then and made Him plead for mercy. A willing spirit decided though, not His will but the Father’s. Then consider when the multitude came; Judas kissed and betrayed Him, while the other disciples ran away and left Him to bear the inhumanity alone. How Peter denied Him thrice in the high priest’s house. How the Jewish rulers used His own words to railroad Him. ‘Hereafter shall the Son of Man sit on the right hand of the power of God.’ (Luke 22:69) How they traipsed Him back and forth between Pilate and Herod, each trying not to be the decision maker, until Pilate cowardly washes his hands and bows to the crowd, stoked up by the elders, to release a seditious murderer Barabbas and crucify Jesus. Imagine the pain and humiliation when they flogged and spit on Him, put a crown of thorns on His head, bowed down and mockingly worshiped Him, then had Him bear His own cross. I guess they only grabbed Simon, the Cyrene to help because they knew after the ordeal they already put Him through, He’d never make it to Calvary carrying it Himself. To make matters worse, they crucified Him between two criminals. Oh Lord eh! Tore apart His garments and threw lots for them, while mocking Him on the cross. But Jesus’ response was magnificent and magnanimous as ever! ‘Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.’ (Luke 23:34) And while one thief berated Him to get them down, if He really was God’s Son, the other told him to shut up and respect God, because Jesus was innocent while they were guilty. And as always, Jesus rewarded heartfelt effort, saying unto the latter thief; ‘Verily I say unto thee, Today shalt thou be with me in Paradise.’ (Luke 23:43) Oh my people, picture this scene nuh: A rocky hill overlooking a squalid gully, with Jesus, already bruised and battered, now nailed to a wooden cross betwixt two thieves, this from about 9.a.m, with the morning sun getting hotter by the minute, meanwhile, soldiers, the Jewish elite, the rabble rousers and His own people all milling around; many shouting insults, one even spearing His side. But the Lord was still in control. From noon until 3 p.m. the whole place grew dark and miserable. ‘And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachtani? that is to say, My God, My God, why hast thou forsaken me?’ (Mat.27:46) The scholars claim that’s the high cost Jesus paid for the atonement of our sins, becoming accursed of His Father when our sins were transferred to Him, suffering the agony of spiritual death for us. Shortly after He said, ‘I thirst.’ (John 19:28) and they gave Him sour wine on a sponge. Then finally, He said, ‘Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit, and having said thus, he gave up the ghost.’ Oh my Friends, can any of us imagine ourselves playing the lead role in that cruel, true life story? Cruelly manhandled, then nailed to a cross for six hours? Certainly not! But I admire Jesus’ spirit, for even when He was down to His last breath, He never gave up; an attitude we must emulate. And when He cried out with that loud voice, it was a shout of triumph, knowing that He had successfully borne the wrath of God’s judgement against sin, and He had defeated Lucifer and the curse of sin. Oh my people, what a painful, but sadly satisfying moment! An awesome debt that we can never repay, but we can certainly be grateful; show our LOVE and gratitude by living lives that honour and glorify our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Much LOVE!…a believer’s death…is only the harbinger of eternal life…earned through Jesus’ sacrifice…

Today’s Scrip-Bit 9 April 2009 Jeremiah 31:25‏

09 Apr 2009 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Inspirational Living

Jeremiah 31:25     For I have satiated the weary soul and I have replenished every sorrowful soul.
 
And for that we are eternally grateful my Friends, as we awaken to begin a new day with new mercies, continuous kindness, constant guidance and direction from an ever-LOVING God, we call, ‘Abba, Father.’ Today’s Bit is taken from one of Jeremiah’s dreams, where he envisioned the land of Judah restored to its earlier prosperity, from the destruction and desolation that the Lord had wreaked on it for its sinful disobedience. ‘And there shall dwell in Judah itself, and in all the cities thereof together, husbandmen, and they that go forth with flocks.’ (vs.24) Oh my Friends, that’s the vision I want us to envision for our land in the coming years! As our faith dictates, we have to see it in our visions, before it becomes reality. But we can only find time to visualize that if we stop the mad rush we’re in to go nowhere, and return to the quiet, refreshing fellowship with the Lord, that we once had. We’re currently like Judah and the surrounding cities, undergoing destruction and desolation for our disobedience to God’s laws, and perpetrating the sinful actions of the enemy. For this we are no doubt being punished. But our God is such a merciful, forgiving Being, that He will not hold our wrongs against us forever. If we acknowledge our wrongdoing and ask His pardon, with a sincere heart, He will mercifully grant it. As He said to Jerry in the dream; ‘For I have satiated the weary soul and I have replenished every sorrowful soul.’ That’s the great extent of His mercy my people! Our God will, with no exceptions, satisfy and refresh every tired and/or sorrowful person that sincerely comes to Him. That’s the basic purpose of the thing we call sleep; to refresh and rejuvenate our tired bodies and souls. The Lord did not make us as automatons, to go on forever without stopping, but rather as man, to be rested and refreshed after a certain period of time, and if we try to force our selves to go on too long without being rejuvenated, our bodies and faculties either cease to function properly or shut down completely. Now that was not happenstance or coincidence, it was a definite plan of our Creator. We know He could have made the heavens, earth and all therein in the blink of an eyelash, but He chose to do it one day at a time, so He could tend to every little detail properly, and after each day He rested. That set’s an example for us my Friends: It’s the same way we should take one day at a time and then rest. We don’t need to get all a twitter, (not the new, insipid use of the word) and try to do more than we can. Remember the Good Book says His mercies are new everyday, not every two or three days. He only gives us enough mercy for one day at a time because that’s how He wants us to live. What does all the striving and straining to do many things accomplish eh? Nothing really! We just end up with more stress that kills both the body and the soul. And why is stress the number one killer, albeit a silent one, in our so advanced society?  Because we foolishly run hither, thither and yon, trying to be busy, but not really accomplishing a commensurate amount of productivity with our great outlay of energy. The economists call it the law of diminishing returns. Once you reach an optimum level, what ever else you put out is wasted. It’s like our car engine; below a certain speed it burns a lot of gas, at a medium speed it gives value for money, and at high speeds it’s just burning your cash. Take this nonsensical idea of multitasking that’s been foisted on a naive, unsuspecting public, by the greedy, short-sighted whoever they are. Fine, you can do more than one task at a time, but you will NEVER, and I repeat NEVER, do any as well as if you gave your full, focused attention to each one separately. Try it sometime daughter. (smile) Everyone’s foolishly rushing to get in on the next new thing, when they haven’t even understood the old. That only adds to the stress level and the inefficiency in our society. I find that our business places are very inefficient today, despite the computers and high level of technology in place. Just try calling any one of these big places for some mundane, simple info. They’re computerized to the hilt, but you either don’t get a human, or the few you get can’t give you an adequate response. Chuh! It just drives me crazy. Ah my Friends, we have to realize that God didn’t make man to be a machine. If He wanted a machine He would have made one. But He desired man; someone to worship and glorify Him, to take their time and do things properly, not rush around haphazardly, like headless chickens, and be inefficient. It’s strange that these same proponents of multi-tasking, the ones who engineered the devices we use for that purpose, they didn’t multi-task when they were creating their wonderful inventions. No! They had their minds and energy completely focused on their one project, else they would never have brought it to fruition. So why should we be forced to do more than our frail, fragile bodies can handle eh? It’s what’s happening with all these lay offs and job losses; the remaining people have to do more than one person’s job for the same money, perhaps even less, just to retain a job. But as the young people would disdainfully ask, ‘what does that ole fella know eh?’ Not much I grant, except for sure, that the Lord made us to live one day at a time; the reason for day following night. Neither to do too much in one day, since our bodies were not made to handle it; the reason for sleep and rest. To enjoy the beautiful surroundings He gave us. To replenish the earth, not drive it to extinction. Oh my people, let’s slow down nuh. We didn’t get where we are overnight, and more speed won’t get us where we’re going any faster, especially with a traffic jam up ahead. The Lord has built in speed and work bumps that make us sick when we try to do too much, too fast. Let’s recognize this and stop for a moment; look at the sad ravage spread around us; admit our wrong doing, then turn to the Lord and be wonderfully refreshed, both in body and soul. Hn,hn! Would you believe that after I wrote the opening greeting, I didn’t have a clue how to proceed? But such is the mercy of our wonderful God, when you earnestly call on Him, that I can’t even finish this today and will have to continue it tomorrow; the Good Lord willing of course.Till then,  Much LOVE!  …remember… as the ole people say…more haste…less speed…
 

Today’s Scrip-Bit 8 April 2009 Romans 13:1‏

08 Apr 2009 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Inspirational Living

Romans 13:1    ‘Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God.’
 
Wonderful words of wisdom my Friends, from that erudite Apostle, Bruh Paul! (smile) Just trying to add some levity to the greeting. But I sincerely pray that those Words find us joyful in the Lord this cold spring morning, waking to enjoy His daily bounty, and hopefully obeying His dictates of honouring authority. Yes my people, it’s man’s duty to honour those in authority. ‘Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers.’ And as Christians, we bear an even greater obligation; ‘For there is no power but of God.’ There is no authority but that which comes from God, or put differently, all authority comes from God, so if we don’t honour those in authority over us, then by extension, we’re disobeying God. ‘Whosoever therefore resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance of God: and they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation.’ (Rom.13:2) Not eternal damnation, but nonetheless a judgement of God, since the gov’t’s power comes from His delegation of authority. ‘For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to the evil. Wilt thou not be afraid of the power? do that which is good, and thou shalt have praise of the same.’ (vs.3) Yes Friends, theoretically, rulers should be suppressing evil works, and not good ones, so if we don’t want to fear the authorities, then we should do what is good, and the powers that be will praise us, or at least not harm us. And in his advice on Christian citizenship to Titus, Bruh Paul declares: ‘Put them in mind to be subject to principalities and powers, to obey magistrates, to be ready to every good work. To speak evil of no man, to be no brawlers, but gentle, showing all meekness unto all men.’ (Tit.3:1-2) There again he contends that we need to show respect to those in authority, and not be contentious citizens, bad mouthing others, but showing kindness and having Christian regard for all. And if you don’t believe Bruh Paul, then listen to Peter. ‘Submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord’s sake: whether it be the king, as supreme; Or unto governors, as unto them that are sent by him for the punishment of evil doers, and for the praise of them that do well. For so is the will of God, that with well doing ye may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men.’ (I Pet.2:13-15) He’s saying the same thing: respect those in authority. ‘For he is the minister of God to thee for good. But if thou do that which is evil, be afraid; for he beareth not the sword in vain: for he is the minister of God; a revenger to execute wrath upon him that doeth evil.’ (Rom.13:4) Oh my brethren, the long and short of the story is that human gov’t is supposed to uphold good and punish evil, deciding what’s right and wrong. And believers should revere and obey the powers that be. But my people, there’s one catch, one codicil to all this my: That reverence and obedience is only lawful and legal if the gov’t doesn’t require the believer to do things that violate the Word of God. As Acts 5:29 declares: ‘Then Peter and the other apostles answered and said, we ought to obey God rather than men.’ Note, Peter is not condoning civil disobedience, as we can see from his earlier quote, but when the civil gov’t’s dictates are opposed to the explicit commands of God’s Word, then believers should obey God and prepare to suffer the consequences. For gov’ts are empowered by God, and their primary focus should be on things that uplift and glorify God. The authority (the sword) to punish evil and reward good is also derived from the Lord’s delegation. That’s why it’s so important that we, as believers, should be actively involved in gov’t, so that we can keep the values entrenched there, consistent with God’s Word. It’s our Christian duty to keep the gov’t running on the right path, which we have not done, hence the serious falling off of godly principles in its halls, leading to our current calamitous situation. Oh Friends, by the apostles creed, we have been judged and sadly found wanting. If we had obeyed God and not man, and stood up to the evil enemy that calls itself the gov’t, and not allowed them to remove as many aspects of Christian culture and living as they’ve done, we certainly would not be in such bad shape now. But as we keep saying; while there is Life, there’s always HOPE. And we need to turn that HOPE into FAITH, then into ACTION; enjoin the battle with the evil enemy and begin to recoup our losses, cause Friends, the further we stray from God, the closer we come to destruction. And that’s no great revelation or prophecy, just simple logic if we believe as Bruh Paul says; ‘For there is no power but of God: and the powers that be are ordained of God.’ So, as loyal, Christian soldiers, we seriously need to do something about the lack of godly principles in the halls of power. It’s not going to be easy, but with Almighty God on our side, who can defeat us eh? Much LOVE!….stand up, stand up for Jesus…..the trumpet call obey…..till every foe is vanquished…..and Christ is Lord indeed…..
 

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