Today’s Scrip-Bit 11 December 2016 John 3:16.

11 Dec 2016 Leave a comment

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

John 3:16.    For God so LOVED the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

And once more friends, it’s the best day of the week; the Lord’s Day, wherein He rested after His labours, and now desires of us to do the same, while getting in some serious fellowship with other believers in His sanctuary, be that in a fabulous cathedral or under a mango tree. (smile) 

Yes my brethren, our fellowship can be held any place, per Jesus’ words. ‘For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.’ (Matt.18:20)  Jesus is always with us, wherever we are gathered. And isn’t that a most wonderful assurance? It surely is! 

And since it’s the Christmas Season, when we celebrate Christ’s birth, it’s only appropriate that we begin our praise and worship with a joyful Christmas hymn; ‘Away in a manger.’ Now in full voice, with sincere belief and true thanksgiving, let’s offer up the sacrifice of praise with our song. 

‘Away in a manger, no crib for a bed, The little Lord Jesus laid down his sweet head, The stars in the bright sky looked down where he lay, The little Lord Jesus asleep on the hay. The cattle are lowing, the baby awakes, But little Lord Jesus no crying he makes. 

I LOVE you, Lord Jesus; look down from the sky, And stay by my side until morning is nigh. Be near me, Lord Jesus, I ask you to stay Close by me for ever, and LOVE me, I pray. Bless all the dear children in your tender care, And fit us for heaven, to live with you there.’ 

Oh my faithful believers, what a simple but profound hymn! And something about the statement that Jesus awakes at the lowing of the cattle, but doesn’t cry, just touches me. He was a sweetheart from the day of His birth! (smile)  

Now here is an interesting Trini Quote from my Trini friend. It advises us to: ‘Eat little an live long.’ Hn, hn! Only in T&T yuh say! And what does it mean. Well according to my Trini friend: ‘This has many meanings, but is generally said to someone to accept a little (food, a small gesture, an act of kindness, faith, love etc.), and more will be sure to follow.’ In other words, be thankful for small mercies. 

And then he reminds us to: ‘Have a GREAT day, every DAY!!!! Watch your thoughts: They become words Watch your words: They become actions Watch your actions: They become habits Watch your habits: They become character.’ 

And that’s the awesome truth my people! We must be ever conscious and cautious about our thoughts, for they gravitate into words, then actions, and soon are habits, which then dictate our character for either good or evil. 

Now here is our Bit; one of the most famous passages in the Bible. ‘For God so LOVED the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.’ 

Yeh friends, our Creator had so much care and compassion for us that He just could not stand idly by and see us go down to Hades with Lucifer for eternity, without giving us a fighting chance. As Jesus explains after our Bit: ‘For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through him might be saved.’ (John 3:17) 

Oh my people, what a most awesome and LOVING God we serve! In spite of our disgusting sins and our undeserved saving, the Lord moved heaven and earth for us to be reconciled to Him and thus spend eternity under His magnificent umbrella! 

And how do so many of us repay His LOVING-kindness eh? By turning away from Him and embracing evil, by blaspheming His Holy Name and making a mockery of all He stands for. Now that certainly doesn’t endear us to Him, but He’s also known as the God of the second and third and fourth chance…however many you need before Jesus returns. 

‘But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only.’ (Matt.24:36) That means it could happen anytime; Jesus could come like a thief in the night and surprise us all. Consequently it is wise to get one’s house in order RIGHT NOW, so that whenever He returns, we will not be caught napping and end up on the outside looking in. 

Now let’s check out some scripture that corroborates our Bit. Hear Bruh Paul’s words to the Roman church, re the results of justification. ‘For when we were yet without strength, in due time (at the right time) Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure (perhaps) for a good man some would even dare to die. But God commendeth (demonstrates) his (own) LOVE toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. 

Much more then, being now (having been) justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him. For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more being (having been) reconciled, we shall be saved by his life. And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement (reconciliation).’ (Rom.5:6-11) 

Ah mih people, how can we not greatly appreciate the Lord’s sacrifice on our behalf eh? And we’ll end with more words of Bruh Paul on the subject, this time to the Thessalonians. 

‘Now our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God, even our Father, which hath LOVED us, and hath given us everlasting consolation and good hope through grace, Comfort your hearts, and establish you in every good word and work.’ (2 Thess.2:16-17) 

What a beautiful prayer my people! And it’s also my prayer for all of us believers this glorious Sunday morning in the Christmas season of 2016. Please let it reverberate deep down in our hearts, minds, bodies and souls and keep us close to our heavenly Father! Much LOVE!

…only the LOVE of God…is powerful enough…to straighten out this evil world…

 

 

 

 

 

Today’s Scrip-Bit 10 June 2014 Acts 3:6

10 Jun 2014 Leave a comment

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

Acts 3:6.    Then Peter said, silver and gold have I none; but such as I have give I thee: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk.
 

Oh Friends, first of all, on this wonderful Tuesday morning, let me apologize for an error I made yesterday. I don’t know how many of you noticed it though, with the busy way we read stuff these days. (smile)
 
Originally I had intended to use Acts 4:31 as our Bit, and began writing thus. But then I was guided to change it to Acts 2:47. However in my busyness and enthusiasm and whatever else, I forgot to change the first heading, so that it still read Acts 4:31, while the second one read Acts 2:47.
 
I guess every so often the Lord brings up something to lower our worldly pride and remind us that we’re still, and will always be fallible beings, totally dependent on His mercy and blessings, as He is the only infallible Being in the universe.
 
And having said that, I want to continue our focus on Pentecost for at least today, for who knows what will happen tomorrow. (smile) And I want to do so, because that Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit made its rather memorable arrival to indwell ALL believers, wasn’t a one-day affair.
 
The beautiful effects continued for a while, with many signs and wonders being done through the apostles. And I just want us to have some idea of how it affected the overall beliefs and behaviour of those first Christians.
 
Now one day, soon thereafter, as the tide of Christianity was rising, Peter and John went up to the temple to pray around the ninth hour.
 
And the scholars give us some timely info here. ‘3:1. According to Jewish reckoning, the day began at 6 a.m. Hence the ninth hour is 3 p.m. The Jewish prayer time was held in conjunction with the evening sacrifices and offering of incense (c.f. Luke 1:8-10; Rev.8:3-4). Peter and John commonly went to the temple to pray at this hour. The Greek imperfect tense could well be translated “used to go up.”
 
On that particular day though, a lame man begging for alms, met them at the temple entrance. But instead of giving him money, the Good Book tells us: ‘And Peter, fastening his eyes upon him with John, said, Look on us. And he gave heed unto them, expecting to receive something of them.
 
Then Peter said, silver and gold have I none; but such as I have give I thee: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk.
 
And he took him by the right hand, and lifted him up: and immediately his feet and ankle bones received strength. And he leaping up stood, and walked, and entered with them into the temple, walking, and leaping, and praising God.’ (Acts 3:4-8)
 
Oh Friends, that’s the way we ought to behave when God does something good in our lives!
 
Sadly though, too many of us just take His goodness for granted and pass off those occasions without the proper and necessary showing of gratitude. Please let’s try and correct that behaviour as of today. That is, if we want to see God continue working wonders in our lives.
 
Anyway, as the Good Book continues: ‘And all the people saw him walking and praising God: and they knew that it was he which sat for alms (begging) at the Beautiful gate of the temple: and they were filled with wonder and amazement at that which had happened unto him.
 
And as the lame man which was healed held (on) to Peter and John, all the people ran together unto them in the porch that is called Solomon’s, greatly wondering (amazed).’ (Acts 3:9-11)
 
Yes Friends, in those early days the Holy Spirit was just running riot, running amok, stirring up the people of Jerusalem! And that’s a good and positive riot and amok we’re talking about there! (smile) 
 
Oh my brethren, how I dearly wish that the Holy Spirit could run a good and positive riot amongst us today, because in these rough and troubled times so many people need a strong hand to hold on to, so badly need something true and positive to believe in, to relieve their fears, and give them courage and sustenance to fight the battles of this evil and ungodly world.
 
And we know that Jesus Christ is the best, or rather the ONLY ONE who can do those things. For He is indeed the WAY, the TRUTH and the LIFE; the ONLY option whereby one can receive and embrace true salvation!
 
But unfortunately we the current believers are not doing enough and not living a good enough Christian life to cause that kind of wonder and astonishment in unbelievers.
 
In fact we’re doing just the opposite, living such hypocritical lives that we’re turning people off of Christianity and therefore off of Jesus Christ!
 
That means we’re not being very good ambassadors of Christ, else the number of unbelievers and the disdain with which many of them hold Christians and Christianity would never be as bad as it currently is. How sad my people!
 
And all I can do is ask us, plead with us to make the necessary changes to our lives and our behaviour, to let the Holy Spirit of Jesus that is supposed to indwell EACH and EVERYONE of us, to truly lead and guide us along the paths of truth and righteousness, so that we can correct the poor image that the world holds of us, and consequently our great Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.
 
Oh Friends, like the apostles and early Christians we definitely need to, especially in these very crucial and critical last days, portray a much better image of our faith and what it truly stands for. How else would people come to Jesus and receive salvation and everlasting life eh?
 
We need to reawaken the dormant and/or dying spirit of LOVE and fellowship amongst all humans, so that we can turn this angry, wicked, war mongering, resentful, greedy, envious and ungodly world around, and thus give our children and future generations a fighting chance to know Christ, and be saved from the terrible fate that awaits them otherwise.
 
Please my people, for the sake of those that come after us, let’s clean up our act and make the necessary amends nuh. With the help of our wonderful and most LOVING God and His Holy Spirit we can certainly do it. Please allow that heavenly wisdom to percolate through our spirits, so that we can rise to the occasion. Much LOVE!
 
…wake up…oh please wake up my fellow believers…and see what dire circumstances lie ahead…if we continue in our current lackadaisical mode…
 
P.S.  Ah mih people, like the Lord’s trying to test my patience yes! The Bit was already going to be late because of my tardiness, then just as I was about to send it, the ole computer froze on me, so I had to shut it down then reboot it. Oh for the simpler times of life! (smile) Much LOVE!

 

 

 

Today’s Scrip-Bit 21 March 2014 Psalm 78:38

21 Mar 2014 Leave a comment

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

Psalm 78:38.   But he, being full of compassion, forgave their iniquity, and destroyed them not: yea, many a time turned he his anger away, and did not stir up all his wrath.
 
Aloha Friends! Yuh know it’s Friday…? Apparently you do, because I can hear you round the corner singing loud and clear: ‘TGIF! Thank God is Friday yes! Another week of labour done. And now is my time… my time to enjoy the weekend as I please… Free from massa slavery…!’
 
Now that’s quite true my brethren, but it’s also not the entire picture. Though we are indeed free to do whatever we so desire on the weekend, as believers in Jesus Christ, the holy and sinless Son of God, who selflessly sacrificed His life for us on the cross at Calvary, we have other things to consider besides fleshly enjoyment.
 
Things like not overdoing the party scene and allowing the evil one to get a foot hold in our lives, anymore than he already has. We need to control our fleshly lusts, be somewhat circumspect about our behaviour.
 
And it’s not only on the weekends that we need to be careful in our faith walk – the weekends just provide more freedom to do so – but each and every minute and hour of every day, because the enemy doesn’t ever take a break from trying to infiltrate our souls.
 
Sometimes it might seem like he’s leaving us alone, but you can bet your bottom dollar that he’s lurking somewhere nearby, possibly in disguise too, like a sheep in wolves’ clothing, just waiting to pounce when we step out of God’s will.
 
Anyhow, as always, let’s chant our Friday Chant to help us remember that the weekend is not all about wine, women and song, but also very much about Almighty God! 
 
So as one, big, honey-voiced, harmonious chanteuse, (smile) let’s chant. ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through another week of work! It hasn’t been easy, but with your generous help, I made it through.
 
Now, please help me to get sufficient fun, fellowship, rest and relaxation in these two short days off, so that I can be renewed and refreshed in soul, body and mind, to go back out and do it all over again next week, furthering your glorious kingdom with each step I take. I pray this in Jesus name. Amen.’
 
Yeh mih people, we have to try and stay within certain safe parameters, so that we don’t need to invoke our Bit too often: ‘But he, being full of compassion, forgave their iniquity, and destroyed them not: yea, many a time turned he his anger away, and did not stir up all his wrath.’
 
And why did the Lord restrain His anger? Because as our Creator, He knows all our weaknesses and frailties. And as Asaph, the psalmist continues: ‘For he remembered that they were but flesh; a wind that passeth away, and cometh not again. How oft did they provoke (rebel against) him in the wilderness, and grieve him in the desert!
 
Yea, they turned back and tempted God, and limited the Holy One of Israel. They remembered not his hand (his delivering power), nor the day when he delivered them from the enemy.’ (Ps.78:39-41)
 
Yes Friends, Israel’s memory was very short indeed! Once they became free and/or prosperous, they forgot the Lord God of their fathers, He of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, their Redeemer and strong shield, and they began hungering and thirsting for the worthless things of the world.
 
And yuh know what my people? That is exactly what we are doing today! 
 
During the last few decades, as our technology improved by leaps and bounds, and our lives became filled with earthly wealth and material things, we gradually turned away from the God who had made all that prosperity possible.
 
Oh my fellow believers, our society only prospered because we were walking more in God’s Will back then, than in disobedience. However, now the tables have turned; since we’re walking in much more disobedience and sinfulness, our prosperity has also declined – and a whole lot too.
 
Like Israel, we have forgotten who brought us to the dance, we have forgotten those awesome and immortal words of wisdom and absolute truth that the Lord spoke to Joshua when He appointed him the new leader of Israel, after the death of Moses.
 
‘Only be thou strong and very courageous, that thou mayest observe to do according to all the law, which Moses my servant commanded thee; turn not from it to the right hand or to the left, that thou mayest prosper (have success or act wisely) whitherseover thou goest.
 
This book of the law shall not depart out of (be constantly in) thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein; for then shalt thou make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.’ (Josh.1:7-8)
 
Oh my people, what’s so difficult to understand there eh? Nothing! It’s as plain as day!
 
And those are possibly two of the most important verses in the entire Good Book, for if we follow them conscientiously, we WILL have success and prosperity! 
 
And if you’re wondering why our western society is floundering and quickly going down hill, just consider those two verses and our current relationship to them.
 
Oh my fellow believers, if we ever hope to restore our success and prosperity we need to repent and return to worshipping Almighty God, like the Israelites did!
 
It’s not too late, because our God is a God of many chances, but never believe that He won’t destroy us, if we don’t comply with His law. So let’s rise up today, in fact, RIGHT NOW, and try to change the foolish, disobedient mindset of our society.
 
That’s the ONLY WAY we’ll ever rise from the mire in which we’re now steadily sinking, and thus give those who come after us, a fighting chance to enjoy success and prosperity all the days of their lives.
 
Please, let’s make that our everlasting legacy nuh! Much LOVE!
 
…a society can only rise from its ashes…like the phoenix…when it sincerely repents…and genuinely returns to obeying the Word of God…