Today’s Scrip-Bit   9 March 2023 Isaiah 53:6.

09 Mar 2023 Leave a comment

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

Isaiah 53:6. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.

And it’s another sunshiny day to give thanks for! Glory to God my brethren! Thursday has blossomed forth with sunshine and blue skies under the watchful eyes and hands of our wonderful Creator! That’s about four sunshiny days in row now. Wow! I can certainly handle that! (smile) Enough of the dark, damp, dreary weather which only tries to quell our enthusiasm and passion by dampening our lives and spirits. 

It’s certainly time to accept the light, life and resurrection that’s so generously offered by Jesus Christ. Nowhere, and from no one else can you get all the good stuff He has to offer. He’s the light of the world, the way, the truth and the life, the good shepherd, the lion of Judah, the Prince of Peace and numerous other things that we don’t have time to venture into today. But just those few ought to give us a sense of how important Jesus is to mankind. 

Most importantly though He is our Saviour: the One who gave His sinless life so that we could be saved from our abominable sinful situation! The One who took our sins on His sinless shoulders and gave us His righteousness! Mama Mia! It couldn’t get any more wonderful than that my fellow believers! As Bruh Paul wrote to the church at Corinth in his second missive: ‘For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.’ (2 Cor. 5:21) 

Meanwhile, the prophet Isaiah said it this way long ago, when talking about a man of sorrows and a lamb to the slaughter. ‘He is despised and rejected of (forsaken, scorned by) men; a man of sorrows (severe pains), and acquainted with grief (sickness, injuries): and (because of his severe personal suffering) we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not. Surely he hath borne our griefs (spiritual sickness), and caried our sorrows (severe pains): yet we did esteem (reckoned) him stricken, smitten of (struck down by) God. 

But he was wounded (pierced through) for our transgressions, he was bruised (crushed) for our iniquities: the chastisement (correction, discipline) of our peace (with God) was upon him: and with his stripes (the blows that cut into His body) we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.’ (Is. 53:3-6) 

Yes friends, the Lord made Jesus to suffer for our sinfulness. Someone had to suffer, to pay for our sins if they were to be justly and righteously forgiven like the Lord desired. And only an unblemished lamb, a sinless soul could do that. And it just so happened that Jesus was the only sinless soul in existence. Thus, His sacrificial, but majestic and selfless role in our salvation. What amazing obedience Jesus showed in doing the Father’s bidding. But even more amazing is the LOVE the Father showed to us, His unworthy creation, by placing all our sins on the shoulders of His only Son, then imputing His righteousness to us. 

Wow! As Bruh Paul puts it in his letter to the church at Rome: ‘But God commendeth (demonstrated His own special) 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. 5:8-11) 

What a Man! What a Saviour! What a God! And that’s why we say, why we consistently maintain, we’re absolutely nothing without Christ! And He confirmed it when He declared (yesss!!!) ‘I am the vine, ye are the branches: he that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.’ (John 15:5) 

Truer words were never spoken my people! For without Jesus, we’re just a bunch of reprobate sinners bound for eternal damnation in the fires of Hades. And, unfortunately, although we have Jesus and the marvellous options of heaven and eternal life with Him, many of us are still choosing hell fire and Satan. Now, you don’t have to consciously choose the devil, but once you reject Jesus, the Saviour, you are automatically bound for eternal separation from God, which I’ll remind us again, is the worst fate that can ever befall a human being. 

So please, I plead with us to wise up and do what Moses told the Israelites. ‘I call heaven and earth to record (witness) this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed shall live.’ (Deut. 30:19) And now, for those of us who have chosen life, have accepted Christ as Lord and Saviour, and are doing our best to live for Him, it’s time to go home declaring (awright!!!) our Thursday Blessings, which the Lord has so generously bestowed on us to do His earthly work. 

So as one strong and sincere voice let’s loudly declare (yesss!!!) them, so that they can be activated. ‘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 having said all of that, let’s go out now and action those declarations (oh yesss!!!) just as generously as the Lord shared them with us, so that others can be gladly and joyfully shepherded into His wonderful fold. Much LOVE!

…if it wasn’t for Jesus…where would we end up eh…in hellfire with Satan… 

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Today’s Scrip-Bit 1 June 2017 John 10:11.

01 Jun 2017 Leave a comment

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

John 10:11.    I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.

Well my people, it’s Thursday! Can you believe that the week is almost over? And can you also believe that today is the first of June? The year is almost half over! Hn! Hn! 

This year of 2017 is truly passing by quickly, and I’m sure many of us have not seen one like it before, both personally and internationally. I know I haven’t. What with my sudden and unexpected personal illness and the numerous upheavals and disasters around the globe, highlighted by Donald Trump’s U.S. Presidency… 

Wow! 2017 is certainly shaping up to be a watershed year; a unique, different and rather unconventional one, more so than any we’ve ever seen before. But throughout all the ups and downs friends, the topsy-turvy unpredictable stuff, ONE thing remains constant: the supremacy of our great God! 

Oh, they might try to remove Him from our society, blaspheme His Holy Name, and invoke all sorts of other evil and negative behaviour, but He still reigns supreme! Mama Mia! It is His world! He created it, everything in it, and He is still controlling what happens in and to it. 

It might not seem so to the casual onlooker, but we believers know that He is still sitting on His heavenly throne controlling things in His way and in His time, with His Son, Our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ sitting at His right hand interceding for us! Glory to God my brethren! 

What a wonderful thing it is to have the sinless, sacrificial Lamb of God, Jesus Christ, advocating on our behalf! We couldn’t have a better and more renowned intercessor! And it’s all been done because of the Father’s great and undying LOVE for us! 

Give Him everlasting thanks and praise for being so merciful and forgiving to us my brethren! Without His incredible grace where would we be eh? Making plans to spend eternity with the evil one. Steups! And how sad and disgusting would that be eh? Horrible really! 

But because of the immense LOVE in God’s heart, He couldn’t allow His most precious creation to simply be lost for all time to the fallen angel Lucifer. He wouldn’t be able to live with Himself if He didn’t give them a lifeline, a way to come back from the brink of the precipice. 

And the only way He could do it and still retain His justice and righteousness is by sacrificing a sinless soul, and the ONLY One who fit that bill perfectly was His One and Only Son, Jesus Christ. 

Now don’t you think that just broke the Father’s heart? Just think about our reaction if we had to sacrifice our only child nuh. There be such wailing and gnashing of teeth that it would be heard all around the world. 

But the Father cared for us so much that He chose to break His own heart over a bunch of ungrateful sinners. What does the old song say? ‘Only a fool breaks his own heart!’ 

But I can tell us that God wasn’t a fool for doing what He did. He was just being His natural kind and LOVING self, showing the LOVING-kindness that He was so well known for. 

And for that we should all be everlastingly grateful and thankful, just falling all over ourselves to give Him praise and thanks for being so wonderful to us, a sinful bunch of frail and foolish people!  

Just look at what our Saviour Jesus says in our Bit. ‘I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.’ And that He did indeed my faithful brethren! 

Now look at what He said before that. ‘Verily, verily, I say unto you, I am the door of the sheep. All that ever came before me are thieves and robbers: but the sheep did not hear them. 

I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out and find pasture. The thief cometh not, but for (except) to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.’ (John 10:7-10) 

And so I ask the million dollar question friends: why aren’t we supposed believers having life more abundantly eh, why aren’t we enjoying it so much more than we currently are? That’s why Jesus said He died for us. 

So it seems like we don’t truly believe Him, for Christians should be the most upbeat and joyful people on God’s great earth. But that’s not how we appear to the rest of the world. Too many of us are fearful, afraid to stand up to the rest of the evil world even though we have the true, faithful and wonderful promises of God to back us up. 

Where is our belly and backbone eh friends? Come on nuh people, if Jesus could give His sinless life for us, the least we can do is stand up and acknowledge His presence in our lives, acknowledge Him as our Lord and Saviour! Steups! 

I’m sure it hurts Him terribly to see us walking around like lost, shepherd-less sheep. I simply don’t understand how we could be so lost and wayward, when we have all the blessings that are entrenched in our Thursday Blessings. 

Let’s declare them now, so that we can be uplifted and come to our senses. ‘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 everyday! Amen!’ 

There’s NOTHING that we lack friends, so please, let’s go out and share it all with the less fortunate nuh, for that’s why Jesus died…so that we might have life…and have it more abundantly! Much LOVE!

…it’s high time believers cut back on talking the talk…and concentrate more on walking the walk…