Today’s Scrip-Bit 27 December 2017 John 1:14.

27 Dec 2017 Leave a comment

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

John 1:14.   And the Word was made (became) flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.

And then it was Wednesday! Yeh friends, that means the long Christmas weekend is over and most of us have to go back to work now. Hn, hn! Most of us will be dead tired and won’t get much done this upcoming week, even though the massa constantly flashes his bullwhip at us. 

That’s because we had such a good time celebrating the birth of Christ. And though they’ve stopped playing, or rather inundating us with Christmas music, and we have to go back to work, the season is not over yet. Not by a long shot! (smile) 

And we’ll continue the peace, LOVE and good cheer for a li’l longer with ‘A Christmas Prayer,’ from Gramps Schuller’s (Dr. Robert H. Schuller) Hour of Power Devotional. It’s too nice to pass up, just because we’re two days removed from Christmas Day. 

Please pray with me. ‘You lead me, Jesus Christ, to thoughts of God. I see you in a manger carved from a tree. I see you as a young man with hands that reach to touch hearts that hurt. Your caring reaches out like the strong and kind branches of a gentle tree reach out to invite road-weary and travel-worn wayfarers to quiet rest. 

I see you again hanging on a tree with outstretched arms taking in the whole world. From your cross, you show me that God will stop at nothing to save my soul. So, I celebrate God’s LOVE today as I celebrate your birth around a twinkling Christmas tree, I pray, my life, like yours, O Lord, may be tall and upright as a pine tree pointing, reaching, sharing, sparkling, life-giving; solid, sturdy, strong-rooted in God’s LOVE, a beautiful soul, evergreen forever. Amen.’ 

And all of that is gospel truth my brethren! Without God’s great and merciful LOVE, we’d be nowhere, still swimming in a sinful sea of muck and evil. But through Jesus’ amazing birth, God has given us a solution to our sin problem…’Just believe in Him, ‘ He says…’Only believe…’ And your sins will be forgiven and your souls washed white as snow! What an awesome promise my people! One that we’d be very foolish to pass up. 

That brings us to our Bit: ‘And the Word was made (became) flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.’ What a revelation! 

As John says at the start of His gospel: ‘In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not anything made that was made. In him was life; and the life was the light of men. And the light shineth in the darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.’(John 1:1-5) 

Yeh friends, Jesus was with the Father from the beginning of time, there was a perfect fellowship between them. Jesus was distinctly divine and created the world through the spoken word. That’s why our words have such power today my people. 

But then Jesus put on the human flesh and came to live with us, but we didn’t understand or appreciate Him. How sad! He came to lift us out of the sinful sea of darkness and evil on which were then travelling and bring us into His bright light; the light that leads us on the straight and narrow path. 

As Bruh Paul declares in Galatians: ‘But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law.’ (Gal.4:4) 

And the scholars offer these explanations: ‘4:4. The fullness of time corresponds to “the time appointed of (by) the Father in 4:2. Made of a woman (or, born of a woman”). This stresses Jesus’ humiliation at leaving His preexistent glory and becoming man; without having done so He could not have died for our sins. Made under the law (or, “born subject to the law”); He was born a Jew under the law in order to free those under the curse of the law. (4:5).’ 

And verse 5 and onward says: ‘To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons. And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying Abba, Father. Wherefore thou art no more a servant, but a son; and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ.’ (Gal.4:5-7) 

What a beautiful scene friends! If we believe in Jesus and try to walk in His ways, we are adopted by God and thus become a Son of God too like Jesus, and an heir with Him! Wow! How can anything be better than that eh? So as we go home today, let’s declare our Wednesday Wail, letting the whole world know just how tight we are with Jesus nuh. (smile) 

As one huge chorus 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!’ 

And what a glorious future that will be, precious people of God! Much LOVE!

…walking with Jesus isn’t always easy…but it’s ALWAYS beneficial…to the human soul…

 

 

Today’s Scrip-Bit 20 January 2013 John 8:42

20 Jan 2013 Leave a comment

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

John 8:42.    Jesus said unto them, If God were your Father, ye would LOVE me: for I proceeded forth and came from God; neither came I of myself, but he sent me.

Oh Friends, a whistling windstorm has been barrelling through my neighbourhood for most of the night, first bringing with it some rain, then some wet snow. It seems to have quietened down now, but outside still looks wet and uninviting. Unlike that windstorm though, with all its energy, this morning my spirit is willing but the flesh seems somewhat weak. However, since we can’t live by fleshly feelings, we just have to ramp up the spirit and bring the flesh along. (smile) And to help us do that, here’s a poem from Dr. Robert H. Schuller’s, Hours of Power Devotional. Hn! The Lord just knows when I need one of Dr. Schuller’s bright, positive, informative writings to galvanize my soul to action. This poem is called ‘I AM EAGER.’ ‘Lord, you’ve put the whole world together and you’ve put me in the middle of it because you want to say something to me and through me today. May your beautiful peace fall gently, softly, sweetly, and beautifully upon my mind – now. I am ready to listen and eager to move ahead, today, with “Possibility Thinking.” Amen.’ Yes Friends, I hope, like me, those words added a little spark to your day, and encourage you to get with God and walk in His will for your life, unlike the Pharisees whom Jesus condemned in our Bit. ‘Jesus said unto them, If God were your Father, ye would LOVE me: for I proceeded forth and came from God; neither came I of myself, but he sent me.’ Yeh mih people, the Pharisees claimed to be sons of Abraham, and Jesus acknowledged that in one sense they were; his fleshly descendants. But they certainly were not behaving in Abraham’s spiritual manner, as Jesus pointed out to them, when they persisted in claiming to be sons of Abraham. ‘If ye were Abraham’s children, ye would do the works of Abraham. But now ye seek to kill me, a man that hath told you the truth, which I have heard of God: this did not Abraham. Ye do the deeds of your Father.’ (John 8:39a-41a) But in their pride and haughtiness the Pharisees rejected that contention. ‘Then said they to him, We be not born of fornication; we have one Father, even God.’ (John 8:41b) That’s when Jesus shook them up with our Bit. And He was quite right. If they truly were of God, then they would LOVE and listen to Him, since when you LOVE a parent, you usually feel the same way towards their children. For as John says in his first epistle: ‘Whoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God: and every one that LOVETH him that begat LOVETH him also that is begotten of him.’ (1 John 5:1) In other words, if we truly LOVE God, then we’ll also LOVE Jesus, His Son. Plus, if we really LOVE God, then we’ll also LOVE the other children of God. Oh Friends, are we truly following that directive, or are we, like the Pharisees, only paying lip service to it? Are we like Jesus told them? ‘Ye are of your father, the devil, and the lusts (desires) of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode (stands) not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own (from his own nature): for he is a liar, and the father of it. And because I tell you the truth, ye believe me not.’ (John 8:44-45) Oh Friends, I certainly hope that we’re not like the Pharisees, doubting that Jesus came from God, for we see on at least three occasions in John’s gospel, Jesus verifying that contention. The first is when He tells the disciples about His overcoming the world. ‘For the Father himself LOVETH you, because ye have LOVED me, and have believed that I came out from God.’ (John 16:27) And He does it again in Chapter 17, when praying for the disciples. ‘For I have given unto them the words which thou gavest me; and thy have received them, and have known surely that I came out from thee, and they have believed that thou didst send me.’ (John 17:8) Then lastly: ‘O righteous Father, the world hath not known thee: but I have known thee, and these have known that thou hast sent me. And I have declared unto them thy name, and will declare it: that the LOVE wherewith thou hast LOVED me may be in them, and I in them.’ (John 17:25-26) Yes my people, if we don’t believe that basic premise, that Jesus came from, and was sent by God, to pay the price for our sins, then the whole operation is of no use. For without that foundational truth, nothing else makes sense. That’s why Bruh Paul could write to the Galatians with such authority. ‘But when the fullness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made (born) of a woman, made (born) under the law, To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons. And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father. Wherefore thou art no more a servant, but a son, and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ.’ (Gal.4:4-7) And all God’s adopted children gave a mighty and joyful shout of: ‘All praise to the holy name of the Lord God Jehovah, and to His wonderful Son, our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ! They are indeed both worthy to be praised!’ So Friends, with all that in mind, let’s seriously ponder today, not only whom we consider to be our father, but more importantly, whom our thoughts and actions point to as our father. Let’s hope they point to the Most High God, creator of the universe and author of LOVE, and not the foolish, fallen Lucifer, the father of lies and deceit. Much LOVE!…if you don’t believe that Jesus is the Son of God…then you can’t be an adopted child of God…