Today’s Scrip-Bit   12 December 2023 Luke 1:12.

12 Dec 2023 Leave a comment

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

Luke 1:12.        And when Zacharias saw him, he was troubled, and fear fell upon him.

And another Monday bites the dust, as we move along with joyful expectation in this Advent season, eagerly working our way to that bright and glorious time we call Christmas, when we celebrate the awesome incarnate birth of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! And all of God’s people gave a loud and grateful shout of Glory Hallelujah! All hail to Him who was born in a manger in Bethlehem to be the propitiation for our sins! 

Ah friends, that just shows the great LOVE our wonderful God has for us, sending His sinless Son, born of a woman to intercede on our behalf, to bear all our sins, so that we could have the option of coming back to Him from our sinful ways. Please note, it’s only an option, we still have to use our free will to choose it, and if we don’t, we’ll just continue along our sinful path down to the fires of hell and damnation with Satan and his other evil cronies. 

So please, we urge you to accept that once in a lifetime option of accepting Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour RIGHT NOW, so that you would be set free from the bondage of sin that Satan has us in, and spend eternity with Jesus in heavenly places. Believe me, that’s the wisest decision you’ll ever make in this earthly life! End of sermon! (smile) 

And today, we want to look at the very different reactions of two people whom the Lord spoke to back in olden times. We’ve already seen the positive reaction of Mary to the angel Gabriel’s news that she would bare the Son of God. Without a whole lot of questions and doubt, she simply responded: ‘Behold the hand maid (handmaiden) of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word.’ (Luke 1:38) 

Now, before the angel went to Mary, he had gone to an elderly priest named Zacharias. The Bible tells us that as he was doing  his duty, burning incense in the temple, with a whole lot of people praying outside: ‘And there appeared unto him an angel of the Lord standing on the right side of the altar of incense. And when Zacharias saw him, he was troubled, and fear fell upon him.’ (Luke 1:11-12) 

Right there friends, we have the first big difference between Zacharias and Mary’s angelic visit. Mary was troubled, but the Bible didn’t say that fear came upon her, like it does with Zacharias, and one would expect the elderly priest to be much more in tune with the godly aspects of life. ‘But the angel said unto him, Fear not, Zacharias: for thy prayer is heard; and thy wife Elisabeth shall bear a son, and thou shalt call his name John. 

And thou shalt have joy and gladness; and many shall rejoice at his birth. For he shall be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink, and he shall be filled with the Holy Ghost, even from his mother’s womb. And many of the children of Israel shall he turn to the Lord their God. And he shall go before him in the spirit and power of Elias (Elijah), to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just; to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.’ (Luke 1:13-17) 

Now that was also a big godly promise, but not as big as Mary’s where she would become pregnant without knowing a man. So what was Zacharias response to all that eh? The Good Library tells us: ‘And Zacharias said unto the angel, Whereby shall I know this? for I am an old man and my wife well stricken (advanced) in age.’ (Luke 1:18) 

There I think we have Zacharias’ mistake; doubting the possibility of him and old wife having a child through the auspices of the Lord. As a priest in the Lord’s employ, Zacharias ought to have known the story of Abraham and Sarah having Isaac at the respective ages of one hundred and ninety, so there shouldn’t have been any doubt of it being possible for him and his wife Elisabeth, neither of whom were as old as Abraham and Sarah. 

Thus this unfortunate happening. ‘And the angel answering said unto him, I am Gabriel, that stand in the presence of God, and am sent unto thee, and to shew thee these glad tidings (this good news). And, behold, thou shalt be dumb (mute), and not able to speak, until the day that these things shall be performed, because thou believest not my words, which shall be fulfilled in their season (own time).’ (Luke 1:19-20) 

Yes mih bredrin, there is a price we all pay for doubt and disbelief, especially if we are fairly mature believers. I guess we could cut Zacharias some slack because of the surprise factor and his advanced age, but he was supposed to be an experienced man of God, while Mary was just a young child. But there we have the two different reactions to supposedly good news. So what happens after that eh? 

The Bible continues: ‘And the people waited for Zacharias, and marvelled that he tarried (delayed) so long in the temple. And when he came out, he could not speak unto them: and they perceived that he had seen a vision in the temple, for he beckoned unto them, and remained speechless.’ (Luke 1:21-22) Can you imagine the confusion amongst the people when their hitherto very vocal priest suddenly couldn’t speak to them? 

But what of Zacharias? God’s Word informs us thus: ‘And it came to pass that, as soon as the days of his ministration (service) were accomplished (completed), he departed to his own house.’ (Luke 1:23) Apparently on the day his duties ceased, that’s the offering of incense in the temple, he was free to return home. And according to the scholars the offering of incense in the temple would be a sacred moment in Zacharias’ life, for no priest could offer incense more than once in his lifetime, and many never even got the chance at all, since there was an estimated 18,000 priests at that point in Jewish history. So, most likely, this was a God-inspired occasion, so that the good news could be shared with Zacharias. 

The scholars further tell us that ‘Zacharias’ speechlessness serves to chasten him for his apparent skepticism. One may think it a harsh measure, but God who dispensed this judgement knew his heart. And the promise remained secure. Zacharias was merely prevented from easily spreading the news around.’ But however we look at the decision, it was God’s doing and has to be accepted as such. 

The Bible then says: ‘And after those days his wife Elisabeth conceived, and hid herself five months, saying, Thus hath the Lord dealt with me in the days wherein he looked on me, to take away my reproach among men.’ (Luke 1:24-25) And as the scholars remind us: ‘Jewish women regarded childlessness as a severe reproach. Elisabeth may have hid herself out of a sense of consternation before God and man. She came to be thankful, but the initial shock of the unexpected (and in human terms quite impossible) must have been considerable.’ 

No doubt it was my brethren. But it all shows us how our great and wonderful God moves in ways we don’t understand, and therefore we need to submit to His plans without doubt and fear. And No, as we keep saying, that’s not always easy to do, even when we consider ourselves to be very mature believers. But we just have to keep on trying and learning and asking for God’s help to understand what He needs of us; it’s all a lifelong process. 

Now, let’s go home declaring (yesss!!!) our Tuesday mantra, letting the whole world know to whom we belong, lock, stock and barrel! As one sincere voice! ‘In God’s eyes, I’m not what I do. I’m not what I have. I’m not what people say about me. I am the beloved of God, that’s who I am. No one can take that from me. I don’t have to worry. I don’t have to hurry. I can trust my friend Jesus and share His LOVE with my immediate neighbours, as well as with the whole wide world! Glory be!’ 

Now, it behooves us to go out and share that LOVE and friendship of Christ with others, so that they too can come to know and LOVE Him like we do! Much LOVE!

…belief doesn’t stop doubt and fear from coming…but we have to be strong enough to refute them…

P.S. Yes, it’s long, but oh so good! (smile) Much LOVE! 

Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ   

Today’s Scrip-Bit   11 December 2021 Psalm 56:3.

11 Dec 2021 Leave a comment

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

Psalm 56:3.      What time I am afraid, I will trust in thee.

And the rains fell…and the land is water-logged and foggy this Saturday morning in the middle of the Advent season, when we’re all looking forward to celebrating the birth of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ on Christmas Day, two weeks hence. Let’s remember the reason for the season though; the birth of Christ, and ensure that He is an integral part of our celebrations, not paying attention to just the festivities surrounding His birth. 

As Christians, we must emphasize the keeping of Christ in Christmas! And that’s no joke, because the pagan world is desperately trying to remove Him from the spotlight and simply make it a pagan festival of shopping, binge eating and drinking. But what’s Christmas all about eh? The coming of Christ! And without Him there would be no season, no holidays, no festivities labelled Christmas. And it’s our job as believers to remind the world of that most salient fact. It’s no ‘Happy Holidays’, but a ‘Merry, Merry Christmas!’ 

Now let’s see what quotes our friend Anselm sent us this past week, as he aspires to inspire us for a better tomorrow. And the first one says: ‘The most wasted of days is one without laughter.’ And is that the gospel truth or what! A day without laughter is indeed a wasted day, because laughter is one of the best medicines for the soul, in fact for whatever ails you. When you laugh, a positive feeling automatically rises up within you and your troubles seem lessened. Of course they are still there, but they don’t bother you as much. 

And on top of all that laughter is FREE! How can you beat such a wonderful remedy eh? And the Good Book is filled with passages of laughter and joy, the most famous being these endearing words of Cousin Sol from Proverbs. ‘A merry heart doeth good like a medicine: but a broken spirit drieth the bones.’ (Prov. 17:22) And the scholars explain that as: ‘A cheerful mind is revitalizing to the entire person.’ That’s for sure! 

And the next quote declares: ‘You must do the things you think you cannot do.’ And I’m here chuckling because that quote applies to me right now. I don’t think I, or rather feel like I can handle the breaking down of the quotes today, because my spirit is at an ebb tide, but I have to handle them…and with God’s help, I certainly will. 

But that just goes to show how the enemy, through our feelings, our emotions, can deceive us and lead us astray, make us think we can’t do certain things, when with Christ’s awesome help we can do anything! That’s why we need the strength, courage, direction and leadership engendered by the Holy Spirit of Christ that dwells within us. 

Then there’s this quote: ‘The job of the conscious is to make the unconscious conscious.’ And I don’t think that’s dealing with the physically conscious or unconscious body but with our mindset, where some of us are simply wandering lost in this dangerous and evil world. And it’s the job of those who have a serious bent, preferably as Christians, to wake up those without a serious cause for living, for life is made for living, and the best life is found when it’s lived for Jesus Christ! And all God’s people said a loud and proud ‘Amen!’ 

Remember what Christ said: ‘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 10:10) So there’s no denying that Jesus’ purpose was to give us a better life, not only in heaven, but one starting right here on earth when we accept Him as Lord and Saviour. As Bruh David so rightly declared in Psalm 27: ‘I had fainted, unless I had believed to see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.’ (Ps. 27:13) 

Yes friends, our God is a good God, and He blesses those who trust and surrender their lives to Him down here on earth. So, let’s look for and expect His goodness to begin right down here in this evil and ungodly world. Wow! And who said I couldn’t do it eh? (smile) The enemy…but as always, he was wrong. 

And the next quote says? ‘The secret of life is to have no fear; it’s the only way to function.’ I don’t agree with that, because there is no such thing as ‘no fear.’ Fear is always with us. It is a human trait, which we can never entirely get rid of, we can lessen it and work around it, but once we are in this world with both physical and spiritual enemies always coming against us, we will always have fear of some kind or other. But the good news is that with Christ in our lives, we can function well even when gripped by fear, for Christ allows us to have courage and overcome our fear. 

There’s no need to fear, or be afraid of fear, for the words ‘fear not’ have been immortalized in the Good Book. One saying has it in there 365 times, one for each day of the year, including a leap year. (smile) Now that’s not true, but it is in there numerous times. And one of Jesus most used phrases was, ‘fear not.’ Check out these passages in the gospel of Mark. 4:39-40; 5:36; 6:50. They all have to do with not being afraid. 

And Bruh David said it best in Psalm 56. ‘What time I am afraid, I will trust in thee. In God I will praise his word, in God I have put my trust; I will not fear what flesh can do unto me.’ (Ps. 56:3-4) And he thought that those words were so important that he repeated them in verses 10-11. Please let us believe their importance too. 

Now the last quote tells us: ‘The forces that unite us are intrinsic and greater than the superimposed influences that keep us apart.’ Now that’s very true! For God made us to be in relationships, both with Him and between ourselves, so He made that innate, inherent aspect where we all long for, or feel better when we are in a relationship. That’s why there are friends, LOVERS, families, neighbourhoods, societies, nations; all having that pull to be together rather than being apart. 

So, although the enemy tries to pull us apart through disagreements, hatred and other negative constraints, we always naturally gravitate back to togetherness. And as believers in Christ Jesus, it’s even more important, because we are all one body in Christ, regardless of our race or nationality. As Bruh Paul says to the church at Rome: ‘So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one (individually) members one of another.’ (Rom. 12:5) And to the church at Corinth, he wrote: ‘For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond (slaves) or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit.’ (1 Cor. 12:13)

Yes friends, in Christ Jesus we are all ONE, regardless of our background or our heritage. Please, let’s remember that and live like it nuh, not the disunited and dysfunctional way we are currently living. I am sure it breaks Jesus’ heart when He sees it. Much LOVE!

…with Christ…you can…if you believe you can… 

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