02 Apr 2022
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a just man falleth seven times, above all we ask or think, all power is given unto me in heaven and earth, and riseth up again, aspires to inspire us for a better tomorrow, belittling the power of God, big thinking precedes great achievement, celebrate God's goodness, discouragement, dissatisfaction, exceeding abundantly, failure builds a good foundation, find out God's purpose for your life, I know the plans I have for you, learn from our mistakes, live the unfilled dreams of others, lonely in our souls despite outward success, LOVE, never give up, no success without failure, not caused by the absence of things, our friend Anselm, plans to prosper you not to harm you, someone who has sight but no vision, spread the gospel worldwide, sunshine lollipops and roses, the absence of vision, the Christian's Mantra, the Great Commission, the Holy Spirit, the only true and living God, the wicked shall fall into mischief, the wicked shall stumble into calamity, to give you a hope and a future, unto him that is able to do, wasting their God-given abilities
Matthew 28:18. All power (authority) is given unto me in heaven and in earth.
Sunshine, lollipops and roses! Yes, my Scrip-Bit friends and family, that’s what we’re having this first Saturday morning in April: Sunshine, lollipops and roses! When last have you had that combination of God’s goodness eh? I know some of us have not had it in a long while, but Jesus is saying that today is the day for such rejoicing, in His name and the awesome power of his Holy Spirit!
Our problem is that we have all we need to celebrate God’s goodness, but we either don’t receive it, or when we do receive it, we don’t manifest it, bring it out like He desires. Today though, we’re going to receive the goodness and grace of God, and also show it to the world! And we’re going to begin by doing what we usually do on Saturdays; that’s check out the quotes our friend Anselm sent us this past week, as he aspires to inspire us for a better tomorrow.
And the first quote tells us without any reservation that ‘Big thinking precedes great achievement.’ Now there’s nothing to really doubt in that statement, because basic logic declares that our achievements line up in direct proportion to the size and quality of our thinking. That means big achievements can only come from big thinking, while small thinking will only manifest small achievements. And being a follower of Christ Jesus, it’s imperative that we think big and achieve big, for that’s our job.
Jesus described it in His Great Commission; (Matt. 28:19-20) for us to go out and spread the gospel all over the world. Now that’s a Herculean task, one which we can only accomplish if we open our minds to the power and grace of our Lord and Saviour and accept all that He’s willing to give us, while transforming our thinking (Rom. 12:2) and giving up our selfish desires, that’s taking up our cross and following Him. (Matt. 16:24-26) Remember His words that preceded the Great Commission: ‘All power (authority) is given unto me in heaven and in earth.’ (Matt. 28:18)
And we know that He never asks us to do anything without giving us the wherewithal to do it. And that’s exactly what He’s done by anointing every believer with the awesome power of His indwelling Holy Spirit, so that we can be successfully lead and guided to do the great work He desires of us! Oh friends, our God is a great and mighty Deity, the ONLY true and living One, and when we read His word, we see all the big and powerful things He’s done down through the ages. That means unless we think big, we’ll be belittling the power of our God.
Now, Bruh Paul understood this principle when, after praying for the Ephesians to be strengthened in the inner man, and rooted and grounded in LOVE, he summarily declared: ‘Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us.’ (Eph. 3:20) He knew that he was not asking God for too much, because our mighty God could do even more than that.
And that brings us to the next quote: ‘The most pathetic person in the world is someone who has sight, but has no vision.’ Now there’s much truth to that quote, if we define sight as someone who knows what to do but does nothing, or has wisdom and insight but don’t action them to the benefit of humanity. In other words, like Jesus said, people who hide their lights under a bushel or basket. And all of us know folks who can do much better than they are doing, but are just wasting their God-given abilities.
That leads to this quote: ‘Dissatisfaction and discouragement are not caused by the absence of things but the absence of vision.’ I don’t know if I totally agree with that statement nuh, because sometimes our discouragement and dissatisfaction can be caused by the absence of things, but a lot of it can be caused by our lack of vision, not thinking things through properly.
And I can talk to that quote personally because I have several projects in the works, which I believe I have properly envisioned (smile) but certain practicalities like time, money and faulty equipment are holding them up. And though I am somewhat dissatisfied, I’m not discouraged because I know that they are desires placed in my heart and mind by our great God, and thus, if I don’t give up, they will eventually be fruitful and multiply.
And it’s why the following quote is oh so important in a believer’s life. ‘The greatest glory in living lies not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall.’ Now that ought to be the Christian’s Mantra: ‘NEVER GIVE UP!’ For quitting is not in Christ’s vocabulary, He expects us to get back up, no matter how many times we fall. And the truth is that success cannot be truly accomplished or appreciated without some failure. That’s the story of most of those we consider important and world shaking; like the great inventors and power brokers, they all failed several times before they succeeded.
As they say, there is no success without failure. ‘And Success consists of getting up just one more time than you fall.’ The thing about failure is that it builds a good foundation for when we do achieve success. It teaches us how to operate in the future, we learn from our mistakes, and it builds our faith as we go through the adversity of defeat. And remember, you only fail when you stop trying! While you are trying, there’s always the possibility of success.
And Cousin Sol said it best in Proverbs. ‘For a just (righteous) man falleth seven times, and riseth up again: but the wicked shall fall into mischief (stumble into calamity).’ (Prov. 24:16) And according to the scholars, that means ‘the righteous man always recovers, but the wicked man faces permanent destruction.’ Then there’s this appropriate verse from the longest chapter in the Good Book, Psalm 119. ‘It is good for me that I have been afflicted, that I might learn thy statutes.’ (Ps. 119:71)
Yes friends, there’s learning and benefits in afflictions and failures, but we have to sort them out and use them to our benefit. That brings us to this last quote: ‘Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life.’ And that’s the gospel truth my brethren! The Lord has a defined and definite plan for each of us and we can only make our time here on earth worthwhile by consulting Him and then living it the way He’s planned it. Now, I know plenty of us are swayed by what others desire of us, to live their unfulfilled dreams, or their social, political and economic aspirations.
But please don’t let anyone encourage or force you to live any other life than that which God has crafted for you, be they parents, teachers, preachers or someone you might consider important. If they truly LOVE you and have your best interest at heart, they will encourage you to find out God’s purpose for your life and to live it, regardless of what other circumstances or people might dictate! Too many of us have been encouraged or forced to live lives not designed for us, and thus we have been awfully miserable and lonely in our souls and spirits, despite our outward success.
In closing, let’s never forget this wonderful verse of scripture that speaks directly to that problem. The words of the prophet Jeremiah on the Lord’s behalf, taken from the NIV or New International Version. ‘For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.’ (Jer. 29:11)
And if we keep that verse at the forefront of our minds, then we will never go wrong. Much LOVE!
…God’s plan for our life…is the best one there is…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZJ8
19 Mar 2022
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a brother is born for adversity, a Christian tenet, a friend loveth at all times, aspires to inspire us for a better tomorrow, better it is not to vow, Christians face challenges, doing double duty, fake friends are like shadows, go the extra mile, go twain with them, God commendeth his own love toward us, I have finished my course, I have fought a good fight, I have kept the faith, if ye love me keep my commandments, leve bears all things love believes all things, love does not envy or boast, love does not rejoice at wrongdoing, love endures all things, love hopes all things, love is not arrogant or rude, love is not irritable or resentful, love is patient and kind, love rejoices with truth, love with no strings attached, promises are made to be broken, prove the naysayers wrong, proves our loyalty to human authority, proves the spiritual intention of our heart, selfish tendencies, sleeping in, tentacles of fraud, the christian doctrine of keeping our promises, the light of the world, the salt of the earth, the strong-minded rise to challenges, the weak-minded become haters, thou should vow and not pay, true friends are like stars, unconditional LOVE, unquenchable love, while we were yet sinners christ died for us, whosoever shall compel the to go a mile
Romans 5:8. But God commendeth (demonstrated) his (own) LOVE towards us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
It’s a rainy Saturday morning, most excellent for sleeping in, which I must confess that I did. (smile) Unfortunately, when one is getting on in age, it becomes much harder to burn the candle at both ends, meaning to achieve early rising with a late bedtime. But nonetheless, I’m still working to prove the naysayers wrong. (smile) Anyway, without further ado, that’s more talk, let’s turn to our usual Saturday program, that of checking out the quotes that our friend Anselm sent us this past week, as he aspires to inspire us for a better tomorrow.
And the first quote relates quite nicely to our Christian situation. It says: ‘Don’t ever promise more than you can deliver, but always deliver more than you promise.’ Yes friends, that’s a Christian tenet that should be ingrained in all of us. However, since promises nowadays don’t hold the weight they once held, we don’t pay as much attention to them as we ought to. Currently, the prominent thought on promises is that they are made to be broken. No longer do we keep our word, as best as possible, and if we can’t, then notify the promisee of our inability to do so.
Sadly, broken promises litter our world today like no other time in history. And why is that? Because there is so little accountability on promises, and thus, to achieve our own selfish ends, we very often make promises we know we can’t keep. Oh, hifalutin promises do look and sound good, and better yet, because of the greedy and selfish tendencies now proliferating in our society, they tend to inveigle others to believe and agree to even the most outlandish promises. That’s why broken promises, or the many tentacles of fraud are spread so wide and deep in today’s society.
But all of that is a total repudiation of the Christian doctrine of keeping our promises. Cousin Sol, writing as the preacher in Ecclesiastes, puts it quite clearly. ‘Better is it that thou shouldest not vow, than that thou shouldest vow and not pay.’ (Eccl. 3:5) Yes my Christian brethren, it’s always better not to promise than to make promises we know we can’t keep. And it’s even better when we can deliver more than we promised, like Jesus says regarding LOVE for enemies in the Sermon on the Mount. ‘And whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain (two). ‘(Matt. 5:41).
The scholars offer this explanation. ‘In ancient times government agents were able to compel forced service upon a subjugated people. A Roman soldier, for example, could compel a Jewish native to carry his armour or materials for one mile. Jesus now states that if someone compels you to walk a mile, go with him twain. The believer is to be willing to “go the extra mile.” Doing double our duty not only proves our loyalty to human authority, but likewise proves the spiritual intention of our heart.’ And I can hear many of us laughing at that crazy notion, since today we don’t even want to do our basic duty, much less double!
That takes us to the next quote which also has some strong Christian content. ‘The strong-minded rise to the challenge of their goals and dreams. The weak-minded become haters.’ That’s oh so true! Strong -willed people, which Christians ought to be, always rise to the occasion. They face challenges rather than run from them. And that’s what Christ is asking of those who consider themselves His followers. As He said. ‘If ye LOVE me, keep my commandments.’ (John 14:15) That’s simple enough to understand.
And we know what Christ’s dream is for us; in a few words, to be the salt of the earth and light of the world. To stand up strong against the enemy and spread His gospel, the good news of His free gift of salvation. As Bruh Paul encouraged Timothy: ‘Thou therefore endure hardness (hardship), as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.’ (2 Tim. 2:3) That also pertains to us my brethren, especially in these rough and tumble times, when our world is turned upside down, and many of us don’t know our A from our E. (smile)
No, we cannot be weak minded or fearful, because that only leads to negative stuff like insecurity, resentment, anger and strife. It’s absolutely necessary that we do like Bruh Paul said: ‘I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course (race), I have kept the faith.’ (2 Tim. 4:7) Oh my fellow saints, that should be our goal: to fight the good fight in Jesus’ name, to show forth His glorious kingdom to the unbelievers by the way we live, with LOVE and compassion for others, filled with the peace and joy, only found in Christ!
That’s why these next two quotes should be important in our lives. The first one says: ‘Spend your time with those who LOVE you unconditionally, not with those who only LOVE you under certain conditions.’ That’s the gospel truth! For nowadays we tend to LOVE others only under certain conditions. If they behave in certain ways, or do things we approve of. But that’s not how God LOVES us, or Jesus teaches us to LOVE each other. The Good Book tells us: ‘But God commendeth (demonstrated) his (own) LOVE towards us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.’ (Rom. 5:8)
Oh friends, that means God didn’t wait for us to become saints before He LOVED us, but showed His unconditional LOVE by allowing Christ to die for us despite our sinful condition. Now shouldn’t we show the same kind of LOVE to those around us, with no strings attached, and even though our expectations are not met? Of course! It’s not easy, because that’s how our selfish sinful nature operates. But with the true Spirit of Jesus working in and with us, we can certainly move on to higher ground, a more Christ-like kind of LOVE.
And these words from Bruh Paul to the church at Corinth contain possibly the best explanation of unconditional, Christ-like LOVE. ‘LOVE is patient and kind; LOVE does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. LOVE bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.’ (1 Cor. 13:4-7)
And it’s only when we come to that kind of understanding, can we become what this last quote declares. ‘Fake friends are like shadows: always near you at your brightest moments, but nowhere to be seen at your darkest hour. True friends are like stars, you don’t always see them but they are always there.’ Now we all know that to be the truth of all truths, because we have all experienced the betrayal and disappointment of fake friends. People who abandon you when troubles come, or your situation changes, and you can no longer give them what they need.
Unfortunately, our world today is filled with many more fake than true friendships. Oftentimes too, what we call friendships are in truth mere acquaintances. For as Cousin Sol so wisely says in Proverbs: ‘A friend LOVETH at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.’ (Prov. 17:17) Or as the scholars explain: ‘A true friend has unquenchable LOVE that is not diminished by adversity.’ Now that’s the kind of stuff Jesus expects from us as His followers, His earthly agents and ambassadors. Please, let’s not disappoint Him more than we have already done nuh. Much LOVE!
…by definition…Christians…are true friends…filled with unconditional LOVE…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZJ8
12 Mar 2022
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a brother is born for adversity, a friend has your best interest at heart, a friend loveth at all times, a friend sticketh closer than a brother, a glimpse of God's omnipotence, a man lay down his life for his friends, a man of many friends comes to ruin, aspires to inspire us for a better tomorrow, demands your silence, denies your right to grow, eccentric ways, free will, friendship between David and Jonathan, greater love hath no man than this, if ye do whatever I command you, it's not light we need but fire, it's not the gentle shower but thunder, LOVE, man needs a wake up call, mano a mano, no man is your friend who, our friend Anselm, the apocalyptic message, the first time was water, the next time it's fire, the strong never learn, the thing worse than rebellion causes rebellion, we need the storm whirlwind and earthquake, ye are my friends
John 15:13. Greater LOVE hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.
Now it seems like the ole fella is taking advantage of the lazy quality of a Saturday morning by getting later and lazier. (smile) But that’s to be expected of a gentleman getting on in age, isn’t it? Or is that just an excuse to be lazy and rise late, especially when you’re not abed until the wee hours of the morning? (smile) Personally, I think it’s a combination of both, but then they say that a leopard can’t change its spots, so I guess I can’t change my peculiar and eccentric ways…not that I want to.
Anyway, having made my apologies, (smile) let’s turn to our Saturday ritual, looking with a scriptural eye, at the quotes our friend Anselm sent us this past week, as he aspires to inspire us for a better tomorrow. And the first one tells us that ‘No person is your friend who demands your silence, or denies your right to grow.’ Now that’s obviously true, because by definition, a friend is one who has your best interest at heart, and if those in your acquaintance don’t want you to speak up or grow, then they certainly are not your friends.
And the Good Book tells us quite a lot about friends and friendships. Cousin Sol spoke about it several times in Proverbs. ‘A friend LOVETH at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.’ (Prov. 17:17) Then in chapter 18, he asserts: ‘A man that hath many friends must show himself friendly (will come to ruin): and there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother.’ (Prov. 18:24) And per the scholars’ explanation: ‘A man of many friends comes to ruin. In other words, a man must not spread himself too thin among many superficial friendships. Far better is it to have (a few) genuine friends who become like family and LOVE at all times. (17:17).’
Yes my people, by the very definition, the deep and responsible relationship expected from a friend, in a friendship, one cannot truly have a lot of them. And this last wise word from Cousin Sol is a magnificent one on friends and friendships, where he says: ‘Iron sharpeneth iron; so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend.’ (Prov. 27:17) Of which the scholars say ‘As the proper tool shapes and sharpens iron for its desired use, so a man sharpens his friend morally and intellectually by their personal friendship.’
And that’s the gospel truth! If your supposed friend isn’t improving your mind and morals then he is no true friend. For as the next quote tells us: ‘A true friend never gets in your way unless you happen to be going down.’ More gospel truth mih bredrin! A true friend will only block you if he sees you are falling, and then steps in to help you back up.
And the definitive statement on true friendship comes from none other than Jesus, where He tells the disciples: ‘Greater LOVE hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you. Henceforth, I call you not servants… but I have called you friends…’ (John 15:13 15) And then He went out and laid down His sinless life for His friends! Oh what a friend we have in Jesus!
But when we talk about great friendships between two humans there’s none like that between Bruh David and Jonathan, King Saul’s son, found in 1 Samuel 20. By lineage, Jonathan was supposed to be the king of Israel after his father Saul. And though he knew that the prophet Samuel had anointed Bruh David for that job, yet he entered into a covenant of friendship with David.
Instead of being jealous and miserable like his father, he encouraged Bruh David, even letting him know of his father’s cruel, evil and unfair intentions towards him. And then later on when both Saul and Jonathan were dead and Bruh David was king, he sought out and looked after Jonathan’s crippled son, Mephibosheth. (2 Sam. 9) That’s how true friendship operates!
Oh brother, I didn’t mean to spend so much time on the friendship situation nuh, but it just seemed to warrant the time since real friends and true friendships are so few and far between in our current selfish and greedy society. Anyway, the next quote is also an interesting one. ‘The thing worse than rebellion is the thing that causes rebellion.’
And I’m chuckling here because our friend Anselm provides the answer to that in the very next quote: ‘Where justice is denied, where poverty is enforced, where ignorance prevails, and where any one class is made to feel that society is an organized conspiracy to oppress, rob and degrade them, neither persons nor property will be safe.’
Now that’s exactly why we have rebellions; because the conditions of life breed nothing but rebellious attitudes. When people are so dissatisfied and feel that their problems are not being seriously considered, then the last option in their portfolio is simply to rebel. It’s like when you corner a wild animal and it sees no way of escape, it comes right after you, mano a mano.
It’s been the history of rebellions right down through the ages; the weak have been taken advantage of by the strong, and when they can’t take it no more, they rise up in rebellion. But the strong never learn, they keep on revelling in their power, no wonder it’s been a continuous cycle. And that’s why this last quote might just be true: ‘It is not light that we need, but fire; it is not the gentle shower, but thunder. We need the storm, the whirlwind, and the earthquake.’
Who knows friends, we might just need the apocalyptic message very badly right now; the real revelation of things to come, and very possibly real soon Why? Because mankind being the arrogant and egotistic animal he is, who feels his free will, encased in his supposed power and wisdom makes him godlike, meaning he can do whatever he wants, badly needs a wake up call. And only the roiling, churning and upturning power of the universe, a glimpse of God’s awesome omnipotence can possibly achieve that much desired and oh so necessary objective! Much LOVE!
…it was the water the first time…but the next time…it will be the unquenchable fire…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZJ8
05 Mar 2022
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: aspires to inspire us for a better tomorrow, be of good cheer, big thinking precedes great achievement, dream lofty dreams, for other foundation can no man lay than Jesus, function efficiently in the Lord's will, gains the whole world and loses his soul, God sent not his son into the world, God so loved the world, greater intimacy with God, he gave his only begotten son, I have overcome the word, in me ye might have peace, in the world ye shall have tribulation, Lenten season, life's no easy matter, look out with a more accurate perspective, LOVE, never give up, no Jesus -no life, no Sunday stroll in the park, not to condemn the world but to save it, nothing happens to you but for you, quotes from our friend Anselm, reflection is looking in, should have everlasting life, the eternal truth, the spirit is willing, to them that love God, we know that all things work together for good, what is a man profited, who are called according to His purpose, whosoever believeth in him, your vision is the promise
Romans 8:28. And we know that all things work together for good to them that LOVE God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.
It’s a late rising, lazy Saturday morning friends, as you can no doubt guess by the tardiness of the Bit. (smile) The sun’s shining brightly, and though the spirit is willing, the body is tired and needs some rest. And in this busy world too many of us don’t get enough rest, which is essential for our souls, bodies and spirits to function efficiently in the Lord’s will.
Please note that although Jesus was God, as a man He too needed to rest, in all aspects of the word; meaning physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually, because our beings are not made to drive on without being recharged. And this Lenten Season is a most appropriate time for us to rest and be recharged through greater intimacy with the God of our fathers. So let’s rest if we must, but please, let’s never give up!
And having made that crucial point, (smile) let’s turn to our usual Saturday doings, that of looking at quotes our friend Anselm sent us this past week as he aspires to inspire us for a better tomorrow. And this first one is certainly a good fit for our current situation. ‘You’re going to go through tough times – that’s life. But I say, ‘Nothing happens to you, it happens for you.’ See the positive in negative events.’
Now that’s the indisputable truth my people! Our world calls for tough sledding, and if some of us didn’t know that before, we surely know it now with all the tough times caused by the Covid-19 pandemic and the many other problems our world is currently facing. But if you are a true believer in Christ, you will already know that life’s no easy matter, no Sunday stroll in the park since even our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ faced rough times in His earthly sojourn, and also warned us about it when He said: ‘These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.’ (John 16:33)
Yes, my fellow believers, that’s a scripture we need to hold on to for dear life if we expect to make it through these tough times in one piece; safe of body and sound of mind! Our Lord and Saviour has already overcome the world by dying and rising from the dead to live forever, and we will do the same thing if we cling to Him and what He stands for. But we need to both believe it and put it into action in the way we live our lives, looking for the positive even in the most negative events, and trusting our Saviour to work it all out in our favour.
And we also have this magnificent scripture in the words of Bruh Paul to the church at Rome to back it all up. ‘And we know that all things work together for good to them that LOVE God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.’ (Rom. 8:28) It’s all there friends, written into our faith, we just must develop the ability to handle it, and that can only come through a strong and sincere walk with Christ.
And this next quote is also rather appropriate for our times and this season of Lent. It says: ‘Reflection is looking in so you can look out with a broader, bigger, and more accurate perspective.’ Yes, that’s the purpose of reflection in general, and in particular, the serious inner look we take at ourselves during Lent. Technically speaking, reflection should be an ongoing process, but in Lent we just take time to focus more fully on what’s truly going on within us, re our walk with Jesus, and how we can straighten it out to His satisfaction. Remember, EVERYTHING we do ought to involve God in it, so it follows logically that any time we reflect, God should also be involved therein. (smile)
That brings us to these next two quotes which intertwine, and we’ll thus take as one. The first one advises us to ‘Dream lofty dreams, and as you dream, so shall you become. Your Vision is the promise of what you shall one day be. Your Ideal is the prophecy of what you shall at last unveil.’ And the second says: ‘Big thinking precedes great achievement.’ Now both of them contain aspects of truth, but they leave out the most important aspect of our dreaming and our big thinking; that’s the presence of Jesus Christ in it ALL!
Oh my fellow saints, we can dream as big as we want and have the utmost vision for our lives, but if Jesus Christ and His will are not included in those dreams and big thinking, if He is not the main focus in them, then it will be all for nought! For He is the Only One who can really make the desires of our hearts come true. Remember these marvellous words of advice and encouragement from Bruh David in Psalm 37. ‘Delight thyself also in the Lord; and he shall give thee the desires off thine heart. Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in him: and he shall bring it to pass.’ (Ps. 37:4-5)
Yes my faithful brethren, that’s the ONLY way to get those big dreams and lofty thinking that we all engage in to be truly successful and last forever. With Satan, you might accomplish some stuff, but you will first have to sell your soul to him. But please note these important questions that Jesus posed on the subject. ‘For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?’ (Matt. 16:26) Now those are questions for us to seriously ponder.
And furthermore, whatever Satan offers is always like a house built on sinking sand, a flimsy structure that will eventually be washed away. Meanwhile, what you get from Jesus is always built on solid rock and is never destroyed. Yes friends, all other ground beside Jesus is sinking sand. As Bruh Paul says in 1st Corinthians: ‘For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ.’ (1 Cor, 3:11) That’s another scripture for us to write indelibly in our souls and spirits this first Saturday in Lent my people.
That brings us to the last quote of this week: ‘It is easier to build strong children than to repair broken men.’ And that’s totally true. It’s always easier when we begin teaching the children from a young age, inculcating the proper values and teachings of Christ as it were on a clean slate, a clean palette. That means there is no other information or values already planted that we have to first remove before we can plant the new stuff. But that’s what we must deal with when we try repair broken men. We first have to clean them up, remove all the satanic and evil stuff that’s been embedded in their souls and spirits probably for a long, long time.
Now that takes a lot of work. But Jesus can handle it. That’s what He’s equipped to do; to repair us broken human specimens! That’s why He came to earth: to save us, to repair the brokenness that eons of sin had created in us, right from the days of our forefather Adam down to these evil and ungodly times that we are now experiencing.
And what better way to end today than with these magnificent and encouraging words of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. ‘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. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.’ (John 3:16-17)
Now whether you believe it or not, that’s the truth; the immortal and eternal truth! And my hope for all of us today is that we sincerely believe it and live accordingly. Much LOVE!
…as the song says…NO Jesus…NO life…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZJ8
26 Feb 2022
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a future and a hope, a talkative society, aspires to inspire us for a better tomorrow, being confident of this very thing, by thy words thou shalt be condemned, by thy words thou shalt be justified, can't hang out with negative people, death and life are in the power of the tongue, delight thyself also in the Lord, enjoy the worldly delights, every idle word that men speak, expect to live a positive life, give God thanks for seeing another day, gospel truth, he shall give thee the desires of thine heart, he which began a good work in you, I know the thoughts that I think toward you, LOVE, our dreams intertwine with God's will, our number one purpose on earth, quotes from our friend Anselm, sleeping in eternity, social media platforms, talk from personal experience, the best days of your life are ahead, they shall give account of on judgment day, they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof, times are less than stellar, to give you an expected end, to glorify God's name, will perform it until the day of Jesus, with Jesus complications are manageable, you will catch fleas from a flea-ridden dog
Proverbs 18:21. Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that LOVE it shall eat the fruit thereof.
Sunshine, lollipops and roses… Well one out of three isn’t bad on this cold winter Saturday morning. (smile) Yes friends, the snow has been cleared away and we’ve gone back to a cold, crisp sunshiny day to rest and laze about in. Please give our great, gracious and merciful God thanks for been able to see another wonderful day on His amazing planet earth!
Yes, times they are currently somewhat rough, but how many of us would really prefer to be sleeping in eternity right now eh? Not many of us, because there’s something about this earthly life that very few of us want to leave, though times are less than stellar. For some of us it might be fear of the unknown, while others just want to enjoy the worldly delights available, but whatever the reason, we are not quite ready to leave the confusion and troubles of this earth. (smile)
So having ascertained that fact, let’s turn to our Saturday routine; that of checking out the quotes our friend Anselm sent us this past week, as he aspires to inspire us to a better tomorrow. And the first quote tells us: ‘You cannot hang out with negative people and expect to live a positive life.’ Now that’s the gospel truth, and it ought to be simple logic for most of us. But unfortunately it isn’t, for many of us hang out with negative persons, their negative words and behaviour and don’t expect any of it to rub off on us.
That’s foolish my brethren! It’s like playing with a dog that has fleas and don’t expect some of the hardy and annoying critters to rub off on us. And I know that we can only bring the negative believers to Christ by interacting with them, but we have to be very careful that our positivity in Christ rubs off on them, and not their negativity rubs off on us.
That brings us to the next quote, which ties in with the one above. It says: ‘The more you talk about negative things in your life, the more you call them in. Speak victory, not defeat.’ Another statement of gospel truth my people! You can’t talk in one way, that’s negatively, and expect to receive something different, meaning positivity, for each breeds the same thing, not the other. As they say, you reap what you sow, you can’t plant peas and expect to reap corn. (smile) But that’s what a lot of us do. We have a negative reaction to life, but expect it to end up positively.
That will never happen friends, as this next quote explains: ‘You can change your world by changing your words… Remember, death and life are in the power of the tongue.’ More truth from God’s word! Cousin Sol said it very clearly. ‘Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that LOVE it shall eat the fruit thereof.’ (Prov. 18:21) Yes my brethren, whatever words we speak we will only receive the fruit they bear. So, if our words are negative, then we will reap negativity, and if they are positive, we will reap positivity.
Please note that we are talking about a constant pattern of both kinds of activity, not just one or two instances, because we all have moments when we briefly touch on the other side. And even more importantly friends, not only shall our words have a serious effect on our earthly lives, but also on our eternal ones, for Jesus said it loud and clear. ‘But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgement. For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned.’ (Matt. 12:36-37)
Oh my people, that ought to put the fear of God in our hearts, especially in these times when idle talk rules in our society. The social media platforms and the great advances in, and interconnectivity of telecommunications has given rise to an inordinately talkative society, where we can speak about what we don’t know, and even do it anonymously. So, if we are wise, we’d better begin thinking about what we say now, since our words will count against us come the judgement day.
Meanwhile, the next quote also offers words of wisdom, as it advises us thus: ‘Why don’t you start believing that no matter what you have or haven’t done, that your best days are still out in front of you….’ It’s just another way of saying think positively and believe that with God’s help you can always rise up higher in your walk with Him. And we are only going to quote a couple of scriptures in support of that argument.
First up is one we all know but fail to put into action, the words of the Lord through the prophet Jeremiah, where he declares: ‘For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil (calamity), to give you an expected end (a future and a hope).’ (Jer. 29:11)
And what about this other verse from Bruh Paul’s missive to the church at Philippi? ‘Being confident of this very thing that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform (complete) it until the day of Jesus Christ.’ (Phil. 1:6) Yes friends, the Lord will continue working His good work in believers until Jesus Christ returns to earth, meaning that our security is eternally assured, so there’s no need to fear that you will go backward instead of forward with Christ as your Lord and Saviour.
And the last quote directs us to ‘Do all you can to make your dreams come true.’ Now that sounds good and true, and Bruh David enshrined it in scripture in this memorable verse: ‘Delight thyself also in the Lord; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.’ (Ps. 37:4) However, as a believer in Christ Jesus, we must be careful that our dreams intertwine with His divine will, otherwise they won’t come true. The Lord, the devil, or we might put desires in our hearts, but only the ones that fall within the will of God will come true.
And I can talk from personal experience here, because I’ve tried a lot of things, dreams that I believe He’d put in my heart. And although He allowed me to get involved in all of them, and I had some success, they never were as successful as I desired, because they were not really His will for my life. So, I eventually had to give them up for one reason of another. And to prove my point, writing this Scrip-Bit was never my idea, not even one that I thought I could accomplish, and laughed when He proposed it. But it was obviously in His will, for with His faithful help, I’ve been doing it successfully now for fifteen years.
That says it all! But don’t worry, I still have several other dreams that I’m working on, other desires of my heart that I believe He’s put there, (smile) and hopefully those will fit in nicely with His will, and we will eventually accomplish them…with His divine help of course! So please, let’s not jump around willy nilly thinking that every desire of our heart will be fulfilled, but let’s concentrate on finding those that fall into God’s will for our lives, so that He can raise us up and glorify His holy name. Remember, that’s our number one purpose on this earth. Much LOVE!
…life is certainly complicated…but with Christ in our hearts…the complications are certainly manageable…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZJ8
12 Feb 2022
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a fall on ice, a God-thing, a leopard can't change its spots, a morning skate, after their own lusts, an abomination to the Lord, an integrity kick, Anselm, aspires to inspire us for a better tomorrow, be kind, better is a poor man who walks in his integrity, can't handle the truth, cast blame, cesspool, Christian values, dog-eat-dog lifestyle, don't assume ask, even when it stares us in the face, for our children's sake, good moral principles, have integrity, having itching ears, He is bigger than any of our problems or fears, heap to themselves teachers, keep Jesus near, life in the devil's playground, LOVE, lying lips, seek false compliments, stood my bounce, take responsibility for our actions, tell people how you feel, tell the truth, than a rich man whi is crooked in his ways, the time will come, the upper echelons of age, they that deal truly are his delight, turn away their ears from the truth, turned into fables, who lies for you will lie against you, will not endure sound doctrine, with Christ on our side we can do anything
Proverbs 12:22. Lying lips are an abomination to the Lord: but they that deal truly (truthfully) are his delight.
Anyone for a morning skate? Yes, my immediate neighbourhood looks like a skating rink because it’s covered in a layer of ice. Not snow, but ice. And that’s the worst and most dangerous part of the winter situation, for the ice is a real killer. You have to be very, very careful when you are dealing with it. Driving can be hazardous, but walking is even more critical because one false step or move and the results can be unimaginable. So many people have had their lives totally changed by experiencing a fall on ice, since broken bones don’t always heal when and how we desire, especially when we are in the upper echelons of age. (smile)
And although earlier on I saw a man out jogging, wisdom dictates that if you don’t have to go out then please don’t. And to make matters worse, I just heard that a winter warning has been issued for the Greater Toronto Area, meaning that temperatures can drop even lower than they currently are. But we won’t fear, just be careful and keep Jesus near as always, for He is bigger than any problems or fears we might have.
Now, let’s turn to our usual Saturday experience, that of checking out the quotes our friend Anselm sent us this past week, as he aspires to inspire us for a better tomorrow. And the first one says: ‘Who lies for you will lie against you.’ And is that the awful truth, or is it? It certainly is! You cannot trust someone who lies, even if it’s in your favour, because as time goes by, you will have doubts as to whether any of their words are true. For, as they say, a leopard can’t change its spots.
And though we might think that li’l white lies don’t really matter, the truth is that they all add up in the end. So, Cousin Sol tells it like it is in Proverbs: ‘Lying lips are an abomination to the Lord: but they that deal truly (truthfully) are his delight.’ (Prov. 12:22) Thus, it’s always better not to have someone lie for you, since that also gives them power over you, puts more ammunition in their arsenal that they can later use against you.
And like Anselm is on an integrity kick this new year because all the remaining quotes deal with it. Hear this one: ‘Don’t assume, ask. Be kind. Tell the truth. Don’t say anything you can’t stand behind fully. Have integrity. Tell people how you feel.’ Now that certainly contains all the Christian values, although in this day and age, telling people how we truly feel is not always the wisest thing to do, since we have become so thin-skinned, that the slightest negative assertion causes us to rear up in anger.
Our society has become so entitled, aggressive and testy that we no longer are able to handle the truth, even when it stares us in the face. We tend to seek false compliments and what we want to hear rather than the truth about our situations. Bruh Paul’s words to Timothy from way back when, have definitely come true today in these perilous times. ‘For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; and they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned into fables.’ (2 Tim. 4:3-4)
And that’s exactly what’s happening today. People are turning away from the truth of the gospel because they feel it incapacitates their God-given freedom, and are turning to stuff that’s not true, but which seems to give them the freedom they want to do whatever they want. And the sad part is that there are preachers who have come down to that level and are teaching what people want to hear, not what they need to hear. No wonder our world is in so much confusion with so many different truths on the same subject.
But moving on, we come to this most interesting quote: ‘Better is a poor man who walks in his integrity than a rich man who is crooked in his ways.’ And there ought to be no controversy or dissension over that, because it comes straight from the Good Book. Another one of Cousin Sol’s wise sayings. ‘Better is the poor that walketh in his integrity, than he that is perverse (non-conformist, deviant) in his lips, and is a fool.’ (Prov. 19:1) Yes friends, Cousin Sol doesn’t mince words there at all!
And furthermore, he repeats it in a slightly different manner in a later chapter. This time, he says: ‘Better is the poor that walketh in his uprightness (integrity), than he that is perverse in his ways, though he be rich.’ (Prov. 28:6) That’s why integrity is ever so important in a believer’s life, although it’s at a rather low ebb in our world these days. Many people can’t even tell you what it means, much less abide or live by it. And all integrity means is basically being honest and having good and decent moral principles to live by.
And I definitely like this last quote: ‘Live so that when your children think of fairness and integrity, they think of you.’ Now that is an earth-shattering quote. And it’s something we should all take a moment to ask ourselves and truthfully consider if we are living a life of integrity and fairness, so that when our children hear or think of those words, we are the first persons to flit into their minds.
Ah mih people, unfortunately, a lot of us won’t flash into the heads of our children when they hear those words, because so many of us are so intent on living the dog-eat-dog style of living that our current world encourages. And that certainly doesn’t include fairness or integrity, but it’s more a get whatever you can, by whatever means you can lifestyle, which is certainly not consistent with true Christian beliefs.
In answer to that last quote, I don’t know if I will flash up into my children’s mind, although I hope so. (smile) But this I do know, that whenever I’ve done wrong, I’ve always stood my bounce, in other words stood whatever consequences came my way. And that’s also a lesson our world needs to badly learn today, because we like to cast blame, and not take responsibility for our actions and then face the resultant consequences.
But my fellow saints, until we learn to live with integrity and take responsibility for our actions, our world will continue to be the cesspool that it currently is, and will only get worse. So please, let’s try and do better than we’re doing nuh…for our children’s sake. Much LOVE!
…living a Christian life in the devil’s playground is not always easy…but remember…with Christ on our side…we can do anything…
P.S. Just noticed that on February 12, 22, we are teaching on Proverbs 12:22. Is that a God-thing or what? (smile) Much LOVE!
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZJ8
29 Jan 2022
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a recompense be made thee, aspires to inspire us for a better tomorrow, brings out the best in you, call the poor, do good to both the lovable and the unlovable, each step of faith, faith is gained by personal experience, he that humbleth himself shall be exalted, how he treats those who can do nothing for him, it takes time and effort to learn about Jesus, judge a man's character, never stop taking steps of faith in Christ, O ye of little faith, our friend Anselm, recompensed at the resurrection of the just, small fish in a big pond, take the first step in faith, that's how we grow in faith, the best of the best, the grim reaper, the lame, the maimed, thou shalt be blessed, thy faith hath made thee whole, we all have limits, whosoever exalteth himself shall be abased
Luke 14:11. For whosoever exalteth himself shall be abased (humbled); and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.
Another bright, sunshiny and cold winter’s day – only about minus 20C. (smile) And with Jesus in our souls, spirits and bodies, we’re laughing all the way to heaven this Saturday morning my fellow believers! Yes, friends, there’s a certain something about being alive and having Jesus as Lord and Saviour that just brings out the best in you, have you shouting, ‘Glory Hallelujah!’ and giving thanks to Almighty God for such a wondrous life! No, I’m not off my rocker, just excited about doing life with Jesus…and so should all supposed believers be excited about the amazing life possibilities that lie within Christ’s plans for us.
But it’s Saturday, that lazy day, so let’s turn to what we do on Saturdays, check out the quotes our friend Anselm sent us this past week, as he aspires to inspire us for a better tomorrow. And the first quote’s a dilly. It says: ‘You can easily judge the character of a man by how he treats those who can do nothing for him.’
And that has a lot of truth to it. You can often tell a lot about someone’s character by the way they treat someone who is supposedly lower down the social, economic or spiritual scale than them, people whom they feel can’t help them in achieving their life’s goals. A lot of us condescend to those whom we think are less than us in some way or other.
But that’s not Jesus’ way. His is the humble way, as He teaches in the gospel of Luke about where to sit and whom to invite to your feasts. Choose the lowest seat in the house, so that you can be honoured by the host when he calls you up to a higher table. ‘For whosoever exalteth himself shall be abased (humbled); and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.’ (Luke 14:8-11)
And furthermore, ‘When thou makest a dinner or a supper, call not thy friends, nor thy brethren, neither thy kinsmen, nor thy rich neighbours; lest they also bid thee again (invite you back), and a recompense be made thee. But when thou makest a feast, call the poor, the maimed (crippled), the lame, the blind: And thou shalt be blessed; for they cannot recompense (repay) thee: for thou shalt be recompensed at the resurrection of the just.’ (Luke 14:12-14)
Oh my people, Jesus isn’t saying to refuse hospitality to our friends and families, but just reminding us that we should do good to both the LOVABLE and the UNLOVABLE! And we must maintain ties to the latter group if we want them to come to know and LOVE Him like we do. Remember one of the things the Pharisees held against Jesus was His associating with what they called sinners. But how can we reach them if we don’t associate in some form and fashion with them eh? The important thing is for us to change them, and not allow them to change us.
Now the next quote is exactly what Christianity is all about. ‘Take the first step in faith. You don’t have to see the whole staircase. Just take the first step.’ That’s the gospel truth my brethren! We can only learn of, about and from Jesus by taking a positive step of faith, for He does not reveal everything to us all at once. And that’s how we grow, how we mature in our faith. For with each step of faith we take, and we see Jesus’ awesome response, then we are emboldened and reassured to take the next one.
No one is born with strong faith; strong faith is gained by personal living experience, one step at a time. And yes, sometimes we take a step and fail, or realize that we’ve made a mistake, but that’s never the answer or the end. We need to get back up and take another step, possibly in a different direction, just talk to Jesus about it. We learn through making mistakes, but the important thing is to NEVER stop taking steps of faith in Christ!
Remember one of Jesus famous admonishments was to query people’s faith, most of the time about how weak it was. As He said to the disciples in the midst of the storm. ‘Why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith.’ (Matt. 8:26) Meanwhile, to the woman with the issue of blood, who pushed her way through the crowd to touch the hem of His garment, believing, having faith that that simple action would heal her. Jesus said: ‘Daughter, thy faith hath made thee whole; go in peace, and be made whole of thy plague (affliction).’ (Mark 5:34) So, faith is basically a continuum, and with each step we take, we move along it a little at a time, and our faith grows the same way.
Now the next quote says: ‘ We all have limits. Almost no one reaches theirs. You definitely haven’t.’ That’s very true friends. We all have limits to what we can do or achieve, but very few of us, for one reason or another, ever reach that limit. Sometimes it’s because we don’t strive hard enough, or we strive through the enemy rather than through Christ Jesus, or we just don’t have enough time on this earth to reach it. But regardless of what tries to hold us back, we ought to be striving to reach those limits, because God put them in us so that we can work towards them for His glory.
And God’s limits are set high for His people because He desires them to be the best of the best! Remember what Jesus said: ‘But seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness…’ (Matt. 16:33) That’s the ONLY way we can ever rise anywhere close to the limits God has set for us!
And this last quote is also an interesting one. I heard it many years ago, but never understood it until I took a moment to think it through. It says: ‘If you want to know how much you’ll be missed when you’re gone, put your finger in a bucket of water and then remove it. The hole that’s left will be how much you are missed.’ Yes, once you remove your hand, the hole will close right back up again. (smile)
Now that’s probably not quite true of your friends and family, but it’s oh so true in the big outlook on things. For most of us are considered small fish in a big pond, and when the Grim Reaper comes a-calling, very few but our closest associates even know that we’re no longer here. But that doesn’t matter so much, once Jesus knows who we are, and that we’ve gone to be with Him. And once that’s true, nothing else really matters!
So please, let’s concentrate on doing all we can to end up with Jesus nuh! Much LOVE!
…to truly learn about Jesus…takes time and effort…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZJ8
01 Jan 2022
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a leader's courage to fulfill his vison, according to his riches in glory, all glory be to God, Anselm, aspires to inspire us for a better tomorrow, baptizing them, be ye likeminded, being of one accord, comes from passion not position, compassed about, deny ourselves, despising the shame, do actions to raise Christ's presence, endured the cross, esteem the other better than yourselves, even unto the end of the world, for His goodness and mercy, get closer to Jesus, giving up our lives for Christ, go ye therefore and teach all nations, Happy New Year, his seed begging bread, I am with you always, I have not seen the righteous forsaken, in lowliness of mind, in the name of the Father Son and Holy Ghost, let us run with patience, life will remain the same, live high on the hog, looking unto Jesus, LOVE, my God shall supply all my needs, my passion wakes me, passion, prepare to be great through sacrifices, seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, set down at the right hand of the throne of God, showers of blessings, take up our cross, the author and finisher of our faith, the control centre of your life, the indisputable truth, the sinful children of men, the ultimate sacrifice, with so great a cloud of witnesses, your attitude
Philippians 2:5. Let this mind be in you, which was in Christ.
HAPPY NEW YEAR!
Well, it’s 2022 now my brethren, and I want to wish us all in this most favoured Scrip-Bit family a blessed and happy New Year! Some things will change, but most of life will remain the same, and with Jesus dwelling in our souls and bodies, we will be able to handle whatever comes against us, just like we handled it this past year! All glory be to God my people, for His goodness and mercy to us, sinful children of men!
And like I’ve been saying over the last few New Year’s days, the only resolution we need to make is to get closer to Jesus! Like He promised: ‘But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.’ (Matt. 6:33) Like Bruh David says in Psalm 37 – The true state of the wicked: ‘I have been young , and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed (descendants) begging bread.’ (Ps. 37:25) And that’s the indisputable truth my fellow believers! No righteous believer in Christ will ever beg for bread!
And Bruh Paul’s words to the Philippians reinforces that quite well. ‘But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.’ (Phil. 4:19) And if all of that doesn’t raise your passion for Christ this New Year’s morning, then I don’t know what will! (smile) Now, since it’s Saturday, let’s turn to the quotes that our friend Anselm sent us this past week, as he aspires to inspire us for a better tomorrow.
And the first one tells it exactly like it is: ‘There are greater things to be achieved in every new year, and each and every one must prepare themselves to be great, not by words of the mouth, but by a lot of sacrifices.’ And that’s the glorious truth friends. As they say, actions speak louder than words! You can’t deny that. And if we really want to live for Jesus, this year of 2022 is going to call for Christians to make a lot of sacrifices in Christ’s name and do numerous actions that will raise His presence in this evil and ungodly world.
Remember Jesus said that if we don’t deny ourselves, give up our will, take up our cross and follow Him, we are not worthy to be called His disciple. (Matt. 16:24) Living for Jesus friends, means making sacrifices for Him, even to the ultimate sacrifice of giving up our life for Him. But thankfully, in our Western society, going to the ultimate sacrifice is not necessary, although it is in some other societies around the world, and those believers there do exactly that.
But out here in our wonderful and entitled society many of us won’t even sacrifice a broken fingernail on Christ’s behalf, but yet we expect to get showers of blessings, and live high on the hog. It won’t happen friends. The only way that Jesus will be glorified in our currently ungodly world is by His followers making much sacrifice, and not the easy, but the tough kind!
That brings us to this next quote: ‘The control centre of your life is your attitude.’ And that’s no lie. Your basic attitude towards life in general, and Christ in particular, controls what you will and won’t do. So, if you have an arrogant, evil, ungodly attitude or mindset, then those are the things to which you will gravitate. On the other hand, if you have a kind, LOVING and godly mindset, you will gravitate to the things of Christ. And this year, my fellow believers, more than ever before, our premier task is to get the unbelievers to change their mindset to one that values and believes in Christ Jesus, for that’s the only way our world will ever improve.
And our problems won’t go away, or even be lessened, until, and unless more of us get together under the glorious umbrella of Christ. Remember Bruh Paul’s entreaty to the Philippians? ‘Fulfill ye my joy, that ye be likeminded, having the same LOVE, being of one accord, of one mind. Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem the other better than themselves. Look not every man on his own things, but everyman also on the things of others. Let this mind be in you, which was in Christ.’ (Phil. 2:2-5)
Yes friends, we all need to come to the thinking of Christ; humble, obedient, LOVING, compassionate and considering the welfare of others more than ourselves, if we ever hope to better this world. That leads us to the next quote: ‘To succeed you have to believe in something with such passion that it becomes a reality.’ And as most of us know, that’s the awesome truth! You can’t succeed at ANYTHING, unless you are so passionate about it, that in your mind and actions, it’s like it has already come to fruition, already become a reality.
And I believe a good analogy is what Jesus said in this Beatitude: ‘Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.’(Matt. 5:6) Yes mih people to achieve anything, we must be that passionate over it, like we’re hungering and thirsting for it. And that carries us right into the following quote: ‘No alarm clock needed. My passion wakes me.’ Now that’s all a part of the same equation; to succeed takes great passion. So much so that we don’t even need an alarm clock to wake us up in the morning, our passion for our project does that automatically.
And the last quote puts it all together: ‘A great leader’s courage to fulfil his vision comes from passion, not position.’ Oh my brethren until we realize that a leader’s position is not merely a state of power but one of enormous and constant passion, we will never be ready for a leadership role. And the best example we have of that is our Leader, our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, who withstood all the sacrifice, resentment, rejection and punishment He had to bear, because He was truly passionate about saving us, about saving a sinful mankind, and that was the only way it could be righteously and justly done.
As the Good Book so exultantly declares, admonishes and advises (smile): ‘Wherefore seeing (since) we are compassed about with (surrounded by) so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset (ensnare) us, and let us run with patience (perseverance) the race that is set before us. Looking unto Jesus, the author (originator) and finisher (perfector) of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.’ (Heb. 12:1-2)
My fellow saints, if we want to be true and sincere followers of Christ, then we have to give up our own desires and follow His; follow His lead, if He is our leader. And remember what He’s called us to do, His last request to His disciples? ‘All power (authority) is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach (make disciples of) all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world.’ (Matt. 28:18-20)
Now isn’t it time we got serious and do what our Leader asks of us? It certainly is, especially with the sad, sick and sorry state that our world is currently in! Much LOVE!
…if you truly know Jesus…you can’t help but LOVE Him…and LOVE those around you…even when it’s difficult to do…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZJ8
18 Dec 2021
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a love/hate relationship, as he thinketh in his heart so is he, as he thniketh in his heart so is he, aspires to inspire us for a better tomorrow, chance or coincidental moments, choose life, destiny defining times, does not mean you have to be one, don't be distracted by criticism, God made us to be in relationship, humour comes from self-confidence, hypocritical leaders, I lay down my life that I may take it again, I lay it down of myself, I set before you life and death, Jesus gave as good as He got, Jesus never considered Himself a victim, no man taketh my life from me, pulling ourselves up by our bootstraps, raise the level of our faith, scathing criticism, self-confidence comes from humour, shame and indignity of public humility, take a bite out of you, taste of success, think you can and you can do it, this ever-changing universe, to be treated like a victim, victoriously completing His assigned task, where your treasure is there is your heart, your thoughts are your life
Proverbs 23:7a. For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he.
And then it was Saturday… and the springtime temperatures have evaporated, just as suddenly as they appeared, only to be replaced by freezing times and the white stuff with which we have a LOVE/ hate relationship. (smile) Oh yes, the snow’s just drizzling down nicely out there this Saturday morning, a week before Christmas. And I guess that’s the way it ought to be in these northern climes. Everybody wants to celebrate a traditional white Christmas, although in recent years there have been several disappointing occasions, as there’s been no snow at Christmastime, just warm temps and/or rain. But I guess that’s life in this ever-changing universe.
Anyhow, since it’s Saturday, let’s see what interesting quotes our friend Anselm sent us this past week as he aspires to inspire us for a better tomorrow. And the first quote says: ‘Humor comes from self-confidence.’ Now, I don’t know if that is as true as it sounds nuh, because a lot of people use humour as a means of building their self-confidence. I believe, if you ask professional comics, many of them will agree that originally they were not self-confident, but as they worked on the humourous stuff, their self-confidence increased. And yes, when we make others laugh at our jokes, it does build up our confidence level, because it’s not easy to make a group of people laugh. So, it’s indeed possible to say it the other way: that self-confidence comes from humour.
Then there’s this quote. ‘Perhaps the turning point in one’s life is realizing that to be treated like a victim is not necessarily to become one.’ Now that’s certainly an interesting comment. And there again, our ability to look at ourselves as victims or not, depends a lot on our self-confidence. And that will definitely be a turning point in our lives whenever we acquire the necessary confidence to stop considering ourselves victims, although the reality might say the opposite. And we have the best example in our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.
I’m sure that most of the people who witnessed the cruelty meted out to Him, His ‘sufferation’ and eventual crucifixion, considered Him a victim of the Roman state and His Jewish leaders. But Jesus was ever so confident in Himself and His purpose that He never considered Himself a victim, but a victor, because He was victoriously completing the task that the Father had assigned Him. And He really didn’t care what it looked like to the multitude, once He was doing the Father’s work. And so should we be also my fellow believers in Christ! Don’t care what others say or think, once we are doing Christ’s work!
Jesus said it quite clearly to those around Him, as the Good Book recounts. ‘Therefore doth my Father LOVE me, because I lay down my life, that I might take it again. No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it up again. This commandment have I received of my Father.’ (John 10:17-18) Ah mih people, how many of us would have died, both literally and figuratively just from the shame and indignity of the public humiliation and cruelty that Jesus suffered.
That’s why He warned that to be His disciple, we must give up our will, and take up His instead, because in this life, we will suffer trials and tribulations simply because we believe in Him. And when that happens, we need to be exceedingly strong and release the victim mentality, and instead, consider it victory in Jesus’ name. That brings us to this related quote. ‘Don’t be distracted by criticism. Remember–the only taste of success some people have is when they take a bite out of you.’
And isn’t that the awful truth! A lot of people only feel good when they abuse or put down others. But there again, we have the best example of refuting criticism in our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. He paid no attention to the naysayers, like the scribes and Pharisees, the hypocritical leaders of the Jewish people, who sought to extinguish the light He was brining to the lives of the suffering Jewish nation. They only cared about their own authority and aggrandizement, and since Jesus was cutting into their sacred power and advantage, they had to take Him down, belittle and criticize Him and His cause.
But Jesus gave just as good as He got. And when they realized they could not frighten Him into subservience and quitting, like wild animals, they went for the jugular, a disgraceful public death. But little did they know that they were playing right into Jesus hands, for that was why He came, to shed his sinless blood for the salvation of the world. And so friends, in these dangerous, unruly and ungodly times when we are criticized for doing Jesus’ work, we need to raise the level of our faith and ignore it.
And no, that’s not always easy to do, because ofttimes the scathing criticism comes from those very close to us. But again that’s why Jesus warned we could only be His disciples if we gave up family and friends for His cause. And that takes us to this next quote. ‘None of us got where we are solely by pulling ourselves up by our bootstraps. We got here because somebody – a parent, a teacher, an Ivy League crony or a few nuns – bent down and helped us pick up our boots.’
That’s more godly truth, for remember our Creator made us to be in relationship with Him and each other. Consequently, He never gave any one person all the gifts possible, but spread them around, so that some had some and others different ones, necessitating that we come together and help each other if we want to progress. And it’s why we also have the saying – no man is an island. Because none of us can do it all by ourself, although many times we foolish and selfishly try to, but only suffer heartache and failure.
And if we look back through our lives, we will all find someone, at some time, who did something in our lives that raised us up, that helped move us up to another level of our destiny. And believe me, those were not chance or coincidental moments, but destiny defining times arranged by our heavenly Father long before we ever saw the light of day. Likewise, we also have destiny defining times in the lives of others, so we cannot afford to be selfish and only interested in ourselves, because with that kind of behaviour, we might probably stop someone else from reaching their God-given destiny.
And the last quote informs us: ‘Think you can and you can do it. Your thoughts are your life.’ Now we all know that’s the basic truth of life. The first step in accomplishing anything is to believe that we can accomplish it. That gives us an uplifting confidence and the energy to rise to the challenge. And as Cousin Sol says in Proverbs. ‘For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he.’ (Prov.23:7a) Yes friends, our actions will generally follow in the direction on which our thoughts are focused. That’s why Jesus said: ‘For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.’ (Matt. 6:21)
So, if our hearts are concentrated on the corrupt and degenerative things of the world, then that’s what our lives will reflect. And if our hearts are concentrated on the things of heaven, which are incorruptible and do not degenerate, then our lives will reflect the truth of Jesus. The choice is ours, and ours alone to make. Please, let’s make the wise one! Much LOVE!
…I set before you life and death…please choose life…so that you and yours may live…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZJ8
13 Nov 2021
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a brother is born for adversity, a companion of fools shall be destroyed, a friend is one, a friend loveth at all times, a friend sticketh closer than a brother, a man lay down his life for his friends, admires the flowers in your garden, aspires to inspire us for a better tomorrow, be a rainbow in someone's cloud, be in God's will, be of good courage, crapaud smoke yuh pipe, faith is the substance of things hoped for, frendship, Friend Anselm, get a snare to thy soul, God's eternal design between man and man, greater love hath no man than this, have life abundantly, he shall strengthen thine heart, he that walketh with wise men shall be wise, I had fainted, imagine it's already there, in the land of the living, iron sharpeneth iron, it is not good for man to be alone, laze on the couch, LOVE, make no friendship with an angry man, so a man sharpeneth the countenace of his friend, the evidence of things not seen, thou learn his ways, to bring anything into your life, to see the good ness of the Lord, two are better than one, unless I had believed, wait on the Lord, we want everything now for now, who overlooks your broken fence
John 15:13. Greater LOVE hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.
So, finally it’s Saturday, and no more work for two, whole, big days! Glory be! But we can’t laze on the couch too much either because there’s housework to be done; stuff that we did not get done during the workweek. So, as they say, there’s just no rest for the wicked! But that’s okay, we can handle anything we have to with the amazing help of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, who enables us to do all things. And it’s that enablement I’m counting on right now, (smile) as I try to make some sense of the quotes we got this past week from our friend Anselm, as he aspires to inspire us for a better tomorrow.
Now, the first quote says; ‘To bring anything into your life, imagine that it’s already there.’ And we know that’s one of the tenets of our Christian faith: you have to believe or imagine it before you see it. That’s what the Good Book tells us in that famous verse on faith, in Hebrews. ‘Now faith is the substance (realization) of things hoped for, the evidence (conviction) of things not seen.’ (Heb. 11:1) Yes friends, faith has us waiting with eager expectations for stuff that we’ve imagined or prayed for. The only problem here is that it ought to be in God’s will, or His plan for our lives. And if it is, then we know we will receive it, in His timing, that’s why we can wait eagerly for it.
The timing scene can ofttimes be a problem though, because waiting is not in our current playbook, we want everything now for now, and the Lord seems to wait until the very last moment. But He’s never late, although we might feel so. That’s the good things about it. That’s why we need to take these two verses from Psalm 27 to heart, where Bruh David adamantly declares: ‘I had fainted, unless I had believed to see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait (in faith) on the Lord: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the Lord.’ (Ps. 27:13-14)
Oh my people, if we can plant those two verses in our hearts, then we have won most of the battle! Believe that God will be good to us down here on earth, since Christ said that He came so we could have life and have it more abundantly. (John 10:10) And since you believe that, then you simply wait expectantly for the goodness of the Lord to show. It’s like when you’ve ordered something online that you greatly desire, and you know it’s going to come, but you’re just not sure when, but you still eagerly wait for it. The same way we must eagerly wait for God’s goodness, because it will come eventually.
Wow! Like I got carried away there. But getting carried away with the Lord’s business is quite okay! (smile) That brings us to the next quote, which is almost the same as the first. ‘Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you have imagined.’ Yes, we do need to follow our dreams as much as possible, that is if they coincide with God’s plan for us, for if they don’t our dreams will certainly get sidetracked.
And I can give personal testimony to that since I never in my wildest dreams thought about writing scriptural stuff. Writing was one of my dreams yes, but not on the Lord’s Word. But He obviously had other ideas. So, here I am living my dream of writing, but not what I had intended to write, (smile) because it did not fall completely in line with God’s plans for my writing life. But nevertheless, I’m happy and contented, and still do some of the other writing on the side, so I can’t complain.
And the next quote tells us: ‘A friend is one who overlooks your broken fence and admires the flowers in your garden.’ And is that ever the gospel truth! True friends are few and far between, and if you ever are blessed enough to get even one true one, then shout ‘Glory Hallelujah!’ and hold on to them for dear life! There are so many scriptures on the subject of real, good and true friends, that we need to consider some of them. And most of them obviously come from the wisest man ever, that’s Cousin Sol.
Oh, before we go further, one other thing we need to admit and realize here that the flip side of most of these scriptures are also true; that is, we should not only be looking for a true friend, but also be working on being a true friend ourselves. Now listen to Cousin Sol from Proverbs. He writes: ‘A friend LOVETH at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.’ (Prov. 17:17) That means ‘a true friend has unquenchable LOVE that is not diminished by adversity.’ And hear this one: ‘A man that hath friends must show himself friendly: and there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother.’ (Prov. 18:24)
Now what does that all mean? The scholars tell us: ‘18:24. A man that hath friends must show himself friendly may also be translated, “A man of many friends comes to ruin.” In other words, a man must not spread himself too thin among many superficial relationships. Far better is it to have genuine friends who become like family and LOVE at all times (17:17).’ Truer words were never spoken.
Then there’s this most timely warning: ‘Make no friendship with an angry man; and with a furious man thou shalt not go: Lest thou learn his ways and get a snare to thy soul.’ (Prov. 22:24-25) Ah mih people, that simply means, ‘Do not make friends with a hot-tempered man, do not associate with one easily angered, or you may learn his ways and get yourself ensnared.’ And that’s the living truth, since the traits of those we associate with can easily be transferred to us.
And this one proves what we just said. ‘He that walketh with wise men shall be wise: but a companion of fools shall be destroyed.’ (Prov. 13:20) And the scholars explain that thus. ‘Wisdom as well as folly can be transferred by association.’ And if you haven’t found out that bit of wisdom already, please don’t try to prove it, unless it’s to walk with the wise. (smile) Oh friends, there’s good reason why Cousin Sol is described as the wisest man ever, although he didn’t live it out in his own life. But that’s the same with all of us; we give good advice but never take the same advice for ourselves.
Now hear this magnificent word on friendship. ‘Iron sharpeneth iron; so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend.’ (Prov. 27:17) And the scholars explain. ‘27:17. As the proper tool shapes and sharpens iron for its desired use, so a man sharpens his friend morally and intellectually by their personal relationship.’
And listen to this last one from Cousin Sol, written as the Preacher in Ecclesiastes. ‘Two are better than one; because they have a good reward for their labour. For if they fall, the one will lift up his fellow (companion): but woe to him that is alone when he falleth, for he hath not another to help him up.’ (Eccl. 4:9-10) More awesome truth friends! If you don’t have anyone beside you and you fall, then crapaud smoke yuh pipe. No wonder, the Lord, after He made Adam, said, ‘It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a help meet for him (a helper comparable to him).’ (Gen. 2:18) And that’s how Eve came about.
But the greatest word ever on true friendship obviously comes from the greatest One who ever lived; our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Hear him declare to the disciples, and consequently to us: ‘Greater LOVE hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.’ (John 15:13) Then He called them friends, and laid down His life for them, for all of those who would believe in Him. That’s what true friendship is all about my fellow saints!
And the last quote simply says: ‘Try to be a rainbow in someone’s cloud.’ And we do that by befriending someone in some form or fashion, lifting them up, being a light in their darkness, the way the Lord put a rainbow in the sky to assure Noah that He would not destroy the world by water again, (Gen. 9:8-17) and the way Jesus died to bring light to our darkened souls. Much LOVE!
…friendship…God’s eternal design between man and man…and between man and God…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZJ8
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