Today’s Scrip-Bit   20 March 2022 Hebrews 4:16.

20 Mar 2022 Leave a comment

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

Hebrews 4:16.     Let us therefore come boldly (confidently) unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.

Ah chuh! It looks like another wet and cloudy day is in the offing…but it’s better than a white and snowy one though! (smile) Anyway it’s Sunday, so we are celebrating the Lord’s Day with praise and thanksgiving in His gates and courts and physically gathering in His sanctuaries to encourage and rejoice with other believers, like we haven’t been able to do for two long years because of the Covid 19 virus! And all God’s people gave a loud and thankful shout of Glory Hallelujah! 

Yes friends, it’s oh so good to be able to go into God’s sanctuary again, reminiscent of the opening words of Psalm 122 titled – Pray for the Peace of Jerusalem – where Bruh David declares: ‘I was glad when they said unto me, Let us go up into the house of the Lord.’ (Ps. 122:1) Oh there’s nothing better than gathering in God’s house to sing and praise His holy name, to give thanks and receive in return His refreshing renewal of all our energy; physical, mental, emotional and spiritual! 

And that’s why this Sunday morning, the first day of spring, we are going to take a leap of faith and sing this re-energizing song “Come Boldly to the Throne of Grace” written by Daniel Herbert (1751 – 1833), a congregational minister who served at Sudbury in Suffolk, England. Why? Because, as one commentator wisely opines: ‘It is a passionate and comforting call to all who feel the weight of their sin to come and find mercy at the feet of Christ.’ Oh my people, I couldn’t put it any better! 

So, with sincere hearts and voices let’s go boldly to the throne of grace, offering up our sacrifices of praise in a mid-tempo but ever so soulful and heartfelt version of this marvellous song. ‘Come boldly to the throne of grace, Ye wretched sinners come, and lay your load at Jesus feet, And plead what He has done. How can I come? Some soul may say, I’m lame and cannot walk; My guilt and sin have stopped my mouth, I sigh, but dare not talk. 

Come boldly to the throne of grace, Though lost, and blind, and lame; Jehovah is the sinner’s friend, And ever was the same. He makes the dead to hear His voice; He makes the blind to see, The sinner lost, He came to save, And set the prisoner free. Come boldly to the throne of grace, For Jesus fills the throne; and those He kills, He makes alive; He hears the sigh or groan; Poor bankrupt souls, Who feel and know, the hell of sin within; 

Come Boldly to the throne of grace; The Lord will take you in. Come Boldly to the throne of grace; The Lord will take you in…the Lord will take you in…Yes the Lord will take you in…take you in’ 

Yes my faithful brethren, of that fact you can be totally assured; the Lord will NEVER turn away anyone who comes to Him in sincerity and truth! He sent His only begotten Son to earth to save us miserable sinners, so why then would He turn away any of that ilk who come to Him for rescue eh? No reason whatsoever! Remember He doesn’t want to lose even one soul to the enemy, so He will not refuse the sinner’s plea for mercy and grace. And there’s this magnificent and reassuring passage of scripture which tells it all, all about the sympathetic Christ. 

The author of Hebrews explains it thus: ‘Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into (through) the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast to our profession (confession of faith). For we have not a high priest which cannot be touched (sympathize) with the feeling of our infirmities (weaknesses); but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly (confidently) unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.’ (Heb. 4:14-16) 

Oh my fellow saints, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ is the best thing that’s ever happened to us! Wow! In His earthly sojourn He suffered all the temptation that we are currently experiencing, but without committing any sin, thus, He can now empathize with what we are going through and doesn’t have to point fingers at us in condemnation, but instead offers us reconciliation and righteousness. As Bruh Paul says in the opening verse of that marvellous Chapter 8 of Romans: ‘There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.’ (Rom. 8:1) 

So, once we recognize our frailties, our weaknesses and sins and come to Christ for forgiveness, He doesn’t condemn us, but cleanses us and clothes us in His Holy Spirit to enable us to walk a better walk with Him as our steadfast focus. And please remember that it’s only through Christ’s death and resurrection, and in His holy name that we are even able to go to God’s throne, because God cannot stand sin. And Bruh Paul says it in Ephesians: ‘According to the eternal purpose which he purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord: In whom we have boldness and access with confidence by the faith of (in) him.’ (Eph. 3:11-12) 

Yes, it was God’s eternal purpose to redeem our sinful souls through Christ Jesus and thus give us bold and confident access to His holy presence. But please, let’s not forget that it’s only through Christ, and in His name that we can enter God’s throne room. That reminds us of Jesus words to Thomas, the doubting disciple: ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the father but by me.’ (John 14:6) And Hebrews corroborates it: ‘But Christ as a son over his own house, whose house are we, if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of hope firm unto the end.’ (Heb. 3:6) 

Oh my people, all we are talking about is only possible if we hold on tightly to the hope and faith we profess, that we boast of in Christ Jesus. For as they say, Faith doesn’t make it easy, faith makes it possible. Yes, it’s only with sure faith that we can ever hold firm and endure unto the end. And there is no better way to end today’s proceedings than with this wonderful verse of scripture from Hebrews. ‘But without faith it is impossible to please him (God): for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.’ (Heb. 11:6) 

That’s it my fellow saints! There’s no use talking about God unless we sincerely and strongly believe that He exists and also bountifully rewards those who actively seek Him. And hopefully, that’s why we are gathered here today…in faith, to seek His awesome presence! Much LOVE!

…if you know of Christ…and don’t sincerely LOVE Him…then something’s seriously wrong with you… 

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

Today’s Scrip-Bit 11 July 2021 Mark 4:40.

11 Jul 2021 Leave a comment

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

Mark 4:40.     Why are ye so fearful? How is it that ye have no faith?

Awright friends, time to get excited, hopefully we’ll be going into stage 3 of the pandemic reopening next week, meaning we can then have about fifty percent capacity in our churches. Isn’t that good news? It surely is! For the first time in over a year it might make sense to reopen, although I believe some of the pandemic regulations like masks and physical distancing might still be in place. But whatever happens, today is Sunday, which means we ought to be celebrating the Lord’s Day, by gathering technologically, hopefully not for much longer, (smile) to give Him much thanks, sing His praises and glorify His holy name. 

And, as we do each Sunday, our opening salvo is a glorious burst of worshipful song. Today’s song of worship is titled ‘Ride Out Your Storm.’ And we could not find a more appropriate song for these rather stormy times we have been recently experiencing. We are going to do the Reggae version, as done by the well-known Jamaican singer George Nooks. So, in an upbeat reggae tempo, with plenty riddim and background vocals, let’s raise our voices in sweet harmony, offering up sincere sacrificial praise to our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. 

‘Don’t give up just ride out your storm. You’ve been in the storm and it seems like forever. And your nights of confusion have been too long. Your ship has lost anchor, and the storm’s got you drifting. Just hold on to Jesus And ride out your storm (Chorus: Ride out your storm, God is there with you, you may not feel him, but you’re not alone. You’re hurting now, but your morning is coming…Lord have mercy, just hold on to Jesus and ride out your storm) Remember His promise, He said I’ll never forsake you, though the waters are troubled, they’ll do you no harm. Don’t give up the battle for your answer is coming, just hold on to Jesus, hold on to Jesus, and just ride out your storm. 

Ride out your storm God is still there with you, you may not feel him but you’re not alone. I know you’re hurting now but your morning is coming, Lord have mercy, just hold on to Jesus and ride out your storm. Oh Ride out your storm God is there with you, you may not feel him, but you’re not alone. Although you’re hurting now, your morning is coming, just hold on to Jesus and ride out your storm. You know He’ll never leave you, so just hold on to Jesus, and just ride out your storm. Hold on to Jesus, and ride out your storm.’ 

Oh friends, that was magnificent! There was no doubt in heaven that we were sincere in singing the praises of Jesus. The problem now is for us to put all that we’ve just said into action, which is much easier said than done. Yes, even for those of us with strong faith, when the violent storms of life hit us with hurricane-like force, it is ofttimes difficult to bring it to the forefront and stand strong on the promises of Jesus. But we have to do it, if we expect to overcome the storms, or merely to ride them out. And today I just want to reacquaint us with some scripture that helps us to do just that. 

So let’s start at the beginning, it’s usually the best place. (smile) That means we are going right back to the Old Testament, when the Lord brought the Israelites out of 400 hundred years of bondage in Egypt. Now what does the Good Book tells us about that mighty Exodus? ‘And they took their journey from Succoth, and encamped in Etham, in the edge of the wilderness. And the Lord went before them by day in a pillar of a cloud, to lead them the way, and by night in a pillar of fire, to give them light, to go by day and night. He took not away the pillar of the cloud by day, nor the pillar of fire by night from before the people.’ (Ex. 13:20-22) 

And the scholars inform us that ‘This glowing cloud was the shekinah glory of Yahweh (a visible manifestation of God on earth), which later filled the tabernacle (Ex. 40:35) and then Solomon’s temple (1 Kin. 8:10), and finally departed from the temple and the city just before the Babylonian captivity (Ezek. 8-11). This “glory of the God of Israel” will not return to Israel until the Second Coming of Christ (Ezek. 43:1-7), at which time the glowing cloud will once again cover God’s earthly people. But back then, it guided the people through the wilderness, assured them of God’s presence, and protected them from the Egyptians (cf. Ex. 14:19-20).’ 

Now that alone should be enough to convince us that God is always with us, and will never leave nor forsake us. But I know that we are a stubborn, hard-ears lot, (smile) so listen to Moses to those Israelites who were just as stubborn and hard-ears as us. ‘Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them (the enemies they’d meet in the Promised Land): for the Lord thy God, he it is that doth go with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.’ (Deut. 31:6) Then Moses said the same thing to Joshua, the new leader, adding at the end ‘fear not, neither be dismayed.’ (Deut. 31:8) 

And if that wasn’t enough, after Moses died and Joshua took command, the Lord Himself reassured Joshua. ‘There shall not any man be able to stand before thee all the days of thy life: as I was with Moses, so will I be with thee: I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.’ (Josh. 1:5) But they had to meditate on His word and keep His commandments; ‘for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success. Have I not commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.’ (Josh. 1:8-9) 

And nothing has changed since then my brethren, except for Jesus coming and giving us even more assurances. Like He promised the disciples and all those who believed on Him and did His work: ‘and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world.’ (Matt. 28:20b) And remember the physical calming of the storm, when they were crossing the Sea of Galilee? The disciples were terribly afraid because the boat was in serious danger of capsizing, but Jesus lay sleeping comfortably in the stern, But they awoke Him and asked ‘Master, carest thou not that we perish?’ (Mark 4:38) 

He obviously did, but He knew that there was no cause for worry since He was with them. That’s why after getting up and rebuking the wind, saying to the sea, ‘Peace be still,’ He also rebuked them by asking: ‘Why are ye so fearful? How is it that ye have no faith?’ (Mark 4:39-40) And friends, it’s the same question Jesus asks of us when the storms of life beset us and we become so terrified that we don’t know our A from our E. (smile) ‘Where is your faith? Why is it so small? Haven’t you seen and heard enough about me and My word, and know that I am the eternal calmer of storms?’ 

Yes my fellow saints, we ought to know better than to be terrified of the storms of life when we have Jesus running the show. So, I hope this li’l review will reassure us, boost our faith, and keep us standing strong and steadfast, so that we can confidently ride them out on the strong and massive shoulders of Jesus. Much LOVE!

…the greatest storm pilot there ever was…Jesus…                                                                                                    

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