Today’s Scrip-Bit 16 March 2021 Romans 15:5.

16 Mar 2021 Leave a comment

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

Romans 15:5.     Now the God of patience and consolation (comfort) grant you to be like-minded one toward another according to Christ Jesus:​

Well, at last, and I breathe a sigh of relief, after all sorts of interruptions and annoyances – none really detrimental, we can finally get down to business with the Lord’s work! (smile) And it’s a cold, cloudy morning in my area, but the ole fella’s heart and spirit are bright and warm with the amazing LOVE of Jesus Christ flowing through it! 

Wow! I just hope that all of you out there are experiencing the same joy and fire that I’m experiencing, for that’s the only thing that will successfully get us through these turbulent and destructive times! Oh friends, our world badly needs Christ and all that He has to offer and all that He is, if we hope to solve our current problems. 

And today, I want us to look at something that’s oh so important to all of us, something called ‘unity in Christ.’ That simply means accepting Christ as Lord and Saviour, then behaving in the manner He desires, walking together, in brotherly LOVE, not in dissension and disunity. But let’s hear how Bruh Paul said it to the church at Rome nuh, he puts it much better than I can. (smile) 

Read with me: ‘We then that are strong ought to bear the infirmities (weaknesses) of the weak, and not to please ourselves. Let every one of us please his neighbour for his good to edification (to being built up). For even Christ pleased not himself; but as it is written, The reproaches of them that reproached thee fell on me.’ (Rom. 15:1-3) 

And the scholars explain those verses thus: ‘15:1-3. Strong ought to bear the infirmities of the weak: The strong brother is morally obligated to take the initiative and bear with the weak brother in those things that bother him. The stronger brother must forego his liberty for the good of the weaker, so he is not offended or impaired in his spiritual life. The best example is Christ, who took our sins upon himself.’ 

And I can hear some steupsing and grumbling from some of us because we don’t agree that we should be our brother’s keeper, and should not allow his weakness to affect our lives. But look at this way nuh friends: What did Christ do for us eh? As our strong, big brother, He took the weight of all of our sins on His sinless shoulders so that we could be reconciled to the Father and gain salvation rather than eternal damnation! 

Now wouldn’t you say that’s going a whole lot further than any of us are expected to go in helping the spiritual growth of our fellow man? It certainly is! And yes, it’s not always easy to subjugate our feelings, our emotions and actions to those of our weaker brothers and sisters in Christ, but that’s what is expected of us, and it’s what we must strive to do. I know we won’t always be successful in doing it, but the important thing is that we have to try, have to get our hearts with the right motives, though our actions might be a bit off kilter. 

And these words of Christ ought to inspire and remind us of our great privilege and responsibility. That night in the Garden of Gethsemane, before His crucifixion, when He went to pray. He said to His disciples: ‘My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death: tarry ye here, and watch with me. And he went a little farther, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt.’ (Matt. 26:38-39) 

Oh my people, do you think Jesus really wanted to face the painful and oh so agonizing death on the cross? Obviously not! But because the Father desired it on our behalf, He ceded His will to the Father’s! Now, if we can’t cede our will sometimes, in much less difficult circumstance for our fellow brethren in Christ, then we don’t deserve to be called Christians! 

What could ever be a better example of unity and brotherhood and LOVE, than ‘the Righteous One dying a substitutionary death for guilty mankind?’ And the simple but impeccable, faultless and perfect answer is NOTHING!’ So let’s look to getting rid of our selfish and petty scruples when it comes to helping our fellow brethren in Christ nuh. 

And as Bruh Paul continues to the Roman church: ‘For whatsoever things were written aforetime (beforehand) were written for our learning, that we through patience (perseverance) and comfort of the scriptures might have hope.’ (Rom. 15:4) Yuh see that friends! The scriptures were written so that we could have hope and comfort and cultivate faith and patience through perseverance and endurance. 

Oh my fellow saints, the entire Christian faith and belief is based on endurance and perseverance, because it’s not an easy life to lead, especially in this evil world ruled by the prince of darkness, Satan himself! Jesus didn’t have it easy, and He assured us that we wouldn’t have it easy either, but with true grit and firm, faithful belief in Him, we could do it. 

Listen as He reassures us: ‘These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.’ (John 16:33) And that’s the gospel truth my brethren! Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ has overcome the world by defeating hell, death and the grave and wresting the keys of death from Satan through His awesome resurrection on that first Easter morn. So there’s nothing left to fear from the toothless tiger, the devil only has power when we give it to him. 

And Bruh Paul ends his li’l speech with these most important words. ‘Now the God of patience and consolation (comfort) grant you to be like-minded one toward another according to Christ Jesus: That ye may with one mind and one mouth glorify God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.’ (Rom. 15:5-6) And that’s how it ought to be friends; living in unity, glorifying our heavenly Father, for that’s His number one purpose in creating us. 

Now for those of us who have accepted that role, let’s go home declaring (steupsss!) our Tuesday Mantra, proudly and loudly letting the whole world know who and whose we are. Altogether now: ‘In God’s eyes, I’m not what I do. I’m not what I have. I’m not what people say about me. I am the beloved of God, that’s who I am. No one can take that from me. I don’t have to worry. I don’t have to hurry. I can trust my friend Jesus and share His LOVE with the world. Amen!’ 

So then, what we waiting for eh? Let’s get a move on, let’s start sharing that awesome LOVE of our trusted friend Jesus! Much LOVE!

…the number one stumbling block in today’s church…selfish, petty dissension and disunity… 

Today’s Scrip-Bit 6 February 2021 John 15:20a.

06 Feb 2021 Leave a comment

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

John 15:20a.     If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you:

And a good, lazy Saturday morning to you my Scrip-Bit friends and family, wherever you are in God’s great universe! Hope that you are having better weather than my snow-bound, bleak neighbourhood, but it’s all a part of life in this great country of Canada, so we’ll handle it with the aplomb of Jesus. (smile) 

Anyway, there’s some good news to share today; our friend Anselm has been resurrected. Yes, he’s risen from whatever ailed him, and he’s sent us a full slate of quotes this week. A couple of them though are so highly politicized that I have no answer for them, so I’ll just throw them out there and let you draw your own conclusions. And we’ll get those out of the way early. 

The first one says: ‘I LOVE Trinidad and Tobago more than any other country in the world, and, exactly for this reason, I insist on the right to criticize her perpetually.’ Yes, Anselm was born in T&T and apparently he still has a great affection for it, but what am I supposed to say about his claim that he has the right to criticize her in perpetuity eh? 

I don’t know if you LOVE a country a lot that it gives you the right to criticize it. What I do know though is that we need to be very careful in our criticism, especially in these times of much negative opinions and criticism on all sorts of fronts,  because most of us never know the full story behind whatever we are criticizing. 

So although our criticism might look good and sound true, ofttimes it’s not the whole truth or even much of the truth and consequently can lead a lot of people astray, just like what’s happening on social media today with all the lies, half-truths and disinformation being bandied about there. It’s so bad in the U.S, that it’s causing rebellious tendencies there. So please be very careful with your criticism. 

Then there’s this: ‘To announce that there must be no criticism of the Prime Minister, or that we are to stand by the Prime Minister, right or wrong, is not only unpatriotic and servile, but is morally treasonable to the Trinidad and Tobago public.’ There we go again with the criticism regarding T&T. Brother Anselm must be in a real T&T frame of mind! (smile) 

And again, all I can say is that our criticism must be fair, honest and truthful, though standing by the leader of a country, even when they are wrong, is not doing the country any positive service, just making matters worse. That’s been recently proven right down in the U.S of A, with ex-President Donald Trump making so many incorrect, lying and prejudicial statements that it has caused a large division and much disunity in the country. 

Now listen to this one: ‘I do this real moron thing, and it’s called thinking. And apparently I’m not a very good Trinbagonian because I like to form my own opinions.’ My buddy Anselm seems intent on getting me into trouble with my fellow Trinbagonians. (smile) But thinking is a good thing, more of us should try it. (smile) 

However, it’s also possible to overthink a situation, which could lead to personal opinions that are not welcomed by others. And again, let me remind us that before we form opinions, or better yet mouth them, we must be in full possession of all the facts. Sadly though, especially in governmental circles, the real truth, the true facts, are very difficult for the ordinary citizen to gather. All we usually get is a lot of hearsay and the unsound opinions of others. 

Now don’t think that the other two quotes aren’t politically inclined nuh, but they can be handled biblically. And this is the first of the last two. ‘If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor. If an elephant has its foot on the tail of a mouse and you say that you are neutral, the mouse will not appreciate your neutrality.’ 

That last part is obvious; the oppressed are never impressed with neutrality. The first part is a tad trickier, although as a believer, once we see injustice our sense of justice should rise up and cause us to consider ways to right the obvious wrongs. How does the saying go? If you are not a part of the solution, then you are a part of the problem. 

Likewise, if you see injustice been perpetrated and you say or do nothing, for whatever reason, it will certainly appear that you are on the side of the oppressor. But friends and followers of Jesus, we have been instructed by Jesus Himself to follow justice and to right wrongs wherever possible. 

As He said to the Pharisees. ‘But woe unto you, Pharisees! For ye tithe mint and rue and all manner of herbs, and pass over (neglect) judgement (justice) and the LOVE of God: These ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone (without neglecting the others).’ (Luke 11:42) 

Yes friends, our God is a God of justice. Why do you think He sacrificed Jesus to pay for our sin debt eh? Because His just character would not allow sin to be forgiven without full payment, for the wages of sin is death (Rom. 6:23), and without the shedding of blood, there can be no forgiveness of sins. (Heb. 9:22) 

And these two scriptures tell the story in spades. ‘Learn to do well (good); seek judgement (justice), relieve the oppressed (correct oppression), judge (bring justice to) the fatherless, plead for the widow.’ (Is. 1:17) And Micah, puts it very plainly. ‘He hath showed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the Lord require of thee, but  to do justly (justice), and to LOVE mercy (kindness), and to walk humbly with thy God.’ (Mic. 6:8) 

And that brings us to our last quote: ‘It is dangerous to be right in matters on which the established authorities are wrong.’ And that’s oh so true! Jesus is also a very good example of that. He came to earth to bring justice and salvation, to heal the sick, care for the poor and release the captive slaves of darkness. All these things went against the very grain of the both the ruling Romans and their Jewish lackeys. 

So what happened? Jesus found Himself on the wrong side of the authorities because His philosophy did not match theirs. Consequently, although He had done no wrong, but simply because He was disturbing the rulers’ easy life, He was labelled a traitor, an insurrectionist and quickly removed from their sight by crucifixion. 

Please note too friends, that as believers in, and followers of Christ, we are often on the wrong side of the authorities, so we too can also expect persecution and problems just because of that. Jesus warned His disciples, and consequently us, of the world’s hatred. 

‘Remember the word that I said unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you: if they kept my saying, they will keep yours too. But all these things will they do unto you for my name’s sake, because they know not him that sent me.’ (John 15:20-21) 

That brings it all to the forefront my brethren. Remember, we are supposed to be in the world, but not of the world, and that very fact alone will cause us problems. So be prepared, but also remember that Christ has already overcome the world, so please be of good cheer. Much LOVE!

…eventually…right is always stronger than might…so in wisdom…please look to Jesus… 

Today’s Scrip-Bit 14 February 2016 John 15:12

14 Feb 2016 Leave a comment

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

John 15:12.   This is my commandment, That ye LOVE one another, as I have LOVED you.

HAPPY  VALENTINE’S  DAY !

Well friends and neighbours, a Happy Valentine’s Day to all! 

Let me start by apologizing for the Bit being this late, but after I came from church this morning, I had breakfast, some good tasting bake and saltfish that I bought at church, then feeling tired because I didn’t sleep too well last night and was still up early, I decided to have nap, which seems to have turned into more than just a nap. Hn, hn!  Anyway, that’s my excuse, and I’m sticking to it. (smile) 

Now, a few days ago, while playing a CD in the car this tune suddenly came up, and I remembered sharing it sometime aback, then got this zeppo – yuh know how I get my zeppos (smile) – that it was time to share the song again because it was still relevant, possibly even more so, to the troubling times that we are currently going through. 

The song I’m talking about is one called ‘Streets of Fire,’ sung by Dobie Grey, a Black American R&B singer off the album ‘The Very Best of Dobie Grey.’ Some of you might remember him with hits like ‘Drift Away’ and ‘The In Crowd’ way back in the late 70’s and early 80’s. 

When I first shared the song, it must have been about twenty years old at least, and I just discovered that I shared it way back in October of 2008, so that adds another 7 years to the age. 

But brothers and sisters in Christ, it is still a powerful song and one that is ever so appropriate on this Valentine’s Day of 2016, when the word, and hopefully the actions we’re sharing are based on LOVE! 

Now listen to these momentous and heart-stopping words, and let them resonate with us as we hear them. 

‘Have you heard the song of silence, filling up the night? Have you watched the flames of anger burn? Something isn’t right. But you and I can stop the madness. Doesn’t matter who’s to blame. No. Together we can change, Streets of fire, to peaceful roads. Cease all the violence, let the healing waters flow. The veil of hatred can be lifted from our eyes, when the mighty gates of LOVE open wide. 

Well in the heartless feud and violence, oh the many stand to lose. We can rise above indifference, or all stand accused. Faith can move mountains, but the faithful must be strong, along the way, as we journey on, Streets of fire, to peaceful roads. Cease all the violence, let the healing waters flow. The veil of hatred, can be lifted from our eyes, when the mighty gates of LOVE open wide. 

There will always be someone, who just won’t agree. But your LOVE and my LOVE, can take us down, these Streets of fire, to peaceful roads. Why can’t we cease all the violence, and let the healing waters flow? The veil of hatred can be lifted from our eyes, O when the mighty gates of LOVE open wide…when the mighty gates of LOVE open wide. Streets of fire…to peaceful roads…Streets of fire…to peaceful roads.’ 

Yes Friends, it’s disconcerting that words written so long ago, are still so applicable and relevant today. Nothing much has changed. We’re still fighting each other, for no good reason; The veil of hatred hasn’t been lifted, we only talk peace, but never do much about bringing it to pass. 

The world is possibly more strife filled and warlike than it’s ever been, but today my fellow believers, we have the golden opportunity, through OUR LOVE, to lift that veil, to rise above all the indifference, because if we don’t, we’re all going to lose. 

We need to stop the madness, all the senseless violence, regardless of who’s right or wrong, and open those mighty gates of LOVE, so that our descendants can walk peaceful roads instead of streets of fire. 

And as the song so poignantly declares: ‘Faith can move mountains, but the faithful must be strong, along the way, as we journey on.’ 

And isn’t that the gospel truth my brethren! It’s one of our biggest problems in these trying times; the faithful are not standing up strong and steadfast as we ought to. 

That brings us to our Bit for today; more poignant and heart stopping words, this time from Jesus, our own very Lord and Saviour, as He prepares the disciples to continue His earthly ministry. ‘This is my commandment, That ye LOVE one another, as I have LOVED you.’ 

How much simpler and straightforward can it get eh my people? Not much. But strangely enough, we tend to look askance at simple things and consider them unimportant, just because they are so simple. But our Lord and Saviour was a simple man, giving simple advice and as His followers it is our duty to follow it. 

Unfortunately though, we are not doing it as well as we should. Where is there more strife and turmoil than in Christ’s church eh, with all the different religions and denominations, all claiming to be the right one, etc. etc? 

And truthfully friends, I don’t know how to get us to show more LOVE to each other than by reiterating the words of Jesus Christ. ‘A new commandment I give unto you, That ye LOVE one another; as I have LOVED you, that ye also LOVE one another. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have LOVE one to another.’ (John 13:34-35) 

So tell me my supposed brothers and sisters in Christ, is the world seeing and knowing that we are disciples of Christ? Only to a rather small extent, because we are not showing that high degree of LOVE to each other that we are supposed to show. And you can’t really blame the world for not wanting to come to Jesus after they see how we behave and treat each other. 

Ah friends, sometimes it seems like we’re fighting a losing battle, but the good news is that Christ has already overcome the world. However, we still have to do our part in the partnership; live and talk like we are truly Jesus’ disciples, otherwise His great sacrifice would have all been in vain. 

So my people, on this first Sunday in Lent, when Jesus went to the wilderness to fast, to prepare Himself for ministry, which also happens to be Valentine’s Day, when the world celebrates a form of LOVE, I implore us to sincerely get with the programme; that of truly living in LOVE, the way Jesus desires us to, not the way we think we should. I can’t say more than that. Much LOVE!

…it’s definitely time to let the healing waters flow…on the numerous problems that are dragging down our world…