Today’s Scrip-Bit 27 March 2021 John 10:10b.

27 Mar 2021 Leave a comment

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

John 10:10b.     ​I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.

So it’s finally Saturday, and we’re either sleeping in, getting ready to do piled up household chores, or getting ready to go out and do the grocery shopping that we also couldn’t do during the work week. But whatever it is we’re doing, even if it’s just nothing, please remember that our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ is always right there with us, leading, guiding, encouraging and LOVING us, through the indwelling power of His amazing Holy Spirit! 

And for that, we ought to be eternally grateful, because no other faith is guaranteed what we Christians have: the LOVE, mercy and grace of Jesus, that brings forgiveness of sins, and eventually leads to eternal life in heaven with Him. We indeed have the best of all worlds! So let’s give sincere thanks and do our best to walk holy as we go about His business today nuh, so that others can see Christ in us and be encouraged to come to Him, because that’s what He desires of us, His ambassadors, His agents, His foot soldiers! And all God’s children said ‘Amen!’ 

Now let’s look at the quotes our friend Anselm sent us this week, as he aspires to inspire us for a better tomorrow. And the first one says: ‘If you do not change direction, you might end up where you are heading.’ Yes friends, you can be pretty sure that if you don’t veer away from your current direction, you will end up where it’s leading. For you certainly can’t be going in one particular direction and expect to end up other than where it’s headed. 

Consequently, this next quote puts it all into the proper perspective. ‘We can’t be afraid of change. You may feel very secure in the pond that you are in, but if you never venture out of it, you will never know that there is such a thing as an ocean, a sea.’ And that’s the gospel truth! Too many of us prefer to stay in our comfort zone rather than step out of it and risk disappointment or trouble. But trouble and disappointment can, and will find you wherever you are. That’s for sure. 

The problem with staying securely in your comfort zone is that you will never really see the beauty and treasures that life really holds. That’s because life only opens up to those who truly seek it, who step out and look for it. Remember what Jesus said: ‘Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock and it shall be opened unto you.’ (Matt. 7:7) Yes my people, that’s also what life expects of us; to come seeking it. All its beauty and treasures won’t just drop in your lap if you stay safe and comfortable. The same thing goes for our Christian beliefs; we have to step out and show others Christ in us. 

And that brings us to this next quote: ‘The changes we dread most may contain our salvation.’ Now that’s no lie my brethren! Ofttimes, the change(s) we are most afraid of are the ones which hold the best end result for us. But that’s just life; the best things are usually the hardest to do and achieve. For whatever reason, life just doesn’t do easy as much as we would like it to. So we can’t run from it, if we want to enjoy it. We have to join the fray; get involved, handle whatever comes against us with a good attitude, with God’s help obviously. 

It’s the only way to live the abundant life that Christ says He came and died for us to have. And if you don’t believe me, listen to Him tell it. ‘The thief (that’s Satan) cometh not but for (except) to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.’ (John 10:10) And that abundant life is one filled with a heavenly perspective, trusting and surrendering to Jesus, walking in the Spirit, and letting its fruit blossom forth in our lives as we journey on to heaven and eternal life. And we can only do that if we are not afraid of change. 

So we move on to the next quote that says: ‘It is not the strongest of the species that survive, nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change.’ And that’s true to a great extent since life changes whether we want it to or not. For example, we grow older and more infirm every day, although we don’t want to. (smile) But the ones who handle aging the best are those who realize the predicament and make the necessary changes so that they can still be productive. You eat as healthily as possible, get as much exercise as possible, pray and show LOVE as much as possible. 

Now that doesn’t mean we must change just for change’s sake. And that’s why I have an issue with our last quote. ‘We must be impatient for change. Let us remember that our voice is a precious gift and we must use it.’ I thoroughly disagree with the first statement. We should not be impatient for change, because all change is not necessarily good or timely change. And that’s one of the major problems in our world right now: everybody’s hollering for change! But look at all the problems that change has caused us in the last little while nuh, especially with the worldwide explosion of social media, where so much negative stuff is now being disseminated. 

Change is good to the extent that it improves our lives, and that does not mean making us fat or fatter and lazier, as has been the case in the last few years. We have so many helpmates nowadays, that we end up doing very little for ourselves, and that’s no good for the species, for as the saying goes, ‘if you don’t use, it you’re going to lose it.’ And that’s exactly what’s been happening to the human race. We haven’t been using all of our faculties and bodies, thus we are steadily losing the ability to function without all of our helpmates. 

And with the hasty pursuit of A.I. (Artificial Intelligence) we’ll soon lose even more, as we are required to do even less. You can see it already in platforms like what’s app, where after a few messages, they can almost write one for you. So, soon, we won’t even have to think any more, the machines will be doing it for us. And what do you think will happen to our minds and brains eh? They’ll simply atrophy. We’ll lose the ability to use them. Now is that what we desire for our species? Certainly not! 

Too much easy life is no good. That’s why societies fall into disarray and ruin, after having reached a pinnacle of work and productivity. Then they just sit on their fannies and enjoy the good life. But if everyone does that, the society crumbles. Life is strange that way. We work hard to rise to the heights, and when we get there, thinking there’s nothing left to achieve, we just allow it to fall apart. 

But that’s not what Jesus expects of his people, of His church my brethren! Our voices are precious, and He expects us to use them to be productive on His behalf right to the very end, even to our last breath, encouraging others to come to Him. So please my fellow believers, let’s stand up strong for Jesus nuh! Let’s allow our voices to be heard loud and clear for what we believe in, and don’t pursue change just for the sake of change. It’s not good for our species, or what God desires for us. Much LOVE!

…change is necessary…but not all change is good… 

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

Today’s Scrip-Bit 6 February 2015 Mark 6:34‏‏‏

06 Feb 2015 1 Comment

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

Mark 6:34.   And Jesus, when he came out, saw much people (a great multitude), and was moved with compassion toward them, because they were as sheep not having a shepherd: and he began to teach them many things.

Aye mih Friends, is Friday, the Friday before Carnival Friday…! And you know the standard response to that:

‘Oh TGIF! Thank God is Friday! Work soon finish for this week, then is party time on the weekend! Mama Yo! Next weekend is Carnival, so we playing mas from now till then! Thank God for Fridays yes!’

And you better believe that statement of playing mas from now to next week, because that’s what many people are going to do; party every night from now till Last Lap, when Carnival finishes, two Tuesdays from now. That’s the standard modus operandi from way back when. And I can tell you from personal experience that it’s a very interesting situation. Hn, Hn!

Anyway, we all know that’s not the godly way to carry on, so let’s chant our simple Friday Chant which gives us a better perspective. All together now: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through another week of work! It hasn’t been easy, but with your generous help, I made it through.

Now, please help me to get sufficient fun, fellowship, rest and relaxation in these two short days off, so that I can be renewed and refreshed in soul, body and mind, to go back out and do it all over again next week, furthering your glorious kingdom with each step I take. I pray this in Jesus name. Amen.’

Now that’s the approach we ought to use towards the weekend! So please let’s rein in our ungodly lustful appetites and have some circumspection re our behaviour, for that’s what the Lord desires of us.

And as per the lateness of today’s Bit, I really can’t be blamed, that lies at the duchess’ door. Just as I was about to start writing it this morning she woke up and asked if I was ready to go to the market. Now I had promised to take her, but didn’t really expect her to get up so early, so when she surprised me, I had no choice but to keep my promise. (smile)

Would you believe that we’ve been here for over a week and this is the first time we were going into town? Hn! We left home around 9 o’clock to go into the bustling capital city of Scarborough. And believe me, it was truly bustling today, it being Friday and a big tourist ship had recently docked in the port.

We encountered a traffic jam just outside of town, which slowly wended its way down to Wilson Road where I turned to go into the market. Now to me that’s the new market, although it’s been there for many years.

When I talk about the market, I mean the old one up town. Obviously there was no parking anywhere close by and I drove around until I found a spot behind the Library, to me the new Library, because my Library was uptown too, near to the old market. (smile)

Anyway, we walked around the market, looking for my half-brother Hamer, who sells in there, and whom we had been unsuccessful in contacting, but apparently he wasn’t there today. So we just continued walking around buying stuff, half of which we had never intended to buy, but once we saw it, decided we needed it.

An hour or so later, after having a coconut water, we finally exited the market, loaded down with several bags. It was now a bit of a jam to get out of the city, but we stopped at the Esplanade to check out my sister’s-in- law flower shop.

Thankfully, we found her there, and there was much joy in the reunion, though it was somewhat reduced when we learned that my brother was in the U.S preparing to undergo surgery for some vein problems in his legs. May the Good Lord be with him, and cause the surgery to be successful.

We visited for a while, then when we were leaving, we asked her about a good place to eat, and she pointed to a place, Jattan’s, just over the street. We walked over there and stuffed our faces, then left for home, where we arrived around one o’clock, and obviously the ole fella had to rest from such exhausting activity. (smile)

I even managed to talk the duchess into lying down, which she usually doesn’t do during the day. Next thing yuh know, we’re both fast asleep, and I’m getting up after three, and the duchess just woke at four. And that’s why the Bit is so late.

‘And Jesus, when he came out, saw much people (a great multitude), and was moved with compassion toward them, because they were as sheep not having a shepherd: and he began to teach them many things.’ And like Jesus did, I’m expecting you all, in your Christian belief, to have compassion on me. (smile)

Ah Friends, as we’ve been saying for the last few days, compassion is one of the biggest things, if not the biggest thing, that we’re lacking in this cruel, evil, ungodly world. We don’t seem to care a whole lot about people again. Just look at the hunger, poverty and homelessness that surrounds us, in a world where there is more than enough for everyone! Steups!

But as the old adage goes, the rich are indeed getting richer, while the poor are getting poorer. And unfortunately, the rich don’t seem to give a damn about the poor! Just look at how they are throwing people out of work every day, to improve their bottom line, their profits.

No one’s thinking about increasing productivity to increase profits, just cutting costs, which means cutting employees. Ah Lord eh! But they still expect those people to exist, to eke out some low level of subsistence and to buy their products.

Chuh! The cruel governments are also making it harder for unemployed people to receive Unemployment Insurance by increasing the time line for qualifying for it. What evil jerks!

That’s why Friends, as a society, we have to very seriously think about turning back to our godly roots, finding Jesus and putting Him back at the forefront of our lives where He belongs. For He is the only one who seems to have compassion for the lost and floundering.

Listen to this heart-moving scripture nuh. ‘But when he (Jesus) saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion on them, because they fainted (were weary), and were scattered abroad, as sheep having no shepherd.’ (Matt.9:36) And isn’t that the gospel truth my Friends! We’re all running around like chickens with our heads cut off, like dumb sheep without a guiding, caring and compassionate shepherd. And the best shepherd there is, is none other than Jesus!

Hear the scripture continue: ‘Then saith he (Jesus) unto his disciples, The harvest truly is plenteous, but the labourers are few; Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth labourers into the harvest.’ (Matt.9:37-38)

Oh my brethren, Jesus is talking about the great amount of unwashed, unsaved, ungodly in our society, and we, His true and faithful followers, are the ones expected to go in and help reap the harvest of souls that’s there ready for harvesting. So please let’s do what’s expected of us nuh. And the first thing we have to do in reaping the harvest is show care and compassion to the unfortunate and needy ones.

So again, I plead with us to get up off our fat, complacent fannies and do some serious reaping of the harvest as is expected of us by our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. That’s what it means to be a true follower of Christ, a true Christian.

So let’s throw off the bushels, the shades from our lights, so that they can shine brightly in a darkened world, and increase the salt in our souls so that we can successfully accomplish the work that Jesus has called us to do. That’s the wisdom of heaven! Much LOVE!

…Jesus died to save us…now we need to tell others about His saving grace…

 

 

 

Today’s Scrip-Bit 24 June 2013 Luke 1:27

24 Jun 2013 Leave a comment

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

Luke 1:27.    To a virgin espoused (engaged) to man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary.
 
Oh my beautiful fellow believers in Christ, it’s Monday! It’s also the first Monday in the official summer period of our northern seasons. And what a day it’s forecasted to be; thirty degrees Celsius, with a mixture of sun and rain!
 
So please make sure to put on your sun screen if you plan on being out and about much in the sunshine, but also remember to walk with your trusty umbrella, just in case the rain catches you off guard, because it’s being doing that a lot recently. 
 
I experienced it up to yesterday afternoon. I was getting dressed to go out and it was bright sunshine outside, but some fifteen minutes later though when I emerged, yuh better believe it was raining. 
 
Anyway, since there’s not much we can do about the weather, except dress suitably for it, let’s get up and get our act together. And to put us in a positive and godly state of mind, let’s sing our Monday Morning Battle Hymn with a large dollop of excitement and enthusiasm!
 
As one loud and harmonious voice now: ‘Oh Lord God Almighty, Creator of the universe and all therein! We, your humble servants, praise your Holy Name and thank you that this Monday morning we have jobs to go to; jobs we don’t like, jobs that are unfair, difficult and even dangerous, but which serve a useful purpose here on earth; keeping lives and families together.
 
We also thank you Father for the renewed vitality and enthusiasm you’ve wrought in our weary souls over the last two days. It’s that rejuvenation of Spirit which allows us now to sally forth with confidence into the evil, ungodly world that surrounds us, to begin a new week of work, constantly buffeted and bombarded by the enemy’s wicked taunts, wiles and lies.
 
But heavenly Father, we’re not afraid, for we know we’re invincible, sure conquerors, once we’re wearing your powerful, protective spiritual armour. We surrender our all to you, and humbly ask that you let your incredible aura of LOVE, the Holy Spirit, lead and guide all your servants as we go out to meet the enemy in battle.
 
Fill us with steadfast faith, so that we can make worthwhile inroads into the enemy’s ranks, and thereby further your glorious kingdom. We pray this in the Holy Name of your Son, and our Saviour, Jesus Christ. AMEN!’
 
There we have it Friends, the catalyst to get us going this Monday Morning!
 
Now here’s our Bit: ‘To a virgin espoused (engaged) to man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary.’
 
I’m sure some of you are wondering why I chose that particular scripture for our Bit today, since it’s usually associated with the birth of Jesus at Christmas. But there is indeed method to my madness, my brethren!
 
Earlier on, I was reading an article in the newspaper which stated that recently in Norway, a new and modern version of the Good Book had been printed in the Norwegian language, coinciding with an upsurge in Christian activity in the country. Now that’s certainly wonderful news, but the example of the modern terminology they used in the article certainly didn’t sit well with me. Instead of saying or specifying that Mary, the mother of Jesus was a ‘virgin,’ they chose to refer to her as a ‘young woman.’
 
Ah Lord eh! What’s wrong with us in these supposed modern times eh? We seem to think that everything that’s old has to be changed, wiped out or replaced. And though some of that might be true, in this particular case, nothing could be further from the truth. That’s because Mary’s virginity, her not having laid with a man, is paramount to our Christian beliefs.
 
And though ‘young woman’ in Mary’s day might have conveyed a connotation of virginity, in these times of excessive sexual freedom, it most definitely doesn’t, because the supposed young women are having sex at an earlier and earlier age.
 
Here’s how the scholars put it: ‘One of the historic fundamentals of the faith is the virgin birth of Christ. It begins with the supernatural conception of Jesus Christ in the womb of Mary without the seed of man. The miraculous birth is verified by the statement that she was a virgin when she gave birth to Christ (Matt.1:23-25) By means of the Virgin Birth, Jesus Had the human nature of his mother and the sinless, divine nature of His Father.
 
Illustration: Those who deny the Virgin Birth tend also to deny His deity, so must necessarily question the integrity of the Scriptures. Application: The miracle of the Virgin Birth involved the yieldedness of Mary. This attitude is reflected in her last recorded words, which are a good standard for Christians today, “Whatsoever he (Jesus) saith unto you, do it” (John 2:5) ‘ 
 
And is that ever so true Friends; whatever Jesus tells us to do, we ought to do it!
 
So, having said all of that, it simply means that to those reading the Good Book for the first time in their lives, if they use the new Norwegian version, then they will have no understanding of the great importance of Mary’s virginity to the whole story of Christianity. And that I believe is doing a grave injustice to the both the new readers, as well as the substance and fundamental foundation of our faith. 
 
Anyway, we’ll stop there for today. But both the scholars and I have some more to say on the subject, which hopefully we’ll say tomorrow, the Lord in favour. Till then though my people, let us walk safely under the mighty protective wings of our omnipotent God, diligently doing His will, as we walk steadfastly in our faith, for that’s indeed the measure of our wisdom! Much LOVE!
 
…any attempt to bring God’s Word into the language of the 21st century…MUST ENSURE…that the true meanings are not lost in the translation…
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Today’s Scrip-Bit 27 February 2013 Psalm 21:6

27 Feb 2013 Leave a comment

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

Psalm 21:6.     For thou hast made him most blessed for ever: thou hast made him exceeding glad with thy countenance.

Oh Friends, it’s now the hour just before the dawn, long celebrated as the darkest hour of the night. But contrary to that statement, my area right now (4.30 a.m) is bright and beautiful, as everything is covered in a dazzling display of virgin snow. Even the leafless trees are shrouded in white, as the strong wind has them doing an uptempo dance to its unrelenting beat. The housetops, roads and cars parked there are also covered with the white stuff. It won’t stay beautiful for much longer though, as mankind begins to traverse his difficult and unruly way through it. As promised by the weather forecasters, it began in the early evening. When I went out for a few minutes around 7.30 p.m. it was merely wet snow. However, by 10 p.m. everything and everywhere was completely covered in white, looking beautiful, but in reality ever so treacherous and deceitful, like so many other beautiful things …and people… in our tumultuous world. And I certainly know who’s not going out there today! (smile) Don’t want to risk another unfortunate experience like the one I suffered in the last big snowfall a few weeks ago. Yes Friends, no more slipping and sliding, damaging my old car, getting stuck in my driveway and the lane. No siree! Oh Brother, I forgot that today is Wednesday; Bible Study day! But we’ll see how the weather and road cleaning shape up by Bible Study time in the evening. Anyway mih people, despite all the roadblocks that are put in our way in this earthly pilgrimage, we still need to live the life that Jesus desires of us. It’s only when we write His Word deep in our hearts, minds and souls, then live it out in our actions, that we can confidently say we are true believers in and followers of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. And here I’ll share a li’l poem about that, by Eva Rose York (1858-1935), editor, teacher, organist and composer in western Ontario. It simply says: ‘I will not pass this way again; Then let me now relieve some pain, remove some barrier from the road, or brighten (lighten) someone’s heavy load.’ Oh Friends, it’s so touching in its simplicity, but yet so poignant with its message to Christians, as it encapsulates our Christian beliefs in those few words…show you care and help somebody. It can be a sort of mantra for us my brethren. I believe I’ve shared it before, but it’s says so much about us, that I felt compelled to share it again, especially in these rough times when we believers are less caring and action oriented that we ought to be. That brings us to our Bit, grateful words of Bruh David from Psalm 21, superscripted; Praise for victory. ‘For thou hast made him most blessed for ever: thou hast made him exceeding glad (joyful with gladness) with thy countenance (presence).’ Oh Friends, that state of thankfulness comes with the territory; surrendering one’s life to the Lord, putting your absolute hope, trust and faith in the ONE who created us. It shows maturity and true wisdom; a stage that as true believers we should all be striving for. Hear how Bruh David continues after our Bit: ‘For the king trusteth in the Lord, and through the mercy of the Most High he shall not be moved (shaken).’ (Ps.21:7) Awesome words of truth, my brethren! Oh how I desperately wish our leaders and those in power could gain such wisdom and the amazing power, grace and mercy that go with dedicating one’s life to walking with Jesus! What a wonderful place our world would be! But unfortunately the powers of darkness and the evildoers who currently rule the roost will not bow out or give up the fight very easily. But that’s why Bruh David is also confident that: ‘Thine hand shall find out all thine enemies: thy right hand shall find out those that hate thee. Thou shalt make them as a fiery oven in the time of thine anger; the Lord shall swallow them up in his wrath, and the fire shall devour them.’ (Ps.21:8-9) Yes Friends, when we walk sincerely with God, our enemies are defeated, either exterminated or brought low as our footstools. (Heb.10:13) With that also go these words from Psalm 45; A psalm for the king’s marriage. ‘Thou LOVEST righteousness, and hatest wickedness: therefore God, thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above they fellows (companions).’ (Ps.45:7) Ah mih people, our God blesses us intentionally when we keep Him uppermost in all we do, especially if we’re people of privilege and power. And we’ll end with another verse of truth and wisdom from Bruh David, from Psalm 16, where he seeks preservation and blessing. ‘Thou wilt show me the path of life: in thy presence is fullness of joy: at thy right hand there pleasures for evermore.’ (Ps.16:11) Yes my fellow believers, all those things are entwined and embedded in our lives when we choose to walk with Almighty God, our wonderful Creator and Caretaker! Today, let’s raise our level of involvement with Him nuh, as true wisdom dictates. Much LOVE!…only when we associate closely with God…will our wrongs be made right…and our enemies be defeated…forever…  P.S. This weather is really crazy yes! Would you believe it’s raining now (6 a.m) turning the snow to slush. Let’s hope it washes away everything before the temp falls later and it all turns to ice. Please be careful all of you who have to go out there. And if you don’t have to go, don’t go! (smile) Much LOVE!