Romans 8:31. What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?
Well Friends, the Canada Day party is over, time to call it a day and get back to labouring. Hope you had a fine time and did not embarrass yourself, your country or your God. (smile)
And I hear a lot of ‘steupsing’ and ‘chuhing’, but them’s the breaks my people. We can’t party all the time, work must be the rule and partying the exception, otherwise we’d soon party away all we have. And what then eh?
So let’s put our noses to the proverbial grindstone and get productive; not only physically and economically, but more importantly, spiritually. Let’s allow the Holy Spirit that dwells within us to truly lead and guide us in right decisions, directions and true Christianity, which means sincere LOVE for God and each other.
And to help us do that, I’ve been guided to make this a day of affirmations; a day for scriptures that enlighten, encourage, exhort and educate us about God, His Word and His wonderful and gracious desires for us, His earthly children. These are scriptures that help build our faith, that keep us steadfast and strong. And what better way to begin than with our Bit, a scripture that encompasses it all.
Please affirm with me: ‘What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?’
And that’s as gospel truth as we’ll ever get my people! If our God is in our corner, who can harm us eh? Not a single solitary soul, be they man, beast or evil power!
Let’s continue affirming with this popular scripture. ‘This is the day which the Lord hath made, we will rejoice and be glad in it.’ (Ps.118:24)
Then there’s this other well known one: ‘I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.’ (Phil.4:13) And what a great and true motivator that is Friends!
Now hear this other powerful affirmative scripture: ‘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) And isn’t that ever so true Friends, as so many of us can attest to!
And as I’m on this page in Romans, I might as well stay there. (smile) ‘Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that LOVED us.’ (Rom.8:37)
Wow mih breddren! Doesn’t that just boost your confidence, especially when it’s followed by this omnipotent scripture: ‘No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgement thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and their righteousness is of (from) me, saith the Lord.’ (Is.54:17)
And all God’s servants rose up in one accord with one shout: ‘All praise and glory be to Jehovah God, who made us and protects us with His strong arm! He is indeed worthy to be praised and glorified!’
Yes mih people, we do indeed serve a mighty, magnanimous, magnificent and ever-LOVING God!
Now listen to this one straight from Jesus: ‘Jesus said unto him (the father of a dumb child), If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth.’ (Mark 9:23) More words of everlasting truth and encouragement my brethren!
And why is that eh? Because ‘The things which are impossible with men are possible with God.’ (Luke 18:27) Now that Friends, is the granddaddy of all truth!
And we can’t forget the wisdom of Cousin Sol: ‘A wise man will hear, and will increase learning; and a man of understanding shall attain (acquire) unto wise counsels.’ (Prov.1:5) Yes my fellow believers, if we diligently read and meditate on God’s Word, we shall acquire wisdom and understanding, even if our formal education is limited.
But beware of this next scripture, for it’s a serious warning. ‘The fear (reverential awe) of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction.’ (Prov.1:7)
And is that ever so true, in both aspects. To truly acquire wisdom, one must first have reverence for the Lord and submit to His will, but prideful fools refuse to do that, feeling that they are sufficient unto themselves, which is the furthest thing from the truth.
And moving right along, check out this encouraging scripture: ‘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, whatever God begins in us, He will bring to fruition, right up until the day Jesus returns. His grace and mercy will never depart from believers working on His behalf. That gives us an eternal security, wherein God’s purpose for our lives will NEVER be abandoned or unrealized.
Now hear this powerful exhortation to endurance from Bruh Paul to Timothy: ‘For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of LOVE, and of a sound mind.’ (2 Tim.1:7)
Oh my people, please let’s drill that deep into our consciousness nuh, for it’s the absolute truth, and if we believe it and act on it, we’ll do ever so much better in all aspects of our lives. That’s because a lot of what we do or don’t do is based on fear; fear of the world and its evil machinations.
But please remember Jesus’ admonition: ‘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 on that awesome note we’ll close my brethren. And if you’re a true believer, then you’ll believe that and indeed be of good cheer, despite the trials and tribulations you face down here on this dark and evil earth. That’s Jesus promise and we all know that He doesn’t lie, ‘for he is faithful that promised.’ (Heb.10:23b)
So my fellow believers let’s memorize as many of those Bible verses as we can, let’s saturate our hearts and minds with them, so that they can encourage us, build our self-confidence, and keep us strong and steadfast in our faith. I pray this in Jesus’ name. Amen. Much LOVE!
…to live a true Christian life…our souls must be saturated with God’s Word…we must believe His promises…and then act confidently on them…
Today’s Scrip-Bit 2 July 2013 Romans 8:31
02 Jul 2013 Leave a comment
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Today’s Scrip-Bit 25 June 2013 Luke 1:27
25 Jun 2013 Leave a comment
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: anxiety, average rainfall, binding, Calgary, Christ, Christian faith, christianity, city of calgary, concept, disasters, drunk or sober, dumb, empowerment, engagement, enormous thanks, espousal, faithful, flood damage, flooding, God with us, gospel, human embodiment of God, Immanuel, incarnate, Jesus, mind your business, mislead, move mountains, negative news, omnipotence, prayer, progressive city, promises, prophecy, province of saskatchewan, relax, safety, Septuagint, son of god, thanks, trigger finger, true meaning, virgin, virgin birth, virginity, watered down, well-being
Luke 1:27: To a virgin espoused (engaged) to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary.
Oh Friends, this really is the year of the flood yes! Look at the above average rainfall that’s caused terrible flooding and all the other inherent disasters that’s happened this past week in Northern India and also here at home in the Western Province of Alberta.
The city of Calgary, one of the five largest in Canada, and the surrounding areas of High River and Medicine Hat, were literally under water. The newspaper claims that Calgary, possibly the country’s most progressive city, has been left in shambles. River-like torrents of water have been running down the city’s streets, and thousands have been evacuated.
Add all of that to the wicked flooding we recently saw in much of Europe and in the Western Province of Saskatchewan, and we have to admit that flood damage seems to be this year’s chosen area of disaster. And the hurricane season is just starting, so who knows what’s going to happen eh. We just have to be prepared to face whatever disaster comes our way.
And Friends, despite all the negative news, as true believers in Jesus Christ, we can all relax – well not really relax, we still have to mind our business, drunk or sober, (smile) but we don’t have to go crazy with worry, anxiety and overwhelming concern, because our God has promised to look after us in whatever situation we may find ourselves. And we all know that He’s always faithful in keeping His promises.
Besides, worry and anxiety never fix anything, just cause more problems and negative consequences. And today, please let’s give God enormous thanks for our safety and well-being, and also pray for the thousands of unfortunates who are caught up in the numerous disasters around the world.
Individually, we may not be able to do much to help them, but together we can certainly move mountains on their behalf, with the help of Jesus. So please let’s remember them in our prayers, because the day will certainly come when we’re undergoing our own disasters and need them to pray for us.
Now let’s turn to our Bit, which is the same as yesterday. ‘To a virgin espoused (engaged) to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary.’
And according to the scholars: ‘Espousal (similar to our engagement period) was, under Jewish law as binding as marriage. It lasted about a year, during which time the woman’s purity was maintained.’
Yesterday we talked about the new Norwegian version of the Good Book changing the word ‘virgin’ in Mary’s case to that of ‘young woman,’ which entirely misses the point, and thus fails to convey the fundamental aspect that Mary’s virginity had and has on the Christian faith.
Today we’ll look at two other scriptures and hear from the scholars, per the great importance and relevance of Mary’s virginity to our beliefs. And the whole virginity business began with Isaiah’s prophecy to King Ahab at an upcoming Assyrian invasion of Israel.
‘Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.’ (Is.7:14)
Then Matthew, in his gospel, referring to Isaiah’s prophecy, declares: ‘Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel, which being interpreted (translated) is, God with us.’ (Matt.1:23)
And the scholars tell us that: ‘A virgin relates Mary, the mother of Jesus, to the prediction found in Isaiah 7:14. Matthew used the Greek word, ‘parthenos’ to translate the Hebrew word ‘almah.’ His contextual usage of ‘fulfill’ is certainly indicative of his understanding the Isaiah passage to contain a definitely predictive element.
The quotation of Isaiah 7:14 follows the Septuagint (Old Testament in Greek) rendering where ‘parthenos’ is also used to translate the Hebrew ‘almah.’ There can be no doubt that the Greek term ‘parthenos’ is always to be translated ‘virgin.’
The Hebrew ‘almah’ is the most accurate and precise term for virgin used in the Old Testament. Therefore Matthew is clearly correct in quoting Isaiah 7:14 as being fulfilled in the virgin birth of Christ.
Immanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us: This is a title describing the deity of the person of the Son of God rather than a name actually used by Him. It implies God will come to dwell among His own people, which He did in the person of Christ.’
Ah Friends, some of that might be slightly confusing, but the scholars want to show how truly important the concept of Mary’s virginity and Christ’s virgin birth are to our Christian faith. And not totally acknowledging it as such, in essence denies the basic tenet of our faith; that of Christ being the incarnate (spiritually conceived) Son of God and not the physical conception of man.
In other words, Jesus was the human embodiment of God, God in the flesh of man. That means that if Mary wasn’t a virgin in the real and true sense of the word, then Jesus’ father had to be a human being, and that would totally negate all of the New Testament.
So please my brethren, let’s be careful to try and keep the true meaning of the Good Book in all we say and do, so that we don’t mislead others, or give them the wrong perspective on what our faith really is all about. And I daresay that in many modern translations that is already taking place.
But Friends and fellow believers, the Good Book MUST NOT be watered or dumbed down to meet the dumb and watered down minds of this current age. Instead we should concentrate on lifting, upgrading the minds of our young people to meet the understanding of the Good Book. Please, I implore us to make that a critical part of our outreach, our ministry.
And in closing, I’m asking us to float up a few words of prayer to heaven for the ole fella, who’s going to have some surgery this morning on his right hand to rectify a condition they call ‘trigger finger.’ Please pray for it to be successful, and that I can continue writing the Bit without missing any days, because that would be very disappointing.
I don’t know how I’m going to do it, but since our God is omnipotent, and we can do all things through His empowerment, I feel confident that He will help me find a way, even if in the natural, there seems to be none. Much LOVE!
…let’s remember that God’s Word never changes…so don’t go changing it on the whims and fancies of this fallen world…
Today’s Scrip-Bit 21 June 2013 Psalm 73:1
21 Jun 2013 Leave a comment
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: baubles and bangles, boasting, christianity, clean hearts, destiny of the wicked, divine perspective, elixir, envious, everlasting truth, extravagance, fellow believers in Christ, fellowship, forgiveness, Friday chant, fun, generous help, glorious kingdom, God is good, God's sanctuary, grin and bear it, having the last word, heart-filled faith, hungry hope, jealousy, levity, lustful eyes, mansions, merciful, peals of laughter, pride, psalm 73, refeshed in body, relaxation, renewed, rest, reverence, righteousness., sour countenances, spirituality, straight and narrow, stumbled, TGIF! Thank God it's Friday!, the last word, the weekend, trust, wait for the Lord, wickedness
Psalm 73:1. Truly God is good to Israel, even to such as are of a clean (pure) heart.
‘Oh Friends, is it really Friday already?’ I foolishly ask.
And my Friends shout back, ‘Yes it’s really Friday already! Praise the Lord!’
‘But how come it come around so quickly this week eh?’ I continued, somewhat perplexed. ‘But wasn’t it just Monday?’
‘Look nuh,’ my wonderful Friends replied, getting a tad disgruntled, ‘we don’t care how quickly it seems to come around to you nuh! We’re just glad that it come around, and we could shout and sing, ‘TGIF! Thank God is Friday, and the weekend’s here!’
All I could do at being told in no uncertain terms of their one desire was laugh and say, ‘Okay pardners, whatever you say.’
But they insisted on having the last word. ‘Yes, mih brother, whatever we say goes! Remember that eh.’
And we all burst out into big peals of laughter at our foolishness. But my people, laughter is indeed good for the soul. It’s a wonderful elixir that’s not only free, but also available all the time, any time at all. And some, or rather plenty of our Christian brothers and sisters should try using it more often, and leave their sour, very unChristian-like countenances behind.
And now that we’ve gotten some levity in our spirits, let’s chant our Friday Chant with much sincerity nuh. ‘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 ought to keep us somewhat on the straight and narrow this weekend. (smile) And we’d better not stray, because as our Bit so wisely advises us: ‘Truly God is good to Israel, even to such as are of a clean (pure) heart.’
Yes Friends, our God is indeed good to those whose hearts are clean and pure, that are set on Him and His righteousness, not on the wickedness of the world. And we have a classic example of that particular problem as the psalmist Asaph declares in his psalm, re the mystery of prosperous wickedness.
‘But as for me, my feet were almost gone (I almost stumbled); my steps had well-nigh slipped. For I was envious at the foolish (boastful), when I saw the prosperity of the wicked. For there are no bands (pangs or pain) in their death: but their strength is firm.
They are not in trouble as other men; neither are they plagued like other men. Therefore pride compasseth them about as a chain (serves as a necklace); violence covereth them as a garment. Their eyes stand out with fatness (bulge with abundance): they have more than heart could wish.’ (Ps.73:2-7)
Oh my people, that’s a very true picture of how the wicked look and how they operate! And yuh know what? When we see them driving their fancy, expensive cars, living in their big mansions, while eating and drinking of the best of everything, wearing designer duds, and showing off about it too, we often feel envious, especially if we’re have a hard time simply making two ends meet.
That’s what happened to Asaph. He was on the verge of falling, of losing his faith, when luckily he woke up to the reality of the situation. And how did he do that? ‘Until I went into the sanctuary of God; then understood I their end.’ (Ps.73:17)
As the scholars put it: ‘Not until the psalmist entered God’s sanctuary and received a divine perspective on the wicked’s prosperity did he find his answer to the problem (vv. 17-28) He saw the destiny of the wicked (vv. 17-20); therefore he repented of his foolishness (vv.21-22) and found his happiness solely in a warm and growing relationship with God (vv. 23-28)
The point of the psalm is driven home even more dramatically when remembering that Asaph, the author, was a spiritual man who grew up with deeply religious training. (1 Chr.15:16-19; 16:4-7; 2 Chr.5:12; 29-30)’
Oh Friends, I know it’s hard to just grin and bear the blatant extravagance and boasting of the wicked. Yuh see even the deeply religious and spiritual man Asaph had a hard time not falling into Lucifer’s sinful trap. But please note how he got out of it; by going to the Lord’s sanctuary and immersing himself in the Word and finally realizing the destructive end of the wicked.
‘For, lo, they that are far from thee shall perish: thou hast destroyed all them that go a whoring from thee (who are unfaithful to thee).’ (Ps.73:27)
And that’s the gospel truth Friends! So please stand strong and not let envy and jealousy of the evildoers cause you to stumble and fall, for our wonderful God has promised so much more to those who wait on Him.
Listen to how the palmist puts it in Psalm 130, superscripted, My soul waiteth for the Lord. ‘If thou Lord, shouldest mark (take note of) iniquities, O Lord, who shall stand? But there is forgiveness with thee, that thou mayest be feared (reverenced with awe).
I wait for the Lord, my soul doth wait, and in his word do I hope. My soul waiteth for the Lord more than they that watch for the morning: I say more than they that watch for the morning.’ (Ps.130:3-6)
Now that’s how we should behave my brethren! Watch and wait for the Lord with hungry hope and heart-filled faith! Let the wicked enjoy their earthly benefits, which will perish with them. Let’s say like Bruh David in Psalm 86, titled, ‘Teach me thy way, O Lord.’
He solemnly declares: ‘Rejoice (make glad) the soul of thy servant: for unto thee O Lord, do I lift up my soul. For thou, Lord, art good, and ready to forgive; and plenteous in mercy unto all them that call upon thee.’ (Ps.86:4-5)
That’s definitely, undeniable, irrevocable, everlasting truth my people!
So please, let’s not allow the flimsy and flashy baubles and bangles of the world to excite our sinful flesh and tear us away from what is true and full of substance; the Lord God Jehovah and His Word. If we stand strong, in due time we’ll be even better rewarded than the wicked, and with everlasting rewards too.
Now let’s go out with the wisest words that Asaph wrote in Psalm 73: ‘But it is good for me to draw near to God: I have put my trust in the Lord God, that I may declare all thy works.’ (Ps.73:28)
And all God’s people gave a joyous shout of ‘Praise the Lord! Amen!’ Much LOVE my fellow believers in Christ!
…when Lucifer tries to control out lustful eyes…that’s the time to give Jesus full control of our faith filled hearts…
Today’s Scrip-Bit 16 June 2013 Proverbs 3:1
16 Jun 2013 Leave a comment
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: abuse, admonition, architect of the family, bounden duty, christianity, cock of the walk, competent manner, cruelty, don't provoke your children, emotional succour, father figures, Father's Day, fatherly duties, fatherly responsibilities, forget not my law, God's eyes, good father, good understanding, harmony, human-rights, injustice, keep my commandments, lasting effects, loss of temper, LOVE, mercy, negative cycle, no vision, peace, quality time, ridicule, rules and regulations, sexual prowess, spiritual education, spiritual leadership, the people perish, titular head, training of God, trust in the Lord
Today’s Scrip-Bit 15 June 2013 Luke 24:49
15 Jun 2013 Leave a comment
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: Adam and Eve, anonymous poem, Ark of the Covenant, awesome truth, blessing, christianity, confident stand, curse, Day of Pentecost, dream dreams, everlasting truth, faith, God keeps His promises, God's good, God's honour, God's in control, gone astray, holy spirit, maturity in Jesus, mighty wind, Paradise, power from on high, promises, promises of God, prophesy, serious problems, speak in tongues, standing on the promises, surrendering our will, tongues of fire, trust
Today’s Scrip-Bit 14 June 2013 1 Corinthians 13:4
14 Jun 2013 Leave a comment
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: absolute wisdom, anger, bitterness, busybodies, christianity, detriment of friendships, envy, errant believer, error of our ways, fellowship, forgiveness, Friday chant, generous help, glorious kingdom, glory hallelujah, gospel truth, gossip, hate stirs up strife, heed God's call, hurricane season, imminent danger, itinerant musicians, jealousy, kind to each other, live in the Spirit, Love covers all sins, Love doesn't envy, Love doesnt boast, Love is kind, Love isn't arrogant, Love suffers long, multitude of sins, negative emotions, praise his holy name, qualities of Love, ramp up our faith, refreshed in soul, relaxation, rest, rising floodwaters, sacrificial blood, seek Love, sinful behaviour, sufficent fun, TGIF! Thank God is Friday, the pit of corruption, the weekend, trangressions, trust in Almighty God, truth, walk in the Spirit, walk with Christ, wisdom, wrath
1 Corinthians 13:4: Charity (LOVE) suffereth long, and is kind; charity (LOVE) envieth not; charity (LOVE) vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up.
Oh Friends it’s Friday! And some workers gathered around a group of itinerant musicians, raucously applaud: ‘TGIF! Thank God is Friday! The weekend’s here, and work soon done. Ah say, thank God is Friday yes!’
Today’s Scrip-Bit 13 June 2013 1 Corinthians 13:4
13 Jun 2013 Leave a comment
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: 1 corinthians 13, burned body, charity, Christ's sacrifice, christianity, clanging cymbal, denominations, divide and conquer, divisions, divisiveness, earthly journey, easily provoked, eternal death, faith, feed the poor, few are chosen, first shall be last, getting along, gift of prophecy, gospel truth, harmony, have not Love, hypocrites, I am nothing, immaterial stuff, iniquity, knowledge, last shall be first, live in unity, Love doesn't envy, Love doesnt boast, Love God, Love is kind, Love isn't arrogant, Love makes the world go round, Love never fails, Love ourselves, Love suffers long, many are called, memorable words, pettiness, petty differences, prince of darkness, rejoices, separation, singing God's praise, sounding brass, speaking in tongues, stop fighting, the body of Jesus, the church, the Good Book, the Love Revolution, the number one ingredient, thinks no evil, to move mountains, truth, understand all mysteries, wisdom, wound Jesus' heart
1 Corinthians 13:4: Charity (LOVE) suffereth long, and is kind; charity (LOVE) envieth not; charity (LOVE) vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up.
Oh Friends, how good, right and pleasant it is for the followers of Jesus to live in unity with each other, continually singing the praises of our God, Creator, Provider and heavenly Father, the way the birds do all day long!
And they certainly were in fine and full voice when I arose this morning. Unfortunately though, instead of unity and harmony, we have more divisions and divisiveness in the body of Jesus Christ, the church.
Ah Lord eh mih breddren! How that must hurt and wound Jesus’ heart to see His people, the ones He so selflessly sacrificed His holy and sinless life for, not getting along, especially over petty, immaterial stuff.
We talk a lot about LOVE, but please read, note, mark, inwardly digest, remember and put into action these most memorable words of Bruh Paul to the Corinthians in the LOVE chapter of the Good Book.
‘Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity (LOVE), I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling (clanging) cymbal.
And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith; so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity (LOVE), I am NOTHING.
And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity (LOVE), it profiteth me NOTHING.’ (1 Cor.13:1-3)
And why is all that the gospel truth Friends? Because of our Bit. ‘Charity (LOVE) suffereth long, and is kind; charity (LOVE) envieth not; charity (LOVE) vaunteth not (does not brag on) itself, is not puffed up (arrogant).’
Yes my people, LOVE is the number one ingredient of life!
Why? It’s simple: ‘(LOVE) Doth not behave itself unseemly (rudely), seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil (keeps no accounts of evil); Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth;
Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things. Charity (LOVE) never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail (cease); whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away (cease).’ (1 Cor.13:5-8)
Yes Friends, LOVE NEVER FAILS!
But everything else does at some time or another, be they the ability to prophecy, to speak in tongues, or be a fount of great knowledge. All of those will eventually pass away, but NOT LOVE, NEVER LOVE!
That’s why we talk about LOVE makes the world go round, because without it, our world is just one angry, evil, hateful warlike place.
And that’s another reason why we so desperately need the LOVE Revolution to pick up steam and bring not only unbelievers to Christ, but also His supposed people together unto themselves and unto Him, so that we can truly say that charity, LOVE isn’t failing, because right now in our troubled, confused and angry world, IT IS FAILING.
I ask us again Friends, how do we think Jesus feels when He looks down from heaven and sees us arguing and bickering amongst ourselves over foolishness, instead of truly taking His Word, His LOVE, and His Unity across the whole wide world to all mankind?
If the followers of Jesus would just stop fighting amongst themselves the world’s LOVE quotient would increase by at least 25 percent, because there is so much distrust and dissension amongst the body of Christ, in and around His church.
Oh my fellow believers, can’t we see that we’re doing Jesus a great disservice by not living the LOVE we talk so airily and carelessly about? It draws the name HYPOCRITE writ large on our backs, when we can’t get along in simple, everyday life, despite our petty differences.
And the basic foundation of our faith, of Christianity, is the getting along, the harmony and unity of one body, which, though it consists of several parts, none is more important than the other, but they all work together to bring about the success of the whole.
But sadly, as the world, with the prince of darkness at its helm, moves forward, Christ’s people are being lured by the enemy into more separation and division.
Oh my people, please see that the enemy’s focus, his ploy, is the age-old ruse of divide and conquer! It’s much easier to conquer us when we’re divided into small, warring groups, than when we live in harmony as ONE, in a great big, united body, with a powerful leader like Jesus at our helm.
Unfortunately though, we designate ourselves first by denomination; Catholic, Anglican, Pentecostal, Seven Day Adventists, Jehovah Witnesses, etc. instead of by our basic faith, Christians in the body of Christ, better known as Christianity. That alone causes untold dissension.
Oh my brethren, I don’t have all the answers to our problems, but this I know, that until and unless we all come together in one big, melting pot, as Christianity is meant to be, and stop fighting amongst ourselves for earthly supremacy, we’ll continue to fight a losing battle. The enemy will just sit by patiently and pick us off one by one, like a sniper on a rooftop, with his enemy nicely spread out in panic before him.
Oh Friends, Jesus told us that the two most important things in this life were to LOVE God and to LOVE ourselves. Is this how we LOVE ourselves; in resentment, anger and enmity? That’s surely a poor reflection on Jesus’ command.
And it follows logically, as John says; how can we LOVE God, whom we’ve never seen, if we can’t LOVE our fellow man, whom we have seen eh? (1 John 4:20) That’s an impossible task!
So today, all I can do is reiterate the need for the greatest revolution that has ever swept the earth, the LOVE Revolution, based on the sacrifice of Christ’s life given for us, without which, many of us will never see God’s face at the end of our earthly journey.
So please consider ourselves warned: no LOVE here on earth, means no seeing God in heaven! As Jesus so wisely warned too: ‘So the last shall be first, and the first last: for many be called, but few chosen.’ (Matt.20:16)
And that’s unadulterated wisdom and truth that all of us should seriously consider, if we truly want to see God in the latter days. Much LOVE!
…he who hath ears to hear…let him hear NOW…else the price he’ll eventually pay…will be astronomical…that of eternal death…
Today’s Scrip-Bit 9 June 2013 1 John 4:8
09 Jun 2013 Leave a comment
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: a little bit of LOVE, allegiance, Alpha and Omega, anger, best thing, charity begins at home, Christ's Church, christianity, compassion, crux of the matter, decency, Emmanuel, entertaining angels, escalation of ongoing wars, evils of the world, exceeding abundantly, forgiveness, God is LOVE, greed, hatred, high priest, hypocrites, Jesus Christ, let your light shine, LOVE, LOVE in action, LOVE one another, LOVE Revolution, mercy, praise and thanksgiving, pride, prince of peace, propitiation for our sins, right heart, rumours of wars, sacrifical blood, sacrifice, salt of the earth, show Love, sppression, standards of excellence, strife, substantial change, suppression, the world's going to the dogs, thoughtfulness, treat strangers decently, true christianity, undeniable truth, walk the talk
1 John 4:8. He that LOVETH not knoweth not God; for God is LOVE!
Oh Friends, family, neighbours and enemies, this is Sunday, the day when many of us go to church to worship God! But that doesn’t seem to be helping us nuh, because our world is still going to the dogs, and very quickly too.
Obviously one day a week is just not sufficient for us to pour out praise and thanksgiving, for every day there’s more talk about the escalation of ongoing wars and rumours of new wars starting up. There’s plenty of strife, anger, hatred, greed, pride, persecution, suppression, oppression and all the other negative things – but NO LOVE!
And that’s just unacceptable my people. Our world needs a LOVE Revolution in the worst way! My brethren we need one bad, bad, bad – and right now too! And the sad part is that it won’t take much LOVE to straighten out most of the problems nuh. But unfortunately we can’t seem to find any true LOVE at all.
Remember what B.J. Thomas says in his song? ‘A little bit of LOVE is better than no LOVE at all.’ So all we’re looking for to start us out on the right foot Friends is just a l’il bit o’ LOVE. And we’d be surprised at the substantial change that just a l’il LOVE would make. But for some reason we can’t seem to get around to that, however we do seem to find the time and effort to revel in the inappropriate evils of the world.
Oh my people, yuh see what our Bit says: ‘He that LOVETH not knoweth not God; for God is LOVE!’ And that’s the undeniable truth!
So if, as we claim, we believe in God, then we ought to have LOVE for God and also for each other. And not only have LOVE, but more importantly SHOW it! My family will tell you that one thing I’ve always tried to drill into their heads is that you just can’t talk LOVE, you have to SHOW it, because just talking it does no good to the hearer, they need to feel it too, for true Christianity is simply LOVE in action.
That’s why unbelievers view us as a bunch of hypocrites, because we only talk the talk, but don’t walk it. Just look at how Jesus showed His LOVE for us nuh; by selflessly sacrificing His sinless life for our sinful ones.
The Good Book describes it thus: ‘In this was manifested the LOVE of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him. Herein is LOVE, not that we LOVED God, but that he LOVED us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.’ (1 John 4:9-10)
And if that’s not real true LOVE Friends, then I don’t know what is.
And hear this next verse nuh mih people. ‘Beloved, if God so LOVED us, we ought to LOVE one another.’ (1 John 4:11) And therein lies the crux of the matter my brethren. Too many of us out there in the world, in the body of Christ’s church claim to LOVE, but sadly, we don’t show it.
And here’s what the scripture says about that: ‘If a man say, I LOVE God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that LOVETH not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he LOVE God, whom he hath not seen? And this commandment have we from him, That he who LOVETH God LOVE his brother also.’ (1 John 4:20-21)
And yuh know what my people, Jesus isn’t asking us to die for anybody, although that could be a very LOVING and Christian thing to do. All He’s asking of us is a l’il thoughtfulness, a l’il caring, a l’il decency, a l’il compassion, a l’il mercy and a l’il forgiveness, which, when all put together, equals a L’IL LOVE!
Oh my fellow believers, what’s so hard about that eh? And it doesn’t even have to be anybody outside, although it’s good to treat strangers decently, for unawares we might just be entertaining angels. (Heb.13:2) But we can begin right in our own family, for as the old people were won’t to say, ‘Charity begins at home.’
And that is the gospel truth! For if you can’t LOVE the people closest to you, how can you LOVE somebody you don’t know anything about, although it’s quite possible in true Christianity.
So my brethren, what do you all have to say about all that eh? Are we going to do this LOVE Revolution thing?
I vote very vociferously that we should, because it’s a perfect win-win situation. We have absolutely nothing to lose, and absolutely everything to gain. So come on nuh, please join with me, starting today, in fact RIGHT NOW, let’s pledge our LOVE and allegiance to the LOVE Revolution in the name of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Saviour, Prince of Peace, King of Kings, Lord of Lords, Alpha and Omega, our Emmanuel, our Advocate, and don’t forget our High Priest… Wow!
So let me put it to you this way then mih people; if a man with all those awesome and amazing titles – and I’m sure I’ve left out some – gives up His innocent life for your evil one, then plays all those rather important roles in your life, why wouldn’t you want to associate with Him eh? Especially if when you associate with Him from a right and decent heart and motive, He will lift you up, exalt you more that you can ever expect or imagine. The Bible terms it: ‘unto him that can do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us.’ (Eph.3:20)
Oh Mama Mia! How could I not want to be a part of all that nuh! No way José! I want to get in on the ground floor of that LOVE Revolution, because it’s the BEST THING this world has to offer!
So let’s say this pledge together nuh Friends. ‘Oh Jesus, today I pledge my allegiance to You and Your LOVE Revolution! I promise to do my very best to work towards the high standards of excellence you seek for those who desire to join your movement. Please help us to fulfil all your desire. We pray this in Your Name and on Your sacrificial blood. Amen.’
So we’re all official members of the LOVE Rev. Club now people! (smile) Therefore, let’s go out into the world and let our light shine, be the salt of the earth, show them what real LOVE is all about, what Jesus is truly about, by helping and serving those in need. For that was Jesus’ purpose here on earth; to serve, not to be served. And we’d do Him proud by continuing in that same humble and righteous vein.
So let’s glorify Him by both walking and talking the Christian talk. And all God’s people cried a loud ‘Amen!’ Much, much LOVE mih breddren!
…if God is LOVE…and shows LOVE…then God’s children should be LOVE…and show LOVE too…
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