creativity | SCRIP-BITS

Today’s Scrip-Bit 1 December 2022 John 14:15.

01 Dec 2022 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: a future and a hope, abundance, all things work together for good, be of good cheer, called according to His purpose, Chritain brotherhood, courage, creativity, curse, faith, favour, foundational scripture, God is not a man that he should lie, God's amazing faithfulness, He shall give you another Comforter, I go to prepare a place for you, i have overcome the world, I know the thoughts I think toward you, I will come to you, I will not leave you comfortless, if ye love me keep my commandments, in my Father's house are many mansions, Job didn't curse God, leave you as orphans, LOVE, negative word, Peace i leave with you, rain and cloudy skies, snow and sunny environs, Thursday Blessings, to give you an expected end, to them that love God, traces of white

John 14:15. If ye LOVE me, keep my commandments.

And I have to open today’s Bit on December first, 2022, with a chuckle. Why you ask? Because yesterday we were talking about the rain and snow situation in our northern climate, and were somewhat surprised but very appreciative for seeing rain and not snow, but noting that the white stuff will certainly come in due course. Well, some of it did come last evening as the rain ended. Not much, but enough to leave traces of white on the lawns and housetops this Thursday morning as the sun shines brightly in an unclouded sky.

That’s what amuses me: one day rain and cloudy skies, next day snow and sunny environs. But that’s simply how the cookie crumbles, and you just have to learn to take it as it comes, both the good and the bad. That’s why Job didn’t curse God and carry on nasty when the Lord allowed the devil to bring down his earthly fortunes and destroy his family. And though it’s never easy to accept the bad, especially after a season of good, if we sincerely believe in the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, we must also have the faith to understand God’s ways, how He operates in the lives of His people.

And the first step in doing that is accepting this foundational scripture that Bruh Paul wrote to the church at Rome. ‘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) Yes friends, our great God has promised that in the end, He will make all things right for those who put their sincere trust in Him. He doesn’t promise that life will be a constant bed of roses or a Sunday afternoon stroll in the park, but the ending will surely be worthwhile.

And to further strengthen our faith we need to remember these magnificent words of Jeremiah on the Lord’s behalf. ‘For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil (calamity), to give you an expected end (a future and a hope). (Jer. 29:11) Now why would He make such a promise if He didn’t intend to keep it eh? That brings us to another important aspect of our faith; to understand and believe that our God does not lie.

Listen as the Bible informs us: ‘God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? Or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good? Behold I have received commandment to bless: and he hath blessed; and I cannot reverse it.’ (Num. 23:19-20) Oh my people, after LOVE, faithfulness is perhaps God’s greatest attribute! He WILL NEVER renege on a promise! He does exactly what He says! And we need to understand that in spades, if we intend to loyally follow and fellowship with him.

And if you’re still uncertain about following God based on His promises, or you think all we’ve said so far is simply Old Testament stuff, then listen to these marvellous New Testament promises from our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ and let your faith soar! First off is this promise of the Holy Spirit. ‘If ye LOVE me, keep my commandments. And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter (Helper), that he may abide with you for ever. Even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you. I will not leave you comfortless (as orphans): I will come to you.’ (John 14:15-18)

Wow mih bredrin! What a marvellous promise! Jesus was going back to heaven but promised His disciples and future followers that He would be with them through the indwelling presence of the third person of the Holy Trinity, the Holy Spirit, which so excitingly happened at the Pentecost celebration some fifty days after Jesus ascended back to heaven. And you can read all about it Acts chapter 2; as His followers sat together, and a sound from heaven broke into the room, like a rushing mighty wind, and cloven (divided) tongues of fire appeared and sat on each of them, and the Holy Spirit filled them all up, and they began speaking in various languages!

Mama Mia! That’s how our Christian church was born! What a marvellous and exciting moment that must have been. But my people, it all hangs on our believing in Christ Jesus and on our growing in faith in Him! And that is brought into question right after He promises the coming of the Comforter, the Holy Ghost, when He declares: (yesss!!!) ‘Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.’ (John 14:27)

And all of that follows what He had earlier said to them. ‘Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many mansions (dwellings): if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go to prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.’ (John 14:1-3) And that’s why we’re following Hs commandments, growing our faith and ever watching so closely for His return, that we could be with him in heaven or wherever He is forever!

Now there’s one last promise of Jesus that seals the deal. He says: ‘These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.’ (John 16:33) Yes my fellow saints, our Lord and Saviour has overcome the world, defeated Satan and all his iniquity workers, and it’s just a matter of time before they are destroyed forever, while we will enjoy eternal life with the Lord!

And if all that doesn’t lift your faith, then check out what we call our Thursday Blessings, that’s been bestowed on us to do the work God has enlisted us to do down here. And since they must be declared (awright!!!) out loud for them to be activated, let’s do that right now, as one loud and sincere voice.

Altogether: ‘I declare that I am blessed with God’s supernatural wisdom and receive clear direction for my life! I declare today that I am blessed with creativity, courage, talent and abundance! I am blessed with a strong will, self-control and self-discipline! I am blessed with a great family, good friends, good health, faith, favour and fulfillment! I am blessed with success, supernatural strength, promotion and divine protection!

I am blessed with a compassionate heart and a positive outlook on life! I declare that any curse or negative word that’s ever been spoken over me is broken right now in the name of Jesus! I declare that everything I put my hands to, will prosper and succeed! I declare it today and every day! Amen!’

Now let us go out and use those blessings wisely and generously as Jesus desires of us. And I do hope that all we’ve spoken of today will encourage us, and bring a refreshing breath of life to our faith! Much LOVE!

…without an abundance of hope, faith and LOVE…there can be no Christian brotherhood…

Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZJ

Today’s Scrip-Bit 17 November 2022 Hebrews 11:6.

17 Nov 2022 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: a compassionate heart, a crown of righteousness, a harbinger, bear thee up, by faith, by it the elders obtained a good report, cast thyself down, clear sailing, common sense, courage, creativity, curse, dash thy foot against a stone, endure to the end, faith in a nutshell, faith is the substance of things hoped for, give his angels charge over thee, God is faithful, he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him, he that cometh to God, in their hands, it is written, Jesus will always be with you, LOVE, must believe that he is, negative word, no temptation has overtaken you, prosper, rocket science, succeed, such as is common to man, surrender to God, the evidence of things not seen, the Son of God, thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God, Thursday Blessings, trust, without faith it is impossible to please God

Hebrews 11:6. 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.

It’s Thursday, the penultimate day of our work week, and possibly a harbinger of what our weekend will be like; snow filled! (smile) My computer tells me that snow is in the offing. And if that’s so, then the winter weather is here to stay, meaning we had better get used to it as soon as possible, for we might just be in for a long, cold season.

But as the familiar saying goes, ‘Who cares eh?’ Not us believers in Christ Jesus, for once you have Jesus in your life, it will be clear sailing. (smile) Well that’s not totally true, the sailing will not always be clear, but Jesus will ALWAYS be there to guide and protect you and bring you out safely from any tough times. That’s His promise!

Listen to Bruh Paul in his first missive to the church at Corinth. ‘There hath no temptation taken (overtaken) you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.’ (1 Cor. 10:13)

What a marvellous God we serve my people! He will allow temptations to come against us, to test our faith and our backbone, but He will always be there in the wings ready to help us if we falter, either finding a way for us to escape it, or by giving us His divine help to overcome it.

But, as with everything else in the Lord’s kingdom, that requires, belief, faith, trust, surrender and good communication with our God. And also remember what the psalmist said in Psalm 91, subtitled ‘God is a refuge and fortress,’ long before the coming of Jesus.

Read these words of glorious promise with me. ‘Because thou hast made the Lord, which is my refuge, even the Most High, thy habitation (dwelling place); There shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling. For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in thy ways. They shall bear (lift) thee up in their hands, lest thou dash (strike) thy foot against a stone. Thou shalt tread upon the lion and adder (cobra): the young lion and dragon (serpent) shalt thou trample under feet.’ (Ps. 91:9-13)

And if you don’t believe the psalmist, then check out Jesus’ conversation with Satan when He was tempted in the wilderness. That’s the scripture he used to inveigle Jesus to throw himself down from the pinnacle of the temple. ‘And (Satan) saith unto him (Jesus), If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down: for it is written, He shall give his angels charge over thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone.’ (Matt. 4:6)

Yes friends, Satan knows scripture, better than us to boot, for remember he was once the archangel Lucifer, and probably even had a hand in helping to write it. And that’s why He knows exactly where to strike to get us to do his evil bidding. But like Jesus we must refute his arguments with scriptural refutations. (smile) What was Jesus’ reply to Satan’s entreaty? ‘Jesus said unto him, It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt (test) the Lord thy God.’ (Matt. 4:7)

Now Jesus refutation comes directly from Deuteronomy 6:16, where Moses lectured the Israelites on the sorrows of disobedience to God’s laws. And I like to add to it, ‘neither shall thou tempt (test) the children of God.’ (smile) Oh my people, living for Jesus in this evil, sin-filled world can be difficult, but if we hold strong to our faith, then He will enable us to come through with shining colours and eventually receive that crown of righteousness that Bruh Paul told Timothy awaits all those who endure to the end with Jesus. (2 Tim. 4:8)

And the author of Hebrews tells us thus about faith. ‘Now faith is the substance (realization) of things hoped for, the evidence (conviction) of things not seen.’ (Heb. 11:1) That simply means we hope for what we don’t see, but by faith, strong trust in God, believe that it will come to pass. And then the author of Hebrews goes on to tell us that it was by faith that the elders received a good report. (Heb. 11:2)

Yes, saints of Christ, it was indeed by faith, strong trust in Jehovah God, that all the forefathers of our faith did what they did, and that set the stage for us. Consequently, the writer of Hebrews can further tell us: ‘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)

And that my fellow believers is our faith in a nutshell. We must believe that Jehovah God exists, and that He rewards those who diligently seek Him and thus obey His laws. Matter fix! And it’s not rocket science, but simple common sense. Although common sense seems to have gone the way of the dodo bird in these current times. (smile)

Now, here is the continuation of that promise from Psalm 91, which ought to lift up our faith even more this Thursday morning at the beginning of winter. ‘Because he hath set his LOVE upon me, therefore will I deliver him: I will set him on high, because he hath known my name. He shall call upon me, and I will answer him: I will be with him in time of trouble; I will deliver him and honor him. With long life will I satisfy him, and show him my salvation.’ (Ps. 91:14-16)

Wow mih bredrin! Yuh see what the Lord promises to do for those who believe that He exists and the rewards He will offer to those who faithfully serve and revere Him! And He’s doing it every day of our lives with the blessings, the mercies and the grace He bestows on us that we don’t deserve. And there’s this particular group of blessings that we call our Thursday Blessings, which we need to activate by declaring (awright!!!) them out loud.

So let’s do that right now nuh. As one strong and sincere voice: ‘I declare that I am blessed with God’s supernatural wisdom and receive clear direction for my life! I declare today that I am blessed with creativity, courage, talent and abundance! I am blessed with a strong will, self-control and self-discipline! I am blessed with a great family, good friends, good health, faith, favour and fulfillment!

I am blessed with success, supernatural strength, promotion and divine protection! I am blessed with a compassionate heart and a positive outlook on life! I declare that any curse or negative word that’s ever been spoken over me is broken right now in the name of Jesus! I declare that everything I put my hands to, will prosper and succeed! I declare it today and every day! Amen!’

And having activated those blessings, it’s now our bounden duty to go out and use them for the betterment of our world and to bring others to Christ! Much LOVE!

…life is all about Almighty God…belief in…hope…faith…trust and total surrender to Him…

Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZJ

Today’s Scrip-Bit 10 November 2022 Proverbs 21:13.

10 Nov 2022 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: a compassionate heart, a modicum of circumspection, a positive outlook on life, abundance, be kindly affectioned one to another, be not overcome of evil, bring others to Christ, brotherly LOVE, creativity, cry himself but not be heard, curse, do unto others as you want them to do to you, fervent in spirit, forgive every one their trespasses, have life more abundantly, he that loveth pleasure shall be a poor man, he that loveth wine and oil shall not be rich, in honour preferring one another, life is like a boomerang, love not sleep lest thou come to poverty, LOVE Revolution, negative word, not slothful in business, open thine eyes, overcome evil with good, recompense to no man evil for evil, self-control, serving the Lord, talent, Thanks be to God, the Big Library, the cry of the poor, the motto of heaven, thou shalt be satisfied with bread, Thursday Blessings, we reap what we sow, whoso stoppeth his ears

Proverbs 21:13. Whoso stoppeth his ears at the cry of the poor, he also shall cry himself, but shall not be heard.

And then it was Thursday! Another glorious day in the life! Thanks be to God! Ah friends, I wonder if most of us realize how blessed and privileged we are to be seeing another day on God’s great earth eh? Yes, we certainly are, since many others did not get that same blessed privilege and we can read their names in the obits. And I’m sure that many of them expected and wanted to awaken this bright sunshiny autumn morn, but unfortunately didn’t. That’s why it’s ever so important to enjoy each and every day that we see the light of God shining through the darkness.

Now I’m chuckling here as I just opened the Big Library, for the Bible is not simply a Book, but a Library with numerous Books in it. So, I just opened the Library and it opened unto a very interesting and most appropriate word of advice from Cousin Sol. He wisely advises: ‘LOVE not sleep, lest thou come to poverty; open thine eyes, and thou shalt be satisfied with bread.’ (Prov. 20:13) And is that ever the gospel truth my people! However you want to take it, literally or metaphorically, too much sleep will eventually bring us despair. But if we get up and get, follow the Lord’s will for our lives, then we will be blessed with untold prosperity.

Remember Jesus said that He came to die for us that we could have life, and have it so abundantly till it overflows. Well, we can’t get that abundant life by just sitting on our fannies, enjoying our past laurels, expecting it to just happen on its own. No, we have to do something useful in Jesus’ name to get that abundant life.

And Bruh Paul corroborates Cousin Sol’s words when he tells the Romans: ‘Be kindly affectioned (affectionate) one to another with brotherly LOVE; in honour preferring (giving preference to) one another. Not slothful in business (lagging in diligence); fervent (boiling over) in spirit, serving the Lord.’ (Rom. 12:10-11) Yes friends, that’s the kind of attitude and behaviour we ought to display if we’re true believers in Christ Jesus!

And by the way, here’s another wonderful tidbit from Cousin Sol. ‘He that LOVETH pleasure shall be a poor man: he that LOVETH wine and oil shall not be rich.’ (Prov. 21:17) So that’s another no-no in the search for the abundant life. Nothing’s wrong with pleasure, wine and oil in moderation, for they are all a reward for our labour, but to focus steadfastly and only on them is a definite disaster waiting to happen. And we all know people, even believers who have fallen into that trap of the devil and are shaking it rather rough.

Now, the sad and unfortunate thing about our failures and mistakes is that they don’t affect just us, the individual, but it flows right through our families, friends, and associates. They all are affected in some manner by our wrong choices and unwise behaviour. That means it’s ever so important that we be very careful about our lifestyles, and live them as Jeeves was won’t to say, ‘with a modicum of circumspection.’ (smile) And that brings us to this next tidbit I just espied in Cousin Sol’s works. (smile) He says: ‘Whoso stoppeth his ears at the cry of the poor, he also shall cry himself, but shall not be heard.’ (Prov. 21:13)

Oh my people, that’s the motto of heaven itself! In other words, we reap what we sow! And Jesus said it this way: ‘Judge (condemn) not, that ye be not judged. For with what judgement (condemnation) ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete (use), it shall be measured to you again.’ (Matt. 7:1-2) Yes friends, life is like a boomerang; whatever you send out, good or bad, it comes rocketing back to you eventually.

But, unfortunately, many of us don’t take that basic concept into consideration when we look for revenge or try to do wrong to someone else. That’s why Bruh Paul said to the church at Rome. ‘Recompense (repay) to no man evil for evil. Provide things honest in the sight of all men (have regard for good things)…Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.’ (Rom. 12:17, 21)

Now my brethren, if we are as wise as we ought to be (smile) that should touch our very hearts and souls and wake us up to the reality of the evil and wrongdoing that’s so pervasive in many of our lives and the world in general. Remember the portrait Jesus painted in Matthew 18 when He spoke of forgiveness, with the servant who owed his master a lot of money but could not repay it, so he begged the master for mercy and the master granted him a complete withdrawal of all debt.

However, the same servant who was shown such incredible mercy responded by locking up a fellow servant who owed him a pittance. His fellow servants brought the matter to his master’s attention. And the master wailed on the unforgiving servant: ‘O thou wicked servant, I forgave thee all that debt, because thou desiredst (begged) me. Shouldest not thou also have had compassion on thy fellow servant, even as I had on thee? And his lord was wroth (angry), and delivered him to the tormentors (torturers), till he should pay all that was due unto him. So likewise shall my heavenly Father do also unto you, if ye from your hearts forgive not every one his brother their trespasses.’ (Matt. 18:32-35)

Unfortunately though, forgiveness is not a big thing in our world these days, but the truth of the Golden Rule has always been with us, and will always be. Listen to how Jesus says it nuh. ‘Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets.’ (Matt. 7:12) And oh, if we would only live by that rule even a li’l more than we’re currently doing, our world would be such a wonderful place!

Anyway, it’s Thursday and the Lord has given us tools to try and bring those wise and godly attributes to our fellow man, tools we call our Thursday Blessings. However, they have to be declared (steups!!!) out loud for them to be activated. So, let’s do that right now nuh, in strong and sincere voice. ‘I declare that I am blessed with God’s supernatural wisdom and receive clear direction for my life! I declare today that I am blessed with creativity, courage, talent and abundance!

I am blessed with a strong will, self-control and self-discipline! I am blessed with a great family, good friends, good health, faith, favour and fulfillment! I am blessed with success, supernatural strength, promotion and divine protection! I am blessed with a compassionate heart and a positive outlook on life! I declare that any curse or negative word that’s ever been spoken over me is broken right now in the name of Jesus! I declare that everything I put my hands to, will prosper and succeed! I declare it today and every day! Amen!’

Now, let’s go out and use those tools to bring others to Christ, or at least to teach them to forgive and do unto others as they wish others to do unto them! That’s the least we can do. Much LOVE!

…why do we always seek forgiveness and goodness…but are so reluctant to grant them…

Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZJ

Today’s Scrip-Bit 27 October 2022 James 5:13.

27 Oct 2022 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: a compassionate heart, ask and it shall be given to you, confess your faults one to another, consume it upon your lusts, courage, creativity, curse, divine blessings, forgivenss, grace, if he have committed sins they shall be forgiven, is any among you afflicted let him pray, is any merry let him sing psalms, Jehovah Rapha, LOVE, mercy, negative word, pray one for another, propser, seek and you shall find, succeed, the effectual prayer of a righteous man availeth much, the God who heals, the prayer of faith, the wages of sin is death, Thursday Blessings, time to revert to godliness, ye ask and receive not because ye ask amiss

James 5:13. Is any among you afflicted (suffering)? let him pray. Is any merry (cheerful)? let him sing psalms.

Well my Scrip-Bit friends and family, what’s up with you this Thursday autumn morn eh? I sincerely hope that my missive finds you all in good health, and if not, that you are getting good medical help as well as prayer from your fellow believers. For, as James, Jesus’ brother, writes in the Good Book: ‘Is any among you afflicted (suffering)? let him pray. Is any merry (cheerful)? let him sing psalms. Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord.

And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him. Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual (effective) fervent prayer (supplication) of a righteous man availeth much.’ (James 5:13-16) And all of that to say, that prayer is also extremely important in the life of a believer when he or she is sick. We all run to the medical people, or the medicine cabinet as soon as we feel somewhat off kilter, but friends, the first place to run is always to Jehovah Rapha, the God who heals.

Now, He might send us to the medicine cabinet or the doctor, but it is ever so important to get Him involved in whatever sickness we are experiencing. For though we have come a long way in terms of medical technology, there are many times when man and man-made medicine can’t cure our illnesses, but Almighty God certainly can, if He so desires. It’s happening all the time around our world, where doctors sign off on patients, claiming they can’t do any more for them, but eventually through faith and prayer they get healed.

So, it’s not like it doesn’t or can’t happen. Much of the time it’s because we don’t try, that’s ask for divine healing, or we don’t believe that we will get it. Remember Jesus’ admonition. ‘Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.’ (Matt. 7:7) And James corroborates his brother’s words by stating: ‘…ye have not because ye ask not.’ (James 4:2) And even when we ask: ‘Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts (pleasures) . (James 4:3) So my people, persistent asking, seeking and knocking isn’t always successful unless our motives are right, because God looks at our hearts before He contemplates our pleas.

Anyway, getting back to our subject of healing through prayer. Here’s what the scholars say on those verses above: ‘One of the Old Testament names of God is Yahweh-Rapha, meaning “The Lord That Heals You” (Ex. 15:26). Illustration: The healing power of God is evidenced in a number of instances in Scripture. God heals by preserving health (Deut. 8:4), and advising good nutritional habits (Ex. 15:26; Lev. 11) and a healthful life-style (Lev. 12-14) and through the application of medical treatment (James 5:14), forgiveness of disease-causing sin (Num. 12:13), and the prayer of faith (James 5:15).

Application: Although God does not always choose to heal, He sometimes does. When a Christian is sick, he should confess his known sins, and God may heal him if the sickness is caused by sin. He may also be led to ask his elders to anoint him with oil and pray for his healing. Some diseases experienced by Christians today could be prevented by trusting God as Yahweh-Rapha, and allowing Him to deal with those things in their lives causing stress, anger, and worry. (First Ref. Ex. 15:26; Primary Ref. James 5:14-16; cf. Matt. 19:14)’

Now, that should certainly give us much food for thought, especially with the way sickness is still paralyzing our world despite our high level of medical technology. And I think it’s imperative to quote this very meaningful verse of scripture that the scholars referenced above. It comes after Moses made bitter water sweet for the Israelites at Marah after all their complaining. He said to them: ‘If thou wilt diligently hearken to the voice of the Lord thy God, and wilt do that which is right in his sight, and wilt give ear to his commandments, and keep all his statutes, I will put none of these diseases upon thee, which I have brought upon the Egyptians: for I am the Lord that healeth thee.’ (Ex. 15:26)

Now, that should give us even more food for thought. Remember all the plagues that the Lord sent down on Egypt because Pharaoh refused to set the Israelites free? Like the plague of blood, where all the water in Egypt was turned to blood, the plagues of frogs, of lice, of boils, of darkness, the death of the first born of every Egyptian family, which led to the Jewish Passover, still celebrated to this day, because Jehovah Rapha saved the sons of the Israelites by getting them to put the blood of an unblemished lamb on the lintels of their doors, and the angel of death ‘passed over’ those doors that had blood on them.

Consequently, for argument’s sake my brethren, let’s look at the kind of life we are currently living; sinful, disobedient, idol worshipping, denying the authority, even the existence of Almighty God, then put that in context with what Moses said to the Israelites. Isn’t it highly likely, very logical, that a lot of our problems stem from our sinful, disobedient, ungodly behaviour? It surely is! But the only way to find out is if we turned back to Jehovah God, He of many, many wonderful attributes, especially those of grace, mercy and forgiveness. It’s high time we revert to godliness, because our current behaviour is getting us nowhere, but destruction.

And I believe this verse of scripture should also be very instructive in our thoughts and ponderings. It comes after Cousin Sol built the first temple in Jerusalem dedicated to the God of his forefathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. The Lord said unto Cousin Sol in a night vision: ‘If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.’ (2 Chr. 7:14)

There again my fellow believers, it’s clearly spelled out that God requires righteous and goldy behaviour from us, strong and true belief in Him and His glorious power, constant communication with Him, and obedience to His will and Word. And any society that’s lacking in those requirements will never truly prosper. We can deny it all we want in this new age of supposed human renaissance, but the truth still remains that if we don’t serve our Creator, Almighty God, the way He desires, we won’t have a joyful or prosperous society.

And what’s so sad is that despite trying all our man-made solutions, which any fool can see aren’t working, we still refuse to try a return to God’s fold. But as they say, we reap what we sow. And that’s the gospel truth, as we are indeed reaping the strife, sickness, and economic problems of our ungodly behaviour. But for those of us who are still hanging in there, trying to fight the good fight, the Lord has bestowed many undeserved blessings on us, what we call our Thursday Blessings, tools to help us do His earthly work. However, they need to be declared so that they can be activated.

So as one strong and sincere voice, let’s declare them right now. ‘I declare that I am blessed with God’s supernatural wisdom and receive clear direction for my life! I declare today that I am blessed with creativity, courage, talent and abundance! I am blessed with a strong will, self-control and self-discipline! I am blessed with a great family, good friends, good health, faith, favour and fulfillment! I am blessed with success, supernatural strength, promotion and divine protection! I am blessed with a compassionate heart and a positive outlook on life! I declare that any curse or negative word that’s ever been spoken over me is broken right now in the name of Jesus! I declare that everything I put my hands to, will prosper and succeed! I declare it today and every day! Amen!’

Now, it’s time for us to go out and use those divine blessings to bring others to Christ. Much LOVE!

…the wages of sin is death…so why the surprise at the dying of our sinful society…

Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZJ

Today’s Scrip-Bit 6 October 2022 Luke 1:37.

06 Oct 2022 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: a compassionate heart, a state of mind, a tooth for a tooth, a tough row to hoe, an eye for an eye, be ye perfect, bless them that curse you, courage, creativity, curse, divine protection, do good to them that hate you, even as your Father in heaven is perfect, everything is right with the world, for with God nothing shall be impossible, he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and the good, in the presence of plenty, Love your enemies, negative word, nothing seems right with the world, pray for them which despise you, self-preservation, sendeth rain on the just and the unjust, sincere believers in Christ, so many have so little, survival of the fittest, the abundance of wealth, the Love of Christ, Thursday Blessings, with God all things are possible, with men this is impossible

Luke 1:37. For with God nothing shall be impossible.

And though it’s a somewhat wet and cloudy looking Thursday morning in my neck of the woods, the temperature is supposed to be pretty good, at least in the high teens, if not better. And once it’s fairly warm, everything is right with the world! Hn! I wish I could say that in all truth and seriousness, but the opposite seems to be the prevailing truth right now; NOTHING seems right in our world! It’s bad enough with the many natural disasters that are occurring all over the world at the same time. And unfortunately, in the presence of plenty in our world,, so many have so little, and are suffering so badly for want of the basic things of life. Then, the magnitude of anger, hate, resentment, greed and selfishness that’s currently flooding our world is unbelievable.

Chuh! The Lord must be sitting on His throne in the high heavens shaking His head in sadness and wonder at the low level to which His most precious and marvellous creation has fallen, despite the abundance of wealth, knowledge, understanding and LOVE that’s supposed to be prevalent on the earth. But it seems that greed, selfishness and lust for power are in the ascendance, for the level of help from those that have, to those that don’t have, is woefully poor. And besides, there are so many pockets of strife and outright war in our world that offering help is the furthest thing from many of our minds. Instead, self-preservation is our uppermost concern. Survival of the fittest seems to be the motto once again.

And that’s what we are up against my Christian brethren. And yes, it does seem like an impossible task from a natural human standpoint, but please remember that we serve the great God who created the universe and all therein, and that nothing is impossible to Him, therefore nothing is also impossible to us, if we follow His will with the high level of faith we ought to embrace. Remember what the angel Gabriel told Mary, the mother of Jesus, when he came to give her the good news that she’d been chosen to bear God’s Son, and that her cousin Elizabeth, who had hitherto been barren was pregnant with John the Baptist. It was a simple, but powerful and true statement: ‘For with God nothing shall be impossible.’ (Luke 1:37)

And the birth of Jesus bore witness to that fact, since He was born of a woman who had had no sexual relations with a man. Meanwhile, Jesus Himself proclaimed that same fact after telling the disciples that it was easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God. (Matt. 19:24) And when they became so amazed at His statement, He enlightened them thus: ‘With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible.’ (Matt. 19:26)

Now, my fellow saints, that’s a statement we have to sincerely believe, a state of mind we must necessarily have, if we ever hope to make any positive changes in our own lives, in the lives of those around us, and the world in general. For believe me, no other group in this world is going to try to improve the sad negative situation that currently exists but we staunch and sincere believers in Christ Jesus. Why? Because that’s what our Lord and Saviour expects of us; that’s why He came to earth, why He suffered and died for our salvation, so that the earth could be a better place under His sovereignty and guidance. Therefore, it’s our bounden duty, our rightful cause to do whatever we can to make a positive difference in this negative, crumbling, disaster and greed filled world in which we live.

And I guess the best scripture to highlight that situation and purpose is what Jesus preached on LOVE for enemies in the Sermon on the Mount. He began: ‘Ye have heard that it hath been said , an eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth. But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil (an evil person): but whosoever shall smite (slaps) thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also. And if any man will sue thee at law, and take away thy coat (tunic), let him have thy cloak also. And whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain (two). Give to him that asketh thee, and from him that would borrow of thee turn not away.

Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt LOVE thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy. But I say unto you, LOVE your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully (spitefully) use you. That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust. For if ye LOVE them which LOVE you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans (tax collectors) the same? And if ye salute (greet) your brethren only, what do ye more than others? do not even the publicans (tax collectors) so? Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.’ (Matt. 5:38-48)

Now my people, that is indeed a tough row to hoe, but if we are to be true disciples of Christ, we must put out the effort to do it. Oh, how I wish we had the time and space for the many explanations that the scholars offer on all of that monumental scripture, because doing that stuff is certainly hard, especially when it flies in the face of all the world’s teaching. But we need to remember that Jesus’ teaching is NOT like the world’s. It is of a much higher class, a class that calls for LOVE and not hate or enmity.

And this explanation from the scholars should clear up some of the confusion. ‘5.43-44. The law of LOVE, sometimes called “the law of Christ,” summarizes the ethical principle of the Sermon on the Mount. “LOVE thy neighbour” summarizes the entire second table of the law (cf. Lev. 19:18-34) . But the unscriptural addition “hate thine enemy” was a popular concept in Jesus’ day. The admonition LOVE your enemies is one of the greatest statements Jesus ever made.

The LOVE enjoined in this passage is LOVE that originates from God Himself. Man is not commanded to attempt to LOVE his enemy on the basis of mere human affection, but rather on the basis of a LOVE that comes from God. The quality of LOVE commanded here is expressed by giving. Bless them that curse you; do good to them that hate you; and pray for them that persecute you. LOVING an enemy involves doing good toward that enemy in order to win him over to Christ.’

Yes, friends, following those precepts set by Christ are indeed difficult, but as always, He never gives us a task to perform without giving us the tools with which to perform them. And for all of that tough LOVING He expects of us there, He’s given us the tools we call our Thursday Blessings. But they need to be activated by declaring (yeah!!!) them out loud. So, let’s do that right now nuh. As one strong and sincere voice: ‘I declare that I am blessed with God’s supernatural wisdom and receive clear direction for my life! I declare today that I am blessed with creativity, courage, talent and abundance!

And having activated those amazing tools, let’s go out and put them to good use now nuh…LOVING and helping those we come into contact with, like Jesus did, and as He so deeply desires of us! Much LOVE!

…only the LOVE of Christ…as performed by His followers…can turn this evil world around…

P.S. Yes, it’s long, but sound! (smile) Much LOVE!

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

Today’s Scrip-Bit 29 September 2022 James 2:17.

29 Sep 2022 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: a compassionate heart, courage, creativity, curse, do something to enact one's knowledge of God, entreat evil with good, every tongue that rises against you shall be condemned, faith if it hath no works is dead, go the extra mile, I will show thee my faith be my works, LOVE, negative word, no weapon formed against us will prosper, positive outlook on life, prosper, servants of Jesus, show me thy faith without thy works, succeed, talk without action is useless, the church now caters to the haves and not the have-nots, the devils also believe and tremble, thou doest well to believe in One God, Thursday Blessings, turn the other cheek, what doth it profit to have faith and no works

James 2:17. Even so faith, if it hath no works, is dead, being alone.

Awright my Scrip-Bit friends and family, we moving on! It’s Thursday, and it looks like it’s going to be a glorious day of sunshine, though not too warm, because the sun is steadily moving away from us towards the south, thus depriving us in the northern climes of its natural heat. But, be it hot or cold, we’ll take the sunshine over the clouds any ole day!

And please remember, with Jesus as the light and guide of our lives, we can withstand anything that comes against us. Our safety and protection is entrenched in this awesome promise of our omnipotent God, as spoken by the prophet Isaiah. ‘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)

Oh what a glorious promise my faithful brethren! And since we’re believers in Christ Jesus, since He is our Lord and Saviour, Master and Protector, that means we are servants of His, and are therefore protected by that magnificent promise! Wow! How much better can it get eh? Not much! No weapon that is poised to come against us, or tongue that desires to scandalize and belittle us will ever prosper or do us any serious harm! Glory be my people!

But do we truly understand what that means? I certainly hope so. It doesn’t mean we can do those things and get away Scot free because of God’s promise, but if we behave in the right way, in God’s will, those things will not harm us. Remember, our motto must always be to entreat evil with good, as Bruh Paul strongly advises: ‘Recompense no man evil for evil.’ (Rom. 12:17)

Yes friends, it’s ofttimes difficult to turn the other cheek and go the other mile, as Jesus recommends in Matthew 5:38-40, but as His disciples and ambassadors, it is expected of us. Oh no, it’s not easy slogging, (smile) Jesus never promised that it would be either, but if we are to be agents of good, then we need to show goodness and not evil in our actions and doings.

And we can only attain those heights of discipleship by dint of hard work and sincerity. That’s seriously studying the Word, constantly talking to the Father and fellowshipping with other believers, and putting the Word into action, so that we can grow in faith and discipleship.

Remember these oh so important words of James, Jesus’ brother, re faith and works. ‘What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he that faith, and have not works? can faith save him? If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food, And one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled; notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body, what doth it profit?’ (James 2:14-16)

Now that’s a very good question my people, and the sad answer is that it profits us, or those we turn away emptyhanded with highfalutin words of faith, absolutely nothing! And unfortunately, that’s what’s happening way too much in our current world; those that have are turning away empty handed those that don’t have. And I’m not talking about the filthy rich people, but ordinary, supposed Christian folks like you and I.

The church itself is not as generous as it ought to be. It was founded to help those in need, but when those in need go to the doors of many churches they are unfortunately turned away, often for frivolous, selfish, man-made reasons. The church appears no longer to be a place for refreshment and replenishment to the poor and needy, both of soul and body, but now mostly caters to those who have and give to the church. No wonder our world is in such dire state of distress, with so many of God’s creations walking around hungry, homeless and destitute in countries of obscene wealth.

And I know that most of us can’t solve the problems of our world, but we can all do something to help the poor and needy in our own communities through the church and other community groups, and even on a small individual basis. The important thing is to show our faith and the LOVE of Jesus by helping somebody in need.

And James drives home this point as he continues: ‘Even so faith, if it hath no works, is dead, being alone. Yea, a man can say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: show me thy faith without thy works, and I will show thee my faith by my works. Thou believest that there is one God, thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble But wilt thou know (do you want to know), O vain (foolish) man, that faith without works is dead?’ (James 2:17-20)

Ah mih people, I believe that many of us supposed believers ought to sit down and rethink our faith and see how our works blend into it, because if we only talk faith but don’t do anything sincere and productive to put it into action, we are nothing but fakers, hypocrites and the like. And I like how the scholars put it: ‘If one does nothing to enact his knowledge of God, he is worse than the demons, for they at least tremble. (vs.19)’

Yes my fellow saints, too much talk and too little action is the downfall of our current society. And it’s not that there isn’t sufficient to ease the pain and suffering of many, but it’s the greed and selfishness which is so rampant that prevents us from doing better for those down on their luck. But thankfully, our God is so good and compassionate that He‘s bestowed undeserved blessings on those of us who sincerely desire to do His will on this earth. We call them our Thursday Blessings, and it’s imperative that we vocally declare them to activate their power.

So as one strong and sincere voice: ‘I declare that I am blessed with God’s supernatural wisdom and receive clear direction for my life! I declare today that I am blessed with creativity, courage, talent and abundance! I am blessed with a strong will, self-control and self-discipline! I am blessed with a great family, good friends, good health, faith, favour and fulfillment!

And now that we’ve activated those undeserved blessings, it’s our duty to go out and put them into action in the Lord’s name, so we can make some badly needed changes in our society! Much LOVE!

…talk without action is useless…

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

Today’s Scrip-Bit 22 September 2022 Psalm 118:24.

22 Sep 2022 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: a compassionate heart, a positive outlook on life, all such rejoicing is evil, and doeth it not to him it is sin, boast not thyself of tomorrow, buy and sell and get gain, courage, creativity, curse, have life more abundantly, I am come that they might have life, in a partnership with God, LOVE, negative word, new mercies and compassions, sufficent unto the day is the evil thereof, take therefore no thought for tomorrow, that appeareth for a little time than vanisheth away, the morrow shall take thought for itself, the mountain of sins, the penultimate day of the work week, this is the day the Lord has made, thou knowest not what a day may bring forth, Thursday Blessings, to him that knoweth to do good, unchristian conduct, unto whom much is given much is required, we will rejoice and be glad in it, what is your life, wisdom in spades, ye know not what shall be on the morrow, your life is even a vapour

Psalm 118:24. This is the day which the Lord hath made, we will rejoice and be glad in it.

And then it was Thursday, the penultimate day of the workweek, with many of us anxiously, hopefully looking forward to that last day tomorrow. But please remember Jesus’ wise advice: ‘Take therefore no thought for the morrow (do not worry about tomorrow): for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil (trouble) thereof.’ (Matt. 6:34).

Now that’s the overwhelming truth my people! We need to look after, to concentrate on today, which is all we have right now. Tomorrow will look after itself. We don’t know if we’ll even be around to see tomorrow, so why spend so much time concentrating on it eh? Instead, let’s do as the psalmist so wisely proclaimed: ‘This is the day which the Lord hath made, we will rejoice and be glad in it.’ (Ps. 118:24)

And that’s wisdom in spades. Today is what we have, so let’s enjoy it, otherwise we’re wasting God’s precious time and blessings, especially the new mercies and compassions that He’s prepared new for us this special day. Yes mih bredrin, every day we spend on this planet earth is a special day which the Lord made so that we can enjoy it and do His will. That’s why He blesses us anew every day.

Jesus said it very clearly: ‘I am come that they (His flock, His followers) might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.’ (John 10:10b) Now how can we enjoy a more abundant life if we’re always thinking of tomorrow and not focusing on today, as we ought to eh? That’s defeating Jesus’ very plan for our lives. And I like how James admonishes his readers, and consequently us on the subject of tomorrow.

Describing unchristian conduct, he writes: ‘Go to now (come now), ye that say, Today or tomorrow we will go into such a city and continue there a year, and buy and sell, and get gain (make a profit): Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away. For that ye ought to say, If the Lord will, we shall live, and do this, or that. But now ye rejoice in your boastings (boast in your arrogance): all such rejoicing is evil. Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin.’ ((James 4:13-17)

Oh my people, James covers a whole lot in those few verses. So let’s see what the scholars have to say on them. Re 13-14: ‘This one is a fool, for he thinks he knows something that he doesn’t. He presumes he has the resources to control his destiny. (cf. Prov. 27:1; Luke 12:13-21).’ And those scriptures are excellent references of our unfortunate concentration on tomorrow. In the verse from Proverbs, Cousin Sol does declare very forcefully. ‘Boast not thyself of tomorrow; for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth.’ (Prov. 27:1)

Meanwhile the passage from Luke is where Jesus tells the parable of the rich fool, who had so much that he had no room to store it. So, in his wisdom, decides to tear down everything and build anew, that he might have space to store all his wealth, and then take things easy: ‘eat, drink and be merry.’ But in his frail and finite wisdom he missed one important thing, he did not factor in God’s will.

Consequently, when God came along, He said to him. ‘Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided? So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.’ (Luke 12:20-21) Yes friends, we are in a partnership with Almighty God and partners are supposed to talk with and cooperate with each other. That means we cannot make plans without including God.

And going back to the verses from James, the scholars tell us in vs.15: Re ‘This or that. This verse teaches that God does have something for Christians to do and that they should plan accordingly. James only condemns elaborate planning that omits God. (cf. Prov. 16:9)’ Now, since I delight in spoon feeding us, (smile) here is that verse from Proverbs. ‘A man’s heart deviseth (plans) his way: but the Lord directeth his steps.’ (Prov. 16:9) Yes my people, our God is indeed sovereign over our scheming and planning. So it’s His will that usually wins out.

And moving back once more to James, we discover that in vs. 17: ‘To do good here requires including God in one’s plans. Omitting God is not merely bad planning; it is sin.’ And that’s not rocket science, but simple common sense. If you know what is right to do, and don’t do it, then you’re wrong, and it can therefore be construed as sin. And Jesus, in His telling of the parable of the unfaithful servant, (Luke 12:41-48) says as much.

‘And that servant, which knew his lord’s (master’s) will, and prepared not himself, neither did according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes. But he that knew not, and did commit things worthy of stripes, shall be beaten with few stripes. For unto whomsoever much is given, of him much shall be required: and to whom men have committed much, of him they will ask the more.’ (Luke 12:47-48)

Oh friends, right there, Jesus is indirectly talking about us. Servants bear a great responsibility to their masters, and if Jesus is our Lord and Saviour, we as His followers, or His servants, also bear a huge responsibility to Him and His will. We need to remember that at all times. Yes, life is good, is better with Jesus than with anybody else, but that good life doesn’t come gratis or free. There is indeed a price to pay, a responsibility to be shouldered, and if we don’t shoulder our responsibilities, then there are consequences to be suffered for our irresponsibility.

But our God is so good that He doesn’t just send us out to do His bidding without the necessary tools to accomplish it. That’s why we’ve been endowed with what we call our Thursday Blessings, tools to perform His awesome will. So, let’s activate them right now by declaring (steups!!!) them nuh.

Altogether now, in strong and sincere voice. ‘I declare that I am blessed with God’s supernatural wisdom and receive clear direction for my life! I declare today that I am blessed with creativity, courage, talent and abundance! I am blessed with a strong will, self-control and self-discipline! I am blessed with a great family, good friends, good health, faith, favour and fulfillment! I am blessed with success, supernatural strength, promotion and divine protection!

And having activated those marvellous blessings, let’s go out now and put them to use in Jesus’ name, as is our bounden duty. Much LOVE!

…can you imagine the mountain of sins…we believers pile up each day…by knowing the good and right things to do…and not doing them…

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

Today’s Scrip-Bit 25 August 2022 Psalm 4:8.

25 Aug 2022 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: a land of bliss, anticipatory relief, Beautiful Things Happen, changing circumstances, Christ died for us, courage, creativity, curse, eteranl life, faith, favour, filled to the brim with hope and faith, for thou Lord only makest me to dwell in safety, forgiveness, get a foothold in our souls, gets down and dirty, God commendeth his own love toward us, God is long-suffering, I will both lay me down in peace and sleep, in quietness and confidence, meet you day by day, negative word, octopus-like tentacles, One Year Book of Bible promises, personal intimacy with God, pervasive negative influence, reconciled to the Father, Ruth Harms Calkin, salvation, Satan has no love for us, seeks us with a passion, self-control, substitutionary death, succumb to evil, thou hast put gladness in my heart, Thursday Blessings, while we were yet sinners, whispered secrets

Psalm 4:8. I will both lay me down in peace, and sleep: for thou, Lord, only makest me to dwell in safety.

And as we come to Thursday, the penultimate day in the work week, many of us are feeling a sense of anticipatory relief quietly washing over us as Friday and the weekend draw near. However, our sense of anticipatory relief should not be emanating from the nearness of the weekend or any man-made factor, but from our nearness to Jehovah God; the personal intimacy we share with the Creator of the universe and all therein, which includes our frail and fragile bodies and souls.

For ONLY He can give us sincere, rock-solid promises and security when life doesn’t go the way we desire. ONLY our great God can assure us of His peace, mercy, grace and salvation when things go wrong and the darkness and the evil of this ungodly world clouds our very lives. And yuh know what friends? There is so much evil and darkness in our world right now, that at some stage and time of our lives, some of that pervasive negative influence will automatically invade our lives, at least for a short season.

And if we don’t know Jesus as Lord and Saviour, it will be nigh impossible to get rid of it, once its evil, ungodly, octopus-like tentacles get a foothold in our souls and bodies. But when we know Jesus as Lord and Saviour… Oh then… ‘Beautiful Things Happen!’ Yes, they do my brethren, as this poem from our One Year Book of Bible Promises, with writings by Ruth Harms Calkin ascertains. So please read it with me, with a sense of anticipatory relief. (smile)

‘O God Such beautiful things happen When I meet you day by day In quietness and confidence. There is a deep inner wholeness And the assurance of Your guidance. I am not so easily disturbed By changing circumstances. I am less dependent on others And more dependent on You. My eyes may be full of tears But my heart is full of joy. In discovering Your hidden treasures I learn how deeply I am treasured by You. When day by day I am responsive To your whispered secrets You do more for me in one day Than I could do for myself in a lifetime.’

Wow mih people! That is the God awesome truth! Our great and wonderful God can do so much more for us in one day than we can ever do for ourselves in an entire lifetime! But we have to believe, to buy into Him and His Word with the utmost confidence. We must be filled to the brim with the hope and faith that He is able to do all that He promises. That’s the only way to enjoy the marvellous wonders of a personal intimacy with Him.

And I don’t know why it’s so hard for us to believe that our Heavenly Father, our Creator LOVES us and only desires the best for us nuh, when He sent His ONLY son, Jesus Christ to die on the cross of Calvary so that our sins could be forgiven and we could get back into His good graces. The Good Book says it so clearly and beautifully: ‘But God commendeth (demonstrated) his (own) LOVE toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.’ (Rom. 5:8) Yes friends, why would anybody, man or God, allow their only child to die for a bunch of sinful ingrates eh, unless they had a real true and genuine LOVE and compassion for them?

And Jesus Himself said it to the disciples: ‘Greater LOVE hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.’ (John 15:13) And that’s exactly what He went out and did; laid down His life for us, so that we could obtain forgiveness, be reconciled to the Father, and have salvation and eternal life through His substitutionary death.

So please, let’s forget this foolishness that God doesn’t LOVE us, and remember instead that He is our Sovereign Lord, as well as our Father, and just like we don’t take nonsense from our children, He doesn’t take nonsense from us. And just like we provide rules and regulations for our children to follow, likewise, there are rules and regulations we need to follow if we want to end up in His fold. And just like we punish our children when they don’t toe the line, so He punishes us when we move away from the straight and narrow path.

But the one big difference between us and our heavenly Father is that He NEVER puts us out of His fold, NEVER asks us to leave when we misbehave to the point where He can’t take it anymore. That’s because He is long-suffering, LOVING and compassionate, while we human parents have a finite amount of patience and LOVE, and when we reach that point, we ask our children to leave our homes, and ofttimes have nothing more to do with them, unless they come up to our levels of responsibility.

But our heavenly Father doesn’t do that. When we succumb to the evil and darkness of this world, that’s when He gets down and dirty and comes seeking us with a passion that can never be matched by a human parent, and He sticks with us through all the dark and tough times and helps us to renew our strength and confidence. The evil enemy Satan doesn’t do that, because he has no LOVE for us. He just wants to drag us as deep as possible into the mire in which he’s immersed. The deeper we sink, the more he gloats.

And I’m chuckling here, because in my passion to prove that God LOVES us, it seems like I’ve completely forgotten about our poem, and the Bible Verses on which it was based. But that’s how it is when the goodness and grace of God gets into your spirit. And that’s exactly what our poem is saying; although life can be rough and tough, walking with Jehovah God is so wonderful, so mind boggling, so unexpectedly different, that at any moment anything can happen, a new adventure could just rise up unexpectedly and carry you away to a land of bliss you’ve never known or even expected.

And finally, (smile) here are the Bible verses on which the poem is based. None other than the last two verses of Psalm 4 – An evening prayer of trust in God. Please read and inwardly digest with me, these wonderful words of Bruh David. ‘Thou hast put gladness in my heart, more than in the time that their corn (grain) and their wine increased. I will both lay me down in peace, and sleep: for thou, Lord, only makest me to dwell in safety.’ (Ps. 4:7-8)

Oh my fellow believers, how wonderful is that eh! When we sincerely have Christ in our lives, then our hearts are filled with gladness, and we can lie down and sleep in peace despite all the troubles around us! Now it just doesn’t happen overnight, or with no effort on our part, but the Lord is such a good God that He bestows benefits and blessings on us that we don’t truly deserve, but which enable us to do His earthly work, to be good ambassadors on his behalf. We call them our Thursday Blessings, which we need to say out loud for them to be activated.

So, let’s do that right now nuh. In strong and confident voice: ‘I declare that I am blessed with God’s supernatural wisdom and receive clear direction for my life! I declare today that I am blessed with creativity, courage, talent and abundance! I am blessed with a strong will, self-control and self-discipline! I am blessed with a great family, good friends, good health, faith, favour and fulfillment!

Now, let’s go out and use those magnificent blessings to help others come to Christ. That’s our bounden duty! Much LOVE!

…LOVE never fails…LOVE never gives up…LOVE is the be all and end all…

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

Today’s Scrip-Bit 28 July 2022 Philippians 3:14.

28 Jul 2022 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: but this one thing I do, Caribana weekend, changed from glory to glory, changed into the same image, clear direction for my life, count them but dung that I may win Christ, courage, creativity, curse, divine protection, for the prize of the high calling of God, forgetting the past, I have fought a good fight, I press toward the mark, I strain to reach the end of the race, It Takes a Lifetime, looking forward to what lies ahead, LOVE, my conversion took but a moment, my growth takes a lifetime, negative word, One Year Book of Bible promises, promotion, Ruth Harms Calkin, the flame of Christ burns brightly within us, there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, those I counted loss for Christ, Thursday Blessings, what things were gain to me

Philippians 3:14. I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.

And then it was Thursday, the penultimate day in our workweek, but around here in the Greater Toronto area, not many people are thinking of work, but of the upcoming Caribana weekend and the Simcoe holiday on Monday. Yes friends, this is T.O’s big weekend, where it’s parties galore and the big street parade on Saturday. Oh, sorry, I believe I called the celebration by the wrong name. It’s now something like Toronto Caribbean Carnival, or some such moniker, because of the legal dispute over the ownership of the ‘Caribana’ name. But call it what they will, it will always be popularly known as ‘Caribana.’ End of story! (smile)

Now, today we are going to consider an interesting writing from our One Year Book of Bible Promises authored by Ruth Harms Calkin, titled ‘It Takes a Lifetime.’ Please read with me. ‘How I LOVE the words of the apostle Paul. ‘I don’t mean to say…that I have already reached perfection! But I keep working toward that day when I will finally be all that Christ Jesus saved me for and wants me to be.

No, dear brothers and sisters. I am still not all I should be, but I am focusing all my energies on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I strain to reach the end of the race and receive the prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us up to heaven.’ (And it’s noted there that that passage comes from the New Living Translation of Phil. 3:12-14.)

But then the writing continues: ‘What tremendous encouragement! Paul, who knew Jesus Christ so intimately, whose consuming desire was to please Him, who endured illness, imprisonment, shipwreck, beatings, mockery, and heartache all for the sake of Christ – this very same Paul confessed he hadn’t “arrived.” God was still growing him! I see again, while my conversion took but a moment, my growth takes an entire lifetime. In God’s great wisdom and knowledge He anticipates the finished product while He LOVINGLY takes me through the long, long process.’

And is that ever the glorious though difficult truth my fellow believers! It certainly is! Yes, coming to Christ takes but a moment, but becoming like Christ takes an entire lifetime because it is not an easy process. And that is what a lot of us don’t seem to understand. God’s eventual purpose is to make us all over in the image of Christ, as the Good Book says: ‘For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his son, that he might be the first-born among many brethren.’ (Rom. 8:29)

And to be made over into anything at all doesn’t happen overnight, and to be made like Christ…brother! That will obviously take ages! And, as the writing intimates, if Bruh Paul was so closely involved with Christ, knew Him so intimately and still didn’t consider himself ‘arrived,’ then it’s obvious that those of us who are not as intimate still have a long way to go. As Bruh Paul says in 2 Corinthians. ‘But we all, with open (unveiled) face beholding as in a glass (mirror) the glory of the Lord, are changed (transformed) into the same image (that of Christ) from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.’ (2 Cor. 3:18)

Yes, it’s the Lord’s Spirit that transforms us into Christ’s likeness from glory to glory or step by step, not all at once. And Bruh Paul assures us earlier on in his missive to the Philippians: ‘Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it (complete it) until the day of Jesus Christ.’ (Phil. 1:6) Oh isn’t that wonderful to know my brethren! God will not stop transforming us into the image of His Son, until his Son comes back to take over His kingdom! Glory Hallelujah!

That’s why these words of Bruh Paul are so important. And we’ll read them in the more powerful King James version. (smile) ‘Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended (arrived): but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.’ (Phil. 3:13-14)

And all of that simply means that he has given up all his earlier accolades, like his great education and position as a powerful Pharisee, in his determined pursuit to know the risen Christ. As he also said earlier on the same letter: ‘But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ….and do count them but dung (rubbish) that I may win Christ.’ (Phil. 3:7-8) So knowing and winning Christ, and the divine prize, that’s ‘the joyful and personal satisfaction of having attained it,’ is all that he was then focused on.

And it’s all that we should also be focused on, truly knowing Christ should be our life’s goal. So much so that when we come to the end of this earthly stage of life, we can say like Bruh Paul did to Timothy. ‘I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course (race), I have kept the faith. Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto them also that LOVE his appearing (eagerly await His second coming).’ (2 Tim. 4:7-8)

Now that’s what we ought to be working towards! And let’s hope that those scriptures we’ve considered this morning will light, or relight the flame in our souls and spirits for Christ, so that we can sincerely put our best foot forward and do His divine bidding with excellence, diligence and a true sense of purpose. And to help us do that, let’s go home now declaring (awright!!!) our Thursday Blessings, which have been so generously bestowed on us to enable us to do our earthly work.

Altogether now: ‘I declare that I am blessed with God’s supernatural wisdom and receive clear direction for my life! I declare today that I am blessed with creativity, courage, talent and abundance! I am blessed with a strong will, self-control and self-discipline! I am blessed with a great family, good friends, good health, faith, favour and fulfillment!

And having activated those blessings by declaring (steups!!!) them aloud, we must now go out and generously use them in winning souls for Christ! Much LOVE!

…we can’t sincerely press toward the heavenly prize…unless the flame of Christ burns brightly in us…

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

Today’s Scrip-Bit 7 July 2022 John 11:25.

07 Jul 2022 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: abundance, be aware of how short life is, belief in Jesus, but have everlasting life, clear direction for my life, courage, creativity, curse, from dust we came and to dust we will return, God so loved the world, he gave his only begotten son, he that believeth in me, he that believeth not the Son shall not see life, I am the resurrection and the life, I believe thou art the Christ, it's easier for believers to fathom death, Jamaican Diplomatic service, LOVE, make whatever amends you need to asap, Maxine Roberts, negative word, only believe, springing up into everlasting life, talent, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, that's life, the ever-faithful promise of salvation and eternal life, The Samaritan woman at the well, the Son of God which should come into the world, the water that I shall give shall be a well of water, the wrath of God abideth on him, though he were dead, though he were dead yet shall he live, Thursday Blessings, whosoever drinks of this water shall thirst again, whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die

John 11:25. Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead (may die), yet shall he live.

Ah Lord eh! These days I’m not anxious to open e-mails from friends that I don’t normally correspond with, because they always seem to bring negative news. I got one such e-mail this morning from an old friend from university days, about the passing of another old friend from back then. Her name was Maxine Roberts. I haven’t seen her since back then or heard much about her, but it appears she carved a very good path for herself in the Jamaican Diplomatic Service as an Ambassador for her country. Now that doesn’t surprise me because I remember her as a bright and lively young lady, some fifty odd years ago. May you rest in peace Maxine. And my condolences to your family.

But it is a tad difficult to hear of the passing of people you haven’t interacted with for a long time, since it then gets you to thinking about the times you shared, be they good or bad, and wondering if they ever remembered those same times before they moved on to the other life. And the sad part is that many of our friends pass on with negative thoughts about us, thoughts that we had hopes of one day fixing, but never got around to. And then suddenly, it’s too late. But, as they say, that’s life!

And it doesn’t make sense worrying about it, but it should make us aware of how short life is, and the suddenness with which it can end, therefore energizing us to make whatever amends we need to make with our surviving friends and family as soon as possible. We all know that we came from the dust of the earth and that someday that’s where our bodies will return, but fathoming death, especially a sudden and unexpected one, is still hard for the human nature to accept. But accept it we must, if we want to live out our own lives in a positive and godly manner.

And as believers in Christ Jesus, it is easier for us to accomplish than for unbelievers. That’s because we have the ever-faithful promise of salvation and eternal life through belief in Christ. Jesus Himself said it to Martha when He came back to Bethany after her brother Lazarus’ death. Martha though, wasn’t happy with Jesus’ late arrival and said to Him. ‘Lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother had not died. But I know, that even now, whatsoever thou wilt ask of God, God will give it thee.’ (John 11:21-22)

Now that is what you call strong faith! And some of you might say that’s because Jesus was very friendly with her family. But Jesus was friendly with a lot of other people, including His own family, who didn’t believe in Him. The Good Book continues: ‘Jesus saith unto her, Thy brother shall rise again. Martha saith unto him, I know that he shall rise again in the resurrection at the last day. Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead (may die), yet shall he live. And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this?’ (John 11:23-26)

And that’s the very same question that Jesus is asking many of us today? Do we truly believe in Him and the power He has to grant eternal life? Now Martha didn’t have the benefit of the scriptures we currently have, nor of yet seeing Christ crucified and risen, but her answer was quick and unequivocal. ‘She saith unto him, Yea, Lord: I believe that thou art the Christ, the Son of God, which should come into the world.’ (John 11:27) How many of us would answer Jesus’ question so plainly and quickly today eh? I really don’t know nuh, but I’m sure it wouldn’t be sufficient to make a significant difference in our current evil and ungodly world.

And there are so many examples of Jesus trying to instill into us the major benefit of believing in him, but we just won’t listen. Let’s see if I can drum up a few more instances of Jesus talking about the importance of believing in Him to receive eternal life. And we don’t have to look very far to find this scriptural gem. It’s one we all know and like to quote, but don’t seem to really believe since we still don’t acknowledge Jesus as the resurrection and the life. Jesus said it loud and clear: ‘For God so LOVED the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.’ (John 3:16)

Now my brethren, tell me how much clearer can that get eh? It’s simple: if you don’t believe in Jesus, you are not going receive eternal life, instead you will perish! And are you willing to take the chance that Jesus is wrong? For your sake I hope not. Then there was the Samaritan woman who came to the well to draw water and engaged Jesus in conversation. That alone was itself a poignant and unnatural moment for Jews and Samaritans, though related, didn’t mix, in fact detested each other as the latter had intermarried with Gentiles during the Assyrian captivity. (2 Kin. 17:24-41)

And as the woman so knowingly pointed out when Jesus asked her for a drink of water. She said to Him: ‘How is it that thou being a Jew, askest drink of me, which am a woman of Samaria? For the Jews have no dealings with the Samaritans. Jesus answered and said unto her, If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water.’ (John 4:9-10) The woman then proceeded to question Jesus’ ability to draw water from the well.

But ‘Jesus answered and said unto her. Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again. But whosoever drinketh of the water I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be like a well (fountain) of water springing up into everlasting life.’ (John 4:13-14) And although the woman didn’t fully understand what Jesus was talking about, she was wise enough, wiser than many of us today, to understand the importance of His words, Therefore, she ‘saith unto him, Sir, give me this water, that I thirst not, neither come hither to draw.’ (John 4:15)

Another instance where there was much less knowledge of Jesus than we have, but greater trust and faith! And just in case you won’t believe Jesus, then let’s see if you’ll believe John the Baptist when he says: ‘He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth (remains) on him.’ (John 3:36) Yes friends, the anger of God remains on those who don’t believe in His Son Jesus Christ.

Now, for those of us who believe, and are doing our best to convince others, let’s go home declaring (yesss!!!) our Thursday Blessings, which have been generously bestowed on us by God, so that we can do His earthly work. As one strong and sincere voice: ‘I declare that I am blessed with God’s supernatural wisdom and receive clear direction for my life! I declare today that I am blessed with creativity, courage, talent and abundance! I am blessed with a strong will, self-control and self-discipline!

I am blessed with a great family, good friends, good health, faith, favour and fulfillment! I am blessed with success, supernatural strength, promotion and divine protection! I am blessed with a compassionate heart and a positive outlook on life! I declare that any curse or negative word that’s ever been spoken over me is broken right now in the name of Jesus! I declare that everything I put my hands to, will prosper and succeed! I declare it today and every day! Amen!’

And having activated those blessings, let’s go out now and use them generously on Christ’s behalf! Much LOVE!

…only believe…that’s all Christ is asking…one has nothing to lose…and so much to gain…if one only believes…

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

SCRIP-BITS

Today’s Scrip-Bit 1 December 2022 John 14:15.

Today’s Scrip-Bit 17 November 2022 Hebrews 11:6.

Today’s Scrip-Bit 10 November 2022 Proverbs 21:13.

Today’s Scrip-Bit 27 October 2022 James 5:13.

Today’s Scrip-Bit 6 October 2022 Luke 1:37.

Today’s Scrip-Bit 29 September 2022 James 2:17.

Today’s Scrip-Bit 22 September 2022 Psalm 118:24.

Today’s Scrip-Bit 25 August 2022 Psalm 4:8.

Today’s Scrip-Bit 28 July 2022 Philippians 3:14.

Today’s Scrip-Bit 7 July 2022 John 11:25.

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