Today’s Scrip-Bit   21 March 2024   2 Corinthians 5:17.

21 Mar 2024 Leave a comment

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

2 Corinthians 5:17.       Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature (creation): old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.

Oh brother, I don’t know what to believe anymore nuh; the computer tells me it’s minus 2 Celsius and mostly cloudy, but in my area, it’s sunshiny as ever and somewhat windy. I will take that over the cloudiness any day. (smile) But worse yet, they are predicting 3 centimetres of snow for Friday! Goodbye spring…welcome again winter! But like the world, we won’t believe it until we see it! (smile) And to help us remember that we serve a good and great God Jehovah, let’s check out this interesting poem from our One Year Book of Bible Promises with writings by Ruth Harms Calkin, simply titled ‘NOW.’ Obviously I don’t know whether I’ve shared it before or not, but as always, these poems are always worth sharing again. (smile) 

So please read with me: ‘Lord I don’t ask You to renovate me Nor do I ask You to reconstruct me Or make me over. I don’t even ask You to patch me up Or pare out the bruised spots Or gloss over the tin and tarnish. Rather, dear Lord, I ask You To make a new species – Something that never before existed. Impart to me Your very own Life. After all, Lord It is such a simple thing for You To create something beautiful From a shapeless, chaotic mass. It is such a simple thing for You To divide light from darkness. Please do it for me – now. (And the Lord replied) ‘Child of My Infinite Plan Two thousand years ago All you have asked I did. Please accept it from Me – NOW.’ 

And that’s the gospel truth friends! Two thousand years ago, with the birth, crucifixion and resurrection of Christ Jesus, the Lord recreated, reformed and refashioned man one more time, with Jesus as the foundation of the new process. As the psalmist so truthfully prophesied in Psalm 118, long before Christ’s coming: ‘The stone which the builder refused (rejected) is become the head stone of the corner (chief corner stone). It is the Lord’s doing; it is marvellous in our eyes.’ (Ps. 118:22-23) 

The Lord was always one jump ahead of  us my people. He knew the plans He had in mind for us, plans and thoughts of peace, and not of evil (calamity), to give us an expected end.’ (Jer. 29:11) That’s a future and a hope, so we could live with complete faith and trust in His magnanimity. Therefore, once Jesus came, all the old, unused, thrashy stuff was thrown away. As the Lord’s Word so rightly says in our Bible Promise for today’s poem: ‘Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature (creation): old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.’ (2 Cor. 5:17) 

And there we have exactly what the Lord was speaking about in His answer to our pleas for recreation! It’s simple; if you want to be a new man, then all you have to do is believe in Christ Jesus as your Lord and Saviour and the work of recreation will immediately begin. As the scholars explain: ‘When a man comes into vital union with the risen and glorified Lord, he is a “new creation” (cf. John 3:3; 15:5; Rom. 8:1, 9; Gal. 6:14-15) and perceives Christ in a new way. And, Old things are passed away indicates a decisive break with the old life at the moment of salvation. Behold, all things are become new stresses the abiding results of the Christian’s union with Christ (cf. Is. 43:18-19; 65:17; Eph. 4:24: Rev. 21:4-5).’ 

Ah my people, those are all important and very valid scriptures, but we don’t have time to quote them all, so we thoughtfully suggest (smile) that you take a few moments to look them up yourselves. However, since we like to spoon feed you, (smile) we will quote a few of them, beginning with this total gem from Jesus when the Jewish leader Nicodemus came to him by night to ask about His ministry. ‘Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again (from above), he cannot see the kingdom of heaven.’ (John 3:3) 

Right there friends, Jesus shows the overwhelming importance of change, of new life, of new behaviour, if one desires to follow Him. And Bruh Paul opens that magnificent chapter of hope, chapter 8 of Romans, with these most convincing words. ‘There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.’ (Rom. 8:1) What a marvellous situation that is! When we become new creations in Christ, the Holy Spirit comes to dwell within us and we cease walking after our carnal, fleshly lusts, but instead walk with the leading and guidance of God’s Spirit. 

And as the prophet Isaiah prophesied to the Israelites, and also to us, long before Jesus came: ‘Remember ye not the former things, neither consider the things of old. Behold, I will do a new thing; now it shall spring forth; shall ye not know it? I will even make a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert.’ (Is. 43:18-19) And He did it physically for the Israelites as they wandered through the wilderness, and for us spiritually with the coming of Jesus. And all God’s people gave a grateful shout of: ‘Glory to God in the highest, and peace, good will to men on the earth!’ 

Now that should be our earthly motto, but, unfortunately, Satan rules the earth with his evil doings, and hate and strife currently overwhelm our flailing world. But there is hope my fellow saints. Yes, once there is life, there is hope, in Almighty God! And the hope we have right now rests in what we call our Thursday Blessings. Undeserved blessings generously bestowed by God for us to do His earthly work, and turn this evil planet around. However, to activate them, we must vocally declare (chuh!!!) them. 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 made that declaration, (yesss!!!) we are now compelled to go out and use those blessing  in a generous manner to help others find Christ and come to LOVE Him like we do! Much LOVE!

…becoming a new creation in Jesus…is more important…and much easier…than buying a suit of new clothes…

 Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ

Today’s Scrip-Bit   29 February 2024 Philippians 3:14.

29 Feb 2024 Leave a comment

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

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

Here it is friends, the final day of February, where every four years a day is added to the shortest month of the year to keep our calendar in tune with the astronomical and seasonal cycles. As far as I knew, every fourth year was a leap year, but apparently not, so 2024 doesn’t’ seem to be a leap year, and since I don’t understand the science and the maths behind it, I’ll just leave it alone. (smile) Let it be known that today is simply the 29th day of February 2024, and we’re alive and kicking, basking in the joy and peace of Jesus Christ, our wonderful Lord and Saviour. 

And now, I want to share an interesting feature I found in the In Touch Devotional. Don’t know if it’s new, or I just never paid attention to it before. (smile) But it’s a section titled ‘Let’s Pause.’ And in this month’s edition, they pose this interesting question and answer. Please read with me. ‘Have you ever wondered if God is truly good? It’s an honest question, considering our broken world. Think back to a time you doubted. What started it? Were you alarmed? Ashamed because your faith wavered? We’re quick to judge ourselves, but God isn’t. Remember Jesus’ response to Thomas. He didn’t shame the disciple – He reassured him. And He’ll do the same for you. Picture doubt as a bird, one of many thoughts flying across the blue sky of your mind. Watch it come and go and be at peace, secure in God’s LOVE.’ 

Now isn’t that wonderful advice? It surely is! Because, regardless of how strong our faith normally is, things happen every so often that causes doubt to creep in, and though it doesn’t cause us to lose faith completely, it does drive us to ask some serious and sincere questions about our faith walk. And there’s definitely no need to beat ourselves up if once in a while a sliver of doubt enters our minds, since God doesn’t expect us to be perfect every living moment. He made us and knows all our faults and foibles and accepts and LOVES us just as we are. Now it’s our turn to do like Him and accept ourselves, just as we are. 

That however doesn’t mean we should not be continually making improvements and moving forward in our faith journey. No! Just that when we falter, we don’t think too little of ourselves or give up, but keep moving ahead, or as Bruh Paul wrote to the Philippians. ‘I press toward the mark (goal) for the prize of the high (upward) calling of God in Christ Jesus.’ (Phil. 3:14) Yes friends, pressing forward should always be the objective of Christians. And what does it all mean eh? 

The scholars tell us that The mark is the objective of verses 10 and 11, where Bruh Paul declares his utmost desire to know Christ: ‘That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death; If by any means I might attain (arrive at) the resurrection of the dead.’ (Phil. 3:10-11) Now those are good but mighty goals, which not all of us can attain to or are as zealous in doing as Bruh Paul was, but that’s the direction in which we should always be moving. 

So, as the scholars say, we can reach ‘the prize which is the joyful satisfaction of having attained it, as well as the divine commendation and reward to be granted in heaven for having reached this goal on earth. The high calling of God is the divine summons extended to the believer for salvation.’ Now all of that might sound like hifalutin stuff to some of us, so let’s see if we can simplify it with a couple of other commentaries. This first one explains: “I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.” To press toward the mark is to faithfully continue on the “strait and narrow path which leads to eternal life” with our Savior and our Father in Heaven.’ 

And the second commentary says: “Keep pressing.” Meaning, stay faithful and persevere in the midst of fatigue, hurt, or whatever it is that could make you discouraged. Sometimes in this walk, we grow weary and get tired, but I want to encourage you today with God’s word, “So don’t get tired of doing what is good.’ And I do hope that makes things somewhat clearer, as we ‘press on’ (smile) with a few more appropriate words from Bruh Paul: ‘Let us therefore, as many as be perfect (mature), be thus minded: and if in any thing ye be otherwise minded, God shall reveal even this unto you.’ (Phil. 3:15) 

Yes friends, we need to keep on thinking about pressing towards the mark. And the scholars explain that verse thus: ‘Mature Christians must realize that they are not ethically perfect, but they tirelessly press onward for higher spiritual attainment. There is present then a bit of irony: perfect (mature) believers are those who admit they are not perfect in any absolute sense. The apostle urges all mature Philippian Christians to hold this attitude concerning that none has yet “spiritually arrived” but ever pressing on toward further development.’ 

Now that’s exactly what we need to do in these despairing and doubtful times my brethren; stand strong, and with fervent faith, keep pressing along the straight and narrow path. Then, as per If  … ye be otherwise minded, the scholars explain: ‘The writer realizes that not all of the Philippian readers agree with his conviction of verse 12-15. But he is confident that God shall reveal their erroneous thinking to them.’ And so He will to us also my people. If we are sincerely trying to walk God’s path, and happen to slip or slide, the Lord will definitely get us back on track, after teaching us whatever lesson He desires us to learn from our slipping and sliding. (smile) Nuff said! 

Now let’s declare and thus activate our Thursday Blessings, so generously bestowed on us by the Lord to do His earthly work. As one 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! 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 to go out and put those blessings into action with others, just as generously as the Lord shared them with us! Much LOVE!

…the mark of a true believer…to be always pressing forward to know Christ better…

Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ  

Today’s Scrip-Bit   14 December 2023 Luke 1:46-47.

14 Dec 2023 Leave a comment

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

Luke 1:46-47.        And Mary said, My soul doth magnify (exalt) the Lord, And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour.

And then it was Thursday; the penultimate day of the work week, and also one day closer to  the birth of Christ! And as I go around my neighbourhood, I can see all the activity, all the busyness that this time of year spurs. And it’s certainly the case in my home, as the Duchess is slowly ramping up the Christmas spirit. I can’t walk anywhere in the house without encountering some kind of Christmas decoration, some of which I don’t like, and I believe makes the place even more congested than usual. But apparently I have no say in the matter. (smile) However, the Christmas tree does look luverly. 

And I bring all of that up because I want to find out just how much of all this Christmas activity is actually being focused on Christ and His incarnate birth, or are we more concerned about the time for gifts and feasting and secular celebrations? And for the many who proclaim, ‘Happy Holidays!’ What’s the holidays about eh? It’s about the birth of Jesus! Without the celebration of the birth of Jesus there would be no holidays, no shopping, with the cash registers merrily jingling every few seconds, no gift giving or joyful get togethers. So why can’t we acknowledge Jesus as the true reason for the season eh? 

As our world becomes more evil, secular and ungodly, it’s becoming an uphill battle to remind people that Jesus’ birth is why we celebrate these supposed holidays. But let’s not give up my fellow believers, for if we keep on sending the message, in due course, the heathen, the ungodly, the evildoer, the greedy business person, will all come to recognize why there’s all the hubbub and hoopla at this time of year – the marvellous, miraculous, incarnate birth of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! There’s never before been a birth like it… and there will never again be another one as marvellous and miraculous! 

And today I want to explore the situation of that incarnate birth a little bit more for there are some interesting ramifications to it, like what happens after Mary’s momentous encounter with the angel Gabriel. The Good Library tells us: ‘And Mary arose in those days, and went into the hill country with haste, into a city of Juda. And entered into the house of Zacharias, and saluted (greeted) Elisabeth. And it came to pass, that, when Elisabeth heart the salutation (greeting) of Mary, the babe (John the Baptist) leaped in her womb, and Elisabeth was filled with the Holy Ghost. 

And she spake out with a loud voice, and said, Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb. And whence is this to me, that (why should) the mother of my Lord come to me? For, lo, as soon as the voice of thy salutation (greeting) sounded in mine ears, the babe leaped in my womb for joy. And blessed is she that believed: for there shall be a performance (fulfillment) of those things which were told her from the Lord.’ (Luke 1:39-45) 

Oh my people, doesn’t it astound and astonish you at the amazing dramatics that our God has placed in Hs Word? Listen to that drama there as Mary, the Mother of Jesus greets Elisabeth, the mother of John the Baptist. The Holy Ghost comes upon Elisabeth and John the Baptist jumps for joy in his mother’s womb, spiritually knowing that the One whom he is coming to prepare the way for is close by! Wow! Only our great God could engineer such a dramatic situation! Give Him thanks and praise for His awesome Word nuh! 

But it gets even more dramatic as Mary then proceeds to sing this song, we call ‘The Magnificat.’ ‘And Mary said, My soul doth magnify (exalt) the Lord, And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour. For he hath regarded the low estate (lowly state) of his hand maiden (maidservant): for, behold, from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed. For he that is mighty hath done to me great things; and holy is his name. And his mercy is on them that fear (reverence) him from generation to generation. 

He hath shewed strength with his arm; he hath scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts. He hath put down the mighty from their seats (thrones), and exalted them of low degree (the lowly). He hath filled the hungry with good things; and the rich he hath sent empty away. He hath holpen (helped) his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy; As he spake to our fathers, to Abraham, and to his seed (descendants) for ever.’ (Luke 1:46-55) 

Oh friends, what magnificent sentiments in praise of our God’s goodness and mercy, His strength and His faithfulness! How could an ordinary teenaged girl proclaim such things eh…not unless she was filled with the Holy Spirit! The Bible then informs us: ‘And Mary abode with her (Elisabeth) about three months, and returned to her own house.’ (Luke 1:56) Can you imagine the conversations between the two women, and the way Jesus and John the Baptist were carrying on in their mothers wombs during those conversations. (smile) Only in the Bible, you say! Yes! Only in the Bible! 

And per the name of Mary’s soliloquy ‘The Magnificat’ the scholars tell us it’s based on the first word of the Latin translation (the Vulgate), and is rich in Old Testament imagery, for Jesus’ coming was in fulfillment of Old Testament promises. And that’s the gospel truth my fellow believers! From the very beginning of that noteworthy tome, there have been promises and talk of the coming of our Lord and Saviour. So please, as we go about our shopping and baking and all the etceteras of the season, let’s see if we can’t put a li’l more of our focus, our thoughts on the reason for the season, Jesus Christ. 

Let’s try and keep Him first place in all we do, so that we won’t forget why we’re having this joyful period of the year. And to help us with all that stuff, the Lord has generously bestowed certain blessings on us that we call our Thursday Blessings, but to activate them we need to declare them out loud, so let’s do that right now nuh. 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!’ 

And having activated those underserved blessings, it’s now our bounden duty to go out and use them on behalf of others, just as generously as the Lord gave them to us! Much LOVE!

…but for the incarnate birth of Jesus…there would be no holiday season…at this time of year… 

Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ   

Today’s Scrip-Bit   31 August 2023 John 17:16.

31 Aug 2023 Leave a comment

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

John 17:16.       They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.

Well friends, it’s the last day of August, which means summer is on the way out for another year. Chuh! And the cold weather has already begun to show its face with overnight lows of around 15 Celsius. But nonetheless, this Thursday morning has opened with bright sunshine and blue skies. And I did see the double full moon last night. Yay! The big, bright full moon in the arms of the darker one. The bright one at the front, covered about two thirds of the darker one in the back. Something like when the new moon sits in the arms of the old moon. What a genius planner and designer is our great God! 

And though life might not be going exactly the way we desire it, it could also be worse, and with His awesome help we can also make it better. So please, let’s give Him some sincere thanks and praise for allowing us to see another miraculous day on His planet Earth! Please pray with me: ‘O God of our forefathers, today we offer up a plethora of praise and thanks for all the good things you’ve done on our behalf down through the years, especially the sending of your Son, Jesus Christ to die on the cross at Calvary so our sins could be bought with the price of His precious blood. 

We know that was an extreme price you had to pay, but pay it you did because of your great, unconditional LOVE for us, and we thank you sincerely for it, and promise that we will do our best to live up to your Word and make you proud of us. This we pray in the name of your Son, our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ! Amen!’ 

Oh my brethren, we owe our God so much that we can never repay Him, even if we live several lifetimes. But now is the time when we seriously need to step up to the plate and bat our best innings, because our wonderful world is in such a disastrous and chaotic state and only we believers can effect some sincere and positive change to it. The evildoers are happy with it going down to hell in a handbasket, and we can’t allow that to happen without putting up serious resistance. 

That’s our bounden duty! That’s what Christ commissioned us to do; to spread His gospel around the world and behave in a certain manner that would cause others to want what we have; that’s salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. And I don’t like harping on it, but the truth of the matter is that we’re definitely not doing as good a job as we ought to, otherwise our world would not be in the mess it’s currently in. Too many people are turning away from God to embrace Satan’s evil ways because of our lackadaisical, apathetic, doh-care attitude. That’s because too many supposed believers are too enamoured of the things of the world and are behaving like the world. 

Remember what Christ said on the matter to the disciples and therefore to us also? ‘If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you. If ye were of the world, the world would LOVE his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you.’ (John 15:18-19) Yes friends, Jesus made it very clear that His followers were not of the world, and therefore the world would hate them like they hated Him. 

And He felt so strongly about the subject that later on He offered up an ardent prayer to the Father on it, saying: ‘And now I am no more (no longer) in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to thee, Holy Father; keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given me, that they may be one, as we are. …I have given them thy word, and the world hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. 

I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil (one). They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. Sanctify them (set them apart) through thy truth: thy word is truth. As thou hast sent me into the world, even so have I also sent them into the world. And for their sakes I sanctify myself, that they also might be sanctified through the truth.’ (John 17:11, 13-19) 

It couldn’t be any clearer my fellow believers: we’re supposed to be IN the world, but not OF the world. And if there’s no difference between us and the unbelievers, how can they ever turn to Christ eh? Our behaviour and speech ought to be different to theirs, so that they can see that we have something different, something better and come to desire it. 

Ah mih people, so much of the world’s misfortunes have occurred because Christ’s body, His church, has stood by and done nothing to rectify the wrongs being committed. And you know that if you see wrong and do nothing to right that wrong, then you’re just as culpable as those committing the wrong. And as a divided and disunified body, the church of Christ is culpable of a whole lot of wrongs, because we’ve stood aside and watch the evildoers perpetrate them and have done nothing to stop or rectify those wrongs. That means there’s a whole lot of blood on our hands too. 

But we can turn the situation around, if we’d only get together, be unified and fight the devil as one, large, whole body, not as small groups or individuals. We need to wake up though and realize the seriousness of the situation, stop sitting on the fence and get a move on for Jesus, if we expect our children and grandchildren to enjoy a better world than we have. Friends, Jesus is waiting, waiting patiently, but anxiously for us to get together and light up the world with His truth! Let’s not keep Him waiting any longer nuh. 

And our God is so wonderful that He’s even bestowed undeserved blessings on us so that we can do His earthly work. So, we can’t say that we don’t have the tools to perform our duties. We call them our Thursday Blessings, and we can activate them by simply declaring (yesss!!!) them aloud. 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! 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 take those blessings and get out into the world and use them just as generously on others, as the Lord bestowed them on us. Much LOVE!

…it’s time for believers to stop talking…and get on with the action…show the world our good works in Christ’s name… 

 Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ         

Today’s Scrip-Bit   27 July 2023 Proverbs 22:6.

27 Jul 2023 Leave a comment

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

Proverbs 22:6.       Train up a child in the way he should go, and (even) when he is old, he will not depart from it.

Well, it rained, or rightly drizzled through most of the night, and therefore Thursday has opened somewhat cloudy but dry. Nonetheless, the computer is giving another ‘HEAT’ warning for today. It’s therefore another day of air conditioners working hard and walking around with your umbrella and hat to protect you from the sun or rain. (smile) In other words, it’s just another day on God’s good earth. So, let’s brighten up and enjoy it, for as the psalmist so rightly said: ‘This is the day the Lord has made, we WILL rejoice and be glad in it.’ (Ps. 118:24) 

Now here’s an interesting poem I recently found while rummaging through some old files on my desk. And I was truly amazed at the amount of stuff I found in them, good, bad and indifferent. I never knew I was such a prolific writer in my earlier days. It might take me another lifetime to go through it all and weed out the wheat from the thrash. (smile) Anyway here’s this most appropriately titled poem, ‘Children Learn What They Live.’ It’s something that parents today so badly need to read, inwardly digest and put into proper action. And, as so often is the case, I don’t know who wrote it, or where I got it from, but it’s certainly a gem of a poem.  

Please read with me. ‘If a child lives with criticism, He learns to condemn. If a child lives with hostility, He learns to fight. If a child lives with shame, He learns to feel guilty. If a child lives with tolerance, He learns to be patient. If a child lives with encouragement, He learns confidence. If a child lives with praise, He learns to appreciate. If a child lives with fairness, He learns justice. If a child lives with security, He learns to have faith. If a child lives with approval, He learns to like himself. If a child lives with acceptance and friendship, He learns to find LOVE in the world.’ 

And isn’t that the awesome truth my fellow believers? It most certainly is! Those are the basics of bringing up a child, which many of our generation didn’t adhere to, and which even more of this current generation are bypassing for many foolish reasons. Then we’re wondering why our children are so unruly, ungodly and prone to such foolish and evil behaviour. And that’s the perfect way to do what Cousin Sol said in Proverbs. ‘Train up a child in the way he should go, and (even) when he is old, he will not depart from it.’ (Prov. 22:6) 

Exactly what we have not been doing with our children, otherwise they would not be the sorry, ungodly, lost lot that they now are, exhibiting the chaotic ways of the world. And believe me, children don’t learn those things they need to make their way successfully in this world in school or at church, but in the HOME! That’s supposed to be the major place of learning God’s moral compass, but unfortunately many parents don’t know it, are too busy or simply don’t care, so it’s left for others to teach our children. 

And if our children don’t have the proper basic foundation, then they will fall for any and everything. And the filth and foolishness that’s floating around out there right now is unbelievable, that’s why they are running from one thing to the next, unable to settle down to any one thing. And we have to take most of the blame for that my fellow parents. Some of us might have figured we grew up too hard, with too little freedom, so we allow our children to do basically what they want. But that tough LOVE of our childhood is exactly what kept us on the straight and narrow, gave us a sense of responsibility. 

What we have to learn is that LOVE doesn’t mean allowing others to have their way, to do whatever they wish, even though it’s wrong. No! LOVE means proper guidance, with godly discipline. And if our children don’t like it, then tough; they can go and find their own place to live and a way to support themselves. The long and short of the situation is that we’ve been too soft and molly-cuddly with our children; trying to be their friends instead of their parents. 

In other words, we have abrogated our parenting responsibility, taken the easy way out, and thus are now paying the price with a generation of unruly, disobedient offspring, who figure they are entitled to do whatever, whenever they so desire. And that’s why there’s so much chaos in our world; a thorough lack of responsibility, that’s led to a time of immense greed and selfishness. Remember, whatever foundation we grow with, that’s what we’ll exhibit in our later lives. Which is one of the reasons why the Lord doesn’t allow us to get away with too much foolishness and disciplines us when we go astray. He knows the downfall of a lack of discipline. 

The Book of Hebrews spells it out for us. ‘And ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto children (sons), My son, despise not the chastening (discipline) of the Lord, nor faint (be discouraged) when thou art rebuked of him. For whom the Lord LOVETH he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth.’ (Heb. 12:5-6) Now that sounds as though it’s so abusive and unfair, but it’s not. And this commentary explains it a tad better than I could. (smile)

The author says: ‘So, my point simply is that God often times leads us into painful situations and orchestrates our lives and imposes upon us difficult circumstances, physical discomfort, financial pressure, and other such hardships to help us grow up in Christ. And these are not expressions of his anger but of his LOVE!’ And that’s the gospel truth friends! If our God didn’t LOVE us, He would just let us do whatever we want and suffer the very serious consequences. Then we would declare (chuh!!!) that He didn’t LOVE us, otherwise He would have stopped us from making those serious mistakes and having to pay the heavy price. 

We can’t have it both ways friends. The Lord is not our doting grandfather, but our exalted God, to whom obedience and respect is required and expected, and there are consequences for the lack thereof. Now, let’s go home declaring (yesss!!!) our Thursday Blessings which the Lord has so generously bestowed on us to 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, we must now go out and use them generously with others, so that they can come to know and LOVE the Lord like we do! Much LOVE!

…the best way to live…obey God…and leave all the consequences to Him…  (Uncle Charles – Dr. Charles Stanley) 

 Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ                

Today’s Scrip-Bit   20 July 2023 Romans 10:14a.

20 Jul 2023 Leave a comment

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

Romans 10:14a.       How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed?

Now Thursday hasn’t opened as nicely as Wednesday did. Oh, it’s fairly sunny and cool, but there’s a bit of cloud cover which Wednesday did not have, and that has therefore lowered it in the spectrum of summer sunny days. (smile) But life is still good, we’re alive and thankful to our great and wonderful God for allowing us to see another day on His wonderful planet Earth. And believe me, many people did not get that opportunity to see today, so we’d better had be really thankful, for who knows if this might be our last one. 

And furthermore, the Lord allowed us to see today because He has kingdom work for us to perform. Yes friends, that’s one of the reasons we’re here, in this place and time, to do God’s will, the plans He’s prepared for us even before we were formed in our mother’s womb. That means we’re not just random figures, but important pre-planned workers for God’s kingdom, labourers in the harvest of the lost and sinful, a harvest that is now exceedingly ripe and ready for reaping. 

So, it behooves us to get out there and begin reaping the harvest, instead of just lolling on our fat fannies, talking nonsense, gossiping and complaining like so many of us supposed kingdom labourers are doing. Remember Jesus’ words on the subject to the disciples? ‘The harvest truly is plenteous, but the labourers are few. Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth the labourers into his harvest.’ (Matt. 9:37-38) 

Yes my brethren, the lost and sinful were in great numbers in Jesus’ time here on earth, but with more people on the earth now, the numbers are even greater than before, and unfortunately look to be increasing, as more people seem to be leaving Christ’s church than are joining it. And who’s fault is that? Ours obviously! Because we have been ever so reluctant, lazy, afraid and whatever to get out into the world and live sincerely for Jesus. 

But that’s our job. That’s what Jesus commissioned us to do. ‘Go ye therefore, and teach (make disciples of) all nations , baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world.’ (Matt. 28:19-20) 

And that’s our raison d’etre my people, our purpose for being on planet earth right now, to win souls to Christ, to reduce the numbers that will be lost when Christ comes again. Remember Peter’s words on the subject? ‘The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.’ (2 Pet. 3:9b) So who knows, the Lord might just be waiting for us to get out there and get busy, being the true salt and light of the world, bringing more people to Him in sincere repentance, before sending Jesus back. 

And to bear out the truth of that statement, Jesus promised: ‘And this is the Father’s will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day. And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day.’ (John 6:39-40) So you see both the Father and Son are very much interested in saving as many souls as possible, but they are depending on us to be the guiding light that brings others to them. 

That brings us to one of my favourite scriptures; the way Bruh Paul voices the dilemma of bringing people to Christ in his letter to the church at Rome. ‘How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things. …So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.’ (Rom. 10:14-15, 17) 

Ah my fellow believers, that says it all! People can only hear about the gospel of Christ if others go to them and tell them about it; others there meaning we believers. They will never know the glad tidings of good things that Jesus’ gospel of peace holds until we step up to the plate, in whatever capacity, preacher, comforter, friend, and tell them about it. That’s why the overflowing and abundant harvest that’s ever so ripe for harvesting will only be reaped according to the effort that we labourers, we believers put into it. 

And let’s remember that if we don’t get up and do a good job, asap, that many souls will be lost to Christ, be eternally separated from Almighty God, the worst fate that can ever befall a human soul, and the fault for many of them being lost will lie right on our lazy, uninterested and weak shoulders. And when the Lord asks why we were not more diligent in seeking souls for His kingdom, what answer will we give eh? We didn’t think it was our job, or we were just lazy and disinterested. Those answers won’t hold any water my people. So please, please, let’s get busy and do our bounden duty nuh, so that no souls will be lost when Christ returns. 

Now let’s go home declaring (yesss!!!) our Thursday Blessings which were so generously bestowed on us by the Father, so that we can go out and do the very work we’re talking about. As one 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 our duty to now go out and share them just as generously with those we meet, so that Christ’s kingdom can be furthered! Much LOVE

…a harvest will only be successful reaped…if there are enough willing harvesters… 

 Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ         

Today’s Scrip-Bit   13 July 2023 Joshua 1:9.

13 Jul 2023 Leave a comment

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

Joshua 1:9.       Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee withersoever thou goest.

And after a late night, early morning of constant drizzle, Thursday has opened sunny and cool, but with some cloudy overtones. The computer is saying it’s going to be windy and humid. But in these days of climate change anything is possible, so we just have to learn to handle whatever comes against us weatherwise, like we have learned to handle whatever circumstances come against us in our regular lives. 

And it all begins with knowing, and even more importantly living like Jesus Christ is our true and enabling Lord and Saviour. As he says, without Him, we can do nothing. (John 15:5). But then again, we can do ALL things though Christ who strengthens and enables us! (Phil. 4:13) And don’t forget either that God’s grace is sufficient for all we do, because His strength (power) is made perfect in our weakness. (2 Cor. 12:9) 

Wow! What a mighty force is our God! And He ought to be, since He created the earth, the heavens, the seas and all therein, and also controls everything within them, so that all the hairs of our heads are numbered and not even one grain of it falls of and He doesn’t know it. Neither does even one little sparrow, which is a cheap and seemingly unimportant bird die and the Lord doesn’t know it. (Matt. 10:29-32) 

So, taking all of that into consideration, the question then becomes, why are we who claim to be great believers in Almighty God, with Jesus Christ as our Lord and Saviour are so fearful of the things of the world and the evil that lurks therein? Remember Jesus said quite authoritatively: ‘And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.’ (Matt. 10:28) 

And, if you didn’t know it, the ONLY One who can destroy both our souls and bodies is the Lord God Almighty! That means, if we’re to fear any Being, it’s Jehovah God we should fear! But since He’s our heavenly Father, having adopted us after Christ died and paid for our sins, (Rom. 8:14-15) and therefore LOVES us with a mighty unconditional LOVE, there’s no need to fear Him in the true sense of the word, but to reverence, to honour and obey Him, like children do their fathers. 

But unfortunately, that is something too many of us on this disaster-filled planet are not doing, that’s why our lives are so pitiable and miserable! If we don’t have the LOVE and reverence of God in us, how can we ever live joyful and successful lives eh? Remember, the Bible tells us that the joy of the Lord is our strength. (Neh. 8:10) 

And remember too, these amazing and wise words from the mouth of the Lord Himself to Joshua. ‘This book of the law shall not depart out of (shall be constantly in) thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.’ (Josh. 1:8) 

Oh my brethren that’s all we really need to know yes! Read and constantly meditate on God’s Word, then put it into action in our lives! That’s it in a nutshell! But how many of us even read the Lord’s Word, much less meditate on it, and live it? Not nearly enough! And if you didn’t believe what the Lord said to Joshua back there, then listen to what He followed it up with: ‘Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee withersoever thou goest.’ (Josh. 1:9) 

Mama Mia my fellow saints! What else do we need for God to do for us or to tell us eh, before we can live the way He desires of us? He’s told us to read and study His word, then live it. Then to not be afraid but strong and courageous because He’s with us wherever we go. Then to crown it all, He sent His Son Jesus Christ to die for us so that our sin debt could be paid in full and give us the option of spending eternity in His marvellous company…

What else do we need eh? For Him to come and hold each of our hands personally and lead us over the threshold of heaven? Brother! We’ve become such frail, feeble and fearful folks that even when we’ve been given everything we need to live the abundant and successful life that Jesus died for us to have, we’re still mewling and afraid like little children. 

Sorry, I take that back, little children might be afraid, but they have confidence in their parents and elders and follow them anyway. But we obviously don’t have the confidence we’re supposed to have in Christ Jesus, our heavenly Father, neither the Holy Spirit, who all bend over backwards to help us! 

And furthermore, we can’t even stay united as one church, one body of Christ like we should be, but allow the enemy to divide and conquer us with all the foolish divisions and denominations we’ve created and all the petty and selfish things that we foolishly use to keep us apart. When are we going to wake up and realize that unless there is more unity in Christ’s church, that we can never win the war we’re supposed to be fighting? We talk such a good talk, but our walk is woeful in comparison, not nearly as good as it ought to be. 

And though I’m chuckling here at what I’ve written, because I never came out to write it, but apparently was led there by the Holy Spirit, because we definitely do need to wake up and get working for Christ if we ever expect to see positive changes in our world anytime soon. Let’s hope that this will be a wakeup call for many of us, and believers in Christ will begin doing what they need to do: read and study God’s word, then live it with courage and strength of purpose! 

And now, let’s go home declaring (ah Lord eh!) our Thursday Blessings, which the Lord has generously bestowed on us to do His earthly work. As one 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, we desperately need to go out and share those blessings with others, just as generously as the Lord shared them with us! Much LOVE!

…we have all the tools for abundant and successful living…why aren’t we using them to enrich our world like Jesus desires… 

 Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ    

Today’s Scrip-Bit   15 June 2023 Matthew 6:24b.

15 Jun 2023 Leave a comment

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

Matthew 6:24b.      Ye cannot serve God and mammon (riches, money).

Well, we’ve moved on to Thursday, the second to last day of the work week, and in my area it’s slated to be mostly cloudy, somewhat cool and windy. And I must say the last few days have been more spring-like, with cooler temps and some cloudy periods with rain, than it was earlier in the month with all that sunshine and warmth. But that’s how it is with life; what you don’t get now, you’ll get later, and vice versa. (smile) And no, I haven’t forgotten that we are supposed to continue talking about the value and importance of learning how to handle money, as prescribed in the Good Library. 

Now I don’t know if this is true, but someone once said that Jesus talked about money more than anything else in His earthly ministry. But He did talk some about money, so let’s see what He had to say on the subject. And the first and possibly the most important of Jesus’ sayings about money is this: ‘No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and LOVE the other; or else he will hold to (be loyal) to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon (riches, money).’ (Matt. 6:24) 

And that’s the gospel truth friends! We cannot serve God and run down material wealth too, although many of us are trying to do just that. God wants to be involved in EVERYTHING we do, so we can’t leave Him out to pursue money, then come back to Him when we feel like. 

And here are possibly the two most important quotes in the whole Bible about money and material wealth. The first are the opening words of Psalm 24, as Bruh David says it loud and clear. ‘The earth is the Lord’s, and the fullness thereof, the world, and they that dwell therein. For he hath founded it upon the seas, and established it upon the floods (rivers).’ (Ps. 24:1-2) Yes friends, that tells us in no uncertain terms that the earth and all therein belongs to God Almighty, who created it and still controls it. So whatever we have doesn’t really belong to us, we are just stewards, managers of it on this earth. 

And maybe this verse from right at the beginning of creation might help us to remember who’s the real BOSS! ‘And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every thing that creepeth upon the earth.’ (Gen 1:26) Please note that God made it all and gave us dominion, or charge over it, He did not say it was ours. 

And the next verses we should hallow or think on, when we consider getting earthly riches, are these two spoken by Moses to the children of Israel. He warns them about getting swell headed when they get prosperous. ‘And thou say in thine heart, My power and the might of mine hand hath gotten me this wealth. But thou shalt remember the Lord thy God: for it is he that giveth thee power to get wealth, that he may establish (confirm) his covenant which he sware unto thy father, as it is this day.’ (Deut. 8:18) So there we have it, we don’t get wealth by our power, but through the Lord’s, because it all belongs to Him anyway. 

Now let’s get back to some of Jesus’ teaching on money. And just before He spoke about not being able to serve God and mammon or money, He warned. ‘Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon the earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt (ruin), and where thieves break through and steal: But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt (ruin), and where thieves do not break through and steal.’ (Matt. 6:19-20) 

Now there’s wisdom for the ages! When you accumulate earthly wealth a lot of it deteriorates with age, or the possibilities are great for thieves to steal it, but in heaven there’s neither moth nor rust nor thieves, so if you desire to accumulate treasure, the best place to do so is in heaven! And in His teachings on worry right after that, Jesus also declares (yesss!!!): ‘Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for (do not worry about) your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not life more than meat (food), and the body more than raiment (clothing)?’ (Matt. 6:25) 

Now that’s a good question. If we don’t worry about food and clothes how will we survive, and we need money to provide those things for ourselves and our families. And to further make His point, Jesus points out how the birds fly around without sowing or reaping, but they eat and live well because God looks after them. Likewise, the lilies of the field, they don’t toil or spin, but they’re even more beautiful than Cousin Sol in all his glory. and Cousin Sol was sure a sight to behold! (smile) 

Then Jesus reasons that if the Lord looks after those things of His universe that are not as important as us, why wouldn’t He also take good care of us, since He knows all that we need. Then He comes to the proviso, the thing necessary for that to happen. ‘But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.’  (Matt, 6:33) Now that’s the big one friends. If we want all that God has to offer, then we need to seek Him and his righteousness first, and keep it first place always. And it isn’t that we ought not to work, we should, as 2 Thess. 3:10, and 1 Tim. 5:8 tell us, but that we should stop worrying and learn to trust God. 

Now, we only have space and time left for one more of Jesus’ pronouncements on money. And this is indeed a hard one, where He says to the rich young ruler who had everything and kept the law as best he could, but was seeking eternal life. ‘Jesus said unto him, If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me.’ (Matt. 19:21) It’s obvious that the young man went away sad because he had a lot of wealth. Then Jesus went on to tell the disciples how it was hard for a rich man to enter heaven and it was easier for a camel to pass through the eyes of a needle, and with God all things are possible. etc. (Matt. 19:23-30) 

But what we’re concerned with here is why Jesus said those tough words to the young man. And this commentary explains it well. ‘These words of Jesus were not given as a general command to all His followers. Rather, they were spoken to a certain rich young ruler who wanted to inherit eternal life. But that doesn’t mean they don’t apply to us today. Jesus’ concern had to do with the grip the man’s wealth had on His heart. If He couldn’t let it go, then He could never really surrender everything to God. What about you? If Jesus asked you to give up everything, would you be able to do so?’ 

And isn’t that a marvellous question, which all of us are hoping that Jesus never asks us to do, since we all have a fair amount of earthly stuff, to which we’ve become fairly attached. (smile) But that’s a thought for another day, right now, let’s go home declaring (awright!!!) our Thursday Blessings which have been given to us to do Christ’s 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! 

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 it’s now our bounden duty to get out into the evil and ungodly world and share those blessings just as generously with others as Christ shared them with us! Much LOVE!

…money can buy earthly things…but it cannot buy the things of heaven…let’s remember that… 

 Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ     

Today’s Scrip-Bit   6 April 2023 Matthew 26:28.

06 Apr 2023 Leave a comment

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

Matthew 26:28. For this is my blood of the new testament (covenant), which is shed for many for the remission (forgiveness) of sins.

And then it was Thursday; Maundy Thursday. And we wish you all a Happy Maundy Thursday! It might not have been such a happy day in Jesus’ life, neither in ours right now, as we contemplate the next few days of tragic happenings, but it was indeed a special one, where He set certain parameters in our faith, and left us several examples to follow. Maundy Thursday was the day in Jesus’ life when, as we say, everything came to bump, meaning that He had finally reached the stage when there’s no turning back. 

On that Thursday, certain things happened that reminds us of the passionate moments of Jesus’ life. And we are invited to remember and celebrate these four events: the Last Supper, the Washing of the Apostle’s Feet by Jesus, Christ’s agony and prayer in Gethsemane, and the arrest of Jesus. At the Last Supper, He offered Himself as the sacrificial Lamb, with such humility and selflessness that makes Him the perfect example of those attributes. 

Now this was a time of the celebration of the Passover Feast in Jerusalem, one of the most sacred days in the Jewish Calendar, reminding them of that time during their slavery in Egypt, when the Angel of Death passed over Egypt and killed every first born son, but spared the Jews, because of the lamb’s blood on the lintel of their doors. (Ex. 12) 

On that night Jesus sat with His twelve disciples celebrating. ‘And as they did eat, he said, Verily I say unto you, that one of you shall betray me. And they were exceeding sorrowful, and began every one of them to say unto him, Lord is it I? And He answered and said, he that dippeth his hand with me in the dish, the same shall betray me. The Son of man goeth as it is written of him: but woe unto that man by whom the Son of man is betrayed! it had been good for that man if he had never been born. Then Judas which betrayed him, answered and said, Master, is it I? He (Jesus) said unto him, Thou hast said (it).’ (Matt. 26:21-24) 

Oh my people, can you imagine the consternation, the doubt and grief engendered by Jesus’ comment that one of His closest supplicants would betray Him. And the scholars explain:  ‘Jesus’ reply to Judas Thou hast said means “yes.” He that dippeth reveals the personal and intimate nature of the betrayal.’ But that was only the first of several eye-opening occasions on that fateful evening. 

After that, the Good Book tells: ‘And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed it, and brake it, and gave it to the disciples, and said, Take, eat, this is my body. And he took the cup (of wine), and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, Drink ye all of it (drink from it all of you). For this is my blood of the new testament (covenant), which is shed for many for the remission (forgiveness) of sins. But I say unto you, I will not drink henceforth of this fruit of the vine, until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom.’ (Matt. 26:26-29) 

Right there we have it friends, the celebration of what we call ‘The Eucharist, or Holy Communion,’ as a memorial of the death and resurrection of Jesus, in response to his words at the final meal he shared with his disciples, ‘Do this in remembrance of me.’ (Luke 22:19 ) Thus, when we receive communion, we remember the sacrifice Jesus made for us, and we grow in LOVE for one another as Jesus commanded us. 

And what do the scholars say about Jesus’ actions at the Last Supper. As per ‘Jesus took bread: The head of the Jewish household was accustomed to doing this during the Passover feast. Jesus gave a completely new significance to the action.’ Then, as per ‘This is my body: During the Passover feast the Jewish householder took bread in his hand and said, This is the bread of affliction which our fathers ate in the land of Egypt,’ meaning, of course, that one represented the other. By His words the Lord changed the whole significance and emphasis of the feast from looking back to the typical redemption from Egypt to faith in the redemption from sin accomplished by His death. 

The bread and wine were only outward symbols of our Lord’s death. Nothing in the gospels indicates that these were to be viewed as a means of grace, sacraments, or that they were physically necessary for one’s salvation.’ Meanwhile, as per ‘The cup: Three cups were passed around by the Jewish householder during the Passover meal; the third, which is probably the one referred to here, being known as “the cup of blessing.” 

And ‘My blood of the new testament taken from the Greek Septuagint version of Exodus 24:8, with allusions to Jeremiah 31:31 and Zechariah 9:11. The covenant in Exodus 24: 8 was sealed with blood. Now, as per ‘Shed for many the remission of sins: Here is a clear statement that the death of Jesus was necessary to enable God to forgive sins. It, in fact, made it right or morally justified for Him to do so.’ 

Ah friends, so much happened on that penultimate day of Jesus’ life that we don’t have time nor space to recount it all in detail. But we do know that after supper Jesus washed the disciples’ feet, (John 13:2-17) which was another eye-opener for the disciples; their Master doing a slave’s job. And when Peter refused, Jesus simply told him: ‘If I wash thee not, thou hast no part with me.’ (John 2:8) It was a powerful example as Jesus told them. ‘If I then, your Lord and Master (Teacher), have washed your feet, ye also ought to wash one another’s feet.’ (John 2:14) That’s a picture of the humility and selflessness we were talking about earlier. 

Then Jesus told them about their being offended by the things that were going to happen to Him, but Peter as usual refused to accept Christ’s words, claiming he would never be offended or leave Jesus. At which point, Jesus told Peter about his denying Him thrice before the cock crowed twice. (Matt. 26:31-35) Then they went into the Garden of Gethsemane where Jesus, with heavy heart and sorrowful soul prayed for a reprieve from His Father, but none was forthcoming. (Matt. 26:36-46) 

Finally, Jesus was betrayed by Judas and arrested in the Garden of Gethsemane, and all the disciples fled the scene. (Matt. 26:47-57) Then while Jesus was being questioned by the high priest Caiaphas, Peter denied knowing him three times before the cock crowed twice, and the Lord just looked at him, with an ‘I told you so’ look. And Peter went outside and wept bitterly. (Matt. 26:69-75) Yes my fellow saints, Maundy Thursday was indeed a busy and important day for our Lord and Saviour. But you’ll notice that though His soul was burdened, He nonetheless stepped up to the plate and batted the most wonderful innings ever played! 

Now that is a most worthy example for us to follow, especially since we’ve been generously granted what we call our Thursday Blessings, of which we’re not worthy, but have been bestowed them to help us do Christ’s work here on earth. So, let’s declare (yesss!!!) them so that they can be activated. 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! 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 do the work that we’ve been so generously blessed to do! Much LOVE!

…though also God…in His humanity…Jesus was indeed…a man amongst men…a class act…no doubt about it… 

 Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ          

Today’s Scrip-Bit   2 March 2023 Hebrews 11:6.

02 Mar 2023 Leave a comment

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

Hebrews 11:6.      But without faith it is impossible to please him (God): for he that cometh to God must believe that he is (exists), and is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.

Now I don’t know what area my weather forecasting computer is talking about when it says 2C Cloudy, but it’s certainly not my neighbourhood because outside of my place it’s a dry, bright and sunshiny as ever Thursday morning in early March 2023. And let’s hope it stays that way, because I’ve got to go out the street later and run some errands. And since it seems that the Lord was most willing for us to see another beautiful day on planet earth, then we have to keep our promise and continue looking at scriptures that tell us about faith and its relationship to fear and Jesus. (smile) 

Now, yesterday, we looked at several scriptures that showed where faith is of the utmost necessity if and when we choose to serve God. But first let’s see what exactly faith is. The Bible tells us that ‘Faith is the substance (realization) of things hoped for, the evidence (conviction) of things not seen. For by it the elders obtained a good report. Through faith we understand that the worlds (ages) were framed (prepared) by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear (are visible)’ (Heb. 11:1-3) 

Yes friends, faith is basically believing for things we don’t see, yet hoping that if it’s the will of God, it will happen. It’s all about trusting God to do what’s right in our lives. And it’s so important that the author of Hebrews informs us: ‘But without faith it is impossible to please him (God): for he that cometh to God must believe that he is (exists), and is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.’ (Heb. 11:6) And He goes on to name several men of God, who manifested great faith, like Noah, who built and ark just by God’s say so. 

Then there’s Enoch who pleased God so much that he didn’t die, but was simply translated from the earth, simply walked out of it, simply disappeared. (smile) And Abraham, the father of modern-day faith, who picked up his personal family and belongings and went out into the wild, somewhere unknown, simply because a God he did not know told him to do it and made several promises of what would happen if he did. Abraham was even willing to offer up his one son of his old age Isaac, because God told him to, testing his faith. And you can find all those stories of the heroes of faith in Hebrews 11. 

Now, obviously not all of us will ever reach the level of faith that those heroes achieved, but it’s what we desperately need to work towards if we are to live the victorious life that Christ died for us to have. And the author of Hebrews gives us yet another poignant word on faith, which says: ‘Let us hold fast the profession (confession) of our faith (hope) without wavering (for he is faithful that promised.) (Heb. 10:23) Oh my people we need to steadfastly hold on to our faith in God because our God is ever-faithful, He does not disappoint those who put their sincere trust in Him. 

That doesn’t mean that life will be a bed of roses, and everything we want we will get, but it does mean that most things in God’s will, if it’s in His plan for our lives we will get them. God will not allow anything or anyone but us, to stop our destiny. And sometimes He won’t even allow us to do it, He’ll keep applying the pressure so that we eventually give in and do it His way. I can tell you that from personal experience. For if I had had my way, I wouldn’t be writing the Bit today. But His tenacity eventually forced me to capitulate. (smile) 

And let’s not forget this most important fact: God is not there to please us and make our every whim and fancy come true. We are in existence to please Him, to do His will, to live out the plan He has in store for every life that He creates. Let’s remember that He is the Master and we the slaves, He’s the Father and we the children, He’s the Potter and we the clay, and He can shape us any which way He desires, and we need to go along with His will through staunch and true faith in Him. 

Now here’s this other beautiful scripture on faith versus fear, that comes from the pen of Bruh Paul to his protégé Timothy. He writes: ‘For God hath not given us the spirit of fear, but of power, and of LOVE, and of a sound  (disciplined) mind.’ (2 Tim. 1:7) Wow! What an amazing scripture. It shows that from the very get go, the Lord has given us a spirit of faith, not of fear, but like all the other stuff He’s given us, we need to then nourish that faith. It’s like the fruit of the Spirit, the seeds of which we all have planted in our inner man, but we then have to water and nourish them so that they can grow and be manifested in our actions. 

That means, as Gal. 5:22-23 explains: the seeds of LOVE, joy, peace, long-suffering (patience), gentleness (kindness), goodness, faith (faithfulness), meekness, temperance (self-control) were all planted in us the day we accepted Christ as Lord and Saviour, and the Holy Spirit then came to dwell within us. But those fruit of godliness and righteousness can’t, or won’t manifest themselves in our behaviour until and unless we water and nurture them and help them to grow into beautiful fruit of the Spirit. And please note that faith (faithfulness) is one of those fruit that needs to be nourished and nurtured by us, if we expect them to show forth in Jesus’ name. 

And I’m chuckling here because time and space have again forced us to close for the day, and we haven’t even spoken about Jesus and the subject of faith in His life yet. But hopefully, if God allows us to see tomorrow, we will get to Jesus yet. That’s a promise! (smile) Now let’s go home declaring (chuh!!!) our Thursday Blessings, which the Lord has generously bestowed on us to 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!’ 

Now, if we were sincere about those declarations, (ah Lord eh!!!) let’s go out and share them just as generously in helping others as Jesus did with us. Much LOVE!

…faith is of the utmost importance in the Christian’s life…but unfortunately…it can only be learned by hard experience… 

 Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ  

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