Today’s Scrip-Bit   21 December 2022 Philippians 2:5.

21 Dec 2022 Leave a comment

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

Philippians 2:5.       Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:

Three down, three to go, then the Big Day friends; a celebration of the incarnate birth of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Wow! The only thing to compare to it is His resurrection! So how can we not LOVE and worship Christ eh? He was born, died and rose again ALL for us, for our eternal benefit! If it wasn’t for out abominable sins and disobedience, there would have been no need for Him to be born, much less to die! 

But then again, the Father’s LOVE for us was so great that He could not see His greatest creation suffer in hellfire for all eternity with the ole foolish crook Satan and not do something to help us. And since the Father is righteous and just, He couldn’t just wave away our sins, it needed a sinless soul to redeem us. And since Jesus was the only sinless soul besides Him, the burden of our redemption fell on Jesus. And since Jesus was also the obedient Son that none of us could, or would ever be, He did what the Father asked, despite the great ‘sufferation’ that it held in store for Him. 

And this scripture from Bruh Paul’s writing to the church at Philippi, should resonate ever so loudly in our ears this Christmas season. ‘Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made (came) in the likeness of men. And being found in fashion (appearance) as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.’ (Phil. 2:5-8) 

Oh my supposed fellow believers, where is our gratitude, our compassion, our empathy, our supposed LOVE of God eh? Doesn’t it seem shameful and disgraceful to you that Christ did so much for us and we can’t even remember that He’s the reason for this Christmas season. We concentrate on giving and receiving presents, on eating and drinking, and we talk a lot of foolishness about ‘Happy holidays!’ But where did the happiness and the holidays come from eh? From the birth of Christ! 

So please, let’s not forget the word Christmas and the reason for this worldwide celebration; the li’l baby boy that was born in the manger on that cold winter’s night that was oh so deep. The same li’l boy that grew up to become the Saviour of the world. As He took such great pains to tell us: ‘For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.’ (John 3:17) 

Yes friends, that was Jesus’ sole purpose for coming to earth; to save our sinful souls. And He deserves much more thanks, gratitude and praise from the very ones that He came to save than he’s currently getting! It’s a crying shame my brethren, that we don’t appreciate Jesus more than we do! For all He‘s done, we should be constantly bowing down to Him and offering our grateful thanks and praise. 

But yuh know what? That will eventually happen, because the Father is not ungrateful like us, and consequently gave Jesus the highest honour possible. Listen as Bruh Paul explains it to the Philippians: ‘Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of the things in heaven, and the things in earth, and the things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father.’ (Phil. 2:9-11) 

Yuh see the great difference between the Father and us? He exalted Christ for His obedience, made His name revered for the most excellent work He had done. But no, we the frail, feeble, foolish, created minions, think it too much to glorify His name, although it was all for our benefit. And for that rejection of Christ Jesus, we will pay a most hefty price; eternity in hell, with that other foolish creation, Satan. 

But thankfully, it’s not too late my people. Once we are alive, are still drawing the breath that Almighty God breathed into us, we still have a chance to accept Jesus as Lord and Saviour and thus forego the eternal date with Beelzebub in the hot and humid chambers of Hades. But let’s put it all in proper context: If you die without receiving Jesus as your Lord and Saviour, or He returns to earth as He faithfully promised before you receive Him, then all bets are off. 

That’s why the wise and sensible thing to do is not wait, but receive Him, as your most worthwhile benefactor RIGHT NOW! For no one knows when the Grim Reaper is going to come a calling, or when Jesus is going to show up. Jesus even warned us that He might come like a thief in the night, so we must always be prepared and ready. ‘Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come…Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh.’ (Matt. 24: 42, 44) 

Yes friends, we cannot say that we have not been warned. Now, for those of us who have received Christ as Lord and Saviour, and are doing our best to live for Him, let’s go home declaring (yayyy!!!) our Wednesday Wail, letting all and sundry know of our wonderful and most enviable position in Christ Jesus.

 As one strong and sincere voice: ‘Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: I’m so glad to be alive on this Wednesday! Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: Thank God the breath of life is still flowing through me on this Wednesday! I am halfway home. My hands are fixed securely on the plough, and I’m not turning back. I’m not looking back at the past, not focusing on what has gone before. But my eyes are fixed straight ahead; straight ahead to a glorious future with Jesus. Glory Hallelujah!’ 

And for a li’l encouragement, let’s remember that if endure to the end with Christ, that that future will be even more glorious than we can ever ask or imagine! Wow! Won’t that be a great time! Yes! The greatest time ever! Much LOVE!

…Jesus is the answer…the answer to every doubt and question… 

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

Today’s Scrip-Bit   30 July 2022 Romans 8:31.

30 Jul 2022 Leave a comment

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

Romans 8:31.      What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?​

Well, well, well…if it isn’t lazy Saturday! But let me tell you a li’l ‘secrat’ (smile) as my young daughter said when she was small. I think it’s more tired Saturday than lazy Saturday oui! That’s because I never got home from the Pan Festival until 2.30 in the morning. What an example of very poor planning and communications! The show, and by the way it turned out to be just a showcase of Pan talent, not the usual competition. Anyway, the doors were scheduled to open at six o’clock and the show begin at seven. Hn! 

Now we all know that our West Indian reference to time is poor, but this one took the cake. The doors didn’t open until after seven, and the show didn’t begin until nine. And with nine bands to play two songs each, they had to skip the intermission. Can you imagine loud pan music, in particular Afro-Pan, blasting in the heart of ole Toronto after one in the morning. They must have friends in City Hall and Police Headquarters yes. (smile). But despite all the poor management, we did hear some good pan. 

The pansides were small though and with many junior members, possibly because of the pandemic and lack of time to rehearse properly. But the reigning champions Pan Fantasy, brought their big side and their ‘A game and blew them away again! That alone was worth going to see. Enough on pan now though, let’s hope next year we’ll get back to the competition format, for that really brings out the best in all of us. 

So, finally, let’s see what interesting quotes our friend Anselm sent us this past week, as he aspires to inspire us for a better tomorrow. And this first one tells it true. ‘Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can.’ Oh, it’s always best to begin right where you are and do what you can with what you have. Wishing and hoping for better things and times won’t make it so. The important thing is to get some action going, no matter how small or insignificant it might seem. 

And to drive the point further home, let’s think about how our heavenly Father takes us, and begins with us, right where we are, even when we are at rock bottom. Yes friends, He reaches down, stoops down and gathers us up and begins molding us into the perfect image of His Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ right there. He doesn’t wait for us to improve before He takes us in. Likewise, it’s best for us to always begin right where we are, and do something useful with whatever we have. 

And if you sincerely believe in Him, and ask for His help, you’ll be amazed at what that small, insignificant beginning could become with His hands on your shoulders and His Spirit in you. That brings us to the next quote: ‘The question isn’t who is going to let me; it’s who is going to stop me.’ Oh my people, with Almighty God on our side, that question is immaterial, for NO ONE is going to stop us when God is rooting for us! As Bruh Paul so emphatically wrote to the church at Rome. ‘What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?’ (Rom. 8:31) 

Not a single soul! And that’s the living truth! Because, as Bruh Paul further proclaims: ‘Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that LOVED us.’ (Rom. 8:37) Wow mih bredrin! There’s no greater encouragement possible than simply knowing that Jehovah God is on our side, in league with us. As they say: You and God are a majority! And there’s no disputing that. With the most powerful force in the universe on your side, anything is possible. 

That leads us to this quote: ‘If you continue to think the way you’ve always thought, you’ll continue to get what you’ve always got.’ Now that’s ever so true! You can’t keep thinking the same way and expect to get different results. As the old people would say; You can’t plant peas and expect to reap corn. It’s simple, you reap what you sow and nothing else. So, if you want to get better results, you have to change your thinking because it all begins and ends in the mind, the battlefield of our souls. It’s where all the arguments are made and the decisions formed. 

Therefore, to get positive results you must have a positive mindset, and there’s no better positivity than that that can be gained from Christianity, from the Master of Positivity, Christ Jesus! He wrote the book on the subject, the Bible, where all things are possible if you believe in Him. He said it quite plainly to the father of the boy with epileptic seizures. ‘If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth.’ (Mark 9:23) And that’s the major problem we are having in our world today; not enough sincere and serious belief in Christ Jesus. That’s why our world is falling apart, one brick at a time. 

Oh, we are all waiting for things to change. But when are they going to change and how eh? We have to change them and the sooner the better. That’s why this next quote is so important to us today. ‘Don’t wait for your feelings to change to take the action. Take the action and your feelings will change.’ That’s right! Feelings are flimsy and unreliable, they can change in a moment’s notice without any good reason. So we can’t depend on them to bring us around to whatever action we desire to happen or accomplish, we need to get into the action first, and when we do, then feelings will follow. 

Yes my people, too many of us are currently living by our feelings, and our feelings are letting us down because of all the sadness, strife and disaster that’s surrounding us. But when we put our trust in Jesus, feelings fly out the window, because we now have a solid, rocklike foundation on which to build, to grow our lives, not fleeting, unreliable feelings. Jesus is the most reliable foundation in the world. Now, I can tell you that until I’m blue in the face (smile) but you’ll never know it for sure, until YOU begin to build on Him. 

Oh friends, it’s all about a personal relationship with Jesus! Yes, you can tell your family and friends about Him, but until they get personal with Him, it won’t matter at all. That brings us to this last quote: ‘Always make a total effort, even when the odds are against you.’ Words of awesome wisdom my fellow believers. That’s exactly what Jesus did on His earthly sojourn, for everything was stacked against Him, but He persevered in the face of rejection, of tribulation and disbelief, even to the point of death. As the Good Book says: ‘And being found in fashion (appearance) as a man, he humbled himself , and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.’ (Phil. 2:8) 

Yes, my fellow saints, Christ came to earth to do a job, and He did not allow anything or anyone to stand in His way of accomplishing the Father’s will and purpose. Likewise, we ought not to allow anything or anyone to stand in our way of doing the Father’s will for our lives. We must always put our best foot forward, even when it seems like the whole world is against us. But, please, let’s remember that working for Jesus will always bring some rejection and hardship, but perseverance in His name, will always bring us out on the winning side! So, as His earthly ambassadors, let’s sincerely commit to stand our ground and do His bidding with diligence, excellence, perseverance and true belief! Much LOVE!

…life was not meant to be a bed of roses…for even roses have thorns…  

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

Today’s Scrip-Bit 7 March 2021 Philippians 2:9.

07 Mar 2021 Leave a comment

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

Philippians 2:9.     ​Wherefore God also hath exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name:

Aloha…Shalom – LOVE, peace, hope, happiness and joy, my Scrip-Bit friends and family! It’s the first day of the week! Yes, Sunday morning has come down and that means ‘gatheration,’ (smile) worship, praise, thanksgiving and all the other good benefits we derive from getting together to offer Almighty God the reverence He so richly deserves. And though the ‘gatheration’ is still mostly through technological means, with the various lockdowns still in place because of the Corona virus pandemic, the physical aspect or site of our worship isn’t as important as the fact that we are indeed worshipping. 

So let’s get a move on with our song of praise for today which is titled ‘All Hail the Power of Jesus’ Name.’And isn’t that of the utmost importance to us believers in Christ? It certainly is, because there is immense power in His name; power like there is in no other name in the universe! Wow! That already raises the passion in my soul! (smile) 

It’s a popular hymn sung by many Christian denominations, and is often called the “National Anthem of Christendom.” The lyrics were written by Edward Perronet (1721-1792) a prominent British Pastor, at one time affiliated with the Wesley’s of the Methodist persuasion, but afterwards became a pastor of a dissenting congregation. Just goes to show that there have always been divisions between leaders of the church which have unfortunately brought about way too many denominations and cliques and have consequently led to the disunity and weakness of the church. 

But enough talk, time for the raising of voices in sacrificial praise; strong, sincere and passionate ones, in an up-tempo beat, like we really joyful in singing about the power of Jesus’ name. ‘All hail the power of Jesus’ Name! Let angels prostrate fall; Let angels prostrate fall; Bring forth the royal diadem, And crown him, crown him, crown him, And crown him Lord of all. Ye chosen seed of Israel’s race, Ye ransomed of the fall, Ye ransomed of the fall, Hail him who saves you by his grace, And crown him, crown him, crown him, And crown him Lord of all. 

Let ev’ry kindred, ev’ry tribe, On this terrestrial ball, On this terrestrial ball, To him all majesty ascribe, And crown him, crown him, crown him, And crown him Lord of all. O that with yonder sacred throng We at his feet may fall; We at His feet may fall; We’ll join the everlasting song, And crown him, crown him, crown him, And crown him Lord of all. Yes, crown him, crown him, crown him, crown him Lord of all!’ 

Oh friends, oh friends, our heavenly Father has indeed crowned the first born Son, Lord of all! Hear the scriptures tell it nuh, through these magnificent words of Bruh Paul to the church at Philippi. ‘And being found in fashion (appearance) as a man, he humbled himself , and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. Wherefore God also hath exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name:’ (Phil. 2:8-9) 

Yuh see that precious people, yuh see what a magnanimous God we worship? He highly exalted Christ for His humility and obedience and selfless sacrifice on the cross at Calvary! So what do you think He would do for us if we were humble, obedient and selflessly sacrificial eh? Exalt us in His own way and time too! 

And the Father didn’t merely exalt Jesus with a high name, but hear this: ‘That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of (those) things in heaven, and (those) things in earth, and (those) things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.’ (Phil. 2:10-11) 

Yuh see how our God moves in mighty ways mih people! He didn’t just give Jesus a big name, but the biggest name after His, one where in the fullness of time, the whole heaven, earth and everywhere else in the universe, would have to fall on their knees and worship Christ and proclaim that He is Lord over all! Mama Yo! 

And Peter, in his famous Pentecost Day sermon did wax eloquent in talking about Bruh David’s seed that the Lord would raise up to sit on his throne. ‘He (Bruh David) seeing this before spake of the resurrection of Christ, that his soul was not left in hell, neither his flesh did see corruption. This Jesus hath God raised up, whereof we all are witnesses. Therefore being by the right hand of God exalted and having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Ghost, he hath shed forth this, which ye now see and hear.’ (Acts 2:31-33) 

Yes friends, Peter was telling them that Christ through the promise of God had sent the Holy Spirit down and filled them with new life and understanding that made them able to speak in various languages. Now hear Bruh Paul again, this time to the church at Ephesus, as he prays that they may receive knowledge and understanding. 

‘That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him. The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints, And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power, which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set (seated) him at his own right hand in the heavenly places, 

Far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world (age), but also in that which is to come. And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church, Which is his body, the fullness of him that filleth all in all.’ (Eph. 1:17-23) 

Oh friends, we don’t have time nor space to get into all the ramifications of those scriptures, but suffice it say that Bruh Paul prayed that the Ephesians would be given the disposition to see and understand God’s wisdom and revelation. First as it referred to them; the certainty of their heavenly destination, the priceless value of their salvation and the priceless treasure they are to God, which would all lead to a divine strength in their daily walk. 

And then, as it referred to Christ, whom He raised from the dead, seated Him at His right hand, and gave ultimate power over all the angelic hosts of heaven and made Him the head of the church, through His great intimacy with that body. And I do hope that I’ve convinced you that there’s power in Jesus’ name and that you’ll look to Him for help from this time forward. Much LOVE!

…our saviour’s name is so powerful…that when trials assail us and we need help…all we have to do is cry out…JESUS… 

Today’s Scrip-Bit 22 December 2019 Philippians 2:8.

22 Dec 2019 Leave a comment

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

Philippians 2:8.    ​And being found in fashion (appearance) as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.
 
Yes friends, it’s Sunday, that wonderful day of the Lord, and it’s also the Eve of the Eve of Christmas Eve! (smile) Only three more days to the Big One! And all God’s children sang a loud and grateful chorus of ‘Glory Hallelujah! All praise and thanksgiving to the Father, for the Son born on that long ago Christmas Day: our Emmanuel, our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ!’ Oh my people, let’s never forget that that lowly and humble birth in that faraway manger was the BEST THING that ever happened to mankind, after Adam and Eve turned Paradise into hell with their sinful disobedience! And all God’s children said a loud and sincere ‘Amen!’ 

Anyway, we‘re here in the Lord’s house today to joyfully fellowship with each other, to praise and worship Him, hear His Word and receive a renewal of strength and confidence, so let’s begin as we always do with a song of praise. And I have to chuckle at the Lord’s method of getting my attention for what song He wanted to hear today. For the last few days I’ve found myself singing the last line of the verses in this particular song, the only one I knew anyway, (smile) and I just couldn’t figure out why this song came popping up into my mind and mouth when I didn’t know it very well and hadn’t heard it recently. But it eventually dawned on me that that was the song the Lord wanted us to sing today. 

And it’s a rather appropriate one too, titled ‘When a Child is Born.’ So let’s raise the roof of this house and heaven too, with our sweet, soulful and harmonious rendition nuh. Altogether now: ‘A ray of hope flickers in the sky A tiny star lights up way up high All across the land, dawns a brand new morn This comes to pass when a child is born – A silent wish sails the seven seas The winds of change whisper in the trees And the walls of doubt crumble, tossed and torn This comes to pass when a child is born – A rosy hue settles all around You’ve got the feel you’re on solid ground For a spell or two, no one seems forlorn This comes to pass when a child is born – 

( Talk – And all of this happens because the world is waiting, Waiting for one child Black, white, yellow, no one knows But a child that will grow up and turn tears to laughter, Hate to love, war to peace and everyone to everyone’s neighbor And misery and suffering will be words to be forgotten, forever)  – (Sing – It’s all a dream, an illusion now It must come true, sometime soon somehow All across the land, dawns a brand new morn This comes to pass when a child is born.) – (Repeat.) Yes this comes to pass when a child is born….when a child is born…when a child is born…’ 

Oh friends and fellow believers that was so sweet and touching that it brought tears of joy to all the eyes in heaven, especially Jesus’. He couldn’t have asked for better Birthday song! And what I especially LOVED about Him there is that He didn’t try to stop the tears of joy flowing. He just sat there with a sort of embarrassed look, like most of us have when we’re being serenaded, and let the tears flow freely. Then the Father hugged Him and whispered: ‘Happy Birthday Son! Thank You for all You’ve done.’ 

And Jesus, humble as always, and never wanting to take away the Father’s glory, quietly replied amidst His tears: ‘That’s okay Father. I was proud and glad to do it, because it was Your Will, and I was the only one who could do it.’ The Father with His tear-filled eyes, released Jesus from the bear-hug, took Him by the shoulders, looked into Jesus’ tear-filled eyes, shook His head in pride and wonder, then embraced Him once more in a tight bear-hug, saying: ‘What a wonderful Son You are, I am so proud of You!’ And all of heaven sang with and for joy at the open display of LOVE between Father and Son! 

Wow mih people! Can you imagine that most touching and dramatic scene! I tell you, NOWHERE can put on drama like heaven! (smile) And no, I’m not crazy or under the influence of anything else but the Holy Spirit! (smile) As the ole people would say, ah just selling it how ah buy it! So it’s no wonder that the Father desires all of us be like the Son, to follow in His footsteps, not be perfect, but as Christ-like as is humanly possible. 

And friends, I couldn’t find a more appropriate set of scripture to describe Christ’s earthly behaviour than these magnificent and oh so true words of Bruh Paul to the Philippians. ‘Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus. Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God. But made himself of nor reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made (coming) in the likeness of men. And being found in fashion (appearance) as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.’ (Phil. 2:5-8) 

And yuh know mih breddren, that’s all the Lord is asking of us too; to be humble and obedient to His will. And yuh see how He rewarded Jesus: ‘Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name. That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of (those) things in heaven, and (those) things in earth, and (those) things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.’ (Phil. 2:9-11) Well friends, the Lord will also reward us if we do His bidding with humility, excellence and diligence. 

And if you don’t believe me, hear these encouraging words from Hebrews. ‘Cast not away therefore your confidence, which hath great recompense of reward. For ye have need of patience (endurance), that after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise.’ (Heb. 10:35-36) Please think on that friends, and let it motivate us to do God’s work today…and everyday from henceforth! Much LOVE!

…he that comes to God…must believe that He rewards…those who diligently seek Him… (Heb.11:6b)

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