Today’s Scrip-Bit   13 August 2022   John 8:31.

13 Aug 2022 Leave a comment

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

John 8:31.       If ye continue (abide) in my word, then ye are my disciples indeed;

And then it was Saturday – our lazy day, where some of us have options as what to do with the day. And believe me, I had to force myself to get out of the bed this morning, because it felt so good just to lay there and do nothing but doze in and out of sleep and think dreamy, heavenly thoughts. (smile) Unfortunately though, I eventually woke up to the reality that I had work to do, that others were expecting words of wisdom from me re the quotes that our friend Anselm had sent us this past week, as he aspires to inspire us for a better tomorrow. 

Oh, reality is such a hard task master, but I knew that with God’s help, with His awesome faithfulness, I would be able to pen something worthwhile. ‘So Lord, I’m invoking your help, your faithfulness right now! Please show me what you want me to write on this most recent bunch of quotes. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.’ 

And the first one says: ‘In order to write about life first you must live it.’ And that’s the gospel truth! You can’t write about what you don’t know. Although many of us are doing just that nowadays in this sad era of many truths, of fake news, of amazing levels of dissension and deception, with the social media platform that allows us all to be pundits and soothsayers and know it alls. That’s one of the main reasons why our world is in such chaos; too many of us don’t know a blooming thing about life, having not lived long enough or experienced enough of it to make useful comments, but we voice our opinions on everything anyway and add to the worldly confusion. 

And as life gets more confusing, it’s becoming even more important to look to the Good Book for the real truth in every situation, for it’s the ONLY unchangeable aspect in our lives these days. Everything else seems subject to change, but our God does not change. He said so in Malachi. ‘For I am the Lord, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed.’ (Mal. 3:6) And let’s be glad that He doesn’t change, otherwise we’d be long ago removed from the scene. (smile) 

And why would He want to change eh, when He is perfect in all His ways. So, whatever He’s said or caused to be written is written in stone for our benefit. That’s why Jesus is also the same yesterday, today and forever. (Heb. 13:18) And He’s also the source of ALL truth. ‘I am the way, the truth and the life…’ (John 14:6) Therefore if you want to know truth, you must get in agreement with Jesus, learn His word and put it into action. As He said to the disciples. ‘If ye continue (abide) in my word, then ye are my disciples indeed; And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.’ (John 8:31-32) Glory be my people! 

So, we realize right away that if we want to have a safe, constant and stable life, our best bet is living through our unchanging God and His unchanging Word. That brings us to this next quote. ‘The whole secret of a successful life is to find out what is one’s destiny to do, and then do it.’ More gospel truth my fellow believers! For if you are a believer in Almighty God, then you will know that He has a plan for every life He creates. Jeremiah said it for Him. ‘For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil (calamity), to give you an expected end (a future and a hope).’ (Jer. 29:11) 

It’s therefore obvious that God has good plans for us, but to find them out, we must go to Him in all sincerity and truth and ask about them. Now, finding out our destiny or God’s plan for our life is possibly the easy part of the quote, the doing it, is where things get somewhat sticky and difficult. Why you ask? Because of the unpredictability and changing nature of this earthly life. And the next quote speaks to that matter as it tells us: ‘If life were predictable it would cease to be life, and be without flavor.’ 

I guess we can’t deny that, because it’s the unpredictability of life that turns us on, that excites us and causes us to want to live. That’s why we’re always looking for something new, something exciting, something that will get our adrenalin flowing, despite the danger and misfortune that might lie in it. Excitement, unpredictability, newness, spiciness, are the flavours that we seek in life, not sameness or same old, same old. (smile) And believe me, living for, and walking with Jesus is the most unpredictable and exciting, yet encouraging and reassuring thing we could ever do. 

Yes friends, Jesus indeed provides an unpredictable though very safe environment for us to work in. Remember, He promises that though the world is full of trials and tribulations, all of which we cannot escape, we won’t be allowed to handle more than we can bear, (1 Cor. 10:13) and that everything will work out for our good in the long run if we stay under His protective umbrella. (Rom. 8:28) 

However, the following quote adds another dimension to the subject, when it says: ‘The big lesson in life, baby, is never be scared of anyone or anything.’ Now there’s a whole lot of truth to that statement, because if you live life like a scaredy-cat, it definitely will not be enjoyable. But you also have to be responsible, you just can’t flaunt your boldness in life’s face, because it will have you flat on your back in no time at all. Life likes, and expects you to stand up to it, but it doesn’t take kindly to us trying to put it down, make it look foolish. 

And you can only have the power and the wisdom to handle life properly if you are a true believer in Christ Jesus and put His words into action in your life. That’s because true wisdom is only found in Him, as James says: ‘If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not (without reproach); and it shall be given him. But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering (not doubting)…(James 1:5-6) And then we must also remember that ‘God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of LOVE, and of a sound or disciplined mind. (2 (Tim. 1:7) 

So you see friends, the only wise way to live this God created life in this God created world, is in a God dictated manner. (smile) And this last quote adds yet another dimension to the whole experience. ‘Not how long, but how well you have lived is the main thing.’ Now that’s ever so true! How well, how godly, how genuinely, and respectfully we live this life is way more important than how long we live it. 

Yes, although you may not believe in God, it’s still very important that you live, a kind, honourable, generous and humble life, for those are the things that cause others to be good to you in return and help you along the rough and rocky road that earthly living entails. And the truth is, we all need help in living life. Much LOVE!

…how you live life…is how life will respond to you…  

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

Today’s Scrip-Bit   1 December 2021 Philippians 2:14.

01 Dec 2021 Leave a comment

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

Philippians 2:14.     Do all things without murmurings (grumbling) and disputings.

Well, we’ve opened unto a fairly decent Wednesday, the first day of December; with no snow and some sunshine. Yes, the clouds are there, tirelessly fighting for supremacy, but the sun is in ascendance right now. Thank the Lord! But friends, how I do wish that we, the followers of and believers in Christ had that unflagging, indomitable, unconquerable spirit like those clouds have as they fight the sun’s awesome power, where we never give up, where we are impervious to defeat and only think victory all the time! 

That’s the kind of faith and spirit we need more than ever in these over-the-top, mind-blowing times that none of us have ever before experienced. And instead of complaining like we do, we ought to be crying out to Jesus and living the way He wants us to, believing, as He faithfully promised, that everything will work out for good in the end, for those who sincerely LOVE and abide in Him. And as we promised yesterday, if God spared our lives, which He’s obviously done (smile), we’ll continue talking about that disgusting and ungodly attitude that we too often have, called ‘Complaining.’ 

Now yesterday we saw back in olden times where the Lord chastised the Israelites for too much complaining, especially when He was keeping them in food and drink. They didn’t like manna, and wanted meat, so He gave them so much meat that it eventually turned their hearts against it, became loathsome to them. And I theorized that the same thing is happening to us today with all the disasters, both natural and manmade, as well as the Covid plague that just won’t go away, because of our stubborn, foolish pride and disobedience to Almighty God. 

But enough of my theorizing, let’s turn to the New Testament for some words on the subject of complaining, since some of us wrongly believe that the Old Testament has nothing to offer us in these supposed modern times. And Bruh Paul, the wise man that he was, spoke to the subject in no uncertain terms in his letter to the Philippians. Listen as he tells them. ‘’Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.’ (Phil. 2:12-13) 

And we know that means not literally working for our salvation because that’s a free gift given by God, and has nothing to do with our works, but the carrying out of it to its logical conclusion depends on us. We need to work out the new life not just for our profit but for the benefit of others also. And if we work out and show the new life divinely worked in us, we will live worthy of the gospel, in harmony with each other, seeking the progress of the gospel. We will also regard each other as more important than ourselves, be concerned with the needs of our fellow brethren, and make the appropriate sacrifices in obedience to God, as did Jesus. 

In doing all of this, we will work out or express the new life we have through Christ. And having said a lot of that in the beginning of the chapter and elsewhere in his letter, Bruh Paul continues: ‘Do all things without murmurings (grumbling) and disputings. That ye may be blameless and harmless (innocent), the sons (children) of God, without rebuke (fault), in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation (generation), among whom ye shine as lights in the world.’ (Phil. 2:14-15) 

Bruh Paul couldn’t be any clearer than that! Christians are not to be continual grumblers and complainers and disputers! Now remember, it’s God who is working in us, for us to do His good will and pleasure, and that can ofttimes be difficult, calling for sacrifices and such, but don’t lose sight of the fact that in the end it will all work out to our benefit. 

And I like the scholars’ explanation of verse 14. They say: ‘Since God is producing in the Philippians the willing and doing of His good and perfect will (vs.13), there can be no legitimate reason for murmurings and disputings. Not only are they forbidden to complain about the difficulties and persecutions that will befall them in carrying out God’s good pleasure, but quarreling among themselves is also prohibited.’ 

Wow! Now that declaration also stands for us today my fellow believers. And how I wish we could all function in such a Christian manner. But unfortunately, Christ’s church right now is a hot bed of grumbling and complaining, of cliques and groups resentful and jealous of each other, of a whole lot of antagonism and evil doings in the body of Christ! If we follow verses 12 and 14, then we would become blameless and harmless. But due to the significant amount strife in the current church this is presently not true 

And are we ever living in the midst of a perverse, crooked, evil and depraved world. Thus, we are expected to help the lost, since that’s the only way that they will ever know Christ. However, in doing so, we must try and not call our witness into rebuke or disfavour by behaving like the world. Instead, as Christ Himself describes us: ‘Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hid….Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.’ (Matt. 5:14, 16) 

Oh friends, our crazy, discombobulated world desperately needs us to be bright lights shining in its evil darkness! Please, please, let’s come up higher nuh, so that we can be the kind of light that Jesus desires us to be. And one way to do that is by stopping the grumbling and complaining that we do daily, over petty and unimportant stuff. Don’t you think it’s breaking Jesus’ heart when He sees the disgusting and disturbing state of disrepair that His church has fallen into? I’m sure it does. And we can’t give Him wrong if sometimes He even asks Himself if His life sacrifice was worth it, considering our willful disobedience and unchristian behaviour. 

So we all need to look in the mirror and truthfully ask ourselves if we are indeed shining lights in the world’s darkness, or just adding to its darkness. Now, for those of us who are sincerely trying to be lights, let’s go home declaring (awright!!!) our Wednesday Wail, letting all and sundry know of our wonderful and enviable position in Christ Jesus. 

Altogether now: ‘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 we need to be in it for the long haul, because those who endure to the end will find that the future is even more glorious than we can ask or even imagine! Much LOVE!

…Christians ought to…be in the world…but not of the world…  

P.S. Please excuse the lateness of the Bit, but life, as it is wont to do, unexpectedly intervened and delayed my writing. Thanks for the forgiveness! (smile) Much LOVE! 

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

Today’s Scrip-Bit 25 March 2021 Matthew 17:5.

25 Mar 2021 Leave a comment

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

Matthew 17:5.     ​This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him.

Here we are again people; alive and kicking on another wonderful day in God’s great universe! And all I can say is that we are BLESSED! Most certainly BLESSED to awaken to this day, even though everything’s not going our way. But we are also assured that God is on the case, looking after our affairs, setting it up so that in the end everything will work out for good! 

Wow! What a wonderful God we serve and worship my brethren! Let’s give him some thanks and praise nuh, for allowing us to see another day, for all the new mercies and compassions that He’s prepared new just for today! As I said a few days ago, with our God, there’s no stale stuff left over for the next day! No sir! Every day, everything is brand new! 

And do we appreciate His wonderful blessings? I certainly hope so. But it’s obvious that many of us still don’t appreciate Him, else we wouldn’t be trying so hard to get rid of Him from our society. And how many times do I have to remind us that He won’t ever allow it eh? He’s the supreme ruler and if it’s one thing He doesn’t play with it’s His glory. 

Hear what He says on that subject nuh, through the prophet Isaiah. ‘I am the Lord: that is my name: and my glory will I not give to another, neither my praise to graven images.’ (Is. 42:8) Here Isaiah is talking about the servant of God (the Messiah) coming to earth to glorify God through His earthly ministry. And though man may, and has most certainly disobeyed God and tried to give His glory to false gods and graven images, from God’s perspective, He, the Lord, the Creator will not allow it to happen. 

Oh, He might declare that He is a jealous God, in respect to His covenant with believers, (Ex. 20:5, 34:14) But He is not a selfish God, and He does share His glory with His Son Jesus Christ, who is a member of our Triune Godhead, as so many passages of scripture declare. 

Let’s look at a few nuh. Matthew records Jesus words as He foretells His passion (death) thus: ‘For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels; and then he shall reward every man according to his works.’ (Matt. 16:27) Meanwhile, Mark puts it this way. ‘Whosoever therefore shall be ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation; of him also shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he cometh in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.’ (Mark 8:38) 

Now hear Jesus from John’s gospel, as He speaks of the coming of the Holy Spirit. ‘Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself (on his own authority); but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and will show you things to come. He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of (what is) mine, and shall show (declare) it unto you. All things the Father hath are mine: therefore said I, that he shall take of mine, and shall show it unto you.’ (John 16:13-15) 

And some more from John, when Jesus prayed for Himself and His own. ‘These words spake Jesus, and lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, Father, the hour is come; glorify thy Son, that thy Son may also glorify thee: As thou hast given him power (authority) over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given him. And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent. I have glorified thee on the earth: I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do. And now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self (alongside thee) with the glory which I had with thee before the world was.’ (John 17:1-5) 

Oh friends, those are words of extreme importance to us believers. Why, you ask? Because the time had come for Jesus to be glorified on the cross and in the resurrection, and that the salvation and eternal life we so highly cherish, depended directly on Jesus’ glorification. Let’s also remember that ‘Eternal life is more than an endless existence. It is a personal relationship with God.’ 

And finally, these words from Peter, re Christ’s temporary glorification at the transfiguration. ‘For we have not followed cunningly devised fables, when we made known unto you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of his majesty.’ (2 Pet. 1:16) Yes friends, Peter, along with James and John, were eyewitnesses at the transfiguration of Christ, when He was revealed in all His glory. (Matt. 17:1-8) 

The scholars tell us that ‘This was a foreshadowing of Christ’s coming in power and glory to establish His kingdom. The presence of Moses and Elijah on the mountain represented all those who enter the kingdom by death or translation. The declaration of the Father, ‘This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him.’ (Matt. 17:5) reinforces Christ’s dominion over His kingdom. Application: Since Christians live expectantly looking forward to the return of Christ, they ought to give Him first place in their lives today, just as He will have in the kingdom. (First Ref. Matt. 17:1-9; Primary Ref. 2 Pet. 1:16; cf. Heb. 9:12.) 

Now that makes perfect sense friends. It’s best to give Jesus first place in our lives right here and right now, so we can get accustomed to it, for when He comes in all His glory with His angels, we won’t have any choice. (smile) And it’s now time for us to go home proclaiming our Thursday Blessings. Note, I didn’t say declaring (awright!) because I was afraid of spelling it wrong. (smile) But I did spell it right there. 

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!’ 

It’s now our bounden duty to go out and share those blessings with others, just as generously as the Lord shared them with us. Much LOVE!

…it’s wise…to get prepared for Jesus’ Second Coming…while we wait and look expectantly for it… 

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

Today’s Scrip-Bit 2 November 2019 Mark 2:22.

02 Nov 2019 Leave a comment

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

Mark 2:22.    ​And no man putteth new wine into old bottles (wineskins): else the new wine doth burst the bottles, and the wine is spilled, and the bottle will be marred (ruined): but new wine must be put into new bottles.
 

Oh brother, I can’t believe how dark it is still is in my area at eight o’clock on this early November morning! Not even a wisp of sunlight is showing on the eastern horizon. But the good thing is that it’s not raining…at least not yet. (smile) Nowadays, who knows what the weather will turn out to be on any given day, so it’s best not to worry about it. Just remember that Jesus is our Lord, Saviour and Guiding Light, and once He is in us, and we are in Him, then everything will work out for good eventually, as He faithfully promised! Glory to our great and ever-LOVING God! 

And since we said it’s Saturday, I guess it’s time to look at some of the quotes our friend Anselm sent us this past week, as he aspires to inspire us for a better tomorrow. And the first one says: ‘One small positive thought can change your whole day.’ And that’s the absolute truth my people! And we have the perfect example above, where we just think about Jesus, and our whole day gets brighter! There’s no more positive thought that that! So let’s wake up thinking on Jesus…and during the day think on Him…and go to bed at night…still thinking on Him! Wow! That way our whole day will be positive! (smile) 

Now listen to this next quote: ‘Every new day is another chance to change your life.’ I certainly can’t dispute that reasoning, for everyday that we’re given to breathe God’s air, is a new chance to improve our lives. God gives it to us because He knows that we need more time to come to Him, to grow more Christ-like and to complete the work He’s assigned us. So please, let’s not waste every new day that we’ve been so generously given nuh. Instead, as the old people would say, make hay while the sun shines, because you don’t know when the sun will stop shining, neither for how long, and if it isn’t shining, then you certainly can’t make hay. (smile) That means you can’t waste time; you must do whatever you have to do while there’s time – that means today – since there’s no guarantee that we’ll ever see tomorrow. Were the ole people ever so wise my brethren! Wish we were even half as wise. 

That brings us to this quote: ‘When life changes to be harder, change yourself to be stronger.’ Ah friends, that’s the only way to survive, for if you don’t get stronger as life gets harder, life will only beat you down. And this life is certainly getting harder, despite all our improvements and amenities. And don’t fool yuh fat either (don’t be deceived), for some reason I can’t fathom, life just enjoys beating us down. I’ve seen it happen often enough in my three score and ten. So you have to possess plenty belly and backbone to live what we call life. You also have to keep improving, keep adding to the strength of your backbone and belly everyday, because life doesn’t ever take a day off, so neither can you. And we all know the best way to do that is by accepting Jesus Christ as our Lord and Saviour and let him lead and guide our mis-mash lives! 

And here’s another area where following Jesus will come in ever so handy. ‘Opportunities are usually disguised as hard work, so most people don’t recognize them.’ Oh my people, is that ever so true! Very few good opportunities are ever easy. I guess by definition they are innately difficult, and in this lazy, selfish, greedy society of ours, hard work is something we don’t relish. We don’t even want to work, much less work hard. That’s why so many glorious opportunities are passing us by in this prosperous society where good opportunities abound…if we’re only willing to work hard at them. Here again, with Jesus running our lives, we will see the opportunities, and we will work diligently and excellently to bring them to fruition. Glory be! 

Now here’s the last quote: ‘Old ways won’t open new doors.’ But we still try anyway. As Sister Joyce (Joyce Meyer) likes to say; ‘You can’t keep doing the same thing and expect a different result.’ So we’ve got to stop trying to open new doors with old ways. That brings us to some very interesting  words of Jesus when asked by John’s disciples, why they and the Pharisees fasted, but His disciples did not? Apparently the Pharisees fasted twice weekly. He basically answered that fasting is done in times of grief, not of joy, and while He was with them, they were joyful, but when He went back to heaven, that would be the time for grief and fasting. (Mark 2:18-20) 

And furthermore, Jesus enlightened them: ‘No man also seweth a piece of new (unshrunk) cloth on an old garment: else the new piece that filled it up taketh (pulls) away from the old, and the rent (tear) is made worse. And no man putteth new wine into old bottles (wineskins): else the new wine doth burst the bottles, and the wine is spilled, and the bottle will be marred (ruined): but new wine must be put into new bottles.’ (Mark2:21-22) Oh friends, how can you not be impressed by Jesus eh, no one else uses simple words and ideas like He does! 

And what does all of that mean? Listen to the scholars: ‘2:22. Bottles are wineskins, the old ones figuratively representing Judaism and the new ones Christianity. Old wineskins lose their elasticity and would be burst open by the fermentation of new wine put into them. The point: the old faith of Judaism and the new faith of Christianity cannot be mixed, nor can the practices or traditions (e.g., the time of fasting) of Judaism be forced on Christianity.’ Now that doesn’t mean we have to throw away all that is old, because it’s the old stuff that gives us the true and solid foundations, but if old ways aren’t working, then we do have to try new, but always godly ones. (smile) Much LOVE!

…new brooms sweep clean…but old brooms know the corners…