freedom from sin | SCRIP-BITS

Believers Must Use Jesus as Their Example for Godly Living!

24 Feb 2025 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: a disciplined mind, a good day's work, a great cloud of witnesses, alleviate our problems, ambassadors of Christ, be cast out, be discouraged, be your best, Bible, but of power love and a sound mind, christianity, compassed about, complaining, consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners, despising the shame, disciples of Jesus, divine aid, do your best, endured such hostility of sinners, endured the cross, faint in your minds, faith, faithfully promised to hear and answer our prayers, follow the example of Jesus, For God hath not given us a spirit of fear, for the joy that was set before him, freedom from sin, glorify your father in heaven, good for nothing, heroes of the faith, hold our heads high, holy spirit, humble servants, Jehovah Rapha, Jesus Christ, joy, lay aside every weight, lest ye be weary, Let your light so shine before men, live up to a high standard, look your best, looking unto Jesus, LOVE, mass confusion in our world, mercy, negative vibes, nothing fazed Jesus, originator, perfector, pray, put your best foot forward, repentance, resentment, run with patience, salt lost its flavour, salvation, see your good works, set down at the right hand of the throne of God, sincerely seek your face, sinned and seriously disobeyed your word, spoil our witness, strong faith in Christ, the author and finisher of our faith, the God who heals, the light of the world, the race set before us, the revolutionary feat, the salt of the earth, the sin that doth easily so beset us, the slavery of sin, took it in stride, trodden underfoot, truth, turn from our evil ways, under a basket, ungrateful sinners, wisdom, wise guidance

Hebrews 12:2a. Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher (originator and perfector) of our faith;

Another Monday’s on the agenda friends, but I know that we can and will handle it with the quiet aplomb and efficiency that we’ve learned from the masterful example of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Nothing that came against Him fazed Him, He just took it in stride. Not even the excessive cruelty He faced on our behalf, caused Him to lose sight of His heavenly Father’s goal; accomplishing the amazing and revolutionary feat of earning freedom from sin’s abject slavery for a bunch of ungrateful sinners.

And that’s how He expects us, His followers, ambassadors and agents on this evil and ungodly earth to behave. Now He doesn’t expect perfection either, because He knows we’re not perfect and will never be until He comes to take us home and changes us, but nonetheless He expects us to always put our best foot forward. As the late Uncle Charles (Dr. Charles Stanley) used to say: ‘Look your best, do your best and be your best!’

That says it all my people. For as the author of Hebrews so vividly explains it: ‘Wherefore seeing (since) we also are compassed about with (surrounded by) so great a cloud of witnesses (those heroes of the faith that went before us), let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset (ensnare) us, and let us run with patience (perseverance) the race that is set before us,

Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher (originator and perfector) of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. For consider him that endured such contradiction (hostility) of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds (become discouraged.’ (Heb. 12:1-3)

Yes friends, that’s the example we’re supposed to follow. As disciples of Jesus we’re expected to live up to a high standard; so high, that when the unbelievers see us in action, they’ll hold their heads in awesome wonder and want what we have that makes us so joyful, peaceful, LOVING and calm. (smile) So as this new Monday rolls around, and we go out to do the same banal, every day, ofttimes boring tasks, let’s hold our heads high and get on with His business without any complaining, resentment and negative vibes to spoil our witness.

All the time, remembering Jesus’ strong admonitions: ‘Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour (flavour), wherewith (by what) shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and be trodden under foot of men. Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle (lamp), and put it under a bushel (basket), but on a candlestick (lampstand); and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.’ (Matt. 5:13-16)

Of course my fellow saints, that’s the kind of strong witness expected of us true and faithful believers of Christ especially in these rather ungodly and sinful times! However, unfortunately, we don’t seem to be doing such a great job of witnessing for Christ, otherwise the devil would not have such a stranglehold on the affairs of the world and Christians would be filled with much more faith, LOVE and joy, not with the fear and anxiety that so many of us now project.

But let’s remember this other admonition from Bruh Paul before we foolishly throw in the towel and give up in the face of the enemies evil strategies. That’s one of the reasons Bruh Paul wrote these telling words to Timothy: ‘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)

Now that’s a most important scripture for us to remember today, as we step out into the world, clothed in God’s armour to continue the fight for Jesus’ righteous and just army. And to help us do that, let’s go to the throne of grace, through our Monday Morning Battle Hymn, seeking help in this time of dire need.

Altogether: ‘Our Father, who art in heaven, we, Your humble servants, praise Your Holy Name and thank You this Monday morning for life and strong faith in Christ, despite the mass confusion in our world. Heavenly Father, You are the ONLY ONE with the power to solve our many problems.

Yes, we have all sinned and seriously disobeyed Your Word, but You are a merciful, forgiving and gracious God, who has faithfully promised to hear and answer our prayers when we humble ourselves, pray, and sincerely seek Your face. So, we come to You now, with sincere repentance in our hearts, pleading for wise guidance and direction to alleviate our problems.

Oh Father, please ease the pain of the many suffering from negative situations, show them Your awesome grace and mercy. And faithfully keep Your promise to prosper us if we turn from our evil ways. Show this evil world that You are indeed Jehovah Rapha; the God who heals! We pray this in the holy and blessed name of Your Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen! And again, we say: Amen!’

And all of that simply means; to get divine aid, we must improve our godly behaviour! So let’s get out there and do it today nuh! Much LOVE!

…all Jesus expects of His followers…is a good, faithful day’s work…everyday…

Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien

Today’s Scrip-Bit 28 August 2021 Proverbs 14:34.

28 Aug 2021 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: a mechanical remedy against evil, an organized conspiracy, and you perish in the way, Bob Marley, bring opposition and rebellion, but of power love and a sound mind, climate change, deprecate agitation, dictatorship, discredited and abandoned, ditch fear, embrace fear, Emperor Haile Selassie 1, ever-changing world, For God hath not given us a spirit of fear, free for all ism, freedom, freedom from sin, freedom implies agitation and disturbance, freedom involves dissension and disagreement, God will look out for us, Government is ordained by God, if the foundations be destroyed, in one fell swoop, kiss the son, lest he be angry, LOVE, of no more significance than the colour of his eyes, one race superior and one inferior, our friend Anselm, profess to favour freedom, rejoice with trembling, remain the but a fleeting illusion, rid our society of God, righteousness exalteth a nation, serve the Lord with fear, sin is a reproach to any people, the colour of a man's skin, the dream of lasting peace, the exact measure of injustice and wrong, the people perish, the rule of international morality, to be pursued but never attained, until basic human rights are equally guaranteed to all, want crops without plowing up the ground, want rain without thunder and lightning, what can the righteous do, where there is no visioin

Proverbs 14:34. Righteousness exalteth a nation: but sin is a reproach (shame, disgrace) to any people.

Well then, it’s Saturday, and we moving on! Yes friends, we moving on, because we cannot afford to stand still in this ever-changing world, else we’ll get left behind. However, we don’t need to move on just for the sake of moving on, but moving on when the Holy Spirit that dwells within us, and leads and guides us, tells us that it’s time to move on. And if we are afraid of the changes that are necessary, we don’t have to make them all in one fell swoop either, we can take our time and make them.

Don’t worry, our wonderful and ever-LOVING God will look out for us, and make sure we don’t go astray. So this Saturday morning, let’s ditch fear, and embrace faith with a vengeance nuh! (smile) Remember Bruh Paul’s reminder to Timothy: ‘For God hath not given us a spirit of fear; but of power, and of LOVE, and of a sound mind (self-control)’ (2 Tim. 1:7)

And having shored up our faith with that powerful and reassuring scripture, let’s see what quotes our friend Anselm sent us this week nuh. And the first quote says: ‘Those who profess to favor freedom, and yet deprecate agitation, are men who want crops without plowing up the ground. They want rain without thunder and lightning.’ Now we can all see a fair amount of truth in that statement, for freedom is a very complicated and rather thorny subject to handle or deal with, in whatever area you choose to profess or preach it.

That means a lot of people won’t agree or acquiesce quietly to whatever we are touting freedom for or in. Consequently, that will mean dissension and disagreement, even strife and all-out war, as we are currently seeing in so many countries of our world. Yuh notice in Jesus’ time, He claimed to have come to bring freedom, and though it was a good kind of freedom, freedom from sin, it was not the kind of freedom His people were seeking, they wanted freedom from Roman oppression, thus there was much dissatisfaction and disagreement among the different groups of the Jewish people, that even had them calling for His death.

The very word ‘freedom’ implies agitation and disturbance, and it’s very seldom, if ever, we can have freedom without theoretically plowing up the ground, or experiencing plenty thunder and lightning. (smile) That leads us to this next interesting quote. ‘Find out just what any people will quietly submit to and you have the exact measure of the injustice and wrong which will be imposed on them.’

Now that’s a basic truth of life. Smart leaders of countries, organizations or whatever kind of grouping is involved, will take the temperature of their people, test them to see just how far they can go, or what they can get away with, without stirring up rebellion or revolution. But the problem, as we are seeing all over the world, is that our leaders are not smart enough to take their time and learn how to control their people. The hunger and greed for power causes them to try and impose their selfish will in a draconian manner, possibly backed by military forces, but that always seems to bring opposition and consequently rebellion.

And our world right now is a perfect example of that, with rebellion over almost everything, from the covid 19 supposed virus, that’s killing us left right and centre, which some claim to be a bacterium, to the vaccination that’s supposed to keep it in check. Then there are things like climate change, and the social type of system that some leaders want to impose on their people, from dictatorship to communism, to socialism, to free for all ism. (smile) Oh, and let’s not forget the many people who are trying their best to rid our society of God. A task that they will obviously fail at.

The fact of the matter is that right now our world is very contrary and divided. I doubt we can find one subject or topic that most of us can agree on. That leads us to this next quote: ‘Where justice is denied, where poverty is enforced, where ignorance prevails, and where any one class is made to feel that society is an organized conspiracy to oppress, rob and degrade them, neither persons nor property will be safe.’ Now that’s a truth from which we can never escape. And I think it’s borne out best in the words of Bob Marley in his song titled ‘War’ where he reiterates a part of a speech given by the Ethiopian Emperor Haile Selassie I, in California in 1968.

Bob sings: “That until the philosophy which holds one race superior and another inferior, is finally and permanently discredited and abandoned. That until there are no longer first and second class citizens of any nation. Until the colour of a man’s skin is of no more significance than the colour of his eyes. That until the basic human rights are equally guaranteed to all, without regard to race. That until that day, the dream of lasting peace, world citizenship and the rule of international morality will remain but a fleeting illusion, to be pursued but never attained… And everywhere will be war…ah say war…”

And that’s exactly the kind of world we are looking at until Jesus comes back and sets up His everlasting kingdom, where there is no sin, darkness, pain, tears, death or anything negative; nothing but joy and peace, LOVE and godliness for ever and ever! Glory be! That brings us to this last quote: ‘The life of a nation is secure only while the nation is honest, truthful, and virtuous.’ And if you have any sense at all, you will realize that that’s the gospel truth! Any living organism banded together can only be secure if there’s trust and truth between them.

And in support of that please listen to these two seminal scriptures from Cousin Sol. The first says: ‘Righteousness exalteth a nation: but sin is a reproach (shame, disgrace) to any people.’ (Prov. 14:34) Yes friends, the Lord lifts up a nation that worships and lives under His banner, but brings shame and disgrace to sinful, disobedient peoples. And the second potent scripture from Cousin Sol declares (yeah!!) ‘Where there is no vision (prophetic vision or revelation), the people perish (cast off restraint, become lawless and godless): but he that keepeth the law, happy is he.’ (Prov. 29:18)

Oh my people, the morality and righteousness of a nation depends on the prophetic vision the revelation of God’s people to which we sincerely and righteously adhere. Without it, we’re totally lost and headed straight for hellfire and damnation. That’s why taking God out of society is nothing but craziness, but foolishness and utter folly!

And we’ll end with this very interesting and relevant commentary found on the allanturner.com website, talking about a Nation without God. It reads thus: ‘In Psalm 11:3, the question is asked, “If the foundations be destroyed, what can the righteous do?” Of course, when the foundations are destroyed, the righteous are made a prey of the wicked. Consequently, the very purpose of government is the protection of the righteous or law abiding. In other words, Government is ordained by God as a mechanical remedy against evil (cf. Romans 13:1-7).

Thomas Jefferson clearly understood this principle (when he supposedly said “The God who gave us life gave us liberty. Can the liberties of a nation be secure when we have removed a conviction that these liberties are the gift of God?”), and so must we if we are to keep the “unalienable rights” endowed us by “our Creator.” Jesus Christ is sovereign of the universe. Consequently, His law is above all laws and all men everywhere are subject to His authority. Many earthly authorities have not understood this. Consequently, they have not heeded the wise counsel of the psalmist, who said: “Serve the Lord with fear, and rejoice with trembling. Kiss the Son, lest He be angry, and you perish in the way” (Psalm 2:11,12).’

It’s as simple as that friends! If you don’t have the Creator God as your mainstay, then things just go haywire. These seem to be the steps to our downfall. ‘When a nation rejects God; it turns to a false religion; then it becomes bogged down in immorality and violence; then God judges it.’ Beware my people, I believe that God is judging us right now! Much LOVE!

…without the Living God as your sure foundation…you are headed for certain destruction…

P.S. Yes, it’s a tad long (smile) but I think it’s good, and hope you do too. Much LOVE!

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

Today’s Scrip-Bit 7 September 2016 Galatians 2:20.

07 Sep 2016 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: a new creature, abundant life, actions, all-out effort, be friendly, blessed day, break the chains, Christ, christ lives in me, Christian Manifesto, crucified, crucified with Christ, delivered from guilt, dr robert h schuller, faithfully serving, freed from sin, freedom, freedom from sin, gave himself for me, glorious future with christ, glory hallelujah, God-given, golden words of advice, halfway home, hands on the plough, happiness, hitching your wagon to a star, holy spirit, Hour of Power Devotional, I live, I live by faith, in the flesh, in the likeness of his death, in the likeness of his resurrection, inoperative, joy, laziness, lazy attitude, living for Christ, LOVE, make a positive difference, newness of life, old things are passed away, people of excellence, praise, price of success, rewards, slaves to sin, source of power, strength, Thanks be to God, the breath of life, the foundation of wisdom, the highest joy of life, the music of the soul, the road to happiness, the ruling passion, the secret of youth, the Son of God, time to dream, time to laugh, time to love, time to play, time to read, time to think, time to work, to serve Christ, understanding, united, Wednesday Wail, wisdom, words, you reap what you sow

Galatians 2:20. I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of (by faith in) the Son of God, who LOVED me, and gave himself for me.

Ah mih people, it’s another God-given, blessed day in our lives! All praise and thanks be to our great and generous God!

The first thing I want to do is to apologize for the error in the dates in yesterday’s titles. I know that many of you missed it, but that’s what comes from laziness, meaning copying the titles from the day before and not remembering to change the dates. One title says the 6^th while the other says the 5^th.

Chuh! It annoys me when I make those lazy attitude errors, but as we all know, you only reap what you sow. So if you sow laziness, errors and mistakes are what you’ll reap. (smile)

However, on the good side of the ledger, let me now share some wonderful advice from an anonymous Irishman, taken from Gramps Schuller’s (Dr. Robert H. Schuller) Hour of Power Devotional. I believe I’ve shared it before, but as we say, when it’s nice, we can share it twice, or even thrice. (smile).

And the golden words of advice are: ‘Take time to work, it is the price of success. Take time to think, it is the source of power. Take time to play it is the secret of youth. Take time to read, it is the foundation of wisdom. Take time to be friendly, it is the road to happiness. Take time to dream, it’s hitching your wagon to a star. Take time to LOVE, it is the highest joy of life. Take time to laugh, it is the music of the soul.’

Oh friends, those are not only wise words for the ordinary man, but they also sound like the Christian Manifesto! For those are all the things that a true, Jesus –LOVING and faithfully serving Christian ought to be following, if we sincerely hope to make a positive difference in this crazy, misguided, corrupt, and evil world.

The truth is though, we can only do those things properly if and when we have Jesus in us and we are in Him. Hence our Bit. ‘I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of (by faith in) the Son of God, who LOVED me, and gave himself for me.’

Ah mih breddren, what a joy it is when Christ is the ruling passion in our lives! First of all He gave His holy and sinless life as a sacrifice, so that we could be saved by the generous grace of God! Then, when His Holy Spirit indwells us, He gives us, strength, wisdom, understanding, and all the other wonderful things we enjoy in association with Him.

No wonder Bruh Paul could make the powerful and true statement he makes in our Bit! If we allow our old, sinful selves to be crucified with Christ, that means we will also be resurrected with Him in a new life, with Him living in us and we in Him. Glory Hallelujah!

As Bruh Paul says in his letter to the church at Rome, when talking about freedom from sin’s power. ‘For if we have been planted together (united) in the likeness of his death, we (certainly) shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection:

Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed (rendered inoperative), that henceforth we should not serve (be slaves to) sin. For he that is dead is freed from sin.’ (Rom.6:5-7)

Yes my brethren, isn’t it wonderful that when we die to self, we are raised with Christ in newness of life! ‘Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature (creation): old things are passed away; behold all things are made new.’ (2 Cor.5:17) That’s Bruh Paul talking about us to the Corinthians! (smile)

Now here are some explanations from the scholars on the earlier verses from Romans. ‘6:6. Our old man: This is our old self, the person we were before we were crucified with Christ. Might be destroyed (lit. “rendered inoperative”). The believer now has the power to serve Christ instead of his old master, sin.’

‘6:7. Freed from sin: The believer has been delivered from the guilt and penalty of sin and is set free to serve Christ.’

And believe me friends, nothing is more interesting and wonderful than serving Christ! It’s not easy, but it makes us people of excellence… and brother, let me tell you, the rewards are certainly worth it!

So why aren’t we supposed Christians doing better than we are eh? I’m not sure, but maybe, just maybe it’s because we don’t truly believe all that we read and hear, re Jesus, and thus we don’t put our all-out effort into living for Him. And on top of that, the material things and ways of the world still exert a powerful pull on us, and keep us wanting what the world offers.

Anyway my people, it’s time for us to break those chains that the world still have us bound and wrapped up in, else we’ll never really enjoy the freedom, the LOVE, the joy, the abundant life that Christ died for us to have.

Now let’s go home joyfully and sincerely declaring our Wednesday Wail. No I haven’t forgotten it. (smile)

Wailing as one: ‘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 having so gloriously declared that, now let’s go out and put it all into action nuh, make it reality and not just a bunch of insincere words. Much LOVE!

…the words and actions of a true believer…ought to show Jesus truly living in them…

Today’s Scrip-Bit 14 June 2015 Ephesians 2:8‏

14 Jun 2015 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: believing in jesus, Bruh Paul, by grace are ye saved, christ jesus, Christians, dead to sin, doctrine, encouragement to sin, Ephesians, eternal life, explanations, first day of the week, free from sin, free gift of grace, freedom from sin, God be thanked, God forbid, God's great love, God's kindness, God's ultimate purpose, godly wisdom, gospel truth, grace may abound, in my name, intimate relationship, inwardly digest, it is the gift of God, Jesus is ever-faithful, mark, misunderstanding, morally dead in sins, not of yourselves, number one priority, obedience unto righteousness, perish the thought, praise and worship God, qucikened us together with Christ, raised us together, read, rich in mercy, righteousness., salvation, saved through faith, servants, servants of righteousness, sin unto death, sinful ways, sit together in heavenly places, slaves, spiritual life, submission, the attributes of faith and grace, the character of God, the grave of their old life, the Lord's will, the riches of God's grace, the Spirit's law, there I am in the midst of them, true freedom, we were dead in sins, where two or three are gathered together

Ephesians 2:8. For by grace are ye (you have been) saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:

Well Friends, it’s Sunday. What are your plans for this first day of the week? Whatever they are, I hope it includes going to the Lord’s sanctuary to praise and worship Him with other believers, for that’s the Lord’s will for us.

And it doesn’t matter whether the sanctuary is a large church, a small hovel, or as our service will be today, outside under a large spreading tree, next to a river in a Provincial Park, surrounded by the beauty of nature. That’s all dependent on the weather though, because some rain has been forecasted for sometime during the night.

So Friends, it doesn’t really matter where, or how many people are there to worship. What did Jesus say on the subject? ‘For where two or three are gathered together in my name; there am I in the midst of them.’ (Matt.18:20) And that’s the gospel truth my brethren, for Jesus is ever-faithful, He keeps ALL His promises. So getting together and fellowshipping with other believers is our number ONE PRIORITY for today. Please, let’s make sure we fulfill it.

Now let’s get right into our Bit, because we have a lot of scripture and scholars’ explanations to get through today. (smile) ‘For by grace are ye (you have been) saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:’

Yes my people, it is only because of God’s great LOVE for us that we’re not heading to hell and damnation, but to salvation and eternal life in heaven. Let’s make sure we understand very clearly; salvation and eternal life with Christ has nothing to do with our personal efforts, because there is nothing we can ever do to deserve salvation. It’s all about God granting us His free gift of grace.

And now that we’ve understood that, let’s check out some scriptures on the intricate and intriguing attribute of grace. (smile) And we’ll start with Bruh Paul’s words which lead up to our Bit. He’s trying to explain to the Ephesians the attributes of faith and grace.

‘But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great LOVE wherewith he LOVED us, Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us (made us alive) together with Christ, (by grace ye are (have been) saved;) And hath raised us together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus. That in ages to come he might show the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through (in) Christ Jesus.’ (Eph.2:4-7) What a magnificent God we serve and worship my brethren!

Now hear these explanations from the scholars. ‘2:4-6. But begins to disclose God’s response to man’s sin of verses 1-3. This divine response is expressed in three main verbs: (1) God…hath quickened us. Because they were morally dead in sins, the Lord gave them spiritual life; (2) and hath raised us up together, that is, God has not allowed these Christians to remain in the grave of their old life with its sinful ways and habits, but He brought them into a new life and demonstration of it; and (3) God made us sit together in heavenly places, that is, He has brought us into His presence and into an intimate relationship with Himself.’

‘2:7. That…he might show (or, demonstrate): This denotes the ultimate purpose for all that God did for the Ephesians in verses 4-6. It is that throughout eternity He might make us understand more and more His goodness to us.’

Ah mih people, that’s some relatively heavy stuff, but we need to take our time and read, mark and inwardly digest it, because it’s all for our benefit.

And we’ll turn now to Romans 6, where Bruh Paul is talking about freedom from sin’s power. He opens the chapter thus: ‘What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? God forbid (certainly not). How shall we that are dead (who died) to sin, live any longer therein?’ (Rom.6:1-2)

And the scholars offer these explanations. ‘6:1. Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? If sin generates grace, should we encourage sin in order to cause more grace to be granted?’

‘6:2. God forbid (Gr. me genoito): Perish the thought; may it never be; don’t even think that way. This expression of unthinkable horror occurs in Paul’s epistles more than 60 times. He uses it whenever the thought suggested is too repugnant to entertain. Sin is singular in this verse and throughout this chapter. It refers to the sin nature.’

Now later on in the same chapter, where He’s trying to make them understand that Christians are under grace, the Spirit’s law, he declares. ‘For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the (religious) law, but under grace. What then? Shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid (certainly not). Know ye not that to whom ye yield (present) yourselves servants to obey, his servants (slaves) ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?

But God be thanked, that (though) ye were the servants (slaves) of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered (entrusted to) you. Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness.’ (Rom.6:14-18)

Some more heavy stuff Friends, but it’s time we stop drinking only milk and eat some solid food. (smile)

And the scholars offer these explanations. ‘6:15. Shall we sin? Paul now asks a slightly different question than he did previously. In 6:1 he sought to correct any misunderstanding as to the relationship of the believer to grace. Now he wishes to correct any misunderstanding that might arise as to the believer’s relation to the law. Neither the submission to the former, nor release from the latter, is to be construed as an encouragement to sin.’

I hope we all got that my people? Neither submission to grace or release from the law is to be construed as encouragement to sin! Right ho!

‘6:17. That form of doctrine (lit. “pattern of teaching”) which resulted in their conversion. Doctrine profoundly affects one’s life. The life tells the type of doctrine that has shaped it.’

‘6:18. The believer is not free to do whatever he wants. He is free only to do that which is consistent with the character of God. True freedom is freedom from sin.’

And please remember that my Friends. Now let’s seriously ponder the grace-filled stuff that we’ve read today, then try to put it into action with God’s help nuh, so that we can attain to godly wisdom. Much LOVE!

…only by believing in Jesus…and walking sincerely and consistently with His Spirit…can one be freed from sin…

Today’s Scrip-Bit 1 April 2015 Deuteronomy 31:8

01 Apr 2015 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: a Father who cares, a pillar of cloud by day, a pillar of fire by night, alive and kicking, almighty god, ambassadors for Christ, And the Lord he goes before thee, April Fool, as I was with Moses, bondage, christ is alive, comfort, crumbling state of mind, discontent, doomed to death, Easter, encouraging, eternal life, eternal separation, eternity, evil minions, faith, fear, fear not neither be dismayed, freedom from sin, friends, gladness, glory to God, go astray, God's grace, gospel truth, grace, greatest gift ever offered to man, He will not fail thee neither forsake thee, heartache, heartbreak, holy spirit, Holy Week, Jesus Christ, Jesus is for real, Joshua, lie down in green pastures, LOVE, merciful and gracious God, mercy, Moses, negative emotions, on the cross at Calvary, paths of righteousness, physical action, power, precautions, promises, reconciliation to God, reignite God's image in our hearts, rekindle God's fire in our souls, righteousness., sacrifical death, salvation, solace, stand on His ever-faithful promises, strife, the Lord's work, the most important person in the universe, the worst fate, transforming peace, truth, turn to God, unconditional LOVE, ungodly world, uplifting words, Wednesday, wisdom

Deuteronomy 31:8. And the Lord, he it is that doth go before thee; he will be with thee, he will not fail thee, neither forsake thee: fear not, neither be dismayed.

Well Friends, it’s a beautiful Wednesday morning in Holy Week! The sun’s shining, the birds are a singing, but sadly, all’s not right with our world. It is filled with too many negative emotions and the strife and discontent that they bring. But it’s important to realize that our great God is still on His throne watching over things, in full control of it all.

We might not understand why He’s allowing all the negativity to continue, but rest assured that He, with His higher wisdom and understanding, knows what He’s doing. That’s the only way we can endure the evil and ungodliness that’s currently festering the soul of our world.

I guess the ole fella’s a bit tardy this morning too. But there’s good reason for my tardiness. I was about the Lord’s work, at a meeting in the church last night, which finished later than I expected, and by the time I got home and did my own thing, it was minutes to two in the morning.

And that’s no April Fool’s joke, it’s the gospel truth. (smile) And the ole bod refused to get up until it was well rested and refreshed, able to take on the rigours of writing the Bit. So what can I say eh? (smile)

But Friends, can you imagine that’s it’s already April? The year of 2015 is surely winging its merry way along without any thought to whom or what it leaves behind. Therefore, I beseech us to take the necessary precautions not to be caught up in that situation.

We have to be aware of what’s going on around us and play our part, which is an ambassadorial role for Jesus Christ. We have to get out there and let the world know that He’s alive; alive and kicking, kicking very hard too.

And especially at this most important time in our Christian Calendar, Easter, we’ve got to shout it out, let the world know that Jesus is still the most important person in the universe, and without Him in our lives, we are doomed to death and eternal separation from God Almighty!

And as I keep reminding us, that’s the worst fate that can ever befall a human being. So please, let’s get a move on in our personal lives nuh, let’s rise to the glorious occasion and show the unbelieving world that Jesus is for real, that what He stands for is of much more benefit than what the ungodly world and its evil minions have to offer.

Jesus‘ free gift of salvation through His sacrificial death on the cross at Calvary, engendered by God’s grace and unconditional LOVE, beats anything that this sinful world has to offer. It’s the greatest gift ever offered to man; freedom from sin, reconciliation to God, and eternal life with Him.

What could be sweeter and more fulfilling than that eh mih people? NOTHING! ABSOLUTELY NOTHING!

So let’s not forget that and allow the world to fool us into thinking that its earthly benefits are better than the heavenly ones. Our salvation and where we spend eternity depends on it.

Enough with the preaching though, (smile) let’s hear this most appropriate plaintive cry from the One Year Book of Bible Promises with writings by Ruth Harms Calkin. It’s titled ‘At Such Times,’ and says: ‘God, there are times In the midst of heartache and heartbreak When there is no comfort, no solace Anywhere at all.

There are times When in my crumbling state of mind I feel I can no longer endure – Not for a day, not even an hour. It is at such times, O God That I draw heavily Upon your unfathomable LOVE. At such times I explore Your transforming peace.

At such times I live By the power and promises Of a Father who cares infinitely more Than I can begin to grasp or comprehend. Today, dear God, is a “such time.”

Oh my fellow believers, isn’t that beautiful? It shows us exactly where we need to turn and what we have to do when times get rough, as they so often are in our present age. Turn to God and stand on His ever-faithful promise! It has worked for numerous believers for eons, and will continue to work until time everlasting!

And the promise for that poem is our Bit for today: ‘And the Lord, he it is that doth go before thee; he will be with thee, he will not fail thee, neither forsake thee: fear not, neither be dismayed.’

Oh my brethren, what encouraging and uplifting words! Only a powerful Deity, One who is confident and comfortable in His own figurative skin, can make such a bold and forthright promise! And it sets the tone for all our endeavours even up to this day, centuries after it was made.

And our God not only talks, but takes firm action on behalf of His people, as He did with the Israelites when he brought them out of bondage in Egypt, by putting the words of our Bit into physical action.

Hear these words from the Good Book. ‘And the Lord went before them by day in a pillar of cloud, to lead them the way; and by night in a pillar of fire, to give them light to go by day and night. He took not away the pillar of the cloud by day, nor the pillar of fire by night, from before the people.’ (Ex.13:21-22)

What a merciful and gracious God we worship my Friends! And the good thing about all that is that He is till leading us today, not necessarily by pillars of clouds and fire, but in so many different ways, individually and collectively. The problem though is that we are often too busy or lazy to hear and see His leadership in our lives.

But Friends, I want to tell us that that is an integral part of our earthly lives, and until, and unless we embrace His grace and mercy and listen to His direction and plan for our lives, we will most definitely go astray and not live the life that He had planned for us.

Now let’s end with another scripture verse of enormous proportions, of wonderful encouragement and promise. This is when the Lord promoted Joshua to the Israelite leadership after the death of Moses. The Lord told him, man to man: ‘There shall not be any man be able to stand before thee all the days of thy life: as I was with Moses, so will I be with thee: I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.’ (Josh.1: 5)

Oh my people, my people, what a glorious promise, one that the Lord fulfilled in spades. Once Joshua stayed faithful and followed His lead, all things worked together for his good. The same still goes for us today, my brethren.

Once we walk faithfully with the Lord, He will be faithful to us and lead us in the paths of righteousness, making us to lie down in green pastures, beside restful waters, and restore our souls, all for His name’s sake. Glory to God my brethren!

So please, let’s take firm hold of the promise in our Bit today and go out and be the best we can be for Jesus. I pray this in His holy name. Amen! Much LOVE!

…Oh Lord…please reignite your image in our hearts…rekindle your fire in our souls…so that we can LOVE You as we ought to…and do Your bidding without fear…but with gladness and joy…

Today’s Scrip-Bit 1 December 2012 Proverbs 8:32

01 Dec 2012 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Inspirational Living Tags: awesome truths, blessed, eternal pleasures, family reunion, fleeting pleasures, freedom from sin, Hallelujah, happy hour, liberty, lies, Mosaic Law, mysterious ways, obedience, Parang party, perfect law, rain, reminiscing, reverence, walk the talk, wiles

Proverbs 8:32. Now therefore hearken unto me, O ye children: for blessed are they that keep my ways.

Oh Friends, our God surely does move in some mysterious and wonderful ways yes! Yesterday, after I finished writing the Bit, one of my uncles came to visit, then took me around town to straighten out some stuff. Now I had intended to go back to Tobago yesterday afternoon, however on Thursday when I bought the tickets to come to Trinidad by the ferry, I could only get one ticket for the return trip on Friday because of the weekend rush to go to Tobago. I could not even get a flight to Tobago on Friday, because all the planes were booked too. So the plan was go down to the ferry docks and do the stand by thing. But as the Lord would have it, I spoke to a couple friends and family by phone and they weren’t too thrilled that I had come to Trinidad for what amounted to only one day. Anyway, the long and short of the story is that I decided to spend another day in Trickidad. And was it ever a wise decision, because after I checked into the Capital Plaza Hotel, within walking distance to the ferry docks, we had a delightful lunch in the hotel’s restaurant with one uncle and his wife. Then another uncle showed up, one I had lived a bachelor’s life with some forty years ago, and we all sat down in the hotel’s foyer/bar area talking, laughing and reminiscing about old times. Meanwhile, a cousin was trying to get two tickets for the boat today, Saturday, which was reputedly also sold out. Eventually it was happy hour in the hotel and it got busy. But we were in the right place at the right time. (smile) Then I got a call to go down to the docks to get the ferry tickets. So the uncle with whom I lived ‘bache’, walked down to the docks with me, about two or three hundred yards along one of the main thoroughfares, Wrightson Road, with the Friday afternoon traffic in full swing. During the walk more reminiscing took place, but this time private stuff that we couldn’t share with the other family members. Hn! It sure has a lot of that! (smile) By the time we got back, a cousin had shown up, so you can imagine the commotion. And we stayed in the hotel foyer/bar area until 7 o’clock, only leaving because we had to come up and change to go to a Parang party that a friend had invited us to. The party was good, but we could not do it the justice it deserved since we were quite tired. Imagine there being a lot of food and drink, but me only picking at little bits of food, cause I’d been eating all afternoon and didn’t have my after lunch nap. Didn’t get home until minutes to twelve. And when I awoke, around 6.30, it was to a rainy, dreary-looking Saturday morning, with a crummy view of some big buildings over the street, blocking out most of the docks, and a construction site right down in front of me. But overall Friends, it was a delightful day! Thank You Lord! And I have some more people coming to visit me this morning, that’s why I can say from personal experience that our Bit is one of absolute truth. ‘Now therefore hearken unto me, O ye children: for blessed are they that keep my ways.’ Oh my people, how long are we going to let Beelzebub deceive us into following the ways of man and this evil world eh, which only leads to destruction, rather than that of Almighty God, which causes us to be immensely blessed, both now and in the hereafter? Following Beelzebub’s wiles and lies is a fool’s wisdom my Friends! Now listen to the psalmist, as he tells us the true story: ‘Praise ye the Lord (shout Hallelujah). Blessed is the man that feareth the Lord, that delighteth greatly in his commandments. His seed shall be mighty upon the earth; the generation of the upright shall be blessed. Wealth and riches shall be in his house: and his righteousness endureth (stands) forever.’ (Ps.112:1-3) Now my brethren, is there anything in Lucifer’s manifesto that can match those wonderful promises? Absolutely not! For Lucifer’s pleasures are fleeting and superficial, while those of Jehovah God have substance and last forever. Now hear James tell it: ‘But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed (what he does).’ (James 1:25) Oh my people, Lucifer or his cohorts can never make a truthful declaration like that! And these are the scholars’ comments on that verse. ‘The perfect law of liberty probably refers to the teachings of Christ and His Apostles. This law is perfect since Christ brought to completion the teachings and work of the Mosaic Law (cf. Matt.5:17-20; Rom.10:4). It is a law of liberty because it frees from the principles of sin and death (Rom. 8:2-3; Gal. 5:1,13). James also describes it as the royal law (2:8) for it is the law of the Messianic King (cf. Gal.6:2)’ Now, from the world’s most famous sermon, that from the Mount, listen to Jesus declare the awesome truth. ‘Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.’ (Matt.7:21) I can’t add anything more to that Friends, except these observations of the scholars. ‘Not everyone professing Christ is genuinely saved. Even the outward verbal acknowledgement of His lordship is in itself not enough to save the unbeliever apart from true repentance and faith. A genuinely saved person is one that doeth the will of my Father, the Greek present tense suggesting that he is continually living in obedience to the will of God as the normal course of his life.’ There it is Friends in black and white! Spouting a lot of God centred stuff doesn’t automatically make you saved, you have to truly repent and then live in obedience to the Father after that. Therefore people, let’s sincerely aspire to not only talk the Christian talk, but even more importantly to walk it. Otherwise, we’re just fooling ourselves. Much LOVE!…But be ye doers of the word…and not hearers only…deceiving your own selves… (James 1:22)

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