The Overwhelming Importance of Being Born Again and Being Faithful and Humble to Enter into the Kingdom of Heaven!

11 Jul 2026 Leave a comment

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

Today’s Scrip-Bit   11 July 2026   Matthew 18:4.

Matthew 18:4.        Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.

And it’s our lazy-day Saturday! Oh what joy! Doing whatever we want, even up to doing nothing on this hot, sunny July day without a guilty conscience! It could not get any better than that! And I must admit that I enjoyed a bit of the lazy-day Saturday morning. I got up fairly early, did a few things, then went back and lolled around in the bed, and it felt so good, I had to force myself to get up and come down to write the Bit. (smile) But before we carry this lazy-day Saturday thing too far, let’s offer up our Lazy-Day Saturday Prayer in all sincerity and truth.

As one strong voice: ‘Lord, I want to be with You now. Please slow my thoughts and quiet my soul. Let my muscles relax, my breath deepen. You are here with me – Your peace and LOVE are present. I marvel to think You can’t be contained, that Your LOVE both surrounds and fills me. Thank You for this tenderness, Lord. I praise You for Your unceasing nearness. Increase my awareness of You today, that I may know You all the more. Amen!’ 

And as always, if the Lord heard our heartfelt plea, and on checking our hearts, found it to be true and sincere, then in a short time our soul and spirit will be enjoying a big slice of peace and calm, as the Lord answers our prayer, for He simply delights in answering our heartfelt pleas that fall under His will, and increasing intimacy with, and knowledge of Him, is certainly a big part of His will. And what more do we need to enjoy a lazy-day Saturday than a big slice of God’s peace and calm. There’s nothing better for that job. (smile)

And, as per today’s discussion, the Good Library opened at Matthew’s gospel where Jesus is teaching the disciples about the least being the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. The Bible recalls it thus: ‘At the same time came the disciples unto Jesus, saying, Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven? And Jesus called a little child unto him, and set him in the midst of them, And said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven. Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.’ (Matt. 18:1-4)

Now, that must have been a startling realization to the disciples, for they must have figured that one who did the most wonderful works here on earth would be the greatest in heaven. However, as the scholars explain: ‘The dispute over who is the greatest was settled by Jesus’ emphasis that it was the one who was willing to forgive the most! Be converted means a “turning” of one’s whole life and person toward God. This is the true biblical picture of conversion. It is far more than mental acknowledgement of the truth or intellectual assent to certain ideas. To become as little children means to be born again (converted) as a newborn spiritual child, characterized by faith and humility.’

But that’s somewhat of a tough nut to crack, because to enter the kingdom of heaven we have to change our behaviour towards God and become humble and faithful like little children. However, that should not surprise us for it’s exactly what Jesus told the disciples when James and John’s mother came asking if they could sit on His right and left hand in heaven and it caused an uproar amongst the others.

‘Jesus called them unto him, and said, Ye know that the princes of the Gentiles exercise dominion (lord it) over them, and they that are great exercise authority upon them. But it shall not be so among you: but whosever will be great among you, let him be your minister (servant). And whosoever will be chief (first) among you, let him be your servant (slave). Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto (served), but to minister (serve) and to give his life a ransom for many.’ (Matt. 20:25-28) That let’s us know that servanthood in Jesus’ kingdom is of the utmost importance.

Then in Jesus ‘exchange with Nicodemus, the Jewish leader, He explains the process of attaining heaven. ‘Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again (from above), he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.’ (John 3:3) And when Nicodemus didn’t understand Him, Jesus clarified it thus: ‘Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Marvel not that I said unto thee, ye must be born again. The wind bloweth where it listeth (wishes), and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is everyone born of the Spirit.’ (John 3:5-8)

Yes friends, it is imperative that after we’re born of the flesh, we’re also born of the Spirit, if we desire to enter into God’s kingdom. So it’s necessary to be born twice to even get the chance to see God’s face, and then to achieve any greatness in heaven, we must also be faithful and humble like little children. And in Bruh Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians he addresses that conundrum when he explains about the resurrection of the body. He writes: ‘It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and a spiritual body. And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam (Jesus) was made a quickening (life-giving) spirit.

Howbeit that was not first which is spiritual, but that which is natural; and afterward that which is spiritual. The first man is of the earth, earthy (man of dust): the second man is the Lord from heaven. … And as we have borne the image of the earthy (man of dust), we shall also bear the image of the heavenly. Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption.’  (1 Cor. 15:44-47; 49-50)

Yes my people, we’re all born a natural birth from our mother’s womb, or men of dust, but to attain heaven, we must also be born of the life-giving Spirit of Christ, for when our fleshly bodies die, all that remains is the spirit, and if our spirit isn’t aligned with God, or we’re not born again of the Spirit, then we’re in for a rough time undergoing eternal separation from God, the worst thing that can ever happen to a human soul. Therefore, it behooves us, right now, to get right with God, be born again of the Spirit, so that when our body returns to dust, as it will, then our spirit will soar to heaven and eternal life, rather than to hell and eternal death.

And hopefully, as we laze about today, we’ll ponder on those things, and make the right decision. Much LOVE!

…greatness in Christ’s kingdom…does not depend on might and power…but on faithfulness and humility…

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

Today’s Scrip-Bit 12 July 2015 Zechariah 9:17

12 Jul 2015 Leave a comment

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

Zechariah 9:17.   For how great is his goodness, and how great is his beauty! corn (grain) shall make the young men cheerful (thrive), and new wine the maids.

Aye Friends, it’s the big day, Sunday! Yeh, the day when we come together to sing and dance before the Lord, like Bruh David did when he brought the Ark of the Covenant home to Jerusalem. (2 Sam.6:14-15)

Yes Friends, it’s the day that Christians all over the world gather to fellowship, to celebrate the life and good news of Christ, whether it be in a palatial cathedral, a medium sized sanctuary, mud huts or tin shanties.

The physical structure is not all that important, though it’s certainly nice to worship Jehovah God in beautiful surroundings, for Jesus said that ‘where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.’ (Matt.18:20)

So please, let’s all make a serious and sincere effort to get out today and worship with other believers, because there are things we definitely receive when we fellowship as Christ’s body, that we don’t really get when we worship alone. I’m talking about things like joyful communion and communication, overall encouragement, strength and guidance between believers. The singing and praising of many voices also inspires us to greater faith.

So as I said earlier, it is imperative that we get out each Sunday to sing and dance, praise and worship our Creator and constant Provider.  Please, no flimsy excuses will be accepted.

Anyway my people, lately I’ve been pondering, ruminating on the wonderful attributes of our most venerable God. And you know there are no words to truly describe Him, or describe Him fully, but these give us some idea of His majesty and magnificence.

We talk about His great and unconditional LOVE, His kindness, goodness, grace and compassion. Then there is His merciful and understanding ways, plus His everlasting wisdom and tender heart full of forgiveness. And we can’t forget His holiness, justice and truth, as well as His utter faithfulness.

Wow! Is that a God or a God my people! That’s why I can’t understand why so many people are turning away from Him, abusing His holy name and casting serious doubts and aspersions on His character. No other supposed deity has the endearing characteristics that our God possesses. Plus we’ve seen His magnificent works from way back when to the present time, and furthermore He is a living and breathing God, which cannot be said of any other deity.  

So why the big fuss and rush to get Him out of our society and our lives eh? I guess because Lucifer’s minions are afraid that if His followers are left to worship Him in peace, their evil deeds, thoughts and plans will all come to naught. And that’s more than just a plausible assumption, it’s a guaranteed promise. So they figure to take in front before in front takes them. (smile)  

But my people we are not going to allow the evil folks and spirits of this world to take over God’s great earth are we? Definitely not! That’s why as Christ’s body we have to dwell in harmony and unity, all for the greater good. The selfish and petty disagreements that mostly separate us have to be acknowledged and cast aside once and for all time, if we want to wage a successful war against the infidel.

They are using the long time tactic of divide and conquer to successfully keep us fighting each other instead of them, and we have to wake up and smell the roses, the coffee or whatever is necessary to stop the internal feuding of Christ’s people. And I’m chuckling, because I don’t know how I got to where I am. Hn, Hn!

My intentions were merely to encourage us to go to church today, mention the wonderful attributes of God, then consider His goodness in particular. But better late than never. So let’s consider the goodness of God, beginning with our Bit and the verse before it. The prophet Zechariah is talking about Zion’s future king.

‘And the Lord their God shall save them in that day as the flock of his people: for they shall be as the stones (jewels) of a crown, lifted up as an ensign upon (a banner over) his land. For how great is his goodness, and how great is his beauty! corn (grain) shall make the young men cheerful (thrive), and new wine the maids.’  

Yes my brethren, if it wasn’t for the Lord’s goodness and LOVING-kindness we would already have perished on account of our abominable sinfulness. But He’s so wonderful, He gives us chance after chance after chance. One day though, sometime in the foreseeable future, those chances will disappear, as Christ returns in glory to rule the earth.

So it is ever so important that we make use of the opportunities we now have to get right with God ASAP, because as soon as we depart this life, or Jesus returns, and our names are not written in the Lamb’s Book of Life, then we’ll unfortunately spend eternity on the outside looking in. And I can guarantee you that that will not be a very pleasant experience. Nuff said.  

Now listen to Isaiah as he talks about the Lord’s favour shown to Israel. ‘I will mention the LOVING-kindness of the Lord, and the praises of the Lord, according to all that the Lord hath bestowed on us, and the great goodness toward the house of Israel, which he hath bestowed on them according to his mercies, and according to the multitude of his LOVING-kindness.’ (Is.63:7)

Oh Friends, we’ve seen God’s goodness to the Israelites all down through the ages, so why is it so difficult for us to believe and be obedient to His holy will eh?

And we’ll end with these marvellous words of Bruh David from Psalm 31- In thee, O Lord, do I put my trust. ‘Oh how great is thy goodness, which thou hast laid up for them that fear thee; which thou hast wrought for them that trust in thee before the sons of men.’ (Ps.31:19)

Yes my brethren, the Lord has laid up much goodness for those of us who serve and worship Him in sincerity and truth. I implore us all to be that kind of person so that goodness, rather than evil and destruction will be our just reward. That is indeed the zenith of wisdom! Much LOVE!

…surely goodness and mercy (LOVING-kindness) shall follow me…all the days of my life…and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever… (Ps.23:6)