Today’s Scrip-Bit   24 January 2022 John 14:15.

24 Jan 2022 Leave a comment

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

John 14:15.     If ye LOVE me, keep my commandments.

Ah friends, my most humble apologies for the Bit being so late today. I began it earlier on, but just wasn’t in proper functioning mode, so I left it until I felt capable of doing it justice. But here’s what I had written so far: (smile) Monday, oh Monday…how shall we describe thee eh? As the scariest or most anxiety-filled day of the week…the one everybody LOVES to hate, and doesn’t like to appear on their horizon, because it means work, travel, labour, etc. etc.…? That’s getting up off our fat, lazy, entitled fannies after a weekend of great indulgence, indulgences of the mostly carnal kind. (smile) 

Yes, my people, Monday is the day that brings out the worst in us, when we need to be at our best, at our best in winning souls for Jesus! It gives us no break, no leeway, just a constant flashing of the figurative whip, ever so subtly, yeah, very subtly inviting us to get up and get a move on! Oh Monday… you are such a hard taskmaster! But any leader who’s worth his salt, must have some of the hard taskmaster resilience in them. And we find that in both Satan and Jesus, though the flashing whip of Jesus is coated with genuine caring, LOVE, mercy and compassion, while the devil is just full of evil, selfishness and greed. 

And we see the tough LOVE in Jesus, when He says: ‘If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren (brothers), and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple. And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple.’ (Luke 14:26-27) Yes friends, those are indeed hard words, but we know that Jesus did not mean we ought to truly hate our friends and families, but that His ministry, His will ought to be first and foremost in our minds, bodies, hearts and souls. 

That’s just it! If our main intent is not to further the kingdom of God and His righteousness, despite the many problems we might face, then we are lacking in true discipleship. Jesus also declared to the disciples: ‘Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you.’ (John 15:15) And, ‘If ye LOVE me, keep my commandments.’ (John 14:15) Now that’s the hallmark of any follower of any leader; to do what they command them to do, otherwise you are not a true follower. Which means that a lot of us supposed true believers are not really true believers, since we don’t do what Jesus says, we don’t keep His commandments. 

But then, in typical Jesus fashion, after admonishing us to give up our will for His, to live our lives by His dictates, He turns around and promises: ‘And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever. Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you. I will not leave you comfortless (as orphans): I will come to you.’ (John 14:16-18) 

Ah mih bredrin, what a wonderful Lord and Saviour is our Jesus! He lays down strong rules, but enhances them with mighty promises. And we all know He kept that promise of the coming of the indwelling Holy Ghost on that long ago Pentecost day, when the believers were in the upper room… ‘And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared unto them cloven (divided) tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.’ (Acts 2:2-4) 

Jesus does keep His promises friends, although some of them might seem farfetched to our puny and finite minds. Yes, since that momentous day, upon receiving Christ as Lord and Saviour, every believer has been indwelt by the Holy Spirit to lead and guide them in their earthly walk with Christ.  And let’s not forget what we call our Great Commission backed by a great promise, when Jesus instructed the disciples, and consequently ALL future followers: 

‘All power is given to me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach (make disciples of) all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world.’ (Matt. 28:18-20) 

Now that’s a tough commission to enforce, but the disciples took Jesus seriously because they trusted Him implicitly, and did it, obviously with His help, through the Holy Spirit. The problem right now though is that the current crop of believers is not pushing forward as powerfully and steadfastly as we ought to, that’s why Christ’s church is suffering and in much disarray. We’re not sufficiently keeping Christ’s commandments, not LOVING Him enough, not being His true friend, and thus we’re falling behind in our discipleship. 

But all is not lost, it’s never lost when Jesus is in the mix! That means we can still make a substantial difference if we hunker down and do like we ought to. And since prayer, with thanksgiving is vital to our successful discipleship, let’s turn to our great and wonderful God right now in prayer, with thanksgiving, through our Monday Morning Battle Hymn, asking for divine strength and guidance. 

Altogether now: ‘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. We desperately need Your divine help, for You are the ONLY ONE with the power to solve our many problems. 

Heavenly Father, we admit that we have all sinned and seriously disobeyed Your Word, but we know that 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. That’s why we come to You now, with sincere repentance in our hearts, pleading with You to give us wise guidance and direction to alleviate our problems.  

And Father, we pray that you will ease the pain of the many who are suffering from negative situations. Please show them Your awesome grace and mercy, and keep Your promise that You’ll hear our prayer, forgive us, and heal our land 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!’ 

Now, please remember that we’ve just promised to pray and seek the Lord’s face, so we had better keep that promise if we want to receive positive answers to our prayers, because the Lord doesn’t suffer promise breakers gladly. Much LOVE!

…only by keeping God’s commandments…can we ever hope to prosper and succeed… 

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

Today’s Scrip-Bit   24 October 2021 Matthew 11:28.

24 Oct 2021 Leave a comment

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

Matthew 11:28.     Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 

Come on down my fellow believers in Christ Jesus, it’s time to get together and worship on this the Lord’s Day! And today we have a wonderful song to open our praise and thanksgiving session. It’s an old favourite titled ‘CRYING IN THE CHAPEL.’ The story goes that Artie Glenn wrote the song in 1951 for his son Darrell but left it in a drawer for two years, until Darrell recorded it while still in high school in 1953, along with Artie’s band the Rhythm Riders. After some rejection, it finally became a local hit and was then picked up by other artists. 

There have been numerous versions over the years, but my favourite has always been Elvis Presley’s, that is until yesterday when I was listening to some other versions and came upon one by the Norwegian singer Sissel Kyrkjebo, simply known as Sissel. Her version blew me away with its simplicity and the uniqueness of her voice, as she is supposedly one of the world’s best sopranos. 

And it seems like I’m not the only person who’s been impressed by her version, for in the comments section of the video, Cliff Glenn, Artie Glenn’s oldest grandson writes: ‘Sissel.  I have never heard this beautiful lady sing Crying in the chapel till just now. Wow! my grandfather would have loved her version. My grandfather actually wrote this song in 1951, stuck it in a drawer for 2 years, until my dad, Darrell Glenn recorded it in 1953. I’ve heard an unbelievable amount of different versions in my life, including my own. but never one soooo beautiful, “sorry dad, and Elvis. is this lady single by any chance, lol!’ 

Unfortunately, she is not Cliff. (smile) And please don’t think that Sissel is a newcomer to music, although her version was recorded sometime in the 1990’s, since then she’s sold some 10 million albums of all kinds of music. And just one more accolade before we sing, this from another admirer. ‘Angelic. The sweet siren like sound I had only previously heard from Elvis’s back-up singer- Kathy Westmorland.’ (smile) 

So now that we know Sissel is easy on the eyes and can also sing, let’s do her version. Unlike Elvis’s soulful but dark version, hers is soulful but joy-filled and bright, like a sparkling spring morning, as opposed to a dark winter evening. Therefore, without further ado, let’s fill the fall morning air with sacrifices of praise to heaven. 

‘You saw me crying in the chapel The tears I shed were tears of joy I know the meaning of contentment Now I am happy with the Lord. Just a plain and simple chapel Where humble people go to pray I prayed the Lord that I’ll grow stronger As I live from day to day I searched (I searched) and I searched (I searched) but I couldn’t find No way on earth to gain peace of mind 

Now I’m happy in the chapel Where people are of one accord (One accord) Yes, we gather in the chapel Just to sing and praise the Lord You’ll search and you’ll search but you’ll never find No way on earth to gain peace of mind Take your troubles to the chapel Get down on your knees and pray Then your burdens will be lighter And you’ll surely find the way (and you’ll surely find the way)…yes, you’ll surely find the way.’ 

Yes friends, it’s short but sweet and soulful, touches you right down in the very depths of your being! And that’s because it’s oh so true. We can find peace, contentment and the lightening of our burdens in God’s house, in prayer, since that’s what He invites us to do. Please note Jesus’ Great Invitation. ‘Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of (from) me; for I am meek and lowly in heart (gentle and humble): and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.’ (Matt. 11:28-30) 

Oh my people, it could not get any better than that…but it does! (smile) Listen to Jesus again, as He offers even more incentive to accept His way of life, when He proclaims: ‘I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.’ (John 6:35) Yes, Jesus is the bread that gives life, spiritual and eternal life. You can’t get those from anywhere or anybody else, for He also lets us know with supreme confidence: ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.’ (John 14:6) 

So what is left that Jesus can’t give, or doesn’t provide eh? And what about peace and comfort and good cheer you ask? Oh, He has all of that covered too. Hear these marvellous words of encouragement. ‘Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.’ (John 14:27) And if you still desire more encouragement, then listen up as our Lord and Saviour gives it. ‘These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.’ (John 16:33) 

And indeed He has, by taking away the keys of hell from Satan, through His death on the cross, His resurrection and ascension to heaven, where He now sits at the right hand of the Father, interceding on our behalf. Wow, mih bredrin! What more can you ask eh? Nothing! 

But our Saviour Jesus is ever so generous that He offers us even more than that, as He faithfully promised the disciples, and consequently us. ‘And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever. The Spirit of truth… I will not leave you comfortless (as orphans): I will come to you.’ (John 14:16-18) And that promise was fulfilled on Pentecost Day when the Comforter, the Holy Ghost fell upon, baptized all the believers in the upper room, and thereafter indwells ALL believers. (Acts 2:2-4) 

So you can see Jesus has all the bases covered. He’s left nothing to chance. It’s just for us now to accept His Invitation to come to the Father through Him, to receive salvation and eternal life. It’s a once in a lifetime opportunity my people, so please, please, let’s not waste it nuh, for the only other option available is eternal separation from the Holy Trinity, and that’s the worst mistake we can ever make, for the wages of sin is death…eternal death! Much LOVE!

…and…lo…I am with you always…even unto the end of the world… (Matt. 28:20) 

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