Today’s Scrip-Bit   5 June 2023   1 Corinthians 6:20.

05 Jun 2023 Leave a comment

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

1 Corinthians 6:20.       For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.

And it’s a brand new work week friends, five days long, no holiday to start it off. Sometimes I think we get spoiled when Monday is a holiday yes. But as they say, all work and no play, makes Jack a dull boy. (smile) So it is good that every so often we have a four-day work week, although some of us cannot handle it. We tend to overdo the celebrations and end up of no use to ourselves or anybody else for the rest of the week. That just shows our lack of discipline, of self-control. Instead, as a believer in Christ Jesus, who has given us a spirit of power, LOVE, and of a sound or disciplined mind, (2 Tim. 1:7) we ought to have better control of our baser instincts and desires. 

And thus, these words of greeting from Peter ought to help us lift our heads high and square our shoulders as we go out to labour this Monday morning, proud to be servants of the Most High God Jehovah. He writes to his Christian brethren, that includes us: ‘Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through (in) the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord.’ (2 Pet. 1:2) Please, let’s keep that thought uppermost in our minds today and all during the week, so that we can remember who and whose we are and the work we need to promote His kingdom. 

As Bruh Paul informs us: ‘What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.’ (1 Cor. 6:19-20) Yes friends, we were bought by God, with a very high price, so that we could experience salvation. 

And Peter explains: ‘Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible (perishable) things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation (aimless conduct) received by tradition from your fathers; But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot: Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest (revealed) in these last times for you. Who by him do believe in God, that raised him up from the dead, and gave him glory; that your faith and hope might be in God.’ (1 Pet. 1:18-21) 

Oh my people, all that we are and have comes from God, through the amazing and obedient work of Christ. That’s why we ought to glorify Him with all that we have. We were indeed bought by the precious, sinless blood of Christ; the blood of a pure, sacrificial lamb.. It was the ONLY thing that could pay the price for our abominable sins. One commentary tells us: ‘The blood of Christ was shed so that we might have a relationship with God. That relationship is only made possible because Jesus was willing to die for us on the cross.’ 

Therefore, as this other commentary strongly advises: ‘We must choose to act as those who are God’s own people, rejecting the evil desires that drove our actions before we knew better. Our choices matter. Our God placed a high value on our lives, paying for them with the blood of Christ. Since God has made us able, we must now strive to earnestly give LOVE to each other.’ And that hits the proverbial nail right on its proverbial head my faithful brethren! 

Having been bought by the blood of Christ on Calvary’s rugged hill on God’s behalf, our actions, desires, our very lives, must now be filled with the things that demonstrate, that resonate the characteristics and attributes of our heavenly Father. Otherwise, Christ would have died in vain. And I’m not so sure that that’s not the case, because so many of us are simply lacklustre Christians, lacking in enthusiasm and true faith, scared of what man can do to us, instead of what the Father can do to us. 

Remember what Jesus said, that man can only kill our body, but the Father can kill both body and soul in hellfire. (Matt. 10:28) So I put it to you, if you have to be scared of one of them, it’s the Father you should be scared of, because He can do much more damage than man can. But the good news is that although the Father’s wrath can be great, we don’t need to fear it, if we react to our world with LOVE, His main attribute. The same attribute that He reacted with to our sinful behaviour, and instead of destroying us, as He had every right to do, He used LOVE and saved us. What a wonderful God we serve my fellow believers! 

Unfortunately though, many of us don’t seem to think so, otherwise our godliness would be much greater than it is. Anyhow, let’s hope that what we’ve said above, lights a spark in our souls, that grows into a big, burning fire, and we get serious about living for Christ. Now, let’s go to the throne of grace, through our Monday Morning Battle Hymn, seeking help in these times of desperate need. 

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!’ 

And as always, if we want to receive divine help, then we’ve got to clean up our act. Much LOVE!

…it’s time for mankind to wake up…and realize that we need God …much much more than He needs us… 

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Today’s Scrip-Bit   5 April 2023   1 Peter 1:2.

05 Apr 2023 Leave a comment

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

1 Peter 1:2.Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through (in) the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord.

A good Wednesday morning to you, my fellow believers in Christ Jesus! The weather’s not great, and I can hear the rain falling outside, on what’s supposed to be a rainy day. And there couldn’t be a more fitting opening on this Wednesday of Holy Week, than this one by Peter at the beginning of his first epistle. He writes: ‘Simon Peter, a servant and an apostle of Jesus Christ, to them that have obtained like (the same kind of) precious faith with us through the righteousness of (our) God and our Saviour Jesus Christ. Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through (in) the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord.’ (1 Pet. 1:1-2) 

Yes friends, grace and peace to all you who have sincerely received Christ Jesus! It’s a great honour and privilege to be invited to receive Him. Why? Listen to how Peter explains it. ‘According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to (by) glory and virtue. Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.’ (1 Pet. 1:3-4) 

Oh my fellow saints, yuh see the immense benefits we enjoy when we receive Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour! We are thoroughly blessed through numerous promises and acts of God, so that we can partake of His divine nature, and be able to fight the evil and corruption that’s in the world. What a great and caring God we serve my people! No other supposed god does that for His followers. ONLY the great I AM! 

So, when we receive Christ, we receive salvation and all the other good things that believers get, like the indwelling of the Holy Ghost and the seeds of the fruit of the Spirit. But that’s not the end, in fact it’s just the beginning, because Christ expects us to follow the leading and guidance of His Holy Spirit as we live this earthly life, and also to nurture and grow those seeds of the Spirit which have been planted in us. That’s LOVE, joy, peace, patience, good ness, kindness, gentleness, faithfulness and self-control. (Gal. 5:22-23) 

In other words, after receiving Christ, believers are expected to grow, to mature in the Christian faith, in the same way that newborn babies start out by drinking milk, but gradually progress to eating solid food. It’s not good enough to just keep eating baby food for the rest of your lives, although that will not stop you from getting into heaven, but it will certainly cut down drastically on your heavenly rewards, since you will not be able to witness and have strong testimony for Christ, through which others, the unbelievers and the heathen are encouraged to come to Him. 

Remember, we are the eyes, ears, hands, feet and mouths of Christ here on earth. The only chance some may have to see Christ is through you, through your witness and testimony. That’s why Peter continues in his writings to encourage believers to grow in spiritual maturity. ‘And beside this (but for this very reason), giving all diligence, (after salvation) add to your faith virtue (moral excellence); and to virtue knowledge (spiritual truth); And to knowledge temperance (self-control); and to temperance patience (endurance, perseverance); and to patience godliness (God-likeness); 

And to godliness brotherly kindness (brotherly LOVE – Gr. philadelphian); and to brotherly kindness charity (volitional LOVE- Gr. agape – a decision to LOVE, not an emotional feeling). For if these things be in you (are yours), and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren (useless) nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. But he that lacketh these things is blind, and cannot see afar off (short-sighted), and hath forgotten that he was purged (cleansed) from his old sins.’ (1 Pet. 1:5-9) 

Yes my faithful brethren, those are areas in which we all need to grow in spiritual maturity. We are not all at the same level, but for all of us it’s a lifelong cycle. Yes, spiritual growth never ends for the Christian believer. Not until Christ takes them home. And in his epistle to the Philippians, Bruh Paul confirms that, when he says: ‘Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform (complete) it until the day of Jesus Christ.’ (Phil. 1:6) Once God begins a good work in us, He won’t ever stop until Jesus comes for us. 

And if we don’t aspire to spiritual maturity, we’re forgetting that we were cleansed of our sin by the death of Jesus Christ on the cross of Calvary, that we were bought with a price…and a very high one at that. And the least we can do is to improve our knowledge and spirituality as befits believers, so that we can be good ambassadors for Christ here on earth. And Peter continues to explain. ‘Wherefore the rather, brethren give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall (stumble): For so an entrance shall be ministered (supplied) unto you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.’ (1 Pet. 1:10-11) 

And the scholars explain those last two verses thus. ‘Ye shall never fall: The author is not referring to falling from salvation but to failure in Christian living. The everlasting kingdom refers to the eternal realm of God where Jesus is the undisputed Ruler. It is synonymous with heaven. Thus the one who acquires the virtues of verses 5-7 will have a rich inheritance in heaven.’ 

And I know that all of us desire to have a rich inheritance in heaven, but we have to begin by working for it down here on earth. As Christ said, store up your treasures in heaven where they are well protected, rather than on earth where they can rot and rust and be stolen. That’s wisdom in spades friends! And for those of us who have sincerely taken those words to heart, let’s go home now declaring (yesss!!!) our Wednesday Wail, letting the whole world know of our marvellous 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 having said all of that, let’s remember that if we endure until the very end, then the future will be even more glorious than we can ever ask or imagine. Wow! I can’t wait to experience it! I hope you can’t too! Much LOVE!

…growing in spiritual maturity isn’t easy…but it’s surely interesting and worthwhile…  

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Today’s Scrip-Bit   7 November 2021 Matthew 5:14.

07 Nov 2021 Leave a comment

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

Matthew 5:14.     Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hid.

Oh my fellow saints in Christ, may grace and peace be multiplied unto you through (in) the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord this November Sunday morning, in this unprecedented year of 2021! Yes friends, it’s another Sabbath Day for us to keep holy, gathering, by whatever means possible, to worship, give thanks and praise to our heavenly Father for the wonderful things He’s done, is doing and has promised to do in our lives. And all of God’s children said a loud, proud and grateful: ‘Thank You Lord! Amen!’ 

It’s time to throw off the blanket of tiredness and frustration that’s come over us this past work week and rejuvenate our souls and spirits with the Lord’s Word so that we can have the energy and faith to go back out next week and continue living strong for Jesus. And the best way to begin, like we always do, is with a song of praise. Today’s song of praise is titled ‘Go Light Your World,’ written and performed by Christopher Rice in the early years of this century, but since then performed by numerous others. 

The most popular version I believe is one done by Kathy Troccoli. But today we’ll do our own version; a soulful, up-tempo, harmonious, gut-wrenching, heart touching, encouraging, uplifting rendition. (smile)  So, without further ado, let’s raise our beautiful voices in sacrificial praise to heaven. ‘There is a candle in every soul Some brightly burning, some dark and cold There is a Spirit who brings a fire Ignites a candle and makes His home. (Chorus: So carry your candle, run to the darkness Seek out the helpless, confused and torn Hold out your candle for all to see it Take your candle, and go light your world Take your candle, and go light your world.) 

Frustrated brother, see how he’s tried to Light his own candle some other way See now your sister, she’s been robbed and lied to Still holds a candle without a flame (Chorus:…Carry your candle…) ‘Cause we are a family whose hearts are blazing So let’s raise our candles and light up the sky Praying to our Father, in the name of Jesus Make us a beacon in darkest times. (Chorus: So carry your candle, run to the darkness Seek out the hopeless, deceived and poor Hold out your candle for all to see it Take your candle, and go light your world… Repeat… Take your candle, and go light your world…Take your candle, and go light your world.’ 

Ah mih bredrin, that last line there says it all. It’s the call that Jesus gave to us when He declared: ‘Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hid.’ (Matt. 5:14) That’s what He wants us to be, what He expects of His followers: to be light in this darkened world, be shining brightly like a city that is set on a hill, whose light can be seen for miles around. It’s the Christian’s duty to shine bright for Jesus. Something we obviously are not doing to the best of our ability, otherwise our world would not be so covered in darkness and bright lights so difficult to find. 

And Jesus continued His light metaphor by saying: ‘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.’ (Matt. 5:15) And that’s the purpose of light, to shine in the darkness so that one can see what’s happening around you, and where you are going. So, it makes no sense whatsoever to have a light and hide it, because that would be defeating the very purpose of the light. 

And we don’t only need to be a light shining in the darkness for others, but we also need a light to show us where to go. And our guiding light, as the psalmist so wisely tells us, is the Word of God. ‘Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.’ (Ps. 119:105) So, once we know the Lord’s Word we’ll know how and where to walk. But Jesus wasn’t finished with us, for He went even further and said: ‘Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.’ (Matt. 5:16) 

And some of you might be wondering where you are supposed to get this light so that you can shine. Well, the song tells us very graphically. ‘There is a Spirit who brings fire Ignites a candle and makes His home.’ That’s the Holy Spirit of Christ my people, which came on Pentecost Day two thousand years ago, as the Good Book informs us: ‘And there appeared unto them (120 believers in a room) 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 Sprit gave them utterance.’ (Act 2:3-4) 

That’s where the fire comes from to light us up friends; from the Holy Spirit of Christ, which comes to indwell each believer and set them on fire for the Saviour. But I guess the fire has dimmed considerably, or even gone out in some of us, because our lights are not shining as they should. That’s why there are so many frustrated brothers and abused sisters out there who are unsuccessfully trying to light candles on their own, which is an impossibility without the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit. 

And most importantly, let’s remember, as the song says, that we are a family, the church of Christ, whose hearts are supposed to be blazing with the fire of the Holy Spirit. However, with the sad state of darkness and evil in which our world is currently enveloped, we therefore desperately need to ‘raise our candles and light up the sky Praying to our Father, in the name of Jesus to Make us a beacon in these darkest of times.’ 

Oh my people, what more can I say to encourage us to live for Jesus eh? Just the heartfelt plea of our song. ‘So carry your candle, run to the darkness Seek out the hopeless, deceived and poor Hold out your candle for all to see it Take your candle, and go light your world…Hold out your candle for all to see Take your candle and go light your world.’ 

It’s what Jesus desires and expects of His loyal followers. So please, after all He’s done for us, none of which we can ever repay, let’s not disappoint Him nuh. Much LOVE!

…to Jesus…be all the glory…and all the praise…for He richly deserves them…                                                                                                                   

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

Today’s Scrip-Bit 6 September 2021 Matthew 6:21.

06 Sep 2021 Leave a comment

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

Matthew 6:21.     For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.

Oh my fellow saints in Christ, on this Labour Day Monday, may ‘Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord (and Saviour).’ (2 Pet. 1:2) Yes friends, we do need a lot of grace and peace in these trying times, times when everyone seems to be angry, displeased and dissatisfied over some thing or the other. And the only way to get those two precious commodities is through sincere belief in the Son of God, Jesus Christ, who sacrificed His sinless life on the cross of Calvary to pay our sin debt in full! 

All praise and glory be to that wonderful Saviour of ours! He’s promised that despite our circumstances, if we believe in Him, the Father will grant us His divine grace, and thus peace, through all the vicissitudes of life. And let’s remember that it’s by God’s divine grace that we are saved, through faith; and that not of ourselves; it is the gift of God. Not of works, lest any man should boast.’ (Eph. 2:8-9) Or as Saint Therese of Lisieux so wisely put it a while back: ‘Everything is grace!’ 

And it certainly is friends, for all that we are and do, all that we have and will ever have, from the breath of life flowing through our bodies, to the eternal life we receive through believing in Christ, is based on the divine grace of our heavenly Father. That’s God’s unmerited favour, that nothing we can ever do will be good enough to deserve it. And all God’s people gave a loud and grateful shout of ‘Thank You Lord for Your awesome gift of grace!’ 

Sadly though, too many of the earth’s inhabitants don’t know of Jehovah God and His wonderful goodness to the children of men. And even worse yet, too many of those who do know of Him, refuse to accept that divine grace He offers, through faith in His Son Jesus Christ. Now that’s to their detriment, for it will only lead to eternal separation from God, which is the worst thing that can ever happen to a human soul. 

Oh my people, how many times do I have to reiterate that eh, before you all believe me? Eternal separation from God means not being in heaven with Him till eternity, but with Satan, the Devil, Beelzebub, or whatever name you choose to call him, facing damnation in the fiery halls of hell, and eventually being cast into the lake of fire with all the other unbelievers. Now tell me, are the sinful pleasures of this world truly worth such a terrible end? I don’t think so friends. And if you stop for a moment and really consider the situation, you will also realize that the pleasures of this world are not worth such a disastrous end, and can never be better than those found in heaven. 

That’s why in the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus adamantly warned: ‘Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt (ruin), and where thieves break through and steal. But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through and steal. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.’ (Matt. 6:19-21) 

And we all know that’s the gospel truth friends, for wherever we store whatever we treasure, we will always be thinking of and contemplating on it. So, it’s much better if we store up treasure in heaven, that is, rewards for faithful service, where moth and rust nor any negative thing can destroy them, than store up earthly stuff, that’s useful today and old and rusty or stolen tomorrow. Yes my brethren, earthly things don’t last. Just look at any junkyard nuh. Everything in there was once brand new, shiny and useful, but like the shine on all earthly things it soon wore off and they became old and rusty, of no further use to anyone. 

And to further illuminate us, please listen to the warning James gave to the rich, those who stored up earthly treasures. ‘Go to ye rich men, weep and howl for your miseries that shall come upon you. Your riches are corrupted (have rotted), and your garments are moth-eaten. Your gold and silver is cankered (corroded); and the rust of them shall be a witness against you, and shall eat your flesh as it were fire. Ye have heaped treasure together for the last days.’ (James 5:1-3) 

Sadly my brethren, that same earthly treasure that the rich have laid up for their retirement, is what the Lord will use against them in the last days, for a lot of it was treacherously and deceitfully gained; robbing the poor and not paying the labourer a fair wage. That’s the basic story friends; don’t store up too much useless earthly stuff, which you will die and leave here anyway. But try and store up as many rewards for faithful service as you can in heaven, where you will eventually go and enjoy them – providing you accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour, because He is the ONLY Way to the Father in heaven! 

Now, let’s talk to the Father, pour out our troubles and problems to Him, the ONLY One who can help us to put a lasting fix on them. So as one strong voice, let’s invoke our Monday Morning Battle Hymn. ‘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 let’s remember that all our prayers will fall on deaf ears, if we don’t keep the promises we just made. Much LOVE!

…earth’s treasures are temporary…short lived…but heaven’s treasures are eternal…run from everlasting to everlasting…                                                                                                  

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