Today’s Scrip-Bit   25 November 2023 James 4:7.

25 Nov 2023 Leave a comment

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

James 4:7.       Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

And this last lazy-day Saturday in November seems to have opened somewhat cold and cloudy, but with an underlying promise of sunshine. (smile) Can you imagine though, that in another few days November will be over…and then it will be Christmas? But yuh better believe that Christmas is already in the air, the music is on the radio and the lights are up on the outside trees and houses, and all the Christmas sales are being advertised. Like people were just waiting with bated breath to break into the Christmas season. I know the business people certainly are, because that’s usually the time of year they have their best sales. 

But despite all of the Christmas hoopla that’s on the way, I want us to be peaceful and relaxed, though joyful as we get ready to welcome and celebrate the awesome incarnate birth of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. And hopefully our Lazy-Day Saturday prayer will help us to do just that. (smile) So let’s pray it like we mean it. 

As one sincere 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 especially in these troubled and godless times it’s of overwhelming importance that we get to know our great God better than ever, because that’s the only thing that will keep us from falling into the unsavoury and evil arms of the devil. And is he ever on the rampage these days, as he sees his kingdom exploding with new followers. That’s why James so assuredly warns us: ‘Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.’ (James 4:7) 

Yes friends, if we stand strong against the devil, don’t submit to fear or run from him, he will flee from us, for he cannot draw us into sin against our wishes. However, we cannot stand up strong to him until we have submitted ourselves to Almighty God! For it’s the grace and mercy of God which gives us the power to turn away from the evil one, to put him in his rightful place. So, please understand, that unless we’ve sincerely submitted ourselves to our heavenly Father, we won’t be able to drive away or resist the evil enemy who is constantly badgering us to commit sins and wrongdoings against the Word of God, deeds, acts and thoughts that most certainly don’t fit who we are as children of the Most High God. 

And James continues his exhortation: ‘Draw nigh (near) to God, and he will draw nigh (near) to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye doubleminded.’ (James 4:8) And as per that verse, the scholars give us some explanations. They say that when you draw near to God, ‘He will not be unmoved. His welcoming response is always near.’ And they give references on that subject to Deut. 4:7; Lam. 3:57; and Luke 15:20, which we’ll preview here, because it’s more pertinent to us today than the other scriptures. 

It’s Jesus telling the parable of the prodigal son, who after wasting his fortune in a faraway land, and finally coming to his senses, decides to go back home to his father as a servant. Jesus tells us: ‘And he arose, and came to his father. But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him.’ (Luke 15:20) Oh my fellow saints, that’s exactly how our heavenly Father treats us when we come back to His fold. Note though, He’s always on the lookout for us. How could the father see him from so far away if he wasn’t looking for him eh? Likewise our heavenly Father is always waiting and looking for us to turn from our evil ways and come back to Him. 

And as per the cleansing of hands and purifying of hearts, the scholars tell us: ‘The cleansing of one’s life must involve both outward deeds and inner thoughts.’ And they reference Psalm. 24:3-4, which says: ‘Who shall ascend into the hill of the Lord? or who shall stand in his holy place? He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart; who hath not lifted up his soul unto vanity (unto an idol), nor sworn deceitfully. He shall receive the blessing from the Lord, and righteousness from the God of his salvation. This is the generation of them that seek thy face, O Jacob, Selah.’ (Ps. 24:3-6) 

Yes my brethren, I gave us more than the scholars referenced because I believed we should know exactly what the clean hands and pure hearts will eventually get us; blessings and righteousness from our wonderful God. (smile) That’s why we need to do our best to have clean hands and pure hearts, which is not an easy thing to do in this violent and evil world. But if we have Jesus as our Lord and Saviour, and His Holy Spirit as our earthly Guide and Comforter, then we are fully equipped to do whatever the Father requires of us. 

We just have to listen to and obey the Holy Spirit’s voice, read and study the Word of God, and do our best to put it into action, for faith without works is dead, is of no use to God nor man. And that, my fellow saints, is our sincere prayer for us all this last lazy-day Saturday in November; our total obedience to the Holy Spirit, as the Word of God richly percolates and moves within us, and we let our lights shine, our good works be manifested before men, so that they can glorify our Father in heaven! Much LOVE!

…if our hands and hearts are not clean…how can we ever glorify our wonderful God…  

Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ  

Today’s Scrip-Bit   7 September 2022 Revelation 19:16.

07 Sep 2022 Leave a comment

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

Revelation 19:16.       And he hath on his vesture (robe) and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.

It’s Wednesday friends, and we’re alive and kicking, though still somewhat tired if we made mas on Eastern Parkway in Brooklyn a couple of days ago. (smile) And are we ever thankful to the Good Lord for allowing us to see another glorious day in His magnificent universe. Oh, there’s no doubt that we’ve made a mess of the wonderful planet He created for us to enjoy in His company, but there’s still nothing as marvellous and imaginative that’s ever been created, except possibly the human body. 

That’s why Bruh David wrote these awesome words to open Psalm 24. Subtitled- The king of glory. ‘The earth is the Lord’s, and the fullness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein. For he hath founded it upon the seas, and established it upon the floods (rivers). Who shall ascend into the hill of the Lord? Or who shall stand in his holy place? He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart; who hath not lifted up his soul unto vanity (to an idol), nor sworn deceitfully. He shall receive the blessing from the Lord, and righteousness from the God of his salvation.’ (Ps. 24:1-5) 

Yes my people, that’s how it’s been from the beginning of time, and how it will be until the end! The Lord desires those who belong to Him to have clean hands and a pure heart, not given to idol worship. But can we say that truthfully in these trying, troubled and evil times? Can we truthfully say like Bruh David did: ‘This is the generation of them that seek him, that seek thy face, O Jacob.  Selah.’ (Ps. 24:6) I don’t think so. We certainly don’t seek the Lord the way we ought to. 

On the contrary many of us are more concerned with ridding our society and world of Him, rather than seeking His holy face. But we’re such a foolish and egotistical bunch of frail, fragile and finite beings, so blinded by the lies and deceit of the devil, who has never won any war he’s ever fought. When He tried to rebel against God in heaven as the Archangel Lucifer, He lost, and was summarily kicked out of heaven. Then, as the master of hell, he also lost the battle of death, hell and the grave to Jesus, who died and rose again, making him a toothless lion. 

So why can’t we realize that Satan has no power over us except what we give him, and furthermore, that God will NEVER allow us to remove Him from the universe He created, and that He still overseers and controls. He’s not as short-sighted as we are to let His creations rule over Him, like we are allowing our creations, what we so proudly call Artificial Intelligence to take over our lives. And if we continue on the same path, it’s only a matter of time before artificial intelligence will be running our world and us. We will have given over all our functions to it and then be unable to live without it. 

We’re already halfway there. Yuh see how the slightest glitch in our computer systems can cause grief all around the world? And with us driving so fast to see how we can stop doing anything for ourselves, we’ll soon lose the little strength and wisdom we now retain. Remember the old saying; if you don’t use it, you’ll lose it. And that’s where we’re headed if we desire to computerize and artificially engineer all the tasks in our lives. 

Yes, just like we are still slaves to sin, although we have the means of freedom in Christ Jesus, we’ll eventually be a set of slaves, live in bondage to automation and computerization…in fact we already are. Many of us can’t function without our cellphones, our computers, video games and whatever electronic devices that capture our fancy and then enslave us. The immobile and sedentary nature of these devices are also causing us physical pain since we sit before them for hours on end and thus lose physical movement in our bodies and aches and pains in our joints. 

And then we claim that we’re too busy to seek God, because those things keep us addicted to them, when we should be addicted to God. Oh friends, I think it’s high time we acknowledge God’s sovereignty and our need for righteousness before Him and then sing songs of glory in His majestic and righteous name, like Bruh David declared in the psalm. ‘Lift up your heads, O ye gates, and be ye lifted up ye everlasting doors; and the King of glory shall come in. Who is this King of glory?  The Lord strong and mighty, the Lord mighty in battle… The Lord of hosts, he is the King of glory.  Selah.’  (Ps. 24:7-8, 10) 

And just to give us a better understanding of whom that King of glory is, let’s read these fateful and true words from the Book of Revelation, as revealed to the apostle John on the island of Patmos. He writes: ‘And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war.  His eyes were a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself. 

And he was clothed with a vesture (robe) dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God. And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean. And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite (strike) the nations (destroy all unbelievers): and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God (God’s fierce judgement). And he hath on his vesture (robe) and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.’ (Rev; 19: 11-16) 

Yes my fellow saints, that’s who the King of glory is; our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, when He comes back to fulfill His twofold role of judge and warrior. There’s none more powerful than Him, so please, I implore us to make it our first and foremost desire to bow down and worship Him, if we desire to see long life and abundant days, not only here on earth, but even more so, in the afterlife. Because it’s the ONLY wise option we have. 

Now for those of us who are sincerely trying to live for Christ, let’s go home declaring (steups!!!) our Wednesday Wail, letting all and sundry 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 to further encourage us, let’s remember that if we endure until the end, then that future will be even more glorious than we can ever ask or imagine! Wow! Much LOVE!

…why look to Beelzebub for solace eh…when He can’t even help himself…look to Jesus…the Master of the universe… 

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

Today’s Scrip-Bit 26 May 2021 1 Peter 5:6.

26 May 2021 Leave a comment

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

1 Peter 5:6.     Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time.

And then it was Wednesday…another wonderful eye-opening day! (smile) Oh praise the Lord for His everlasting kindness, the incomparable gift of seeing another day in His incomparable universe! As the song says, ‘this is the day of grace,’ the day when His blessings overtake us and cause joy, peace and LOVE to rise up majestically and victoriously in our souls! Wow! No other supposed Deity even has the desire, much less the awesome power to do that for His followers. 

Yes, friends, there is a true God, He is alive and looking down on mankind, His most wonderful creation with unconditional LOVE, and in Him we live, and we’ll survive, if we keep living in Him. His name is the Great I AM! But the crux of the matter, the answer to it all, is that we keep living in Him. If we do, we will be blessed and survive till eternity. However, if we don’t, we’ll be cursed and headed for destruction and eternal separation from Him forever. 

Now, please believe me, eternal separation from the One and Only Living God is the worst thing that can happen to a body, soul, spirit or whatever you choose to call it. And how do we keep living in Him our whole lives? Peter gives us some examples in His epistle. ‘Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time. Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.’ (1 Pet. 5:6-7) 

Oh my people, those are the first two steps to living successfully with our God! Knowing that He cares for us, and humbly going to Him, so He can later on exalt us, because there’s nothing He dislikes like pride and arrogance! Then Peter continues: ‘Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour.’ (1 Pet. 5:8) 

Now the real test begins. We must realize that we have an enemy, who only wants to deceive and trip us up as we try to live for our God. But the truth is that he has no real power over us, unless we give it to him. That’s why we need to be sober and vigilant, for though he might not have any real power, he is indeed a smooth talker and great deceiver. You just have to consider how he talked Eve into eating of the forbidden fruit way back in the Garden of Eden. And his methods have not changed, possibly have become worse since our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ defeated Him at Calvary and rose from the dead, a mighty conqueror of hell, death and the grave! 

So Peter wisely directs us, re the enemy: ‘Whom resist steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in (experienced by) your brethren that are in the world.’ (1 Pet. 5:9) And that’s no lie friends! All of us who believe in the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob are tried and tested by the enemy in the hope that we will turn away from our God, and/or do things against His directives that will get us into His bad books. Therefore, it’s of the utmost importance that we stay alert and diligent in our life walk against the many temptations that the enemy will undoubtedly throw our way. 

And when we do that, Peter promises: ‘But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish (confirm), strengthen, settle you. To him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.’ (1 Pet. 5:10-11). Oh my fellow saints in Christ, isn’t that an awesome promise! Once we stand strong against the enemy, survive his tests, our great God will eventually strengthen and settle us. And what’s amazing about the whole situation is that those same temptations that we endure and refute are the exact things that help build our fate in our God! 

So it’s exactly as we spoke about yesterday. The first thing is to draw near to God, for He will never turn us away, regardless of what state we’re in. Hear these scriptures that attest to that fact nuh. In this first one, Moses tells Israel: ‘For what nation is there so great, who hath God so nigh unto them (a God so near to them), as the Lord our God is in all things that we call upon him for?’ (Deut. 4:7) And the answer is an emphatic ‘NONE!’ And Jeremiah declared it thus in his Lamentations: ‘Thou drewest near in the day that I called upon thee: thou saidst, Fear not. O Lord, thou hast pleaded the causes of my soul; thou hast redeemed my life.’ (Lam. 3:57-58) 

Jesus, as always though, puts it best in the parable of the prodigal son. ‘And he arose, and came to his father. But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him.’ (Luke 15:20) Yes mih bredrin, our heavenly Father is always on the lookout for us, anxiously waiting for us to turn the corner, to come to our senses and know that with Him is our ONLY hope for a blessed, peaceful and LOVING life! 

And you’ll notice that He doesn’t stand on any pomp or ceremony, He rushes forward to meet us, so great is His joy that we are coming back home to His safe and comfortable roost. He doesn’t even give us a chance to get in a word sideways, but orders a great celebration in our honour. He’s just so glad to see us come back home, not caring what we’ve done while we were gone. That could always be forgiven, though we might have to pay some retribution. (smile) Yeh friends, there are always consequences to our sins, thankfully though, through God’s mercy, not as much as we often deserve. 

And I don’t know if you have realized that what I’m doing is taking us through the scriptures that we spoke of yesterday. I just couldn’t help spoon feeding us, (smile) because I know that most of us would be too busy to read those scriptures. And they do tie in nicely to Peter’s advice. Now hear this last scripture, that about hands and hearts being cleansed. Bruh David says it thus: ‘Who shall ascend into the hill of the Lord? Or who shall stand in his holy place? He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart; who hath not lifted up his soul unto to vanity (to an idol), nor sworn deceitfully.’ (Ps. 24:3-4) 

So friends, you see what it takes to make it up to God’s holy hill – clean hands and a pure heart. That means we have work to do. And for those of us who are serious about doing it, let’s go home now declaring (yeahhh!) our Wednesday Wail, telling the world about our wonderful position in Christ Jesus. 

Altogether now, in strong voice with sincere hearts. ‘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 I should not have to remind us, but I will anyway, (smile) that if we endure to the end, the future will be even more glorious than we can ever imagine! Much LOVE!

…for there is much joy in heaven…over even one repentant sinner…                                                   

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