Today’s Scrip-Bit 8 May 2021 Romans 5:8.

08 May 2021 Leave a comment

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

Romans 5:8.     But God commendeth (demonstrated) his own LOVE toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

So what does this second Saturday in May have to offer us eh friends? Many of us will sadly say, just the same old, same old; problems and hardship, sickness and strife. And in a way that’s true, but there is also another side to the equation…remember there are always two sides to every story. And the second side to this story, this equation, is really exciting, because it entails being in league with the most powerful person in the universe, that’s Jesus Christ, our Lord and Saviour, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, and all those other great titles He bears. 

And when you are in league with Him, the world doesn’t bother you like it does when you’re running on your own steam. He sees every mountain, every tear drop, every broken heart, and in response to your prayer, He wipes away those tears, heals the broken hearts and helps you move the mountain. So, for those of us who have Jesus on our side, there’s no need to worry about what the world says about, or does to us, because He is the Creator of it all, and He has us all in the safe and secure palms of His hands. 

Now, with that encouragement and assurance riding high in our hearts, let’s see what quotes our friend Anselm sent us this week, as he aspires to inspire us for a better tomorrow. And the first one truthfully proclaims: ‘You’re a work of art. Not everyone will understand you, but the ones who do, will never forget about you.’ Yes friends, we are all unique works of art, created by a Master craftsman. We are all different. No two of us have the same fingerprints or footprints. That alone tells us how great our Maker is. 

Hear how Bruh David puts it in Psalm 139. ‘For thou hast possessed my reins (formed my inward parts): thou hast covered me (weaved me) in my mother’s womb. I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well (very well).’ (Ps. 139:13-14) That means you ought to be proud of whom you are, because God is proud of you. 

That brings us to this next quote: ‘If you don’t LOVE yourself, nobody will. Not only that, but you also won’t be good at LOVING anyone else. LOVING starts with the self.’ And the first two sentences are absolutely true. The last one poses a slight problem, because as Jesus says: The first commandment is, ‘Thou shalt LOVE the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind… And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt LOVE thy neighbour as thyself.’ (Matt. 22:37, 39) So, technically speaking, the first person we should LOVE is God, then ourselves. And if we don’t LOVE ourselves, we certainly won’t be able to LOVE anyone else, for we can only give away what we have. 

Now listen to this next quote. I find it rather interesting. ‘Falling in LOVE with yourself first doesn’t make you vain or selfish. It makes you indestructible.’ Wow! That’s a new one to me. I’ve never heard it put that way before. Of course, if you fall in LOVE with yourself the right way, it won’t make you vain or selfish, only if you get narcissistic about it. But I can’t vouch for the indestructible aspect nuh, because when we genuinely LOVE, the more vulnerable we become, and that surely doesn’t lead to indestructability. I guess though, that when we have a heart full of LOVE, like Jesus, we can better handle the heartaches that come with it. 

And so, we come to this next quote: ‘SELF- LOVE. It doesn’t mean that everyone will treat you the way you deserve to be treated. It means that you won’t let them change the way you see yourself; nor will you stick around for them to destroy you.’ Like our friend Anselm was in a SELF-LOVE mode this past week. (smile) But I like that quote, because it means that you are strong in your belief in yourself, obviously with Jesus as your foundation stone, and you realize that the world is neither fair nor genuine, so everyone won’t feel the way you feel about yourself. 

It wasn’t easy with Jesus, where even His family and His townsfolks didn’t believe in Him. But He believed in His Father, and thus in Himself, and was therefore able to go about doing His work with confidence and purpose. That’s how we need to be friends; strong and sure in ourselves, through the promises and deeds of Jesus, so that we can confidently go about doing whatever He desires of us. 

And our last quote is another interesting one. It says: ‘Demonstrate LOVE by giving it, unconditionally, to yourself. And as you do, you will attract others into your life who will LOVE you without conditions.’ Now that’s a bit of a minefield. How do you demonstrate unconditional LOVE to yourself, without others getting displeased, especially in this godless, selfish and deceitful world? I guess we should first look at the difference between conditional and unconditional LOVE. 

One commentator puts it thus: ‘A clear distinction is commonly understood: Conditional LOVE is “earned” on the basis of certain conditions that should be met, while unconditional LOVE is given freely and completely without expecting anything in return. LOVING conditionally means to LOVE if the object deserves the LOVE, whereas LOVING unconditionally means to LOVE despite the object being unworthy of LOVE.’ 

And technically speaking, the only person that LOVES unconditionally is our great God. He LOVES the sinner as well as the saint, though in His holiness and righteousness, He can’t allow the sinner to get away scot-free with sin. That’s why He sent Jesus to die on our behalf, so that our sins could be blotted out in one fell swoop. However, being the emotional and irrational beings that we are, we hold back, or desire LOVE on certain terms, which doesn’t really agree with what Jesus is trying to do, or what the Father desires of us. 

So, to help us in that department, let’s go home today pondering on this magnificent and most pertinent scripture. ‘But God commendeth (demonstrated) his own LOVE toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.’ (Rom. 5:8) Yes friends, imagine that nuh. God didn’t wait for us to change, He did what He had to do unconditionally. Let’s see if we can’t be a li’l more like Him nuh. It would benefit us no end. Much LOVE!

…LOVE should not have to be…deserved or earned…                                 

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Today’s Scrip-Bit 1 May 2017 Psalm 103:2.

01 May 2017 Leave a comment

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

Psalm 103:2.   Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits.

Ah mih people, once again it’s labouring time, so let’s be up an’ at ‘em nuh! Let’s get the ole adrenaline flowing as we feel rested and renewed after a revitalizing weekend of fellowship and relaxation! 

But the negative responses I get from that remark obviously belie some of its truth. (smile) Nonetheless, whether we are well rested or not, we need to get up and get a move on, if we expect to keep the roof over our head and put bread on the table. So let’s raise our voices to heaven with our Monday Morning Battle Hymn, the antidote for anything that’s preventing us from getting a good start on this first day of the week. 

And taking our cue from Jesus, our choirmaster, we sincerely declare: ‘Oh Lord God Almighty, Creator of the universe and all therein! We, your humble servants, praise your Holy Name and thank you that this Monday morning we have jobs to go to; jobs we don’t like, jobs that are unfair, difficult and even dangerous, but which serve a useful purpose here on earth; keeping lives and families together. 

We also thank you Father for the renewed vitality and enthusiasm you’ve wrought in our weary souls over the last two days. It’s that rejuvenation of Spirit which allows us now to sally forth with confidence into the evil, ungodly world that surrounds us, to begin a new week of work, constantly buffeted and bombarded by the enemy’s wicked taunts, wiles and lies. 

But heavenly Father, we’re not afraid, for we know we’re invincible, sure conquerors, once we’re wearing your powerful, protective spiritual armour. We surrender our all to you, and humbly ask that you let your incredible aura of LOVE, the Holy Spirit, lead and guide all your servants as we go out to meet the enemy in battle. 

Fill us with steadfast faith, so that we can make worthwhile inroads into the enemy’s ranks, and thereby further your glorious kingdom. We pray this in the Holy Name of your Son, and our Saviour, Jesus Christ. AMEN!’ 

Now that rendition wasn’t the greatest my brethren, but our choirmaster understands our innate human frailties and thus doesn’t judge us harshly. But now He expects us to put on that spiritual armour and get out there and fight the enemy mano a mano, as one unified force! That’s the only way we’ll ever defeat the wicked of this world! 

Anyhow, having gotten all of that out of the way, let’s turn to our Bit… ‘Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits.’ 

Yeh friends, it’s the same one from the last few days. Why? Because it contains so much important  material that we are not paying attention to in this current evil and misguided world; namely the numerous benefits of our great and gracious God. 

Yesterday, we began looking at some scriptures that assert the truth of the second half of verse 3: ‘who healeth all thy diseases.’ Today, we’ll continue with that exercise, beginning with some words from Psalm 147 – Great is our God and of great power. ‘The Lord doth build up Jerusalem: he gathereth together the outcasts of Israel. He healeth the broken in heart, and bindeth up their wounds (sorrows.) (Ps.147:1-2)  

Now listen to Jeremiah. ‘O Lord, the hope of Israel, all that forsake thee shall be ashamed, and they that depart from me shall be written in the earth, because they have forsaken the fountain of living waters. Heal me, O Lord, and I shall be healed; save me, and I shall be saved: for thou art my praise.’ (Jer. 17:13-14) 

Yes friends, if those godly men could cry out to God for healing and expect it to happen, why can’t we do the same eh? It’s all a matter of belief and faith. Now hear the crowning glory of healing scripture, it comes from Isaiah, as he talks about ‘Good tidings of salvation to Zion.’ 

‘The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me; because the Lord hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek (poor): he hath sent me to bind up (to heal) the broken hearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound. To proclaim the acceptable day of the Lord, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn.’ (Is.61:1-2) 

And you know what my people? Those were the very same words our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ read from the Good Book in the synagogue, when He went home to Nazareth; telling His townsfolk that He was the fulfillment of that prophecy. (Luke 4:18-21) 

But what happened? They didn’t believe Him, and tried to run Him out of town, cast Him off a cliff. (Luke 4:28-30) But Jesus being Jesus, slipped through the crowd and went on to Capernaum where He did many miracles, having done nary a one in His hometown of Nazareth. Imagine that nuh, your own townsfolk trying to kill you because you tell them you’re somewhat more than they think. 

That’s why Jesus told them: ‘Verily I say unto you, No prophet is accepted in his own country.’ (Luke 4:24) And that’s ever so true! For how many people have left their hometowns and gone abroad and found fame and fortune, then came back home and were considered the same old Joe Blows they were before eh? Quite a few! 

Anyway friends, let’s not be like the people of Nazareth nuh; let’s remember that our Jesus is the Great Healer, the Great Physician…by His stripes we are healed…by His blood shed on the cross our sins have been atoned for! And there’s nothing more important than that! Much LOVE!

…ALL that’s in this world…BELONGS to God…let’s not forget it…