Today’s Scrip-Bit   8 May 2023 Psalm 118:8.

08 May 2023 Leave a comment

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

Psalm 118:8.         It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in man.

And the universe turns as it was programmed to do by its Creator, Almighty God! And, unfortunately, it turns on to the day we call Monday, the first day of the work week, meaning it’s time to go back out into the unfair, cruel world and labour for our living. Ah friends, that’s something many of us don’t like to do, but do it we must if we want to partake of the good things of life. And the sad thing is that as we get more and more amenities which lessen the actual physical activity we need to put out, the lazier and less interested in work we become. 

To make matters even worse, this new level of Artificial Intelligence that we’ve recently attained, where you can have stuff done, or written for you by simply issuing a command, is just going to turn our world even more topsy-turvy than it already is, for we won’t be sure if the documents or whatever were done by human hands and minds or by Artificial Intelligence, and whether they are true. And since working from home became a big thing during the recent pandemic, and it hasn’t been straightened out one way or the other as yet, and will most likely become some sort of hybrid animal, this AI stuff is just muddling up the situation even more. 

But the good news is that whatever situation a true believer in Christ Jesus finds him or herself, we are assured of His help and succour. This is His faithful promise, as first outlined by Moses to the children of Israel. ‘And the Lord, he it is that doth go before thee; he will be with thee, he will not fail thee, neither forsake thee, neither be ye discouraged.’ (Deut. 31:8) And the author of Hebrews reiterated it for the New Testament church, when he wrote: ‘Let your conversation (conduct) be without covetousness: and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.’ (Heb. 13:5) 

Now, if there’s one thing we’re ever so sure of is that our God NEVER reneges on His promises! And the author of Hebrews also reminds us of that: ‘Let us hold fast the profession (confession) of our faith (hope) without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised:)’ (Heb. 10:23) Therefore, as the author of Hebrews rightly concludes: ‘So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall (can) do unto me.’ (Heb. 13:6) And that, my people, should be the motto all Christians live their lives by; not fearing what our fellow man can do to us. 

The psalmist said it quite plainly too in Psalm 118: ‘I called upon the Lord in distress: the Lord answered me, and set me in a large (broad) place. The Lord is on my side; I will not fear: what can man do unto me? The Lord taketh my part with them that help me: therefore shall I see my desire upon them that hate me. It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in man. (The middle verse of the Bible) It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in princes.’ (Ps. 118: 5-9) 

And that’s the gospel truth! And if you don’t believe it, then listen to Isaiah speak on the Lord’s behalf. ‘I, even I, am he that comforteth you: who art thou that thou shouldest be afraid of a (mortal) man that shall die, and of the son of man which shall be made as grass. And forgettest the Lord thy maker, that hath stretched forth the heavens, and laid the foundations of the earth; and hast feared continually every day because of the fury of the oppressor, as if he were ready to (when preparing to) destroy? and where is the fury of the oppressor?’ (Is. 51:12-13) That’s a good question friends, where is the oppressor’s fury now eh? (smile) 

And if you still don’t believe there’s nothing to fear from man, then listen to Jesus put it straight and plain as He always does. ‘What I tell you in darkness, that speak ye in light: and what ye hear in the ear, that preach ye upon the housetops. And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to kill both soul and body in hell.’ (Matt. 10:27-28) And the only entity able to kill both body and soul is Almighty God, the Maker of both the body and soul. So that is whom we should fear, not mankind whose body dies, and whose soul can be destroyed in hell, by its Maker. 

So, with all of that in mind, let’s go to our Maker, through our Monday Morning Battle Hymn and ask for His grace and mercy to solve our many problems. As one voice: ‘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 divine help will only come when there’s improvement in our behaviour. Much LOVE!

…to benefit from God’s mercy…OBEDIENCE is a must…  

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Today’s Scrip-Bit   1 May 2023   2 Thessalonians 3:10b.

01 May 2023 Leave a comment

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

2 Thessalonians 3:10b.          …that if any would not work, neither should he eat.

Can you believe it friends, it’s Monday May 1st. 2023! Wow! April is done like dinner! It didn’t even last long enough to have desert. (smile) And May Day is suddenly upon us. And what’s the significance of May Day? On May 1, each year, millions of workers around the world celebrate International Workers’ Day (May Day) as their Labour Day. For more than a century International Workers’ Day has acknowledged and celebrated the achievements of the trade union movement. 

The workers honour and draw inspiration from the activism and collective power that won the struggle for an eight‑hour workday. International Workers’ Day, or May Day, is a message of solidarity by workers worldwide who are resisting exploitation. However, not all countries celebrate their Labour Day on May 1st.  Some like Canada and the U. S celebrate it on the first Monday in September. Meanwhile there are also traditional festivals of a joyful nature that grace the fist day of May, like dancing the maypole; a tall pole with several long ribbons attached to the top, with each person holding one of the ribbons and dancing around each other. 

Unfortunately though, in Canada, May Day is not a holiday, that means we’ve got to get up and make our way through another plethora (profusion, abundance) of early morning traffic (smile) to our jobs. Chuh! What a bother eh! Work is for the birds yes! And I know many of us believe that. But please note these comparative words of Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount in His teachings on worry. ‘Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather in barns: yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are you not much better than they?’ (Matt; 6:26) 

And yes, indeed we are! But I want to point out that although the birds of the air don’t reap or harvest or store, they still have to go about and look for their food. The Lord provides it, but they have to go and get it. He doesn’t breast feed them like so many of us desire. That means we too have to get up and get a move on, and lay hold on whatever the Lord has provided for us. Yes friends, the Lord’s grace, mercy and goodness are out there waiting for us in abundance, but we need to make tracks, expend some energy to get them, for they won’t just fall in our laps like rain from the skies. 

And sadly, that’s something many of us modern-day people, even believers, aren’t very interested in doing. We want to live high on the hog, without doing anything to earn that privilege, believing instead that we are entitled to it. But the truth of the matter my brethren is that we are not entitled to a blooming thing! Even salvation, which is free, must be accepted once offered. We have to do something on this earth to pay our way. And Bruh Paul gave some excellent advice on the subject in his second letter to the Thessalonians. 

He says: ‘For even when we were with you, this we commanded you, that if any would not work, neither should he eat. For we hear that there are some which walk among you disorderly, working not at all, but are busybodies. Now them that are such we command and exhort by our Lord Jesus Christ, that with quietness they work, and eat their own bread. But ye brethren, be not weary in well doing. And if any man obey not our word by this epistle, note that man, and have no company with him, that he may be ashamed. Yet count him not as an enemy, but admonish (warn) him as a brother.’ (2 Thess. 3:10-15) 

Now that might be a good plan to implement in our time because we have so many lazeros and busybodies, who strongly resist doing an honest day’s work, but are stirring up oodles of strife, especially on social media, where they can do it incognito and not face any repercussions for their wrongdoing. It’s sad too, but the work ethic of our current generation is very poor, if present at all. It’s become a sickness now in the society, where many of us expect to go to work and do very little, but receive full remuneration. And if we’re not lazing on the job, then we call in sick and still expect to get paid. 

Now, I’m not saying that the employers themselves are sweethearts, but in the long run, they have the power and can make life difficult for us. And trying to shame those backsliders might not work either, because many of them have no shame whatsoever. (smile) In fact, I believe that the word ‘shame’ and the emotion its expected to convey, have been discarded from our vocabulary and society. So what’s the answer then? Take them out in the square every Monday morning and put a good licking on them for everybody to see! 

I know that might never happen, because of all the do-gooders, who don’t realize that our problems stem from our society getting soft because wrongdoers are not being held sufficiently responsible for their anti-social behaviour. And until we wake up and get tough with them, stop mollycoddling them and stop making a setta foolish excuses for them, our society and it’s standards will keep falling until we reach a point where there are no standards, just chaos. End of sermon! 

Now let’s go to our Creator, through our Monday Morning Battle Hymn, seeking divine help for our earthly problems. As one sincere voice: ‘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, my fellow believers, if we truly want divine help, then we have to clean up our act; start doing the right things, and stop doing the wrong ones. And we all know what they are. So please, let’s stop pussy-footing around nuh, and get serious and do something to improve our world, or soon we will have no world at all! Much LOVE!

…enough is  enough…for our grandchildren’s sake…it’s time to start taking back our world from the enemy… 

Visit the Scrip-Bit Blog at https://randyobrien50.com                                                                                                                           

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Today’s Scrip-Bit   24 April 2023 Mark 5:36.

24 Apr 2023 Leave a comment

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

Mark 5:36.      Be not afraid, only believe.

Get to it friends, it’s Monday, the first day of the work week, and hopefully the spiritual renewal and confidence you received yesterday from participating in praise and worship with fellow believers is still running high as you step out to do the Lord’s bidding today, and all this week. (smile) Yes, renewing our trust and confidence in our Creator and refilling our spiritual reservoir are two of the major benefits we receive from going to church. 

However, if you did not get to church yesterday, or you did, but today you’re not feeling up to scratch, your saltiness and light are not at the level you desire, then let’s delve into a few of the many verses of scripture that will put some pep in your step, rebuild your confidence, renew your enthusiasm for Christ and refill your spiritual reservoir. 

And we’ll begin with this favourite verse for the beginning of each day that we enjoy God’s breath of life. ‘This is the day which the Lord hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.’ (Ps. 118:24) Now that’s the number one verse or intention with which we should greet each new day, because the Lord not only desires us to do His will, to worship and praise Him, but most importantly to enjoy doing it. Remember Christ said that He came for us to have life more abundantly, (John 10:10) and what’s the purpose of having an abundant life and not enjoying it eh? No reason whatsoever! 

Now, this next simple but most powerful verse, one of our favourites, should always be close to our lips. It’s these marvellous words of encouragement from Bruh Paul to the church at Philippi. ‘I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.’  (Phil. 4:13) Wow mih bredrin! What a mighty scripture that is! Let’s not forget it and always keep it ready to awaken our confidence and courage, for we can indeed do ALL things that Christ desires us to do through the strength that He infuses us with! Remember, He never asks us to do something, then not give us the wherewithal, the anointing and the tools to do it. 

Then we have these powerful words of encouragement and truth to the children of Israel, that Moses enshrined in their memory, as well as ours. ‘Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them for the Lord thy God, he it is that doth go before thee: he will not fail thee nor forsake thee.’ (Deut. 31:6) Now that should be one of our foundation scriptures my people, one that our trust and faith in Almighty God should be based upon and bring us confidence and courage whenever we think of it. 

Just imagine nuh, that the Lord God Jehovah, the Creator and Controller of this amazing universe thinks so much of us that He goes before us to lead the way, to be a lamp unto our feet and a light unto our paths.(Ps. 119:105) There couldn’t be a greater sense of LOVE and compassion than that! And you can’t have words of encouragement and confidence and not include the wisdom of Cousin Sol. Listen to him as he encourages us to keep the Lord’s commandments, in particular wisdom and knowledge. 

‘My son, let not them depart from thine eyes, keep sound wisdom and discretion: so shall they be life unto thy soul, and grace (favour) to thy neck. Then shalt thou walk in thy way safely, and thy foot shall not stumble. When thou liest down, thou shalt not be afraid: yea, thou shalt lie down, and thy sleep shall be sweet. Be not afraid of sudden fear (terror), neither of the desolation of (trouble from) the wicked, when it cometh. For the Lord shall be thy confidence, and shall keep thy foot from being taken (caught).’ (Prov. 3:21-26) 

Those are indeed marvellous words of encouragement my fellow believers, but for them to work, we have to do our part. Yes, all those encouraging and confidence building verses call for true trust, surrender and belief on our part…or they will not work in our lives. It’s of the utmost importance that we write them indelibly in our hearts, then believe them and put them to work when our spirits plummet or fear strikes us. The Lord has provided us with all sorts of good stuff, none greater than salvation and eternal life through Christ Jesus. 

But please, let’s remember the incident when Jesus was on His way to heal the synagogue leader, Jairus’ daughter, when He got waylaid by the woman with the issues of blood, who believed that she would be healed if she could just touch His garments, and thus she pushed through the crowd around Him, and it happened just like she believed. That ought to reassure us that belief is a rather important aspect of our faith. But while Jesus was dealing with the lady, there, He heard someone come up to Jairus and say that his daughter was dead. Jesus though quickly turned to Jairus and said: ‘Be not afraid, only believe.’ (Mark 5:36) 

Yes friends, those are the two most important aspects of our Christian faith; courage and belief. And I have left the best for last. Although there are many more encouraging and confidence building scriptures in the Good Library, these are two of my ‘favouritest’, (smile) because they came straight from the horse’s mouth and brooked no arguments. It’s the Lord God Almighty talking to Joshua when he made him the leader of the Israelites after the death of Moses. 

‘This book of the law shall not depart out of (be constantly in) thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success. Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.’ (Josh. 1:8-9) 

And my fellow saints, that is exactly what the Lord our God is saying to each one of us today and every day that we draw breath. That’s our blueprint for success right there, from the Master Architect Himself! But just like it is in constructing a building, if the builder doesn’t follow the architect’s plans, then the building won’t turn out the way He designed it. Likewise, if we don’t follow God’s plans for our lives, we won’t achieve the destiny He planned for us. 

Now, let’s go to the throne of grace with confidence, and through our Monday Morning Battle Hymn, ask for divine assistance to fix our world. As one voice: ‘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, to receive positive answers from heaven, we need to keep our promises! Much LOVE!

…one must know the word…then follow it…before one can be prosperous and successful… 

P.S. Yes friends, the Bit might seem late and long, but please remember that God and His word are always inspiring… and on time! (smile) Much LOVE!  

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

Today’s Scrip-Bit   10 April 2023 Revelation 1:8.

10 Apr 2023 Leave a comment

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

Revelation 1:8.I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty.

Well here comes Monday, Easter Monday, a public holiday in many places, and with no work to go to, it means the Easter celebrations will continue in full swing! And why not eh? It’s not every day that our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ rises from the dead, so we have to make the most of it while we can. (smile) However, please let us not forget the real reason behind the celebrations, as we tend to do with a lot of our Christian celebrations, and that reason is Jesus! He is our be-all and end-all; our Everything! As He says to John in Revelation: ‘I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty.’ (Rev. 1:8) 

Yes friends, those words show that our Jesus is God Almighty! They back up the opening verses of John’s gospel. ‘In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not anything made that was made.’ (John 1:1-3) Wow! What a mighty Being is our Jesus! John characterizes Him as ‘the Word,’ and He was there every step of the way in the creation of the universe. 

The scholars offer these explanations. ‘In the beginning…with God signifies the perfect fellowship between God the Father and God the Son in eternity. The Word was God: Just as the previous expression (the Word was with God) emphasizes distinction in the Godhead, this phrase stresses the essential unity. In the Greek text of this verse, ‘God’ is a predicate adjective (whatever that means), appearing without article and preceding ‘the Word,’ thus emphasizing Jesus’ divinity. John could not have expressed the full divinity of Christ more completely.’ 

I totally agree! (smile) And if like me, you’ve left school so long ago, that you don’t remember what a predicate adjective is, then listen to this definition. ‘Predicate adjectives are adjectives that modify or describe the subject of a sentence or clause and are linked to the subject by a linking verb. In the sentence The joke was funny, the adjective funny is a predicate adjective that modifies the subject joke and is connected to it with the linking verb was.’ Amen! 

And if you still doubt Christ’s divinity, then read with me, as Bruh Paul writes to the Colossians, re the Pre-eminence or Primacy of Christ ‘Who (that’s Christ) is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn (first in rank) of (over) every creature: For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in (on) earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him. And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.’ (Col. 1:15-17) 

Oh my fellow believers our Lord and Saviour existed before the universe or anything else existed, and He was preeminent in everything that was created. And the scholars tell us that ‘Thrones… dominions… principalities…powers all refer to angelic beings (cf. Eph. 1:21; 3:10) “Thrones” refer to angels who sit on thrones as rulers; “dominions” refer to domains or kingdoms over which these heavenly beings reign, “principalities”  refer to rulers, and “powers” refer to angelic monarchs who wield regal power. 

Since Christ created these various ranks of angels, He is supreme over them. Striking a blow at the Colossian heresy advocating angel worship (2:18), this text forbids Christians to pay homage to angels and other heavenly beings created by God. By Him all things consist means by Him all things are held together. Christ now preserves all that He made in Creation.’ Matter fixed! (smile) 

And if you still don’t believe, are not assured of Christ’s divinity and pre-eminence in the creation and control of the universe, then listen to these verses from Hebrews. ‘God, who in sundry times (in many portions) and in divers manners (many ways) spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets. Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds (ages).’ (Heb. 1:1-2) 

And the scholars offer these comments. ‘The author immediately shows that Jesus Christ, as the agent of God’s revelation is far superior to the Old Testament prophets. Their message was fragmentary and incomplete. It came bit by bit through visions, dreams, and direct communication as men were ready and able to receive it. Christ’s revelation is climactic and complete, because He is the Son and because His is the message for the last days. His incarnation initiated the end time, and it will be fulfilled when He returns to earth to reconcile and restore all things, (cf. Acts 2:16-17; 3:19-21; 1 Pet. 1:20).’ 

Ah mih people, Christ is indeed El Numero Uno, the definitive Number One! No doubt about it! And if you don’t believe it, then that’s your problem, you’ll just have to pay whatever price is called for at the end times. True wisdom, however, dictates that you turn to Jesus and seriously and sincerely place your trust and your eternal salvation in His masterful hands. But that’s a decision you alone can make. I can only offer you the advice and the reasons that I believe it’s wise. ONLY with Christ can you enjoy eternal life; everything else leads to eternal death. So please think on it and act wisely, before it’s too late. 

Now, for those of us who have already believed but are having a hard time staying on the straight and narrow path, let’s go to the throne of grace and through our Monday Morning Battle Hymn, ask for divine help. As one voice: ‘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, having said all of that, we need to put our houses in order, so that the Lord can help us, for remember, we can do nothing without Him. Much LOVE!

…wise people run to Jesus… and hold on tightly to Him…for all other options are disastrous… 

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

Today’s Scrip-Bit   3 April 2023 Matthew 26:38.

03 Apr 2023 Leave a comment

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

Matthew 26:38. My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death: tarry (wait) ye here, and watch with me.

Chuh! Man! Another Monday…another week of work! Why me eh? (smile) And this one will be a rough one because following the joyful festivities of Palm Sunday, it’s Holy Week, and all sorts of unsavoury things are happening in the Christian’s calendar, ending up with the crucifixion of Christ on Friday. We call it Good Friday, but it wasn’t good when it happened. It only turned out good when Christ rose from the dead on Easter Sunday, having won a magnificent victory over hell, death and the grave! 

So, after the fear, the sadness and sorrow of Friday and Saturday, by Sunday evening everyone had gotten their jollies back with the awesome news of Christ’s resurrection making the rounds, just like His birth and death had done! (smile) Now, that resurrection was a most marvellous occasion which we all welcomed, but I guess like Job said, you have to take the bad with good. (Job 2:10) You can’t always expect good and no bad, even though you’re a believer in Christ, because the rain falls and the sun shines both on the good and bad. (Matt. 5:45) 

And as we said yesterday, this Holy Week we’ve got stir up our faith, stand strong and steadfast and follow Jesus to the cross on Good Friday, where He endured ‘sufferation,’ that’s inhumane suffering over and above, with nary a word of complaint. Yes my fellow brethren, our Lord and Saviour, bled, shed His sinless blood and died on that rugged cross to pay for our abominable sins, because our heavenly Father desired it, and that was the only way it could be done justly and righteously. 

Remember, the night before His crucifixion, in the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus prayed for a reprieve, but first said to Peter, James and John, who were with Him. ‘My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death: tarry (wait) ye here, and watch with me. And he went a little farther, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father. If it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt.’ (Matt. 26:38-39) Oh friends, Jesus’ heart was indeed heavy, as He prayed the same thing three times, with no reprieve from the Father. 

Deep down, He knew that He had to take His lumps, and He wasn’t so much afraid of the horrifying death, but more so about His first ever separation from the Father. He knew that once the burden of the world’s sins was placed on His sinless shoulders, the Father would shut Him out since He could not look on the totality of sin. 

As the scholars offer: ‘The prayer for the cup to pass is not due to Jesus’ fear of death. Jesus questions the will of the Father as to the necessity of drinking the cup. While this may refer to death (he tasted death) it is more likely that the cup represents the wrath of God against sin, the divine wrath Christ would incur on the cross as man’s sin-bearer. In the awful anguish of that moment, the sin of the world was poured on Christ, and He became “sin for us” (2 Cor. 5:21). Thus, the Righteous One dies a substitutionary death for guilty mankind.’ 

And that was indeed a mighty step, calling for much selflessness and obedience on Jesus’ part. No wonder Bruh Paul wrote these telling words to the church at Philippi. ‘Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men (emptied himself of all his privileges): And being found in fashion (appearance) as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.’ (Eph. 2:5-8) 

O, what a marvellous example of a son, our Jesus was! Denying Himself His rightful godly privileges and becoming a mortal man, so that He could do the Father’s bidding. Now none of us can ever reach the level that He reached, but we can all strive to be much better than we presently are. If not for our sake, then at least for Jesus’ sake. Just look at all He suffered on our behalf. Can we not put out the effort to be better disciples, better followers, better ambassadors and agents, with our salt salty as ever, and our lights shining all over the world, as He desires? 

Is that too much to ask friends? I don’t think so. Not after what Jesus went through on our behalf. Doing what He asks is a piece of cake compared to what He went through for us. So please, this Holy Week, let’s step up to the plate and hit some home runs for our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ nuh. He rightly deserves our improved play. Now, let’s go to God, through our Monday Morning Battle Hymn, asking for the wherewithal to improve our level of play. (smile) 

Altogether: ‘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 we’ll close with this li’l gem of scripture from Bruh Paul’s missive to those same Philippians, which ought to encourage us to get moving for Christ. Bruh Paul writes: ‘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) Yes my fellow saints, once the Lord begins working to remake us into the image of His wonderful Son, He’ll never stop until Jesus returns. So, let’s believe that and keep moving onwards and upwards in Christ, and thus fulfill our godly destiny. Much LOVE!

…we know all what we need to do to live for Jesus…so let’s cut out the foolishness and do it nuh… 

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

Today’s Scrip-Bit   27 March 2023 Psalm 107:1.

27 Mar 2023 Leave a comment

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

Psalm 107:1.          O give thanks unto the Lord, for he is good: for his mercy (LOVING-kindness) endureth for ever.

Aye mih people, it looks like spring has really sprung this Monday morning in the last week of March. Once again, you can hear the joyful birds singing their sweet songs of morning praises to their Creator and giving their thanks for seeing another day. Now that’s what we should also be doing, because we have even more to be thankful for than the birds of the air. The sun’s up and shining brightly, and I believe the weather is above the freezing mark, giving us another reason to be glad for the air we breathe and God’s breath of life that’s energizing our souls, our bodies, and our spirits. 

And all of God’s children said a grateful and thankful: ‘Thank you Lord for your magnanimous gifts to your underserving children!’ That brings to mind the opening verse of Psalm 107: ‘O give thanks unto the Lord, for he is good: for his mercy (LOVING-kindness) endureth for ever.’ (Ps. 107:1) And that’s the indisputable truth friends! God’s mercy (LOVING-kindness) is from everlasting to everlasting! That’s why we are still around to tell the tell the tale. 

Unfortunately though, not as many of us as should, do truly give God thanks for His mercy and goodness. Right now, so many people and situations are crying out for the removal of God from our society, but please think for a moment, if we actually got rid of God – which by the way will NEVER happen – what would become of us eh? We certainly can’t govern or rule ourselves. Just look at the mess we’re in right now, even with God somewhat in the picture. Can you imagine if there was no God to help us up when we falter and fall, like so many of us are doing? 

And what I can’t understand, is that we can’t fix our problems, but we don’t have the wisdom to turn to God, because our foolish pride and the devil’s goading is preventing us from doing so. Oh friends, I beg of you to listen and turn back to God. Please look at what’s happening to our world; the scary, unpredictable weather conditions, with more powerful hurricanes, tornadoes, earthquakes and so many other natural disasters than we’ve ever known at one time. Not to mention, the pervasive drought and famine all over, the economic futility and poverty in a world of plenty. 

Then add the worldwide sickness and disease in a time when we’re transplanting hearts and other organs like it were child’s play, but the scourges of cancer and stress are still consuming our young in great numbers because of the food we eat and the lifestyle we live. We’ve put man on the moon and are tearing up and down in space, like it was our own backyard, while focusing on building ever bigger and more powerful weapons of mass destruction. No wonder there are wars and turbulent times all over. It’s almost impossible to find a place on the globe where there’s no strife and serious unrest. 

And yet we look down our noses at the Israelites who had God’s goodness surrounding them, but when they became prosperous turned away from Him because of foolish pride, believing they had engineered their prosperity on their strength. In Deuteronomy 8, Moses warned the Israelites of that very thing. But they didn’t listen, and it’s the very same thing we are doing today. We’ve entirely forgotten that it’s the Lord God Almighty who has given us the power to get wealth and prosperity. (Deut. 8:18) 

But the big difference between the Israelites and us is that when they suffered their disastrous times for turning away from God, they eventuallywoke up, realized their mistake and turned back to Him, and were reinstated in His mercy. But not us. We’re so modern and inventive, twenty-first century people, we don’t need some far away, nebulous being to handle our affairs. And that’s why all the negative stuff that’s currently overwhelming our world is going to continue, with Satan forcing us down further into the mire of darkness, until we either wake up and smell the roses, or our world implodes. 

We certainly cannot continue in this negative vein, without more disastrous things happening, because each one just fuels the other. Remember the basic law of God’s economy? You reap what you sow, more than you sow and later than you sow! And we’re already reaping the harvest of our earlier negative deeds, but one day, if we persist in this negative manner, we’re certainly going to reap the big boomerang. Remember, another law of nature is what goes around comes around. 

That’s why we should take these cathartic, cleansing and refreshing words of Psalm 107 very seriously. ‘Oh that men would praise the Lord for his goodness (LOVING-kindness), and for his wonderful works to the children of men! For he satisfieth the longing soul, and filleth the hungry soul with goodness. Such as sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, being bound in affliction and iron (prisoners): Because they rebelled against the words of God, and contemned (despised) the counsel of the most High: 

Therefore he brought down their heart with labour; they fell down, and there was none to help. Then they cried unto the Lord in their trouble, and he saved them out of their distresses. He brought them out of darkness and the shadow of death, and brake their bands in sunder (broke their chains in pieces). Oh that men would praise the Lord for his goodness (LOVING-kindness), and for his wonderful works to the children of men! For he hath broken the gates of brass (bronze), and cut the bars of iron in sunder.’ (Ps. 107: 8-16)  

Yes my people, that’s what the Lord did for the children of Israel, and what He will do for us if we get wise and ask Him. And there’s no better time to do that than right now! So, let’s go to the throne of grace, through our Monday Morning Battle Hymn and place our petition before Him. 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 if we truly expect a positive answer from heaven, then now is time for us to keep our part of the covenant and turn from our evil ways. Much LOVE!

…God is the Creator and Controller of the universe… while we are only frail and fragile created beings…why do we keep forgetting that eh… 

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

Today’s Scrip-Bit   20 March 2023 Psalm 23:1.

20 Mar 2023 Leave a comment

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

Psalm 23:1. The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.

Oh friends, on this sunny but chilly Monday morning, we want to open with some monumental news! Yes, it is a momentous occasion! One where we hear and understand that The Bible is God’s Word to us. That it is still fresh through all the ages, and if we read it, we will find God’s exceptional wisdom on its pages! Wow! What magnificent news that is my people! Because it means that all of us who are sincerely seeking wisdom just have to read the Bible, God’s Word to find it. 

Yes friends, wisdom is right at our finger tips, no further than the Bible that sits looking pretty on your desk or table, but is truly gathering dust, since you don’t read it. And by the way, here’s this other piece of monumental information: One truth from the Bible is worth more than all the wisdom of man! That’s worth another Wow! Yes mih bredrin! Imagine that nuh. One li’l truth from God’s Word is worth more than all of man’s wisdom! Meaning to say that man’s wisdom is not worth very much, especially when compared to God’s.

 So why then do we all insist on learning and spouting the wisdom of man and not God’s eh? If man’s wisdom is worth so little, we should all be hungry and thirsting for the wisdom found in God’s Word. But to get that means reading God’s Word, the Bible, which so many of us claim to be too busy to do. That’s why so many of us are unwise in an unwise world, because the world doesn’t value God’s Word and His immortal and infinite wisdom. 

And it’s the basic answer to all of the earth’s problems. If you ignore the Word of the Creator of the universe and all therein, and the amazing truths it contains, how can you ever live a successful life, either individually or communally? No way Jose! The fly in the ointment here is that in addition to His Word, God also gave us free will to do as we please, sincerely hoping though that we’d be wise enough to read His Word and then follow His plan for our lives. But unfortunately, too many of us are trying to do it our own way without God’s help, and that is a sure and perfect recipe for disaster. 

Jesus Christ. God’s Son, whom He sent to earth to help us see the light said it quite simply and clearly. ‘But seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.’ (Matt. 6:33) Now that’s one of the essential truths of God’s Word. If we seek His kingdom and His righteousness before anything else, then we will have all our needs fulfilled. How did Bruh David put it in that marvellous psalm that we all know and revere with our mouths but not our hearts: ‘The Lord is my shepherd: I shall not want.’ (Ps. 23:1) 

And what does a shepherd do for his sheep eh? ‘A shepherd is committed to a flock and the one responsible for guiding the sheep, protecting them, and attending to their needs. So, to serve as a shepherd means to demonstrate commitment to the well-being of other people. It involves watching out for them, helping them, and teaching them.’ Therefore, that means if the Lord God Almighty is our shepherd, then He is thoroughly committed to our well-being. And His Son Jesus Christ said it in so many words. ‘I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.’ (John 10:11) 

And that’s exactly what He did; gave His sinless life on the cross of Calvary so that we, His sheep could be saved, could have victory, salvation and eternal life. So why is it so difficult to follow him eh? So hard to read God’s Word, believe it and then live it, despite all the marvellous examples of great men of God laid out in that Good Library, we call the Bible? I truly don’t know. Instead, we’re all going crazy for the things of the world and its evil doings, which don’t truly satisfy, and therefore we have to continually run them down, regardless of how much we have already accumulated. 

But friends, here is another word of wisdom for us. When you live for Christ, you don’t have to run down anything because God’s favour, grace and blessings run you down! But I guess we all have to find out the uselessness in running down the things of the world for ourselves before we believe. Meanwhile, here are the words of Bruh David, who as we all know personally lived them, and consequently experienced the joy of God’s favour. Hopefully, hearing them again will light a spark in our own souls and lives and wake us up to the reality that God, through Jesus Christ is the ONLY WAY to go. 

Please read with me: ‘The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me: thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil: my cup runneth over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.’ (Ps. 23: 1-6) 

Oh friends, if we look at all the things Bruh David wrote there, we will see that he experienced it all. His life wasn’t easy, but God never promised us an easy life. He promised us a full, abundant and interesting one. And that’s a big part of our problem as believers. We think that because we’re following Jesus, life should be easy. But that’s the furthest thing from the truth, because Jesus said it quite clearly. ‘If any man will come after (follow) me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow me.’ (Luke 9:23) That doesn’t mean easy living my brethren, but rather a sacrificial sense of purpose, because Christianity was not made for cowards. 

So now that we’ve acquired some godly wisdom, (smile) let’s go to God, through our Monday Morning Battle Hymn and place all our problems before Him, as He’s said in His Word that we ought to do. 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 having said all of that, it now behooves us to turn our words into sincere action, so that the Lord can do His part. Much LOVE!

…if you’re seeking wisdom…why go anywhere else than to the fountainhead…Almighty God…

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

Today’s Scrip-Bit   13 March 2023   1 Peter 5:7.

13 Mar 2023 Leave a comment

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

1 Peter 5:7.Casting all your care upon him, for he careth for you.

Why does Monday have to come every week like clockwork eh, you ask? Because that’s the way God and man planned it.(smile) And why does snow seem to fall in our area on Friday evenings and Monday mornings, making it difficult to get home on Fridays, while spoiling all one’s plans for the weekend, then doing the same thing to the Monday morning commute, when Monday is already difficult in itself? (smile) Some snow fell in the Greater Toronto area overnight, but it wasn’t that much, and the roads should be mostly wet and a tad slippery this morning. 

And as per the questions above, sorry folks, I don’t have answers to any of those questions nuh, but I can share this very important information with you. There’s a person by the name of Jesus who knows the answers, and though He might not desire to share them with you, if you become associated, or intimately acquainted with Him and His organization, the church, He will enable you to handle all the problems those trials cause. Glory Be! 

Yes, we saw in yesterday’s Bit where Jesus offered His Great Invitation for all who are weary and heavy burdened to come to Him for rest. He is gentle and humble in heart, and His yoke is easy and His burden light. (Matt. 11:28-30) And that’s a wonderful invitation, but to many of us it’s merely theory, we want to know how to put it into practice, how to make a practical application of that theory. No problem my people. Listen to the master of practical applications, Bruh Paul. 

Here’s how he advises us to turn that theoretical situation into a practical one. In his letter to the church at Philippi, he writes: ‘Be careful for nothing (do not be anxious about anything); but in every thing (every situation) by prayer and supplication (petition) with thanksgiving let your requests be made known (present your requests) to God.’ (Phil. 4:6) Now that certainly seems like a practical solution to our problems. God is the Creator and Controller of the universe, and therefore has much more power, wisdom and knowledge than us mere mortals made from the dust of the earth, to which we will all eventually return. 

But you still don’t understand how taking our problems to Almighty God will solve them, so listen to Bruh Paul’s continuation in his message to the Philippians. He declares (yesss!!!): ‘And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep (guard) your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus!’ (Phil. 4:7) Glory be my faithful brethren! Yes, the tranquility or divine peace of mind that comes from God is such a high level of peace that our finite and puny minds can’t fully understand it, but it will quell our fears and anxieties. 

Remember the Lord said in Isaiah: ‘For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.’ (Is. 55:8-9) That sets the bar right there my brethren. Our understanding is far below that of our Creator, therefore we need to obediently accept His word and His way of doing things if we ever want to grow, to mature, to rise from glory to glory in His eternal kingdom. 

Now, here’s another scripture that encourages us to take all our problems to Almighty God. Peter says: ‘Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time:’ (1 Pet. 5:6) And you then ask? How do I do that? Here’s Peter’s answer: ‘Casting all your care upon him, for he careth for you.’ (1 Pet. 5:7) And there’s absolutely no doubt of God’s great LOVE and compassion for us! You just have to look at how He sent His only Son Jesus to earth to die on our behalf. That says it all my friends! 

But according to Peter we also have a part to play, when He says; ‘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 that’s more gospel truth, because Satan is walking around, lurking in the background, ever ready to deceive those who are not paying attention, who are not standing strong in Jesus. So Peter then warns us to be very wary of the devil: ‘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) 

Yes my fellow saints, all believers in Christ experience hardships, trials and tribulations. ‘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.’  (1 Pet. 5:10) And that’s God’s promise, which He will keep, if we keep our promise to be obedient and faithful to Him through His Son Jesus Christ! That’s why Peter ends by declaring: (awright!!!) ‘To him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.’ (1 Pet. 5:11) And that’s exactly how it will be, if we truly believe! 

Now, let’s take advantage of that awesome privilege that Bruh Paul and Peter spoke of; that’s going to God in prayer, casting our care upon Him, through our Monday Morning Battle Hymn. Altogether then: ‘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 keep our promises, so that the Lord will keep His. Much LOVE!

…all to God I carry…all to God my praises sing… 

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

Today’s Scrip-Bit   6 March 2023 Revelation 21:7.

06 Mar 2023 Leave a comment

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

Revelation 21:7.       He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son.

Awright friends, the work week is upon us again, and that opening day called Monday, is hanging like a dark cloud over many of us, trying to intimidate us, to raise up the dormant fear that lies deep inside our souls. But yuh know what, that apparent intimidation by Monday is only a façade, a front of the devil to keep us in darkness and fear, so we can’t rise up and conquer him and his evil cronies, like our Lord and Saviour Jesus expects. 

Let’s remember though that Jesus has already given us the victory through His conquering Satan, wresting the keys of hell death and the grave from Him, with a triumphant resurrection on Easter Sunday, while the foolish devil wrongly thought that he had finally ensconced Him forever! 

But Satan of all people should have known better, having spent so much time with Jesus in heaven as the ark angel Lucifer. Obviously his loss in the battle to overthrow the God of heaven didn’t teach him anything about the power and glory of our magnificent Trinity! However, unfortunately, it’s the same with many of us; we don’t learn from our mistakes. 

One would have thought that Satan would have learned from His previous defeat that He could NEVER best the Creator and Controller of the universe, no matter the deceitful and evil means he uses. That’s why Jesus warned us of Satan’s propensity for evil and destruction. ‘The thief cometh not, but for to (except to) steal and to kill, and to destroy. I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.’ (John 10:10) 

Now tell me who’s presence would you rather be in, the one who steals and kills, or the one who gives life? The people with common sense and or wisdom would obviously choose the latter. Sadly though, there are many in our world who lack both those attributes and therefore choose the former. 

And I guess, for Satan to simply give up the fight, to suffer the terrible pangs of defeat and subjugate himself to Jesus would have meant a terrifying and humiliating end that he could not face. So, like an animal whose back is against the wall, with no apparent avenue of escape or victory in sight, its only resort is to brace itself and come out fighting, regardless of the possible consequences. And that’s how it is with Satan. 

There was obviously no way for him to accept an honourable defeat at the hands of Jesus, so his only face-saving response was to come back out fighting to the death, with whatever dirty and evil means he has at his behest. But we believers all know that it’s all over bar the shouting for the devil and his evil cronies, because they will eventually end up in the lake of fire when Jesus gets around to dealing with them. 

Yes friends, it’s only a matter of time, as the Bible, the Lord’s indisputable, unquestionable Word in Revelation 20 tells us that before Christ’s Millennial reign, the devil will be chained and locked up for those thousand years of peace and righteousness on earth in a bottomless pit, the abode of evil spirits (cf. 9:1-11; Luke 8:31). 

Then after the expiration of those thousand years, he’ll be released to make strife and war with Gog and Magog on the earth again. But then what happens? After losing that final battle, when ‘fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them. And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever.’ (Rev. 20: 9b-10) 

Now please note this other very important scripture about the end times, re the fountain of life. John writes: ‘And he (Jesus) said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely. He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son. But the fearful (cowardly), and the unbelieving, and the abominable, and the murderers, and whoremongers (sexually immoral), and sorcerers, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.’ (Rev. 21:6-8)  

Oh my people, if you truly believe the Bible, the Word of Almighty God, then there’s no more to say! It’s clear as day that evildoers will pay a very steep price for their unbelief and wrongdoing. It’s only a matter of time. And though our God is long-suffering, He will run out of patience at some stage of the game and pull the plug if we continue with our ungodly and evil shenanigans. So it’s totally up to each individual to choose how they will spend eternity. Nuff said. 

But the wonderful thing about our God is that when we need help, we always have access to His throne room. So let’s go there right now nuh, through our Monday Morning Battle Hymn and ask for His divine guidance. As one sincere voice: ‘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, if we’re serious about the sentiments and promises we made in the prayer, then we’ll need to go out and action them for divine help to come. Much LOVE!

…he who has ears to hear…let him hear…  

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

Today’s Scrip-Bit   27 February 2023 James 2:17.

27 Feb 2023 Leave a comment

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

James 2:17.       Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone.

One more time around the block my people. It’s another Monday morning to get ourselves in gear and navigate our working world. But it should be a cakewalk for believers if we went to church yesterday and got refreshed, renewed and filled with the confidence of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, because that’s one of the reasons for attending the Lord’s sanctuary on Sundays. 

However, just going to church doesn’t mean that you will automatically be refreshed and renewed and refilled with the Holy Spirit. No sir! You must come with a godly mindset and play an active part in the worship, be serious and sincere about gaining something from the fellowship with the other believers, and also giving something of yourself. Just moseying along without any effort and input on our part, while hoping for some of the godliness in the service to rub off won’t cut it at all my brethren. Participation is the name of the game! 

And that’s one of the reasons why our world is in such an unruly and ungodly mess; too many of us believers are too lethargic and lazy and fearful to make worthwhile contributions to the efforts of saving our world for Jesus, of spreading His gospel and making disciples of all nations like He commanded. (Matt. 28:19-20) 

Remember, all that He’s ever asked us to do is basically for our benefit, not His. Helping to save the world is not for Jesus’ sake, but for ours; that we would have a good, godly and prosperous world for ourselves and our families to dwell in, and also be the recipients of God’s grace through salvation and eternal life. But look at what we have for a world nowadays nuh; prosperity for a few, but not much good or godly for the many. And even the prosperous few are not happy either. They have all the amenities that the world can provide, but their spirituality is sadly lacking. 

Granted, our world will never be as equitable as we desire until Jesus returns and sets up His kingdom, but there’s absolutely no reason for the world to be as inequitable as it is right now! And unfortunately, a lot of the inequity comes from the lack of sincere faith, positive action and brimming over passion of Christians! 

Remember what James says: ‘What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? can faith save him? If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food, And one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled; notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body; what doth it profit? Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone. Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will show thee my faith by my works.’ (James 2:14-18) 

Ah friends, that is the gospel truth! We can’t have true faith without some good works to back it up. We can’t quote scripture and tell people about Jesus when they’re hungry, naked and destitute. We need to feed and clothe them first, because we cannot expect them to believe that Jesus came to save the poor and lowly, the sick and suffering and all the other good things that comes from His ministry and leave them without the basics of life. And sadly, that’s what’s happening too much around our world. A lot of us are preaching to unfortunates, but not giving them the basic life-giving stuff they need to survive. 

Jesus said after dining with the tax collector Zaccheus, who repented after their meeting. ‘For the Son of man is come to seek and save that which was lost.’ (Luke 19:10) And He philosophized on that through the parables of the Lost Coin, the Lost Sheep and the Lost Son. (Luke 15:1-32) And when He sent out the disciples to proselytize, He instructed them: ‘And as ye go, preach, saying, The kingdom of heaven is at hand. Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils (demonic spirits): freely ye have received, freely give.’ (Matt. 9:7-8) 

Yes friends, faith without works is indeed dead! And with our sloppy faith and paucity or insufficiency of works, we’re playing right into the devil’s hands. Which is not what Jesus expects of His followers, His ambassadors, His agents and stewards down here on earth. That means we badly need to raise the level of both our faith and works, if we are to make any worthwhile inroads into the wickedness and evil of our current world. And to help us do that, let’s take it all in prayer to the throne room, through our Monday Morning Battle Hymn. 

In strong and sincere voice: ‘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!’ 

Our next move now is to wake up to the reality of the sad situation in our world and do something about it! And as a group of serious and sincere believers, with the Holy Spirit of Christ dwelling within us, we can do quite a lot, if we set our hearts and minds to it! Much LOVE!

…it’s time for believers to stop merely talking the talk…and walk the glorious walk instead… 

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

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