Today’s Scrip-Bit 28 October 2018 Colossians 2:10.

28 Oct 2018 Leave a comment

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

Colossians 2:10. ​  And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power (rule and authority).

And then it was Sunday; the first day of the week, the Lord’s Day, where fellowship, praise, worship and thanksgiving are encouraged in the Lord’s sanctuary. Let’s hope that all roads will have led there by the end of the day. Sorry for the Bit being so late, but as usual, it was due to good circumstances beyond my control. (smile) 

I went to an early breakfast, had my after breakfast nap, then went to a non-denominational service downstairs for 9.am, where we sang a couple of short hymns, and the young-boy preacher delivered a fiery sermon on the assurance of salvation and eternal life based on 1 John 5. Then, at the end, two of the dozen congregation got saved…Praise the Lord! 

However, on my way to back to my room, around ten-thirty, I met the duchess coming down, and she informed me that one of her cousins was waiting at the front to take us to brunch at the famed Pelican Restaurant in downtown Mo Bay. After that, we went to visit the owner of the restaurant in her fabulous hilltop home which is currently under renovation, but the scenery of the harbor and downtown Mo Bay is spectacular. 

Then she took us to see another even more magnificent property, this time out on the lagoon at Freeport. I was so taken with it that I asked the elderly owner if she would sell it to me, but unfortunately she said it was not for sale. I was only kidding though, because I don’t even have a pot to pee in, much less the millions that it would cost in any currency. (smile) 

Then we stopped at our cousin’s home so that she could get dressed to go to church, and we did not get back home until three p.m. Obviously I had to have a li’l nap before writing the Bit. And that’s how we’re so late. 

Anyway, as we do every Sunday, morning or evening, (smile) we sing a song of praise and worship to soften up our hearts so that they can be more receptive to the Lord’s Word. Today will be no different, and we’ll sing an old favourite by one of the most famous and prolific hymn writers, Charles Wesley, this one appropriately titled: ‘Jesus LOVER of my Soul!’

So let’s sing up a storm nuh: ‘Jesus, LOVER of my soul, let me to Thy bosom fly, While the nearer waters roll, while the tempest still is high. Hide me, O my Savior, hide, till the storm of life is past; Safe into the haven guide; O receive my soul at last. Other refuge have I none, hangs my helpless soul on Thee; Leave, ah! leave me not alone, still support and comfort me. All my trust on Thee is stayed, all my help from Thee I bring; 

Cover my defenseless head with the shadow of Thy wing. Wilt Thou not regard my call? Wilt Thou not accept my prayer? Lo! I sink, I faint, I fall – Lo! on Thee I cast my care; Reach me out Thy gracious hand! While I of Thy strength receive, Hoping against hope I stand, dying, and behold, I live. Thou, O Christ, art all I want, more than all in Thee I find; Raise the fallen, cheer the faint, heal the sick, and lead the blind. Just and holy is Thy Name, I am all unrighteousness; 

False and full of sin I am; Thou art full of truth and grace. Plenteous grace with Thee is found, grace to cover all my sin; Let the healing streams abound; make and keep me pure within. Thou of life the fountain art, freely let me take of Thee; Spring Thou up within my heart; rise to all eternity.’ 

What beautiful words of truth and gracious, grateful sentiment! And the Hynary.org website gives us this information: ‘Originally published under the title “In Temptation,” this hymn has as its theme the sufficiency of Christ to give comfort, power, and grace in any circumstance. It is a plea that Jesus will provide sanctuary to the tempted (st. 1), because there is no other refuge (st. 2). Christ is declared to be the sole desire of the Christian, who is undeserving (st. 3), while Christ’s grace is declared sufficient to cleanse the Christian from all his vile sins (st. 4).’ 

And all God’s people declared a loud and grateful: ‘Praise the Lord for His goodness to the undeserving children of men!’ And today we’ll deal with that theme, ‘The sufficiency of Christ,’ as much as we can. And what does that mean? Basically that we have EVERYTHING we need in Christ! We lack nothing whatsoever! As our Bit says: ‘​And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power (rule and authority).’ Yes friends, we don’t have to add or subtract anything from Jesus, for He is the END ALL and BE ALL! 

As the scholars explain: ‘2:10. Ye are complete in him (or, “you are filled by Him.”) Believers have been filled by Jesus with all the spiritual blessings they need, hence, they are “complete” and lacking nothing. This, too, refutes the heresy that denied the sufficiency of Christ and encouraged Christians to look to other spiritual beings for help.’ 

Oh friends that is totally unnecessary, for in Christ Jesus, we can find ALL we need to live a good and true Christian life. And we’ll end with this quote from the Website ‘All about Jesus,’ with this most appropriate quote: ‘Claiming the sufficiency of Christ, and realizing our sufficiency in Christ, is the absolute key to being victorious in our battles. Yes, we must be free from our attitude of self-sufficiency. We must have the might of Christ in our challenges, and in our weaknesses allow Christ to be our strength!’ 

Glory be my believing brethren! Truer words were never spoken! Please let’s take them to heart and live our lives to suit nuh, for that is the wisdom of heaven! Much LOVE!

…Christ is the complete package…thanks to the Father…

 

Today’s Scrip-Bit 7 September 2016 Galatians 2:20.

07 Sep 2016 Leave a comment

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

Galatians 2:20.    I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of (by faith in) the Son of God, who LOVED me, and gave himself for me.

Ah mih people, it’s another God-given, blessed day in our lives! All praise and thanks be to our great and generous God! 

The first thing I want to do is to apologize for the error in the dates in yesterday’s titles. I know that many of you missed it, but that’s what comes from laziness, meaning copying the titles from the day before and not remembering to change the dates. One title says the 6th while the other says the 5th. 

Chuh! It annoys me when I make those lazy attitude errors, but as we all know, you only reap what you sow. So if you sow laziness, errors and mistakes are what you’ll reap. (smile) 

However, on the good side of the ledger, let me now share some wonderful advice from an anonymous Irishman, taken from Gramps Schuller’s (Dr. Robert H. Schuller) Hour of Power Devotional. I believe I’ve shared it before, but as we say, when it’s nice, we can share it twice, or even thrice. (smile). 

And the golden words of advice are: ‘Take time to work, it is the price of success. Take time to think, it is the source of power. Take time to play it is the secret of youth. Take time to read, it is the foundation of wisdom. Take time to be friendly, it is the road to happiness. Take time to dream, it’s hitching your wagon to a star. Take time to LOVE, it is the highest joy of life. Take time to laugh, it is the music of the soul.’ 

Oh friends, those are not only wise words for the ordinary man, but they also sound like the Christian Manifesto! For those are all the things that a true, Jesus –LOVING and faithfully serving Christian ought to be following, if we sincerely hope to make a positive difference in this crazy, misguided, corrupt, and evil world. 

The truth is though, we can only do those things properly if and when we have Jesus in us and we are in Him. Hence our Bit. ‘I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of (by faith in) the Son of God, who LOVED me, and gave himself for me.’ 

Ah mih breddren, what a joy it is when Christ is the ruling passion in our lives! First of all He gave His holy and sinless life as a sacrifice, so that we could be saved by the generous grace of God! Then, when His Holy Spirit indwells us, He gives us, strength, wisdom, understanding, and all the other wonderful things we enjoy in association with Him. 

No wonder Bruh Paul could make the powerful and true statement he makes in our Bit! If we allow our old, sinful selves to be crucified with Christ, that means we will also be resurrected with Him in a new life, with Him living in us and we in Him. Glory Hallelujah! 

As Bruh Paul says in his letter to the church at Rome, when talking about freedom from sin’s power. ‘For if we have been planted together (united) in the likeness of his death, we (certainly) shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection: 

Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed (rendered inoperative), that henceforth we should not serve (be slaves to) sin. For he that is dead is freed from sin.’ (Rom.6:5-7) 

Yes my brethren, isn’t it wonderful that when we die to self, we are raised with Christ in newness of life! ‘Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature (creation): old things are passed away; behold all things are made new.’ (2 Cor.5:17) That’s Bruh Paul talking about us to the Corinthians! (smile) 

Now here are some explanations from the scholars on the earlier verses from Romans. ‘6:6. Our old man: This is our old self, the person we were before we were crucified with Christ. Might be destroyed (lit. “rendered inoperative”). The believer now has the power to serve Christ instead of his old master, sin.’ 

‘6:7. Freed from sin: The believer has been delivered from the guilt and penalty of sin and is set free to serve Christ.’ 

And believe me friends, nothing is more interesting and wonderful than serving Christ! It’s not easy, but it makes us people of excellence… and brother, let me tell you, the rewards are certainly worth it! 

So why aren’t we supposed Christians doing better than we are eh? I’m not sure, but maybe, just maybe it’s because we don’t truly believe all that we read and hear, re Jesus, and thus we don’t put our all-out effort into living for Him. And on top of that, the material things and ways of the world still exert a powerful pull on us, and keep us wanting what the world offers. 

Anyway my people, it’s time for us to break those chains that the world still have us bound and wrapped up in, else we’ll never really enjoy the freedom, the LOVE, the joy, the abundant life that Christ died for us to have. 

Now let’s go home joyfully and sincerely declaring our Wednesday Wail. No I haven’t forgotten it. (smile) 

Wailing as one: ‘Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: I’m so glad to be alive on this Wednesday! Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: Thank God the breath of life is still flowing through me on this Wednesday! I am halfway home. 

My hands are fixed securely on the plough, and I’m not turning back. I’m not looking back at the past, not focusing on what has gone before. But my eyes are fixed straight ahead; straight ahead to a glorious future with Jesus. Glory Hallelujah!’ 

And having so gloriously declared that, now let’s go out and put it all into action nuh, make it reality and not just a bunch of insincere words. Much LOVE!

…the words and actions of a true believer…ought to show Jesus truly living in them…