The Utmost Necessity of Taking Jesus Seriously, If You Want to Be Free from The Slavery of Sin!

21 Feb 2025 Leave a comment

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

John 8:36.       If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be indeed.

A Good Friday Morning to all you my faithful Scrip-Bits friends and families. And as Bruh Paul would say, ‘Grace be unto you, and peace, from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ. I thank my God upon every remembrance of you, Always in every prayer of mine for you all making request with joy, For your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now.’ (Phil. 1:2-5) 

And that’s the truth, friends. I thank the Lord for your journey with me every time I remember you, for I could not have done it without your continued faithfulness and God’s awesome help. Thank you ever so much for sticking with me through thick and thin. Your faithfulness will not go unrewarded, the Lord will bless you in His own way and time. 

So, on this bright, sunshiny, cold winter’s day, after all the shouts of ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday and the weekend is here at last!’ have gone up to high heaven, down here on earth there’s something I want to share with you from the February In Touch Devotional, it’s titled ‘Consider this:’ Please read with me. ‘As believers, we know that whatever we’ve done or left undone does not impact God’s LOVE at all. There is no achieving our way to God. Our peace and communion with Him simply are. So why do we sometimes still feel as if we’re falling short? 

Maybe it’s easier to feel guilty than to be truly free. Or perhaps condemning ourselves feels more familiar. It could even be that Jesus’ freedom seems too good to be true. There must be a catch somewhere, right? But there is no catch. By choosing the cross, Jesus declared our striving is over, so take Him at His word. Anytime you feel inadequate, ashamed, or burdened, remind yourself, “In Christ, I am enough” or “It is finished.” Inhabit God’s rest – that’s what He wants for you.’  

What wisdom my fellow believers! Because all of us feel at some time or the other that we’re not worthy, etc., etc., and some of us don’t feel right unless we feel guilty, and as they say, some of us feel it’s too good to be true. But friends, this is one time when it feels like it’s too good to be true, that IT IS TRUE! Christ died to free us, to relieve us of our earthly burdens and give us a heavenly attitude and concept. Why therefore these scriptures. 

Jesus spoke to the people saying: ‘Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whosoever committeth sin is the servant (slave) to sin. And the servant abideth not in the house for ever: But the Son abideth ever (forever). If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be indeed.’ (John 8:34-36) And it’s the gospel truth friends, because whom the Son sets free is indeed free, for Jesus died to free us from the slavery of sin. 

As this commentary tells us: ‘Jesus is explaining the enslaving nature of sin, as compared to the freedom He offers in salvation. Jesus has already claimed to be the one and only source of spiritual truth (John 8:12), and that accepting this truth would rescue a person from sin and spiritual slavery (John 8:31–32).’ 

So why can’t we simply accept it and be done with all of our doubts, anxieties and fears eh? Because we’re still somewhat enslaved to sin and the foolishness of this ungodly world! And the only way to successfully let that go, is by growing in faith in Christ Jesus, which means plenty meditating on His Word and then putting it into practice in our lives. And as per the burdens of this world, please remember Christ’s Great Invitation, where He offers solace and peace to one and all. 

‘Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of (from) me; for I am meek and lowly in heart (gentle and humble): and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.’ (Matt. 11:28-30) Yes mih people, that’s what Christ offers if you take Him seriously, take Him at His word! And the only way to find out if it’s true is by accepting him as Lord and Saviour! For all that’s promised in the Lord’s word depends on accepting Christ! 

If you don’t accept him as the pre-eminent person in your life, then none of what He says will apply to you. It’s like some of the slangs we have in the world; like ‘the taste of the pudding is the eating,’ ‘if you don’t jump in at the deep end you’ll never learn how to swim,’ and how can you know if the water is hot, unless you feel it.’ It’s the same way with Jesus ; if you don’t check him out seriously, you’ll never know what He’s really about, and won’t know how very much you’re missing. It all comes down, like most things in life, to personal experience! 

Now, let’s go to the throne of grace, through our Friday Chant, seeking God’s aid in these turbulent and ungodly times. Altogether: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through this past week. You know it’s been rough…  because our many serious problems are escalating instead of improving. And it’s obvious we can’t fix them on our own, so Lord, we’re desperately crying out for your help. 

Oh heavenly Father, with your omnipotent help, and our trusting faith, we know that we can stand strong and steadfast and defeat the simmering unrest in our land. We therefore ask you Lord to give our leaders the wise guidance to handle these unexpected storms properly. And please help the rest of us to be responsible and to stay safe amidst all the anxiety and confusion of these ungodly times. 

We fervently pray too Lord that you’ll use the discontent and dissatisfaction in our land as a means of restoring faith in you. Return backsliders to your fold. Show them the error of their ways. And please introduce a new flock of believers, who will embrace your LOVE and compassion by the example, we, your faithful believers set. So that our sinful world can wake up and smell the coffee, wake up and smell it sweet and strong! We pray this in the name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen!’ 

Oh friends, it certainly is time that we all come to the realization of how sinful and ungodly our world has become and be convicted that we do something serious about turning it around! That is, if we truly desire divine aid! Much LOVE!

…when Jesus said, “It is finished,” (John 19:30)…he meant there was nothing else to do, nothing left to pay…He paid it all—totally, completely, permanently…

Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien

Today’s Scrip-Bit   2 September 2022 John 8:32.

02 Sep 2022 Leave a comment

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

John 8:32.       And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.

Oh friends, today as the rising of the sun begins, as that magnificent orb makes its daily journey around the world, many different voices in many different languages will loudly and harmoniously chorus: ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday! Thank God for the weekend and all the freedom it brings!’ 

Ah Lord eh, do we ever like and fantasize about that thing called freedom. And down through the ages, so many of us have died shouting out its name, but we don’t really know the heavy price that supposed elixir of the human spirit demands. For to be truly free, one needs to be responsible, not lawless like so many of us believe. Freedom carries with it an inherent need for responsibility, loyalty, self-control, self-discipline and level headedness. It calls for mercy, LOVE, grace, forgiveness, goodness and godliness. 

It doesn’t give us the right, as so many of us believe to do exactly what we want, when we want, regardless of the consequences to those around us. It doesn’t mean chaos, selfishness and disregard for our fellow man. In fact, it demands just the opposite; a healthy and responsible care and compassion for our fellow human beings. 

And I guess that’s why all the revolutions and wars and other negative circumstances that have occurred in the name of freedom have never succeeded, because in the end, those at the forefront of those uprisings, end up doing exactly what their oppressors and suppressors were doing; oppressing and suppressing somebody in the supposed name of freedom! But yet, we still constantly hear the battle cry for freedom: freedom from this, freedom from that, freedom from responsibility, freedom from paying taxes, freedom from God and His law. 

Hn! Yet we still desire all those things that a responsible freedom bring. But in reality, freedom is only, and will always be a figment of our imagination, for as the song so truly says: we all must bow to somebody; to either God or Satan. And once you’re bowing to someone, you’re never free. Bowing to Satan will never make you free, because he is only interested in keeping his selfish claws in you, restraining you from rising to the level for which you were created, and thus making hellfire and damnation your eternal home. 

The closest we can ever get to that thing called freedom is by reverently bowing to our Maker, Our Creator and Provider, our Way-maker and Forgiver, the enabler of Eternal Life. And that can only happen when we sincerely embrace His majestic Son, Jesus Christ as our Lord and Saviour. Yes, friends, only through the intervention of the Son, can one get to all the magnificent benefits and freedoms that the Father provides. Listen up as Christ enlightens us on the subject. 

First off, He sets us straight by imparting this startling, but ever so true information: ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father but by me.’ (John 14:6) Oh my people, unless we believe that, and act seriously upon it, we will never see the bright lights of heaven and enjoy the promise of eternal life! That’s the truth, and nothing but the God-awesome truth! Only sincere belief in Christ Jesus will enable us to enter through those pearly gates we all talk and dream about so much! 

And likewise, the only source of true freedom is Christ Jesus. And why do we know this? Listen as He taught in the synagogue of His hometown of Nazareth. On that momentous Sabbath day in the temple, Jesus read thus from the Book of Isaiah. ‘The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised (oppressed). To preach the acceptable year of the Lord….This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears (hearing)’ (Luke 4:18-19, 21) 

Oh my people, Jesus was letting His hometown know that He was the chosen One, the Messiah, the One sent to set the captives free, to heal their broken hearts, souls and spirits. But, as it so often happens, when someone close to us, just like us, rises up to another level, we tend to offer derogatory comments rather than gladly accept their new status. And that’s exactly what happened to Jesus in His hometown of Nazareth. 

They didn’t believe that the lowly carpenter’s son of Joseph and Mary, who grew up amongst them could ever be the Messiah. His words so annoyed them that they eventually forced him out of the city and tried to throw Him down a hill. Thankfully though, as the Good Book says: ‘But he passing through the midst of them went his way.’ (Luke 4:30) And the scholars offer this explanation on the verse. ‘It is not clear whether this is a miraculous deliverance, or whether Jesus, by dint of His imposing presence, was able to stare His opponents down and then walk away untouched.’ I like to think it was the latter, just to show the unbelieving fools that He was not scared of them. (smile)  

Now, this final word from Jesus re freedom. He said to a crowd of Jews that supposedly believed in Him. ‘If ye continue (abide) in my word, then ye are my disciples indeed; And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.’ (John 8:31-32) And when they claimed they were never in bondage, so how could they be made free, Jesus explained to them that they were in bondage to sin. However, ‘If the Son therefore shall make you free; ye shall be free indeed.’ (John 8:36) 

And is that ever the glorious truth my brethren! Only through the work of Jesus on the cross of Calvary, His shed blood, His death and resurrection, can we be truly made free. Free from sin, free from our most noted enemy, Satan and the sinful life that he espouses and tries to get us to also espouse, so that we can eventually end up like him, in the lake of fire. But thankfully, we’re wiser than that! We’re following Jesus! Glory Hallelujah! So, let’s go to Him in prayer, through our Friday Chant, asking for His divine help in our troubled world. 

As one confident voice: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through this past week. You know it’s been rough… what with all the anxiety, the confusion and havoc that the Covid-19 and monkey-pox viruses, as well as our many other problems are causing. We can’t seem to fix it on our own Lord, that means we desperately need your help. Oh heavenly Father, with your omnipotent help, and our trusting faith, we know that we can stand strong and steadfast and defeat both the viruses and the unrest in our streets. 

So Lord, we sincerely ask you today to give the governments and those involved in the forefront of this serious and unexpected storm, the wise guidance to handle the situation properly, with the least amount of loss to life and property as possible. And please help those of us who must go out to work amidst all the confusion, to be responsible and to stay safe, and avoid any more serious setbacks. And Lord, we fervently pray that You’ll use this situation to bring a lot of backsliders back to your fold, show them the error of their ways. 

And please introduce a whole new flock, who will embrace your LOVE and compassion by the example, we, your faithful believers set. Yes Lord, please use this pandemic and the unrest in the streets as a means of restoring faith in You, so that our sinful world can wake up and smell the coffee, sweet and strong! We pray this in the name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen!’  

Now friends, if we truly expect positive divine help, then it’s up to us keep the promises we’ve just made, and show right motives in our hearts. Much LOVE!

…ONLY  through belief in Christ Jesus…can we gain whatever freedom is possible in this earthly life… 

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

Today’s Scrip-Bit   28 November 2021 Job 19:25.

28 Nov 2021 Leave a comment

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

Job 19:25.     For I know that my Redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter (last) day upon the earth.

It’s a chilly Sunday morning friends, with a touch of snow in my area, the first of the season, but we can’t allow a li’l snow to stop us from gathering to worship our wonderful Lord and Saviour on His Sabbath Day. No, we obviously cannot do that! But for those who are frail and still wary of the Covid, what with another new variant now in circulation, just get out your electronic devices and you can worship online with us. 

And as always, we open with a magnificent song of worship. Today’s is aptly titled, ‘I know that My Redeemer Lives. Wow! What a powerful song authored by Samuel Medley (1738-1799), who, while fighting as a member of the Royal Navy, got severely wounded and was forced to retire. He eventually became a pastor of a Baptist church and wrote several hymns, this one possibly being his most famous. So, in soulful harmony, let’s raise our voices in sacrificial praise to heaven, singing these heartfelt words as though we are truly grateful for Jesus. 

As one voice: ‘I know that my Redeemer lives! What comfort this sweet sentence gives! He lives, he lives, who once was dead; he lives, my ever-living head! He lives triumphant from the grave; he lives eternally to save; he lives all-glorious in the sky; he lives exalted there on high. He lives to bless me with his LOVE; he lives to plead for me above; he lives my hungry soul to feed; he lives to help in time of need. 

He lives to grant me rich supply; he lives to guide me with his eye; he lives to comfort me when faint; he lives to hear my soul’s complaint. He lives to silence all my fears; he lives to wipe away my tears; he lives to calm my troubled heart; he lives all blessings to impart. He lives, my kind, wise, heav’nly friend; he lives and LOVES me to the end; he lives, and while he lives, I’ll sing; he lives, my Prophet, Priest, and King. 

He lives and grants me daily breath; he lives, and I shall conquer death; he lives my mansion to prepare; he lives to bring me safely there. He lives, all glory to his name! He lives, my Savior, still the same. Oh, the sweet joy this sentence gives: I know that my Redeemer lives! He lives, all glory to his name! He lives, my Savior, still the same. Oh, the sweet joy this sentence gives: I know that my Redeemer lives!’ 

And do we ever know that as an indisputable truth my fellow saints! Jesus is our great Redeemer! Job foreshadowed His majesty and glory before He ever came to earth, with these words of total faith. ‘For I know that my Redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter (last) day upon the earth.’ (Job 19:25) And did our Lord and Saviour ever stand proudly on the earth during His first coming and will even more majestic and powerful when He returns the second time! 

He’s done, and is doing all that the songwriter says above there! The first and most important thing is that He Lives. He once was dead, but rose triumphantly from the grave, eternally to save, setting us free from the shackles of sin. He’s our comfort, our intercessor, our pain bearer and way maker. He grants us daily breath and because of Him, we too shall conquer death. Oh friends, those are only a few of the things that Jesus does on our behalf. We could spend the entire day writing about His goodness and mercy and still have some left over. That’s How wonderful our Jesus is! 

Now there are some other wonderful scriptures on the subject that I think we should consider. Hear the prophet Isaiah talk to his people about ‘The Lord the Redeemer of Israel.’ ‘I have blotted out, as a thick cloud, thy transgressions, and, as a cloud, thy sins: return unto me, for I have redeemed thee. Sing O ye heavens; for the Lord hath done it: shout, ye lower parts of the earth: break forth into singing, ye mountains, O forest, and every tree therein: for the Lord hath redeemed Jacob, and glorified himself in Israel.’ (Is. 44:22-23) 

Ah mih people, that’s the way all the earth should behave on account of Christ’s wonderful and selfless redemption! Meanwhile, Titus, in the New Testament, when talking about the Christian life, says it this way. ‘Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ. Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar (special) people, zealous of good works.’ (Titus 2:13-14) 

And we are indeed a people set apart, sanctified through Jesus’ death and resurrection, expected to do good works in His name. But we are not doing the good works that He expects of us, otherwise so many of our fellow humans would not be suffering as they are today. Instead, we are, for whatever reason(s) banding with the evildoers of the world, not raising the name of Jesus sufficiently. Obviously, we are not taking the words of Bruh Paul to the Galatians as seriously as we ought to. ‘Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled with the yoke of bondage.’ (Gal. 5:1) 

Yes friends, Christ died to make us free from the law, from the yoke of sin. Why are we succumbing to it again eh? Don’t we remember Jesus’ momentous words on the subject? ‘If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed. And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall set you free… If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.’ (John 8:31-32, 36) 

And as I keep saying, these tough and dangerous times are when all believers ought to raise up their level of faith and stand strong for Christ, because He is the ONLY One who can help us get through the ‘sufferation’ so many of us are currently experiencing. That’s why He is the Redeemer! And if you don’t want to call on your Redeemer, and place your trust in Him during hard times, then what’s the purpose of having a Redeemer?  

Now, let’s end with the words of this momentous conversation between Jesus and Martha, Lazarus’ sister when He finally came, after Lazarus had died. ‘Jesus saith unto her, Thy brother shall rise again. Martha saith unto him, I know that he shall rise again in the resurrection at the last day. Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead (may die), yet shall he live. And whosoever liveth, and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this?’ (John 11:23-26) 

And that’s a very good question for all of us supposed believers to ask ourselves this Sunday morning, in these dark and mightily troubled times. Much LOVE!

…a Redeemer…is only as good as…the help we seek from Him… otherwise…His redemption is wasted…                                                                                                                                         

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

Today’s Scrip-Bit   25 November 2021 John 8:32.

25 Nov 2021 Leave a comment

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

John 8:32.     And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall set you free.

HAPPY  THANKSGIVING  U.S. of A! 

All praise, honour and glory to our heavenly Father this Thursday morning, my faithful brethren!  It’s Thanksgiving Day in the U.S. Let’s hope that they do not get caught up and lost in the festivities and forget on which side their bread is buttered and spend some serious time considering their Creator because He is the source of all their blessings and also the source of the healing that their nation so badly needs. For their motto ‘One Nation Under God,’ no longer holds true, since they are now as divided and cantankerous as the days before the Civil War a couple hundred years ago, with Almighty God no longer the mainstay in the land. 

And yes, to God the Father all gratitude and thanksgiving should go from all of us, for our awakening, our ability to walk, talk, eat and have a job to go to, for He is an awesome deity, the ONLY true and living God there is! And ALL Jehovah God’s children said a loud and grateful: ‘Thank You Father for your unconditional and undying LOVE, mercy, grace and faithfulness to us, sinful children of men. We LOVE You and praise Your holy name! Amen!’ 

And so we ought to friends, on account of the heartache that the Lord put Himself through for us, by sacrificing His only Son Jesus Christ so that we could be set free from the overwhelming tentacles of sin. Please note these heartrending words from the Good Book and let them soften our hearts. ‘But God commendeth (demonstrated) his LOVE towards us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.’ (Rom. 5:8) 

Can you imagine that? Sacrificing your only Son to set a bunch of ungrateful sinners free, when they did not seem the least bit interested in you. Hn! But the Lord did it because of His great LOVE for His best creation. However, to be set free from the bondage of sin we must acknowledge and believe in Jesus as Lord and Saviour. Like He said to the Jews at one stage in His ministry. ‘If ye continue (abide) in my word, then ye are my disciples indeed; And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall set you free.’ (John 8:31-32) 

That means if we really want to be set free from enslavement to sin, then we need to know the truth, and the truth is found in Christ’s written word. So, we have to read the word carefully and study it diligently. That’s the only way to know what it says. Then, most importantly, we need to obey what it says, for knowing and not obeying is sin. A dusty, unopened Bible is of no use to us. We need to always have a well-read one close by, and also have what it says written indelibly in our hearts, minds, bodies and souls. 

For remember, the greatest commandment is ‘Thou shalt LOVE the Lord with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.’ (Matt. 22:37) And you can only truly LOVE the Lord when you know who He is and what He’s about, and you can only discover that when you read His word, His enlightened description of Himself and His ways. 

And just one li’l footnote here to remind us of why He is God. As He says through the prophet 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 higher than your thoughts.’ (Is. 55:8-9) It would do us all a whole lot of good if we would just keep those words at the front of our minds as we go about our daily living and don’t bow to the foolishness that Satan and his cohorts are trying to do in the land, like kick God out of our society. 

Satan is a bloody fool, a created being who got too big for his britches! He couldn’t kick God out of heaven, what makes him think he can kick God out of the earth that He created eh? Hogwash! But unfortunately, too many of us are believing Satan’s lies and deceptions and are turning away from God. That’s the worst decision we can ever make my people, for all Satan has to offer is hell fire and damnation, while Jesus has eternal life in heaven with the Father, the Holy Spirit and Himself. 

Now which one seems the best offer eh? Jesus’ obviously! But we fear what the world will say and do, and neither are we willing to put out the effort it takes to live sincerely for Jesus. But friends, if we read and study the Good Book, we will see how it ends, with God’s wrath levied against the evildoers. And believe me, our God might be LOVING, merciful and all those good things, but He’s no pushover, and I don’t think any of us will willingly want to experience His wrath. Just read about the ‘sufferation’ the Jewish people underwent for their disobedience to God, and all those other nations who got too big and proud to follow God. Where are they now eh? On the junk pile of history. 

But that’s a decision each one of must make, so I am pleading with us to make the decision to live for Jesus, because that’s the ONLY wise and sensible one. As Uncle Charles (Charles Stanley) likes to say, there are consequences to every decision, but eternal wisdom decrees to: ‘obey God and leave all the consequences to Him.’ You can’t argue with that statement. So, for those of us who have already committed our lives to Jesus, let’s go home declaring (steups!!!) our Thursday Blessings, which the Lord has so generously bestowed on us to do His earthly work. 

As one strong and confident voice. ‘I declare that I am blessed with God’s supernatural wisdom and receive clear direction for my life! I declare today that I am blessed with creativity, courage, talent and abundance! I am blessed with a strong will, self-control and self-discipline! I am blessed with a great family, good friends, good health, faith, favour and fulfillment! I am blessed with success, supernatural strength, promotion and divine protection! 

I am blessed with a compassionate heart and a positive outlook on life! I declare that any curse or negative word that’s ever been spoken over me is broken right now in the name of Jesus! I declare that everything I put my hands to, will prosper and succeed! I declare it today and every day! Amen!’ 

Now, let’s rise up and go out and share those blessings just as generously with others as the Lord shared them with us, so that they too can come to know, LOVE and glorify Him as we do! Much LOVE!

…if the Son shall set you free…you shall be free indeed… (John 8:36) 

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