Today’s Scrip-Bit   13 March 2024 Matthew 18:35.

13 Mar 2024 Leave a comment

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

Matthew 18:35.       So likewise shall my heavenly Father do also unto you, if ye from your hearts forgive not every one his brother their trespasses.

‘Sunshine, lollipops and roses…!’ Well, we haven’t really reached the roses part as yet, but we’re certainly having sunshine and lollipops! Ah friends, they’re trying hard to make me believe that spring has actually sprung, and on this 13th day of March with temps already around 15 degrees Celsius, and bright sunshine splays it’s warmth and glorious light all over the neighbourhood, I am getting closer to believing. And yes, during the course of my many years in this climate, I’ve seen strange things happen at strange times, like snow in June, but I’m not quite ready to believe that spring has truly sprung at this early stage of the year. 

In this case, I’m running with the world; I’ll believe it when I see it. (smile) And though I may be able to sit on my porch this afternoon for the first time this year, and watch people pass by, for the walkers will certainly be out today, a stubborn streak of disbelief keeps floating around in me. But I guess them’s the breaks. And I’ll just have to learn to handle it, all the while hoping that climate change proves me wrong (smile) In the meantime let’s see what the Bible has to offer this spring-like Wednesday morning. And it opened unto the parable of the unforgiving servant in the gospel of Matthew. 

Now, unforgiveness is one of the biggest downfalls of our modern society. And in this parable Jesus expands on His teaching in the Sermon on the Mount, after He taught them the Lord’s Prayer, which has this seminal statement smack dab in the middle of it. ‘And forgive us our debts (trespasses), as we forgive our debtors (those who trespass against us.’ (Matt. 6:12) Then Jesus follows that up with these memorable words. ‘For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your heavenly Father forgive your trespasses.’ (Matt. 6:14-15) 

Oh my people, that is so plain and without any subterfuge, that even a fool ought to be able to understand it! If we don’t forgive others their trespasses, the Lord will not forgive us our trespasses. That’s so straightforward, yet so many of us supposed believers still hold unforgiveness, and all that it entails, in our hearts against others, yet go to God and ask for forgiveness of our sins! How foolish and hypocritical is that eh! And in order to reinforce the power and importance of the principle of forgiveness Jesus told the parable of the unforgiving servant. 

This servant, one who handled the Lord’s money, owed him some ten thousand talents, which amounts to millions of dollars in today’s money, and when the Lord called for payment, the servant was unable to pay, so the Lord ordered him and his family and all he had to be sold until payment was made. The Bible tells us then, that ‘The servant therefore fell down and worshipped him (prostrated himself), saying Lord have patience with me, and I will pay thee all. Then the lord of that servant was moved with compassion, and loosed him (released him), and forgave him the debt.’ (Matt. 18:26-27) 

Now that’s what you call forgiveness! Forgiving millions of dollars’! Wow! That sure was a big-hearted lord! However, the story continues thus: ‘But the same servant went out, and found one of his fellowservants, which owed him an hundred pence (approx.10 dollars): and he laid hands on him, and took him by the throat, saying, Pay me that (what) thou owest. And his fellowservant fell down at his feet, and besought (begged) him, saying, Have patience with me, and I will pay thee all. And he would not: but went and cast him into prison, till he should pay the debt.’ (Matt. 18:28-30) 

Now that ought to make us hold our heads and bawl, although it’s exactly what happens in our selfish and unforgiving world today. But before we get further into the story, I want to raise one question of my own, one that has me shaking my head every time I hear about debtor’s prison. To my way of thinking, if you throw the debtor into prison until he pays the debt, how can he pay it locked up in jail, if he couldn’t pay it when he was outside? If you’re locked up you can’t work, there’s no way of making money, at least in the jails they had back then. Wouldn’t it be wiser to leave them out and allow them to work and so earn the money to repay the debt? But that’s just my crazy, eccentric way of thinking. (smile) 

Anyway, when the other servants saw the unforgiving attitude of their fellowman, they went and told it to the Lord. Then the Lord called him and said: ‘O thou wicked servant, I forgave thee all that debt, because thou desiredst (begged) me: Shouldest not thou also have had compassion on thy fellowservant, even as I had pity on thee? And his lord was wroth (angry), and delivered him to the tormentors (torturers), till he should pay all that was due unto him. So likewise shall my heavenly Father do also unto you, if ye from your hearts forgive not every one his brother their trespasses.’ (Matt. 18:32-35) 

Oh friends, that’s what happens when we are forgiven, and don’t forgive! And the moral of the story? The One to whom the insurmountable debt is owed is our heavenly Father. The debts are the sins of the individual sinner, which none of us can ever repay. But instead of placing us in debtor’s prison, the Lord shows great compassion and forgives or cancels our debts, our sins. And per the scholars: ‘The picture illustrates God’s total forgiveness when dealing with our sins at the point of salvation. The debt has been paid by Christ and we are set free from it forever.’ 

And all God’s people gave a loud and grateful shout of ‘Thank You Jesus! We LOVE and worship Your Holy Name!’ And if that’s really true, then let’s see us be more forgiving than we currently are nuh. Let’s be big of heart like our heavenly Father. For remember, if you don’t forgive, He won’t forgive you either. Now let’s go home declaring (yesss!!) our Wednesday Wail, letting all and sundry know of our marvelous position in Christ Jesus. 

As one strong and sincere voice: ‘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!’ 

Then there’s this proviso, the promise that if we endure right down to the very end with Jesus, that future will be even more glorious than we can ever ask or imagine. So let’s plan to be there at the very end nuh! Much LOVE!

…forgiveness breeds forgiveness…

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

Today’s Scrip-Bit    21 September 2023 Matthew 6:14-15.

21 Sep 2023 Leave a comment

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

Matthew 6:14-15.        For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.

And then it was Thursday…already? Yes. Already! The days are not waiting for us, they are going about their business, just like we should be going about ours. And if we aren’t, then we have no one to blame but ourselves, for our Lord has not blessed us with a power of fear and procrastination, but has generously bestowed on us the awesome power of His Holy Spirit, LOVE and a sound or disciplined mind. And it’s our bounden duty to use them to the best of our ability. End of Sermon! (smile) 

But to help us in doing those divine duties required of us, here’s this prayer from this month’s In Touch Devotional. Please pray with me. ‘Lord, there’s nothing I need to hide from You. You know everything about me – the healthy parts and the unhealthy, the good desires and those that hold me back. You see it all and yet You stay be my side. No matter what temptations or troubles I face. You are here. Help me to rest – and not cower – in your all-seeing presence. Let me delight in being completely and truly known by You. Amen.’ 

Ah friends, there’s nothing better than being in the Lord’s presence and having communion with Him! How could there be, when that’s what He created us for – to communicate with Him at all times, on all levels, about all things, good, bad or indifferent! And though He knows it all without our telling Him, He still desires to hear it from us, because when we do so, it means we trust Him to be our guide and leading light. And one thing is for sure, we don’t have to cower in His presence. 

No! Because of the work of Jesus, His shed blood at Calvary, we can go boldly, confidently, but humbly, to the throne of grace to receive divine help in time of trouble!. And all of God’s people shouted out a loud and grateful: ‘All praise and glory to the Lamb who was slain for us, the comforting power of his Holy Spirit, and the undying, unconditional LOVE of the Father! Amen!’  

And now that we’ve gotten into the Spirit and grace of God, (smile) let’s see what the Word has to further tell us about the heartwarming story of Bruh Joseph. So, we stopped yesterday where He kept Simeon bound in prison, but sent the other nine brothers’ home with food for their families, food for their journey, and their money in their sacks. Meaning that the food for their families was provided free of cost to them, and also showing the LOVE and largesse of Bruh Joseph to his family, despite the ill treatment they had meted out to him. 

And those, my friends, ought to be two very important traits of our Christian faith walk. However, in this day of rampant greed, selfishness, vengeance and unforgiveness, those traits are certainly not seen as often as they should. But just remember that Jesus said: ‘For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.’ (Matt. 6:14-15) And that’s an abundantly clear and straightforward passage, that we ought to have at the top of our list of scriptures! 

Ah Lord eh, (smile) I keep getting sidetracked from Bruh Joseph’s story, but it shows the many different aspects of life and godly traits that comes out of it, traits which were required then, and are still required now, possibly even more so, because of the confused, dysfunctional, evil and ungodly state of our world.  Anyway, the nine brothers return home. 

The Bible reports it thus: ‘And they came unto Jacob their father unto the land of Canaan, and told him all that befell unto them; saying, The man, who is the lord of the land spake roughly (harshly) to us, and took us as for spies of the country. And we said unto him, We are true (honest) men; we are no spies. We be twelve brethren, sons of one father, one is not (no more), and the youngest is this day with our father in the land of Canaan. 

And the man, the lord of the country, said unto us, Hereby shall I know that ye are true (honest) men; leave one of your brethren here with me, and take food for the famine of your households, and be gone: And bring your youngest brother unto me: then shall I know that ye are no spies, but that ye are true (honest) men: so will I deliver you your brother, and ye shall traffick (trade) in the land.’ (Gen. 42:29-34) 

Now can you imagine poor Jacob, in his later years, possibly already suffering from lack of food because of the famine, hearing such a grievous tale from his sons. His spirit must have sunk to a very low level. But worse was yet to come. For the Good Library continues: ‘And it came to pass as they emptied their sacks, that, behold, every man’s bundle of money was in his sack: and when both they and their father saw the bundles of money, they were afraid.’ (Gen. 42:35) 

Obviously, when they had stopped at an inn along the way, and one of the brothers had discovered his money in his sack, the others had not thought to check their sacks too. But on getting home, found that all their sacks contained all their money. Now, that must certainly have been a most discombobulating, bewildering situation. Because they had all brought home food, but apparently had not paid for it. That brought forth these sorrowful words from Jacob. ‘And Jacob their father said unto them, Me have ye bereaved of my children: Joseph is not, and Simeon is not, and ye will take Benjamin away: all these things are against me.’ (Gen. 42:36) 

We can all understand Jacob’s sad predicament, because losing a child is probably the hardest thing a parent will ever have to go through. However, the story continues: ‘And Reuben spake unto his father, saying, Slay my two sons, if I bring him not to thee: deliver him into my hand, and I will bring him to thee again. And he (Jacob) said, My son shall not go down with you; for his brother is dead, and he is left alone: if mischief (calamity) befall him by the way (along the way) in which ye go, then shall ye bring down my gray hairs with sorrow to the grave.’ (Gen. 42:37-38) 

Yes my brethren, it’s hard to lose one child, but two, and possibly three. No way Jose! Not if you can prevent it! So, it seems Jacob had made up his mind to lose Joseph and Simeon, but certainly not Benjamin too. And who could blame him. Anyhow, we’ve run out of time and space for today, and that’s as good a place as any to end today’s episode. So, God willing, tomorrow we’ll continue looking at the saga of Bruh Joseph. In the meantime, let’s go home declaring (steups!!!!) our Thursday Blessings; those amazing blessings the Lord has so generously bestowed on us so that we can do His earthly work. 

Altogether now: ‘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!’ 

And having activated those wonderful blessings, we are now expected to go out and share them with others just as generously as the Lord shared them with us! Much LOVE!

…without active LOVE and forgiveness…one cannot be a true believer in Christ Jesus… 

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