Today’s Scrip-Bit   20 May 2023 Romans 8:37.

20 May 2023 Leave a comment

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

Romans 8:37.       Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors, through him that LOVED us.

Ah friends, we finally got some of what we‘ve been praying for; some rain. Yes, heavenly blessings began falling yesterday evening and continued through the night until around lunch time, when it stopped, and a watery sun shone through. (smile) Thank God! Now I tend to believe that that’s because I washed my old chariot the evening before, and the devil just hates to see a child of God driving around in a clean vehicle. (smile) 

And it would have been an excellent lazy-day Saturday for me too, if I didn’t have some time sensitive business to transact. So, there I was, out in the rain, doing my Father’s business, instead of lazing around at home. And by the time I returned home, I was too tired to do justice to the Bit, so that’s why it’s only now being written. 

Oh, and by the way, the computer server did me the same thing yesterday; refused to send out the Bit in bulk, and I had to break it down again. And unfortunately, it will not tell me why it’s doing that. All it says is’ Message can’t be sent right now. Try Later. More details.’ But when I press for more details, I simply draw a blank screen. 

Ah Lord eh! The devil does find ways to try and disrupt our peaceful spirits. But He just can’t get it through His thick skull that he’s a defeated foe, merely a defanged lion, with a big bark, but no bite, and despite his roaming around trying to find whom he may devour, (1 Pet. 5:8) the children of God can overcome any of his evil wiles and schemes. 

Why? Because as Bruh Paul so eloquently and truthfully wrote to the church at Rome: ‘Who shall separate us from the LOVE of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors, through him that LOVED us.’ (Rom. 8:35-37) 

Yes my fellow believers, though the devil and his evil cronies try to put us under, to kill and conquer us, they are unable to do it because we are indeed more than conquerors through Christ Jesus who LOVED us so dearly that He gave His sinless life so that we could be considered the righteousness of God through Him! Glory Hallelujah my faithful brethren! Like the old reggae tune proclaimed: ‘Yuh trying to conquer me…But you never will conquer me…’ 

And that’s ever so important for us Christians to believe. Remember, all we do, we do by faith; by undeniable and irrevocable faith in Christ Jesus, who’s powerful LOVE, a LOVE that’s been sealed in us by the holy Spirit of promise. Which is the earnest of (down payment on) our inheritance, until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.’ (Eph. 1:13b-14) 

Yes friends, once we believe in Christ as Lord and Saviour, we receive His Holy Spirit and are sealed as Hs own forever and ever! ‘The sealer is Jesus and the seal is the Holy Spirit.’ And it’s a seal that cannot ever be broken, and a seal that shouts out loud and proud, that we are children of the Most High God Jehovah. 

Please, let’s never forget that, and all the rights, privileges, responsibilities, power and authority that it confers on a believer. For that’s what makes us more than conquerors. As one commentary puts it: ‘That means we face the trials of life with the certainty that we are not alone. We have a mighty Father who fights for us.’ 

And that’s certainly the glorious truth! Now, Bruh Paul felt that so strongly that he further enthused: ‘For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the LOVE of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.’ (Rom. 8:38-39) 

Oh my fellow saints, is our faith strong enough so that we can also make that declaration (yesss!!!)? I certainly hope so, for until we do, we will not reap all the many privileges and benefits that accrue to us as a child of Almighty God, a joint heir with Christ in His Father’s kingdom. 

And that’s the goal of this earthly life, to begin enjoying heaven, by allowing the fruits of the Spirit to flourish through us, down here on earth, for as  Christ so loudly declared (awright!!!): ‘The thief cometh not, but (except) for 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) 

So my fellow saints, let’s get on with the real and true living of life in Jesus’ name nuh. He died that we could enjoy it, not merely scrape through until whenever we are called home to heaven. But unfortunately, that’s the way a lot of us supposed believers are living this earthly life, as if there’s supposed to be no joy in it. That’s the furthest thing from the truth, for heaven begins right here on Planet Earth! And that’s the end of the Sermon! 

Wow! That’s certainly the shortest Bit we’ve had in many a year. (smile) But that’s where the Holy Spirit guided me. And I am obedient, if nothing else. (smile) Now, let’s see how I can distribute this late, and ever so short Bit to all you beautiful readers. Much LOVE!

…once you believe in Christ…there’s no turning back…it’s strictly a One Way Road… leading all the way to Heaven… 

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

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

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Today’s Scrip-Bit   2 January 2023   1 Corinthians 15:57.

02 Jan 2023 Leave a comment

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

1 Corinthians 15:57.       But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

           So it’s another holiday Monday for many working folks because the official New Year’s Day fell on the Sunday! What a way there’s been lots of time to celebrate this Christmas and New Year’s seasons. Let’s hope though that we don’t get too accustomed to these long weekends and completely forget the work ethic that we already don’t have much of. (smile) 

           Ah friends this new year of 2023 must be one of exceeding diligence if we truly want to make some headway against the evil enemy and his iniquity cohorts. Their army is vast and they are serious about taking over and ruling the world. And their methods of warfare are lowdown and inhumane…and that’s putting it nicely. 

           Therefore, if we hope to make any positive changes, we have to be serious, disciplined, work hard and requite evil with good, because the enemy won’t give us an easy break. We’ll have to fight for every bit of ground we conquer. But the good news is that we have Jesus in our corner, and if we use His Holy Spirit to lead and guide us then our victory will be assured, because ‘In all these things we are more than conquerors through him that LOVED us.’ (Rom. 8:37) 

            Please note though, that victory will only come through our following the leading and guidance of the Holy Spirit, for we cannot defeat the enemy in our own strength. As Bruh Paul wrote in his first missive to the church at Corinth: ‘The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.’ (1 Cor. 15:56-57) Yes friends, only when we are working with and through Jesus is victory possible. 

            So Bruh Paul continues with the practical application: ‘Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain (futile) in the Lord.’ (1 Cor. 15:58) And we can only do that if we follow Peter’s advice: ‘But grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To hm be glory both now and for ever.’ (2 Pet. 3:18) 

           Oh my fellow believers, we can’t ever work properly and consistently with Jesus until we know what He’s truly about, which necessitates spending time in His Word, and in prayer, then putting those things we learn into practical use. And that’s one of Bruh Paul’s strengths; after giving you the theory, he usually gives you the practical application, like he did with the Ephesians, when he explained some of the practical aspects of living the new life in Christ. 

            Listen up as he exhorts them and us. ‘This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that ye henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk, in the vanity (futility) of their mind.’ (Eph. 4:17) And the scholars explain that ‘since each Christian is divinely enabled with some spiritual gift, he must walk not as other Gentiles walk, lest his much-needed contribution to the church’s growth be sorely missed. Unbelieving Gentiles live in the vanity (futility) of their mind, without proper purpose, causing all their efforts to obtain happiness to end in failure.’ 

           And Bruh Paul delves further into the theory. (smile) ‘Having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through (because of) the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness (hardening) of their heart.’ (Eph. 4:18) Now the scholars tell us that ‘The blindness of their heart refers to the hardness of their will. Gentiles’ obstinacy against the divine will has caused them to be separated from God’s life.’ 

            And all of us know this to be true! When your heart stubbornly refuses to do God’s will, then you become separated from Him. As Bruh Paul further explains: ‘Who being past feeling have given themselves over to lasciviousness (licentiousness), to work all uncleanness with greediness.’ (Eph.4:19) That means those unbelievers have become so calloused, have gone so deep in sin that they are insensitive to moral right and wrong. 

            And unfortunately, that can apply to many of us, though as Bruh Paul maintains: ‘But ye have not so learned Christ; If so be that ye have heard him, and have been taught by him, as the truth is in Jesus.’ (Eph. 4:20-21) Yes my fellow saints, we have not learned Christ or Christian teaching like that. Our Christian doctrine has instructed us NOT to live like the unbelievers portrayed in verses 17-19 above.  And that’s the basic theory of living the new life in Christ. 

           Tomorrow, God willing, we’ll tackle the practical aspects of that theory. Trying to do that today with our short attention span will just get us all confused and also make the Bit too long. (smile) Now let’s go to our ever faithful and merciful God, in confidence, through our Monday Morning Battle Hymn sincerely seeking His grace and mercy. 

           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 to receive a positive answer, the solution is obvious: humble ourselves, pray, and sincerely seek God’s face. Much LOVE!

           … it’s all about living for Christ…in a Christ-like manner…

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

Today’s Scrip-Bit   16 December 2022 Romans 8:35a.

16 Dec 2022 Leave a comment

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

Romans 8:35a.        Who shall separate us from the LOVE of Christ?

And then it was Friday, but I don’t know how many of us sincerely trumpeted the mantra: ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday!’ That’s because we eventually got the snow that was forecasted, which turned back to rain in the evening, and then everything froze up overnight, so that this morning, ice is more the problem than snow. And to make matters even worse, a thin layer of fog is also hovering over my area. So, the driving conditions must have been somewhat difficult and dangerous, even the walking conditions with ice all around. 

But that’s all a part of living in the northern wintry climes. (smile) And even if you don’t like it, you handle it like the stalwart child of God that you are. Yes friends, with God’s omnipotent help, we are indeed able to handle anything that comes against us. Let’s remember these ever true and encouraging words of scripture as we go out to do the Lord’s bidding today. 

From the pen of Bruh Paul to the church at Rome. ‘Who shall separate us from the LOVE of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that LOVED us. For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, not things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the LOVE of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.’ (Rom. 8:35-39) 

Oh my people! What a powerful and encouraging bit of scripture! It’s something we ought to hold on to for dear life! And if you don’t believe me, then please listen carefully to the scholars, who say: ‘We cannot be separated from God’s LOVE, because it is set forth in a person who is God Himself, Jesus Christ, our Saviour. God’s desire to redeem believers cannot be frustrated because He is infinitely greater than any potential enemy. His plan will be realized because it is his purpose (vs.28).’ 

Wow! If we are under God’s domain, no one can take us away, since He is the most powerful being in the universe. And per the scholars’ reference to vs.28, let’s refresh our memories about just what it says. (smile) ‘And we know that all things work together for good to them that LOVE God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.’ (Rom. 8:28) Yes, my brethren, more rich and true assurance that regardless of our problems, those who sincerely LOVE the Lord and are obedient to His will, will eventually end up on the good side of the ledger, because that’s His acknowledged purpose, and no one or nothing can thwart God’s purpose. 

But we can only appreciate that fact if we truly LOVE and reverence the Lord. That means we have to dig down deep and raise up the faith that’s planted within us. We have to allow the Holy Spirit to grow the seeds of its fruit planted in us. We’re talking about fruit like ‘LOVE, joy, peace, patience, goodness, gentleness, meekness, faithfulness and self-control. Now, it’s certainly a big task to grow all those different fruit of the Spirit, especially at the same time, but it can be done, if we follow the leading and guidance of the Holy Spirit, the divine Gardener. (smile) 

Ah friends, I do hope that we are taking the Word of the Lord seriously and doing our best to live for Christ because that’s the only way we’ll ever be able to have joy and peace on this earth, and then enjoy eternal life with Christ when our earthly days are over. For, as we keep saying, the only other option available is hellfire and damnation with Satan. And I don’t know about you, but I won’t even consider the thought of such a horrible end, much less work towards it. And there is so much scripture warning us of that disastrous end that we ought to take it seriously. 

Remember what Moses said to the Israelites? ‘I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live.’ (Deut. 30:19) And please, let’s take these poignant and oh so true words of Jesus to heart. ‘For God so LOVED the world, that he sent his only begotten son, that whosever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through him might be saved.’ (John 3:16-17) 

Yes, my fellow saints, you think the Creator of the universe would have sent His Son to earth to die on our behalf if the end times won’t be hellish and damnable? Of course not! But He did, that means the end won’t be pleasant for those who don’t believe in the Son of God. I can’t say it any clearer than that. And if you’re still not sure, then it’s still wise to hedge your bets and believe. If it turns out to be not true, then you haven’t lost anything, you had an interesting life anyway. But if it turns out to be true, then you’ll be sailing on the good ship of Jesus, all the way to heaven and eternal life. You simply can’t lose if you believe in Christ! 

Now, let’s go to the throne of God in prayer, through our Friday Chant, and seek His divine help for our earthly problems. Altogether: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through this past week. You know it’s been rough… what with all the confusion and anxiety caused by the pandemic and our many other serious problems. We can’t fix them on our own Lord, so 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 the simmering unrest in our land.

So Lord, we sincerely ask you today to give those involved in the forefront of this serious and unexpected storm, the wise guidance to handle the situation properly, without further serious setbacks. And please help those of us who must go out to work amidst all the confusion, to be responsible and to stay safe. And Lord, we fervently pray that You’ll use this situation to 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. 

Yes Lord, please use this pandemic, the bubbling discontent and dissatisfaction in our land, as a means of restoring faith in You, 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!’ 

And if we want to receive positive answers from heaven, then we need to keep our promises and do our part in the partnership with God! Much LOVE!

…what more do we need to truly believe in Jesus eh…what more…                                                                                                                                          

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

Today’s Scrip-Bit   7 December 2022 John 13:34.

07 Dec 2022 Leave a comment

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

John 13:34.      A new commandment I give unto you, That ye LOVE one another; as I have LOVED you, that ye also LOVE one another.

So, Wednesday has turned out to be damp and cloudy, but I’ll take that any time over the cold and snow. And today marks my fiftieth anniversary of being in this blessed country called Canada. Yes, it’s been fifty long years of snow and cold, but by nature I’m still a warm-blooded animal! (smile) Can’t get the tropics out of me, because I was born and bred there. But that doesn’t mean we can’t handle the icy climate, just that we don’t like it. For remember we can handle anything at all with the help of Jesus who strengthens us. 

And who do you think enabled me to handle the last fifty winters eh? Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! And I can’t believe how quickly those fifty years have gone by. It seems like it was just yesterday I landed at Toronto airport, not yet renamed Pearson, on a cold, dark evening, coming directly from hot, tropical sunshine, with very little money in my pockets…and I still have very little. (smile)  

I remember the next day, getting up around eight a.m. and still seeing it dark outside, then walking to the subway in freezing rain in a thin, borrowed spring coat and dry-weather shoes, going downtown to Simpson Sears, the big, cheap store at the time, to buy winter clothing. And my first memory on entering the subway was wondering how all the white people in the cars looked so frigid and cold and wrinkled. I definitely wasn’t accustomed to seeing so many supposedly normal people looking unhappy and prune-like. 

I believe I asked my mother what was wrong with them, and she most likely just smiled at me in my ignorance. Then to make matters worse, my mother, bless her departed soul, made a mistake and took us off the streetcar at the wrong stop, which meant we had to walk a whole long block back to where we should have gotten off. It surely was an eventful welcome to what has become my home for the last half-century. 

And there were obviously times I wanted to go back to the sunshine and saltwater, but it’s difficult to pull up stakes once one is settled with family and other responsibilities. I must admit too, that though it wasn’t easy, it surely was interesting and adventurous, and I learned to do a lot of stuff for myself, that might not have been the case if I had remained in T&T. 

Now, I believe without a doubt, that Canada is the best big country in the world! Oh, like everybody else, we do have our problems, but we tend to be a li’l more understanding than most. Although that seems to be changing with the new generation, as all over the world impatience, resentment and lack of LOVE is becoming the norm. But that’s why we of the old generation ought to be ramping up our efforts in Jesus’ name to stop that negative turn from becoming more prevalent than it already is. 

Remember what Jesus said: ‘If ye LOVE me, keep my commandments.’ (John 14:15) And what’s His commandment? He said it loud and clear: ‘A new commandment I give unto you, That ye LOVE one another; as I have LOVED you, that ye also LOVE one another.’ (John 13:34) How could it get any clearer than that eh my people? No way! But knowing how fickle and faithless we could be Jesus repeated the commandment later on. ‘This is my commandment, That ye LOVE one another, as I have LOVED you.’ (John 15:12) And why did He harp on us LOVING each other? As He says: ‘By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have LOVE one to another.’ (John 13:35) 

Yes my friends, the world will only recognize us as followers of Jesus if we not only have, but more importantly, show LOVE to each other! It’s the litmus test for Christians! But unfortunately, for whatever reason(s), many of us are failing it every day, and that’s why our world is in such an ungodly uproar. There isn’t enough LOVE in our world to quiet the raving hearts of men. And ONLY LOVE will ever conquer hate. So, if we want to get rid of the hate that’s sadly consuming us, we need to replace it with the LOVE of Jesus as quickly as possible, otherwise our world will just continue sinking into the evil and ungodly quagmire that’s the devil’s greatest desire. 

And we simply cannot allow that to happen my faithful brethren. It would be a huge injustice to Christ after He’s given His all, sacrificed His very life for us to be set free from the chains of sin and ungodliness. That means we, the faithful believers, have to make a big, bold move in Jesus’ name, if we want to right the wrongs that are being currently done in our world. And it won’t be easy, but if we are sincere and true disciples of Christ, with His help, we can certainly turn things around. 

But it’s going to take a great effort from all of us believers, for the devil is not going to roll over and play dead when we attack his strongholds. No! He’s going to have his iniquity workers ramp up their evil and ungodly efforts and try to keep us at bay. But they won’t be successful if we are determined. Remember what Bruh Paul said to the church at Rome. ‘Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors, through him that LOVED us.’ (Rom. 8:37) 

Oh my fellow saints, anytime we step out to do Christ’s bidding with a true and sincere heart, nothing or no one can stop us from achieving victory! But the problem is we need to develop the hope and faith to do it! And for those of us who are sincerely working towards that goal, let’s go home now declaring (chuh!!!) our Wednesday Wail, letting all and sundry know of our wonderful position in Christ Jesus. 

As one strong 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!’ 

And my fellow believers, if we endure to the end with Jesus, then I can guarantee that future will be even more glorious than we can ever ask or imagine! So please, let’s use that as an incentive to keep working for Jesus nuh, shining like bright lights, and being as salty as ever, showing the world our LOVE for each other, like He desires of us! Much LOVE!

…living for Jesus…means bright lights…plenty saltiness…and plenty, plenty LOVE…

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

Today’s Scrip-Bit   5 November 2022   2 Timothy 3:12.

05 Nov 2022 Leave a comment

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

2 Timothy 3:12.       Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.

Ah my people, our lazy Saturday is here! But the ole fella has not been lazy this morning. He’s been up and about his Father’s business early. By my standards, I went to bed early, (smile) so I’m up at a reasonable hour on this somewhat cloudy first Saturday in November, in this crazy, unpredictable year of 2022. 

But it seems the sun will shine through eventually, so let’s just give thanks to our heavenly Father for causing us to be alive today and go on our merry way rejoicing in His awesome LOVE and friendship! And all God’s children gave a grateful shout of ‘Praise the Lord, for His goodness to the children of men!’ Wise words indeed my fellow believers. 

Now, let’s turn to the task at hand, deciphering the quotes our friend Anselm sent us this past week, as he aspires to inspire us for a better tomorrow. And since he’s only sent us three, hopefully today’s Bit will be shorter than usual. (smile) And the first one tells us: ‘You don’t have to be defined or confined by your environment, by your family circumstances, and certainly not by your race or gender.’ 

That statement does seem to be of some significance, especially in light of the machinations in our current society where we are constantly being pigeonholed, placed in an ever smaller box for identification purposes. I don’t know why what we look like, where we come from or the class of our family is all that important, but nowadays, those factors seem to be getting more important rather than less, as you’d expect in a global multicultural society. 

Is that devil’s doing, or the anti-Christ’s, or some new world order trying to narrow down our demographics so that they can pick out a chosen few of a certain type? Who knows. The important thing though is that your race, creed, gender, family circumstances, none of that really matters. The only thing that matters is that you are a child of the Most High God Jehovah! That’s because His kingdom includes everybody, and He makes no distinction as per your background, but is only interested in your going forward, your future. 

And we can see that in Peter’s words to the early Christians. ‘But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a peculiar people (God’s own special people); that ye should show forth (proclaim) the praises of him who hath called you out of the darkness into his marvellous light. Which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God: which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy.’ (1 Pet. 2:9-10) 

Yes friends, with the miraculous coming of Jesus, ALL barriers have been broken down and we are now one nation unto God, regardless of our colour creed, gender race or whatever definition you want to choose. As Bruh Paul wrote to the Ephesians. ‘But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes (once) were far off are made nigh (near) by the blood of Christ. For he (himself) is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition (division) between us.’ (Eph. 2:13-14) 

Isn’t that wonderful! The shedding of Christ’s blood at Calvary broke down the walls between Jews and Gentiles, making us all, the ONE church of Christ. So please let’s not allow them to define us as anything but children of God, because that’s who we are above everything else. 

Now, the second quote says: ‘We all have problems. But it’s not what happens to us, [it’s] the choices we make after.’ And that’s true to a large extent. In many cases it’s our reaction to our problems that causes us more pain and sorrow than the problems themselves. That’s why it’s always necessary to have a good attitude when problems surface. And though that’s easier said than done, if you are a child of God, a follower of Christ Jesus, He will enable you to bear up under any problem that comes against you. 

As He faithfully declares (yesss!!!) in John 16:33: ‘These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.’ Wow! What an awesome promise! And if we believe Him, then when problems arise, we won’t be running around like chickens with our heads cut off, but be able to adopt a good and sensible attitude towards them, and handle them successfully with God’s help. 

Please note that Christ did not say we won’t have problems, but rather the opposite, we WILL have tribulations in this world, especially if you are a believer in Christ. And Bruh Paul confirmed that in his second missive to Timothy. ‘Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.’ (2 Tim. 3:12) 

But then, to the church at Rome, Bruh Paul makes this most important and definitive statement. ‘Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that LOVED us.’ (Rom. 8:37) How wonderful it is to know that despite the many problems we will face in this life, that Jesus will help us to handle them with a good attitude. 

And the last quote says: ‘You do not find the happy life. You make it.’ There’s much truth to that also, because we just can’t sit down and expect to be happy, since the world doesn’t generously give out happiness, but rather tribulations. So, for happiness to exist in our lives, we must actively make ourselves happy. That’s do things that will make us happy. 

However, not everything that makes us happy is good for us. And too often happiness depends more on our circumstances than our normal way of life. Meaning that happiness is not always a persistent frame of mind, but very liable to change as our circumstances do. But when we talk about joy…then that’s an entirely different story! For joy is a basic way of life; a stable and steady perspective that doesn’t change with our circumstances. And we can only have true joy with Jesus as the Lord and Saviour of our lives. 

That takes us back to our earlier conversation on handling problems, about having a good attitude towards our lives in general, and problems in particular. And it’s only with the peace and satisfaction found in Jesus is that possible. That means our biggest and most important need in this life is to find Jesus and stick to Him like white on rice! When we do that, our joy will overflow, and we will enjoy the abundant life He died for us to have. Much LOVE!

…Jesus is the answer…to everything in our lives… 

Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZJ              

Today’s Scrip-Bit   24 October 2022 Romans 8:37.

24 Oct 2022 Leave a comment

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

Romans 8:37.       Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors, through him that LOVED us. 

Oh gee, it’s Monday! Chuh! Another day of repetitive and non-uplifting work… But wait, please note that it’s also another day of enjoying God’s awesome mercies and compassions, that are created brand new for us each and every morning! And believe me, with those powerful, encouraging and confidence building tools of God in our tool kit, we can handle anything that comes against us, have a positive, godly attitude regardless of the situations in which we find ourselves. 

Remember Jehovah’s promise through the prophet Isaiah a long time ago. ‘No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgement thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and their righteousness is of (from) me, saith the Lord.’ (Is. 54:17) Now that’s a mighty promise, and since we are the Lord’s servants, then it’s still applicable to us today. And those are the kinds of encouraging and uplifting scriptures that we need to write indelibly in our hearts and minds so that we can recall them when the times get rough and our spirit and confidence are lacking. 

Then there are these magnificent verses from Bruh Paul explaining to the church at Rome, the marvellous unbreakable bond we have with Almighty God through our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. He confidently writes: ‘Who shall separate us from the LOVE of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors, through him that LOVED us.’ (Rom. 8:35-37) 

Oh my faithful brethren, what uplifting and confidence building verses! Yes! In all these things we are indeed more than conquerors. Though the enemy tries to overcome us they just can’t because they don’t have the power nor the authority for Christ has already won the victory over hell, death and the grave, leaving Satan a toothless lion with only a loud growl, but no real bite since he can’t inflict any damage with just gums. (smile) Oh, by the way, verse 36 above comes directly from Psalm 44:22. 

And I like this simple explanation on ‘we are more than conquerors,’ offered by an article on the gotquestions.org website. It reads: ‘To be more than conquerors means we face the trials of life with the certainty that we are not alone. We have a mighty Father who fights for us. We approach the darkest valleys with confidence, knowing that nothing can happen to us that is not permitted by our LOVING Father for our good (Psalm 23:4; Romans 8:28). 

We have His promise of eternal life (John 3:16;Titus 1:2; 1 John 5:11) and the presence of Almighty God every moment of every day until we see Him face to face (Psalm 139:7-12; Deuteronomy 31:8; Hebrews 13:5; Matthew 28:20). No sin of ours and no attempt of the enemy can steal the LOVING care of God from our lives, and that makes us more than conquerors through Christ who LOVES us.’ 

So true my people, so true! And don’t forget to check out those scriptures referenced above, because they too are also powerful and encouraging verses that keep us strong and confident in the Lord. But Bruh Paul’s not done. He continues his missive to the Romans, delving even deeper into the subject, leaving us in absolutely no doubt on the matter. He says: ‘For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the LOVE of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.’ (Rom. 8:38-39) 

Glory be my people! Bruh Paul leaves no stone unturned. In the first few verses he addresses the earthly things and trials that can beset us, then in the last two, he deals with the spiritual aspect of the situation. And isn’t it joyful and faith-building to know that NOTHING whatsoever can separate us from God’s LOVE? Indeed it is! 

And the scholars offer their two cents worth on the subject by saying that ‘We cannot be separated from God’s LOVE, because it is set forth in a person who is God Himself, Jesus Christ, our Lord and Saviour. God’s desire to redeem believers cannot be frustrated, because He is infinitely greater than any potential enemy. His plan will be realized because it is His purpose. (Rom. 8:28).’ And all of that’s gospel truth friends, so for our sake, our peace of mind and salvation, we had better believe it! 

And just for added protection (smile) let’s add this other uplifting promise from our omnipotent God, this one when the Lord called Jeremiah to be His spokesperson. He told him in no uncertain terms. ‘And they shall fight against thee; but they shall not prevail against thee: for I am with thee, saith the Lord, to deliver thee.’ (Jer. 1:19) More food for spiritual strength my people! (smile) And can we ever use all the help possible. And when yuh talking about help, well brethren, there’s only one place to go: to the throne room of heaven with confident, sincere prayer. So let’s do that right now nuh, through our Monday Morning Battle Hymn. 

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 after asking for divine favour through prayer, it’s then wise to keep whatever promises you’ve made, for as Cousin Sol says as the Preacher in Ecclesiastes: ‘When thou vowest a vow unto God, defer (delay) not to pay it: for he hath no pleasure in fools: pay that which thou hast vowed. Better is it that thou shouldest not vow, than that thou shouldest vow and not pay.’ (Eccl. 5:4-5) No wonder Cousin Sol is considered the wisest man who ever lived. (smile) Much food for thought today friends, please don’t let it go to waste. Much LOVE!

…if you sincerely believe in God…then God won’t let you down… 

Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZJ            

Today’s Scrip-Bit   30 July 2022 Romans 8:31.

30 Jul 2022 Leave a comment

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

Romans 8:31.      What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?​

Well, well, well…if it isn’t lazy Saturday! But let me tell you a li’l ‘secrat’ (smile) as my young daughter said when she was small. I think it’s more tired Saturday than lazy Saturday oui! That’s because I never got home from the Pan Festival until 2.30 in the morning. What an example of very poor planning and communications! The show, and by the way it turned out to be just a showcase of Pan talent, not the usual competition. Anyway, the doors were scheduled to open at six o’clock and the show begin at seven. Hn! 

Now we all know that our West Indian reference to time is poor, but this one took the cake. The doors didn’t open until after seven, and the show didn’t begin until nine. And with nine bands to play two songs each, they had to skip the intermission. Can you imagine loud pan music, in particular Afro-Pan, blasting in the heart of ole Toronto after one in the morning. They must have friends in City Hall and Police Headquarters yes. (smile). But despite all the poor management, we did hear some good pan. 

The pansides were small though and with many junior members, possibly because of the pandemic and lack of time to rehearse properly. But the reigning champions Pan Fantasy, brought their big side and their ‘A game and blew them away again! That alone was worth going to see. Enough on pan now though, let’s hope next year we’ll get back to the competition format, for that really brings out the best in all of us. 

So, finally, let’s see what interesting quotes our friend Anselm sent us this past week, as he aspires to inspire us for a better tomorrow. And this first one tells it true. ‘Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can.’ Oh, it’s always best to begin right where you are and do what you can with what you have. Wishing and hoping for better things and times won’t make it so. The important thing is to get some action going, no matter how small or insignificant it might seem. 

And to drive the point further home, let’s think about how our heavenly Father takes us, and begins with us, right where we are, even when we are at rock bottom. Yes friends, He reaches down, stoops down and gathers us up and begins molding us into the perfect image of His Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ right there. He doesn’t wait for us to improve before He takes us in. Likewise, it’s best for us to always begin right where we are, and do something useful with whatever we have. 

And if you sincerely believe in Him, and ask for His help, you’ll be amazed at what that small, insignificant beginning could become with His hands on your shoulders and His Spirit in you. That brings us to the next quote: ‘The question isn’t who is going to let me; it’s who is going to stop me.’ Oh my people, with Almighty God on our side, that question is immaterial, for NO ONE is going to stop us when God is rooting for us! As Bruh Paul so emphatically wrote to the church at Rome. ‘What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?’ (Rom. 8:31) 

Not a single soul! And that’s the living truth! Because, as Bruh Paul further proclaims: ‘Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that LOVED us.’ (Rom. 8:37) Wow mih bredrin! There’s no greater encouragement possible than simply knowing that Jehovah God is on our side, in league with us. As they say: You and God are a majority! And there’s no disputing that. With the most powerful force in the universe on your side, anything is possible. 

That leads us to this quote: ‘If you continue to think the way you’ve always thought, you’ll continue to get what you’ve always got.’ Now that’s ever so true! You can’t keep thinking the same way and expect to get different results. As the old people would say; You can’t plant peas and expect to reap corn. It’s simple, you reap what you sow and nothing else. So, if you want to get better results, you have to change your thinking because it all begins and ends in the mind, the battlefield of our souls. It’s where all the arguments are made and the decisions formed. 

Therefore, to get positive results you must have a positive mindset, and there’s no better positivity than that that can be gained from Christianity, from the Master of Positivity, Christ Jesus! He wrote the book on the subject, the Bible, where all things are possible if you believe in Him. He said it quite plainly to the father of the boy with epileptic seizures. ‘If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth.’ (Mark 9:23) And that’s the major problem we are having in our world today; not enough sincere and serious belief in Christ Jesus. That’s why our world is falling apart, one brick at a time. 

Oh, we are all waiting for things to change. But when are they going to change and how eh? We have to change them and the sooner the better. That’s why this next quote is so important to us today. ‘Don’t wait for your feelings to change to take the action. Take the action and your feelings will change.’ That’s right! Feelings are flimsy and unreliable, they can change in a moment’s notice without any good reason. So we can’t depend on them to bring us around to whatever action we desire to happen or accomplish, we need to get into the action first, and when we do, then feelings will follow. 

Yes my people, too many of us are currently living by our feelings, and our feelings are letting us down because of all the sadness, strife and disaster that’s surrounding us. But when we put our trust in Jesus, feelings fly out the window, because we now have a solid, rocklike foundation on which to build, to grow our lives, not fleeting, unreliable feelings. Jesus is the most reliable foundation in the world. Now, I can tell you that until I’m blue in the face (smile) but you’ll never know it for sure, until YOU begin to build on Him. 

Oh friends, it’s all about a personal relationship with Jesus! Yes, you can tell your family and friends about Him, but until they get personal with Him, it won’t matter at all. That brings us to this last quote: ‘Always make a total effort, even when the odds are against you.’ Words of awesome wisdom my fellow believers. That’s exactly what Jesus did on His earthly sojourn, for everything was stacked against Him, but He persevered in the face of rejection, of tribulation and disbelief, even to the point of death. As the Good Book says: ‘And being found in fashion (appearance) as a man, he humbled himself , and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.’ (Phil. 2:8) 

Yes, my fellow saints, Christ came to earth to do a job, and He did not allow anything or anyone to stand in His way of accomplishing the Father’s will and purpose. Likewise, we ought not to allow anything or anyone to stand in our way of doing the Father’s will for our lives. We must always put our best foot forward, even when it seems like the whole world is against us. But, please, let’s remember that working for Jesus will always bring some rejection and hardship, but perseverance in His name, will always bring us out on the winning side! So, as His earthly ambassadors, let’s sincerely commit to stand our ground and do His bidding with diligence, excellence, perseverance and true belief! Much LOVE!

…life was not meant to be a bed of roses…for even roses have thorns…  

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