Today’s Scrip-Bit 9 February 2019 Matthew 21:22.

09 Feb 2019 Leave a comment

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

Matthew 21:22.   ​And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.
 

Ah mih people, the sun is shining brightly outside, the gloominess has been lifted, but please be careful because the weather isn’t completely done with its frustrating shenanigans! (smile) 

Yeh, yuh still hearing about the likelihood of getting all the different kinds of winter weather over the weekend, and the place is still white with ice and snow, and the wind is still blowing strong, but we not going to let it bother us. Like the workingman says in his song, we going to do our thing, regardless of what kind of weather shows up! Amen! 

And since it’s Saturday, and we have good reasons to sleep in, (smile) let’s check out some of the quotes our friend Anselm sent us this week, as he aspires to inspire us for a better tomorrow. And this first quote is interesting: ‘I am not a product of my circumstances. I am a product of my decisions.’ 

Now I don’t know if that is completely true nuh, because oftimes our decisions are made because of the circumstances in which we find ourselves. So though the decisions may seal the deal, they can always be leveraged by the circumstances. 

And the next one says: ‘The question isn’t who is going to let me; it’s who is going to stop me.’ And believe me, a lot of people will try to stop you, possibly more than will allow you to do what you want to do, especially in these turbulent times of technological advances and the rise of social media, where every fool and his brother can introduce their two cents worth without revealing their identities. 

But friends, all that foolishness should not stop us in stepping up to the plate and valiantly and powerfully doing what Jesus requires of us. Remember, He had plenty opposition too, but that never stopped Him from doing the Father’s business, and neither should we let whatever opposition comes against us stop us from doing His work. 

Then there’s: ‘Education costs money. But then so does ignorance.’ Gospel truth that! (smile) But somehow or the other, I believe that in this day and age education is costing a whole lot more than ignorance. 

You really don’t have to do much of anything to obtain ignorance nuh, just let the world go by without paying much attention to it, and you will end up ignorant, like so many of us unfortunately are today. We not even paying attention to the good free stuff like Jesus and His LOVE Revolution, so how can we be anything else but ignorant eh? 

And then this last quote says: ‘Believe you can and you’re halfway there.’ I don’t know if you’ll be quite halfway there, but your strong belief in whatever you’re doing is certainly going to get you over the top. It’s like the Chinese Proverb advocates: ‘The longest journey begins with the first step.’ 

And most definitely, the first crucial step in any undertaking is to believe that you can do it, otherwise your odds of success will be greatly lowered. That’s just the way the Lord set up His universe. That’s why Jesus castigated the disciples with these words, when they queried why they could not heal a mentally ill young boy. 

‘And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place, and it shall remove (move); and nothing shall be impossible to you. Howbeit this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting.’ (Matt.17:20-21)  

Yeh friends, we do indeed need even a small grain of belief before we can do anything successfully. Jesus even talked earlier about the parable of the mustard seed: ‘Which indeed is the least of (smallest of) all seeds: but when it is grown, it is the greatest among the herbs (greater than the other herbs), and becometh a tree, so that the birds of the air come and lodge (rest, sleep) in the branches thereof.’ (Matt.13:32) 

So friends, you see that all things start with small beginnings, and that also applies to our faith, our belief in Christ Jesus; we start with a small grain of faith or belief, then as time goes on and we water and feed it with the right nutrients- i.e. the Word of God, prayer and fellowship- our faith will grow stronger and stronger, and just like the mustard tree, we will be able to help others come to Jesus and grow strong in faith too. Glory Hallelujah! 

And likewise, when Jesus put a curse on the bare fig tree, and the disciples marvelled at how quickly it withered away: ‘Jesus answered and said unto them, Verily I say unto you, If ye have faith, and doubt not, ye shall not only do this which is done to the fig tree, but also if ye shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; it shall be done. And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.’ (Matt.21:21-22) 

Yes my people, belief and believing are the corner stones to doing anything successfully in this world…and even more so in Jesus’ realm. So let’s wake up and smell the coffee nuh (smile) and start truly believing, because without true belief, we will never see Jesus! Much LOVE!

…the world says…seeing is believing…but Jesus says…believe it…then you will see it…

P.S. It nice and short and sweet today. (smile) Praise the Lord! Much LOVE!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Today’s Scrip-Bit 24 July 2017 Job 13:15a.

24 Jul 2017 Leave a comment

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

Job 13:15a.   Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him…

Up and at ‘em friends! The trump’s sounding the wake up call, and we can’t afford to tarry, for he who tarries is lost. (smile) 

Yeh mih people, unfortunately it’s Monday morning and work calls, got to get out and make some bread to keep the family going, keep them in the fashion to which they’ve become accustomed. 

In addition to that, we also need to get out there and do Jesus’ work; important work that He’s depending on us to do – spreading His word to all and sundry so that they can receive salvation and eternal life, for the Father doesn’t want to lose even one of His creation to Beelzebub. So you see it’s of the utmost importance that we get up and get a move on.  

And I know some of us find it hard to get going on a Monday morning, for whatever reason, that’s why we have the appropriate antidote for your Monday problems. It’s called our Monday Morning Battle Hymn and it activates all our faculties, gets the adrenaline flowing so we can function like the true conquerors we are in Jesus. 

So let’s shout it out now nuh, in strong voice and much gusto. ‘Oh Lord God Almighty, Creator of the universe and all therein! We, your humble servants, praise your Holy Name and thank you that this Monday morning we have jobs to go to; jobs we don’t like, jobs that are unfair, difficult and even dangerous, but which serve a useful purpose here on earth; keeping lives and families together. 

We also thank you Father for the renewed vitality and enthusiasm you’ve wrought in our weary souls over the last two days. It’s that rejuvenation of Spirit which allows us now to sally forth with confidence into the evil, ungodly world that surrounds us, to begin a new week of work, constantly buffeted and bombarded by the enemy’s wicked taunts, wiles and lies. 

But heavenly Father, we’re not afraid, for we know we’re invincible, sure conquerors, once we’re wearing your powerful, protective spiritual armour. We surrender our all to you, and humbly ask that you let your incredible aura of LOVE, the Holy Spirit, lead and guide all your servants as we go out to meet the enemy in battle. 

Fill us with steadfast faith, so that we can make worthwhile inroads into the enemy’s ranks, and thereby further your glorious kingdom. We pray this in the Holy Name of your Son, and our Saviour, Jesus Christ. AMEN!’ 

Good showing friends, good showing! Our choirmaster Jesus was pleased with that rendition. Now let’s keep the energy and the adrenaline flowing by getting out onto the highways and byways with Jesus first place in our hearts. And let’s profoundly proclaim like Job did in our Bit: ‘Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him…’ 

Yeh friends, unconditional trust in Jesus Christ is essential in our faith walk. As Job said, though the Lord put him under, he would still trust him. That takes mucho mucho faith. And unfortunately, it’s only as we go through trials and tribulations that we build faith. That’s why so many righteous people in the Bible went through so much calamity. 

Check out Moses, Bruh Joseph, Bruh David and Bruh Paul. They were champions of faith, but they also suffered much tribulation for their belief. But yuh know what fellow believers, throughout all their trials the Lord was with them every moment and every step of the way. 

The Good Book tells us that in every rough spot Bruh Joseph found himself, God was with him and made him well-liked. And listen to his words when he finally accosted his scalawag brothers as Prime Minister of Egypt, the second most powerful man in the most powerful country in the world, when they came begging for food in the time of famine. ‘But as for you, ye thought (intended) evil against me; but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive.’ (Gen.50:20) 

Likewise friends, a lot of times when disaster strikes us, God is allowing it to make us strong, to prepare us for our destiny. Look at the amount of stuff Bruh David went through after he was anointed by Samuel, but before he actually became king. That was to prepare him for the immense task of kingship. And he turned out to be the best king Israel ever had. 

But listen to his words from Psalm 52 – Caution to the prideful wicked – words that are not as popular as some others, but still very meaningful. ‘Lo, this is the man that made not God his strength, but trusted in the abundance of his riches, and strengthened himself in his wickedness (destruction). But I am like a green olive tree in the house of God: I trust in the mercy of God for ever and ever. I will praise thee for ever, because thou hast done it: and I will wait on thy name; for it is good before thy saints.’ (Ps.52:7-9) 

Wow! What a powerful declaration of trust on Bruh David’s part, despite all the calamity he went through. And don’t talk about Bruh Paul…Hn! His life was just one calamity after the other; shipwreck, beatings, stoning’s, jail, etc. etc. But hear his words to the Corinthians.

‘For we would not, brethren, have you ignorant of our trouble (tribulation) which came to us in Asia, that we were pressed out of measure (burdened), above strength, insomuch that we despaired even of life. But we had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves, but in God which raiseth the dead. Who delivered us from so great a death, and doth deliver: in whom we trust that he will yet deliver us.’ (2 Cor.1:8-10) 

Now that is what you call great faith, which can only be based on great trust in Almighty God! So friends, I implore us this Monday morning as we get back into work mode, please, let’s keep Jesus first and foremost in our hearts, souls, bodies and minds as He desires of us, so that we can do His work. Let’s trust Him implicitly and thus grow in faith. Much LOVE!

… faith grows…when trust grows…and vice-versa…one cannot grow without the other…

 

 

 

Today’s Scrip-Bit 26 July 2016 Matthew 28:19.

26 Jul 2016 Leave a comment

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

Matthew 28:19.    Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.

Bless my soul; Tuesday has rolled around again! Brother! These weeks are flying by so quickly! Wasn’t it Tuesday just a few days ago? (smile) And don’t talk about the month of July; that’s almost finished…and it seems as though it just began! 

That means there’s no time to waste or loose my Christian brethren, we need to seriously get together and do Jesus’ work. Remember, we are His ambassadors here on earth, and as we go, so does His earthly kingdom. 

And believe me, right now, I don’t think that’s going as well as it can, or ought to. We’re not as serious, as diligent and faithful as we should be. We’re still allowing the enemy and the lusts of the world to control our thinking and our actions too much. 

We need to make changes, improve as soon as possible, because time is not waiting on us, and while we laze around, the enemy is making hay while the sun shines. And the best place to begin is in figuring out and believing who we are. So let’s declare our Tuesday Mantra, which does that, in a loud, proud and grateful manner. 

As one now: ‘I’m not what I do. I’m not what I have. I’m not what people say about me. I am the beloved of God, that’s who I am. No one can take that from me. I don’t have to worry. I don’t have to hurry. I can trust my friend Jesus and share His LOVE with the world. Amen!’ 

Yes friends, that’s who we are; the beloved of God and friends of Jesus! It’s time we sincerely and truly believe that and stop allowing the world to dictate otherwise to us, for we are not defined by its parameters, but by those of Almighty God! 

And we definitely need to improve our attitude and efforts in sharing the LOVE of Jesus with the world, for that’s our basic duty. We should be getting into the heads of the unbelievers, making them want to be like us, not the other way around. 

And we can’t do that until we’re really serious about working and fighting for Jesus, going all out to make sure the world understands who He is and the wonderful things He stands for. 

Oh friends, our world badly, desperately needs to hear and learn about Jesus because it’s quickly sinking into a quagmire of sin, sloth and despair in its current direction. We have totally gone astray from the Word of God, and returning to His wonderful and comforting fold is the ONLY thing that will save us from total destruction. 

And the world can only learn and hear about Jesus from us, His followers and believers. As Bruh Paul says in Romans: ‘So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.’ (Rom.10:11) 

So if the unbeliever doesn’t hear the word from us, how are they ever going believe eh? That’s why we need to ramp up our efforts to spread the good news of Jesus’ kingdom to all and sundry as He directed in the Great Commission, our Bit for today. 

‘Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.’ Yes my people, that’s our bounden duty as dictated by our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! 

And He continues: ‘Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always(s), even unto the end of the world.’ (Matt.28:20) 

Oh my fellow believers, it’s all there in black and white; simple and straight to the point. The disciples took it seriously and ran with the baton that Jesus passed on to them, and eventually, through sincere work and dedication on the part of believers, the gospel of Jesus was prominent in the overthrow of the great Roman Empire. 

Ah friends, there’s such power in the Word! Now it’s time for us to accept the baton and run with it. And it so happens that in this era of modern technology, we have the parts to spread the gospel, easier, wider and further than any other generation before us. 

So let’s seriously, sincerely and diligently step up to the plate and perform our bounden duty nuh, because Jesus is depending on us to spread the good news of His glorious kingdom. And we certainly don’t want to drop the baton, or pass it haphazardly to the next generation. 

Now here is some interesting info from the scholars. ’28:18-20. The Great Commission brings the first Gospel to its grand finale. Christianity is not represented here as the mere reverential devotion of disappointed men who honour their martyred leader. 

Here is a far different scene. The triumphant, living Lord sends forth His ambassadors to proclaim His gospel throughout the world. The Great Commission is not just an order but a pronouncement of victory (mundus regium Christi) by the risen Saviour through His disciples. 

All power or authority  (Gr. exousia) is now in the hands of Christ, in heaven and on earth. On the basis of that authority and power the Christian disciple is to carry out the Great Commission of the church. 

Go ye, though a participle, conveys the force of a command: “Go.” In other words, the idea expressed is that you must go and make disciples. 

Teach all nations can be translated “disciple all nations.” Thus the converting influence of the gospel is indicated here. The “all nations” clearly indicates that the commission of the church is a worldwide one, encompassing the entire missionary effort. The church is not to be merely “missionary-minded.” The church is the vehicle of Christ’s mission to the world.’ 

And who is the church my brethren? We are! Therefore we are the ones who are expected to spread the gospel to all nations! Let’s do our job nuh! End of Story! Much LOVE!

…unless believers spread God’s Word…the world cannot be saved… 

P.S. Please excuse the lateness of the Bit, I woke up late, then had some problems with Outlook. Ah Lord eh! It’s just testing my patience! Much LOVE!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Today’s Scrip-Bit 22 April 2016 James 1:25‏

22 Apr 2016 Leave a comment

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

James 1:25.   But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed (in what he does.

Well mih people, the day that we all seem to crave has finally come around again – it’s Friday! 

And you know that means joyful shouts of ‘TGIF! Thank God is Friday! The weekend’s here! No more labour, no more sweat! Time to party, time to fete! Thank you God for Fridays and the two days off from slaving for massa! Only wish everyday was Friday!’ 

Yeh friends, don’t we all wish that everyday was Friday. Only thing about that is if we didn’t work, we wouldn’t eat nor have a roof over our heads. So though it sounds real good, it’s not practical in the real world. Neither is too much partying and feting. Moderation and contentment should be our motto, not extremes. 

Anyway, since today is Friday, let’s chant our Friday Chant, which gives us a much better perspective on the use of the weekend. As one chanter now: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through another week of work! It hasn’t been easy, but with your generous help, I made it through. 

Now, please help me to get sufficient fun, fellowship, rest and relaxation in these two short days off, so that I can be renewed and refreshed in soul, body and mind, to go back out and do it all over again next week, furthering your glorious kingdom with each step I take. I pray this in Jesus name. Amen.’ 

Yes my brethren, the weekend ought to be one of rest and revitalization and worship, with elements of partying so that we can have the necessary wherewithal to go back out next week, strong and ready to do Jesus’ work. 

And here I want to mention a little thing I heard brother Corville (Corville Peters) from the Christian call in t.v. show ‘Live At the Cross,’ say recently. He said: ‘At the cross, where heaven met earth, and hate met LOVE, and LOVE overcame.’ 

Oh friends, how true that all is! Whenever hate meets LOVE, LOVE will ALWAYS prevail, because LOVE is by far the stronger of the two emotions. To LOVE under difficult and unfair circumstances as we Christians are supposed to do, is not easy. 

And that’s why for some of us, LOVING is more difficult to do than hating. But LOVE is what we should be all about, because that’s our vocation as true believers in Jesus Christ. 

And with those awesome words of wisdom, (smile) let’s turn to out Bit. ‘But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed (in what he does.’ More words of indisputable truth my friends! 

And we’ll continue where we left off yesterday with Christ talking about the law, that He didn’t come to destroy it but to fulfill it. ‘For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot (Gr. iota) or one tittle (smallest stroke in a Hebrew word) shall in no wise (by no means) pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.’ (Matt.5:18) 

And the scholars explain that thus: ‘5:18. Verily I say is a unique form used by Jesus throughout His preaching to draw attention to the authority of His message.

Verily (Gr. amen) means “truly” or “certainly.” It is used as a designation of authoritative teaching. One jot or one tittle refers to the most minute letter and marks of the Hebrew alphabet. 

He explained that even the smallest statement in the law must be fulfilled. A “jot” (yodh) is the smallest letter of the Hebrew alphabet. It functions as a Y in English and looks similar to an apostrophe. A tittle is a small projection on the edge of certain Hebrew letters to distinguish them from one another.’ 

So we see friends, that the law is still, and will always be of supreme importance in our lives. And Jesus continues: ‘Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.’ (Matt.5:19) 

And here’s what the scholars have to say about that. ‘5:19. Because of the seriousness of the law, Jesus emphasizes the importance of keeping even its smallest details. However, in the ultimate plan of God, the law was not to become an extra burden on the souls of men. 

Rather than pointing the way to salvation, the law convinced men of the need of the Saviour. Therefore, whoever shall teach men so but shall not live what he teaches, he shall be made least in the kingdom of heaven. But whosoever shall do and teach the principles and precepts of the law shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. 

This simply means that God will reward the faithfulness and effectiveness of our lives, and there will be varying degrees of blessing and reward in heaven.’ 

Ah mih breddren, yuh see it all comes right back to the old saying, about practicing what we preach. In our Christian faith, it’s not right or lawful to say one thing and then do another. 

And in closing today, I want us to ponder our individual lives and see to what extent that is a factor in them, because we all do some of it, at various times, to a certain degree. 

And as always, with God’s help, let’s try and banish that sort of behaviour from our lives, for as we can see from Jesus’ teaching, it is a critical aspect in our heavenly rewards and blessings. Much LOVE!

…a practicing Christian…must always try to practice…whatever he or she preaches…

 

 

 

Today’s Scrip-Bit 22 January 2014 Romans 13:12

22 Jan 2014 Leave a comment

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

Romans 13:12.   The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light.  

Well Friends, it’s another beautiful morning in Paradise! Wow! Since I’ve been here that’s been a recurring occurrence. (smile) And would you believe that I’ve already been here for almost a week? I left T.O. last Wednesday night.

Mama! Time sure is moving fast! A little too fast for my liking though. I need it to slow down some, to just an easy walk, so that I can properly enjoy my time on God’s Little Acre, rather than the hustling pace it seems all geared up for.
 
And by the way, I  finally experienced my first rainfall since I arrived. Sometime last evening, while we were inside, we suddenly heard an unexpected loud, drumming kind of noise on the roof, and wondered if it was rain, so I went outside to investigate the matter. And behold it was indeed heavenly blessing!
 
However, after a minute or so, it stopped just as suddenly as it had begun. It wasn’t all that surprising, because over the past week, there have been numerous dark rain clouds in the sky, but nothing has ever happened. Apparently the strong breezes simply blow them away. Even when I went outside earlier this morning, there were dark clouds hovering overhead, but soon thereafter, the sun rose in all its earthly morning splendour.
 
Ah mih people, as the Duchess and I keep on saying: ‘We could handle this, yuh know – on a long term basis.’ (smile) And hopefully, one day we will, provided it falls into line with God’s plan for our lives.
 
But enough of my frivolity, let’s get serious with Jesus’ work. And this morning I found this note amongst my papers, which I’m being guided to share with you. It looks like something I scribbled down from one of Uncle Charles’ (Charles Stanley) sermons. It talks about the 7 Priorities of Jesus’ Daily Decisions.
 
And they are: (1) He sought the Father. (2) He embraced the outcasts of society. (3) He restored broken lives. (4) He confronted hypocrites. And did He ever! (5) He taught God’s Word. (6) He served others in humility of spirit. (7) He equipped leaders – providing training in obedience and a desire to do God’s will.
 
So Friends, if we want to be more like Jesus, bring our character into greater conformity with His, then we too have to make those things our priorities. They’re not onerous goals, but they do take time, perseverance and patience to build, obviously with God’s help. And who knows how much time we have left on this earth eh – either in terms of our personal lives, or Jesus’ 2nd Coming?
 
For as our Bit so wisely and rightly reminds us. ‘The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light.’
 
And as we saw yesterday, the night refers to Jesus’ absence from the world, when the evil power of Lucifer rules, while the day hails His joyous coming again. And without a doubt my fellow believer, from all the signs He’s given us, that day isn’t as far away as many of us believe.
 
And having heard Jesus’ serious pronouncement on the subject of His Second Coming yesterday, today we’re going to investigate some scriptures which encourage us to give up the foolish darkness of this world and wisely move into the blessed light of Jesus’ heavenly abode. 
 
Let’s begin with some powerful admonishing and ‘exhortatious’ words (smile – poetic licence- it just sounded better) from Bruh Paul to the Ephesians, re the ways of a believer.
 
‘Let no man deceive you with vain (empty) words: for because of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience. Be not ye therefore partakers with them. For ye were sometimes (once) darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light: (For the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth;) Proving what is acceptable unto the Lord.
 
And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove (expose) them. For it is a shame even to speak of those things which are done of them in secret. But all things that are reproved (exposed) are made manifest (known) by the light: for whatsoever doth make manifest is light. Wherefore he saith, Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light.
 
See then that ye walk circumspectly (carefully), not as fools, but as wise. Redeeming the time, because the days are evil. Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is. And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess (dissipation); but be filled with the Spirit;
 
Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord; Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ; Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear (reverence) of God.’ (Eph.5:6-21)
 
Oh Friends, I have to chuckle here because I never intended to use all of that scripture, but after reading it, I couldn’t find anywhere to break off and not lose the sense of the passage, since it all speaks so earnestly and appropriately to our Bit; being ready for Christ’s return, and the behaviour that’s necessary to achieve such a wonderful and important goal.
 
So please, let’s ponder all the stuff we’ve heard today, write them indelibly in our hearts, mind and souls, and walk accordingly, thereby bringing more righteousness to our lives and also improving our readiness for Jesus’ Second Coming. That’s heavenly wisdom! Much LOVE!
 
…to be truly ready for Jesus…we must daily walk like He walked…humbly doing good…  

Today’s Scrip-Bit 10 November 2013 Matthew 5:14

10 Nov 2013 Leave a comment

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

Matthew 5:14.    Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hid.

Ah Friends, our world is in such a sad state of disrepair and confusion, it hurts to the very core. There are so many more negative than positive happenings, that when you look around all you can see is man’s terrible and ever increasing inhumanity to his fellow man. Not too long ago, it was reckoned in millions, but now it’s counted in billions.

Ah Lord eh! And the atrocities taking place in our supposed civilized world are innumerable and real, real… Hn! I can’t seem to find a word worse than atrocious nuh, so I guess atrocious it is. And the sad part is that many of these atrocities are being committed in the name of some god or the other. And wonder of wonders, all these gods are supposed to be deities which exude peace and LOVE as their main platforms!

Chuh! I guess that’s what I get for reading the newspapers, because they’re simply littered with all the negative aspects of our world, since that’s what is considered worthwhile news today. Very few of the relatively few good things happening in our world are ever reported.

I have to stop here and chuckle yes Friends, because when I was growing up, I could never understand about the constant warfare reported in the Bible and the History Books. And, fortunately or unfortunately, I still don’t understand them, or those happening today. I don’t see what real or useful purpose they serve, for it’s all death and destruction.

So you won the war, big deal! Numerous amounts of your citizens are dead, including your friends and family, your once proud and prosperous land is laid waste… But you won the war, so that makes you a mighty conqueror!

Steups! Pure foolishness Friends! I think I’ll just remain in my lack of understanding and naivety yes. (smile) The Lord might have been wiser though to let all of mankind perish in the flood, because even with that new beginning through Noah and his family, it didn’t take us long to revert to our truly evil ways, and it seems that since then, each generation has gotten progressively worse.

We claim that the Lord made us to have a good personal relationship with Him, but how much of humanity is doing that eh, even amongst the ones that do know about Him? The corrupting things of the world are having a much greater impact on mankind than the things of God, which do not corrupt.

So where does that leave us, eh mih breddren? It leaves the proportionate few who sincerely believe in the ONE TRUE GOD of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob; the God of LOVE, mercy, grace, forgiveness, salvation and eternal life, to work harder at spreading the good news of Christ and His redeeming work.

Oh Friends, we definitely and desperately need to outwork and outshine Lucifer and his evil hordes, if we truly desire to bring success to Jesus’ LOVE Revolution. To do that though, we need to develop an extraordinary amount of unbelievable faith to be able to put up with all the abuse, persecution and negativity thrown at us by the numerous evil doers of this world.

We need a faith as talked about by Martin Luther (1483-1546) the German minister who played a large part in bringing about the Protestant Reformation a few centuries ago. Now when I went on the Net to check out the dates of his birth and death, I happened to come across the same quote that I planned to share, but in a slightly different form. I considered trying to put them together, but couldn’t get it to work properly, so I’ll just give us both versions.

Version 1, from my Devotional. ‘Faith is a living and unshakeable confidence, a belief in the grace of God so assured that a man would die a thousand deaths for its sake.’

And version 2, from the Net. ‘Faith is a living, bold trust in God’s grace, so certain of God’s favour that it would risk death a thousand times trusting in it.’

Wow! Oh my fellow believers, which ever version you choose, it sure calls for a lot of faith! And right now it’s also obvious that our faith is still too small to successfully conquer the heathen. Without great faith, Martin Luther would not have had the ability to fight the Catholic Church, to stand strong and bring about the Protestant Reformation, which was, and still is, possibly the biggest change in religious attitudes since Christ birthed Christianity.

And Friends, with the great power that evil doers currently possess in our world, it will take a great upheaval, something akin to the Reformation, to bring the heathen to Christ. That’s where the LOVE Revolution comes in my people. We have to put on the greatest show of LOVE the world has seen, since Jesus sacrificed His sinless live on Calvary’s cross, for us to get the world’s attention and cause them to want what we so joyfully possess, to come to Christ to gain salvation and eternal life.

And I’m sorry, but the truth be told, we’re definitely not doing such a good job at it right now. There are too many divisions, too many petty grievances, too much hypocrisy, and simply not enough unity for unbelievers to take us seriously.

So what’s the answer eh mih breddren? We just have to get serious about doing Jesus’ work, to dig down deeper in our souls, find ways to strengthen out faith and trust in Almighty God, so that we’re willing to die a thousand deaths on His behalf.

That means Friends, we need to be two things. The first is to be a bright and genuine reflection of our Bit. ‘Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hid.’ For as Jesus explains: ‘Neither do men light a candle (lamp), and put it under a bushel (basket), but on a candlestick (lamp stand); and it giveth light unto all that are in the house.’ (Matt.5:15)

And secondly, we truly have to be the salt of the earth! Why is that, you ask?

Listen to Jesus, and all of this comes from the Sermon on the Mount. ‘Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour (flavour), wherewith (by what) shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men.’ (Matt.5:13)

Yes Friends, salt adds flavour to our food, acts as a preservative, heals wounds and salt water is the best therapeutic remedy in the world. That means we have to be bright and flavourful, compassionate, comforting, healing wounds, whether physically or psychologically, add taste, flavour and light to our bland, tasteless, dark world.

Yes my people, unless we are the true salt and light of this God-forsaken world, then things will just keep going downhill, which we certainly cannot afford to let happen.

So therefore we need to take Jesus’ advice very seriously. ‘Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.’ (Matt.5:16)

And that my fellow believers is divine wisdom straight from our Leader, our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. So please let’s put it into action as soon as possible nuh. It’s our bounden duty. Much LOVE!

…until the followers of Jesus truly become…the salt of the earth…and the light of the world…His church won’t make serious inroads into Lucifer’s camp…