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Today’s Scrip-Bit 22 November 2013 Genesis 22:18

22 Nov 2013 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: Abraham, acts of faith, all the nations, altar, Amen, Beer-sheba, Bible, blessed, blessing, body soul and mind, chosen people, Christians, consequences, contradiction to God's character, correct perspective, covenant, descendants, descendants of Abraham, different light, edification, enlightenment, ever-faithful God, evil, faithfulness, father of many nations, fear God, fellowship, followers of Jesus, Friday chant, furthering God's glorious kingdom, generous help, Gentiles, God's command, heaven, honour, in Jesus' name, Isaac, Ishmael, Israelites, Jehovah-Jireh, Jesus, Jews, journey of faith, jump to it, land of Moriah, LOVE, magnanimous, monstrous deeds, murder, Muslims, mysterious ways, negatives, Noah, obedience, obeyed God's voice, party time, promises, prove, rainbow, relaxation, renege, renewed and refeshed, rest, reverence, right attitude, sacrifice, sacrifices to gods, sign, soul searching, stars, stress, substitute, sufficient fun, tempt, test, TGIF!, Thank God is Friday, the angel of the Lord, the Good Book, the Lord will provide, time of want, token, trust, try, unselfish act, way of the world, weekend, wisdom, zenith

Genesis 22:18.    And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice.

Aye mih people, it’s Friday morning, and I hear you loudly shouting ‘TGIM! Thank God it’s Friday! The weekend is here, and no more work for two big days! Pappy oh! That means it’s party time!’

But hold on a minute mih people, that’s the way the world looks at it. True followers of Jesus ought to look at it in a different light though; the light that our Friday Chant extols. So please let’s chant our Friday Chant instead, so that we can bring the right attitude, the correct perspective to the wonderful weekend ahead of us.

All together 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.’

Now that, my Friends and fellow believers is more in keeping with what our response to the weekend ought to be! And the time has come to turn to our Bit, the same one as yesterday: ‘And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice.’

We saw yesterday where the Lord commanded Abraham to go to the land of Moriah and sacrifice his son Isaac as a burnt offering. No doubt Abraham experienced great internal stress, since the Lord’s command deviated substantially from His promise to make him the father of many nations through Isaac.

However, on the outside, Abraham remained calm and did what the Lord commanded. And when he was about to slay Isaac, the Lord stopped him, then provided a lamb for the purpose, and in honour of the Lord’s faithfulness, Abraham called the place Jehovah-jireh (the Lord will provide; for He did indeed provide in Abraham’s time of want. (Gen.22:1-14)

Now that whole episode makes me wonder what effect it had on young Isaac. How he must have fretted eh, especially after asking his father about the animal to be sacrificed, being told that the Lord would provide one, then having his father bind him upon the altar to use him as the sacrifice. (Gen.22:7-8)

The Good Book doesn’t say anything about it, but one way or the other, it must have had a great impact on Isaac, a mere youth at the time. But that unselfish act of Abraham must be considered as one of the greatest acts of faith ever shown by a believer, especially in those first days when the Lord was trying to put His chosen people together.

The Lord must also have been greatly moved, for as the Good Book tells it: ‘And the angel of the Lord called unto Abraham out of heaven the second time, And said, By myself have I sworn, saith the Lord, for because thou hast done this thing, and hast not withheld thy son, thine only son:

That in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed (descendants) as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the seashore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies; And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice.

So Abraham returned unto his young men, and they rose up and went together to Beer-sheba; and Abraham dwelt at Beersheba.’ (Gen.22:15-19)

Yes Friends, that’s the magnanimous, ever-faithful God that we serve! When we are faithful to obey His commands, especially those real deep, soul searching one, He honours us superbly! You can certainly see why He eventually made Abraham the father of many nations; his faith and trust were exceedingly great!

Now here are some relevant thoughts on the situation from the scholars. ’22:1-14. God did tempt Abraham: The word tempt is better rendered as “proved or tested.” God does not tempt anyone with evil (James 1:13), but in certain instances, He does test, try, or prove us (James 1:2; 1 Pet 1:6-7). Therefore we must assume that the command to sacrifice Isaac was not evil. God knew what He would do in the end. He had no intention to permit the murder of Isaac.

The reason God prohibited the Israelites from following the example of the Gentiles who offered their own children as sacrifices to their gods (Deut.12:31) was that such monstrous deeds were in contradiction to the character of the true God. Abraham’s faith was being tried. This was the entire purpose of the episode.

Moriah was in the general area that included the hills on which Solomon later built his temple in Jerusalem (2 Chr. 3:1) The journey was about 50 miles. God will provide is a phrase that would be immortalized in the name of the place in verse 14.

Now I know that thou fearest God indicates that God was certain that Abraham feared (reverenced) Him more than anyone else, since he was willing to offer Him his son. So God provided a ram as a substitute for Isaac. (cf. John 1:19)’

Ah my brethren, our great God does move in mysterious ways, but He’s never reneged, or will He ever renege on any of His promises! That’s the point that we’re trying to make.

He promised Noah a rainbow as a token of His covenant, and even to this day, thousands of years later, the beautiful rainbow of God’s promise still graces our skies every so often.

Likewise Abraham, though he experienced a lot of negatives on his journey of faith in and for God, today, most of the world, Jews, Christians and Muslims are all considered descendants of Abraham through Isaac, Jesus and Ishmael respectively.

Wow! The Lord indeed kept His awesome promise, making him a father of many nations, and his heritage known around the world. That just goes to show my people that we can faithfully trust the God of Noah and Abraham to keep His promises to all and sundry, without any exceptions.

So Friends, if the Lord is talking to you today, please listen closely, then do as he asks. You’ll cause yourself less problems in the long run, for if He really wants you, He’ll eventually get you, the hard way. I can tell you that from personal experience.

So whenever he comes a-calling, just say, ‘Yes Lord! How high Lord?’ And then jump to it. That’s wisdom at its zenith. Much LOVE!

…as per Uncle Charles (Charles Stanley)…the wisest move we can ever make…is simply to obey God…and leave all the consequences to Him…

P.S. Yes Friends, I know it’s a tad long, but I just wanted to finish the messages on Abraham’s promise today. So please bear with the ole fella, since it’s all for your enlightenment and edification. (smile) Much LOVE!

Today’s Scrip-Bit 20 November 2013 Genesis 21:13

20 Nov 2013 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: Abraham, action, any form and fashion, barren, Beersheba, Bible, blow up in our faces, bondwoman, breed bitterness, change, cherished hopes and dreams, courage, descendant, difference, distressing, Everett M Dirkson, evil one, faith, fear not, firstborn, folly, God opened her eyes, godly life, Good Book, gospel truth, grievous, Hagar, handle change, heartaches, heir, holy spirit, human animal, impatience, Isaac, Ishmael, jealousies, jealousy, Jews, laughing, leads and guides, life, lift up her voice, make a nation, mocking, Muslims, off kilter, pettiness, Philippines, reaction, resentment, Sarah, scoffing, Serenity Prayer, static thing, talk to the Lord, think wisely, thunderstorms in North America, tornadoes, trivial things, trust, turmoil, typhoon, wandered in the wilderness, wept, wisdom

Genesis 21:13. And also of the son of the bondwoman will I make a nation, because he is thy seed (descendant).

Oh Friends, the ole fella has a rather profound statement to make on this chilly, November morning! (smile)

And don’t worry, it’s not from me, but is attributed to an American politician, Everett M. Dirkson (1896-1969), a U.S. senator and Congressman, a member of the Republican Party. And he’s reputed to have said this famous line: ‘Life is not a static thing.’

And isn’t that the gospel truth Friends? It surely is! For change is one of the few things we can count on to occur in our lives. It’s a constant; one that sometimes comes slowly, but at other times quite quickly and dramatically.

Now most of us can handle the slow, sort of unnoticeable changes, but it’s the big, quick ones we don’t like, because they suddenly throw everything off kilter, our calm and peace are shattered, often without warning. Note the deadly typhoon in the Philippines last week, and the destructive tornadoes and thunderstorms in North America a couple days ago.

But my people, to live a full, interesting and godly life, we must be able to handle change in any form and fashion it comes. Many of us pray the Serenity Prayer when things start going haywire.

‘God grant me the Serenity to accept the things I cannot change; the Courage to change the things I can; and the Wisdom to know the difference.’

Yes Friends, it is a sensible prayer, but along with it comes the necessity to have the faith and trust that whatever and wherever God’s Holy Spirit leads and guides us, that’s what we ought to do, and where we ought to go. It’s all impossible without strong faith and trust my brethren!

That brings us to our Bit. ‘And also of the son of the bondwoman will I make a nation, because he is thy seed (descendant).’

Now what’s happening here eh? It’s simple; like what we were just talking about, families going through tough changes, which eventually breed bitterness and resentment.

Hear the Good Book tell it. ‘And Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian, which she had born unto Abraham, mocking (scoffing, laughing). Wherefore she said unto Abraham, Cast out this bondwoman and her son: for the son of this bondwoman shall not be heir with my son, even with Isaac.

And the thing was very grievous (distressing) in Abraham’s sight because of his son. And God said unto Abraham, Let it not be grievous in thy sight because of the lad, and because of thy bondwoman; in all that Sarah hath said unto thee, hearken unto her voice (listen to her); for in Isaac shall thy seed be called. And also of the son of the bondwoman will I make a nation, because he is thy seed (descendant).’ (Gen.21:9-13)

Yuh see mih breddren, even in the most godly and trusting families, the evil one often manages to get a foothold. Now what did Sarah expect from Ishmael eh, when all his cherished hopes and dreams of being Abraham’s firstborn and heir were shattered by Isaac’s arrival?

The poor lad did the little he could, mock and laugh. But that drove Sarah crazy with resentment and jealousy, and she then entreats Abraham to kick out Hagar and Ishmael. What a change from when she was barren and entreating him to go in and lie with Hagar. Now that she has a son though, she doesn’t want anyone else hanging around.

Ah Lord eh! The pettiness and jealousies of the human animal! And what of poor Abraham? Obviously Sarah’s request didn’t sit well with him, but the Lord saw his distress and told him it was okay. For though Isaac would be his official heir, Ishmael would also become great, because he was Abraham’s child.

I don’t know if that quieted or relieved Abraham’s distress, but the Good Book tells us: ‘And Abraham rose up early in the morning, and took bread, and a bottle (skin) of water, and gave it unto Hagar, putting it on her shoulder, and the child (youth), and sent her away: and she departed, and wandered in the wilderness of Beersheba.

And the water was spent (used up) in the bottle (skin), and she cast (placed) the child under one of the shrubs. And she went and sat down over against (opposite) him a good way off, as it were a bow shot: for she said, Let me not see the death of the child. And she sat over against (opposite) him, and lift up her voice, and wept.

And God heard the voice of the lad; and the angel of God called to Hagar out of heaven, and said unto her, What aileth thee, Hagar? fear not; for God hath heard the voice of the lad where he is. Arise, lift up the lad, and hold him in (with) thine hand; for I will make him a great nation.

And God opened her eyes, and she saw a well of water; and she went and filled the bottle (skin) with water, and gave the lad to drink. And God was with the lad; and he grew, and dwelt in the wilderness, and became an archer. And he dwelt in the wilderness of Paran: and his mother took him a wife out of the land of Egypt.’ (Gen.21:14-21)

Ah mih people, yuh see what happens when we don’t have the patience, trust and faith to wait on God and His promises! Sarah’s impatience and Abraham’s folly for listening to her to go in and lie with Hagar, eventually caused all sorts of turmoil in the family. A turmoil that unfortunately still exists today, between the Jews, descendants of Isaac, and the Muslims, descendants of Ishmael.

However Friends, time and space have run out, so we’ll end on that note. And please, let’s all be careful of our actions nuh, let’s think wisely before we act, talk to the Lord first, because we never know when some apparently trivial thing will blow up in our faces, and cause substantial changes and heartaches in our lives. Much LOVE!

…for each action…there’s always a reaction…so let’s seriously consider the reaction…before committing the action…

Today’s Scrip-Bit 30 October 2013 Matthew 5:9

30 Oct 2013 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: abuse of the law, almighty god, antagonistic groups, arrogance, believe in Jesus, blessed, Blessed are the peacemakers, blessed day, blessings, blood of jesus, breath to see another day, children of God, christ jesus, Christian Church, Christian Gentiles, Christian Jews, chuh, commandments, conversations, divisions, earth shattering, encouraged, enlightened, enmity, Ephesians, everyday aspects, faithful, fantastic happenings, far off, fool's wisdom, foolishness, forgiveness, Gentiles, get in a groove, God's dynamic presence, God's goodness, grace, gracious and faithful God, hatred, health, incensed, Isaac and Jacob, Jews, lack of faith, leap of faith, lip service, lo and behold, LOVE, loving kindness, mercy, miracles, moral distance, Mozambique, mudane business of living, new man, nigh, One Body, partition, passport renewal, peace, power, privilege, rambling on, reconcile, relationship with god, resentment, serve and worship, skype, steups, strength, surrender, testifying, Thank You Lord, thankful, the cross, the god of Abraham, the law, the One True God, trust, ultimate, unity of believers, wealth, winning mood, wisdom, wonder of wonders

Matthew 5:9. Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.

Oh Friends, right now it’s a wet, chilly autumn Wednesday morning in my area, although the weather people say that it will end up being sunny and warmish. (smile) But whatever it is, I’m very thankful, for the Lord has already blessed me three times since I’ve been up.

First off, He granted me health, wealth, strength and breath to see another glorious day. Now just that alone would be sufficient, but in His LOVING-kindness, I had a second blessing.

Before my computer could even warm up properly, I heard this ringing noise coming from it, only to cheerfully discover that it was my young daughter calling me via skype, from somewhere in Maputo, the capital of the island of Mozambique, off the east coast of Africa.

Thence commenced a forty-five minute conversation – yes mih D, that’s how long it was- which is partly why the Bit’s a tad late. Notice I didn’t put all the blame on you either. (smile) Strangely though, we seem to have longer and better conversations when she’s away, than when she’s here. Think on that nuh.

And wonder of wonders, while telling her about my inability to find an envelope with some passport renewal forms and my old passport that was somewhere in the office, lo and behold, I rolled back my chair a little, looked around and spied this brown envelope sitting in full view on a pile of record albums, pulled it out… and voila! There were the missing forms and old passport.

Thank You Lord! And imagine it was right there in front of me all the time, but my eyes weren’t open. And that’s the way we often are my people, when coming to our relationship with Almighty God; things are right there before us, but because of our lack of faith or whatever, we just can’t see them.

So Friends, the ole fella’s in a winning mood this morning! And then they say that we don’t serve a gracious and faithful God… Chuh Steups! Foolishness yes mih people!

The problem with those people is that they don’t truly serve and worship the ONE TRUE GOD, He of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, so how do they expect to receive His endless grace, tender mercies and overwhelming forgiveness eh?

The crux of the matter my brethren, is that before we can enjoy God’s goodness and LOVING-kindness we have to take that leap of faith, where we truly believe in Jesus, seriously trust and consciously surrender our entire lives to Him. Only then will we see fantastic happenings in our lives.

And please don’t expect big miracles and enormous wealth, power and privilege when you accept Jesus as your Lord and Saviour, for that’s not how He works. Granted, you can get those things, but generally speaking it’s in the bland, everyday aspects of our lives that our Lord likes to work.

Just look at the blessings He granted me this morning. They’re not earth shattering, but are nonetheless very important in me having a blessed day. That’s why I keep encouraging us to look for the Lord in the small things, the mundane business of living, for He wants to be involved in every aspect of our being. And if you only look for Him in the big, miraculous happenings, you’ll never truly understand and/or appreciate His dynamic presence.

Anyway, time for me to stop rambling on – once I get in this groove, I can go on all day (smile). So let’s get to our Bit: ‘Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.’

Now yesterday I promised some more scripture on this Bit, and being faithful, or at least trying to be faithful like our ever-so-faithful God, here it is. Listen to these words of divine truth from Bruh Paul to the Ephesians, re the unity of believers.

‘But now in Christ Jesus ye who were sometimes (once) were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ. For he (he himself) is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition (division) between us;

Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make (create) in himself of twain (the two) one new man, so making peace;

And that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having slain (put to death) the enmity thereby: And came an preached peace to you which were afar off, and to them that were nigh.’ (Eph.2:13-17)

Now here’s what the scholars have to say about all that. ‘2:13. Because Jews had access to God through His temple in Jerusalem, they were said to be nigh. But Gentile nations, geographically removed from the temple, were said to be far off. These terms of space came to denote moral distance, so that to be “nigh” was to have a proper relationship with God, and to be “far off” was to have an improper relationship with Him.

2:14-15. Who hath made both one: Jesus has formed the two antagonistic groups of Jew and Gentile into a single new party, the Christian church. He did this by removing the middle wall of partition, that is the Mosaic Law. The law was meant to protect Jews from pagan corruptions, but by misconstruing the purpose of the law, the Jews felt superior to the Gentiles, who were incensed at this arrogance.

So Jesus abolished this enmity (hatred), caused by an abuse of the law, by making the law invalid for His church. Of twain one new man: As above, Christian Jews and Christian Gentiles now compose this “one new man” or Christian church.’

So Friends, if we’re supposed to be one church in Christ, how come we’re still so divisive and resentful of each other eh? The simple and obvious answer is that we’re not truly following God. We’re only paying lip service, if so much to it. And that my people, is the wisdom of a fool!

Consequently mih breddren, I do hope that all we’ve said today, has both enlightened and encouraged us, thus making us want to embrace the LOVING-kindness of Jesus even more than when we first begun, because that is truly the ultimate in wisdom. Much LOVE!

…to know, know, know Him…is to LOVE, LOVE, LOVE Him…that’s a proven fact my people…I’m testifying to it…

Today’s Scrip-Bit 19 October 2013 Isaiah 42:5

19 Oct 2013 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: Abraham, adultery, Ark of the Covenant, basis of faith, Bathsheba, Bible, breath of life, busy lives, Christians, conspiracies, covenant, creation, critical spirit, darkness, darkness of eternity, disobedient, dysfunction, encouraging, enervating, eternal life, eternal truth, fallen angel, family disunity, former things, Genesis, glory, God's glory, God's wisdom, God's Word, graven images, Hagar, imbibing wine, insensitivity, Jews, light of the Gentiles, Living Deity, loving kindness, Lucifer, meditation, Messiah, negative spirit, praise, prison house, prisoners, prophetic word of God, rebellious, reconciliation, Revelation, righteousness., rock and roll, rumours of war, salvation, Saul, sin, sinful, solemn promise, special attention, spies, spirit, spiritual shallowness, strong grasp, thrillers, treachery, wars, wisdom

Isaiah 42:5. Thus saith God the Lord, he that created the heavens, and stretched them out; he that spread forth the earth, and that which cometh out of it; he that giveth breath unto the people upon it, and spirit to them that walk therein.

Oh Friends, I want to start off this morning by reminding us of two very significant pieces of wisdom, or of wise information. Now we should already know them, but such is the busyness of our lives that we either don’t remember them, or if we do, we don’t pay the special attention to them that we should.

And the first piece of wise info is that the Bible is God’s Word to us, still very fresh though it’s passed through many ages. And if we read it, we will most definitely find God’s wisdom on its pages! Everlasting, eternal truth, my people!

And the second bit of wise info is that ONE TRUTH from the Bible is worth more than all the wisdom of man! And that’s definitely truth for all the ages my people! So please let’s pay more attention to our Bibles nuh; read them more frequently and in more depth, because there’s no supposed thriller ever concocted by man that can match the Good Book for thrills.

From Genesis right through to Revelation the Bible is just chocked full of stuff we look for in man-made thrillers, and the great difference is that it’s ALL FACT, not a lot of fiction. We find wars, rumours of war, murder, adultery, conspiracies, spies, conflict in both high and low places, treachery, family disunity and dysfunction, and in its own way, sex, drugs and rock and roll, which should make us want to devour it.

Now don’t go flying off the handle, because it’s true. What do you call Abraham’s liaison with his maid Hagar eh? And what about Bruh David’s tryst with Bathsheba? And don’t forget how the ladies played their instruments, sang and danced when Bruh David came home from battle, re his killing of ten thousands to Saul’s mere thousands. (1 Sam.18:6-8)

And remember too how Bruh David danced before the Lord with all the instruments pounding away when they brought up the Ark of the Covenant. (2 Sam. 6) And what other book tells you about so much imbibing of wine eh? And yuh see how Bruh David’s wife, Michal, Saul’s daughter, looked at him askance for his dancing, (2 Sam.6:16) figuring that it was conduct unbefitting a king.

All of that was early rock and roll. (smile) It’s the same way that parents looked at their children in modern rock and roll. And as the scholars say of Michal’s behaviour: ‘A negative and critical spirit born of spiritual shallowness and insensitivity is a dangerous thing! And that’s no lie, as we see it happening in great numbers even today.

Anyway Friends, that’s just to remind us of what a thrilling book we have as the basis of our faith, and that we ought to pay MUCH MORE ATTENTION to it, and not as much to some of the nonsense that mankind is writing today.

And now, here’s our Bit, the prophetic words of our God, spoken by His servant Isaiah, re God’s servant coming to glorify His Holy Name. ‘Thus saith God the Lord, he that created the heavens, and stretched them out; he that spread forth the earth, and that which cometh out of it; he that giveth breath unto the people upon it, and spirit to them that walk therein.’

Yes Friends, it’s certainly the Most High God Jehovah who formed the heavens and the earth and gave us the breath of life. The first few chapters of Genesis describe it in detail. But my people, even more important than the creation, is the reconciliation, after man sinned and fell short of God’s glory!

That’s what our Bit introduces. ‘I the Lord have called thee in righteousness, and will hold thine hand, and will keep thee, and give thee for a covenant of (to) the people, for a light of the Gentiles; To open the blind eyes, to bring out the prisoners from the prison, and them that sit in darkness out of the prison house. I am the Lord: that is my name: and my glory will I not give to another, neither my praise to graven images. Behold the former things are come to pass, and new things do I declare: before they spring forth I tell you of them.’ (Is.42:6-9)

Oh my people, what a wonderful God we serve and worship! I’m amazed at His extraordinary LOVING-KINDNESS every day! Those verses are a solemn promise to His creation, both the Jews and Gentiles to provide a way of reconciliation in His own time. Wow! How awesome!

The scholars describe it thus: ’42:5-16. God the Lord is pictured as the Creator who created the heavens, and stretched them out and spread forth the earth. He also gives both breath and spirit to His people. The ministry of the Messiah is described in verse 6 as a covenant to the Jews and a light to the Gentiles. It foreshadows the twofold purpose of Christ’s ministry to both the Jews and Gentiles.’

Oh my brethren, what can be more encouraging and enervating than a Living Deity who contrives a plan to bring salvation and eternal life to His lost, sinful, rebellious and disobedient creation eh? Nothing really nuh!

That’s why we have to take hold with alacrity and a strong grasp, all that God has done for us, is still doing and promises to do in the future. Otherwise we’ll be lost in the darkness of eternity forever, with the foolish fallen angel Lucifer.

Now that’s not a very good way to spend eternity, is it? Certainly not! There’s no wisdom to that move at all! Therefore, please hear the Words of our great God and be wise. That’s our meditation for today! Much LOVE!

…as for me and mine…we will follow the Lord…that should be the irrevocable cry of ALL CHRISTIANS…

Today’s Scrip-Bit 23 September 2013 1 John 5:14.

23 Sep 2013 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: adrenalin, aura of love, autumn, blessed, chomping at the bit, christianity, circumcised of heart, circumcision, colourful hues, confidence, conquerors, death traps, disdain, earthly privileges, enthusiasm, eternal life, evil workers, eye candy, faithful, favour with God, fear of the Lord, foolish, fountain of life., Gentiles, glorious kingdom, glory, God's will, hibernation, holy spirit, human attainment, humble servants, invincible, Jesus Christ, Jews, jobs, Judaizers, Law of Moses, lies, lord god almighty, LOVE, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, mutilation, panoramic scenes, place of refuge, pomp, praise, pressing towards the mark, rejuvenation of spirit, renewed vitality, reverence, righteousness., salvation, scavengers, snares of death, spiritual armour, steadfast faith, thanks, the enemy's ranks, the flesh, theology, true believers, truth, ungodly world, useful purpose, weary souls, wicked taunts, wiles, wisdom, wise, worthwhile inroads

1 John 5:14. And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask anything according to his will, he heareth us.

Oh Friends, it’s Monday – officially the second day of autumn, that beautiful, unique season between summer and winter, when nature starts to go into hibernation mode, but before doing so, bathes us in bright, colourful hues and splendid, panoramic scenes. I guess you can call autumn (fall) the season of eye-candy! (smile)

Anyway Friends, the Lord, in His usual mysterious movements, wanted me to remind us that ‘We, we are blessed! If you’re a believer, then you, you are blessed. So let’s tell the world, that we, we are blessed!’ That’s a take on the song ‘I am Blessed,’ by I believe it’s sung by Kay Morris and her group. But my people, it’s ever so important that this Monday morning, as we get up to go back out to labour in God’s name, and it’s in His name that we’re working, not man’s, that we remember we’re BLESSED in all that we do. For without His blessing we can do very little.

And having brought that fact in to focus, let’s sing our Monday Morning Battle Hymn to get us ready to go out and battle Lucifer and his evil cohorts. And since we’re not as tired as we usually are, because we’ve gotten some decent rest this weekend, let’s let it all hang out and sing with pomp and glory nuh. (smile)

As one voice now: ‘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!’

Awright mih people, the engine’s revving and the adrenalin’s flowing, so let’s get out there and be worthy soldiers in Jesus’ army. Remember, He’s already at the front lines, and, like His magnificent steed, He’s just chomping at the bit, waiting for us to arrive and engage the enemy.

Now let’s get to our Bit: ‘And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask anything according to his will, he heareth us.’ And that my Friends, is what’s called absolute truth!

That brings us to supporting scripture. And we’ll begin with some wise words from the wisest man ever, Cousin Sol, as he contrasts the wise and foolish. ‘In the fear of the Lord is strong confidence, and his children shall have a place of refuge. The fear of the Lord is a fountain of life, to depart (turn one away) from the snares of death.’ (Prov.14:26-27).

Wow! Wise words indeed my brethren! When we have a proper reverence for Almighty God our confidence never wavers, always stays strong, because we know we can always turn to Him in times of need. There’s always a place of refuge for us under His wide and ever-LOVING wings. That reverence will also keep us alive and kicking, in that it will keep us from falling for, and into the death traps that the enemy lays for us.

Next we’ll turn to Bruh Paul, as he talks to the Ephesians about pressing towards the mark. ‘Beware of dogs, beware of evil workers, beware of the concision (mutilation, circumcision). For we are the circumcision which worship God in the spirit, and rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh.’ (Phil.3:2-3)

Ah mih people, Bruh Paul was here warning the Ephesians of the Judaizers, those supposed Christians who were preaching that you still need circumcision, per the Law of Moses to receive salvation, which was a total lie. He called them dogs, because dogs were regarded as shameful, despicable, creatures, just running around behaving like scavengers, and the Jews held the Gentiles in the same disdain that they held for stray dogs.

Bruh Paul even refuses to refer to them as ‘the circumcision’, instead using it for those circumcised of heart in Jesus, and not of the flesh. He turns the table on those false Christians, the Judaizers, and calls them ‘dogs’ instead.

And here’s what the scholars have to say about verse 3. ‘3:3. The circumcision or true people of God are described here in three ways. (1) They are those who worship God in the spirit. Their worship of God is prompted, directed, and enabled by the Holy Spirit. (2) Real Christians also rejoice in Christ. They boast and take pride in Him, not in themselves.

(3) They have no confidence in the flesh. “Flesh” here means one’s earthly privileges, human attainments, and religious accomplishments. God’s people refuse to depend on such things for their salvation; instead, they rely upon Christ to obtain favour with God.’

And that’s it for today Friends! As usual, I hope the message moves us further along the continuum to maturity in Christ Jesus, for that’s the ultimate purpose; to help us grow a little more each day, in wisdom, righteousness and LOVE. That’s God’s plan for us, so please, with His awesome help, let’s keep working faithfully towards it. Much LOVE!

…if our hearts aren’t truly circumcised in Christ…then we can’t really be true believers…

Today’s Scrip-Bit 21 September 2013 Matthew 16:18

21 Sep 2013 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: apostles, barriers, Bishop of Rome, blessings, church, corner stone, faithfulness, flesh and blood, foreigners, forgiveness, foundation stone, gates of hell, Gentiles, holy temple, Jesus Christ, Jews, kingdom of heaven, LOVE, loving kindness, manna, mercies, Old Testamnet, petra, petros, prophets, Son of the living God, spiritual insight, strangers, the Lord's doing, the Rock, veil of the temple, water and the word

Matthew 16:18. And I say also unto thee, that thou art Peter (a stone) and upon this rock (large rock) I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.

Oh Friends, it’s one more morning, one more day! And though it looks like it might be a rainy day in my area, it certainly won’t stop the outpouring of new mercies, blessings, manna and forgiveness from heaven above. Don’t you just LOVE the faithfulness and LOVING-kindness of our wonderful God? Nothing stops His daily benevolence to His children, although we most often don’t deserve it.

And all God’s people declared a loud and joyful shout of, “Praise the Lord God Jehovah for His unceasing goodness to the children of sinful men!’ And that’s certainly how it ought to be my brethren!

Anyway, I want to clear up something that I said yesterday, which was, and is liable to cause some confusion. In the last scripture I spoke of getting some wise words ‘from the Rock – Petros, Peter.’ Thankfully one of my readers pointed out the problem, that some people would take it to mean that Peter was the ‘Rock’ on which Christ intended to build His church.

And this would be totally plausible after reading our Bit. ‘And I say also unto thee, that thou art Peter (a stone) and upon this rock (large rock) I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.’

Now let’s get some background on it. This scripture came up after Jesus asked His disciples who they thought He was. And the ever bright and feisty Simon chirped up: ‘Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Bar-jona (son of Jonah): for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.’ (Matt.16:16-17)

Jesus was saying there that Simon had achieved that conclusion through spiritual insight. Then He launched into our Bit.

I believe the problem comes from the translation of the Greek words used in the original; ‘Petros and Petra.’ The first, ‘Petros’ which we translate as Peter, apparently means a small stone, while ‘Petra,’ means a large rock. The distinction has obviously gotten lost in the English translation. And though Jesus’ next words tend to convey the ‘Rock’ meaning, we’ll see differently afterwards.

After our Bit, Jesus tells Peter: ‘And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: And whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.’ (Matt.16:19)

But Jesus says the same words to all the apostles later on when talking about lost sheep. ‘Verily I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.’ (Matt.18:18)

Now hear the scholars take on the subject. ’16:18. The Greek word used for rock (petra) is played against the name Peter (Gr. Petros). Some use this passage to teach that Peter was the foundation stone of the church, that he had a primacy among the apostles, and that he became Bishop of Rome. The verse will scarcely bear the first of these propositions, and certainly none of the others.

Peter may be meant by the rock, but he is not the exclusive foundation. For the twelvefold foundation of the apostles of the church, see Ephesians 2:20 and Revelation 21:14. This seems borne out by the fact that the same words are spoken to all the disciples in Matthew 18:18 as are spoken to Simon Peter in 16:19. Therefore the rock or foundation of the church is the confession (ultimately, the doctrine) of the apostles, which became normative for the true church.’

Oh Friends, I surely hope that clears up any confusion my words may have caused yesterday. And to make life easier for us all, (smile) I’ll quote two of the other appropriate scriptures the scholars referenced, beginning with the one from Revelation. Here John is talking about the New Jerusalem which an angel spiritually carried him away to see. ‘And the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and in (on) them the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.’ (Rev.21:14)

Obviously Peter was not the only foundation stone of the church, though he played a large part in its creation and continuation. Now turning to the Ephesians scripture. Bruh Paul is here telling them about the unity of all believers.

‘Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints, and of the household of God; And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone; In whom all the building fitly framed (being joined) together groweth unto a holy temple in the Lord.’ (Eph.2:19-21)

Yes my brethren, Jesus came and tore down all the barriers between Jews and Gentiles, ripped down the veil of the old temple and laid the foundation of His church on the work of the apostles and prophets, with Him being the corner stone.

As Jesus said when relating the parable of the wicked husbandmen: ‘Did ye never read in the scriptures, The stone which the builders rejected, the same is become the head of the corner (cornerstone): this is the Lord’s doing, and it is marvellous in our eyes?’ (Matt.21:42)

There Jesus is quoting the words of the psalmist, (Ps.118:22-23) words that were written long before He came to earth in human form, thus again proving the importance of the Old Testament as a foreshadowing of the New.

Ah mih people, I do hope that today’s message will bring some clear or even clearer insight into the rock situation with Peter. He was important in the foundation of Christ’s church, but not the rock, or even the chief stone. Much LOVE!

…the Church’s ONE foundation…is Jesus Christ her Lord…She is His new creation…by water and the Word…

Today’s Scrip-Bit 8 August 2013 Acts 9:16

08 Aug 2013 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: a spirit of divination, accolades, afraid, ashamed of Jesus, behind closed doors, believers, change, Christian land, christianity, colour business, corrupt, counterfeit method, courage, demon possessed, drawing the noose tighter, feet in the stocks, fight back, forces of darkness, fortune telling, fraudulent, freedoms being eroded, futile, genuine method, God's Word, God's work, godly wisdom, good deed, great things, hope of profit, in the name of Jesus Christ, insidious attack, jehovah god, Jews, joking matter, lackadaisical attitude, mission on earth, new believer, oppressed countries, plenty action, politically correct, prison, racism, religion, Satan, serenity, Serenity Prayer, sincere passion, spirit of divination, spirituality, stand up strong, stripes, suffer for my name's sake, the 'n'word, the Great Commission, the Holy Ghost, the occult, the way of salvation, theology, tribulation, unlawful customs, wisdom, wisdom to know the difference, with Jesus all things are possible

Acts 9:16. I will show him how great things he must suffer for my name’s sake.

Oh Friends, as I was cleaning up my desk earlier on, I discovered a plaque with the Serenity Prayer, engraved on it, and consequently figured that was the best way to begin today’s Bit.

Please pray with me: ‘Oh Lord God, please grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference. Amen.’

Yes Friends, those few words impart a most important message to us. It makes life ever so much easier when we know what we can change and what we can’t. But the devil is being able to know the difference, which is why we can only do it through the wisdom that emanates from Jehovah God and His everlasting Word.

That brings us to our Bit. ‘I will show him how great things he must suffer for my name’s sake.’

Now yesterday I was taken up with the racism and colour business, re the ‘n’ word. Steups! I have to steups and chuckle in disbelief at the foolish lengths we’ll go to appear politically correct, as though it’s going to change anything.

But enough of that, today I want to focus on some of the stuff, the ‘great things’ that Bruh Paul suffered for the Lord’s sake. And we’ll begin in Philippi, where he stayed with a new believer named Lydia. (Acts 16:14-15)

‘And it came to pass, as we went to prayer, a certain damsel possessed with a spirit of divination met us, which brought her masters much gain by soothsaying (fortune telling). The same followed Paul and us, and cried, saying, These men are the servants of the most high God, which show unto us the way of salvation.

And this did she many days. But Paul being grieved (greatly annoyed), turned and said to the spirit, I command thee in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her. And he came out the same hour.’ (Acts 16:16-18)

Now hear this explanation from the scholars. ’16:17: The strange words of the demon possessed girl, that Paul is proclaiming the way of salvation, reveal Satan’s insidious attack upon the work of God. His method is to counterfeit that which is genuine, thereby confusing and corrupting it. (cf. Luke 4:41: 2 Cor.11:13-15)

Please read those scriptures for yourselves, for they are very interesting and educational.

And sadly, a lot of that stuff is still going on today, despite the supposed enlightened times we live in. Lots of people are still heavily involved in the occult. And you wouldn’t believe how many of them are considered intelligent and well educated, yet they continue to waste their time, efforts, money and lives dealing with the futile, fraudulent forces of darkness.

But getting back to Bruh Paul’s supposed good deed. It certainly didn’t win him any accolades or endear him to the girl’s masters. ‘And when her masters saw that the hope of their gains was gone, they caught (seized) Paul and Silas, and drew (dragged) them into the market place unto the rulers (authorities).

And brought them to the magistrates, saying, These men, being Jews, do exceedingly trouble our city. And teach customs, which are not lawful for us to receive, neither to observe, being Romans. And the multitude rose up together against them: and the magistrates rent (tore) off their clothes, and commanded to beat them.

And when they had laid many stripes upon them, they cast them into prison, charging the jailer to keep them safely (securely). Who, having received such a charge, thrust them into the inner prison, and made (fastened) their feet fast in the stocks.’ (Acts 16:19-24)

Oh Friends, doesn’t that remind you of the unfair and unjust manner in which they treated Jesus? It sure does! And unfortunately, many believers in other parts of the world today still face those fearful circumstances, where they can’t speak openly about their faith in Jesus Christ, but they still do in secret.

Meanwhile, we in the free western world, who have nothing like that to fear, are still very afraid and/or ashamed to talk publicly about Christ. But as I keep reminding us, Christianity is not a behind closed doors, or a closed mouth organization like some of the occult societies that still prevail, but it is one that needs to be broadcasted to all and sundry, all over the world.

That was Jesus’ last command, to His disciples; the Great Commission: ‘Go ye therefore, and teach (make disciples of) all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world.’ (Matt.28:19-20)

Ah mih people, that’s our mission on this earth! But obviously not enough of us are taking that command as seriously as we should, and actually working on Jesus’ behalf with sincere passion and plenty action. Now can you imagine what the reaction would be, if we were still not free to worship as we please, and the very name of Jesus would bring down untold tribulation on our heads?

Hn! But don’t laugh Friends, because of our lackadaisical attitude, the enemy is drawing the noose tighter and tighter and many of our freedoms are being gradually eroded. So this is not a joking matter. And unless we stand up strong and fight back in the name of Jesus, we’ll soon be like many other believers in the oppressed countries.

That’s why I’m imploring us today, and everyday, to get out and get Jesus in the action, for it’s only with Him going on before us that we can ever hope to continue dwelling safely and securely in a Christian land.

And please don’t use the Serenity Prayer as an excuse, (smile) meaning that changing the world in Jesus’ name is one of those things we cannot do. Because remember with Jesus working in and through us, ALL THINGS ARE POSSIBLE! And we do indeed have the godly wisdom to know that! Much LOVE!

…the right to worship Jesus…will only be had…in proportion to the fight believers put up…

Today’s Scrip-Bit 30 July 2013 Luke 10:33

30 Jul 2013 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: angry protests, antagonism, attributes of jesus, compassion, condescending connotation, disappointment, disciples, dismay, downtown toronto, downtrodden, empathy, enmity, floundering, foolish platitudes, forgiveness, Good Samaritan, grace, greater good, harvest, hostage taking situation, Jews, justice, labourers, lost, lost souls, LOVE, LOVE our enemies, macabre life, mercy, mire, needy, negative emotions, opened arms, pity, police behaviour, poor, prayer, running roughshod, salvation, Samaritans, scattered souls, sheep with no sheperd, sick, staple emotion, streetcar, sympathy, the prodigal son, training, unstable people, unworthy, wisdom, wonderful god

Luke 10:33. But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was: and when he saw him, he had compassion on him.

Oh Friends, what is our wonderful city of Toronto coming to eh? A couple days ago the police fired nine shots at an 18 or 19 year old youth on a streetcar, who apparently only had a knife. And it seems like they also tasered him. Now, from what I’ve gathered, there wasn’t any hostage taking situation or anything like that, but they still took him down the easy way.

Yesterday though, hundreds of angry family and citizens marched through downtown Toronto expressing their disappointment and dismay, vociferously protesting the heavy handed display of force by the police in that particular incident, and the cowboy, Wild West behaviour of cops in general these days.

They seem to think that they are a law unto themselves and can do as they please, and the sad part is that nothing ever seems to happen to them when they step out of line. Not one cop has been found guilty of any offence, serious or otherwise and sentenced to jail time. The investigating body always seems to find that the cops did no wrong.

Meanwhile, the Police Chief and the head of the Board that oversees them, just keep on mouthing a set of foolish platitudes and excuses, while the cops continue running roughshod over those they’re supposed to be protecting. And the funny thing about justice is that it must only be done, but it must also appear to be done. And that’s certainly not happening around here these days.

And why do you have to fire nine shots at a man in an enclosed streetcar, surrounded by law enforcement officers, who didn’t seem to be causing anybody on board any problems? Nine shots sure are a lot. Those cops should be taken back to the range and taught how to shoot.

Anyway Friends, let’s see if we can get some understanding of this oftimes macabre life, by turning to our Bit. ‘But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was: and when he saw him, he had compassion on him.’

Now yesterday we weighed in on the enmity between the Jews and the Samaritans, as well as the point that Jesus wanted to prove, re LOVING our enemies. Today, we’ll look at how we can do that, despite the dislike or other negative emotions in our souls.

And the main way to do that is by having and showing compassion to them. LOVING here doesn’t necessarily constitute or involve hugging and kissing etc, but more treating others we might dislike with compassion, as the Samaritan treated his natural enemy, the injured Jew, while his fellow Jews passed him by on the other side.

Oh my brethren, at times like those, our personal feelings or feuds MUST be put aside for the greater good of mankind!

And how does the dictionary define compassion? ‘Pity inclining one to spare or help, sympathetic pitying.’ I don’t like the use of the word pity there, because it implies a sort of negative, condescending connotation. I believe empathy might be a better word.

However, from that definition, we can clearly see that the cops in the situation above displayed no compassion whatsoever. They were not interested in helping the young man, but simply in putting him down, in quelling the dangerous situation. And it’s been proven over the last few years that the cops don’t have sufficient training in how to deal with unstable people, and apparently little or no inclination to learn.

However, let’s look at some scriptures that deal with that great word, compassion, which should be a staple emotion in each and every believer in Jesus. Unfortunately though, many of us don’t show it, and instead react with the same take down mentality as the trigger-happy cops.

The first scripture deals with another parable of Jesus, that of the lost, the prodigal son, who, when he realized the mess he had made of his life, decided to go back home, apologize to his father and ask for a servant’s position. ‘And he arose and came to his father. But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him.’ (Luke 15:20)

Note Friends, that the father didn’t even wait to hear what the son had to say, but immediately welcomed him with opened arms, his only interest being that the son he’d lost had been found, and returned home in good shape.

And that’s exactly how our heavenly Father deals with us! His main concern, regardless of our failures and apologies, is that we come back home to Him, safe and sound. Just returning home to Him brings forgiveness and compassion.

Wow! What a wonderful God we serve my people! It amazes me everyday when I think about the LOVE, mercy, compassion, forgiveness and grace that He confers on us, even though we’re lost, unworthy and like the things of the world, like the prodigal son did.

Now the important question is, do we act like that towards our fellow man? Not as often as we should. Even our close friends and family we try to beat down when they do wrong. How then can we be compassionate to strangers and enemies eh?

The only way is if the Holy Spirit of Jesus is actively working in our souls, since our normal human nature is to react in an antagonistic manner. That means then that compassion is something we have to consciously and actively work on, since it doesn’t come naturally. And we all know it’s not easy to LOVE and be compassionate to neighbours and enemies, but it’s what Jesus desires and fully expects from ALL of His followers.

And we’ll end with this description of Jesus, when He saw the many lost and scattered souls that daily flocked around Him, just dying to be saved. ‘But when he saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion on them, because they fainted (were weary), and were scattered abroad, as sheep having no shepherd.’ (Matt.9:36)

Oh my brethren, the same can be said of today’s generation! There are enormous numbers of people running around lost, looking for a shepherd to take care of them, and we believers are the ones who are meant to bring them to salvation, for we are Jesus’ latter day disciples.

And as He told the ones He actually walked with: ‘The harvest truly is plenteous, but the labourers are few; Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth labourers into his harvest.’ (Matt.9:37-38)

Yes Friends, let’s pray that the Lord will move in many hearts of His people, to go out and help to save the lost, the poor, the downtrodden, the sick and needy, because our society desperately needs it.

Yes my people, if we’re ever to climb out of the mire in which we’re currently floundering, many more believers have to go forth and harvest the lost souls, with lots of compassion. That’s heavenly wisdom! Much LOVE!

…true compassion comes from a heartfelt feeling of…LOVE, kindness, mercy and forgiveness…in other words…from a heart filled with the attributes of Jesus…

Today’s Scrip-Bit 29 July 2013 Luke 10:33

29 Jul 2013 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: admonition, aura of love, battle hymn, bless, bombarded, buffeted, christianity, commandment, compassion, confidence, conquerors, curse, do good, ehthusiasm, evil cohorts, forgiveness, Gentile ancestry, glorious kingdom, Good Samaritan, great conviction, hate, hate your enemy, historical background, holy spirit, human affection, humble servants, insult, invincible, Jesus Christ, Jews, jobs, kindness, law of Christ, law of LOVE, Levite, lies, LOVE, LOVE to hate, Love your enemies, LOVE your neighbour, Monday Monday, pray, priest, provocative, rejuvenation, religion, renewed vitality, reproach, rewards in heaven, spiritual armour, steadfast faith, strength, sweet harmony, theology, ungodly world, useful purpose, weary souls, wiles, wisdom, wise teachings, worldly wisdom, worthwhile inroads

Luke 10:33. But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was: and when he saw him, he had compassion on him.

‘Monday, Monday! Oh how we believers LOVE that day! No Friends, it’s not a typo. I know that many of us would rather say: ‘Oh how I LOVE to hate that day!’

But that’s not even worldly wisdom my brethren, much less wisdom of the godly type. For even worldly wisdom dictates that we do something constructive and productive with our time, so that we can get ahead in the material aspects of life, and godly wisdom adds the winning of souls for Jesus to the mix.

So, all in all, Monday is a very important day in the life, whether you’re a believer or not, since if you don’t work at a worldly job, you most likely won’t eat, and if you don’t work for Jesus, your rewards in heaven would be minimal or even non-existent.

And having said all of that, which hopefully won’t fall on deaf ears, let’s sing our Monday Morning Battle Hymn with great conviction, to reassure Jesus that we’re up and about and ready to join the battle on His behalf against the evil Lucifer and his band of evil cohorts. So let those vocal chords loudly declare in sweet harmony, our convictions, re Jesus and His Holy and most worthwhile cause.

As one now: ‘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!’

And you can see that if we adhere to what we just sang, then we’d not be like the priest and the Levite, who both passed by on the other side, but be as Jesus desires of us, like the Samaritan in our Bit. ‘But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was: and when he saw him, he had compassion on him.’

Ah my brethren, that word compassion is a mighty word, and a defining one in the lexicon of the believer. But before we get into that, let’s get some historical background from the scholars on the basic situation. ‘Jews and Samaritans were bitter rivals (John 4:9). The Samaritans were despised for having at least partial Gentile ancestry (due to Assyria’s conquest of Samaria in 721 B.C) and for having a different worship centre (Mount Gerizim; John 4:20).

Thus Jesus’ parable was highly provocative. Samaritan was to Jesus’ hearers automatically a term of reproach. To portray a Samaritan as fulfilling the commandment (see v.27), but Jews as circumventing it, would be a supreme insult to the listening lawyer (v.25) and the rest of His audience.’

Now that gives us some insight into the true meaning and importance of the parable. It also reminds us of one of Jesus’ many other provocative and unorthodox but wise teachings; LOVE your enemies, of which He reassures us thus: ‘Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt LOVE thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy. But I say unto you, LOVE your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully (spitefully) use you;

That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust. For if ye LOVE them which LOVE you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans (tax collectors, sinners) the same? and if ye salute (greet) your brethren only, what do ye more than others? do not even the publicans so? Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.’ (Matt.5:43-48)

Oh my people, I never intended to use all of that scripture, but after reading it, I realized that I had to since one part was no good without the others. And now I’ve seen some interesting info from the scholars that brings greater understanding to it.

‘The law of LOVE, sometimes called “law of Christ,” summarizes the ethical principle of the Sermon on the Mount. “LOVE thy neighbour” summarizes the entire second table of the law (cf. Lev.19:18-34). But the unscriptural addition “hate thine enemy” was a popular concept in Jesus’ day.

The admonition LOVE your enemies is one of the greatest statements Jesus ever made. The LOVE enjoined in this passage is LOVE that originates from God Himself. Man is not commanded to attempt to LOVE his enemy on the basis of mere human affection but rather on the basis of a LOVE that comes from God.

The quality of LOVE commanded here is expressed by giving. Bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them that persecute you. LOVING an enemy involves doing good toward that enemy in order to win him over to Christ.’

Oh Friends, there’s a lot for us to ponder on and meditate today, so let’s get to it nuh. Let’s consider the Good Samaritan and LOVING our enemy aspects of lives, and if we’re falling short in these areas, then let’s come to the Father and ask for His gracious forgiveness and His awesome strength to get with the program. For that my Friends, is heavenly wisdom. Much LOVE!

…to reciprocate kindness is natural…but to truly serve Jesus…we must take it one step further…be kind to those who are not kind to us…

Today’s Scrip-Bit 18 April 2013 1 Corinthians 1:22

18 Apr 2013 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: action, appreciation, blind leading the blind, conviction, disbelievers, doubters, eternal life, forgiveness, foul weather, God is the greatest, grateful heart, Greeks, holy spirit, hypocrites, incredible relationship, Jesus' Second Coming, Jews, judgement, LOVE, mercy, Pharisees, relationship to God, reverence, Sadducees, salvation, selfless sacrifice, signs, spirituality, straight and narrow path, submit, surrender, tenderness, the BIBLE, the Good Book, tribulation, wisdom, worthless sinner

1 Corinthians 1:22. For the Jews require a sign, and the Greeks seek wisdom.

Oh Friends, every time I rise and shine to greet a new day, the Holy Spirit convicts me with more conviction (smile) that our God, He of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, is indeed the greatest! And in true fact, there’s NO other like Him! When I consider His undying, unconditional LOVE, His tenderness, mercy, forgiveness, and grace, not to mention the selfless sacrifice of His only Son Jesus to save a worthless sinner like me, all I can say, with a heart brimming over with LOVE and appreciation, is a grateful, sincere, ‘Thank You Lord!’ The fact that He made us to fellowship with Him, and simply refuses to let us be separated from Him by our sins, only endears Him more to me. Oh Friends, please search your souls today, this wet, rainy spring morning and truthfully ask, judge, measure your relationship and reaction to Almighty God. And if your entire being isn’t flooded with joy, sincere reverence and LOVE for Him, then something’s definitely and drastically wrong somewhere, and I’d advise you to quickly seek Him and fix it asap. For without Him your life will be unfulfilled, aimless and meaningless. If He’s not solidly secreted in that compartment of your soul meant ONLY for Him, then you’re missing out on an incredible, as well as an incredulous relationship. And all God’s people declared a loud, heartfelt, ‘Amen!’ Now here’s our Bit: ‘For the Jews require a sign, and the Greeks seek wisdom.’ It’s the same as the last two days, because I want to touch on a couple more instances involving Jesus, where signs were spoken of. And this first one comes from Matthew 16, just before Jesus warns His disciples to beware of the leaven (yeast) of the Pharisees and Sadducees. (Matt.16:6) Anyway, the Good Book describes the scene thus: ‘The Pharisees also with the Sadducees came, and tempting (testing) desired (asked) him that he should show them a sign from heaven. He answered and said unto them, when it is evening, ye say, It will be fair weather: for the sky is red. And in the morning, It will be foul weather today: for the sky is red and lowring (threatening). O ye hypocrites, ye can discern the face of the sky; but can ye not discern the signs of the times? A wicked and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall be no sign given unto it, but the sign of the prophet Jonah. And he left them and departed.’ (Matt.16:1-4) Oh Friends, I have to laugh whenever I read how Jesus put those hypocrite Jewish leaders in their place, anytime they tried to catch Him off guard. And please note that His answer was the same as when they’d earlier asked for a sign, as we discussed yesterday, (Matt.12:38-42) only that of Jonah, which melded well with His own upcoming tribulation on the cross and in the grave, from which He’d triumphantly rise on Easter Sunday morning. But as usual, they didn’t, or refused to understand His message of salvation and eternal life, and unfortunately millions of doubters and disbelievers are still doing the same thing today. How sad, my people. As the saying goes, there’s none so blind as he who refuses to see. And as Jesus so cleverly says of the Pharisees: ‘Let them alone: they be blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch.’ (Matt.15:14) Gospel truth my Friends! And it’s still happening today; only with more blind leaders, leading many more blind followers, which makes the situation very scary. But it’s our job, my fellow believers, to try and open the eyes of those blind leaders and followers. We need to confront them and show them the error of their ways, through the Word and our generous, LOVING lifestyle in bristling, bustling action, so that they too can believe and successfully come to Jesus. And I just saw some scholarly info on the above scripture that I think is important to share. ‘The unbelieving leaders came seeking a sign from heaven, that is, an outward miraculous manifestation. Notice that miracles alone never save anyone. They serve only to authenticate and call attention to the message, which must be believed in order for salvation to be experienced in the soul. Instead of another miracle, Jesus points them to the signs of the times, eschatologically related (doctrine of death, judgement, heaven, hell) to the sky and His second coming. The sign of the prophet Jonah relates to His resurrection (see 12:38-40; John 2:18-22) This sign gives hope to the believer but is an indication of judgement for the unbeliever, who will be judged by the risen Christ at His second coming.’ Oh my people, that same blindness of the early Jewish leaders still applies to too many of us today. We can’t read the signs of the times, that they are drawing ever closer to Jesus’ second coming; the wars and rumours of wars and all the other signs Jesus gave to the disciples as the beginning of sorrows, until the gospel is preached to all the world. (Matt.24:6-14) Oh my people, that’s enough for us to ponder on today. We’ll continue this topic tomorrow, God in favour. Till then, please let’s get our act together as good and faithful Christians by seriously communicating with our God and Maker, genuinely submitting and surrendering our lives to Him, so that He can lead and guide us aright, down that straight and narrow path that leads to Him. That’s wisdom at its zenith. Much LOVE!…the Bible is our guide for earthly living…unless we read and pay close attention to it…we’ll surely go astray…

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