Today’s Scrip-Bit   1 July 2022 Proverbs 29:18.

01 Jul 2022 Leave a comment

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

Proverbs 29:18.      Where there is no vision (prophetic vision), the people perish (cast off restraint): but he that keepeth the law, happy is he.​

HAPPY CANADA DAY!

Oh mih people, the caffeine is hot, strong and sweet this Friday morning, this sunshiny, cloudy, first day of July 2022! Can you imagine that June is finished already! But that’s okay, because today in this blessed land we’re celebrating and shouting two things: The first is the usual ‘TGIF! Thank God is Friday!’ And with that comes the added incentive of no work today, because it’s a holiday, as we celebrate the birthday of our beautiful land, and shout ‘Happy Canada Day!’ 

Yes, on July 1. 1867, the separate Provinces came together to form the Confederation of Canada, and since then we’ve been plowing forward regardless. Oh, we’ve had misfortunes, done wrong things and displeased others, but yuh better believe right now we are the best big country in the world, despite our many problems! Yes, like all other countries we have problems, some of our own making, others because of our close association with the richest and one of the most volatile countries in the world right now, the U.S. of A. 

They want to spread their dissent abroad, and we want to play monkey see, monkey do. But hopefully, we will stand upon our own two feet and not allow them to further corrupt our already corrupt land and drive out the little decency we still have. We certainly don’t need any help to do that, because we do a good enough job on our own. That brings to mind the poignant and powerful words of Cousin Sol from Proverbs. ‘Where there is no vision (prophetic vision), the people perish (cast off restraint): but he that keepeth the law, happy is he.’ (Prov. 29:18) 

The scholars tell us that ‘Vision refers to the divine revelation received by the prophet. Morality is based on adherence to God’s revealed will.’ And that’s what sadly lacking in our world today, a prophetic vision from Almighty God, why we have cast off restraint and are doing what we want, which is so much evil, immoral and ungodly stuff. But how can we ever have revelation from God when we are doing our best to remove Him from our society eh? No wonder our world is indeed perishing from lack of God’s word and adherence to His law. 

And we have a perfect example of that back in the days when the prophet Samuel came on the scene in Israel. The Good Book relates it thus. ‘And the child Samuel ministered unto the Lord before Eli. And the word of the Lord was precious (rare) in those days, there was no open vision.’ (1 Sam. 3:1) And to show how bad it was back then, the last verse of Judges says: ‘In those days there was no king in Israel: every man did that which was right in his own eyes.’ (Jud. 21:25) Now any fool can see that’s exactly where we are headed in this modern generation, which is downward to catastrophe and disaster like all the other societies which turned away from the Great I AM! 

But let’s go back and listen as the scholars explain the above verse from Samuel: ‘The severity of Israel’s apostasy, (turning away from God) (cf. Jud. 21:25) caused a dearth of God’s revelatory work. The condition was perpetuating and self-defeating (cf. Prov. 29:18). By God’s grace, the prophetic institution would receive renewed impetus and standardization in the person of Samuel. (cf. 3:21; 19:20)’ You can read those verses on your own, but they are basically telling us about the Lord appearing to Samuel and thus the increasing revelation in the society. 

Now, that calls up the second part of the proverb: ‘but he that keepeth the law, happy is he.’ Yes friends, when we keep God’s directives we are blessed. And I like how this commentator on the gotquestions.org website puts it. ‘Lest anyone be confused, this is not a call to legalism. Life is not found in our ability to obey a list of dos and don’ts. Within Psalm 19 we see indications of relationship with God. David talks about the fear of the Lord being pure (verse 9), he calls himself God’s servant (verse 13), and he calls God his “LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer” (verse 14). When Jesus named the greatest commandment, He referred to the command to LOVE God. (Mark 12:28-34) Our obedience to God and our keeping of His Word flow from a relationship in which we are LOVED by God and we LOVE Him in return (1 John 4:7-10).’ 

Oh my brethren, there must indeed be a few dos and don’ts like the Ten Commandments, if a society is to be stable and not continually chaotic, but generally speaking what a society needs, what we need to live a blessed and abundant life is a feeling of LOVE, of care and compassion to Almighty God and to each other! With LOVE being the basic essence of our existence, a society flourishes, shines bright like the noonday sun, gives God all the glory and honour, and is a perfect example to others. 

And we’ll enlist more of the interesting and true words of the commentator from the gotquestions.org website to aid in our offence against the enemy. So please read and take serious note. ‘Hebrews 1:1-2 says, “In the past God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom also he made the universe.” Jesus has come into the world as the living Word of God (John 1:1, 14). God has also given us the written Word, the Bible. When we fail to read God’s Word and live it out in our lives, we become people “without vision.” 

When we ignore God’s Word, we begin to live without restraint to our own peril. Conversely, when we heed God’s Word, we are blessed. Jesus said, “As the Father has LOVED me, so have I LOVED you. Now remain in my LOVE. If you keep my commands, you will remain in my LOVE, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his LOVE. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete” (John 15:9-11). God has given us His Word, and He calls us to be faithful to it. In keeping God’s Word, we will find joy in Him.’ 

And is all of that ever so true my fellow saints! Now let’s go to our heavenly Father in prayer, through our Friday Chant, seeking grace and mercy, forgiveness and help to improve our individual lives and our society. Altogether now: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through this past week. You know it’s been rough… what with all the anxiety, the confusion and havoc that the Covid-19 virus and our many other problems are causing. We can’t seem to fix it on our own Lord, that means we desperately need your help. 

Oh heavenly Father, with your omnipotent help, and our trusting faith, we know that we can stand strong and steadfast and defeat both the virus and the unrest in our streets. So Lord, we sincerely ask you today to give the governments and those involved in the forefront of this serious and unexpected storm, the wise guidance to handle the situation properly, with the least amount of loss to life and property as possible. And please help those of us who must go out to work amidst all the confusion, to be responsible and to stay safe, and avoid any more serious setbacks. 

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

And with those words of prayer flowing from our lips, we now need to keep our promises and show the Lord that we are indeed serious about changing our evil ways and coming back to His safe and blessed refuge. Much LOVE!

…the time to turn to Jesus is NOW…tomorrow may be too late…  

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

Today’s Scrip-Bit 25 July 2018 James 1:19.

25 Jul 2018 Leave a comment

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

James 1:19.   Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath.

Ah friends, after looking at some of the news headlines and seeing the unnecessary strife and the many natural disasters that are plaguing our once beautiful world, I decided that there was only one way to begin today’s Bit; that’s with some acclamations of our faith to bolster our courage and help us keep keeping on in the face of so much negative happenings. 

So let’s affirm with sincere heart and ongoing faith. ‘This is the day the Lord has made, we WILL rejoice and be glad in it! If God be for us, who can be against us eh? NOBODY whatsoever! I can do ALL things through Christ who strengthens me! And isn’t that a fact, a most awesome one! And last but not least: God will supply all my needs through His riches in glory through Jesus Christ! 

Glory be mih people! That should get us going and hold us for today as we hear about and see the ungodly and disastrous things that are happening in our world. 

And it’s only fitting that with the great amount of talk and li’l action taking place in our world that we should continue with our Bit from yesterday, where James talks about hearing and doing the word. ‘Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath.’ 

And he told us why?  ‘For the wrath of man worketh not (does not produce) the righteousness of God.’ (James 1:20) Therefore we should put away all evil and lustful stuff and concentrate on the Word that’s implanted in our hearts, since it is what keeps us going on the course of faith, thus helping us to mature as time goes by. 

And he continues with this warning: ‘But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves. For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding (observing) his natural face in a glass (mirror): for he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was. 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 (what he does).’ (James 1:22-25) 

Ah mih people, that is so reminiscent of so many of us today; we hear the word, then immediately forget it, and don’t put it into practice. And I believe it happens very much on a Sunday, where we go to church and hear God’s word preached, but as soon as we get out, we continue with our old way of living and don’t put what we heard into practice. 

That’s obviously not good enough my people, for God’s Word is a practical treatise on daily living, and needs to be actioned if it is to be useful! So what’s the point of hearing it if we don’t intend to put it to good use in our lives eh? None whatsoever! 

Anyway, listen to this explanation from the scholars. ‘1:25. The perfect law of liberty probably refers to the teachings of Christ and His apostles. This law is perfect, since Christ brought to completion the teachings and work of the Mosaic Law (cf. Matt.5:17-20; Rom.10:4) It is a law of liberty because it frees from the principles of sin and death (Rom.8:2-3; Gal.5:1,13). James also describes it as the royal law (2:8) for it is the law of the messianic King (cf. Gal.6:2).’ 

Ah precious people, what a day it was when Jesus defeated hell, death and the grave and set us free from all the terrorizing religious laws of Moses’ time, which no one could keep. And I’d like to say read those scriptures above, but I know very few of you will, but because I LOVE you all so much and care so much about your souls, I will spoon feed you with a couple of them. (smile) 

Listen to Jesus on the Law of Moses. ‘Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prohets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill.’ (Matt.5:17) Yes friends, Jesus was the fulfillment of the old law! 

As the scholars tell us: ‘The New Testament Gospel is not contradictory to the Old Testament Law; rather it is the ultimate fulfillment of the spiritual intention of the law. Where the law had degenerated into legalism among the Pharisees, Jesus now takes the law beyond mere outward observance to the inner spiritual intention of God.’ God had always intended for us to end up with an inner connection, through His Holy Spirit, and that’s what Jesus came to do. 

Now hear Bruh Paul as he talks to the Roman church about life in the Spirit. ‘There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.’ (Rom.8:1-2) And we all know that whom the Son sets free is free indeed! 

So James concludes: ‘If any man among you seem to be (thinks he is) religious, and bridleth not his tongue, but deceiveth his own heart, this man’s religion is vain (useless). Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.’ (James 1:26-27) So friends, true religion is neither mere hearing or mere doing but a timely balance of both aspects of our faith. 

Now let’s go home declaring our Wednesday Wail, proud of our position in Christ. All together now: ‘Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: I’m so glad to be alive on this Wednesday! Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: Thank God the breath of life is still flowing through me on this Wednesday! 

I am halfway home. My hands are fixed securely on the plough, and I’m not turning back. I’m not looking back at the past, not focusing on what has gone before. But my eyes are fixed straight ahead; straight ahead to a glorious future with Jesus. Glory Hallelujah!’ 

And as always, merely thinking about how glorious that future will be, just boggles my small mind! Much LOVE!

…to be on the same page as Jesus…we must hear…as well as do…


Today’s Scrip-Bit 26 April 2016 James 1:25

26 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).

Aye mih breddren, it’s Tuesday; Monday has been relegated to the annals of History, so let’s not procrastinate and put off nuh, but use this present day to do what needs doing, above all, glorifying our wonderful, amazing, awesome God! Yes friends, for that’s the number One reason we were so wonderfully made. 

And I believe we can truly say that spring has finally sprung in my area, because for the second consecutive day, there’s a soft rain falling gently on the land, the grass is green, and there are buds on the branches of the trees. 

And more importantly, a few trees are even brave and bold enough to have some leaves already budding out. Oh glory to God, that winter has finally gone back to wherever it came from – for at least another few months! (smile) 

So since our great God is still on His throne, and everything is right in our world, let’s declare our Tuesday Mantra with true sincerity and godly enthusiasm nuh. 

All together 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.’ 

Oh my people, my people, what beautiful words of encouragement and assurance! When we sincerely believe that mantra, then we have absolutely nothing to worry about. Oh, there will be trials and tribulations, Jesus promised that, but deep down we will be assured that they will be properly taken care of in God’s time and in His own particular way. That’s the beauty of our faith! 

So please, let’s not allow the wily enemy to deceive us into thinking otherwise. As I said last week, using Cousin Bobby’s (Robert Schuler 111) testimony, if you’re not sure, not convinced, then please repeat the mantra everyday, several times a day, until you can feel truly assured in your soul. 

Now let’s turn to our Bit, which I hope to conclude today – no promises though. (smile) ‘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). And that’s a sincere promise from our ever-faithful God! 

And as we’ve been doing, we’ll continue looking at the references the scholars gave about the perfect law of liberty. ‘It is a law of liberty because it frees from the principles of sin and death.’ 

And today’s reference comes from Galatians, where Bruh Paul gives forth on Living by faith. ‘Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.’ (Gal.5:1) 

And the scholars explain that verse thus: ‘5:1. The verse could be rendered: “For freedom Christ freed us. Therefore stand fast and do not again be subject to a yoke of bondage.” The “freedom” in view is freedom from the law, here called “a yoke of bondage.” Paul wants the Galatians to “stand fast,” that is, retain their spiritual freedom.’ 

And I’m asking us today to do the same thing my fellow believers: let’s not fall back, lapse back into the bondage of the law, but continue truthfully and vibrantly in the spiritual freedom that Christ died for us to have. 

And later on in that same chapter, Bruh Paul further advises the Galatians: ‘For brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by LOVE serve one another.’ (Gal.5:13) 

And the scholars explain thus: ‘5:13. Having shown freedom from the law to be proper protection from legalism (vv.1-12), Paul now demonstrates it to be a proper antidote against unrestrained license to sin (vv.13-26). 

Believers are not to abuse their liberty from the law for an occasion (opportunity) to the flesh (sinful nature). That is, don’t think freedom from the law means you can indulge in sin; it means instead that you are free to serve God by serving one another.’ 

Now that’s something we all seriously have to work on friends, since many of us falsely believe that because of that very freedom, plus the overwhelming forgiveness and mercy of our magnanimous God, we have a licence to willfully sin. 

But that’s the furthest thing from the truth my brethren. When we truly come to God and truly have Him ensconced in our hearts, minds, bodies and souls, then because of the great LOVE we bear Him, willfully falling to sin and temptation should not even enter our consciousness. It ought to make us strive not to sin. 

And the last part of the explanation re the law of liberty is: ‘James also describes it as the royal law (2:8) for it is the law of the messianic King.’ 

And pertaining to that, James 2:8 says: ‘If ye fulfill the royal law according to the scripture, Thou shalt LOVE thy neighbour as thyself, ye do well. But if ye have respect to persons (show partiality), ye commit sin, and are convinced (convicted) of the law as a transgressor.’ (James 2:8-9) I felt that last verse was necessary to show the true context of verse 8. 

And that brings us to Galatians again, where Bruh Paul is talking about applications of new principles. ‘Brethren, if a man be overtaken (caught) in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such a one in the spirit of meekness (gentleness), considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted. Bear ye one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.’  (Gal.6:1-2) 

Yeh friends, if we deliberately overstep those divine boundaries and fall into sin, those of us who walk by the Spirit, whose life shows the fruit of the Spirit, ought to talk to the Christian believer who has gone astray and try to bring them back to their normal moral condition. 

And we need to do it all in LOVE, handle it delicately, while all the time making sure that we aren’t caught up in the same carnality, which is so easy to do. 

And per verse 2, the scholars explain: ‘6:2. Contextually, the burdens are the moral faults of verse 1, but can have wider application to other kinds of burdens. The law of Christ is the sum of all Jesus’ teachings and desires; it is Christianity itself.’ 

And here endeth the lesson for today friends. (smile) We have indeed concluded the last message in the perfect law of liberty series. I do hope that we now have a much better understanding of what it means and how it applies to us, both as individuals and as the church, the body of Christ. 

Please, let’s put all that we have learned into proper use nuh, so that we can advance the gospel of Christ, which is our bounden duty as believers. Much LOVE!

…Christianity…the law of Christ…is not as burdensome as legalism…the law of man… 

Today’s Scrip-Bit 21 April 2016 James 1:25

21 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.

And then it was Thursday friends! Wow! This week has certainly rushed by quickly, and I’ve just been too busy for my liking. Hn! But the saving grace is that in my neck of the woods, all the days this week were just beautiful! Glory be! No rain, sleet nor snow, just bright sunshine and warm temps. 

And here this nuh, yesterday I was up in the northern part of the city, getting some repairs done to my car stereo, and around 4 pm, while sitting in the passenger seat with the door open, my legs hanging out, I felt the urge to pull up the sleeves of my sweater to feel the sunshine… 

Hn! But five minutes later I had to pull them back down because the sun was burning my arm. Brother! Meanwhile the gentleman repairing the stereo just had a thin vest covering his upper body. And he was white at that, which meant that my extra melanin wasn’t so great after all. (smile) 

I believe though that the sunshiny weather might give way to rain some time today. But that’s okay, at least we had some wonderful consecutive days, and once it’s not the white stuff, I can handle it. Now let’s declare our Thursday Blessings with enthusiasm, sincerity and true conviction. 

‘I declare that I am blessed with God’s supernatural wisdom and receive clear direction for my life! I declare today that I am blessed with creativity, courage, talent and abundance! I am blessed with a strong will, self-control and self-discipline! 

I am blessed with a great family, good friends, good health, faith, favour and fulfillment! I am blessed with success, supernatural strength, promotion and divine protection! I am blessed with a compassionate heart and a positive outlook on life! 

I declare that any curse or negative word that’s ever been spoken over me is broken right now in the name of Jesus! I declare that everything I put my hands to will prosper and succeed! I declare it today and everyday! Amen!’ 

Oh all praise and thanks and glory be to our awesome God my brethren! For He is indeed the ONE who makes all those blessings we just declared over our lives possible! And yet so many foolish people still refuse to believe in Him. Steups! 

Ah really sorry for them yes. But all we as believers can do is tell them the Good News of Jesus’ Gospel and live our lives in concert and obedience to His holy will. Hopefully, before it’s too late, they will recognize the error of their ways and come to Him for succour, for salvation and eternal life. And I’m done preaching now. (smile) 

Let’s turn to our 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).’ 

Yeh friends, we reviewed that verse in the last couple days and in the scholars’ explanation, they quoted some verses of scripture that were relevant to it. Now I asked us to check out those relevant scriptures, but since our lives are oh so busy, I’m sure not many, if any of us did so, I decided to lay them out today. 

And we’ll go through the scholars’ explanation once more and highlight the verses as we go. ‘1:25. The perfect law of liberty probably refers to the teachings of Christ and His apostles. This law is perfect, since Christ brought to completion the teachings and work of the Mosaic Law…’ 

And here the scholars refer to Matthew 5, Christ’s take on the law. ‘Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy but to fulfill.’ (Matt.5:17) 

Yuh know something friends, this is going to take much longer than I expected yes, because the scholars have some good explanations for every verse here. But that’s the whole point of the matter; to learn and understand as much as possible of the scriptures. 

So here goes the scholars’ explanation for that verse. ‘5:17. Having laid the foundation of the message in the summary statements of the Beatitudes, Jesus now proceeds to show the superiority of His message to that of the law of Moses. 

He makes it clear that He had not…come to destroy the law. That is, the New Testament Gospel is not contradictory to the Old Testament Law; rather it is the ultimate fulfillment of the spiritual intention of the law. Where the law had degenerated into legalism among the Pharisees, Jesus now takes the law beyond mere outward observance to the inner spiritual intention of God.’ 

Ah my people, I hope that resonates soundly with us all, because the same thing is happening today. Legalism, the man-made rules and regulations of our denominations are killing the spiritual side of our faith. 

Like in the days of Jesus, where the Pharisees, the leaders of the faith, were full of outward show but little inner conviction, we are today hearing plenty talk and seeing much legalistic outward show, but there’s little true spiritual obedience to God’s Law. 

Now friends, as supposed believers in Christ, we definitely have to do better than that. No wonder so many unbelievers consider us hypocrites, as Christ did the Pharisees and the other leaders of the Jewish faith. 

We need to paint a true portrait of Christ to the unbelieving and ungodly world. And we can only do that when we are comfortable in our own skins, and have a true conviction of our faith, which leads us to both hear the word and do it. So today, let’s ponder how that reflects in our individual lives nuh, for it’s the only wisdom that’s appropriate for a child of God. Much LOVE!

…Christians are blessed…when they both hear and do…according to God’s Law …and not to man’s…

 

 

 

Today’s Scrip-Bit 18 August 2014 Matthew 5:20

18 Aug 2014 Leave a comment

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

Matthew 5:20. For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case (by no means) enter into the kingdom of heaven.

Arise oh Friends… arise oh Neighbours… arise oh Fellow Believers… the clock is ticking… Hear ye, hear ye, the bugler’s blowing reveille! That means it’s time to rise and greet this beautiful Monday morn! And remember, before rolling out of bed to give a li’l individual thanks and praise for being blessed to see another day, and ask for guidance to walk obediently on your way.
 
Now before the whining and complaining begin, (smile) let’s raise the roof of heaven with a miraculous and highly motivated rendition of our Monday Morning Battle Hymn. In full voice, as one harmonious body:
 
‘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!’
 
Splendiferous my brethren! Splendiferous!  That rendition was certainly earth shattering, and so powerful that it also raised heaven’s roof, like a hurricane attacking those of our earthly houses. The angels had to be quite quick too and grab it before it blew away. (smile) Yes my brethren, that’s what’s possible when believers get together and act as one true body in Jesus.
 
Now let’s take all that adrenalin and enthusiasm and energy and get out there and actively use it to further Jesus’ cause; His LOVE Revolution, so that the heathen, the infidel, may see and experience our Christ-like character and desire to come to know Jesus as their Lord and Saviour too.  
 
And our Bit today certainly amplifies that directive: ‘For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case (by no means) enter into the kingdom of heaven.’
 
And that’s an indisputable fact Friends! That’s Jesus, during His commenting on the Law of Moses, where he first explained: ‘Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill.’ (Matt.5:17)
 
And the scholars explain that verse thus: ‘5:17. Having laid the foundation of the message in the summary statements of the Beatitudes, Jesus now proceeds to show the superiority of His message to that of the law of Moses. He makes it clear that He had not …come to destroy the law. That is, the New Testament gospel is not contradictory to the Old Testament Law; rather it is the ultimate fulfillment of the spiritual intention of the law.
 
Where the law had degenerated into legalism among the Pharisees, Jesus now takes the law beyond mere outward observance to the inner spiritual intention of God.’
 
Oh Friends, unfortunately the same situation still exists today. Religion has built a set of rules and regulations that’s impossible for any human being to follow to the letter. And there are way too many of us making a big outward show of our supposed religiosity, like the Pharisees of old, when inside we’re big time hypocrites.
 
We don’t do half of what we say or pretend to do. Our actions are based more on superficial religious behaviour than true godly spiritual principles. Too many of us Christians are religious show boaters!
 
Oh Friends, there’s much more to be said on this topic, but we will leave that for another day, since I don’t want to weary us with too heavy a load today. (smile) But please, in the meantime, let’s ponder all that we’ve said, and try to figure out where we’re at individually, then wisely ask the Lord for His generous help to improve, to become more Christ-like. That’s one request He will NEVER refuse! Much LOVE!
 
…just like an honest man doesn’t need barriers…fences and doors…to stop him from stealing…likewise, the heart of a righteous man…doesn’t need numerous man-made laws to keep him righteous…
 
P.S.  Does it ever seem short today! (smile) I had to check it twice to see if that was really all. But that’s really all! So please be thankful for small mercies. Much LOVE!