LOVE | SCRIP-BITS

Today’s Scrip-Bit 2 September 2022 John 8:32.

02 Sep 2022 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: a means of restoring faith in you, an inherent need for responsibility, anointed me to preach the gospel, be responsible and stay safe, bring backsliders back to your fold, divine help, embrace Jesus as Lord and Saviour, freedom, freedom is a figmnet of our imagination, Friday chant, heal the brokenhearted, I am the way the truth and the life, if the Son sets you free, if ye continue in my word, in the name of freedom, introduce a whole new flock, Jesus' work on the cross, LOVE, no man cometh unto the Father but by me, offer derogatory comments, right motives in our hearts, show them the error of their ways, stand strong and steadfast, TGIF! Thank God it's Friday!, that magnificent orb, the elixir of the human spirit, the Messiah, the pearly gates, the truth shall make you free, trusting faith, wake up and smell the coffee, we must all bow to somebody, wise guidance, ye are my disciples indeed, ye shall be free indeed, ye shall know the truth

John 8:32. And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.

Oh friends, today as the rising of the sun begins, as that magnificent orb makes its daily journey around the world, many different voices in many different languages will loudly and harmoniously chorus: ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday! Thank God for the weekend and all the freedom it brings!’

Ah Lord eh, do we ever like and fantasize about that thing called freedom. And down through the ages, so many of us have died shouting out its name, but we don’t really know the heavy price that supposed elixir of the human spirit demands. For to be truly free, one needs to be responsible, not lawless like so many of us believe. Freedom carries with it an inherent need for responsibility, loyalty, self-control, self-discipline and level headedness. It calls for mercy, LOVE, grace, forgiveness, goodness and godliness.

It doesn’t give us the right, as so many of us believe to do exactly what we want, when we want, regardless of the consequences to those around us. It doesn’t mean chaos, selfishness and disregard for our fellow man. In fact, it demands just the opposite; a healthy and responsible care and compassion for our fellow human beings.

And I guess that’s why all the revolutions and wars and other negative circumstances that have occurred in the name of freedom have never succeeded, because in the end, those at the forefront of those uprisings, end up doing exactly what their oppressors and suppressors were doing; oppressing and suppressing somebody in the supposed name of freedom! But yet, we still constantly hear the battle cry for freedom: freedom from this, freedom from that, freedom from responsibility, freedom from paying taxes, freedom from God and His law.

Hn! Yet we still desire all those things that a responsible freedom bring. But in reality, freedom is only, and will always be a figment of our imagination, for as the song so truly says: we all must bow to somebody; to either God or Satan. And once you’re bowing to someone, you’re never free. Bowing to Satan will never make you free, because he is only interested in keeping his selfish claws in you, restraining you from rising to the level for which you were created, and thus making hellfire and damnation your eternal home.

The closest we can ever get to that thing called freedom is by reverently bowing to our Maker, Our Creator and Provider, our Way-maker and Forgiver, the enabler of Eternal Life. And that can only happen when we sincerely embrace His majestic Son, Jesus Christ as our Lord and Saviour. Yes, friends, only through the intervention of the Son, can one get to all the magnificent benefits and freedoms that the Father provides. Listen up as Christ enlightens us on the subject.

First off, He sets us straight by imparting this startling, but ever so true information: ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father but by me.’ (John 14:6) Oh my people, unless we believe that, and act seriously upon it, we will never see the bright lights of heaven and enjoy the promise of eternal life! That’s the truth, and nothing but the God-awesome truth! Only sincere belief in Christ Jesus will enable us to enter through those pearly gates we all talk and dream about so much!

And likewise, the only source of true freedom is Christ Jesus. And why do we know this? Listen as He taught in the synagogue of His hometown of Nazareth. On that momentous Sabbath day in the temple, Jesus read thus from the Book of Isaiah. ‘The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised (oppressed). To preach the acceptable year of the Lord….This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears (hearing)’ (Luke 4:18-19, 21)

Oh my people, Jesus was letting His hometown know that He was the chosen One, the Messiah, the One sent to set the captives free, to heal their broken hearts, souls and spirits. But, as it so often happens, when someone close to us, just like us, rises up to another level, we tend to offer derogatory comments rather than gladly accept their new status. And that’s exactly what happened to Jesus in His hometown of Nazareth.

They didn’t believe that the lowly carpenter’s son of Joseph and Mary, who grew up amongst them could ever be the Messiah. His words so annoyed them that they eventually forced him out of the city and tried to throw Him down a hill. Thankfully though, as the Good Book says: ‘But he passing through the midst of them went his way.’ (Luke 4:30) And the scholars offer this explanation on the verse. ‘It is not clear whether this is a miraculous deliverance, or whether Jesus, by dint of His imposing presence, was able to stare His opponents down and then walk away untouched.’ I like to think it was the latter, just to show the unbelieving fools that He was not scared of them. (smile)

Now, this final word from Jesus re freedom. He said to a crowd of Jews that supposedly believed in Him. ‘If ye continue (abide) in my word, then ye are my disciples indeed; And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.’ (John 8:31-32) And when they claimed they were never in bondage, so how could they be made free, Jesus explained to them that they were in bondage to sin. However, ‘If the Son therefore shall make you free; ye shall be free indeed.’ (John 8:36)

And is that ever the glorious truth my brethren! Only through the work of Jesus on the cross of Calvary, His shed blood, His death and resurrection, can we be truly made free. Free from sin, free from our most noted enemy, Satan and the sinful life that he espouses and tries to get us to also espouse, so that we can eventually end up like him, in the lake of fire. But thankfully, we’re wiser than that! We’re following Jesus! Glory Hallelujah! So, let’s go to Him in prayer, through our Friday Chant, asking for His divine help in our troubled world.

As one confident voice: ‘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 and monkey-pox viruses, as well as 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 viruses 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!’

Now friends, if we truly expect positive divine help, then it’s up to us keep the promises we’ve just made, and show right motives in our hearts. Much LOVE!

…ONLY through belief in Christ Jesus…can we gain whatever freedom is possible in this earthly life…

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

Today’s Scrip-Bit 1 September 2022 Proverbs 6:4.

01 Sep 2022 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: a little folding of the hands to sleep, a pain in the rear end, a positive outlook on life, a self-starter, a sense of entitlement, a son that causeth shame, an abomination to the human soul, an easy life only breeds laziness, back to school, bringeth forth much fruit, consider her ways and be wise, curse, give not sleep to thine eyes, go to the ant thou sluggard, grace, he becometh poor that dealeth with a slack hand, he that sleepeht in the harvest, I am the vine ye are the branches, laziness, LOVE, make hay when it shines, mercy, negative word, prepare for predictable circumstances, slumber to thine eyelids, so shall thy poverty come, strong shoulders with a good head on them, supernatural wisdom, the hand of the diligent maketh rich, Thursday Blessings, thy want as an armed man, waste time in sleeping or idleness, without me ye can do nothing, work ethic

Proverbs 6:4. Give not sleep to thine eyes, nor slumber to thine eyelids.

And it’s the first of September, meaning, soon back to school and back to work from the summer vacation, as well as the beginning of the cooler weather, with ever fewer trips to the cottage for the weekend breaks. We have to start thinking of and preparing for the cold and dreary winter months ahead. It’s a pain in the rear end for us all, and does cut down some on our enthusiasm, but that’s just the way it is if you live in the northern climes. (smile)

Consequently, we need to have strong shoulders with a good head on them, one that plans with God’s help, doing whatever needs to be done. As Cousin Sol so wisely warns of idleness and falsehood in Proverbs 6, where he solemnly advises: ‘Give not sleep to thine eyes, nor slumber to thine eyelids. Deliver thyself as a roe (gazelle) from the hand of the hunter, and as a bird from the hand of the fowler (bird trapper).’ (Prov. 6:4-5)

Yes friends, we need to be very wise and careful in our dealings with the world, especially in these very fraudulent, culpable and ever so dangerous times. We can’t waste time in sleeping or idleness, because the world will either pass us by or snap us up in its devilish and ungodly schemes. We must do as the old people say, make hay when it shines. Or as Cousin Sol continues: ‘Go to the ant, thou sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise: Which having no guide (leader), overseer, or ruler, Provideth her meat (food) in the summer, and gathereth her food in the harvest.’ (Prov. 6:6-8)

Ah mih people, for the many sluggards, the habitually lazy persons in our society, the ant teaches us two very important lessons. Firstly, it doesn’t have a leader or taskmaster, but it goes out and does what needs to be done to secure its livelihood. And secondly, it’s wise enough to prepare for predictable circumstances like an upcoming winter season, where it goes out and collects food during the summer and stores it for the lean and cold winter months. That means the ant is a self-starter, it doesn’t need anyone or anything to be continually prodding it to work, especially on its own behalf.

I wish the same could be said for many of us in this entitled society in which we now live. And that’s why these following verses are ever so important in these trying times. Cousin Sol first ponders the question: ‘How long wilt thou sleep (do nothing), O sluggard? When wilt thou arise out of thy sleep (start doing something constructive)?’ Then he provides the answer. ‘Yet a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep: so shall thy poverty come as one that travelleth (a prowler), and thy want (need) as an armed man.’ (Prov. 6:9-11)

Now that’s wisdom we should all pay attention to, for constant laziness, or too much sleep, without productive living is anathema, an abomination to the human soul. Why? Because it eventually brings dire poverty, with little or no warning, like a robber who suddenly shows up unexpectedly and robs you of all your belongings.

And sadly, there are too many people, especially of the upcoming generation, living like that nowadays. They possess no work ethic, no self-discipline or self-control, they just know that they want as much of the currently in-things as possible but refuse to put in a fair day’s labour to achieve them, ofttimes thinking that they are entitled to whatever they desire. And a lot of the blame for that mentality must be laid right at the feet of the parents. For our generation figured that because we had it somewhat rough, our children must have it easy.

But the truth of the matter is that having life easy only breeds laziness, dissatisfaction and entitlement. The only thing that breeds wisdom and common sense is some difficulty in our lives. That’s what made us, the parents strong; we didn’t have everything handed to us on a silver platter, we didn’t have as many amenities as we now have, which breeds laziness, especially in those unaccustomed to anything else. Many of us grew up with very little, but that’s what made us the strong people that we turned out to be!

And in the comparison of the wise and foolish, Cousin Sol continues the advice. ‘He becometh poor that dealeth with a slack (negligent) hand: but the hand of the diligent maketh rich. He that gathereth in summer is a wise son: but he that sleepeth in the harvest is a son that causeth shame.’ (Prov. 10:4-5)

There’s no getting away from it friends, an unproductive life will leave us poor as the proverbial church mouse. (smile) And if you consider yourself, or claim to be a follower of Christ Jesus, then slackness, negligence, too much sleep and laziness cannot be numbered amongst your traits, because Jesus demands excellence, diligence and productivity from His followers.

Remember what He said to the disciples? ‘Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.’ (John 15:4-5)

That says it all my fellow believers! Without Christ as the leading light of our lives we are unable to do much of anything. But with Him, running the show…oh my brethren, we can do amazing things; things we can’t even ask or imagine, like bringing forth a hundredfold of fruit! (smile) And our God is so wonderful that He’s bestowed awesome blessings on us, blessings we certainly don’t deserve but are necessary to help us do His earthly work. We call them our Thursday Blessings.

So, let’s declare them now nuh, so they can take a hold of our souls and spirits and raise them to higher levels. Altogether now, in strong and sincere voice: ‘I declare that I am blessed with God’s supernatural wisdom and receive clear direction for my life! I declare today that I am blessed with creativity, courage, talent and abundance! I am blessed with a strong will, self-control and self-discipline!

I am blessed with a great family, good friends, good health, faith, favour and fulfillment! I am blessed with success, supernatural strength, promotion and divine protection! I am blessed with a compassionate heart and a positive outlook on life! I declare that any curse or negative word that’s ever been spoken over me is broken right now in the name of Jesus! I declare that everything I put my hands to, will prosper and succeed! I declare it today and every day! Amen!’

Now, with those blessings under our belts, let’s get out there and use them in Christ’s name, being diligent, excellent, fruit-bearing examples of His amazing LOVE, grace and mercy. Much LOVE!

…laziness will get us nowhere…but hellfire, death and damnation…

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

Today’s Scrip-Bit 31 August 2022 Proverbs 29:18.

31 Aug 2022 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: a good boot in the tail, a spirit of mirth, apostasy, cast off restraint, endure to the end, every man did that which was right in his own eyes, God has spoken to us through Jesus, Happy 6oth Independence T&T, he that keepeth the law; happy is he, Islands in the Sun, Jesus the last agent of God's revelation, LOVE, morality is based on adnerence to God's revealed will, my eyes are fixed straight ahead, my hands are on the plough, not a law unto ourselves, not turning back, play mas, thank God, the breath of life is still flowing through me, the expressing of heifer dust, the people perish, the twin island republic, the word of the Lord was precious (rare), to a glorious future with Jesus, Trinbagonians, Trinidad and Tobago, Wednesday Wail, where there is no prophetic vision, with God's grace

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

And on this 31^st day of August in the year of our Lord 2022, I want to wish a Happy 60^th Independence Day to that fabulous twin Island Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, the land of my birth! Now, the Jamaicans think they are the biggest and hottest thing since sliced bread, and they are good, I can talk from personal experience because that’s where, as the old people would say, I turned man, some fifty something years ago, but friends, there’s a quality in Trinbagonians that no one else in the world possesses.

It seems like God put a spirit of mirth in the people of those twin islands in the sun! They have a sense of partying right at the front of their minds that no other nation has, always ready to make or play mas, and an instant camaraderie with anyone who wants to play along. It doesn’t take long to become friendly with a Trinbagonian. But their greatest gift is the expressing of heifer dust! Oh, nobody in this world could express heifer dust (S.T) like a T&T denizen! ( smile) Just go to any event, be it private or public, and once you hear heifer dust spilling out, you can bet your bottom dollar it’s a Trinbagonian! And if you have any Trinbagonian friends, you’d know that was the gospel truth.

I don’t know why, but that truth stands out for me in one particular situation. Many years ago, I went to a local football (soccer) game in New York City, and was never more amazed when I heard the same sort of B.S. spilling out of the upper stands like you would hear in places like the Queen’s Park Oval or any soccer pitch in T&T. I don’t know why that surprised me, since I know we carry our traits with us wherever we go. I guess because it sounded so refreshing and unusual to hear it in the big city of New York. (smile)

Anyhow, we all know that it’s been sixty hard years of slogging since independence, but we’ve made many improvements to the land and to the people, and let’s pray that with God’s grace we can do even better in the future. Now, please note I said with God’s grace, so that means we have to sincerely turn back to the God of our forefathers in worship and lifestyle, because we certainly cannot do it without Him on our side! Happy Independence Day T&T!

That brings us to this word of warning from Cousin Sol in Proverbs. ‘Where there is no vision (prophetic vision or revelation), the people perish (cast of restraint): but he that keepeth the law, happy is he.’ (Prov, 29:18) And that’s more gospel truth my people! As the scholars explain. ‘Vision refers to the divine revelation received by the prophet. Morality is based on adherence to God’s revealed will.’

You see it in Moses being sent to teach the children of Israel how the Lord wanted them to live, and how quickly they moved away from the law while Moses was up on Mount Zion collecting the Ten Commandments. They found he was taking too long to come back down so they inveigled Aaron: ‘Up, make us gods (a god), which will go before us; for as for this Moses, the man that brought us up out of Egypt, we wot not (know not) what has become of him.’ (Ex. 32:1) And Aaron took all their gold jewelry and made them a molten calf to worship. And you can read how they displayed a complete lack of appreciation for God by worshipping the golden calf in the rest of Exodus 32.

Then, later on, there’s the significant difference as offered by the Good Book in 1 Samuel, where it states: ‘And the child Samuel ministered unto the Lord before Eli. And the word of the Lord was precious (rare) in those day; there was no open vision.’ (1 Sam. 3:1) In nations where God’s law isn’t upheld, where there is no moral restraint, the people run amok, do their own thing, apostasy is rampant and encouraged, like we’re seeing in today’s world.

The scholars tell us, re that verse from Samuel. ‘The severity of Israel’s apostasy (cf. Judges 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 and work of Samuel. (cf. 3:21; 19: 20) It’s indeed terrible when a nation, a society, a people, don’t know and/or practice God’s word.

And that reference from Judges brings it all to light. It says: ‘In those days there was no king in Israel: every man did that which was right in his own eyes.’ (Judg. 21:25) No wonder the country was in such a sad state. And, unfortunately, that’s the way our world is currently trending; everybody wants to do their own thing, there’s no absolute right or wrong, except what we choose to acknowledge. And we can’t truly say that there’s been no prophetic revelation in the land, because there has been. God made Jesus the revelation of His will and word for all time.

Listen to the author of Hebrews. ‘God, who at sundry times (in many portions), and in divers manners (many ways) spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets. Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds (ages): Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged (cleansed) our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high.’ (Heb. 1:1-3)

Yes friends, the Father has sent the Son to reveal Himself and His word to us. As the scholars explain: ‘The author immediately shows that Jesus Christ, as the agent of God’s revelation, is far superior to the Old Testament prophets. Their message was fragmentary and incomplete. It came bit by bit through visions, dreams, events, and direct communication as men were ready and able to receive it. Christ’s revelation is climactic and complete, because He is the Son and because His is the message for the last days. His incarnation initiated the end time, and it will be fulfilled when He returns to earth to reconcile and restore all things. (cf. Acts 2:16-17; 3:19-21; 1 Pet. 1:20).’

So, technically speaking, we don’t need any new revelation about God and His law, because we already have the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth in His Son Jesus Christ! And then we have preachers teaching us His word, so what else do we need to live right eh? As someone once said; what we need is a good boot in the tail, to make us wake up and take notice of our sad and sorry lives. And believe me, if the current atmosphere of disease, economic distress, climate change, a scourge of natural disasters, and the many other problems we’re currently enduring, don’t make us wake up and turn back to God, then we’ll not only perish spiritually, but eventually, also physically.

Now, for those of us who are trying to live right, let’s go home declaring (yesss!!!) our Wednesday Wail, letting all and sundry know of our wonderful position in Christ Jesus. As one strong and sincere voice: ‘Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: I’m so glad to be alive on this Wednesday! Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: Thank God the breath of life is still flowing through me on this Wednesday! I am halfway home. My hands are fixed securely on the plough, and I’m not turning back. I’m not looking back at the past, not focusing on what has gone before. But my eyes are fixed straight ahead; straight ahead to a glorious future with Jesus. Glory Hallelujah!’

And now, a gentle reminder, that if we endure to the end, that future we’re looking forward to, will be even more glorious than we can ask or imagine. So please, let’s allow that to encourage us to stick with Jesus nuh! Much LOVE!

…we did not create ourselves…and thus cannot be a law unto ourselves…

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

Today’s Scrip-Bit 30 August 2022 2 Corinthians 12:9a.

30 Aug 2022 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: a Sunday stroll in the park, a thorn in the flesh, an inexact science, be glad with exceeding joy, be of good cheer I have overcome the world, blasphemed, blessed are ye, climate change, constant prayer, for my sake, glory in my infirmities, god's grace is always enough, hurry, I am the beloved of god, in me ye might have peace, in the world ye shall have tribulation, Jesus - the veritable anchor of our lives, LOVE, my grace is sufficient for thee, my strength is made perfect in weakness, on their part he is evil spoken of, on your part he is glorified, persecute you, rejoice, say all manner of evil against you, share His love with the world, the Beatitudes, the eternal destiny of all things, the fiery trial which is to try you, the power of Christ may rest upon me, think it not strange, to test our faith, trust my friend Jesus, Tuesday Mantra, weather forecasting, when his glory shall be revealed, when I am weak then I am strong, when men shall revile you, worry, ye are partakers of Christ's suffering

2 Corinthians 12:9a. My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength (power) is made perfect in weakness.

Well, it seems like today we might at last get some of the rain promised yesterday, after strong winds blew away the rain clouds. The skies are dark outside and a sprinkle of heavenly blessing has already fallen. But who knows, in these days of climate change anything is possible. So many times in the recent past we’ve been promised rain, and did see dark clouds all around, but no rain fell, at least in my area. (smile)

But just to show how crazy our world has gotten, I recently read that in some eastern European country, two top meteorologists were fired when they forecasted a big storm for some national holiday and thus all the celebrations were postponed. But unfortunately, no storm happened. Imagine the ignorance in that nuh! Weather forecasting is an inexact science, so you can’t hold the forecasters to any rigid details, especially when our weather patterns have recently changed and are still changing as we speak.

But I guess that’s life in these modern times. That’s why it’s ever so important for us to have Jesus as the foundation, the veritable anchor in our lives, so that those kinds of unfortunate things don’t get us too down and eventually drive us crazy. And to help us handle the madness of today’s world, promises of Jesus, like this one, should be indelibly stenciled in the forefront of our minds: ‘These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.’ (John 16:33)

Now that’s a most reassuring scripture! It won’t always change our circumstances, but it will surely help us to handle those circumstances in a more positive manner, driving away the desire to give up on our faith and our lives. And per the earthly life, that’s one of the major reasons to believe in Jesus. He doesn’t take away all our problems, but helps us to handle them in a positive manner.

Too many of us supposed believers though, think that as soon as we accept Jesus as Lord and Saviour that life will just run as smoothly as a rippling stream. But that’s a total fallacy, for sometimes life gets more complicated with more problems as Jesus allows stuff to enter our lives to test our faith, to see how strong we really are. And whatever comes against us, God will give us all the grace we need to handle the situation. We need to believe that very deeply.

And we have the perfect example of that in Bruh Paul’s situation in 2 Corinthians 12, where he had some thorn in his flesh, nobody knows for sure what it was, some malady, sickness or affliction that was obviously causing him problems and three times he asked the Lord to take it away but the Lord refused, telling him: ‘My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength (power) is made perfect in weakness.’ (2 Cor. 12:9a)

So, sometimes when we pray for relief from a problem, that’s the kind of answer we may receive, and then we must do like Bruh Paul did when he received that answer to his problem. He went on to say: ‘Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities (weaknesses), that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ’s sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.’ (2 Cor, 12:9b-10)

Yes friends, though it’s never easy, sometimes we just have to grin and bear our problems, knowing that the grace of God is always with us, even when we seem to be at our lowest and most hurting point. All of us have strengths and weaknesses, and as we glory in the strengths, so should we accept the weaknesses or flaws, knowing that God will not allow them to destroy us, if we are faithful to Him and His word.

Oh, living the real Christian life was never meant to be easy, a Sunday stroll in the park, but it surely is an interesting life, with all sorts of unexpected adventures, both good and bad. And when the bad ones come upon us, we need to remember these soul-searching words of Peter, as he writes about us being good stewards of God’s grace. ‘Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you:

But rejoice, inasmuch as (to the extent that) ye are partakers of Christ’s sufferings: that when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy. If ye be reproached (insulted) for the name of Christ, happy (blessed) are ye; for the spirit of glory and of God resteth upon you: on their part he is evil spoken of (blasphemed), but on your part he is glorified.’ (1 Pet. 4:12-14)

Yes mih bredrin, we will all suffer some kind of reproach or insult on Christ’s behalf, but we need to take it in our stride and not always react in the same manner, but consider it a blessing, because the Spirit of God dwells within us and gives us the power and the grace to handle whatever comes against us in Jesus’ name. Remember how Jesus said it in the Beatitudes in the Sermon on the Mount. ‘Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely for my sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.’ (Matt. 5:11-12)

And yes, it will be difficult to rejoice when you are being persecuted, be it physically or through slander and blasphemy. But the scholars offer this interesting explanation of that last verse. ‘5:12. Rejoice is the command that grows out of the blessedness of the believer. The phrase Rejoice, and be exceeding glad means even more, exult! Great is your reward in heaven focusses attention on the eternal destiny of all things. If God is as real as He claims, if the Bible is true, if heaven is to be gained, then no temporary earthly trouble or persecution can dispossess the child of God of joy in the prospect of the eternal glory that lies ahead.’

Now that’s saying a mouthful, but it’s the awesome truth. If all that we believe is true, then the earthly troubles we encounter are no match for the heavenly rewards to come. And we need to believe that and hold on to it tightly, otherwise we won’t be able to handle the earthly problems properly. And the only way to do that successfully is by constantly delving deep in the word of God, talking to Him through constant prayer, and fellowshipping regularly with other believers!

Now, for those of us who are sincerely trying to live that way, let’s go home declaring (awright!!!) our Tuesday Mantra, letting the whole world know to whom we proudly belong, lock, stock and barrel. As one strong and confident voice: ‘In God’s eyes, 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!’

And now my fellow believers, it behooves us to go out and share that amazing LOVE and friendship of Christ with others, so that they too can come to know and LOVE Him like we do! Much LOVE!

…God’s grace is never in short supply…there’s always enough to see us through every problem…

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

Today’s Scrip-Bit 29 August 2022 Matthew 11:30.

29 Aug 2022 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: blasphemy, change our attitude, come before Jesus, criticism, go boldly into the evil world, his commandments are not grievous, humble servants, I am meek and lowly in heart, Jehovah Rapha, keep up with the Joneses, less than stellar fight for Jesus, LOVE, mass confusion, mockery, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, my yoke is easy and my burden light, rise up, seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, sincere repentance, sincerely seek your face, sit on our laurels, sSatan holding us captive, stand up for Jesus, strong faith in Christ, take my yoke upon you, the God who heals, this is the love of God, we keep His commandments, we mean business, with our hearts in our hands, ye shall find rest unto your souls

Matthew 11:30. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.

Come on my people, it’s time for us to rise up and go boldly and confidently into the evil and ungodly world and let the enemy know that we mean business this Monday morning! Jesus’ business that is! Yes, it’s high time we release the fear or whatever’s been holding us back from doing the job that Jesus expects of us. And there’s’ no better time to do that than today, right now, as we see the evil and ungodliness in our world rising to new levels.

Oh my fellow believers, it’s time we shake free of the devil’s hold on us, through whatever activity or scheme it might be. Jesus has promised never to leave nor forsake us, (Heb. 13:5) but we have to take him up on the offer. So, if Satan is still holding us captive, in some form and fashion, as he obviously is, otherwise we would be doing better in Jesus’ service, then let’s take our situation to Jesus and ask for His help. Let’s not be afraid or ashamed to come to Him with our hearts in our hands pleading for His help.

Please remember these very inviting words He offered to all who were having problems. We call it the Great Invitation. He’s calling out with grace and mercy: ‘Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of (from) me; for I am meek and lowly in heart (gentle and humble): and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.’ (Matt. 11:28-30)

Oh my people, no one else has ever offered such a graceful and glowing invitation and also had the means to keep it. A lot of people have offered all sorts of warm and welcoming invitations, but none has ever had the power and grace and mercy like Jesus to keep it. And John in his first epistle reiterates Jesus’ statement, when he writes: ‘For this is the LOVE of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous (burdensome).’ (1 John 5:3)

Yes, Jesus’ rules and regulations are not hard to keep. And furthermore, when we have problems, He assists us in keeping them because it’s to both our benefit that we keep them. And as the scholars wisely inform us: ‘Once again relationship to God and obedience are inseparably linked.’

That’s why it’s so unfortunate and lamentable that more of us don’t accept His Great Invitation, since in this current world we are pressured, challenged and tired as never before, despite all the wonderful amenities and facilities we have that are supposed to calm and refresh us. And because of all those challenges and the constant pressure to perform, stress is now the number one killer in our society. We need to keep up with the Joneses; we need to do that and do this, otherwise we will be left out; we need to get another job or simply make more money so that we can have all the wonderful things that others have and be recognized and accepted.

But please remember that Jesus also warned us in Matthew 6, during the Sermon on the Mount, that all the supposedly wonderful things in the world were not necessary to enjoy your life. He gave Mother Nature as the perfect example where the non-human things and beings of creation don’t sow or reap, but the Lord looks after them anyway, and they are quite happy and comfortable. The same way it is with us. Our heavenly Father knows our needs and is prepared to meet them; however, He requires an act of recognition from us.

Jesus says: ‘But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.’ (Matt. 6:33) That’s the long and short of the story friends! Our most important act must be to first seek God’s kingdom and its righteousness before we receive God’s heavenly blessings. And I believe our current troubled and fearful times is a good indication that we have not been seeking God’s kingdom, nor His righteousness, the way we ought to.

Consequently, our lives and world are getting worse with each passing day. And we simply cannot allow that negative situation to continue. That’s why I am pleading with us, encouraging us to change our attitude today, this Monday morning, to accept Christ’s invitation, to begin seeking His kingdom and His righteousness much more than we’ve been doing recently. It’s time to raise our level of godliness, while lowering that of fear, since God’s not given us a spirit of fear, but one of power, of LOVE, and of a sound or disciplined mind.

Yes my faithful brethren, its’ time for us to put all those factors into action and come up higher as workers for Christ and His kingdom. Remember, we are His ambassadors, His agents down here on earth, and His business will only be as good as we transact it, and right now we’re certainly not doing as good a job as we ought to. That’s why there’s so much blasphemy, criticism and mockery of His holy name and person. Too many people don’t take Him seriously because of the way, we His followers behave; undisciplined, licentious, hypocritical and downright evil.

The current state of the world is a natural reaction to our less than stellar and steadfast fight for the recognition of Jesus and His kingdom. And yes, the war has already been won, because Jesus has already defeated hell, death and the grave by His death and resurrection, but the battle still wages on, for the enemy is not giving up, and therefore we believers cannot afford to sit on our laurels and let him win back any of the territory he’s already lost. And there is no doubt that right now he has the upper hand, that’s why it’s ever so important, so critical for us to uplift our godliness and righteousness and fight him tooth and nail, so that he remains a defeated foe.

And the first step in all our activities is always prayer. So, let’s go to the throne of grace right now and lay our petitions before it, in confident voice. ‘Our Father, who art in heaven, we, Your humble servants, praise Your Holy Name and thank You this Monday morning for life and strong faith in Christ, despite the mass confusion in our world. We desperately need Your divine help, for You are the ONLY ONE with the power to solve our many problems.

Heavenly Father, we admit that we have all sinned and seriously disobeyed Your Word, but we know that You are a merciful, forgiving and gracious God, who has faithfully promised to hear and answer our prayers when we humble ourselves, pray, and sincerely seek Your face. That’s why we come to You now, with sincere repentance in our hearts, pleading with You to give us wise guidance and direction to alleviate our problems.

And Father, we pray that you will ease the pain of the many who are suffering from negative situations. Please show them Your awesome grace and mercy, and keep Your promise that You’ll hear our prayer, forgive us, and heal our land if we turn from our evil ways. Show this evil world that You are indeed Jehovah Rapha; the God who heals! We pray this in the holy and blessed name of Your Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen! And again, we say: Amen!’

Now it’s up to us to keep our promises and live the way Jesus expects of us, if we desire to see much needed improvements in our lives and our world. Much LOVE!

…stand up, stand up for Jesus…that’s what it means to be a Christian…

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

Today’s Scrip-Bit 28 August 2022 Ephesians 2:8.

28 Aug 2022 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: a kind of firstfruits, a life of joy and peace, Amazing grace, bright shining as the sun, but now am found, by grace you are saved through faith, come together, every good and perfect give is from above, for he satisfieth the longing soul, for His goodness to the children of men, God rescues us at our lowest point, he filleth the hungry soul with goodness, heartfelt expression of gratitude to God, how sweet the sound, I once was lost, I was glad when they said unto me, it is the gift of God, John Newton, lest any man should boast, let us go into the house of the Lord, LOVE, never too late for God's grace, no shadow of turning, no variableness, not of works, not of yourselves, oh that men would praise the Lord, that saved a wretch like me, the Father of lights, the truth of the Lord endures for ever, was blind but now I see

Ephesians 2:8. For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God.

My fellow believers, let’s come together right now, to praise, worship and give thanks to our great and wonderful God, for that’s the major reason He created us! Consequently, Bruh David could joyfully declare (chuh!!!) in the opening verse of Psalm 122: ‘I was glad when they said unto me, Let us go into the house of the Lord.’ That’s where we’re supposed to be sometime this last Sunday in August of 2022.

And besides being made to praise and worship God, the psalmist also declares: (yesss!!!) ‘Oh that men would praise the Lord for his goodness (LOVING-kindness), and for his wonderful works to the children of men! For he satisfieth the longing soul, and filleth the hungry soul with goodness.’ (Ps. 107:8-9) That’s even more reason to praise and worship Him.

And as always, we have a marvellous song of worship to open the proceedings. Today’s hymn is one of our very ‘favouritest’ (smile) aptly titled ‘Amazing Grace.’ It was supposedly written ‘to illustrate a sermon on New Year’s Day of 1773.’ by the sailor, slave trader, turned Anglican priest and abolitionist John Newton (1725-1807). The story goes that Newton, who was brought up in a Christian home rejected his mother’s teachings and became a real profane and wicked individual.

However, during one of his voyages, a wicked storm (smile) enveloped his ship and threatened to drown them, but during the storm, his mind turned to Christ, and later, finding a New Testament he began reading it. And apparently Luke 11:13 changed his mind about being too wicked to be saved. ‘If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?’

Now that’s a terribly important question. And the answer is the Lord will give us ever so much more than we can give our children! Obviously, Newton must have asked for the power of the Holy Spirit and the Lord granted it to him. And isn’t that just the way our Lord LOVES to work; take us up, rescue us when we are at our lowest point. It’s a perfect example that we can never fall too low for the Lord’s grace and mercy to reach us and pull us out of the evil mire in which we’re ensconced.

Anyway, enough talk for now. If you didn’t know the general background of the hymn, now you know it, so let’s sing it in a soulful, harmonious, mid-tempo version. I hate hearing people sing it like a dirge, for it’s not a sad song but a happy one. A song of salvation should never be sad. So, with voices raised to the max, let’s offer up sacrificial praise, singing like we truly feeling the overpowering sentiments of the song.

‘Amazing grace! How sweet the sound That saved a wretch like me! I once was lost, but now am found; Was blind, but now I see. Through many dangers, toils and snares, I have already come; ’Tis grace hath brought me safe thus far, And grace will lead me home. The Lord has promised good to me, His Word my hope secures; He will my Shield and Portion be, As long as life endures.

Yea, when this flesh and heart shall fail, And mortal life shall cease, I shall possess, within the veil, A life of joy and peace. The earth shall soon dissolve like snow, The sun forbear to shine; But God, who called me here below, Will be forever mine. When we’ve been there ten thousand years, Bright shining as the sun, We’ve no less days to sing God’s praise Than when we’d first begun.’

Ah mih people, that was marvellous! Heaven couldn’t doubt that we were sincere! And I particularly like this comment in an article on the song from the website Godtube. It says: ‘This song isn’t a song of theology – it’s John Newton’s own heartfelt expression of gratitude to God, who helped him turn from his profane and wicked life and eventually fight against the ills he practiced.’

Yes friends, it must be amazing when we can go from one end of the spectrum right to the opposite end! And although the song might not be a theological text (smile) it’s only God’s grace can cause that to happen. For as Bruh Paul wrote to the Ephesians: ‘For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God. Not of works, lest any man should boast.’ (Eph. 2:8-9)

And I guess Newton full well recognized that fact, having later become and Anglican priest, for in the song, he acknowledged this most important fact: ‘’Tis grace hath brought me safe thus far. And grace will lead me home.’ And that’s for certain sure my fellow believers, for as James, Jesus’ brother tells us: ‘Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness (variation), neither shadow of turning. Of his own will he begat us with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.’ (James 1:17-18)

Yes precious saints of Christ, everything good comes from our heavenly Father, who is immutable, doesn’t change. And as we said at the beginning, He made us, His most important creation to have fellowship with Him, to be the first step in His redemption plan for all creation. And as the song concludes: ‘When we’ve been here ten thousand years, Bright shining as the sun, We’ve no less days to sing God’s praise Than when we first begun.’

Now isn’t that the glorious truth? It surely is! As long as there’s’ life in our bodies, physical or spiritual, we’ll always have occasion to sing the Lord’s praises, for that’s why we were made! So, let’s remember that nuh and keep singing God’s most deserved praises each and every day of our lives as the Good Book instructs us to do. ‘O praise the Lord, all ye nations: praise (glorify) him, all ye people. For his merciful (LOVING) kindness is great toward us: and the truth of the Lord endureth for ever. Praise ye the Lord (shout Hallelujah!)’ (Ps. 117:1-2)

And that only comes when we truly believe, and thus have the joy, the truth, and the grace of God moving majestically within us! Much LOVE!

…it’s never too late…or one’s never too far gone…to receive God’s grace…

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

Today’s Scrip-Bit 26 August 2022 Matthew 23:28.

26 Aug 2022 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: anxiety, be responsible and stay safe, bring backsliders back to your fold, by the example we set, confusion in our world, cowering in fear of the world, embrace your love and compassion, except your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, faith without works is dead, Friday chant, full of dead men's bones., God's mercies and compassions, introduce a new flock, laughing in the face of Christianity, listing towards the devil, LOVE, nothing but a show, of all uncleanness, omnipotent help, show them the error of their ways, TGIF! Thank God it's Friday!, the leadership realm, to do nothing is to do something, wake up and smell the coffee, we only have ourselves to blame, whited sepulchres, within ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity, ye outwardly appear righteous unto men, ye shall not enter the kingdom of heaven

Matthew 23:28. Even so ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity (lawlessness).

And what do we say on this cloudy Friday morning, the last one in August of 2022? ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday! The weekend’s here and we’re alive and kicking!’ Yes friends, we are ever so glad to be alive on another momentous day, where a brand new batch of God’s mercies and compassions have been formulated and dispensed once again for us to enjoy. (smile) What a wonderful God we serve my people!

However, I don’t believe we show Him enough LOVE and gratitude for all that He’s done, is doing, and has promised to do for us, otherwise our good ship, namely our world, would not be listing so badly towards the devil and his dark and evil ways. The name and wonderful ways of Jesus Christ ought to be leading the world instead of Satan’s evil ugliness. And we only have ourselves to blame for that, since we don’t do His work, and sincerely proclaim His name as much as we ought to.

And this most appropriate verse jumped out at me just now when I went looking for a scripture to prove my point. It’s Jesus talking to the multitudes during the Sermon on the Mount, where He declares to them, in no uncertain fashion: ‘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.’ (Matt. 5:20).

Now, In Jesus’ day, that was a very damning remark against those groups of leaders, since they were looked upon as the most religious people in all of Israel. However, their religiosity was largely outward show, with little or no inward sincerity. That’s why Jesus also had more scathing words for them: ‘Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For ye are like unto whited sepulchres (tombs), which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men’s bones, and of all uncleanness. Even so ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity (lawlessness).’ (Matt. 23:27-28)

Wow! I believe those are some of Jesus’ most vitriolic words, and imagine that nuh, they were spoken to the religious leaders of the day. And if Jesus says it’s so, then it was obviously so! (smile) But before we continue, here’s an interesting tidbit on the subject from the scholars. They say of the term ‘Whited sepulchres: Since contact with a dead body rendered a person unclean under the Mosaic Law, graves were customarily painted white to make them conspicuous and give the opportunity of avoiding contact with them.’

So, we see where Jesus got the concept from, and how appropriate it was to the leaders, as well as understandable to His listeners. Now, getting back to the hypocrisy and iniquity of the scribes and Pharisees, we are currently seeing the same sort of hypocritical behaviour from a large portion of the supposed Christian population, especially in the leadership realm. Every day there’s some sort of scandal about a religious leader, and not of any one denomination either, but in almost all of them.

Now how can that kind of scandalous behaviour work for the benefit of Christ eh? It certainly can’t! That’s why so many people are turning away from Christ and laughing in the face of Christianity. And we the ordinary congregants are no better than our leaders, because we also talk a good spiritual talk, but our actual walk is also rather hypocritical; we don’t do what we say, or what we advise others to do. We put on a good show, but almost always, that’s all it ever is, nothing but a show!

That means we are no better than the scribes and Pharisees of old. and that’s why Christ’s movement is not further ahead than that of Satan! We supposed believers ought to be standing up strong and steadfast against the world’s evil doers and doings, but more often than not, we are instead cowering in fear of what the world can do to us, or in cahoots with the world, enjoying its lusts and pleasures, or we simply don’t care and thus do nothing. But please remember that to do nothing IS to do something, just not something useful for whatever cause you believe in!

And just think about this for a moment nuh…what kind of people are we, how can we claim to believe in Christ Jesus and yet do so little to acclaim His name, but so much to bring shame and disgrace to it? And yet we still expect Him to positively answer our prayers and problems. Hn! It seems we believe that our God is there to placate our every whim and fancy, but the truth is, we have been made to satisfy His desires, and if we don’t, then we’ll pay the consequences. It’s as simple as that. And believe me, there will be serious, life changing consequences for our hypocritical, two-faced behaviour, unless we smarten up right away and begin doing what we know we should be doing. End of sermon!

Now let’s go to God through our Friday Chant and ask for His divine help and forgiveness. As one sincere voice: ‘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.

Now, for our sakes, but more so, those of our children, let’s wake up and do the right things nuh, because our progeny will pay the price for our unrighteousness. Much LOVE!

…instead of talking our faith…let’s show it instead by our sincere works nuh…for faith without works is dead…

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

Today’s Scrip-Bit 24 August 2022 Psalm 37:23.

24 Aug 2022 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: a man is not justified by the works of the law, catch our second wind, depart from evil and do good, endure to the end, halfway home, hands on the plough, he delighteth in his way, he is always merciful and lendeth, his seed begging bread, his seed is blessed, I have been young, I have not seen the righteous forsaken, I'm not turning back, Judaizers, keep his way, LOVE, my eyes are fixed straight ahead, the breath of life, the first and great commandment, the law of God is in his heart, the Lord upholdeth him with his hand, the moral law of God, the mouth of the righteous speaketh wisdom, the perfect law of liberty, the physical law of God, the righteous shall inherit the land, the royal law, the seed of the wicked shall be cut off, the social law of God, the spiritual law of God, the steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord, to a glorious future with Jesus, wait on the Lord, we are saved by grace through faith in Christ, Wednesday Wail

Psalm 37:23. The steps of a good man are ordered (established) by the Lord: and he delighteth in his way.

Well, it’s Wednesday, the middle day of the work week. So how are we going my dear brethren in Christ at this point in time? Let’s hope that with Christ surrounding us that we are doing pretty good, catching our second wind and moving forward with faith, despite all the confusion and evil workings that currently have our world in grip.

And regardless of what’s happening in our lives right now, I believe it is of the utmost importance for us to believe these marvellous words promised by Bruh David on God’s behalf from Psalm 37. ‘The steps of a good man are ordered (established) by the Lord: and he delighteth in his way. Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down: for the Lord upholdeth him with his hand.’ (Ps. 37:23-24) Now, if we don’t believe that promise what hope is there for us then eh? None whatsoever!

And Bruh David drives home that amazing hope in Christ Jesus when he continues: ‘I have been young, and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed (descendants) begging bread. He is ever (always) merciful, and lendeth; and his seed (descendants) is blessed.’ (Ps. 37:25-26) Oh my people, how wonderful is that statement eh? Most wonderful! Why? Because when we walk faithfully with God, it ensures the goodness of God to our families after we are gone. And who doesn’t want that assurance?

But before it can happen, we must faithfully do certain things. Bruh David puts it simply, but it’s ever powerful in truth. ‘Depart from evil, and do good; and dwell for evermore. For the Lord LOVETH judgment (justice), and forsaketh not his saints; they are preserved for ever; but the seed of the wicked shall he cut off. The righteous shall inherit the land, and dwell therein for ever.’ (Ps. 37:27-29) It couldn’t be put any simpler or more truthfully my people! The Lord, as it were, bends over backwards for the righteous, while He crushes the wicked without mercy.

And why would the Lord do that eh? Because ‘The mouth of the righteous speaketh wisdom, and his tongue talketh of judgement (mercy). The law of God is in his heart; none of his steps shall slide (slip).’ (Ps. 37:30-31) Wow! What encouraging and reassuring scriptures! But then we talk about the ‘law of God,’ what exactly is that? Ah friends, the scholars give us a lengthy but very useful discourse on the subject. (smile)

They say, ‘The law of God is the extension of God’s nature and expression of God’s will in His creation. God’s law is expressed in different forms, relating to different areas of His creation. The physical law of God includes the laws of nature which govern the continuous physical existence of this world (Gen. 8:22; Col. 1:17). The moral law, also called “the perfect law of liberty” (James 1:15), governs the immaterial issues of life (2 Tim. 3:17).

The social law of God affects interpersonal relationships and can be summarized by “the royal law” (James 2:8). The spiritual law deals with a man’s relationship with God. It is summarized in “the first and great commandment” (Matt. 22:37-38). And we all know what that is: ‘LOVE the Lord with all thy heart, mind and soul…etc. etc.’

Illustration: The purpose of the law is to reveal the sovereignty of God (Ex. 20:2), to place a restraint on the sinner (Ps. 68:7-8), to show the greatness and reality of sin (Rom. 3:19-20), and to lead the sinner to Christ (Gal. 3:24). The purpose of the law did not change with the gospel. When the Judaizers in Galatia sought to teach their erroneous view of the law, they failed to realize that the law has never been able to save anyone. Application: As Christians, we should be concerned to live decently and orderly. (First ref. Gen. 2:17; Primary ref. Rom. 7:7-14; cf. Ex. 3:13).’

Glory be my people! There’s enough scripture and other info there to keep us occupied for the rest of the day! (smile) And I expect us to look up those scriptures, so that we can get a better understanding of God’s law. Why? Because how can we live a godly life, one in tune with God’s law if we don’t know and understand that law eh?

Now, I believe there’s one thing, we need to further explain; that’s about ‘the Judaizers.” They were ‘a group of Jewish Christians who insisted that their co-religionists should follow the Mosaic Law and that Gentile converts to Christianity must first be circumcised.’ They considered that the Old Testament laws were still binding on all Christians.

But Bruh Paul made it quite clear otherwise in his letter to the Galatians. He begins by saying in 2:15: ‘We who are Jews by nature, and not sinners of the Gentiles,’ That was a derogatory term against Gentiles, who were considered synonymous with sinners, since they didn’t live under the Jewish law, which kept the Jews somewhat restrained in their own sinful behaviour.

Then Bruh Paul continues: ‘Knowing that a man is not justified (declared righteous) by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of (in ) Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified.’ (Gal. 2:16)

Please remember that friends. It’s not by works we are saved but by grace, through faith in Christ Jesus. (Eph. 2:8-9) And yes, we definitely ought to do good works, but those works don’t mean anything when it comes to saving us from hellfire and damnation. They may bring us rewards in heaven, but they will NEVER get us to heaven!

And since we began with the awesome words of Psalm 37, it only makes sense to end with some of them. (smile) And we can never go wrong when we follow this marvellous advice of Bruh David. ‘Wait on the Lord, and keep his way, and he shall exalt thee to inherit the land: when the wicked are cut off, thou shalt see it.’ (Ps. 37: 34) Yes, my fellow believers, waiting patiently and expectantly on our God is one of the best things we can ever do, for He will exalt us in His own time.

And for those of us who are sincerely trying to do just that, let’s go home now declaring (oh yeahhh!!!) our Wednesday Wail, letting all and sundry know of our wonderful position in Christ Jesus. As one confident and sincere voice: ‘Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: I’m so glad to be alive on this Wednesday! Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: Thank God the breath of life is still flowing through me on this Wednesday! I am halfway home. My hands are fixed securely on the plough, and I’m not turning back. I’m not looking back at the past, not focusing on what has gone before. But my eyes are fixed straight ahead; straight ahead to a glorious future with Jesus. Glory Hallelujah!’

Now my fellow saints, that means we must do whatever it takes to keep on keeping on. And don’t forget, that if we endure to the very end, that future with Christ will be even more glorious than we can ask or imagine! Mama Mia! What an amazing life is to be had with Christ! Much LOVE

…only in Christ…can the real and true life be found…

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

Today’s Scrip-Bit 23 August 2022 Romans 12:13.

23 Aug 2022 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: all things are become new, all things are of God, cast off the works of darkness, I am the beloved of god, if any man be Christ he is a new creation, in god's eyes, insensitivity to Christ's demands, it is high time to awake out of sleep, LOVE, love is the fulfilling of the law, love worketh no ill to his neighbour, made him to be sin for us, made the righteousness of God, make not provision for the flesh, old things are passed away, our salvation is nearer than when we first believed, put on the armour of light, put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, reconciled us to himself by Jesus, share His love with the world, sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof, take no thought for the morrow, the day is at hand, the ministry of reconciliation, the night is far spent, the prince of the power of the air, time is running out, tomorrow never comes, trust my friend Jesus, Tuesday Mantra

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

And then it was Tuesday…Monday’s gone bye bye! And isn’t it interesting how one day morphs into the next so easily, ofttimes without us even noticing it. Oh, how quickly today becomes yesterday and tomorrow today, with us looking forward to another tomorrow! But the truth of the matter is that tomorrow never comes. We only have today, and that’s why we must live today as best we can, without thinking too much about tomorrow, for who knows if we’ll be alive on what we consider tomorrow.

That’s why our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ made this profound statement in His famous Sermon on the Mount. ‘Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil (trouble) thereof.’ (Matt. 6:34) And there’s’ great wisdom in that statement my brethren. In other words, Jesus is saying to us, don’t worry too much about tomorrow, for tomorrow will take care of itself, but rather, concentrate on today, which is what you have, and all that you may ever have.

It’s wise to consider tomorrow to some extent, just in case we live to see it, (smile) but today is the essence of our lives, when we need to buckle down and make things happen, for us and through us! We can’t wait and put everything off for tomorrow, as so many of us do, for in the meanwhile, the important things of today are passing us by without any or much input on our part. And once the opportunities of today have passed us by, then they are usually gone forever. That’s why Bruh Paul in his letter to the Roman church, after warning them to LOVE each other: ‘LOVE worketh no ill (does no harm) to his neighbour: therefore LOVE is the fulfilling of the law.’ (Rom. 13:10)

He turns around and warns them about rising from sleep, or putting off God’s demands. ‘And that knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we firsr believed. The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light. Let us walk honestly (properly), as in the day; not in rioting (revelry) and drunkenness, not in chambering (licentiousness) and wantonness (lewdness), not in strife and envying. But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfill the lusts thereof.’ (Rom. 13:11-14)

Now friends, that’s a wakeup call we also need very badly today, in these dark, evil and ungodly times. And what does it all really mean? The scholars explain it thus. ‘Sleep means insensitivity to the demands of Christ on the Christian’s life. Now is our salvation nearer: The coming of Christ to deliver us from this sinful world grows nearer every day. The night is the time while Christ is out of the world, and the world has been delivered into the control of the prince of the power of the air (Eph. 2:2). The day is a reference to the time when Christ will return and establish His reign of righteousness.’

Ah mih people, Christ’s return draws closer every day and there are still a lot of people who don’t know and accept Him as Lord and Saviour, who are still living in the darkness induced by the enemy, and also many of us believers who are not living up to the covenant we have with the Lord. And as we said right at the beginning, we cannot wait until tomorrow to set our lives straight and help others come to Christ, we must do it today. For what if Christ comes back tomorrow eh, or today? A lot of us will be found wanting.

That’s why that last verse warns us to put on Christ and refuse to fulfill the lusts of the flesh, to satisfy our carnal desires. The scholars say: ‘One should not seek opportunities to satisfy the deep-seated desires of the sin nature, but should seek occasion to manifest works that are consistent with the new life in Christ.’ It’s like Bruh Paul wrote to the church at Corinth: ‘Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature (creation): old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.’ (2 Cor. 5:17)

That means once we receive Christ as Lord and Saviour, all the old stuff we used to do that involved our carnal nature, should be laid aside in favour of new things that are associated with Christ. As Bruh Paul continues: ‘And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given us the ministry of reconciliation.’ (2 Cor. 5:18) Yes friends, it’s all been God’s doing. He took the awesome responsibility to reconcile or bring us back to His fold through Christ Jesus, and for that we ought to be very grateful, otherwise we would still be on the wide and winding path to hellfire and damnation.

So, we have serious responsibilities to consider and perform. Bruh Paul states it thus: ‘Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray (implore) you in Christ’s stead (behalf), be ye reconciled to God. For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin: that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.’ (2 Cor. 5:20-21) Ah my fellow believers, we are indeed agents or ambassadors for Christ, therefore we must behave in the required manner, bringing positive results to His church, to His name.

Oh my people, Christ paid such a high price for our reconciliation to God; taking all our sin on His shoulders, so that we could receive God’s righteousness. The least we can do is try to live righteously and thus set a good example, so that others will want to come to Him. Now, for those of us who are sincerely attempting to do that, let’s go home declaring (awright!!!) our Tuesday Mantra, letting the whole world know to whom we belong lock, stock and barrel.

In confident but humble voice: ‘In God’s eyes, 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!’

And having said that, it now behooves us to go out and share that amazing LOVE and friendship of Christ with others, so that they too can come to know and LOVE Him like we do! Much LOVE!

…Christians need to stop talking so much…and begin doing much more…for time is running out on us…

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Today’s Scrip-Bit 22 August 2022 Psalm 119:18.

22 Aug 2022 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: a chokehold on our world, a light unto my path, all these things will be added unto you, avowed purpose, behind the eight ball, bodily exercise profiteth little, forgive us and heal our land, godliness is profitable unto all things, humble servants, I may behold wondrous things out of thy law, in a dither on Mondays, is not life more than meat, Jehovah Rapha, like chickens with our heads cut off, LOVE, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, negative situations, open thou mine eyes, seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, self-control, self-discipline, steadfast in prayer, strong faith in Christ, take no thought for your life, the body more than raiment, the God who heals, the promise of life that now is, thy word is a lamp unto my feet, too many divisions amongst believers, wise guidance and direction

Psalm 119:18. Open thou mine eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of thy law.

Monday has come around the bend once again my people, like it’s been doing for eons, and will continue doing until Jesus comes back and changes things…that is if He sees fit to change the arrangement of the days of the week. (smile) And if He doesn’t, then we’ll simply be enjoying Mondays till the end of His kingdom…or maybe all through eternity, who knows. That means the sooner we get used to Mondays and preparing properly for a new work week, the sooner any anxiety Monday causes us will disappear.

Yes, if we know what to expect, then we ought to be prepared for it. And we know that Monday will come around every seven days, so why are so many of us always in a dither on a Monday morning eh? Because we lack self-discipline and self-control. Monday should be a piece of cake, just like any other day…or rather, Monday should be our best prepared day, since we have the whole weekend to prepare for it. But hard-headed and prideful human beings that we are, we stubbornly refuse to make suitable plans for the opening day of the work week, and thus end up rushing around on Monday mornings like chickens with our heads cut off.

And I know some of you will refute what I’m saying by quoting Jesus, when He said to the people: ‘Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat (food), and the body more than raiment (clothes)? (Matt. 6:25) Then He went on to discourse how the Father looks after Mother Nature; the birds and the bees etc. and we are more important than they are, so He will look after us too. (Matt. 6:26-32)

But what we forget to quote is verse 33, which says: ‘But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you.’ And to do that, we need to not only truly believe in Christ Jesus, but to have considerable self-control and self-discipline in our efforts in His name! Jesus was one of the most disciplined and controlled persons who ever lived. He had to be, else His whole ministry and purpose for coming to earth would have fallen apart.

Don’t think for one moment that He wanted to endure all the suffering He endured and be crucified on that horrible wooden cross, but that was His avowed purpose, and He faced up to it like a man. And if we are to be His true disciples, then we also need to have strong self-control and self-discipline and face up to our purpose mano-a- mano. (smile) No organization or individual can ever grow properly without those two things. And have you noticed how the enemy and his evil cronies are very focused and disciplined? Just look around and you will see it.

Unfortunately, our Christian organizations and people don’t seem to be as well focused and disciplined, otherwise we would not be as far behind the eight ball as we currently are, and the evil doers would not have such a chokehold on our world. Oh my people, both physical and spiritual discipline are necessary if we are to be victorious in Christ’s mission, but spiritual discipline is the more important element. As Bruh Paul told Timothy. ‘For bodily exercise profiteth little: but godliness is profitable unto all things, having promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come.’ (1 Tim. 4:8)

Yes friends, physical discipline offers some help down here on earth, but the spiritual kind is useful both here on earth as well as in the life to come. So please, I’m pleading with us to get serious about spiritual discipline, for without it, we’re completely lost. And how do we get it? By constantly meditating on God’s Word, being steadfast in prayer and fellowship with other believers. As the Good Book says: ‘Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.’ (Ps. 119:105) But we first have to get into the word and then stay in the word!

Unfortunately though, that’s where too many of us supposed believers are falling down, we don’t stay in the word, we’re somewhat wishy-washy when it comes consistent Bible reading and studying. And until we improve that consistency, things will never get better. Now here’s a good verse to pray at the beginning of our prayer time. Ask the Father to ‘Open thou mine eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of thy law. I am a stranger in the earth; hide not thy commandments from me.’ (Ps. 119:18-19) Our wonderful God will never refuse such a request, and He will reveal truths to us as we read and meditate on His word.

Oh my people, it’s all about keeping God first place in our lives, being serious about it and being willing to build the discipline and self-control it needs to make Christ come to life in a dark, evil and ungodly world. And there are enough believers in this world, that if we get really serious about fighting for Jesus, we can take back our world from the enemy. But we must operate as a strong, confident, purposeful body, and with the number of divisions and dissension amongst believers right now, that seems like an impossible task.

But please remember that ALL things are possible with our God, and if He sees us making the effort, He will add whatever is necessary for us to succeed. But it all depends on us. So, let’s begin with first things first nuh, (smile) that’s prayer. As one voice, let’s take our Monday Morning Battle Hymn to the throne of grace. ‘Our Father, who art in heaven, we, Your humble servants, praise Your Holy Name and thank You this Monday morning for life and strong faith in Christ, despite the mass confusion in our world. We desperately need Your divine help, for You are the ONLY ONE with the power to solve our many problems.

Now friends, if we expect to see positive results to our prayer, it’s up to us to keep our promises and turn from our evil ways. It’s as simple as that. Much LOVE!

…don’t expect the Lord to heal and save us…if we’re not sincere…

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SCRIP-BITS

Today’s Scrip-Bit 2 September 2022 John 8:32.

Today’s Scrip-Bit 1 September 2022 Proverbs 6:4.

Today’s Scrip-Bit 31 August 2022 Proverbs 29:18.

Today’s Scrip-Bit 29 August 2022 Matthew 11:30.

Today’s Scrip-Bit 28 August 2022 Ephesians 2:8.

Today’s Scrip-Bit 26 August 2022 Matthew 23:28.

Today’s Scrip-Bit 22 August 2022 Psalm 119:18.

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