11 Apr 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a double minded man is unstable in all his ways, a life in sync with God's word, a life where there is effective prayer, a means of restoring faith in you, Abide in me, abiding in God's will, aggressive driving attitudes, an important proviso, an understanding heart, ask, ask and it shall be given to you, ask what ye will, be in agreement with God's will, be responsible, by the example that we set, confidence toward God, crying out for help, discern between good and bad, discontent, dissatisfaction, divine aid, do those things which are pleasing in his sight, driven with the wind and tossed, embrace your love and compassion, everyone that asks receives, faith, faithful believers, Friday chant, give therefore thy servant an understanding heart, good news, he that seeks finds, he that wavers, herein is my Father glorified, holy spirit, if any of you lack wisdom, if our heart condemn us not, introduce a new flock of believers, is like a wave of the sea, it shall be done for you, it shall be given you, it shall be opened, Jesus Christ, knock, let him ask in faith, let him ask of god, living a life of purity before God, LOVE, lustful things, mercy, my words abide in you, not doubting, nothing wavering, now for now desires, omnipotent help, our sinful world, pleasing in God's sight, problems are escalating, rain, return backsliders to your fold, right living, right living is an important part of successful living, righteous living, salvation, seek, show them the error of their ways, simmering unrest, so shall you be my disciples, stay safe, TGIF! Thank God it's Friday!, that giveth to all men liberally, that will I do, the anxiety and confusion, the Christian's journey, the importance of faith, the nature of the human animal, the promise of the weekend, the Sermon on the Mount, the standard of christian living, the straight and narrow path, the throne of grace, times of speed, to him that knocks it shall be opened, to judge thy people, trusting faith, truth, turbulent times, unexpected storms, ungodly times, upbraideth not, wake up and smell the coffee, we keep His commandments, weekday lifestyle, wet snow, whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, wisdom, wise guidance, without reproach, ye bear much fruit, ye shall find
Matthew 7:7. Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you:
Oh friends, I’m sorry to say that the sun did not win yesterday’s battle! No sir! By early afternoon the wet snow and rain began and lasted until the middle of the evening, and it was just my luck to get caught out in it as I had to go for some tests. So, you can imagine the driving was not the greatest, with too many of us still rushing and being rather aggressive in our driving attitudes. But that’s the nature of the human animal in these times of speed and now for now desires.
Sadly too, Friday opened with some big, fat snowdrops falling down, but that has now stopped, so it’s just wet and cloudy with the sun trying to make an appearance. Let’s hope it’s more successful than it was yesterday. But yuh know what? None of that stopped the ‘Thank God it’s Friday!’ prayer from rising up to heaven. Nothing seems to stop that, because we know on the other side is the promise of the weekend, which means a break from the same ole, same ole dreary, ofttimes frustrating weekday lifestyle.
But here’s some good news from our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. In the latter part of His Sermon on the Mount, He sincerely declares: ‘Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.’ (Matt. 7:7-8) What a glorious, encouraging and assuring scripture that is my people! If we ask, we will receive, if we seek, we will find, and if we knock, doors will be opened to us. It couldn’t get any better than that.
However, there is one very important proviso to all that; whatever we ask for must be in agreement with God’s Will and Word, otherwise we’d just be asking for all sorts of wrong, foolish and lustful things! (smile) And there are several scriptures that attest to Jesus words, with a couple more from Him too. In talking to the disciples about His going away (ascension), He informs them: ‘And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it.’ (John 14:13-14)
Then later on, when talking about the vine and the branches, Jesus tells the disciples: ‘If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto (for) you. Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples.’ (John 15:6-8) Please note my brethren that it all depends on Jesus words abiding in us, and we doing His will, and bearing good fruit, so that the Father can be glorified.
Then there’s this famous passage from James on the subject of asking. He writes: If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not (without reproach); and it shall be given him. But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering (not doubting). For he that wavereth (doubts) is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord. A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.’ (James 1:5-8)
There now, we see the importance of faith and not doubting in asking of the Lord. And possibly the best example of that is when Cousin Sol became king of Israel, and in a vison, the Lord asked him his heart’s desire. We all know his marvellous reply. ‘Give therefore thy servant an understanding heart to judge thy people, that I may discern between good and bad: for who is able to judge this thy so great a people?’ (1 Kin. 3:9) And the Lord was so pleased that he didn’t ask for riches and long life, or the lives of his enemies, that He made him the wisest and richest man ever! That’s what comes from abiding in God’s will and asking for sensible things. (smile)
Now that doesn’t mean you cannot ask for the desires of your heart, but they must be in line with God’s will. And John, in his first epistle says this about the topic. ‘Beloved, if our heart condemn us not, then we have confidence toward God. And whatsoever we ask, we receive of him. because we keep his commandments, and do those things which are pleasing in his sight.’ (1 John 3:21-22) That says it loud and clear my brethren!
And the scholars offer this interesting explanation on those verses. ‘If our heart condemn us not: We have confidence toward God if our lives are in line with the standard of Christian living set forth above (vs.11-20). John is not saying that whether a person is right or wrong is simply a matter of how he subjectively feels about himself. That is why John has given so many indicators and commands for Christians to take note of and assess themselves by. And one of the great results of a life lived in purity before God is a life where there is effective prayer. Right living is an important part of successful living.’
Wow! I could not have said it any better my people! Our prayers won’t meet with much success until and unless our daily living is in sync with God’s Word and Will. It’s as simple as that. And we all need daily help to handle the many trials that come our way, so let’s go to the throne of grace, through our Friday Chant, so that we can access divine aid in these turbulent times. Altogether: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through this past week. You know it’s been rough… because our many serious problems are escalating instead of improving. And it’s obvious we can’t fix them on our own, so Lord, we’re desperately crying out for your help.
Oh heavenly Father, with your omnipotent help, and our trusting faith, we know that we can stand strong and steadfast and defeat the simmering unrest in our land. We therefore ask you Lord to give our leaders the wise guidance to handle these unexpected storms properly. And please help the rest of us to be responsible and to stay safe amidst all the anxiety and confusion of these ungodly times.
We fervently pray too Lord that you’ll use the discontent and dissatisfaction in our land as a means of restoring faith in you. Return backsliders to your fold. Show them the error of their ways. And please introduce a new flock of believers, who will embrace your LOVE and compassion by the example, we, your faithful believers set. So that our sinful world can wake up and smell the coffee, wake up and smell it sweet and strong! We pray this in the name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen!’
Now friends, we have offered up our prayer, let’s see to our right living nuh, otherwise no divine aid will be forthcoming. Much LOVE!
…salvation only begins the Christian’s journey…righteous living is what keeps it going…on the straight and narrow path…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
19 Mar 2019
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: added unto you, all these things, backbone, belly, beloved of God, destroy, doth corrupt, eternal damnation, fall evil angel, free will, friend of Jesus, future destination, genius mentality, God will provide all our needs, have it more abundantly, have life, headed for hell, heavenly places, I am come, in communion with Jesus, in god's eyes, in the land of the living, kill, lay not up, live for eternity, live for Jesus, lustful things, moth, needy, poor, righteousness, rust, Satan, see the goodness of God, seek ye first, sense of purpose, share His love, sinful nature, steal, the kingdom of God, there will your heart be, thieves, things of the world, through His riches in glory, treasures in heaven, treasures on earth, trust, Tuesday Mantra, what I do, what I have, where your treasure is, worldly treasures
Matthew 6:19. Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt (ruin), and where thieves break through and steal:
Ah friends, what a shock it is to the system when one gets up and sees your whole area clothed in white! Hn! Especially after the warm weather of the past week has conditioned one’s mind – falsely it would seem – to believe that all that white stuff business was a thing of the past and the distant future of next winter! But obviously that’s not so!
And though it’s not a great amount of snow, no amount of snow at all is welcome! (smile) But since we’re such sturdy people, especially we believers, with plenty backbone and belly, we’ll just grin and move along as normal, what with the Lord providing ALL our needs through His riches in glory, through Jesus Christ our wonderful Lord and Saviour!
And all God’s children loudly, proudly and gratefully declared (right ho): ‘All praise to the name of Jesus, the innocent Lamb of God who was slaughtered to pay for our abominable sins! Bless His holy name and worship sincerely at His cross!’
Oh my people, what would we have done without Jesus eh? I shudder at the very thought of not having all the wonderful stuff He has made available to us, and greatly desire to be able to make others understand what it all means; how if they don’t have Him in their lives, they’re totally lost, headed for hell and eternal damnation with the fallen evil angel Satan, and what that would mean for their eternal livelihood.
But since the Lord in His eternal wisdom gave us free will, free will to choose whatever kind of life we want to live, it is an uphill battle to convince others to accept Jesus and leave the flashy, but empty and hell bent things of the world alone.
Oh, it’s not that Jesus doesn’t want us to have nice things and to be prosperous, otherwise He wouldn’t have made this telling statement: ‘The thief cometh not but for (except) to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.’ (John 10:10)
Yes friends, Jesus died so that we could have life, a full and prosperous one, wisely living it in full communion with Him. Otherwise, what would be the purpose of His dying eh? The problem though, is that with our natural sinful nature, we tend to gravitate to the sinful, lustful things and treasures of the world.
But hear how Jesus classified that stuff nuh: ‘Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt (ruin), and where thieves break through and steal:’
Ah mih people, truer and more sensible words were never spoken! And it doesn’t take a genius mentality to see that. All the things of the earth that we treasure at some stage either rot or can be destroyed, or stolen, and to make matters worse, when we die we can’t carry any of them with us. So why spend our earthly lives foolishly trying to amass treasures of the world eh?
Instead, as Jesus so wisely proclaims: ‘But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal:’ (Matt.6:20) Glory be my people! The treasures we need to accumulate are the ones that will not rot or be destroyed by insects or stolen…and the only treasures of that kind are found in heavenly places!
That means to be wise, we have to concentrate on accumulating the heavenly kind of treasure, for as Jesus also mentioned: ‘For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.’ Matt.6:21) And that’s the gospel truth my fellow believers! If we are concentrating on earthly treasures, then our hearts will be here on earth with them, but if heaven is our future destination, then out thoughts and efforts will be aligned with heavenly things.
And it’s not like when we live for Jesus that we become poor and needy, but on the other hand all our needs are fulfilled. Listen to Jesus again: ‘But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.’ (Matt.6:33)
Oh my people, our wise and wonderful God knows that we need food, clothes, money and houses to live and He has faithfully promised that if we live for Him, keep Him first place in our lives, that all those things will be provided for us. As Bruh David so rightly says in Psalm 27 – The Lord is my light and my salvation. ‘I had fainted, unless I had believed to see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.’ (Ps.27:13)
Yeh friends, what’s the purpose of believing in the Lord if you don’t expect to see the things He’s promised eh? None whatsoever! And if you still don’t believe that you can get all things through Christ, then please remember who is still regarded as the richest and wisest man who ever lived… Cousin Sol!
And why and how? Because he believed sincerely in the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and asked for wisdom to rule his people, not wealth and long life, but our God is so wonderful and so magnanimous, that He also gave him those things in abundance, just like how Jesus died so that we can have life in abundance.
Wow! I just hope all this makes a difference to somebody today! (smile) But for those of us who already sincerely believe, let’s go home declaring (right ho) our Tuesday Mantra, letting the whole world know who and whose we are! In strong voice and deep sense of purpose:
‘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!’
Now let’s go out and share it all with those who don’t believe for that’s what Jesus desires of us! Much LOVE!
…when you live for Jesus…you live for eternity in heaven with Him…
03 May 2016
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a rose by any other name, all saints, altar of sin, answered prayer, bounden duty, care, children of God, Christian, Coincidences, Comforter, compassion, conviction, depressed, Ecclesiastes, embrace, Ephesians, eternal life, evil, fear God, fear the Lord, fellow believers, forgiveness, glory hallelujah, grace, hypocrite, I am the beloved of god, I can trust my friend Jesus, I'm not what I do, I'm not what I have, I'm not what people say about me, in a nutshell, in the nick of time, in the Spirit, inadequacy, Jesus Christ, judgement, keep the commandments, light of jesus, LOVE, lustful things, Maker, mercy, muffin batter, obedient to God's Word, on the other side of the flood, one and only true God, our Lord and Saviour, perseverance, Pharisees, prayer, praying always, provider, put away the gods, render unto Caesar, render unto God, reverence, reverencing God, Ruth Harms Calkin, sacrifice His only son, salvation, secret thing, serve him, serve ye the Lord, share His love with the world, sin, sincerity, skeptic, spring's in the air, supplication, the breath of God, the darkness, the Euphrates river, the evil one, the light of Jesus, the One Year Book of Bible Promises, the other side of the coin, the Preacher, the prince of darkness, the whole duty of man, theological discussion, tossing salads, truth, Tuesday Mantra, vocabulary, wallowing, wisdom, workings of God
Joshua 24:14. Now therefore fear the Lord, and serve him in sincerity and truth: and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the flood (The Euphrates River), and in Egypt; and serve ye the Lord.
Well a good Tuesday morning to all you fellow believers in Jesus Christ! It’s bright and sunny in my neighbourhood, though a tad chilly! But spring’s in the air! Glory Hallelujah! Hope it is encouraging in your area too.
But just in case it isn’t, please remember that the bright and beautiful, positive and reassuring light of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ is ALWAYS shining in and through us, and that helps us to handle the dark and dreary physically challenged days. (smile) That means there’s no need to be down and depressed because of the weather.
Now here is something from our One Year Book of Bible promises with writings by Ruth Harms Calkin that I thought was rather appropriate to share, especially in these difficult times of ministry. It’s simply titled ‘Coincidences.’
And it says: ‘Lord, I was intrigued With the brilliant vocabulary Of the patient sitting next to me In the reception room. I don’t remember The start of our conversation But suddenly we were discussing prayer. I shared rather freely Your pertinent answers To my day-by-day requests.
Labelling himself a skeptic He smiled and said courteously “What you consider answered prayer I choose to call coincidence.”
You know how it is with me, Lord – I’m always slightly at ease In the Big Middle Of a theological discussion. I’m much more at home in my kitchen Mixing muffin batter Or tossing green salads. Frankly I was relieved When the dentist called my name.
But one thing I do know, Lord When I pray, “coincidences” happen. When I don’t pray they stop… So thank You again and again For ten thousand “coincidences” Always in the nick of time When I pray.’
Oh friends what a rather common situation that is amongst believers. We all at times feel rather inadequate to explain our faith and why we pray, and are indeed much happier and more comfortable discussing other topics.
But despite our inadequacy in explaining that faith, we are convinced that answers to our prayers are certainly not coincidences, but the actual workings of God in our lives. And we’ll go to our graves believing that.
But if someone else wants to label them ‘coincidences,’ then we’ll very gladly receive them. Like a rose by any other name is just as sweet, so is answered prayer by any other name just as reassuring and encouraging. (smile)
And the Bible Promise for that poem is Bruh Paul’s admonishment to the Ephesians; one that we all know very well, whether we keep it though is another story. ‘Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints.’ (Eph.6:18) Remember my precious people, prayer is indispensable in a Christian’s life.
Now, since it’s Tuesday, let’s declare our Tuesday Mantra with lots of spunk and plenty conviction. Altogether 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.’
All praise and glory and might and power to our wonderful God, who LOVED us so much to sacrifice His only Son Jesus Christ on our behalf! So let’s remember, every minute of every day, who and whose we are; beloved children of Almighty God!
That brings us to our Bit: ‘Now therefore fear the Lord, and serve him in sincerity and truth: and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the flood (The Euphrates River), and in Egypt; and serve ye the Lord.’
And that’s the other side of the coin my fellow Christians! If we consider ourselves children of God, then we must adhere to His Will and Word with sincerity and truth, and consequently revere ONLY Him as our Maker, Provider and Comforter.
As Jesus told the ole hypocrite Pharisees, when they tried to tempt and confuse Him: ‘Render (pay) therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar’s; and unto God the things which are God’s.’ (Matt.22:21)
Yes friends, as true believers, that’s how we ought to behave! And things like reverence, supplication, LOVE, care, compassion, wisdom, forgiveness, mercy and grace, ALL belong to the ONE and ONLY TRUE LIVING God; He of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob!
So let’s give Him His rightful due nuh my brethren, and stop worshiping at the altar of sin and the lustful things of the world, which belong to the evil one, the prince of darkness. Let’s stop wallowing in the darkness of evil, and instead fully, gratefully and graciously embrace the LIGHT and LOVE that’s Jesus, and which offer us so much more, especially salvation and eternal life!
And we’ll end with these wonderful and true words of the Preacher, Cousin Sol, from Ecclesiastes. ‘Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man. For God shall bring every work into judgement, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.’ (Eccl.12:13-14)
Ah mih breddren, as true believers, that’s our bounden duty right there in a nutshell! Please, let’s wisely follow it as long as there is the breath of God in our bodies nuh. Much LOVE!
…true wisdom is simply…faithfully reverencing God and being obedient to His Word and Will…
17 May 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a mere mortal, a strangle hold, abound to your account, according to his riches, actions, Amen, an acceptable sacrifice, aroma, be glory for ever and ever, behaviour, belief in Jesus, bring us together, Bruh Paul, busy lives, celebrate, Christians, church leaders, cliques, confident certainty, courage, deeds, denominations, desire fruit, differences, different functions, dignity, divide, divine destiny, divisions, dominon, ecstatic joy, evil minions, factions, faith, faithfully worship God, food for thought, fragrant scent, fulfill Jesus' mandate, generosity, giving thanks, glorifying God, God's sanctuary, God's word and will, grateful, Herculean task, holding my breath, hope, I do know, in cahoots with the world, inscribed me. in the palms of your hands, insular, investment, Jesus' church is one body, joy, Jude, keep keeping on, keep us apart, kindness, LOVE, lustful things, majesty, mercy, motives, Now unto God our Father, odour, our Saviour, petty, Philippians, pleasant fragrance, power, purpose, reaping, Ruth Harms Calkin, sad commentary, satisfaction, Scrip-Bit family, selfish, sheer delight, similaritites, sing and shout, soar, sob, sowing, spreading the gospel all over the world, strength, Sunlit morning, thankful, the church at Philippi, the God of the universe, the life of the Son, the Lord loves a generous giver, the love of the Father, the One Day Book of Bible Promises, the power of the Holy spirit, the prince of darkness, the things of the world, the work and treasures of heaven, thoughts, trust, ungodly world, united, uniting Christ's church, unlimited resources, uplifting, well pleasing to God, what a wonderful God we serve and worship, wise God, words, work together
Philippians 4:20. Now unto God our Father be glory for ever and ever. Amen.
A warm and welcome, gracious and LOVING Sunday morning to you my Scrip-Bit Family! (smile) I do hope that you are in the process, or will soon be in the process of getting ready to go to God’s sanctuary to celebrate and faithfully worship Him with other believers, as He desires of His followers.
For as I say every week, Jesus’ church is ONE body, made up of many believers, and in fellowship together we find strength, courage, hope and faith to keep keeping on in this ungodly world. And being ONE body, it means that all the parts, though graced with different functions, NEED to work TOGETHER if we’re to fulfill Jesus’ mandate of spreading the gospel to all and sundry, throughout the entire world. (Matt. 28:19-20)
Unfortunately though, there are too many divisions, cliques, religions, factions, denominations and what have you that divide us. That’s why the prince of darkness and his evil minions have such a strangle hold on the world.
Ah Friends, what a serious splash Christians would make in this world if we were truly joined together, united as ONE! Now I’m sincerely hoping for that, but I’m not holding my breath, because it doesn’t seem like it’s going to happen any time soon.
Why? Because we tend to let our differences – many of which are petty, insular and selfish – keep us apart, rather than let our similarities – like our basic faith, trust and belief in Jesus – bring us together. What a sad commentary on our actions and behavior as Christians, my brethren!
But I guess it doesn’t bother our church leaders sufficiently for them to seriously work at uniting Christ’s church. And even if they truly tried coming together, it would be still a Herculean task, because too many of Christ’s supposed flock are in cahoots with the world and the lustful things thereof. Anyway Friends, let that provide ample food for thought today as we go about our too busy lives.
Now here is something much more uplifting, that I couldn’t resist sharing from the One Day Book of Bible Promises with writings by Ruth Harms Calkin. It’s titled ‘The Beautiful Sunlit Morning.’
And these are the wonderful sentiments it declares. ‘Dear God On this beautiful sunlit Morning in May You’ve drenched me With ecstatic joy. I want to sing and shout I want to soar with sheer delight. At the same time I want to sob – So utterly overwhelmed I am With the magnitude of You. O God, I know I do know With serene satisfaction And confident certainty That I belong to the God of the universe – To the Creator of all that exists.
I do know That I, a mere mortal Am forever linked to divine destiny – That my life has purpose and dignity. I do know That You have chosen me As the object of Your lavish LOVE That Your thoughts toward me Are thoughts of kindness and mercy That You have inscribed me In the palms of Your hands.
I do know That all the LOVE of the Father And the Life of the Son And the Power of the Holy Spirit Are freely, inseparably mine – Now and through all eternity. O God On this beautiful sunlit Morning in May I do know.’
Oh what a beautiful declaration of faith that is my people! But how many of us, if we declare it, will then have God sadly shake His head when He looks at motives of our hearts eh? Too many, my people, too many. And that is why Christianity isn’t as strong as it used to be; too many people are not truly motivated by the Word of God, we allow the things of the world to have more sway over us than God’s Word and Will.
We’ll leave that alone for today though. (smile) Let’s concentrate on the promise that the beautiful poem was based on, and is our Bit for today. ‘Now unto God our Father be glory for ever and ever. Amen.’
Now that’s what we’re supposed to be about my brethren; giving thanks to and glorifying our heavenly Father with our words, deeds and actions!
The church at Philippi did that concerning Bruh Paul, because that was the only one that consistently sent him gifts, although he never asked them to. And though he was grateful and thankful for their interest in his well-being, as he told them: ‘Not because I desire (seek) a gift: but I desire (seek) fruit that may abound to your account.’ (Phil.4:17)
He didn’t want them to think that he was just after their money, but rather that their gift was, as the scholars explain: ‘a sure investment in the work and treasures of heaven, each one yielding rich dividends.’
Yes Friends, likewise, when we make sincere investments in the lives of others, those investments will bring forth good fruit on earth, and rich rewards for us in heaven. That’s the basic law of God, re sowing and reaping.
And Bruh Paul continues: ‘But I have all (have received all), and abound: I am full, having received of Epaphroditus the things which were sent from you, an odour of a sweet smell (a pleasant aroma), a sacrifice acceptable, well-pleasing to God. But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Jesus Christ.’ (Phil. 4:18-19)
And the scholars explain those two verses thus. ‘4:18. I have all means that Paul has received their gifts. And abound signifies that he has plenty, since all needs are now met through their generosity. God looks on their gift to Paul as an odour of a sweet smell (a fragrant scent) and a sacrifice acceptable, well pleasing.’
‘4:19. Because the Lord is aware of the sacrifice (v.18) the Philippians made in meeting Paul’s need, God will surely supply all their need. God will meet their “need” (1) according to his riches, that is in proportion to His unlimited resources; (2) in glory, that is He will meet their need “gloriously” or “in a splendid manner”, and (3) by Christ Jesus.’
Ah Friends, what a wonderful God we serve and worship! And we’ll end with a benediction that resembles our Bit, but from Jude, Jesus’ half-brother.
‘Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling (stumbling), and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy, To the only wise God our Saviour, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen.’ (Jude 24-25)
Much LOVE, my brethren!
…if one wants to receive bountifully…then one must learn to give generously… for the Lord LOVES a generous giver…
SCRIP-BITS 
Today’s Scrip-Bit 17 May 2015 Philippians 4:20
17 May 2015 Leave a comment
by randyobrien50 in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: a mere mortal, a strangle hold, abound to your account, according to his riches, actions, Amen, an acceptable sacrifice, aroma, be glory for ever and ever, behaviour, belief in Jesus, bring us together, Bruh Paul, busy lives, celebrate, Christians, church leaders, cliques, confident certainty, courage, deeds, denominations, desire fruit, differences, different functions, dignity, divide, divine destiny, divisions, dominon, ecstatic joy, evil minions, factions, faith, faithfully worship God, food for thought, fragrant scent, fulfill Jesus' mandate, generosity, giving thanks, glorifying God, God's sanctuary, God's word and will, grateful, Herculean task, holding my breath, hope, I do know, in cahoots with the world, inscribed me. in the palms of your hands, insular, investment, Jesus' church is one body, joy, Jude, keep keeping on, keep us apart, kindness, LOVE, lustful things, majesty, mercy, motives, Now unto God our Father, odour, our Saviour, petty, Philippians, pleasant fragrance, power, purpose, reaping, Ruth Harms Calkin, sad commentary, satisfaction, Scrip-Bit family, selfish, sheer delight, similaritites, sing and shout, soar, sob, sowing, spreading the gospel all over the world, strength, Sunlit morning, thankful, the church at Philippi, the God of the universe, the life of the Son, the Lord loves a generous giver, the love of the Father, the One Day Book of Bible Promises, the power of the Holy spirit, the prince of darkness, the things of the world, the work and treasures of heaven, thoughts, trust, ungodly world, united, uniting Christ's church, unlimited resources, uplifting, well pleasing to God, what a wonderful God we serve and worship, wise God, words, work together
Philippians 4:20. Now unto God our Father be glory for ever and ever. Amen.
A warm and welcome, gracious and LOVING Sunday morning to you my Scrip-Bit Family! (smile) I do hope that you are in the process, or will soon be in the process of getting ready to go to God’s sanctuary to celebrate and faithfully worship Him with other believers, as He desires of His followers.
For as I say every week, Jesus’ church is ONE body, made up of many believers, and in fellowship together we find strength, courage, hope and faith to keep keeping on in this ungodly world. And being ONE body, it means that all the parts, though graced with different functions, NEED to work TOGETHER if we’re to fulfill Jesus’ mandate of spreading the gospel to all and sundry, throughout the entire world. (Matt. 28:19-20)
Unfortunately though, there are too many divisions, cliques, religions, factions, denominations and what have you that divide us. That’s why the prince of darkness and his evil minions have such a strangle hold on the world.
Ah Friends, what a serious splash Christians would make in this world if we were truly joined together, united as ONE! Now I’m sincerely hoping for that, but I’m not holding my breath, because it doesn’t seem like it’s going to happen any time soon.
Why? Because we tend to let our differences – many of which are petty, insular and selfish – keep us apart, rather than let our similarities – like our basic faith, trust and belief in Jesus – bring us together. What a sad commentary on our actions and behavior as Christians, my brethren!
But I guess it doesn’t bother our church leaders sufficiently for them to seriously work at uniting Christ’s church. And even if they truly tried coming together, it would be still a Herculean task, because too many of Christ’s supposed flock are in cahoots with the world and the lustful things thereof. Anyway Friends, let that provide ample food for thought today as we go about our too busy lives.
Now here is something much more uplifting, that I couldn’t resist sharing from the One Day Book of Bible Promises with writings by Ruth Harms Calkin. It’s titled ‘The Beautiful Sunlit Morning.’
And these are the wonderful sentiments it declares. ‘Dear God On this beautiful sunlit Morning in May You’ve drenched me With ecstatic joy. I want to sing and shout I want to soar with sheer delight. At the same time I want to sob – So utterly overwhelmed I am With the magnitude of You. O God, I know I do know With serene satisfaction And confident certainty That I belong to the God of the universe – To the Creator of all that exists.
I do know That I, a mere mortal Am forever linked to divine destiny – That my life has purpose and dignity. I do know That You have chosen me As the object of Your lavish LOVE That Your thoughts toward me Are thoughts of kindness and mercy That You have inscribed me In the palms of Your hands.
I do know That all the LOVE of the Father And the Life of the Son And the Power of the Holy Spirit Are freely, inseparably mine – Now and through all eternity. O God On this beautiful sunlit Morning in May I do know.’
Oh what a beautiful declaration of faith that is my people! But how many of us, if we declare it, will then have God sadly shake His head when He looks at motives of our hearts eh? Too many, my people, too many. And that is why Christianity isn’t as strong as it used to be; too many people are not truly motivated by the Word of God, we allow the things of the world to have more sway over us than God’s Word and Will.
We’ll leave that alone for today though. (smile) Let’s concentrate on the promise that the beautiful poem was based on, and is our Bit for today. ‘Now unto God our Father be glory for ever and ever. Amen.’
Now that’s what we’re supposed to be about my brethren; giving thanks to and glorifying our heavenly Father with our words, deeds and actions!
The church at Philippi did that concerning Bruh Paul, because that was the only one that consistently sent him gifts, although he never asked them to. And though he was grateful and thankful for their interest in his well-being, as he told them: ‘Not because I desire (seek) a gift: but I desire (seek) fruit that may abound to your account.’ (Phil.4:17)
He didn’t want them to think that he was just after their money, but rather that their gift was, as the scholars explain: ‘a sure investment in the work and treasures of heaven, each one yielding rich dividends.’
Yes Friends, likewise, when we make sincere investments in the lives of others, those investments will bring forth good fruit on earth, and rich rewards for us in heaven. That’s the basic law of God, re sowing and reaping.
And Bruh Paul continues: ‘But I have all (have received all), and abound: I am full, having received of Epaphroditus the things which were sent from you, an odour of a sweet smell (a pleasant aroma), a sacrifice acceptable, well-pleasing to God. But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Jesus Christ.’ (Phil. 4:18-19)
And the scholars explain those two verses thus. ‘4:18. I have all means that Paul has received their gifts. And abound signifies that he has plenty, since all needs are now met through their generosity. God looks on their gift to Paul as an odour of a sweet smell (a fragrant scent) and a sacrifice acceptable, well pleasing.’
‘4:19. Because the Lord is aware of the sacrifice (v.18) the Philippians made in meeting Paul’s need, God will surely supply all their need. God will meet their “need” (1) according to his riches, that is in proportion to His unlimited resources; (2) in glory, that is He will meet their need “gloriously” or “in a splendid manner”, and (3) by Christ Jesus.’
Ah Friends, what a wonderful God we serve and worship! And we’ll end with a benediction that resembles our Bit, but from Jude, Jesus’ half-brother.
‘Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling (stumbling), and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy, To the only wise God our Saviour, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen.’ (Jude 24-25)
Much LOVE, my brethren!
…if one wants to receive bountifully…then one must learn to give generously… for the Lord LOVES a generous giver…