Today’s Scrip-Bit   26 June 2023 Romans 10:17.

26 Jun 2023 Leave a comment

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

Romans 10:17.       So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

Come on friends, let’s do like the early bird that catches the worm, and get out into the turbulent and evil world and begin working for Christ right away. The sooner we get out there, the sooner we can start working for Him, and the better our results will be. Remember how Jesus felt as He went around the cities and villages teaching and healing and preaching the gospel of the kingdom? 

The Good Library tells us: ‘But when he saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion on them, because they fainted (were weary), and were scattered abroad, as sheep having no shepherd. Then saith he unto his disciples, The harvest truly is plenteous, but the labourers are few; Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth labourers into his harvest.’ (Matt. 9:36-38) And that’s also true of today’s harvest my fellow believers. 

Jesus reminds us to pray for labourers, His disciples to go into the world and help the many sick, lost, downtrodden and unfortunate out there to come to Him for refuge and salvation. Like back then, there are not enough people going out to do that, and consequently our world is going to hell in a handbasket. 

The scholars point us to the similarity in Numbers 27, where Moses was taken by the Lord into a mountain and showed the Promised Land, which he was not going to enter because of his earlier disobedience to God’s Word. ‘And Moses spake unto the Lord saying, Let the Lord, the God of the spirits of all flesh, set a man over the congregation, Which may go out before them, and which may go in before them, and which may lead them out, and which may bring them in, that the congregation of the Lord be not as sheep which have no shepherd.’ (Num. 27:15-17) That’s when Joshua was anointed to take Moses’ place. 

And sadly friends, just like then, our world today is teeming with sheep that have no shepherd, and there are comparatively few workers to go out and reap the big harvest that’s there for reaping. And I like how the scholars explain it. They say: ‘Verses 37 and 38 constitute one of the great missionary passages of the New Testament. Jesus pictures the world as a great spiritual harvest in need of labourers to gather it into the storehouse.’ 

And that’s how it truly is! Millions of people are suffering; living in sin and darkness, with little or no opportunity to see the light of Jesus. And that’s why some of Jesus last words or directions to the disciples was the Great Commission. He informed them: ‘All power (authority) is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore and teach (make disciples of) all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world.’ (Matt. 28:18-20) And it’s a message that still resonates today!  

That brings up another instance when Jesus refers to the harvesting of souls and the lack thereof of harvesters. He was at the well of Jacob, outside the city of Sychar, talking to the Samaritan woman, and the disciples came from the village and offered Him food. ‘Jesus saith unto them, My meat (food) is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work. Say not ye, there are yet four months, and then cometh harvest? behold, I say unto you, Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields, for they are white already to harvest. 

And he that reapeth receiveth wages, and gathereth fruit unto life eternal: that both he that soweth and he that reapeth may rejoice together. And herein is that saying true, One soweth, and another reapeth. I sent you to reap whereon you bestowed no labour (have not laboured): other men laboured, and ye are entered into their labours.’ (John 4:34-38) The scholars point out that Jesus might have been referring to the multitudes who came out of Sychar to see Him because of the Samaritan woman’s testimony. And a lot of people there needed saving too. 

That brings us to this last scripture passage, one of my favourites. Bruh Paul in writing to the Romans about Israel’s rejection of Christ states: ‘For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him. For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. 

How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things! …So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.’ (Rom. 10:12-15, 17) And the scholars tell us that our Bit means, ‘it is not faith in what is heard, but faith that comes about by what is heard.’ 

I also like how Bruh Paul lays it out so logically; you can’t believe unless you hear the word, and you can’t hear the word unless someone comes and tells you about it, and that someone has to be sent. And it’s surely a wonderful thing when we preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things! So let’s try and contrate on doing that today nuh my fellow saints. It’s our job to reap the harvest, but sadly, it’s drying up in the field, spoiling for want of harvesters. 

Now let’s approach the throne of grace, through our Monday Morning Battle Hymn and ask for help to fix our broken world. Altogether now: ‘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. Heavenly Father, You are the ONLY ONE with the power to solve our many problems. Yes, we have all sinned and seriously disobeyed Your Word, but 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. 

So, we come to You now, with sincere repentance in our hearts, pleading for wise guidance and direction to alleviate our problems. Oh Father, please ease the pain of the many suffering from negative situations, show them Your awesome grace and mercy. And faithfully keep Your promise to prosper us 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 friends, let’s do our bounden duty, so God can do His nuh! Much LOVE!

…no harvest can be satisfactorily gathered…unless there are enough labourers to do the job… 

 Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ        

Today’s Scrip-Bit 17 August 2021 Matthew 9:37.

17 Aug 2021 Leave a comment

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

Matthew 9:37.      Then saith he unto his disciples, The harvest truly is plenteous, but the labourers are few: 

Oh my people, may the peace and LOVE of God be with us this cloudy and humid Tuesday morning! Life might be rough, but with the Spirit of God flowing through us we can most definitely handle it without too many problems! That’s one of the many benefits that accrue to us when we sincerely accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour of our lives! 

So why don’t more people accept Him eh? I really don’t know nuh! Possibly because He desires His followers to live on the straight and narrow road, while many of us desire to live on the broad and winding road that has no boundaries or serious responsibilities. Who knows? That’s why it is important we pay attention to this scripture that Jesus imparted to His disciples when talking about there being few labourers for the enormous task He had in mind. 

 But first, let’s get the context of the situation. The Good Book relates it thus: After removing a demon from a demon- possessed man, and the people marvelled, saying, ‘It was never so seen in Israel. But the Pharisees said, He casteth out devils (demons) through the prince of the devils (demons -Satan). And Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people.’ (Matt. 9:32-35) 

Now that’s where we pick up the story. The Good Book tells us of His reaction to the situation He encountered in His travels around the country. ‘But when he saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion on them, because they fainted (were weary), and were scattered abroad, as sheep having no shepherd. Then saith he unto his disciples, The harvest truly is plenteous, but the labourers are few: Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth labourers into his harvest.’ (Matt. 9:36-38) 

Oh friends, those were certainly true words back then, and with many more people in the world today than in Jesus’ time, there is an even greater need for labourers in His harvest. And the scholars give us this interesting explanation. ‘Fainted means they were distressed. The observation that they were as sheep having no shepherd is taken mainly from the Septuagint, the Greek translation of the Hebrew Old Testament, of Numbers 27:17. Verses 37 and 38 constitute one of the great missionary passages of the New Testament. Jesus pictures the world as a great spiritual harvest in need of labourers to gather it into the storehouse.’ 

And that’s no lie my brethren, for the amount of people who refuse to receive Christ in this modern day and age is truly amazing, despite knowing and seeing all the good and desirous things He has done, is doing, and has promised to do for mankind! And since I can’t help spoon feeding us, (smile) let’s look at that scripture in Numbers from which they say Jesus’ words were partly taken. It’s just before Moses dies, and the Lord calls him up on to mount Abarim, so that he could see the Promised Land, which he would not enter because of his earlier disobedience. 

‘For ye rebelled against my commandment in the desert of Zin, in the strife of the congregation, to sanctify (hallow) me at the water before their eyes: that is the water of Meribah in Kadesh in the wilderness of Zin.’ (Num. 27:14) That’s when Moses disobeyed the Lord’s command. Instead of speaking to the rock, as the Lord told him, in anger at the constantly complaining Israelites, he struck the rock with his rod to produce water. (Num. 20:1-13) And for that weighty disobedience, the Lord punished him by not allowing him to lead the people into the Promised Land. But in His magnanimity, the Lord did bring him up the mountain to show him the Promised Land in the distance. 

And Moses knowing and accepting his fate, ‘spake unto the Lord, saying, Let the Lord, the God of the spirits of all flesh, set a man over the congregation, which may go out before them, and which may go in before them, and which may lead them out, and which may bring them in; that the congregation of the Lord be not as sheep which have no shepherd.’ (Num. 27:15-17) 

Ah friends, yuh see the price we pay for sometimes what we consider small disobediences. After all the problems Moses endured while leading the Israelites out of Egypt, he was refused entry into the Promised Land because he smote the rock instead of speaking to it. It produced the same result, water for the people, but it’s ever so important for us to do exactly as the Lord tells us, because He always has a good reason. In this case, I guess He wanted the Israelites to see and experience the power of just His words, having already seen the power of His actions through Moses striking the rock with his rod. 

But whatever the reason, Moses blew it and paid a hefty price. And so too can we, if we don’t pay close attention to what the Lord tells us to do. As we said before, though we might think His instructions can be changed or disregarded, He always has a good reason for them, and we ignore them at our peril. However, after wandering all over, though gleaning good information, (smile) let’s back to our topic, of there being much to harvest, but few labourers to do the work. 

It’s obvious that we do need to pray that the Lord will send forth more of us to do His ever so important work of showing the many needful people in the world, the wisdom of accepting His Son, Jesus Christ as their Lord and Saviour. That brings us to this interesting scripture of Bruh Paul to the Thessalonians, where he calls for prayer. ‘Finally, brethren, pray for us, that the word of the Lord may have free course (run free), and be glorified, even as it is with you: And that we may be delivered from unreasonable and wicked men: for all men have not faith. But the Lord is faithful, who shall stablish you, and keep you from evil (the evil one).’ (2 Thess. 3:1-3) 

And that’s our prayer for all of us today; that we be kept safe and sound as we go forward into this evil world to do God’s bidding. And we know that He is indeed a faithful God who will give us all we need to do His will, and won’t allow us to suffer more than we can handle. So there’s no cause for worry. Now let’s go home declaring (yeahhh!!!) our Tuesday Mantra, letting the whole world know who and whose we are. 

Altogether now: ‘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 made that declaration, (steupsss!!!) it now behooves us to go out and share that amazing LOVE and friendship of Christ with others who don’t know Him, but desperately need Him! Much LOVE!

…a shortage of labourers…causes a lot of the harvest to not be reaped…thus it spoils and dies…unsaved…                                                                                                                        

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

Today’s Scrip-Bit 13 July 2018 Lamentations 3:22-23.

13 Jul 2018 Leave a comment

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

Lamentations 3:22-23.   It is of the Lord’s mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.

And the world continues to unfurl as it should; that’s according to Almighty God’s universal plan! Oh, for sure we don’t understand it; why all the strife, anger, hatred, poverty, sickness and economic deprivation eh? 

But we need to understand that God’s mind and ways are so much higher, bigger and greater than ours, so that if He even explained it to us, we would not be able to understand it with our comparatively puny and finite minds. And all we really need to be concerned about is simply doing whatever He asks us to do, both as individuals and as the body of Christ, His Holy Church. Amen! 

That’s why the workingman doesn’t pay too much attention to the strife-filled world we currently live in, even on Friday the 13. (smile) Hear him sing his weekend song. “TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday! And I don’t care whether it’s Friday the 13th, or whatever other day they have with a set of poppycock notions about evil befalling you if you do some foolishness like walking under a ladder, or a black cat crossing your path! That’s pure nonsense! 

But let them believe whatever they want yes! That’s their business! All I know is that we going to be eating and drinking and having a good time once it’s a Friday and the weekend and we have some time off from the massa slave-work. Thank God for Fridays and the weekends oui!’ 

Yes friends, it’s indeed Friday the 13th, and a lot of superstition is going to be running rampant today. It’s a good thing, that like the ordinary workingman, we are not troubled by such stuff. We too are going to celebrate the weekend, but not just to the outrageous limits that he does. So let’s chant our Friday Chant nuh, which tells exactly how we will spend our weekend. 

In unison now: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through another week of work! It hasn’t been easy, but with your generous help, I made it through. Now, please help me to get sufficient fun, fellowship, rest and relaxation in these two short days off, so that I can be renewed and refreshed in soul, body and mind, to go back out and do it all over again next week, furthering your glorious kingdom with each step I take. I pray this in Jesus name. Amen!’ 

Yes my brethren, ours is a much more relaxed and responsible kind of weekend, preparing ourselves to go back out and do Jesus’ work the next week. If we overdo the weekend, then we’ll be of no use whatsoever to ourselves or to Him. And you must have noticed that we’re still on the compassion Bit. (smile) 

Well that’s because there are so many scriptures on compassion and it’s oh so important in our Christian faith and we are definitely not as good at it as we ought to be. Just look at our topsy-turvy world nuh! Don’t you think that if we had just a bit more compassion circulating in it that it would be a much more wonderful place to live? It surely would be! 

Here’s what Jesus wants, what He came to earth and practiced and died for; so that we could have compassion on each other, forgive others the way that God forgives us. And remember His words: ‘But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.’ (Matt.6:15) That puts it so plain and straightforward; if you don’t forgive, you won’t be forgiven. And showing compassion is just one part of the plan. 

Listen to how Jeremiah puts it. ‘It is of the Lord’s mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.’ 

Oh friends, I do hope that seeing that scripture every day for the last few days has caused our compassion meter to rise up some, else these messages would be all for nought. But let’s get to the compassion scriptures before time and space run out on us. Listen to the Good Book, re our Lord and Saviour, the Master of compassion. 

‘And there came a leper to him, beseeching him, and kneeling down to him, and saying unto him, If thou wilt (are willing), thou canst make me clean. And Jesus, moved with compassion, put forth his hand, and touched him, and saith unto him, I will; be thou clean. And as soon as he had spoken, immediately the leprosy departed from him, and he was cleansed.’ (Mark 1:40-42) Glory be mih breddren! How wonderful is our Saviour eh? Most wonderful! 

And the scholars offer these explanations. ‘1:40. The leper assumes a respectful, if plaintive, posture. His beseeching is not based on Jesus’ ability but on His willingness.’ Yuh see friends, even the leper knew and recognized Jesus as the Great Healer. He didn’t doubt that He could heal, just whether He was willing to. 

Unfortunately though, many of us believers today don’t have the kind of faith that leper had, and are not completely convinced that Jesus could heal us even in these times of calamity and untold frustration. How sad! 

‘1:41. Jesus is moved with compassion to help. Mark’s picture of Jesus is not of an unmoved problem-solver sweeping serenely and unemotionally from incident to incident. See Hebrews 4:15.’ 

No friends, our Jesus was, and is as emotional as one can get! And we’ll end today with that most appropriate scripture the scholars just quoted, because I know most of us won’t look it up, and it’s very important to our understanding of Jesus and our faith. 

‘Seeing then that we have a high priest, that is passed into (through) the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession (faith). For we have not a high priest which cannot be touched (sympathize) with the feeling of our infirmities (our weaknesses); but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly (confidently) unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.’ (Heb.4:14-16) 

Oh mih people, there’s no better remedy for our problems than taking them to Jesus in prayer, because He experienced temptation and frustration just like we do, but in His status as God too, He did not sin. That’s why He could pay for our sins and now sits as an intercessor for us at the right hand of God, being able to empathize with our earthly problems. Won’t you come to Him today, and experience His compassion. It’s the antidote for all that ails you. Much LOVE!

…in earthly or heavenly form…Jesus just exudes compassion…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Today’s Scrip-Bit 10 July 2018 Lamentations 3:22-23.

10 Jul 2018 Leave a comment

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

Lamentations 3:22-23.   It is of the Lord’s mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.

Well friends, here we are again on another beautiful Tuesday morning in the land of the living, blessed to the gills; filled to the brim with all the innate goodness and mercy of Jesus, just waiting to be brought forth in truthful words and LOVING actions! 

Hn, hn! A good mouthful that! But it’s ALL true! Yes my brethren, all the goodness and mercy of Jesus has been planted in us, like seeds in the ground, since the day we accepted Him as our Lord and Saviour! Now it’s our responsibility to let those seeds grow in us and blossom forth with much good fruit. 

Remember, Jesus said: ‘Wherefore by their fruit ye shall know them.’ (Matt.7:20) So the world will know whether we are true disciples of Jesus or not, by the fruit we bear. So let’s be diligent to bear good fruit in His name nuh. 

And today we’ll continue with our Bit on compassions, because it’s such an important aspect of our God, and consequently our Christian lives. Moreover, compassionate behaviour is one of the ways that we are indeed able to bear good fruit. 

‘It is of the Lord’s mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.’ 

Oh my people, every time I read that passage, thankfulness and gratitude just wells up within me! Let’s hope it does in you too, because it’s only through God’s exceptional LOVING-kindness that we have hope of eternal life and not everlasting darkness and damnation! 

And finally I get to do what I wanted to from the beginning; show the compassion of our wonderful Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ as recorded in the Good Book. (smile) Oh friends, if nothing else, Jesus was filled with compassion for the lost, the sick, the sorrowful; anyone who had a need, and to be true disciples of His, we also ought to have that compassionate mentality. 

Hear the Good Book tell it: ‘And Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people. But when he saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion on them, because they fainted (were weary), and were scattered abroad, as sheep having no shepherd.’ (Matt.9:35-36) 

Ah friends, sadly, that same condition still exists in our time today. There are numerous needy sheep scattered around our world, our individual countries and individual neighbourhoods with no shepherd. What are we doing, or going to do about them eh? 

Listen to Jesus when He saw that sad situation. ‘Then saith he (Jesus) unto his disciples, The harvest truly is plenteous, but the labourers are few; Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth labourers into his harvest.’ (Matt.9:37-38) 

Oh my people are we so moved when we see the poverty and sickness and great need that exist in this supposed prosperous society? Do we pray to the Lord to send forth more harvesters; missionaries, evangelists, doctors, nurses, philanthropists, etc. etc. to help those in need? And do we ourselves try to up our contributions to the betterment of the situation in some form or the other? 

That’s what we as Christians, as true believers and followers of Christ ought to be doing! But obviously we are not doing it as well as we should, else the mass of needy humanity in our society would not be as great as it currently is. 

Now here is another instance of Jesus’ compassion from the Good Book. This was after Herod killed John the Baptist and his head given to his (Herod’s wife). ‘And his (John’s) disciples came, and took up the body, and buried it, and went and told Jesus. 

When Jesus heard of it, he departed thence by ship into a desert place apart (by himself): and when the people had heard thereof, they followed him on foot out of the cities. And Jesus went forth, and saw a great multitude, and was moved with compassion toward them, and he healed their sick.’ (Matt.14:12-14) 

Ah mih breddren, yuh think Jesus didn’t feel sorrow and emotional pain too? Remember He was fully human, so He certainly did, as indicated by His going away by Himself after hearing about John the Baptist’s death. Remember too that John was His cousin, His forerunner. And though they did not associate much, He was still moved, because He knew that it was basically on His account that John lost his life. 

But even then, when He saw the multitudes of poor, needy and sick people, He could not avoid having compassion on them. Oh my fellow believers that’s how we ought to be too! Obviously we’ll not be able to alleviate all the suffering in the world, but come the judgement day it will be very beneficial to us, if the Lord could point out many acts of compassion which we did on His behalf, while here on earth. 

Now let’s go home, declaring who and whose we are through our Tuesday Mantra, which has compassion as a central theme. In strong voice, with sincere hearts: ‘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!’ 

Yeh friends, sharing Jesus’ LOVE with the world is compassion. So let’s go out and do it nuh! Much LOVE!

…when Christians show true compassion…they are being truly Christ-like…