Today’s Scrip-Bit   14 August 2022   Luke 14:33.

14 Aug 2022 Leave a comment

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

Luke 14:33.       So likewise, whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple. 

It’s the Lord’s Day my people! The first day of the new week…Sunday, glorious Sunday! Just the fact that it’s Sunday, with its peace, quiet and contentment, is enough for celebrations, and when you add the factors of gathering and worship in the Lord’s sanctuary, or by the awesome means of technology that we now have, oh brother, the day gets even brighter! 

That’s why Christians are so joyful all over the planet this Sunday morning…and well they should be, as there’s nothing more important than gathering to give our wonderful God much thanks and praise for His everlasting kindness to us, although we don’t deserve it. 

And as always, we’ll begin today’s proceedings with a song of humble acknowledgement of God’s awesome LOVE, grace and mercy, written around 1896 by the American hymn writer, Judson W. Van De Venter (1855-1939). It’s a song we all know and LOVE, one that’s aptly titled: ‘All to Jesus I Surrender.’ So, without further ado, let’s raise our voices in sacrificial praise in a soulful and harmonious version of the song, letting heaven know of the high regard in which we hold our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. 

And the choir sang: ‘All to Jesus I surrender. All to Him I freely give; I will ever LOVE and trust Him, In His presence daily live. (Refrain: I surrender all, I surrender all; All to Thee, my blessed Saviour, I surrender all.) All to Jesus I surrender, Humbly at His feet I bow, Worldly pleasures all forsaken. Take me, Jesus, take me now. (Refrain: I surrender all..) All to Jesus I surrender, Make me, Saviour, wholly Thine; Let me feel the Holy Spirit, Truly know that Thou art mine. (Refrain: I surrender all…) 

All to Jesus I surrender, Lord, I give myself to Thee; Fill me with Thy LOVE and power, Let Thy blessing fall on me. (Refrain: I surrender all…) All to Jesus I surrender, Now I feel the sacred flame; Oh, the joy of full salvation! Glory, glory, to His name! (Refrain: I surrender all, I surrender all; All to Thee, my blessed Saviour, I surrender all…I surrender all, I surrender all; All to Thee, my blessed Saviour, I surrender all… All to Thee, my blessed Saviour, I surrender all…’ 

Oh friends, that word ‘surrender’ is possibly the most important word when it comes to our relationship with Jesus, because if we don’t wholly surrender our lives to him, He won’t be able to do any meaningful work in them. He want’s ALL of us, or nothing at all, because He’s interested in even the smallest, apparently meaningless aspect of our lives! Yes, and when we surrender our all to Him, it shows that we sincerely revere and trust him. 

Now, I believe we can break down this term surrender into two aspects; the first being giving up our worldly possessions in the name of Jesus’ work, like He says in the gospel of Luke: ‘So likewise, whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple.’ (Luke 14:33). It’s like how the brothers, Peter and Andrew, and the sons of Zebedee, James and John just gave up their fishing business and families and followed Jesus when He called them. (Matt. 4:18-22) 

And the scholars explain that verse from Luke thus. ‘Forsaketh means literally “renounce” or “give up.” Disciples must live in constant readiness to put their means at the disposal of the Lord’s ends.’ That’s why the rich man who wanted to follow Jesus and was told he first had to sell all his possessions and give the proceeds to the poor, went away sad. Like many of us, he found it difficult to give up his worldly possessions. Thankfully though, Jesus doesn’t always want us to give up everything, but He does expect us to sacrifice on His behalf whenever the situation calls for it. 

And thus, when in sincere astonishment, Peter asked who could be saved, if the rich man would have problems entering heaven? Jesus replies with this promise. ‘And every one that hath forsaken houses, or brethren, or sisters, or fathers, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands (fields), for my name’s sake, shall receive a hundredfold, and shall inherit everlasting life,’ when the Son of man shall sit on His throne of glory. (Matt. 19:29) 

So, we lose some earthly possessions down here living and working for Jesus, but we will be well rewarded for the sacrifices we make when Jesus assumes His rightful place on the throne of His father David. However, I do believe that the other aspect of surrendering, that of our soul, hearts, and bodies, is more important and even more difficult. Why? Because things are easier to give away than oneself, and are also easier to earn again. But the giving away of one’s heart, mind, body and soul, is a horse of an entirely different colour. (smile) 

And just look at how Bruh Paul solemnly and seriously puts it in His letter to the Roman church nuh. ‘I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable (rational) service.’ (Rom. 12:1) 

And the scholars explain: ‘By the mercies of God summarizes all that God has accomplished for the believer in Romans chapters 1-11 in justifying the believer (chs. 1-5), enabling the believer to live a righteous life (chs. 6-8), and being faithful to Israel (chs. 9-11). That ye present refers to a definite act of presentation. The verb is used of offering a sacrifice that became “holy” under the Levitical system (cf. Ex. 29:37). This shows that the Christian life begins with total commitment and irrevocable presentation. Your bodies: The body has been an instrument of sin (ch. 6). Now it is to be presented to God as a channel through which the righteousness of God is manifested.’ 

Oh my, my! Remember I said the second aspect was harder than the first. (smile) But Bruh Paul is so thoughtful, that whenever he gives us a hefty spiritual task, he always gives us some practical way(s) to perform it. So, here’s how we go about presenting our bodies a reasonable service to God. ‘And be not conformed to this world: but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect (mature), will of God.’ (Rom. 12:2) 

Yes, my fellow believers, all true surrender begins with transforming our minds, because that’s where the battle for supremacy between the flesh and the Holy Spirit takes place. And if you keep on thinking like the world does, you won’t be able to give your all to Jesus. Many of us try to ride the fence, with one foot in the world and one foot in the kingdom, but that’s useless, because you’ll never be successfully transformed until you give ALL, not some to Jesus! 

And for some further practical advice on how to transform oneself, you can check out Bruh Paul’s advice to the Ephesians in chapter 4:21-32. That’s our homework for today. (smile) Now let’s go home rejuvenated, and inspired, filled with the confidence of our heavenly Father, that we can successfully handle whatever comes against us in this new week. Much LOVE!

…to the Father…to the Son…and to the Holy Spirit…be the glory…now and for ever more… 

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

Today’s Scrip-Bit 29 April 2021 Matthew 11:28.

29 Apr 2021 Leave a comment

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

Matthew 11:28.     Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

Moving on to Thursday friends, another wonderful day on God’s earth! Oh yes, despite our many problems, it’s going to be a good day, because we know that Jesus Christ, our Lord and Saviour, is alive and kicking butt on our behalf! Now isn’t that cause for celebration and encouragement? It certainly is! 

When we have the Creator of the universe in our corner, there’s nothing more we need, except to accept Him with pride and gratitude and live the way He desires of us. And the wonderful thing is that His dominion is not tough, onerous or embarrassing as so many of us believe. 

Just listen to what He says nuh. ‘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) Where else can you get such a marvellous invitation eh? Nowhere! That’s why we call it the Great Invitation! 

No one else has the parts or the power to offer such an invite, only Jesus! So why aren’t more people flocking to Him and His cross eh? Because they mistakenly think that His yoke is a heavy burden, and has too many restrictions. But that’s not true my people, as we who sincerely follow Him know. There must be rules and regulations in every organization, otherwise anarchy will prevail, and the organization will soon crumble. Even our sinful, anything goes world, has rules and regulations, but many of us consider them less restrictive and contentious than those of Jesus. 

However, that’s a very short-sighted outlook friends. The easy way is often the worst way. That’s why the old people taught us that a short cut is often the wrong cut. And Jesus is trying to teach us the same thing: the easy way is not the best way. Consequently, He taught us to ‘Enter ye in at the strait (narrow) gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat. Because strait (how narrow) is the gate, and narrow (difficult or confined) is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.’ (Matt. 7:13-14) 

Yes friends, there are only two paths to life, the strait and narrow one to eternal life with Jesus, which requires more self-discipline and self-control, with plenty LOVE, kindness, mercy and forgiveness involved. Meanwhile the other path, that of the wide-open road that leads to destruction and eternal separation from God, that’s what our evil world is offering, and unfortunately a whole lotta people seem to be following that one, because generally speaking, it lets them do whatever they want to do. 

The rules and regulations are much looser than those of Jesus, but His are not a strait-jacket as so many of us feel. They are just more humanitarian and don’t condone evil like the world does. And I like how this article by Billy Graham, titled ‘Which Road are You on?’ puts the situation. It can be found on the decisionmagazine website. 

Billy writes: ‘You cannot be neutral about eternal life, but a lot of people try to be. They try to ride the middle road—but there is no middle road. Jesus said it’s one or the other. He said if you’re not on the narrow road that leads to eternal life, then you must be on the broad road that leads to destruction. Every person is on one or the other. Which road are you on? The broad road or the narrow road? One leads to destruction and hell; the other leads to a full life here and now and eventually life to come in Heaven. Which is it? It’s one or the other. 

And I want to tell you, if I did not know which road I was on, I would make sure, no matter what it cost. Notice that the broad road is a wide road. In other words, you can enter the wide gate and carry with you all your sins. You can carry your selfishness, your prejudice, your hate, your lust, your intolerance, your bigotry. There are no restrictions, no inhibitions, no rules. The extremes of humanity are on this broad road. There are the immoral, the dictators, the murderers. But there are also some moral people and even church people on this road. 

The Bible says, “Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me’” (Matthew 7:22-23). They were on the broad road all along. “Jesus said it’s one or the other. He said if you’re not on the narrow road that leads to eternal life, then you must be on the broad road that leads to destruction.” 

And all those people who tried to keep one foot in the world and one foot in Heaven, those who tried to ride both roads—all of those people are on the broad road, in the sight of Christ. This broad road is also a crowded road. Jesus said there are many who go in by it. I think one of the greatest sins is conformity. We always hear, “Everybody else is doing it.” No other reason except everybody else is doing it. Conformity. Nobody has the moral courage anymore to stand alone.’ 

And is that ever the awesome truth! The proverbial motto nowadays is ‘Everybody’s doing it! So why not me?’ Good question? But sadly you’ll end up like everybody else, in eternal damnation, if you don’t take the way that Jesus recommends. And remember you can’t get to heaven and the Father, unless you go through Him, because, as He so plainly points out: ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.’ (John 14:6) That’s it in spades friends, no strait and narrow way, no Jesus, then no heaven, no eternal life with our Triune God! It’s as simple as that! 

So let’s wake up and show some wisdom nuh. And for those of us who have found Him, let’s go home declaring (steups!) our Thursday Blessings which He’s bestowed on us to do His earthly work, to help lead others to Him, so that they too can be saved from the life-destroying fire of Hades. So as one strong 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!’ 

And the natural consequence now is for us to go out and share those blessings, just as generously as the Lord shared them with us! Much LOVE!

…there are only two options in life…heaven with Jesus…hell with Satan…please choose wisely…  

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

Today’s Scrip-Bit 29 June 2017 1 John 2:15.

29 Jun 2017 Leave a comment

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

1 John 2:15.   LOVE not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man LOVE the world, the LOVE of the Father is not in him.

Oh friends, please accept my humble apology for the lateness of the Bit, but the ole fella had an unexplainable rough night last night. For some reason I can’t fathom, that wonderful elixir called sleep simply eluded me for most of the night. 

And it’s not like I wasn’t tired, I was, because I had been running around doing stuff in and out of the house for most of the day. And generally I can sleep whether I’m tired or not, but not last night. Steups! 

The only thing I can attribute it to is that I was too tired to sleep. Hn! I must admit too, that I felt a bit hyper, though all my vital sings were normal. And as expected, when I did get to sleep, the body just refused to awaken until it was satisfied. Ah Lord eh! The rigours of getting old! (smile) 

But you know what mih brethren? Though outside is wet and cloudy, more rain again last night, with little or no sunshine, and my back is aching more than I’d like, the brilliant light of the Son, of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ is shining magnificently in the ole fella’s heart…and that is certainly enough for me! Glory to God in His high heaven! 

And I’d advise you too friends, that once Christ is alive and well in your hearts, then nothing else really matters, for He will take care of everything, that is His faithful promise! Oh what a wonderful God we serve and worship my fellow believers! 

That’s why it’s so surprising that so many supposed Christians still put the carnal and lustful world before the holy and righteous, just and merciful Father, especially when we’ve been specifically told not to, in our Bit. 

‘LOVE not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man LOVE the world, the LOVE of the Father is not in him.’ 

Oh my people, I don’t see how it could be any clearer than that nuh! And we know that we can’t LOVE the Father and the enemy at the same time…but some of us are indeed trying to do it, with one foot in the world and one in God’s realm. 

But that’s pure foolishness friends! It won’t work, you can’t sit on the fence and jump from one side to the other. 

And James tells us in no uncertain terms. ‘Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of (with) the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will (wants to) be a friend of the world is the enemy (makes himself the enemy) of God.’ (James 4:4) 

And that’s no lie! So I don’t see why so many of us are still pandering to the worthless and evil enemy, thus negating all that Christ has done for us. 

In the immortal words of Bruh Paul to the Galatians. ‘Who gave himself for our sins, that he might deliver us from this present evil world (age), according to the will of God. To whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.’ (Gal.1:4-5) 

Yeh mih people, why knowingly make Christ’s great sacrifice a waste of time eh, by frivolously cavorting with the enemy? We’ll have to answer for that some day, and believe me, the consequences for such traitorous behaviour won’t be cheap or easy. 

But the Lord in His wisdom gave us each the benefit of choice, and so, we’ll just have to pay for the bad choices we make. As the old people would say, however you make up your bed, that’s how you’ll lie down on it. 

So if it’s rumpled up with plenty sin, then you’ll just have to endure the consequences, but if it’s well made with righteous living, then you’ll enjoy the everlasting rewards of God. And I’m chuckling here at how the ole fella is ‘preachifying.’ 

But friends, you all know what I’m talking about: we desperately need to get away from being too enamoured of the carnal things of the world, and return to the righteous things of God; seek first His righteousness, then we’ll get everything that we need, instead of first seeking everything we need, then trying to turn to God afterwards. 

Chuh! That’s pure foolishness! And we’ll give the last scriptural word to Bruh Paul in his address to the Romans. ‘Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.’ (Rom.12:21) Words of indisputable wisdom to truly live by my fellow believers! 

Now let’s go home declaring our Thursday Blessings with which we’ve been so thoroughly blessed. In all sincerity and truth, in one strong, unified 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 everyday! Amen!’ 

And since blessings are meant to be shared, let’s go out and generously share them with others nuh, the same way that God has generously shared them with us. Much LOVE!

…LOVING God…and trying to please Him…instead of Lucifer…should be a no-brainer for wise humans…especially supposed believers…