Today’s Scrip-Bit   18 February 2023 Matthew 16:24.

18 Feb 2023 Leave a comment

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

Matthew 16:24.        If any man will come after (follow) me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.

Oh boy, this lazy day Saturday has opened with bright sunshine! It’s cold, but who cares, it’s winter, and that means it’s supposed to be cold. Once the sun’s shining, I’m contented. Sadly though, I’ve already used up my share of laziness for today, so now I have to concentrate on the reality of the situation, that’s doing Christ’s work. 

Now, on Saturday’s, we usually look at the quotes that our friend Anselm sent us during the past week to see how they match up with Christ’s word, as he aspires to inspire us for a better tomorrow, but unfortunately, I did not receive any quotes from him this week, so I’m left hanging high and dry, out on a limb. (smile) I now have to find my own stuff to talk about today. Life sure is strange yes. Usually, I’m a tad anxious about how to use the quotes, figuring I’d have to bust my brain to present them properly, and sometimes wish I didn’t have them at all. 

Today though, I find myself missing them, and having to bust my brain to find something of my own to talk about. That ought to teach us to appreciate whatever we have, although it might sometimes cause us some anxious moments. (smile) Yes, wishing the difficult things away, is never usually the answer, because then we realize how much we’ve become accustomed to them, and miss them when they are taken away. It’s like living for Christ. We need to undergo difficult times and tasks in His employ, and we don’t like them, but if we remove them, then we don’t grow and we don’t get to enjoy the supernatural occasions that Christ brings into our lives, when we walk faithfully with Him. 

Oh friends, yuh like that smooth segue, from not knowing what to write then flowing smoothly into living for Christ. (smile) That’s how the Holy Spirit works sometimes. You can’t beat it! Moving on though, let’s remember that being a disciple of Christ is not easy, although it’s very worthwhile. Jesus stated it very clearly. ‘If any man will come after (follow) me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.’ (Matt. 16:24) Now therein lies the challenge, which basically means sacrificing or giving up our will for Jesus’. And it’s not always easy to do. 

Meanwhile, the scholars explain it thus: ‘Deny himself , that is, refuse his own claims upon himself. Take up: The meaning is “lift up.” It is a stronger word than that used in 10:38, and implies a lifting of the cross on high, so that all may see it. This is the strongest statement in the New Testament about the disciple’s need to crucify himself, by yielding to the claims of Christ’s lordship over him.’  

Wow! Being a true disciple of Jesus does carry a lot of expectations, as He explains in Chapter 10. ‘He that LOVETH father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that LOVETH son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. And he that taketh not his cross and followeth after me, is not worthy of me.’ (Matt. 10: 37-38) 

Yes,  that’s certainly asking a lot, but that’s what Jesus does; He asks plenty of us, to be the salt and light of the earth, to spread the good news of His gospel all over the world and to walk faithfully in His footsteps. But the beautiful thing about our Lord and Saviour is that He never asks us to do something without giving us the wherewithal, the tools, the grace to do it. And that’s where He rises way above all the other supposed gods, who just ask you to do difficult and dangerous stuff without giving you the necessary help. 

Now let’s check out Jesus’ statements after laying down the ground rules for discipleship. He reasons: ‘For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it. For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?’ (Matt. 16:25-26) And those are very pertinent and timely questions my people. Questions that we should all take time to sit down and ponder on, because they are very important to our eventual destination, be it heaven or hell. 

However, some of us still believe in running down the material wealth of the world which enables you to live high on the hog, but doesn’t do much else. It doesn’t make you live longer, or necessarily happier and ofttimes you die from simple stuff despite your great wealth. In fact, while you are busy making money, you don’t usually have the time to enjoy it. And if you do live long enough to retire, then you don’t have the youth nor energy to truly enjoy the wealth you have amassed. 

Please note Jesus’ parable on the rich fool, where He spoke not against riches in itself, but basically against greed, which is an inherent danger when we are hell bent to accumulate material wealth. The rich man saw all his goods and crowed to himself about storing up his possessions so he could live in ease; eat, drink and be merry. ‘But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided? So is he that is layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich towards God.’ (Luke 12:20-21) 

Ah mih bredrin, the scriptures make it so clear that fighting to amass material wealth is foolish, but even as true and faithful believers, we continue to do it. Remember when Jesus talked about how material wealth is destroyed by moth and rust, and thieves break in and steal, so the best place to lay up your treasure is in heaven, where there is no moth nor rust nor thieves. ‘For where you treasure is, there will your heart be also.’ (Matt. 6:19-21) And after talking about how nature works perfectly through God’s grace and mercy, He warned: ‘But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness: and all these things shall be added unto you.’ (Matt.6:33) 

Yes friends, if we seek God rather than material wealth first, God will give us all the material things we need, like He does for all the other aspects of His creation. Remember, all things belong to God, and it’s God who gives us the power to get wealth. (Deut. 8:18)  So there’s no need to run it down. That’s why Bruh Paul also warned in his first letter to Timothy. ‘For the LOVE of money is the root of all (kinds of) evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith (for which some in their greediness have strayed from the faith), and pierced themselves through with many sorrows (brought ruin upon themselves). (1 Tim. 6:10) 

Therefore my fellow saints, please, please, let’s wake up and smell the roses nuh, before it gets too late, and stop striving after money and material wealth because it doesn’t get us anywhere. Instead, let’s begin seriously striving after, seeking after the wonderful things of God which gets us somewhere, somewhere beautiful: eternal life with Him in heavenly places! Much LOVE!

…wisdom dictates that you follow the One who gives you wisdom…and that One is Jehovah God…so following Him is wisdom indeed… 

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Today’s Scrip-Bit 21 September 2018 1 Peter 5:8.

21 Sep 2018 Leave a comment

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

1 Peter 5:8.   Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour.
 

And then it was Friday…And I have to chuckle because yesterday, Thursday, I wanted to go and visit my mother’s grave site, but because it looked cloudy and rain was forecasted for the afternoon, and it’s a long drive, I didn’t do it. But lo and behold, while having an afternoon nap and going through some dream in my home, my mother suddenly appeared beside me. 

In astonishment, I looked at her and said, ‘Aye Mols, I didn’t know that you were here.’ She never replied, but just gave me a bad eye, or as the Jamaicans would say, cut her eyes at me, a look that spoke volumes, one that said something like: ‘Yes, I’m here. I’ve been here all the time. You’ve just been too busy to notice me!’ 

Ah friends, the mysterious ways in which the Lord rebukes us eh! And the interesting part is that though it was cloudy all day, not a drop of rain fell. Chuh! So it’s not cloudy today, and I don’t think they are calling for rain, so hopefully, after writing the Bit, I’ll get up off my fat fanny and make the long drive to look for the lady. That’s the least I can do for her under the prevailing circumstances. 

And since it’s Friday, yuh better believe the workingman is already singing his weekend song: ‘TGIF! Thank God is Friday! Hurray for the weekend! We time! We time to do as we please, without any interference from any bosses. Steups! The boss and them so full of foolishness it ain’t funny. Deh so prejudice! The things they ask we to do, they’d never ask any of deh family or friends to do nuh! But because we work for them, they pay we a li’l pittance, they think they could pile all the nasty work on us. 

But they have another think coming yes! Because one day when we get really fed up of all the abuse and indignity, the persecution and inhumanity, we simply going to rebel! But until then, we just going to keep we cool and enjoy we weekends; letting out we frustrations then. So let the partying begin! As they say: ‘Thank God for Fridays and weekends yes! Don’t know what we’d do without them!’ 

 Ah mih people, our world is getting rougher, more cruel and more inhumane everyday. Man’s inhumanity to man is certainly increasing as life plummets downwards. But as believers in and followers of Jesus Christ, we’ve been given the unenviable task of trying to stop it from falling further and raise it back up again to a godly level. 

Hn! I know some of you are sighing and saying that’s an impossible job, but please remember that NOTHING is impossible where our Lord and Saviour is involved. Yes, it might be difficult, but we have all the tools to fix it…and Jesus by our side to help, so we just have to get serious, buckle down and fight the good fight. 

And I know that many of us believers feel the way the workingman feels about our society, but as Christians we’re not allowed to go out on the limb like he does. We have boundaries in place to keep the enemy out, that’s why our weekend song is different from his. So let’s sing ours nuh, our Friday Chant, with the same verve and enthusiasm with which he sang his song. 

As one 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 fellow believers, we need fun and fellowship and relaxation too, but we also need to control our natural sinful nature and not give Beelzebub any chance of invading our space. And yes, I know we recently had this passage of scripture as our Bit, but it’s one of those commands we need to hear over and over and over again, because with the constant demands and busy pace of the world we’re very liable to forget it. 

So here goes: ‘Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour.’ And that is the indisputable truth my brethren! Lucifer and his evil henchmen are always on the prowl, seeking victims they can take advantage of. And we can’t let our guard down because they’ll jump in at even the least invitation. 

So Peter continues his warning. ‘Whom resist steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in (experienced by) your brethren that are in the world.’ (1 Pet.5:9) Yeh friends, we have to stand strong and resist the enemy and all his evil machinations. 

It’s not easy, and we all are afflicted in some manner or the other, but Peter guarantees us that if we stand strong: ‘But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish (confirm), strengthen, settle you.’ (1 Pet.5:10) 

What a wonderful God we serve and worship my faithful brethren! That’s why we can sincerely say like Peter did: ‘To him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.’ (1 Pet.5:11)

So please hang in there my people, even though there seems to be no hope, for once you’re alive…and working with Jesus…there is always hope! Much LOVE!

…the Lord will make a way for us…where there seems to be no way…that’s His faithful promise…