Today’s Scrip-Bit 25 February 2018 Revelation 21:2.

25 Feb 2018 Leave a comment

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

Revelation 21:2.   And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.

It’s praise and worship and fellowship time once again friends! The Lord’s Day is upon us, so we need to have the proper response, that’s going en masse to His sanctuary to give thanks, praise His holy name, listen to His awesome word and receive encouragement, confidence and enthusiasm to face the upcoming week. Yeh mih breddren, it’s time for our weekly God-given fix. (smile) 

And as always, we’ll open the proceedings with praise and worship, exalting our heavenly Father through the medium of song. Today’s hymn is another old favourite, ‘The Church’s One Foundation.’ It’s  a Christian hymn written in the 1860s by British Pastor, Samuel John Stone. 

According to Wikipedia, ‘The song was written as a direct response to the schism within the Church of South Africa caused by John William Colenso, first Bishop of Natal, who denounced much of the Bible as fictitious. This topic is alluded to within the fourth verse of the text “Though with a scornful wonder men see her sore oppressed, by schisms rent asunder, by heresies distressed.” 

When Bishop Colenso was deposed for his teachings, he appealed to the higher ecclesiastical authorities in England. It was then that Samuel Stone became involved in the debate. It inspired him to write a set of hymns based on the Apostles’ Creed in 1866. He titled it, Lyra Fidelium; Twelve Hymns on the Twelve Articles of the Apostles’ Creed. 

“The Church’s One Foundation” is based on the ninth article, The holy Catholic Church; The Communion of Saints.’ The song also served as inspiration for Rudyard Kipling’s 1896 poem, Hymn Before Action. It is typically set to the tune “Aurelia” by Samuel Seba.’ 

Yuh see friends, the rich history of today’s hymn, born of isms and schisms as it was. Anyway, in strong voice and rich harmony, let’s offer it up with the sacrificial praise of our lips, to glorify the solid rock of our immortal faith, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. ‘The church’s one Foundation is Jesus Christ her Lord; she is His new creation, by water and the Word; from heav’n He came and sought her to be His holy bride; with His own blood He bought her, and for her life He died. 

Elect from ev’ry nation, yet one o’er all the earth, her charter of salvation, one Lord, one faith, one birth; one holy Name she blesses, partakes one holy food, and to one hope she presses, with ev’ry grace endued. Tho’ with a scornful wonder, men see her sore oppressed, by schisms rent asunder, by heresies distressed, yet saints their watch are keeping, their cry goes up, “How long?” And soon the night of weeping shall be the morn of song. 

The church shall never perish! Her dear Lord, to defend, to guide, sustain, and cherish, is with her to the end; tho’ there be those that hate her and false sons in her pale, against the foe or traitor she ever shall prevail. ‘Mid toil and tribulation, and tumult of her war, she waits the consummation of peace for evermore; till with the vision glorious her longing eyes are blest, and the great church victorious shall be the church at rest.

Yet she on earth hath union with God the Three in One, and mystic sweet communion with those whose rest is won. O happy ones and holy! Lord, give us grace that we, like them, the meek and lowly, on high may dwell with Thee.’ 

Yeh friends, the church of Christ will NEVER die, regardless of all the trials and tribulations it may go through, because it is built on the greatest foundation that the universe has to offer, The ONE and ONLY SON of GOD: JESUS CHRIST! Bless His holy name my people! 

As the hymn says, she is His creation, through water and His word, the very purpose for which He came down from heaven. Then He bought her with His blood, paid for her life with His own. So how could it ever die eh? As long as Jesus is alive His church will exist. That’s an indisputable fact. It might not be going as strong and unified as it ought to, because of the current presence of all the same nonsense, the dissension and disunity that caused the hymn to be written a couple centuries ago, but it’s definitely going to be around until Jesus comes back for his bride. 

Glory be my brethren! No wonder John the Revelator was shown the vision of how things would be after the Millennium and the final judgement. He saw a new heaven and a new earth, birthed, as beautiful as ever, the everlasting state, where there would be no sin. ‘And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.’ Yes friends, that would be Jesus’ eternal kingdom. 

And John continues: ‘And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God. And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.’ (Rev.21:3-4) 

Ah mih people, that’s what we have to look forward to in eternity! Isn’t it a wonderful picture? It surely is! And if we want to be around to see it, then we have to keep the passion for Jesus well stoked in our hearts and lives from now; for who knows how much time we have until Jesus returns.  We need our faith to stay strong and walk in obedience to God’s will. That’s why it’s so important for us to go to church, to gather and fellowship with each other and encourage each other. 

As the Good Book points out about Abraham in the Hall of Faith: ‘By faith he sojourned in the land of promise…For he looked (was waiting) for a city which had foundations whose builder and maker is God.’ (Heb.11:9a:10) And if we’re wise, my fellow believers, that’s how we’ll be, constantly on the lookout for the New Jerusalem in this our earthly journey. Much LOVE!

…this earth is not our home…we are strangers and pilgrims down here…heaven is our home…

 

 

 

 

Today’s Scrip-Bit 9 August 2015 Jeremiah 31:33

09 Aug 2015 Leave a comment

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

Jeremiah 31:33   But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the Lord, I will put my law in their inward parts (mind), and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people.

Well my brethren it’s the first day of the week, Sunday! And we all know what that means? It’s time to get ourselves out to God’s sanctuary, whether it’s a big cathedral, a secret basement hiding from persecution, or simply in the open air, under the blues skies of heaven. And there, in whatever physical space we’re located, however large or small our numbers, we praise and worship Him as one body; that of Christ’s church. 

Remember Jesus promised ‘For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there I am in the midst of them.’ (Matt.18:20)  And He is indeed a faithful keeper of His promises. So Friends, it’s time once again to renew the strength, faith, encouragement and passion for Jesus that we get when we come together to sing and praise Him in all sincerity and truth. 

It gives us the spiritual wherewithal we need in the upcoming week to face the evil world in which we dwell, and fight a good fight of faith for Jesus. Without God’s grace propelling us on my people, we will just be sitting ducks for Lucifer, since we are unable to do very much in our own frail human strength. 

And before we go any further, let me remind us of two things – I think it’s time to trot them out again. (smile) The first is that ‘The Bible is God’s word to us; still fresh through all the ages. And if we read it, we will find God’s wisdom on its pages.’ It’s hard to argue with that eternal truth my brethren. 

But how will we ever know what it says and gain the wisdom it details eh, when in too many cases God’s Word simply sits collecting dust somewhere in our homes; that is if we own a Bible at all? 

And the second revelation is that ‘One truth from the Bible is worth more than all the wisdom of man.’ And there’s simply no disputing that indisputable truth, (smile) although many try to and fail miserably! 

But the point I’m trying to make is that we definitely need to do more Bible reading my fellow believers. And not simply reading, but more like studying and meditating, so that the Word of God can filter into our innermost beings and raise the level of our faith in and knowledge of God, two things we desperately need to live successfully down here on planet earth. 

And all that rambling eventually brings us to our Bit. (smile) ‘But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the Lord, I will put my law in their inward parts (mind), and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people.’ 

Ah Friends, what a wonderful God we serve and worship! Here the prophet Jeremiah is declaring to the Israelites that God was going to make a new agreement with them to replace the old one made at Mt. Sinai, when Moses received the law on tablets of stone. However, this time, the law would not be written on stone tablets but in their hearts, so that everyone could know and reckon individually with Jehovah God. This will be the biggest and the best covenant; the one that will last for all time.  

And as the scholars explain: ‘the new covenant assimilates the elements of the promises made to Abraham and channeled with progressive light through David, and brings them to full realization. Thus the final blessing of Abraham’s seed will find fruition in Israel’s possession of the Promised Land in perpetuity under the rulership of Christ, the Greater Son of David, the Seed par excellence. 

Further, by faith in Christ, Gentile believers also become the spiritual seed of Abraham and members of the family of God. Although the new covenant is now operative, and is attended by the ministry of the Holy Spirit who is resident in believers’ lives, the full realization of the new covenant, as the capstone of all covenants, awaits the second coming of Christ. 

He will give to Israel the promises distinctive to that nation, and will rule over the earth in an unprecedented period of universal peace, prosperity, and the full knowledge of the abiding presence of God’ 

Yes my people, that new covenant now just awaits Jesus’ second coming for it to be fully realized. Aren’t you grateful for all that? We surely ought to be. Note I didn’t mention any references in the scholars explanations because there just too many, and I know that most people would not check them out anyway. (smile) But a lot of it you can find on your own, if you are interested, through diligent checking, studying and meditating on the Word. 

And we’ll continue with the verse after our Bit. ‘And they shall teach no more every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the Lord: for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.’ (Jer.31:34) 

And all God’s people loudly and boldly declared: Oh what a magnificent and magnanimous God we serve and worship!’ That’s for certain sure my brethren! 

Oh Friends, there’s no other deity who is as interested in the lives and welfare of His people like Almighty God, and who wants everyone to come to salvation and eternal life through faith in His Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! And it’s all so wonderful that I just want to stand up, jump and shout for joy! (smile) 

Yes Friends, Christians ought to be the happiest and most joyful people on planet earth, given all the stuff; the promises, the grace, the mercy, forgiveness, compassion and unconditional LOVE that the Most High God has for us. Wow! 

So please let’s show that joy nuh through the way we talk and live our lives, so that we can encourage others to come to Jesus and be born again into a new spiritual life. That is the epitome of wisdom! Much LOVE!

…truly following Jesus…transforms our hard hearts of stone…into soft ones of flesh…like His…

 

 

Today’s Scrip-Bit 16 July 2012 Psalm 102:15

16 Jul 2012 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Inspirational Living Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Psalm 102:15.     So the heathen shall fear the name of the Lord, and all the kings of the earth thy glory.

Oh Friends, our God is truly something else yes!  Remember yesterday I implored us to pray for rain to quench the parched earth? Well shortly after I sent out the Bit, I went outside and saw a hazy darkness hovering over the land. My passion rose immediately, and I went ‘Wow!’ I thought that it was surely a quick working of our prayers, even though some of us had not even yet read the Bit. However, a couple of hours later, not a drop of blessing had fallen and the sun was out big and bright and hot. Hn! Yeh, though our God is great and all that, in reality, it was a just little too good to be true. But hang on, in mid-afternoon, the skies again became dark, this time with Thor pounding some on his anvil with his hammer. Then around 5.30, wonder of wonders, the welcome noise of raindrops hitting my window began. It was one of those sounds that makes your heart lurch in thanksgiving, and brings a tear of gratitude to your eyes. However that feeling of thanksgiving and gratitude were short-lived, just like the rain, for in less than minutes, after a couple of scattered showers it was all over, and the mighty sun came shining through again. Chuh! I don’t know if the showers of blessing even made a dent in the parched land. It’s like when you’re dying of thirst and all you can get is a mere mouthful of water. That got me to wondering if enough righteous people didn’t pray, or that we just don’t have sufficient righteous people in the first place? (smile) But as the old people would advise, let’s just be thankful for small mercies. At least it rained some. And now after all that preamble, and possibly having said nothing therein, (smile) let’s get down to brass tacks nuh. It’s Monday my Friends, and many of us are singing the Monday Morning Blues because we have to get up and go out to make a living after a lazy weekend. But please remember people that we’re true followers of Jesus, and though He never took an easy step in His earthly life, He always went out with LOVE and joy in His heart and a big, beautiful smile on His face, because he knew that He had to go out and do the Father’s work, regardless of His feelings or opinions. The same applies to us Friends. We’re not going eat or have a roof over our heads unless we go out and labour. And in the course of that labouring, we’re also required to show our LOVE for God and our neighbour, as well as LIVE our Faith, and SPREAD the good news of Christ’s gospel. That means we have to be strong, faithful, diligent, fortitudinous, persevering and NEVER GIVE UP people! Oh my brethren, I know that living for Jesus is a tough row to hoe, but that’s just the way it is. Jesus doesn’t deal in mediocrity. He’s always in pursuit of excellence. So let’s chase away those vapid Monday Morning Blues and instead put on our spiritual armour, sing our Monday Morning Battle Hymn, then head out into the evil, ungodly world and win some souls for Christ. All together now Friends, in one loud, enthusiastic, meaningful voice: ‘Oh Lord God Almighty, Creator of the universe and all therein! We, your humble servants, praise your Holy Name and thank you that this Monday morning we have jobs to go to; jobs we don’t like, jobs that are unfair, difficult and even dangerous, but which serve a useful purpose here on earth; keeping lives and families together. We also thank you Father for the renewed vitality and enthusiasm you’ve wrought in our weary souls over the last two days. It’s that rejuvenation of Spirit which allows us now to sally forth with confidence into the evil, ungodly world that surrounds us, to begin a new week of work, constantly buffeted and bombarded by the enemy’s wicked taunts, wiles and lies. But heavenly Father, we’re not afraid, for we know we’re invincible, sure conquerors, once we’re wearing your powerful, protective spiritual armour. We surrender our all to you, and humbly ask that you let your incredible aura of LOVE, the Holy Spirit, lead and guide all your servants as we go out to meet the enemy in battle. Fill us with steadfast faith, so that we can make worthwhile inroads into the enemy’s ranks, and thereby further your glorious kingdom. We pray this in the Holy Name of your Son, and our Saviour, Jesus Christ. AMEN!’ And now that Jesus is pulsating in our very souls Friends, let me go and find a suitable Bit, because this is one of those times where the Spirit just gave me a starting thought, then allowed me free rein to run with it. And you all know how I like that. (smile) Oh Friends, I’m back in less than two minutes! Our God is so good to me eh! The Good Book was already opened at Psalm 102, so I decided to peruse it, and voila there was our Bit! ‘So the heathen (nations, gentiles) shall fear the name of the Lord, and all the kings of the earth thy glory.’ Now isn’t that exactly what we’re called to do my brethren; bring the Word of our God, His omnipotence, glory, mercy, forgiveness and LOVING-kindness to unbelievers?  Remember Jesus’ last command to the disciples was to spread the gospel to all the world, (Matt.28:19-20) and since we’re now the current disciples, that’s become our duty. Now listen to these wise words of Cousin Sol when he dedicated the temple. ‘Moreover concerning a stranger, that is not of thy people Israel, but cometh out of a far country for thy name’s sake; (For they shall hear of thy great name, and of thy strong hand, and of thy stretched out arm;) when he shall come and pray toward this house; Hear thou in heaven thy dwelling place, and do according to all that the stranger calleth to thee for: that all people of the earth may know thy name, to fear thee, as do thy people Israel; and that they may know that this house, which I have builded, is called by thy name.’ (1 Kin.8:41-43) Yes mih people, our duty is to go out into the highways and byways, wherever there are unsaved people and bring them to a knowledge of Jesus, of the Holy Spirit, and of the Father, so that the name of the Holy Trinity will become a household name in all the world and our wonderful Three In One God glorified. Please, let’s go out this Monday Morning full of vim and vigour, with hearts filled with a burning passion for Jesus, so that we can increase our efforts to do our bounden duty and bring untold glory to God’s kingdom. Much LOVE!…oh what joy there is in heaven…when even one sinner repents…and today there’ll be lots of joy up yonder…because many sinners shall repent…

 

Today’s Scrip-Bit 8 June 2012 1 John 4:10

08 Jun 2012 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Inspirational Living Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

1 John 4:10.    Herein is LOVE, not that we LOVED God, but that He LOVED us, and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.
 
Oh Friends, it’s Friday! And all God’s children joyfully shouted: ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday!’ And mih people, please don’t tell me that my God isn’t a good and great God nuh, because I experience His goodness and greatness in some form and fashion, every day! Take for instance last night, as I was lying in my bed, contemplating what I would write today, hoping for something a little different, something with a little more spunk, I half seriously, have jokingly asked the Lord to help me write a moving, exciting, encouraging, edifying and uplifting Bit. I wanted and needed a Bit that would put some passion in our souls and give us the necessary gumption, the fortitudinous backbone and belly we need to truly LOVE our God, LOVE ourselves, and likewise our neighbours, to sincerely LIVE our Faith, and to diligently SPREAD His Word. And yuh know what? Immediately, without any hesitation whatsoever, the Lord answered, ‘Why not?’ And I replied,’ No reason whatsoever Lord.’ And the Lord declared, ‘Well let’s do it then!’ So let’s do it nuh mih people, let’s lively up the start of the weekend by chanting our Friday Chant with much reverence, vocal strength and enthusiasm. All together now, as one earthly choir: ‘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.’ So doh tell me that I’m not going to LOVE, serve, revere and genuinely worship the Lord God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob! You must be joking yes people! For there’s absolutely no doubt in my mind that He is indeed THE GREATEST! Where else can you find a God like Him eh? NOWHERE! A God who’s all powerful, all seeing, all about the place at the same time, plus LOVING ungrateful, undeserving, unworthy children unconditionally. He LOVED us so much that He even sacrificed His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, on that old, ugly, evil wooden cross at Calvary, so that we could be legally, justifiably be redeemed and reconciled to Him. Hn! As our Bit so remarkably declares: ‘Herein is LOVE, not that we LOVED God, but that He LOVED us, and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.’ Now who else, could, or even would have done that, were they able to? NOBODY ELSE! Yes Friends, nobody else but our great God would have sacrificed their only child for a bunch of ungrateful sinners! And on top of that, He still gives us new mercies and blessings every day, and through His Holy Spirit leads and guides us along earth’s very challenging paths. And that ain’t all nuh mih breddren! As a lagniappe, or broughta (don’t know if I spelled the last one right) but as an extra, on top of all the other good things He’s done and is still doing for us, our merciful, generous and ever-LOVING God, also threw in the most wonderful gifts possible of salvation and eternal life. Wow! And what was the response of God’s people? They all raised their heads, hearts, hands, eyes and voices heavenward, and proudly proclaimed: ‘Oh our God, we LOVE You, we worship You, we give You thanks and praise, and promise to be steadfast members of your great flock, from now until forever. We pray this on the Holy blood of Jesus shed for us at Calvary! Amen!’ And now Friends, what wait we for eh? The Lord’s obviously our hope! Oh my people, I sure hope that this Bit picked us up, reminded us of why we LOVE and serve the Lord God Jehovah through Jesus Christ. I hope it reminds us very forcefully that before we LOVED Him, He LOVED us unconditionally, and gave us salvation and eternal life as a token of that LOVE! And He did it all through His own mercy and generosity: ‘Not by works of righteousness which we have done; but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost; Which he shed (poured out) on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour; That being justified (declared righteous) by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.’ (Titus 3:5-7) So please my people, having witnessed and experienced all that LOVING-kindness, forgiveness and mercy, let’s ramp up our passion for Jesus today nuh, and get out there into the evil, ungodly world and put up a valiant fight, which will eventually lead to victory in His Holy Name! Amen! That’s wisdom at its zenith! Much LOVE!…JESUS…the Truth…the Way…the Light…and the Life…no other name is worthy of such praise…
 

Today’s Scrip-Bit 29 May 2012 Acts 1:5

29 May 2012 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Inspirational Living Tags: , , , , , , , , , ,

Acts 1:5.     For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence.
 
Oh Friends, the ole fella’s a bit messed up this morning, both in body and mind, but thankfully all’s well with my basic soul! (smile) My messed up self was caused by having to go into Toronto yesterday on one of the hottest days on record, thirty some degrees. And sadly, my once beloved T.O. is daily becoming a true example of a concrete jungle. All over the city humongous towers of concrete and steel are rising up, to capture the condo market, which doesn’t seem to be slowing down, at exorbitant prices too. The poor already find it difficult to live in the crowded city, soon it will be impossible. This only makes for even more traffic jams, which I unfortunately got caught in on my way home. But you would have been proud of me; I kept my cool, although my right knee and ankle began aching from all the stop and go, brake and gas pedal movement, I listened to some tunes and finally got home about seventy five minutes after I hit the highway, which normally would only have taken about thirty minutes. Then last night my sleep wasn’t the greatest, and this morning my sinuses are acting up some. But all praise to the Good Lord Jehovah and the amazing power of His Holy Spirit, I’m still excited about the Word and the awesome workings of that Spirit which we’ll continue to talk about today! Let’s hope I can put some meaningful stuff together. But then why not, since one of the jobs of the Spirit is to lead and guide the Lord’s people in all activities. So Holy Spirit, I humbly ask You now to move in my lowly spirit, enlighten and enable me to write encouraging truth, so that all who read it will be encouraged in the faith and trust of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen! And what better way to start off than by sharing the wonderful promise of Christ enshrined in our Bit: ‘For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence.’ And we saw that promise faithfully fulfilled on the miraculous Day of Pentecost, some fifty days after Jesus spoke it! Now since the Holy Spirit is like the worker bee in the Trinity, it’s very important that we understand what it’s all about, so I’ll attempt to give us a brief history and explanation of its workings. And the best way to begin seems to be by an explanation of how the Spirit worked before Pentecost. Hear the scholars: ‘Before Pentecost the Holy Spirit’s work had been (1) from without (‘Spirit came upon’); (2) temporary; and (3) exceptional. After Pentecost the Spirit’s work is (1) from within (He indwells – John 7:37-39; 14:17; 1 Cor. 6:19; 1 John 3:24; 4:13); (2) permanent (Rom. 8:9); and (3) normal, involving all (1 Cor.12:12) Under the Old (Mosaic) Covenant, God’s work with Israel had been external, but under the New Covenant, it is internal (Ezek. 36:26-27; Heb.8:9-10) All that simply means Friends, that before Pentecost not everybody was infused with the Holy Spirit. One either had to be exceptionally godly, like the prophets, or chosen to perform some specific task(s) which called for spiritual power. Please read all those scriptures given by the scholars, so that you can become better acquainted with the Spirit’s workings. However, after Pentecost, the Spirit was endowed upon every individual believer in Christ. It then became a universal adjunct to all followers, infusing each and everyone with Christ’s Spirit as He had promised. That brings us to a part of Peter’s great speech on Pentecost, where he quotes the prophet Joel, who prophetically promised the eventual outpouring on all believers. ‘And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions: And also upon the (men) servants and upon the handmaids (maid servants) in those days will I pour out my spirit.’ (Joel 2:28-29) And as all the promises of God, that one was faithfully fulfilled on the Day of Pentecost! Oh Friends, I just can’t help reminding us of what a generous and LOVING God we serve and worship! And all God’s people cried with a joyful voice: ‘Praise the Lord God of Israel, for His wonderful dealings with the undeserving children of men!’ And we’ll close with another prophetic promise re the Holy Spirit. This one from John the Baptist: ‘I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance: but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire.’ (Matt.3:11) Yes mih people, let’s get excited about Jesus, let the passion for Him burn brightly in our daily lives through the workings of His Spirit, so that others can see Him just shining out of us and come to know and LOVE Him as we do. That’s our bounden duty. More on this tomorrow, if we’re alive and kicking. Till then please, let’s get and keep in touch with the Holy Spirit and let Him lead and guide us as He is supposed to. Much LOVE!…through His Holy Spirit…is Christ manifested in our lives…   P.S. Better late than never, and hope it makes sense. (smile)