Today’s Scrip-Bit   22 April 2024 Psalm 133:1.

22 Apr 2024 Leave a comment

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

Psalm 133:1.      Behold how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!

Oh Monday… you beautiful day! Thanks for coming around again so that I can get back out into the dark and dangerous world and share the light and LOVE-filled gospel of Jesus with all those I meet; for that’s my major purpose and greatest desire! Ah friends, I wish that we could all truly feel that way as we return to work on this Monday morning, because it’s only through believers like you and I, as we sincerely spread the enlightening words and deeds of Christ that any real positive and productive changes will ever be made in our rebellious and disobedient world. 

For right now Satan and his evil cronies are running amuck on God’s great earth, and we cannot allow that to go on without trying to stop, or at least curb it. Yes, we believers in Christ Jesus need to put up a valiant fight against that overriding evil that’s currently enveloping our planet. We desperately need to do like Bruh Paul did, when he told Timothy: ‘I have fought a good fight; I have finished my course (race), I have kept the faith.’ (2 Tim. 4:7) And do we ever need to run our race with steadfast faith and trust in Almighty God to help us do His earthly will. 

But because fighting the enemy is not an easy task, we therefore need to do like Bruh Paul also warned Timothy: ‘Thou therefore endure harness (hardship), as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.’ (2. Tim. 2:3) And remember these words of Jesus re discipleship: ‘If any man will (desires to) come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.’ (Luke 9:23) Now, that means being willing to sacrifice our own desires every day if Jesus so desires. And this verse of scripture is also a very telling one: ‘And he (Jesus) spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint (lose heart) (Luke 18:1) 

However, those are the very problems that Christians are having; we’re either too soft or too afraid to enjoin the battle as needs be with the enemy, while some of us just prefer to enjoy the comfortable life and don’t intend to sacrifice anything and/or engage the enemy in spiritual battle at all. But yet we expect to see positive and productive changes in our society and our world. But that’s just a pipe dream my people, because no war will be one if one party just sits on the sidelines and watches the other plunder the spoils, which is what we Christians are doing to a great extent. 

In other words, our efforts and energy are not good or great enough to make a substantial difference in this spiritual war in which we’re currently engaged, whether we like it, or even want to acknowledge it. The long and short of the story is that the enemy is putting up a better fight than we are, that’s why he’s currently ruling the roost, and the only way to turn that around is for us to get busy and significantly increase our puny efforts as one great body of believers. Remember what Psalm 133 says: ‘Behold how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity! (Ps, 133:1) 

And the awful truth of the matter is that Christ’s church is not living in unity, nowhere near it. There’s absolutely too much dissension and division amongst what is supposed to be a unified whole. And until we seriously recognize that and are determined to do something about it, the enemy will be delighted to see us remain disunited, so he can further divide and conquer us! Church unity is the first problem we need to fix before we can even think of making any successful headway against Beelzebub and his crowd of evil doers. 

Unfortunately, what’s happening is that we are fighting each other over mostly petty and unimportant issues; we’re seeing the individual trees instead of the forest as a whole. Consequently, we’re playing right into the enemy’s hands. That reminds me of the time in the reign of King Jehoshaphat, when several of the enemies of Judah came together to war against them. The enemy army consisted of the children of Ammon, Moab and Mount Seir. However when Jehoshaphat and the people prayed for protection, the Lord told them through Jahaziel, not to worry, for He would be with them. 

So, the next day, they went out with worshippers in their front ranks singing praises unto the Lord, and He so discombobulated their enemies that they eventually ended up destroying each other without Judah lifting a hand, and they gained so much spoil that it took them three days to collect it. (2 Chr. 20:1-30) Now that infighting between Judah’s enemies resembles what’s happening in Christ’s church today. We’re falling all over each other, trying to gain the upper hand, but sadly the evil one is reaping all the profits. 

But my fellow saints, I’m pleading with us, if not for our sakes, but for those of our children and their children, let’s wake up and smell the proverbial roses nuh, and truly get together as ONE body in Christ, so that we can fight the enemy in unity, for that’s the only way we’ll ever make any headway against him. End of Sermon! Now, for divine help to do just that, let’s go to the throne of grace in humble confidence, through our Monday Morning Battle Hymn. 

Altogether: ‘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!’ 

And it will be to our benefit if we remember on what conditions God promised to help us; if we humble ourselves turn from our evil ways and sincerely seek his face in prayer! Much LOVE!

…no battle can ever be won…unless there’s unity in the ranks…

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

Today’s Scrip-Bit   14 April 2023 Hebrews 13:12.

14 Apr 2023 Leave a comment

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

Hebrews 13:12.Wherefore Jesus also, that he might sanctify (set apart, make holy) the people with his own blood, suffered without (outside) the gate.

Dear friends, let me apologize for the lateness of the bit right up front. But as you know, the best laid plans of men and mice usually go astray. (smile) I had intended to get up early and do the Bit before going to a mid-morning doctor’s appointment, but obviously that did not happen. Then, you obviously have to wait to see the medic, because they are always running behind schedule. And after seeing him, there were unexpected X rays, followed by the overdue pharmacy visit to pick up medication, not to mention the Friday afternoon traffic in summer-like 25 degrees Celsius weather, this first real hot weekend of the year. But unfortunately, spring temps are expected back by Sunday.

And I know you’ve long since declared (awright!!!) your ‘TGIF’s’ Thank God it’s Friday!’ But since I’ve been gone from around 10.30 to almost 2.p.m, all I can say is, ‘Thank God, I’m back home!’  Now that’s my story, and I’m sticking to it! (smile) So let’s get down to brass tacks. Yesterday we spoke about some of the things that Jesus’ death and resurrection did for us; namely redemption, forgiveness, justification, reconciliation and sanctification. We covered the first three and promised to do the other two today, provided the Lord gave us health and strength to do it. And it appears as though He has, so let’s keep the promise. (smile) 

Now, in talking about justification yesterday, that’s been made right with God, through the righteousness of Christ, we touched on the subject of reconciliation, (Rom. 5:10-11) but that was not the scripture I wanted to share on reconciliation, which is basically a reuniting or bringing of two parts or people into agreement. And the scripture I want to share comes from Bruh Paul’s second letter to the Corinthians, where he expounds. ‘Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature (creation): old things are passed away; behold, all things are made new. 

And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation; To wit (that is) God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation. Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray (implore) you in Christ’s stead (on His behalf), be ye reconciled to God. For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin, that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.’ (2 Cor. 5:17-21) 

Oh friends, those verses cover a whole lot of ground, but it’s important to realize that it was ALL God’s doing, ALL His wanting to reconnect with His human creation, through the death and resurrection of His Son Jesus Christ. In other words, as Bruh Paul intimates, the door has been reopened for us to reconnect with God, but it still depends on us to come to Him in reconciliation, through acceptance of His wonderful Son. 

Now, as per sanctification; that simply means, being set apart, being made holy, or in the image of Christ, which is the Lord’s desire for all who follow His Son. One commentary explains it thus: ‘The Bible tells us that sanctification is God’s will for our lives and soul (1 Thessalonians 4:3). Sanctification is the process of becoming more like Christ, by purifying our hearts and minds, through repentance, prayer, and spiritual practices. Throughout the Bible, sanctification is mentioned frequently as a calling to align yourself with God’s will and cleanse yourself from sin.’ 

And what are some scriptures on the subject? Listen up. This first one is what we just referenced, 1 Thess. 4:3: ‘For this is the will of God, even your sanctification, that ye should abstain from fornication (sexual immorality).’ Then there’s this part of Bruh Paul’s explanation of his conversion on the road to Damascus to King Agrippa. Jesus is telling why He has conscripted him as an apostle. ‘Delivering thee from the people, and from the Gentiles, unto whom I now send thee, To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified (set apart) by faith that is in me.’ (Acts 26:17-18) 

The next scripture comes from 1 Corinthians where Bruh Paul is berating them about being wrong doers. ‘Nay, ye do wrong, and defraud, and that (to) your brethren. Know ye knot that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God. Be not deceived…(and he lists some of their iniquitous doings) And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified (set apart), but ye are justified (declared righteous (yesss!!!) in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.’ (1 Cor. 6: 8-9a, 11) 

And we’ll end with this last scripture from Hebrews that talks about blood sacrifices in the Old Testament in contrast to the New Covenant. ‘For the bodies of those beasts, whose blood is brought into the sanctuary by the high priest for sin, are burned without (outside) the camp. Wherefore Jesus also, that he might sanctify (set apart, make holy) the people with his own blood, suffered without (outside) the gate.’ (Heb. 13:11-12) Yes friends, it’s all about the cleansing of our sins, which the blood of Jesus did once and for all time. No more animal sacrifices. 

And when you receive Him as Lord and Saviour, then you are, forgiven, redeemed, reconciled , justified, set apart, sanctified, made holy, being slowly remade in His image from glory to glory! Now who wouldn’t want such a glorious transformation eh? We all do, without having to pay the price though. (smile) Now it’s time to go to the throne of God, through our Friday Chant, asking for His divine assistance with our earthly problems. 

Altogether now: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through this past week. You know it’s been rough… what with all the confusion and anxiety caused by the pandemic and our many other serious problems. We can’t fix them on our own Lord, so we desperately need 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. 

So Lord, we sincerely ask you today to give those involved in the forefront of this serious and unexpected storm, the wise guidance to handle the situation properly, without further serious setbacks. And please help those of us who must go out to work amidst all the confusion, to be responsible and to stay safe. And Lord, we fervently pray that You’ll use this situation to 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. Yes Lord, please use this pandemic, the bubbling discontent and dissatisfaction in our land, as a means of restoring faith in You, 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!’ 

And if we truly want to see positive answers to our prayer, then we need to make positive changes to our lifestyles. It as simple as that my brethren. Much LOVE!

…we’ve already experienced Jesus’ birth, death and resurrection….all that’s left is…His second coming…this time in glory… 

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

Today’s Scrip-Bit   28 January 2022   1 Thessalonians 5:16.

28 Jan 2022 Leave a comment

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

1 Thessalonians 5:16.     Rejoice evermore.

Ah my Scrip-Bit friends and family, this Friday morning has opened beautifully, like a true winter wonderland, with the sun shining so brightly that its reflection off the snow tends to blind you, if you look at it too closely! (smile) And the temperature is just right for such a day too, around minus 16 Celsius. No, I’m not crazy, a certain kind of day deserves a certain temperature. And then we have Jesus abounding in our souls, spirits and bodies, so what more can we ask eh? Nothing! 

So let’s say it like we mean it nuh: ‘This is the day the Lord has made, we will rejoice and be glad in it! Oh yes my people, every day is made for rejoicing, but some like this one, just takes your breath away, and you can’t do anything else but rejoice; rejoice and give thanks! And that just recalls these marvellous passages of scripture, featuring Bruh Paul’s immortal words to the Thessalonians, where he encourages them to: 

‘ Rejoice evermore. Pray without ceasing. In every thing give thanks for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you. Quench not the Spirit. Despise not prophesyings. Prove all things; hold fast that which is good. Abstain from all appearance (every form) of evil. And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly, and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Faithful is he that calleth you, who will also do it.’ (1 Thess. 5:16-24) 

Wow friends! That’s one of those bits of scripture, that sort of includes everything a believer needs to live a good Christian life! And the nice thing about it is that it’s simple and straightforward, as well as practical. So, I would suggest we use it as a guideline for our daily lives, where we rejoice that we are alive and have Jesus who reconciles us to God and offers us the most wonderful gift of salvation for simply believing in Him. 

And to help us with all our daily problems we just keep talking to God about everything, not necessarily continuously or audibly, but having an attitude of prayer throughout our day. And for all of that my fellow saints, giving thanks to our wonderful God in any and everything is paramount, because that’s what He expects of us. As the scholars explain: ‘5:18. In every event or circumstance  (thing) the Christian is to give thanks to God for the good He can bring out of the event even should the event be unpleasant. The constant attitude of prayer, mentioned in verse 17, will help the believer maintain gratitude in the face of adversity.’ 

Ah friends, that’s like how we say one hand washes the other; prayer helps us to stay thankful regardless of our circumstances! Then we come to a big one: ‘Quench not the Spirit.’ Now that is possibly the most important aspect of Christian living, for the Holy Spirit of God has been placed within us to lead and guide us in a godly life on this ungodly earth. And when you ‘Quench it,’ that means, ‘stifle’ or ‘suppress it’ then it cannot do the job it was sent to do. As the scholars tell us, we are hindered in rejoicing, in prayer, in giving thanks during adversity, and despising prophetic utterances inspired by the Spirit. 

It’s basically what Bruh Paul said to Ephesians: ‘And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.’ (Eph. 4:30) And yuh know what friends, the more we suppress, stifle or repress the Holy Spirit of God in our lives, the less it is able to act on our behalf. It doesn’t sound as loud and clear as it once did, and we are basically left to paddle our own canoe, which certainly is not a wise action. 

Then we come to the next practical aspect of Christian living as prescribed by Bruh Paul to the Thessalonians. ‘Prove all things; hold fast that which is good.’ (vs. 21) That means be careful of what you believe, try and prove them before you believe them, and hang on to the good ones. It’s similar to what he said more explicitly to the Philippians. ‘Finally brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest (noble), whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise (anything praiseworthy), think (meditate) on these things.’ (Phil. 4:8) 

Yes, believers need to think or meditate on the right things, if we want to do the right things, which is ‘Abstain from all appearance of evil.’ (vs.22) And what does that mean? It’s like Bruh Paul explained in his message to the church at Rome. ‘Recompense (repay) to no man evil for evil. Provide things honest in the sight of all men (have regard for good things)… Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.’ (Rom. 12:17, 21). 

It couldn’t be any clearer than that my faithful brethren. And when we follow those basic rules, then our spirits, bodies and souls will be sanctified, set apart for our faithful God, and the surpassing peace He promised, will guard our hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. And the peace of God is the supreme blessing on this riotous, ungodly, deceitful, evil and unfaithful world. When you have that nothing bothers you, and you can go about Christ’s will with diligence and excellence. 

But where I believe we’ve been most sadly lacking in our Christian journey is in the department of prayer. We haven’t been doing that prayer without ceasing thing. But it’s not too late to begin. So let’s do that right now nuh, let’s go to God in prayer, through our Friday Chant. Altogether now: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through this past week. You know it’s been rough… what with all the anxiety, the confusion and havoc that the Covid-19 virus and our many other problems are causing. We can’t seem to fix it on our own Lord, that means we desperately need your help. 

Oh heavenly Father, with your omnipotent help, and our trusting faith, we know that we can stand strong and steadfast and defeat both the virus and the unrest in our streets. So Lord, we sincerely ask you today to give the governments and those involved in the forefront of this serious and unexpected storm, the wise guidance to handle the situation properly, with the least amount of loss to life and property as possible. And please help those of us who must go out to work amidst all the confusion, to be responsible and to stay safe, and avoid any more serious setbacks. 

And Lord, we fervently pray that You’ll use this situation to bring a lot of backsliders back to your fold, show them the error of their ways. And please introduce a whole new flock, who will embrace your LOVE and compassion by the example, we, your faithful believers set. Yes Lord, please use this pandemic and the unrest in the streets as a means of restoring faith in You, so that our sinful world can wake up and smell the coffee, sweet and strong! We pray this in the name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen!’ 

Now, please let’s remember all the stuff we’ve talked about today, and do what it takes to be a true and faithful believer, if we want to see positive changes in our lives and in our world. Much LOVE!

…successfully living for Christ is not easy…but following the guidance of His Holy Spirit…enables us to live right… 

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

Today’s Scrip-Bit 19 July 2018 Proverbs 3:35.

19 Jul 2018 Leave a comment

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

Proverbs 3:35.   The wise shall inherit glory: but shame shall be the promotion (the legacy) of fools.

And then it was Thursday, the penultimate day of the workweek, and consequently all thoughts are turning to the weekend; considering the summer frolic it will bring. And nothing’s wrong with that, it’s all a basic part of life, but friends, I have an even more important announcement to share this morning; one that will bring enormous positive changes to your life if you embrace it in the spirit it was meant to be taken. 

Please remember this: ‘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!’ That’s indisputable truth my brethren! So please let’s do the sensible thing and read God’s word so that we can find His wisdom and apply it to our lives nuh. That’s why He spent so much time inspiring the prophets and them to write it; so that we could have a Guidebook for successful earthly living. 

And if you don’t believe me, just look at the messy, disgusting, evil and foolish lives we are currently living nuh. If we were truly reading and studying God’s word and putting it into practice our world would never be in such a state of anger, hatred, strife, power hunger, greed, poverty, economic deprivation and sickness. 

But unfortunately, too many of us, including supposed believers are heeding the wicked and lustful ways of the world and not seeking God and His righteousness first in our lives. Remember Jesus said that if we sought God and His righteousness FIRST, all the things of the world that we NEED would be given to us. (Matt.6:33) 

But our actions prove that we don’t believe it. We still attempt to work for them in our own strength and that’s never going to work properly my people! That brings us to our Bit, immortal words of wisdom from Cousin Sol. ‘The wise shall inherit glory: but shame shall be the promotion (the legacy) of fools.’ 

And that’s gospel truth my fellow believers! The problem though is that once you go down that foolish road and discover what will be your end, it will be too late to turn back then. That’s why you need to embrace the wisdom of the Good Book and the wonderful things it offers NOW! 

Let’s take a look at a few scriptures to prove our point. We’ll begin with Job’s question as he acknowledges God’s justice. I know it is so of a truth: but how should man be just with God (can a man be righteous before God)? If he will contend (if one wished to argue) with him, he cannot answer him one (one time out) of a thousand. He (God) is wise in heart, and mighty in strength: who hath hardened himself against him, and hath prospered?’ (Job 9:2-4) 

And the sure answer to that is ‘NOBODY has done it, and NOBODY ever will!’ Glory be my brethren! For an infinite God, our Maker and Controller, who’s ways and thoughts are so much higher than ours, is the epitome of wisdom and justice! And there’s no better passage in the Bible that speaks to the importance of the acquisition of wisdom than the situation between God and Cousin Sol in his early days as Israel’s king. 

One day Cousin Sol went to Gibeon to sacrifice to the Lord, and the Lord appeared to him in a dream by night: ‘and God said. Ask what I shall give thee.’ (1Kin.3:5) And we all know Sol’s response. ‘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) 

Oh my people, my people, is that the kind of thing we ask for when God asks what we desire of Him? Very seldom! Most of the time we ask for things of the world. 

And I like how the Good Book puts it: ‘And the speech pleased the Lord, that Solomon has asked this thing. And God said unto him. Because thou hast asked this thing, and hast not asked for thyself long life; neither hast asked riches for thyself, nor hast asked the life of thine enemies; but hast asked for thyself understanding to discern judgement (justice); 

Behold, I have done according to thy words: lo, I have given thee a wise and understanding heart; so that there was none like thee before thee, neither after thee shall any arise like unto thee. And I have also given thee that which thou hast not asked, both riches and honour: so that there shall not be any (anyone) among the kings like unto thee all thy days.’ (1 Kin.3:10-13) 

Yes friends, that’s how magnanimous and generous our God can be when we ask for the right things; not stuff in pursuit of greed or selfishness. And let’s note the corollary to God’s goodness to Cousin Sol. ‘And if thou wilt walk in my ways, to keep my statutes and my commandments, as thy father David did walk, then I will lengthen thy days.’ (1 Kin.3:14) 

What more can I say eh friends? Nothing but to implore us to seek the face of God and His wisdom; to read His word and apply it to our lives, so that we may dwell in the peace and joy that accompany His promises. Now let’s go home declaring our Thursday Blessings which the Lord has generously bestowed on us. 

In strong voice with sincere hearts:  ‘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 the next step is to go out and share it all with the less fortunate. God blessed us so that we could bless others. Much LOVE!

…wisdom is the principal thing…therefore get wisdom…and with all thy getting…get understanding… (Prov.4:7)