Today’s Scrip-Bit   21 May 2023 Acts 1:9.

21 May 2023 Leave a comment

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

Acts 1:9.        And when he (Jesus) had spoken these things, while they beheld (looked), he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight.

Well, a good Sunday morning to all you my faithful Scrip-Bit readers. Isn’t it just a joy to gather together in worship on the Lord’s Day, to sing His praises and glorify His Holy Name? It most certainly is! For it not only gladdens His heart but also lifts up our spirits and gives us the confidence we need to keep on fighting the good fight of faith in this evil and fallen world. 

And another of our faithful celebrations of Jesus’ life took place this past week, His ascension back to heaven. But before we get into that, let’s sing this amazing song, written in the second half of the 19th century (1873) by blind hymn writer Fanny Crosby and musician Phoebe Knapp, simply but most appropriately titled, ‘Blessed Assurance.’ 

And I like this commentary which says: ‘Each and every day we sing praises to His name. We are thankful for all of the blessings that He bestows upon us. The lyrics of the classic hymn ‘Blessed Assurance’ is the perfect way to worship. And when you hear the story behind the hymn, you will be even more in awe of His amazing grace. Thank you, Jesus, for dying for our sins!’ 

Yuh better believe it friends, because if He hadn’t done that most selfless and LOVING deed, then crapaud would have certainly smoked we pipe! And having acknowledged that, let’s sing a rousing, up-tempo, scintillating, heart-felt version of Blessed Assurance. 

Singing: ‘Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine! Oh, what a foretaste of glory divine! Heir of salvation, purchase of God, Born of His Spirit, washed in His blood (Chorus: This is my story, this is my song, Praising my Savior all the day long; This is my story, this is my song, Praising my Savior all the day long.) Perfect submission, perfect delight, Visions of rapture now burst on my sight; Angels, descending, bring from above Echoes of mercy, whispers of LOVE. 

(Chorus…) Perfect submission, all is at rest, I in my Savior am happy and blest, Watching and waiting, looking above, Filled with His goodness, lost in His LOVE. (Chorus: This is my story, this is my song, Praising my Savior all the day long; This is my story, this is my song, Praising my Savior all the day long…. Praising my Savior all the day long )’ 

Ah mih people, what beautiful and meaningful lyrics, and we indeed did justice to the song, raising all heaven with our sincere and heartfelt sacrifices of praise. And the story behind the hymn that we mentioned above, is indeed an interesting one. The story goes that: ‘One evening, Fanny’s friend and composer Phoebe Palmer Knapp was visiting and played a tune on the piano, asking Fanny what it sounded like. Fanny responded, “Blessed Assurance, Jesus is mine!” Phoebe and Fanny then continued to sing the melody and write the lyrics together.’ 

Wow! That’s just another instance of how our wonderful God works in mysterious ways, to bring us closer to Him and all the marvellous things He has to offer. And talking about all that God has to offer, this past Thursday we celebrated the ascension of Jesus, from the Mount of Olives, near Bethany, some forty days after His resurrection. 

Luke tells the story in the first chapter of Acts. He says: ‘And (Jesus) being assembled with them (the disciples), commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which saith he, ye have heard of me. For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost, not many days hence.’ (Acts 1:4-5) That was a foreshadowing of the marvellous things that would take place on the Day of Pentecost shortly thereafter. 

But apparently the disciples didn’t quite understand Jesus’ meaning, for Luke tells us: ‘When they therefore were come together, they asked of him, saying, Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel.  And he said unto them, it is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power (authority). But ye shall receive power, after (when) the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.’ (Acts 1:6-8) 

There you have it again friends, the directive of the Great Commission! However, the disciples did not yet have the power to fulfill that commission, so they had to wait in Jerusalem until they were baptized by the Holy Ghost. And as the scholars explain: ‘The disciples were to be concerned with world evangelism and discipleship. The Great Commission still applies today since the promise underlying it, the Holy Spirit, still applies (Matt. 28:20).’ 

And so it does my fellow believers, perhaps even more urgently than it ever did, since our fallen world is in great turmoil and the peace, LOVE and salvation of Christ is absolutely necessary, if we are to avoid the total destruction that we are currently racing towards. But getting back to Christ’s ascension. The Good Library further tells us. 

‘And when he (Jesus) had spoken these things, while they beheld (looked), he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight. And while they looked steadfastly toward heaven as he went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel; Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven.’ (Acts 1:9-11) 

Can you imagine that scene friends? The disciples talking with Jesus on the Mount of Olives, then all of a sudden, He just rises up into the air and is gone from their sight? That must certainly have boggled their young, uneducated minds, as it would most certainly have also boggled our old, educated minds. (smile) But what I LOVE about Jesus is that despite the circumstances, He never does, or goes anywhere without giving us a promise, or a foreshadowing of what is to come. 

And that’s what the men in white, most likely angels did. They promised that the same way Jesus left, He would come back to earth again. He wouldn’t leave them alone forever. But He would no longer appear to them like He had done after the resurrection; suddenly appearing, then suddenly vanishing again. The next time they saw him would be at His Second Coming as the conquering Hero, when He visibly (Rev. 17) and bodily sets His feet on the Mount of Olives. (Zech. 14:4)’ 

Ah my fellow saints, that is indeed a joyful day that we have to look forward to. So please, let’s keep it at the forefront of our minds, and live this life with joy, LOVE and peace in Christ Jesus, knowing that we will soon see Him again! Much LOVE!

…Jesus in Jamaican style said …soon come…and come He will…we just don’t know exactly when…   

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

Today’s Scrip-Bit   1 January 2023   2 Corinthians 5:21.

01 Jan 2023 Leave a comment

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

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

2 Corinthians 5:21.        For he (God) hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.

And then it was New Year’s Day! Wow! Christmas of 2022 is in the books and the new year of 2023 has begun with the same rush as the old one went out in! (smile) Anyway, we’re wishing a Happy New Year of 2023 to all our Scrip-Bit friends and families all over God’s great earth! And we hope and pray that this year will be better than the last, but let’s remember that any improvement must begin with each of us first improving our individual selves, then getting together in sincere fellowship and building Christ’s body, His church! 

Now let’s also hope that we did not party too much in the New Year’s Eve celebrations last night, to remember that today is Sunday, the Lord’s Day, and we needs must get up and go to His sanctuary and praise and worship Him with other believers for His wonderful deeds to the children of men. And as always, we’ll begin with a song of praise, but for this New Year’s Day I wanted something special, a song that would give us some encouragement and hope for this upcoming year, which won’t be an easy one. 

Let’s not fool ourselves into thinking that 2023 will be a banner year for peace and LOVE. Much as I desire it to be so, the current worldwide situation doesn’t promise it. Yes friends, with all the anger, strife, greed, selfishness, hunger for power and jealousy currently permeating our world, it only portends, is a sign of tougher times. But then again, we have Jesus, so there’s no need to be overly concerned. If we do our best, He’s promised to do the rest. And He is a faithful keeper of His promises. 

Anyhow, getting back to today’s song, I believe it’s a perfect fit for all that we’re going through on this first day of 2023. It’s one of our favourites, aptly titled Blessed Assurance; one of the many beautiful hymns written by blind American hymn-writer Fanny Crosby. The story goes that ‘One evening in 1873, Fanny’s friend and composer Phoebe Palmer Knapp was visiting and played a tune on the piano, asking Fanny what it sounded like. Fanny responded, “Blessed Assurance, Jesus is mine!” Phoebe and Fanny then continued to sing the melody and write the lyrics together.’ 

Isn’t ‘it awesome how songs of worship come together so quickly and unexpectedly. The hand of God is definitely involved in the writing of each one. But enough talk, (smile) it’s time to offer up our sacrificial praises to God and heaven, this New year’s day of 2023. So, in loud, but sweet harmony, in an up tempo beat, because we’re joyful in the Lord’s strength and promises, let’s offer up a rousing, heartfelt rendition of Blessed Assurance. 

Singing: ‘Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine! Oh, what a foretaste of glory divine! Heir of salvation, purchase of God, Born of His Spirit, washed in His blood (Chorus: This is my story, this is my song, Praising my Saviour all the day long; This is my story, this is my song, Praising my Saviour all the day long.) Perfect submission, perfect delight, Visions of rapture now burst on my sight; Angels, descending, bring from above Echoes of mercy, whispers of LOVE. 

(Chorus…) Perfect submission, all is at rest, I in my Saviour am happy and blest, Watching and waiting, looking above, Filled with His goodness, lost in His LOVE. (Chorus: This is my story, this is my song, Praising my Savior all the day long; This is my story, this is my song, Praising my Savior all the day long…. Yes, This is my story, this is my song, Praising my Savior all the day long )’ 

Oh friends, that was a marvellous rendition! And heaven just LOVED it! (smile) And does the song ever ring out with truth, for every day we sing praises to Jesus, thankful for all the undeserved blessings He so generously and mercifully bestows on us. And all we can say is ’Thank You Jesus! Thank You for coming to earth to save us as the baby born in the manger, then dying for us on that old wooden cross of Calvary on Good Friday, taking all of our sins upon you and giving us your righteousness!’ 

Like Bruh Paul says: ‘For he (God) 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. 5:21) And Peter reiterated it thus: ‘(Jesus) Who in his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes (wounds) ye were healed.’ (1 Pet. 2:24) 

Oh my fellow believers, that is the ultimate in selflessness! Christ died so that our sins could be forgiven! What more can we ask eh? NOTHING! What greater gift could He have bestowed eh? NONE! And all He asks of us is to be appropriately grateful and live in the righteousness that He died for us to have! 

But that’s exactly where we are falling down in our Christian walk; we’re not living in sufficient righteousness. We still have too much of the old sinful, worldly man in us. We’re still too intimidated and persuaded by the secular and unrighteous ways of the world. And understandably, since we’re only humans, it’s not easy to overlook the beautiful baubles and bangles that the world dangles in front of us, but with Christ living within us through His Holy Spirit, ostensibly to lead and guide us in righteous ways, we should be doing much better than we are. 

And any true believer who is worth his salt, on self-examination, will tell you that! The negativity that’s currently flooding our world is largely because we supposed Christians have not done the job we were given; we have not fulfilled the Great Commission enough, so that Christ’s church could have the upper hand. We have sat on our laurels way too much, enjoying the good and easy material life the world promotes, foolishly and fearfully forsaking the righteousness of Christ’s kingdom. 

Oh friends, in this year of 2023, let’s promise ourselves to do much better nuh. For our children’s sake, so much better that we will reverse some of the negativity in our world by promoting the righteousness of Christ. This year, please let our motto be truthfully the words of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ: ‘But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness;’ so that all the things we truly need will be added to us by our heavenly Father. That’s the ONLY way to turn things around! Much LOVE!

…if you can’t accept and believe Jesus’ words and promises…then whose can you accept eh… 

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

Today’s Scrip-Bit 29 October 2015 2 Timothy 1:12

29 Oct 2015 Leave a comment

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

2 Timothy 1:12.   For the which cause I also suffer these things: nevertheless I am not ashamed: for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against (until) that day.

Well Friends, it’s a crazy Thursday morning in my neck of the woods. Yesterday we had the tail ends of the rain from Hurricane Patricia, and we might still get some more later, but right now we’re getting some of the tail end winds. 

The wind’s a howling out there! I opened my front door just now to pick up the newspaper and the wind fought me to close it back. (smile) I surely am sorry for those who experienced Patricia’s wrath a few days ago. Please, let’s keep them in our prayers. 

On a point of interest, my ole right knee is still acting up. Steups! I really don’t understand it nuh. They don’t usually ache for so long. I’ve taken painkillers, rubbed it with stuff, talked with the Lord about it, but still no relief. I guess I just have to grin and bear it and limp along, knowing that God’s grace is indeed sufficient for me to do whatever He desires. 

And though I might not like it, I am comfortable with it, especially when added to these facts from the following excerpt from our One Year Book of Bible Promises with writings by Ruth Harms Calkin. This one is titled ‘I Do Know.’ 

Listen up my people: ‘There is much I cannot begin to fathom concerning the vast, indescribable universe created by our majestic God. There is much I will never comprehend. I want to sing and shout, (I was doing that the other night, (smile), so utterly overwhelmed I am with the magnitude of God. 

But I do know with confident certainty that I belong to the God of the universe – the Creator of all that exists. I know that I, a mere mortal, am forever linked to divine destiny. I know that my life has purpose and dignity. 

I know that God has chosen me as the object of his lavish LOVE; that his thoughts toward me are thoughts of kindness and mercy; that he has inscribed me in the palms of his hands. I know that all the LOVE of the Father, and the life of the Son, and the power of the Holy Spirit are freely, inseparably mine – now and throughout all eternity. This I do know! 

Wow mih breddren! Do we know all of that? I surely hope so, for if we are truly children of the Most High God, it is imperative that we know those things! 

How can we not know that we are linked to a divine destiny; that our lives have purpose and dignity; that Almighty God has chosen us to lavish His unconditional and everlasting LOVE on us; and all His thoughts towards us are of LOVING-kindness, forgiveness and mercy; and most surely we must know that He has inscribed us in the nail scarred palms of His wonderful Son, Jesus; and all that they have, the power, the life and the glory are ours from now until forever? 

All of that is the very essence of our beings as Christians! Oh what a mighty, generous and wonderful Deity we worship my people! Give Him some well-deserved thanks and praise! 

And the promise of scripture to which that message is attached is also our Bit for today. ‘For the which cause I also suffer these things: nevertheless I am not ashamed: for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against (until) that day.’ Those are the words of Bruh Paul to Timothy, as he exhorts the young pastor to endurance. 

And the scholars offer these explanations. ‘1:12. Persuaded (Gr. peitho): The perfect tense indicates that “I was persuaded in the past and remain so now.” That he is able to keep refers to the assurance of salvation which is committed…against that day, when we will stand before the judgement seat of Christ.’ 

Oh Friends, do we know whom we have believed? And is it the gracious Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ? And if we do, I hope we are not ashamed of Him, and are willing to testify loudly on His grace and mercy from the rooftops of every building. 

And not only that, but also we are persuaded, confident, assured that He can do what He says; that is grant salvation and eternal life! To be true Christians we need to believe all these things and have them written indelibly in our hearts, minds, bodies and souls. 

And Peter admonishes, as well as encourages us thus: ‘Wherefore let them that suffer according to the will of God commit the keeping of their souls to him in well doing, as unto a faithful Creator.’ (1 Pet.4:19) 

And believe me Friends, if there is nothing else I can vouch for, I can vouch for the faithfulness of our creator, because I have experienced it throughout my life! Oh Glory to Him! 

And we’ll end with these well-known, superb words of advice and confidence from Bruh David from Psalm 37 – The true state of the wicked. 

‘Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass. And he shall bring forth thy righteousness as the light, and thy judgement (justice) as the noonday. Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for him: fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way, because of the man who bringeth wicked devices (schemes) to pass. 

Cease from anger, and forsake wrath: fret not thyself in any wise to do evil (it only causes harm). For evildoers shall be cut off (destroyed): but those that wait upon the Lord, they shall inherit the earth.’ (Ps.37:5-9) 

Oh my fellow believers, as a Christian, that is the best advice you can ever get! So please, today, let’s take it all to heart and run with it nuh, putting it all into action in our lives, so that we can truthfully testify to God’s greatness and glorify Him in all that we do. For that is our bounden duty and the wisdom of heaven! Much LOVE!

…this is my story…this is my song…praising my saviour…all the day long…