Today’s Scrip-Bit 6 December 2020 Ephesians 6:13.

06 Dec 2020 Leave a comment

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

Ephesians 6:13.    ​Wherefore take unto you (take up) the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.

Another Sunday…and another day of virtual worship! But the important thing is that there’s worship! And all God’s children shouted loud and proud: ‘Praise the Lord! Hallelujah! Amen!’ Yeh friends, it doesn’t really matter how we communicate and/or worship, once we communicate and worship, and give thanks and praise to our wonderful heavenly Father. (smile) And with the severe turbulence that’s currently surrounding our lives I thought it necessary to open today’s proceedings with a song that brings our true purpose to mind and also offers oodles of encouragement. The song is aptly tittle ‘Stand up, Stand up for Jesus!’ 

Now that’s exactly what believers ought to be doing in troubled times like these. But before we get into the song, there’s an interesting story behind it. The song was written by clergyman George Duffield, Jr. (b. Carlisle, PA, 1818; d. Bloomfield, NJ, 1888). ‘It’s reputed that he was inspired to write this text after hearing the dying words of a Presbyterian colleague, Dudley A. Tyng. Ousted from his own congregation for his strong anti-slavery stance, Tyng preached to large crowds in weekday meetings sponsored by the YMCA. 

His work spearheaded an evangelical revival in Philadelphia early in 1858. At Tyng’s deathbed, caused by a farm accident in which he lost an arm, Duffield and others asked if he had any final message. Tyng replied, ‘Tell them to stand up for Jesus!” At Tyng’s memorial service on April 25, 1858, Duffield preached on Ephesians 6:14 and concluded his sermon by reading his new hymn text, “Stand Up, Stand Up for Jesus.” Several lines in that original text referred to Tyng’s words and ministry.’ 

So it’s not only appropriate for us taking a stand for Jesus, but also for the racial injustice that’s still so prevalent in our world. And today we’re going to do an easy rocking reggae version, a la Jamaican gospel singer Carlene Davis, but with plenty riddim and plenty soul. (smile) So let’s get to raising our sweet voices to heaven in perfect harmony nuh: ‘Stand up, stand up for Jesus ye soldiers of the cross; lift high his royal banner, it must not suffer loss: from vict’ry unto vict’ry his army he shall lead, ’til ev’ry foe is vanquished, and Christ is Lord indeed. 

Stand up, stand up for Jesus, the trumpet call obey; forth to the mighty conflict in this his glorious day: ye that are men now serve him against unnumbered foes; let courage rise with danger, and strength to strength oppose. (Chorus: Stand up, stand up, Stand up for Jesus, children stand up. Stand up, stand up, Stand up for Jesus children stand up. Yes we are standing on Christ my Saviour, standing on the promises of God. Standing on the promises of Christ my saviour, standing on the promises of God. Stand up, stand up, Stand up for Jesus, children stand up. Stand up, stand up, Stand up for Jesus children stand up.) 

Stand up, stand up for Jesus, stand in his strength alone; the arm of flesh will fail you, ye dare not trust your own: put on the gospel armor, each piece put on with pray’r; where duty calls, or danger, be never wanting there. Stand up, stand up for Jesus, the strife will not be long; this day the noise of battle, the next the victor’s song: to him that overcometh a crown of life shall be; he with the King of glory shall reign eternally. 

(Chorus: Stand up, stand up, Stand up for Jesus, children stand up. Stand up, stand up, Stand up for Jesus children stand up. Yes we are standing on Christ my Saviour, standing on the promises of God. Standing on the promises of Christ my saviour, standing on the promises of God. Stand up, stand up, Stand up for Jesus, children stand up. Stand up, stand up, Stand up for Jesus children stand up.) 

Oh mih bredrin, the airwaves were jumping…and heaven was jiving too! And I like that about heaven; anytime the music’s pumping, heaven is always involved, cause they LOVE good, praiseful music, just like us. Yuh know that if the music is good, you just can’t keep your feet from dancing. (smile)Anyway my people, there’s no getting away from the fact that as believers in Christ, we need to stand up strong and steadfast, like good soldiers for Him in this evil world. And I won’t preach at you today, (smile) just share some scripture on which they say the verses of the hymn are built and they seem reasonable to me. 

The first verse, they say comes from 2 Timothy. ‘Thou therefore endure hardness (hardship), as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life; that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier.’ (2 Tim. 2:3-4) As to the second verse, it’s supposedly built on exhortations from 1 Corinthians. ‘Watch ye, stand fast in the faith, quit you like men (be brave), be strong. Let all your things be done with charity (LOVE).’ (1 Cor. 16:13-14) The third verse obviously comes from that famous chapter in Ephesians re the whole armour of God (Eph. 6:10-17) And I’m going to share it all, regardless of time and space. (smile) 

‘Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles (evil schemes) of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world (age), against spiritual wickedness (spiritual hosts) in high places. Wherefore take unto you (take up) the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. 

Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth (your waist girded with truth), and having on the breastplate of righteousness; And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; above all taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked (one). And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.’ (Eph. 6:10-17) 

Yes friends, that’s the basic armour of God, and if you don’t have it on, it doesn’t make sense going out to fight. But yuh know what, even with all of that armour on, yuh still missing one thing; the most important thing. ‘Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints.’ (Eph. 6:18) Well my fellow believers, as the scholars tell us: ‘Without prayer God’s armour is inadequate to achieve victory. Prayer is indispensable.’ So please pay serious attention to that. 

And as per the fourth verse, just listen to the wonderfully encouraging scriptures. From Bruh Paul to Timothy: ‘For I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure (death) is at hand. I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course (race), I have kept the faith: Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto them also thatLOVEhis appearing.’ (2 Tim. 4:6-8) 

And from Jesus to the church at Smyrna: ‘Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer: behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison. That ye may be tried (tested); and ye shall have tribulation ten days: be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life.’ (Rev. 2:10) Ah mih people those two crowns – of righteousness and life – are certainly worth having, but it’s not easy. Both Bruh Paul and Jesus faced many hardships and fought and stood strong like real soldiers. And if we’re serious about our life with Christ, we can do it too. 

Anyway, we’ll end with this pertinent bit of advice: ‘The challenge of “Stand Up for Jesus” is proclaimed through the military metaphors Paul uses in Ephesians 6:10-18. Although some decry the warlike imagery, the spiritual battle that Christians must fight is very real. Christ’s victory is assured even if we do not always move “from victory unto victory” in our earthly lives.’ And that’s the gospel truth friends, so please, let’s stand as best we can! That’s all Christ asks.Much LOVE!

…the enemy will not give up…neither should we believers… 

Today’s Scrip-Bit 7 December 2013 Matthew 6:25

07 Dec 2013 Leave a comment

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

Matthew 6:25.    Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for (do not worry about) your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink: nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat (food), and the body more than raiment (clothes)?

Oh Friends, at last Nelson Mandela, ‘the Son of Africa, father of freedom’ as the newspaper termed him, has gone home to be with his Maker. His early days on earth were filled with poverty and struggle in a racist, apartheid South Africa, then his middle years with lonely incarceration on a barren island, from which though he arose like the proverbial phoenix from the ashes to lead his nation to democracy.  

And although his last days on earth were filled with sickness and family dissension, he will always be remembered as a giant of a man in personality and decency, whom the whole world gathered around to fight poverty and racial injustice.

Oh my people, if our troubled world only had a few more decent, upstanding leaders like him, then it would be a much better place to dwell. And though his country, South Africa is still riddled with problems, his name will always stand at its masthead as being the one who finally set it on the right path.

Nelson Mandela, you will always be remembered as a statesman extraordinaire. We mourn your passing, but it was time for you to rest from the problems of this world, to finally go home.

We LOVE you, and will always think fondly of you, as we write your name indelibly in the history books of life.  And that’s as it should be Friends, because he gave people hope for a better future. Wish the same could be said of the leaders who remain.

Now let’s turn to our Bit. ‘Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for (do not worry about) your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink: nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat (food) and the body more than raiment (clothes)?’

Gospel truth my brethren! As Jesus proved to us yesterday, showing how nature is taken care of by our wonderful Creator, with the flowers of the fields even better dressed than Cousin Sol in his Sunday best. And since we’re much more important than they are, why wouldn’t He look after us in an even better manner eh?

Jesus then ended by pointing out that our problem stemmed from a lack of, or only a small amount of faith in our heavenly Father. (Matt.6;26-30) And we know if Jesus said that, then it must be true.

Today we’ll continue with Jesus’ discourse on the subject, where He sincerely advises us: ‘Therefore take no thought (do not worry), saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things.’ (Matt.6:31-32)

And Friends, if the God that we serve and worship is truly our Creator, then we shouldn’t need Jesus to tell us that.  We claim that He’s omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent, can do anything at all, and above all else, WE ARE His children. So what are we saying then when we don’t depend on Him, that He’s an absentee, unsupportive father, like so many of us mortal fathers?

It would seem so, by the way we try in our own strength, and that of our fellow man, to get the material things of life, idolizing them so much that we often suffer from debilitating stress and abnormal anxiety in our rush, our impatience, to acquire them. And though we know the pratfalls of running down material things, yet we still do it. That’s certainly not wisdom my people.

Now let’s hear the wise way as declared by Jesus. ‘But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.’ (Matt.6:33) 

Wow Friends! That’s more plain, simple and straightforward talking by our Lord and Saviour! Again, to be considered His true followers, we need to live by His dictates, which unfortunately too many of us aren’t doing, and thus we are experiencing all kinds of problems in our lives.

And now that we know why we’re experiencing so many problems, (smile) let’s smarten up and take His divine advice nuh. ‘Take therefore no thought for the morrow (therefore do not worry about tomorrow): for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil (trouble) thereof.’ (Matt.6:34)

More words of absolute truth from our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! When are going to listen to Him eh, to take Him seriously?  When it’s too late? Oh my fellow believers, please let’s stop running down the material things of the world, especially if we can’t truly afford them and have to almost literally kill ourselves to get them!

Now let’s end with some thoughts form the scholars on those last two verses, perhaps something they say will get through to us. (smile) ‘6:33-34. This portion of the Sermon on the Mount is summarized by the statement seek ye first the kingdom of God. The disciples who have pledged their allegiance to the King must continue seeking the kingdom and its righteousness.

The present imperative form of the verb (Gr. zeteo) indicates a continual or constant seeking. The contrast between the spiritual and the material is again emphasized. The believer is to seek first the righteousness that is characteristic of God’s kingdom and then all these things (material things) shall be added to him. When our priority is spiritual, God will take care of the material, for where God guides, He provides.

We need not worry about tomorrow, for sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof (v.34). This means that each day has its own troubles and challenges to be responsibly handled, without worrying about the hypothetical problems that could arise tomorrow.‘

So my people, having heard all the reasons for not worrying and truly depending on our magnanimous God to take care of our daily needs, let’s get serious and cut back on the worrying and running down the things of the world, for we can only use so much stuff at any one time, and even more exasperating is that we can’t take any of it with us.

Please, let’s ponder those words today, and ask God for His divine help. You know He will never say us nay. Much LOVE!

…the fear of man bringeth a snare (trap)…but whoso putteth his trust in the Lord shall be safe …secure…set on high… (Prov.29:25)