Today’s Scrip-Bit 14 April 2013 1 Corinthians 1:29

14 Apr 2013 Leave a comment

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

1 Corinthians 1:29.       That no flesh should glory in his presence.

Oh Friends, once again a beautiful day is dawning and the many parcels of mercies and blessings are being prepared by the heavenly hosts for distribution down here on earth, as they do on a daily basis. How lucky – no, lucky is not the right word. How privileged we are to worship such a kind, LOVING and generous Deity! Who, instead of giving us our just deserts for our sinful nature, capital punishment, gives us mercy. And on top of that, He then gives us more of what we don’t deserve; His wonderful, refreshing, revitalizing grace. Mama Mia! That ought to just warm the cockles of our hearts to the extent that it causes us to cry out in pure unadulterated joy: ‘Oh thank You Lord! Thank You for Your mercy and grace! Thank You for LOVING us so much, that You broke Your own heart by sacrificing your only Son Jesus to save us from death and eternal damnation! We LOVE You Lord with all our heart, and promise to sincerely serve You until eternity! Amen.’ Yes Friends, that’s the kind of emotion God’s goodness ought to stir up in our hearts, minds and souls. And talking about God sacrificing His only Son Jesus for us, a bunch of unworthy sinners, reminds me of something I had planned to share before this, but either forgot, or the Lord didn’t deem it suitable until now. And I’m talking about the hour I spent alone in the candle-lit church on Holy Thursday night pondering the actions of Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane. At one point during that fateful hour, it suddenly occurred to me that we were all so worried and heartbroken over Jesus demise and the terror that ran through His disciples and followers at His trial and eventual crucifixion, that we’ve conveniently forgotten the most heartbroken of all the players on that tragic stage – God, the Father. Remember He’s a living being, and if we’re made in His image, then He must have feelings like us too. So put yourself in His place: You have sinful, unfaithful creations that you don’t want to lose, but because of your sense of justice and righteousness, you just can’t wipe clean their sinful slate, for you have already decreed that the wages of sin is death. You find yourself in a conflict of interest with your holy, righteous self, between the proverbial rock and a hard place. The only way to save the lost souls and justify your sense of justice, is to find a sacrifice worthy enough to pay the price. Unfortunately it has to be an unblemished, sinless soul. And the only one fitting that characteristic beside yourself, is your only Son, Jesus. Can you imagine how the Lord must have agonized over the situation? I don’t know if I could have willingly sacrificed my beautiful, obedient son for a bunch of ungrateful jerks nuh. Ponder that situation for a moment nuh people. But I guess that’s why He is God; His thoughts, ways and actions are much higher than ours, absolutely incomprehensible to our small, feeble minds. Just imagine how the Father mush have felt, having to lay the excessive weight of sin on Jesus’ innocent shoulders, then create the separation necessary between them, the first ever in all their days together, so that His awesome, mind boggling plan could come to fruition. And Jesus only increased His heartache by obediently going along with the plan. Ah mih people, we really and truly do serve a most excellent and incomparable God yes! And then to make matters worse, after suffering so much heartache so that we could get a second chance, we become even more sinful and disobedient, heaping abuse, doubt and ridicule on the Sacrificial Lamb and all He stands for. Oh Friends, I know that I would have been very upset by that ungodly behaviour and prone to revoking everything. But fortunately our God is a much bigger Being than that, with a heart of solid gold, so He perseveres with us. We just don’t understand, are unable to comprehend His ways, His motivation for doing what He does. No wonder the Good Book tells us: ‘But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound (put to shame) the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound (put to shame) the things which are mighty; And base (insignificant) things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought (nothing) things that are:’ (1 Cor.1:27-28)  Yes Friends, we see that eccentricity of God all through the Good Book, and right down through the ages, even till today. And I’m a perfect example of that. (smile) The people whom God chooses to do His work are the most unlikely ones, the ones whom the world would never choose. Why is that eh? Our Bit gives us the answer: ‘That no flesh should glory in his presence.’ Words of absolute truth and wisdom on God’s part my brethren! Man would not be able to indulge in one of his favourite pastimes – boasting! And Bruh Paul continues: ‘But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us (became for us) wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption: That according as it is written, He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord.’ (1 Cor.1:30-31) What amazing wisdom and glorious truth, my fellow believers in Jesus Christ! Now here’s some enlightenment on that last scripture from the scholars. ‘Of him (because of the Father’s work) are ye in (intimate with) Christ Jesus: Paul concludes that all the riches of salvation exist in Christ Jesus. All that the Corinthian believers are, they owe to Him. Thus it is not in oneself, or in party alignment, or in supposed human ability that any believer ought to glory. Paul tabulates the qualities that belong to the believer in Christ. Wisdom is not merely the acquisition of intellectual skills but the gaining of spiritual discernment based on the wisdom of God as demonstrated in the cross. Righteousness is a legal concept and has in mind the righteousness that is applied to the believer’s account the moment he believes. (Rom.5) Sanctification has already been mentioned in verse 2, “sanctified in Christ Jesus” This contemplates the work of Christ “in” the believer, as opposed to that which He does “for” the believer in justification. Redemption underlies all the above. Christ’s redemptive work opened the way for God to extend His grace to sinful man and to pour out upon him such benefits as wisdom, righteousness, and sanctification.’ And on that note of enlightenment, we’ll end this session. We have enough to ponder on for today.    Selah. More on this topic tomorrow, God in favour. Till then Friends, let’s walk hand in hand with the Lord, so that He might continue to bless, comfort and keep us safe. Much LOVE!…if we truly appreciate the magnitude of God’s LOVE for us…then we’ll have no problem accepting His Son Jesus Christ as our Lord and Saviour…and gladly walk the path He desires us to walk…

 

 

 

Today”s Scrip-Bit 23 December 2012 Luke 2:19

23 Dec 2012 Leave a comment

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

Luke 2:19.    But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart.
 
Oh Friends, it’s Sunday; the eve of Christmas Eve! (smile) That means there are only two more days to the big one; Christmas Day. And what a celebration that will be! However, please, let’s remember we’re celebrating because of Jesus’ birth, the incarnate Son of God, come to earth as man, so that He could eventually rescue us from eternal death and separation from our Creator. And all God’s children said a loud and grateful, ‘Thank You Jesus!’  Now yesterday we saw how Jesus was born and all the ramifications necessary to fulfill the prophecies concerning Him in the Old Testament. We also saw some of the challenges Mary faced in her young, inexperienced life, and the way she handled them with graceful faith and quiet contemplation. Today, I want to continue looking at Mary’s journey as the mother of Jesus, and some of the unusual things she experienced because of it. The next instalment of the story begins when Jesus is eight days old and is taken according to custom to be circumcised and presented to the Lord. ‘As it is written in the law of the Lord, Every male that openeth the womb shall be called holy to the Lord. And to offer a sacrifice according to that which is said in the law of the Lord, A pair of turtledoves, or two young pigeons.’ (Luke 2:23-24) The first verse there comes from Ex.13:2, and the second from Lev.12:8. And the scholars add this interesting note to the last verse. ‘It is indicative of the relative poverty of Jesus’ family that they could not afford to offer a lamb as part of the cleansing and dedicatory ritual.’  Imagine that nuh people, the earthly family of God’s Son was so poor, all they could afford to sacrifice at His presentation before His heavenly father were some cheap birds. What does that say about God wanting Him to be really lowly and suffer human lack eh? Anyway, at the temple in Jerusalem, there was this old, devout priest, Simeon, who really believed that the coming of the Messiah was the only thing that could ever bring peace and prosperity to Israel. ‘And it was revealed unto him by the Holy Ghost, that he should not see death, before he had seen the Lord’s Christ. And he came (guided) by the Spirit into the temple: and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him after the custom of the law, Then took he him (Jesus) up in his arms, and blessed God, and said, Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace, according to thy word (the promise earlier on); For mine eyes have seen thy salvation, Which thou hast prepared before the face of all people. A light to lighten (to bring revelation to) the Gentiles, and the glory of thy people Israel.’ (Luke 2:26-32) There again Friends, as promised, Simeon was guided by the Holy spirit, so that he was in the right place at the right time to see and hold Jesus, the Lord’s salvation.  The next verse is interesting as it shows Joseph and Mary’s reaction to Simeon’s prophecy. The Good Book says: ‘And Joseph and his mother marvelled at those things which were spoken of him.’ (Luke 2:33) But that wasn’t all: ‘And Simeon blessed them, and said unto Mary his mother, Behold, this child is set (destined) for the fall and rising again of many in Israel; and for a sign which shall be spoken against; (Yea, a sword shall pierce through thy own soul also,) that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.’ (Luke 2:34-35) Wow Friends! Yuh hear all that confusion. And the scholars tell us that, ‘Here for the first time the parents hear a startling prophecy that Jesus’ significance will extend even to the Gentiles. This would be surprising even if it had not come from an apparent stranger.’ Oh fellow believers, how would you react after hearing such good and bad things about your first-born, from a total stranger eh? According to the scholars, Jesus would bring deliverance, but also division and anguish. That both redemption and judgement were bound up in His birth. And that last verse with the ominous warning to Mary, that a sword would also pierce her soul. Hn! I don’t think many of us would have been ecstatic about any of it. Then to add to their confusion, after Simeon was done, a prophetess by the name of Anna, took over. ‘And she was a widow of about four score and four years, which departed not from the temple, but served God with fastings and prayers night and day. And she coming in that instant gave thanks likewise unto the Lord, and spake of him to all them that looked for redemption in Jerusalem.’ (Luke 2:37-38) Ah Lord eh! Poor Mary and Joseph! I’m sure that though they had some inkling that Jesus would be different, would be special in some form and fashion, I doubt that in their lowly estate they could have really comprehended the true stature of their first-born. And the Good Book ends this exercise thus: ‘And when they had performed all things according to the law of the Lord, they returned into Galilee, to their own city Nazareth. And the child grew, and waxed (became) strong in spirit, filled with wisdom: and the grace of God was upon him.’ (Luke 2:39-40) And like most mothers, even those whose sons don’t have any exceptional qualities or abilities, I’m sure Mary kept a wary eye on Jesus, surely noticing certain nuances and idiosyncrasies, the little differences between Him and the other children in the community. And her reaction to it all was no doubt just as our Bit says: ‘But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart.’ Wise woman that! Just wish that the majority of us could be like her. Much LOVE mih breddren!…not all we see or hear…will we readily understand…but as true believers…oftimes we simply must accept it all by faith…knowing that our God is always in control…
 

Today’s Scrip-Bit 26 September 2012 Psalm 130:7

26 Sep 2012 Leave a comment

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

Psalm 130:7.     Let Israel hope in the Lord: for with the Lord there is mercy, and with him is plenteous redemption.
 
Oh mih people, it’s a brand new day, with brand new mercies, blessings and forgiveness from our wonderful God! Wow! What a God! So let’s rejoice and be thankful in it nuh. And all God’s people shouted a loud and grateful, ‘Praise ye the Lord, for He is worthy to be praised!’ Yes Friends, our God is indeed worthy of all the praise we are capable of giving, and then some more, for He’s promised that all who come to Him in sincerity of heart will be accepted, LOVED and cared for until eternity. That’s why I’m telling you today, that ‘In dreams and in LOVE, there are no impossibilities!’ Now I don’t remember where I got that quote from, but it’s been up on my office wall, in big red letters, for the longest time, and after noticing it earlier on today, I decided to share it with you. At times like these, I ask myself why put up all those words of encouragement around the office, when I don’t pay any attention to them? I guarantee that there’s enough stuff on the walls, my desk, and my filing cabinet to encourage me in whatever situation is necessary. But do I go to them, as I should, when my spirit is at low ebb, or do I even read them as I pass by them everyday? No. And as I look over to the wall on my right, I notice a calendar that’s still turned to May, while we’re in September, almost October. Hn! I have an excuse for that though; two other smaller calendars on my desk. (smile) But that calendar still shouldn’t be saying May in September, when I pass by it quite a few times everyday. Anyway friends, please don’t be like me. If you put up stuff to encourage you, then read them, so that you’ll be encouraged, otherwise it’s a waste of time and effort. And I promise to do better also. (smile) Now let’s turn to our Bit. ‘Let Israel hope in the Lord: for with the Lord there is mercy (LOVING-kindness), and with him is plenteous (abundant) redemption.’ Yesterday we dealt with the first part that speaks of HOPE in the Lord. Today we’ll check out the second half that talks about His mercy, LOVING-kindness and plentiful redemption. And believe me Friends, our God is full to overflowing with all those things. If we live till eternity, we’ll never see the end of His awesome cache of mercy and redemption because that’s simply a part of His nature. And it would certainly stand us in good stead if we developed some of those attributes ourselves, for we’re supposed to be a reflection of our Creator, made in His own image, which means we also need to have plenty mercy and forgiveness. Now let’s check out some scriptures that validate the truthfulness of the second half of our Bit. We’ll start with Psalm 86, a prayer of Bruh David, when he bemoans: ‘Teach me thy way O Lord.’ In verse 5, he declares with strong faith: ‘For thou, Lord, art good, and ready to forgive; and plenteous in mercy unto all them that call upon thee.’ (Ps.86:5) Then again in verse 15, he staunchly declares the goodness and mercy of our God. ‘But thou, O Lord, art a God full of compassion, and gracious, long-suffering, and plenteous in mercy and truth.’ (Ps.86:15) Ah mih breddren, I don’t know what would become of us with our sinful, rebellious nature if our God wasn’t so kind, patient and merciful with us nuh. Next we’ll turn to Psalm 145, where Bruh David talks about the Lord’s graciousness. He states these facts with utter certainty. ‘The Lord is gracious, and full of compassion; slow to anger, and of great mercy. The Lord is good to all: and his tender mercies are over all his works.’ (Ps.145:8-9) There is no hint of doubt in them Friends, because Bruh David lived them; saw and experienced the mercy, kindness and compassion of the faithful God of his fathers. So if Bruh David, a man like us with plenty faults, and bigger problems than we’ll ever encounter, can put his trust in and depend wholeheartedly on the Most High God, why can’t we do likewise eh? Please remember though that the Lord didn’t just flood Bruh David with His mercies and kindness, he had to work and struggle too, with the many personal enemies, including Saul and his own son Absalom, plus those of His nation Israel. But whatever came against him, he stood strong and firm in his faith, and for that the Lord considered him righteous. Please note my brethren that Bruh David’s heart was right from the very beginning, as Samuel told Saul when the Lord took away the kingdom from him. ‘The Lord hath sought him a man after his own heart.’ (1 Sam.13:14) We obviously have to clean up our own hearts too, and bring them into right standing with God, before we can expect a whole lot of good stuff to happen to us, amongst all the trials and tribulations we’re normally going to bear in this sinful world, and even more so as followers of Jesus, since that’s where the Lord looks before He decides how to react to our prayers and actions. Hn! A sentence worthy of Bruh Paul. (smile) As Isaiah so rightly proclaims: ‘Seek ye the Lord while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near: Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the Lord, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.’ (Is.55:6-7) Oh my people, there is NO God like ours; Jehovah, the ONE, TRUE GOD, Creator and Controller of the universe and all therein! Please believe that and act accordingly. And we’ll end with some more wonderful words on the nature of our God from the prophet Joel, when he called Israel to repentance. ‘Therefore also now, saith the Lord, turn ye even to me with all your heart, and with fasting, and with weeping, and with mourning; And rend (tear) your heart, and not your garments, and turn (return) unto the Lord your God: for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great (LOVING) kindness, and repenteth him of the evil (relents from doing harm).’ (Joel 2:12-13) Yes Friends, that’s the wonderful Deity that we serve and worship! But as His word dictates, we have to draw near to Him, seek Him with all our hearts, minds, bodies and souls, if we want to enjoy His many blessings and mercies. Much LOVE!…let him who has ears…hear and repent…or he will eventually feel…the might of God’s wrath…
 

Today’s Scrip-Bit 16 May 2012 Acts 10:38

16 May 2012 Leave a comment

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

Acts 10:38.      How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him.
 
Oh Friends, we’ve been granted another new day of life! Praise the Lord! A new day with new mercies and blessings raining down from heaven on us, undeserving children of men! But our heavenly Father LOVES us so much, without any attached conditions, that He just can’t stop blessing and protecting us. Oh what a wonderful God we serve and worship my people! Now here’s our Bit: ‘How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him.’ And when we check it out, we realize that one of God’s greatest gifts is that of His Holy Spirit, which comes to dwell is each of us when we sincerely believe and accept His only Son Jesus as our Lord and Saviour, and the fact that He sacrificed His life on the cross at Calvary to pay for all our sins. And a mighty shout of thanksgiving went up from all God’s people: ‘Oh thank you, thank you Father, Son and Holy Spirit for LOVING, redeeming and bringing your unworthy children to salvation and eternal life! We bless you and praise your Holy Name! Amen!’ Yes mih breddren, the free gifts of salvation and eternal life are available to all who truly desire them. ‘For by grace are ye saved, through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any many should boast.’ (Eph.2:8-9) And all the leg work in that is done by the awesome, diligent but gently leading and guiding Holy Spirit, in the same manner as our Bit illustrates. When we believe, we’re anointed with the Holy Spirit of Jesus, which gives us power to do God’s will, which, as was the case with Jesus, is to go about doing good, helping the less fortunate while spreading the good news of the gospel. And the same way God was with Jesus, He’s also with us when we’re doing His will. Now let’s check out some fantastic scriptures about the amazing power of the Holy Spirit, which show just how important it is in the working of the Trinity. And one of the most profound and prophetic scriptures on the Holy Spirit is found in Isaiah 61; Good tidings of salvation to Zion. ‘The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me; because the Lord hath appointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek (poor); he hath sent me to bind up (heal) the broken-hearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound; To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn; To appoint unto (console) them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that he might be glorified.’ (Is.61:1-3) Yes Friends, wonderful promises, made known to Isaiah by the hard working Holy Spirit! Promises my people that were all fulfilled by the coming of Jesus, the Messiah! Listen to His teaching that momentous Sabbath day in His hometown of Nazareth: ‘And there was delivered unto him the book of the prophet Isaiah. And when he had opened the book, he found the place where it was written, The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; He hath sent me to heal the broken hearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and the recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised (oppressed), To preach the acceptable year of the Lord.’ (Luke 4:17-19) And after reading that prophetic scripture, Jesus turned to the eager congregation and made this monumental statement: ‘This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears (hearing).’ (Luke 4:21) Another instance Friends of seeing that the Good Book is not just a collection of random stories, but a total and cohesive record of God’s promises, their fulfillment, and the infallible truth of His awesome Word that He put in the mouths of His prophets, so that we can know and understand Him. What an amazing Deity! Oh my people, are we being led and guided by the Holy Spirit? Are we allowing it to guide us on the straight and narrow paths that our God has set out for us? I sure hope so! Otherwise our faith is not being fulfilled. Today, please lock into the riddim of that awesome Spirit which dwells so richly in us, so that we can enjoy the wonderful benefits available to true believers! More on this tomorrow, provided we see the light of day. Till then, may the Good Lord bless and keep you as you walk with Him. Much LOVE!…if we don’t follow where the Holy Spirit leads…then we’ll end up in Lucifer’s land…Hades…  
 

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