Today’s Scrip-Bit 6 April 2013 Matthew 22:21

06 Apr 2013 Leave a comment

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

Matthew 22:21.    They say unto him, Caesar’s. Then saith he unto them, Render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar’s; and unto God the things that are God’s.

Oh Friends, do you realize it’s already April 6? The month of March, like its name implies, has just marched on by. And remember we promised to check our response to our New Year’s resolution monthly, rather than waiting till year’s end, when no time’s left to do anything about it. This way we can more accurately gauge our compliance, or lack thereof. So how are we doing with that ONE resolution we agreed that was the most important eh? And for those of you who don’t remember, we vowed to raise our level of awareness in Jesus, to seek His righteous kingdom more than that of man, to mature in our Christian faith. So today, please, let’s all look at the progress we’ve made thus far. And if it’s fairly decent, then give the Lord thanks for all His help, cause we couldn’t have done it without Him, and keep pressing on with our part towards the goal. Now, if we’ve sort of fallen by the wayside, please don’t lose hope or give up, but instead go to Jesus and ask for His help in making us more diligent, in bringing us back to the path that He wants us to tread. Yuh see Friends, one way or the other, whether we’re doing good or poorly, we always have to come right back to Jesus, because He’s our Provider, Helper, Comforter, Advocate, our Chief Cook and Bottle Washer, our EVERYTHING! Yes my people, our entire life revolves around the Lord and Saviour of mankind. Now turning to our Bit. ‘They say unto him, Caesar’s. Then saith he unto them, Render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar’s; and unto God the things that are God’s.’ And that’s the way it ought to be, because that’s the way the Lord set it up. Yesterday we looked at how the situation described in our Bit came about. Today, let’s check out some examples in the scriptures relating to that principle. First of all, here’s the perfect example of Jesus practicing what He preaches, re the principle of tribute money or taxes, in Matthew 17, after His transfiguration. The Good Book says: ‘And when they were come to Capernaum, they that received tribute money (the temple tax) came to Peter and said, Doth not your master pay tribute (the temple tax)? He saith, Yes. And when he was come into the house, Jesus prevented (anticipated) him, saying, What thinkest thou Simon? of whom do the kings of the earth take custom or tribute (taxes)? of their own children (people), or of strangers? Peter saith unto him, Of strangers. Jesus saith unto him, Then are the children (their own people) free. Notwithstanding, lest we should offend them, go thou to the sea, and cast a hook, and take up the fish that first cometh up; and when thou hast opened his mouth, thou shalt find a piece of money (the exact temple tax for two): that take, and give unto them for me and thee.’ (Matt.17:24-27) Yeh Friends, though Jesus, being God owned it all, He still paid taxes to the earthly powers because it was thus stipulated. Now here’s some info on that scripture from the scholars. ‘Jesus, the glorified Son of God, is greater than demons and also the temple itself. The two incidents following the Transfiguration (healing an epileptic child, when His disciples could not, and the miracle of the tribute money in the fish) clearly reassert His supremacy. Tribute money (lit. “two drachmae”) is a technical term for the tax of half a shekel which every Jew over 20 was expected to contribute to the upkeep of the temple. Of strangers: The subject races were taxed first and most heavily. The children, the kings own race, were free. Jesus Christ was the Lord and owner of the temple, and therefore it was not for Him to pay the tax. However, our Lord would not give offence by seeming to be a lawbreaker. A piece of money (Gr. stater), the silver tetra-drachma, was the equivalent to the shekel and therefore the exact amount of the tax for two persons.’ That should give us a better understanding of how it was back then. Now listen to Bruh Paul as he preaches on honouring authority in his missive to the Roman church. ‘Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers (governing authorities). For there is no power (authority) but of God: the powers (authorities) that be are ordained of (appointed by) God. Whosoever therefore resisteth the power (authority), resisteth the ordinance of God: and they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation (judgement). For the rulers are not a terror to good works, but to the evil. Wilt thou then not be afraid (do you want to be unafraid) of the power (authority)? do that which is good, and thou shalt have praise of the same. For he is the minister of God to thee for good. But if thou do that which is evil, be afraid; for he beareth not the sword in vain: for he is the minister of God, a revenger (an avenger) to execute wrath upon him that doeth evil. Wherefore ye must needs be subject, not only for (because of) wrath, but also for conscience sake. For this cause pay ye tribute (taxes) also: for they are God’s ministers, attending continually upon this very thing. Render (pay) therefore to all their dues: tribute (tax) to whom tribute (tax) is due; custom to whom custom; fear to whom fear; honour to whom honour.’ (Rom.13:1-7) Ah mih breddren, you can certainly count on Bruh Paul to spell it all out for you in spades! And the scholars provide this info that I think will be beneficial to us all. ‘Let every soul be subject: Subjection to the government is the obligation of all mankind, not just Christians. It is not optional, but an absolute necessity. The higher powers are established by God. See Titus 3:1; Peter 2:13;. But see also Acts 5:29. Damnation (Gr. krima, “judgement”): This is not a reference to eternal judgement, but is still a judgement by God, because God has delegated authority to human government. The minister of God to thee for good: The purpose of human government is to uphold the good and punish the evil. Right and wrong is determined by the state. The Christian citizen is to fear and obey the government, as long as the government does not demand citizens to violate God’s Word. Government officials hold office by virtue of God’s appointment and are primarily servants of God in their offices. The political leader is to actively uphold the good. The sword is a symbol representing the authority given to government to protect its citizens by punishing those who do what it has determined is wrong. It is important for Christians to be actively involved in government so that the government’s values are consistent with the Word of God.’ Hallelujah my people! Please note that last line; believers are to get very involved in government so that their values remain based on God’s Word. Unfortunately though not enough of us are seriously doing that, that’s why the evil leaders we now have can get away with removing prayer and other godly stuff from our everyday lives and passing laws that violate God’s Word. Anyway Friends, I’m chuckling here as I just noticed the appropriateness of this message, seeing that it’s Tax Return time, when we’re all supposed to live up to our responsibilities tax-wise. So instead of having the worldly view of  paying as little or no tax at all, let’s espouse the heavenly view of paying what we legally owe. For remember, if we don’t pay them, we’re going against God’s will, against Jesus’ command. More on this tomorrow, God in favour. Till then, let’s concentrate on truly LOVING our God, genuinely LIVING our Faith and faithfully SPREADING His word. Much LOVE!…there are only two unavoidable things in this life…death …and taxes…
 

Today’s Scrip-Bit 13 March 2013 Psalm 15:1

13 Mar 2013 1 Comment

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

Psalm 15:1.    Lord, who shall abide in thy tabernacle? Who shall dwell in thy holy hill?
 
Oh Friends, sorry that this is a tad late, but I got up later than I wanted to, then had problems connecting to Hot Mail. I’ve noticed that several times in the last few days. It’s that unreliability which turns me off of computers; just when you want something, you find it’s unavailable, and most of the time you don’t even know or can’t find out why. In essence, you’re at the mercy of the providers. And unfortunately there’s not much we can do about it, but put the patience and perseverance of Jesus to work; that spiritual enabling His Holy Spirit anchors in us. In addition to that, there are many blessings and favours that show up in our lives which totally overshadow the few disappointments. And all God’s people said: ‘That’s for sure! Praise the Lord our God for His goodness to us, children of undeserving men!’ Now turning to our Bit. In it, Bruh David asks a very interesting question. ‘Lord, who shall abide (sojourn) in thy tabernacle? Who shall dwell in thy holy hill?’ In other words, who is worthy to serve in the Lord’s tabernacle, or on His holy hill? What are the qualifications for that most important position? Then he gives us the answer. ‘He that walketh uprightly, and worketh righteousness, and speaketh the truth in his heart. He that backbiteth not with his tongue, nor doeth evil to his neighbour, nor taketh up (receives) a reproach against his neighbour. In whose eyes a vile person is contemned (despised); but he honoureth them that fear the Lord. He that sweareth to his own hurt, and changeth not. He that putteth not out his money to usury, nor taketh reward against the innocent. He that doeth these things shall never be moved.’ (Ps.15:2-5) Ah Friends, yuh see that the qualifications needed to truly serve Almighty God are basically a pure and LOVING heart and personal integrity, reflecting the character of Jesus. However, they differ substantially, are actually the exact opposite of what the world teaches about everyday survival in this current dog eat dog time. Now we all know that we can never achieve perfection like Jesus did, but nonetheless He expects ALL His followers to work towards it. In other words, striving for excellence in all our doings. But the million-dollar question is whether we’re doing that, whether Christians are truly striving for excellence in all our affairs? I sincerely doubt it because there are still too many non-Christian activities taking place in our lives. Things like anger, resentment, strife, jealousy and envy, many of which are petty and spurious in nature, but nevertheless cause serious divisions and dissensions amongst God’s people. Remember Friends, back in the days when Bruh David wrote, only the High Priest could enter the Holy of Holies and come before Almighty God. But thankfully, with Jesus tearing down the veil that separated the Holy Place from the rest of the temple, (Matt.17:51) all believers can now worship without any restrictions, we can all come before Almighty God now. But that also means, since we now have the Holy Spirit of Jesus indwelling us, to lead and guide and strengthen us, we’re ALL now expected to come up higher than the people of the Old Testament who didn’t have the Holy Spirit automatically indwell all believers. My brethren, Christ is certainly asking a lot of us, but as always, He’s also giving us the tools to do His service. Remember, He’ll never allow us to carry more than we can bear, and will continually be at our side as we work through our problems. And if by chance we stumble and can’t continue, then in His awesome LOVING-kindness, He’ll gently lift us on to His strong shoulders and carry us the rest of the way. That’s the wonderful kind of God we serve and worship, my people! And all God’s children offered up a loud and grateful: ‘Thank You Lord! Thank you for sending Jesus to save us. We praise and bless your Holy Name!’ Now let’s end with some further words of Bruh David on the topic. In Psalm 24; the king of glory, he again asks: ‘Who shall ascend into the hill of the Lord? Or who shall stand in his holy place?’ (Ps.24:3) Then he answers it thus: ‘He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart; who hath not lifted up his soul unto vanity (an idol), nor sworn deceitfully. He shall receive the blessing from the Lord, and righteousness from the God of his salvation. This is the generation of them that seek him, that seek thy face, O Jacob.  Selah.’ (Ps.24:4-6) Ah mih breddren, I’m disturbed by that last verse. Is this generation truly seeking God? It certainly doesn’t seem so. But we can surely dream it; see it through our eyes of faith, can’t we? So today, let’s ponder on all the qualifications necessary to serve God in His sanctuary, His holy hill, and life in general, for they are all the same now. Let’s see how we currently rate, then sincerely promise ourselves and God to do better, to climb that ladder of excellence required by Jesus, and thus fulfill the dream to truly seek God on a personal level, and also to share it with others, so that His righteous kingdom can be further expanded and glorified. Much LOVE my brethren!…on our own…we’ll never be worthy to stand before God…but through the sacrificial blood of Jesus…we’ve all been granted entry…into the majestic throne room of the Most High God Jehovah…
 

Today’s Scrip-Bit 14 September 2012 Proverbs 17:13

14 Sep 2012 Leave a comment

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

Proverbs 17:13.    Whoso rewardeth evil for good, evil shall not depart from his house.

Oh Friends, our wonderful God again blessed my area yesterday with a perfect summer’s day! Wow! All praise and thanks be to You O Lord! But I don’t think today is going to be so nice, because they’re calling for cooler temps and rain. But when has a little rain and some cool weather ever stopped God’s children from joyously shouting on a Friday: ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday?’ Never! That’s because we’re so wrapped up in our Fridays; first because it’s the end of the work week and then it’s also the start of our labour free weekend. However Friends, before we allow our exuberance to aimlessly carry us away, let’s chant our Friday Chant, so that we can keep everything in its right perspective. So with the same enthusiasm that we just shouted, ‘TGIF!’ and ‘Thank God it’s Friday!’ let’s all chant as one. Blow the roof off heaven mih people! (smile) ‘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.’ And now that we’ve curbed our aimless enthusiasm with ‘a modicum of circumspection,’ as Jeeves the butler in the P.G. Wodehouse books was wont to say, let’s turn to our Bit. ‘Whoso rewardeth evil for good, evil shall not depart from his house.’ Those are certainly words of invaluable truth my people, for that’s how our most just and righteous God has set up His everlasting kingdom. Evil has no place in it; especially for those who return evil for good. Being evil is bad enough, but returning a good favour with evil consequences, is the lowest of the low. Now yesterday we ended with Peter telling us that we should be joyful when we suffer for righteousness sake. (1 Pet.3:13-14) However Friends, we all know it’s rough to suffer injustice and don’t long for some kind of revenge. That’s just our natural human nature. But James tells us this: ‘Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried (has been proved), he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that LOVE him.’ (James 1:12) Accepting evil for good and not making any noise, comes with the territory my brethren. Jesus suffered immeasurable evil for our sakes, but He never complained. Granted we don’t have all the parts that Jesus had, but we can still stand strong in His Holy Name. For you see what’s the end of returning evil for good? Evil will remain forever in the house, the family of that person(s). Now is that a legacy we want to leave our descendants? Absolutely not! And it’s not only Jesus who endured evil for good, but many other faithful followers did too. Hear Jeremiah tell his story: ‘Give heed to me, O Lord, and hearken (listen) to the voice of them that contend with me. Shall evil be recompensed (repaid) for good? for they have digged a pit for my soul (life). Remember that I stood before thee to speak good for (concerning) them, and to turn away thy wrath from them.’ (Jer.18:19-20) Poor Jerry ended up in jail for warning his people about the coming calamity from God if they did not repent of their evil ways. Now listen to Bruh David, who knew a thing or two about suffering evil at the hands of those he treated well, like Saul and his own son Absalom. He declares thus in Psalm 35, a prayer for rescue from enemies: ‘Let their way be dark and slippery: and let the angel of the Lord persecute (pursue) them. For without cause have they hid (hidden) for me their net in a pit, which without cause they have digged for my soul (life) – shades of Jeremiah – …False (fierce) witnesses did rise up; they laid to my charge (asked me) things that I knew not. They rewarded me evil for good to the spoiling (sorrow) of my soul.’ (Ps.35:6-7,11-12) Oh Friends, I know that many of us are still suffering the heartfelt pangs of receiving evil in return for good. But as I tried to show, it’s a part of our heritage, our faith, to suffer, especially on Jesus’ behalf. And though it’s never easy, we have to try and rise above the situation of returning evil for good, and when it happens to us, we have to look at it as a test from God, who has promised to strengthen us in all our misfortunes and also reward us if we stand strong and steadfast in His Word and His Will. And we’ll end with some poignant words from Jesus on the subject. After he told the Jews: ‘I and my Father are one. Then the Jews took up stones to stone him. Jesus answered them. Many good works have I showed you from my Father; for which of those works do ye stone me?’ (John 10:30-32) And we think we have it hard! Oh my people, let’s ponder today on the trials and tribulations that Jesus unfairly bore on our behalf, so that we could be reconciled with the Father. Then let’s allow His Holy Spirit to rise up in us and strengthen us, as we make our own difficult pilgrimage through this earthly life. Much LOVE!…but I say unto you which hear…LOVE your enemies…do good to them which hate you…bless them that curse you…and pray for them which despitefully (spitefully) use you… (Luke 6:27-28)
 

Today’s Scrip-Bit 11 February 2012 Daniel 4:3

11 Feb 2012 Leave a comment

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

Daniel 4:3.     How great are his signs! and how mighty are his wonders! his kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and his dominion is from generation to generation.

Oh Friends, 2012 is certainly moving along quickly. We’re almost two weeks into February already. That means we have to get our act together asap and do our duty, if we’re to fulfill our promise of making 2012 an exceptional year in the Lord’s sight. We do need to get a move on because the enemy is not standing still, he’s chugging right along doing his evil works, and we have to be at least one step ahead of him if we’re to overcome. So let’s stop making excuses and get on the road to wherever God wants to use us to further His righteous kingdom. And with that little flame lit below us (smile) let’s consider our Bit. ‘How great are his signs! and how mighty are his wonders! his kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and his dominion is from generation to generation.’ Yes Friends, those words surely do justice to our Creator and Provider, especially coming from the mouth of the heathen king Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon. But though Neb spoke those words after seeing the three Jewish youngsters saved from the flaming furnace, I don’t know if truly believed them in his heart. That’s like many of us who talk up the Lord a lot but don’t truly feel Him deep within. Anyhow, soon after that Neb had a dream of a big tree well populated with fruit and fowl being cut down and only a stump left. His astrologers couldn’t decipher the dream so Daniel was called in to do it. He told Neb that the dream referred to his own kingdom, which would shortly be taken away from him, and he would be as a beast for seven years. And I like the end of Daniel’s interpretation: ‘…and seven times (years) shall pass over thee, till thou know that the most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever he will. And whereas they commanded to leave the stump of the tree roots; thy kingdom shall be sure (assured) unto thee, after that thou shalt have known (come to know) that the heavens do (God does) rule.’ (Dan.4:25-26) Oh my people, I hope we all do know that and don’t try to take all the credit for what good stuff happens in our lives as Neb would later do. A year later, he was walking around in his palace in Babylon admiring it and saying; ‘Is not this great Babylon, that I have built for the house of the kingdom (a royal dwelling) by the might of my power, and for the honour of my majesty.’ (Dan.4:30) Obviously He did not remember all the great exaltations he’d declared of the Lord, nor the interpretation of Daniel’s dream. But Friends, let me instill in us again that out God does not make idle threats or speak words that are not fulfilled. And before the words were out of his mouth he heard a voice telling him that his kingdom was taken away, and he would be driven into the fields to live like a beast for seven years ’…until thou know that the most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever he will.’ (Dan.4:32) And in that same hour was the curse fulfilled; he became insane and was actually put out to pasture and lived like a beast for seven years. ‘And at the end of the days (time) I Nebuchadnezzar lifted up mine eyes unto heaven, and mine understanding returned unto me, and I blessed the most High, and I praised and honoured him that liveth for ever, whose dominion, and his kingdom is from generation to generation. And all the inhabitants of the earth are reputed (considered) as nothing: and he doeth according to his will in the army of heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth: and none can stay (restrain) his hand, or say unto him, What doest thou?’ (Dan.4:34-35) Yes mih breddren, Neb finally realized who was the real king of glory, the real boss of this world; not him, but Almighty God. Please let’s be wiser than Neb, learn from his foolish example, and don’t let the Lord have to put us through hell on earth for us to fully understand who runs things. Let’s be like Neb afterwards, when his whole thinking changes, and he declares on making his stage exit: ‘Now I Nebuchadnezzar praise and extol and honour the King of heaven, all whose works are truth, and his ways judgement (justice): and those that walk in pride he is able to abase (humble).’ (Dan.4:37) Truer words were never spoken Friends. Let’s take them to heart and live by them, for our own good. Much Love!…knowing all we know…and having seen all we’ve seen…how can we still doubt God’s majesty, power and faithfulness…