Today’s Scrip-Bit   23 February 2022 Mark 8:36.

23 Feb 2022 Leave a comment

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

Mark 8:36.      For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? 

Well friends, it’s Wednesday, the middle of the week, and I do hope that we’ve made some headway into being the difference maker that our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ expects us to be. Yes, that’s why He’s placed us on the earth at this particular time, to make a difference in His name, to be the flavoursome salt and the bright, exciting light to the evil and depraved world that currently reigns. 

And though it’s a very rewarding and interesting task, it’s not always an easy one, because it sometimes calls for a lot of sacrifice on our part, giving up our will to ensure that His is forthcoming. And that issue of sacrifice is not something that Christ hid, but He said it very clearly and plainly. 

The Good Book tells us: ‘And when he had called the people unto him with his disciples also, he said unto them, Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; but whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the gospel’s, the same shall save it. 

For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul? Whosoever therefore shall be ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him also shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he cometh in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.’ (Mark 8:34-38) 

And is this generation ever sinful and adulterous! So that means a lot is expected of us my fellow saints in Christ. But the basic thing is to live for and like Him, spread His gospel and not be ashamed of Him, because when he returns in all His glory, He will be ashamed of us and not recognize us as being amongst His followers. 

Unfortunately though, many of us supposed believers are indeed ashamed of Christ, and afraid of the very sinful and adulterous world in which we now live, so we only give lip service to His words and way of life. But as the scholars note per verse 38 above: ‘Jesus makes a very close connection between Himself and His Words.’ So we cannot separate one from the other as we like to do. 

The problem is that life is so good with us out here in the western world, with all the privileges and amenities we enjoy, that we don’t want anything at all to disturb it. We just want to keep moseying along in comfort, living the life of the rich and idle. But friends, life does not, never has, and never will run smoothly! It’s a series of ups and downs, and until we learn to take the good with the bad, and live accordingly, we will be forever destined to live unhappy and ungodly lives. 

Even Christ confirmed that life is full of trouble when He said: ‘These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.’ (John 16:33) Now that’s a scripture that all of us know, but don’t truly take to heart, otherwise we wouldn’t be living the scared and anxious lives we’re living. Jesus has indeed conquered and overcome the world by His sacrificial death and resurrection, and only in and through Him can we ever have peace in this crazy, warlike world. 

That’s what He gives to us, when we truly accept Him as Lord and Saviour and try to live the way He desires of us. Oh, He knows that we will have hard times, for nobody had harder times than He did, and sometimes we will fail to do His will, but He is also very forgiving and expects us to get back up and continue the good fight in His name. He gives us the grace and power to do that, but we have to truly believe and surrender ourselves to His holy will. 

As the prophet Isaiah said so long ago: ‘He giveth power to the faint (weak), and to them that have no might he increaseth strength. Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall: But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.’ (Is. 40:29-31) 

Oh my people, what more can we ask eh? Especially those of us living in the religious freedom of the West, while many of our fellow believers are still living very persecuted lives in so many other countries of the world. Please take a moment to ponder the situation where you could not get up on a Sunday morning, put on your finery and traipse to church to gather and celebrate with other believers, because that would get you incarcerated and even killed. But you had to hide and meet secretly, and couldn’t even call the name of Jesus out loud, otherwise crapaud smoke yuh pipe! 

A lot of our fellow believers are living under those strenuous and unfair conditions, but they are still carrying the torch of Jesus alight, still fanning the flames of His gospel and way of life. Meanwhile, we ole hypocrites out here, who have the freedom to do so much for Jesus, live scared but comfortable, talk a good talk, but have no action to back it up. 

Oh friends, if we don’t smarten up and begin living right, when Jesus returns, He will have a whole lot of separating to do, between the sheep and the goats. And sadly, many of us will find ourselves on the left hand, with the goats, and not on the right hand, with the sheep. And if you don’t know that scripture, then it’s high time you became very familiar with it, found in Matthew 25:31-46. 

Anyway, for those of us who are doing our best to live for Christ, let’s go home declaring (awright!!!) our Wednesday Wail, letting all and sundry know of our wonderful position in Christ Jesus. So, in a strong, joyful and sincere voice: ‘Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: I’m so glad to be alive on this Wednesday! Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: Thank God the breath of life is still flowing through me on this Wednesday! I am halfway home. My hands are fixed securely on the plough, and I’m not turning back. I’m not looking back at the past, not focusing on what has gone before. But my eyes are fixed straight ahead; straight ahead to a glorious future with Jesus. Glory Hallelujah!’ 

And lest we forget; if we endure to the very end, then that future will be even more glorious than we can ask or imagine! So let’s endeavor to endure nuh! It’s wisdom of the highest order! Much LOVE!

…living for Christ is not easy…but if we are serious…He generously gives us the grace and power to do it… 

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

Today’s Scrip-Bit 27 August 2021 Galatians 5:22.

27 Aug 2021 Leave a comment

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

Galatians 5:22.     But the fruit of the Spirit is LOVE, joy, peace, long-suffering…

And then there was a big collective sigh…with a mumbling of ‘TGIF! Thank God is Friday oui! I couldn’t go on for one more day like this nuh!’ Ah friends, we always think we can’t go on, that we’ve come to the end of our rope, because our capacity for stress and strain is ever so low these days in our affluent, entitled society. But in truth, when the heifer dust really hits the fan, we discover that there’s another gear we can put our lives into; that’s the one where Christ Jesus reigns. Glory be! 

Yes, if we needed to go on one, or even two more days, He would have enabled us to do it, because He is our enabler, the pent up or emergency strength that gives us our second wind. As Bruh David so assuredly writes in Psalm 138: ‘Though I walk in the midst of trouble, thou wilt revive me: thou shalt stretch forth thine hand against the wrath of mine enemies, and thy right hand shall save me.’ (Ps. 138:7) 

Wow! What a most definitive promise my people! That’s exactly what I was saying; the Lord will always give us the strength to go on, even though we think we don’t have it. And when Jesus says in His spiel on LOVING your enemies: ‘And whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain (two).’ (Matt. 5:41) How do you think we will get the strength to do that eh? He will provide it because we are doing whatever it is in His name, as His agent and ambassador! 

Ah friends, despite having the Lord God Almighty in our corner, these days we give up much too easily. That’s because we have become too soft and lazy, living the good life with all the wonderful amenities our society provides. We don’t have to struggle much for anything nowadays, for almost everything is right at our fingertips, which means our patience level has also declined, we want everything so quickly, sometimes even like yesterday. But in Christ’s economy friends, waiting, that’s patience, is a must! 

And the first thing we need to know is that patience doesn’t come overnight or easily. It is born of trials and tribulations. So, if you are thinking about acquiring patience, just be sure that you will endure problems, because that’s the only way to acquire it. And it’s ever so important in a believer’s life because it is listed as one of the fruit of the Spirit. ‘But the fruit of the Spirit is LOVE, joy, peace, long-suffering…’ (Gal. 5:22) Yes, that’s patience. It’s only a nice word for long-suffering. (smile) 

Now let’s look at a few scriptures that try to teach us about patience nuh. And we’ll begin with this one from Jesus, that we seldom pay attention to. It’s when He is talking about the end times. He says to the disciples: ‘And ye shall be hated of all men for my name’s sake. But there shall not a hair of your head perish. In your patience possess ye your souls.’ (Luke 21:17-19) That means we need to have patience and wait until whenever the Lord decides to do His thing. But in the waiting, we won’t be harmed. 

Meanwhile Hebrews tells us this about Abraham. ‘And so, after he had patiently endured, he obtained the promise.’ (Heb. 6:15) And we all know that the Lord called Abraham out from among his family to go out to an unknown land, and promised him a son from his own loins, but it all took a long time with much wandering and frustration, but Abraham kept the faith and eventually received all that the Lord had promised Him. 

Meanwhile we have this amazing but oh so truthful verse from Bruh David out of Psalm 37 that says it loud and clear. ‘Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for him: fret not thyself because of him that prospereth in his way, because of the man who bringeth wicked devices (schemes) to pass.’ (Ps. 37:7) And Bruh David, like Abraham, was another man of God, promised great things, anointed king in his teens, but had to endure a lot of hardship and learn patience before he received the promise. 

We can never leave out this awesome verse from Isaiah either. ‘But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.’ (Is. 40:31) And Bruh Paul adds a few scriptures of his own too. First off, he tells Timothy: ‘Howbeit for this cause I obtained mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might show forth all long-suffering (patience), for a pattern to them which should hereafter believe on him to life everlasting.’ (1 Tim. 1:16) 

Yes friends, Bruh Paul endured a lot of hardship for Christ, so that the Gentile believers, including us, could learn from him. Then to the church of Rome, he declared (steups!!!) ‘But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience (perseverance) wait for it.’ (Rom. 8:25) Then to the Colossians on the subject of Christian virtues, he strongly advised: ‘Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved bowels of mercies (tender mercies), kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, long-suffering.’ (Col. 3:12) 

And it’s obvious the wisest man ever must have had something to say on patience, because he didn’t get to be the wisest and richest overnight. (smile) Listen to Cousin Sol. ‘He that is slow to wrath is of great understanding: but he that is hasty of spirit (impulsive) exalteth folly.’ (Prov. 14:29) And you can count on Cousin Sol to hit the nail on the head. 

And we’ll end with a timely word from James. ‘Be patient therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord. Behold, the husbandman (farmer) waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience for it, until he receive the early and latter rain. Be ye also patient; stablish (establish) your hearts: for the coming of the Lord draweth nigh (has come near).’ (James 5:7-8) We can never go wrong with those words of wisdom my faithful brethren! Living for Christ does take a lot of patience, waiting, perseverance and long-suffering! But we can all do it, because He enables us with His awesome strength and power. 

Now, let’s end as we always do on a Friday, by going to God in prayer, through our Friday Chant. As one voice: ‘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. Also, 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!’ 

And I must remind us, that the answers to our prayers will only be as positive to the extent that we keep our promises. Much LOVE!

…wait (patiently) on the Lord…be of good courage…and he shall strengthen thine heart…wait (patiently)…I say, on the Lord… (Ps. 27:14)                                                                                                                                   

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

Today’s Scrip-Bit 26 October 2015 Isaiah 40:29

26 Oct 2015 Leave a comment

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

Isaiah 40:29.    He giveth power to the faint (weak); and to them that have no might he increaseth strength.

Well, well, well… if it isn’t Monday, the day of sorrows for so many people! Yes Friends, a lot of the workforce rather dislike Monday mornings because they have to get up and go to work and they are not properly prepared for it. On the other hand, some are glad to see Monday, either because they are prepared for it, or they just want to get away from home for whatever reason. (smile) 

The long and the short of the story though is that we need to work so that we can live as best we can amidst the worldwide economic downturn that is now in progress.  And as Bruh Paul told the Thessalonians, ‘if any would not work, neither should he eat.’ (2 Thess.3:4) 

And that’s by no means an unreasonable command. But man being what he is, there will always be inconsistencies and controversies in our daily lives. So to help us over the hump, let’s sing our Monday Morning Battle Hymn with plenty of hungry hope and expectant faith, paying close attention to our choir director, Jesus as He leads us in song. (smile) 

As one harmonious whole now: ‘Oh Lord God Almighty, Creator of the universe and all therein! We, your humble servants, praise your Holy Name and thank you that this Monday morning we have jobs to go to; jobs we don’t like, jobs that are unfair, difficult and even dangerous, but which serve a useful purpose here on earth; keeping lives and families together. 

We also thank you Father for the renewed vitality and enthusiasm you’ve wrought in our weary souls over the last two days. It’s that rejuvenation of Spirit which allows us now to sally forth with confidence into the evil, ungodly world that surrounds us, to begin a new week of work, constantly buffeted and bombarded by the enemy’s wicked taunts, wiles and lies. 

But heavenly Father, we’re not afraid, for we know we’re invincible, sure conquerors, once we’re wearing your powerful, protective spiritual armour. We surrender our all to you, and humbly ask that you let your incredible aura of LOVE, the Holy Spirit, lead and guide all your servants as we go out to meet the enemy in battle. 

Fill us with steadfast faith, so that we can make worthwhile inroads into the enemy’s ranks, and thereby further your glorious kingdom. We pray this in the Holy Name of your Son, and our Saviour, Jesus Christ. AMEN!’ 

Now that wasn’t a bad rendition at all my brethren, but nowhere as good as the one last week, when we had the Father up and dancing and singing with us. I guess we can’t be that good every week. But at least hopefully our adrenalin is now running and we are getting in the groove to go out and do good, serve Jesus faithfully in a wicked and ungodly world. 

And even though we might not be up to scratch, there is no need to be fearful or anxious because as our Bit so faithfully promises: ‘He giveth power to the faint (weak); and to them that have no might he increaseth strength.’ 

And that’s the gospel truth Friends! I can personally testify to that, because there are many days when my aches and pains get the better of me, both physically and emotionally and I have to cry out to the Lord for the strength and wherewithal to continue. 

And wonder of wonders, His awesome and never ending supply of grace soon lifts me up and enables me to carry on. Oh glory to God my brethren! So please don’t despair if you’re under the weather and things are difficult. Just cry out to God in sincere faith and He will strengthen you. 

Now listen to the wonderful scripture that precedes our Bit. ‘Hast thou not known? Hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? there is no searching of his understanding.’( Is.40:28) 

More indisputable truth my people! Our God is omnipotent, omniscient and omnipresent, which means He is always on the go, never tired or weak, seeing everything and being everywhere! That’s the magnificent God we serve and worship! So I don’t see why so many of us refuse to put our entire trust in Him, to surrender our lives to His amazing action plans. 

And if you weren’t impressed or overwhelmed by what went before our Bit, (smile) then listen to what comes after it. ‘Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall: But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.’ (Is.40:30-31) 

Mama Mia! What an awesome promise! And it’s not an empty one either, because many of us believers can testify to it. So Friends, what shall it be this autumn Monday morn eh? Shall we put our trust in Jesus and cry out to Him for help to get ourselves together and to get going, so that we can spread the good news of His gospel by our words and actions, and thus bring the unbeliever to the foot of His cross for forgiveness, salvation and eternal life? 

Now that would be an unbelievably wise decision; possibly the best one we’ve ever made! Yeh mih people, both wisdom and common sense dictate that we look to Almighty God for succour. 

Hear how Moses puts it in his song. ‘The Lord is my strength and song, and he is become my salvation: he is my God, and I will prepare him a habitation (praise Him); my father’s God, and I will exalt him.’ (Ex.15:2) 

Oh glory Hallelujah! Now if Moses says that the Lord was his strength etc. etc. who are we to doubt him eh, especially in light of all the marvellous things he did? So today, please let’s stand strong, faithful and true in Jesus, for that’s wisdom at its zenith! Much LOVE!

…if you think man-made All State has such great hands…hn…can you then imagine the hands of our Creator…the most magnificent of course…