The Utmost Necessity of Knowing that Salvation ONLY Comes by the Grace of God, through Faith in Christ Jesus!

13 Aug 2025 Leave a comment

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

Romans 10:13.        For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.

Well hello there Wednesday, you glorious summer’s day! Thanks for showing up and allowing us to catch our second wind in this hot and frustrating work week. And for once the forecasters were right; we did get about ten minutes of rain yesterday afternoon and a lot of noise from Thor on his drums. But unfortunately it made little difference to the parched earth or the temperature, for later in the evening I went outside, intending to sit on my porch and watch the populace go by with their many dogs and few children, but had to come right back inside because it was still too hot to sit out there.

Chuh man! This extremely hot weather is cramping my style. I can’t get to indulge in one of my summer pastimes of sitting on my porch in the evenings and enjoying whatever scene unfurls before me. (smile) I also believe we might have had a little rain sometime during the night, because the streets were wet when I looked outside.at dawn. That didn’t do much to ease the drought either, but we’re surely thankful for what little we got, since the great minds say, a little of something good, is better than none at all. And who am I to challenge them eh? (smile)  

Anyway, we’re also very thankful for the breath of life that’s still flowing through us today, so let’s keep our promise of yesterday and continue looking at Bruh Paul’s writing to the Romans on the word of faith, after skillfully using Moses’ words in Deuteronomy 9:4, and 30:10-14, to amplify his own conviction. The last thing we saw yesterday is where he writes: ‘But what saith it? The word is nigh (near) thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach.’ (Rom. 10:8)

So, the word of faith, faith in Christ is what Bruh Paul is preaching. Thus he continues: ‘That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed (put to shame). For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord is rich unto all that call upon him. For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.’ (Rom. 10: 10-13)  

Now that fact was first prophesied by the prophet Joel, in  Joel 2:32.  And was later corroborated by Jesus in His talk with Nicodemus. He said to him: ‘For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.’ (John 3:17-18) So you see friends, condemnation is a must, a certainty, if you don’t believe.

And later on Jesus told the Jews, who were desperately looking for something negative to prosecute Him with. ‘Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation (judgement); but is passed from death into life.’ (John 5:24) So why would we be foolish and choose not to believe eh, when all the good things are in believing? Only a foolish, arrogant and very prideful person would do that! And thankfully, we’re none of those things. (smile)

But getting back to that last passage from Romans, the scholars offer some explanations on some of the things said therein. As per Confession is made unto salvation: They say: ‘One is not saved by his mouth’s confession, but rather, the mouth testifies readily of the grace of God in Christ which has been received by faith.’  Remember what Bruh Paul says in Ephesians? ‘For by grace are ye saved (you have been saved) through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.’ (Eph. 2:8-9)

So all of the grace and saving is not from our strength or power, but as this excerpt from a commentary tells us: ‘By grace, we receive the faith that enables us to believe that He has sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to die on the cross and provide the salvation … The Lord died for our sins and rose for our justification, and He forgives, freely and fully, those who accept His gift of grace in Christ—and that acceptance comes through faith. This is the meaning of salvation by grace through faith.’

And how do we get this faith that’s oh so necessary to believe? As Bruh Paul says later in Romans 10: ‘So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.’ (Rom. 10:17) So we must be introduced to the Word of God to be able to get faith in Him. And the scholars note that ‘it’s not faith in what is heard, but faith that comes about by what is heard.’ So you can hear the word and not have faith, like so many of us today, but when the word touches us, that’s when faith rises up.

And as per verse 13, the scholars explain about ‘Whosoever: As chapter 9 stressed divine sovereignty in salvation, this passage stresses human responsibility. Scripture does not view these two principles as paradoxical or contradictory, but as mutually compatible truths.’ In other words, the Lord’s job was to make salvation possible, but then it’s our responsibility to accept it. And as the scripture says, that salvation is available to ANYONE who shall call upon the Lord’s name, be ye Jew or heathen! What a wonderful God we serve my brethren, making salvation open to ALL of His human creation!

And since we’ve said enough to give us sufficient food for thought, (smile) let’s go home declaring (steups!!!) our Wednesday Wail, letting the whole world know of our wonderful position in Christ Jesus! As one strong 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!’ 

But that’s not all friends, for there’s the promise that all who endure to the end with Jesus will enjoy a future that’s much more glorious than we can ever think or imagine. So please, let’s be wise and endure right to the very end with Jesus nuh, so that we can enjoy that more than glorious future together! Much LOVE!

…God so badly wanted us to spend eternity with Him…that He made a way…where there seemed to be no way…that’s what He also does…in the individual lives of those who believe in His Son Jesus Christ…

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Today’s Scrip-Bit 2 July 2021 John 14:1.

02 Jul 2021 Leave a comment

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

John 14:1.     Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me.

And then it was Friday; the start of the weekend! So what are the plans for this holiday weekend with a few of the restrictions lifted this past week? The cottage, dinner at the restaurant, either inside or on the patio, barbeques outside, with a few more people allowed, provided the weather cooperates? Or are you going to get that much needed haircut and perm, or simply beautify your nails, since I believe those personal salons are now open. I saw a cashier in the pharmacy yesterday with one hand painted yellow and the other green! How very lax and compromising we’ve become, especially in morals and fashion. 

Oh, our weekend might even include church with a few more congregants, but still the mask and physical distancing. Ah Lord eh! There are endless possibilities! (smile) But please check out the necessary regulations and precautions before you venture forth. You don’t want to get caught by the Covid police infringing any rules and regulations. 

Now, two years ago, who would have thought that our lives, our world, could ever become such a battleground of sickness, restrictions and immense suffering eh? Nobody! But that just goes to show how fragile and easily compromised our new global village is. It only takes one person in the right place, at the right time, with the right illness to shut it down. And though we have so much technology and modern medicine, there are still simple things that we can’t handle. Look at this Covid-19 business nuh. Although we developed a vaccine for it in record time, it has mutated itself in several different ways from the original, and it’s now those variants that are causing havoc in our world. 

That’s why friends, we need something more substantial to hold on to, to put our trust in, because mankind obviously can’t satisfy all our wants and needs. And the ONLY person who can do that is Almighty God, through the august personage of his Son, our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ! He is the ONLY One who can truthfully offer us that Great Invitation, to come to Him and find rest and peace for both our bodies and our souls! He can do that since He is the Prince of Peace, who has conquered the world and brought salvation to the masses. 

Please remember these most potent and encouraging words He spoke while here on earth. ‘Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me.’ (John 14:1) And in your doubt, you sarcastically ask why? Well because, as He says later on. ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh to the Father but by me.’ (John 14:6) Now that’s a very powerful statement for anyone to make, and as far as I know, NO ONE has ever made it but Jesus! That just goes to show the power and confidence that He possesses. 

And I guess you are wondering if He can back up that statement? Oh yes, He can! Just look at all the miraculous stuff He did down here on earth. He was even crucified for us, so that our sins could be paid for, for ever and all time. Now who else could do that eh? And in His triumphant resurrection from the dead, He defeated all the evil forces of the enemy, also granting us resurrection, salvation and eternal life, if we believed in Him. 

He is the fountain of life my people! As he said to the Samaritan woman at the well. ‘Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again: But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well (fountain) of water springing up into everlasting life.’ (John 4:13-14) And though the woman did not really understand what Jesus was talking about, she intuitively recognized that He had something good to offer and asked for it. 

However, so many of us today, who know what Jesus has to offer, still blatantly refuse to accept that magnificent offer. How foolish that is my brethren! Listen again, to how Jesus tried to drive home to His accusers the importance of believing in Him. ‘For as the Father raiseth up the dead, and quickeneth (gives life to) them; even so the Son quickeneth (gives life to) whom he will. For the Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgement unto the Son: That all men should honour the Son, even as they honour the Father. He that honoureth not the Son honoureth not the Father, which hath sent him. 

Verily, verily, (truly, truly) I say unto you, he that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation (judgement), but is passed from death unto life. Verily, verily, I say unto you, The hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God: and they that hear shall live. For as the Father hath life in himself; so hath he given to the Son to have life in himself; And hath given him authority to execute judgement also, because he is the Son of man.’ (John 5:24) 

Yes friends, because of Jesus’ supreme sacrifice and obedience to the Father’s will – that’s His substitutionary death on our behalf, on the cross at Calvary – He has given Him authority over everything in the universe – the name above every other name and the One to whom all knees must bow! As Jesus confirms to His disciples before His ascension: ‘All power (authority) is given unto me in heaven and in earth.’ (Matt. 28:18) So my people, please realize that Jesus is the supreme ruler over the universe, and only in and through Him can we find peace, rest and salvation for our weary and troubled souls and bodies. 

Therefore, with that in mind, let’s go to Him in prayer, right now nuh, through our Friday Chant, asking for His divine help in our troubled earthly affairs. As one sincere 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 the racial strife is 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. 

And 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 if we want to receive positive answers to our prayer, then we have to go out and truly be examples of faithful believers. Much LOVE!

…he that hears now…shall live in the hereafter… 

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Today’s Scrip-Bit 13 November 2020 Deuteronomy 30:19.

13 Nov 2020 Leave a comment

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

Deuteronomy 30:19.     ​​I call heaven and earth to record this day (as witnesses) against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed shall live:

Ah friends, it’s a dark, cold, cloudy sombre morning; this Black Friday, the 13thday of November in the crazy, uncertain, unexpected, divisive, pandemic, election, eccentric year of 2020! Yeh, this year’s been all that, and its eccentricity and divisiveness are not over yet, not by a long shot. The confusion and legal battles over who won the U.S. Presidential election is still ongoing, getting more problematic by the minute, with the wannabe dictator refusing to concede that he lost. 

The Covid-19 pandemic is still raging, going through a second phase all over the world, and we still don’t know how to deal with it properly, and with people refusing to do the things we know would temper it some. And strife is still rampant all over our world. So what new can the forces of evil and darkness perpetrate this Friday the 13th eh? The only place we have left to go is over the cliff, or be brought back to our senses by the awesome word and hand of God! 

Right now those are our only two options friends! The time for pussyfooting is over. We can’t sit on the fence anymore. It’s time to make a final decision. And yuh know that making no decision is indeed making a decision. So please let’s not fool ourselves into thinking that we’ll just let it all ride and it will eventually blow over, because this time it most certainly won’t! It’s time for mankind to put up or shut up! And that’s my spiel for today! (smile) 

But it’s Friday, so let’s hear what the ordinary workingman has to say too nuh. And as always he declares: ‘TGIF! Thank God is Friday oui! Thank God that the weekend is finally here and I could get to stay in mih yard with mih family and don’t have to venture out in this second wave of Covid-19 nuh! Brother! What it is so eh? How come Covid just turn back to bite we so hard again eh? Is it because people not doing what they supposed to be doing? Or we just can’t get a handle on the blooming virus? 

But is more lockdown again…Steups! What in hell and heaven name going on eh? Like the world just gone mad oui! Everywhere is a mess; if not with Covid, then with political and racial and religious strife… So what it going to take to bring us back to normal eh? Ah vaccine for Covid? Who knows, because plenty people already say they not taking no blooming vaccine. Or is it World War 3…? Because all the other foolish strife an’ them not letting up either. 

So what is to become of we world eh? What kinda world we children going to inherit eh? Chuh man! Ah have to shake mih head oui, because only the Lord knows yes…only the Lord knows! But right now ah very thankful for the weekend so I could stay home an consider it all, although I can’t do much about it.’ 

Ah mih people, those sentiments expressed by the ordinary workingman are being voiced all over our world! As I said before, this is the time for us to make some very wise and serious decisions because our problems are not going to go away because we wish them to. It’s going to take a lot of work between all of mankind to even halt them, much less turn them back. And the only power in this world great enough to change our circumstances is the hand of Almighty God! 

And I proffer these two verses of His word from the mouth of Jesus Christ, His only Son and the Saviour of this world, to strengthen my contention. ‘Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation (judgement); but is passed from death into life. Verily, verily, I say unto you, The Hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God: and they that hear shall live.’ (John 5:24-25) 

People, I give to you, Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the ONLY hope for our salvation! Without Him in our lives, we’re all dead meat. It’s only a matter of time. But with Him, with His awesome Holy Spirit surging through our veins, our bodies, and souls, we are faithfully promised resurrection; life everlasting! There’s NO ONE else who can offer us that! So what’s it to be eh? 

And here’s the clincher; (smile) these words of Moses, on the Lord’s behalf, to the people of Israel many moons ago. ‘I call heaven and earth to record this day (as witnesses) against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed shall live:’ (Deut. 30:19) That’s it in a nutshell friends! Your choice! 

And for those of us who wisely choose life, let’s turn to our God and through our Friday Chant sincerely plead with Him for the healing of our land and our nations! Altogether now: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through this past week. Yuh know it’s been rough… what with all the anxiety, the confusion and havoc that the Covid-19 virus and the racial strife causing. We not accustomed to that kind of life Lord, and it really telling on us. And we know we can’t handle it on our own, that 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 sure and 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, so that we can avoid any more serious setbacks. 

And Lord, we fervently pray that You’ll use this situation to also bring a lot of backsliders back to your fold, show them the error of their ways. It’s also a good opportunity to introduce a whole new flock, who will embrace your LOVE and compassion because of the way we, your faithful believers, handle the situation. 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!’  

Yes my precious and faithful saints of Christ, it now behooves us to go out and handle the situation properly; in Christ-like manner! Much LOVE!

…only the unwise…would choose death over life…especially the eternal kind…