Today’s Scrip-Bit 20 July 2019 Matthew 10:22.

20 Jul 2019 Leave a comment

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

Matthew 10:22.    ​And ye shall be hated of all men for my name’s sake: but he that endureth to the end shall be saved.
 

Ah friends, Saturday, the day of all days! (smile) What’s on the agenda for today eh? For most of us it’s sleeping in, then a lazy day on the couch, or fun and games, barbecuing and enjoying the summer weather. For others though it can mean a busy day at home; cleaning and washing and replenishing groceries and stuff; possibly harder work than what you get paid to do during the week. (smile) 

But that’s how life goes, and once you have Jesus walking in you and with you, then you don’t have to worry about getting whatever job it is done. Oh yes, it might be somewhat difficult, but you’re assured that with Jesus’ help, you will get it done successfully! All praise and glory to our great and wonderful God for the help He gives to us frail and mortal humans! 

And since it’s Saturday, let’s see what gems of wisdom our friend Anselm sent us this week nuh, as he aspires to inspire us for a better tomorrow. Hear this one: ‘Life is too short to waste in the company of those who can’t wait to put you down. Let them say what they want. Their opinions aren’t your problem. Keep doing good, as you’ve always done. No matter what they do or say, don’t doubt who you are and what you’re doing.’ 

That’s wise advice friends! In this current mish-mash world, people are only too glad to put you down once you’re trying to improve yourself and your situation. Possibly because of jealousy, or their own laziness, they don’t want you to rise above them. But once you’re sure of who and whose you are, that you belong to Jesus, for you were bought with a high price, that of His precious blood, then you can ignore all the naysayers and go about Jesus’ business with confidence. 

And then there’s this: ‘Being quiet and calm doesn’t mean you’re weak. Such people show strength that’s under control. The most intelligent people know when to speak, know when to listen, and know when to be quiet.’ Oh what truth my brethren!

But unfortunately, with the current burst of technology that makes communication so easy, everyone has an opinion on everything and are not bashful to share it, thus the great explosion of social media and the large amount of nonsense, endless talking, false information, lies and deceit they provoke. 

Now here’s a gem: ‘You’ve been in situations where you thought you’d never make it out, but you did. You’ve lived through it, you’ve learned from it and you survived. So whatever it is that you’re currently going through right now, you can and will get through it if you are determined to push thru.’ 

Yes my faithful brethren. We’ve lived through numerous times of adversity and trouble, but with the Lord’s help we got through them all, stronger and more mature. So why worry about whatever tough situation you’re experiencing now eh? It’s a problem too many Christians face; not turning back and remembering what the Lord brought us through, and realizing and believing that if He’s done it a million times already, He’ll do it a zillion times in the future, for that’s His awesome, unbreakable and ever-faithful promise. 

And I particularly like the last two quotes, which fit together quite nicely. The first says: ‘People buy into the leader before they buy into the vision.’ That’s an undeniable fact! That’s possibly because of the leader’s charisma or charm, or some sense of trust and reliability that they exude. There’s no better example of that than Jesus. Look at how He chose His first four disciples: 

‘And Jesus, walking by the sea of Galilee, saw two brethren, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea: for they were fishers (fishermen). And he saith unto them, follow me, and I will make you fishers of men. And they straightway left their nets and followed him.

And going on from thence, he saw two other brethren, James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother in a ship with Zebedee their father mending their nets; and he called them. And they immediately left the ship and their father, and followed him.’ (Matt.4:18-22) 

Ah mih people, those fishermen must have seen something in Jesus to just drop their livelihood and follow him, the last two leaving their poor father to manage on His own. And Jesus called Matthew the same way. Matthew was sitting at his tax office, adding up his money, when Jesus passed by and said to him, ‘Follow me. And he arose, and followed him.’ (Matt.9:9) 

Now who in their right mind would give up the lucrative position that the tax man held back in those olden times to follow some itinerant preacher eh, and more importantly why? But Matthew did it, so he must have seen something in Jesus or felt some abnormal pull to just give up his lucrative tax job to become a fisher of men. 

Now the last quote says: ‘Leadership is not wielding authority — it’s empowering people.’ And that’s exactly how a true leader ought to operate. If you’re secure in yourself and your authority and power, then there’s no need to blatantly wield said power. What you need to do is raise up your followers so that they too can embrace your vision and help you bring it to fruition. 

And again, Jesus is the best example of empowering leadership. He knew who He was, and what power He had, and realized that He could not proselytize the whole world on His own, so He brought together the twelve most unlikely candidates to help Him, and over a three year period He taught them and empowered them, so that they could go out and do His work after He was gone. 

I like how He told them: ‘Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless (innocent) as doves.’  (Matt.10:16) Imagine telling your workers that nowadays nuh! I doubt you’d have too many after that. And that did happen to Jesus. When some of them saw how difficult the task was, they simply quit. 

Furthermore, He warned them thus: ‘And ye shall be hated of all men for my name’s sake: but he that endureth to the end shall be saved.’ Oh friends, those are indeed tough statements to hear and bear, and they still pertain to us today. But please note that the true disciples bought into Jesus’ vision and did withstand all the trials and tribulations they encountered to spread His Word. 

And they did such a wonderful job, that two thousand years later, despite all sorts of problems, that magnificent and true Word has come down to us, with all the same provisos and tough conditions.

Yes friends, the baton, the glowing torch of Christ’s salvation, has now been passed to us, to keep it burning, until we pass it on to the next generation. Please, I implore us, don’t let it be said that that eternal torch was extinguished on our watch! That would be such a dismal stain on our report card. Let’s stand strong and endure to the end! Much LOVE!

…to be eligible for a prize…one must finish the race…

 

 

 

 

 

 

Today’s Scrip-Bit 15 June 2019 2 Corinthians 5:17.

15 Jun 2019 Leave a comment

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

2 Corinthians 5:17.      ​Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.
 

Saturday, O Saturday, how I do LOVE thee…even though I don’t get to sleep in as late as I would like to! (smile) Yes, for many of us Saturday is simply a day to sleep in as late as possible, after five early morning risings to join the rat race called going to work. But unfortunately some of us do have work to get up and do, even on a Saturday, like writing the Bit, so we don’t have that luxury. 

Aye mih big daughter, are you going to write me and sigh again, that I’m complaining? (smile) Brother! The other day when I spoke about how inconvenient it was going to the hospital everyday for the radiation therapy, the lady accused me of complaining! But to each his own yes. As the song says, ‘only he who feels it knows it.’ Still LOVES you a whole lot though mih first born! (mucho hugs & kisses) 

Anyway, enough pussyfooting, it’s Saturday and our friend Anselm has sent us a whole slate of quotes this past week, as he sincerely aspires to inspire us for a better tomorrow. And the first one says: ‘If you accept the expectations of others, especially negative ones, then you never will change the outcome.’ And unfortunately, that’s no lie! If you allow the expectations of others to rule your life, then it will always turn out their way, and not yours. Neither can you do the same thing all the time and expect a different result. 

Then there’s this: ‘Being positive is like going up a mountain. Being negative is like sliding down a hill. A lot of times, people want to take the easy way out, because it’s basically what they’ve understood throughout their lives.’ Yes, if you want to do something right, you have to expend time and energy, as if you’re indeed climbing a mountain. It just doesn’t happen on a lazy, negative slide downhill. 

And is our current society ever famous for taking the easy way out! Everything we do these days is about how fast and easily we can do it. ‘Now for now’ is our motto! Patience, or taking our time and putting some blood and sweat into our activities has fled from our society. So it’s not surprising that that’s all this current generation knows. 

Therefore we have to: ‘Watch out for the joy-stealers: gossip, criticism, complaining, faultfinding, and a negative, judgmental attitude.’ Especially in these current strife-filled times, for those are negative actions that are very persuasive and prevalent today! What with all the t.v shows that only feature resentment, deceit and strife! And when they are added to the sewer that’s called the social media, where negativity, falsehood and utter nonsense proliferate, what else can you expect of our society eh? 

Now listen to this quote: ‘For a really long time, I thought being different was a negative thing. But as I grew older, I started to realize we were all born to stand out; nobody is born to blend in.’ And that’s the living truth my people! Why do you think the Lord made each of us with things like different fingerprints, and that no one in this entire world is exactly the same as anyone else eh? Because He wanted us to be individuals first and foremost, not clones. 

And He also had a special and separate plan for each person He created. And that’s why, as believers, as His followers, Jesus admonished us to be the salt of the earth, and not to hide our lights under a bushel, otherwise we’d be wasting the Father’s talents and purposes that He’s placed inside each of us. He didn’t just want His followers to blend in with the crowd, but to stand out, loud and proud! 

And this last quote is a very interesting one: ‘One of the lessons that I grew up with was to always stay true to yourself and never let what somebody else says distract you from your goals. And so when I hear about negative and false attacks, I really don’t invest any energy in them, because I know who I am.’ 

Now that’s wisdom of much magnitude anyhow you cut it! But since this is a Christian Blog, (smile) then we ought to talk about that in Christian terms. I don’t know if the author of the quote meant it that way or not, but we can only be strong in who we are if we first know and then constantly remember who we are in Christ Jesus, because He is the ONE who gives us all that we need to live this life being true to ourselves and pursuing our God-given goals! 

And the first thing we need to know is as Bruh Paul said to the Corinthians: ‘Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.’ Oh friends, is it ever important that we see and think differently when we come to Jesus! We are a new creation, and therefore need to look at the world and the things of Christ in a new and different way. 

We must put aside our old habits and pick up new ones that involve Christ and His desire for our lives. We need to sincerely believe that ‘I can do ALL things through Christ who strengtheneth me.’ (Phil.4:13) As well as ‘But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.’ (Phil.4:19) 

Yes my brethren, those are two foundational scriptures that a believer must have written indelibly in his or her heart, soul body and mind, else he or she will not be able to function wisely as an ambassador for Christ and enjoy the abundance of life He died to give us! 

And one last thing that Bruh Paul highlighted to the church at Rome: ‘For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; the Jew first, and also to the Greek.’ (Rom.1:16) Oh my people, my people, if it’s one thing we must NEVER do is be ashamed of Christ and His saving gospel! It doesn’t make sense to claim you are a Christian then be ashamed to acknowledge the One and the actions that make you who and what you are! 

And Jesus said it very clearly: ‘Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven. But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven.’ (John 10:33-34) 

So basically when we know who we are in Christ, we must believe that He will help us to do everything He calls us to do; He will also provide all that we need, if we seek Him earnestly, and we can’t ever be ashamed of Him and deny Him in public, as so many supposed believers do, else He will do the same to us in His Father’s heavenly court. So there it is in a nutshell! It’s all up to us now! Much LOVE!

…only in Christ…can we ever become…what we were created to become…

P.S. Yes, it’s long and late, but chocked full of useful info! (smile) Much LOVE! 

 

Today’s Scrip-Bit 25 May 2019 Philippians 1:10.

25 May 2019 Leave a comment

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

Philippians 1:10. That ye may approve things that are excellent; that ye may be sincere and without offense till the day of Christ.

 

Blame it on the rain! Yes friends, we can blame my late arising on the rain…well partly, because I went to bed around 3 a.m and could not fall asleep for a little while. But I was up earlier on…and then I heard the soothing sounds of the rain falling outside, and entranced by it, I rolled over – mind you, just for a minute more, to enjoy its delicious flavour… And wonder of wonders, it lulled me back to sleep! Now that’s my story, and I’m sticking to it! (smile) 

And since we’re already late, let’s get straight to our Saturday theme, looking at quotes our friend Anselm sent us during this past week, as he sincerely aspires to inspire us for a better tomorrow. Hear this first one: ‘Well-being can only happen from within you.’ 

That’s a fact! Regardless of our outer circumstances, be they good or bad, that sense of satisfaction, of happiness, if you will, can only come from within us. Just look at all the wealthy and powerful people who lack inner contentment nuh. And then there are so many poor who have it. It’s all because of how we view our circumstances and handle them. And obviously with Jesus as your Guiding Light, you’ll do even better. 

Then there’s this: ‘Are you riding the wave of life or are you being crushed by it?’ Now that’s a very good question my people! Are we handling life like an animal trainer handles unruly animals; with confidence and strength, but also with some compassion? I assure you that if you don’t take a tight hold on the reins of life, it will take a tight hold on you, for life is advantageous, and will never miss a chance to put you down. 

So it’s our responsibility to do like Portia, and stand up strong and face life. And there I’m talking about an old radio drama from way back when, called ‘Portia Faces Life.’ And unless you’re up there in age, and possibly come from T&T, most of you won’t know it, but in the days before television down there, it was real popular, like the soaps we have nowadays, and it just became a cliché for standing up and facing life head on. 

Consequently, ‘If you have a strong purpose in life, you don’t have to be pushed. Your passion will drive you there.’ That’s true to a great extent. Usually your passion will push you forward if it’s in agreement with your purpose. But for many of us, our purpose and passion often don’t gel. Let’s say the Lord calls you to do one thing, but you have a passion for something else. 

And I’m a perfect example of that! My passion was never to write scriptural stuff, to write yes, but not write on the scriptures. However God seems to have made that my purpose and so I had to develop a passion for it. Now it comes almost naturally. We’ve got to get our ying and yang lined up before we can make real progress. 

And let’s not forget those memorable words attributed to Calvin Coolidge (1872-1933), the 30th President of the U.S.A, serving from 1923-1929. He reputedly said: ‘Nothing in this world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not: nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not: the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent.’ Take from that what you will, but it’s gospel truth! (smile) 

And our final quote from our friend Anselm wisely advises us to ‘Be a yardstick of quality. Some people aren’t used to an environment where excellence is expected.’ And is that ever so true, especially in this new world, where mediocrity is seen as something so great, where you have so many superstars! We use the word super for every li’l foolishness or person doing really mediocre stuff nowadays. 

The age of celebrity attention is hard upon us, and the sad fact is that most of these supposed celebrities and supposed superstars don’t know their ‘A’ from their ‘E.’ They have no class whatsoever! Yuh see how they dress? Sloppy and dirty! But that’s style! Utter Foolishness! And they don’t know how to behave either. Just look at the sad, uninviting spectacles of so many of their lives! 

And sadly these are the very people that we have our very culpable children looking up to as heroes and mentors! Steups! And then we wonder why our children turn out so wishy washy and spineless! Ask any of them about any of the new fads on social media, or about social media itself, and they can answer you in an instant! But ask them anything about God, and they don’t have a clue! 

And who’s to blame? We the parents because we have given up our God-given responsibility to train up our children in a godly atmosphere and have allowed the world and all its evil perpetrators to bring them up instead. And then we wonder why we have so many li’l demons and devils on our hands! And if you don’t believe me, then go take a look in the mirror! (smile) 

But this sad state of affairs is very near and dear to my soul, and it just hurts my heart to see the way our society, our young people are falling lower and lower in everything. What use to be a ‘C’ mark in our days, is now and ‘A’, so how can our society be improving eh, if our standards keep falling eh? 

However, when we sincerely decide to partner with Jesus, then our behaviour, etc, etc, has to be excellent, because that’s all He deals in! Listen to what Bruh Paul told the Philippians in talking to them about thanksgiving and prayer. ‘That ye may approve things that are excellent; that ye may be sincere and without offense till the day of Christ. Being filled with the fruits of righteousness, which are by Jesus Christ, unto the glory and praise of God.’ (Phil.1:10-11) 

Yeh friends, as true believers we have to pay serious attention to things that really matter, the vital and worthwhile things in Jesus’ realm, not the trivial things of the world! That means we need to have diligence and excellence as our goals, because that’s what Jesus expects of us! 

Hear how Cousin Sol puts it nuh as he calls us to wisdom. ‘O ye simple, understand wisdom (prudence): and, ye fools, be of an understanding heart. Hear; for I speak of excellent things; and the opening of my lips shall be right things. For my mouth shall speak truth; and wickedness is an abomination to my lips. All the words of my mouth are in righteousness; there is nothing forward (crooked) or perverse in them.’ (Prov.8: 5-8) 

Now, if the wisest man ever said that, who are we to doubt him eh? (smile) Oh my people, there is much truth in the saying that while there is life, there is always hope, so please, I implore us, let’s never give up trying to right our wrong world nuh! We’ve already made a mess of it, but we can’t afford to let it fall any further into the mire of evil and despair. So with Jesus’ help, let’s stand up strong and do some cleaning up nuh! It will benefit everybody! Much LOVE!

…it warms the cockles of Jesus’ heart…when He sees us…exhibiting diligence and excellence…in His name…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Today​’s Scrip-Bit 30 March 2019 John 1:9.

30 Mar 2019 Leave a comment

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

John 1:9.   ​That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world.

 

And then it was Saturday, a day of rest. All the confusion of getting from there to here and settling down in Sweet Tobago has finally gotten to me. (smile) Would you believe I was up around 7, had coffee on the porch, gave some thanks and praise for all my many blessings, then went back to bed? That had the duchess worried about me because that’s not my style. 

And would you believe that I got up again around 9, had coffee again, and I can go back to bed again? But no! I am going to stand up strong and write the Bit before going back to bed, it is already late, can’t allow it to be much later. And with all that jawing, (smile) since it’s Saturday, let’s turn to the quotes we received from our friend Anselm this week, as he sincerely aspires us for a better tomorrow. 

And this first one is very interesting and applicable to our lives as true believers in Jesus Christ: ‘Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.’ Yeh friends, when we achieve success in whatever walk of life, that is not our final pinnacle, we don’t just stop there and rest on that plateau, but we keep on learning and attempt to have more success, for resting on our laurels just gives the enemy a brighter spot in our lives. 

As true believers, we need to keep growing in Christ until the day He takes us home. And we all know that what we term failure is not the end, but just the beginning of getting up and starting again. Remember there are no words in Jesus’ vocabulary like ‘failure’ and ‘giving up!’ And He imbues us, through His Holy Spirit with the courage to carry on. So we are not lacking in any way! 

Then there’s this: ‘The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.’ And that’s the living truth my people! When we as good and righteous men do nothing to rectify a wrong situation, then the evil people win! Oh, we often say that it’s not our business and we’re not going to get involved, but what yuh think happens when we don’t eh? The bad guys win! No decision is a decision! 

That brings us to this interesting quote: ‘Wise men speak because they have something to say; fools because they have to say something.’ And isn’t that the awesome truth! Just look at the amount of nonsense that fools are talking over social media nowadays eh! It’s appalling, like we have no life unless we’re totally involved in it. But all power be to them yes, I beg to refrain from it! I talk enough foolishness without spreading it on all the forms of social media that we have nowadays. (smile) Oh, how our society would be greatly improved if some of us would just shut up! 

And the next quote says: ‘LOVE isn’t something you find. LOVE is something that finds you.’ And I guess there’s some truth to that, because ofttimes when we go searching for LOVE we don’t find it, but it’s at the most unexpected and unsuspecting times that LOVE falls right in out laps! I’m sure many of us have fallen in LOVE when we least expected it, with people we’ve least expected to fall in LOVE with! (smile) But that’s the nature of LOVE; God’s greatest attribute! It can hit you at any time, in any place, with anyone! Glory to God! 

And the last quote says: ‘It is during our darkest moments that we must focus to see the light.’ And that my friends is the God-awesome truth! When our world and circumstances are the darkest, that’s when we have to focus most intently and intensely on the light that’s there in our souls, but hidden from us just then. The name of that light that’s always there is Jesus! Yes friends, as John says: ‘That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world.’ 

Yes my brethren, even if you profess not to believe in Jesus, His light has been branded, burnished into your soul on the day you came to be. There’s a li’l pocket in each of us which can only be filled by God, and in there is that true light that shines at the end of the tunnel, we just have to seek it with all our hearts, souls, bodies and minds, it doesn’t just show up, and even if it should, we still have to receive it and accept it, that’s a condition of having the light shine in our lives. 

And now listen to these fateful words of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ on the subject of the Light. ‘Then Jesus said unto them, Yet a little while is the light with you. Walk while ye have the light, lest darkness come upon you: for he that walketh in darkness knoweth not whither he goeth. While ye have light, believe in the light, that ye may be the children of light…’ (John 12:35-36) 

There you have it friends, Jesus declaring that He was the Light of the world! And we all know that Jesus does not, cannot lie, so that must be gospel truth! And His wise advice to the people of His time, to walk in the light, has also been given to us in these turbulent and very strife filled times. However, just like the people of Jesus’ day refused to accept His advice, in like manner, a whole lot of us nowadays are also refusing to accept that heavenly wisdom. 

Chuh! How foolish that is my people, because Jesus is the ONLY ONE who can shine true light on our dark times. But I guess until we really reach the end of our rope, we don’t consider it important to turn to Jesus for help. But that’s so unwise my brethren, because the Father made us, Jesus saved us, and the Holy Spirit dwells in us to show us the way to the true Light. You can’t get away from those facts my brethren, so please let’s make up our minds to seek the true light which will brighten our world for ever and ever nuh! That’s wisdom at its brightest! Much LOVE!

…God is light…in him is no darkness at all… (1 John 1:5)

P.S. Yes, it is late and long, and probably a tad ditzy too, (smile) but I know that with the wisdom of Jesus indwelling you, you can pick sense from nonsense! (smile) Much LOVE!

 

Today’s Scrip-Bit 9 February 2019 Matthew 21:22.

09 Feb 2019 Leave a comment

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

Matthew 21:22.   ​And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.
 

Ah mih people, the sun is shining brightly outside, the gloominess has been lifted, but please be careful because the weather isn’t completely done with its frustrating shenanigans! (smile) 

Yeh, yuh still hearing about the likelihood of getting all the different kinds of winter weather over the weekend, and the place is still white with ice and snow, and the wind is still blowing strong, but we not going to let it bother us. Like the workingman says in his song, we going to do our thing, regardless of what kind of weather shows up! Amen! 

And since it’s Saturday, and we have good reasons to sleep in, (smile) let’s check out some of the quotes our friend Anselm sent us this week, as he aspires to inspire us for a better tomorrow. And this first quote is interesting: ‘I am not a product of my circumstances. I am a product of my decisions.’ 

Now I don’t know if that is completely true nuh, because oftimes our decisions are made because of the circumstances in which we find ourselves. So though the decisions may seal the deal, they can always be leveraged by the circumstances. 

And the next one says: ‘The question isn’t who is going to let me; it’s who is going to stop me.’ And believe me, a lot of people will try to stop you, possibly more than will allow you to do what you want to do, especially in these turbulent times of technological advances and the rise of social media, where every fool and his brother can introduce their two cents worth without revealing their identities. 

But friends, all that foolishness should not stop us in stepping up to the plate and valiantly and powerfully doing what Jesus requires of us. Remember, He had plenty opposition too, but that never stopped Him from doing the Father’s business, and neither should we let whatever opposition comes against us stop us from doing His work. 

Then there’s: ‘Education costs money. But then so does ignorance.’ Gospel truth that! (smile) But somehow or the other, I believe that in this day and age education is costing a whole lot more than ignorance. 

You really don’t have to do much of anything to obtain ignorance nuh, just let the world go by without paying much attention to it, and you will end up ignorant, like so many of us unfortunately are today. We not even paying attention to the good free stuff like Jesus and His LOVE Revolution, so how can we be anything else but ignorant eh? 

And then this last quote says: ‘Believe you can and you’re halfway there.’ I don’t know if you’ll be quite halfway there, but your strong belief in whatever you’re doing is certainly going to get you over the top. It’s like the Chinese Proverb advocates: ‘The longest journey begins with the first step.’ 

And most definitely, the first crucial step in any undertaking is to believe that you can do it, otherwise your odds of success will be greatly lowered. That’s just the way the Lord set up His universe. That’s why Jesus castigated the disciples with these words, when they queried why they could not heal a mentally ill young boy. 

‘And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place, and it shall remove (move); and nothing shall be impossible to you. Howbeit this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting.’ (Matt.17:20-21)  

Yeh friends, we do indeed need even a small grain of belief before we can do anything successfully. Jesus even talked earlier about the parable of the mustard seed: ‘Which indeed is the least of (smallest of) all seeds: but when it is grown, it is the greatest among the herbs (greater than the other herbs), and becometh a tree, so that the birds of the air come and lodge (rest, sleep) in the branches thereof.’ (Matt.13:32) 

So friends, you see that all things start with small beginnings, and that also applies to our faith, our belief in Christ Jesus; we start with a small grain of faith or belief, then as time goes on and we water and feed it with the right nutrients- i.e. the Word of God, prayer and fellowship- our faith will grow stronger and stronger, and just like the mustard tree, we will be able to help others come to Jesus and grow strong in faith too. Glory Hallelujah! 

And likewise, when Jesus put a curse on the bare fig tree, and the disciples marvelled at how quickly it withered away: ‘Jesus answered and said unto them, Verily I say unto you, If ye have faith, and doubt not, ye shall not only do this which is done to the fig tree, but also if ye shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; it shall be done. And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.’ (Matt.21:21-22) 

Yes my people, belief and believing are the corner stones to doing anything successfully in this world…and even more so in Jesus’ realm. So let’s wake up and smell the coffee nuh (smile) and start truly believing, because without true belief, we will never see Jesus! Much LOVE!

…the world says…seeing is believing…but Jesus says…believe it…then you will see it…

P.S. It nice and short and sweet today. (smile) Praise the Lord! Much LOVE!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Today’s Scrip-Bit 28 July 2018 John 10:11.

28 Jul 2018 Leave a comment

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

John 10:11.   I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.

Ah friends, it’s Saturday and some of you are sleeping in, some of you have been up bright and early to do your household chores; as they say no rest for the wicked. (smile) Meanwhile, others are mourning the passing of their dear departed ones, like my friends and family back in Tobago, mourning the passing of their mentor, teacher and pastor, father and friend, Finbar Sebro. 

But yuh know what? It’s all a part of life, and we just have to go with the flow, and once we have Jesus as our helpmeet and guiding light, we WILL make it through, though not always as easily as we desire. (smile) Yeh, we always want the easy way out, but that’s not how God operates. 

Sometimes He desires us to feel the lash, so that we can reach our wits end and turn to Him, or to grow us in the likeness of his Son, our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. But know this, that whatever He allows to come against us, He WILL NEVER allow to conquer us! What an awesome and wonderful God we serve my brethren! 

And since it’s Saturday, let’s turn to some quotes from our friend Anselm, who aspires to inspire us for a better tomorrow. Listen to this first quote: ‘Do what you feel in your heart to be right, for you’ll be criticized anyway.’ And isn’t that living truth! Whatever we do, somebody or some group will criticize us. We’ll never be able to satisfy everybody. However, we have to make sure that’s what’s in our heart is also what’s in the Lord’s heart for us. 

And this next quote sort of runs on from the last one: ‘Do the best you can until you know better, and when you know better do better.’ Yeh friends, that’s all the Lord asks of us; to do the best we can. And as He moves us along from glory to glory and we get more mature in the faith, He does expect us to do better than we did before in the lower class. (smile) 

Then there’s this: ‘Never be bullied into silence. Never allow yourself to be made a victim. Accept no one’s definition of your life; define yourself.’ And I’ll say Amen, to the first two aspects. However, to the last one, I’d like to add, ‘define yourself in respect to God’s will for you.’ If you don’t bring Almighty God into the equation, then you’ll still be a victim. For as they say, if you don’t stand for something, you’ll fall for anything, especially in these deceitful and untrustworthy times. 

And the last quote tells us: ‘The people who follow the crowd will usually go no further than the crowd. The people who walk alone are likely to find themselves in places no one has been before.’ And isn’t that the gospel truth friends! You see it happening all the time, especially in these days of a prevailing and pervasive social media. It’s all about how many followers you have. Steups! And the followers are no brighter than you! 

Now why would I spend so much of my time following the lives of others, to the detriment of mine eh? It’s obvious that the time you spend following others is time lost on your own. Following the crowd, for the sake of merely following the crowd, never benefits the individuals’ involved. It only benefits the leader. 

That’s why it’s always better to be a leader rather than a follower, even though leading is a hard task in and of itself, and it very often causes you to walk down a long and lonely road. But in the end, you will go places that being a mere follower will never take you. 

Friends, the ONLY person we should be followers of, and very avid followers at that, is of Jesus Christ, for He is the ONLY Leader who will NEVER lead us astray. He came down from heaven to be a man like us, He died so that we could be set free from the bondage of sin, and is now interceding for us at the right hand of the Father in heaven… So why would He do all of that and then lead us astray eh? No reason whatsoever! 

Hear His immortal words in our Bit: ‘I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.’ Yes my faithful brethren, the good shepherd looks after His flock with LOVE and tender care, even to the point of dying to save them! Oh precious people, that is exactly what Jesus did on our behalf! Glory to God! 

So why is it so difficult to follow Him eh? Why is it like pulling teeth to bow to His kingship? I guess because we want to do our own thing, and surrendering our lives to Him means giving up our independence and no longer dabbling in the things of the world. 

And Jesus continues imploring us: ‘But he that is an hireling (hired man), and not the shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, seeth the wolf coming, and leaveth the sheep, and fleeth: and the wolf catcheth them, and scattereth the sheep. The hireling fleeth, because he is a hireling, and careth not for the sheep.’ (John 10:12-13) 

Yeh friends, all the other leaders in the world are mere hirelings, working for money and power, and don’t really care about you or I. It’s all about them. And we see it so blatantly in these end times, there are so many dictators and would be dictators. But Jesus is not like that. He truly cares about us, that’s why He died for us. Glory to God! 

So let’s end with this most pertinent statement of His on the topic. ‘I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine.’ (John 10:14) What confident words my brethren! The question now is, do you know Jesus, and does He know you? Let’s hope the answer to that is a resounding ‘YES!’ Much LOVE!

…only the sheep in the Good Shepherd’s fold…will be saved…come the end time…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Today’s Scrip-Bit 21 February 2018 Luke 18:1.

21 Feb 2018 Leave a comment

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

Luke 18:1.   And he (Jesus) spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray and not faint (lose heart).

Looks like it’s going to be another warm, wet and rainy day in my neck of the woods…but that’s better than a cold, white and snowy one any time! (smile) Yeh friends, the winter weather seems to have eased up a little, and are we ever thankful for small mercies! 

And today it seems like we’ll be dealing with prayer in some form and fashion, so let’s begin with two tidbits on the subject. The first comes from the renowned Pastor, F.B. Meyer, who reputedly said that ‘The great tragedy of life is not unanswered prayer, but unoffered prayer.’ 

And there seems to be a lot of truth in that statement, for it’s not that God doesn’t answer our prayers, but rather we don’t pray enough. And why is that eh mih people, when we keep saying that prayer is the most powerful weapon in the world? 

I don’t know nuh. It’s possibly because we don’t truly believe it, or we’ve offered up prayer to our heavenly Father that was not in His will and He refused to answer it, so we end up believing that prayer is a waste of time. But please remember my brethren, the Lord only answers prayer when it’s within His will. 

You can’t go and ask Him for a whole lot of worldly things to satisfy your fleshly desires and expect Him to answer you positively, or even answer you at all. Remember too, that He looks at the motives of our hearts, rather than the words we utter through our mouths, for they can be very different to what’s really in our hearts. 

And the next thing we want to say about prayer, is that it should be our FIRST CHOICE, not our LAST RESORT. Mama Mia! 

And is that ever a problem in the lives of many believers. When a problem arises we’re quick to run to the phone or the I-pad or whatever form of social media we’re using and ask our friends and acquaintances for help, and only when we can’t get a man-made solution, we run to God in desperation and expect Him to help us immediately. 

That’s so wrong my people. In ALL circumstances, God should be the FIRST person we run to, and if He so desires, then He will direct us to go to other people. Remember that our God doesn’t like to play second fiddle. If He can’t be first fiddle, then He doesn’t want to be in the band. (smile) 

And you know it’s amusing that when troubles hit a lot of people who don’t really believe in God, the first words out of their mouths are ‘Oh God!’ So you see friends, two of our basic problems in our prayer life is that we don’t go to God FIRST, and we don’t offer up enough prayers that fall within the realm of God’s will. 

Consequently, our Bit for today is based on the wise and wonderful advice of Jesus. ‘And he (Jesus) spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray and not faint (lose heart).’ 

Oh my believing brethren, if our Lord and Saviour said it, then it must be true. And we have a whole lot of examples of Him constantly getting alone and praying to His heavenly Father. In fact, prayer ruled His life; He did nothing of significance without first consulting the Father, and so should we. 

And Jesus is not the only one who advises us to be strong in prayer. Bruh Paul famously tells us in 1 Thessalonians: ‘Pray without ceasing.’ (1 Thess. 5:17) And to Timothy, he writes: ‘I will therefore that men pray everywhere, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting.’ (1 Tim.2:8) 

Yuh see friends, prayer should be our constant companion, because that’s how we communicate with God. If we are to take ALL our problems to Him, then it’s logical to expect to do a lot of praying in many different places. Oh my brethren, I can’t over emphasize the importance of prayer in a believer’s life, for it’s the basis of all we say and do, it’s how God leads and guides us, in conjunction with His Holy Spirit that dwells within us. 

Now listen to this interesting example of Bruh David crying out to God in prayer, as he pleads for protection against his oppressors. ‘Hear the right (a just cause), O Lord, attend unto my cry; give ear unto my prayer, that goeth forth not out of feigned (deceitful) lips. 

Let my sentence (vindication) come forth from thy presence; let thine eyes behold the things that are equal (upright). Thou hast proved (tested) mine heart; thou hast visited me (searched me out) in the night; thou hast tried (examined) me, and shalt find nothing (evil): I am purposed that my mouth shall not transgress.’ (Ps.17:1-3) 

Now that’s a wonderful prayer friends, but not all of us have the gift of words that Bruh David had, and the Lord doesn’t really need any long and involved prayers, simple but heartfelt words will do. But the important thing is that we pray’ pray often and pray everywhere, without losing heart. 

Now let’s declare our Wednesday Wail to proudly let the world know of our wonderful association with Jesus. With loud voice and strong sense of purpose now. ‘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 that future is surely going to be glorious my people! Much LOVE!

…a future with Jesus could not be anything…but marvellous and glorious…

 

 

 

 

Today’s Scrip-Bit 15 February 2018 1 John 3:18.

15 Feb 2018 Leave a comment

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

1 John 3:18.   My little children, let us not LOVE in word, neither in tongue, but in deed and in truth.

Ah Lord, when is it going to stop eh? When are we going to learn eh friends? By now most of you would have heard of the deadly shooting spree at a Florida High School yesterday afternoon by a 19 year old ex-student. He mowed down 17 people and put another dozen or so in the hospital, some with life threatening injuries. So this morning the death toll might even be higher. 
 
Sadly, it’s not the first, and most likely will not be the last shooting rampage, but what amazes me is why it’s being done so often in schools, and by students too? I won’t even bother to talk about the various government agencies, both State and Federal, doing nothing to alleviate the situation. That’s because the NRA, the Gun Lobby has it all locked up tight in a barrel. Steups! 
 
Now no one is saying that a whole set of laws will stop the shooting, but in the U.S. it’s definitely too easy to acquire a firearm, and of the most dangerous varieties too. And overall, instead of gun laws becoming tighter, they are becoming looser. There are a whole lot of places where you can now walk around legally with an exposed firearm, like the days of the good ole West. 
 
Well then, it stands to logic that if firearms are as prevalent and open as in the West, then you can expect to have many shootings like they supposedly had back then. Meanwhile, the firearms manufacturers are laughing all the way to the bank, because they are not only making a killing in the U.S, but they are also the world’s biggest arms dealers. So which politician is going to want to mess with them eh? 
 
Apparently the shooter bought the assault rifle legally some months ago, and furthermore, it’s been alleged that he had a social media page where he boasted about and showed off his personal armoury. And nobody complained to the police about it. Hn! What does that say about our society eh?  
 
And unfortunately it also happened when Ash Wednesday and Valentine’s Day fell on the same day. Ash Wednesday, a day for turning to God to begin seeking spiritual cleansing, and Valentine’s Day, a day when LOVE is supposed to have a small grip on our normally hateful world. It obviously didn’t have that grip on one young man yesterday. 
 
I really don’t know what to say nuh friends, except to keep promoting LOVE, because that’s the ONLY thing that will truly bring an end to the pandemic violence that’s currently strangling our world. That’s why I turned again to our Bit of the last two days: ‘My little children, let us not LOVE in word, neither in tongue, but in deed and in truth.’ 
 
What else can I do, but plead for LOVE, that wonderful attribute of our great God to be our guiding light and not the evil sentiments and actions of Beelzebub. Consequently, today I’m just going to quote some of the attributes of LOVE, from the LOVE Chapter of the Good Book, 1 Corinthians 13, in the hope that it will soften our hearts and bring us back to our true selves. 
 
Listen as Bruh Paul expounds on the way of LOVE. ‘Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity (LOVE), I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling (clanging) cymbal. And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity (LOVE), I am nothing. 
 
And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity (LOVE), it profiteth me nothing. Charity (LOVE) suffereth long, and is kind; charity (LOVE) envieth not; charity (LOVE) vaunteth not (does not brag on) itself, is not puffed up (arrogant), 
 
Doth not behave itself unseemly (rudely), seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil (keeps no account of evil); Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth: Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.’ (1 Cor.13:1-7) 
 
Yeh friends and fellow believers, that’s just a brief synopsis (smile) of what LOVE is all about. And regardless of what else you have, if you don’t have LOVE, you are NOTHING! 
 
Oh, I know that some of it is very difficult to practice in real life, but as children of God, it is our bounden duty to put LOVE into action as best we can. And with God’s help, doing a good job is very possible. So let’s take a moment today and ponder all those things that LOVE embodies and embraces nuh, see where we are lacking and ask the Lord to help us in those places. It will be of such benefit to all of us. 
 
Now, for those of us who sincerely try to action LOVE, let’s go home declaring our Thursday Blessings, reminding ourselves that when we live with LOVE for God and others, He showers us with extraordinary blessings. 
 
In strong voice now: ‘I declare that I am blessed with God’s supernatural wisdom and receive clear direction for my life! I declare today that I am blessed with creativity, courage, talent and abundance! I am blessed with a strong will, self-control and self-discipline! I am blessed with a great family, good friends, good health, faith, favour and fulfillment! 
 
I am blessed with success, supernatural strength, promotion and divine protection! I am blessed with a compassionate heart and a positive outlook on life! I declare that any curse or negative word that’s ever been spoken over me is broken right now in the name of Jesus! I declare that everything I put my hands to will prosper and succeed! I declare it today and everyday! Amen!’ 
 
Let’s remember too that blessings are meant to be shared, so our next step is to go out and share them with the less fortunate, as Jesus so greatly desires. Much LOVE!
 
…And now abideth faith, hope and charity (LOVE), these three; but the greatest of these is charity (LOVE)… (1 Cor.13:13)
 

Today’s Scrip-Bit 25 July 2017 James 1:19.

25 Jul 2017 Leave a comment

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

James 1:19.   Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath.

Aye friends, the aches and pains really taking a toll on the ole body this morning yes! Imagine waking up more pained than when you went to bed nuh. 

But yuh know what? I’m still everlastingly grateful for being alive on this cloudy Tuesday morning, despite all the aches and pains! Glory to God my fellow believers! 

And I did give Him plenty thanks and praise for causing me to see another day, in spite of it being somewhat difficult to navigate my territory. (smile) And why is that you ask? 

Because I’m simply happy to be alive, plus I know that after I move around a bit, have my cup of rejuvenating java, I’ll feel much better. 

And even better than that, I also know that He is such a great and powerful Deity, that if and when He so chooses, He can heal me completely with a mere snap of His fingers! What an awesome God we serve my brethren! 

I sincerely hope that you also gave Him much thanks and praise as you awakened to another day, because that is the only wise and sensible way to begin a new day on this crazy and convoluted planet Earth! 

Now here is an interesting excerpt from our One Year Book of Bible Promises with writings by Ruth Harms Calkin, that many of us need to come to terms with. It’s called ‘A Quiet Tongue.’  

Please pray with me. ‘Lord, a revealing fact Began to surface today: I talk more than I listen. I seem to be thoroughly convinced That my ideas My inspiring experiences My bits of wisdom Are exactly what all my friends need. 

Too often I break into conversations Confident that my enlightened insight will solve the predicament – Whatever it is. Obviously I feel more comfortable When I’m expounding. 

But this morning at a Bible Study I cringed when I read Your command In the first chapter of James: “Don’t ever forget That it is best to listen much Speak little, and not become angry.” 

At first I wanted to run. But as the words kept battering away At my guilty heart I finally circled them with red ink. Now, Lord, please help me to obey them. Remind me daily, hourly That listening is a discipline And a discipline always costs. 

I know I must pay a price. The price for me Is a listening ear And a quiet tongue.’  

Ah fellow Christians, those words are so true of so many of us that it’s not funny! I know that I’m a major culprit. But I’m better than I was. I remember a couple years ago going to Holy Thursday night vigil at church and getting the zeppo in the empty church loud and clear: ‘LISTEN!’ And did I? Well to some extent yes. But certainly not enough. 

And I know that a lot of us have the same problem; we always feel that our two cents worth will clarify the problems, and if we don’t get them in there as soon as possible, cutting off everybody else, everything will just get muddled and go to the dogs. But the truth is friends, that that is only true occasionally. 

And the point of the matter is that we can’t give a sincere and sensible response to anything unless we listen to what others have to say. Our time will come to expound, but we can’t expound wisely until we know what we’re expounding about. 

And quite appropriately, our Bit for today is the verse the Bible Promise highlights, the awesome words of James. ‘Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath.’ 

Now the sad part is that in this modern age of almost instant communication, we need to obey that command more than ever, because everybody is simply spouting off at the mouth, or at the fingers (smile) because we can, without giving the necessary thought to our communication. 

Just look at the large amount of people who are getting themselves foolishly into trouble with all the social media nonsense! It’s simply causing more strife, bitterness and anger since we use social media like a free for all. 

And unfortunately, as easy and cheap communication spreads further and wider, instead of it getting better, it seems to be getting worse. Ah my fellow believers, that might be okay for the great unwashed, but it has no part in our lives. 

Just listen to these wise words of warning from Cousin Sol nuh. ‘In the multitude of words there wanteth not sin: but he that refraineth (restrains) his lips is wise.’ (Prov.10:19) 

That’s plain and straightforward friends. No rocket science to it. The less you talk, the less sin you’ll commit. But just in case you didn’t get it (smile), then listen to Cousin Sol again. 

‘He that hath knowledge spareth his words: and a man of understanding is of excellent (calm) spirit. Even a fool, when he holdeth his peace (keeps silent), is counted (considered) wise: and he that shutteth his lips is esteemed a man of understanding.’ (Prov.17:27-28) 

What more can I say eh mih people? It is of the utmost importance that believers become good listeners and only talk when it’s absolutely necessary. Any other behaviour is liable to drive potential believers away from Jesus. And we definitely don’t want to do that. 

Now let’s go home declaring our Tuesday Mantra in all sincerity and truth, and hopefully it will help us with our mouth problems (smile). 

As one now: ‘I’m not what I do. I’m not what I have. I’m not what people say about me. I am the beloved of God, that’s who I am. No one can take that from me. I don’t have to worry. I don’t have to hurry. I can trust my friend Jesus and share His LOVE with the world.  Amen!’ 

Yeh friends, we need to share Jesus’ LOVE, but to do so, we don’t have to kill them with talk! Much LOVE!

…it’s best to keep your mouth shut…and let people think you are wise…instead of opening it…and letting them know you are foolish…

 

 

 

 

 

 

Previous Older Entries Next Newer Entries