Today’s Scrip-Bit   7 January 2023   1 Timothy 6:12.

07 Jan 2023 Leave a comment

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

1 Timothy 6:12.        Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called, and hast professed (confessed) a good profession (confession) before many witnesses.

Can you imagine that the first week of 2023 is already in the annals of History? Yes, it is! These past few years have been behaving like a Jamaican fella called Usain Bolt. They only bolting through their paces, regardless of circumstances, with no respect for man nor beast. (smile) I think though that’s just our perspective, for the Lord has set their pace from time immemorial and nothing has changed in his realm. Anyway, this lazy Saturday is a much better day than the last few; the place is dry and still above freezing, with a tad of sunshine fighting through the clouds. 

But enough talk, because we have a lot of stuff to consider from our friend Anselm this past week, as he aspires to inspire us for a better tomorrow. And the first thing he does is wish: ‘Happy New Years to all my friends and family.’ Then continues with these words of wisdom. ‘Things to think about for 2023: 1. Talk less; listen more; 2. Remind yourself you are not the General Manager of the Universe; 3. Sit on your ego; 4. Take one day at a time; 5. Separate worries from concerns. If a situation is a concern, find out what God would have you to do and let go of the anxiety. If you can’t do anything about a situation, forget it; 6. Pray.’ 

Now I can’t find fault with any of that, because it’s all a part of what I’ve been trying to encourage us to do for this New Year, that’s live for Jesus! Then he solemnly advises in the next quote: ‘A fantasy noted down with a date turns into an objective. An objective partitioned into ascertained strides turns into an arrangement. An arrangement bolstered by activities makes your fantasies work out as expected. So, this New Year, take your fantasies, travel the distance to their goal and make them a reality.’ 

Now that’s also ever so true. Our successes usually begin with dreams which we consciously set out to make come true, and we nurture them every step of the way by doing what’s necessary to bring them to fruition. They don’t just blossom and flower like the grass, overnight, but lots of patience, elbow grease and LOVE have to be consumed on them before they become reality. That means we have to put plenty effort into bringing our dreams to fruition; ofttimes work very hard and sacrifice a lot. 

Like Bruh Paul said to Timothy. ‘Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called, and hast professed (confessed) a good profession (confession) before many witnesses.’ (1 Tim. 6:12) Yes friends, that’s how we need to go through life; fighting the good fight, both for Christ and for the dreams that God’s put in our hearts. So, let’s promise ourselves to do just that this new year nuh, because godly warriors are badly needed in this ungodly and evil world. 

Meanwhile, the next quote tells us: ‘Don’t try to lessen yourself for the world; let the world catch up to you.’ And that’s wonderful advice. As followers of Jesus, we must never bow to the world, its ways and its standards. We must always endeavour to bring the world up to our level, not drop down to its substandard level. Remember, we are the light of the world, and we are supposed to shine as such, lead the way, set the example. Remember what John said in his gospel. ‘And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.’ (John 1:5) 

That light was Jesus! And I like how one translation explains it. “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not understood it.” In this sense, it isn’t just that Jesus has overcome the darkness. It’s that He presents such a stark contrast to the defeated sentiment of this world that the darkness does not even understand or comprehend His light.’ Glory be my people! That’s how we ought to be; like Him! And Martin Luther King Jr. apparently said it this way. “Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate: only LOVE can do that.” 

And is that ever the gospel truth! Therefore, this year, let’s pledge to be true lights of Christ nuh. And while doing that, we can also do what this other quote says: ‘Tell someone you LOVE them today, because tomorrow is not promised. To my family and friends, I LOVE YOU.’ Now that should come as no surprise to us, because it’s all a part of living sincerely for Christ. However, saying ‘I LOVE you,’ is something that we don’t do enough of. We expect others to take it for granted. But that’s not how Jesus operates, in His kingdom the spoken word is also important. Remember, it’s how the Lord created the world and all therein, through the spoken word. 

How does Cousin Sol put it in Proverbs: ‘Pleasant words are as an honeycomb, sweet to the soul, and health to the bones.’ (Prov. 16:24) And the scholars explain: ‘The proverb likens the effects of honey to gracious words. These would be words of encouragement, appreciation, comfort or anything positive. Just like honey, these words reach the soul and feel good. We all know how kind words uplift us especially when we need them.’ That’s the indisputable truth! 

And it brings us to the last quote, or rather the last set of instructions for this new year. Our friend Anselm proclaims: ‘This is my change of address notice for 2023: I have moved out from 1 Beggars Alley, located at 2 Poverty Lane at the corner of Bleak and Buster Circle. As of today, I have a brand new home. My new address is: Living Well on 3 Abundance Drive, located at the corner of Blessings Street and Prosperity Peak. No longer will I allow myself to travel on the Begging Peter to pay off Paul route, located at a dead-end Intersection called: I Don’t Have, it connects with Borrowers Junction. 

I no longer hang out at Failure’s Place, near Excuses Avenue, next to Procrastination Point. I’ve moved on to an Upscale Community called Higher Heights with unlimited potential and opportunities for me to succeed. Look at me, each day that I’m awake, I am thankful to be a product of my new environment. All my clothes are tailor made. I’m dressed in life’s finest. Let me introduce you to all of them: Conceive, Believe, Act on, Have Faith, Be Persistent, and Always be Prepared to Achieve. Life is good because God is good! 

Care to change your address? We spend January 1st walking through our lives, room by room, drawing up a list of work to be done, cracks to be patched. Maybe this year, to balance the list, we ought to walk through the rooms of our lives… not looking for flaws, but for potential.’ 

I guess that says it all. 2023 is the year that we must all make big strides for Jesus, if we expect our world to improve and not flounder even further and finally implode. Only we sincere believers can make that happen, working with the power and guidance of the Holy Spirit. Please, I plead with us, to get serious and do our bounden duty; that’s fight the good fight for Christ in this new year of 2023!  Much LOVE!

…one cannot fight a good fight…unless one truly believes…in one’s leader and their cause… 

 Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ              

Today’s Scrip-Bit   8 January 2022 Matthew 7:20.

08 Jan 2022 Leave a comment

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

Matthew 7:20.     Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.

Three days straight of cold but decent sunshine…Now that’s indeed a record! Many of us might not have noticed it as yet, because we’re still abed this Saturday morning, enjoying the lazy pleasures of not having to get up and go out to labour. That’s provided we have jobs, what with the new Covid restrictions put in place this past week due to the quickly spiking cases. 

And since it’s Saturday, let’s turn to the quotes that our friend Anselm sent us this past week, as he wishes us a Happy New Year. Now this first one is long and complicated, (smile) but certainly something we can entertain to our benefit. It says: ‘We spend January 1st walking through our lives, room by room, drawing up a list of work to be done, cracks to be patched. Maybe this year, to balance the list, we ought to walk through the rooms of our lives… not looking for flaws, but for potential.’ 

That’s a very interesting statement, because too often we seem to concentrate on our flaws and mistakes rather than our potential and successes. And that’s not a healthy situation. We need to be concentrating on our God-given potential if we expect to make godly headway in this current confused, strife-filled and ungodly world. 

And to help us generate that kind of thinking, Anselm offers these ‘Things to think about for 2022: 1. Talk less; listen more; 2. Remind yourself you are not the General Manager of the Universe; 3. Sit on your ego; 4. Take one day at a time; 5. Separate worries from concerns. If a situation is a concern, find out what God would have you to do and let go of the anxiety. If you can’t do anything about a situation, forget it; 6. Pray; 7. Do not Worry.’ 

Now all of those are godly, life enhancing recommendations, and we would be wise to embrace them, which I believe starts with doing what Jesus advises: ‘But seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.’ (Matt. 6:33) Yes friends, we cannot, or must never lose sight that our aim, our number one priority is the kingdom of God and His righteousness, because it’s only then that we truly find God and begin to enjoy the life He has destined for us. 

That leads us to this next quote: ‘We attract what we think about, that which we lust after and that which we fear. Anything that consumes our thoughts get manifested in the real world.’ Now that’s the awesome truth! That’s just the way the universe is set up; what consumes most of our thinking will eventually manifest itself in our lives. Thus, if we fixate on lustful, carnal, or fleshly thoughts, like the world suggests, then it’s lustful, carnal and fleshly things that will occur in our lives. 

Cousin Sol warns us in Proverbs: ‘Eat not the bread of him that hath an evil eye (is a miser), neither desire thou his dainty meats (delicacies): For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he: Eat and drink, saith he to thee; but his heart is not with thee.’ (Prov. 23:6-7) Yes my people, we have to be very careful of what others say to us, and consequently, what we say to others, because very often, what comes out of our mouths does not mesh with what’s in our hearts. And the heartfelt stuff is what truly guides us. 

That’s why Jesus warns: ‘Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.’ (Matt. 7:20) We can always tell what kind of tree we are looking at, by the fruit it bears. What, or who we really are will eventually show in our actions, because we are truly guided by what’s in our hearts, not what comes out of our mouths. That’s called hypocrisy. And unfortunately, we are all hypocrites to some degree, because it’s not always what we say we mean. 

But let’s move on to the next quote. ‘Acknowledge that negative thinking has not been helping you. Unless you replace them with positive thinking, you will keep getting the same outcome.’ And that’s oh so true! If you keep thinking one way, mostly negatively, and you’re not getting the results you want, then common sense dictates that you change your way of thinking, try the positive kind. It’s basic logic: you can’t keep doing the same think and expect to receive a different result. 

So please, let’s begin this new year by checking out our way of thinking, and making the necessary changes that will enable our lives to come together and produce positive results. And the best way to do that is by coming to Christ and asking for His divine help. And don’t be afraid, because He NEVER turns down anyone who sincerely comes to Him for help. 

Meanwhile, the last quote tells us that: ‘A fantasy noted down with a date turns into an objective. An objective partitioned into ascertained strides turns into an arrangement. An arrangement bolstered by activities makes your fantasies work out as expected. So this New Year, take your fantasies, travel the distance to their goal and make them a reality.’ 

Now generally speaking that’s how a plan works: we begin with the seed of the idea and build upon it. However, the important thing in a believer’s life is the seed that we intend to plant. Is it an idea that God will approve, is it in His will for our lives? Those are things we need to ascertain before we begin planting or building. That brings us back to Jesus’ words on the tree and its fruit. 

‘Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening (ravenous) wolves. Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil (bad) fruit. A good tree cannot bring forth evil (bad) fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.’ (Matt. 7:15-18) 

Oh my fellow saints, it means that as followers of Jesus we need to come up with good ideas, plant seeds that bear good fruit, fruit that will be beneficial to Christ’s kingdom. The process of growth and bringing plans to fruition are always the same, building, or growing one step at a time, the important aspect is therefore the seed that we’re planting, and the plan that we expect to realize, are they worthwhile in God’s sight? 

And many of us have all kinds of exciting plans for this new year of 2022, but please, let’s stop and consider if they fall into the category of good and timely fruit before we begin to execute them nuh, because if they don’t, the Lord will not allow them to come to fruition. Much LOVE!

…each new year… many plans are born…but most fall by the wayside…because they don’t meet God’s criteria… 

       

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