The Overwhelming Responsibility of Parents to Teach their Children about God!

27 Sep 2024 Leave a comment

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

Psalm 145:4.       One generation shall praise thy works to another, and shall declare thy mighty acts.

And it’s another sunshiny day in my neck of the woods! Thanks be to God! Unfortunately though, our fellow human beings in Southern Florida are not so enthused this Friday morning, as Hurricane Helene has dealt them a disastrous blow coming ashore and creating mayhem in their area! I’m sure they didn’t send up loud and grateful shouts of ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday and the weekend is here at long last!’ Definitely not! Let’s pray for them in their time of dire need, and hope that Helene will not cause any more damage, but head out to sea and spiral down to nothing. 

But it’s certainly been a fierce hurricane season. Before one can be quite done, another has taken its place. Brother! Can we lay all of that at the feet of climate change? Our world has become such a disastrous place recently; what with numerous natural disasters like tornadoes, hurricanes, typhoons, earthquakes, volcano eruptions, and a whole lot of man-made ones too, like wars and rumours of wars. It’s a sad time for children to be growing up amongst all this chaos and indeterminate behaviour, for they can only be indoctrinated with all the negative and ungodly sentiments that are currently filling our world. 

That’s why it’s so important that we believers are busy doing God’s work, spreading the gospel, the good news of Jesus’ work on our behalf. For if we don’t, who will teach the young ones the truth, who will lead them on the straight and narrow path? Definitely not Satan and his evil cronies! Right now my fellow believers we’re facing a major crisis in our faith and in our world, and if we don’t step up to the plate and do better than we’re currently doing, all will be lost. It’s as simple as that! 

As ambassadors and disciples of Jesus, He is expecting us to make a substantial, positive difference in the world, being the salt of the earth, and the light of the world, which we’re certainly not doing, otherwise our world would not be in such a chaotic state, where hate is paramount, and LOVE can hardly be found. It’s a time when all Christians ought to start behaving like true Christians, for if we lose this generation to the evil one then things will get even worse. Let’s remember these words of the psalmist Asaph from Psalm 78 – titled ‘Teach Children God’s laws.’ 

Please read with me: ‘Give ear (listen), O my people, to my law: incline your ears to the words of my mouth. I will open my mouth in a parable: I will utter dark sayings of old (speak obscure sayings or riddles). Which we have heard and known, and our fathers have told us. We will not hide them from their children, shewing to the generation to come the praises of the Lord, and his strength, and his wonderful works that he hath done. For he established a testimony in Jacob, and appointed a law in Israel, which he commanded our fathers, that they should make known to their children: 

That the generation to come might know them, even the children which should be born; who should arise and declare them to their children: That they might set their hope in God, and not forget the works of God, but keep his commandments: And might not be as their fathers; a stubborn and rebellious generation; a generation that set not their heart aright (did not prepare their heart), and whose spirit was not steadfast with God.’ (Ps. 78:1-8) 

Ah friends, teaching the next generation about God has been the responsibility of the parents from time immemorial. That’s how we learned about God. Unfortunately though, we have not done a good job in teaching our children about God, but have allowed the schools and other places to teach them all the other foolishness that now fills their heads. 

And I don’t know if it’s a misdeed we can ever live down, because if this generation doesn’t know God, then who is going to teach the next one about Him? We had better get busy teaching our grandchildren what we unwisely didn’t teach our children, otherwise Satan will be laughing all the way to hell and damnation, since His avowed purpose is to take as many of us with him as possible down to Hades. 

And there are so many scriptures that tell about one generation teaching the next one about God and His awesome works. Like this one from Psalm 145; Bruh David’s Psalm of praise to God’s Unsearchable Greatness, where he writes: ‘Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised; and his greatness is unsearchable (beyond our understanding). One generation shall praise thy works to another, and shall declare thy mighty acts.’ (Ps. 145:3-4) 

And then there are these words from Isaiah. ‘For the grave cannot praise thee, death can not celebrate thee: they that go down into the pit cannot hope for thy truth. The living, the living, he shall praise thee, as I do this day: the father to the children shall  make known thy truth.’ (Is. 38:18-19) Yes friends, when we’re in the grave we cannot tell the children about God, it’s only when we alive and kicking. 

And Moses gave the same instructions to the Israelites way back when. ‘Only take heed to thyself, and keep thy soul (yourself) diligently, lest thou forget the things which thine eyes have seen, and lest they depart from thy heart all the days of thy life: but teach them to thy sons, and thy sons’ sons; Specially the day that thou stoodest before the Lord thy God in Horeb, when the Lord said unto me, Gather me the people together, and I will make them hear my words, that they may learn to fear me all the days that they shall live upon the earth, and that they may teach their children.’ (Deut. 4:9-10) 

Yes my fellow saints, the Lord’s instructions and desires for us to teach our children about Him could not be any clearer! And it’s to our sad record and history that we have not done a better job. However, it’s never too late, so let’s begin right now by going to the throne of grace, through our Friday Chant asking for help to restore ourselves in God’s good grace. 

Altogether: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through this past week. You know it’s been rough…  because our many serious problems are escalating instead of improving. And it’s obvious we can’t fix them on our own, so Lord, we’re desperately crying out for your help. Oh heavenly Father, with your omnipotent help, and our trusting faith, we know that we can stand strong and steadfast and defeat the simmering unrest in our land. We therefore ask you Lord to give our leaders the wise guidance to handle these unexpected storms properly. 

And please help the rest of us to be responsible and to stay safe amidst all the anxiety and confusion of these ungodly times. We fervently pray too Lord that you’ll use the discontent and dissatisfaction in our land as a means of restoring faith in you. Return backsliders to your fold. Show them the error of their ways. And please introduce a new flock of believers, who will embrace your LOVE and compassion by the example, we, your faithful believers set. So that our sinful world can wake up and smell the coffee, wake up and smell it sweet and strong! We pray this in the name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen!’ 

But please note, that divine aid won’t be forthcoming until we begin setting better examples of Christian living! Much LOVE!

…how can the young learn about Jesus…if the elders don’t teach them…

Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien

Today’s Scrip-Bit   22 April 2024 Psalm 133:1.

22 Apr 2024 Leave a comment

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

Psalm 133:1.      Behold how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!

Oh Monday… you beautiful day! Thanks for coming around again so that I can get back out into the dark and dangerous world and share the light and LOVE-filled gospel of Jesus with all those I meet; for that’s my major purpose and greatest desire! Ah friends, I wish that we could all truly feel that way as we return to work on this Monday morning, because it’s only through believers like you and I, as we sincerely spread the enlightening words and deeds of Christ that any real positive and productive changes will ever be made in our rebellious and disobedient world. 

For right now Satan and his evil cronies are running amuck on God’s great earth, and we cannot allow that to go on without trying to stop, or at least curb it. Yes, we believers in Christ Jesus need to put up a valiant fight against that overriding evil that’s currently enveloping our planet. We desperately need to do like Bruh Paul did, when he told Timothy: ‘I have fought a good fight; I have finished my course (race), I have kept the faith.’ (2 Tim. 4:7) And do we ever need to run our race with steadfast faith and trust in Almighty God to help us do His earthly will. 

But because fighting the enemy is not an easy task, we therefore need to do like Bruh Paul also warned Timothy: ‘Thou therefore endure harness (hardship), as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.’ (2. Tim. 2:3) And remember these words of Jesus re discipleship: ‘If any man will (desires to) come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.’ (Luke 9:23) Now, that means being willing to sacrifice our own desires every day if Jesus so desires. And this verse of scripture is also a very telling one: ‘And he (Jesus) spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint (lose heart) (Luke 18:1) 

However, those are the very problems that Christians are having; we’re either too soft or too afraid to enjoin the battle as needs be with the enemy, while some of us just prefer to enjoy the comfortable life and don’t intend to sacrifice anything and/or engage the enemy in spiritual battle at all. But yet we expect to see positive and productive changes in our society and our world. But that’s just a pipe dream my people, because no war will be one if one party just sits on the sidelines and watches the other plunder the spoils, which is what we Christians are doing to a great extent. 

In other words, our efforts and energy are not good or great enough to make a substantial difference in this spiritual war in which we’re currently engaged, whether we like it, or even want to acknowledge it. The long and short of the story is that the enemy is putting up a better fight than we are, that’s why he’s currently ruling the roost, and the only way to turn that around is for us to get busy and significantly increase our puny efforts as one great body of believers. Remember what Psalm 133 says: ‘Behold how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity! (Ps, 133:1) 

And the awful truth of the matter is that Christ’s church is not living in unity, nowhere near it. There’s absolutely too much dissension and division amongst what is supposed to be a unified whole. And until we seriously recognize that and are determined to do something about it, the enemy will be delighted to see us remain disunited, so he can further divide and conquer us! Church unity is the first problem we need to fix before we can even think of making any successful headway against Beelzebub and his crowd of evil doers. 

Unfortunately, what’s happening is that we are fighting each other over mostly petty and unimportant issues; we’re seeing the individual trees instead of the forest as a whole. Consequently, we’re playing right into the enemy’s hands. That reminds me of the time in the reign of King Jehoshaphat, when several of the enemies of Judah came together to war against them. The enemy army consisted of the children of Ammon, Moab and Mount Seir. However when Jehoshaphat and the people prayed for protection, the Lord told them through Jahaziel, not to worry, for He would be with them. 

So, the next day, they went out with worshippers in their front ranks singing praises unto the Lord, and He so discombobulated their enemies that they eventually ended up destroying each other without Judah lifting a hand, and they gained so much spoil that it took them three days to collect it. (2 Chr. 20:1-30) Now that infighting between Judah’s enemies resembles what’s happening in Christ’s church today. We’re falling all over each other, trying to gain the upper hand, but sadly the evil one is reaping all the profits. 

But my fellow saints, I’m pleading with us, if not for our sakes, but for those of our children and their children, let’s wake up and smell the proverbial roses nuh, and truly get together as ONE body in Christ, so that we can fight the enemy in unity, for that’s the only way we’ll ever make any headway against him. End of Sermon! Now, for divine help to do just that, let’s go to the throne of grace in humble confidence, through our Monday Morning Battle Hymn. 

Altogether: ‘Our Father, who art in heaven, we, Your humble servants, praise Your Holy Name and thank You this Monday morning for life and strong faith in Christ, despite the mass confusion in our world. Heavenly Father, You are the ONLY ONE with the power to solve our many problems. Yes, we have all sinned and seriously disobeyed Your Word, but You are a merciful, forgiving and gracious God, who has faithfully promised to hear and answer our prayers when we humble ourselves, pray, and sincerely seek Your face. 

So, we come to You now, with sincere repentance in our hearts, pleading for wise guidance and direction to alleviate our problems. Oh Father, please ease the pain of the many suffering from negative situations, show them Your awesome grace and mercy. And faithfully keep Your promise to prosper us if we turn from our evil ways. Show this evil world that You are indeed Jehovah Rapha; the God who heals! We pray this in the holy and blessed name of Your Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen! And again, we say: Amen!’ 

And it will be to our benefit if we remember on what conditions God promised to help us; if we humble ourselves turn from our evil ways and sincerely seek his face in prayer! Much LOVE!

…no battle can ever be won…unless there’s unity in the ranks…

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

Today’s Scrip-Bit 5 April 2021 Psalm 95:6.

05 Apr 2021 Leave a comment

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

Psalm 95:6.     ​O come, let us worship and bow down: let us kneel before the Lord our maker.

Once more unto the breach dear friends; once more on to a brand new Monday morning, in this most recent and very controversial pandemic lockdown! It’s not surprising that there are so many varying opinions on the status of the lockdown. Some are for it the way it is, some want it even tighter, some want it loser, and some don’t want it at all. And I guess a lot of the opinions boil down to money, the economic factor. If you’re not working, or your business is closed, then you obviously want to get some livelihood going. 

Meanwhile, if you’re a medical proponent, you possible are more concerned with saving lives. It’s a fine balancing act, indeed a most difficult one, and whatever the governments do, many people will be displeased. And many governments are not doing such a great job, in fact some are making an utter mess of the situation. In a recent poll it was found that at the beginning of the pandemic, the citizens were very trusting of the governments to do a good job, but a year into it, they no longer trust the governments to handle it properly. 

And when governments lose the trust of their citizens, that almost always foretells trouble. And we’re indeed seeing a lot of chaos and confusion all over the world right now, due to the handling of the pandemic. So what shall we do to break the stranglehold that this Corona virus has on us eh? You all know my take on the situation; namely that sin and disobedience to God’s laws are too rampant in our world today. Evil is the number one force in the world, instead of LOVE! Selfishness abounds instead of togetherness. 

This means that Almighty God is no longer respected, valued and worshipped to the extent that He should be. We are more concerned with getting rid of Him from our society than placing Him on a pinnacle of glory. Look at the many sad tales of hunger, famine, economic devastation, strife and all the other negative situations in an overall wealthy and prosperous world. It should never be as bad as it currently is my people. The problem is that too few have too much and too many have too little, and until we straighten out that horrible inequity, our world will always be in a state of turmoil. 

But how do we do that, you ask? As far as I am concerned, the answer is very simple; return to sincerely worshipping and obeying the God of our forefathers; the One who created us and still LOVES us, but will not put up with our disobedience and abominable sinful behaviour forever. But we know that the evil one and his henchmen don’t want that, for it will mean losing their current control, and they will fight tooth and nail to retain it. But we Christians need to spring into battle right now, if we’re to make a difference before it’s too late. 

And how do we do that? We can begin by doing what the psalmist says in Psalm 96 – A call to praise God. ‘O Sing unto the Lord a new song: sing unto the Lord all the earth. Sing unto the Lord, bless his name; show forth (proclaim the good news of) his salvation from day to day. Declare his glory among the heathen (gentiles), his wonders among all people.’ (Ps. 96:1-3) 

Now that’s the first move friends; spreading God’s word and His glory over the land. And if we want our efforts to succeed, we can’t be bashful, afraid, or ashamed of doing it, but be strong and stand up like faithful soldiers in Christ’s army, and fight the good fight, keep the faith, like Bruh Paul told Timothy. (2 Tim. 4:7) 

And the psalmist continues his plea for unity and sense of purpose. ‘For the Lord is great, and greatly to be praised: he is to be feared above all gods. For all the gods of the nations are idols: but the Lord made the heavens. Honour and majesty are before him: strength and beauty are in his sanctuary. Give unto the Lord, O ye kindreds of the people, give unto the Lord glory and strength. 

Give unto the Lord the glory due unto his name: bring an offering, and come into his courts. O worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness: fear (tremble) before him all the earth. Say among the heathen (gentiles) that the Lord reigneth: the world also shall be (is firmly) established that it shall not be moved (shaken): he shall judge the people righteously.’ (Ps. 96: 4-10) 

Now that’s the kind of thing believers ought to be doing, not sitting on our fannies, afraid of the evil one, and enjoying the sinful pleasures of the world. We desperately need to do as Psalm 95 tells us. ‘O come, let us worship and bow down: let us kneel before the Lord our maker. For he is our God; and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand (under his care). Today, if ye will hear his voice, harden not your heart, as in the provocation (rebellion), and as in the day of temptation in the wilderness: when your fathers tempted (tried) me, proved me, and saw my work.’ (Ps. 95:6-9) 

Friends, we are being just as stupid as the Israelites were back in the wilderness, trying and testing God with their rebellion and disobedience and surly complaining, forgetting what he had just done for them, bringing them out of four hundred years of bondage in Egypt. And they paid a hefty price for it; wandering aimlessly in the wilderness for forty years, until all the generation that had come out of Egypt were dead, except Joshua and Caleb. And we are running the same foolish, ungrateful joke right now my brethren by trying to move God out of our society. 

I can assure us though, that the consequences will not be pretty, for there are always harsh consequences to stubborn and willful disobedience and sin. So what better time, than this Easter Monday, a day after Christ’s Resurrection, for us to get smart, realize our serious failings and call out to our God, our Maker, for the divine help that only He can give. Therefore, in strong and confident, but humble voice, let’s offer up our Monday Morning Battle Hymn in sincere prayer. 

‘Our Father, who art in heaven, we, Your humble servants, praise Your Holy Name and thank You that this Monday morning we’re alive and standing in faith despite the mass confusion that’s currently prevailing in our world. We desperately need Your divine help, for You are the ONLY ONE with the power to solve our many problems; the pandemic of Covid -19, the racial, political, and religious strife that’s ignited worldwide, plus the many natural disasters that now seem more prevalent than ever. 

Heavenly Father, we admit that we have all sinned and seriously come short in obedience and compliance to Your Word, but we know that You are a merciful, forgiving and gracious God, and You have faithfully promised to hear and answer our prayers when we humble ourselves, pray, and sincerely seek Your face. That’s why we come to You now, with sincere repentance in our hearts, pleading with You to give us, ordinary folks, as well as our leaders, employers and medical personnel, wise guidance and direction to bring our problems under control. 

And for those who are currently suffering from the many negative situations, we pray that You will ease their suffering and heal them. Father, please show them Your awesome grace and mercy, and keep Your promise that You’ll hear our prayer, forgive us, and heal our land if we turn from our evil ways. Show this evil world that You are indeed Jehovah Rapha; the God who heals! We pray this in the holy and blessed name of Your Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen! And again we say: Amen!’ 

Now fellow believers, we have to go out and show that sincere repentance and obedience in all our dealings, so the Lord can positively answer our prayer. Much LOVE!

…the wages of sin is death…only in and with Jesus…can you avoid it… 

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

Today’s Scrip-Bit 24 October 2019 2 Chronicles 26:5.

24 Oct 2019 Leave a comment

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

2 Chronicles 26:5.    ​And he (Uzziah) sought God in the days of Zechariah, who had understanding in the visions (fear) of God: and as long as he sought the Lord, God made him to prosper.
 

So today looks like another rainy and cloudy day, but I guess that’s what fall weather is all about. But who knows, with the way things are going these days, by lunchtime it could be pouring down sunshine! (smile) Yeh, the weather patterns are so unpredictable these days that I feel sorry for the weather forecasters. But regardless of if the physical sun is shining or not, we need to remember that we have the One who created the sun dwelling inside of us, and therefore there should always be a bright light, the bright light of Jesus, shining in our souls and spirits. 

Glory to God for that eternal sunshine! That sunshine that keeps us joyful and fresh, and peaceful and righteous and leads us along the strait and narrow path that Almighty God has ordained for us to follow! Give Him much thanks for His unceasing goodness to us, the disobedient children of men. Without His amazing grace and mercy we’d surely be lost in the mire of sinfulness, headed straight for Hades and its ruler, the evil one. And I’ve just encountered an interesting scripture in the Old Testament that is still oh so relevant to our modern times. It deals with the sixteen year old Uzziah succeeding his father Amaziah as king of Judah. It says: ‘And he (Uzziah) sought God in the days of Zechariah, who had understanding in the visions (fear) of God: and as long as he sought the Lord, God made him to prosper.’ 

What a wonderful scripture for us meditate on and consider this wet and cloudy morning my people, because it is still a happening fact in our time. When you seek God sincerely and constantly, He causes you to prosper. And prosper doesn’t necessarily mean material wealth, but also peace and joy in your life and your surroundings, and the lack of strife and other negative emotions and situations. But before we move on, here are a couple of notices from the scholars. The first is that Uzziah is called Azariah in 2 Kings 14:21; 15:1-7. And the second is that the Zechariah named above is not the same prophet who wrote the prophecy of Zechariah. 

This brings us to another instance where the same basic ideas were floated to a Judean king. Listen to this warning from the prophet Azariah. ‘And the spirit of God came upon Azariah the son of Oded: And he went out to meet (before) Asa, (the king), and said unto him, hear ye me Asa, and all Judah and Benjamin; the Lord is with you, while ye be with him; and if ye seek him, he will be found of you; but if ye forsake him, he will forsake you.’ (2 Chr.15:2) Yeh friends, that warning still applies to us today. And I like what Azariah said after reminding them that Israel had been in a rough state for a long time, without a prophet, disobedient to God, and thus suffering much adversity. However he advised: ‘Be ye strong therefore, and let not your hands be weak: for your work shall be rewarded.’ (2 Chr.15:7) 

Yeh friends, it still works even to this day! Remember Bruh Paul’s words to the Colossians: ‘And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily as to the Lord, and not unto men; Knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance (salvation): for ye serve the Lord Christ.’ (Col.3:23-24) It’s like the author of Hebrews said: ‘But without faith it is impossible to please him (God); for he that cometh to God must believe that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.’ (Heb.11:6) That’s sort of the reverse side of the coin; you can’t come to God sincerely unless you believe that He will reward your diligent seeking of Him. Oh I just went outside to check on a problem and it’s already sunny out there. Yuh see, just like we said earlier on! (smile) Glory to God! 

Now here are James’ words on the subject. ‘Submit yourselves therefore to God: Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw nigh (near) to God, and he will draw nigh (near) to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye doubleminded. Be afflicted (lament), and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness (gloom). Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.’ (James 4:7-10) Oh my people, in these evil times, times of so much selfishness and greed, many of us, even Christians, need to humble ourselves before Almighty God, so that He can lift us up. 

Yes, it’s a fact; if we don’t humble ourselves before Him, there will be no lifting up! And once we do that, He will bless us so abundantly, that we won’t know what to do with the blessings. Listen to some of them. We call them our Thursday Blessings. They need to be spoken out loud for them to take effect, so please declare them with me in loud and sincere voices. ‘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!’ 

And that’s gospel truth friends! But one important reminder: those blessings are for us to generously share with others, as the Lord has generously shared them with us, not for us to selfishly hoard. Much LOVE!

…you can only find God…if you diligently look for Him…

Today’s Scrip-Bit 31 August 2019 Mark 9:35.

31 Aug 2019 Leave a comment

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

Mark 9:35.    ​And he sat down and called the twelve, and saith unto them, If any man desire to be first, the same shall be last of all, and servant of all.
 

And then it was Saturday and the ole fella was late getting up. Late nights have a habit of doing that to you! (smile) And it’s not like I did not get up before, but I felt I wasn’t rested enough to take on the big task of writing the Bit, so I went back to bed to get better rested. And that’s why the Bit is late. However, I know that all of you will understand my sticky situation there, having also found yourselves in similar positions at some or other! (smile) 

But to tell yuh how things change, and how after one time is really two, I did not even realize that this was the long Labour Day weekend until sometime late yesterday. In times past, oh boy, I would have already been in the Big Apple (New York City), or on my way there to attend their Labour Day Carnival Parade. 

But just like the Caribana here has changed, in my opinion, become watered down, so has the New York Labour Day Parade become watered down, also with too much police control now. Steups! As soon as six o’clock comes, they rushing you off the Parkway. And when you add the setta walking …Brother! 

The last time I checked it out, believe it was 2007, mih Aunty Anne and I had to park a mile from the parade and walk like everlasting to reach it! We both said no way again Jose! I haven’t been back since then. Even mih Uncle John and them pan side stop coming out because it just wasn’t the same, didn’t have the same flavour. 

So I wish that all who go nowadays have a good time, but me ent going nowhere! Like I do with Caribana, I will just remember the good memories I have of those events, and like memories do, they won’t ever leave me! (smile) So let’s turn to the more important matters at hand now nuh; the quotes we friend Anselm sent us this past week. 

Hear this first one nuh: ‘Our way of thinking creates good or bad outcomes.’ And that’s for certain sure friends, because it all starts in our minds! Our mind is the battlefield of our souls and bodies. That’s where all the fighting for power goes on between the evil one and the Holy Spirit! For as Cousin Sol informs us: ‘as a man thinks in his heart, so is he.’ (Prov.23:7a). 

Yes my people, whatever we think or focus most on, that’s what we become. That’s why believers need to focus on good things, the things of God, if we want to live successful earthly lives. 

And the next quote says: ‘Happiness comes from within. It is not dependent on external things or on other people. You become vulnerable and can be easily hurt when your feelings of security and happiness depend on the behavior and actions of other people. Never give your power to anyone else.’ 

The problem with that statement is the word ‘happiness,’ because that does come from external circumstances. Now if yuh talking about joy, then that’s a different story, because true joy can only come from within, and it’s there regardless of our difficult outward circumstances. 

That’ why Satan tries his very best to steal our joy, because he knows that when he does that we simply become down and out. That’s because ‘the joy of the Lord is our strength!’ (Neh.8:10) And also why you can’t afford to allow others to control your situations, since they will invariably steal your joy. 

Now listen to this: ‘If you don’t behave as you believe, you will end by believing as you behave.’ So true friends, so true! The corresponding saying is that if you stand for nothing, you will fall for anything and everything! And that’s certainly not a good way to live this hallowed life. So, especially as believers in Christ Jesus, we need to have strong, godly beliefs and stand strong in them, otherwise we’d just be wishy-washy, like so much of the world is today. 

And then there’s this: ‘It does not matter how long you are spending on the earth, how much money you have gathered or how much attention you have received. It is the amount of positive vibration you have radiated in life that matters.’ And we all know that to be gospel truth my people! As Jesus said, ‘Ye shall know them by their fruits.’ (Matt.7:16a) 

And furthermore, come the judgement, all our works will be tried by fire, and we’ll only be rewarded for the ones that withstand the fire. (1 Cor.3:13-15) So we desperately need to build on the only true foundation, which is our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ! 

And the last quote wisely asks? ‘How might you serve someone today? How could you take the time to say “thank you” to someone who has graciously loved and served you?’ Ah friends, those are all questions that we should seriously ponder this Saturday morning, because our destinies depend on them. Remember our mighty and majestic Lord Jesus Christ came down from heaven and became a lowly servant, not the Crown Prince He was entitled to be. 

Remember what He said to the disciples when they were arguing amongst themselves who should be the greatest among them? ‘And he sat down and called the twelve, and saith unto them, If any man desire to be first, the same shall be last of all, and servant of all.’ Oh my people, in Christ’s kingdom, being the greatest oftimes means being the least. And Christ’s desire for us down here is to serve and help those who need help and service. 

Remember too the great example Christ gave us when He washed the disciples feet, did possibly the lowliest and most hated job in those times of dusty streets and dirty feet. And then His memorable words to them: ‘For I have given you an example, that ye should do as I have done to you.’ (John 13:15) 

Oh friends, that is certainly one area in which the overall body of Christ, His church, and we the people of that church are extremely weak! We don’t serve each other, or the numerous lost and hurting as much as we ought to, because we still have too much pride, and still believe like the world does, that the one who is being served is better than the one that’s serving. 

However, that’s contrary to Jesus’ principles. So please let’s check our service meters today nuh, and see how we rank in that area, and take it to the Lord in prayer, because we can ALL do better than we’re currently doing, and that’s a big reason why Christ’s church is not growing and is not as powerful as it ought to be. Much LOVE!

…Jesus came to save the lost…to help the lowly and downtrodden…and that’s what He expects of His church…

 

Today’s Scrip-Bit 23 August 2019 Psalm 103:2.

23 Aug 2019 Leave a comment

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Psalm 103:2.    ​Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits.
 

Happy Friday my people! Now let’s get right into the programme by declaring that it’s the day the Lord has made and we’re supremely glad that we’re alive to rejoice and give thanks for it! Let’s say with Bruh David: ‘Bless the Lord, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless his holy name.’ (Ps.103:1) 

Yeh friends, life might be a bit on the rough side sometimes, but I think that only a very few of us are ready and willing to give up this earthly life for the heavenly one that awaits. The basic reasoning being: Oh, we have eternity to enjoy heaven, but only a few short years to enjoy God’s great earth! (smile) And the ordinary workingman totally agrees, as he sings in his weekend song: 

‘TGIF! Thank God is Friday oui! The week wasn’t too bad, didn’t work too hard at the slave master’s job, but Friday is Friday! Yuh know what I mean? It heralds the weekend! And that’s definitely my time! My time to do as I please; sleep, eat, get wasted or black up, or whatever I choose to do! It’s the only time that somebody else doesn’t have a bit in mih mouth leading me round like a jack! That’s why I appreciate and enjoy the weekends so much. 

And I get time to spend with the family too. Not that I don’t get it during the week, but on the weekend it’s not broken up and fractionalized…Wow! What a way we using big words today sir! (smile) But family is very important. And though you can’t have a good family without a good job, sometimes the job does have to take second place. That’s why we say ‘Thank God for Fridays and the weekends yes!’  

Oh friends, the ordinary workingman might not be overly godly, but he’s not foolish either. He has most of his priorities right. Let’s hope that we believers also have our priorities right… but are also righteous and godly! And we’ll see that by how sincere we are as we chant our Friday Chant. Remember the Lord looks at the motives of our hearts, not our outward actions. So altogether now, let’s chant: 

‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through another week of work! It hasn’t been easy, but with your generous help, I made it through. Now, please help me to get sufficient fun, fellowship, rest and relaxation in these two short days off, so that I can be renewed and refreshed in soul, body and mind, to go back out and do it all over again next week, furthering your glorious kingdom with each step I take. I pray this in Jesus name. Amen!’ 

Yes my people, we’re not as free and easy as the ordinary workingman. We have certain boundaries set by our Lord and Saviour and Leader, Jesus Christ. Boundaries that hopefully keep the enemy from infiltrating our righteous lives and causing us more problems than we already have. 

That’s why we can’t be as blasé and carefree as the unbeliever. But that doesn’t mean we can’t or should not enjoy life, because that’s exactly one of the reasons Jesus gave up His sinless life on the cross; that we might have life, and have it more abundantly. (John 10:10) 

All praise and glory be unto our heavenly father for His great, unconventional, unconditional, indescribable and everlasting LOVE for us, His sinful and disobedient children! And that’s why this morning we will wisely and thankfully say like Bruh David did so long ago: ‘Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits.’ 

Wow! Is that ever wisdom in spades my faithful, believing brethren! And if you don’t believe me, then listen to some of the reasons Bruh David gave for his proclamation of thanks and praise. ‘Who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases; Who redeemeth thy life from destruction; who crowneth thee with LOVING-kindness and tender mercies; Who satisfieth thy mouth with good things; so that thy youth is renewed like the eagle’s.’ (Ps.103: 2-5) 

Oh my people, if those aren’t things to greatly rejoice over and give much thanks and praise for to Almighty God, our Creator and heavenly Father, then I don’t know what is nuh! And that’s not all we need to thank and praise Him for nuh! Hear Bruh David as he continues his litany of God’s goodness. 

‘The Lord executeth righteousness and judgement for all that are oppressed. He made known his ways unto Moses, his acts unto the children of Israel. The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and plenteous (abounding) in mercy (LOVING-kindness). He will not always chide (strive): neither will he keep his anger for ever. 

He hath not dealt with us after our sins; nor rewarded us according to our iniquities. For as the heaven is high above the earth, so great is his mercy (LOVING-kindness) toward them that fear (reverence) him. As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us.’ (Ps.103:6-12) 

Oh friends, oh friends, if we’re not thankful for anything else, we should be everlastingly thankful and grateful that the Lord doesn’t deal with us as we deserve, otherwise we’d all be dust and ashes, sweltering in Hades with the evil one himself as our eternal companion! 

But thanks be to God that he casts away our sins, and gives us a chance to come to know and accept His Son Jesus Christ, so that we can receive forgiveness and salvation and dwell with Him in heaven, instead of that other disgusting option! (smile) Yeh friends, ‘Like as a father pitieth his children, so the Lord pitieth them that fear (reverence) him. For he knoweth our frame (understands our constitution); he remembereth that we are dust.’ (Ps.103:13-14)  

And so He should my brethren, because He is the one who created us from the dust of the earth, to which we all must return some day. So please ponder all that we’ve spoken about today and wisely turn to our Creator for whatever we need, because everything in His universe belongs to Him, and He is indeed the One who enables us to get health, wealth and good times! Much LOVE!

…eternal life is a must…but where we spend it…depends solely on us…

 

Today’s Scrip-Bit 23 May 2019 John 14:27.

23 May 2019 Leave a comment

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John 14:27.   ​Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.
 
To all my Scrip-Bit friends and family, ‘beloved of God, called to be saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ!’ Yes fellow saints in Christ, may God’s grace and peace be with us this day, as we go out to do His will. 

And the scholars offer this interesting explanation of Bruh Paul’s favourite greeting. ‘1:7. Called to be saints: This tells how they got to be saints, namely by way of God’s call. (cf. Rom.8:30) Grace is the typical Greek greeting, whereas peace is the traditional Hebrew greeting.’ 

So canny man that he was, Bruh Paul put the two together to make his own. And believe you me friends, we need both the grace and peace of God, everyday we awaken to the cacophony and evil that’s currently going on in our world, if we’re to ever make a move forward! They are the only things that will keep us steady and steadfast and allow us to manoeuvre successfully in this world. 

And what is grace you ask? It’s simply God’s unmerited favour! He gives us stuff that we don’t deserve; stuff to help us get through this life in His way, as we seek first His kingdom. Just like mercy is basically not receiving the punishment we truly deserve. Yeh, they are simple terms, but are they ever important and effective if we want to live a truly Christian life! 

And peace…Oh friends, that’s the most wonderful of all God’s valued gifts. For when there is peace in your soul and spirit nothing moves you, nothing disturbs your equilibrium! Even in the most dangerous and life threatening storms you are calm and unmoveable because you have that wonderful peace of Jesus within you! Wow! 

And what kind of peace are we talking about, what peace is that, that’s so powerful it can calm us even in the time of storm? Remember, He’s the man who literally calmed the storm! ‘Even the winds and the sea obey him!’ (Matt.8:23-27) Oh friends, there is ONLY one kind of peace that’s so powerful, and that is the peace we receive from our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ when we sincerely believe in and follow Him! 

And all His saints gratefully cried out: ‘Thank You Lord Jesus! Thank You for Your amazing peace so that we can handle this crazy, strife-filled, ungodly and evil world!’ And why is this peace so different from any other kind of peace? Because it comes from Jesus and it’s just different. Hear him tell it: ‘Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.’ 

Hello there mih breddren! Jesus’ peace is nothing like what the world offers, because He’s conquered the world and all it’s evil, and like a mighty conqueror gives his citizens peace after the war, so does Jesus give His peace when you come to Him in humble sincerity. Hear these winning words of His later on. ‘These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation, but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.’ (John 1:33) 

Glory to God my people! Jesus, by His triumphant resurrection on Easter Sunday, has indeed defeated hell, death and the grave and taken away the keys from the evil one. Therefore in that immortal victory, all of His followers can find a substantial peace, a peace that’s not available to anyone else, or from anywhere else! 

As Bruh Paul so appropriately declared (yeh!) to the Romans: ‘Who shall separate us from the LOVE of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that LOVED us.’ (Rom.8:35-38) 

Mama Yo! What powerful and reassuring scriptures my brethren! If we sincerely believe in Jesus then all the problems of the world will not separate us from His awesome, amazing and ever-so-wonderful LOVE! That’s the power that’s found in Him! And you see it in Bruh Paul’s own life. All the trials and tribulation he endured, didn’t turn him away from Christ! In fact it made him stronger! 

As he said so powerfully in his missive to the church at Philippi: ‘Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.’ (Phil.3:13-14) 

Yes friends, Bruh Paul wisely put his guilt from his earlier harassment of the church, as well as all his previous successes in building Christ’s church behind him, so that he could press on to the high calling of God, meaning there was still work to be done, and he could not afford to rest on his laurels. 

Oh my people, the same thing applies to us today. Please, let’s put all our guilt and whatever else behind us and press forward to the high calling that God has in store for each and every one of us! It’s time we took the bull by the horns and just moved forward as one, as one body, as Christ’s strong and immovable church! Amen! (smile) 

And with that stirring plea, let’s go home now declaring (yes!) our Thursday Blessings, outlining some of the grace that our God has so plentifully bestowed on us as believers in His only Son, our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. In full voice, sincere hearts and strong sense of purpose: ‘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!’ 

Glory be mih people! But please note the proviso in that bountiful display of grace: we are not to hoard it, but to share it generously with others, just like Christ shared it generously with us! Much LOVE!

…sailing in this life… with Jesus as your guide and pilot…NO storm can disturb your peace of mind…

 

 

 

Today’s Scrip-Bit 3 May 2019 Psalm 78:7.

03 May 2019 Leave a comment

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

Psalm 78:7.   ​That they might set their hope in God, and not forget the works of God, but keep his commandments.
 
And if you think that the showers of blessings from heaven haven’t been cascading down, then you’re sadly mistake! (smile) It’s been going on for most of the night! Yeh friends, the ole rain is continuing its onslaught against the land, and still causing serious flooding in several areas around the country. Please, let’s pray for those unfortunate citizens, and help in whatever way we can, for we never know when our number is going to play, and then we need help too. 

And one unhappy camper is our ordinary workingman, as he sings his Friday song: ‘TGIF! Thank God is Friday yes, but more bloody rain again! Last weekend was the same blooming thing; rain and more rain! And during the week too! Most days I had to be wading through the thing to get to the slave master job…and he doh care if hell or high water come, he want you to reach his slave job on time…and yuh can’t even tell him that yuh sick nuh, else he want a doctor note and all that chupidness! 

Ah Lord, when the nonsense going to stop eh? I’ll live with it during the week, but come the weekend, that is my time to play…and I can’t play in endless rain, especially when the weather just getting warm! Steups! But I guess we have to be thankful for small mercies yes! I don’t have to go to work for two whole days, and it might just give me some useful time with the family, instead of being out and about palavering and partying. Thank God for Fridays and weekends oui!’ 

Yes mih people, at least the constant rain is causing some of us to stay at home, instead of being out and about. That just might do something to improve family relationships, or too much time together might just spoil them…who knows? But anyway, let’s chant our Friday Chant, which is somewhat more restrictive than the workingman’s song, because our Leader, Jesus Christ, wants us to be a tad more finicky in our comportment and deportment. (smile) 

So as one loud voice now, let’s chant: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through another week of work! It hasn’t been easy, but with your generous help, I made it through. Now, please help me to get sufficient fun, fellowship, rest and relaxation in these two short days off, so that I can be renewed and refreshed in soul, body and mind, to go back out and do it all over again next week, furthering your glorious kingdom with each step I take. I pray this in Jesus name. Amen!’ 

Yes my fellow believers, we too are entitled to fun and games, but just a li’l more cautiously, so we don’t allow the evil one to invade our space. But rest and relaxation are also important, otherwise we won’t be able to fulfill our duties properly next week. And just like the slave master, Jesus is also a stickler for workers being on time and doing their duties diligently and excellently. So there you have it! (smile) 

And today I think we need to read and remember the words of Asaph, as he expressed them in Psalm 78. ‘Give ear (listen), O my people, to my law: incline your ears to the words of my mouth. I will open my mouth in a parable: I will utter dark sayings of old: which we have heard and known, and our fathers have told us. We will not hide them from their children, showing to the generation to come the praises of the Lord, and his strength, and his wonderful works that he hath done. 

For he established a testimony in Jacob, and appointed a law in Israel, which he commanded our fathers, that they should make them known to their children: That the generation to come might know them, even the children which should be born; who should arise and declare (yes!) them to their children: That they might set their hope in God, and not forget the works of God, but keep his commandments.’ (Ps.78:1-7) 

Ah friends, those are mightily important words! Words that we too ought to know and do! In the olden times there was no written Bible or anything like it, that means the history of the people had to be told orally, handed down from generation to generation. And that’s how the stories in the Good Book managed to keep going until they reached a time that they could be written down. 

But the inherent commandment, well it’s not really inherent, but totally spelled out, is that one generation should enlighten the next about the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, His character and good works towards sinful mankind. Moses told it to the Israelites when they came out of bondage in Egypt. The Lord told it in spades to Joshua (Josh.1:8-9) when He made him the leader of Israel after Moses’ death, before they actually went into the Promised Land. 

And it’s been handed down from generation to generation after that, until it has come to ours. Unfortunately though our generation has made a sad mess of things. We have not adequately instructed our children in the ways and means of Almighty God, that’s why so many of them are lost and gone astray, have no solid foundation on which to build their lives, and are so susceptible to any nonsense that some charismatic person promotes.  

I don’t know if a generation in modern times has been so ungodly, been so badly taught, or not taught at all, as our children. And there’s nobody to blame but ourselves. We’ve allowed this ungodly and secular society to take God out of the schools and other places, where there was at least a smattering that the children could access. But even worse, we the parents of this generation have stopped going to church, have stopped teaching the children at home. 

Remember charity begins at home, and it’s our responsibility to teach our children, not the schools or the church! But as parents we have become soft and sappy, afraid of our children, letting them have their own way, assisted by the numerous worldly things that are constantly spewed at them! 

Chuh friends! We’ve done a bad job raising our children in a godly manner. There are no doubts about that! But we’ve still got a li’l time left, so please, please, let’s do what we can with our children, but more than ever, work on our grandchildren, so that the Word of the Lord won’t be lost to the following generation. 

Remember how the Word was lost to the children of Israel when they went into captivity in Babylon, and a whole generation heard it for the first time when Ezra and Nehemiah read it to them. (Neh.8) I sincerely pray that that won’t happen to our children, and our children’s children! In Jesus’ name! Amen! Much LOVE!

…how sad…if our generation caused the Word…to be lost to generations to come…

 

Today’s Scrip-Bit 24 November 2018 John 8:36.

24 Nov 2018 Leave a comment

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John 8:36.    If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.
Oh friends, it’s Saturday; the day of late sleeping in and of late night parties! Mama Yo! That’s my kind of day! As you can see I’ve availed myself of the first, but doubt I’ll do so for the latter. (smile) Anyway, I do hope you youngsters can avail yourself of both, like I did in my youth. 

 

Come to think of it…that youth now seems like it was a long long time ago, a mere glimmer in my thoughts. And you don’t need to rub it in and tell me that yes, my youth was a long time ago, because no one knows that better than me. (smile) And though my body might be a bit on the aged side, my spirit will remain forever young, thanks be to our great God! Give Him thanks and praise my people, for His wonderful grace, mercy and forgiveness to the undeserving children of men! 

And since it’s Saturday, let’s look at some of the quotes our friend Anselm sent us this week, in his noble effort to inspire us for a better tomorrow. Hear this first one: ‘If you have no critics you’ll likely have no success.’ And that’s basically true, because there are so many people out there who will be jealous of your success that they will find even the smallest and most fake criticism, to try and disrupt your success. 

So if you’re seeking success in this evil world, then make sure you’re ready for and up to criticism. And the more success you have, the harsher the criticism will usually be. 

And the nest quote says: ‘Humans have a light side and a dark side, and it’s up to us to choose which way we’re going to live our lives. Even if you start out on the dark side, it doesn’t mean you have to continue your journey that way. You always have time to turn it around.’ Now the basic premise of the statement is true; we do have dark and light sides, and we can turn them either way, the problem though is the last sentence, concerning time to turn them around. 

Please friends, please note that we don’t ALWAYS have time to turn our lives around, for none of us knows the day nor the hour that Jesus will call us home, or return to earth a second time, and once that happens all bets are over. So I would suggest that if we’re living on the dark side, that we gravitate to the LIGHT, which is Jesus, RIGHT NOW, to avoid getting caught out in the dark. 

For as I keep saying, that’s the worst thing that can ever happen to a human soul; forced to endure eternity in the dark with the prince of darkness, the evil one, and not in the light with Jesus, the Way, the Truth, and the Light! 

And then there’s this: ‘The media’s the most powerful entity on earth. They have the power to make the innocent guilty and to make the guilty innocent, and that’s power. Because they control the minds of the masses.’ Now in a sense that’s true, since the media does spread its controlling tentacles far, wide and deep. 

But have no doubt of this my faithful believers; the Lord God Almighty IS, and always will be, the mightiest power on this earth, His Creation, which He controls with an iron fist. Have you ever seen the media work miracles in your lives? Have they provided food, clothing and shelter when you so badly needed them? But the Lord God has done it all…and more! 

The Lord can make us believe anything He wants us to by merely thinking it. But for some reason, in His ultimate wisdom, He gave us free choice, which allows us to go against His will. The media can’t do that. So although they are powerful, they ARE NOT, the most powerful entity on earth! Matter fixed! 

Now the next quote says: ‘You can’t separate peace from freedom because no one can be at peace unless he has his freedom.’ And that’s definitely not true! We can have peace with and in Jesus though we are enslaved! Freedom is a much ballyhooed idea that has caused more problems in this world than anything else, and we still are not free, because it seems impossible to be truly free. 

We always need to believe something, or become attached to something or someone, which controls our minds and behaviour, thereby making us not free. But friends, the greatest amount of freedom one can have is by being a believer in Jesus Christ. For as our Bit says: ‘If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.’ 

Oh friends, please be wise and listen to Jesus nuh. He came to earth and sacrificed His sinless life to set us free from the certain death we were heading towards as sinners. As the Good Book wisely declares: ‘For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.’ (Rom.6:23) 

And the scholars explain: ‘6:23. Wages: Emphasizes what we deserve. Gift of God: Emphasizes God’s unmerited favour.’ So my brethren, yuh see the great difference between what we deserve and what we can achieve through Jesus! Glory Be! 

And Bruh Paul puts it this way to the Galatians: ‘Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.’ (Gal.5:1) Yes friends, Christ through His death on the cross paid for ALL of our sins, but you need to believe in Him, before you can be set free, for He is the ONLY conduit to that freedom; the greatest and most important freedom in God’s universe. 

Please accept Him in your hearts, minds, souls and bodies today. It will be the wisest decision you have ever made. Much LOVE!

…only in Christ…can a human being enjoy true freedom…freedom from worry…freedom from want…freedom from death…

 

 

 

 

Today’s Scrip-Bit 8 November 2018 John 17:16.

08 Nov 2018 Leave a comment

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

John 17:16.   ​They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.
 
Well the sun seems to be fighting a valiant battle out there against the dark, evil clouds that want to cover it up and shut it out from providing light for our day. But yuh know what friends? Whether the sun wins, or the dark clouds prevail, we will still be awright, in fact blessed, because we have the GREATEST, the ONE and ONLY, Jesus Christ in our corner, and He has the power to make ALL things right! Glory to God! 

So we don’t really have to be overly concerned about whether the sun shines or not, since Jesus is the true LIGHT of the world! Give Him much thanks and praise my people! And to further sweeten things, without His selfless sacrifice on the cross at Calvary, and His triumphant resurrection on Easter Sunday, we’d all be headed for Satan’s hell instead of Jesus’ heaven! 

Wow mih breddren! No amount of thanks can ever be sufficient for those acts of selflessness by our Lord and Saviour! So let’s just worship Him, and praise Him, and give Him all the glory nuh, like we should, instead of trying to cozy up to Satan and his evil buddies, who only have evil in their hearts and no LOVE at all for their fellow man. 

No, we definitely should not be kow-towing to their values, their beliefs, their self-serving culture, seeking to build up their earthly treasures, because it all goes against the very grain of what our Leader Christ teaches us. Our concerns should be more heavenly than earthly. Now that doesn’t mean we don’t have to pay serious attention to our earthly life, but that our focus should not be so steadfast on it, that we lose sight of our life to come in heaven. 

Remember what Jesus said yesterday: that wherever our treasures are stored up, that’s where our hearts will be. (Matthew 6:21) Well the same way He declared to the Father, re our worldliness: ‘I have given them thy word; and the world hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.

I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but thou shouldest keep them from the evil (one). They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. Sanctify them (set them apart) through thy truth: thy word is truth.’ (John 17:14-17) 

Ah friends, once we receive Jesus Christ as our Lord and Saviour and His Holy Spirit comes to indwell us, we automatically become enemies of the world, hated by it because our ways don’t conform to their evil ways. And they shouldn’t because Jesus teaches a whole different way of life; one of LOVE and caring, compassion, grace, mercy and forgiveness, and the world holds most of those things in scornful disdain. 

So as Bruh Paul said so unequivocally to the church at Rome: ‘And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.’ (Rom.12:2) Yes friends, we are to steadfastly resist being poured into the same mould as the world, for we are only pilgrims, sojourners here on earth, and our real home is in heaven. 

And the battle all begins and ends in our minds! That’s because the mind controls our actions. So that’s where the evil one keeps fighting for supremacy. But if we keep Jesus steadfast in our hearts and sight, we will be able to defeat the enemy.

And as John in his epistle so sternly admonishes: ‘LOVE not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man LOVE the world, the LOVE of the Father is not in him.’ (1 John 2:15) 

It couldn’t get any simpler or clearer than that my fellow believers. Satan is the ruler of this world, and if you LOVE the things in his world, then you cannot have true LOVE for the Father too.

As Jesus so rightly said: ‘No man can serve two masters…Ye cannot serve God and mammon.’ (Matt.6:24) And that’s gospel truth. So if the things of the world are our main focus in life, then I’m sorry friends, but we don’t truly have God in our hearts. That’s just the simple logic of the situation. 

And what’s the solution to the whole ‘confuffling’ situation? Again, Jesus provides us with the simple and straightforward answer: ‘But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.’ (Matt.6:33) 

Ah my people, please remember that God is the Creator and Provider of all good things, so it is certainly possible for Him to provide the things that we need in this world to live it successfully, but we have to be obedient to His will. It’s that simple. 

And having said all of that, let’s go home declaring (Spelled it right! Glory to God!) our Thursday Blessings that the Lord has so generously bestowed on His followers. All together now in strong voice, for remember a blessing is not a blessing until it’s been spoken over someone. 

‘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!’ 

And those blessings are not for us to selfishly hoard, but to go out and share with the less fortunate. That’s Jesus great desire. So let’s go out and do just than nuh my faithful brethren! Much LOVE!

…living for Jesus can indeed be tough…but just think about all the wonderful rewards…both earthly and heavenly…that moths will not eat…that will not decay…or be stolen…

 

 

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