Today’s Scrip-Bit   13 November 2023 James 4:10.

13 Nov 2023 Leave a comment

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

James 4:10.        Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.

And we’ve been blessed with a bright sunny Monday to begin our new work week, with double digit temperatures! Please give the Lord some thanks and praise for it, because it could have easily been rain and snow instead! (smile) Ah friends, I do hope that we’re out there blowing away the heathen with our superb salty flavour and blinding them with our heavenly light, so that they can know we’re not just ordinary people, but sincere followers of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, the One who sacrificed His sinless life on the cross at Calvary so that our sin debt could be paid in full, and we could thus be reconciled back to our heavenly father. Glory be! 

What a wonderful Lord and Saviour is our Jesus! He is the shepherd of our souls: He said it Himself: ‘I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep….I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine.’ (John 10:11, 14) And not only is Jesus our good shepherd, but He’s also the way, the truth, and the life, and no man comes to the Father but through him! (John 14:6) Wow! Jesus has the best way for us to live this earthly life! In other words, He’s our EVERYTHING! And we are NOTHING without Him! 

Listen as He tells it loud and clear: ‘Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. I am the vine, ye are the branches: he that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.’ (John 15:4-5) 

Mama Mia! What a powerful, all-encompassing statement! Without Jesus we can’t do much of anything. And that’s the gospel truth, for the universe and all there is belongs to Him, He created it, for His pleasure. Bruh David said it thus in Psalm 24: ‘The earth is the Lord’s, and the fulness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein. For he hath founded it upon the seas, and established it upon the floods (rivers).’ (Ps. 24:1-2) 

And likewise friends, the Lord created us in His own spiritual image to honour and glorify Him. He breathed the breath of life into each human being He created and can just as summarily take it away. And we had better learn to respect that li’l piece of info, for it’s why, when the Grim Reaper appears to take us home, we are helpless to say no. 

Furthermore, since the earth and everything in it belongs to the Lord, that means it’s also the Lord who allows us to get wealth and live the good and comfortable life. As Moses reminded the Hebrew children so long ago on their way to the Promised Land. ‘But thou shalt remember the Lord thy God: for it is he that giveth thee power to get wealth.’ (Deut. 8:18) In fact my faithful brethren it’s the Lord who gives us power to get or do anything whatsoever! And physical wealth and abundance is one of God’s great blessings for those who are obedient and follow His divine will. 

And since God did not want us to be merely robots, He gave us what we call free choice; the ability to do as we please. However, that free choice does come with serious repercussions if we don’t do His will. He gave us the free choice expecting that we’d be wise enough to use it follow Him not the evil Satan, like so many of us are doing. And that’s why the sin and evil in this world are eating us up and spitting us out like wood chips from a wood factory. We cannot control the evildoers and their evil deeds by our own efforts. No, we need the health and strength and the complete wherewithal of Christ Jesus to do it. 

And it’s not always easy to fight off the devil, but as James says it begins thus: ‘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 double minded. 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) Now that right there says it all friends. We need to humble ourselves in God’s sight, not behave proud and arrogant and like we have no need for Him. 

As James says earlier on: ‘Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will (wants) to be a friend of the world, is (makes himself) the enemy of God. Do ye think that the scripture saith in vain, The spirit that dwelleth in us lusteth to envy (yearns jealously)? But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble.’ (James 4:4-6) 

Oh my people, once upon a time we were complete enemies of God, but when the time was right He sent Jesus to die for us so that we could become His children once again. Now we have the choice, the option of being a child of God or one of Satan. It only makes complete sense to choose the best option, that of being a son of God, for the other option only leads to hellfire and damnation. But that calls for humbling ourselves before Him. So let’s do that right now nuh, approach the throne of grace through our Monday Morning Battle Hymn, asking for divine help. 

Altogether now: ‘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 if we’ve truly learned our lesson, then we’ll turn from our evil ways and humble ourselves before Almighty God! Much LOVE!

…the Lord hates the haughty…they are an abomination unto Him… (Prov. 6:17)

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

Today’s Scrip-Bit   30 October 2023 Colossians 3:17.

30 Oct 2023 Leave a comment

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

Colossians 3:17.       Whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.

Is it Monday already? Yes! But how can it be, when the weekend just began, and I haven’t recovered from last week’s work as yet! (smile) Oh, I know that’s a question that floats around the world every Monday morning. The insinuation is that the two days off over the weekend are not sufficient to recuperate from the five days of consecutive work. And in some places and professions this has been accepted and a four-day work week has been implemented. 

But I can assure you that come Monday morning after the three-day weekend, the result is exactly the same as after the two-day weekend. The time off was not enough! But I believe what happens in that instance is that there’s too much time off between work periods. We get so accustomed to being at home, relaxing for three days, that it then becomes difficult to resuscitate ourselves, to get ourselves back into the work ethic frame of mind. And it will be even worse when we go to the three-day work week, as some are advocating for. 

And how do we solve this problem eh? I really don’t know, and can only suggest that we become true and serious disciples of Jesus Christ and sincerely embrace His work ethic, one of constant diligence and excellence and complete obedience to will of the Father. And as the Bible teaches us, ‘Whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.’ (Col. 3:17) That’s the only way my finite mind can think of to get rid of the Monday morning blahs, and all the foolish excuses we dredge up not to go to work. (smile) 

And the scholars agree with me, when they explain that verse thus: ‘The beneficial influence produced by the indwelling word of Christ is not only to affect public and private worship (vs. 16), but it is also to control ALL areas of Christian life.’ Yuh see that friends, the indwelling of the Holy Spirit is responsible for all we believers do, to keep us on the straight and narrow path. And I know telling you to look up verse 16 for yourself  is a waste of time, (smile) so let’s look at it together. It wisely advises: ‘Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.’ (Col. 3:16) 

And as the scholars explain: ‘When believers are forbearing, forgiving (vs. 13), and LOVING (vs. 14), toward one another, when peace reigns among God’s people (vs. 15), then the church is fertile soil for the blessings produced by the word of Christ.’  And that is what we’re supposed to be striving for; making the church of Christ’s soil fertile for His rich blessings by living in peace, harmony and LOVE with each other, regardless of our colour, creed or race. 

Remember, yesterday we noted where Jesus said that He had two flocks, Jews and Gentiles, which He would eventually combine into ONE, with only ONE Shepherd. (John 10:16) That means if the two flocks don’t behave the way Jesus wants, then the whole show will crumble. And sadly, that’s exactly what’s happening today; there are too many divisions and denominations in the church, with too many petty differences driving and keeping them apart. That’s why Jesus said to the disciples: ‘A new commandment I give unto you, That ye LOVE one another; as I have LOVED you, that ye also LOVE one another. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have LOVE one to another.’ (John 13:34-35) 

Now, are we keeping that commandment my fellow believers? Not on your life! There’s more infighting and petty resentments in the church than in Satan’s kingdom! That ought to tell us something! That we’re not true disciples of Christ. If we were, there wouldn’t be so many divisions and as much infighting in Christ’s church. We’d be standing proud in unity and working diligently to defeat the enemy by spreading Christ’s gospel all around the world like He asked us to do. But no, we’re so busy fighting each other that in the meanwhile the enemy is taking over the world, and the evildoers are being triumphant. 

What saddens me the most, is that the enemy doesn’t even have to use the usual tactic of divide and conquer, because we are dividing ourselves and allowing him to thus get the better of us. And to make matters even worse, too many of us supposed believers have gotten so comfortable in this evil world, surrounded by all its’ amenities, that we’re much more interested in sitting on our fannies and enjoying our creature comforts than getting out into the evil world and teaching others about the wonderful Lord and Saviour we have in Christ Jesus. 

That’s why they say the worst kind of Christian is a comfortable Christian. And it’s the truth in spades! When we get too comfortable we don’t want to make any sacrifices for Christ. And I’m sure Jesus is not happy with the poor performance of His church in spreading the good news of His kingdom, and the longer we continue to fight each other, and not do what Jesus demands of us, the worse things are going to become. So what’s the answer eh? The first thing for a believer to always do is pray. So let’s take that step right now by going to the throne of grace, through our Monday Morning Battle Hymn asking for divine help to solve our many earthly problems. 

Altogether now: ‘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 if we listen closely to our prayer, we’ll realize that to get divine help, we first have to turn from our evil ways and sincerely seek God’s face. And until we do that, nothing’s going to change in our favour! Much LOVE!

…whether therefore ye eat or drink…whatsoever ye do…do all to the glory of God… (1 Cor. 10:31) 

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

Today’s Scrip-Bit   23 October 2023 Proverbs 24:1.

23 Oct 2023 Leave a comment

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

Proverbs 24:1.       Be not thou envious against (of) evil men, neither desire to be with them.

And a big, bright welcome to Monday! Yes friends, that’s how we ought to greet the first day of our work week, with enthusiasm and great expectations. For, as believers in Christ Jesus, every new Monday that dawns, means we’re alive, we’ve lived through another weekend, and the upcoming week brings with it a stellar hope of unending possibilities, possibilities filled with God’s amazing grace, mercy and bountiful goodness! And we all know that if are walking obediently in God’s plan for our lives, anything is possible at any time, because that’s the kind of God we serve; a God of surprises, of unexpected affection and enormous favour. 

And having said all of that, what shall we talk about today? Well the Good Library opened at an interesting place in Proverbs, where Cousin Sol talks about the wise man’s strength. So let’s investigate that passage and see what we can glean from it nuh. Cousin Sol opens that chapter by advising: ‘Be not thou envious against (of) evil men, neither desire to be with them. For their heart studieth destruction (devises violence), and their lips talk of mischief (trouble). Through wisdom is a house builded; and by understanding it is established. And by knowledge shall the chambers be filled with all precious and pleasant riches.’ (Prov. 24:1-4) 

Now doesn’t all that sound very familiar? It should, because throughout the Bible we’re warned against evil doing and evil doers, and encouraged to take up wisdom and understanding instead. No wonder, in the very first psalm we’re poignantly warned: ‘Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly (wicked), nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. But his delight is in the law of the Lord; and in his law doth he meditate (ponder on) day and night. (Ps. 1:1-2) 

And that was the very same message the Lord God gave to Joshua when He made him leader of the Israelites after the death of Moses. ‘This book of the law shall not depart out of (be constantly in) thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.’ (Josh:1:8) Straight from the horse’s mouth my people, no hearsay or telltale gossip! That means it must be true. 

It’s the same warning that the psalmist Asaph talked about in his own life. Thus he writes in Psalm 73: ‘Truly God is good to Israel, even to such as are of a clean (pure) heart. But as for me, my feet were almost gone (I had almost stumbled); my steps had well nigh slipped. For I was envious at the foolish (boastful), when I saw the prosperity of the wicked.’ (Ps. 73:1-3) And that’s exactly what’s happening to so many of us in these troubled times! Too many of us are being jealous of the prosperity of the wicked. That’s why Bruh David tells us in Psalm 37: ‘Fret not thyself because of evildoers, neither be thou envious of the workers of iniquity. For they shall soon be cut down like the grass and wither as the green herb.’ (Ps. 37:1-2) 

And luckily for the psalmist Asaph, he didn’t completely stumble spiritually, lose his faith and fall in his envy of the prosperous wicked. But as he says later on after experiencing the chastening of the righteous. ‘Verily I have cleansed my heart in vain (kept my heart pure in vain), and washed my hands in innocency. For all the day long have I been plagued, and chastened every morning. If I say I will speak thus; behold, I should offend against (would have been untrue to) the children of thy generation. When I thought to know (understand) this, it was too painful for me (too troublesome in my eyes). Until I went into the sanctuary of God; then understood I their end.’ (Ps. 73:13-17) 

Yes my fellow believers, as the scholars explain: ‘Not until the psalmist entered God’s sanctuary and received a divine perspective on the wicked’s prosperity did he find his answer to the problem (vs. 17-28). He saw the destiny of the wicked (vs. 17-20); therefore he repented of his foolishness (vs. 21-22) and found his happiness solely in a warm and growing relationship with God (vs. 23-28) The point of the psalm is driven home even more dramatically when remembering that Asaph, the author, was a spiritual man who grew up with deeply religious training (1 Chr. 15:16-19; 16:4-7; 2 Chr. 5:12; 29:30).’ 

Oh my fellow saints, if Asaph, one of the highly spiritual and religious men who made music with Bruh David could be tempted to fall into the camp of the wicked through their prosperity, it’s obvious that the same thing could easily happen to many of us who are not so spiritually mature. That’s why we have to be ever so careful and do as the Lord told Joshua, meditate on His word day and night, because that’s the only way we will ever be truly prosperous and successful. 

And Bruh David gave us some more practical tips in Psalm 37: ‘Trust in the Lord, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed (feed on his faithfulness). Delight thyself also in the Lord; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart. Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass. And he shall bring forth thy righteousness as the light, and thy judgement (justice) as the noonday. 

Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for him: fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way, because of the man who bringeth wicked devices (schemes) to pass. Cease from anger, and forsake wrath: fret not thyself in any wise to do evil (for it only causes harm). For the evil doers shall be cut off (destroyed): but those that wait upon the Lord, they shall inherit the earth.’ (Ps; 37:3-9) 

Yes my faithful brethren, you couldn’t find more practical advice on how to live this earthly life. That means we need to adopt those principles in our own everyday lives so we can reflect the wisdom that Cousin Sol talks about in Proverbs. ‘A wise man is strong; yea, a man of knowledge increaseth strength.’ (Prov. 24:5) And with those words, let’s go to the fountain of wisdom, Almighty God, through our Monday Morning Battle Hymn seeking divine help for the many problems that currently beset our world. 

Altogether now: ‘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 we’ll do well if we take God’s advice and turn from our evil ways. Much LOVE!

…don’t look at what the world offers…but at what God’s kingdom provides… 

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

Today’s Scrip-Bit   16 October 2023 Genesis 50:12.

16 Oct 2023 Leave a comment

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

Genesis 50:12.       And his (Jacob’s) sons did unto him according as he commanded them.

And as surely as the sunshine follows the rain, and the moon the sun, so does Monday follow Sunday. It’s a day that many of us don’t like because it wakes us from our weekend slumber, but it’s all a part of this thing we call life, and instead of complaining about it, we had better grab it by the tail and swing with it, if we want to enjoy the abundant life that Christ died for us to have. And all God’s people said, ‘Praise the Lord!’ 

Yes, for our own sakes, we had better hold on to God. Do like Bruh Joseph did despite his many trials and much tribulation, most of which were unfair and unjust. And as the Lord promised, when the time was right, He came through for him. The Lord will do the same for each one of us who faces our storms with a good attitude and keep Him first place in our lives. 

Now, the last time we saw Bruh Joseph his father Jacob had died after blessing his sons and making them promise to bury him in the land of Canaan with his fathers, Isaac and Abraham. Bruh Joseph had therefore had Jacob’s body embalmed and the Egyptians mourned for the patriarch for sixty days. 

The Bible then tells us: ‘And when the days of his mourning were past, Joseph spake unto the house of Pharaoh, saying, If now I have found grace (favour) in your eyes, speak, I pray you, in the ears of Pharaoh, saying, My father made me swear, saying, Lo, I die: in my grave which I have digged for me in the land of Canaan, there shalt thou bury me. Now, therefore let me go up, I pray thee, and bury my father, and I will come again. And Pharaoh said, Go up, and bury thy father, according as he made thee swear.’ (Gen. 50:4-6) 

It’s obvious that Pharaoh was very proud of and understanding where Bruh Joseph was concerned. And he had just cause because Bruh Joseph had saved Egypt from certain ruin during the years of the severe famine, and even made Pharaoh richer than he had previously been. 

Thus, the Bible relates: ‘And Joseph went up to bury his father: and with him went up all the servants of Pharaoh, the elders of his house, and all the elders of the land of Egypt. And all the house of Joseph and his brethren, and his father’s house: only their little ones, and their flocks, and their herds, they left in the land of Goshen. And there went up with him both chariots and horsemen: and it was a very great company.’ (Gen. 50:7-9) 

Wow! Jacob certainly had a big, royal-like send off. But he deserved it for he was indeed royalty; the patriarch of Israel. And it’s interesting how the Egyptians treated the Hebrews in the early days, as opposed to four hundred years later, under the Pharaoh who supposedly didn’t know of Bruh Joseph and the history of the Hebrew children in Egypt. 

And the Good Library continues: ‘And they came to the threshing floor of Atad, which is beyond Jordan, and they mourned with a great and very sore (solemn) lamentation: and he made (observed) a mourning for his father seven days. And when the inhabitants of the land, the Canaanites, saw the mourning in the floor of Atad, they said, This is a grievous mourning to the Egyptians: wherefore the name of it was called Abel-mizraim (Mourning of Egypt), which is beyond Jordan.’ (Gen. 50: 10-11) 

Imagine that nuh, the great sorrow expressed by the Egyptians over a Hebrew man. That was when the Hebrews were a mere handful of people, before they grew into such a substantial amount of people, that they threatened the Egyptian’s security, and had to be enslaved to keep them quiet. 

‘And his (Jacob’s) sons did unto him according as he commanded them. For his sons carried him into the land of Canaan, and buried him in the cave of the field of Machpelah, which Abraham bought with the field for a possession of a buryingplace of Ephron the Hittite, before Mamre. And Joseph returned into Egypt, he, and his brethren, and all that went up with him to bury his father, after he had buried his father.’ (Gen. 50:12-14) 

Oh mih people, can you imagine the spectacle that funeral must have been? With Egyptians and Hebrews, chariots and horses, plus food carts and whatever moving over the land from Egypt to Canaan. And on the way to Canaan land, they stopped for seven days and partied on the threshing floor of Atad. It was such an immense spectacle that the Canaanites changed the name of the place to Abel-mizraim (the Mourning of Egypt). 

At that moment in time, all of the great Hebrew patriarchs, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, had finally been put to rest in the land that their God had promised to their descendants. And the Hebrew people went on growing and prospering in the land of Goshen in Egypt, through the generous auspices of their great God. Likewise, we can also prosper if we sincerely turn to Him for help… and do we ever need a monumental amount of help in our world right now. 

So, through our Monday Morning Battle Hymn, let’s go to the throne of grace in confident humility and ask for divine help to handle our many earthly problems. As one voice: ‘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!’ 

It’s obvious then, that our next step is to change our evil ways…if we truly desire to receive divine help. Much LOVE!

…with sincere obedience…divine help is only a prayer away… 

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

Today’s Scrip-Bit   9 October 2023 Matthew 5:16.

09 Oct 2023 Leave a comment

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

Matthew 5:16.       Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.

And on this Thanksgiving Monday morning, all over this beautiful and blessed land of Canada thanks and praises are being offered up to heaven! And do we ever have a whole lot to be thankful for. The problem though is that those many blessings are not equally distributed throughout our land and our populace. And that sad state of inequality is unfortunately lowering the quality and level of our standard of living, and consequently causing much dissension, disunity and discontent in our society. 

Now that’s not rocket science, because wherever there is blatant and widespread inequality, there will eventually be serious ramifications and consequences. And right now we’re seeing those unwanted divisions and disruptions occurring more frequently and more violently, not only in our country, but unfortunately all over the world, for the inequality is prevalent all over the earth, and the downtrodden and  marginalized are crying out loudly for a fair share of the earth’s wealth, so that they can experience a reasonable standard of living. 

However, the powers that be; the rich and ruling classes are foolishly clamping down, trying to further devalue and bring even more devastation to the have nots. The rich are indeed getting richer, while the poor, if possible, are getting poorer. No wonder our world is currently buffeted by numerous wars, rumors of wars and overwhelming instability, and everyday a new theatre of dissatisfaction opens up with loud cries of injustice and degradation. And what’s the answer to our problem of inequality you ask? 

Obviously a more egalitarian society, where people are seen as, or considered equal and consequently deserve equal rights and opportunities. And until our world seriously and sincerely moves toward a much more equal situation, where the ten% of haves don’t possess 90% of the pie, while the 90% of have nots only possess 10%, that sort of ridiculous inequity will always be cause for rampant dissatisfaction, and eventually chaos. It’s so sad when our world contains truths like, man’s inhumanity to man makes countless thousands mourn. And by the way, it’s no longer thousands, but millions that are mourning because of mankind’s greed, selfishness and inhumanity. 

And what’s so sad about the whole situation is that there’s more than enough to go around for all the have nots to be satisfied and the haves to still maintain a big portion of the pie, but certainly not 90%. And that’s where we believers in Christ come in. For if we don’t stand up for the poor, the downtrodden, the sick and the lame like our Lord and Leader did when He was here on earth, who else is going to stand up for them eh? Definitely not the evildoers of Satan’s fold. And until we Christians start to make some kind of serious efforts to right the wrongs of the world, things will only go from bad to worse. 

And contrary to our excuses, the job is not impossible, or as big as we claim. It’s just that it will take more effort than we are willing to expend. For if the majority of Christians were to behave like true Christians, our world will be a helluva lot better place than it currently is. Just a li’l kindness and help on our part, a li’l standing up for some injustice or evil deed would bring surprising change. But sadly, too many of us supposed believers don’t want to be bothered with the problems of those less fortunate than us, we just want to relax and be comfortable in our li’l cocoon, insulated from the dire state of our world. And the truth is that a comfortable Christian is indeed the worst kind of Christian there is! 

Jesus didn’t come and die so that we could be comfortable and don’t care about our fellow man. He was always concerned about the sick and suffering, those considered worthless by society, and so should we, His followers, be similarly concerned. But the material wealth of the world and the many amenities now available have killed our pioneering spirit and made us lazy and uninterested in improving things. We just want to sit on our laurels and enjoy the good life. But be it known, that any society which sits on its laurels and does not keep its standards high, will eventually finds itself in ruins, for it’s the standards of a society that make them prosper and keep them in a healthy situation. 

It’s obvious that these words of Jesus have fallen by the wayside in our modern times: ‘Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour (flavour), wherewith (by what) shall it be salted? It is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden underfoot of men.’ (Matt. 5:13) And if we’re truthful, we’ll admit that we have lost our salty flavour, and that’s why so many are being trodden underfoot. 

The same goes for these words of our Lord and Saviour: ‘Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle (lamp), and put it under a bushel (basket), but on a candlestick (lampstand); and it giveth light to all that are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.’ (Matt. 5:14-16) 

Oh my people, there again we have sadly not shone as a bright light in this world. Whatever light we have is hidden under a basket, or we’ve never lit the candle in the first place. But whichever it is, it is not good enough. Jesus desires us to follow in His footsteps and bring some peace and LOVE to our inflamed and hateful world, and we can only do that if we get up off of our fat fannies, and renew or recapture our salty flavour, as well as light our candles and go brightly in this dark and evil world! Let’s promise ourselves to do just that nuh, for our children’s sake! And we can begin by most appropriately asking for heavenly help this Thanksgiving Day, through our Monday Morning Battle Hymn. 

As one voice: ‘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!’ 

Now, let’s get up and get a sincere move on nuh, so that we can be assured of divine help! Much LOVE!

…without the salt and light of Christians…the world is dark and flavourless… 

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

Today’s Scrip-Bit   2 October 2023 Genesis 45:26b.

02 Oct 2023 Leave a comment

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

Genesis 45:26b.       And Jacob’s heart fainted, for he believed them not.

Oh my people, I don’t know what’s happening nuh, but it’s forecasted to be warm and sunny all week, with temps in the low to mid-twenties! Wow! And this in the first week of October to booth! I must say I like this climate change business yes! (smile) But the trees have not been fooled, they’re still cautiously changing the colours of their leaves and preparing for the frosty season, because they know that when it comes, as come it must, it will come without any warning. Anyway, let’s say thanks to our God and enjoy the good weather while it lasts. 

Now, let’s see what’s happening in that enlightening and oh so teachable story of Bruh Joseph. When last we saw him, he’d revealed his identity to his brothers, and all of Pharaoh’s house knew that his brothers had come to him. And strangely enough, this pleased Pharoah and his household so much that Pharaoh commanded Bruh Joseph to give his brothers wagons and food to bring down their father and families to Egypt. ‘…for the good of all the land of Egypt is yours.’ Yes my brethren, when the Lord is working on your behalf, you don’t get favour and goodness in small amounts, but He causes even your enemies to like you and bestow their abundance on you! 

Thus, the Bible reports: ‘And the children of Israel (Jacob) did so: and Joseph gave them wagons (carts), according to the commandment of Pharoah, and gave them provision for the way. To all of them he gave each man changes of raiment (clothing); but to Benjamin he gave three hundred pieces of silver, and five changes of raiment. And to his father he sent after this manner; ten asses (donkeys) laden (loaded) with the good things of Egypt, and ten she asses (donkeys) laden with corn (grain) and bread and meat (food) for his father by (for) the way. So he sent his brethren away, and they departed: and he said unto them, See that ye fall not out (meet with calamity) by (along) the way.’ (Gen. 45:21-24) 

Ah friends, that is the way families should treat each other. In fact, that is the way all Christians, all believers in Christ Jesus should treat each other; be generous with whatever we have to those in need. Unfortunately though, these are greedy and selfish times, and even supposed believers are not being as generous as they can, or ought to be towards the large amount of people who are suffering from dire want. The body of Christ, the church itself is not as involved as it should be with the poor and needy. But that’s one of Jesus’ intentions behind its formation; a certain help to society in times of need. And we certainly need to improve our efforts in that area if we are to fulfill Christ’s demands. 

Anyway, getting back to the story of Bruh Joseph, the Good Library tells us: ‘And they (Bruh Joseph’s brothers) went up out of Egypt, and into the land of Canaan unto Jacob their father. And told him, saying, Joseph is yet alive, and he is governor over all the land of Egypt. And Jacob’s heart fainted, for he believed them not.’ (Gen. 45:25-26) They were lucky he didn’t just drop dead on them with the surprise of such news. His favourite son, missing and thought dead for twenty years, is still alive and governor of the most prosperous and powerful land on the planet! Brother! That was more than enough to jolt the heart of an old man. 

But that was not in God’s script. (smile) So Jacob simply felt faint with the amazing news. ‘And (in his disbelief), they told him all the words of Joseph, which he had said unto them: and when he (Jacob) saw the wagons which Joseph had sent to carry him, the spirit of Jacob their father revived. And Israel (Jacob) said, It is enough; Joseph my son is yet alive: I will go and see him before I die.’ (Gen. 45:27-28) 

And all yuh still thing our God isn’t a great dramatist? No sir! He is the best! For His Word, from Genesis to Revelation, the sixty-six books are filled with all sorts of drama: good, bad and indifferent! So why don’t we pay more attention to God’s Word then eh? Nothing that man has ever written on his own can even come close to the drama filled words of the Bible, which is the infallible and inerrant Word of God written for man’s benefit through the intercession of the Holy Spirit. 

For as Bruh Paul writes to Timothy, describing the unique character of Scripture: ‘All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine (what to believe), for reproof (what is wrong), for correction (how to correct wrong), for instruction in righteousness (how to live): That the man of God may be perfect (proficient, capable), thoroughly furnished (equipped) unto all good works (having all he needs to do what God wants).’ (2 Tim. 3:16-17) 

Yes my fellow saints, the Bible is our Instruction Manual for life down here on Mother Earth! And if we don’t follow its directions, we will pay the price, the consequences for disobedience, sooner or later. For as Uncle Charles (Dr. Charles Stanley) used to say: ‘we reap what we sow, more than we sow, and later than we sow.’ And that’s the gospel truth! In one form or another, our misdeeds do not go unpunished. And a good example of that is how the evil deeds of Bruh Joseph’s brothers came back to haunt them long after the fact. 

So please, I plead with us, especially in these very evil and ungodly times, let’s read and study that heavenly written Information Manual and put it into sincere and serious actions in our lives nuh, so that we don’t have to pay serious consequences later on. And the first step in that direction is going to the throne of grace in sincere and humble prayer, through our Monday Morning Battle Hymn, and asking for divine help in time of earthly need. 

As one voice: ‘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 before the Lord will keep His promise, we have to keep ours; turn from our evil ways and sincerely seek His face! That’s the ONLY WAY to enlist divine help! Much LOVE!

…our God is good and forgiving…but like a good parent…He doesn’t put with continual disobedience from His people…when we don’t hear…we feel…  

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

Today’s Scrip-Bit    25 September 2023 Genesis 43:28b.

25 Sep 2023 Leave a comment

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

Genesis 43:28b.       And they bowed down their heads and made obeisance (prostrated themselves).

Oh my my, it’s Monday! So what? It’s just another day, except that most of us have to get up and go back out to work after a relaxing and/or a party-hearty weekend. (smile) But that’s nothing new, it’s been happening ever since the devil was a li’l boy, so I don’t see why we get anxious about it every week. With Jesus and His Holy Spirit as our Guide and Leaders, plus the fires of confidence built up in our bellies from Sunday worship, it’s a sure thing that we can handle any and every Monday like the champions we were made to be. So, let’s get out there and do just that nuh! End of Sermon! 

Now let’s reconnect with the exciting and intriguing story of Bruh Joseph. We last saw him when his brothers came down the second time with his younger brother Benjamin. And when Bruh Joseph saw Benjamin, he told his steward to take them to his house, for they would have lunch with him that day. Now the Good Library describes the situation thus: ‘And the men (Joseph’s brothers) were afraid, because they were brought into Joseph’s house; and they said, because of the money that was returned in our sacks at the first time we are brought in: that he may seek occasion against us, and fall upon us, and take us as bondmen (slaves), and our asses (donkeys).’ (Gen. 43:18) 

And there’s definitely nothing wrong with that reasoning under the prevailing circumstances. But being Jacob’s sons, they were not quite innocent in the games of life. The Good Library continues: ‘And they came near to the steward of Joseph’s house, and they communed with him at the door of the house, And said, O sir, we came indeed down at the first time to buy food: and it came to pass when we came to the inn, that we opened our sacks, and behold, every man’s money was in the mouth of his sack, our money in full weight: and we have brought it again in our hand. 

And other money have we brought down in our hands to buy food: we cannot tell who put our money in our sacks. And he (the steward) said, Peace be to you, fear not: your God, and the God of your father, hath given you treasure in your sacks: I had your money. And he brought Simeon (the brother that was in jail) out unto them. And the man brought the men into Joseph’s house, and gave them water, and they washed their feet, and he gave their asses (donkeys) provender (feed). And they made ready the present against Joseph came (for Joseph’s coming) at noon: for they heard that they should eat bread there.’ (Gen. 43:19-25)

 Oh friends the suspense as well as the fear must have been very palatable around them, for although they now knew how the money got in their sacks, they still couldn’t fathom the reason behind it, nor why they had been invited to lunch, at Bruh Joseph’s house, and all they could probably see were further problems down the line. But they had no choice but do like Portia and face up to life. That’s a reference to an old radio soap that ran many moons ago in T&T called: ‘Portia faces Life’ (smile) 

‘And when Joseph came home, they brought him the present which was in their hand into the house, and bowed themselves to him to the earth.’ (Gen. 43:26) Yes friends the great dramatist, Jehovah God, reminds us one more time of the truth of Bruh Joseph’s dream, with his brothers again prostrating themselves before him. Bruh Joseph must have had a small inner chuckle at that, because it was the same dream that got him sold into slavery in Egypt some twenty years previously. And I believe that’s just the Lord’s way of telling us to never refute someone’s dream out of hand. 

‘And he (Joseph) asked them of their welfare (well-being), and said, Is your father well, the old man of whom ye spake? Is he yet alive? And they answered, Thy servant our father is in good health, he is yet alive. And they bowed down their heads and made obeisance (prostrated themselves).’ (Gen. 43:27-28) There we have that bowing down again. The Lord just won’t let us forget it. (smile) 

‘And he (Joseph) lifted up his eyes, and saw his brother Benjamin, his mother’s son, and said, Is this your younger brother, of whom ye spake unto me? And he said, God be gracious unto thee, my son. And Joseph made haste for his bowels did yearn upon his brother (his heart did yearn for his brother); and he sought where to weep; and he entered his chamber, and wept there.’ (Gen. 43:29-30) And it’s quite understandable that Joseph’s heart yearned for his brother, his mother’s other son, for when he left home at around seventeen, Benjamin was a young pup, but now he was a big, strapping man in his twenties. 

Ah mih people, life hands us so many unexpected twists and turns that it’s only with the help of the Good Lord that we can ever expect to navigate them successfully. That’s why it’s necessary for us to go to the throne of grace right now, through our Monday Morning Battle Hymn to seek God’s divine help with our many earthly problems. So as one sincere voice: ‘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!’ 

Oh, my fellow saints, we just said it ourselves; if we want to receive divine help, then we’ve got to turn from our evil ways and sincerely seek God’s face. That’s the only way! Much LOVE!

…when the storms of life surround us…turn them over to Jesus…for He is the only true Storm Calmer…  

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

Today’s Scrip-Bit    18 September 2023 Genesis 42:3.

18 Sep 2023 Leave a comment

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

Genesis 42:3.       And Joseph’s ten brethren (brothers) went down to buy corn (grain) in Egypt.

And as the day follows the night, and the sunshine the rain, likewise Monday follows Sunday, come rain or shine! (smile) Yes friends, that’s just the way it is, how the universe was set up by its Creator, Almighty God. And try as hard as we might, we won’t change it, one day will always follow the next like clockwork. It therefore behooves us to just try and make the best of those days called Mondays. With the Lord’s help, prepare to meet them head on, don’t try to run away from them, for remember, the best method of defence is attack! 

So, with those words of wisdom for this Monday morning, let’s get back to the riveting story of Bruh Joseph in Egypt. We last saw him in the seven years of abundance, during which time the Lord blessed him with two sons by his Egyptian wife Asenath; the first he called Manasseh, ‘for God, said he hath made me forget all my toil, and all my Father’s house.’ (Gen. 41:51) In other words, the hardship brought upon him by his envious brothers was a thing of the past. And the second son, he named Ephraim, ‘For God hath caused me to be fruitful in the land of my affliction.’ (Gen. 41:52) 

Now, it’s time to move on to the drama of the seven years of famine. And the Bible informs us thus: ‘And the seven years of plenteousness, that was in the land of Egypt, were ended. And the seven years of dearth (famine) began to come, as Joseph had said: and the dearth (famine) was in all lands; but in all the land of Egypt there was bread. And when all the land of Egypt was famished, the people cried to Pharoah for bread: and Pharoah said unto all the Egyptians, Go unto Joseph, what he saith to you, do. 

And the famine was over all the face of the earth: And Joseph opened all the storehouses, and sold unto the Egyptians; and the famine waxed sore (became severe) in the land of Egypt. And all countries came into Egypt to Joseph for to buy corn (grain); because the famine was so sore (severe) in all lands.’ (Gen. 41:53-57) 

And yuh know what friends, right now there is severe famine in many countries, in many parts of the earth, but the sad part is that those experiencing the famine either have no means, that’s money or transportation, to go and buy food elsewhere, assuming that other countries would even sell it to them. Yes, even in this supposed humanitarian age, and these times of plenty, way too many people around the globe are starving for food and the other basic necessities of life; clothing and shelter. 

But then, all the natural disasters that have recently struck our world; forest fires, hurricanes, tornadoes, floods and earthquakes, pandemics, just to name a few, are only making life increasingly difficult for all of us to handle. And that’s why we so badly need a LOVE REVOLUTION: a powerful uprising of LOVE for God and each other, under the compassionate and protective umbrella of the Lord God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob! For that’s the only way we will ever break ourselves out of the total mess, the strife, the resentment, hatred, anger and ungodliness in which we’re currently mired. 

Unfortunately though, the soldiers of Satan’s evil empire are fighting us tooth and nail to prevent the LOVE REVOLUTION from being successful. And the only way to counter that is by increasing our godly ardour and valiantly fighting back safely clothed in the full armour of God. So, since we know what to do, let’s get together and do it nuh! Let’s unite as one and batter down the enemy, for it’s what our Lord and Leader, Jesus Christ expects of us. And all God’s people said a loud and positive ‘Amen! So be it!’ 

Now, let’s get back to that famous famine where Bruh Joseph was the man controlling the food. And this is where the drama really gets ramped up. The Good Library records: ‘Now when Jacob saw that there was corn (grain) in Egypt, Jacob said unto his sons, Why do ye look one upon another? And he said, Behold, I have heard that there is corn (grain) in Egypt: get you down thither, and buy for us from thence; that we may live, and not die. And Joseph’s ten brethren (brothers) went down to buy corn (grain) in Egypt. But Benjamin, Joseph’s brother, Jacob sent not with his brethren; for he said, Lest peradventure mischief (some calamity) befall him.’ (Gen. 42:1-4) 

Ah mih people, yuh see how difficult it is, if not impossible, to get over the loss of a child, especially a favoured one. It’s obvious that Jacob was still thinking, some twenty years later, about what had happened to his other young son Joseph, and was afraid to let Benjamin, the child of his old age out of his sight. But what Jacob and the rest of us consistently fail to remember is that the life of mankind is strictly controlled by the greatest dramatist and planner in existence, that’s the Lord God Jehovah! And having made that oh so true statement, let’s take this precious opportunity to go to Him, through our Monday Morning Battle Hymn, for divine help with our many earthly problems. 

As one voice: ‘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 since we’ve just said, that to get divine help, we need to humble ourselves, pray, and sincerely seek God’s face, let’s do just that nuh! Much LOVE!

…Satan can be defeated…but only if God’s people rise up and fight as ONE… 

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

Today’s Scrip-Bit   28 August 2023 Romans 10:15.

28 Aug 2023 Leave a comment

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

Romans 10:15.       How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things.

Hold on children…Yes, children of God…Please hold on securely to Jesus this Monday morning, as the evil one and his ungodly minions get their ammunition together in the workplace, to try and belittle you, to discount your witness and testimony for our Lord and Saviour! But remember our God faithfully promised that ‘No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgement thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and their righteousness is of (from) me, saith the Lord.’ (Is. 54:17) 

Yes my fellow believers, that’s the promise of our faithful God, who’s stating that ‘anyone who is seeking to do evil against believers will fail. Though for a time it may seem that we are defeated in a situation, God assures us the victory.’  So please don’t let the loud mouths pushing Satan’s agenda, to discombobulate or confuse you with their foolishness. You have your own agenda to foster and promote, the Great Commission of Christ. And as the Bible says: ‘How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things.’ ( Rom. 10:15) 

Now, that’s what you’re about: beautiful feet spreading the good news and glad tidings of Christ’s gospel, and nothing in this world is more important than that!  And I like this commentary on that scripture. ‘Paul knows that the feet of the gospel preachers are beautiful because of the nature of the gospel. The good news of Jesus Christ sets people free from sin, destruction and eternal judgment. When the truth of the gospel takes root in a person’s life they are given Spirit led freedom to overcome all vices of life.’ 

Wow! That’s why it’s so wonderful to spread the good news of Christ’s gospel! And that’s exactly why the devil doesn’t want us spreading it. He knows that once it gets into your system, your inner man, he’s lost the battle, and he can’t stand losing, it’s like a bitter pill in his mouth, especially after Christ Jesus won the victory over death, hell and the grave, took away the keys to those places and left him a toothless lion just running around with a loud bark, but no bite. 

So today, let’s wind up our faith, raise our confidence sky high with all the scriptures buried deep in our hearts, and unleash them against the enemy and his evildoing cronies, letting them know that they are in a serious spiritual battle and the children of God, the saints of the Most High God are not to be toyed with, or considered to be easy pickings. (smile) Especially not when we’re dressed in our immaculate and impenetrable suit of spiritual armour; the whole armour of God, that allows us to stand against the wiles (evil schemes) of the devil. 

No sir! We are indeed invincible when our loins are girded with the belt of truth, our chests protected by the breastplate of righteousness, and our feet shod with the preparation or eagerness of the gospel of peace, and our heads protected by the helmet of salvation. And armed to the teeth with the shield of faith in one hand to quench the fiery arrows of the evildoers, and in the other hand, the mighty two-edged sword of the Spirit, that’s the inerrant and infallible word of God! And as a lagniappe or extra, in our back pockets we have the awesome power of prayer to guide us with all perseverance and longsuffering! (Eph. 6:10-18) 

Now, how can anyone thus prepared for battle be defeated eh? No way Jose! Ah friends, that’s the way we need to go out every day, dressed to the nines with God’s armour, unleashing His amazing word, while filled with His Holy Spirit who leads and guides us in spiritual battle. And yes, it all sounds wonderful and heroic, but the truth is it takes plenty of practice, plenty of sacrifice, plenty humility, and plenty backbone and belly. Like everything we want to be good at, we have to spend a lot of time on it. 

Thus, to be good at spiritual battle means reading, studying and meditating on the word, knowing it, so you can put it into action. Then continually going up against Satan’s temptations and besting him nine times out of ten. And believe you me, when you tell the Lord that you want to be a warrior for Him, He is going to provide you with lots of opportunities to prove yourself. So it’s not an easy task to live and fight for Christ, but it’s very interesting and rewarding. And here are the basic credentials Christ set out for discipleship. ‘If any man will come after (follow) me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow me.’ (Luke 9:23) 

Yuh see that mih bredrin, following Jesus calls for daily involvement, daily participation in activities on His behalf; be it beating down the devil and his evil cronies, spreading the gospel, or simply being kind and offering an encouraging smile to someone in need. Once you’re a disciple of Christ you’re always on duty, 24/7! And we need to remember that as we go out to do battle today. 

Now let’s go to the throne of grace, through our Monday Morning Battle Hymn, to ask for divine help to handle our many earthly problems. Altogether now: ‘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 as always, to receive divine intervention, we need to improve our covenant behaviour! Much LOVE!

…being a true disciple of Jesus…means putting your best foot forward…as often as possible… 

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

Today’s Scrip-Bit   21August 2023 John 3:17.

21 Aug 2023 Leave a comment

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

John 3:17.        For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.

So it’s Monday once again! The first day of the work week which causes a sad and unnecessary state of ‘confuffleation’ in many of us. In other words, for one reason or another, when Monday rolls around we just seem unable to think properly, to get it all together, and we become befuddled, bewildered, anxious, perplexed and somewhat disoriented. (smile) And that’s why it’s so important to fellowship with other believers on Sunday, so we can step out brave, bold and confident on a Monday morning, ready to spread the good news and glad tidings of Christ to all and sundry. 

Now yesterday we sang the unique, distinctive song, ‘I know that My Redeemer Lives,’ and we asserted that ‘there’s not an untrue word in that hymn, and for every statement made, there is a scripture that can be brought forth to prove its inerrant truth!’ And today I want to try and prove it, as much as time and space would allow. It should bring up a whole raft of delightful, insightful, refreshing and reassuring scriptures. (smile) And the first and most important topic is ‘that my Redeemer lives…who once was dead, he lives…triumphant from the grave.’ 

Yes friends, if Jesus doesn’t live then everything else is false. So, let’s find some scripture that corroborates it. And the words of the angel sitting on the stone in front of Jesus’ empty tomb on Easter Sunday morning, should be evidence enough. He says to the women who came to the tomb that morning to finish embalming Jesus’ body:  ‘Why seek ye the living among the dead? He is not here, but is risen: remember when he spoke unto you when he was in Galilee, Saying, The Son of man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again. And they remembered his words.’ (Luke 24:5-8) 

And we know that Jesus was seen in His glorified body of different people, some eight times after His resurrection, and before His ascension, three of the most notable being when He spoke with the two followers on the road to Emmaus (Luke 24:13-35), then when those men returned to Jerusalem to tell the others about their meeting with Jesus, and He suddenly appeared before them, and they were terrified, believing that there were seeing a ghost. ‘But Jesus said unto them, Why are ye troubled? And why do (frightened) thoughts arise in your hearts? Behold my hands and my feet, that it is I myself: handle me, and see; for a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as ye see me have.’ (Luke 24:38-39) 

And the next notable occasion was Jesus’ conversation with Thomas who refused to believe until He saw Him in the flesh. (John 20:24-29) Then the song says: ‘he lives eternally to save;’ Jesus said: ‘For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.’ (John 3:17) Then to Martha, the sister of Lazarus, He says: ‘I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead (may die), yet shall he live: And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believe thou this?’ ( John 11:25-26) And in his first epistle, John further says: ‘And we have seen and do testify that the Father sent the Son to be the saviour of the world. (1 John 4:14) 

And what about: ‘he lives exalted there on high.’ Bruh Paul clearly tells us in Philippians. ‘Wherefore God also hath exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of (those) things in heaven, and (those) things in earth, and (those) things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.’ (Phil. 2:9-11) Oh my people, besides that of the Father, there’s no higher exaltation possible! 

And per ‘he lives to plead for me above;’ listen to these amazing scriptures. Bruh Paul writes thus to the church at Rome. ‘Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us.’ (Rom. 8:34) Meanwhile, the author of Hebrews puts it this way. ‘But this man because he continueth for ever, hath an unchangeable priesthood Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them.’ (Heb. 7:24-25) Then John writes in his first epistle. ‘My little children, these things I write unto you, that ye sin not. and if any man sin, we have an advocate (intercessor) with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.’ (1 John 2:1) 

And as for ‘he lives to help in time of need,’ you can’t get anything better than Christ’s Great Invitation. ‘Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of (from) me: for I am meek and lowly (gentle and humble) in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.’ (Matt. 11:28-30) And if you’re foolish enough to refuse that invitation, then you deserve to have crapaud smoke yuh pipe! 

And you certainly can’t beat this verse that covers: ‘He lives to grant me rich supply;’ Bruh Paul says it in spades in his letter to the church at Philippi. ‘But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.’ (Phil. 4:19) And furthermore Jesus has already specified that if you seek the kingdom of God and all his righteousness, then all your needs will be supplied. (Matt. 6:33) And what about Bruh David’s immortal words? ‘The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.’ (Ps. 23:1) What powerful scriptures! 

And we have time for one more, this marvellous promise: ‘he lives to wipe away my tears;’ And what could be more soothing and comforting than this promise of the end times? ‘And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes, and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.’ (Rev. 21:4) Now that’s something to look forward to my brethren. For our Redeemer certainly lives! So please let’s embrace Jesus as tightly as we can. 

Now, through our Monday Morning Battle Hymn, let’s go to the throne of grace where Jesus is running intercession for us, and plead for divine help to handle our many earthly problems. As one voice: ‘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 the situation is simple: if we truly desire divine help, then we have to improve our godly behaviour. Much LOVE!

…Jesus is our EVERYTHING…Redeemer, Saviour, Lord, Brother, Friend, High Priest, Intercessor, King etc. etc… 

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

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