Today’s Scrip-Bit 21 December 2019 Luke 24:49.

21 Dec 2019 Leave a comment

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

Luke 24:49.    And behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye (wait) in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high.
 
Well it’s Christmas Saturday…Thank the Lord! We down to four days now before the Big Day! And plenty people still shopping and baking and cooking and preparing the treats for the festivities, not the ole fella though. (smile) Yes, I’m just taking it easy, going along my normal slow, practical way. Oh I might lend a hand here or there, but the frustrations and busyness of the season won’t affect your humble servant. Thankfully, I’ve left all of that behind. What did Bruh Paul say about not looking back at the past, but looking forward to the future where we don’t have all the hustle and bustle! Yeh friends, that’s become my style now. I don’t get involved in all the confusion. I just relax and try to enjoy Christ in His season. (smile) 

But since it’s Saturday, let’s see what quotes our friend Anselm sent us this past week nuh, as he aspires to inspire us for a better tomorrow. Hear this first one: ‘You don’t have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step.’ And that’s oh so true friends! We don’t necessarily need to see the ending of a thing, just the beginning. And there’s the inherent physical problem that if you don’t start out, you will never get to the end. Like the Chinese Proverb says: ‘The longest journey begins with the first step.’ 

Yeh. You do have to step out, hopefully in faith to make any journey, be it long or short. And if you’re a true and faithful believer, then you have the wonderful promise that you can do all things through Christ who strengthens you. (Phil. 4:13) Mama Yo! How can you ever beat being a true believer with promises such as those eh? That’s why Christians ought to be the happiest and most effective people in the universe! We don’t have to be afraid of the future, but can embrace it with joy, because of all that our Lord and Saviour Jesus has done for us, beginning with His awesome incarnate birth at this Christmas season! 

Now listen to this next quote: ‘I prefer to be true to myself, even at the hazard of incurring the ridicule of others, rather than to be false, and to incur my own abhorrence.’ And that should be the motto of ALL believers: be true to oneself and to one’s faith! We can certainly notice the ridicule and disdain that the world holds many of us believers in, simply because we believe and profess a lifestyle different to theirs. But if you truly believe, then you ought to stand up for your beliefs. But sadly too many of us supposed believers are scared and afraid to stand up to the world bullies for their faith in Jesus. 

That’s obviously not right my brethren, because all that does is tarnish Jesus’ name even more than it’s already tarnished. The world already considers Christians to be compromising and cowardly. It’s time we stand up strong for Jesus, and there’s no better time to do it than right now in this time of celebration, when His name is on the tongue of so many people, and they might be most receptive to Him. Remember friends, if you don’t stand strong for something, you can fall oh so easily for anything! 

Then there’s this: ‘The only person you are destined to become is the person you decide to be.’ Now I don’t agree with the semantics of that statement, because God has destined all of us to be some kind of body, but that’s not necessarily the person we become, since so many of us don’t follow God’s will. But generally speaking, we become the person we decide to become. And if it’s within God’s will, then so much the better. But if it is outside His will,  then your life won’t ever be right. 

And I can use my own life as a testimony. Now writing the Bit never appeared in even my wildest dreams. But obviously it featured in God’s. (smile) And if I had utterly refused to do His bidding and write it, then I’m sure my life would never have been as blessed as it is now. That doesn’t mean I’ve given up on the dreams He’s placed in my heart. No, absolutely not! I still hold on to them and sincerely believe that He will bring them to pass…just in His own time and fashion. (smile) Otherwise, what’s the point in having dreams at all eh? 

That brings us to this last quote: ‘Some people have power but are powerless.’ And that is so true, especially of supposed believers in Jesus Christ! Friends, we have so much power through Christ that it’s astounding, to say the least. We can do so much because of our faith and trust in Him, but yet we remain powerless and allow the foolish Beelzebub to steal our power. Remember the quote we heard Jesus say yesterday? ‘All power (authority) is given unto me in heaven and in earth.’ (Matt. 28:18) Those were the words He spoke to the disciples just before He gave them the Great Commission to go out and proselytize the world, then He ascended back into heaven. 

And Mark wrote it down thus: ‘Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned (condemned).’ (Mark 16:15-16) And I’ll pause here to interject the scholars’ note. ‘16:16. Only faith, not baptism, is essential for salvation, as the omission of baptism from the last clause above.’ And sadly, that is indeed a rather contentious point amongst believers today, and one that unfortunately keeps the church from truly being one body in Christ. Different denominations hold different views, and it seems that never the two shall meet. But that’s a discussion for another day, just thought I’d point it out. (smile) 

Mark continues: ‘And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils (demons); they shall speak with new tongues; They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not (never) hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.’ (Mark 16:17-18) Oh friends, we have so much power in us that we don’t use! Hear Jesus: ‘And behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye (wait) in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high.’ 

And the scholars’ importantly note: ‘24:49. Here is the source of strength for effective evangelism. The promise of my Father stresses that the Spirit’s coming is not an afterthought, but an integral part of God’s eternal will. Endued conveys the picture of one being clothed with God’s enablement. Waiting is part of the necessary preparation for reception of God’s guidance and sanction.’ Yes my people, that’s all so true! And it all began when the Holy Ghost came at the time of Pentecost and filled all believers with the Spirit of Christ! (Acts 2) And that all leads to the facts that there is power in the Word of God, there is power in the name and blood of Christ! 

Oh precious people of Christ, we have so much inherent power, that we ought to be walking and talking and believing powerhouses! And it all stems from Jesus! And the Good Book is filled with scriptures about power and healing and all the other stuff we’ve been granted in Jesus’ name. However, we don’t have time or space to get into them. But please, let’s spend sometime this Christmas season checking them out for ourselves nuh, so that we can use that abundant God-given power to do God’s will powerfully and abundantly in the coming year. That’s our homework for this week! (smile) Much LOVE!

…sing it out…oh there is power in the blood…power in the word…power in the name of Jesus…

Today’s Scrip-Bit 25 June 2018 1 John 4:4.

25 Jun 2018 Leave a comment

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

1 John 4:4.   Ye are of God, little children, and ye have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.

Well a good Monday morning to all you hard working Christian folks out there! I do hope that your trip to work was uneventful; uneventful in the sense that you encountered no negative circumstances. However, on the brighter and more positive side of things, you did encounter someone to talk to about Christ. 

Oh mih people, mih people, how heartwarming and rewarding it is when we can talk to someone about our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, especially so early on a Monday morning! Glory be! It just lifts our spirits and has us confidently chugging along like the li’l engine that could, beaming from ear to ear, because we’ve successfully brought Jesus to the forefront on this the first day of the work week. (smile) 

It certainly makes us feel like we’re on the right track. But however, if we weren’t that blessed, and we’re still in a sour and miserable state of mind, then let’s sing together our sure antidote for our Monday morning ills. We call it, most appropriately, our Monday Morning Battle Hymn, because we are indeed going out to do battle for Christ! 

Altogether now, with good enthusiasm nuh, seeing that we’re thankful for still being alive and kicking, even though we’d rather be lazing around at home. 

‘Oh Lord God Almighty, Creator of the universe and all therein! We, your humble servants, praise your Holy Name and thank you that this Monday morning we have jobs to go to; jobs we don’t like, jobs that are unfair, difficult and even dangerous, but which serve a useful purpose here on earth; keeping lives and families together. 

We also thank you Father for the renewed vitality and enthusiasm you’ve wrought in our weary souls over the last two days. It’s that rejuvenation of Spirit which allows us now to sally forth with confidence into the evil, ungodly world that surrounds us, to begin a new week of work, constantly buffeted and bombarded by the enemy’s wicked taunts, wiles and lies. 

But heavenly Father, we’re not afraid, for we know we’re invincible, sure conquerors, once we’re wearing your powerful, protective spiritual armour. We surrender our all to you, and humbly ask that you let your incredible aura of LOVE, the Holy Spirit, lead and guide all your servants as we go out to meet the enemy in battle. 

Fill us with steadfast faith, so that we can make worthwhile inroads into the enemy’s ranks, and thereby further your glorious kingdom. We pray this in the Holy Name of your Son, and our Saviour, Jesus Christ. AMEN!’ 

Ah friends, I can hear you all breathe a huge sigh of relief and feel your spirits lift considerably having sung our Battle Hymn. Now let’s keep the adrenaline flowing nuh, as we face a day beset roundabout by the enemy and all his evil cohorts. 

For remember the words of John, when he reminded believers about the spirit of the antichrist, which was around even then, spreading false teachings, and which is even more rampant in our world today. ‘Ye are of God, little children, and ye have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.’ 

Yes friends, Jesus Christ is greater than the prince of darkness, the prince of this world. The scholars explain it thus: ‘4:4. Christ indwells believers; Satan is likewise the lord of his own followers. But Christ is greater than he who wreaks havoc in the world. Have overcome is in the perfect tense, stressing the abiding nature of their victory. Their strength lies in the fact that they are (born) of God.’ 

And my faithful breddren the very same thing applies to us today; we are born of God, and thus the Spirit of Christ dwells in us, making us able to overcome Lucifer and his evil cohorts, and having the continuing victory that Christ won at Calvary! Glory to God my people! Give Him some thanks and praise nuh! 

And John continues to enlighten us: ‘They are of the world: therefore speak they of the world, and the world heareth them. We are of God: he that knoweth God heareth us: he that is not of God heareth not us. Hereby know we the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error.’ (1 John 4:5-6) 

And the scholars explain: ‘4:5. They refers to all who are ruled by the spirit of the antichrist. The world finds their teaching more appealing than the truth of God.’ 

‘4:6. Those who acknowledge the truth of the apostolic (New Testament) witness to Christ will recognize and conform to the teaching John is presenting. Those who do not are animated by a common and unifying spirit of error. John warns his readers against this spirit by contrasting their false views of Christ with the views that he, a personal follower and witness of Christ, proclaims.’ 

Well friends, it does seem logical that if John was a personal witness and follower of Christ that his story would most likely be the truer one. So please, let’s be careful of all the crazy, false and inaccurate teaching that is floating around today. And the only way we can do that successfully is by knowing what the Word of God says. That means we need to consistently read, study and meditate on it. So let’s get to it nuh! (smile) Much LOVE!

…you cannot know truth from error…until you learn truth…

 

 

 

 

Today’s Scrip-Bit 9 December 2015 1 Corinthians 12:20

09 Dec 2015 Leave a comment

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

1 Corinthians 12:20.  But now are they many members, yet one body.

Well my precious people in Christ, it’s Wednesday! God has granted us one more day to execute His holy plan for our lives. So let’s be thankful by wailing our most appropriate Wednesday Wail nuh. 

As one wailing soul now, let’s wail: ‘Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: I’m so glad to be alive on this Wednesday! Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: Thank God the breath of life is still flowing through me on this Wednesday! I am halfway home. 

My hands are fixed securely on the plough, and I’m not turning back. I’m not looking back at the past, not focusing on what has gone before. But my eyes are fixed straight ahead; straight ahead to a glorious future with Jesus. Glory Hallelujah!’ 

Oh Friends, isn’t that just a wonderful prayer? It surely is! We’re thankful to be alive, thankful that God’s awesome breath of life is still running through our imperfect bodies, and we can see that we’re halfway to Friday in our work week and the big two days of at the weekend loom larger every day. 

But above all, we’re looking ahead, plowing straight furrows, focusing on the glorious future that Christ has so faithfully promised us. Glory to God my brethren! 

Now here’s a little something that we Christians desperately need to help us improve our earthly pilgrimage. It’s by an unknown author and says: ‘Teamwork divides the tasks and multiplies the success.’ 

Now if that isn’t indisputable truth, then I don’t know what is! If we would all work together as believers in Christ, instead of fighting amongst ourselves, we would be much better representatives of Christ, and the unbelievers would pay much more attention to us, and our world surely would not be in a big as mess as it is. 

Remember we are all believers in Christ and are supposed to be sharing the same message and as far as Christ is concerned we are ONE BODY, HIS CHURCH! 

But we have been so contentious amongst ourselves and broken up into so many divisions, religions, denominations, sects and what have you, that we have lost the ONE VOICE that we need to truly gain some serious traction in this world. 

Remember Christ said that a house divided cannot stand, and that’s exactly what has happened, and is still happening to the Christian faith. Instead of coming together, everyday we keep hearing about more divisions and factions. Friends that will only weaken Christ’s church and thus His testimony. 

Our Bit says it best. ‘ But now are they many members, yet one body.’ 

Yes my brethren, when Christ returns, He isn’t coming back for the Protestants, the Jews, the Catholics, et all, but for THE ONE BODY OF HIS CHURCH! So why are we so foolishly divided eh? 

Hear how Bruh Paul puts it to the church at Corinth, at the beginning of the section that contains our Bit. ‘For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ. 

For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we bond (slaves) or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit. For the body is not one member, but many.’ (1 Cor.12:12-14) 

Oh friends, regardless of the religion or denomination we belong to, it is the same Spirit of Christ that indwells us all! That means we ought to be working closer together, be in a more harmonious relationship with each other. 

As Bruh Paul goes on to use the human body as an example; where there are several parts to the ONE body, and though they all have different functions, they are still a part of only ONE body, and if any part tries to go its own way, rebel against the whole, the body malfunctions and serious problems develop. 

And we all know the story of how all the comely parts of our body wanted to be the boss, but when our uncomely rear end also threw his hat into the ring, the other more comely parts broke into riotous laughter. 

But yuh know what? When the rear end shut down, and stopped allowing the poisons of the body to be released, all the comely parts became sick and eventually useless. So the rear end had the last laugh. 

So the moral of the story friends, is if we don’t work in harmony, whatever kind of body we belong to will not flourish. You’ll notice that all the evildoers work together, spreading evil. So why can’t all of Christ’s people work together spreading His special message of LOVE and goodness eh? 

I really don’t know the answer. But until we start working together, I know that we will never be able to defeat the forces of evil. 

And we’ll end with some appropriate words from Bruh Paul to the Roman church. ‘ For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith. 

For as we have many members in one body, and all the members have not the same office (function): So we being many, are one body in Christ, and every one (individually) members one of another.’ (Rom.12:3-5) 

Yes Friends, let’s take some time today to ponder our ONENESS and the necessity for it, because it is indeed wisdom of the highest order! Much LOVE!

…the best example of ONENESS…our Holy Trinity…the Father…the Son…and the Holy Spirit… our three in ONE Godhead…

 

 

Today’s Scrip-Bit 17 June 2014 Acts 5:3

17 Jun 2014 Leave a comment

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

Acts 5:3.   But Peter said, Ananias, why hath Satan filled thine heart to lie to the Holy Ghost, and to keep back part of the price of the land? 
 
Tuesday! Glorious Tuesday! A most precious gift from the Most High God, Creator of the universe and all therein!
 
And Friends, the sleep that that same wonderful Deity provided was so sweet, that I didn’t open my tired eyes until minutes to six on this glorious morn. (smile) But hopefully, that extra sleep will stop me from faltering too early in the day.
 
Anyway, let’s begin with a prayer of thanksgiving nuh. Please pray with me: ‘Oh Father in heaven, we bless your Holy Name, and sincerely thank You for all the new mercies and blessings you are about to bestow, to shower down on us this fateful day.
 
We thank You for life and health, and humbly ask that You lead and guide us successfully today, through the amazing and awesome power of your Holy Spirit.
 
Please help us to grow more in Christ-like character today, so that we can do your Holy Will and thus glorify your Name. We pray this on the blood of your Son and our Saviour Jesus Christ, which was shed for us on the cross of Calvary. Amen!’
 
Yes my people, we can’t sensibly and successfully go through our day without some sort of acknowledgement of and praise to Almighty God! For He is the One who provides for us, and also enables us to walk upright and safe on this evil and ungodly earth.
 
Now here’s a bit of wisdom attributed to Sholem Asch (1880-1957), a Polish-born, American Jewish writer, who seems to have bridged both the Old and New Worlds, but fit into neither. Don’t think I’ve ever shared this before, but it just seemed so timely today.
 
And Sholem tells us that it’s ‘Not the power to remember, but the power to forget is a necessary condition for our existence.’
 
And is there ever lot’s of truth and wisdom in that statement my brethren! For if we keep dragging up the past, our relationships will never prosper. We all make mistakes, but once acknowledged, they should be let go, set free, and all the ‘I told you so’s’ and ‘you should have listened,’ ought not to be continually dredged up.
 
Remember that there’s no bigger forgiveness in the entire universe than that which our heavenly Father has bestowed on us, and He doesn’t drag up our earlier sins every time we commit another one.
 
How does Bruh David put it in Psalm 103, Thanksgiving for God’s mercy? ‘As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us.’ (Ps.103:12)
 
And all God’s people gave a loud and grateful shout of: ‘Praise the Lord God for His LOVING-kindness to the undeserving children of men!’ 
 
Therefore Friends, today, let’s learn to allow bygones to be bygones nuh, and just forgive others the way our gracious Father has forgiven us.
 
However my people, we cannot do that successfully unless we’re filled with the power of Jesus and His Holy Spirit, because it is they who give us the wherewithal to live a godly and righteous life.
 
And that brings us to our Bit: ‘But Peter said, Ananias, why hath Satan filled thine heart to lie to the Holy Ghost, and to keep back part of the price of the land?’
 
Yeh Friends, the story of Ananias and his wife Sapphira is a very instructional one in the understanding of the power of the Holy Spirit. We saw yesterday how Ananias presented only a portion of the proceeds of the sale of his possession to the apostles, as though that was the overall price. And for that hypocrisy, the Holy Ghost struck him dead right there on the spot.
 
Mama Mia! What awesome power that Spirit of Christ possesses my brethren! That’s why we would be exceedingly wise to stay on its good side. But unfortunately, that wasn’t the end of the story.
 
Hear how the Good Book tells it: ‘And it was about the space of three hours after, when his wife (Sapphira), not knowing what was done, came in. And Peter answered unto her, Tell me whether ye sold the land for so much? And she said, Yes, for so much. (Remember she was privy to the deception)
 
Then Peter said unto her, How is it that ye have agreed together to tempt (test) the Spirit of the Lord? behold, the feet of them which have buried thy husband are at the door, and shall carry thee out.
 
Then fell she down straightway (instantly) at his feet, and yielded up the ghost (breathed her last): and the young men came in, and found her dead, and carrying her forth, buried her by her husband. And great fear came upon the church, and upon as many as heard these things.’ (Acts 5:7-11)
 
Oh Friends, oh Friends, I surely hope that we learn a useful lesson from that story, for although it’s not the norm nowadays, it still remains a very great possibility, showing just how powerful God’s Holy Spirit is.
 
And so I caution us to day, to be very careful in how we deal with and handle the Holy Spirit of Christ that dwells within us, and is desirous to lead and guide us on a straight and upright path.
 
Please do not knowingly provoke Him to anger through unholy doings, for we never know how He will react when provoked, when ignored and dismissed as irrelevant and out of date, unimportant and simply an old wife’s tale.
 
Please allow the story of Ananias And Sapphira to guide our doings today. For that’s indeed wisdom from the high heavens! Much LOVE!
 
…to lie to ourselves and our fellow man…that’s one thing…but to lie to Almighty God…hn…now that’s certainly a horse of an entirely different colour…  
 
P.S. Long time I haven’t heard that old saying; a horse of a different colour. (smile) But they just seem to pop up when the time warrants. And then the oh so efficient Outlook platform froze on me. Steups! So I had to crash it and reboot. Ah Lord eh! The trials and tribulations we have to go through to spread God’s Word eh! (smile) Much LOVE!