Today’s Scrip-Bit   23 July 2022 Psalm 27:14.

23 Jul 2022 Leave a comment

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

Psalm 27:14.       Wait (in faith, patiently) on the Lord: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait (in faith, patiently), I say, on the Lord.

A good lazy Saturday to you my Scrip-Bit friends and family. I’m afraid that I’m beginning to make a habit of this lazy Saturday thing yes, because I woke up at a reasonable hour this morning but resisted getting out of bed because it was Saturday and Saturday is a day to do as you please. (smile) And I did that, despite knowing the Lord’s work awaited my diligent perusal and pursuit. 

Anyway, I’m finally here, and as we do every Saturday, let’s see what interesting quotes our friend Anselm sent us this past week, as he aspires to inspire us for a better tomorrow. Now this first one aptly fits our current bill. ‘Motivation is what gets you started; Habit is what keeps you going.’ Yes friends, considering Saturday to be a lazy day was the original motivation that laid the groundwork for lolling the time away in bed on a Saturday morning, and since I’ve been doing it for a few Saturdays now, the habit, that’s doing something over and over, is what kept me going. (smile) 

So the quote is basically true. We need to be motivated by whatever it is to initially get up off our fat fannies and do something, but it’s the constant doing of whatever it is that keeps us going, keeps us keeping on. And there’s no better example than our Christian faith and walk. It’s our LOVE for and gratitude to Christ Jesus that originally brings us to faith, then as we consistently walk our talk and our faith grows, we just keep doing it through force of habit. 

That brings us to this next quote: ‘It makes a big difference in your life when you stay positive.’ That’s very true, for even if you are not a believer in Christ a positive attitude will certainly make your life a li’l better than if you stay negative. But just think about what your life could be if you have a positive attitude and are a believer in Christ Jesus? 

Wow! Jesus is the most positive person who’s ever lived! He came to do a job, bring salvation to those in bondage to sin, and He did it with diligence and a sure sense of purpose. He also did miracles, and promised that those who believed in Him would do even greater things than He did. (John 14:12-14) But could we truly do greater things than Jesus? Most likely not. So what is He saying then? 

As one commentator, Don Carson, in an article on the subject on thegospelcoalition.org website offers: ‘Might “greater” mean “more numerous” or “more widely dispersed”? In that sense, Christians have indeed done “greater” things than Jesus did. We have preached all around the world, seen millions of men and women converted, dispensed aid, education, and food to still more millions. The “greater” works may therefore be the gathering of converts into the church through the witness of the disciples (cf. John 17:20; 20:29), and the overflow of kindness that stems from transformed lives.’ 

The fact is that when we sincerely believe in Jesus, our horizons are expanded to limits our frail and finite minds cannot even conceive. And this next quote illuminates all that we’ve spoken about so far. ‘When you are enthusiastic about what you do, you feel this positive energy. It’s very simple.’ 

Yes my brethren. Enthusiasm plays a very big part in the rising up of positive energy in our souls and spirits. If we are not enthusiastic about something we don’t usually feel the need or the energy to do it. But when we are enthused, brother, we develop this gung-ho attitude, we just want to be up and doing whatever it is that causes our burgeoning enthusiasm. 

There’s one problem here though, not enough of us supposed believers are truly enthused about Jesus, otherwise we’d be out and about in the world doing a much better job on His behalf than we are currently doing, and the evil and evildoers would not be having the heyday they are now having. Ah mih people, that’s a sad commentary on our efforts to evangelize the world for Jesus. As I keep saying, we talk an extremely good talk, but we don’t put our talk into action as much as we ought to. 

Because of fear, shame, distaste, laziness or whatever, we simply seem to acquiesce to the ungodly doings of the world. Thus we don’t follow the good advice that our next quote provides. ‘It is during our darkest moments that we must focus to see the light.’ Now that’s the gospel truth! It’s when things are pretty bad, like right now, that we need to focus the most on Jesus, who is the Light and the Life, so that we can use His restorative power and energy to stand strong and come to our senses. 

Oh friends, right now our world is in a very dark place and only our total focus on Jesus and the resultant light that we cause to shine will enlighten its darkness. Remember Jesus considers us the light of the world and the salt of the earth. (Matt. 5:13-14) That means He expects us to provide a lot more energy, enthusiasm and guidance to the world than we’re currently doing. So let’s get with it nuh. The world very badly needs the stuff that Jesus brings to the table, and we are the conduit through which He expects it flow. So please, let’s not disappoint Jesus no further and do what He asks of us. 

Now here is our last quote. ‘Good things come to people who wait, but better things come to those who go out and get them.’ That’s definitely a fine balancing act that we believers need to perform in this life. The Good Book does tell us to wait. Bruh David says it thus in Psalm 27. ‘Wait (in faith, patiently) on the Lord: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait (in faith, patiently), I say, on the Lord.’ (Ps. 27:14) But Jesus also gave us the ‘Great Commission,’ where He desires us to ‘Go ye therefore, and teach (make disciples of) all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.’ (Matt. 28:19) 

Yes my fellow saints, we need to do both things; wait patiently on the Lord and go out into the world and do stuff. And to help us do that successfully, the Lord gives us His Word, His Holy Spirit, sometimes the advice of others, and sometimes the force of circumstances surrounding us. It’s not easy to pull it all together, but if we diligently meditate on the Word and listen to the guidance of the Holy Spirit, we will be able to successfully navigate the straight and narrow path that leads us directly to Jesus and cause others to want to come to Him. Much LOVE!

…only two roads to follow…the straight and narrow one to heaven…or the wide, crooked one to hell…the choice is ours… 

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Today’s Scrip-Bit 27 January 2018 Luke 19:10.

27 Jan 2018 Leave a comment

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

Luke 19:10.   For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.

Saturday, oh Saturday! What shall we say about thee eh? You relieve us from the pressures of going to a job outside the home, but then have us working harder there, with all the household chores that we could not do during the workweek. But it’s a day off, you complain! A day off from what? Not your family, or household duties. You don’t have days off from those, especially if you have young children. 

And though the amenities make it somewhat easier, you still have to load and unload the washer, the dryer and the dishwasher, fold the clothes and put them away. Well you don’t necessarily have to go to the grocery any longer, for you can order on line and have your stuff delivered. But for some reason we seem to be busier than we’ve ever been.

Is that just a figment of our imagination, or is it real? An interesting thought for us to ponder this Saturday morning as we sit or lay daydreaming about being a couch potato. (smile) 

But now, let’s see what quotes our friend Anselm sent us this week, as he aspires to inspire us for a better tomorrow. And this first quote is a gem. ’The important thing is not being afraid to take a chance. Remember, the greatest failure is to not try. Once you find something you LOVE to do, be the best at doing it.’ 

That’s oh so true my brethren. We must not be afraid to take chances, especially if we’re truly and sincerely walking with Jesus. And not trying is indeed the greatest failure you can ever have, because you’ll never know what you might have accomplished, had you tried. Then excellence is a must in whatever you like to do, otherwise you’re just wasting your time. 

Now I’m not so sure about this next quote. ‘I honestly think it is better to be a failure at something you LOVE than to be a success at something you hate.’ My thinking is why would you want to be a failure in anything at all? 

And then there is: ‘Every day we choose who we are by how we define ourselves.’ Unfortunately many of us define ourselves in different ways, and thus show ourselves in different lights. However, there is only ONE true way to define yourself; as a believer in Jesus Christ, and a child of the Most High God Jehovah! And everything else in your life should follow from that. 

So what about this quote: ‘You are not a product of your circumstances. You are a product of your decisions.’ Yes, our decisions play a great part in what we become, but I think that’s cutting the argument a bit fine, because we make so many of our decisions based on our circumstances.  

And then there is this last quote. ‘People take different roads seeking fulfillment and happiness. Just because they’re not on your road doesn’t mean they’ve gotten lost.’ 

Ah mih people, that might be true in the world’s opinion, but for believers in Jesus Christ, if you’re not with me on the straight and narrow road that leads to Jesus, to salvation and eternal life, then you are indeed lost! Oh friends, that’s why Jesus had such heavy emphasis on the lost in His ministry.

As he steadfastly declares in our Bit: ‘For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.’ That was His sole purpose of coming to earth people! To save us from our abominable sins which would cause us to be eternally separated from Almighty God! 

And our heavenly Father LOVED us so much that He couldn’t stand the thought of losing even one of His most precious creations. Thus Bruh Paul could truthfully declare to the Romans: ‘But God commendeth (demonstrated) his LOVE toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.’ (Rom.5:8) Imagine that nuh people; Christ died in place of our lost souls. He took our death and gave us His life instead. What a hero! One of extraordinary proportions! 

Now let’s look at a couple of instances where Jesus harped on the lost idea, and the importance of saving those who are lost. But first hear these explanations from the scholars on our Bit. ’19:10. The words, seek, save, and lost all appear elsewhere in Scripture in a shepherd context. This verse may be taken as a kernel statement of the central theme of Luke: Jesus is the compassionate, searching Herdsman who seeks to save those who can by no means save themselves.’ 

And that is exactly who Jesus is! Just check out His parables on the lost sheep, the lost coin and the lost son, Luke 15:3-32. If a shepherd had a hundred sheep and one got lost, he wouldn’t just forget about it, but he’d leave the ninety nine and go diligently looking for that one lost animal.

And when He found it, he’d throw it over his shoulders rejoicing, then go home and call his friends and neighbours to rejoice with him over the lost sheep that was found. ‘I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine just (upright) persons. (Luke 15:7) 

The same goes for the woman who has ten pieces of silver and loses one in her house. She’ll put on the brightest lights and sweep the area clean to find it. And when she finds it, she calls her friends to rejoice with her. ‘Likewise I say unto you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth.’ (Luke 15:10) 

And we all know the parable of the prodigal son who returns home after wasting his life and fortune in a foreign country. He comes to offer himself as a servant to the father, but the father would have none of it. And he joyfully declares: ‘For this my son was dead, and is alive again, he was lost, and is found. And they began to be merry.’ (Luke 15:24) 

Oh my faithful brethren, that’s the exact reaction our heavenly Father has when we’re saved, and all heaven rejoices with Him. So please, let’s be wise and get on that straight and narrow road that leads to Jesus before it’s too late nuh. Much LOVE!

…he who is lost…and doesn’t want to be found by Jesus…needs his head examined…

 

 

 

 

 

Today’s Scrip-Bit 20 September 2014 Psalm 111:10‏

20 Sep 2014 Leave a comment

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

Psalm 111:10.  The fear of the Lord (an awe-filled reverence toward the Lord) is the beginning of wisdom: a good understanding have all they that do his commandments: his praise endureth for ever.
 

Well Friends, it’s another brand new day that we’ve been privileged to see! Wow! All praise and glory that our wonderful God has not taken away the breath of life from us! And for that, we shall indeed be very thankful!
 
That means He still has some purpose for our lives here on planet earth, so let’s offer up all the praise and thanks we can, and as one joyful body in Christ, sincerely declare: ‘This is the day the Lord has made, we shall all rejoice and be glad in it!’
 
And that’s exactly how it ought to be my people, because the Lord gave us life so that we could be joyful and enjoy it. What did Jesus say? That He came that we might have life, and have it more abundantly. (John 10:10)
 
Therefore we ought to rejoice and give thanks each and every day that we open our eyes and discover that the awesome breath of life, the Spirit of Holy God is still flowing through our mortal bodies.
 
So what are we waiting for eh Friends? Let’s jump for joy, dance and sing, and give thanks and praise to our wonderful Creator for all the blessings and mercies He’s continually showering down on us!
 
And let’s also take our Bit to heart. ‘The fear of the Lord (an awe-filled reverence toward the Lord) is the beginning of wisdom: a good understanding have all they that do his commandments: his praise endureth for ever,’
 
Oh my brethren, when we do that, then we’ll know that we are on the right track, because having a sincere reverence towards Almighty God is the first step to Christian maturity, to true wisdom and understanding!
 
It’s a two pronged instrument my people; fear the Lord and keep His commandments, then you’ll be on the right road, the straight and narrow one, to wisdom and understanding. That’s because true wisdom and understanding emanate directly from Jehovah God! He is the fount of it all!
 
And how do we access that wisdom and understanding? By focusing on God and reading the Good Book! For the Bible is God’s Word to us, still fresh through all the ages. And if we read it, we will find God’s wisdom on its pages. And furthermore, please remember that ONE TRUTH from the Bible is worth more than all the wisdom of man. Glory Hallelujah!
 
That’s why James tells us in no uncertain terms: ‘If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not (without reproach); and it shall be given him.
 
But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering (not doubting). For he that wavereth (doubts) is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. For let not that man think that he shall receive anything of the Lord. A double-minded man is unstable in all his ways.’ (James 1:5-8)
 
Now that’s the gospel truth my brethren! For whatever situation we’re facing, to come up over it wisely, we need to go to God, who is so generous, and without reproach too. But we have to do it in strong and constant faith, not in a wishy-washy, wavering, neither here nor there attitude.
 
And that’s why so many of us are so lost in this evil and ungodly world. We either completely refuse to go to God, and go to mortal man instead, foolishly figuring that he, who cannot control his own days, has the answers. Or we go to God without true faith and confidence.
 
I like how Cousin Sol declares it in chapter 8 of Proverbs – wisdom is everlasting. ‘O ye simple, understand wisdom (prudence): and ye fools, be ye of an understanding heart…. Receive my instruction, and not silver; and knowledge rather than choice gold. For wisdom is better than rubies; and all the things that may be desired are not to be compared to it.’ (Prov.8:5,10-11)
 
Awesome truth my fellow believers! And here is the reward for heeding wisdom. ‘When wisdom entereth into thine heart, and knowledge is pleasant unto thy soul; Discretion shall preserve thee, understanding shall keep thee: To deliver thee from the way of the evil man, from the man that speaketh froward (perverse) things; Who leave the paths of uprightness, to walk in the ways of darkness; who rejoice to do evil, and delight in the forwardness (perversity) of the wicked.’ (Prov.2:10-14)
 
Now Friends, I’m sure that all of us would dearly LOVE to walk that upright kind of path in our lives. And we can all do it, if we embrace the living God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, with reverence and sincerity, while following His commandments as best we can, making praise and thanksgiving an essential and integral part of our existence.
 
And we’ll go home with these fateful words of the Preacher: ‘Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man. For God shall bring every work into judgement, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.’ (Eccl.12:13-14)
 
Oh Friends, those are words of absolute and indisputable truth! So let’s get our act together nuh man; let’s seek true wisdom and understanding by sincerely serving and worshipping the wonderful God of our forefathers. For there’s none else like Him; a living, faithful, generous, merciful, forgiving, ever-LOVING and omnipotent God!
 
So if we want to have a truly enjoyable life, then let’s wake up and smell the coffee nuh people! (smile) Hn, hn! It’s been a while since I last heard that expression. But a couple of days ago, I heard my sister-in-law use it, and it reminded me of when my grandfather Bill, would boil his coffee every morning in the orange juice tin, you’d stay down the street and smell it.
 
So let’s inhale that refreshing aroma this Saturday morning nuh mih breddren, and take a strong and faithful stand with and for Almighty God! Much LOVE!
 
…Praise ye the Lord…shout Hallelujah…I will praise the Lord with my whole heart…in the assembly of the upright…and in the congregation…  (Ps.111:1)

 

 

Today’s Scrip-Bit 5 July 2014 Matthew 7:20

05 Jul 2014 Leave a comment

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

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

A fine Saturday morning to all you Friends and neighbours out there in Scrip-Bit land! Hope the Lord has been good to you, and even if He hasn’t, we need to remain trusting and faithful, staying obedient to His will, because that’s all a part of our ongoing testing and trial in our earthly pilgrimage.
 
Yes, my brethren, it’s oftimes a hard row we have to hoe, but please remember that with the ever-present help of Jesus, we CAN DO IT, and do it productively too.
 
Now here’s an interesting quote I read recently. It’s attributed to the great Greek writer of tragedy Euripides (480-406 B.C), who along with Sophocles and Aeschylus transformed the Greek tragedy scene. And the quote simply says: ‘Judge a tree from its fruit; not from its leaves.’
 
And there’s much truth to that statement Friends, for in these modern times there’s so much flash and fanciness that one is never sure about the substance contained therein. And we tend to judge too much by outer appearances, without sufficient knowledge or information regarding the people or situations. That’s why we fall for all sorts of flashy and fraudulent schemes and people, often to our severe detriment.
 
In far too many instances nowadays, the real deal is hidden under all the outer gloss, to prevent us from knowing the truth, the real character within. That’s why God judges us by the motives of our hearts rather than the external appearances and actions we present. However, we mere mortals cannot see into the hearts of our fellow man, that’s why we have to be exceedingly careful of what is shown to us on the outside, and try our best to evaluate the real motives and character before we let down our guard.
 
That brings to mind Jesus and the fig tree. (Matt.21:18-19) When He passed by hungry, it was full of leaves but no fruit, which, according to the seasonal cycle, it should have borne by then. The external appearance of the fig tree was desirable to look at, but inside it contained nothing for creating fruit; it was barren.
 
Likewise, using Euripides quote, a lot of trees and people can look beautiful on the outside, with many leaves and fancy trappings, but in actual fact, they are quite barren inside, producing nothing of any real value. That’s why Jesus, after telling the disciples about the two ways of life; the straight and narrow path that leads to Him, and the wide and destructive one that leads to death, (Matt.7:13-14) afterwards  went to great lengths to warn them about false prophets.
 
‘Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening (ravenous) wolves. Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil (bad) fruit.
 
A good tree cannot bring forth evil (bad) fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.’ (Matt.7:15-20)  
 
What powerful, meaningful and enlightening scripture Friends!
 
And the scholars explain it thus: ‘7:16-20. A true test of a prophet was the conformity of his doctrine to the Scriptures (cf. 1 cor.14:37; Deut.13:1-5). Their fruits refers not only to actions of their lives, but also to the doctrines they proclaim. The two trees are contrasted in relation to the fruit they produce. Every good tree bringeth forth good fruit consistently, while a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit continually.
 
Therefore, the normal and consistent production of fruit, whether good or evil, in a person’s life will bear evidence whether or not that life is of God. Verse 19 illustrates the unfruitful life of the unregenerate who is cast into the fire, a picture of eternal punishment in hell.’
 
Yes my brethren, all of that also applies to us, to the way we live our lives; either as producers of good or bad fruit. However, as disciples, as representatives of Jesus, we are expected to bring forth GOOD FRUIT! And not simply good fruit, but also MUCH good fruit! Jesus reminded the disciples of that when talking about the vine and the branches, where they could do nothing without Him. (John 15:1-5)  
 
‘If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them and cast them into the fire; and they are burned. If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto (for) you. Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear MUCH fruit, so shall ye be my disciples.’ (John 15:7-8)
 
Yes Friends, Jesus expects His disciples to bear MUCH fruit! So the question is, are we bearing fruit? And if we are bearing fruit, is it good or bad? And furthermore, if we are bearing good fruit like we ought to, how much fruit are we bearing? That’s an individual situation for us to sit and ponder today, my people.
 
Let’s hope that all God’s people are bearing much good fruit. And if we aren’t, then hopefully we’ll soon come to our senses, and with Jesus’ help, start bearing exceedingly abundant good fruit.
 
Now let’s close with another statement of Jesus on the subject of good and corrupt fruit. ‘Either make the tree good, and his fruit good; or else make the tree corrupt (bad), and his fruit corrupt (bad): for the tree is known by his fruit.’ (Matt.12:33)
 
 Oh Friends, what kind of tree does our fruit show us to be eh?  Much LOVE!
 
…the fruit of the righteous is a tree of life…and he that winneth souls…is wise…  (Prov.11:30)