Today’s Scrip-Bit   16 December 2023 John 14:6.

16 Dec 2023 Leave a comment

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

John 14:6.       I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.

And it’s a perfect lazy-day Saturday morning; cloudy, cold and dry. Yes friends, all the elements we need to instigate laziness. (smile) But let’s hope that in that laziness we do take some time to communicate with our wonderful God, who’s given us the breath of life for another day. It’s a good day to spend time talking to our Maker, pouring out our hearts to Him, casting all our cares upon Him, as He’s recommended in His Word. (1 Pet. 1:7) And after emptying our souls to Him, rest quietly to hear what He has to tell us in answer to our doubts and fears. 

Now, it’s been said that that’s one of the believers’ biggest problems and mistakes; talking to God then quickly moving off to other things, instead of waiting to hear what the Lord has to say. Remember, it’s a conversation we’re having with the Father, and a conversation is usually a two way street. So please, let’s not rush off as soon as we finish uttering our cares, but stick around quietly and hear what the Father has to say, for He will say something, and you cannot afford to miss anything the Lord has to say. (smile) 

And, in preparation for that outpouring of our personal cares, let’s raise up our Lazy-Day Saturday Prayer to heaven, with strong conviction and true sincerity. As one voice: ‘Lord, I want to be with You now. Please slow my thoughts and quiet my soul. Let my muscles relax, my breath deepen. You are here with me – Your peace and LOVE are present. I marvel to think You can’t be contained, that Your LOVE both surrounds and fills me. Thank You for this tenderness, Lord. I praise You for Your unceasing nearness. Increase my awareness of You today, that I may know You all the more. Amen!’ 

Now, let’s rest a moment and allow what we’ve said to truly sink into our consciousness, as the Lord does quiet our souls and raises our awareness of His LOVING presence. Ah mih people, what a wonderful God we serve! Who else but Jehovah God would make His presence so tangibly felt to His followers eh? Nobody! And He does it all through the power of the third person of the Holy Trinity, the Holy Spirit, which dwells within us to lead, guide, comfort, and make known the desires and plans of the Father. 

What an awesome team is our Triune Godhead! The Father plans and directs; the Son, Jesus came to earth and did the dirty, sacrificial work, taking the sins of the whole world on His sinless shoulders; then the Holy Spirit comes along to do the everyday work to enable believers to communicate with the Father and stay safe under the refuge of His mighty wings! You couldn’t find a better team than that friends, that’s why it’s ever so necessary and important to accept Christ as Lord and Saviour, then follow the lead and guiding of the Holy Spirit, who comes to dwell within you, once you’ve accepted Christ as the number One priority in your life! 

And why is that you ask? Because Jesus died to pay for our sins, and only if we accept Him as Lord and Saviour will we be entitled to spend eternity with Him in heaven. Otherwise we’ll be headed straight for hellfire, death and damnation with Satan, meaning eternal separation from God, which is the worst possible thing that can happen to a human soul. Jeus warned us so often of that terrible fact during His sojourn here on earth. For instance, He declared (chuh!!!) to the disciple called Doubting Thomas and also to us in no uncertain words: ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.’ (John 14:6) 

What’s in that not to understand eh mih bredrin? Jesus is the ONLY WAY that a human being or soul can get into the presence of the Father. That means, if you don’t accept Jesus as Lord and Saviour, then you’ll never even see the pearly gates of heaven, much less enter them! And per the way to get to heaven, Jesus further tells us: ‘Enter ye in at the strait (narrow) gate: for wide is the gate and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: Because strait (narrow) is the gate, and narrow (difficult, confined) is the way, which leadeth unto life (eternal), and few there be that find it.’ (Matt. 7:13-14)  

Ah friends, what else must Jesus do and say to make us believe that His way is the best option in this world eh? And I like how this commentary explains those two verses. ‘The wide gate of the world promises life and happiness but delivers destruction. The way of Christ requires that we lay our lives down, but in that sacrifice we find a reward of (eternal) life. Sadly, the gate that is wide and the way that is broad is the one most people travel. That way leads to destruction.’ Yes mih bredrin, because the gate to Christ and eternal life is so narrow and ofttimes hard to negotiate, fewer people travel it, and thus are led to their destruction, to eternal separation from God. 

Meanwhile in the gospel of Luke Jesus words on the subject are recorded thus: ‘And he (Jesus) went through the cities and villages, teaching, and journeying toward Jerusalem. Then said one unto him, Lord, are there few that are saved? And he said unto them. Strive to enter in at the strait (narrow) gate: for many, I say unto you, will seek  to enter in, and shall not be able. When once the master of the house is risen up, and hath shut to the door, and ye begin to stand without (outside), and to knock at the door, saying, Lord, Lord, open unto us; and he shall answer and say unto you, I know you not, whence are ye (where are you from). 

Then shall ye begin to say, We have eaten and drunk in thy presence, and thou hast taught in our streets. But he shall say, I tell you, I know you not whence ye are (where you are from); depart from me, all ye workers of iniquity. There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when ye shall see Abraham, and Issac, and Jacob, and all the prophets, in the kingdom of God, and you yourselves thrust out. And they shall come from the east, and from the west, and from the north, and from the south, and shall sit down in the kingdom of God. And, behold, there are last which shall be first, and there are first which shall be last.’ (Luke 13:22-30) 

Oh my people, if after reading and hearing all of Jesus’ words, we still refuse to accept Him as Lord and Saviour and don’t endeavour to walk the straight and narrow path, then we have no one else but ourselves to blame, when we are thrust out of God’s kingdom and lay there weeping and gnashing our teeth, foolishly thinking that because we were in the upper echelons of society, a power broker, we would automatically get to enter heaven. Unfortunately though, those who were far below us but accepted Jesus and walked the straight and narrow path will be greeted first at the pearly gates. 

Please let this be a lesson to us all: our positions here on earth don’t mean a thing in heaven. What’s important is our personal relationship with Jesus. And if you don’t have one, you’d better get one, RIGHT NOW, before it’s too late! That’s the wisdom of the ages! Much LOVE!

…following Jesus is not easy…but it’s the ONLY WAY to heaven… 

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

Today’s Scrip-Bit   7 February 2023 Ephesians 4:30.

07 Feb 2023 Leave a comment

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

Ephesians 4:30.       And grieve not the Holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.

And having embraced the potentiality of this new workweek with a celebration of Monday, let’s continue that joyful embrace with a celebration of Tuesday as well nuh! (smile) Oh friends, being joyful in our earthly lives, regardless of our circumstances, is ever so important, because that’s the ONLY way we’ll ever receive true victory over the enemy and his evil works and despicable cronies. And the only way to be mostly joyful is to have Jesus Christ as our Lord and Saviour, with His Holy Spirit dwelling within us to lead and guide us in all righteousness. 

But having said that, it is utterly essential that we obey the leading and guidance of the Holy Spirit if we want to receive the many and majestic benefits it brings. We can’t obey when we feel like and don’t obey when we don’t. Total obedience is absolutely necessary ALL the time! Yes, like Bruh Paul said to the Ephesians: ‘And grieve not the Holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.’ (Eph. 4:30) 

And I guess the next question will be, how can we grieve the Holy Spirit? Easy, just like we grieve our friends and families when we do wrong. Remember, the Holy Spirit is not an ‘IT’ but a person, the third person of the Holy Trinity, so that means He has feelings just like us. And we grieve Him when we do wrong. As Bruh Paul points out earlier in his missive to the Ephesians, we must put away lying and speak truth. Don’t be angry and sin. 

Don’t let the sun go down on our anger. That means don’t go to bed angry, else it will disturb our sleep and we will wake up angry. And when you’re angry, you don’t have the peace of God flowing though you. Likewise, don’t steal, work honestly, don’t use corrupt communication, that’s foul and abusive language. Let our words be edifying, that’s teachable, from which our hearers can learn valuable stuff. And all of that you can find in Eph. 4:25-29. 

And we can sum it all up in this verse: ‘Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice.’ (Eph. 4:31) And by doing those ungodly things on a regular basis, is how we grieve the Holy Spirit. Then Bruh Paul explains the necessary conduct that should be manifested by a true believer in Christ. ‘And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.’ (Eph. 4:32) 

Oh my fellow saints, ‘forgiven people, should be forgiving people!’ And it’s ever so important and necessary that we believers learn to live in peace, LOVE and forgiveness with each other, because that’s the ONLY WAY we will ever resist and then conquer the enemy! We can’t do that if we’re living in strife, conflict and evil doing, in other words exactly like the enemy does and desires for us to do. Remember, ‘the joy of the Lord is our strength.’ (Neh. 8:10) 

That means only when we are good and godly do we possess the joyful strength of God, which flows into us through the power of the Holy Spirit. It’s all quite simple friends. If we want the marvellous benefits that emanate from our merciful and great God, then we need to live the way that He’s set out in His will and His word. You can’t be disobedient and still expect to receive all His many benefits as pointed out by Bruh David in Psalm 103. 

‘Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits: Who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases; Who redeemeth thy life from destruction; who crowneth thee with LOVING-KINDNESS and tender mercies. Who satisfieth thy mouth with good things; so that thy youth is renewed like the eagle’s. The Lord executeth righteousness and judgement for all that are oppressed.’ (Ps. 103:2-6) 

There you have it my brethren; some of the many good things that the Lord God Almighty, He of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob does for those who sincerely bow down and worship Him! It’s amazing though, that so many of us desire to have all those benefits but refuse to do what it takes to get them. It reminds me of one of Sister Joyce’s (Joyce Meyer) sayings: ‘You can’t keep doing the wrong thing and expect to get the right result.’ But that’s exactly what so many of us are indeed doing. We are bowing down to the idols of materialism and evil that control our world, but yet we expect to enjoy the benefits of God. It won’t happen my people! 

And please, please, let’s remember that although God LOVES us unconditionally and is long-suffering, that doesn’t mean He will put up with our shenanigans forever. At some stage off the game, if we continue in our present mode of undiluted evil, He will get tired and react in wrath. And believe me, you don’t want to feel God’s wrath, for it’s as great as His LOVE! 

Yuh see how many times, and how disastrously He punished the Israelites for their disobedience and unfaithfulness. Don’t think the same thing won’t happen to us eventually, unless we turn from our evil ways. And who knows if it’s not already happening, with all the many calamities and disasters that are currently bombarding our world, be they natural or manmade. 

Oh my fellow believers, it’s as Bruh Paul says in Romans: ‘And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we (first) believed. The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light.’ (Rom. 13:11-12) 

Yes people, it’s certainly time for us to wake up from our slothful and evil ways and begin seriously living for Christ, for with each passing day, His return draws nearer, and if He comes and finds us wallowing in the mire of darkness, then crapaud smoke we pipe! And we certainly don’t want that, for it means eternal separation from God; the worst fate that can ever befall a human being. So please, let’s wake up and do what we need to do, and stop grieving the Holy Spirit nuh. 

And for those of us who are sincerely trying to do that, let’s go home now declaring (wow!!!) our Tuesday Mantra, letting the universe know to whom we belong, lock stock and barrel. As one strong and sincere voice: ‘In God’s eyes, I’m not what I do. I’m not what I have. I’m not what people say about me. I am the beloved of God, that’s who I am. No one can take that from me. I don’t have to worry. I don’t have to hurry. I can trust my friend Jesus and share His LOVE with my immediate neighbours, as well as with the whole wide world! Glory be!’ 

Now, it’s time for us to actually go out and share that amazing LOVE and friendship of Jesus with others, so that they too can come to know and LOVE Him like we do! Much LOVE!

…Jesus is coming back unexpectedly…as a thief in the night…if He comes tonight…will you be ready… 

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

Today’s Scrip-Bit   8 November 2022   1 Thessalonians 5:19.

08 Nov 2022 Leave a comment

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

1 Thessalonians 5:19.       Quench not the Spirit.

Oh Brother, I can’t believe it’s already the 8th day of November nuh! We just celebrated Halloween a few days ago at the end of October. What’s happening with these months eh? They are flying by so quickly, that you hardly have time to really notice and enjoy them. (smile) But in my neck of the words, we really can’t complain because the days have been very warm and sunny considering the time of the year. Let’s just hope that when the real winter season drops down on us, the days fly as quickly. Don’t hold your breath for that though. (smile) 

However, the good thing about being a follower of Jesus Christ is that we don’t have to worry about anything, whether it’s winter, spring, summer or fall, because He ALWAYS has our backs, even in the greatest storm of our lives, our Lord and Saviour is ALWAYS there to guide and protect, to lead and bring us safely through our trials and tribulations! Wow! What a wonderful Lord and Saviour we serve and worship! 

And all God’s children gave a large, long, and grateful shout of ‘Thank You Jesus! We LOVE you with all of our hearts, souls, bodies and minds! Without You we are nothing! Please keep looking out for us, as we will keep LOVING and coming to You for Your awesome grace and mercy!’ 

Mama Mia! I have to laugh yes, because that prayer wasn’t planned, but somehow or the other it just kept flowing from my fingers. No doubt the work of the Holy Spirit, sensing our need for some prayer with praise and thanksgiving in these turbulent and perilous times of our world. And yes, there’s no better way of communing with our great God than through prayer, praise and thanksgiving. That’s why Bruh Paul encouraged the Thessalonians to ‘Rejoice evermore. Pray without ceasing. In every thing give thanks for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you. Quench not the Spirit.’ (1 Thess. 5:16-19) 

Yes my fellow believers, life with Jesus is all about rejoicing, praying, giving thanks and allowing the Holy Spirit to lead and guide us the way He is supposed to. Most of today’s teachers and preachers don’t pay much attention to the last verse about quenching the Holy Spirit, but it’s very important since it’s through the third person of the Holy Trinity, that we are led and guided to the Lord’s will. 

And the scholars explain that last verse thus. ‘Quench means putting out the fire in Matthew 12:20. Ephesians 6:16, and Hebrews 11:34. Here it is employed metaphorically to mean “stifle” or “suppress.” The Christian can stifle the Holy Spirit’s workings by hindering Him from leading the believer to rejoice (vs.16), to pray (vs.17), to give thanks in adversity (vs. 18), and by despising prophetic utterance (vs. 20) inspired by the Holy Spirit.’ 

And sadly, that’s what many of us do my fellow saints; we quench the Holy Spirit by not listening to His divine guidance, by going our own way, or the way the enemy lies and deceives us into going. That’s why so many of us are leading such troubled lives, inwardly we’re not in sync with the Holy Spirit of God, despite our outward Christian behaviour. 

Unfortunately though, we, the individual believers, are the ONLY ones who can correct that unwise behaviour. Others can talk to us about it, but unless and until we seriously and consciously choose to change it, then we’ll keep on losing the divine blessings and leadings of God’s great Spirit that dwells within us for that very purpose. And the only way to get us to wise up and do what we know we ought to do, is to keep bombarding us with scriptures on the subject. (smile) 

So here goes, with Bruh Paul’s words to the Philippians. ‘Rejoice in the Lord always: and again I say, Rejoice. Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand.. Be careful (anxious) for nothing, but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep (guard) your hearts and minds through Jesus Christ. 

Finally brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest (noble), whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are LOVELY, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise (anything praiseworthy), think (meditate) on these things. Those things, which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do: and the God of peace shall be with you.’ (Phil. 4:4-9) 

Hope that stirred up our souls and spirits some. But we’re not done yet. Remember we’re bombarding. (smile) So listen to Bruh Paul to the Colossians on the subject of Christian virtues. ‘Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved bowels of mercies (tender mercies), kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, long-suffering; Forbearing (bearing with) one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye. 

And above all these things put on charity (LOVE), which is the bond of perfectness. And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful. 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. And 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. 3:12-17) 

Now that’s enough bombardment for today! And if it doesn’t rile up our spirits to do better, then I don’t know what else to say or do. (smile) Oh, upon further thought, I’ll just try to emphasize these two things. First, the putting on of charity or LOVE, the bond of perfectness.’ Meaning that ‘LOVE is the crowning grace completing the list of virtues required for perfectness or spiritual maturity. As a “bond” it binds all other virtues together in harmony and unity.’ And remember Bruh Paul’s famous words to the Corinthians: ‘And now abideth faith, hope, charity (LOVE), these three; but the greatest of these is charity (LOVE).’ (1 Cor. 13:13) 

Then, the second thing I want to emphasize is that EVERYTHING we do, we should try to do in the name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, in glory to the Father. If we do those two things; live in LOVE, and do all in the name of Jesus, meaning what pleases Him, then I think we will do great things here on earth, live up to our Christian heritage. 

Now, for those of us who are sincerely trying to live for Christ, let’s go home declaring (yeahhh!!!) our Tuesday Mantra, letting the whole world know to whom we belong, lock, stock and barrel. As one strong and sincere voice: ‘In God’s eyes, I’m not what I do. I’m not what I have. I’m not what people say about me. I am the beloved of God, that’s who I am. No one can take that from me. I don’t have to worry. I don’t have to hurry. I can trust my friend Jesus and share His LOVE with my immediate neighbours, as well as with the whole wide world! Glory be!’ 

And having said that, it’s now our bounden duty to go out and share the awesome LOVE and friendship of Christ with all those we meet, so that they too can come to know and LOVE Him like we do! Much LOVE!

…to LOVE and serve like Christ…that’s the Christian motto… 

Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZJ