01 Jul 2016
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: 4th July, backbone, Beelzebub, behaviour, beliefs on me, believers in Jesus Christ, belly, best big country, blood, bread, bread of life, came down from heaven, Canada Day, Capernaum, cause havoc, celebrations, drink, drink my blood, Drunk or sober mind yuh business, dwells in me, eternal life, everlasting life, evil cronies, fellowship, figuratively, Friday chant, fun, generous help, glorious kingdom, Granny's advice, hardens, I in him, I live by the Father, in Jesus' name, invitation, Jesus Christ, keep our wits, literally, live for ever, Lucifer, make it anywhere, manna, meat, my flesh, Northamerica, northern climes, partying, perspective, physical, promise, refreshed, relaxation, renewed, rest, rough times, safely, spiritual, spiritual armour, suicide, synagogue, template, TGIF!, Thank God for Friday, the enemy has no power, the Eucharist, the Good Book, the life of the world, the living bread, the living Father, the Son of man, the wilderness, the Word of god, toughens, truth, trying times, unprotected spot, week of work, weekend, wine, wisdom, wise
John 6:48. I am that bread of life.
HAPPY CANADA DAY !
Happy 149th Birthday Canada! May the Lord bless and keep you strong and godly that you might see another 149 birthdays! Amen!
And though you may have recently declined in some respects, you are still the best big country in the world! And I believe that with my whole heart. I don’t want to live in any other big country. I have spent more than half of my life here, and obviously there have been some rough times, like there are everywhere, but you’ve never mistreated me.
And the truth is, if you can make it in the northern climes, you can make it anywhere in the world. It hardens and toughens you up, gives you belly and backbone, which so many of us sadly lack in these trying times.
And without a doubt, the populace, at least the working populace is overjoyed that today is Friday and also a holiday, so there’s been much shouting and carrying on re ‘TGIF! Thank God for Friday and this long weekend! The partying will be terrific! Lots of food and drink! Thank God for Fridays and the weekends yes!’
Ah Lord eh! (smile) Now to help us correct the overblown idea of the weekend being the time for excessive partying, let’s chant our Friday Chant, which offers us a much better perspective.
As one now: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through another week of work! It hasn’t been easy, but with your generous help, I made it through.
Now, please help me to get sufficient fun, fellowship, rest and relaxation in these two short days off, so that I can be renewed and refreshed in soul, body and mind, to go back out and do it all over again next week, furthering your glorious kingdom with each step I take. I pray this in Jesus name. Amen.’
Yes friends, our lives would be much richer if we’d use that template for our weekend behaviour. Oh, and by the way, I’d be rather remiss if I didn’t throw in Granny’s wise advice for this long weekend. ‘Sonny boy, ah beg yuh, please, drunk or sober, please mind yuh business!’
And better advice than that could not be given my people, for ole Lucifer is always sneakily trawling around, seeking a soft or unprotected spot in our spiritual armour to jump in and cause havoc. So please let’s not give him any chances during our celebrations this weekend nuh.
And if you think things will be humming up here this weekend, just think about what the U.S. will be like as they celebrate their 4th of July Independence Day on Monday. Mama yo! The whole of North America will be jumping this weekend, and Beelzebub and his evil cronies will certainly be busy too!
But if we just keep our wits about us, we’ll be fine, since the enemy has no power over believers in Jesus Christ unless we allow him to.
Now let’s address our Bit; the same one of the past couple days. ‘I am that bread of life.’
Christ while teaching in the synagogue in Capernaum, had been trying to explain to His listeners who He was and His purpose here on earth. But they were most likely more concerned with physical bread to fill their stomachs than the spiritual kind that Jesus was referring to.
Just before our Bit, He declares unto them: ‘Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life. I am that bread of life. Your fathers did eat manna in the wilderness, and are dead. This is the bread which cometh down from heaven, that a man may eat thereof, and not die.
I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live forever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.’ (John 6:47-51)
What a wonderful invitation and promise my people! Do you want to live forever? Then eat the bread of eternal life that Jesus offers! It’s that simple.
Today it might be for us, because we know the scriptures, but back then it was a tough thing for the people to imagine much less understand. And the Good Book tells us: ‘The Jews therefore strove (disputed) among themselves, saying, How can this man give us his flesh to eat?’ (John 6:52) They didn’t realize that Jesus was speaking figuratively, rather than literally.
‘Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you. Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day. For my flesh is meat (food) indeed, and my blood is drink indeed.
He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me, and I in him. As the living Father hath sent me, and I live by the Father: so he that eateth me, even he shall live by (because of) me. This is that bread that came down from heaven: not as your fathers did eat manna, and are dead: he that eateth of this bread shall live for ever.’ (John 6:53-58)
Now imagine talking about eating your flesh and drinking your blood to any group of people at all, much less one forbidden to drink blood? (Lev.7:26-27) Obviously they were stunned and couldn’t fathom His speech.
But friends, today, we know that Jesus was talking figuratively, meaning the Eucharist that we now celebrate. The bread represents His flesh and the wine His blood. So technically speaking, we have no excuses for not living forever, having eternal life, if we so desire. Unfortunately, many of us refuse it, but the wise choose it, because it is the word of God, the truth.
Friends, I do hope that you are amongst that group of wise people who chose Jesus’ offer of eternal life, for that is the wisdom of all wisdom! Much LOVE!
…to refuse the Son of man’s offer of eternal life…is like committing suicide…
26 May 2016
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a compassionate heart, a godly life, a positive outlook on life, abundance, anxiety, believers, belly and backbone, belt, bounden duty, broken, challenge, Christian foundation, courage, creativity, curse, direction for my life, divine protection, doubt, eagerness, family friends, favour, fulfillment, generously gifted, girded, girt about, God's protective armour, godly armour, good, health, hoighty toighty, holy character, I am blessed, in the name of Jesus, indispensability of prayer, Jesus Christ, knowledge, loins, LOVE, moral conduct, negative word, obedience, opportunity, peace, perseverance, prayer, praying, promises, promotion, prosper, put on the whole armour of God, quench, ridicule, righteousness, saints, Satan, schemes., Scrip-Bit family, self-control, self-discipline, serve our Lord and Saviour, shod, sinful world, sitting ducks, soldier, spiritual belt, stand, strong will, succeed, success, supernatural strength, supplication, talent, the breastplate of righteousness, the devil, the fiery darts, the gospel of peace, the helmet of salvation, the preparation of the gospel, the shield of faith, the sword of the Spirit, the wicked one, the wiles of the devil, the Word of god, Thursday Blessings, trust, truth, waist, watching, willingness, wisdom, ye may be able to stand
Ephesians 6:11. Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles (schemes) of the devil.
Greetings and salutations my wonderful Scrip-Bit family on this glorious Thursday morning! It’s another most worthwhile opportunity for us to serve our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ in this evil and ungodly world.
In fact, it’s not a choice, but our bounden duty as believers, and we only heap ridicule on Jesus’ holy name if we don’t pursue that challenge as we ought to.
And there’s no time to lose, so let’s get busy and declare our Thursday Blessings that will feed our faith, uplift us, and give us the wherewithal to go out and face the enemy with much needed belly and backbone.
Altogether now: ‘I declare that I am blessed with God’s supernatural wisdom and receive clear direction for my life! I declare today that I am blessed with creativity, courage, talent and abundance! I am blessed with a strong will, self-control and self-discipline!
I am blessed with a great family, good friends, good health, faith, favour and fulfillment! I am blessed with success, supernatural strength, promotion and divine protection! I am blessed with a compassionate heart and a positive outlook on life!
I declare that any curse or negative word that’s ever been spoken over me is broken right now in the name of Jesus! I declare that everything I put my hands to will prosper and succeed! I declare it today and everyday! Amen!’
Oh glory to our wonderful God my precious people, for He has generously gifted us with all that we need to succeed in this sinful world! Now let’s go out and succeed…
But first we need to do this absolutely necessary thing as directed by our Bit: ‘Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles (schemes) of the devil.’
Yes friends, without God’s protective armour, we’re just like innocent, naïve, sitting ducks for the enemy. He’d be all over us in no time at all. That’s why Bruh Paul seriously warned us about wearing God’s armour at all times.
And I’m going to repeat the verses of yesterday about what the spiritual armour of God consists of, because I want to share some very useful info from the scholars on the subject. And don’t get hoighty toighty with me now because you think we’re wasting time by repeating those verses. (smile)
Friends, we can never hear those verses enough since they are a major part of our basic Christian foundation and the deeper we write them into our souls, the better off we will be.
Now hear Bruh Paul pontificate. ‘Stand therefore, having your loins girt about (girded your waist) with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench the fiery darts of the wicked (one).
And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints.’ (Eph.6:14-18)
Listen to the scholars now: ‘6:14-17. The whole armour of God consists of six pieces. (1) Truth (v.14a) is a knowledge of the truth of God’s Word (cf.4:21). The ancient soldiers loins (waist) were girt about with a leather belt which held most of the other pieces of his armour in place.
Similarly, the other pieces of the Christian’s armour depend on, and are held in place by his spiritual “belt” or his knowledge of the “truth” of Scripture.
(2) The breastplate of righteousness (v.14b) may be read “the breastplate which is righteousness.” It represents a holy character and moral conduct. Obedience to the “truth” known produces a godly life (righteousness).
(3) Preparation of the gospel of peace (v15) means “eagerness that comes from the gospel of peace.” That is, as the Roman soldier wore special shoes called caligae on his feet, enabling him to advance against his enemy, so the Christian must have on his feet (possess) a sense of “eagerness” or “willingness” to advance against the Devil and take the fight to him.
Such “eagerness” to contend with Satan “comes from the gospel of peace.” The gospel gives peace to the believer, freeing him from anxiety though he advances against such a powerful opponent.
(4) The shield of (which is) faith (v.16) means taking God at His word by believing His promises. Such trust will protect one from doubts induced by Satan.
(5) The helmet of salvation (v.17a): Since the readers are already Christians (2:8), they are not here urged to be saved. First Thessalonians 5:8 describes this helmet as “the hope of salvation” that is, the certainty (assurance) of salvation.
(6) The sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God (v.17b): The Greek term rendered “word” is not logos, referring to the whole Word of God, but rhema, referring to certain portions or selected verses of Scripture.’
And that takes care of the basic armour of God. But we’re not done yet my people. Listen to these other explanations from the scholars.
‘6:18. Praying is grammatically linked to “stand” in verse 14. Without prayer God’s armour is inadequate to achieve victory. Prayer is indispensable. Always means “on every occasion,” that is, when Satan attacks.
In the Spirit signifies that with the Spirit’s help such prayer for divine aid is made. Watching thereunto means “being vigilant in this very matter” of prayer. They are to pray not just for themselves but also for all saints; spiritual combat is both an individual and corporate matter.’
And thus ends this refresher course on the armour of God! (smile) Oh friends, I know that some of the explanations might be somewhat confusing, but if you take your time and concentrate on what you read, you will understand what’s been said.
And above all, please note the indispensability of prayer! Without it, the armour of God is ineffective. Now may the Lord bless and keep us as we go forth clothed in His protective armour, totally backed up by sincere prayer! Much LOVE!
…no Christian soldier goes out to battle without his godly armour…and prayer…
25 May 2016
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a decent neighbourhood, a glorious future with Jesus, a simple man, At the cross, Christian, commune with my Maker, crashing of the sea, faithful, feet shod, fellowship, glad to be alive, glory hallelujah, glory to God, gnarled branches, I am halfway home, I'm not looking back, Jehovah, Jermaine Cowan, life isn't good, lifeblood of God, LOVE, mark of wisdom, my eyes are fixed straight ahead, my hands are on the plough, new creations, Paradise, perseverance, places I used to go, praise, praying, problems, promises, put on the whole armour of God, put them at God's feet, Re-Arrange my life, rejoicing, rewards of heaven, rocket science, saints, salvation, schemes., simple tastes, songs of praise, spiritual armour, supplication, sweet Tobago, thanksgiving, that ye may be able to stand, the armour of God, the breastplate of righteousness, the breath of life, the cool wind, the fiery darts, the full moon, the gospel of peace, the great invitation, the helmet of salvation, the lusts of the world, the rocky shoreline, the rustle of the leaves, the shield of faith, the sword of the Spirit, the wiles of the devil, the Word of god, things I used to do, this is the day the Lord has made, thrilled, truth, unburden ourselves on Jesus, walk in LOVE, want to sing, we will rejoice and be glad in it, Wednesday Wail, wisdom, your loins girt about with truth
Ephesians 6:11. Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles (schemes) of the devil.
Oh my people, who ever says that life isn’t good eh, tell them I say that deh lie! (smile)
Oh, like everybody else, I have my spate of problems, but I try to put them at God’s feet at the cross, per His Great Invitation to come and unburden ourselves on Him. (Matt.11:28-30) And that leaves me more time to enjoy His beautifully created universe.
Now, I guess you all must be wondering what has me waxing so ecstatically this early, on a somewhat cloudy morning? Well it’s no rocket science friends. It’s simply because for the first time this year, I was able to sit comfortably on my front porch at two a.m and commune with my Maker. Oh glory to God mih people!
And those of you who know me, know that I’m just a simple man with simple tastes, thus simple things enthuse me.
And when I can sit on my porch in the early hours of the morning in the north country, without much clothes on, feeling the cool wind blow over me, and hear it rustle the the leaves of the fully clothed trees with song, as I look out over the quiet boulevard in a fairly decent neighbourhood, admire the lights in the surrounding gardens, and spy at the beautiful full moon through the dry, gnarled branches of the dead ash tree on my front lawn – got to cut it down soon yes – and above all, commune quietly with my God, then I must be thrilled! I couldn’t be anything other than that!
It’s almost like being in Paradise – Sweet Tobago. All I’m missing now is the gentle crashing of the sea on the rocky shoreline. Mama Mia! So how can I not be happy eh mih breddren? Oh friends, it just makes me want to sing, to shout in praise and thanksgiving!
So let’s do that nuh. Everyday we talk about ‘This is the day which the Lord hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it. (Ps.118:24) Well the best part of rejoicing is singing praise and worship and thanksgiving.
So please sing with me, the chorus of another of my favourite gospel songs that I recently heard; a nice li’l rocking reggae ditty by Jermain Cowan titled ‘Re-Arrange my life.’
Singing: ‘Things I used to do, I do them no more. Since You saved me. Places I used to go, I go there no more. Lord for You I rearranged my life. Jehovah, please stay by my side.’
And Again: ‘Things I used to do, I do them no more. Since you saved me. Places I used to go, I go there no more. Lord for You I rearranged my life. Jehovah please stay by my side.’
Oh friends, that’s how Christians are supposed to be when we get saved and become new creations in Jesus! And what more can we ask than for Jehovah God to stand always by our side eh? Not much. And we know He’ll do it, because He’s faithful to His promises.
And we’re not done singing and rejoicing this morning my breddren. It’s Wednesday, that means we have to wail out our Wednesday Wail.
So wailing, with sincerity and strong faith: ‘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!’
Ah my fellow believers, how good it is to feel the breath of life coursing through our mortal bodies this morning, especially when we’re walking steadfastly with Jesus, looking forward to the glorious future He has promised. Glory Hallelujah!
Now I’m chuckling here because I don’t know if we have much time and space left for our Bit. But since we’ve been rejoicing and singing praise and worship and giving thanks, it surely means that we’re in full agreement with it.
‘Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles (schemes) of the devil.’
Yeh friends, we can’t give our great and wonderful God thanks and praise without having on at least some of His protective spiritual armour. Now finally, let’s see what that armour of God consists of.
Listen to Bruh Paul enlighten the Ephesians and us. ‘Stand therefore, having your loins girt about (girded your waist) with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked (one).
And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints.’ (Eph.6:14-18)
Yes my breddren, that’s basically what the armour of God consists of. And we’ll end there so we can ponder it all. Tomorrow, God in favour, we’ll get into a deeper discourse of all the ramifications. (smile)
Till then though, please, let’s walk in LOVE and true fellowship, wisely eschewing, abstaining from the lusts of the world for the rewards of heaven. For that’s the true mark of wisdom. Much LOVE!
…once the lifeblood of God is flowing through a Christian…songs of praise and thanksgiving must emanate from his mouth…
18 May 2016
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a feast of souls, ascension, be baptized, be obedient, blessings, Christians, crooked generation, crucifixion, Day of Pentecost, do good, doctrine, dream dreams, earthly pilgrimage, extraordinary, fellowship, finite minds, forgiveness, glad to be alive, glory hallelujah, glory to God, God's will, goodness, I am halfway home, I will pour out my spirit, I'm not turning back, it shall come to pass, Jesus Christ, Joel, liars, LOVE, loving kindness, mercies, messengers of Satan, my eyes are fixed straight ahead, my hands are on the plough, old men, on the outside looking in, pick sense from nonsense, pricked in their heart, prophesy, Redeemer, repnet, resurrection, see visions, separated from God, sons and daughters, thanks and praise, the apostles' doctrine, the Bereans, the breaking of bread, the breath of life, the church at Ephesus, the day of judgement, the Good Book, the Holy Spirit, the New testament, the promise, the remission of sins, the Scriptures, the Word of god, to a glorious future with Jesus, upon all flesh, Wednesday Wail, when the roll is called up yonder, young men
Joel 2:28. And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions.
Oh my, my, friends, another glorious day is in the offing, and we’re alive to tell the tale! Mama Mia!
How blessed we are, that our great God chose us to see another day of earthly pilgrimage! Give Him plenty thanks and praise for His goodness and LOVING-kindness to us nuh, for He certainly deserves it.
I don’t know about you all, but I certainly look forward to each new day, that I know will be brim full of wonderful mercies, blessings and oodles of unimaginable opportunities to LOVE others, to do good, and to be obedient to His holy will. Glory to God!
Ohhh, what a magnificent God we serve and worship my people!
And since today is Wednesday, let’s wail our grateful and sincere Wednesday Wail. As one wailer now (smile): ‘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!’
And as fine, upstanding Christians, that is exactly what we are expected to do my brethren; be glad to be alive, have our hands strong and steadfast on the plough, looking straight ahead to the glorious future that’s promised with Christ!
And what a future that is going to be my fellow believers! I don’t think we can really imagine or contemplate it nuh with our small, finite minds. But believe me, it’s going to be extraordinary, just like everything with our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ is extraordinary!
All praise and glory be to our wonderful Redeemer!
Now let’s continue with our Bit, which was prophesied by the prophet Joel long before that momentous day of Pentecost. ‘And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions.’
And with the universal launching of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost Day, that aspect of Joel’s prophecy was fulfilled. And we’ll also continue looking at Simon Peter’s great sermon on that fateful day of Pentecost. We stopped yesterday where he had explained to his listeners about the crucifixion, resurrection and ascension of Jesus Christ.
And after that, the Good Book declares thus: ‘Now when they had heard this, they were pricked in (cut to) their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren what shall we do?
Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission (forgiveness) of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord shall call.
And with many other words did he testify and exhort, saying, Save yourselves from this untoward (crooked) generation.’ (Acts 2:37-40)
Wow mih people! Peter certainly had the Holy Spirit moving and a grooving in him that day!
And oh so many of us today deserve to hear that sermon, because too many of us have been separated from God, and will be left on the outside looking in when the day of judgement is fulfilled, unless we repent and accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour.
And as I keep reminding us, the worse thing that can ever happen to a human being is to be eternally separated from Almighty God when the roll is called up yonder!
Now some of us might wonder what happened on that Day of Pentecost after Peter gave his great speech. Listen to the Good Book tell it: ‘Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added about three thousand souls. And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, and in the breaking of bread, and in prayers.’ (Acts 2:41-42)
Ah friends, what a feast of souls was laid out before God that day!
Hn! Just wish nowadays that we can get three hundred, or even thirty, or some days even three. But getting people to turn to God in these sad times, when they truly need Hi most, is becoming more difficult every day because of the enemy’s stranglehold on the world, and our less than satisfactory behaviour as true Christians.
Now here is some info from the scholars re the Apostles’ doctrine. ‘2:42. The word doctrine derives from the Latin term for teaching and refers to the content that was taught in the New Testament. The proper teaching of Scripture was called “the apostles’ doctrine,” meaning that which the apostles’ taught.
This contrasted with erroneous teaching called “doctrines of devils” (1 Tim.4:1), meaning that teaching whose source is not God but the messengers of Satan, whose desire is to substitute false religion for Christianity (2 Cor.11:13-15).
Illustration: The apostles’ doctrine was true, not because an apostle taught it, but because it was consistent with the Scriptures. The Bereans examined the teaching of Paul in light of the Scriptures before accepting it (17:11). Also, the church at Ephesus examined some who called themselves apostles and found them liars (Rev.2:2).
Application: A Christian should attempt to understand and believe true doctrine, while rejecting all that disagrees with the Word of God (1 John 4:1). (First Ref. Acts 2:42: cf. Titus 3:10).’
Now friends, those are very important distinctions, that’s why I am always admonishing us to read the scriptures for ourselves, because that’s the only way we can know if what is being preached or taught to us is truly God’s Word.
So please, please try and read even a little of the Word each and every day, so that your knowledge of it can be steadily improved and you will better know how to pick sense from nonsense. (smile)
So until tomorrow, God in favour, let’s get with the Word nuh friends. And may the Good Lord bless and keep us and help us to walk safely and kindly on this our earthly pilgrimage! Much LOVE!
…if you’re not aware of what the Word says…then you’ll fall for any and every thing…
05 May 2016
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a light unto my path, a positive outlook on life, abundance, almighty god, Beelzebub, blessed, blessings, break free, commandment, compassionate heart, corrupt, courage, creativity, darkness, earthly pilgrimage, enlightening the eyes, everlasting light of Jesus, evil, evil minions, eyes of faith, faith, family, favour, find time, flattery, frauds, friends, fulfillment, glory to God, God's supernatural wisdom, health, I am blessed, illuminating our souls, Jesus Christ, lift up, lift up your soul, light of the world, make time, making wise the simple, material world, meditate, mercies, more to be desired than gold, our Lord and Saviour, prayer, promotion, prosper, protection, receive clear direction, reggae ditty, rejoicing the heart, reproofs of instruction, reward, righteousness, Scrip-Bit, self-control, self-discipline, shamans, shine bright, strife-filled world, strong will, study, succeed, success, supernatural strength, sweeter than hony, talent, testimony, the BIBLE, the Book of Life, the fear of the Lord, the Guide Book of Life, the judgements of the Lord, the law, the secret of life, the way of life, the Word of god, Thursday's Blessings, thy word is a lamp unto my feet, ungodly world
Psalm 119:105. Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.
Morning mih Scrip-Bit breddren! Another new day has dawned, and we are alive to see it…Glory to God!
And though it’s somewhat cloudy, with rain in the forecast, there’s no need for believers to be overly concerned, since we ALWAYS have the bright, shining everlasting light of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ illuminating our souls, to lead and guide us safely through the darkness of this evil and ungodly world.
And all God’s children declared a loud and grateful: ‘Praise the Lord!’
And talking about shining, I heard this li’l reggae ditty last night titled ‘Lift up your soul,’ by Kaisha Lee.
It contained a wonderful chorus that went something like this: ‘Shine bright, lift your heart up; lift your soul up; lift your smile up. Shine bright, lift your heart up; lift your soul up; lift yourself up. Why don’t you break free and lift your heart up; lift your soul up, lift your smile up. You know that you want to. You know that you got to… Shine bright…’
Yes friends, we’re supposed to shine bright because Jesus considers us the light of the world, and we do need to break free from the chains of this corrupt and material world and lift up our hearts, our souls and our basic selves to a standard that’s approved by our Leader Jesus Christ.
And since today is Thursday, let’s prepare ourselves to receive the new mercies and blessing our great and gracious God is getting ready to send our way, by declaring our Thursday’s Blessings, because, remember, a blessing is not a blessing until it’s spoken over someone.
As one now: ‘I declare that I am blessed with God’s supernatural wisdom and receive clear direction for my life! I declare today that I am blessed with creativity, courage, talent and abundance! I am blessed with a strong will, self-control and self-discipline! I am blessed with a great family, good friends, good health, faith, favour and fulfillment!
I am blessed with success, supernatural strength, promotion and divine protection! I am blessed with a compassionate heart and a positive outlook on life! I declare that any curse or negative word that’s ever been spoken over me is broken right now in the name of Jesus! I declare that everything I put my hands to will prosper and succeed! I declare it today and everyday! Amen!’
Ah mih people, how can Beelzebub ever hope to defeat us when we are so well surrounded and bolstered by all those blessings of Almighty God, the Creator and Controller of this universe eh? No way Jose!
The only problem now is that have to believe it, see the blessings coming to pass through our eyes of faith. That brings us to our Bit, which rather appropriately has to do with light and guidance. ‘Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.’
What a wonderful and true bit of scripture my fellow believers. The Word of our God is indeed a lamp and a light to guide us safely through this world. The Bible is the Guide Book of Life and Living in this crazy and strife-filled world. It contains answers to every question and every situation that we can face in this earthly pilgrimage. But we won’t know those answers unless we read it my brethren.
And strangely and sadly, it can be so difficult to get supposed believers to read the Word of God. I don’t know why. We claim to be believers, and that the Bible is important, but for some unholy reason we can’t seem to find the time to read it.
Friends, let me let you into a little secret: you don’t find time to read God’s Word; you MAKE time to read it! Just like you make time for all the other activities in your life, you need to make time to find out how to live this life.
And that’s a simple reason why so many supposed Christians are having untold problems in their lives; they refuse to read the Word to find the answers to their problems, and instead rely on all the frauds, the shamans and all the other ungodly counsellors and directives of the world.
Wake up nuh precious people of God! You can’t know what God has to say unless you communicate with Him through His Word and prayer!
And hear how Cousin Sol puts it in his warning against adultery. ‘For commandment is a lamp; and the law is light; and reproofs of instruction are the way of life: To keep thee from the evil woman, from the flattery of the tongue of a strange woman (seductress).’ (Prov.6:23-24)
Truer words were never spoken my fellow believers! Until we have a lamp filled with oil and a clean glass covering so that we can clearly see the way, we will always falter in the consuming darkness of this evil world.
Lucifer and all his evil minions read and study and meditate on their tomes of evil, so that they can become even more evil than they already are. So why can’t we do the same with our directives for righteousness eh?
And we’ll end with Bruh David’s take on the subject from Psalm 19 –The creation and covenants of God. ‘The law of the Lord is perfect, converting (restoring) the soul: the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple. The statutes of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart: the commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes.
The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring for ever: the judgements of the Lord are true and righteous altogether. More to be desired are they than gold, yes than much fine gold: sweeter also than honey and the (drippings of) the honeycomb. Moreover by them is thy servant warned: and in the keeping of them there is great reward.’ (Ps.19:7-12)
Oh my people, I can’t put it any better than that! And Bruh David knew exactly what he was talking about because he lived it. Why are we so presumptuous to think that we know better eh?
Anyway, nuff said for today! I implore us to ponder it all and to make the wise and sensible decision to get seriously involved in God’s Word, for that is the only way to successful living. Much LOVE!
…only in the Book of Life…can one find…the secret to the good life…
30 Apr 2016
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a new day, Abraham, almighty god, an answer for prayer, anger, awesome truth, Babylon, basic principles, be grateful, be thankful for what you have, beautiful memories, blossoming, brought forth fruit, captives, dream, enjoy your coffee, Ernesto Cortazar, fertile soil, for I know that my redeemer lives, glory to God, greed, hate, he shall stand at the last day, hope, innocent blood, Jesus, laugh, live every moment, LOVE, make the most of this day, mornings, negative things, Old Testament, parable of the sower, plant your own garden, poison our souls, prayers of the saints, Redeemer, redemption, refuel your soul, reign on earth, relax, relief, resentment, sacrificial lamb, sinless, strength, stress, take a deep breath, testimony, the blood of Jesus, the heathen, the Holy Spirit, the Lamb and the Lion, the Lord of hosts, the seven seals, the Word of god, they sung a new song, truth, turning away from God, vision of John, wake up with a smile, who hath ears to hear, yearning of thy heart, You Tube, zeal
Job 19:25. For I know that my Redeemer (lit. Kinsman) liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter (last) day upon the earth.
Aye mih fellow believers, friends and neighbours, it’s Saturday; a brand new day! And in celebration of that I thought I would share that wonderful poem with the beautiful pictures by Ernesto Cortazar on YouTube, which I sent to you all by e-mail earlier on in the week.
I don’t know how many of you opened it, but if you didn’t, you surely missed a great treat. But as the D.J. man says: ‘If it’s nice, yuh got to play it twice!’ So here is the poem, aptly titled ‘A NEW DAY,’ without the pictures. Please, read, enjoy and put into practice.
‘Everything may not be good, but there’s something good everyday. Mornings are the most beautiful time of the day. So wake up with a smile on your face and make the most of this morning. Be grateful for the new day. Take a deep breath and relax. Enjoy your coffee.
A new day is a chance to refuel your soul. It’s really nice to wake up in the morning realizing that God has given you another day to live. May God give us relief for every stress, a sweet song for every sigh, an answer for every prayer, and peace for every troubled moment. A blessed day everyone!
Don’t wait for someone to bring you flowers. Plant your own garden and decorate your own soul. Every day may not be good, but there’s something good in every day. When God gives you a new beginning, it starts with an ending. Be thankful for closed doors. They often guide us to the right one.
Be thankful for what you have; you’ll end up having more. Don’t start your day with broken pieces of yesterday. Today is a new day, a day to start afresh. Every day starts with some expectation, but every day ends with some experience. Hope your day begins with LOVE and ends with beautiful memories.
Every day is another chance to change your life. Make the most of this day! Laugh, LOVE, Dream… Live every moment! Every morning starts a new page in your story. Make it a great one today!’
Oh how beautiful and true that is my brethren! If we would only put those basic principles into action in our lives, what a beautiful life and world we’d have! But unfortunately, we allow negative things; weeds like hate, greed, anger, resentment, etc. etc. to come into our souls and poison and kill the beautiful and positive things that Almighty God has planted there for our enjoyment.
Chuh! What a waste! Remember Jesus’ parable about the sower who sowed his seed on several different types of ground? Well we are like those seeds which fell on bad ground, for our souls aren’t blossoming as they should. Instead we should be good and fertile soil like Jesus described. ‘But other fell into good ground, and brought forth fruit, some a hundredfold, some sixty fold, some thirty fold. Who hath ears to hear, let him hear.’ (Mat.13:8-9)
Yes friends, with the Word of God and His Holy Spirit indwelling us, we ought to be such rich and fertile ground, bearing so much fruit, that the heathen should be opening his eyes and staring at us in wonder, trying to figure out why we’re so fruitful and wanting to be fruitful like us.
In theory, that’s how it’s supposed to work, but it obviously doesn’t. We aren’t producing sufficient good fruit; our life examples are not good enough, that’s why so many people are turning away from God. But that’s another story for another day. (smile)
Let’s turn to our Bit: ‘For I know that my Redeemer (lit. Kinsman) liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter (last) day upon the earth.’
Oh my people, what a powerful testimony of awesome truth! Job was indeed fertile ground, for despite his disastrous circumstances, he never doubted or cursed God. Just wish that most of us could be so faithful and trusting! (smile)
And we’ll continue with some scripture that talks about the Redeemer in the Old Testament. Hear Isaiah, re the Lord’s favour shown to Israel after they had rebelled.
‘Look down from the heavens and behold from the habitation of thy holiness and of thy glory: where is thy zeal and thy strength, the sounding of thy bowels (yearning of thy heart) and of thy mercies toward me? are they restrained? Doubtless thou art our father, though Abraham be ignorant of us, and Israel acknowledge us not: thou, O Lord, art our father, our redeemer, thy name is from everlasting.’ (Is.63:15-16)
Ah friends, yuh see how we quick to acknowledge God after we rebel and He sets us adrift to do our own thing and life gets hard with us. Hn!
Now listen to Jeremiah, from his prophecy concerning Babylon. ‘Thus saith the Lord of hosts; The children of Israel and the children of Judah were oppressed together: and all that took them captives held them fast; they refused to let them go. Their Redeemer is strong; the Lord of hosts is his name; he shall thoroughly plead their cause (case), that he may give rest to the land, and disquiet the inhabitants of Babylon.’ (Jer.50:33-34)
Yes my fellow believers, the Lord has always been the Redeemer of His people, even when they rebelled against Him and He allowed them to be taken captive and endure much ‘sufferation.’
And it wouldn’t be right to end without this wonderful vision of John re the Lion and the Lamb. ‘And he (the sacrificial Lamb – Jesus) came and took the book (scroll) out of the right hand of him that sat on the throne. And when he had taken the book, the four beasts and four and twenty elders fell down before the Lamb, having every one of them harps, and golden vials (bowls) full of odours (incense), which are the prayers of the saints.
And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book (scroll), and to open the seals thereof: for thou was slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred (tribe), and tongue, and people, and nation; And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth.’ (Rev.5:7-10)
Now isn’t that wonderful my people? It surely is! Our Lord and Saviour paid the price for our sins, redeemed us, that’s why He is worthy to break the seven seals and be worshipped and glorified. Please, let’s contemplate how that action has affected our lives today, and then give the rightful glory to God. Much LOVE!
…true redemption could have come from only one source…the shedding of sinless, innocent blood…the blood of Jesus…
23 Mar 2016
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a believer in Jesus, Abba, adoption, bend your ears, benefits, better late than never, blessed situation, but also to suffer for his sake, christianity, creation, creature, devoted, disadvantages, distractions, earnest expectation, eyes of faith, faith, Father, fear, fellowship with Christ, fired up, for unto you, friends, Garden of Eden, glorification, glorified, Glory be, glory hallelujah, God's people, good times, heirs, holy spirit, I'm not focusing on the past, I'm not turning back, in behalf of Christ, inheritance, intimacy, it is given, joint-heirs, led by the Spirit of god, LOVE, manifestation, Millennium, move mountains, my eyes are fixed straight ahead, my hands are on the plough, new mercies and blessings, not only to believe on him, promise, sacificial, steadfastness, suffer, the bad, the breath of life, the good, the sons of God, the Spirit of adoption, the spirit of bondage, the Word of god, to a glorious future with Jesus, tomorrow never comes, Wednesday Wail, yesterday dead and gone
Philippians 1:29. For unto you it is given in behalf of Christ, not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for his sake.
Oh friends, the ole fella had a rather rough day yesterday, as I guess many of you also had. But yuh know what? Yesterday is dead and gone, and tomorrow never comes, so the only thing we have to deal with is today!
And there’s nothing better than today when you’re a believer in Jesus Christ, because every morning that you awake your life is flooded with new mercies and blessings. No other faith promises, much less guarantees that!
And all believers shouted ‘Glory to God in His high heaven, who looks after His wayward children with such care, compassion and LOVING-kindness! Bless His holy name!’
Yes my brethren, there’s none that can compare to Jehovah God! And in keeping with all that, let’s wail our Wednesday Wail nuh with enthusiasm and sincerity as befits the followers of Christ.
‘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 isn’t it just wonderful to be associated with Jesus my people! It surely is! With His breath of life flowing through our frail bodies we can do anything, even move mountains! All it requires is that we focus on Him and just keep looking straight ahead to the glorious life He has planned for those who believe and work on His behalf.
And all God’s people loudly declared another joyful and grateful ‘Glory Hallelujah!’
And I must apologize for the rather late Bit, but as usual, I went to bed pretty late this morning, consequently got up late, then had to go out the street to run a necessary errand. But I’m here now, all fired up with the Holy Spirit, ready to bend your ears with the Word! (smile)
And what better way to begin than with our Bit. ‘For unto you it is given in behalf of Christ, not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for his sake.’
Ah friends, we cannot expect to have the good without the bad, as Job told his wife (Job 2:10) for that’s just life. So if we believe in Christ and receive all the benefits that flow from such belief, then we also have to accept whatever disadvantages spring from it.
Now listen to Bruh Paul to the church at Rome. ‘For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.
The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ: if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.
For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. For the earnest expectation of the creature (creation) waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God.’ (Rom.8:14-19)
Oh my brethren what a blessed situation, if we only bear the problems that we do encounter with faith and steadfastness! Now let’s see what the scholars have to say about some of that.
‘8:15. The Spirit of adoption: The Holy Spirit places the believer as a son in God’s family. Abba (Aramaic for “father”): This is the intimate name used only by members of the family. Its use here denotes the intimacy of the believer’s relation to God.’
How wonderful is that eh friends, to be on such an intimate basis with Almighty God, who so LOVINGLY adopted us when we became believers in His Son Jesus Christ!
‘8:17. Joint-heirs with Christ: All believers share all the inheritance together. They also have the promise of glorification if their lives are lived devotedly and sacrificially unto the Lord.’
Mama mia! Our God is so wonderful that He adopts us when we become believers, and makes us heirs of the kingdom along with Jesus! Glory be! That happens in no other faith but Christianity, so why should I embrace any other eh!
‘8:18. The sufferings of this present time: See 2 Corinthians 4:17-18. [You can look that up yourself, or we’ll deal with it tomorrow]. The glory which shall be revealed: The blessed hope of the Christian looks ahead with anticipation to this great moment. See also 1 Thess.4-15; Titus 2:13.’
Yeh friends, the suffering of this age cannot be compared with the glory to come, that’s why we have to keep our focus on the future, looking ahead to our glorious time with Christ!
‘8:19. The creature, or creation, eagerly looks forward to the revelation of the sons of God in the Millennium (Christ’s thousand year earthly reign) because that is the time when the curse will be lifted and creation will be restored to Edenic conditions.’
Mama yo! What a time that will be my fellow believers, when we’ve gone back to living in conditions that reflect the Garden of Eden! I can’t wait for it. (smile) But we have to learn to handle the suffering down here first friends.
So as everything tells us, let’s not focus on the rough times we endure down here right now, but instead, have our mind’s eye set on the time of glorious fellowship with Christ, when He comes back to reign here on earth and when all wrongs will be made right. That’s the only way to handle our troubles right now. Much LOVE!
…through our eyes of faith…let’s see the good times afar off…and let them help us to endure today’s suffering…
P.S. Sorry, but I had another couple of distractions which made the Bit even later than it should have been. But as they say, better late than never. (smile) Much LOVE!
24 Jan 2016
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a body of believers, a majority, Anselm, apostasy, apostolic doctrine, Christian instruction, comfort your hearts, compromise your character, consolation, customs, day follows night, dilly-dally, edifying words, encouragement, feeble excuses, for God so loved the world, give thanks and praise, go to church, grace, have everlasting life, he gave his only begotten son, heresy, Holy Triumvirate, hope, integrity, lack of godliness, laziness, LOVE, obey God not man, on the right track, oral communication, peace, renunciation of faith, sacrifice your dignity, self-worth, selfish humans, Sherlock Holmes, soulful experience, stand fast, steafast, strengthening our faith, suffer the consequences, Sunday, the Father, the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ, the gospel, the Holy Spirit, the Lord's Day, the SON, the straight and narrow path, the teaching of men, the Thessalonians, the Word of god, tradition, true, upliftment, whoever believeth in him should not perish, wisdom, worship, worthy of your love, write indelibly in our hearts
John 3:16. For God so LOVED the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
Oh Friends, just as day follows night, so does Sunday follow Saturday, and yesterday was Saturday, which means that today is Sunday. Oh what excellent reasoning my brethren, worthy of our favourite fictional detective, Sherlock Holmes! (smile)
And since it’s Sunday, the Lord’s Day, then we should be preparing to go to church and worship, give thanks and praise with other believers to our wonderful Creator because that is His desire.
So let’s not dilly-dally in performing our duty nuh, raising up all kinds of feeble excuses, which we full well know don’t hold water, but merely reflects our laziness and lack of godliness.
Now friends, going to church is not merely our duty, it is also a means of upliftment for us, of encouragement, of strengthening our faith and keeping us steadfast and true and on the right track, the straight and narrow one.
And let me remind us that whatever God desires of us, it’s not for His benefit, but for ours. He doesn’t really need anything that we have, but we do need a lot of what He possesses.
Consequently, I shouldn’t have to badger us to go to church. And I’ll stop it right now. (smile) But if you don’t go, you’ll never know the beautiful soulful experience that comes from worshipping God as a body of believers. End of sermon.
Instead, here is some wisdom from our friend Anselm who always tries to inspire us for a better tomorrow. This quote wisely declares that ‘Someone who is worthy of your LOVE will never put you in a situation where you feel you must sacrifice your dignity, your integrity, or your self-worth to be with them.’
And that’s oh so true my people. Anyone who wants, or expects you to compromise your truthful and godly character is definitely not worthy of your LOVE! They definitely are not friends or LOVED ones, just users, only interested in their own selves and/or desires. So anytime that kind comes around you, just ignore them and move on.
And if they put up a fuss, just let them know that you already have truer and more important personages who sincerely care about you, as so passionately and powerfully declared in our Bit. ‘For God so LOVED the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.’
Yes my fellow believers, once you have the Holy Triumvirate in your corner, you don’t need anyone else, especially selfish, uncaring human beings. Please remember that in whatever situation you might find yourself, you and the Father, the Son, or the Holy Spirit always constitutes a majority, and that there is NO circumstance that you all can’t successfully handle together!
Now let’s continue looking at some scripture that confirms and upholds our Bit. And we’ll begin with Bruh Paul’s second message to the Thessalonians. ‘Wherefore he (God) called you by our gospel, to the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore brethren, stand fast, and hold the traditions which ye have been taught, whether by word, or by our epistle.
Now our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God, even our Father, which hath LOVED us, and hath given us everlasting consolation and good hope through grace, comfort your hearts, and stablish (establish) you in every good word and work.’ (2 Thess.2:14-17)
Oh friends, what uplifting and edifying words! Words for us to hold on to, to write indelibly in our hearts, minds and souls!
And here are a couple of scholarly explanations. ‘2:14. By our gospel (see Rom.10:17): “Faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.’ He is here referring to the oral communication of the gospel; what we hear brings about faith. ‘2:15. Traditions…taught refers to more than customs. In view here is the totality of the apostolic doctrine as it was given to them.’
Now I’d be rather amiss and falling down in my duty if I didn’t share this most interesting explanation of ‘Tradition’ by the scholars. 2:15. The word tradition literally means “a giving over by word of mouth or writing.” It refers to teachings handed down from one person to another. Tradition is not in and of itself wrong; it is only wrong when opposed to the Word of God.
In the early church, good tradition was the principal means of Christian instruction (Luke 1:2). Paul used this word to describe his teachings, especially at Corinth and Thessalonica (v.15; 3:6). False tradition ends up as heresy or apostasy (renunciation of a religious faith).
Illustration: The religious leaders of Jesus’ day erred in placing the traditions of men above the Word of God (Matt.15:1-9). In contrast, Luke sifted through existing records and apparently interviewed witnesses in writing an inspired record to instruct Theophilus in the faith (Luke 1:1-4).
Application: Christians need to sit under the preaching and teaching of the Word of God, but when the content conflicts with the Scriptures, the teaching of men should be disregarded for the certain truth of the Bible. (First Ref. Matt.15:2; Primary Ref. 2 Thess. 2:15; cf. 2 Tim. 2:15).’
Oh friends, we on a roll! (smile) And I do hope that you appreciate the lengths the ole fella is going to, to give us all a better understanding of God’s Word, for if we don’t understand it, then how can we obey it eh? And for your benefit, I suggest that you look up the references mentioned, to make sure they make sense. (smile) I did before I wrote them down.
And now, may the Lord God bless and safely keep us all, grant us His unmatchable wisdom and unsurpassable peace, as we go about today to do His bidding! Much LOVE!
…when circumstances go against God’s Word…we ought to obey God…rather than men…and be ready to suffer the consequences… (Acts 5:29)
21 Jan 2016
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: A journey of love, a righteous man, a secular, atonement, Beelzebub, bleak, bleary, bounden duty, care, Christ died for us, compassion, conviction, darkness, disobedience, dispel the darkness, egocentric world, fellow believers, for God so loved the world, forgiveness, glory hallelujah, God's chosen people, godless society, grace, have everlasting life, he gave his only begotten son, holy spirit, Israel, justification, justified, live in the light of God's presence, LOVE, LOVE Revolution, New Testament, Old Testament, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, reconciled, reconciliation, repentance, sacrifice, Saint of the Little Flower, salvation, saved, saved from wrath, should not perish, sin, sinners, soldiers of Christ, St. Therese, substitutionary death, the Word of god, this is the day the Lord has made, turn a blind eye, ungodly world, vicarious deathm, we will rejoice and be glad in it, whosoever believeth on Jesus, wisdom
John 3:16. For God so LOVED the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
And then it was Thursday! Glory Hallelujah! Yes friends, one more day of being alive and kicking on this glorious planet under the auspices of Almighty God, it’s Creator and Sustainer!
What blessed folks we are, so blessed that we can say with sincerity, truth and great enthusiasm; ‘this is the day the Lord has made, we WILL rejoice and be glad in it!’
Yes my people, we will be glad and rejoice although outside looks bleak and bleary, another uninspiring winter morning. (smile)
And we can do that because our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, through His Holy Spirit, lives and reigns in our hearts, bodies, minds and souls. Oh glory to God my fellow believers in Jesus Christ!
Now here is a prayer that I thought we could all use. It’s taken from a devotional booklet titled ‘A Journey of LOVE. Walking with St. Therese of Lisieux,’ the saint of the Little Flower.
Please pray with me: ‘Lord, help me to live always in the light of your presence. Should any darkness challenge my belief and LOVE for you, dispel that darkness so that I might witness to your merciful and gracious LOVE. Grant me the wisdom to confront a secular and egocentric world with your message of care and compassion for all people. We make this prayer through Christ our Lord. Amen.’
Oh friends, do we ever need God’s grace and wisdom to confront the dark, evil and ungodly world that now surrounds us! It’s definitely not easy living a life for Christ in an increasingly secular world, but we have to do it as good soldiers of Christ and His LOVE Revolution, because that is the only thing that will turn our godless society back to out wonderful, generous and forgiving Maker.
And believe me, we do need to turn back in conviction and repentance if we want our world to not only survive, but also to thrive. Friends, we can’t continue the woeful state of sin in which we’re living and expect God to turn a blind eye.
As I’ve asked before, why do we think that He would punish His Chosen People, Israel for their disobedience and not us eh? Go ponder that.
Anyway, let’s get to out Bit. ‘For God so LOVED the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.’
Oh my precious people, what wonderfully uplifting words; words of encouragement, of unending LOVE and a promise of a wonderful life in the hereafter! How could we ever not believe and accept them as gospel truth eh, especially since Jesus sacrificed His sinless self to fulfill them?
I’m sorry for those who refuse to believe them, but it’s also our bounden duty to live lives and talk a talk that encourages them to change their beliefs and ways, for that’s what Jesus desires of us. Remember the Father doesn’t want to lose even ONE of His precious creation to that evil fool Beelzebub.
Now let’s turn to some scripture that emphasizes the importance and truth of our Bit. Listen to Bruh Paul writing to the church at Rome. ‘For when we were yet without strength, in due time (at the right time) Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure (perhaps) for a good man some would even dare to die.
But God commendeth his (demonstrates His own) LOVE toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, being now (having been) justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him.
For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being (having been) reconciled, we shall be saved by his life. And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement (reconciliation).’ (Rom.5:6-11)
Oh Friends, how could we ever doubt God’s great LOVE for us eh, when while we were yet sinners, His enemies, He sent His Son, Jesus to die for us? We shouldn’t, but unfortunately many of us do.
Now I know some of that scripture might be somewhat confusing, so here are some explanations from the scholars. ‘5:8. Christ died for us: His death was vicarious. That is, He did not die merely for our benefit but in our place. His was a substitutionary sacrifice.’
‘5:9-10. By his blood…by his life: The death of Christ and His shed blood effect (created, enables) salvation (Eph.1:7, 2:13; Col.1:14, Heb.9:12-15), but the life of Christ sustains it. The reference is to the abiding results of Jesus’ death and resurrection (cf.4:25).’
And Rom.4:25 says: ‘Who was delivered for (because of) our offenses, and was raised again for (because of) our justification.’
And we’ll end with a primer on Substitutionary Death from the scholars. ‘5:8. One of the historic fundamentals of the faith is the vicarious Atonement, in which Christ died as a substitute for sin. Illustration: In the Old Testament, this was taught typologically by the offering of an animal sacrificed for sin, looking forward to that ultimate sacrifice for sin, Christ (cf. Gen.22:8). In the New testament, Christ is described as having died in the place of the Christian (v.8), of the church (Eph.5:25), and of the world (Heb.2:9).
The concept of Substitutionary death is illustrated by the offering of a ram in the place of Isaac (Gen.22:13). Though Abraham was willing to offer his son as requested, God was prepared to accept a substitute that He had provided.
Application: Because Jesus died for everyone, Christians should take the message of the gospel to “every creature” (Mark 16:15). (First Ref. Gen.3:21; Primary Ref. Rom.5:8; cf. Eph.1;5).’
There you have it friends, in black and white! Please let’s study and ponder all that we’ve said today, so that the Word of God and His great LOVE for us will sink deep into our hearts, minds, bodies and souls, and give us the encouragement and strength we so badly need to enlighten this darkened world. Much LOVE!
…Adam’s disobedience caused sin… Jesus sacrificial death brought…reconciliation, forgiveness, salvation and eternal life…
01 Dec 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a talkative society, a waste of time, adult food, apocalypse, be wise, bequeath to our children, blessed is he that readeth, Christians, communication of new truth, communication technology, compassion, conveyance of truth, divine revelation, end of the age, exposure, food for thought, God's perspective on time, God's program, godly roots, Hades, have good success, he that hath ears to hear, honour, I am the beloved of god, I can trust my Friends Jesus, I don't have to hurry, I don't have to worry, I'm not what I do, I'm not what I have, I'm not what people say about me, Jesus Love Revolution, John, keep those things which are written therein, legacy, LOVE, make God the focus of our lives, make thy way prosperous, mature in Christ, meditate, mercy, messenger, our first priority, our ungodly society, privilege, prophecies, put it into action, Revelation, share His love with the world, social media, talk, testimony of Jesus Christ, the book of Colossians, the book of the law, the day of the Lord, the Rapture, the revelation of Jesus Christ, the sorry state of our world, the things of heaven, the things of the world, the time is at hand, the Tribulation, the Word of god, they that hear the words of this prophecy, truth, Tuesday Mantra, unveiling, visions
Revelation 1:3. Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein: for the time is at hand.
Oh Friends, what’s there to say on this wet and somewhat chilly December 1st morning eh? Not a lot… and plenty. And what do I mean by that?
Well we’ve become such a talkative society with the flourishing of communication technology and the social media, but a lot of that talk is inane and foolish, a waste of our very valuable time, while there is a lot of meaningful and important stuff that we should be talking about which we’re not doing.
Like for instance about the sorry state of our world and how to fix it, and of God and the ungodly society in which we’re currently living.
Most of us will say that God is the most important element or person in our lives, but when we check out our lives in action, that statement doesn’t hold true, otherwise our world would not be in such a sad state of deterioration. Unfortunately, the things of the world are still our first priority.
Remember yesterday we spoke about Christians concentrating on the things of heaven, rather than those of earth? And I sure hope we did our homework, reading the Book of Colossians, so that now we know what’s really expected of us, and we can go on and put it into action in our lives.
Oh my people, unless and until we truly make God and His Word the focus of our lives, our world will never get better but continue to slide into the murky depths of Hades. And I’m sure that’s not the kind of legacy we want to bequeath to our children and our children’s children.
So it’s completely up to us believers to keep on fomenting Jesus’ LOVE Revolution, so that the world can return to its godly roots. Nuff said! He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.
And since it’s Tuesday, let’s confess our Tuesday Mantra like we really believe and mean it. All together now: ‘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 the world. Amen.’
Oh my people that’s so refreshing and revitalizing! Just imagine nuh, that we are the BELOVED of God, and the FRIEND of Jesus!
Wow! What an honour and a privilege to be so highly considered! Now let’s make the most of it by going out and sharing the LOVE that they have so graciously and mercifully shown us nuh. A LOVE that our fallen world so desperately needs.
Now let’s turn to our Bit, but we also need to hear what comes before it, so that we can understand its proper context. ‘The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to show unto his servants things which must shortly (quickly, swiftly) come to pass; and he sent and signified it by his angel unto his servant John:
Who bare record (bore witness) of the word of God, and of the testimony of Jesus Christ, and of all things that he saw. Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein: for the time is at hand.’ (Rev.1:1-3)
Oh Friends, what powerful and meaningful scripture! And I know that many of us don’t understand what the Book of Revelation is all about, so here is some info from the scholars that will help us to better understand.
‘1.1. The Revelation of Jesus Christ is the title of the book. The revelation is both from Christ and about Christ. Since Christ is the revelation of God Himself (John 1:18), God gave the revelation to Christ to be shown to John by means of an angel (messenger).
The word “revelation” (Gr. apokalypsis) refers to an unveiling or exposure of God’s program for the world through Christ. The prophecies of the book will occur shortly in the sense that the day of the Lord (the end of the age) may begin at any time (following the Rapture). The statement must be understood in accordance with God’s perspective on time (cf. 2 Pet.3:4, 8)
The word signified (Gr. esemanen) refers to the conveyance of truth by means of signs and symbols, and refers to the visions described throughout the book. Symbols must be interpreted either from something in the context or from other scriptures.’
Now let’s rest for a moment after taking in all that heavy stuff. (smile)
Yes friends, it’s time we start eating some adult food, some meat and potatoes, rather than just drinking baby milk all the time. If we want to mature in Christ, then we need to take our understanding of His Word to a higher and deeper level.
And before we go any further, allow me to point out something. Please note that the word ‘apocalypse’, as we see from above, means the unveiling or revelation of what’s going to happen, not the eventual fiery and tumultuous destruction of the world as many of us consider it, although that might be involved in the revelation.
Now let’s continue getting deeper in God’s Word with some more explanations from the scholars. ‘1:2-3. Bare record: John was a witness of what he wrote. He saw the revelation and wrote what he saw. The blessing of verse 3 has a threefold condition: (1) read the book, (2) hear (understand) it, and (3) keep (obey) it.
The essential nature of prophecy was the communication of new truth (divine revelation). God has given it to be obeyed, not simply to be discussed and debated. The time is at hand in the sense that nothing else now has to occur before the Rapture and the beginning of the Tribulation Period.’
Awright mih breddren, that’s enough food for thought for today. But let’s be wise and ponder all the things we’ve read and heard, so that our hearts and minds can be truly filled with the Word of God and the things of heaven.
More on this tomorrow, the Lord willing. Till then though, let’s all try to walk in sincere peace and LOVE, showing mercy and compassion to others, as our wonderful Lord God has shown, and is still showing to us. Much LOVE!
…this book of the law shall not depart out of 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)
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