Today’s Scrip-Bit 18 January 2015 John 10:14

18 Jan 2015 Leave a comment

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

John 10:14      I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine. 

Well here it is again Friends, the first and most important day of the new week; Sunday, the Lord’s Day, the Sabbath, or day of rest, fellowship and family togetherness! And it’s the most important day because it sets the tone and tenor for the remainder of the week. How you set up and use your Sundays, usually determines how your Monday to Saturday will go. That means we have to pay particular attention to what we do on Sunday, if we want to have a focused, persevering, prosperous and godly week.

 
So let’s begin by going out to church today nuh, joining in worship and praise, adoration, devotion, gratitude and thanksgiving! That will warm the cockles of God’s heart, as well as open up our souls and spirits to His awesome wonder and LOVING-kindness! It’s what we call, in today’s parlance, a win – win situation.
 
And talking of win- win situations, the best one ever is when Jesus gave His life for us, in atonement for our sins. Some might consider us the big winner in that relationship, but Jesus also won because for His obedience, He was exalted by the Father with a name above all others, as Lord of Lords and King of Kings, the One to whom all knees will eventually bow, and all tongues confess that He is Lord indeed, to the glory of the Father. (Phil.2:9-11)
 
That brings us to our Bit, the same as the last couple of days:  ‘I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine.’
 
Oh what a most encouraging statement my people! We all know the LOVE and care that a shepherd shows for His flock, so if Jesus, the Lord of Lords and King of Kings, claims to be our shepherd, how can we brook any argument about it eh? We’d be worse than foolish to deny Him that right, and ourselves, His tender LOVING care!
 
Unfortunately though, a lot of us unwisely do just that, and if we don’t wake up soon and realize our terrible mistake, we will eventually face death, eternal damnation and everlasting separation from our heavenly Father. And let me tell you my brethren, that is the worse fate a human being can ever suffer!
 
Now listen to Jesus as He continues His discourse on the topic, after our Bit. ‘As the Father knoweth me, even so I know the Father: and I lay down my life for the sheep. And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold (flock), and one shepherd.’ (Matt.10:15-16)
 
Oh what a glorious day that was Friends, when Jesus united His two folds, the Jews and Gentiles (non-Jews) which includes you and I! His sacrificial, substitutionary death on our behalf fulfilled that promise! And again I ask, why would I, being of sound mind and reason, turn away from Jesus wonderful invitation to come to Him and lay down my heavy burdens, and refuse to be brought under His easy yoke, to bear His light burden? (Matt.11:28 -30)
 
In light of all that we’ve said and know for a fact, that certainly doesn’t make sense to me. And I just adore these next verses where Jesus expounds on His authority, obedience and closeness to the Father. ‘Therefore doth my Father LOVE me, because I lay down my life, that I might take it again. No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received of my Father.’ (Matt.10:17-18)
 
Oh Glory Hallelujah! Yuh see my fellow believers, that close and beautiful relationship that Jesus has with the Father, is the same kind that we can have with Jesus, and by extension, with the Father too. Wow! So why ‘dis’ Jesus eh, and refuse His LOVING entreaties? That’s nothing but a fool’s wisdom!
 
Now hear this explanation from the scholars, re those last two verses: ’10:17-18. Jesus does more than predict His crucifixion and resurrection. He also shows that He has the power to lay down His life and take it up again, once more asserting His deity.’
 
So all those people who believe that Jesus was just a push over for the faithless Jews and cruel, arrogant Romans who crucified Him are totally wrong! In fact, that was the singular purpose for which He came to earth in human form: to die so that we might live!
 
As He said to the disciples in the Garden of Gethsemane when the Roman soldiers came to arrest Him. ‘Thinkest thou that I cannot now pray to my Father, and he shall presently give me (provide me with) more than twelve legions of angels? But how then shall the scripture be fulfilled, that thus it must be?’ (Matt.26:53-54)
 
If he hadn’t fulfilled the Father’s plan, then we’d still be lost and gone astray, facing death and eternal separation from our Creator. And though it hurts, breaks my heart, to know the pain He bore on our behalf, I’m glad that He was true to His purpose. Now if only we, His followers could be true to ours… what a wonderful world this would be!
 
And do we ever need a whole lot of improvement in our troubled and diseased world my brethren! That’s the task that Jesus has set before us – live a life that causes the unbeliever to turn to Him in repentance and conviction, so that they can receive His free offer of salvation and eternal life.
 
So Friends, are we going to get real serious and sincere about that task this new year and do our best to further Jesus’ LOVE Revolution?  I certainly hope so, because if we don’t, our beautiful world will just keep falling further and further into the depths of hell, until there’s no turning back. And what will that do to our children and their children eh? I leave that for each of us to ponder on, then hopefully do the right thing to correct the woeful situation in which our world is floundering right now.
 
Remember Friends, Jesus is depending on us to help alleviate the sad state of confusion and evil that’s currently reigning. Please, I implore us, to take up the gauntlet and fight the good fight to the death. That’s what a good and true soldier in Christ’s army is expected to do. Much LOVE!
 
…our bounden duty here on earth…is to live a life worthy of Jesus…so that others may see it…and come to faith in Him…

 

 

 
 

Today’s Scrip-Bit 1 July 2012 1 Peter 4:7

01 Jul 2012 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Inspirational Living Tags: , , , , , , , , ,

1 Peter 4:7.    But the end of all things is at hand: be ye therefore sober, and watch unto prayer.
 
Oh Friends, it’s July first; Canada Day! Wow! And the party’s really hopping now! From the stormy Atlantic in the East, to the mighty Pacific in the west, from the Great Lakes, so aptly named, in the South, to the challenging Arctic in the North, the beautiful people of this beautiful and bountiful land are celebrating the awesome goodness of Jehovah God to the undeserving children of men! Oh Friends, that certainly deserves another ‘Wow!’ (smile) And though many may not realize that it’s God’s goodness, His blessings and mercies that they’re celebrating, anything that produces some peace and happiness amongst brethren is better than that which produces anger, hate and strife. Praise the Lord my people! Praise Him for His never-ending, unconditional LOVE to His greatest creation, Man! And now, having waxed poetic and enthusiastic in celebration, (smile)  it’s time to get down to the serious business, that of truly serving, reverencing and worshipping Almighty God, and preparing our lives for eternity, whenever it comes, as our Bit so wisely suggests: ‘But the end of all things is at hand: be ye therefore sober, and watch unto prayer.’ Oh Friends, being prepared for when Jesus comes, is possibly the most important step a human can take right now, especially if He should come real soon, like today or tomorrow. If we aren’t ready when He returns, then it’s cleaners for us – eternal separation from the Creator of the universe. And believe me Friends, that’s the worse fate than can ever befall a soul, because it means an eternity of the same hellish atmosphere we currently have here on earth, and none of the joys that Jesus promises in His final kingdom. In His eternal domain, there’ll be no sorrow, pain, tears, sickness, heartaches and unhappiness, just joyful living in His Light, worshipping, praising, serving, reverencing and glorifying Almighty God! Mama Mia! Now Friends, I don’t know about you all, but given a choice between those two situations above, I’m definitely choosing, rather have chosen the latter one with Jesus as leader! That’s a no-brainer, the supreme wisdom of the age! And that’s why I’m preparing as best as I can for that magical day when Jesus establishes His eternal kingdom. I would strongly advise you all to do the same, for remember He can come at any time, in the day, or like a thief in the night, but once He arrives, there’s no turning back, no changing your mind. So I’m pleading with us all RIGHT NOW to get serious about where you want to spend eternity and make the necessary preparations. Otherwise, crapaud smoke yuh pipe! And that’s no joke Friends, for if Jesus comes and you’re not prepared, you’ll find yourself in a rather horrible situation, from which there’s no getting out. And now I’ve got to chuckle because what I wrote yesterday wasn’t what I had planned to write, but the Lord, in His eternal wisdom subtly guided me to those immortal words of His wonderful Son, Jesus, and then I realized that was the proper way to begin, given our Bit. Now this is more like what I’d planned to write. And we’ll start by looking at some relevant scripture from James: ‘Be patient therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord. Behold, the husbandman (farmer) waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience for it, until he receive the early and latter rain. Be ye also patient; (es)stablish your hearts: for the coming of the Lord draweth nigh (has come near). Grudge (grumble) not one against another, brethren, lest ye be condemned: behold, the judge standeth before the door.’ (James 5:7-9) Yes Friends, we have to wait patiently, like the farmer, but first, we have to do our action part; preparing, planting seed in fertile ground, like the farmer. If he had not first planted seed, he could wait until the cows come home (smile) and no fruit would ever appear. Likewise my brethren, we have to get our earthly house in order for whenever Jesus returns, be it right now, or many moons hence. Meanwhile, John declares these oh so truthful sentiments: ‘LOVE not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man LOVE the world, the LOVE of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh (physical desires), and the lust of the eyes (personal desires), and the pride of life (self-interests), is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever. Little children, it is the last time (hour): and as ye have heard that the antichrist shall come, even now are there many antichrists; whereby we know that it is the last time (hour).’  (1 John 2:15-18) Oh my people, right now our LOVE for this evil, ungodly world is far too great, and that means we’re more interested in Lucifer’s lies, than Jesus truthful promises. But please note that the things of the world will pass away, but those of Jesus will not as He so clearly states: ‘Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.’ (Matt.24:35) Also from the great number of false preachers and teachers now circulating in our confused and troubled world, it’s just one more indication that the end time is drawing nigh. Remember Jesus gave that as one of His signs in Matt.24:4-5. Now let’s close with appropriate words from Bruh Paul to the Romans. ‘LOVE worketh no ill (does no harm) to his neighbour: therefore LOVE is the fulfilling of the law. 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. Let us walk honestly (properly), as in the day; not in rioting (revelry) and drunkenness, not in chambering (licentiousness) and wantonness (lewdness), not in strife and envying. But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfill the lusts thereof.’ (Rom.13:11-14) Yes my people, it’s certainly time for us to wake up to the reality of Christ and what He expects of His believers, for every day the time of His return draws nearer, and instead of bowing to the lusts of our sinful flesh, we should instead be finding ways to do and show works and faith that honour the new life that we all have in Christ. It’s a wonderful Saviour we have my Friends, so let’s show it to a disbelieving world nuh, and for their immense benefit, get them to LOVE Him as much as we do! Much LOVE…he who has ears to hear…let him hear…then respond wisely to what he hears…