Today’s Scrip-Bit   27 October 2023 Colossians 3:23.

27 Oct 2023 Leave a comment

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

Colossians 3:23.        And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men;

So it’s Friday, and the universal shout of ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday!’ has gone up all around the world! What a world! When all we seem to live for is Friday and the upcoming weekend. It’s all about getting away from the boring, same old, same old jobs that we do during the week, a lot of them by rote, that’s automatically, without having to think about what we’re doing. And, unfortunately, not a great percentage of us like our jobs, we just put up with them because they earn us the money to keep our lives going. 

What a sad thing it is when so many of us spend a lifetime doing jobs that we don’t like and are just looking forward to retirement and the time when we no longer have to do those mundane and boring jobs. It doesn’t say a whole lot for our society, when so many of our populace are disgruntled and dissatisfied. But thankfully, today we will learn how to avoid that self-defeating attitude of despising our jobs. 

First up, these wise words of Bruh Paul in his letter to the Colossians. ‘And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men; Knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance: for ye serve the Lord Jesus Christ. But he that doeth wrong shall receive for the wrong which he hath done: and there is no respect of persons.’ (Col. 3:23-25) 

And all that means is that believers, regardless of our station in life – be it the lowliest worker or highest paid leader – ought to do the best work they can despite their circumstances, to work as though they were working directly for God and not for men. And that’s a fact too, because in the long run, it’s the Lord who will richly reward them for their good work, while repaying, without partiality, the wrong doers with judgement for their evil deeds. 

And just in case you don’t believe Bruh Paul, then listen as Cousin Sol puts in in his perspective, writing as the Preacher in Ecclesiastes. He writes: ‘Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, whither thou goest.’ (Eccl. 9:10) And isn’t that the awesome truth! It certainly is. That means whatever we do on earth is our portion to do, since there’s no working in the grave. Thus, we ought to do to the best of our ability and as though we’re doing it unto our Creator, Almighty God! 

And above all, remember these key words of Jesus to the disciples: ‘If you LOVE me, keep my commandments.’ (John 14:15). Now that also pertains to us in this age. And what does He mean by that? He means that we should not only keep the basic Ten commandments, but also the moral commandments that He gave us. Like LOVING one another, going the extra mile, turning the other cheek, doing unto others as we desire them to do unto us, being excellent and diligent in our work, not being too judgemental or critical of others, especially when we’re guilty of the same things. 

It’s those sorts of things that Jesus was more concerned about, things that were not written down as Old Testament law, but as His New Testament directives. It’s well documented about not killing and stealing nor committing adultery, but not His ways and the ways He wants us to follow. And besides, they were and still are in direct opposition to those of the world. And as He said earlier on: ‘By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have LOVE one to another.’ (John 13:35) 

Yes my fellow believers, ALL that Jesus teaches can be confirmed in one small but ever so powerful word: LOVE! If we go about showing the LOVE of Jesus, doing the same basic things He did, to the best of our human capabilities, then we’re keeping His commandment. For remember Bruh Paul’s treatise on LOVE in what we term the LOVE chapter; that’s 1 Corinthians 13:, where he enlightens us on all the wonderful things that constitute LOVE. Things like long-suffering, kindness, not given to boasting or arrogance, doesn’t behave rudely or selfishly, doesn’t think nor rejoice in evil, but rejoices in truth, etc. etc.  

Then he ends with this perfect gem: ‘And now abideth faith, hope, charity (LOVE), these three, but the greatest of these is charity (LOVE).’ (1 Cor. 13:13) Oh my people, LOVE is indeed God’s greatest attribute, and He expects His followers to walk in the footsteps of His Son Jesus Christ, whom He gave to be crucified for our sins because He LOVED us. It’s as simple as that my brethren. The Lord doesn’t expect anything from us that He won’t do or hasn’t done himself. 

And as we go out today, let’s remember these most poignant and true words of Peter. ‘And above all things, have fervent charity (LOVE) among yourselves: for charity (LOVE) shall cover the multitude of sins.’ (1 Pet. 4:8) And isn’t that the gospel truth! The LOVE of God towards us made Him send Jesus to die and cover our sins, and the LOVE we show to others, also covers both their sins and ours. So in one word, it’s all about LOVE! And having come to that awesome conclusion (smile) let’s now go to the throne of grace, through our Friday Chant, seeking the deep and sincere LOVE that we need to restore some sense of balance to our angry and terribly unbalanced world. 

As one voice: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through this past week. You know it’s been rough…   because our many serious problems are escalating instead of improving. And it’s obvious we can’t fix them on our own, so Lord, we’re desperately crying out for your help. Oh heavenly Father, with your omnipotent help, and our trusting faith, we know that we can stand strong and steadfast and defeat the simmering unrest in our land. We therefore ask you Lord to give our leaders the wise guidance to handle these unexpected storms properly. And please help the rest of us to be responsible and to stay safe amidst all the anxiety and confusion of these ungodly times. 

We fervently pray too Lord that you’ll use the discontent and dissatisfaction in our land as a means of restoring faith in you. Return backsliders to your fold. Show them the error of their ways. And please introduce a new flock of believers, who will embrace your LOVE and compassion by the example, we, your faithful believers set. So that our sinful world can wake up and smell the coffee, wake up and smell it sweet and strong! We pray this in the name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen!’ 

And the only way to receive divine help is by turning away from our evil deeds and being obedient to God’s will. So let’s do that now nuh, if we truly desire to hear a positive word from heaven. Much LOVE!

… LOVE makes the world go round…both literally and figuratively… 

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

Today’s Scrip-Bit   25 July 2022 Colossians 3:17.

25 Jul 2022 Leave a comment

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

Colossians 3:17.       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.

Oh friends, after Sunday, the first day of the week, comes Monday, the second day, but also the first day of our work week. So, it’s time to put to good use, the confidence and reassurance we received yesterday when we gathered to praise and worship our God. That strengthening and enlightening was made for just such a time as this. (smile) 

We therefore need to get out into the dark and evil world with a gung-ho attitude and shake it up for Christ’s sake. Use all the tools at our disposal to present a true salt of the earth and light of the world image to the unbelievers, to those who live in darkness, in bondage to the sins and lusts of the flesh exalted by Satan and his iniquity workers.

And yes, sometimes these iniquity workers might be our bosses in the working world, and it might be hard to work for, or under them, but here are some verses from Bruh Paul’s letter to the Colossians that we should always remember and try our best to put into action. The first one says: ‘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. 3:17) 

And the scholars tell us that means: ‘The beneficial influence produced by the indwelling word of Christ is not only to affect public and private worship (vs. 16), but it is also to control ALL areas of a Christian’s life.’ Ah mih people,  in ALL we do, we must behave as though we are doing it unto God. 

And Bruh Paul’s adds another twist to that scenario in these other verses, when he writes: ‘Servants, obey in all things your masters according to the flesh; not with eyeservice, as menpleasers; but in singleness (sincerity) of heart, fearing God. And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily as to the Lord and not unto men; Knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance; for ye serve the Lord God. But he that doeth wrong shall receive for the wrong which he hath done: and there is no respect of persons.’ (Col. 3:22-25) 

And what does all of that mean? Hear the scholars. ‘Eyeservice is work done only when the master is watching. Christian slaves were to work hard when their owners were absent. Singleness of heart means “a sincere disposition.”  Now that is something we all should pay attention to, because the attitude prevalent in the workplace today is to work as little as possible, but appear to be working when the boss is around. And that’s definitely not the Christian attitude. 

Then they explain ‘Do it heartily means the slave is to perform his slave duties wholeheartedly, doing the best job he can with all his strength. A slave could be enthusiastic in carrying out his menial tasks because they were done, not so much for his earthly master (unto men) but for his heavenly Master (to the Lord).’ 

There again, although we are not slaves, but workers, that is not the attitude of today’s worker. A wholehearted attitude towards work is very rare in today’s world, because what we term the work ethic is dead. We no longer take pleasure in doing a good job. We just want to do it as quickly as possible, and don’t care if it’s well done or not. 

That brings us to ‘The reward of the inheritance (or “the reward which is salvation”). The fact that Christian slaves will receive salvation from the Lord rather than from men verifies the assertion in verse 23 that they serve Christ, not their masters.’ And that’s the gospel truth friends! We serve Christ, not the bosses at our workplaces, and Christ desires a good job, well done, from all His followers. 

And Bruh Paul also wrote the same basic thing to the Corinthians. ‘Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatever ye do, do all to the glory of God.’ (1 Cor.10:31) So whether it’s eating, drinking, working, playing, anything believers do, we ought to do it unto the Lord, for His glory!  It could not get any clearer than that. 

But Peter tries to do it anyhow,  (smile) when he declares: ‘If any man speak, let him speak as the oracles (utterances) of God; if any man minister, let him do it as of the ability which God giveth: that God in all things may be glorified through Christ Jesus, to whom be praise and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.’ (1 Pet. 4:11) 

And I don’t think, as true believers in Christ Jesus, we need more remembrance or encouragement than that to do a good job in our Lord and Saviour’s holy name today as we face another day of work. (smile) So let’s do the acceptable thing, offer up sincere prayer to God, through our Monday Morning Battle Hymn, asking for divine assistance to do His will. 

As one voice: ‘Our Father, who art in heaven, we, Your humble servants, praise Your Holy Name and thank You this Monday morning for life and strong faith in Christ, despite the mass confusion in our world. We desperately need Your divine help, for You are the ONLY ONE with the power to solve our many problems. 

Heavenly Father, we admit that we have all sinned and seriously disobeyed Your Word, but we know that You are a merciful, forgiving and gracious God, who has faithfully promised to hear and answer our prayers when we humble ourselves, pray, and sincerely seek Your face. That’s why we come to You now, with sincere repentance in our hearts, pleading with You to give us wise guidance and direction to alleviate our problems.  

And Father, we pray that you will ease the pain of the many who are suffering from negative situations. Please show them Your awesome grace and mercy, and keep Your promise that You’ll hear our prayer, forgive us, and heal our land if we turn from our evil ways. Show this evil world that You are indeed Jehovah Rapha; the God who heals! We pray this in the holy and blessed name of Your Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen! And again, we say: Amen!’ 

And now, for God to keep His promise, we must keep ours. Much LOVE!

…the blessed stamp of God…should be on everything believers do…

Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZJ8​