Today’s Scrip-Bit   2 May 2023 James 2:8.

02 May 2023 Leave a comment

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

James 2:8.      If ye fulfil the royal law according to the scripture, Thou shalt LOVE thy neighbour as thyself, ye do well.

And isn’t it strange that on this Tuesday morning the second of May 2023, after celebrating Labour’s victories over the establishment down through the ages, that we’re still embroiled in one of the biggest labour battles and strikes, in Canada, that between the Federal Government and it’s hundred thousand plus public employees, a strike now moving into its second week. It’s affecting all the stuff that the Federal Government is responsible for, like visas and passports, food inspection, and even income tax. 

And by the way, yesterday was the last day for submitting your 2022 income tax filing without being hit with the onerous interest that the Revenue department charges on late filings. Hn! What a joke! Filing tax returns without anybody to deal with them! But the high possibility of earning interest from the government’s poorer base must not be negated. NO! And believe me, it is the poorest classes that do pay the majority of the Income Tax, since the government employees are either afraid to touch the rich and powerful, or that class has a phalanx of lawyers at the ready to dispute any tax arguments, and thus avoid paying their fair share. 

And, in a way, I’m glad that the Tax department people are feeling the heat now, because they are the worst people to deal with, for they don’t give an inch, are always eager to get their pound of flesh from the ones least able to pay it. They are worse than the bad-mouthed moneylenders. I can tell from hard experience that as soon as you can’t pay their exorbitant demands, they are quick to threaten to garnishee your wages and sell your house for the few dollars you supposedly owe them. 

But what else is new eh? Nothing! For as Cousin Sol says so wisely in Ecclesiastes: ‘The thing that hath been, it is that which shall be; and that which is done is that which shall be done: and there is nothing new under the sun.’ (Eccl. 1:9) Yes friends, the more powerful has always taken from the less powerful, and that’s the way it will be until Jesus returns and sets up His Millennial kingdom. No wonder this saying unfortunately exists and is gospel truth. ‘Man’s inhumanity to man, makes countless thousands mourn.’ 

None of God’s other creations behave in such a warlike and greedy manner towards each other as human beings do. And would you believe that we are supposedly God’s greatest creation! But I beg to differ, for in reality, we’ve become lower than the supposedly lowest with the inhumane and ungodly manner in which we react to each other. Why do you think the Father sent Jesus to die on the cross for us eh? So that our heinous sins could be forgiven and we could have a new start. 

And Jesus pleaded with all His heart to us, when He said: ‘A new commandment I give unto you, That ye LOVE one another; as I have LOVED you, that ye also LOVE one another. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have LOVE one to another.’ (John 13:34-35) But have we taken Him seriously and tried to do His will. No way! Even supposed believers are amongst the most inhumane and ungodly in these evil and ungodly times! 

Now, to tell the truth, Jesus’ command there was not really new nuh, because as far back as Leviticus, Moses warned the wandering Israelite’s of God’s desire: ‘Thou shalt not avenge (take vengeance), nor bear any grudge against the children of thy people, but thou shalt LOVE thy neighbour as thyself: I am the Lord.’ (Lev. 18:19) But we’d been doing the opposite thing for so long that Jesus realized that they had to be a new way for us to show others that we belong to Him, thus His commandment to LOVE each other, following His example of unconditional LOVE for us. 

And all through the Bible, the Good Library, that theme of LOVE for each other has been repeated time after time, because it’s the greatest attribute of our Triune God, and thus ought to be one that we show in spades. Please listen to a few of the verses we’re talking about nuh.  Bruh Paul wrote this to the church at Ephesus. ‘Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children; and walk in LOVE, as Christ also hath LOVED us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet smelling savour (aroma).’ (Eph. 5:1-2) 

Oh my people, Jesus gave His sinless life as a LOVING sacrifice for us. How can we do anything less than follow the example that He set us eh? Meanwhile to the Thessalonians, Bruh Paul wrote: ‘For God hath not called us unto uncleanness, but unto holiness. He therefore that despiseth (rejects), despiseth (rejects) not man, but God, who hath also given unto us his holy Spirit. But as touching (concerning) brotherly LOVE ye need not that I write unto you: for ye yourselves are taught of God to LOVE one another.’ (1 Thess. 4:7-9) 

What else can I say eh friends? It’s God who teaches us to LOVE each other, and if we don’t listen to Him, whom then are we going to listen to? And James, Jesus’ brother, adds his two cents worth, when he writes to the believers. ‘Hearken, my beloved brethren, Hath not God chosen the poor of this world rich (to be rich) in faith, and heirs of the kingdom which he hath promised to them that LOVE him? 

But ye have despised (dishonoured) the poor. Do not rich men oppress you, and draw you before the judgement seats (into the courts)? Do they not blaspheme that worthy (noble) name by the which ye are called? If ye fulfil the royal law according to the scripture, Thou shalt LOVE thy neighbour as thyself, ye do well. But if ye have respect (show partiality) to persons, ye commit sin, and are convinced (convicted) of the law as transgressors.’ (James 2:5-9) 

Yes my brethren, the royal law is to LOVE another as thyself, and we’re doing well, only if we are fulfilling it. And Peter rightly and wisely exhorts us: ‘Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned (sincere) LOVE of the brethren, see that ye LOVE one another with a pure heart fervently. Being born again not of corruptible (perishable) seed, but of incorruptible (imperishable), by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.’ (1 Pet. 1:22-23) 

And last but not least, John tells us in his first epistle: ‘He that saith he is in the light, and hateth his brother, is in darkness even until now. He that LOVETH his brother abideth in the light, and there is none occasion of (no cause for) stumbling in him.’ (1 John 2:9-10) Ah mih people, what’s so difficult to understand in all those scriptures eh? The main purpose for us being on this earth is LOVE! God first LOVED us, and He expects and deeply desires that we would LOVE Him back, as well as to LOVE ourselves and our neighbours. That’s the ONLY way that our world will flourish the way He intended it to. 

And, for whatever it’s worth, the outcome is all in our hands now my brethren! So, for those who are doing our best to follow that royal law, lets’ go home declaring (awright!!!) our Tuesday Mantra letting all and sundry know to whom we belong, lock, stock and barrel. As one strong and sincere voice: ‘In God’s eyes, I’m not what I do. I’m not what I have. I’m not what people say about me. I am the beloved of God, that’s who I am. No one can take that from me. I don’t have to worry. I don’t have to hurry. I can trust my friend Jesus and share His LOVE with my immediate neighbours, as well as with the whole wide world! Glory be!’ 

Now let’s go out and share that amazing LOVE and friendship of Christ with others, so that they too can come to know and LOVE Him like we do! Much LOVE!

…why is it so much easier for humans…to hate each other…than to LOVE each other… 

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Today’s Scrip-Bit   26 October 2021 John 15:12.

26 Oct 2021 Leave a comment

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

John 15:12.     This is my commandment, That ye LOVE one another, as I have LOVED you.

Oh brother, when it rains, it does rain yes! All day yesterday, last night, and it’s still wet and drizzly now with no apparent let up in sight. But our God is a good God, and through His most wonderful Son, Jesus Christ, He allows, or rather, enables us to handle any negative aspects of the weather, or for that matter anything else that comes against us in this crazy and mixed-up world. All praise and glory be to the Most High God Jehovah, Creator and Controller of the universe and all therein! 

So what’s happening with us this rainy Tuesday eh my brethren? Are we putting God first and foremost in our lives like Jesus advised, when He said: ‘But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.’ (Matt. 6:33) And hopefully, if we are doing that, then we are also leaning wholeheartedly on this promise from Bruh Paul that ‘my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.’ (Phil. 4:19) And that He will too. 

But then, we come to the next important aspect of our Christian faith; the way we treat each other. Now that’s something I don’t believe we’re doing such a good job at, for there’s too much dissension, disunity, feuds and strife amongst the brethren, even amongst the same denominations and cliques. Whatever happened to this directive of Jesus eh? ‘This is my commandment, That ye LOVE one another, as I have LOVED you.’ (John 15:12) I don’t think you have to look very far to realize that that’s not a prominent aspect of our Christian fellowship. 

Yes friends, whatever happened to the Golden Rule, that so many of us were brought up to uphold? Jesus also decreed it: ‘Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets.’ (Matt. 7:12) Oh my people, that wasn’t something new Jesus was teaching, but it was the law and had been preached by the prophets since the beginning of time. 

And furthermore, it’s just simple common sense; you do to others what you want them to do to you! You can’t want to abuse and reject people, but then when the shoe falls on the other foot, you cry out for injustice and mercy! But that’s the way of our current world, for selfishness, anger, strife and injustice rule the roost. And yet we expect to live good, healthy and sane lives. 

Hn! Look at the world my fellow saints; it’s in a total uproar. Nobody’s happy about anything. Everybody has some kind of axe to grind; some injustice to be corrected, some right to be fulfilled, but in the meanwhile, we don’t care that we are causing injustice to others, and trampling on the God-given rights of others. No, we just want what we believe we are entitled to, and crapaud smoke the pipe of those who get in our way of achieving it! We couldn’t give a ‘darm’ about their interests or betterment! 

So where does that put us in respect to these words of John in his first epistle? ‘If a man say, I LOVE God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that LOVETH not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he LOVE God whom he hath not seen? And this commandment have we from him, That he who LOVETH God LOVE his brother also.’ (1 John 4:20-21) 

Now that’s a very good question! And in our current society we see that very thing playing out to a great extent. Even in many biological Christian families, there is serious hate churning amongst the members. The same with Christian congregations. So where is the LOVE and affection we spout about so much eh? And how do we expect others to come to Christ through our unchristian-like examples eh? 

Oh my fellow saints, please, please, let’s remember these telling words of Jesus. ‘For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven.’ (Matt. 5:20) Yes friends, the scribes and Pharisees were considered the most religious and righteous people back then, but their righteousness was mostly an outward show of self-righteousness. And outward shows of righteousness profits no one anything! It’s what inside a body that really counts. 

That’s why the Lord looks at our hearts before He even listens to our words. And sadly, in these times when believers are supposed to be standing strong and steadfast and bearing much good fruit, too many of us are like the blooming scribes and Pharisees, only outward show! We talk a most excellent talk, but our walk leaves a lot to be desired. Oh my people, whatever happened to these heartfelt verses of scripture from Bruh Paul to the Ephesians? 

‘Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers. And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption. Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice: And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.’ (Eph. 4:29-32) We have either forgotten them, or simply chosen to ignore them, because today, when they are so badly needed, they are not being practiced by believers as much as they ought to. 

Oh friends, there are so many verses of scripture that deal with treating each other good, that I could go on for the whole day, and still not be done. It’s one of the most important topics in the Good Book; in fact it’s the second most important as Jesus pointed out when questioned by a pompous, arrogant Pharisee lawyer about the most important commandment. ‘Thou shalt LOVE the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt LOVE thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.’ (Matt. 22:37-40) 

And just for our information friends, our neighbour is anyone with whom we come into contact! So why is there all this bad blood betwixt and between us eh? As believers in Christ Jesus, there is no justified reason for it. So please let’s move to cut it out nuh…asap… for if we don’t, when Jesus comes back, many who thought that we’d be herded to His right side with the sheep, will unfortunately find ourselves herded to the left with the goats. (Matt. 25:31-46) And friends, if you don’t know that scripture, then please read it as quickly as possible, because it is very important. It has to do with your earthly behaviour and where you will spend eternity on account of it. 

Now for those of us who are sincerely trying to live for Christ, let’s go home declaring (yesss!!!) our Tuesday Mantra, letting the whole world know who and whose we are. Altogether now: ‘In God’s eyes, I’m not what I do. I’m not what I have. I’m not what people say about me. I am the beloved of God, that’s who I am. No one can take that from me. I don’t have to worry. I don’t have to hurry. I can trust my friend Jesus and share His LOVE with the world. Amen!’ 

Well then, let’s go out and do exactly that; share the LOVE and friendship of Christ with others, so that they too can come to know and LOVE Him like we do! Much LOVE!

…A friend LOVES at all times…and a brother is born for adversity… (Prov. 17:17)                                                                                                              

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Today’s Scrip-Bit 7 April 2021 Matthew 22:39.

07 Apr 2021 Leave a comment

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

Matthew 22:39.     ​And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt LOVE thy neighbour as thyself.


Moving on…Moving on! Thank God we’re moving on! Yes friends, we’re moving on with Jesus through another marvellous day in the annals of our lives! Wow! And what a joy and pleasure it is to be moving through life with Jesus! A body couldn’t ask for a better companion, a better Lord and Saviour, a better friend, a better neighbour than Jesus! And it’s that last accolade, the topic of neighbours that I want to discuss with us today, because it’s a very important part of our faith, and I don’t think we are being as neighbourly as we ought to. 

So, I guess our first question should be, who is our neighbour? Now what did Jesus have to say about that eh? Remember when the foppish, arrogant lawyer tried to test Jesus by asking: ‘Master, which is the great commandment in the law? Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt LOVE thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt LOVE thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the and the prophets.’ (Matt. 22:36-40) 

That’s Matthew’s version. However, Luke tells it thus. (smile) The lawyer asked Jesus, ‘Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life? He, (Jesus) said unto him, what is written in the law? how readest thou? And he answering said’ – exactly what Jesus said above. ‘And Jesus said unto him, Thou hast answered right: this do, and thou shalt live. But he (the lawyer), willing (wanting) to justify himself, said unto Jesus, And who is my neighbour? 

And Jesus answering’, told them the parable of the Good Samaritan, which we all know. At the end of the parable, Jesus asks the lawyer, ‘Which now of these three, thinkest thou, was neighbour unto him that fell among thieves (robbers)? And he said, He that showed mercy on him. Then said Jesus unto him, Go and do likewise.’ (Luke 10:25-37) 

Yuh see that friends, being neighbourly is basically showing mercy, kindness, LOVE and all the other fruit of the spirit to those around us. But no, it’s not easy with all the negative, angry and cantankerous people that we encounter. But it does get a tad easier if we have the first commandment truly embedded in our hearts, since all LOVE flows from revering our heavenly Father. 

And I like how the scholars explain it. ‘10:37. The lawyer cannot even bring himself to say “the Samaritan.” That’s because of the deep racial hatred between the two groups, although they were related by blood; the Samaritans being Jews who intermarried with Gentiles. ‘However, Jesus shows that racial considerations are utterly transcended by God’s commands to LOVE Him, and thus to LOVE others as He does, without prejudice or partiality.’ Hn! I truly wish that somebody or bodies could get that message across to our world right now yes; a world that’s so inundated with prejudice and partiality, that it’s behind almost every action we take! 

Now, before we get to the meat of our topic, I want to point out one other important aspect of being neighbourly, and that’s Jesus’ warning on the way His Father’s kingdom works. ‘Judge (condemn) not, that ye be not judged (condemned). For with what judgement (condemnation) ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete (use), it shall be measured to you again.’ (Matt. 7:1-2) That’s just to remind us that what we sow we will reap, or as Uncle Charles (Charles Stanley) likes to say: ‘You reap what you sow, more than you sow and later than you sow.’ That means we can’t sow negative seed and expect to reap a positive harvest. 

And all of that finally brings us to the wise and wonderful words of Cousin Sol on the treatment of neighbours from Proverbs. Just a bit more practical advice to help us handle all the cerebral stuff we’ve been talking about. (smile) Cousin Sol begins thus: ‘Withhold not good from them to whom it is due (the owners), when it is in the power of thine hand to do it. Say not unto thy neighbour, Go, and come again, and tomorrow I will give; when thou hast it by thee.’ (Prov. 3:27-28) Oh my people, how often do we do that eh! Holding on to what rightfully belongs to others, until we are good and ready to give it to them is ever so rampant in our current society; which means selfishness and greed are too prevalent. 

And Cousin Sol continues: ‘Devise not evil against thy neighbour, seeing he dwelleth securely by (in safety with) thee. Strive not with a man without cause, if he have done thee no harm.’ (Prov. 3:30-31) And I don’t know if our world has ever seen such unnecessary animosity and strife between people who live close to each other, even between families and so-called friends, as we are seeing today. The petty squabbles that occur over unimportant things is mind blowing, And the courts are full of foolish litigation over petty peeves. The divorce rate is sky high, possibly higher than it’s ever been! We’ve become so adversarial and antagonistic to each other that it’s causing our world to fall apart. 

But listen further to Cousin Sol. ‘Envy thou not the oppressor, and choose none of his ways. For the froward (the perverse person) is abomination to the Lord: but his secret (secret council) is with the righteous. The curse of the Lord is in the house of the wicked: but he blesseth the habitation (dwelling) of the just. Surely he scorneth the scorners: but he giveth grace unto the lowly (humble).’ (Prov. 3:31-34) 

Yes friends, I know we all envy the prosperous wicked some, but it’s unwise to follow in their footsteps, for it’s said in so many places of the Good Book that the wicked and their evil deeds will eventually be destroyed and what they have given to the righteous. So please, please, let’s not live merely for today’s pleasures and aggrandizement nuh, but seriously contemplate what will most profit us in the long run, what will put us in good stead with Jesus. 

And this last word of warning from Cousin Sol is indeed precious. ‘The wise shall inherit glory: but shame shall be the promotion (the legacy) of fools.’ (Prov. 3:35) And the scholars break it all down this way. ‘3:27-35. The needy neighbour is to be helped (vs. 27-28); the innocent neighbour is to be respected and left alone (vs. 29-30); and the wicked neighbour is not to be envied (vs. 31-35).’ That makes it oh so simple my brethren! So please let’s be wise nuh, so that we can inherit the glory that’s Jesus! 

And for those of us who have made that momentous and wise decision, let’s go home now proclaiming our Wednesday Wail, letting all and sundry know of our wonderful position in Christ Jesus. In strong voice with sincere hearts: ‘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 in these tough and trying times, we need to be reminded that if we endure to the end, our future will be even more glorious than we can ask or imagine! Wow! What an awesome promise mih people! So let’s hang in there till the end nuh! Much LOVE!

…it is much better to give…than to receive…wise men seek to give…but fools crave to receive… 

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