Today’s Scrip-Bit   25 November 2021 John 8:32.

25 Nov 2021 Leave a comment

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

John 8:32.     And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall set you free.

HAPPY  THANKSGIVING  U.S. of A! 

All praise, honour and glory to our heavenly Father this Thursday morning, my faithful brethren!  It’s Thanksgiving Day in the U.S. Let’s hope that they do not get caught up and lost in the festivities and forget on which side their bread is buttered and spend some serious time considering their Creator because He is the source of all their blessings and also the source of the healing that their nation so badly needs. For their motto ‘One Nation Under God,’ no longer holds true, since they are now as divided and cantankerous as the days before the Civil War a couple hundred years ago, with Almighty God no longer the mainstay in the land. 

And yes, to God the Father all gratitude and thanksgiving should go from all of us, for our awakening, our ability to walk, talk, eat and have a job to go to, for He is an awesome deity, the ONLY true and living God there is! And ALL Jehovah God’s children said a loud and grateful: ‘Thank You Father for your unconditional and undying LOVE, mercy, grace and faithfulness to us, sinful children of men. We LOVE You and praise Your holy name! Amen!’ 

And so we ought to friends, on account of the heartache that the Lord put Himself through for us, by sacrificing His only Son Jesus Christ so that we could be set free from the overwhelming tentacles of sin. Please note these heartrending words from the Good Book and let them soften our hearts. ‘But God commendeth (demonstrated) his LOVE towards us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.’ (Rom. 5:8) 

Can you imagine that? Sacrificing your only Son to set a bunch of ungrateful sinners free, when they did not seem the least bit interested in you. Hn! But the Lord did it because of His great LOVE for His best creation. However, to be set free from the bondage of sin we must acknowledge and believe in Jesus as Lord and Saviour. Like He said to the Jews at one stage in His ministry. ‘If ye continue (abide) in my word, then ye are my disciples indeed; And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall set you free.’ (John 8:31-32) 

That means if we really want to be set free from enslavement to sin, then we need to know the truth, and the truth is found in Christ’s written word. So, we have to read the word carefully and study it diligently. That’s the only way to know what it says. Then, most importantly, we need to obey what it says, for knowing and not obeying is sin. A dusty, unopened Bible is of no use to us. We need to always have a well-read one close by, and also have what it says written indelibly in our hearts, minds, bodies and souls. 

For remember, the greatest commandment is ‘Thou shalt LOVE the Lord with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.’ (Matt. 22:37) And you can only truly LOVE the Lord when you know who He is and what He’s about, and you can only discover that when you read His word, His enlightened description of Himself and His ways. 

And just one li’l footnote here to remind us of why He is God. As He says through the prophet Isaiah. ‘For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts higher than your thoughts.’ (Is. 55:8-9) It would do us all a whole lot of good if we would just keep those words at the front of our minds as we go about our daily living and don’t bow to the foolishness that Satan and his cohorts are trying to do in the land, like kick God out of our society. 

Satan is a bloody fool, a created being who got too big for his britches! He couldn’t kick God out of heaven, what makes him think he can kick God out of the earth that He created eh? Hogwash! But unfortunately, too many of us are believing Satan’s lies and deceptions and are turning away from God. That’s the worst decision we can ever make my people, for all Satan has to offer is hell fire and damnation, while Jesus has eternal life in heaven with the Father, the Holy Spirit and Himself. 

Now which one seems the best offer eh? Jesus’ obviously! But we fear what the world will say and do, and neither are we willing to put out the effort it takes to live sincerely for Jesus. But friends, if we read and study the Good Book, we will see how it ends, with God’s wrath levied against the evildoers. And believe me, our God might be LOVING, merciful and all those good things, but He’s no pushover, and I don’t think any of us will willingly want to experience His wrath. Just read about the ‘sufferation’ the Jewish people underwent for their disobedience to God, and all those other nations who got too big and proud to follow God. Where are they now eh? On the junk pile of history. 

But that’s a decision each one of must make, so I am pleading with us to make the decision to live for Jesus, because that’s the ONLY wise and sensible one. As Uncle Charles (Charles Stanley) likes to say, there are consequences to every decision, but eternal wisdom decrees to: ‘obey God and leave all the consequences to Him.’ You can’t argue with that statement. So, for those of us who have already committed our lives to Jesus, let’s go home declaring (steups!!!) our Thursday Blessings, which the Lord has so generously bestowed on us to do His earthly work. 

As one strong and confident voice. ‘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 every day! Amen!’ 

Now, let’s rise up and go out and share those blessings just as generously with others as the Lord shared them with us, so that they too can come to know, LOVE and glorify Him as we do! Much LOVE!

…if the Son shall set you free…you shall be free indeed… (John 8:36) 

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Today’s Scrip-Bit 15 January 2020 Ephesians 2:10.

16 Jan 2020 Leave a comment

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

Ephesians 2:10.    ​For we are his workmanship (creation), created in Christ Jesus unto (for) good works, which God hath before ordained (prepared) that we should walk in them.
 
Ah mih people, another alive day in God’s great universe! Wow! What a blessing! That means there’s a purpose for us to accomplish, otherwise the Lord would not have allowed us to see the light of day. So what say we buckle down and seek out that purpose eh, or if we know it, buckle down and do it, be obedient to the Lord’s will, because that’s all He ever asks of us; simple obedience and trust. And right now I want to share an anomaly with you, one  of which I’m not overly proud, (smile) and I think it’s a symptom of the busyness of our lives. Good excuse! 

And the scoop is that the walls of my office and the door are littered with pictures and articles and handwritten stuff supposedly placed there so when I come into it, I can see them and be encouraged and energized. Hn! But the truth is that I come into the office every day I’m at home, but very seldom, no…don’t ever seem to see them. I just walk in and out, spend time writing the Bit and doing other paperwork, and don’t notice any of the supposed encouraging words and pictures. Now why is that eh? 

I really don’t know nuh. Have I just become so accustomed to them as eye candy rather than brain or spirit candy? (smile) And some of the stuff is big and colourful, especially what’s on the door, but I still pass by them every day, sometimes several times, and they still don’t register on my brain cells. This morning though, as I was going back up the stairs to make some caffeine, I was sombrely presented with that realization, most likely by the Lord, because He desired me to share some stuff about Him and us that’s on one of the posters on the door. 

Now I put that up there some time ago, but I don’t think I’ve ever read it, since I put it up. What a crying shame! And though it’s stuff we all ought to know, it’s also stuff that we have to keep hearing about and keep remembering because it mightily affects our faith walk with God. So here’s what the poster says, the info God wanted me to share this Thursday morning in mid January of the upheaval year of 2020. (smile) 

It says: ‘When God created you…HE CREATED A MASTERPIECE! God created something truly special when He created you. Here are just a few things God says about you: You are holy and blameless, redeemed and forgiven. (Eph. 1:4, 7) You are God’s workmanship. (Eph. 2:10) You are more than a conqueror. (Rom. 8:37) You are healed and whole in Jesus. (Is. 53:5. 1 Pet. 2:24) You are greatly LOVED by God. (John 3:16. Eph. 2:4) You are a brand new creation, alive and made new in Christ Jesus. (2 Cor. 5:17) Your strength, your joy, your provision, your confidence and boldness…it is all found in HIM!’ 

Yes my people, all that we are stems directly from Almighty God! Please check out those scriptures for yourselves so that they can energize you and strengthen your faith. And when you sit down and analyze it seriously, the human body is a masterpiece! Just look at how all the different parts interlock together. They all have different functions but are synced are primed down to the nth degree. No man made piece of machinery is as perfectly primed and synced as the human body, God’s greatest creation! 

And when you add all the other things on top of that; things like the LOVE of God, the saving grace of Jesus, the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, and faithful promises like salvation and eternal life…Chuh! A Christian must be the masterpiece of the world! The sad fact is that most of us don’t seem to think so. But then too, we ought not to let that most salient fact go to our heads and boast about it, or be exceptionally proud and prideful because of it. (smile) 

That’s why Bruh Paul stops us in our tracks from the very get go: ‘For by grace are ye (you have been) saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: for it is the gift of God. Not of works, lest any man should boast. For we are his workmanship (creation), created in Christ Jesus unto (for) good works, which God hath before ordained (prepared) that we should walk in them.’ (Eph. 2:8-10) 

Yeh friends, it’s all God’s handiwork; from our physical birth to our spiritual renewal to the good works we do; it was all a part of God’s plan, because He knew the boastful type of being He was going to make. (smile) But that doesn’t stop us from being boastful and full of ourselves! Why yuh think the world is in the sad and sorry state it’s now experiencing eh? Because mankind has gotten too big for his britches and figures that he runs and controls the universe and all the innovations and otherwise come from his wonderful, puny and finite brain. 

He has forgotten that He’s merely dust in a concentrated form, and that to that dust he must eventually return. Neither does he stop to think that he has no control whatsoever over the length of his days on this God-given earth, and that the breath of life he so arrogantly breathes come directly from the Lord God Himself. And friends, until we come to the true and real realization that we are not our own, but God’s, and we ought to bow to His wishes and desires, then our lives will be in a state of constant upheaval. 

Now for those of us who sincerely believe and sincerely try to do His will, let’s go home declaring (yeah!) our Thursday Blessings, so generously bestowed on us by our heavenly Father so that we can do the good works He ordained for us. All together now in loud voice and sincere hearts. ‘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!’ 

And one more thing to remember; Jesus desires us to share those blessings with others, just as generously as He shares them with us. Much LOVE!

…blessings are meant to be generously shared…not selfishly hoarded…