Today’s Scrip-Bit   2 January 2023   1 Corinthians 15:57.

02 Jan 2023 Leave a comment

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

1 Corinthians 15:57.       But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

           So it’s another holiday Monday for many working folks because the official New Year’s Day fell on the Sunday! What a way there’s been lots of time to celebrate this Christmas and New Year’s seasons. Let’s hope though that we don’t get too accustomed to these long weekends and completely forget the work ethic that we already don’t have much of. (smile) 

           Ah friends this new year of 2023 must be one of exceeding diligence if we truly want to make some headway against the evil enemy and his iniquity cohorts. Their army is vast and they are serious about taking over and ruling the world. And their methods of warfare are lowdown and inhumane…and that’s putting it nicely. 

           Therefore, if we hope to make any positive changes, we have to be serious, disciplined, work hard and requite evil with good, because the enemy won’t give us an easy break. We’ll have to fight for every bit of ground we conquer. But the good news is that we have Jesus in our corner, and if we use His Holy Spirit to lead and guide us then our victory will be assured, because ‘In all these things we are more than conquerors through him that LOVED us.’ (Rom. 8:37) 

            Please note though, that victory will only come through our following the leading and guidance of the Holy Spirit, for we cannot defeat the enemy in our own strength. As Bruh Paul wrote in his first missive to the church at Corinth: ‘The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.’ (1 Cor. 15:56-57) Yes friends, only when we are working with and through Jesus is victory possible. 

            So Bruh Paul continues with the practical application: ‘Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain (futile) in the Lord.’ (1 Cor. 15:58) And we can only do that if we follow Peter’s advice: ‘But grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To hm be glory both now and for ever.’ (2 Pet. 3:18) 

           Oh my fellow believers, we can’t ever work properly and consistently with Jesus until we know what He’s truly about, which necessitates spending time in His Word, and in prayer, then putting those things we learn into practical use. And that’s one of Bruh Paul’s strengths; after giving you the theory, he usually gives you the practical application, like he did with the Ephesians, when he explained some of the practical aspects of living the new life in Christ. 

            Listen up as he exhorts them and us. ‘This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that ye henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk, in the vanity (futility) of their mind.’ (Eph. 4:17) And the scholars explain that ‘since each Christian is divinely enabled with some spiritual gift, he must walk not as other Gentiles walk, lest his much-needed contribution to the church’s growth be sorely missed. Unbelieving Gentiles live in the vanity (futility) of their mind, without proper purpose, causing all their efforts to obtain happiness to end in failure.’ 

           And Bruh Paul delves further into the theory. (smile) ‘Having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through (because of) the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness (hardening) of their heart.’ (Eph. 4:18) Now the scholars tell us that ‘The blindness of their heart refers to the hardness of their will. Gentiles’ obstinacy against the divine will has caused them to be separated from God’s life.’ 

            And all of us know this to be true! When your heart stubbornly refuses to do God’s will, then you become separated from Him. As Bruh Paul further explains: ‘Who being past feeling have given themselves over to lasciviousness (licentiousness), to work all uncleanness with greediness.’ (Eph.4:19) That means those unbelievers have become so calloused, have gone so deep in sin that they are insensitive to moral right and wrong. 

            And unfortunately, that can apply to many of us, though as Bruh Paul maintains: ‘But ye have not so learned Christ; If so be that ye have heard him, and have been taught by him, as the truth is in Jesus.’ (Eph. 4:20-21) Yes my fellow saints, we have not learned Christ or Christian teaching like that. Our Christian doctrine has instructed us NOT to live like the unbelievers portrayed in verses 17-19 above.  And that’s the basic theory of living the new life in Christ. 

           Tomorrow, God willing, we’ll tackle the practical aspects of that theory. Trying to do that today with our short attention span will just get us all confused and also make the Bit too long. (smile) Now let’s go to our ever faithful and merciful God, in confidence, through our Monday Morning Battle Hymn sincerely seeking His grace and mercy. 

           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 to receive a positive answer, the solution is obvious: humble ourselves, pray, and sincerely seek God’s face. Much LOVE!

           … it’s all about living for Christ…in a Christ-like manner…

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

Today’s Scrip-Bit   19 December 2022 John 13:34.

19 Dec 2022 Leave a comment

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

John 13:34.       A new commandment I give unto you, That ye LOVE one another; as I have LOVED you, that ye also LOVE one another.

And then it was the Monday of Christmas week, and I hope that we are all excited to go to work this morning to meet and greet our friends and co-workers with a ‘Merry Christmas and a ‘Happy New Year!’ Yes my people, if the Monday before the birth of Christ can’t get us enthused about work, then I don’t know what will, especially when a lot of us don’t do much at this time of year anyway. (smile) What with the shopping, office parties and what not. 

But please, I implore us to take a moment every so often and remember the real reason for this Christmas celebratory season, which is unequivocally the birth of Christ, some two thousand years ago. Without that incarnate birth of the Son of God, there would be no holidays and/or celebrations now. So, as the old people would say, let’s give jack his jacket and Jim his gym boots. Yes, let’s give Jesus the recognition He so appropriately deserves, by remembering Him in our hearts and souls and sharing the miraculous and marvellous story of His birth with others. 

Let them know that Jesus’ birth was the first step in God’s plan of salvation, in His plan to bring us woeful sinners who had gone astray from Him, back into His fold. To redeem us, to make us righteous, to reconcile us back to Himself, so that we could be rightly called the children of God, and eventually enjoy eternal life in His company! Now nothing could be better than receiving God’s unmerited grace and favour my faithful brethren! 

And we who believe, are supposed to be His disciples, His ambassadors and spread His Word all over the earth. As he said in the Great Commission He assigned to us: ‘Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost; Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always.’ (Matt. 28:19-20) Now that is our basic assignment as believers. 

And I just LOVE how Bruh Paul explains the spreading of Christ’s gospel, as he talks about righteousness by faith in Christ to the church at Rome. Quoting the prophet Joel (Joel 2:32), he writes: For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things.’ (Rom. 10:13-15) 

And it’s ever so interesting how Bruh Paul uses his vast knowledge of the Old Testament scripture to make his New Testament points. In that last verse he quoted Isaiah 52:7 and Nahum 1:15. Now not everybody needs to be a preacher, but every believer needs to know and grow in the scriptures so that they can share their faith with others. For how can you truly share what you don’t know about eh? Neither do we have to breathe down people’s necks with the scriptures, but the Holy Spirit will lead and guide us when an opportunity arises for us to witness in Christ’s name. 

And there’s no better season to witness than at Christmas time, when everyone is joyful and receptive to good tidings. But friends, you know the best witness ever? Our everyday lifestyle. If we model it on that of Christ, then we won’t have to do any shouting from the rooftops, but others will just see the difference in us and want to live the life we’re living. 

And that’s just what I want us to go out and do this Monday morning, and all through this Christmas week: live a life that’s reflective of Christ; one filled with LOVE, kindness, compassion, mercy, goodness, gentleness and peace, while getting in some scriptures edgewise, as the Holy Spirit directs us! I don’t think we can do a better job of reminding the world of the reason for this holiday season than to live a rich and full life based on Jesus’ teachings. 

So, this Christmas season, let’s be the salt of the earth and light of the world as He desires. Not forgetting this most important directive: ‘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) 

Oh my fellow saints, it’s remarkable that because of the birth of Christ, this is the season when even the unbelievers show LOVE and caring to each other, so why can’t we do the same eh? And I’ll leave us to ponder for a moment on that thought.   Selah. Now, let’s go to God in heartfelt prayer, through our Monday Morning Battle Hymn. 

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!’ 

Now, it’s time to get our hearts and our motives right with God showing the world the LOVE of Christ! Much LOVE!

…only the birth of Jesus… could bring peace and tidings of good things…to our embittered and embattled world… 

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

Today’s Scrip-Bit   12 December 2022   1 Peter 5:8.

12 Dec 2022 Leave a comment

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

1 Peter 5:8.        Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about seeking whom he may devour:

Oh friends, let’s be thankful that we got the blast of cold weather and snow yesterday morning rather than today, otherwise this Monday morning’s commute would have been a nightmare out on the snow-covered roads with the white stuff lazily, but dangerously drifting down. (smile) However, most of the snow has either melted or has been cleaned away and the roads are in good shape for the opening day of this workweek. 

And I do hope and pray that most of us are also in good shape as we journey out to earn a living and do God’s bidding. Because if we aren’t, then the day will frustrate us, causing unnecessary anxiety. That’s why before we leave home, we ought always to commune with our Maker and heavenly Father asking for His strength and guidance to handle the day as it inexplicably and uncertainly unfurls before us. 

Remember, we are more than conquerors, but we can only do what Christ strengthens us to do. Therefore, we need Christ in every moment of our day, if we are to successfully see it through. That’s why Peter so wisely warned and advised us thus: ‘Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time. Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.’ (1 Pet. 5:6-7) 

And that’s the living truth friends! Our God cares for us so much that He even sent His Son Jesus Christ to earth to die on the cross at Calvary so that He could justly forgive our sins and reconcile us to Himself! As Bruh Paul said to the church at Rome: ‘But God commendeth (demonstrated) his LOVE toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.’ (Rom. 5:8) Now if that isn’t the epitome of LOVE and caring, then I don’t know what is! 

But my people, since we are in a partnership with God, it means we also have a part to play. And Peter lays it out for us, when he advises: ‘Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about seeking whom he may devour: Whom resist steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in (experienced by) your brethren that are in the world.’ (1 Pet. 5:8-9) 

Ah friends, although many of us experience similar temptations, it’s not always easy to resist the devil, especially when he goes around roaring loudly. Remember though, that he’s a toothless lion, only has a big roar, for Christ has already defanged him, taken away the keys of hell, death and the grave from him, and his only power now is to frighten us with his loud voice. He plays on our fears like a dog loudly barking on a dark night; we can’t see him, but we know he’s close by, and we tremble with a spot of fear as the sound seems to get closer with each bark. 

But the truth is that those dogs who make so much noise are either tied up or are fenced in, that’s why their only avenue is to bark loudly and frighten us. And it’s the same with Satan; he has no power over us unless we give it to him, unless we allow him to scare us into doing his bidding instead of Christ’s! And Peter also covers that by saying: ‘But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish (establish) strengthen, settle you. To him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.’ (1 Pet. 5:10-11) 

What a mighty and gracious God we serve my fellow believers! He won’t allow us to fall into a circumstance from which we cannot extricate ourselves with His help. As Bruh Paul says in his first letter to the Corinthians. ‘There hath no temptation taken (overtaken) you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear (endure) it.’ (1 Cor. 10:13) 

Yes my people, the Lord won’t always allow us to escape from the temptation completely, but more likely He will give us the strength, the wherewithal to withstand or endure said temptation, because that will test and build our faith, bring us more like Jesus, which is God’s basic plan for all His children. That’s why we have to pay close attention to the people and things that come into our lives and early on winnow the wheat from the chaff, or else the chaff, the devil’s iniquity workers will just muck up our lives. 

And once he acquires a stronghold in us, it’s certainly difficult to get rid of him, he holds on for dear life. So, the best way to avoid that is by resisting him, by being sober and diligent in the first place, and not let him gain any strongholds in our lives. And it all begins with prayer. So let’s go to God, through our Monday Morning Battle Hymn and place our problems in His caring, merciful and gracious hands. 

Altogether now: ‘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 for 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!’  

Now my fellow saints, it’s up to us to do the things we know will get us a positive answer from God. Much LOVE!

…Satan is very persistent… but Christ’s followers are more steadfast and persevering… 

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

Today’s Scrip-Bit   5 December 2022 Hebrews 13:6.

05 Dec 2022 Leave a comment

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

Hebrews 13:6.       So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall (can) do unto me.

And then it was Monday once again! That continuously recurring first day of the workweek which causes our frustrations to rise to abnormal and unnecessary levels! (smile) Yes, although we know the right way to handle Mondays, it still often gets the better of us. So what do we do about it eh? 

Simple! With the Lord’s help, make better preparations and come to terms with the fact that once we are in the work force, after a short weekend break, Monday will come around every week and require us to get back out into the evil and ungodly world and walk our walk for Christ, which in itself will undoubtedly cause us some problems, since the world is not very receptive to Christ at this particular period in time. 

But the good news is that our Lord and Saviour will never ask us to do anything and then leave us in the lurch to do it alone. Of course not! He always gives us the necessary tools, anoints us to do whatever He requires, which means we ought not to get overly frustrated and disappointed when problems come against us. Please remember this magnificent and ever so encouraging scripture that we’ve been talking about the last few days: ‘I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me!‘ (Phil. 4:13) 

Now, if you sincerely believe in Christ Jesus then that ought to be a foundational scripture in your repertoire, indelibly written in your spirit, to draw from for spiritual support, whenever the need arises. Oh friends, it’s of the utmost necessity that we have a bunch of scriptures at the ready for when problems come upon us. But we cannot ever get our repertoire sufficiently enlarged without constantly perusing and meditating on the Word. 

Please remember that the Bible is God’s Word to us, and it’s still fresh through all the ages. Therefore, if we read it, we will find God’s wisdom on its pages. And there’s no better example of that than the directive the Lord gave to Joshua when He appointed him leader of the Israelites after the death of Moses. 

‘This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth (be constantly in 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. Have I not commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage: be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee withersoever thou goest.’ (Josh. 1:8-9) 

Oh my faithful brethren, those are some of the most profound and wise words in the scriptures. And so they should be, if they were uttered by the Lord Himself. And yuh know what? Those words were not meant to apply to only Joshua, but to ALL God’s children, right down through the ages! 

And if you are a child of God, sincerely studying His Word is the only way to grow in spiritual maturity and strength; to have no fear of what the world can do to you, because your heavenly Father is with you all the time. Don’t forget He has also promised: ‘I will never leave thee nor forsake thee. So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall (can) do unto me.’ (Heb. 13:5-6) 

And it’s ever so true that lack of knowledge of the Bible is a big cause of the fear that so many of us feel as we go through our everyday lives. You’ll surely notice that when we have the Word buried deep in our hearts and souls, then we walk with a spring in our stride, with pep in our step, because we are confident of what Psalm 91 says. ‘Because thou hast made the Lord, which is my refuge, even the Most High, thy habitation (dwelling place); There shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh (near) thy dwelling. For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways. 

They shall bear (lift) thee up in their hands, lest thou dash (strike) thy foot against a stone. Thou shalt tread upon the lion and adder (cobra): the young lion and the dragon (serpent) shalt thou trample under feet. Because he hath set his LOVE upon me, therefore will I deliver him: I will set him on high, because he hath known my name. he shall call upon me, and I will answer him: I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him and honour him. With long life will I satisfy him, and show him my salvation.’ (Ps. 91:9-16) 

Oh my fellow saints that’s what we have to look forward to when we faithfully adhere to the Lord and His Word. Now, let’s promise each other to pull up our socks and do better because better must come, and it will only come through God’s people, by us rising to the challenges we face! And for help to do that, let’s approach the throne of grace, and through our Monday Morning Battle Hymn, plead our case. 

Altogether now: ‘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!’

Now, if we want to see a positive response then we’ve got to clean up our act, including the motives of our hearts. Much LOVE!

…promises, promises, promises…man’s are made to be broken…but God’s are ALWAYS fulfilled… 

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

Today’s Scrip-Bit   21 November 2022 Proverbs 24:17.

21 Nov 2022 Leave a comment

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

Proverbs 24:17.       Rejoice not when thine enemy falleth, and let not thine heart be glad when he stumbleth:

Prologue: Please excuse the lateness of the Bit, but I had some personal stuff that needed immediate attention, and it took longer than I expected. But as they say, ‘better late than never.’ (smile) 

Now friends, let’s just be glad and ever so thankful that we didn’t get the terrible snowstorm that the city of Buffalo, across the U. S. border got this weekend. The city was shut down for the entire weekend. Oh, we got a decent amount of the beautiful white, but ever so dangerous stuff, but God be praised that this Monday morning, as the work week opened, our roads were dry and clean and the sun’s shining ever so brightly in a cloudless sky! 

Let’s not laugh though at Buffalo or crow over their misfortune for sooner or later we will get our fair share of the winter blues. (smile) And that just draws my attention to the wise words of Cousin Sol on the subject of mocking one’s enemies from the Book of Proverbs. Please listen carefully, as he wisely advises: ‘Rejoice not when thine enemy falleth, and let not thine heart be glad when he stumbleth: Lest the Lord see it, and it displease him (be evil in his eyes), and he turn away his anger from him.’ (Prov. 24:17-18) 

Oh my people, that is such a wise scripture, especially in these turbulent times, of strife, envy and greed and autocratic behaviour. And I like how one commentary explains it. ‘God commands you to LOVE your personal enemies, and it is one of the chief measures of a true Christian. Such LOVE includes being grieved when your enemy falls or stumbles in life. If you are glad or rejoice when he is hit by adversity, you have sinned.’  And I know some of us will find that a hard scripture to accept, but it’s one of the basic tenets of our faith. As Christ said, LOVING our neighbour as ourselves is the second greatest commandment in the law of God. (Matt. 22:39) 

And just look at how God LOVED us when we were totally clothed in sin and disobedience. He could have laughed and gloated and turned away from us, but He didn’t. The Bible tells us that instead, ‘But God commendeth (demonstrated) his LOVE to us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.’ (Rom. 5:8) That means, if we want to be like God, show grace and mercy, then we cannot gloat over the demise of our enemies. 

And I guess one of the best examples of that is found in the Book of the prophet Obadiah, when the Lord threatened Edom, the descendants of Esau, for failure to help their cousins, the sons of Jacob, that’s Judah when they were besieged by their enemies, as well as their constant hostility towards them. 

The prophecy reads: ‘For thy violence against thy brother Jacob shame shall cover thee, and thou shalt be cut off for ever. In the day that thou stoodest on the other side, in the day that the strangers carried away captive his forces, and foreigners entered into his gates, and cast lots upon (for) Jerusalem, even thou wast as one of them. But thou shouldest not have looked, (gazed on, gloated over) on the day of thy brother in the day that he became a stranger (captive); neither shouldest thou have rejoiced over the children of Judah in the day of their destruction; neither shouldest thou have spoken proudly in the day of distress. 

Thou shouldest not have entered into the gate of my people in the day of their calamity; yea, thou shouldest not have looked on their affliction in the days of their calamity, nor have laid hands on their substance in the day of their calamity; Neither shouldest thou have stood in the crossway (crossroads), to cut off those of his that did escape; neither shouldest thou have delivered up (made captive) those of his that did remain in the day of distress.’ (Obad. 10-14) 

I guess that solidly states the case for not rejoicing over the demise of one’s neighbours. (smile) And as always, God’s prophecies do come true. It seems that the Edomites who lived in the fortress-like hill country neighbouring Judah, were brash and bold, figuring that they could not be subjugated because of their hilly terrain. They also seemed to have gotten wealthy by taxing those who passed through their land. The scholars tell us the ‘Edomites remained a constant threat to the Israelites until Bruh David conquered them (2. Sam. 8:13-18). 

Ah friends, you should read that scripture and see the mighty warrior king Bruh David became with God’s help, as he subdued all those nations around him and united Israel for the first time. However, when Israel again became a divided land, the monarchy was broken up, the Edomites regained their independence and their constant hostility towards God’s people, their cousins, was frequently denounced by Israel’s prophets. But as the Lord had promised, they were later subjugated by Assyria and eventually overrun by the Nabateans in the third century B.C. 

Wow! That should teach us never to doubt the promises and prophecies of God, no matter how long they take to come to pass, for, like He told the prophet Habakkuk: ‘For the vision is yet for an appointed time, but at the end it shall speak and not lie: though it tarry, wait for it; because it will surely come, it will not tarry.’ (Hab. 2:4) That’s why, as we raise our voices in prayer through our Monday Morning Battle Hymn, let’s understand that it’s all about God’s timing, not ours, and our duty is simply to pray and then wait for His answer. 

Altogether now: ‘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!’ 

Now, my fellow saints, let’s do our part, and wait patiently, expectantly, with strong faith, for the Lord to do His. Much LOVE!

…recompense to no man…evil for evil…be not overcome of evil…but overcome evil with good… (Rom. 12:17, 21) 

Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZJ          

Today’s Scrip-Bit   31 October 2022 Romans 6:23.

31 Oct 2022 Leave a comment

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

Romans 6:23.       The wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Ah friends, can you believe it’s already the last day of October; what we term Halloween Day, a pagan ritual to darkness, evil and the making of money! Yes, the dark night will be filled with young children going around their neighbourhood dressed up in ghoulish, ugly costumes, crying, ‘Trick or treat!’ hoping to get some candy from the house owners. At one stage it also involved fruits, but then wicked people began putting things like razor blades and other sharp, harmful objects in the fruits, so now it’s mostly a candy-based operation. 

Remember how once upon a time the dentists would caution us against too much candy? But apparently those days are over, for the dentists, like the retailers, also seem to welcome the brisk business they get from Halloween. Hn! It’s all about the money, and any evil or foolish scheme that will fill the coffers is fair game. But as true believers, we have to resist the devil and his deceitful schemes and instead of accepting his darkness and lies, seek, accept and nurture within our souls the light and truth that’s Jesus Christ! 

And He said it out loud and clear. ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.’ (John 14:6). Then there’s this other concrete pronouncement to the unbelieving Pharisees. ‘I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.’ (John 8:12) Thus, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ is ‘the way, the truth, the life and the light’ of this troubled world. If you want to come out of the darkness and into the light, and find the way, which is based on truth, that leads to eternal life, then He is the answer! 

Now, that’s why Bruh Paul warned the Corinthians thus: ‘Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship (in common) hath righteousness and unrighteousness (lawlessness)? And what communion (fellowship) hath light with darkness?’ (2 Cor. 6:14) Now those are very good questions, but the answer to both of them is absolutely nothing in common! Although light and righteousness should be always trying to invade darkness and turn unrighteousness around. That’s one of our jobs as a disciple of Christ. We don’t hook up with those who don’t believe in hope and goodness, don’t let their toxic energy cannibalize our godliness, but do our best to turn them around. 

And these words of Bruh Paul to the church at Ephesus also remind us of the great care we need to take regarding darkness and unrighteousness. ‘Let no man deceive you with vain (empty) words: for because of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience. Be not ye therefore partakers with them. For ye were sometimes (once) darkness, but now ye are light in the Lord: walk therefore as children of light. (For the fruit of the Spirit (Light) is in all goodness and righteousness and truth;) Proving what is acceptable unto the Lord.’ (Eph. 5:6-10) 

Excellent words for us to remember and live by! And the scholars offer these explanations. ‘5:8. Darkness indicates that the readers used to be spiritually unenlightened and accompanying this ignorance was immorality with its resultant guilt and misery. Light denotes that the recipients are now to be religiously informed. Their knowledge of the truth is attended by moral purity and happiness.’ ‘5:10. Because of constant temptations and solicitations to evil, believers must always be proving or discerning what is and what is not acceptable unto the Lord.’ 

Then these words of James anchor us even more to the truth and the light. ‘Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried (has been proven), he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that LOVE him. Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man. But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust (desires), and enticed. 

Then when lust (desire) hath conceived, it bringeth forth (gives birth to) sin: and sin, when it is finished (full grown), bringeth forth death. Do not err (be deceived) my beloved brethren. Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness (variation), neither shadow of turning. Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.’ (James 1:12-18) 

Yes friends, the unchangeable Father of lights made us with the word of truth to be the shining light of His creations. But the devil, the prince of darkness tries to mess up our witness with his evil temptations, not God. And please note that the temptations that James is speaking of here are different from the ones in verses 2-12. In our verses ‘the source is identified as internal, from one’s own lust, and the outcome is death. 

In verses 2-12 the “temptations” or trials have an external origin in that they fall on man. Those trials cannot be avoided, so believers are encouraged to endure them, and mature as a result. The temptations of verses 13-15 must be avoided, according to God’s express commandments (Rom. 13:14; 1 Tim. 6:11; 2 Tim. 2:22). The progression of sin, from temptation to death, has an analogy in the physical life cycle: conception, birth, maturity, and death.’  

Wow! Isn’t that last sentence rather interesting? It surely is! That’s why Bruh Paul wrote to the church at Rome: ‘The wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.’ (Rom. 6:23) In other words: ‘Wages: Emphasizes what we deserve. Gift of God: Emphasizes God’s unmerited favour.’ And sadly, right now our world is in a terribly sinful state, so you know what we are looking at; death, rather than life. But there is always hope when you believe in Christ, so let’s call on that hope right through our Monday Morning Battle Hymn. 

Altogether now: ‘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!’ 

Now it’s time to turn from our sinful ways, keep on praying and asking for forgiveness, so that we receive eternal life and not death. Much LOVE!

…only two options in eternity…life…or death…your choice… 

Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZJ         

Today’s Scrip-Bit   17 October 2022 Proverbs 14:34.

17 Oct 2022 Leave a comment

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

Proverbs 14:34.       Righteousness exalteth a nation: but sin is the reproach (shame, disgrace) to any people.

‘Monday, oh Monday, why do you keep jerking my chain eh? Every week is the same thing;  when I’m just getting accustomed to the paltry two day weekend off, you suddenly show up and want me to go back to work. Doesn’t that seem somewhat unfair – a lousy two days off after consecutively working five?’ 

And what does Monday reply? ‘Tough my brother! But them’s the breaks! I didn’t devise the system; I’m just doing what I’ve been programmed to do, and the sooner you learn to do what you are told to do, the better off you will be.’ Hn! And Monday is certainly right. He didn’t invent the system we currently live under, and the sooner we learn to live by God’s Word the better off we will be. Let’s put it this way nuh, we couldn’t be any worse off than we are now, living by the dictates of mankind and the evil prince of darkness. 

But if we don’t like the path of destruction we’re currently running on, then the only other option, and the wisest of them both, is to turn back to Almighty God, to heed His wonderful Word, so that in the end, we can have eternal life with Jesus, rather than the hellfire and damnation promised to Satan and his evil cohorts. And these words of wisdom from Cousin Sol in Proverbs tell it exactly like it is. ‘Righteousness exalteth a nation: but sin is the reproach (shame, disgrace) to any people.’ (Prov. 14:34) 

Or as the scholars put it: ‘’National righteousness and national sin have opposite effects: exaltation versus reproach.’ And that’s the indisputable truth my fellow believers. We’ve seen it all down through history, especially in the story of the Jews; when they were righteous, following God’s edicts, they were prosperous and exalted, but when they foolishly and pridefully turned away from God’s standards, they surely felt the shame and disgrace through war, some natural disaster like famine and drought or captivity. I don’t know if any other city in the world has ever been besieged, captured or burnt to the ground as often as Jerusalem. 

And it’s obvious that right now our Western society is on that same foolish and prideful path of reproach, for we’re anything but righteous, and are certainly experiencing worldwide calamity. For if the truth be told, we’ll be forever known as one of the most prosperous and knowledgeable societies that ever existed, but also as one of the most evil, wicked and ungodly ones. 

And right now we’re on the brink of disaster, of destroying ourselves, with all the talk of nuclear warfare that’s currently being bandied about. As President Biden of the U.S, said recently, not since the Russian and U.S. standoff, during the Cuban crisis, in the early 1960’s has there been this much nuclear armament production and nuclear war threats. The sad part is we all know that the first nuclear device detonation will probably mean the end of mankind, even the earth, for all the nuclear powers will be quick to protect themselves by firing their own weapons. 

Look at the catastrophic destruction those two nuclear bombs dropped on Japan during the Second World War caused nuh, and since then the power of nuclear weapons has increased several fold. So just imagine nuclear bombs going off all over the world. What a cataclysmic situation! And don’t think that only a few nations have weapons of mass destruction, many nations do, some that we don’t even know about, but who will certainly show up on that day of Armageddon.

Now, if you didn’t believe Cousin Sol’s words earlier on, then listen to how he says it this time nuh. ‘By the blessing of the upright, the city is exalted: but it is overthrown by the mouth of the wicked.’ (Prov. 11:11) Yes friends, it’s left to us, the upright, the righteous in Christ, to try and protect our world from the disastrous evil and ungodliness that currently has it in a death-like stranglehold. But time is also of the essence, for who knows what will happen tomorrow. That means we have to gather in Christ-like unity and turn things around as quickly as possible. 

And it’s not so much a matter of knowing what to do, because as Christians, we all know what is expected of us, it’s just that we haven’t done it, thus the world has gotten away from us, and embraced the suffocating darkness of evil and ungodliness. But it’s not too late, with the omnipotent help of Jesus, and our sincere efforts, we can still turn things around and prevent the total disaster awaiting us on the current path we’re unwisely treading. However, it all begins with prayer, supplication and thanksgiving to the Creator of the universe. And there’s no better time to do it than right now! 

So, altogether, let’s offer up our Monday Morning Battle Hymn to Almighty God, seeking His marvellous grace and mercy on our uncertain lives and disaster-filled world. ‘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!’ 

Ah my fellow saints, we’ve prayed and asked for forgiveness, but if we truly want to see the Lord’s grace and mercy, it now behooves us to do the next part, turn from our evil ways. Much LOVE!

…God gave us free will…so that we could willingly enter His fold…but it seems to have backfired… 

Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZJ       

Today’s Scrip-Bit   3 October 2022 Nehemiah 8:10.

03 Oct 2022 Leave a comment

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

Nehemiah 8:10.         …the joy of the Lord is our strength.

One more time on the merry-go-round called the workweek my friends. Yes, I know, it can get somewhat tiresome doing the same thing week after week for thirty or forty years, then looking forward to a dreary retirement of doing absolutely nothing. (smile)  But unfortunately, that’s the way our world system is set up, and the sooner we stop allowing the same old, same old, bland way of life to get us down and depressed, the sooner we will be able to go about enjoying the abundant life Christ died for us to have. 

We can’t always have exciting new stuff to boost our spirits, because that’s just not the way life runs. And besides, in today’s world of numerous technological inventions, we have so many amenities, opportunities and toys to occupy our time, that we should never be bored. Sadly though, despite all those joys and toys, I don’t think there’s ever been a time before where boredom has afflicted so many people. The problem might just be we have too much stuff, too many opportunities and options at our fingertips, and we don’t have to work as hard as in earlier times to satisfy our selfish desires and pleasures. 

And the best way to get to that point where the worries, problems, boredom and misfortunes of the world aren’t stealing our hard-earned joy, is by having Jesus Christ as our Lord and Saviour, Guide and Good Shepherd! That’s because, with Him as our foundation stone, the life we build will be as solid as a rock, and the world will not be able to touch our Christ-like spirits. 

Now let’s look at a few scriptures that prove our point nuh. As per Jesus being our strong foundation, the Good Book tells us that Jesus Himself quoted these words of Psalm 118:22-23 to the chief priests and Pharisees when they dismissed Him as a son of the devil and not the Son of God. ‘Did ye never read in the scriptures, The stone which the builders rejected, the same is become the head of the corner (chief cornerstone): This is the Lord’s doing, and it is marvellous in our eyes?’ (Matt. 21:42)  

Jesus was referring there to Himself, whom the Jewish leaders were rejecting as the Messiah, thinking that He wasn’t a good enough subject on which to build God’s kingdom, especially since He came preaching LOVE and peace rather than the war and hate they expected the Messiah to bring, so that they could get out from under the servile conditions of Roman rule. But little did they know that it would be the same rejected figure of Jesus, despised, brutally beaten and horribly abused who would indeed bring salvation and reconciliation to the world. 

And that all falls into sync with Jesus’ parable of the two foundations. He warns: ‘Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a (the) rock. And the rain descended, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was built upon a (the) rock. And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man which built his house upon the sand: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it.’ (Matt. 724-27) 

Oh my people, that just goes to show that if we build our lives on the strong rock that’s Jesus, if we hear His words and do them, then nothing in this world will be able to destroy us, for He is always there to help, to look after, to lead and guide us through the indwelling of His Holy Spirit. But if we don’t follow Him, then the world and all its evil doings and doers will simply tear us apart like rain washes away sand. And that’s why the Good Book also tells us that ‘the joy of the Lord is our strength.’ (Neh. 8:10) 

So, if you don’t have the joy of Christ engulfing your weak and sinful spirit, then the enemy will be able to control you, causing you to do all sorts of things that are against God’s will. And that’s how you begin guarding against the boredom and sinful lusts of this evil world. Accepting Jesus Christ as the foundation stone of your life is the first move. Then you begin building upon that foundation by reading His Word and doing what it says. 

Now, it doesn’t all happen overnight, or is it easily done, but it’s a lifelong journey, fraught with problems, but also filled with learning, with meditating, with tests of our faith, but all of it faithfully promised to be eventually worked out for our good, to those who are called and who sincerely LOVE the Lord. (Rom. 8:28) 

Thus, living for Jesus is a lifestyle very different from that promoted by the enemy and the world. And one of the most important aspects of that lifestyle is prayer; sincere communication with our Lord and Saviour. It’s always our best first line of both offence and defense, where we go to our wonderful God for help in whatever situation we find ourselves, with whatever problem we have, be it big or small. So, since there’s no time like the present, let’s do that right now nuh, through our Monday Morning Battle Hymn. 

As one strong and sincere 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!’ 

Now, my fellow saints, let’s not forget that to get God’s blessings, we need to have right motives in our hearts and be good examples of godly living. Much LOVE!

…a word to the wise is sufficient… 

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

Today’s Scrip-Bit   12 September 2022 John 3:16.

12 Sep 2022 Leave a comment

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

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.

Another Monday friends, another week of work…but we can handle it with kid gloves because we have the Holy Spirit of Christ dwelling within us, plus we went to church yesterday, fellowshipped with other believers, got encouraged and rebuilt our confidence, so that we can go out into the evil and ungodly world and do the Lord’s work! Glory be! 

No wonder, my fellow believers, the Good Book tells us that in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that LOVED us.’ (Rom. 8:37) That’s our Creator, our heavenly Father, who showed His mighty and amazing LOVE for us through the sacrificial death of His Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord and Saviour. 

And we can’t doubt that, because it’s written in the truth of the scriptures: ‘But God commendeth (demonstrated) his LOVE toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.’ (Rom. 5:8) So I don’t see how we can ever doubt God’s unconditional and deep-seated LOVE for us. 

Would you send your son to die for somebody if you didn’t care for them greatly? Obviously not! Why is it so difficult then to believe that Almighty God LOVES us eh? I don’t know what else He has to do to prove it to us. He’s already given us His Son as a Saviour, His Holy Spirit and His Word as Guide and Guidebook for earthly living, and all we have to do is believe on His Son and follow the guidance of His Spirit and His Word. 

But you know what, I suspect that the fleshly lures of the world, plus our inherent sinful nature keep us in bondage to a life of sin and ungodliness. We enjoy the illicit pleasures of the world too much, so we reject Jesus, believing that if we accept Him as Lord and Saviour, we will have to give up all those wonderful, sinful, fleshly pleasures. And yes, we will have to give up most, if not all of them, depending on what they are, and what kind of hold they have on us. 

But my brethren, our Jesus is so wonderful that He helps us to do whatever we need to do to come to Him. Remember what He said to the disciples when He told them that He had to go back to the Father. ‘I will not leave you comfortless (as orphans): I will come to you.’ (John 14:18) And when He left, he sent the Holy Spirit to indwell all believers on the first Day of Pentecost after His ascension. 

Oh my people, at all times, our Jesus is only a prayer away, so there’s no need to fret or worry. Like Bruh Paul told the church at Philippi: ‘Be careful (anxious) for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God which passeth all understanding, shall keep (guard) your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.’ (Phil. 4:6-7) 

Yes friends, our omnipotent, omniscient and omni-present God has made provision for all our needs, regardless of our situation. But it must all begin with simply believing, simple belief in His Son, Jesus Christ, which Jesus spelled out quite clearly in that famous verse of scripture which we all know, but are so hesitant to accept. ‘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.’ (John 3:16) 

It’s straight to the point friends. And it gets better when you add this other scripture where Jesus says that He is the way, the truth and the light, and the only avenue to the Father. (John 14:6) You can’t ask for any clearer explanation. But as I said earlier on, we just LOVE the sinful, ungodly things of the world, which makes it difficult for us to come to Christ sincerely and totally. But maybe these thought provoking and oh so true words of John from his first epistle might just stir us up enough to truly come to faith. (smile) 

‘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.’ (1 John 2:15-17) 

Now, if John’s kind and gentle reproach doesn’t work for you, (smile) let’s see if James’ rough and tumble, take no prisoners approach will do the trick. James says without mincing words: ‘Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of (with) the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God.’ (James 4:4)  

That’s cutting right to the chase, getting right to the heart of the matter my brethren, and if you’re not willing to accept it, then crapaud smoke yuh pipe; you’ll just have to suffer whatever consequences come of your disbelief. But as the Good Book so wisely advises, let’s go to God with prayer and supplication and thanksgiving through our Monday Morning Battle Hymn, pleading for His awesome grace and mercy. 

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 if we truly desire God’s grace and mercy, then we have to believe and apply ourselves accordingly. Much LOVE!

…Satan’s passing earthly pleasures…can never compare to the eternal ones of Jesus… 

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

Today’s Scrip-Bit   8 August 2022   Daniel 11:32b.

08 Aug 2022 Leave a comment

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

Daniel 11:32b.      …but the people that do know their God shall be strong and do exploits (take action).

It’s time to hit the road friends, as we get about the Lord’s business on this Monday morning that holds so much promise if we live up to our godly potential. Yes, we’ve had ample rest, relaxation, revelation and renewal, which should make us hungry, excited, can’t wait to get into the spiritual battle out there and fight the good fight for Jesus! As the Good Book so rightly declares in Daniel. ‘And such as do wickedly against the covenant shall he corrupt (pollute) by flatteries: but the people that do know their God shall be strong and do exploits (take action). (Dan. 11:32) 

Oh mih bredrin, that’s us he’s referring to there; ‘the people that do know their God.’ Wow! It’s exactly what we were just saying, that we can’t wait to get out into the world and fight the devil mano-a-mano on Christ’s behalf! We have all the tools to conquer the enemy, including the backing of the mighty Holy Spirit, we just have to want it badly enough. And after all that Jesus has suffered and sacrificed for us, it ought to be a no brainer for us to come up to scratch, to step up boldly and courageously to the plate and mow down the enemy in His marvellous name. 

The problem though is that too many of us supposed believers are either too afraid of the enemy, or just don’t care enough about Jesus and His most worthwhile cause to sacrifice some of our time, talent, treasure and energy. But we do want to participate in the good things that His death and resurrection have made possible. And yes, when we believe on Jesus, our name will be written in the Lamb’s Book of Life, and we’ll probably go to heaven, but that’s only the beginning and end points of the story. 

However, there is also a middle portion, which is what intimidates or scares most of us, because it involves us becoming Christ like, conforming to Christ’s character and godly habits and also helping others to seek salvation through Him. It’s like Bruh Paul wrote to the church at Rome. ‘For whom he (God) did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the first born among many brethren.’ (Rom. 8:29) 

And all that means is that from the beginning of time, God decided that all those who decided to believe in His Son, Jesus Christ would go through a training period to become like Him, so we could all be the wonderful children of God, with Christ as the first born. Meanwhile, to the church at Corinth Bruh Paul wrote: ‘But we all with open (unveiled) face beholding as in a glass (mirror) the glory of the Lord, are changed (transformed) into the same image from glory to glory, even by the Spirit of the Lord.’ (2 Cor. 3:18) 

Oh, it’s indeed a lifelong process in which the Holy Spirit is engaged, it doesn’t happen overnight, because it involves changing our inherent sinful nature to Christ’s godly temperament. It’s not easy, and we must do things like die to the flesh, die to ourselves, take up our cross and follow Christ, while giving up many of the ungodly things we did before we knew Him as Lord and Saviour. 

Yes, for many of us that transition can be very difficult, but with Jesus’ help, through the leading and guidance of the Holy Spirit it’s very doable. But we need to be willing to make the sacrifices necessary to do it. And it does call for sacrifices, as Jesus plainly tells us in the gospel of John, when He says: ‘These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.’ (John 16:33) 

And so He has my fellow believers. He defeated hell, death and the grave when He died on Good Friday then rose again on Easter Sunday, trampling on the devil and his evil followers, clearing the way for us to also have salvation and eternal life. And while we are becoming transformed, we are also expected to spread the good news of Christ to others and encourage them to come to know Him too. But that’s better done by example, by the godly action they see in our lives, rather than just by our talking a good talk, which we are very adept at. (smile) 

So you see friends, becoming a Christian, saying a prayer, believing it, and thereby accepting Christ as Lord and Saviour is indeed the easy part, for salvation is a free gift of God, so that none of us can boast about what we’ve done or not done. Living the life of a true believer is the difficult aspect, with all its ups and downs, pain and sorrow, and hard times that seem more than the good ones. But if we’re serious, and follow the guidance of the Holy Spirit, we’ll do marvellously. 

And why is that you ask? The answer is very simple. Because Jesus doesn’t ask you to do more than you can handle, and He also gives you the tools to do whatever He desires. All that’s left for us to do is to stay close and intimate with Him, and don’t be afraid. Yes. I know it’s all easier said than done, but the only way you’ll ever experience His warm and wonderful LOVE is by jumping right into the deep end and trusting Him to save you. (smile) After that, you’ll be completely hooked, without a doubt or a fear. 

And to stay close and intimate with God, we must use the communication method of prayer that He developed for that purpose. So, let’s do that right now nuh, through our Monday Morning Battle Hymn. Altogether now: ‘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 to get positive answers to our prayers, we must now show positive motives and true godly behaviour, not just lip service, because the Lord reads our hearts before he answers our prayers. Much LOVE!

…the Christian life is not for the weak or faint of heart…but the LOVE of Jesus…transforms the weak into the strong… 

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

Previous Older Entries Next Newer Entries