Today’s Scrip-Bit 9 June 2012 1 John 4:10

09 Jun 2012 Leave a comment

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

1 John 4:10.    Herein is LOVE, not that we LOVED God, but that he LOVED us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.

Oh Friends, here it comes; one more morning, one more day, one more ray of brilliant sunshine, to chase the darkness of night away! It’s so refreshing and revitalizing to see a new day dawn. Something about a new day just naturally causes a conscious stream of hope and great expectations to rise in our souls, bringing the thought and belief that something good is going to happen to us that very day. Wow! Looking at the sun come up over the horizon seems to reawaken the Spirit of Jesus in our hearts and minds, giving us the strength, faith and energy to face the new day. For we know that with Jesus on our side, we can face anything that comes our way; we can do all things through Him, who strengthens us. (Phil.4:13) And furthermore, God’s goodness to us, unworthy as we are, is surely a good reason to be excited and appreciative of a new day, for He clearly went out of His way to make sure we had a chance to bypass the ‘sufferation’ for our just desserts: death for our disobedience. ‘For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through (in) Jesus Christ our Lord.’ (Rom.6:23) And the scholars explain: ‘Wages: Emphasizes what we deserve. Gift of God: Emphasizes God’s unmerited favour.’  And why did He provide eternal life for us, even though we didn’t deserve it? Because He LOVED us! As the song says, it was LOVE  that caused our first heartbeat. And as our Bit so succinctly explains: ‘Herein is LOVE, not that we LOVED God, but that he LOVED us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.’ Yes Friends, the Lord did it all because of LOVE; the greatest emotion there is and the most significant trait of His amazing and wonderful personality! I only wish there was so much more of it present in our troubled, strife filled world. And God’s LOVE is so great, that the scholars declare; ‘No human LOVE is the standard for understanding God’s great compassion, but God’s own action on man’s behalf.’ God’s LOVE, like all His other attributes, are so much greater than ours, that we can’t even begin to comprehend it. It was such an intense LOVE that He made Jesus pay for our sins. Listen to John earlier on: ‘My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate (intercessor) with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.’ (1 John 2:1-2) And that’s the gospel truth Friends! The sins of whoever believes in Jesus have been paid for! And all God’s people shouted: ‘Thank You Lord for Jesus! We praise and worship Your Holy Name!’ Now hear the scholars, re the process of propitiation. ‘Propitiation is here an atoning sacrifice. Jesus bore in His body the punishment due us for our sin; in so doing He propitiated God, satisfied God’s just demand that sin be punished. Thus Jesus is both the advocate for sinners (v.1) and the sacrifice for their sins.’ Surprisingly though, there are too many fools and unwise men on this earth, who though they know of and about Jesus, still refuse to take Him seriously, still refuse to believe, to put their hope, faith and trust in Him. How sad mih people. They don’t know what they’re missing. Unfortunately they don’t realize the seriousness of the situation; that it’s their eternal destiny they’re playing with. They obviously don’t believe that there’s nothing they can do to gain heaven’s shores, unless it’s through Christ. Listen to Bruh Paul postulate on the subject to the Ephesians: ‘For by grace are ye (you have been) saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: 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) And here’s the scholars explanation: ‘The grace of God is the expression of His goodness toward the undeserving. Grace means unmerited favour, and can be expressed by the acrostic “God’s Riches At Christ’s Expense.” This grace is the basis of our salvation (1.7; 2:8) Illustration: In salvation, men who deserve hell obtain heaven. This cannot be explained apart from God’s grace. Every conversion in Scripture is an example of God’s grace. When Paul (Saul) met the Lord on the Damascus Road, Paul was a persecutor of the church. Yet God made him one of the church’s chief preachers. Application: We need to remember that we are saved, given the Holy Spirit, and allowed to serve God – by His grace. (Gen.6:8; Eph.2:8) Yes Friends, only through the saving grace that flows from a belief in Jesus can we ever attain heaven’s bliss, for He is indeed as He declares: ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.’ (John 14:6) Oh my people, it is therefore expedient, rather imperative, that mankind believes in Christ if they want to dwell in heaven, and escape the death and damnation that characterizes Hades. And it’s our responsibility, our duty to spread that fact around the globe, because Jesus doesn’t even want to lose one human to Lucifer’s evil claws. So please, let’s get out there and tell them with a burning passion, let’s convince them to see the bright light shining in the darkness that’s Jesus, their only hope for deliverance. Much LOVE!…a world full of darkness and evil…can only be  saved by believing in Jesus…the eternal day star of heaven…
 

Today’s Scrip-Bit 8 June 2012 1 John 4:10

08 Jun 2012 Leave a comment

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

1 John 4:10.    Herein is LOVE, not that we LOVED God, but that He LOVED us, and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.
 
Oh Friends, it’s Friday! And all God’s children joyfully shouted: ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday!’ And mih people, please don’t tell me that my God isn’t a good and great God nuh, because I experience His goodness and greatness in some form and fashion, every day! Take for instance last night, as I was lying in my bed, contemplating what I would write today, hoping for something a little different, something with a little more spunk, I half seriously, have jokingly asked the Lord to help me write a moving, exciting, encouraging, edifying and uplifting Bit. I wanted and needed a Bit that would put some passion in our souls and give us the necessary gumption, the fortitudinous backbone and belly we need to truly LOVE our God, LOVE ourselves, and likewise our neighbours, to sincerely LIVE our Faith, and to diligently SPREAD His Word. And yuh know what? Immediately, without any hesitation whatsoever, the Lord answered, ‘Why not?’ And I replied,’ No reason whatsoever Lord.’ And the Lord declared, ‘Well let’s do it then!’ So let’s do it nuh mih people, let’s lively up the start of the weekend by chanting our Friday Chant with much reverence, vocal strength and enthusiasm. All together now, as one earthly choir: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through another week of work! It hasn’t been easy, but with your generous help, I made it through. Now, please help me to get sufficient fun, fellowship, rest and relaxation in these two short days off, so that I can be renewed and refreshed in soul, body and mind, to go back out and do it all over again next week, furthering your glorious kingdom with each step I take. I pray this in Jesus name. Amen.’ So doh tell me that I’m not going to LOVE, serve, revere and genuinely worship the Lord God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob! You must be joking yes people! For there’s absolutely no doubt in my mind that He is indeed THE GREATEST! Where else can you find a God like Him eh? NOWHERE! A God who’s all powerful, all seeing, all about the place at the same time, plus LOVING ungrateful, undeserving, unworthy children unconditionally. He LOVED us so much that He even sacrificed His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, on that old, ugly, evil wooden cross at Calvary, so that we could be legally, justifiably be redeemed and reconciled to Him. Hn! As our Bit so remarkably declares: ‘Herein is LOVE, not that we LOVED God, but that He LOVED us, and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.’ Now who else, could, or even would have done that, were they able to? NOBODY ELSE! Yes Friends, nobody else but our great God would have sacrificed their only child for a bunch of ungrateful sinners! And on top of that, He still gives us new mercies and blessings every day, and through His Holy Spirit leads and guides us along earth’s very challenging paths. And that ain’t all nuh mih breddren! As a lagniappe, or broughta (don’t know if I spelled the last one right) but as an extra, on top of all the other good things He’s done and is still doing for us, our merciful, generous and ever-LOVING God, also threw in the most wonderful gifts possible of salvation and eternal life. Wow! And what was the response of God’s people? They all raised their heads, hearts, hands, eyes and voices heavenward, and proudly proclaimed: ‘Oh our God, we LOVE You, we worship You, we give You thanks and praise, and promise to be steadfast members of your great flock, from now until forever. We pray this on the Holy blood of Jesus shed for us at Calvary! Amen!’ And now Friends, what wait we for eh? The Lord’s obviously our hope! Oh my people, I sure hope that this Bit picked us up, reminded us of why we LOVE and serve the Lord God Jehovah through Jesus Christ. I hope it reminds us very forcefully that before we LOVED Him, He LOVED us unconditionally, and gave us salvation and eternal life as a token of that LOVE! And He did it all through His own mercy and generosity: ‘Not by works of righteousness which we have done; but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost; Which he shed (poured out) on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour; That being justified (declared righteous) by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.’ (Titus 3:5-7) So please my people, having witnessed and experienced all that LOVING-kindness, forgiveness and mercy, let’s ramp up our passion for Jesus today nuh, and get out there into the evil, ungodly world and put up a valiant fight, which will eventually lead to victory in His Holy Name! Amen! That’s wisdom at its zenith! Much LOVE!…JESUS…the Truth…the Way…the Light…and the Life…no other name is worthy of such praise…
 

Today’s Scrip-Bit 24 May 2012 Isaiah 42:1

24 May 2012 Leave a comment

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

Isaiah 42:1.    Behold my servant, whom I uphold; mine elect, in whom my soul delighteth; I have put my spirit upon him: he shall bring forth judgement to the Gentiles.
 
Top o’ the morning to all you godly Friends and neighbours in Jesus Christ! I sure hope this missive reaches you all in good health and wealth. And if perchance it doesn’t, then when you read it, you will be buoyed by the good news it brings, and the Holy Spirit of our Lord and Saviour Jesus will course through your mind, body and soul to bring healing and cleansing. This is my prayer for all of us this beautiful Thursday morning, as new mercies and blessings rain down from heaven through the exceptional grace and unconditional LOVE of our Creator, Provider and Holy God. Now, without further ado, let’s turn to our Bit; one of the most powerful and prophetic prophesies (smile) found in the Good Book. ‘Behold my servant, whom I uphold; mine elect (my chosen one), in whom my soul delighteth; I have put my spirit upon him: he shall bring forth judgement (justice) to the Gentiles.’ Yes Friends, it’s all about Jesus; His coming to earth to save our sinful souls. Listen to the scholars’ take on it. ‘My servant is identified here as a person rather than a personification of the nation of Israel. With all the traits of King, Prophet, and High Priest. He is none other than the Messiah, Jesus Christ Himself. He is also called mine elect (bechiri; set apart for a definite purpose) and the One in whom I have put my spirit. The New Testament quotes this prophecy as being fulfilled in the Lord Jesus Christ (Matt.12:8-21) The ministry of the Servant of the Lord will be to bring forth judgement (or justice) to the Gentiles and in the earth. His kingdom knows no barriers of nationality or race. Of all the Old Testament prophets, Isaiah saw this fact the most clearly. While Jesus’ early ministry was to the house of Israel, His ultimate commission extended to the Gentiles as well.’ What a truly wonderful God we serve my people! It boggles my mind when I think of how His LOVE for us was so great that He sacrificed the holy, sinless life of His only Son to bring redemption and reconciliation to our worthless, sinful souls. And all God’s people raised their voices heavenward in a mighty shout of joy, praise and gratitude: ‘Oh thank You heavenly Father! Thank You for sending your Son Jesus to shed His precious blood as a sacrifice, so that our sin debt could be pain in full! We praise You, and bless Your Holy Name! Amen!’ Ah mih people, the story of Jesus, Holy God, coming to earth and doing what He did, is the most awesome and amazing one ever told and also fulfilled. Wow! And Jesus was the sure personification of that prophecy, as Matthew 12:17 declares: ‘That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying…’ And Matthew goes on to quote Isaiah 42:1-4, 49:3, as evidence for the fulfillment of the prophecy. (Matt.12:18-21) Now let’s touch on the first important point in our Bit: ‘Behold my servant…’ Yes Friends, that word ‘servant’ is ever so important in our Christian faith, because that’s the way Jesus came a calling; as a humble servant. ‘And whosoever will be chief (first) among you, let him be your servant: Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto (served), but to minister (serve), and to give his life a ransom for many.’ (Matt.20:27-28) That definitely means, my fellow believers, that we should ALL have that spirit of servanthood in us, if we’re true believers! And if we don’t, then our faith is false, it’s not a true reflection of the character of Jesus. Now let’s close with this definitive statement on the matter from Bruh Paul to the Philippians: ‘Let this mind be in you, (keep thinking this, constantly maintain this attitude) which was also in Christ Jesus: Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God (didn’t assume God-like qualities); But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: And being found in fashion (appearance) as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.’ (Phil.2:5-8) Friends, oh Friends, it’s that kind of humility which our world so sadly lacks and so badly needs today! Instead of everybody wanting to be el numero uno, the first, the most powerful and popular, and sitting at the highest seat, let’s bring back the true spirit of Jesus nuh, where He desires to see us graciously and humbly serving each other, not always jockeying for the top spot. That way others will truly see His wonderful character shining out from us like the bright Morning Star which He so avidly personifies, and will come to LOVE and serve Him just as much as we do. Oh my brethren, that’s how we should be winning souls for Jesus! More on this tomorrow, the Lord willing. Till then, please let’s come down off of our high horses and walk the humble walk of Jesus. Much LOVE!…without the attributes of humility and servanthood…no man can be a true believer in Jesus…
 

Today’s Scrip-Bit 23 March 2012 Numbers 23:1

23 Mar 2012 Leave a comment

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

Numbers 23:19.    God is not man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? Or hath he spoken, and shall he not make good?

Oh Friends, it’s that wonderful day again, Friday! And a loud shout rises from the workforce: ‘TGIF! Thank God is Friday yes!’ Yes mih people, the weekend is upon us, bringing a brief respite from our labours. But since it’s so short, we need to use it wisely. And to help us do that, let’s chant our Friday Chant, as one grateful body now: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through another week of work! It hasn’t been easy, but with your generous help, I made it through. Now, please help me to get sufficient fun, fellowship, rest and relaxation in these two short days off, so that I can be renewed and refreshed in soul, body and mind, to go back out and do it all over again next week, furthering your glorious kingdom with each step I take. I pray this in Jesus name. Amen.’ And now that we’ve set the proper perspective for the weekend, let’s turn to our very profound and encouraging Bit: ‘God is not man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? Or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?’ Oh my people, words of gospel truth from the living God we worship! Yesterday we looked at several scriptures that dealt with the first half of our Bit: ‘God is not man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent:’ Today I have one more to share on that subject. It comes from James in his discourse on faith and humility. He wisely and sincerely tells us: ‘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.’ (James:16-17) Now here’s a word from the scholars on that; ‘Since all changes are either for the better or for the worse, God is unchanging because He is perfect and cannot get better nor become worse. The Scriptures describe God’s nature, will, and character as immutable or unchanging. Illustration: To be immutable, however, does not mean to be immobile. God also has the qualities of personality and can act, think, create, and make decisions. Application: God is unchanging, therefore, Christians can depend on His LOVE and power, because God has not changed since biblical times.’ And all God’s people made a joyful noise to God for His wonderful attributes and His unchanging nature! Now let’s turn to the second part of our Bit: ‘hath he said, and shall he not do it? Or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?’ Oh yes my brethren, all that our great God says, He’ll definitely do and make good, no doubt about it! Listen to Him admonish Moses when the Israelites cried out for meat, which the Lord promised, but Moses doubted His ability to provide. ‘And the Lord said unto Moses, Is the Lord’s hand waxed short (Is the Lord’s power limited)? thou shalt see now whether my word shall come to pass unto thee or not.’ (Num.11:23) Later on, quail rained down like water around the Israelite camp. Oh Friends, that shows that even a man of great faith like Moses, who had seen so many miracles, was still only a man, thus limited by finite faith and intelligence. Then there’s Cousin Sol, who at the end of his great prayer: ‘And he stood, and blessed all the congregation of Israel with a loud voice, saying, Blessed be the Lord, that hath given rest (peace) unto his people Israel, according to all that he promised: there hath not failed one word of all his good promise, which he promised by the hand of Moses his servant.’ (1 Kin.8:55-56) And we’ll end with an everlasting declaration of truth and faithfulness, after the Lord successfully moved the Israelites into the Promised Land: ‘And the Lord gave unto Israel all the land which he sware to give unto their fathers; and they possessed it, and dwelt therein. And the Lord gave them rest (peace) round about, according to all that he sware unto their fathers: and there stood not a man of all their enemies before (against) them; the Lord delivered all their enemies into their hand. There failed not aught (Not a word failed) of any good thing which the Lord had spoken unto the house of  Israel; all came to pass.’ (Josh.21:43-45) Oh Friends, there’s no more to say! We’ve heard it all! Our God is truthful, faithful and all powerful! Whatever He says or promises will come to pass, both negative and positive stuff! So if we’re wise, we’ll follow the One who truly LOVES and cares for us, the Lord God Jehovah. He’s already shown that great and wonderful unconditional LOVE by offering His Son Jesus as a one-time sacrifice for all our sins, then from His eternal store of grace, offers us free salvation and eternal life by just believing on Jesus. Wow! What an awesome and magnanimous God we serve my people! Please, don’t ever doubt or forget it! Much LOVE!…there are no suitable words in man’s limited vocabulary to truly describe our amazing God…  

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