Today’s Scrip-Bit 30 December 2016 Ephesians 5:18.

30 Dec 2016 Leave a comment

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

Ephesians 5:18.   And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess (dissipation): but be filled with the Spirit.

Aw shucks friends, is it Friday already? It surely is. But that’s what happens when you only work three days of the week, you don’t realize that time is flying by. And please be careful out on the roads this morning because some snow fell again last night. Steups! Like it’s becoming a regular habit now! A li’l bit every night now. 

But that doesn’t stop the Friday workers posse from enthusiastically declaring: ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday…And New Year’s Eve Friday too! So you can imagine the partying! Brother! Waters flowing for so…an’ everybody black up! With the high class ones and them drinking champagne to ring in the New Year! 

But regardless of what yuh drinking, you have plenty time to drink it, because is another long weekend. No work till Tuesday! Mama Yo! Thank the Lord for Fridays and long weekends yes!’ 

And all of that is gospel truth my people. There will be more drinking this New Year’s weekend than at any other time of the year. And we certainly need to remember Granny’s wise advice: ‘Sonny Boy, drunk or sober, please mind yuh business.’ 

Yes friends, because at this time of year, Lucifer is smiling from ear to ear, knowing that the probability of getting into our lives is much higher than normal with all the licentious celebrations planned for it. 

So let’s chant our Friday Chant which gives us a different and better perspective on how to use our weekends. All together 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.’

It’s three days this weekend, but that scenario does make more sense, and is a better-balanced way of life, which we need if we’re going to succeed in this crazy, ungodly world. 

That brings us to our rather appropriate and explicit Bit. (smile) ‘And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess (dissipation): but be filled with the Spirit.’ Ah friends, it couldn’t be any more explicit than that! 

But before we get into our Bit, let’s look at a few verses before it. Bruh Paul told the Ephesians quite openly. ‘See then that ye walk circumspectly (carefully), not as fools, but as wise. Redeeming the time, because the days are evil. Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is.’ (Eph.5:15-17)

Yes my fellow believers, we have to be very careful how we live in these wicked and sinful times. Now here are some explanations from the scholars. ‘5:16. Redeeming the time (or “making the most of every opportunity”). 

Contextually, the specific opportunity in view is that of exposing the sins of the lost and being a witness to them. Because the days are evil assigns a reason to seize each opportunity. It is because the sins being committed during these days are so evil.’ And are they ever! 

‘5:17. Wherefore looks back to the evil days of verse 16. Since the current age is so perilous morally, Christians must clearly understand what the will of the Lord is.’ 

Then Bruh Paul got into our Bit. And the scholars provide an interesting explanation of it. 

‘5:18. This verse gives an example of what is and what is not the Lord’s will (v.17). Believers are not allowed to be intoxicated with alcoholic beverages; the reason for this prohibition is wherein is excess; that is drunkenness leads to moral intemperance. 

This is clearly contrary to God’s will. His will is that Christians be filled with (by) the Spirit; that is, they are to allow Him to fill them with God’s own life, character and virtues. 

The analogy between these two moral states is this: a person filled with wine is under its influence; similarly, a Christian is filled with the Spirit when He (the Holy Spirit) controls his thoughts, attitudes, and actions.’ 

And it all makes a whole lotta sense, for who wants to be controlled by alcohol eh, when the Holy Spirit of the Most High God Jehovah can successfully control us! 

Okay, so a small portion likes the control of the alcohol, but that’s not wisdom my brethren, because then you have no idea of what you’re doing, and it will eventually lead to some serious disaster. That’s definitely not the will of the Lord for His people. 

Now let’s continue with Bruh Paul’s spiel to the Ephesians, re what they should be doing. ‘Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord; Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ; Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God.’ (Eph.5:19-21) 

Yes precious people of God, those are the kinds of things expected of us! It doesn’t mean we can’t have fun, but we need to have our p’s and q’s about us if we don’t want to succumb to Beelzebub’s evil and sinful frivolities. 

So please let’s think sensibly about what kind of New Year’s Eve we are going to have nuh…whether we will bow to Lucifer or to Jesus Christ. I’m depending on us to make the right decision. Much LOVE!

…a man can only march to one drumbeat at a time…likewise…he can only have one Leader at a time…

 

 

 

Today’s Scrip-Bit 3 July 2013 Jeremiah 1:6

03 Jul 2013 Leave a comment

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

Jeremiah 1:6.   Then said I, Ah, Lord God! behold, I cannot speak: for I am a child.
 
Oh Friends, today was one of those days when I had a hard time finding a Bit. I don’t know why, because all my senses were attuned and I felt physically fine. But I guess that’s life! We can’t always have it easy, otherwise we surely won’t appreciate it. A struggle seems necessary before we can enjoy any good times.
 
As they say, you can’t enjoy the sunshine until you’ve experienced the rain, neither light until you experience darkness, and we can continue with all the other positives, that we can’t truly appreciate until we go through the negatives.
 
Anyway, here’s an interesting quote from the German writer, Jean Paul Richter (1763-1825), which tells us that ‘Sorrows are like thunderclouds – in the distance they look black; over our heads scarcely gray.’  
 
And isn’t that the awesome truth Friends? Like the thunderclouds that look dark, dismal and foreboding when they’re off in the distance, so too are many of our perceived problems. They seem frightful and compelling when they first appear, but usually when we truly get to dealing with them, we discover that they’re usually never as bad and fearful as they looked at the beginning.
 
That’s not to say that some of them can’t be truly loathsome and frightening, but generally most of our problems end up being not as bad as they first seem. That means we’re not to get frightened and overwhelmed when problems first appear.
 
We need to scrutinize them properly before doing anything, because if we get all anxious and worked up without knowing what they are really all about, then that anxiety and worry will most certainly prevent us from handling them properly.
 
Fear and other negative emotions detract from our ability to handle problems as well as life in general. That’s why we should try not to make any important decisions when we’re fearful, angry, or under the influence of any negative emotions.
 
Oh Friends, our God is really a good God yes! For up to just now, before that last sentence, I still didn’t have a Bit, but while thumbing through the Good Book, it opened at the beginning of Jeremiah, and these words called to me: ‘Then said I, Ah, Lord God! behold, I cannot speak: for I am a child.’
 
And I had to laugh, because it reminded me of when the Lord put forward the Idea of the Bit to me, I gave a similar excuse. I chuckled and said I couldn’t do it because of my insufficient knowledge of His Word. But as we know, the Lord persisted and some seven years later, though I’m still not an expert on His Word, I’m much further ahead than I use to be.
 
Please note the Lord’s words to Jeremiah which brought forward his negative response. ‘Before I formed thee in the belly (womb) I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee (set thee apart), and I ordained (appointed) thee a prophet unto the nations.’ (Jer.1:5)
 
Yuh see that Friends, Jerry’s call had been planned long before His birth! Like wise, the Lord has plans for all of us before we’re even conceived, and trying to wiggle out of them is usually futile and hopeless.
 
Now hear how the Lord handled Jerry’s reluctance. ‘But the Lord said unto me, Say not, I am a child: for thou shalt go to all that I shall send thee, and whatsoever I command thee thou shalt speak.’ (Jer.1:7)
 
The Lord was having none of Jerry’s fear and anxiety. And to assuage his fear, He reassures him. ‘Be not afraid of their faces: for I am with thee to deliver thee, saith the Lord.’ (Jer.1:8)
 
That’s the greatness and faithfulness of our God my people! He doesn’t just send us to do a job without any reassurance; He’s constantly with us, He has our back all the time.
 
‘Then the Lord put forth his hand, and touched my mouth. And the Lord said unto me, Behold, I have put my words in thy mouth. See, I have this day set thee over the nations and over the kingdoms, to root out, and to pull down (tear down), and to destroy, and to throw down, to build, and to plant.’ (Jer.1:9-10) 
 
Please note too that He gave Jerry the tools, the words, to do the job He was sending him to do. That’s another great aspect of our God. He’ll never send us to do a job without giving us the necessary tools to do it. I can personally attest to that.
 
So if you happen to find yourself in such a situation today, where the Lord is calling you to do something, which in the natural you don’t seem qualified or able to do, don’t worry, just step up boldly to the plate. Do like Isaiah did, when the Lord asked: ‘Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I, Here am I; send me.’ (Is.6:8)
 
Ah Friends, I’ll let you into a little secret; if the Lord truly wants to conscript you into His army, then like a snowflake in hell, you don’t stand a chance of getting away! He will get you one way or another. I can personally attest to that too, because I kept putting forth my uneducated argument, but He kept persevering.
 
Hn! And yuh see who finally won! Well I won too, because it changed my whole life, brought me much closer to Him.
 
And the Lord has a plan for each and every one of His children, whether He’s made it clear to us or not. So whether we’re in the throes of indecision now, or haven’t clearly heard His plan for us, please bear in mind that working for Him is the most interesting job in the universe.
 
It’s not always going to be wine, roses and song, but along the way, you’ll experience some experiences, large, small and in-between, that will boggle your imagination and make you truly believe. That again I can attest to from personal experience.
 
So please answer God’s call today, or whenever He calls, with a bold and confident, ‘Yes Lord, I will go. Send me.’ That’s wisdom of the highest order! Much LOVE!
 
…when the Lord says jump…our immediate response should be…how high Lord…
 
P.S. Sorry for the lateness of the Bit, but I was doing some other stuff on the computer that took me longer than I expected. But as usual, better late than never. (smile) Much LOVE!