until the day of Christ Jesus

Matthew 25:33. And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left.

Aye friends, it’s Wednesday of Holy Week, the second wind day of our workweek! A day that helps us get up the gumption and courage to keep on keeping on for the next couple days. This week though, we only have one more day to go, as Friday, Good Friday, is a holiday for most of us. But despite the holiday, we will have a lot of sadness and sorrow because it’s the day that our Saviour Jesus Christ was abused, tortured and crucified to pay for our abominable sins.

And if we’re true believers, that ought to give us pause and make us consider if our current way of life will satisfy Jesus, and make Him consider the hefty price He paid for our spiritual freedom worthwhile. Now that’s a million dollar question, and I don’t know how many of us will answer it truthfully, but we need to. And if our lives are not up to scratch, then we need to raise them up, as it may one day cause us to be separated from the sheep and placed with the goats. That means to distinguish between good and bad individuals or those of superior and inferior ability.

It’s based on Jesus story in the gospel of Matthew, when He comes again in all His glory. ‘And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats. And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left. Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was an hungred (hungry), and ye gave me meat (food): I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in: naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me.’ (Matt. 25:32-36)

And when the righteous asks Jesus when they’d done all those things to Him? He answers: ‘Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.’ (Matt. 25:40) Yes my fellow believers, that’s how we are expected to function; helping the sick and needy, the downtrodden and helpless with good hearts, and not expecting anything from them in return, knowing that any future rewards will come from the Father in His own time.

Now here’s the other side of the equation: ‘Then shall he (king Jesus) say unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels: For I was an hungred (hungry), and ye gave me no meat (food): I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me not in: naked, and ye clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not.’ (Matt. 25:41-43)

And when they ask as to what time they saw Him in need and not minister on to Him? ‘Then he shall answer them, saying, Verily, verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me. and these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.’ (Matt. 25:45-46)

Ah friends, that’s the kind of scenario we might have to face. And since we don’t know how much time we have left, it’s best we begin to improve our lives as soon as possible, in fact right now. Oh, we all know where we are weak and failing, and if we don’t know, then we can ask the Lord and He will gladly show us. (smile)

The truth is that though we will never be perfect, we can all improve, we can all get better at doing the things Jesus desires of us. And this verse from Bruh Paul’s letter to the Philippians, ought to encourage us to do so. He writes; ‘Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begin a good work in you will perform (complete, finish) it until the day of Jesus Christ.’ (Phil. 1:6)

Yes my fellow believers, when we accepted Jesus as Lord and Saviour, the Father began a good work in us, which He will undoubtedly continue until Jesus comes back. So there’s no need to worry we’ll be left out of the loop. No way! For that verse speaks to our eternal security, since God’s plan has always been to make all His children conform to the example of His first born, and that will never change. So, with such great assurance under our belt, let’s faithfully use this Easter season to improve ourselves; physically, spiritually and emotionally.

And we can begin right now by declaring (steups!!!) our Wednesday Wail with strong conviction. As one voice: ‘Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: I’m so glad to be alive on this Wednesday! Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: Thank God the breath of life is still flowing through me on this Wednesday! I am halfway home. My hands are fixed securely on the plough, and I’m not turning back. I’m not looking back at the past, not focusing on what has gone before. But my eyes are fixed straight ahead; straight ahead to a glorious future with Jesus. Glory Hallelujah!’

And it’s been promised that if we endure with Jesus to the very end, then that future will be even more glorious than we can ever ask or imagine. So please, let’s plan to meet at the very end and enjoy that future together nuh! Much LOVE!

…in Jesus kingdom…it’s better to be a sheep than a goat…

Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien

Philippians 1:6. Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform (complete) it until the day of Jesus Christ.

‘It’s spring! It’s spring! Springtime is here! Thank God it’s spring!’ Hn, hn, hn! Yeh friends, the Spring Equinox has finally reached the North Country, but please don’t be deceived by the ebullient nature of that statement because that’s just man’s calendar. Mother Nature however, doesn’t hold to man’s demarcation of time, she does her own thing, so the temps will not always be above freezing, and some of that white stuff is possible in the next month or so.

And having set the record straight on that topic, let’s move on to this interesting poem from our One Year Book of Bible Promises with writings by Ruth Harms Calkin, titled ‘What is Your Schedule, God?’ The first time I read it, I had to laugh because it applies so appropriately to my present position and no doubt to some of you readers also.

So please pray with me: ‘Lord Many years ago Martin Luther King said “It is God’s nature To make something out of nothing. That is why God cannot make anything Out of him who is not yet nothing.” In ways I had never anticipated, Lord Slowly but persistently You continue Your hammering and crushing In every hidden crevice of my life.

You seem determined To reduce me to nothing In order to make something. I wonder… What is Your schedule, God? As You creatively continue To reshape and remake me How long will it last? Lord, could You hurry a little’

My sentiments exactly my people! It’s taking a rather long time for Him to complete His renovations in me! Oh I know that I will be a much better person, both physically and spiritually when He’s done, but did I need so much work, that it’s taking so long? (smile) I guess He seems to think so. And He’s the Boss, the Renovator, so there’s not much I can do but grin and bear it, knowing that He’s faithfully promised that He eventually will work out all things for our good.

Even the bad stuff, He’ll make eventually work in our favour. And there’s also this other important and incomparable promise found in the Bible verse for today’s poem, which is also our Bit for today. In the immortal words of Bruh Paul to the Philippians: ‘Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform (complete) it until the day of Jesus Christ.’

Ah mih people, our God is not a wishy-washy deity, who just does things vikey-vie, but an outstanding and upstanding Father figure who has an airtight plan and completes what He begins! That means that though I’ve been going through some rough times as He renovates me, and it seems to be taking a rather long time, I can yet be assured that he will finish those renovations in His own timing.

We all know that His timing and ours very seldom coincide; (smile) we want it done now for now, but He’s in no rush whatsoever. That’s why He gives us His powerful grace to bear up under such tough and unwanted conditions.

Now hear what the scholars say about our Bit. ‘1:6. Will perform it is said “will finish it.” Paul is convinced that the work of grace that God began in the Philippians at conversion will be divinely continued until the day of Jesus Christ. That is, the Lord will keep working in these believers until Jesus returns to earth, at which point He will finish His work, bringing it to completion. This speaks of the Christian’s eternal security. For God had a purpose in view when He began His saving work in the Philippians, and that purpose will neither be abandoned nor unrealized.’

Give our great God some thanks and praise my brethren, because He also has a purpose in saving us, and that purpose will neither be ‘abandoned nor unrealized!’ Wow! You can bet your bottom dollar on that! The Lord will continue working in and on each of us until Jesus comes back to claim His birthright! Isn’t that good news? Yes, it sure is wonderful news, to know that our heavenly Father is on the ball, even though we may not like what His work entails in our earthly days.

But we’ve just got to hang on to those promises of His, the many promises found in His awesome Word, like those above and like He’ll never leave nor forsake us, will always comfort us, give us beauty for ashes, joy for mourning, keep us safe under His mighty wings from the always lurking enemy and life’s inevitable storms, just like a mother hen protects her chicks! And the list goes on and on my faithful followers of Christ!

Remember, we are partners in this life with our Maker; that means He has a part to do, and we also have our part to do. And as Sister Joyce (Joyce Meyer) likes to say: ‘God will not do our part, and we can’t do His part, though we often try to!’ And that’s gospel truth friends! So our part of the covenant is to hold on tightly to the promises of the Almighty, and walk obediently to His will, regardless of the circumstances, and just let Him get on with His renovation and renewal of our lives.

Remember His thoughts and ways are higher than ours and a thousand days in His sight is like one in ours, so we will very seldom see eye to eye. (smile) But all will turn out well if we just believe and hold steadfast to His Word! It’s not always easy to do, but He’s also given us the grace and the help of His Holy Spirit do it. So let’s stop complaining and just get with the programme nuh! Jesus didn’t have it easy, so why should we have it so eh? No reason whatsoever!

So let’s smarten up, and with the Lord’s strength and joy in our hearts, let’s go home declaring (steups – wrong again) our Wednesday Wail, telling the whole world our wonderful and enviable position in the Lord Jesus Christ, our most wonderful Leader and Saviour!

Altogether now: ‘Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: I’m so glad to be alive on this Wednesday! Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: Thank God the breath of life is still flowing through me on this Wednesday! I am halfway home. My hands are fixed securely on the plough, and I’m not turning back. I’m not looking back at the past, not focusing on what has gone before. But my eyes are fixed straight ahead; straight ahead to a glorious future with Jesus. Glory Hallelujah!’

And please remember, that future will be even more glorious than we can think or imagine! Way to go mih people! Much LOVE!

…a house built on sand will not stand…but one built on the rock that’s Jesus…will surely last forever…

P.S. Yuh see what happens when you all get the ole fella excited…he just keeps on writing…(smile) Much LOVE!

SCRIP-BITS

A Day of Reckoning…when the Sheep will be separated from the Goats!

Today’s Scrip-Bit 20 March 2019 Philippians 1:6.

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