Today’s Scrip-Bit 10 July 2016 Luke 8:50

10 Jul 2016 Leave a comment

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

Luke 8:50.   But when Jesus heard it, he answered him, saying, Fear not: believe only, and she shall be made whole.

Ah friends, once more we have been blessed with another wonderful day on God’s marvellous creation called planet earth! And believe me, there’s method to God’s madness for allowing us to see another day. It means we still have things to do in the great plan that He’s mapped out for us since the beginning of time. 

So let’s be joyful and declare as the psalmist did: ‘This is the day the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it.’ (Ps.118:24)  Yes my fellow believers, under the circumstances, it’s the only attitude that makes sense. 

And furthermore, since the psalmist wrote those words, we have even more reason to celebrate because our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ died to cleanse our sinful souls, reconcile us to the Father and offer us the magnificent gifts of salvation and eternal life by simply believing in Him and being obedient to His Word! Wow! What a Saviour!  

And this summer Sunday morning I’d like us to sing an old hymn, a favourite of mine in my youth, which tells of Jesus’ great sacrifice on our behalf. It’s called, ‘There is a green hill far away.’ 

Please sing loudly and lustily with me. ‘There is a green hill far away, Without a city wall, Where the dear Lord was crucified, Who died to save us all. We may not know, we cannot tell, What pains he had to bear, But we believe it was for us He hung and suffered there. 

There was no other good enough To pay the price of sin. He only could unlock the gate Of heav’n and let us in. Oh, dearly, dearly has he LOVED! And we must LOVE him too, And trust in his redeeming blood, And try his works to do.’ 

Oh precious people, it is so good to offer up praise and thanks to our God after what He’s done for us. Just look at it nuh; Jesus was the ONLY one who could unlock heaven’s’ gate so that we might enter because He was sinless! And he did it so selflessly, enduring the horrendous pain without any complaints! 

Meanwhile, we soft, pampered people today, cry and complain so much if we have even a li’l hang nail. (smile) I don’t think many, if any of us, could have borne even one tenth of Jesus’ suffering without going crazy from the abuse and the pain. 

However, thankfully, we’re not called on to do that, but we are called on to bear some trials and tribulations in this earthly life, which we should try to do without too much caterwauling and complaining.  And the formula for doing that is given at the end of the hymn above. ‘LOVE Jesus, trust in His redeeming blood and diligently try to do His work.’ 

It’s all right there in a nutshell friends, just waiting for us to put it into action. And that’s exactly where we as supposed followers of Christ fall down. We talk a good talk, but can’t match it with our walk. And that’s not right, because the only way others will want to come to Jesus is by seeing His grace and truth, mercy, forgiveness and LOVE in action in our lives. 

And it’s high time we start doing better, if we want to carry the day for Jesus. But we need to first believe that it’s possible and then that we have the necessary parts to do it.  

Listen to Jesus’ admonition to Jairus the synagogue ruler when he heard that his daughter had died. ‘But when Jesus heard it, he answered him, saying, Fear not: believe only, and she shall be made whole.’ 

Yes friends, the starting point for everything is BELIEF! If you don’t believe, generally speaking, it won’t happen. Now let’s look at a couple of other instances where Jesus invoked belief. 

Let’s begin with His early morning journey from Bethany to Jerusalem. He was hungry and approached a fig tree expecting to find figs because it was fig season. However the tree was barren of all fruit. Jesus then declared to the fig tree: ‘Let no fruit grow on thee henceforward for ever. And presently the fig tree withered away.’ (Matt.21:19) 

Obviously the disciples were amazed at the fig tree’s sudden demise. ‘Jesus answered and said unto them, Verily I say unto you, If ye have faith, and doubt not, ye shall not only do this which is done to the fig tree, but also if ye shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; it shall be done. And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.’ (Matt.21:21-22) 

And friends, please note that the important word in that last sentence is ‘BELIEVING!’ If you don’t believe, all your prayers are useless. 

Now let’s turn to our final example, that time when Jesus heard that His friend Lazarus was deathly ill, but He stayed where He was for another two days before returning to Bethany. By then Lazarus had died and his sister Martha met Jesus on the way and criticized Him. 

‘Lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother had not died. But I know that even now, whatsoever thou wilt ask of God, God will give it thee. Jesus saith unto her, Thy brother shall rise again. Martha saith unto him, I know that he shall rise again in the resurrection at the last day. 

Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead (may die), yet shall he live: And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this? She saith unto him, Yea, Lord: I believe that thou art the Christ, the Son of God, which should come into the world.’ (John 11:21-27) 

Ah friends, Martha surely believed, but she did not understand Jesus’ intention to raise her brother in the current time. Thus when they took Him to Lazarus’ tomb and He ordered them to roll away the stone from the mouth, ‘Martha saith unto him, Lord by this time he stinketh: for he hath been dead four days. Jesus saith unto her, said I not unto thee, that, if thou wouldest believe, thou shouldest see the glory of God? (John 11:39-40) 

And we all know that after Jesus spoke to His Father, for the people’s sake, He ordered Lazarus to come out and he came out, alive and well and many of those who saw Jesus’ work, believed. 

I ask us now friends, do we believe that strongly so that we can see the glory of God? For all of our sakes, I sincerely hope so. Much LOVE!

…without belief…not much is possible…

 

 

 

Today’s Scrip-Bit 7 January 2014 Isaiah 49:7

07 Jan 2014 Leave a comment

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

Isaiah 49:7.    Thus saith the Lord, the Redeemer of Israel, and his (its) Holy One, to him whom man despiseth (the despised of soul), to him whom the nation abhorreth, to a servant of rulers, Kings shall see and arise, princes also shall worship, because of the Lord that is faithful, and the Holy One of Israel, and he shall choose (has chosen) thee.
 
Oh Friends, welcome to the Big Freeze, the Big Chill, for the winter weather seems to have most of North America in a stranglehold! What with record freezing temps, howling winds, creating blowing snow, whiteouts, accidents, more ice storms and what else have you!
 
The high in my area today is supposed to be minus 15 Celsius. Hn! And that’s good, some other places will be worse than that. But it’s winter, and we’re in the North Country, so we just have to grin and bear it. (smile) However, if you’re going out today, please dress as warmly as you can; coat, hats, gloves, scarves, boots, etc. etc.
 
But here’s an interesting and amusing story I’ve been meaning to tell along, but keep forgetting. During the summer a wasp (jack spaniard) nest appeared on a branch on a maple tree outside my kitchen window, it hung very close to the sidewalk, so there was some consternation from passersby. 
 
My wife was delegated to look after it, because she’s the horticulturist in the family. I never heard anything more about the situation, so I forgot about it. But lo and behold, a few days ago, I looked out the window and there was said jack spaniard nest still hanging quite comfortably on the end of a tree branch half the width of a noodle.
 
I had to laugh, because during all the snow, wind and ice storms, it remained steadfast and strong. Other bigger and supposedly stronger branches than that broke off the tree, but not the one with the nest. It’s still standing there, dark grey and proud.
 
I wondered if the wasps were still in it. But my wife told me that the nest had been sprayed. So why didn’t they take down the nest then, I asked? It was suppose to disintegrate, was the answer I received. Disintegrate my eye! I checked it out just now, and as I said before, it’s still standing out there, with some snow at the top, but otherwise, dark grey and proud!
 
And Friends, though we be harassed and persecuted, that’s how we believers in Jesus Christ ought to be standing; strong, steadfast, faithful and proud! And talking about faithful, here’s a little prayer I found in my Mother’s Bible, which is very appropriate for this Bit and this time.
 
It says: ‘Father in heaven, we thank You for Your faithfulness during the past year. Help us to remember that Your faithfulness will go with us into the New Year. In Jesus’ Name. Amen!’
 
Oh my brethren, that’s something we desperately need to remember! But let’s not forget either, that our faithfulness to God, also needs to run into the New Year, because it’s a two-way street, a covenant relationship. We know that the Lord’s always faithful, since He can’t be anything else but.
 
However, when we are faithful too, it becomes a win-win situation, the best kind of relationship that there could ever be. So please let’s seriously concentrate on our faithfulness to our wonderful, merciful, forgiving and ever-LOVING God, as this New Year opens nuh.
 
And having said all of that, let me go and see if I can find an appropriate Bit. (smile)
 
Aye Friends, it took me a little longer than I expected, because I had to make sure that the Duchess was properly attired for the weather, and got off to work safely. (smile) I feel sorry for her, having to go out in this inclement weather, but them’s the breaks. She left earlier than usual, so she should be okay with our faithful God watching over her for me.
 
Now let’s get right to our Bit from Isaiah, concerning the Lord’s servant, Israel. ‘Thus saith the Lord, the Redeemer of Israel, and his (its) Holy One, to him whom man despiseth (the despised of soul), to him whom the nation abhorreth, to a servant of rulers, Kings shall see and arise, princes also shall worship, because of the Lord that is faithful, and the Holy One of Israel, and he shall choose (has chosen) thee.’
 
Oh my people, remember how many centuries before Christ, our Messiah came, that Isaiah prophesied the Lord’s promise of a deliverer, of a Holy One? I believe it’s like four hundred years before. But despite the length of time it took, it was still faithfully fulfilled!
 
And that’s the hallmark of our great God; faithfulness! Remember too, that He is the undisputed BOSS and He runs the show, everything runs according to His plan and timing. Plus His timeline, and the nature of His heart, are completely different to ours.
 
For as Peter says: ‘But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some men count slackness, but is long-suffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.’ (2 Pet.3:8-9)
 
Yes Friends, our God views time and promises in a much more mature and faithful way than mankind does. So let’s get in a few more scriptures on His faithfulness before we close nuh, beginning with words of immortal truth from that great Psalm, 119.
 
‘Righteous art thou, O Lord, and upright are thy judgements. Thy testimonies that thou hast commanded are righteous and very faithful.’ (Ps.110:137-138) We certainly can’t query that!
 
And moving right along, listen to Bruh Paul from his first missive to the church at Corinth. ‘God is faithful, by whom ye were called unto the fellowship of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord.’ (1 Cor.1:9) No room for queries there either!
 
Now hear how he puts it to the Thessalonians. ‘Faithful is he that calleth you, who will also do it.’ (1 Thess.5:24) Gospel truth my brethren, gospel truth! 
 
And we’ll end with this bold, true and very moving proclamation from Hebrews, which we all know and LOVE, but which we don’t practice as faithfully as we should. 
 
‘Let us hold fast the profession (confession) of our faith (hope) without wavering: (for he is faithful that promised;)’ (Heb.10:24) Now my people, that says it all! It’s the litmus test of our faith.
 
So please, let’s all go out today, and everyday hence, and walk, talk, and stand in true faithfulness to Almighty God, to ensure that our land, our families and our societies can be blessed. Cousin Sol would surely call that the wisdom for all time! Much LOVE!
 
…the Lord doesn’t need to prove His faithfulness to us…because He’s already done so…but we need to prove our faithfulness to Him…
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  

Today’s Scrip-Bit 10 December 2013 Romans 12:4-5

10 Dec 2013 Leave a comment

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

Romans 12:4-5.   For as we have many members in one body, and all members have not the same office (function): So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one (individually) members one of another. 
 
Oh Friends, have you ever experienced the unparalleled joy of going to bed feeling fairly okay, but waking up a few hours later feeling terrible? Well I experienced that joy this morning.
 
Chuh! I went to bed at a decent hour, feeling good enough, but lo and behold when I got up… brother did I ever feel rotten, tired and miserable! I could barely get myself together. I don’t know if it’s because the phone rang during the night and disturbed my sleep, but I sure had a hard time coming around. 
 
Enough of my petty woes though, a lot of people would give their eye-teeth (smile) to have my problems, compared to their own. And I truly don’t have that much to complain about, for the Lord’s been looking after me fairly well.
 
Now that doesn’t mean it’s always easy, but it always works out for good in the end. And that is basically the message Bruh Paul is trying to convey to us in our Bit, which continues from yesterday. 
 
‘For as we have many members in one body, and all members have not the same office (function): So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one (individually) members one of another.’
 
Oh my brethren, as members of Christ’s church, though we have different gifts and different functions we desperately need to work together for it to be successful! That’s the ONLY way the church will ever grow and become meaningful in this evil and ungodly world! 
 
Look at it nuh Friends, everything else that the Lord made without brains function perfectly in His universe. However, the human animal, His most prized creation, the one thing that He made with the ability to think, constantly rebels against Him.
 
We cannot seem to work together in peace, LOVE and harmony, as He desires. Even those of us who proclaim to be followers of Jesus Christ, who profess to keep the two great commandments – LOVE God, and LOVE your neighbour as yourself – we’re way too often hypocritical on the matter.
 
And sadly, that hypocrisy seems to be rampant in Christ’s church, where it has absolutely no place. Why is that eh? Possibly because we’re still too selfish, still holding on to the foolish values of the world as our templates for life, instead of the values of God. 
 
Now let’s continue from where we left off yesterday, with Bruh Paul’s advice to the Romans about what should be happening in their church.
 
‘Be kindly affectioned (affectionate) one to another with brotherly LOVE; in honour preferring (giving preference to) one another; Not slothful (lagging in diligence) in business; fervent (boiling over) in spirit; serving the Lord;
 
Rejoicing in hope; patient (persevering) in tribulation; continuing instant (steadfastly) in prayer; Distributing to the necessity (needs) of saints (believers); given to hospitality. Bless them which persecute you: bless (speak well of), and curse not.
 
Rejoice with them that do rejoice, and weep with them that weep. Be of the same mind one toward another. Mind not (don’t sent your minds on) high things; but condescend to men of low estate (associate with the humble). Be not wise in your own conceits (estimation).
 
Recompense to (repay) no man evil for evil. Provide things honest (have regard for good things) in the sight of all men. If it be possible, as much as lieth in (depends on) you, live peaceably with all men.
 
Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord. Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink; for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head.’ (Rom.12:10-20)
 
Oh my people, how much of all that can we say is truly happening in our world eh? Not a whole lot, otherwise there would not be as many wars and rumours of war. 
 
And what about Christ’s church eh? How much of that wise advice are we showing in the church of today?
 
Unfortunately not a whole lot either, because if we were doing a good job the anger, resentment, petty jealousies, politics and all the other negative stuff would not be as rampant as they are, and the divisions and dissensions would thus be much less amongst our Christian nation.
 
But sadly, everyday we hear about more negative stuff happening in the church, and instead of coming together as we ought to, we’re dividing and drifting further and further apart.
 
As I said yesterday, Jesus must be sad and perplexed about how to solve our problems. But my people, He did the best He could; He did His part by sacrificing His sinless life so that we could be reconciled to the Father. Now we’re foolishly behaving as though we never needed that option, and it’s not important.
 
Jesus can’t come and hold everybody’s hands yuh know. It’s now up to us to make the right decision. That’s why our Creator gave us a mind and the ability to choose.
 
Oh my fellow believers, we talk a very good talk, but our walk surely doesn’t reflect that talk. That’s our major problem. And until we get both our talk and walk in sync, make them jive, Christ’s church will never come together as it should.
 
Now we’ll end our discourse today, the same way Bruh Paul ends Romans 12, with some of the best advice we can ever receive. ‘Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.’ (Rom.12:21)
 
Now that my brethren is all the different kinds of wisdom and truth wrapped up in one small, but very powerful package! Let’s endeavour to truly heed it nuh, to sincerely adopt it in our lives, for it will do us a bundle of good.
 
And even more importantly, it will please Jesus and glorify our heavenly Father, the main purpose for which we were originally created. Much LOVE!
 
…the unity of the brethren…is essential…of the utmost importance… for the longevity and growth of Christ’s church… 
 
P.S. In yesterday’s Bit I left an empty bracketed space between ‘volitional caring’ in the scholars’ note, because I wanted to find a simpler synonym for it, but with all the technical problems I forgot to fill it.
 
It basically means ‘will or desire,’ a caring that we raise up from deep within our very souls for others. And that’s something we very much need to do these days my people. Much LOVE!
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Today’s Scrip-Bit 5 December 2012 Jeremiah 32:17

05 Dec 2012 Leave a comment

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

Jeremiah 32:17.     Ah Lord God! behold, thou hast made the heaven and the earth by thy great power and stretched out arm, and there is nothing too hard for thee.
 
Oh Friends, with the gracious and generous help of Almighty God, and some decent rest, the ole fella’s feeling somewhat better this morning. Praise His Holy Name! I’m not fully recovered, but I’m getting there. What amazes me though, is that in Tobago I never felt this tired. Can one day of travelling, from one climate to another, and one hour of gained or lost time, make such a big difference? I guess so, for there are no other variables that I can think of. Anyhow, here’s an interesting quote, attributed to Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826), the third President of the U.S, one of its founding Fathers and writers of the Declaration of Independence. It says: ‘Happiness is not being pained in body nor troubled in mind.’ And if we could ever achieve that nirvana in these times, then it would be a veritable truth. But with the busy, stressful lifestyle that our world now dictates, and the aches and pains of old age, we need to learn to be happy in spite of those drawbacks. And the best way to do that my brethren is to surrender our souls, our very lives to the wisdom and guidance of the Most High God Jehovah. Why, you ask? Because as Jeremiah so rightly declares in our Bit: ‘Ah Lord God! behold, thou hast made the heaven and the earth by thy great power and stretched out arm, and there is nothing too hard (difficult) for thee.’ Yes Friends, the Lord created the universe and all therein, and controls it in His infinite might and wisdom. We might not agree with His will or direction for it, but since it’s His creation, He can therefore do whatever He wants with it, and the contents thereof, including mankind. So if we’re smart, we’ll do our very best to get on His good side and then stay in His good books. (smile) Yesterday we began looking at some scriptures that reinforced the statements made in our Bit. Beginning with the first part, re God’s awesome power and creation of our world, we looked at Hezekiah’s prayer, (2 Kin.19:15) and the psalmist’s cry in distress, (Ps.102:24-27). Today we’ll continue with some more scriptures that deal with the might and glory of our wonderful God. Hear Jeremiah declare it in an earlier chapter about yokes and bonds of Israel. ‘And command them to say unto their masters, Thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel; Thus shall ye say unto your masters; I have made the earth, the man and the beast that are upon the ground, by my great power and by my outstretched arm, and have given it unto whom it seemed meet unto (proper to) me.’ (Jer.27:4-5) Yes my people, the earth and all it contains is the Lord’s, and He does as He pleases with it! Now listen to that great man of God, Isaiah, tell it in all its majesty and truth: ‘Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? there is no searching of his understanding. He giveth power to the faint (weak); and to them that have no might he increaseth strength. Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall: But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles, they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.’ (Is.40:28-31) Oh Friends, what more do we need to hear to believe in the wondrous power and works of Almighty God eh? I can personally testify to His amazing grace just through my activities on Monday, and I’m sure many of you can also attest to His strengthening powers in your own lives. So why are we so hesitant and reluctant to let ourselves go, to surrender our all to the One who created us, still LOVES us a whole bunch despite our rebellious and sinful nature, and truly desires to make our lives interesting and fruitful, by bringing us to salvation and eternal life with Him, through belief in His Son Jesus? That’s certainly not wisdom, my brethren! No wonder our lives and our world are in such chaos. And now, moving on to the second part of our Bit; ‘and there is nothing too hard for thee,’ here are some scriptures that appropriately address the topic. One example which we all ought to know, comes from Genesis, when the Lord promised Abraham and Sarah a son of their own loins in their old age, and Sarah laughed, prompting the Lord to tersely declare: ‘Is there any thing too hard for the Lord? At the time appointed I will return unto thee, according to the time of life, and Sarah shall have a son.’ (Gen.18:14) And she did bear a son, Isaac, in her nineties! Oh fellow believers, if the Lord truly created the world and everything in it, then it shouldn’t be a problem for Him to cause an old man and woman to have a child. That would be like child’s play to Him. Meanwhile, the Good Book, in the same chapter from which our Bit comes, later states: ‘Then came the word of the Lord unto Jeremiah, saying, Behold, I am the Lord, the God of all flesh: is there any thing too hard for me?’ (Jer.32:26-27) And the obvious answer to that my people, is a very emphatic NO! And we’ll end, as we like to whenever possible, with the definitive words on the subject from Jesus. This comes from when He told the young, rich man to go and sell all his earthly possessions, then come and follow Him, which the fellow was obviously reluctant to do. That brought forth this statement from Jesus: ‘And again I say unto you, It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God. When the disciples heard it, they were exceedingly amazed, saying, Who then can be saved? But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, With men this is impossible, but with God, all things are possible.’ (Matt.19:24-26) End of story my brethren! So Friends, let’s stop trying to live this life by our own will and power nuh. Instead, let’s wisely hand them over to the One who made us, and has a good plan for each and every life. When we do that, then we’ll have the peace that Jesus promised. ‘Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.’ (John 14:27) Words of absolute truth and wisdom, my people! Words that I want us to truly consider today, so that our lives can be greatly improved in this evil and troubled world. Much LOVE!…to think that the creation can ever be greater than the Creator…is nothing but foolish pride and wishful thinking…

 

 

Today’s Scrip-Bit 22 August 2012 1 John 4:16

22 Aug 2012 Leave a comment

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

1 John 4:16.      And we have known and believed the LOVE that God hath to us. God is LOVE; and he that dwelleth in LOVE dwelleth in God, and God in him.
 
Oh Friends, the word for today is LOVE! It is the supreme attribute and characteristic of the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Therefore it should also be the supreme characteristic of those who claim to follow Him. And how do we know that LOVE is the major attribute of our God eh? Because His Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ told us so. ‘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) And Jesus later corroborates that feeling of LOVE by saying: ‘Greater LOVE hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you.’ (John 15:13-14) And what did Jesus do shortly after that? He gave His sinless, holy life as a sacrifice on the cross at Calvary for His Friends, those who were doing as He instructed! Wow! What a champion my people! Just think about it nuh Friends, Jesus gave up His good life in heaven to come to earth and die for us, a bunch of unworthy sinners, so that we could be reconciled to The Father, and receive forgiveness of our sins, salvation and eternal life. Now if that isn’t the highest form of selflessness, which in this case denotes absolute LOVE, I don’t know what is. Jesus walked His talk! And so should we. But sadly Friends, our world is desperately lacking in that kind of selflessness. Instead everything begins and ends with ‘Me, My, I and Mine.’ In contrast to that, selflessness talks about ‘You and Yours,’ puts the other person’s welfare first. Can you imagine what our lives would be like if God, then Jesus, had said: ‘Chuh pool! They’re just a bunch of ignorant, disobedient, rebellious, lustful, fleshly, pleasure bound no goods. Leave them be, and let them fend for themselves. They think they know everything anyway. And if they want to follow that fool Lucifer, then let them. They’ll pay the price of death and eternal separation for their stupidity, just like he will.’ But no my brethren, the Lord God Jehovah made every one of us, and just like we LOVE even our most rebellious, disobedient children, He LOVES us the same way too! Please note when our children do wrong and end up in the courts, or prison, we still don’t give up on them, although they may justly deserve their punishment. No, we still pray for them, talk to them, and try to show them the error of their ways, notwithstanding that we’ve been preaching the same sermon to them from their youth. Friends, it’s the same way our great, omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent God felt, and still feels about us. As John says in our Bit: ‘And we have known and believed the LOVE that God hath to us. God is LOVE; and he that dwelleth (abides) in LOVE dwelleth in God, and God in him.’ Those are powerful words of truth my people! If God could do us such a great favour, we should also be able to do it to our fellow humans. And it doesn’t necessarily mean actually giving up one’s physical life, although in some cases it can, but it refers to more of a selfless attitude towards others, thinking about their well-being above ours, making sure they are well taken care of, helping them in any way we can. Oh my Friends, the basic premise of God’s LOVE is that we don’t only look out for ourselves, but also for others. As John asks earlier on: ‘But whoso hath this world’s good (goods), and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion (heart) from him, how dwelleth the LOVE of God in him?’ (1 John 3:17) It obviously doesn’t, my people! Now listen to Jesus, when Judas Iscariot asked how He would manifest Himself to the disciples and the world. ‘If a man LOVE me, he will keep my words; and my Father will LOVE him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode (home) with him.’ (John 14:23) It’s simple Friends, if we truly LOVE Jesus, we will keep His commandments. As the scholars say: ‘The divine indwelling (of the Holy Spirit) is conditional on LOVE, and obedience to Jesus’ words. The Word of the gospel is primarily (though not exclusively) in view here.’  And John tells it this way: ‘And this is His commandment, That we should believe on the name of his Son Jesus Christ, and LOVE one another, as he gave us commandment. And he that keepeth his commandments dwelleth in him, and he in him. And hereby we know that he abideth in us, by the Spirit which he hath given us.’ (1 John 3:23-24) Oh Friends, that’s the gospel truth! Please let’s ponder that scripture today and see how it works in our lives, so that we can better represent Jesus here on earth. More on this tomorrow, provided we’re still breathing. Till then, let’s all try and walk in as much LOVE as possible nuh. Much LOVE!…he who truly walks in LOVE…is a true reflection of Jesus…and truly pleases Him…
 
 

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