Today’s Scrip-Bit 7 October 2020 Colossians 1:10.

07 Oct 2020 Leave a comment

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

Colossians 1:10.     ​That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God;

Chuh man! It’s a wet and dreary looking Wednesday morning in my neck of the woods! But it would not really matter to me if I didn’t have to go out the street later to run some errands. Let’s hope the rain stops by then. But be that as it may, the most important thing though is that we are alive and kicking, meaning that there’s work for us to do, and we have Jesus for our Comforter, Guide and Saviour! Glory Be! 

That means nothing can stop us, because when He’s walking beside us we’re unstoppable, invincible and everlastingly mighty! (smile) That’s the power He has and so generously shares with us. Give Him some much deserved thanks and praise my fellow saints! 

And today I think we should take a look at Bruh Paul’s prayer for the church at Colossae, a church and people he had never seen but had heard of their problems from his friend in ministry, Epaphras, who had planted the church. Now hear his prayer: ‘For this cause we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to desire that ye might be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding;’ (Col. 1:9) Please notice the first thing Bruh Paul desires for the Colossians; ‘a knowledge of God’s will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding.’ Not clothes, or food or money or some material stuff, but spiritual food. 

And the scholars explain that verse thus:‘1:9. Wisdom is an accurate perception into the true nature of things. Understanding is the skillful application of this wisdom in practical situations.’ And oh my people, how insanely important it is in these perilous and troubled times for us all to pray for wisdom and understanding; the knowledge of truth and how to practically apply it, because we definitely lack it right here and now, when we need it most, that’s why we are foundering on the rocks of total disaster! 

Remember, without a vison, the people perish. (Prov. 29:18a) That’s Cousin Sol’s wisdom, and there certainly doesn’t seem to be any revelation of God’s will, and thus a morality based on it, in our current society. That’s why we are now wallowing in the mire of strife and sickness and sinking fast, like we’re in quicksand. And Bruh Paul continues: ‘That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God;’(Col. 1:10) 

Yeh friends, knowledge of God helps us to walk worthy of Him, and what Bruh Paul so desired for the Colossians, is also what we desperately need today. And not only a static understanding of our Lord and God, but even more importantly, an ever increasing and growing knowledge that will enable us to stay on the straight and narrow path. 

And Bruh Paul then breaks it down: ‘Strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power, unto all patience and long suffering with joyfulness; Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet (qualified us) to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in (the) light: Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated (transformed) us into the kingdom of his dear Son (the Son of His LOVE):’ (Col. 1:11-13) What a powerful message my brethren! One that we need ever so badly today, if we are going to avoid the many pitfalls that are heading our way. 

But let’s hear the scholars now with some interesting explanations of all that wonderful scripture.‘1:10.This verse expresses the reason that in verse 9 Paul wants the Colossians to obtain a knowledge of God’s will. It is that they may walk (live) properly and fully please God. In Greek, the four explanatory participles of verses 10b-12 spell out and precisely define what a worthy walk entails: the believer is (1) fruitful in every good work, productive in Christian service; (2) constantly increasing in the knowledge of God, ever coming to know the Lord better; (3) always strengthened with all might, becoming spiritually stronger and stronger; and (4) in the habit of giving thanks, sincerely expressing gratitude to God in both the pleasant and unpleasant experiences in his life.’ 

Mama Mia! It’s definitely not an easy walk that Bruh Paul’s asking and praying for, but he knows, from his own personal experience, that the Lord won’t ask it of us and not give us His divine help to accomplish it. And sadly, that’s where many of us fall down. We don’t acquire the ever-increasing knowledge and wisdom of God and thus our faith doesn’t grow, so we’re not able to withstand the wiles and lies of the devil and the storms of life that naturally come against us. 

Hear the scholars further: ‘1:11. Patience is persevering through problems, trials, tribulations, and so forth. Long-suffering is forbearing the faults and offences of others.’ But with ever increasing knowledge of God, and His generous grace and mercy, it is all possible. And some more from the scholars: ‘1:12. This verse also might be translated “thanking the Father, for He made us fit to share in the salvation belonging to the saints who are in the light.” Light is the ethical condition in which God’s children live, namely, that of spiritual understanding with its accompanying morality and happiness.’ 

And finally from the scholars.‘1:13. Darkness is the religious state in which unbelievers exist, namely, that of spiritual ignorance with its attending immorality and misery.’ Thus friends, I guess it all boils down to whether we want to live in darkness with immorality and misery, or in the light, with its attendant morality and happiness. We have to choose one or the other, we can’t live on the fence, as so many of us are trying to do. It’s either heaven or the world that eventually leads to hell, we can’t have both. 

And in my humble opinion, heaven is indeed the better choice, although the pathway to it might be a tad more difficult. (smile) But as we keep on saying, if we choose heaven, God will give us the tools, the grace, mercy and wherewithal to make it safely and successfully. Now it’s up to you to choose your eternal destiny. But for those of us who have already chosen heaven, let’s go home now joyfully declaring (steups!) our Wednesday Wail, letting all and sundry know of our wonderful position in Christ Jesus. 

In strong voice, with sincere hearts: ‘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 if we stick it out to the end, the future will be indeed even more glorious than we can ever ask or imagine!Much LOVE!

…two ways to live out eternity…in the comfort of heaven…or the misery of hell…take your pick… 

Today’s Scrip-Bit 23 September 2020 Proverbs 6:6.

23 Sep 2020 Leave a comment

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

Proverbs 6:6.     ​Go to the ant, thou sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise:

Let’s start off on the right foot this morning by apologizing. Mea culpa, mea culpa, mea culpa! (smile) The first apology concerns the lateness of the Bit. I had to go down the street for some early morning tests my doctor deemed imperative. Hn! When yuh getting old, the ole quacks and them deem too many things imperative yes! But what yuh gonna do eh? Generally speaking, they know more than you. 

The next apology is for not including our Tuesday Mantra in yesterday’s Bit. Wonder how many of you noticed that eh? (smile) I had it written at the bottom of the page, but never saw or even thought of it at the end. And I’ll try not to make that mistake again. (smile) Thanks ever so much for forgiving me, you are ever such a Christ-like group! (smile) 

But then I was led to these somewhat condemning words of Cousin Sol regarding our daily behaviour. ‘Go to the ant, thou sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise: Which having no guide (leader), overseer, or ruler, Provideth her meat (bread, grain) in the summer, and gathereth her food in the harvest.’ (Prov. 6:6-8) Yeh friends, laziness and the enjoyment of good living without any labour is becoming rampant in our society. We all want to live high on the hog, but few of us are willing to put in the hours and effort that usually entails. 

And Cousin Sol continues in the same vein: ‘How long wilt thou sleep (lie down), O sluggard? When wilt thou arise out of thy sleep? Yet a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep: so shall thy poverty come as one that traveleth (a prowler), and thy want (need) as an armed man.’ (Prov. 6:9-11) Those are good questions Cousin Sol poses, and also a true result of those actions. And we are seeing that kind of attitude increasingly in our society as we get wealthier and have more amenities to do more of our daily tasks, be they hard, menial or complicated. 

Now hear how the scholars characterize all of Cousin Sol’s words nuh. ‘6:6-11. The sluggard is the habitually lazy person. He is admonished to learn two important lessons from the ant: (1) the ant has no guide, overseer, or ruler (vs.7), meaning that the ant does not have to have a taskmaster standing over it to make it work; it is a self-starter. (2) The ant is wise enough to prepare for predictable circumstances (vs.8). Two questions about sleep are posed to the sluggard (vs.9). His answer is given in verse 10: “Just a little more sleep!” The result of such laziness is dire poverty, which will come as suddenly and destructively as a robber.’ 

Oh mih people, mih people, there’s so much wisdom in those words! And it’s not like we haven’t seen it, or experienced it. We all have in some form and fashion, at some time in our long lives. We haven’t been as proactive as we should, then suddenly find ourselves cornered by a predictable circumstance. No, we cannot prepare for the unpredictable ones, but we certainly can for the many predictable ones. And the big one that jumps to my mind right now is preparation for spending eternity with Jesus, wherever that might be! 

That’s the most important predictable circumstance we all must face – where to spend eternity. And the wise money is on Jesus! No doubt about that? Now, have we made those preparations yet, by receiving Him as our Lord and Saviour? I can’t tell you how important that is, because the Grim Reaper can come calling at any unpredictable time, and likewise Jesus can come back at any unpredictable time. And once either of those two things happen, and you haven’t received Jesus as your eternal destiny, then you’re doomed to spending eternity with the prince of darkness in the heat and torment of hell. 

And to make matters worse, Jesus referred to His second coming like that of a thief in the night. ‘Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh.’ (Matt. 24:43-44) We have been forewarned friends, so now it’s up to us to make the necessary preparations for whenever that event occurs if we’re still alive and kicking. Bruh Paul also warned us in his first letter to the Thessalonians: ‘For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night.’ (1 Thess. 5:2) 

Oh my people, the Great Tribulation will begin suddenly, without any kind of imminent warning. But we have the certain knowledge that it will happen and those who don’t revere Christ as Lord and Saviour at that most critical time will suffer irreparable damage. So please, please, I implore us, let us get ready for that moment whenever it comes nuh! Let us therefore be like the wise ant nuh, and wisely prepare for that one big circumstance, either death, or Christ’s return, both of which we sure are coming at some future, but unknown time. 

And having decided we’re going to do just that, let’s go home now declaring (awright!) our Wednesday Wail, letting the whole world know, in no uncertain terms, our wonderful position in Christ Jesus. All together now, in strong voice, with sincere hearts: ‘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!’ 

Yes my bredrin, if we hang on to the vine that’s the Life of the world, until the very end, then we’re assured that the future will be even more glorious than we can ever ask or imagine! Much LOVE!

…true wisdom is knowing what’s coming…and being prepared…whenever it comes…