Today’s Scrip-Bit 18 July 2014 Mark 5:36b

18 Jul 2014 Leave a comment

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

Mark 5:36b.        Be not afraid, only believe.
 
‘Friday, oh Friday, how I LOVE you Friday! Friday, oh Friday, doh care what nobody says, I will always LOVE you, because you bring the weekend near. That’s why I sing; Friday, oh Friday! Thank God it’s Friday!’
 
Yes my brethren, it’s that day we all wait and long so badly for, because it signals the end of the workweek. Now there’s nothing wrong with looking forward to the weekend, but technically speaking, we shouldn’t be doing as so many of us are; just going through the motions at work waiting for Friday to come so that we can go home and party the weekend away.
 
That attitude most certainly detracts from our witness for Jesus, and anything that does that is wrong! We must learn to appreciate each and everyday, and also give of our best each and everyday, for people are watching us; the way we work, the way we behave, and we therefore need to set good examples, if we want to be able to testify for Jesus.
 
Anyway, let’s chant our Friday Chant, which gives us a little better insight into how we should spend our weekends. As one now; let’s chant! ‘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 Friends, if we’ll take that to heart and follow it, we’ll be much better off when Monday and the new workweek arrives. But as Jesus says in our Bit: ‘Be not afraid, only believe.’
 
And that’s gospel, my people! For we’re not very good at anything unless we believe in what we’re doing, and also believe that we can do it, with Jesus’ help of course.
 
Now today we’ll continue looking at scripture passages that call for that act of BELIEF! And we’ll begin with one of the most provocative but important statements Jesus made in His earthly sojourn.
 
When the people were clamouring for bread to fulfill their physical hunger: ‘Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life, he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.’ (John 6:35)
 
And the scholars explain that verse this way: ‘6:35. I am the bread of life means the bread that gives life. The life of which He speaks is spiritual and eternal.’
 
Oh my brethren, it is necessary to have physical bread to quench our physical hunger pangs, but it’s even more important, a vital necessity, to have the spiritual bread of life which only Jesus can give, so that we can attain salvation and eternal life!
 
We’ll always need worldly bread to quiet our complaining stomachs, but once we have the bread of life that Jesus gives, our souls, our spiritual beings, will never hunger or thirst again!
 
Now isn’t that a wonderful promise, one that we should all hasten to accept? Indeed it is! So let’s all concentrate on acquiring it today nuh, for it’s certainly heavenly wisdom.
 
Then Friends, we come to a little noticed passage of scripture, but which I believe hurt Jesus immensely. Now just before the feast of the tabernacles, Jesus’ family urged Him to go up to Jerusalem to celebrate it, but he declined, preferring to stay in Galilee, as the Jews in Judea were out to kill him.
 
‘His brethren therefore said unto him, Depart hence, and go into Judea, that thy disciples also may see the works that thou doest. For there is no man that doeth any thing in secret, and (while) he himself seeketh to be known openly. If thou do these things, show thyself to the world. For neither did his brethren believe in him.’ (John 7:3-5)
 
Imagine that nuh people, Jesus’ own family didn’t believe in Him! That had to hurt and disappoint Him. This led Him to later say: ‘Verily I say unto you, No prophet is accepted in his own country.’ (Luke 4:24) And that’s no lie, for the doubters and scoffers are usually the ones closest to the person in the limelight.
 
And we’ll close with another interesting episode from Jesus. This time the Jews were wanting to stone Him because they considered His claim to be the Son of God total blasphemy.
 
But Jesus simply reasoned to them: ‘If I do not the works of my Father, believe me not. But if I do, though ye believe not me, believe the works: that ye may know, and believe, that the Father is in me, and I in him.’ (John 10:37-38)
 
And the same thing applies to us today Friends. If we believe that Jesus did the miraculous works the Good Book claims He did, then we also have to acknowledge that He could only have done them by working in conjunction with God the Father. For no one could do those kinds of things on or in their own strength.
 
It therefore behooves us to believe that ALL He said was true; not to doubt, but to BELIEVE!
 
So this fateful Friday morning my brethren, let’s ramp up our belief in Jesus, and go out and do His bidding, just like He went out and did the Father’s bidding. That’s the best way to show our faith, our true and strong belief in Him. Much LOVE!
 
…you can’t put forth your best effort…unless your heart believes in what you’re doing…

 

 

 

 

Today’s Scrip-Bit 5 April 2014 Psalm 145:10

05 Apr 2014 Leave a comment

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

 
Psalm 145:10.        All thy works shall praise thee, O Lord; and thy saints shall bless thee.

Well a pleasant Good Morning to all you beautiful people out there in Scrip-Bit Land! And it’s not a too bad morning in my neck of the woods; somewhat damp, because we’ve finally had some preferred precipitation – rain, not snow – and the temps promise to be truly spring-like.
 
And all God’s people in the northern climes gave a joyous shout of ‘Praise the Lord! At long last this horrible winter seems to be over!’
 
Yes Friends, it seems like spring has finally sprung, and we’ve been promised temps in the 5-10 range for the next few days. Hopefully the weather people will keep their promise.
 
Anyway, in our preamble today, I want to mention a useful example of the negativity of gossip. And I don’t need to remind us that gossip is extremely big business in today’s wicked, ungodly world. Many people make their living off of gossip; notably the supposed entertainment and talk shows, as well as the tabloids.
 
The sad part is that they wouldn’t exist if we didn’t encourage the process by avidly watching and listening to them and buying the scandal sheets. Our lives seem to be so lacking that we have to have a daily fix of what the supposed celebrities are doing. And the fact of the matter is that their lives aren’t half as glamorous as they are made out to be.
 
However, the example for the day, deals more with office or small group gossip, not that the big ones are really any different. And the example comes from the comic strip ‘Between Friends.’
 
One co-worker passes by another in the corridor, her cell-phone is to her ear and she appears to be sniffling. The lady who notices that tells a male co-worker. ‘Judy just left the office – she looked upset.’
 
The male co-worker tells another female co-worker. ‘Judy just left the office – she was bawling.’
 
That female co-worker then tells a male co-worker. ‘Judy just left the office in hysterics.’
 
And that male co-worker finally gets back to the original co-worker with the news. ‘They had to call security to remove Judy from the office. She was out of control.’
 
Ah Friends, you see how gossip can escalate and blow things out of proportion! This time Judy might just have been having a case of allergies or something quite simple, but by the time the news passes through three people, she was out of control and had to be removed by security.
 
And unfortunately that kind of thing happens everyday in many avenues of life, and has the power to cause unknown problems. Please, let’s try and stop the idle gossip that too many of us engage in on a normal basis nuh. It’s true that the tongue is a fire and hard to control, (James 3:3-12) but we need to do it, else it can, and will get us in serious trouble.
 
As believers in Jesus Christ, we should be more in tune with our Bit: ‘All thy works shall praise thee, O Lord; and thy saints shall bless thee.’
 
Yes my people, like God’s works, we should be more interested in praising and blessing Him, rather than being involved in the unfounded rumours and hearsay so prevalent today.
 
We should be doing as Bruh David declares in this psalm of praise: ‘ They shall speak of the glory of thy kingdom, and talk of thy power; To make known to the sons of men his mighty acts, and the glorious majesty of his kingdom. Thy kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and thy dominion endureth throughout all generations. The Lord upholdeth all that fall, and raiseth up all those that be bowed down.
 
The eyes of all wait upon thee (look expectantly to you); and thou givest them their meat (food) in due season. Thou openest thine hand, and satisfieth the desire of every living thing. The Lord is righteous in all his ways, and holy (gracious) in all his works.’ (Ps. 145:11-17)
 
Now my brethren, that’s more like how we should be talking. All of God’s other creations show respect for God, even the lowliest of them all. They don’t have a finite mind to know Him, but they instinctively know where their largesse comes from and appreciate it. But not so man, who is supposed to be the showcase of God’s creativity.
 
Instead we curse and blaspheme His holy name, whine and complain that He’s not doing this or that for us. That shouldn’t be so my people, for we are the greatest benefactors of God’s LOVING-kindness. 
 
And in the immortal words of Bruh David from Psalm 19; the creation and covenants of God: ‘The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament (expanse of heaven) showeth his handiwork (the work of his hands). Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night showeth (reveals) knowledge. There is no speech nor language where their voice is not heard.
 
Their line (measuring line) is gone out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world. In them hath he set a tabernacle (tent) for the sun. Which is as a bridegroom coming out of his chamber, and rejoiceth as a strong man to run a race. His going forth (rising) is from the end of heaven, and his circuit unto the ends of it: and there is nothing hid from the heat thereof.’ (Ps.19:1-6)
 
Yuh see mih people how God’s work in the heavens and elsewhere in nature glorifies Him! That’s how we, His greatest creation should also glorify Him! We talk a whole lot, but our actions don’t reflect our talk, meanwhile the actions of the lesser creations do reflect the greatness of God to a magnitude we can’t even begin to comprehend.
 
Therefore Friends, it’s imperative that we do a much better job when it comes to praising and glorifying and magnifying our Creator. We shower much praise on men when they do stuff we think is great and worthwhile even when it’s not, so why can’t we give the Creator of the universe and all therein the same, even more deserved recognition eh? That only shows our lack of true appreciation for all His goodness and mercy towards us.
 
Please my fellow believers, let’s concentrate on building up our wonderful God nuh, instead of trying to tear Him down, as a lot of us are doing. That’s certainly wisdom of the highest order! Much LOVE!
 
…how can we call ourselves true believers in the Creator…when we don’t truly appreciate or magnify His creations… 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Today’s Scrip-Bit 8 July 2013 Matthew 25:35-36

08 Jul 2013 Leave a comment

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

Matthew 25:35-36.    For I was an hungered, and ye gave me meat: 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.
 
Oh Friends, it’s Monday! And I know some of you are complaining, wondering what I’m so enthusiastic about, when you had a hard weekend of partying, and now you have to get up and go to work, when you don’t really feel up to it. But my people, see if you’d prefer to be in these situations that occurred last week and over the weekend.
 
We know that Calgary and High River and other parts of the Western Province of Alberta were flooded out, with loss of lives and millions of dollars of property damage. The same thing happened in Northern India. Then, over the weekend a runaway freight train, supposed properly parked on a hill in the Province of Quebec, somehow got loose and rolled through the tourist town of Lac-Megantic.
 
Just imagine nuh, a freight train with seventy something tankers of volatile crude oil on the loose, derailing in the middle of town and bursting into flames in the late night, early morning hours. One eyewitness said, “It was like an apocalyptic vision.’ And you know what the apocalypse is supposed to be like; pure fire and brimstone. 
 
That’s not all either, for on the weekend a big passenger plane crash landed in San Francisco’s airport, killing many, with the plane catching fire after it landed. Luckily some people were able to get out through the emergency chutes before it went up in flames.
 
And then there’s the Islamist militants setting fire to a boarding school in Nigeria, killing around thirty innocent children. All in the name of Allah. Ah Lord eh! The things we claim to do in God’s name.
 
Now Friends, would you prefer to be involved in anyone of those disasters, or would you much prefer to get up from your comfortable bed and go to work, even though you don’t feel so hot? You don’t need to tell me the answer, because I already know it. So just offer the Lord some heartfelt thanks for your fairly safe situation, then get up and let us sing our Monday Morning Battle Hymn with a loud voice and much enthusiasm, ever thankful that we’re alive without such disastrous problems. 
 
All together now: ‘Oh Lord God Almighty, Creator of the universe and all therein! We, your humble servants, praise your Holy Name and thank you that this Monday morning we have jobs to go to; jobs we don’t like, jobs that are unfair, difficult and even dangerous, but which serve a useful purpose here on earth; keeping lives and families together.
 
We also thank you Father for the renewed vitality and enthusiasm you’ve wrought in our weary souls over the last two days. It’s that rejuvenation of Spirit which allows us now to sally forth with confidence into the evil, ungodly world that surrounds us, to begin a new week of work, constantly buffeted and bombarded by the enemy’s wicked taunts, wiles and lies.
 
But heavenly Father, we’re not afraid, for we know we’re invincible, sure conquerors, once we’re wearing your powerful, protective spiritual armour. We surrender our all to you, and humbly ask that you let your incredible aura of LOVE, the Holy Spirit, lead and guide all your servants as we go out to meet the enemy in battle. Fill us with steadfast faith, so that we can make worthwhile inroads into the enemy’s ranks, and thereby further your glorious kingdom. We pray this in the Holy Name of your Son, and our Saviour, Jesus Christ. AMEN!’
 
So now that we’re fully awake, let’s get a move on, out into the ungodly world and fight a good fight for Jesus, and praying for those people involved in those disasters we spoke about above. We might not be able to help them physically or monetarily, but we can certainly help them spiritually, with prayer, the most powerful force in the universe.
 
Now let’s see what our Bit has to offer. ‘For I was an hungered (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.’
 
Sorry Friends, but yesterday Isaiah took up all our time and space. Today though I want to quickly point out some other scriptures that deal with our Bit. First up is Ezekiel, chapter 18, where he talks about the soul that sinneth dies, and tells us what the Lord requires of us. ‘And hath not oppressed any, but hath restored to the debtor his pledge, hath spoiled none by violence (robbed), hath given his bread to the hungry, and hath covered the naked with a garment.’ (Ezek.18:7)
 
Oh my brethren it would do us well to read all of Ezekiel chapter 18, so that we can get the full import of God’s desires. Now listen to James on the subject. ‘Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, to visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.’ (James 1:27)
 
And more James: ‘What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? can faith save him? If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food, and one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled; notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body, what doth it profit? Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone.’ (James 2:14-17)
 
And that’s gospel truth my brethren! We can have all the saving faith in the world, but if we don’t help anybody in need, our faith is basically useless. Yes, we will still get into heaven, because we believe in Jesus, but our rewards will be next to nothing, because we have not done any Jesus-like acts to earn them. 
 
Anyway Friends, I think we’ll end here, because time and space is running out, and I have to keep in mind our short attention spans and our oh so busy schedules. (smile) But the Lord in favour, we’ll continue with this topic tomorrow, because I believe it’s very important that we get the message; that it’s not about us and our talking faith, but our faith in action in helping others.
 
Till tomorrow then, may the Lord bless and keep us safely under His mighty wings of LOVE, and may He cause His peace that exceeds all understanding to flow through our hearts, as we go about our daily deeds, praising and glorifying His Holy Name. I pray this on the holy and innocent blood of Jesus shed on our behalf at Calvary. Much LOVE!
 
…to be a true follower of Jesus…we must pattern ourselves after Him…that means going about doing good…just as He did…
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

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