Today’s Scrip-Bit 23 October 2016 Romans 8:37.

23 Oct 2016 Leave a comment

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

Romans 8:37.    Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that LOVED us.

Once again it’s Sunday friends – the day of the Lord – so let’s begin our celebrations of praise, worship and thanksgiving with a wise and sensible hymn titled ‘I choose Jesus.’  What can be wiser than that eh? Absolutely nothing! 

So let’s raise our voices in glorious song. ‘When I need someone in time of grief, Someone my cheer to be, Jesus I choose, for He gives relief, He is the best for me. (Refrain) – I choose Jesus when I need a friend, What I need I know that He will send; I have proved Him, good and true is He; I choose Jesus, He is the best for me.  

When I need someone to guide my soul Over the stormy sea, Always to Jesus I give control, He is the best for me. (Refrain) When I need help to defeat the foe, Someone my shield to be, Always to Jesus in faith I go, He is the best for me. (Refrain) 

When all my trials on earth are o’er, And the dark stream I see, Jesus shall bear me to yonder shore, He is the best for me. (Refrain) I choose Jesus when I need a friend, What I need I know that He will send; I have proved Him, good and true is He; I choose Jesus, He is the best for me.’ 

Oh my people what awesome words of truth and wisdom! Jesus is our everything; our be all and end all! Whatever we need we can find in Him, all we have to do is surrender our lives to Him. Then He comes in and takes control of our lives; leads and guides us along the straight and narrow path through the poignant and comforting power of the Holy Spirit. 

Yeh friends, all we need is Jesus. As our Bit so rightly declares: ‘Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that LOVED us.’ 

Yes my fellow believers, through Jesus sacrifice on the cross at Calvary, His glorious resurrection and ascension, we have been redeemed, justified, sanctified and become conquerors over the evil powers that be.  

Hear how Bruh Paul puts it to the Corinthians in his first missive to them. ‘The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain (futile) in the Lord.’ (1 Cor. 15: 56-58) 

Ah friends, what wonderful words of encouragement and reassurance this Sunday morning! Words of indisputable truth! Through God’s eternal LOVE for us and His sacrifice of His sinless Son, we have been granted victory over the evil twins of sin and death. Glory Hallelujah! 

But please note that everything doesn’t just fall in our laps without any sweat from us. We still need to be strong and faithful, full of plenty belly and backbone, and do God’s work, for once we diligently keep keeping on in faith, we will be well rewarded eventually. 

Sadly though, that is where a lot of us fall down. We allow the trials and tribulations and temptations of this world to wear us down so that we aren’t of much use to Christ and His LOVE Revolution. That’s very unfortunate my brethren, because Christ is depending on us to be His foot soldiers, His ambassadors in the battle with the evil forces that are fighting against Him for world supremacy. 

But we can’t be strong and faithful unless we continually read His word and meditate on it, as well as have meaningful communication with Him through constant prayer, and fellowship regularly with other believers. 

So if you find that your faith is slipping, please go to God for help through the means we’ve just outlined. Pour out your heart to Him and let Him comfort and strengthen you. That’s the only way to be reinvigorated with His awesome blessing, mercies and grace. 

But getting back to our topic, listen to Bruh Paul in his second missive to the Corinthians, as he talks about being triumphant in Christ. ‘Now thanks be unto God, which always causeth us to (leads us in) triumph in Christ, and maketh manifest the savour (fragrance) of his knowledge by us in every place. 

For we are unto God a sweet savour (the fragrance) of Christ, in (among) them that are saved, and in (among) them that perish. To the one we are the savour (aroma) of death unto death; and to the other the savour (aroma) of life unto life. And who is sufficient for these things? For we are not as many who corrupt (peddle by trickery) the word of God: but as of sincerity, but as of (from) God, in the sight of God speak we in Christ.’ (2 Cor. 2: 14-17)  

Yeh friends, in usual Bruh Paul fashion those statements are somewhat convoluted, but the scholars offer us some explanations. ‘2:14-17. Triumph (cf. Col.2:9-15): The imagery conveyed in the use of this term is of the Roman general who marched in victory with his entourage, consisting of two groups: them that are saved…and them that perish. 

The former group referred to those allowed to live as slaves of the empire. The latter group comprised the condemned, who were being led to their death. Each group carried burning incense. The one was, verse 16, a savour of death unto death, the other was a fragrance of life unto life. 

Calvary was the mighty display of the infinite power of a sovereign God. The human race was divided into two categories, those of life unto life and those of death unto death.’ (2 Cor.2:14-17) 

Hope that explanation helps us to better understand what Bruh Paul is talking about. In ending friends, all I can say is ‘Glory to God, through Christ Jesus, that we ended up in the life unto life group!’ Much LOVE!

…who completely destroyed the prince of evil…JESUS…who had victory over hell, death and the grave…JESUS… who saved our sinful souls…Jesus…praise His holy name…

 

 

 

Today’s Scrip-Bit 29 March 2015 Matthew 21:10

29 Mar 2015 Leave a comment

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

 Matthew 21:10.    And when he was come into Jerusalem, all the city was moved, saying, Who is this?

PALM  SUNDAY!

Well Friends, today is Palm Sunday, the first day of one of the most important weeks in Christianity – Holy Week.  It’s the day that our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ made His triumphal entry into the holy city of Jerusalem, riding on a donkey. And thus it is a very important day for Christians to go to church to worship Christ and fellowship with each other.

It’s a preview of things to come. The first time, He humbly enters Jerusalem on a lowly donkey, but the next time…the next time… Oh my people, Jesus will be coming in might and majesty, as Lord of Lords and King of Kings, sitting astride a snow white charger, that’s snorting and impatiently stamping its feet, anxious to join the fray, the impending battle for world supremacy.

Ah mih breddren, this day also shows how frail and fickle and foolish humans can be, and are so easily led astray by those with the power of the mouth; the gift of the gab. Why do I say that? Because on that first Palm Sunday, the populace of Jerusalem worshipped and glorified Jesus, but a week later they were crying out to crucify Him, all because their leaders incensed them to do so, for the leader’s private purposes.  

Sadly Friends, the same thing is happening in our world today; a large amount of people are being led astray on numerous fronts by their leaders, not for the benefit of the people, but for the selfish and greedy purposes of those in power. Is this misuse and abuse of power ever going to end?

Who knows? But it will only end when we raise up righteous and godly rulers and hold them to account, instead of the parasites who now feed greedily on the fears, foibles and wealth of the people, and rob and steal with impunity.

But that’s a sermon for another day. (smile)  Today we’re featuring Palm Sunday, so let’s focus on that. And please note Friends, that his day was prophesied hundreds of years before Jesus’ time by the prophet Zechariah, when he proclaimed to Israel: ‘Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem: behold, thy King cometh unto thee: he is just (righteous), and having salvation; lowly (humble), and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass.’ (Zech.9:9)

And the scholars offer this information. ‘9:9-10. The ass (donkey) was an animal of peace. The kings of the earth come to bring destruction and devastation; Israel’s King comes to bring peace. The prophecy was fulfilled when Jesus made His triumphal entry into Jerusalem (Matt.21:4-7; Mark 11:7; Luke 19:38; John 12:14-15).’ 

Yes Friends, centuries later, Jesus appeared on the scene, and on this fateful day, set His sights on Jerusalem. So let’s see what happened nuh. The gospel of Matthew tells it thus: ‘And when they drew nigh unto Jerusalem, and were come to Bethpage, unto the mount of Olives, then sent Jesus two disciples, Saying unto them, go into the village over against (opposite) you, and straightway ye shall find an ass (donkey) tied, and a colt with her: loose (untie) them, and bring them unto me.

And if any man say aught (anything) unto you, ye shall say, The Lord hath need of them; and straightway he will send them. All this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying, Tell ye the daughter of Zion, behold, thy King cometh unto thee, meek (humble), and sitting upon an ass (donkey), and a colt, the foal of an ass.

And the disciples went and did as Jesus commanded them. And brought the ass (donkey), and the colt, and put on them their clothes, and they set him thereon. And a very great multitude spread their garments in the way; others cut down branches from trees, and strewed (spread) them in the way (road).

And the multitudes that went before, and that followed, cried, saying, Hosanna to the son of David: Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord, Hosanna in the highest. And when he was come into Jerusalem, all the city was moved, saying, Who is this? And the multitude said, this is Jesus, the prophet of Nazareth of Galilee.’ (Matt.21:1-11)  

Ah Friends, what a carnival-like day, an atmosphere of celebration that must have been eh, with everybody rejoicing to see their prophet, their Messiah being kingly paraded through their streets. But as we said earlier, the euphoria didn’t last very long, for some five days later they were crying out for His head, for Him to be crucified.

Now here is some info from the scholars, re those verses. ’21:1-9. This event is traditionally known as the triumphal entry, when Jesus officially offers Himself to the nation of Israel as her long-awaited Messiah. However, in many ways it was far from a triumph, for the day ended in Jesus’ public prediction of His rejection by His own people. (See Mark 1:1-10; Luke 19:29-39; John 12:12-15).

Bethpage was a village near Bethany, about a mile east of Jerusalem and apparently hidden from it by the summit of the Mount of Olives, which was the hill on the east of Jerusalem. The quotation in verse 5 is a combination of Isaiah 62:11 and Zechariah 9:9, taken substantially from the Septuagint, the ancient Greek translation of the Old Testament.

Hosanna is the transliteration of a Hebrew term meaning “please save,” and occurs in 2 Samuel 14:4 and Psalm 118:25. From the following verse of this psalm the acclamation Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord is taken. Riding on the colt of an ass marked the official entry of Israel’s kings. Thus Jesus arrives in the full declaration of His kingship.’

There we have it my brethren; lots of info on the Palm Sunday scene, so please let’s ponder and study it and thus increase our knowledge of Jesus and His Word, and consequently also increase our faith and belief in Him, for He is truly the ONLY WAY through which salvation can be had.

So let’s be wise and embrace Him and all that He stands for RIGHT NOW, for tomorrow might just be too late. Much LOVE!

…the zenith of wisdom is… surrendering one’s self to Jesus Christ…accepting Him as your Lord and Saviour…your ticket to eternal life…